Jeannie Kaye's Blog, page 3

Making Faces by Amy Harmon

So, I thought I'd start the day with a little book review. There are some great authors out there, weaving interesting stories together, and I'd like to shine the light on them from time to time.

Today, I want to share a story I loved, called Making Faces by Amy Harmon.
   
There are four relevant characters we follow throughout the story. We have Fern, the main character, an intelligent, sensitive late-bloomer, who has been considered unattractive all her life, and will still see herself in that light, even when she comes into her beauty. Then there's Rita, Fern's extremely beautiful, but simple-minded and shallow friend. We also have the wonderful character of Bailey, Fern's best friend, a boy with a worsening health condition.  And finally, Ambrose, the male protagnist, a hunky star wrestler, who's everyone's heartthrob.

The story jumps back and forth between present day and childhood for Fern. This can be confusing at first, but it begins to make sense as we watch her come to terms with her lot in life as the unattractive, unpopular redhead who will never have someone like Ambrose give her his time and attention. She focuses her attention on caring for her best friend, Bailey, who becomes wheelchair bound.

During the story, 9/11 happens. Ambrose goes to war. While he's gone, Fern blossoms into a beauty. Of course, she doesn't know this. Ambrose comes home broken, with scars he can't bear. Fern, who truly cares for people, hurts for Ambrose and wants to help him heal. Ambrose and Fern develop a friendship that will have you smiling and hoping more will come of it.

I loved this poignant story. There were moments of pain and sorrow that rip your heart out as well as lots of page turning moments that'll have you on the edge of your seat . Amy writes with her heart and soul. There's meaning here. It's deep, while at times funny, and cute.

I also enjoyed Amy's book, A Different Blue. Quite the plot twist in that one. I'll blog about it at some point.

You can find Making Faces on Amazon.

Blog Tour Excitement

Three days. In three short days my debut novel, Ever Locked, my first Indie Baby, will fly the coop. What does an author do in the days leading up to a release? Well, today, I'm focused in on one thing: Blog Tour Posts. 

Writing these is more fun than I thought it would be. 
What kind of blog posts am I creating? Well, I'm glad you asked. 

A few posts are on Writing Tips with examples from Ever Locked. 

I also created a Top Ten post that should be quite interesting for readers of Ever Locked, as it lists interesting true things found inside Ever Locked (Hint: Did I work at any of the places mentioned in the book? Was a character named after a childhood crush?) 

I'm creating Character interviews, deep thoughts on themes in the book and anything my Blog Tour Hosts want!

You'll enjoy reading these posts, so follow me to get links to them when I post them. Also, visit the websites of my Blog Tour hosts on my front page. 

Blog Tour Excitement

Three days. In three short days my debut novel, Ever Locked, my first Indie Baby, will fly the coop. What does an author do in the days leading up to a release? Well, today, I'm focused in on one thing: Blog Tour Posts.

Writing these is more fun than I thought it would be.
What kind of blog posts am I creating? Well, I'm glad you asked.

A few posts are on Writing Tips with examples from Ever Locked.

I also created a Top Ten post that should be quite interesting for readers of Ever Locked, as it lists interesting true things found inside Ever Locked (Hint: Did I work at any of the places mentioned in the book? Was a character named after a childhood crush?)

I'm creating Character interviews, deep thoughts on themes in the book and anything my Blog Tour Hosts want!

You'll enjoy reading these posts, so follow me to get links to them when I post them. Also, visit the websites of my Blog Tour hosts on my front page.

Blog Tour Neophyte

At first I was nervous and anxious and fretting and fearful and just plain full of angst about this thing called a Book Blog Tour. That's partly because I had no idea what the heck that was and what I was supposed to do. And the fact that I was in the midst of heavy duty edits on Ever Locked made things much worse, and much more worrisome. I had to write content? More content? I was drowning in content!!!! Well, only because I was drawing in edits, dealing with serial comma placement, overuse of concepts and redundant wording, deleting scenes and researching exactly what happens during a grand jury meeting. Alas, Ever Locked is complete and finished and done and finally uploaded to the publisher sites. So . . . it's TIME for the BLOG TOUR. And guess what? I'm excited! I love the idea of creating new content to compliment Iris's and Zo's and even Trip's worldview, experiences, interests and tastes. 


