From the Editor's Desk: Creativity - JD Shipton

 I was wandering around in my mind the other day, kicking over the occasional mental rock in search of plot devices for this book I'm planning to write. Essentially trying to imagine the unimaginable: a post biological intelligence, in this case. 

 As a motive for their investigation of our humble and bucolic little lump of dirt, I had given some thought to creativity as being something they'd come to value in their machine age- so much so that perhaps they'd send probes to their galactic neighbors in search of it. One could make the argument that its a faculty which must be lost when all your synapses become circuit boards, and all your thoughts algorithms. I suppose some manner of random number (binary, in our digital case) generator could be implemented to bring forth novelty (much as our DNA seems to do), but the result would be almost complete conceptual gibberish, rather than, say, Dali's "Swans Reflecting Elephants".  

 However, nothing in this painting is a truly created concept, just re-imagined.  Everything we do and see is processed by our meat computer in exactly the same way as would be by a silicon/gold matrix of circuits and diodes- which shouldn't be surprising, as have we not built computers as emulations of our own, lipid-based thinking machines? Short and long term memory, interconnected circuits, binary outputs down at the level of the receptors at the end of the synapse, programming based on commonly understood notions that are coded as fact. 

 So don't beat yourself up too badly when you can't seem to conjure from the ether completely novel concepts, unheard of and unseen by the eyes of man or machine.  I say it is simply not possible, given our tools and programming. What we can do is what has ever been done: stretch the boundaries of the framework we have to the point that maybe you can burst the seam a little at one side and spill into the unknown. 

Meet Buster Parker by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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All in the Furry Family, Book 2 in the Cat Tales series was just released on February 1st. Many of readers' favorite characters from All the Furs and Feathers are back, but there are also some new ones. I'd like to introduce you to one of the most important new characters, Buster Parker.

Buster is Smokey and Autumn Amelia's new neighbor. He's a white cat with large black spots.  His face is white on his mouth and cheeks and in a wide line that narrows as it goes up. The black fur starts at his eyes and goes back to the top of his head and ears. There is a black triangle from his nose to his mouth that Autumn Amelia finds simply adorable. In fact, his markings remind her of a miniature cow. Also adorable, according to Autumn. Could part of her attraction be that Autumn, who fantasizes about being a pirate, found out he owns a boat on Niptucket Island? Well, she liked him before she knew that, but it sure doesn't hurt. Fortunately, Buster likes Autumn Amelia, too. Before long a romance between the two cats begins to brew. 

In the following excerpt from All in the Furry Family, Autumn and Smokey have gone out for a walk when they see a moving van in the driveway of a house that has just sold and the new owner standing in the driveway. They decide to introduce themselves. Autumn, a locally renowned chef whose reputation is spreading far and wide, wants to welcome him to the neighborhood by making a meal for him.

From All in the Furry Family:

"I'd like to make dinner for you and your family. How many will I be cooking for?"

Buster's eyes widen. "That's awfully nice of you, but it's just me. I figured I'd grab a bite somewhere."

"Oh," says Autumn. "How about lunch? I can drop it off when I leave for work."

"Don't go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble," she says.

"Autumn is a chef," Smokey interjects. "She runs Mama Cat's Kitchen at Oneness Park in Faunaburg. Have you heard of it?"

Buster's eyes grow wider. "You're that Autumn Amelia?"

Later, as they walk back home, Smokey and Autumn discuss their new neighbor.

From All in the Furry Family:

"He's very handsome," says Autumn Amelia.

"You think so?" asks Smokey, unable to keep the teasing from her voice.

"Don't you?"

"I suppose. I think he liked you."

"What do you mean?"

"I saw how he looked at you. He probably can't wait for you to drop off that sandwich."

"It's the sandwich he's interested in, not me."

"Well, you are that Autumn Amelia, after all. I still think he's interested in you."

Autumn and Buster have many adventures in All in the Furry Family as they begin dating and continue getting to know each other.

