Lyrical Pens

Anthropic, AI, and more . . .

2026-04-01T04:00:00.156-05:00

cj Sez: I really like this graphic for a proposed twenty-day reading schedule for a children’s book. I’m reproducing it here with permission from Author Chris Grabenstein and also giving credit to Read to Them (they did the actual schedule) and St Patrick Catholic School, Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada, for the art.

Maybe a children’s author or a library, public or school, might consider adopting/adapting a similar schedule to pique youngsters’ reading interests. Hmmm?

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Here’s a follow-up on the publishing problem for the print copy of my latest novel, A Time to Die.

Seems that some AI bot scraped the internet, picked up my cover and ISBN, either through my ordering proof copies to approve or through my registering the ISBN, and then sent the data to a company in Australia who advertised it, cover picture and all, on their online sales site as "available for preorder."

When I reviewed the KDP proof I had ordered, I realized I needed to submit a revised manuscript, and then I could approve it for publication. When KDP’s bot was verifying my approval to publish, it misinterpreted the "available for preorder” as my print book had been already published by some other company. I tried a phone call to the Aussie company with no response. No amount of texting telling they needed to take down the ad, that they were advertising a pirated and as-yet unapproved, unpublished book could get past the Aussie’s AI responses.

I ended up having to abandon the original ISBN and attaching a new one to the manuscript before KDP would accept it for publishing...which they did.

The “real” print version of "A Time to Die" is now available for preorder as is the ebook.

(Side note: I made a promise to myself for my son Mark that I'd finish the book he kept looking to read, and now the novel will finally launch on May 5, almost four years after he died. When my author copies arrive, I will do some crying and praying, grateful I was able to get it done.)

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Anthropic News

Any authors remember the suit filed by Simon & Schuster against Anthropic for pirating their authors’ books for AI training? I had forgotten about it until a few days ago when a fellow S&S author reminded me to check to see if any of my books were in the Anthropic Copyright Settlement. Yep, I found one. The last day to file a claim was March 31, and I filed my form March 18, claiming sole ownership because I had gotten my rights back.

On March 25, I got an email that my claim had been received. Still wondering what that means.

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Top-of-the-mind topic for readers and writers:

“If you primarily learn about generative AI and large language models from social media, or from the opinions of average people, then it’s likely you are misinformed about it,” says publishing guru Jane Friedman. She also says, “Even agents and editors get basic things wrong about the law surrounding AI.” You can read the rest of her article here: https://janefriedman.com/ai-and-publishing-faq-for-writers/

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That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj Sez: Raising prayers for a Blessed and Happy Easter and Passover.

Just a reminder: Lyrical Pens blog for readers and writers is now a monthly issue, kind of like a newsletter. I’ll be aiming for the first of the month, whatever day that is, so watch for it please. That said, thank you for stopping by Lyrical Pens today. I really do appreciate each and every one of my visitors. Drop me a comment or question, and we’ll talk.

➜ Follow me on

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Excitement at Lyrical Pens today

2026-03-01T04:00:00.132-06:00

cj Sez: The ebook of my new, soft-boiled mystery, A Time to Die, is available for preorder.

Click on the following link to find your favorite spot to order: https://books2read.com/u/bxL9xv

Reiterating some "sigh" news

The print book of A Time to Die may or may not happen unless I can find a work-around. It appears some AI bot scavenged/pirated the title and ISBN for a company in Australia called Dymocks, who then listed it as available for preorder. KDP’s verification process believes that advertising the book as available for preorder means the book was “already published” by some other company, and I can’t publish it on Amazon’s KDP.

I tried contacting Dymocks’ online presence, explaining that the print book is not available for preorder, that their advertising is erroneous and illegal, and insisting they remove it from their online site. Their AI response directed me to call customer service. So I called Australia. Found out they were closed for the day (I have to find out what the difference in time zones is). I sent them a “take it down” email, but until that issue is resolved, I’m stuck with not being able to get this print book done. I have to wait and see.

Ask me what I think of AI now.

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Readers and Writers:

My ebooks are now available on Bookshop.org. That means you can now buy ebooks through Bookshop.org while supporting your local bookstore. But, wait! There’s more!

***

You don’t want to miss this: My ebooks also will be featured (at discounted pricing) in the upcoming Smashwords “Read an Ebook Week”, a week-long celebration of ebooks and the readers who love them. Watch for it: The event runs from March 1 through March 7.

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Speaking of March 7:

If you’re in or near the Gulf coast city of Mobile, AL, on Saturday, March 7, you’re in for a treat.

Mobile’s Ben May Library is hosting the Mobile Writers Guild and a bunch of famous/favorite published authors for the 2026 Mobile Literary Festival.

Reader, writer, hope-to-be-author, this one-day FREE event has everything a reader and writer wants to know about writing in multiple genres and the business of getting published.

Look for me. I'll be there, too.

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Ad info:

In Musical Pieces, the seventh installment of the Pieces anthology series, Mobile Writers Guild members pay tribute to some of their favorite song titles (using only the titles for inspiration, not the copyrighted music or lyrics). My inspiration title was “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”

This anthology is a collection of 28 pieces of poetry and short stories, and the paperback is available on Amazon.

BUY MUSICAL PIECES NOW

My thriller / suspense novels with a touch of romance, The Dawgstar and Death on the Yampa, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock.

TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

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That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

Just a reminder: Lyrical Pens blog for readers and writers is now a monthly blog, kind of like a newsletter. I’ll be aiming for the first of the month, whatever day that is, so watch for it please. That said, thank you for stopping by Lyrical Pens today. I really do appreciate each and every one of my visitors. Drop me a comment or question, and we’ll talk.

➜ Follow me on

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➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

BREAKING NEWS

2026-02-01T04:00:00.060-06:00

cj Sez: Coming soon! After a five-year novel writing dearth, I have a new book coming out. (I’ve been writing short stories for anthologies in the interim.)

A TIME TO DIE is a Southern, mystery/romance novella with a Stephanie Plum-style protagonist.

I’m still putting the finishing touches on the publication requirements and waiting for a proof copy. Watch this space and my Facebook page for news about the launch date. I love this story and hope you will, too.

Next on my to-do list are the promotions and setting up an author landing page. The landing page website is a maybe, however. I am not particularly techno inclined. If you have any suggestions about an easy way to accomplish that, please let me know.

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Writers:

It’s officially tax season, so I thought this information from Kaye George (National Best-Selling & Agatha-Nominated mystery author) might be of interest for our fellow authors.

Kaye George says:

“I HOPE you all know that you should ALL be deducting your writing expenses on a Schedule C, no matter whether or not you're published, no matter whether or not you're making or losing money! There are MANY CPAs who do not know that writing is NEVER considered a hobby, as long as you are seriously trying to get published. The hobby rule does NOT apply to authors.

You can refer to my last yearly tax related blog post, from ‘Travels with Kaye,’ that I used to do. https://travelswithkaye.blogspot.com/2022/01/

Show this is your CPA or tax preparer if they need to see it.”

Plotting assist

From the archives: Back in 2020, Lyrical Pens quoted the following David Mamet thoughts on plotting. Since then, the wise words have made their way into and out of a lot of other mouths, including YouTubers. Still good info, whomever you choose to cite.

“When you’re plotting . . . if you replace the W in what, when, and where with T, you have the answer to all those questions.”

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Readers:

Mardi Gras is celebrated on February 17 this year. Otherwise known as Fat Tuesday, it’s the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

While some people celebrate Mardi Gras on only that Tuesday, along the Gulf Coast—from Florida to Louisiana—Mardi Gras is a Season, and the parades and festivities have already started.

Put the following books on your buy/to-be-read list to help you join in Mobile, Alabama’s festivities.

MARDI GRAS PIECES

Tis Mardi Gras Season, so grab this book while the grabbing’s good and learn more about Mobile, Alabama’s authentic connection to Mardi Gras.

Everyone from Mobile, Alabama, has a Mardi Gras story. In this second installment of the Mobile Writers Guild PIECES anthology series, the guild members share their stories—some true and some fictional, some funny, some touching, and some downright chilling.

