What I love about my Kindle...

I've had my Kindle for about a week now and can I just say, I LOVE IT! Did I say that I LOVE IT?
I was worried about the $250 purchase (including case with light) but I think it's worth every penny!

What's NOT so hot:

1) The screen flashes black when you turn every page - however, after only one day, I didn't notice the flashing anymore.  Some say it will take up to two weeks to get used to it but I don't think it's any more annoying (distracting) than turning a page in a paperback book.

2) I own a PDA where you use a stylus to tap the screen. I keep thinking my Kindle works the same way and keep looking for the stylus holder. You have to get used to moving around on your Kindle with the directional buttons alone.

3) When you use the internet a lot, the battery goes down fast. This is common with all technology. However, just reading alone (with the wireless off), I think the device will go a long time without charging.

What I love about it:

1) The screen-saver - AMAZING. When you put the Kindle to sleep, pictures of different authors and pictures from books fill the screen. I love the ones of Bronte, Austen, Dickens and other classic authors.

2) My cover. Now, I know this doesn't come with the Kindle but I have to say, it's amazing to have the soft faux suede cover-interior touch my skin while I read. (It really is the little things in life that make me happy.) And two nights in a row I read with the light and loved how it did not disturb my husband.

3) I read a lot more.

4) I now use my Kindle to critique. I take the documents I need to edit or critique and turn it into .txt format. I copy it to the document drive and it's automatically converted to Kindle format. Now, I can actually change the documents but I can make notes and save them. When doing a critique, I can just take those notes and copy them into my document. And I can edit/critique on the go.

5) I can take bits of text I like from the books and there's an easy way to upload them straight to Twitter and Facebook. That's a cool feature.

What do you like about yours?

Chapter Critique - River Of Dreams

To get a review, click the 'Chapter Review' button to the right. 

Also, please leave helpful comments on this chapter. It will help the writer.

I was attracted to this chapter immediately because it takes place in Mexico. I'm a Canadian living in Mexico. I looked forward to seeing how you described the place and the culture.

You have a poetic style to your voice and I liked reading the flow of the words. I think you will continue to grow as a writer. The feelings your character Random went through are real and many readers will be able to relate. I don't know much about the plot but I think you'll have a great love story/adventure.

Here are my suggestions:

1) Although I felt like I was in Mexico, I often became confused as to the period of time. Throughout the chapter, you go back and forth through time without enough of a transition. Often I wasn't sure if it was present or past that he was experiencing. Or if it was reality or a dream.

For example, you open with him awaking from a dream and then he goes back to when he lived in a cottage and then you talk about his friends leaving him in Cabo. Does this all happen in the past? Is some of it happening in the present? I'm confused. This happens often throughout the chapter.

2) Remember to spell out the numbers. I've marked places in the chapter where I think you should write them out.

3) This is probably just me but I was bothered a little bit by the portrayal of Mexico. For example, you have him on a crowded bus to Tijuana with chickens and stuff. Is he really that poor? I mean, the buses from one city to another (especially Cabo) are wonderful. Air conditioned, with TVs and reclining seats. Why would he take a bus with chickens? And the prices of the tickets are not that expensive. I don't know... I just felt like it's the Mexico that people see on TV and not the Mexico I see. I don't know...

4) Watch the dialect - in two different occasions you have the dialogue written out the ways it sounds it took me quite awhile to understand what you were trying to say.

5) Backstory and dream sequences -  as a rule, I try to keep backstory out of the first few chapters. As for dream sequences, I try to keep them out all together unless vital to the story because they're often confusing and readers don't know if they're reality or not. Should they discard it or not?

6) More needs to happen in this chapter. I didn't feel the chapter had too much going on other than a short bus ride. I want to know more about the purpose of his trip in the chapter. Why is he going home? Why was he abandoned? Why did he keep thinking of Essie? Because I don't know much about the plot, perhaps this is something we can discuss later by email.

Chapter 1 - Mexico?

Sunset on the luna sea
Leaves between you and me
Nothing but the right to be
And ripples drifting silently

In the swirl of the fading dream, a memory of the turquoise water off Cabo San Lucas took its place as he fell into consciousness. The firmness of the mattress came under him, and Random felt her (who is her?) breath on the side of his face, her soft sighing in his ear. (Be careful of the verbs you use in this paragraph. I've heard of falling unconscious but not falling into consciousness. Also, how does firmness come under him?)

