A Writer On Writing – Author Sally Jenkins

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I haven’t done an author guest post in a while. I’ve chosen Sally Jenkins for this one. Not just because she helped me out with my own cover reveal for Blood in the Past, but because she has the same last name as my sister, which makes her “good people.”

Sally mainly writes literary articles and short stories, but recently she posted about dabbling in crime fiction. I really should send her a “Come to the Dark Side, We Have Cookies” bumper sticker. Anyway, check out her newest book, A Writer on Writing. It’s a compilation of 14 feature articles which have previously appeared in the UK writing press. They cover a diverse range of subjects such as generating story ideas, flash fiction, NaNoWriMo, ensuring that the data on your PC is safe, and writing letters for cash. The book aims to help writers with a range of skills needed to be successful.

A Writer On Writing -Fiverr

A Writer on Writing is available as a Kindle e-book from all Amazon sites. Full details, plus information on her short story collections, can be found at http://sallyjenkins.wordpress.com/books/

It’s HERE! Blood in the Past COVER REVEAL!

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Squeeee!

I have waited a long time for this. A lot of days, weeks, and months have gone by while I whipped my novella into tip-top shape. And now it’s finally close enough to being released that I can reveal the beautiful cover Kit Foster of www.kitfosterdesign.com has created for me.

I know you can’t wait any longer, so here it is:

Blood in the Past 2

BLURB: Jllian Atford falls for an older man, a handsome Philadelphia cop, whose mystery is that he’s married, a reality Jillian refuses to accept. Lyla Kyle finds her mother dead on the floor from an apparent suicide. She blames her philandering father and wastes no time taking her revenge. Detective Jason Brighthouse Sr. is in the wrong place at the right time to attempt to save a colleague from his burning home. When neither of them make it out alive, his teenage son can only harp on their last argument. He shoots himself in the head…with his father’s gun.

Three lives. Three deaths. One story.

To understand the future, you must visit the past.

The Blood in the Past.

Coming this June from Blood Read Press.

Jerks & Irks XXXVIII: May Day

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I don’t know about yours, but my May Day was pretty awful. Not really, if you put it in perspective with the grand scheme of things, but I was bummed nonetheless. It turns out that when the little things make you happy, the little things also make you very sad. Here’s my May 1st in a nutshell:

  • The Samsung Galaxy S4 was due to be released on May 1st. Mine and Hubby-pants’ cell phone contracts were up some time in February. Knowing that the S4 was due out soon, we held out. When we learned of the date, we held out even more. Some unexpected fees hit our bank accounts the morning of May 1st so we had to juggle funds around to make sure we could afford the new phones without disrupting our regular bill schedule. While Hubby-pants did that, I skipped the gym and went through about three dozen bookmarked websites on my current phone, jotting down their web addresses for safe keeping (I often find an article related to publishing or marketing and save it for later). We drove to T-mobile with smiles on our faces only to find that T-mobile didn’t have the S4s in yet. They blamed it on Samsung. Hubby-pants called half a dozen T-mobiles locations. No dice. He called Samsung, turns out it was T-mobile’s fault. We even went to Best Buy. They had them for AT&T, but not for T-mobile.
  • Resigned to having to wait a week (at the least) for our shiny new phones, we went home. When we were still dating, Hubby-pants bought me the DVD to Friday Night Lights (the movie, not the TV series). I never watched it, so we decided to watch it that day. I was loving the movie right up until…(I know the movie’s pretty old, but SPOILER ALERT)…they LOST! Who the hell makes a sports movie where the protagonist team LOSES? I was so upset. I know it’s a true story and it’s about being “perfect” in the eyes of your family and teammates because there’s nothing you could have done and you did your best. Blah, blah, blah. They lost.
  • Next we watched Men in Black 3 and it was funny here and there, but there was no Tommy Lee Jones. I didn’t know that going in. I didn’t remember the previews. I was disappointed.
  • It was time for the Knicks game. My Knicks are finally in the playoffs with a team good enough to get past the first round for the first time in years. They were up on the Celtics three games to none in the series when they lost on Sunday. No big deal. Then they lost again. First the Odessa-Permian Panthers of Friday Night Lights, then my very own basketball team. It was just too much.
  • Hubby-pants and I tried to watch a few shows off of our DVR to take my mind off things. That worked out well…until our DVR’ed program ended and the TV switched to the channel it had been on, which was airing TMZ. They were talking about Vera Farmiga, the chick who plays Norma Bates on Bates Motel. I love Bates Motel, so I stopped to give a listen. Then they dropped a spoiler that I won’t even repeat here because you might be like I was…with the most recent episode sitting comfortably on your DVR.

