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Off to Denver
Off to DenverI’m heading off to Denver. I probably won’t be blogging next week. If I get a chance I’ll try and update you on how the conference is going.When I get back I hope to have a few pictures to share and lots of information on what’s going on in publishing and especially indie publishing.
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I'm Going to Denver
This week is a little hectic. I’m getting ready to head to Denver for the RWA National Conference. It will be a busy week, but I get to meet up with old friends and make some new ones, plus, hopefully, I will learn something to improve my writing or my marketing. If I do, I’ll share with you when I get home.Tuesday my online chapter, Kiss of Death is presenting a workshop. The Denver Field Office of the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) will be sending Special Agents knowledgeable in many of their areas to the workshop. We’ll be able to ask lots of questions, especially related to our WIP’s. Just some of the areas they will cover are criminal profiling, firearms and ammunition technology, explosives, firearms trafficking, financial investigative services and the K-9 program. Wednesday we have a board meeting and our awards ceremony, Death by Chocolate. And yes we have so much chocolate. We also have many pubbed authors, editors and agents attend.Thursday the RWA workshops begin. About two years ago they finally recognized Indie authors and started to provide some workshops for them. They have some interesting ones this year, besides the building characters and basic writing tips here are a few that I’m looking at, from where I am in my career. I’ve done very little advertising or promoting so that’s one of my aims to learn more about that. Make Your Ads More Effective, A Walkthrough of How to Set Up...
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Check Out Sherry Derr-Wille and Mistaken Identity
Sherry Derr-Wille lives in a mid-sized Southern Wisconsin with her husband of 46 years, Bob, whom she deems a saint for putting up with a crazy writer. With three children, seven grandchildren, more book signings than she can sometimes handle, she puts out four to five books a year and loves writing in her hot pink office.Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? Sherry:WOW! That’s a loaded question. I love writing Time Travel, Historical, Native American, Futuristic, Murder Mysteries, Crime, Older Heroines, in other words, everything I write.And why? I love what I write when I’m writing it. I don’t write what people tell me to write I write what I want to write.Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer? Sherry: My Sophomore English teacher in high school, Earl Brockman. On the first day of class, he gave us a test. If you got an ‘A’ you could sit in the back of the room and write for a year. I wanted that ‘A’ and got it. 45 years later I learned I was the only one who liked the assignment and since no one ever told me to stop the assignment, the rest is history.Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?Sherry: I used to try to write 1,000 words a day, but I’m getting older and I have to be in the mood. Unfortunately, last year my muse went on vacation to the South Pacific for over a year and...
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Self-Editing Tips
I finished the damn book. And it’s off to the editor.I thought I’d finished weeks ago, but kept going back and making changes and reading it over and over. Every time I’d find something new. Here are some of the self-editing I did in no particular order.I had a couple of names that were very similar. It could be confusing to the reader so I went back and changed them. Thank heavens for find and replace.I also used find and replace for those lovely words like - as – just and - the ings.I cut and moved sections so the book flowed better and it fit the timeline. I checked for spelling, both with spell check but also by reading it through.I checked for grammar and punctuation. My grammar is good (I think) but my punctuation is my weak point. And I find Word and I sometimes disagreed on what I thought it should be. We’ll see what the editor says.I made notes and went back to check eye color stayed the same for each character, if one man drank scotch and the other whisky, I made notes and made sure it stayed the same through the book.I went back and read each person’s journey to make sure it made sense and I made sure the conflicts between the characters was resolved by the end. And I’m listening to the reading of the book. People have suggested three different methods of doing this. I’m going to try all three and...
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Meet Saloni Quinby and her Latest Book
The child of a painter and a psychic dreamer, Saloni Quinby feels spirituality and storytelling go hand-in-hand. She loves the scent of gardenia, the sound of wind chimes and the taste of honey. By listening to what isn’t said, she creates works based on unspoken desires. Saloni prefers blurred gender lines and many varieties of romance. In a world where passion must at times be restrained, she believes erotica is a pleasure to be shared. With her stories she would like to make her fantasies yours and hopes you enjoy the ride. She also writes under the name Kate Hill.Beverley: Which genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why?Saloni: I enjoy writing paranormal romance because that is the type of story I love to read. Beverley: Who influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer? Saloni: Anyone who has ever written a book influenced me. When I was a kid I loved reading more than anything and I always wanted to have a story published. Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing? Saloni: Just about anything can inspire me. Sometimes it's people or places. A different source of inspiration can hit me at any given moment. Beverley: Do you have a favorite cartoon character? Why? Saloni: That's a hard question because I like a lot of cartoon characters. I'll go with Scooby Doo because the mysteries are so much fun. Beverley: Who would you love most...
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Love My Giant Pandas
On the weekend I took a trip to the Calgary zoo to see the four Pandas. They’re there on an exchange program with China. The two adults will be there for five years. The two sibling cubs will stay in Calgary for two years, before moving to China in 2019.The first time I saw Pandas was about thirty years ago, when the Pandas were also at the Calgary zoo, I fell in love with them and I’ve been collecting pandas ever since.I’ve seen pandas in San Diego, Atlanta and Washington when they were there and I was in the cities.They are in the Panda Passage which is very panda friendly.Adult pandas eat upwards of 38 kilograms of bamboo per day. The zoo has readied itself. Nine varieties of bamboo will be on the menu to fit each bear’s tastes, as two flights a week from China will deliver their meals.Er Shun is an adult female whose name means “Double Smoothness.” She was born in 2007. She is finer boned and has a smaller head than her adult male counterpart, and weighs roughly 97 kilograms. She gave birth to Jia Panpan (male) and Jia Yueyue (female) in 2015 in Toronto and is known for being a nurturing mother who often still participates in playtime with her two offspring, letting them wrestle her and steal her food.Male giant panda Da Mao Da Mao is known for his playful nature. Compared with Er Shun, he is a picky eater who is quite selective of...
