What piques your interest in a book?

cj Sez: Books make great gifts

Question: What piques your interest in a book?

  cj Sez: As an author and reader, the first thing that catches my eye when I’m looking for a book to read is the cover. It will be someone or some art that I can relate to in a personal way. Then I read the back-of-the-book blurb that gives me a snippet of what the book is about. If my interest is still piqued, I scan a couple of first pages then flip to a couple of pages in the middle of the book. (I check the middle to see if the excitement I found at the beginning sags. No one likes a saggy middle.) Like every reader I know, I rifle through books on shelves (physical or electronic) many times before I make a final selection.

  How about you? When you’re in a bookstore or library, what piques your interest in a book? 

  Exciting ups and downs, i.e., conflicts, must always be in the story to hold my attention, but I’m not interested in grabbing for tissues. I don’t want to cringe at something a character says or does, even if it really does happen in real life. I believe I have enough grief going on in my life and don’t want to cry while reading. I’m drawn to strong heroines and hunky heroes…they don’t have to be young, wild, and good-looking, but they do have to be likable. (And for me, the villain has to be villainous, but I also look for a hint of sympathy for him.) I want the heroine/hero to win and the story to end with a promise of something positive for the good guys. That’s the story arc I want to see and what I like to write. 

  What is your preference . . . lots of delicious narrative or sassy and deep point-of-view dialogue?

  Follow-up question:  Who are your favorite authors? What about their writing appeals to you? 

  I tend to like stories with great dialogue and character narrative. Robert B. Parker, James Lee Burke, and Elmore Leonard are some of my favorite authors. They produce great story content and write wonderful repartee. I want to get most of the story’s sense of place, characterization, emotion, and plot from the action and the dialogue (see the Burke dialogue below). I also appreciate humor, even in some of the dark scenes.

“The evening sky was streaked with purple, the color of torn plums, and a light rain had started to fall when I came to the end of the blacktop road that cut through twenty miles of thick, almost impenetrable scrub oak and pine and stopped at the front gate of Angola penitentiary.” 

― James Lee Burke, The Neon Rain  (the first title in his Detective David Robicheaux series)

What keeps you reading?

  Obviously, plot and content of any good book are de rigueur to keep my attention, but after those two requirements are met: I like a strong, smart heroine, an equally smart and incredibly attentive hero, and, hopefully, I find a perfect ensemble of characters. (Caveat: I get thrown out of a story if there are more than a few gremlins that have snuck past the editors.)

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   If you tried the NaNoWriMo challenge, I hope you met the goal you set for yourself—whatever the number. Now go rest a while.

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BUY NOW 

Ebooks available for 99 cents at the time of this post

   Each of these anthologies is a two-fer—you get a variety of wonderful stories to read and part of the proceeds will go to benefit a worthwhile charity. (Note: I have a short story in each anthology.) 

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 That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

  No inflation here: THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA, my fast-paced, exciting suspense/thriller ebooks, are now low-, low-priced at $2.99.

P.S.  The Haunted Book Shop has signed paperback copies of my books in stock. TO ORDER, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us  

 Happy reading! 

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The gift that keeps on giving

cj Sez: It’s true, books make great gifts, and here’s why:

  I think anthologies are an even better option. The anthology HOMETOWN HEROES (one of the charity books from Bienvenue Press) has five, easy-reading, short stories to prove it…here’s an excerpt from my short story, “Hobbes House Noel:”

Schneider’s Tree Service had dumped a face cord of wood on the ground near the pines and was following the power company truck out of the drive when Bradley Warner’s red Dodge Ram 1500 pickup drove in. Merrill waved him in. Timing is everything. The pickup is a surprise though. She was sure he’d be driving a fancy sport utility vehicle or some big butt import sedan.

“Hey there! Welcome to Hobbes House.”

“Any relation to Calvin and?”

“One and the same. My favorite cartoon. Well, that and Charlie Brown.”

Trey dropped down out of the pickup pointing in the direction of the pine trees. “Look. A wolf.”

Merrill saw the bushy tail of a fox disappear into the grove of pines. “It’s a fox, Trey. He’s looking for something to eat. Probably a field mouse in the woodpile.”

Bradley walked up with a suitcase in each hand. “Don’t try to get too close to him, Trey. He’s a wild animal and might bite you.”

“Your father’s right.” She took a longer look at Bradley. Almost black hair. Clear blue eyes. A warm, broad smile that revealed a slightly crooked front tooth. Close to six-feet tall. My gosh. I’m looking at Prince Charming. “Foxes usually run away if you make some loud noises, but you never know for sure. Did you have any trouble finding the place?”

“Not at all. Your good directions and a GPS made it easy. MapQuest showed gravel and dirt roads so I brought the pickup just in case.”

Of course, he’d have more than one car. “Great. Let me show you around.”

“Grab your backpack, Trey.”

The boy was walking toward the pier. “Aw, Dad. I want to see the lake.”

“We will in a minute. Let’s get our stuff in the house first.” He turned to Merrill and spoke quietly. “It’s his first Christmas without his mother. She’s in Atlanta. Said she wanted to spend some alone time with her next victim.” He paused a moment. “Sorry, that was personal pity-party shot,” he said.

Merrill’s lips parted in a little “O,” and she hoped he didn’t notice her surprise. “Sounds like hurt to me.”

“Not for myself. For Trey.”

“A first Christmas without someone you love is hard. Very hard.” I understand more than you know.

