Category Archives: Writing

Brothers

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Outtakes 343

Brothers

By Cait Collins

I’ve always been told that romances should have brothers or good friends. That way you have the basis for a sequel.  I got to thinking about my story for the next Route 66 anthology.  What if I made Aiden Thornton’s brother, Ian, the hero of my holiday story?  He’s handsome, educated, and above all, he’s available.  Besides he deserves his own story.

I have not tried a sequel, but it does have a certain appeal. I can bring in characters from the previous story to the new one.  Ian has recently moved to Amarillo and he’s getting to know the town when he meets Annaleigh Talley, an expert in antique pottery and china. Her china shop on historic Route 66 attracts visitors from around the world. She has been commissioned to locate a tea set that dates back to the Edwardian Era.  Her client is a mysterious British gentleman who claims his grandmother owned the set.  When Ian and Annaleigh meet its Saint Patrick’s Day, the 4th of July and Christmas all rolled into one.

I look forward to writing their story.  But first I have to get Moira O’Hara, Aiden Thornton, and Moira’s dog, Mutt, to the U Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas.  Shamrock will change when the O’Hara brothers take on the town.

Self-Publishing facts

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7 of the top 100 bestselling eBook authors were self-published titles.

50 of the top 250 bestselling eBook authors were self-published indies.

121 of the top 500 bestselling eBook authors were self-published indies.

Source: 4Q/2017 Data Guy http://authorearnings.com

Excerpt from “The Love Affair”

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POST CARDS FROM THE MUSE

Excerpt from “The Love Affair”

By Nandy Ekle

Jose was really her perfect match. His cream-colored skin never changed and his dark eyes always showed her reflection back to her. The reflection of herself she saw in those deep gorgeous mirrors was beautiful. She giggled as she thought about his weight. Sometimes he was pretty hefty, and sometimes he was slim. But he was always the most wonderful sight for her eyes, especially on Super Bowl Sunday each year.

She straightened the front of her floral print chiffon dress and adjusted the sleeves around the upper part of her arms. Dabbing on a spray of cologne, she checked to make sure her teeth weren’t wearing her lipstick. Yes, the age showed in her face, but she could live with a little maturity. Bryan never seemed to notice; Jose would love it.

She flounced down the stairs and saw her beefy husband looking over the nest she had built for him.

“What kinda’ sammiches?”

“Bologna. I know what you like.”

“Sure do. Thanks, babe.” He grabbed one bread triangle and bit half of it, chewing with a glop of mustard on his chin. Snagging a bottle from the cooler next to him, he plopped down and wielded the remote like a scepter.

“’at’s a good sammich,” he said around his chewing. A soggy piece of bread flew out of his mouth and hit her shoulder.

“Thanks,” she answered through gritted teeth while brushing the goop away.

He swallowed. “Sorry,” he said without looking at her. He pointed the remote control at the television like a king commanding his loyal subjects.

More Cool Websites for Readers/Writers

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More Cool Websites for Readers/Writers

by Adam Huddleston

 

This week I wanted to mention a couple of websites that are must-visits for avid readers and writers. The sub-reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/is full of interesting story starters.  Some can get a little wacky, but overall it’s not a bad place to look if you just want to knock out a short, fun tale.

Another site that I recently discovered is http://www.gutenberg.org/.  It contains a huge collection of written works that are in the public domain.  The advantage of this is that the books, short stories, etc. are completely free to download and read.  You can browse by title, author, language, or works that are recently posted.  Another plus is that they are available in several formats.

Happy reading and writing!

Spring Cleaning

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Outtakes 339

Spring Cleaning

By Cait Collins

 

I always hated to see my mom bring out the buckets, mops, brooms, and garbage bags. I knew it must be spring and mom was going to do the spring cleaning. My sisters and I had a part in the ritual. It was a time when we were supposed to dump the trash and really clean our rooms. When mom deemed the house clean, we could step back; inhale the scents of cleaners, furniture polish and sun-dried linens. (We didn’t have a dryer, so all the laundry was hung on the clothes line in the backyard.)

Writers need to do some spring cleaning. W need to take time to assess our accomplishments and our failures, toss out expired ideas and rejected pages, and clear the clutter from our minds. Here’s where I plan to start.

