Kelly Young's Blog, page 2

Welcome to Summer 2021 - Summer newsletter

Do you have enough beach reads? I have these paperbacks on hand if you anticipate seeing me in person this summer.
2 x The Piper Sniper
3 x Urgent Quest at Pumpkinfest
4 x Lethal Shot on Flowerpot
2 x A Ghost Named Joe
1 each of Kisses in the Moonlight Volume 2 & The Six Thousand
Email for prices and pick-up/drop off information.

WIN A MAGNET JUST FOR SUBSCRIBING!
Every current subscriber is entered to win one of my on-hand book magnets.
The winner will be contacted by e-mail for his or her contact information and choice of magnet. Good luck!

PROGRESS REPORT
Seriously, though, thinking is progress! I've been doing research into funeral homes for Say It Isn't So, Joe. Some of it may get into the book. I've also finished Chapter 6.

I have some exciting news to share with you!
I'm taking part in the Chatham Kent Public Library's virtual Authors Festival!
The Virtual Read Local: CK Author Festival will be held Saturday, July 17 at 2:00 pm via Zoom.
Speak with seven local authors
Authors will be available to chat with readers, share their writing experiences and answer questions. The Festival’s featured authors represent many genres, including adult and children’s fiction and non-fiction.
The list of authors includes:
Kae Elgie, author of This Land: The Story of Two Hundred Acres in Kent County
Paula Morrison, children's author
Jason Rolfe, author of Clocks, and The Puppet-Play of Doctor Gall
Bruce Ross, author of From Dawn to Dusk to Daylight: A Journey Through Depression’s Solitude
Cristina Ruscica, author of Breathe Wide Open
P. L. Stuart, author of The Drowned Kingdom Saga
Kelly Young, author of The Travel Writer Cozy Mysteries
To take part, visit https://www.chatham-kent.ca/library/w..., or call 519.354.2940 to register. A link for this Zoom meeting event will be e-mailed prior to the program.
In other library news, the Chatham branch is now up to date with copies of all of my books for you to borrow! I dropped off the last four earlier this month, which due to the pandemic I was not permitted to do before.

And some more news too!
I was asked to submit answers to questions for an online interview with NFReads.com!
The questions were quite in depth and you can find the interview on their website by visiting https://www.nfreads.com/interview-wit....

Interested in a new cozy series?
Check out fellow Sisters in Crime member, Joy Anne Ribar's Deep Lakes Mystery series.
Joy Ann Ribar is a Wisconsin native who embraces her Scandinavian roots, wine-tasting, and food-munching from every culture. Those roots are featured in her series, which follows character Frankie Champagne, co-owner of Bubble and Bake and its associated winery in the tourist town of Deep Lakes Wisconsin. Mysteries search her out in this entertaining soon to be four-book series.
For more information, visit her website https://wixsite.us6.list-manage.com/t....

My review of Deep Flakes Christmas:
A Nisse Visit
This is a warm Christmas story featuring a main character with whom most of us can relate. Frankie is frazzled as Christmas approaches, and has allowed life to batter her to the point that her holiday spirit seems to have become irretrievable. And events leading up to the main event seem determined to keep it that way. But in true Christmas story fashion, help arrives in the nick of time and her wonder in the season returns.
The book is heavy on details in spots that, for me, are a bit detracting from the main story, but overall it is a well written and warm addition to the series that accurately depicts the holidays in a small town. It's a worthy addition to the Christmas magic section if your bookshelves.

Joy Ann's review of The Piper Sniper
Thank you for the kind words!
Kelly Young has crafted a fast moving mystery in The Piper Sniper, Book One in her Travel Writer cozy series. Thanks to the interactions of relatable characters, the reader is allowed to know them intimately and personally. Young injects humor and witty repartee throughout, taking the edge off the crime. What makes The Piper Sniper unique are the wonderful interludes between chapters that feature descriptions and advice from main character Casey, the travel writer. Anyone who wants to visit the real town of Kincardine on Lake Huron can do so equipped with plenty of ideas to make it a fun trip.. After reading this mystery, I know I want to visit there, and I look forward to reading the rest of the four-book series to add more places to my bucket list.
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If you are getting this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up at https://wixsite.us6.list-manage.com/t....

