Terry Odell's Blog, page 259
February 16, 2012
What's In A Title? Help Wanted
What I'm reading: The Lost (anthology--bike) by J.D. Robb, Patricia Gaffney, Mary Blayney, and Ruth Ryan Langan.
First – don't forget you have until tomorrow to leave a comment on Colleen Collins' Tuesday post to be entered in the drawing for a free copy of her book.
Also - I've got features for two different books today. FINDING SARAH is at Rock Bottom Reads , and DEADLY SECRETS is at Nook Lovers . I hope you'll point people that way.
A short while back, I asked for help with ideas for cover art and titles for my new Pine Hills book. I'm participating in a Barnes & Noble program, which means I have to have everything ready to go in early March. I've sent the preliminary ideas to my cover artist, and my editor is working on the manuscript. But I need a title NOW.
There were some good suggestions, both via the blog and sent to me via email. The monkey-wrench in the decision is that since the book is part of a series, the titles should have the same feel. Also, they should, if at all possible, work "visually" with the others.
I've created a short survey where you can vote for your favorite, or suggest one of your own. Although most have "Scott" in the title, it's not required. I hope you'll give me some feedback, because when you're publishing an indie title, you don't have the luxury of wandering down the hall to a meeting of a marketing department. OK, I can wander down the hall, but there's never anybody there but me when I try to hold a meeting.
Click here to take the survey
Thanks!
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
First – don't forget you have until tomorrow to leave a comment on Colleen Collins' Tuesday post to be entered in the drawing for a free copy of her book.
Also - I've got features for two different books today. FINDING SARAH is at Rock Bottom Reads , and DEADLY SECRETS is at Nook Lovers . I hope you'll point people that way.
A short while back, I asked for help with ideas for cover art and titles for my new Pine Hills book. I'm participating in a Barnes & Noble program, which means I have to have everything ready to go in early March. I've sent the preliminary ideas to my cover artist, and my editor is working on the manuscript. But I need a title NOW.
There were some good suggestions, both via the blog and sent to me via email. The monkey-wrench in the decision is that since the book is part of a series, the titles should have the same feel. Also, they should, if at all possible, work "visually" with the others.
I've created a short survey where you can vote for your favorite, or suggest one of your own. Although most have "Scott" in the title, it's not required. I hope you'll give me some feedback, because when you're publishing an indie title, you don't have the luxury of wandering down the hall to a meeting of a marketing department. OK, I can wander down the hall, but there's never anybody there but me when I try to hold a meeting.
Click here to take the survey
Thanks!
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
February 15, 2012
What's Cooking Wednesday - Spicy Aztec Chocolate Drops
What I'm reading: Taken, by Robert Crais
First, thanks to Colleen for sharing a great Valentine's Day post yesterday. Don't forget you can win her book by leaving a comment. You have until Friday to leave a comment, and remember to check back over the weekend to see if you won.
One of the things I'm planning with my new book, since the heroine is trying to open a new bakery, is to include recipes. Her shop is called Confections by Ashley, and if you're not all "chocolated" out after Valentine's Day, here's one of the recipes that will be in the book. And an unedited snippet to go with it.
"If it's all right, I need to get this batch of cookies going." Ashley gestured to the cooling rack where her earlier cookies waited. "Help yourself. Those are a new recipe, and I'd appreciate an outside opinion."
She scraped the softened butter into her mixer and began creaming it with the sugar, keeping an eye on Scott as he sampled one of her cookies. First, he broke the ball in two, studying the two halves. The chunk of bittersweet chocolate she'd placed inside the dough oozed enough to tempt, not enough to drip. He popped one half into his mouth.
He chewed, then his eyes widened. He coughed. "Whoa. These have some kick."
"Too much? I call them my spicy Aztec chocolate drops, and I've been playing with the amounts of cayenne and black peppers."
Were his eyes watering? She grabbed one from the rack and sampled it. The bittersweet richness of the chocolate and the sugary topping were rapidly replaced by a strong burn on her tongue. She strode to the fridge and got a carton of milk. Pouring two glasses, she said, "Definitely a bit heavy on the cayenne. Drink some of this, and if you're willing, try one of the others. It's a milder batch."
Like Ashley, you can adjust the recipe to suit your own tastes for heat. And here's the recipe. Credit goes to my brother, former pastry chef extraordinaire.
Spicy Aztec Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp finely ground coffee (or instant)
¼ tsp ground black pepper
⅛ tsp. cayenne (Note: this will give a warm aftertaste. If you want more of a kick, increase the cayenne, up to ¼ tsp.
½ cup cocoa powder
¾ cup softened unsalted butter
1 ¼ cup sugar, divided.
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, coffee, black pepper, cayenne & cocoa powder.
Cream the butter with 1 cup of the sugar until light. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
Resift the dry ingredients just until mixed. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Longer is fine.
When ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Put the remaining ¼ cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll a piece of the dough into a ball about the size of a walnut, and then roll in the sugar to coat. Place on the cookie sheet leaving about 1-inch between each ball.
Bake for eight minutes. They will appear to be underbaked.
Makes 35-40 cookies.
**Variation: when forming the balls of dough, make an indentation, place a piece of chocolate inside (several chocolate chips will work, or a good quality chocolate bar cut into pieces) and seal the dough around it before rolling in the sugar. Bake as above.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
First, thanks to Colleen for sharing a great Valentine's Day post yesterday. Don't forget you can win her book by leaving a comment. You have until Friday to leave a comment, and remember to check back over the weekend to see if you won.
