Must be a group member before inviting friends
S.K. Nicholls's Blog, page 46
June 18, 2014
A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL: PANAMA
Read about C.S. Boyack’s newest book: Panama
Originally posted on Rachel Carrera, Novelist:
Hello, Friends,
Did you figure out that the title of this post is a palindrome (a word, phrase or sequence of numbers or letters that reads the same backwards as it does forward)?
A while back, I introduced you to a blogger buddy of mine, Craig Boyack. Well, since then, his novel, Panama, has been published and WOW! it’s a good one!
In a nutshell, the book goes something like this: (Actually, it goes exactly like this:)
Ethan and Coop are sent to the construction zone along the Panama Canal. They have some experience with strange phenomenon, but nothing prepared them for this.
They are faced with civil war, Carlist pretenders to the thrones of France and Spain, an invading Spanish army, and another from Hell itself. They’ll be lucky to survive, let alone take care of anything while they’re down there.
This story is based upon the…
View original 122 more words
Filed under: Uncategorized
June 17, 2014
Book Review Challenge Series
What a neat idea!
Originally posted on Rosie Amber:
Book review Challenge Series
How often do you write and post a review of a book you’ve read? Ever wondered if your review would be of any use to anyone? Don’t know how to write a review?
Readers
I have a book review challenge series planned over the next few weeks. We will be hearing from several book reviewers on how they go about writing a review and from authors about the importance of reviews.
Coming up on Wednesday 25th June – Book reviewing by Rosie Amber + easy to follow tips for writing your own review.
Thursday 26th June – Book reviewing by Bodicia from A Woman’s Wisdom + How to download a PDF file of a book to your kindle.
Friday 27th June – The Importance of book reviews by author Terry Tyler + a look at Goodreads.
Saturday 28th June – Book Reviewing by Diane Coto from Fictionzeal
Sunday…
View original 1,837 more words
Filed under: Uncategorized
Pseudonym for Criminal and Corrupt, Silly and Shallow
I have been thinking seriously about taking a pseudonym for my new series and setting up a new site.
Red Clay and Roses is a serious novel about serious issues. It was my debut novel and despite its flaws I am rather proud of it.
The Naked Eye Series is totally different writing. The writing style is different. The voice is different. The genre is different. The characters are sometimes silly. The behaviors of ancillary characters can be shallow. The crimes are serious. But the overall flavor of the book is amusing…well, sort of.
Doubt, the raven, and I have been dusting furniture today. His feathers came in handy. We moved around some nick-nacks, took down a couple, and added a few, trying to get the house in order.
The rocket scientist says the book, Naked Alliances, “Has merit.” We worked on a couple of paragraphs, tweaked a few lines. He’s helping me tighten it up some. He is three chapters away from the end. There were still a few typos, wrongly used words. Road for rode, was for what, crng for cringe, pron for porn, threshold for door jamb, some dropped commas, a few periods where commas should be.
Now that it is closer for to being ready for other eyes, I am having reservations about presenting it. Not that I am ashamed of it or embarrassed. I just wonder if I shouldn’t have a pseudonym for this sort of work that stands apart from anything more serious that I write…like historical fiction, women’s fiction, a memoir.
I have given some thought to creating another web site. As I have said before, I don’t want to publish this until I have at least two more ready to go. There is plenty of time to prepare, I would think. Anyone here interested in following that site could certainly do so. But I suppose having a wacko crime fiction dedicated site, specifically for the series, makes a lot of sense.
What do you think? Pseudonym? Separate site?
For lack of anything better to do today I played with my character profiles. Here’s some screenshots:
I am really bored today. Hummm! What other trouble can I get myself into?
Start book two?
Filed under: My Novels, Writing Process/WIPs Tagged: character profiles, crime fiction, dedicated site, pseudonyms, screen shots, separate web site
June 16, 2014
The Alpha Reader and Doubt’s Arrival
It really started Saturday. The rocket scientist finished a book and picked up my manuscript. A few hours later, I noticed he had set it down and crawled between the sheets to watch some TV in bed. I checked his reader, where I had put a copy of Naked Alliances for his convenience. He had only read the first two chapters.