The anthology is still available (the Kindle version is only $1.99). BUY MARDI GRAS PIECES NOW

MASKED FLAWS and Other Stories

by prolific Mobile author Carrie Dalby

Click on the Books2Read universal book link below to find your favorite ebook seller.

https://books2read.com/u/318enM

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That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

My fast-paced novels, The Dawgstar (books2read.com/u/3LRRG5 ) and Death on the Yampa (books2read.com/u/bxe1AP ), are available through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore. Amazon has paperback copies as well.

Just a reminder: Lyrical Pens blogs for readers and writers is now a monthly blog. I’ll be aiming for the first of the month, whatever day that turns out to be, so watch for it please. That said, thank you for stopping by Lyrical Pens today. I really do appreciate you . . . and you . . . and especially, you.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

2026 is here! Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year.

2026-01-01T04:00:00.033-06:00

cj Sez: Onward! Looking hopefully forward to a Far-Better Year . . .

I do not make New Year’s resolutions. To me, the word implies a passive ending, something already resolved. My career in a corporate environment taught me to use the word “goal,” a word that infers action, a constant striving to reach that target or be defeated. I will change direction and adjust my expectations if necessary, but I will not be defeated.

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I love words. Even more so than the plot of a story, the syntax and cadence of a well-crafted sentence, paragraph, chapter, story invites me to read those lines over and over. But my personal writing enthusiasm wanes and ennui waxes when I contemplate finding a critique group/partner and beta reader then going through the tedious processes of self-publishing and marketing of novels. Besides the time it takes, marketing dollars are the main deterrent for me. I think I earned less than $20 in royalties last year, which leads me to another of my goals for 2026: Make a monthly budget/placement plan for maximum return on marketing dollars spent.

“Goals are dreams we convert to plans and take action to fulfill.”

Zig Ziglar

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Book Review

I've had the book for a couple of months, but I just finished A DANGEROUS HOMECOMING yesterday. (Yeah, I know. I’m a slow reader and writer.)

My take:

Oh what a tangled web of plot twists and turns Susan Yawn Tanner expertly weaves. An elopement fated to fail. A quest for a murderer. A love story decades in the making.

Tanner’s characters are 3D perfect as is her latest novel in The Bellamy Legacy series, A DANGEROUS HOMECOMING. 5-Stars!

Buy A Dangerous Homecoming now

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Etcetera

When I first saw the picture of Mr. Scrappy Rooster on Facebook, I wasn't sure if he was the winner or the loser of that fight.

I look a lot like him as I skid into 2026.

Then I realized, he’s not only upright, he’s strutting. He’s definitely the winner.

I’m hoping 2026 is a winning year for you, too.

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I want to end this first Lyrical Pens post of 2026 with one of Billy Graham’s prayers for a new beginning for all of us in another uncertain and turbulent year.

“Our Father and our God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance as we face the future. We each have our hopes and expectations for the year that is ahead of us—but You alone know what it holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges. So help us to humbly put our hands into Your hand, and to trust You and to seek Your will for our lives during this coming year. In the midst of life’s uncertainties in the days ahead, assure us of the certainty of Your unchanging love.” —Billy Graham

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That’s it for today’s post. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

My fast-paced novels, The Dawgstar and Death on the Yampa, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

Just a reminder: Lyrical Pens blogs for readers and writers is now a monthly blog. I’ll be aiming for the first of the month, so watch for it please. That said, thank you for stopping by Lyrical Pens today. I really do appreciate you . . . and you . . . and especially, you.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Ending the year on an up-note

2025-12-01T21:31:00.003-06:00

cj Sez: December 1, 2025, and my yard is just about flooded. Over the last four hours, we’ve had more than three inches of rain in my neighborhood, and the forecast is for more tomorrow. We’ve been in a drought for a few weeks, so this deluge will definitely help. The rain-to-snow calculator on Google says “Typically, 1 inch of rain is estimated to equal about 10 inches of snow, but this can vary based on temperature and other atmospheric conditions. In some cases, the ratio can range from 6 to 18 inches of snow for every inch of rain.” That equation makes me kind of happy I’m not living in a snowy state.

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Real life:

I’ve acquired a new name: “Great Grandma.” My granddaughter Johanna gave birth to sweet Rosalie today. I’m anxious to meet her.

Reel life:

I was hopeful I was going to put the final touches on my novella (I’ve got a cover designer working on ideas), but today I tore out an entire exciting scene, 1,146 words gone with a poof. I’ll have to start working on replacing all those words . . . maybe tomorrow, or maybe I’ll just give it another rest.

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Wordsmithiness

I love words (especially those I make up). I love the definitions, spellings, usages, inferences, and the syncopation of sentences. Here are some words I recently ran across.

Mantel refers to a shelf above a fireplace, while mantle refers to a cloak or covering, as well as metaphorically to roles or responsibilities. They are distinct words with different meanings despite sounding alike.

Do you know the difference between “hang” and “hung” and when to use them? A May 21, 2025, article by Samantha Abernethy on Word Smarts says:

English is full of tricky choices: Is it “peak” or “peek”? (“Peek” is a quick look and “peak” is the top of a mountain.) Or is it "pique" (to challenge or arouse). Should you use “compliment” or “complement” when giving someone praise? (Compliment.) When it comes to “hanged” vs. “hung,” though, there’s only one very specific usage for the former. Both are acceptable past-tense versions of the verb “to hang,” but they are not interchangeable. The word “hanged” is grammatically correct in only one context: when referring to an execution by hanging. For example, “In the Old West, outlaws were hanged at high noon.”

In all other contexts, “hung” is the correct choice. Think of this line in the classic tale “The Night Before Christmas”: “The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.”

I leave you dear visitor with a link to the Word Smarts website which is a wonderful source of information. https://wordsmarts.com/

What I have read:

SHE HAD TO DIE

Book 2 of the Hugo August Detective Series

My Review:

Rebecca Barrett’s latest Hugo August novel, She Had to Die, is more than a murder mystery. It’s an exposé of people who will go to any lengths to hide indiscretions and preserve illusory reputations. If you’re not familiar with Hugo’s section of L.A. (that’s Lower Alabama to the uninitiated), you soon will be. Barrett’s descriptions of people, places, and things are spot on, as are the clues, red herrings, and plot twists that make this story an enjoyable 5-star read.

Buy She Had to Die now

What I'm reading:

Susan Yawn Tanner’s A DANGEROUS HOMECOMING, book 3 in The Bellamy Legacy Series.

I love the beginning of the blurb: A few words can upend a person’s world. It’s a routine day at the office for Jade Bellamy when the second note arrives . . . and am looking forward to finishing the book.

Buy A Dangerous Homecoming now

Books, the gift that keeps on giving

Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes: A heartwarming holiday memoir collection filled with nostalgic childhood memories, uplifting family traditions, and comforting stories that celebrate the true spirit of Christmas.

The anthology is still available—on Dec. 1, the Kindle version was 99 cents.

My story, “Dancing With Daddy,” is a favorite and precious memory written under my maiden name, Marilyn Olsein. I’ll be reading an edited down excerpt from the story at the December meeting of the Mobile Writers Guild. I will probably cry again.

Buy Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes Now

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Okay, that’s it. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for happy and safe days for you and yours.

My fast-paced thriller novels, THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

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Just a reminder: Lyrical Pens blogs for readers and writers is now a monthly blog. I’ll be aiming for the first Sunday in the month, but it might wind up being a Monday, so watch for it please. That said, thank you for stopping by Lyrical Pens today. I really do appreciate you . . . and you . . . and especially, you.

➜ Follow me on
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Did you fall back?

2025-11-02T04:00:00.078-06:00

cj Sez: Well, didja? Didja turn your clocks back one hour last night? I did, but the pets’ internal clocks could not care less about that extra hour of sleep I thought I was going to get.

I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get back into the rhythm of blogging, so I’ll just put my bottom in the chair and my fingers on the keyboard. After such a long hiatus from writing, I’m hopeful the ideas and fingers will move forward again. The reason I’ve been absent for so long is that my real life overpowered my reel life.

