5 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Fiction Series

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Fiction Series: Avoid inconsistencies when writing a series and keep your readers happy by reviewing these five common mistakes found in fiction series.

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Novel Writing: 10 Questions You Need to Ask Your Characters | Writer's Digest

Novel Writing: 10 Questions You Need to Ask Your Characters | Writer's Digest: BY BRENDA JANOWITZ You simply cannot write a good novel without knowing your characters inside and out. Here are the top 10 questions you need to be able to answer about each of your characters:

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Myth and the Environmental Crisis

Myth and the Environmental Crisis

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Starting Ayekah The Damned with inciting incident in The Sylph’s Tale

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Fiction University: 14 Days of Writing Prizes, Starting...NOW!

Fiction University: 14 Days of Writing Prizes, Starting...NOW!: By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy It’s the season of giving, so I

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About Magical Realism

Thank you Oprah Magazine, the authors listed on the Magical Realism article are some of my favorite and could list several more. I, so far have thought and called my series Fantasy based on Mythology but that category has not felt entirely correct and because of this article I realize that Wings of Immortals- my series is Magical Realism. Information on my series can be found at: https://www.martacweeks.com/

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How to Write a Novel: My Proven 12-Step Process

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Fiction University: Online Resources

A site full of great information!



Fiction University: Online Resources: *Updated April 2019 These are just a sampling of the many great (and some of my favorite) sites out there for writers.  Must-Visit Writ... Your comments and suggestions are very welcomed!

Fiction University: Five Ways to Grow Your Novel

Needed to read this and almost skipped. I will also read other articles sited in paragraphs and share them on my author's page. Thank you.



Fiction University: Five Ways to Grow Your Novel: By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Last week I talked about what changes in your scenes , and reader Maria D'Marco made a wonderful comm... Your comments and suggestions are very welcomed!

Fiction University: Lessons Learned from a Decade in Publishing

Fiction University: Lessons Learned from a Decade in Publishing: By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Looking back on ten years as an author—and what I’d have done differently if I could have. This week ma...

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Hi and welcome! : How I wrote On Wings Of Immortals-series

Hi and welcome! : How I wrote On Wings Of Immortals-series: I wrote book two Virgins first and because of questions from workshop readers wrote book one The Sylph’s Tale. Then book three, Rolo. I a...

How I wrote On Wings Of Immortals-series

I wrote book two Virgins first and because of questions from workshop readers wrote book one The Sylph’s Tale.
Then book three, Rolo.
I am currently editing a complete version of The Sylph’s Tale which will be ready to be published next month, possibly under the name Ayekah the Damned.
Have book four in the works.
The Sylph’s Tale, published incomplete as a novella, has excellent reviews on Amazon.
The screenplay version Ayekah the Damned is an award winner.
I am looking for a publisher.
Webpage: martacweeks.com click On The Wings Of Immortals series.
On Wings Of Immortals -series

'It Was The Right Thing To Do': NYPD Officers Speak Out After Their Act Of Kindness Goes Viral

"...blessed be the mercifull....


'It Was The Right Thing To Do': NYPD Officers Speak Out After Their Act Of Kindness Goes Viral: Three NYPD officers are being praised for their act of kindness.

114-Year-Old In Harlem Celebrates Her Birthday, Record As Oldest Person In United States

Awesome!!! Happy 114 birthday Alelia Murphy!!!!

114-Year-Old In Harlem Celebrates Her Birthday, Record As Oldest Person In United States: Surrounded by family and wearing a crown, Alelia Murphy celebrated her 114th birthday – continuing her reign as the oldest living person in the country.

Interview with author Jo Chandler

For my 2nd author interview, I selected the award-winning author, Jo Chandler.

From years ago when Jo and I were in a writing group I found her story, This Side of Forever, to be an honest view of what alcoholism and addiction do to families and teens. Having battled addiction and in counseling addicts and families I find that Jo's novel, This Side of Forever, can open a door of hope for parents and teens.     

