"I think the only things left to do is: 1) enter publish date in Kindle version, 2) receive and pay invoice from you, and 3) deliver horse poop."

I received those words in an email from a client this morning.  (I do Kindle and CreateSpace conversions for other authors.  It's not on my pay list, but it does pay. 😉)  

I have to believe that I'm the only mystery writer in my neighborhood--or county, state, country--who received such a notice.  But, I'm pleased.  I'm growing an organic garden and making every effort to learn the methods.  Part of my gardening plan is to accumulate my own compost, and there are some very specific restrictions on what can be included in the pile.  

The material needs to be occasionally mixed for aeration--see the tool on the left of the bin.  Gradually, the bottom layer turns to a rich thick compost.  The sliding doors on the lower part of the bin provide access to the finished compost.

The West garden box is almost all planted.  The East box has five vacancies.  Some vegetables can't be planted until October, and with others, I'm anticipating wanting a staggered crop--if I can call a 12 inch square a crop.  The white box in the middle is for carrots, which I'll plant next week.

That concludes the poopy-conversation.

Later.
GEB
 

Item 1:  Write, edit, rewrite, edit some more.

I’ll have to say that having time to write doesn’t always translate into taking time to write.  This blog is an example.  (Item 2: Write this blog on a regular basis.)  But then, I suppose, if I don’t have anything to say, I should keep quiet.

I have, however, made some progress.

My next book, She Learned to Die, should be ready to publish in October or November, pending the cover creation by my overworked friend, Victoria Landis, cover designer extraordinaire.  In this title, a nursing instructor finds a student murdered. This explains why I held it until retirement. 😏

I finished critique group on Until it Bleeds,  a sequel to Illegally Dead.  The next step is to leave it alone for a while, then reread and edit.  I say sequel because I’m not sure there will be more titles with these characters.  It depends on whether I have a story that needs to be told in a Tony Conte Mystery.

I’m about three chapters into the first draft of Imperfect Obsession (working title).  This is the next book in the Sophia Burgess and Ray Stone Mystery series.  Staying with the abuse theme, this one focuses on crimes against the elderly.

Later.  

GEB

Of all the things on my Pay List, writing is the easiest and the hardest.  Easy because I love it.  Hard because I need to get it right.  It also requires discipline, which seems to have diminished in the wake of retirement.  While multi-tasking has always been a part of my life, I suppose now I allow myself to be more easily distracted, creating an increased need for organizational tools.

A couple of weeks ago I posted my budding storyboard.

It grew to look like this.

Storyboards by their very nature are cumbersome.  I remember years ago my idol, Barbara Parker, gave a talk on creating a storyboard.  She said she had taped all her story notes all over her kitchen cabinets.  I like the picture of that, but I suspect Steve wouldn’t.

I started the current one on a poster board like the kids use.  Semi-portable, except the stickies fall off unless they are secured with a bit of tape.  Previously, I’ve used my bulletin board.  Not so portable.  Once I taped it all on the back of the door.  Not portable at all.  The last novel I used a table in MS Word for my Storyboard.  Portable but cumbersome to reorganize or access in the middle of a thought.

I write on a 13” MacBook Pro, which is infinitely portable.  And I work in almost every room of the house, on the patio, and on the treadmill.  What’s a girl to do?

I sat next to Rick Wymer during the Florida MWA meeting in March.  At SleuthFest 2014, he attended a session by Chris Kling about the Scrivener content-generation tool for writers.  I had heard about it previously and had a total misconception about it features and benefits, thinking it forced the writer into a certain format.  Au contraire.  I was sadly uninformed.

Rick chatted about the program, mentioning that it has a full featured word processor and so much more.  There are options for writing formal papers such as a dissertation.  There is a totally open template, which appears in the word-processing picture below.  And, there is an option for novels.  It incorporates a corkboard for storyboarding, which is what captured my attention, and has a place for character sketches.

The software was originally developed for MAC, and while the PC version isn’t as powerful, recently major refinements were made to it.  (Hey, I have a MAC!)  He also mentioned the reasonable cost—by then I was thinking $LOTS—but the MAC version is $45.  

His enthusiasm was contagious.  I went home and downloaded the trial from Literature and Latte.  The nice folks provide a thirty-day full-access version (thirty contact days, not calendar days).  I saw something on the site that alerted me to buy from the Apple App Store for convenient updates, so that is what I did just two days later.  I started one file for my miscellaneous writing, which includes my blog posts and book reviews.  

