Terry Odell's Blog, page 98

Naming Those Characters – Think of Your Readers

Character names can be a challenge. I’ve been out of town visiting my mother in conjunction with the LA Times Festival of Books and we were talking about books, both reading (her) and writing (me).

One of the comments she made was about character names, saying she didn’t like it when authors used the same initial letters for several characters because she gets confused. I agreed and showed her my spreadsheet which helps me make sure I don’t get into a common fixation with a few letters of the...

Off to the LA Times Festival of Books

I’m heading out to the LA Times Festival of Books this week.

I was thrilled to be invited to sign my books at the Sisters in Crime booth at the LA Times Festival of Books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ll have a limited number of copies of When Danger Calls, Deadly Secrets, and Identity Crisis.

I’ll be at the Sisters in Crime LA booth, # 367 from 1 to 2 PM on Saturday, April 21st. This is my first time doing such a major event (and I’m extending my stay to include a visit with family), so I’m excited, even...

Who Likes Conference Swag?

Who Likes Conference Swag?

Most conferences have tables set up for giveaways from authors. The go-to item is usually bookmarks, but there are the occasional “extras” like chapter books, pens, lip balm, postcards. Left Coast Crime was no exception.

I also went to their “Speed Dating” session, where authors moved from table to table, each given one minute to pitch their wares. All of them had something to give away. My favorite (not a surprise to anyone who knows me) was the chocolate.

I have a...

WCW – Horseradish Deviled Eggs

One of the top five reasons I love my Instant Pot is that I can make easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs. This year, I made this horseradish deviled eggs variation for our Passover dinner.

Horseradish Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and halved lengthwise
c mayonnaise
1 –  2 T horseradish
t dried dill
t dried ground mustard
salt and white pepper, to taste
Paprika

Instructions:
Scoop the yolks from the eggs into a medium bowl (or a food processor)
Add the mayo, horseradish, di...

Left Coast Crime Recap 4 – The Villain

Left Coast Crime – Recap 4 – The Villain

I’m covering my notes from 2 Left Coast Crime panels in today’s post about villains. If you missed the previous posts, Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, and Part 3 is here.

The panel on villains started with a bang—figuratively, of course—with a discussion of bombs. With recipes and bomb ingredients easily obtained from the internet, everyone has access to making a bomb. Someone who sets a bomb has the mindset of being willing to blow up people at rand...

Guest Blogging at Southern Writers

Southern Writers is running an article I wrote about letting Word read your manuscript today. I hope you’ll pop over. Leaving a comment would be even nicer so I don’t feel all alone.

 

The post Guest Blogging at Southern Writers appeared first on Terry Odell.

30 Days of Giveaways

30 Days of Giveaways

I was honored with long-time author friend, Nancy Robards Thompson, invited me to help celebrate the publication of her 30th book with Harlequin. She’s having a party with a new author and book feature every day for 30 days on her Facebook page.

Today, April 5th, there’s a contest to win a copy of my Triple-D Ranch romantic suspense, In Hot Water. You can enter here.

The post 30 Days of Giveaways appeared first on Terry Odell.

WCW – Creole Potato Salad

I had the pleasure of meeting author Sheila Sobel at Left Coast Crime, and she was kind enough to share this recipe for Creole Potato Salad.

Ingredients:
2 lb Yukon gold potatoes
c diced sweet onion
c diced celery
c diced red bell pepper (reserve 1 T for garnish)
2 T cider vinegar
1 t sugar
c Creole mustard
c mayonnaise
c sour cream
t salt
Cajun seasoning

Instructions:
Place potatoes in lightly salted water to cover in a large pot. Bring to boil on high heat.
Reduce heat to low; simme...

Left Coast Crime Recap 3 – Dialogue, Plotters and Pantsers

Dialogue, Plotters, and Pantsers

I’m covering my notes from 2 Left Coast Crime panels in today’s post. If you missed the previous posts, Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

Panel 1

Dialogue

Panelists ranged from an author of 13th century medieval England to one writing about contemporary Texas.

Dialogue is important because it reveals the personality of the characters. However, it’s selective, not realistic. It sounds like speech, but is ruthlessly compressed.

One topic touched upon was writin...

Left Coast Crime Recap 2 – 3-Dimensional Characters

Left Coast Crime Recap 2 – 3 Dimensional Characters

I’m continuing my recaps of panels I found interesting at Left Coast Crime. You can find Recap 1 here.

 

The first question posed to the panelists was “What is a 3 Dimensional Character?”

Responses included:

The character feels real, there’s a sense of depth, is believable. An example of a 3 dimensional character was Kinsey Millhone.

Readers will keep learning more about the character as the book (or series) continues.

Characters should be f...