K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 125
July 31, 2017
To Be Verb Phobia
Oh, those to be verbs. They have such a bad reputation. They make your sentences passive is the usual battle cry against their use. Just which verbs are these? The usual suspects: is, am, are, was, were, been, be, being. According so some experts, you can never use these verbs in your writing, and some people are taking that advice far too seriously.
Far too many authors now are substituting other words in place of the to be verb. Instead of “She was angry and paced back and forth.” we’re seeing “She stood angry and paced back and forth.” Or there might be a “He laid in the bed.” instead of “He was lying in the bed.”
Here’s a big secret. These words you’re substituting for a to be verb, so you don’t use one because it makes the sentence passive, are confusing your readers. That’s right. Your reader doesn’t understand what you’re trying to say as you’re studiously working to find other words to use instead of the eight criminals of passivity.
The truth is that to be verbs can be passive, if the sentence is constructed poorly. Any word can be passive if your sentence is constructed poorly. As authors, our main job is to show the story to the reader. That is first and foremost before any other rule. Even if it means you need to use the occasional to be verb to get the message across. A word in and of itself cannot be passive. It is you, the author, who makes it that way when you construct your sentence.
How do you avoid passive sentences?
This is part of your job as an author. When you’re writing your first draft, don’t worry about passive sentences. Don’t worry about to be verbs. Get the story into electronic bytes. There will be plenty of time later to clean up those tricky parts. Your most important job once you start a new book is to get the story committed to a document, so you can come back once you’ve completed writing it and do the first round of self-editing.
Your second job is to learn when to ignore advice from writing gurus. Remember, a writing guru is just like you. They’re struggling to get the job done, convincing you what’s right and wrong in your writing, so they can have people keep coming back to their website or blog. If you take their advice and later learn it was wrong, how much work will you have to do in order to correct your book?
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 30, 2017
Paranormal Mystery
Welcome to Sunday Blog Share! Today, we’re talking siblings. Brothers and sisters are special. They may fight with each other. There may be endless days of tension while they assert their individuality, but they will always stand beside each other in times of trouble! Get The Curse of Grungy Gulley on Amazon
Three teens living in three very different times find themselves searching for ways to deal with a mysterious presence demanding that they do as he demands. Each of these teens shies away from this Bewitcher, for reasons of their own. They’re also bothered by images they see of others in different times but always the same place.
Faced with the loss of his immortality, Bewitcher Random A. Ransom has to defeat Mary Barron’s young assistants: Tuck Barrons, Earl Lee Farley, and Sue Anne Edwards. Confidant he can beat three kids, Random has no idea that the Johnson triplets have invaded the ranks of his brethren. These brothers have pledged their souls to Archangel Michael to rid the world of evil. What the Bewitcher thought would be easy isn’t so easy after all.
High up in the Rocky Mountains, a day’s buggy ride from the city of Denver in 1861, a small town nestled among oak, aspen, and sycamore trees. Two mines sat above the single street, providing the residents with a more than comfortable living. Birds sang in the spring air. Trout leaped in a lake just west of the town. Deer and elk grazed within sight of the residents. All was good for those who chose to live here, away from the dirt, crowds, and crime of the city most had lived in before moving here. They felt they were safe.
Were they?
Sue Anne Edwards strolled along Grungy Gulley’s wooden boardwalk. She smiled at those she was friends with and offered a shy hello with those she knew but didn’t care for. Her life was one where she didn’t question authority nor did she ignore social mores. No one could ever say Sue Anne was anything but an obedient daughter, and a good friend.
She stopped in front of the bank. Her parents expected her home soon but she needed to wait for her brother, Peter. She peered through the dusty window only to find him busy with the manager, James Templeton—a man who often vexed her beyond redemption. He, his wife, and their daughter felt everyone should fawn over them, without any sense of returning the sycophantic attention, as they deserved adoration above everyone else.
“Goodness gracious, doesn’t Mr. Templeton have any sense of propriety?” A frustrated sigh escaped her. “Dinner will be cold by the time he stops talking to Peter. Momma will be most upset.”
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 26, 2017
Writing Hobbyist or Professional Author
I happened to see a post on a social media site recently and was amazed an individual who devotes all their time to the writing process, has their books professionally edited, and pays a premium price for cover art referring to what he does as a “hobby.” This Individual was, in fact, wondering if they should look into writing scripts from his books, in order to pitch them to a producer.
My horror came not from the fact that this person was interested in having their book made into a movie. Rather, I was disturbed at the reference to the writing process being referred to as a hobby.
Being an author is in no way a hobby. A successful author is one who devotes hours every day to promoting their books available on sales venues. A successful author appears at events and visits libraries or schools to talk about their profession. A successful author is always planning their next book.
