Recommended Book Series by Liliana Hart and One Main Writing Thought to Hold Dear

Welcome to the New Year 2016! Hope you started it off with a bang, working toward your ultimate goal. Dream big. Don't talk yourself out of it (or let ANYBODY deter you). Take a calculated risk. And then another. Best wishes!

Now for a book series I love and reread often: the J. J. Graves mystery series by Liliana Hart. While I have enjoyed all this author's books that I've read so far, my next favorite is her Addison Holmes mystery series. Obviously I do like my mysteries, but these have that something extra. The first, with a relatable strong female lead in J. J. Graves, is like the TV series Bones only in a small-town setting, including a love story. Can't say enough good things about this series by Hart. I keep reading it to discover the author's secrets to writing such an engaging story, but I get sucked up in the tale every time. That's a good thing. Something all us authors should strive for.

If you enjoy Janet Evanovich's bounty hunter series starring Stephanie Plum's antics (another wonderful rereadable series), then you should also like Liliana Hart's Addison Holmes mystery series.

Did you watch the short video with Liliana Hart in one of the recent Amazon newsletters?  Hart spoke about hearing from readers, how they enjoyed reading her books while going through harsh events in their lives. Storytellers everywhere need to remember this. While, yes, I would love to write the next Great American Novel, can't I also write it while penning something fun for readers to read? Something for purely entertainment purposes? Give yourself permission to write both kinds of novels.

As a reader myself, I know I want to escape to my ultimate dream reality and/or to experience something vicariously (whether traveling the globe or outsmarting a bad guy on my tail) and/or to learn on paper how to deal with whatever real life throws us (bullies, bad bosses, abusive relationships or just to stand up for myself and for what's right, etc.) and/or to laugh a bit.

I know we authors can be supercritical of ourselves. Maybe we should redirect that to our stories. I know. These tales we weave are our babies. Criticize them and we end up criticizing us. Maybe with the passage of time we can accept some "contrary" suggestions. Meanwhile, as we write our imaginings, I suggest we focus on playing, on having fun, on finding what would give us the most joy to write, in a world where we would choose to live, inhabited by our favorite characters, having that ultimate dream life I mentioned above. Be present while creating.

Somewhere in my voracious assimilation of info gathered from myriad avenues, I read how someone (Tim Ferriss?) went a day without complaining (about anybody, including himself/herself). Why don't we try that with our own writing? One day at a time ... Save the critiques for plotting (before story time begins) and final edits (after The End is written, whether actually or just theoretically).

Let me know how it goes for you.

"If your vocation isn’t a vacation, then quit, leap, change careers."

Denise Barker, Author, Blogger, Copy Editor
Books that Build Character(s)

amazon.com/author/denisebarker

http://denisebarkerauthor.blogspot.com/

http://bit.ly/DeniseBarkerBlog

http://bit.ly/AMAZONDeniseBarkerEbooks

http://bit.ly/BNDeniseBarkerEBooks

http://bit.ly/SMASHWORDSDeniseBarkerEBooks

http://bit.ly/KOBODeniseBarkerEBooks

What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you. Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you give someone a book, you don’t give him just paper, ink, and glue.  You give him the possibility of a whole new life. Christopher Morley
The best inheritance you can leave your kids is an example of how to live a full and meaningful life. Dan Zadra

Larissa Reinhart's Portrait of a Dead Guy

If you are a fan of Janet Evanovich, you may love Larissa Reinhart's novel Portrait of a Dead Guy as much as I do. Except it is not set in New Jersey, but in Georgia. And instead of a tall unemployed brunette, Larissa shapes her heroine as a very petite blonde artist.

Reinhart's self-deprecating humor is her trademark. And her cozy murder mysteries are a delight. You can read them right before falling asleep without fear of nightmares. Plus she has a way of making each character distinctive. Of course, I'm in love with Luke. Who wouldn't be? But Todd pulls at my heartstrings, too. And where would a story be without the one you love to hate aka Shawna?

Look for her next book in the Cherry Tucker series releasing May 21, 2013, entitled Still Life in Brunswick Stew.

Denise Barker, author + blogger + copy editor

http://bit.ly/DeniseBarkerBlog

http://bit.ly/AMAZONDeniseBarkerEbooks

http://bit.ly/BNDeniseBarkerEBooks

http://bit.ly/SMASHWORDSDeniseBarkerEBooks

http://bit.ly/KOBODeniseBarkerEBooks

Loglines and Taglines and Slogans, Oh My!

Whether you call them loglines or taglines, they are those short phrases or snappy sentences on the front of a book or a movie cover that pull you in.  A marketing slogan, if you will.

