Category: Writer’s Notes

Information and opinions from fellow authors covering monthly topics such as Contests, Conferences, Mentors, and Writing Clubs. Even seasoned authors learn something here.

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Writers Clubs: Finding Help Along my Writing Path

 

P Jager Wild Deadwood Tales anthologyBy Paty Jager

I began my adventure of writing when my children were young. That means over thirty years ago, I started the search to find like-minded people. My first couple of attempts at connecting with other writers weren’t very promising.

There was a local writing group I found out about, but they were mostly poets and I wanted to write fiction. We weren’t a very good match. Then I found out about an event called Fishtrap that happens every year in the county in Oregon where I grew up. I attended one year when I had written a historical western romance after having read LaVyrle Spencer and thinking I could write stories like that.  The workshop I signed up for had a New York Editor allowing you to read your work to her and she’d give feedback. She started on one side of her allowing each person to read a page of their work. I was struck by how different the stories were and how some resonated and while others didn’t make any sense to me, yet she praised them all. Then it was my turn. I started reading and everyone visibly leaned away from me. The editor stopped me and asked if I’d heard of RWA- Romance Writers of America. I hadn’t. She told me to see her after the workshop. I had read a genre book in a literary workshop!

I was ecstatic with the information she gave me. I went home, joined RWA, and received their magazine which told me about conferences all over the U.S.! I was elated to see there was one in Seattle, only 5 hours from where I lived. I went, and it was like walking into a room full of mes. 😉 I had finally found people who thought the way I did, with characters in their heads, and who were either published or working at it, like I was. I had found nirvana!  And I discovered there were two chapters only 2 ½ hours from where I lived.

The Salem chapter was the perfect fit for me. Easy to find, friendly people, and a small group. I drove the 2 ½ hours once a month for close to 10 years. I found the meetings helpful and enlightening. There were all day Saturday workshops I attended, and I continued to go to the Seattle conference every other year to learn more on the craft, publishing, and the business of writing. After 7 years and the same amount of books written, I became published with a small press in historical western romance.

While being part of RWA, I was a chapter vice president and president. I also joined a local writing guild becoming their program chair and bringing in more presentations like I’d come to love at the RWA meetings on craft and the business side of writing.

Now there are so many online groups you can join that it’s hard to know where to start. I have since left RWA because my heart is really in writing mysteries. It was from the start, but I couldn’t find a group to help me hone the craft of writing in the genre I loved. Now I belong to Sisters in Crime an online national group that is an off-shoot of RWA, ALLI- Alliance of Independent Authors, Indie Authors, and Mark Dawson’s Self Publishing Formula group. While I am still working on craft, I now need more knowledge on marketing and publishing since taking the Indie Author plunge in 2011.

I also couldn’t write and stay sane without the friendship of a group of ladies I met either through RWA or the writer’s guild. We meet once a month for a potluck lunch and discuss where we are at in our careers and projects and talk about what we’ve each heard in the writing world. I’m also a member of an Author’s Co-operative.  We are all Indie Authors who have a community website and sell our books from the website and support one another with promotion, kudos, and pick-me-ups.  While I tend to be an introvert, I’ve come to rely heavily on these last two groups. They are the people who have my back and I have theirs.

I would have to say, I can’t think of a better writing path than the one I’ve had and continue to follow.

Paty

P Jager Wild Deadwood Tales anthologyWILD DEADWOOD TALES Anthology

Rodeos and romance, Old West adventure, and even a few ghostly tales. Deadwood’s wild past and exciting present come alive in seventeen original short stories written by USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors to benefit the Western Sports Foundation. Contributing authors: E.E. Elisabeth Burke, Zoe Blake, Paty Norman Jager, Teresa Keefer, Megan Kelly, Sylvia McDaniel, Amanda McIntyre, Peggy McKenzie, Angi Morgan, Nancy Naigle, Jacqui Nelson, Terri Osburn, Ginger Ring, Maggie Ryan, Lizbeth Selvig, Tina Susedik and A.C. Wilson

Proceeds from this limited edition collection go to benefit the Western Sports Foundation, an organization providing critical assistance to athletes competing in Western lifestyle sports. Whether they need help recuperating from an injury or planning for the future, WSF is there for them.

universal Link https://www.books2read.com/WDTales

 

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Paty Jager

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of 32 novels, 6 novellas, and numerous anthologies of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Paty and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

blog / website /  Facebook / Paty’s Posse / Goodreads / Twitter / Pinterest   / Bookbub

 

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Writers’ Clubs: Why We Need Them

The Importance of Community OR Why We Need Writer’s Clubs
By Leeann Betts

I thought I could do this on my own.

