WWRRIITTEERRSS’’

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TTrriicckkss ooff tthhee TTrraaddee “My Fourth Re-Birthday”

A Life Story

by Carolyn Hayes Uber

Plus…

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PAGE

JULY-AUGUST 2014

1-2 MORGAN’S CORNER

3-4 HARPERCOLLINS HIT A SNAG WITH EBOOK DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER SELECTION

5 YOUR FRIEND WROTE A BAD BOOK AND WANTS YOUR REVIEW-WHAT DO YOU DO?

6-7 LIFE STORIES: CELEBRATING MY 4TH “RE-BIRTHDAY” (THE REALITY OF A STEM CELL

TRANSPLANT)

CAROLYN HAYES-UBER

8-10 WELCOMING FRED RAYWORTH AS A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

11 WRITERS’ CONFERENCES

12-13 HOW TO LOSE YOUR READER FRED RAYWORTH

14-15 THE TOP 4 BOOK MARKETING TACTICS IN TODAY'S WORLD JOHN KREMER

16-17 SPEAKING OF SYNTAX

MORGAN ST. JAMES

18 AMAZON SEEKS EXEMPTION TO TEST DRONES OUTDOORS IN U.S.

19-20 REVIEWS BY MARTHA

“THE DEPUTY” BY C. M ALBRECHT

21 JUST FOR GIGGLE AND GRINS

22-25 CELEBRATING RELEASE OF THE 2ND EDITION OF A CORPSE IN THE SOUP - EXCERPT

26-27 LOOKING FOR A PUBLISHER? CONSIDER PUBLISHING YOURSELF

28 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Volume 4, Issue 3 May - June 2014

Tips, Techniques and Tricks Chats with the Experts Industry News...and... more

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Writers’ Tricks of the Trade

The Newsletter/Magazine

For Aspiring And Published Writers

AABBOOUUTT WWRRIITTEERRSS’’ TTRRIICCKKSS OOFF TTHHEE TTRRAADDEE

Publishing industry professionals—authors, publishers, editors and others in the

business—have helped Writers’ Tricks of the Trade grow and thanks to them the

readership keeps increasing. Monthly issues contain helpful articles, industry

news, writers’ conference listings, book reviews and reader brags or

announcements and much more. These are all open to submissions.

Life Stories, is always open for submission and it’s a good opportunity

to share something funny, devastating or inspirational that happened in your

life. To suggest a topic or submit an article for consideration, please send your

submission to WTTmagazine@gmail.com. The eZine publishes on the 15th of

every month. Deadlines are the 5th of the publication month. If an issue is full,

approved articles will appear in a future issue.

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QQQuuuoootttaaabbbllleee QQQuuuooottteeesss ––– DDDeeettteeerrrmmmiiinnnaaatttiiiooonnn Two of the most important traits a writer must possess are determination and the

courage to succeed. Just because you have written a book doesn’t mean publishers will be knocking down your door. Be determined to produce the best product you

possibly can and then have the courage to get it published and promote it.

“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”

― Maya Angelou

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack

of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” ― Vince Lombardi

“The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can't are both right. Which one are you?”

― Henry Ford

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE 1

JULY-AUGUST 2014

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W

BUY NOW

LISTEN TO AN

AUDIO SAMPLE AT

AMAZON/AUDIBLE

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Morgan’s Corner

MORGAN ST. JAMES, EDITOR

Morgan’s Corner

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED

AND IT’S SIZZLING IN LAS VEGAS

It is a typical summer here in Las Vegas—triple digit temp-eratures, but fortunately not much humidity. I remember when I was a child in Chicago the temperature would be in the 90s and so would the humidity. Can you say “dripping wet?” Glad it isn’t that way here.

In this day and age, life goes on. We leave our air-conditioned home to get into an air-conditioned car and drive somewhere that is, of course, air-conditioned. What a difference that makes. Back in the days when there was no possibility of surrounding yourself with blasts of cold air, people were probably like wilted violets when the temps hit 115.

In mid-June this workaholic really needed a getaway. I found a great cabin to rent for a week in Big Bear CA through TripAdvisors. Chalet DuBois was everything I was hoping it would be and would highly recommend it. The temperature was a comfortable 70 during the day, it was tranquil among the big pines but only a few minutes from the main drag, and most of all I felt r-e-l-a-x-e-d.

Dylan the Dog rode shotgun for the 200 miles from Las Vegas to the cabin and was the ideal passenger. When we got there he managed to get into some pine tar and had a few clumps of it in his fur. There was a fenced front and back yard and free wifi for my laptop. Yes, even though I was committed to chill out, I did bring the laptop. Some habits can’t be broken. But I did forget to bring the mouse!

The second edition of the first book in the Silver Sisters Mysteries, award-winning A Corpse in the Soup, is now avail-able in the Kindle edition on Amazon and in paperback on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, soon to be on other online booksellers as well and additional electronic platforms.

Because it is like starting from scratch, I do need reviews and would appreciate them greatly. …Cont’d…

Cont’d next page…

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JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE 2

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Denise van Venrooy, Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins

Morgan’s Corner (Cont’d)

I have also launched a Facebook AUTHORS PAGE and invite you to visit it and

LIKE IT if you haven’t already – www.facebook.com/morganstjamesauthor

This page will mostly be dedicated to news about my books, thoughts and

hints on writing, information about fellow authors, industry news and will

have posts that will not be on my general status.

I’m happy to say that only 17 hours after I sent out invitations and made

posts about it, 90 people had visited and clicked LIKE.

Writers’ Tricks of the Trade welcomes frequent contributor Fred Rayworth as

our new regular contributor. Fred will now give us great articles about the

craft of writing in every issue.

Happy writing and reading,

Morgan

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Silver Sisters

Mysteries

The twins and their

zany mother and

uncle, 80 year-old

former vaudeville

magicians Flossie and

Sterling Silver are

BACK WITH A NEW

LOOK!

SECOND EDITION OF THIS

AWARD-WINNING BOOK.

PAPERBACK AND KINDLE

NOW IN PUBLICATION

GOLDIE

GODIVA VIEW FROM THE DECK OF

CHALET DUBOIS

Spent many hours sitting on the deck with Dylan lying by my side while I proofed the print copy of A Corpse in the Soup.

It was so peaceful and pleasant.

Was it a coincidence that DuBois is also Silver Sister Godiva’s last name? Maybe it was meant to be.

As you can see, Dylan was very helpful in the proofing process.

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE 3

JULY-AUGUST 2014

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Don

ben

HARPERCOLLINS HIT A SNAG WITH EBOOK

DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER SELECTION When HarperCollins launched its direct-to-consumer ebook sales platform, co-

authored with Accenture, a management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company located in Ireland, in October 2013, C.S. Lewis and Narnia were selected as its flagship media properties.

