Second Houston/Bouchard Novel (THE FISHERMAN) Under Contract

On April 22, 2014, I signed a contract with Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. to publish the second novel in my series featuring Mike Houston and Anne Bouchard. The novel, entitled THE FISHERMAN, follows Anne and Mike as they assist an elderly couple in the search for their missing grand daughter. The investigation leads them into Boston's dark world of prostitution and white slavery.

As in SNIPER, they enlist the assistance of crime lord Jimmy O and his organization. The chase takes them from the remnants of Boston's fames Combat Zone to the rocky coast of Maine, and ultimately into the seemingly endless acres of northern Maine woodlands.

I feel fortunate to be able to work with the same great team at Skyhorse Publishing. I am certain that were it not for the invaluable assistance of my editor, Constance Renfro, (she knew when to back off and let me have my way and when to stand her ground and make me see the light) the book would not have been as good as it turned out. That is my feelings based on the feedback I get from readers. It made me the second most famous person in Stockholm, Maine (population 270), Russell Currier made the U. S. Olympic Biathlon Team and for much of the winter held first place. Now that the 2014 Winter Olympics are history, I'm making a bit of a comeback.

It is a nice feeling knowing that the publication of THE FISHERMAN will remove the fear of being a one book wonder, although it didn't hurt Harper Lee. I'll be letting everyone know the particulars as we go through the editorial and prepublication process. Now that I think of it, blogging on that process may be of interest to some people.

SNIPER AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN BOOK STORES

As of tomorrow, February 4, 2014, my novel, SNIPER, will be available at most book retailers and online. It's hard to express how much this means to me, it is my first publication in a book format (I have previously published short fiction and one early novel in eBook format). I started the novel in the late fall of 2002 and got side tracked on several other projects placing it on a back burner (forgive the cliché!). But there were some people without whom this day would not have happened:

First and foremost was my late wife, Connie. She supported me through those early years when I thought I knew how to write. I resisted some of her comments early on, but that's usually the first symptom of "I know what I'm doing-itis". I've always said that the difference between being intelligent and being ignorant, is intelligent people know what they don't know--ignorant people don't have a clue and don't care enough to see the light! I would bring my latest chapter or short story to Connie, wanting praise, instead I got her honest opinion. She would say something along the line of: "There's too much profanity." I of course, being ignorant, only heard the praise. I was like Mark Twain, who once said (don't take this as being an accurate quote, but the gist of the quote is accurate): "When I was 17, I didn't think my father knew anything; when I was 27, I was astounded by how much the old man had learned..." As I progressed as a writer, Connie just got smarter and smarter.

Second on this list of Geniuses, was Paula Munier, my friend and now my agent. Paula and I met in the summer of 2002 at a meeting of the New England Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. Later that year, she created the first writer group I had ever been a part of. I took the first chapter of one of the novels I was working on to that first meeting, expecting to hear how wonderful it was. That evening I met Skye Alexander and Susan Oleskiew, both published authors and editors (did I mention that Paula was also a professional editor?) They listened to my wonderful work (by now I assume you know where I'm going with this...) and then politely and I may add, professionally, ripped it apart! I left that first meeting limping from the chewing I'd been subjected to, swearing that I would never return. (They too assumed they would never see nor hear of me again). I got home and bent the ear of my primary support person. Connie smiled and said, "Maybe they're right." I was shocked, how could she say such a thing...my bride of 32 years nailed me with, "You think you take criticism well, but you don't. These women have all been published and are to a greater degree than you, succeeded at doing what you want to do. If you don't want to listen to their opinions or take their advice, don't. I mean, look at how successful you've been doing it your way." I limped down to my office feeling as if the little bit of my ego that the writer group had left me had just been taken by my wife. I dropped what was left of my fanny into the chair and took every bit of feedback they'd given me and rewrote the chapter. When I was done, I read it aloud and half-way through paused to say: "Hey...this is good!" I tell this story to every new or aspiring writer I meet. Yet every once in a while when Paula does an edit (even though she's my agent she is still an editor) and tells me to rewrite something or to cut something, I get my hackles up. Nevertheless, I do it...because that's how I got a book publishing contract.

