Archive | March 2019

6 Tips To Hook A Reader on Page One

Mar13

Carly Watters's avatarCarly Watters, Literary Agent

I’ve read thousands of “page ones.” Very often I don’t read page two.

Sometimes all I read is that first page and I make judgements based on what I see there. As an agent and a reader my practice is that if I’m not connecting with the material I move on–and quickly.

I wish I had time to give writers (and their books) more of a chance but I can tell a lot by one page: sense of dialogue, setting, pace, character, voice, and writing talent–yes, usually all from one page. Five at the most.

So how are you supposed to get us past one page?

6 Tips To Hook A Reader on Page One

1. Learn how to balance what readers need to know vs. what you, as the writer, want to tell us. I can sense a writer who is trying to show off very quickly. It really only takes…

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New Release!

Mar12

Hero-09144
Hero-111257125
New Release!! $1.99 Listed at $2.99 so Amazon will have to correct that, but it is out on pre-order.

“Kids can get hungry sometimes while on chemo,” says five-year-old Sammy, having a good day despite the malignant tumor invading his brain. Based on true events from the 1980s, Sammy’s story is imagined by his mother and brother as if the young boy might tell it himself. The result is gripping. Told in two parts, Sammy’s account first invites us into the everyday middle-American lives of a mom and her two boys. Sammy is a sweet, good-hearted kid, even as he faces the most difficult challenges in Part 2: “Cancer Arrived.” Here Sammy talks us through hospital trips and procedures, the hardest parts as well as moments of simple joy. It is not always possible to survive such a grim diagnosis, so Sammy and his family must embrace the smaller victories from one day to the next. Finally, our young hero is given one last opportunity to find his own unique path toward triumph. Listen closely as Sammy tells us all what matters most.

http://tinyurl.com/y4t5tcek

AVAILABLE TO PRE – ORDER!!!!!

New from our Mary L Schmidt, ‘Sammy Hero At Age Five‘ tells her son’s story of his fight with cancer, as in Mary’s ‘When Angels Fly’, but this time from Sammy’s point of view. Available to pre-order now and will be released on 26th March.

AMAZON UNIVERSAL LINK: smarturl.it/SammyHeroAtAgeFive
AMAZON UK LINK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PP95MSZ
AMAZON .COM LINK: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PP95MSZ

New Release!! “Kids can get hungry sometimes while on chemo,” says five-year-old Sammy. smarturl.it/SammyHeroAtAgeFive #RRBC #memoir #mglit #Sammy #ian1 #CoPromosRT #Christian 

This entry was posted on March 12, 2019. 2 Comments

Key Publishing Lessons from a Writing Event

Mar10

M.L. Davis's avatarM.L. Davis Writer

Last week I attended a writing event and shared key writing lessons on this blog. As promised, this week I’m focusing on the publishing lessons, which formed a huge portion of the day.

This insight was delivered by author Sarah Juckes and agents Hannah Ferguson, Imogen Pelham and Sandra Sawicka. I hope you find it as helpful and interesting as I did!

1. Do your research
There are loads of agents and publishers out there, each with different preferences. If you don’t do your research and find out more about these preferences you could waste your time, and theirs, by sending manuscripts to people who simply aren’t interested in your genre/style.
novel writing2. Make sure your query letter has a “point of contact”
It’s not uncommon to submit to a number of agents, in fact it’s expected. But that doesn’t mean every query letter should be the same. Work…

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7 Tips to Being Precognitive

Mar8

Charles Yallowitz's avatarLegends of Windemere

Philip J. Fry

Don’t we all wish at times to be able to see even a little into the future?  Guess not everyone, but it could have some advantages.  You’ll definitely know about the weather or traffic.  Waking up will tell you if it’s worth getting out of bed.  No more paying for movies since you can see the ending . . . Well, I guess we already have the Internet for that one.  Still, this would be a fun power, but with a lot of danger.  Maybe one needs a few guidelines to using precognition.

  1. Be careful who you talk to about your powers.  Sharing your gift so openly is bound to attract the attention of unsavory folks.  Not only gamblers, but criminals of all kinds who want to see if they can get away with things.  We’re talking cheating on your math final all the way to jaywalking. …

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Guest Post By S. Jackson – Child Loss

Mar7

aurorajeanalexander's avatarWriter's Treasure Chest

I’m not the woman I once was…I know the hurt, the battle within.

I’m not the woman I once was… I’m not the mama I once was… but I’m me, please take me as I am, full of flaws… I know the hurt, the battle within.

My own mother was devoid of feeling towards most of her children, and I was the perfect black sheep in her eyes. She wasn’t affectionate, didn’t hug, or show love as I grew up. If she did show to any my siblings, I never once saw it. I told myself that I would the opposite with my own children if I were to be blessed by God and given the gift of children.

I was blessed with three boys and one daughter (from my second marriage). My first born died in utero (inside me), labor was induced, and Shane was stillborn. I was crushed…

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Her Good Girl

Mar7

HerGoodGirl

Her Good Girl by Elaine Stock

First the book blurb found on Amazon:

“Sometimes digging deep frees you to bloom.

Sadie Tremont’s will to survive is killing her. Almost 18, she’s battled one mysterious illness after another. Tara-Lynn, her mom, insists she’s the only one with the ultimate cure. Sadie can’t depend on her dad to help when his only interest is underground caving. Her grandmother too easily counts on God to help, but Sadie has stopped waiting for miracles. Callie, a café owner and new friend, might help but can she be trusted?

Then there’s Sky, Sadie’s new boyfriend who offers a sliver of joy, peace, and self-respect. When he schemes that the only way for Sadie to be happy is to escape with him from her native West Virginia hills by killing Tara-Lynn, she’s trapped.

She can’t partner with Sky to hurt the mom who has hurt her for years . . . or can she?

When tragedy strikes and threatens Sadie’s dad’s life and the shaky ground the Tremont family stands on, will they pull together or give in to the weakened earth beneath their feet?”

My review:

I just finished reading this fantastic read! I write that as truly Stock has woven story involving Munchausen by Proxy (a mental illness) into a family that is anything but a family. As a registered nurse, I already knew of this phenomenon, and Stock took it further as evidenced by her research and writing. Not only is there Munchausen by Proxy, but the story is Christian fiction at its finest. I won’t give out any spoilers on this book that has won several awards. The novel was a fascinating read for me and I give it five stars!

 

This entry was posted on March 7, 2019. 2 Comments