Seriously. I envisioned sitting at my desk, pecking away at the keyboard for hours a day, producing the next Great American Novel. No editing needed. I don’t know how I thought they’d be published—just that some elusive publisher would snatch up every book I wrote and run with it. Oh yes, besides writing, I’d go to the post office box and collect my royalty checks.

The life of a writer 

Not.

I wrote my first novel in 2002, and before I even got to the end of it, I realized that I didn’t know whodunit or why. I went to the library and checked out some books on writing a novel, writing a mystery, and crafting a bestselling novel. Devoured those books. Learned a lot. Finished that first novel and—according to the books I read—I revised and polished and sent it out.

And got rejected. Over and over again. “Not a fit”: means they already have enough badly-written mysteries. “Compelling premise”: means they like the idea but the book didn’t deliver. “Perhaps you should attend a writing conference and join a critique group”—aha! the first piece of useful information.

But I didn’t know about critique groups. I mean, who wants to be criticized? I went to the first conference I could find in my area and learned about critique groups from attendees. I joined an online critique group through a national organization I also joined as a result of that conference, and received invaluable information. I joined a couple of smaller, local writers groups and went to their critique groups. Once, when I traveled out of town, I even attended a critique group in another city just to see how they operated.

I learned a lot from my membership in both the national organization, the local chapter, and the critique groups I took part in. If you’re struggling with why you should join, or if you should renew, here are some things to consider:

1. You can’t do this alone. Sure, you can try, but there is simply too much information out there to be able to pick and choose what you need to know.
2. You shouldn’t do this alone. You might have something to encourage somebody else or steer them in the right direction.
3. You need a shoulder to cry on. Or somebody else might need one. When the rejections get nasty. When the revisions get messy. When the stories get old. Or the muse doesn’t show up and you have a deadline.
4. You are more than a writer. As an author, you also need to be a cover designer, a typesetter, a copywriter, a marketing specialist, an accountant—and if you aren’t, community helps.
5. Membership will help you grow. As a person, as an author, as a businessperson. Joining a writer’s group will get you involved doing things you might not want to do, like serving on a board, or organizing an event, or getting on social media.
6. Connecting with other writers will pay off. I made contacts for book deals at several conferences, and heard about a publisher who was looking for a specific kind of story at a local writers meeting.

The dollars I pay each year for membership in groups pales in comparison with the value I receive. I’m a member of several writer’s clubs, because they each offer something different in terms of community, expertise, and activities. I couldn’t do what I do without them—and honestly, although I’m in introvert and meeting with large groups of people is sometimes awkward and uncomfortable—I push myself to step out. I never know where my next contract or friend will show up.

aaaLeeann Betts_02 croppedAbout Leeann:
Leeann Betts writes contemporary suspense, while her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, pens historical suspense. She has released seven titles in her cozy mystery series, By the Numbers, with number 8, A Deadly Dissolution, releasing in June. In addition, Leeann has written a devotional for accountants, bookkeepers, and financial folk, Counting the Days, and with her real-life persona, Donna Schlachter, has published two books on writing, Nuggets of Writing Gold and More Nuggets of Writing Gold, a compilation of essays, articles, and exercises on the craft. She publishes a free quarterly newsletter that includes a book review and articles on writing and books of interest to readers and writers. You can subscribe at http://www.LeeannBetts.com or follow Leeann at http://www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com All books are available on Amazon.com in digital and print, and at Smashwords.com in digital format.

Website: http://www.LeeannBetts.com Receive a free ebook just for signing up for our quarterly newsletter.
Blog: http://www.AllBettsAreOff.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://bit.ly/1pQSOqV
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1qmqvB6
Books: Amazon http://amzn.to/2dHfgCE and Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2z5ecP8

A Deadly Dissolution coverAbout A Deadly Dissolution:
The total lunar eclipse of October 2004 leaves more than Bear Cove, Maine, in the dark. The town’s newly-elected mayor, Walter Akerman, hires Carly to audit the town’s books but is then caught in a compromising situation with his secretary Evie Mack. A journalist in town to cover the eclipse turns up dead. Tom and Sarah’s adopted son Bradley comes to stay overnight to see the eclipse, then goes missing on a walk in town. When Mike’s car is in a serious wreck which the police say is an accident, Carly thinks somebody is trying to send her a message to stay away. How can she solve all these mysteries while not completely wearing herself to a frazzle?

