A Huge Thank You!

I had a wonderful time this weekend at the Buffalo Historical Society's Maker's Market! A huge shout-out to friends Laura, who showed up for moral support, and Ann and Jay who traveled great distances to support my efforts as well. So great to see them!

It was a great venue, and the folks who run and volunteer at the museum are the friendliest!

What a super time meeting so many people -- young and old alike -- who were interested in Relic and Eye of the Peacock, their story lines, themes, and inspiration. I had some great conversations! This was my first big signing since Covid hit, and meeting potential readers is really the best part of being an author. Writing is a very isolated craft -- you're really kept company only by the characters you create. But when you do a signing, you get to connect with people who are interested in those characters that you have become so close to. 

So many people out there like to read -- and write. If you bought a copy, I thank you. If it was a gift, I hope they love it. Please feel free to contact me here. And don't forget to write a review on either my Amazon or my Good Reads page. Friday and Saturday let me also talk about this blog and the writing tips I've been offering. I hope you all visit and take advantage! It felt so good to be back in the saddle again!

Book Signing

This weekend I will be signing books and talking to readers about my craft at the Audubon Library in Amherst, NY. It will be my first book signing for Eye of the Peacock, which is really exciting.

Audubon is a fabulous public library with an extensive book collection. I think it is great that they are opening their doors to local writers as a venue to sell their books. What a marvelous chance it will be to catch some great new reads.

Take advantage of the opportunity – Sunday, Nov. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. Come out and see me as well as the other authors who will be on site!

Local Author Fair

I’m very excited to announce that I will be offering signed copies of both Eye of the Peacock and Relic at the Local Author Fair. I will be joining authors from around the area from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, November 17, at the Audubon Library on John James Audubon Parkway in Amherst, NY.

A major thank you to my neighbor Martin for slipping the announcement for the event in my mailbox! I love events like this. One of the best parts of writing is meeting people who are eager to read your work.

I mean, really, ultimately, it’s why we should be writing – to share our work. Otherwise, writing is a terribly lonely endeavor. So put it on your calendars! Come out and chat with me on the 17^th!

New Release!

Please join me in celebrating the release of my next novel – Eye of the Peacock!


What is it about? Well, it’s about a teenager, Aubrey Harrington, who just wants to get the community service hours she needs to graduate from high school. She never thought that taking the volunteer tour guide job at the local mansion would change her life forever. When she falls – or is pushed – down a flight of stairs, Maeve Somerton gives her a hand up, but the help comes with a price. Maeve thinks she was murdered, and now Aubrey must help her.

Spiraling back in time, Aubrey feigns being Maeve’s school chum to try to solve a mystery among strangers. Meanwhile, Aubrey also lays comatose in a hospital, and as her condition worsens, her family and friends wonder if she will ever come back to them. Caught in a twist of time and existence, Aubrey finds herself more ghost than alive in a world in which she was never meant to be.

Will Aubrey be able to solve the mystery of Maeve’s death? And even if she does, will she be able to find her way back home?

So what is the genre? Once again, there’s a lot going on. A little supernatural, a little time travel, a little historical fiction, but it combines for a fun read! Click on the image in the right column to order!

Cover Reveal!

At last!

Eye of the Peacock is only inches away from hitting the presses! Proofs were ordered only minutes ago. So, within a week or two, my second novel will be available! Personally, I love this one, and so will readers who are willing to suspend reality.

I am also revealing the cover, designed once again by Aaron La Porta. I think Aaron did a wonderful job capturing the mysterious and supernatural flavor of the book.

Here is the back cover summary: Aubrey Harrington just wants to get the community service hours she needs to graduate from high school. She never thought that taking the volunteer tour guide job at the local mansion would change her life forever. When she falls – or is pushed – down a flight of stairs, Maeve Somerton gives her a hand up, but the help comes with a price. Maeve thinks she was murdered, and now Aubrey must help her.
Spiraling back in time, Aubrey feigns being Maeve’s school chum to try to solve a mystery among strangers. Meanwhile, Aubrey also lays comatose in a hospital, and as her condition worsens, her family and friends wonder if she will ever come back to them. Caught in a twist of time and existence, Aubrey finds herself more ghost than alive in a world in which she was never meant to be.
Will Aubrey be able to solve the mystery of Maeve’s death? And even if she does, will she be able to find her way back home?

I’m so excited! I hope you love it!

Some Irony

Love this entrance to one of my favorite book stores – Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Nothing is written in stone, unless, of course, it is! You have to love the irony!

As I put finishing touches on The Eye of the Peacock, I feel like the whole thing will be written in stone. In a few weeks, the ideas and words will be out there, unable to be changed.

And yet, I am reminded of writers, who have done readings of their works, who change the words as they perform. Do they see imperfections in their work that they wish they could now change? Poet Taylor Mali adds the word “criminally” in his 2008 performance rendition of “Undivided Attention.” Was that a mistake? Or does he wish he would have written it that way?