A side note of interest is that ebooks and digitally-printed books, looked down upon by the big publishers and regarded as “not real books” only a few years ago, continue to surge forward pulling major publishers on board. Initially the websites C.S. Lewis.com and Narnia.com website were launched in an attempt at an end-run around Amazon and Smashwords. Although that sounds good and aggressive, the plan has hit one little snag – C.S. Lewis’s works are now out of copyright in Canada and elsewhere, and the Narnia series is actually available for free in its entirety from the Project Gutenberg Canada website.

The banner on the HarperCollins Narnia.com website proclaims, “Find out how fans of C.S. Lewis are celebrating the life of this much-loved author 50 years after his death.” The problem is that Project Gutenberg Canada celebrated Lewis by digitizing the entire Narnia series. Then they put it online in multiple formats including HTML, text format, and fine-looking EPUB editions.

Although HarperCollins had been fairly reserved about revealing its plans for the Narnia platform and similar initiatives, their partner Accenture described it as “an end-to-end e-commerce and direct to consumer distribution solution for HarperCollins Publishers e-books globally.”

The idea of issuing all of the direct to consumer offerings and kicking off the program with Narnia probably was brilliant when conceived, but Gutenberg Canada may have caught HarperCollins unaware.

Given a choice, C.S. Lewis fans have a totally free option to download every book in the Narnia cycle, from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe of 1950 to 1956′s The Last Battle. Lewis’s very interesting early science fiction novel Out of the Silent Planet is also up on Project Gutenberg Canada already, as are his works of Christian apologetics The Problem of Pain and The Screwtape Letters. There isn’t much doubt that others will follow soon.

The question is posed, “Will readers outside Canada will be devious enough to download these works in defiance of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act? That Act and some other legislation extended the period that Mickey Mouse’s copyright was protected. Corporations like Disney loved it. But according to the Act, you can’t read The Great Gatsby and many other classics for free on the Net.

…Cont’d

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE 4

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

HARPER COLLINS HIT A SNAG (CONT’D)

Project Gutenberg Canada’s website states, “The ebooks on this website are in the Canadian public domain, and are offered to you at no charge. If you live outside Canada, download an ebook only if you are certain that the book is in your country’s public domain.”

That’s all well and good, but Project Gutenberg Canada also carries a headline on the Home page of their website that says,

Canadians—send a short and very clear email to your

government to say no copyright extensions

The public domain belongs to the people!

In the end, will it all come down to a matter of scruples, folks? Will the average American look at what Project Gutenberg Canada has to offer, which is extensive, scratch their head and say, “Oh my goodness. I don’t live in Canada so I can’t download this. Better go to a legal site where I will pay for it?” Or will they look the other way and with one quick click download the book? I’ve checked it out. There are no restrictions on who can click.

Just to make sure of that statement, it was tested. It is very easy to download from Project Gutenberg Canada, so the decision is yours when it comes to books in the public domain in Canada that they are offering free.

ABOUT

PUBLIC DOMAIN

There are many

resources

available on the

net that are in the

public domain,

and therefore

freely usable

without

restrictions.

However, the

copyright law in

each country are

different and

should be the

condition of pulic

domain should be

verified manually.

Many of the

books in the

Canadian public

domain are NOT

in public domain

in the United

States.

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WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE 5

JULY-AUGUST 2014

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YOUR FRIEND WROTE A BAD BOOK AND

WANTS YOUR REVIEW-WHAT DO YOU DO? This is a dilemma that all of us might face at some point in time. With the ease

of self-publishing, everyone who can pound the keys of a computer can publish a

book. That doesn’t mean it will be good or bad. It just means they have a book

that people can buy on Amazon. Where the problem arises is when a friend has

spent months or even years writing their Great American Novel. Aunt Sadie and

Joe from down the street ooh’d and aah’d over it when given a complimentary

copy. Perhaps the jury is still out on whether or not they actually read it.

When you open your copy, after leafing through a few pages the first thing you

realize is the pages are filled with misspelled or misused words, not to mention

clichés, and an overabundance of adverbs and adjectives. You are not sure you can

read another page, but what do you tell your friend? Here is a letter one such

person wrote to Dear Abby and Abby’s answer. Do you agree with it?

Send your comment to wttmagazine@gmail.com

DEAR ABBY: My friend's husband has been writing a novel for several

years. He just self-published it, and it's available on Amazon. He gave me a

copy, asked me to read it and enter a great review on the Amazon page. The

problem is the book is filled with misused and misspelled words, and there is

missing punctuation. He even switched the names of two characters. (His wife,

who is a "perfectionist," was his editor.)

Aside from the fact that I don't want to finish the book, I know he or my

friend will ask me how I liked it. I don't want to lie because I'm afraid if

someone else brings these things to their attention, they'll know I didn't read it

or think I should have told them. I know they will be embarrassed if I bring it to

their attention.

Frankly, I think it's too late to say anything negative because the book has

already been printed. I also don't want to cause hurt feelings because I know

how long he worked on this project and he's proud of it. How do I handle this?

-- READER IN THE SOUTHWEST

DEAR READER: He's a friend, right? And you're only a reader, not a literary

critic whose credibility will suffer if you don't point out every flaw. Find

something you liked about the book and mention that on the Amazon page.

You could call it a "page turner" because you had to turn from Page 1 to Page

2, didn't you?

In a case like this, less is more. And remember, you're doing this in the

capacity of being a friend, not an English teacher.

To comment, please email WTTMagazine@gmail.com

“THE TRUTH IS

RARELY PURE AND

NEVER SIMPLE.”

― OSCAR WILDE

PROMOTE YOUR

BOOKS

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JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE 6

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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Life Stories

CELEBRATING MY 4TH “RE-BIRTHDAY”

CAROLYN HAYES UBER

Carolyn Hayes Uber is the former CEO of the former publisher Stephens Press

that was located in Las Vegas NV as a division of the Review Journal newspaper.

A true warrior, Carolyn has been battling leukemia for several years now, and wrote this email to share her experiences with stem cell transplant. It is not often that we have the opportunity to publish a Life Story that is this poignant and informative. Many thanks to Carolyn for sharing her journey.

Being the professional that she is, she wanted us to tell you that it is unedited and from the heart.

Today is my 4th “Rebirthday.” On June 30th, 2010, the life-saving stem cells of a complete stranger were infused into my blood vessels. It has been a long, terrifying, painful, and uncertain journey, but I am here in the now and still progressing, step-by-step.