In 2006 cancer took my beloved Connie and two years later I lost my full-time job to the most recent recession. I still mourn losing Connie, but not the job. I looked at my situation and realized that I could no longer afford to live in southern New Hampshire. I relocated to Maine...far northern Maine. A five minute drive past my house and you reach the end of civilization as we know it! Now I have time to write full time. The only impediment is me...I can put off procrastination! So, I did what I knew I had to do, I sought out and found a new writer group. The members may not have the resumes similar to those of my first group, but they still make me sit down and write and they still tell me what I need to hear; not what I want to hear.

Connie is gone now and I have a new first reader, my domestic partner Jane. She's not as critical as Connie and the others, but thank God she's getting there!

So, in closing...thanks to Connie, Paula, Skye, Susan, the Breathe writer group and Jane. And all of you who buy my book and enjoy it.

THANK YOU....

eBook Publishing

If I can believe all I've read and heard this past year, ebooks are the hottest form of publishing, supposedly 70% of all books published last year (2010) were ebooks. The keynote speaker in the first writer conference I ever attended, Jeremiah Healy, said, "The personal computer has made it very easy for people to write. Unfortunately, it also made it very easy for them to write badly." The same thing can be said for the burgeoning number of ebooks available through any number of outlets.

I have published a number of ebooks via smashwords and Kindle Direct Publishing (for some reason Barnes and Nobles and a number of ebook sites will accept books from Smashwords whereas Amazon does not, preferring that the author use their Kindle Direct Publishing) and receive an RSS feed from Smashwords each time I access my email with Outlook. Scrolling through the uploads can be quite eye-opening. The number of amateurish books makes one believe that ebook publishers have become the vanity press of the 21st century.

I find it quite easy to identify some of the lesser experienced writers by checking the price they put on their work. I doubt any accomplished writer would publish a book for free or for as small a price as $0.99 (Barnes and Noble and several other outlets will not list a book unless they meet a certain pricing standard).
Of late, I have seen more and more books by established authors for the Nook and the Kindle so I can't arbitrarily dismiss the platform...I am seeing more an more readers carrying ereaders of one type or another.

One of the reasons it is so easy to publish an ebook is that no special software is required. In fact, Smashwords and KDP prefer that the manuscript be written using Microsoft Word. There are some things to be aware of when preparing your manuscript for submission and the easiest way to ensure that your work will look its best on an ereader is to download the publisher's style guide. It has been my experience that if your book complies with Smashwords Style Guide (available for download at http://www.smashwords.com) most other publishers will accept it with no reservations.

It can, however, be very frustrating when your Smashwords version keeps generating format errors. EReaders do not like tabs, or a sequence of more than 3 spaces used to separate text (I recently had the wonderful experience of preparing a manuscript which contained poetry where the author had used spaces to align sentences to create a visual. For example in one poem entitled PINE, the author spent a lot of time making the lines appear to form a pine tree. It did not work as an ebook--ebooks ignore things such as page breaks and, on my Nook, the pine tree was presented across two screens.) and font can be an issue. EReaders allow the reader to increase the font size for easier reading and therefore most publishers restrict font size to 12 pitch for normal print and no more than 16 for titles etc. Most publishers also require a cover for their higher levels of service. In the case of Smashwords to be included in their Premium Catalog requires you meet certain standards.

Why is inclusion in the Premium Catalog important? To quote Smashwords: "The Premium Catalog includes Smashwords titles that meet certain mechanical requirements for distribution into major online retailers such as Smashwords partners, Barnes & Noble or Apple. Smashwords books that achieve Premium Catalog status receive the greatest possible distribution across Smashwords' growing distribution network. If you're a serious writer and you want to reach the greatest number of readers, you want inclusion in the Premium Catalog. It's free."

In summary, eBook publishing is easy (although it usually takes me 3 to 6 hours to redesign a manuscript to meet Smashwords Guidelines) and virtually instantaneous--in a matter of hours you can see your book or short story in an ePublisher's catalog.

Getting Back On Track

As anyone who follows my blog knows, I've been away for a while, almost six months to be exact. There are a number of reasons why I haven't blogged since last March...but they are all really excuses and we all know that excuses always sound good to the person making them. Let's suffice to say, it's darned hard to come up with things to blog about on a continual basis.

During my Blogging Sabbatical, I did however, publish my novel Elephant Valley as an eBook. Available through Barnes and Noble as well as Smashwords.com . It's a novel loosely based on my experiences as a helicopter machine-gunner in Vietnam. Although it's not yet available through Amazon, Smashwords does have a Kindle-friendly version in .mobi format as well as the popular Adobe Epub format used by many e-readers.

