New Release – Secrets of a Wolf

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Kelly Abell

Normally I stick to writing tips, but today I wanted to share my newest release with you. While I’m working on my Civil War Historical Fiction Novel, I’m writing and releasing a series of short novellas in The Guardians of Spirit Rock Series. Being a multi-genre author allows me to reach multiple audiences expanding my base of readers. So if this is a book you’d like please share with your friends. If not, stay with me as I’m sure I have already written something you’d like, or will in the near future.

Thanks for being a reader! Any author would be nowhere without you.

Here are the details of this latest book.

Secrets of a Wolf Final cover.jpg

A tragic event ruins Daphne Valentine’s career as a K-9 cop and department veterinarian in Seattle. Devastated, she escapes to Spirit Rock, South Dakota, to start over as the vet for an animal wildlife rescue park. When she arrives, nothing goes quite as planned—especially when she meets her new boss for the first time and she’s almost stark naked. Not the greatest first impression…or is it?

A confirmed bachelor, Cameron Gray is shocked at his instant attraction to his new employee. He soon learns she carries quite a bit of extra baggage, but even so, his desire to possess the sexy vet ignites him with a need he and his wolf can’t ignore. But all is not what it seems…. What exactly drove Daphne to leave her successful career and move to Seattle?

When dangerous poachers bring the two together in the line of duty, Daphne discovers Cameron’s secret, forcing her to question every decision she’s made since arriving in Spirit Rock. Will the tender new love they’ve found be enough to hold them together or drive them apart forever?

Join the Gray brothers in Spirit Rock, South Dakota. Gifted with the power to shift into their own unique spirit animal, they have been bestowed with the enormous responsibility of watching over their ancestral canyon. Their strength and conviction will be tested…as will the depth and breadth of their heart and soul.

Pre-Order yours Today.

Click Here

Releases on January 20, 2015!

Come back for a visit as I share some of the editing tips my editor shared with me while working on this book.

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Sittin’ On The Porch – Author Fran Orenstein – Tips for Writing Children’s Books

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Kelly Abell

Happy New Year Everyone. It already looks like 2016 is going to be a great year. Today on the porch, I have award winning author Fran Orenstein, and she’s got some great information to share with us on writing for children.   This is a two-parter, so you’ll want to tune in next week too.  There was so much good information to share, I asked Fran to come back. So I’m going to lean back, relax and enjoy my sweet tea, while she shares.

WRITING FOR CHILDREN

If you are a writer, you must be a reader. If you write for children, then you loved books as a child. I grew up at the library, where my mother took me two or three times a week after school. Reading was her favorite past-time and she was a story-teller, too. Not surprising that I grew up reading and writing my first poem at age eight. Mom was also a saver, so I have all the tiny, stapled books I wrote as a child, as well as poems and short stories. I read and read, from the Little House on the Prairie series at seven, to the Bobbsey Twin mysteries at eight and the Nancy Drew books until I graduated to adult books at twelve because there was nothing back then for ‘tweens and teens. When I ran out of books, I read cereal boxes and milk bottles and my mother’s magazines. This inspired me to send off a short story to McCall’s magazine, another topic of conversation…the cruelty of publishing.
Now I write for kids ages from about seven to adult, because adults still enjoy ‘tween and teen books. I do have several adult novels and poetry books published and in the works, but my joy is still writing for kids. There are misconceptions by the public and authors alike, such as, writing for children is easy, anyone can write a kids book. After all:
I was a kid
I know kids
I’m a parent/teacher/camp counselor, nanny
I read a lot of books as a kid
WRONG!!!

Writing for children is harder because there are rules: Rules about length, vocabulary, language, topic, characterization, to illustrate or not to illustrate, and content.

  • The most important rules apply to individual age groups, reading alone or with minimal help from an adult.
    • Longer books for advanced readers, 14pt font, 1.5 line spacing. More advanced vocabulary.
    • Ages 9-13: ‘Tween or Middle Grade novels
      • Usually between 150 and 250 pages or more thanks to the Harry Potter books, which grew larger and larger with each book until they topped out around 700 pages.
      • The storyline is more mature, but still within the range of understanding of this age group
      • Generally there are no illustrations
      • The child reads silently and alone, or the books can be read aloud by an adult, older sibling, or shared reading.
    • Young adult or Teen novels
      • Usually 200 to 400+ pages
      • Read silently and alone
      • No illustrations
      • More mature in nature…can have edgy language and subject matter.

