C.D. Hersh's Blog, page 10
February 6, 2025
Friday Feature FREE! FREE! FREE!
Tips, Tools & Tricks for the Tenacious Writer is the perfect resource for writers who want to know the ins and outs of what it takes to be a published author. Available Free for download… https://www.sharonledwith.com/tips-tools-tricks-for-the-tenacious-writer/
Forward…
It begins with INTENT. Back when I started blogging, I was so green and didn’t have much to offer writers or even knew what to say. I was scared, insecure, and filled with tons of self-doubt. BUT I moved forward with tenacity and embraced the desire to be a published author, and dare I say, Bestselling author. I’ve built my blog, and my writing career brick by brick, word by word until I’ve amassed quite a collection of helpful and heartfelt content to assist anyone who is remotely interested in delving into the murky, yet exciting world of writing and all the challenges a writer might face. Today, I still have a long way to go, but I’m definitely on the right track with my goals and aspirations as a young adult author.
It is my hope that you find the following compiled content insightful, inspiring, and illuminating as you begin your writing journey or just need some tips, tools, or tricks to help you shine in this crazy publishing business. All the best. All the success.
All Systems Go…
First, let me introduce myself—my name is Sharon Ledwith and I write young adult fiction. My genres include: time travel mysteries (kind of like a mesh of fantasy with a splash of sci-fi meets Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys), as well as paranormal stories where teens deal with psychic powers like psychometry, telekinesis, animal communication—stuff like that.
My intention of this blog is to:
#1 Get you to know me as a writer, and post my experiences as an indie publisher of eBooks.
#2 Introduce and showcase my stories and characters.
In a nutshell—market myself and promote my work.
That’s it really. You see, writing is all about the reader. My goal is to influence and empower today’s youth—the next generation—through the stories I create. I believe everyone is here at this time with a mission and a purpose, and every child has something to add to our evolutionary advancement. Children truly are the keys to our future. It is my hope to unlock this portal.
To Grow or Not To Grow…
I am a dinosaur. I freely admit it. No, no, not the kind with fangs and scales—although my kids may have something to say about that—I’m talking about keeping up with the times. Technology is my biggest and scariest hurdle. It is harsh, unknown territory, and yet without computers, the internet, social networks, texting—I could go on, but you get the drift—there would be no growth, no challenges for our wonderful evolving lives. And let’s face it technology DOES make our lives a heck of a lot easier! Dinosaurs had to make way for humanity (actually, they had no choice in the matter), and so, I too must bow to the changes and challenges technology offers OR become like the scaly beasts of the past and disappear forever.
Here’s a glimpse of the premises of both my young adult series.
The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventures
Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from the evil Belial—five classmates are sent into the past to restore balance, and bring order back into the world, one mission at a time.
Children are the keys to our future. And now, children are the only hope for our past.
Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mysteries
Imagine a teenager possessing a psychic ability and struggling to cope with its freakish power. There’s no hope for a normal life, and no one who understands. Now, imagine being uprooted and forced to live in a small tourist town where nothing much ever happens. It’s bores-ville from the get-go. Until mysterious things start to happen.
Welcome to Fairy Falls. Expect the unexpected.
The Last Timekeepers Time Travel Adventure Series:
The Last Timekeepers and the Noble Slave, Book #3
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
The Last Timekeepers and the Dark Secret, Book #2 Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis, Book #1 Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
Legend of the Timekeepers, prequel Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
Mysterious Tales from Fairy Falls Teen Psychic Mystery Series:
Lost and Found, Book One Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
Blackflies and Blueberries, Book Two Buy Links:
MIRROR WORLD PUBLISHING ׀ AMAZON ׀ BARNES & NOBLE ׀
Sharon Ledwith is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel adventure series, THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the award-winning teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, reading, researching, or revising, she enjoys anything arcane, ancient mysteries, and single malt scotch. Sharon lives a serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her spoiled hubby, and a moody calico cat.
Learn more about Sharon Ledwith on her WEBSITE and BLOG. Look up her AMAZON AUTHOR page for a list of current books. Stay connected on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, LINKEDIN, INSTAGRAM, and GOODREADS.
BONUS: Download the free PDF short story The Terrible, Mighty Crystal HERE
February 4, 2025
Wednesday Special Spotlight A Man Out of Time
While doing some research we came across a news article about Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier who had hid in the Lubang jungle for decades, that got us to thinking about time travel and how our characters would react to a new world. We have a time travel book, or two, in our WIP files, so naturally, this news piece caught our attention.