Go through the boxes of old manuscripts and unfinished projects. Keep the pieces that have potential and toss the dead-weight.

Clean out the office supplies. Yes, there’s a lot of junk there. Donate or trash electronics that I no longer use.

Clean up my attitude. If I’m not writing, it’s my fault. I can’t blame it on others or on circumstances.

Make time to write. No more “I work long hours at the office and just can’t look at the computer one more minute.” This is an excuse not a reason.

Understand that others are having difficult times and be encouraging instead of dismissing their importance in the grand scheme of things.

Remember this is a business and not a hobby. Reject my “It’s okay if I never publish. Just finishing a project is an accomplishment.” Really?

Dump negative thoughts. I can do this.

Once the trash is tossed out, commit to keeping my writer’s life clutter-free. Junk and trash are not conducive to success. Besides, I hate spring cleaning.

Writing is a Struggle against Silence

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“The front door to your business is never closed. It’s open 24/7, 365.”

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“The front door to your business is never closed. It’s open 24/7, 365.”

Natalie Bright

 

Book Review: RISE OF THE YOUPRENEUR by Chris Ducker (4C Press, 2018) “The Definitive Guide to Becoming the Go-To Leader in Your Industry and Building a Future-Proof Business.”

The above quote from Ducker’s book really caused me to pause and think about my Indie Author business. Our books are always for sell. Every social media outlet should act as a funnel directing people to your store–your website. It’s open all the time and is available to people all over the world. Loaded with tons of insight into today’s world of business, this is just one of many jewels you’ll find in the powerful guide for entrepreneurs.

Social Media has changed the way we do business, how we market ourselves and our products, how we relate to our readers, and this book provides you with timely help for rethinking your personal business. It’s not just for Indie Authors. Any business owner in any industry or career path would benefit from this information and examples for plans for action. There are solid tasks that you can put into practice now. I have marked-up this book with sticky notes, highlighted “to-dos”, and reprinted sections for quotes to hang on my bulletin board.

Add this one to your writing reference library.

 

Rough Work Part III

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Rough Work Part III

by Adam Huddleston

 

Here is the last part of the first scene that I began posting two weeks ago.

Lucas tossed the empty bottle into his neighbor’s chair and began searching the house.

“Kimberly! Jax! Junebug!” His heart, which was already hammering in his chest, doubled its pace. Sweat streamed down his face and back.

“Are ya’ll here? Somebody holler something!”

He scanned the two guestrooms and the bathroom connecting them. He checked their game-room and instinctively grabbed a pool cue from the rack on the wall.

A muffled yelp came from the bedroom at the end of the Waldon’s central hallway. Lucas ran through the doorway and listened for the sound again. Another cry came from the closet. He yanked the door open and his mouth dropped open. His family sat huddled in a small circle, their hands bound behind them and mouths gagged.

His wife’s eyes widened and something hard crashed into the back of Lucas’s head, turning everything dark.

Editing

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Outtakes 342

 

Editing

By Cait Collins

 

I don’t know about other writers, but editing is my least favorite part of my writing career. I don’t mean thing like checking my spelling and grammar, it’s the big things like switching tenses or failing to develop a character or storyline correctly. I am concerned that as I make a change for one issue I will create another problem. I’ve tried making the edits as I received suggestions from my critique partners and that has helped. But as I tie up the loose ends, I worry I will compromise my story. But the edits are part of the job and they will be done and done on time. So please forgive this short note. I’m only on chapter three.

 

Things that make you say, Humm?

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Things that make you say, Humm?

Rory C. Keel

 

I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of weeks in the state of Massachusetts on a business trip. Several friends had asked if I had ever been there during the time that the leaves change in the fall. Between all the maple, Sumac and Birch trees the change in color is said to be unbelievable. When I arrived, the trees were still green, however, like a magic trick, change appeared within a week. It was an amazing thing to see.

I decided to take one day and go to Boston and experience some great American history. In my search for the most fantastic piece of history, I found the Boston drain. Many people would spend their time imagining all of the creepy things underneath this heavy metal stopper, but not I.

My query was how long it would take for the city to begin to swirl and be sucked down through this little drain.