Book signings and "colorful" readers

 Book signing events are the lifeblood of an author. If we're not out among our readers, talking about and signing, our books languish on dusty shelves, unread and unloved. I go to bookstores, libraries, grocery stores, etc. Each setting brings its own set of readers and colorful people. As my wife once said, "We meet the nicest people at book events."

For the most part, that's true. Most of the people are well-read, interesting, and interested. We have wonderful discussions about the book, the plot, the characters, and what readers would like to see in future books. It's fun and invigorating.

Then there are the other encounters. The ones that left me...unsure of just what had transpired. At an event in Superior, Wisconsin at woman confronted me, yelling that I'd stolen the title of HER book. She proclaimed that she was going to sue me and make me recover and destroy all the books I'd sold. After the woman left, the bookstore's proprietor walked over and said, "I think I'm glad she didn't have a gun." Luckily, that incident has never been repeated.

I once asked a woman what she'd like me to inscribe in her book. Her response, "Oh, I don't know. You come up with something." Since I write mysteries, I thought it would be clever to write, "To ____, a mysterious woman."  The woman read the inscription and tears filled her eyes. "You can see right into my soul." I was stunned and replied. "No, not really. I just use that inscription on all my books." She clutched the book to her chest and thanked me. I resolved to NEVER use that inscription again.

People often tell me they're thinking about writing a book and ask for hints. One woman, accompanied by a man with a wild "Albert Einstein" hairdo, asked for tips on writing dialogue. I told her that as I write, the characters often speak to me, directing the dialogue and story. With those words, the man, who'd been silently listening, perked up and said, "I hear voices too. Sometimes they tell me to do bad things." The woman apologized and quickly bundled the man away. There is probably a plot there...

A woman at a book club (I've discovered the book club is often a euphemism for drinking group) button-holed me. "I like your main character and the evolving sexual tension between him and a female character. Here's what's going to happen in your next book..." I was delighted that she was so engaged with the characters that she wanted their evolving relationship to be included in the next book but was taken aback by her firm, detailed view on exactly how their romance was going to progress. 

Most recently, one of my consultants and a beta reader, sent me an email after reading part of Gator Bait. "My stepson is a Florida cop, and the ranger you've created is exactly like his former partner." She went on to fill me in on the former partner's quirks and foibles, adding to the realism and texture of the character. Her guidance was so successful that she later sent me a follow-up email. Unaware of his daughter's input, her father commented, in salty terms, just how perfectly distasteful that character was.

On another positive note, a woman interrupted my discussion of a recent library signing, announcing that she had to depart for another event. "I'm the high school English teacher, and there are a couple things I need to tell you about this book." At that point mental alarms started sounding. Thoughts of dangling participles and misplaced commas bounced around my head. I smiled and let her proceed. "You've done a great job of creating relatable characters. But more than that, you took the time to tie off every loose plot thread. That's truly rare, and a gift to the reader who doesn't have to wonder how those subplots were resolved. Thank you."

Yes, there have been a few uncomfortable encounters, but the fun and interesting events far outweigh the negative. I look forward to every event, blissfully unaware of who I'll meet and what they might share.

Many thanks are owed to the BWL Publishing editors who've helped me write the best possible books. I appreciate their input, along with the assistance of my "family" of beta readers, proofreaders, and media experts.

Check out my books at:

www.bookswelove.net/hovey-dean/

Digging Deep into WWII, surprises and revelations, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

“A rich plot with building suspense, the writing is perfect and flows well. I loved this story.”   ~History and Women~

To purchase Ghost Point: Ghost Point

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

For my upcoming novel set during WWII, I decided on Brittany, France for the setting. I wanted to visit there, but Covid decided otherwise. So, research was key.

Two of my critique partners are Frenchwomen, one whose husband lived in France during the war. As a child he thought nothing of the invading troops of Germans. Out in the country, early in the war, the reprisals were minimal. The soldiers were kind to the children, giving them gifts; a different side than what you usually hear. 

My biggest obstacle in my story is how to make a Nazi commandant palpable to my audience. There were so many cruel officers, and of course, horrible actions.

I think I've managed to show a man caught in a war he never wanted, and he'll make a vital decision to sabotage what is happening in the region he's put in charge of.

My heroine, Englishwoman Norah, is trapped in France by the invasion, and to her chagrin, finds herself attracted to the commandant. She sees the decency in him. Her life will be turned upside down by her decisions.

