Tag: #OpenBook

Bestseller or Not #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

February 10, 2020

Would you like to be a bestseller or have a smaller, more manageable following?

Truth? I want to write a bestseller. Sure, the money wouldn’t hurt, but the virtual pat on the back would be better. I mean, who wouldn’t want to have a world-wide acknowledgement of their writing skills? 

Yes, I know there are people who write one bestseller and than never reach that level again. Still, that’s better than writing four or five books and never finding your audience, right?

And just maybe, if I wrote a bestseller, I could afford to hire a Personal Assistant to help with my social media. Because frankly, I don’t do a very good job on my own. Even if I had a “manageable” following, I don’t think I would do them justice. (I try, guys, I try.)

There is a down side. I absolutely love getting out and talking to people at book signings. If I was a best-selling author, would I lose that ability? I hate the idea of “sign the book, now move along.”  There’s no personal interaction in that scenario. (That’s me, talking to someone at the Deadly Realities book signing last fall. I don’t even know when this picture was taken. I was too busy paying attention the the person on the other side of the table. Yeah, I’d miss that.)

Still, the money might give me the freedom to spend more time writing. And travelling to meet more people. That would be a win.

So, I’ll keep writing and dreaming of getting my big break. And maybe one of these days I’ll write a bestseller. 

In the meantime, let’s go find out what the other authors on this hop choose. Just follow the links below.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

February 10, 2020

Would you like to be a bestseller or have a smaller, more manageable following?

Rules:1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

Keeping Track #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

February 3, 2020

How do you keep track of the books you read?

Oops! Did someone say I was supposed to do this? Keep track of what books I’ve read? Because I don’t.

Yes, there have been times when I picked up an interesting-looking book and started to read it only to say “I’ve read this before!” It’s a good thing the ebook apps tells me if I’ve bought a book or how much of it I’ve read, because I’d never remember on my own.

I’ve got several stacks of books on the bookshelves in my writing room. If they are in a stack, that means I haven’t read them. Once I’ve read them, they get added to the shelved books, tucked away in storage, or given away. Oh wait, there are exceptions. Some of the books in the stacks are there because they are the wrong height to fit in the empty spaces on my shelves. And then there’s the stack on my desk itself. Those are (supposedly) on the top of my to-be-read list. That’s the only sorting system I have.

The truth is, I’ve got no idea how many books I’ve read in my life. Lots. And lots more. And I’ve never felt the need to keep track of them.

One exception- series. And that’s easy (mostly). Naturally, I want to remember the last book I read in a series. When they’re in physical form, that’s as quick as a glance over my shoulder. And with ebooks, it’s not hard to figure out if you sort by author.

I’m really curious- does anyone actually track the books they read? Put them in spreadsheets or some similar system? Tell me about your system in the comments. Because now I feel like I’m missing out! (And will probably feel guiltier once I read the other posts in the hop!) You can come with by following the links below.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter


February 3, 2020

How do you keep track of the books you read?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

Favorite Writing Blogs #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

January 27, 2020

What are your favorite writing-related blogs?

I would love to have time to read many of the blogs and listen to the podcasts with helpful information for writers, There’s a lot of them out there. Heck, we even stray into that territory on this blog hop. But the truth is, I don’t have time. Instead, I depend on a number of newsletters that act as aggregates for the best blogs out there. 

The first one I want to mention is put out by ALLi. (The Alliance of Independent Authors) I’m going to join that group one of these days, but for now, I receive their weekly newsletter for non-members. They cover both the craft and the business of writing. They lean heavily on posts from their self-publishing advice center, but also bring in other experts.

Another good one is put out by Jeffrey Bruner of The Fussy Librarian. (It’s The Fussy Librarian’s Author Newswire.) You may be familiar with the advertising that this organization does, but they are more than just a book listing. Topics they covered lately included story openers to steer clear of and how to create a business plan. 

I also get a newsletter from Author Media. It’s focused more on advertising, but pulls from a variety of ‘experts.’ Truth is, I’m not sure how I got on this list, but it’s worth the time to to check out the blogs and podcasts they share.

And one more- if you use Draft2Digital for any of your book publishing, they do a monthly podcast. It’s an interesting look into how their business model works, plus helpful tips for authors. I use them to distribute to Apple so I get the notification when they will do a podcast, but they also post it on Facebook.

