Desperately Seeking Discipline

by Jackie King

The most successful authors I know all share one trait. Self-discipline. Discipline is more essential for a writer than creativity. Discipline is to be desired above either talent or creativity.

 

Finally! Book two of my Inn-Keeping Series

A disciplined individual, who decides to write, can learn fiction and nonfiction techniques and master the craft. She/he can learn basic plot types and can use these tools to practice creating stories. Creativity can’t be taught, but a clever person could learn character development, basic plot formation and then learn to apply these techniques to produce an entertaining story. And then another entertaining story.

A creative individual, who writes only when she/he feels inspired, will be lucky to finish even one book, much less enough work to form a career. Inspiration is a fickle work tool. And many editors and publishers tend to agree with me. Mine is included in that group. Regardless of the talent involved, before a work can be edited and published, it first must be completed. That’s where discipline comes in handy. And, oh, how I wish that quality was my long suit. But alas, it is not.

So each day I must strive to put my behind in the chair that sits in front of the computer, my fingers on the keys, and coax pouting characters to come out and play.

 

The first book in my Inn-Sitter Series

These characters, like cats that have been left behind while the family vacations, are angry and refuse to acknowledge my presence. To be honest, I don’t blame them, and must continue paying penance until I am forgiven. Let’s hope that is soon.

J

Hugs,

Jackie

THE CORPSE WHO WALKED IN THE DOOR

I wish my dear friend, Peggy Moss Fielding could be here to celebrate this day with me. But she passed to a new life on May 20, 2014. I miss her terribly. But she would expect me to press on and keep writing, so that's what I'm doing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My publisher has verified that my new Grace Cassidy mystery THE CORPSE WHO WALKED IN THE DOOR, will be ready to purchase online by May 30. The trade-paperback will be available later in June.

 

Available in ebook  on May 30, 2014

This book, second in the series, moves a bit slower than the first, but the stakes are higher. Grace fears her son Brand is getting too involved with the ditzy housemaid, Sandy Walker, and she’s not ready to be a grandma.

Our heroine longs for a quiet, orderly life. She yearns for time to become acquainted with the woman she really is, not the cardboard caricature of her former self. No wonder she bored her husband Charlie. She always did everything he expected.

But that was all in the past. Now she’s surprising and delighting herself with this new persona. Being a woman is a lot more interesting than being a perfect-lady. But life interferes with her plans.

The boss-from-hell, Wilbur Wimberly’s identical twin, thought to be long dead, shows up at the family reunion. Her son is accused of attempted murder, and later of rape. Her cat Trouble finds a dead body in the bathroom of her room. And ex-husband Charlie wants to come back.

All of this and Police Sergeant Sam Harper, who wants to move their friendship to a relationship.

Once again, Grace has her hand’s full.

I've Been Gone, but I'M BACK!!!!!!!!!!

TD Hart (L) and Rehenna Morgan 

 

Baton Blog Hop

T.D. Hart, a critique buddy who writes cutting edge thrillers, tapped me for what she calls a Baton Blog Hop: basically a game of tag for writers. The idea is to answer four questions about your writing, then tag another author to do the same. But first you need to know about her blogsite, http://tdhart.blogspot.com

T.D. Hart Mysteries and Thrillers

Because Darkness Makes the Light More Beautiful…

This is a must-read, especially if you love thrillers.

