Emilie Richards's Blog, page 122

Lists: All Those Things I Don’t Want to Read About

I’ll make a confession.  I just slammed the cover on a novel by an author I have enjoyed in the past.  I read 150 pages or so of this, his third book, which was, under the circumstances, way above and beyond the call of duty for any reader.  There was some amazing writing on those pages, sentences I yearned to have written, descriptions that were so vivid I was sucked right into the scene.

At the same time, there were so many things I didn’t like, I finally realized I was torturing myself.

You’ve been there, right?  You’ve wanted to love a novel so much (perhaps even one of mine) that you’ve kept reading well beyond the point when you know the book just  isn’t for you.  And you probably know the reasons why the book didn’t work.  Sometimes, quite simply, there are things we just don’t want to read about.

So that’s today’s list.  Here are the top five things I don’t want to read about in anybody’s novel.  Quirky my reasoning may be.  Revealing?  Possibly.  But think of your own list and add one or more items here under comments, so we can consider them together.

Remember, at the end of the month Random.org will choose a reader from everyone who added to any April list to receive an autographed novel.   Please stay away from politics, religion and general snarkiness, or the gatekeeper (that’s me) will “lose” your entry.

All Those Things I Don’t Want to Read About

1:   Grasping ex-wives who only exist to make life miserable for the poor hero, who is in no way at fault.

2:  Alcoholic cops/lawyers/FBI agents/etc.

3:  People who have been buried alive.

4:  Animals dying.

5:  Vampires.  (And my mind can’t be changed, but have fun trying.)

BTW, don’t forget that today, Friday the 13th, will be your lucky day if you download  a Friday the 13th FREE Kindle offer of 13 FREE reads from 13 authors–including Joanna Campbell Slan, who mentioned it here last week. But remember, the FREE books are only available today! Here’s the link.

Cast of Characters–a Novelist’s Inc. Anthology

It’s always such a pleasure to tell you about good books.  Today’s is no exception.  Cast of Characters, an anthology of stories written by twenty-eight of my esteemed colleagues, is now available.  Cast of Characters is the quintessential satisfying read because no matter how limited your reading time, you can pick it up, enjoy a joy ride into one talented author’s imagination, get a final jolt of satisfaction at the ending, then put the book down until your next free moment.

You may note that the trade paperback version is expensive.  That’s a reflection of the size.  Remember, twenty-eight authors! Luckily size isn’t important with e-books, so the e-version is more than reasonable.  In fact it’s a steal.

And if you want a real steal?  Visit the NINC website here, sign up to receive occasional email blasts about other books coming up from NINC authors, and receive Set Pieces, a free ebook containing entertaining excerpts from fourteen new novels coming out from NINC members.

Are you wondering what NINC is?  Novelists, Inc. is the only writer’s organization devoted to the needs of multi-published authors.  NINC is, in short, an organization for writers serious about their careers.  I’m sure that at least half of what I know about publishing has come from my membership in this organization.  In fact it’s the only writer’s organization I’m a member of.

I was unable to participate in this volume, but I hope to be part of a future one.  Meantime I can’t wait to see what my colleagues have written.  As a reader I know I’ll be in the best of hands.

 Purchase the Ninc Anthology Now:



• Amazon

• Barnes & Noble

• Apple

• Sony

• Kobo

• Chapters/Indigo

Cast of Characters–a Novelist's Inc. Anthology

It's always such a pleasure to tell you about good books.  Today's is no exception.  Cast of Characters, an anthology of stories written by twenty-eight of my esteemed colleagues, is now available.  Cast of Characters is the quintessential satisfying read because no matter how limited your reading time, you can pick it up, enjoy a joy ride into one talented author's imagination, get a final jolt of satisfaction at the ending, then put the book down until your next free moment.

You may note that the trade paperback version is expensive.  That's a reflection of the size.  Remember, twenty-eight authors! Luckily size isn't important with e-books, so the e-version is more than reasonable.  In fact it's a steal.

And if you want a real steal?  Visit the NINC website here, sign up to receive occasional email blasts about other books coming up from NINC authors, and receive Set Pieces, a free ebook containing entertaining excerpts from fourteen new novels coming out from NINC members.

Are you wondering what NINC is?  Novelists, Inc. is the only writer's organization devoted to the needs of multi-published authors.  NINC is, in short, an organization for writers serious about their careers.  I'm sure that at least half of what I know about publishing has come from my membership in this organization.  In fact it's the only writer's organization I'm a member of.

I was unable to participate in this volume, but I hope to be part of a future one.  Meantime I can't wait to see what my colleagues have written.  As a reader I know I'll be in the best of hands.

