P.C. Zick's Blog, page 49

By Patricia Zick @PCZick

At the beginning of the year, I posted my goals for 2013. Here we are three months into the year, so it’s time to see how I’m doing once again. I highly recommend checking on the goals. I’ve never done it before this year, and I’m finding it’s a great motivator that keeps me moving.

Writing Goals for 2013

Launch Trails in the Sand . I published it on Amazon and have a print copy ready to proof. I plan to do a big launch for the novel by the end of January.

Update: Trails in the Sand is available on Kindle and in paperback on Amazon. It’s also available on Nook through Barnes and Noble. So far, sales remain slow.  There are eight reviews on Amazon – all five-star  Several review copies are still out, and I’m waiting for more reviews to appear. I decided to sign up for a blog tour with Worldwind Virtual Blog Tours so I’m busy writing guest posts for the tour, which begins on Earth Day, April 22. The tour lasts one week. Also, I signed up for World Literary Cafe’s Shout Out for April 22. I’ll report in my next update on whether I feel these two things were worthwhile.

Finish Safe Harbor. I started this novel in 2007 but stopped when I decided I needed to find a wildlife officer to interview. I left for the big Route 66 trip, which led to the creation of Live from the Road. When I returned from Route 66, I took a new job with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and became very familiar with wildlife officers and experts. Now there’s no excuse not to finish the almost completed draft. I start by pulling out the spiral notebook where it’s housed and giving it a read. I always recommend that writers let pieces incubate, but five years isn’t what I meant.

 Update: I’ve read through the draft, made notes, and decorated my bulletin with character cards. I’m rearranging chapters now and and filling in gaps. I’m starting on Chapter Five this week.

Publish a book of essays on my travels. I already have a name: Odyssey to Myself. I have most of the pieces written in various stages. It’s a matter of pulling it all together into one cohesive story of my travels from 2004-2009 as I discarded an old life and moved into a new phase.

Update:  Nothing to report here.

Pull together all of my gardening blog posts from my blog “Living Lightly” into a book. I see it as a primer for gardening and preserving produce. Again, I have all the pieces here and there, I just need to pull it all together.

Update:  This book is coming along nicely. I’ve written the first four chapters (Introduction, Year Round Gardening, Winter, and Spring). I’ll be starting the chapter on Summer this week. The drafts of the first four chapters are on my husband’s desk awaiting his proofreading pen.

Read the pile of books on my desk, both fiction and nonfiction. Reading is an essential part of the writing journey. How fortunate for me to have a career that requires reading for improving my craft.

Update:  I read another eBook and finished In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. I started reading Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver this past week.

Establish myself as a bestselling author. Every year this one makes it to my list. Here’s to 2013  being the year it happens. For me, this goal refers to making a living as an author. I want to be able to pay more than the electrical bill each month with the proceeds from my storytelling.

Update:  Stay tuned.

How’s it going for you in 2013 so far?

By Patricia Zick @PCZick

Genre – Science fiction/fantasy

Synopsis – With blood on her hands, strange words coming out of her mouth, and her face all over the media, Em knows that she stopped the jungle battle, stormed into the armed courtroom, and defeated the zealot soldiers. However, as she works for the aliens controlling her, her emotions are torn between what she knows must be her real life and the life she is now living. How is it that she is able to step into the middle of a war and stop it without getting killed? How is it she doesn’t remember her “old” life? And, how will she decide whether or not she wants this sci fi life that’s been thrust on her? Yves, one of the gods from out there somewhere, is assigned to take care of Earth. He’s a rookie learning to be a Power and trying to communicate with Em. For full media impact, Yves manipulates the reporting to maintain constant attention on Em and her exploits. The world falls in love with this “madame of miracles.” Meanwhile, Em agonizes over the impact of her actions and whether or not they are right. Em is not the only one confused and agonizing. Coming from the sterile world of the gods, Yves succumbs to human emotions. Jealousy takes over as he watches Em and her lover. He plots to end their affair, but in doing so risks losing his chance for advancement, his chance to free his people, and even risks losing his life.

