Please visit me at my new site, elizabethpenneyauthor.com.
While this site will remain up for now, I'll be posting over there from now on.
Thank you for your interest in my work.
Mystery, history, art, music, and romance - the fiction of Elizabeth Penney
Friday, December 1, 2017
Thursday, September 21, 2017
That Book You Have to Write
LAST SUMMER IN EDEN, set in the mountain resort town Bethlehem, NH, in 1929, is the story I need to tell. The main character is Dorothy Brooks, 17, a young singer and member of the invisible class serving wealthy visitors. EDEN has flappers and bootlegging and theater and music and tender first love. And lots of pretty dresses. Has a decade ever had so many gorgeous clothes? Sequins, silks, beads, and embroidery--oh my.
Through her new friendship with a New York summer girl, Dorothy enjoys her foray into the resort's naughty fun. She wins a leading role in a romantic farce, where she must perform opposite the man who broke her heart. While fending him off, she falls for a new man--someone not quite "suitable," according to society's standards. She must make a choice, one that will define the rest of her life.
Bethlehem is beautiful and quirky, even now when most of the 30 hotels are gone. Eclectic cottages line the streets and there is an art deco theater, one of the last standing. The air is still fresh and the views magnificent.
I used to walk the quiet streets on sweet summer nights, wishing I could get into a time machine and go back to...oh, 1929, maybe...
four-story hotel that once filled a city block. Inside, a jazz band is wailing away. A flapper
and her companion slip out to the wide porch for a cigarette and a swig from a flask. They stand close together by the rail, shoulders touching as they flirt and laugh.
Bethlehem's pivotal role in New England tourism was colored by two serious issues: anti-Semitism and bootlegging. It's an ugly truth that religious bigotry was rife in New England hotels and vacation areas--not just in Bethlehem. It was never overt, but ads that state "Christian clientele" and "select clientele"are code for "no Jews welcome." The '20s were the time of a great shift for tourism, as motor touring rose and the hotel vacation went out of style. The formerly unwanted visitors saved the town during the Depression and World War II, when many other resorts shuddered to a whimpering demise. Bethlehem became a Jewish resort.
The booming hotel trade and proximity to Canada also meant a whole lot of illicit drinking going on. The town librarian told me how her father brewed beer and distributed it in a truck with fabric flaps so they could ditch the load when necessary. Accounts of car chases and shootings filled the local weekly. One elderly resident told me was also illegal gambling in the hotels. But with the amount of money that flowed into town, the hotels were left alone. In one hotel nearby, the spectacular Mount Washington Hotel, you can have a drink in the former underground speakeasy, the Cave.
LAST SUMMER IN EDEN explores that fascinating pivotal moment when old and new met, just before the jarring crash of 1929 and the end of the glorious Jazz Age.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Cover Reveal and Giveaway for Pat Esden's fabulous NA novel!
As Pat's CP and friend, I'm proud to host this cover reveal and giveaway!
A HOLD ON
ME (Dark Heart Book #1) by Pat Esden
Kensington Books
Release date: March 2016
BLURB:
She never
wanted to return.
He wants
nothing more than for her to leave.
But the
fire between them is as strong as the past that haunts them.
Annie Freemont grew up on the road, immersed in the romance of
rare things, cultivating an eye for artifacts and a spirit for bargaining. It’s
a freewheeling life she loves and plans to continue—until her dad is diagnosed
with dementia. His illness forces them to return to Moonhill, their ancestral
home on the coast of Maine—and to the family they left behind fifteen years
ago, after Annie’s mother died in a suspicious accident.
Once at Moonhill, Annie is shocked when her aunt separates her
from her father. The next time Annie sees him, he’s a bizarre, violent shadow
of his former self. Confused, she turns to an unlikely ally for support—Chase,
the dangerously seductive young groundskeeper. With his dark good looks and
powerful presence, Chase has an air of mystery that Annie is irresistibly drawn
to. But she also senses that behind his penetrating eyes are secrets she can’t
even begin to imagine. Secrets that hold the key to the past, to Annie’s own
longings—and to all of their futures. Now, to unlock them, she’ll have to face
her greatest fears and embrace her legacy…
Click
here to add A HOLD ON ME on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25621428-a-hold-on-me
PRE-ORDER
NOW!
