October Thrills and Chills Coming Soon! Author Interviews & Book Giveaways!

Want a good read that will last you all the way to Thanksgiving?  Then stay tuned, because I'm bringing you October Thrills and Chills, coming mid-month!

And Soul & Sweet Tea will be participating in the all-too-fun-and-famous, "Spooktacular Giveaway Hop" hosted by I Am a Reader Not a Writer!  Which can help you jump all around the web to visit fabulous book and author blogs so you can win even more prizes.

http://www.iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com ~  Mark your Calendars!

Leaves are falling, there's a chill in the air, and it's the perfect time to curl up with a good book.  While  enduring the query process for my manuscript, THE DEATH BROKERS, I thought it'd be rather fun, and honestly a great distraction, if I introduced wonderful new authors to you and brought even more fun contests to the blog this month, and there will be fabulous books to be won as we celebrate the season.

So curl up with a pumpkin latte and get your comfy fleece throw out of the closet and fall in love with fall, courtesy of a good book and my little blog.

I mean what else are you going to do?  Watch nonstop football or skulk about your front porch wearing an oversized Snuggie while pointing a remote control and muttering "avada kedavra" at your annoying neighbor who just used his leaf blower to blow five tons of leaves into your yard?  Seriously, reading a good book is a much better choice.

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I really can't wait to bring to you one contest, which I'm dubbing "Trick or Treat".  Won't spill the details, but it's going to be a combination of quick thinking, reflexes, and pure chance.

Right now I'm lining up our featured authors who'll stop by for a cup of hot tea (hey, it's getting chilly outside) and a book chat, and can't wait to bring this month of great reads to you.

How a Writer Conquers a Killer Commute

Every day for approximately an hour and thirty minutes total, I spend my weekdays commuting to and from work.  That time adds up, and how I wish I could be writing rather than driving.

So what to do with this downtime?  Is there a way to possibly use your commute to and from work to your advantage as a writer?  Of course there is, and I'll tell you my commuter secret.

I use my time in my s.u.v. to brainstorm and go over plots.  For those who are "pantsers", meaning those who create their plots and manuscripts sans outline, this might be a rather difficult task, but for me since I love to outline my manuscripts, it makes things a bit easier.  Also, if you know the basics of where your manuscript is headed, courtesy of the outline, then when you're behind the wheel or sitting with your carpool buddies, you can easily slide back mentally into the plot and think of the little stuff, the intricate twists and turns and then when you get home get on your computer or else grab a pen and write the ideas into the outline. 

This little trick has helped me formulate new plot twists and also fix plot-holes, plus I think it helps me save time. 

And another fun commuter trick is to listen to music that inspires.  Music that has the feel of your manuscript or of a certain character helps you even more quickly get mentally back into your w.i.p.

Last but not least, do not get so into your manuscript that you fail to notice a red light or posted speed limit.  Yea, I know you'd have all the time in the world to finish your brilliant manuscript that way, but doing so from behind bars isn't the best idea.  So do try to multi-task intelligently and pay attention to your driving, or else you'll be inspired to add in your manuscript a thrilling chase scene complete with blue flashing lights and hairpin turns, all courtesy of your drive home from work.

But don't take my word for this, and listen to the Red Rocker and see what happens when he can't drive fifty-five.  Forgive me for the inclusion of this video, but I was a teen in the late 80's.  I can't help it.  Also, the former high school editor in me cannot help but giggle when watching the video because there is a word misspelled.  Watch the video and see if you can find it!  Answer is at the bottom of the post.

You've gotta love the hair and jumpsuits.  

Do you have any secrets to mastering your down time as a writer during your commute to and from work?  Are there any tunes you crank in your car that remind you of your manuscript?  Drop me a line and let me know.

Also, stay tuned my beloved readers, for we're about to have another giveaway (or two...or three). Get ready for Fall Thrills and Chills!

And now the answer to the question:  What was misspelled?  The officer wrote Sammy a ticket and it said he was "risisting" arrest.

One More Bad Example of Life Imitating Art

Initially I thought about making the title to this blog post, "Midnight In the Underwater Garden of Glowing Fishies" but I thought the heading I chose in the end drives home my point a little better.

