Anna J. McIntyre's Blog, page 8

Commitment Issues

Yes, I still have manuscript commitment issues. I’ve two separate books – from two different series – vying for my attention. Do I go ahead and start the first book in a new series – or continue with the book for the Sensual Romance Series? Decisions…decisions…

I’m wondering how many other writers have this problem. It is sort of the flip side of writer’s block.

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A what if look at rape and abortion…

I’ve added a book to the Anna J. McIntyre bookshelf over at Amazon. It’s something I wrote almost two years ago – American Bondage, under the pen name, Sallie Holt. It’s actually a short story, not a book. I suppose some might consider it controversial, considering it’s about a hot topic – abortion. In the story my intent was not to create good guys or bad guys – but basically all good guys – trapped by their own belief systems and viewed either negatively or positively by other characters, based not on the character’s actual goodness, but by personal experiences.

I initially published the story under Sallie Holt – the name of my great-grandmother who died in her early twenties. She left behind four young children, and according to a cousin,  she died during childbirth.

I’ve decided to add Anna J. McIntyre’s name to Sallie Holt’s at Amazon, to give the title a little more exposure. You can find the story at other venues – like Barnes & Noble and Apple, under Sallie Holt.

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Income Tax time of year – have you finished your taxes?

Before I immerse myself in my next book there is something I need to finish – preparing our income tax information for our accountant. Blech… But it is that time of year again, and nothing can stifle creativity quicker than unfinished taxes facing a deadline.

I started yesterday, and hope to finish up today, so we can drop the information off at the accountant’s office, and then get back to my imaginary world.

When I do return to writing, I’m not sure which book I’ll get back to. I have one in my head – the first book in a new series. And another that is already outlined, with several chapters written – for my Sensual Romance Series.

I have manuscript commitment issues. This is nothing new to me. I’ve done this before, and eventually finished both books, yet not in the order I originally intended.

Oh well, I will think about that later. Now…back to those pesky taxes…

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When it was just Lessons

Some people call them book trailers – similar to movie trailers used to promote a movie. Yet, the term book trailer has been trademarked, and if your video wasn’t created by the holder of the trademark, you might want to simply call it a book video.

I’ve made a couple book videos. I don’t think they’re the best way to market a book, but they can be fun.

The first one I made was for Lessons – the first book written in The Coulson Series. I’ve since retitled the book, now calling it Coulson’s Lessons – and two of the four Coulson books written after Lessons takes place prior to it, therefore what was once book 1 in the series, is now book 3.

The video is outdated in that it has the wrong title and cover. In spite of that, I have a soft spot in my heart for the Lessons video, and I thought I would share it with you in this blog post.

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Truth is stranger than fiction.

It may be a cliche – truth is stranger than fiction – but it says it so well. I’ve had author friends tell me they’ve received negative reviews for what the reviewer perceived as too unbelievable – when in fact, those unbelievable tidbits came from real life stories.

Set in the first half of the 1900s, Coulson’s Wife was unable to avoid the Influenza of 1918, especially considering the first part of the book takes place in Philadelphia which was devastated by the lethal influenza. This epidemic is considered the worse in recorded history, claiming more lives than World War I, which was winding down about the same time as the influenza.

One fictional anecdote mentioned in the book actually comes from a true story. It tells of four ladies who get together to play bridge, and they all end up dying by the end of the evening. Supposedly, something like that did happen.

You can read more about the Influenza of 1918 and the real bridge ladies, by clicking here.

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Coulson’s Wife, Stepping Back in Time

Coulson’s Wife was my first attempt at historical fiction. Understanding readers of that genre want historical accuracy, I did my best to deliver a realistic portrayal of that era. Not only did I utilize history books, reliable historical websites and information I’ve gleaned while doing genealogical research on my family – I played back in my head long ago conversations I had with my grandmother.

My Grandma Hilda was a few years older than Mary Ellen Coulson – about the same age as Mary Ellen’s oldest brother.

When sending the book out to beta readers, I tried to find a few that were familiar with that era. In the story Mary Ellen often retreats to her hammock in the garden, to lose herself in a book. One of my betas question that – asking if a young lady of that era would actually use a hammock.

I smiled at the question, because I knew the answer. Yes. I had a photograph of my grandmother – the same timeframe – to illustrate that point.

If you haven’t read the series yet, you can download Coulson’s Wife for free. It is currently available for free at Kobo, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble.

As for the photograph with this post –  that’s my Grandma Hilda and Grandpa George.

Coulson’s Wife Free at Kobo

Coulson’s Wife Free at Smashwords

Coulson’s Wife Free at Barnes & Noble

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Coulson’s Reckoning is here!

Coulson’s Reckoning is now available at Amazon in eBook format. It should be showing up at the other eBook vendors in the near future.

Because of the layered relationships of characters in the series – a story spanning almost a century – I’ve included a set of family trees in Coulson’s Reckoning. You’ll find them at the front of the book. You will also find them on this site, if you click on “Coulson Family Trees” at the top of the page.

But WAIT!!!!! Before you click, you may not want to if you haven’t read the first four books in The Coulson Series. I’m afraid they will give away some secrets you may want to discover through the stories, and not by reading the family trees.

I might create some less revealing trees to replace these – but for now I will leave the spoiler family trees up.

Click here to buy the book at Amazon.