Books-A-Million http://www.booksamillion.com/search?id=6356176307071&query=A+Hold+on+Me+by+Pat+Esden&where=All
PAT ESDEN would love to say she spent her childhood in
intellectual pursuits. The truth is she was fonder of exploring abandoned
houses and old cemeteries. When not out on her own adventures, she can be found
in her northern Vermont home writing stories about brave, smart women and the
men who capture their hearts. An antique-dealing florist by trade, she’s also a
member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Romance Writers of
America, and the League of Vermont Writers. Her short stories have appeared in
a number of publications, including Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic
Medicine Show, the Mythopoeic Society’s Mythic Circle literary
magazine, and George H. Scither’s anthology Cat Tales.
GIVEAWAY!
WEBSITE:
http://patesden.com
TWITTER:
@patesden
TUMBLR: http://patesden.tumblr.com
#NAparanormal #Gothic
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Fun with Research: Leonardo Da Vinci and the Mona Lisa
To celebrate the release of Castle of Whispers, the first mystery in the Secrets of the Quilt series available here, I decided to post about a character in my book, the great Leonardo and his iconic painting, Mona Lisa. The picture above is not the one in the Louvre, it is an earlier version and appears to be of a younger woman.
Castle of Whispers features an antique quilt, with the oldest swatch rumored to have belonged to the Mona Lisa's dress. The first thing I researched was when exactly Leonardo painted the Mona Lisa we all know and love. In 1503, he was living in Florence and worked on the painting, so that became my date. During that time, he also worked on an ill-fated mural in the Palazzo Vecchio, so I included that incident in the story.
The story is set in a fictional village outside Florence, Ponte San Vincenti, or Saint Vincent's Gate, .symbolizing the area's wine-making heritage. My main character is a seamstress and her assignment is to make a wedding dress for Lisabetta Donati, a miserable bride-to-be. And...yes, the future Mona Lisa. How that happens I will save for readers.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Fun with Research: Corsets
Since the title of my historical mystery series is Canvas & Corset, naturally the undergarment makes an appearance. In 1894, the book's time period, respectable women were required to wear one or be considered scandalously under-dressed.
I grew up in a time when bras and even panties were optional so I confess fascination with old-fashioned undergarments and relief that I don't have to wear them. It amazes me that women used to hike mountains wearing long dresses, petticoats, and corsets. Wow.
Anyway, I was recently writing a scene where one of my characters gets dressed. I had to look up the procedure, how someone tightened a corset themselves. After all, most women didn't have personal maids. I found videos demonstrating this and along the way, learned women are using corsets to define their waists.
Check out Orchard Corset--they sell beautiful undergarments and also have a number of devotees who swear by "waist-training" to reduce their midsections. Apparently wearing a corset is also good for your posture. No slouching with steel digging into your ribs!
The corset is also a metaphor for propriety--think about the word straitlaced. According to dictionary.com, the word originates from about 1450 and has two meanings: wearing tightly laced clothes and puritanical. Apparently high morals are verified by proper posture.
An interesting twist is that corsets have come to be regarded as sexy--the opposite of puritanical. Perhaps even more amazing is that women are voluntarily submitting to wearing them.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
5 Things I Learned Writing Mysteries
This month I'm finishing another cozy mystery for Annie's Fiction book club, and in the process, I've learned so much--tips and techniques I'm using in all my writing, not just mysteries, since I'm not a one-genre girl.
So on to the lessons I've learned...
1. Outlining is your friend. Until my editor required it, I was a confirmed pantser. Oh, I'd sketch out plot ideas and mini outlines for sections of the book as I went, but the idea of writing a full outline gave me the heebie-jeebies. It's still painful for me, since I have one of those NF brains--intuitive. But the outline process forces me to figure out the plot arc for all the threads and noodle out issues in advance. This makes the writing process go much faster. Of course, an outline is just a guide. As you write, things get rearranged, dropped or added, whatever is needed to make the book stronger.
