Query/Synopsis Writing & Example

Everyone hates writing a query letter/synopsis.  How much do you tell?  Did I tell too much, or too little? Most submission guidelines with have a limit on how much you should write.  It may be two pages, or 200 to 300 words, but always try to stick to their guidelines.  Below is a query/synopsis I wrote for Honorable Death.  I did not use this, as I had already published the book and actually did it for fun, and to see if I could actually write one I liked.  I hope it gives you some ideas for you own.

I would love to submit Honorable Death for your consideration. It is a 63,435 word detective crime thriller. It is book 1 in a 3 book series. All three books are written and have been edited, and I’m currently working on the next three.

Honorable Death is written in first person, and revolves around Detective Kacy Lang and her partner, Dave Capello. A unique team as Kacy is a wildfire and Dave is what the other detectives considered over the hill. The novel is set in Chicago and begins with the discovery of Kacy’s twin brother’s tortured and mutilated body. Kacy and Kyle were adopted at birth by rich parents who really didn’t want them. Growing up unloved took its toll, and Kacy devoted her life to law enforcement, while Kyle took the opposite path of drugs and thugs. The investigation of Kyle’s death leads to the discovery of black market baby sales, slave trade and prostitution. Kacy’s life is in danger and her adoptive parents are at the top of her suspect list. The novel is interspersed with colorful characters from law enforcement and the drug world. Kacy learns that Kyle had a daughter and must do everything she can to find her and protect her from the people who killed her brother. When a fellow officer is killed they turn up the heat with drug raids and arrest of gang leaders. Kacy learns her real father is legal counsel for the Colombian cartel. The novel is filled with twists, turns and concludes in a deadly showdown between Kacy, her partners, and the woman behind it all, her brother’s sister-in-law.

The book has received praise from early ARC readers as well as the editor and proofreader, who called it:

Everything a detective novel should be--gripping, clever, and filled with deep characters. Brilliant but troubled detective Kacy Lang and her partner, Dave Capello, aren't the perfect detectives, but they're the perfect team. The history of their relationship is every bit as intriguing as the murder they're trying to solve." - Stefanie B., Red Adept Line Editor
Honorable Death is a multilayered, fast-paced archaeological dig of a mystery, with well-developed characters and a well-constructed plot well worth reading." Laura B., Proofreader, Red Adept Publishing

I have been both published and self-published since 2006. I am a New York Times and USA Today best selling author. My backlist includes twelve novels, all presently self-published. These include paranormal murder mysteries, legal thrillers, crime thrillers, psychological thrillers, and one romance. I have worked with the judicial system since 1997, first as a legal secretary, then a free lance court reporter and official reporter for criminal court. I have also worked closely with local law enforcement on murder cases and putting together evidence for local prosecutors.

The manuscript is complete and available at your request.

Linda S. Prather, Author

$.99/99p

Amazon

Meet The Authors - Lexington Legendary Book Bash

Saturday - July 8, 2017
Hilton Lexington Suites - Ballroom
245 Lexington Green Circle
Lexington, Kentucky
10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Lots of fun, prizes, meet and greet the authors and pick up some copies of your favorites books autographed by your favorite authors.

I'll be at table 5 if you love mystery/suspense/crime thrillers and legal thrillers.  Stop by and say hi. Something for everyone in all genres, including children's books.

March 18, 2017 - Meet The Author - Berea Book Fest - Berea, Kentucky

Spring is in the air--although in the last few days it's become quite chilly here in Kentucky.  One of the wonderful things about spring, summer and fall are Book Fairs and Book Fests spring up around the country, giving readers and fans an opportunity to meet and greet their favorite authors.  The Madison County Public Library, 319 Chestnut Street, Berea, Kentucky will be hosting their annual Book Fest this weekend on March 18th, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. with a fabulous lineup of both authors and poets.

From 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. I'll be hosting a fun and informative workshop for both writers and readers on "The Writer's Circle, Where My Journey Began".  Bring a notepad, and don't forget to sign up for the door prizes on your way in.  For mystery/thriller lovers I'll also have several of my books available for sale, but for the most part I just want us to have fun and share our knowledge.  I'll be reading "Lessons From The Sparrow" a short story that won this year's Kentucky Monthly 9th Annual Fiction Contest.

 I hope you'll stop by and say hi, even if you can't stay for the full workshop.

Where: Madison County Public Library

319 Chestnut Street

Berea, Kentucky

When: March 18, 2017 3:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m.

Rants and Raves - Do Books Kill?

Sometimes I just have to get things off my chest, and today is one of those days.  I've listened to the gun debate for over a year.  The pros and cons for severe gun control.  And once again, my answer is - "you can't cure stupid."  It is a misconception that criminals are stupid.  Many criminals border on brilliant.  There is simply no way to control crime and/or murders by taking away guns.  That leaves knives, hammers, baseball bats, crowbars, poison, ice picks, bombs, and the list goes on endlessly.

We'd like to believe as a society that evil doesn't exist and there are no evil people.  We spend thousands if not millions of dollars yearly on psychological studies of "what makes this killer tick" and "why did little Johnny go off"?  Sometimes it's an overload of nothing more than life.  Sometimes it's something inherent in the person that nothing can change.  There were signs.  Early warnings that were ignored because psychology says we're doing it all wrong.  Children have labels -- ADD, OD, CB, ODD, and the list is endless.  We medicate them with anti-psychotics that create both mental and physical problems.  Have you ever looked at those labels?  Each has a warning that the child cannot stop taking the medication without severe side effects.  Hum...that should give you food for thought.

But back to my original question--Do Books Kill?

In May of this year a child was found dead, naked and emaciated.  She died from hypothermia and malnutrition.  Officials determined she had been beaten with a plastic tube the day of death.  For more on this disturbing issue check out the article at:  Examiner

In the above article the author shares links to several other deaths attributed to a book "How To Train Up a Child" by Michael and Debi Pearl.

I took the opportunity to look this book up on Amazon.  It has 3,900+ reviews.  2,582 which are 1 star slamming the book.  It's #5 in Christian Books and Bibles and #5 in Christian Living.  WTH???????  As a Christian I am appalled that a book that perpetuates child abuse in the form of: beating a child with plastic tubing; training children with pain before they disobey, putting children outside in cold weather and withholding food, hosing children with cold water to potty train them or inflicting punishment upon a child until they pass out or cannot breath to complain could reach #5 in any Christian category.

As I said, as a Christian I am appalled, but I'm not surprised.  The book found a niche in society.  A group that believes many of the old time beliefs that children should be totally obedient.  Children should be seen and not heard, and only seen when YOU want them to be seen.  At the point in time when those beliefs were upheld children were not objects of choice, but objects of need.  Many parents had children, not because they wanted a child, but because they needed that child to work the farm or do the chores.

