Thursday, February 27, 2014

What's In a Writer's Mind?


I am obviously the source of great consternation for my offspring. Just a few days ago my daughter questioned my comfort level with my rather solitary work conditions.
True, I work out of my home and spend the bulk of my time on the computer… I tried to explain that in addition to whatever writing projects I am working on, I also have to do research and promotions. And yes, I do enjoy the occasional social chat or email. Besides I live in an area where going anywhere besides a visit to one of my neighbors requires driving, something I only do out of necessity.
“But Mom, sometimes we worry that you’re becoming an agoraphobic.”
This made me laugh. But I did look up the true meaning of agoraphobia just to be sure; agoraphobics generally resist leaving the safety of their homes due to a fear of an uncontrolled setting and fear of social embarrassment. Well that settles it. I assured her that I am in no way even close to the description. First of all, and many of you already know this about me, I had been a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician and first responder for nearly three decades and that means constantly running towards uncontrolled situations – and even more than that, I am probably one of the most shameless folks around, I LOVE to leave people speechless over my behavior!
Now getting back to the solitary nature of my work – a writer’s life is NEVER lonely. We entertain all kinds of company all the time. All of the characters we create and all of the stories running through our minds keep us very busy. Everywhere I go (and despite my children’s concerns I DO go out) there’s always people watching, there are scents and sounds to feed my senses, and there are real life mirages that form the basis of lots of new stories. I always make it a point to examine motivations for the things people do, whether I agree with them or not, because it helps me to add dimension to the characters I create. I never stop working no matter what I am doing because everything I see, feel, hear and think offers the possibility of being in one of my stories.
“But Mom, don’t you ever turn it off?”
I can no more turn off my brain than I can turn off my need to breathe. I told her how her how my rabbi once teased me that he knew I was trying to figure a way to rewrite all the biblical tales to create some new story as I read on a Sabbath morning. She looked at me with doubt. I reassured her that no writer ever stops working even when they sleep and then I told her about my dear friend Charmaine Gordon who “sleep writes” and keeps a memo pad on her nightstand to record the dreams she turns into great works of fiction.

I don’t know what it is about the way our brains work, but other writers understand our drive to weave our fiction and manipulate our words. Perhaps there is something questionable about the writer’s mind. For years everyone said that the right brain fostered creative energy and went on to claim that writers and other artists were truly “in their right minds”; nowadays there are alleged professionals refuting the right brain-left brain theories and taking away our claim to the creative right. While we all may raise an eyebrow or two when we hear someone say they hear voices in their head, writers may indeed feel a kinship. …maybe there is just a bit of, ahem, you know.


added note  (3/3):

While I certainly didn't plan it ahead with him, last night during the Academy Award ceremony, Robert DeNiro added to this post with these words:  "The mind of a writer can be a terrifying thing - isolated, neurotic, caffeine-addled, crippled by procrastination, consumed by feelings of panic, self-loathing, and crushing inadequacy - and that's on a good day"

I think it is just fantastic that Mr. DeNiro agrees with me!  


Saturday, February 22, 2014

Paige Agrees to Wine & Dine the Man - Weekend Writing Warriors 02/23/14 #8Sunday #WEWRIWA

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the WeWriWa blog

Welcome to a snippet from Bartlett's Rule, my first novel published with Vanilla Heart Publishing. Even though this piece is already published, I find that receiving your comments is helpful as I write future stories - you strengthen me when I know how well (or not) I communicate with my readers, and I learn what readers like and don't care for. I really appreciate you for giving me your time.

I picked up almost exactly where I left off last week, I had to show you that Jeanmarie was definitely NOT suggesting "that", LOL. Aside from the fact that Paige has already called Lon Bartlett, in the opening line of the book, a "pompous ass", she is certainly skittish. (as usual, I've used creative punctuation)...


Jeanmarie laughed suddenly, “Oh gosh no, all I want you to do is schmooze with him a little bit; make sure his evening is pleasant.” She stopped and stared at the young woman pensively, “You know Paige, a lot of the women in the secretarial pool would die for this chance to spend an evening with a man like Bartlett, this is a great opportunity for you... professionally.”


Paige bit the inside of her cheek to keep from retorting. She spent two years in the secretarial pool waiting for a promotion into the public relations department of this company. Of course though, she thought to herself, the first time she was given an opportunity to prove herself it had to be with someone whose ethics she couldn’t tolerate.

“I just need to know that you can do this Paige,” Jeanmarie had taken a huge personal gamble by pushing Paige’s name when this opening came up.