TD Hart is currently finishing revisions on a Noir Mystery about a San Diego homicide detective who investigates the murder of a rock star she had a crush on as a teenager. Seventeen years ago my character's sister disappeared from a crowded beach, and the singer's voice was literally ringing through her speakers the moment she realized her sister was gone. The working title is LIFE FOR A LIFE. Does that sound good or what? I can hardly wait for this novel to be published.

~~~~~

Now for the questions that I’m supposed to answer:

What am I working on?

My current work-in-progress, a novella, has the working title DANGER VISITS THE GOLDEN DRILLER. I’m writing this story for Smart Women Writers, an ultra-cool group of first rate writers. I‘m editing the draft now.

The tough decision facing me is which mystery should I write next? Characters from two different plots are vying for my attention. One is Grace Cassidy, my evolving character from her own series. My family brainstormed with me on Thanksgiving day with this plot idea, and the working title is THE DISAPPERING CORPSE. The story will be set in Tulsa, Oklahoma and I’m very excited about the plot twists.

The competing protagonist hasn’t told me her name yet. She’s pitching her story idea, and it’s a good one. Needless to say, she’s fast becoming my Best Pretend Friend. (I fear that Grace is getting a little tired of me. Perhaps we’ve been spending too much time together and we both need a break.) Of course, I could introduce this new person in THE DISAPPEARING CORPSE and let her spin off into her own series, sans Grace.

The third possibility is working on both of these novels at the same time. I’ve never done this, and would love to hear from other writers who have. Give me the pluses and the pitfalls.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

My books are different from other cozies because I wrote them. This sounds like a smart-alecky answer, but I don’t mean it that way. When a writer finds her/his authentic voice, that work is unique from any other. I write from the heart (some call it from the gut), as much as is humanly possible. I try to tell the absolute truth as I see it. Even though the story is made up, I try to put myself in the skin of each view-point character. I let my lead character, Grace Cassidy, evolve with the series. She is a middle-aged woman whose lifestyle ended abruptly. Her determination to rebuild herself from ashes, is something that many women face during their lives.

And then, of course, all of those corpses keep showing up.

Why do I write what I do?

I write the kind of book that I enjoy reading. Agatha Christie is my all-time favorite author and role-model. Because of the great pleasure her mysteries gave me, I write cozies. I include women’s problems in my mysteries, because I was blessed to strong women in my life. These real-life heroines never gave up, no matter what fell into their path.

How does my writing process work?

First I turn on my computer and bring up Word. That’s the only constant in my routine. I’ve searched for that magic button, but the only magic I’ve received was a yellow button from a book doctor named Robyn Conley. She handed each person in her class a button and said: “Put your butt on the seat, your fingers on the keys, and type. I lost that yellow button (so typical of me), but I have remembered her words.

Well, that's it. I'm going to tag two of my writer buddies!

Bob Avey, who writes about a tough police detective with a soft underbelly. He will post next Monday, May 19 on his blog, which is attached to his website.

http:bobavey.com

The other writer is Linda Trout, who looks like a fashion model and writes take-your-breath-away thrillers. All of this with a touch of romance.

• 

http://ltrout.wordpress.com/

Do yourself a huge favor and check out these two writers.

Cheers,

Jackie

The Birthing of NO ESCAPE: The Sweetwater Tragedy

Jean Henry Mead's new historical novel, NO ESCAPE, is ready for downloading now! Today, the author tells how this book came about. Read her riveting account of "Cattle Kate's" courage. If you love mysteries, history and strong women, this is the book for you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jean Henry Mead

 

No Escape, the Sweetwater Tragedy

By Jean Henry Mead

I was researching a Wyoming centennial history book during the mid-1980s, by reading old microfilmed newspapers dating from 1888. During that time I read about a young woman named Ellen Watson, who had been hanged by cattlemen along with homesteader James Averell. The cattlemen who hanged them claimed that the pair had been operating a rural bawdy house and taking cattle for Ellen’s services.

After her death, the hangmen labeled Ellen “Cattle Kate” and vilified her by claiming that she was not only a prostitute but a cattle rustler. The Cattlemen’s Association, headquartered in Cheyenne, controlled a local newspaper and reports of the hangings were published worldwide, resulting in considerable condemnation that a woman had been hanged, despite the cattlemen’s claims.

I was curious when I read the 1889 newspaper reports, when the murders took place, and decided to write a novel about them, someday. A number of authors had written about the hangings from the cattlemen’s point of view, and films have been produced, portraying Ellen as a pistol packing outlaw. But that didn’t jibe with news reports from the Casper Weekly Mail, which published James Averell’s “letters to the editor,” complaining that greedy cattlemen were gobbling up all of Sweetwater Valley, so they could graze their cattle on government land, without paying for it.