Me: So it wasn’t intriguing enough to make you want to keep reading.
RS: I’ve been reading all day. It is fine. I need a little break from reading.
Me: Okay, I don’t want to rush you. (But really I do.)
Sunday he was reading it again. He pointed out a couple of typos and told me I needed to add back a small scene I had taken out. He liked it better with a little foreshadowing of something that is to come later in the book. I made some notes on the paper manuscript. Later in the evening, as I set supper on the table, I noticed he had quietly read up to chapter ten.
Me: You’re up to chapter ten.
RS: Yeah. It’s moving right along.
Me: So, you wanna talk about the book now or wait until you’re done.
RS: I’ll wait. I’ve highlighted a couple of places where things seem a bit disjointed. We’ll see how it all comes together.
Me: *sigh* (The only word that I really heard was disjointed.)
When he went to bed last night, I saw he had gotten up to chapter sixteen. I followed him to the bedroom.
Me: It’s not ready for publication, is it?
RS: No, but it can get there.
Today, after he left for work, I looked in his reader. Naked Alliances is in there with Tim Baker, Michael Connelly, Jonathan Kellerman, Tim Dorsey, John Sanford, Tony Hillerman, Sue Grafton, and Carl Hiaasen. Dozens and dozens of books by these prolific authors.
About that time, I heard a ruckus outside. The yard cat, Boozer, was going nuts. A package had arrived UPS all the way from Idaho. Yes, Doubt is here. The Raven from Entertaining Stories. Lisa and Craig packed him up and sent him to me because he was pecking up Craig’s left brain. So now he is here to work on mine for a while. I thought it would do Craig and Lisa, the Robot, some good to have a little vacation from Doubt. Craig needs some reviews. He doesn’t need Doubt around right now. If you are looking for a couple of quick, clever reads, look up C.S. Boyack on Amazon, here and here, and give him a try.
I brought Doubt inside and took him out of the bucket. Lisa had packed him in there with some water. He was nestled on a bed of peanut shells. When I lifted the lid, he started flying around the room, dodging the ceiling fan blades. He lit on Sunny’s cage, our little yellow cockatiel. Sunny began to sing. Doubt didn’t seem impressed.
The rocket scientist had to go up to Ocala today, so he’ll have a long drive home from work through rush hour traffic. I hope he is up to company. I knew Doubt was coming, but I don’t think the RS did.
I don’t know what to do with myself right now. Wait to do edits. Start on the next manuscript, Book Two in the series. Or, just hang out with Doubt a while on the back porch. It is screened in. There’s a nice perch out there that once belonged to a parrot we had. I could teach him how to talk southern. Maybe we should just go to the beach for a couple of days. Doubt could hang out with the gulls.
* I have to add a note: RS did laugh out loud a couple of times as he was reading. That’s not a bad thing. I had few attempts at humor in there, so it must have punched him a little, like it was supposed to. At least I am hoping that is why he was laughing :)
Filed under: My Novels, Writing Process/WIPs Tagged: alpha reader, crime fiction, Doubt, manuscript, Naked Alliances, nerves, patience, Raven
June 15, 2014
Dear??? Old Dad
I am reading all of these posts about Dear Old Dad, endearing and thoughtful. I have to tell you my dad was a smart ass, a real wise ass having a witty remark for anything anyone ever said to him.
He started out as a State Park ranger, then a truck driver. After a bad accident, in which he was not hurt, but scared enough to find a new career, he started selling life insurance door to door. He went from a starter position to a district manager and then a regional manager, spending thirty-seven years with the same company.
Then he retired, but could not sit still. He bought his own independent company where he still works today, at seventy six years old.
He was a real sought after guy in high school. All the girls loved him. My mom was the one who captured his heart. They were married when she was sixteen and he was fresh out of high school.
They lived in a mountain cabin when I was born, then a wooden duplex in the small town of Pine Mountain, then a brick duplex in LaGrange where he went on to build a house. He spent $13,000 to build that first beautiful brick home in an upscale neighborhood of LaGrange in 1968, but my mother never lived there with him. They were divorced when I was seven and we went to live in Atlanta.