For instance, the movie logline from one of my all-time fave flicks One for the Money, based on Janet Evanovich's book of the same name, reads:  "She's looking for a few not-so-good men."

And here's an example of a book tagline from Ruth Harris's Zuri.   I love everything about her cover:  the artwork, the primitive symbols used, the brownish-black landscape features (good offset for the bright splashes of color elsewhere).  And her tagline:  "Africa.  An Orphan.  A Love Story."

Great use of alliteration.  Also note the escalating word count within each phrase.  First was a solo proper noun.  Followed by a two-word phrase coupling an indefinite article with a generic but emotional noun.  The final phrase is three words long.  Again, an emotional theme, noun, genre. In fact, there are emotions tied to the word Africa.  Go, Ruth!

While Ruth Harris can boast "NY Times bestselling author," I cannot.  Not yet.  Believe me, when I can, I will.  Happily.  Loudly.  Often.

Another possibility for our covers are short reviews.  That's great for the authors who can get them before release.  From my limited reading on the subject, I find the process too time-intensive (on their part and mine).  At this point in my Indie career, I have to opt-out of a lot of good things to maintain focus on the number one thing.  My writing.

Since I first saw the Zuri cover, my radar has been on loglines/taglines.  Now that is something I can do.  It may take a couple hours brainstorming, alone or with my CPs, but it's doable.  To me, it is some of the best marketing we authors can employ.  And costs nothing but our time and imagination.

So I started collecting really great ones that I saw.  As benchmarks to reach.  Serendipity struck when Lynn Crain, a member of one of my online author communities, posted her message about her free promo site for loglines/taglines.  My debut novel, Good Ole Boys, is slated for a June 30 appearance there.  Thank you, Lynn!

Interested?

Here's her contact info and the details needed for your book's submissions.  Make sure each novel has its own separate email.  Note only two per author a month will be posted.  Also, this online collection is for sharing, not critiquing.

~ ~ ~

Hi Everyone!

The Log Line Blog is back and stronger than ever! This blog is only for the log line of your book. You know, the one that sells your book for you. One of the most famous log lines in history is: In space, no one can hear you scream. Now tell me you don't know what movie that's from and I'll tell you, you've been living under a rock for the last thirty years or so. A great log line will make your book memorable. Please share yours with us on this blog!

Ideally, your log line should be one sentence of twenty-five (25) words or less. Sometimes it might take more sentences and should NEVER be more than five(5) short sentences maximum but within the 25 word limit. Submit any more to be posted than 25 words and they will be deleted unread. To submit your log line(s) please email them directly to theloglineblog@ gmail.com with the subject line, My Log Line(s). Please include your purchase information (up to 3 links in a tiny URL format of your own choosing) for the published book and cover art (large format please) as it will be posted with your log line(s). Don’t forget your author website for inclusion as well. Also, please include three tags for tagging purposes for search engine optimization as we do social media to maximize your exposure.

Here is the format needed for your submission:

Title (20 pt Georgia)

Secondary Title i.e. Book 1 of ABC series (13 pt Georgia)

Author: Your Name (14 pt Georgia)

Publisher: My Publisher (15 pt Georgia)

Genre/Length: My Genre/Length of Piece

My buy links #1(13 pt Georgia)

My Buy Link #2(13 pt Georgia)

My Buy Link #3(13 pt Georgia)

Author Website (13 pt Georgia)

Availability (16 pt Georgia)

Log Line(s) (16 pt Georgia)(25 words or less)

Each log line MUST be in their own individual email, so please, don’t submit all your log lines in one big email as it makes scheduling a bear. Only two per author per month will be posted. If you submit more than two, they will be scheduled in the next available slot of the following month. Also, if your purchase URLs aren’t tiny and the book cover not large, I will email you asking for a correction once. If you don’t know what I mean, ask and I’ll help but I just don’t have the time to do it for you. Thanks for your understanding on this as it is not my job to hound you to do it correctly. I’m not your mother and I don’t want to come across as a nag either.

Now it doesn’t matter if your book is a new release or one that you’ve had out there for a long time. Older books sell too and showing off that log line also shows editors and publishers alike you have what it takes. Log lines aren’t easy and it can take years of practice to perfect the skill. This blog is to help everyone perfect that skill. Occasionally, I will post helpful hints and lessons that other people have shared with me over the years. I will also include a list of classes to help authors perfect log lines as this is one of your major selling points when marketing your work.

To see an example of a selling log line, please go to www.theloglineblog. blogspot. com, look at the post for November 12, 2011 and you’ll find one that sold the Blue Moon Magic series. This particular book won awards and the series got the four authors an agent, lots of recognition and we’ve sold thousands of books in part because of the catchy log line. Yes, I know, my one moment of brilliance.. .LOL!

