Kate Collins's Blog, page 6
June 7, 2020
WHEN YOUR CHARACTERS ARE YOUR NEW BEST FRIENDS
By Mary Kennedy
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about character vs plot. Both are important, naturally, but I was a little taken aback when a reader said, "I like your plots, but I LOVE your characters. I can't wait to see what Dr. Maggie and Lola and Vera Mae are up to."
I think about my characters every day. Just like they were my best friends! I saw an ad for a splashy sundress the other day and thought "Omg, that's exactly like something Lola would wear." (Lola is the B-list movie star featured in the Talk Radio Mysteries. At fifty-something, she's still waiting for her big break.) So I made a note of the color and design and that dress will show up on Lola in a future book.
And as far as dialogue, it's ok to borrow from real life. I had a seventy-year old aunt who reminded me of Blanche on the Golden Girls. And of Lola. In her mind, she was thirty-something. When we'd go to lunch, she'd cast an appreciative glace at the young waiter and say, "Oh, if only I were twenty years younger." That line of dialogue will show up in a scene with Lola in Talk Radio,. Maybe I'll have Vera Mae remind Lola that unless she's Demi Moore, the May-December thing will never work. Or maybe I'll go a laugh and have Vera Mae say that "In May-December romances, December better be rich."
Some of the best advice I've ever gotten on creating characters was from an acting class. (The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.) "Don't reveal everything about your character too quickly," the instructor said. "Think of going into a dark room and turning on one light at a time. That's how you reveal your character. You don't put on a blinding overhead light. You create little pools of light here and there as you move around room, turning on table top lights." I noticed a trend with beginning writers to dump a ton of information about their character into the first chapter. The reader has already forgotten it a couple of chapters down the line and it's all wasted words. We don't care about the character yet, so why should we bother remembering all these details?
When dialogue stalls in a scene, I often revert to an acting trick to spice it up. I took an improvisational acting class, a free-wheeling, no holds barred experience that could be wonderful or disastrous. There was only one rule. No matter what your partner said, you had to run with it, in an entertaining way. Even if it took the scene in a whole new direction.
For example, I was paired with a young guy who immediately sat down on stage and said to me, "Wow, I can't believe we're trapped thirty feet underground in a cold, dark, dungeon." If I had said, "Yes, it's cold, isn't it," that would have given him nothing to play off of and the scene would go nowhere. Instead I said, "And I thought I was going to a Pink Floyd concert!" which turns the scene upside down and opened up a lot of possibilities.
So if you're struggling to make your characters come alive, remember to listen to dialogue around you, check out physical details that might work for your character and don't dump too much information at once. And don't forget, if you're bored with a scene that seems to drag on forever, the reader will be bored, too. So shake it up!
Have fun, stay safe!
Mary Kennedy
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about character vs plot. Both are important, naturally, but I was a little taken aback when a reader said, "I like your plots, but I LOVE your characters. I can't wait to see what Dr. Maggie and Lola and Vera Mae are up to."
I think about my characters every day. Just like they were my best friends! I saw an ad for a splashy sundress the other day and thought "Omg, that's exactly like something Lola would wear." (Lola is the B-list movie star featured in the Talk Radio Mysteries. At fifty-something, she's still waiting for her big break.) So I made a note of the color and design and that dress will show up on Lola in a future book.
And as far as dialogue, it's ok to borrow from real life. I had a seventy-year old aunt who reminded me of Blanche on the Golden Girls. And of Lola. In her mind, she was thirty-something. When we'd go to lunch, she'd cast an appreciative glace at the young waiter and say, "Oh, if only I were twenty years younger." That line of dialogue will show up in a scene with Lola in Talk Radio,. Maybe I'll have Vera Mae remind Lola that unless she's Demi Moore, the May-December thing will never work. Or maybe I'll go a laugh and have Vera Mae say that "In May-December romances, December better be rich."
Some of the best advice I've ever gotten on creating characters was from an acting class. (The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.) "Don't reveal everything about your character too quickly," the instructor said. "Think of going into a dark room and turning on one light at a time. That's how you reveal your character. You don't put on a blinding overhead light. You create little pools of light here and there as you move around room, turning on table top lights." I noticed a trend with beginning writers to dump a ton of information about their character into the first chapter. The reader has already forgotten it a couple of chapters down the line and it's all wasted words. We don't care about the character yet, so why should we bother remembering all these details?
