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E.A. Briginshaw - 2020 Year in Review
Hiya and welcome!!!Psst, Miss Jane! Good job leaving out the bit about torture and pain this time XP
Annie wrote: "Hiya and welcome!!!Psst, Miss Jane! Good job leaving out the bit about torture and pain this time XP"
Yeah. I'm practising being a bit less sinister. I mean baking cookies...
And I'm sure we won't scare EA off
Jane wrote: "Annie wrote: "Hiya and welcome!!!Psst, Miss Jane! Good job leaving out the bit about torture and pain this time XP"
Yeah. I'm practising being a bit less sinister. I mean baking cookies...
And ..."
Torture and pain??? I knew I should have read the fine print before joining this group.
E.A. wrote: "Torture and pain???"Miss Jane and I made a gigantic flashing neon sign. But I suppose blindfolding the
You gotta watch this crowd, there's always something in the fine print! Krispy Kreme's work the best for getting a free pass :)
The Goodreads Giveaway contest for a chance to win a paperback copy of my new romantic comedy titled "Women 101: A Father's Humorous Guide To His Son" is now over. Thanks to the 842 people who entered the contest. The winner has been selected and a copy of the book is on the way to the lucky winner in Mascoutah, IL.For those of you who aren't "lucky in love", today is the last day for you to pick up the Kindle version at the promotion price of 99 cents USD (or $1.34 CDN for those of you north of the border).
https://www.amazon.com/Women-101-Fath...
I have a confession. I write poetry. I tried it once after the encouragement of a poet from our local writer's group and I've now written several. Does that mean I'm hooked?The following is a poem I wrote when I entered a contest to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. I hope you enjoy it.
The Canadian Way
“I don’t understand,” said the man from New York,
“How you really believe your ideas will work.”
“But they will,” I protested. “Let me have my say.
It may not be easy, but it’s the Canadian way.
To build a great nation, you need input from all.
If it’s us-versus-them, that will be our downfall.”
“We’ve got fishermen in the Maritimes, miners in Quebec.
We’ve got builders in Ontario, along with high-tech.
We’ve got farmers in the prairies, Alberta’s gas and oil,
BC has got lumber, the Arctic’s great spoils.
It’s not one against the other, together we succeed,
It’s not a zero sum game, we give each other what we need.”
“You’re too diverse,” he said, “of that there’s no doubt.
You should build a big wall, to keep the foreigners out.”
“But we’re a nation of immigrants,” I said with disdain.
“We don’t want a big melting pot, so we’re one and the same.
We believe in diversity, in land, people and culture.
We cherish our differences; we’re not white marble sculptures.”
“Spend more on your military,” he advised to succeed.
“You need a strong army, to take what you need.”
“But we’re a nation of peace keepers; we must all get along.
If we’re constantly fighting, we’ll never grow strong.
We’re all in this together, that’s what we believe,
We know we’re not perfect, so don’t think us naïve.”
“We’re explorers, inventors – not takers, you see.
We gave the world insulin, the telephone – and Gretzky.
We shared Anne Murray, Leonard Cohen, and Michael Bublé,
The Group of Seven, Emily Carr, even Cirque du Soleil,
The Tragically Hip, the Guess Who, and others who rhyme;
We gave you Java, basketball, the world’s Standard Time.”
He said, “you’re too liberal. Why should the rich have to pay?
For free healthcare, education, public pensions – no way!”
“It’s not free,” I corrected. “We just all pay our share.
We support all our citizens; it only seems fair.
If I’ve got your back, and I know you’ve got mine,
Then our country grows stronger, together we shine.”
“We must work with each other, and with nature, to endure.
We’d rather live richly, than be rich, that’s for sure.
Security without dependence, regard for one’s fellow man,
We have trust in each other, we believe in the plan.
We believe in democracy, everyone has their say.
We believe in each other – It’s the Canadian way.”
I write poems too. But mine are slight little things with a bitter hook. This is profounder
That is a great poem E.A. From one Canadian to another, that pretty much sums us up.
Lea wrote: "That is a great poem E.A. From one Canadian to another, that pretty much sums us up."
Thanks, Lea. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
I'm currently running a Goodreads Giveaway promotion for my 4th novel "The Back Nine".
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
Yes, it's about golf, but it's mostly about life after fifty. It's a story about how the various members of the Riverview Golf Club deal with some of the aspects of growing old (e.g. taking care of aging or dying parents; losing your job after the age of 50; having your kids move out - and then move back in again). I call it my mid-life crisis book.
The Giveaway contest ends on June 18th (Father's Day) and is open to those in the US, Canada and the UK. As we get closer to Father's Day, watch for sales on the Kindle version of the book.
