Mental Floss Blows My Mind!

Okay, you may have read that title and thought that I have extremely good dental health...well, I try. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a site I've discovered. They have these wacky, informative and fun short videos that recap a variety of topics. Just pick one that appeals to you.

As a writer I enjoyed '79 Common Mispronunciations'. The host, John Green, is hugely entertaining on a topic that you might think was just a step above watching paint dry. But really, when he instructed me in the proper pronunciation of Harry Potter's 'Hermoine' and added 'They should have been a couple but life is full of injustice and Weasleys' I was hooked!

So, maybe you don't care one way or another how people pronounce some of these words, although it can be very annoying! (I'm talking to you, verbal manglers of Illinois...that 's' is silent, people!) But as an author I really enjoyed '43 Words Invented by Authors' where I discovered that Chaucer invented the word 'twitter', thereby laying the groundwork for that 140 character behemoth that not only limits spaces but words, drastically narrowing the odds that anything Chaucer wrote will ever show up there!

Alright, do I have to use a three letter word to get your attention? Then check out '20 Misconceptions About Sex', hosted by Dr. Aaron Carroll. But beware, it can be clinical. You don't have to be an author to find the subject matter fascinating, but I would recommend it for Romance writers--it's very illuminating!

And that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Mental Floss's offerings. They tackle all kinds of misconceptions and explanations, from make-up to mating seasons, alcohol to allergies, founding fathers to...cheese names?? So the next time you are passing time on hold with your cable company, check Mental Floss!

Short and Sweet Review: Breaking Point by C.J. Box

Breaking Point is the 13th installment in the Joe Pickett series and for a while there the reader may be worried that 13 is not Joe's lucky number! But it is C.J. Box's, because this book, as with all the others, is one hell of a ride.

Once again Joe is dealing with his resourceful wife who worries about him, his girls who sometimes treat him like he's a relic of another time and federal agencies that don't respect him, let alone the rights of the citizens of Saddlestring, Wyoming.

When Joe is forced to help hunt down the father of his daughter's best friend, things don't go well. They go south. And they go up into the mountains with their rough terrain and vast expanses of beetle kill pines.

Fans of this series are used to watching the moral and physical battles Joe wages with not only criminals but all levels of the law and government. This installment finally finds common sense at the helm of the local sheriff's office, but that can't help Joe when the guys from the EPA decide to makes up the rules as they go.

Joe, of course, will be Joe. And that's what we love about him. Watching Game Warden Pickett 'go rogue' in the name of what's right is what keeps me coming back. And did I worry about all that beetle kill that's as dry and combustible as Joe's almost absent friend, Nate? I live in the Rocky Mountain west and totally appreciate it's ramifications...and of course I appreciate Nate.

Nate and Joe's relationship has taken a beating over the course of the last few books, and they are both changed men. But I'm hopeful future installments will bring them closer. We'll see. On to #14!

Publishers BAN Exclamation Marks?!?

Anyone who has corresponded with me personally knows that I do love my exclamation marks! But a fellow writer has told me she's heard of a publisher that limits authors to one lonely exclamation mark per BOOK! That's just nuts!!

Okay, so I get that publishers don't want us to get carried away in print. They may even want us to express our emotions with words rather than punctuation. But honestly, the exclamation mark is as valid a punctuation mark as commas and periods and I don't see publishers clamping down on those puppies! In fact, if you have a tendency to run-on in your sentences your editor may even suggest that you apply a few more commas and periods. Perhaps even a semi-colon!

But the lonely exclamation mark sits like the wallflower of grammar, unwanted and discouraged despite its effervescent enthusiasm for expression...

Despite my better nature, I will continue in my efforts to tamp down my exclamatory inclinations. I appreciate that it's overuse lessons its effect so I will pull as many as possible, sending them whooping and hollering back to whatever spot in my brain the over-animated writer in me resides. I miss them already, poor little things. But really, I can't promise to hold it down to just one. (!!!)

**exclamation point courtesy of www.theinkprosblog.com

Short and Sweet Review: Passionate Secrets by Lana Williams

Fans of Lana Williams rejoice! The second book of her Secrets Trilogy is now available! The first installment, Unraveling Secrets, swept readers up in a Victorian Romance filled with mystery and suspense...as well as some breathtaking romance.