Lyrical Pens blogs for readers and writers will turn from weekly to monthly blogs, though. I’ll be aiming for the first Sunday in each month. That said, thank you for stopping by Lyrical Pens today. I really do appreciate you.

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Real and reel:

My real life had some ups and downs this year. My brother died in June after suffering through debilitating illnesses. He had been under hospice care since January. Stoic Swede that he was, his only complaint was that he couldn’t get up when he fell down. We’d been separated by distance for a long time, but never apart by heart.

I lost my sweet cuddle kitty, Cato the Cat, in January when he suffered the sudden onset of an illness neither the vet nor the veterinary hospital could diagnose.

On the plus side in my reel life, in May, I finally took renewed interest in finishing the mystery that’s been idling on my computer for more years than I can remember. I entered the first chapter in a critique contest and was told it finished at number 17 out of 119 entries. I was cocky enough to hope for an honorable mention, but the result encouraged me to finish the story. After I typed “The End,” the story also received a positive beta read with good questions that needed to be answered (“I enjoyed it. It’s a good story.”). A TIME TO DIE is now out to a couple more beta readers—in another state, so no local influencing there. I hope their comments are as helpful as the first reader’s.

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Since I am in the process of collecting (reminding myself of) everything I need to do to get a novel ready for the publisher, I resurrected this article from Jane Friedman’s blog that I mentioned in December last year. Perhaps other authors will also find a useful nugget in it.

https://janefriedman.com/writing-the-authors-note-for-a-novel/

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe Thanksgiving celebration for you and yours.

Blatant Self Promotion:

MUSICAL PIECES is a collection of 28 short stories and poems by Guild members whose inspiration came from their favorite song tiles. It is the seventh installment of the Mobile Writers Guild themed-PIECES anthology series, books in which I have stories.

Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Birthday/whatever day, books are gifts that keep on giving year-round, and anthologies are even better because there’s more than one story to read, perhaps by an author who could become a new favorite.

BUY MUSICAL PIECES

My fast-paced thriller/suspense novels with a touch of romance, THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

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FYI . . . An announcement in the interest of transparency (de rigueur word these days). This is something that I only recently learned: If you buy ebooks from Amazon, you don’t own them. You've been given a license to read them. Amazon reserves the right to pull the book from sale at any time and provide you zero compensation for doing so. Per their disclosure of licensing terms in response to a California law:

“Amazon clarifies that Kindle purchases are licenses, not ownership, allowing the company or publishers to revoke or alter e-books at any time.”

Amazon’s recent update to its Kindle store in the U.S. now includes a disclaimer: “By placing the order, you’re purchasing a license to the content.” (cj Sez: I didn’t see any verbiage on other countries.)

Source: https://www.newstarget.com/2025-02-26-amazon-users-dont-own-kindle-ebooks.html

I’m happy to announce that when you purchase one of my books from the D2D Smashwords.com store, the buyers owns them, “without exception” D2D told me. The buyer keeps the ebook she/he purchases and can load it onto a Kindle or whatever device.

➜ Follow me on

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➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

NaNoWriMo What's Next and a call for submissions

2024-12-01T04:00:00.158-06:00

cj Sez: NaNoWriMo writers, raise your fingers. The race to finish the National Novel Writing Month challenge is over.

Now that you’ve reached your 30-day/50,000-word goal, or some portion thereof, the NaNoWriMo organization has some tips on what to do with your incredible manuscript: Take a breath and . . . “Step 1. Wait.”

https://blog.nanowrimo.org/post/180591717410/what-to-do-with-your-manuscript-in-december

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Chicken Soup for the Soul has submission calls for 2025 anthologies out right now.

Here’s the link to find out more:

https://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/possible-book-topics/

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Jennie Liu, a young adult and middle-grade readers author, asks “Is it necessary to write an author’s note?” and answers “No, but some genres and categories naturally lend themselves to further discussion.”

She goes on to explain why, if you don’t already do so, you should consider writing what she says might be “an arduous task.” Read the post here:

https://janefriedman.com/writing-the-authors-note-for-a-novel/

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With this year of turmoil coming to a close, I’ve been thinking of the quietude of home and people I miss dearly—all year long, but especially at this time of year.

I think of childhood-me sleeping next to an open window under a warm quilt in the chill of a country starry July night in West Texas.

I think of adult me sitting around the kitchen table harmonizing some favorite old hymns with my mother and my sisters.

Precious, precious memories.

Where do your precious memories take you?

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Tis the season for holiday shopping but forget Amazon. Shop local. The best gifts are closer than you think (think your local indie bookstores), and books are gifts that don’t need charging and keep on giving.

To order one of my novels or a book by any author and support a small business indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

Blatant Self Promotion: Books are gifts that keep on giving year-round, and anthologies are even better because there’s more than one story to read. With that in mind, let me help you out with a couple of ideas. The stories in these Christmas anthologies may have a holiday theme, but each one is a year-round enjoyable read.

Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes

You’ll find 70 short stories written by adults recounting their extraordinary childhood holiday memories.

My story, written under my maiden name of Marilyn Olsein, is titled “Dancing with Daddy,” and relates how six-year-old me reconnected with my Swedish-born father after a thousand-mile, years-long separation.

The anthology is available on Kindle click on ( Amazon.com : Christmas Through a Child's eyes )

Finally Home

This anthology gifts you with eight Christmas stories, all about our four-legged friends and the special people who rescue them. From funny, to sad, to romantic, there’s something here to tug at everyone’s heart strings.

In “Puppy Love,” I write a tale about a woman who is passionate about giving abandoned kittens a second chance at happiness. My character’s carefully curated life is disrupted when she becomes a foster hu-mom to a puppy with an amputated leg. Then she is surprised by an even harder challenge when the man who broke her heart asks for a second chance, too.

Finally Home Buy Now

My fast-paced novels, The Dawgstar and Death on the Yampa, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Thanksgiving! And words to the wise

2024-11-24T04:00:00.018-06:00

cj Sez: Since we won’t be together for the Thanksgiving Day holiday . . .

In the Did You Know Department:

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.

For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.

It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

“As an annual celebration of the harvest and its bounty, Thanksgiving falls under a category of festivals that spans cultures, continents, and millennia. In ancient times, the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans

feasted and paid tribute to their gods after the fall harvest. Thanksgiving also bears a resemblance to the ancient Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot.

Finally, historians have noted that Native Americans had a rich tradition of commemorating the fall harvest with feasting and merrymaking long before Europeans set foot on America's shores.”

(Excerpted from: https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving )

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Doubters, this post from Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration (Bancroft Press, 2025) by Amy L. Bernstein offers hope on how to deal with those negative thoughts.

“What do we have here?

A doubter’s manifesto. An article of affirmation. An artist who says: I see you.

The hope is you see yourself, realize you are not alone, learn that doubt is not your assassin.”

Click the following link to read the post:

https://janefriedman.com/doubt-the-near-constant-companion-of-writers-and-artists/

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Tis the season for holiday shopping but forget Amazon. The best gifts are closer than you think (think your local indie bookstores), and books are gifts that don’t need charging and keep on giving. To order a book by any author and support an indie bookstore, contact The Haunted Bookshop here: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

Blatant Self Promotion: Here are a few books to put on your shopping list. The stories in these Christmas anthologies may have a holiday theme, but each one is a year-round enjoyable read.

Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes

You’ll find 70 stories written by adults recounting their extraordinary childhood Christmas memories.

My story, written under my maiden name of Marilyn Olsein, is titled “Dancing with Daddy,” and relates how six-year-old me reconnected with my Swedish father after a thousand-mile, years-long separation.

The anthology is available on Kindle.

Amazon.com : Christmas Through a Child's eyes

Finally Home

Finally Home Buy Now

My fast-paced novels, The Dawgstar and Death on the Yampa, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Questionnaire: Why that book?

2024-11-17T04:00:00.052-06:00

cj Sez: I found the questions below at another blog and thought, "What a great idea." So, here are some questions for you authors and readers.

What makes you want to buy a book? Is it the cover or the blurb on the back of the book?

For me, it's both. The cover has to grab my attention, then the blurb has to make me want to know more about the story, so I browse through the beginning pages and a few more.