I'm giving a grand prize of one $80 Amazon Gift card to one winner. The link to enter for the prize will be found on the blogs I visit as a guest poster. So, stay tuned, sign up for my newsletter and keep up with my blog to find out where you can read my guest posts on the blog tour and how you can win $80 to spend at The Everything Store aka Amazon. 


Will you join me on the blog tour? I'd love to have you come along, comment on blogs and become part of this exciting journey!

Best Advice for Aspiring Novelists

Best Advice for Aspiring Novelists Start writing and write until it's finished. I know that sounds too simple. The problem is, most potential novelists don't follow that simple tip. Why? Here are a few reasons:

Don't Let Fear Handicap You

Many writers have a deep desire to write a book. To pen that novel. To get that story that skitters across the brain on paper (or computer). But, they just won't sit down and start writing. They're afraid. Fear of writing a bad book. Fear of failure. Fear of a multitude of things. Do not let fear rule you. You can't let your future be dictated by the voices of doubt. Tell fear to get lost. Sit down and start writing. What you write may not end up in your book. In fact, as you write you'll figure out things about your story and characters that you would never have discovered had you not started writing. Just start the story, even if you don't know all the details, even if you aren't sure of the ending. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't and probably won't be even be good (That's what the editing phase is all about, turning your story into something good). You need to get the story down. The story needs to be told. Even if you tell it badly, it must be told before you can fix it to make it better.

But that's not the only hangup. Some people start writing, but can't finish the story because of the discovery process.

Don't Edit Until You've Finished the Story

Your story will change right before your very eyes as you write. You'll realize that things you wrote earlier need to be revised. Conversations need to be added or deleted or changed. There needs to be a new character introduced in an earlier chapter. Someone needs to discover something later. Yes. You will have a lot you need to change as you write your story. But, don't do it. Don't change it yet. No! Write the rest of the story as its developing in your head. During the editing phase, you'll know your story well and will make all the necessary subtractions and additions as you revise. But if you ignore this advice and go back to rewrite all those scenes, you'll never finish the book to the end. The fact, some of those scenes will need to change again and again as your mind works out the plot and ending. But if you wait until you finish to revise, you'll have to do it once! One time. Not a million. Finish the book before you begin the revision. If your worried you'll forget something, jot it down. Write until the story is done, then you have written a book. A book that needs editing, but a full, complete novel nonetheless. And don't overedit while you write. That point deserves its own paragraph.

Turn Off Your Inner Editor

Put your personal perfectionist on silent. So many writers are slowed to a near standstill by the need to produce perfect writing in their first draft. Believe me. I have to continually force myself to leave my sentences alone and move on. It's so much effective to see the first draft for what it is - a draft. A ugly rough draft of something that will one day be a polished work of art.

In my first draft I might write:

The flowers he sent only reminded her of how much Trip had hurt her. The cycle of abuse. He hurt her, then sent flowers. They also reminded her of someone else. Someone who knew how to nurture flowers. How to take care of them and make them grow. 

Okay. So the information is put in. But it's not well written. It's just on paper. I'll move on and finish the story before I go back to revise.

In my revision, I'll make it better. Deeper:

Iris attempted a smile—a smile that most likely looked like an angry cat in a full-out hiss. She wrestled with her expression while Mom pulled out her phone and recorded the deluded moment. The truth pressed down like an eyeless oracle whispering taunts of future misfortune. Flowers, flowers everywhere. Fear and flowers. Bruises and baby’s breath. Peonies and punishment.
Peonies.
A melody of memories filtered through her mind of one who nurtured flowers to life—made them blossom and fill the world with beauty—a man who took care of fragile things.

The point is, just finish the book. Once you've completed the story, then you can polish it up. You don't polish a car before its built, do you? You don't paint the house before the walls are all in place. Do you decorate your Christmas tree before it's standing solidly in your living room? Nah. Same with books. Write until its finished, then make it beautiful.

Write What You Know

They say your novels should center around situations and other stuff you know well. I agree with that for the most part. Ever Locked takes place in Austin and Dallas, the two places I lived until I was 26 years old.

Also, there always seems to be a lawyer in all my books, or a legal situation. My husband's a corporate lawyer and used to be a litigator at a big Dallas firm. I know that stuff well.

Sometimes there's a corporation, business deals and that kind of thing. Also a gift from my husband's well of knowledge.

In one of my novels, I'll have a professional ballerina - knowledge courtesy of my oldest daughter. In fact, Iris was a ballerina in high school. That makes for a very sheltered, sub-culture-life that I know well, which explains her inexperience with relationships.

