It's A Blog-a-thon!
Readers today live an enchanted life. With the invention of e-readers, they are open to online book stores that feature tens of thousands of books at their finger tips. Free books, cheap books, great books, not so great books. It’s all out there. Serious readers are curious about how one writes a captivating book. Like a great work of music… how on earth did Dvorak write the New World Symphony master piece?! All the different characters (instruments), the intertwining of the theme throughout the different movements… the suspense? Wouldn't it be a treat to read from the man himself how he did it?!
Well, readers, you are in luck. There is something out there in writer’s land called a blog tour, a series of questions an author must answer, and then pass the exercise on to another writer. The answers to these questions, of course, will vary from author to author, giving much insight to a reader.
I recently had such an exercise passed on to me from a great writer and artist. Her name is Susan Carnes. Susan is a member of the Mazatlán Writer’s Group, having written two novels, My Champion and THE WAY BACK - A Soldier’s Journey . Additionally, this woman is a well-known artist, her paintings having been displayed on the cover of Mazatlán’s Pacific Pearl Magazine numerous times. You can visit her work by going to www.susancarnes.wordpress.com. This woman writes and paints from her heart, a real treat for readers and art enthusiasts.
So, with that said, I am in good company and will proceed to tell of my experiences when writing.
1- What Am I Working On
After completing three suspense novels, I recently decided to concentrate on my home town of Mazatlán. Earlier this year, I wrote my first short story called Casual Women. It was well-received so I got the bright idea to turn it into a full novel. The short story took place in Mexico but not in Mazatlán. That has changed. At the end of the short story, the main character found herself in a heap of trouble, so she fled her town, and moved to guess where? Now, living in Mazatlán, Maddy soon finds that her troubles have followed her. She and her two friends find themselves in the middle of intrigue, murder, and of course, a new love for Maddy.
Surprise to the reader is what I’m after, so when things begin to unravel, I want to think the reader is saying to them self, “Oh my God!” Currently, I see this book as the first of a series. To those readers who have been to this great town, it will be fun to recognize places where scenes take place. To those who haven’t, I hope they will book a flight soon.
2- How Does My Work Differ From Others Of Its Genre
I want the reader to think, so I develop twists in the story line that work in a way that are undetected until I want things known. A rule for me? Every word written must be in the story for a reason. Each scene is a necessary tidbit for the reader to file away for later when the book implodes for that fiery ending that will remain in their thoughts. I want my books to read like a movie.
3- Why Do I Write What I Do
I grew up fascinated with Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone. I enjoy complex characters and pure entertainment. Bottom line, I write what I like.
4- How Does My Writing Process Work
Ah, the last and best question…
1. Choose and develop the characters. I often steal personalities from quirky folks I've met.
2. Plan the main premise of the story line.
3. Write the first chapter, and make it exciting to set the tone of the book.
4. Know how the story will end.
That’s it to get started. For me, I like the characters to become alive, let them decide on what they will say and do. Oh, I do direct them, but it just astounds me how they will do things that make me step back and take a few deep breaths. I will sometimes make corrections to my plot, sub-plots based on what these folks say and do. I am watching a movie unfold as I write.
My books are posted on my website at http://www.cmichaelsbooks.com. Bill of Human Wrongs is a political thriller that I am most proud of, a rather scary notion about the future of the USA. Cross Roads and NO FEAR! are a series that trace the lives of folks whose early life mistakes follow them to a point of hatred and murder. Additionally, I write a column for the Pacific Pearl Magazine, http://www.pacificpearl.com/pdf/pacific-pearl/low-res.pdf, Mazatlán’s best read for tourists spending time here. It’s loaded with information to help them with their trip and has a few columns such as mine. My books can be found on Amazon.com for Kindle readers.
