Terry Odell's Blog, page 108

What’s Coming Up?

Today’s a travel day for me, so I’ll be away from cyberspace much of the time.

Meanwhile, here’s what’s coming up:

I’m getting Identity Crisis ready for release. It’ll be early October, although I don’t have a firm date yet. If you want to be notified (of course you do!) you can:

Sign up for my newsletter if you’re not a subscriber already. I’ll be sending one out soon, so don’t delay.
(It’s a 2 step process, so be sure to click through on your confirmation email. When you do, as a thank you,...

What’s Your Take on Interactive Blogging?

I’ve been blogging here for a good ten years now. I also visit other blogs. Today, I have some questions for you about your take on interactive blogging.

Almost all blog posts allow—even encourage—comments. When I’m at someone else’s blog, I’ll try to interact, because I know seeing comments means a lot to the people who’ve spent time and energy coming up with things to write, not to mention the formatting, finding images, and all the other ins and outs of getting something out into cyberspac...

What’s Cooking Wednesday – Zucchini Surprise

This recipe for what she’s named Zucchini Surprise comes from Sherryl Nelson, a dear friend since we were in junior high, and all notes are hers. It’s very much a free-style recipe, so feel free to adjust any ingredients to taste. You can make it with our without a protein–her husband likes to add a can of clams, but it’s fine as a vegetarian dish as well.

Zucchini Surprise

Ingredients:
Zucchini, shredded  (4-6 cups serves 2…may expand)
Garlic (I love several cloves), minced
Basil (whole bunc...

Character Interview – Stephany Tullis’s Jairo Aquino

Thank you for allowing me to interview you today, Jairo. First, a few introductory questions:

Your name: Jairo Aquino ‘aka’ Blue
The book you’re in: Missing Pieces, A Story of Love, Honor & Trust
Your author’s name:  Stephany Tullis
Your role: anti-hero

And now, on with the interview:

What was your favorite part of being a character in this book?
Tullis let me be me! She followed my ‘flow’ and didn’t box me into a pre-determined set of actions. I like that. She’s cool. She even let me improvi...

Everything’s All Right. Or is it Alright?

Language, as everything else, is constantly changing. But what constitutes a legitimate change? When does something that was previously “wrong” become acceptable?

Back in the Dark Ages, when I was in school, we were taught that already was an adverb that had to do with time. “When I got to the mall (although there were no malls back in those Dark Ages of my school years), Mary was already there.”

This was not to be confused with all ready, which means that everyone was prepared, or someone wa...

Tips for Getting Back in the Writing Groove

Tips for Getting Back in the Writing Groove

This past week has been busy, with company and “Proof-listening” to Deadly Production. I’m teaching an online class for the Kiss of Death RWA chapter. I have another trip at the end of the month. The WIP, a Mapleton Novella featuring Angie Mead has been put on the back burner. This isn’t the first time “life” has interfered with forward motion on a writing project. What’s also holding me back is that this novella is (for now, anyway), written from a...

What’s Cooking Wednesday – Polish Lasagna

My writing buddy, Karla Brandenburg shared this recipe for what was called a Pierogi Casserole, but she dubbed in Polish Lasagna

Polish Lasagna  

Ingredients:

5 potatoes, peeled and cubed
c milk
c butter, melted
pound bacon, diced (can substitute sliced kielbasa)
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
of a 16 oz package lasagna noodles
2 c shredded Cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Sour cream
Chopped fresh chives

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place th...

Character Interview – R. Franklin James’ Rebecca Hollis Morgan Lynley

Thanks for allowing me to interview  you today, Rebecca. First, a few introductory questions:

Your name:  Rebecca Hollis Morgan Lynley
The book you’re in: The Bell Tolls
Your author’s name:  R. Franklin James
Your role: Protagonist

And now, on with the interview:

What was your favorite part of being a character in this book?
The author wrote the storyline for The Bell Tolls to be more emotionally draining for me than her previous books. I hate people who take advantage of others. This time th...

Writing Series – Words of Wisdom From Experts

We’ve had some serious internet outages, and I’ve got company this week, so I’m rerunning a post that first ran way back in 2012, after a workshop panel on writing series at the Pike’s Peak Writers Conference. There, I had the pleasure of meeting and having dinner with Robert Crais. Can you say fan girl moments?

At the conference, I was especially interested in the panel on writing series. The authors on the panel were Carrie Vaughn, Jeffery Deaver, Joe Lansdale and Robert Crais.

These author...

Self Editing Tip – Another Way to Listen to Your Manuscript

Today, I’ve got a Self-Editing Tip – Another Way to Listen to Your Manuscript.

Any author wants to present the best possible product, which requires a lot of editing. Even if you’ve got professional editors, whether hired by you or provided by a publisher, before you shove your baby out the door, you need to take responsibility for the book.
I’ve offered tips on reading hard copies printed in columns and a different font to fool the eye. I’ve talked about reading it aloud to pick up “clunkers...