Why Mexico?

She wasn’t there. (What? When did she leave? Is he still dreaming?) It was before all this, all these years of struggle (what time period are you talking about? How long ago did this happen?) and searching for the right way to be together. Then there was only friends and fantasies and time to fill.

On the ferry from Mazatlan, he had been sick with strep throat and slowly coming out of a feverish fog and nausea of seasickness. He hardly remembered leaving the little white sand island with the one little cantina and the one-room, stucco, chicken wire cottage on the beach they rented for a few pesos a day from the woman who ran the open air fish stand next to the cantina. At night there was the oompa oompa (I don't know if I'd describe Mariachi as oompa oompa) from the mariachi music on the jukebox coming through the walls.

The old woman stood in the grease-covered kitchen under the thatch roof with no running water to clean the dishes. She sold fried fish and green coconuts, tops lopped off with a machete and a straw stuck in for the juice. After a long night of Mariachi oompas, she apologized. She had no fish to cook. The fisherman where too drunk to fish (I think the Mexicans would still fish even if they were drunk, they need money).

All this came back to him with the question.

Why Mexico?

His friends left him at an inn in Cabo(Why did his friends do this?), and headed north on the bus, while he lay weak and feverish dozing with just enough consciousness to drink the sodas that they had bought and take the antibiotics. Random woke up the next day feeling almost well, but alone in Mexico with just enough money to make it back to Tijuana and the border. His calmness surprised him. He had never been alone on the road before.

He went out to get something to eat and find out where to catch the bus.

Then he knew why Mexico. He was alone and relying on nobody else to get him through. (I'm not sure I understand why he's taken this quest...) And, it was O.K., a little scary but not at all overwhelming. He could handle anything after that. He had to believe everything would work out for the best.

Random thought of Essie, as she began to softly snore(Is he with her or not? Is he dreaming?). Should he leave and let her sort it out, or wait and see? He saw the edge of the waterfall and the current was dragging him near to the point of where he could not avoid the roaring chaos. (where are they or is this some sort of metaphor?)

He moved rolling(he rolled? or shifted?) toward Essie, putting one arm over her side. They were face to face. Her breath was a little stale. She wrinkled up her nose and eyes, squinching her face down and then relaxing. He closed his eyes.

He thought of the crowded bus that took him to Mulege. The seats and center aisle were full of people and animals. A squat, dark woman in a flowered dress stood in front of him as he clung to the edge of a seat. She held a chicken under her arm its head tucked away the tail feathers just inches from his nose. Every time the bus took a curve he got a face full of feathers.

When the bus reached Mulege, the bus driver told them that flash floods had washed out sections of the road up the coast(Why would it take only a day to repair the roads?), they would have to wait for another bus the following evening to take them up the Baja peninsula. Random found a room at a little inn and went to the store in the town plaza, a square with a simple fountain in the center. He asked the man at the store about the bus and found out it would come about 6(six) in the evening. He bought some cottage cheese, bread and a tomato and headed back across the dusty plaza. It amazed him that about a hundred miles north it had rained so hard that it washed roads out. Here dust rose around each step he took.

He got up at 8 am(eight) and made a sign that said TIJUANA and walked a little ways out of the town on the highway(This is quite a dangerous thing to do...). He stood, sat, squatted, leaned, and paced holding his sign up to the few passing vehicles that seemed to be held together with prayer. AT 4(four) in the afternoon, he gave up, and trudged back to the plaza to wait for the bus.

In the plaza, a group of boys from a middle class school sat around on their parent’s hand-me-down luggage. They were all dressed in neat new clothes all nicely pressed. He felt squalid next to them in his dirty clothes and carrying his dusty backpack. He could not recall when he had last bathed as if the dust and sweat had become part of his body like a strange glue somehow holding him together.

A boy of about 15(fifteen) came up to him smiling and nodded and said in carefully practiced English, “Are you reech(It took me forever to realize this was 'rich')? You are American, right?” (I've never had a Mexican ask me if I was rich...)

Random gave a silent closed mouth laugh and shook his head. “No just not as poor, maybe.”

