Writers, Authors and a Bookstore - Barbara Baker

 

Writing is a solitary process. So, when you get a chance to meet up with writer friends and participate at a bookstore author event you jump on a plane and fly to Ontario.

First stop, the Stephen Leacock Museum in Orillia, Ontario. My friend goes into the office. “I know the museum isn’t open, but she’s come all the way from Calgary.” She points at me. “Is there a chance we can take a look?”

“Of course,” the cheery lady says. “Give me five minutes. I’ll open it for you.”

I grin at my persuasive friend, and she winks back.

While we wait, we head to Leacock’s Boathouse. Painted figures resembling characters from Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town align the pathway.

And then we’re off to check out Leacock’s home. With no one else around we’re able to take our time and read all the plaques. 

        Stephen Leacock facts:

        - 1869-1944 born in England, 10 siblings, family moved to Ontario in 1876, father became an alcoholic and abandoned the family in 1878.

        - Leacock was a teacher, political scientist, writer, humourist (best known English-speaking humourist of his time).

        - In 1900 he married Beatrix Hamilton, an actress. They had one son, Stephen Lushington.

        - Leacock’s colleagues warned him his reputation would be ruined if he published humour. Beatrix encouraged him to publish it regardless of what others thought.

        - In 1990, while completing upgrades on the Leacock house, love letters from Beatrix were found in a secret panel in the bedroom closet. They were written before she died of breast cancer in 1925 at 46 years old. The letters tell of their love story and depict a side of Leacock few people were privy to.

        - Beatrix passed away before the house was complete.

                 Okay, enough Leacock trivia. We’re off to meet the others. There’s much to catch up on so a simple supper of nachos and fixings, red wine, Hawkins Cheezies (no substitutes) and assorted chocolates carry us late into the night. My cheeks hurt. Tears fall. Weight is lifted off shoulders. Exhausting good fun.

Early the next morning we leave in the rain, headed for Uxbridge, Ontario for the Independent Book Store celebration at Blue Heron Books. I get to promote my book, hang with authors and try to appear unterrified.

 

At the bookstore, I get a name tag which helps me remember who I am when fear nails my tongue to the roof of my mouth. I pull up my big girl panties and approach authors, ask them questions about their book(s) and writing journey. It’s not a walk in the park for anyone – this book writing gig. It’s hard work. A lot of hard work. 

From a distance, I watch Canadian bestselling author, Terry Fallis chatting. He’s relaxed. Smiles like it’s not painful. I want to go over and tell him I follow his newsletters and enjoy reading how his career didn’t just fall in his lap. But I’m too shy. He’s…well, he’s Terry Fallis. I can only hope in my lifetime to look that comfortable. Be that confident. Did I mention he’s a two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour? How awesome is he?

I recognize two authors chatting in the kid’s section. I approach and say, “Would it be okay if I hang with you gals?” They smile and say, “sure” in unison.

Time flies and then it’s over. I leave with a bag full of new books and notice my friends purchase my books and discreetly slip them into their bags. I’m a lucky lady to have them as friends.

On the drive home, the rains stops. The sun shines. The chatter continues. 

We make plans to put together an anthology of our short stories and publish them in a book. It’ll be a lot of work. But I know there will be another trip to Ontario to review the hardcopy draft. I can hardly wait. 

You can contact me at: bbaker.write@gmail.com

Summer of Lies: Baker, Barbara:9780228615774: Books - Amazon.ca

What About Me?: Sequel to Summer of Lies : Baker, Barbara: Amazon.ca: Books

 

 

How to Make a Killing Writing Murder Mystery by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

    So if you've been keeping track of the Books We Love Website (which... if you haven't, why not?) then you know that the upcoming Canadian Historical Mystery Series is on its way! My book, entitled Twice Hung, is the tenth book in this exciting new venture, and I am excited to tell you a little bit about it. 

It's a murder mystery. 

    No, but seriously, it will be one of the first serious mystery novels that I've wrote, and while I've been doing a ton of research on how to create some good mystery, I have come across a few tips I thought I'd share with ya'll because... well, I luv ya all a bit! 

I was going to pick meme that highlighted how much I loved my blog readers but... 
this meme was way more me...