My Review – I don’t usually read science fiction or fantasy. In fact, it’s the last thing I’d choose to read. However, I read Darlene’s biography and wondered how she was able to solve her heartbreak over wanting to help the people she met while living in Mali many years ago. When Darlene signed up for Author Wednesday (see post from April 3, 2013), I decided to read Embattled, the first book in her series. My review is based solely on my enjoyment as a reader, not on my knowledge of how a science fiction novel should be written.

Through the other worldly powers of Em, or Miracle Madam as the world comes to know her, the reader travels to the worst corners of hell that exist right here on Earth. From Africa to Europe and back again to the gangland streets of Los Angeles, we are transported along with Em. In the beginning, Em suffers the shock of her new abilities that have come to her as an adult as the result of a typical wish of any caring ten-year-old child. She wished back then for the magic to save the world.

Em struggles with her decisions and even wonders if war isn’t something that must exist in this world in order to achieve peace. The answers aren’t easy and neither is the work. I believe Em is the incarnation of the author’s wish to save her beloved Mali.

I read once that classic novels do one of two things. Either the hero is extraordinary and is put into ordinary circumstances and forced to cope with the everyday world. Or the hero is ordinary and is placed into extraordinary situations and forced to cope. Em falls into the latter group. She’s a normal high school principal who is suddenly thrust onto the world stage making destiny-changing decisions as she becomes the most revered and beloved woman in the world. She’s a modern day Joan of Arc who must sacrifice her ordinary life to achieve the goal of straightening out Earth for the better. Ms. Jones achieved a level of believability for me that I didn’t think would be possible in a science fiction novel.

The “Powers” who guard and pull the puppeteer’s strings on Em are a fantastical lot, from Yves to the Mentor to Elspeth, Yves’ sister. The switch in point of view, from the Powers to earth, is very confusing in the beginning. Also, the switch in setting with Em’s character from principal to the Miracle Madame is equally confusing at first. However, with the inclusion of Ron, her eventual lover, I found myself grounded and better able to make the transitions. Ron is an average-looking actor who’s thrust into the limelight by a movie Em helps produce. His rather mundane and ordinary life  is touching and pitiful, even after he meets Em because he knows he can’t keep her with him or do anything to stop the course of events. When I found myself thinking about the characters after I stopped reading, I knew the author managed to hook me with the plot.

As the Powers observe the happenings on Earth, the reader learns more about Em, and as unbelievable as the Powers seem, they make the Earth characters more realistic.

Many characters are introduced during the novel, but most are only mentioned once. I found it confusing and wondered at the necessity of including them. Some of them, such as Tony, could have been expanded for more depth of Ron. In addition, Francois seems to be an important character in the beginning of the book, but he is only mentioned in passing in the rest of the novel. Perhaps he comes back in the next book in the series. I hope so because I felt he was one character I’d like know better.

Ms. Jones makes several important commentaries on our modern world. Em argues with Ron over the issue of salaries of movie stars and the discrepancy in what a teacher makes each year. Through Em, we also are given a view into our acts of giving to those less fortunate than ourselves by simply writing a check. Em takes Ron down into the streets of L.A. to see what it’s really like for the folks he thinks he’s helping by giving them money without knowledge of what’s it’s really like to be poor and to live without hope.

Embattled is a book that made me think. I recommend trying it, even if you aren’t a fan of science fiction. I did, and I liked it. In addition, I’d like to continue reading this series and applaud the author for bringing attention to the plight of those less fortunate through an entertaining art form.

Coming Soon – Worldwind Blog Tour

Welcome to Author Wednesday on Writing Whims. Today, Darlene Jones stops by to talk about her novels, Embattled, Embraced, and Empowered.

 

Darlene’s experiences during her time living Mali so touched her life, she decided to give voice to them in her novels. Book Review Friday will feature a review of Embattled, which I’ve just finished reading.

From Darlene Jones:

Many years ago a young girl left the safety of Canada for adventure in Africa. This was in a generation when young girls didn’t go anywhere on their own and certainly not to the “the dark continent.”