And a bonus. Author Terry O’Dell often talks about the process of writing on her blog. Yes, it’s aimed at her readers, but it speaks to writers in general. It would be worth your time to take a peek. https://terryodell.com/terrysplace/

January 27, 2020

What are your favorite writing-related blogs?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

Distracted? Who Me? #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

January 20, 2020

What are your top three distractions and how do you deal with them?

Did I get a new email? What’s the latest reddit post? Are the clothes ready to move to the dryer yet? And what’s for supper? Oh, did I remember to set the alarm so I get to work on time tomorrow? What’s that? My daughter wants to video-chat?

Distractions! They’re everywhere!

Which explains why my most productive time is later at night when all the interruptions of the day can be set aside. No phone calls, email done and done, social media satisfied. Nothing but music in my headset and words on the screen.

But what are my top three?

First off, family. As they should be. They are my priority. Their needs come before my writing. Their wants are negotiable. My wants come first sometimes, and that’s okay. Whether things like laundry and cleaning are needs or wants is up for discussion, and may depend upon how well my writing is going.

How to I deal with this distraction? Honestly? It depends. Sometimes with a smile, other times with a sigh. It’s not one I can avoid. Nor do I want to. Avoid it, that is. 

Second distraction. Work. Is that considered a distraction or an obligation?  I am getting paid well, and it supports my writing, but wouldn’t it be great if I didn’t have to plan my life around it? But until I write that million-copy bestseller, work is part of my life. Thankfully, my boss understands if I occasionally take a moment to deal with writing “stuff” while I’m on the job. (From his point of view, my writing is the distraction!)

Last and probably the worst on my list of distraction. Social media. Any of it. All of you knew that was coming, right? It’s a necessary evil for an indie author, but man, it can be a time-killer. I love seeing all the cool pictures other authors post; but that doesn’t get a book written. Reading reddit forums can generate new book ideas, or just waste time. There are a lot of good podcasts out there, but it’s like mining for gold to get useful information from many of them.

But out of all three distractions on the list, this is the one I can actually control. I can disconnect from the wifi, or unplug the network cable. Chances are, I won’t do that.

I can use self-control. You know, only visit the pages I need for research. And only until I find what I needed to know. It’s possible, but hard. 

And the winner is, I use surfing as a reward. I get so many paragraphs written, and I get to visit a “fun” page. I finish editing a chapter, and I take time to read some of the newsletters I signed up for from other authors. (I’ve got to cut back on those. You send a newsletter once a month? Cool. Once a week? Okay. Every two or three days? Overkill. Bye-bye!)

That’s my top three distractions, but I’ll give you a bonus one. Playing games on the computer. (Not the cool ones, I’m talking solitaire-type games.) Playing one or two rounds of a difficult game can help me focus my thoughts when I get stuck in a story. It’s more of a tool than a distraction, although it wouldn’t seem so to a casual observer.

That’s my list. What’s on yours? Follow the links below and see what distractions the other authors on this hop deal with. 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

January 20, 2020

What are your top three distractions and how do you deal with them?

Rules:1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

 

Harmony In Witness Protection #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

January 13, 2020

Your characters have been placed in Witness Protection. What three truths about themselves do they want to keep?

I laughed when I read this week’s prompt and immediately thought of Harmony from the Harmony Duprie mystery series. She’d probably end up getting herself thrown out of the program due to not wanting to play by the rules.

After all, she’s tangled with some nasty bad guys who might want to get back at her. I can see her having to get into Witness Protection at least for a bit while the legal system worked through her latest adventure.

Image by Marco Oetjen from Pixabay

She’d have to give up Dolores, her salsa-red Jaguar, and that would make her unhappy. Dolores attracts too much attention and isn’t useful for hiding. Harmony figured that out long ago, and Federal agents would have a heart attack trying to protect her if she kept her car.

So, what truths would she keep?

She doesn’t have to worry about her hair color, she’s fine with wigs. She already switches between her glasses and contacts, so she’s good there, too. So, external characteristics are not the issue. Losing touch with her friends and having to make new ones, however, would throw her for a loop.

Especially Eli, her lover. He “grounds” her. He’d be unable to go into Witness Protection with her and still run his business. Of all her truths, he’s the one she’d want to keep and it would be impossible.