 

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Writers’ Clubs: Every Writer Needs a Tribe

 

YIM PastedGraphic-6
By Natasha Yim

No writer’s an island. I discovered this when, after the publication of my first children’s book, my editor at Charlesbridge Publishing suggested I join the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I had never heard of the organization before, nor had I been a member of any writing group. But I joined because it would make my book eligible for one of the prestigious SCBWI awards.

Although I didn’t win, this off-hand subscription to a writing club led to my current status as an 18 year PAL (Published and Listed) member of the SCBWI—and so, so much more. It led to a tribe — a community of writers with whom I have connected with emotionally and creatively over the years. In that 18 year span, I’ve attended numerous conferences, craft intensives, retreats and gatherings, including the large, annual SCBWI conference in Los Angeles, where I met and had books signed by children’s literary superstars, Richard Peck, Jon Scieszka, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Judy Blume. I’ve received insightful manuscript critiques, and networked with industry professionals (editors, agents, other writers, published and pre-published) who have shared generously of their time and expertise to help me improve my craft, and who have been instrumental in molding me into the writer I am today.

YIM PastedGraphic-5Most of all, what a writing organization like SCBWI has given me is the gift of life-long friendship. These literary friends hail from all over California and beyond, many are in the San Francisco Bay Area, but far enough from my hometown of Ukiah that I might see them once a year at a conference or retreat. But when I do, it’s like I just saw them for coffee the week before—there’s an immediate comfortable familiarity, a shared interest in our work, joy at each other’s successes, empathy for experienced challenges and rejections, and a mutual sense of belonging. After all, the latter is the true mission of the SCBWI, or any writing club.

From its humble beginnings in 1971, when SCBWI was originally founded as the Society of Children’s Book Writers (SCBW) by a group of Los Angeles-based writers, including the group’s President Stephen Mooser and Executive Director Lin Oliver, SCBWI has mushroomed into an international writing organization with over 80 regional chapters and 22,000 members worldwide. In 1991, author/illustrator and SCBW Board Member, Tomie dePaola lobbied to include illustrators and the name was changed to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. It is currently, the largest non-profit organization for writers and illustrators of juvenile literature.

Apart from the SCBWI conferences, retreats, and regional county events which are offered at very reasonable rates, membership benefits include awards and grants (I won a regional grant to attend the Los Angeles conference in 2011), access to agents and editors (many of whom are closed to unsolicited submissions but will allow submissions from participants at a SCBWI event in which they’re presenting), promotional opportunities, and informational resources. To check out the organization or become a member, please visit: http://www.scbwi.org.

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Writers’ Clubs: Do You Need Them?

By Camille Minichino

DeathTakesPriorityIf there were a JA—Joiners Anonymous—I’d be president. So “Writers Clubs—Do You Need Them?” is a natural blog topic for me.

I’m such a Joiner that my chosen field for my first career was physics—the major you can’t do alone, not since Newton anyway. Whose garage can accommodate something like a 17-mile-long tunnel to house a collider or a 192-beam laser for fusion?

Physicists gather around huge equipment in giant laboratories these days, working as a team. My graduate school mates and I spent long hours together in the same laboratory every day, sharing data, power supplies, and monster-mentor stories. We became close friends and knew each others’ families as well as our own for a few years.

All the while, I’d wanted to be a published writer—something with more popular appeal than my technical papers on the scattering properties of a titanium dioxide crystal. But I couldn’t imagine sitting alone in a room with pen and paper, or keyboard and monitor, pouring out my thoughts and plots, in solitary confinement.

Imagine my delight when I learned that writing—mystery writing especially—was a community endeavor. I discovered not only professional organizations and critique groups, but book Clubs, conferences, internet lists and groups, and blogging colleagues.

Who knew?

I gave up membership in the American Institute of Physics and joined all the Clubs with chapters in my neighborhood: Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, the California Writers Club (with not one, but two chapters in commute distance – heaven for a Joiner!)

For the past 20 years, I’ve enjoyed membership in all of these organizations. I’ve heard speakers that inspired me, taken workshops that sent me in new directions, met some of the most interesting and generous people I could imagine. Sometimes I wish there were one extra Saturday in every month, to accommodate all the meetings that are available to me. I regret when I have to choose between a workshop by screenwriter James Dalessandro and a talk by psychologist-to-cops Ellen Kirschman.

I’ve done my best to be an active Joiner, not just soaking up the benefits of the Clubs. Earlier this century I was President and/or Board Member of all three organizations (Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and California Writers Club) at the same time. OK, a little overreaching, even for a Joiner, but I loved being in the middle of things. Most Joiners do.

