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Showing posts from 2014

Book Review - Motion for Murder (Jamie Winters Mysteries Book 1) Kelly Rey

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This cozy mystery felt very similar to another book I recently reviewed (Handbags and Homicide). In Motion for Murder, the main character hates her job at a law firm where one of the partners is sleazier than humanly possible. It's pretty obvious from the first time Dougie steps into a scene that someone has to kill him soon, or the reader will be tempted to do the deed. He wasn't simply annoying, he was sexist. His behavior would never survive in the real world where he would invite a sexual harassment lawsuit. A former client almost kills him but is thwarted at the last minute. The same client pops up again later in the book - as if the police wouldn't have dealt with him properly the first time! After Dougie is murdered his widow forces Jamie to investigate her co-workers at the law firm to determine who did it. Jamie has some help from her landlord, Curt and her goofy sister, Sherri, who is desperate for a husband. I never really understood the relationship betwee

Water in the Sonoran desert

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It may be surprising to learn that Arizona has a large number of man-made lakes which are not only perfect for boating and swimming but great for doing nothing but catching your breath in between hectic days.  This is a picture of Lake Pleasant during one of my outings there. If you ever come to Phoenix you can rent a motorized boat or do as I have and take a kayak out. It's peaceful and the water is clear and clean. I guarantee you will enjoy some of the Sonoran desert's most beautiful scenery. Happy trails, Leslie

The Trappings of Christmas - a holiday poem

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In the spirit of the holidays, I asked my friend Caren if I could post her lovely poem to my blog.  She graciously consented so here it is: The Trappings of Christmas By Caren Cantrell Snow covered hilltops, holly so green, Bright colored lights cast a glaze on the scene. A jolly old man with an elf by his side, Shouts for his reindeer to come take a ride. Laden with presents he takes off with glee. What joy to leave wonder beneath each child’s tree. All glitter and sparkle, an angel on top Candy canes, tinsel, corn ready to pop Baubles and bangles and garland of gold, These are the trappings of Christmas I’m told. But my house is humble, no bright lights shine clear, No presents, no eggnog, no stockings hang here. Yet billions of stars spark up the night sky, And twinkle the snowflakes with joy as they fly. A warm fire cackles, our family draws near, A simple meal waiting, no hunger to fear. Prayers of thanksgiving for family and friends,

Book Review - Read It & Weep, A Library Lovers Mystery

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Today's book review is on Read It & Weep, A Library Lovers Mystery(book 4) written by Jenn McKinlay. I have to say before posting my review of this particular book, that I've heard Jenn McKinlay speak on at least two occasions. She has a great sense of humor and is an interesting speaker. I was excited to read this book as part of my local book club. I have read one of her cupcake cozy series which was better than this one but no others. I couldn't help but notice that Jenn breaks the rules when it comes to the when the murder occurs. I was halfway through the book before anyone died. Now, I like a good lead in story as much as the next person but I would have been happy if she got to the point (someone dying) a bit sooner. She introduced a lot of characters in the first few pages which caused me to have to go back and re-read it so that I could keep track of who was who.  Lastly, she spent too much time "telling" me about the main character instead of &

How much sex is too much?

By definition, a cozy has no explicit sex but certainly can contain some sexual tension and even some sex scenes. But how much sex is too much?  For some, simply the hint of sexual tension is sufficient. For others, (think Fifty Shades of Grey), details, details, details! For my personal taste too much sex distracts from the point of the mystery. It's fun to have it but I don't want that to be a central part of the story. After all, if you're reading a cozy I'm guessing it's because you want mystery, murder, humor AND maybe a dash of sex. A case in point, Janet Evanovich's character Stephanie Plum , is hopping from bed to bed. She can't make up her mind which guy she really wants. The author has more sex that most cozies I've read but at the same time it's not overdone.  If you remember a television show from the late 1980's called Moonlighting you may recall the tension between the central characters, Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis. The