Maybe it's just me, but every once in a while I read about something so silly, so absurd in a book,  that I honestly believe somewhere down the road, a person will indeed try to pull the same stunt stunt in real life.

And apparently there's either a biologist or icthyologist somewhere that's a huge fan of John Berendt because lo and behold, this is what I saw in my inbox today.

Btw, I <3 animals, and hope that all the lab-created glowy fish are all safe. 

A sale on glowing fish!  Yes, you my friend can have your very own glow fish, and even match their color to the gravel in the bottom in your aquarium.

Where had I heard the idea of a glowing fish before?  I still had hazy-morning-brain, so I sipped more coffee and then and only then did it dawn on me, as I recalled a very humorous passage from the John Berendt southern masterpiece, MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL.

Now if you've read the book, you might remember how Berendt retells the story of an eccentric character and southern-fried mad scientist, Luther Driggers, and his invention of fish that glow.

In this chapter, Driggers is convinced his discovery is going to make him millions, and envisioned selling these fishies to bars with aquariums to mesmerize legions of  sots with glazed eyes.  He wanted then to stare peacefully at floating, glowing fish rather than engaging in fistfights.  Interesting idea.  Who knows? Maybe it would've brought about world peace if things had gone...differently.

Well anyhow,  it sounded like a good idea to him in the beginning,  but when Driggers poured his little finned friends into an aquarium at a popular neighborhood bar, it did not elicit world peace or applause, but disgust and nausea, for the fish had been fed, and all that glowed were fish guts and poo.

Niiice Luther.

So now a decade and a half later, some random Berendt fan or icthyologist, or maybe a combo of both,  has perfected this idea and found a (hopefully) safe way to make fishies glow without the "ewwwww" effect of flourescent guts and poop. Honestly though, the whole thing still sounds a bit sketchy to me.

And to fellow fans of "The Book", as it's affectionately known in Georgia, I certainly hope if ol' Luther's still around that he doesn't read this post and remove that vial of "something" hanging around his neck... if you know what I mean.  Because if he reads it and doesn't eat his breakfast at Clary's Cafe, then I'd say don't drink the tap water. (Hint:  This last sentence will make no sense unless you've read "The Book"!)

So let me ask, fellow writers, have any of you noticed instances of life imitating art recently? Has it been another one of those idiot ideas like the glowing fish? If you have witnessed stupidity in action, then give me a shout below!

This world really scares me, and I swear, I'm tempted as a writer to put something like the following as a disclaimer at the beginning of THE DEATH BROKERS to try to get through to the blockheads of the world:

Warning!

*Do not attempt any of the stunts a character  

does in this book at home.  

*This book was written by a  super-duper-wannabe-successful-FICTION writer, and anything her characters do in this thriller, is not intended for sane individuals to try in their spare time. 
*So don't do it.
*Don't even entertain the thought of doing it.
*For if you do, in the future a random blogger will write an article about you and how stupid you are.

Thank you for not blowing anything up (yet).

Joey

Meet Barry-Cuda: Four Friendly Feet of Fangs

The view from our porch on the last day of our adventure.  And before
we dive into this post, relish this quote from of  one of my  favorite authors.

“There is something fresh and crisp about the first hours of a Caribbean day, a happy anticipation that something is about to happen, maybe just up the street or around the next corner.” 
― Hunter S. Thompson, The Rum Diary

Later during the week, we decided to embark on an excursion aboard a sixty foot sailboat called New Horizons.  It was six incredible hours of wind, salt air, delicious food and drink and amazing underwater sights.  The time flew by as we spent the day with Captain Sven and his first mate Bill, and they introduced us to a fang-tastic new fish friend they've dubbed "Barry-Cuda".

The four foot long silvery guy hung out near the underside of the boat, and seems to recognize the green paint on the underbelly of the boat, because when Capt. Sven's boat appears, Barry knows he'll enjoy some grub.  First mate Bill always makes lunch on board, and Barry will eagerly swim to the surface to gobble up any remaining meatballs.

 He's never bitten anyone or exhibited any aggressive behavior whatsoever according to Capt. Sven, and I've been snorkeling and diving among barracuda before, finding out for myself they are actually rather shy creatures and definitely not nightmarish monsters (before nuclear med, I was once a biology major.  Can you tell?).

