Are Those Crickets?

You want to know what my biggest fear is? Sitting at a table in a bookstore with a pen in my hand, a smile on my face, and....nothing else.


I'm not talking about one of those 'Oops, I forgot my clothes at home!' type of dreams. I'm talking about a debut author book signing where no one shows up. 


Where all you hear is...crickets.  Want to know how to avoid that with your own book signing?


Hop on over to my second blog stop at Delia Latham's My Book Bag and read about 5 Easy Tips On How To Avoid the Sound of Crickets at Your Book Signing!


One more day until Purple Knot's release day...so excited. Don't forget to drop in at The Romance Studio tomorrow at 6pm PST for a Live Chat and giveaway!


Hope to see you there!


And don't forget to enter the Surveillance Kit Gift Basket Contest ...prizes include:

Goodies to eat and drink while on a stake out.

Piece of specialized surveillance equipment from ThinkGeek.com

Amazon Gift Card for $25.00

Copy of Purple Knot with book marks and more!

Photograph by Kristine Paulus.

N is for Networking

One of the hardest things about writing for me is the glaze that falls over people's eyes when I start to talk shop.  Somewhere between talking about story blocking and mentioning conferences, they seem to always need to be somewhere else...like, now.  Ah, the solitary life of a writer, right?  Not necessarily.

I've come a cross some wonderful networking sites for writers over the past few years. Some of which I'll share with you. Ning is a site that allows you to create your own social network. I'm part of a group of called Scribblerati; a collection of writers that share their work and post informative articles. Another relatively new site is called Writeropia they have progress charts, market listings, lots of great stuff. Its still under construction, but what I see so far is great.

I know a lot of you participated in National Novel Writing Month or Nanowrimo's Script Frenzy. I've made some great connections signing up to buddy with another writer for encouragement.   Or better yet, join a national writers association like RWA, Writers Guild of America, or American Christian Fiction Writers.  They have forums where you can connect with writers by genre, ask questions of "experts", or just chat.  WGA has a great article on how stupid serial killers actually are in their Murder 101 article. It was fascinating. And of course, I can't forget all of the great poets we have on the challenge.  Writers-Network is a huge site for poetry. They have reviews, spotlights, even a forum.

The way to network that is the most fun though, is the writer's conference. There are so many to choose from. Whether you write paranormal fantasy, Christian romance, or you're a travel writer...there is a conference for you.  Two places to look for a conference worth your time and money are, Terry Whalin's Blog and Shaw Guides.  The reviews are honest and informative and will help you find the right conference to meet your needs. 

I hope you all have fun perusing the links and making connections. Its always nice to find a group of people that share your passion and insanity as an author.

Until next time...Go Write! 

Photograph by scragz, Uploaded on January 25, 2006. Photograph by Grzegorz Lobinski, Uploaded on May 9, 2009.

D is for Duh!

Today's A-Z Blogging Challenge letter is "D" as in Duh!...or maybe, Drama.  There are certain elements to estblishing Drama in fiction.  I wrote about one of the elements earlier when in my post about conflict, last month.

What I want to explore today is the element of Drama that makes you bite your nails and yell at the book. I'm talking about the collosally stupid decisions that characters make in the flustered moments of a dramatic scene.  My husband is reading a suspense novel by a popular author and I peroidically see he cringe or suck in his breath through his teeth.  He even threw the book down once, disgusted...only to pick it back up  a few seconds later.  That's a good read. What he's reacting to is the Duh! decisions the character is making...hiding the body, accidentlly leaving his GPS device behind in the woods, using something that can be tied to his work to weigh down the body...dumb decicions, sure...but understandable given the circumstances.

An important element of Drama is the emotion, the gut twisting ride the reader takes with the main character. From surging emotions to disproportionate reactions, the Drama created by the consequences of bad decisions on the part of the main character hightens the reader's suspense. If you're interested, Christian Fiction Online Magazine has a great article on drama and the reader, pulling them back from the brink of disaster.

I write Romance/Suspense, so a large part of my Drama is based on emotional conflict. Misunderstanding, failure to communicate, insecurity...these all come straight from Duh! moments, but they're relatable because we've been there. My question to you is this: What is your favorite Dramatic scene ever...from young Skywalker learning about his father while dangling over the abyss to Mr. Darcy's proposal at Rosling Park, movie or book. What set you're heart in motion?

Until next time, Go Write!

 Photograph by epSos.de, Uploaded on February 21, 2010.  Photograph by Lin Pernille, Uploaded on March 31, 2007.