 Purchase the Ninc Anthology Now:



• Amazon

• Barnes & Noble

• Apple

• Sony

• Kobo

• Chapters/Indigo

Sunday Poetry: Not the Inside of Stone

Welcome to Sunday Poetry.   If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here.

Today's poem was written by Mary Oliver, one of my favorite poets and someone whose work has graced this blog several times since its inception. Recently she became seriously ill and cancelled all her upcoming appearances to focus on treatment.  Under the circumstances, this poem seems particularly appropriate, which may be why it appeared in my email from the Library of Congress Poetry 180 project this morning.

I know from your email and Facebook posts that many of you are grappling with serious illness or the illness of loved ones.   Today's poem, Walking to Oak-Head Pond, and Thinking of the Ponds I Will Visit in the Next Days and Weeks isn't about death so much as it is about our ability to place our faith in the future.  And since today is Easter, this seems particularly appropriate.

Like many others all over the world, I send prayers for Mary Oliver's recovery.

Remember there are no quizzes here, no right ways to read or contemplate the poem we share.  Absolutely no dissecting allowed.  Just come along for the "read."  What line, word or thought will you carry with you this week?  If you'd like to tell us where the poem took you?  We'll listen.

Kiki Lowenstein Rides Again

One of the best parts of being an author is making friends with other authors.  In 2008 my friend Joanna Campbell Slan began her new mystery series, the Scrap-N-Craft mysteries featuring scrapbooker Kiki Lowenstein, who manages to get herself into the most amazing predicaments.  I had the pleasure of interviewing Joanna here two years ago, and since then she's gone on to publish more in the series, but also to write a new one, the Jane Eyre Chronicles, which will debut this summer.  Joanna whispered the plot to me at dinner one night, and it's wonderful.

Meantime, Kiki's getting all the attention this month, with a brand new book, Ready, Scrap, Shoot.  To whet your appetite for another in the series, Joanna has two autographed copies of her first book, Paper, Scissors, Death, to give away here.  All you have to do is comment on this post.  Tell us what you like about mysteries, about scrapbooking, about reading, or about Joanna.  Just tell us something and you'll be entered in the giveaway.  Random.org will choose a winner on April 27th.  Only one entry per reader this time, please.  Sadly I'll need to limit this to North American readers only.  Please understand it's all about postage and not about you.

But wait, thanks to Joanna's generosity, in addition one reader will win a Kiki Lowenstein short story, delivered to his/her Kindle.  You say you don't have a Kindle?  No problem.  You can download the Kindle App right there on your computer and read it that way.

So that's three prizes and the same rules apply for each giveaway book.  Now, here's the scoop from Joanna on her latest book, available now.

Ready, Scrap, Shoot was inspired by events in my own life. The first spark happened years ago when I attended a May Day ceremony at a private school in St. Louis. The pageantry provided a stunning visual treat, but I had also heard the behind the scenes rumblings of the participants and knew there was more to what I was watching than met the eye. The second spark came as I was reflecting how difficult it is to be a caretaker for aging parents/family members.

Early on I decided that there was no reason that a mystery series couldn't be topically relevant and thought provoking as well as entertaining. I didn't want to write about stereotypical characters. Instead, I use my books as a laboratory for exploring human nature. The critics seem to have noticed, as Kirkus Reviews said, "Slan's scrapbook mysteries are most valuable for the well-developed characters and the issues they raise, in this case the hardships of caring for elderly parents" and RT Book Reviews said, "Kiki is so darn entertaining that she'll keep readers hooked until the explosive…end."

Lately I've been concentrating on building a closer relationship with my fans. I had a "personal page" at Facebook mainly to communicate with my son while he was at college. I switched to a "fan page"  and of course, there's a wonderful sense of community. My fans clamored for more Kiki. Then I read a small article in the New York Times about a guy who is releasing a serialized novel, like Dickens did. I thought, "Hmmm. What if I released a Kiki Lowenstein short story every month until April when Ready, Scrap, Shoot comes out?" The only way to do that was for me to do the covers. I'm really into Zentangle®, so the covers are Zentangle patterns. I also decided the short stories should be a way for more people to sample Kiki and her world.

My readers love it! They're participating as Beta readers—and they help me with tons of great ideas. It's been a blast. In fact, I'm having so much fun with this that I'll be joining a dozen other writers to offer a Friday the 13th FREE Kindle offer of 13 FREE reads from 13 authors. But remember, the FREE books are available on April 13! Here's the link.

Ready, Set, Comment!

