Amy Durham's Blog: Amy Durham, page 15

BREAKING THROUGH by Teresa Reasor

One of the great joys of being an author is getting to know other authors. Nine years ago, I walked into my very first writer's group meeting, and had the pleasure of meeting Teresa Reasor. Little did I know she would become one of my dearest friends, as well as a mentor and a champion for my work. Teresa is a fabulous author, and it's my great pleasure today to introduce you to her latest novel, BREAKING THROUGH.

BREAKING THROUGH is the second book in Reasor's SEAL Team Heartbreaker series, and follows Navy SEAL Brett Weaver as he fights to clear his name and save his career. Being the second book in the series, the cast of secondary characters feel like family, because readers got to know them all so well in book one (BREAKING FREE). If you enjoy romantic suspense, military suspense, and the kind of fiction that encompasses an entire cast of family and friends, this series is one I HIGHLY recommend! Read ahead for the "official book blurb".


What happens when a Navy SEAL wakes from a month-long coma to discover he’s being investigated for murder? When Ensign Brett Weaver is accused of murder, he knows he’s innocent, but how can he prove it with Naval Investigators breathing down his neck? A chance meeting with reporter Tess Kelly offers him an opportunity to get the press on his side. But can he trust her to keep his other secrets off the record? Tess works hard to live up to her father's expectations. When Brett offers her information about SEAL training in exchange for an introduction to her award-winning journalist father, she jumps at the chance. The situation Brett lobs into her father's lap is a major scoop. But the secret she discovers about Brett is just as newsworthy. Will her feelings for this wounded warrior win out, or will she release a story guaranteed to destroy Brett’s SEAL career? When Tess’s father is kidnapped, Brett’s team is deployed to find him. At the same time, a leak in the investigation puts Tess and Brett’s lives in danger. Will Brett be able to break through the lasting effects of his injuries and prove he’s once again a battle-ready SEAL? Or will he and Tess lose everything at the whim of a vengeful killer?

You can by this, and all of Teresa's other books at:
Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Smashwords

Happy reading and writing!

#SixSunday - Todd Reacts

Happy Sunday Sixers! Thanks for stopping by.  I always appreciate the comments and encouragement. I look forward to hopping around to other blogs and reading what other talented authors have shared!  
I'm continuing with my YA Paranormal book, ONCE AND FOR ALL, the sequel to ONCE AGAIN, which is now available (links to the right), and was reviewed recently at Night Owl Reviews! ONCE AND FOR ALL follows Phoebe Campbell and Todd Miller as they encounter their own reincarnation mystery.
Last week we saw Phoebe and Todd as they discovered the first bits of the paranormal phenomenon that connects them. To say they are freaked out is an understatement. Todd doesn't handle it quite as calmly as Phoebe and can't understand why she's acting "less" upset than he is. In fact, he wonders if maybe Phoebe is somehow responsible. The following snippet comes just after last week's. Phoebe is sombre, while Todd is fired up.

“I don’t even know how to begin trying to figure out what’s happening,” I whispered, still not turning to look at him.
“Me either.”  His voice came from directly behind me.  Somehow he’d moved close with out me realizing it.  “But I’m d@*n well going to try.”
And then he left.
As if the typical drama and emotional roller coaster of the teenage years isn't enough, these two have to have something ELSE to deal with!
Be sure to visit the official Six Sentence Sunday site to find the list of great authors.  You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #SixSunday.