It was at that moment, that I just wanted to cry. Because sometimes, it’s the little things. They can make you happy, or they can completely gang up on you and ruin your day. Which only reminds you that if these are the things bumming you out, your life can’t be half bad. Speaking of not half bad, the next time you stop by here (Wednesday, May 8th), you’ll be treated with my COVER REVEAL for Blood in the Past! Eek!

The Lifeblood of the Supporting Cast

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Throughout the month of April I boasted posted about the main characters in Blood in the Past, Jillian, Brighthouse, and Lyla. But what’s a story without its supporting cast? What’s Lord of the Rings without Meriadoc and Pippin? Not that Blood in the Past is on the scale of Lord of the Rings, but still. Take a look at my supporting cast:

  • Mel. Jillian Atford’s roommate. Short black hair in a funky, angular cut across her eyes. Dark eye makeup. Tough attitude. But really she’s from a small town in Ohio. And when she and Jillian are victimized, Mel’s vulnerability is apparent. Jillian and Mel were never really close, other than living in close quarters, but after the incident a budding friendship forms. And since Jillian has no one else, she turns to Mel when she has to.
  • Susannah. Lyla’s mother. Beautiful nordic features. Long, golden hair. She’s sick of her husband’s infidelity, but she deals with it. Until she doesn’t.
  • LeeAnn. Lyla’s aunt on her father’s side. LeeAnn is an Associate Medical Examiner. Petite, pale, dry demeanor. The opposite of her charming, charismatic brother. And very suspicious of Lyla. But there’s nothing she can do about it. Her boss is retiring and refuses to hear any of her theories. So she waits. (Blood in the Paint, anyone?)
  • CJ. Lyla’s friend at UPENN hospital. They shared classes as undergrads and after she became a resident physician, he took a position in the pharmacy department. He longs for her in a way Lyla can’t ignore, but does.

There are a few other characters, but they don’t stick around very long, if you know what I mean. One day down the line I plan on writing individual short stories for these sub-characters. They will only be available to those on my mailing list. That’s just one of the perks to signing up, so make sure you add your email address soon! (Don’t worry, I won’t bombard you with crap. You’ll probably receive half a dozen emails a year at most.)

And now for my BIG announcement!

The date of my COVER REVEAL for Blood in the Past is almost upon us!

Check in on MAY 8th, 2013 to get the first peek! (And if anyone would like to help spread the word, please contact me. I’ll be scheduling interviews and guest posts throughout the month of May.)

Jerks & Irks XXXVII: Gym Brats

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I don’t usually broadcast the fact that I’ve gone to the gym. I don’t “Check-In” on Facebook. I don’t post pics on Instagram. I don’t have a Foursquare account. But today, wooo boy, today…Today, I have to share. Because the gym brats were a’plenty.

  1. I arrive at the gym. I’m about to enter the locker room and a girl younger than me is on her way out, facing downward toward her phone. I don’t alter my course. (I have a firm policy against adjusting my path for people not paying attention. They deserve to get bumped into, I’m sorry.) She does one of those “Excuse me!” deals, all sarcastic like it was my fault her face was berried in her iPhone. She then proceeds to sit on the bench of the Lat-Pull machine…and make a phone call. Ugh.
  2. I jump on my favorite stationary bike. The lady to my right is pedaling along when her friend stops by to chat. And chat. And chat. Am I the only one who doesn’t think the gym is comparable to happy hour? Seriously, these two broads were drowning out the episode of Castle I was watching on my phone. Ugh.
  3. Turns out “Excuse me!” chick knows the lady on the bike to my right AND her chatty friend. They proceed to workout together, never more than a stone’s throw from the bike I’m currently riding. And by “workout together,” I mean hover around one particular machine for ten minutes and gossip it up before moving on to the next machine in their farce of a circuit. Ugh.
  4. I’m done on the bike. My ears hurt from turning up the volume so much on my phone so I could hear Castle over the chatty din. I enter the locker room to switch out my phone for my iPod. I’m greeted by a large woman with what seems to be all her worldly possessions on the counter where the complementary blow dryer is. She’s on the phone while blow-drying her weave. I didn’t know that was possible. Not blow-drying a weave, talking on the phone while operating a blow-dryer. She has her young daughter with her. Both of them are eating from a large bag of potato chips (obviously counterproductive at the gym, yes?). The little girl runs away, spilling chips everywhere, including in front of my locker. The mother scolds and spanks the child repeatedly. The child screeches. The mother yells. No this isn’t awkward at all. Ugh.
  5. I head to the activities room where the group fitness classes are held. It’s empty, of course. I like to do my workouts in there because it’s private and there are plenty of dumbbells in my preferred range and they’re all on one rack. On the gym floor, you have to hunt them down and you still may end up working out with something too heavy or too light. Anyway, today was an abs day. I’m on my little mat doing all my zillions of types of crunches. Who else is in there with me? Some ballet couple erotically stretching each other out right behind me. Then they start their routine and use up every spare inch of space in the studio. By “every square inch,” I mean getting their twirl-on so close behind me that I could have tripped them without really moving. Their little show prompted onlookers. Which is great for them, but I’m just trying to do my crunches. Ugh.
  6. I head back to the locker room. I’m greeted by a new person blow-drying their hair. A stark naked person. No towel. No underpants. Nothing. Stark naked, bent over, blow-drying. I have no words. I went home.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes this (hopefully) one-time exception to the I-don’t-brag-about-going-to-the-gym rule.