Lists: Forever and Always

Remember lists?   It's time for a new entry.  Read about my list posts here, then comment and add your own thought.  At the end of the month Random.org will choose a winner from everyone who added to any April list to receive an autographed novel.   Remember, please stay away from politics, religion and general snarkiness, or the gatekeeper will "lose" your entry.

I'm moving.  I've told you that before, and I bet you'll hear it a time or two more before the moving vans arrive.  But as a novelist, I spend a lot of time figuring out how to make "ordinary" things "extraordinary" for my readers. This means a certain amount of contemplation on even day-to-day events.

I move quite a bit, which is wonderful, considering that I'd never throw out anything if I didn't.  This time, though, I've been in the same house for thirteen years.  This means thirteen years of accumulated items I was certain I could never part with.

Guess what?  I can part with lots of them, and I am.

This did set me thinking, though, about what we can't part with in our lives. What is precious to us, so precious that we would do anything to keep it?

Today's list asks that question.   As always I've listed five, but you can list as few or as many as you'd like.  Just do it in a comment right here, and you'll be entered in the giveaway.

Since it goes without saying that you have people and pets in your life you would not want to live without, this list is for non-breathing object.

The Things I Could Never Give Away

1:  Anything that makes me laugh.  In my case this includes the wizard in a crystal ball who answers important questions so I don't have to, and Percy, the Singing Pig who sings "My Girl" as he shimmies back and forth on my bookshelf.

2:  My computer.  You understand why, right?

3:  Photos.  Although, let's be honest, how often do we look at them?  Still, mine represent my past, and it's a great pleasure to relive it.

4:  Fabric, sewing supplies, quilt books and magazines.  Getting rid of any of these is futile, since I would immediately begin to stash fabric again, probably on the trip to my new house.

5:  Jewelry.   I'm not a collector and I have very little of value, but much of what I do have was given to me by family or friends.  That raises the meaning of each item to a whole new level.

I felt a huge need, even a duty, to put books here, but quite honestly?  My research books are no longer as helpful as the Internet.  The novels I love are easier to store as ebooks now.  And there is always that most wonderful of places, the public library, if I want to re-read a favorite on paper.  I'll be taking my keepers, of course, but not as many as you might think.  I can't live without books, and I am eternally grateful that I will never have to.

Now, how about you?

Congratulations to Marilyn Seitz, who won the March list giveaway and will receive an autographed novel.  Thanks to everyone else who participated.

Sunday Poetry: That Special Undiscovered Something

Welcome to Sunday Poetry.   If this is your first visit you can read about the purpose and inspiration of my Sunday poetry blogs here.

I'll confess I've spent a lot of time the past weeks discarding things I've held on to for years.  Clothes.  Books.  Manuscripts.  The list goes on and on.  You  know you have the makings of a hoarder when much of what you've held on to isn't worth giving away, but must be hidden deep in your trash can, known only to the chomp of the garbage truck as it shreds and compacts what you might once have treasured.

I am happy to say that much of what I've gotten rid of did have enough life left to warrant passing on to a new owner.  We've found many organizations that take donations.  Today the Lupus Society carried away an entire front porch of small furniture, bags of useful clothings, knick-knacks.  Goodwill has been a recipient, as has our local library and later this week, the Popular Culture Library at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. 

When I came across At the Goodwill by Timothy Walsh, I felt that shiver I've come to know when a poem seems to have been written for me.  Although I doubt Timothy Walsh had me precisely on his mind as he penned this one.  But enjoy it, as I did, and see if it resonates for you in the same way.

Remember there are no quizzes here, no right ways to read or contemplate the poem we share.  Absolutely no dissecting allowed.  Just come along for the "read."  What line, word or thought will you carry with you this week?  If you'd like to tell us where the poem took you?  We'll listen.

Independent Book Blogger Awards

A reader and friend saw this on Twitter and suggested I enter Southern Exposure to win an Independent BookBlogger Award from Goodreads and the Association of American Publishers.  While that would be lovely, the real fun was looking back over some of my previous blogs and trying to figure out which ones to use as samples. 
 
You can vote below, but whether you do or not, visit the site to see what other book bloggers are doing, as well.
 
I'll probably include this cute graphic on posts for a while because I'm so proud of myself for figuring out how to get it on my blog and working.
 

Vote for this blog for the Independent Book Blogger Awards!

Vote

Holy Helping Hand, Batman!

I've spent a lot of time lately thinking about the ways we help each other.  One Mountain Away, coming in August, explores that question among many others, and it will come up again and again as the series progresses.  Do we give money?  Do we bring casseroles?  Do we hold hands and provide a listening ear?  Do we give someone who needs it a kick in the pants?  Do we intervene in a dangerous situation by alerting authorities who might be able to help?