2. Pace carries your reader through the book. Mysteries not only have strong plot structures, they also have built-in pace. As the sleuth discovers clues, events build to the climax of solving the mystery. Often, chapters end on "cliffhangers"--exciting revelations or events--that keep the reader turning pages. The same technique can apply to any genre. The basic idea is to create suspense by raising an issue or question that will be answered later in the story. Narrative drive is another term--your novel needs an intrinsic energy that propels the reader on a journey.
3. Don't drop the sub-plot. Single-focus books seem to be a thing of the past, even in the crime genre. Detectives have personal lives and problems beyond solving their latest case. Weaving together plot and sub-plot can be tricky since you don't want big blocks of one focus then the other. Instead, include elements of plot and sub-plot in each chapter. Minor subplot can be brought in every few chapters. Creating an arc and/or outline for each sub-plot will help you make sure they weave into the main story perfectly.
4. Motivation and goals enrich your characters. I have to say it again--Deborah Dixon's Goal, Motivation, and Conflict really turned on the light bulbs for me. Yes, my sleuth was motivated to solve the mystery (and why is important, too) but what about the big picture? Identifying my character's internal goals, motivations, and conflicts added so much richness to the story. This also leads to believable reactions and behaviors and creates opportunity for interesting sub-plots and plot twists. There are layers of sophistication here with mirroring and sub-text that I admit I'm still learning about and striving to incorporate.
5. Take your readers somewhere special. The books I enjoy most immerse me into the character's world. Cozies often excel at that, since they are mainly escape reading. Whether the setting is a romantic country inn in autumn, a ski resort in January, or an exotic island getaway, readers want to feel like they are there. Sensual details abound. I've read some books that have a great set-up, characterization, and dialogue, but the setting is as bland as an airport hotel. It could happen anywhere. Great settings don't mean pages of description. Often a few specific and vivid details can convey a richness of experience.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Deadly Pattern Released!
Today I got a nice surprise in the mail--author copies of my second cozy mystery from the Annie's Quilted Mystery series.
From the cover: "The spring season is usually the time for new beginnings, but as Easter approaches, Emma Cotton and Kelly Grace--quilting entrepreneurs from Mystic Harbor, Massachusetts--are finding themselves literally at end of the line. Traveling to Sedona, Arizona in search of the next suspect in the death of their good friend Rose, they find Dakota Longbone, a Native American interpreter and guide." They also discover murder and an art forgery ring.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Readers Rock - The Rest of the Writing Story
Conventional wisdom says don't read reviews. But what if they're emailed to you and are nice?
The Annie's books are discussed on The Cozy Mystery List Blog and the readers are very interactive with the writers.
I got this today and so appreciated it:
Good Afternoon Liz!
Just wanted to take a moment to post about “Deadly Garland”. I completely enjoyed every moment of your book. I’ve posted earlier that I just never got the emotional attachment to Shannon as I did with Annie and her friends. “Deadly Garland” finally got me really liking Shannon. It seemed like she was drawn in similar to how Annie was and so she didn’t come across as being nosy. Also adding a dog into the equation made her much more likeable. In retrospect, I think that the authors writing about Tartan and Boots helped to ground Annie and Ian, making them appear much more “normal”. But I’m an animal lover so finding that trait in a character in a book immediately makes me like that facet of the character and, I’m sure, helps to start forming that relationship between the reader and the character.
So, at long last I found myself liking Shannon. Loved the ending, much as I hoped things would go for quite some time now. Look forward to reading your contributions to the “Unraveled” series!
Virginia
Virginia is referring to the long-running Annie's Attic series, which I did not write for.
So a shout-out to wonderful readers! Thank you for taking the time to tell us you enjoy our work. It keeps us going when we're struggling in the middle of the WIP or waiting for answers to submissions. All the less fun parts of the writing journey, LOL.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Book and Story News!
Over the past couple of weeks, I've gotten exciting news related to my fiction. First, my Gothic short story, The Roadhouse, was accepted for the next print edition of the NH Pulp Fiction series.
Set in 1883 Franconia Notch, The Roadhouse features an iconic Concord stagecoach, as will all the stories in this edition.
