Terry Odell's Blog, page 97

Dealing With Edits – A Learning Experience

Dealing with edits can be a learning experience. It’s always fun to find out something new, and I’m not talking about rules of grammar (although that’s a good thing, too).

A good editor should know something about the subject matter of a book, although it’s impossible to know everything. However, if you write books where characters use firearms, it’s nice to have an editor who knows a Glock doesn’t have an external safety. Or, in one case, that a Glock is a firearm.

In looking over my editor...

WCW – Clean Out the Fridge Pasta

Clean Out the Fridge Pasta

Today’s recipe is one of those “use what’s on hand and adjust amounts accordingly” dishes. I’ll tell you what we used, but use whatever you have lying around, in whatever quantities make sense to you. There’s no right or wrong.

Clean Out the Fridge Pasta

For our version, I used:

Ingredients:
1 box penne pasta
Sausage, sliced (we had one chicken and apple sausage left over)
Mushrooms, chopped into quarters – size depends on how big your mushrooms are
Onion, diced
As...

Descriptions – Do They Add Depth or Slow the Pace?

Descriptions – do they add depth or slow the pace?

When I was visiting my mother last month, she asked me if I had any authors to recommend. The only stipulation was that her library carries them in large print. We browsed the shelves, and I pointed out a couple of authors I’ve enjoyed, and she check out a couple.

When I asked her how she was enjoying them, she said the book was okay, but she didn’t like that the author spent so much time on descriptions, so Mom skipped over them.

I’ve notice...

Preparing for a Book Release as an Indie Author

Preparing for a Book Release as an Indie Author

A book release if you’re with a traditional publisher, means the publisher sets a  date and will coordinate with several departments to put the book out there. As the author, you’re required to turn in your manuscript on time, and keep up with edits, but after that, it’s in someone else’s hands.

A book release as an indie author means you accept (or hire out) all the tasks that a publisher would undertake. As an example, my upcoming release, Fal...

WCW – Applesauce Drop Cookies

Today, I’m sharing a recipe for applesauce cookies. I posted it years ago, so some of you might be seeing it for the first time.

We haven’t been cooking a lot of new recipes recently (If anyone has a favorite of theirs they’d like to share, let me know using the contact form.)

This recipe came from a box of C&H brown sugar. I used to make it in a 13×9 pan as bar cookies (much easier than doing the cookie sheets and scooping dough) but I wasn’t sure how it would work up here at 9100 feet, so I...

Keep Readers Happy With White Space

Keep Readers Happy With White Space

I was reading a book recently, and although I usually read quickly, this one seemed to be taking much longer than my usual read time. I realized it was a very “dense” book. Pages and pages of lengthy paragraphs with very little relief for the eye. Numerous POV characters, and each was off by himself or herself for long stretches of time.

Our book club was supposed to read Hamilton as one of our summer reads, and despite its acclaim and best-seller status, m...

Falcon’s Prey – And a Real Life Coincidence

One recurring point that shows up throughout my series is that cops don’t like coincidences. And, as writers, relying on coincidences sends up red flags for readers. But sometimes, coincidences do happen.

But before I share my coincidence story, I’m excited that Kim Killion of The Killion Group has finished the cover for Falcon’s Prey. I’m looking at a June/July release date. If you haven’t started the series, Book 1, When Danger Calls is free. The book immediately before this one is Identity...

WCW – Hot and Sour Soup

I found this recipe for hot and sour soup, a favorite of ours when we go out, at Jeffrey Eisner’s Pressure Luck website. It uses the Instant Pot, but there’s no reason you can’t do this on top of the stove in a regular pot. I modified Jeffrey’s recipe slightly (very slightly) but you can find his original here. There are a lot of ingredients, but very little prep work. It’s basically a “throw it all into the pot” recipe.

Hot and Sour Soup

Ingredients:
8 cups of vegetable broth
1 T canola oil
...

What I Learned in My Year as an Edgar Judge

My Year as an Edgar Judge

I’ve judged contests for most of my writing career. Sometimes they’re for unpublished authors, sometimes for published ones. Some are for local writing groups, some are for bigger organizations. Over a year ago, I answered a call to be an Edgar Judge from the Mystery Writers of America.

The Edgars are the equivalent of the Oscars in the mystery writing world. I figured I’m a fast reader, I read and write mysteries, but I didn’t have high expectations of being selecte...

Giving Away Books

I’m over at Booklover’s Bench today, and I’ve got books to give away. Please stop by!

I was away visiting family and friends in conjunction with a trip to sign books at the LA Times Festival of Books. Being gone for a week, and most of the time spent off the grid, means I’m busy catching up.

Update on Falcon’s Prey, Book 8 in my Blackthorne, Inc. series:

While I was gone, I turned in my draft to my editor, and my cover artist is working on the cover. I’ll have more news as things unfold.

Mean...