Buster's character is based on my neighbor's cat of the same name. Here he is enjoying a Christmas gift from my own Autumn Amelia:

Buster Parker is just one of several new characters that I can't wait for readers to meet. Next month, I'll introduce Louisa, a great blue heron, and her friend, Vivian, a flamingo visiting her from Palm Ray.

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Like Catching Up With Old Friends by Eileen O'Finlan

 

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When I wrote Erin's Children, the sequel to Kelegeen, I really enjoyed revisiting the characters I'd spent so much time with. It felt like catching up with old friends. I met new friends, as well, as I introduced new characters in a new setting. As authors, we spend so much time with our characters both when we are and when we aren't actually writing that they become part of our lives. They live in our heads, tell us their secrets, dreams, ambitions, faults, and desires. We know the most personal things about each of them. When a novel is finished and sent off for publication it can be like saying goodbye to people to whom we've grown very close. So writing a sequel or continuing on in a series is a kind of reunion.

My current work in progress (The Folklorist - expected release date: October 1, 2023) is a stand alone. However, once that is finished, I plan to dive right into writing the second book in the Cat Tales series. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with Smokey, Autumn Amelia, and all the other animals in Wild Whisker Ridge and Faunaburg. There will be some surprises as Smokey and Autumn find out that there is more to their family than they knew. There will also be a wedding, but I'm not saying who's it is yet. I just know it will be loads of fun to write the next set of adventures for a group of characters who can't help but make me grin from ear to ear while I'm doing it.

At the same time, I will start the research for the book that will follow Erin's Children. I plan to focus on the next generation. Meg, Rory, Kathleen, and Nuala will still be there, and it will be wonderful to reconnect with them, but I'm also excited about finding out what their kids are doing with their lives. I'm also looking forward to learning more about the history of Worcester, Massachusetts (the city where I work and closest to where I live and where Erin's Children is set) and incorporating some of it into the story. 

I also have an idea for a fantasy that I plan to work on in between these two projects (could someone create a few more hours in the days, please?!) so I'll be meeting and getting to know all new characters and a whole new world. This is also very exciting. New friends are great, too! 

I hope my readers will enjoy catching up with the old friends and meeting new ones as much as I enjoy writing them.

                                                                           

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This is Fiction! by Priscilla Brown

 

 

 

Gina is lover shopping, 

but is a New Year's Eve party the right store for her? 

https://books2read.com/Class-Act

  

When our  readers start a book, we authors are asking them to 'suspend disbelief' (also to suspend doing the ironing, looking for a missing sock etc. etc.)  

An author of contemporary romance fiction, my imagination works to create stories involving narratives of a situation, event or circumstance which could happen, or could have happened, in real life. I like to introduce credible characters into environments plausible to their personalities, individual histories, lifestyles and physical backgrounds. 

 

 Although not my usual field, some years ago I entered  a contest for historical short stories to be published in an anthology. I was already familiar with the physical setting on a Scottish island, but not the time frame during World War II. My story concerned a young woman on the island ferry who feels sorry for a young man wearing an army uniform unsuitable for the freezing weather, clearly a soldier on leave exploring the islands. She invites him to her cottage for a warm drink...Of the three judges in this context, two who were writers gave it high marks, while the third, a non-writer, marked it fail, giving the reason as a query 'Would she really ask a stranger into her house?' Maybe this judge was applying present-day mores to a 1940s wartime situation, unable, or choosing not, to consider it as a complete fiction appropriate to the time and place. Although perhaps the story did fail as it could not convince this judge. However, it did win a place in the anthology.

 

May 2022 be kind to you, with lots of great stories to read and enjoy.

Best wishes, Priscilla 

 

https://bwlpublishing.ca 

https://priscillabrownauthor.com 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Writing a Sequel by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page

You ever look at your Disney movie library and say to yourself, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2? Oh hot dog! I think I'll watch that. It's totally better than the first movie!" If so then you should probably get your head checked because even if you've HEARD of that terrible sequel--let alone own it--you ought to know that it was Complete, Utter Garbage with a capital C, U, G!