In WWII Lubang was a strategic island 16 miles long and 6 miles wide on the southwestern approach to Manila Bay and the island of Corregidor in the Philippine Island chain. Lieutenant Onoda was sent to the island to carry out sabotage operations in an attempt to disrupt a coming American invasion. As American troops landed on February 29, 1945, Lieutenant Onoda’s commander gave him his final orders to stand and fight. He did so until March 9, 1974, when his commander, who had become a book seller, returned to tell Mr. Onoda that Japan had, in fact, lost the war.
Imagine what Mr. Onoda must have felt when he returned to a Japan he did not recognize. Futuristic skyscrapers filled the horizon. Television, jet planes, pollution, cell phones, and all sorts of modern inventions we take for granted assaulted him. He was a man out of time—in essence, a time traveler.
It’s that man or woman-out-of-time element that many readers of time travel enjoy. We like to envision how people react to things they have no knowledge about. As a writer, reactions are one of the time travel elements you will have to decide about when you send your character forward or backward in time.
When your characters travel in time are they resistant to what they find or do they accept what they discover in their new surroundings?
Ichabod Crane, in the television series Sleepy Hollow, has awakened in the 21st century after being killed and put under a magical spell that keeps him alive. The shows are filled with man-out-of-time faux paus from asking the black cop Abigail if she had been emancipated, to awed caveman like pokes at alarm clocks and television remotes. Seeing the Planet of the Apes on television freaks him out. He is appalled at the thought of paying for water, and gets flustered by web porn, responding, “I’m flattered madam, but I’m espoused to another.” By the first season series finale he has learned to use a cell phone, even demanding that he get a more upgraded version. In spite of his acceptance of some modern things, he refuses the heroine Abigail’s attempts to upgrade his wardrobe, clinging to his antiquated clothing. He only chooses new clothes when he stumbles across a Revolutionary War reenactment where he purchases pants, a shirt, and a new jacket just like the ones he awakened in. Even then he refuses to let Abigail throw his old items out.
The out-of-time element works to the writer’s advantage when he uses it with the secondary characters living in the past or future, too. In Back to the Future the hero Marty ends up in the home of his mother after an accident. The family decides his name must be Calvin Klein because it’s written on his underwear. He goes with it, because he can’t say who he really is. When Doctor Emmett from the past is doubting Marty is from the future he asks who the president of the United States is. Marty answers, “Ronald Reagan,” to which the doctor says, “The actor? Then who’s vice president? Jerry Lewis?” Then there’s the classic scene where Marty orders a “Tab” and the soda fountain guy says, “I can’t give you a tab unless you order something,” to which Marty responds, “Give me a Pepsi Free.” “If you want a Pepsi, pal, you’re going to pay for it,” the clerk says.
When you plot your story, you have to think about what your characters’ reactions are going to be to the different things they will find in their new setting. The reactions you choose can set the mood for your piece. If your character reacts by poking buttons and doing hilarious things like putting inappropriate items in the blender or causing an automatic voice response oven to raise the temperature to over 500 degrees and burn the turkey (which happens in Disney World’s Carousel of the Future display) you will create a humorous time travel. Should you choose to make the character’s out-of-time responses do things like misfire the ray gun and kill an important character or screw up the transporter in a manner that it negatively affects his goal, you’ll create a more suspenseful time travel. By creating interesting problems he has to surmount in order to survive you can deepen your story.
When you create time travel, look for things that can illuminate your character’s out-of-time responses, be they funny, tragic, dangerous, or a mix. The world is literally yours to create when you write time travel. Travel to the past or the future can net you fantastic stories that readers will love.
Can you think of an item your character might discover in his trip to the future or the past? How would that impact the story or add humor? Is there a time travel story you love with a classic out-of-time line or joke?
February 3, 2025
Tell Again Tuesday Writing Workshop
Six Weeks to Breakout Success With Literary AgentBy Donald Maass
“When readers feel strongly, their hearts are open. Your stories can not only reach them for a moment, but they can change them forever.” Donald Maass
FROM FREE EXPRESSIONS SEMINARSAND LITERARY SERVICES
Join us for our VIRTUAL BREAKOUT NOVEL INTENSIVE
with literary agent Donald Maass
New 2025 Sessions Added . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:January 30, 2025
Friday Feature No Internet! What’s A Girl To Do?
Several months ago, my internet was finicky. It went on and off several times each day. I considered that, since it’s summertime, perhaps lots of people were home sucking up those internet resources.
