“The biggest problem with clichés is that they weren’t
invented by the author using them.”
Vince Mooney
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“Motivation is a measure of
our actual desire to get something done. Just as a thermometer doesn’t cause
the fever it measures, motivation doesn’t cause desire. Face it: if you are not
motivated to do something, then you just don’t desire to really do it.” Vince Mooney
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Are You Racing Your Kindle Novels? Here’s How…
How Competitive at Winning Your Interest Are The Books You’re Now Reading?
And What Can This Teach
You?
I didn’t realize it but I
have a real horse race taking place on my Kindle. I didn’t plan it this way but
I noticed that my 1, 2, 3, and 4 titles kept changing place. I usually read
five to ten books at a time. This is not hard to do as long as the books are
different in kind. Right now I have four books that are neck and neck in
claiming my attention.
Win, Place, & Show
This morning first place is
held by a 1890’s historical romance. In second place is an Amish romance.
Third is claimed by a book of short stories by Alice Munro. And at a close
fourth place is a romance that takes place on a Mississippi paddle boat. None
of these stories are confusable with the others. Each is being read for
enjoyment. (I must say, Alice Munro, is being read because, like a vitamin,
‘it’s said to be good for me’ – fortunately, she is just as enjoyable as the
others.)
Go to the Races
When I open my Kindle I have
a choice. I can continue reading the last book I was reading or I can go to the
list of books and select another book I am reading or even start a new book. It all gets down to which book, of the books I'm reading,
has most captured my interest. Has the book I was last reading flagged?
Are we at a sagging middle in that book? Or do I just feel like reading a
different book? I noticed that the Amish book has been wining very often since it entered the race. I think the Amish book offers more rewards for reading per page. But this is also a matter taste: like when you want to eat something salty and not have a sweet.
It’s Just a Measure of ‘Come
Back’ Interest
Since books will be finished
and new books added while the race is still going on, (the race never stops),
it’s not a race to see who wins at a given length (like the mile and a
quarter). It’s a race to see how different books stack up against each other in commanding a reader's
interest at any given moment.
What you can learn if you are
a writer.
If you’re a writer, it is
instructive to observe how given books compete for your interest at various
stages of their plots. It is also interesting to note what is happening in a
narrative when you switch to one of the other books. (Why did you switch?)
Some Books You Never Go Back
To
I’ve noticed that some books
drop behind as new books are added and old books are finished. Some of these
books never get finished. I think much can be learned from the books you did
not finish. The world of reading is
changing. The eBook reader has turned the old stack of books into cable TV. On cable TV you
can change stations and thus progams with the click of a button. While cable TV
has offered up to 500 stations, my Kindle now has over 1,200 books on it. That dwarfs cable TV.
So Much to Read & So
Little Time
With so many books waiting to
read and so little time to read, the competition is fierce. Writing today
must compete with hundreds of books that are just a click away. There is also
no physical book in the room to remind a reader of his need to finish that
book. Indeed, writers today must write in a way that can compete with several
other books being read at the same time.
In order to do this well,
writers should ‘go to the races’ and observe which ‘horses’ are winning and
which are losing. Writers may not know it, but they are going to be in that
race and it is a race for survival.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
Friday, December 21, 2012
Visit Tracy Sands and Learn About the Christian Alphabet…
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The other day, while Tracy Sands was a guest on Seekerville discussing
her “Christian Alphabet”, I mentioned that I envisioned a portrait of Jesus that
was made up of only letters of her alphabet and that a few of those tiny
letters spelled the words, “Jesus Saves”.
(The little letters served the same function as black dots do in
creating a newspaper photo).
Tracy said she would make a graphic of “Jesus Saves” for me.
I have it posted here to show how pretty this artwork is when seen in full
color.
Tracy's website, “Christian Alphabet” has many more learning aids to help
children to read including a very good “Christian Alphabet Song”.
This site is well worth a look if you are thinking about gifts
for children in the upcoming year.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“If you let your words define reality rather than allow
reality to define your words, you will soon find that reality is a much
more dangerous place.”
Vince Mooney
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
“Dare to Believe” Fulfills the Promise of Indie Publishing Freedom!
"Dare to Believe"
Unpredictable! Fascinating!
A Fresh Voice!
It's a Reading Experience that Makes the Most of the Indie Publishing
Promise!