Kelly's Writing Tips #2
Write what you know.
You might be thinking, "So, you know about murder, kidnapping and theft then?"
Of course I don't. But I do know about the life of a retired reporter, a freelancer, and a klutz, all of which feature strongly in my Travel Writer series.
Familiarity with some of the things you write about makes the things you aren't as knowledgeable of more believable.

I hope you enjoy your summer! Thanks for reading.
Kelly Young
Member of Sisters in Crime, Beta Sigma Phi.
June 20, 2021

Lethal Shot on Flowerpot Press release

Lethal Shot on Flowerpot: A Travel Writer Cozy Mystery #4Kelly Young Chatham author Kelly Young, formerly of Kincardine, is releasing the fourth book in her Travel Writer Cozy Mystery series, titled Lethal Shot on Flowerpot, on January 21, 2021. It will be available in both e-book and paperback versions.
Set in the village of Tobermory, Ontario, the novel follows the misadventures of travel writer Casey Robertson, along with her husband and friends, as they are drawn yet again into a mystery. This time, a murder hits close to home while the group is touring Flowerpot Island for one of the main character's work assignments.
This novel follows the popular first book in the series titled The Piper Sniper, set in Kincardine, Ontario, which was released in 2018, Urgent Quest at Pumpkinfest, set in Port Elgin and released in 2019, and Christmas Tree Mystery, set in a fictional Ontario town and released in 2020. Just like the other books, this one was written during the National Novel Writing Month in November.
"I am always both excited and nervous," Young said recently, "when I am featuring a real town as a setting for a book; that I've done it justice."
She and her husband travelled to the village in June for research purposes, she said, and as always enjoyed their stay. She hopes that her affection for the area comes through in the pages she's written.
"I'm pleased with how the book turned out, and it has received positive feedback from those who were given advance copies."
She said she is glad to continue to showcase small towns in Ontario, particular ones that she has come to know well during her time living in Bruce County.
"Bruce County, and the province as a whole, has so many wonderful small towns," she said, "and I'm happy to showcase them in my writing."
The book is published through Kindle Direct Publishing and is available at Amazon. Libraries and book stores can order direct from KDP as they would for any other book.
A copy of the book cover is attached to the e-mail. For more information please feel free to contact Kelly at kyoung.author@gmail.com or through her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/kellyyoungau....

Vote for my cover!

They say not to judge a book by its cover but I need you to do just that. If you liked the cover of my book, The Piper Sniper: A Travel Writer Cozy Mystery (Travel Writer Cozy Mysteries Book 1), please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com!

I’m getting closer to clinch the "Cover of the Month" contest on AllAuthor! I’d need as much support from you guys. Please take a short moment to vote for my book cover here:
Click to Vote!