But then the internet went out completely. After a few hours, I called my provider. I always get a tickle out of the recorded message telling me that, if I’m having problems, I should go online and check the company’s website.
“But I have no internet!” I wanted to scream at the robotic voice that kept steering me away from contact with a real human.
After being disconnected for no apparent reason—maybe I said something to offend the AI operator—I tried again.
“Our wait times are currently very long,” the voice explained.
I didn’t hang up.
“Just a reminder, you can go to our website…”
I wanted to throw the phone but held my ground. After a about ten seconds of silence, the voice said, “You’re still there.”
I jumped! It sounded like an accusation.
“Let me get someone to assist you.”
I let out a breath. After a conversation with a real person, I learned that, indeed, the service was down all over my neighborhood. They hoped all would be well at about 6:00 PM that evening.
But twenty-four hours later, I still had no access to the Web. After standing around with my hands in my pockets wondering what to do, I tried to remember what life was like before we all became addicted to e-mail and social media and instant messaging. And I considered the number of times each day I would run to check if I’d missed something vital.
Ah…good old snail mail. Remember how exciting it was to get something with your name on it?
You know…like some huge publisher wants my newest book.
Or Netflix is interested in producing an eight-part series on my fabulous life.
Or some impressive university wants to bestow upon me an honorary doctorate for my literary brilliance.
Then, I had to admit that generally I find nothing horribly important in my daily correspondences. And yet, I can’t help myself. I remember a similar feeling each day when I was a kid anticipating the mail, the kind with paper and ink and stamps. (For you youngsters, Google it.) But back then we understood the mailman only arrived once a day, a vast difference from our current 24-hour model, that has many of us desperately seeking…I don’t know…some kind of validation, maybe.
I checked the mail on my phone—not so easy since I have four accounts—and confirmed just how unimportant I am. I tried to deal with my social media accounts, but dislike working on the tiny screen, so I put the phone down.
It was in the evening that the horrible reality hit. No streaming! There we were in Season 6 of Peaky Blinders with no access. We were forced to try TV from the antennae, compelled to sit through endless commercials. I wanted to weep.
Okay! I feel better now.
Yep, I’m a spoiled brat.
Later, I considered what I might do instead of “working” online. I closed my eyes and considered the things I do for joy: bake brownies, read a book, call a friend, play my guitar, plan a nice meal, see what’s still eatable in the garden, go for a swim.
When I opened my eyes, I was embarrassed, because I realized what I needed to do: Be grateful for what I do have.
Still, right now, the brownies are winning. So, pardon me while I go mix up a batch.
Here is a brief peek at Anne’s latest release.
Bud Richardville is inducted into the Army as the United States prepares for the invasion of Europe in 1943. A chance comment has Bud assigned to the Graves Registration Service where his unit is tasked with locating, identifying, and burying the dead. Bud ships out, leaving behind his new wife, Lorraine, a mysterious woman who has stolen his heart but whose secretive nature and shadowy past leave many unanswered questions. When Bud and his men hit the beach at Normandy, they are immediately thrust into the horrors of what working in a graves unit entails. Bud is beaten down by the gruesome demands of his job and losses in his personal life, but then he meets Eva, an optimistic soul who despite the war can see a positive future. Will Eva’s love be enough to save him?
Praise for Your Forgotten Sons
“Although a defty crafted work of original fiction, “Your Forgotten Sons” by Anne Montgomery is inspired by a true story. An original and inherently interesting read from start to finish, “Your Forgotten Sons” will prove to be an immediate and enduringly appreciated pick.” Midwest Book Review
“This was a quick, riveting read that really challenged me to think differently about our servicemen and women, especially those who take on the jobs that don’t get heroically depicted in the media or news…I really highly recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a different take on American history. I left it with a newfound appreciation for the unsung heroes.” Bekah C NetGalley
“This is the truth. It’s gritty and painful and bittersweet – and true. When you think you’ve read every perspective of WWII, along comes Bud to break your heart.” Bridgett Siter Former Military Reporter
“Anne Montgomery writes a strong story and I was hooked from the first page. It had a great concept and I enjoyed that this was inspired by a true story…It was written perfectly and I was invested in the story. Anne Montgomery has a great writing style and left me wanting to read more.” – Kathryn McLeer NetGalley
Available at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes &; Noble, Google Books, and Kobo
Anne Montgomery has worked as a television sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, amateur baseball umpire, and high school football referee. She worked at WRBL‐TV in Columbus, Georgia, WROC‐TV in Rochester, New York, KTSP‐TV in Phoenix, Arizona, ESPN in Bristol, Connecticut, where she anchored the Emmy and ACE award‐winning SportsCenter, and ASPN-TV as the studio host for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. Montgomery has been a freelance and staff writer for six publications, writing sports, features, movie reviews, and archeological pieces.
