Authors - They're Everywhere!

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I went to the Northern Virginia Christmas Market at the Dulles Expo Center today. 

As usual, there were lots of crafts and artwork. There were also a number of authors and publishers showing their wares.

I saw:

• Andrew J. Hall ( Children's books )
• Intrigue Publishing ( Various genres )
• Books and Things Publishing ( Books for children, young adults, and women )
• Dawn Brotherton (Blue Dragon Publishing)
• Uncle Rocky - Fireman ( Children's books )

I bought a mystery book from Dawn Brotherton (and she signed it!) titled The Obsession. I haven't read a mystery in a while and thought it might make for a nice change. Although the cover is different than what is shown on Amazon, the book received good reviews.

If you're in the area and want to talk to these authors, they'll be at the Christmas Market tomorrow, too (November 13, 2022). 

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© 2022 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 39 - The Saturday Panels

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Woohoo! All the free books I put out evaporated. And I have a request for another copy of Human 76. I hope everyone enjoys them! 

The free books I put out at Shore Leave 39 - gone in a flash!

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I've been a bit busy lately, so I'm behind in posting info on the panels I attended at Shore Leave. This is all very appropriate with the panel "Your Writing or Your Life" being discussed here. So, finally, here are the panels I attended on Saturday and a few notes on each!

Saturday Panels

Scheduled times:

11:00 am Your Writing or Your Life
 1:00 pm Defending the Lighter Side
 2:00 pm The Art of Secondary Characters


Your Writing or Your Life
Writers often experience conflicts between their writing and their family and job obligations. Can one use such conflicts productively? How does one build a firewall between work and the rest of life?
Stephen Kozeniewski (M), Heather E. Hutsell, Lorraine Anderson, Laura Ware, Kathleen David

This one was more of a confirmation that other writers have the same problems I have trying to find the time to write. It was worthwhile to attend if only for that reason. They all said that people making a full-time living writing are rare; they are called unicorns. The panelists did have a few suggestions, but admitted they won't work for everyone:

1. Having a word goal for the day is sometimes useful
2. See your writing as something of value 
3. Outlining works for some writers

One of the biggest factors is having family support for your writing. They should see it as a job, and that you are working. It isn't just a hobby.

When your work is interrupted it can be hard to pick up later on. Try retyping the last few sentences to get restarted.

One of the panelists said, "Remember that any amount of time can be used for writing. It takes about 15 minutes to write a page. Do it every day and in one year, you'll have a novel."

There were lots of personal stories about the difficulties each one faced when working on a story or editing. The main point is that every writer has to work around the situations that come up in life, and you have to keep writing, even if it is only a little at a time.


Defending the Light Side
In fiction, as in real life, upbeat and happy are often equated with silly fluff lacking substantial themes and intelligence. Or dismissed as childish. Those claims are often inaccurate, however.
Rigel Ailur (M), Christopher L. Bennett, Michael Critzer, Roberta Rogow, Andrew Hiller

The point of is panel is to say, "There is a place for fluff."

Whether it is a cozy mystery, a sweet romance, or just plain, silly humor, it shouldn't be dismissed, especially if it brings pleasure to the reader. There must be a balance to the amount of humor, however. If it is overdone, only the bad effects come through and the humor is lost.

Some publishers specialize in lighter writing, such as cozy mysteries. (Note: mystery writing seemed to be the focus of some of the panelists, and the genre was brought up often.) Characters like Jessica Fletcher and Miss Marple may not be realistic, but few can argue that they have not been successful—and have brought much enjoyment to their viewers and readers.

Readers often need a break from drama in either their reading or in real life. Lighter stories can bring that relief. Certain types of these stories, such as a sweet romance, can have a wider appeal and be more appropriate for a greater age range, for instance, than a steamy "adult" romance.

There was a long discussion about dark humor. One must be careful with this. There are times and places where this is appropriate, but the writer (or speaker) must know their audience. Not everything is funny for everyone, but that doesn't mean it is bad or wrong.


The Art of Secondary Characters
Supporting characters can fade into the background or steal a story. Our authors discuss how to know which is appropriate, and the craft to making such players come alive when the story needs them.
David Mack (M), Heather E. Hutsell, Richard C. White, Dave Galanter

This panel brought up the question, "How do authors decide if their secondary characters fade into the background or steal the show?"

Here are some thoughts on secondary characters:

First of all, don't hold back when creating your secondary characters. If they are strong enough, they can be put into another story or a book of their own.

