Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 155

Twitterific

  by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Twitterific
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A free
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The Search
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Types of
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10
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10 Tips for
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5 Industry
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Kindle
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Cheat Sheet
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Can you spot
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Never pity
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The real
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Noir as
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Do not
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Quirky Works
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Author Visits
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Kickstarter:
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The 2 types
of TV stories: http://bit.ly/ZmSBM2 @scriptmag

Tips on
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The Creative
Writing Gene: http://bit.ly/ZmSTCy @fcmalby @MWheelaghan

Do You Have A
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5 Examples of
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25 Ways To Be
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Beating a
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Writing the
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How to Add
Amazon's Send to Kindle Button to Your Website: http://bit.ly/12Ms2Rj
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How Boxing
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Pimp Your
Premise: http://bit.ly/12Ms6AC @kid_lit

Your Secret
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12 Ideas for
Email Updates that You'll Actually Enjoy Writing: http://bit.ly/10h2Mxe
@duolit

An Interview
with a Hybrid Author: http://bit.ly/12MsyPg @DigiBookWorld

How Many
Spaces After a Period? Ending the Debate: http://bit.ly/12MsIGa @daveBricker

Does this
novel seem crowded to you? http://bit.ly/12MsKOt @NovelMatters

Cultivating
The Observer: http://bit.ly/12MuNSt @BarbaraONeal

10 Twitter
Tips for Authors: http://bit.ly/10h4yOO @meghancward

Self-publishing--the
nuts and bolts: http://bit.ly/12MuWFK

A closer look
at Scrivener: http://bit.ly/10h4KO0 @SA_Larsen

4 Things 1
Writer Learned About Writing from Playing World of Warcraft: http://bit.ly/12MviMk
@TiceWrites

Tension in
every scene: http://bit.ly/10hG7AW @JordanMcCollum

Is the Agent
Pitch Session an Effective Tool or Could it use a Tweak? http://bit.ly/12NbloR
@SaraMegibow

Tips for
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7 things one
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he Origins of
5 Common Literary Allusions: http://bit.ly/10hHBuU @writerscramp1

Sex and the
Literary Writer: http://bit.ly/12NdeSy @the_millions

The wrong
time to query an editor (comic): http://bit.ly/168eR02 @inkyelbows

Submission
Fees: What are They Good For? http://bit.ly/Zcya0J @thereviewreview

Why 1 Writer
Chose An Assisted Self-Publishing Service: http://bit.ly/168fpTw
@indieauthoralli

Grimdark as a
fantasy subgenre: http://bit.ly/ZczBwr @amazingstories0

Professionalization
in Creative Writing: http://bit.ly/168fExN @daycathy

5 Headaches
of Modern Publishing: http://bit.ly/ZcAfKm @joshsternberg

A poet says
goodbye to poetry: http://bit.ly/168gkDi @scholars_rogues

Proofreading,
and How to Hire an Editor: http://bit.ly/168h8YY

Don't think
of Pinterest as social media: http://bit.ly/ZcCVrn @rachellegardner

The Logic
Behind Self Publishing: http://bit.ly/168htej @kristinerusch

How to Write
(Honestly) About Our Kids: http://bit.ly/ZcELZ6 @shewritesdotcom

How to be
your own book doctor: http://bit.ly/ZcEYeM @woodwardkaren @Janice_Hardy

Courting Your
Long-Lost Writing: http://bit.ly/ZcF2eM @pshares

Answers to
questions on ISBN, EIN, releasiing an updated version of a book: http://bit.ly/18bgUgr
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How To Be
Creative When Your Brain Doesn't Want To Play: http://bit.ly/107wTrx

10 Reasons
Why We Struggle With Creativity: http://onforb.es/ZQiofm @Neuronarrative @forbes

How To Write
A Great Opening For Your Story: http://bit.ly/ZQiWlp @woodwardkaren

Physical
Attributes Entry: Faces: http://bit.ly/ZQj2te @beccapuglisi

5 Lessons 1
Writer Has Learned About Writing From Her Special Needs Children: http://bit.ly/ZQj6cl
@insidea_mm

3 Act
Structure: A Pair of Spanx for Your Novel: http://bit.ly/18biT4i
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The Balancing
Act of the Writer: http://bit.ly/ZQjXdd @CarrieCuinn

Why we
write…or don't: http://bit.ly/18bllYy @scholars_rogues

Christianity
vs. Science Fiction: http://bit.ly/ZQkmMF @amazingstories0

Fantasy
protagonists with pets: http://bit.ly/18bmlvG @sfsignal

When You Want
to Quit Writing: http://bit.ly/ZQktYD @write_practice

Helping
Characters Gain Confidence: http://bit.ly/18bmLCq @jeanniecampbell

Writer's
block? Some techniques 1 writer has used to break through: http://bit.ly/17vv1P6
@BTMargins @JustBethanne

How to Manage
Your Story's Characters: http://bit.ly/15X9H7b @SHalvatzis

How
Kickstarter is replacing the traditional publisher: http://bit.ly/17vvkJG
@author_sullivan @adribbleofink

4 Obstacles
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Entering
Writing Competitions?  Six Tips: http://bit.ly/17vvGjC
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Visual beat
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Maintaining
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12 tips to
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@sdwriter

Tips for
overcoming writer's block: http://bit.ly/11WFS1X @RuthHarrisBooks

7 Starting
Tips for Adapting Your Own Novel: http://bit.ly/14IXvqS @ChuckSambuchino

Scene
Selection: http://bit.ly/11Dwq2G @juliemusil

Why you'll
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Killing Your
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10
Screenwriting Lessons You Can Learn From "Trainspotting": http://bit.ly/17vxybY

6 Questions
To Ask Before You Self-Publish: http://bit.ly/15XcRI0 @indieauthoralli

Benefits of
Digital Journaling: http://bit.ly/15Xd1iO @J4Creativity

Justification
Bias and the Responsibility of the Writer: http://bit.ly/17vxSrp
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Let Your
Characters Live and Breathe: http://bit.ly/15Xdbqo @jamesscottbell

One Simple
Trick That Makes Editing Less Painful: http://bit.ly/11fItCP @jodyhedlund

Why Fairy
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Sweet
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Book Design
Elements And Interior Formatting: http://bit.ly/15XdBNq @thecreativepenn

Drawing
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ANTI-Realism
in SF/F: http://bit.ly/15XdSju

How To Use
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Zombies: Fine
and Decomposing Art: http://bit.ly/17vyuNz @gerrimahn

Improv rules
to help your writing: http://bit.ly/15Xe5Db @scriptmag @StephanyFolsom

