Friday Funnies: You MIGHT Be a Thriller Writer!

If your significant other paints her fingernails in a shade called, "The Spy Who Loved Me"...

She MIGHT be a thriller writer!

Yea, I really did that!  Have I mentioned how much I love Ian Fleming?
Happy 50th Birthday James Bond~

Send me some funny thoughts for another segment of "You Might Be a Thriller Writer", by either commenting here or sending me an email!  And yea, for those who aren't thriller writers, you can send me chuckles regarding your genre as well.  Let's have some Friday fun!  I can only imagine what suggestions I'll get from sci-fi or fantasy writers, and I'll highlight them in future Friday Funnies.

Happy Friday y'all.

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop (Week 24)

I've been tagged by my friend Sean Jenan for the week 24 installment of "The Next Big Thing".

Personally, I feel his latest edgy thriller, CIPHER, will definitely become one of the next big things you'll want to read, and wish him well.  Not that I'm psychic or anything like that, but I seriously see great things on the horizon for both Sean and for CIPHER.

By the way, you gotta check out the musings and mayhem on his blog~Read the Sloshpile!

And in case you've been wondering, what I've been working on on since finishing THE DEATH BROKERS, it's this:

Cover inspiration for my manuscript created by the very talented
Calista Taylor (http://coversbycali.com) And psst!  We'll be interviewing her next week on the blog!

1- What is the working title of your book?  TWO TALISMANS

2- Where did the idea come from for the book? My summer vacation to the Caribbean islands of St. Thomas and St. John. 

After hopping off the ferry on St. John, I wandered around an area near the port and found a great little jewelry shop. 

While I was looking inside a glass showcase for an item engraved with the ancient symbol of St. John, the salesman behind the counter walked over and began staring at the pendant on my gold chain.

him:  "What's that hanging from your necklace?"
me:    "A coin."
him:  "I can tell it's very old.  What wreck was it from?
me:  "The Atocha, off the coast of south Florida."

And then we had quite an interesting conversation about the wreck.  The coin I have which was made into a pendant, was from the wreck of the Atocha, a Spanish ship which went down over 200 years ago, and the man told me that there has always been a rumor that the gold and silver coins that were found by Mel Fisher (the man who discovered the wreck and brought up the treasure) were cursed (he suffered personal tragedy after discovering the wreck).

Now of course I thought this was terribly tantalizing,  as I love a good tale or legend, and the talk with the man from the jewerly store provided me with all kinds of wild inspiration.

A few days later, I was enjoying a quiet moment off of Hawksnest Beach, just floating in the windex-blue water, and the premise for TWO TALISMANS came to me as clear as the water surrounding me.  I thought of my coin pendant,  and I thought of the lore surrounding the cursed gold and silver coins, and the result was TWO TALISMANS.

3- What genre does your book fall under? paranormal thriller.

4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?  If I had to pick two actresses to play Eleana (short for Eleanor) and Abbie Syler (direct descendents of Amelia Carlysle), it would probably be Claire Danes and Reece Witherspoon.  Without a doubt, I would want Halle Berry to play Sophie DuBois, and possibly Amanda Seyfried to be Amelia Carlysle.

5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  It's not really a sentence, but a little poem I wrote while floating on my back in the ocean.  Here goes:

All that glitters isn't gold,
But coins of silver, very old.
Forged into chains with hanging talismans,
And when they touch, chaos begins.

6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?  Right now I'm gearing up to send out more queries for my thriller, THE DEATH BROKERS, and have had a good response thus far.

So it's safe to say I'm in search of the perfect agent .  

7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  I'm not totally finished as of yet. It is actually my Nanowrimo project, but it's moving along quickly.  Like I've told my crit partners, this one is as if it's almost writing itself.  It's too darned easy, this one!

8- What other books would you compare this to to within your genre?  I would compare my w.i.p.  to the feel of THE WITCHING HOUR  by Anne Rice, but mine has more thriller in it, and also some elements from  the 2011 movie, Chronicle.

9- Who or What inspired you to write this book?  A series of personal losses, combined with a love for the beautifully wild Georgia coast and the south, and my trip to the islands of St. John and St. Thomas.

This manuscript will be dedicated to two very important women in my life.  One of whom, I miss very very much.  Miss you D.V.H.  Gone but never forgotten.