#SixSunday - "This Is Crazy"

Happy Sunday Sixers! Thanks for stopping by.  I always appreciate the comments and encouragement. I look forward to hopping around to other blogs and reading what other talented authors have shared!  
I'm continuing with my YA Paranormal book, ONCE AND FOR ALL, the sequel to ONCE AGAIN, which is now available (links to the right), and was reviewed recently at Night Owl Reviews! ONCE AND FOR ALL follows Phoebe Campbell and Todd Miller as they encounter their own reincarnation mystery.
In today's snippet, Todd and Phoebe are just beginning to figure out the paranormal element of the story. I'm giving no details (spoilers!) about that, other than to say that Phoebe refers to it as "a crazy psychic connection thingy". As you can imagine, figuring out they are tied to each other through something weird and supernatural is not so easy for two teenagers to wrap their mind around. No worries, though... they'll figure it out eventually!
This silence settled in, like a dense, heavy fog. Todd said nothing, just stared at the animals on the table.
I found myself at a loss for words, too. Like maybe if we didn't say anything, if we refused to acknowledge it, it would all go away.
Then he looked at me, and the shock in his expression turned to confusion, then finally resignation.
"This is crazy," he whispered.
As if the typical drama and emotional roller coaster of the teenage years isn't enough, these two have to have something ELSE to deal with!
Be sure to visit the official Six Sentence Sunday site to find the list of great authors.  You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #SixSunday.

#SixSunday - Trying To Be Different

Happy Sunday Sixers! Thanks for stopping by.  I always appreciate the comments and encouragement. I look forward to hopping around to other blogs and reading what other talented authors have shared!  
I'm continuing with my YA Paranormal book, ONCE AND FOR ALL, the sequel to ONCE AGAIN, which is now available (links to the right), and was reviewed recently at Night Owl Reviews! ONCE AND FOR ALL follows Phoebe Campbell and Todd Miller as they encounter their own reincarnation mystery.
Last week, Todd accused Phoebe of "reverse snobbery", and she was stunned speechless. Despite the fact that she's still mad at him for flirting with another girl - openly - only a day after he'd kissed Phoebe, she can't help but see that she has been guilty of thinking the rest of the school population was beneath her. She begins to see Todd for more than what's on the surface, but she's not quite ready to let him know that yet. Today's snippet immediately follows the bit I shared last Sunday (scroll down a couple of posts to find it), and shows a tad of Phoebe's "inner conflict" as she tries to recocncile the Todd Miller she's always know with the Todd Miller she's beginning to like.
"I really am sorry." He sat down next to me again. "I'm trying to be different, for a lot of reasons, and I know I'm not going to get it right every time."
Well, as far as honesty went, his explanation was not bad, but I was just not prepared to go back to the way things had been.
"Okay," I said. I knew he was waiting for some sort of response from me, but that was the best I could do at the moment.

Will these two ever break out of the "molds" high school social classes have stuck them and and figure out that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks? Keep checking back to see!
Be sure to visit the official Six Sentence Sunday site to find the list of great authors.  You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #SixSunday.

Dialogue Tags: Friend or Foe?

This post is a part of "Muse Mondays", a new weekly craft series hosted by Hallee Bridgeman. Talented, hard-working authors will blog about craft-related topics, and link back to Hallee's blog, so that we can all share and learn! Click here to head over and see the entire list of participating authors.

Dialogue tags. Sometimes we love them. Sometimes we hate them. Sometimes they help. Sometimes they weigh us down. However you slice it, dialogue tags are a necessary part of fiction writing, but it's up to us to make them work for us.

I'm no great expert on the subject of dialogue tags, but I have gathered some helpful information in my years as an avid reader and writer. When writing dialogue, obviously the focus is on the characters' words, but the dialogue tags can be away to show action and express emotion. If used properly, dialogue tags can reveal bits of character and become a part of the character arc.

Generally speaking, my first instinct is to NOT use a dialogue tag, but rather to end the sentence with the dialogue, and then begin a new sentence with some sort of action the character is taking. The example below is from my YA novel ONCE AGAIN.

“They probably got stuck here when the other electives filled up.” He shrugged and grinned. Not only was it the first pleasant look I’d gotten from him, but his smile was a total killer. “Not a lot of kids choose to take a class where you have to read books.”

"Shrugged and grinned" reveals part of Lucas's character... that he's kind and genuine... and the following sentence gives a glimpse into how our heroine, Layla, sees him. By NOT using a dialogue tag, I was able to keep the action moving forward, while still building character.

