I’m so happy to welcome my friend and colleague Amy Manemann to my blog today, and very excited to present an excerpt from her exciting new book, Deadly Science!
My Life As a Writer
By Amy Manemann
I think I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer, it’s just one of those things that has always seemed to be a part of who I am. I believe I was in 3rd grade when I wrote my first story from a vivid dream I’d had the night before. It was quite a fantastical, sci-fi adventure, involving a bitter battle between two races of beings set far in the future. I couldn’t tell you anything more than that of the story, and sci-fi isn’t a genre I’m much into these days, but I do remember the excitement coursing through me while writing it. Once bitten, the writing bug has been with me ever since!
Writing for me is like breathing, it seems like such a natural, normal thing to do. I laugh when people ask how I can work part time, be a mother of two very active children and manage to write novels on top of it. My answer? Not to rip off Nike’s advertising, but I just do it. I have stories continuously bouncing around in my head, just waiting for me to get them out and onto paper. To not allow them the chance would be just foolishness on my part. I love to write, plain and simple. Eventually, everything else just falls into place.
International best-selling author, Amy Manemann, is the author of Deadly Reunion and Deadly Science, the first two books of the Deadly Series (Taci Andrews Mysteries) and Dracula’s Party, her first children’s book. She resides in her hometown along the Mississippi river with her husband and their two children, where she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, writing, blogging and interviewing authors to feature on her website. Amy is also a site administrator for the World Literary Cafe.
Connect with Amy through her website www.amymanemann.webs.com or blog www.amymanemann.blogspot.com.
Chapter Excerpt from Amy’s newest release, Deadly Science, featuring investigative reporter Taci Andrews and her two beaus in hot pursuit; fireman Tony Parson and coworker Gavyn Davis:
I somehow managed to keep my mouth from dropping open, hard as it was. Was it just my imagination or did Gavyn just politely tell Parsons to back off? From the deadly glint in Parsons narrowed eyes I could tell he’d gleaned the same information I had. Great.
Stepping forward Tony clamped a possessive hand on my arm, giving it a gentle tug until I was standing next to him on the sidewalk. Yep, let the pissing match begin. “Thanks for the offer, but she’s already taken care of. Maybe another time.”
Gavyn flashed an easy grin, reaching over to capture my free hand and tug me back to him. “Sorry to rain on your parade, but she’s already taken my offer for a ride home. I guess you can catch her another time.”
Tony’s jaw clenched and he reached a hand over to capture my arm but I sidestepped, slapping my hands on my waist to fix the two of them with an icy stare. Don’t get me wrong; it did a lot for a girl’s ego to have two guys fighting over her, but this was getting ridiculous.
“You know something? I’ve decided that I don’t want a ride home from either of you tonight. Thanks for the offers, but I’ll take my chances with the cab company,” I informed them icily. Turning on my heel I stomped back in the direction of the Times building, coming to a halt when a junked up Ford Fiesta pulled to a stop at the curb. Corey stuck his youthful, pimpled face out the window, shooting me a hopeful smile.
“Doest thou need a ride to yonder castle, M’lady?” he asked. I blew out a sigh. This night had gone from weird to weirder. My current choices included dealing with the testosterone duo or a kid who thinks he’s a knight from Sir Lancelot’s time.
A glance over my shoulder at the scowling Gavyn and jaw clenched Parsons told me I’d be better off with the knight, and I quickly scrambled to the passenger side of the car. A perfect ending to a perfect day, I thought as we pulled away from the curb. A pair of sparkling crystals winked at me from the rearview mirror.
Check out Amy’s other books, too!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog, Amy! Best of luck with your new book!
I’m so pleased to present this beautiful new cover for The Star Child, and welcome author Stephanie Keyes to my blog! Read a bit about her wonderful novel and don’t forget to check out the bookmark giveaway below…
The world is about to be cloaked in darkness.
Only one can stop the night.
Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.
Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?
About The Author:
Stephanie Keyes was born in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania and has worked for the past twelve years as a corporate educator and curriculum designer in the Telecommunications industry. She holds a Master’s degree in Education with a specialization in Instructional Technology from Duquesne University and a B.S. in Management Information Systems from Robert Morris University. She is a classically trained clarinetist, but also plays the saxophone and sings. When she’s not writing, she is a wife to a wonderfully supportive husband and mother to two little boys whom she cites as her inspiration for all things writing. The Star Child is Mrs. Keyes’ debut novel.