There are some individuals who are writing hobbyists. They write one, two, three, or may four books. The releases are stretched out over years rather than before interest in their current books wanes. They live the dream of an author from before the internet became so big. These people imagine being on major talk shows, of having book signings at the most exclusive stores, and having people fete them as the next big name in books. They daydream rather than looking for the next story or event, the next round of editing or selecting cover art.
A professional author never refers to what they do as a hobby. It’s an insult of the worst degree. Far too many hours of the author’s time is spent on research, blogging, preparing for or doing podcasts, and sweating out a difficult plot point. A professional author is much like a long distance runner. We’re recognized from the dark circles under our eyes from long nights appeasing characters who have no clue what sleeping means. Our friends’ eyes will glaze over as we describe what this character or that is doing at this point in the story—much like a parent bragging about their child’s antics.
To be taken seriously, an author never refers to themselves as a hobbyist in any way, shape, or form. We’re far too busy working on our next book to think about that.
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 25, 2017
Lost Friend
Welcome to Tuesday Blog Share! Today we’re talking about lost friends. Not the friends who walked away from us, or even the friends whose families moved away. We’re going to talk about those friends who vanish without any reason. Sometimes, people care and look for the friends. Other times, the situation is treated like they never existed. Get Finding Mia on Amazon!
Blurb
Sixteen-year-old Mia remembers hearing a loud noise just before she reached her summer camp. It is her last living memory.
A year later, she haunts the place, vowing not to be lost forever. Her boyfriend, Jax, promises to find her, regardless of the bewildering obstacles put in his way. He just doesn’t know why no one wants her found. No one… except him.
Excerpt
Summer is the worst experience of all of my sixteen years. What can I say about the time, except that I’m not in school, my parents don’t bother hiding their hatred for each other, and I have to go to camp. In fact, that’s where I’m headed now. Good old Camp WatcheeWatchee—or as my friends and I refer to it, Camp Do Nothing, Know Nothing, Experience Boredom.
“Slow down, Charles.” Even an order sounds like a whine coming out Mom’s mouth.
She’s been like that for months now, always whining, always complaining, always demanding a better vacation spot, one where she doesn’t have to put up with surly teens.
I’m not surly. Far from it, but my parents don’t get that. They never get anything their pop psychologist doesn’t approve both verbally or in writing.
“I’m not speeding.” Dad grinds his teeth and takes another curve like we’re in the Indy 500, and he’s in the lead.
Mom’s not wrong about his driving, but he’s only like this when all of us are in his Mercedes at the same time. Now, if I’m in the car alone with him, he’s like a turtle, always going slower than dirt growing, always attempting to treat me like I’m three.
I haven’t been three for a long time. If I’m very lucky, I might make it to seventeen before I have gray hair from this little drive up to the camp.
A sign whizzes past at the speed of light. I catch the words and sigh.
He did it again. Oh well, I like hiking into the camp. Don’t have to worry about the parents embarrassing me with their constant arguments.
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 24, 2017
Polite Criticism
We’ve all experienced criticism of our work. That is part and parcel of being an author. Not everyone is going to like your book. Face it, you can’t please every person in the world.
Most of the time, this criticism is done in a manner that will appear to be a deliberate attempt to hurt us. As an author, we are in love with our work. Many hours of sweat, frustration, and occasionally tears have gone into our books. Therefore, we take any criticism of our book at all. It doesn’t matter how the words are phrased, we are going to be upset.
Before you shoot off a nasty comment that this individual doesn’t know anything at all about what it takes to be an author, stop and think for a few minutes. Walk away from the review. Ask yourself exactly what did the person say.
If their review started off with “I don’t normally read this genre,” they are telling you they read a genre they don’t appear to like. You attracted them to your work somehow and they took a chance on it. That they found they still didn’t like the genre but finished your book should tell you something. You held their attention beyond their dislike for the genre.
What if they say “there were places where I felt lost.” You, the author, need to think about that. Maybe you should contact this individual and ask them why they felt lost. Perhaps you missed a plot hole. Maybe your narrative is a bit too long. Or they may have felt lost because they didn’t connect with the characters.
Also, you need to think about how their criticism was phrased. Did they make ugly comments or were they trying to explain why they didn’t like your book using polite phrases. There’s a lot of difference there. If a reviewer was being polite in their criticism, they may have liked parts of your book but not others. They may never read another one of your books but they have alerted you to areas that were overlooked during editing.
