Authors, Remember The Logistics of Pet Ownership

The hubby and I are planning the logistics of our next trip to the cottage in Wisconsin. Much has happened since the last time we  vacationed. The saddest of all was the deterioration of our Amstaff, Rascal, whom we'd loved for almost eleven years, and who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in November.

Happiest, was the addition of our Miniature Pinscher, Buster,whom we adopted shortly thereafter to take our minds off our loss, and to provide a home for an animal in need.

Rascal was getting up in years and had been with us since a puppy. She knew what was accepted and what wasn't. Two-and-a-half year old Buster, on the other hand, still needs training, although I must say, he does very well in obedience classes.Also, he's very adept at giving us kisses.

Anyway, we're figuring out our strategies ahead of time to keep our little animal safe, so we can all have a good time. When we're away from the cottage, we may need to put him in one of the bedrooms and close the door. That sounds like a possible solution, but, there are other matters to consider, such as blocking off any targets of exploration in that room, such as under the bed, where objects are stored. Then there's the dresser, above which is the TV, and underneath runs the cable and electric wires. We'll set up barriers and see if that will work. Otherwise, we may need to resort to placing him in a crate when we're gone. 

Of course, we'll also need to keep him company and make him feel at home in the new environment, along with addressing his physical needs, such as walks, food and water.

Why am I mentioning this on a book blog? When writing fiction, it's important to make fiction seem authentic and believable. I enjoy reading books where dogs are included, and I also like watching movies where a pet plays a small or large role. However, often it seems a dog is added merely for decorative or emotional purposes, and the logistics of dog ownership are absent. 

Matters such as where a pet is allowed to stay in the home and the reasons are not always revealed to the reader. What's even more irksome is when a book character gets up, and no mention is made about seeing to the animal's needs. Let the poor dog out, please, and give it some food and water!

 

Instead, the book character leaves and goes about life trying to solve a mystery, or falling in love. Then, later, when the character deigns to come home, whatever time that may be, the animal sometimes is greeted, other times ignored, along with its needs. 

So, if you decide to add a dog or other pet in your book, remember that I and other pet owners are not happy if an imaginary animal is treated poorly. I beg you, when including a dog or other pet in your book, remember the logistics of pet ownership.

R.I.P. Rascal - Here she is in her younger
 years in the backyard with Morgan Mandel.

Find all of Morgan Mandel's books at

http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Also, find excerpts and descriptions at: http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @Morgan Mandel

New Mystery Website

I got inspired by a 50% off deal from Wix.com. I already had one website from them, which is Morgan Does Chick Lit.Com, and decided it was time to devote a separate website to my dark side, the one that compels me to write mysteries

So, yesterday, Morgan Does Mystery.Com was officially born. Nothing too fancy, just enough to get the word out about my mysteries without boring readers. Also, I happened to like the template background, which seemed kind of mysterious to me.

If you get a chance, I invite you to check out my official mystery website. If you haven't popped over yet to my romance/chick lit one, by all means you're welcome there as well.

http://morgandoesmystery.com
http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Inbetween Land

Right now, I'm in inbetween land. That's the place where I've finished writing one book, and am not sure which to go to next.

I have two likely candidates already begun, and keep shifting between the two. One has the working title of Wide Awake, the other is Always Young. Both are thrillers, though Always Young has more Speculative Fiction aspects as well.

Now that I'm home from vacation and after I've gotten caught up with mail, laundry, bills,, etc., I'm hoping to get some time to devote to making one of these books the next release.

Until then, I'm grateful I was able to recently release Hailey's Chance: Will Baby Make 3, the prequel to my previously released Christmas Carol romance. Hard to believe that Christmas is already around the corner, and I think I'm busy now!

 

Time to relax for the night.

 

Find all of Morgan Mandel's romances, women's fiction books, and mysteries at her

Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/autghor/morganmandel

Connect on Twitter: @MorganMandel

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

 

 

Who Needs Cardboard?

Cardboard's flat, and  may come in handy for packing.