A peaceful place to read

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If you have never visited Sedona Arizona then you haven't seen red rocks in their most magnificent state. The sky is never more blue, nor the air more clear. Many say there is a spirituality to this place. Personally, I think that can be true of anywhere you feel most centered. Happy trails, Leslie

Book Review - A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die

A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die (A Local Foods Mystery) by Edith Maxwell I selected this first book in the series because I found that the author has written three different series and I had high expectations. I won't say I was disappointed  but I don't see myself reading anymore of this particular series. The book is written in third person and starts out with the main character, Cam preparing for new customers at her farm which grows and sells organic produce. We don't know what has prepared Cam to run a working farm with only one farmhand and volunteers who work in exchange for product. I grew up on a very small farm where we had a large garden, chickens and cows which were raised for our own consumption. It took a lot of work just to manage the garden so I had a hard time believing the premise in this book. I also felt that the story started at a place where I had to look back to see if I had missed the first chapter. Although no one wants to read pages of backsto

Goodreads - Best books of the year

Goodreads has posted their reader review votes for the best books of the year.  I'm excited that The Silkworm was number 2.  This is a book by author Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling. Yes the same person who wrote the Harry Potter series. Rumors were flying when this book came out as to why she wrote it under a pen name. Whatever the reason I was glad I read it. Having never read any of the Harry Potter books, nor even watched an entire movie I wasn't familiar with her writing style. This was the second book in the series, the first being The Cuckoo's Calling. I loved the first book. I loved the central character who is flawed beyond being likeable. He is an alcoholic, womanizer and basically appears on the surface to be hopeless. But as you turn each page you begin to warm up to him and want to know more about him. I wasn't as crazy about the second book. Although I still really enjoyed it I found it somewhat lacking some of "getting to know you" of t

Red Herring - something to eat?

Red Herring: 1.  A dried smoked herring which is turned red by the smoke 2.  Something, especially a clue, which is intended to be misleading or distracting. You may have never heard of the term "red herring" before now. If you have, three cheers for you for being a step ahead of the pack. No, I don't mean the fish but rather definition  number 2 - a clue in a mystery. A mystery writer will intentionally place red herrings in your path. You can gobble them up as you read and then digest which ones are not actual red herrings but true clues. A red herring might be a character who's purpose is to make you think he or she is the killer. Or a red herring might be a subtle clue which isn't a red herring at all but is place such that you aren't sure. Next time you are reading a mystery look for the red herrings in the plot. They shouldn't jump out at you but be woven into the story. Happy trails, Leslie

Cozy Book Review - Handbags & Homicide

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Handbags & Homicide, written by Dorothy Howell This is the first book the series (A Haley Randolph Mystery). It was lighthearted and a very easy read. The main character has a passion bordering on obsession with handbags. Would she kill to get the latest Louis Vuitton? We meet Haley as she is shopping for a new handbag, which is outside of her already taxed budget. Haley has a job at a law firm. To supplement that income she also has a part-time job at a mid-level department store. The law firm story left me somewhat confused as it really didn't have much relevance in the story, except to force Haley to work more hours at the department store. Told in first person, Haley describes herself as follows: "So you might think that I, Haley Randolph, with my long, coltlike legs, shampoo-commercial-thick dark hair, and my fifty percent beauty-queen genes..."  Haley sounds like she is a shampoo commercial away from more than fifty percent perfect. Describing herself

Would you like to get cozy?

I thought this title would be appropriate as I take this blog in a new direction. As a writer of cozy mysteries, I would like to focus on the genre as a whole. I'll include reviews of new cozy releases, as well as some of the old favorites. I'll also lead you on a journey to discover how cozies are assembled - how to find the red herrings among the legitimate clues. But let's discuss what makes a cozy. If you've never heard the term, you may be surprised to find that this type of mystery has been in existence for a long time. I doubt I could find someone in the U.S. who hasn't heard of Agatha Christie - even if they have never read her. If you ever watched the Murder She Wrote television series which ran from 1984 through 1996 then you enjoyed a cozy. More recently if you saw the movie One for the Money you watched a cozy written by Janet Evanovich. A cozy is a murder mystery. What sets it apart from other murder mysteries is that there is no graphic violence