After her death, we moved in with my dad and stepmother (s). That is plural for a reason. He was still a ladies’ man and never could stick with just one.
He took us water skiing and we had a cabin on the Chattahoochee River where we spent weekends. Those were real fun times with my siblings recalled; although, he fell into the water a few times unexpectedly, too drunk to stand. Seriously, it is kind of scary to look back on it.
I was a Daddy’s girl. I lived for him to come home every day. I was supposed to have been a boy named Steven. He taught me all about skiing, CB radios, hunting and fishing. He called me his “modern girl” and told me I would be a city slicker like him one day.
He was raised on a farm and was the black sheep of the family for several reasons. He was an atheist. He left the farm and became a city boy. He drank. He divorced my mother. He had many wives. He was a businessman, not a farmer. He abused and neglected us, despite our fine lifestyle. Socioeconomic status does not alter reality.
He was a mean son-of-a-bitch when he drank. He whipped us with belts till we bled. He ignored our pleas regarding our stepmothers’ behaviors. I began to loath him. We became estranged when I reached puberty. We left home, my sisters and I. My older sister got married and my younger sister and I went into foster care. After I had kids of my own, we reconciled.
After a few divorces, he married a very nice woman, a Christian woman, whom he is still married to nearly thirty years later. He stopped drinking. I love her dearly. They have no children together but they are very loving and kind to us children, his grandchildren, and great grandchildren. He is also now a Methodist preacher.
He is still a smart ass. Three or four heart surgeries later. No drinking. No smoking. No philandering. But still with a smart remark for just about everything. He has five daughters. His only son died the day after it was born. He never gave me a bloody red penny for school, or helped me in any way raising my own family. But he did teach me many of life’s lessons in his own way. He also taught me not to judge others. You never know what torments another soul carries around with them. I have relearned to love him.
This Fathers Day, I want you to remember one thing:
Forgiveness is a powerful antidote for hate.
Happy Fathers Day!
People CAN change. Well, they can change some things. Once a smart ass, always a smart ass.
I have also learned you can’t help what you inherit.
Filed under: The Grandmother Journal Tagged: abuse, change, Dad, estrangement, Fathers Day, forgiveness, Hate, Henry Koone, judgement, lessons, love, neglect, reconciliation, relearn, smart ass, wise ass
June 14, 2014
Recreational Sex in Writing: Writer Responsibilities?
I sometimes wonder just how much responsibility to the world at large us writers have. I did a post recently concerning triggers and got much interesting feedback about that. A trigger can be anything, a taste, a touch, a scent, words read in a book. The general consensus seemed to be that it was the readers’ responsibility to watch for those things that might trigger an untoward response or memory.
As writers, we should write about whatever we want to. There should be no censorship. To rate books like movies seems ridiculous; G, PG, R, X. And who, or what organization, would govern that?
I recall a friend bringing a paperback book to junior high school. It was Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar”. There was a passage in that book where she describes her own breast development and compares them to apricots and cantaloupes. We sat in the library and giggled over that.
With the sexual revolution of the sixties, blatant sex found its way into everything, from TV ads to movies to literature. Not that it had not been there already…it just wasn’t so obvious. Parents protected children from it. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez were the first prime-time couple to share a bed on national TV…and they were married in real life and on TV.
The romance genre has always been the ladies’ go-to genre for steamy passion…and sexual tensions. Erotica takes that a step further. With those two, you know what you are going to get going in. Crime novels, sci-fi, fantasy, and many other genres have their protagonists engaged in sexual behaviors, a lusty affair, a rendezvous, but most of these are “love” related. Or, at the very least, lust related.
We all know what lust feels like. We probably had our first twinges in puberty. We were taught to subdue those feelings. We had social mores and morals. There were expectations on our behaviors and we conformed.
There are distinguished groups; however, who, under the freedoms grated us in this country, practice another sexual culture. I’m not talking about religious groups who use the church to practice bigamy; I’m talking about the polyamorous and the swingers. Polyamorous possessing the capacity to love more than one, and swingers who view sexual behavior in purely recreational terms.
Recreational sex. Have you ever thought about sex in those terms?