Many people are familiar with organ transplants, most not so much for other types. Stem cell transplants (SCT) and bone marrow transplants (BMT) are nearly the same. They select which will be best for the patient and the donor. The patient enters the hospital eight days ahead of the transplant to begin the prep, which consists of very heavy-duty chemo to remove all marrow from the cavities in the bones. This means no ability to manufacture one's own cells. By day eight, the white cells in particular are down to 0.0 so as not to attack or interfere with the new cells from the donor.

The stem cells are extracted from the donor (in my case, a 40ish male donor who lived in France) so they had to be extracted and then flown to the US and infused into the patient (me) via an IV. Somehow the cells "know" where to go, which in this case is to begin replacing bone marrow and the cells now needed. My donor was selected because he was a 10 or 10 match to my critical DNA types. My sibs were not a match (only 30% of the time do they match) and parents never match as they are only half of you. Ditto for your kids. So it is sibs or strangers.

During the prep process, you become very sick, very weak, and most especially, very vulnerable to ANY bug or infection, virus, bacteria or whatever. You have zero immunity. You're in an air flow controlled room and everyone who enters your room must gown up from head to toe plus mask and gloves. Even if they have to leave the

…Cont’d

CAROLYN HAYES UBER

Carolyn Hayes Uber

lives in Southern Cali-

fornia and Las Vegas,

depending on her

mood and projects.

She is director of

brand strategies for

a SoCal ad agency

and a former book

publisher spanning

a forty-year career.

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE 7

JULY-AUGUST 2014

CELEBRATING MY 4TH

“RE-BIRTHDAY” (CONT’D)

room to get something, they have to re-gown. Once the cells are infused, the waiting begins.

Some people begin to get "engraftment" fairly quickly. I have never gotten it without a very nervous thirty day wait, and that's just to get to 0.01 white cells. But gradually it happens and very, very slowly, you start to improve. Around day sixty-five, I was allowed to go home, but to the same rigid rules. The house had to be absolutely clean and all house plants and pets had to be removed. No outdoors or public places, except to go to doctor every few days. No visitors without the gowning up process. NO food except processed from cans and boxes. I hated that part most but fresh food can have pathogens I just couldn't handle.

After 100 days, if your counts are good (not normal, but headed the right way) more restrictions are lifted and you can eat fresh food carefully. The one fresh thing I was allowed was a watermelon, but first the rind and the knife had to be sterilized, then one single cut down the middle and I could eat the flesh from the center. I OD's on watermelon! Eventually, my bone marrow numbers came back 99% donor cells. Unfortunately, I've never been able to get that 1% of the old me outta me! It still has leukemia and causes me one crisis or grief after another. But I still hold out the hope that my French friend will kick the butt of my 1% and free me from this horrid disease.

Because I have had so many chemos and radiations over time, my docs are being very cautious about future treatments, taking a wait and see or spot welding approach whenever they can. My case being an exception, MANY MANY people have been completely cured of leukemia via SCTs including lots of very young children, some just infants. That's why it is so important for everyone to take the very easy step of registering at BeTheMatch.org for the donor registry. All it takes is a cheek swab. There is no discernible reason why your DNA will match a child in a far off country, but you could save their life, so how much more incentive could you need?

It truly takes millions of people to find the one perfect match. I urge you all, in fact, really beg you, to sign up as a prospective donor. A few of my friends and contacts have actually been selected and donated and they all state it was a very meaningful and life-affirming thing for them to do. There are upper age limits, but my older friends can encourage their own children to sign up. Cancer sucks. Let's end it!

Oh, and PS: I am technically a chimera, a person with the DNA of two different people, in this case, both male and female. That means I could really mess up a crime scene or a mystery novel!

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BOOKS BY SOME OF

OUR PAST

CONTRIBUTORS

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JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE 8

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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WELCOMING FRED RAYWORTH AS A

REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR Many of you have read the excellent articles Fred has contributed to issues of

Writers’ Tricks of the Trade for the past few years, and there is always a small bio attached.

Now that he will be a “regular” it’s time to tell the story. How did Fred begin writing and what has he learned over the years that he now shares with other writers? You will quickly see how Fred’s story is a perfect fit with the quotes in this issue about determination and courage.

BEGINNINGS

I made my first feeble attempt to write a story in 1971 in the Air Force barracks at Torrejon Air Base in Spain. It was a Star Trek satire. I did it on a manual typewriter and I made ¾ of a page before I realized it wasn’t that easy. The writing was awful.

I didn’t try again until I learned the Nazi method of writing from my boss decades later, once again at Torrejon when I was a manager and had to learn to write performance reports and other things. He forced me to put two sentences together correctly or not go home at night. Since we didn’t have phones in Spain, my wife freaked out and wondered if I fell asleep at the wheel more than a few times! Needless to say, I learned to write!

Another decade passed and in 1995, by then a failed musician as well as nearing retirement from the Air Force, I needed a creative outlet. The muse struck and by then I had computer technology and a lot of writing underneath my belt. In a few months time, I wrote and completed The Cave. It was the start. That science fiction novel will never see the light of day, but I accomplished something and loved the process.

FINDING MY CHOPS

Once I found my muse, it came easy. Of course, I’ve made and continue to make plenty of mistakes. My writing is light-years ahead of that Star Trek satire from The Cave to each subsequent novel and short story I’ve written up to the present day.

WHERE DO I GET MY INSPIRATION

I wrote an article about this called The Polka-dot Sewer. You may have read it in a past issue. In a nutshell, my ideas come out of the air. Literally. Though, everything around me inspires, I can sit down at the computer with the thread of

…Cont’d.

FRED RAYWORTH

A MAN OF MANY

TALENTS

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE 9

JULY-AUGUST 2014

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SOME OF FRED’S

WOODWORKING

PROJECTS

A castle shelf made

mainly from oak

plywood. The doors

and face with the

hinges on it are solid

poplar and the rails

are solid cherry. The

drawer underneath is

luan mahogany

plywood. I now holds

all of our lead D&D

figurines from a

bygone era!

I call it my “dolfink”)

clock. It is made from

solid oak. It was

inspired from my

oldest daughter who

likes dolphins.

WELCOMING FRED RAYWORTH (CONT’D)

an idea, or my mind might even be blank, but I just write. The ideas flow. That’s it.

When I was in kindergarten, I used to walk home through our cul-de-sac in Lakewood, Calee’fornia and all the mothers would greet me just to hear what I’d say next. One day I came home, carrying this drawing I made. A lady asked what it was. “It’s a polka-dot sewer,” I told them. Don’t ask. I have no idea where I came up with that title, but they sure got a kick out of it. I still have it somewhere in a scrapbook, currently lost at my mom’s house in Palmdale, Calee’ fornia. One day…

When I write, I may have a thread to start with, maybe not, for any given day. As for the big picture, when I start a novel, or even a short story, all I know is where to start and where it’s going to end. Everything in the middle is a total surprise. I never outline or detail a story. That would suck the life right out of it!

HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN TRYING TO GET PUBLISHED?

I started querying agents and publishers right after I finished writing my first icky bug (horror) novel, The Greenhouse in 1995. As of June 14, 2014, I’ve accumulated 680 rejections so far. I’ve had several short stories published along with a newspaper article, plus several astronomy articles in a national magazine. As a technical writer, I’ve also published 220 maintenance manuals for a rubber extrusion plant in Oklahoma plus some software manuals here in Las Vegas. I post an almost weekly article on the web site Let’s Talk Nevada as well as my own web site and I’m sometimes featured in Morgan St. James’ wonderful Writer’s Tricks Of The Trade ezine. I’m also the editor and co-founder of the monthly Las Vegas Astronomical Society Observer’s Challenge.

The fact is, though my ten completed novels are not in print yet, I DO get published and I DO write… all the time!

WHAT GENRES DO I WRITE?

I write multiple genres because I love to read them and I have to follow my muse. My first novel was science fiction, though I’m not really a big fan of hard-core science fiction. My second novel was icky bug (horror). I’m a huge fan of b-movie monster horror and certain supernatural horror and have had a hard time finding it on the shelves. My third novel was adventure/thriller which is the genre I read the most. I love that genre and they’re the most common on the shelves at the bookstore, especially on the thriller side. Finally, I most recently wrote a fantasy. I didn’t intend to write one originally, but since my wife loves fantasy, she talked me into it. Unfortunately, she hates it because it’s an adventure instead of intrigue.

The thing about all of my stories is that they’re all adventures, when you get down to it. They have humor and when you get to the end, you should be able to put the book down with a smile on your face. If I’ve accomplished that, I’ve done my job.

JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

10 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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FROM AUTHORS WHO

HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF

THE TRADE IN THE PAST

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WELCOMING FRED RAYWORTH (CONT’D)

Fred has always been fascinated with telescopes, particularly the large ones. This

photo was taken at the Galleria Mall in Henderson, Nevada on Astronomy Day in

April, 2004. The scope, named English Rose, now languishes in his storage shed.

The scope Fred uses now is a 16″ Meade LightBridge he bought at Scope City in Las

Vegas in 2008. It is actually the very first commercial telescope he ever bought. Fred

has been at this hobby for 44 years and has always ground and polished his own

mirrors and made all the other parts.

Read Fred’s article for this month, “How to Lose Your Reader,” beginning on

Page 12

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE

11 JULY-AUGUST 2014

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Writers’ Conferences

Listings are for information only. Please check them out

yourself

2014

July 24-27 Writing the Rockies, Gunnison CO For more information

http://www.western.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/writing-rockies

Jul 30-Aug 1 The Catholic Writers Conference, Schaumburg IL For more

information http://www.catholicwritersconference.com/

July 30-Aug 2 GreaterPhilly Christian Writers Conference, Langhorne PA For more

information http://philadelphia.writehisanswer.com/

Aug 1-3 Writers Digest Annual Conference, NYC, NY. For more information

http://www.writersdigestconference.com/ehome/83905/mainconference/?&&

Aug 1-3 Willamette Writers Conference, Portland OR For more information

http://willamettewriters.com/wwcon

Aug 1-4 Society of Childrens Bookwriters and Illustrators Summer Conference, Los

Angeles CA For more information https://www.scbwi.org/events/43rd-annual-

summer-conference-in-los-angeles

Aug 8-10 Nora Roberts Writing Institute at Hagerstown College, Hagerstown MD For

more information http://nrwi.org/content/registration-conference-information

Aug 15-16 Write Now! 2014 Conference, Phoenix AZ For more information

http://desertsleuths.com/conference

Sept 19-20 Central Coast Writers Conference, San Luis Obispo CA For more

information http://www.communityprograms.net/wc/wcindex.htm

Sept 19-21 Southern California Writers Conference, Los Angeles CA For more

information http://writersconference.com/la

Sept 25-27 Florida Heritage Book Festival and Writers Conference, St. Augustine FL

For more information http://www.fhbookfest.com/writers-conference

Oct 3-5 Write on the Sound, Edmonds WA For more information

http://www.writeonthesound.com/conference

Oct 9-11 Ozark Creative Writers Conference, Eureka Springs AR For more

information http://ozarkcreativewriters.com

Oct 10-12 Moonlight and Magnolias2014, Norcross GA For more information

http://www.georgiaromancewriters.org/mm-conference

Oct 24-26 Chicago Writers Conference, Chicago IL For more information

http://www.chicagowritersconference.org

ADD THESE

BOOKS TO YOUR

LIBRARY

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JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

12 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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HOW TO LOSE YOUR READER FRED RAYWORTH

HTTP://WWW.FREDRAYWORTH.COM

Narrative. The backbone of every story. Without it, a novel would be nothing but dialogue.

Narrative provides action, background, story movement and more—or it should. When the narrative bogs down, the mind drifts.

Case in point, a novel I’m currently reading. It’s a fascinating story, to a point. The author either knows his stuff about quantum mechanics (and other scientific theories I can’t even describe), or he has a flair for bull unparalleled in literature. I suspect the latter.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

My issue is that from the beginning of this story, he’s tended toward long passages of narrative (as told in dialogue, but to me, it’s still narrative) about scientific principles that are way above my head. I don’t profess to be a complete dummy, but my eyes glazed over for a good third of the book. What’s worse, the protagonist becomes a prisoner. After being tortured, he finds out what kind of prison he’s in during protracted conversations with other prisoners. You guessed it: they rattle off one scientific principal after another. Eyes glaze over again.

I don’t mind reading or even learning something new in my fiction, but geez, don’t overwhelm me with stuff way beyond-beyond, even if it’s not that far from reality. If this guy thought it up, I’m sure he did the research. That means he based it on science fact so he wouldn’t get called on it. Unfortunately, that leaves the average reader in the dust.

Do you enjoy reading through page after page of scientific gobblety gook?

I’ve reached a point where the action is finally overwhelming the jargon. That jargon is used extensively in the tech tools employed by the bad guys, so I see the author’s point. I’m enjoying this story, but I had to slog through a lot of techno-babble to get to that enjoyment. I shouldn’t have to do that. If the author had parsed his science babble out a little less, the read would be faster and less frustrating.

LEARN TO SENSE LIMITS

We, as authors have to keep that in mind. I’ve mentioned agendas and fluff and knowing when to cut before. If this author has already done that, I

…Cont’d

…Cont’d

DO YOUR

HOMEWORK

BEFORE

SUBMITTING

MANUSCRIPTS

OR PRESS

RELEASES

CUT OUT THE

DEAD WEIGHT

AND MAKE IT

SIZZLE

DON’T END UP IN

THE ROUND FILE

OR IN OBSCURITY

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE

13 JULY-AUGUST 2014

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HOW TO LOSE YOUR READER (CONT’D)

only imagine what the original manuscript looked like!

