Terry Odell's Blog, page 72
February 28, 2020
Friday Giveaway
I have another Out of Print copies of Nowhere to Hide, published by The Wild Rose Press, copyright 2009. That’s this week’s prize. Enter by 4 PM Mountain Time March 5th.
**There seem to be some glitches on the Rafflecopter end. If the contest is still spinning, just leave an entry in the comments and I’ll add it to the hat.
Congratulations to last week’s winner, Connie H. W.
The fine print:
No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years of age or older. Physical...
February 25, 2020
Story Speed Bumps
Story Speed Bumps
Once you start writing, someone told me years ago, you’ll never be able to read a book the same way again. I’ve found that to be annoyingly true.
The internal editor refuses to shut up.
I’m currently reading a traditionally published book. It’s gotten excellent reviews, and the story line has me interested. However, I keep getting pulled out of the story. Story speed bumps. Things I know are wrong—using blood splatter instead of spatter. Things I question. Can a character...
February 23, 2020
Release Day for Deadly Fun
Excited that Deadly Fun drops today. (I learned that’s ‘writerspeak’ for Release Day.)
Don’t have your copy yet? You can get one from any of the sales channels here. It’s also available in paperback from Amazon.
And in case you haven’t heard, I share my royalties with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for the first 30 days of sales.
Early reviewers have this to say:
“I loved this book. This was a wonderfully crafted story. I...
February 20, 2020
Friday Giveaway
This Friday’s Giveaway
In a more or less futile attempt to organize bookshelves, I came across an ARC from the original Five Star edition of Rooted in Danger. I’ll autograph it and send it to one lucky winner. US only, please.
Congratulations to last week’s winner, Susan B., who won a first-edition proof of Deadly Secrets.
Rooted in Danger was a finalist in the romantic suspense category in the Award of Excellence contest held by the Colorado Romance Writers in 2013.
February 18, 2020
Who’s the New Kid?
Who’s the New Kid?
I want to announce that I’m honored to be a regular contributor over at The Kill Zone blog. I’ve been reading the blog for years, and the invitation to join their ranks came as a total surprise.
And a major attack of Imposter Syndrome. From where I sit, the Kill Zone contributors are all Big Authors. I mean, look at their banner. See what it says? Top Thriller and Mystery Writers.
Joining their ranks? Wow. Heck. I’ve taken writing workshops from a lot of their members. I...
February 16, 2020
Conflict Doesn’t Have to be Combat
Conflict Doesn’t Have to be Combat
As I embark into my next writing venture, it seems as though I have to remember to take my own advice. Most of the time, I don’t have a lot of trouble keeping my research off the page, because I research as I go. When I need to know something, I look it up or ask my contacts and colleagues for help.
This book is set in the British Isles, where I vacationed last year. My characters will be taking a similar tour, and I find that it’s all too easy to relate all...
February 13, 2020
Friday Giveaway
Congratulations to last week’s winner, Martha L., who won a collectible edition of Nowhere to Hide.
This week’s giveaway:
An autographed proof copy of the first edition of Deadly Secrets. Note: this edition contains the original bedroom scene with what, as a romance writer, I considered about half a page of very mild foreplay. However, mystery readers let me know they didn’t want to see any “sex” on the page, so that scene was omitted in the next edition. Use your own...
February 11, 2020
A Simple Guide to Character Naming
A Simple Guide to Character Naming
I’m starting a new book, one that’s not connected to any of my current series, and one of the first issues that crops up for me is there have to be characters and those characters have to have names.
I’d picked a name for my male protagonist, and then while I was going through the final proofing of Deadly Fun, I realized I had a recurring character with the same first name. Different book, different series, but I thought it would be wiser to change it....
February 9, 2020
Doing Your Homework
Doing Your Homework
You Know is something you’ve probably heard since you had the first thoughts of writing. But what if what you “know” is boring? What if you’ve never suffered for your art? I prefer to think of it as “Write What You Learn.”
I’ve never been a police officer, a covert ops field agent, owned a gift shop, or run a cooking school. But I can look things up, find sources to help. While there’s some expectation that a reader will suspend disbelief, you shouldn’t push things too...
February 6, 2020
Another Friday Giveaway
I found Out of Print copies of Nowhere to Hide, published by The Wild Rose Press, copyright 2009. That’s this week’s prize. Enter by 6 PM Mountain Time February 13th.
The fine print:
No purchase necessary. You must be 18 years of age or older. Physical prizes to US residents only. Winners will be chosen by Rafflecopter from all entrants for the prize. Winners will be notified by email. The author is not responsible for transmission failures, computer glitches or...
