Welcome to My Author Blog
Welcome to the Insecure Writers Support Group, August edition. Alex Cavanaugh leads the band of fledgling, fun writers. Join us HERE.
And now for the two-part IWSG question of the month!
What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer?
I never anticipated becoming a writer. But when my psychologist career took a downturn in 2007, I got hooked on the TV show Prison Break. The dark themes and conspiracy theories of the show echoed my own gloom at the time, I guess. I stumbled across a section on the Fox discussion board: Fan Fiction. “What’s this?” I thought. I read some stories and shook my head. “What LOSERS are writing stories about TV characters?”
Fast forward a couple of months and I started writing my own fan fiction! The first piece was laughable in its inept writing. I was lucky for kind TV fans who encouraged me. I decided to write a Prison Break story about what I knew: swimming. My writing style was bloated, but some readers gave me positive feedback about the plot and characterization.
Years later, I reworked the story with my publisher. We cut over 70,000 words and published the story as my third novel: Streamline. It’s a military murder mystery centering around my favorite sport of swimming.
(I can’t BELIEVE my beloved TV show returns in 2017, yaaayyyyy!)
I just finished writing my seventh novel, SPIKED (Blocked #3). I believe my writing has become tighter, and I can’t wait for Spiked to launch on 10-1-16. Once again this story features swimming, so I’ve come full circle. We shared the cover reveal two days ago.
Happy writing to all!
Welcome to July’s Insecure Writers Support Group, started by Alex J Cavanaugh. Join us HERE.
Happy summer in the northern hemisphere! How’s your summer going? I love swimming laps in my outdoor pool…
…and I can’t wait to watch swimming and other sports in the Olympics.
I don’t love a day job extra project that involves writing long papers with an August deadline. Fiction writing is WAY more fun!
I’m ramping up to release my next novel on 10/1/16: New Adult Sports Romance SPIKED (Blocked #3). Spiked features the awesome sport of swimming.
We plan a cover reveal and review tour as well as a Facebook party. I hope to put the first two novels on sale, too. Any other marketing strategies you recommend?
If you’d like to help host the cover reveal for Spiked on 8/1/16, sign ups are HERE.
(Warning: this cover contains another shirtless man. But my character’s personality is much more important than his abs, I swear!)
If you want authors to shudder with fear and revulsion, ask them to write a BLURB.
What’s a blurb? It’s a brief summary of a story. The best blurbs hook the reader without giving away too much.
We writers are a verbose bunch and it’s tough for us to pack our narrative into a pithy punch. This is where critique partners and editors come in handy!
What characterizes your favorite blurbs? I’ve been drawn to starting with a sentence or two from the first person point of view. However, I wrote the blurbs for my first two books in the Blocked series in the third person, and wanted to stay consistent for book three.
I found a compromise for SPIKED (Blocked #3) by adding song lyrics to the blurb to capture the first person perspective of the hero Mateo, who’s a singer / songwriter.
Most families have rules. The Pierce family not only has rules they also have prank rules. Every rule was created because of a prank that happened. Ever wonder what really happened? The third rule says ‘If there’s a chance of an ER visit, find something else.’ That seems simple enough but why was it created?
Tall, dark and strong, that is how Liam drinks his coffee, how Emily likes her men…. All Dr. Emily Kelly was looking for was a latte…instead, she fell for Liam…literally. Detective Liam St. Paul isn’t looking for love, he is a one night stand kind of guy…until he looked into Emily’s eyes. When Emily’s life is in danger…Liam vows to protect her. Will Emily and Liam find a way to leave their pasts behind them and move forward together? Or will their pasts tear them apart?
Madison Miller is broken. Nearly everyone she’s loved throughout her life has left her. Now, she’s desperate to feel something other than the pain of her most recent loss, even if it’s only for one night. Sawyer Ramsay is jaded. After witnessing his younger brother marry a woman no one can stand and years of watching his older brother’s disastrous experiences with women, the last thing he wants is a relationship. Almost a year later, fate will have the strangers crossing paths once more. Can this strong, caring woman with a complicated life convince this disillusioned man to believe in love? Will passion and desire turn into something strong enough to surmount all of life’s obstacles, or will the fear of heartache and overwhelming responsibility force Madison to accept Sawyer was never to keep?
I’m excited to sign books at the Glass City Author Event in Toledo, Ohio on 10/8/16.
The event organizer, Kimberley Beale, has put together an anthology to benefit the fight against human trafficking: Love Unrestricted.
Proceeds benefit RISE: Recovering Individuals from Sexual Exploitation.
Welcome to April’s Insecure Writers’ Support Group. Hop over the Alex Cavanaugh’s blog to join us!
Recently a reader friend asked, “How do I write an honest, helpful, negative review?”
Let’s discuss negative reviews. I don’t want to censor reader opinions, but merely state how I can learn best from reviews. I definitely know how frustrating and disappointing the reading experience can be. It has also become so clear to me that no author can please every reader.
As an author, I appreciate negative reviews that 1) offer specific constructive criticism, 2) make me laugh, and/or 3) acknowledge how personal preferences affect reactions.
I suggest getting specific about what’s not working for the reader. The tightness of the writing? Grammar? Pacing of the plot? Realism of characterization? Chemistry between the characters? Too many characters? Implausibility of plot?
Here are some reviews that have taught me to write better:
“There was head hopping in the third person omniscient perspective. Sometimes the same paragraph had perspectives from two different characters.”
(Thank you to two authors for sharing this wisdom about my debut novel With Good Behavior.)
“Grant is a wuss.” (This made me LOL)
“Grant cries too much.” (These reviews informed my characterization of beta men–I don’t want to make them too weak.)
“It was too depressing and covered too many issues.” (I’ve tried to lighten up later books with more humor.)
“It just didn’t work for me because…” (I like when reviewers state how their personal preferences affect the reviews, acknowledging that others might enjoy it but it just didn’t fit for them.)
Some negative reviews are not as helpful:
“This is YA, not NA.” (I get frustrated with this critique of Blocked because the age of the characters is indeed New Adult. Though it’s also my fault for choosing a sexy cover then not delivering the horizontal refreshment.)
Reviews that spoiler the reader or attack the author as a person are also not my cup of tea.
Time for the Keep Calm and Hop On Giveaway Hop hosted by The Kids Did It and The Mommy Island.
In addition to a $10 Amazon gift card, I’m giving away two ebooks of my college volleyball romance series BLOCKED. Who loves volleyball? I think it’s an awesome sport.
To enter, complete the Rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Hop over to these blogs to win more stuff!
Jennifer Lane Books 