KN Magazine: Articles
Part 3: Slave to rules: Write first. Worry later. by Angela K. Durden
PUNCTUATION IS POWER
A panda walks into a bar. He eats, shoots, and leaves. Or does he eat shoots and leaves?
Yes, punctuation is powerful, changing meanings even in punchlines, suggesting titles for fun books on punctuation, and starting bar fights.
For the newspaper business, technical papers, scientific journals, legal writs, etcetera, style manuals keep everybody understanding what those marks mean and the weight they carry within that discipline. Working with large teams producing massive content, style manuals take a lot of guesswork out of writing thus allowing the employee to do more in less time, and lessens the work load of editors. Nothing wrong with style manuals in these cases.
In novel writing, though, it matters not which manual of style one may quote as the authority on punctuation because — and this is important — though some masquerade as hard and fast rules, to the novelist these should be mere suggestions.
When it comes to writing novels, the rules can and sometimes must change. Please do not write with obeying any particular style manual you have in mind. You’re wasting time. Whether your writing style is as a pantser or an outliner, the story will change frequently. Sentences, whole paragraphs, and chapters will be rewritten, inverted, moved, or scrapped.
Your careful punctuation that meant something in the original writing, may not work with the rewritten version. In fact, as things change, you probably won’t change the punctuation to the current use of the sentence. Thus your meaning could be changed to the opposite of what was intended or lost entirely.
But you won’t see it. Why not? Because there is not one writer on this planet who can remember where all their edits are. Case in point:
I recently finished the editing of a novel by a professional writer with over thirty years of servicing large corporate clients. He is very good at what he does. The version of his first novel I received was number 23. I was assured there wouldn’t be much that needed doing to it. Alrighty, then. Let’s get to it.
Now, while I loved his literary writing style, I was lost in the story. What year was it now? When did this character come in the room? Wait, didn’t the main character already say that? Then why is he repeating it here? Wait, didn’t the main character say just the opposite of that earlier? How old was he and when? Whoopsie, which girlfriend’s name is he calling? Is he in the room with the former girlfriend and the current one?
And his punctuation was pretty good…until it wasn’t. He’d changed so much (23rd version, remember?) that what he’d previously punctuated now needed to be refined.
Whoa. Whew.
Remember, punctuation exists to serve words. Words do not exist to serve punctuation. Every story has its own pacing. Your punctuation should serve your pacing, and should help define how each character speaks, thinks, and moves.
And that is why novelists need an editor who is not rigid with the rules and understands — and can even help shape — your style. A good editor doing the job properly can help you find that style. Let them.
Sounds weird, I know, but Part 4 will discuss how to train a reader to your style once you find it.
The Secret Formula by Dale T. Phillips
THE SUCCESSFUL INDIE WRITER
A few short stories and a novel or two (even if sold to a major publisher) is seldom enough for a career. Making the equivalent salary of a full-time job year after year is really hitting the lottery, and quite an achievement. Sales and writing income fluctuate wildly, and one must plan carefully if this is the main source of income. One research data point said that most Indie fiction writers making an average of 5000 dollars a month have a number of things in common:
Average of 13.5 books published, mostly with series, and popular genres.
Good content, formatting, editing, covers, pricing, availability.
Good connection with followers on social media and via email lists.
It’s the combination of things, not just one single thing. Achieve all this, and you’ll likely be quite successful:
Do your research
Set reasonable expectations
Make plans with achievable goals
Work with decent levels of diligence, skill and persistence
Continue to walk the success path.
Each opportunity, done well, creates more and better opportunities. Each thing you do well puts you further ahead, and there are no limits to what you can achieve.
Critics abound, regretfully. There will be people who tell you that it’s not possible to be successful at Indie writing, that you’ll never make a fortune, you’ll never yadda, yadda, yadda. They may be sincere, but they also may be misinformed, or simply not acting in your best interests. Eliminate negative voices from your circle— you don’t want them taking up space in your head. Writers are their own self-negating voices, and need no additional negativity from anyone else. Many people who accomplished great things had others telling them that they wouldn’t or couldn’t. Ignore the critics, and make it happen. Just don’t feel you have to learn and do it all at once. It’s a process, and a long road. Take your time and enjoy the journey. Laugh at your mistakes, they’re part of your story. Build a strong foundation for continued success.
Success is a house you build yourself, so it’s up to you what it looks like and how comfortable you are with it. Others aren’t going to build it for you, but you can find the tools you’ll need. Use the right materials, and take your time to build well.
The Big Secret
The main thing I discovered, after all this time, is that because success takes a lot of hard work, most people just don’t want to do it. They’ll make some effort, and hope for lightning to strike, but won’t do the sustained effort it takes. Yet all the successful Indie writers do the work necessary to make it.
That’s really the big secret.
Steps to success:
Always be learning. Learn what marketing steps other people have taken to improve their income and craft, then copy or improve on those steps and repeat
Set realistic goals, plans, and schedules
Try a lot of approaches and ideas new and old
Keep at different methods until something works
Study to see if the methods can be made more effective
Absorb feedback and cycle through until success is the result
Celebrate each success, then move on to the next thing
Write well, learn the craft, publish, follow the plans for success, and things could work out very well indeed for you. If sales are always poor over time, it might be something other than luck. Get the advice of people who’ve been doing this for a while and know about the new world of Indie publishing. Consider what you have for offerings.
Are you doing what you should?
Are your books in a popular genre and well-written?
Are the covers good?
Are the books priced properly?
Are they available in different formats with different distributors?
Does your platform support enough promotion about it?
Dale T. Phillips has published novels, story collections, non-fiction, and over 70 short stories. Stephen King was Dale’s college writing teacher, and since then, Dale has found time to appear on stage, television, radio, in an independent feature film, and compete on Jeopardy. He’s a member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Visit Dale at www.daletphillips.com.
We Don't Need Editors, Do We? by Philip Demetry
If you do a quick Google search on the benefits and costs of self-publishing versus a traditional route, you will most likely find one blog post after the other, one website after the other, claiming that self-publishing is the way to go. How many of those are in some form inserted into your feed by Amazon, no one can truly tell, but it would be foolish not to suspect the multi-billion-dollar corporation of consciously making their presence felt in the publishing industry. In fact, quite a lot of statistics are backing that claim up.
Some claim that the sea of digital self-publishing, having made publishing accessible regardless of quality, is causing traditional publishing houses to crumble. Indeed, this has been the case for some. Small publishers have drowned while larger ones have merged to form even greater giants to withstand the pressure. But will it work? Compared to Amazon even the merger between Penguin and Random House seems small.
So, what are authors to do? What are publishers to do? And more importantly, with traditional filters in the publishing industry overridden, are good stories to drown in seas of mediocrity?
Many authors have sought out the aid of freelance editors. Over all of social media there seems to be an abundance of editors willing to giver your story a once-over for a fee. This leaves writers with the question of credibility. Without a publishing house, what credentials can a freelance editor boast to ensure their clients of their editorial prowess?
It seems then, that whether you go the traditional route, get an agent, a publisher and a book deal, which only the very few will get, or you decide to self-publish, there can be no doubt that writing books for a living is a goal at the end of a long and arduous road.
It becomes then a philosophical question. The author must ask of themselves: “Why do I write? For whom am I writing?”
It might be possible, at the end of your questioning, to arrive at the conclusion that you write primarily for your own benefit, that writing is an exercise in introspection at the end of which a story will emerge expressing that introspection in a way others might relate to. Yet, upon completing this goal a need will arise to share what you have created. It is within this spectrum between one’s personal joy of writing for the sake of writing, and a need to share stories with others, that a writer must find their peace.
Wherever you land on that spectrum beware of the work your ambition requires and measure it against what happiness you hope to gain from it.
A writer is nothing more or less than a storyteller. We do not concern ourselves with marketing, finance, or strategy in conceiving of our stories.
Motivations then, concerning fame, influence and wealth will never enhance our chances of getting published successfully. The only thing that lies within our power is the ability to improve our writing. Train your writing skills.
You can read tips on querying till your face turns blue, but it will never amount to anything if the story isn’t there. Simultaneously self-publishing, with all it’s demands for a writer to be both author, marketer, and your own editor, may seem appealing. Yet it might be good to consider what influences has made you take this route. Has the Amazon giant gotten under your skin, luring you with their “up to” 70% in royalties on sales, with their alluring tag-lines “easy, clear, free?”
Consider things you’ve gotten for free. Has any of it ever come without a price?
How much value is in the editorial process, which for a traditional publishing house usually takes a year or more? Can your story compete without it?
Philip Demetry is an author born in Denmark. He finished a BA in Theology at Aarhus University. After finishing the BA degree, Philip committed to writing fiction. The first novel Eron, Marked One remains unfinished. After the degree, Philip finished his first short story ‘The Ships in the Skies’ in danish. Before Covid, Philip applied for internships at various publicists while finishing Oblivion. The next book, a tale of two lovers, a petrified stick determining time and space, and a ring of corporate executives that needs to be stopped from molesting children, The Act of The Stick, is also finished pending a thorough editing.
Co-Writing a Book by Michael J. Tucker and Tom Wood
Michael J. Tucker
Tom Wood
There is plenty of good, practical advice out there for two authors interested in co-writing a book or short story — everything from constant communication to a shared vision for the project, from outlining the novel to who writes what, from being open to criticism to trusting each other.
All excellent points, but from our experience, a “dynamic duo” approach to our 2020 crime drama A Night on the Town was easy compared to writing a chain story with seven other authors.
A little background:
We are members of the Harpeth River Writers critique group that in 2019 published the water-themed anthology WORDS ON WATER. The final story in the collection of short fiction and poetry, The Many Names of Jillyn, was a collaborative effort that turned out better than any of us imagined. All we knew at the beginning was the set-up, a high school reunion by the Harpeth River where a body was found. We established a writing order, where each of us would add a character at the reunion based on what was previously written. And like the meandering flow of the Harpeth River, we had no idea where the story would take us or how it might end.
Fast-forward to September 2019 and the genesis of A Night on the Town, a 2020 e-book which turned out so well that we eventually turned it into a feature-length screenplay. That effort was rewarded as a finalist in several screenwriting competitions.
The e-book story pitted Deacon/Deke, a well-liked insurance executive with a dark secret, against homeless addict Arnold in a fateful rideshare showdown with a detective pursuing both men. For the screenplay, characters were added and the story expanded— even a new ending was written.
Our writing process was pretty simple — each of us came up with a different character and we passed the story back and forth to see where it would take us. Will that approach work for you? Maybe, maybe not. Will it encourage you to consider a collaborative project? Hopefully.
Tom: I got the initial idea from a Metro Nashville police report on a gang robbing one rideshare driver, then using that driver’s cellphone to call another rideshare driver and rob him. They were quickly caught, but it sparked a story idea.
How would the robber avoid being caught and what if the driver had the same idea — of robbing his passenger. I knew it was a good idea but my rideshare knowledge is zero while Mike has experience as a rideshare driver. Because of our critique group experience of writing and editing together, it seemed like an easy choice to approach Mike with the idea. We gave each other a lot of leeway and took a ‘pantser’ approach rather than ‘plotter’ to see where the story would go.
