Jen Cudmore's Blog, page 41

Review: A Lady of High Regard, by Tracie Peterson

Title: A Lady of High Regard (Ladies of Liberty Series, Book 1)

Author: Tracie Peterson

Short summary:

Socialite Mia Stanley, who has known comfort most all her life, becomes involved in the plight of the women left behind when their husbands go to sea. As a writer for a women’s magazine, she feels it’s her duty to expose the mistreatment of these women and facilitate justice. Garrett Wilson, longtime family friend, is determined to keep her out of harm’s way and protect her reputation. Over time, Mia, who fancies herself an expert matchmaker, discovers she has fallen in love. Her pursuit of the truth down at the docks just might cause her to lose her family, friends, and the man she hopes to marry.

What I liked about the story:

Mia’s struggles with high society’s demands and her compassion for the oppressed women living in constant poverty were expressed in a smooth balance. I enjoyed the interruptions every time she and Garrett tried to have a serious conversation. I especially liked Mia’s confusion over her feelings for Garrett – I don’t think we don’t see this very often in novels.

What I liked about the writing:

Tracie Peterson is one of my favorite authors because she’s so good at weaving history through her stories. I enjoy novels that teach me a little bit about past cultures, and this book provided a glimpse of life in Philadelphia before the Civil War. This story was a simple read with a sweet Emma type feel.

 

 

Story Excerpt: Athena Creek by Jen Cudmore

The Lawmen of Clayton County: Athena Creek (Book 1)

Chapter 1

One last swirl over the top and, “Perfect,” Lynette Ellis said to herself. She slid a finger over the wooden spoon and slipped a clump of the topping into her mouth, savoring the rich, sugary flavor. Chocolate cake was her favorite, but more importantly, it was her fiancé’s favorite.

Folks said Gunner Milburn wasn’t the most handsome man in town, nor the smartest, nor the most sociable. But he did have one claim no one else had. He’d tamed a mustang all by himself in only a few weeks and the whole town considered it the finest horse in the county, hands down. Having moved into a little one room cabin behind his folks’ home, Gunner kept the famous horse in a small corral behind the spot he’d marked out for a barn. Whenever he got around to building it.

But that wasn’t why she was marrying him. He was the first and only man she’d fallen in love with, which meant something for sure, with her being nearly twenty-four years old. Most of the good men were taken, to her way of thinking. Gunner had a lot to offer a girl. He had a nice, comfortable home on his parents’ ranch and he didn’t drink very often. He had all his teeth and even cleaned them once in a while. This was her chance at a happy life, away from her pa.

Lynette dunked the dirty spoon and bowl into the dishpan and sliced off a chunk of soap. She’d baked the cake for Gunner’s twenty-fifth birthday. She’d never done something like this before, but it seemed fitting since they’d be man and wife soon. She could just picture the surprised look on his face when she drove into his yard. A couple times in the past he’d made comments about her lack of affectionate displays. Lynette glanced over her shoulder at the frosted dessert on table and smiled. Wouldn’t he be surprised!

She shoved her hands into the dishpan and began to scrub the bowl. In only one more week she’d have her own home. Their own home. Gunner had courted her off and on for three years and it was high time they tied the knot. She already felt like an old maid. With the shortage of women in the territory, most girls were married off before they turned eighteen, like her ma. Time was a’wasting.

After laying the freshly rinsed spoon and bowl on a towel to dry, Lynette headed out to the rocking chair resting under the shade of a large pine tree.

“Pa, I’m gonna run over to see Gunner.”

Elijah Ellis looked at her with his usual I’ve-had-too-much-whiskey eyes. “You goin’ now?” he grumbled. “I’m not ready.”

“Ready for what?”

“To go to town.” He grunted as he slid forward in the chair.

Lynette’s hands parked on her hips. “You never told me you wanted to go -”

“Yes I did.”

“- and I told you I was leaving by ten so I can be home for lunch.”

“Quit yer harpin’. I’m goin’.”

“Fine. I’ll get the wagon.” Lynette stomped past the row of empty whiskey barrels toward the barn. If her pa came along, she’d be forced to stop by Murphy’s. He could never go by there without stopping.

Special Mother’s Day Post: Imperfection

Which one of us hasn’t compared ourselves to another mom and felt like we came up short? It can be hard at times to remember that we’re the best mom for our kids, especially when “supermom” walks by. Of course we know there’s no such thing as the perfect mother and that “supermom” has her faults. But if you’re like me, you still want to be the best parent you can be.

During a recent Bible Study on parenting, a couple of the leaders encouraged us not to be surprised when our children make less than stellar choices. And yet, when my son recently did something I never imagined he’d do, I was shocked. Later, once I got past the rush of emotion and questioning what I did wrong, I chuckled at myself. I reminded myself that my son and I are both fallible creatures, and it’s okay to make mistakes.  Motherhood is a journey, after all. We’re not born great parents — we learn as we go.