With Father's Day quickly approaching, I'm running promotions on a couple of my books that I think would be good presents for Dad."The Legacy" is a kidnapping story told against the backdrop of the Rio Olympics, but it's mostly about the relationship between a father and his two sons. The Kindle version is on sale for $1.48 USD ($1.99 CDN) until June 18th.
https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-E-Brigi...
"The Back Nine" is a story about golf, but also about life after fifty. The Kindle version is on sale for $1.48 USD ($1.99 CDN) until June 18th.
https://www.amazon.com/Back-Nine-Nove...
I'm also running a Goodreads Giveaway promotion for a paperback version of "The Back Nine" which ends on June 18th.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
My Father's Day promotions are now over. Thanks to the 614 people who entered the Goodreads Giveaway contest for a chance to win a paperback copy of "The Back Nine". A copy is now on the way to the lucky winner in Fort Worth, Texas. Special thanks to the 350 people who have added the book to their "To Read" list.The discounted price on the Kindle versions of "The Back Nine" and "The Legacy" also ended on Father's Day. Thanks to all who purchased copies.
Watch for an upcoming countdown promotion on my latest book titled "Women 101: A Father's Humorous Guide To His Son" which begins on June 20th.
I'm pleased to announce that the Okanagan Regional Library has just purchased copies of my latest romantic comedy "Women 101" Women 101: A Father's Humorous Guide To His Sonand it should be appearing on the shelves soon.For those of you in the US and UK, I'm running a Kindle countdown deal on the book and it's on sale for 99 cents USD until Saturday, then going to $1.99 USD for the weekend before returning to the normal price.
Unfortunately, Kindle countdown deals do not appear for those of us in Canada (don't get me started on how long I've been complaining about this).
As per the JFK Assassination Records Act, the National Archives has started the release of the assassination records. The first batch were released in July and more are to be released over the next few months.https://www.archives.gov/press/press-...
This event is the basis of my 2015 novel "The Second Shooter".
https://www.amazon.com/Second-Shooter...
I'm currently running a Goodreads Giveaway promotion for my novel "The Second Shooter".https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
The contest runs from September 6th to October 25th.
The JFK Records Act requires that all records related to the assassination of President Kennedy be released to the public by October 26, 2017. Some have already been released and more are expected over the next few months. It has been reported that the most recently released documents give some credence to some of the conspiracy theories.
https://psmag.com/news/jfk-files-cons...
In addition to the Goodreads Giveaway for a paperback copy of The Second Shooter that I mentioned in my previous post, the Kindle version of the book is currently on sale for $1.99 USD (regularly $3.50) for a limited time.https://www.amazon.com/Second-Shooter...
In addition, Goliath, the first book in the series, is currently on sale for 99 cents USD.
https://www.amazon.com/Goliath-E-Brig...
One question that I have been asked lately is if there has actually been any new evidence revealed about the JFK assassination since the early investigations. Yes, there has. The documents released in July 2017 show that Oswald was under surveillance by the government:Link:https://www.boston.com/news/history/2...
I think some of the most interesting evidence I discovered during the research for my book were the interviews of the emergency room doctors who treated Kennedy after he had been shot. Here's a link to the interview with Dr. Robert McClelland done in 2013.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVZnP...
I should point out my book is not a tell-all about the new evidence. It is a fictional story where some of this new evidence is sprinkled throughout the book, and about the accidental release of evidence that has been hidden for years.
See my previous posts about a Goodreads Giveaway currently going on for "The Second Shooter" and about the current sale price of the Kindle version of the book
There are now only a few weeks left until the deadline of October 26th to release the remaining records on the JFK assassination. This was the deadline set by the JFK Records Act which was passed back in 1992.At this stage, it is now up to President Trump to decide whether to release the records.
http://www.jacksonsun.com/story/news/...
Further to my previous post on interviews of some of the doctors who worked on JFK after the shooting, here's a link to another one with Dr. Charles Crenshaw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXZ87...
Just a reminder that there's only two weeks left to enter the Goodreads Giveaway promotion for a chance to win a paperback copy of The Second Shooter.https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
President Trump has announced that he plans to release the remaining documents about the JFK assassination.http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/21/politic...
The Goodreads Giveaway promotion to win a free paperback copy of my novel, The Second Shooter, is now over and a copy is on the way to the lucky winner in Carnegie, PA.Thanks to the 1,231 people who entered the contest (the first time I've ever had more than a thousand people enter one of my promotions). Special thanks to the 992 people who currently have it on their To-Read lists.
The Kindle version of the book is on sale for $1.99 USD until November 22nd, the anniversary date of the assassination. After that, it will return to the normal price of $3.50.
https://www.amazon.com/Second-Shooter...
The book is also available as a paperback for $9.50 USD.