I have also published several short stories during this period. Among them are Net Profit (co-authored with a long-time friend, Paulette Littlefield Clark) in The Storyteller Magazine (January/February/March 2011 issue) and several others in Breathe; Volume II an anthology of short stories and poetry by northern Maine writers.
The New England CrimeBake is coming up on November 11 through 13. If you haven't registered, it may be too late. The conference limits registration to about 250 attendees and those slots filled withing three weeks of registration opening. There are however, always cancellations so you may want to get on the Waiting List.

I'm also closing in on the completion of The Black Orchid, the second Ed Traynor novel (the first, My Brother's Keeper is available in eBook format from Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and Amazon .

Where Are You Ronnie Jay?

Several years back I was a member of a writer group that met monthly at the public Library in Exeter, NH. The group had no rules about what type of writing members had to write. I also belonged to another group that met weekly, but was comprised exclusively of mystery writers.

I have to confess that I cannot write poetry, nor do I read it nor do I understand it. I belong to a group today in which there are several poets and each time they read something I am absolutely lost. In fact, what usually happens is that I listen to the comments made by my fellow writers and always ask myself, "How did they draw that conclusion from what was read?" I'm a hard-boiled kind of guy and the nuances of poetic language, as well as the art form are lost on me.

Now, let's talk about the subject of this blog. I recall watching Ronnie Jay when he entered our group for the first time. He was dressed in cowboy hat and boots and told us that he had recently relocated to New Hampshire from Nashville where he wrote country music songs. I won't tell anyone what my first impression was. To get to the point, Ronnie didn't read anything that night, but promised to have something when he came back the next month.

He sat quiet through most of the next meeting and when his turn came he said, "I wrote a little poem about writing that I'd like to read." A few seconds later I was astounded. Ronnie had written the first poem that I could not only appreciate, but also understand. Here's that poem:

The Unknown Writer

By

Ronnie Jay

© 2004

I’m an unknown writer

Creative as they come

But, there’ll come a day, I dare say

I’ll be a famous one

I’ll write a #1 best-seller

And oh, the riches it will bring

It’ll sell more in every bookstore

Than Grisham, Crichton or King

I know you won’t believe me

And I can’t make you a believer

But, if I don’t believe in myself

No one else will either

Yes, I know it sounds impossible

To reach those heights of fame

And I realize that I may never

Be a household name

But, it doesn’t really matter

If my dreams do or don’t come true

I’m still gonna keep on writing

Because that’s what writers do

Ronnie disappeared from our lives after that. We assumed that he had gone back to Music City, but if by chance you should read this blog, Ronnie. Leave me a comment and I'll get in touch.

Guns In Fiction Part 1

If you are a writer of mysteries, suspense or thrillers, sooner or later you will have to bring firearms into your story. Over the years I have read more mystery and suspense fiction than I could ever recall. I have, however found one thing that writers continually confuse and that is the uses and capabilities of firearms, both hand and long guns. So, I've decided to do a few posts on the various types of weapons, their operational characteristics. In this post I'd like to discuss the differences between various handguns and some of what I consider to be common misconceptions that I've seen writers have.

This posting will deal with handguns, specifically revolvers.

First, let's discuss some common terms.

Revolver: a weapon, usually a handgun, in which the ammunition (cartridge) is loaded into a cylinder. The cylinder revolves aligning the cartridge with the chamber and the firing pin.

Single Action: A type of handgun in which the shooter must manually pull back or cock the hammer to place another cartridge in the firing position. Single Action handguns can usually be identified by one of two loading mechanisms. On many there is a gate on the right side of the cylinder through which cartridges are loaded and spent casings ejected.

Double Action: A handgun in which the hammer is cocked and the cylinder rotates with each pull of the trigger. Double Action revolvers can usually be identified by the fact that the entire cylinder rolls out so the handgun can be easily loaded.

Break Action: A pistol in which the barrel and cylinder are released as a unit to allow loading.

Cartridge: Commonly misidentified as being a bullet or a shell. It is a single round of ammunition.

Bullet: Projectile portion of a cartridge.

Shell: A shotgun cartridge.