What about the topics or genre?

In ‘Tween, Teen, and sometimes in chap books, the genres can include thriller, mystery, mystery romance, coming-of-age, significant issues of the age group, sci fi, mysteries, fantasy and nearly everything you would find in an adult novel, but scaled down to the understanding and experiences of a young person. Consider serial killers, murder descriptions, erotica and such as a no-no.
Vocabulary is very important

  • Rule 1: Within the range of understanding of the middle-of-the-road of the particular age group. We all don’t read James Joyce or William Shakespeare, and people read the Reader’s Digest version of the hottest new romance novel. The child’s level of maturity and reading/comprehension levels also determine what level suits the child. There are five year-olds reading on a fourth grade level, and twelve-year-olds reading on a third grade level.
  • Rule 2: NEVER TALK DOWN TO OR PREACH TO A CHILD as it’s the quickest way to turn him off to your book and reading in general.
  • Rule 3: Do try to challenge the reader, but not frustrate her.

Conflict

  • Contrary to believe, children love conflict. Examples are the Harry Potter Books or The Hunger Games – conflict, conflict, conflict.
    • A protagonist and antagonist are necessary to the action. Sometimes the antagonist is not human or animal, but can be a situation.
    • Show Don’t Tell: this is one of the most important rules. Children need to visualize what’s happening. (especially in this day and age of the constant bombardment of visual stimulation)
      • Use dialogue and action to move the plot.
      • The secondary characters need to be important to moving the story along or get rid of them.
      • If there a pages or paragraphs that don’t move the story along, beautiful as they are, highlight, cut, weep and save them for another time.
      • Obstacles in the hero’s way. The hero and friends resolve these problems or overcome obstacles, not adults. Adults can peripherally help with issues unsolvable by the child hero because of age or power. Think of the perfection of the Witch and the Wardrobe series. Four siblings of different ages band together to get through each of the obstacles before them.
        Holes by Louis Sacher, one of my favorite ‘tween/teen books is filled with children overcoming the terrible life they have been forced to endure.  All my books for ‘tweens and teens place young people in serious situations that they come through with a little help from their friends, and in some cases supernatural/fantasy beings.

Fran, this is some great information. I can’t wait until next week when we can hear the rest.

To learn more about Fran and her books, visit my Porch Guests page.

Until next week!

 

 

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Ideas For Successful Book Signings

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Kelly Abell

I recently read this post from a very successful writer that I know. He’s been on The Porch a few times. Frank Allan Rodgers.  He does a lot of his own marketing and he had these suggestions:

I don’t schedule many signings at bookstores. I’ve done a few and have two upcoming at Barnes & Noble stores. I’m not excited about those because I don’t make any money after they take their 40%. I sign at bookstores just to build name recognition.

Book clubs have been great for me. I contact the person in charge by phone, email, or snail mail and give them a short pitch. I set up a time to attend one of their meetings, do a short reading, and sign books for buyers. The members are delighted to meet the author – they treat me like a mini celebrity – and almost all of them buy. And…book clubs typically have snacks, and sometimes a full meal. I LOVE BOOK CLUBS.

NOTE: When you pitch your books make sure you let them know your book is NOT self-publihed. I don’t mean anything negative by that, but many people prefer to deal with authors who are traditionally published.

Libraries have been good for me also. I go there, talk to the person in charge, and offer to schedule a signing event. I donate a book to the library as a thank you. They publicize the event in the newspaper and on their email list and website.

I write westerns, so I focus on events that attract potential readers. Fairs, rodeos, outdoor events of all kinds often work well. I shared a booth at a local artist event (called Mecca Fest) last fall. I sold out, 19 books, and wished I had more. I had a signing in the gift shop of a large western-art museum during their annual cowboy symposium. Big crowd. I sold lots of book and at the end of the day, the gift shop bought ten copies to stock.

Private businesses can be great also. A pizza restaurant held a special signing event on a Saturday evening. They treated my wife and me to a meal, brought in a live band, and made me the celebrity guest of the evening. They had promoted the event on radio, on line, and newspaper ads. Another big crowd. I don’t remember how many books I had with me, but I left with only two.

