Barbara Venkataraman's Blog: A Trip on the Mobius Strip, page 23
November 9, 2015
Free audio-book download codes!
I have download codes for my new audio-book, “Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person”, narrated by Carrie Lee Martz. If that sounds like your cup of tea, let me know & I’ll send you a code. Mrs. Grammar Person would be so pleased if you could leave a review afterwards. :-)
http://www.amazon.com/Teatime-Grammar...
http://www.amazon.com/Teatime-Grammar...
November 5, 2015
Interview on Dab of Darkness :-)
Check out my latest interview on the wonderful blog: Dab of Darkness. Thanks, Susan!
http://dabofdarkness.com/2015/11/05/i...
http://dabofdarkness.com/2015/11/05/i...
October 28, 2015
New audio-book is out!
Hooray! "Teatime with Mrs. Grammar Person" is finally out on audio-book and Carrie Lee Martz did a fantastic job of narrating. Maybe she really is Mrs. Grammar Person!
http://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Develo...
http://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Develo...
October 16, 2015
Mrs. Grammar Person’s Ode to Homophones
When I give my assent, it means I concur, but my rapid ascent means I fly like a bird. (I just love homophones, don't you?)
I compliment you when I say something kind, like your meal is superb and complements the wine. (Unless, of course, your food is talking to your wine, then you've had too much to drink.)
News that is current is fresh and brand new, but if I give you a currant, I have a raisin for you. (Warm cinnamon buns with raisins—yum!)
A cursor is the arrow on your computer screen, a curser likes swearing to say what he means. (He won’t be invited to my tea party, I assure you.)
When you're discreet, there are no news releases, but when you're discrete, you've gone all to pieces. (Try to keep it together, either way.)
If you need help, you should elicit advice; but for something illicit, you should always think twice. (Or maybe thrice…)
A flair is a talent you can boast about, but when tempers flare, you’d better watch out. (Some people do have a flair for drama.)
A hanger will keep your clothes wrinkle-free; a hangar is where your airplane should be. (At least that’s where I keep mine.)
A hearty meal is filling and good, but a hardy lumberjack can chop lots of wood. (He’ll be ready for that hearty meal.)
When something is humorous, you're having a ball, but when you injure your humerus it’s not funny at all. (I’d rather laugh than cry, wouldn’t you?)
When you incite trouble, you’re said to foment, but have an insight and it's a eureka moment.(A nice thought bubble beats causing trouble)
Someone who knits makes something cozy and nice, but someone with nits is infested with lice. (Heavens! I feel itchy just thinking about it.)
A maze made of maize is hard to navigate, but maize on a cob means there’s corn on your plate. (Pass the butter, please.)
A medal of honor is something you win, but meddle (the verb) means you like to butt in. (I only meddle when grammar is at stake.)
A wave of my hand says ‘good-bye my friend’, but I wouldn’t waive the chance to visit again. (Adieu, mon ami!)
I compliment you when I say something kind, like your meal is superb and complements the wine. (Unless, of course, your food is talking to your wine, then you've had too much to drink.)
News that is current is fresh and brand new, but if I give you a currant, I have a raisin for you. (Warm cinnamon buns with raisins—yum!)
A cursor is the arrow on your computer screen, a curser likes swearing to say what he means. (He won’t be invited to my tea party, I assure you.)
When you're discreet, there are no news releases, but when you're discrete, you've gone all to pieces. (Try to keep it together, either way.)
If you need help, you should elicit advice; but for something illicit, you should always think twice. (Or maybe thrice…)
A flair is a talent you can boast about, but when tempers flare, you’d better watch out. (Some people do have a flair for drama.)
A hanger will keep your clothes wrinkle-free; a hangar is where your airplane should be. (At least that’s where I keep mine.)
A hearty meal is filling and good, but a hardy lumberjack can chop lots of wood. (He’ll be ready for that hearty meal.)
When something is humorous, you're having a ball, but when you injure your humerus it’s not funny at all. (I’d rather laugh than cry, wouldn’t you?)