One of the things I'm planning with my new book, since the heroine is trying to open a new bakery, is to include recipes. Her shop is called Confections by Ashley, and if you're not all "chocolated" out after Valentine's Day, here's one of the recipes that will be in the book. And an unedited snippet to go with it.
"If it's all right, I need to get this batch of cookies going." Ashley gestured to the cooling rack where her earlier cookies waited. "Help yourself. Those are a new recipe, and I'd appreciate an outside opinion."
She scraped the softened butter into her mixer and began creaming it with the sugar, keeping an eye on Scott as he sampled one of her cookies. First, he broke the ball in two, studying the two halves. The chunk of bittersweet chocolate she'd placed inside the dough oozed enough to tempt, not enough to drip. He popped one half into his mouth.
He chewed, then his eyes widened. He coughed. "Whoa. These have some kick."
"Too much? I call them my spicy Aztec chocolate drops, and I've been playing with the amounts of cayenne and black peppers."
Were his eyes watering? She grabbed one from the rack and sampled it. The bittersweet richness of the chocolate and the sugary topping were rapidly replaced by a strong burn on her tongue. She strode to the fridge and got a carton of milk. Pouring two glasses, she said, "Definitely a bit heavy on the cayenne. Drink some of this, and if you're willing, try one of the others. It's a milder batch."
Like Ashley, you can adjust the recipe to suit your own tastes for heat. And here's the recipe. Credit goes to my brother, former pastry chef extraordinaire.
Spicy Aztec Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp finely ground coffee (or instant)
¼ tsp ground black pepper
⅛ tsp. cayenne (Note: this will give a warm aftertaste. If you want more of a kick, increase the cayenne, up to ¼ tsp.
½ cup cocoa powder
¾ cup softened unsalted butter
1 ¼ cup sugar, divided.
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, coffee, black pepper, cayenne & cocoa powder.
Cream the butter with 1 cup of the sugar until light. Add the egg and vanilla and mix to combine.
Resift the dry ingredients just until mixed. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Longer is fine.
When ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350
Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Put the remaining ¼ cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll a piece of the dough into a ball about the size of a walnut, and then roll in the sugar to coat. Place on the cookie sheet leaving about 1-inch between each ball.
Bake for eight minutes. They will appear to be underbaked.
Makes 35-40 cookies.
**Variation: when forming the balls of dough, make an indentation, place a piece of chocolate inside (several chocolate chips will work, or a good quality chocolate bar cut into pieces) and seal the dough around it before rolling in the sugar. Bake as above.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
February 14, 2012
Lust, Ethics and the Private Eye
Today, when thoughts are turning to love, my guest is Colleen Collins who's going to share some ideas about the pros and cons of private investigators. Colleen is also going to give away TWO e-copies of her mystery novel, The Zen Man. Leave a comment by Friday, and you're entered in the drawing. You'll have to check back over the weekend to see if you're a winner, and how to claim your prize.
Being a private investigator as well as a writer, and that it's Valentine's Day, I thought it'd be interesting to discuss the pros and cons of private investigators and their chosen love interests. We read about these entanglements in stories all the time -- from Sam Spade falling into the sack with a wide variety of dames to private eyes conducting more serious affairs with police detectives, clients, even other PIs. Although there aren't always legal restrictions, there are often ethical ones in such romantic liaisons.
Let's first look at the implications of a private investigator getting involved with a law enforcement officer.
Romance with a Law Enforcement Officer
I recently finished a wonderful private eye novel by Jeff Shelby (Liquid Smoke) that features a private eye whose girlfriend is a police detective. Although the police-detective-girlfriend was interested in her boyfriend-PI's case, she knew better than to get overly involved because her participation in the case had the potential to undermine a legal proceeding. Besides, her department had already assigned other detectives (and the department, knowing about her involvement with the PI, had purposefully not assigned her to work the case as well).
Why were the department and girlfriend-detective being cautious? Because if a romantically involved PI and officer are on different sides of a case, and share--or even appear to share--case information, it can compromise the integrity of both the defense and the prosecution in the trial judge's eyes. More important, the defendant, after learning that the prosecution and defense investigators were bed partners, could file for a new trial.
Romance with a Client
Lawyers, physicians, accountants and psychologists cannot legally get involved with their clients because those professional-client relationships are interwoven with significant trust. However, in many jurisdictions, there is no legal ban forbidding a PI getting involved with a client.
Even without legal prohibitions, there are powerful reasons why a PI should scrupulously avoid romantic entanglements with clients. Probably the most critical reason is the PI's loss of professional objectivity. After all, clients hire PIs to make factual discoveries, not be advocates of their versions of events.
Additionally, when an attorney retains the services of a PI, the PI then becomes an agent of that law firm, and the PI's conduct is covered by the attorney's code of professional responsibility. If the PI were to get romantically involved with a client, the attorney could be viewed as authorizing the investigator's sexual misconduct with a client, and the attorney could easily lose his/her license.
But as Terry's Place has a large following of writers, let's chat a moment about several juicy plot implications of having a private eye getting steamy with a client:
- A DA could claim that the private eye was so involved with his/her client that information favorable to the client was manufactured or tampered with.