Here he is hanging out under the boat.  I didn't want to scare him and get too close, but you can tell he's a big, healthy boy when compared to the sixty foot sailboat.

Besides our visit with Barry, we swam with several stingrays, saw countless colorful fish, and I even accidentally found myself near a large nurse shark for about fifteen seconds before it slipped away into a dark cave.

This trip was truly amazing, and it gave me plenty of food for thought for RED HOOK, also a thriller and a side project/manuscript I'm working on right now.

As many of you know, I'm one for authenticity, and there's truly nothing more rewarding for a writer than to get their feet on the ground in the area of the world they're writing about in order to convey how it feels to actually be there so our readers get a truly meaningful experience.

Island Driving & the Funky Ferry From Red Hook!

One of da car ferries outta Red Hook, mon, complete with
palm trees, a bar, & great reggae tunes to sway to as you roll with the waves. 

When we arrived in St. Thomas last week, we rented a jeep, since we planned to visit many different spots on St. Thomas and St. John.  In case you haven’t visited either of these two lush islands with a decidedly volcanic ancient history, life seems to move at a totally different pace than here in the continental United States.  Everybody we met was easy-going and relaxed.  Unlike Jamaica, they don’t say “No problem mon”, they live the motto without having to utter the words.  HOWEVER...the one ‘ting that is frustrating and stressy is getting behind the wheel in the Virgin Islands.  And here’s why:

A)     Despite the fact the U.S. Virgin Islands are a U.S. Commonwealth, you drive on the left side.  Yep.  Just like our friends across the Big Pond do in Britain. 

B)      Everyone uses their horn.  Often.  Very very often.  In a span of say, five minutes, you may experience on St. Thomas several honks. Which brings me to...

C)      You must learn why you are on the receiving end of “the honk”. 

It took us several days to decipher certain meanings associated with the excessive horn-honking, and a honk could simply be a friendly way to say hi to a buddy driving past you, or “the honk” could be because they want to pass you quickly while you’re trying to turn and they think you’re taking too long, and with many of the roads being but only two lanes on narrow, hilly terrain, that’s not something you rush (turning).  Honestly, some people there drove like maniacs, and my hubs (we own a jeep by the way) is very adept at driving through mountainous terrain and maneuvering hair-pin curves and still was honked at frequently.

Over a few days, we came to ignore “the honk”, and towards the end of our vacation, we even honked a bit ourselves.  Why not?  When in Rome. 

Midweek, we decided to take the car ferry over to St. John to experience the beautiful beaches and isolated peace.  We were also curious if the honking was rampant on the island but blissfully it was not!  St. John was our little respite from “the honk”, and we found ourselves spending at least two honk-free days sunning on the secluded beaches and meandering the roads of the Juraissic Park-like island. 

To get from St. Thomas (home of “the honk”) to St. John (our island of ahhh) requires the use of a car ferry, and the whole element of “the honk” stops when you enter the marina at Red Hook.  You purchase either a one-way or a round-trip ticket on the car ferry, and as soon as you back your car over the ramp and onto the large boat, this is what you might be greeted with:

My video!  Many more fun 'tings to upload and show you soon!

Btw, you can't hear either my voice or the reggae music

 until I turn and video facing the bar area.

Palm trees, reggae music, and a bar!  All on a car ferry!  The mental strain courtesy of “the honk” melted away after listening to a musical reminder by Mr. Marley on how “every ‘ting is gonna be alright”. Who wouldn't love a boat like this?  The only things missing were Julie, Captain Stubing, Isaac, and a stateroom to crash in.  The views were gorgeous, and the feel of the salty air hitting your face was every bit as intoxicating as the beer and rum drinks savored by many of the passengers on board. 

But somewhere deep-down despite all the island fun, we decided we wouldn’t partake in the perpetual happy-hour on board, and opted to while away the twenty minute ride to St. John drinking bottled water rather than rum since we would be driving on even more mountainous terrain.

Feel free to enjoy a few moments from the honk-free, festive and fabulous car ferry, and remember, if someone honks at you, it ain’t nothing but a ‘ting.  Everything’s gonna be alright.

More island and literary musings to come!  

You Create the Caption!