I despair for the future in a Covid 19 world

I do not hold out much hope for the well-being of western civilization during this worldwide pandemic in which we find ourselves.
Yes, you read that right. The entire of the western, so-called first-world civilization. By first-world I refer to the countries with the highest standard of living, the closest thing to equality, the richest, the reportedly most free of all of the countries in the world.
And among those countries, I hold out the least hope for those in North America.
My lack of hope is seated in the actions of people in these countries as they respond, or fail to respond, to the crisis. And make no mistake, it is a crisis.
People returning from abroad are ignoring requirements to self-quarantine for 14 days. People travelling out of country when it was made clear they should stay home. And when they have difficulty getting back, they complain that their government hasn't come to their rescue and brought them home for free, despite the fact that they ignored warnings not to go in the first place.
People gathering in groups for parties, despite the strong request to physically distance. People crowding beaches, shorelines, and parks, even when those areas are closed to the public. People who feel under the weather but don't think twice about going out to stores and restaurants, and line up in droves to get their hands on the latest video game. People hoarding supplies instead of ensuring that everyone has some of the necessities they will need if quarantined. People coming to blows over those supplies.
Not to mention people profiting from the crisis - ranging from reselling hand sanitizer for a profit or by taking advantage of early information and selling off their stock options before the market tanked.
There is an underlying theme that is unique to first-world countries. For many decades now, people in these countries have developed a distinctly me-first mentality. They want what they want, when they want it, and believe that they should get it. And how dare anyone say that they can't have whatever it is they want immediately?
Is this a product of a society that has for years told children that they are the most important people on the planet? That their wants and needs come before anyone else's? That they are special and deserve an award for just participating in an activity? That they cannot fail - not at school, not at anything? Or that if they do fail, it isn't their fault, but that of the teacher, or coach, or government, or God's will?
That's part of it, but certainly not all. Because young people aren't the only ones behaving as though they are the centre of the universe. Senior citizens, the ones most at risk, are ignoring the advice of medical professionals as well. Many have been reported to be visiting with family, attending religious outings, and gathering for socials. Are they suicidal? I certainly hope not.
The fact of the matter is that people of all ages are behaving like selfish toddlers who haven't been taught to share, or to behave as though their actions affect others.
Misinformation, which seems to be easier to believe than the truth, floods social media. And it certainly doesn't help that government officials and the president himself of the largest North American country actively downplay the threat to life and health on a daily basis, and that the lies they tell are then broadcast around the world.
After all, given the choice between the stress of social distancing and life as usual, perhaps it is human nature to want to ignore the facts. But it is dangerous, and not just to you.
When you ignore the warnings of the medical community, you not only put yourself at risk, but you put everyone at risk. Not just everyone you know. Everyone.
Gone is the populace who willingly turned up at recruiting offices to volunteer for the armed forces during the last two world wars. The freedom those men and women fought and suffered for is held aloft as the ultimate benefit of those wars, without a true understanding of what it means to live in a society that would fight for that freedom in the first place.
Now, personal freedom seems to be all that matters. People see their freedom to do as they wish as more important than another's need to stay healthy and safe. How dare the government try to tell me I have to stay home? They can't curtail my freedoms like that!
I weep for what our civilization has become, where so many only think of themselves and of their personal wants and needs.
And I cling to the knowledge that there are those out there doing the right thing by staying home, amd practicing proper hygiene. And even more inspiring, there are people out there giving of themselves every day by caring for the sick, keeping our streets safe, keeping the food chain functional, and more.
But overall, I despair at the future of the world today. Because I fear that a lot more are going to become ill and die before the 'me mentality' runs its course.
I hope I'm wrong.

My gift to you during difficult times

My gift to you during the self-isolation times:
Each of 5 e-books will be free on Amazon next week!
Flurries Ending: March 16
The Piper Sniper: March 17
Urgent Quest at Pumpkinfest: March 18
Christmas Tree Mystery: March 19
KIsses in the Moonlight: March 20
Spread the word and enjoy!
I will post daily reminders on my Facebook page and Twitter.
Links can be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/Kelly-Young/e/...

What I fear as a writer

As a writer, one of my biggest fears is that readers will skim over things I've written.
Let me explain. I am about to stop buying the books of a writer whose books I have read for quite some time. Why? Because, in her latest book, I found myself skimming over about a quarter of it.
This writer's mysteries are well written and intriguing. But more and more, you have to wade through what I find irritating and excessive narrative that has little to do with the plotline.
In her books, her two main characters are in love. They are demonstrative. In the books, she goes so far as to call them 'shmaltzy' and has other characters rolling their eyes at their mushiness. The two characters profess their deep and abiding love for each other, ad nauseum, every few chapters. And not briefly either - they go on for paragraphs, even pages.
By the time you get to book 2 in a series, their obsessive love for each other is established. By book 13? I don't want to read about it any more. Like the other characters in the books, I don't want to watch. I definitely don't want to waste my time on it. It's repetitive in the extreme.
Which is a shame, because the stories are quite good. I enjoy them.
And I'm not going to read them any longer. I'm unfollowing her on platforms, so I won't be tempted.
So, dear reader, my fear is that I might do this to you, and lose you in the process. I am going to do my best to not be repetitive, or to otherwise make you want to skip entire sections of my writing.
That is a promise.

How many stars and why?

I have long pondered the criteria behind leaving a rating of one to five stars for a book that I have read.
Five stars doesn't leave one much leeway, really. I would like to see the system include 0 stars, for books too painfully terrible to finish, and up to 10 stars for exquisitely crafted books that are treasures.
I would also like world peace. So we all know how that will go.
So, here are my usual thoughts on ratings.