7 Things
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@write4kids

Why go to
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Drowning as a
murder method in crime fiction: http://bit.ly/ZvawAe @mkinberg

Info Dumps,
Lectures, and Other Author Intrusions: http://bit.ly/15Xbwkq @JodieRennerEd

Publishers
should pick their battles with Amazon. Top battle to pick--reader data:  http://bit.ly/15XmiHu
@doctorow @Porter_Anderson

Enjoying strong ebook
sales? Don't get too comfortable:
publishingperspectives.com/2013/04/et...
@Porter_Anderson @NathanBransford

Using
Pinterest as Inspiration: http://bit.ly/102TOoo @kendel_lynn

Authors Sue
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Do readers
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Tor a year
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Hachette
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When Is It
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Libraries,
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Writing a
Historical Thriller: A Journey: http://bit.ly/16yHLXa @LeFrenchBook

Writing a Historical Thriller: A Journey

 by David Khara, @LeFrenchBook (publisher Twitter account)



David Khara
is the author of The Bleiberg Project,
which is an adrenaline-pumping conspiracy thriller based on World War II and the first in the
Consortium Thriller series. The book was an instant success in France,
catapulting the author to the ranks of the country’s top thriller writers.

I have always had a passion for
history. I firmly believe the past enlightens the path to the future. It is all
about what mistakes have been made and how to avoid making them again. This way
of thinking applies to our lives as individuals, as well as to mankind in
general. That’s what learning is about: trying to be a better person living in
a better world. Unfortunately, history—and its mistakes—tends to repeat itself,
as if we were unable, as a species, to learn. And that is why in my thrillers
history always crosses our present lives to expose our inability to improve
ourselves.

Before starting my work on the
Consortium Thriller series, I thought I had fairly good knowledge of World War
II. I really did. It turned out I was wrong. Three books later, here are some
key things I have learned about writing historical thrillers.

Research,
research, research

When you write a story based on
true facts, it seems obvious to check the facts. What is less obvious is the
amount and density of information you might have to dig into. In this respect,
World War II turns out to be an endless well. Due to the length and scale of
the conflict, and the countless interactions within it, it proves quite
complicated to embrace this whole period without spending your whole life
working on it. 

Luckily, I knew exactly what I
wanted to talk about: human experimentation, flaws of science, lack of ethics
and disregard for human life. This narrowed the field and I thought would save
me some time. Wrong again!

Since my story was fictional, I
had to set aside any suppositions, allegations and theories commonly found
about the period. The fiction was mine, and mine alone, but I needed to mix it
with true events, as unbelievable as they seemed. Sticking to the truth is what
makes a story powerful. It is what will lead readers to think, “Hey, all this
takes place in the real world.” In the end, it is what makes them care about
the story and the characters.

The
journey

So, I started digging into the
Nazi experiments, focusing on what I thought I knew: Mengele’s experiments, and
the Nazi Übermensch (Superman) dream. I
bought a couple of books, a few DVD documentaries and I thought that would be
it. Two days later, I was ordering dozens of books, tons of DVDs and I started
making phone calls to WWII specialists. Why? Because what I knew wasn’t even
the tip of the iceberg. A short example should explain the process: as I was
reading about the interactions between Nazis and science, I ran into the Werner
von Braun story. He was the man who created the V1 and V2 rockets. I knew he
was somehow involved in the American space program. I had no idea the American
army ran “Operation Paperclip” to get to Von Braun before the Russians caught
him. And I had no idea this operation led to the transfer of 500 others
scientists and engineers working with Von Braun. The man worked for the Army,
and eventually joined the NASA. And this incredible fact led to countless
others.

I realized then that not only
would my novels be a journey for my readers, but they were also going to be a
journey for me as a writer and as a citizen.

Now that the first three books
of the series are finished in French (the first one just came out in English),
I can say my research represented one of the two years it took me to write all
three books. One half of my time, and I used ten to twenty percent of what I
found in my novels. Were the other eighty to ninety percent lost? Certainly
not.

Capturing
the atmosphere

Historical novels, no matter
the genre, are all about understanding the mood of the times you write about.
This means that you must not only be accurate about the clothing or the
architecture, but you need to capture the atmosphere your characters have to
deal with. Ask yourself a few questions like: “What were newspaper headlines?”
or “ What was fashionable?”

This aspect was without a doubt
the longest and largest part of my research. I read biographies of survivors
and war criminals; I watched testimonials of ordinary people overwhelmed by an
extraordinary wave of madness and cruelty. I spent countless hours trying to
get in their mind, trying to understand pain of the victims, and the evilness
of murderers. I didn’t want to just tell what happened. I wanted to be there,
with them and, in the end, testify.

Here are two
examples. Chapter one of The Bleiberg Project is written from the perspective of a genuine SS guard. I
built his state of mind from actual testimonials. The same was true in chapter
thirty-seven, which tells the story of the main character. I built the chapter
out of three different testimonials. 

During my research, I must
admit I cried a lot, laughed at unexpected times, and learned more about
mankind every second.

A
tribute

This represented eighty to
ninety percent of my work, as I mentioned above. Hidden behind the fast-paced,
action-packed, entertaining thriller lies a tribute to those who lived these
days, suffered from it. Be it seen or not, it is there. And that was the most
important part of my job as a writer, and that aspect becomes more and more
obvious throughout the trilogy.

I wanted to share my own personal journey,
always keeping in mind lots of people who suffered from WWII were still alive.
Should one of them read the book, I didn’t want to betray them, or worst,
insult them.

For me, writing historical books, and
especially about history close to us, is not about making a career, craving for
success, or I don’t know what other nonsense. It is all about remembering and
learning, because the future lies on our capacity to improve and avoid what our
nature makes us capable of doing. If we don’t, we’ll fall into Einstein’s
definition for Insanity: “doing the same
thing over and over again and expecting different results”…






The Bleiberg Project is now available in English, published by Le French
Book, a digital-first publisher specializing in best-selling
mysteries and thrillers from France. It can be found on all major ebook platforms.

Using Pinterest for Pinspiration

by Kendel Lynn, @kendel_lynn






When I first heard
of Pinterest, I wanted to cry. Another social networking site to use, learn,
master? Can’t be done. It’s asking too much of me. 




I can barely handle Twitter
and Goodreads, and I’m not on the Facebook or Google Plus, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Instagram,
Snapchat, StatWatch. (I made that last one up.) However, someone kindly took
the time to show me what Pinterest truly was, and once I figured it out, and
how it worked for me, I was hooked.