However, sometimes a dialogue tag is the best choice. Maybe there's no physical action your character can believably take at that point in the conversation. Rather than contrive something, I will go one of two ways. 

Either a generic dialogue tag, such as "said" or "answered", such as this example, also from ONCE AGAIN:


“I remember Mr. Hartley’s tests from last year,” he said. “They can be lengthy.”
By using the practically invisible tag "said", the dialogue tag doesn't interrupt the flow of the conversation. The reader almost skips over it. I find when I'm reading, a generic dialogue tag doesn't even register on my vocabulary-meter, and the dialogue just flows on without any sort of hiccup.
The second option, when I can't legitimately use some sort of action (as in the first example) is to use a tag-word that implies emotion or a character trait. In the option below, the heroine is responding to the quote above about Mr. Hartley's tests:
“I was afraid of that,” I laughed. “Fortunately, Jessie’s good at it, so maybe she can help me get prepared."   The word "laughed" allows me to show Layla's feelings. She's happy to have someone who understands her nervousness over Mr. Hartley's chemistry test. She's also becoming increasingly more comfortable with and fond of Lucas at this point in the story, and using laughter as a tag-word gave me the chance to show the reader the developing friendship between them. While words like "laughed" aren't necessarily invisible the way "said" or "answered" can be, they still maintain the pacing of the dialogue, without weighing it down.
Finally, avoid adverbs in dialogue tags. I will not claim to be perfect in this, but I do try very hard to avoid them when writing dialogue. Some authors try to stay away from adverbs altogether, and while I do limit my adverb-usage (particularly upon editing), I find that sometimes I just have to use one. However, in a dialogue tag, an adverb is the kiss of death. In my opinion, as a reader and a writer, adverbs used in dialogue tags slow the pacing to a snail's speed. More importantly, and adverb just TELLS the reader how a character said something.
"Shut up!" he said angrily or "I can't believe it," she said wistfully. 
These examples assume the reader must be spoon-fed the characters' feelings in the simplest way possible. Most readers are far more sophisticated than that, and this type of dialogue tagging is just plain uninteresting to them.
 If I find I'm tempted to use an adverb in a dialogue, I ask myself, "What sort of action can my character do that will SHOW that feeling". In the following example (again, from ONCE AGAIN), Layla's friend Jessie is giving her the results of the cross-country match, which Lucas won. Their banter is easy, and Jessie is teasing Layla in a friendly way.
“I heard we won the cross-country meet yesterday, and a certain handsome runner came in first,” Jessie teased.
“I have no idea who you’re talking about.” I rolled my eyes.
The sentence "I rolled my eyes", SHOWS the reader that Layla knows Jessie is teasing and is responding to that as a friend would. I could've just used a dialogue tag such as "I said mockingly", but that would've been TELLING the reader, rather than SHOWING the reader.
Dialogue tags can be tricky to navigate, but you can make them work for you. Use action whenever possible. If you can't use action, use a generic tag like "said" or "answered". If you want to convey emotion, use a tag that SHOWS the reader how the character feels, such as "laughed" or "cried". And never, ever use an adverb in a dialogue tag!
Happy reading and writing!

