Leslie Keller Books

Being that I am suffering from the worst cold (any maybe the only cold) I've had this year, I'm having a hard time contemplating the act of writing.  But in the interest of entertaining myself and hopefully my readers of this blog, I wanted to focus on the effect the inclusion of sounds have on us while reading. Sneeze - a small peep that escaped from the squeezed together nostrils of a sweet southern belle or  an explosion that started as a deep intake of breath and shattered eardrums within ten feet? Cough - the raspy sound made by a two-pack a day cigarette smoker, which makes your own healthy lungs hurt by association, or a dry hacking sound a cat makes when trying to dislodge a hairball? Sniffle - Tears streaming down the fat cheeks of a child, sniffling in between the gasps for air while in the midst of a hurricane force temper tantrum or the floor littered with used tissues at the bedside while repeating "I can't breathe!" sound? If you think in ter

What is better than a nap by the fire?  My friend Lauren's beloved Hank is enjoying his nap and not even bothering to lie down - it's easier to fall asleep sitting up than to make the extra effort.  Perhaps he enjoyed a bit too much eggnog?  Leslie

As I prepare to head to the east coast to visit my family for the holidays I know I will be occupied and it's doubtful I'll have time to do much, if any, writing.   For me time has been the biggest obstacle.  I work at least a forty hour week at a paying job.  When that is done I have to get some exercise (because I do love my chocolate) and spend time with friends.  In between there are meals to cook and laundry and all the fun stuff that you have to do if you don't have a live in maid and cook.  Oh wait, that's my other job! I envy people who are able to shut themselves off from the world and focus on writing.  Sometimes I may be my own worst enemy because I would rather watch an hour of mindless television or read someone else's work than to try to be creative.  Since I work at a job that requires me to be tuned in from the moment I hit the desk until I shut it down for the day, and then sometimes even after hours, I feel drained of energy and devoid of creat

I have heard different things from different sources about whether if you are writing a series if you should start on the second book if you haven't found a publisher for the first one.  Based on the initial information I received I decided not to write the second book in the Jayne Stanford mystery series.  However after speaking with a publisher who recommended I write the next one, and getting the feedback on Menu for Murder, I have started it. Cocktails at Sunset which is the working title picks up where we left Jayne at the end of Menu for Murder.  Initially I was concerned that I wouldn't have enough ideas for Jayne but that was unfounded.  As I work on the Outline (I absolutely must use an outline), my real difficulty has been narrowing down what I want my heroine to experience.  Can't throw everything at her at one time, now can we? It's been exciting to continue her saga because I really like this character and I'm able to have fun writing her.  We'

Every time I read a book my mind runs comparisons between the author's work and my own.  In some cases I am inspired to do better by the prose and some in cases I am surprised at the quality of the work.  I mean surprised as in "This is why the author self-published". I don't intend to cast a critical eye on the work but I believe it's an unavoidable practice.  Case in point, I recently read a mystery by a self-published author.  The dialog was poorly written and the plot had major holes.  I'm sure the author worked very hard on the manuscript but it does make me wonder if anyone read it before it went to press.  I constantly hear from published authors that it's necessary to be part of a writer's group in order to get feedback on your work.  I'll be honest that concept scares me more than the first Alien movie did.   When you spend hours, days, weeks, months and sometimes even years to complete the work, it's a part of you and allowing som