Pinterest is a way
to organize all those beautiful pictures you see every day, from the delicious
torte you’d love to make (but never will) to the beach you’d love to visit (and
hopefully will). And for us creative types, it’s a visual playground of inspiration.
In one weekend, I created boards for different aspects of my protagonist’s
world. While Elliott Lisbon comes to life on the printed page, she’s viewed in
vibrant color on the Pinterest page.




I spent hours
finding the perfect images for her cottage: adorable yellow rain boots on a
shelf with a wooden sailboat and a starfish, a charming blue cottage door, a
hammock on the porch with overstuffed pillows, and of course, her MINI Cooper
Convertible parked on the sand! While most of these are not described in BOARD STIFF, these photos embody the spirit of her beachside living. And I so want to
visit her there!




Seven boards later,
I had a pictorial of her world, the parties she attends, the foundation where
she works, and even her enviable wardrobe. Later I added specific boards for
each of her stories: SWITCH BACK (in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE) and BOARD STIFF. Random
and fun and beautiful windows into each story.




Pinterest offers us
a way to engage readers outside the printed page, to share moments inside a
character’s life, long after the cover is closed. Have you ever finished a
book, then sat there wishing you could spend just a little more time inside?
Wouldn’t it be nice if Warner Brothers built every writer a theme park? Why
should Harry Potter have all the fun?! Until then, we can create our own
Pinterest-land and give all our readers tickets to the best rides.




Explore your visual
creativity, not just the written one. I enjoy browsing for just the right
pictures, and even if no one ever sees my collections, I visit them and add to
them and love them all the same.




Have I given you
Pinspiration? I hope so – now send me your pins!







ABOUT KENDEL LYNN



Kendel Lynn is a
Southern California native who now parks her flip-flops in Dallas, Texas. She
read her first Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators at the age of seven
and has loved mysteries ever since. Her debut novel, BOARD STIFF, won several literary
competitions, including the Zola Award for Mystery/Suspense. 




Along with writing
and reading, she spends her time as the managing editor of Henery Press where
she acquires, edits, and figures out ways to avoid the gym but still eat
cupcakes for dinner.




Web: www.kendellynn.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/kendel_lynn

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/kendellynn

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/kendellynnspins

Info Dumps, Lectures, AYKB, and Other Author Intrusions

by Jodie Renner, Editor and Craft-of-Writing Author, @JodieRennerEd



Have you ever been engrossed in a novel
when suddenly the author interrupts the story to give you background on a
character, or detailed technical information about something? Or starts waxing
eloquent about a related topic or a pet cause of theirs?

Savvy authors know that readers choose
fiction to be entertained and swept away by a compelling story. Halting the
plot to give them information on a technical subject or issue, or even to
clarify something as an author aside, jolts them out of the fictive dream,
interrupts the story line, slows down the pace, and just feels patronizing.

Author intrusions and info dumps come in
various shapes and sizes, but whatever their form, they can be perceived as an
obvious and clumsy attempt by the author to quickly and easily impart some
facts, clarifications, or personal opinions directly to the reader. For this
article, we’ll leave out a discussion of the pitfalls of too much character
backstory, especially early on. For now, we’ll just talk about other kinds of
author intrusions.

SOME
COMMON TYPES OF AUTHOR INTRUSIONS TO AVOID

~ Info
dumps

Readers like to stay immersed in the
story, not be pulled out of it to be given a lengthy explanation of something
as an aside by the author. This can include long, detailed explanations of a
specific type of gun, for example, or stopping the story to describe in detail
how fingerprints are retrieved, processed, analyzed, and fed into data systems.

Yes, do your research, for sure. But pick
and choose what you actually share with your readers, and blend the info in in
a natural way, filtered through the point of view of the viewpoint character or
revealed in the course of dialogue, preferably with some tension and attitude
thrown in.

~
Soap-boxing about an issue or cause

Maybe you’d like to increase
consciousness about worthy topics such as the plight of whales or the lack of
clean water worldwide, or unfair treatment of minorities, or lack of green
spaces.

Sure, go ahead and insert allusions to
social issues here and there in your novel, as long as you have a character who
is passionate about that issue and knowledgeable. It can work in small doses,
as long as you don’t go on so long about it that it comes across as preaching.
And of course it needs to fit naturally in the scene and match the character’s
personality, politics and thoughts.

~
Lecturing in disguise

Say you want to write a Raiders of the Lost Ark type of adventure
story because you’re passionate about Aztecs and Aztec ruins and want to tell
the world about this fascinating subject. So you have a main character who’s an
archaeologist, and because you can’t resist sharing your knowledge, you have this
character giving frequent impromptu detailed lectures on Aztec history and
culture to anyone who will listen. Not a good idea.

Just drop in a few tantalizing tidbits
here and there to pique your readers’ interest. If you get them curious enough,
they can easily Google Aztecs (or whoever or whatever you’re highlighting in
your story) and find out a lot more about the topic. You could even add some
info at the end of the story somehow, as an Afterword or Glossary or related
links or whatever.

~ Dumping
into dialogue

Don’t let your characters lecture in
dialogue, either. It’s just not natural, and will bore the readers just as much
as an author aside or intrusion. Avoid “info dumps” in the guise of dialogue –
in real life, no one likes to be lectured to in a casual conversation.

Replace long monologues of information
with questions and answers or a lively discussion, and keep it relevant to the
scene question. And, for more interest, insert some attitude and tension in the
give-and-take – a little (or a lot) of arguing about facts, or their
significance, for example.

~ AYKB –
“As you know, Bob…”

This is where the author has one person
telling another a bunch of stuff they both know, just to impart that
information to the reader. Here’s an exaggerated example, to illustrate:

Ralph said to his
brother, “As you know, Bob, our parents were both killed in a car crash when we
were young, and we were raised by our grandparents.”

Readers today are too sophisticated to go
for this type of amateurish information-sharing, and if you do it too often,
it’s sure to lose you respect and credibility.

No dumping
here, please!

So be careful not to dump a bunch of
factual information willy-nilly into your story. A novel or short story is no
place to go into a lot of detail on a technical subject – or to get on your
soapbox about a topic that’s dear to your heart or makes your blood boil.
Readers will feel annoyed, patronized or manipulated, when what they really
want is to be entertained and captivated by your tale.

Remember, if any readers want to know
more about a topic, they can always Google the topic. Leave the lectures for
the classroom, articles, or nonfiction books – the goal of fiction is to
entertain the readers with a riveting story. Period.

For more on this topic,
plus an excellent example from Robert Crais of how to impart technical info in
a natural, compelling way, see my recent blog post “Info with Attitude – Strategies for Turning Impersonal Info Dumps
into Compelling Copy” at The Kill Zone
blog.








