James R. Callan's Blog, page 15

Sweet and Salty Writing

Today, we feature Kristin Neva, an author and blogger. She co-authored Heavy, Finding Meaning After a Terminal Diagnosis. Her first novel, Snow Country, A Copper Island Novel, will be published this winter. She offers writers some god advice on mixing the flavors in your book.  Her analogy to food casts the idea in such a way that we can all understand and use her advice.  So,  Kristin, the floor is yours.

 

Food comes to life when there are competing tastes. Sweet-and-sour stir fry. A spicy fish taco with mango salsa. And one of my favorite treats—a caramel granny smith apple with salty pecans.

I like caramel. I like apples. I like pecans. But all together, the flavors explode. The salt magnifies the sweet. The sweet accentuates the sour. Each flavor is more intense because of the contrast.

I use the term “come to life” because that’s just how life is, at times sweet and at other times bitter. And there are times in life when we have both the sweet and the bitter, all jumbled together, like a caramel granny smith apple with nuts.

It’s much like my personal experience walking through life with my husband’s terminal illness. Some of life’s simple pleasures—spending time together, seeing our children grow and mature—are made all the sweeter because of the bitterness of Todd’s ALS.

A good story is like that too.

A teenager gets his driver’s license, but crashes the car on his first night out.

A man dying of cancer walks his daughter down the aisle at her wedding.

A woman holds her baby for the first time with tears of joy, yet saddened at the thought of the difficulties he will face due to disability.

In Heavy, a memoir I wrote with Todd, we were dealing with an inherently sad topic—the first year after his diagnosis. A writing coach told us, “We like to say you need conflict on every page, but you need to balance that with hope. Let the reader come up for air from time to time.” So we added some of the lighter moments of the year, like our quest for an aluminum-free deodorant and a woman who feeds her dogs filtered water.

Those hopeful scenes made the book more true to life. After all, Todd wrote in Heavy, “There is pain and suffering in this world, but there is also joy, and not just suffering here and joy there, but suffering and joy in the very same place.”

In writing my first novel, Snow Country, a contemporary romance, I was sure to include a mixture of angst, sweetness, and conflict. However, I received feedback from early manuscript submissions like, “The pacing is off, as in it’s way too slow.”

As tough as it is to get a no, I cherished that rejection with an explanation.

I re-evaluated every chapter and realized my book was not balanced. I had conflict, but not on every page. In some places there was too much conflict, or too much angst, which didn’t allow the reader to come up for air. So I rewrote scenes, adding competing flavors.

A sweet date scene came to life when I ratcheted up the tension with a salty server. The waitress is surprised to see her friend Danny out on a date with Beth. She keeps Danny’s glass of Coke full, but ignores Beth’s request for water.

In scenes with too much grief, I added sweetness. In scenes with too much conflict, I added humor. It wasn’t enough to have conflict in some chapters and sweetness in others, because real life is often a mix of those elements present in the very same place.

Sweet, salty, sour flavors in food, life, and writing. Competing tastes brings them all to life.

You can find out more about Kristin and her blogs by visiting:

NevaStory blog — http://nevastory.com/ 


Author page and blog —  http://kristinneva.com/

JIM:  Add your comments on how to make your fiction  comet o life. And thanks for visiting.

 

Are You in the Wrong Place, or Time?

Today’s guest blogger is Jeanne Ann Macejko, a mystery writer as well as an illustrator of children’s books. She’s been a marketing/public relations professional, an English teacher, a university instructor of illustration and graphic design, and a medical illustrator/photographer. She also trained with the Peace Corps in the Caribbean and taught English in rural Ireland. With that background, of course she has something to tell us.

Another Time. Another Place

I was born in the wrong place and time. Like a stranger in town, I’m an ex-patriot in my own soul and live with an abiding sense of non-belonging. I am not, however, alone.

I often meet people who also believe that they were meant to inhabit a different city, or country, or planet, but were somehow delivered to the wrong address and century. They are not ALL writers either.

Maybe such notions are proof of genetic memory. It explains the mania for discovering our ancestry. Such fantasies could also be outgrowths of art and literature—fairy tales, or the Outlander series, perhaps the paintings of Van Gogh or Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Or is it as simple as yearning to be somewhere else, anywhere except this here and this now? In our imaginations, not only is the view beautiful, but so are we. Imaginary careers are important and meaningful; daydream partners wealthy and glamorous and friends so much more interesting.

