Jaye Wells's Blog, page 2

Big news! I’ve recently signed on to start teaching writing through Writing Workshops Dallas. For more information on each or to reserve your spot, go to WritingWorkshopsDallas.com.

Story Craft: Mastering the Art of Promises & Payoffs in Fiction
Sunday, July 8, 2018 – 3:00PM TO 6:00PM

Great stories don’t happen by accident. The best writers understand the tools of the craft and use them to construct tales that surprise and satisfy their readers. To master these skills, writers must learn how to effectively make compelling story promises in their opening lines and pages as well as deliver surprising yet satisfying payoffs by THE END. In this workshop, you’ll learn about:

The tools that make effective and intriguing promises
Concrete examples of how bestselling authors use these tools in their stories
Delivering on your promises by effectively landing your payoffs
Tips for revision and working with these tools with your critique partners
How to apply these principles to your own work in progress with hands-on exercises

Students will also receive worksheet templates they can use for current and future projects. This class is for writers at all levels.

Fee: $60 or $45 for former/current students | Live Stream Available for out-of-towners!

 

8-WEEK NOVEL I with JAYE WELLS – CLASS BEGINS Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Writing a novel is a complex and time-consuming endeavor that requires mental stamina. Writers who want to master the form need a toolbox of craft techniques, a supportive network, and mentoring from a pro who has been there and can offer proven strategies for success. This course, taught by USA Today Bestselling author Jaye Wells, is for writers of all levels and genres who are serious about learning the craft of writing great novels. Each week, we will explore the fundamental building blocks of novels, including characterization, world building, plotting and story structure, themes, and point of view. In addition, we’ll focus on building the skill of reading like a writer as we analyze a classic published novel and by critiquing each other’s work to underscore craft concepts. Students will have two opportunities to have pages of their novel-in-progress workshopped in a supportive environment with the goal of improving craft, voice, and clarity. In addition, each student will receive one-on-one mentoring from the instructor to address individual goals and challenges .

NOTE: Students are required to purchase Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, which will be used to illustrate concepts explored in class .

Fee: $495 for new students; $470 for returning students. (Payment plans available to returning students.)

Jaye Wells, Instructor
Enrollment limit: 8 students
Meets Tuesdays 6:30PM to 8:30PM / August 21, 2018 to October 9, 2018
Class meets at The Foundry Club at Mockingbird Station: 5307 E. Mockingbird Ln / Dallas, TX / 75206


Novel I Promo

As we near Memorial Day, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the origins of my novel High Lonesome Sound.

I chose to use the phrase as the book’s title because that it is used to describe the mournful quality of bluegrass music. My novel is set in southern Virginia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian range. It’s nearly impossible to write about that region and not include music. The title was also fitting because the story itself was partially inspired by a song. John Lee Hooker’s “Decoration Day” starts like this:

“People I had a woman, she was nice and kind to me in ev’ry way

But Lord, she died and she left me, I sang the blues on ev’ry Decoration Day.”

I first learned of the mountain practice of Decoration Day from a tv show. The tradition happened every spring when the menfolk clean the cemeteries and the women make paper flowers to decorate the graves. There’s a picnic on the ground and the preacher offers a service. It’s a way for communities to reconnect after the long winter and to honor their dead.

There’s some debate about the origins of the practice. It’s similar to Dia de Los Muertos and Memorial Day, which came later. But I’m a writer so my brain is pretty twisted, and when I asked myself why a community would start a ritual like this one, I decided they did it because they had to–or the dead would rise.

John Lee Hooker’s song combined with one of my favorite short stories, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, gave me the idea for the basic premise of the story: A man, mourning his dead wife, will do anything to get her back, even if it means making a deal with a demon. The problem is deals with demons rarely go as one hopes, and his dead wife, Rose, doesn’t come back alone.