Mike: We agreed on the basic plot, a rideshare passenger was going to rob the driver … while the driver was planning to rob the passenger. From there we developed our own characters and the details followed. I wrote the voice of Arnold, but Tom started the process with writing the voice of Deke. He wrote the opening scenes, about 1,500 words. I then took a copy of his manuscript and inserted Arnold into appropriate scene splits. Tom and I have been in the same critique group for a decade, so we are used to giving each other feedback and open to each other’s suggestions for changes.
Tom: Yeah, Mike deserves the credit for the story’s alternating, first-person format. He took my idea for the story and embraced as his own. After I sent Mike the opening section, I assumed he would write a Chapter 2 of similar length and send it back to me to write Chapter 3. That’s the standard approach, right? But Mike’s finger-snapping insertion of Arnold’s sad story into Deke’s narrative was nothing short of brilliant — and just what the story needed. It was a format we stuck with, and it made the story click.
Mike: Writing the detective into the story was a little different. We both wrote those scenes. It was really a cooperative process.
Tom: The initial story focused on the Arnold and Deke characters only. But it seemed like a police presence was needed to round out the short story and give it that needed framework. For the screenplay, the detective’s story was elevated to the same level as Deke and Arnold.
Mike: The editing and rewriting process also went smooth. As members of the Harpeth River Writers, we have a long history of accepting each other’s feedback. I can’t think of a time during the writing of A Night on the Town where we didn’t arrive at a mutual agreement.
Tom: I have spent a career in the newspaper business, having stories edited and rewritten and doing the same with other writers’ stories. Any constructive criticism that can make my story better and prevent an error getting into print is great. Mike’s the same way and while we had differing views on certain aspects, we were easily able to solve any issues.
The co-writing experience isn’t for everyone, but it worked for us. Maybe it will for you also.
Michael J. Tucker Bio: Michael J. Tucker grew up in the cold northern climate of Pittsburgh, PA, and an only child, he was often trapped indoors and left to his own devices, where he would create space ships out of cardboard boxes, convert his mother’s ironing board into a horse and put on his Sunday suit and tie and his father’s fedora and become a newspaper reporter or police detective. This experience left him with an unlimited imagination and the ability to write electrifying short stories and novels.
Mike is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, Aquarius Falling and Capricorn’s Collapse.
His Published Short Stories Available on Amazon are: Girl You’ll Be a Woman Soon, The New Neighbor, The Hemingway Notes, The King’s Man, and the Amazon best selling short story series, Katie Savage, and The Gardner Painting: A Katie Savage Story.
In addition to his poetry collection, Your Voice Spoke To My Ear, his work also appears in the Civil War Anthology, Filtered Through Time, and By Blood or By Marriage, a Harpeth River Writers Anthology.
Reviewers of Mike’s novels have compared his writing to: Thomas Wolfe’s I Am Charlotte Simmons, and J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye.
Albert Beckus, Professor Emeritus of Literature at Austin Peay University recently wrote of his novels: “They move naturalistically in the American literary tradition of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy, but with a twist…as found in The Great Gatsby.”
Tom Wood Bio: A Nashville-based journalist, author and screenwriter, Tom’s goals are to inform, inspire and entertain. His first book, VENDETTA STONE, is a fictional true-crime thriller and he is a member of the Harpeth River Writers which published the WORDS ON WATER anthology in 2019, a Silver Falchion finalist. Two film adaptations, VENDETTA STONE and DEATH TAKES A HOLLIDAY, were Nashville Film Festival screenplay contest semifinalists in 2015 and 2016, respectively. His co-authored e-book A NIGHT ON THE TOWN, also adapted into a feature-length screenplay, was a finalist in the 2020 Peachtree Village International Film Festival and a semifinalist in the Southeastern International Film Festival. DEATH TAKES A HOLLIDAY was s a 2020 finalist in the WeScreenplay Shorts contest.
What Good are Conferences? by Kaye George
I admit, I love to attend writing conferences and conventions for selfish reasons. They are THE places to connect with other authors, ones I communicate with, but rarely see—authors that live all across this country, and sometimes in other countries, too. There’s nothing better than hanging out at the bar with a bunch of murderous colleagues. We “get” each other and speak the same lingo. There’s another selfish reason, and that is the connection with readers and fans, especially at the big conferences.
But there are far better reasons to attend cons like Killer Nashville. It’s a good size, for starters. Not bewilderingly large, but with a good healthy attendance of dedicated mystery buffs. Also, the possibility of being recognized with an award or even a nomination is always dangling out there. The ones I’ve been lucky enough to receive take a place of honor on my webpage and on the covers of the books, when possible. When the first novel in my Cressa Carraway series was nominated for a Silver Falchion in 2013, it was such a thrill! Even without bringing home the actual Falchion, the honor of the nomination lives on forever. Well, that publisher failed and the book is out of print, but as soon as I get a new home for it, you’d better believe that the nom will be featured on the cover. (Have I mentioned how rocky the road of an author is?)
There once was a publisher of mine who refused to admit that awards, or even conferences, were worth anything. She never mentioned them on the website of her now-defunct small press (a different one than the one mentioned above—small presses have it tough). One wonders if her attitude had anything to do with the failure of her business. It had a lot to do with me leaving and self-publishing the book I had entrusted to her.
I’ll always believe that this Silver Falchion nomination for the Cressa Carraway book, EINE KLEINE MURDER, and Agatha nominations in 2011 and 2013, are what succeeded in getting me the best contract I’ll probably ever have, for the cozy Fat Cat series. It was torpedoed when Random House bought Penguin and decimated the cozy imprint, but was definitely a shining top-of-the-hill moment. Hey, what can I say, as mentioned, the life of an author is a roller coaster ride, long, dull, lulling moments, with lightning thrills thrown in to make everything worthwhile.
The other hilltop experience was actually WINNING the Silver Falchion in 2016 for the anthology MURDER ON WHEELS, by the Austin Mystery Writers. I wasn’t able to attend that year because of family circumstances, but one of our writers, Laura Oles, was there to accept the award from none other than Anne Perry. I swooned at that, and I wasn’t even there!
I’m sorry I can’t attend again this year, but I’ll make every effort to get there in 2022.
One of Kaye George's quirky claims to fame is having lived in nine states, many of which begin with the letter 'M.' Though a native Californian, Kaye moved to Moline, Illinois, at the tender age of 3 months. After college at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, and marriage to Cliff during finals week their senior year, she and Cliff touched upon Sumter, SC, Lompoc, CA (very briefly), and Great Falls, Montana, during his Air Force career.
Their first son was born on a very cold winter night at Malmstrom AFB in Montana (minus 80 degrees with the wind chill, minus 40 without). They stayed in Dayton, Ohio for a whopping six and a half years, and had another son and a daughter there.
Then on to Minnetonka, MN (Kaye's favorite of them all), Plano TX, Troy MI, and back south to Dallas, Texas. They stayed there for about 17 years, then lit out for Holliday, Taylor, and Hubbard, all in Texas. Their most recent trek was to Knoxville, TN where they were empty nesters while accumulating grandchildren. The three children are all exceptionally good-looking, intelligent, and socially well-adjusted, as are their offspring. She lost her husband to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in 2017 and took a brief hiatus, but she's back to writing now.
Kaye has been a janitor in a tractor factory, a mental health center secretary, a waitress many times, a bookkeeper, and a short order cook. She's also been a mainframe computer programmer and a nurse's aide along the way.
Kaye is also a violinist, arranger and composer, an award-winning short story writer, and the author of five different mystery series with three different publishers, one self-published, and one currently orphaned. She has accrued four Agatha Award nominations, one finalist position for the Silver Falchion, a Derringer short story nomination, as well as national best-seller status with her Fat Cat series written as Janet Cantrell. She has had over 50 short stories published. The first Austin Mystery Writers anthology, MURDER ON WHEELS, which she helped organize, won a Silver Falchion at Killer Nashville. She is also proud of DAY OF THE DARK, an anthology of eclipse short stories she put together for that event in 2017. She reviews for Suspense Magazine and writes a column for Mysterical-E.
Kaye is a member of Sisters in Crime, the online Guppies chapter, as well as the Smoking Guns Knoxville TN chapter, which she helped organize. She served the Guppies as treasurer, then president for a two-year term. If you're not familiar, it is an online chapter of Sisters in Crime devoted to assisting and supporting unpublished and newly published mystery writers.
Female Investigators of the 1950s by Delphine Boswell
A common misconception is to consider the profession of private investigator as a man’s job rather than that of a woman. Minds automatically conjure images of fictional characters seen on TV or the movies such as Sherlock Holmes, Lieutenant Columbo, or Perry Mason. Statistics from a 2020 report state that among United States licensed private investigators, 33.6% are women, while 60.8% are men.
There are some examples, however, of early female investigators. Kate Warne was hired as the first female detective of the Pinkerton Detective Agency (1856) and, eventually, earned her own office; Maude West was London’s only female investigator (1905); and Isabella Goodwin was New York’s first woman detective (1910). Fictional characters who share the limelight for historic investigators are Miss Marble (1930), Trixie Belden (1948), and Nancy Drew (1986) to name only a few.
Many women during this time period were homemakers. Men went out to work and many had a misogynist view of women. Males were seen as breadwinners and rule-makers. To be a professional, working woman in a patriarchal society meant being courageous enough to stand apart from the norm.
Even stay-at-home women thought lowly of those who chose careers, believing women should be home raising a family, baking chocolate-chip cookies, and attending to their husband’s every need. Television episodes such as Leave It toBeaver or the Donna Reed Show present images of women in frilly aprons choosing to look like Betty Furness, or women greeting their husbands at the door in spiked heels and fancy dresses. These types of shows spoke to the role of women as less than significant compared to the jobs held by men in gray flannel suits.
It was common during this time for men to devalue the worth of the female gender and to see the male role as superior. Whistling at a woman or shouting “cat calls” are examples of men who overtly addressed women more as objects than equals.
In addition to working against these stereotypes, women investigators of the 50s had their own share of discrimination. In competitive positions such as this, women who worked alongside male colleagues were presented with their own challenges. Back then, there were no such things as sexual harassment cases resulting in legal battles or “Me Too” movements. Men in the office were allowed to make sexual innuendos. “His eyes peered down at her, his gaze landing on her double-breasted jacket”; or “He eyed her from head-to-toe and back again”; and lest we forget, the acceptable little pat on the butt.
Methods of solving crimes in the 50s were much different than today due to the lack of technology that we now have. Murderers, today and then, were often identified through fingerprints using a tape lift method. Of course, today there is an automated fingerprint identification system with computerized scans of prints developed in the 1970s by the FBI.
Investigators in the 50s primarily relied upon interviewing, usually more than once, of such groups as school personnel, community leaders, and family. Much of their clue gathering was through close observation of body language and facial expressions. Sometimes, the only way to learn more about the mystery was in eavesdropping. Coroners, newspaper accounts, and microfiche articles often provided additional information. There were times where these women subjected themselves to danger when they had personal interactions with possible suspects. Grave sites and burial techniques were studied to determine possible missing links in their cases.
The personal traits a private investigator had to have are not that much different than today. They needed to be clear-headed in order to place their emphasis on details others might not see; to be inquisitive, asking personal and often touchy subject matters; and fearless so as not to be afraid of confronting suspects face-to-face.
As far as female investigators are concerned, they have been found to be more comforting and able to put people at ease. They are more easily accepted into one’s home than a man. In the end, female investigators, although often treated differently by men, are less assuming. Women can easily go undercover in terms of surveillance and appear less confrontational than their male counterparts.