Writers transport readers to distant locales and exciting situations. This is the engine that drives genre fiction. Authors spend weeks researching places they never actually lived. In the old days, you would find us in dusty libraries, digging through crumbling paper or squinting at disintegrating microfiche. Now writers do most of our research at home on our personal computers. Through the magic of the internet, we can even stroll along distant streets to scope out potential settings. Which is a good thing, because trans-oceanic voyages rarely figure into the budget.

If you’ve read this far, you may think you are one of us—one of those displaced souls from a different venue and time warp. I hope you find or have found your locus on the compass. Because once you connect with your essence, it will energize you creatively.

Although mine was a Welsh/Irish family, we were 100% American. We ate no traditional foods, sang no ethnic songs, belonged to no fraternal organizations and celebrated neither St. Patrick’s Day nor St. David’s Day. When I discovered the term Celtic, I realized immediately that for me, this word meant home. I couldn’t wait to get there.

On my first trip abroad, 92 years after my great-grandparents left, I re-connected with my Welsh relations. Many journeys have followed. My encounters in Wales and Ireland fuel my creativity. Through photography, drawings and writing, I have explored landscapes and people who are more real and immediate to me than my Texas neighborhood.

Of course, Wales was where I found her—Fair Rosamund Clifford. Born 800 years ago in a Norman castle overlooking the River Wye, Fair Rosamund became the mistress of Henry Plantagenet and was murdered by his jealous Queen. Poets, playwrights and novelists have been telling her story ever since.

In Keystone Corpse, a contemporary detective investigates a grisly murder. To solve the crime, he must uncover the suspect’s Medieval motives. The castles, homes, hillsides and pubs of the book are authentic places; the historical figures are as close to truth as the centuries will allow. And to underscore how vital finding my personal past was, one of my Welsh cousins is a retired homicide detective—the perfect technical consultant.

JIM:  Jeanne is putting the Kindle version of Keystone Corpse on sale for just .99 for this Friday, Saturday and Sunday (August 5, 6, and 7). Normally it is 2.99.  Click here to see the Kindle site for this book.

And surely you have a comment related to this topic.  Are you where you were meant to be?  Have you always been there?

 

Now Here’s a Sidekick

Today, I am interviewing Brandie Brewer, the sidekick for Crystal Moore in the newly released suspense A Silver Medallion. And if you like Brandi, see the special offer at the end of this interview.

Jim: Hi Brandi, I understand you’re Crystal’s roommate.

Brandi: Actually, it’s house mate. We share a two bedroom house kinda close to downtown Dallas.

Jim: How did you meet Crystal?

Brandi: She was looking for someone to share the house with her. A friend of a friend of a friend told me about it and I called her. We met at a coffee shop and visited for awhile and then struck a deal. At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do it. I mean, she was pretty business like, sort of straight-laced, you know? But it was a nice house, two good sized bedrooms. ‘Course, only had one bath. But great location and not too pricey. So, you pays your money and takes your chances. I said cool.

Jim: And how long have you two shared the house?

Brandi: Gotta be over three years now, closer to four.

Jim: How’s is working out?

Brandi: What do you think, Jim? It’s been nearly four years and we’re still friends.

Jim: Well, I mean you got stabbed and nearly died because of Crystal.

Brandi: Hold it right there. If you want to continue this interview, back off on that. It was not because of Crystal. Some dumb dud comes in, gets information he asks for, well sort of, and then decides to break my foot, slash my arm and stab me in the chest. He’s to blame, not Crystal. You got that? Otherwise, we’re through.

Jim: I’ve got it. Very clear. You’re dating a detective, right? How’s that going?

Brandi: Fantantalastic. Tom Terrific is the greatest. That’s not really his name, but he is. I went with a lot of scum before I met Tom. I thought all men were that way. Then along came Tom, a tough cop – actually a detective, a gentleman through and through. I love the guy.

Jim: But you’re still rooming with Crystal.

Brandi: See. I told you Tom was a gentleman. He’s ready for us to move in together. But I’ve seen too many of my friends rush into things and then regret it. I said I wanted to take it slow. He’s okay with that. Lot of guys wouldn’t stand for that.

Jim: I heard you weren’t always Brandi. You had your name legally changed.

Brandi: Yeah. Never liked Bertha. Would you? Decided, why should I keep the name of one of Dad’s old girlfriends? I didn’t like it. And I’m sure Mom didn’t either. So, poof, it was gone. Took off twenty pounds, changed the hair. I had mousey brown from Mom. No more. I got washed-out blue eyes from Dad. Accuvue gave me these aqua beauties. Decided the nose was fine. Wore braces for two years.