Yes, I’m a writer—25 mystery novels in 4 series for starters—so there’s a lot of me-and-my-chair for hours at a time, but I always know I can call or email any number of colleagues or post to my Club groups, if I want to brainstorm a plot point, or discuss a new character I’m developing. With each book, my acknowledgments list gets longer.

The writing community is smart, fun, and generous. I’m glad I found it. I’m sure some writers prefer to go it alone, but I never would have made it.

So, Writers Clubs—who needs them? Me, me, me!

~~~

LKCamille (1) Camille Minichino is a retired physicist turned writer. When her first book, on nuclear waste management, didn’t sell well, she turned to cozy mystery novels and has published 25 of them in 4 different series, with different pen names. She’s also written many short stories and articles. She teaches science at Golden Gate U. in San Francisco and writing workshops around the SF Bay Area. For more on Camille Minichino, visit her website: http://www.minichino.com/

 

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June Writer’s Notes: Writers’ Clubs

By Thonie Hevron

 

copp rw book club
Book signing at Copperfield’s Books, Santa Rosa, May 31, 2015

I would still be wandering the authorial stratosphere if I hadn’t found Redwood Writers. I’d written a book—a thriller set in my very own backyard, Sonoma County. By Force or Fear was penned while I lived on the other side of California, missing Sonoma County so much that I set my story there. It was my way of coping with homesickness. When I moved, I lost the manuscript. Luckily, I found the outline on a thumb drive and re-wrote it. It was even better than before!

 

In 2004, my husband and I finally moved back to SoCo. While reading the newspaper one day, hubby found a writers group called JumpStart that met in our town. It’s leader, Pat Tyler, introduced me to reading my work in a group. She also fostered my scribblings, steering me to the local chapter of the California Writers Club—Redwood Writers. Finding a group of dedicated writers who encourage each other was a huge step forward. Under their superlative leadership, I attended club sponsored classes, workshops, and panels. Each monthly meeting has an hour-long teaching session as well—featuring different topics such as the business of writing, craft tips, promotion, marketing and social media. From all this input, I was able to formulate a plan. Roughly it looked like this: write, write, write, query, learn, write, speak, blog, learn some more. I mapped out my next novel in outline form. After all, I’m a retired law enforcement veteran and structure such as this helps me keep track of all the strands of my story. While I worked on my story, I found a critique group, Thrillerz. After joining Redwood Writers, this was the best thing I could’ve done.

More on critique groups in July.

 

Over the course of these meetings, I realized that I needed to build a platform. I knew I had to expand my audience, but the term marketing struck terror in my heart. After all, I was a writer—solitary, shy, withdrawn from the general population. But wait, NO, I wasn’t solitary. I had Redwood Writers, then the Public Safety Writers Association, then, Sisters in Crime. Redwood Writers (RW) hosted (still does) bi-monthly salons for authors to read their work to each other. The intent was to dip writers’ toes in the swamp of public speaking. There also were Open Mics held at several different venues (all of which I participated) and an annual member book launch for 10-12 RW authors to debut their books. Above you can see a few of the events RW sponsored. I volunteered to emcee a few of these gatherings and polished my public speaking as well as met some terrific people.

 

Conference pic
Thonie- during the Pen to Published Conference 2014 

 

I did those but felt I needed more. So, I volunteered to co-chair a Redwood Writers’ Conference in 2014. The lead up to the event was where the rubber met the road: I attended every monthly club meeting to publicize the conference. Yes, I got up in front of a crowd of 75 or so people and made announcements. I’m by no means OVER my stage fright but I can certainly manage it. I’ve even tackled some other, unrelated fears such as driving over bridges.

Who knew what doors Redwood Writers would open?

How important is your writers club to you? What unique feature does it offer? Check in to Writer’s Notes on Fridays in June to see what other authors have to say. June 8th features Camille Minichino’s penchant for joining clubs. Natasha Yim talks about the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators on June 15th, on June 22, Leeann Betts gives 6 reasons to join a writers’ club, and on June 29th Paty Jager will offer her thoughts on the subject.

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Fans and Flowers: Fans are the Heart of a Writer’s Life

By Ally Shields

May 25, 2018

 Ally Shields illusWho doesn’t love book fans? Those intrepid readers who snatch up every book you write on the day it’s released, the book clubs who analyze your characters from motives to what they wore in a particular scene, and the bloggers who sing your praises in online reviews. Sigh. Fantastic. The kudos are wonderful…like warm fudge cake with double chocolate frosting.

