Terry Odell's Blog, page 145
March 22, 2016
In the Interview Room – Barbara Donlon Bradley
Today I welcome Barbara Donlon Bradley to Terry’s Place. From time travel to SF/Futuristic erotic romances, with over sixteen titles to her name, Barbara Donlon Bradley has proven she loves to write.
What’s your biggest distraction when you should be writing?
Goodness, everything. Facebook, games on my phone, TV, my family – Have I left anything out?
Plotter or Pantser?
I am a pantser. I get a thrill letting the characters take control and tell me the story. It’s always worked for me.
Setting...
March 21, 2016
SleuthFest Recap 7 – C.J. Box
Before I start, in case you didn’t see my weekend post, I’m going to be giving away ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) of my second Triple-D Ranch romantic suspense, In Deep Trouble. Read more here.
Author C.J. Box was the keynote speaker at one of the SleuthFest luncheons, and I’m sharing some highlights of his talk. As always, any errors are mine.
Box said he did not get practical experience in creative writing classes, so he took the journalism route.
He found there were no books written about...
March 19, 2016
ARCs of In Deep Trouble Available
Would you like a digital ARC of In Deep Trouble? Keep reading for details.
Authors, especially indie authors, live and die by reviews. I’ve mentioned it before, but this graphic sums it up—it’s focused on Amazon, but the same principles apply to all ebook sales channels.
According to my sales numbers, my new release, In Hot Water, has a respectable number of sales, but very few of those who bought the book (buying doesn’t mean reading, and I understand the TBR pile), took the time to share...
March 18, 2016
Friday Field Trip – San Francisco to Muir Woods
After two days in the big city, this rural convert needed to find something green. I booked a tour to Muir Woods through the hotel and enjoyed being dwarfed by the giant redwoods.
On the way, we stopped to look back over the bay.
And, despite the bad lighting, an obligatory shot of the Golden Gate Bridge
And, this is the Lone Sailor Memorial
After this brief stop, it was on to the woods.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
March 17, 2016
SleuthFest Recap 6 – Writing Suspense
Before getting started with today’s post, have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Not Irish? Does it matter? That’s my “Let’s Talk” topic at Booklover’s Bench this week, and I’m giving away a copy of Nowhere to Hide. Graham Harrigan, the hero, is Irish-American. And the cover is green! Hop over for a chance to win.
And now, on to our regularly scheduled post. As always errors are mine.
Another workshop I attended at SleuthFest was Burning Daylight, Managing Suspense, presented by Laurence P. O’Bryan,...
March 16, 2016
What’s Cooking Wednesday – Irish Whiskey Cake
With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, I thought I’d rerun this recipe from my daughter who lives in Northern Ireland. It first appeared at my old blog, several years ago, so it might be new to many ofyou.
Irish Whiskey Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
6 T each: Irish whiskey, milk
1 c raisins
c packed dark brown sugar
stick (1/4 c) butter
c vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 t baking soda
t baking powder
1/4 t each: salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg
1 c flour
c chopped pecans
Whiskey syrup:
c water
c sug...
March 15, 2016
In the Interview Room – Robert Weibezahl
Today I welcome Robert Weibezahl to Terry’s Place. Robert is a the author of the Billy Winnetka mystery series.
What’s your biggest distraction when you should be writing?
Hands down, Facebook and the Internet in general. I often bemoan the fact that the main tool of my writing life—the computer—is also the main distraction. It is hard to walk away. I suppose I should turn off the screens and write on yellow legal pads, but that is not going to happen.
Plotter or Pantser?
A little of both. Si...
March 14, 2016
SleuthFest Recap 5 Black Ops Terminology
Here’s some terminology I didn’t have room for in last Thursday’s post. These are from Leo J. Maloney who did the Black Ops presentation. The terms below are some of the ones used when he was an active operative. As writers, we’re always looking for the right jargon.
Cobbler – makes fake passports; shoes = passports
Wet job – where blood is shed.
Running errands – to find tails.
Burned – sacrificed by your own agency
Throwaway – an operative considered expendable.
HVT – high value target.
Fal...
March 10, 2016
Friday Field Trip – San Francisco
Continuing pictures from last December’s trip to San Francisco. Our hotel was in the Union Square area. On our first night, we went to the bar on the top floor (45th, I think) to have a drink ad admire the view.
From here, we could see Union Square and the ice skaters, so the next day, I set out to walk around.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
March 9, 2016
SleuthFest Recap 4 – Black Ops
Today’s SleuthFest recap is the presentation about Black Ops, given by Leo J. Maloney. He prefaced his remarks by saying there was a lot of stuff he couldn’t tell us, or elaborate on, so the information he presented was more general rather than specific assignments. Again, any errors in interpretation are mine. And again, much of this post is bullet point style straight from my notes.
Maloney was recruited out of the service. The qualities recruiters are looking for include:
above average int...