What this niche in society doesn't take into account is the changes in society.  When the old time beliefs were instituted families survived by working together, playing together and taking care of each of other.  Interaction with society was limited.  Interaction to other belief structures was limited.  Options for any other lifestyle than the one you lived weren't available.  Times have changed.  The world has changed, and children have changed.  Was it a good change?  Not always, but we have to recognize those changes and we have to find ways to deal with them and beating or starving a child to death is not the answer.  Adopting children or having children because it's "the thing to do" or "mommy and daddy want a grandchild" is not acceptable.

Having a child should be the most thought about, life changing decision any human being makes.  They aren't like puppies that you can feed twice a day, turn out in the back yard to do their business and lock up in cages when you want to get away.  You shouldn't treat a dog that way, but treating a child that way is and should be criminal.  There is simply too much education on birth control and free birth control out there and no one should ever have a child except for one reason--you want to love it, help it grow up and become a healthy, happy, functioning member of society.  100 years ago perhaps you could do that by beating, starving or tossing out into the cold.  Perhaps children were tougher then, physically and mentally.  Just as society has changed, the physical and mental makeup of children have changed.  They're not as tough now.  They break both physically and mentally.  We see prime examples of that every day in the news.

So Do Books Kill?  The simple answer is no, but the real answer is much more complex.  Books don't kill, just as guns don't kill.  People kill.  The question we have to find the answer to is why?  A part of that answer is that we live in a world of extreme fast pace.  We are more frustrated trying to take it all in.  We have more stress in trying to find simple ways to do it all in only a 24 hour day.  We need answers to deal with overwhelming issues that face us every day.  And we want a product that works.  Especially when we've tried everything and nothing has changed.  We want that instant gratification.  The "havitall" pill that takes away our pain, depression, worry and makes us happy.  And worst of all--we don't want to look in the mirror.  We don't want to search our own souls.  We want someone to tell us what to do to make it all go away.  Most intelligent people that might find this book in their hands would read a little and say "these people are nuts"; but there are and always will be those who want someone to tell them what to do, and how to make it all go away.  They'll read this book, try some of the examples, and perhaps for some it might work.  There will be others, like the examples above who believe in the book, just like Jim Jones' followers believed in him.  When the processes set forth therein aren't working, it isn't because the book is wrong and the examples therein won't work for their child, they believe it's because they aren't doing it right.  So they hit harder.  They starve longer.  And eventually another child dies.

The opinions above are my own, but they're not totally biased as I have a counseling degree, but even more important I have a 6 year old child who is being monitored for Oppositional Defiance Disorder.  If you're not familiar with that disorder it describes an angry, defiant child that no amount of reasoning, love, structure or discipline has an effect on.  I've read all the literature, studied all the methods of working with him, and tried almost everything.  We're in counseling.  We have days and sometimes weeks of the sweetest child in the world.  We have days and sometimes weeks of an angry, defiant, destructive ball of energy that can scream for hours on end because he doesn't want to do his homework.  There are times I'm tired, discouraged and I take a lot of long walks.  I keep looking for a solution, but never in my wildest dreams would I consider beating him, starving him or tossing him out in the cold.  Not because I may not be angry at times, or frustrated enough to do that, but because I'm intelligent enough to know that that would not solve the problem.  He might for a while on the surface appear better, act better, but the problem, whatever it is that lies underneath would still be there and someday it would burst forth and I would be looking at the next school shooting or worse.  I will never give up until I find a way to reach the problem and find a real solution, not a mask to cover the issue.  And I will keep loving him, providing structure and discipline and working with him until I do.

The bottom line is books don't kill, but they can provide information that if taken to the extreme can push an already frustrated and "at the end of the their rope" person over the edge.

We have get back to basics in some ways, yes, but we also have to understand there is no "havitall" pill.  And there is no shame in asking for help if you're having a problem or have a problem child.  There is no shame in accepting your child for who and what he/she is or who and what they want to be when they grow up.  Perhaps our grandson will never be the next Einstein.  He may never be an astronaut and make space discoveries.  He's not going to get that basketball, football or baseball million dollar contract. He may not be an Olympic swimmer (although that may be possible as he loves to swim).   I'm okay with that.  All I truly want for him is to be happy, healthy and a functioning member of society that grows up to respect himself and others.   If I accomplish that then I will have my havitall pill.

The Power of Words

Two years ago I had the wonderful opportunity to work with a rehab shelter for young women, most of them under twenty-one and many pregnant, who were recovering from drug addiction.  One of the most powerful things we discovered for all of them was their inability to use words to express their emotions.  We worked on this for many months with poetry writing, letter writing, and finally they wrote a play which they produced and put on for family, friends and their children.  It was a wonderful experience and one I miss and hope to repeat in the future.

Words are our most powerful weapon.  We use them to convey our love, our disapproval and sometimes to manipulate people.  As a motivational speaker we use words to change the thoughts, beliefs and sometimes the actions of the people we're speaking to.

In writing, authors use words to convey the emotions and sometimes the personalities of their characters.  My sister-in-law commented that I sometimes used "bad words" in my novels.  I laughed and stated: "It's hard to write a hard-core FBI agent who comes upon a brutal murder scene and have him say "sugar-beads.'"

So what gives words their power?  Basically they're hooks.  And the power lies in the meaning of the word to the persons who hear them.  Powerful weapons, or meaningless manipulations.  Words trigger emotions and emotions trigger actions.  I could say "I love you", but I don't know who is reading this post so if I don't know you, how can I possible truly love you.  I could say "I hate you", but the same would hold true.  I don't know you, so how can I possibly feel strongly enough about you to hate you?

Words without an emotional attachment are usually meaningless to the person reading or listening to them, and basically in time will bore a person to tune them out.  So how do we write exciting words that keep our readers turning pages?  We have to combine those words with emotions and meaning.  We do that with body language and punctuation.

Carrie turned back to the sink and continued slicing vegetables. "I said no."
Carrie turned back to the sink and continued slicing vegetables. "I said no!"
Carrie turned back to the sink, sighing deeply as she slammed the knife into the cutting board. "I.. said... no."

Each of these basically say pretty much the same thing, but express a different emotional state.  In sentence one, Carrie is basically just telling her listener that the answer is no. She's said it before, but she's still calm, and conveying the message without anger or frustration.  In sentence two Carrie is getting angry and frustrated and shouting "I said no!"  Her body language is still controlled and she's expressing her anger through her words only.   In sentence three Carrie is basically losing control as she slams the knife into the cutting board, taking her anger out both in her words and her body language.