- If the DA claimed evidentiary fraud by the PI and it was supported with any evidence, that could result in the client losing his/her lawyer-client and PI-client communication privilege.
- As mentioned above, if the PI was working very closely with the lawyer, and at the same time sleeping with that lawyer's client, the lawyer could be held accountable for his employee's conduct, resulting in a severe penalty for the lawyer. If that PI is in a regulated state, the PI too could also be slapped with a license sanction for sexual misconduct.
Romance with a Fellow PI
There could be an ethical dilemma if PIs who are working opposite sides of a case get involved. Similar to a PI being involved with a law enforcement officer, lawyers and judges could challenge the integrity of evidence obtained by either PI. Also, both PIs' professional reputations would be subject to challenge because they lost objectivity and placed their hearts in front of their careers.
I'm married to my PI business partner, and we never accept work on opposites sides of a case. We either work on the same case, or we each work our own, independent cases.
My current novel, The Zen Man, features a protagonist private eye who must find the real killer within 30 days or face certain conviction for a murder he didn't commit. He conducts investigations with his girlfriend, which isn't a problem as they're both working the same case.
But they have another kind of problem being PIs in love. It seems whenever they have a romantic interlude, they're interrupted by work demands. Which sometimes happens to yours truly and her husband (we co-own an investigations agency). Tonight we're planning a Valentine's Day dinner at a romantic restaurant, but if (for example) we get a call that a critical witness we've been trying to interview is suddenly available, our romantic meal can become heated leftovers at midnight shared with our Rottweilers.
What do you think of these pros and cons? Leave a comment, be eligible to win a copy of The Zen Man.
Colleen Collins is a multi-published author and private investigator. Her current novel, The Zen Man, is available on Kindle and Nook .
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
Being a private investigator as well as a writer, and that it's Valentine's Day, I thought it'd be interesting to discuss the pros and cons of private investigators and their chosen love interests. We read about these entanglements in stories all the time -- from Sam Spade falling into the sack with a wide variety of dames to private eyes conducting more serious affairs with police detectives, clients, even other PIs. Although there aren't always legal restrictions, there are often ethical ones in such romantic liaisons.
Let's first look at the implications of a private investigator getting involved with a law enforcement officer.
Romance with a Law Enforcement Officer
I recently finished a wonderful private eye novel by Jeff Shelby (Liquid Smoke) that features a private eye whose girlfriend is a police detective. Although the police-detective-girlfriend was interested in her boyfriend-PI's case, she knew better than to get overly involved because her participation in the case had the potential to undermine a legal proceeding. Besides, her department had already assigned other detectives (and the department, knowing about her involvement with the PI, had purposefully not assigned her to work the case as well).
Why were the department and girlfriend-detective being cautious? Because if a romantically involved PI and officer are on different sides of a case, and share--or even appear to share--case information, it can compromise the integrity of both the defense and the prosecution in the trial judge's eyes. More important, the defendant, after learning that the prosecution and defense investigators were bed partners, could file for a new trial.
Romance with a Client
Lawyers, physicians, accountants and psychologists cannot legally get involved with their clients because those professional-client relationships are interwoven with significant trust. However, in many jurisdictions, there is no legal ban forbidding a PI getting involved with a client.
Even without legal prohibitions, there are powerful reasons why a PI should scrupulously avoid romantic entanglements with clients. Probably the most critical reason is the PI's loss of professional objectivity. After all, clients hire PIs to make factual discoveries, not be advocates of their versions of events.
Additionally, when an attorney retains the services of a PI, the PI then becomes an agent of that law firm, and the PI's conduct is covered by the attorney's code of professional responsibility. If the PI were to get romantically involved with a client, the attorney could be viewed as authorizing the investigator's sexual misconduct with a client, and the attorney could easily lose his/her license.
But as Terry's Place has a large following of writers, let's chat a moment about several juicy plot implications of having a private eye getting steamy with a client:
- A DA could claim that the private eye was so involved with his/her client that information favorable to the client was manufactured or tampered with.
- If the DA claimed evidentiary fraud by the PI and it was supported with any evidence, that could result in the client losing his/her lawyer-client and PI-client communication privilege.
- As mentioned above, if the PI was working very closely with the lawyer, and at the same time sleeping with that lawyer's client, the lawyer could be held accountable for his employee's conduct, resulting in a severe penalty for the lawyer. If that PI is in a regulated state, the PI too could also be slapped with a license sanction for sexual misconduct.
Romance with a Fellow PI
There could be an ethical dilemma if PIs who are working opposite sides of a case get involved. Similar to a PI being involved with a law enforcement officer, lawyers and judges could challenge the integrity of evidence obtained by either PI. Also, both PIs' professional reputations would be subject to challenge because they lost objectivity and placed their hearts in front of their careers.
I'm married to my PI business partner, and we never accept work on opposites sides of a case. We either work on the same case, or we each work our own, independent cases.
My current novel, The Zen Man, features a protagonist private eye who must find the real killer within 30 days or face certain conviction for a murder he didn't commit. He conducts investigations with his girlfriend, which isn't a problem as they're both working the same case.
But they have another kind of problem being PIs in love. It seems whenever they have a romantic interlude, they're interrupted by work demands. Which sometimes happens to yours truly and her husband (we co-own an investigations agency). Tonight we're planning a Valentine's Day dinner at a romantic restaurant, but if (for example) we get a call that a critical witness we've been trying to interview is suddenly available, our romantic meal can become heated leftovers at midnight shared with our Rottweilers.