“I’ll make sure he’s happy,” she nodded even though she was filled with all kinds of self doubts. In reality, Paige wasn’t worried about refusing the man’s possible advances, she was afraid she would be tempted to accept them.


For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 
Bartlett's Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige's love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.




Bartlett’s Rule was named one of
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s 
Top Ten Reads for 2009
on MyShelf.com


Download the FREE Book Discussion Packet for
Bartlett’s Rule (pdf file)


Thursday, February 20, 2014

Chelle Cordero - Combining Passion & Suspense


Karma Visited
Do you believe in karma? Annie Furman has a gift that allows her, while she sleeps, to visit people in their time of need – but who will be there for her when she needs help? Undersheriff Dave Turner is investigating a series of home invasions and homicides. He has no idea that solving this case will lead him to the woman of his dreams.
Hyphema
Hyphema: Bleeding in the eye caused by trauma… Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive comments from their new neighbors… Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from which they may never wake.
His Lucky Charm
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas… this time it follows Brandon and Caitlyn across the country and into a world of espionage and danger. The one thing that Brandon knows for sure is that he can’t afford to lose his lucky charm, Caitlyn.
Common Bond, Tangled Hearts
Layne Gillette’s world is turned upside down when a man she has never met shows up to lay claim as the father of her 6-year old son. When Layne’s abusive “ex-husband” shows up, they are torn apart by danger, kidnapping and lies.
A Chaunce of Riches
Ben Johnson was hired as a bodyguard for a rich widow and her kid, but he never expected to be working for the woman who had abandoned him just when he had needed her the most. Damn it all, he still wanted her. Samantha Chaunce never thought she would have to explain why she married the rich man instead of Ben. Or that her husband had been murdered…and Ben was the prime suspect.
Hostage Heart
Life was hard after the hurricanes swept through, destroying her parents’ home and livelihood… An errand for her boss – a chance encounter with a crew of bank robbers – a kind man who tried to help her … a man who isn’t all he seems…no, he is so much more
Final Sin
Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full… investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife. He meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of them in danger…
Courage of the Heart
Sometimes love is the only cure for the very deepest of emotional wounds. The story of the two lovers takes a series of unexpected and fast paced turns where lives, sanity and love are put in jeopardy. Their commitment to one another results in a spirit that binds them together and helps them to overcome physical and emotional dangers.
Within the Law
Tom gave up on ever falling in love again the day that he buried his high school sweetheart and fiancé. He started a career in law enforcement just so that he could find her murderer and rapist. Just when he is about to see justice done, he meets Alli Davis-the defense attorney for the murdering rapist who took his love from him.
Bartlett’s Rule
Bartlett’s Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige’s love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

A Sample Lesson from 60+ Days to Live, Breathe, & Write


Look Who’s Talking Now…


Storytelling is done from a point of view, POV, and there are four choices the writer can choose to tell his story – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd limited or unlimited.

1st person narrative is told from the perspective of a major character. Like all perspectives this can be colored by emotions, fears, motive and misunderstanding. In other words, the perspective can be skewed and not necessarily the truth, but it is the way the character sees things.

The following is told in 1st person: "I was sitting and watching TV when Joe entered the room. He looked stressed and I tried to get him to calm down. Joe paced and refused to talk." Notice that Joe LOOKED nervous, but we weren’t told how he was feeling. In 1st person, the narrator only knows what he or she is seeing or hearing, but cannot get inside the other person’s head.

2nd person is least likely to be used in a work of fiction; you’ll find 2nd person in self help guides and instruction manuals. "You need to sit quietly and visualize a quiet beach. Think about the waves gently lapping at the shore." Or if it’s in a novel, it might read, "You could almost hear the silence after Brenda made her announcement. Seeing the pain on the groom’s face just makes you want to hide."

2nd person point of view talks directly to the reader. It would be difficult to maintain a storyline effectively using 2nd POV especially something as lengthy as a novel.

3rd person limited tells the story from a character’s point of view, but only one character at a time (scene or chapter) The writer can share the emotions and senses of that character from within the mind, but when talking of other character’s reactions it is only what the first character sees or hears.

John was overtired and frustrated as he watched Rachel pouring another drink. Rachel smiled as she handed him the drink, but he could see the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Somehow he would find out what she was thinking, but in the meanwhile he was going to enjoy having her company for the evening.

The reader only learns what is in "his" head and what his feelings are. We know that Rachel seemed phony only because that was the way it looked to John.