When dialogue stalls in a scene, I often revert to an acting trick to spice it up. I took an improvisational acting class, a free-wheeling, no holds barred experience that could be wonderful or disastrous. There was only one rule. No matter what your partner said, you had to run with it, in an entertaining way. Even if it took the scene in a whole new direction.
For example, I was paired with a young guy who immediately sat down on stage and said to me, "Wow, I can't believe we're trapped thirty feet underground in a cold, dark, dungeon." If I had said, "Yes, it's cold, isn't it," that would have given him nothing to play off of and the scene would go nowhere. Instead I said, "And I thought I was going to a Pink Floyd concert!" which turns the scene upside down and opened up a lot of possibilities.
So if you're struggling to make your characters come alive, remember to listen to dialogue around you, check out physical details that might work for your character and don't dump too much information at once. And don't forget, if you're bored with a scene that seems to drag on forever, the reader will be bored, too. So shake it up!
Have fun, stay safe!
Mary Kennedy
A MONTH OF MYSTERY WITH THE COZY CHICKS
Hey, everyone, Starting July 1st, The Cozy Chicks will be hosting a month-long giveaway. Every weekday of the month we'll be writing our usual posts, but at the end we'll have a giveaway. To enter, you'll need to comment daily on the blog itself.
We'll have more details closer to the July 1st.
Interested?
June 5, 2020
Saying Goodbye
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
Earlier this week, I got a note from a reader of my Booktown Mysteries. She wrote: "I can't bring myself to read on. In every good series there are twists and turns, good & bad,,but killing off (SPOILER) has broken my heart."
A writer never wants to hear that a reader has given up on her work. (Yeah, ouch!) But despite losing this reader, there is a silver lining to this dark cloud.
I'm sorry she feels that way ... but you know, the fact that I was able to make her care so much about that character means I succeeded as a writer. I brought life to that character. He meant something to her, something that will stay with her for a while. But that also means that she cared more for him than she does for Tricia, Angelica and the rest of the Booktown characters, and that makes me sad.
I'm also sad to know how she isn't interested in how the characters will survive this turn of events.
I'd hate for her to miss the next book in the series. I wrote that book while my mother was in hospice dying. It kept me going when I felt like I'd lost everything. How I ever wrote such a fun book during that terrible time still amazes me.
Of course, there're more hard times ahead for Tricia and the other Booktown characters because that's what storytelling is all about: conflict. When there's no conflict, there's no story.
I thanked her for reading the first x-number of Booktown Mysteries, and I invited her to check out the other six series I write under my real names. I'm pretty sure she won't give them a chance, but that's her decision. When I write a book, the most important thing I consider is characterization, even over plot. Apparently, that's what keeps readers coming back for more.
Have you ever given up on a series in the middle? If so, why?
Earlier this week, I got a note from a reader of my Booktown Mysteries. She wrote: "I can't bring myself to read on. In every good series there are twists and turns, good & bad,,but killing off (SPOILER) has broken my heart."A writer never wants to hear that a reader has given up on her work. (Yeah, ouch!) But despite losing this reader, there is a silver lining to this dark cloud.
I'm sorry she feels that way ... but you know, the fact that I was able to make her care so much about that character means I succeeded as a writer. I brought life to that character. He meant something to her, something that will stay with her for a while. But that also means that she cared more for him than she does for Tricia, Angelica and the rest of the Booktown characters, and that makes me sad.
I'm also sad to know how she isn't interested in how the characters will survive this turn of events.
I'd hate for her to miss the next book in the series. I wrote that book while my mother was in hospice dying. It kept me going when I felt like I'd lost everything. How I ever wrote such a fun book during that terrible time still amazes me.Of course, there're more hard times ahead for Tricia and the other Booktown characters because that's what storytelling is all about: conflict. When there's no conflict, there's no story.
I thanked her for reading the first x-number of Booktown Mysteries, and I invited her to check out the other six series I write under my real names. I'm pretty sure she won't give them a chance, but that's her decision. When I write a book, the most important thing I consider is characterization, even over plot. Apparently, that's what keeps readers coming back for more.