Today is the date the remaining records about the assassination are supposed to be released. We'll have to see if they reveal any new information about a second shooter.
Wow you got seriously lucky. They always say its good to try and tie in current events with your books if possible and the JFK released files is prefect for you! It doesn't get much on target then that(no pun intended) best of luck to you!
I knew this was all coming when I was doing research for the book two years ago. Now if they accidentally release some of the records that the President withheld in the last day (which is the basic plot of my book) and then the FBI and CIA starts going after anyone who downloaded those records to silence them, then that would be lucky (or quite spooky). Just a sec - someone's knocking on my door. Oh, shit - they're here - gotta run.
The golf course closed yesterday and they took down the nets on the tennis courts, so that's the signal to me to get back to my writing.November is National Novel Writing Month and although I don't attempt to write an entire novel in a month, it seems to be the month when I get serious and make the most progress. I've already written several chapters of my new novel "The Third Option" and my goal is now to complete the first draft by the end of the month.
It's also the month when I get back involved in our local writer's group called the "Writer's Nook". We get together to support and discuss each of our latest projects. I was a member of a similar group back in London and it really helps. If you're not already a member of a local writer's group, I encourage you to join one.
I'm doing a presentation to our group on November 22nd on "Tips on Starting a Novel". We have several members who are good writers who seem to struggle getting out of the starting gate. We're also hoping the seminar will attract new members to our group. I've done similar presentations in the past and I usually find I get as much valuable information back from the participants as I impart.
If it goes well, I'll probably post some of the slides and/or discussion from the presentation on my blog. (I always struggle to find interesting things for my blog.)
Until then, it's time to get back to writing.
I'd be interested in seeing your slides/discussion for the Writer's Nook, E.A. I'm starting a writer's club in January and have no idea where to begin.
Hi Kathleen,If you give me your email address by private message, I'll email you the Powerpoint slides after November 22nd.
Re starting a writer's group, it will really depend on the size and interests of your group. We had a large group back in London, Ontario so we met once a month as a group and then had smaller critique groups (e.g. mystery writers, science fiction writers, etc.) that would meet separately once or twice a month.
I now live in a smaller community in British Columbia so our group is smaller and more intimate. We are more of a support group than a critique group. We have a few experienced authors but the majority are still learning the craft. It also gives the group the ability to try new things. For example, last year one of our local poets gave a seminar on writing poetry and, to my surprise, I found I liked it.
My suggestion is to just get the group together and let the group decide where it wants to go.
/Ernie
Well there I was this morning making good progress on my new book when one of my characters said something that caught me completely by surprise. He wasn't a main character. He didn't even have a name and was simply referred to as "Heather's father" or "Sir". Suddenly, he has taken on a major role in the plot. I love it when there are twists in the plot that even I didn't see coming. I guess I'll have to pause and think about where I go from here.
Well it doesn't appear that I'm going to hit my goal of writing 50,000 words in November on my new novel "The Third Option". Today is the 20th and I've written just over 25,000 words. It's not that I haven't been trying, but things have suddenly become quite busy. Tonight I'm attending a read-through of the stage play I've written called "Women 101". It's an adaptation of my novella of the same name.
On Wednesday, I'm giving a seminar to our local writer's group on "Tips on Starting a Novel". I'll be posting some of the information from that seminar in my blog over the next few weeks.
And on Friday, I've been asked to be the featured writer at the Shuswap Writers' Group Coffee House. It's where writers get to talk about their writing and do brief readings from their work.
Also, I'd like to remind you that Wednesday, November 22nd, is the last day of the sale on my book "The Second Shooter". It's no coincidence that it's the anniversary date of the JFK assassination. It's currently on sale for $1.99 but will be returning to its regular price on Thursday.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Second-Shooter...
"Goliath", the first book in the series is also on sale. The 99 cent sale price on that book also ends on Wednesday.
Link: https://www.amazon.com/Goliath-E-Brig...
After this week, I'll be getting back into writing the next one in the series. I promise.
Last Wednesday I did a presentation to a writers' group on "Tips on Starting a Book". The presentation went pretty well, although I went about 1/2 hour over my allotted time. The following were the topics I covered in the seminar:Story Ideas: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Memoir, Inspirational
How to write the first chapter (or the first sentence)
Research: How much is enough?
Outlining: Is it right for you and your story?
Selecting the correct point of view for your story
Introducing and describing your characters
Setting the scene
The importance of conflict and tension
Dialogue: Making your characters come alive
Showing versus telling
Revising and Editing
Fulfilling your promise to the reader (and to yourself)
The seminar was targeted at writers who are just trying to get started.
If you're interested, I'm going to post some of the information from that seminar over the next few days/weeks on my blog. Here's a link to part 1:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
I've just posted part 2 of my tips on starting a book. The series is aimed at writers who are struggling to get out of the starting gate.The topics in part 2 are:
Research: How much is enough?