Jodie
Renner is a freelance fiction editor who specializes in thrillers, mysteries,
and other fast-paced fiction. For more info on Jodie’s editing services and her
books, please visit her website. 



Jodie has published two books to date in her
series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Writing a Killer Thriller, a short e-book, and Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power, which is available in paperback, as an e-book on Kindle, and in other e-book formats. And you don’t need to own an e-reader to purchase and enjoy e-books.
You can download them to your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Book Marketing Is Also Murder

  by Phyllis Zimbler Miller, @ ZimblerMiller





Yes, as self-published and traditionally
published authors learn sooner or later, writing a mystery is only part of the
journey.  Marketing that mystery can be a
much more difficult and time-consuming part of a published author’s existence.

And that marketing can be murder – on
your psyche, your time and your wallet.

Why? 
Because there are so many online promotional opportunities today that
enable authors to stay in front of their computers and promote their
books.  But where to invest one’s efforts
and money (leaving some time to write mysteries, of course!) to get the most
bang for your buck?

The answer is probably different for each
author depending on a book’s genre, theme, etc. 
For example, if you love Twitter and do not love Facebook (me), then you
may not want to devote tons of your limited promotional time to Facebook.  Another author who loves Facebook and does
not love Twitter would not want to spend tons of time on Twitter.

What I find most perplexing is the
opportunities missed by authors on the elephant in the room – Amazon.  On many book pages on Amazon the cover and
title do not convey what the book is about. 
Nor do the cover and title appeal to the target audience.

Recently I realized that I was somewhat
guilty of this error myself.   I have
been adding or revising subtitles of my fiction books to better “signal” the
story.

We all know that people glance very
quickly at information online before deciding whether they are interested in
learning more.  If your book cover says
“for adults” and your story is “for children,” then you have a major disconnect
in what you are portraying.

Authors need to evaluate all their book
covers from their audience’s perspective. 


This realization led to my changing the
cover of my spy thriller CIA FALL GUY. 
As someone who many years ago had a security clearance, I thought the
manila envelope on the cover would have meaning to readers.  That is, until I realized that this was
“insider knowledge” and I needed a cover that immediately portrayed
mystery.  

A subtitle can go a long way towards
correcting this issue of confusing potential readers.  For example, my novel CAST THE FIRST STONE
has the subtitle A REBECCA STONE MYSTERY to immediately signal the story is a
mystery about a protagonist named Rebecca Stone. 

(I actually wanted to use A REBECCA STONE
COZY MYSTERY but decided that made for too long of a title and subtitle.  But who knows?  I may still add the word “cozy” because,
thanks to the ease of changing a subtitle on Kindle, I can change the subtitle
at any time.)

Then there is the question of what author
name you are using.  An author writing a
Middle Grade novel told me she used her first and middle initials rather than a
first name because her book had a male protagonist.  Someone had told her that this might help her
book appeal to boys.

From many years ago I do remember this
theory (and, yes, J.K. Rowling uses initials). 
But today, with your author photo on your Amazon book page, I think
using your own first name if you are a woman makes more sense as this is a more
personal statement.

And online promotion is all about
personal connections.

(This author also used a somewhat sexy
author photo on her Amazon book page.  I
suggested that this type of personal was not ideal for her target
audience.  A straight-up head shot would
be better.)

The most important thing to remember in
book marketing is the expression “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

Thanks to the Internet, your book doesn’t
disappear after a couple of months on a bookstore shelf.  Your book can be around indefinitely.  This means that you can plan your marketing
strategy for the long run and not overwhelm yourself trying to do everything
NOW.

In conclusion, it is important to support
other authors online.  We are not in
competition with each other even if we write in the same genre.  We are collaborators encouraging readers to
buy our books.



Phyllis Zimbler Miller is the author of
fiction and nonfiction books, including TOP TIPS FOR HOW TO PUBLISH AND MARKETYOUR BOOK IN THE AGE OF AMAZON.  Her cozy
mystery CAST THE FIRST STONE will be free on Kindle May 2-4 at http://amzn.to/SLYBJY


She blogs on book-related topics at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com and
her Amazon Author Central profile is at www.ZimblerMillerbooks.com

Twitterific

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig





Twitterific
links are fed into the Writer’s
Knowledge Base search engine (developed by
writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 19,000 free articles
on writing related topics. It's the search engine for writers.

Sign up for
our free newsletter for monthly writing tips and interviews with top
contributors to the WKB or like us on Facebook.

Mike Fleming
worked with author and writing coach James Scott Bell to offer an online,
interactive, writing program to help make your next novel great. It's called
"Knockout Novel" and you can learn more about it at Knockout Novel.com.


When Something Changes Mid-Draft: http://bit.ly/11fHyCg
@stdennard




The only benefit of trad. pub. is print distribution?
Agents disagree: http://bit.ly/15CLSBv @Porter_Anderson @EkstromRachel @Janet_Reid




Self-pubbed authors take spotlight at the #LBF ...& a
reminder for them to stay grounded: http://bit.ly/13sCEDy @Porter_Anderson @OrnaRoss 




Shakespeare's influence on crime fiction: http://bit.ly/ZOkg3Y
@mkinberg




Is there a turning point in the us-vs-them acrimony of
trad pub and self-pub? http://bit.ly/13xjpsJ @Porter_Anderson @barryeisler




A free directory of cover designers,
formatters, freelance editors, and more: http://bit.ly/nolbXq







Easy Steps to First-pass Revision: http://bit.ly/11qExPW @lindasclare

Screenwriting--how to create a TV show
(blog series): http://bit.ly/Z93MZM
@cockeyedcaravan

The 6 most common logline weaknesses: http://bit.ly/11qEUd8 @CrackingYarns

3 Tips To Help You Contact Book
Reviewers: http://bit.ly/11qLlgm
@badredheadmedia

Social media malpractice (knowing what
platform-building advice to ignore): http://bit.ly/Z9eLCn
@annehill

When it's Okay to Say No to Conventions: http://bit.ly/Z9eW0r @reudaly

Fighting writing resistance: http://bit.ly/Z9fNOP @JennaAvery

Writing routines--word counting and other
habits: http://bit.ly/11qMLHQ @nealasher

10 Questions You Need to Ask Your
Characters Before They Can Stay In Your Story: http://bit.ly/Z9gqb9
@amazingstories0

Tips for teaching writing: http://bit.ly/Z9gzv4 @nadinekenney

The importance of a logline: http://bit.ly/11qNicQ @TheWrookie

Offset Printing for Self-Publishers: http://bit.ly/11rjRat @jfbookman

6 questions for an editor of Sleet
Magazine: http://bit.ly/12vGhty

Ways To Tap Into Your Creative Juice
Reserves: http://bit.ly/11rkelw
@theheraldryang