Website: http://www.stephaniekeyes.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/stephaniekeyes
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephanie-Keyes/150860604966160
Giveaway Details (Open for USA and UK only):
Celtic knot designed antiqued bookmark – Will go very well with this book!
So happy to welcome my friend, colleague, and talented author Richard Holmes to my blog! His new book Fragments of Divinity has just launched and now we’re going to find out a little about it and about Richard. He’s been through quite a fascinating journey and I’m so glad he’s here to share!
First a bit about the book…
The first book in the Fragments Of Divinity series. An innovative publication of blog style articles that deal with potentially complicated spiritual subjects in an easy to read and understand way. Based mainly on the author’s own actual experiences, these delightful articles will provide both inspiration and insight to the reader, and will also answer many of those nagging questions that you thought you would never receive answers to. A truly inspirational read.
Now about the author…
Richard was born in London in 1955 and has lived a very topsy-turvey life that hit rock bottom as we entered the new millennium.
“I always felt like a bit of a misfit, not really belonging anywhere. This is illustrated by the fact that I left school at 15 with no qualifications and would have been asked to leave had I not done so voluntarily. By the time I was 17 I’d had 24 jobs and was just not able to settle anywhere.”
Out of frustration and boredom Richard joined the army in 1976, but this did not work out either and he left at the end of 1979. After a three month interim period, Richard went off to Germany to work and remained abroad for six years. It was during his time in the army and in Germany that he succumbed excessively to the temptations of alcohol.
“I had taken certain drugs at a younger age but my body had not responded well to this punishment. Because of this I had no trouble giving up the drugs, but alcohol represented a different proposition, and for many years I sought solace in this substance which inevitably led to depression.”
Richard returned to the UK in 1986 and by the mid 1990’s found himself in a pretty sorry state. Things came to a head during the latter part of 2000 when his life seemed to sink down to an all-time low.
“Finally, out of the darkness there came a light and in 2001 I found my spiritual pathway giving me a purpose in life.”
These days Richard lives in Tetbury, Gloucestershire and has been working as a medium for over ten years. He runs workshops in various spiritual topics, gives private consultations for guidance along life’s pathway, and also tutors on a one-to-one basis in meditation and spiritual awareness. He is a Reiki healer, psychic surgeon, spiritually inspired artist, and gives profound interpretations of dreams.
Find out more, and connect with Richard at these links:
https://www.facebook.com/authorrichardfholmes
http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Holmes/e/B004TL50JM/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_2
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/146207
Today I’m very excited to present my first guest blogger. She’s an award-winning, bestselling author, as well as a colleague and friend. She will also be one of the authors featured with me on Monday, June 4th at the Rip Roaring Reads author Shindig forum. Please welcome the very talented Kathie Shoop!
Thanks so much, Bonnie, for having me to your blog.
Wonderful to have you here! I’m so eager to hear about your book After the Fog, which won an IPPY Silver Medal Award and the Indie Excellence Book Award for Literary Fiction!
After the Fog was a fantastic opportunity for me to explore many different layers and elements that figure into vintage American Steel Town living. The novel is set in 1948 during one of America’s worst environmental/industrial disasters. The town of Donora sits in a horseshoe curve created by a river that fed the three miles of mills that were the draw for much of its population.
Rising up from the valley where the mills stretched across the land are steep mountainsides that created the walls that trapped the mill gasses during the “five days of fog.” A temperature inversion essentially put a lid over the valley and kept the smoke and toxins from escaping for five days.
Donorans were accustomed to fog and smog—the sight of billowing smoke meant there was money being made. For previously dirt-poor, repressed immigrants, the promise of upward mobility was a powerful lure and a reason to turn away from thoughts that perhaps the smoke was not all that healthy.
Donora was full to bursting with strong men and gritty women who were incredibly proud of what their steel products built the world over. They had supplied the war with essential materials and girded the pre and post-war American infrastructure that we still see in evidence today. Donorans wanted the best for their children and at that time the best included going to college and finding a way to “own,” one’s life completely. It’s a subtle, but useful bit of a conflict—a love/hate relationship with the mills.