When you get into a story, what keeps you reading? Is it the bad boy hero or the tough, strong-willed woman or the cast of characters that help push the story forward?

Really doesn’t make any difference to me. That said, whether heroine or hero, I am drawn to a fast-paced story, and I have to find a plot. I also like to find humor and some quick repartee in even the darkest of moments. It’s kind of a release valve from the danger.

What makes you like one author more than another?

I’m a wordsmith. That is, I want to be enchanted by the author’s voice and choice of words…how she/he uses a few precise words and syntax to evoke some visualization and/or visceral reaction in me.

If you’re into reading a series, when do you get tired of it…or do you?

As long as the author keeps the storyline and characters fresh, I don’t have a problem with continuing to read a series. It’s when the storyline get stale. The characters change but the story takes the same direction over and over. Sometimes stand-alones have that same problem, and that’s when I’m on to the next author.

Which brings me to reviews: Do you take the time to write a review?

Without readers, authors have no audience, and without an audience, authors are out of a job. Honest feedback—Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, etc.—is what keeps us going. We want to know our strengths and our weaknesses. We’re polite; we say please and thank you. . . except to trolls. A Facebook friend once wrote that someone seemed to have joined Goodreads just to give her latest book a one-star rating. The problem was, the book hadn’t even been released.

I’d love to know your answers to these questions. So write in, already.

§§

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Books make perfect gifts for everyone, and it’s not too early to do some holiday shopping.

Blatant Self Promotion:

Here are a few books to put on your shopping list. (The stories in the Christmas anthologies may have a holiday theme, but each of them is a year-round enjoyable read.)

Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes

You'll find 70 stories written by adults recounting their extraordinary childhood Christmas memories.

The anthology is available on Kindle at

Amazon.com : Christmas Through a Child's eyes

Finally Home

Finally Home Buy Now

My novels, The Dawgstar and Death on the Yampa, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

If you’re looking for free versions of these fast-paced reads, break out your library card. You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

They are all one and the same

2024-11-10T04:00:00.009-06:00

cj Sez: Veterans Day, Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Poppy Day: They are different names for the same day, depending on in what country it's observed (and how old you are, I guess). On Monday, November 11, the U.S. respectfully commemorates Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all the war veterans whose heroism made and keep this country free. Amen, and thank you!

“When first celebrated as Armistice Day, the day marked the end of World War I, formally recognized on the ‘11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month’ in 1918. The U.S. continues to honor the original connection to WWI, and Veterans Day is on the same day every year—November 11—regardless of which day of the week it falls.” (Source: https://www.military.com/veterans-day )

Excerpted from an American Legion page: “Poppy seeds can lay fallow for years, yet bloom brilliantly when the soil is disturbed or when the soil is freshly dug. After the battles were fought in World War I, the blood red poppy flourished in France and Belgium when battlefields became burial grounds.

The red flowers suddenly bloomed among the newly dug gravesites of fallen service members, turning the new graveyards into fields of red.

Surviving soldiers came to see the poppy as more than a flower—–it became a symbol of their sacrifice; a tribute to the price of freedom.”

Canada honors its veterans also on November 11 by celebrating their heroism with “Remembrance Day” and wearing red poppies.

In England, many people wear paper or ceramic red poppies also as they commemorate Sunday, November 10, as Remembrance Day.

§§

For all you word warriors: NaNoWri deadline is still more than two weeks away. You have time to reach your NaNoWriMo goal of 50,000 words on or before November 30 . . . Keep up the good work…you got this!

§§

November 30? Now that I think about it, since I get paid monthly, that means I have only one more payday before Christmas. Aarrgh

§§

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

Books make perfect gifts, and it’s not too early to do some holiday shopping. Blatant Self Promotion: Here are a few books to put on your shopping list:

Christmas Through a Child’s Eyes

This anthology has 70 stories written by adults recounting their extraordinary childhood Christmas memories.

My story, written under my maiden name of Marilyn Olsein, is titled “Dancing with Daddy,” and relates how six-year-old me reconnected with my Swedish father after a thousand-mile, years-long separation.

The anthology is available on Kindle. Amazon.com : Christmas Through a Child's eyes

Finally Home

This anthology gifts you with eight Christmas stories, all about our four-legged friends and the special people who rescue them. From funny, to sad, to romantic, there’s something here to tug at everyone’s heart strings.

My story, “Puppy Love,” tells a tale about a woman who is passionate about giving abandoned kittens a second chance at happiness. My character’s carefully curated life is disrupted when she becomes a foster hu-mom to a puppy with an amputated leg. Then she is surprised by an even harder challenge when the man who broke her heart asks for a second chance, too.

The anthology is availaable here: Amazon.com: Finally Home (Christmas Romance Anthology)

The stories in those Christmas anthologies may have a holiday theme, but each of them is a year-round enjoyable read.

My novels, The Dawgstar and Death on the Yampa, are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

If you’re looking for free versions of these fast-paced reads, break out your library card. You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Today we have Plan B

2024-11-03T04:00:00.075-06:00

cj Sez: Apologies, apologies. Author Anne Louise Bannon was unable to appear as our guest today. I’m hoping we can schedule her for a later date. Plan B topic of the day is the time change. I hope you set your clock back one hour Saturday evening. Here's a tidbit you may not know: We writers adhere to our own kind of clock.

I actually did set back all my clocks way too early on Saturday and then spent the rest of the day not really knowing what time it was. By the by, I think I found the answer to why there is a time change twice a year. According to one news dot com site: “Daylight saving time was first enacted by the federal government March 19, 1918, during World War I, as a way to conserve coal.”

I just wish they’d make up my mind and keep one time or the other. Which would you prefer?

Authors, there is a correct way to write DST in your stories. The correct term is daylight “saving” (not savings) time, and the AP Style Guide says when written out, it’s properly all lower case. (P.S. The rule really applies to everyone.)

And that finishes that topic until next March, when the clock will reclaim that hour you gained.

§§

A couple of Jane Friedman recent (and helpful) blogs:

This post is by author and book coach Kristin Melville who writes:

“Story structure promotes the concept that every scene of your story should serve a larger purpose—e.g., the inciting incident sparks the problem, and the climax eventually brings everything to a head.

So what do you need to succeed?”

Click on the link to read more.
Murky Middles Begone: Ensure the Middle of Your Book Stands Strong | Jane Friedman

The following post is by developmental editor and book coach Hannah Kate Kelley. Ms. Kelley writes:

“What is Gothic fiction?
Gothic fiction, also referred to as gothic horror, is a subgenre of Romantic literature born out of the late 18th century. These stories typically feature a hauntingly beautiful and dilapidated setting, suspenseful narratives, and dark themes like oppression, guilt, shame, and insanity.”

The link below will take you to the post:
How to Outline a Gothic Novel | Jane Friedman

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors: Books make perfect gifts, and it’s not too early to start your holiday shopping.

THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore.

If you’re looking for free and fast-paced reads, break out your library card. You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

2024-10-27T04:00:00.228-05:00

cj Sez: Celebrating fall with one of my son’s photos and a Robert Frost poem:

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood..... and I -

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

- Robert Frost

§§

How would you answer these questions?

Do you have a tall, to-be-read pile of books residing somewhere in your home?

Is there one particular book you can point to as THE BOOK that captured your imagination and started you down a path that made a difference in your life.

Did you start reading more and more and maybe thinking about being a writer?

As a child, did you have a parent read to you?

Did you have a home library of books?

I’ll answer first:

I have a small TBR pile and another small list of TBR Kindle books. I blame that on my eyes, and the fact that most books put me to sleep after about four chapters. Obviously, I’m a slow reader…unless I get captured by an amazing story and “in the zone.”

THE BOOK for me is The Last of the Mohicans, by James Fennimore Cooper. Based on the French and Indian war and touching on interracial love, the story whetted my appetite for exciting adventure.

I can’t remember that either of my parents ever read to me. My Sweden-born father didn’t read English all that well, and my mother wasn’t a reader by nature.

Companion to the above answer: We didn’t have a home library, although I do remember reading lots of comic books and some Golden Books. The Golden Books weren't mine, though

All of that is to say, don’t compare your writing or reading life to anyone else’s. Sometimes, all it takes is a single story to bring about a love of books and spark one’s imagination.

