Blogging Authors

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

New Release! I DIDN'T FORGET by James S. Kelly #mystery

I DIDN'T FORGET
James S. Kelly
Mystery

The double murder of two long time friends has caused hysteria in the small town of Solvang, Ca. Its up to Clay Wrens, the county’s premier detective to solve the murders and calm the townspeople.
Complicating the investigation is a local politician who’s afraid the Wrens will uncover his financial transgressions, while a female reporter, with her own agenda, is suggesting that Wrens be replaced
As the investigation moves to a climax, Wrens is drawn to a twenty five year old murder and the convicted murderer, who’s just been released from prison.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3cS2I4b

The clock struck twelve. Lucille and three of the other laundry workers took off the scarves protecting their hair, looked in the mirror, applied some lipstick, walked down a long corridor and up two flights of stairs to the main cafeteria. It was Tuesday and meatloaf was the special today. To Lucille, it brought back memories of family meals with mashed potatoes, kernel corn and buttermilk biscuits. Most of her family had passed away; she wondered why time had passed so fast.

Lucille grabbed a tray, some napkins, utensils and started down the line; she
decided to have a salad with the special. After she’d made her selections, she looked around and saw that the other three women had found a vacant table near a window. She walked over and sat down with them. They were acquaintances not friends, but they’d spent enough time together that the talk between them flowed free and easy. The best thing that could be said for this group was that none of them smoked.

The four passed the lunch hour with idle gossip until about ten minutes to the hour, then they dumped their refuse, put the empty trays on a rack and started back to work.

Two of the women stopped to talk to another woman at a different table, so Florence Rice
followed Lucille back through the corridor, past security and down the stairs. They still had three hours before their shift ended.

As Lucille started down the stairs, she was struck on the back of her head and she
staggered, but instinctively reached out and grabbed the rail with both hands. She was initially able to maintain her balance, until she was hit again in the back of the head. Lucille started to lose consciousness as she fell to the bottom of the stairs, landing on her stomach and hitting her head on the concrete floor. Still partially alert, Lucille felt someone land on her back and stab her several times; finally, she passed out.

George Bellows, a senior security guard was coming up the stairs at the same time Lucille was being attacked on the landing between the two flight of stairs. The aggressiveness of Florence was more than Bellows could deal with and he called for help. It required two more security officers, in addition to Bellows, to subdue the attacker.

Medical personnel responded quickly, but blood was oozing from four puncture wounds in Lucille’s back. As soon as the medics were able to control the bleeding, Lucille was
placed on a gurney and transported to the infirmary. The physician on duty and his nurse
assistant worked feverishly to stabilize Lucille, clean and stitch up the wounds.

It didn’t appear that any organs had been damaged. Lucille was still unconscious but her
breathing was normal. There was a moderate size bump on her forehead where she hit the
concrete floor and one on the back of her head where she been struck. Bellows recovered both weapons that Florence used.

A specialist came in from Chicago that evening to repair the damage to several muscles in Lucille’s back. It was after midnight before Lucille regained consciousness and asked for something to drink. When the doctor came back on duty at eight the next morning, the nurse on duty told the doctor that Lucille was incoherent and confused.

“She kept asking me what happened and wanted to know where she was. I told her that
she’d been assaulted and stabbed several times.”

“By who?” she asked me

“By one of the inmates,” I responded.

“Inmates of what?’ she asked me.

“Inmates of the State Prison of Illinois for women.”

James S. (Jim) Kelly is a retired United States Air Force Colonel with over 100 combat missions in Vietnam. Prior to his retirement, Jim was Program Director for a Communication’s Program in Iran, working directly under the Shah. Jim and his wife, Patricia own and operate High Meadow’s Horse Ranch outside Solvang, California. All of his novels use Solvang and the Santa Ynez Valley as a setting. Over the past 15 years, Jim and his wife have been active in a charity supporting our troops in forward operating locations, in hostile territory, overseas. To contact Jim, email him at jkelly2020@outlook.com.

Website: www.kellywritings.com

# Book Spotlights

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Book Video Teaser: SLOW DOWN by Lee Matthew Goldberg @leematthewg #booktrailer

thewriterslife 12:00 AM 0 Comments

How far would you go to make your dreams come true? For budding writer and filmmaker Noah Spaeth, being a Production Assistant in director Dominick’s Bambach’s new avant-garde film isn’t enough. Neither is watching Dominick have an affair with the lead actress, the gorgeous but troubled Nevie Wyeth. For Noah’s dream is to get both the film and Nevie in the end, whatever the cost. And this obsession may soon become a reality once Dominick’s spurned wife Isadora reveals her femme fatale nature with a seductive plot to get rid of her husband for good.

