Only three? I just won't go!

What three books would you take with you to an island? It's not a question I can easily answer. In fact, my first reaction was one of panic.

There are books everywhere in my house. Seriously. Instead of knick-knacks, we have books. Some are old and no longer read. Some are reference types left over from my college days or when our daughter was being home educated. Some are for my own writing -- research books, writing books, a thesaurus. Some are beloved favorites that have been read again and again. Some are in various to-be-read piles -- purchased to be read, but not gotten to just yet.

While I've never been to an island of any type — deserted or not — I have been known to take books to the beach. As a child I remember reading the Raggedy Ann Stories at my grandparents cabin. That was more interesting to me then fishing or swimming in the lake. It was the same scenario, different books, when I lived in the Tidewater area of Virginia. Driving to the beach for the day was nothing and books were a constant companion.

So, to get back to the question, I have no idea! I read books so quickly that three wouldn't last me long. There are classics I've never read (though I'm currently listening to The Three Musketeers by Alexandar Dumas on my iPod during my morning walks). There are classics I want to re-read (let's not discuss the number of times I've read Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell). There are a number of series I enjoy (Mrs. Jefferies by Emily Brightwell, for example). There are authors who I love to read (including but not limited to Jan Burke and Charlane Harris). I can't pick three!!

Would it be cheating to require my deserted island to have electricity and internet capabilities? Because then I'll just take my Sony e-book reader and save myself a who lot of worry! Otherwise, I guess I'll spend this winter in the Black Hills of South Dakota. At least then I can have more than three books...

Blessings!

Nichole

I may not write it, but I like to read it!

This week's topic doesn't really apply to my writing.  As I've said before, I don't have a lot of "other species" in my series.  

What I do have are feelings and talents and abilities in plain old people.  And spirit guides.  And the occasional visit from a goddess.  Sometimes I think another species would be easier to write.  Probably one of those "the grass is always greener" moments, but still.....

I do enjoy reading about other species, though.  As long as the writing is well done and the characters believable, that is.

Take Charlaine Harris, for example.  I enjoyed her first few books in the Southern Vampire series (the Sookie Stackhouse books, for those who don't know), but the later ones aren't as believable to me.  I don't think Sookie, as a character, has grown much -- or at least as much as I'd like to see.

Kim Harrison's White Witch, Black Curse is the first I've read in that series.  (OK, I admit it, I don't always start at the beginning!)  I'll tell you, I'm impressed with it.  The characters seem well thought out and the story line is moving right along.  There are banshees, fairies, vampires, and witches and that seems to work for me.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood, a series staring vampires by JR Ward, is another series where I can say "yes, that could happen."  While this one is more love-story, romantic then what I normally read, I can even put that aside once in awhile.  Especially for these guys!

It seems most of the paranormal books out there right now focus on vampires.  There's almost always a werewolf in the supporting cast.   A few have other species thrown in.  Or am I not looking in the right places?

What are your favorite "other species" books?  I'm always looking for something new to read!

Blessings!

Nichole

Real Estate

Real estate is hot and location is everything, right?

Maybe so, but the setting of your novel could go either way.

The great thing about writing in the paranormal genre is the characters. Big or small, the characters are what will pull the reader in and keep them there.

BUT--I have to say setting can be a big chunk of the story. For example, take my book The Art of Fang Shui. The bulk of the book is set in a national park in Indiana. At night. Sometimes in the rain. What's more creepy than a dark, spooky forest on a moonless night in the pouring rain? Add in a cast of questionable characters and wham! There's a great story.

OR--in the sequel to that book. The story takes place in ordinary settings: an apartment, a marriage counselor office, office buildings. The setting is the background in this instance because the characters themselves are larger than life and can carry the tale.

Bottom line: it doesn't really matter as long as everything is interesting and works together to create an awesome book :-)

Happy haunting.

Interview with my furkids

My friend A.S. King, is promoting her new book, Dust of 100 Dogs and for fun, she interviews pooches for her blog. Read about Thor and Gaea here.

Writing 101

Every professional studies their craft. Doctors, lawyers, athletes, scientists, teachers, filmmakers, actors, dog trainers, plumbers, engineers—they all educate themselves on their jobs. The good ones continue to brush up every so often through training, courses or conferences because they love what they do and they want to keep doing it the best they can.

No matter what stage of your writing career or what genre, there are books out there that will help you improve your craft. Why do you need to read about writing? Well, first off, most of us don’t recognize our own flaws unless they are pointed out to us. You can get that from a critique partner, granted, but that critique will rarely tell you how to improve on those flaws. And perhaps you do recognize there is something wrong with the first draft of your manuscript, but you may not see what that something is.

That’s where the experts come in.

My shelf of writing books expands every year. Some are simple essays on the craft, some are informational manuals on the publishing business, others are odds and ends for certain niches. All have helped me improve and helped me get published.

There are also loads of organizations, newsletters and blogs that teach fledging writers how to fly. Murderati is an excellent example.

But, you may say, I want to learn on my own. And doesn’t a good writer learn by doing?
Yes, that’s true. But if you want anyone besides your cat and your mother to read your work, you may want to polish it as best you can.

Every beginner has their own quirks that make readers cringe. Maybe the dialogue is stiff. Now, you probably cannot learn how to write snappy dialogue from a book, but you may learn techniques that others have tried to improve the conversation of their characters and apply them to your pages. Like, eavesdrop at a restaurant, take an improve class, volunteer to teach a hobby, etc…

Or perhaps the description is loaded with clichés. You might not even realize you’re using them until you read a really good book on how to make your prose sing.