As a method of power, sentence one might be enough for someone who was simply asking a question, like a child who wants a cookie.  Carrie says no, end of it with a well mannered child or someone listening who is willing to take no for an answer.  Sentence two goes further and could be the mother who is tired and has a  child, or adult for that matter, who repeatedly asks the same question. It insinuates she's said no before and more than once.  Sentence three is basically a woman who has pretty much reached the end of her rope.  Emphasizing each individual word I...said...no.  She isn't shouting, but using what is actually a more dangerous tone of voice.  Most likely deep, bitter and controlled.

With writing, as with life--emotions run the show.  Love, joy, pleasure, anger, fear, pain.  The only way your reader can possibly feel these emotions is if your character is feeling those emotions.  Jacody Ives said it best in The Gifts--the impact of words was in direct correlation to the emotions of the reader. Words could be twisted, knives to open up wounds long hidden. Maneuvered to evoke buried nightmares. Bare the soul, expose the wound, and you had a best seller.  Make them laugh.  Make them cry.  But above all, make them feel something.

A good writing habit is to set aside what you wrote this morning and come back to it in several hours.  Look at the scene, the words or conversation between characters.  Have you conveyed what your character is feeling?  Do you feel it?  Have you conveyed what your character is thinking?  Do you feel it?   If you feel it, then there's a good chance your readers will feel it, making their reading experience far more enjoyable.

Have a wonderful day!

Stop by my new website and say hi.  http://www.lindasprather.com

Kay Hooper - A wonderful "Touch of Evil"

I think my very first Kay Hooper book was Finding Rachel and then Haunting Laura, but I totally became hooked when I read her "Evil" series. What pulled me in? Her characters were both believeable and fascinating. As I strive toward my own writing career, I hope to develop some of Kay's skill in creating memorable characters with compelling stories that keep the reader turning pages all the way to the end.

Mother's Day Nook Book Special - Buy One - Get One Free

Mother's Day Nook Book Special - Buy One Get - One Free

I decided for Mother's Day I would do something special for Nook owners also. I hope to add other authors with other books throughout the day, but for now if you love mysteries that keep you guessing all the way to the end, a little paranormal and just a smidgen of romance, then you will love The Jacody Ives Mysteries.

To participate simply buy either The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery or Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery and email me at: admin@prather-author.com

I will then send you a Smashwords coupon to use to download the second book free. (I've used my email address, as I don't like asking anyone to give away their email addresses. And FYI, I do not keep email addresses or solicit from email addresses. Once your coupon is sent your email will be removed from my computer data banks.)

Thank you, and Happy Reading!



The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery $2.99

Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery

Find Me - A work in Progress

Set up: Cody Allen is a homicide sergeant and Catherine Mans is a psychic consultant for the department. Thanks to Catherine they have just found the body of a young man that has been missing for three weeks. Not everyone in the department agees with the use of a psychic. This is the first draft and a work in progress.
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Cody Allen studied the Timothy Bond witness list as he listened to the sounds of general celebration around him. Finding the body was a major coup for them. Hopefully forensics would now be able to work their magic and give them some clue as to the killer's identity. Still, he couldn't help but feel they'd missed something in the early interviews. Something important.

He glanced up as Jeremy Scalf stopped in front of his desk, a dark scowl clouding his features.

"Something I can do for you, Jeremy?"

"Yeah. I'd like to have my case back. That is unless you want to let your psycho-psychic pull out a name from her mumbo jumbo bag."

The sound of laughter died, as every ear in the station honed in to hear his response. Cody knew most of them supported his work with Catherine. Skeptical at times, but their skepticism was healthy and kept them alert and on their toes.

"Catherine Mans has proven her value to this department more than once, Jeremy. If you've got a problem with that then maybe you need to look into a transfer somewhere else."

"We could have found the body without her," Scalf muttered.

"I don't doubt that," Cody stated raising his voice just slightly as he stood up. He wanted the whole department to hear what he had to say. "Ninety-nine percent of all cases are solved by good solid police work. And yes, we would have found the body eventually. Three months from now. Six months from now. Maybe even a year from now. And by the time we found it any usable evidence would have been long gone. The fact that we found it in three weeks gives us one leg up on the killer, and if we get lucky there'll still be some form of DNA to help us close this case. We can thank Catherine Mans for that. And I don't want anyone in this room to forget that."
Cody allowed his gaze to drift around the room noting those that met his eyes with a slight nod, and those that simply turned away. It was always a good thing to know just who had your back--and who didn't.

Sitting back down Cody picked up the file and handed it to Scalf. "I want every witness on that list re-interviewed. Someone knows something, so let's find out who it is."

He watched Scalf walk away, noting the stiff back, heavy feet. Scalf was harboring a deep anger. It flowed out from him with every step. Anger that strong, that deep could only be borne from hatred. The problem was hatred of what. Him? Catherine? Or psychics in general?



If you enjoyed this excerpt or if you feel it needs something more, please leave a comment below. Critiques are always welcome and help authors to improve.

Excerpt from The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery

Ignoring the branches that slapped at her face, Sarah raced through the trees, lungs on fire. Somewhere ahead of her a madman had her little girl. She cried out in frustration, as the pain became unbearable. Holding her side, she hunched over trying to catch her breath. How far had she run? A mile? Two? The roaring in her ears drowned out all other sound, as sweat burned her eyes, blinding her. She had to stop. She leaned against a tree for support as she wiped the sweat from her face, slowing her ragged breathing. Dawn was breaking, and she scanned the forest in front of her. She’d broken her own rules, rushing in blindly. She didn’t even know where her own men were. What if she’d shot one of them? What if she’d shot Carl?
The roaring had subsided and she stood listening, straining her ears to catch the slightest whisper or breaking branch. The forest was silent except for her ragged breathing, pounding heart. Where the hell were they? Grief threatened to overcome her. She didn’t know if Juanita and José were dead or alive. The body count was way too high. Five little girls had lost their lives because she’d run away. Closing her eyes, she struggled for control; the image of Gavin kneeling beside his brother flashed before her eyes. She heard his anguished voice, “Find Nikki.” That was all that was important now. She swore softly as she straightened her spine. “No more, Williams. You’re not taking one more person from me.”
“Sheriff!”
“Over here, Matt.”
“We’ve got somebody here.”
Sarah turned toward the sound, moving swiftly, but cautiously this time, her eyes scanning the trees around her. Matt and Jed approached her, carrying a huge black man, cursing and yelling. Blood flowed from the bullet wound in his left leg.
“Put him down.” Holstering her gun, Sarah knelt beside Carl, gently probing the wound. “Looks like the bullet went straight through. I need your belt, Matt.”
Sarah took the belt, fashioned a make-shift tourniquet, and stood up. “Take him to the house. I’m going after Williams.”
“Wasn’t Williams. And you’re too late.” Carl struggled to sit up, grimacing as the movement started a fresh wave of pain.
“What do you mean it wasn’t Williams?”
“Campbell. Bastard had a car parked other side of the woods. Heard him drive off right after he shot me.” Carl fumbled in his pocket for his cigarettes.
Sarah knelt again, her eyes level with Carl’s. “Tell me everything you know about the man who’s got my daughter.”