When you incite trouble, you’re said to foment, but have an insight and it's a eureka moment.(A nice thought bubble beats causing trouble)
Someone who knits makes something cozy and nice, but someone with nits is infested with lice. (Heavens! I feel itchy just thinking about it.)
A maze made of maize is hard to navigate, but maize on a cob means there’s corn on your plate. (Pass the butter, please.)
A medal of honor is something you win, but meddle (the verb) means you like to butt in. (I only meddle when grammar is at stake.)
A wave of my hand says ‘good-bye my friend’, but I wouldn’t waive the chance to visit again. (Adieu, mon ami!)
September 12, 2015
New Jamie Quinn mystery!
I'm thrilled to announce the release of my 4th Jamie Quinn mystery, "Engaged in Danger", now available on Amazon Kindle. Check it out! :-D
Blurb:
Finally, life is good for reluctant family law attorney, Jamie Quinn--her father may get his visa soon, her boyfriend is the bomb, and her law practice is growing like crazy--but when she agrees to take on a high-profile divorce case, everything falls apart. What looked like an opportunity to work with her friend Grace and make some serious bucks has turned into a deadly game, one that could destroy their friendship and tear their town apart. Why couldn't Jamie just leave well enough alone?
http://www.amazon.com/Engaged-Danger-...
Blurb:
Finally, life is good for reluctant family law attorney, Jamie Quinn--her father may get his visa soon, her boyfriend is the bomb, and her law practice is growing like crazy--but when she agrees to take on a high-profile divorce case, everything falls apart. What looked like an opportunity to work with her friend Grace and make some serious bucks has turned into a deadly game, one that could destroy their friendship and tear their town apart. Why couldn't Jamie just leave well enough alone?
http://www.amazon.com/Engaged-Danger-...
August 3, 2015
NOTHING TO SNEEZE ABOUT
This post comes courtesy of Lori's Reading Corner and Great Escapes Virtual book Tours. :-)
NOTHING TO SNEEZE ABOUT
Remember the last time you sneezed? There was that little itch that sent your nose into high alert. This could be the big one, you think, a real head-bobber, or it could be a tiny little nothing sneeze. Or it could be a false alarm. You just never know what to expect. There's the build-up, then the sneeze and, finally, the feeling of relief. And then it's over, or at least you hope so. I always sneeze three times in a row, but that's just my thing, a little author trivia.
So, how is a sneeze like reading a mystery? Well, I'm glad you asked. Like a sneeze, the plot of a mystery starts out slowly, the tension gradually builds while the reader wonders, is something about to happen? Is this a clue? Is this a major plot development? Or is it a fake-out? For every build-up of tension in a mystery, there must be a release afterwards, a resolution to the problem and then a period of low-tension. In most books, this pattern will happen many times before the final resolution (the big sneeze!) which signals the end of the story.
Without conflict, there is no story, of course, so the writer wants to keep putting the characters in dangerous or stressful situations. A good writer keeps the reader on edge by dangling the prize in front of the protagonist and then snatching it away at the last minute, or by throwing roadblocks in the way. The author has to be subtle about it, so the obstacles vary constantly. Maybe the protagonist loses faith in herself, or is physically detained. Maybe someone she cares about has a crisis and she has to stop what she's doing to offer help. Or maybe she's sent on a wild goose chase or follows the wrong lead. She may wind up in physical danger, or some other kind of trouble.
Here's an example of a best-selling mystery plot. The novel begins with the murder of a beautiful prosecutor in her apartment. The protagonist, also a prosecutor, was her co-worker, and is assigned the case. Nobody knows that the victim was the protagonist's former lover (raising the stakes). The protagonist's boss is up for re-election and the murder of one of his people is embarrassing. If he loses the election, the protagonist loses his job (raising the stakes some more). The election is lost and suddenly the protagonist finds himself accused of the murder. There's lots of evidence to implicate him: calls made from his home to hers the night of the murder, a glass with his fingerprints on it, carpet fibers, etc. The courtroom drama raises the tension even further; taking many turns along the way. But the expert testimony proves unreliable. The protagonist learns the judge had a relationship with the victim and also that the judge, the victim and his former boss all took bribes from suspects. A crucial piece of evidence for the prosecution disappears and the judge dismisses the case for lack of evidence.