As I started writing the story, it grew into much more than a narrative about the lengths we’ll go to to escape grief. It became a story about five people who were searching for something they’d lost. Cotton Barret is the man searching for a way to get his wife back. Ruby Barret is his daughter, who lost her ability to hear the mountain’s song on the day her mama died. Peter West is a down-on-his luck horror novelist who’s looking for a new story to save his career. Deacon Fry is the town’s mayor and the head deacon of Moon Hollow’s only church, and he’s search for redemption for a sin he committed as a young man. Then there’s Granny Maypearl, the local granny woman who specializes old folk remedies and magic, who is searching for a way to mend her broken family and pass her gifts to her estranged granddaughter, Ruby.

If you haven’t given High Lonesome Sound a read yet, I hope you’ll consider it. From now through Memorial Day weekend, it’s only $.99 in ebook.

Buy High Lonesome Sound in ebook now!
Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | GooglePlay

Someone asked me on Twitter for my famous drunk cherries recipe. I use these for my Old Fashioneds, but they’re also great with ice cream or other desserts. These also make excellent gifts. Just make up a big batch, jar them, and put a fun label on them. Enjoy!

Jaye’s Drunk Cherries

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. cherries(fresh is best, but you can buy frozen cherries from most grocery stores if cherries aren’t in season)

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

4 cardamom pods

2 whole cloves

2 whole allspice

1 cinnamon stick

1 cup brandy

1-quart jar with lid and seal

Put It Together:

Pit the cherries (or defrost if using frozen, pitted cherries)

Bring sugar, water, lemon juice, and spices to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the mixture is slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Stir in the brandy and the pitted cherries.

Using slotted spoon, transfer the cherries to a 1-quart jar. Pour enough of the cooking liquid over the cherriesto cover them completely. Twist on lid.

To preserve: Process the lidded jars in boiling water for 10 minutes, let cool, and store in a cool, dark place (such as a cupboard) for at least 6 weeks before using. Once opened, keep chilled.

The reviews are rolling in for my supernatural Southern gothic novel, High Lonesome Sound.

“Jaye Wells has a wholly adept pen and at times much more than that, adding flourish and style.

HIGH LONESOME SOUND is an easy and inviting read. The pacing is on point. The characters are good. The thrills and action move justly. I can’t imagine a fan of commercial horror being disappointed by this book.” —Unnerving Magazine

Read the rest of the review here. 

Buy your copy now!

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | GooglePlay  | Indiebound 

The day has finally arrived for High Lonesome Sound‘s big launch! I could not be more excited to share this Appalachian gothic tale about mountain magic, deadly secrets, and vengeful demons with you.

Secrets won’t stay buried. Neither will the dead. 

In the sleepy mountain town of Moon Hollow, Virginia, there is a church with a crooked steeple. No one will say for sure how it got that way, but it’s the reason the whole town gathers every Decoration Day to honor the dead.

This year, there are two fresh graves up on Cemetery Hill, a stranger’s come to town, and the mountain’s song is filled with dark warnings.

The good people of Moon Hollow are about to learn that some secrets are too painful to bear, and some spirits are too restless to stay buried.

Buy it now:
 Amazon | Indiebound| B&N | Kobo | iBooks | GooglePlay 

 

What people are saying about High Lonesome Sound:

“This story will leave you shivering in the dead of summer.” –Cherie Priest, author of The Family Plot

“A masterful portrayal of flawed humanity struggling to hear the song of the sublime. It’s harrowing, haunting, and ultimately triumphant with a deeply satisfying conclusion.” –Kevin Hearne, NYT Bestselling author of the Iron Druid series

“Some of the best horror I’ve read in ages. Feels like Stephen King after he  really hit his stride.” –Stephen Blackmoore, author of Dead Things

Frequently Asked Questions:

-Where can I buy High Lonesome Sound?

You can purchase it in ebook or print at most online book stores. If you prefer to shop at independent brick-and-mortar stores you can always ask them to order you a copy.

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks | GooglePlay 

-When will it be available in audio?

Hopefully soon. Producing high-quality audiobooks is important to me, so I’m taking time to find the best partner for this project. Keep an eye out for more news on this as I have it.