I researched the story intermittently over the years but pieces of the puzzle were missing until George W. Hufsmith was commissioned to write an opera based on the hangings. He was hooked on the story and spent the next 20 years interviewing residents of Sweetwater Valley, Wyoming, who had knowledge of what had actually happened. Thanks to Hufsmith’s nonfiction book, I was able to write my novel. I dedicated the book to him.

 

I didn’t want to end the novel with the Averells’ deaths so I included a young, single woman homesteader in the plot to tell the majority of the story.  During my research I discovered that some 200,000 single women tried their hands at homesteading: some successful, some not.

Thanks Jean, for the background to your new and exciting novel.
And thanks to our readers for dropping by.
Jackie King

GHOSTS FROM MY PAST

By Jackie King

I was about four when my older cousins started scaring me with ghost stories. These were told in the bright sunshine, but at night I had to creep up creaking stairs to get to my bedroom at Grandma’s house. These monsters lurked along the way to terrify me. I can still remember the dread and the sick empty feeling in my belly.

The Good Old Days

Grandchildren weren’t pampered in those days, at least not by my grandma. She married at 14 so I doubt she ever had a childhood, at least not as we think of it these days. I realize now that she wasn’t a cruel woman, just one who had endured hardships, and in her declining years had received me on her doorstep while my mother trained to be a teacher. She did the best she could.

The Million Mile Stairs

There was no electricity to illuminate the steep stairs, so I was given a lighted candle and told to blow it out after I was in bed.

But what waited at the top?

Was it the murdered man looking for his golden arm? Would he chop off my head with his ax when he learned I didn’t have it, as he had with two dozen other children?

And the candle was sputtering.

Terrified of having no light, I’d put one foot in front of the other, knowing that I had no other choice. And finally I’d reach the landing. The soft glow of the candle lighted only a small circle, and each step into the blackness seemed almost certain death.

Finally, I reached my bed, set the candle on an orange-crate used for a bedside table and climbed in. It was summertime and hot, but I still pulled the dusty smelling bedspread over me. After a quick puff to blow out the candle the room was black as a witch’s hat. The counterpane (as Grandma called it) was the only protection between me and the evil ghost. I’d lie stiff as a board until I finally fell asleep.

The next morning when my cousins came to visit, I’d beg them for another ghost story.

My one and only ghost story.

MARILYN MEREDITH'S MYSTERY CHARACTERS

Want to be a Character in a Mystery? Well, read on! Today Marilyn Meredith, author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series has a contest that gives you such a chance! And as a bonus, she’s also going to share her secrets of naming characters.

But first I’d like to mention her latest mystery, Raging Water from Mundania Press.

 

Raging Water

Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s investigation of the murder of two close friends is complicated when relentless rain turns Bear Creek into a raging river. Homes are inundated and a mud slide blocks the only road out of Bear Creek stranding many—including the murderer.

Contest: The person who leaves comments on the most blogs will have his/her name used for a character in my next book—can choose if you want it in a Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery or a Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel.

Meredith also writes as F. M. Meredith, and her latest Rocky Bluff P.D. crime novel is No Bells, the fourth from Oak Tree Press.

 

Marilyn has taught for Writers Digest School for ten years and serves as a judge in several writing contests. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and follow her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/

Marilyn borrows a lot from where she lives in the Southern Sierra for the town of Bear Creek and the surrounding area.

 

NAMING YOUR CHARACTERS

By Marilyn Meredith

For me, this is one of the most important aspects of the creation of your characters. The name should in some way fit the character’s personality.

An example: If you have a strong, muscular hero you wouldn’t want to give him a weak sounding name like Lauren or Percy. You may know some body-builder types with those names, but for your book pick a name that will evoke the sense of the character for the reader.

Make sure that the characters in your book don’t all have names that begin with the same letter, rhyme, or all the same number of syllables. You never want to confuse your characters.

If you are writing a fantasy or sci-fi and your making up names, be sure they are able to be pronounced easily. If the reader can’t say the name in his/her mind, they’ll have trouble remembering who each person is. I’ve been reading books by Scandanavian authors and I’ve had a hard time keeping track of who is who because of the names that I can’t pronounce.

