Culturally diverse communities

cj Sez: The nation celebrated Independent Book Sellers Day yesterday. Yay, indies! Indie bookstores are slowly rebounding, and one of the main reasons (I think) is because they take pride in working hard to serve our culturally diverse communities. 

   These small stores are usually shoe-string operations in need of multicultural support.

   For your reading pleasure and support, following is a short list of indie bookstores owned by Black proprietors (most are owned by women and most do mail order sales):

·  Black Garnet Books - Minneapolis, MN
https://bookshop.org/shop/blackgarnetbooks

·  Brave and Kind Books - Decatur, GA  (a neighborhood kids bookstore)
braveandkindbooks.com

·  Semicolon - Chicago, IL
https://www.semicolonchi.com/

·  Brain Lair Books - South Bend, IN
https://www.semicolonchi.com/

·  Harriet's Bookshop - Philadelphia, PA
https://www.harriettsbookshop.com/

·  Eso Won Books - Los Angeles, CA
https://www.esowonbookstore.com/

·  The Lit Bar - Bronx, NY
http://www.thelitbar.com/

·  Cafe Con Libros - Brooklyn, NY
https://www.cafeconlibrosbk.com/

·  Frugal Bookstore - Roxbury, MA
https://frugalbookstore.net/

///

Passing along writerly info . . .

   Because I just this week found this “Call for Black Writers,” it’s really time constrained…BUT if you’ve got a manuscript submission ready,

   Harlequin’s Graydon House and HQN Books imprints are accepting unagented submissions from Black writers up until September 8, 2020, and Inkyard Press is accepting submissions until August 31, 202--- as well as all of the month of March 2021. Please go to the link for more information about the specific imprints, how to submit and some frequently asked questions.

https://www.bookclubbish.com/call-for-black-authors/?doing_wp_cron=1598379716.6968579292297363281250

/// 

   From Writers in the Storm blog comes a post that describes something I do when I write…except I call mine a “Character Profile.” Whether you’re writing a series or a stand-alone novel or perhaps a poem, creating this document is immensely helpful for continuity and for dialogue. When you fully know characters, descriptions and backstories, you will know exactly how your characters will react and what they will say in any situation you place them. Not all backstory will be seen on the pages of the book nor should it, but it will definitely be noticed by the reader.

https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/08/creating-a-bible-for-characters-and-screenwriting/

 ///

  The following post on GetPocket dot com is not your usual “How to” article. That is to say, it doesn’t offer a step-by-step method, but it might make writers feel better about their repetitious use of certain words when they’re writing the next great American novel.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/one-writer-used-statistics-to-reveal-the-secrets-of-what-makes-great-writing?utm_source=pocket-newtab

///

A contest with no entry fee and a cash prize! 

  This from Bienvenue Press: “We are pleased to announce our 2020 Halloween Short Story Contest! 1st place winner receives $50!”  Submission info here: https://bit.ly/3goH3Dj 

///

Speaking of Halloween . . .

  This anthology is coming soon from the Mobile Writers Guild: 

///

  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.)

cj

FYI gentle reader, part of the proceeds of HOMETOWN HEROES benefits The Cajun Navy--you remember those hometown heroes who, right now, are trailering their boats to Lake Charles, LA, to help the victims of Hurricane Laura. 

  The stories in the anthology may have a Christmas theme, but they are timeless short reads.  The book is available on Amazon or can be ordered through your favorite bookstore.

   Speaking of Independent Book Seller Day…one of my favorite indie book seller is The Haunted Bookshop, and look at some of their specials:  

  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  The store has re-opened to limited hours, so you can stop and shop, too.

NOTE: Facebook and its “new and improved” format changed the URL for my author page. So here’s the “new and improved” link to my FB site: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor   

Now all my existing books and short stories have a non-working URL Thank you, Mark Zuckerberg and minions.

➜ Follow me . . .

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

➜         on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor  

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

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

"White space is the canvas where we draw our words."

cj Sez: The title to this blog is a quote from an article by author, speaker, and former teacher Ellen Buikema. Did you ever watch a movie or read a novel with so many visuals or words tumbling out at a rapid-fire pace that they left you feeling breathless?

   If you’re an author who is self-publishing or a small publishing company, Buikema has some advice on how “to keep sensory overload at bay.” Her post for the Writers in the Storm blog offers up some great suggestions on the use of “white space” and the reasons the tips work both in the text and on the cover.

   Buikema says: “Like a pause in a song, white space can help create drama, emotion, a bit of quiet before a storm of words.”

Read more at https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/03/white-space-in-writing/

///

Public Service Announcements: 

 In case you missed it, the popular international writers’ conference Killer Nashville has been cancelled for 2020. 

   Founder Clay Stafford regretfully announced the cancellation, and couched the cancellation this way: “We’re going to postpone Killer Nashville 2020 and roll everyone’s registrations forward to KN 2021 (August 19-22, 2021).”  The three 2020 guests of honor—New York Times best-selling author Lisa Black, New York Times and USAToday best-selling author J. T. Ellison, and Walter Mosley, a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America—will be returning for the 2021 conference.

   Killer Nashville's preferred method of contact is by e-mail. Reach them at: contact@KillerNashville.com

///

///

   The coronavirus pandemic hit close to home this week, and the daughter and granddaughter of a dear writer friend were hospitalized, one already in the throes of pneumonia. Please gather your prayer warriors and raise petitions for all who are suffering from this deadly virus.

///

   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

➜         on Facebook at:   cjpetterson/author/facebook

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

Trouble in Tallahassee launch...Bouchercon in Toronto

cj Sez: Summer is winding down, and one of my favorite cartoons illustrates the lament of most everyone returning to their regular fall, winter, and spring school and work schedules…

I, however, am eagery looking forward to moderating autumnal temperatures on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. The summer heat has been hellacious this year (or at least it was to me). I haven’t ventured into my yard for longer than thirty minutes at a time since June, and boy, do I have the weeds to prove that. The flowers seared by summer heat will soon relinquish their places to autumn replacements, and my potted vegetables will give their all for a few more weeks of bounty.  

The arrival of September also brings with it the launch of new novels. One of those is Trouble in Tallahassee  . . . Familiar Legacy Book 3 . . . which launches September 12.

Trouble in Tallahassee, written by Claire Matturro, is a romantic mystery featuring that super sleuth Trouble, the black cat detective. This is book #3 of the new series called FAMILIAR TROUBLE. In this novel, Trouble finds himself in Tallahassee and wanders into the lives of young attorney Abby Coleridge and her temporary and troubled roommate, law student Layla. When the student disappears, leaving behind a blood-splattered note and a stash of cryptic flash-drives, Abby sets out to find her. Trouble, the black cat detective, lands in Tallahassee, Florida, in the nick of time. Can he sniff out the salient clues and save them—and himself—from a fiery end?  Ooooh. Sounds like a mystery to me.

Available now on Amazon:  http://amzn.to/2eMtf77

Upcoming conference:  Bouchercon, the Anthony Boucher Memorial World Mystery Convention, is an annual convention of mystery readers, fans, writers, and enthusiasts. This year it’s being held in Toronto, Canada, October 12-15. http://bouchercon2017.com/   I went to Bouchercon 2016 in New Orleans but will miss Toronto. Are you going this year?

 In the Did You Know department . . .

On the Writers in the Storm blog site, guest blogger Susan Spann, a California transactional attorney whose practice focuses on publishing law and business, offers advice on the important do’s and don’ts about workshop and conference-related blogging and social media shares. Read more about possible copyright infringement here:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2017/09/the-law-and-ethics-of-conference-blogging/

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

cj

Qrtly newsletter sign-up:  cjpetterson@gmail.com

cjpetterson/author on Facebook    

Simon&Schuster Author Page

Amazon Central Author Page

“Bad Day at Round Rock” in The Posse  --8 short story Western anthology @99 cents

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

California Kisses—10 book publisher’s bundle (includes Deadly Star) @ 99 cents

The Great Outdoors  8 book publisher’s bundle (includes Choosing Carter) @99 cents