When it comes to book characters, it won't get you anywhere. Whatever you do, don't write a cardboard character. What's that, you ask. It's a one dimensional character, who doesn't seem real. Here are some ways to give your characters dimensions:

1. Family - People don't come from nowhere. Offer some kind of information of a character's family, even if it's only the basics of whether or not he or she is the only sibling. To expand, you can throw in tidbits about the jobs, habits, good or bad qualities of family members. 
2. Experiences - Unless your character is a newborn, he or she will have memories of the good and bad things which happened before the story begins. Dot in a few of those experiences here and there, but not too much, so readers can understand how and why your character thinks or behaves.
3. Goal - There must be something your character is striving for, even if it's only to be left in peace. Offer hints about what your character wants.
4. Emotions - In subtle or even obvious ways, show how your character reacts to various situations. An eye twitch, a furrowed brow, kicking something across the room, swearing, blinking back a tear, or outright sobs, are some ways to show your character has feelings.
5. Health issue - Whether it be existing or brought about by the plot, you can easily slide in ways to make a reader worry about your character's well being. The possibilities here are endless. They can be something beyond that person's control, or not. Either way will work. A character may be an alcoholic, or maybe get drunk only once, but at exactly the most dangerous time in the plot. A character could get into an accident, even while completely sober, and suffer minor or catastrophic injuries. Or the character may overeat in times of stress, and is slightly overweight.  
6. Hobby - You can easily include a hobby for your character, either one you enjoy, or one you wish you enjoyed. Joanna Campbell Slan uses scrapbooking in her books. Because of that, she gathers a huge audience of scrapbookers. A few other examples are stamp or coin collectors, attending garage, yard, and rummage sales. I'm sure you can come up with other ones that can round out your character, and as an added bonus, may also pull in specific hobbyists.
7. Obsession - In large or small ways, your character absolutely craves something. It might be an unattainable person or object. It could be demanding perfect order in appearance or a dwelling. The opposite obsession could be slovenliness or hoarding. Or, a character could get caught up in gambling. Reading, watching TV, and movies, can also become small or large obsessions.

Can you think of other ways? Or, maybe you'd like to mention a multi-dimensional character in one of your own books or someone else's.

Find all of Morgan Mandel's romances and

mysteries at her Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Excerpts of her books are at:

http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Connect on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Chris Karlsen Reveals the Inspiration for Her Mystery/Suspense Book, Silk

Please welcome mystery/suspense author, Chris Karlsen, to Book Beat Babes today. Morgan Mandel

Chris is a Chicago native. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was in her late teens where she later studied at UCLA. She graduated with a Business Degree. Her father was a history professor and her mother a voracious reader. She grew up with a love of history and books.

Her parents were also passionate about traveling and passed their passion onto Chris. Once bitten with the travel bug, Chris spent most of her adult life visiting the places she'd read about and that fascinated her. She's had the good fortune to travel Europe extensively, the Near East, and North Africa, in addition to most of the United States.

After college, Chris spent the next twenty-five years in law enforcement with two agencies. Harboring a strong desire to write since her teens, upon retiring from police work, Chris decided to pursue her writing career. She currently writes three different series. Her historical romance series is called, Knights in Time. Her romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters, and he latest book, Silk, is book one in her mystery/suspense series, The Bloodstone series.

She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five wild and crazy rescue dogs.

Website /  Facebook / Pinterest / Trailer 

ABOUT CHRIS KARLSEN'S MYSTERY/SUSPENSE BOOK, SILK 

London-Fall, 1888

The city is in a panic as Jack the Ripper continues his murderous spree. While the Whitechapel police struggle to find him, Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner are working feverishly to find their own serial killer. The British Museum's beautiful gardens have become a killing ground for young women strangled as they stroll through.

Their investigation has them brushing up against Viscount Everhard, a powerful member of the House of Lords, and a friend to Queen Victoria. When the circumstantial evidence points to him as a suspect, Rudyard must deal with the political blowback, and knows if they are going to go after the viscount, they'd better be right and have proof.

As the body count grows and the public clamor for the detectives to do more, inter-department rivalries complicate the already difficult case.

Purchase on Amazon

Next, Chris reveals her inspiration for Silk.