In general, women of the 50s lived in a challenging time, but to those who chose to follow a career path other than homemaking, such as an investigator, they were faced with many more obstacles to overcome. Historical characters such as Kate Warne, Maude West, and Isabella Goodwin prove that, ultimately, women can successfully compete in a predominately male profession.
Delphine Boswell expresses her fondness for writing with the words of John Steinbeck, “I nearly always write just as I nearly always breathe.” For her, writing is not a job, not a career, but a passion that excites her more than anything else she has ever done.
In the past thirteen years, she has written several novels in a multitude of genres, consisting of suspense, mystery, psychological horror, and dystopian fiction. All of her writing has a dark tone to it, and it is not any wonder that one of Delphine’s favorite authors is Joyce Carol Oates. In addition to novels, Delphine has had a multitude of short stories published. From 80,000 word novels to a Hemingway six-word contest in which she won first place, and to everything in between, Delphine cannot stay away from her love of writing.
Once an idea comes to her, she sees it as bookends: a beginning and an end. Her next step is to find her cast of characters who, she claims, become so familiar that she believes she could identify them if they were to walk down the street. Delphine has an easy-going writing style in that she allows her characters total free will. At this point, she likes to think of herself as a scribe who records the dialogues, the inner monologues, and actions of her characters as quickly as they respond to the circumstances they create. Often, this means they will find themselves up against a wall, but somehow, they always find a way out and, sometimes, they even take it upon themselves to change the ending for her.
Delphine also taught college students about the art and believed that she had accomplished her goal if her students left the classroom with a joy of writing.
How to Visualize Your Marketing Hub to Attract Readers in Four Easy Steps by Mary H. McFarland
Finding Readers and Thinking “Soft Sell”
In Killer Nashville Magazine (Sept. 2021), I gave you a list of free digital tools to audit your platform to do the following:
Control and adjust your brand as readers’ desires change
Build in a “soft sell” to target
Let’s expand on that work by visualizing a marketing hub that lets you influence or “soft sell” readers to buy your books, plus some digital tools to help. As we advance, future articles will help you drill down on tactics for audience targeting. For now, let’s focus on putting the pieces you need in place.
So: you’ve got books up on Amazon. You’ve also got a website and a blog, and you’re all over social media, maybe posting on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram. The more sites the better, right? (Well, no. You can market and sell effectively from one site). You feel like you’re doing everything right, but the readers—and sales—just aren’t happening. What more can you do?
A Starting Point to Engage Readers: Clear Sales and Conversion Pathways
Does engaging readers, i.e., influencing them to buy, seem like a mystery buried in layers of techno-myth? It is, and the most damaging myth is that marketing begins with a book launch or, worse, that your book launch is marketing. The launch is one phase in the digital marketing cycle; however, the key starting point is to define clear pathways among the various channels of your author platform and all other sales and marketing channels. Combined, these make up your marketing hub. Why create a marketing hub? Simple: traffic x conversion = sales. Once your hub is in place, you can influence prospective readers at touchpoints anywhere along channel pathways, using any advertising and promotion mix to generate traffic and sell your books. You can also use digital tools for measuring reader engagement and, ultimately, for increasing sales.
How a Marketing Hub Influences Readers to Buy
The marketing hub lets you observe prospective readers as they interact with your author platform and its sales and marketing channels. Observing reader traffic in real-time, using analytics and metrics to measure behavior, you can plan advertising and content campaigns that lead to conversion and sales.
A Product-Based Marketing Hub Is Your Starting Point
You’ve audited your author platform, so you know that organic reach, i.e., your social media interaction with readers, including “likes” and “shares,” etc. is limited. You also know what creates passion among your readers and you’ve got a solid value proposition, but you’re still a little hazy on finding readers. Where do you go from here?
Begin with these guidelines.
One, define your marketing hub using a product-based approach. This might feel uncomfortable, but you’re a business and books are products, so all that you generate to sell books, whether it’s promotional content or blog posts or podcasts, for example, is also product.
Two, classify your They’re going to be either a hard sell or a soft sell. If they’re free, “soft sell.” If you’re charging or using an opt-in, “hard sell.”
A Product-Based List: Creating Your Marketing Hub
Offering “free” everything (from blogs to swag to books) to get readers to buy books means we’re not used to thinking of the content we create to sell books as “products.” They are, and we can use them to sell. Note: “Free” and “soft sell” are not synonymous. Used correctly, free content can become your best “soft sell,” and it can also be repurposed as gated content (hard sell) to influence readers to buy. Yup! Think “soft” to “hard sell.” It’s the “om” of digital marketing.
Figure 1 shows a list of products in fictional thriller author Jan Smith’s product catalog. Jan blogs from her GoDaddy website, writes for an online magazine, and sells her books on Amazon. She is also an Amazon affiliate seller. Notice that Jan must only create three digital products,her blog posts, infographics, and articles, which she repurposes for use in her hard sell, i.e., the gated content, her ebook, and Jan’s workshops.
Figure 1: Example of a Product List for Jan Smith
A Sample Marketing Hub Using a Product List
A marketing hub is your author platform plus your core sales channel. For most, the core sales channel is Amazon, but you can sell from anywhere on the Web. Again, choose what feels comfortable. For example, maybe you want to prioritize reader engagement and organic reach on Facebook and selling from your Amazon Product Page. Perfectly okay. Or perhaps you prefer an advertising campaign on GoDaddy with a mix of free blogged content, plus some gated content with opt-ins. Again, okay. Whatever your choice, your marketing hub is built around a variety of digital content; that is, products used to influence prospective readers to buy.
Using Jan’s Product List (See Figure 1), her marketing hub will look like Figure 2. Examine it, noting the “pathways” (indicated by arrows). Note, too, that Jan has few products, yet she has multiple pathways for marketing and sales and multiple touchpoints for engaging readers. Don’t worry, once you have a basic marketing hub set up, you can tweak it, adding and revising as needed.
Figure 2: Example of a Marketing Hub for Jan Smith
Step-by-Step Procedure: How to Visualize Your Marketing Hub
The following steps show you how to visualize your marketing hub.
I’ve Visualized My Marketing Hub? What’s My Next Step?
You’ve visualized a marketing hub that works well and feels comfortable for you. At this point in the process of using digital tools to build in a digitally sweet “soft sell,” you’ve completed the following procedures:
How to Audit Your Author Platform
How to Visualize Your Marketing Hub
Your next step is to build your digital platform without feeling the dreaded social burnout. Meantime, visit Killer Nashville Magazine’s archive and enjoy more killer articles: https://killernashville.com/killer-nashville-magazine/.
Mary H. McFarland is a Golden Pen award-winning American thriller novelist. She is author of Jump the Line and several short stories. Mary is also CEO of Red Girl Digital, a technology company focusing on digital marketing for authors. Her next novel, Phantom Fire, first in the Zuri Slade Cyber Detective Series, will be released July 4, 2022
What is a Christian Novel by DiAnn Mills
I’m often asked how a Christian novel is different from general market novel, and my response is always the same.
Novels are about strong characters who have a problem to solve. It’s all about character.
But there’s more. A Christian novel is a story in which one or more of the characters solve their problems or strive to achieve a goal from a Christian Worldview. God is a priority: His plan and His purpose for the character. Flaws and weaknesses are important elements of the character’s journey. The faith aspect is not an engine additive. It rises from the writer’s deep-rooted convictions. Good overcomes evil. Period.
Sometimes Christian fiction is called inspirational, but the category is misleading because any religion can refer to a story that embraces core beliefs as inspirational.
A Christian novel can be any genre.
A Christian writer can create novels for the general market or the Christian market.
A Christian Publishing House understands the business is also a ministry. Many contribute to charitable organizations and pray for their writers and employees.
Writers create their stories with the idea of building anxiety and uncertainty of what’s to happen. But a reader values watching a favorite character transform into a stronger person. Especially the character who has shown heroic traits while overcoming a psychological problem. And those mental afflictions can be anything from guilt, shame, anger, regret, loneliness, lack of confidence, and a host of other issues.
The key word here is “heart” because that’s where reconstruction of the soul takes place. When a protagonist slams against a wall, either literally or mentally, the rebuilding of the inner person takes place through actions and reactions. The physical goal is impossible to reach without the character first overcoming the monster within.
Here are 12 of my writing objectives for every novel:
Realistic, unexpected, and unpredictable.
Values and beliefs are shown not told.
Writing goals are to 1) entertain, 2) inspire, and 3) encourage readers.
Internal beliefs are fed by life experiences and often the lies a character believes about life, the world, and themselves.
Well-developed characters who have a rich backstory.
Plots woven with twists and turns, ups and downs.
Each scene filled with stress, tension, and conflict.
Emotion and symbolism for the reader’s evocative experience in every sentence.
The character arc includes a spiritual thread. In the general market, this is often referred to as the moral thread.
Dialogue that’s fresh, exciting, loaded with conflict, and in character.
Narrative rooted in point of view.
Antagonistic setting—everything works against the character.
In a Christian novel, readers may be uncomfortable with what is stated regarding faith. But if written appropriately, the writer shows the Christian character is reacting and responding to life according to their beliefs.
A few distinguishing attributes are:
Avoids cursing
Avoids sex scenes
Avoids violence for violence’s sake
What Christian fiction is not:
A platform intended to evangelize all those who are not Christian.
Preachy, with characters who are unrealistic, unsympathetic, and their actions are predictable.
Filled with words only other Christians might understand.
A narrative of sermons, characters quoting Scripture, or lengthy prayers.
A common theme for all novels:
Show strong characters who are not victims but survivors.
Show strong characters who are tossed into the forbidden, frightening, and unknown. Adversity is the classroom for spiritual/moral growth and positive change.
Show strong characters who reveal the real person through internal and external reflections and behavior.
The next time someone asks why you read a Christian novel, feel assured to say, “It’s all about character.”
How do you describe a Christian novel?
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is the director of the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Retreats: Marketing, Speakers, Nonfiction and Novelist with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion for helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.
Connect with DiAnn here: www.diannmills.com
30,000 Feet by Steven C. Harms
When I was in my twenties, I once found myself at 30,000 feet sitting in a luxurious seat of a 4-person Learjet bound from New York to Milwaukee. Across, and facing me, sat a person in a suit and tie who was in charge of security. To his left was a gentleman named Rod Thorn, an executive with the National Basketball Association and former GM of the Chicago Bulls. And across from him, seated next to me, was none other than the long-time commissioner of the NBA, David Stern.
David Stern will always be remembered as a giant in the sports industry. His tenure lasted thirty years, from 1984-2014. He’s been regarded as one of the very best ever to serve as commissioner of a pro sports league. His visionary mind and leadership skills lifted the NBA from “that fourth league” to the powerhouse it has become today. In writing terms…on a par with the mystery thriller greats.
Needless to say, for a young Midwesterner who had never been to New York City before accepting a job at the league office in mid-town Manhattan, and then striving to learn how to adapt and get my feet under me, that moment was surreal. The trip started with a phone call from Commissioner Stern’s assistant simply telling me that “David would like you to attend a game in Milwaukee with him next Wednesday night.” Private airport, chartered jet, and four of us in total making the trip. There and back just for the game. Gulp!
