Saturday, December 31, 2011
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Chapter Three
Well, I've been excited about my newest project ~ the mystery. I knew I wanted to do this book, a far cry from my normal very wild Sabrina Strong series. Way back in the fall I had taken out a very old manuscript (about 10 years old), and was looking through it. My main character's name was JanVladislav in this. I liked the name but better yet I came up with a totally new name: Jansen Crosse - thus this is called my Jansen Crosse Murder Mysteries. If there actually will be more than one.
Anyway, I had some characters figured out, borrowed, if you will, from the former novel (which, BTW was a vampire novel--eh-hem).
I, of course needed a MURDER to solve. I also had to figure out the basics. You know the...
WHY?
WHO?
WHAT?
HOW?
WHEN?
...questions. I needed the murder victim(s), and the basic mystery plot. I had to know the who/why/how/when stuff; in otherwords who did it and why.
I also had to totally leave behind whatever ideas were in the vampire novel and just allow myself time to relax. After being off the job for about a week, the ideas began to naturally slam into me at the normal time they always do--when I've lain down to go to bed!
Of course! That's it!
I grab my recorder and begin rattling off my ideas.
At this point of writing (two days) I'm into chapter 3, but I see I need to lead my two detectives--Jansen has a partner, Detective Evans, off on some wild goose chase (a false lead). I've aready planted a clue and interrupted it with introduction of another character who will be a main player in the whole sceme of things.
I'll need a red herring--have not yet decided on them as yet, but I'm working on this. I may have it by tonight.
But the one thing that I did hold on to was the mansion, and an old tunnel that leads from the old mansion to this very old church--or, if I decide later that there is no tunnel (another false lead), but a hidden room inside a hidden room where slaves were given a place to stay during the Civil War erra... all of this I will consider and decide as I go along.
The mystery is harder to plot, of course. I need to know when and where to plant certain clues, how to minimalize them by certain tricks of the traid. I'm still learning how to write a mystery, actually. I know I like to read them.
Have you read any really good mysteries lately? Want to share which ones? I happen to like Janet Evanovich, But I could use something with a male main character.
Anyway, I had some characters figured out, borrowed, if you will, from the former novel (which, BTW was a vampire novel--eh-hem).
I, of course needed a MURDER to solve. I also had to figure out the basics. You know the...
WHY?
WHO?
WHAT?
HOW?
WHEN?
...questions. I needed the murder victim(s), and the basic mystery plot. I had to know the who/why/how/when stuff; in otherwords who did it and why.
I also had to totally leave behind whatever ideas were in the vampire novel and just allow myself time to relax. After being off the job for about a week, the ideas began to naturally slam into me at the normal time they always do--when I've lain down to go to bed!
Of course! That's it!
I grab my recorder and begin rattling off my ideas.
At this point of writing (two days) I'm into chapter 3, but I see I need to lead my two detectives--Jansen has a partner, Detective Evans, off on some wild goose chase (a false lead). I've aready planted a clue and interrupted it with introduction of another character who will be a main player in the whole sceme of things.
I'll need a red herring--have not yet decided on them as yet, but I'm working on this. I may have it by tonight.
But the one thing that I did hold on to was the mansion, and an old tunnel that leads from the old mansion to this very old church--or, if I decide later that there is no tunnel (another false lead), but a hidden room inside a hidden room where slaves were given a place to stay during the Civil War erra... all of this I will consider and decide as I go along.
The mystery is harder to plot, of course. I need to know when and where to plant certain clues, how to minimalize them by certain tricks of the traid. I'm still learning how to write a mystery, actually. I know I like to read them.
Have you read any really good mysteries lately? Want to share which ones? I happen to like Janet Evanovich, But I could use something with a male main character.
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Numbers & Winner of Contest!