Have you ever given up on a series in the middle? If so, why?
June 3, 2020
Back to Biltmore
[image error]
by Gayle Leeson
I finally got the email I've been waiting for--Biltmore is open again! For the past few months, I've had to settle for seeing photos of the beautiful flowers in bloom and intricate architecture. But soon--next week?--I can return to walk the grounds and see everything in person.
I love the Biltmore library. And the loggia where you can enjoy breathtaking views. As a fan of Downton Abbey, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition when I went there in December. Below are some photographs I took of the Downton exhibition.
If you'd like to take a virtual tour of the Biltmore home, conservatory, and/or historic gardens, you may do so at https://www.biltmore.com/our-story/biltmore-from-home/. Have fun!
I finally got the email I've been waiting for--Biltmore is open again! For the past few months, I've had to settle for seeing photos of the beautiful flowers in bloom and intricate architecture. But soon--next week?--I can return to walk the grounds and see everything in person.
I love the Biltmore library. And the loggia where you can enjoy breathtaking views. As a fan of Downton Abbey, I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibition when I went there in December. Below are some photographs I took of the Downton exhibition.
If you'd like to take a virtual tour of the Biltmore home, conservatory, and/or historic gardens, you may do so at https://www.biltmore.com/our-story/biltmore-from-home/. Have fun!
Getting Together...or not so much.
Hi, Duffy Brown here.
I’ve been pretty good with this distancing thing due to the virus. No grandkids, especially now that they are all back to daycare and camps, always wear my mask when shopping, washing my hands, washing my hands, washing my hands. You get the picture and you’ve probably been doing pretty much the same thing.
Well today is my coming out party...sort of. I’m having a friend for lunch. I really want to chat with a friend over more than the phone or on text. Human companionship once in a while is a good thing.So here goes. My friend Stevie is coming for lunch. I’m getting
Panera, we’re eating outside at my six-foot long picnic table and talking. Like all good friends we always have something fun to chat about.
I chat with my kids all the time but it’s nice to talk it up with someone my own age, who knows the songs I used to listen to on the radio, remembers life before IP...that’s before iPhone...and grew up reading Nancy Drew.
I’m going to see how this goes and if all is well I intend to do a weekly invite to lunch with other friends at the picnic table. So have you started to resocialize a bit? Gotten together with a friends or kids at a six foot distance or are you playing it safe and hibernating till all this virus stuff blows over for real.Have a good day. Turn off the news, play music, sing and dance or just dig in the garden. Digging is a good thing.Hugs, Duffy
I’ve been pretty good with this distancing thing due to the virus. No grandkids, especially now that they are all back to daycare and camps, always wear my mask when shopping, washing my hands, washing my hands, washing my hands. You get the picture and you’ve probably been doing pretty much the same thing.
Well today is my coming out party...sort of. I’m having a friend for lunch. I really want to chat with a friend over more than the phone or on text. Human companionship once in a while is a good thing.So here goes. My friend Stevie is coming for lunch. I’m getting
Panera, we’re eating outside at my six-foot long picnic table and talking. Like all good friends we always have something fun to chat about.I chat with my kids all the time but it’s nice to talk it up with someone my own age, who knows the songs I used to listen to on the radio, remembers life before IP...that’s before iPhone...and grew up reading Nancy Drew.
I’m going to see how this goes and if all is well I intend to do a weekly invite to lunch with other friends at the picnic table. So have you started to resocialize a bit? Gotten together with a friends or kids at a six foot distance or are you playing it safe and hibernating till all this virus stuff blows over for real.Have a good day. Turn off the news, play music, sing and dance or just dig in the garden. Digging is a good thing.Hugs, DuffyJune 1, 2020
POISONED POLITICS
by Maggie SeftonThis week, I'm posting another tease about the 2nd in my Molly Malone political suspense series.