Amazon
Kindle
A
Romantic Suspense
“Dare to Believe” is a daring adventure
into a new world of fictional freedom. L.A. Sartor uses her creative freedom to
write a very unpredictable and fascinating nail-biting novel. The story starts out as a potential romantic
crime/mystery as the heroine’s daughter goes missing. It then becomes a
suspense/thriller when the evidence strongly supports a kidnapping. Soon the
narrative moves to beautiful Hawaii where most of the story takes place.
Once in the islands the action intensifies and some traces of being a
police procedural appear. Eventually, the story becomes a legal/thriller. With all
these twists and turns one thing remains constant: the romance developing
between the hero and heroine. This relationship, once thought to be hopeless,
moves towards becoming a reality -- if only the mystery can be solved and
justice found.
A story like “Dare to
Believe” is one of the best justifications for an Indie Press and the
freedom to create the kind of interesting reading experiences that are almost
impossible to find in the traditional press. A Traditional publisher would ask,
“Where does this book get displayed on bookstore shelves? We can’t market books
with this much freedom.” An Indie
publisher can publish books like this. And readers benefit. If you are going to read an Indie Press
novel, then I believe this is the type of book to read.
Rest assured, “Dare to Believe” is edited as well as any big publisher I have read. I found no
mistakes in the book. Of course, what I believe makes the book so much fun to
read is that it is fresh and unpredictable. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I
look forward to see what this very talented author comes up with next.
If you are interested in Hawaii, as I am, you’ll be glad to know
that the author has lived in Hawaii, loves it, and spends a major part of the
book in this beautiful land.
For a great read and to experience one of the best of the new
books coming from the Indie Presses, “Dare to Believe” is a great place to
start.
Because Life Doesn’t Unfold According to Traditional Publishing
Guidelines, Indie Press Books Can Be More Lifelike and Realistically Enjoyable!
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
“Season of Joy” May Be The Best Debut Romance of the Year! RT 4 ½ Stars!
"Season of Joy" Offers All the Good Feelings of a Romance with the Power of a
Realistic Mainstream Best Seller!
Love
Inspired
Publication
Date: Nov 1, 2012
Years ago I would have said
that “Season of Joy” was too good to be an author’s first published novel. I
don’t say that any more. It is so hard to break into print at the
biggest publishing houses (like Love Inspired –whose books can be found in
nearly every Wal-Mart) that often an author’s best book is her first book. “Season of Joy” is such a book. I expect it
to win many distinguished awards during the next year. It has already been
nominated for RT’s 2012 Best First
Series Romance. That's a great start.
“Season of Joy” is a strong
contender for any writing award because it has the impact of mainstream realism.
That is, it deliberately transcends the customary
romance genre conventions.
“Season of Joy” is the type
of romance that highly literate romance fans (often English professors) select
to show their friends who read only 'so-called' literary quality works. Many critics love books like “Season of Joy” because such books are so demonstrably excellent. It is not hard to spot such a romance.
“Winter’s End” by Ruth Logan Herne and “Autumn Rains” by Myra Johnson were
immediately identifiable as very realistic works that would go on to garner their
share of laurels.
“Season of Joy” is an
inspirational romance. It is about changing one’s life for the spiritually
better. It is also about taking chances. The heroine, Calista, takes the biggest
chance. She volunteers to work at a homeless mission. No job is too lowly for
her to do. This is a big deal because she is a success-driven CEO of a growing
company she pioneered. Her single-minded pursuit of success has left her
without any real friends and a cat who hates her.
The hero, Grant, has his life in a holding
pattern. He needs to change his life but he just carries on letting his devotion
to his job, as director of the homeless mission, keep him from thinking about
having a real life with a wife and family. He has a strong hostility towards his father. He did not
choose to change his life as Calista did. Grant has change thrust upon him.
The character of the hero and
heroine plus the quality of the writing can best be shown by the following
quotes. ('He' is the hero, Grant and 'she' is
the heroine, Calista. )
“She wasn’t the CEO here, {at the mission} she
was just a woman who had lost her place in the world.”
***
“A huge smile creased his
face and Calista’s mouth fell open at the transformation. He was a good looking
man, but add in a dash of pure joy and he was breathtaking. She tore her gaze
away and met Lana’s laughing eyes behind the desk. Of course, the secretary
would think it was hilarious how women fell all over themselves in his
presence.”
***
“He seems really good with
the kids. Does he have any of his own? She suddenly wished she could snatch the
words back out of the air, especially since it was followed by a snort from
Lissa.”