Chamber: The portion of the barrel into which an unfired cartridge (round) is either aligned (revolvers) or inserted (pistols).

There are a couple of characteristics of revolvers that movies and television seem to routinely ignore and it drives me crazy! Silencers DO NOT work on revolvers--there are too many openings through which sound can escape! Another pet peeve of mine is the absolute misconception that six-shooters have more than six cartridges in them. We all remember the B westerns and crime movies we saw as kids where the hero and the villain seem to shoot forever without having to reload. If you have a gunfight in your story count the times your characters discharge their weapons and ensure that the rounds fired do not exceed the capacity of the weapon.

For a detailed description of various types of weapons consult the ATF Guidebook - Importation & Verification of Firearms.

Ammunition, and Implements of War
In the next post I'll talk about revolvers in more detail.

FORMATTING YOUR SYNOPSIS

In my last post we discussed what a synopsis is and what it should and should not include. Now lets discuss the format of a synopsis.

A synopsis should usually be formatted like a regular manuscript. There is however some latitude here. If the agent/publisher has requested a one or three page manuscript, using double spacing will not allow you to cover a lot. I prefer to single space my synopsis, after all we are not expecting the reader to make editorial comments so a lot of white space is not needed. I have seen authors use a separate cover page for the title, author's name and contact information and the word count. Again I put this info at the top left of a single-spaced synopsis.

How long should the synopsis be? Again, refer to the agent/publisher's submission guidelines. A single page synopsis restricts you to between two hundred and five hundred words (depending on line spacing), if there are no page limitations stated in either the response to your query or in the guidelines, a general rule is to allow one page for every ten thousand words of your novel. Under no circumstances should a synopsis exceed ten pages. Remember the golden rule of writing "Say as much as possible in as few words as possible" Shorter is better. This is the place to dazzle the reader with your brilliance, not baffle them with BS.

A synopsis should always be written in present tense: "Mike and Anne investigate a series of sniper shootings in Boston." Keep paragraphs short, avoid long blocks of narrative and text.

The first time a character name appears use either ALL CAPS or boldface.  While we're on the subject of characters, do not list every character who appears in your novel, restrict your self to the main characters. No one wants to read a Dr. Zhivago type synopsis, by this I mean you have to keep a list of character names to understand who's who.

I know that by now you are probably saying "So what's the big deal?" The big deal is this, after the query letter, the synopsis may be the first thing the agent/publisher reads. Therefore keep it a marketing tool, the only difference is that instead of a large market all you have to sell to is a single person.

I would have a synopsis written and ready to go before you mail out that query...in fact many agents/publishers ask for it in the initial query package.

THE DREADED Synopsis

Many literary agents and publishers in the United States require that a synopsis (usually one page) accompany a query letter. I cannot think of anything that will make a writer shudder and curse more than being required to write a synopsis. In fact, many with whom I have spoken with don’t really know what a synopsis should be and what one should not be. So with that in mind, let’s discuss the synopsis.


If requested (I recommend you never send a literary agent or an editor more than they ask for. Unless you are very, very confident in your abilities, each additional item you include with the query letter may give the agent/editor another source of information to reject you.) include a one page synopsis of your book. Unlike the query letter, whose purpose is to peak the agent/editor’s interest, the object of the synopsis is to provide a short overview of the book’s plot and major themes. Don’t make the mistake I made several years ago of trying to summarize the entire novel in two paragraphs; this is a pitch, not an outline. Therefore you should concentrate on those elements that are most likely to attract the attention of a reader/agent/editor. Some of these are: The primary characters, the basic plot, the setting, the primary source of conflict, and the theme. Let’s briefly look at each of these.

The Primary Characters. In the query you may only have room to introduce two or three major characters. The synopsis is where you should introduce all the major players (The first time I introduce a character I always type the name in CAPs).

The Basic Plot. Identify the basic what if? Keep in mind that plot is more than the sequence of events—it’s also the reason for them.

The Setting. When and where does the story take place? If the setting is crucial to the plot, say so. However, if the setting is merely background, don’t spend a lot of time describing it. There is nothing that will turn me off quicker than a travelogue that does nothing to move the plot along.

The Primary Source of Conflict. What are the key obstacles your protagonist must overcome? From where does the conflict originate? Is it external or internal or both. Is it with another character, society or nature? Focus on the conflict that is central to the plot.