When she can, Anne indulges in her passions: rock collecting, scuba diving, football refereeing, and playing her guitar.
Learn more about Anne Montgomery on her website and Wikipedia. Stay connected on Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
January 28, 2025
Wednesday Special Spotlight Cowgirls in the Kitchen
Fifty years ago, when I was newly married and newly pregnant with my first baby, I joined La Leche League for all their collective wisdom and encouragement with breastfeeding. Not only was their focus on nursing babies, they stressed nutrition, too, for ourselves and for our families.
Those ladies were some of my best friends for many years, and they were great cooks, too. One of them shared her Grape-Nuts Bread recipe, which . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:January 27, 2025
Tell Again Tuesday The Turn of Time
As we flip the calendar to 2025, we remember the turn of the millenniumBy Bob Berman
As the year 2025 approaches, relatively few people ponder the significance of the date’s digits or lose any sleep over it. Still, we’re accustomed to dividing stuff into quarters, which is why married couples celebrate 25- and 50-year anniversaries with far more fanfare than, say their 31st year. The year 2025, which marks the first quarter of the new century, has potential significance.
Thankfully, this has not yet . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:January 23, 2025
Friday Features Tips for Brainstorming
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word brainstorm as: a sudden inspiration or idea. I don’t know about you, but the brainstorming we’ve done for our book The Promised One and the subsequent series The Turning Stone Chronicles was not a sudden inspiration or idea. We tossed ideas around for several hours before we hit on a title for the series. Then we spent more time brainstorming the world, the plot, our characters, and the various books. Along the way we discovered some tips for effective brainstorming that we’d like to share. 
1. Everything is fodder for an idea, no matter how bad it might sound at first. If you tweak it enough, you might be able to use it.
2. Two heads, or even three are better than one.
3. Invite a non-writer to participate. They might have a different take on the subject.
4. Ask “what if…” , then ask it again, and again.
5. Throw the first five thoughts out. They were the easiest to come by so they may not be the best solutions.
6. Keep good notes. Scribbled shorthand, or half written sentences might not mean much if you don’t get writing right away.
7. Make sure you have snacks, and water on hand. All that thinking and talking makes one hungry and thirsty. Besides, feeding your brainstorming participants is only polite since you’re picking their brains.
8. Ask why? Why would he do that? Why doesn’t the idea work? Why can’t the sky be green?
9. Think outside the box, turn it upside down, on its side, or dissemble it to find new solutions and ideas.
10. Reread what you already have. The solution to the problem may already be hidden in those pages.
Plus a bonus:
Don’t permanently delete a brainstorming thought. You never know when it might come in handy for something else.
Have you ever used brainstorming?
January 21, 2025
Wednesday Special Spotlight Character Fears
We all have skeletons, secrets, and phobias in our lives—scary things that have the ability to cripple us or change our lives for better, or for worse.
Superman fears Kryptonite. Mermaids are afraid of being too far from water. Vampires, at least the old-fashioned ones that turned to ashes in sunlight instead of sparkling in it, fear the sun. The unwilling werewolf dreads the coming of the full moon. Adventurer Indiana Jones hates snakes. The Wicked Queen is afraid of not being the fairest of them all. Peter Pan doesn’t want to grow up. Gizmo is frightened of water or eating after midnight, because it turns him into a gremlin. Bruce Banner never wants to get angry because he turns into the Incredible Hulk. All these characters’ fears and secrets are basic to their core behaviors. They act and react, just like we do, because of life’s skeletons, secrets, and phobias.
Our fears are part of what makes us who we are. They shape us, influence us, and affect our actions and the outcomes of what we do. When we give our characters secrets and phobias we give them depth. If you want to make your character grow, one of the best ways it to have him face his fears. Give him something more important to face, some reason to conquer that phobia, secret, or skeleton he fears so much.
I’m not crazy about heights. I approach the edges of railed canyons with trepidation, if at all. I never look down when descending ladders. I won’t dive off of a board any higher than twelve inches off the pool edge. A climb onto the kitchen counter to get something off the top of the cabinet, which I’ll only do if no one else is around to do it for me, leaves me sweating like I’ve got dengue fever. As for bunging jumping … you’ll never see me do that. If I can avoid any height, I will do so.