Jim: You just decided to . . .

Brandi: Look the way I wanted to. Oh, and I took a course in make-up. Best money I ever spent. Even the contacts didn’t do as much for my eyes as knowing how to put on eye shadow, and eyeliner, and eyebrow pencil. ‘Course now, I just have my brows and lashes dyed.

Jim: You and Crystal seem … different. How do you get along?

Brandi: Maybe it’s that opposites attract thing. She’s got natural beauty; I had to recreate mine. She’s got lots of book learning, but doesn’t have street smarts, like I do. I think we’re a good match. So does Crystal.

Jim: From what I see, Crystal’s lucky to have you around.

Brandi: Now you’re getting it. Hey, gotta run. I’m on the late shift today.

Jim: Brandi and Crystal were a good fit in A Ton of Gold and now they are even better in A Silver Medallion. Check it out at:   http://amzn.to/1WxoEaF

 Click here to see A Silver Medallion on Amazon in paperback or Kindle format

“A Silver Medallion is a gripping, action-packed adventure from talented author James Callan.  Crystal Moore is a tough and savvy heroine …” New York Times Bestselling Author Bobbi Smith

Special Offer.  If you’d like to read the first six chapters of A Silver Medallion, send an e-mail to:   asm6@callansite.com  and just put  “6 chapters” in the subject line and your name in the body of the e-mail. OR you can request the chapters in a comment. Just make sure you have registered with a good e-mail address so you will receive the chapters. Either way,  I’ll send you the chapters right away.

A Silver Medallion is the second in the Crystal Moore Suspense series, following A Ton of Gold.

Thanks for stopping by The Author’s Blog.

FacebookTwitterGoogle+Share

 

 

Are You an Introvert?

Today’s guest is Jo Huddleston, an Amazon Bestselling author of books, articles, and short stories. Novels in her West Virginia Mountains series and her Caney Creek series are sweet Southern historical romances. Jo is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the Literary Hall of Fame at Lincoln Memorial University (TN). Here’s her thought of the day.

Introvert or Extrovert?

A commonly held notion is that authors are introverts. How could they be otherwise, wisdom argues. After all, novelists stay holed up in seclusion for hours or days writing their masterpieces. They have no contact other than with their fictional characters. Writers live in a make-believe world, others think, much like the kid who has a make-believe but invisible friend.

In my elementary school days, my lifestyle would qualify me as an introvert. Yes, raised an only child, I had little social interaction with my peers, and spent much of my time outside of school in the presence of adults. I was quiet, reserved, and stayed out of trouble. Even when I graduated from a rural high school in a class of sixty senior students, I was still pretty much an introvert. I did not, however, particularly enjoy my situation.

Because I’d be able to work on campus and apply my earnings to my tuition, I attended a small private college away from home. I determined to reinvent myself from my first moment on campus. I’m a Southern girl and many of us have double names—Peggy Sue, Shirley Ann, Carol Jean. I never offered my first name to those I met at college and was forever after known as Jo.

Before college, I had hardly been farther than my backyard except for a week’s family vacation each summer. Situated on campus, I may have learned more outside of the college classroom than in it. I visited a friend’s home in West Virginia whose daddy owned a coal mine. What an eye opener, among my many new experiences!

I observed the poor living conditions of the miners and their families, but also their excellent work ethic. Within the coal mining community I saw the Company Store, also owned by the mine owner, where the families traded tokens for dry goods and groceries. I was introduced to the coal mine’s tipple, the metal building perched on tall skinny legs that sat astraddle of railroad tracks and facilitated the loading of the mined coal into railroad bumper cars. The tipple truly fascinated me.

On that visit to West Virginia, I decided that someday I’d write about a tipple. I did so in the first book of my West Virginia Mountains series, Wait for Me. Readers have followed the mine owner’s family and a miner’s family through book 2 in the series, Trust Me. And now book 3 and the final book of the West Virginia Mountains series has released, Promise Me.

Here’s the back cover blurb of Promise Me:

When war calls…faith is tested

In 1960, civil discord in Vietnam fills the news. After his college graduation, Patrick Fitzgerald plans to join his daddy’s South Carolina accounting firm. But Uncle Sam may have another position in mind for Patrick—in the U.S. Army. His family’s affluence would be no match for the persuasion of the military draft.