Another Writing Event

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I'm excited about not one but two one day writing conferences I'm attending this month. For the second year I attended the Avondale Writers Conference, which is jam packed with sessions and agent pitches. The following week an Arizona Writers event with none other than Chuck Sambuchino, best known for his Writer's Digest work. I am thrilled to have such quality conferences located here in Arizona. Even if you have already published with a traditional publisher or independently published, you can learn valuable tips. An added perk at both conferences were the agent pitch sessions. These are an invaluable tool in obtaining agent feedback one to one. I will include some of the great tips in future posts. I apologize for the blurry image but I'm terrible with the iPhone. Happy Trails, Leslie

Editing - do it yourself or hire a professional

Today's topic is about whether you should edit your own work or pay for the services of a professional editor. I have read Menu for Murder probably one hundred times beginning to end. My friends and family have read it. I printed a hard copy for a book club to read. Everyone found a few errors here and there. I use spell check and grammar check. Sounds like I covered all the bases, right? Wrong! To be honest, I was afraid of what might happen when an editor read it. Would the editor hate my writing? Would I find out I really can't write and I shouldn't ever contemplate quitting my paying job? Would an editor try to re-write my manuscript into her own story? I realized, if an editor hated my work and tried to change the entire thing, I didn't have to accept it. The advantage of hiring your own editor is that you can choose what to accept or reject. If a traditional publishing house options your work, they will use an in-house editor. You lose control of what stays

A rock in a hard place

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I'm very lucky to live in a state where I can be outdoors almost all year. I wanted to post this picture of a "small rock" I came across while hiking. It's hard to tell from this picture, but it's probably more than twenty feet high and at least that wide. If you have never experienced the beauty of Arizona I would definitely recommend planning a trip - just not in July or August! Happy trails, Leslie

Making room in your head for the words to flow

Writing is a solitary event.  Most of us work alone, banging away at the keyboard, locked in a room where no one can disturb us, typing into the wee hours of the night. If you have read some of my past posts, you would know that I sit at the kitchen table where I can look outside and enjoy the view.  The television is generally blasting in the other room and my partner is practicing his guitar. It's not quiet or isolated. This works for me. I think if the room is too quiet my brain fills with clutter.  A myriad of thoughts ricochet around in my head. However, sometimes neither the chaos nor locking myself in a room works.  I cannot focus on writing. I check my Facebook page a dozen times a minute. I bake something. I find laundry to do or some other chore that could wait for another day. When this happens, I know it's time to walk away. I need to focus on something which takes my full concentration and doesn't permit any other thoughts to interject. For me, this

Social media - Writing & more writing

Last night I attended a local group for writers and the speaker talked about social media.  Today I registered for a one day workshop which has an hour and a half dedicated to social media.  My Yahoo Groups discuss social media regularly. Everywhere you look someone wants to discuss social media. Now, I am too. Obviously, I blog.  I post to Facebook and I intend (truly, I do) to Tweet, Instagram, Google+ and Pin. The problem is I barely have time to keep up with my blog and Facebook, let alone all the other social media. There are programs which will help you post to multiple sources at one time. Hootsuite and Sproutsocial are just two of the options available. You can write one post and have it go out to all of your social media for a monthly fee. Depending on your free time and funds, managing one entry is significantly easier than keeping up with the many ways to communicate with your fan base. However, you can also start small and work up. I would suggest Facebook, as a mini

When I'm feeling a little bit witchy or otherwise

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In honor of Halloween I thought this would be appropriate. I came across this sign in the Minneapolis airport and had to take a picture.  I wish I had bought it for my office because there are days when I can absolutely relate to how satisfied the wicked witch may have felt when she sent her monkeys out. I'm afraid I do not know who is responsible for the saying. Happy trails, Leslie