Some of my favorite books are those I call past/present, where there are two juicy stories that intertwine. I'm going to be writing one called Whispers of Florence for the new Annie's Fiction historical series. Whispers has two of my favorite settings: Vermont and Florence, Italy. Lots of art, fashion, yummy food, and, of course, murder and mystery. The main character in Vermont is of Italian descent, as am I. My ancestors came from Barga, Italy, near Florence. Note: I am also going to write book 4 in this series, tentatively set in Scotland 1745, and book 8, set in on the Yorkshire Moors.
I'm also going to write a book for another Annie's present-day series, not announced yet. I'm excited and grateful for these opportunities! The road to publishing in fiction is often a long one. It has been for me.
PS that's my 1931 thesaurus above. I adore using a Roget's right for whatever period I'm writing in.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Putting Flesh on the Bones: Structure and Meat in Your Story
Cookie photo by Anneheathen
Until recently I was a pantser. A character, a setting, a situation would come to me and I'd be off. Sometimes I knew where I wanted the story to end up--but I muddled through the middle all the way.
I've written mysteries where I, along with my future readers, didn't know whodunnit.
When I started writing for Annie's, my editor said an outline was a requirement. To that point, I'd only done mini-outlines as I wrote--sketching out the next few scenes.
Ouch and ugh. Instinct wasn't going to cut it anymore.
My editor provided materials to help. At Entangled, too, authors are given tools to help ensure that their books have solid "beats" - plot points that structure the story.
I groaned my way through the outline and got the contract. When it came to writing the book, it was amazingly fast and required very little revision. Most of the sticky places had been thought through in advance. I still had to add scenes and work through some issues, of course.
Now I'm applying these tools to my YA romance and other projects I'm tossing around. I now see how a solid grasp of the plot arc will help me write a book for maximum impact. And how defining the characters' goals and motivations will enrich both the plot and the book as a whole.
Major light bulbs went off when an Entangled editor recommended Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon to an author. In Dixon's approach, goals (what) and motivations (why) create characters with depth and a personal path. Along the path, they encounter--and must overcome--conflict. Understanding a character's goals and both internal and external motivations help you increase the stakes in a story. I can't recommend this book enough.
It immediately helped me hone the goals and motivations of my couple in Last Summer in Eden. They both feel boxed in by their place in society and long for creative freedom. The fulfillment of those desires comes into conflict for my MC due to the mores of the day, although in the 1920s, much was shifting--for women and in the setting of my book.
An often recommended tool for plotting is Blake Snyder's beat sheet. Blake is now gone, unfortunately, but his screenplay methods are still being taught. I use the beat sheet to plot the major incidents and turning points of a book. The page numbers cited are for a screenplay but you can convert the beats into percentages and apply to a novel.
The concept of key events at certain points in a book or film is promoted by other writers. Screen guru Michael Hague discusses the five turning points of a story. Specifically concerning YA novels, Anne Greenwood Brown posted on Writer Unboxed about applying two plot points another screen expert Christopher Vogler calls crossing over and near-death to YA novels. A crossing over point--a significant event--occurs at 25%. Examples Brown cites include turning 18, getting a new job, leaving home, etc. At 50%, the near-death occurs, a high conflict, often game-changing, scene. I made sure that my YA romance has one of those, although it has to do with my B-story--another Snyder term. But it greatly affects my MC and directly leads to dramatic events later in the story that influence her choices.
It's interesting that many of these tools come from screenwriting, and even Dixon uses movies as her teaching tools. I had some initial reluctance toward beat plotting because the last thing I want to create is a predictable, formulaic work, whether it's one of my screenplays or a novel. Sometimes plot points are applied in a clunky way. "Here comes the XYZ scene." But I believe that if you know your characters well enough, their goals and motivations and therefore their actions and response to conflict will be organic--meaning that the story will feel logical and natural. Yet hopefully will have suspense and narrative drive...but that's a topic for another day.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Chocolate and Coffee for the Writer's Journey
Photo courtesy of Cafe D'Arte
One of the best things about writing in the Internet age (besides electronic submissions, research, and e-books) is the online writer's community. In the dark ages of purely paper communication, writers often labored alone, parsing form rejection letters for hints how to improve. Or the answer to the big question: do I suck? Some may have had access to in-person groups but if you lived in a remote, rural area--forget about it.