But fans can also be your most persistent critics. Such as the reader who takes you to task for too many commas or too few, for the over-usage of “warm” words, or complains that the model on the cover doesn’t look like her concept of the heroine. And I vividly recall the reader/reviewer who’d read all of my Guardian Witch novels but was sharply indignant that one of my characters, in one book, used the word Ugh! She explained at length how this didn’t fit the character’s personality or the atmosphere of the scene. (By the way, I agreed with her. While proofing for the print edition, I deleted the word!)

How could I—or any author—not be flattered by all of this? They’d read my books! And carefully enough they could talk about them, in minutia. They knew the characters, the plots, and subplots better than I did. An author couldn’t wish for more.

reviews picBut book fans don’t always understand the power they can wield. Series live or die on sales, and those are often dependent on the number of positive reviews. The best book in the world will never be enjoyed if readers don’t know it’s there. Placements in search engines and on best seller lists, even acceptance for advertising, and ultimately sales are driven by reviews. And believe me, my publisher pays even more attention to them than I do. She can quote from them.

demon picAre there “bad fans?” That almost seems like an oxymoron, but yes, there are those who carry fandom too far, who stalk authors online, or even worse, bully other readers who aren’t fans of their favorite author. Like others, I’ve been on the receiving end of someone’s misdirected fans, and it’s best just to ignore them. Most authors don’t want or appreciate this kind of support. Personally, I believe these “trolls” need to get a life. But enough said about that aberrant minority.

Real book fans are the life and breath of authors. Like roses thrown upon the actors’ stage, we love hearing from you. I respond to every email and any tweets I catch. Whether it’s a personal note, a comment on the blog, or a review posted somewhere, I hope readers keep them coming. Authors are depending on you….

And feeling so grateful you “get” their books.

Ally’s website is here: http://allyshields.com

 

 

 

 

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Fans and Flowers: Mystery Fan Conventions

By Becky Clark

BClark cover Fiction Can Be MurderI launched my newest book, FICTION CAN BE MURDER, the first in a light-hearted mystery series, on April 8th. My publisher made sure copies were available for the Left Coast Crime convention in March, though. As I write this, I’ve just returned from the Malice Domestic convention, and in October 2017, I attended Bouchercon.

If you’ve never been to a mystery fan convention, it’s essentially a long weekend of hobnobbing with authors you love and discovering new authors you’ll soon love. Bouchercon is huge and caters to all genres. Left Coast Crime isn’t quite so big, but also covers the spectrum of crime fiction. And Malice focuses more on traditional mysteries, like Agatha Christie’s.

All these fan conventions have a similar agenda, to connect authors with readers.

There are tons of books given away and sold, and numerous opportunities to get them signed by the author.

There are also panels scheduled all weekend where four or five authors discuss a single topic … for example, small town settings, research in crime fiction, amateur sleuths, gender roles in crime fiction, writing a great villain … and a gazillion more.

There’s a New Authors Breakfast where debut authors have a minute or two to talk about their new book, so you get 30+ titles to add to your TBR pile.

There’s also an Awards Banquet honoring fans’ favorite books.

When I attended my first Bouchercon, I went strictly as a fan, but a fan with a purpose. I wanted to meet certain authors and ask them to read and blurb FICTION CAN BE MURDER before it came out. I culled my list from the Left Coast Crime “Lefty” Humorous Mystery Award nominees over the years (since FICTION CAN BE MURDER is humorous), then cross-referenced them against the authors who’d be attending Bouchercon. I figured it’s harder to say no to me in person.

It’s very stressful to ask famous authors you admire to do you a favor for which they get absolutely nothing in return. But I screwed up my courage and did it anyway. I probably asked a dozen authors, some on the spur of the moment. To a person, they were thrilled to help, most saying something like, “people did this for me when I started out and I’m happy to return the favor.” I was nervous for absolutely no reason. For folks who kill people for a living, mystery writers are a lovely and generous bunch.

At both Left Coast Crime and Malice Domestic, I was lucky enough to attend as both a fan and an author. I wrote about splattering fangirl all over the place at the Mysterista’s blog.

It’s still a bit surreal and I can’t help think this is all some weird cosmic prank, but there’s nothing quite like having people line up at my book signing table with a copy of my book, shyly asking if I’d sign my name to it.

They needn’t worry. The day I’m not thrilled by someone asking me to sign a book is the day I’m dead.

 

________

 

Here are the live links to the fan conventions —

 

Left Coast Crime … http://www.leftcoastcrime.org/

 

Malice Domestic … http://malicedomestic.org/

 

Bouchercon … http://www.bouchercon.com/

 

And the Mysterista’s blog post I refer to is here …. https://mysteristas.wordpress.com/2018/05/02/i-splattered-fangirl-all-over-the-place/

 