He talked with the boy about America, a little in English and a little in Spanish until the bus came roaring and rattling into to the plaza and wheezed to a stop.

The bus bounced and bumped through the night up and across the Baja peninsula past the beer can and plaster shanties and empty dust choked wastelands now magically without water. Random dozed and dreamed the whole way and woke many times to the voices of the boys in the back laughing and singing and arguing in loud friendly voices.

Essie rolled away and groaned. Random moved to her putting his arm over her side again and pressing up against her back. He heard the soft sighing snore. (Perhaps if you're going to go in and out of dream sequence you can make it stand out somehow, perhaps italicize of indent...)

The baja night rolled into a blazing dawn with silhouetted dunes and the dark slate ocean stretched to the west. There was a stop in Ensenada and little bare foot boys came up to the bus shouting, “Chicle, Chicle,” holding up their slim packs of gum. Random stayed on the bus. His body felt like dirt and ache(ached?). He was ready to go home.

When the bands of sun through the blinds woke him, he was alone. Essie’s side of the bed was neatly folded to. Random lay there trying to figure out what part of the memory had been a dream. He still felt dirty and his body was tired to bone.(So is this present or past?) He shuffled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Washed quickly and just stood letting the hot water run down his shoulders and back. He stepped out of the shower and went back into the bedroom. As he looked through his drawers he began to notice that all of Essie’s things were gone, at least all the things that mattered. He went to the closet and saw his shirts and suits, slacks, ties and belt. None of her things remained. How had she packed so quietly? He was a light sleeper. Essie often woke him up just by entering the room late at night. They had had fights about it as he had to get up early, and she worked mostly from home. (Did this happen in Mexico or somewhere else?)

He looked around for a note even though he knew he would not find one. She was gone, and he would hear from her when she was ready. That’s the way she was when he found her. Actually it was Jered that found her on his way down the Orinoco River. Jered was one of his traveling buddies in Mexico.

Jered brought her back by using his father’s influence in the state department. Random met her in Steve’s funky basement room in Berkeley at the five-year reunion of their sudden departure from the conservation corps where they had met and the Mexico trip that followed a few weeks later.(This sentence is still not giving me enough sense of the time, did this take place 5 years ago? 10? 20?) As the night passed into to early morning, and the stories came from deeper places, Random caught glimpses of drama that she wore like a cloak around her.

Jered held her loosely. It was the only way to hold her—she did not fall into traps. Jered was the same way. He always went his way, and he let you know if you were part of his plans. Random was always surprised when Jered included him.

When Essie showed up the apartment on Buchanan the summer after the reunion, he felt overwhelmed with confusion and a feeling of unworthiness, as if a goddess had come to his door asking for help. (Too much backstory now, this should be brought in later. We need a reason in present time to follow the story because if all the excitement happened in the past and not present, you should just describe the past.)

Random drank his coffee and sifted through memories that formed tangents and branched out into his life of the last 10(ten) years. He had always known she would leave, because he would try to hold her, demand some commitment so he could breathe again. He had been holding his breath since the day she walked into his apartment fiery tears of rage flying. Jered was gone!

“He dint eben leafay a fuckeen note or nuthin’, Man that bastard! If I eber fine heem I keel him!” (Why does she talk like this? What accent is this? You should right it correctly and say she said it with the specific accent.)

She raged and paced, and as he watched, his heart melted down and molded into a shape that would hold her gently. But, he could never trust the shape and had to every now and then work on the extensions like bars of a cage he hoped to finish before she escaped.

He reached out and touched her shoulder, and asked her if she wanted to go out for some lunch, and they could talk more.

Random took another sip of coffee and decided he needed something to eat, but what(?). Toast maybe some honey. Yeh, that would work. He didn’t want more than that. He had to put all this into some kind of picture of the rest of his life, or at least the rest of today.(What reason should I turn the page? What's going to happen in the next chapters that will hold my attention? I need a reason to turn the page.)

Top Ten Mystery Books Made Into Movies

I meant to have a critique ready today but sadly, it's just not done yet so I'm doing tomorrow's post today and will have today's post tomorrow. Hope no one is offended.