Merrill walked her renters through the cabin and saw to it that Bradley knew how to start and bank the fireplace. “If the temperature is forecast to drop into the twenties, leave the cabinet doors under the sinks open. Keeps the pipes from freezing. Any questions?”

“Nope, I think we’re all set.”

“I left my cell phone number on the kitchen table if you need anything.”

“Wait, there is one thing. Is there some place we can get a small Christmas tree and decorations to go with those pretty lights you strung on the porch? Nice touch, by the way.”

Her face warmed at the compliment. “There’s a Grab ’n Go Market about five minutes from here. They carry a bit of everything you need. Go to the blacktop and turn left. You can’t miss it.” She slipped on her green barn coat. “I’ll stack the firewood while you’re gone and then get out of here,” she said as she pulled a pair of tan, deer-hide gloves out of her coat pocket.

“Got a pair of gloves for me?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Merrill smiled. “I think I can find a pair.”

He shrugged on his coat, helped Trey into his, and followed her out. She opened the trunk of the Honda and pulled out a pair of her father’s work gloves. “These should fit.”

Fifteen minutes into the task, Bradley noticed Trey was no longer in sight. “Trey,” he called then blew a shrill whistle through his teeth and frowned at the silence that followed. “He always answers.” He whistled again.

Merrill dropped the log she was carrying and tore off her gloves. “Maybe he’s exploring that little patch of trees, but he couldn’t have gotten far. Do you think he might be hiding from you?” In the back of her mind, though, the thought that the boy might be looking for the fox put her on high alert.

Brad jogged across the drive toward the trees with Merrill right behind him. Merrill kept yelling “Trey? Trey?” and Brad alternated between yelling the boy’s name and whistling.  

After they had searched the small copse without finding Trey, Merrill remembered the boy’s fascination with the lake and dread squeezed her heart with a cold hand. “Let’s check the pier.”

Then they heard the boy scream and started running. When they rounded the corner of the house, she stopped and grabbed Brad’s arm. “Wait!”

Crouching at the end of the pier, teeth bared and growling, the normally shy fox looked ready to attack. Trey was standing between the fox and the animal’s escape route.

Promo courtesy of http://www.poisedpenpro.com/

Christmas Charity Anthologies Buy Now 

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   I’m a subscriber to Jane Friedman’s blog, and the following post arrived in my email recently. If you haven’t seen it, you might find it interesting reading.

https://www.janefriedman.com/yes-social-media-can-sell-books-but-not-if-publishers-sit-on-their-hands/

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Promo courtesy of Carrie Dalby Author  

STORMY PIECES Buy Now

   And when you’ve finished reading an anthology, we all would sure appreciate it if you’d take a few moments to leave a brief review. Please and thank you!

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 That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

P.S. TO ORDER a book by any author on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

  p.p.s. All of my stories are author-graphed and waiting.

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Typing "the end" doesn't mean the manuscript is finished

 cj Sez: Readers, did you ever open a book, read a few chapters (or even a few lines), and then put it down because of errata, i.e.; those typo, grammar, and misspelling gremlins that drive a pedantic like me crazy? One or two gremlins will make me shake my head. If a lot of them, I’ll close the book.

   I used to find that indie books were the worst. They tended to be poorly edited if not poorly written. Now, I’m finding repetitive errors in books by established authors and big publishing houses who should know better. Perhaps it comes down to the time it takes to do a detailed copy edit vs. getting the book to the market.

    The problem with self-published books is that they are so often done on a shoestring (cost-wise) that the author cannot afford to pay for a copy editor. Unfortunately, I’ve come across some authors who simply don’t want to go through the process.

   Speaking from experience, self-edits and beta readers do not, will not, and cannot catch everything that a professional copy editor will. When I was gainfully employed, one of my report/column-writing rules was to get as many people as possible to read the document . . . the more eyes on it the better the end product. That wasn’t easy to do when I was on a deadline of minutes, and my work wasn’t on the top of a co-worker’s list. But the effort was so worth it.

   The same thing is true about an author’s manuscript. I want my manuscript to be the best I can make it. I read the document on the computer screen, and then I print a few pages. Because the text looks different when printed, I have a better chance to find the missing comma, period, or quotation mark that was missed on numerous computer-screen read-throughs. (Chances are there is at least one gremlin in this post.) 

  Sometimes, I make a copy of the printed page and read that. Copying changes the size of the font once again, and I will often find something else to correct. One of the best ways to find those gremlins and discover plot or dialogue problems is to read the manuscript out loud. It’s amazing how much I find.

   Moral of the story: When you’ve come to “The End,” rest assured your manuscript is not finished. It’s probably months away from being ready for publication. YOur MS needs to rest a while before you give it another read-through, and then it needs professional eyes. It’s a personal and financial consideration for each author, but please consider hiring a copy editor if you can afford it. 

   Caveat: Expect that if your manuscript is accepted by a publisher, their punctuation rules may differ from your copy editor’s input, and there could be more changes to be made…be flexible.

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   Books make great gifts, and anthologies may be an even better option...a variety of authors and stories in one book...the gift that keeps on giving.

Promo courtesy of http://www.poisedpenpro.com/

Promo courtesy of Carrie Dalby Author

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cj Sez: That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

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P.S. TO ORDER a book by any author on-line and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

   If you’d like me to autograph or personalize one of my stories for you, be sure to tell them, and I’ll run by the shop.

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