Could be that the plot is stalled. You think the characters are flowing through the story beautifully until you learn how to build tension through beats and scenes.

Maybe the pacing is off. Too much action. Not enough reaction and vice-versa.

Or you’ve made one of the top ten mistakes right off the bat that prompts every editor to toss the script into the slush pile. But you don’t know it because you haven’t learned what they are.

Well, stay tuned because here are some great resources. There are many others. But this is the list that has helped me:
PLOT AND STRUCTURE, James Scott Bell
DON’T MURDER YOUR MYSTERY, Chris Roerden
CREATING UNFORGETTABLE CHARACTERS, Linda Seger
BIRD BY BIRD, Anne Lamott
THE FOREST FOR THE TREES, Betsy Lerner
MURDER AND MAYHEM, D.P. Lyle
WRITING DOWN THE BONES: FREEING THE WRITER WITHIN, Natalie Goldberg
HOW I GOT PUBLISHED: FAMOUS AUTHORS TELL YOU IN THEIR OWN WORDS

And, BABY NAMES

Barb

My most important writing book? All of them!

There are a LOT of books about writing.  I think I have most of them.

OK, so that isn't true.  But I do have an awful lot of them.  

In addition to the obligatory dictionary (in English, Latin, and Lakota) and thesaurus (English only), I have books on punctuation, an AP Style book, and a copy of Jeff Herman's Guide to Publishers Editors and Literary Agents.

I have some great books filled with writing prompts and I've even been known to use them!  I also have most of the Writer's Digest "Howdunit Series."  Those are full of information, though I wouldn't recommend reading Deadly Doses: a writers guide to poisons at the dinner table.  It seems to make the other members of the family a little leery.

One of my favorite writing books, however, isn't a book on writing at all.  Michael Largo's Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die is a source of inspiration when looking for "the perfect murder."  For example, there have been 18,983 foot-related fatalities since 1975.   My personal favorite, though, states that in 2003, twenty-four people died from inhaling popcorn fumes.  I'm not sure how I will ever use that bit of information, but I hope to find a way!

Which writing book could you not do without?

Blessings,

Nichole

Wandering the bookstore aisles

When I decided I wanted to write "mysteries with a paranormal twist," I did what most good writers do.  I headed to the bookstore.  That's when I found you can't just walk in and say "I want to read mysteries with ghosts."   Not only does the staff look at you like you've lost your marbles, but they don't have a place to direct you, either.

Mysteries are easy to find.  Usually, they're housed right under the big sign that says "Mysteries."  It's the paranormal stuff that's all over the store.  You can find it in mysteries (if you're lucky and know what to look for), romance, and -- almost always -- science-fiction.  

The fact I can't find exactly what I want to read is one of the reasons I choose to write.  Well, that and the fact I've read some really lousy books that I know I could have written better, but that's a topic for another day.

I do wish,  however, that I could find some more mysteries with a paranormal twist.  Maybe booksellers should create a great end-cap display to feature the paranormal mystery authors.  And when they do, I have every expectation of my books being featured.

Blessings,

Nichole

Authenticity Matters

Writers read. Ask any one of us.

Newspapers, books, travelogues, blogs, magazines, periodicals, even cereal boxes are part of the daily diet of a good writer. Why? Because research never ends.

Weather you’re just starting out and you need to know the basic structure of a novel, or you’ve been at this gig for a while now and you decided the next book is going to include a taxidermist, every serious writer researches continuously.

That’s one of my favorite aspects of writing, because I love to learn and that’s part of the process. For accuracy and reader credibility, we look up even the tiniest detail if there’s any doubt.

Or you ask someone who knows.

Because research is more than just reading. In my first book, I have a minor character who is an auto mechanic. My husband is a huge car buff and knows everything about muscle cars (or any other four-wheel vehicle, for that matter). So I went to him to decide what make and model this character, who doesn’t have an enormous income, should drive. He came up with the perfect solution and is my go-to guy for any car related question.

This may seem like a minor detail. Just put the guy behind the wheel, right? Who cares what he drives?

Readers care. They care because they drive. Some might care because they’re car aficionados. They won’t be fooled by a mechanic driving an SUV. Wouldn’t make sense. But I wanted more than the obvious answer. I wanted the only answer. Remember My Cousin Vinnie? The climax of that movie depended solely on the make/model/year of a vehicle- and the woman who was the expert in that area.

That’s research.

It involves interviews, travel, and hands-on experience. You may be hesitant to “bother” people, or maybe you’re just shy. Get over it. There’s nothing people love more than talking about themselves and if they think there’s a slim chance their name might be mentioned in a book, they’ll be singing like a cell phone.

Need to learn about the restaurant industry? Take a job as a waitress. Police procedure? Ask an officer for a ride-along. Medical question? Visit a hospital for a list of doctors in that field. As long as you are polite and are willing to work around their schedule, most people are happy to lend a few minutes of their time. Always be gracious, really listen to the person, don’t interrupt, jot down questions as they come, and always send a note of thanks.

Then, of course, there is the internet. What did we ever do without it? I’ve researched arson accelerants, the effects of poisons, drug interactions, and song lyrics online. Even if I think I know something, like the spelling of a certain god’s name or the pagan rites practiced on Samhain, I force myself to double-check.

Because even in the paranormal world, authenticity matters.

Now go read something.

Barb