BeckyClarkBecky Clark —

Becky Clark is the seventh of eight kids, which explains both her insatiable need for attention and her atrocious table manners. She likes to read funny books so it felt natural to write them too. She surrounds herself with quirky people and pets who end up as characters in her books. Readers say her books are “fast and thoroughly entertaining” with “witty humor and tight writing” and “humor laced with engaging characters” so you should “grab a cocktail and enjoy the ride.”

 

Becky’s website …. https://beckyclarkbooks.com/

Follow Becky Clark on Amazon … https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004NQO14I

on Facebook at Becky Clark Author … https://www.facebook.com/BeckyClarkAuthor/

and at Goodreads … https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4730815.Becky_Clark

 

 

Fiction Can Be Murder Ordering Links

 

Amazon

B&N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fiction-can-be-murder-becky-clark/1126441808

IndieBound

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780738753324

 

 

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Fans and Flowers: Birthing a Book

VInesWePlanted_CVR (2).jpgBy Joanell Serra

If an author has one fan he has an inherent responsibility. – Nonnie Jules.

I’m thrilled to jump in with this guest post and follow Nonnie’s theme of “fans and flowers.”   As a debut novelist whose novel is literally launching this week on Amazon, it’s new for me to have “fans”. Folks who love my writing? Yes, I’ve been writing long enough to know I have a dedicated base of people who will read my blog posts, buy a lit journal, pay me to write something for their website, etc.

But a fan is different. A fan is someone who likes your book so much it saddens them to finish it. A fan is someone who sends a message about when the next book will be out, and by the way, will Amanda be in that one too? A fan is the person you’re writing the next book for.

Publishing your first novel means that after years of toiling in relative obscurity, your work is “out there.”   Once I signed with Wido Publishing to publish The Vines We Planted, I started to hear from published authors about the pains of “book birth.”

“It’s like having a baby,” I heard repeatedly.

I admit, I wasn’t sure I agreed. I’ve had babies, I’ve adopted babies, raised older children and counseled hundreds. Books and children are not the same, I thought.

But as of this week, I the youngest child in our “tribe,” on the edge of turning eighteen, another one graduates college next week. One just moved across the country last month, and another is planning her wedding. All are leaping into a world I cannot control and venturing into physical and metaphorical places where I cannot protect them. All I can do is pray they find a soft landing, a place where they aren’t judged too harshly, and people who see their brilliance.  Fans.

Aha, I see the connection.

Although it is pre-release, at least one hundred of my novels are now in the hands of readers. Folks who ordered early, reviewers, friends who purchased from the publisher. This is startling and exciting at once.  One hundred people reading my book! (Or using it as a coaster?)

Of course the obvious question for any writer is – Do they like it?

So far, the answer is yes.  I’ve received enthusiastic text messages, five-star reviews, Facebook posts from around the world, and emails from strangers. Bookstores and wineries who are having events to welcome the “baby” to the community.

“I loved it! Is there a sequel?”  Is now my favorite question.

I’m not writing a sequel, but I am writing another book in the same setting with many overlapping characters. I’ve built a world – a place of vineyards, horse stables, multicultural characters, and flawed but love-able people. I can’t walk away now! One of my favorite writers has mastered the art of keeping the reader in a world, even as the characters change.  Louise Erdrich brings us generations of families, on and off the reservations in North Dakota and other windy and cold parts of the Midwest. She is fluid with time and perspective, and it takes a skilled and avid reader to follow the blood lines from family to family, book to book. Ultimately, it is the settings, cultures and themes that tie all her books together for me.

This is what inspires me to write multiple books in Sonoma with both evolving and new characters. The protagonists will shift, the stories will stand separately, but hopefully my readers will enjoy seeing the characters grow in a setting that feels like home. They will “taste” the wine, smell the grapes, and understand more about the various cultures in our little valley. They’ll want to come for another book – or another visit.

It’s time to get book two of the Sonoma novels out the door to an editor.  Time to solve that plot problem in chapter twelve, to bolster the resolve of my protagonist and choose the best Zinfandel for the last dinner scene (I love that research). Time to fatten up another baby.

Thank goodness there are fans waiting for this one!

Serra Head Shot_O3A1021Joanell Serra MFT lives and writes in Northern California with her large family and the two dogs who rescued her (or vice versa?)  Joanell combines her interest in psychology and family relationships with her love of wine, food and horses in her literary debut, The Vines We Planted (Wido, 2018).  When she’s not writing or sipping a new Cabernet, she can be found at http://joanellserraauthor.com/
 