So how does an imperfect mom raise imperfect children to be responsible, successful adults in an imperfect world? We equip our children with the right tools and leave the rest to God. We’ve been given a great responsibility. The goal is not to be “supermom” but to prepare our children for adulthood. Comparing ourselves to other moms (or our offspring to other children) doesn’t get us any closer to that goal.

I don’t know about you, but I want my Savior to tell me “well done” when I get to Heaven. We mustn’t focus on what we’ve done wrong or compare ourselves to other moms. Let’s consistently seek wisdom from God (and women who’ve gone before us!) and apply what we learn. We must be intentional. We must be grateful. We must be positive.

Blessings to you on Mother’s Day. May you refuse to let imperfection keep you from being a great mom!

Why Writers Need Feedback From a Professional

I’ve never met a writing professional who said “Don’t bother having anyone else critique your story.” In fact, most of them encourage getting a second opinion, especially from an editor or coach. Even best-selling authors have someone else look through their work before it’s published! While self-editing is essential in writing, little typos or character motivation details are easy to overlook because the author sees them there even when they aren’t.

And when you’re new at creating story, feedback is crucial.

After I completed the rough draft of my first Lawmen novel, I submitted a couple chapters  to three separate professionals. In the beginning I had a hard time wrapping my head around the tips they gave me. I learned a great deal from those critiques, the biggest being that I had left out some details needed to give the reader a well-rounded picture of the settings and action. Of course, I could see it all in my head so I wasn’t confused, but the reader potentially would have gotten lost. Often.

At first, I was one of those folks who didn’t think an editor was necessary. After all, I’d studied hard to learn the craft, I had gone through my manuscript with a fine-tooth comb, and I’d gotten advice from three professionals. However, when I failed to get any bites on my book at one conference I attended, I decided I might as well give a coach a try. It was one of the best decisions of my writing journey. She helped me analyze each scene and tighten the themes and character arcs throughout the novel.

Attending classes and reading articles/books about story are essential to the new writer but they don’t compare to a real critique on your writing. Have you received any feedback on your story?

 

Review by Nate: Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue

Title: Lady Carliss and the Waters of Moorue, The Knights of Arrethtrae (Book 4)

Author: Chuck Black

Short Summary: Lady Carliss, and excellent swordswoman and archer, finds one of her friends’ family captured by Shadow knights. Along her adventure Sir Dalton (her feelings are mixed about him) joins them and is bitten by a strange poisonous lizard. With 9 days to save his life and her friend’s family, will Carliss make it when its a 4 day journey and she’s captured for 6?

What I liked about the story: It has high paced action scenes, suspense, and betrayal for money.

What I liked about the writing: The characters represent Bible characters and their actions.

Submitted by Nate, age 12

Amazon Summary: Determined, smart and a master of both the sword and the bow, Lady Carliss has proven herself as a veteran Knight of the Prince. Returning from a mission of aid, Carliss is plunged into adventure once again as she searches for the marauders responsible for kidnapping a friends’ family. Along the way she is reunited with Sir Dalton and discovers that the struggle in her heart is far from over. When Dalton falls to the vicious attack of a mysterious, poisonous creature, Carliss finds herself in a race against time. As Dalton clings perilously to life, she must find the antidote in the distant and strange city of Moorue.

While there, Carliss uncovers the master plot of a powerful Shadow Warrior that will soon overtake the entire Kingdom. Her faith in the Prince and her courage as a knight are tested as she faces evil Shadow Warriors and a swamp full of dreadful creatures. The lives of many, including Dalton’s, depend on Carliss. But she cannot save them all, for time is running out.  She faces an impossible choice: save Dalton, or let him die so that others may live.

Review by Kayla: Sophie’s Friendship Fiasco

Title: Sophie’s Friendship Fiasco

Author: Nancy Rue

Short Summary:  Sophie Lacroix and her friends go to Junior High as 7th graders. They made a code not to be mean to anyone. But Sophie breaks that promise herself by pretending to join a group of mean girls! They nicknamed the mean girls “the Cornpops”.

What I liked about the story: This is a very adventurous story as Sophie thinks she lost her real friends – all of them.

What I liked about the writing: Sophie’s BFF  Fiona uses large words that we don’t normally use.

Submitted by Kayla, age 10

Amazon summary: Meet Sophie LaCroix, a creative soul with a desire to become a great film director someday, and she definitely has a flair for drama! Her overactive imagination frequently lands her in trouble, but her faith and friends always save the day. Sophie tries living up to other’s expectations, but lately she’s letting everyone down. When she misrepresents the Flakes — with good intentions — she loses their friendship. Will they ever forgive her?

 

“All Fiction is Autobiography in Disguise.”

“All fiction is autobiography in disguise.”