3rd person unlimited allows us to move from head-to-head to see the action from each ones point of view. This method is most like watching a movie where the reader has a chance to learn the different perspectives. A writer has to be careful how quickly he "head-hops" so as not to confuse the reader.

Dan wanted to convince her to stay with him. "I promise you’ll be safe." He was willing to put his life on the line for her. Janet was wary. He had no idea how guilty she was feeling, she knew she had brought this on herself.

"I can’t let you put yourself in danger."

"But I would do anything for you." Right now all Dan could think about was wrapping his arms around her and never letting go.

Beginning writers are cautioned to remain consistent with whatever POV they choose to write in. There are times when combining different points of view helps to tell your story. In my novel Final Sin I used 3rd person unlimited for all of my major characters, but I had the unknown murderer appear now and then in 1st person. Since the villain was mentally ill, his point of view was skewed as only he could see things.


Writing Exercise:  Imagine that you are meeting, for the first time, with a friend who you haven't seen for at least 10 years - write approximately 3 paragraphs telling us about your conversation. Do a little bragging about your own accomplishments.

Writing Prompt:  Finish these sentences: 1) My greatest flaw… 2) No one… 3) My worst fear is… 4) I was arrested because… 5) My worst day began with…

60+ Days to Live, Breathe, & Write by Chelle Cordero

60+ Days to Live, Breathe, & Write

Due to demand and the overwhelming desire of her readers for more great information about being a successful and productive writer, Chelle Cordero and Vanilla Heart Publishing present 60+ Days to Live, Breathe, & Write – previously published as Living, Breathing, Writing, Volumes 1 and 2. This combined collection gives both the aspiring writer and the accomplished writer two complete months of lessons about the craft of writing and being a writer, from time management to social networking, organizing queries to publication, the business of being a writer, and more. Includes more than 100 brain-starting exercises, business activities, and prompts to help you get those words on paper, and create your successful writing career. These short lessons and activities have been previously published as part of the acclaimed Amazon Kindle blog Living, Writing, Breathing available by subscription for Kindle owners, and consistently in the Top 100. Make the writing life the life for you! These hints, tips, essays, lessons, and activities for new and established writers cover such subjects as Querying, Marketing, Grammar, Dialogue, Blogging, Finances for Writers, Expanding Your Readership, and more! Chelle Cordero's experience as both a multipublished novelist and long-term freelance journalist, in addition to her successful Kindle Blog, Living, Breathing, Writing, will give you information and ideas... activities to spark your imagination, 'up' your writing game, develop your skills, and guide you through the business of writing and being a writer.



Saturday, February 15, 2014

Welcome to Bartlett's Rule & Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 02/16/14

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the WeWriWa blog

Welcome to a snippet from Bartlett's Rule, my first novel published with Vanilla Heart Publishing. Even though this piece is already published, I find that receiving your comments is helpful as I write future stories - you strengthen me when I know how well (or not) I communicate with my readers, and I learn what readers like and don't care for. I really appreciate you for giving me your time.

Paige is working for a magazine's PR department - her supervisor is entrusting her with a special assignment...

         “Why can’t you just buy him dinner and tickets to a Broadway show for him and one of his many adoring hordes?”
“Excuse me?” Jeanmarie grinned mischievously.
“I said hordes,” Paige emphasized the “D” sound.
“Seriously, I’m sure that Lon Bartlett would prefer to choose his own company for the evening.”
“Paige that would be fine if we were just sending some executive a simple holiday remembrance, but we need to court this publication; and if we want the publisher happy, we make his star writer happy.” She looked down at her phone as if trying to hurry the young woman from her office, “This requires a more personal touch, take him out, wine and dine him. Do whatever you have to and make him happy.”
Slowly a frown settled on Paige’s face, “I hope you’re not suggesting...”


For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 
Bartlett's Rule shares the story of Lon and Paige's love affair; a romance filled with hardship, emotion, danger and triumph. Falling in love was never the challenge; being there for each other, knowing just what to say and making it work is the real test. Paige and Lon are real; they are human, they cry and they laugh. Paige has to learn to trust. Lon has to learn to be patient.



AllRomance E-books

Bartlett’s Rule was named one of
Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s Top Ten Reads for 2009
on MyShelf.com

By Barbara Moroch
A fantastic read -- a love story between two seemingly very different kinds of people. Between all the tribulations that get in the way of their romance, they ultimately triumph. The story is so well crafted and the characters evoke lots of emotion from the reader. The plot takes lots of twists and turns and underscores the severity of rape crimes and the lasting damage it inflicts upon its victims...
 