And I started a file for Imperfect Obsession, my next planned title in the Imperfect Series.  I typed in all my existing sticky notes, have since added more to the corkboard, and easily rearranged the items.  Everything I included—character sketches/sheets, pictures, research articles, web links, notes, and chapter “outlines”—is accessible from within the program.  I'm so excited.

Now I have a poster board that only holds a map of my fictitious city.

Anybody need a fresh, hardly ever used storyboard?

GEB

This is the full text of my Awesome Gang interview.  I don't know if they'll use all of it, but I decided to share.



Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.

I was born in North Dakota and migrated to Florida via New York City many years ago.   I completed my education in Florida colleges and universities and embarked on a varied career in clinical, administrative, and academic nursing.

My stories of mystery and suspense feature strong, creative, clever nurses who use all of their skills to help others, confront danger, and stay alive.

Writing pulled at me as a teenager, resulting in pages of sappy poetry. In the mid-nineties, I bought a how-to book about writing a mystery and committed the story burning in my head to paper.  It was incredibly bad—a fact that my well-read friends shared with me.  After the pain subsided (authors own their words and criticism, while necessary, is painful), I put it in THE DRAWER, joined Mystery Writers of America, and actively pursued the craft.

I've written nine manuscripts, eight of which are finished.  The ninth one is still in the critique process with my awesome critique group.

My second effort is in THE DRAWER, where it will remain.  The third one isn't as bad, but by the time I had the skills to edit it, the backstory was dated.  It is in THE DRAWER.

The first title I published was Illegally Dead.  Pendulum Press, Inc. accepted it as an eBook in 2004.  At the time, I had no idea that the editor/publisher was contemplating closing the site.  She was gracious enough to return my rights along with all the materials she had contributed.  I self-published Illegally Dead on Amazon in 2010 and created the CreateSpace paper version 15 months later, firmly logging myself into the ranks of the self-published—which may or may not be a good thing depending on who you ask.

I published Imperfect Contract in 2012 and Imperfect Daddy in 2013.  These are the first two titles in my Imperfect Series featuring Sophia Burgess and Ray Stone.   the lord, a standalone, went live in January, 2014.

Next up is She Learned to Die, which is a standalone, academic mystery—at least it is set in a college of nursing.  It is in its final editing stages, then I'll begin the conversions for CreateSpace and Kindle.  I'll decide about a publication date after the cover is complete.  It will be later this year.

 What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?

the lord (no caps are intended) in a story about Miki Murphy's struggle to save her friends and herself from a disturbed killer who stalks his victims in the recesses of the hospital.  Miki is the night shift nursing supervisor and is on-duty when the killings occur.  The killer, who thinks of himself as the lord, has a list, and Miki is on it.

To me, our culture seems obsessed with the notion that someone is to blame when anything goes wrong.  Then that someone needs to be confronted and pay in some fashion for the wrong.  When you read the warning labels on just about everything, you can see the depth of the issue.  Before the blood dries on the bandage or the body cools in the grave, and the injured party or their family consults a lawyer.  Personal responsibility is forgotten, as is the concept the sometimes "stuff" happens.

The media reports horrific events that seem to be the result of the same kind of thinking.  A kid is ignored or insulted in school, so he gets a gun and blows other children away.  Someone is fired from their job and then returns to the workplace to get even with the boss and former co-workers.  You get the point.

I thought:  What if something bad happens?  What is a disturbed or angry person is effected by the event?  What if he then decides healthcare workers are responsible and deserve to pay the price?  It's a dark story, so I decided to set much of it on the night shift.

Do you have any unusual writing habits?
 
I have a plastic desk attached to my treadmill.   Sometimes I walk while I write or edit.  I've discovered I can go about 1.8 mph and still type.  Sometimes I step off for a few moments to work on a particular edit.

The practice has nothing to do with writing and everything to do with staying healthy and moving.

What authors, or books have influenced you?

The first mystery writer I met was Barbara Parker.  Though she has since died, she is still the epitome of what a writer should be in my humble opinion.

When I was struggling to find my way in writing, I met her at the Mystery Writers of America booth at the Miami Book Fair.  She sold me an autographed copy of one of her books, gave me an MWA brochure, and invited me to the meetings.

I read all of Barbara's books in the order written.  The character development over time made a huge impression on me.  I learned that mysteries are not about crime so much as about life, community, and people.  The mystery is the vehicle the real story is wrapped in.

Barbara was especially welcoming to new writers, giving of her time and talents to help us evolve.