Where can I read an excerpt?

The first chapter is here.

-Is High Lonesome Sound part of a series?

No. It is a stand alone novel. However, I do have other stories planned for this genre, which I call “Appalachian Gothic.”

-Will the story scare me?

Short Answer: Probably.

Long answer: It depends on your tolerance for creepiness. If you’re a fan of Stephen King or Shirley Jackson, you’ll probably love it. If you find them too scary, you’ll probably need to sleep with a light on.

-Does this mean you’ve stopped writing urban fantasy?

Absolutely not. I still have three books left in my Prospero’s War series, and lots of ideas for other stories that fall under the UF umbrella.

I believe it’s important for writers to stretch themselves so their skills don’t grow stale. Plus, the beauty of self-publishing is I can write whatever I want and get it all to the market faster. This allows me to work in several genres at once. If one of my chosen genres doesn’t work for you, that’s okay because there are plenty of other options.

 

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, The Art of Loving a Vampire is a Kindle Countdown Deal until Feb. 14. Get it now for just $.99! 

About The Art of Loving a Vampire

Curator Sydney Worth has an embarrassing crush on the handsome kilted man in her favorite painting. The portrait is more than two hundred years old, so the last thing she expects is for him to walk into her museum.

Logan, the eldest son of the Murdoch vampire clan,  can’t understand why this stubborn mortal woman isn’t falling for his mind control. Left with no other choice, he agrees to work with Sydney to prove his family’s claim to the painting. Now he just has to figure out how to keep the very attractive curator from finding out he and his entire family are immortals.

Can a vampire who hates complications and a curator with trust issues learn the fine art of love?

Get it now on Kindle! 

 

I’m excited to share two new book blurbs for HIGH LONESOME SOUND.

“Spooky and sweet, dark and warm, and sharp as an animal’s teeth. This is a story that will leave you shivering in the dead of summer.” –Cherie Priest, author of THE FAMILY PLOT

“A masterful portrayal of flawed humanity struggling to hear the song of the sublime. It’s harrowing, haunting, and ultimately triumphant.” –Kevin Hearne, NYT Bestselling author of the IRON DRUID series

“Some of the best horror I’ve read in ages. Feels like Stephen King after he  really hit his stride.” –Stephen Blackmoore, author of DEAD THINGS

 

HIGH LONESOME SOUND releases on February 13.

-Read Chapter One now.

-Add it to your Goodreads “To Read” list.

-Want to be reminded when it comes out? Sign up for my newsletter!

Private investigators. Trackers. Cops. Cleaners. In Urban Fantasy, monsters exist alongside humans. Someone needs to keep the bloodshed to a minimum. And when the body count rises too fast or too high, someone needs to find who’s responsible and make them pay. It’s a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it…

Enter to win all five now! 

I woke up to some amazing news this morning:

Volatile Bonds was nominated by RT Book Reviews for the Best Indie Urban Fantasy Award of 2017!

I am so excited and honored to nominated. RT Book Reviews has been incredibly supportive of my books, and the fact that my first big indie book was nominated is thrilling.

DIRTY DEALS LEAD TO DEADLY ENDS.

When the Magic Enforcement Agency is called out to the scene of a dirty magic lab explosion, a body with a bullet wound is found in the smoldering ruins. As Detective Kate Prospero and her partner, Special Agent Drew Morales, hunt down the killer, they uncover evidence that a dangerous new coven may be operating in the Cauldron.

It’s not long before the bodies start piling up, and the heat is on for the team to make an arrest. Solving the murders will require unraveling dangerous alliances between the city’s dirty magic covens. And if they’re not careful, the new complexities of Morales and Prospero’s own partnership threaten to make a volatile situation downright deadly.

Read the first chapter of Volatile Bonds now! 

Buy the ebook:

Amazon | Nook | Kobo | iTunes |Googleplay

Buy the print book:

Murder By the Book (ships signed copies) | Createspace | Indiebound | B&N | Amazon 

Buy it in audiobook: 

Tantor | Audible