Remember, to qualify they need to be books and not screenplays. These are mystery/thriller/crime movies only. I will be doing different categories over the next few weeks. And, they're in no particular order:

IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote - In Cold Blood was a groundbreaking work when released in 1966. With it, author Truman Capote contributed to a style of writing in which the reporter gets so far inside the subject, becomes so familiar, that he projects events and conversations as if he were really there. The style has probably never been accomplished better than in this book. Capote combined painstaking research with a narrative feel to produce one of the most spellbinding stories ever put on the page. Two two-time losers living in a lonely house in western Kansas are out to make the heist of their life, but when things don't go as planned, the robbery turns ugly. From there, the book is a real-life look into murder, prison, and the criminal mind.

THE DA VINCI CODE by Dan Brown - A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. --Jeremy Pugh

KISS THE GIRLS by James Patterson - Feds and local authorities on both coasts are baffled by a pair of serial killers targeting beautiful young women: The Gentleman Caller works the scene in sunny L.A., where he brutally murders and dismembers his prey; his counterpart back East, who calls himself Casanova, trolls the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area for sexy coeds to victimize. Their MOs provide plenty of fodder for an author trying to cook up a work of psychological terror: Both are powerful, handsome, brilliant (natch), commit perfect crimes, and, despite their busy schedules, manage to keep in touch with each other. To catch them, you obviously need a perfect crime fighter. -- Kirkus Associates

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN by Patricia Highsmith - Two men, Guy and Bruno, meet by chance on a train and pass the time in conversation. Each reveals to the other that a specific person stands in the way of happiness: for Guy, it is a wayward wife who refuses to give him a divorce; for Bruno it is a stubborn father who refuses him money. When Bruno playfully suggests that he will kill the wife for Guy if Guy will kill the father for Bruno it seems like a bad-taste joke... But Guy will soon discover there is nothing to laugh about at all. -- F. Gary Taylor


L.A. CONFIDENTIAL by James Ellroy - Ellroy's ninth novel, set in 1950s Los Angeles, kicks off with a shoot-out between a rogue ex-cop and a band of gangsters fronted by a crooked police lieutenant. Close on the heels of this scene comes a jarring Christmas Day precinct house riot, in which drunk and rampaging cops viciously beat up a group of jailed Mexican hoodlums. But, as readers will quickly learn, these sudden sprees of violence, laced with evidence of police corruption, are only teasers for the grisly events and pathos that follow this intricate police procedural. Dope peddling, prostitution, and other risky business are revealed as the tightly wound plot untangles.

THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett - Spade's partner is murdered on a stakeout; the cops blame him for the killing; a beautiful redhead with a heartbreaking story appears and disappears; grotesque villains demand a payoff he can't provide; and everyone wants a fabulously valuable gold statuette of a falcon, created as tribute for the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV. Who has it? And what will it take to get it back? Spade's solution is as complicated as the motives of the seekers assembled in his hotel room, but the truth can be a cold comfort indeed.


SILENCE OF THE LAMBS by Thomas Harris - Clarice Starling, a precociously self-disciplined FBI trainee, is dispatched by her boss, Section Chief Jack Crawford, the FBI's most successful tracker of serial killers, to see whether she can learn anything useful from Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Lecter's a gifted psychopath whose nickname is "The Cannibal" because he likes to eat parts of his victims. Isolated by his crimes from all physical contact with the human race, he plays an enigmatic game of "Clue" with Starling, providing her with snippets of data that, if she is smart enough, will lead her to the criminal. Undaunted, she goes where the data takes her. As the tension mounts and the bureaucracy thwarts Starling at every turn, Crawford tells her, "Keep the information and freeze the feelings." Insulted, betrayed, and humiliated, Starling struggles to focus. If she can understand Lecter's final, ambiguous scrawl, she can find the killer. But can she figure it out in time? --Barbara Schlieper

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS by Agatha Christie - Agatha Christie's most famous murder mystery, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers. Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year, but by the morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, detective Hercule Poirot must identify the murderer -- in case he or she decides to strike again.