Now Ms. Williams is back with book number two, Passionate Secrets. The underlying story of a science experiment gone wrong and the three young men whose lives were changed forever as a result, continues.

Michael Drury, the Viscount Weston, is one of these survivors, left with the ability to read a person’s aura that indicate success or failure for their current ventures. But Michael hasn’t dwelt on his new talent, instead he’s been trying to save the family fortune and honor, both lost by his parents whose passions clouded their judgment as well as their hearts, ultimately leading to their deaths.

Michael commits to avoid entanglements of the heart, feeling they lead to ruin. He makes his own fortune and plans to wed a cold but connected beauty whose father holds the key to the final piece of his inheritance. Just as the plan seems set, a woman from his past reappears.

Emma Grisby is the niece of the now-dead professor whose experiment changed Michael’s life. But is he dead? Michael has reason to believe he may not be. And Emma, intent on gaining his assistance with an interview for a governess position, seems oblivious to this new turn of events regarding her uncle.

Is Emma playing a game? Her family has fallen on hard times and her sister is desperately ill. Certainly she has every reason to rue an uncle who disappeared just as her family needed his help the most. But is he helping them now? Michael intends to keep her close to find out the truth, while keeping himself personally distant, avoiding those messy affairs of the heart. He has a plan after all.

Emma, however, whose dour and stand-offish exterior hides a woman of great talent and gentle nature, slowly softens that hard exterior making it very difficult for Michael to reign in his growing feelings...and find out the truth about the evil professor’s diabolical scheme to control the population, and possibly endanger them all.

Passionate Secrets is a great read all on its own, whether you read the first book or not...but it might make you want to read them both! Williams writes a fluid and compelling tale that will make you a fan of all her books. Luckily, readers can anticipate a third installment in the future. 

Short and Sweet Review: Below Zero by C.J. Box

Another awesome and gritty tale in C.J. Box's Joe Pickett series. I believe Below Zero is #9 and the author shows no signs of lagging in his diligence to take the reader on a thrilling ride through the wilds of Montana...and the heart of a family.

This series is not for the feint of heart or the squeamish. But the most difficult scenes to read are not arbitrary. Everything has it's purpose to advance the plot and, on occasion, educate the reader to the controversies of the contemporary west.

I would never put a reader off a particular book, but I would advise starting this series at the beginning with Open Season. By the time you reach Below Zero, Joe Pickett is chasing down a dying Chicago bad guy, and his seriously screwed up son, with a warped idea about how he can clean the slate before he dies. But Joe is also urgently searching for a young girl who may...or may not be the adopted daughter whose death years--and books--ago left an aching hole in the hearts of Joe's family.

Of course the elusive and mysterious Nate Romanowski has Joe's back when things turn ugly, which only makes the whole experience richer. But first Joe has to hike into Nate's remote lair where he's hiding out from the feds.

The title doesn't refer to the cold, but it certainly could refer to the hearts of these 'bad guys'. Readers can count on Joe catching up with them, but as always, we have no guarantee that there won't be collateral damage. That's the catch with Box's series: there are no promises. But I'll make a promise--if you can take it, you'll love these books!

Short and Sweet Review: Just Another Maniac Monday by Jennie Marts

Just Another Maniac Monday is a funny romance with plenty of heart. The third installment of Jennie Marts’ Page Turner series, tells the story of the oldest member of the group, the elderly, but fun and feisty Edna.

The sudden return of Johnny, an old flame whom Edna had thought long dead, occasions some marvelous flashbacks to Edna’s young adult years in the 50’s. If you've read the previous books this is a change of scenery, not to mention era. But the author does a marvelous job of creating the feel of the time and developing characters who are true to their day.

Meanwhile, back in the present, Edna’s friends bring humor and love as they dive right in to help her discover the truth of Johnny’s return as well as protect her from a very real present-day threat.

Marts books are always fun to read but Monday had the added appeal of a very touching and tragic love story that might just have a shot at a happy ending-if they all survive to the end of the book (don’t want to give away any spoilers here!).  I highly recommend it for a fun and touching summer read or even a cozy winter get-away. 

Blog Tour: My Writing Process

Today is Blog Tour Day. This blog tour is where writers and authors answer questions about their writing process. My friend Lana Williams, who writes wonderful historical romances, posted hers last week. You can check out her writing process here: Love Historicals 

I hope you enjoy this peak into my process and I’d love to hear your comments and questions-please add those at the bottom!

