Jan Edwards reveals the secrets for keeping the villains in her stories alive! @Jancoledwards #crimebooks #WW2

Jan Edwards reveals...

Secrets about my writing? Tricky. I have always seen myself as, if you’ll excuse the pun, an open book. Or am I?

Much of my short fiction is crime or horror based and there is a sort of a secret thread that emerges from time to time. Sometimes I like to let the bad guy win or at very least escape more or less intact, and in a few of my short horror stories it's the victim who dies!

We all know that good does not always win even though we might want it to, and allowing evil to triumph in fiction reflects real life, and that's what I like to do in my writing.

The line between light and dark is often more muddy grey marshland in my fiction. Sherlock Holmes allowed the villain to escape justice on many occasions, either because he felt that the crime was committed for the best of reasons or that the consequences of the arrest outweighed the crime itself.

Leaving the enemy to walk is a ruse best used where there are several offenders to choose from. Kill off or capture one (or more) and leave the last to run off into the darkness with murder and revenge in their black hearts...  Sorry, getting carried away.

In my defence, as the writer, I may want to use a particular villain again, which obviously can’t be done once I’ve killed them off. On the other hand –  I do also like destroying them in spectacular fashion.

Decisions, decisions...

Introducing...

Winter Downs

In January of 1940 a small rural community on the Sussex Downs, already preparing for invasion from across the Channel, finds itself deep in the grip of a snowy landscape, with an ice-cold killer on the loose.

Amazon.UK | Amazon.com

Bunch Courtney stumbles upon the body of Jonathan Frampton in a woodland clearing. Is this a case of suicide, or is it murder? Bunch is determined to discover the truth but can she persuade the dour Chief Inspector Wright to take her seriously? 

Jan Edwards' Website | Alchemy Press | Penkhull Press | Amazon Author Page

Confessions Of A Liar

Confessions Of A Liar – Confessions Of A Writer

by

Helen Hollis

I am a liar. Not a vicious liar – I’m not inclined to tell the kinds of lies which get other people into trouble (I’ll leave that to the politicians), or spread untrue gossip and rumors about my friends. I’m more of an embellisher, a self-mythologiser, a teller of impromptu stories involving fictional characters, made up on the spot and passed off as true. I’m also a writer. It is my humble opinion that these things are connected.

Telling Tales

My tale-telling generally occurs during casual conversation with friends. Something will be mentioned, and the part of my brain devoted to telling stories will light up, begin to construct an elaborate story around the subject matter, made up pretty much on the spot. I reel it out calmly, telling my friends that this event happened to me, or that these people (who do not exist) are known to me personally. I’m also inclined to elaborate, embroider, or straight-out make up details of my actually rather humdrum life. Of course, it is often said that there is no such thing as absolute truth, only personal context – but this probably does not excuse my persistent (and apparently uncontrollable!) self-mythologising. It’s also worth noting, for the record, that my motivation for such pathological lying is not born of narcissism or a desire to be adored. I simply want to tell stories – and if the social context will not allow me to do so in a fictionalised frame, I will pass them off as true anecdotes. Why? I’m not sure, but I strongly believe that being a writer has a lot to do with it. The question is – what came first? The lying or the writing?

Lying And Creativity

The urge to write has always been strong with me. Telling stories is the stuff my soul is made of. The connection, here, with lying is pretty clear – after all, what is a lie but a story which pretends to be true? It seems that I am not alone. Studies have found a definite connection between lying and creativity. Those who habitually lie tend to be more creative than those who do not. Is this a causal connection, however, or a simple correlation? Do liars become more creative as a consequence of their lying, or do creative people feel the urge to lie as an aspect of their creativity? Perhaps those who lie successfully throughout their lives do so because they are better – more creative – at constructing the tales they tell. Or perhaps those who lie successfully do so because they learn an element of creativity through their lying. Whatever the truth of the matter, it’s an accepted fact that the psychology of writing and the psychology of lying are often intricately connected. Writers the world over, from Byron to T.E. Lawrence have been noted for their tendency to self-mythologise, embellish, and outright lie about their exploits.

The Writer’s Psyche

Of course, every writer is different. It would be wrong to make generalisations about writers as a group – we’re an incredibly diverse bunch of individuals. However, having said this, it has been noted that there is an unusually high incidence of depression and other such mental conditions among those who write. The connection between creativity and madness has been debated for centuries, and scientists now think that there may well be something in it – that the areas of the brain responsible for creativity may also encourage the kind of rumination and self-analysis which can precipitate a variety of mental illnesses. How does this relate to lying? Well, it has been noted that both liars and creatives (as already discussed, lying and creativity share many of the same mechanisms) have abnormalities in the white matter in the prefrontal cortex of their brains. The same area has been observed to deviate from the norm in those with non-hormonal depressive disorders – depressive disorders caused by hormonal surges notwithstanding. Perhaps those with depression feel the need to lie about their lives in order to distract themselves and others from the perceived horrific banality of their existences. 