Buy Site: https://amzn.to/2FG1oAO
 
For the NorCal local crowd– Here are my upcoming readings:
May 17, 6:30, Diesel Bookstore, Larkspur.
June 14, 6:30, Readers’ Books Sonoma.

 

 

THE VINES WE PLANTED

In the heart of the California wine country, secrets seem to grow on the vines that Uriel Macon’s family have tended for generations.

Uriel, the winery’s young widower, steers clear of complicated relationships. He prefers the lonely comfort of his vineyard and his horses, until he is reminded of his love affair with Amanda Scanlon; a relationship that ended when she abruptly left the country years ago under a cloud of mystery.

When Amanda returns to Sonoma because of a family crisis, she tries to mend the broken relationships she left behind. In addition, she seeks the truth about her parents’ complicated history and her own parentage.

But Amanda’s unveiling of the past has devastating consequences. In the midst of California’s beautiful Sonoma Valley, the Scanlon family struggles to overcome harsh realities with dignity and grace.

Both Amanda and Uriel stretch to take care of their families, which are facing immigration issues, marital crises, and loss. While navigating these challenges, the couple must decide if they trust themselves to love again, or to finally let each other go.

A Sonoma local, author Joanell Serra’s debut novel is captivating, poignant, and uplifting, demonstrating how seeds planted long ago continue to grow. Sometimes into a strangling weed, sometimes offering a bountiful harvest.

Genre: Fiction Print Price: $16.95 Page count: 285 ISBN: 9781947966024

 

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WiDo Publishing is an independent book publisher headquartered in Salt Lake City. WiDo is a proud member of the Independent Book Publishers Association. You can find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/widopub/. Follow us on Twitter @widopublishing. For more information contact us at information@widopublishing.com

 

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Writer's Notes

May Writer’s Notes: Fans and Flowers

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What’s that mean? The term ‘Fans’ is clear: anyone who likes reading your books. ‘Flowers’ can mean accolades, awards, positive reviews, or any other “Yay” moment. Fans and flowers are two terrific benefits to publishing your work.

I chose this month’s topic because as writers, we so often go long periods of time without feedback about our work. Being writers means being alone—even if you write in a coffee shop, the story is in your head. It’s safe to say most writers would like to earn big money, but the sorry truth is most of us don’t. I would also bet that most of us write what we like to read. This means we write because the story drives us. It’s what we delight in—writing the worlds that are behind the blank stare in the grocery store check-out line. I cannot NOT write.

All the above being said, there are few moments in a writer’s life that bring that warm glow like someone telling us what a great job we’ve done. Having someone else recognize our efforts is gratifying. It’s not necessarily what keeps us going but a well-timed 5-star review can jump-start faltering inspiration. We don’t have to have accolades but they sure are nice!

Oddly, most award-winning authors don’t tell you about their prizes. Oh sure, honors and exceptional acknowledgements are posted on book covers, websites, business cards and promotional items. But face to face, no author I’ve met has shaken my hand and told me how wonderful he is. Most writers are modest introverts who do promo as a matter of necessity (usually kicking and screaming).

If an author has one fan he has an inherent responsibility. The author must fulfill the fan’s expectations with every book. That means writing the next story—and writing it well–better even.

I’ll never forget the first time I overheard a conversation between two women who had read my books. One posited that “Meredith would understand given her background.” The other proposed that Meredith’s childhood ghosts might get the better of her.

Talk about a warm glow! I loved that readers came to know my characters well enough to talk about them like they were friends. I felt I’d done my job—brought the story from my head and into readers’ minds.

To do this, did I abandon my muse and write to market? Yes and no. I wrote my story, but I did my research to figure its marketability. It’s a stroll on a tightrope, for sure. I looked over market trends, attended author events (soliciting attendees critiques) and conferences, even perused a forum or two. I also read reviews of books I felt were similar to mine.

In the end, I hope to listen to those readers who comment (yay or nay—and why) and continue my balancing act. Thanks for indulging me.

 

Join Writer’s Notes on May 11th for Joanell Serra’s take on “The First 100 Books Sold,” celebrating May’s theme of Fans and Flowers. On May 18th, read Becky Clark’s observations after returning from a mystery fan convention; she’ll talk about what it’s like from both sides of the book signing table. Finishing up the month, Ally Shields shares how “Fans are the Heart of the Writer’s Life.”

