Sample Sunday Once More

Tell Me A Story

Well it's Sunday again, and on Sundays, writers on twitter, hold out a sample of their work for readers to check. Here is mine for this week, a look at stories available in Short Moments - a collection of 10 Heartwarming Short Stories.

Broken Promises

An iron bed in the corner of the upstairs room, food on the table, water drawn from a tap instead of hauled from the well, a window looking towards the sierra. What more could she want.
Sun poured down the barren hills like molten gold. Though early morning, it scorched everything in its path. August was always hot. Delia pulled the lace of her widow’s black around her shoulders as protection from the sun, and went out into the tiny square with its dry fountain, and single gnarled olive. She had sufficient to make life comfortable so what gave her the right to feel like this?

Broken Promises, a heartwarming story of expectation, a chronicle of disappointments and final redemption.

Stronger Than Pride.

A retired Englishman, Juanita from Spain, and teenager Megan; what a tangled web of life. What would his son say? What had that bitch, Juanita, already said? Had he the right to intrude on Megan’s young life?

Set in Spain, this heartwarming story explores the improbable relationship between two strangers who grow inexplicably together.

Colour Her Grey

Gina let herself into her flat. The noise from the flat above made it sound as if the ceiling was coming through, and there was that dreadful stink of curry again. It was becoming more like a Bombay whorehouse every day. A knock on the door startled her and when she opened it, one of the bimbos stood there. The tall one, the one who ought to be locked away, all legs, tits and arse.
There was no way that Gina was going to get involved with the neighbours… and yet… 

Everything is in Hand

The doorbell rang. Francine was in bed. Kevin had left for work, but she was snatching an extra half hour to make up for the previous night. Friends had been over for drinks and nibbles. Evening became night, night became morning, and still it went on.
They’d talked about art. Francine painted; in fact, she actually sold paintings and made a modest income from them. As far as their friends were concerned, she was an expert, and she’d been on a roll. Her soapbox had been well and truly tweaked. Now she wished it hadn’t….

Francine thinks she’s been lumbered with all the problems in the world, until the acid-tongued old lady from up the street refuses to take no for an answer. This heartwarming story will have you smiling.

Out Of The Gloom

As kids, they were afraid of Jenny Wren. She’d shout and wave a stick if they played near her house. Because they were afraid, they played there all the more to show they weren’t.
Jenny was squat, and as far back as Chloe could remember, always wore black, in contrast to the grey hair that was mostly screwed into a bun, but which sometimes hung in thin straggles.
 
Chloe was perhaps still a little scared of Jenny Wren. She wanted to dispel those childhood dreads, and despite so many easier options, she had intentionally, though foolishly, ended up with Jenny Wren. 

People There Catch Monkeys
“You don’t need a bank balance to give love.” Cathy’s voice was decidedly wobbly. Suddenly she pulled herself away and fled from the house. Why the hell couldn’t she just tell him and be done with.
She ran to the car, reversed it hard from the drive then hit the brakes making the wheels screech. She sat staring at the dark outline of the house for a while. A faint smell of rubber drifted from the tyres and Cathy grimaced. Spitting rain clung to the windscreen making starlets in the glare from the houselights.

Cathy ought to have explained, yet the time never seemed to be right. When would it be right? How much more could she take?

Shelley’s Shock

Shelley found her way back into the house and sank onto the settee. She couldn’t stop shaking.
Eventually the tears came but they did nothing to stop the fury. She felt consumed. Truth can be a terrible thing when you confront it.
That bitch was stealing her man; stealing him from under her nose! How dare she? Yet, how could Shelley compete? She wasn’t glamorous, she didn’t do excitement, and there wasn't an ounce of grandeur in her.
She couldn’t let him see this terrible hurt though. No! She couldn’t let Alex and that woman have one of their long chats about how upset they’d made her. Alex was a daft old fool and deserved to be treated as such .

Child's Play

James was in the garden, stooped over a small cutting he'd recently planted, picking at the odd weed or two that had recently appeared, whistling low to himself as he did so.
The mist-softened braes of Balquhidder ran to gold in the early September sun. He looked part of the land and Emily was glad of him for it, there was no denying it, but enough was enough.
James McIntire straightened with a wince and held his hand to his back. Emily clicked her tongue. He seemed to be troubled with it more of late. She was sure gardening wasn't helping. The trouble was he'd spent more time than ever there since he'd retired.

Sometimes a woman has to use guile to get a man to do what’s right….

Great Aunt Elvira’s Last Laugh

I thought it was ugly. The thing is it was huge. I’m no judge but I know what I like and this thing was grotesque. I suppose I was the first to see it because Maria’s taken to confiding in me. I reckon it’s because we’re in a similar boat, what with her husband, Juan, and my wife Celia passing away a couple of years ago, but in any case I’ve known her forever; we’re good friends.
Word spread all over Calpe, and people made excuses to visit Maria so they could see it for themselves. It became the talk of the club. Some thought it was Roman; some that it was Chinese, and that a mandarin had it specially made. A rather important-looking gentleman was sent from the Town Hall to check in case it was a Spanish artefact dredged from the salt lakes, but it wasn’t.