It’s this backdrop that I set my fictional Pavlesic family against. Rose, a public health nurse, mother and wife is the main character. She is hard to like for some readers, but she loves her family fiercely. She just doesn’t know how to let that love totally out into the world. She harbors secret “sins” that she can’t let go of and it’s during the smog that she finds she’s not the only one hiding things.
Like all good stories, the plot thickens and things get worse than imaginable. But, After the Fog is a hopeful story at its heart. With all that’s difficult in life, this Pavlesic family finds a way to do more than just survive. They find a way to grow and come together as they never had before. Donorans were a lot of things, but they were tough.
The “five days of fog,” is the event that was the impetus for the development of the EPA and the Clean Air Act of 1955. It’s something that is still remembered today in Donora—both for good and bad. It was such an honor to have eyewitnesses describe the experience and I can only hope I did the town justice in the book.
Thanks again, Bonnie!
Sounds like a wonderful book and such an interesting story. I’m looking forward to reading it!
After the Fog is the second novel by bestselling Kindle author Kathleen Shoop. Her debut novel, The Last Letter, garnered multiple awards (IPPY Gold medal, Indie Excellence Book Awards Finalist, and International Book Awards Finalist). A Language Arts Coach with a Ph.D. in Reading Education, Kathleen lives in Oakmont, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.
You can learn more about Kathie and her literary ventures here:
Website http://kshoop.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/kathieshoop
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathleen-Shoop/359762600734147
On Monday, June 4th at 12pm EST, I have the pleasure and honor of joining a dynamic group of bestselling and award-winning authors in a discussion of what makes a rip-roaring read! I’ll be discussing my romantic comedy novels Wedlocked (which just won the 2012 Indie Excellence Award for Chick Lit and is an award-winning finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards!) and my recently released novel Neurotically Yours. Author A.R. Silverberry will host the Shindig event, and we’ll be joined by such other distinguished authors as Melissa Foster, Karen Bergreen, and Kathie Shoop.
The online, live-video event is free. Shindig’s platform allows attendees to interact with the authors, whose work spans suspense, fantasy, historical fiction, chick lit, and humor. We encourage those who love books to ask us questions and explore what tickles, scares, inspires, and moves us. Please RSVP at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3600710823.
Now a little more about my fellow featured authors!
A. R. Silverberry is the author of the award-winning fantasy novel, Wyndano’s Cloak. His villain, Narfyel, has been called, “A perfect witch/hag,” and the novel has been called, “A Book for Three Generations.” Silverberry, the pen name for Peter Allan Adler, has been a licensed psychologist since 1991. He continues to balance his clinical practice with writing. Learn more about Silverberry on his website: http://www.arsilverberry.com.
Karen Bergreen, a mainstay in the New York City comedy clubs (I’ve seen her perform and she’s fabulously funny!), has also been invited twice to perform at HBO’s U.S. Comedy Festival in Aspen, Colorado and the Great American Comedy Festival at the Johnny Carson Theatre in Norfolk, Nebraska. Karen has appeared on Comedy Central, The Oxygen Network, The Joy Behar Show, and Law & Order. Her 2010 comic novel, Following Polly, earned praise from The New York Times, Oprah Magazine, and her mother-in-law. Her next novel, Perfect is Overrated, will be out in July (that’s very soon). Learn more about Karen on her website: http://www.karenbergreen.net.
Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of three international bestselling novels, Megan’s Way, Chasing Amanda, and Come Back to Me. She has also been published in Indie Chicks, an anthology. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women; the World Literary Cafe, a literary community; IndieKindle; and Fostering Success. Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children, she’s written for Calgary’s Child Magazine and Women Business Owners Magazine, and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. She’s currently collaborating on the film production of Megan’s Way. Learn more about Melissa on her website: http://www.melissafoster.com/.
Kathleen Shoop, PhD, is a language arts coach in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her debut novel, The Last Letter, won the 2011 IPPY Gold Medal Award for Best Regional Fiction, Midwest. Her newly released novel, After the Fog, is already receiving critical acclaim. She is published in four Chicken Soup for the Soul books, and regularly places articles and essays in local magazines and newspapers. Visit her website at website: http://kshoop.com/.