Despite not being introduced to reading books as a child, I grew to love the lyrical syncopation of words and syntax, and I am a published author, both traditional and self.

How about you? What sparked your love of reading and/or writing? Can you pinpoint a single story? Or do you think it was the cumulative effect of childhood experiences?

§§

The following Jane Friedman Blog post is by editor Tiffany Yates Martin, who writes . . .

“The Truth About First Lines.

First lines are greatly overrated. Yes, there have been some classics that have been immortalized in the canon, but too many authors get bogged down trying to create that perfect opening sentence and prevent themselves from creating an effective story.”

Click on the following link to read the rest of the post.

Forget the First Line. Focus on First Pages. | Jane Friedman

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Are you planning/plotting/thinking about doing NaNoWriMo? Author Neil Gaiman says: This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard. — Neil Gaiman

I’m rooting for you!

§§

That’s all for today’s post. You-all keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Thanks for stopping by.

My short story, “Once in a Blue Moon,” is one of 18 short stories and poems in the anthology HALLOWEEN PIECES.

As of the time of this post, the Kindle edition is sale priced at $1.99 and available instantly.

Halloween Pieces: A Mobile Writers Guild Anthology - @ Amazon.com.

THE DAWGSTAR is a suspense/thriller filled with international political gangsterism, nanosatellites (real things), assassins, fears of frankenfood, and more! A fast-paced Jane Bond-ish read with a touch of romance.

DEATH ON THE YAMPA is a contemporary suspense/thriller tale with a touch of romance. A woman and the man she loves are rafting the Yampa River through the delicious scenery of Dinosaur National Monument when they encounter her fugitive brother who's joined a domestic terrorist group.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

We're baa-ack!

2024-10-20T04:00:00.121-05:00

cj Sez: Lyrical Pens is back . . . Let’s kick off the blog’s return with a “It’s Fall, Y’all” sale.

A Mobile Writers Guild Anthology @ Amazon.com

My short story, "Once in a Blue Moon," is one of 18 short stories and poems in the anthology HALLOWEEN PIECES, book 4 of 4 anthologies from the Mobile Writers Guild. As of the time of this post, the Kindle edition of HALLOWEEN PIECES is sale priced at $1.99 and available instantly.

Click on the link below to watch a YouTube video as I read an excerpt. And if you have the option, choose to open in “Duck Player” (no ads).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUlZ7kUswE

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Old adage: Truth is stranger than fiction. Why? Because truth is harder to write and make it believable. As a writer, fiction is my choice because I can lie and be applauded for it. Now if I could only remember which lie I told.

§§

"Paths Not Taken" will release in March 2025. Pre-order is available.

§§

That’s all for today’s post. You-all keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Thanks for stopping by.

Now a word from my sponsors:

You can ask your local library to order my eBooks for you to read with your library card. You’ll need to give them the ISBN number of the title you want to borrow.

THE DAWGSTAR … ISBN 978-17369146-0-1

DEATH ON THE YAMPA … ISBN 978-1-7369146-1-8

And P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Something's come up

2024-09-08T04:00:00.037-05:00

cj Sez: Labor Day (it was Sept 2 in case you missed it) is sometimes called the unofficial end to summer. Witness: Most schools are back in session, and stores have already begun their multi-holiday advertising and sales. So let me be the first to wish you . . .

cj Sez: So did I.

That said, Lyrical Pens is on hiatus. The current plan is to return online in mid-October. Sorry for the abrupt notice, but life doesn’t always give warnings.

§§

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

Now some words from my sponsors:

THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA-Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. If she’s out, she’ll order one for you, and I’ll pop over to sign it. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story. The Haunted Book Shop has a couple of those, also.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

There is no try.

2024-09-01T04:00:00.062-05:00

cj Sez: I’ve been saying for a long time, way too long a time, that I’m trying to learn how to write an interesting mystery or I’m trying to learn how to write a YA story. In fact, I said it just the other day. Then I found this meme in my archives:

It reminded me that I know better. And have done better. If I “really’ want to learn how to do something, I have to set an achievable goal and do what’s necessary to reach it.

I once had a wild hair thought to challenge my staid existence and made a goal to go white-water rafting. When I was 50, I took six weeks of swimming lessons and then spent 5-1/2 days with 12 strangers on an Outward Bound white-water rafting trip on the undammed Yampa River flowing between Colorado and Utah. I had a great adventure (parts of which are incorporated into my second novel, DEATH ON THE YAMPA), made some interesting friends, and still don’t know how to swim.

When I first wanted to learn how to write novels, I enrolled in a creative writing class at a local community college. I flew to San Francisco and spent three days immersed in Robert McKee’s STORY screenwriting workshop. I grabbed a bunch of how-to books. I read novels and read some more.

Over time, I discovered I was drawn to the books of Robert B. Parker, Elmore Leonard, John Grisham, James Lee Burke, Robert Ludlum’s Bourne series. You know the kind, heavy on the action and adventure with a smattering of sex. When I relocated to Mobile, I took a continuing education class at the University of South Alabama, wrote seven paragraphs based on a prompt from the instructor, and, with a three- or four-line positive response written on the paper, decided I was ready to write.

BEEP, BEEP: Writing in a vacuum doesn’t work. I thought my premise was wonderful, the words and structure perfect. I wrote crap. There was no brilliant beginning, middle, or end. There was only a quasi-beginning, a sagging middle, and an unsatisfying end. And I couldn’t even edit out all the punctuation errors because I would read right past them.

So, I joined writers’ organizations and a couple of critique groups in order to get the kind of varied writer/reader responses I would get should my novel be on a library shelf. I went to conferences, writer retreats, and workshops. My first short story was published in a literary anthology in 2008, my first suspense novel in 2013.

At first, my stories and novels were traditionally published but understanding that the publication world is a fickle place, I took an intensive class in self-publishing, got my rights back (from Simon & Schuster), amended my novels enough to warrant renaming them, and then self-published. And you know what? It felt good. I still submit my short stories for consideration in small-press anthologies.

There is a song lyric that, paraphrased, tells me I can spend my days living a dream or spend my days trying not to die. I don’t see any hope or laughter in the latter. The Yoda meme reminds me that I must own my dream. I will either do or do not.

I will either learn how to write a mystery or set a new goal—hopefully an achievable one.

Today’s lesson: Set a goal. Put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and write it down. You might be surprised at how far seeing it in writing will take you.

Okay, I’ll climb off the soap box, but think about it reader or author: What’s your goal?

§§

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe Labor Day celebration for you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

Summer is winding down, kids are back in school, and there is some available downtime. Having a book to read is the perfect relaxing entertainment for those moments. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

And P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page for links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

A GUEST POST today by author Kathleen Kaska

2024-08-25T04:00:00.109-05:00

cj Sez: Lyrical Pens is excited to present a guest post today by Kathleen Kaska, the author of the Kate Caraway Animal-Rights Mystery Series as well as the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series set in the 1950s.

Kaska generously shares her experiences as she pursued new publishers for her books that had been previously published. Following is the author's “Here’s My Road to Reissue,” a very interesting take on that process.

“I learned a long time ago to take advice and seemingly factual information with a grain of salt. Once, a librarian told me that if my first book didn’t become an instant best-seller, I’d have a difficult time getting anyone to publish my second book. Thirteen books later, I’m glad I didn’t act on her information. Later, when the publisher of my first four Sydney Lockhart mysteries folded, someone also told me that it would be nearly impossible to find a new publisher for books that were previously published. I didn’t listen to them either. I had big plans for several more books in this series, so when the rights were reverted to me, I began doing my homework and searching for a new publisher.

When my first book came out in the early 90s, the publishing options were simple and straightforward but limited. Writers looked for an agent or contacted publishers directly, sent their submissions, and waited, and waited, and waited. Simultaneous submissions were frowned upon, so the process worked against the writer.