Please note that this is not a forum for critical essay on the log lines. This blog is to share those logs lines. Comments intended to disparage the log line of a published book will not be tolerated. Comments on suggestions for improvement next time are encouraged.

Come on, check us out and find new authors in the process! This is a wonderful opportunity that allows authors to showcase their log lines and us, as readers, to share our thoughts with them while finding more books to read.

We are now filling our schedule for summer and have lots of openings. They do fill up fast, so get your log line in NOW!!

Thanks for sharing...and enjoy!

*Lynn Crain*
Experience the Magic
www.awriterinvienna .blogspot. com
www.lynncrain. blogspot. com
Follow me on twitter: @oddlynn3

~ ~ ~

If you are a collector and newbie connoisseur of loglines/taglines like I've become, you may also enjoy this website:

http://scriptshadow.blogspot.com/2009/11/top-100-loglines-for-scriptshadow.html

It's the top 105 loglines from scripts.  Enjoy!

Denise Barker, author + freelance copy editor + blogger

Good Ole Boys, a love story at http://amzn.to/GoodOleBoys

http://bit.ly/BNGoodOleBoys

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/168444 (Good Ole Boys)

http://amzn.to/CopyeditingChecklist

http://amzn.to/WordsRuleTheWorldQuotes

http://amzn.to/BeforeYouIndiePublish

http://amzn.to/QuitYourCurrentDayJob
http://amzn.to/HowToIndiePublish

Exotic Locales and Unique Careers

As an author, we do not have to situate our stories in Paris, France or Zimbabwa, South Africa or Australia or England or any place geographically across the globe from us.  Unless we want to.  So, if your heart is leading you to write about your birthplace, go for it!

We can sit our series in New Jersey.  Like Janet Evanovich, with her Stephanie Plum collection.  The first, One for the Money, was recently made into a movie.  I loved it.  And New Jersey had an "exotic" style to me as I am a Deep South gal.

Even my fanatical obsession with GCB, although set in my backyard, still had an otherworldly feel to it.  It showed me how the richer Dallas folks lived.  And I ate it up!

Or, a la Nora Roberts, we can place our readers smack-dab in a forest fire like her mainstream Chasing Fire or into the arena of dog trainers via The Search.  I embrace her selection of unique jobs.  Who knows?  When we pen our next novel, we may encourage an undecided college graduate to go after the career of his dreams.  Or we could influence a high school senior in her choice of two colleges, going more with her heart.

I like the rare and interesting.  I'm a lifelong student at my core, so I love researching, finding info about an obscure fact, investigating the unknown or unusual.

Therefore, I, for one, will probably never write about a doctor or lawyer hero as that has been overdone in the romance industry, IMO.  Just like I won't put a half-naked man on my covers, either.  I prefer the Monet-like landscapes or Manga sketches, the starker comic-book drawings with the harsh black outlining.

That's my preference.  For my books.  It is a very individual choice.

But remember, just because a city/state or job seems "commonplace" to you, it may be exotic and unique to millions of others.

Go with your instincts.

Denise Barker, author + freelance copy editor
Good Ole Boys, a love story
A Copyediting Checklist for Novelists

One for the Money Box Office Results

I was curious, plus had mentioned it in an earlier post, so I'll share what I found with you.

Per boxofficemojo.com, OFTM was second place in first-week showings, earning $11.5 million, with first place going to The Grey bringing in $19.6 million.

Even if the Evanovich book-turned-movie had no standings in the polls/revenues, I still loved it.  And have pulled out my copy of her paperback to reread.  As authors, we all need to remember:  we won't reach everyone.  And that's alright.  That's why we have so many different kinds of books out there, so each person can find something to their liking.

Random Musings re Writing Tips, Styles, Mind-sets, Attitudes

As a rabid Nora Roberts / J.D. Robb fan, I often reread my particular favorites of hers.  Two are First Impressions (1984) and The Fall of Shane MacKade (1996).  Both are shorter category romances, yet still full of life and emotions, just packed in less than 240 paperback-printed pages.  I pick these for the sheer entertainment but also with an eye out for how she makes it all work.

Well, I may have latched onto a thing or two.

Let me start off by saying these revelations doused me when I was again rereading The Fall of Shane MacKade.  Nora first gives us pages of insight into the two main characters, the love interests, so that we get acquainted with their motivations, their values.  This is the WHY behind the characters' actions.  Short interplay with either dialogue or action or both is inserted in the middle, like roast beef between bread.