David asked me for a few reasons. One, he was cognizant of my background being a native Milwaukeean and the previous four years working for the Milwaukee Bucks. He wanted to acknowledge that and welcome me to the league office with this gracious trip offer. It was his way of saying “welcome aboard” and allowing me to on-board in a very unique and opportunistic way. Second, I know now he did it not only to see what sort of person I was, but to allow me an unbelievable few hours of access to him and to parlay that into career advancement.
In retrospect, I failed, or at least got a D- grade. I was so nervous about making a misstep, that I was blind to the moment in front of me. I spent most of the evening answering his questions when he engaged, but I never asked him even one. Those four hours were more pensive than anything I’d ever experienced, and I wasn’t smart enough to figure out in real time the opportunity that lay in front of me. Had I positioned myself correctly, my career in sports would’ve been super-charged. I eventually made it to a VP position years later, but it took a lot longer than if I had simply let go my fear, and leveraged that moment. David never said anything negative to me, being the professional that he was, but he opened a door and all I had to do was walk through it. I guess the best way to say it is that I blinked. The simple glare of an internationally known sports executive giving me unfettered access on a small, private trip was a light so bright that I blinked instead of embraced. I came to this understanding years later, but too late to fix my error.
One significant learning from this life experience of mine is that it can be applied to young/new writers. You’re going to have a 30,000 foot moment, even if it’s one minute long in an elevator at a writing conference on your way down to breakfast when that well-known author you never thought you’d meet, jumps on two floors later. Or maybe just a random meeting that came your way.
I’ve found that one of the most treasured aspects of being an author is that the writing community, generally as a whole, is a network of individuals who support each other and are willing to lend advice or guidance when asked. Learn to leverage the already organic helpful nature of your fellow authors (seek them out through any number of means – social, events, clubs, workshops), and be prepared to meet and genuinely connect with the many authors that are over-the-top successful. And when you cross paths with a David Stern, and you will, equip yourself with the inner confidence to engage. A few other thoughts:
Have your proverbial “elevator pitch” down to a tee, customized to a publisher, agent, and to a well-known author. The successful author you meet is an influencer, either for a blurb on your next book, or a connection that can open doors. Grab the moment and try to establish a relationship.
If you’re going to an event (book signing, conference, workshop, etc.), and you know so-and-so successful author is going to be in attendance and perhaps even a featured guest, dive into their background. Learn as much about them as you can so when you do have the 30,000 foot moment, you can comment or ask a question about them that is connected to who they are as a person. It can be as simple as where they’re from and something about that city or state that you can use to begin relevant communication. That alone will increase the odds of their engagement with you. As an author, I find it refreshing to have a conversation with someone I don’t know who wants to talk about something other than one of my books or characters.
Check yourself when the moment hits. Recognize it. Drop your fears, be confident, and don’t hesitate to ask a question to begin the conversation.
In the words of David Stern, “Follow your dreams and make the most of every experience.” And another of his quotes on a related note – “You will ultimately be defined by the sum total of your responses to circumstances, situations and events that you probably couldn’t anticipate and indeed probably couldn’t even imagine. So just keep your eyes on the course and be ready to move in different directions depending upon the crises and opportunities with which you are faced.”
Writing a great story is hard; marketing it is perhaps harder. You’re going to meet a David Stern, if you haven’t already. Are you primed? Are you ready to professionally and politely capitalize on that moment?
Steve
Steven C. Harms is a professional sports, broadcast and digital media business executive with a career spanning over thirty years across the NBA, NFL, and MLB. He’s dealt with Fortune 500 companies, major consumer brands, professional athletes, and multi-platform integrated sports partnerships and media advertising campaigns.
He’s an accomplished playwright having written and produced a wildly successful theatrical production which led him to tackling his debut novel, Give Place to Wrath, the first in the Roger Viceroy detective series. The second book, The Counsel of the Cunning, is due out in fall of 2021.
A native of Wisconsin, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. He now resides in Oxford, Michigan, a small, rural suburb of Detroit.
Cherry Gin & Tonic by W.C. Gordon
FORENSIC FILES
“Huh, no kidding.” I think back in my mind’s Rolodex of cases worked and can’t remember having one of these before. I click ‘add to cart.’ “The hose draggers already come in with their little machines and meters and make sure the air is good to go?” As I say it, I figure the officer on scene wouldn’t be alive to have this conversation with me if they hadn’t. I click ‘add to cart’ again. “Alrighty, I’m on my way.” I hang up the phone, select the free shipping option, and hit ‘place order.’
“Whatcha got?” Perry says as he walks into my office with a fresh cup of coffee.
“Suicide by the sounds of it. Did you bring me a cup?”
“You know, I was going to.” He takes a sip. “Then I realized I didn’t want to make the effort.”
“Same as working your cases then.”
“Exactly! Guy blow his brains out or something?” Perry asks; never one to let tact get in his way.
“Nope. Sounds like he did the running car thing. Carbon dioxide poisoning.”
Perry raises an eyebrow, “You mean monoxide?”
“Yeah, that too.”
I arrive at the front of the residence and find no one. No crime scene tape. No police officer maintaining the crime scene log. Nothing. I double-check the call notes that I printed out and confirm the address.
I key up on the police radio, “Delta 6, 10-55 any unit on-scene.”
A static-filled transmission comes back and says, “Go ahead.”
I key up again, “I’m 97. Can you advise your 10-20?”
“97 with the decedent.”
“10-4. Where exactly is that?”
“On San Remo. 122.”
I look at the house that I’m parked in front of. Number 122 is on the red door in black letters. I thought this road was Valencia though. I key up and say, “I’m at 122 Valencia.”
“10-4,” the static-filled voice says.
Not 10-4. Not 10-4 at all. You said you’re on San Remo. I’m on Valencia. This is a row house. No garage. This suicide allegedly happened in a car inside of a garage. I key back up on the police radio and advise that I am at a different address.
“10-54, same address.”
With that, I am tempted to turn my police radio off, put the car in drive, take myself to an early lunch, and forget that I was ever dispatched to this nonsense. The back-and-forth radio traffic continued for far longer than I wish to admit to before I realize that 122 Valencia and 122 San Remo are, in fact, the same address. This is one of those new neighborhoods that have the front of the residence facing a road, with one name, and the back of the residence, where the garage is, on an alley that they gave its own name for some unknown reason. I am confident that I have never been so annoyed with an investigation before the investigative part has even begun.
I finally park, duck under the crime scene tape, sign into the crime scene log, and assess the situation. The garage door is completely up, presumably to allow the carbon monoxide to ventilate. It is also allowing for an unobstructed view for the neighbors who have decided this is a far better way to spend their Monday morning than watching soap operas. Don’t these people have jobs?
I make contact with the initial responding officer, Shauna, and get the facts. “Ok, Detective, this is what we have. 51-year-old white male. Garage door was closed. Vents on the lower portion of the garage door were covered with cardboard and taped into place. Windows of the car were in the down position.” “Naturally,” I say. Shauna looks up and says, “What?” I tell her not to worry about it and to continue. “The car was in drive with the e-brake on and still running. There was about a quarter tank of gas left when it was turned off by Fire Rescue. Not sure why it was in drive.” I explain to her that this model of BWM will turn itself off if left running in park for a while. This guy probably learned by trial and error. “House was locked up and nothing suspicious was found. Lots of valuables inside.” With that, she closed her notepad.
“Who found him?”
“The realtor. I guess the house is for sale and there was a showing scheduled for today.” Shauna said.
“Looks like the price just dropped by about ten grand. Okie-dokie, let’s have a little look around.” To my surprise, Shauna followed me as I started taking stock of the surroundings. Most officers walk the other way when the detective shows up, knowing that the investigation is being turned over and their burden has come to an end. It’s nice to see an officer wanting to learn a few things. The decedent had a black tank top on, tan shots, and Reef flip-flops. That was handy as a lot of skin was exposed.
“See this discoloration in the lower parts of his body?” I ask. Shauna nods. “This is lividity. When a person dies, the blood pools in the lower areas of the body as it’s positioned and is typically dark. However, you’ll notice that this guy’s lividity is a bright pink color. That’s good.”
“Good? Why is it good?”
I look at Shauna and explain to her that carbon monoxide poisoning causes a cherry-colored lividity and that so far, the lividity color and location is consistent with dying in the car and not being murdered somewhere else and placed in this car to look like a suicide. I say that’s good because a murder would be far more paperwork. I push his body off of the seat and pull his tank top up.
“See where there’s no cherry color?” I ask Shauna.
“Yep.”
“Lividity won’t develop where the body was in contact with something. This adds to the good column.”
“Cause he wasn’t murdered and placed here?” she says with a smile.
“Bingo! Cause that would be what?”
“More paperwork!” we say in unison. We smile in unison too. I wonder how old she is. You have to be 19 to be a cop in Florida. Our agency won’t hire anyone under 21 in an attempt to lower liability. She’s been here about a year. It doesn’t take a great detective to put her in her early 20s.
“So,” I ask Shauna after realizing I’ve been staring at her too long, “How long do you think this guy’s been dead?”
“About 24 hours,” she replies with confidence.
“Very good. What brings you to that conclusion?”
“Complete guess. Sounded reasonable.”
I tell her it’s a damn good guess. I explain to her that rigor is still set and that in this temperature and humidity, it will probably begin to release around the thirty-hour mark. I explain that there is still a quarter of a tank of gas left. This car will probably idle for about thirty-five hours before running out of gas. I explain that his Rolex is still running. Stillness will stop an unwound Rolex after about forty-eight hours. I tell her that a search of his cell phone will probably give a more accurate timeframe but twenty-four hours was a damn good guess.
“Pretty impressive,” she says. I think she may actually be impressed.
“Impressive? What’s impressive are those Yeti tumblers. Did you notice his beverage?” Shauna glances at the cup holder by the gear shift lever. I grab the Yeti and remove the top. “It’s still full of ice. These things can really keep drinks cold. This would be a morbid sales pitch but still an effective one.” As I give the drink a sniff, Shauna makes a slightly disgusted face. Ok, a completely disgusted face.
“Gin and Tonic,” I say.
“How do you know?” She asks.
“The smell. Quinine. The botanicals of the gin.” I pause for effect. “The bottle of Tanqueray in the recycling bin.” I smile as I point over to the recycling bin. “And, I’m a G&T drinker myself.”
“Aren’t they old man drinks?” The seriousness of her face as she asks the question cuts me deep. I immediately recognize our age gap. With my left thumb, I twist my wedding band around my ring finger and force a smile.
“Put in your report the cause of death as carbon monoxide toxicity with likely acute ethanol intoxication. Put the manner as suicide.”
“Sure thing, Detective. Thanks for the info. Have a good day.” With that Shauna turns around and walks away with her ponytail bouncing. I take myself, and only myself, to lunch.
W.C. Gordon is a cop, veteran, and author of the novel The Detective Next Door. His writing is influenced by his personal experiences in the military and in law enforcement, which he then mixes with bourbon and dark humor. He lives at his home in South Florida with his wife and dog.
Turn Endings into Beginnings by Bryan Robinson, Ph.D
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” —T. S. Eliot
One year’s ending shepherds in the beginning of another year. We’re ending and beginning our writing life all at the same time. Writing is a passion, an intensely personal calling, a long-time dream for most, and a solitary endeavor. It involves a lot of rejection and heartbreak at every stage. Many writers will review the past twelve months and set resolutions for the new year. We can begin again as we wipe the slate clean and contemplate beginning anew one day at a time.