"Save the Cat" Beat Sheet Cheat
Spreadsheet: http://bit.ly/11rkkth

5 Tips For Finding Your Pirated Novel
Online: http://bit.ly/12vGzRk @jeanoram

The fantasy language problem: http://bit.ly/11rkqBc @DjangoWexler

An author and book blogger with tips for
authors on handling reviews: http://bit.ly/12vHAIU
@SweetMarie83

Beware of instant conflict: http://bit.ly/11rlKEc @cockeyedcaravan

A checklist to help you write your story:
http://bit.ly/11rmXLC @storyfix

How to use 'telling' to get the most out
of a scene: http://bit.ly/12vJfyd
@mooderino

How to improve your working habits: http://bit.ly/11rncX9 @AwfullyBigBlog
@nicolamorgan

Tips for getting to know your characters:
http://bit.ly/12vJpFR @noveleditor

The secret to subplots: http://bit.ly/11rnr4m @crackingyarns

25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer: http://bit.ly/12vM1n4 @99u

Logline library with examples of winning
loglines: http://bit.ly/11rqrhf
@TheScriptLab

3 things 1 agent found surprising about
publishing: http://bit.ly/12vMR37
@RachelLKent

Flash Fiction: Writing with Restraint(s):
http://bit.ly/12vMW70 @EDFsChronicles
@salesses

Tips for making a living as a writer: http://bit.ly/12vN4nd @rachellegardner

Why 1 writer doesn't self-pub: http://bit.ly/11rro9i @cstross

Only 15.5% of Readers in Survey Do Not
Intend To Read eBooks: http://bit.ly/12vNeL8
@galleycat

How to Increase Creativity with Ambient
Noise: http://bit.ly/12vNk5q @lifehackorg

Use a Mood Board to Boost Your Writing: http://bit.ly/11rrz4o @diymfa

Need a Creativity Jolt? Drop by a Modern
Art Show: http://bit.ly/12vNude
@creativitypost

Publishing excerpts from your book to
build a platform? http://bit.ly/11rrNIM

How Humor Can Make You a Better Writer: http://bit.ly/12vT13p @kmweiland

5 Red Flags Your Story Needs Revision: http://bit.ly/12vTouT @kristenlambtx

Why 1 writer disagrees with part of the
Hero's Journey: http://bit.ly/11rxyGh
@crackingyarns

Is Fifty Shades of Grey Literally Making
Romance Sexier? http://bit.ly/11aP4OP
@AaronStanton

How to write a logline: http://bit.ly/15vkntC @crackingyarns

Story Problems? Maybe You Need a Good
Piece of Device: http://bit.ly/11aPc0x
@AlisonAtlee

You Are Here: The Road Map of Writing: http://bit.ly/15vkwxb @christicraig

Why You Need to Be Excited About Every
Single Thing You Write: http://bit.ly/11aPlBc
@kmweiland

Writing From an Authentic Teen Viewpoint:
http://bit.ly/ZdsJ5o @Lydia_sharp

Students' Recollections of Authors as
Professors: http://bit.ly/11Wv0kK
@theatlantic @flavorwire

Writers, Are You Wasting Your Time
Submitting to Agents? http://bit.ly/ZdtiMu
@goblinwriter

When to query an agent after meeting one
at a conference: http://bit.ly/ZcKWkr
@mayaprasadwrite

Tips for overcoming writer's block: http://bit.ly/11WFS1X @RuthHarrisBooks

Top 10 worst celebrity books: http://bit.ly/ZcLmY3 @telegraph

Using project binders to organize our
writing: http://bit.ly/11WH0Tf
@StephanieLMcGee

Five ways to keep up your motivation: http://bit.ly/ZcLYg5 @janelebak

8 Sneering Synonyms for
"Obvious": http://bit.ly/11WHOrt
@writing_tips

Do you need a web presence before
querying agents? http://bit.ly/ZcMg6T
@mayaprasadwrite

Folders: The Computer's Version of
Project Binders: http://bit.ly/11WIAo8
@StephanieLMcGee

The Art of Pacing in a Novel: http://bit.ly/ZcMJpA @elissacruz

Entertainment vs. Truth: http://bit.ly/yIwrHM @donmaass

You Signed With An Agent! ...What Now? http://bit.ly/ZcN77B @nataliewhipple

9 Essential Things Most Author Websites
Need And Don't Have: http://bit.ly/11WJYXU
@jeanoram

Physical Attribute Thesaurus Entry:
Fingers: http://bit.ly/ZcO7sb @ BeccaPuglisi

Tips for Writers on Working Smoothly with
a Graphic Artist: http://bit.ly/11WMCNk

Ebooks: newspapers should capitalize on
their archives...it could mean their salvation: http://bit.ly/ZcOFhP
@guardianbooks

Hooking a Reader While Establishing the
Story World: http://bit.ly/11WN1PQ
@Janice_hardy

How many different types of queries
should you write? http://bit.ly/ZcOZx9
@mayaprasadwrite

How to avoid info dumps: http://bit.ly/11Zlw8k @americanediting

Why novelists should read obituaries: http://bit.ly/17QCXvz @nailyournovel

4 things to understand about character
emotion: http://bit.ly/11ZnDZZ

How to Support Authors You Love Without
Spending A Penny: http://bit.ly/17QDrSi
@sarah_nicolas

5 writing tips from an award-winning
biographer: http://bit.ly/11Zovh0
@PublishersWkly

The rise of the Amish romance novel: http://bit.ly/17QDH3M @salon

Do You Need an Agent? http://bit.ly/11ZsVVm @bob_brooke

No matter what happens with publishing,
books will remain: http://tcrn.ch/11ZtmyJ
@TechCrunch @rezendi

How an enhanced ebook is being created
[infographic]: http://bit.ly/17QFvtE
@ebookfriendly

Tools For Writers: Using Dragon Dictate: http://bit.ly/11ZtA9l @catrambo

3 SEO Myths That Scare Writers (And How
to Use Them to Your Advantage): http://bit.ly/17QFLJ4
@robertleebrewer @alexisgrant

What makes a book YA versus Adult? http://bit.ly/11ZugeS @rhapsodybooks

Writer's Block aka The Dead End: http://bit.ly/17QFXYI @fantasyfaction
@DEMEmrys

Author Blogging 101: Creating Income by
Recommending Resources: http://bit.ly/14IWUpc
@jfbookman

5 things 1 self-pubbed author learned in
the last year: http://bit.ly/ZIVRgh
@JadeKerrion

