Read any good books lately?  This may be a cliched  conversation starter, but I thought it might be fun to start that very conversation right here.

Now that I’ve moved to a new community and I’m meeting new people, I’m usually asked what kind of books I write. I find myself stumbling over an answer. My mystery series is easy to explain. Clerical cozy mysteries. But my other books? Not as easy. There’s something of a controversy about the term “women’s fiction.”  Women’s fiction seems to discourage male readers, among other things, although it’s a term I still use. I think it’s clear that while men will enjoy my work, for the most part my books are about women and appeal to women because of the issues raised and the fantasies explored.

The word fiction, too, works fine, although then people always want to know what kind of fiction, so in the long run I end up using some portion of that previous explanation anyway. (more…)

While I’m waiting for my real life to resume and house-sitting for friends, I’ve been working on a novella.  A hundred pages is the perfect project for this interlude in my life.  Short, like my stay here, and easier to interrupt if I don’t finish the book before I move again.

The novella, tentatively titled Let It Snow, is the first of three in a Christmas anthology.  The stories are connected, and the coordination has been more work than the writing.  But my co-authors are lovely women, and we’ve managed to iron out details and have fun besides.

Let’s face it, normally I don’t write short.  Just don’t. I linger over characters’ lives, construct multiple subplots, and embellish settings.  I want my readers to feel they’re walking through the pages. I’ll confess that sometimes I take the long way home when I could detour successfully and get there days earlier.

So it’s odd that I also like to write novellas. Love to, in fact. And odder still, I’ve never gone over my word count. Since almost everything about writing one is a little different, today I’ll share a few things I’ve learned. If you’re planning to write a short book or even a short story, maybe these will help.

• Tell don’t show. Every novelist knows that showing, not telling, is the golden rule of fiction writing. Yet the shorter the novel, the more you must tell up front. What brought the character to this place. What the character is feeling. Of course you must avoid huge information dumps and reveal a bit at a time. But you are allowed to tell more and show less. Just be sure to show the really important scenes in detail. It’s a matter of figuring out where the emotion is, where the turning points are, where the major aspects of character development occur, then showing them. Just don’t show everything, or you will have written, ahem, a novel, not a novella.
• Choose a plot with emotion built in. Let It Snow is a lovers reunited story. My characters were once in love, but then they were separated by circumstance. Feelings run deep in a lovers reunited plot. The two main characters know each other well, but something caused them to part. So much has already happened before the book begins. And now you can tell, not show, what that was. Catch the reader up  quickly and move on. Lovers reunited is only one example. Choose a story that gets right to the emotion and the action, not one that requires a lengthy set-up.
• Think days, not years. Once you’ve established everything important that happened before the book opened, make the most of the days when your story takes place. These are the scenes you linger over.
• If you’re forced to use fewer words, choose them even more wisely. Every glance, every snippet of conversation, every description matters twice as much. Make every word count.

There’s nothing as gratifying as sitting down to a project you can complete in a matter of weeks or months.  It’s good for the ego, good for the soul.  Looking for a project?  Give a novella a try.

Since I’ve interviewed author Casey Daniels/Kylie Logan here at Southern Exposure, I thought you might enjoy a visit with one of Casey’s close allies, Pepper Martin, of the Pepper Martin Mysteries. Supernatural Born Killers has just arrived at your favorite bookstore, so make sure to grab a copy fast.  Pepper’s a busy lady–as you’ll see–so let’s get right to it.  You never know what this young woman will say.

1-Pepper, you look like an ordinary young woman. Prettier and more stylish than most, I grant you. But there’s a rumor circulating that you have a very special talent. Want to share?

You’re not talking about my talent for coordinating colors, pairing jewelry with outfits, or finding just the right shoes at the right price, are you? Didn’t think so. If I had to guess, I’d say you’re talking about my ability to talk to the dead. It’s a Gift, as they say, and honestly, there are days I’d like to return it. See, I am the world’s only PI to the dead. Some ghosts can’t get to the Other Side because of the unfinished business they have here, and they need help. That’s where I come in. Sure, it means I get to meet plenty of interesting people, both dead and alive. But it also means I’ve been shot at, mugged, kidnapped, pushed in a grave . . . well, I could go on and on. It’s not easy figuring out the mysteries that tie ghosts to this world so they can pass to the next!