Slow Down, a cross between the noir styling of James M. Cain and the dark satire of Bret Easton Ellis, is a thrilling page-turner that holds a mirror up to a media-saturated society that is constantly searching for the fastest way to get ahead, regardless of consequences.

Here’s what readers are saying about Slow Down!

“Slow Down is a frenetic first novel…full of unedifying characters scrambling for the elusive, perhaps imaginary, brass ring.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Lee Matthew Goldberg writes like a young Bret Easton Ellis doing a line of uncut Denis Johnson off the back of a public urinal. Memorable in the best possible way, also mostly illegal, Goldberg’s Slow Down is a mad man’s tour of Manhattan’s vices, follies, and ultimate betrayals.”
–Urban Waite, author of The Terror of Living and Sometimes the Wolf

“What would happen if one of Raymond Chandler’s 1940’s femme fatales were to join forces with one of Jay McInerney’s enfant terribles? Lee Matthew Goldberg wrings every delectable trope imaginable out of this mashup while still managing a fresh spin. A writer to watch out for.”
–David Kukoff, author of Children of the Canyon

“Slow Down starts fast and gets faster quick, gunning through yellow streetlights on its way to a full collision with your shattered soul. Lee Matthew Goldberg takes on the American Zeitgeist in this stunning debut.”
–Stephen Jay Schwartz, LA Times bestselling author of Boulevard and Beat

“Slow Down is a brilliant rush of a work charting the rise and fall of Noah and other pretentious losers. Savor this book.”
—Foreword Reviews

“Dark and hard-boiled writing that grabs you by the throat. Slow Down is one of those rare novels that’s so good you want it to go on forever!”
–Nick Pengelley, author of Ryder: An Ayesha Ryder Novel

“The plot takes off…there’s no denying it’s fun to watch rich snots destroy themselves.”
—Booklist

“Goldberg’s portrayal of the New York demimonde is one of the book’s strengths and brings to mind Bret Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero. He also succeeds in marshalling a complicated plot.”
—CrimeFictionLover.com

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3dmv8UU

Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE DESIRE CARD, THE MENTOR, and SLOW DOWN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the 2018 Prix du Polar. The second book in the Desire Card series, PREY NO MORE, is forthcoming, along with his Alaskan Gold Rush novel THE ANCESTOR. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box. His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in the anthology DIRTY BOULEVARD, The Millions, Cagibi, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press, Monologging and others. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: http://www.leematthewgoldberg.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LeeMatthewG
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leemgol
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/leematthewgoldberg

Monday, August 3, 2020

Character Interview: A Whiskered Perspective's Pumpkin #characterinterview

thewriterslife 12:00 AM 0 Comments

We are really excited to have Pumpkin here with us today at Blogging Authors! Pumpkin comes from the inside pages of M.G. Spear's new book, A WHISKERED PERSPECTIVE. Take it away, Pumpkin!

What is your name?

Pumpkin

What do you look like?

A sleek black feline.

Where are you today and what are you doing?

I’m currently sitting on Miller’s couch, my favorite spot in the house.

You come face to face with your worse enemy. How do you react?

So far my worst enemy was the neighborhood bully who tried to light me on fire. He caught me by surprise in our last encounter; if I had a do-over, he would feel the full wrath of my claws and canines.

How would your parents describe you?

My parents thought I was a shy kitty, the runt of the litter. Everyone was always growing faster than me, so I learned to outwit them in games through intellect and well-timed claw action. Being a warrior became my lifelong passion and pursuit from that because I was always smaller than the others, but my heart was just as big as theirs.

Who is your best friend?

My current owner Miller. She gives me lots of scratches and treats and talks to me all the time. I love hearing about her day and sitting next to her on the couch while she surfs social media.

Are you faith-oriented?

I have gone through many of my nine lives thus far—someone is out there watching and guiding.

Are you married or in a relationship?

I have been known to frolic with the ladies from time to time, but nothing has ever been serious for me. There have been companions along my journeys I have grown close to, just not romantically. One can always hope.

Do you have children?

Not that I am aware of, though being somewhat of a lady’s man I wouldn’t doubt there is a litter or two out there with my genes.

Inside the Book

Meet the cutest new black kitty in fiction, Pumpkin!

Like cats? Relationships? Then A Whiskered Perspective is for you.

Relationships are hard, but they are worth the effort. You should try your best, no matter what, to work things out, right? Not always.

Miller thinks she has found love but her cat, Pumpkin, tells a darker story. Not all love is equal, even if you desperately want it to be.

