Helen B. Henderson's Blog, page 87

x-Post Mia Downing: Mia's 12 Steps To Self-Editing Success

Besides the tips, Mia makes a great point. The more blips we catch in our works, the smaller and finer blips will show up to the editor. And the end result? An even better product.Publish Post

Click over for Mia Downing: Mia's 12 Steps To Self-Editing Success #writingtip...: So I've been quiet for a while, because I'm almost done with a new book, a m/f paranormal. Right now, I'm doing a run of self...

#amediting Mia Downing

Tuesday's Title - The Killing Land by Jacqueline Seewald

The rugged West, a greedy villain, violence, and true love

Title: The Killing Land

Author: Jacqueline Seewald

Date of Release: Feb. 1, 2016
Genre:
     Historic Western Romance
Publisher: Five Star/Cengage

Buy Links:
Amazon   Barnes&Noble

Blurb:

This novel is set principally in the Arizona Territory of the early l880's where a courageous settler from the East and an aristocratic cattle baron become involved in a love/hate relationship. The two, although attracted to each other, are initially distrustful and antagonistic toward one another. The dangers they face draw them together.

Mary suspects that Cal is responsible for trying to drive the homesteaders and sheepherders off the land cattlemen consider rightfully theirs. When her uncle is murdered, Mary intends to discover who is responsible and why. In so doing, she becomes a person of interest to a vicious outlaw.

Behind the Scene:

As an undergrad I was an English major and a social studies minor. I loved American history in particular. My husband and I are Easterners but we’ve made nine trips out West. We would move there if our family wasn’t located in the East. I enjoy writing diverse types of fiction but always knew I would want to write a Western that was historically well-researched and realistic yet also had romantic elements. I think The Killing Land fits the bill and is a novel that both men and women will enjoy reading.

About Seewald:  Multiple award-winning author, Jacqueline Seewald, has taught creative, expository and technical writing at Rutgers University as well as high school English. She also worked as both an academic librarian and an educational media specialist. Sixteen of her books of fiction have been published to critical praise including books for adults, teens and children.

Her short stories, poems, essays, reviews and articles have appeared in hundreds of diverse publications and numerous anthologies such as: THE WRITER, L.A. TIMES, READER’S DIGEST, PEDESTAL, SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY MAGAZINE, OVER MY DEAD BODY!, GUMSHOE REVIEW, THE MYSTERY MEGAPACK, LIBRARY JOURNAL, and PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. She’s also an amateur landscape artist and loves blue grass music.

Her writer’s blog can be found at: http://jacquelineseewald.blogspot.com

4 Major Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Blog Posts

By Karen Cioffi

Writing is a craft, a craft that needs to be learned. With that being said, there are many successful bloggers who had no writing training.

You might consider writing as being doubled sided. There are research papers, resumes, articles for medical and scientific use, business and health content, and even short stories, children’s books, and novels.

To write for these genres, you need to learn the craft of writing. Depending on the genre you write, you need to know how to write dialogue, how to reference quotes in a nonfiction article, and how to write POV (point of view). You should know the difference between a comma and a semi-colon, and how to use each. You get the idea.

On the flip side, there is web writing: blog posts and writing copy. In these niches there aren’t many rules, aside from grabbing the reader and making your content engaging and shareable.

While there aren’t many rules for blogging, there are four mistakes you should avoid:

1. Avoid aiming for perfection.

If you wait for the perfect time, the perfect circumstance, the perfect topic, the perfect anything, you’ll be forever waiting.

While you do need to be a responsible writer and respect your reader by providing quality content and doing the best you can, you shouldn’t wait for everything to be perfect. There’s nothing wrong with learning as you go along.

I love what George Fisher said about perfection: “When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.”

2. Avoid confusing and unfocused content.

The quickest way to lose a reader is to make your content confusing. If you’re topic is ‘allergies,’ don’t go on a rant about the latest clothing styles.

Blogs posts should be in easily digestible pieces of information that are focused. From the title to the concluding paragraph, keep it on topic.

In addition, you want to lead the reader down your post. In the beginning let the reader know what to expect, what’s in it for him. This will motivate him to read on.

3. Don’t write long paragraphs.

We all lead hectic lives. We want to get targeted information as quickly as possible. For this reason, your content needs to be easy to read and written in short paragraphs. This is especially important for skim readers.

Keep your content clean and leave plenty of white space. White space is the space between paragraphs, between words, and such. It’s the blank space on the page.

4. Don’t use grandiloquent language.

Here we go back to the premise that people are in a rush and along with this, most people don’t want to have to look up words to get the gist of the article. This is another quick way to lose a reader.

Keep your writing simple. Write how you would normally speak.

In addition, choose your words with care. C.S. Lewis knew the importance of this when he said, “Don't use words too big for the subject. Don't say 'infinitely' when you mean 'very'; otherwise you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.”

Following these ‘four mistakes to avoid’ will help you write blog posts that readers will appreciate and will want to share.

Originally published at http://www.writersonthemove.com/2014/06/4-major-mistakes-to-avoid-when-writing.html
Article reprinted from The Writing World newsletter. Want more must-know writing and marketing information, along with updates on free webinars right to your inbox? Get free access to The Writing World (http://thewritingworld.com) today!

WriteIntoPrint: Top Typo-busting Tips

Every author has their own idiosyncracies, add that to those created by auto-correct functions (when we forget to turn them off.) Check out the following post  WriteIntoPrint: Top Typo-busting Tips for a list of common corrections you can identify using a "find and replace function.

 

 What's on your list?

~Till next time, Helen

WriteIntoPrint: Top Typo-busting Tips: Using “Find and Replace” in Word is a useful tool for identifying common typos and homophones and formatting nits. All writers have t...