Surviving Cancer - Writing what I know - Part 2

In my last post I talked about the discovery of my breast cancer. In this follow up post I want to write about what happened afterwards. Just short of thirteen years ago, I found a lump in my breast. It took me nine months to have the lump removed and in that time it had doubled in size. To say the diagnosis was shocking is putting it mildly. No one expects to hear the words, "You have cancer". When I went through my experience I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't tell my family or my friends what it was really like. I sugar coated the chemo treatments and didn't tell them how sick I was afterwards or how the mouth sores made it difficult to eat. I didn't tell them how afraid I was or how alone I felt. I didn't want them to worry. I realize now how much of a mistake that was. I should have let them comfort me and I needed to share what was happening to me. In June of 2003, after I had finished my chemo and radiation and my hair was starting to gr

Surviving Cancer - Writing what I know - Part I

In keeping with my theme for this month I'm blogging about breast cancer and my own story.  February of 2002 I was working in Toronto for extended periods of time and had a pain in my breast. I could feel something that felt about the size of a vitamin.  At least that's how I remember the way it felt. Home for a period I had a mammogram and the doctor said I should have a biopsy.  Before I could deal with that I had other health issues.  Swelling in my legs sent me to my family doctor, who after rounds of blood work and urinalysis sent me to a kidney specialist.  Diagnosed with minimal change disease, a disease of the kidneys, I was put on major doses of steroids for months. I did visit a plastic surgeon to discuss a biopsy but he wanted to perform a surgical biopsy and I felt a needle biopsy would have been the appropriate place to start. So I ignored the lump trying to deal with the kidney disease. I experienced a benign tumor in the same breast years before - so why should

Remembering your character details

If you write with more than one character in your storyline, it's necessary to remember all the little details which makes that person or persons unique.  Even if you have only one human character in the majority of the manuscript, as in Life of Pi  and the movie Cast Away (Tom Hanks and his soccer ball) you still need to keep track of who that character is. For today's discussion we'll imagine you have more than one person dancing through your pages.  If you plan to have a character that is more than one dimensional you'll need to keep track of what makes that person special.  If your work is to be read by a book club for example, what would the readers say about the characters?  Would they say they liked that she only drank sweet iced tea or that she dressed only in pink?  Would the readers remember that on page thirty-nine the character had a fear or spiders but on page one hundred she picked one up to set it outside?  You don't want the second situation to be

Lighting of Times Square Pink

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Just a few pictures of the Lighting of Times Square Pink event held by EBeauty on October 1, 2014. I was thrilled to be able to participate in this historic event.  I can't wait for next year!  For more information about the organization go to www.ebeauty.com. Happy trails, Leslie

Breast cancer awareness

Here we are again in October and breast cancer awareness month.  My family has been touched by this disease on four occasions.  My sister, Beth who left us in January as the result of years of chemotherapy treatment for her breast cancer which metastasized into her brain. Myself, now a twelve year survivor.  My sister-in-law, Carolyn a two time survivor and my youngest sister, Laura who is a three year survivor. It is my dream that no one else will lose a family member to this very curable disease. Early detection is imperative and we need to continue make advances in the treatment. One of eight women will be diagnosed with this disease - your mother, your sister, your wife, your daughter, your best friend. This year for the first time the non-profit which my brother, Mark and Carolyn founded - EBeauty, held both the turning pink of Washington, DC and New York's Times Square.  These events serve to raise awareness and funds. The New York event is historic in that it has never b

Writing what you know

On the eve of breast cancer awareness month I am thinking about the old saying - write what you know. As a breast cancer survivor with two others in my family (sadly as I lost one of my sistesr in January to this disease), this is something I know.  I know what it is to be a survivor myself as well as a family member to someone with the disease. Does that mean I should write about it? When I was first diagnosed I didn't talk about it at all.  I didn't want people to know I was "sick".  I didn't want sympathy.  I wanted to kick its butt, move on with my life and never think about it again. Ha, that was a silly notion. Just past my one year anniversary I walked the Komen 3-day 60 mile walk.  To say it changed my life is an understatement.  Cancer didn't change me but sharing it did.  I talked about my cancer and learned about other people's experiences.  Months of training and then a very concentrated three days of talking and sharing.  To this day I'

