I think everything I learned at the all-day Sabrina Jeffries workshop last weekend has finally been totally digested and assimilated. Afterwards, everyone said they felt the light go on for them and their writing. For me it was more like light flashbulbs going off and I was on the red carpet amidst all the brilliant bursts of light. WOW!
I came away knowing that I’m going to split my first manuscript into two, where it will be split, how it will end – and best off all I’m feeling confident that my decision is the right one.
In keeping with Talli Roland’s launch day for Watching Willow Watts, I would have to say that I would love to be Barbara Stanwyck. I first saw her in the movie The Night Walker as a young girl and immediately fell in love with her and her acting. One of the movies I have to watch on Christmas Day is the is the version of Christmas in Connecticut that she stars in.
Today is the official launch day of Watching Willow Watts. Talli has lots of fun stuff happening on her blog today, including prizes. Drop by here for your chance to win!
The Ottawa Chapter of Romance Writers of America is presenting an all-day workshop today led by Sabrina Jeffries. Registration for the event has closed but I thought I would share this tidbit with my followers on Facebook and Twitter.
You can read about the workshop here and I’ll be blogging about what I learned in the days to come.
It promised to be a great day and since I have to be in Ottawa by 10:00 am, I best get off the computer and start getting ready to go.
Shaz’s Stars – Welcome to the regular feature on ‘The Buzz’ of Shaz’s Stars!
Using sun sign astrology I will be interviewing loveahappyending.com Associate Readers to see how the traits of their sun sign affect their reading habits.
I hope you enjoy getting to know our new Associate Readers as much as I’ve enjoyed interviewing them.
Shaz
Twitter @shazjera: http://bit.ly/m4lPE2
Website: http://shazjera.blogspot.com/
In the hot seat today I would like to welcome: Dorothy Bush
Q. Aquarians are one of the most loyal signs of the zodiac. Does this trait extend to the authors you choose to read? Do you read all the novels a favourite author has written?
This trait most definitely transfers to my reading style. When I find an author whose writing I enjoy I read everything they have, and I usually buy what they have and keep collections. I watch for their new work and look for their past work. Sometimes this means perusing used book stores to find back copies, but then that too is an enjoyable past-time for you never know what other treasure you might find. And now we have Amazon and E-Bay.
Q. Sometimes Aquarians need to retire from the world and become temporary loners. Reading suits this trait! When you feel the need to take time out of the world, is reading something you would choose to do to aid in recharging your batteries?
You hit the nail on the head with this observation Shaz! I cycle through periods of socializing and withdrawal. I socialize to the point that I become desperate for some alone time and then work to simplify my life and hibernate. I read though, all the time. It recharges my batteries; it relaxes me; it completes me. Rarely a day goes by that I don’t have a book on the go.
Q. Being fiercely independent and refusing to follow the crowd, Aquarians walk to the beat of their own drums. Do you ever read a novel because it is popular (even if it is not something you wouldn’t normally read) or do you choose to read whatever suits you at the time?
I have read novels because they are popular but usually because a friend has read it and wants to discuss it; not particularly because of the rave reviews. I probably shouldn’t admit to this, but I haven’t read one of the Harry Potter novels, nor have I watched the movies. They are on my ‘to read’ list but not a priority. I do, however, constantly look for new authors. There are thousands of great writers out there who just have not had the luck to be published traditionally, and when a debut novel comes out I’m usually quick to grab it.
Q. Aquarians are known for not making friends easily due to their own personal high ideals. Does this trait affect how you interact with the blogging/social networking community?
Yes, I was kind of afraid this was a trait. I get annoyed with frippery, foolishness, shallow people and ideas and this lack of tolerance shows in my friends list. It’s short. I find most people would rather ignore negative things that go on and just get through their days…I want to speak up if things aren’t right, I want to correct things. I like to have fun though and enjoy sharing bits of that on my blog and on Facebook. I guess it’s kind of one-sided, though, I post and maybe someone else reads it.
Q. Although intellectual, those born under the sun sign of Aquarius are known to lack tact and diplomacy (they don’t see why they should hide the truth). If you have read something that didn’t work for you, are you able to use tact and diplomacy when writing your book reviews?
Ah, yes, I’ve shocked many a person with my honesty and lack of tact. I’ve learned though over the years, to be more diplomatic, and if I truly can’t be diplomatic I don’t write a review. I have never given a bad review; I would never intentionally hurt someone by being negative about their work. A crushing review can totally kill a writer’s motivation.