Outlining: Is it right for you and your story?
Selecting the right point of view for your story.
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
I've just posted part 3 of the series titled "Tips on Starting a Book". Topics in this section are:Introducing and Describing Characters
Setting and Scenes
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
E.A. wrote: "Jane wrote: "Annie wrote: "Hiya and welcome!!!Psst, Miss Jane! Good job leaving out the bit about torture and pain this time XP"
Yeah. I'm practicing being a bit less sinister. I mean baking coo..."
LOL
Part 4 of my series on "Tips on Starting a Book" is about writing dialogue.https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
I've just posted the 5th and final part of my series on "Tips on Starting a Book".https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
The topics covered in the last section are:
Showing versus Telling
Revising and Editing
For those of you interested, I'm currently giving away free copies of my first book "Goliath" until January 7th. I'm running the promotion as part of Christina's "Bookworms Discover" website. (Thanks for doing that, Christina.)https://www.amazon.com/Goliath-E-Brig...
I rarely give away free copies of any of my books but hoping that it will lead to sales of The Second Shooter which is the second in the series and also garner interest in the third part of the series "The Third Option" which is expected to be released in May, 2018.
I'm pleased to announce that today I completed the first draft of my new novel titled "The Third Option". It's now been sent to the first beta readers for feedback.This will be the third (and probably final) book in the Goliath series. If this book is like my others, it will require six complete rounds of editing before it is released (which I'm hoping will be in May).
Here's the first cut at the blurb for the book:
Henry Shaw is faced with a very difficult decision. The FBI have claimed that his son, David, has been radicalized and become part of a group involved in planning a terrorist attack against the President. Henry doesn’t believe his son would be involved in anything like that, but the FBI have told him he only has two options: Option one is to reveal his son’s location to the authorities so the attack can be thwarted, but this would mean David would be charged as a terrorist and face life behind bars. Option two is to keep his son’s location a secret, but the police are getting close to finding them on their own and have “shoot to kill” instructions. Surely, there must be a third option.
Congrats on your progress E.A, sounds like you've really kicked off this year with a bang. Keep up the good work!
Justin wrote: "Congrats on your progress E.A, sounds like you've really kicked off this year with a bang. Keep up the good work!"Thanks, Justin. I was actually hoping to have the first draft completed by the end of November but decided to change the ending, which resulted in the delay. However, I think it made the story better. I hope my beta readers agree.
Always good to make sure it's just right and just how you want it before submission. Hope it all works out
One of the prompts for our local writers' group meeting today was "The Golden Years" and I found myself writing another poem.https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Last week, I read my poem "The Canadian Way" to those in attendance at a local coffee house and it was very well received. It was suggested it comes across better when you hear it, rather than just reading it, so I've just created my very first Youtube video. I hope you like it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj_53...
Great poem! I didn't check out the youtube video yet, but I liked it in its written form.
My new novel "The Third Option" is nearing completion and I'm planning to release snippets of it through my blog over the next several weeks.Here's the draft blurb for the back of the book:
Henry Shaw is faced with a very difficult decision. The FBI have claimed that his son, David, has been radicalized and become part of a terrorist group involved in planning an attack against the President.
Henry is told he only has two options: Option one is to reveal David's location to the authorities so the attack can be thwarted, but this would mean his son would face life in prison. Option two is to keep his son's location a secret, but the police are getting close to finding him and have "shoot to kill" instructions.
Surely, there must be a third option.
And here's a link to part one of the book:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
SIA Showcase for Readers and Writers
Books mentioned in this topic
Life-Changing Events (other topics)The Second Shooter (other topics)
The Goliath Trilogy (other topics)
The Back Nine (other topics)
The Second Shooter (other topics)
More...
My first novel, Goliath, was published in 2014 and is a mystery about a guy named Henry who's bipolar brother, in one of his manic states, tells him that Goliath didn't really die as told in the biblical story - and that he is Goliath. When his brother disappears in a plane crash, they discover that he was actually a member of a secret international network and that Goliath was his code name.
The sequel, The Second Shooter, is a mystery about the accidental release of evidence related to the JFK assassination.
The Legacy is a kidnapping story told against the backdrop of the Rio Olympics.
My fourth novel, The Back Nine, released in 2016, is a book about golf, but is mostly about life after fifty.
And now for something completely different - my latest release is a romantic comedy called Women 101: A Father's Humorous Guide To His Son. I was planning to write a full novel telling you everything I know about women, but apparently I don't know as much as I first thought, so it only turned out to be a novella.
I'm currently working on adapting "Women 101" into a stage play and also working on the third novel in the "Goliath" series, tentatively titled "The Third Option".