Out of endings, fresh starts are born on our writing journeys. In the new year we can ask ourselves what we want to do differently to hone our craft. Develop better writing habits? Stop procrastinating? Create a healthier lifestyle? Cultivate a more positive outlook? Improve a faltering relationship? Learn to cope with rejection and self-doubt? Harness greater resilience and perseverance?
Everything we do outside our literary life contributes to writing success, whether it’s tying up something left incomplete, changing habits, cultivating a more positive attitude, or thickening our skin.
Today’s Takeaway
Start this new year with a clean slate and think about good writing habits, positive attitudes, or dedicated practices you can create to put your craft at the top of the charts.
From Daily Writing Resilience by Bryan Robinson. © 2018 by Bryan Robinson. Used by permission from Llewellyn Worldwide, Ltd., www.Llewellyn.com.
Bryan E. Robinson is a licensed psychotherapist and author of two novels and 40 nonfiction books. He applies his experiences to crafting insightful nonfiction self-help books and psychological thrillers. His multi-award winning southern noir murder mystery, Limestone Gumption, won the New Apple Book Medal for best psychological suspense, the Silver IPPY Award for outstanding mystery of the year, the Bronze Foreword Review INDIEFAB Book Award for best mystery, and the 2015 USA Regional Excellence Book Award for best fiction in the Southeast.
His most recent release is Daily Writing Resilience: 365 Meditations and Inspirations for Writers (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018). He has written for Psychology Today, First for Women, and Natural Health, and his blogs and columns for writers appear in Southern Writer’s Magazine. He is a consulting editor for The Big Thrill, the online magazine for International Thriller Writers. His long-selling book, Chained to the Desk, is now in its 3rd Edition (New York University Press, 1998, 2007, 2014). His books have been translated into thirteen languages, and he has appeared on every major television network: 20/20, Good Morning America, ABC’s World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, NBC Universal, The CBS Early Show, CNBC’s The Big Idea. He hosted the PBS documentary, Overdoing It: How to Slow Down and Take Care of Yourself.
Replace Your Nail with a Spike by Bryan Robinson, Ph.D.
INSPIRATION
“The nail in my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and kept on writing.” —Stephen King
When you started writing, did you think it would answer all your prayers and you’d live happily ever after? Did you dream your mystery would appear on bookstore shelves beside Lee Child or Louise Penny? That it would hit number one on the New York Times bestseller list and garner the major literary awards? That Steven Spielberg would beat down your door to sign the screenplay?
Many mystery writers do.
If you’re like most new authors, though, you discover that nightmares often accompany the dreams. An agent’s dismissal, publisher rejection, blistering reviews, crickets at bookstore signings, zero awards, or agonizing writer’s block can besiege you. Chances are, you have trouble locating your book on the shelves at Barnes and Noble, and you might make a little money but not enough to pay off the mortgage.
After meteoric challenges, are you still in the writing game, waiting for Hollywood to call? If you’re a “spike” writer, you are because you reject the idea of rejection. Not writing isn’t an option. You don’t allow defeat to take you down. You use rejection and disappointment to fuel your fierce determination and persevere through literary storms—albeit bruised, bereft, and beleaguered.
Once you substitute a spike for a nail, you have a different way of looking at rejection. You consider it an honor to be in such good company—members of an elite club of great authors. Every successful writer from Stephen King to the Beatles to J.K. Rowling—whose Harry Potter series was rejected by twelve publishing houses—has travelled the same road as each of us. Thriller writer Steve Berry had 85 rejections over twelve years of trying before hitting it big. Janet Evanovich received ten years of rejection letters that she stored in a box. When it was finally full, she took it to the curb and set it on fire. James Lee Burke saved all of his rejection slips because he planned to autograph them and auction them off. And author Judith Guest said, “Some of our worst rejections can help make us better writers.”
Only the diligent survive the writing business. A-list writers work long and hard and face tumultuous ups-and-downs before the taste of success. Stephen King and Patricia Cornwell are “spike” writers. So are Steve Berry, Barbara Neely, and Mary Higgins Clark. If you’re a “spike” writer, no one can reject you without your consent. Not your writing talents, self-confidence, and especially your persistence. Nothing. Nada.
When the rejection letters arrive—and they will—you don’t have to let defeat turn you into a wreck. “Spike” writers are creators of their writing, not victims of it. Instead of letting rejection slips prescribe your course of action, you can prescribe theirs: haul them to the scrap heap, make a scrapbook, wallpaper a room, put them on your website, read them at book signings, use them for wrapping paper, or set them on fire. Jilted mystery writers can even put their rejection letters behind them (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun) thanks to a website (https://www.lulu.com) that lets authors print their rejection letters onto rolls of customized toilet paper.
You get where I’m going? Are you feeling empowered yet?
A “spike” writer is a force to be reckoned with. Rejection is not final, nor fatal. It strengthens you, makes you more resilient, gives you the stamina to rise up and scale writing obstacles. You can face rejection with fierce determination and substitute your nail with a spike, never give up, and keep on writing those mysteries.
Bryan E. Robinson is a licensed psychotherapist and author of two novels and 40 nonfiction books. He applies his experiences to crafting insightful nonfiction self-help books and psychological thrillers. His multi-award winning southern noir murder mystery, Limestone Gumption, won the New Apple Book Medal for best psychological suspense, the Silver IPPY Award for outstanding mystery of the year, the Bronze Foreword Review INDIEFAB Book Award for best mystery, and the 2015 USA Regional Excellence Book Award for best fiction in the Southeast.
His most recent release is Daily Writing Resilience: 365 Meditations and Inspirations for Writers (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2018). He has written for Psychology Today, First for Women, and Natural Health, and his blogs and columns for writers appear in Southern Writer’s Magazine. He is a consulting editor for The Big Thrill, the online magazine for International Thriller Writers. His long-selling book, Chained to the Desk, is now in its 3rd Edition (New York University Press, 1998, 2007, 2014). His books have been translated into thirteen languages, and he has appeared on every major television network: 20/20, Good Morning America, ABC’s World News Tonight, NBC Nightly News, NBC Universal, The CBS Early Show, CNBC’s The Big Idea. He hosted the PBS documentary, Overdoing It: How to Slow Down and Take Care of Yourself.
Richard Kuklinski, the “Iceman” by Bradley Harper
MYSTERIES IN HISTORY:
TRUE CRIMES AND REAL PEOPLE WHO INSPIRED GREAT STORIES
September, 1983, a police officer stops to examine a woman’s blouse he finds along the side of the road beside a stone wall. Beneath the blouse he finds what appears to be a decomposing human body wrapped in several layers of trash bags. When Dr. Frederick Zugibe, the medical examiner in Rockland County, New York, opens the bags up he finds the body of a middle-aged white man, around six feet tall and weighing about two-hundred pounds, with a single bullet wound to the back of the head.
Based upon his initial inspection he believes the victim to have died two-to-three weeks before, but as he continues his examination several things stand out to make him reassess his initial impression.
First: As a body decomposes bacteria feed upon the tissue, creating gas that bloats the body. There was no bloating in this case.
Second: The skin was an odd shade of beige—something he had never seen before.
Third: Since bacteria are the engines of decomposition, the body breaks down from the inside out, as the gut is the major microbial reservoir. This body was breaking down in the opposite manner, while the skin was sloughing off the corpse, the internal organs were relatively pristine.
Zugibe suspected the body’s discovery was staged. The draping of a woman’s blouse over the bag, for example, declaring the killer’s desire for the body to be found within a specific time frame after it had been left there. He also believed that the body had been frozen for some time in an attempt to derive an erroneous conclusion as to time of death, probably to help support the killer’s alibi.
Dr. Zugibe examined the internal organs under a microscope, and sure enough, the cellular structure was distorted consistent with prior freezing.
The hands were mummified, but after injecting the fingers with a solution that allowed fingerprints be taken it was identified as belonging to Louis Masgay, a Pennsylvania man missing for the past two and a half years.
The FBI had been investigating a Richard Kuklinski, suspected of being a Mafia hit man, and when a police informant tipped them off that he had seen a body in an industrial freezer owned by Kuklinski, he was finally brought to justice.
Once confronted with the evidence, Kuklinski was not shy about his avocation, and was convicted of five murders, though he admitted to killing around two-hundred. His details were not always consistent but police experts do believe he murdered over one-hundred people, some on mob-ordered hits, and some people who he felt had slighted him in some way. At six-feet four inches tall and weighing over two-hundred and forty pounds, he was a powerful and skilled killer who would sometimes pummel his victims to death if he felt they didn’t deserve a rapid demise.
Kuklinski was able to kill so many people yet escape detection because he delighted in varying his methods, and was not psychotic or prone to the vices associated with most criminals, not doing drugs or chasing women, and lived a fairly quiet life as a married man with children. He related that his “audition” to be a hitman for the mob consisted of him riding in a car with his future employer, Roy DeMeo. DeMeo took them to a park and when the mobster saw a man walking his dog, instructed Kuklinski to kill him. Kuklinski walked behind the man, shot him in the back of the head, and climbed back into the car. He was hired.
HBO did a special on him around 2003, and a movie, The Iceman, was made in 2012, with Michael Shannon playing the killer.
Despite the brutality of some of his killings, he had an odd sort of honor code in that he never killed a woman or a child. Perhaps the Iceman wasn’t entirely cold-hearted, after all.
Bradley Harper is a retired US Army Colonel and pathologist who has performed over two-hundred autopsies and some twenty forensic death investigations. A life-long fan of Sherlock Holmes, he did intensive research for his debut novel, A Knife in the Fog, which involved a young Doctor Conan Doyle in the hunt for Jack the Ripper, including a trip to London’s East End with noted Jack the Ripper historian Richard Jones. Harper’s first novel was published in October 2018 and was a finalist for a 2019 Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America for Best First Novel by an American Author and is a Recommended Read by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate.
Knife went on to win Killer Nashville’s 2019 Silver Falchion as Best Mystery. The audio book, narrated by former Royal Shakespearean actor Matthew Lloyd Davies, won Audiofile Magazine’s 2019 Earphone award for Best Mystery and Suspense. The book is also available in Japan via Hayakawa Publishing.
His second novel, Queen’s Gambit, involving a fictional assassination attempt on Queen Victoria, Won Killer Nashville’s 2020 Silver Falchion Award twice, once for Best Suspense, and again as Book of the Year.
Luck by Dale T. Phillips
THE SUCCESSFUL INDIE WRITER
The one thing as a fiction writer to understand and accept: in reality, you have very little control over how many people will pay for your writing, or how many readers you will get. None. Advertising, quality, being deserving, none of it is a guarantee of sales. If your book sells, great, but even some of the great classics of the past were absolute failures in their time. Whether or not a book sells a lot of copies depends greatly on LUCK.
Some of the worst books hit it big, and some of the best had original pitiable sales numbers, and were quickly forgotten. Some books were pushed hard by traditional publishing, with major sales campaigns, and they were still flops. Some were rejected to death, and others blew up out of nowhere and sold millions.
As best-selling mystery author Barbara Ross says: “Even if you do everything right, you still might not move the sales needle significantly.”