1)  What am I working on?

Right now I’m writing the sequel to my women's fiction novel, The Shell Keeper, which was the first in my Keeper trilogy. I’m just past mid-way and still wandering a bit in the wilderness that is the middle of the book. I always find I more or less sprint to the middle, hit a plateau and then wander a bit before I find the way to get to the end. As usual I have another book in the back of my mind that I sometimes play with. This one is unrelated to the Keeper trilogy, and its plot is percolating until I am ready. 

                2)  How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I write in two genres: women’s fiction and mystery (that one is Framed, a Kay Conroy mystery). This current book is women’s fiction and the trilogy is based, in part, on themes from Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift from The Sea, which explores the phases of a woman’s life. Instead of one main character, I have three best friends whose stories we follow in each book, focusing more heavily on a different character in each book. The Shell Keeper followed Gwen, this current book (still working on the title) follows Claire and the final book will be Del’s story. But don't think they are heavy, serious reads! I love to incorporate humor, happiness and romance in all my books. 

                3)  Why do I write what I do?

I enjoy exploring the highs and lows that women face in all times of their lives. That can be pretty serious stuff, but I like to inject some humor into my stories as well. I suppose it’s a reflection on my own life since I tend to be a 'glass half full' kind of gal and, whenever possible, would rather smile and laugh than cry. In a way, I hope reading my books will help other women see that they aren’t alone—in whatever challenges they face—and help them face them with a smile. Okay, I know, it’s corny, but it is what it is!

                4)  How does your writing process work?

If you know what a Pantser is that’s me! I go in with a general idea of where I’m starting, how it ends and what happens in the middle. Then I let the characters show me the way...within reason. Sometimes they stray (especially in that plateau I mentioned in #1) and I have to wrangle them back. But generally they cooperate; which is not the same thing as behave!

Like many authors, writing isn’t my day job, so I have to work around my work schedule, which changes daily. In general, I try to hit the keyboard after an early lunch and, if I’m lucky, I’m there till mid-afternoon. I might write a page or a chapter. Either way, I think as long as I’m writing it’s like putting one foot in front of the other—I’ll get there.

Since I work from home I have a separate, smaller office set up just for writing. It’s tucked away in a cozy corner and, if I exercise will power and avoid my email, I can focus completely on writing.

I know many writers wax poetic about their chocolate/diet cokes/etc., but since my writing happens after lunch, I don’t usually bring along food. I might have gum or Twizzlers if I’m particularly antsy, but I do have something to drink, like water or iced tea.

Even if I know what I’m going to write next, I always start by rereading what I wrote the day before. It’s the first official edit (my sweet spot—more on that in a second) so it cleans it up a bit and gets my mind back into the story. Along the way I keep notes on each chapter on a separate document with color coding for all of my characters. I trudge and shove my way through my first draft and then I’m a happy camper because I LOVE editing. I’m a little odd that way but I can’t help it. Having something to work with vs. a blank page just makes me giddy, and I think I do my best working adding/hacking/tweaking from beginning to end.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my post!!  Curious about other writers? You can check out the writing processes of R.S. Guthrie, Jennie Marts and Michael Roueche next Monday, May 19! Here's a little bit about each one and a link to their blog:

NEXT WEEK'S BLOG TOUR WRITERS:

R.S. Guthrie "BlackBeast: A Clan of MacAulay Novel" marked Guthrie's first major release and it heralded the first in a series of Detective Bobby Macaulay (Bobby Mac) books. His ‘Sheriff James Pruett Mystery/Thriller’series includes "Blood Land", “Money Land” and“Honor Land” is due out in 2014.It is set in a fictional town in the same county where he spent much of his childhood and still visits.

To find his blog click HERE

Jennie Marts Jennie loves to make readers laugh as she weaves stories filled with love, friendship and intrigue. She's the author of the Kindle Bestselling romantic comedies, Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body and Easy LikeSunday Mourning. Reviewers call her books "laugh out loud" funny and full of great characters that are "endearing and relatable."

To find her blog Click HERE 

Michael Rouche writes historical fiction about the civil war era including Beyond the Wood and A River Divides. Whether you are a Civil War buff or not, Michael's books really draw you in -I highly recommend them!
To find his blog click HERE