Humorous cozies and book awards

 

 Dean L. Hovey's BWL Author Page - Details and Purchase Links

 With Whistling Bake Off being released on May 1, I felt it was a good time to talk about writing cozies and the experiences I've had with them.

My first cozy, Whistling Pines, was unintended. I'd published several hard-boiled mysteries. My friend Brian suggested that I include his hometown in a future book. Pointing out that his hometown wasn't within the geography of my Pine County mystery series didn't deter him. So, while awaiting the return of editorial input on an upcoming book, I tapped into our experiences with aging parents in a variety of care centers. I wrote two humorous chapters, set in Brian's hometown of Two Harbors. I thought I was done.

He took the chapters and returned the next day with stacks of notecards outlining plots, characters, and locations. "You've got a good start. Use these to guide you onward." Thus began the journey into cozies. 

It hasn't been a totally positive experience. The fans of my hard-boiled Pine County mysteries weren't universally excited about the nearly bloodless cozies. But I discovered an entirely new audience. Brian's wife initially couldn't believe that the Whistling Pines books were being written by the same person who was writing the bloody, intense Pine County books and suggested that I was using a ghost writer. I assured him that a car accident resulting in a concussion has allowed me to slip between genre.

One reader likened cozies to watching a Hallmark movie. As she put it, "I can read these in the evening and the plots don't keep me awake." Unlike my first Pine County mystery which my mother reported, "has kept me awake two nights checking the windows and doors."

A now defunct publisher submitted Whistling Pines to an awards competition. It didn't win, but two of the judges took me aside to tell me that they'd laughed all the way through the book and loved the characters. The winning book was a "tear-jerker", not a humorous cozy. The judges apparently preferred crying to laughter.

Inspired by the request for submissions to the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award, which requests nominations for books representing the lifestyle and culture of a northeastern Minnesota location, Whistling Pirates has been submitted for the 2022 NEMBA award, winners to be announced in October. 

Whistling Pirates investigates the death of a recreational sailor of the eve of Two Harbors' First Annual Buccaneer Days Festival. It brings in the deep Scandinavian roots of the area, including the two Lutheran churches across the street from each other; One established by Swedish immigrants. The other by Norwegians, Each celebrating services in their native tongue into the 1950s. The Sons of Norway move their annual lutefisk feed to the festival weekend and host a lutefisk throwing contest. And there's lots of discussion about the seasonal weather, regional tourism, and local tourist attractions.

There's a sailing regatta, a discussion of Lake Superior fishing, and a brief discussion of Great Lakes piracy. Yes, there were pirates on the Great Lakes. Not Captain Kidd, but small opportunists who took advantage of disabled vessels, or who built fires on the shore to lure sailors onto the rocky shoreline.

There's also a "naturist" cruise. The senior citizen residents of Whistling Pines sign up: Half anticipating a bird watching cruise. The other half expecting nudity. Discussion ensues about the idiocy of a nudist cruise on Lake Superior where the deep water rarely exceeds two degrees above the freezing point.

Come October we'll see if the NEMBA judges like the Whistling Pirates take on the lifestyle and culture of Two Harbors. In the meanwhile, check out Whistling up a Ghost and Whistling Pirates at the BWL Publishing website in preparation for the release of Whistling Bake Off:

www.bookswelove.net/hovey-dean/

How Far to Stretch the Truth in Your Writing, by Diane Scott Lewis

 

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

Purchase Ghost Point: Ghost Point

To purchase my novels and other BWL books: BWL

In the beginning of my writing career I was certain you couldn't move events around to suit your story. But then I read a note in a Sharon Kay Penman novel where she said she moved a battle up six months for dramatic purposes. Then I knew if you listed your 'changes' you should get away with it.

Years ago I wrote a novel that takes place on Saint Helena during Napoleon's final exile. But I wanted a twist at the end where he slips away to America. This was the farthest I've stretched the truth, or changed events, though others have hinted at the possibility, or (later on) written fictional accounts of an escape. Now I've come across a few other novels in which the French Emperor escapes his island prison. I tried to write it to where it made perfect sense and it could have actually happened. Agents at the time were horrified that I would even attempt it. No imagination!

