Public Service Announcements for readers and writers

cj Sez:  Jane Friedman’s blog features a post by author and marketer P. S. Hoffman writing about the latest and greatest thing: NFTs. 

   Hoffman says: “Lately, influencers are parading Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, as the shiny new key that will unlock the future of the internet. /// 

   "But in my opinion, the promise of NFT books is riddled with warning signs.”

   Click on the link below to hop over to Hoffman’s comments and find out why he thinks NFTs might be a rush for fool’s gold

 

Hoffman on Jane Friedman blog re NFTS

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  Makes my teeth itch to see someone use an apostrophe to mistakenly try to make a plural, especially hard to take when I see the mistake came from an author's fingers.

  Pluralizing becomes even more confusing when the singular of a name ends with "s"... whew!

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THANKSGIVING DAY this week ...

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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.

cj

P.S. Forget Amazon . . . the best gifts are closer than you think, and books are the gifts that keep on giving.

The Haunted Book Shop has all of the Mobile Writers Guild Pieces anthologies available on their shelves.

 If you’re not local, contact them online (they ship!). 

   To order a book by any author and support an indie bookstore at the same time, 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.

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  cjpettersonAuthor on Facebook

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➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Why that particular book?

cj Sez: Rummaging through my LP archives for inspiration, I found a reader questionnaire (from another writer’s blog) and thought what a great idea. So, here is some Q&A for you to think about.  

Photo by The Haunted Book Shop

Q. What makes you want to buy a book –the cover? ... Or is it the blurb on the back of the book?

A. For me, it's both. The cover grabs my attention, then the blurb has to invite me to open the book . . . make me want to know more about the story.

Q. When you get into a story, what keeps you reading? Is it the bad boy hero or the tough, strong-willed woman or the cast of characters that help push the story forward?

A. First, I will not read for a long time to “get into a story.” It has to hook my interest early, certainly no later than the first chapter. Then whether hero or heroine, I want to find some action and a plot. I also like to find humor and some quick repartee in even the darkest of moments. When my heroine is about to go where she’s shouldn’t go or has never been before, I want the scene to be scary, yet inviting me along for the adventure at the same time.  

Q. What makes you like one author more than another?

A. I’ll admit to being a wordsmith, but I also “write tight” … which means I’m not into graphorrhea*.

 *    graphorrhea \ı graf-ә- rē-ә \ n : mental disorder marked by the writing of a long succession of meaningless words.

“A novel of such great length and of so little worth could only have been written by someone caught in the grip of graphorrhea.” 

   I want to be enchanted by the author’s voice…how she/he uses a few precise words and syntax to evoke some “show me” visualization and/or visceral emotion.

Q. If you’re into reading a series, when do you get tired of it…or do you?  

A. As long as the author keeps the storyline and characters fresh, I don’t have a problem with continuing to read a series ad infinitum. It’s when the storyline get stale and takes the same direction over and over that I’m no longer interested in reading the next book, and I’m on to the next author. A stale storyline can also happen in stand-alone books when the author gets stuck on the same formulaic style/theme.

Q. And how about reviews: Do you take a few minutes to write a review?

A. Without readers, authors have no audience, and without an audience, authors are out of a job. Whether on Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, etc., constructive feedback is what keeps us going. We want to know our strengths as well as our weaknesses. We’re polite—we say please and thank you.

   Lyrical Pens would love to know your answers to these questions. So leave a comment, already.

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

And on sale now . . . 

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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.

➜ Follow me . . .     

➜ on Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ on Facebook:  cjpettersonAuthor on Facebook

➜ on BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

 

Applause, Applause!

cj Sez: Congratulations to Mobile author/artist Steven Moore…The Gulf Coast CW named him Super Fan of the Month and then invited him to create their Super Fan logo.

   Moore has posted several essays on the Gulf Coast CW Super Fan site about his artistic journey that carried him from pen and paint to prose. His most recent post lauds his membership in the Mobile Writers Guild, whose members encouraged his writing and voila! He became a published author. (That ‘voila’ was a hard-won victory—the result of his serious dedication to learning the craft.)

  Moore created the covers for all three Mobile Writers Guild anthologies and is working on the fourth, scheduled for publication later this year.

  Enjoy reading about his artistic journey at these url addresses:

https://www.wkrg.com/gulf-coast-cw/behind-the-super-fans-logo/

https://www.wkrg.com/gulf-coast-cw/gulf-coast-cw-super-fan/super-fan-status-writer-artist-steven-moore-shares-how-it-feels-to-be-a-super-fan/

https://www.wkrg.com/gulf-coast-cw/developing-creative-characters-a-sneak-peek-at-steven-moores-novel-the-timeless-crystal/

https://www.wkrg.com/gulf-coast-cw/gulf-coast-cw-super-fan/beyond-the-cover-writing-and-illustrating-fantasy-novels-with-super-fan-steven-moore/

https://www.wkrg.com/gulf-coast-cw/gulf-coast-cw-super-fan/learning-the-write-way-finding-support-through-mobiles-guild/

Follow him at this link: Steven Moore (Grim Trojan)   http://www.grimtrojan.com/

///

More Applause

Congratulations to the finalists for the 2020 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Awards. 