What do you think of these pros and cons? Leave a comment, be eligible to win a copy of The Zen Man.
Colleen Collins is a multi-published author and private investigator. Her current novel, The Zen Man, is available on Kindle and Nook .
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
February 13, 2012
A True Prince Holds Your Purse
What I'm reading: Contest #8 of 8; Space in his Heart, by Roxanne St. Claire.
A brief promo moment. I've just made Deadly Secrets available in print, for those who prefer that format. You can buy it here . And, there's another outlet for Danger in Deer Ridge as well. You can find it here
Also, for you, my loyal blog readers, I'm giving you advance notice that I'm opening up guest slots for April - June. If you'd like a slot, check the sidebar.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and while the media bombards us with ways to spend money to prove our love, I think most of us would rather have it spread out over time, and not be a budget breaker. I've spoken many times about why a Swiss Army Knife was one of the most romantic gifts I've ever received. And why I wasn't "offended" at the electronic tire pressure gauge I got one year. The first showed that Hubster had actually listened to me, and I wasn't even talking to him at the time. The second showed that he's concerned for my safety. (And as proof, I think he used it a LOT more than I did to make sure my tires were okay.)
When I was at the Emerald City conference, Sarah Wendell (more widely known for her "Smart Bitches" blog) gave everyone a copy of her book, "Everything I Know About Love I Learned from Romance Novels." One section struck a deep chord, and I'm reprinting it with her permission.
"As an article in the Boston Globe in October 2009 by oncologist Robin Schoenthaler stated, the ideal man is not the one with the biggest bank account or the extreme sports habit, but is the man who will hold your purse in the cancer clinic:"
Dr. Schoenthaler wrote:
I became acquainted with what I've come to call great 'purse partners' at a cancer clinic in Waltham. Everyday these husbands drove their wives in for their radiation treatments, and every day these couples sat side by side in the waiting room, without much fuss and without much chitchat. Each wife, when her name was called, would stand, take a breath, and hand her purse over to her husband. Then she'd disappear into the recesses of the radiation room, leaving behind a stony-faced man holding what was typically a white vinyl pocketbook. On his lap. The guy—usually retired from the trades, a grandfather a dozen times over, a Sox fan since date of conception—sat there silently with that purse. He didn't read, he didn't talk, he just sat there with the knowledge that twenty feet away technologists were preparing to program an unimaginably complicated X-ray machine and aim it at the mother of his kids. I'd walk by and catch him staring into space, holding hard onto the pocketbook, his big gnarled knuckles clamped around the clasp, and think, "What a prince."
Have a happy Valentine's Day, everyone. May you find your own prince.
Tomorrow, my guest, author and private investigator Colleen Collins, will be talking about Lust, Ethics, and the PI.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
A brief promo moment. I've just made Deadly Secrets available in print, for those who prefer that format. You can buy it here . And, there's another outlet for Danger in Deer Ridge as well. You can find it here
Also, for you, my loyal blog readers, I'm giving you advance notice that I'm opening up guest slots for April - June. If you'd like a slot, check the sidebar.
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and while the media bombards us with ways to spend money to prove our love, I think most of us would rather have it spread out over time, and not be a budget breaker. I've spoken many times about why a Swiss Army Knife was one of the most romantic gifts I've ever received. And why I wasn't "offended" at the electronic tire pressure gauge I got one year. The first showed that Hubster had actually listened to me, and I wasn't even talking to him at the time. The second showed that he's concerned for my safety. (And as proof, I think he used it a LOT more than I did to make sure my tires were okay.)When I was at the Emerald City conference, Sarah Wendell (more widely known for her "Smart Bitches" blog) gave everyone a copy of her book, "Everything I Know About Love I Learned from Romance Novels." One section struck a deep chord, and I'm reprinting it with her permission.
"As an article in the Boston Globe in October 2009 by oncologist Robin Schoenthaler stated, the ideal man is not the one with the biggest bank account or the extreme sports habit, but is the man who will hold your purse in the cancer clinic:"
Dr. Schoenthaler wrote:
I became acquainted with what I've come to call great 'purse partners' at a cancer clinic in Waltham. Everyday these husbands drove their wives in for their radiation treatments, and every day these couples sat side by side in the waiting room, without much fuss and without much chitchat. Each wife, when her name was called, would stand, take a breath, and hand her purse over to her husband. Then she'd disappear into the recesses of the radiation room, leaving behind a stony-faced man holding what was typically a white vinyl pocketbook. On his lap. The guy—usually retired from the trades, a grandfather a dozen times over, a Sox fan since date of conception—sat there silently with that purse. He didn't read, he didn't talk, he just sat there with the knowledge that twenty feet away technologists were preparing to program an unimaginably complicated X-ray machine and aim it at the mother of his kids. I'd walk by and catch him staring into space, holding hard onto the pocketbook, his big gnarled knuckles clamped around the clasp, and think, "What a prince."
Have a happy Valentine's Day, everyone. May you find your own prince.
Tomorrow, my guest, author and private investigator Colleen Collins, will be talking about Lust, Ethics, and the PI.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
February 10, 2012
Friday Field Trip - Merritt Island Refuge
Jason led a photography class to Florida. As expected, he got some great shots. Enjoy!