I was that young girl and going to Mali demanded I adapt to:

A different climate. I exchanged the snowy cold of Alberta winters for the arid Harmattan winds of the Sahara. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the force of the heat that pressed on me as I stepped off the airplane. Over the days and weeks that followed, I learned how the heat saps your energy until you feel that you can barely drag yourself around. A person who shall remain nameless said that the Africans were lazy. This person lived in an air-conditioned house, drove an air-conditioned car, and worked in an air-conditioned office.
A different culture. I very quickly packed away my mini-skirts and wore a pagne, the rectangle of cloth that women wrapped around themselves to be a skirt. I hired a houseboy – sounds degrading, but the $8 a month I paid him supported a family of seven. My salary was about $140 a month and that was ample to live on. I learned the proper greetings that came before any exchange whether buying a stamp or fruit at the market. I learned to bargain. The list goes on.
A different language. I spoke French, but not fluently, so I had to work at perfecting that. I also tried to learn a little Bambara, the most common local language. My students put me to shame. They could speak four or five local languages, had learned French (the official language of the country), and were studying English (I was their teacher) and German in school.

But above all, I had to adapt to time travel for most Malians lived the way they always had. Modern conveniences consisted of basic items such as kerosene lanterns and little else.

I brought home with me a love for Mali, the Sahara, and Malians that burns as brightly now as it did then.

It was the plight of Malians that inspired my novel series. Since I couldn’t wave a magic wand to make life better in Mali, I chose to do that fictitiously. I wrote my books to entertain, but also with the hope that readers would see the world in a broader perspective. I hope that doesn’t make my books sound preachy, because they’re not intended to be, but I don’t think I could have written them in any other way given my experiences in Mali. The wide warm smiles of Malians stay with me always. I hope that warmth and positive outlook is conveyed in my stories.

Darlene on Darlene:  A long time ago, I lived in Mali. Every single day, I wished I could wave a magic wand to relieve the heart-wrenching poverty. The story line of my books reflects my desire to wave that wand and make the world a better place. If only wishes could come true. And of course, every novel needs its love story, so along with the sci-fi magic, I’ve added the requisite romance.

Initially, I intended to write “a” novel. The story and characters took over and the ending of the first demanded another. Two books became three and three became four.

I’ve always believed we can’t be the only beings existing in the vastness of the universe. There must be others “out there somewhere” and I brought some of them along for the ride. The setting stays, for the most part, within the realities of our world, but I’ve found that I love the magic the sci-fi element of other beings can bring to the story.

Book four, Em and Yves, will be released by the end of April or May at the latest.

Briefly: Em and Yves asks the question: What if you could go “up there?” Why does this obsession drive Emily’s life when she doesn’t believe in heaven? Even the wonderful Dr. David can’t help her find the answers she needs.

Learning that she has lived other lives shocks Emily. Then Yves takes her to his world. There she meets gods and Powers and people rescued from doomed planets – living the perfect heavenly life. She knows she belongs “up there” with Yves, but all is not as idyllic as it appears. Emily is the only one who sees the danger. Will she be able to save Yves’ world?

What if you could go “up there?” Why does this obsession drive Emily’s life when she doesn’t believe in heaven? Even the wonderful Dr. David can’t help her find the answers she needs.

Where to buy Darlene’s books:

Embattled

Amazon:          http://ow.ly/eAryx

Apple ibook:   http://ow.ly/gzn4Z

Smashwords:   http://ow.ly/gzn8j

Empowered

Amazon:          http://ow.ly/eArB2

Apple ibook:   http://ow.ly/gzns7

Smashwords:   http://ow.ly/gznit

Embraced

 Amazon:          http://ow.ly/eArE1

Apple ibook:   http://ow.ly/gznyT

Smashwords:   http://ow.ly/gznjL

Contact Darlene

Blog:  http://emandyves.wordpress.com

Website: www.emandyves.com

Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/darlenejones

Suwanee River – Florida’s only whitewater

By Patricia Zick @PCZick

In the past few weeks, I resurrected the first draft of a novel I began in 2006 and then left when I accepted a job with the state in Tallahassee, Florida, in 2007. It’s tentatively titled Safe Harbor. The protagonist, Emily Booth, and the antagonist, Julia Curry, are names from another novel I started thirteen years ago, but forgot about until I started working on Safe Harbor. I thought I’d taken most of the stuff from the older work, The Learning Curve, and melded into Safe Harbor.

