WHY DO I READ POPULAR FICTION? ESCAPISM! – by Vijaya Schartz

FIND THIS BOOK AT BWL HERE

New Release: ANGEL REVENGE, Blue Phantom Book 3 (standalone) - by Vijaya Schartz

Find this and more of my books on my BWL page HERE or at amazon - B&N - Smashwords - Kobo 

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An unruly Valkyrie on a flying tiger, a stern angel in love with the rules, and evil pounding at the gate… What could go wrong?

Riddled with survivor’s guilt after Ragnarök, Valka wanders the universe as a bounty hunter. But when hired by angels to recruit warriors for the final battle against evil, she welcomes a chance at redemption.

General Konrad Lagarde, First Mate of the angel ship Blue Phantom, strongly rejects Valka’s methods. A stickler for discipline, he also considers this fascinating woman hazardous to his sanity, as she could make him forget all the rules.

Evil from another universe has infiltrated a secret society of former dictators hungry for power. Having massacred all the angels in his former world, the evil one wants to do the same here. The angels of this universe face their greatest challenge yet… destroy the evil one and avenge their fallen brethren… or the bringer of darkness will enslave us all.

WHY DO I WRITE AND READ POPULAR FICTION?

I always resented the authors who killed the protagonists at the end, after you invest your emotions in liking them. I usually never read another book from such authors, and I stay away from tragic endings. To this day, I cannot watch Titanic to the end although it is a true story, or suffer through the last episode of Castle. And I’m glad Shogun found a happier alternate ending in the most recent series.

If I want to wallow in sadness, I only have to watch the news. Life is difficult enough, complicated enough, hard enough, sad enough.

I read popular fiction to get uplifted, to forget about my problems, be transported to another world, another time, a place where it is safe to be scared and challenged, where justice will prevail… because I trust the author that the heroes will triumph and all will be well at the end.

It’s a secret pact between the author and the reader. No matter how bad it gets for the protagonist, even if a few secondary characters don’t make it, the hero or heroine will find a happy conclusion.

So, if I challenge my characters, if I make them suffer, be assured that it will all be worth it at the end. They will have matured, widened their understanding of life, and overcome their barriers to experience the rewards they deserve.

You can safely read my book, knowing that even if you cry a little, all will be okay at the end. 

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Happy Reading

Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, cats
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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The Painful Reality of Hitting a Creative Wall by Jay Lang

 

https://bookswelove.net/lang-jay/

The Painful Reality of Hitting a Creative Wall

Hey there, fellow Authors! I hope you’re all doing great! I have a quick question for you.  Have you ever been sitting there, fingers poised over the keyboard, staring at a blank screen like it’s the most intimidating thing in the world. Writer’s block, am I right? It happens to the best of us, and trust me, you’re not alone. But don’t worry! I’ve got a few tips to help you break through that wall and get those creative juices flowing again.

First things first, take a breather. Seriously, sometimes stepping away for a bit can do wonders. Go for a walk, grab a coffee, or just chill out with some music. Let your mind wander. Often, inspiration hits when you’re not actively searching for it. You might find a spark just by observing the world around you.

Another great trick is to switch up your writing environment. If you always write at your desk, try heading to a café, a park, or even a cozy corner of your home. A new setting can offer fresh perspectives and ideas. Plus, a change of scenery might just shake loose that stubborn block.

Now, if you’re still stuck, try free writing. Set a timer for 10 minutes and just write whatever comes to mind—no edits, no judgments. It doesn’t even have to relate to your current project. Sometimes, the act of writing without restrictions can lead you right back to your story or spark new ideas.

You might also want to revisit your favorite books or shows for inspiration. What do you love about them? How do they handle similar themes or characters? Sometimes, diving into someone else’s world can ignite your own creativity.

Another approach is to talk it out, drive your spouse crazy! I do! Sometimes, just voicing what’s blocking you can help clarify your thoughts. Plus, they might have some killer ideas to help you push through, (This tip hasn’t worked for me yet.)

Finally, remember to be kind to yourself. Writer’s block is part of the creative process. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer; it just means you’re human. Give yourself permission to take your time. Sometimes, the best stories take a little longer to unfold.

So, next time you hit that block, try one of these tips, and remember: every writer faces this at some point. You’ve got this! Keep writing, and soon enough, that blank page will be filled with your amazing words.

 

Jay Lang

We All Are Growing Older by joan Donaldson-Yarmey

 

https://books2read.com/The-Art-of-Growing-Older

https://bwlpublishing.ca/donaldson-yarmey-joan/

A centenarian is a person who has lived to be 100 years-of-age or more.