Adriana Montagna’s papá ekes out a living as a coal miner in the mountains of West Virginia. Can a lasting relationship form with Patrick, or will his wealth become a barrier between them?

Meanwhile, the fiber of America’s unity stands on the precipice, while its youth fight a no-win battle on foreign soil. What good can a young couple hope for at such a time as this?

JIM:  Visit Jo at her website and blog by clicking here   where you can read the first chapters of several of her novels. And you can find out more about Jo at her

Amazon Author page.

Check her Facebook Author Page.

And, add your thought on Introvert or Extrovert.  Thanks.

Slaves in the U.S. – Today

The story behind the story – A Silver Medallion 

(See the Special Offer below.)

Several years ago, I read a short article in the L.A. Times about a woman who was held a virtual slave by threats to harm family members left behind in Viet Nam. I was amazed that such could happen here in the United States, so I did a little research.

What I found astounded me. One government report stated there were more slaves in the U.S. today than in 1860. Today’s slaves are held not by chains, but by threats to harm family members, usually left behind in a foreign country.

This information rattled around in my head for months. I knew I would write about it. But what? How? One writer friend said it needed to be a non-fiction book. Another suggested a story based on an actual instance, interviewing someone at ICE and perhaps even a victim.

Finally, I decided it would be a fictional account. The actual truth was too heavy. Either of the approaches above would haunt me and I suspected such a book would never be finished. So I created a completely fictional story, but one I believe, based on my research, was close to the truth.

Crystal Moore discovers a young Mexican woman , Rosa, who has been held a virtual slave because her husband in Mexico would be killed if she escaped. But many months later, Rosa learns from another woman smuggled into Texas, her husband has died. With that threat gone, Rosa manages to escape from her captor, Hunter Blackwood.

Crystal’s grandmother takes Rosa in and gives her a job.

When Crystal and her Nana are visiting with Rosa, they find out about Lucita who is also a virtual slave to Blackwood. Lucita had a husband and two small girls in Mexico. But when her husband died, she could not provide the bare necessities for her children. Jose Rodriquez offered her the opportunity to make “big Yankee Dollars.” Jose would arrange for a job in Texas and pay for her transportation. In addition, he would take care of the children until Lucita could save the $1,500 to pay for the girls travel to Texas. Surely, that could be done in a few months.

But once in Texas, Lucita is given a different story. She will work for Blackwood and should she leave or even tell anybody of her predicament, her children will be killed. She must stay at his massive house and is paid only a few dollars per month. She will never be able to accumulate the money to bring her girls to Texas. And other Mexican women tell her that Jose Rodriquez is indeed capable of carrying out the threat.

This revelation stuns Crystal. She is haunted by the plight of this young mother and her children. Crystal’s parents were killed in an auto accident when she was seven. Nothing could be done; they were dead. But Lucita is not dead.

Crystal manages to see Lucita and it becomes clear Lucita will do nothing that might cause harm to her young girls.

Crystal tries to put it out of her mind, to forget about it. But her conscience will not let her. Nightmares plague her. She often wakes, thinking she can hear Lucita’s two young girls crying. After considering various approaches, she comes to the realization that Lucita will never be free unless her girls are rescued from Jose first. Naive and driven, Crystal travels to Mexico in an attempt to rescue the two children.

If she succeeds, Lucita and her two girls will be free and reunited.

And Crystal will have two powerful and ruthless men, one in Texas and one in Mexico, who want her dead.

See the offer below.

Click on the cover of the book above to see it’s listing and reviews on Amazon.  Thanks.

“A Silver Medallion is a gripping, action-packed adventure from talented author James Callan.  Crystal Moore is a tough and savvy heroine …”

  New York Times Bestselling Author Bobbi Smith

If you’d like to read the first six chapters of A Silver Medallion, send an e-mail to:   asm6@callansite.com  and just put  “6 chapters” in the subject line and your name in the body of the e-mail. OR you can request the chapters in a comment. Just make sure you have registered with a good e-mail address so you will receive the chapters. Either way,  I’ll send you the chapters right away.

A Silver Medallion is the second in the Crystal Moore Suspense series, following A Ton of Gold.

Thanks for stopping by The Author’s Blog.

