Leslie Keller Books

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 ag...

I recently attend the Desert Sleuths chapter of Sisters In Crime one day seminar.  What a fantastic, crime solving way to spend a day! The session started with a lecture by a veteran police detective who had thirty years on the force.  He provided a wealth of real-world information about what happens in a crime scene investigation.  And if that was enough he gave us a crime scene to analyze and was available after his session for additional questions. The first presenter was followed by a private investigator and then by an attorney who represents death penalty cases. A few interesting tidbits I'm passing along - keeping in mind that this is based on Arizona laws and procedures: 1.  Investigating a homicide at the scene can take anywhere from several hours on a small scene to up to thirty six hours depending on how much evidence there is. 2.  Once the detectives have finished their work at the scene it is released.  Crime scene tape isn't left in ...

I've always enjoyed learning and, if given the option would likely spend the rest of my life attending classes.  This has become even more important to me since I've been focusing on the task of creating the written word. Looking back on when I started this journey I naively thought that I could simply sit down and write a novel.  I didn't know about plot and premise and the three act process.  I had never heard of "show, don't tell" and I never considered word count.  Writing that does make me miss the times when I could simply sit and pour the words onto the page.  Perhaps all of the education I've received has slowed me down and makes me re-write the same sentence a dozen times trying to get it perfect.  However, I believe knowledge is power and, despite the fact that I may sometimes feel the pressure to use what I have learned,  I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to learn. With all of that being said, I would encourage someone new t...

I've decided to randomly include a snippet from Menu for Murder.  Since you don't know what has come before or after the paragraph posted here I will leave it up to you to guess at what Jayne has gotten herself into.             My head halfway under the thorny branches of a Palo Verde tree, I heard the sound of raised voices and footsteps crunching on the gravel pathway headed in my direction.   Not wanting to get into trouble for dropping the tray, I remained crouched behind the bushes like a timid desert rabbit hoping if I remained perfectly still I would not be discovered. Jayne doesn't intend to trip her way into one catastrophe after another but sometimes life just seems to toss you in the wrong direction.  Let's hope she is able to get out from under the Palo Verde long enough to solve a murder - or two! Leslie

Floating on a raft or pontoon, what is a better way to spend an afternoon?  Enjoying the beautiful waters of Lake Pleasant.  Okay, maybe I wasn't exactly writing anything but I was certainly gaining inspiration.

One of the most used phrases heard in every writing class or conference is "Show Don't Tell".  What this means is that the writer should show the reader who the character is rather than telling.  Take this example: Telling the reader how the character feels: The girl was very unhappy. Showing the reader how the character feels: The girl reached for her third box of tissues, piling them up like a blizzard in Minnesota. You can determine from the second sentence that the girl is unhappy.  In neither instance do you know why she is unhappy but at least you are able to come to that conclusion without the author spelling it out. Another way to Show the character is to describe a place or setting.  Using the character's home or office you can illustrate much about her: Telling:  She likes to read Showing: The well-worn chair sat in the corner where the sunlight would dance across the words of her favorite book. The reader can surmise that the wom...

As I previously posted I attended the Desert Rose Chapter of the Romance Writers of America over the weekend.  It was the first time I had attended one of their conferences which I expected to be focused on romance writing.  I glad to say that the conference was not what I expected. Friday started with a practice your pitch session for anyone who would be meeting with an agent or editor the next day.  The pitch session was well run and informative.  That was followed by an agent/editor panel where the panel was asked a series of questions as submitted by attendees. What I learned from the session and panel was invaluable and here are a few tidbits: 1.  When pitching your work to an agent or editor they really aren't scary - so true! 2.  When pitching treat the person on the other side of the table as if you were pitching to a friend.       This one sentence really hit home to me and made giving my pitch much easier. ...