So NUMBER ONE!

The Victim: Yeah, they may not be around much, but they are still very important to the story. Whether or not your mystery started with their untimely demise, it's important to know about the events that led up to it. Who was your victim and why did someone want them dead? Why were they in the wrong place at the wrong time, and/or what was their relationship to the killer? What is also important was their character. Did they have it coming, or should we sympathize with the newly dead? 

TWO!

The Murderer: This may be the most interesting character in your story, after the main protagonist. Knowing who they are is essential in creating not only a great story, but one that keep readers turning pages. I love gray area people, and by that I mean creating characters (not just antagonists) with a bunch of flaws. I believe its a key to being human and gives writers a way to allow their protagonists to overcome personal obstacles. How is the murderer similar to the protagonist? How are they different? Do we sympathize with them at all? Keep your reader guessing. 

THREE! 

Red Herrings: Mysteries are the most fun when there are plenty of twists involved. However, that sometimes means keeping one step ahead of your readers. Subtle hints are key, but give too many and they may guess the end before it comes. Think George R. R. Martin and Jon Snow... (Maybe that's the REAL reason he hasn't finished the books, because everyone had already guessed the ending.)

FOUR!

Foreshadowing: As mentioned above, suble keys are great, especially when you finally get to the "Ah ha!" moment. If the ending doesn't make sense, or seems out of left field, it's probably because it is, and because you didn't leave enough puzzle pieces for the reader to collect. This can really make or break a mystery for me, because if the ending doesn't seem justified, it just makes me think that the author was too dumb to outsmart me and if that's the case then... wow... really?

... it's possible...

 FIVE!

Beta Readers: Get someone else to read your book when you are done. This applies to anything you write, but is especially important for mystery novels. It's hard to know if the clues you left behind were sufficient or way too obvious, but for a beta reader, they can tell you if they saw the ending from a mile away, or if it didn't pack enough punch. 

So that's it. My sure fire way to create a mystery novel. I'm sure there are way more tips, but these were my integral five. Twice Hung will be out next year, and I am so excited! In the meantime, check out the cover image, and head on over to Books We Love to discover more about the series and read some super exciting blurbs! 

Cheers! 

  

My Poetry Moment by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

https://www.bookswelove.com/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

My Poetry Moment

      Over my writing career I have had articles, short stories, travel books, and mystery, young adult, and science fiction novels published. And one poem. When that one poem was accepted for publication, I felt I had taken my writing to another level. I decided, though, that my contribution was going to be different, that I was going to take the poetry community by storm. I wanted to make my mark, to stand out in the poetry world. And to do that I came up with a new poetry sub-genre that I called Script Poetry. Just like a movie script I set up the scene and the tone for the poem and give some background of the story in the poem by using a script layout. It made the whole poem more visual and that way I could get right to the meat of what I wanted to say. 

     I enthusiastically sent out my script poems and waited for the accolades to come in.

    Surprisingly, the publishers were not as galvanized about this new style of poetry as I was. No one accepted them for publication. 

     But never underestimate the power of a script poet scorned. At the same time as I was planning my burst onto the poetry stage, I was writing my mystery novel "The Only Shadow In The House," the second book of The Travelling Detective Series. I gave one of my characters the career of a poet and her specialty was Script Poetry. Needless to say the publishers and critics in my fictional world were highly impressed with the poems. The poetry was very popular with the reading public and the poetress won many awards. 

     To quote from my book: One critic wrote that her poems have an innovative, revolutionary style that is shaking the foundations of the conventionally staid poetry community, while another critic called them insightful and powerful. 

     I have taken one of the script poems from that novel for you to judge for yourself.

 

Fade In
Act One
Exterior-Farm House-Night.
There is snow on the ground. Stars twinkle in the clear, night sky. A vehicle pulls into the yard and a woman climbs out. She stares at the house then takes a deep breath. She releases it in a vapour. With slow tread she climbs up the steps and enters the darkened house. Inside, she stops and listens.