Over the years, I’ve signed with numerous publishers. My experience with the university press that published my biography, The Man Who Saved the Whooping Crane: The Robert Porter Allen Story, was/is amazing. When I have questions or need something, I call them. And guess what? They answer the phone! They were open to negotiating my contract, and my royalty statements are accurate and arrive on time. The same is true for the publishers of my trivia books. Not so true with the first two publishers of my mysteries. So, I learned to be cautious. I’ve learned to ask questions. I’ve learned to recognize publishers who accept manuscripts despite not having read them.

The good news is that now there are thousands of traditional small presses, hybrid presses, and self-publishing options. The less-than-good news is that a writer has to know the business, study the contracts, know when to negotiate, and be able to recognize a good deal. With this in mind, I knew I wanted a publisher who would work with me, answer my emails, listen to my suggestions, give me honest, helpful advice and feedback, brainstorm with me on promotion and marketing ideas, give me reasonable discounts on purchasing my books, connect me with her network of published authors, and above all, care about my books. I know that’s asking a lot, but writing is hard work, and I did not want to sell myself short.

Three years ago, I signed with Anamcara Press, and I couldn’t be happier. My publisher conducted a thorough edit on each previously published book, rebranded the entire series, which now includes two new books, and provided me with a publicist who helped me schedule book tours and kept me involved every step of the way. We meet virtually several times before each new release, tweaking the cover, metadata, and book blurbs.

I trust her expertise and experience. I’m selling more books than I ever have. And to top it all off, she is a nice person.”

§§

cj Sez:

For your reading enjoyment, here’s the cover and buy link to the reissue of MURDER AT THE ARLINGTON, Book 1 (of 6) in her Sydney Lockhart mystery series.

Buy the Kindle Now

Thank you, Kathleen, for the tips and reassurances. Yep, it’s going to take work, but if we writers will do our due diligence research, there are several publishing options available for that previously published book.

§§

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

Summer is winding down, kids are going back to school, and there is available downtime. Having a book to read is the perfect relaxing entertainment for those moments of R&R. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite e-Tailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

And P.S.: Pop on over to my Amazon Central Author Page to find links to anthologies in which I have a short story.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Readers' wants and expectations

2024-08-18T04:00:00.112-05:00

cj Sez: I rediscovered one of my archived posts about my path to creative writing, and I’ve excerpted it here. Hope you can find a useful nugget in here:

Readers have different expectations/wants

My first drafts are crappy and sparse, mainly for two reasons: First, first drafts are supposed to be crappy, and second. before a screenwriter course turned me on to creative writing, I was once a corporate journalist/editor tasked with relating the gist of a story in limited line space.

When I’m finished with the first draft, and the manuscript has its usual dearth of details, I start work expanding details: The five senses…hear, see, taste, smell, feel… and the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the plot.

I incorporate some action descriptors, but I consider too many of them stage directions. Some writers use them much like adverbs to “tell” their readers what to think or as a way to add words to a short manuscript.

Action needs to have purpose. If describing an action doesn't contribute to the reader's knowledge of the character, scene conflict, or mood, then it’s stage direction. I write mostly suspense and thrillers and have a minimalist approach to action—using few words speeds up the pace and heightens the tension. On the other hand, readers of cozy mysteries or more narrative-based novels want, and expect, to know every detail.

Adding or withholding detail is a good way to control the pace of your novel. Even in suspense and thrillers, there are places where the reader needs a breather from the action. These would be the spots where I add more detail or beats. Places where I can reveal more of the characters’ growth, i.e., transformation, as the plot progresses.

Hint: Adding detail words slows the pace; being stingy speeds it up.

When action is needed to set some mood for the scene, then yes, I detail the action. Sometimes I add details to slow the action and increase the tension. If I want a character to give the reader a sense of impending danger and fear, then I add more description to the action. I tend to follow the lead of my favorite authors—Robert Parker and James Lee Burke. Their succinct style of writing is what I like to read, and it is their fans who are my target market.

§§

Author and Reader Notes

Be sure to stop by next week when Kathleen Kaska, author of the award-winning Sydney Lockhart Mystery Series shares her path to securing a publisher to reissue her books.

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In a recent Jane Friedman blog post, Susan DeFreitas (@manzanitafire), an award-winning author, editor, and book coach, says writers can make their protagonist “too good.”

When It Comes to Characters We Love, Vulnerability, Not Likeability, Is Key | Jane Friedman

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Author quote:

“All writing is difficult. The most you can hope for is a day when it goes reasonably easily. Plumbers don’t get plumber’s block, and doctors don’t get doctor’s block; why should writers be the only profession that gives a special name to the difficulty of working, and then expects sympathy for it?” —Philip Pullman

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Congratulations to fellow Mobile Writers Guild member Carrie Dalby on the upcoming release of LOYALTY, the third book in her meticulously researched historical Washington Square Secrets series.

LOYALTY will launch August 27 and is currently available for preorder. Buy Loyalty Now

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

Nota bene: My local indy book store, The Haunted Book Shop, has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

➜ Follow me on

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➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

A fear of failure is not all that rare

2024-08-11T04:00:00.117-05:00

cj Sez: I once saw a TV interview with James Patterson and learned that his first novel was rejected thirty-one times before it was published. Even after publication, it didn’t do all that well. Fortunately for his fans, failure didn’t discourage him.

So, where did his worldwide success come from, besides having some natural talent for story telling? What he did was set about learning and analyzing the genre he wanted to write, so he could become the best writer he could be. Like most authors (I think the generalization is true), he started out writing part-time because he had a day job. Now, he writes full-time, every day but Sunday. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide.

From bios I’ve read, many, if not all, successful writers have some fear of failure, especially at the beginning of their careers. Perhaps they get an idea they’re excited to develop. The words flow like magic onto the page, but the farther they get into the writing, the more they start to second-guess their story-telling abilities. Doubts creep in: Someone’s already told this story, better. No one is going to read this drivel. It’ll never sell.

If you want to reduce your chances of failure, study the craft: workshops, conferences, writers’ groups, read-read-read, analyze-analyze-analyze, and publish a professional, well-edited book.

I also suggest that you write for yourself first. When you’re the only one you have to please, it reduces the writer’s block stress of arranging coherent sentences into a story arc on a blank page.

What was the first thing you wrote? A poem? A memoir? A little piece of fiction? If you’re like me, you kept it and every once in a while, you resurrect it and wonder, “Not so bad." or "What was I thinking?”

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Author and Reader Notes

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4 Questions to Strengthen Lean Manuscripts | Jane Friedman

This recent guest post on Jane Friedman’s blog is by Lisa Fellinger, an author, book coach, and editor. She says: “I have a small confession to make: I’ve never been told I need to cut words from my manuscripts. In fact, I’m the author envious of anyone who needs to do so because I’m the one struggling to get my manuscript up to my target word count.”

(cj sez: This is so me, and I thought there might be some of my readers also struggling with what I call “tight writing.”)

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“Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.” Kurt Vonnegut

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Since authors are also readers, this applies to everyone: There are three simple ways to encourage and support authors without spending an extra dime.

Like, comment, and share authors' Facebook posts. Facebook's algorithms show only posts that FB thinks other members would like to see. That means the more likes and comments a post gets, the more people will see it. (Psst: The same process works for Amazon.)

Take a few moments to give the book you just read a fair review. If all you can manage is one or two sentences, no matter because it will be deeply appreciated.

Go to book signings. in-person or virtual, even if you can’t afford to buy the book at that time. Your attendance is encouraging.

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School started in Mobile this past week. Don’t know about the students, but the teachers were fully involved.

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

Summer is winding down and having a book to read is the perfect entertainment for those downtime moments. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Protag interview and some upcoming events

2024-08-04T03:30:00.081-05:00

cj Sez: Today, I’m interviewing Dr. Mirabel Campbell, the protagonist in the novel, THE DAWGSTAR.

Lyrical Pens: Dr. Campbell, tell us a little bit about yourself. What do you do for a living? Any hobbies?

Mirabel Campbell, PhD.: Call me Mirabel, please. I’m a botanist, and I’ve just finished working on the international genome project. Before you ask, I was studying the genomes of plants, not people. Finishing the project allowed me to spend more time with my new hobby, astronomy. The skies around Mendocito, California, where I live are super dark and perfect for star-gazing.