Years later, I reviewed a novel not listed as a fantasy set in the fourteenth century where the heroine is eating tomatoes in England. Tomatoes weren't discovered by Europeans until the New World of the Americas were explored a century later. I asked the author about it. She laughed it off and said she knew.

But no author note? I mentioned in my review that she purposely had anachronisms in her novel.

Could a man survive a ship explosion in the eighteenth century and be lost for years? And the Admiralty determined there were no survivors? Well, you need to make it plausible for the reader. And you're not changing history, only stretching the likelihood that this is possible. Check out my novel, Hostage to the Revolution to find out if you agree. But to get the full story, start with Escape the Revolution.

In my recent novel Ghost Point, I do change history by combining three years of the Oyster Wars over the Potomac River into one season. I needed the drama, the murder, that happened later to enrich my plot. I made certain to mention that events were compressed for dramatic purposes.

In Rose's Precarious Quest, a novel about a woman who strives to be a doctor in the 18th c., but discovers disturbing secrets in her new village, I throw in a touch of magic near the end, though most of the novel is grounded in reality. What powers does that stone ring contain? Did the ring glow that fateful night when the villain chased after Rose's sister, or was it the protagonist's overwrought imagination?

If you want to stretch the truth, or move events around, annotate it in your author notes for readers to see. Make it as plausible as possible.

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

To find out more about her and her books:  DianeScottLewis

Focused on Story--Reading, Writing, Teaching, Listening by J.Q. Rose #BWLpublishing

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir by J.Q.Rose
Click here to find romantic suspense novels by J. Q. Rose from BWL Publishing

Reading, writing and listening to stories.

The title of my author blog is Focused on Story. I chose the title because I love stories!! Reading them. Writing them. Listening to them. Teaching how to write or record them. 

JQ presenting a life storytelling workshop

I broke into the writing business after we sold our flower shop and greenhouse operation in 1995. (uh-oh..that may be a spoiler if you're reading my memoir, Arranging a Dream!) 

Pumpkins growing in our garden. 

I had written stories and poems all my life. My dream was to write those stories and share them with readers, hoping to enrich their lives with my words. After selling the shop in 1995 and being an empty nester, I had the time to make this dream come true.

 I collected all of my courage to ask the regional newspaper editor, Rich Wheater if he would be interested in having some features on people and businesses in our local area. He asked me to submit an article, so I did. In October, I wrote about a local farm family who raised pumpkins and sold the plump beauties displayed in long lines in the front yard of their farmhouse. Rich accepted the story and many more that I penned about West Michigan. 

I learned a lot about reporting for a newspaper and about writing crisp, to-the-point articles. I did not like it when Rich had to shorten the story to make way for advertisements! That's when I learned all the essentials, such as location, people or business names, time and dates for events, had to be at the beginning of the article. I always appreciated his editing the articles to improve their readability. 

When we decided to make our fifth-wheel camper our home full-time in 1998, I wrote about the RV industry for magazines and newspapers as we meandered across the country. I also wrote for e-zines, now known as online magazines, as a garden editor. The internet became my go-to for research on my articles and for publication.

After a while, I tired of writing non-fiction stories and turned to penning fictional stories, a love of mine since I was in second grade. The result, so far, are three mystery novels and a memoir published by BWL Publishing, as well as self-published non-fiction books and lots of short stories. Making up stories reminds me of the joy of writing and sharing when I was 7 years old. Still a kid at heart.

I am a Life Storytelling Evangelist!

Several years ago, a member of our writers' critique group brought in her grandfather's journal he had written when he lived in London during the 1850s. I was enthralled with his account of life in that era. At that moment, I decided I wanted to record my life story for our kids and for their kids and so on.

5 Reasons to Tell Your Story

That grew from my desire to tell my story to presenting workshops on writing and life storytelling. The biggest hurdle to overcome for many new storytellers is the idea their life story is not worth telling. That is not true.

Our lives are filled with extraordinarily ordinary moments.  Our souls are illuminated by them.  Sharing them around the hearths of our hearts, we become tellers of sacred tales, artists of our lives.         --Dr. Susan Wittig Alberta, Writing from Life

Taking the advice I give to my workshop participants to sit down and write their stories, I combined my experience in non-fiction reporting and my storytelling skills in fiction, to write my memoir. 

