Kimberly A. Bettes's Blog, page 10
June 12, 2013
May 31, 2013
May 18, 2013
The Day Bob Greeley Died – The Story Behind the Story
As is the usual way this works, an idea came to me one night while I was trying to go to sleep. I found it to be a fabulous story, though I wasn’t clear on all the details. But I sure was excited about it. Here’s the original idea I had that night:
The setting was a small desert town, before air conditioning and cell phones, before TV and computers. The town would be comprised of people suffering during a horrible drought, people who were at their wit’s end because of the heat. People on edge, ready to snap. Then, to make matters worse, the power goes out, pushing them over the edge.
I knew that a man named Bob Greeley was going to die, though I didn’t know how or why. I knew there was a large red-haired woman who wore far too much makeup and a polka dot dress. I knew Bob Greeley’s wife, Grace, was a small and quiet woman.
That was it. That’s all I knew.
So I set about writing the story, picking the perfect moment in time, the perfect place, and creating a cast of characters that represented a wide variety of realistic people readers could easily relate to.
Then came the part I love, the moment I live for. When all the pieces fall into place and you realize where the whole thing was heading, the reason you had the idea in the first place. Of course, it would’ve been nice if that moment would’ve come when I wrote the first ending instead of the third, but hey. I’ll take it.
So I ended up with a nice little story with an ironic twist at the end, not unlike an episode of The Twilight Zone. (In fact, I explain in an Afterword how Rod Serling helped shape me as a writer.) Hope you like it.
It’s August, 1952 in the small town of Sweetwater, Missouri, where a deadly drought has the residents begging for rain, and with it, mercy. But on this particular day, just another in a long line of dry days with three-digit temperatures, mercy will not be given.
As the mercury rises and the power fails, tempers flare, causing a handful of the most prestigious members of the community to point their fingers at Bob Greeley, accusing him of atrocious acts. While Bob proclaims his innocence, the crowd takes matters into their own hands, deciding upon his guilt and preparing to deliver unto him a punishment they’ve deemed fit. Even if they’re wrong.
Buy the book here.
May 4, 2013
Writers: Stop Losing Your Work!
I see a lot of frantic posts from writers who have lost their work due to computer crashes. Every writer knows the feeling of seeing so much hard work disappear in the blink of an eye. It’s a gut wrenching experience, guaranteed to bring us to our knees. And quite possibly there will be vomiting. There will absolutely be crying. Most writers have back-up files of their work to prevent this from happening. After all, we don’t want to throw a hissy fit. Don’t get me wrong – we will if we lose our work, but we don’t want to. In case you don’t have a method of saving your work from disappearing into the bowels of the netherworld, let me share with you my personal back-up regimen.
First of all, a super fast and easy way to back up your files is a flash drive. Small and compact, just plug it in to your USB port, drag and drop, or copy and paste if that’s your preferred method, and voila! Saved to an outside source in case of a system meltdown.
Don’t have a flash drive? No problem. Head on over to yahoo or hotmail and set yourself up a free email account. At the end of each writing session, email yourself a copy of the file. Boom! Done and done. You now have a copy of your work stored safely in another location in case of a malfunction.
Don’t care to do that? Get Dropbox. It’s free. It’s my personal favorite because accessing your files from ANY device anywhere is awesome. Drop a copy of your file in the Dropbox. Automatically, you can see your files on your tablet, your smart phone, or any other computer. It’s fantastic.
Personally, I use all three of these methods. In fact, I have my work saved on three separate flash drives, I email myself my files at the end of each session, and I use Dropbox. Overkill? Maybe. But you’ve never seen a post from me where I’m crying because I’ve lost my work.
April 21, 2013
25 Ways To Be A Happy Writer (Or, At Least, Happier) « terribleminds: chuck wendig
Another brilliant list from Chuck Wendig. I love his lists. They’re funny, truthful, and often give me the kick in the ass I need.
25 Ways To Be A Happy Writer (Or, At Least, Happier) « terribleminds: chuck wendig.
April 8, 2013
Gender Matters
It’s been a crazy couple of years regarding my writing career. 22 months ago, my novels were published for the first time. Since then, I’ve been in perpetual awe of how well they’ve done. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t sold books. My numbers aren’t astronomical by any means, but I sell more books in a day than a lot of indie authors sell in a month. I feel very lucky to be doing so well, and I am grateful for it all. If I could change one thing though, it would be my name.
When I first started writing, I came up with a great pseudonym that I planned to use. But then I decided to use my real name. Call me vain, but I wanted people to know that I wrote them, not some fictitious person. However, hindsight has shed some light on the matter and made me realize that I should’ve gone a different way. If I could do it all over again, I would’ve only used my first initials. K.A. Bettes instead of Kimberly A. Bettes. Some of you may know why. For those who don’t, I’ll tell you.