LP: So, you traded a microscope for a telescope.

MC: When you say it that way, my life sounds pretty boring. Neither activity by itself is exciting by any stretch of the imagination, but let me tell you, the two of them together? You know how people say, ‘What you don’t know can’t hurt you?’ I found out what I didn’t know could kill me.

LP: Oh wow. What happened?

MC: One night I was out with my brand-new telescope and spotted what I thought was a new comet. That chance sighting was nearly the death of me. I became the target of a sociopathic assassin and got dragged into the middle of an international crisis—we’re talking foreign intrigue, DARPA, and the CIA. Obviously I survived. but two people close to me didn’t. That’s all I can tell you because of national security issues. The things that can be made public are revealed in cj petterson’s tell-all book, THE DAWGSTAR.

Lyrical Pens says: THE DAWGSTAR is a suspenseful thriller with a touch of rekindled romance when Mirabel’s ex-husband is the CIA agent assigned to keep what she saw from going public and to provide 24/7 protection.

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More Author and Reader Notes

Congratulations to P.M. Raymond, the winner of the Sisters in Crime 2024 Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Crime Writers of Color!

From the SinC announcement: “Raymond’s winning submission, ‘A Nasty Business’ is set on a Louisiana farm where a family tradition forces the heirs to compete in a series of grueling tasks.”

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This year’s annual Alabama Writers Cooperative (AWC) conference for writers, readers, and literary community.is happening September 6-8, 2024, in Orange Beach, AL.

For more info, click on the following link: 2024 Conference — Alabama Writers Cooperative

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CALLAHAN IN ACTION, Book 6 in the Cat Callahan Mystery Series, is scheduled to launch August 8, and it's available for preorder. Click on the link below so you can put your name on a copy now: https://books2read.com/CatCallahan6 I got mine ordered.

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LOYALTY, book 3 in author Carrie Dalby’s Washington Square Secrets series, releases August 27, 2024. And it’s available for pre-order now!

“In the autumn of 1920, a murder-suicide shakes the residents of Washington Square. Officer Jim Abbott doesn’t realize the return of his shellshock is only the beginning of his concerns.”

Original watercolor featured on the cover is by Mobile Bay area artist Amanda Manley.

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours. (P.S.A.: Counting August, there are five monthly paydays until Christmas.)

Now some words from my sponsors:
Summer is winding down, but having a book to read is the perfect entertainment for summer vacation downtime moments. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

A few elements of romance novels

2024-07-28T04:00:00.110-05:00

cj Sez: The following list of elements in a romance novel is a composite of information I’ve gleaned from various sources over the years, and I plan to keep it in front of me when I begin writing my next romantic suspense.

A likable heroine

This character can’t be weak or dumb and must be actively involved in the plot. There will, and should, be some moments of angst in the story, but they should be fleeting. You want your reader to root for this character rather than think she deserves what she gets because she’s too dumb to win.

A likable hero

This character should be strong (even if only emotionally), irresistible, smart, and actively involved. He does not have to be stereotypically attractive to be appealing. A well-developed personality can carry this character right into your readers’ hearts.

Emotional tension

What’s keeping your heroine/hero apart? What threatens her/him? Making these decisions early on helps keep the story plot on track.

A believable plot

A believable plot is a must but no worries. A twist on an oldie will work. According to some studies, there are only six (or maybe eight) possible plots in all of literature. Ergo every “new” story might today be called a trope.

For instance, Cinderella can be construed as a variation of the Biblical story of Esther, who was an orphan being raised by her uncle and who so charmed a king that he crowned her his queen. Julia Roberts was Cinderella in “Pretty Woman” as was Melanie Griffith in “Working Girl.” Star-crossed lovers, ala Romeo and Juliet, abound. It’s your unique writer’s “voice” that’s important in relating your take (spin, twist) on a familiar story.

A Happily Ever After ending

A HEA is an absolute for a romance novel. Love stories do not have to end happily, but for the avid fans of the romance genre, and all its subgenres, a romance novel must have a happily ever after or at least the promise of one.

Three of the points above are romance-novel specific, but at least two of them—emotional tension and believable plot—can be broadly applied to all genres. Even a memoir needs a bit of tension and a plot to make it an appealing read. You can help me out here. As a reader and/or a writer, can you think of a genre that wouldn’t use those two points.

By the way, there is no “magic formula” for writing a novel in any genre, but with a lot of reading, analysis, study, and/or luck you might find some suggestions that you can adapt to your writing style.

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Author and Reader Notes:

I’m a member of the Facebook group “POSSESSED: Timeless Gothic Reads,” and as part of our latest seasonal read-and-discuss assignment, I did a deep dive into THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES, a truly Gothic novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

It is superbly rich in setting and description (which I need more of in my writing) and wordy to the nth degree. Those long, complex sentences made the read interesting but a real struggle for this fast-paced suspense writer with tired eyes.

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Expert advice: Deciphering good from bad. The following link is to a Jane Friedman blog post by writer, editor, and book coach Lauren Reynolds.

The Pitfalls of Expert Advice | Jane Friedman

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours. (P.S.A.: There are five months until Christmas.)

Now some words from my sponsors:

Having a book to read is the perfect entertainment for those holiday and summer vacation downtime moments. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

In the "Did You Know" department

2024-07-21T04:00:00.192-05:00

cj Sez: When author/editor Joyce Sterling Scarbrough gave a wonderful presentation on self-editing to the Mobile Writers Guild a while back, she left us with a slew of important tips. For instance: Did you know that adjectives and adverbs have a “royal order?”

Did you know that when you use an adverb before the noun, it does not require a comma? I took notes, so I know. The charts Joyce used have been updated and changed, but the structures remain the same. Here are two Royal Order charts for you to copy out.

A past president of the Mobile Writers Guild, Joyce is also the editor of every one of the organization’s perfectly enjoyable PIECES anthologies. Follow author/editor Joyce Scarbrough on Facebook and her webpage HOME | Joyce Scarbrough

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Author and Reader Notes:

The Sisters in Crime 2024 Pride Award is now open for submissions from emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers! Sisters in Crime membership NOT required - open to all!

Who: LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers

Why: Win $2,000

What: Submit an UNPUBLISHED work in the Crime Writing genre (i.e. short story, novella, chapter(s) of a novel in progress), your resume and a cover letter

When: Submissions open through July 31st

How: For complete details and entry form, go to: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/Pride

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CALLAHAN IN ACTION, Book 6 in the Cat Callahan Mystery Series, is scheduled to launch August 8 and it's available for preorder. Click on the link below so you can grab a copy now: https://books2read.com/CatCallahan6

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Still working on my mystery WiP

2024-07-14T04:00:00.088-05:00

cj Sez: I’m now back at the keyboard, thinking up another adversity for the protagonist/sleuth in the WIP I’ve been working on for years. It’s a mystery, and writing a mystery is a learning process for me.

Thriller and suspense genres I have managed to some small degree, but how to write a real mystery is a mystery to me.

What remains the same among genres I write is that my protagonist (i.e., sleuth) must be likeable, have some personality quirks, and a bit of backstory baggage to be dropped intermittently into the story (no info dumps, please). My sleuth in this mystery has a confidant, which is a recommended device. There is a unique setting and a love interest to add a little jazz. Each of the major characters, including the bad guy, has a secret that I hope will generate some degree of sympathy.

Mysteries do need a theme, and I have a theme that will, I believe, hit a universal nerve with my readers. Where I’m struggling is with the clues and red herrings. Where and how to place them so they invite the readers to try to solve the mystery but don’t reveal so much that they really can.

As a writer, I am a pantser or, more accurately, a pathfinder. I find my way through my stories by building roadblocks for my protagonist then figuring out how she/he can escape. Because my WIP is a mystery, I have to do a bit of {gasp} plotting which is not my forté. How else would I know where to hide the clues and weave in red herrings?

Like all manuscripts, I understand my mystery will change with each future edit cycle, and it has—that’s, the reason it’s taken me so long to finish it. My characters, clues, and red herrings change and must be rearranged. For example: I know the victim is murdered (off-page), but the description of one of my current red herrings may force me to change the “how” somewhat, again. Changing that scene will most certainly waterfall, again, into other changes throughout the manuscript.