Having said what I did about made-up names, don’t give everyone simple names like Mary, John, Bill, Joe, Jane. If a name is a bit unusual, the reader will have an easier time remembering it. Of course there are exceptions—Jack Reacher for instance. Jack is a strong name even though it’s simple—but the character is mainly known as Reacher.

When I first started submitting my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, I had an agent tell me Tempe was too unusual of a name and to come up with something else. Obviously, I didn’t follow her advice. Tempe Crabtree was my great-grandmother’s name and I thought it worked for as a Native American. Another prominent Indian character in this series is Nick Two John.

Though some young mothers are using old-fashioned names for their children, others are making up names. One of my granddaughters used syllables from her mother’s and mother-in-law’s first names for an original name for her baby. You might even try that if you can’t come up with the exact name you want.

If you are writing an historical novel, be sure to check and see if the names you want were in use during that time period.

Where to find names? The Internet has a wealth of names. You can find names from any country and popular baby names.

What I like to do is keep graduation programs and use the names I find there—of course I mix up first and last names. Other writers I know use names they’ve found in obituaries.

Keep track of what you’ve named your minor characters so that you don’t give them a different name later on in the book. (Yes, I’ve done that.)

I hope this has will be helpful to you when you start naming the characters that you’ve created. And readers, perhaps this has given you some insight into how difficult the author’s task is when it comes to naming their creations.

Good luck to everyone who enters Marilyn's contest. And a big thank-you to Marilyn for visiting today.

Cheers,
Jacke

Today it’s my pleasure to present F.M. Meredith, also known as Marilyn Meredith, who is the author of over thirty published novels. Her latest in the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series, from Oak Tree Press, is No Bells. Rocky Bluff P.D. is a fictional beach community between Ventura and Santa Barbara and F. M. once lived in a similar beach area.

F. M. (Marilyn) is a member of EPIC, Four chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and serves as the program chair for the Public Safety Writers of America’s writing conference. She’s been an instructor at many writing conferences.



F.M. Meredith and Husband Hap at Hanford Bookfest

Tips on Picking Character Names

By F.M. Meredith

When I wrote Final Respects I had no idea it would be the first in a long-running crime series. My goal for that book was to write something that showed what happened during a police officer’s job affected the family, and what was going on with the family affected the job. I also wanted to show that the officers and detectives worked on more than one case at a time. Of course once I was done, I knew I had to find out more about these characters who had become so real to me and I’ve continued with that same goal.

Because when I wrote that first book, I didn’t know nearly as much as I do now, I picked names that I liked for each character—which is okay, but I didn’t pay attention to other rules that I’ve learned along the way.

Unlike some writing rules, these were easy to understand and made sense.

For the main characters, pick names that don’t begin with the same first letter. I goofed right off the bat with this one. One of my ongoing characters is Doug Milligan and as time goes on, he becomes a detective and partners with Frank Marshall. So now I’m stuck with Detectives Milligan and Marshall—which could become confusing to some readers.

When picking names, you want them to fit the characters. Gordon Butler has appeared in several books now, but when I first created him I had no idea how important he would become. The message here, perhaps, is consider each character important when you are thinking up their names.

Where on earth do I find names to choose from? Some authors say they use the obituary columns. Others go online and search names for babies. And of course, the Internet is also the perfect place to find ethnic names. What I like to do best is save graduation and play programs and pick names from them. Of course mixing up first and last names.

If you’re writing a historical piece, be sure and pick names that fit the period.

One of the names of a main character in No Bells is the real name of someone I know, Benay Weiss. Yes that’s her first and last name—of course she’s nothing like the character I named her after. I ran a contest in another blog tour for whoever commented on the most blogs would have a character named after him or her. Benay’s daughter entered the contest for her mom and won. I’m anxious to hear what she thinks about the book and her namesake. And by the way, I love the name.

You can read more about Benay in No Bells.

No Bells Blurb:

Officer Gordon Butler has finally found the love he’s been seeking for a long time, but there’s one big problem, she’s the major suspect in a murder case.

Visit F.M. at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com

CONTEST NOTE FROM F.M.: The person who comments on the most blogs on my tour will win three books in the Rocky Bluff P.D. series: No Sanctuary, An Axe to Grind, and Angel Lost. Be sure and leave your email too, so I can contact you in the event you are the winner.