Most businesses plan sales events during holidays. That’s when the crowds show up, and it’s an ideal time to sell books. Car dealerships, garden supply stores, office supply stores, and most other retailers will welcome an author to help pull a bigger crowd. My biggest single sale day was at a real-estate office. The broker plugged the event on the marquis sign for a week ahead.

Fund raisers are good too. I offer to donate $2 for each book I sell.

For each event, I make up 11 X 17 custom posters for the host to display to announce the coming event. I put it together on the computer (with my wife’s help), store the file on a flash drive and take it to Staples. They’ll make 11” X 17” posters for $2 each on poster stock. I also plug the event on line, of course.

I have an 8-1/2” X 11” stand-up sign for my signing table that reads: Autographed books make great gifts that are often treasured for a lifetime. Several people bought more than one copy. One man bought 2 copies, and his wife sent him back for 4 more. Another man bought 10 copies just before Christmas.

Make sure you have high-quality, coated bookmarks that have a photo of your book cover, and your contact info – printed both sides. Put 2 in every book you sell (readers will keep them a long time). At the end of your signing, leave a handful on the counter for the host to offer as freebies.

To pull a bigger crowd, team up with another author or two who write in a different genre than you. They will also help promote the event.

I hope this helps. With effort in the right places, you can have more book signings than you’ll have time for. I have some information about free publicity too, if you’re interested. But I’ll shut up for now.

Frank

The new F-word in fiction

Many thanks to Frank for his ideas! I’ve tried many of them and they really do work. I recently sold 30 books at a craft fair just before Christmas!  Find out more about Frank on my Porch Guests Page.

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Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Kelly Abell

Christmas Happy Holidays Flowers Card

I’d like to take a moment and wish all my readers a very Happy Holidays. I hope it is a safe and happy time for  all.

And since we never see these in sunny Florida, I’ll add them to my greeting. 🙂 Looks like a lot of us will have a warm Christmas day. Enjoy.

Happy Holidays

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Breathe Life Into Your Characters

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Kelly Abell

bigstock-exciting-or-boring-go-for-thri-109447286.jpg

I was reading a friend’s new novel this week, and I thought of a few things that I would like to share.  The writer had a really good story, a good hook, and a solid plot,  but, alas, his/her characters were flat.  They liked the real-life quality a reader needs from a character. They needed more depth of personality.

Let me try to give you an example.  One character, let’s call him Bob, had a phobia of funeral homes.  Since Bob’s wife died on their honeymoon, he had not been able to set foot in a funeral home.  The writer had Bob’s mother call and ask him to go to a funeral of a friend because she couldn’t get there.  In my humble opinion, Bob agreed too soon in order to please his mother.  There was no argument, he just said yes.  Even after he agreed there was no real regret or anxiety.  Oh, there was a little bit, but not enough to really make the character stand out in a reader’s mind.  Now my friend is a good writer, but I think what happened here is he/she let a good plot override the richness of the characters.

What can you do when your characters show up a little dreary?  Give them a quirk.  Have them be afraid of something ridiculous, have a speech impediment, a twitch, a wart on their face that they are self conscious about…Something that will make them interesting.  But don’t stop there.  Through dialogue, bring them to life.  Give them an accent.  Maybe they have a drawl or a nasal tone to their voice.  Give them a personality.  Let the reader like and dislike things about them.  For my friend, I suggested the use of Showing Vs. Telling to bring Bob to life.  If he has a true phobia of funeral homes he will begin to sweat, get an upset stomach, cry, or possibly even throw up at the mere thought of a funeral home.  He would have argued with his mother until she became angry with him over his silly obsession.  After all dead people can’t hurt you, right?  Show the reader through your character’s reactions how they feel about things.  If it fits your character’s personality have them use humor to express how they are feeling.  The point is, make them pop off the page using all those tools you have available to you in your imagination.

Building a personality sketch can help.  Review one of my earlier tips for a great personality questionnaire that you can use to bring those little things in your character to life.  There is nothing worse for a reader than a flat character.  Breathe some life into yours.

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Writing Tip: Showing Vs. Telling

Posted on December 5, 2015 by Kelly Abell

I love my editor. A published author is NOTHING without a good editor and I’m very lucky to have one in my writing life.