Know the purpose

Whether you write with an outline, or simply let the words flow without a plan, it's important to know the purpose of a scene. You need to ask yourself if this sentence, dialogue or paragraph advances the action or if it's only filler. For discussion, let's say your story is a mystery. When you read it aloud do you find instances where your character rambles on about something completely unrelated to the plot? Does your protagonist have dialogue with the grocery store clerk that doesn't lead to the conclusion of the mystery? If two characters are driving is there a purpose in their destination? You should ask yourself these questions.  Why does the character say or do this? What will he/she gain by this action? How does my character accomplish his goal of resolving the mystery? Does this scene move the character closer towards a resolution? If the answers are negative then you may need to review whether that piece can be removed. Even though it's tempting to h

How to get a writing retreat at home

My house is too small. The kids are everywhere. I don't have a space I can call my own and lock the door.  Every time I try to write the phone rings or the television volume is turned up. It's too hot to sit outside and write. It's too cold to sit outside and write. Wouldn't we all love the perfect space to write? I know I definitely would. I've previously written about how hard it can be for me to focus. I can't work in my office because whenever I'm in that room I think about my "other" work and can't focus on writing. I tried writing in bed but that was very uncomfortable. I considered setting up the guest bedroom as another office but discarded that plan when I checked out the space. I inspected the dining room as a possibility but that is too close to my partner's music room. There is no way I can concentrate while he's practicing electric guitar! Despite all the hurdles I finally wound up in the kitchen. You might think this

AZ Monsoon time

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A summer monsoon getting ready to burst in the preserve.  Since Menu for Murder features an Arizona monsoon I thought it would be appropriate to include this photo. Happy Trails, Leslie

Write 2014 Desert Sleuths Writing Conference, Part Four

In my final installment from the Desert Sleuths, Write 2014 writing conference I will review what our last speaker covered in Mastering Crime Fiction:  A Whodunit How-To. Author Tim Hallinan discussed "Where Do I Go From Here:  Getting to the finish line".  You've been writing and working on your novel for what seems like an eternity.  How do you finish?  Or do you ever really finish - that must be the topic of another post! Tim tells us to first write what we love to read.  I think this is good advice and common sense.  I can't imagine trying to write something that I wouldn't enjoy reading myself.  After all I am going to read my own work about one million times before someone else sees it.  I better like the genre at least. Tim also reiterated what the other speakers discussed: 1.  Make a place that I can write without interruption. 2.  Make a commitment to write every day or at least on a schedule you can stick to. 3.  Be open to my imagination and t

Write 2014 Desert Sleuths Writing Conference - Part Three

This is part three of my notes from the Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime, Write 2014 conference in Phoenix, Arizona The third speaker of the day was author Graham Brown.  Graham has written his own novels and also co-writes with Clive Cussler, an Arizona resident. Graham topic in the Mastering Crime Fiction:  A Whodunit How-to was "Why, Your Plot the Heart of the Story". Graham claims to be a seat of the pants writer.  He doesn't outline his story but prefers to have a general idea of where he's going.  He cautions against having an outline of what you expect to happen and then trying to force the characters to follow that path.  Instead allow your characters to lead you in the direction that suits them.  The plot is what happens and allows your characters to shine and to be real.  You find out who someone is when things happen.  Does the cold, withdrawn mother suddenly become a protector when her child is threatened?  Does the cowardly lion show his