10- What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?  Personally, I think that most women who wear any type of jewelry feel some sort of an emotional attachment to a special piece.  As for me, when I put on a certain ring, or when I put on the silver coin pendant I wrote about earlier in this blog post, it makes me feel connected to certain places, people, and events in my life.  The premise of this manuscript draws upon those exact types of feelings you may feel when holding something of value or sentimentality, or of historical value in your hand.  

If you wear an engagement or wedding ring,  you'll know what I mean.  You look down at your hand, and you're brought back to that once-in-a-lifetime moment.  Like that feeling.  My glittering band on my left hand may be new, but the solitaire inside of the ring is the same one that I was given on the 9th of December by my husband.   Every time I look at it,  I remember his proposal under the Christmas tree.

Now on a totally different level, I think anyone who believes in karma, or the notion that you reap what you sow, will also want to read this manuscript.  It's the unleashing of the secret desire to see bad things finally happen to very bad people. But in the end, revenge can't really fix your soul or your problems.  It'll eat you alive from the inside out if you let it, and TWO TALISMANS also shows the beauty in forgiveness, and also celebrates the tight-knit bonds of family and friendship.

Tagged for next week (Week 25) is my AQC friend Vicki (also known as the elusive LucidDreamer, and a very talented writer (do check out her incredible poem on the blog too!). Check out her blog next Wednesday, November 21st, when it's her turn to post answers to these same questions about her manuscript!

http://vickilempweavil.com

So You Want to Write a Query, Eh?

Cartoon by  W. Pollard

Well you're not alone.

Utter frustration can be avoided by learning the fine art of query writing!

Thousands of writers wishing to obtain literary representation are trying to do the very same thing, but would you like to have an edge?  Want to quit bashing your head against the desk and stop getting crappy form rejections?

Want to see what I think works, and also find some links that can help you peer into the fantastical minds of lit agents, who read thousands of these (mostly doomed) queries every year, and find a writer's site that is amazing and totally craft-oriented?  You do?  Awesomesauce.

Now if it makes you feel better, understand that I am in this struggle right along with you, as I am seeking representation for my thriller, THE DEATH BROKERS, and soon will be offering up a second thriller (paranormal thriller) TWO TALISMANS as well.

Here's how to get started.  First of all realize a query isn't a mini-novel.  Nah, it's a brief teaser to make someone want to read your manuscript and love it.  What I am going to offer you today are some ideas followed up by actions you can take in order to write a great query.

Roll up your sleeves, it's time to get to work.

First, let's define what a successful query is.  And there's one sure-fire way to do that.  Go take a shower, brush your teeth, and get dressed, because we're going to take a field trip.  Grab your car keys, and let's go!

Action 1:  Drive to your local bookstore and find books written in your genre.  Go get a latte or expresso before entering, because you're gonna be here a while and have some serious work to do.

A bookstore I've got to visit!  Bound To Be Read Books,  in East Atlanta Village!

Now go scour the shelves and pick up some of the best sellers and read the back cover blurb.  Read it, absorb it, and feel the words.  This short blurb should make you want to read that book, right?  Well this is your first hint as to how to go about writing your own query.  Make it just like the back cover of the best seller in your hand, see how the action and the word-usage and notice the struggle of the main character(s).

Step two, take a hard look at your manuscript and identify the main character and his/her goals and the conflict that is the meat of your story.  Get out a notebook or open up a Word doc.  Hammer those ideas down into a few sentences, and then create in 350 words or less (I know, I know, one of the agent sites I will send you to in a few will say 250 words or less, but I have heard otherwise on this rule) your query.  Pack in as much action and stumbling blocks that show the struggle of your character and how your plot is unique.  Draw in the reader!

Close your query with a kind thank-you to the agent for reading, and also a sentence or two about yourself, your writing experience or relevant life experience that adds to your credibility as a writer, and maybe a few words about similar works that have broken all kinds of book sales records.  But above all, never, ever ever forget to thank the agent for reading your query because they are bombarded by thousands of them and deserve some of genuine, heart-felt thanks.  Show appreciation and a little literary love to them for taking the time out of their busy day to read your query.

Action 2:  Want some feedback and great wisdom on the art of query writing?  Want to take my few ideas to the next level?  Then join the site I adore (and am a member of), AgentQueryConnect!  It's a helpful place, all about craft and will truly inspire you.  I can attest that today I am a better writer because of the inspiration I've gleaned and the friendships I've made there.

Go now! Check out AgentQueryConnect!