POISONED POLITICS—The second book in NYT bestselling author Maggie Sefton’s gripping political suspense series---
In POISONED POLITICS, readers learn that Molly Malone has not only gotten on the Bad Guys' radar screen, she's now front and center-----
Beltway doyenne Samantha Calhoun has learned many lessons in a lifetime of politics, and she relishes teaching certain young congressmen everything she knows. But when her latest fling, married U.S. Representative Quentin Wilson, is found dead in Samantha's home, she turns to longtime friend Molly Malone for support.
Putting to use her many well-positioned connections, Molly learns that Wilson had been researching a financial bill sponsored by a veiled coalition of politicians---the same bill that her niece Karen Grayson was investigating when she was murdered. Picking up the trail where Grayson and Wilson left off, Molly fears she will be the next victim of the shadowy cabal's insatiable appetite for power.
May 29, 2020
The Summer Of Not-So-Many Things
by Lorraine Bartlett / Lorna Barrett / L.L. Bartlett
Just about everyone around the world has had their lives impacted by Covid-19. Here's my list of things that we won't be doing or having done.
No flowers: we usually go to the local nursery and buy flowers for our urns.Nobody to clean the house every two weeks.No one to help me in the gardenNot so much meat for supperNo interacting with friends and familyNo trips to the ice cream placeNo yard sales (oh, boy--for a thrifter, that's a BIGGIE)But then there have been some good things, too.
Our pansies from last year self-seeded, so we do have some flowers after allI baked bread for the first timeI've been baking quick breads (to use for Mr. L's breakfasts)We've been doing more jigsaw puzzles (well, mostly ones we've done before)We're still able to patronize our favorite restaurant via takeoutI've been able to stay on my diet despite bread and quick breads (15 lbs down) I've finished two books and a short story and started another two booksI've got everything I need to repaint my kitchen cabinets Curbside pick-ups & home deliveriesThe mail still comes 6 days a week
So while this won't be the summer we all wanted, maybe it can still be a good summer. How will you make your summer special?
Just about everyone around the world has had their lives impacted by Covid-19. Here's my list of things that we won't be doing or having done.
No flowers: we usually go to the local nursery and buy flowers for our urns.Nobody to clean the house every two weeks.No one to help me in the gardenNot so much meat for supperNo interacting with friends and familyNo trips to the ice cream placeNo yard sales (oh, boy--for a thrifter, that's a BIGGIE)But then there have been some good things, too.
Our pansies from last year self-seeded, so we do have some flowers after allI baked bread for the first timeI've been baking quick breads (to use for Mr. L's breakfasts)We've been doing more jigsaw puzzles (well, mostly ones we've done before)We're still able to patronize our favorite restaurant via takeoutI've been able to stay on my diet despite bread and quick breads (15 lbs down) I've finished two books and a short story and started another two booksI've got everything I need to repaint my kitchen cabinets Curbside pick-ups & home deliveriesThe mail still comes 6 days a week
So while this won't be the summer we all wanted, maybe it can still be a good summer. How will you make your summer special?
May 27, 2020
Rosemary Rocks!
by Gayle LeesonI'm working on a new Down South Cafe mystery--this one is set in December. When the Winter Garden town manager strolled into the cafe and asked Amy to participate in the Christmas parade, her staff thought it was a great idea. They suggested she could put a huge, decorated cake atop her VW Beetle and drive it along the parade route.
Like Amy's staff, I thought it was a terrific idea. But was it possible? Google turned up nothing. So I had to go to a real expert.
Meet Rosemary Galpin of Memory Makers Cakes. Rosemary is a renowned, prize-winning sugar artist. I had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with Rosemary several years ago through the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show. As you can see from the photo, she does amazing work!
I sent Rosemary a message and asked her if it would be possible for Amy to anchor a huge decorated dummy cake to the top of her car and drive it down the road for the parade. I was afraid the cake would be too heavy. Rosemary could've fired off a quick, "Sure, you can do that." My question would have been answered, and I'd have been satisfied. But Rosemary is a perfectionist--once again, see photo--who does nothing halfway. She not only said it could be done, but she also sent me step-by-step instructions and photos showing me how to do it! And now I'm looking so forward to creating the parade float in the book!
Rosemary rocks! If you're in or near Luling, Texas, you've probably heard of Rosemary. If not, look her up. Especially if you need some beautiful goodies.
3-2-1 Liftoff!