Write 2014 Desert Sleuths Writing Conference - Part Two

This is part two of my notes on the Desert Sleuths Write 2014 conference held in Phoenix, Arizona. The second speaker of the morning was author Mark Sullivan who has written his own novels and co-writes with James Patterson.  Mark's topic in the Mastering Crime Fiction - A Whodunit How-to was What Really Works, Optimizing Writing Time and Increasing Productivity.  A topic very near and dear to me as I struggle on a daily basis with finding time to write. Mark explained how he was able to go from barely able to write ten sentences to writing 5000 words a day. He asked us what we do which puts the brakes on. What things do you do when trying to write that slow you down, stop you or prevent you from starting work altogether? I know one of the ways I slam on the brakes in my writing is to never get the "car out of the garage" in a manner of speaking.  I self sabotage by telling myself that I'm too tired or not feeling creative or maybe I have laundry to do.  I can t
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One of my nightly dinner guests.  He and his friends are currently consuming carrots at the rate of 10 lbs a week. Happy trails - or should I say hoppy trails? Leslie

Write 2014 Desert Sleuths Writing Conference - Part One

I thought I would post a few of my notes from the Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters in Crime, Write 2014 conference.  It was a great day of speakers and networking and I can't wait for the next one! The topic of this conference was Mastering Crime Fiction:  A Whodunit How-to. The morning was kicked off by the delightful Catriona McPherson who spoke about creating characters who breathe.  Catriona told us she lets go of her characters so that they can breathe.  She asked those of us who were fans of the television series, Sex and the City who we would prefer to be with - Aiden or Mr. Big. Although Aiden was a sweet and loving boyfriend to Carrie the majority of the audience picked Mr. Big. His character had layers and captured our interest and ultimately Carrie's heart. Catriona pointed out how a character's flaws don't make the character real to the reader but rather the author's voice.  When you are writing do your characters jump off the page?  Do you want t

The secret to finishing your book

Yes, I do know what the secret is to finishing your book.  You may want to sit down in front of your computer, have a glass of water (or wine) handy and prepare to be in this position for a long time. Now that you are ready - here's the secret.  If you want to finish your book you have to write.  That may seem anti-climatic but it's the simple fact.  It's great to have goals, to wish for it and to talk about it but ultimately the only way that book is going to be completed is by you doing the hard work of banging on the keyboard. Having recently been suffering from a bit of angst over my second book in the Jayne Stanford series I can understand why this advise seems silly and obvious.  Of course the book isn't going to write itself.  Of course I need to sit down and put words on the page.  What's so life changing in that? For me it was life changing.  At the writers conference I attended over this weekend it was a constant theme. Write, write and write.  Sched

Emotional Connections

When you watch a Hallmark commercial do you feel a connection with the actors in it?  Do you believe they are real people experiencing an event in their lives and not actors at all?  Does it tug at your heart or bring you to tears?  If it does, then the advertiser has succeeded in creating an emotional connection between you and the actors on the screen. In your writing one of your goals should be to create the same kind of connection between your characters and your readers.  That doesn't mean your characters all have to be lovable.  Quite the contrary!  In fact you may want your readers to hate a character, fear him, feel sorry for him or relate to him (or her).  The key is that your reader makes an emotional connection on some level. There are a number of ways you can accomplish this.  For example, what is it about your protagonist that makes her real?  Perhaps she is married with children and is trying to be a super mom and wife.  Perhaps she has a high pressure job and

Black Magic

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  Wanting his share of the spotlight is the ever so handsome Magic, so named because he used to "magically" appear at our patio door hoping for food.  Smart enough to sleep on the roof of our two story condo he would jump from the ground up onto a six foot wall and from there to the second floor patio and onto the roof to stay safe while he slept from the coyotes. He would disappear all day long only to show up promptly at dinner time.  Panting from the extreme Arizona heat in the summer and snuggling into the blankets we would set for him in the winter. It took months for him to trust us enough to bring him in the house.  He was frightened but desperate for love.  Now several years later he has accepted we are his forever family. Happy trails,  Leslie