I hoped you learned something, and now it‘s time for me to pass this on to another author. I've chosen Joss Landry, a writer I met in an online writer’s group on Facebook called ASMSG. Joss recently completed her newest novel, I Can See You in addition to her first, Mirror Deep . Her stories are fun, romantic, suspenseful. I will enjoy reading her answers to these questions. Her work is displayed on her website, http://josslandry.com.
Well, readers, you are in luck. There is something out there in writer’s land called a blog tour, a series of questions an author must answer, and then pass the exercise on to another writer. The answers to these questions, of course, will vary from author to author, giving much insight to a reader.
I recently had such an exercise passed on to me from a great writer and artist. Her name is Susan Carnes. Susan is a member of the Mazatlán Writer’s Group, having written two novels, My Champion and THE WAY BACK - A Soldier’s Journey . Additionally, this woman is a well-known artist, her paintings having been displayed on the cover of Mazatlán’s Pacific Pearl Magazine numerous times. You can visit her work by going to www.susancarnes.wordpress.com. This woman writes and paints from her heart, a real treat for readers and art enthusiasts.
So, with that said, I am in good company and will proceed to tell of my experiences when writing.
1- What Am I Working On
After completing three suspense novels, I recently decided to concentrate on my home town of Mazatlán. Earlier this year, I wrote my first short story called Casual Women. It was well-received so I got the bright idea to turn it into a full novel. The short story took place in Mexico but not in Mazatlán. That has changed. At the end of the short story, the main character found herself in a heap of trouble, so she fled her town, and moved to guess where? Now, living in Mazatlán, Maddy soon finds that her troubles have followed her. She and her two friends find themselves in the middle of intrigue, murder, and of course, a new love for Maddy.
Surprise to the reader is what I’m after, so when things begin to unravel, I want to think the reader is saying to them self, “Oh my God!” Currently, I see this book as the first of a series. To those readers who have been to this great town, it will be fun to recognize places where scenes take place. To those who haven’t, I hope they will book a flight soon.
2- How Does My Work Differ From Others Of Its Genre
I want the reader to think, so I develop twists in the story line that work in a way that are undetected until I want things known. A rule for me? Every word written must be in the story for a reason. Each scene is a necessary tidbit for the reader to file away for later when the book implodes for that fiery ending that will remain in their thoughts. I want my books to read like a movie.
3- Why Do I Write What I Do
I grew up fascinated with Hitchcock and The Twilight Zone. I enjoy complex characters and pure entertainment. Bottom line, I write what I like.
4- How Does My Writing Process Work
Ah, the last and best question…
1. Choose and develop the characters. I often steal personalities from quirky folks I've met.
2. Plan the main premise of the story line.
3. Write the first chapter, and make it exciting to set the tone of the book.
4. Know how the story will end.
That’s it to get started. For me, I like the characters to become alive, let them decide on what they will say and do. Oh, I do direct them, but it just astounds me how they will do things that make me step back and take a few deep breaths. I will sometimes make corrections to my plot, sub-plots based on what these folks say and do. I am watching a movie unfold as I write.
My books are posted on my website at http://www.cmichaelsbooks.com. Bill of Human Wrongs is a political thriller that I am most proud of, a rather scary notion about the future of the USA. Cross Roads and NO FEAR! are a series that trace the lives of folks whose early life mistakes follow them to a point of hatred and murder. Additionally, I write a column for the Pacific Pearl Magazine, http://www.pacificpearl.com/pdf/pacific-pearl/low-res.pdf, Mazatlán’s best read for tourists spending time here. It’s loaded with information to help them with their trip and has a few columns such as mine. My books can be found on Amazon.com for Kindle readers.
I hoped you learned something, and now it‘s time for me to pass this on to another author. I've chosen Joss Landry, a writer I met in an online writer’s group on Facebook called ASMSG. Joss recently completed her newest novel, I Can See You in addition to her first, Mirror Deep . Her stories are fun, romantic, suspenseful. I will enjoy reading her answers to these questions. Her work is displayed on her website, http://josslandry.com.
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