Plots, Character, & Other People’s Ideas

Today’s Guest is Lynne Wells Walding.  Following in her father’s footsteps as a horologist, Lynne’s first writing endeavor was a self-published, instructional book on clock repair. She went on to write articles for several major slicks on antique clocks. But her teaching, her clock repair business, and her budding writing career ceased when she married a minister.  Upon retirement from more than twenty-five years in the ministry she was able to return to writing. Leave a comment below to enter the drawing for novel #3, Ian’s Song.  Here’s Lynne.

*   *   *

People often ask, “How do you get ideas for plots and characters?”.

Truthfully, I don’t get ideas. They jump on me and wrestle me to the ground. Or they drift past like autumn leaves. The trick lies in recognizing them as they flutter by. Snatching them before they sink to the ground to be forever forgotten.

Some folks never write their first novel because they’re waiting to develop the entire story before they begin. However, if the whole plot is already nailed down, you’ll have to ignore those pesky plot twists that vie for your attention in the middle of the night.

I know the beginning and the end (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) of each novel I begin. As I progress, the characters develop unique personalities. It’s my job to guide them in the right direction. But, I never know when one of them will lead me down a road that isn’t on my map. And I find myself scrambling to keep up. As a result I may have to relinquish a good idea to utilize a better one.

Those mischievous characters? They’re fashioned from people I know. I like melding several people into one. Blending personalities to come up with a really unique individual.

And the plot? Consider embellishing the seed of a true story and taking circumstances a different direction. What if I’d bucked that controlling boyfriend and taken the flight attendant position instead of the mundane bookkeeping job? On my first flight the pilot passes out and the co-pilot panics!

A wisp of truth generously sprinkled with imagination is more believable than pure fiction. And more poignant than pure truth.

For me, story ideas must be conceived in my mind. Well-meaning people often volunteer ideas for a plot. Later, they’ll inquire, “When are you going to write the story I gave you?”

My answer: “It’s a good story. You write it. Stories conceived in your mind, can’t be birthed by mine.”

The seed for my debut novel was planted deep, years ago, in a song I wrote. The lyrics proclaimed, “I’ve loved you all my life. I want you for my wife. No other love will ever do.” Decades later the seedling broke through the soil of my mind, manifesting itself as a poignant Christian love story.

Why has he loved her all his life without fulfillment?”

The result was Pastor McAlester’s Bride. Witt, a faithful man of God, and the woman he’s always loved literally run into each other after many years separation. Problem. Casey’s married . . . to a pastor. And in fear for her life.

Witt wants only to love and protect her. A married woman.

Without displeasing God.

Impossible!

But God has a surprise up His holy sleeve.

 

Jim, thanks for this opportunity to speak to your followers. It’s such a pleasure.

Watch for her fourth novel, The Trinity Quilts, in October. Check her website at lynnewellswalding.com.

AND, leave a comment for a chance to receive Ian’s Song –  FREE.  Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should She Risk All?

An Interview with Crystal Moore, the heroine in A Silver Medallion

JIM: Well, let’s just jump right into it. Why on earth did you decide to go to Mexico when you knew how ruthless Jose Rodriquez de Allende was? First, are you an adventurer, a thrill seeker?

CRYSTAL: You didn’t waste any time getting to that. To answer your question, no I am not a thrill seeker, or an adventurer. The most dangerous thing I’ve ever done was say “No” to a man who had never heard that word. As to why I went, that’s a question I’ve heard a lot- sometimes even from myself. Do you want the long answer or the short answer?

JIM: Let’s start with the short.

CRYSTAL: Because of the threat to kill her two little girls if she tried to escape, or even told anybody of her situation, Lucita would never escape. She would spend her entire life a slave. But, if I could rescue her two children from Jose, she would be happy to try to escape.

JIM: But Jose was a powerful and vengeful man.

CRYSTAL: Now we’re into the long answer. First, I was naive. I wasn’t prepared for just how evil the man was. And living in a society where one can depend on the police to help, I naturally thought I’d have some good local or state police help. That turned out to be foolish on my part.

JIM: Okay. I understand part of it. But this was such a risky business, I know you had other reasons. Come on, tell us.

CRYSTAL: I guess the biggest one came from my own life. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was seven. It was such a difficult time for me, for a long time. But, nothing could be done about that. They were gone, dead. No one could help me. Of course, I had loving grandparents who took me in and gave me a secure, loving home. Still, it was very difficult. Twenty years later, I could still feel the pain. Now, I’m not saying anything against my grandparents. They were the best. Grand Dad has passed, but Nana and I are still really close. She’s my best friend. I love her a lot, and she thinks I’m pretty special.