A man in Baltimore County, Maryland, made the news this week with his own unique twist.  With absolutely no fanfare Lenny B. Robinson, 48, wealthy and self-made, dresses up in a Batman costume, hops in his Lamborghini and visits sick children.  What better job for the Caped Crusader?

Mr. Robinson doesn't don his cape for publicity.  When the police stopped him recently for having a license plate with the bat symbol instead of the more usual numbers and letters, he got out of his car dressed in full bat regalia and for the first time the world was aware something odd was afoot in Gotham.  But Robinson doesn't extol his own virtues.  Today's Washington Post published a front page story about him, written by a family friend with insight and sentiment, but only because bits and pieces of the story were already filtering out after the police encounter.

Picture a cancer ward filled with little children fighting for their lives.  In strides Batman, sweating beneath a specially made mask–he sweats away five or six pounds of water weight at each engagement.  Batman doesn't come empty-handed, of course.  Robinson spends $25,000 a year on Batman toys and memorabilia, and he gives it–autographed when he can–to every child who needs cheering.  And which of these children wouldn't?

Imagine the excitement, the hope, the joy that a real live Superhero is there to hold your hand and ask how you're feeling, when that's exactly what you need most?  Imagine the healing?

Our world can be unspeakably sad and lonely.  But people like Lenny B. (for Batman?) Robinson remind me that no matter who we are, we can reach out in myriad ways to change it.   

I've never been a big fan of Batman, but today I changed my mind.  Thank you, Caped Crusader, and all the other superheroes out there, in whatever disguise you wear, for reminding us that in our own way, we can always make a difference.

Sniffing Out A Story (Again)

In the spirit of recycling, something I'm getting quite adept at as I get ready to move, today I'm recycling a blog from September 2010 about my silly beagle Nemo.  I'm pleased to tell you that Nemo is, of course, still with us and every bit as neurotic as I paint him in the following paragraphs.  Also every bit as good at "sniffing out the story."  I'll be back on Friday with something new.

I'm still not quite sure how this happened.  One moment I volunteered to dog-sit for the pathetic puppy that my son and daughter-in-law had  rescued from the path of a bush hog and nursed back to health.  The next I was on the telephone with my husband, who was out of town at a conference.  "Remember that beagle puppy the kids are trying to find  a home for?  Well, they found one." 

Then, mimicking the words of generations of small children before me, I added:  "Of course since this was my decision, I'll do all the work."  And I meant it. . . exactly the way all those little kids had.

Today Nemo, the rascally beagle puppy, is an adult lap dog.  While the puppy Nemo never met a creature he didn't like, the adult Nemo is much more reserved.  Show him a deer and he looks the other way.  He terrorizes sticks and rocks exclusively, leading us to view more x-rays of a beagle stomach than we ever hoped to see.  While he has his private pack, my husband and me, the son and daughter-in-law who rescued him and their dogs, most of the rest of the world is excluded, unless they come with treats in hand.  I spent more money this past week discussing Nemo's peculiarities with my vet than I would have spent at a psychiatrist.

Today on our walk, after I pulled him past a monster trash Dumpster, through sprinkles of acid rain, across Beagle-Bashing-Boulevard (two lanes, no traffic) we finally got to the woods (most likely the same woods where Little Red Riding Hood met the wolf).  At the border Nemo dove under the thickest canopy of trees, plunked himself down and stared at me as if to say: "You go ahead, I'll be here waiting."   Although my arms are now as sturdy as tree trunks from hours of beagle pulls, I gave in and home we went.  Along the way we passed the world's smallest and cutest cocker spaniel.  Nemo, of course, gazed at the horizon, and the friendly little interloper went its merry way.

And that's when Nemo showed his true colors.  While completely uninterested in socializing with this potential new friend–a harmless friend twenty pounds lighter and inches shorter–Nemo was now utterly fascinated.  He sniffed every inch of the dog's path to that point, until he knew all there was to know.

Voila!  I finally understand.  Nemo has the heart of a novelist.  No wonder I fell in love with him.  Nemo, like those of who write, is most comfortable tracing the paths of others, finding out where they've been, maybe even wondering where they might next go, than he is in actual encounters them.  He is a detective, happiest ferreting out the intricate details, the secrets, and yes, the evidence left behind. 

Even before that revelation, I wouldn't have traded a scrap of fur from Nemo's blue tick body for a less neurotic dog, but now maybe I can relate to him a bit better.  The next time he puts nose to the ground to follow a scent no human could ever detect, I will understand.  Nemo's looking for a story.   If only he could talk.