Arranging a Dream: A Memoir, the award-winning best-seller, published by BWL Publishing, is a feel-good story about the first year my husband and I purchased and operated a floral shop and greenhouse business in 1975-76. We had no experience in the floral business (or any business for that matter), no friends or family in the town. We gave up our two check income with no guarantee of success, and I had no idea how to design a flower arrangement!!

Reviewers described the memoir as "inspiring, fascinating, and heart-warming."  The book was truly my "heart-work."

Listening to Stories

 Do you remember listening to your teacher read a story to your class? Mrs. Beyer, my 8th grade, yes 8th-grade teacher, always read a story after lunch. Even at 13-14 years old, our class loved listening to her. I had to read the heart-wrenching ending to Charlotte's Web because Mrs. Beyer was so emotional, she couldn't continue. Have you read Charlotte's Web? You'll understand.

When I taught third grade, I made a point to read to my kids after lunch every day. Every year, I read Charlotte's Web, and we all shared a teary moment. 

Audiobooks take the place of my beloved teacher reading the story. Instead, I can listen to amazing stories anytime I wish. I have discovered Libby, an app connected to your local library so you can download audiobooks on your device. I always wonder if I can say I "read" a book when I have actually listened to the audiobook. It makes no difference how I discover a story, just as long as I can read or listen to it.

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Click here to connect online with JQ Rose through her author blog, Focused on Story.

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Celebrate Earth Day on April 22, 2022

Earth Day April 22, 2022
Quote by Rachel Carson

Starting Over by Helen Henderson

Fire and Amulet by Helen Henderson
Click the cover for purchase information

Spring is traditionally a time for renewal and starting over. Gardens are turned over. Seedlings are  lovingly cared for until the ground warms enough for planting. Even the trees shed the last of the puff balls that stubbornly clung to the branches through ice and snow storm. In a way, this post represents a transition much as the warming temperatures of spring replace the more frigid ones of winter. The fantasy series, the Windmaster Novels, is now complete and a new tale is begun. The parting of ways with Ellspeth, Dal, and the other mages is replaced by the welcoming of new friends, Deneas and Trelleir.

Fire and Amulet is a twist on a dragon shifter tale. Trelleir is the last dragon. Desperate for companionship, he uses his magic to take on human form. Deneas is his best friend. There is just one problem. She is a slayer, sworn to kill all dragons.

New projects can take on different forms. Some reveal themselves in a sequence of scenes, rolling through your mind like a movie. Others fight every step of the way, refusing to divulge what comes next.Then just when you think you're done, the characters refuse to leave. Whether there will be more adventures of slayer and dragon remains to be seen. Until the decision is made, learn about her world as Deneas explores it.

To help celebrate the release of Fire and Amulet, my participation in the 2022 AtoZ Challenge is dedicated to the people, land and creatures that inhabit the world of Fire and Amulet. Hope you'll visit my blog to check it out.  

What might be the best part of having a new release is the cover. I love it. If you look closely, you can see the dragon's tear. Having a slayer as a friend is dangerous when you’re a dragon

To purchase Fire and Amulet: BWL

~Until next month, stay safe and read.

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. 

April is Poetry Month by Nancy M Bell

 

For more information about Nancy's books click on the cover.

BREAKING NEWS

HIS BROTHER'S BRIDE IS NOW AVAILABLE IN AUDIO FORMAT

Since April is National Poetry Month I thought I'd share some different poetry formats with you.

Poetic form is the physical structure of the work. It consists of the length of the lines, the rhythms and repetitions. Poetic forms are applied to works that are shaped into a pattern. Free verse is not constricted by poetic form and is indeed a type of form in its own right.

The Idyll. This is a short poem describing rustic life and is usually written in the style of Theocritus’ short pastoral poem ‘Idylls.  Lord Alfred Tennyson’s Idylls of the King is an example.