Pre-pubished or pro, you can find comfort (chocolate) and inspiration (coffee) to keep you fueled for an often long, bumpy, and arduous road. Below are links to posts and people I find especially inspiring.
When you wonder if you'll ever make it to publication: Suspense Your Disbelief
Best-selling author Jenny Milchman not only shares her long journey to publication, she hosts 300 tales from other writers about their own hard-won made-it moments.
If you're getting contradictory query responses (love premise, can't relate to voice and vice versa), you're not alone. And you're close. E.M. Castellan has an excellent post on this quandary.
Sometimes we work and work, forgetting that inspiration can't be forced. Bethany Smith discusses allowing your writer's intuition to guide you. After all, it's your creativity and imagination that gave you the impetus to write in the first place, right? And it's the source of your unique voice.
Conversely, sometimes our writing needs a creative jump start. Or you have the main character or setting but what about the PLOT? Laura Salters has written about connecting the plot dots in a way unique to you.
I hope you enjoy today's serving of chocolate and coffee!
Friday, January 31, 2014
A milestone: my first published novel!
Perhaps only other writers will understand...the feeling of finally achieving a milestone...a novel in print. Today I received a box of books from Annie's Publishing--my copies of Deadly Garland, the final installment in the Creative Woman Series. It's a Christmas mystery set in the small town of Apple Grove, Oregon, with a murder at the local tree farm. The pen name is in honor of my mother-in-law, Beverly Blair, who passed away in November 2013.
The desire to write was rather latent for quite a few years although I enjoyed reading and wanted to be an editor. I started my writing career in business communications and journalism. Then the creative side of my brain kicked in and I've been working on fiction ever since.
Success came easily with business writing--not quite so quickly with fiction. But it's pure pleasure (when it doesn't hurt) and I urge you all--keep going. The world needs your voice.
Monday, January 20, 2014
Romance, movies, magic...#TeamMagicPens teasers & links for #PitchWars
This year I had the pleasure of mentoring devouring three luscious manuscripts by the talented and lovely:
Heidi Timmons, Wishing Glass, a sweet magical realism romance that draws from A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. Actress Brielle must choose the life and love right for her. Heidi is an attorney.
#PitchWars entry
Emma Sloley, The Wanters, a gorgeously written woman's fiction featuring a down-and-out filmmaker. Emma has edited and written for many magazines, including Harper's Bazaar, Australia.
#PitchWars entry
Densie Webb, You'll Be Thinking of Me, a romantic suspense featuring a hot movie star and musician who falls in love with a "normal" girl. Yum. Densie has written seven nonfiction books.
#PitchWars entry
Heidi Timmons, Wishing Glass, a sweet magical realism romance that draws from A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. Actress Brielle must choose the life and love right for her. Heidi is an attorney.
#PitchWars entry
Emma Sloley, The Wanters, a gorgeously written woman's fiction featuring a down-and-out filmmaker. Emma has edited and written for many magazines, including Harper's Bazaar, Australia.
#PitchWars entry
Densie Webb, You'll Be Thinking of Me, a romantic suspense featuring a hot movie star and musician who falls in love with a "normal" girl. Yum. Densie has written seven nonfiction books.
#PitchWars entry
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Cupcakes for Breakfast
I'm busier than ever in several capacities to do with fiction. And loving every minute of it.
I just finished writing my second cozy for Annie's Quilted Mysteries. Next up, a round of edits before submission.
With that deadline soon to be met, I am now working on the book of my heart, my 1929 YA. I'm rewriting it as a romance called Last Summer in Eden.
I read all my #PitchWars submissions and returned notes. They will present their pitches and excerpts during the agent round January 22-24. These books are GOOD! Look for:
Heidi Timmons, Wishing Glass, a sweet magical realism romance that draws from A Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. Heidi is an attorney.
Emma Sloley, The Wanters, a gorgeously written woman's fiction featuring a down-and-out filmmaker. Emma has edited and written for many magazines, including Harper's Bazaar, Australia.
Densie Webb, You'll Be Thinking of Me, a romantic suspense featuring a hot movie star and musician who falls in love with a "normal" girl. Yum. Densie has written seven nonfiction books.
Heidi pointed out something--all three of my picks have something to do with film. Her main character is an actress. This was not a conscious factor in deciding, swear.