The way he’s interconnected the science babble into things, I wonder how thick this book would’ve be with another edit. I’d hate to have him dummy down the story, but I’m sure he could’ve cut out a lot of fluff so minds wouldn’t drift. In fact, I was mentally doing just that as I read.

TRIMMING APPLIES TO ANY GENRE

This principle applies to any subject matter, not just scientific. If your novel takes place in the 1800s and you go off on a tangent about a trapper and tanning specifics, you could lose your reader, especially if the story is about a chase through the wilds. What does tanning have to do with a chase?

You’re writing a romance and you go off on a detailed explanation on cooking a special dish that lasts an entire chapter. What’s that got to do with two star-crossed lovers?

In a murder mystery, the protagonists car breaks down on the way to looking for the suspect, so you go into a detailed scene of him fixing the car. It takes up one or two chapters. Why?

These are more simplistic examples, where in my case, the scientific principles are ingrained into the whole story. But what if in that 1800’s novel, the subject of tanning comes up in every chapter, in detail? Or that special dish gets described with more detail in every chapter between love scenes? Or, after the car breaks down in the mystery, you keep revisiting it with sidebars until the end of the story?

You don’t need to tell the readers more than they need to know, even if you think they’re neat details. That’s your agenda coming through instead of the needs of the story.

If it has a good use, go for it. If it’s just stuff you just think is neat, trash it, unless you can make it a key part of the story!

Happy writing. Fred

DON’T

OVERWHELM THE

READER WITH

TECHNICAL

DETAILS THEY

COULDN’T CARE

LESS ABOUT.

GET ON WITH THE

ACTION!

JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

14 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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THE TOP 4 BOOK MARKETING TACTICS IN

TODAY'S WORLD

COURTESY OF JOHN KREMER

Here are the top four book promotion activities you can engage in to sell more

books in today's world

1. Speak. Speaking builds a word-of-mouth army better than anything else.

Speak locally - at garden clubs, libraries, bookstores, Rotary clubs, JCs, poetry

nights, story swaps, book club meetings, etc. Then expand out to a wider area,

to nearby cities, to nearby states. Eventually, expand out to an even wider

audience.

When someone hears you speak, they become a bigger fan than if they had just

read your book. If they like you when they hear you speak, they will tell ten

times more people than by just reading your book.

2. Book yourself on national TV. TV is still the largest mass market media. It still

reaches more people than any other media - and with more impact. It's worth

spending the time contacting the ten or twenty news and talk shows that reach

your audience. For most national TV shows, you can get the contact information

in one of two ways:

from their websites, and

via your network of friends and fellow authors

Your appearance on one major TV show will not only expose you to millions of

viewers, but it also opens the door to dozens and sometimes hundreds of other

media: newspapers, magazines, radio, more TV shows, etc.

3. Create relationships with high-traffic websites. How many major high-traffic

websites that attract your target reader have you created relationships with?

Are these real relationships where you contribute content to them on a regular

basis? In today’s world, Internet relationships are the key to marketing success.

Uncover five to ten top websites that already reach the audience you want to

reach. Look over their sites until you find a way to contact someone behind

.…Cont’d

John Kremer

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15 JULY-AUGUST 2014

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TOP 4 BOOK MARKETING TACTICS (CONT’D)

the site - a webmaster, an editor, the founder. Then email them with an offer of free content for their readers: an interview with you, a review copy of your book, a free article (that is really good), some tips for their readers, a Q&A column on your specialty, etc. Their obligation, in return, is to link to your website or sales page.

4. Do a Superstar Blog Tour. Or a Mega Blog Tour. Or a Blogpalooza. I’m not talking about the old-style humdrum virtual book tour of 15 or 20 blogs. I’m talking about an event blog tour that creates Internet buzz on a major scale. Event blog tours can build brands, create incredible website traffic, and sell tons of books.

The neat thing is that effective event blog tours take less time to carry out than the traditional Amazon Bestseller Campaign - and are almost always more effective in selling books, building a brand, and driving traffic. If you want to know more about event blog tours, check out this recording of me speaking about the value and method of carrying out an effective impact blog tour: http://www.bookmarket.com/blog-tour-palooza.htm.

Conclusion These four book marketing techniques work for almost any kind of book: fiction, nonfiction, memoirs, children's books, how-to, spiritual, business, even cookbooks. You don't have to do all four. Start with one and work it hard – you'll get better results than doing Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, EzineArticles, or other Internet marketing flavors of the week.

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.

JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

16 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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SPEAKING OF SYNTAX MORGAN ST. JAMES

The word “syntax” has several definitions relative to the English language and grammar, but the one that popped into my mind is from the Bing Online Dictionary.

ORGANIZATION OF WORDS IN SENTENCES

The ordering of and relationship between the words and other structural elements

in phrases and sentences. The syntax may be of a whole language, a single phrase or

sentence, or of an individual speaker.

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

I was listening to an audio book by one of my favorite authors—a New York Times bestselling author, no less. All of a sudden, there it was—the dreaded double-meaning syntax. The narrator said, “The two men sat down quickly in suits and ties.” Um, excuse me. Am I to picture these two fellows wandering through a men’s department in Nordstrom or Macys, then quickly plunk themselves down on a pair of chairs as they reached the Suits & Ties Department?

With apologies to an author whose following is huge, and an undoubtedly highly regarded editor, it seems it should have been something like “The two men, who were wearing suits and ties, sat down quickly.”

The result of poor syntax or arrangement of the words in a particular sentence can definitely create confusion and in some cases are also quite funny.

Years ago, I was guilty of mixed up placement, or poor syntax—not all the time, but often enough to bring it to the attention of my sister Phyllice, who is not only my co-author for the Silver Sisters Mysteries, but trained as an editor. When we began to write the Silver Sisters Mysteries she corrected those faux pas with great diplomacy. Something like, “That sentence sucks.”

All of a sudden, misleading sentences with poor syntax jumped off the page and I found myself acutely aware of them in other author’s books as well.

SOME EXAMPLES

Somewhere in the recesses of my memory, I recalled a song with the line “Throw Mama From The Train A Kiss, A Kiss.” The phrasing was such a good illustration of today’s topic that I looked it up on the internet. The song, actually called Mama

From the Train (A Kiss, A Kiss) was recorded by songstress Patti Page in 1956 and reached #11 in Billboard’s Top 100. The songwriter, Irving Gordon, said the song was

…Cont’d

BE CAREFUL WHERE

YOU PLACE

APOSTROPHES

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE

17 JULY-AUGUST 2014

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SPEAKING OF SYNTAX (CONT’D)

about memories of his deceased mother, whose Pennsylvania Dutch-influenced English lead to quaint phrasings. Playing on the misdirection, there was a movie with Danny DeVito called Throw Momma From the Train. However, DeVito’s character would really have liked to do what the title suggested and throw his shrew of a mother off a real train!