When A Setting Is Perfect by Chris Karlsen

I was in the middle of writing another book, part of my Knights in Time series, when Rudyard Bloodstone came to me. As a character he was that rare protagonist who was crystal clear in my imagination from the start. But I pushed him to the back of my mind until I finished the other story.

When I started my latest release, Silk, a suspense thriller with Rudyard as the protagonist, I had much of killer drawn out as well. I didn't think twice about the setting either. It had to be Victorian England. I would be hard pressed to name a more atmospheric setting for a murderer. Growing up my parents were big fans of horror films. The films then weren't the gruesome Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers Halloween-slasher types of the 1980's. We watched the typical Hammer Film horrors. Those were the ones where a young Englishman in deep debt agrees to spend the night in a haunted house somewhere in the moors or countryside away from London for a large sum of money. All those movies were set in either Victorian or Edwardian times, which were perfect for a scary movie. Having visited England many times, I was familiar with the Victorian influences, especially in London. So, what better setting for my murder suspense than Victorian London?

I knew with Detective Inspector Rudyard (Ruddy) Bloodstone I make him a veteran of the Zulu Wars of 1879. Eleven Victoria Crosses (the equivalent of the Medal of Honor) were awarded after the Battle of Rorke's Drift (Jan. 1879). Rudyard is a recipient of the VC, but he's a war hero who doesn't believe himself one. To Ruddy, he only did what was necessary in battle. A civilian now, he is a down to earth, determined and clever detective, a keen observer with a droll sense of humor.

The killer, William Everhard, is a wealthy nobleman, a member of the House of Lords, and friend to Queen Victoria. I wanted to hold a mirror to the society of the period, the difference in classes and attitudes but without being too Dickensian. I wanted to show both the good and bad. Mostly, I wanted to use the "feel" of the city. To me, this is the perfect setting: the cold fog, the beautiful carriages pulled by handsome teams of horses, the gardens for strolling, the grittiness of Whitechapel, dark allies and the terror Jack the Ripper sent through the population.

As a writer, one of the biggest joys of writing historical settings is living the period, experiencing the culture, if only on the page. I enjoyed walking Victorian London with the characters in Silk: sitting with Ruddy while he visited his friend's pub, walking around a crime scene taking in every detail with him, or simply strolling through the park with him, and his adopted stray, Winky, on a Sunday afternoon. I even liked sharing the dark and dangerous places I took them when needed.

Setting is more than scenery. I think of it as a living, breathing thing, another character. Like fashioning a character exactly the way you envision him or her, finding the perfect setting is one of the best parts of storytelling.    

Connect with Chris Karlsen at: www.chriskarlsen.com
Please welcome Chris by leaving a comment below.

 

The Race Is On!

I'm doing my utmost to get Easter Basket ready before Easter, so I haven't been blogging much.
If I miss my deadline, I may need to change the title and make the book a Mother's Day one instead.
Time will tell! So far, this is what it looks like, unless I have to change the title!

Now, back to work on my book!

Find all of Morgan Mandel's romances and mysteries at
her Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Connect on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Fun and Games at Tax Time!

I've been trying to get my tax stuff together for the accountant, so haven't had time to do much else. Every year, I promise myself to be more organized. I thought I'd done better this year, but discovered I still had tons of stuff to get ready. It's almost all together now.

Yesterday, I had one drawback. I list various categories on Excel spreadsheets each year and save the file with the year name and the category. I'd pulled up the prior year's spreadsheet in one category and made a number of entries into it and saved it. Then, I realized I'd automatically saved it under the old name, which meant I'd lost the version from last year on my computer. Yes, I have a printed copy, but it's still not the same.

Fortunately, my subscription to Carbonite came in handy. At first, I looked and couldn't find the prior version before I'd made the changes, but then I read their instructions again, and found the one saved last year, and was able to recover it.

So, it does pay to have a backup system!

Today, I'm going to wrestle with why Amazon sent me two statements for receipts, and neither matches what they deposited into my writing account.

So, my advise is you can never be too organized when it comes to taxes. Also, get a backup system if you don't have one!