When Catherine Ann Jones came to our local conference I found her to be quite inspiring. She taught us that writing takes courage, and it’s not about overcoming fear but continuing in spite of it. Because each person is different, our approach to story will be unique. While there are practical formulas for structuring a story, only you can know the process of sharing your story in a way that works for you. You must find the method that suits you, whether it’s starting with the ending, outlining each scene, or perfecting each scene in sequential order. Know your own rhythm and pace.

You must also know what moves you, what you have an emotional connection to. In her book The Way of Story, Catherine Ann Jones said “Emotions derived from all we have lived and felt passionate about become a rich well which every good writers will draw from,” and “It’s the emotional power of your story that will ultimately determine its success.” She said it’s not what happens in your story, but how what happens affects and changes the main character. Creativity has no boundaries, and bits of your story may come to you in many different ways. Writing a book is a personal journey that comes from within, and when you follow that inspiration, the world will respond.

While Catherine’s keynote sessions, along with her book, were powerful and inspiring, the way of story means nothing to me without my Creator, the One who inspires me with story. My faith in God has been the core of my stories; without Him, I would have nothing. I seek His guidance along my journey, in writing and in life.

My hope is that you would know yourself as well. The better you understand yourself and where you came from, the better your story will be.

Too much fluff or backstory in your writing?

In one of my first critiques by a professional, I was informed that my novel had too much “fluff”, or empty filling that had nothing to do with the scene, and the backstory was too intrusive. At the time, I wasn’t sure what that really meant, but now it seems so clear; I was filling the story with too much irrelevant information and not enough action. I had explained too much about my main character in the first three pages of the story.

Professionals seem to agree it’s essential to know your characters. I’ve learned to develop past histories and family relationships before I dive into a new story so I have a frame of reference to draw from. But it’s just as importance to introduce the right bit of information at the right time. I eventually understood how to cut the fluff from the novel and spread out the backstory over several chapters.

Although I don’t remember where I first learned the concept of holding back on backstory, I remember being shocked that an author didn’t need to tell everything about the character’s past. If I thought it up, shouldn’t it be in the story? Not necessarily. After awhile, I gained a better understanding, and even cut a couple scenes from the my third Lawmen of Clayton County book that gave too much unnecessary information about Jake’s past. While it was relevant to who Jake had become, it wasn’t relevant to that particular book.

 

Review: Leather and Lace, by DiAnn Mills

Title: Leather and Lace

Author: DiAnn Mills

Short summary:

When Casey O’Hare, once part of an outlaw gang, escapes to live a new life on the right side of the law, she doesn’t anticipate meeting Morgan Andrews, a man bent on revenge. After fighting for their lives in the Utah Territory, they sense a spark that keeps them connected over months of separation. They later meet by chance in Texas, but the pain of the past keeps them from exploring their feelings to the fullest, along with the fear that the gang leader will find where they’re hiding.

What I liked about the story:

The relationship struggles were realistic and progressed steadily. I especially like that it took the characters months to sort it all out. I think there are too many romance stories today that focus on attraction and emotions. This book was solemn and genuine, and it really felt like a real western. Casey reminded me of a Louis L’Amour lead character.    

What I liked about the writing:

As a veteran author who has worked with the Romance Writers of America and the Christian Writers Guild, DiAnn Mills did not disappoint. In my study of other authors’ work, I knew I had to read at least one of her books and now I’m anxious to add more of her novels to my home library! She does a great job of choosing the right words to tell the story. The vivid descriptions of the land are some of the best I’ve seen and she masterfully wove them through each chapter. I think I underlined half the sentences in this book!

Lattes, Teenagers, and Character Development

Last Saturday I had the privilege of teaching at the Youth Writers Conference. I started my day off right with a cinnamon dolce latte (sugar free, of course) from Starbucks and made my way to Clark Middle School. My son sat beside me munching on a breakfast burrito and gulping down a strawberry muscle milk. We arrived sooner than I planned – that’s my type A personality coming out – and I was thrilled to see several students already milling around the lobby.

For the past couple years, the Alaska Writers Guild has been working to build a relationship with the Anchorage School District to help encourage young people to become better writers. The result was a wonderful conference, free of charge, for middle and high school students. The class I taught was on character development. I talked with the students about choosing the right name, as well as carefully thinking through physical traits, personalities, backstory, quirks and flaws. They each had the opportunity to complete a worksheet with the character’s strengths and weaknesses, the ultimate goal, the conflict/stakes, the moment of truth and the lesson learned.

I was so focused on the lesson that I didn’t even finish my latte! When I first started writing novels, the last thing on my mind was teaching others how to do it, but after helping with the past  four AWG conferences and teaching twice at the children’s conference in the valley, I’ve decided that I really enjoy sharing my experiences with others – especially young people. This was my first attempt at working with teens and most of them seemed eager to learn.

I’ve already started planning my lesson for next time . . .