But the reader still doesn't know who killed the prosecutor! Was it the protagonist? He's the narrator, but is he reliable? Yes, he is, and he figures out who murdered his former lover…dun dun dun! It was his angry, betrayed wife who tried to frame him. Recognize the plot? It's "Presumed Innocent", by Scott Turow.
The challenge for the mystery writer is how to build the tension to a crescendo and timing is everything. Think about that horror movie trick where the girl (and the audience) is terrified because we know something bad is about to happen. We're on the edge of our seats, our hearts are racing, and, suddenly, something scary jumps out at the girl--and it's just a cat. Everyone lets down their guard, shakes off the nervous tension and--WHAM--the bad guy/monster/psycho/alien then attacks the girl. That twist worked great the first time we saw it, but now we've come to expect it.
In my Jamie Quinn mystery series, Jamie is a reluctant family lawyer who keeps finding herself involved in murder cases. In Death by Didgeridoo, her disabled cousin is accused of murdering his music teacher; in The Case of the Killer Divorce, Jamie's client is accused of murdering her husband, and in Peril in the Park, Jamie and her boyfriend are in danger from an evil jester who has already murdered one person. The tension rises and falls in each book while Jamie tries to figure out what's really going on, while, at the same time, there are mysteries to solve in her personal life. Because these books are part of a series, the tension isn't completely resolved at the end of each book. Certain story lines continue through to the next book and, in fact, each book ends with the first chapter of the next book as a teaser.
Now, I think you understand how a good mystery can be just like a sneeze. And who doesn't like a good sneeze? It can be energizing and unexpected. But, at all costs, you want to avoid books which don't have tension; the kind that go on and on, the ones you wish would hurry up and end already. They are like having the hiccups and nobody wants those!
NOTHING TO SNEEZE ABOUT
Remember the last time you sneezed? There was that little itch that sent your nose into high alert. This could be the big one, you think, a real head-bobber, or it could be a tiny little nothing sneeze. Or it could be a false alarm. You just never know what to expect. There's the build-up, then the sneeze and, finally, the feeling of relief. And then it's over, or at least you hope so. I always sneeze three times in a row, but that's just my thing, a little author trivia.
So, how is a sneeze like reading a mystery? Well, I'm glad you asked. Like a sneeze, the plot of a mystery starts out slowly, the tension gradually builds while the reader wonders, is something about to happen? Is this a clue? Is this a major plot development? Or is it a fake-out? For every build-up of tension in a mystery, there must be a release afterwards, a resolution to the problem and then a period of low-tension. In most books, this pattern will happen many times before the final resolution (the big sneeze!) which signals the end of the story.
Without conflict, there is no story, of course, so the writer wants to keep putting the characters in dangerous or stressful situations. A good writer keeps the reader on edge by dangling the prize in front of the protagonist and then snatching it away at the last minute, or by throwing roadblocks in the way. The author has to be subtle about it, so the obstacles vary constantly. Maybe the protagonist loses faith in herself, or is physically detained. Maybe someone she cares about has a crisis and she has to stop what she's doing to offer help. Or maybe she's sent on a wild goose chase or follows the wrong lead. She may wind up in physical danger, or some other kind of trouble.