But these two little girls didn’t have grandparents. They were virtual slaves themselves, living under a brutal man. They had no one to look after them, to try to give them a happy childhood. Yet, there was something that could be done to help them. Rescue them from Jose.

Of course, there was another powerful reason. Once I talked with the mother, had pictures of the girls, I couldn’t sleep. I would have nightmares about their treatment. I became a prisoner of their large brown eyes. I swear, I would wake up thinking I heard them crying. If I wanted to have a normal life again, I had to, at least, try to rescue them.

JIM: I’m beginning to understand why you went. But did you really think you would succeed? I mean, this was a powerful man, with many henchmen, in a foreign country.

CRYSTAL: You understand the dangers. Well, actually, I didn’t until I met Juan Grande. He made the dangers quite clear to me. But, you fix your mind on what you want to achieve. You don’t think about failure. You say, whatever the worse case is, I will figure out a way to make it through.

JIM: Okay. You’ve convinced me. You should have gone. But one last question. Did anyone else think you should go? Maybe Lucita.

CRYSTAL: No. No one. Nana, who can face down the devil, said I shouldn’t go. Brandi, as brash as they come, said it was a dumb idea. And Mark, a former bull rider, didn’t want me to go. Even Lucita had her doubts. She feared if I tried and failed, her children might suffer the consequences. Her fears almost stopped me.

JIM: That’s all we have time for today, I’m afraid. Another time, I want to know how your boyfriend took the news you were off to fight the devil himself. But we’ll need more time for that. Thanks for being so open and honest in your answers. I look forward to reading the full account in A Silver Medallion.

Readers, what do you think?  Should she have gone into Mexico?  Leave a comment and tell us whether you think she should have gone.  Thanks.  You can get all the details in A Silver Medallion, on Amazon at:

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1WxoEaF

Paperback:     http://amzn.to/28LIdWs

A Silver Medallion is a gripping, action-packed adventure from talented author James Callan.  Crystal Moore is a tough and savvy heroine …

  New York Times Bestselling Author Bobbi Smith

 

James Callan’s A Silver Medallion is a fine blend of colorful characters, action, suspense, and serious.  Crystal Moore and her grandmother, Eula, are a great team as they take on modern-day slavery and academic fraud in this nonstop novel.  Check it out!

  Bill Crider, best-selling author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series

  This book by Mr. Callan kept me hooked from the very beginning. Drawing a plot that seemed to leap from the headlines, he writes with a page turning intensity that will leave the reader satisfied. Crystal Moore is a heroine you can fall in love with. A woman willing to stand by her convictions of right and wrong, even if it means putting herself in danger, to accomplish her goal of righting the wrongs in the world.

Amazon Customer – Abookanight

Once I began reading it, putting it down became the challenge.

Amazon Review – Mary Turner

An Interview with Crystal Moore, the heroine in A Silver ...

An Interview with Crystal Moore, the heroine in A Silver Medallion

JIM: Well, let’s just jump right into it. Why on earth did you decide to go to Mexico when you knew how ruthless Jose Rodriquez de Allende was? First, are you an adventurer, a thrill seeker?

CRYSTAL: You didn’t waste any time getting to that. To answer your question, no I am not a thrill seeker, or an adventurer. The most dangerous thing I’ve ever done was say “No” to a man who had never heard that word. As to why I went, that’s a question I’ve heard a lot- sometimes even from myself. Do you want the long answer or the short answer?

JIM: Let’s start with the short.

CRYSTAL: Because of the threat to kill her two little girls if she tried to escape, or even told anybody of her situation, Lucita would never escape. She would spend her entire life a slave. But, if I could rescue her two children from Jose, she would be happy to try to escape.

JIM: But Jose was a powerful and vengeful man.

CRYSTAL: Now we’re into the long answer. First, I was naive. I wasn’t prepared for just how evil the man was. And living in a society where one can depend on the police to help, I naturally thought I’d have some good local or state police help. That turned out to be foolish on my part.

JIM: Okay. I understand part of it. But this was such a risky business, I know you had other reasons. Come on, tell us.

CRYSTAL: I guess the biggest one came from my own life. My parents were killed in a car accident when I was seven. It was such a difficult time for me, for a long time. But, nothing could be done about that. They were gone, dead. No one could help me. Of course, I had loving grandparents who took me in and gave me a secure, loving home. Still, it was very difficult. Twenty years later, I could still feel the pain. Now, I’m not saying anything against my grandparents. They were the best. Grand Dad has passed, but Nana and I are still really close. She’s my best friend. I love her a lot, and she thinks I’m pretty special.