Blank Verse - written in a precise metre - usually Iambic Pentametre 

Sonnet- which Shakespeare liked  A sonnet consists of 14 lines and was made popular in the 14^th century and the Italian Renaissance. Sir Thomas Wyatt is credited with introducing the sonnet into English literature in the 16^th century. The rhyming theme in a Petrachan sonnet is abba abba cdecde, the Shakespearean sonnet follows the rhyming pattern of abab cdcd efef gg

Ode  The word Ode is from the Greek aeidein which means to chant or sing and belongs to the tradition of lyric poetry. This form in it’s earliest incarnation was accompanied by music and dance, but later evolved when used by the Romantic poets to convey their strongest thoughts and emotions. William Wordsworth for example. It is generally a formal address to an person, thing or event that is not present.

Haiku. This is a short poem which conveys the essence of an experience of nature. Written in English in the Japanese haiku style

Ballad  This is often a narrative set to music. The word Ballad comes from the Latin ballare which translates to dancing song. A Ballad is a form meant for singing, connected to its origin of communal dance and a product of oral traditions among peoples who cling to oral histories as opposed to written.

Epic  This is a long narrative in verse form telling of a heroic person, persons or journey. Homer’s Illiad and the Odyssey for example.

Elegy   This is a funeral song. It is a melancholy, nostalgic poem created to mourn the death of someone close to your heart. The first elegies were in Roman and Greek.

Lyric  Lyric is a form of poetry sung and/or accompanied by a musical instrument or a poem that expresses intense emotions on a personal level in a way that is suggestive of a song or singing. A Lyric makes the poet vulnerable by showing their thoughts and feelings and often evokes those emotions in the listener.

Poetic form is the physical structure of the work. It consists of the length of the lines, the rhythms and repetitions. Poetic forms are applied to works that are shaped into a pattern. Free verse is not constricted by poetic form and is indeed a type of form in its own right.

My favourite is a Sestina.

A complex French verse form, usually unrhymed, consisting of six stanzas of six lines each and a three-line envoy (The brief stanza that ends French poetic forms) The end words of the first stanza are repeated in a different order as end words in each of the subsequent five stanzas; the closing envoy contains all six words, two per line, placed in the middle and at the end of the three lines. The patterns of word repetition are as follows, with each number representing the final word of a line, and each row of numbers representing a stanza:

          1 2 3 4 5 6
          6 1 5 2 4 3
          3 6 4 1 2 5
          5 3 2 6 1 4
          4 5 1 3 6 2
          2 4 6 5 3 1

          (6 2) (1 4) (5 3)  

Below is my humble attempt at a sestina.

Seasonal Sestina

 

Why is it that the first flowers of Spring

Are so special and the green of new leaves

Wakes a wild joy in my heart

Is it because they signal the end of Winter

Filled with the promise of long summer days

And the lazy hum of honey bees among the flowers

 

The tiny white snowdrops are among the first flowers

Along with the purple crocus of Spring

Courageously piercing the snow with their leaves

Small purple clusters to gladden my heart

Throwing a gauntlet in the face of Winter

Shining brightly through the short Spring days

 

The snow retreats with the lengthening of days

The garden paths are strewn with clots of flowers

The sweet bouquet of flower scented Spring

Bright daffodils dance above their pointed leaves

The tulips glowing red as the sun’s heart

They chase from the path the last of snowy Winter

 

Now only under the brambles lies the evidence of Winter

Soon that too will retreat from the sunny days

The lilacs burst into a froth of fragrant purple flowers

The scent mingling with the sun warmed air of Spring

Slow awakening summer flowers break the soil with their leaves

Heralding the coming of Summer’s heart

 

Spring passes softly into summer; the pulsing green heart

That rules the year opposite the white of Winter

The long halcyon green and gold days

Forged by the fire of the sun and the glory of flowers

There is just the faintest memory now of Spring

The full heady bounty of Summer canopied by trees of leaves

 

In due course fiery autumn will colour the leaves

And the flames of October will quicken the heart

The winds of snow will welcome the Winter

The frosty silver and blue of early winter days

Will make us forget the summer of flowers

Too new and beautiful yet to make us wish for Spring

 

By January we will be wishing for green leaves and Spring

Our heart will have hardened against the silver beauty of Winter

And we will hunger after the days of Summer and flowers 

Til next month, stay well, stay happy.