#SixSunday - Reverse Snobbery

Happy Sunday Sixers! Thanks for stopping by.  I always appreciate the comments and encouragement. I look forward to hopping around to other blogs and reading what other talented authors have shared!  
I'm continuing with my YA Paranormal book, ONCE AND FOR ALL, the sequel to ONCE AGAIN, which is now available (links to the right), and was reviewed recently at Night Owl Reviews! ONCE AND FOR ALL follows Phoebe Campbell and Todd Miller as they encounter their own reincarnation mystery.
Last week, Todd was apologizing to Phoebe for flirting with Tina at school, only a day after he'd kissed Phoebe. He was trying clumsily to explain that popularity comes with its own set of difficulties, in the form of a set of unwritten "rules" that he's expected to follow, governing who he hangs out with or dates. Though Todd is trying to change his ways, he's finding it much harder than he anticipated, and faced with the flirtation of a popular girl, he responded the way he knew he was expected to. Phoebe scoffs, and sarcastically asks him if flirting with Tina was just his way of "keeping the rules." But she's about to see exactly how similar her own attitude is to that of the elite popular students at her high school.
"You've got your own set of rules," Todd said. "You hide under baggy clothes and walk around school looking at everybody and thinking how much better you are than the rest of us because you don't subscribe to the same set of rules. You may not be popular, but you're just as much of a snob."
My face burned and I opened my mouth to argue, but realized I had no response. Good lord, could he be right?
"Reverse snobbery is still snobbery," he whispered.
Will these two ever break out of the "molds" high school social classes have stuck them and and figure out that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks? Keep checking back to see!
Be sure to visit the official Six Sentence Sunday site to find the list of great authors.  You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #SixSunday.

Setting: The Canvas of Your Story

This post is a part of "Muse Mondays", a new weekly craft series hosted by Hallee Bridgeman. Talented, hard-working authors will blog about craft-related topic, and link back to Hallee's blog, so that we can all share and learn! Click here to head over and see the entire list of participating authors.







Obviously, I read. A lot. And obviously, I write. A lot.


No matter where I am or what I'm doing, I have stories playing out in my head. I'm always plotting. Always thinking. And everywhere I go I find something to relate back to my writing.


This summer, my family and I took a two-week vacation out west. We drove from our home in Kentucky to San Diego, California, and took time to enjoy several really amazing places in between, such as the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas (If you don’t know what it is, Google it! It’s SO cool!), the Grand Canyon, and several other Route 66 attractions. In San Diego, we saw the Pacific Ocean in all it’s glory… the flat, sandy beaches of Coronado, the rocky cliffs of La Jolla, and the simple beauty of the Silver Strand. During the trip, we saw farmland, desert, mountains, coastal areas, cities, small towns, Native American reservations, and many different walks of life.

As a reader and a writer, it made me really think about the importance of the setting in a story. I love such a variety of settings in the stories I read, but what makes the story come alive is when the setting becomes such a part of the story that it’s a character itself. Perhaps is a story set in New Orleans, and the descriptions of the food and the quirky phrases used by the characters make the setting such a strong presence. Or maybe it’s a book set on the coast, and the sounds of the ocean waves and the smell of the salty air transport me to another place for a while. Or maybe the green fields and craggy cliffs of Scotland give me a glimpse of what life is like there.


Whatever the setting of a book, it has the power not only to drive the story, but also to offer readers an escape. It imbues the story with its personality, creates an atmosphere in which the characters can interact, react, grow, and overcome. It becomes the canvas on which the rest of the action comes to life in brilliant color. It creates for the reader a space to “crawl into” in which to experience the story along with the characters.

My trip across the country, where I experienced such different landscapes and ways of life than I’m used to in my every day life, gave me the opportunity to think about the books whose settings have truly captured me and the authors who’ve so skillfully integrated the settings into their stories. It made me appreciate the fact that although I haven’t traveled extensively, reading books in various settings can take me to exotic and amazing places. It made me even more aware of the way the setting of a story can truly become another character, and pushed me to delve even deeper to develop the a "sense of place" in my own stories!

#SixSunday - Boo Freaking Hoo

Happy Sunday Sixers! Thanks for stopping by.  I always appreciate the comments and encouragement. I look forward to hopping around to other blogs and reading what other talented authors have shared!  
I'm continuing with my YA Paranormal book, ONCE AND FOR ALL, the sequel to ONCE AGAIN, which is now available (links to the right), and was reviewed recently at Night Owl Reviews! ONCE AND FOR ALL follows Phoebe Campbell and Todd Miller as they encounter their own reincarnation mystery.
Last week, Todd finally got Phoebe to listen to the first part of his apology. In today's snippet, he's trying to explain to her that he flirted with Tina because it was expected of him. Popularity comes with its own set of demands, and he feels limited by those demands, despite the fact that he wants to change. Naturally, Phoebe's a bit skeptical! (The first line is Todd's.)
"There are all these expectations on me, about how I should act and who I should like because of who I am."
"Oh, don't expect me to feel sorry for you because you're popular," I scoffed. "Poor little Todd Miller, he's so put-upon because he's popular. Boo freaking hoo."
"Just because I'm popular doesn't mean I have it easy."
"Looks easy from where I've been walking the past few years."
Check back next week to see how Todd reacts to that!