Monday, February 10, 2014

Imagine ~ No More Intolerance


I’m a half-Hispanic (Puerto Rican) Jewish (fully) woman with a multi-cultural and multi-religious extended family. I have been FORTUNATE to have experienced prejudice – why do I say fortunate? I was lucky enough to never have life or limb seriously threatened (a few “mild” shoving matches), but more importantly, I learned what it felt like to have bigots be unkind, deny you your rights, and treat you as if you don’t belong. And because I have been on “that side”, I know how wrong it is – I take any prejudice towards any people personally because if I accept it in any way then I am just as guilty.
I’ve been told to “go back where I came from”, that would be the Bronx in NYC. In 1968 after three weeks in the Miami sun, combined with my already medium olive complexion, I visited family in South Carolina (the year of race riots) where my blond-haired blue-eyed cousin and I got into a heap of trouble for walking down the street TOGETHER (oh my!). My first serious teen-age boyfriend was forbidden from seeing that **** (insert derogatory Hispanic term here) by his parents. As a female I’ve actually had business-people tell me that they had to speak with my husband and not “the little woman”; LITTLE? I guess I’m complimented, I may be short but… oh never mind. I’ve been called more than one nasty term to describe my ethnicity (both halves), my religion, my gender and my physical attributes. There has probably been more that just went right on over my head (I said I was short!).
I do remember an incident which I chuckle over – I was seventeen, had a wicked and distorted sense of humor, and didn’t mind lambasting someone with “shock value”. My sister (slightly fairer than me) and her blond-haired husband had a baby shortly before she came down with chicken pox; my parents and I cared for my nephew to give them a chance for her to get well and not get the infant sick. A proud aunt, I carried my fair skin nephew in an infant pouch while doing grocery shopping when this older, judgmental woman looked down her nose at me and said, loudly and nasty, “Harrumph, His father must be white!” I looked at her and then at my nephew and simply said, “You know, I really don’t know.” She did call me a slut under her breath, but I also left her jaw hanging open.
As I wrote my novel Hyphema I remembered the passive and not-so-passive prejudice I’ve lived through. It was extremely important to me to represent someone who was so good inside and yet her very appearance invited hatred. Sudah, a Pakistani Muslim immigrant married to an American-born Caucasian man wasn’t oblivious to the bigotry she encountered, but she refused to react with anger and resentment. In one scene it gave her a lot of joy to help educate others and share some of her culture as she hosted a day of cooking lessons for the wives of her husband’s new co-workers. Sadly it wasn’t just their North Carolina neighbors who reacted badly to their mixed marriage, but also her parents and family back in Pakistan.
Hyphema: Bleeding in the eye caused by trauma… Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive comments from their new neighbors... Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from which they may never wake.

In tribute to the 60th anniversary of the Beatles coming to our shores, I leave you with John Lennon’s words: 

         Imagine        
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one


Saturday, February 8, 2014

The last snippet from A Chaunce of Riches ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 02/08/14

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the WeWriWa blog

Next week I'll move on to another story, it's getting harder and harder to choose snippets without spoilers.

In the meanwhile, Sam was injured in a workplace accident - her fear and pain and Ben's guilt (that she was hurt on his watch), his relentless resentment about her abandonment and his frustrating attraction to her had them sniping at one another in last week's snippet. Sedated on pain medication, she wakes to find the house on fire and she can't reach her son's room; she's relieved to hear Ben say he's got Philip... (creative punctuation)

“I’m taking him downstairs. Go out to your balcony, I’ll be there, I’ll catch you.”
She stood frozen for just a minute while she heard him jump down the stairs; Philip’s crying moved away and she knew he was safe. Sam was hit with a coughing fit, she could feel the smoke in her lungs; it stung her eyes.
Dropping to her knees to crawl back to her room, she touched a man’s boot, that was when she looked up and saw the fireman in his turnout coat, helmet and mask; he helped her to her feet. He was carrying a mask attached to a small tank on his belt; the fireman put the mask on her face and she gratefully took a big gulp.
As she inhaled, Sam realized something was wrong, she tried to pull back, but the fireman held the mask to her face and pulled her head forward; she struggled. Her chest was hurting from the smoke and she had a coughing spasm; finally when she could no longer fight and could no longer hold her breath, she took a huge gulp of the fumes and swallowed them.
                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                     
For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 


The day that Ben Johnson was hired as a bodyguard for some rich widow and her kid, he never expected to be working for the woman who had abandoned him just when he had needed her the most so many years before. Damn it all, he still wanted her.
Samantha Chaunce never thought she would see him again. She never thought she would have to explain why she married the rich man over the man she had sworn she once loved. And she certainly never expected to find out that her rich husband had been murdered and fingers were pointing to her former lover. 