A POV Guide – With Graphics And Examples:
http://bit.ly/ZIVWAA @VeronicaSicoe

Setting Up Your Story – Your 3 Point
Terrain: http://bit.ly/14IXjYS

How to submit short fiction: http://bit.ly/ZIWdn4 @amazingstories0

7 Starting Tips for Adapting Your Own
Novel: http://bit.ly/14IXvqS
@ChuckSambuchino

How to Improve your Outline: http://bit.ly/14IXAep @SHalvatzis

The Indie guide to Audiobooks on ACX: http://bit.ly/ZIWGWs @chaseadventures

3 writing commandments, in order of
importance: http://bit.ly/ZJLIA2
@JennyHansenCA

When agents should follow up on
submissions: http://bit.ly/ZJM6yq
@janet_reid

5 Underrated Artistic Qualities: http://bit.ly/14JGDQU @annieneugebauer

Make Your eBooks Rock by Breaking All the
Rules of Creating a Book: http://bit.ly/14JGPzw
@danasitar

Character Archetypes 101: http://bit.ly/ZJNqBi @jeanniecampbell

As long as you have a word, there's never
a blank page: http://bit.ly/14JHDV7

The New Yorker Rejects Itself: A
Quasi-Scientific Analysis of Slush Piles: http://bit.ly/17efx1L
@thereviewreview

Picture Books Are Not Just for Children:
10 Reasons Why: http://bit.ly/Y0hrTg
@writersdigest

8 Common Creative Writing Mistakes: http://bit.ly/17efJhD @melissadonovan

Writing Action Scenes: http://bit.ly/17efR0p @AJHumpage

5 Red Flags Your Story Needs Revision: http://bit.ly/17efUcS @kristenlambtx

Goals for You and for Your Characters: http://bit.ly/Y0hBKi @plotwhisperer

Why the Reader Is Your Co-Writer: http://bit.ly/17eg184 @kmweiland

How to Write a Short Story: http://bit.ly/Y0hEpA @jamesscottbell

How to Organize Time for a Dramatic
Story: http://bit.ly/17eg5Vo @BrianKlems

Is it Really Time for Authors to Stop
Blogging? http://bit.ly/Y0hJcP @annerallen

Conflict – The Foundation of
Storytelling: http://bit.ly/15CGfmI
@scriptmag

Ten Deadly Sins of Pitching: http://bit.ly/11fHimP @lizlip

Using Nuances and Subtext to Bring
Characters and World To Life: http://bit.ly/15CGrCH
@BryanThomasS

Repairing a 'broken' manuscript: http://bit.ly/15CH4ff @carlywatters

Gordon Ramsay's Novel-Writing
Instruction: http://bit.ly/11fIhTX
@hookedonnoir

Children's Nonfiction Publishing Comes of
Age: http://bit.ly/15CHp1F @pubperspectives

One Simple Trick That Makes Editing Less
Painful: http://bit.ly/11fItCP @jodyhedlund

The Trouble with In Medias Res: http://bit.ly/15CHwKG @kristenlambtx

5 things necessary for a writer's
survival: http://bit.ly/15CHIJG
@DoSomeDamage @jcharbonneau

Bookshop browsing vital for publishing,
research finds: http://bit.ly/17UUmTF
@thebookseller

Are the French Preparing an E-Book
Revolution? Mais Oui! http://to.pbs.org/17UUq63
@mediatwit

Plot – What Happens Next? http://bit.ly/13sAzaE @scriptmag

What Do Readers Really Want From Literary
Adaptations? http://bit.ly/ZmiQ6n
@JoshACorman

Why Zombies? A Defense of the Z Word: http://bit.ly/13sAJio @amazonbooks

5 self-pubbing mistakes 1 writer made
last year: http://bit.ly/17UVB5u
@mollygreene

3 Tips for Developing Enthralling
Characters: http://bit.ly/13sAVOE
@jodyhedlund

Writing A Setting For a Locale You've
Never Visited: http://bit.ly/17UVSoP

The five biggest bullies of writers: http://bit.ly/17UVXZO @wendypmiller

Dos and don'ts for screenwriters: http://bit.ly/13sBnwu @scriptmag

All about writing serials: http://bit.ly/13sBzf6 @susankayequinn

12 Ways To Ensure You're Legally Using
Online Photos: http://bit.ly/17UWydR
@12most

Deep Worldbuilding and POV Preparation: http://bit.ly/13sBFDx @juliettewade

3 things you need for a successful book: http://bit.ly/17UWFX0 @rachellegardner

Tips for Writing and Working Full-Time: http://bit.ly/13sBNmr

After the Editorial Letter: a peek at
pass pages and beyond: http://bit.ly/17UWV8i
@erin_bowman

DeviantArt's New Service Turns Users Into
Massive Outsourced Creative Team: http://bit.ly/137ZkNd
@Wired_Design @passivevoiceblg

A New Question to Ask Your Characters: http://bit.ly/ZCvF77 @jeanniecampbell

Write About What Scares You: http://bit.ly/13sCZWQ @write_practice

10 Screenwriting Lessons You Can Learn
From Ghostbusters: http://bit.ly/13sD50T

How Boxing Can Make Us Better Writers: http://bit.ly/13sD6BK @kristenlambtx

5 things 1 writer learned from her
editor: http://bit.ly/13sDikt @DonnaGalanti

6 Things Readers Want from Your Author
Website: http://bit.ly/17UYqU4 @authormedia

How much should we worry about word
count? http://bit.ly/13sDnoq @noveleditor

Writing Contests – When to Enter, When to
Run: http://bit.ly/13sDqjT @hopeclark

Why plot milestones might not be equally
spaced – and why that's good: http://bit.ly/YPKzfg
@dirtywhitecandy

What is a story? http://bit.ly/XGoDBu @scriptmag

Writers and Journals--and Online Journaling

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig




OhLife


I’ve always loved keeping a journal and started keeping one when I was in fourth grade.   

There's nothing fabulously interesting in my diaries, but it provides snapshots of long-forgotten days.

I wrote daily as a teenager.  I read those posts now and I can barely identify with the content or the person who wrote the entries.  Was that me?  It’s a horrifying, fascinating read in a
deer-in-the-headlights kind of way.

Since having children, my journaling has
been sporadic.  I would love to say that
I have a wonderfully detailed account of my children’s early years.  I don’t.  And I've meant to journal more.

While reading blogs last month, I came
across a post by Hannah Braime on the Lifehack site:  5
Killer Online Journaling Tools You Should Try Out.  One of the journaling programs they mentioned
was the free site OhLife.  She hooked me when she used the word simple to describe it.  Who has time for complicated when you’re trying to establish a new habit?