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Sneak Peek into Coulson’s Reckoning

Sneak Peek into Coulson’s Reckoning
Prologue

November 1960

Metal hitting rock was the only sound permeating the moonless night. Struggling with his shovel, the man painstakingly dug the grave, using the heel of his boot to force the shovel’s blade into the unyielding ground. A second man pulled a body from the back of a Lincoln Continental. It hit the ground with a thud.

He dragged the corpse toward the gravesite, taking hold of its feet, which were still clad in pricy imported leather shoes. The lifeless head and shoulders left a pathway in the dirt from the vehicle to the emerging hole in the ground while rigid arms flailed outwards. The dead man’s expensive silk suit was now wrinkled and soiled.

When the killers had surprised him at his motel room, he was just returning from the store, carrying a sack holding a newly purchased bottle of gin. He had opened the bottle while still at the liquor store parking lot and consumed a third of its contents before returning to his room, which was one reason he’d been such an accommodating target.

They couldn’t believe how effortlessly they had surprised him, pushing him into the privacy of his room. They were told he was a professional and he might be expecting someone.

Instead of the Colt 45 they’d brought along, a pillow from the motel bed had done the trick. He’d given them a good struggle, but he was no match for the strength of the two men sent to take care of business.

“I still say we should’ve let him dig his own grave,” the man with the shovel whispered with a labored breath.

“I would’ve been happy to send him to the bottom of the lake in his car,” the man dragging the body muttered when he got to the gravesite.

“Nice car. Shame we can’t keep it.” The gravedigger paused a moment and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his sleeve.

“Yeah, well, I guess they want him gone along with the car.”

“I suppose this way, if someone finds the Lincoln, they may figure he’s alive.” Still holding the shovel, he looked down at the hole, trying to calculate how much deeper he needed to go.

“Here, let me dig some.” The second man took the shovel.

“This ground’s a bitch,” the first gravedigger said, his voice louder than he intended. He watched his companion; their only light came from a camping lantern sitting nearby.

“I imagine sound carries up here,” the other man reminded in a whisper.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

Silently, they took turns digging. When the hole appeared to be the sufficient depth, the men paused for a moment and assessed the situation. Glancing from the lifeless form to the parked vehicle, the first gravedigger noticed the trail left by the body. He walked to a nearby mesquite tree and attempted to tear off a branch to use as a makeshift broom. He let out a little curse as a thorn from the limb pricked his hand.

“What are you doing?” his companion asked.

Instead of responding, he continued to wrestle with the limb, determined to rip it from the tree. He finally managed to do so, yet not before poking himself twice more with the razor sharp thorns. Using the branch like a broom, he swept it over the pathway left by the body.

“Let’s get him in the hole; you can do that later.”

The man sweeping away evidence hastily completed his task, then tossed the limb aside. Together the two men rolled the body into the hole and covered it with the dirt and rock they had removed. They pushed several boulders over the fresh gravesite and kicked dirt over the area, doing their best to make it blend into its surroundings so as not to make it obvious to any hikers who might wander off the trail leading from the lake to the nearby caves that it was in fact a grave. They both assumed it was deep enough to keep any wild animals from the decomposing flesh.

The man, who had minutes earlier, been sweeping away the pathway left by the body, picked the mesquite branch back up and gave the area a final brushing before tossing the makeshift broom into the nearby brush. His companion doused the lantern and put it, along with the shovel, in the back of the Jeep, which was parked next to the Lincoln.

It was difficult to see, with the area now plunged in darkness. Random twinkling of the stars overhead spread across the black sky. The man who had dragged the body to the gravesite got into the Lincoln while his companion climbed into the Jeep. They turned on the vehicles’ headlights and engines and began driving toward the lake, the Lincoln leading the way. The rocky terrain made a bumpy ride for the Lincoln, but it was a short trip to the shoreline.

The Lincoln came to a stop. The man inside the vehicle turned off the engine and headlights and got out of the car. Instead of putting it in park, he left it in neutral.

He stood by the open door on the driver’s side of the car and looked back at the Jeep, whose front bumper was about to touch the back of the larger vehicle. He watched as the Jeep shoved the dead man’s car into Sutter’s Lake. The man driving the Jeep put it in park for a moment and got out. Together the two men stood at the edge of the lake and watched the Lincoln disappear under the frigid water. Had the Jeep’s headlights been turned off, they would not have been able to see.

After a few moments, they climbed into the Jeep and drove away.

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Coulson’s Wife Free at Smashwords

If you haven’t started The Coulson Series, you can now get the first book in the series (Coulson’s Wife)  FREE over at Smashwords. Until last week, all my books were in Amazon’s Select Program, something I chose to do months ago, for promotional purposes. But I never intended to keep them in Select indefinitely. 

This past week we’ve been working to get all my books on the other eBook venues, such as Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, iTunes, Koby and more. It is a tedious process, but hopefully by the end of this month they will show up on most of the well known sites. Of course, I am still at Amazon.

For those of you who say, “Darn, I bought that book, no fair!” — I will make it up to you. Just sign up for my email newsletter, and you will receive coupons for future books and discounts.

Look for Coulson’s Reckoning this Thursday at Amazon and Smashwords.

 

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Countdown to the Release of Coulson’s Reckoning!

When Sophie Marino comes to Coulson looking for clues to the 1960 murder of her infamous grandfather – hitman Anthony Marino – her inquiries ignite a series of events, exposing three generations of Coulson family secrets.

It’s a time of reckoning for the Coulson family.

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