Find Morgan Mandel's
Romances, Mysteries & Thrillers
at http://amazon.com/author/MorganMandel

Excerpts at: http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

What I've Learned

Despite my good intentions, I've learned I can't get everything done that I thought I could. That said, I'm late posting here today.

Anyway, what I did get done:

Had breakfast, gave Rascal, our dog, hers, and walked her, but not as far as I' would have liked, since she wasn't too thrilled about wet paws from the thawing snow. 

I finished Debra St. John's new romance, One Great Night, and gave it 5 stars, calling it a sweet, yet sexy romance. 

I deleted tons of emails I never read and never will, then answered those that were important.

Ate lunch, fed Rascal again.

I approved members for my two largest Facebook groups, Book Place and Books Gone Viral, and commented on timelines for those who had liked my comments. Also, posted on FB about two free cookbooks. 

I cleaned a pot and other items left from yesterday in the sink. 

Washed and dried the sheets, which is always a project. They're so hard to get back on the queen size bed! Well, at least it's good exercise!

Washed some three large towels, which are now in the dryer. I alternate which ones I use on Rascal's doggie bed.   

Cleaned the room humidifier and got it started again. It still works fine! This project should have already been done, but I'd not gotten around to it before.

In between, I let Rascal out in the fenced yard and back inside a few times, then went to the Dollar Tree store, and did other stuff around the house. 

Now, the day is done. Again, no writing accomplished, except for the review and this. My goal is to finish Always Young in the next few months. I might figure out a cover and post it, because then I'll have to get the book done!

Time for dinner and TV! Hope to have better luck writing tomorrow!

Find Morgan Mandel's romances & thrillers at:

http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Memes

Lately, one of the writers' groups I belong to has concentrated on doing memes on Mondays, where we post them on Facebook.

There are certainly enough memes there already, but I have to admit I usually read them. Apparently, they must be popular.

The ones with long messages I usually skip over. After all, they're not a book. They're just supposed to be a saying, not an elaboration.

You can use your own pictures, quotes from your books, or tried and true sayings. It's up to you. However, if you use a picture not yours, make sure it's legal to share it, or you could run into all sorts of trouble.

Picmonkey.com is a free program, which can start you off with some basic tools to put a meme together. Lots of different fonts, backgrounds, and colors to choose from.
There's also a $33 charge for one year of more elaborate stuff. I found their site handy to put together my recent Facebook cover.

Memes are kind of fun, so you might like to try one sometime. Here are a few of mine:

This picture was from vacation in Wisconsin

Another one from vacation

Memes are a great way to get noticed,and in our business every little bit helps.

Morgan Mandel

Find all of Morgan Mandel's romances
& mysteries on Amazon at
http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter:
@MorganMandel

Facebook Strategy

I keep hearing all kinds of dire predictions of not being able to use Facebook as well as before for promotion. One item I heard was that our author pages won't have as much reach as before.

Considering that I've been ignoring my author pages, and have focused instead on my profile page, I have a feeling that change won't affect me much. It's too crazy trying to keep up with a bunch of different pages. Seems better to concentrate on one and hope for the best, which is what I've been doing for quite some time now.

Some say to keep a professional page, but I do enjoy interacting with my Facebook friends, and I seem to get more satisfaction by doing that. Yes, I do happen to slip in promotions, publish excerpts, and use other methods so people know I'm an author, but there's only so much I can do.

I do enjoy changing the cover photo there, and often it does include one or more of my book covers, but my books are not all that's featured on my profile page. I like to add fun things, as well as what aggravates me as well. Here's a recent cover I drew up. Under the heart in this picture is where FB puts my profile pic, so that area is blank here.

And, in case you haven't figured it out, the background is a snow scene from my backyard. In this pic, I'm mixing personal with business. The tag line is Warmhearted Romances for Cold Days, which also fits in what's happening to me as a person, not only as an author, since it's mighty cold around here lately!