AS I SEARCHED, I FOUND SOME REAL GEMS.

The dealer sold the Cadillac to the buyer with leather seats.

So was that buyer wearing leather pants or what?

They saw a fence behind the house made of barbed wire.

Now that would have been a neat house for one of the three little pigs.

The waiter served a dinner roll to the woman that was well buttered.

Except for the use of ‘that’ instead of ‘who’ maybe the woman had a unique way of wiggling into skin-tight jeans.

Joan piled all of her clothes in the hamper that she had worn.

I wonder how much attention she attracted as she walked down the street.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH SENTENCE STRUCTURE ALSO YIELDS SOME WINNERS. HERE ARE

TWO:

"Only people with cars that live in dorms should be allowed to park in those lots."

"Where one parent would be quiet, polite and conservative the other parent would drive up in a black Trans Am full of arrogance and conceit."

The point of all this…

Make sure your sentences and phrases are ordered in a way that makes sense. You don’t want people secretly asking questions like the ones above.

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JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

18 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

MORE BOOKS FROM

SOME OF OUR PREVIOUS

CONTRIBUTORS

AVAILABLE FROM

AMAZON BUT NOT BY

DRONE!

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AMAZON SEEKS EXEMPTION TO TEST DRONES

OUTDOORS IN U.S. For those who thought the announcement of using drones for deliveries was simply

a publicity stunt by Amazon, according to the Publishers Lunch July 11 issue, the company is sincere about it. “After the FAA made it clear in late June that they are still prohibiting commercial uses of drones, Amazon formally applied for an exemption from that regulation. News of that application has sent their stock up over 4 percent in Friday morning trading (almost $15 a share).”

In their letter, Amazon indicated they are experimenting with Prime Air inside their next generation research and development lab in Seattle. “In the past five months, we have made advancements toward the development of highly‐automated aerial vehicles for Prime Air." They write: "Granting Amazon an exemption to allow R&D testing outdoors in the United States is in the public interest because it advances Congress's goal of getting commercial sUAS flying in the United States safely and soon."

If the FTC does grant Amazon an exemption, it does not mean that Amazon drones will be flying down your street;

Amazon claims their drone technology has advanced significantly in a short time;

Their plan is to self-regulate with procedures that exceed current FAA rules for model aircraft;

They plan to use technology to keep their operations safe. The safety software will keep the drone from flying anywhere near an airport;

If the FAA does not grant Amazon’s request to be able to conduct testing, they will move their drone R&D operations out of the U.S.

They wrote: “We have been limited to conducting R&D flights indoors or in other countries. Of course, Amazon would prefer to keep the focus, jobs, and investment of this important research and development initiative in the United States by conducting private research and development operations outdoors near Seattle.”

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE

19 JULY-AUGUST 2014

GENRE-LA Menu

»

REVIEWS BY MARTHA

RESIDENT REVIEWER – MARTHA CHEVES

MM

THE DEPUTY

By C. M. Albrecht ISBN-13: 978-1613861431 Publisher: Cambridge Books Publication date: 6/26/2014 Pages: 296

Just half a block from the sub-station, crossing the railroad track, Wayne's eyes

caught sight of a wiry bandy-legged little guy walking along by the track. The man

limped slightly, and from the look of his oversize coat and unshaven face, he was

obviously down and out.

As he neared the man, he stopped and leaned out of his side window, said,

"Howdy." The little man stopped abruptly, looked over at Wayne sitting in his

cruiser and hesitated. He looked as if he was debating whether to stay or run.

"Hi," the stranger said. "You're new around here," Wayne said swerving his vehicle

to a stop in front of the man. "Just passing through," he said. "I been looking for

work." "What kind of work do you do?" inquired Wayne. "Oh...most anything.”

"My name's Deputy Terwilliger, but most folks call me Wayne.

"I'm Ray Stark from Montana," the man said.

"Well, what I was thinking, Ray, is that I'm tied up here in town so much of the

time. You know, a sheriff's always on duty, and my wife, Janie, she's alone out

there at the farm all day with all those chores to take care of. I was just thinking, I

can't offer much in the way of money, but we do have a spare room. I've been

using it for storage, but we could clear it out and make up a little room for you

there and my Janie's a good cook." Wayne said to him.

"As to wages, I just need maybe enough to keep me in a few things." replied Ray.

The two men shook hands as Wayne said, "Come on. We'll get in the cruiser and I'll

take you out there. It isn't far."

This was the hiring of Ray by Deputy Terwilliger to help his wife Janie with the

chores around their farm.

Ray couldn't believe his luck in finding a job and by a Deputy to boot. This was

going to make his life so much easier... so he thought. What he was unaware of

was that the Deputy had other 'chores' in mind for Ray and they weren't exactly up

to Ray's liking.

…Cont’d

MARTHA CHEVES

AUTHOR/REVIEWER

BUY NOW

::

C. M. ALBRECHT

JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

20 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

What the Deputy lacked in morals he made up for in his bravery. When the bank

in Franklin was robbed, he showed no fear in going after the robbers. He had a

loving wife at home, Sandy in town, a job that made him proud and the 'respect'

of those around him. So when he read about a bus load of convicts escaping

after killing the driver, he came up with a plan and Ray fit in perfectly. A plan

that would give him the freedom to do and have everything he wanted, and

deserved.

This book kept me on the edge. I was able to come up with Ray's fit into the

story but I had no idea as to how he would handle what had been planned for

him to do for Wayne. The ending was a bit of a surprise for me. Loved this book

as much as I've loved all books I've read by this Author.

Martha is our resident reviewer. Visit her websites for more

reviews and recipes.

http://marthaskitchenkorner.blogspot.com (A Book and a Dish)

http://stirlaughrepeat.blogspot.com (Main Site)

http://marthaatkitchenkorner.blogspot.com (Martha's Kitchen Korner)

http://marthasrecipecabinet.blogspot.com (Martha's Recipe Cabinet)

http://stirlaughrepeatcookbook.blogspot.com (Cookbook Site)

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BOOKS BY MARTHA

BUY NOW

BUY NOW

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE

21 JULY-AUGUST 2014

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Press “Control” then click “Buy Now” to purchase any book JUST FOR GIGGLES AND GRINS

FOOD

FOR

THOUGHT WORDS ARE

OFTEN SEEN

HUNTING FOR AN

IDEA, BUT IDEAS

ARE NEVER SEEN

HUNTING FOR

WORDS.