Buy Now

Samantha Fury's Street Justice Charlie's Angel - $.99

Samantha Fury was born in Eastern Kentucky, the daughter of a coal miner & his loving homemaker. She is an only child so she spent many hours using her imagination to keep her busy. She graduated from high school, married in 1986 and began what she calls her 'life on the road.'

Samantha spent over eighteen years traveling with her husband, through 48 states & Canada. This gave her lots of experience for the backgrounds of her Novels. She has since retired to staying at home with their two dogs, Jack & Max. Her husband still travels and she stays busy writing and dispatching for her husband.

This gives her more time to write, and she enjoys her time at home with the dogs. She's always has loved writing since the early age of eight; when she wrote 'The Day The Sky Turned Green.' Her imagination takes her many places, and she hopes that her stories can uplift, entertain, and be a blessing to her readers.

She calls what she writes Life Fiction. It's not your normal romance, though each story will have a bit of romance in them. They will also have some real life struggles, and a little detective work, and humor when at all possible.

Samantha plays the piano and bass at her church, and loves writing, singing, and photography. She has many stories to tell, and she hopes to be around writing for many years to come.
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Charlie's life in Ohio is ordinary and consistent. When her dad loses his job, fighting becomes an every day event. Moving in with her sister only makes matters worse. Her life is turned upside down. In a desperate attempt to find a safe haven, she ends up on the streets of Chicago. She's introduced to a different kind of world. A place where crime lords and women of the night come out to play. Charlie finds herself at the mercy of Rico DeLusa, a local crime king.

When she begins having feelings for one of Rico's employees, Angel Blackwell, she wonders if she's out of her element. Is she being drawn into their world, instead of being a light in a dark place? Blackmail, prostitution and drugs were never a part of her life, but they are now.

Charlie finds herself in the middle of a fight between good and evil. She needs the strength to overcome, the wisdom to make the right choices, and the insight to follow what is right Instead of listening to her heart.

Buy Now:

Street Justice Charlie's Angel

Rewrite of an old work - Find Me

I wrote this book several years ago but I just wasn't happy with it. Recently I decided to take a new look at it from a different direction. Here's the Prologue.
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PROLOGUE

Abigail Blanchard closed the door to the basement leaning her head against the cool steer barrier. She knew it was just her imagination, but she could still hear the shrieks of her child, the clanging of the chains against the concrete wall. Would it never end? What evil had she committed that was so bad that God would punish her in this way?

She sensed the old woman's presence behind her and without turning shrieked, "Go away!"

"You know what you must do. I have seen the feux-folet. She is the child of Diable and will curse us all."

"Fiank-o!" Abigail screamed, ripping her clothing and slipping into her native tongue.

"Mon chere ti chou, you know I speak the truth. I was here when she was born without life. Her body blue, her soul already beyond this world. Five years have come and gone. As she grows so does the evil."

Abigail slipped to the floor hugging her knees to her body, rocking back and forth. "She's only five. I have lost one. Must I lose them both?"

The old woman didn't answer. Instead she placed the knife in Abigail's hand. "You can't cure a mad dog, Aggie, you can only put it down."

Abigail rose to her feet. The old woman was gone, but the knife lay heavy in her hand. Much like the heaviness of her heart. And just as cold.

Grasping the knife she opened the door to the basement, descending the steps slowly.


If you liked this, or even if you didn't please leave a comment below. It is my desire to write the best books I possibly can and books my readers would want to read.

Sample Sunday - WIP The Road To Hell

Sunday samples are a great way to get to know new authors, their works and works in progress. I decided this week to share a work in progress instead of an excerpt from one of my published books. Mainly because samples are out there of the printed books, as well as this is something totally different for me. I've never written in first person before so I'm anxious for comments on how you think it's going. I've been told this is somewhat of a combination of the movies Ghost and Constantine with a whole new twist. Perhaps it will make the big screen someday - who knows, I can dream can't I?
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CHAPTER ONE

You grow up poor you've got to wonder if God's got a sense of humor. All the crap life throws at you. And He gives you mothers. It's kind of like that guy Brandon Lee said in the movie The Crow--"Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children."

He got that right. My momma wasn't just a good woman. She was a Saint. Somehow she managed to raise four kids on a waitress' salary. And three of them turned out pretty good. Or would have. But that's another story.

Sometimes when I'm thinking about momma I have to wonder if she knew about God's sense of humor. She read us the good book every night, but she never said nothing about no sense of humor. Still, she had to know something. I mean, after three girls she got me. She had to figure God was up to something.

I’m Jake Savior, and yeah you might as well go ahead and laugh. Everybody else does. My clients are always telling me God's got a sense of humor. The people looking for me weren't looking for a savior. They were mostly searching the want ads for killer for hire. That's me. For the right price I put a lot of people out of other people's misery. Heck, I even done some for free. Some people deserve to die, and being the nice guy I am, I gladly obliged them.

But I'm digressing. Let's get back to God's sense of humor.

I'd a pretty good day. Won a few bucks on the horse races. Did a little charity work by ridding the world of one more piece of garbage. The courts seen fit to let a pedophile go--I didn't. So I was feeling pretty good about myself, except I was out of cigarettes.

Now anyone that knows me knows I love a good smoke. Last count I was up to five packs a day. Momma always said those thing were going to kill me. Turns out she was right.

Only a die-hard smoker goes out at 2:00 a.m. for smokes. Especially since all the safe places close down early, leaving only a few gas stations and convenience stores open at that hour. Still, I was willing to take my chances. It was too damn cold for thieves to bout and I really, really wanted that last cigarette before I turned the lights out and called it a day.

You've probably already concluded that I'm a smart ass bastard that beats my own drum. Some people will smoke anything. Not me. I'm a strict Kentucky Red's Best smoker. Which means whether I liked it or not I was gonna have to hoof it over to Winchester Road at this time of night. Not everybody carried Red's Best.

Being the cautious person I am, I scouted the parking lot and looked inside for milling customers. No cars and only one customer at the counter. I quickly ascertained he was one of the good guys like me, needing that last deep drag to calm his nerves before he called it a night. Boy was I wrong. Wrong place, wrong time and wrong guy. Five minutes after I entered the door of the Shaky Seven Gas to Go bullets started flying.