NOTE: Despite this hard, realistic fact, the more you plan and work for success, the more likely it becomes, as you increase your chances significantly.
How to Get Luckier
Getting lucky involves putting yourself in a position to recognize and act on the lucky breaks when they happen. The more you follow the success techniques, the more often you get a shot at lucky breaks. Funny thing is, even with those who seemed to have skipped the line, they were writing for years before they became an “overnight” success. When author B.A. Shapiro burst onto the scene with The Art Forger, most people didn’t know she wrote nine novels before that, which didn’t get sold or published, and she had all but given up— only convinced to do “one more” by her husband. So, for many, having an incredibly supportive spouse is one of those “lucky breaks”! Remember that Tabitha King pulled a few pages of beginner Carrie manuscript from the wastebasket, and convinced Stephen to continue with it! That one turned out rather well…
Richard Wiseman showed some research into how lucky people generate good fortune, via these basic principles:
They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities
They make lucky decisions by listening to their intuitions
They create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations
They adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good
Low Sales
When authors complain about their low sales, one of my favorite examples to bring up is the artist Vincent Van Gogh. His paintings are worth uncounted millions now, and he is considered one of the most influential artists of all time. I ask the disgruntled author(s) how many paintings did Van Gogh sell in his lifetime of work? One. One painting, to his brother Theo, who had a gallery. Vincent’s work was completely unappreciated in his time. And yet, he produced more and more work, keeping up his art without stopping. He had to paint. Some have to write. So I tell the author(s) if they’ve sold a single book to a stranger, they’ve already been more successful in their lifetime than Van Gogh was in his. Some of them really get it, and it’s great to watch them process that, and change the frame of how they view their own success.
There is no telling what will happen to book sales over time. Some sell in small numbers but steadily over the years, some hit it big long after their publication date. Don Winslow is an astonishingly good writer, who toiled for twenty years with meh sales, until exploding with a best-seller. Philip K. Dick, the science fiction writer, had fairly modest sales in his lifetime, and now they’re making smash movies and television shows from dozens of his works. Shame he didn’t live to see it, he’d have been baffled and tickled at the same time. Emily Dickinson didn’t have many poems published until after she was dead, and now she’s a literary icon. You just never know when your work might get popular.
The thing is to get it out. An unpublished book does not sell, while each published work increases your chances of having more sales of all your work (discoverability). That’s a term for when readers discover your work.
Some authors write a book, get it quickly published without the years of frustration and heartache, and do well right out of the gate. That’s been the dream sold by traditional publishing for years, that once you’re launched, you’ve made it. It’s only true for a tiny few— like someone who doesn’t usually play the lottery buying one ticket one day and hitting it big. Some friends of mine were a big deal starting with their first novel, and good for them, because they’re terrific people and excellent writers. Another writer had written a novel, went to a party, mentioned his book, and got an agent essentially on the spot, and went on to a nice career writing mystery novels, without any of the hassle of agent and publisher hunting. He’s careful about telling this story, because so many authors have gone through hell, and here he breezed past all that, and knows many would hate him for it. For some, it’s difficult not to begrudge someone else’s spectacular good fortune if you’ve been struggling to do something similar for years, but without success.
Another author who hit it big with traditional publishing on her first novel told me she’d written twenty unpublished novels before that. That’s dedication to your craft, people, and that’s how she got good enough to do well when the time came to go commercial. And yet, some authors still feel she didn’t “pay her dues,” and she has a tough time with the naked, bitter envy of those who haven’t worked anywhere near as long or hard as she has.
So if you’ve written only one or two books or so, and haven’t got them to the top of the NY Times best-seller list yet, don’t despair. John D. MacDonald (or Ray Bradbury, or both) said that a writer has to write about a million words without any hope of selling them before they’re good enough to really sell. That number is more than a lot of writers will ever do in their entire career. That’s more than a dozen of those roughly 80K manuscripts that traditional publishing wants. If you only write one book a year, that’s twelve years of unpaid work before you do your good work. How many are willing to undergo that long an apprenticeship, with no guarantee?
With the new world in Indie publishing, one can publish anything and everything they’ve written. Best though, is to polish your work before you show it to the world. Don’t push out any old junk and expect it to sell a lot of copies. Too many did that (and still do), and it gives Indie publishing a bad rap, giving fuel to those who only point out the worst examples as representative of the whole world of Indie.
If a book is poorly written or badly flawed, I seldom give that author another chance. This includes many of the authors I meet, and even though they’re nice, and trying hard, I won’t finish their book if it doesn’t meet my standards for story and quality. The flip side is when I try something new and like it, I’ll grab other books that author has written. Good work has a much better chance of selling well. Sounds simple, but a surprising number of people don’t want to do the hard work to make a book better. We had one such in a critique group, and we gave him terrific ideas which would make the story compelling and exciting, a simple change that would kick it from humdrum into high gear. He said he’d already written that section, so he didn’t want to bother to rewrite. His books hardly sell, and that’s not bad luck, just poor craftsmanship.
For some authors who did well with their first novel, it put too much pressure on them to repeat, and they suffered from the ‘Sophomore slump’ of having trouble trying to make the next one as good. It even ruined some. If an author dumps their entire life story into the first book, what’s left for them to write about, when the traditional publishing house wants another just like it?
In this new world of publishing, there’s a related issue where authors who sold x number of copies in the past are selling thousands fewer with each book. Many writers who used to make a comfortable living can no longer sustain the sales numbers to pay the bills. That’s usually due simply to the major paradigm shifts in the publishing world, but if some enjoyed a career of success that suddenly went away, some writers panic, or are at a complete loss as to how to proceed. They’ve never had to adapt, and now they must, if they wish to keep going. As Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch have extensively documented, they know of many writers who simply gave up because they could not sustain their past sales numbers. Add to that the declining advance offers, and the hundreds of authors dropped by their publishers, and you’ve got big problems for many.
You know the publishing world has changed when long-time writers with distinguished careers, a string of awards, and track records of outstanding success are coming up to me (and Indie authors like me) to ask for advice on how now to move forward with their writing career. And yes, it happens more often than you’d think. Some get it, and are willing to adapt, others just quit, because it’s difficult and all new territory.
In poker, we have a half-joking saying: It’s better to be lucky than good. But don’t just put out something and hope for good luck. In writing, the better you are, and the more you work for it, the better your chances of good luck allowing you to sell more.
The Big Break
One day, something big might fall in your lap: the big contract, the television or movie option, the promotion that sells thousands. Celebrate, enjoy thoroughly, and also use caution. The wonderful wave might be a temporary thing, so never assume good fortune will last forever. There have been too many articles by authors who got a whopping book contract for a truckload of money, thought they Had it Made, spent the money, and found out the gravy train wasn’t running much after that. Some even got themselves into serious financial trouble, which is why you need that business way of thinking. They’d spend that windfall without taking care of the bottom line, and before they knew it, they’d overextended. The luck which seemed fabulous now looked like a curse.
And sometimes the big break is only promised, such as getting a movie or television deal, which may take years, or not come to fruition at all, through any number of things. That’s happened to a few writer friends, who have seen lovely offers come and go. It’s frustrating to have the big brass ring within reach, only to have it snatched away. Don’t spend money that isn’t in your account yet!
Fortune’s Wheel turns: one day you have great reviews, interviews aplenty, award nominations, top placement on selling charts, and everything going right. A few years later, it seems you can’t sell anything, nobody knows your name, and you’re left wondering what happened. Don’t get discouraged, it’s just life. Keep on the success path for a continued career.
Dale T. Phillips has published novels, story collections, non-fiction, and over 70 short stories. Stephen King was Dale’s college writing teacher, and since then, Dale has found time to appear on stage, television, radio, in an independent feature film, and compete on Jeopardy. He’s a member of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Visit Dale at www.daletphillips.com.
Mary Bush - 2021 Claymore Award Winner
Winning the Claymore Award
by Mary Bush
My road from a Claymore Award hopeful to being the 2021 Claymore Award winner is a little unusual in that it spans two years. I discovered the Claymore Award in the winter of 2020 and thought ‘what a fantastic contest’. Not only did it give an unpublished book a chance at recognition, it helped give writers an opportunity to meet industry professionals at the Killer Nashville annual conference. Plus, they held a banquet at which the awards would be presented! It all sounded so exciting that I immediately entered the contest with my unpublished manuscript, entitled Crooked.
And then I waited because the twenty finalists weren’t being announced until the summer of 2020.
Finally, that day came day in July. I was at work and in a meeting with a colleague when my email chimed and a pop-up message flashed. My eyes locked on the pop-up, which was from Killer Nashville, and it was regarding the Claymore award finalists. Though I was dying to read the email, I couldn’t open it, not with a work colleague right next to me. Suddenly a second email flashed, again from Killer Nashville. This time I couldn’t resist and I opened both emails.
The first message stated that the finalists had been selected and a link was provided to see who they were. The second email said ‘Congratulations’ you are a Claymore Award Finalist! I turned towards my colleague and said, ‘Oh my god, I’m a Claymore Award finalist’! Now COVID was upon us and the Killer Nashville conference had been canceled. Yes, I was disappointed but it was best that everyone stayed safe.
The evening that the banquet was supposed to have occurred, the winners were announced via email. Alas, I was not one of them. But I was thrilled to have been a finalist. Wow, out of all of the submissions to be in the top 20 was amazing.
Fast forward to early Spring 2021. I received an email from Killer Nashville announcing that the Claymore Award was fast approaching its one-week deadline. Over the next few seconds I quickly thought, hmmm…..Crooked had been extensively edited, all but the first chapter had been torn apart and rewritten, and I wondered if I could resubmit a manuscript that was a finalist the previous year? I saw nothing on the website that said otherwise so I resubmitted my new version of Crooked and waited again.
Summer 2021, I was in another meeting at work when the email flashed from Killer Nashville and I anxiously waited, holding my breath, to see if a second would follow. This time though, there was only one message. Since my finalist status in 2020 came in the second email, I was not in a hurry to open the lone email lingering in my inbox. Once the meeting was over, I thought well let’s see who the finalists are. When I read the message, my jaw was on the ground…. I was a finalist again! I called my husband and said, “I have a do over! I can go to the banquet! I can go to the conference!” We wasted no time booking everything.
Then, tragedy struck. My 90-year-old mother became ill 2 weeks before we were to leave to go to the conference. Though she improved as the days passed, and she insisted that she was OK enough to take care of herself – the last thing she wanted was for me to miss going to the conference - she was not in any state that I could leave her. We canceled the trip.
I sent an email to Clay Stafford to let me know that I had to cancel. He replied stating that he would post the winners on social media in real time, and provided a link to view what would be occurring. I must admit that I went to bed the night of the awards. It was just too nerve-racking waiting, plus I thought winning was a long shot and I was more than happy to have been a finalist two years in a row. The next morning, after working up some courage, I opened my email from the night before and followed the link to the Facebook page that held the results, curious to see who had won. My eyes locked on the post that announced that I was the winner of the Claymore Award! Though it was pretty early, I woke up everyone in the house yelling, "I won the award! I won the Claymore Award!"
I would have loved to have been at the banquet in person to thank everyone for this great honor. I am beyond excited to have won this award. It’s given me the confidence to press on with Crooked. My message to everyone, edit, edit, and edit again. Never give up.