But these two little girls didn’t have grandparents. They were virtual slaves themselves, living under a brutal man. They had no one to look after them, to try to give them a happy childhood. Yet, there was something that could be done to help them. Rescue them from Jose.

Of course, there was another powerful reason. Once I talked with the mother, had pictures of the girls, I couldn’t sleep. I would have nightmares about their treatment. I became a prisoner of their large brown eyes. I swear, I would wake up thinking I heard them crying. If I wanted to have a normal life again, I had to, at least, try to rescue them.

JIM: I’m beginning to understand why you went. But did you really think you would succeed? I mean, this was a powerful man, with many henchmen, in a foreign country.

CRYSTAL: You understand the dangers. Well, actually, I didn’t until I met Juan Grande. He made the dangers quite clear to me. But, you fix your mind on what you want to achieve. You don’t think about failure. You say, whatever the worse case is, I will figure out a way to make it through.

JIM: Okay. You’ve convinced me. You should have gone. But one last question. Did anyone else think you should go? Maybe Lucita.

CRYSTAL: No. No one. Nana, who can face down the devil, said I shouldn’t go. Brandi, as brash as they come, said it was a dumb idea. And Mark, a former bull rider, didn’t want me to go. Even Lucita had her doubts. She feared if I tried and failed, her children might suffer the consequences. Her fears almost stopped me.

JIM: That’s all we have time for today, I’m afraid. Another time, I want to know how your boyfriend took the news you were off to fight the devil himself. But we’ll need more time for that. Thanks for being so open and honest in your answers. I look forward to reading the full account in A Silver Medallion.

Readers, what do you think?  Should she have gone into Mexico?  You can get all the details in A Silver Medallion, on Amazon at:

Kindle: http://amzn.to/1WxoEaF

Paperback:     http://amzn.to/28LIdWs

A Silver Medallion is a gripping, action-packed adventure from talented author James Callan.  Crystal Moore is a tough and savvy heroine …

  New York Times Bestselling Author Bobbi Smith

 

James Callan’s A Silver Medallion is a fine blend of colorful characters, action, suspense, and serious.  Crystal Moore and her grandmother, Eula, are a great team as they take on modern-day slavery and academic fraud in this nonstop novel.  Check it out!

  Bill Crider, best-selling author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series

  This book by Mr. Callan kept me hooked from the very beginning. Drawing a plot that seemed to leap from the headlines, he writes with a page turning intensity that will leave the reader satisfied. Crystal Moore is a heroine you can fall in love with. A woman willing to stand by her convictions of right and wrong, even if it means putting herself in danger, to accomplish her goal of righting the wrongs in the world.

Amazon Customer – Abookanight

Once I began reading it, putting it down became the challenge.

Amazon Review – Mary Turner

A Lesson from the Classics

Today’s guest is Donn Taylor, a poet, a writer of mysteries, suspense, and historical novels as well as essays on writing, ethical issues, and U.S. foreign policy.  Wow.  He taught English literature for eighteen years following service in the Korean and Vietnam wars and work with air reconnaissance in Europe and Asia.

A Lesson from the Classics

It’s no surprise that we writers learn much from literary classics, but in this blog I’ll look at the way one classic handles a problem we have to deal with in every story, namely, the problem of portraying evil. For even the most escapist romantic fantasy must portray some degree of evil. Without it, there can be no conflict, and conflict is the most essential ingredient of fiction.

In Book I of his epic romance, The Fairie Queene, Edmund Spenser ( -1599) provides an exceptionally astute and subtle treatment of evil. Book I tells how the Redcrosse Knight (St. George) grew to become the Knight of Holiness. His mission is to go with the lady Una (Truth, una vera fides, the One True Faith) to slay a great dragon that is terrorizing her land. In the beginning he believes his own virtues give him strength enough to cope with evil, but a series of failed encounters teach him differently.

The figures of evil who divert Redcrosse are the woman Duessa (Falsehood) and Archimago, the Satanic maker of false images. Deceived by images of Una being unfaithful, Redcrosse deserts both her and his mission. Believing that his strength comes from his own virtue, he is led by Duessa into the House of Pride. From there he descends yet further until he encounters Despair, who shows him the half-truth of his own worthlessness, suggesting suicide. But Una (the full Truth) reappears and leads him through repentance to redemption in The House of Holiness. What he learns there equips him to fight the dragon.

