What inspires me to write (when I want to quit)

cj Sez: Seasons’ greetings . . .

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The following pieces of info keep me writing:

  James Lee Burke was born in 1936. (I’m not that old, but it tells me I don’t have to be a twenty- or thirty-something to succeed. Okay, okay, so I should have started earlier.)  In the back of Burke’s novel, Wayfaring Stranger, on the “About the Author” page, I found this: 

“His novel, The Lost Get-Back Boogie, was rejected 111 times over a period of nine years and, upon its publication by Louisiana State University Press, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.” 

  And this from author Chris Bradford: “There is no failure except in no longer trying.”  (cj Sez: That's a big guilt trip.)

  You get the idea, and it’s my motto: Keep on Keeping on.

  There many things that inspire me to keep writing: My family, my friends, memories of places I've seen, writers conferences, and wonderful writing groups to which I belong. Each member brings a special writing/reading strength to the process of writing, and I've benefited immensely from their contributions.

   It can be hard to find a compatible critique group of writers knowledgeable in the genre in which you write, but I highly recommend trying. The input can be invaluable and the camaraderie priceless.

Need a reason to make your writing the best it can be?

“Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it’s a letdown, they won’t buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book.”

                                       ~Mickey Spillane

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For writers and readers

  Style question: I was once asked this question: “If you've published a novel, could you tell me whether or not the internal dialogue is italicized?”

  My answer: I’ve seen it in print both ways. When you self-publish, the choice is pretty much yours. However, the rule there is, be consistent throughout the book. When you have an editor and a publisher, the choice is not yours.  

√  A recent Jane Friedman article also addresses that question, and there’s something about stand your ground that appeals to me, sometimes  . . . https://www.janefriedman.com/ask-the-editor-when-to-defer/

√  Coming Attraction ... Coming to Lyrical Pens next week!

International author Judy Penz Sheluk stops by to give some insights into her writing.

(Judy is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries.) 

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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. Raising prayers for your health and safety.

P.S. Right now, I’m sitting in front of my computer listening to the band at the high school behind my back yard playing “Monster Mash” for their Halloween Party. I am reminded of one of my favorite family Halloween stories: When my grandson was born, the nickname his father, my son, chose for me (before I put a screeching halt to it) was “Grampire” and that was the sign on the baby's stroller at the airport when I came for a visit on Thanksgiving.

cj

No inflation here:

Plus  . . . 

  THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA, my fast-paced, exciting suspense/thriller ebooks, are now low-, low-priced at $2.99.

  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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Happy Halloween and welcome to November

cj Sez: Monsters Got Talent, and they are celebrating Halloween at OWA—for those readers not familiar with OWA, it’s the amusement theme park operated the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Foley, Alabama. The picture below is of monster/werewolf grandson Jeff singing to the crowd and “having a blast.”

Photo by Lori Goodrich Photography

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The history of Halloween from various computer searches

Halloween or Hallowe’en, a contraction of Hallowed Eve, is also known as Allhalloween, All Hallows’ Eve, or All Saints’ Eve) and is observed in many countries on October 31, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows’ Day. The tradition originated with the pagan Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced SOW-in) when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. From present-day Ireland to the United Kingdom to Brittany, France, the ancient Celts marked this as one of their four most important festival days of the year.

   And a little background about my short story in the HALLOWEEN PIECES anthology:

   If a month happens to have two full moons, the second full moon is called a “blue moon,” and that happens on Halloween/Samhain once about every nineteen years. 

   My short story, “Once in a Blue Moon,” is a fantasy mystery so named because Samhain fell on such a rare event in 2020. 

   The story takes modern-day Katherine Johnson into a mysterious village where she’s caught in an ancient celebration from which she might never return.

   Halloween is the theme but everything in the anthology is an enjoyable read for any season. As of the time of this post, HALLOWEEN PIECES is free on Kindle Unlimited and $1.99 to buy for your own library.   Buy Halloween Pieces Now

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NOVEMBER NEWS

SinC into NaNoWriMo with Sisters in Crime

From a SinC Press Release

   Starting November 1, join #SinC for a month of write-ins, socials, tips, and encouragement! Sign up here so you don't miss a thing: https://www.sistersincrime.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1554098&group=

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COMING SOON

STORMY PIECES…

Number 5 in the Mobile Writers Guild anthology series. 

 

   Copies of the new anthology, as well as cj’s thriller/suspense novels, will be available at an author book signing on November 12 (6 to 8 p.m.) at The Haunted Book Shop, 109 Dauphin St. in downtown Mobile. 

   If you’re in the Mobile area, come on down and meet some of the authors!

   Available for preorder   Buy Stormy Pieces Now

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REMINDER

Be sure to mark your calendars to stop by Lyrical Pens on November 10 for a guest post by author Barbara Hinske about her soon-to-be-released THE UNEXPECTED PATH, the second novel in her Guiding Emily series. 

   P.S. Barbara is the author of the novel THE CHRISTMAS CLUB, now on the Hallmark Channel.