If you are a Numb3rs-holic like me, you may remember the follow-up episode about the cop (played by Henry Winkler) who had embezzled money--none of which he used and only to get FBI attention on his sister's case--which was eventually solved, but at a loss of both his job and retirement benefits.

Anyway, my point is this:  Nikki labeled him a dirty cop and Colby asked her if she knew WHY he did what he did.  That's it, isn't it?  We allow some things just based on WHY.

If this light-bulb moment seems DUH to you, I find most of them are.  These "secrets" are hidden behind the most trite yet sage sayings forever before our eyes and ears.  Then, one day, there they are, revealed in all their glory.

So don't let "show vs. tell" hamper you when you are divulging your characters' internal motivation. Now, we shouldn't always tell, that would be boring.  But there is a perfect time to do just that, as Nora adeptly utilizes in her books.  Just like there are times you have to use an LY word.  Maybe not as often as I do.  Ha!

I'll need to look for it but there was this wonderful example shared within one of my online writing classes where the author inserted Who, What, When, Where, Why (maybe not How yet) into his opening paragraph.  It was fluid and artistic.  Not journalistic.  I theorize that writing this beginning not only anchors the reader in the story, but also the author.  Confirming once again how effective just getting it down into a first draft per NaNoWriMo and pushing aside all supposed writing "rules" can unleash our muse, remove our internal critic and let us "git 'er done."

My second goldmine took more digging to unearth.  Maybe it was a side effect of hearing this great dialogue while watching Numb3rs:  "Some women go for the muscles; some women go for the brains."  I am definitely a member of the latter first.  And the first second.  Which is why my covers are chosen to depict the mutual values and desires  (or sometimes embodied in a caricature) of each relationship I write about.

Plus Nora's characters all resonate a sense of knowledge (whether via books, traditional schooling, or from life) and some wisdom and some common sense.  A nice well-rounded intelligence.  As a reader, I love that.  In real life, I search for that--among friends, fellow authors I happen to meet on a regular basis, or correspond with online.

That may be why Nora's characters and her J.D. Robb cast are so wonderful to me.  They are not these two-dimensional made-up people who are focused only on muscles or money.  Such superficiality is very off-putting to me.  In reality and in fiction.  Our writing styles cannot help but be influenced by our mind-sets, giving away our philosophies and takes on life within our words.

As for writing attitudes, I often think of Janet Evanovich and John Locke.  Their stories are fun and I figure those authors had to be experiencing great joy when they wrote them, too.  While the humor in my books is more sly, and I have been known to write a scene or two that made me cry while creating them, I don't get the belly laughs from my own stories that I get while reading Evanovich.  I envy her and Locke that.

But, ahem, garnering huge laughs was not part of my genetic makeup.  I can live with that.  After all, I don't usually get that reaction while reading Nora--although a smile is apt to come up often.  One exception was the giggles Nora twisted out of me while reading a mainstream novel of hers:  The Search (July 2010, 456 pages).  Nora is a wonder with her highly tuned insight into humanity--and the animal world.

Well, as usual, take what you may from those ramblings.  Keep writing.  And happy reading!

One for the Money Movie, Book by Janet Evanovich

LOVED IT!  Both the movie and the book.  It has been a while since I've read the first installment in the Stephanie Plum, Bounty Hunter, series by Janet Evanovich but I'd say the screenplay stuck pretty well to the original book version.  And the cast, all wore their characters well.  The on-screen chemistry between Stephanie (Katherine Heigl) and Morelli (Jason O'Mara) comes across really well.  And Lula!  What a home run outta the park!

I understand Sherri Shepherd made a vision board about three years ago staking her claim to play the part of Lula whenever a movie was made from One for the Money.  She was great.  Grandma Mazur, Stephanie's mom, Ranger, Vinnie, Connie--all were plum perfect.  (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

Several months ago, over books in my local big-box store, I ran into a fellow Janet Evanovich fan.  She shared with me how she has a summer ritual where she rereads the entire Stephanie Plum series, from book one to the current episode.  Sounds like a grand plan to me.

As an author, I'm ecstatic to see movies made out of some of my favorite authors' books.  I'm open to my own becoming movies too, down the line.  Like the J.D. Robb series, so looking forward to seeing those up on the big screen--and hopefully with such charismatic casting fortune as I witnessed today in One for the Money.

AMC was handing out One for the Money bookmarks--a good marketing strategy.  I'm anxious to see what the movie brought in this first weekend.  And I'm proud to have placed my vote with my purchase of a ticket today.  My particular theater was not full by any means, but I purposely picked the first showing and it was during church so that may account for the empty seats.

Still, the box office revenues will tell . . . .