Perhaps those with depression are constantly lying to themselves about the state of their lives, and this accounts for the correlation with lying. Perhaps it’s all completely unrelated. Whatever the truth of the matter, it certainly makes for interesting reading to one who is creative, a liar, and has struggled with depression in the past.

Finding The Truth

While I cannot seem to help myself from lying every now and again, I am trying to stick to the truth whenever I can. Partly this is to keep my life running on simple and honest terms. Partly it is make sure that I am treating myself with honesty and respect. And partly it is simply because this is the Right Thing To Do. Being a writer, I find that I can expunge many of the tales which leap into my head during conversation within my writing. Perhaps this is, ultimately, why so many liars are writers – because writing down the tales we would like to tell as fiction saves us from displaying them in public as fact.

How do you plot your novel? #whatnottosaytoawriter @SharonStruth

A Stop in the Confessional Booth

by

Sharon Struth

"Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."
E. L. Doctorow

I’m pretty sure my family and friends think I walk around with my head in the clouds. Well, here’s a little confession...

I actually do.

Ever since I started writing full-time, everything that goes on in my mind seems to be about writing. I don’t mean to do it, but sometimes when a noisy child in a public place begins to get under my skin, I think about how I could write that sensation. Or when my eyes well up with tears at a commercial and I try to hide my ridiculous over-emotion from my family, I grab onto each reaction in my body so I can remember it for possible use in a future book scene.

Setting is a constant source of distraction for me, too. On a trip to Seattle, I couldn’t help but notice how the weather was a far cry from the conditions I’d left in my home state of Connecticut. My plane had landed through droplets of cool rain at the Seattle-Tacoma airport. Throughout the week I’d get an occasional peek at the sun, but clouds always quickly reappeared and showers resumed. I admired the stunning, lush landscape of the region, a fact that made the inconvenient weather worthwhile. But then I realized Seattle was the setting for Fifty Shades of Grey. I couldn’t recall once when Christian thought, “Oh dear, I hope Anna closed her car windows in case it starts raining while she’s tied up.” Hmmm, did that author think about setting? Maybe not.

And I hate to tell you where I do my best plotting, but I will. It’s behind the wheel of my car. Don’t worry… I’m paying attention to the road. Yet the fastest way for me to get beyond a stuck plot point is to run an errand or visit the gym. For some reason, on the car ride over, the missing link to my story is usually found.  

Being a writer is an all-consuming affair of the mind. Even off-duty, the brain never quits. As Isacc Asimov is quoted as saying, “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.”

Website / Twitter /  Goodreads 

Follow the entire TOUR HERE

Brought to you by Worldwind Virtual Book Tours

Share the Moon

Sometimes trust is the toughest lesson to learn.

 

Sophie Shaw is days away from signing a contract that will fulfill her dream of owning a vineyard. For her, it’s a chance to restart her life and put past tragedies to rest. But Duncan Jamieson’s counter offer blows hers out to sea.

Duncan still finds Sophie as appealing as he had during boyhood vacations to the lake. Older and wiser now, he has his own reasons for wanting the land. His offer, however, hinges on a zoning change approval.

Bribery rumors threaten the deal and make Sophie wary of Duncan, yet she cannot deny his appeal. When her journalistic research uncovers a Jamieson family secret, trust becomes the hardest lesson for them both.

"Heart-tugging small town romance with real emotion. Struth is an author to watch!" —Laura Drake, author of The Sweet Spot.

 Amazon - Kindle

Amazon - Paperback

Barnes & Noble

Kobo iBooks Google Books
*Add to your Goodreads Shelf*

Novelist Sharon Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The Hourglass, her debut novel, is a finalist in the National Readers' Choice Awards for Best first Book. Her next release, SHARE THE MOON-Book one in the Blue Moon Lake Novel Series-is published by Kensington Books/Lyrical Press.

She writes from the friendliest place she’s ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut, along with her husband, two daughters and canine companions. For more information, including where to find her published essays, please visit http://www.sharonstruth.com or visit her blog, Musings from the Middle Ages & More atwww.sharonstruth.wordpress.com.

 

In the chair is Danny Wynn author of Lucien and I

Confessions from

Danny Wynn

1.  I think the sensation of feeling you are living life to the full can be powerfully euphoria-inducing in much the same way, and in some ways more so, as pleasure-inducing drugs.