THE BOURNE SERIES by Robert Ludlum - He has no past. And he may have no future. His memory is blank. He only knows that he was flushed out of the Mediterranean Sea, his body riddled with bullets. There are a few clues. A frame of microfilm surgically implanted beneath the flesh of his hip. Evidence that plastic surgery has altered his face. Strange things that he says in his delirium— maybe code words. Initial: "J.B." And a number on the film negative that leads to a Swiss bank account, a fortune of four million dollars, and, at last, a name: Jason Bourne. But now he is marked for death, caught in a maddening puzzle, racing for survival through the deep layers of his buried past into a bizarre world of murderous conspirators—led by Carlos, the world's most dangerous assassin. And no one can help Jason Bourne but the woman who once wanted to escape him.

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE by Richard Condon - Richard Condon's 1959 Cold War thriller remains just as chilling today. It's the story of Sgt. Raymond Shaw, an ex-prisoner of war (and winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor) who, brainwashed with the rest of his unit by a Chinese psychological expert during his captivity in North Korea, has come home programmed to kill. His primary target is a U.S. presidential nominee.

What are your favorites? What have I missed?

Guest Post: Tossing Out The Fluff by Laura Eno

Have you ever slogged through a novel that describes the protagonist's routine or surroundings with such minutiae that you were bored stiff? I would say most of us have.

What about your own manuscript? How does it measure up? Can you spot the balance between giving your writing the necessary color for a good story and boring your readers?

That's more difficult. We are all in love with our own words. It amazes me when I hear someone remark that their first draft is one hundred thousand words or more. Why not make it easier on yourself and cut out the fluff from the very start?

Instead of spewing words across the page like you're channeling the spirits in the netherworld, think about what's advancing your plot. Don't give the reader three paragraphs about Aunt Mildred's kitchen if your protagonist won't be visiting her again.

Anton Chekhov said, "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it." In other words, don't include any unnecessary elements in a story. If it's not advancing the plot, it doesn't belong there.
Many novelists have never tried their hand at writing flash fiction, which can be a valuable tool. In my opinion, it is the best way to hone your craft when it comes to tossing out the fluff. Creating a story with a beginning, middle and end in under one thousand words will challenge you to make each word count. I highly recommend it.

Jon Strother of Mad Utopia founded the FridayFlash group a year ago with the Twitter meme #fridayflash. Try it out. I guarantee your writing will be tighter and sharper with practice.
The only downside—your first draft won't double as a doorstop.

*****

Laura Eno lives in Florida with a very tolerant husband, three skulking cats and an absurdly happy dog. She has a pet from the Underworld named Jezebel and a skull called Mr. Fluffy who help her write novels late at night. Please visit her strange imagination at A Shift in Dimensions

Mystery Writer's Guide to Forensic Science - Poisonous Plants II

Note: If you are reading this infromation because you plan to use it on your spouse or in-laws, please leave. This guide if for the use of writers or students only. If you murder someone, you will be caught.

Colchicine

AKA: Crocus, Meadow Saffron

Symptoms: Burning in the mouth and throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and kidney failure. These symptoms may set in as many as 24 hours after the exposure. Onset of multiple-system organ failure may occur within 24 to 72 hours. This includes hypovolemic shock due to extreme vascular damage and fluid loss through the GI tract, which may result in death.

Fast or Slow Acting: 2-5 hours after ingested.

How can you ingest it? It's made into medication used for Gout and other ailments. Certain common inhibitors of CYP3A4 and/or P-gp, including grapefruit juice, may increase the risk of colchicine toxicity.

How can you make it so the victim won't notice it? You can put it in with food or drink but they will probably feel the burning in the mouth or throat. Pill form is best.

What would the victim at the crime scene look like? Colchicine poisoning resembles arsenic poisoning. There is no antidote.

What would the autopsy find? A case in which colchicine is detected in urine, serum, or plasma, as determined by a commercial laboratory.

Case study: Murderess Catherine Wilson is thought to have used it to poison a number of victims in the 19th century.

Sources: CDC, Wikipedia, Biotech,

Chapter Critique - By Cinette Santangelo

What a fun read!  Short and Sweet.

I actually had to think hard of things to work on because it was written so well. You give us glimpses of some of the problems coming ahead without giving away too much information. Also, you don't add too much backstory - only what you needed.

First paragraph: Already we get the sense of the place and the characters and we love it! It's fun and great for a YA audience.