2–Your love life is unbelievably complicated. Don’t you find that exhausting? Are you ever going to settle down with somebody, or are you going to keep looking? 

A girl’s love life isn’t something she likes to broadcast. At least not publicly. But since you mention it . . .

There have been a couple guys in my life, but you probably remember Quinn. He’s the gorgeous, tough, headstrong Homicide detective I met back when I first got this Gift that keeps on giving. We’ve been on and off since then, me and Quinn, and we were really off when I finally confessed to him that I speak to the dead . . . and he told me I was nuts and walked out on me. Oh, his story changed, all right. You see, you got shot on the job, and he was dead for a couple minutes. While he was, his ghost showed up at my apartment. Trouble is, Quinn refuses to talk about it. Like I said, headstrong.

The good news is that in my newest adventure, “Supernatural Born Killers,” it looks like he’s going to learn to open up a bit. Who knows where things may go from there!

3–What’s your favorite “case?” Or do you have even one you liked solving? I mean, they really ARE foisted on you, more or less.

Foisted is a kind word. I don’t have a choice, that’s for sure! The ghosts tell me that if I don’t help them, they’ll haunt me forever. Not a happy thought. As for a favorite, I’ve got to say the new one I mentioned above (“Supernatural Born Killers”) has got a lot going for it. There’s the thing with Quinn, of course, as well as a family reunion of sorts, my new job at the cemetery (I was promoted to community relations manager) and the fact that I now have “staff.” Oh, don’t look for them on the Garden View Cemetery roster. They’re all ghosts, bored with the afterlife and looking for ways to keep busy. I’ve got peeps…and they’re all dead!

4–Do you have a plan for your future? Do you see yourself leading cemetery tours until you retire? 

Now that I’m community relations manager, I’ve got a whole lot more to do than just tours. I write the cemetery newsletter (well, actually, one of those ghosts I told you about is doing that for me). I take care of my department’s budget (no, wait, another ghost has stepped up to help with that). I keep my department organized (well, actually, there’s a third ghost who’s volunteered for that duty). I guess that means I don’t have to worry a whole lot about cemetery business and I can concentrate on being PI to the dead.

5–Can you tell us about any particularly “odd” people you’ve met in your crime-solving journey?

Honestly, to me dead = odd.  I mean, really, are they supposed to come back and bug the heck out of me?  I think not.  So far, I’ve had 9 separate investigations and every resting-but-not-in-peace client qualifies as odd to me.  Then there are the living I meet every day.  In “Supernatural Born Killers,” I’ve got a Superman freak to contend with, and an entire convention’s worth of comic book geeks.  Freaky?  Plenty.

Well, I for one can hardly wait to read about THAT.  Thank you so much for stopping by on your whirlwind book tour.  Wait, I forgot to ask why you’re wearing a wedding dress on the book cover. . .  Pepper. . . Pepper. . ?

I guess we’ll have to find out for ourselves and read the book. Supernatural Born Killers is available at Amazon, B&N, or your favorite independent bookstore.

Late Breaking News:  Pepper’s offering one copy of a Pepper Martin mystery to one commenter on this blog.  Being the impatient person she is, she says you have only a week to comment, so giveaway closes next Friday at midnight, and random.org will make the choice. North American address needed.

Book reviews.  Seems like a simple subject, right?  You read a book, you tell friends you liked it or didn’t, and in this day of social media, you do it online so lots of people can read your opinion. If you’re the author of the book in question you read the review and you. . .

Explode!

Okay, maybe not. Lately novelists everywhere have discovered that responding to negative book reviews is a path to self-destruction. Trying to set the record straight? Responding to inaccuracies or obvious rants? Let the flame wars begin. And they have, all over the Internet. The logic seems to go like this: Novelists have had their say between the covers of their book. Now readers and reviewers want to have theirs without interference. If the authors try to defend themselves, they’re fair game, not just their novels.

