Terry Odell's Blog, page 225
July 29, 2013
In the Interview Room — Mike Befeler
Today I welcome Mike Befeler to Terry’s Place. Mike is the author of the Paul Jacobson Geezer-lit Mystery Series and the recently released paranormal mystery, The V V Agency.
Plotter or Pantser?
Hybrid. I start with a basic outline but then see where the story will go, and I’m always surprised. Sometimes I know at the outset who the murderer is in my mysteries and sometimes I write along and wait to see what I discover. That’s the fun part of writing a mystery. I need to have some structure but...
July 28, 2013
ThrillerFest Recap 4 — Michael Connelly
First: Fellow Booklover’s Bench authors Joanna Campbell Slan and Carol White are celebrating recent prestigious contest wins by thanking readers via a giveaway at Booklover’s Bench . Pop on over and see their news, then click the Contest tab to enter to win their books. Contratulations, Joanna and Carol!
Continuing with my recaps of ThrillerFest 13:
During the CraftFest portion of ThrillerFest, Michael Connelly did a presentation on...
July 25, 2013
Friday Field Trip — Grand Central Market
CraftFest ended mid-day on Thursday and segued into AgentFest, which I wasn’t interested in, so I took advantage of the short break to explore Grand Central Station. I’d been there the night I arrived, with my cousin who took the train in from Westchester County, and we enjoyed lobster at the Oyster Bar Restaurant, but there wasn’t time for exploring. Making sure I knew which entrance I’d used so I could retrace my steps back to the hotel (which is next door, but I get lost in elevators), I f...
July 24, 2013
What’s a Thriller?
It’s my turn at The Blood-Red Pencil again this week, and I’m continuing talking about ThrillerFest with a look at the genres of mystery, suspense, and thrillers.
A few reminders — there’s still time to download a free copy of Where Danger Hides, with the request for an honest review. 5 reviewers will be eligible to win a print copy of the book.
If you’re a newsletter subscriber, tomorrow is the deadline to enter the “subscribers only” contest. Prize...
July 23, 2013
What’s Cooking Wednesday — Chicken Quinoa Salad
Here’s a very versatile recipe–you can swap out a lot of the ingredients to customize it. I love quinoa, but I’ll bet a lot of you haven’t heard of it. If you want to learn more, about it. But you can substitute lots of other ingredients, as noted in the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 c. quinoa (or rice, or small pasta such as orzo)
½ c. currants (or raisins, dried cranberries, or a mixture of any dried fruits)
½ c. toasted pine nuts
¼ c. fresh basil
1 c. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic,...
July 22, 2013
In the Interview Room — Maggie Toussaint
Today I welcome author Maggie Toussaint to Terry’s Place. Maggie blends mystery and suspense in her books, and she’s published ten books.
Setting: real, totally made up, or based on a real place?
I need to see and walk in the settings I use in my books to write about them most effectively. I’ve heard from readers that my settings are characters in themselves.
What’s on your desk?
Everything. Seriously. It may break soon. I have to dig down to the wood soon.
Do you read books more than once?
Yes, I...
July 21, 2013
CraftFest Workshop Highlights
Today I’ll recap high points of three workshops I took as part of CraftFest.
I attended a session on handling back story given by Karen Dionne. She started out by telling us that a story requires that something happen; otherwise, it’s a vignette. We need to get the conflict onto the page immediately. Before the end of the first chapter, readers need to know the story problem(s) and something about the charact...
July 20, 2013
Box Of Books Giveaway
As promised, once I reached 1500 Likes to my Facebook page, I had a contest to win a box of books. And keep those “likes” coming — I’ll have another box to give away when I hit 2000. The Winner of this contest was Deanna. Thanks to all who entered.
The fine print:
No purchase necessary. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. Due to legal and postage issues, this contest is open to US residents only. Entrants agree to be added to the author’s newsletter mailing list.
July 18, 2013
Friday Field Trip — Carhenge
Jason’s back with Deborah Sandidge, and they’ve got some great stuff to share. Here’s what he has to say about them:
While Deborah and I were on the long road from Colorado to South Dakota, we noticed a sign for “Carhenge” as we entered the small town of Alliance, Nebraska. Since we were making good time, we figured we’d make the side trip and check it out for a few minutes. Our “short stop” turned into almost two hours, as the moving clouds were amazing to watch. While Carhenge certainly isn’...
July 17, 2013
Newsletters and 2 New Covers
I’m at the Blood-Red Pencil blog today, talking about newsletters. Please stop by. And speaking of newsletters—if you’re one of my subscribers, you had a sneak peek at the new covers for the digital editions of When Danger Calls and Where Danger Hides. But I’m happy to share them with everyone now. (If you are a newsletter subscriber, I hope you opened the newsletter and entered the contest. Fellow Booklover’s Bench authors ha...