She loves to paint, but will she be required to go beyond painting to help the growing Resistance? She'll be at direct odds with her lover, and must make a choice.

Now I have to figure out how to plant explosives on a submarine. The life of a writer!

German U-boat

If the FBI ever checked my computer 'searches' they'd think I was a poisoner, a knife wielder, and a bomb maker.

I wish my father were still alive. He'd have so much to tell me about the war, as he served as a young Radioman aboard navy ships. He was stationed at the notorious Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. In fact, he swears he gave it the nickname, Gitmo. 

Carl Dahlstrom, my father in the navy.

He also worked, of all places, in Rio de Janeiro, but he'd never talk about it.

Years later, after his death, I happened to read in the paper that a secret submarine refueling site in Rio had just been declassified. I had my answer, but it was too late to discuss it with him.

So many secrets yet to discover!

Diane lives with her husband and a very naughty dachshund in Western Pennsylvania.

To find out more about her and her books: http://www.dianescottlewis.org

March is Women's History Month, Be a Guide for Women and Girls of Today and Tomorrow #bwlpublishing #womenshistory month

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir by J.Q.Rose
Click here to find more books by J. Q. Rose from BWL Publishing

Hello and welcome to the BWL Authors Insider Blog!

 Happy First Day of Spring!

The Beauty of the Earth--Rachel Carson Quote

Today is the first day of spring in my part of the world! That does not necessarily mean spring weather will accompany the date. But, oh, the hope that spring brings for a fresh start, for new beginnings is something to celebrate!

Also worthy of celebrating is International Women's Day.  The special day is every year on May 8. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day is also a call to action for accelerating women's equality."--National Women's History Project website

International Women's Day is an event through the National Women’s History Project (NWHP). 

According to their website, this organization "was founded in 1980 in Santa Rosa,
California,to broadcast women’s historical achievements. We convinced Congress and the White House of the need for our nation to celebrate and recognize women’s role in history on an annual basis. As a result of our efforts, the week of March 8th (International Women’s Day) was officially designated as National Women’s History Week. In 1987, we led the successful campaign to have the entire month of March declared National Women’s History Month."

Now an international event, Women’s History Month is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women's Day on March 8, and during October in Canada, corresponding with Persons Day on October 18.

Women's History Month Theme

The theme for 2022 is "Providing Healing, Promoting Hope" to honor caregivers, those on the front lines during the Covid pandemic, and recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.

Quote

Thank you to the NWHP for keeping women's history alive for future generations to learn about the amazing lives of those who have gone before them. Truly inspirational stories for the girls and women of tomorrow.

Survival Guide--anonymous

The stories from the past, your life story, is important too. Yes, it is. Your life experiences sharing hopes and dreams, success and failure, joy and sorrow serve as survival guides and inspire the women of today and tomorrow. 

I am a life storytelling evangelist! I encourage everyone to record their stories. You haven't landed on the moon, discovered a cure for a disease, established a charity?  No matter. Your ordinary stories are extraordinary and will resonate with readers who are going through some of the things you have already

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir

 experienced in your life.

I have presented workshops on writing life stories for nearly twenty years. I finally decided to combine my experience in penning non-fiction articles and my storytelling skills to create my life story. Not the entire story from birth to present, but just one theme that was the turning point in my life. I wrote about the first year my husband and I left our family, friends, and guaranteed two paychecks, and moved our one-year-old daughter and all our belongings from Central Illinois to West Michigan to purchase a flower shop and greenhouse business.

I began writing the story for our daughters. But, as I wrote it, I felt the messages of hope and the idea that dreams can come true would encourage others to pursue their dreams. 

Your story has a message for someone. It's been written in your heart. Now let it be written for your family, friends, the world. You'll not only inspire someone else to cope, but your story, seen through the lens of time, will also bring understanding to you. 

I wish you all the best in sharing your memories.

Janet

Click the links below to connect online with JQ Rose:

JQ's Focused on Story Author Website

JQ Rose Author Facebook page

 

J.Q. Rose, Author

Ping Pong by Helen Henderson

Windmaster Golem
Click the cover for purchase information

Ping pong, or table tennis, is a 19th-century Victorian parlor game where two or four players use small, solid paddles to hit a ball back and forth across a table. It eventually became an Olympic sport. Before the days of social media, the internet, and omnipresent technology and electronic games, ping pong tables were popular on college campuses and could even be found in civic and church recreational halls. When it was too dark or too cold outside for frisbee, table tennis filled the void.