But all last week, scenes kept popping into my mind about a house on the Suwannee River where an artist comes to live and soon enough is embroiled in the town politics when he starts teaching art at the local high school. I remember spending many lovely afternoons sitting on the banks of the Suwannee River writing scenes for the novel. Then as happens, life intervened and the novel was put aside . . .until this week. I wasn’t even certain if a manuscript existed from that first draft or if I had a word processing program that could read it. I wrote most of it in 2000 on an old Mac computer. Yesterday, I begin searching and on the external hard drive, attached to a newer but still old Mac that I keep around for its graphic capabilities, I found twenty chapters and 27,000 words in a file titled The Learning Curve. My new PC with Word 2010 opened the file with lots of silly little marks, but in between those funny squiggles lay the text.

Today I glanced through the pages, and there were the scenes I’d been thinking of this week. My writing is a little immature – particularly with the dialogue – but it’s a still a workable manuscript waiting for my return.

I consider it a wonderful gift. It’s ironic that now I write in Pittsburgh, the home of Stephen Foster who penned the song that made the Suwannee River a known quantity in the world. Stephen Foster never saw the river he made famous, but I’ve visited many times and crossed it even more times in my travels throughout north Florida. I’ve swam in its waters and paddled down its flow that leads to the Gulf of Mexico and I’ve sat on its high banks and breathed in the beauty of my beloved north Florida.

Here’s an excerpt, I particularly like, and which I discovered needed very little editing before I felt it ready to share. It’s also an excerpt without dialogue. How wonderful to see how much I’ve learned as a writer throughout the years.

I present to you the readers of my blog, the first ever reveal of The Learning Curve:

Most folks imagine the Atlantic Ocean when they think about Florida’s sandy beaches. However, except for a song by Stephen Foster, very few know that the Suwannee River, which flows from the Okefenokkee Swamp in Georgia down to the Gulf of Mexico in north Florida, boasts some of the sandiest beaches anywhere. From the high sloping hills down to the beaches caressing the wide expanse of river, the shores of the Suwannee contain some of the finest sand in the state.

Paul looked out at the sparkling river and the bare branches of the cypress trees hugging the shore. The house sat on a bend in the river, so in either direction he looked, the river disappeared around a bend. To the south lay the Gulf of Mexico and to the north lay much of the same as the river traversed through secluded rural Florida, an undiscovered jewel in this sunshine state. He sat on the porch and remembered all the times he tried to paint this scene from memory. He hadn’t been able to do it, not even from a photograph.

He moved to his truck as if propelled by some outside force. He pulled out his case of paints, canvas, and easel. Without stopping, he moved to the yard that sat on a high bluff above the river and began to set up his equipment. He thought of nothing but capturing the essence of what lay before him. He wanted to preserve the sparkles of the winter sun as it began its slow descent over the river. He wanted to capture the dullness of trees, which in a few short months would overpower everything around it, even the river. He felt the current of life flowing through his veins and the power of nature attacking his hands. This moment was why he had come, and he knew he couldn’t leave it for so long ever again. He painted until the sun began to dip behind the trees on the western bank of the Suwannee and gave its last gasps on the water.

P.C. Zick books set in Florida

Florida’s sea turtles saved from oil spill in Trails in the Sand

wild and crazy world of Florida politics in Tortoise Stew

Reblogged from Shannon A Thompson:

Website Update: 1:00 a.m.: My Facebook Author Page hit 150 likes today! Thank you for making my Friday that much better. 

Yes. This movie is based off of Jack Kerouac's book, On the Road, and, before I continue, I have to clarify how much of a fan I am of Kerouac. I first studied him in 2010. I read…

Read more… 400 more words

From P.C. Zick: While I don't profess to be in the league of Kerouac, I did keep my copy of On the Road close while traveling down Route 66 in 2007. My novel Live from the Road is my modern female version of a road trip.

I’m taking a break from Book Review Friday this week to catch up on my own reading. Here’s something from one of my fellow Indie Authors. Please note at the end of the post, Jade offers 50 percent coupons for her books. This is a great way to start the weekend. See you next Friday.

Jade Kerrion’s two newest novels, Earth-Sim and When the Silence Ends, are pulling in fantastic reviews. Please take a moment to check them out and take advantage of the book launch sale. Keep reading to find the coupon code!