I've always heard that your life passes before your eyes when you're dying. Trust me, that's all bull. My last vision was that pack of Red's Best I held in my hand, and my last thought was how good that cigarette was gonna taste as soon as I got outside. Of course, that wouldn't have surprised anyone who really knew me. It wasn't any big surprise to me. I was surprised though. Having listened to momma all those years and growing up with three sisters extolling virtues that I never needed or wanted, I was expecting either that bright light to take me to Heaven, or most likely in my case, a little fire and brimstone trail leading to Hell. That didn't happen either.
# # #

Like the sample and want to know more? Check out Karen Cantwell's blog on January 20th where Karen and I will be discussing this work.

Want to sample my current works? Check out The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery and/or Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery.

The Gifts

Sacred Secrets

Also available on Amazon in the UK, as well as B & N, Sony, Kobo, Diesel and Smashwords.

Have a great Sunday and Happy Reading!

If you like this, or even if you didn't--please leave a comment below. All constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

Your book title - what's in a name?

Like most readers one of the key factors in capturing my interest is the book cover and the book title. Often as I'm sitting around a title will spring to mind and from that a story starts to develop. With current technology looking up books is easy. Yesterday the title "Darkest Hour" came to me. Immediately a story started to develop, but I wondered if there were other books out there titled Darkest Hour.

Amazon's database gives me instant access to researching titles so I went there and found that yes, there were actually several books with the title Darkest Hour.
This piqued my curiosity so I looked up my own books. With the exception of the addition of A Jacody Ives Mystery there were several books titled The Gifts and several titled or using the words Sacred Secrets in their title. I was a little disappointed. Not in my titles but in the fact that I had failed to do this research prior to naming my novels.

From there my curiosity led me to other research of famous authors and their book titles. I found that many of them had also used titles that were common in the book field and used by several other authors. All except one. Stephen King. I actually found that Mr. King had more unique titles than all the other authors I researched.
Why is this important? It may not be a matter of major importance. In fact, picking a book with a similar title may actually direct readers to your book when they're looking for one by another author. That could lead to sales. The piggyback effect.

For me though it was a matter of importance. I don't really want to piggyback on someone else's success. I want to develop my own. A unique set of books with unique titles and unique readers. With the vast amount of books being published daily is that possible? I doubt it, but with the vast databases at my fingertips I will definitely try to pick unique titles in the future. I can't guarantee that someone won't publish a book after mine with the same title, but hopefully I can assure that mine is the first. That too may be a difficult task as the book title depends on the book.

Is your book title unique?

Sample Sunday--A work in progress

Prologue


"You look very beautiful today, Kamela."

Kamela Beaumont smiled at the woman seated across from her, studying the time-worn face, thick makeup that to all except the most perceptive eye disguised the green discoloration, subtle swelling. The son-of-a-bitch had beaten her again.

Kamela continued her assessment, the long sleeves of the Versace silk, even though the weather was blistering outside. The delicate scarf tied around her neck. Olivia Elkins was a beautiful woman, but the luster was gone from her eyes. The spark of life slowly fading.

"Kamela?"

Placing her napkin on the table, Kamela took the hands fluttering helplessly, and held them tight, her own hands trembling. Olivia had expected an answer, but perhaps not the one she was about to reveal.

"Women often look their most beautiful, Olivia, when they’re pregnant."

Kamela watched the color fade from the already pale face, the hazel eyes start, blink, and settle on her face questioning, seeking.

"Jordan and I are expecting a child."

Olivia pulled her hands away, shaking her head. “But that’s impossible. Jordan is in prison."

Kamela laughed, a soft tinkle, like delicate crystal. "Money buys many things, Olivia. It can buy private time. Even in prison."

Olivia continued to shake her head as realization slowly dawned on her. The hands stopped fluttering, but her mouth twitched, words forming slowly.

"Does he know?"

"No."

Olivia continued to nod slowly, her hands settling around the crystal water goblet, gently wiping away the condensation, like the tears on a child’s face. There had been so many tears. So much heartache.

Kamela waited until the hazel eyes met hers, clear, determined.

"What do you want me to do?"

Still she hesitated. There was just no other way. "We have to get him out, Olivia. I want my child to have a father."

"William will never allow it."

Kamela felt her anger rise, color flooding her face. "William would have no choice if you told the truth, Olivia."

Kamela immediately regretted her words as the hazel eyes misted, tears threatening to overflow.

"I tried to tell the truth."

"I know, you did, Olivia. We have to try again. Jordan only stole that gun to protect you. You know he would never hurt anyone." No one except his father, Kamela thought.

"Olivia, talk to Michael. Tell him the truth. Show him."

Olivia slowly shook her head. She had fought so hard to hide the truth from her beautiful boys. They were all that had sustained her. The only spark of joy in her world of hell. If only Jordan had not come home early that day. If only . . .

Rising slowly, Olivia wiped her hands on the napkin, folded it and placed it carefully on the table. Her lips trembled slightly as she smiled, but her hands were steady.

"I’ll talk to William."

"Olivia, no. You can’t. He’ll. . ." Kamela’s voice faltered as she watched in horrified silence as Olivia walked away from her, back straight, head held regally. ". . .kill you." She finished the sentence, her voice barely a whisper, as a cold chill enveloped her.

CHAPTER ONE

Michael Elkins took his gaze from the jury for just a moment to admire the beautiful young woman delivering a scathing closing argument. His former client was referred to as an unholy animal who had butchered and reveled in the death of a homeless immigrant. Her blue eyes flashed, as condemning words were delivered with precision. She didn’t flutter or wave her hands at exhibits. Instead she gripped them as weapons, walking slowly in front of each juror as she met their eyes, dropped her voice, making it soft, senuous. "This was someone’s son. Someone’s father. Someone’s best friend."

The jurors averted their eyes from the gory picture.

Michael drew in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he grinned, remembering how those same hands had earlier that morning roamed his body, finding places that delighted them both. There was nothing stiff about Cassie, in or out of the courtroom. She lived for passion whether it was prosecuting a scumbag like Mark Trevello, or making love. He didn’t need to stay to hear the jury’s verdict. Trevello had lost the second she dropped her voice, whispered those soft words ". . .someone’s son. . .someone’s father. . . someone’s best friend."

Shrugging his shoulders he met the gaze of Scott Harman, the young attorney that had taken his place on the case when Cassie was assigned as prosecutor. Their relationship wasn’t exactly public knowledge, but there was no way he would risk her career or his own for a lowlife like Trevello. He’d known Trevello was guilty from the first time he talked to him. He hated the loss for Scott, but he would be hard pressed to conceal his pride in Cassie.

Rising he caught her eye as she returned to prosecutor’s table to wait for Judge Moyer to deliver the jury instructions, and then the wait for the verdict. He caught the subtle wink, slight lifting of the corner’s of her mouth as her tongue flicked out for less than a second, a promise of things to come.