How many

mystery

writers does it

take to change

a light bulb?

Two. One to

screw the bulb

almost all the

way in, and

one to give a

surprising

twist at the

end.

JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

22 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Imagine the

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CELEBRATING RELEASE OF THE 2ND EDITION OF

A CORPSE IN THE SOUP MORGAN ST. JAMES AND PHYLLICE BRADNER

(NAMED BEST MYSTERY AUDIO BOOK BY USA BOOK NEWS)

EXCERPT

~~CChhaapptteerr 55~~

Goldie jumped out of the cab and ran through the main entrance to

Cedars Sinai Hospital, her rolling suitcase bumping along behind her. As

soon as the elevator opened at the fifth floor, she made a beeline for the

nurse’s station, where a large woman in a pastel smock intercepted her.

“Hold it right there, Lady Godiva. What do you think you’re doing

wandering around here like that? This morning you looked like Great

Gatsby’s Ghost. Just because you put on a little makeup doesn’t mean you

get to go home.”

She took Goldie by the shoulders and turned her around, “You’re going

right back to bed, Missy. You may call yourself G.O.D., but according to this

chart,” she tapped her clipboard, “G.O.D. stays in bed today! You had a close

call, you know. Now give me that suitcase!”

Goldie faced the harried nurse, and glanced at her nametag. “Sorry,

Nurse Brady, you obviously think I’m Godiva.” She tightened her grip on the

suitcase. “But you’re wrong. I happen to be her twin sister from Alaska! See,

I came right from the airport.”

Nurse Brady grasped Goldie’s elbow with a no-nonsense iron grip and

steered her down the hall. “Good try, Miss High and Mighty, but you do have

to stay in bed and that is final. Now let’s go back to your room, shall we? I’ll

take the valise for you.” They pushed through the door of a private room,

and the suitcase fell on its side with a plop. The plump nurse’s jaw dropped

open, quadrupling her chins, as she took in the sight of Godiva in a saffron

yellow silk bed jacket propped up against two pillows, a steaming mug of tea

cradled in her hands.

…Cont’d

KINDLE

PAPERBACK

AUDIO

BOOK

MORE

ELECTRONIC

PLATFORMS

COMING SOON

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE

23 JULY-AUGUST 2014

BUY THE PAPERBACK

FOR $14.95

AND GET THE KINDLE

FOR 99¢

EXCERPT FROM A CORPSE IN THE SOUP (CONT’D)

“Well, I’ll be darned.” Nurse Brady shook her head from side-to-side as

she released Goldie’s arm. She stared from one twin to the other for a

moment, then backed out of the room muttering an apology.

Godiva grinned, “God! Am I happy to see you!”

Goldie approached the bed and enveloped her sister in a fierce hug.

“Hey, what about the other people on the show? Were they as sick as you?”

“Well, I was making such a pig of myself I probably got the worst of it.

There we were, tasting what should have been shrimp from heaven and

instead we almost wound up at the Pearly Gates!”

“Bummer! They might not have let you in.”

Godiva made a face. “Seriously, we were all in pretty bad shape. The

other lady was writhing around on the floor like a beached whale while this

guy in an African shirt hopped up and down like a frog on fire. But worse

than that, my beautiful new Armani dress is a total loss. That sauce will

never come out.”

“You and those other people almost died and all you can think about is

your dress?”

Godiva gave an elegant shrug of her shoulders. “It was an Armani.”

“Well, gee, I see you’ve got your priorities straight.”

Godiva ignored her. “Anyway, the last thing I remember was Chef

Romano shouting that corny line, ‘Is there a doctor in the house?’ over and

over again. Then this horrible clammy feeling washed over me and the next

thing I knew I was here at Cedars, they pumped my stomach and I had to

watch yellowish, greenish gunk come out of me.”

“Yuck! How horrible! Was it the shrimp?”

“No. Poisonous mushrooms. That’s what the toxicology reports showed.

Imagine that. The great Caesar Romano serving deadly mushrooms. I could

kill him in print if I was that sort of person, you know. I have the power of

the press behind me. After all, I am syndicated!”

“Godiva, you wouldn’t! The important thing is that you’re okay. Seeing

you behave like a spoiled bitch is such a relief. I can see you’re almost back

to normal. Where’s Chili?”

“Down in the coffee shop. Poor kid’s a nervous wreck.” She managed a

…Cont’d

Cont’d Next Page…

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REMEMBER- PUMP

UP YOUR

PERSONALITY

ALWAYS BE READY

FOR AN

UNEXPECTED

INTERVIEW

TAP INTO

YOUR BEST

PERSONALITY

JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

24 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

EXCERPT FROM A CORPSE IN THE SOUP (CONT’D)

knowing wink. “My ordeal wasn’t even close to what Chili’s been going

through trying to manage her grandmother. You know what Mom is like,

doing my charts, reading the cards—she keeps telling Chili about the

harbingers of doom while she deals the deck again. My God. Last night she

was even planning a séance so she could communicate with me just in case I

died.”

Goldie nodded, understanding only too well. “I guess that’s what happens

when astrology meets a hand-wringing Jewish mother. So, where’s Mom

now?”

“Bless Uncle Sterling. When he brought me these letters and things, he

maneuvered her out of here and drove her home.”

“I’d better find my daughter and give the kid a hug. Have fun with your

mail, G.O.D.”

Goldie hurried toward the bank of elevators across from the nurses’

station. Amazing! Less than eighteen hours before she had dropped

everything, left Rudy in charge of the shop, fought for a reservation on the

next available Alaska Airlines flight, and here it was just past noon and she

was two-thousand miles from home.

Lost in thought, Goldie almost bumped into a handsome man as he

rounded the corner. He stopped short. A smile played around his lips,

causing his neat salt and pepper mustache to wiggle. “My dear lady, I’m so

glad to see you up and around. Thank goodness you recovered so quickly. I

didn’t think they would release you yet.”

Looking a bit embarrassed, he held out a dazzling bouquet of yellow roses

and purple iris.

“Here, these are for you. Of course Food Broadcasting will compensate

you, but I wanted to personally offer my apology for this terrible thing and

bring a little something to cheer you up.” His moustache bobbed around like

a wooly caterpillar.

Goldie cocked her head to the side. “What in the world are you talking

about?” She started to push past him.

“Wait, I can explain.” The man looked panicked.

…Cont’d

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PART OF

BEING AN

AUTHOR IS

BOOKING

INTERVIEWS

PREPARE A

SAMPLE

INTERVIEW

DON’T ALLOW

FEAR TO LEAVE

YOU

SPEECHLESS

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE

25 JULY-AUGUST 2014

EXCERPT FROM A CORPSE IN THE SOUP (CONT’D)

Goldie felt the light bulb click on. “Are you by any chance that chef, Caesar

Romano?”