If you care to join me on Facebook, I'm at https://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Click this short link to check out my romances and
mysteries at Amazon:

http://bitly.com/MMPage

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Please Welcome Mystery Author, Marilyn Meredith

Marilyn Meredith on the right, with granddaughter, Jessica

Marilyn Meredith is the author of over thirty-five published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, the latest River Spirits from Mundania Press. Marilyn is a member of three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. She lives in the foothills of the Sierra. Visit her at http://fictionforyou.com and her blog at http://marilymeredith.blogspot.com/

Contest: The winner will be the person who comments on the most blog posts during the tour.

He or she can either have a character in my next book named after them, or choose an earlier book in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree series—either a paper book or e-book.

Where do the Minor Characters Come From?

In my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, there are a few continuing minor characters who at times have major parts.

The most important one is, of course, Nick Two John. He’s been in nearly every one of the mysteries. Another Indian, Nick is the one Tempe often goes to for answers though he tends to be enigmatic. His life partner, Claudia, pokes her head in now and then.

Other minor characters who make regular appearances are the two sheriff’s detectives, the crime scene investigator, the coroner, and the Tribal Police Chief.

In River Spirits, Miqui Sherwood makes a second appearance. She played a big part in Raging Water, picturing herself as an amateur sleuth. The character was based on a friend who begged to be in one of my books. After her first go-round, she asked to do it again.

Usually, the new minor characters consist of the murder victim and the suspects. River Spirits revolves around the murder of the male star of a low-budget film being made on the Bear Creek Indian Reservation. The cast and crew of the movie company make-up the majority of the new minor characters with a few Indians thrown into the batch.

And of course, there is the legendary Hairy Man. He’s made a couple of appearances in other books, and pops into this one too. The Hairy Man is a big presence on the Bear Creek Indian Reservation whether he’s seen or not.

Where these characters actually come from is a bit hard to pin-point. First, my imagination, though I can see each one clearly in my mind’s eye. Some of the characters are people I’ve met along the way—not necessarily as they look, but the essence of their personalities. My goal, of course, is that the reader will see them just as clearly as I do.

Marilyn Meredith

What River Spirits is About:

While filming a movie on the Bear Creek Indian Reservation, the film crew trespasses on sacred ground, threats are made against the female stars, a missing woman is found by the Hairy Man, an actor is murdered and Deputy Tempe Crabtree has no idea who is guilty. Once again, the elusive and legendary Hairy Man plays an important role in this newest Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery.

I’m leaving here to meet with Cheryl Malandrinos at http://bookscanbedeadly.blogspot.com/ and writing about what might be next for Tempe.

WHERE TO FIND RIVER SPIRITS:

From the publisher, all formats:

http://mundania.com/book.php?title=River+Spirits

For Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/River-Spirits-Tempe-Crabtree-Book-ebook/dp/B00O3R83TQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412345856&sr=1-1&keywords=River+Spirits+by+Marilyn+Meredith

Amazon paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/River-Spirits-Marilyn-Meredith/dp/1606594117/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412900595&sr=1-1&keywords=river+spirits+by+marilyn+meredith

For Nook

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/river-spirits-marilyn-meredith/1120425385?ean=2940150347090

Please leave a comment to welcome Marilyn Meredith to Book Beat Babes.

Don't Let Your Reader Down

I happened to watch the long-awaited wedding episode in the Castle TV series. I'd heard the wedding would take place in that episode, but for a long while into the show I couldn't tell how that would be possible. The plot seemed far from revolving around a wedding. Instead, it focused on alternative universe stuff. What did that have to do with Beckett and Castle getting married?

Well, finally, toward the very end of the show, Castle got back into the real universe, instead of the make believe. Then, glory of glories, he and Beckett decided to almost instantly get married.

Seemed like a rush job, hardly any buildup. Yes, there had been plenty of buildup before that episode, but I had hoped to savor the wondrous event at least for a while.

Yes, the wedding was lovely, including the scenery and her dress. Still, a huge disappointment to me, and I suspect, others who had waited so long for the big event.

Don't be like the writers of that show. When you write, Don't Let Your Reader Down.

Deliver what you promise, and in the best way possible.