First chapter is broken in three section and each is short, and in my mind, relevant.You have great foreshadowing with the snake and the visit from your granny.

The Plot: I don't know much about the story but the topic you chose to write about is popular right now. I could see how you might turn this into a series and that's good because most publishers want series work.

The characters: I was never confused about who each character was because the names you chose were all different and you didn't introduce them all at once. They're realistic, your six year old's dialogue is realistic as is your teenage dialogue. I like how the sisters are different in personality because it makes them easier to remember them in my head.

Dialogue: For me, this part was the best. You had a lot of it and it's funny too. Confrontational and witty. Even the inner dialogue of the MC is fun and easy to listen to. Great voice.

Suggestions:

One thing I would like to see more is for you to step-up the tension a bit. For example, when your grandmother says her life's in danger, Alex doesn't seem to care much and that makes the reader not really care much. Also, the snake biting her (completely out of the ordinary) doens't concern the MC as much it does the reader. Perhaps it should. I think you could up the tension more in the chapter and provide the reader with more excitement. Because I think one of the goals of the chapter is not only to introduce us to the character but draw the reader in to the danger facing Alex.

The only other suggestion I would make is: add a better ending to the chapter. I don't really believe all chapters should be cliffhangers in a novel, however, I think the end of the first chapter should be a page turner and I didn't really have a huge reason to turn the page. As a suggestion, if you're going to end it with the news her father is leaving on a trip, make that a shock to her or something. Like it's another thing out of the ordinary. Perhaps she's really close to her father and he didn't even say good-bye. Maybe she's scared of flying or airplanes which could add more tension. Perhaps her mother could hesitate telling her because she knows that Alex would freak out. Also, it's her birthday, that means he might not be back for her day. Just suggestions.

I'm feeling bad because I really thought the chapter was fantastic. I hope that the other readers will have more construction criticism.

CHAPTER ONE

It didn’t matter that most of this old house was carpeted; the high ceilings caused voices to carry. “Witches don’t wear socks!” I heard Raz yell. I opened my bedroom door to find her standing at the top of the stairs in her underwear with her hands on her hips and a wide-banded, pointy black hat on her head.
“I could dig out a pair of Grandma Stella’s itchy black wool stockings for you, if you’d like.” Mom’s voice carried up the stairwell.
Raz gave a six year-old’s exaggerated huff. “I’ll find something else!” She turned from the stairs and spotted me in my doorway. “Morning, Alex. What are you being for Halloween?”
“Me. What are you supposed to be?” I was beyond slow, first thing in the morning.
“A scary witch,” she cackled, raising her clawed hands next to her face.
“You don’t look very scary.”
“But YOU sure do!” Giggling and shrieking, she bolted for her room and slammed the door.
“OH! Burned by a six year-old. Slipping at your game, are you?” Cassie called from the bathroom across the wide landing.
I hated morning people.

List of Writer's Acronyms

Often I come across acronyms on blog sites and I'm stumped. So, I did research and here are popular acronyms:

• WIP – Work in Progress
• MC – Main Character
• POV – Point of View
• LI – Love Interest
• YA – Young Adult
• MG – Middle Grade
• SF/F – Science Fiction / Fantasy
• NF – Non-Fiction
• RWA - Romance Writers of America
• PW - Publisher's Weekly
• ARC – Advance Reader Copy
• MS - Manuscript
• NaNoWriMo - National November Writing Month
• CB -- Chapter Book
• ER -- Easy Reader
• PB -- Picture Book
• RUE -- Resist the Urge to Explain
• HEA - Happily Ever After
• SNI - Shiny New Idea
• OTT -- Over the Top (melodramatic)
• OMNI -- Omniscient
• IM -- Internal Monologue
• TBR - To Be Read (Pile of books)

Have any to add?

Awards and 5 Most Influencial American Women Mystery Writers

Erica and Christy gave me the Sweet Friends award! (See Right)

Carol from Under the Tiki Hut and LBDiamond from Diamond–Yup, Like the Stone

 kindly gave me the Cherry on Top Award! (See Left)

For the Cherry on Top award I'm suppose to answer a question: If I had the chance to go back and change one thing in my life, would I, and what would it be?

One thing, huh? Well, I've made many mistakes (some huge) in my life but I'm not sure I'd go back and change any. I think if I did I wouldn't be at the point in my life I'd be now and I'm pretty happy right about now.