My questions and Jo’s answers:


Q. Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
A. I think I always knew writing was in my bones, but it wasn’t until I became a reporter for my high school newspaper, the Manikopa, that I began to write in earnest. When I became editor of the newspaper during my senior year, I knew I’d found my home. But even then, it didn’t occur to me that I would write for a living.

Q. When did you first consider yourself a writer?
A. I dropped out of college in my junior year to get married. During that time, the writing was the furthest thing from my mind. After my divorce, I landed a job as the district marketing manager for a cellular company. My job entailed writing an array of marketing materials, including press releases, mail inserts, and statewide intercompany communications. Then I got fired. (Cellular technology was not my forte.) Rather than find another job, I decided to strike out on my own as a freelance journalist. That decision led me to a career writing feature articles for magazines and newspapers. I finally believed I was a writer. Writing fiction came much later.

Q. Do you have a specific writing style?
A. I know in advance where I want my story to go and what I want to accomplish. I can usually see the novel’s arc in my mind. I jot down notes to keep me on track, sort of like writing a grocery list. I make another list of what I need to research and a third list of who I need to interview. Here’s where it gets a little nuts. I gather together all of my final notes (handwritten, typed and printed from various websites) and literally go through and number each paragraph by hand, according to where it will appear in the story or novel. I have been using this method for decades.

Q Is your novel based on someone you know or events in your own life?
A. People often ask me if This Side of Forever is based on my daughter’s life. The answer is yes and no. Annie Bloom is not Crista. But the relationship between Annie and her mother came from that place in my heart where mother/daughter bonds can never be broken. The other characters are a compilation of teens I knew growing up (including two who died as a result of alcoholism) and young people I’ve known as an adult.

Q. What was the hardest part of writing your novel?
A. The hardest part of writing my novel was when it was finished. I’m an extrovert/introvert, which simply means I love people, but I don’t love trying to market myself and my work. I will sign books anywhere, anytime, and I have spoken to many middle school and high school English classes. I thoroughly enjoy both of these events. I have difficulty cold calling potential venues and convincing them to book me. This is where a publicist comes in handy. But even with an agent or publisher, today’s authors are expected to have a solid marketing plan. I’m determined to be more aggressive when my next novel debuts.

Q. How did you come up with the title?
A. I believe our true home is a spiritual realm of pure oneness and joy in which we come to know God as a being of limitless, changeless love. What we think we experience while we are on this planet (This Side of Forever), is nothing but an illusory blip on our Divine journey.
Q. Is there a message in your novel you want readers to grasp?
A. My first hope is that readers relate to Annie as she faces the death of her best friend through the bottom of a bottle and cheer for her recovery. The message I want them to come away with is that no matter how horrible we think we are, no matter what unforgivable thing we think we did, we are innocent in the eyes of Love. And Love is all there is.

Q. Do you have advice for other writers? Also, sites and groups you recommend.
A. Here is some advice I wish someone had told me. Never stay in a critique group where you are made to feel bad about your work. A good critique group should be sensitive and supportive in their comments. Your success should be their first concern. Also, network with other writers. I’ve been a member of California Writers Club, Sacramento, and CWC San Joaquin County. I was also a member of Gold Country Writers and Northern California Publishers and Authors until I moved out of the area. I’ve met so many wonderful people through these clubs. Writers are my tribe.

Q. Can you share a little of your current work with us?
A. I am on the final revise/edit of a novel I call Street Girl. It’s about a homeless girl who lives with her mother along the Sacramento River. When her mom disappears, thirteen-year-old Zoe is left to fend for herself. The seed for this novel was planted when I read about a homeless preteen in the Sacramento area whose parents vanished, leaving her completely alone. Beyond that, my novel is pure fiction.