• Let your cover reflect the genre and type of book it will be. Let the back cover copy hint at that also. 
• For a Romance - Don't pretend a book will be spicy when it isn't, and vice versa. Don't make the hero and heroine instantly fall in love for no reason. Instead, offer hints that readers can catch and understand. Don't make up silly reasons to keep them apart, when ones that make sense will work better.
• For Mystery - Don't throw in a bad guy out of nowhere. Throw in just enough clues to get the reader thinking, but not too many to make the bad guy too obvious. Don't make the good guy a complete saint, and don't make the villain a complete no-gooder. Make them real people, not cardboard characters.

Can you think of other examples of how not to let your readers down? Or, maybe another example of how you've been let down in a book, TV show, or movie?

Find all of Morgan Mandel's mysteries and romances 

on her Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Excerpts from all books at:

http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Twitter: @MorganMandel

 

Holding Out For Better

Do you always take the first product on the shelf, or are you like me, and reach for the next, in back of it, which might be less bent or fresher? It's a fact that good grocery stores rotate their products, so the oldest are in front, so many of us are wise to that system.

I wrap my dog, Rascal's vitamins in liver sausage, or she won't eat them. If I happen to let one part of a pill go uncovered, she'll ignore it and hold out for better. Unfortunately, she's getting into the habit of doing that with her dog food as well. After all, liver sausage tastes better than that other stuff in her bowl.

Countless other everyday examples abound, but since I'm a reader, as well as an author, I'd like to focus now on books. Do you ignore ones by unknown authors, and only look for ones written by those you know you like, or do you try other authors out?

Do you stop reading a book at the first sign of an author error, or do you keep reading anyway?

Do you ignore books that have covers that don't grab you?

If those are your habits, you may be missing out. There are plenty of great authors who aren't well known, yet can offer a great reading experience, if you'd only give them a chance.

About those author errors, one or two are no big thing. Unfortunately, the more you know about writing, the more picky you can get. I'm presently reading a book where the author switches point of view in spots where I'd least expect it, yet the story is so good I forgive her. If I stop reading, I won't know what'll happen next, and I really want to know. So, she may be making errors, but on the whole, her book is worth reading.

About covers, I confess to hardly ever investigating a book further, if I don't like the cover. Maybe I should. I could be missing out on something really good inside, instead of holding out for better on the outside.

What about you? Do you always hold out for better?

Find Morgan Mandel's mysteries and romances on
her Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Excerpts from all her books are at:
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Stand Out From the Crowd

As often happens, my writing analogies seem to somehow revolve around my dog, Rascal. Today's analogy may be a little bit gross, but suits the purpose.

Lots of leaves have fallen in our backyard lately. Because of that it's very difficult for me to perform pooper-scooping duties. That's because the leaves all seem to blend in and hide the treasures I'm seeking. With all those leaves creating camouflage, still, if I persevere, I can find a modicum of success, though I have a feeling I could do better.

Immediately after the lawn is mowed for the week, and the leaves are gone, I do much better finding my targets.

How does this apply to writing or promotion?

Yes, with all those other authors around, clamoring for attention, it's hard to stand out from the crowd. A few ways to clear the area, at least for a short while can be:

1. Do a promotion, such as offering a freebie or reduced price for a few days. Other authors may be doing promos as well, but not as many as those who aren't.

2. Do a newsletter, and send it to those you've noticed have been loyal followers in the past. That way, it will be easier for them to remember you.

3. Do favors for other authors, and they'll do them for you. That pulls you out of your immediate circle/background and into other ones, where perhaps not as many people know you.

4. Retweet other authors on Twitter. Some will retweet you back, and their followers will learn about you.

5. Last, but not least, this has been said often enough, but still bears repeating: Write a Good Book! Good books create buzz and word of mouth is very effective.

Your turn - Can you think of other ways to stand out from the crowd?

Morgan Mandel

Find all of Morgan Mysteries and Romances on her Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Excerpts from all of Morgan's books are at Morgan's Book Blog:

http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Kaye George's Alter Ego, Janet Cantrell Offers Great Writing Tips and a New Book!

Janet Cantrell a/k/a Kaye George

Today, I'm happy to present Kaye George a/k/a Janet Cantrell, who has a fun way of dispensing advice through a fictional Aunt Janny column. Morgan Mandel

Janet Cantrell is a pen name for Kaye George, Agatha nominated novelist and short story writer. She belongs to Sisters in Crime, Guppies, and Austin Mystery Writers. 