This is a heartwarming story about relationships and trust. When Great Aunt Elvira died, her bequest to her favourite niece, Maria, was a huge vase that turned out to be worthless, whilst Maria’s less-than-caring cousin had a beautiful piece of furniture. It hardly seemed fair…

Red Rose for a Lady

The woman behind the counter in the florist’s was nice. Not stunning, not gorgeous, not a contender for glamorous grandmother, but pleasant on the eye all the same.
Arthur was embarrassed about buying flowers, but her smile made him feel at ease. She tried to make him feel comfortable, and he was grateful for it. He wondered if the smile meant she felt sorry for him, or was it because she was a similar age to him – an affinity of generation if you like.
She probably thought a man of his years ought to be long past embarrassment, but he’d always been the same. If he was honest he’d probably got worse since Liz passed away.
“Would you like a card with the bouquet?” she asked pleasantly.
He must have nodded because she selected one from the pile and handed it to him without further ado.

Arthur’s little trick at the office worked fine until unexpectedly, it twisted out of control. A heartwarming story with an unexpected end.

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How to Create a Successful Viral Marketing Campaign for Your Novel

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Most authors despair of book promotion and marketing. It is the blight of a writer's life. I hope this post by Barry A. Densa will help drive away some of that despair and put it all in perspective.

How to Create a Successful Viral Marketing Campaign

January 24, 2011 By Barry Densa 5 Comments

On the “Ask a Question” marketing page on LinkedIn.com I often see the following question: How can I make my go viral on the web?

It could be a website selling weight loss pajamas … an eBook on fractal theory … a copywriting home-study course … or anything else the marketer wants to promote.

Of course, what the marketer is really asking is: How do I get my valuable, clever, entertaining message about my product to spread like a virus across the web – so I can make LOTS of MONEY FAST?

Viral Marketing is to Marketers What Immediate Gratification is to Consumers

Everyone wants what they want – NOW!

Fat people want a skinny pill. Skinny people want a muscle pill. Poor people want a get-rich-quick pill. And flacid male people want a blue pill from Pfizer.

And marketers want to wake up in the morning and see six zeroes added to their PayPal account overnight.

Blame it on YouTube

Whether it was a video of an embarrassing, unlikely yet subsequently wildly talented performer on a TV talent show … or an awe-inspiring video of dung beetles doing it to the beat of Eminem … which then spread virulently across the web from one person to another by text, chat, email, Facebook, Twitter, phone call or over-the-shoulder viewing on a Blackberry in the office – marketers quickly realized that viral is the new, best, must-have marketing pill!

So how do you create an emotionally and intellectually appealing promotion guaranteed to garner a gazillion views within 24 hours of it being uploaded to the web, and quickly make its creator RICH?

How do you harness the wind?

Viral by Any Other Name Would Still be…

… Engaging, stimulating, mass appealing, and ultimately ineffable!

The problem is: How does anyone know how or when the unruly, fickle and transcendent zeitgeist – or just your target market – will react to any statement, opinion, proposition, expression or product you proffer?

As a book, Harry Potter went viral. As a movie, Avatar went viral. As a marketing methodology, Mass Control went viral.

No doubt they were in the right place at the right time to strike a perfectly pitched note that resonated wide and far.

So will every fantasy novel, alien movie or marketing platform go viral – even if theme and content are duplicated exactly? Of course not.

If Harry Potter, Avatar, and Mass Control had been released one or two years earlier, or later – would they have had the same effect, the same appeal if the political, economic, or social landscape had been different?

And what if the same story line or marketing message had been crafted and delivered by someone else – not J.K, Rowling, James Cameron or Frank Kern – would they still have been a success?

If you fall in love with a blonde, tall, athletic, tanned, funny and intelligent woman, or man – will you fall in love with each and every person who looks and acts exactly that way, too?

When you gaze into your lover’s eyes – will you ever see, can you ever feel, ever be enraptured in that same way by the eyes of another person just because they may be brown or blue and almond shaped, too?

What makes a joke hysterically funny when told by one comedian and flat and stupid when told by another?

What can be taught? What can be learned? What can be patented?

The 3 Guardians of Viral’s Holy Grail

If you’re a marketer, three indispensable components must be present if your marketing message and your product will ever be disseminated at anything close to viral speed.

• One, you must have a quality product – one that eminently satisfies a proven and measurable need or hunger. It must have value beyond its price.

• Two, your marketing platform and creative has to match and cater to the personality and sensibilities of your target market. You must understand them, speak like them and walk some distance in their shoes. You must have a passion to help, not to just make money.