How far would you go for the person you loved?







Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Help a buddy out...

Have you read any books recently that you enjoyed and perhaps would like to see more from that author?

Or better yet, do you KNOW a struggling author and would like to see her/him enjoy some success so you could say "I knew her when"?

What can you do - Plenty.
  • Buy the book. Give the book as gifts, if you enjoyed it, maybe your friends will too.
  • Talk it up. Tell your friends about that great book you just read and suggest that they might enjoy it too.
  • Write a review - on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, GoodReads and even on FaceBook or a personal blog.
  • Drop the author's name and the name of the book the next time you visit your local library - don't be shy - ask if they carry any books by (author name)
  • Rate reviews posted on Amazon, you know where it says "Did you find this review helpful?", click it.
  • While authors love it when their books are newly sold, it also helps when a reader passes their book along or even just leaves a copy in some random place with a note saying, Please Read Me & then pass me along again (usually print) - these are called "Traveling Books".
  • Are you a member of a book club? Suggest that book to the club for a rousing discussion; many authors make Book Club Discussion Packets available to help facilitate discussions.
  • If the author is local, invite her/him to your club, store, restaurant, home, library or any venue to meet and greet readers - the author can discuss an area of expertise or even HOW to get published.
  • Host a book party featuring the book or even asking everyone to bring a favorite book to swap.
  • Does the author have a FaceBook Page? LIKE the page.
  • Does the author have a blog? Follow it.
  • Does the author have a newsletter list? Subscribe.
  • LIKE and Share the author's Amazon page.
  • Tweet and re-tweet. Tweet about the author's blog or any mentions of author or the book(s); re-tweet the author's tweets. Do the same for Google-Plus.
  • Share author posts on your FaceBook page.
  • Find out if the author has a Street Team and JOIN; "a group of people who 'hit the streets' promoting an event or a product." (Wikipedia). Aside from helping the author, you will often get lots of free swag and other incentives.

Please Tweet and Share this article. 
use the SHARE buttons at the bottom

Take a look at my website book list http://chellecordero.com/novels-by-chelle-cordero/
LIKE my author page on FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChelleCordero
Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChelleCordero

Thank you!

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Will they ever mend their relationship? ~ Weekend Writing Warriors / #8sunday / 02/01/14

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior round. Every week writers post 8 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

See more at the WeWriWa blog

I had to skip ahead just a bit in the story because of some spoilers in the story - if you want to know what those are you'll just have to get a copy of A Chaunce of Riches.

The police were quite rough interrogating both Sam and Ben and introduced information that Sam never wanted Ben to know. He's p*ssed, but for reasons of his own he is staying to protect the rich widow and her son - tensions are incredibly high and they aren't exactly getting along. This snippet is after an unexplained accident in Sam's office, Ben is driving her home from the hospital. (creative punctuation has been used).

She was peeved when he got back to the car with the filled medicine bottles, “One can only hope you will take your bodyguard responsibilities strongly and test the drugs on yourself before I take them.”
He laughed, “Yeah, so I can fall asleep and leave you to your own devices?”
“You had no right to take control like you did, you really overstepped...”
His cell phone rang, “You want to put a hold on that tirade for now?”  He pulled the phone from his pocket and flipped it open before putting it to his ear, “Uh-huh... yeah... good, very good, all right, I’ll speak to you later.”
She couldn’t help her curiosity, “What was that about?”
He shook his head, “How do you know that wasn’t personal? Maybe that was my girlfriend.”
Sam glared at him, “Well please be sure to tell her that you took me to bed the other night.”




For more WeWriWa Snippets, go to: 


The day that Ben Johnson was hired as a bodyguard for some rich widow and her kid, he never expected to be working for the woman who had abandoned him just when he had needed her the most so many years before. Damn it all, he still wanted her.
Samantha Chaunce never thought she would see him again. She never thought she would have to explain why she married the rich man over the man she had sworn she once loved. And she certainly never expected to find out that her rich husband had been murdered and fingers were pointing to her former lover. 

How far would you go for the person you loved?