And don’t forget to check in on Sundays for stories behind the badge. Read about how different eras of law enforcement (specifically LAPD) survived day to day business. These guys are the real deal, not celluloid cops.

 

        

Categories
Writer's Notes

April Fool: Oh, the Mistakes I’ve Made by Judy Alter

 

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By Judy Alter

Looking back, it seems I’ve played the fool many times in my life. In matters of the heart for sure; as a parent, though I lucked out there and my four children turned out to be absolutely wonderful adults. But then there’s the matter of my career as an author. Oh, the foolish mistakes I’ve made.

I’d venture that ninety percent of authors, even successful ones, start out timid, insecure, and—here’s the biggie—apologetic. A post from an unpublished writer asking for advice recently said she’d submitted to an agent, hadn’t heard anything in almost year, hated to be a nuisance but what should she do. Whoa! Hated to be a nuisance? I wanted to shout but I managed to keep a level tone and my fingers off the cap key as I advised, “It’s your career. Take charge of it! You’re not badgering the agent; you’re asking for him or her to do his job. Don’t apologize!”

That’s a lesson I learned in hard knocks well after I’d begun writing. My first agent, way back in the eighties, specialized in young-adult fiction set in the American West, and that’s what I was writing. We met at a conference, and he approached me, so I was spared the long, painful search for an agent that so many authors go through. I hadn’t yet met the world of reality

When I did, it was a shock. By early in this century, the western market as I’d known it had fallen off, and I wanted to turn to mysteries. Only then did I begin to search for an agent—and realize what a difficult, long process it was. When an agent who knew my western work offered to represent my first mystery and gave me a year-long contract, I was grateful. Grateful for locking into a year-long contract? I should have been indignant, angry, at least reluctant. His initial enthusiasm turned to indifference and finally resentment. Promised new assignments never materialized, reports of submissions of my work and reactions were rare, and to this day I suspect he was doing precious little. I was on hold for a year, at the end of which he had, so he said, submitted my manuscript to all then-six major publishers, effectively killing it at those houses for another agent.

My next submission was to a highly respected smaller house that took non-agented submissions. They liked it, but they just weren’t sure. Could I give them more time? Each time I agreed, until they finally said they were sure—I was an almost-ran. They didn’t want my manuscript, but they did want me to feel free to submit another manuscript any time. Another year wasted.

One more time: I called an editor at a major mystery publishing house, a man I’d known as a colleague during my years with Western Writers of America. He was interested but liked my ideas for the sequel better and wanted me to make that the first book in the series. I declined, pleasantly I hope. I had the series story in my mind, and it began where I’d begun it. Many authors would say I’d been the fool again, turning down a tentative offer from a major house. But it was the first time I felt I’d taken charge of my career, and it worked out.  I published five novels in the Kelly O’Connell Mystery series and two in the Blue Plate Café Mystery series with a small indie publisher before the company went out of business. By then, I felt I had enough readers to become an indie author, and I’ve been driving the train myself ever since. I just wish I’d started years earlier.

In each of those three years where I allowed others to put my career on hold, I was essentially a victim. And that was my foolish mistake. Today, I’d take charge, give deadlines, be pro-active and less submissive.

In retrospect, I think it’s a lack of self-confidence that leads us to play the fool as authors, lovers, or parents. We carry out apologetic tone into all areas of our life, whereas we need to arm ourselves with a strong sense of our own worth.

~~~

Alter cover 3x4.5hires (002)Murder at the Bus Depot is the fourth Blue Plate Café Mystery by Judy Alter. In it she explores the tension between a developer who sees great possibilities in a small town and residents who want to preserve the history and atmosphere of their town. The conflict is complicated by a resurgence of interest in a thirty-year-old unsolved murder.

Buy it here: Amazon Murder at the Bus Depot

 

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Judy Alter is the award-winning author of three mysteries series: Kelly O’Connell Mysteries: Skeleton in a Dead Space, No Neighborhood for Old Women, Trouble in a Big Box, Danger Comes Home, Deception in Strange Places, Desperate for Death, and The Color of Fear; three in the Blue Plate Café Series: Murder at the Blue Plate Café, Murder at the Tremont House, and Murder at Peacock Mansion; and two Oak Grove Mysteries: The Perfect Coed and Pigface and the Perfect Dog.

 She is also the author of historical fiction based on lives of women in the nineteenth-century American West, including Libbie, Jessie, Cherokee Rose, Sundance, Butch, and Me, and The Gilded Cage, and she has also published several young-adult novels, now available on Amazon.