June Shaw's Blog, page 6

The writing gene

There’s a difference between knowing and feeling that you’re a writer and having it confirmed by someone else. The words ‘This is Bill Kirton. He’s a writer’ give me a wee buzz of pleasure each time I hear them and when I visit libraries, bookshops and other places for talks or signings, there’s the same secret pride at seeing a notice with the words ‘Writer Bill Kirton’ on it somewhere. But I’m careful to put that pride in perspective because, in the end, I can’t really take full credit for...

Writing for Senior Readers

I write senior sleuth novels because there’s a growing market for retirees who enjoy  reading about characters in their own age group. I was intrigued years ago by Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, who were wise and introspective, but never seemed to have any fun.

That’s not true of today’s seniors who are less inclined to retire to their rocking chairs than previous generations.

The late Pat Browning, who wrote Absinthe of Malice, said: “A St. Martin's editor gave me a piece of advice...

Lis Wiehl's THE NEWSMAKERSbyBen SmallRecovering alcoholic...

Lis Wiehl's THE NEWSMAKERS

by
Ben Small
Recovering alcoholic Erica Sparks is determined to return to journalism with a major media organization after having been fired in disgrace from WBZ in Boston. From out of the blue, she receives an offer from GNN, a fast-rising worldwide news network founded and owned by eccentric billionaire Nyland Hastings, who believes Erica Sparks has the makings of a news star.
Her first day at GNN. Erica is assigned a Kate Middleton interview at New York’s Battery Par...

A SALUTE TO WRITERS CLUBS

by Jackie King

Tulsa NightWriters--My Soft Place to Fall
Writer’s clubs have sprung up all over the country, even in the smallest of communities. In Oklahoma where I live these groups grow like wild flowers such as Indian Blanket or Indian Paintbrush. These resplendent native plants seem to force their way up through hard ground and bloom gloriously in spite of any obstacle. Indian Paintbrush ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Writing is a lonely business and those of us who choose this path feel co...

A writing Q & A

Definitely NOT the authorI recently came across a set of answers I gave to an interviewer several years ago and was relieved to see that they still describe my approach to this writing business. (So I must have been telling the truth.) Here’s how they went.
1) In order to meet a writing goal, do you write down the date you wish to have your manuscript completed?No. Even though the word ‘deadline’ suggests a finite point (which may well be the case for some publishers or academic examiners...

PANTSER OR NOT?

By June Shaw
Novelists may be the only people who know what I’m talking about, but they do know. And most of them can respond yes or no or both.
It took awhile in my writing career before I understood what this meant. Once I did, I realized I was a pantser.
Many others, it seemed, were the opposite: They were outliners.
I had no idea how I would outline a novel before I even started writing it, but then I discovered a huge number of highly successful authors did that. Soon I determined that I h...

In retrospect: 2015

by Carola

Happy New Year!!
2015 was an eventful year. First, my very first Daisy mystery was reissued with beautiful new cover art to match the later books.

That was March. April, Heirs of the Body came out in paperback.

June, Superfluous Women made its/their appearance.
December, the 11th Daisy mystery came out in audio.
And also in December, at last I finished writing Buried in the Country, the fourth Cornish mystery, a mere 6 months late. Now awaiting my editor's revision letter with fear and t...

New Year's Resolutions

January First has traditionally been a day of renewal and promises to oneself to do better in the coming year, so resolutions are made and usually kept for a few days to perhaps an entire month before we fall back into our old ways.
The top resolutions are usually the following: 
Weight loss: Losing weight comprises the most resolutions for Americans. Over a third of the population resolves to exercise more and stay healthy. A weight loss program is easy to start but if you don't find one...

A Christmas Story

One generation learns from another. Children copy the actions of their parents more often than they obey arbitrarily spoken rules. Stories are passed down in families. This is one of those tales. Amanda Horn, now a successful engineer, shares a story of sacrifice and love while growing up with very little money.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Jackie King and Amanda Horn (L to R)
 CHRISTMAS IN JULY
A true story told to Jackie King by Amanda Horn
When I was ele...

Happy Solstice and Merry Yule

by Carola
 Just in time for the holidays, my Christmas mystery, Mistletoe and Murder, is out in Audio. At last. I've written about my experience with an audio publisher here: http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/2015/12/adventures-in-audio.html

 It's set at Cotehele, an isolated 15th century fortified manor house in Cornwall. I've also blogged about Cotehele, its history, its legends, and its ghosts, here:
 http://aliciarasleybooks.com/new-year-old-house-guest-post-by-carola-dunn/
Th...