EARTH-SIM

Amazon Rating: 4.8 Stars (13 reviews)

“Earth-Sim starts off awesome and just keeps getting even better…Ms. Kerrion has done an amazing job with her world-building…This is one book that I will find myself rereading over and over – and one that I will encourage all of my friends to read.”—Cara Drake, Amazon reviewer

Was the super-continent of Pangaea split because of a management dispute? Is the biblical flood the earliest evidence of why “technology and water don’t mix”? If you always suspected that mass extinctions, such as the Black Death, had an otherworldly reason, you just might be right. Is there a real message hidden in the mysterious manuscripts that human sages and savants have created through the generations? Is there life out there, beyond our planet, and why has none of it shown up on Earth yet?

Earth-Sim is a unique spin on the history of Earth and the history of mankind. What if Earth and the entire universe were actually part of a simulation program? What if the most iconic and memorable events in Earth’s history were decisions (or more frequently accidents) triggered by two college students, Jem Moran and Kir Davos, who are still sorting out the finer points of working together and more importantly, still arguing over the finer points of planetary management?

Bring your sense of humor. Earth-Sim is frequently whimsical and often irreverent. Either way, you finally have someone to blame for the state the world is in.

E-books available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords

Paperbacks available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

BOOK LAUNCH SALE (50% DISCOUNT): Grab a copy of Earth-Sim for only $1.50 at Smashwords with coupon code MS68F. Valid until April 15.

When the Silence Ends

Amazon Ratings: 4.6 Stars (9 reviews)

“Wow! When the Silence Ends is captivating! I laughed, I cried, I could not put it down. Forget Harry Potter and Twilight…every young adult should read this book!”—KatRomeo, Amazon reviewer

When you choose your friends, you also choose your enemies.

Seventeen-year old Dee wants nothing more than to help her twin brother, Dum, break free from the trauma in their childhood and speak again, but the only person who can help Dum is the alpha empath, Danyael Sabre, whom the U.S. government considers a terrorist and traitor.

The search for Danyael will lead Dee and Dum from the sheltered protection of the Mutant Affairs Council and into the violent, gang-controlled heart of Anacostia. Ensnared by Danyael’s complicated network of friends and enemies, Dee makes her stand in a political and social war that she is ill equipped to fight. What can one human, armed only with her wits and pepper spray, do against the super-powered mutants who dominate the Genetic Revolution?

America, nevertheless, is ripe for transformation. Exhausted by decades of belligerence between humans and their genetic derivatives–the clones, in vitros, and mutants–society is on the verge of falling apart or growing up. Dee, with her sassy attitude and smart mouth, is the unwitting pebble that starts the avalanche of change. In her quest to help her brother become normal, Dee will finally learn what it means to be extraordinary.

When the Silence Ends is a Young Adult novel in the award-winning Double Helix series.

E-books available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords

Paperbacks available at Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository

BOOK LAUNCH SALE (50% DISCOUNT): Grab a copy of When the Silence Ends for only $1.50 at Smashwords with coupon code FL93Y. Valid until April 15.

Find Jade Kerrion at Website / Facebook / Twitter

Welcome to Author Wednesday on Writing Whims. Today, Chantel Rhondeau stops by to talk about her newly released romantic mystery/suspense novel Crime & Passion.

Welcome to Writing Whims today, Chantel. I love both the title and cover of your book. Both definitely convey your genre. I’m always curious about author voice – I believe it’s one of the most difficult things to find. When did you first discover your voice as a writer?

I think finding your writing voice is actually one of the tougher aspects. I really wanted to be a fantasy author, and tried several failed attempts to make that work. I’ve always loved reading mysteries, and no matter what genre I read, I love a little taste of romance. When I read my first romantic suspense, I was hooked and knew my genre. After that, I had no trouble with my voice.

That’s great that you’ve found it and know that it’s what you want to do. What messages or themes do you try to convey to your readers?

The themes of my book seem to creep up on me. Always & Forever is about an abused woman running from a crazed stalker. However, it ultimately became a story about the aftermath of abuse and her rebuilding her life. Crime & Passion is essentially a murder mystery, but the subject of child abuse is important to the story line. I’m not trying to be preachy or force a message on my readers, but it seems the subjects most dear to my heart find their way into my writing.

Do you have a favorite character that you created? Who is it and why is it your favorite?

Madeline Scott from Crime & Passion is my favorite. She’s tough and sassy. She doesn’t back down from a fight and her sarcastic wit had me and my critique partners frequently laughing.