Michael raised his hand, running his fingers through the thick blonde hair, a silent salute as he headed for the courtroom door to answer the cell phone that had been vibrating incessantly for more than five minutes.

He cleared security, heading for fresh air and a much needed cigarette before he returned the call. The Honorable William Jefferson Elkins had summoned--six times. He wasn’t going to be happy about Michael’s refusal to answer the phone, even if he had been in court. Lighting the cigarette he took a deep drag and scowled. His father hadn’t called him in over six months, and now he’d called six times in the space of a half hour. Hitting the redial button he threw the unfinished cigarette into the street.

"Hello."

"Maria, it’s Michael. My father has been trying to reach me."

The silence on the phone was deafening. Michael felt the first tremors of foreboding.

"Hold please." The words were whispered, an underlying note of compassion, pain.

"Where the hell have you been? I’ve been calling you for hours." Judge Elkins bellowed into the receiver.

"I’ve been in court, dad." Michael didn’t bother to correct him that it had only been a half hour. No one ever corrected Judge Elkins. At least no one that still had a bar license.

"There’s been an accident." Anger still riddled the old man’s voice. "Your mother’s dead."

Writing--Are you ready to release your first book?

If you're getting ready to release your first book--first, I'll say congratulations. You've reached milestone that many before you have reached, and many after you desire to reach. I hope to share some things below that I wish someone had shared with me. Following just a few of these can give you a better chance of success.

1) Create your platform NOW. Get involved in social media. Learn to write short, interesting tweets. Set up a blog and WRITE. You don't have to blog every day. In fact, you're probably going to bore a lot of people if you do. I mean, seriously, do you have something truly worthwhile to say every day? Something significant to share? Get a facebook page and invite your friends, family and others that are interested in the genre you're writing.

2) Now, to the really hard soul searching issues. Ask yourself the following questions:
1) Have you written the very best story you can write?
2) Are your characters well defined and easily identifiable even if you don't use their name?
3) Are your descriptions overly wordy, or easy for the reader to use their own imagination along with well placed descriptive words?
4) Has your book been professionally edited?
5) Have you sent out review copies to major review sites and/or review bloggers?
6) If self-publishing, have you studied the formatting for properly formatted books so that your book is attractive and easy to follow?
7) Are you ready to commit at least one hour or more a day to doing something to promote yourself and your book?
8) Is your cover professional looking and complimentary to your book? Put it up for your social media contacts to review and comment on. Run two or three potential covers and let people choose the best. The benefit here is you'll get an eye-catching cover as well as pre-release publicity for your book.
9) Do you have a marketing budget?

I'm sure there are a lot of things I've missed, so if you're reading this and you can think of something to add, then please do. These are just a few of the ones I wish I had known about four years ago. I've always followed the professional editing route, but I was totally unaware of author platforms, and yes, there are times when I look back now that I wish I could start over. I think my books are the best story I could write, but perhaps I would written the series differently. I would have started at the beginning and plotted exactly where the series was going, and how long it would continue.

Reviews are essential to your success. Getting reviews can be difficult, and take weeks or months before they're posted, so it's important that you look for those most beneficial to your genre prior to publication. Seek out good reviewers or bloggers that have a consistent following in your genre. There are many out there just waiting for a book just like yours, however, they may have an overload and a good review takes time.

It's said only the strong survive. And that is essentially true if you're an author. You're going to come up against some rough winds and choppy waters. Unless you're extremely rich already, or win the lottery, odds are you're not going to be an overnight success. The competition is vast and getting your book into the hands of people wanting to read it isn't as easy as it sounds. And even bestselling authors occasionally get a bad review. So face it, you're probably going to get a bad review at some point during your career. It isn't necessarily the bad review that will hurt you--it's your response to it. If it's an honest review, then pay attention to what the reviewer is saying. Learn from it. Thank the person for taking the time to read and review your book. Bad reviews don't necessarily hurt you. In fact in some instances they actually increase sales. But you've got to be tough. And you have to above all believe in yourself and your product. It's impossible to sell something you wouldn't buy yourself. So ask yourself why would I buy this book? What's appealing to me about it? The answers to those questions are the basis for your promotional platform. Good luck.

Fake Book Reviews

Most authors have probably now read the article related to fake book reviews on Amazon. If not, the link is: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1333885/Amazons-amateur-book-reviewing-vicious-free-readers-victims.html
As written you would assume this is something new, but those in the book industry have seen this going on for years. And it isn't the only problem facing authors and readers.

There's also fake promotion. I see this on forums as well where restrictions apply to self-promotion. Authors gang up to "you promote me, I'll promote you". I don't truly have a problem with that if the author doing the promotion has actually read the book and really likes it, but a trade off on promotion where the book hasn't been read looks bad on both authors. Especially if readers of your work buy that book based on your promotion and hate it, find it full of typos, formatting errors and basically a book just not yet ready for publication. What does that make the readers think of you?

I, as an author, and as a reader despise fake book reviews and fake promotion. Amazon's policy on reviews actually prohibits authors from reviewing each other's work, and I can live with that. If I've read a really good book and I want to review it then I do that on my blog site. I also try to provide an author interview at the same time, giving my readers a glimpse of the author as well as their work. And I never review or plug a book I haven't read myself, nor do I do 1 or 2 star reviews. Truthfully, if a book deserves 1 star or even 2 stars--I can assure you I didn't finish reading it. And if I didn't finish reading it, then I have no right to offer a review.

Fake tags are another problem occurring in the book industry. Readers searching for a Stephen King book may pull up several others also tagged as Stephen King. Believing the book is similar to Mr. King's work they may even buy the book, only to be extremely disappointed. Authors and readers add tags to books to help readers find a particular type of book. My tags for my book were simple: Mystery, murder mystery, kindle, kindle author, psychological suspense, thriller, 99 cents - etcetera. Other tags were added by other people that have absolutely NOTHING to do with my book. Are they bad tags, no, they're not bad tags, they just don't apply to my book and I HAVE NO WAY TO REMOVE THEM. Which is something readers really need to know--Authors on Amazon cannot remove reviews or tags placed on their books by anyone visiting their book site. We can email customer service and ask that it be removed, but we have no control over whether Amazon will remove it.

Tags, book reviews and promotional sites were put in place to help authors and readers find the types of books they would enjoy reading. The abuse and misuse of these areas creates a black mark on the industry, especially when publishers and/or authors become part of the abuse.