Complete. Utter. Garbage! The sequel was C.U.G!

But despite the plethora of terrible sequels floating around the known universe, I am not actually here to talk about them. In fact, I am happy to say that I am WRITING a sequel, and I am really, REALLY hoping it's not going to be bad... Because as infamous as some bad sequels are, I'm no where near famous enough to profit off a terrible remake or continuation. 

We'll get George outta the way early this time... 

 So what makes a good sequel? Well, looking at all the terrible content out there, I'd say it's important to stay true to the characters and themes at least. The original Indiana Jones' movies were pretty cool. They were also mostly stand alone adventures. Rocky I to V was good: a continuation but each with an individual plot point. As well as Terminator 2... which was just awesome. 

Wait, Terminator 2? Rocky? Indiana Jones?
Oh God her age is showing...

But these are all movies! Okay, well... Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and The Witcher books come to mind... though they're all continuations of one big story outline and the sequel I'm writing already kinda... well, concluded...

And it's a romance! 

So what do I do? I suppose I could just NOT write a sequel. It's not like I'm Michael Bay producing sequels for that socks made of silk money...  

*Bad word warning in link*

But there's lots more to say about these characters! And while writing romances isn't bad, writing a sequel to a romance where the love story had already wrapped itself up in the first installment, can produce its own series of obstacles. I hate when its obvious that the author broke up their original couple only to find ways to get them back together in book two. It always seems contrived, or pieced together to keep with the theme. Misunderstandings or arguments are alright, of course--and realistic!--but there must be a better way to tell a story with a romantic subplot other than breaking them up and seeing how they get together THIS TIME. 

#I'vebeenmarriedfor18yearsromancenovels

So I've concluded to just develop the characters more. For example, Scarlet Fortune is a 1920's cop vampire, and Shad is a 400 something year old dragon bootlegger... so there are bound to be some funny anecdotes and hijinks even AFTER they've tied the knot. I also believe in a good antagonist. Going back to The Hunchback of Notre Dame 2--because I had to watch it the other day with my two year old and am still crusty about it-- how do you compare a circus ringmaster narcissist with Monseigneur Claude Frollo: a judge--because Disney couldnt really make him an Archdeacon, the movie was already risky enough--who sings about his lust for Esmeralda: a member of an oppressed minority group?

You can't. 

So I'll make a good villain that will extend on the themes of the first book. Because themes are important and so too are villains.

Eh... not really. But the theme of the meme fit the context.

I'm also trying to tie in some things from the first book. Reuse some old characters that may have been floating around the plot of book one. Facts and places barely used before, could be backdrops for more important things later on. The sequel is pretty much stand alone, I don't think you NEED to read book one to enjoy book two, but I mean, it's more fun if you do. 

Of course, I'm only speaking from a matter of my own opinion, and I am writing this sequel with my co-author who contributes HEAVILY to ensuring there are no continuity errors... but...

SEQUELS ARE HARD! 

And I promise all--or any *cries*--fans out there... That I will honor the original work to the best of my ability and not create C.U.G.

I said I promise I won't write C.U.G!

 

Make Believe World by Roseanne Dowell

I live in a make-believe world. Okay, not literally, but vicariously through my characters.  I decide where they live, name their towns, or sometimes I let them live in a real city/town.  I prefer small towns, maybe because I’ve always wanted to live in one. I especially like towns with Victorian houses and apparently so do my characters, because I use them a lot.  I often say I must have lived during the Victorian area, probably as a mean old nanny. I’m sure I wasn’t the lady of the house, and by house, I mean mansion. Queen Anne Victorian homes are my favorite. I love the round turrets, all the gingerbread, and wrap-around porches. It was always my dream to buy one and restore it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be and I’m past the point of wanting one now.  