What’s the best thing said about one of your books by a reviewer?

I love it when they say my characters are compelling and the book is a page-turner. This is exactly what I strive to create.

What is the message conveyed in your book?

Beyond my anti-abuse themes, I love the idea that love heals all. I like flawed characters who have to face their past in order to embrace their future.

What is the best thing someone could say about this book?

I love hearing, “I didn’t know who the killer was until the end. I suspected one character, but you convinced me it was someone else.” To me, that’s the perfect mystery, and the kind I like to read.

What type of research did you do in the writing for Crime & Passion?

I had to do a lot of research about court proceedings and police procedures to make things realistic.

Who or what is the antagonist in your book? Did you enjoy creating this character?

This book included more than one. I loved them all. It was fun exploring their motives. One of the “bad guys” is my second-favorite character in the book.

What else do you want readers to know about Crime & Passion?

I’ve talked a lot about the mystery aspect, which was fun, but the romance between Madeline and Donovan is central to the plot. I had a lot of fun exploring their relationship and watching as they fell in love. I hope you do, too.

I’m so glad you stopped by today, Chantel. I wish you abundant book sales and success in all you do.

About Chantel Rhondeau – Chantel once thought a great mystery or fantasy book with strong romantic themes was the highest level of reading bliss. After reading her first romantic suspense novel, she never looked back. Before long, the need to create her own stories took over. She spends her daytime in the clinical profession of medical transcriptionist, but her passion is in the blissful hours she spends with her characters in the evenings.

Chantel lives in the western United States. When she isn’t writing, she loves playing cards with her family and snuggling with her lazy kitties.

Read the first three chapters at Chantel’s blog: http://www.chantelrhondeau.com/2013/03/crime-passion-romantic-suspense-and.html

Connect with Chantel

Website: http://www.chantelrhondeau.com

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Chantel-Rhondeau/e/B008ZSM1KQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Twitter http://twitter.com/ChantelRhondeau

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChantelRhondeau

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6444354.Chantel_Rhondeau

Email: [email protected]

Buy the book

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/Z24vsP

Amazon Paperback in Createspace Store: http://bit.ly/ZJDjOp

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/Ys0lHs

KOBO: http://bit.ly/Y8qWNB

All Romance eBooks: http://bit.ly/YnS2iX

Add it on Goodreads: http://bit.ly/14ZgyHW

 

By Patricia Zick @PCZick

“The young man huddled under a layer of blankets with a cap covering his bald head, as he talked about an upcoming trip to Las Vegas before he died.”

I learned a valuable lesson about writing a story, whether fiction or nonfiction, after writing my first feature article. The lead (or as journalists spell it, “lede”) of an article, column, or novel needs to hook the reader. If the first sentence hooks the reader, you have a chance of convincing them to stick around for the rest of the story. The sentence above is the one I should have written for my first feature on a nineteen-year-old man dying of cancer. I didn’t agonize over the lead, but instead sweated out the conclusion believing that was the most important thing. I knew he was dying; he knew he was dying, but I didn’t want the article to end in a way that drew the same conclusion for the reader. I lost a night’s sleep over how to end it, and suddenly I came up with a brilliant idea at three a.m. about the trip to Las Vegas, and I ran to the computer to finish the piece and send it to my editor at the local paper who was tight on space for that week’s paper. I made the front page, but the conclusion didn’t make it on page eight. The editor ran out of space and cut my final paragraph, which is the first place an editor on a newspaper looks for the extraneous. I was devastated.

Soon afterwards, I attended a writer’s conference. A columnist who I admired ran one of the sessions on column writing. I raised my hand and told him my story because I wanted to ask him question about how to handle that situation with the editor.

“Why in the world did you end your story with the best sentence?” he said. “Never, ever do that. If it’s so great, it needs to be in the lead.”

I’ve taken it to heart, but I’m not sure I always pull it off. It’s important to remember that the opening lines are an invitation to the reader. If they read one sentence, they might read two, then a whole paragraph, a page, and so on. It makes sense. As a reader, I wander the aisles of bookstores and pick up books with appealing covers and titles. I read the first paragraph, which is often one sentence of twenty-five words or less. If I’m not hooked, then rarely do I consider buying it. Writers must always think like readers.