Writing Support

I just joined yet another writing group, well actually make that a new group and two sub-groups.  You may wonder why, when I already barely have time to catch my breath, that I decided to commit myself to something else.  The answer is simple - I get so much more than the time I invest. Every time I attend a meeting or read the publications from these associations I find my almost dead batteries are re-charged.  My inspiration (some like to call it their muse) returns.  My motivation to sit back down at the keyboard and bang away is back and I remember why I'm doing this at all.  I love books and even more than reading books I love to write. As hard as the task seems to be at the end of a long day, or an even longer week, putting my thoughts on paper is exhilarating.  The possibility of seeing my work in print or even in an e-book format is thrilling.  So despite feeling that I have absolutely nothing to contribute, nothing to say (which is shocking if you knew me personally) a

How life gets in the way of fiction

Unfortunately, once again I am distracted by life's events, making it difficult for me to focus on writing.  A very dear friend of thirty-five years has been diagnosed with cancer.  Her fight is preoccupying my mind and my heart. What I want to do is spend precious moments in her company, hopefully provide a distraction for her and maybe even make her laugh.  What I must do is perform my daily tasks, one of which is to complete a certain amount of work in the second novel. I don't have an answer for how an author can put aside the trials and tribulations of daily living in order to shut down the distractions.  This is a challenge I have yet to resolve. What I do know is that every day brings us an opportunity to embrace those experiences, to absorb them and to at some point take the emotions, feelings, laughter and tears and pour that onto the pages. I pray that the outcome will be positive for my friend and I hope that you and your family are never touched by this di

Character development

Unless you are writing nonfiction you need to create characters which are interesting and unique in order to capture and keep the reader's interest.  What makes your characters stand out?  What makes them different from the hundreds of other characters already out there? First you need to know your characters.  You need to know their strengths and their weaknesses.  As I have posted before, using an spreadsheet may help you keep track of their distinguishing traits. However, more than simply logging what color eyes your characters have you need to take it a few steps further.  You need to think about how your characters express their uniqueness. Let's take for example a character who is constantly nervous.  Would you simply write, John felt nervous, or would you show behavior in John which demonstrates this instead?  Instead of the earlier text, try this: John's fingers twitched on the trigger and his leg jiggled non-stop as his eyes darted around the room, trying to

Living the Life

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Chance has a very tough life.  Here he refuses to get out of bed and is hoping I will serve his breakfast where he has snuggled under the covers.

Setting in your writing

When writing it can be easy to forget that the setting is a character in itself.  If you are writing a historical, futuristic or current piece you need to be aware of the role setting plays regardless of what the genre in which you are working. Let's take for example a romance - does it take place in a worn torn country, on a family farm or in the heart of a major city?  Each situation offers vastly different environments even though they are still about a romance between two people.  Keeping with those concepts does our couple meet while fighting on opposite sides, while trying to save a family farm or to take it away for development or while each having drinks with someone else in a chic Manhattan hot spot?  The next concept to consider in setting is what does it reflect about your characters?  Take for example the Manhattan location - does one of the characters thrive while the other pulls at his collar uncomfortably?  What would that setting tell you about each person?  In

Animal Wellness - a new concept

Once in a while I feel compelled to veer off the topic of writing and blog about something totally unrelated.  Hopefully you won't be discouraged by my wanderings and will return and read the next post which I promise will be writing related. A friend of mine (the wonderful Lauren Steinberg) has recently started a pet wellness center in Monroe, NY.  I'm so excited about the concept that I felt compelled to share it with my readers.  Monroe Animal Hospital and Pet Wellness Center focuses on taking care of our four legged children the way we should.  Their mission statement is: Our center's philosophy is to promote healing and well being, to contribute to animal welfare issues and to give back to the animal and human community By offering services we might expect to see provided for humans I believe they have taken pet care to the next level.  Despite the fact that many of us who share our lives with animals are positive that they speak to us, the reality is that we are

How to determine your genre

When I first started writing everything I read discussed how to determine what genre you were writing.  At that time I had no idea that YA meant young adult or Middle Grade meant the middle school grades but I did know what a cozy mystery was.  I will admit this was due mostly to the fact that I prefer to read mysteries over just about everything else.  It seems as if there used to be only a couple of options.  You wrote a mystery or a romance, for example.  Now we have such interesting sub-genres as utopian and dystopian fiction, speculative fiction, cosmic horror and chick lit, to name just a few.  How do you determine what genre you are writing with such a vast range of options? The answer is one word - simplify.  If you aren't sure if you are writing a mystery, a thriller or a cozy start at the top and work your way down  by answering these questions: 1. Does my manuscript have a crime which needs to be solved?  If there is no crime then it's probably not a mystery. 