Here's an example of a best-selling mystery plot. The novel begins with the murder of a beautiful prosecutor in her apartment. The protagonist, also a prosecutor, was her co-worker, and is assigned the case. Nobody knows that the victim was the protagonist's former lover (raising the stakes). The protagonist's boss is up for re-election and the murder of one of his people is embarrassing. If he loses the election, the protagonist loses his job (raising the stakes some more). The election is lost and suddenly the protagonist finds himself accused of the murder. There's lots of evidence to implicate him: calls made from his home to hers the night of the murder, a glass with his fingerprints on it, carpet fibers, etc. The courtroom drama raises the tension even further; taking many turns along the way. But the expert testimony proves unreliable. The protagonist learns the judge had a relationship with the victim and also that the judge, the victim and his former boss all took bribes from suspects. A crucial piece of evidence for the prosecution disappears and the judge dismisses the case for lack of evidence.
But the reader still doesn't know who killed the prosecutor! Was it the protagonist? He's the narrator, but is he reliable? Yes, he is, and he figures out who murdered his former lover…dun dun dun! It was his angry, betrayed wife who tried to frame him. Recognize the plot? It's "Presumed Innocent", by Scott Turow.
The challenge for the mystery writer is how to build the tension to a crescendo and timing is everything. Think about that horror movie trick where the girl (and the audience) is terrified because we know something bad is about to happen. We're on the edge of our seats, our hearts are racing, and, suddenly, something scary jumps out at the girl--and it's just a cat. Everyone lets down their guard, shakes off the nervous tension and--WHAM--the bad guy/monster/psycho/alien then attacks the girl. That twist worked great the first time we saw it, but now we've come to expect it.
In my Jamie Quinn mystery series, Jamie is a reluctant family lawyer who keeps finding herself involved in murder cases. In Death by Didgeridoo, her disabled cousin is accused of murdering his music teacher; in The Case of the Killer Divorce, Jamie's client is accused of murdering her husband, and in Peril in the Park, Jamie and her boyfriend are in danger from an evil jester who has already murdered one person. The tension rises and falls in each book while Jamie tries to figure out what's really going on, while, at the same time, there are mysteries to solve in her personal life. Because these books are part of a series, the tension isn't completely resolved at the end of each book. Certain story lines continue through to the next book and, in fact, each book ends with the first chapter of the next book as a teaser.
Now, I think you understand how a good mystery can be just like a sneeze. And who doesn't like a good sneeze? It can be energizing and unexpected. But, at all costs, you want to avoid books which don't have tension; the kind that go on and on, the ones you wish would hurry up and end already. They are like having the hiccups and nobody wants those!
July 25, 2015
THEN, WHY ARE YOU HERE?
My guest post appears on the wonderful blog: Storeybook Reviews as part of my Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/
THEN, WHY ARE YOU HERE?
Picture yourself in the stands at a baseball game, not just any baseball game, but the last game of the 2014 World Series–winner takes all. You’ve invested a lot to be here, having spent a small fortune on a ticket (that was very hard to come by) and an entire day of your life driving, parking, and fighting the crowds, all so that you could watch this game. The man sitting next to you, clearly a Giants fan, is decked out in so much orange and black that he could be an advertisement for Halloween.
In between cheering for his team, your seatmate observes how quiet you are and asks: “Hey, man, who are you rooting for?”
“Nobody in particular,” you answer.
The man is flabbergasted. “Then, why are you here?”
Why, indeed? When you have no stake in the outcome, no skin in the game, why would you stick around? That is the reader’s dilemma. Authors are asking a lot of them: to invest money in a book and to spend precious time reading it, but what’s in it for them? What do they get out of the experience? For a reader to enjoy a book, to be satisfied with his expenditure of time and money, he doesn’t necessarily have to like the characters or have anything in common with them, but he must be invested in them. In other words, he needs to be rooting for somebody, to care about at least one character’s plight, to wonder how that character will resolve the issues in his life and whether he will learn anything along the way.