Sadly, I can only give this award to a few people because I'm limited by my imagination, so here goes: (I was going to make links to all these wonderful blogger's website but that would take until next week so if you are interested in their blogs, here's a link to yesterday's commenters, they all commmented yesterday.)

1. Valerie Geary
2. L'Aussie
3. Summer
4. DEZMOND
5. Margot Kinberg
6. Su
7. J.L. Stratton
8. Melissa J. Cunningham
9. Sarah*G*
10. Tricia J. O'Brien
11. Nicole Zoltack
12. Shallee
13. Jared Larson
14. Steena Holmes
15. Theresa Milstein
16. Marieke
17. Jules
18. Old Kitty
19. Ezmirelda
20. Eliza
21. Leigh Russell
22. Debbie Cowens
23. Alexandra Crocodile
24. CPatLarge
25. Anne R. Allen
26. Cindy R. Wilson
27. Joanna St. James
28. mshatch
29. Lynda Young
30. Summer Ross
31. Jeffrey Beesler
32. aspiring_x
33. Pat Tillett
34. Mary
35. Kittie Howard
36. DLCurran
37. Mason Canyon
38. KarenG
39. C. N. Nevets
40. Rayna M. Iyer
41. Claire Dawn
42. Rachael Harrie
43. Solvang Sherrie
44. Amanda Sablan
45. Student Accomodation
46. niamh
47. Diane
48. Cruella Collett
49. Megan K. Bickel
50. The Golden Eagle
51. Jen Daiker
52. Jenna Wallace
53. LTM
54. Alex J. Cavanaugh
55. lbdiamond
56. Carol Kilgore
57. Googlover/keishua
58. Ishta Mercurio
59. Laura Eno
60. Hart Johnson
61. Laurel
62. notesfromnadir
63. writesbymoonlight
64. Carolyn Abiad
65. Talli Roland
66. Dorte H
67. Elana Johnson

You don't have to post the award if you already have one of these but chose whichever one you want.

Now, here is my list of 5 Most Influencial American Women Mystery Writers:

1) Harriet Adams was an American juvenile mystery novelist and publisher who authored some 200 books over her literary career. She wrote many books in the Nancy Drew series (under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene) and a few in the Hardy Boys series (under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon). She also oversaw other ghostwriters who wrote for these and many other series. Adams is primarily credited with keeping the Syndicate afloat through the Great Depression, and with revising the two most popular series, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, in the 1950s and 1960s, removing stereotypes and outdated ideas and language.

2) Lilian Jackson Braun is an American writer, well-known for her light-hearted series of "The Cat Who..." mystery novels. The "Cat Who" books center around the life of former newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum, in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County "400 miles north of everywhere."

3) Mary Higgins Clark is an American author of suspense novels. Each of her forty-two books has been a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of her novels remain in print as of 2007, with her debut suspense novel, Where Are The Children, in its seventy-fifth printing. Her suspense novels became very popular, and as of 2007 her books have sold more than 80 million copies in the United States alone.

4) Sue Grafton is a contemporary American author of detective novels. She is best known as the author of the 'alphabet series' ("A" Is for Alibi, etc.) featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California.

5) Janet Evanovich is an American writer. She began her career writing short contemporary romance novels under the pen name Steffie Hall, but gained fame authoring a series of contemporary mysteries featuring Stephanie Plum, a lingerie buyer from Trenton, New Jersey, who becomes a bounty hunter to make ends meet after losing her job. The sixteen novels in this series consistently top the New York Times Best Seller list.

Who makes your list?

A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

I've held off telling people my news (although some have found out) but I think I can shout from the rooftops now that contracts and addendums are signed.

Clarissa Draper's (that's me) mystery series has been picked up by WiDo Publishing! I say series because they not only want the first Evans/Blackwell novel but access to the rest as well. YAY!  

What does that mean?

Lots of work. Lots and lots and lots.

I really have to thank Karen (Coming Down the Mountain) and Allie for holding that contest. And for my wonderful critiquing buddies at The Next Big Writer (Mike, Jessica, Jeni, Tirz, Carolyn, Verity, Laker, and Susan) for putting up with my story again and again until I got it right.