So what can we do to stop this:
1) Check reviewers and/or reviews. If you click on the reviewer it will take you to their profile showing how many reviews they've done and on what type of books. I personally don't trust a reviewer if they have only reviewed one book ever, or if their review is out of their genre. Except friends and family, which we naturally assume are somewhat prejudiced, but still may be true. Example: If a fiction writer suddenly reviews a non-fiction book, and yet has never reviewed a non-fiction book before--their review, at least to me, is highly suspicious. Technical writers reviewing ONE fiction book is also highly suspicious to me. Reviewers, like authors, have specific genres they read. When a reviewer steps outside of their genre to give a glowing review or bad review, that to me is suspicious.

Are reviews important? Yes, they are. Or at least they were. With the information leaking about "paid" reviews and "fake reviews" they are losing their credibility, and thus, losing their importance to authors and readers looking for a good book.

Are tags important? Yes, they are to help the reader find a specific type of book. But without some control by the author, and without honesty by the authors, searches for a particular genre or types of books are losing their credibility, and thus, losing their benefit to readers.

Now that publishing has been literally made available to anyone with computer savvy that can format an acceptable document for Amazon and Smash Words, or other upload sites, the competition in the book market has become vicious. More previously traditionally published authors are crossing the line and going Indie. I myself crossed that line for personal reasons. Still, authors and publishers, traditional and Indie have a responsibility to their readers to put out a good product, and to promote it fairly and honestly. A good book will stand the test of time. And honest promotion will build an author's readership one book sale at a time. Whereas, poorly formatted, horribly edited work will make the "word of mouth" rounds.

My final words--if you're reader and you've truly enjoyed a book do your best to give an honest review on any site you feel comfortable with. Your personal blog site is a good site. If you read a review that you don't believe is appropriate there is a "vote down" button, or disagree button. Of course, those are misused also. Unfortunately. If you see a tag that you believe is not appropriate (my own book has a tag of "animal abuse" - excuse me??) then you can also vote it down and that keeps the book from showing up on those searches. If you come across a review that you believe is a "fake review" report it to Amazon or the review site so that they can investigate. Hopefully they will, and if they find it was posted against their posting rules, once again, hopefully they will remove it and ban that particular account from reviewing.

If authors and readers work together we can bring creditability back to reviews, tags and promotions. Working together we can restore public trust in written reviews and tag searches.

Dean Koontz - One Door Away From Heaven

Being a Dean Koontz fan since his Odd Thomas series, I have to admit that I’ve been trying to read this book for years now. I normally get so far in, and then stop. This is truly an unusual characteristic for me, as I love stories and books and especially page turners. I’ve tried to decipher my problem with this book, and it’s difficult as it truly is a masterpiece of beautiful artistic flowing words, and leads you down the path of three individual and yet titillating stories. If asked to rate the book I would have to give it five stars across the board for character development, story development and as I said, beautiful artistic flowing words.

I found myself following three distinct stories, each captivating in their own right and yet each time I was caught up in the story line I was immediately transferred to another captivating story with another character. I would at times have to go back and read the end of the chapter on the first story prior to going forward on that story as my mind was caught up in the story I’d just read.

Are the stories good? Yes. I found myself totally immersed in the problems of Michelina Bellsong and Leilani. And then totally immersed in young Curtis Hammond and his flight from killers, as well as his tagalong partner, Old Yeller. Anyone who knows me knows that the story of Old Yeller has always been my favorite, and the fact that young Curtis named his dog Old Yeller only endeared that story to me more. And then there’s Noah Farrell, a burned out former police officer now turned detective with his own deep, dark burdens of guilt. All three fascinating stories that up through Chapter 28 have absolutely nothing to tie them together. I know that’s coming, but I’m on page 214 of 606, and truthfully tired of trying to follow three distinct stories that I love individually and keep the pages turning and the story line flowing.

Can a book be too eloquent? Possibly. As I’m reading it’s almost as if each paragraph was written individually. Not that they don’t tie together in the individual stories, they do. But each paragraph offers its own descriptive eloquence that sometimes leaves you thinking too much about the words you’re reading, and then losing the story line. Once again, there have been many times I’ve had to back up and reread. And miss a day reading a chapter, well I’m totally lost on which story I’m following and where the character has been and where they’re going.

As I stated in the beginning, I’ve been a Dean Koontz fan for years, and I loved “False Memory”, “Fear Nothing”, “Hideaway”, “Midnight”, “Watchers”, “The Key to Midnight” and the “Odd Thomas” series. His style is truly unique, and his characters always masterpieces of literary genius. I did something today, though, that I rarely if ever do with a book. I went to the end and read the last page. Why? I guess I wanted to know if the stories ever truly came together. They do, and perhaps someday I’ll finish this book. I hope so, because I learn so much from Mr. Koontz’s writing. But life is simply too short, and I have so little time to read, that I feel I must once again move on to something else. I will miss my travels with Micky and Leilani and with Curtis and Old Yeller, and I’ll even miss Noah Farrell, but with almost 400 pages in front of me to finish, I think I’ll leave it for another time period in my life when I can snuggle up with a good cup of hot chocolate and hopefully make my way through to the very end.

Sacred Secrets

Chapter Two




“Please . . .,” she whispered.

Gavin McAllister rolled over and flipped on the bedside lamp. Sitting up he ran a hand through his thick black hair and sighed heavily. He hated the nightmares. For the past three years he’d been forced to live with the Mother’s Day killer haunting his dreams. Now, if the dreams were right--and they were always right--evil had claimed another victim.

It was only four a.m., but the night was over for him. Rising he walked to the window, parted the drapes and stood looking out over the silent streets of Richmond. It was quiet now, but soon traffic would be moving. A cacophony of horns, voices mumbling platitudes or shouting curses would rise from the streets as thousands of people rushed frantically to get to the very last place they really wanted to be. Jobs they hated. Or perhaps returning to bleak, empty structures of houses that were no longer homes.

The girl was already dead. He knew that in his heart. Still, there was something she wanted. Something she needed from him. He closed his eyes, seeing her, hearing the whispered plea for life. The sound of prayer in the dark still night.
Unanswered.

His fingers curled inward, tightening into fists. What good were his dreams if he couldn’t save her? Couldn’t save any of them. Occasionally he could find and put an end to the evil. But it never ended. For each one brought to justice something more vile took its place. Something bolder. Stronger.
Kahil Gibran had said, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

Gavin’s mirthless laugh broke the silence of the early morning hour. If that quote were true then Jacody Ives must be one of the most massive characters ever created.
Gavin turned to gaze at the finished manuscript, “Pool of Tears”. Not his best work, but the character, Jacody Ives, bore fresh scars. Constant reminders that justice came with a price.

Letting the drapes fall back into place Gavin turned on the light and headed for the kitchen. The thing he needed most was thick black coffee. The one thing he didn’t need was to dwell on Jacody Ives. That would only pull him into the shadows of his own fractured psyche. His own evil.