The answer lies in discerning a polite criticism of your book versus a “This book stinks.” “The author needs to quit.” Or, you might see the very popular, “What a waste of electronic bytes.” Those people are to be ignored because they’re getting a rise out of you by using hackneyed phrases to rile you up. The person who takes the time to explain why they didn’t like your book, and uses thoughtful phrases, is an individual who was trying to put down what they thought without hurting you.
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 23, 2017
Identity
Welcome to Sunday Blog Share! Today, we’re talking identity and teens. Every teen has wondered at some point if they’re with their “real” family. After all, everyone else in their home is so very different from what they are. That means they were switched at birth or stolen in the middle of the night. Most of the time, this isn’t the case. Occasionally, the truth is mind boggling!Get Who Am I? on Amazon
Brooke English never belongs. She changes schools twice a year, as often as her looks and name change. Her thoughts about belonging to her "family" get even more viral when they stop in Landry, Georgia. Then things start to go wrong. Then Brooke starts to have dreams.
Will she find the answers she wants? Or will her worst fears become reality?
"A new semester, a new school, and who am I looking at? Sure isn't me – whoever that is."
I stare intoa mirror atthe new house, and I don't recognize the person staring back at me.
For as long back as I can remember, I've had at least two different names every year – Layla, Helena, Penelope (nicknamed Perky, definitely not me!), and many, many more, far too tedious to mention. At times, I get confused, and I've always wondered what my real name is. Where I'm from comes in a very close second. Third is my desire to have a real life, friends, and a future. We moved here last night. I’ve lost count of the houses. Never homes.
Like that will ever happen.
Today begins another life, as another person. The only difference is the size of the town where we are. Instead of a major city, where we can blend in, we're in a rural Northwest Georgia town, so small everyone has to know everyone else.
What are Mama and Daddy thinking? Their swindle will never work here.
They spend their days "suckering rubes" – their words, not mine – while I'm in school with my older brother, Tim. The scam is always the same, insurance to cover disaster losses. They sell it cheap, and then use the cash, along with credit cards they get through another scam.
A glance at the alarm clock sends me into a slight panic. It's the very same as every other Monday is after we move, like every six months. It has been this way all my life, but I still have problems looking at the person I am now
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 19, 2017
Let It Go
Every author has experienced this once they reach the end of their novel, novella, or short story. You have to go back to the beginning and analyze every word. Are the paragraphs done correctly? DO I have paragraphs that go on for pages and pages? Have I lost the thread of the plot in an attempt to get more description in?
As soon as you identify a potential problem, you immediately start rewriting—before you have given your book over to the beta readers. Oh no, you can’t wait. You have to fix these awful problems you’ve found. But first, you must make notes, so you know what needs fixing. Days, weeks, even months are spent parsing every word, searching for plot holes, of which you are convinced you have many, and rewriting the whole book.
During this process, you’re beating yourself up, crying out painfully, “How did I ever think this was a good idea?”
Several weeks later, you sit back and heave out a huge breath. Finally, your work is perfect. Now, it’s time for the beta readers, who have been slathering to see your latest work.
Once your latest novel is off to the beta readers, you begin work on a new book. It’s too difficult to sit and wait on the one you just finished to come back. Time to dive into that story you’ve had bothering you through the rewriting process.
Slowly, over the next month, information from your beta readers flows in. You stare at the suggestions in horror. How did they find so many problems? There’s only one thing to do…
More rewrites are in your future!
Stop! Don’t touch that keyboard. Step away from the computer.
Instead of rewriting, compile a list of what your beta readers said. Compare those notes. How many are exactly the same suggestion, or very similar to each other? How many of these suggestions are merely you need to use more pronouns instead of names all the time? How often did you use a particular word?
Rewrites shouldn’t be in your future for these problems. In other words, Let It Go! Stop rewriting and start editing. Once you’ve covered everything that was mentioned, take a few more days to continue developing your new story. Fall in love with it. Hate your book awaiting another editing, so it looks professional when you submit to a publisher.
Now that you hate that book, begin round two of editing. You will discover what you thought was a mess is in actuality in very good shape. Throughout this process, you’ve learned a very important lesson. There really is a time to release your story to the world.
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 18, 2017
Bad Boyfriends
Welcome to Tuesday Blog Share. Today, we’re talking about bad boyfriends. Or they could be bad girlfriends. Although, they are very different from your usual boy/girlfriend. These significant others will drain you for their own paranormal satisfaction.Get Family Curse... Times Two on Amazon!
Blurb
A curse uttered in 1422 sets two families against each other – each side determined to destroy the other. Now, Zan Courtland, unprepared for the task, must face off against her foe – who also happens to be her boyfriend.