I understand. Up to a point. Of course I draw the line at mean-spirited reviews by people who have clearly not read the novel in question. (I’m not referring to ANY of my reviews, by the way, which have been for the most part fair and kind.) But we novelists are learning to let all reviews silently roll over us. Many of my friends refuse to read theirs, even those vetted by loved ones. When it comes right down to it, if we’ve turned in the best book we’re capable of, then we’ve done our job. Some people will love our books and some will not. In the immortal words of Ricky Nelson (quoted at Southern Exposure far too often): “. . . you can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself.”

I’ve actually learned a thing or two from critical reviews. Some I can slough off, knowing that reader just needs another novelist to enjoy, because our tastes will never mesh. Some I can nod with and agree that yes, I could have done that better, and so I take the criticism to heart. Some are clearly written by a reader in a bad mood who is anxious to unload. I can relate to that, as well.

Recently, though, novelists have learned that if we want positive reviews and lots of them, glowing reviews are as close as our bank account. We can buy them. And lest you think that’s just silly, trust me.  A number of positive reviews will grab attention at places like Amazon.com. Think I’m kidding? Yesterday’s New York Times business section explained how it’s done. Get out the checkbook and you, too, can have positive reviews. As many as you can pay for. By people who have never picked up your book.

Of course most authors, this one included, would prefer no reviews to purchased ones. However, thoughtful reviews by thoughtful readers are much desired.

If you’re wondering what a helpful review looks like to an author?  Here are a few things to consider:

1. First, read the book in its entirety.
2. Remember those movie trailers you hate, the ones that show every important scene so that you no longer feel a need to actually buy a ticket when the movie makes its way to theaters? Let the author reveal the important plot points. Just hint. Hints are great.
3. Remember that your review will matter to other book lovers, to the author, to the novel’s publisher.
4. Most important? If you love a book, take the time to put up a review. If you want more, more, more, let Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, and any other review site know. Blog about it. Mention it on Twitter or Facebook. If you didn’t love a book?

Delete this post.

Diane Chamberlain and I have been chatting back and forth for the past two weeks, covering subjects like how to present “unsympathetic” characters sympathetically, character growth and change, whether characters become real to us, and more. If you missed the previous posts, you can scroll down here for my portions, and visit Diane’s blog, as well, to find the whole conversation. Today we’re concluding with some questions our blog readers have asked along the way.

As a special treat everyone who commented on either of our blogs is eligible for a book giveaway. Diane’s Summer’s Child, and my Sunset Bridge. We’ll let random.org choose our winners on Sunday, and you have until Saturday midnight to comment.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our back and forth. We thought it would be a fun way for you to get to know us and our books, and your comments have affirmed that. Diane and I always enjoy a good conversation, so we’re glad we could share this one with you.

Here’s our final portion of that conversation.

Diane: Meredith also asked a “non-character-specific” question I’ll turn over to you, Emilie: “How do you get started on a book?” Since you and I are nearly ready to start our next novels, that’s a good question!

Emilie: Story ideas come from the oddest places. A snippet of conversation. A glimpse of someone’s life. I’m particularly fond of creating books from titles–which is why I hate to have mine changed by my publishers. Once the glimmer of an idea presents itself, I let it simmer. Often two ideas collide at the same time and turn out to be meant for each other, even though it wasn’t love at first sight. Once I have enough to play with, I spend time considering possibilities, jotting them down into what I call my “Scenes and Revelations” file, in no particular order. Eventually that assumes the shape of an outline or a synopsis, and I’m in business.

Diane, do you work differently?

Diane: Emilie, I think I do work in a similar fashion, and what strikes home for me in what you said is “two ideas collide at the same time.” I love taking two diverse ideas and seeing what happens when I throw them together. My favorite example is The Escape Artist. I had two ideas: 1) a woman on the run with her little son, and 2) a woman buys a used computer and discovers information on it that must go to the police. When I turned those women into one woman–she’s on the run, so she can’t go to the police–I had a real story.