Q. Aquarians dislike emotion and intimacy. Does this extend to the genres you choose to read?
You are good, Shaz. I didn’t know this was a trait. I just thought I had issues..lol! My favourite genres are crime, mystery, thrillers and any of the cross-overs. I don’t mind a little romance or sex thrown into the mix, that’s part of life after all, but I tend to read those portions more for the technical composition than for the vicarious thrill. I like histories and westerns (if they are realistic); I like things that challenge what we know, like espionage and paranormal. Romance, strictly romance novels, fall rather short for me.
Q. It is said that Aquarians like living within their means despite the many temptations that are all around them. Do you see purchasing a book as a luxury? Do you use a library? Do you have any criteria for purchasing books?
Yes, Aquarians are a frugal lot. I KNOW purchasing books is a luxury and I do it anyway for authors I follow. I carry my list around and constantly look for books for my collections, but I’ll also purchase spontaneously because of the back-cover. I have found some fabulous writers that way. I am grateful I have the means to do that on occasion. I also use libraries, download novels in the public domain like the Gutenberg Project, borrow and trade. I’m quite shameless in my quest for more books.
Thank you very much for the interview Shaz. You are quite intuitive and it’s been a pleasure speaking with you.
Dorothy Bush lives in Eastern Ontario, Canada and works in the field of literacy and basic skills. An avid reader she also writes short stories, freelance articles and aspires to be a novelist. A member of a writing group in her home area, she looks after the newsletter and online presence which can be found here: http://brockvillewrites.wordpress.com/
She is also a member of the Harlequin Readers Panel and has recently discovered www.loveahappyending where she is an Associate Reader. You can follow her own adventures in life by clicking through to:-
A Salt Splashed Cradle by Chris Longmuir
***** stars
In addition to her crime and horror writing, Chris Longmuir has put her ‘pen to paper’ and come up with a romantic fishing saga set in 1830s North East Scotland. In reality, this book was written first but it wasn’t until this summer that Chris decided to publish it on Amazon and Smashwords. She’s far better known for her crime writing and her novel, Dead Wood, won the prestigious Dundee Book Prize in 2009.
The fisher folk of the village of Craigden are a proud people and don’t take kindly to outsiders. Belle Watts turns the village on its ear when she arrives as the bride of James and Annie Watt’s eldest son, Jimmie.
Belle wants a better life than that of a fishwife whose husband works on his father’s boat. Her husband wants to get a boat of his own. To that end, Jimmie is persuaded by Belle to sign on with one of the whaling vessels. When he leaves on his first voyage, things on the home front become far more complicated.
Chris’s descriptive narrative brings the setting to life with ease making you feel like you’re actually there experiencing things first hand. From the moment Belle arrives and is forced to share a small stone cottage with Jimmie’s parents and siblings, there is no privacy – eight people living in this one-room building with a net loft. In addition to the aromas this conjures up, you can smell the salt air, the fresh farmland above the cliffs and envision a tiny village clinging to the base of the cliff.
Her characters have their strengths and weaknesses and she portrays them so that we empathize with them and like them. Belle is strong yet vulnerable. She has a past that isn’t totally revealed but implied. Other characters play off these characteristics for the good and the bad and the results… well, I’m not saying anything else because it will spoil the story.
A Salt Splashed Cradle is an excellent read. At 280 pages (about 83,000 words), it can be read in a day because once you start, you won’t want to put it down.
The trailer for A Salt Splashed Cradle can be viewed on You Tube here. If you watch and listen to this first, I guarantee you’ll hear Chris reading the book while you read it. I know I do.
A Salt Splashed Cradle is available for the Kindle at amazon.co.uk for £2.85 or at amazon.com for $3.99 US.
If you don’t have a Kindle or the Kindle app for other devices, you can download it for the Sony, Nook, Kobo etc., from Smashwords for $3.99 US.
It was my intention to blog about this long before now but things kept getting in the way. And since next weekend, I’ll be off attending a full-day workshop, I thought I should get the one from August written up first.
On August 7, Ottawa Romance Writers Association member, Teresa Wilde, conducted an excellent workshop (If the Self-Pub Shoe Fits…) on her experience publishing for the Kindle on amazon and other devices on Smashwords.
Pros of self-publishing:
You never have to write another synopsis.
You’re in charge of your own destiny.
You write all your own marketing material.
Cons of self-publishing:
You’re in charge of your own destiny.
You write all your own marketing material.