Here’s some opening lines from novels to stress the point.

“Elmer Gantry was drunk.” Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis

“Are you bored with sex?” The World is Full of Divorced Women by Jackie Collins

“There was once a boy by the name of Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” The Chronicles of Narnia by Sinclair Lewis.

And my personal favorite because not only does it hook me as a reader, but it provides a wealth of information about this woman.

“She had slept naked all her life, and no one knew it.” by Eileen Jensen (I am unable to find the name of the book to attribute it.)

All of these opening lines urge the reader to move forward and find out more. Why did she sleep naked? How old was she? She’s most likely a virgin, single, and saucy, but those descriptors only intrigue me more.

Here’s a test. If you’re asked to send an excerpt of your book or the opening chapters, do you want to send something from the interior of the book instead? If so, it’s time to go back to the beginning, and start all over again. Even if you lose a little sleep over the lead, take heart. Perhaps the reader will too because you’ve so captivated them with your story. And it all begins where all good stories start – at the beginning.

Goodreads Giveaway now through March 31

 

First line of Tortoise Stew: “The bomb sat in a bag on Kelly Sands’ desk for an hour before she noticed it.”

By Patricia Zick @PCZick

When I read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, I didn’t put the book down for several days. The book follows the lives of two sisters, May and Pearl, portrayed as selfish, hedonistic young women 1937 in what some referred to as the “Paris of Asia” in Shanghai, China. When the family loses its great wealth and privilege, the women experience some of the worst tragedies imagined. Out of the great darkness comes a light  in the birth of the baby Joy.

Even though it’s hard to believe one family could endure so much, these hardships are a part of the world’s history whenever one form of government is traded violently for another. When the two sisters finally make it to the land promised to them through their in-laws, chosen for them by their parents, the United States land of plenty only comes to them through their labors.

The contrast between the two sisters is stark, but See portrays very well the different perceptions of each even though the story is told through the voice of only one sister. The choice of point of view adds to some of the suspense and tension in the novel instead of switching back and forth between May and Pearl. Pearl, the narrator, misjudges her sister and so does the reader. It’s only through the unfolding conflict that May is somewhat redeemed.

In the end, Joy flees the sisters who have raised her and fought over her love throughout the years in California. The book ends with Joy’s departure to find her father, which most likely will lead her back to China, the land her aunt and mother fled years ago. It was on their journey across the Pacific that Joy was born.

The ending of Shanghai Girls left me wanting more so it was with relief I found See had written a sequel. I immediately ordered a copy of Dreams of Joy. And just as quickly, I found the story of the headstrong Joy who throws herself at the feet of her real father, an artist still living in Shanghai lacking in the poetry I loved about See’s writing in Peony in Love and Shanghai Girls.

See researched both books extensively, but I could not warm up to the character of Joy. Pearl follows her to China, and it is the story of Pearl, who sacrifices everything to return to her homeland to chase after Joy. Her love and devotion moved me because her actions are unselfish and motivated by love. Joy reacts to life’s events without thought of anything but herself. As a result, she ends up in a loveless marriage of her own choosing. In the end, the love of Pearl rescues her.

I grew tired of reading the endless scenes of poverty and starvation and cruelty and deprivation. I feel selfish even writing that sentence because these conditions did and do exist for those living under dictatorships couched under euphemisms of social reform and power to the people. Perhaps that was See’s intent with this book – to make the reading of it as intolerable as the conditions she repeatedly shows.

Even though I didn’t enjoy Dreams of Joy as much as her other novels, I give praise to See for writing such detailed accounts of historical events that must be remembered lest we forget, and worse, repeat. Novels that entertain and inform stand a chance of making a difference, and I don’t fault her for doing that in both of these books.

I just wanted to be swept away by both, and that didn’t happen with the sequel. Two out of three books by Lisa See to transport me, isn’t so bad. Have you read other books by Lisa See?  I loved the first two so much, I’m willing to try a fourth.

 

NOTE: Fellow blogger and author Annamaria Bazzi starts a blog tour today for her new release. I interviewed Annamaria and two of her characters from White Swans earlier this month.