Q. Is there anything else you would like readers to know about your life as a writer
A. As I said before, I spent most of my career writing nonfiction. It seems I had a knack for it. When I decided to switch gears and enter the world of make-believe, I thought it would be a fairly simple switch. It wasn’t. There was a steep learning curve. I remember taking a class from a well-known author. She was a wonderful teacher who didn’t hold anything back when it came to improving my work. There were times during that class when I felt like giving up. But, after the tears stopped, a voice inside reminded me that writing stories is what I do. It’s who I am. I can’t imagine my life any other way.

www.jochandler.com
jo@jochandler.com
Facebook.com/AuthorJoChandler

Searching For Safety, poem

In fear loaded times
Will a mask
That blends with all 
Does not claim sides
Speaks of nothing
Stands for no one
Keep one safe?
To walk in crowds
Or hide behind doors
Doing nothing 
Offending no one
Make us loved?
And where to hide
When a voice roars
Or first bomb drops
In a corner 
School or mall?

Marta
04/25/2017

https://hellopoetry.com/martacweeks/
Sent from my iPad

For Ever, poem

For Ever 

The Mind
when immersed in memories
of yesterday carried by
hopes of tomorrows
and thoughts that like stones
on the surface of a lake
skip from feeling to heart
tracing ripples of emotions
as from nature's beauty
to the smallness of self
is a universal totality
brushing wind over water
to wave onto shore
a life that lost on Earth
helps grow the next wave
that reaches beyond
into the horizon
where some go to sleep
while others wake
are born or take last breath
to be born again
matters not if the sun shines
or the moon reflects on its surface
glass only gives back
the reality of what is
not what one wants
the universal blanket
over and under
above and below
into time on end
not wavering not changing
to accommodate humanity
sustains eternity
what was and what will be
wishing to be more
is as a mere leaf that falls
over an oak seed on its bank
majestic in the passing
before and after us
is where we take part
of forever

Marta
06/01/2017
https://hellopoetry.com/martacweeks/
For Ever by Marta C Weeks

6 Tips for Adding Life to Your Locations

6 Tips for Adding Life to Your Locations

Hi and welcome! : Interview with author Caren Gallimore

Hi and welcome! : Interview with author Caren Gallimore: For my first author interview, I selected award winning author,  illustrator  and editor   Caren Gallimore.   In Gallimore&...

Interview with author Caren Gallimore

For my first author interview, I selected award-winning author, illustrator and editor  Caren Gallimore. 

In Gallimore's debut novel WANTED the reader can "ride the traills of imagination" with her main character Caitlyn Daniels who "didn’t plan to fall in love, least of all with an outlaw. Life was too exciting to waste it on domesticities. However, when Dakota Cabe rode into town, she lost her heart to him."

My questions and Caren's answers:

Caren when did you first consider yourself a writer?
At the age of ten when my best friend and I created our cat magazine.

Do you have a specific writing style?
I’m a pantser. I relate my writing process to conversing with a dear friend who calls out of the blue and says, “Guess what happened?” She tells me, and I’m flabbergasted by her news.
It’s the same with my characters, I write down their news and in the process discover what all happened. The preceding event that led up to the calamity is as exciting as their plans to resolve it. I find out even more about my characters and how their experiences came to be. From there I just follow them around. Sometimes one of my characters does something so out of place and contradictory to what I expect, I’m stunned. Regardless, I write it down and eventually it all makes sense.

How did you come up with the title?
My first choice was Leather and Lace, but the title was already taken. Wanted was the next logical choice because of my main male character’s unfortunate bounty on his head and my heroine desire for the man under the rough veneer. I assumed the publisher would change the title so I always considered it my working title. They didn’t change it and that is what it is printed under. Gasp. 

I didn’t realize how many Wanted titles there were or their distinctions. 😊

Is there a message in your novel you want readers to grasp?
As hokey as this sounds, love is stronger than any devil you may encounter, and faith in your loved one when circumstances contradict can make that commitment even stronger. And, need I say, women are tough.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Finding uninterrupted time to write. I am not a person that can write wherever. Again, I relate it back to an intense conversation with a friend. You don’t want to put her on hold or have other people eavesdropping on you. You want to sit down and listen intently.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Not to get overly involved with my characters and interfering with their decisions. And, also uninterrupted time, especially for edits. I certainly don't expect life to pause while I’m writing, but I find it challenging to do edits if I have conflicting interests.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
From a very early age, I loved to draw and always had a little story to go with the drawing. My spelling was atrocious, but what can you expect at the age of five?

Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
It’s not so much about being a writer as it is to write the story. I think everyone has a story to tell but it needs to be on paper so others can read it?

Do you have any advice for other writers?
Just write. Never stop to edit until you are done. Write even if you have nothing to say. When I’m stumped in my writing, I write about that, and I also write the reason why. Such as: Where am I going with this? This conflicts with my character's background. Why does it? Why would she act so out of character? Did I miss something? It’s incredible what I discover just by writing my thoughts. I ask myself questions and write down the answers. Why would she say that? What did he feel when she said that? I also write scenes in reverse switching characters, and change the POV to get to the core of the scene.

Do you have anything specific you want to say to your readers?
Thank you for reading my work. I put my heart into it and hope it was all you expected it to be. Please let me know your thoughts.

Are experiences based on someone you know or events in your own life?
When I was a preteen, I camped with the girl scouts at a pony express station in Utah that no longer exists. That experience has stayed with me my entire life. I fell in love with the west and the ruggedness of the people that lived there.

Please share some pointers about the storyline.
Wanted is a love story set in 1885 in a fictional town in Colorado. The two main characters are Dakota Cabe and Kaitlin Daniels. The story starts out in Bisweak Colorado where the two meet.
This is from my back cover which I hope tells you about the storyline:
Caitlyn Daniels didn’t plan to fall in love, least of all with an outlaw. Life was too exciting to waste it on domesticities.
However, when Dakota Cabe rode into town, she lost her heart to him. His reputation, which left most women in need of smelling salts, didn’t deter her; she saw the man beneath the tough façade of a hard-hearted desperado. When the sheriff forced him out of town, she was devastated. She understood his reasons to protect her from bounty hunters, but she’d rather live on the run than without him. But he didn’t ask, and she didn’t tell him she was pregnant. Her pride wouldn’t allow her.
Eighteen months later, John Wakefield, a vindictive outlaw, kidnaps her son and her friend. Her pride was meaningless. She’d make a deal with the devil if that could change things.
Alone, but not without skills of her own, she rides out after John Wakefield and his gang.
In her desperate pursuit to rescue her son, she collides with Dakota, surprisingly on the same mission. She needs a man as cold, brutal, and cunning as the man who has her son; she needs Dakota Cabe. And she wasn’t too proud to beg if necessary, but she didn’t have to.
Former lovers, now daring desperados they put their past aside to save their son. Together they confront vicious outlaws; friends turned enemies and an unruly love neither of them can deny nor control.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?
ANOTHER TIME will be a 95,000-word time-travel romance set in the wild west and the present. 

Synopsis: A simple incident of being in the wrong place at the wrong time propels Jessalyn McQuire back 100 years into a time of vigilante justice, half-breed cowboys and high-test horses. At first, Jess is pleasantly amused by the shenanigans of this overdone John Wayne reenactment, but as time goes on, and real bullets start to fly, humor turns into the mother of all headaches.
Devon Slade is baffled by the woman he finds alone, without a horse, (although she claimed to have had a car), dressed in men's clothing, black goo running down her face in a ghoulish manner, with no weapons and in need of assistance. Being graced with this problem when he was in the middle of making haste doesn’t endear her to him.
Chased by outlaws, attacked, robbed and nearly hung does little to entice Jess to stay in the Wild West. What she truly wants is a first class ticket back home and a chilled martini.
But, there is one little hitch to her quest to get back home; obnoxious as the man was, he had proven to be more dependable, more capable and more genuine than any man she had ever met.
If she could find her way home, would she really want to go?

Thank you Marta!

More Caren Gallimore images  

www.goodreads.com/.../show/18464921.Caren_Gallimore
“Ride the trails of Imagination”

Caren Gallimore
www.CarenGallimore.com