Dear Author

As an author have you ever wondered what your characters might say to you if given the opportunity?  Do you know your characters well enough to take the chance? As I developed my protagonist in Menu for Murder, (Jayne Stanford) I learned more and more about her.  Jayne has become a very real person in my mind and I believe I could have a conversation with her, should she decide to pop off the pages and perhaps join me for dinner sometime.  Jayne:  "So nice of you to finally invite me out." Leslie:  "I felt it was time we met in person and I've taken the liberty of ordering your dinner." Jayne:  "I'm sure you know all of my favorites but be aware that if you mess this up you'll need to go back to page 167 and do some re-writes." Actually I wouldn't expect the conversation to be anything similar to what I've written above but posting that did give me a laugh.  Jayne is a piece of me as well as a conglomeration of many of my wo

Ludwig

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Another picture of my backyard wildlife.  Ludwig visits every evening and he and Chance have a stare off.  I think it might actually be love.  Stranger things have happened! Leslie

Inspiration

How do you find inspiration?  Do you listen to a particular type of music, sit in your favorite chair, read someone's work other than your own or do you simply wake up every day filled with ideas? For me it is a combination of all of the above - and probably a few others that I can't think of right now.  I could be driving down the highway when a song comes on the radio that lights up my brain and starts the ideas flowing.  Some days just before I am completely awake an entire scene will play out in my head forcing me out of bed in the early pre-dawn hours to jot it down before it slips away. Hardest is when I try to force the words on to paper - when my mind has jettisoned off to another place and time or when all I can think about is the list of one hundred other things to which I still need to attend.  But having said that, I also find that even when I don't feel like I can put forth a single thought, sometimes I do my best writing. Do you need to feel inspired to

Writing with an outline

As a person who thrives on organization I cannot imagine trying to write a novel without an outline.  For me it comes as natural as breathing.  Having spoken to other authors it seems this process can be intimidating to many. When I started the first Jayne Stanford book I initially just wrote whatever came to mind and then tried to piece it together to form Acts one through three.  The more I learned about the process of writing the more committed I became to using an outline.  It wasn't exactly a deliberate act as much as it evolved into an outline.  As I tried to keep facts straight I found I was having to search the manuscript for particular scenes.  That quickly became tedious. When I took a break from Jayne's life and started on my second book, Wife for Rent having an outline happened without any forethought. Since I was moving away from the mystery genre into women's literature I wanted to know where the main character was going from the beginning. On the secon

Chuck the walla

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For those of you who may have never seen one, this healthy fellow is a Chuckwalla.  He is native to central Arizona and completely benign.  Although he may appear fierce and has exhibited a great deal of strength when he pulls branches down from my backyard plants, he is generally shy. The males have the bright orange body with a yellow tail and the females (alas as is usually the case) are not colorful. Most people know about our rattlesnakes and scorpions but we have a large number of other species which are infinitely more interesting. Leslie

Writing with a partner

I recently attended a one day seminar which featured a session on writing as part of a team.  It was fascinating to see how the partners (two ladies in this case) played off each other's strengths and weaknesses to create their work. After some trial and error they discovered what worked for them.  To start they write on a schedule.  One partner is in charge of coffee and danish while the other drives to her house to start their daily task.  Once together they review the work which each was assigned and then start composing.  Each partner has certain elements they contribute but ultimately the voice of the work reflects them both. It may be impossible for them to tell at the end of the day who contributed which piece but ultimately it doesn't matter.  I suppose the old saying applies here, "Two heads are better than one". Lately I wish I did have a writing partner who could help motivate me to get busy.  Waiting to hear from the editor and the agent, who both ex