       A super centenarian is someone who has lived for 110 years or longer and 90% of the super centenarians are women. One in one thousand centenarians reach the super status but only 2% of them attain the age of 115 years or more.

       According to studies most of the centenarians have many character traits in common. They have been strong, resilient, and optimistic people all their lives and still are. They have a sense of control, are more relaxed, adapt to changes, seldom get angry, and are emotionally stable. They don’t indulge in self-pity.

       Throughout their lives they have dealt with emergencies better than most people and they have coped quickly without much hostility or aggression. Getting their emotions back to normal and accepting everything as part of life have been two survival techniques they have used. They get their life on track again before physical and mental damage can be done, because that is one of the essentials to successful aging.

       Women have a different personality than men and this could be why 80% of all centenarians are women and 75% of those are widowed. Most are living on their own, either alone or with the help of a family member or home care.

       The Guinness Book of World Records has had a category for the oldest person in the world since 1955, which was usually filled by women. It began the separate classification of oldest man in the year 2000.

     Jeanne Louise Calment was the oldest recorded person to have lived. She was born on February 21, 1875 in Arles, France. She died on August 4, 1997 at age 122 years and 164 days. She claimed it was port wine, olive oil, exercise, and a sense of humour that made the difference. She had a brother and sister who died before she was born. Her other brother lived to ninety-seven years. Jeanne’s only child, a daughter died at age thirty-six, and Jeanne’s grandson also only lived to thirty-six.

       *Kane Tanaka of Japan was born on February 21^st 1875 and died April 19^th 2022. She lived for 119 years and 107 days and is the second oldest person ever next to Jeanne Calment. She is the oldest Japanese ever.

       *Sarah Knauss of the United States was born on September 24, 1880 and died December 30, 1999 at the age of 119 years and 97 days. When she celebrated her 119^th birthday her daughter was ninety-five-years-old, her grandson seventy-years-old, great-granddaughter almost fifty, great-great-granddaughter in her late twenties, and her great-great-great-grandson was four.

       One of the reasons for Sarah’s longevity could be explained by one of the staff at the home where she lived. “Sarah has an attitude of live and let go. She has a real serenity. She's also very kind. She's very grateful.”

       *Lucile Randon of France ranks as the fourth longest living person at 118 years and 340 days. She was born on February 11^th, 1904 and died on January 17^th, 2023. She was known as Sister Andre and also has the honour of being the oldest survivor of the Covid pandemic. She tested positive a month before turning 117.

       *Lucy Hannah lived from July 16, 1875 to March 21, 1993. She was 117 years, 248 days old when she passed away. Lucy was the second oldest verified person to have ever lived in the United States and the world’s fifth oldest person to have ever lived. She was never the world's oldest living person because Jeanne Calment was five months old when Lucy was born and Jeanne was still alive when Lucy died.

       *Canadian Marie-Louise Meilleur was born on August 29, 1880, thirteen years after the confederation of Canada on July 1, 1867. She was 117 years, 230 days of age when she died on April 16, 1998. Marie-Louise had ten children and at the time of her death had eighty-five grandchildren, eighty great-grandchildren, fifty-seven great-great-grandchildren and four great-great-great-grandchildren.

       Marie-Louise cited hard work as the reason for her longevity and she did enjoy a glass of wine. She also quit smoking at the age of 90.

       The average time that a person has served as the oldest living person in the world is 525.5 days.

       If these people can live to be over 115 years or even 120 years, why can’t everyone? They prove how long our bodies should work. In my book, The Art of Growing Older: It’s Not Age, It’s Attitude and Ability, I talk about my quest to live as long as possible and what I have done right and what I have done wrong in my journey. The book also points out that everyone should be able to live long and healthy lives.

Two for the Price of One by Victoria Chatham

 

AVAILABLE HERE

A reader asked me, "Why have two amateur sleuths when you could have had one?" That was a good question, but apart from the flip response of "Why not?" I admit my characters came about because I so enjoyed Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles stories. OK, so that dates me, but I don't mind. Hammett is probably best known for The Maltese Falcon but wrote many detective novels and short stories, some of them no doubt prompted by his years working for the Pinkerton Agency.

Nick and Nora first appeared in the novel The Thin Man, published in 1934. Nick is a retired private eye, and Nora is a wealthy socialite. They both like to drink and have a good deal of flirtatious banter between them. They also had a dog, Asta, who was a Miniature Schnauzer in the novels but was played by Skippy, a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier, on screen. The Nick and Nora characters, played by William Powell and Myrna Loy, appeared in films from 1934 to 1947, had a radio show from 1941 to 1950, and a TV series from 1957 to 1959. 