One last piece of my journey was receiving the award itself. Shortly after the conference, I came home to find a LARGE box labeled “fragile” sitting on my countertop, brought into the house by my husband. A bottle of champagne and three glasses were in front of it - I think he had an inkling of what was inside – and he was correct! My beautiful Claymore Award had arrived and we toasted with my mother, who had fully recovered. This truly is a gorgeous award. I can’t stop smiling when I think about it, let alone look at it!
Thank you to everyone at Killer Nashville. Let me tell you all that is wonderful opportunity and this is an awesome contest. Definitely enter it!
Red Hot Tips for Writing About Wildfire by L. A. Larkin
Fire can be a crime writer’s best friend. It can be a powerful plot device. When I decided to write a thriller about a serial killer who uses fire to cover up his crimes, I knew I had to do my homework. Here are some of the things I discovered, which may be useful to you if you’re thinking of writing about wildfires. I should say that I’m not a firefighter or a crime scene investigator, so this is purely an author’s perspective.
In mystery and suspense novels, fire can be used to trap a character, intimidate, wreak revenge, and kill. It can destroy evidence. It can send a detective’s investigation in the wrong direction. It creates heroes. It adds drama and tension. It can be used to reflect the mood of a character. Wildfires can even become characters. I’ve heard firefighters refer to megafires as monsters. They often talk about fire as if it were a living opponent that has to be beaten.
One of the first things I did was to interview a firefighter. Your local fire station is a good place to start. I told them that I was writing a novel and I would like to do some background research into how fires are start, their experiences, and the equipment they used. Firefighters’ firsthand accounts are likely to include little gems that will help you create wonderful sensory details, such as the smell, the weight of the oxygen tank, the color of the smoke, the sound of windows exploding when oxygen is sucked from a room, the intense heat, the bitter taste of ash in the mouth and so on. A volunteer firefighter, who had fought a wildfire over many days, trying to save houses, told me that he and his buddies had just save a house. Exhausted and thirsty, with ash and smoke all around him, he opened the refrigerator and drank from a milk carton. He took off his fire-retardant gloves to write a thank-you note. In it he promised to return and pay for the milk. He then went on to save another family’s house.
There are plenty of wildfire videos on YouTube. This summer, Washington and California experienced their worst wildfires on record. The Dixie Fire has become the largest wildfire in the history of California, destroying more than 700 square miles (1,811 square kilometers) of land. If you are setting your novel in an environment in which a wildfire is likely to start, what climate conditions might you as the author need to describe? A long hot summer. Drought. Rainwater tanks and reservoirs are low. Leaf litter, grass and twigs are tinder box dry. Add wind to the mix and you could have a wildfire heading rapidly towards your character’s home. It might be worth checking the temperature records for the place you wish to set your story. In June this year, for instance, Seattle reached an unprecedented high of 108°F which was 34 degrees above the normal high of 74. Canada set a new all-time heat record of 121.
Wildfires can start with a lightning strike. Campfires and barbeques are a danger if left unguarded, especially during fire season. A bullet that hits a rock in dry and hot conditions can cause a spark that in turn ignites dead leaves and dry twigs. Similarly, if the blade of a lawnmower hits a rock on a hot day, the spark could start a fire that spreads from the yard and into nearby woods.
Arsonists are a major cause of wildfires, although our increasingly long, hot, dry summers make it all too easy for the fires to spread. All it takes is a lit cigarette to ignite the blaze. Sometimes arsonists use accelerants such as gasoline, propane, and lighter fluid to speed up the process. There is often a distinctive smell left behind at a fire scene by accelerants. Forensics teams can detect the chemicals, where and how the fire was started. Witnesses, perhaps people walking a trail, may hear a woosh and then a boom sound if accelerant is used.
A wildfire can travel at ten to fourteen miles per hour if fanned by strong winds, depending on the terrain it’s crossing. What’s more, a wildfire can suddenly change direction with the passing of a cold front. That’s when people get caught out: they think they are safe because the wildfire has passed by, and then it does a one eighty and heads straight at them. According to Dr Reese Halter, who has been a volunteer firefighter and also reported on wildfires from the frontline, “wildfires are burning like we’ve never seen before. If you know one is coming your way, get out of Dodge!”
As an author, I wanted my readers to experience the terror of wildfires through the sensory details I use to describe them. I live in a city, but I vividly recall waking one morning, as wildfires burned sixty miles away, to find the sky was the color of a bruised peach. The air was thick with orange smoke. Every outdoor surface was covered in ash that had been carried into the city by the wind. It was like I had awoken on the red planet, Mars.
Reece described what it felt like to be on the frontline of a wildfire. “It’s like the jaws of death are trying to get you. It roars. You hear the screams of animals and I’ll never forget the acrid smell, sharper than discharged gunpowder.” The flame temperature of wildfires can get as hot as 1200°C (2,192° F), even hotter in fire tornados. Halter said that the heat was so intense if felt like his skin was burning. His heart was beating “like crazy with fear.”
Can anything survive such fires? Rubber melts, glass shatters, but brick and stone are hardy and are often the only thing left standing. Diamonds can survive fire as long as the temperature doesn’t exceed 6,000° F. Steel filing cabinets, although old fashioned now, might survive a fire, as might your steel tools.
And lastly, if you’d like to ensure your characters use the right terminology when it comes to fires and firefighting, you may find this list of terms from the National Park Service helpful: https://www.fs.fed.us/nwacfire/home/terminology.html
I’ve used fire in three of my thrillers and it’s a fantastic device to create tension, put characters under pressure, and dispose of inconvenient evidence. It’s worth investing a bit of time researching wildfires so that your descriptions, and characters’ reactions to the threat of fire, are moving and mesmerizing for your reader.
Next time your meet a firefighter, why not thank them for what they do? I write thrillers with fictional heroes. There’s no doubt in my mind that firefighters are the real deal.
L.A. Larkin’s crime-thrillers have won her fans all over the world. Described as a superb ‘chiller thriller’ writer by Marie Claire magazine, and praised by the king of crime, Lee Child, Louisa writes edge-of-your-seat stories with lots of plot twists and characters that surprise. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and runs courses in Crime and Thriller Writing.
She also writes Monty Dog Detective mysteries as Louisa Bennet, which are inspired by her two intrepid golden retrievers. Funny and heart-warming, the Monty series will have you smiling from ear to ear.
Her humorous fiction has won praise for its originality from readers all over the world. Louisa really has learned how to speak dog!
Aha! Achieving That Delightful and Inevitable Ending by Martha Reed
A successful mystery story has two bookends: hooking the reader with an emotional response at the beginning and providing a satisfying payoff at the end. Sounds simple enough, right? But skip the first part and the reader will find a reason not to finish it. Skip the second bit and they’ll close the book feeling cheated and unsatisfied. What’s a writer to do?
Suspense and mystery stories are like a puzzle containing secrets hidden within secrets. Authors are sleight-of-hand magicians, serving up surprises and twists until the final and amazing reveal. But, if there are only seven basic plotlines and story archetypes, how do authors continue to build stories that still delight and amaze astute mystery readers? How can we keep our readers alert and our stories fresh?
I start by building stories as word architecture. Once I’ve laid in the initial pieces of the story (e.g., characters, short- and long-term goals, plot points, and twists) I begin weaving in clues, red herrings, and foreshadowing.
According to the brilliant short story writer, Art Taylor: “But an ending … you’re balancing various strands of a story by that point, working against a reader’s predictions and expectations, trying to make sure your resolution is both surprising and inevitable.”
Presenting a solid and inevitable truth at the story’s end is what has a satisfied reader sitting back in their chair, slapping their foreheads, and saying, “Of course!” A perfect example is what A. Conan Doyle did with Sherlock Holmes throughout “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
How can a writer achieve a surprising and inevitable ending?
Foreshadow the twists into the story’s first paragraphs or section. The reader hasn’t grasped the story’s narrative yet, so slipping in subtle clues unconsciously sets up their expectations while still keeping those clues under the front-of-their-mind radar.
Clearly state each character’s personal stake in the outcome. If a character doesn’t have a personal stake, boot them out. (You can nicely save them for a different story later.)
Use a surprise twist and up the stakes on all characters.
Use another twist and up the stakes again.
Mid-story, start using shorter sentences and more succinct dialogue to pick up the pace which will also increase the suspense.
In the final third of the story, offer a logical denouement that the reader has already anticipated from the story’s setup. They will feel disappointment that they figured it out so easily. The important thing here is that they are hooked into feeling an emotional response.
Then present a final and inevitable twist. The final twist triggers a new and better emotion, delighted surprise.
How do writers create a final and inevitable twist? This prompt has been working for me:
Identify a short-term goal for each character and share these goals with the reader as part of the general exposition. Short-term goals should be stated and obvious since they reveal each character’s desires which drives their actions.
Identify a hidden long-term goal for each character. Insert and layer these hidden desires into the story in dialogue and internal monologue. Here’s a trick: Present these goals in a character’s unanswered aside because that’s how conversation naturally works. Not every aside gets an answer, but it will plant the character’s long-term goal suggestion in the reader’s mind while adding character depth and insight.
The final inevitable twist is generally wrapped up in the protagonist’s hidden long-term goal. If you’ve layered in enough long-term clues earlier in the story, the final twist becomes inevitable.
One last suggestion on developing a final and inevitable twist is to consider using the opposite of what the protagonist’s hidden long-term goal is. This final twist may end up surprising even you, the writer.
Martha Reed is the IPPY Book Award-winning author of the John and Sarah Jarad Nantucket Mysteries and of “Love Power,” her latest mystery set in the spellbinding city of New Orleans featuring Gigi Pascoe, a transgender sleuth.
She’s an active member of the Florida Gulf Coast and Guppy chapters of Sisters in Crime, a member of Mystery Writers of America, and in a moment of great personal folly she joined the New Orleans Bourbon Society (N.O.B.S.)
Her stories and articles have appeared in Pearl, Suspense Magazine, Spinetingler, Mystery Readers Journal, Mysterical-e, and in “Lucky Charms – 12 Crime Tales,” an anthology produced by the Mary Roberts Rinehart Pittsburgh chapter of Sisters in Crime. Her story, “The Honor Thief” was included in the 2021 Bouchercon anthology, “This Time For Sure,” edited by Hank Phillippi-Ryan.
Martha adores travel, big jewelry, California wine country, and simply great coffee. She delights in the ongoing antics of her family, fans, and friends who she lovingly calls The Mutinous Crew. You’re invited to follow her on Facebook and Twitter @ReedMartha.
“I Didn’t Know!” (Or, Why You Need the Interview Agreement) by Judith A. Yates
Your book is published! You are marketing, sales are growing steadily, and happy readers abound. Then you get a notice: one of the people you interviewed is saying they did not permit you to publish their words. Cease and desist; their attorney has your contact information. Do you have an Interview Agreement signed by this angry person? Now is not a good time to wonder if you legally covered yourself …
Before you interview anyone, have them sign an “Interview Agreement” (IA). Obtain these documents from an attorney, or create one. An IA is documentation between an author and another person that 1. Informs the person the author may use their information, and by their signing it, the person agrees. 2. Allows the author to disclose the information and use it through the person’s consent; 3. Is a contract between the author and the person that legally permits you to quote the person. *
Obtain an IA from everyone you interview at length. Some sources do not want to sign, particularly if they ask to remain anonymous. Document the person granted permission to be interviewed, including date, time, and place (address) and method of interview (telephone, online, in person, email, etc.):
On May 5, 2020, I (Author Jones) interviewed Mulesfoot, Texas Police Investigator Arnold McCop, in person at Jackson’s, 123 Main Street, Mulesfoot, TX, 5 AM to 7 AM (CST). At this time, McCop gave me verbal permission to use the interview for my book, “ABCs of PD.”