On the very slim plus side, what I really like about all this frustration is that I’m learning new things. My personal goal has always been to learn something new every day, and this never-ending project is certainly helping me reach my goal. How about you? Have you reached a personal goal this year?

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Author and Reader Notes:

Jane Friedman’s blog recently featured a post by writer and book coach Monica Cox. who says

“There is something invigorating about typing the words THE END on a rough draft. The story has unspooled from your fingers for weeks, months, maybe even years and, finally, you have reached the resolution.

You may feel relief, excitement, or even a renewed dedication to the story. You may even be motivated to dive right into revisions so you can share it with the world as soon as possible. But rushing to edit can be the biggest mistake a writer makes.”

Find out what she means by that by clicking on the following link:

Why Your Revision Shouldn’t Start on Page One | Jane Friedman

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CALLAHAN IN ACTION, Book 6 in the Cat Callahan Mystery Series, is scheduled to launch August 8 and it's available for preorder so you can grab it now at https://books2read.com/CatCallahan6

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Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Dog Days and Sisters in Crime contest

2024-07-07T04:00:00.006-05:00

cj Sez: The “Dog Days of Summer” are officially upon us, as is Hurricane Season along the Gulf coast.

To say the weather is sweltering would be an understatement. Today’s heat index where I live reached triple digits—something like 110°. Needless to say, I’m sucking down water and planning my days to be indoors between ten a.m. and five p.m.

The dog days of summer are historically the period following the heliacal (sunrise) of the star Dog Star, Sirius. Sirius is one star in a group of stars that form the constellation Canis Major, meaning “Greater Dog.”

Greek and Roman astrology connected Sirius to heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck.

The Farmer’s Almanac says, “the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11” are the traditional timing of the Dog Days. It also says that “some of our hottest and most humid days happen after August 11.” Seems there’s a lot more hellacious heat and humidity to come, so we have that going for us.

The 2024 hurricane season has already spun up two storms. The first, tropical storm Alberto, doused the coast of Texas and now the first hurricane, Beryl, is also barreling toward the Texas Gulf Coast.

Do what you have to do to stay safe out there, friends.

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Author and Reader Notes:

“Sisters in Crime PRIDE award submissions are open through July 31. This $2000 award was the legacy project of past-president Sherry Harris. It is designed to support an emerging LGBTQIA+ crime writer. Folks do not need to be a SinC member to apply.”

Click this link to read more about submission requirements:

Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers - Sisters in Crime

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Award-winning author Connie Berry asks: “Are you a rule follower or a rule breaker?” My fellow Sisters in Crime member talks about weasel words and shares how writers can break writing rules and get away with it. Breaking the Writing Rules (And Getting Away With It) - Writer's Digest (writersdigest.com)

(cj Sez: Do you know what “weasel words” are?)

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CALLAHAN IN ACTION, Book 6 in the Cat Callahan Mystery Series, is scheduled to launch August 8 and it's available for preorder now at https://books2read.com/CatCallahan6

§§

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Marketing your novel, Dreamers and Doers

2024-06-30T04:00:00.136-05:00

cj Sez: This on Jane Friedman’s blog by author brand expert Andrea Guevara. “Writing a book and then promoting it can make authors feel a lot like that dorky kid in high school trying to get a seat at the cool kids’ table.”

(This from cj: Marketing is one of the hardest things for me to do. That necessary chore takes me way out of my comfort zone.)

Be Yourself So Your Readers Can Find You | Jane Friedman

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I was feeling maudlin today and found myself thinking of my childhood and how far away yet near to my heart that special time was and is. What follows is a poem I wrote years ago that was ePublished by The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature in 2012.

DREAMERS AND DOERS

In quiet times when past and present flow into one

Moment and melancholy dulls the senses and time ceases,

Memories steal me away to a place of tiny towns and meager farms

Worked by a few determined immigrants coaxing bounty from a dowry of hope.

A bundle of dreams wrapped in desert tan, banded by ribbons of

White caliche roads and faded asphalt highways,

Dotted with corn stalks,

Grain shocks

And monoliths to crude fortunes

That spill upon the land in clear pools

Or spout in unctuous streams.

I roam prairies where The West begins;

Where dust devils haunt wide-open spaces;

Where shimmering heat mirages join in gay dance,

Dodging prickly cactus and gnarly mesquite.

I wander pastures, skirting clods of Angus,

Me, age 3

Shielding my eyes from the livid sun

Punctuating a sky swept by mares’ tails

And little funnel clouds that spin around

The heavens but never touch down

Like the big ones do.

Awash in twilight stands a child,

Barefoot in the hard-scrabble dirt

At the edge of a cotton field,

Wearing a sun-faded dress

Handstitched from a cotton feedsack.

An ethereal landscape on a sepia canvas;

Where dusk brushes the sunset in smears

Of gold and purple and pink and mauve;

Where color drains into the horizon

With the sinking sun, applauded

By the throaty rumble of thunder

Chasing lightning through distant clouds

That only sometimes rain

But send breezes to winnow the dust

From the cool night air,

Where I shall sleep . . .

Under a canopy of stars.

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As the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote, old or new, let me know. We can arrange a blog date for your book tour. The only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

§§

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

➜ Follow me on

➜ Amazon: Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

“Write what you know” means “write the truth”

2024-06-23T04:00:00.005-05:00

cj Sez: Writers are always looking for the magic formulas and rules to make their writing struggles easier. Eight rules on this, ten tips on that, three on the other. There are two rules that top them all:

My take is, the more I familiarize myself with the different philosophies and “rules” of the various writing worlds (journalism, creative, non-fiction, et al.), the better I am able to write the truth about my characters, their personalities, and their worlds to make them authentic.

In a way, I am world-building for my novel.

Granted it's easier to write “what you know”—i.e. the truth—when we write about the people and places we know best. In my Death on the Yampa novel, the setting is Dinosaur National Monument and the Yampa River that runs through it. And yes, I once did a five-day white-water rafting trip there. Even with that familiarity, I had to do more research to make sure I had the dialogue and sites correct. (Memories are notoriously faulty.)

The following excerpt is from regional writer Judy Alter who specializes in her familiarity with Texas.

. . . “setting a book in a particular region (doesn’t) make a writer regional. It’s essential that the author absorb the setting so that rather than obviously telling, such things as geography, culture, food, and manners flow naturally. Otherwise, the background looks like those fake sets in so many grade B westerns.”

I’ll take Judy Alter’s advice one step further: Regions are made up of cities and people, and to write the truth about a city and its characters means the writer also needs to absorb the city setting and its language. That’s why Elmore Leonard’s books are so Detroit-authentic.

I could never consider myself a regional writer, though not by choice, but by happenstance. Born in Texas and raised in Michigan, I currently live on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. (I guess I could do a decent job of characterizations and syntax of Detroiters.) As a native Texan, I do populate almost every story with a character from Texas, and now that I live in Mobile, Alabama, I people-watch intently. I want my new characters to have some authentic Southern attributes.

I know a slew of excellent authentic South-regional writers; I also know I’ll never be that good. Writing things Southern is its own genre. There’s a humor and a dialogue cadence that are peculiar (and I mean that in the nicest way) to the South.

Whatever the genre (mystery, suspense, romance) or theme (cats, dogs, yoga, ecology) of the novel, the details of setting are an all-important facet of grabbing and holding a reader’s attention. How do you incorporate your setting and what you know into what you write?

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Did you ever watch a movie or read a novel with so many visuals or words tumbling out at a rapid-fire pace that they left you breathless?

If you’re an author who is self-publishing or a small publishing company, author, speaker, and former teacher Ellen Buikema has some advice on how “to keep sensory overload at bay.”

Read more at https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/03/white-space-in-writing/

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By the by, as the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote, old or new, let me know. We can arrange a blog date for your book tour. The only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

§§

Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

Now some words from my sponsors:

Beach? Mountains? StayCay? It’s time to plan for those holiday and summer vacation downtime moments when you can lose yourself in a book. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore.

Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.
Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

➜ Follow me on
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6