I’m working on a few projects, and hope to release the first story in my new paranormal romance series, The Guardians of Spirit Rock in the New Year. Maybe sooner, if I can learn from the awesome advice of my editor.

I wanted to share a few things I’m learning. Now, I know the difference between showing and telling in writing, but I don’t always dig deep enough. When writing a story, you need to make sure your reader can experience what’s happening. They need to feel the breeze on their face, smell the loamy ground, taste the salty sea air, and hear the cry of distant gulls.

When experiencing emotion, I often fall prey to crutch words that tell the reader, rather than allow them to experience the emotion. If you do this right, you never have to say your character is afraid. Their gut clenches, heart races, palms grow damp, the scent of their own sweat penetrates their nostrils.  Get what I’m trying to convey?

Another trick she taught me is build more into your dialogue tag than just an adverb. When a character makes a statement, go deeper, express how that statement makes your character feel. Remember the five senses and use them.

Here is an actual comment from my editor that illustrates what I mean…

This was my passage before her edit:

However, she wouldn’t need to worry for several months, another thing for which she was truly grateful. Maybe by winter, she would have established herself enough to buy a small house of her own. 

 

This is what my editor said:

Telling. Whenever you write “she was whatever” then a bell should go off that it’s telling the reader what she was. Instead, you need to show it. OR in this instance, you could go internal. 

I changed it to:

I guess that’s one thing to be grateful for. Maybe by winter I’ll have a house of my own.

More powerful? I think so. This may not be the best example, but I think you get the idea. Go deeper with your characters. Don’t cheat your reader by taking the easy way out.

 

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3 Steps To Writing An Effective PLOT TWIST

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Kelly Abell

Very useful information on writing plot twists. Sharing from Dan’s blog. Thanks Dan And Allison the original author.

 

Source: 3 Steps To Writing An Effective PLOT TWIST

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Simple Writing Tip

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Kelly Abell

Nuff Said. 🙂

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Pre-Editing Your Manuscript

Posted on November 14, 2015 by Kelly Abell

Years ago I worked with a phenomenal editor on my book The Lost Jewels of Hera. I loved her so much, I’m still with her today. I wanted to share with you the first email she sent me before we got down and dirty working with the manuscript.   I wish I’d had an email like this years ago, so I hope it helps you.

Here’s your manuscript. I need you to go through and search out the following words:

began to

started to

making

causing

like

as

then

and then

when

which

was

were

to be

had

went

put

Please reword the sentences where these words are found. They’re considered weak words and our goal is to make your prose stronger. Now, if you run across these in dialog, no worries. Keep the flow natural. We speak these words everyday. But the rest gotta go.

Also, search out the conjunctives: for, and, nor, but, or, yet. Check to see if these words connect two complete sentences. If so, put a comma before the conjunctive. If not, leave it out.

Make sure all If-Then sentences have a comma. If the sentence starts with ‘if’, it has a comma where the ‘then’ would have been placed. Ex: If I’d known, then I would’ve done it. If I’d known, I would’ve done it.

Go through and correct:

Towards – should be toward

Forwards – should be forward

Backwards – should be backward

Please reword all sentences with semicolons by either breaking into two sentences, adding a conjunction, or rewording.

Please revise sentences with colons. Ex: Instead of He had one thing on his mind: sex. Change it to He had one thing on his mind. Sex. OR He had one thing on his mind—sex.

So there it is folks.  I’ve actually developed this into my initial editing process. I suggest you begin going through yours BEFORE you send it to that agent or publisher.  This is not all the editing you will need, but it is a REALLY good start.  My thanks to Laura, my editor.  I enjoy working with you!

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Words To Cut From Your Manuscript

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Kelly Abell

Here is some great information I found on Diana Urban’s blog.

When you’re revising any piece of writing — a novel, a news article, a blog post, marketing copy, etc. — there are certain words you should delete to make the text stronger and cut your word count. When I’m writing a novel, one of my last drafts focuses on cutting these useless words. Removing them helps speed up the pacing of both action and dialogue, and makes your work more polished and professional. While this might not be the ultimate list of all words you should remove, these are the ones I look for when I’m doing revisions, so I thought other writers out there would find this helpful! Also, my examples below might be exaggerated, but I hope they get the points across.

Click here to read the original post on Diana Urban’s blog.

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