Back to School and Good Books
August 10, 2021 by Tari Jewett in category Writing tagged as back to school, booksThis time of year, always makes me nostalgic. The end of summer means the beginning of a new school year, and while my kids are all grown, I still remember when they were small, taking them shopping for back to school clothes, backpacks and lunch boxes, and all of the other supplies needed for a good start to the school year. Late summer days also remind me of my own childhood, back to school shopping for brand new pencils and notebooks, deciding which dress I’d wear on the first day of school, and the anticipation of seeing my friends again after a long lazy summer.
I still indulge in back to school sales. Nothing gets me more excited than a stack of brand new spiral notebooks, and some new blue pens. And of course, there’s always shopping for the grandchildren!
Warm summer days, are also perfect days to read. As a little girl I’d curl up under a shady tree, or lay on the cool tile floor of our basement family room with a stack of books, and read until my mother called me for dinner.
Now that I think of it, that would be the perfect thing for me to do right now, curl up with a good book. I’m recovering from knee replacement surgery on my right knee, and waiting for surgery on the left, so share the best books you’ve read this year in the comments! And feel free to share your back to school memories! And just because it makes me happy, here’s a picture of my 12 year old grandson, reading to our newborn grandson.
The Confused Author AMA by Kitty Bucholtz
August 9, 2021 by Kitty Bucholtz in category It's Worth It by Kitty Bucholtz, Writing tagged as Ask Me Anything
Today, I’m in the middle of a 3-day, all-day mastermind in my business coaching program. Yesterday, a few people asked questions about how to get started writing their book to go with their business, and how to publish it. One person who had already published a book said, “I’m a confused author! I still have so many questions. You should use ‘The Confused Author’ for one of your podcasts or blogs, Kitty.”
Not a bad idea. 🙂 I was already planning to start a monthly Q&A/Ask Me Anything using YouTube Live at https://www.youtube.com/kittybucholtz. You can ask your questions, or send your friends over to ask theirs, at the post I’ll create beforehand each time at https://www.facebook.com/writenowworkshop/ or drop your questions in the comments below. I’ll go live on the first Wednesday of every month at — carefully check for your time zone! — 6am Pacific Time (Los Angeles), 9am Eastern Time (New York), 2pm British Time (London), 3pm Central European Time (that’s me in Sweden), 11pm Australian Eastern Time (Sydney).
I’m happy to talk about anything — fiction, nonfiction, marketing, etc. — and I promise to tell you my opinion, share other resources with you, and let you know when I don’t know the answer. I’m happy to try to find it for you, but I’m not one of those people too embarrassed to not know and who will make up an answer. 😉
If you or someone you know would like to join me on Wednesday, September 1, I would love to see you there. And if you’d just like to show me love by joining to support me so I’m not alone, I’d so appreciate that!! 😀
2 0 Read moreTari Lynn Jewett: August Featured Author
August 7, 2021 by Tari Jewett in category Featured Author of the Month tagged as #Charmed Writers, #FireworksintheFog, #HeromsaForTheHolidays, #PleaseSayYes, romantic comedy, Tari Lynn Jewett
Tari Lynn Jewett lives in Southern California with her husband of nearly thirty years (also known as Hunky Hubby). They have three amazing sons, a board game designer, a sound engineer and a musician, all who live nearby. For more than fifteen years she wrote freelance for magazines and newspapers, wrote television commercials, radio spots, numerous press releases, and many, MANY PTA newsletters. As much as she loved writing those things, she always wanted to write fiction…and now she is.
She also believes in happily ever afters…because she’s living hers.
Tari’s Books
To Cliff-Hang Or Not
August 5, 2021 by Tracy Reed in category Pink Pad by Tracy ReedTo Cliff-Hang or Not
It’s August. Wow. So far this has been a busy summer. We have been cleaning our backyard, a task we’ve put off since we finished the last round of renovations. We’re hopeful we’ll get it cleaned up so we can spend at least one weekend outside lounging. I have this fantasy of sitting outside with a glass of wine and a charcuterie board reading and writing. I’m very hopeful this will happen this summer. I may even open one of the bottles I brought back from France.
The other thing I’m hopeful will happen this summer is the completion of my book The Good Girl Part Four. Man, this book is turning out to be way more than I expected.