The Theme. Is there an underlying message to the story? If there is what is it that is beyond the basic plot. Are any important issues revealed as a consequence of the theme? Be careful that you don’t sound as if you’re in a pulpit; you can raise questions or ideas without giving the reader a sermon.

Remember that the synopsis is supposed to illustrate that your novel is coherent, logical, carefully thought out and well written.

In the next post I will discuss synopsis format.

There Is Hope For Thin Ice

In my last post I wrote that Level Best Books has notified those of us who have either been published in or submitted stories for their anthologies that they will no longer be publishing. The correspondence also stated that if anyone wanted to take on the project they would assist by sharing their design templates and information.

I've seen discussion on several Yahoo groups about the demise of Level Best so to end all confusion I've pasted the email I received:

Dear Writer:
Level Best Books grew out of a belief in the importance of giving voice to local writers and offering opportunities that might not otherwise be available. For seven years, we have sought out and supported New England writers of crime fiction through our annual anthologies, publicity sent to bookstores and libraries, and signing events throughout the region. Thanks to you and other writers, we have accomplished a great deal.

As we began work this year, we knew we were facing even greater challenges, and when we looked realistically at our current circumstances, we realized that we could not complete another anthology.
We are grateful to the many writers who have sent us their best work, set up their own readings and book signings, and by word of mouth spread news of our anthologies. As editors we have enjoyed working with every writer we have published. It has been a privilege to publish the work of some of the region’s best established writers. Our special joy has been discovering new writers, and encouraging beginning writers building their careers.

We regret bringing you discouraging news. This has been a gratifying experience for all of us, and we wish you well in continuing your career in crime fiction.

Finally, we would like the mystery community to know that if a group of writers is interested in continuing the project we have begun, we would be willing to share our design templates and other information, and pass the Level Best name on.

Sincerely,
Kate Flora,
for the editors

Now, the good news. All is not lost yet. I have been in contact with a publisher who is very interested in publishing the anthology and stated that if I can get him the manuscript by late September, THIN ICE can be published on time. Based upon his interest, I have assembled a team of writers to assist me in the editorial process. The problem at this time is that I have been unable to reach either Kate or Susan to discuss this and make arrangements for them to provide me with this years submissions. I'm assuming they are on vacation and incommunicado. We are still trying to reach them. Should this occur it is the intent of myself and my team to keep everything as Level Best designed it, including publishing the Al Blanchard winning story.

Stand by. I'll be posting further developments as they occur.

LEVEL BEST BOOKS CEASING PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL ANTHOLOGY

New England writers of mystery and crime fiction have just suffered a major loss. I have been notified by Kate Flora, one of Level Best Books editors, that they will not be publishing their 8th anthology Thin Ice. Kate did not go into specifics, but they aren't needed. What is important is that yet another short story market has bit the dust.

Level Best published its 1st anthology, Undertow, in 2003. Since then they have published a number of new New England writers and many who have been published. I was fortunate to have my story, Bagging The Trophy, included in the 6th, DEADFALL, available either from Level Best Books or my website.

If you are interested in ordering copies of the anthologies they are available via Level Best's web site: http://levelbestbooks.com.

I am particularly affected by this because I know the editors of this terrific anthology and consider them to be friends. Kate Flora, Susan Oleksiw, and Ruth McCarty (Skye Alexander co-edited the 1st three anthologies) have all been instrumental in my endeavors to be a writer. Susan and Skye were members of my very 1st writer group and (although I left many meetings limping) were the first professional editors (along with Paula Munier of Adams Media) to critique my writing...as much as it hurt--I learned more in the first two months than I had in the previous ten years! Kate and I served on the planning committee for four New England CrimeBake writer/reader conferences. I will miss working with her.

My Brother's Keeper Available For Kindle

My mystery novel, My Brother's Keeper is now available in Amazon's Kindle Store. To obtain a copy go to the Kindle Store and search on Hardacker. Or you can use the following URL: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D154606011&field-keywords=Hardacker&x=17&y=19

The novel is a mystery thriller and the first in my Ed Traynor series. Ed is confused when he's called to a murder scene on a remote road in New Hampshire's Rockingham County. Shortly after arriving on site his long-time friend, Sheriff 'Buck' Buchanan, asks him to identify the victim--Ed's brother John. Ed vows to find the killer and his investigation will lead him to a vicious drug lord and into the world of strip clubs. If that isn't enough, Ed must deal with his turbulent relationship with his brother, who was a suspect in a multi-million dollar rip-off of a drug dealer.