1 star is reserved for books that are so poorly written, or clearly lacking in spell check or editing or proof reading, that I either have to force myself to, or cannot, finish them.

2 stars go to books with a good concept, poorly written, edited, and handled. I am shocked at how many 'best sellers' fall into this category.

3 stars are for books that I concede are enjoyable on the surface, but can't really withstand strong examination as far as writing quality goes. I often have to struggle to finish these, and am often yanked out of the story by errors and poor writing.

4 stars are for enjoyably entertaining books that just don't quite measure up to the ones that I buy from authors automatically, without question. These are not difficult to put aside for a while, but I don't mind returning either.

5 stars are for well written, entertaining page turners, that I can get lost in for a time. These books have interesting characters, a plot that keeps you engaged, and often humour. They are books by my favourite authors, whose work I buy time and again.

But herein lies my problem. Sometimes, a book comes along that is head and shoulders beyond what I normally give 5 stars. Such a book that I recently read is "A Brightness Long Ago' by Guy Gavriel Kay. That one I would give 10 stars. It's that amazing. That brilliant. That exquisite.

But there are no 10 stars. I can only give it a 5. Which puts it at the same rating that I have been tossing out like candy at books that were enjoyable, but still not as amazing.

What's the solution? I don't know. Nothing that exists, that's for sure.

So in the meantime, I will rate on how much I enjoy a book. And wish that there were at least one more star that I could reserve for brilliance.

On the scandal rocking Indie Publishing

Blog post
My name is Kelly Young, I am an indie author, and I write my own books.
You may wonder why I would bother stating the obvious. Of course an author writes her own books, you might think. And in some cases, sadly, you'd be wrong about that.
In case you haven't heard, there is a controversy in the world of independent publishing. The issue was, for me, brought to light by a blog post by Nora Roberts which was shared by one of my favourite authors, Jana DeLeon. I have shared these posts on my author Facebook page, but wanted to address it further.
The scandal came to light when a so-called author, Cristiane Serruya, was called out for plagiarism. At last count, she plagiarized 51 books from 34 authors, most famously Diana Galbaldon, Gena Showalter, Kerrelyn Sparks, and yes, Nora Roberts.
The criminal Serruya, because that is what she is, gathered passages from other writers' hard work, packaged them into sequences that she wanted in a book, and sent them to ghostwriters to put together in book form. She paid them, reportedly around $1,000, to do this work, which was then published with her name as author.
Why would someone do this? It turns out that the same platform at Amazon that allows indie publishers such as me to publish their work, which might never get out there otherwise, has a few holes that reward prolific writers. Basically, as I understand it, Amazon rewards authors who put out frequent releases with a high ranking on their site. The more books a person puts out, the more the books are seen, and the more they sell. As well, if they are enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, the author is paid PER PAGE READ, and the top authors in that program can be awarded up to $25,000 for having those pages read.
That's a lot of money. Especially for an indie author.
Scammers have made it nearly impossible for indie authors to break into that ranking system. They pay ghostwriters to help them crank out what would be an impossible amount of books for one writer to pen. They flood Amazon with these manuscripts, often plagiarized or simply the same book with a different pen name, and 'earn' top billing. They offer these books for 99 cents or free, to get the numbers up, a price point that indie authors can't compete with. They pay reviewers to leave five star reviews, and with a lot of reviews come an even better standing in the rankings.
And they make a fortune while indie writers, like me, struggle to get one or two quality books out a year.
This is an immense hole in the Amazon system. But it isn't just Amazon that made this situation. It's also readers, who snap up the cheap, knock off, or plagiarized books, not paying attention to whether or not they are actually written by that person. Want a rule of thumb? If an author cranks out material at an unbelievable rate, it is suspect. While the odd writer is capable of writing a number of books a year, odds are that they can't do one a week. Look at the frequency of publication, and then ask yourself if you really want to support a scammer.
I write my own books. The most I've done in a year is two. And that's with the incentive supplied by the National Novel Writing Month, NaNoWriMo, which encourages participants to write 50,000 words in the month of November. There's no way on earth I could push to do one a month right now, let alone one a week.
Please support writers who care - about their work, about their readers and about quality. If you can't afford to buy all the books you would like, check some out of your local library. I personally donate a copy of each book to my local library, and I'm sure many authors do the same.
As a reader, you deserve to read books that are by who they say they are. Writers aren't the only ones being scammed here. You are too.
I am Kelly Young, I am an author, and I write my own books.