Men have always been rewarded by other men with a slap on the back for putting another notch in their belt, but women are often called sluts and other derogatory terms for openly enjoying sex with more than one person. Maybe it has to do with maternalism. Nobody wants to THINK of their mom as enjoying sex, and Mom and Dad together, hell no!
Do I have a responsibility as a writer to guide young people toward “acceptable “and “appropriate” sexual behaviors? Both teens and young adults can potentially read my writing. Can I shatter illusions? Can I destroy the innocence of young love?
In my crime novel, a couple of swinger clubs appear as settings. These aren’t private homes but public meeting places for strangers to become more than friends…no strings attached, no commitments.
The settings provide some amusement and are necessary to the plot. Yet, I have doubt.
Speaking of doubt, Doubt the Raven got out of hand and pecked up the left side of C.S. Boyack’s brain this morning over at Entertaining Stories. Lisa, the Robot , and Craig packed him up and shipped him off to Florida. He’ll be arriving soon…about the time the rocket scientist gets deep into Naked Alliances.
You’ll hear more about Doubt later. I’m sure.
In the meanwhile, pick up a copy of one of C.S. Boyack’s books and enjoy. I don’t think he has any sex in these, but they do look entertaining.
Lisa Burton is a new kind of robot. Built in the concept lab, she will be dismantled at the end of the experiment.
Lisa is a bit naive when she starts her new life, but soon learns to fit into modern society.
She gets assigned to the Hudson Police Department to study how she reacts to pressure, stress, and the everyday world. Hudson PD assigns her to a homicide case to catch the Escort Executioner.
When the escorts start showing up dismembered, she decides not to conclude her own experiment. She takes off on her own adventure to turn the tables on her creators.
Filed under: Writing Process/WIPs Tagged: innocence, recreational sex, swingers, writer responsibilities
June 13, 2014
The Entertaining Stories Primer
This is one of my author friends. If you have met him before and thought of following but did not know who or what he was talking about, this is your opportunity to find out. He’s really quite clever. Introducing C.S. Boyack at Entertaining stories. (He also names his sourdough bread starter).
Originally posted on Entertaining Stories:
I was going to save this post for my one year blog anniversary. I’ve gotten quite a few new followers lately, so I decided to do it today.
Writers need to do something different to stand out from the crowd. I’m not a big believer in posting random chapters of my work. I want this blog to be a friendly and fun place to come. So what’s a writer to do? I could write original bits of small fiction, but others are doing that too.
Here’s what I came up with. I’ll post about my successes, new discoveries, and general writing tips, and I’ll do it as short bits of new fiction. I created the Writing Cabin; a place I go to work on my stories and promotions. I populated it with characters from my stories. The only problem is it’s similar to a long running comic book series, or…
View original 367 more words
Filed under: Uncategorized
June 12, 2014
Crime Novel Book Blurbs: “Naked Alliances”
Naked Alliances: The Naked Eye Series Novels
I am playing with words and trying to come up with an intriguing book blurb. Blurbs have always been a challenge for me. You want it to be catchy and lead the readers into wanting to know more, but you can’t give away the fascinating details. For crime novels, I like them short. Less than four sentences.
Tell me if any one of these draws you in. Here are three I have come up with:
A) Central Florida has never been hotter! Richard Noggin, P.I., has never killed a man, but finds himself face to face with that opportunity, murder, organized crime, and a young girl who needs him. Alternative lifestyles are the norm from downtown Orlando to a nudist resort as Richard and Brandi race to reunite Cara Kieu with her family and bring criminals to justice.
B) Richard Noggin, P.I., is certain that the former mayor of Orlando is about to propel him into the ranks of big wheelers and dealers in politics. Instead, a cold case murder and a young girl’s unexpected appearance at a gay club set off a series of events that has Richard and Brandi, a transsexual entertainer, struggling to solve a ten year old murder, while fighting for their own lives, and protecting Cara Kieu’s.
C) Central Florida has never been hotter! The first in The Naked Eye Series Novels has Richard Noggin, P.I. and Brandi, a transsexual entertainer, scouting the swinger’s clubs and a nudist resort to solve a cold case murder and bring down a crime boss. A young Asian girl shows up on Brandi’s doorstep at a gay club setting off a series of events that have Richard and Brandi fighting to protect her and struggling to survive.