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
February 9, 2012
Watch Your Back...Story
What I'm reading: Contest entry #7 of 8
I've been reading books for a contest lately. A fair number of the books I've been given are part of a series, or at least connected books, which is the most common in romance. This means they'll have characters who have appeared in previous books, but aren't the "stars" of this one.
Most of what I write falls into this category. The only exception is Hidden Fire, which is a true sequel to Finding Sarah. Randy and Sarah are the protagonists of both books. On the other hand, the new book (still untitled, but I'm working on it. Ideas still welcome!) is set in the same town, with many of the characters readers met in the first two books, but the hero and heroine are brand new. They've never appeared before. This is unusual in series/connected romance books, too. (Have I ever mentioned that I didn't know the "rules" when I wrote Finding Sarah and Hidden Fire, so I didn't really set things up for a series.)
I did take one secondary character from Finding Sarah and give her a book of her own, but then when I got the rights back and switched publishers, I had to sever her ties to Pine Hills. So, although Colleen from Nowhere to Hide actually started out in Pine Hills, through the magic of fiction, she sprang forth with a new place of origin. (If I decide to request the rights back, I just might change the book and give her back her history with Randy and Sarah.)
My Blackthorne, Inc. series falls into the "connected book" category. By the time I started writing them, I'd learned enough about the genre to know I needed to keep my options open. Thus, readers meet Dalton in When Danger Calls, but he's secondary to Ryan, the hero. In Where Danger Hides, Dalton gets his own book, and in the upcoming Rooted in Danger, it'll be Fozzie's turn. Danger in Deer Ridge features Grinch, who created a few problems because I inadvertently mentioned that he had a kid in When Danger Calls, so I had to work with that.
But back to the books I've read for the contest. Some of the authors handle the requisite back story very well, and although I'm meeting characters who have already had their stories told in other books, their history doesn't intrude. In other cases, the author stops the forward motion of the book to explain who everyone is, and gives the reader all sorts of information about what happened to them in "their" books.
Of the two approaches, I'm definitely on the "don't tell me if I don't need to know" side of the fence. Sometimes the cast of characters gets huge, especially in an ongoing series, and authors use the "family gathering" technique to put everyone on the page. That makes me want to stop reading. A reader has enough trouble figuring out who the main players are, and we don't need the supporting cast in chapter one. Or two. Or even three.
If you're writing a series, my personal advice would be to ask yourself the same questions you should be asking yourself every time you deal with back story.
1. Does the reader need to know this?
2. Does the reader need to know this NOW?
As far as I'm concerned, if you're bringing in characters from a previous book, telling me Sam walked in with his wife, Judy is plenty. I don't need to know how they met, or that he rescued her from terrorists, or that she's a chocoholic. SHOW me when it becomes important. Does Judy freak out when a large, tattooed man approaches her. If so, then that's when you can mention it (or, better yet, have Sam explain it to someone else).
I've read books by well-known authors who have told me so much about what happened in book 1 while I'm reading book 2, that I have absolutely no desire to go back and read the first book, because I already know what's going to happen.
It's a constant struggle for me, regardless of whether I'm writing a true series (I hope to write the second Mapleton Mystery), or connected books. To further complicate things, I decided to release Danger in Deer Ridge BEFORE Rooted in Danger came out. This meant readers were actually reading book 4. Since Grinch is the hero of Danger in Deer Ridge, I had to make sure I didn't reveal much of what happened to Grinch before that book without giving readers a feeling that they've missed something.
How do you feel about series books? Do you read out of order? What are your preferences for handling back story, as a reader and/or a writer?
Want to go to Florida? Come back tomorrow. Jason was there last week, and he's got some more great nature shots.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
I've been reading books for a contest lately. A fair number of the books I've been given are part of a series, or at least connected books, which is the most common in romance. This means they'll have characters who have appeared in previous books, but aren't the "stars" of this one.Most of what I write falls into this category. The only exception is Hidden Fire, which is a true sequel to Finding Sarah. Randy and Sarah are the protagonists of both books. On the other hand, the new book (still untitled, but I'm working on it. Ideas still welcome!) is set in the same town, with many of the characters readers met in the first two books, but the hero and heroine are brand new. They've never appeared before. This is unusual in series/connected romance books, too. (Have I ever mentioned that I didn't know the "rules" when I wrote Finding Sarah and Hidden Fire, so I didn't really set things up for a series.)
I did take one secondary character from Finding Sarah and give her a book of her own, but then when I got the rights back and switched publishers, I had to sever her ties to Pine Hills. So, although Colleen from Nowhere to Hide actually started out in Pine Hills, through the magic of fiction, she sprang forth with a new place of origin. (If I decide to request the rights back, I just might change the book and give her back her history with Randy and Sarah.)
My Blackthorne, Inc. series falls into the "connected book" category. By the time I started writing them, I'd learned enough about the genre to know I needed to keep my options open. Thus, readers meet Dalton in When Danger Calls, but he's secondary to Ryan, the hero. In Where Danger Hides, Dalton gets his own book, and in the upcoming Rooted in Danger, it'll be Fozzie's turn. Danger in Deer Ridge features Grinch, who created a few problems because I inadvertently mentioned that he had a kid in When Danger Calls, so I had to work with that.