Now, the Feds should be able to find Harmony a job as a librarian in a small, backwater town where no one would think to look for her. Maybe even a place smaller than Oak Grove. She’d fit right in. So, that’s one. 

She’d be able to take her mother’s African violet and her collection of first-edition books with her. A  bit of home.  That’s two.

I’m sure the Feds could fix her up with a way to access the funds she inherited. Not that she likes to spend that money, but she’ll need some help settling into her new life. That’s three.

And where is Jake, her ex-lover, in all this? He’d get such a kick out of slipping past the protections and finding Harmony, especially with Eli out of touch. I’m just not sure that he has the skills to find her. But there are things I don’t know about him, so he might surprise me.

There you go. Three truths and a bonus question. Sounds like a setup for a new book! 

Now I’m off to check out the truths the other authors chose for their characters. Come with me by following the links below.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

January 13, 2020

Your characters have been placed in Witness Protection. What three truths about themselves do they want to keep?

Rules:

1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

Childhood Favorite Books #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

January 6, 2020

What is your favorite childhood book?

Define “childhood.” Or let’s not. Let’s just say that I’ll talk about books I enjoyed after the age of ten. And I couldn’t tell you how far above ten for most of them!

We always had books in the house growing up. Old books passed on from other family members seemed to gravitate to us. There were more books than my mom could keep on her bookshelves in the living room, so they ended up in the attic. And I loved digging through the boxes, looking for old favorites and new discoveries.

That’s where I found my first favorites. The Bobbsey Twins, The Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. Out of the three series, The Hardy Boys were my initial favorite, but we didn’t have many of the books. It didn’t take long to gravitate to Nancy Drew, as other friends were reading the series and we traded books. Plus, it was easy to ask for another of the books for birthday and Christmas presents. I kept those books until I went away to college and passed them on to another fan.

My hunger for reading soon led me to more mature books. Ivanhoe. Rebecca. Frenchman’s Creek. The Scarlet Pimpernel. Even then I preferred novels that featured more action than romance.

(FYI-I have that copy of Ivanhoe on my bookshelf. It’s in sad condition, with torn and yellowed pages, but it’s still readable. It was originally owned by a school library,  and is the Academy Classics for Junior High Schools edition, dated 1926.)

By the way, I suggest being careful if you go back and read some of your old favorites. They don’t always hold up to an adult perspective. The casual racism in the older versions of the Nancy Drew books can be annoying. And Ivanhoe? I need to remind myself that it’s historical and has to be read from that perspective.

It’s easy to see how those early favorites have influenced my writing. And why I struggle with using the British version of English over the American version. (Grey vs. gray, snuck vs. sneaked, labor vs. labour … you get the idea. That along with going through a phase of reading Barbara Cartland as an adult.)

I’m going to make a rash assumption that many of these books won’t appear on anyone else’s list. (Except for Nancy Drew.) So let’s follow the links below and find out!

January 6, 2020

What is your favorite childhood book?

Rules:1. Link your blog to this hop.

2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.

3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.

4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.

5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Lessons Learned #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

December 23, 2019

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

I started a list of everything that changed about my writing after publishing my first book, and realized this post could get quite long if I included all of them. So, we’ll start from the “biggest” changes and work my way through a few of them.

Probably the biggest change was I started paying attention to chapters. Yes, Wolves’ Pawn started life as one long story with no breaks. I wrote the prequel and kept on going. When I completed the story and decided that hey, maybe it was good enough to publish, the first editing I did was to add chapters. It’s harder than it sounds, to find the right place to break into the action without leaving the reader hanging. (or hanging so they want to keep reading!)

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

Next up – head hopping. I wasn’t even familiar with the term until I shared the first chapter of the book with a critique group. For those of you who don’t know, it means bouncing from one character’s point of view to another’s. Yes, I was guilty of it. I don’t do it any more (much) and normally catch it when I slip. The sad part is that I’m much more aware when other authors do it, and mentally take imaginary points off for the transgression.

Let’s mention editing in general. It’s a lot of work. But as I’ve done more of it, with each new book, I find myself catching mistakes before they get put in the document. It slows down my writing speed, but then I take less time editing. Seems like a fair trade-off to me. Same with passive voice. I don’t use the word ‘was” near as much as I used to in my writing. Along with trying to banish ‘had.’