Yet one year, when we were putting an addition onto our house, I had to conquer that fear. Before starting the building process I told my husband I would do anything but get on the roof and shingle. I’d haul anything he needed, work as long as he needed, do whatever messy, dirty job came my way. But I was NOT going to get on that roof.
He was okay with that. But when we tore the roof off to put up the knee wall an unexpected storm blew in. We scrambled to get a tarp on the open area, but the rain blew in anyway.
Guess where I ended up for the seven days?
On the roof. Reshingling.
Before the next predicted rainstorm blew into town.
As much as I feared heights, when the kitchen ceiling started sagging from the water damage, I was more afraid of seeing the ceiling cave in than of getting on the roof. I managed to conquer my fear of heights in an emergency situation, much like Indiana Jones grabbed that big snake’s tail, after a good bit of screaming and yelling, when the alternative was being sucked into quicksand. I grew that summer into someone who was confident that in an emergency I could climb up a tree or on the roof, or up a ladder to rescue someone from a burning building.
That’s what facing scary things, secrets, and skeletons can do for your characters. It can make them stronger and provide a character arc that moves their story forward. So don’t be afraid to frighten your characters. Make them face their worst fears. Rattle a few closet skeletons and blab a few of their deepest secrets and watch them grow. Because, as my mother used to say, if it doesn’t kill you it can only make you stronger.
What are your characters afraid of?
January 20, 2025
Tell Again Tuesday Resolutions and Goals
The Mirror and the ArrowBy Donald Maass
Have you made your New Year’s resolutions? Good for you! And good luck! May your resolutions prove easy to enact and the year ahead be a year of fulfillment.
Resolutions and goals are good, but today I have a different New Year’s challenge to bring to you. It’s a list of questions, the point of which is to help you refine your moral inventory as a storyteller. “Moral inventory”? What is that, a step in some writing addiction recovery program?
No, it’s a way to . . .
For the rest of the blog go to:January 16, 2025
Friday Feature Five Common Plot Problems
There have been volumes written on plot. After all, it is a critical element in every story. While I don’t claim to be an expert on the subject, I have picked up a few pointers on my journey in the writing world. Here are five common plot problem I’ve encountered and ways to solve them.
1. Starting in the wrong place:
Begin where the trouble begins. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a prologue, but you’d better be sure it relates to where the trouble started. Take out those 20 pages of back story telling us how Betty Sue wasn’t getting along with her ex and how they finally got that divorce. Instead, do something like Jennifer Cruise did in one of her books where the heroine finds a pair of underwear in her husband’s car—and they aren’t hers! No need to tell us the couple has been having marital problems. The panties say it all.
2. Having a weak conflict:
Conflict doesn’t mean constant bickering between your hero and heroine. Strong conflicts must have consequences and the conflict and consequences must move the story forward. If your characters can work out the problem if they just talk or can walk away from their problems then your conflict is too weak. The conflict must force them to stay together. If you let them walk away at any point you must create a complication that forces them back together.
3. A predictable plot:
A predictable plot has no surprises. We’ve all read and seen predictable plots in books and movies. You know where the story is going. You can guess who committed the murder. While stories like that can be enjoyable, I get the most pleasure out of a story that makes me say, “Wow, I didn’t see that coming.” To avoid predictable plots try making a list of 20 things that could happen, then eliminate your first five items. Those are usually the most predictable things. Make sure you leave a subtle hint that foreshadows the unexpected event so the reader won’t feel cheated with the surprise. You want them to be able to go back and say, “Yeah, I see where the author set that up. It was clever.”
4. A plot that moves too slowly:
When your plot moves too slowly you usually have a pacing problem. Try solving the problem by adding subplots. Braid the subplots into the main story so all the plots interact with one another. Each plot line, main and subplots, need three turning points spaced approximately ¼, ½ and ¾ way through the book or through each plot line. Add twists and turns in the story to keep it going. You can also step up the pace of the story with shorter scenes and chapters, breaking up paragraphs to put more white space on the page and making sure there is tension on every page.
5. An ending that doesn’t satisfy:
An ending that satisfies can sell your next book, because if your reader feels cheated by your ending it’s likely they won’t give you another chance. For romance readers this mean a happily-ever-after ending, or at least the promise of one. Be sure to tie up all your plot lines before the end of the book. Generally, the last plot line to be established is the first one to be completed. With romance, you want to solve all the other problems before you solve the romance.
Do you have trouble with plotting?