My Brother's Keeper is also available for PC and other platforms through Smashword.com. Follow the link: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/13886

AT THE END OF THE DAY

It's my pleasure to post a guest blogger today. Stephen D. Rogers has published over 500 short stories and articles, his anthology Shot To Death is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the publisher, Mainly Murder Press.

I've been speaking at libraries about SHOT TO DEATH, my new collection of mystery short stories, and my writing "career" in general.

One of the most asked questions from the library audiences is how I deal with the frustrations: the slow response times, the non-responses, the acceptances that turn to rejections when a publication folds.

I'm not going to lie and say that dealing with setbacks is easy. Being at the receiving end of slings and arrows isn't exactly fun, and sometimes the irritations and disappointments slide into despair.

That's when it's most important to rediscover the spark. While everyone who sets pen to paper or finger to keyboard thinks of publication, the initial spark is the love of telling a story or crafting a sentence.

If I knew for certain that I would never publish again, would I still write? You bet. I wrote for mumble-mumble years before I was published, and I can't imagine ever wanting to stop.

At the end of the day, I'm a writer not because of the book or the six hundred other publications but because I write.

And sometimes that's enough.

Stephen D. Rogers

http://www.stephendrogers.com

What Has Happened To Professionalism?

Some how during the last few years professionalism in the publishing industry has taken a permanent sabbatical. Five years ago, a query would rate at least a form letter rejection, but at least you knew where you stood. In the 1990s, human resource departments started it all. Once upon a time, an applicant would forward a resume and then get a response back. Many times that response was a rejection informing the applicant that their resume had been received and although the company had no openings for a person with the applicant's skills and experience, they would keep it on file in the event something opened up. In the middle of that decade resumes went into the black hole... No response and thanks to automated attendants, you could not get through via telephone. You could of course leave a message and the party you sought would get back to you. Riiiight. Maybe when pigs fly.

About now you are asking yourself, what does this have to do with writing? Well, the virus has spread to literary agents and publishers! I believe the increase in agents who accept queries by email may not be the best thing. At least with a letter and SASE, they felt as if they had to reply (again, usually a rejection).

In the past six months I've had both an agent and a publisher disappear from the face of the Earth. I forwarded a manuscript to a publisher after spending a week to insure that it met all of their requirements (I have a binder filled with documents listing their submission standards.) in August of last year. In January, when I had heard nothing, I contacted the Acquisitions Editor via email and was informed that my novel was in the 2nd stage of the approval process and I should have an update in a week. She also implored me to have patience since she was the only person reviewing all the incoming manuscripts. Okay, I thought, at least I'll know soon. Along came April and no response or update. I sent another email to the editor...no reply. I've since sent two follow up emails, one to the editor and another to a person listed in the publisher's documentation as your contact if you ran into difficulty. You guessed it, no response.

The second case is a literary agent. She was with a well-known New York Agency and I queried her in June of 2009. I received no response. I met her at The New England Crimebake in November and learned that she had left the agency where I queried her and had started her own. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and made a five minute pitch to her. I should have known it would lead to nothing when she said, "I remember your query. Send me the first 50 pages..." I know agents are busy and get inundated with queries, but how long does it take to send a brief rejection via email? This agent is a member of my Friends List on Facebook and she has enough time to be on it daily leaving posts about her busy personal life...

I for one, am mad as hell about the run around agents and publishers give to writers. I spoke with numerous writers at the Crimebake who had pitched to one of the ten or so agents there. Everyone told me the agent asked to see a sample of their work. To the best of my knowledge, not a single one has entered into a contract with an agent. Today, many agents and publishers are downplaying ebooks and their potential impact on the industry. I know why... Based on my experience, to publish an eBook you don't need an agent or a publisher (you are both). They don't like eBooks because if they take off as projected, these unprofessional agents and editors will have to get real jobs, which means they will have to send resumes to HR representatives who won't reply!

First Sale!

Yesterday, I sold the first copy of my eBook, My Brother's Keeper . It's available through Smashwords.com. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but the book was out there for one day when it was purchased. At one book per day that's 365 books a year! Okay, I know it's not New York Times Bestseller status but it's better than what I sold last year.