But back to the books I've read for the contest. Some of the authors handle the requisite back story very well, and although I'm meeting characters who have already had their stories told in other books, their history doesn't intrude. In other cases, the author stops the forward motion of the book to explain who everyone is, and gives the reader all sorts of information about what happened to them in "their" books.
Of the two approaches, I'm definitely on the "don't tell me if I don't need to know" side of the fence. Sometimes the cast of characters gets huge, especially in an ongoing series, and authors use the "family gathering" technique to put everyone on the page. That makes me want to stop reading. A reader has enough trouble figuring out who the main players are, and we don't need the supporting cast in chapter one. Or two. Or even three.
If you're writing a series, my personal advice would be to ask yourself the same questions you should be asking yourself every time you deal with back story.
1. Does the reader need to know this?
2. Does the reader need to know this NOW?
As far as I'm concerned, if you're bringing in characters from a previous book, telling me Sam walked in with his wife, Judy is plenty. I don't need to know how they met, or that he rescued her from terrorists, or that she's a chocoholic. SHOW me when it becomes important. Does Judy freak out when a large, tattooed man approaches her. If so, then that's when you can mention it (or, better yet, have Sam explain it to someone else).
I've read books by well-known authors who have told me so much about what happened in book 1 while I'm reading book 2, that I have absolutely no desire to go back and read the first book, because I already know what's going to happen.
It's a constant struggle for me, regardless of whether I'm writing a true series (I hope to write the second Mapleton Mystery), or connected books. To further complicate things, I decided to release Danger in Deer Ridge BEFORE Rooted in Danger came out. This meant readers were actually reading book 4. Since Grinch is the hero of Danger in Deer Ridge, I had to make sure I didn't reveal much of what happened to Grinch before that book without giving readers a feeling that they've missed something.
How do you feel about series books? Do you read out of order? What are your preferences for handling back story, as a reader and/or a writer?
Want to go to Florida? Come back tomorrow. Jason was there last week, and he's got some more great nature shots.
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February 8, 2012
What's Cooking Wednesday - Oven BBQ Pork
What I'm reading: Liars, Cheaters and Thieves, by L.J. Sellers
Thanks to Rebecca J. Clark for yesterday's post. I hope we're all treating ourselves more kindly.
I found this recipe under the label of a pork butt (which is really a shoulder of the pig, not the actual "butt"—but who cares?). I'd originally had other plans for the meat, but this looked worth a try. I'm glad I did. I did alter the cooking somewhat, but what else is new?
Oven BBQ Pork
Ingredients:
1 pork shoulder butt roast or fresh picnic shoulder, ~ 8 pounds (serves 12-10)
3 T brown sugar
3 T paprika (I used 2 T 'regular' and 1 T smoked)
1 ½ t salt
1 ½ T ground black pepper
1 ½ T garlic powder
½ c Dijon mustard.
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. (If you're using a smaller cut of meat, you can probably use less of the rub, saving it for another time)
Pat roast dry and place on rack in a baking pan. (Note: I was going to do this in my crock pot, which has a rack, but it was too big. I don't have a rack—or a fancy roasting pan for that matter—so I quartered 3 onions and set them in the bottom of my 13 x 9 inch baking pan, which I'd lined with foil. The onions act as a rack, and impart some good flavors to the meat. If I'd had carrots on hand, I'd probably have put some of them in as well.)
Sprinkle top and sides of roast with additional salt. Brush half the mustard over the roast, then sprinkle half the rub on top. Turn the meat over and do the same thing on the other side.
Wrap the meat tightly in the foil, then place on the lowest rack in the oven and bake at 275 degrees about 8 hours. When it's fork tender, pull the meat apart using 2 forks, and put it back into the juices. The longer it cooks, the more tender it should get.
What I changed: The original recipe didn't say anything about wrapping the meat in foil. It also said bake at 250 for 9-11 hours, but I didn't get going early enough, and I've found slightly higher temperatures seem to work better up here. The recipe also said to let the meat rest for 1 hour before pulling it, but I didn't have time for that, and it seemed just fine. It makes a LOT if you use a whole shoulder/butt, so I divvied it up and froze leftovers to enjoy again.
It's definitely a Hubster-proclaimed keeper.
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Thanks to Rebecca J. Clark for yesterday's post. I hope we're all treating ourselves more kindly.
I found this recipe under the label of a pork butt (which is really a shoulder of the pig, not the actual "butt"—but who cares?). I'd originally had other plans for the meat, but this looked worth a try. I'm glad I did. I did alter the cooking somewhat, but what else is new?
Oven BBQ Pork
Ingredients:
1 pork shoulder butt roast or fresh picnic shoulder, ~ 8 pounds (serves 12-10)
3 T brown sugar
3 T paprika (I used 2 T 'regular' and 1 T smoked)
1 ½ t salt
1 ½ T ground black pepper
1 ½ T garlic powder
½ c Dijon mustard.
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. (If you're using a smaller cut of meat, you can probably use less of the rub, saving it for another time)
Pat roast dry and place on rack in a baking pan. (Note: I was going to do this in my crock pot, which has a rack, but it was too big. I don't have a rack—or a fancy roasting pan for that matter—so I quartered 3 onions and set them in the bottom of my 13 x 9 inch baking pan, which I'd lined with foil. The onions act as a rack, and impart some good flavors to the meat. If I'd had carrots on hand, I'd probably have put some of them in as well.)