There are no guarantees.
There are probably more pros and cons that I’ve not listed here but I think these are the biggies.
Amazon’s terms and conditions are long and detailed and what you have to remember is that they WILL change and you have no control over it.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) is a one-time option and if you inadvertently turn it on, you can’t change it after. Make sure you don’t do that!
Something that you might take for granted is the headers/footers and page #s in your original documents. Since the Kindle, Nook, Sony and Kobo are electronic devices, they work in screens not pages which can be zoomed in or out depending on the preferences of the person reading on the device. I’m certain, too, it was mentioned to take out page breaks because the device will automatically deal with that, with the exception of breaks for Chapters. This bit is a bit murky now because I didn’t write the post right away and some of my notes aren’t the easiest to read. If anyone can confirm this last bit for me, it would be most appreciated.
Amazon has put together an excellent video which is available on You tube here. At the end of the video, there are some other related ones that are worth checking out, too.
Before you take the plunge and decide to self-publish, make sure your novel/novella/anthology is in the best shape it can be in. After all, you don’t want to shoot yourself in the foot.
This is my first book lovers blog hop and I’m thrilled to be taking part in it. I first read about it on loveahappyending’s featured author Jess Strassner’s blog. It’s a first for her, too, hosting such a beast so it should be great fun for all of us “newbies”.
Now if I interpreted the rules correctly, I have to tell you about a book I’m reading or what I’m writing. We’ll the writing isn’t going well at all. I’ve hit yet another brick wall in the particular segment I’m working on so have gone back to reading.
The book I currently have open on my Sony reader is Souvenirs by Barbara Phinney which is available on Smashwords here. I won it at the ORWA self-publishing workshop a while back. Speaking of that workshop, I still have to blog about it.
So that’s what I’m up to. Now I think I’ll hop over to another blog and see what’s happening there.
Yesterday was my second time attending the Scene of the Crime Mystery Festival. While I didn’t attend the morning workshop (reasons for which will be revealed further along in the post – a mystery, if you will), I had a wonderful time!
The weather started out perfect, even if a bit windy early in the morning. Free parking at the ferry dock is limited so I didn’t even look there. I went straight to the lot at The Holiday Inn. Even if I had to pay to park for the day, the bays are slightly larger so less chance of getting the car dented by people swinging their car doors open without a care. Besides, we’d be sitting a lot during the day so a bit of a walk wasn’t going to hurt us.
cars queuing up for the tripleaving Kingston
The wind farm on Wolfe Island is impressive. The turbines can be seen from the 401… that is, if you have the luxury of riding shotgun so you can take the time to look. The ferry ride affords the opportunity to take in these powerful yet beautiful structures.
Windmills on Wolfe Islandapproaching the dock in the village of Marysville on Wolfe Island
When we docked, an escort was waiting to direct us to the Island Grill where we registered and had coffee and muffins and a chance to meet the authors in an informal setting. Violette Malan, President of Scene of the Crime, told me that my registration caused some confusion. Since my husband was coming with me, I filled out my registration as “Melanie King”. Well no one knew me as that. Violette said she knew a “Melanie Robertson-King” so the initial confusion was cleared up. Next bit of the conundrum was where to file me in the registration kits since they were being filed in alphabetical order by surname…
It was here at the Island Grill that I saw my friend, Beth, who I’d not seen in at least two years. She and her husband had arrived the day before and were leaving early so it was nice to see her and get caught up.
The author readings took place in the United Church directly across the street from the public school. It was timed to coincide with the end of the morning workshop so those folks attending it could enjoy hearing the authors.
L_R Elizabeth J. Duncan, C.B. Forrest, R.J. Harlick, Howard Shrier
Elizabeth read from her book, A Brush with Death and Chris (C.B.) read from his Slow Recoil, both books already published.
R.J. Harlick read from her upcoming book A Green Place for Dying which is scheduled for publication in 2012. Howard Shrier captivated the audience with his presentation of the prologue of his novel, Boston Cream, which will be published in January 2012.
I’ve never had a church catered meal I didn’t like and this one was no exception. We took our lunches outside and ate at one of the picnic tables set up beside the church. We sat at the same table as my friend, Beth, and author Elizabeth J. Duncan. Convivial conversation led to the discovery that she and Beth had worked on a project together for the CNIB. It was further revealed that Beth and I are “family” because of our Home Child connection. Her mother came two years before my father.