For Entangled, I'm doing first-pass edits on submissions and also reviewing a couple of referrals I made. What fun to find books and have the ability to perhaps get them published.
Doing this work--writing, critiquing, and editing--is like have cupcakes for breakfast!
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
#Pitchwars Mentor Bio
Welcome to my blog! Penmad says it all. I'm a mentor for adult PitchWars entries for the second time because it was so much fun last year.
About me:
A New Englander now living in the warm, sunny Peach Belt, I'm in the middle of a three-book cozy mystery contract for Annie's Publishing. I'm also seeking rep (again) for other mystery and YA writing. I recently became an Assistant Editor for Entangled Ignite (formerly Suspense).
What I'm looking for:
Adult mystery, suspense, Gothic, thriller, chick-lit, and women's literature. I have a fondness for great settings, interesting occupations, fine arts, antiques and architecture, food, weather, humor, and secrets of all kinds. My tastes are pretty eclectic so you might find me reading a cozy mystery, a thriller, a literary mystery, and a funny chick-lit domestic all in the same week. Historical is fine, so is contemporary but I'm not the right person for fantasy or paranormal, unless it's light--like a haunted house. I don't usually read military or political thrillers and espionage leaves me cold.
How I work with writers:
I am kind and encouraging and look for ways to improve the flow, pace, and power of your book. To prune so its greatness can blossom. Polish so it shines. Pitch it so it sells.
For submission guidelines, go to www.brenda-drake.com.
Secret Letter: M
Fabulous agents:
1. LouiseFury – Bent Agency
9. QuinlanLee - Adams Literary
11. EmilyKeyes
– Foreward Literary
12. Brianne
Johnson – Writers House
13. CarlyWatters
– P.S. Literary
14. LanaPopovic
and Natasha Alexis - Zachary
Shuster Harmsworth
16. EvanGregorgy
- Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency
17. Stefanie Lieberman - Janklow & Nesbit Associates
18. Rena Rossner - The Deborah Harris Agency
17. Stefanie Lieberman - Janklow & Nesbit Associates
18. Rena Rossner - The Deborah Harris Agency
Fantastic mentors:
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The Alchemy of Setting
When choosing a book, setting is something that can definitely draw me in. We all have personal favorites but I love gorgeous natural locations, old buildings, rich cultural activity, interesting businesses or hobbies, and atmosphere. One of the pleasures of reading is entering into a fully realized world that you can see, smell, taste, and hear. Feel.
I lived in New England most of my life, in Maine and New Hampshire with frequent visits to Vermont. Now that I live in Georgia, I enjoy excursions to New England through both reading and writing. I have to say I like reading about snow much more than I did living it! New England is a setting rich in history, weather, beauty, and architecture. The resort history of the White Mountains inspired two of my historical works. Other settings are just as fascinating, though. I have a YA set in Hollywood and adult books set in Oregon and Arizona. I also plan to set something in Italy, where my ancestors came from.
Setting influences character and plot, of course, as I like to work within the constraints of the possible. I spend almost as much time researching as writing, finding that I need to be fully grounded in my location before I can write about it. Yet creating effective setting doesn't mean pages of description. Rather, choose details that best evoke your setting, then use them to flavor action and narrative and dialogue.
Here is an excerpt from Blame It on the Aliens, published in the Live Free or Sci Fi anthology. The characters drive through a depressed mill town to go fishing.
“Man,
this place is depressing,” Matt muttered as we cruised past decaying apartment
houses and boarded-up storefronts. Here
and there, yellow tape guarded the charred, collapsed carcasses of those that
had burned.
But I was almost more unsettled by
what was missing: the behemoth bulk of the pulp mill with its 300-foot stacks
and multi-acre sprawl. All demolished and trucked away. A lone chimney standing
in a tidy patch of grass the only testament to more than one hundred years of
transforming logs to pulp to paper to prosperity.
I stepped on the gas. Hopefully the
fish hadn’t left as well.
A couple of hours of drifting on the
smooth mercury surface of Success Pond had the tranquilizing effect I’d hoped
for. It was dead quiet, the only sounds occasional birdsong or a duck quacking
as it flew over. So late in the season, no one else was on the water. The camps
lining the shore were already shuttered and tucked in for the winter.