I've had football player children, my husband played baseball in college, my daughter was a competition gymnast. I have an extensive science and history background. My dad was an Texas oil man and a country boy. My mother is Hispanic, went to NYU and Harvard and is a retired school principal/administrator. I have a lot of training and knowledge in psychology and life coaching, as well as personal training (from being a certified personal trainer and by by being trained). My husband is the lawyer for an MLM.  I'm a homeschooler.

So, there'r a few things to draw from.

Obviously, as with every person on earth, I've experienced a lot of heartache and pain. Hardships, hurts, bad decisions, regrets, walked through the cancer road personally and with parents, one who died a few years ago. Much of that finds its way into my books.

But, another fun aspect of writing novels is researching things you don't know as much about, reading, interviewing people, watching movies and reading books. For example, Castle is going to be a super blackjack player. I'm not knowledgeable in that. But it'll be fun to find out.

If you write, or want to write, or just love to read, what are the things about which you have some special knowledge?

Ever Locked Ready for Pre Order on Amazon!

So . . . It's almost here and it's ready for Pre-Order!

One Beta Reader commented on how profound the message of forgiveness was to her when she read the book. It was explained in a way she'd never heard before and she was floored by how it resonated with truth.

That blessed me because though I share my heart concerning the incredible freedom that comes with forgiveness but it's very subtle in how it's woven into the fabric of the story. I never ever want to appear teachy in my novels. I just want to tell a powerful love story and sprinkle in the truths I've learned that lead to wholeness and the peace we all so desperately seek.

So, to know that the truths are reaching into the hearts of my readers thrills me beyond words.

Writer's Weekend

So me and my writer friend, cjoy allen, ran away this weekend. We snuck off to a beautiful house on the lake to work on our NaNoWriMo stories. 

Not only is it a thrill to write in such a beautiful environment with a fun writing buddy, but it's been so amazing how productive I've been. So much is happening with Trip and Castle. 

Castle has a history.  A past she doesn't want her perfect older sister to know about. She inadvertently tells everything to a stranger she met at a local hangout while gathering her nerve to see her sister for the first time in years. She'll never see him again. Why not just tell him everything. Every awful secret she'd kept under wraps for the last ten years? Stuff no one, well few, knew about. Maybe it would help to get it off her chest. Just say it out loud. Yeah. She did those things. She did what she had to do to survive. She wasn't proud of it. But she couldn't undo her past. Couldn't lament her choices. Didn't matter. This guy was a stranger. Didn't even live in California. She'd leave out names to protect the guilty and all, especially about Stellan. No, this guy didn't need to know the name of her ex. The man who became a pop music sensation with her songs. But . . . the problem is, this stranger turns out to be none other than Trip Dunnavin. 

When she realizes she swung open the doors to her skeleton-filled closet to Ella's friend, Trip . . . let's just say, she doesn't handle it with grace. 

Random Facts about Jeannie Kaye

Really Random Trivia about Jeannie Kaye
1. She once had a pet opossum that pooped all over her grandma's bed. She hid the evidence.
B. She's disorganized.
3. Her grandparents were friends with Bonnie and Clyde. They were forced to buy a fur coat from them in the middle of the depression.
4. She was born in Mexico, but doesn't speak a lick of Spanish. She does, however, understand Pig Latin perfectly.
5. She is a Certified Personal Trainer (Don't tell her rear end as it would really like a workout)
6. Her favorite food is chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and Texas gravy - comfort food from her home state.
7. She drinks three shots of espresso every single day. Usually in a latte she makes at home.
8. She started dating her husband the same month she turned 21. He was a law student at Baylor. She stood him up for their first date.
9.  She bites her nails.
10. She's 5'2". So, she towers over almost everyone . . . in a preschool setting. Almost.
11. She's ADHD but often forgets that fact, or loses it somewhere.
12. Her favorite book is Gone with the Wind. Scarlett endlessly irritates her. But she just loves, loves, loves Rhett Butler.
13. She has a lot of nutcrackers. Most are missing an arm or a sword.
14. Her favorite movie is the Count of Monte Cristo. It's the only movie she liked better than the book.
15. Her other favorite movie is Princess Bride. Why her husband doesn't like that movie, she'll never understand.

Beta Readers are on the Move

I sent my beta readers their copy of Ever Locked today. Can't wait to hear their impressions of my debut novel. So exciting and a little frightening.