People expect certain things from each gender. For example, people assume that women make great romance writers and men make great horror writers. No idea why this is, but it is. I know that a lot of authors have been forced to change their names upon publication to a neutral name, one that could be either a man’s name or a woman’s. I knew that when my books were published, and for a brief second, I considered it. But again, I wanted MY name on the cover.
It wasn’t until I read a review for one of my horror novels in which the reviewer said he couldn’t believe a woman wrote the book. I was flattered and a little bit insulted. I mean, why couldn’t a woman write a great horror novel? I kind of forgot about it (though I didn’t; it was in the back of mind all the time) and a while later, I saw the same thing in another review for one of my books. And then another. I got to thinking that there really is something to this. Although I have to admit, it does make me feel good to shock someone with a great horror novel written by a woman.
Yet I have to ask myself, how many people don’t buy my books because I’m a woman? I get the feeling it’s a lot.
March 23, 2013
A Ray of Sunshine
What a surprise it was for me to see that I was nominated for The Sunshine Award by Lord David Prosser. Thank you, David, for the nomination. As is the custom, I must now answer a few questions, then make some nominations of my own. So here we go.
What inspired you to start blogging?
When my books were first published, I knew I needed a platform to reach the people. I had no idea what I was going to say, but I knew I needed to say something. A blog was the perfect way to do it.
How did you come up with the name of your blog?
Anytime I’ve ever had an idea or a plan, the first thing I say is here’s what I’m thinking. So when it came time to name my blog, I thought it was perfect.
What is your favorite blog that you like to read?
I have two blogs that I love, each for a different reason. I love to read J. A. Konrath’s blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing because it is loaded with information regarding publishing. The other one is Chuck Wendig’s terribleminds. I particularly love to read his 25 Things lists, because they are hilarious and informative about writing.
Tell about your dream job.
My dream job is to make a living as a full time writer, answering to no one but myself. To have fans eagerly awaiting my next novel. And that’s exactly what I do. I’m living my dream job, and I couldn’t be happier.
Is your glass half full or half empty?
My glass is half full. I know that no matter what the situation is, it could always be worse. Always. However, the OCD in me thinks the glass is half empty and I better fill it back up before it runs out.
If you could go anywhere on a week’s vacation, where would you go?
That’s a tough question. I could spend forever at the Grand Canyon, taking in the view. But I sure do love to hear the ocean waves beating against the beach. Hmm. I’m going to say northern California, on the coastline so I can hear those waves.
What food can you absolutely not eat?
Seafood. Anything that comes from the water should stay in the water. Ick!
Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?
Milk chocolate, no doubt about it. Dark chocolate is bitter.
How much time do you spend blogging – in other words, are you one of those lucky people who can dash off a blog post in no time, or like me and take forever on one post to get it just right?
I spend very little time on a blog post. By the time I’ve decided what the post will be about, it takes no time at all for me to write it.
Do you watch TV – if so, what are some of your favorite shows?
I love TV. Some of my favorites that are on now are The Walking Dead, Tosh.0, Workaholics, The Big Bang Theory, 48 Hours, Dateline, AxMen, Bridezillas, Rules of Engagement, The Middle, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Homicide Hunter. Some of my favorites that are in reruns only are Seinfeld, The King of Queens, Forensic Files, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Roseanne. I also love British comedies. Mr. Bean, Blackadder, My Hero, My Family, Keeping Up Appearances, Father Ted, Little Britain…all good stuff.
Now, it’s time for my nominations for The Sunshine Award. *Ahem*
March 22, 2013
I’m So TWISTED
Call me crazy. Many have. But I’m giving away my short story collection TWISTED. Oh yeah. That’s right. It’s FREE. F-R-E-E FREE! I ask nothing in return, although it WOULD be nice if you could leave a review when you’ve finished reading it. That way other people will know how awesome I am. I mean, um, what you thought of the book.
So rush on over to Amazon and — Hey! Hey, stop running! You’re gonna trample each other! Calm down, there’s enough to go around! Geez. You’d think it was a Black Friday sale at Wal-Mart. Of course, this is much better than any sale, because my book is FREE! So come on, folks. Be TWISTED with me.
March 21, 2013
Chuck Wendig’s 25 Things You Should Know About Writing A Novel
Chuck Wendig is one hell of a inspirational speaker. If you need a kick in the rear, he’s your guy. I love his 25 Things lists, and this one is quite possibly my favorite. If you’re a writer, you NEED to be reading his lists. You might as well start with this one.
25 Things You Should Know About Writing A Novel « terribleminds: chuck wendig.
True Writing is Rewriting
A great article by Beth Shope about the dreaded rewrites authors must suffer through. Or as I prefer to call it, the tenth circle of hell.