Maybe as writers we can go back after publication and change things. Maybe that’s what second editions are for. Maybe it’s true. Perhaps nothing really is written in stone!

2018 Surprises

Happy New Year!

I have to chuckle to myself at the possibilities a new year springs on you!

Just a few days ago, I wrote about how the pieces of my Eye of the Peacock project were pulling together. I am very excited about the cover ideas that will be coming soon.

Or so I thought!

My cover designer, Aaron La Porta, is first and foremost the head designer for the Buffalo Bills football team. Here in Western New York, we don’t get too excited about the Bills’ playoff possibilities. We hope and we cheer, mind you, but, well…. So, as the season neared its end, I was confident that Aaron might have a bit more free time on his hands.

But lo and behold! Not so! The Bills’ have broken 17-year playoff drought!

So as I cheer for the Bills, along with the rest of Western New York, the peacock will just have to wait a bit longer! Here’s to more surprises in 2018!

The Bridge to a New Year

This time of year we find ourselves on the cusp of two years.

At the same time, I find myself on the cusp of two projects.

Eye of the Peacock is with my team of beta readers. It is an exciting and anxious time for me. I hope they enjoy it, but at the same time, I know they will have questions and concerns with the plot. Eventually, I will need to return to this project so that it is ready for my anticipated late summer release. My cover designer also has all he needs, except final length, to begin that part of the project.

So while I wait, I have begun my next project, one I am truly excited about. It is a futuristic fantasy with a male protagonist. Both concepts push at my comfort zone, but I am ready for the challenge. The plot is not solidified yet. At this point, I am having fun with my main character and the people who are coming into his life. I am hoping he will be an unsuspecting hero. I hope he meets my expectations!

The Draft is Done!

The draft of “Eye of the Peacock” is now finished. Huzzah!

I’m taking a week to read through one last time to look for silly mistakes before it goes to my team of beta readers. Besides my usual crew, I’ll have three teens on that team, and I’m excited for their input. I’ll be giving them several weeks to read and make their annotations.

Then begins the really tough work: comparing their notes page by page. If they all pin point a problem area, then it’s my job to rework it. Some will also spot some editing mistakes, and I’ll fix those along the way.

The next step is ordering proofs once the cover has been decided. Another team of readers will “red pen” those copies for editing mistakes.

Then it’s off to the publishers!

First Step

So…

I got a quick start on my 2017 New Year’s resolutions today. Here’s the back story:

At one of my writers’ group meetings last year, I read one of my most recent additions to Eye of the Peacock. I was really pleased with the new character that had to be created to take the story line in the direction it was supposed to go in.

But let’s say it was met with little enthusiasm.

On the drive home, I realized that my fellow writers were correct. I was getting too far away from the original story line. But to cut that part of the plot, I realized the ending of the story would need to be changed as well. And for that to happen, another method for murder had to be considered.

On that quiet drive home it all came together. The cut would have to come and it would have to be drastic. I dreaded it.

So today the cut was made. More than 4,000 words set aside. (I never delete. I may need it someday.) And to go with that cut, highlighting of sections that may need to be rewritten to accommodate the new plot twists.

I have a lot of work to do in 2017.

Happy New Year!

I love a clean slate. My resolutions for 2017?

1.    To blog on a more regular basis, and therefore catch you up on all the things that have been happening

2.    To stick to my 20 minutes of writing a day, which will undoubtedly lead to my next resolution

3.    To finish Eye of the Peacock, so that I can begin drafting the third book that is plaguing my brain

4.    To unclutter my life, which I hope still allows me time for resolutions 2 and 3!

I wish you all health and happiness in the new year along with, of course, great ideas for writing!

Summer Inspiration

One of our last summer trips was to Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua, NY, which is serving as the inspiration for my second novel.

Like Relic, the plot in Eye of the Peacock will be totally fictionalized and will not resemble the real story of Sonnenberg at all. At 26,000 words in, I needed a little renewed inspiration. I needed to walk the paths my characters are walking, look out the windows they are gazing out, and hear the sounds they would be hearing. It did more than serve the purpose. We also took a formal tour of the property – something we have never done. I got some good basic information and also a neat nugget that might serve as the novel’s big twist.

Not only that, but I was after some photos that might serve as the basis for the cover of the novel.

Quite a productive and enjoyable day!

Taking in the Sights

In the far left corner, Romanesque marble columns supported the domed iron grillwork of a garden house. A pillared pergola draped with vines waited for an evening stroll along the entire right side of the view.

 “It’s just that I’ve never seen something so…. Well, I just can’t believe I’ve lived here all my life and never realized this place was here.”

    “Well, I hear that people who live near Niagara Falls don’t go to see it either!” Ida mused.