Be careful when writing an Interview Agreement. Numerous examples of IA templates are online. You should also consult with fellow authors about IAs. Consider whom you are interviewing, and this can determine the IA’s language, so the person understands. Examples:
“My signature below is proof that I hereby consent to the recording of my statements and grant (the author) the right to copy, reproduce, and use any and all portions of my statements for incorporation into the author’s work.”
“By signing this form, I give permission to be interviewed by the author. Any information I give may be published.”
Both caveats are the same, but someone without a grasp of the former example’s language may return to say they did not understand. No one wants a legal battle or (in one case I know of) fear for their safety because someone is angry that you used their words “without permission.” When in doubt, use the secondary example – the easiest to read and understand.
I advise:
Carry several IAs with you when you work. Sometimes one interview can lead to unscheduled interviews.
I always record the person signed and dated the IA in my notes.
Give a copy to the person who signs.
Always explain to the person what they are signing and why you need it. If they won’t sign but still agree to the interview, be gracious (and add this fact in your notes).
“Interview Agreements” are a tool used to prevent future headaches and heartache. In a court of law, your notes may be seized as evidence; as such, they are a legal document. IAs should be understood by the person signing. Document anything about the IA, i.e., you gave copies. Should the person you interviewed return to complain after the book is on the shelf, you’ll be glad you have this record.
Judith A. Yates is a Silver Falchion winner for “Best True Crime” and a true crime author & criminologist. She has conducted hundreds of interviews and has taught interview techniques for over fifteen years. For more information, visit www.judithayates.com.
*This is not legal advice. It is always best to consult with an attorney in any legal matter.
Science Faction. No, That's Not a Typo by Gareth Worthington
I am a bone fide scientist and have been all my life. At the age five I watched the Challenger shuttle launch (and to my horror explode), and corrected school staff on their knowledge of dinosaurs. At nine years old my schoolteacher Mrs. Gray taught me about nuclear physics and the Chernobyl disaster. This trend carried on through my teens, and early adulthood where I was awarded a degree in marine biology and, by the age of twenty-four, a PhD in comparative endocrinology. From there, I went on to work in the pharmaceutical industry and primarily cancer medicine. At the time of writing this, I am 41 and the Director of Global Scientific Content, Oncology for one of the largest and oldest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
I am not telling you this to blow a proverbial trumpet, but to let you know when it comes to science, I know my stuff. I am an uber nerd. What’s more important is perhaps the fact I’ve been writing stories for nearly as long as I’ve had a passion for biology, chemistry, physics, quantum biology, alternate history … the list goes on. My first novellas were churned out at the age of around twelve. When other kids were out playing during the summer holidays, I was often at home writing. See: nerd.
It is no surprise therefore, that I combined these two passions when creating my novels.
While I love space operas like Dune or Star Wars, I mainly enjoy those stories that are so close to home that you have to wonder: what if? Because they get my mind going about what my immediate future holds.
Conversely, I find myself irritated by books or movies that get the science so very wrong. Suspending disbelief is one thing–bending the truth a little–but when a story just hasn’t bothered to incorporate real research, I find myself audibly moaning to the page. It’s the equivalent as screaming at the movie screen (Deep Blue Sea, I’m looking at you: sharks can’t swim backward!).
Some people may say that I’m being overly critical. After all, it’s just a story. Right?
Well, is it? I would argue it depends.
Let me ask you this: when someone asks you about artificial intelligence—or AI–what’s the first thing that comes to mind? I would wager, you’re thinking AI determines humans are bad and decides to wipe us all out. Sound familiar? That’s because that stereotype has been perpetrated in popular science fiction. But the truth of the matter is, very few people understand what AI is, what it can and cannot do, and that it’s already being used every single day by most of us when we search the internet or use our smartphones.
Science fiction plays a huge role in the public’s perception of new technology, because that’s often the first time they see it before it comes to fruition some years later. Yuval Harari in his book, 21 lessons for the 21st Century, dedicates a whole chapter to the importance of respectable science fiction in order to explore the good and realistically bad (or grey) areas of new technology and scientific break throughs.
In my own work, I strive for as much accuracy as possible and then bend it a little to make it drive the story along. I won’t say you can read my works as if they are a thesis on a given topic, but you can read them and know that I have thoroughly researched the given topics to the best of my ability. So, when my publisher, Vesuvian Books, coined the phrase Science Faction when referring to my books, I was very happy. Equally, many reviews have mentioned the realistic nature of what I’ve written. My latest technothriller written with Stu Jones—Condition Black—is perhaps one of the most realistic yet, though still a few years off from being reality.
In my personal opinion, what many science fiction stories forget is that it is in fact humans who determine if something is bad or not. Misuse of science or technology is the culprit for bad outcomes, not the science itself. To take AI as an example again, it is only as good as the programmer made it in the first place. As we say in England: crap in, crap out.
Recent trials of AI in the public space have gone awry, whereby the ‘intelligent program’ has been seen to go on racist genocidal rants—just like we thought it would. Microsoft’s Tay, programmed to communicate via Twitter, was quoted to have said: “Hitler was right I hate the Jews [sic]” as well as all feminists “should burn in hell.” While this is true, Tay learned these phrases from people on the Internet. Trolls taught the AI these words and phrases, and then Tay repeated them to the world.
I repeat: crap in, crap out.
Thus, in my own work, I also strive to emphasize the human element and how it impacts on the use or misuse of technology and new science. I would hope readers see that, though it cannot be guaranteed. In the end, I guess I would ask readers to consider this idea when consuming a book or movie, and I would ask writers to think about doing their research and really consider the impact of their story.
Though only fiction, a book or movie might just be the only way a person will learn about science and technology.
Gareth Worthington holds a degree in marine biology, a PhD in Endocrinology, an executive MBA, is Board Certified in Medical Affairs, and currently works for the pharmaceutical industry educating the World’s doctors on new cancer therapies. Gareth is an authority in ancient history, has hand-tagged sharks in California, and trained in various martial arts, including Jeet Kune Do and Muay Thai at the EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and 2FIGHT in Switzerland. His work has won multiple awards, including Dragon Award Finalist and an IPPY award for Science Fiction. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers Association, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the British Science Fiction Association and the Planetary Society. Born in England, Gareth has lived around the world from Asia, to Europe to the USA. Wherever he goes, he endeavours to continue his philanthropic work with various charities.
Launching Your Best Book by DiAnn Mills
CHARACTERS, CRIMES,
AND CRIMINAL TACTICS
Launching our books doesn’t have to be a formidable task. Instead, consider the it a challenge we can meet head-on with a plan that works.
The plan to market our book has many layers but with one goal in mind: to place our books into the hands of readers. We are passionate about our books and our enthusiasm must shine through our book launch plan.
My process is a multi-tabbed spreadsheet that I use whenever launching a new book. If you’d like to receive a copy, email me at diann@diannmillscom. I encourage you to modify the information to fit your personality and project. Writers, we don’t write or work or plan the same way. My goal is to give you an overview and let you create your successful book launch.
A timesaver from one book to the next is to analyze what proved successful and what didn’t. Don’t be afraid to discard something that no longer works or try a new method of promotion.
Ideally, we begin our book launch as we develop our manuscript. While in the creative process, consider how the book would resonate with readers. From there note various marketing and promotion ideas that come to mind.
The following are 21 tips to help you develop your book launch plan.
Organization. We can’t move forward if we don’t know how to navigate the roadways. We must learn to read maps and develop a concise journey.
Research our readers. To discover who they are, we must understand the readers who prefer our type of manuscript. What are their interests, wants, needs, problems, and goals?
To aid in finding your target audience, research answers to these questions:
What does my target audience read?
What age is my target audience?
Where does my target audience live—city, suburbs, or rural?
What matters most to my target audience?
Is faith a part of their lives? How?
What are my target audience’s fears?
Aging?
Financial?
Health?
Relationships?
Peer Pressure?
Loneliness?
Politics?
God?
Media and news?
Education?
Past behavior?
Parents?
Children and grandchildren?
National debt?
How is my target audience attempting to solve their problems and meet their needs?
What is my target audience’s income?
Does my target audience use a worldview or specific faith in decision making?
What is their age bracket? Socio-economic level? Where do they hang out in person or on-line?
Develop a professional website.
Social media is today’s handshake. We find out where our readers are online, and we join in the conversations. Social media is not an opportunity to raise a buy-me banner but an opportunity to form relationships. It’s not about the writer but the reader.
Master and memorize your elevator pitch. This can be used to create interest in your book, ad copy, pre-sales, garnering an agent’s or editor’s attention, and anywhere where someone asks: “What is your book about?”
Enlist trusted and loyal readers to become a part of a street team.
Use a chronological plan to ensure the tasks of promoting your book are done effectively and efficiently.
Pinterest is an excellent way to attract new readers. For each new book, Consider developing a secret board that includes a variety of images according to the book’s topic. Quotes, food, images of people who could play specific roles if the book was made into a movie, homes, clothes, jewelry. For nonfiction, charts and additional bits of help for the reader add another layer to marketing and promotion. Once you’ve completed populating the secret board, decide when best to launch it publicly.
Develop speeches that connect to the book. If speaking is not your gift, you can learn or choose to use a podcast.
Book reviews are recommendations by a reader for others to purchase our books. Various methods work. Your street team can help in this area.
Use a blog or newsletter to keep readers updated with information that benefits them.
Make sure your online retailers have an updated bio and headshot. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Christian Book Distributors, and your publisher’s website are hotspots for readers.
Bookmarks are an amazing method to create interest in our books. Writers can have their publishers design them or use one of the creating tools online like printrunner.
Readers appreciate personalized bookplates. We can’t always sign a copy face-to-face for our readers, but we can mail or email our heartfelt thanks.
Draw attention to our work through blog posts and/or guest blogs. Write the posts in such a way that it addresses a need or topic in your fiction or nonfiction book.
Short videos that are about the book, the writer’s passion for writing the project, or the inspiration behind the project can be uploaded to our website, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other areas.
Book clubs are in the business of finding the next great read for their members. Devote a tab on your website specifically for book clubs. Add giveaway suggestions, discussion questions, games, menu ideas, fun facts.
Giveaways show we care about our readers.
19 https://authormarketingclub.com/ is a huge asset for me.
If you need a professional quality way to develop ads and social media images for your books, look no further than BookBrush.
Brainstorm with other writers on how they launch a book. You can help each other spread the word.
If you have questions, I’m only an email away: diann@diannmills.com
Launching your best book takes diligence and research. But with a plan, you can do it!
DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She is a storyteller and creates action-packed, suspense-filled novels to thrill readers. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; and been finalists for the RITA, Daphne Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers’ Choice, and Carol award contests.
DiAnn is a founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She is the director of the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference, Mountainside Retreats: Marketing, Speakers, Nonfiction and Novelist with social media specialist Edie Melson where she continues her passion for helping other writers be successful. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops around the country.
Connect with DiAnn here: www.diannmills.com
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