2.  I think it is fascinating and baffling that intelligent, self-interested people who have worked hard and long to build satisfactory lives very often behave self-destructively so as to harm themselves.

3.  For me, charisma is an abstract quality that draws people to you that is separate from any specific appeal that the person has, such as good looks, intelligence, wittiness, or social cachet, et cetera.  It is a pure magnetism unconnected to any specific appeal, and it must be a wonderful quality to possess and experience.  I myself do not have it.

4.  Ultimately the most important things in life are the quality of the people you are close to, and the quality of your relationships with them.  Other people may be hell, but they still are the best means by which to achieve true happiness.

5.  I have had a rich, satisfying life, and would not feel shortchanged if it ended tomorrow.

6.  I have truly great friendships with people I great rapport with and who provide my spirit with a lot of nourishment and sustenance, and that is one of the most valuable things I have.

7.  I love my wife, and she is the best decision I ever made.

8.  I had a miserably unhappy childhood, and strongly negative feelings toward both my parents, and it is astonishing that I avoided where that was naturally taking me, and got to the vital, satisfying state of being that I have now.  

Website | Facebook | Twitter |  Amazon

 I n t r o d u c i n g . . .

 Lucien and I

 

 What if you had the chance to relive your twenties the way you really wanted them to be?

 Thirty-nine-year-old David is presented with that opportunity by Lucien, a charismatic young Englishman.

Amazon.com | Amazon.UK

 

 Ranging from downtown Manhattan to Istanbul, Majorca, and the Hamptons, the two of them live a life of excess—drugs, beautiful women, and adventure—and forge a strange but great friendship. 

But with every journey, there comes a price; and in every paradise there lurks a temptress. For David, will his quest for excitement lead him to betrayal and loss?

Danny Wynn is a full-time fiction writer, and before that, he was an executive in the record industry and part-time fiction writer. He has lived in New York City, Los Angeles, and London, and now makes his home in the West Village with his wife and two children. His other favorite place in the world (after the West Village) is the island of Mallorca, Spain

He is currently finishing two novels.

Danny describes himself as a creature in search of exaltation. In addition to attending the original Woodstock Music Festival, some of the other great concerts he’s been to include: Roxy Music on the Avalon Tour at Radio City, Bon Iver at Town Hall and subsequently at Radio City, The National at BAM and later at The Beacon, and The Waterboys at the Hammersmith Palais, Bruce on his solo tour, U2 on Zooropa and later tours, Dylan on the right night, and Van on the right night.

Writing confessions wanted #authors #writers #wip #authors #bloggers #confessions #authorconfessions

 Wanted: Writers!
Let's do this again for spring 2017!
Who wants to play?

For the summer, my theme on WWBB is 'confessions of a writer'. 

I want fun author confessions (or a list 1 to 10 naughty confessions) of 100 to 500 words to make a blog post.

Writing confessions can be funny, shocking, bad, silly... and they make us human. We're all fallible to mistakes. So be proud of them and tell all!

If you're interested in sharing your confessions send me an email  for more info, or just send me the entire confession together with your author media (links, book art, blurb) asap and I'll get you on the blog!

All articles on WWBB will appear on Facebook shared on Twitter via Triberr. Books will be sent to Book Junkies on Pinterest.

Confessions of a writer... researching.

by 

Laina Turner

I was thrilled when I saw the topic of the month for this blog. Why? Because I love hearing secrets, who doesn’t, and I thought it would be fun to share some of mine, about my writing anyways. They say confession is good for the soul.

I sometimes forget if a memory is real or whether it's something I thought-up in a book. I tell a story and find myself wondering if it’s true or just a cemented figment from my imagination. I have to think really hard to figure out which it is and there have been times where I can’t, so I just go with that it’s real. 

Some of you may think that is a little crazy and I understand. I happen to think it’s quite normal. At least for me, which I will whole-heartedly blame on my parents because I’m an only child (their fault) and that made me overuse my imagination in order to entertain myself. So it’s no wonder I have a hard time going back and forth between reality and fantasy.

It’s also no wonder I closely identify with my characters. I like to afford them experiences that I would like to have. Not that I would have any clue what to do if I came across a dead body, but I’d like to think I would know. It’s fun to pretend to have that excitement.

I like to write about places I have visited and experienced, and use my it as the background in my books. So I have, on occasion, pretended to be one of my characters in order to fully immerse myself in what she might see or do. Again, you might think that’s strange I like to think its good research to role-play and play make believe.

What do you like to pretend?

Website | Facebook | Twitter  | Linkedin