DIZZY DAME, BEAUTIFUL WEATHER, WHICH DO READERS PREFER, MURDER AND MAYHEM, OR ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Well folks, my world is spinning today.  When I awoke around 2:30 to go to the bathroom, my head was whirling and the house or me was tilting.  It was me.  My inner ear is off and I have been a dizzy dame most of the day.  I’ve taken medicine that helps, but it also puts me to sleep, so my day has been wasted sleeping in my recliner with Titan on my lap.  When I’m not feeling 100%, he always wants me to sit in my chair so he can be on my lap or beside me.  I’ll call my doctor tomorrow because my sinuses are acting up and my ears are hurting.  Oh well, this too shall pass.  Another great sun shiny day here in the Springs.  Of course, I missed most of the day sleeping.  After taking that anti-dizzy pill, I couldn’t keep my eyes open.

I have a question.  What to readers prefer, romantic suspense or murder and mayhem with a touch of romance.  I like them both.  John Sanford, Robert Ludlum, Michael Connolly and other who write murder and mayhem.  I have trouble with romance stories that are written like a formula story.  Of course, love stories do run on a formula in a sense, girl meets boy, conflict, how they overcome conflict and resolve problems and come together in love.   All stories are created from a formula in a way.  Murder, investigation, conflict for characters, murder solved, conflict resolved, all parties come together.

Anyway, email me and let me know what type of story you like to read.

Just took another anti-dizzy pill.  La la land here I come.

Everyone have a great evening and stay safe.

Dreamah

MY MOTTO, OIL PAINTING, MARKETING IDEAS, THE OVERWHELMING TASK, MURDER AND MAYHEM

I have preached my motto, never give up, never surrender,  to you all since we uploaded our first novel, A CIRCLE OF MURDERS.  I firmly believe in that motto, and will continue to believe as I continue to work to succeed as an author.  But being a writer is a daunting task in the effort for all self published authors to market of our books.  Sometimes coming up with ideas to promote THE STONE KILLER and our other novels leaves me too mentally exhausted to even look at my computer screen.  I have read most blogs and suggestions on the Internet from others how to market.  I have contacted newspapers, television stations, book stores about book signings and emailed everyone I know and some I didn’t know telling where to buy the book and what it is about.   And if they buy it, and enjoy the story, please tell your friends about it and to buy it.

Why is it when you say you are a self published author that some people automatically think, “well, she couldn’t find a traditional publisher so her book can’t be very good”.  I see it in the expression on people’s faces and it pisses me off.  Granted there are poorly written books out there, but for God’s sake, don’t put a person down because they self publish before you read their work.  Even the poorly written book deserve acknowledgement for that writer’s effort.  I will not give anyone a bad review.  If you don’t like an author’s work, keep your mouth shut and let us decide for ourselves.

There are a great number of outstanding authors out there who self publish.  They do it because traditional publishers take forever to get a book out on the market, don’t want to spend the money to promote a book and don’t want to give an author a decent percentage of sales.   It doesn’t mean we can’t write.  It only means we want a decent pay for our efforts.  And yes, I hope I can consider myself a good authors who tells a riveting story.

Literary agents are missing the boat by not considering self published authors.  All they have to do is look inside the book on Amazon or any of the other sites to discover how well an author can write.  They should buy it, they might like it.  How well a book sell on self publishing sites is only indicative of how much marketing has been done.

Anyway, I’m off my soapbox for the evening.

Our books are about murder and mayhem, Jonas Black hunts down the evil wrecking havoc in his town and tried to give justice to those who have been wronged.  On my computer, I have outlined and started four more of the Jonas Black books in the series, THE HANGMAN, THE SNATCHER, THE ADVENGER, THE GARDNER plus brief sketches of others stories.

I have been working most of the day on an oil painting. The painting at the left is on a 30 x 48 canvas and was created for a Christmas contest where I used to work.  It is of Billie from the Polar Express movie and now hangs on the wall at my sister’s house in Kentucky.  It was a gift to my sister’s husband because he liked the painting so much and watches the Polar Express every Christmas.

Creating a painting gives my mind a break from keeping track of all the minute details in the storyline of a novel.  It is relaxing and tiring at the same time.  Most of my photographs for painting I want to do are loaded onto my tablet.  I worked so long today, I ran the battery down.  I hope to have this painting finished by Monday at the latest.  There is a lot of detail work that has to be applied in layers.  When it is finished, before I deliver it to the person it’s for, I’ll take a picture and post it in a blog.

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Have a great Sunday and stay safe.  Keep writing,  NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SURRENDER.

Dreamah

 

 

 

THE STONE KILLER, MURDER AND MAYHEM, CAN’T WRITE FAST ENOUGH. SUNSHINE, AND MY CRITTERS

I finished chapter fifteen of THE STONE KILLER late last night and discovered I have left out an important part of the investigation of the multiple murders.  So I have to decide where the appropriate place to insert this missing part of the story will be.   Writing murder is not the easiest job.  There are all these little details you have to keep track of and sometimes something gets left out.  I keep going over and over my story to try to prevent that from happening and hopefully I succeed.  I keep a running track of what is happening in the story on writing tablet on my desk.  Still sometimes I forget and have to rewrite a section.  Oh well, that happens.