Later, another couple created by Sydney Sheldon caught my attention. The TV show Hart to Hart starred Robert Wagner as Jonathan Hart and Stephanie Powers as his wife, Jennifer. They also had a dog, a Lowchen named Freeway. The series began in 1979 and ran for five seasons until 1984, followed by eight made-for-TV movies.

Apart from Nick and Nora and the Harts, Agatha Christie penned the Tommy and Tuppence novels, the first of which was released in 1922. Tommy and Tuppence were childhood friends who later married. Tommy is known for his common sense, while Tuppence has a daring streak. His cautiousness is matched by her curiosity. There were five Tommy and Tuppence books, the last published in 1973, so we see Tommy and Tuppence grow from childhood friends to an elderly couple. 

My characters, Lord Randolph Buxton and his wife Lady Serena, grew out of these stories, but I set them firmly in the Edwardian era for no reason other than liking the fashions. The first book was published as Always A Lady, but after a couple of questions from readers, I decided to rework it as Cold Gold and add more to their story. Cold Gold is set in 1907. The next book, On Borrowed Time, is set in 1913 and answers a reader's question about what happened to the Pinkerton agent character from Cold Gold. Shell Shocked is set at the end of WWI in 1918 and, as all three were novellas, were published in one volume as The Buxton Chronicles.

So, not only two for one but also three for one. Enjoy.

Victoria Chatham

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A writing workshop

 I was invited to teach a writing workshop by a local art gallery. They're calling it "the art of writing."

Having 36 books in print, you'd think that teaching a writing workshop would be a no-brainer. Or so it seemed when I agreed to the project. The coordinator asked me for a course outline. It was at that point I realized how unprepared I was!

I drafted an outline of the basics: Plot. Character. Setting. With each of those headings, I spent a few hours listing the essentials, like making your protagonist slightly flawed so he/she is more real. Setting can be a character on its own. 

With those in hand, I reflected on the other parts of creating a mystery: Start with an outline. Create backstories for your characters. Put a hook in the first few pages to engage the readers. Use foreboding to build engagement. Using subplots to add depth to your characters and to provide false leads. Showing vs. telling information. Engaging the readers senses when creating settings (What are your characters hearing, seeing, and smelling?) And research - oh the hours of research.

I pulled quotes from famous writers. Stephen King wrote that a book's plot is only a device to tell a story about the characters. i.e. Your readers enjoy the book because they've engaged with the characters. If you don't have an interesting, relatable character, the reader isn't going to enjoy, or even finish reading the book.

I sent my outline to some trusted beta readers and associates who critiqued my work. (What in hell are you thinking, Dean?) Then, I rewrote and corrected some minor issues. (That's better, but it that really what you want to tell people about writing?) The outline rewrites became an iterative process, with me tweaking it each time I opened the document, or when one of my trusted associates provided input. (Are you going to mention the need find a publisher once the manuscript is complete?)

When my outline was done...or darned close, I stepped back and tried to determine what I was actually going to say with each outline point. Then, I read it aloud, to see how long it would take. (If I had two hours' worth of information to convey). After all that, I made my wife listen to what I was going to present. 

Her response was surprising. "So, those are the things you've got in mind as you write a new book?" 

"It's all become subconscious now. But yes, those are the elements of my writing process."

Armed with that information, I sent the outline to a friend who's a retired magazine editor. She called the next day and said, "Do you really think you can get through all of this in a one semester class?" When I replied that it was going to be a two-hour workshop she responded, "Talk fast."

With the workshop now history, and feedback in from the students, I'll add a few items. Give your readers enough description so they have a mental image of the characters, without describing the number of pores on their nose (That was from a class member). We laughed and discussed how our mental images conflict with the actors Hollywood has chosen for the roles of our favorite characters. The best "disappointment" story was the casting of Tom Cruise, who's not a big guy, as Jack Reacher who Lee Child describes as a muscular giant.

I think the class's favorite suggestion was from Nevada Barr who I quoted, "Write three pages a day. After a year, you'll have a book!" It's great advice about the volume of output you need, but also about discipline and the need to be consistent.

If you want a window into what I've done, I suggest you check out the books I've written on my publisher's website. 

Hovey, Dean Doug Fletcher series - BWL Publishing Inc. (bookswelove.net)