There is a difference between secondary and supporting characters:

Supporting character

1. these are more important characters in the story
2. may appear throughout
3. often a sidekick
4. may be used as a POV character
5. has agency in moving the story along

Secondary characters

1. may only appear briefly, but more than a cameo
2. are often used for backstory
3. almost never used as a POV character (not in the story long enough)
4. does not have agency in moving the story along

In a shared world, others may use your secondary characters in different ways.

Again, don't hold back with your secondary characters—they can make a good story a great story!

Up next - the Sunday panels!

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© 2017 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Terri Deno's New Book: Haunting Melody

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Terri Deno has a new book out titled Haunting Melody. It's not a lengthy story, but it should be good for quick read! It's a mix of romance. mystery, and suspense that's built on the Kindle Worlds  "The Callaways" platform.

Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Pop star Melody is getting ready to work on her next album with the help of musician Sean Callaway at Ashbury Studios. She feels like she has it all: a great career, a fabulous love life with dancer Austin Eckhart and friends she can rely on. But strange things are happening at the studio—equipment failures, accidents and strange voices. Rumors start spreading that Ashbury Studios could be haunted. Will Mel be able to help her friends figure out what's going on before something bad happens?

It's available on Amazon (US) for only $1.99.

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© 2016 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

New Book: Terri Deno's Seeing What Develops

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There are a number of new books coming out from writers I know, and the first one is Terri Deno's new romance novel Seeing What Develops. It was just a few months ago she released a novella, Melody of Love, using Amazon's Kindle Worlds platform, so I was a little surprised she had another book ready so quickly.

I've read part of it while it was being developed on Amazon's Write On site, but I'll have more to report once I have a real copy in my hands and a chance to read it. Terri has a smooth style, so I can count on the pages turning rapidly.

But enough of my blather. Here's the book!

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Seeing What Develops
    by Terri Deno

The Story:

Lindley Neil is perfectly happy working as a photographer's assistant in her small, Midwestern town. As her boss Lexi LaPort starts getting bigger and better gigs, Lindley gets to follow Lexi around to L.A. and New York to photograph movie stars and models. What she didn't expect was to fall in love. Twice. With a movie star and a prominent journalist vying for her affection, Lindley also knows that her job with Lexi won't last forever. Lindley has to choose her own path, even though it means she has to break someone's heart. Will it end up being be her own?

Available on Amazon
    US Kindle
    US Paperback

About the author:

Terri Deno is a freelance writer living in the Midwest. When she's not writing, you can find her consuming massive quantities of books and rocking out to her vinyl collection. She is the author of Unfolding Life: A Book of Haiku, and her work has previously appeared in Luna Station Quarterly, Full of Crow and The Poetry of Yoga, Vol. 1.

Click HERE for Terri Deno's Goodreads page.

If you like romance, you might want to give this new book a try!

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© 2012-2015 K. R. Smith All rights reserved

Shore Leave 37 - Friday

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I arrived at Shore Leave late Friday with only a basic idea of how the weekend would go. The official schedule was still in flux (and would remain so until the final hours of the event). The first order of business, however, was to get checked in.

My group immediately noticed the upgrades to the Hunt Valley Inn since last year. There were new carpets and décor with horse-themed pictures and artwork everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. The bathrooms in the rooms had been upgraded, and fresh wallpaper was up. They are still in the process of making improvements, so next year should be even better—unless horses give you nightmares (no pun intended).

After we all had dinner (more on that later), we stopped into the "Valley Room" to listen to Daniel Davis (Niles in the Nanny TV series, Moriarity in Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Captain Davenport in Hunt for Red October). He told stories about how he got several roles, and would add to that later in the weekend.

Daniel Davis

Daniel Davis talking about

Hunt for Red October

After Daniel Davis finished, I went into the "Hunt Room" to listen to the news from Tor Books. They went through all of the books coming in the next year, and how Tor is starting a Tor.com bookstore (as opposed to Tor Books) that will concentrate on novellas. They believe this is the future for them. I tried to make a list of the books, but I couldn't write that fast. A few of them did sound interesting. This talk ties in with a brief article on their web site.

Now that it was getting late in the evening, the one activity that was in full swing was the "Meet the Pros" segment where authors were displaying their latest works, and more than willing to discuss them. And make a sale, of course!

Authors and potential readers mingling
during "Meet the Pros"

Author Melissa Scott signs a book for a customer
while Amy Griswold talks to another.

That about covered Friday. I'll try to get the news from Saturday and Sunday up when I can!

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Looking for a summer beach read? Here's a new romance/suspense novella from Terri Deno (Kindle format):

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© 2012-2015 K. R. Smith All rights reserved