One of my problems is that I can’t type as fast as I think.  Because of that I find I leave words out or letters off word, or put a ‘ed or s’ on the end of a word where one is not needed.  Thank God for my sister’s editing ability.  She is fantastic at finding my errors and locating missing information.

Well, I have been working the entire month of March with a daily headache from a sinus infection.  Needless to say that has been part of my writing problem.  It’s hard to get the brain to work correctly if all you feel is pain and pressure in your head and face.  Friday I go back to the doctor.  Things are improving, but it has been a rough process.  At least the day is bright and sunshiny with the temperature at 65 degrees at the moment.  I am thankful I live in Colorado where we have few gray days.  My sister in Kentucky has had a terrible winter with lots of gray days.  I don’t do gray very well.

My critters are doing well.  Bandit has decided she will not give up her bed beside my desk.  Titan wants it.  I solved that problem.  I now have two small beds on either side of my chair, but not so close they get in my way.  Those two are always vying for my attention.  Pyewacket and Stanley rarely give me a problem.

Well, it is time for me to get back to work on THE STONE KILLER.  My detective, Jonas Black, has another body to find and I have corrections to make.

Everyone have a great day.  Take care of yourselves and stay safe until we talk again.

Dreamah

 

EXHAUSTED, 8 PAGES, ALMOST 3000 WORDS, MURDER AND MAYHEM, SERIAL KILLER

Well the snow is melting, the weather is getting warmer and my brain has decided it will function once again.   Late last night, my characters in THE STONE KILLER began to invade my mind and urged me to go to my computer because they had something to say.  I did go to my computer and reviewed the last chapter I had written.  From the time I finished reading that chapter until almost 1:00 a.m. the word flowed from my fingers as John T Huntington and Morgan Jansen told me what was happening in their lives in the story.  By the time I got to bed, my brain was so tired I couldn’t write another word.  I slept so soundly.  It was great.

Thanks to my cats, the little one in particular, I woke up  at 7:00.  I fought then off until 7:20 when I at last rolled out of bed and made my way to the kitchen.  Of course they wanted their breakfast like NOW.  I fed them, punch the button on the coffee pot and headed for the bathroom to put eye drops in my eyes and wash the sleep from my face.  Two cups of coffee later, I am back at my computer, still in my PJs and typing away.  You can imagine how thrilled I am that my characters are talking again.  I wrote 8 pages today, almost 3000 words.  I was ecstatic.  I hope for more of the same tomorrow.

I imagine you all are sitting out there thinking I’m nuts.  Well, I may be, but as a writer, if this is nuts, I’m glad.   My book is playing out like a movie in my mind.  When my characters are talking, I can see them in my head, hear what they’re saying and see their actions.  All I do is type it into my computer.  I am so lucky that this is working for me, because THE STONE KILLER is a hell of a story.  I’ve got a serial killer, a ghost, a damaged cop, a beautiful woman with a past, and they all come together to fight it out in my novel.  Terrific.

Watch for THE STONE KILLER coming soon.

Until then, everyone take care of yourselves and be safe.

Remember:  never give up, never surrender.

COLD!!!, SNOW, SLICK ROADS AND WORKING, STONE KILLER

Well I am sitting at my computer trying to work on the next chapter of THE STONE KILLER.  Outside, the ground is covered with about 3 or 4 inches of snow.  There are icicles hanging from the roof around the house and from the bumpers of my car.  No, I can’t put it in the garage because the key to the door has been lost and can’t be opened from the outside.  Oh well, that’s okay because I don’t plan on going out and driving on slick streets.

It has started to snow again, tiny almost invisible flakes that you only can see if you’re looking at a dark background.  I don’t think there will be much of an accumulation.  The weatherman just reported cold, icy and minus zero wind chill.  Our high at the moment is -5 degrees.  This is the coldest I have seen it here in the Springs.  Of course, I haven’t been here for numerous winters.  I lived in Florida where if the temperature drops into the fifties, the residents freeze.  Believe me, Florida at 40 or 50 degrees can be colder than Colorado Springs at 10.  No, I do not long to be back in Florida.  I stay in out of the severe cold and work.  Books don’t magically get written by themselves.

Well since my characters are talking to me again, I’d better get back to work and jot down what they have to say.  I need to find out when Morgan is going to jump my detective for sex.  She really likes him and her dead twin is pushing her in that direction.  Marilyn is a forceful ghost and thinks she knows what’s best for her sister.  You know how siblings can be.  Maybe in this case, she does.  Or maybe Morgan is not as uptight as her sister thinks she is.  Watch for the novel’s debut before summer.

I guess  need to make a pot of potato soup.  That sounds good for lunch.  So until we talk again, stay indoors, stay warm, stay off the slick roads and be safe.