Step three:  Still don't believe these two ideas are great?  Then see what the agents are saying about the elements of a good query.  Check out these two sites and read for yourself.  Get into the mind of some top agents and see what makes them sit up and take notice of a manuscript!

Action 3:  Visit these sites to see what works and what doesn't:

Without proper preparation, your query may be eaten alive!

Don't get chewed up & spit out because you don't do your query homework.  Go check this amazing agent's sites out!
Jump in the Water With the Query Shark!

Janet Reid, Awesome Literary Agent & Home of the Chum Bucket!

Step Four:  Still want query writing inspiration? Then watch this short video that my son showed me this morning for a video game to be released next week.  If you could take the actions in this short video and put them into words, along with a few key sentences that are spoken/heard in the video, you'd have an incredible, action-packed query.  So imagine your manuscript in film-format.  See it in your minds' eye on the silver screen and ponder how you'd convey it to the masses in 350 words or less.

Action 4:  Not everyone's a thriller writer, and although I am one, I do not write military thrillers.  Well at least not yet.  But you'll get the idea of how to condense action and pique interest by watching this video for the upcoming release next week of Call of Duty, Black Ops II.

Now get to it soldier!  You've got a query to create.  The life of your manuscript is on the line.

And do not forget today is Veteran's Day.  If you love your freedom, and cherish our American flag, go find and thank a Vet. Never, ever forget how much they sacrificed, and remember what it is you take for granted.

Today I'm missing one especially, my father.  Miss you dad.  And thank you.

Conquer Nanowrimo and Create Something Special!

Are you in or out?

So you want to write a book?  Join Nanowrimo!  http://www.nanowrimo.org 

As for me, I'm in.

And I'm using this month during Nanowrimo to get a head start on my next project, a supernatural thriller, and to jump-starting the novel writing process I'll use my secret weapon~outlining!

Yep, yours truly is a huge fan of outlining.  But I do not just outline the plot, I also outline the characters at the outset.

As I've discussed before, some writers are "pantsers" who fly by the seat of their pants when writing, and you never know where they're going to end up.  It's all writing on-the-fly and spontaneous for them, and while that's cool, it's not for me, as I prefer the structure of the outline.  Plus, I also like to keep manuscript notes which also helps me refer back to earlier scenes and also keeps me from accidentally leaving out important clues or nuances I'll need at the end of my manuscript.

For me, writing with an outline is like going on a road trip with a good, detailed map.  Sure, I know the basic driving directions, but if per se, I decided to drive to Disney World and head due south, I might get lost along the way.  Now that in itself would be an adventure, but goodness knows where I'd end up if I didn't have my map with me.

So if you're like me, you want to plot the right course for your Nanowrimo journey.  And here's how I do it.  I jot down in a composition book (which helps me squeeze in writing time no matter where I'm at) the names of the main characters and I begin to develop them. Where were they born, what are their likes and dislikes, how are they integral to the plot, and what are their goals and desires.  I carefully and painstakingly go through this process before writing the manuscript outline.

For me, doing a deep character analysis makes the whole process much easier.  Once you know who your characters are, it's much easier to write about them in the story world you've created.

Next I outline the entire manuscript and once finished,  break it down further into sub-sections (which become my chapters).  All of this is important, and if done correctly, you can refer to these notes once you're ready to query your manuscript, and it will come in handy for the synopsis you'll have to write.

There you have it!  You know who your characters are, and you know where the journey will take you.  But as with all travels, there are unexpected pleasures and mishaps along the way, but don't give up!  Use your time this month before the holidays to create something beautiful.

Squeeze in some time to write, and jot down some words when you have your morning cup of coffee or during lunch.

Best writing wishes!

And the Winners Are...

It was a tough decision trying to decide which entry was the scariest, so I asked writing champ, Revo Boulanger, to pick our winner.  He packs a punch within the suspense/thriller/and paranormal genres, and is both a writer to be reckoned with, as well as a really nice guy.

Want to read the musings of our judge?  It's a fun blog.
Check it out!   http://www.therevofiles.blogspot.com 

"My selection from the Soul and Sweet Tea contest goes to....

AMBER NICHOLE

Shocking vision, screams, clutching in fear, and a rational yet disturbing explanation."~R.B.

Fierce female scribe, Terri Bruce, author of HEREAFTER
http://www.terribruce.net 

Congratulations Amber!  You win a copy of HEREAFTER by Terri Bruce (Incidentally, Terri and Revo both were chosen winners and tied for the 2012 Soul and Sweet Tea Flash Fiction Contest and both recently made it through Superstorm Sandy!), and a $20 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

The hat is in the right corner!  We like to have fun during the holidays at our house.
Can you tell? 