More importantly, is the fact that it has motivated me to put my butt in the chair and write again. I've been in a prolonged funk and my random excuse generator was working overtime! I finally got myself in gear though and now feel that there is reason to go on there is someone out there who wants to read my work (at least one person). So thank you, whoever you are, not only for buying a copy of my book, but for getting me back on the ball!

Well, gotta run now, it's time for me to get to work on my next great masterpiece.

My First eBook Is Available

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm delving into the world of online publishing. My first eBook, a short story entitled THE LAKE, is available on line through Smashwords.com.
As you may recall, in my last post I mentioned the fact that I was obtaining eBook software on eBay. With Smashwords there is no need to purchase additional software, you upload your eBook in Microsoft Word. However, make sure that you download and follow the guidelines from theirr Style Guide. I found the procedure to be easy and straight forward. I must mention the fact that the Style Guide is written for Word 2003 and if you are a user of Word 2007 as I am, you will have to find where Word has put some of the formatting parameters.
As an added incentive, Smashwords is like a consignment shop. You pay no money up front, they take a small percentage of whatever revenue your work generates. Smashwords will also format your work for all the eBook readers such as the Kindle and the Nook and put it in format to be downloaded to a PC, among others.
So, if you want to get your work out there and start generating some cash for your writing, check out Smashwords.

C IS FOR CRIMEBAKE

The 8th annual New England CrimeBake is only 3 months away! The conference, which features Sue Grafton as special guest of honor, will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Dedham, MA from November 13th through the 15th. In these tough economic times most writers are trying to save money and still attend a conference. If you are a New England writer, I believe the CrimeBake is the ideal choice. It is geared for New England writers, is held close to Boston and has been described as being as good as the big ones by at least one literary agent.

Past guests of honor have included: Janet Evanovich, Robert B. Parker, Tess Gerritsen, Lee Child and Harlan Coburn. The conference also affords the following services for writers: Master classes, free seminars, and (most importantly) the opportunity to pitch your work to an agent.

For more information and registration visit the New England CrimeBake's website.

Bill Tapply

This morning I got the disturbing news that a good friend of all New England Mystery writers has passed on. William G (Bill) Tapply was a writer, teacher and friend to all of us in the New England Chapter of MWA. He will be missed.

I met Bill in 2002 at the first New England CrimeBake Writer Conference and over the past seven years have attended a number of events with him. He was a man of few words, both in speech and in writing, and spent most of his life passing on his love of the art. If you wanted to get Bill talking, all you had to do was ask about his two favorite pass times, writing or fishing.

Bill was prolific and published more than 45 books and thousands of magazines. I use his book The Elements of Mystery Fiction: Writing The Modern Whodunit as a primary resource. True to form, he has several books slated for release this fall, among them a new thriller and a new mystery.

Bill is going to be missed in both the writing and fishing worlds. I am certain that somewhere on the other side, Bill and his closest friend, Phil Craig, are casting a line as we speak.

PLOT: The Plan or Main Story (2nd in a series)

The plan or main story. That's how Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines plot. It is the force that drives the story. I cannot count the times that I have started out on a story with one intent in mind only to find that the plot is not strong enough to support a novel; yet is a good short story. One thing I find a lot in many published writers is that they take what would be a great short story and drag it out until it is novel length with multiple sub-plots and page upon page of unnecessary description. (Can anyone think of a character that Stephen King has described in detail? I can only think of one instance in which he did so. However, that's a topic for another time...) I have come to believe that as a direct result of the short story market drying up, many good short story plots have been expanded into plodding novels.

So, what is a plot? It is the things that characters do, think, or say that (and here's the key point) make a difference later. Let's take the simple daily act of taking a shower. Of itself, it usually does not make a great deal of difference in a given day (although co-workers may argue that the lack of one might); however, taking that shower in Robert Bloch's story Psycho has a major effect on all that follows. In fact, the scene is so crucial to the plot that readers (and viewers of the Hitchcock classic) overlook the fact that a great deal of money was stolen by the victim. So what makes one shower an integral part of the plot and the other merely an incident in the story? How the shower is weighed and presented in the story. It boils down to several key elements:

1. What's At Stake? If you want the reader to care about your story, something must be at stake. Something of value must be on the line and in danger of being lost--the protagonist must have something to gain; but equally as important something to lose. A good example is Harry Potter. In each book the protagonists seek new knowledge that will help Harry over come another of Voldemort's evils and what's at stake? Harry's life of course.