I hope you’ll join us for what promises to be a very entertaining event. Don’t forget to RSVP! http://www.eventbrite.com/event/3600710823
Some people birth babies; I launch them. True, I don’t have stretch marks, but the agony and bliss I’ve experienced while ushering my newborn out the door is just as real. I joke that if I’d given birth to a human child, she’d be fitted with a leash and helmet every time she left the house. Unfortunately, you can’t fasten those safety devices onto a new book. Once it goes live, it’s vulnerable to all kinds of things: reviews, comments, chatter; and as an author, so am I.
In this new day of publishing and social marketing, authors enjoy close contact with their readers and this has many wonderful benefits. Forging that one-on-one communication can be a fulfilling connection for both sides. Readers are able to ask questions, relay the elements of the story that spoke to them, and get a more personal perspective on the book and the person who wrote it. Authors can see how their characters and story affected readers: who they loved and related to, and what made them laugh, cry, seethe, or tremble. When appreciation for your work is expressed in such a direct way, it’s a very gratifying experience. After years of investing your blood, sweat, and tears, this is your big pay-off, even more, in my opinion, than any monetary reward.
But, inevitably, there is another side to this dynamic. Any writer or artist of any sort who puts their personal masterpiece out for human consumption will eventually find those who do not appreciate, relate to, or “get it”. I say this is inevitable because it is humanly impossible for the same book to appeal to everyone. When you think about it, each reader has a unique personality, a special set of likes and dislikes, religious or spiritual beliefs, political ideals, personal preferences, and so on. They come from myriad backgrounds and sport a variety of temperaments. So how can we possibly expect each of them to love the same book (or painting, or sculpture, or poem, or movie, etc.)?
I remember reading that Vincent van Gogh’s paintings went totally unappreciated by almost everyone when he was alive, and that included his mother! I try to keep that astounding tidbit in the forefront of my mind as I release my second baby, Neurotically Yours. The anticipation of letting go can be excruciating, but as long as there continue to be those readers and book critics who do “get it”, who do appreciate your stories in the ways you intended, then any negative commentary from others is worth bearing. I remind myself that I’ve done my best job instilling all the right stuff into my “baby” and now I just have to trust she’s going to do just fine out there on her own!
Neurotically Yours launched on Wednesday, April 25th at the World Literary Cafe and has now commenced a month-long blog tour:
Allison Merritt interviews me on her website: http://bit.ly/I54gCQ
Read my WLC post Who Among Us Isn’t Just a Little Bit Neurotic? http://bit.ly/Jnrg3H
Elizabeth Cassidy interviews me about neuroses and my new book: http://bit.ly/JvXJCt
Cheap Kindle Daily features me and my new book: http://wp.me/p1ZmHB-iM
Gina’s Library reviews Neurotically Yours, (5 STARS!): http://bit.ly/JBtDBu
Digital Book Today interviews me: http://bit.ly/IEdPMT
Great review of Neurotically Yours and interview on Emerald Barnes’ Blog: http://wp.me/pASRe-m2
My interview with Elizabeth Cassidy is featured on Skirt!: http://bit.ly/Ioar8R
My interview with Karen Baney on her blog: http://bit.ly/KmNrmY
Meet the funny heroine of Neurotically Yours in this great character interview! http://bit.ly/JTvkWm
My interview with Kathie Shoop on her blog: http://bit.ly/II4vna
My interview with Micheal Rivers on his blog: http://bit.ly/Kc5Gll
Christine Cunningham reviews Neurotically Yours: http://bit.ly/Iqs58c
Kaira Rouda hosts my post How I turned Dating Hell into a Romantic Comedy: http://bit.ly/o89YaB
I talk about writing from my life experiences on Wendy Young’s blog: http://wp.me/p1JRnw-bS
I talk writing, reading and NEUROTICALLY YOURS on Amy Manemann’s blog: http://bit.ly/IU7HQA
Everything is copy. I’ll tell you why on Matt Patterson’s blog: http://bit.ly/ILbr8t
Read a funny excerpt from NEUROTICALLY YOURS at the WLC: http://bit.ly/Ji35Rm
Find out the top 10 reasons virtual book tours blow actual ones away on Peter Adler’s blog: http://bit.ly/JOWwZX
Get to know what makes me tick and much more on Keith Weaver’s Blog: http://bit.ly/JJhCaW
I ‘m Living to Tell the Tales (and what tales!) on Linn B. Halton’s website: http://bit.ly/K1zuw4
I talk Romance, Comedy and Me on T.M. Souders’ blog: http://wp.me/p1AxLQ-b2
I answer three great questions on Van Heerling’s blog: http://bit.ly/Kya65g
Love a Happy Ending celebrates NEUROTICALLY YOURS! Read an excerpt: http://bit.ly/KsAoCD
I’m thoroughly convinced that one of the biggest reasons would-be authors never make it through page one of their would-be novels, is the daunting and confusing first step of choosing point-of-view. It’s something most book readers aren’t even consciously aware of, despite the fact that it hugely determines how they will relate to the characters and to the story as a whole.