***
“Calista felt her hear sink.
Then again, she wasn’t here to get a boyfriend or find true love. She was here
because her life had become a self-centered whirlpool of ambition, with her
swirling around at the bottom like a piece of driftwood.”
***
“Is there a kid version of
catnip? If there is, you must be stuffing your pockets with it.”
“Nope, I just listen to them. It’s funny how many people
forget that kids need someone to hear them,” he said, his words serious, but a
grin spread over his features.”
***
“But there was only so far
you could run from yourself. Then it was all about facing your fears and being
bigger than your past.”
***
“Every time a friend tells me
that I’d be great with someone, I know it’s doomed.”
***
“Now, if she could just get
everyone else to give her a second chance at being a decent human being, then
she’d be all set.”
***
“You’re not a terrible human
being. You’re just not very approachable. Or sympathetic. Or caring about
anybody’s personal life. Or..”
“All right! I got it.”
***
“And she is not one to
believe a lie. But when the heart first loves, it only sees perfection. With
time, the love remains but the heart knows the truth – no one is perfect. Only
God. That is what I mean.”
***
“A strange sensation had
crept over him while she spoke. It was a mix of yearning and dread, of
excitement and fear. He felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff.”
***
“She was done investing time
and effort into projects that didn’t make her happy. The mission made her feel
useful, and she’d made friend there.”
***
“But nothing would be able to
get past the fact that she believed in the power of the almighty buck and he
didn’t.”
*** ***
There are so many good quotes
in “Season of Joy” that it is a joy simply to see what the author is going to
write next. None of these quotes give away the plot. Much of the writing
is rewarding in itself. There are psychological insights as well as playful descriptions
of falling in love which so thrill fans of romance.
“Season of Joy” is a
wonderful book that is sure to go on to win much praise and success. Its strongest
point, its mainstream realism, (the author endlessly researched
homeless shelters all over the country) also provides its only weakness -- and that only as an
inspirational romance. As in real life, the ending comes with many unresolved
issues. The major inspirational challenge may actually be in a worse situation than
when the story began. (At least in regards to one of the main characters.)
Yes, readers will enjoy their HEA (happy ending) but it
does come with an asterisk. Yet, I can’t imagine any genuine inspirational romance fan not
loving this book, “Season of Joy”.
I hope there are many more seasons of joy to
come from this very talented debut author.
Enjoy Romantic Happiness with a Realistic Flair!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
 |
| Three authors and two fans. |
“The whole idea of a book cover is to help you judge the
book before you buy it.”
Vince Mooney
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Now More Than Ever: A Great Book on "How to Help a Grieving Friend"
I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from
reading this book or who wouldn’t enjoy reading
it.
Stephanie Grace Whitson
Format: Kindle Edition & Print
Publisher: Greenbrier Book Company (April 9, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, $3.99
Paperback $8.99
Wisdom inside a great love story…
I loved this book. I don’t know anyone who needs this book more than I do. In one way, I am fearless; I have no problem giving a speech to thousands of people. Yet, the prospect of talking to one grieving widow or widower can render me speechless and keep me awake at night. I don’t know what to say but I do know, all too well, what I don't want anyone to tell me:
Don't tell me that my loved one is in a better place. (Her best place is here besides me.)
Don't tell me that this is all according to God’s plan. (I'm not exactly happy with God at the moment.)
Don’t tell me that you know how I feel. (You'd have to be me to know how I feel and you're not me.)
While I know what I would not want to hear, I don’t know what to say or what to do to help a greiving person. Death is kept hidden in our society. It’s all so sanitary. Death is so behind the scenes. We are not practiced in death and dealing with the grieving. Some may think they know what they are doing but their lack of genuine knowledge often makes them capable of causing great pain with their well meaning clichés. If only they knew. If only they had read "How to Help a Greiving Friend".
What should we do and what should we say to the grieving?
Why hasn't someone, who is wise and knows what they are talking about, written a book to tell the rest of us?
Someone has. The book is here now. The book is, “How to Help a Grieving Friend”.
While this book is about grieving, it is also a great love story. Read about the author:
“In 1996, Stephanie lost her best friend to cancer three days after her own husband was diagnosed with an incurable form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (he subsequently died in 2001). Later that same year, her mother and father died within six weeks of each other. Thus, 1996 marked the beginnings of the grief journey that has resulted in “How to Help a Grieving Friend.”Everyone Grieves differently.