Oh and be sure to check back on Wednesday when I blog about whatever it is I decide to blog about and announce the date of my Cover Reveal for Blood in the Past!

“Unexpecting” An Interview With Lori Verni-Fogarsi

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loritour

You might remember last year, when I participated in something called the Sizzling Winter Blog Hop for fellow author Lori Verni-Fogarsi’s book, Momnesia. Well, I’m teaming up with her and her pals again to help spread the word about her newest release, Unexpecting. It’s about a couple of almost-empty-nesters who, preparing to embark on their new, quieter lifestyle, receive the shock of their lives when a pregnant teenaged girl shows up on their doorstep and announces that she’s the daughter they never knew they had! Yikes! Everyone please give a warm welcome to Lori. (And when you’re done, be sure to Visit the Blog Tour Page to find more features, book giveaways, and enter to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card! http://www.LoriTheAuthor.com/UnexpectingRelease)

Thanks for coming Lori! I hope you don’t mind, I’m just gonna dive right in here. How long have you been writing?

My writing career began in an unusual way, back in 1995. I owned a dog training school at the time and started putting out a monthly newsletter for marketing purposes. I was surprised when I began receiving requests from other publications to write for them, too! My writing career has progressed over the years to include many magazine and newspaper articles, a weekly syndicated newspaper column, three books, and more!

What was the first piece of writing you published?

The very very first would be the Best Paw Forward Newsletter, back in 1995. But if we’re talking books, it would be my first book, nonfiction, “Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies and Adult Dogs,” which was published in 2005 and continues to be highly recommended in its genre.

Do you have a favorite among your own works?

I don’t think I do. Each of my books is special to me in its own way. With the dog training book, I feel really good about helping so many people to keep and enjoy their pets. With Momnesia, I enjoyed getting to know so many moms and feel good about all the letters I’ve received from readers telling me it made them feel understood, or helped them enjoy their lives more. With Unexpecting, I think there will be a similar sense of commiseration amongst readers… “all of our families are crazy!” LOL.

Click to Purchase

Click to Purchase

What people, places, or situations have most influenced your writing?

All of my writing, whether nonfiction or fiction, has been inspired by real life in some way. Whether taking my worst nightmare and turning it into a story (Unexpecting), or sharing my own personal growth experiences in the form of a fictional story (Momnesia), it’s the happenings and emotions of real life that most inspire me to write.

Can any of your own personality traits be found in your characters?

Absolutely! Shelley, who is the main character in both Momnesia and Unexpecting, has a lot of the same personality traits as I do: Definitely Type A, kind of off-color, sometimes very funny, and other times way too serious!

What are your most and least favorite steps of the writing process?

What I struggle with the most are my own emotions, which fluctuate between one moment feeling like my work in progress is fantastic, and the next moment feeling like it’s unfit for human consumption! I find that when I’ve worked on a book so hard and for so long, I’m “pretty sure” it’s a good book (otherwise I wouldn’t let it go to press), but honestly, it isn’t until readers start doing reviews that I’m really sure!

Do you have time for reading? If so, what are you reading right now? What do you plan to read next?

Yes, I read a lot! At this very moment, I just finished reading, Memoirs Aren’t Fairytales, by Marni Mann. I enjoyed it a lot! It’s the gritty, realistic story (fictional) of a heroin addict. Next up? I’m not sure. Probably a murder/mystery. I tend to like to mix up genres from one book to the next.

What about movies? Do you have a favorite book-to-movie adaptation? Do you see any screenplays in the future of your own novels?