What’s the most unusual (in my mind) thing I’ve learned? The proper use of the hyphen (-) the en-dash (–) and the em-dash (—). I didn’t even know about the existence of the last two before getting ready to publish Wolves’ Pawn. I don’t claim to be an expert, but at least I have a concept of how to use each of them. (I’ll spare you the boring details.) 

But the most important thing that has changed since publishing my first book? I no longer write my stories out by hand. Yes, gone are the days of notepads with page after page of handwritten words, with slashes through paragraphs and notes written in the margins. Which translated to additional time spending hours interpreting my own writing and transcribing it on the computer. It took effort, but now I’m comfortable creating my first draft on a computer.

Phew! That feels like a lot of changes, so I’m going to stop here. But before I go, I want to wish everyone who is celebrating this week or last week or next week a Happy Holiday. May your days be cheery and your nights warm.

Now I’m off to check what the other authors on the hop have changed in their writing process.

December 23, 2019

How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

https://fresh.inlinkz.com/p/0edb449030ce498aa0d1a75cbb40e072

Resources for Writers #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

December 16, 2019

What are the most important resources for writers? (Magazines, books, websites, etc.)

I started thinking about this week’s question, and realized how much different my answer will be today than it was twenty-some years ago. Put it this way- I only recently purged all my old copies of The Writer’s Digest from storage. And I still have one year’s worth of Poets and Writers (once upon a time called Coda) on my bookshelf. Stashed away, I have the 2001 edition of the Poet’s Market, with 1800 places to publish your poetry. (Which I’ll probably end up throwing away because I can’t come up with a justification to hold onto it.)

Of course, they are all remnants of the days of yore, back when the internet was just becoming a ‘thing’ for non-academical types.  How the world has changed.

But, my needs have changed as well. I no longer focus on poetry. Y’all aren’t reading this for my newest poem, it’s my fiction that (likely) sends you here.

What do I consider my most important resources?

Let’s start with on-line editors. The two I use the most are ProWritingAid and Grammarly.  I normally beat the heck out of my manuscript with ProWritingAid and then fine tune it with Grammarly. Between the two of them, I find a lot of errors and ways to improve sentences and structure, but even using both of them doesn’t result in perfection. (and sometimes they disagree!)

Human eyes can pick up on things that machines can’t. Editors are great, but can be expensive. A way to help overcome this obstacle is the use of  good beta-readers and online critique groups. The one I’ve used is CritiqueCircle.com. Of course, if you can find a writers critique group that in your local area, that can also be a valuable resource.

But the best resource I’ve found? Other authors. There are all sorts of groups on-line where you can connect with other people and share knowledge and ideas. And yes, places besides Facebook. I belong to one group that focuses on marketing for romance writers and another that is for mystery writers. Between the two, I’m constantly learning new things. Oh, and don’t forget that local authors’ group!

What am I forgetting? Lots, I’m sure. That’s why I’m excited to check out the other posts this week. Oops, there’s one! Blog posts by other authors can be a wealth of information. Let’s go find more by following the links below to the rest of the blogs in this hop.

December 16, 2019

What are the most important resources for writers? (Magazines, books, websites, etc.)

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 

Meet Eli Hennessey #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

 

December 9, 2019

It’s been awhile since we’ve done this. Interview one of your characters. Introduce them to a new audience or give existing readers new insight into their motivations.

Spoiler alerts ahead! If you haven’t read The Marquesa’s Necklace, the first book of the Harmony Duprie Mysteries, this interview may spoil some of the fun.

Today we’re talking with Elijah Hennessey, owner of Shifter Technologies, a tech company that specializes in  providing computer software for law enforcement agencies. We agreed to meet at his office in the Orlando, FL area. When I arrived, I only had to wait a few minutes until I was escorted into his office. The first thing I noticed was his unusual eyes- they were the palest blue I’d ever seen.

The anticipated offer of coffee came quickly, which I declined in favor of water. I noticed that there were at least three cups in various spots on my host’s desk, buried between various stacks of paperwork.

Me: Thanks for taking the time to talk with me, Mr Hennessey.

Him: Please call me Elijah.

Me: Sure. Elijah, when I started my research for this interview, I discovered you basically don’t exist on the internet. Can you tell me about that?