On December 9th, at one point Vampire's Trill was ranked at #101,420! On December 10th it had gone down only a little at # 141,501 on Amazon--up 176,579 ranks from Thursday (the 8th). These were the ebooks, as the paperback wasn't yet out. My book held on for three straight days and then it finally went back down, but I'm not disappointed at all!
The eBook had just come out around the first of December and on the 3rd, it was at #178,945.
The interesting news for me was that on the 9th, all three of my books had some sort of activity--yes, even Spell of the Black Unicorn, which was my self-published book.
So, these numbers were really good for a new book's release, and I have to thank all who took part to get the word out, including the blogs which I had been hosted at.
It isn't easy to hold to those numbers, not when there are millions of books at Amazon. And this book is on Smashwords too, so I have no idea how it's doing there.
WINNER:
I want to thank Dora Dee for working her fingers to the bone on her blackberry, and having done the very first review on my second book. She has won a signed paperback for all her work and her enthusiastic support of all my works, as well. Congratulations, Dora!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Merry Christmas To All
My husband and I watched the very first Harry Potter movie last night--because we went to it during the Christmas season and that was a very special time and the movie still gives me tweaks of emotion when ever I watch it--Daniel Radcliff is so sweet in this movie. Hard to believe he's all grown up now.
Tonight it will be the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", that is to remind us no matter how bad things get, we still have friends and family who love and care for us and life shouldn't be taken for granted by anyone.
I will be making an apple pie (from scratch), and for tomorrow's meal it will be ham and scalloped potatoes and a veggie. It's just the two of us.
There is only a dusting of snow this morning, and it will melt with today's sun, so no snow for us.
I hope all of you, if you travel, get to your destinations safely and have a wonderful time with family. And if you're staying home, I hope your guests make it safely to your house. Take care and many blessings to you and yours!
~Lorelei
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Working on WIP & Short Story Out
I was actually able to write chapter two today and on into chapter 3. I don't try to work toward a word goal. I think too many times a writer can get too trapped by a word count. If you progress in a natural way, I think you will find that you will see the blank pages fill up. I have found that trying to hit a word count, at least for me, actually frustrates me and I'm unable to write anything.
I found out that Dark Moon released the book in which my short story appears. And I'm sorry, but I've tried to enter the site where this is, and couldn't--it's very long and I just gave up. Suffice it to say you can find it on Amazon. And if you wish you can find the link on my facebook, should you really, really want to go and check it out.
Here is the cover.
This was the story I worked on through October and maybe into November. An all-call was given for vampire fiction--short stories. I knew I had a few older stories I could re-write. I chose something written about 10 years ago called "The Spy Who Bit Me". I was actually taking the title from a James Bond movie that may have been out around that time "The Spy Who Loved Me". So a play on words har-har.
Another short story I had worked on did not make the cut, but I was not expecting it too. It wasn't quite what they wanted. But, I've made contact with this publisher, and I know that I might be able to approach them again, perhaps with my mystery novel--which I hope to work on after I get this novella done. I've got some projects lined up next year and hope to find these published eventually.
I've thought about doing the Indi thing, but I'm not convinced I have the time, patients or even the know-how to do it at this time. Possibly in some future time, I might try and get Spell of the Black Unicorn into an ebook format and do that one myself.
I found out that Dark Moon released the book in which my short story appears. And I'm sorry, but I've tried to enter the site where this is, and couldn't--it's very long and I just gave up. Suffice it to say you can find it on Amazon. And if you wish you can find the link on my facebook, should you really, really want to go and check it out.
Here is the cover.
Another short story I had worked on did not make the cut, but I was not expecting it too. It wasn't quite what they wanted. But, I've made contact with this publisher, and I know that I might be able to approach them again, perhaps with my mystery novel--which I hope to work on after I get this novella done. I've got some projects lined up next year and hope to find these published eventually.
I've thought about doing the Indi thing, but I'm not convinced I have the time, patients or even the know-how to do it at this time. Possibly in some future time, I might try and get Spell of the Black Unicorn into an ebook format and do that one myself.
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