Back to my make-believe world. I’d like to say I choose my characters, but truthfully, they choose me.  Sometimes I even get to name them, but if they don’t like the name, well, believe me, they misbehave until I change it. And, yes, that’s happened several times. Just because I like a name doesn’t mean they do. The last time it happened it wasn’t even a main character. She was only in the story for a short time, but boy was she stubborn. She refused to talk to me and anything I wrote was garbage, better known as dreck in the writing world.  

As I’ve said previously, I write many different genres, from Women’s Fiction to Romance to Mystery and even Paranormal. Most of my books are a combination of romance and another genre. As a reader, I’ve always favored mystery and romance, so it only made sense to combine them.  Mine would be classified as cozy mysteries; the gory stuff takes place off-scene. 

 I also love ghost stories – not evil mean ghosts though. One such story is Shadows in the Attic and another Time to Love Again. I’ve always been fascinated by ESP, hence my story Entangled Minds – previously published as Connection of the Minds.  

My character’s ages range from their mid-twenties to middle age and into their seventies. Yes, seniors need love, too. Geriatric Rebels is a favorite.  It’s fun working with different characters, and I especially like when they add a bit of humor. I really form an attachment to them. Once a character chooses me, I make a character worksheet so I know everything about them, not just what they look like.  

I love creating my characters, picking their careers, anything from housewives, authors, teachers, floral designers, and interior designers. Sometimes their careers play a part in the story, sometimes not. The character in my work in progress (WIP in the writer’s world) is a former teacher. It’s not a big part of the story, but it’s something I needed to know. She’s a real character in the true sense of the word. She came into being in a previous story, All in the Family. It started out with her having a small part, but Aunt Beatrice Lulu (ABLL) grew into a big part of the story. Once I finished that book, she popped up again and demanded her own book. Problem is, she takes fits and goes into hiding every so often, which is where she’s at right now and has been for some time. Sometimes she pops up for days of writing. Other times, I get a paragraph or two. I’ve never had a character do that before.  Oh, I’ve had writer’s block a time or two, but once I’m over it the writing flows. Not so with ABLL.

  

  It’s also fun describing my characters, their hair and eye color, height, even their weight. I’m often asked if I’m a plotter or punster. I tried plotting once and ended up blocked for almost two years. For me, plotting doesn’t work. I usually know the beginning and end of my stories. What happens in the middle is as much a surprise to me as it is to my readers. ABLL is full of surprises. What that woman doesn’t get into. So even though she goes into hiding, it’s generally worth it when she reappears. I’m not sure where she came from, but I’m sure enjoying working with her. Okay, I’ll be honest, a little bit of her is me, a little bit my sisters, and even my mother. She’s a combination of all the people I love and it’s so much fun living in her make-believe world.  I've enjoyed working with her in three books of the Family Affair Series. Now she's hiding in the fourth book, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished or Live And Learn - working titles. I won't know until the book is finished what the title will be. I hope she reappears soon so I can finish the book.  Here's the first paragraph: 

"You think you're so smart! I'm warning you Ethel Mae Capony, don't do it. If you do, I'll never speak to you again." Beatrice Lulu slammed the door, stomped down the steps, and slammed her car door so hard, I'm surprised the window didn't break.  The car screeched out of the driveway.  I'd never seen her so angry. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had our differences, even arguments, but we’ve always gotten over them. This time was different.  

You can find my books on  BWL

What is the Difference Between Writing a Fictional Mystery and a Non-fiction Memoir

Arranging a Dream: a Memoir by J.Q. Rose

Official Book Launch January 1, 2021

Available for pre-order

Click here to discover more books by JQ Rose at the BWL Publishing JQRose Author's Page

Hello and welcome to the BWL Publishing Insiders Blog! I am J.Q. Rose whose purpose is to Focus on Story in my writing. In other words, I am a storyteller. Today, we'll discuss the differences between telling a mystery vs a memoir.

What is the Difference Between Writing a Fictional Mystery and a Non-fiction Memoir?