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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Next Sunday, you can be very early to church or you can get an extra hour of sleep. Daylight Saving Time, sometimes called incorrectly by the plural Daylight “Savings” Time, ends on Sunday, November 7, 2021, at 2:00 A.M. 

   Ergo, “fall back” (set your time pieces back an hour) next Saturday night, so you can sleep in and still be right on time.

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HOLIDAY SALE

Fast-paced and exciting suspense with a touch of Jane Bond romance, the ebooks of DEATH ON THE YAMPA and THE DAWGSTAR are on sale @ only $1.99 each. Available at your favorite eTailer and on request from your local library—just provide them with the ISBN number.

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NOTE TO READERS  

No Lyrical Pens post on November 7. This coming week is dedicated wholly to my son Mark’s Celebration of Life.

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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.

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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Are audiobooks the next big thing?

cj Sez: The subject today is a set of pros and cons for audiobooks.

   A friend of mine was talking about his love of audiobooks. He listens while he drives, while he works, while he gardens; he listens everywhere and every chance he gets. He cites the advantage of hands-free “reading.” He also notes that the market for audiobooks seems to be exploding. That, of course, makes the medium a valuable source of revenue for authors.

   Being the contrarian, I said that listening to audiobooks while driving was a bit dangerous because they are distracting. You’re either going to pay more attention to the road or to the book. One or the other will suffer. He, the multi-tasker claimed to have no problem with that.

   Since my opinion about the risks associated with listening while driving was based on old research, I decided I needed to update my information. I almost immediately uncovered some answers in another Jane Friedman blog post.

   *Author Kristen Tsetsi, in her August 2018 post on Jane Friedman’s blog, writes:

Cognitive psychologist Daniel T. Willingham, “Ask the Cognitive Scientist” columnist for American Educator magazine and author of The Reading Mind, among others, notes another difference: “[Reading] requires decoding and [listening] doesn’t.”

From her personal experience, she related:

“For the seasoned reader of text, audiobooks also help develop critical listening skills, according to Reading Rockets. I can attest to this—it definitely takes concentration and a commitment to pay attention.”

   My point, exactly. However … back to the pros, also from Kristen Tsetsi:

“The book lover in me, though, is even more grateful for the audio option. In just eight months I’ve been able to “read” thirty-eight books I otherwise wouldn’t have. I’ll still use air quotes around “reading,” but only for the sake of accuracy. My cheater shame has been edged out by the conviction that writers write in order to have their words experienced, and that readers and “readers” alike just want to experience them. Period.

///

“Comparing audio books to cheating,” Willingham writes, “is like meeting a friend at Disneyland and saying ‘you took a bus here? I drove myself, you big cheater.’ The point is getting to and enjoying the destination. The point is not how you traveled.”

(*  https://us2.campaign-archive.com/?e=404abdabf3&u=f8b16374ec668e8d6004fcc38&id=9968611607 )

   The audiobook medium is definitely growing in popularity and not only because of the hands-free convenience. Readers who want large-print books are faced with a limited selection, and the exploding audiobook market can fill that need. That said, I stand by my opinion that there are times/places where an audiobook may not be the best way to “read” a book.

   What’s your favorite way to enjoy a book? Physical book, eBook, audiobook, or all versions at different times for different reasons?

***

cj Sez: Now that it’s autumn, the stores are going full bore with sales on Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas/Hanukkah/kwanzaa-New Year’s items. Staying with that theme, I thought I’d share the first of my plans for the holidaze: Halloween.

   I bought a Nordic Ware Skull Cakelet pan and experimented with pizza calzones one night last week. I didn't get the pizza dough thin enough on the first few attempts, but the concept was grossly perfect. The idea is that when you break one apart, the tomato-sauced bloody cheese and pepperoni guts spill out. I think I'm going to use the skull pan to make small lava cakes with a red cream cheese filling that comes oozing out as brain matter when you take a bite. What do you think?  Gory enough? Hee Hee 

   On Oct 27 I’m planning to go to my first costume party in a hundred or so years. The Mad Catters (the group of authors responsible for that wonderful Familiar Legacy cat detective series) are giving an

author-reader meet and greet Halloween costume party at Angela Trigg’s (aka Rita and Prism Award winning author Angela Quarles) newly re-opened Haunted Book Shop. I have only half an idea of which author I’d like to dress up as, but I’m pretty sure my escort will be Sherlock Holmes. Lots of spooky stuff on the schedule, including a treasure hunt and a decorate-a-wooden-coffin contest. If you’re anywhere near Mobile, you are cordially invited to come and join the fun.

   Enough about my hijinks. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

Stop by Amazon and pick up copies of DEADLY STAR and CHOOSING CARTER. Fast, exciting reads and a Christmas gift that keeps on giving. (A hint in case you have only two more paydays until Christmas.)

Send me an eMail that you’ve left an Amazon a review for me to read—good, bad, or simply “I read it.”—and I’ll put your name in a raffle to receive a gift bag of goodies. I’ll be drawing a random name on December 6 (my sister’s birthday) and will post it on my Facebook page, so be sure to stop by.

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