His readers believed that Jacody Ives was merely a fictional character. But Gavin and those closest to him knew that wasn’t true. Jacody was always close, vigilant for a sign of weakness. A moment when the darkness overcame Gavin. The pain cut to the core.

Rob had told him the differences were subtle. Evil was like that. It wasn’t something you could see. It was soulless. The greatest magician. True master of disguise. Lying hidden in the murky depths of secrets buried in the cavernous trenches of the psyche.

Silence. Secrets. Wasn’t that what had created Jacody in the first place? His silence. His secret.

“Please . . .,” she whispered.

Wounds opened. Gavin gripped the sink, struggling to control the memories as his body trembled with rage.

Miranda.

A ragged sound escaped his lips as his body jerked in spasms of emotional pain. He’d kept the memories buried. Caged. But now his tormentor stood outside that cage, laughing as Gavin twisted away from the jagged spears--only to find there was nowhere to go. No place he could escape the memories. The soft delicate sound of her laughter. The flashing beauty of her smile. The limpid pools of her deep green eyes, darkened in passion. The way light played on her auburn curls.

Her still lifeless body. Bloody, battered and broken.

The keening wail of a dying animal filled the room as the darkness won, pulling Gavin beneath the surface to the very pits of his own hell.

Jacody Ives smiled, flexed the fingers still gripping the sink. Evil attracts evil. He’d heard its call in the nightmare. He would answer. There’d never been any other choice for him. Evil knew his name.

Sacred Secrets, A Jacody Ives Mystery

Exerpt: Sacred Secrets

Sheriff Tomlinson parked the car, turning off the motor. His mind drifted, dredging up memories best left buried. He could see it, hear it, smell it.

“Don’t go in there, Dan.”

The Sheriff stared at his Deputy, eyes blurred, bloodshot from lack of sleep. He’d spent the last twenty-four hours desperately searching for his wife and infant son.

“Get out of my way.”

The room was like all sleazy motel rooms. It smelled of stale cigarettes. Cheap whiskey.

He’d stored all that in his subconscious as his conscious mind reeled backwards from the images searing his brain. So much blood. Her beautiful black hair was fanned out over the pillow, surrounding her face like a black halo of light. A terrible sickness clawed at his stomach as he looked into the gaping hole in her chest. Someone had cut out her lying, cheating heart.

Shaking his head to clear his vision, Tomlinson slammed the door to the car, his footsteps striking angry patterns in the snow. Ives didn’t know anything. Not yet anyway. Nothing he could prove.

Slamming the front door he looked at the young man slouched on his couch. Trash. That’s all he was. Just like his mother. He kicked the feet off the couch arm. “Get your ass up.”

Guy opened bloodshot eyes, gleaming with hatred only a child could feel. “What the fuck you want?”

Tomlinson reached out and jerked him up, pushing into his face. “I want to know where Charity Froste is. And you’re gonna tell me.”

Advice to Aspiring Authors

Advice to Aspiring Authors

When I first started writing, two things happened that encouraged me to continue. I hope through this article I can encourage you to continue, and to make your book the best that it can possibly be. In the early 80’s I got my first agent, (which I paid a $200.00 reading fee to). I didn’t know then, what I know now—reputable agents do not charge a reading fee, so be sure you’re dealing with a reputable agent if you decide to go that route. After months of hearing nothing and receiving no offers I cancelled my agent and struck out on my own. I approached what was then called a “vanity” publishing company. I received a very nice letter that I still have, and will keep forever. The company told me my book was too good to be vanity or self-published and that I should approach the major publishing companies. However, if I could not get a major publishing company to take me on, they would publish my book. They gave me a list of prices that was, of course, way out of my budget.

I continued writing; however, I realized that perhaps I needed some type of instruction. I joined a writer’s group and for the next five years I attended week long workshops learning to hone my craft. And there I received my second inspiration. The then editor for a major publishing company was a resident at these workshops, and after reviewing my first work told me the following: “You’re going to make it. Your writing needs WORK, but you have great stories. Great stories are what every author needs. Writing can be improved, but if you don’t have a great story to start with you’ll never make it.

James Patterson is often bad mouthed for his writing style. True, his works aren’t always great literary masterpieces. Patterson is a story-teller. He tells a story with action, visual scenes and a fast pace that keeps you turning pages. Bad mouthed or not—the number of books he’s published, and the number of sales he’s made speak for themselves. People love a GOOD STORY, and they’ll follow a good story teller.

In 2006 my dream of being a published author came true when I received a contract from Echelon Press for my first book. Your dream can come true too.

1) Start with a great story, and know your audience. Know what they like. Do they like a slow pace, fast pace, or a mixture of both. Read every book you can by other authors in your genre. Study their styles. And then, develop your own style.

2) Scope out the potential of your story—is it a one book release, or should you break it into a series? Once again, look to your audience. In some genres series are snapped up, in others readers prefer that stand alone book.

3) Your story is in your head. You know everything about it. However, putting it on paper so that the reader knows what you know is totally different. Read and reread your work making sure you’ve connected your scenes, properly laid out the plot, sub-plots and all twists and turns.

4) I personally don’t use outlines, but for many authors they are an integral part of writing. I would recommend either an outline or board on which you keep notes like characteristics of your characters. Don’t start out with a left-handed killer and wind up with a forensic plot that shows a right-handed person committed the crime.

5) Know your scenery. One suggestion that I feel always works best is to write your first book in a place, time and geographic area that you are personally familiar with. If you choose to use an unfamiliar place then be sure to do your research and that your facts, scenery and even weather is accurate.

6) Write what you yourself want to read. How many of us have read and book and made the statement, I could write a book better than that. If it’s something you’re familiar with and you LOVE—yes, you probably can. Write a book that you would BUY. It’s difficult to ask readers to purchase something that you yourself would not buy.

7) Make friends with other authors in your own genre. Ask questions. Most authors are happy to help and assist fellow authors.

8) Start your reader base NOW! Set up a MySpace page and post poetry, short stories or excerpts from things you’re working on. Do the same with Facebook and any other forum that you can find. What you do now will make the future much easier, and much more profitable for you. (I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME THIS 5 YEARS AGO!) Start a savings account for marketing purposes. Even if you only put a dollar a day in, when your book is released you’ll have the money for a launch party.

9) Figure out which publishing route is best for you. Every author wants to snag that big advance with a major publishing company. Few will ever realize that dream. Even formerly published authors are now looking at Indie publishing, and digital rights for past and future books.

My last, and most important advice—never give up. And keep writing. If you impress your readers with your first book—they’re going to want a second. So don’t disappoint them. New readers looking for new authors are more apt to buy from an author who had more than one book.

Good luck, and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I love to talk with new authors, readers and just people in general.

Linda S. Prather, Author