Once you sign up, the site sends you an
email every day (at whatever time you specify) and asks “how did your day
go?”  You email it back and it stores the
information privately on a cloud.  At the
bottom of the emails they send what you were doing that time last week (or last
month or last year, if you’ve been with the journal that long.)  OhLife also encourages you to write only a
sentence if that’s all you want to write…and to 
skip days, if needed.

You can attach a picture to each post, if
you want to enhance your post.

You can also download a .txt version of
your journal if you want to make sure you have a backup in case for some reason
the site discontinues.  I ordinarily
wouldn’t even think about this possibility much, but the sudden discontinuation
of Google Reader has made me a paranoid user in all aspects of my online life.

I've really enjoyed OhLife and have recommended it to several of my family and friends. I've apparently become an OhLife evangelist.

Getting the emails seems to do the trick
for me in terms of keeping up with it. I haven’t missed a day yet. I type
quickly and it’s much easier to remember to write an entry if I’m being
reminded each day.  And it’s not like I
don’t check my emails. :)  Although I
like the idea of writing in a physical
journal each day and I still love pen and paper…it just doesn’t seem to come
together for me or fit into my busy schedule like it used to. 

Journal uses for writers?  For one, establishing a daily writing habit, if you’re
not a daily blogger.  Journaling can help
you warm up, too, if you write afterward. Introspection.  It can be therapeutic, if you sometimes
have stressful days.  You could also use
it to track progress on various projects…meeting your daily word count goal or
looking into finding a cover designer and formatter, or tracking queries.

Or, if you’re like me, it’s nice to have
a searchable memory.  :)  My memory is abysmal and is certainly not
getting any better the older/busier I get.

One thing I know as a lifelong
diarist—don’t try to catch up.  It’s just
too frustrating to try to cover everything
in a journal.  Just jump in where you are
now. Sometimes simply making a list of the day’s highlights is a nice change,
if you don’t have much time.

Do you keep a journal?  Ever used an online journal?  If you do journal, what do you get out of it?

Updates on ACX Audiobooks and a New RSS Reader

  by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Just thought I'd write an update today on a couple of
different topics that I’ve mentioned recently.

One topic is ACX,
the audiobook distributor.  I’d mentioned
in
this post that I 'd made my self-published books available for auditioning to narrators
and outlined the process I'd gone through to get to that point.

I’ve found narrators for all three of
those books.  Once you listen to the
auditions on the ACX site, you make an offer to one narrator (there’s actually a ‘make
an offer’ link right underneath the audition) and send a note to the others, to
let them know.

A pop-up window will ask you to specify your terms for the contract.  Most of the contract is
set by ACX, but they’ll point out the areas you’ll need to give input (like the
payment arrangements…by the hour or royalty share…and your deadlines for
completion of both the first fifteen minutes and the project itself.)  Then you hit send and the contract goes off to the
narrator.

ACX asks that if we do any contract-type
negotiation or make specific arrangements or notes for the narrator, that we do
it through the ACX message system.  That
way there’s a record of our conversation in case there are any questions or
problems later.  In their words:

IMPORTANT:To be sure that you end up with a binding contract,
please work out all details of your Offer via ACX, using our internal
messaging system (simply by clicking “Send Message” on the Producer’s
profile). If you negotiate and agree to details via some other
channel—phone, video chat, whatever—those details aren’t going to be
reflected in our system, and you might not end up with the contract you
want, or any contract at all. And that’s not the safest way to work.

If the narrator is interested, he or she will accept the offer
through the ACX site.  Once the first fifteen
minutes are completed, the narrator uploads the audio to the site (and,
once again, we get a notification email. 
I rather like these notification emails, though, since audiobooks aren’t
the only thing I’m working on.)  If we
accept their first fifteen minutes, we click the ‘accept’ link under the
audio.  We can also send a message to the
narrator with specifics regarding their narration. 
This way, if we’re not all on the same page, we can make sure we ask for
changes before the narrators  invest time in the rest of the book.

This is where I am in the process…I’ve
approved two of the three books’ first fifteen minutes now.  Each book has a slightly different
feel/narration to it since I’m getting all of the books done at once for the sake of
time.  But each sounds good.  Slightly campier sound to Dyeing Shame so far, but it’s a much campier
book than the other two.  The narrator
nailed that aspect of it.

On to the
other topic I’ve mentioned lately (or fretted over in the comments): the
fact that Google is pulling the cord on Google
Reader in July.  I was pretty exasperated when the news broke. It does bring up (as many others have
said) the issue of whether we can trust Google, or really any of these online cloud services.  We
believe they’ll continue a service, we invest time in it…and they discontinue
it.  

Since I subscribe to
2346 blogs to curate writing links for Twitter, I’m considered a
power-user.  I was a little concerned
about the process of migrating to another reader service and the possibility of
losing folders or blog subscriptions and having to face a time-sucking
challenge of restoring data or organization. 

I exported to several different readers,
but quickly found that my favorite was Feedly.  It was organized much the same way as Google
Reader (or, at least, we could configure it to be very much like Reader).  Here’s the big thing—it hasn’t crashed yet.  With the number of blogs that I work with on
the site, Google Reader would frequently crash—either freeze up, slow down
tremendously, or need to refresh, and I’d lose my place as I was working through the list of posts.   This hasn’t happened with Feedly
yet.  (Yes, I’m knocking on wood as I
type this.) It hasn’t crashed, despite a tremendous amount of influx by new users via the  exodus from Google Reader
(at one point, over
500,000 users migrated to Feedly in a 48 hour period.)

All of my folders transferred over and I
didn’t lose any subscriptions en route to Feedly. 

I can read blog posts by title, if I want
to (that’s usually how I like reading them). You can also choose other views…a
tile-type view, full post view, etc.  Go
to “prefs” on the left-hand side of the screen, under your name, to make
adjustments to your settings.  You might
want to change the Feedly default settings if you’re used to Google Reader.

One irritating thing is that Feedly isn’t
supported in Internet Explorer/Windows. 
That’s the only irritant so far, however.  You can use it on Firefox and Chrome or
Safari…I’m using it in Firefox.  Firefox
and I sometimes don’t get along, but it’s worth putting up with some conflicts
to get Feedly. 

Have you checked out ACX yet (US-only
right now, but I believe they have plans to be worldwide)?  Found a new RSS reader?Do you read blogs with an RSS reader?

10 Book Club Tips: Guest Post By Dina Santorelli

 by Dina Santorelli, @DinaSantorelli







To promote Baby Grand, my debut novel, I’ve done all
kinds of appearances. Bookstores. Libraries. Assisted living communities.
(Street corners.) 