Over the lunch break, I bought two of Elizabeth’s books (The Cold Light of Mourning and A Brush with Death)and got them signed. I also bought one of R.J. Harlick’s (Arctic blue Death) that was available. While she signed it for me, we talked about her being at the Thousand Islands Writers Festival last year… a connection… (never hurts).
The afternoon venue was the Anglican Church so we walked over in plenty of time to get a good seat. Last year on the walk, the remains of an old boat sat on a corner lot. This year it was gone, however my cohort, partner-in-crime, writing date, co-conspirator for the storefront writing contest got a photo of it and posted it on her blog (link to follow).
Luckily, we passed the Wolfe Island branch of the Kingston library before it closed so had the opportunity to go in and see the Grant Allen Triangle on display. Violette had mentioned it before the lunch break and last year we were too late to see it. The triangle is home to some of Grant’s books.
Grant Allen Triangle
Next to the Triangle is a Scene of the Crime bookcase. Past and present SOTC author’s books are displayed here, along with other Canadian Crime Writers’.
Scene of the Crime Bookcase in the Wolfe Island Library
The afternoon panel discussion, led by author Vicki Delany, was on the same subject as her morning workshop – Creating the character of the Antagonist.
L-R Howard Shrier, Elizabeth J. Duncan, C.B. Forrest, Maureen Jennings ( this year's Grant Allen Award winner), R.J. Harlick, and Vicki Delany
After a lively afternoon with the authors, at the break, those who were interested toured the cemetery behind the church.
Don and I enjoying our day
After enjoying the breeze outdoors, it was once again time to go inside the church where, guest lecturer, Staff Sergeant Kristina Patterson talked about Keeping Police Officers Safe and the training the tactics they use everyday to remain that way.
Staff Sergeant Kristina Patterson
Kristina’s presentation was followed by the presentation of the Grant Allen award to Maureen Jennings, author of the Murdoch mystery series which has been adapted for the screen and being sold world-wide. She’s following her success with a three part crime thriller set in wartime Britain. The first is Season of Darkness, recently released (also available for purchase).
Maureen Jennings receiving the Grant Allen Award from Chris Carr
Maureen was interviewed by a representative from The Kingston Whig-Standard, after which, I was able to get up close and personal with the Grant Allen award which is a kaleioscope, handmade by one of the island’s artisans. Unfortunately, I was a bit too close and personal because the pictures I took were out of focus. DRAT! At least I have the satisfaction of knowing I saw it.
The day on the island was capped off with a wonderful church supper in the hall across the street from the church.
We could have made the 6:30 ferry back to Kingston but tucked in our registration kits were coupons for a free ice-cream cone so we stopped for it (in lieu of dessert at the hall). There’s nothing worse than dripping ice-cream all over the place and having the wind blow your hair in it so we lingered a while on the island which turned out great. We met a couple from Perth who were passing through on their way back home from the US.
The docks behind the Island Grill Restaurant
By now the wind had died down to the point there was hardly a ripple on the water. The brilliance of the setting sun was blinding but I still managed to get a good photo of it.
The setting sun
Before long the ferry arrived to shuttle us back to the mainland. It was far from full but because of their schedule, we left with still an entire row available for cars.
The Wolfe Islander docking
As on the way to the island, we stood on the upper deck near the bow of the ferry (if you can call it that since both ends are the same) so I could take pictures. I thought the first one I took of the setting sun turned out well, I was more pleased with this one. Far more dramatic than the first with the extreme contrasts.
Another setting sun photoApproaching Kingston
Shortly before docking, we went down to the lower level. We met up with Elizabeth Duncan again and chatted with her while we waited for the signal to disembark. Her taxi was waiting to whisk her off to the bus station and back to Toronto. We said our final goodbyes to her there before walking back to the Holiday Inn parking lot where we got a pleasant surprise when we left. We were expecting to pay at minimum of $15 to leave the car there but the young attendant I passed the ticket to said we were good to go and lifted the gate for us to leave.
The day on the island was fantastic. I can’t wait to do it again next year!
Tomorrow, August 13th, is Scene of the Crime time again. Last year was my first visit to the Festival and I absolutely loved it. This year, my husband is coming with me. So not only do I get my Scene of the Crime fix, I get to spend a day with him, too! Best of both worlds.
This year’s festival promises to be great fun. The schedule of events can be seen here. To see a list of the authors participating in this year’s festival, click here.
I’ll write more about this year’s visit to Scene of the Crime Mystery Festival in the coming weeks…
My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King