Be sure to visit the official Six Sentence Sunday site to find the list of great authors.  You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #SixSunday.

#SixSunday - Just Shut Up and Listen!

Happy Sunday Sixers! Thanks for stopping by.  I always appreciate the comments and encouragement. I look forward to hopping around to other blogs and reading what other talented authors have shared!  
I'm continuing with my YA Paranormal book, ONCE AND FOR ALL, the sequel to ONCE AGAIN, which is now available (links to the right), and was reviewed recently at Night Owl Reviews! ONCE AND FOR ALL follows Phoebe Campbell and Todd Miller as they encounter their own reincarnation mystery.
Last week, Phoebe's handheld saw kept Todd from further explaining his actions that day at school. However, in today's snippet, he's been put off long enough. Once the cutting is done and the power tool safely put away, he insists Phoebe listen to him. He apologizes. She tells him she doesn't care, that it doesn't matter what he does. He wants her to understand what was going through his mind, but she keeps interrupting. Finally he says...
"Just shut up and listen to me for a second!"
I crossed my arms and just sat, pretending to be completely uninterested in what he had to say.
"I know you're pissed, and I don't blame you. And I know it matters even though you say it doesn't. You saw me in the hall with Tina and you wondered what the heck I was doing flirting with another girl after I kissed you yesterday. I'm well aware it made me look like a total a*$."
Hmmm... maybe Todd's not as dumb and insensitive as he seems! Come back next week to see how their conversation proceeds!
Be sure to visit the official Six Sentence Sunday site to find the list of great authors.  You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #SixSunday.

#SixSunday - A Girl & Her Power Tool

Happy Sunday Sixers! Thanks for stopping by.  I always appreciate the comments and encouragement. I look forward to hopping around to other blogs and reading what other talented authors have shared!  
I'm continuing with my YA Paranormal book, ONCE AND FOR ALL, the sequel to ONCE AGAIN, which is now available (links to the right), and was reviewed recently at Night Owl Reviews! ONCE AND FOR ALL follows Phoebe Campbell and Todd Miller as they encounter their own reincarnation mystery.
Phoebe is anything but "popular" and Todd's the stereotypical high school jock. Their worlds might never have collided had they not been paired to work together on a project for art class. As they work together, Todd and Phoebe begin to see past the preconceived notions they had about each other. But just as Phoebe is warming up to Todd (and by warming up, I mean responding to him the way a girl responds to a boy who kissed her the day before!), Todd reverts to his old ways... at least temporarily. Last week we saw Phoebe's reaction to Todd's flirtation with another girl, by withdrawing from him. This week, we see the two of them as they work after school on the same day as the "flirting incident". They are at Phoebe's house, preparing to cut out the largest part of their wooden sculpture. Todd wants to talk and apologize, and Phoebe tries to put him off by being "all business". 
"Phoebe, can we - "
I cut him off. "I've already freehanded the outline of the piece, so if you'll just hold the plywood still, I'll do the cutting with the handheld saw."
Removing the saw from the batter charger, I looked at him for the first time. I'm sorry was written all over his face, and I could tell he wanted to explain, but I wasn't in the mood to hear it.
The power tool in my hands deterred him from continuing.
Don't mess witha  girl holding a power tool!
Be sure to visit the official Six Sentence Sunday site to find the list of great authors.  You can also follow along on Twitter with the hashtag #SixSunday.