Terry Odell's Blog, page 88

My Best to You for a Happy 2019

Wishing everyone a very Happy 2019. May you be safe, healthy and meet all your goals.
What’s new from me for 2019?

I decided to release my Mapleton Mystery Novellas as a set, and they’re ready for pre-order now. Release date is February 12th. A shortcut to all buy links is here.

The set includes Deadly Places, Deadly Engagement, and Deadly Assumptions. I’m also contracting with Steve “Captain” Marvel to narrate the set for audio. He did a great job with the Mapleton novels, and I know he’ll s...

Christmas at our House

Once again, I’m sharing our family’s Christmas tradition

 

 

It’s Christmas Day, and it’s time for my annual “what do we do on Christmas?” post.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

See you on the flip side — 2019!

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Editing: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Chapter 14

Editing: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Chapter 14

Last time, I talked about major surgery on the manuscript in the first round of edits. In addition to finding scenes that aren’t pulling their weight, sometimes you find the dreaded Continuity Error. As I’m reading, I’m also looking at the “when” for each scene. Admittedly, I’ve become lax in my tracking as I write, and I have no excuse beyond laziness.

At any rate, as I was reading, my characters had stopped for lunch in Chapter 13, a...

Editing: When a Red Herring Becomes a Whale Shark

Editing: When a Red Herring Becomes a Whale Shark

I’ve been working on editing my next Blackthorne, Inc. novel. Editing is a multi-step process. Some parts are fun, others are tedious and boring. For me, the first pass is my favorite. I’ve mentioned that I print a hard copy, formatted in columns and in a different font, which makes the book look fresh. I take my printouts to my chair where I have a notepad, pens, a highlighter, and sticky notes. This read is a major surgery pass—analyzing sce...

What’s Cooking Wednesday – Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

I bought myself an immersion blender, and this recipe was included, although I’ve made a few modifications. We love garlic, but you might prefer to cut back since the recipe called for garlic, garlic salt, and garlic powder.

Ingredients:
2 cups cherry tomatoes
3 T olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
yellow onion, diced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 t garlic salt
1 t garlic powder
3 c chicken broth (or vegetable for a vegetarian version)
S&P
2 T fresh ba...

Beta Reader Openings

Beta Reader Openings

My next action-adventure romantic suspense novel, Blackthorne, Inc. #9, tentatively titled “Distress Factors” is in need of beta readers. Beta readers get a draft of the book, not an ARC or a review copy. What I’m looking for is a balance of people who have read the others in the series, and those who haven’t. The Blackthorne, Inc. books are all connected, but I want each to stand on its own.

I’m NOT looking for proofreaders; I’m looking for overall impressions of the sto...

Preorder The Blackthorne Inc. Novels, Volume 2

The Blackthorne Novels – Boxed Sets

I decided to put the second boxed set of Blackthorne, Inc. Novels up for preorder. On sale date is January 7th, but if you preorder, you don’t have to remember the date. It’ll show up on your e-reader of choice on January 7th. Buying the bundle will save you $5 over the individual book prices. Buy both volumes and save $12.

All buying options for Volume 1 are here.

For Volume 2, click here.

The second set of Blackthorne Inc. novels is ready for preorder....

The End is Just the Beginning.

The End is Just the Beginning.

I typed “The End” on the first draft of my 9th Blackthorne, Inc. novel last week. It came in at just over 100,000 words, which is “normal” for my first drafts. It’s also longer than I want it to be, but tightening is part of the process. Each word needs to earn its bit of real estate on the page, and I know I’ll be cutting a lot of unnecessary deadwood.

After celebrating reaching “The End” with a bottle of bubbly (shared with The Hubster, of course), and taking...

My Eighth Gift to You

My Eighth Gift to you is a FREE Smashwords Download of The Blackthorne, Inc. Novels, Volume 1. You get three books in one – When Danger Calls, Where Danger Hides, and Rooted in Danger.Don’t wait. Offer expires December 16th. Use code TG28S at checkout.

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My Seventh Gift to You

My seventh gift to you is a short story set in my Pine Hills Police universe. Who says characters aren’t real!

Click on the image above or the link below to get your gift.

Seventh Gift Short Story

 

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