Excerpt
Cheer camp had ended an hour ago, but Suzanne Courtland, called Zan by anyone who didn't want her in their face, was still hanging around. She bounced up from the warm metal bleacher and went in search of her boyfriend. Luke "L-Mac" MacGregor was the quarterback for the Landry Wildcats, an uber-cool guy she'd dated for the last six wondrous, exciting, happy months.
They were the “in” couple, the one all their classmates envied and what all the others wanted to be. When school began in two weeks, Zan knew everything would be absolutely perfect … if L-Mac would just hurry up.
"What's taking him so long?" she wondered aloud.
She had so much to do tonight, and he'd promised to come with her. They were going to the mall, to search out the last of what they needed for school.
"Two more minutes, and then I'm gone." Right this very second, Zan would have cheerfully walked away from L-Mac and never looked back.
"How long does it take to shower anyway?" Zan grumbled. "Girls are supposed to take forever, not guys. I bet they're–"
A boy’s ear-splitting wail of pain and horror sent a chill through her body. She leaped off the bleachers, jumped the fence, and ran toward the woods. Unlike most of the teens she knew, Zan never hesitated to race toward problems. And unlike most of the teens she knew, she should be equipped to handle anything she found where that guy had screamed.
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 17, 2017
Giveaway
Oh, no, not I. I will never giveaway my books.
How many times have I heard this from authors? They all swear they’ll never participate in a giveaway of their books. Their logic is sound—who wants to give away something you’ve worked months and years to produce? However, these authors are missing a significant sales tool if they refuse to give away their books.
Did you know a giveaway can spark new sales of your book(s)?
Oh, yes, you can see a temporary uptick in sales following a giveaway. By promoting the giveaway heavily, you will attract the interest of new readers. Some may not click on that link until a day or so after the giveaway ends. Where your book was languishing, it’s now selling. We all love seeing those sales. True?
Another reason to do a giveaway is to offer a book free to one or several lucky winners. Again, you will have the added benefit of attracting readers who might purchase the book because they discovered that they actually like what’s in it.
Even better, you’re seen as an author willing to go that extra step for your potential readers. And those readers can also work for you.
How? you ask.
Quite simply, Amazon counts your book as a Best Seller whether you achieve that status with a giveaway or actual sales. No, you didn’t receive a royalty payment for the book, but you did get enough downloads that you broke through the top 100 books in a certain category. This means when you’re promoting the book after the giveaway, you can add a best seller widget to your images. Pretty impressive. Right? Looks awfully good up there beside or on your cover art. Attracts attention too. Everyone wants to read a best seller, to see how it got there.
So, before you decide outright that you’ll never do a giveaway, check out all the benefits you have from one. You might change your mind.
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
July 16, 2017
Siblings
Welcome to Sunday Blog Share! Today, we’re talking siblings. Brothers and sisters are special. They may fight with each other. There may be endless days of tension while they assert their individuality, but they will always stand beside each other in times of trouble!Get The Lie on Amazon
For high school siblings, Amy and Bryce, the night began with a football game. Bryce was stuck at home with a cold, brought on by an uncaring coach. Amy was in the stands, playing with the band whose funding had been taken away and given to the football team.
Her best friend, Jane, brought the band together to play a prank on the team in protest.
The prank went wrong. Horribly, tragically wrong.
And the lie that started it all would not stop.
The sun is peeping over the mountains all around us. The members of the Landry High School Band fill in the last of the holes where we placed our planned revenge to go off tonight. None of us has had any sleep since we woke up yesterday, yet we’re charged up and ready for the rest of today and well into tonight.
“Where are your friends?” I ask.
Jane Preston, my bestie, the true mastermind of this prank, smirks at me.
Her light brown hair flies around her face in the early morning breeze. She swipes a few strands away from her pinched mouth and grimaces. Jane is always angry, always ready to take revenge for what she sees as a slight against her. Her slender body hunches forward, what she calls a protection method against all of her enemies. A lot of people don’t like her. I’m her only real friend. That’s because I feel sorry for her. Honesty turned on… a trait I value not only in myself but everyone close to me… I sometimes wish that Jane will stop being so weird and mean, and learn to be part of the group.
And she won’t let me alone whenever I try to get away from her. Jane would make more friends if she tried a little harder. It’s like she enjoys scaring people, so they don’t get close to her. But she’s always complaining about how everyone hates her.
About the K.C. Sprayberry
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with innovative tales from the South and beyond.
She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Those who know her best will tell you that nothing is safe or sacred when she is observing real life. In fact, she considers any situation she witnesses as fair game when plotting a new story.
Find out more about my books at these social media sites:
Website
Goodreads
Amazon Author Page
Google +
Manic Readers
AUTHORSdb
Readers Gazette
Authors Den
