Terry Odell's Blog, page 40
June 26, 2022
Evolution of an Opening
Openings are critical. If you’ve attracted a reader enough for them to read a sample of your book, you have to hook them right away. I thought I’d share my opening page for Cruising Undercover through several iterations.
I’m not a plotter, so my first iteration of a new book is for me more than the reader. I’m a character person, so I normally start with the protagonist. Let’s look at how the first approximately 300 words of Cruising Undercover started.
First round openin...
June 23, 2022
Let the Edits Begin
Waiting after sending the manuscript off to my editor always brings that fear that she’ll say, “Whatever were you THINKING when you wrote this?” So far, it hasn’t happened, but that doesn’t make the apprehension any less real. We’ve had some schedule-juggling, so a delay on her end didn’t keep the imposter syndrome from paying frequent visits. Neither did the fact that Cruising Undercover is a slight departure from my usual covert ops team. Would she think it was too far int...
June 22, 2022
Library Events, Craig Johnson, and Longmire
Setting up for the Author Showcase
I was at the Mountain of Authors/Author Showcase event on Saturday. It was quite a bit different from previous iterations, and I’ve recapped the event from both the ‘as an author’ and ‘as a reader’ sides over at The Kill Zone, since it’s my day to post.
Now Available for Pre-Order: Cruising Undercover
It’s supposed to be a simple assignment aboard a luxury yacht, but soon, he’s in over his head.
The post Library ...
June 19, 2022
Juneteenth
Image by Wynn Pointaux from PixabaySaturday, I had a full day at the Pike’s Peak Library.
Today is the official holiday for Juneteenth, and I’m taking the day off from blogging. If it’s a day off for you, too, use your time wisely.
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June 16, 2022
A Soft Opening for Cruising Undercover
I’ve assembled all my “stuff” for tomorrow’s library event. I’ll recap next week.
Now, as I mentioned last time, I’m doing a ‘soft opening’ for Cruising Undercover. I’ve put the book up for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and Kobo, as well as setting up the page at Books2Read. Some channels required a little more hoop-jumping than others, but within a day or two, all books were available for pre-order.
By ‘soft opening,’ I mean I’m not putting a...
June 14, 2022
Library Showcase of Authors
Library Showcase of Authors
The Pike’s Peak Library District is back with an in-person author event. Craig (Longmire) Johnson is the keynote speaker and thirty-something local authors have been invited to attend as part of their Showcase of Authors. I’m proud to have been chosen. It’s a chance to meet readers, chat about books, give away swag, and maybe sell a book or two.
If you’re anywhere near Colorado Springs, I hope you’ll drop by. Tell me you’re one of my blog readers, or mention any of m...
June 5, 2022
Using Images in Marketing
Using Images in Marketing
If I’m on schedule, I’ll finish my first complete round of edits for Cruising Undercover. today or tomorrow. My thoughts are leaning toward a pre-order release in early July, and the official release date in late August. Probably the 24th, in keeping with previous releases on my anniversary. It’ll be 53 years—egad. Where does the time go?
It’s time to consider marketing, a part of the process I’m not fond of. Last time, I mentioned the possibility of getting a book trai...
June 2, 2022
Tastes and Preferences, Trailers and Podcasts
One of the hardest things for me is to remember that I’m not “everyone” when it comes to what I like and don’t like, especially about 
marketing.
A friend of mine is working on podcasts. I’m not an auditory person; it’s hard for me to pay attention. Back in my college days, this meant taking copious notes which forced me to listen to the professors. Nowadays, I shy away from podcasts because my first “thing” is time. The first thing I look at when I’m...
May 31, 2022
Keeping Thing Clear for Readers
Keeping Thing Clear for Readers
When we’re writing, we want to keep things clear for our readers. It’s not just for authors. When we’re readers, we want things clear, too.
Most of the time, when I’m reading and come across an unfamiliar word or term, I use what we referred to as “Context Clues” when I was training Adult Literacy tutors. I don’t like stopping to look things up. (Or, frankly, I don’t really care enough to look up something I don’t understand.)
What creates confusion for readers? O...
May 29, 2022
Memorial Day 2022
A quick quiz:
Match the holiday with who we honor. Answers at the end of the post.
1. Memorial DayA. All who have served.2. Veteran’s DayB. Those currently serving.3. Armed Forces DayC. Those who fell in service.
Note that none of these have anything to do with stores having huge discounts on their merchandise.
Answers: : 1 C; 2 A 3 B
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