How can one book tell us what to do?
I can say that in reading “How to Help a Grieving Friend” I found nothing that I disagreed with and many things I wish I had known before now. I can think of only two other non-fiction books which impacted me with such emotional power: “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Man's Search for Meaning”.
“How to Help a Grieving Friend” didn’t trickle down from selected holy book passages. It’s not derived from anyone’s favorite pop psychologist. No, “How to Help a Grieving Friend,” sprang from the soil of suffering. Its price was high but its rewards are many and they run deep.
The only way to really show this is to provide a few quotes expressing the authors sentiments. If you agree with these quotes, this book is for you. I can’t imagine there being a better book on this topic.
BE PATIENT
I am making my way in a world where my primary connection to reality is gone. Don’t tell me I should ‘get over it” and ‘move on.’ As soon as I’m ready, I will. But your timetable is irrelevant to my reality.
Don’t speculate about the unknowable.
If your faith teaches that the dead don’t see us and don’t care about life on earth “in light of eternity,” keep it to yourself. Saying that is the same thing as saying he or she doesn’t love me anymore.
Leave the self-help books at home. Unless you can say, “This helped me when my ____ died,” just don’t say it.
Delete comfort clichés. I know every cloud has a sliver lining. Remind me another time. Hurt with me now.
Tell Me I’m Okay
Grief makes people a little crazy. Remind me that I shouldn’t be expected to behave ‘like my old’ self.’ It’s good to know I’m not going crazy – at least not permanently.
Accept My New Quirks.
If I’m reluctant, don’t push it. Grief changes people – permanently. I may never be ‘my old self’ again. But I just might be a better self if you’ll give me some time.
Don’t say, “You need to make new memories”
Right now, I need to remember the old ones.
Accept No for an answer.
It’s exhausting pretending to be happy in a group so I don’t depress everyone around me. If I say no, it doesn’t mean I don’t want your friendship. It just means I’m too tired to hang out right now.
Accept My TearsWhat I’ve quoted above is only a tiny part of the wisdom in this book. Each chapter is divided into two parts: How it Feels and How to Help. There are twenty-five short chapters.
Don’t’ be embarrassed when I cry. Tears are healing. They must be shed. Crying alone hurts worse.
“How to Help a Grieving Friend” is the real thing. It’s a book that has been long needed. I can’t imagine an author better positioned to write this book. The author tells us it was painful to write. It took a very long time to complete. It is the product of much suffering tempered by a wisdom that transcends all the clichés that many of us never believed anyway. “How to Help a Grieving Friend” gives us a compass we can believe in.
I truly believe that when word gets out, “How to Help a Grieving Friend” will sell a million copies. Read it for yourself, then help spread the word. Rarely have I read a book that was more needed than this one.
I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from reading this book or who wouldn’t enjoy reading it.
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
Vince Mooney
Friday, December 14, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“Clichés begin life as sparkling ‘turns of phrase’ and end life as Swiss Army knives.”
Vince Mooney
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
Cliché words offend the ears while cliché actions offend
the soul.
(Someone please have the heroine bite the finger of the next hero
who tries to place a strand of her hair back behind her ear!)
Vince Mooney
Monday, December 10, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“Great literature asks questions the answer to even the author doesn’t
know. It is a voyage of discover as much for the author as it is
for the characters and the reader.”
Vince Mooney
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“There are as many ways of reading as there are writing.
This makes mismatches quite common.”
Vince Mooney
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“In much of the world’s great literature the narrator plays
an essential part. Trying to hide the narrator is like removing one dimension
from reality. It flattens everything out. It’s like filming a movie in black
and white today.”
Vince Mooney
Friday, December 7, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“Lot’s of advice about making characters come alive is
really about making characters unique. There is a difference. There are a lot of
dead unique people.’
Vince Mooney
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“I don’t like the idea of layering. That makes it seem like one layer is on top of another and that it covers it up. I like interspersing where new ideas are inserted side by side with the narrative that is already there.”
Vince Mooney
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“If you can’t judge a given book by its cover, then that
cover stands in need of judgment.”
Vince Mooney
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“First start with living characters. Then have them act in a fully human, fully alive, fashion. Your problem won’t be having your characters come alive; it will be keeping them on the page.”
Vince Mooney
Monday, December 3, 2012
Famous Writing Quote of the Day
“If you judge a book by its cover, you’ll usually be right.”
Vince Mooney
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