Let's See What You'd Put Riiiiight Here!
 (original article and photo:  http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/07/09/070912-news-cape-cod-shark-1-2-zzinfogrzz/)


Some photos beg for a caption, and while we could get all factual, adding in the name of the freaked-out dad and where the incident happened, the news agencies already did the non-fun stuff for us, but we can of course, do more! 

I say this photo requires a new caption, and who better to write a snappy caption than the super-creative readers and writers who follow Soul and Sweet Tea!

You know I'm right.  You know you can do this. 

This idea to have a little fun came to me last night as I watched the nightly news and saw this picture, which to me is worth about a million words.

This is yet another fun way for us to flex our writing muscles, so show me the captions, and feel free to comment on which ones you think are the best.  This isn't a contest, but getting a thumb's up from a fellow writer does feel good doesn't it? 

By the way, being a former biology major in college, and knowing the kayaker and paddleboarder are sharing the water with a nearby large seal population, I'd say they were rather lucky chaps.

Rolling With the Flow-Thoughts on Dialogue

Let’s talk…about dialogue!

Good dialogue makes  a book read as smooth as silk, allowing the reader to turn each page with ease and anticipation.  When there's stilted or awkward dialogue, it forces the reader to stop,  re-reading paragraphs over and over trying to get the feel of the scene and it drags them down.  If the dialogue catches them too much, then most likely the book will never be finished.

I’ve had many people ask me about how I am able to write smooth dialogue and my answer is relatively simple…read your manuscript aloud.  If the characters aren’t engaged in natural conversation then
it’s off.  Borrow your kids or husband, or best friend and enlist them in helping you with sticky dialogue areas so that you can immediately troubleshoot the problems.

And yet other folks ask me how to create dialogue that has the right feel for the manuscript.  I tend to think the concept of writer’s “voice” comes in to play when taking this into consideration, for you must be able to breathe life into your characters, not just giving them mere words to say, but making them jump off of the page and seem completely real.   That’s what I believe is capturing the right “voice”.   If you can achieve this, then the reader can effortlessly fall head- over- heels in love with the book, and creates what I call a "soul connection" connection between author and reader.

Now here’s something I wasn’t sure how to approach, but I can’t skirt this issue and it's time I got it off of my chest.  Do me a favor, please take the time to create characters who converse with true authenticity.  Now here comes a confession where I am brutally honest about something that's bothered me for years.

Warning:  Rant Ahead!!!

 As a southern writer,  I feel great disdain for authors obviously not from the
south who create stereotypical dialogue for their faux-southern characters, forever clutching
on to outdated cliches.

Take this hint...

Here's a big hint...if you want avoid infuriating or insulting readers, and want your dialogue to feel true and organic, then go to the actual place you’re writing about and listen to people talk, all the while being careful to avoid falling into the pit of stereotype.  Example:  I may be a southern woman who actually drinks iced tea each day, but it doesn’t meanthat I’m constantly peppering my speech with “y’all” or “bless your heart”.  Nope, life here doesn’t work that way, and if you want your writing to actually work for you instead of against you, then get out of your comfort zone, and go do some feet-on-the-ground recon and actually visit the places you’re writing about, and get to meet the real-life characters who call that place home.

About ten years ago, I read a book I found so insanely mesmerizing, that I found myself hopping in the car and driving all the way from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia all because of “The Book” (as it’s
affectionately known in Savannah).  Do yourself a favor and learn from John Berendt, who truly captured the southern heart and soul of Savannah in MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL.
Heck, it was such a wild success that it threw Savannah into the national spotlight as a top tourist destination.  Isn’t it fabulous to imagine a little book having so much power?  But it did happen and it
still draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists each year, and "the book" was so intoxicating to read, such a joy, that it made me gas up the car and go for a long ride down to where the Spanish moss hangs
from the trees.

So what’s stopping you?  Get in the car, buy a plane ticket and go! There’s nothing more fun than exciting new life experiences, except for maybe writing about these new life experiences.  Give your readers an
experience they’ll never forget, and take the time to do the research, get friends and family to read aloud, and create such meaningful dialogue that it becomes a beautiful memory that will stay with your readers forever.

Happy Fourth of July friends!