COOKIES, CHRISTMAS, EARLY TO BED, MAYBE, MURDER AND MAYHEM, THE STONE KILLER, EDITING, NUTTY

Cookie, Anyone (Photo credit: scubadive67)

I don’t know how bakers in bakeries do it day after day standing on their feet and making cookies and other pastries.  I made four and one half-dozen cookies and a large platter of peanut butter candy today, and I am exhausted.  Needless to say all those sweets are not staying in my home.  I made it all as thank you Christmas gifts for my mail man, a friend and the people who pick up my trash.  They are all considerate and nice people and deserve a thank you.

Oh Joy, Oh Joy!  My Christmas shopping is finished, the presents wrapped and I am so glad.  The New Year is fast approaching, and I again will be hard at work finishing THE STONE KILLER.  Of course, we will have to edit the text over and over for continuity, grammar, misspelled words and any other mistakes we’ve made.  The writing of a novel is not the hard part, it’s the editing process that can drive you nuts.  Because no matter how hard you work to make the text perfect a mistake will jump in there.  And you might wonder why a writer might be a little bit nuts.  Now you know.

This novel has taken on a life of its own. I love when that happens.  There will be more love scenes in this book because the story calls for it.  The old saying “when in doubt, leave it out,” applies in anything you write.  So keep writing, never give up, never surrender!

I am off to bed and a good night’s sleep.  Everyone have a great Christmas and Holiday.  Don’t eat too much.  Ah, go ahead, I probably will.  Stay safe.

Until we talk again.

 

REVIEWS AND COWBOYS

English: View of Pikes Peak from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, sometime before 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was thrilled to see that A CIRCLE OF MURDERS received two more five star review.  You know how it is.  When you send the kid out into the world to play with the others, you hope everyone will like your child and want to be their friend.  That is not the case and I accept it, but those five star reviews give me chills of appreciation.  So, a big THANK YOU to all who have read our novel whether or not you liked it.

Question:  How many fiction authors out there have their characters tell you their names whenever you start a new book?  I would like to know if this happens to anyone else.

Anyway, Well, I am back working on THE STONE KILLER.  The setting is Colorado Springs, Colorado and the main characters are Morgan Jansen and my Detective Sergeant John T. Huntington.  Morgan and her sister Marilyn gave me no problem.  They are identical twins and couldn’t be more opposite in personality or so it seems.

But John T, boy, he’s a bit of a problem.  He’s the big strong silent type.  A through and through cowboy.  Born and raised around Midland, Texas, he carries around some baggage.  As a teenager, he worked hard on his grandfather’s ranch and dated his classmate, Kelly Burton.  Three weeks after graduation while on a date with Kelly, John T blacks out and awake to find Kelly missing.   When he gets home to his grandfather’s house, the cops are waiting for him and Kelly is dead, brutally raped and murdered.  At first JT is the prime suspect, but nothing can be proven so he is never arrested.  Kelly’s murder is never solved.

JT blames himself for not protecting her.  He goes to college, studies anything to do with Criminal Justice and then joined the Marines, serves in Iraq and Afghanistan, is wounded and returns home, moves to Colorado Springs and joins the police force.

There we have his history so far.  Now JT is faced with multiple murders in the Springs and a woman that takes his breath away, Morgan Jansen.

Please tell me what you think.

A long day

You know how you plan on getting out of bed and accomplishing numerous pages of manuscript corrections, well, that didn’t happen today.  My final 100 pages left to review for the upload of the POD version of A CIRCLE OF MURDERS still have to be reviewed.   I have a art class tomorrow, so that is now on hold until tomorrow night unless it storms.  If that happens, I’ll have to finish it up on Thursday as Florida is the lightning capital of the USA.

For some reason, I had trouble getting to sleep last night.  I couldn’t shut my mind off.  I’m sure a lot of you know what I mean.  You’re tired and need to get to rest but your mind whirls with images and idea involving your unfinished novel, and you just have to get out of bed and jot those ideas down in your notebook you keep handy on the nightstand.  After sitting on the side of the bed and recording all my jumbled thoughts, my eyes and head aching, I took an Advil and crawled back into bed around 1:00 a.m.  The rest of my night was filled with bloody nightmares with me running around some VA hospital filled with wounded soldiers trying to determine who was the actual “good guy” in my dream.  I still don’t know.

My cats, I have two, decided they were hungry and woke me up a little after 7:00.  I stumbled out of bed, fed them and then went back to bed until 8:30.   I waited for the coffee to perk as I was in desperate need of caffeine.  By that time a chunk of the morning was gone.  I sat down at my computer to finish the editing, and procrastinated instead.  I have no idea why.  I discovered I was out of printer paper and used that as an excuse to run a few errands.  When I came home at around 4:30, I was too tired to work on the revision so, I’m guilty, I fell asleep on the sofa.  Now here I sit, I’m tired and my bed is calling to me.  I hope tonight is better than last night.  No bloody nightmares, please.

All in all it was a great day.  I needed a break.  I will definitely accomplish more tomorrow than I did today.  I hope everyone had a fantastic day as well.  Good night for now.