   One of your favorite authors could be among them. Find out here:  https://wp.me/p2YVin-1pS

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Public Service Announcement

   According to an Associated Press article, “Alabama is in danger of losing at least one congressional seat based on its current response rate to the U.S. Census, officials said Tuesday.”

   “Some $13 billion in annual federal funding for programs including school nutrition, health care, infrastructure and housing also is at stake with the Census, which occurs every 10 years..”

https://mynbc15.com/news/local/alabama-could-lose-house-seat-based-on-census-response

cj Sez: Every state needs proper and adequate representation in Washington, D.C. If you haven’t yet responded to the 2020 Census, “Now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their country.” (Anyone remember that last sentence as a variation of a typing class drill?)

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    Over the past few weeks, I've been self quarantining after my son tested positive for the coronavirus. Fortunately, I tested negative. His symptoms were mild, thank the Lord. We are now both negative and have resumed our "safer-at-home" limited excursions out. You'd think with all that time at home, my house and yard would be nigh unto perfectly neat. You'd be wrong. I was crashing on the short story and managed to get it done and submitted on Friday.  Next comes the house.

 That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. (Sending up prayers for your health and safety.)

cj

   TO ORDER my autographed books or any book of your choice on-line from my favorite indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop 

➜ Follow me . . .

➜         on Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page = https://amzn.to/2v6SrAj

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Short stories and anthologies

cj Sez: Well, here I am typing on my blog when I should be writing. 

   I have immediate deadlines (less than two weeks for one and less than a month on another) for two short stories on which I have written about ten sentences. I blame that on trying to outline the stories. The attempts have blocked my creative juices.

   I’ve read that plotting is the way to go and have passed along verbiage about its virtues. I even took a course on it, thinking I could master the methodology, but my psyche says no dice.

   Ergo, I call myself a pathfinder…that’s a pantser who changes methodologies in the middle of the story. I know how I want the story to start and how I want it to end. Once I start writing and get past chapter one or two, I jot down a few possibilities then stair-step my way through the plot points, creating solutions to a character’s blocked path as I go along.

   With the deadlines for the stories so close, I wish I were like my author friend Carrie Dalby who regularly whips through three to five thousand words (sometimes more) a day. I’d be done in two days! Wonder if I can persuade her to do some ghost writing….nah. It’s my chore, and I’ll get at it as soon as the blog is done.

   So, tell me, how do you work best? Are you a plotter, a  pantser, or, like me, do you do some combination and create your own path?

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   I have short stories in two of the anthologies pictured below: “Call me Jake” in VALENTINE’S DAY PIECES (releasing soon) and “Puppy Love” in the December release of FINALLY HOME. All three of these anthologies have lovely stories (and make thoughtful gifts) so here’s your chance to pick up hours of enjoyment for very little money.

FINALLY HOME is filled with year-round reads, feel-good short stories about animal rescues . . .

5.0 out of 5 stars Encourages Animal Lovers

   As a busy adult, I’ve not wanted the responsibility of a pet. These uplifting short stories have encouraged me to reconsider. I especially like CJ Petterson’s “Puppy Love”. Her main character, Frankie, is a foster mother for a pet rescue. As her romance with a military veteran turned civilian firefighter developed, I was educated on the ins and outs of animal fostering. This could be my year to visit a shelter.

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed this read!!

   Finally Home is a holiday themed anthology loaded with 8 remarkably written stories. I was familiar with a couple of the authors, but most were new to me. Each of these stories stands well alone, but together they have created a warm holiday delight that any reader should take on over the holiday break. The writing flowed seamlessly. Overall, a great read!

                                        /// 

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

cj

   Autographed print copies of CHOOSING CARTER, DEADLY STAR, THE POSSE, and FINALLY HOME are still available at the Haunted Bookshop. TO ORDER (and support an indie bookstore) contact The Haunted Bookshop here: The Haunted Bookshop  Angela Trigg, the awesome owner and an award-winning author in her own right (writing as Angela Quarles) will be happy to ship you the book(s) of your choice.

    If you’re in Mobile area, do stop in at the book store; it’s a neat place to browse. These friendly people make a point to shelve the books of local authors, and VALENTINE’S DAY PIECES anthology will be available there soon. If they don’t happen to have any copies of the book you want, they’ll order it for you.

➜ Follow me . . .

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