A good example of the reader’s dilemma is "The Kite Runner", a 2003 novel set in Afghanistan where the protagonist, Amir, sacrifices (spoiler alert!) his friend Hassan by not rescuing him from his attackers. Amir not only justifies his behavior, but takes out his guilt by treating Hassan horribly, causing him to be ostracized, and possibly ruining his life. This protagonist is not likeable or admirable and we are universally appalled by his actions, so, why do we keep reading to the end? Why was this book a runaway bestseller? With an initial printing of 50,000 copies, this book went on to sell seven million copies and was also made into a movie. Everyone loves Harry Potter, the boy wizard, but nobody liked the jealous, weak and morally-bankrupt Amir. Even when Amir tried to redeem himself years later by helping Hassan’s son, the reader felt no respect for him. Too little, too late, we thought. But we read on–and not just to find out how Hassan’s life turned out. We kept reading because we were both fascinated and horrified, convinced that we would have done the right thing if faced with the same choices. In other words, that we were not Amir! But then, we wondered whether we would have been too scared to try to rescue our friend from his vicious attackers, whether we would have been willing to admit that we stood there and did nothing. The novel struck a chord because it made us explore our own characters; it made us think about how we would act in such an impossible situation. How would we deal with jealousy? With guilt? Would we be willing to risk our lives to redeem ourselves or to right a terrible wrong?
As readers, we were invested, big time! But then, just when we thought the stakes couldn’t possibly get any higher and that Amir’s regret and guilt couldn’t get any worse, we learned that Hassan wasn’t only a servant boy, he was also Amir’s illegitimate brother! Gut-wrenching stuff, for sure. And that’s the answer to our question–we stick around because of EMOTION. A novel without emotion is like a paper doll. It can be a beautiful paper doll, but it will never be three-dimensional no matter how hard it tries. Clever dialogue, sharp prose, interesting characters, lovely scenery, may be enough to hold our interest, but we will always leave feeling dissatisfied.
My Jamie Quinn Mystery Series opens with my protagonist Jamie Quinn mourning the death of her mother. Nothing can pull her out of her depression until her aunt calls in a panic because her disabled son Adam, Jamie’s cousin, has been accused of murdering his music teacher. The love Jamie has for her aunt and cousin, the guilt she feels for not being there for Adam in the past, for not being there for her aunt in the present, all motivate her to come back to life. In this first book, Death by Didgeridoo, there’s enough guilt to go around, as well as some jealousy, revenge and regret, but there’s also playfulness in the dialogue and some fun scenes between characters. Emotion gives a story genuineness, but not necessarily realism. Until I wrote my book, I’d never heard of anyone else being killed by a didgeridoo, so that’s kind of far out there, but the interplay between Jamie and the other characters, as well as the doubt and insecurity Jamie expresses are sentiments the reader can relate to.
To sum up, I will quote you an Amazon book review I once read: “I wasted eight hours of my life reading this book and I’m writing a review to save you from the same fate!” What a kind soul, to want to save strangers from wasting their time! As an author offering advice to new authors, I hope to do the same because, if you’re not going to write with emotional resonance, then, why are you here?
THEN, WHY ARE YOU HERE?
Picture yourself in the stands at a baseball game, not just any baseball game, but the last game of the 2014 World Series–winner takes all. You’ve invested a lot to be here, having spent a small fortune on a ticket (that was very hard to come by) and an entire day of your life driving, parking, and fighting the crowds, all so that you could watch this game. The man sitting next to you, clearly a Giants fan, is decked out in so much orange and black that he could be an advertisement for Halloween.
In between cheering for his team, your seatmate observes how quiet you are and asks: “Hey, man, who are you rooting for?”
“Nobody in particular,” you answer.
The man is flabbergasted. “Then, why are you here?”
Why, indeed? When you have no stake in the outcome, no skin in the game, why would you stick around? That is the reader’s dilemma. Authors are asking a lot of them: to invest money in a book and to spend precious time reading it, but what’s in it for them? What do they get out of the experience? For a reader to enjoy a book, to be satisfied with his expenditure of time and money, he doesn’t necessarily have to like the characters or have anything in common with them, but he must be invested in them. In other words, he needs to be rooting for somebody, to care about at least one character’s plight, to wonder how that character will resolve the issues in his life and whether he will learn anything along the way.