His eyes widened with disbelief, “Surely you know I’m Romano!” He

touched his chest with a grand flourish.

She could picture the imaginary headlines. Romano Almost Serves G.O.D.

Her Last Supper. No question about it. Godiva could definitely ruin him.

As the elevator doors parted, Chili hurried out and nearly collided with her

mother and her idol who were now standing in the middle of the hall staring at

each other. She ran over to Goldie and hugged her. “Mom, I’m so glad you’re

here. Have you seen Aunt Godiva yet?”

“I just came from her room, Darling. I was on my way down to find you.”

Goldie turned to the confused chef and extended her hand. “By the way, Chef

Romano, I’m Goldie Silver. It was my twin sister you almost killed.”

Follow the twists and turns as Goldie and Godiva search for a killer in the

glitzy world of TV Chefs.

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Remember when digitally printed books (PODs), Kindle

and eBooks weren’t

considered real books?

The publishing

business

continues to

change, so stay

up-to-date!

JULY-AUGUST 2014 PAGE

26 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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This article originally ran in the January-February 2013 issue of Writers’ Tricks of

the Trade, but with self-publishing becoming more and more the choice of indie

authors, it was time to reprint it.

LOOKING FOR A PUBLISHER?

CONSIDER PUBLISHING YOURSELF HONORA FINKELSTEIN

Common wisdom has often said novelists wanting to be financially successful

in the business need an agent to assist them, a contract with a reputable

publishing house, a lot of energy to expend on the promotion process, the hide of

an elephant to be able to handle critics, and lots of time to give to building their

readership. Oh, and maybe a day job until their books have taken off with the

public.

Throwing your manuscript over the transom of a big publishing house is considered mostly useless, as only one in perhaps 100,000 unsolicited manuscripts will ever be noticed, much less published. So an agent might help, provided he or she really likes your book and tries hard to sell it.

Unfortunately, I’ve worked with five different agents, all of whom really liked my work and some of whom actually tried to sell it. But eventually the only person who managed to sell my work to a publisher was me.

I’ve known a handful of writers who’ve broken into publishing by starting as romance writers and eventually moving on to making bigger names for themselves in other genres—Janet Evanovich and Norah Roberts are two who are now HUGE! But to get to where these two ladies are requires writing all day every day, and some of us still need that day job until we get to the point where we have the luxury to do nothing but write, write, write.

Now mind you, there’s a slim chance your first novel will be picked up by a major house, will sell millions of copies and be turned into a movie, and from then on, writing will be your fulltime career. At the very least, getting picked up by a big publishing house will ensure your book should make it onto bookstore shelves. But you’ll still need to participate in promoting your work, and if you don’t succeed in making your name known, a large publishing house may remainder it, selling it off to resale booksellers or possibly even shredding and recycling it.

Now, let’s face it, most writers aren’t overnight successes. So some writers go with smaller presses to get their work out there, knowing they’ll need to keep writing and building their readership while recognizing that quality will still be expected even when quantity is the goal. And, oh, yeah, don’t quit your day job yet. ...Cont’d

CO-AUTHORS

HONORA FINKLESTEIN

AND

SUSAN SMILY

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27 JULY-AUGUST 2014

Looking for a Publisher? Cont’d

But now the publishing industry is changing, due in large part to Amazon

Kindle and other e-book options and all the possibilities for writers to develop a

readership through on-line connections. So yet another way to become a well-

known writer is to publish your work yourself.

In the past, this was often belittled as “vanity” publishing, and even those

whose motive was to educate or entertain others needed that elephant hide to

ignore the criticism. But these days, if you’ve written something you believe in,

you’ve had it professionally edited, and you’ve received good feedback from

people you really trust as reviewers (not just your family members), don’t worry

about that criticism. Self-publishing ensures your work won’t be remaindered,

and these days, thanks to e-book publishing and to print-on-demand (POD)

publishing of your book’s paper version, you won’t have a garage full of

unsalable boxes of books if you decide to try this route.

Thanks to Amazon’s Create Space POD and Kindle e-book outlet, my co-

author, Susan Smily, and I now have our own small publishing company.

Obviously, if you go this route, you’ll need to have your book professionally

edited, and you’ll need someone to do design, layout, and a professional cover.

For a fee, Create Space can provide all these things, and they’ll be much cheaper

than in the old days when you had to print a minimum of a thousand copies of

your masterpiece and store them in your garage.

In fact, most small presses and a lot of the larger publishing houses are

moving to POD, which saves trees because it prints books only as they’re

ordered—and of course, e-books books are totally without paper waste.

Also, organizations that give out awards now sometimes offer them to

writers who self-publish either in POD or electronically—and that’s a huge shift!

Self-publishing through Create Space and Kindle lets you market your book

your way. Lots of writers of our acquaintance have been immensely successful

selling their work as e-books, and Susan and I are also having a pretty good

month now that all our cozy mysteries are up both on Kindle and in new

paperback editions that we designed.

Will Susan and I finally be well-read as authors as well as being very good

writers? Who knows. But we think Create Space and Kindle may turn out to be

our new best friends.

…Cont’d

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28 WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

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Press “Control” then click “Buy Now” to purchase any book

The Writers’ Tricks of the Trade book was inspired by Morgan St. James’

more than 500 published articles about the craft and business of writing

It is not a dry, techie type of a book, but rather a ready reference on many things the

fiction writer must deal with on a day-to-day basis. Told in a light prose, with

experiences, backfires and successes thrown in, every chapter has actionable

information.

For more in-depth information on a particular topic, the bibliography in the back is a

list of books the author used and continues to refer to as needed.

“Writers’ Tricks of the Trade is a treasure trove of practical advice. Morgan St James covers all aspects of fiction writing from original concept through to publication, networking and publicity. Her voice is experienced, encouraging and sincere. I would recommend this book to anyone engaged in the difficult, often mysterious business of writing.”

~Gayle Sutherland, Convenor, Partners in Crime, Sydney,

Australia

As an author myself, I have found her book useful for filling in gaps in my

knowledge.

~Maralys Wills. Author, "Damn the Rejections, Full Speed

ahead."

“Morgan St. James has written a terrific book that every writer should

own. This is a modern, street-smart, working handbook from an author after

my own heart. Get smart. Get inspired. Get this book.”

~Tony N. Todaro, Author, President and Co-founder of the

Greater Los Angeles Writers Society.

Available in Kindle, eBook or Paperback

Also at Amazon.uk and Amazon.ca and

most online booksellers, or

order at your favorite local bookstore

PAPERBACK ISBN #978-0983779001

970-0-9837790-0-1

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE PAGE

29 JULY-AUGUST 2014

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