On my blog, Sheree asked us if we worry about a strong character from someone else’s story creeping into our own writing. What do you think?

Emilie: I do know writers who refuse to read fiction when they’re writing, for that very reason, but that means I wouldn’t be able to read at all. I do try to make sure I’m not reading similar material. For instance, I’ve never read any of Jennifer Chiavarini’s quilt series, simply because I don’t want to worry about inadvertently absorbing material or characters from her work to use in my own quilt series. 

I think we filter everything we write through our own experiences, so even if something about someone else’s character resonates for us and we find ourselves isolating that quality and playing with it, whatever we come up with is unique.

Same or different for you? And let’s finish with one more reader’s question, asked by Anne on your blog. When you’re writing one book, do you have your next book in mind, or do you wait until you have a finished project before thinking about your next?

Which you know, Diane.  Time’s always key, isn’t it?  But we can always make time for a chat like this one.

Diane and I both thank you for reading along with us.

Welcome to my good friend and guest blogger, Joanna Slan, who’s just begun an exciting new series, the Jane Eyre Chronicles. To celebrate, she’s promised to give one autographed copy of Death of a Schoolgirl to a Southern Exposure reader.  To enter leave a comment here for Joanna  before midnight Friday.

Take it away, Joanna.

“Friendship however is a plant which cannot be forced — true friendship is no gourd spring up in a night and withering in a day.”  ― Charlotte Brontë, The Letters of Charlotte Brontë

Although many of you “know” Emilie through her books and her blog, I’m privileged to know Emilie in a different way, as a friend.  A real life person who sends me emails that say, “Let’s get caught up” and best of all, “Want to come over for dinner?” She’s also the person who early on encouraged me to write a mystery series. I often call her “Kiki Lowenstein’s godmother” because Emilie gave me the idea that became the Kiki Lowenstein Mystery Series.

As you probably realize, Emilie is the sort of friend you always hope will come into your life. She’s loving, honest and loyal. For me, she’s also been a career asset, because a mentor like Emilie is hard to find. She’s been there by my side, every step of the way, offering me invaluable counsel, based on her extensive knowledge of the book business.

And yeah, she makes a pretty mean jambalaya, too!

When I sat down to write a sequel to Charlotte Brontë’s classic Jane Eyre, I gave a great deal of thought to populating Jane’s world. After all, our friends define us. They teach us, lead us, and shape us. Helen Burns, Jane’s first real friend, encouraged her to get an education and to succeed. Without Helen, Jane might never have considered going to work as a governess.

For Jane to be successful in London, where her first adventure takes her, she needed a friend conversant in the ways of high society. I created for her a first class BFF by the name of Lucy Brayton, a woman who is everything that Jane is not, but very much like Jane when it comes to intellect, bravery, and loyalty.

You see, one of our author “tricks” involves juxtaposing one personality against its opposite. Where Jane is an introvert, Lucy is an extrovert. Where Jane thinks before she speaks, Lucy is given to bloviating. (Don’t you love that word? It means to talk at length, but there’s something about it that always brings to mind a cow. Of course, that’s bovine, and this isn’t, but still…) Where Jane is sheltered, Lucy is worldly.

In the beginning, Jane is uncomfortable around Lucy. Lucy is most definitely a “hugger,” and Jane is not. You know how that goes. If you aren’t a hugger, you stiffen up. If you are a hugger, you throw your arms around people you barely know. But in time, Jane comes to enjoy Lucy’s affection.

My goal is for Jane and Lucy to have a long, rich and joyful friendship.

The kind I’ve had with Emilie.

Joanna Campbell Slan’s newest series, The Jane Eyre Chronicles, debuts August 7, with Death of a Schoolgirl. In it, a married Jane Eyre answers a cry for help from her former student, Adéle Varens. Rushing to the girl’s aid, Jane discovers that a murderer walks the halls of a London girls’ school. The plucky former governess must match wits with a killer—before another child loses her life!