I cast my line into the water,
watching the gold spinner spiral down into the clear shallows of the cove. We’d
only caught a couple of smallmouth bass so far, all under the limit, so we
tossed them back.
Which settings do you find most compelling--as reader and writer?
Note: The photograph was taken outside the mill town in the story. Those tiny islands are all that remains of boom piers - guides for logs sent down the Androscoggin River.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
The Alchemy of Emotion
I have noticed something mysterious as both writer and reader: the way emotion is transmitted through words. It isn't just the words used or their arrangements. Often they are quite ordinary words.
I've read beautiful works that left me cold. And in contrast, I've read clunky fiction that engaged me and evoked feeling. I'm convinced that the writer has to feel the emotions before they will be conveyed. Certain things that I've written--alone or in partnership with my husband--provoke tears or laughter upon multiple readings. That is odd because you would think familiarity would dull any reaction. This happened recently with the poignant voice-over to our coming of age story, Up the Tracks. I choked up like a dork when reading it to my husband.
Only my readers can tell me if I succeed. But what I consciously do when writing a high-intensity scene--be it love, reconciliation, sadness, fear, or anger--is put myself in my character's head as much as possible. Sometimes I even act out the physical movements, pretending I am acting a role in a film. Sort of. In my writing room. Good thing I don't write erotica. The neighbors and the cat might object, though my husband might not.
I'm curious if others have the same experience--as readers or writers.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Blame It on the Aliens
Jake is skeptical about the UFOs that his unemployed friend, Matt, is seeing. Until they go fishing. Inspired by rumors and stories of North Country sightings.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Publication date for Deadly Garland!
This is probably an announcement only another writer would understand, but I'm thrilled to report that my first cozy mystery for Annie's now has a name and a publication date.
Deadly Garland is due 2/7/2014! This is a big milestone as it's my first full-length fiction. Deadly Garland is set in a small coastal Oregon town and features a murder at a Christmas tree farm. Appropriately, it takes place in December.
I also learned that Blame the Aliens, a short story I wrote 18 months ago for NH Pulp Fiction will be published in the Live Free or Sci-Fi anthology in October. Hope to post cover and links soon. This will be my first published short story.
Meanwhile, I've been doing a lot of business articles for Skyword and CPAmerica. I enjoy that, too.
Deadly Garland is due 2/7/2014! This is a big milestone as it's my first full-length fiction. Deadly Garland is set in a small coastal Oregon town and features a murder at a Christmas tree farm. Appropriately, it takes place in December.
I also learned that Blame the Aliens, a short story I wrote 18 months ago for NH Pulp Fiction will be published in the Live Free or Sci-Fi anthology in October. Hope to post cover and links soon. This will be my first published short story.
Meanwhile, I've been doing a lot of business articles for Skyword and CPAmerica. I enjoy that, too.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Thursday's Children: Inspired by Scholastic Book Club
For today's post, I thought I'd do another "blast from the past." How many of you had Scholastic Book Club while in elementary school? A recent post about their revamp made me remember this particular inspiration.
In addition to gifts at birthdays and Christmas (we always got books from my omnivorous reader parents), the book club let me pick and buy my.very.own.books! Remember, this was before Amazon, chain book stores, or even many independents. Rural Maine.
I remember studying the list closely, reading each description carefully. Sometimes one--maybe an author fav or featuring haunted houses, secrets, or witches--would grab me immediately. Other times I would have to mentally break a tie between several possibilities. Kind of like studying a restaurant menu and hoping you pick the best dish and are not disappointed.
I usually had enough money to buy two or three at a time. We handed in our slips and I'd hope I had made the absolutely best choices.
Then the waiting began. I'd almost forget about the whole thing when one day, a familiar cardboard box would be on the teacher's desk, that delightful odor of paper and fresh ink emanating from it.
He or she would pull them out and call our names to get our order. My last name began with "B" so I was near the beginning! Yay!
I'd grab those precious new experiences and take them back to my desk. Then, I admit, I would begin reading. Secretly. Under my desk. Who cared about all the boring stuff?
I had my books.
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