Like most avid readers, I’m not a big fan book-to-movie adaptations… I always feel like the book was better. However, I recently discovered that the classic movie, Shawshank Redemption was originally a Stephen King novel! I love the movie and have been searching to try and get my hands on the book, which is out of print. If one of my own novels were to become a movie, I’d have to recommend Momnesia. It would make an excellent romantic/family life/chick flick comedy.

If a film crew followed you around for a day, what would you most want to  show off? Conversely, what would you most want to hide from your fans?

Hmm. What a scary question! I guess what I would show off is how much I get done each day, which I do believe is astronomical for the most part. What would I hide? The fact that many days, I don’t get dressed until late in the afternoon! (It’s a trade-off!)

How many stories do you think you have left in you?

Many!

(Bonus Question) How do you feel about the state of publishing today?

Honestly, I am very worried about the future of books while at the same time I am confident that something will be done to “save them!” With the uprise of independent (self) publishing, I’ve had the opportunity to read some fantastic works by some fantastic authors. Yet at the same time, I’ve had (more often than not) many negative experiences wherein I pick up a book only to find that it is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. I think that indie publishing needs to mature, and that some quality controls need to be put in place, so that more authors will invest in professional editors and proofreaders before putting their books out there. Readers deserve to read quality material, and in my mind, indie publishing doesn’t excuse that responsibility.

Lightning Round: Blue or Black ink? Planner or Pantser? Jeans or Sweats? Beer or Wine? Sweet or Salty?
Black! iPhone! Jeans! Wine! Sweet!
Thanks again for hanging out with me and my followers here today and best of luck from all of us on your newest release, Unexpecting, available NOW on Amazon!
Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog! It’s been a pleasure chatting with you and I look forward to getting to know your blog’s followers!
lori
Lori Verni-Fogarsi is the author of the hot new release, Unexpecting, as well as the award-winning novel Momnesia and the nonfiction, Everything You Need to Know About House Training Puppies & Adult Dogs. She enjoys interacting with her readers and invites you to connect or learn more at www.LoriTheAuthor.com. You can find her pretty much everywhere, actually:

Lyla Kyle & Me

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Yesterday, I posted the final installment in a series of character profiles from my upcoming novella, Blood in the Past. This week’s focus is on my main character, Lyla Kyle. I didn’t tell you squat about her, did I? Hmm. Well, I guess I can tell you that her story begins with her discovering her mother’s dead body. Something within in her snaps. She blames her father, thinking his careless indiscretions finally took their toll on her mother. Suddenly, Lyla’s no longer daddy’s little girl. Uh oh.

Now, I like to think as authors we all give our characters snippets of our own personalities. I’m not saying I’m a revengeful, temptress/serial killer, but there are a few similarities.

  • I gave her olive skin and dark hair, in my likeness. Although, I regretfully admit that Lyla is taller and skinnier than me. Oh well.
  • Lyla started out in science, then turned to art. Specifically, she was Pre-Med, then a surgical resident. After her mother died, she quit her last year of residency and turned to painting and sculpture, something that filled the void of her loss. She eventually does some…interesting things with that art, but I don’t want to spoil it for you. Myself, I started as a Design Major, then switched to a Biology Major. Now I find myself reverting back to my creative side.
  • Lyla is more of a loner, just like me. That doesn’t mean people don’t still gravitate toward her. Especially her male friend, CJ. (I might do a profile post of all the supporting characters, so you’ll learn about him later).
  • In the full-length novel, Blood in the Paint (coming later this year), the reality of not having either parent in her life really hits home for Lyla. Both of my parents are deceased, so my own feelings really shine through there.
  • Lyla holds SERIOUS grudges. So do I. But, thankfully, I’m not a psychopath. :-)

Now it’s time to enjoy some Lyla-ness, on the house!

Lyla bent each leg and thoroughly dried the soles of her sneakers on her pants legs. Without squeaking wet shoes, she tiptoed through the kitchen, down to the basement, pausing to grab a candle from the emergency kit at the top of the stairs. The circuit breakers in the old house were notorious for their fickle nature, so she switched off the main breaker in the fuse box, drowning the house in complete darkness. Lyla paused in the spot where she’d overheard her aunt’s suspicions only days ago. With her ear toward the ceiling and the house above, she strained to hear any indication of her father’s stirring over the din of rain pelting against the house. She heard nothing, so she removed the hypodermic needle from her over-sized bag, almost sticking herself as she fumbled for it blindly. “Here I come, Daddy,” she said in a sing-song whisper, creeping back up the stairs.