2. Making A Scene. How many times have you been warned "Don't make a scene..." My late wife would always forewarn me before we went to any social event (again, a topic for another blog). As a writer you want to make a scene. In fact you want to make a number of them. When creating a scene in fiction always remember that age-old axiom: SHOW; DON'T TELL. A scene is a single connected and sequential action, to include its embedded description and background materials. There is a simple test you should keep in mind when writing a scene: Does it move the story forward? I will never forget the first time I read a scene for a writer's group. I thought it was a powerhouse of a scene and it quickly became one of my darlings (by now I'm certain you can see where I'm going with this). I finished reading and sat back, waiting for the accolades I was sure were to follow. The first comment was, "It's a very good scene." My chest began to swell with pride. The critiquer (an editor by trade) said, "But it doesn't belong in this story--take it out." The loud noise that filled that room was my ego smashing against the floor. So, you might ask (then again you might not), how did you react? Like all great writers, I pouted for a day or so and then took out the scene and read the story. Taking out the scene had no impact on the story and was therefore not needed.



3. ARE YOUR ANTAGONIST AND YOUR PROTAGONIST EVENLY MATCHED? Is the playing field even? If the reader feels that either the hero or the villain has no chance they will not invest their time in your story. That's not to say your protagonist shouldn't win; just don't make it too easy. In fact, make it hard as hell for he/she to overcome the obstacles. The bottom line is this, we all want the hero to win; nevertheless, conflict, struggle, dissatisfaction and aspiration are more interesting that a walk in the park.

Effective Plotting: A way to Avoid The Saggy Middle.

Chances are that at one time or another you've had the problem that I'm dealing with now. Your novel or story started off great guns...then suddenly it came to a screeching halt. I usually know how I want to start and end my stories (I imagine many of you do too) the dilemma is how to get from start to finish and maintain interest in the story. Well, there is a simple answer. Have an effective plot.

I am a very undisciplined writer. If anyone were to ask me to describe my writing style I would say: "Prolonged periods of procrastination intermixed with periods of frenetic writing..." I get a new idea and off I go before I even know if it's going to be a short story or a novel. I currently have 4 novels (and who knows how many short paragraphs describing ideas) in process. At the risk of dating myself, I can be like the 60s cartoon character Ricochet Rabbit. I'll be working on something, get a new idea and off I go on a tangent. Ricochet Rabbit was like that. He would take off in an incredible burst of speed and bounce off things until he reached his destination. So, ol' Ricochet here has all these great novels sitting on a thumb drive; each one stalled at various places.

In this series of posts, I'd like to explore some ways a writer can beef up a plot so that it sustains itself until the end. I will try to emphasize two basic problems: plot creation and plot control. It is not enough to create a good plot; you must control the plot until you reach that terrific climactic ending you have in mind.

New Book on PTSD Available

If there is anything more gratifying than seeing your own name in print, it's seeing someone you've helped get a book published. Such is the case of Dr. Diane England.

She and I met several years ago, shortly after my wife passed away, and I was able to introduce her to Paula Munier, Director of Product Innovation at Adams Media. Diane and Paula discussed Diane's work as a family counselor for the U. S. Air Force in Aviano, Italy. Paula immediately said, "I can use someone with your experience." The outcome of that meeting is THE POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER RELATIONSHIP.

Dr. England has many years experience in dealing with dysfunctional relationships and is a recognized expert in working with narcissistic substance and spouse abusers. She has a PhD in Clinical Social Work from the University of Texas, a Masters Degree in Family Studies from Oregon State University, and a Bachelor Degree in Child Development from the University of Maine (the Alma mater of yours truly) and has practised as a psychotherapist. Her counseling style is empathetic and her writing style makes you feel as if you're sitting in an easy chair having coffee with her.

The book is very readable and is full of case studies that illustrate the issues involved when one or more members of a relationship suffers from PTSD. It is available at most bookstores as well as amazon.com . For more information about Dr. England and her practise visit her web site at PTSDRelationship.com.

Congratulations Dr. Diane!!!

Mysteryman