To learn more about Joanna or this series, please visit her website.

I’m going to make a confession.  I like to smile at the end of a novel.  I like to think that problems have been resolved, that the characters I grew to care about will start the next phase of their lives with fewer burdens and a healthy dose of optimism.  I like, dare I admit it, a happy ending.  You may feel the same way.

But your happy ending and my happy ending?  Are they necessarily the same?

I once heard the happy ending defined as “the satisfying conclusion to the central conflict.” I liked that and made it my own, because frankly, I think happy endings are much broader than we sometimes assume. After all, if there was only one way to end every story, what exactly would be the point of reading?

The subject of happy endings came up recently when a reviewer contacted my publisher and admitted she faced a dilemma with my upcoming novel, One Mountain Away. Not that she didn’t like it. She did. A lot. In fact she made One Mountain Away one of her rare recommended reads. But the reviewer, Dorine Linnen, knew that some of the readers who read her reviews at Romance Junkies, might find this novel so different from the happily-ever-afters of the romance novels she normally reviews, that she wanted to find a way to warn them without giving away the story. And so, thoughtful woman that she is, she contacted my publisher for a discussion.

In the end  Dorine solved the problem this way:

“I need to mention that ONE MOUNTAIN AWAY may not meet the expectations of those who read mostly romance, even though it has a beautiful love story within it.  It’s women’s fiction and definitely follows a different drummer, which is why I love it.  I highly recommend this novel as an inspirational journey well worth the box of tissue you’ll go through while reading, and even though there’s a great deal of love within this novel, it’s more about women’s relationships and their personal growth.  ONE MOUNTAIN AWAY is filled with sorrow, optimism, forgiveness, faith and a deep love that transcends a lifetime.”

You can read the rest of her wonderful review here.

Can a novel that requires “a box of tissue” be a novel with a happy ending?

Every novel sets up a different set of problems, but if a character sets out on a difficult journey, we want him or her to reach the destination with new wisdom and insight, even while encountering obstacles that may still be roadblocks in the future. In “women’s fiction” we expect the novel’s characters to grow and change for the better, but most of all, we want them to find what they’ve spent the novel searching for.

You will have to decide what a happy ending means for you, but I can tell you that by my definition, One Mountain Away has a happy ending and I look forward to discussing it with you after you’ve read it. While a box of tissue may be called for, I also promise that when I finished my final edits, I was smiling.

I think you will be smiling, too.

As my husband delivered yet another bag of books to the Arlington Library, the librarian came forward to thank him personally.  After all, even if nobody else gives the library gently read books for the next book sale, it will still be a success.  Singlehandedly we have donated hundreds of volumes, about nine out of ten that were formerly on our shelves.  Unless we finally call a halt, Michael will need ice packs and Advil for his sore back.

From the moment we decided to move, I dreaded the day the culling would begin.  How could I get rid of these precious memories, this invaluable information, this journey into the hearts and minds of my fellow authors? (more…)

I’m back from two weeks of searching for a new place to live.  We “think” we may have found the right spot, but so far, no house, so no announcement. Having the freedom to move anywhere we can afford is daunting and exhilarating at the same time. All those options!

Meantime, my wonderful friends are busily publishing books.  And many of them are giving away copies to lucky readers.  So for fun I thought I’d list a few giveaways to tantalize you.  What better way to find a new author to love? (more…)

It’s always such a pleasure to tell you about good books.  Today’s is no exception.  Cast of Characters, an anthology of stories written by twenty-eight of my esteemed colleagues, is now available.  Cast of Characters is the quintessential satisfying read because no matter how limited your reading time, you can pick it up, enjoy a joy ride into one talented author’s imagination, get a final jolt of satisfaction at the ending, then put the book down until your next free moment.

You may note that the trade paperback version is expensive.  That’s a reflection of the size.  Remember, twenty-eight authors! Luckily size isn’t important with e-books, so the e-version is more than reasonable.  In fact it’s a steal. (more…)