A Writer's Xmas Newsletter

During this hectic time of year, I would like to wish all of my readers a peaceful holiday and a happy new year.

In November of 2017, I decided to take on National Novel Writer's Month, or NaNoWriMo. After reading an overabundance of cozy mysteries, I decided to try my hand at writing one myself. The Piper Sniper was a concept that my husband had floated years before, and it had sat on the back burner for ages. Once I got going on it, one thing became terrifyingly clear.

This was going to be a series.

I had only written stand alone books at this point, and the thought of a series was intimidating. But I plowed ahead and The Travel Writer Cozy Mystery Series was born. For those followers who haven't read it, it follows the misadventures of retired reporter turned travel writer Casey Robertson, her husband Jim, and her ragtag band of friends as she solves the murder case of the piper sniper.

I determined that the series would move around from small town to small town, highlighting many of my own favourite spots. The first book was set in Kincardine, Ontario.

I didn't win NaNoWriMo by writing 50,000 words, but I was happy with the result nonetheless. The novel went to the editor over the holidays, with a release date of April, 2018.

2018 turned out to be quite a productive year for me, as we moved to a new city and set about renovating our new-to-us home. Once The Piper Sniper was published, I took part in a writers' festival at the local library, then travelled to Kincardine for an honest to goodness book signing. It was a very exciting time for me.

Writing took a bit of a backseat during the summer as we explored our new area, but the ideas were percolating in the background. The idea of writing the second book in the series was intimidating, but I was pretty certain where I was going with it and aimed to tackle it during 2018's NaNoWriMo.

In October, the voices in my head made it clear that they had other plans for me. In another first for me, I began work on Putin' it to the States: A Trumping the States sequel. I had never written a sequel either. The book virtually spilled out of me, and I was able to release it before the US November midterms.

Once that book was out, I was able to turn my attention to my November goal. Urgent Quest at Pumpkinfest turned out to be an easier project than I had feared, and I was able to win NaNoWriMo! The book went to the editor in mid-December and we are again on track for a spring release!

In this book, Casey and her crew find themselves looking for a missing woman during the hottest Port Elgin Pumpkinfest on record. I am really looking forward to getting it out to all of you.

For those who are curious, plans are already floating around in my head for the next two books in the Travel Writer series.

Sadly, I didn't make my fortune with my efforts this year. In fact, with expenses from the writers' festival and book signings, I barely broke even. But, I'm not in it for the money. I truly enjoy writing down my tales and sharing them with everyone.

I am thankful for the support of my family and friends, my Beta Sigma Phi sisters, and of you, dear readers. I am especially thankful for all of you who shared my book with others, and those who took the time to leave a review at Amazon or Goodreads.

From the bottom of my heart, I wish all of you the warmest of holidays, full of love, laughter, good food and drink, and happiness. And I wish you all the best for a happy and safe 2019.

Announcing...

I am excited to share this news today!

But first a bit of background information. For a number of years I've noticed that self-published, independent authors I follow have published their books under their own publishing 'company' name. These publishers only publish their own books and are not available for any other writers.

I was intrigued by this, but a suitable name for my own publishing company for my books wasn't coming to me. That is until recently.
I have spent the last week adding the name I came up with to my manuscripts and uploading the new, name included files to Amazon.

So without further ado, I bring you …

Young & Keele Press.


Now for a bit of explanation regarding the name. Young, on the surface must be obvious, as it is my married name. The name Keele is my birth/maiden name, which I always wanted to incorporate into my writing somehow. The two together may bring to mind for many two very prominent street names in Toronto, Ontario, although Yonge Street is spelled differently. We lived at the corner of Yonge and Church when we were first married. Family lore has it that Keele Street's name has its origins with an ancestor. And while Yonge and Keele never intersect and do, in fact, run in the same direction, I thought it sounded cool.
Further, I went with Press instead of Publishers or Books as an homage to my many years as a reporter in print media.

So there you have it. Young & Keele Press was born. I hope you like it as much as I do!