But probably my absolute favorite thing to do is attend book
club meetings. Sitting in a casual circle, talking about the book that I wrote
and everyone read, eating, drinking and, most importantly, seeing up close how
readers have responded to my book, how they’ve taken ownership of the
characters and defend them, fight for them, question them, hate them, love
them. It’s pretty cool. But in addition to being a great way to spend an
evening, book clubs offer tremendous marketing opportunities. Here are 10 ways
authors can make the most of their book club appearances.

1. Put together discussion questions. Whether
the book club has a facilitator or asks you to serve as facilitator for
the evening, bring handouts for all the members that include discussion
questions and distribute them before the meeting gets started. This will
eliminate any worries of “what will we talk about?” and also gives members
a heads-up on what kinds of things you have in mind to discuss, which
gives them a chance to think about their comments (some people get stage
fright).






2. Distribute contact info. I like to maintain
relationships with book club members long after the meeting, so I give out
my contact information (email, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). I
usually include this on the handout I’ve distributed, but you can also use
business cards or bookmarks, if you prefer.






3. Post/pass around a mailing list sign-up sheet. As an
author, you may (should) already have a mailing list—an opt-in list of
folks who have agreed to let you send them your news. Book clubs are a
great place to grow your mailing list, because they offer readers who not
only are familiar with your books, but like them enough to have you appear
at their discussions. You can put your mailing list sheet—mine is usually
attached to a clipboard, looks more official that way—in an accessible
place, perhaps near the room entrance, and ask people to sign up if
they’re interested in receiving more info about you. However, I find the
better way to go is to pass the clipboard around the room while we’re all
sitting in a circle—many times readers are interested in signing up, but
once the discussion gets going they often forget about the list, so
getting the mailing list out of the way or while the discussion is getting
started is more advantageous.






4. Bring a camera. Local newspapers are always looking
for news, and sending a photo of a local book club appearance is not only
exciting for the book club members, but it can help spread the word about
your book. I usually gather the members around for a group shot sometime
after our discussion and before dessert, so that we don’t have cookie
crumbs on our lips or lapels.






5. Bring copies of your book—and at least one Sharpie. While
dessert is under way, I usually pull out a Sharpie and begin an autograph
session. Many of the book club members will already have purchased my book
in order to participate in the discussion, but I find that sometimes
members want copies for friends, family members or colleagues. Or, if
they’ve bought the eBook, they might want an autographed hard copy as
well. Work closely with your book club contact to gauge how many books you
should bring. I usually bring 15 to 20 copies. Also, one Sharpie should
do, but it couldn’t hurt to have a back-up in case that one runs out of
ink.






6. Sell your book at a group discount. I offer Baby Grand at a book club discount for groups
of 10 or more. I find that, in addition to helping to sell books at the
actual book club events, a discount helps to entice book clubs to take on
your book as a reading selection in the first place — because book club members
are buying books all the time, they appreciate the opportunity to save a
few bucks where possible.






7. Suggest a theme for the meeting based on your book. Lots of
book clubs like to have theme-based discussions and often ask members to
bring food or desserts that cater to that particular theme. For example,
in keeping with the “mob” storyline of Baby Grand, one club
had a theme of “Everything Italian,” and the book club organizer asked
members to bring wine, food and beverages that fit the bill. So there was
pizza, mozzarella and tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar, Italian
chocolates and pastries, cannoli, espresso. It was so fun. And delicious.
And it got everyone in the mood for the book discussion. Reach out to the
organizer of the book club you’re planning to attend to see if they’re up
for some fiction-inspired fare.






8. Give ’em the inside scoop. Make your author appearance
special for the folks who are there, and let them in on some proprietary
info about your book. Give them the lowdown on how your book came to be,
some behind-the-scenes information or a preview of the book’s sequel.
Reveal what celebrity your villain was based on (mine was inspired by
Robert De Niro) or why you chose the book’s setting. Think of the stuff
you would like to know if you were meeting an author, and then go ahead
and spill your guts.






9. Publicize the events on social media. I often
post photos I’ve taken, an insightful comment a reader made, or a themed
food served at the meeting on my Facebook page, or my blog. I also
spotlight a book club of the month in my monthly newsletter.






10. Have fun. This is probably the most important
tip. Be yourself. Let your hair down. Have a cannolo. Guffaw, if you dare.
For many of us, this is the reason we became writers: To have the
opportunity to share stories with readers. What’s more, after a night of
laughter and silliness and debating which one of us will be running away
with one of the main characters, I’m often approached to appear at another
book club (many readers are in more than one). If readers are having a
good time, then they’re apt to tell their reader-friends that they did.
And the best part? You get to do it all over again.

Dina’s bio:

Voted one of the
Best Long Island Authors for 2013 (Long Island
Press), Dina Santorelli has been a freelance writer for over 15 years
and has written for Newsday, First for Women and



CNNMoney.com, among
other publications. 




Her debut novel, Baby Grand,
is a Top Rated Mystery & Thriller on Amazon Kindle. Among her nonfiction
work, Dina served as the “with” writer for the well-received Good Girls Don't Get Fat and most recently
contributed to Bully, the companion book
to the acclaimed documentary. Dina is also the Executive Editor of Salute and Family
magazines for which she has interviewed many celebrities, including James
Gandolfini, Tim McGraw, Angela Bassett, Mario Lopez, Gary Sinise and Kevin
Bacon. Dina blogs about the writing life at http://makingbabygrand.com.
and will teach a publishing course this summer for Hofstra University’s
Continuing Education department. For more information about Dina, visit her
website at http://dinasantorelli.com.




Social media:

Blog: http://makingbabygrand.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/DinaSantorelli

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dinasantorelliwriter

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dinasantorelli

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/dinasantorelli




BABY GRAND summary:

In Albany, New York,
the governor’s infant daughter disappears without a trace from her crib at the
Executive Mansion. Hours later, newly divorced and down-and-out writer Jamie
Carter is abducted from the streets of Manhattan. Jamie is whisked upstate, where
she is forced by her captor, Don Bailino, a handsome, charismatic ex-war
hero/successful businessman, to care for the kidnapped child in a plot to delay
the execution of mobster Gino Cataldi – the sixth man to be put to death in six
years by hardliner Governor Phillip Grand. What prevails is a modern-day
thriller about family ties, loyalty, murder, betrayal, and love that’s told in
deftly interweaving narratives that follow the police investigation of the
missing Baby Grand, the bad guys who took her, and the woman who found the
strength to protect her.

Twitterific

  by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig









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