• Three, your target market has to be clearly defined and approachable. It can be delineated by gender, age, income or any other demographic or psychographic attribute, singularly or in combination, so long as they communicate with one another and can be reached initially by you. A communication network must be in place.

And the degree to which those three criteria are met, will determine the light speed and the distance at which your message and product will travel.

Concentrate on one component to the exclusion or the diminution of the other two will effectively produce a crashing and forgettable thud rather than a viral, self-perpetuating marketing bang.

Unfortunately, most marketers who ask: How can I make my go viral on the web … just want a magic pill that requires no effort, much less an understanding of what works and what doesn’t.

What they have yet to understand is that in the marketing world, going viral, as in getting big-buck lucky, requires the convergence of the tangible with the intangible; it is the hallowed marketplace wherein opportunity and preparation gleefully meet.

A great product, a well-planned launch and a continually evolving and adaptive marketing campaign – none of which happens magically or overnight – is marketing’s true, only, and attainable Holy Grail.

Going viral only happens, if at all, afterwards.

About Barry Densa
Barry A. Densa is a freelance marketing and sales copywriter. You can view samples of his work at Writing With Personality. To receive free blog post updates sign up here.

River God

River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Wilbur Smith

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is compulsive reading - a novel based on the facts behind the Hyksos invasion of Egypt, around 1780 B.C. Containing all the standard elements of great adventure--intrigue, romance, greed, cruelty and furious action--the yarn is spun by the clever eunuch Taita, who reports on events with an irony akin to a 20th-century sensibility. Taita is the slave of Egypt's scheming Grand Vizier Lord Intef, whose daughter Lostris is in love with Tanus, a young army officer whose father's demise was brought about by Intef's greed. 

I really enjoyed this book. Smith veers from his usual style with this book. He normally writes about his native South Africa, but with this one, he gets inside the head of an ancient eunuch in ancient Egypt. The story is thrilling, imaginative and haunting - what more can I say.

It remains one of my favourite reads.
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Book Giveaway - Librarything

Tell Me A Story - Book Giveaway

Okay guys. Guess you should be amongst the first to know. I've made 20 copies of my ebook, 'WITHOUT REPROACH', a romantic suspense, available for a Librarything ebook giveaway.

Librarything does this on a regular basis. Members put in a request for books they fancy, and at the end of the contest, Librarything randomly draw the winners.

For WITHOUT REPROACH, the contest period is 2 weeks. The contest started about 12 hours ago and already, 11 readers have requested the book. It looks like it might be over subscribed by the time 2 weeks is up.

If you fancy subscribing to the contest you will need to be a member of Librarything, joining is simple. If you are a member this will take you to the WITHOUT REPROACH  page

The contest ends July 24th so if you're interested, jump in.

If, however, you are willing to put an unbiased  review of WITHOUT REPROACH on Amazon, then email me and I'll make an ebook available.

Hash-tags for writers

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I want to make it clear that this is not my original post. It is from Daily Writing Tips  But - it is so important I want to show it to all my followers,


If you use Twitter, you’re probably already familiar with the idea of hashtags. These are simply a way of categorizing particular tweets by including within them a keyword prefixed with the hash or “pound” (#) symbol.

So, for example, tweets containing writing advice will often contain the “#writetip” tag. The point of this is to make it easier to find all tweets containing writing advice : you just search for “#writetip”. Similarly, you could find a stream of publication tips by keeping an eye on tweets with “#pubtip” in them.

Using relevant hashtags in your own tweets also increases the likelihood of others seeing your post and becoming a follower. They’re a great way to engage with a particular community of Twitter users.

The following is a list of some of the hashtags that will be of interest to writers. The list can never be exhaustive because anyone can invent a new tag at any time. Most are self-explanatory, although some need explanation : 


#amediting  posts from people who are editing
#amwriting  posts from people who are writing
#askagent  agent questions and answers
#author
#authors
#editing
#fictionfriday
#fridayflash  flash fiction on a Friday
#nanowrimo  national novel writing month
#novels
#novelists
#poem
#poet
#poets
#poetry
#pubtip  publication tips
#publishing
#scifi
#selfpublishing
#vss   very short story
#webfic  web fiction
#weblit   web literature
#wip   work in progress
#wordcount
#writegoal
#writequote
#writer
#writers
#writetip  writing advice
#writing
#writingtips  writing advice
#wrotetoday 


Some hashtags are specifically “chats” – which means they work in the same way as all tags, but are mainly used at certain agreed times : 


#journchat
#kidlitchat
#litchat
#scifichat
#scribechat
#storycraft
#writechat
#yalitchat   young adult literature chat 


Are you Serious About Writing?

Tell Me A Story - Writing Tips

A lot of people say they want to write a story - yet most never get around to it. Are YOU serious about writing?

• If you are really serious, the first thing you should do is beg, buy, or borrow, a couple of books on creative writing. All writers need to get to grips with the basics of story telling. The idea of writing may seem like a fire burning into your soul, but unless that fire is fed with the oxygen of skill, those flames will fade and die.
• A textbook on creative writing will show you the right way to tackle your story and help you to become fruitful. You'll appreciate the why and wherefore of what you're doing.
• Artists in every genre - dancers, painters, musicians, all have to learn before they can harness their unrefined gift. They study for YEARS before they find success. They all display flair in the first place of course, but without direction that flair will flounder. Writers are just the same.
• You should stop listening to lay people. You’ll probably find a lot of friends offering advice - telling you how good you are - telling you where you're going wrong..... forget it. Listen ONLY to skilled writers or editors. Friends and family can be too enthusiastic or too critical – they won’t look at it with a qualified eye – they’re too close to you.
• If you're really serious you should join an online Writer’s Circle. They're free, friendly, and full of like minded people - some with years of experience to tap into and take advantage of.
• You should try to find a local writer's group - mixing with other writers will work wonders for your morale, they’ll offer good advice and give a professional critique to your work. you'll soon start to feel like a real writer - what more could you want?

Hope this helps you on your way a little. Don't give up, don't get dispirited - just keep writing and one day it will happen.

Romantic Suspense on Smashwords

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Just a quick post to let everyone know that WITHOUT REPROACH is now available on Smashwords - which means that within a few days it could be in Apple and Sony ebook stores.

If you've never used Smashwords, try it. They are ebook publisher/distributors who make  ebooks available in numerous formats for every reading pleasure.

If you fancy a steamy romantic suspense  then give WITHOUT REPROACH a try - you can even download a 20% sample free to see if it tickles your fancy - now what's fairer than that.

Tuesday's Child - A Review

Tell Me a Story - A Book Review


Tuesday's Child by Louise Bagshawe

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Tuesday's Child is a story about a tomboyish girl who doesn't realise she is in love with her best friend and flatmate - until he becomes engaged and she has to leave the flat.

Tuesday’s Child is written with a sort of Bridget Jones, style of prose. This is quite different to the style of some of her other books - such as Career Girl. No matter what style of writing, her books are always impertinent, sexy and fun. However, this is perhaps not her best book. Tuesday's Child is a happy book, fun to read, but unfortunately rather predictable.

On the plus side, the character of Lucy is well drawn, and it is certainly a good beach-read. I recommend Bagshawe to readers who want the feel-good factor.




View all my reviews

Essential Secrets to Planning a Story

Tell Me A Story

So just what happens with a story outline, how do you use it?  A story outline is nothing miraculous, nothing to be suspicious of. A story outline is merely a scheme that helps steer your writing - a basis for your story - a route map.

• Just like any map, a story outline makes the journey less painful. It assists in showing you where best to go, and improving the quality of the story by providing an overall understanding of its construction.
• Underpinnings are essential to a building, and whether you like it or not, you are in the business of building - building a story. You might think you’re arty-farty, but remember, artists of all persuasions have to be craftsmen as well. Devote time and consideration to a plan and your story construction will be sound.
• Foundations should be deep and strong before construction commences - your outline needs to be just the same.

Prepare

The first thing you need do is to prepare a sequential order of events, and then plan out each chapter, allowing about half a page for each. Include the most important scenes and show how they influence your protagonists.

Preparing an order of events gives you an indication of how each character progresses due to actions they become caught up in. Characters should always develop, without character development the story won’t have moved.

Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

• Route maps don’t need to be prepared chronologically. You can prepare a later chapter before an earlier one.
• You won’t write yourself into a corner when you’re finally typing out that precious story – you’ll understand where the story is heading.
• All difficulties will already have been understood and sorted before you start writing.
• The WORST plan is better than no plan at all. You will always know where you're heading.
• The plan isn't set in concrete. It can be changed at any time - PROVIDING a new plan is then made.

Having recognized the problems as you make your outline, you’ll be well prepared to avoid them. When you get down to it, your actual writing will be smoother, faster and far more professional. You’ll be well on your way to being an author.

Free PDF Book

Tell Me A Story  - Free PDF Book

Okay, I know I'm mad - but I'm offering 10 free PDF book versions of the romantic suspense, WITHOUT REPROACH, to anyone willing to write an unbiased, honest, Amazon review.

WITHOUT REPROACH is available at Amazon.com for $2.99 and Amazon.uk for £2.13 - but a free PDF book can be yours. Just send an email to tbarnett@terra.es and 10 readers will picked at random from the applicants

The only requirement is that you already have an account with Amazon so that you can add a tag to the book, and leave an unbiased review. It doesn’t have to be a long rambling review, a few honest lines will be fine. If you find you like the book, an Amazon ‘like’ won’t go amiss either.

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End of - Free PDF Book -

Kindle Book Gifts - Buyer Beware

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I recently gifted a book to a reviewer.

You can't expect reviewers to purchase your books if you want them to offer a critique. It's a time honoured custom that authors and publishers allocate a certain amount of books for this purpose.

Now that I have elected to forsake the traditional publishing route, I expect to do the same with my ebooks. Amazon allow you to gift Kindle books to whoever you please, so it would seem to be a reasonable way to send books to reviewers - WRONG.

If you live outside the USA, it not only costs more money if you want to read a Kindle book, it also costs more for you to gift a Kindle book to a resident who lives INSIDE the USA. My book which a USA resident can purchase for $2.99, costs $5.74 for me to send to that same USA resident.

A strange affair indeed. I understand the wireless net might incur extra costs for reading outside the USA, but why on earth should it cost more to gift a Kindle book to a USA resident, just because I reside outside the USA.

Payment is by VIsa, so the transaction costs ought to be the same - so where do the extra charges come from.

Are you listening, mister Amazon - get your house in order.

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Don't Write From Experience

Tell Me A Story


Hello AJ, can you help. I'm thinking of writing my biography. I've undergone things in my life that I'm sure others will want to read. How do I go about it?

Hi Brian, thank you for sending this question in.

Please don't think I'm being a wet-blanket, but readers probably won’t be interested.  If you aren’t already a celebrity, people mostly don't want to know. It's a sad truth. I know we are told to write what we know, but it's not always a good idea to use elements of your life in a biography. Instead, think novel.

Sometimes it can be better to use the feelings and deep emotions spawned by an occurrence, rather than the occurrence itself. So I suppose I’m advocating, ‘Don’t Write What You Know’ but, ‘Write What You Felt’.

The consequence can be a story that is rich with emotive issues, because you've already explored those emotional boundaries. 

Sometimes you can be simply too close to what has taken place if it was real life, and it can warp your writing. Instead, draw off the energy of the evocative experience, develop it, push it to a unique area and the result can be devastating! 

Be honest, unless you are a TV presenter, film-star, radio personality, or have achieved something incredible, who's going to be interested in reading about your life? Everyone has problems they overcame; we all do things with our lives. It can be a little narcissistic to think that others will find our own life interesting. 

Weave things you've undergone, into a piece of fiction, breathe life into a novel with experiences. Use already suffered emotion as a vertebral column, and who knows, you might have the next best-seller.

Review of Treachery

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Yay! I have just had my romantic suspense, TREACHERY reviewed by the best selling author, Erin Kern, on her blog.

Take a look here to see what she had to say about - TREACHERY




Thank you Erin. Much appreciated.

The Route To Writing

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The Route to Writing

Let’s face it, the majority of people will never write a book. Those who aspire to do so, tend to be curious about those who’ve actually done it - such as how they managed to create an entire book.

I thought it might be fun to ask any of you out there who’ve hit the spot, to share in a small way, how you go about it.

• How do you select what you are going to write about - where did you get the idea for your heroine’s lifestyle?
• Why did you choose to set your latest novel where you did?
• How you physically write - Do you write with a pen or pencil, or do you sit in front of a computer?
• Do you outline a detailed plan, or just jump in with writing?
• How do you know when your book is complete and ready for public consumption?
• Do you picture film stars in your story while you write?
• Where do you put those magic words down - in a study at home, in a corner of a bar, or while your partner watches TV.

Come on. Share your secrets with all the struggling people out there.

Crossbow - Gordon Kirkland

Tell Me A Story

Author - Gordon Kirkland

Someone is killing the residents of a small Kansas town. Although the victims appear to have been randomly chosen, the killer has, in fact, decided that they must die for transgressions he believes they have committed. Among the first to be slain is the County Sherriff, leaving two deputies to try to solve the case before the killer can achieve his ultimate goal. 

The deputies are far from seasoned police professionals. Dave Simmons, the senior of the two, is doing his best to improve by learning new police techniques. He'd like to bring geographic profiling to the department, but a serious impediment to that goal is his propensity to get lost whenever he gets behind the wheel of his police cruiser.  

Chuck Wilson the other deputy would like to be a police dog handler. Unfortunately, the County cannot afford a properly trained police dog, so he is trying to make do with Duke, his own Springer Spaniel, a dog with an intelligence quotient just slightly lower than the average head of cabbage.

Added to the mix is a missing romance author who arrived in town to interview the first murder victim just before his death, an ambitious small town newspaper reporter who gets her leads across the pillow from the junior deputy, and the grieving father of one of the victims. 

Just as it seems that the case has been solved, the deputies learn that the killer was not acting alone, and that other, seemingly upstanding citizens of the town, had set the whole process in motion. As the evidence unfolds it becomes obvious that the case is going to hit the deputies much closer to home than they could have imagined. 

“Like Fargo without the wood chipper!”

“Like taking an intensive course in plot development!”

“Filled with quirky characters and plot twists.”

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Raymond Birdsell - Ratticus: A True Tale from Critter Corner

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 Author - Raymond Birdsell

The true short story of one family, one critter, and one month's worth of problems.

A comedic look at the travails of being a homeowner and dealing with the occasional uninvited houseguest.

Check out our interactive blog website where you can weigh in on the story, see actual pictures of the “critter” in question – and some of the destruction it left behind - and leave your own “Critter Gone Wild” stories.

http://talesfromcrittercorner.blogspot.com

First profits will be made payable to our local appliance dealer since our critter ATE our dishwasher. Wait until you see those pictures.

Take a look here: Ratticus 

Bryan R. Dennis - An Epitaph for Coyote

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Author - Bryan R. Dennis

Looking for a new read this summer - try An Epitaph for Coyote

Here lies Henry Pluck -- real estate closer and frequent visitor of nursing homes, who believed his life was one slice short of the starry-striped apple pie of success. A perfectionist at work and an eater of sandwiches, he drove an import, lived alone in a box, and was virtually indistinguishable from any other salaried clerk in Vegas Baby, Nevada.

So might have read the inscription on his gravestone.

But when he encounters Rosa Santana, an unconventional and perplexing young woman from the desert, he learns what a defunct building feels like before a wrecking ball.

This is a portrait of a lonely man coming to terms with his flawed interpretation of perfection. For the world is not what Henry thinks it is, and as he’ll soon discover, neither is Rosa. This is the wild, mysterious world of 4,000 year old movies, cosmic irony, predators, and prey.  

A lonely clerk encounters a mysterious young woman from the desert who leads him on a path of self-discovery and enlightenment - http://amzn.to/ilywUg

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Erica Sloane

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Even more great news. TREACHERY and an excerpt from it, have been featured on Erica Sloane's blog.

I love all this extra exposure for my books - I just hope it turns into extra sales. Please take a minute to check out the blog-post and help support these great people.

For more read: Erica Sloane

Indie Snippets

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Great news - well great for me. I have just had WITHOUT REPROACH showcased on the book review blog, Indie Snippets.

Getting your name 'out there' is one of the biggest challenges for authors, and bloggers such as this do a stirling job, and should be applauded and supported.

Please offer your support by taking a look:  http://nblo.gs/iW0a3

The Essence of Action, Plot, and Change

Tell Me a Story

I've been asked several times about action and plot. There seems to be some confusion regarding action. 

Janet W. was adamant that there would be NO action in her romantic novel. HER romance was going to be of the old-school, all hearts and roses. I had to disagree.

It is ESSENTIAL for every story to have action; be it romance, mystery, thriller or short story there must be action. Don't throw your arms up, action doesn't necessarily mean the 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' type that modern blockbuster films seem to favour.

Action

• Action does not imply that protagonists should always be on the go.
• Action does not mean constantly shifting the setting for your story.
• Action emerges out of conflict between characters and/ or circumstance.
• Action comes about through contradictory beliefs and qualities that gradually emerge and become apparent.
• Action means an escalation of circumstances.
• Action drives the story onward. A story is always about change; without change, there is no story.

 

Change, should be especially true for central characters, by the end of a story central characters should have grown in some way …. be it better or worse, they should have developed. This is action.

 So if action and change are what drive the story forward, what does the plot do?

Plot

• Plot is the arrangement of actions.
• Plot is the progression of fascinating happenings that cause change.
• Plots MUST be sensible and valid. Twists of fate and acts of God are not allowed in modern writing!

Hope this clears things up a little.

Yet another Sample Sunday

Tell Me A Story- Gritty Contemporary Fiction

It's that time again, I'm afraid. It's Sample Sunday. For my regular readers, I apologize, please forgive me, but Sample Sunday is a Twitter-thing. We publish a sample of our published novels for the Twitterverse to take a peep. My sample this week is from PAST SINS - steamy, contemporary fiction.

Eduardo took hold of her arm. “Maybe I should go first?” he said prudently. “We don’t want you getting lost.”

She moved to one side to allow him to pass, but their bodies locked. She freed herself very carefully, as thoughts of sex sprang to mind. She’d have to keep a tight lid on this thing.

He said, “Actually, your instincts are good. We’d normally go that way, but we need to take a detour. We had a bad storm a few weeks ago and it caused a roof to fall. A lot of damage was done.”

She followed him without speaking until they reached the west wing of the ancient house. The door creaked as he opened it. He said, “This room desperately needs work doing on it. It’s a good example of its type, though. A secret room was added.” He waved his hand. “It was a hellish time you know, the inquisition and all that. A lot of people needed somewhere to hide.”

Jenny looked around with growing unease. She seemed to recognize this place as well. Why would she recognize it?

“The secret room will also need work.” Eduardo pushed a lump of wood to one side with his foot. “In fact, there’s a lot of renovation required all around. However, there are other people involved and I shall have to persuade them first. I’d like you to draw up plans, though. We’ll worry about the work later.”

She said, “Just think, all that violence and torture. I suppose evading the inquisitors became a way of life for most of them.”

“Or death. They used the inquisition as an excuse to settle scores – the evil bastards!”

“It must’ve been dreadful cooped up like that, praying they wouldn’t discover where you were hidden.”

“I guess for a lot of people it’s not so different now. The world’s a terrible place.”

Jenny ran her hand over the arm of a chair. Years of work had probably once buffed it to satin, but now it looked lifeless. “I can picture what it must have been like. Small tables with knobbly legs, tiny beds, perhaps a window with moth-eaten linen drapes. I’ll bet it was like living in an oversized doll’s house, loads of dust and must and heartache.”

Eduardo frowned, reached for a lever hidden on the underside of the sill, and pulled hard. There was a dull thud, a wall panel cracked open, and he indicated for her to go through. She hesitantly pushed the panel and entered the small doorway.

The room smelled. It was ridiculous, but she knew the odour. Jenny turned to look back to him but he impatiently waved her on. She crept in and the hairs of her neck stood on end. 
The room looked like a large doll’s house. In the centre was a dark oak table, legs with chases, convolutions and ridges. In the corner, a tiny bed, and at the window, threadbare linen drapes. She damn well recognized every bit. Had she dreamed it? How could you dream smells? She made her way out, stunned, suddenly afraid.

He was irate. “You know all about it don’t you, I can tell. Elvira has shown you around. Thank you for wasting my time. What did you hope to gain by it?”

“No, wait!” Jenny stared with dismay as he strode into the corridor.

He said, “I’m going back to the main hall.”

She caught up with him. “A lot of places are built like this I suppose? You know, secret rooms and the like?”

“Didn’t Elvira tell you?” he said sarcastically. “This is unique, the only Finca in Valencia like it.”

“Elvira told me nothing.”

“El Duque Benito Cabra designed the secret hole. He liked to dabble where he shouldn’t.” Eduardo thrust his hands deep into his pockets. “Quite a character by all accounts. Did a spot of ducking and diving, was one of the nouveau riche of the day. He was popular at the Spanish court. There was envy. It made him vulnerable.”

They turned to the left as the corridor branched. Jenny walked by his side, trying hard to keep up. He behaved as if she was responsible but it was hardly her fault. She cleared her throat. “I suppose all of this is well documented. There are books on it, photographs and suchlike.”

“I doubt it. Not that it’s confidential,” he added, “It just isn’t public knowledge. Why should it be?”

Then why did she know things? How could it be? Jenny followed him back to the main hall feeling distinctly nervous. Elvira was there and came over as he saw them. “Señor, the interior designer has arrived.”

“Designer?” He stopped abruptly and turned to Jenny. “Then who are you?”

“There hasn’t been a chance to tell you.”

“Don’t be absurd. Of course there’s been a chance.”

“I tried but…”

“Just who the hell are you?” He gripped her arm and spun her so that she faced him again. “Are you one of their bloody spies? Have they sent you? What have they told you?”

Elvira looked at the two of them warily. “I’m sorry I had to leave you, Señorita Bucknall. I looked for you, but you were gone.”

“Señorita Bucknall? Bucknall… I know that name.” Eduardo glared fiercely. “I know who you are. You’re the one in Juan’s will, the pretender to the bloody throne.”

“I’m not a pretender. Everything is legal and above-board.”

“Is that what you think?”

Jenny strove for a biting remark; none would come. Her mouth opened but snapped shut without uttering a sound. Triumph skittered across Eduardo’s face… The bastard.

“So, the usurper cometh.”

“Sod off!”

“The English invaders in full force…”

Elvira said quietly, “Perhaps the Señorita would like café con leche, some biscuits? I can prepare tea, if you prefer.”

Eduardo said, “I suspect the English Señorita is ready to take her leave.”

Jenny tossed him the most scathing look she could and strode towards the housekeeper.

Elvira was anxious. “I hope Señor García looked after you. I’m sorry I was so long. It’s a beautiful Finca though, isn’t it?”

Jenny nodded in dumb agreement, but she’d changed her mind. La Finca Piedra was a bizarre place and she didn’t know if she wanted anything to do with it.

As they neared the entrance, a woman swept past with barely a glance; tall, elegant, dressed in severe black, as self-important as any person Jenny had seen.

“A fine building.” Elvira frowned, her eyes unconsciously following the woman. “Absolutely top notch. It’s full of history. Did it rise to your expectations? I’ve always loved the place. You’re very lucky.”

Jenny didn’t answer. High on the wall was a huge oil painting of herself, and she was completely naked. Her legs and arms were draped insolently over a chaise longue. Dark strands of unruly hair escaped in a provocative manner from beneath a comb. Dangling from her left shoulder, covering nothing, was a thin fragment of grey silk with a gold lion emblem sewn into the corner.

She suddenly felt sick. Who was doing this to her? This was part of no dream. That silk scarf had been a birthday gift.

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Author's Summer Read

Tell Me A Story

Ever wondered what famous those authors read? Well here’s what a couple of them might be touching on this summer:

Laura Lippman, author of the Tess Monaghan books, has said, "I am a greedy, lustful reader with poor impulse control, so there's very little planning in my reading. So instead, here's my fantasy summer reading list: a new Bill Bryson, preferably a follow-up to 'The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid,' perhaps a memoir of his life as a journalist in London; a new Anthony Bourdain memoir or novel, I'm not choosy; a new Kate Atkinson novel, despite the fact that she just published a book; a new George Pelecanos (that one is actually achievable); a new audiobook by Julia Sweeney; a heretofore undiscovered manuscript by the criminally neglected Edward Eager."

On the other hand, Lisa Napoli, writer of the chronicle, Radio Shangri-La said "This summer is all about researching and writing my next book, which is about building community. I can't wait to dive into 'The Great Good Place' by Ray Oldenburg and reread Robert Putnam's 'Bowling Alone.' "








For more read: http://www.mercurynews.com/books/

Generating Tension

Tell Me A Story - writing tips

 From time to time, I’m asked how to go about generating conflict in a story. It isn’t magic; it comes about when a certain mixture of elements in a story, are correctly balanced.

Creating Tension
I can’t claim this to be complete, but here’s a short list that might be useful as a starting point for creating tension in stories.

1. The aims of the central characters should be contradictory, and mutually exclusive.
2. The central characters should be fighting to reach their separate goals autonomously, and to the detriment of the other.
3. The path your characters take in reaching their goals becomes the foundation of action. You should exploit the actions and contradictions - take full advantage to heighten the tension.
4. The plot should have a poignant side.
5. Strong feeling shouldn’t merely be narrated in characters; show by reactions, don't tell.
6. Emotions that you invoke in your readers are what count most.
7. It’s essential you understand the feelings you wish to stir in your reader before you write. You must write with that emotion in mind at all times.
8. The theme of the story should be one about which you care deeply.
9. You must be affected by your characters, and caught up with what happens to them.
10. You should believe in your characters and empathise with their struggle. If you don’t, how can anyone else. Your work will lack the oomph that tempts people to turn pages.

As a final thought, a time restriction can also heighten anxiety. Having to complete something vital, before it adversely affects characters, is often a good way of creating tension.

Getting to Grips With Writing

Tell Me A Story - Creative Writing

AJ, can you help. I have a story hanging around. I know the names of the protagonists and where I want in the story to go - but each time I start to type - it feels wrong, it’s weird. As I begin writing, I lose interest. In a bizarre way I want to write, yet for some reason, I can't.

Thanks for the email. There are a number of things that may help. To start with, if you’re absolutely sure you want to write, nothing should prevent you. Don't let anything get in your way.

• If you are sincere, you need to beg, buy, or borrow, a couple of text books on creative writing (dare I suggest Just About Write  at only 99 cents from Kindle). All writers need to understand the basics of story-telling. The desire to write may feel like a fire burning into your soul, but unless that fire is fed with the oxygen of skill, those flames will dwindle and die.
• A text book on creative writing can help you appreciate the why and wherefore of what you're doing – and point you the right direction to help you become productive.
• Artists of every genre - dancers, painters, musicians, have to study for years before they are able harness their natural gifts. They exhibit talent in the first place of course, but without direction that talent will flounder. Writers are no different.
• Stop listening to people who are not professionally involved in writing. Friends love offering advice - telling you how good you are - telling you where you're going wrong..... forget it. Friends and family can be too enthusiastic or too critical – they don’t read with a qualified eye.
• Join an online Writer’s Circle. They're free, friendly, and full of like-minded people - some with years of experience to tap into and take advantage of.
• Find a local writer's group - mixing with other writers can help your morale. They will offer advice and give a more qualified critique to your work. You'll start feeling like a proper writer - what more could you want?

Hope this helps you on your way a little. Don't give up, don't get dispirited - keep writing and one day it will happen.

The Clan Of The Cave Bear

Tell Me A Story - Review 


The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When her parents are killed by an earthquake, 5-year-old Ayla wanders through the forest completely alone. Cold, hungry, and badly injured by a cave lion, the little girl is as good as gone until she is discovered by a group who call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear. This clan, left homeless by the same disaster, have little interest in the helpless girl who comes from the tribe they refer to as the "Others." Only their medicine woman sees in Ayla a fellow human, worthy of care.

This is a story of Neanderthals and the physically modern Cro-Magnons.

I read it quite a while ago, yet this surprising book persists amongst those on my much loved shelf.

With a few clever brush strokes, Jean M. Auel paints a believable story, with a well-researched backdrop, an absorbing plot, and endearing characters. I can ask for no more in a novel – yet somehow, Clan Of The Cave Bear goes beyond that. Perhaps it strikes some deep ancestral chord. Whatever, I found I couldn’t stop reading it. This probably outshines most other fantasy novels out there.




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