It’s a different take on relationship turmoil and the power of a connection between a cat and his human.

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/30K9Tsx

About the Author

M.G. Spear is a teacher who writes for stress relief, and currently has published multiple books with more in the works. She teaches Biology to both college and high school students, and mostly her days are filled with logic. But M.G’s creative side comes out in her writing.

M.G. has been writing for as long as she can remember and hones her craft by reading books and constantly writing. She is very eclectic in her writing passions, from general fiction to horror books, to motivational and humorous posts on her blog. Her major influences are Edgar Allen Poe, Gillian Flynn, Chuck Palahniuk, and Frank Peretti. She published her first short story collection, Jumping on the Trampoline, in 2006, but then life got in the way. Now she is back in the game, ready to bring more stories to life.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mgspearwriting/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mgspear_
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/sparsur/

# CHARACTER INTERVIEWS

Friday, July 31, 2020

The Inspiration Behind Someone's Story by B.A. Bellec @b_bellec #guest

thewriterslife 12:00 AM 0 Comments

The Inspiration Behind Someone's Story

By B.A. Bellec

I am going to start with the publishing side. This was my first book and I don’t have a background in writing so I was really breaking new ground. I did try to query a few places about 6 months before I published but I wasn’t ready. Not surprised none of them got back to me. I eventually got a little frustrated around December and set a deadline for myself to instead self-publish. I made so many changes in those 4 months. Ultimately I like aspects of self-publishing but I lack exposure. Working on that part right now.

My inspiration came from lots of different places. The book I like to cite as being the most influential is The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The way Stephen Chbosky uses a journal entry to deliver a story is similar to the raw narration I choose to go with in my project.

Most of my writing was almost therapy. I was writing because I didn’t understand some of the things that happened in my life. Not everything in this book happened to me. I felt like it was unfair that I had such an easy life. Writing was a way for me to reconcile that feeling. By putting those thoughts on the page, it was almost like a do-over on the moment in my life when I didn’t do the right thing.

My editor helped me grow a few of the characters and really pushed me to finish the project. I had shared an early version. Her guidance was critical to me writing my last 20K words and then her encouragement is why I pushed myself to go down the publishing path. I didn’t want to leave this thing 80% done once she was involved. I had to finish for her.

The other thing I will say. There are people everywhere. Everyone has a story. Just talk to them. Little pieces of all the people I have ever met ended up in here.

About the Author

Author of Someone’s Story and co-collaborator on the music it inspired, B.A. was born in Richmond, BC and raised in Langley, BC, before settling in Winnipeg, MB. His first adventure was a career in Finance, where he spent 15 years developing his business skills. His highest achievement was the Certified Payroll Manager designation. He currently still consults with businesses on their systems and processes. Over that period of time, he also attended film school where he started to nurture his early creative abilities.

A self-starter always interested in research, he taught himself many of the aspects of storytelling through reading books, screenplays and material online. Whenever he found an inspirational piece of art, he quickly went to the source to find the story behind the artist who created the work. It took many years after attending film school for him to finally combine his creative skills with his life experience and tell that story he had been holding back. Some of his favorite creative people: Lukas Rossi, Justin Furstenfeld, Peter Jackson, Stephen Chbosky, John Green, J.K. Rowling.
Currently he is pounding away on the keyboard writing his second novel, Pulse. This project is a change of pace and more details will come in a few months!

B.A. is also an avid jogger and walker, frequently using them as a way to work on those tough spots in life and his manuscripts. If you found it this far into his material, reach out to him on Twitter and make sure to like and subscribe to get updates on all his future endeavors.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: http://www.babellec.com
Blog: https://babellec.com/b-a-bellecs-blog/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/b_bellec
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babellec/

About the Book:

In his debut endearing coming-of-age book, B.A. Bellec writes about a group of weirdos that find and save each other from the dark depths of their minds. Someone’s Story is literally Someone’s story, as in a first-person narrative of a teenager that calls himself Someone. As he struggles to ﬁnd a new footing in a new space, we encounter the many ups and downs of modern teenage life, the diﬃculties that adjusting to adult feelings bring, and a few tear-jerking surprises along the way.

Littered with music, mental health, friendship, loss, meditation, advice, pop culture, and even inspiring an EP, there is so much nostalgia, inspiration, and depth here it is hard to absorb it all. Cozy up somewhere warm and enjoy!