And now I shall draw out of my fabulous feathered non-costume, the name of the lucky reader who also wins a copy of HEREAFTER!

Kaci Verdun

*winners will be contacted via email

Thanks for entering and I hope everyone had a great time taking part in both this blog contest and in the 2012 Spooktacular Holiday Blog Hop.  Stay tuned for more literary musings and fun.   

Win Giftcard & HEREAFTER, Plus Author Interview With Terri Bruce

Update:  The Contest is CLOSED.  No more entries will be accepted.  

Two winners will be announced on Friday evening, November 2nd!  One wins the gift card & book (for the scariest entry) and the other winner wins the book (drawn from my fabulous and feathery witch hat!). !

Winner of scariest entry will be chosen by the past winner of our 2012 Flash Fiction Writing Contest, someone who also survived a harrowing Halloween Week (courtesy of Superstorm Sandy).

Are you brooms gassed up and ready to go?  Well get ready to kickoff and soar, because the wildest and wackiest holiday blog hop has begun, and Soul and Sweet Tea is a part of it!

Today across the web, there are contests galore beginning today, and we’re proud to be among over four hundred fantastically freaky book blogging and writing sites participating in the Spooktacular Halloween Blog Hop!

Click this link below to find over 400 blog contests:
  SPOOKTACULAR BLOG HOP 2012

And here's what to do!  Click on the link I've placed above, and check out the over 400 sites that will have their giveaway/contests go live beginning both today and tomorrow!  The blog contests will all end at the stroke of midnight on Halloween (October 31st, Eastern Standard Time)!

But now, it's time to fly into our contest and interview with my friend Terri Bruce, author of the deliciously fun paranormal adventure, HEREAFTER.

After reading the interview, enter the contest for a chance to win hereafter, and a $20 Barnes & Noble Giftcard!

Buy HEREAFTER!

Thirty-six-year-old Irene Dunphy didn't plan on dying any time soon, but that’s exactly what happens when she makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night bar-hopping with friends. 

She finds herself stranded on earth as a ghost, and to make matters worse, the only person who can see her—courtesy of a book he found in his school library—is a fourteen-year-old boy genius obsessed with the afterlife. 

This sounds suspiciously like hell to Irene, so she prepares to strike out for the Great Beyond. The only problem is that, while this side has exorcism, ghost repellents, and soul devouring demons, the other side has three-headed hell hounds, final judgment, and eternal torment. If only there was a third option...

JF:  Welcome to Soul and Sweet Tea, Terri.  Would care for a cup of hot tea or cocoa on this chilly October afternoon?

TB:  I guess I have to go with the hot tea.  You see, lately I've started a ritual of making myself a formal afternoon tea every Sunday. I get out the china teapot, one of my china teacups from my collection, and one of my special teas ("Oasis" from Tea Forte is a favorite at the moment).

JF:  That sounds yummy!  

JF:  By the way, our readers are eager to get to know you, so do you mind if I ask you a few questions?

TB:  That'd be great (sips tea).

JF:  How long have you been writing?

TB:  I’ve always written; in grade school, they had us write a story every year, which we then made into a book – we printed it neatly on nice paper, drew pictures to accompany the story, and then sewed it all together with cardboard wrapped in wall paper for covers. I think that was my favorite thing we did all year and I still have those stories (thanks Mom for keeping them!). It wasn’t until 2001, however, that I really set out to write a novel “for real,” and that’s when I started working steadily toward becoming a professional author.

JF:  Who are your favorite authors?

TB:  This is a toughie because I tend to like particular books, rather than particular authors; that is to say, I don’t always read or like everything a particular author writes. However, I own a lot of books by Alexander Dumas, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Jan Karon, Lisa See, and Terry Pratchett. In general, I tend to like classics—Ivanhoe, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, Idylls of the King; young adult fantasy—Philip Pullman, Lloyd Alexander, C.S. Lewis, Madeline L’Engle; and “Asian” fiction (especially Asian women’s fiction)—The Secrets of Jin-Shei, Peony in Love, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Tea House Fire.

JF:  Tell us a little about yourself.