The Party Begins

Come over to The Romance Reviews for a month-long party.Over 300 authors, gifts, books. But you need to register and be logged in to play the game. Registration is free and easy.

If you wish to see some of the prizes, check it out here: http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php?prize=1.

Hope to see you there. And, of yeah, to celebrate the release of Hatchling's Mate, I'll be at the party on February 6th.

~Till next time, Helen

Wing to Paranormal Love Wednesday

Hatchling's Mate - From their birth it was expected that Talann’s and Lexii’s destiny would be entwined. However fate had other intentions. Lexii and Talann could not stand to be together. PreOrder Now for February 1st release.

Excerpt:


“That woman is mine,” a deep voice said from behind Kynan’s shoulder.

Glyn looked up into the angry visage of the man she had marked earlier as a bully. “By law and custom, a woman is free to make her own choice.” Although she knew it would start a fight, she could not resist adding, “Though why one would choose you eludes me?”

Redness colored the skin beneath the man’s beard. “You must like boys. After all you ride a mare. No self-respecting man would ride a woman’s horse.”

The reality of the Buar’s heritage broadened Glyn’s smile. Despite her gender, the mare’s fine lines and implied strength brought out a primitive reaction in most men. Most could not resist stroking the soft neck, even if they didn’t know Buar was a seidheirn.

“A good horse is a good horse, no matter whether mare or stallion,” Glyn said. A shrug and she added, “I’ll stand Buar against a stallion who’s muscled, but has no brain.”

“Mares, like girls, are good for one thing,” the bully said. His grin left little to the imagination nor did his hand gesture implying the act of a stallion mounting a mare.

Across the table, Kynan dropped a hand to the dagger in his boot. Talann gathered his feet beneath him. <This could be fun.>
Click here for another excerpt and a free read of the first chapter.
Available for PreOrder at:   Amazon  Kobo   iTunes  Barnes and Noble 
And if you missed Hatchlings Curse (Book 2 of the Dragshi Chronicles), an excerpt can be found here. 

Don't forget to check out the works of the rest of the talented authors in the hop. Paranormal Love Wednesdays 01 27 16

Calling Night Owls

Linda Mooney has graciously allowed me to return to the
Other Worlds of Romance program on Blog Talk Radio.
This time Hatchling's Mate will be showcased.


February 8th 11:00 PM EST
Online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/other_worlds_of_romance
(listen and sit in the chat room)

Dial in to 6460727-2932 to listen by telephone



For a teaser of the program, stop by
http://www.blogtalkradio.com reading of Hatchlings Curse
to listen to an excerpt of Hatchlings Curse.


Hope to see you there. ~ Till next time, Helen

Tuesday's Title -- Hatchling's Mate

Today I'm celebrating a special Tuesday Title--mine as Hatchling's Mate wings into view.

From their birth it was expected that Talann’s and Lexii’s destiny would be entwined. However fate had other intentions. Lexii and Talann could not stand to be together.


Hatchling's Mate
(Book 3 of the Dragshi Chronicles)

Publisher: High Eyrie Publications



Buy Links: 
      Ebook:  Amazon   iTunes  Barnes&Noble  Kobo
      Inktera  24Symbols 

Blurb:  

Talann’s future was far from assured. Although the son of two dragon lords, none of the old ones sang a welcome at his birth. And now years later there was still no sign of the awakening of a twinned dragon soul. From his birth, it was expected he would marry the only other child born to the dragon shifters, the Lady Lexii Beylnea. However, fate had other intentions. Talann and Lexii could not stand to be together.

Haldric hated all shifters but one—Lady Lexii, whom he meant to possess at any cost. His one tool to achieve both his goals meant risking all. Although his uncle, known to his followers as the Parant, possessed the ability to turn men and women into his willing slaves, the older man was as apt to turn on friend as foe.

Pledged to protect Lexii until the dragon lord’s intended mate appears, Glyn must fight to keep hidden the secret no one could never learn.

Destinies collide as fate decrees secrets be revealed and plans of men and dragon lord alike twist in the web of time.

Freedom of the skies comes with a price.

Click here  for an excerpt

Tuesday Title -- Hatchling's Mate

Today I'm celebrating a special Tuesday Title--mine as Hatchling's Mate wings into view.

From their birth it was expected that Talann’s and Lexii’s destiny would be entwined. However fate had other intentions. Lexii and Talann could not stand to be together.


Hatchling's Mate
(Book 3 of the Dragshi Chronicles)

Publisher: High Eyrie Publications

Buy Links:  Amazon  / Barnes and Noble /  iTunes 
Blurb:  

Talann’s future was far from assured. Although the son of two dragon lords, none of the old ones sang a welcome at his birth. And now years later there was still no sign of the awakening of a twinned dragon soul. From his birth, it was expected he would marry the only other child born to the dragon shifters, the Lady Lexii Beylnea. However, fate had other intentions. Talann and Lexii could not stand to be together.

Haldric hated all shifters but one—Lady Lexii, whom he meant to
possess at any cost. His one tool to achieve both his goals meant risking all. Although his uncle, known to his followers as the Parant, possessed the ability to turn men and women into his willing slaves, the older man was as apt to turn on friend as foe.

Pledged to protect Lexii until the dragon lord’s intended mate appears, Glyn must fight to keep hidden the secret no one could never learn.

Destinies collide as fate decrees secrets be revealed and plans of men and dragon lord alike twist in the web of time.

Freedom of the skies comes with a price.

Click here  for an excerpt

Guest Lectuer at Romance University

Have trouble with the same word popping up in your stories? Or are you stuck in the same phrase? 

 Lips twitched into a smile is one that I'm working on. 

Stop by my guest lecture at the Romance University to learn more.

 ~Til next time. Helen

PS  - Don't miss the pre-order sale for Hatchling's Mate. Going on now.