Sprinkle top and sides of roast with additional salt. Brush half the mustard over the roast, then sprinkle half the rub on top. Turn the meat over and do the same thing on the other side.
Wrap the meat tightly in the foil, then place on the lowest rack in the oven and bake at 275 degrees about 8 hours. When it's fork tender, pull the meat apart using 2 forks, and put it back into the juices. The longer it cooks, the more tender it should get.
What I changed: The original recipe didn't say anything about wrapping the meat in foil. It also said bake at 250 for 9-11 hours, but I didn't get going early enough, and I've found slightly higher temperatures seem to work better up here. The recipe also said to let the meat rest for 1 hour before pulling it, but I didn't have time for that, and it seemed just fine. It makes a LOT if you use a whole shoulder/butt, so I divvied it up and froze leftovers to enjoy again.
It's definitely a Hubster-proclaimed keeper.
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February 7, 2012
Be Kind to Yourself
Today I welcome romance author, Rebecca J. Clark. Rebecca's second novel, Her One-Night Prince, is available now, and her next book, Deliver the Moon, releases in June.
Because it's the new year and because I'm a personal trainer when I'm not writing, I've been doing a lot of talking and reading about goal-setting lately. I'm reading a fabulous book, PUSH by Chalene Johnson. She maintains that the best goals will be waylaid by negative self talk.
I think many of us spend far too much time every day saying mean things to ourselves. "You're too fat." "You're too thin." (Okay, I've never said THAT to myself). "You suck as a writer." "You'll never be able to finish this book." Etc, etc.
Would you ever speak that way to your best friend? I don't think so. Would you ever tolerate anyone speaking that way to your children or to you? I don't think so. So why do you tolerate it from yourself?
Imagine a coach saying this to her team: "You guys suck. I can't believe you can call yourselves soccer players. The other team is WAY better than you. You'll be lucky to score a single goal." What are the chances of this team winning? Slim to none. If their coach doesn't believe in them, why should they believe in themselves?
Now imagine telling yourself, "Yes, I can do this! I believe in myself. I've achieved goals in the past and I'm going to achieve them again." Make a list of all the things you've accomplished in your life, big and small. Refer to that list whenever you have doubts, or whenever those negative voices start whispering or yelling in your head.
Remember: You are your coach. What you say to yourself affects you way more than what others can say to you. So, do me a favor. Be a better coach. Say positive things to yourself. Build yourself up. Give yourself a pep talk.
Now, go win that game!
You can learn more about Rebecca at her website . Her newest book is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
Because it's the new year and because I'm a personal trainer when I'm not writing, I've been doing a lot of talking and reading about goal-setting lately. I'm reading a fabulous book, PUSH by Chalene Johnson. She maintains that the best goals will be waylaid by negative self talk.
I think many of us spend far too much time every day saying mean things to ourselves. "You're too fat." "You're too thin." (Okay, I've never said THAT to myself). "You suck as a writer." "You'll never be able to finish this book." Etc, etc.
Would you ever speak that way to your best friend? I don't think so. Would you ever tolerate anyone speaking that way to your children or to you? I don't think so. So why do you tolerate it from yourself?
Imagine a coach saying this to her team: "You guys suck. I can't believe you can call yourselves soccer players. The other team is WAY better than you. You'll be lucky to score a single goal." What are the chances of this team winning? Slim to none. If their coach doesn't believe in them, why should they believe in themselves?
Now imagine telling yourself, "Yes, I can do this! I believe in myself. I've achieved goals in the past and I'm going to achieve them again." Make a list of all the things you've accomplished in your life, big and small. Refer to that list whenever you have doubts, or whenever those negative voices start whispering or yelling in your head.
Remember: You are your coach. What you say to yourself affects you way more than what others can say to you. So, do me a favor. Be a better coach. Say positive things to yourself. Build yourself up. Give yourself a pep talk.
Now, go win that game!
You can learn more about Rebecca at her website . Her newest book is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
February 6, 2012
Welcome to the Art Department
What I'm reading: Man Law, by Adrienne Giordano (Nook); Explosive Eighteen, by Janet Evanovich (Library) Contest book #6 of 8
First – check the sidebar and/or the Deals and Steals tab. Amazon has cut the price of WHERE DANGER HIDES in half. Don't know why, don't know for how long. But it's definitely a bargain price for a hard cover.
The manuscript for my third Pine Hills Police book is done. At least my part for round one. It's now in the hands of my editor. Because the book is the third in a previously published series, I knew there would be no chance that a traditional publisher would want to pick it up, so it's an Indie job from start to finish.
Now, if I did have a traditional publisher, at this point, they'd be working on a cover. They'd be deciding whether my working title actually worked. There might be some give and take, but ultimately, those decisions are theirs.
But I have to be my own marketing department, and my own art department. With a publisher, I'd have filled out a cover request form summarizing the plot, describing the characters, suggesting "looks" I liked or didn't like. Then, some time down the road, they'd send me the image and say, "This is your cover." And, for the record, it's unusual for them to make changes unless they've spelled your name wrong, or you can convince them that your book is set in Oregon, and cactus on the cover won't work.
However, even though I'm hiring an editor and a cover artist, I still bear most of the responsibility. I need to choose the final title, and point my cover artist in the right direction.
So, I'm begging groveling asking for some help. Here are the issues.