However, it is ping pong as a verb that has been keeping the meteorologists busy. The official definition is to, "move rapidly back and forth or between different states." Within days, or sometimes even hours, weather and temperatures varied widely and could go from the 70s to the 20s in a blink. A sunny day with wispy clouds gives way to rain, sleet, freezing rain, and snow. And that didn't include two back to back ice storms that left pine boughs and magnolia branches littering the ground. I felt sorry for the daffodils who couldn't decide to bloom or duck and cover. 

No putting away winter clothes for the season. Pretty much every type of outfit from ski jackets and thermals to short sleeve tee shirts and shorts were needed to keep up with  the temperatures ping ponging. About the only outfit that wasn't needed was a bathing suit. 

The bright colors of  cherry tree blossoms tell warmer weather has arrived.

When the weather is bad in my area, sometimes it is the characters who bear the brunt of it. In Windmaster, Ellspeth and Dal are riding a dangerous mountain trail in a blizzard. Exhaustion and being soaked to the skin are not the only problems encountered. Even after shelter is found, Ellspeth comes under a psychic attack.

Where I grew up,  cardinals came with snow. The arrival of robins in the yard and the blooming of daffodils and crocuses signaled spring. Outside our sunroom in the more southerly clime, the winged harbingers of spring and winter co-exist all year round. So how to tell its spring?

Beyond a date on the calendar, I'm not sure anymore. But nature's playing ping pong with the weather and temperature has one benefit. It allows for procrastination in spring cleaning and swapping out seasonal items. And is a perfect excuse to get a new book.

~till next month, stay safe and read.

To purchase the Windmaster Novels: BWL

Find out more about me and my novels at Journey to Worlds of Imagination.
Follow me online at Facebook, Goodreads or Twitter.

Helen Henderson lives in western Tennessee with her husband. While she doesn’t have any pets in residence at the moment, she often visits a husky who have adopted her as one the pack. 

Happy Dancing! by Nancy M Bell

 

To learn more about Nancy and her books click on the cover.

Soooooo, a little sneaky preview. I can share this as my post doesn't go live until March 18th and the big reveal is on March 17th.  His Brother's Bride, and indeed, all the Canadian Historical Brides books will soon be available as fully accessible audio books. There will be Daisy/NNELS files available for those who require them. This is a huge step forward for us at BWL Publishing Inc and I for one am very excited about it.

Now, more good news! My book of poetry, Touchstone 2015 was reviewed by Miguel Angel Olive Iglesias in his latest book  A Shower of Warm Light. Miguel is editor in chief of the Canada Cuba Literary Alliance (CCLA) magazine The Ambassador and president of the CCLA. He is a member of the Mexican Association of Language and Literary Professors, VP of William Shakespeare Study Centre and member of of the Canadian Studies Department of the Holguin University in Cuba.

I am more than thrilled and certainly humbled to be included in this book, along with many highly successful Canadian poets. I must thank James Deahl, the editor of Tamaracks, Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century for including my poem Henge in his book and encouraging me to send my poetry to Miguel.

Miguel says of my work:

"Her book (Touchstone) is a reminder of how connected we are to the essences of life and points to our origins, our guiding principles, our salvation. It is a book about, with and for love. It exudes gratefulness and wholeheartedness from the very first proposal, "Touchstone," to its last poem, "Lost in Choices."

He goes on to say:

"Bell connects nature with the human condition in the last stanza (of "Tide") using a versatile expressive means, simile: The tide is coming in/sliding up the shore/Sure and steady as mothers love." She is able to link the sureness and steadiness of the ever-lapping sea with love, a leitmotif in her creation."

In conclusion he says of my poem "Still in Love" and my work in general :

"As I said at the beginning, this is a book of love. Bell has a gift: she is able to pour out words with an emphatic and empathic tone that catches the reader as she turns concrete occurrences and a great love into an ever-lasting experience: "The memory of  what we had/ And what we were to each other....// With the summer days we lived together/ And the love we shared."

I am totally humbled by his words. I write poetry because it comes to me, like breathing. Usually already whole and complete  just waiting for me to put the words on paper. It's something that I've done from a very early age and something that I enjoy. It also has a cathartic aspect, as putting emotion into words helps to exorcise pain and help me heal, and also to express the beauty that abounds around us. So much beauty that it would break my heart if I didn't set it free and share it.

Until next month, stay well, be happy.