Other authors who continue to unselfishly help other writers and who have influenced me both by their writing and their mentoring include Elaine Viets, Nancy Cohen, PJ Parrish, Chris Kling, Randy Rawls, Neil Plakcy, Dirk Wyle, Deborah Sharp, and Jeremiah Healy.

What are you working on now?

I'm currently working on three separate projects.  The She Learned to Die manuscript is complete pending final minor edits.  Then I'll need to write the forward and cover copy, do the conversions for CreateSpace and Kindle, and get with Victoria Landis, who does all my fabulous covers.

Until it Bleeds: A Tony Conte Mystery is a sequel to Illegally Dead.  Currently, my critique group is commenting on one chapter every two weeks.  We are about two-thirds of the way through that manuscript.  Then I'll need to let it set for awhile, then read and edit again, before sending it on for final edits, etc.

Imperfect Obsession, the third title in the Imperfect Series: Sophia Burgess and Ray Stone Mysteries, is forming in my head.  I've set up a storyboard—preliminary to outlining—and have added a few notes.  I've got the overall concept, and now need to work on the details.

What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?

I so wish I could answer that.  I have a website and a blog, which I'm keeping up as faithfully as possible.

To market the lord I'm trying one web-based service at a time, some paid, some free.  I'll be scheduling Kindle Countdown events as well.

It's a tough uphill battle for the "little names".  I'll keep plugging away at it.

Do you have any advice for new authors?

Three things:

1.    Put your butt in the chair and write every day.

2.   While you're figuring out the marketing piece on one book, be working on the next.

3.   Have a good, critical critique group.  Works toward constructive criticism and leave the accolades for the reviews.

AND,

Don't quit your day job. 

What is the best advice you have ever heard?

Three things:

1.    Put your butt in the chair and write every day.

2.   While you're figuring out the marketing piece on one book, be working on the next.

3.   Have a good, critical critique group.  Works toward constructive criticism and leave the accolades for the reviews.

AND,

Don't quit your day job. 

What are you reading now?

I read in several genres.  Today I'm reading Cold Storage, Alaska by John Straley.

Next will be Private L.A. by James Patterson.  (We went to a signing, and my husband and I each got a signed book.  See my blog for the details.)

When the mystery/suspense feels like it is darkening my mood, I switch it up with what I told my son were silly romances—I prefer the historic variety.  I also like contemporary/main stream fiction.

What's next for you as a writer?

My intention is to keep writing, editing, publishing, and marketing.  I plan to focus on my Imperfect Series and, maybe, do another standalone or two.

There is an ad on television that says, essentially, retirement is when you pay yourself to do what you want.  I want to write.

If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?

The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  I'd take the whole series if I could.

Then I'd pick the newest title by P.J. Parrish, Lee Child, Robert Craise, Janet Evanovich, and William Kent Krueger.  I love following series characters.

That's way more than I'm allowed.  Can I take my iPad and a really long cord for the charger?

 GEB

I recently volunteered to help with a mega-book signing for James Patterson at Murder on the Beach.  My husband was the gatekeeper, assuring all comers purchased a book to gain entrance.  I guided people to seats in the store and took pictures.

There has been a lot of chatter over the years about Patterson not writing his own books anymore and that he is selling his name.  This is usually expressed with the same vehemence as if he were selling his soul.

All jealousy aside, lots of people profit by selling their names—no physical presence required.  Have you witnessed Don Shula serving meals in an establishment bearing his name?   Or have you found Martha Stewart in a set of sheets or a can of paint?  Or maybe Beyonce in a dress on the rack at your favorite store?

Patterson said that he has 51 projects laid out in his office.  He writes 80 page long outlines for each book he co-authors, then supervises the writing, getting a progress report every three weeks or so.  That way he can pull the book back on track if needed.  I'm not sure that I'd want to write books that way, but I'd love to have the choice.  He has that choice, and I dare say he earned it.

We were told to expect him to talk about ten minutes and then spend the remainder of his time signing books.  I also learned that his contract from the publicist specified no pictures.

Patterson spoke for over thirty minutes and graciously took questions.  He was an animated, expressive, and entertaining speaker. 

One question concerned his line of children's books.  He talked for a time about the absolute necessity of children learning to read and the focus he and his wife have in that area.  Writing quality children's books is part of that effort.

While signing books, he posed with each person who wanted a picture, asking them to wait until he finished his signature so he could pose with each person.  He took his time and chatted with his fans.

Then he posed with those working the event and took individual pictures with us as well. 

I found Patterson to be personable and forthcoming, creating a pleasant evening and a friendly environment for all.

GEB