“B. A. Bellec has crafted a masterpiece of emotive and well-rounded young adult ﬁction.”
K.C. Finn – Author

“The variety of personages, situations, and mental illnesses represented allows all readers to relate to this book and take something away from reading! This novel is on our list of all-time favourites!”
International Girls and Books

“Someone’s Story is a beautiful novel, written in great prose, very descriptive, and filled with insights about life. The author does an incredible job with themes of family, friendship, bullying, and personal development. It felt like I was reading a portion of my emotions and myself in Someone’s Story.”
Gobi Jane – Professional Critic @ Readers’ Favourite

ORDER YOUR COPY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3dHJU7X

# Guest Posts

Monday, July 27, 2020

Pace is Critical to a Good Story by Darryl A. Woods @darrylawoods #guest

thewriterslife 12:00 AM 0 Comments

Pace is Critical to a Good Story

By Darryl A. Woods

As I began writing my novel, I knew I did not want to drone on via narrative or dialogue. I know this can be boring and repetitive after a certain point and tried to be conscientious about balancing those throughout the story. However, other elements are often overlooked that also help to establish the pace of the story. One of these elements is detail versus panoramic views.

An easy way to visualize descriptions and how you write them is to imagine a scene in a movie. The camera starts out with a flyover of an open field with a large tree on a grassy knoll. The panoramic view lets you take in a wide sweep of imagery, allowing you to put the scene into perspective with its surroundings. The camera then focuses on the large tree as other details fade to obscurity. The shot continues to tighten, showing a couple on a blanket. As the shot tightens, you can see that the man seems quite happy but is oblivious to the look of sadness on the woman’s face. The scene ends with a close-up of her face, which verifies your suspicion that she was not sharing in the man’s happiness.

This process does two things. It shows the overall setting of the scene, allowing you, the viewer (reader), to take in the beauty of the picturesque setting. It then draws you into observing the subtlety of the characters’ emotions. It also sets an emotional pace, going from a simple, carefree flyover to creating concern for the woman in the scene.

A good novel needs a balance of emotions. For example, a good battle scene should build as the overall setting is defined. Moments of intense action need to be followed by a slowing of the action to give the reader a break. Without this, the reader can become overwhelmed and numb to the action scenes. If it continues in this vein, the reader may even become bored with the action. It is the ebb and flow of strong emotions or action that set the pace, allowing the reader to recover from one emotional high before being plunged into the next.

More subtle changes in writing also can affect the pace of your story. In my novel The Summoned Ones, I have a short chapter called “The Race.” This chapter was about a group racing on horseback to a pass before their enemy could close off the escape route. In the chapter, I flipped frequently back and forth from narrative to dialogue. I kept the dialogue brief and punchy, and the narrative paragraphs short.

I presented the just-completed chapter to an early beta reader. The next day, he pulled me aside and said, “You can’t do that to your readers.”

I asked innocently what he was talking about. He replied, “I was worn out by that chapter. You have to give the reader a break.”

I didn’t reply to his comments or explain my method. I merely handed him the next chapter, in which I had purposely slowed the pace.

Afterwards, he told me not to worry about his prior concern, because this chapter had slowed the pace. I then revealed to him the effort I had put into “The Race” to make it so fast-paced, and how I had attempted to convey the emotions of the hard-charging horse ride.

These concepts illustrate how pace can be used to achieve balance. The sometimes subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle equilibrium of opposing forces can allow a reader to experience the emotions within a story without being overwhelmed.

About the Author

Darryl Woods is a storyteller who hones his craft entertaining coworkers. He also enjoys regaling family and friends with stories of his upbringing in rural Ohio, of the motorized contraptions his father fabricated, and of the timber cutting and sawmill work he did with his father-in-law. With an appetite for reading fantasy, it was inevitable he would choose to write about an epic journey in a world dominated by magic and sword fighting.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website Address: http://darrylawoods.com/
Newsletter: http://darrylawoods.com/newsletter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DarrylAWoods
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Darryl-A-Woods-Storyteller-and-Author-104898847706876/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/goodreadscomdarrylawoods
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darrylawoods/

About the Book:

Title: The Summoned Ones, Book 1 of Flight to Bericea
Author: Darryl A. Woods
Publisher: Brelsford Ridge Publishing
Pages: 336
Genre: Adult Epic Fantasy

Can a group of college-aged friends from a small Kentucky town actually be the Summoned Ones of prophecy, called to a strange world filled with magic and devastated by war? Can they save the lives of the desperate inhabitants and help them defeat a wicked tyrant? Their epic journey will push them to the limits of their endurance. This unlikely group will discover truths about themselves and experience another world beyond their imagination.

During their journey, they will explore this new world, discover new talents and previously hidden abilities, develop friendships with people they couldn’t have dreamed possible, and will be forced to take actions they would have never considered in any less dire circumstances.