Him:  It’s deliberate on my part. I want potential customers to see how serious I am about security, and by not using every social site and app that’s out there, I set a good example.

Me: You think social sites are a security problem? 

He smiled, picked up a manila file folder off the top of a stack, and passed it to me.

Him: Here’s what I found out about you. Do you still drink London Fogs with peach tea? By the way, you should change your password and have a different one for each site you visit.

Me: (Taking a drink of water to cool the heat in my cheeks.) Thanks. I’ll get that taken care of. But moving along, your software is listed as a top performer by Law Enforcement Magazine. Congratulations.

Him: Thanks. I give credit to my staff. I’ve got some real sharp people who can see a coding error a mile away and fix it before anyone else knows it exists. They get all the credit.

Me: What’s your vision for your company?

Him: It’s no secret that we’re making a big move into mobile apps for law enforcement. Police officers don’t need to carry around oversized tablets and laptops when they can do everything they need to on their phones. We just have to up the security factor by ten.

Me: Where did your obsession with security start?

Him: It was a necessity when I served in the military. When I moved into civilian life, I saw an opportunity to use my knowledge as a career.

Me: Switching topics, there’s a rumor about you and a librarian up north. Care to confirm?

Him: (grinning) What does the internet have to say about it?

Me: Nothing. I looked. She must follow the same theory about a social media presence as you do.

Him: (His grin getting bigger) Imagine that.

Me: Can you at least tell me what your “type” of women is?

Him: (Leaning back and clasping his hands behind his head) Easy. Smart ones. Ones that know how to think on their feet and come up with alternative solutions to existing problems.

A knock on the door interrupted us, and his administrative assistant  stuck her head in the door. “Your next appointment is here.”

Me: Thanks for your time. I’ll send you a copy of the interview when I get it pulled together.

Him: My pleasure. 

*****

Do you have any questions for Eli? If so, leave them in the comments and maybe he’ll answer. 🙂 While he waits, I’m going to go meet some new characters on the other blog hop entries.

December 9, 2019

It’s been awhile since we’ve done this. Interview one of your characters. Introduce them to a new audience or give existing readers new insight into their motivations.

Rules:

1. Link your blog to this hop.

2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.

3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.

4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.

5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

It’s a Trade-Off #OpenBook Blog Hop

  By Open Book

December 2, 2019

What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

It’s a deceptively simple question, really. I only have to change one little thing. Except I’m the kind of person who worries about the domino effect. If I change this one little thing, what else breaks? For example, the day I got out early and got sideswiped on the way home. That wouldn’t have happened if I left work at my normal time, right?

Or how about the time I got stuck in a long line at the grocery store? Sure, I was saying bad words and pushing the speed limit on the way home. Until I saw a guy in a motorized wheelchair barely moving. I pulled over to see if there was something wrong. Turns out his battery had run down, but help was already on the way. I stayed and talked to him until his family got there. Nothing earth-shaking about the incident, but if the timing hadn’t been perfect the encounter wouldn’t have happened.

So, maybe it’s all part of the butterfly effect. You know, if a butterfly flaps

it’s wings in the Amazon a tornado happens in Texas. It’s part of the chaos theory. One simple, small change can have a much bigger consequence.

As a result, the initial question—one thing I would give up to become a better writer—makes me nervous. What would the unintended side effect be? If I spent less time cleaning house and more time reading, would war break out in Canada? (I know, that’s extreme. It was supposed to be!)

I can’t give up watching TV. because I did that years ago. Giving up reading would have the opposite effect- I firmly believe that as a writer you should also be a reader. I suppose I could spend less time on the biggest time waster of all, the internet, but I never know when something I stumble across may be the spark for a new story.

But there is one thing I’d be willing to spend last time on—playing games on the computer. Sure, I do it mostly while I’m searching for the right words to use, but it’s easy to play two games instead of one. And I can’t imagine which part of the chaos theory that would trigger. I think it’s a safe solution. Fingers crossed.

I hope all of you out there are still safe. No tornadoes, right? I can’t help the winter storms—they started before I made the change. Now, as is my habit, no change there, I’m off to find out what the other authors would change.

P.S.  But you could make one little change for me…I’d love it if you would leave a comment.

December 2, 2019

What one thing would you give up to become a better writer?

Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter