Month: September 2017

An Unexpected Sequel

Although I am working on my second manuscript, and it has nothing to do with my forthcoming book, several thoughts of a sequel came to mind yesterday. Bill, my main character, spends twelve to fifteen years in Japan running a soapland, a Japanese brothel, before returning to the states. I cover this time span in a page or two. When I wrote the book, I had no plans for a sequel. However, as I continue to prepare for the book launch, and return to Bayou Cove more and more, a part of me wants to expand Bill’s journey to the Far East.

I know I can come up with some funny characters for Bill’s soapland, but less confident about being able to represent Kobe, Japan of the 1970s like I do the Lousiana swamp. It would involve a lot of research, maybe even a scouting trip to Kobe. I’m not against that, but it’s out of my budget right now. If Bill’s Cajun House of Pleasure is a huge success, then just maybe a trip to Kobe will be in my future. Who knows, it could become a best seller in Japan.

I feel you should go where your characters take you. If Bill leads me to Japan, I’ll find a way to get there. Let your characters tell their story. You’re just the fingers on the keyboard typing out what they say and do. It’s their history, let them tell it. After all, history doesn’t write itself.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished reading Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody by Allen R. Hunt. My review is on Goodreads. I’m currently reading If the Creek Don’t Rise by Nancy Hartney. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

Hobnobbing with Local Authors

I went to the Local Author Showcase at the Bella Vista (Arkansas) Public Library yesterday. It was great to meet other local authors including Jenny Ann, Talya Tate Boerner, Tamara Hart Heiner, Nancy Hartney, BJ Tassan, and Barbara Youree. Many more authors were in attendance, and I’m sorry for excluding them, but I didn’t pick up their business card. I bought a couple of books, had them signed and to buy e-books from these authors. I’m looking forward to the day when I can sit at the table and sign my book for you.

I also attend a critique group in the afternoon in Fayetteville. It’s a great group, and the feedback is wonderful. I believe aspiring authors should surround themselves with author signing events and conferences. See what other authors do, learn from them, and promote yourself to them. They’ll be as excited for you as anybody else. Maybe even more so as they know what it takes to be an author. Embrace the author life; you won’t regret it.

Lastly, pick up the author’s business card. Collect them like Beanie Babies. Then spread them out your table and see which one(s) grabs your attention. Design your business card in such a way that other authors will do this same thing and pick yours out of the group. Even if you don’t purchase a book from an author at a signing event, you’ll have their business card. And if the business card grabs your attention, you’ll be more likely to purchase their books online at a later date. This is my approach; I hope you find it helpful.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished reading the Paladin Caper by Patrick Weeks. My review is on Goodreads. I’m currently reading Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody by Allen R. Hunt. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

 

A History of Hurricanes

With Houston and the Texas coast cleaning up after Hurricane Harvey, and Florida and Georgia preparing for Hurricane Irma, I was surprised to see another hurricane make it onto my radar. On September 9, 1965, Hurricane Betsy hit Louisiana causing 75 fatalities. The hurricane barreled its way past Baton Rouge as it headed north and fizzled out. In my forthcoming book, I spent a whole chapter with Hurricane Betsy and its effects on my fictional town of Bayou Cove. Even your fictional towns do get real weather from time to time. When you add weather to your story, it gives your characters something else to overcome, something they can’t control, only deal with the aftermath.

Another piece of Louisiana history happened today. Eighty-two years ago, Governor Huey P. Long died after being shot by Dr. Carl Wiess two days earlier. Although neither of them makes an appearance in my book, the governor’s brother Earl does. Earl was governor of Louisiana three different times. He has an interesting, and frustrating, interview on The News of Louisiana.

And your final history lesson for today comes, once again, from the weather. Way back on September 11, 1722, an unnamed hurricane was the first recorded storm to hit Lousiana. It struck destroyed New Orleans. According to the Internet, every building in the new city was destroyed. Hurricane force winds lasted for fifteen hours. Four large ships were thrown aground during the storm. Thanks to the journal of Diron D’Artaguiette, and David Ludlum’s book Early American Hurricanes 1492-1870, we have this account. After all, history doesn’t write itself. Read more about the hurricane of 1722 here.

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I’m currently reading The Paladin Caper by Patrick Weeks. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.

An Editing Eclipse

Wow! A lot has happened since my last post. The eclipse, Hurricane Harvey, the anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, the anniversary of the beginning of the Jack the Ripper murders, the return of college football, and probably many more things. There was even news that more evidence has recently been found to indicate James Maybrick was Jack the Ripper. Although I’m not a die hard Ripperologist, I still find the case fascinating.

My second round of editing wraps up tomorrow. I made all the edits my editor requested, save one, and that deals with a foreign language word. I verified I’m using the correct word. I also added chapter titles to the manuscript. Those were fun to do, and I hope you enjoy them when you read my book next spring. I pray other aspiring writers embrace the joy of editing like I have. Listen to your critique group and editor, they are trying to help you to make the best book possible.

Tomorrow is Labor Day in the United States and Canada. It may be celebrated elsewhere tomorrow as well, but my calendar only indicates the US and our northern neighbor. In America, it indicates the end of summer, cooler weather and fall festivals. However, we celebrate Labor Day by retailers having huge sales forcing their employees to work. It seems someone is missing the point. Sure, office and factory workers get the day off, but if you work in retail or the restaurant business, it’s a no go. Don’t quite understand this one. Shouldn’t everyone who labors get Labor Day off?

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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what book I have my nose in. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. I finished reading The Prophecy Con by Patrick Weeks. My review is on Good Reads. I’m now reading the final book in the series, The Paladin Caper.  I encourage you to read a variety of topics.