Even then, Redcrosse falls several times during the three-day combat. But each time he falls, he comes back with greater strength until, at length, he kills the dragon. One might expect then a denouement of the story with all problems solved and everything in harmony.

But it is what the realistic Spenser actually does then that holds most interest for us as writers. There is no happily-ever-after. There is only better-than-things-were-before. Yes, some problems have been solved. That particular dragon is dead. The evil image-maker, Archimago, is in prison. (Internally, this allegorizes the supremacy of Reason over the false images of Imagination.) But Duessa (Falsehood) is still loose in the world. And Redcrosse must labor in that world for seven years before the marriage of Truth and Holiness can occur.

Spenser knew that in this world our victories over particular evils are always temporary, never final. We can only beat evil back until the next encounter. To avoid giving our readers false expectations, then, we should follow Spenser’s example and never portray evil as completely defeated. For evil will never suffer total defeat until the Second Coming.

In my novel The Lazarus File, for example, the conspiracy between Colombian drug lords, guerrillas, and Soviet/Cuban subversion fails. Hero and heroine go on to new lives. But the primary drug lord remains unscathed and in full operation. In that novel’s sequel, Deadly Additive, the terrorist attack is prevented, but the godfather of international black market arms sales remains at large.

The writer’s objective, then, should be to provide a satisfactory solution to the immediate problem and give the reader a sense of aesthetic closure, yet leave a thread of evil for someone to deal with in the future. For Duessa is very much loose in our world today, and Archimago has apparently escaped from prison.

JIM:  Folks, I’ve read several of Donn’s books, both his mysteries and his suspense books,  and I can recommend them.  Murder Mezzo Forte can be found on Amazon by clicking on the book cover above.

Donn’s website is at:  www.donntaylor.com

Donn’s blog is at:  http://authorculture.blogspot.com

And please leave a comment.  Thanks.

 

 

It’s a Party !

Saturday, June 18,  is a big day. For me, at any rate. It will be my very first launch party for a book (even though it will be my eleventh book published). So, if any of you are in the Northeast Texas area, please drop by the Pizza Inn on US Highway 271 on the north side of Pittsburg, Texas. It is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.  Bring your friends and join us for refreshments, drinks, door prizes, and visiting with writers and readers.  Here’s the official invitation we are passing out —

“A Silver Medallion is a gripping, action-packed adventure from talented author James Callan.  Crystal Moore is a tough and savvy …”

New York Times Bestselling Author Bobbi Smith

“James Callan’s A Silver Medallion is a fine blend of colorful characters, action, suspense, and serious.  Crystal Moore and her grandmother, Eula, are a great team as they take on modern-day slavery and academic fraud in this nonstop novel.  Check it out!”

  Bill Crider, bestselling author of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series

A Silver Medallion is a Crystal Moore Suspense. It follows A Ton of Gold, the first Crystal Moore Suspense. In A Silver Medallion, Crystal meets a woman, Lucita, held slave in today’s Dallas, Texas. The woman is held, not by chains, but by threats to harm her two young daughters she has left behind in Mexico.

Lucita’s husband died and she found it impossible to support her family in her small town in Mexico. A man offers to get her a job in Texas where she will make a lot of money. He will pay her transportation and he will take care of Lucita’s two small girls until she can save the money to pay for their transportation to Dallas. She is told she will make very good money and can save enough to bring her daughters up in a few months.

But once in Dallas and at the home of Hunter Blackwood, it’s a different story. She is paid nothing and told that if she leaves, or even tells anybody of her situation, her girls will be killed. She quickly learns Blackwood is a ruthless man and will carry out his threat. Out of fear for her children, she says nothing and will not consider escaping.

Crystal would like to forget she ever found out about Lucita. But her conscience won’t let her. She finds she cannot sleep without nightmares about Lucita and her two young girls. Crystal’s only hope to return to a normal life is to free Lucita and her daughters. That means rescuing the girls first, for only then will Lucita consider escape.

And that means going into the Mexican jungle and challenging a merciless drug lord.

A Silver Medallion is in print and Kindle editions. Click on the cover to visit the book’s site on Amazon.   Or, better yet, come join the party Saturday, June 18 and see the book, hear a section read by the author, have some refreshments, and maybe grab one of the door prizes (ranging from free books to gifts from Mexico). I hope I see you there.