Her cozy Fat Cat mystery series debuts in September of 2014 with FAT CAT AT LARGE, featuring Quincy, a pudgy, adorable cat who is an accomplished escape artist. Especially when he’s on a diet and hungry. Leave it to Quincy to lead his human, Chase, co-owner of a Minneapolis dessert bar shop, into trouble. 

Janet lives in Knoxville TN with her husband. Her recently departed feline, Agamemnon, is a source for some of Quincy’s antics. 

Visit http://janetcantrell.com/ for more details.

Here's Dear Aunt Janny:

Dear Aunt Janny,

I want to be a writer, but don’t know how to get started. I keep sending my fiction novel to the same agents over and over as I make changes, but I never get it published.

Want To Be A Writer

Dear Want To Be A Writer,

Several things come to mind.

1) Instead of saying you want to be a writer (please don’t capitalize the “A” in your signature), call yourself one. This is part of dressing for success. If YOU don’t call yourself a writer, no one else will.

2) All novels are fiction. If you are asking an agent to read your “fiction novel,” that might be part of your problem. It’s a novel. Period.

3) Send one novel to one agent. If you don’t hear back, or if you get rejected, do NOT send the same novel to that agent again. Honey, you’re going to get yourself on a blacklist. Think this through. If your best friend wanted you to go skydiving with her and you said that you absolutely would not ever do that, would asking you over and over and over change your mind?

4) You ask how to get started. Learn to write. Read, take courses, read, attend writer conferences if you can, read, find a critique group if you can, and read. And write more books. Don’t put all your eggs into one basket.

Good luck and don’t give up,

Aunt Janny

Dear Aunt Janny,

I’m almost finished with my novel. This book is going to blow the socks off the publishing world. It’s the Next Big Thing (in fact, that’s my title—clever, eh?).

My question is, when should I quit my job as a dishwasher? Should I allow a year to get everything settled? Or should I quit as soon as it’s done and concentrate on publicity?

Next Big Writer

Dear Next Big Writer,

You’re jumping the gun just a bit. After you’ve put all the words into the book, it won’t be finished. In fact, you may take another year—or longer—to get it into decent shape. A book is written in the rewrites. Most successful authors put a lot of effort into editing, getting feedback, and polishing.

It sounds like this is your first novel. Are you aware that most writers, even the most famous ones, wrote several novels before they produced one that was publishable? Are you also aware that the average time from beginning to write seriously to being published is ten years?

I hope this hasn’t discouraged you. Instead, when you start sending out Next Big Thing, maybe you’ll be prepared. While you’re trying to get this one accepted, start the Next Bigger Thing.

Don’t quit your job.

Good luck and don’t give up,

Aunt Janny

Dear Aunt Janny,

I don’t think I’ll ever get a book published. I’ve been trying for two years now and have 35 rejections on my first mystery. I’ve even written a sequel, but it already has 12 rejections.

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I’ve bought books on writing, joined some online groups, and have taken classes in dialogue, setting, pacing, and even attended one weekend workshop with a well-known agent.

Should I give up and just write for myself?

Discouraged

Dear Discouraged,

You’re doing everything right! You just haven’t given yourself nearly enough time. I hope you haven’t quit your job. You may never be able to do that, but don’t worry, most published writers aren’t living off their writing incomes.

The biggest difference between a published writer and an unpublished one is perseverance. Keep going. You’ll get there.

Good luck and don’t give up,

Aunt Janny

FAT CAT AT LARGE by Janet Cantrell

When she’s not dreaming up irresistible dessert bars for her Minneapolis treatery, Bar None, Charity “Chase” Oliver is running after her cat, Quincy—a tubby tabby with a gift for sniffing out edibles. 

But what happens when this cat burglar leads Chase to the scene of a real crime?

Available now for preorder at:

B&N http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fat-cat-at-large-janet-cantrell/1118663280?ean=9780425267424

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Cat-At-Large-Mystery/dp/0425267423/

website:  

JanetCantrell.com

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