1. The book is part of a series. Both title and cover have to "fit" with the other 3.
2. The most workable images don't fit the character whose story it is…not by much, but it's still a "his" book. However, with the perfect "hers" title, I can see it going the other way very easily. (I've already written the final scene twice—once in his POV, once in hers!)
So, how about a little brainstorming? I laid out the basics of the book last week, but here they are again.
Against her parents' advice, Ashley has split with her unsupportive fiancé and moved to Pine Hills to start up her dream business: Confections by Ashley. The bakery is under construction, and there have been countless setbacks, which she's not sure can all be attributed to the work crew, which she thinks of as the Klutz Brigade. A dead body found on the premises doesn't help, especially when the cops think she has a motive for doing the killing.
Scott, a county sheriff homicide detective has quit his job after a traumatic case—one that screams "failure" to him, although others consider him a hero. He has to deal with his injuries, post-traumatic stress, and being able to accept that he's not a cop anymore. He's always been defined by his job. He accepts a civilian job with the Pine Hills Police Department, and is having trouble figuring out how he fits in.
Of course, since it's a romantic suspense (or, my preferred "Mystery With Relationships"), Scott and Ashley will hook up and have to deal with helping each other. He thinks Ashley, his new neighbor, is innocent, but when he's asked to help the detectives with the investigation, he has to decide if he wants to be a cop or a protective boyfriend.
Titles? My working title is "Scott Free" which plays on the theme that he has to accept who he is now in order to move forward with his life.
Cover images? Something with chocolate is the easier choice, but it doesn't really fit if it's Scott's book, especially if the title is "Scott Free." On the chocolate side, brownies, hot cocoa and doughnuts come into play. On the cop side, it's more abstract--a cop rediscovering life. Darkness and light could be themes.
Leave your suggestions in the comments, and there's a mention in the book's acknowledgements if I use either your title or cover suggestion. And, of course, you'll get a copy of the book.
Tomorrow, my guest is author Rebecca J. Clark. Please come back.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
First – check the sidebar and/or the Deals and Steals tab. Amazon has cut the price of WHERE DANGER HIDES in half. Don't know why, don't know for how long. But it's definitely a bargain price for a hard cover.
The manuscript for my third Pine Hills Police book is done. At least my part for round one. It's now in the hands of my editor. Because the book is the third in a previously published series, I knew there would be no chance that a traditional publisher would want to pick it up, so it's an Indie job from start to finish.
Now, if I did have a traditional publisher, at this point, they'd be working on a cover. They'd be deciding whether my working title actually worked. There might be some give and take, but ultimately, those decisions are theirs.
But I have to be my own marketing department, and my own art department. With a publisher, I'd have filled out a cover request form summarizing the plot, describing the characters, suggesting "looks" I liked or didn't like. Then, some time down the road, they'd send me the image and say, "This is your cover." And, for the record, it's unusual for them to make changes unless they've spelled your name wrong, or you can convince them that your book is set in Oregon, and cactus on the cover won't work.
However, even though I'm hiring an editor and a cover artist, I still bear most of the responsibility. I need to choose the final title, and point my cover artist in the right direction.
So, I'm begging groveling asking for some help. Here are the issues.
1. The book is part of a series. Both title and cover have to "fit" with the other 3.
2. The most workable images don't fit the character whose story it is…not by much, but it's still a "his" book. However, with the perfect "hers" title, I can see it going the other way very easily. (I've already written the final scene twice—once in his POV, once in hers!)
So, how about a little brainstorming? I laid out the basics of the book last week, but here they are again.
Against her parents' advice, Ashley has split with her unsupportive fiancé and moved to Pine Hills to start up her dream business: Confections by Ashley. The bakery is under construction, and there have been countless setbacks, which she's not sure can all be attributed to the work crew, which she thinks of as the Klutz Brigade. A dead body found on the premises doesn't help, especially when the cops think she has a motive for doing the killing.
Scott, a county sheriff homicide detective has quit his job after a traumatic case—one that screams "failure" to him, although others consider him a hero. He has to deal with his injuries, post-traumatic stress, and being able to accept that he's not a cop anymore. He's always been defined by his job. He accepts a civilian job with the Pine Hills Police Department, and is having trouble figuring out how he fits in.
Of course, since it's a romantic suspense (or, my preferred "Mystery With Relationships"), Scott and Ashley will hook up and have to deal with helping each other. He thinks Ashley, his new neighbor, is innocent, but when he's asked to help the detectives with the investigation, he has to decide if he wants to be a cop or a protective boyfriend.
Titles? My working title is "Scott Free" which plays on the theme that he has to accept who he is now in order to move forward with his life.
Cover images? Something with chocolate is the easier choice, but it doesn't really fit if it's Scott's book, especially if the title is "Scott Free." On the chocolate side, brownies, hot cocoa and doughnuts come into play. On the cop side, it's more abstract--a cop rediscovering life. Darkness and light could be themes.
Leave your suggestions in the comments, and there's a mention in the book's acknowledgements if I use either your title or cover suggestion. And, of course, you'll get a copy of the book.
Tomorrow, my guest is author Rebecca J. Clark. Please come back.
Like this post? Please share by clicking one of the links below.
February 3, 2012
Life is a First Draft
Hop on over to "
Life is a First Draft
" blog where I'm part of Rebecca J Clark's "Friday Firsts"
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