Hi, Duffy Brown here.
Liftoff is set for 4:33 p.m. EDT from the same spot at Kennedy Space Center where men flew to the moon and the last space shuttle blasted off in 2011.
I think this is so exciting. Not just because the US is back into space today on our own rocket, but where we are headed in the future. Elon Musk is in partnership with NASA to bring this off. How did a private company get into space travel? Well, Musk is a dreamer...a dreamer who makes his dreams a reality. He said he could do space flight cheaper and he has. He has a booster rocket that is reusable. After it blasts off it lands itself…I kid you not! That really cuts costs.
Some might think this is a complete waste of money but a lot of good things come out of the space explorations like predicting weather and if you are in the path of a tornado or hurricane that’s a biggie and of course satellite communicate…we all use that every day. It gets kids interested in science and there are a bunch of benefits that have come out of space exploration. To keep the space station going science has come up with some great inventions that affect us down here on Earth. Super water filtration systems, portable diagnostic instruments, laser procedures to Improve eyesight, robotic arms for tedious surgeries, and on and on and on.
Here’s a link: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/st... so what I’m asking today is are you going to watch the launch? It makes me a nervous wreck but I have to watch. Go Elon Musk! Go NASA!
Liftoff is set for 4:33 p.m. EDT from the same spot at Kennedy Space Center where men flew to the moon and the last space shuttle blasted off in 2011.
I think this is so exciting. Not just because the US is back into space today on our own rocket, but where we are headed in the future. Elon Musk is in partnership with NASA to bring this off. How did a private company get into space travel? Well, Musk is a dreamer...a dreamer who makes his dreams a reality. He said he could do space flight cheaper and he has. He has a booster rocket that is reusable. After it blasts off it lands itself…I kid you not! That really cuts costs.
Some might think this is a complete waste of money but a lot of good things come out of the space explorations like predicting weather and if you are in the path of a tornado or hurricane that’s a biggie and of course satellite communicate…we all use that every day. It gets kids interested in science and there are a bunch of benefits that have come out of space exploration. To keep the space station going science has come up with some great inventions that affect us down here on Earth. Super water filtration systems, portable diagnostic instruments, laser procedures to Improve eyesight, robotic arms for tedious surgeries, and on and on and on. 
Here’s a link: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/st... so what I’m asking today is are you going to watch the launch? It makes me a nervous wreck but I have to watch. Go Elon Musk! Go NASA!
May 25, 2020
DEADLY POLITICS
Dear Readers------For those of you who are new to reading our Cozy Chicks Blog, you may not know of some of the different books we've written. We Chicks have written a LOT of books.The book highlighted below is a political suspense. No real political folk, mind you. That would be too scary. :)
DEADLY POLITICS , the first in the Molly Malone Suspense Series, was first released in August 2012 from Midnight Ink Books. It is now available online from Amazon. You can read an excerpt on my website and online.
Welcome to Molly Malone’s world----
Politics is a blood sport in Washington, DC, and only the strongest survive. Like the politicians she’s rubbed shoulders with for a lifetime, Molly Malone is smart and tough and savvy enough to stay out of trouble---most of the time. However, trouble has a way of finding Molly.
Years ago, Molly Malone was driven from Washington, DC by political back-stabbing, scandals, and personal heartbreak. But now, circumstances have forced her to start a new life in the one place she swore she’d never return to—the city that broke her heart---and face the ghosts and the enemies from her past.
As the daughter of a respected United States Senator and once the wife of a rising star young Congressman, Molly has seen it all in Washington politics---the cynics, the sincere, and the schemers. But the brutal murder of her Congressional staffer niece brings Molly up close with Washington’s darker side. “The beautiful monuments and parks are deceiving. Washington can be ugly.” How ugly, Molly’s about to find out. There are other schemers out there who may not have won elections, but are more powerful than the politicians they ensnare.
As always, Dear Readers, thank you so much for you wonderful support and continued readership.
![[image error]](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4MlqETFZn84/XtVeUTYAAZI/AAAAAAAACzM/S4QYYt5C0v0kyBWRhHbxiv9cnlzqq79dwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/biltmore-house-3032523_1280.jpg){kind=link}