TB:  Currently, I work full time, as a grant writer for a non-profit, and fiction writing is a second full time job on top of that, so there isn’t a lot of free time right now. When there is, I love horseback riding, hiking, quilting, and gardening. Now ask me the last time I did any of those things! However, if Hereafter does well, my husband has agreed to let me buy a horse, so hopefully there will be more horseback riding in my future. My secret wish is to someday own a horse and move to Bar Harbor, Maine. I’ll ride my horse in Acadia National Park every day and spend my winters snowed in, writing novels and spinning wool into yarn (which I will then crochet into beautiful garments). 

JF:  Since HEREAFTER is a paranormal tale, do you believe in ghosts or the afterlife?  Have you ever had a paranormal experience?

TB:  Have I had a paranormal experience?! J I’ve blogged about the odd occurrences at my house and about the spirit of one of my cats that hung around after she died. That’s all just the tip of the iceberg, but many of my other experiences are too personal to share. I can definitely say that I think there are things in this world that we can’t explain yet!

JF:  Halloween is just around the corner.  Are you or your family doing anything special to celebrate?

TB:  I wish—I love Halloween and when I was a kid, my mom would go all out (see this guest post about the costumes she used to make us and later in the week I’ll be blogging about the pumpkins she used to carve). Then later, as an adult, I lived in Salem, Massachusetts—which is a WILD place to be on Halloween. I loved it! Unfortunately, now I live in a different place, in a neighborhood where we don’t get any trick-or-treaters so we really never do anything. 

On a side note, while Halloween is cool and one of my favorite holidays, I’m actually really looking forward to the Day of the Dead (November 1^st and 2^nd). Halloween is more about warding off ghosts and ghouls and the negative side of death, and Day of the Dead is about commemorating departed loved ones. I’ve never celebrated Day of the Dead.

JF:  Thanks so much Terri, and I can’t wait to read the rest.  I’ve read the first few chapters myself, and can say I love the feel, your writer’s voice,  and the unique plot of this book.  

So you wanna win HERAFTER?  

You do?  Great!

Now let me lay down the rules:

1)Entries will be accepted from today until midnight eastern standard time on 
October 31st, 2012.

2)Either join my blog, or sign into Google or Wordpress, because I will need your screen name (if you win).

3)If you are a winner, I will need your contact information so you can receive your prize.

4)Everyone who enters must write in 100 words or less, a short account of their scariest, spookiest moment ever!  Be creative and have fun with this.  One winner will be chosen from among all entrants for their spookiest, scariest moment.  

No wrongs, just fright!

5)So you’re not a writer but a reader?  Never fear!  Another winner will be chosen from among all entrants, as I place every entrant’s screen name into my fabulous feathered witch’s hat and draw out the screen name of the lucky winner.

6)Make sure to enter by the deadline, as there will be no exceptions.
You snooze, you lose.

7) Terri's also kind enough to throw in MORE books as prizes!  There will be 2 winners awarded the book if there are 20 entrants or less, but the prizes multiply by the number of entrants.   So if there's 40, we'll have 3 winners, etc.  Potentially there can be up to 5 books given away, but that's based on an estimate of 100 entrants.  One overall winner (who has scariest answer) wins the gift card.

Good luck and Happy Halloween!  Also, a special thank you to my readers for making the first year of my blog such a success. 

Coming Tomorrow! Author Interview, Big Contest & Deets on the Spooktacular Giveaway Blog Hop!

Allow me to let you in on a little secret my pretties.  

The girl who's running this blog is about to have another contest.  But because I'm not totally a bad witch, I'll let you in on a secret plan she's hatched,  so you can win fabulous prizes.  

Tomorrow, Soul and Sweet Tea will link up with over 400 blog contests happening this week during the annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop!  If you can do the math, that means hundreds of prizes.

If you want to win, you'd better hit the link to this gargantuan blog hop when the contest gets underway!

So jump on your brooms tomorrow with me, because we'll need them to fly around the web from blog to blog.

And don't forget, on Soul and Sweet Tea, our contest will give you TWO ways to win the paranormal adventure, HEREAFTER  by Terri Bruce!

Why let a little thing like dying get in the way of a good time?
Buy HEREAFTER !

It’s ghoulishly good fun, and the perfect Halloween read.  

I give it a five cauldron rating!  

Now enter this contest tomorrow or else I'll send forth my flying monkeys to find you! 

(Joey's note:  Listen to the witch!  She's green, scary, and really means business.  Plus if you don't enter, that means she'll be flying all over the web trying to snatch prizes that could have been yours.  Don't let the witch win!  Plus her darn flying monkeys creep me out.)