Any one in particular grab you?
Okay…my husband, the rocket scientist, and avid crime fiction reader, came home and he likes number three with some adjustments, what do you think?:
Central Florida has never been hotter! The first in The Naked Eye Series Novels has Richard Noggin, P.I. and Brandi, an entertainer, scouting the swinger’s clubs and a nudist resort to solve a cold case murder and bring down a crime boss. A young Asian girl’s unexpected appearance on the doorstep of a gay club sets off a series of events that have Richard and Brandi fighting to protect her and struggling to survive.
(He doesn’t think I need to speak of Brandi’s transsexualism or the fact that it was her doorstep.)
Filed under: Writing Process/WIPs Tagged: blurbs, crime fiction, Naked Alliances, The Naked Eye Series Novels
The Hopeteller by Charles E. Yallowitz
Here’s a new review of Charles Yallowitz’s most recent publication.
Originally posted on readful things blog:
Looking for something fun to read?
Check out the newest book from Charles E. Yallowitz.
At only 1.25, you can’t go wrong.
Here’s the info:
Humanity has been driven into the wilderness by the ‘Invaders’. They have been forced to live as colonies in the wilderness where survival is a daily struggle. Hope becomes harder and harder to hold onto as the years pass.
Then one day, a young man tells a story to an injured friend and the Hopeteller is born. Unsure of the power of his words, he finds himself moving the colony with his fairy tales. He will see his people through death and fear as they continue to fight for survival.
Enjoy this novella that is part post-apocalyptic journal and part fairy tales.
buy it on:
Amazon
And while you are there, Check out the other books by this wonderful author. His series of books “Legends…
View original 24 more words
Filed under: Uncategorized
Resort Living In Florida
People across the country like the idea of visiting a resort, particularly in Florida where the weather, minus the thunderstorms and hurricanes, is pretty. Many people live in these resorts year around, or for half the year during the worst of winter elsewhere. It is a lifestyle choice for many.
There are thousands of resorts that cater to the fifty-five and older crowd. Many are themed. For many, the ones who live here, and visit regularly, the resorts are like a small town where everyone knows your name (and your business).
There are Christian resorts like Good Samaritan Village, a step down village, where I worked for three years. A fifty five and older resort that starts people off in doublewides, then to apartments where services are provided, then assisted living, then the nursing home.
There are nudist resorts like Cypress Cove, the one my family owns and operates. Gay resorts. Swinger’s resorts like Ranch 4Play. Thousands of Beach Comber resorts. Indian Heritage resorts near reservations like Miccosukee. Wilderness resorts like this one near Sliver Springs. Golf resorts like the ones on lovely Amelia Island. Children’s resorts. Family resorts. Disney offers nine such places. They cover hundreds of thousands of acres down here in Florida.
Many things make these resorts attractive, aside from the weather, and their theme. Most are self-contained. That is to say, you live there, possibly work there. They have their own water and waste treatment and waste removal systems in place. They have grocery stores, libraries, entertainment venues; bars, restaurants, dance halls, and theaters, specialty shops, swimming pools, clubhouses, outdoor and indoor activities. You practically never have to leave the resort to live.
There are some way out in the wild “old world” Florida where you can camp in the swamps with the alligators. And others placed next door to major attractions in “new world” Florida cities.
One thing you will notice is the accepted mode of transportation. People bring cars in, but once you have checked in, it’s the golf cart that carries you around all of the resorts’ features. People down here love their golf carts. Many have them custom made. They cover the sidewalks and roads inside the resorts, and sometimes between them.
Here are a few:
See what I mean? People love their golf carts, and are willing to put thousands into having one that is unique. One that speaks of their individual personality or passion. Minimizing the carbon footprint for certain, they putter around from place to place.
I do not live in a resort, but I frequent them with friends. Some of the nicest restaurants in Central Florida are inside these resorts. Do you have a favorite resort? Is it in Florida?
What would your golf cart look like?
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: ammenities, golf carts, life styles, resort living, self-contained, self-sustained living, Themed attractions, vacation