That doesn't mean I don't have a truckload of editing ahead. It'll be probably a year before the book comes out and in the meantime, I plan to keep writing, editing, blogging and spending time with all those that visit me here everyday. I will share all the ups and downs on the road to the finished product and beyond.

I really appreciate the support from my blogging community. Thank you!

Today, I'm going South!

The lovely Michele is hosting me at Southern City Mysteries. This woman has a wonderful blog with wonderful features - especially her Sunday's Foreign Post Roundup.

I'm featured in her Writing Around The World Week and I'm going to be discussing how we can write what we don't really know well.

If you haven't already heard... Alex's CassaStar is out!

I am pleased to be one of many gracing the blogging world with great news!

Alex J. Cavanaugh's CassaStar is here!

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…

Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard.

Much to Byron’s chagrin, the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron's tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential.

As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit?

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal

Links to purchase:
AMAZON 
BARNES & NOBLE
BAM 
POWELLS 
ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK – KINDLE, IBOOKSTORE, NOOK, AND OTHERS

Bio: Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He’s experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Currently he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Why GIVE Critiques?

People thank me all the time for giving free chapter reviews. But, I love doing it. Why? Because I learned shortly after I started writing how valuable they are.

What do I mean?

Well, let me explain. I started writing when I was thirty (four years ago) and I was horrible. Horrible! I can't even read what I wrote back then without laughing aloud. However, back then, I viewed what I wrote as genius. Ha ha ha ha ha.

Anyway, because my family doesn't know I write, I had to get someone to read it and tell me what it's like. So I joined a site called The Next Big Writer and submitted chapters for review. I figured that if I received reviews I could improve my writing and be the bestest writer ever! Well, as with many sites are, you don't get many reviews without giving some reviews so I chose some mystery novels chapters to critique.

Well, you wouldn't believe the amazing reviews I received. They really pin-pointed things I had to work on (which was everything at that point) and gave examples on how to improve. And while that helped my writing, what helped even more was the critiques I had to give.

Why?

Writing is like parenting - our manuscript is our child. We always think our children are complete angels while all the other parents keep their children away from our demon hair-pulling child. Someone can say, "Your child is Chucky" and we get all defensive and huffy. However, when they say to us, "Look right now, did you see your child wipe snot on my son's shirt?" Then you start to wake up.

You see, we have no problems seeing what's wrong with other people's children and if we can't pin point the issue we're happy to look up information on parenting for the mother or father in obvious need. And while looking up the information, we notice our own children displaying that destructive behavior.

Well, often new writers (and even experienced ones) can't see what's wrong with their children manuscript. The first few reviews we're all huffy and stubborn but when they point out concrete examples, we're forced to take notice.

And while that's helpful, what's more helpful is helping others notice their unruly children manuscript.

How?

Have you ever read a chapter or book and found something that didn't sit right with you? Have you ever had to explain why it didn't work for you? It's not easy. You might have to do research as to what POV really means or why passive sentences don't work as well. Then you have to find examples in their manuscipts as to when they've used it. Very soon, you become adept at spotting mistakes in manuscripts including your own.

As a reader it is quite easy to sense where a story doesn't work or is missing something.  Breaking that feeling down to a factual review teaches us a great deal.  By learning and practicing the skills required to review others work we become more able to view our own work from the same critical, detached  perspective.

I'm still not the perfect writer but I have learned so much in the last four years and I will always continue to perfect my craft. And part of the journey for me will always be those critiques. Don't say you're too new a writers, new writers know what doesn't work for them.

The main reasons I critique:

1. First, because it helps you develop your critical and self-critical skills. You are not just helping others; you help improve your self-editing skills, too.
2. Second: it helps you see where you stand and build your scale of values. There will always be people who write better than you do, and there will always be people who write worse. But to write well, you need a healthy self-esteem. Criticizing other people's work can give you the confidence to reach the level of someone whom you consider a better artist.
3. You get a chance to work with new writers who may someday publish their work and you know you've had a hand in helping them realize their goal.
4. Finally, critiquing can be a great opportunity to make new friends. In the publishing industry, social networking is very important, if not crucial. You never know who is going to open that door for you when you need it.

Source: absolutewrite