I have written mysteries to entertain readers and myself. Making up a story is so much fun. A memoir, also known as creative non-fiction, is so different from writing fiction where everything is made up. The writer can go hog-wild and write about alien worlds, space operas, contemporary romance and no one cares if it's true. Readers are willing to dispel their disbelief and step into the world of make-believe.

A memoir tells the truth about real life. That is very difficult for a fiction writer! A memoir only covers a slice of life, not the entire person's life from beginning to present. 

The flower shop and greenhouses the first day we visited in July 1975.

I wrote my memoir about the year we moved to Michigan in 1976 to purchase a flower shop and greenhouse operating. I thought this would be for my kids and grandkids to satisfy their curiosity. Not only to let them know about the "good ole days," but I also wanted to encourage our kids to dream big for their lives. That was our dream--to be entrepreneurs in the greenhouse business. We fell in love with a greenhouse operation in West Michigan, but it was attached to a flower shop. We knew nothing about operating a flower shop, and to be honest, my husband, Ted, had only worked in his little hobby greenhouse. Never in a commercial greenhouse business. We had lots to learn.

Ted and I in 1986

As I wrote about our passion to become entrepreneurs, I realized the story contained the elements of fiction such as character, conflict and setting. The character was me. The situation provided plenty of conflict between the previous owner and us. Not knowing a thing about business or floral design created anxiety about whether we could run a successful business. I was also a new mom who was insecure about taking care of a baby and filled with guilt choosing to go to work rather than staying at home with her. I knew a lot about third-graders because I was a school teacher. In my heart, I wished my baby would be 8 years old because I knew about 8-year-olds. The setting was a small town, exactly like the ones in my mysteries, Deadly Undertaking and Dangerous Sanctuary. 

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir by JQ Rose

I have penned two novels based on my life story. Arranging a Dream: A Memoir is my true story. I interacted with real people in a real town, but I changed some of their names to protect their privacy. Both books contain elements of fiction with interesting characters, colorful descriptions of the setting, and conflict. 

Deadly Undertaking--a cozy mystery
Fiction

Deadly Undertaking is based on a version of my life. The setting of this romantic suspense is a funeral home. My dad was a funeral director. Many of the jobs I mentioned in the story are ones I did for my dad, such as dusting caskets, running errands and helping my mom set up flowers for visitations and church services. ( a foreshadowing of my future in the flower business??) But there was no murder or Henry the Shadow Man in my real life!

I enjoyed writing both books, but the deep dive into looking back at my real life through the perspective of time proved to identify truths that I had never realized until I completed the book. The journey of writing a life story may be a difficult one, but a better understanding of your life brings satisfaction and a sense of wrapping up the loose ends in that period of life, similar to the satisfaction when reading the closing pages of a good fictional book.

I hope you will take some time to sit down and filter through your memories. Write down or record them on your phone. Start with those family stories that are told every time your family gathers together at family dinner; the ones the kids stay to listen to. It is so much fun sharing the good old days with friends and family and getting their perspectives on what occurred so many years ago. Believe me, each person will have a different recollection about past experiences, even if you were there with them.

Do you enjoy reading memoirs? Do you prefer reading fiction to non-fiction books? Are you ready to dive in and start writing some of the experiences you have had in your life story?

About JQ Rose:

JQ Rose, author

Whether the story is fiction or non-fiction, J.Q. Rose is “focused on story.”  She offers readers chills, giggles and quirky characters woven within the pages of her mystery novels. Her published mysteries are Deadly Undertaking, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard and Dangerous Sanctuary released by Books We Love Publishing. Using her storytelling skills, she provides entertainment and information with articles featured in books, magazines, newspapers, and online magazines. 

J.Q. taught elementary school for several years and never lost the love for teaching passed down from her teacher grandmother and mother. She satisfies that aspect of her character by presenting workshops on Writing Your Life Story.

 Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games and travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She and her husband spend winters in Florida and summers up north with their two daughters, two sons-in-law,  four grandsons, one granddaughter, two grand dogs, four grand cats, and one great-grand bearded dragon.

Connect online with JQ Rose:

Focused on Story Blog

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