Early in Eye of the Peacock,

Ida, the head docent at the historical manor, makes light of people who don't take time to cherish what is in their own back yards.

You don’t need Pokemon Go to get out there and learn about your surroundings. So instead of looking down at electronic devices, the family went off to Niagara Falls – which is actually in my “back yard” – and made a day of it.

I don’t think we laughed that much as a family in quite a while. With a real feel temperature of 95 degrees, we rode The Maid of the Mist without our protective ponchos, got soaked again at The Cave of the Winds, enjoyed the colorful displays at the Niagara Aquarium, and hiked Three Sisters Islands – all before quickly eating gigantic dripping ice cream cones from The Twist of the Mist!

Get out there and see what is great near you!

Use Photos to Inspire

As the school year winds down, I’m gearing up for a writing summer.

Part of that pre-writing preparation involves finding photos that inspire me. For my next supernatural mystery, Eye of the Peacock, I am lucky enough to have photographed the location that provides the most inspiration for the story. But I also scan the internet for people, scenery, and historical events that help keep my descriptions focused and help me imagine the story.

Sometimes I drop these photos right at the top of my page as I write, and then remove them later. In Relic, some of the photos even made it into the book as chapter illustrations.

I’m even collecting photos for my next project, yet untitled, but planned to be a futuristic adventure.

A Stop on the Road

Seems I’ve lost immediate inspiration for Eye of the Peacock. I think I need a break to figure out some plot probs. In the meantime, I’ve begun toying with another idea that’s been knocking on my cranium.

I’ve been inspired by a location – again.  And shortly after visiting the sight this summer, a character for a fantasy popped into my head. I’ve developed him briefly, but he doesn’t even have a name yet.

Then, about two nights ago, at about 2 a.m. another character popped into my head. I think she starts the story. I’m trying to figure out how the two characters will connect – if they’ll ever meet.

The whole situation, made me remember Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey. If you’ve never seen it, I’ve included a graphic. It’s a great outline for any hero’s story. I started using it when first organizing Peacock. I’m going to start working with it again to see how my new characters and the ever important location fit.

 

Melon Research

From St. Nicholas Magazine, August 1916.
From the Dave Thomson
collection

“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.”

                  -Mark Twain

That’s been my writing job this week. Getting the facts.

Both Eye of the Peacock, and Relic, are inspired by real mansions in New York State. The stories are ficticious, but I like pieces of the story to ring true for the age and location of each real place. So, I’ve been doing some research as I’ve been writing. The extra time over the holidays has allowed for this nicely.

This morning, for instance, I was looking into conservatories, greenhouses, the differences between them, how they are constructed, and details about the real greenhouses on this particular property. I’ve also been researching melons – yes, melons! Muskmelons versus Casabas, and how growers use little hammocks to protect them from falling.

Both of these, believe it or not, are needed in my next supernatural mystery.

No, it’s not about an attack of ghost Casabas from a haunted greenhouse….

 

Work With Your Characters

Writing Tip # 6:  Characters will often take off in directions you, as a writer, don’t intend.

I was writing on Eye of the Peacock this past weekend. Aubrey, my 21^st century protagonist, had just had her first dinner with the owner of the estate that is the 1906 setting of the story. It was a big dinner – big – and she’s a skinny kid.

Aubrey was really battling with me at the start of the next chapter. She wanted to skip the breakfast she was expected to attend and go walking in the gardens. I kept insisting she go to breakfast as planned. The woman was expecting her to be there. She was a guest in the house. It would be rude for her to not show up. Aubrey was insisting it was going to be another big meal. She didn’t eat like that.

As the writer, I had to find a reason for her to go to breakfast. It finally came to me last night. The owner of the estate is going to be reading a newspaper at breakfast, and the piece of history that needs to be woven into the book is going to show up in the headline.

As a writer, your characters are going to disagree with you, challenge you, and want to take on a life of their own. Don’t try to totally control them. Sometimes they have good ideas. But watch it. Make every move work toward your story’s end.

Taking My Own Advice!

Eye of the Peacock continues to evolve.

Currently, I am trying to mold several characters. Frankly, they are giving me trouble. Sometimes it takes me a while to realize I need to follow my own advice!

I turned to research.

Many of my writing group collegues are very good a choosing names that give insight into the character. So I visited some name websites. The characters will be imigrants to this country at the turn of the century, so I looked for European names and specifically looked for meanings that fit their role in the story. This won’t mean much to my readers – unless they are looking for hidden meanings, but it will help keep me on track with their personalities.

I also started looking for photographs for inspiration. These characters are working-class men and boys, so that’s what I looked for. I came up with a few that will help me pinpoint facial features and clothing. I even hit pay dirt and found a video of turn-of-the-century workers walking down the street. I can see their movements and their clothing. This will be very helpful!