First person offers a single-eye view of the world through the perspective of one character, who is also the narrator of the story. In third person, the author tells the story in an “anonymous” voice, and is afforded the advantage of tapping into more than one character’s head to convey thoughts and feelings.
For my debut novel, Wedlocked, I did not have to struggle with the decision of which view to choose. Wedlocked is based on my own true experiences, namely my impulsive, brief, and disastrous marriage after years of struggling through singlehood. Telling the story through my main character’s point-of-view was a natural choice, since Rebecca is based on me. But I soon learned of the great disadvantage of choosing first person: The story could only go as far as my protagonist’s own eyes, ears and experiences. Rebecca had to be in every scene! Luckily, I overcame this obstacle easily, as the story had Rebecca remembering the events of her life from a future place and time. Her perspective was enough to convey what I needed to, and her vibrant and witty personality carried the story with ease. However, there is something else writers of first person stories need to look out for. It’s important to make sure your tale isn’t bogged down by “I” this and “I” that. It requires some creativity to make sure you don’t fall into that annoying trap, but it’s surely doable.
In my second novel, another romantic comedy that will launch on April 25th at the World Literary Café (tune in next month for details!), I knew first person wouldn’t work nearly as well as third person. Why? Because I had three main characters into whose heads I intended to pry. Thus, I chose third person, even though the thought of it worried me. I’d never written that way before and wasn’t sure what obstacles I’d face. Would I be able to make it as funny as Wedlocked? Could I convey the distinct personalities of the main characters as clearly? Happily, the answer is yes! As the “anonymous voice” telling the story, I could still communicate the characters’ colorful personalities and humorous thoughts (albeit third hand). Dialogue wasn’t an issue because it’s the same in both point-of-views, and the advantage of not having to have my heroine in every scene was a liberating adventure for me.
Now, to complicate matters, a writer’s decision regarding point-of-view doesn’t stop there. You are also required to choose either present voice or past voice. Is the action happening “as we speak” or are the events being told from a time in the future? Most novels use past voice, probably because it’s not very common for authors to successfully employ present voice as it can be quite jarring to the reader if not used adeptly. I briefly considered using present voice for Wedlocked, but luckily after a few arduous and uncomfortable pages, came to my senses.
Now, let’s say like most authors you choose third person, past voice. Guess what? You’re still not done making point-of-view decisions. Now you need to determine if your story is going to be told in limited, objective, omniscient, or multiple POV. (See why so many writers give up before they start?) In limited, the reader is bound to just the perspective of one main character. In objective, the reader doesn’t see any of the character’s views, thoughts or feelings, but instead observes the story only from actions and details. In omniscient, the reader is privy to every character’s thoughts and feelings in the scene, a prospect that scares off many new writers. And in multiple, the reader can hear the thoughts of a few characters, as in the case of my second novel.
Just remember, you don’t have to make a final decision that is set in stone before you begin writing. I learned that it’s okay to make an educated guess as to the best view to take, and if you run into serious problems you can always go back to the beginning and change it. Trial and error is not against the rules and can be a great way to figure out the best mode of telling a story.
I think most authors still use third person because it allows for more versatility and complex storylines. Nowadays though, the use of first person seems more prevalent than ever before. Maybe that’s because a whole genre was founded on the basis of it. I am referring, of course, to Chick Lit. Ever since Bridget Jones began scrawling in her diary, millions of female readers have been swept into novels with the aid of that personal, intimate voice that speaks so well to them. The prevalence of first person has stretched beyond Chick Lit into other women’s fiction and beyond. I have been told by several readers that it was Rebecca’s wit and exasperation at her circumstances that made her so much fun as a narrator and so easy to relate to. That says a lot about the appeal of first person, but ultimately it’s your unique story that will determine which point-of-view is best.
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