Blog Tour for White Swans: A Regency Era

March 22:  Judy Shafer  a review
March 23:Reyna Hawk
March 24: Jim Liston
March 25: Chelsea Hammond
March 26: Giulia Beyman
March 27: Karina Gioertz
March 28: Kate Jennings
March 28: Lindsay Avalon
March 30: Audra Trosper
March 31: Carol Bodensteiner
April 1: Leah
April 2: Michelle Shriver
April 3: DelSheree Gladden
April 4: Judith Marshall
April 5: Chantel Rhodeau

Welcome to Author Wednesday on Writing Whims. Today, Lucie Ulrich stops by to talk about her inspirational novel Broken Vessels.

Welcome to Writing Whims today, Lucie. I’m always curious about that moment when writers/authors can actually use those words to describe themselves. When were you first able to call yourself a “writer” or “author?”

About fifteen years ago, I started writing skits and then plays for my church, then for the school where I worked as a drama teacher. I considered myself a writer at that time because I was able to translate the written word into something visual. I never considered myself an author until Broken Vessels was actually published in 2012.

What messages or themes do you try to convey to your readers?

Faith and forgiveness are threads that wind through everything I write. Though my genre is classified as romance, family is my main focus. I’m from a large family, so I understand drama and misunderstandings, though I have never used a family member as the basis for any of my characters.

That’s probably very wise. How does setting play a role in your books?

My husband and I have traveled quite a bit over the years, and I always look for settings for my stories. I tend to choose smaller towns over large metropolitan areas, and so far mountains are always part of the backdrop. This Florida gal loves the mountains. Broken Vessels is set outside Colorado Springs, one of my favorite places, while The Rose Ring,(my next book) is set in the fictitious town of Elk Flats, Montana. I love the small-town feel and made up names.

Are you planning to continue writing in the same genre?

At this time, yes. Though it has always been my desire to write a mystery/suspense novel. In all likelihood, there would still be a measure of romance to the story – if I ever write it.

What’s the best thing said about one of your books by a reviewer?

I love the comments I’ve received that state how real my characters are, but one of the sweetest things I read was this: “This is one of the most beautiful love stories I have had the pleasure of reading in a while.”

How did you choose the title? Has it been the title from the very beginning?

Broken Vessels was one of the first titles I came up with, and I never veered from it. My characters are broken physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I knew Emma would be a potter, so the idea of being clay in God’s hands brought me to the title. I was quite pleased that my publisher didn’t suggest anything else.

Who is the antagonist in your book? Did you enjoy creating this character?

There are actually two antagonists in Broken Vessels – one is evident from the start, while the other comes later in the story. In both cases, unforgiveness is the catalyst that drives them. Emma’s mother, Louise, is the evident antagonist, and writing her character was not only enjoyable, it was therapeutic. I love my “good” characters, but writing the “bad” ones is a great release. Without going into detail, a person I once looked up to disappointed me many years ago. Louise is a reflection, not of that person, but of that person’s actions. I’ll leave the other antagonist for my readers to find.

I agree that it’s therapeutic to write the “bad” characters. What book are you reading right now?

LOL! I’m actually reading yours – Trails in the Sand. I promise I’m not making that up. I recently finished Safe Harbor, by Nicholas Sparks, and just finished Hidden Under Her Heart, by Rachelle Ayala.

I had no idea you were reading my book when I asked that question. Thank you. It’s also funny and ironic in more than one way. The working title of my next novel is Safe Harbor, but I know I have to change it because I found during a Google search that there are many fiction and nonfiction books with that title. You just confirmed it for me.

Lucie, it’s been delightful getting to know you a little bit better. Thanks for dropping by my blog today.

About Lucie Ulrich – Lucie Ulrich hasn’t stopped writing since her first skit was performed on a church stage more than a dozen years ago. An avid reader, she enjoyed sharing her passion for writing and storytelling with her middle and high school drama students. Recently retired from teaching, Lucie looks forward to leisurely hours of writing and research. Born in Montreal, Canada, Lucie now lives in Florida with her husband, Rick and their Jack Russell Terrier, Gracie. She has two grown children. Genre: Inspirational Romance.

Links to books and social media sites

Purchase Broken Vessels on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Vyrso, ibooks, Google

Lucie Ulrich website: http://www.lucieulrich.com

Twitter: @LucieUlrich