 

There is no noise in my house, it is dark and silent.
Today, I buried you. Is this what it is like in your grave,
total quiet, total darkness?
I flip on the light and wander the house
looking at the possessions that
represented a life that never existed,
except in my own mind.
This has been our home for nineteen years
but it now feels alien to me.
Because from now on I know that mine
will be the only shadow in the house.
I must leave here soon.

 

End Act One
Fade Out

 

Fade In
Act Two
Interior-Farm House- Night.
All the lights are on in the house. The woman is in the kitchen. She pushes over the shelving holding plant seedlings and pots. She heads to the dining room and goes to a china cabinet with no doors. All the shelves hold figurines and dishes and knick knacks. They crash to the floor with a sweep of her hand. The ones that don’t break, disintegrate under her foot.

 

“Damn you, Ben. Damned you to hell!” I yell.
I want you to hear. I want you to know
the sorrow and the pain you have brought me.
I go from room to room, expunging.
I spray your shaving cream on the walls.
I dump your aftershave in the tub.
I grab a knife and shred your clothes.
Finally, there is nothing of yours left.
I feel some satisfaction.
You destroyed my life and now I have
destroyed everything that represented yours.
“There you bastard,” I say. “Rot in hell.”

 

Fade Out
End Act Two

 

Fade In
Act Three
Interior-Farm House- Night
The woman is standing in front of a picture on the living room wall. The furniture and floor are littered with debris. She takes the picture off the hook and stares at it a long time.

 

I find our wedding photograph on the wall.
I’d had it enlarged for our tenth anniversary
as my loving gift to you.
Were you as pleased as you said you were
or was that just a sham?
I smash the glass against the corner of the table.
I cut my finger removing the shards.
I look at you smiling back at me.
Were you an impostor in our marriage?
For now I wonder how many other
women did you see over our nineteen years.
I slash the picture with the knife. How symbolic.

 

End Act Three
Fade Out

The Agenda of Writing Novels by Joan Donaldson-Yarmey

 

 

https://www.bookswelove.com/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

The Agenda of Writing Novels

Some people believe that there is an agenda or blueprint for writing books and as long as the writer follows that blueprint, they can write a book. However, that is not really true. Authors have different ways of writing their novels. Some outline each chapter. Others wing it just going where their characters take them. Some start with a plot and add characters and some have characters around whom they build a story. A few take an event or an idea and build on it putting in characters and settings as the story develops.

     I have never worked with a solid outline, or arc as it is sometimes called, for my novels, whether they are mystery, historical, or young adult. And this is mainly because I find that my characters seldom end up the way I first pictured them and the plot never takes the route I thought it would. I do start the story with a character in his/her everyday life so the reader can get to know them then I put in the trigger or problem that is out of the control of my main character or that starts the mystery. This puts the main character on his/her quest for a solution.

     I do have scenes pictured where characters are going to have a certain conversation or be at a certain place but unexpected conversations or character twists surface as I am writing the story. Some of these are surprises or mishaps or glitches that get in the way of my character’s quest. I strive not to make these predictable, nor so far out that they don’t make sense to the story. They should leave the reader with the thought that (s)he should have figured that would happen. Personally, I find that it is no fun to read a book in which you can foresee where the story line is headed and what is going to happen.

     If I get writer’s block or get to the end of an event and not really know what to write next, then I pick up one of the encounters that I know a character is going to have and I write that. Sometimes I will have two or three of them waiting to be put into the manuscript where they are needed.

     For the climax my character goes through the action of resolving the problem or solving the mystery. This has to be fast paced and sometimes at risk to my character. By this time the reader should be rooting for the main character and wanting him/her to succeed without injury. Hopefully, too, this is where the surprise comes in, where the reader goes. “Wow, I didn’t see that coming." or "I never thought it would be that person.”

     I have even been surprised or saddened or happy by the ending of my books. When I was nearing the end of writing one of my mystery novels I still hadn’t figured out which of two characters had done the killing. Suddenly, a different character put up their hand and said, “I did it and this is why.” I was surprised but realized that it made total sense.

     I believe that if my emotions are rocked by the ending so, too, should those of the readers. When the book was published I had readers tell me that they had also fluctuated between the same two characters as I had and they, too, had been surprised by who was actually guilty. Something a mystery writer is always happy to hear.