Mid way through writing The Good Girl Part Trois, I felt myself rushing to finish. I was so confident I told readers that I would have everything tied up with Part Trois. The joke was on me. It’s amazing how characters have the audacity to tell you when their story is finished. These characters made it very clear they were telling the story and not me.
I figured I’d go with the flow and once I realized there was going to be another book, I told my readers. I even promised it wouldn’t be long before the next book. Again, the characters put me in my place.
I have been working hard to bring this series to an end, but it seems like it’s not done. As much as I don’t want to admit it, there just might be a fifth book. I was faced with the possibility of a fifth book a few weeks ago. So far The Good Girl Part Four is 97k+. I was shocked. I haven’t written a book that big since my first book. And that was the first draft, which I later attacked with an electric saw.
So here’s my dilemma. Keep writing and see where the story ends or end book four with a cliffhanger like the other books in the series. Where I am in the story right now, I feel there’s a good six thousand more words…at least. That would make the book well over 100k words…way too big, I think.
I’ve been kicking around the possibility of a fifth book long before the word count got this high. When I was selecting cover images for the series, I held back one just in case. So finding a cover won’t be an issue. I’ve even been thinking about possibly using “book five” as an entry to a spin off series featuring Gabriella’s brother. If I do that, it would allow me to tell a little more of Gabriella and Phillippe’s story as well.
If I go with this plan, Part Four would definitely end with a cliffhanger. Adding a fifth book to this series would throw a monkey wrench in my publishing plan for the balance of the year. I really wanted to finish Unexpected Love Part Two this fall. I also wanted to write a holiday novella. Neither of which seem possible if I add a fifth book to The Good Girl Series.
The upside to adding a fifth book is I would have about a third of it complete. I did a read through and found a good spot to end Part Four. In doing so, it would give me a strong opening for Part Five. Because of where Part Four would end, I’d have about thirty thousand words to start Part Five.
As a reader, I’m of two minds when it comes to cliffhangers. If I like the characters and the story, a cliffhanger will not stop me from reading the next book. I have bought (at full price) into series without thinking about the price. I can think of three series right now where I purchased deep into the series without giving any thought to the price. Not only did I buy the books, but because I really enjoyed the series, I told others about the books.
I think if your readers are used to your giving them cliffs, it’s not a problem. However, if you’re new to reading an author and are presented a cliffhanger it can be annoying especially if the next book isn’t available. In the case of The Good Girl Series, each of the books ends on a cliff so I might be able to get away with this series plan.
Cliffhangers are a subject riddled with debate in the world of romance fiction. Everyone loves an HEA (Happy Ever After). In my writing world HFN (Happy For Now) and Cliffs are common. No matter how hard I try, cliffs seem to be inevitable and dare I say, my writing style.
What would you do…end book four with a cliffhanger and write a fifth book or make part four a super novel?
2 0 Read moreStarting a Novel Series with a Partner: The Plotting
August 3, 2021 by Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger in category Partners in Crime by Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger, Starting a Novel Series with a Partner by E. J. Williams tagged as E.J. Williams, Plotting, writing craft, writing partners
Starting a Novel with a Partner: The Plotting
by E.J. Williams
(Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger)
My husband, Will Zeilinger, and I co-write thrillers, the INTERNATIONAL MYSTERY SERIES, as E. J. Williams. Our tales transport the reader from 1962 Southern California to various international locales. In the first new book of the series, STONE PUB, we find ourselves in County Cork, Ireland.
As we began this series, we experienced the same thing as with the previous, Skylar Drake Mystery Series. That is, we had all sorts of ideas stuck in our heads. Each of us had different scenarios we’d developed. We found it challenging to develop and agree on a central plotline for each story that would take the series across many books.
Meeting regularly with specific agendas and follow-up reports for reminders helped us narrow down the many ideas into the main idea, one that could be sustained through many future books. Daily, weekly, and monthly update meetings keep things flowing. Much like each chapter of a book drives the plot forward, the meetings should have a purpose. They should help drive the writing forward. Once we agreed on the plotline for the whole series, we could focus on the individual novels with similar foundations.
Regular meetings are the most efficient way of making a co-writing situation successful. Remember . . . the crucial thing is to write a good story. So, stay tuned . . . there is more to come.
STONE PUB is the first in the series, and yes…we are still married!
Website: Janet Elizabeth Lynn
Website: Will Zeilinger
Read Skylar Drake Mysteries while waiting for STONE PUB.
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