A good example of the reader’s dilemma is "The Kite Runner", a 2003 novel set in Afghanistan where the protagonist, Amir, sacrifices (spoiler alert!) his friend Hassan by not rescuing him from his attackers. Amir not only justifies his behavior, but takes out his guilt by treating Hassan horribly, causing him to be ostracized, and possibly ruining his life. This protagonist is not likeable or admirable and we are universally appalled by his actions, so, why do we keep reading to the end? Why was this book a runaway bestseller? With an initial printing of 50,000 copies, this book went on to sell seven million copies and was also made into a movie. Everyone loves Harry Potter, the boy wizard, but nobody liked the jealous, weak and morally-bankrupt Amir. Even when Amir tried to redeem himself years later by helping Hassan’s son, the reader felt no respect for him. Too little, too late, we thought. But we read on–and not just to find out how Hassan’s life turned out. We kept reading because we were both fascinated and horrified, convinced that we would have done the right thing if faced with the same choices. In other words, that we were not Amir! But then, we wondered whether we would have been too scared to try to rescue our friend from his vicious attackers, whether we would have been willing to admit that we stood there and did nothing. The novel struck a chord because it made us explore our own characters; it made us think about how we would act in such an impossible situation. How would we deal with jealousy? With guilt? Would we be willing to risk our lives to redeem ourselves or to right a terrible wrong?
As readers, we were invested, big time! But then, just when we thought the stakes couldn’t possibly get any higher and that Amir’s regret and guilt couldn’t get any worse, we learned that Hassan wasn’t only a servant boy, he was also Amir’s illegitimate brother! Gut-wrenching stuff, for sure. And that’s the answer to our question–we stick around because of EMOTION. A novel without emotion is like a paper doll. It can be a beautiful paper doll, but it will never be three-dimensional no matter how hard it tries. Clever dialogue, sharp prose, interesting characters, lovely scenery, may be enough to hold our interest, but we will always leave feeling dissatisfied.
My Jamie Quinn Mystery Series opens with my protagonist Jamie Quinn mourning the death of her mother. Nothing can pull her out of her depression until her aunt calls in a panic because her disabled son Adam, Jamie’s cousin, has been accused of murdering his music teacher. The love Jamie has for her aunt and cousin, the guilt she feels for not being there for Adam in the past, for not being there for her aunt in the present, all motivate her to come back to life. In this first book, Death by Didgeridoo, there’s enough guilt to go around, as well as some jealousy, revenge and regret, but there’s also playfulness in the dialogue and some fun scenes between characters. Emotion gives a story genuineness, but not necessarily realism. Until I wrote my book, I’d never heard of anyone else being killed by a didgeridoo, so that’s kind of far out there, but the interplay between Jamie and the other characters, as well as the doubt and insecurity Jamie expresses are sentiments the reader can relate to.
To sum up, I will quote you an Amazon book review I once read: “I wasted eight hours of my life reading this book and I’m writing a review to save you from the same fate!” What a kind soul, to want to save strangers from wasting their time! As an author offering advice to new authors, I hope to do the same because, if you’re not going to write with emotional resonance, then, why are you here?
July 13, 2015
June 29, 2015
Interview with Mrs. Grammar Person. :-)
Check out this new interview with Mrs. Grammar Person. :-) Thank-you to Emilia at the Book Bug Blog!
https://bookbug2012.wordpress.com/201...
https://bookbug2012.wordpress.com/201...
May 29, 2015
Spotlight on "Cozy Up With Kathy" blog!
Check out my spotlight and also the book review of my Jamie Quinn Mystery Collection on this great blog, "Cozy Up With Kathy"! Thanks for the wonderful opportunity, Kathy. :-)
http://cozyupwithkathy.blogspot.com/2...
http://cozyupwithkathy.blogspot.com/2...
A Trip on the Mobius Strip
Whenever I see something funny or weird that you can relate to, I will share it. Anything that will make you smile, or shake your head, or wiggle your ears. I'd like to see that, by the way...
...more
- Barbara Venkataraman's profile
- 433 followers
