Guest Post by Julie Seedorf, Author of A Small Town Can be #Murder, A Whistle Stop Mystery

Guest post by Julie Seedorf

I am not an editor. I don’t want to be an editor. Somewhere in English 101 I loved the creative writing but didn’t pay attention to grammar. As I wrote #AsmallTownCanBe #Murder, I was thankful every day knowing the words I put on paper would be edited by Annie Sarac of Skye Bridge Publishing.

One of my biggest problems is that I write like I speak. I don’t talk in complete sentences, I say “yah” all the time. You must realize I am from Minnesota. I use many slang words and I run my sentences together. To be fair, ask yourself if you speak correct English all the time.

There are some books where everything a character says is perfect English. I might admit to finding that a little boring. I use alliteration all the time and that is a no, no. At a book presentation I answered a question by an author who was also an English Professor. Her comments were about alliteration, country speaking in a book and using old sayings. I cringed a little and then got up the courage to say, “You maybe shouldn’t read my books. You won’t like them.”

I am from Minnesota. I was at a Sisters In Crime meeting in Iowa (yes we do cross over the border once in a while) and a woman told me she knew I wasn’t from Iowa because I had a Minnesota accent. I didn’t know we had an accent different from Iowa but I am happy to own it. I would suspect it shows in my writing.

My editor is from North Carolina. She didn’t know what big box stores were. She thought I made a mistake. I fervently stuck to my guns (notice the saying) and made her leave it in. If you don’t know what it is, look it up you might be surprised.

Editors are an important part of an author’s success. I am comma challenged and I don’t always see what a fiction book editor sees. For instance, in my new book I had to change names. Apparently, I have favorite names and they all start with the same letter. Lila, the medical examiner started out as Avery. If I had left Avery, I would have had Avery and Angel and there were more names that started with A. I didn’t notice it.

One of my beta readers who is also an editor asked me what happened to the realtor’s car. She arrived at the house, didn’t make it out alive and the story went on, but what happened to her car. It was a tiny detail that I didn’t think of, but needed to be dealt with.

As hard as we try, we occasionally miss things, and readers still find mistakes. A book can go through many edits. #AsmallTownCanBe #Murder did. We went back and forth for months and hopefully it is perfect but… maybe not. Many people read the book before it is released, however, the mind is a funny thing and doesn’t always see what is on the page if we are embroiled in reading the story.

If you are a writer and want to publish a book, look for a good editor. Your neighborly English teacher or grammar expert might not always be the best person. It’s not that easy. A book needs line editing, content editing, copy editing and someone who is brutally honest with you.

My heart was in my new book. It is a little more serious venture for me and I came to feel like the characters were family. I hope you do too, and I hope Whistle Stop gives you the hankering to explore small towns and sit a spell and meet the townfolk.

Editors are my heroes. Especially right now. If you see mistakes in this ignore them. I have a bad finger and it is hard to type. As a result I am not just comma challenged…;;pl.slk

A Small Town Can Be #Murder (Whistle Stop Mysteries)
by Julie Seedorf

About A Small Town Can Be #Murder

A Small Town Can Be #Murder (Whistle Stop Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Skye Bridge Publishing (December 21, 2019)
Paperback: 196 pages
ISBN-10: 0578605481
ISBN-13: 978-0578605487
Digital ASIN: B082YLDW43

You have all heard the story: big-city girl moves to small town and lives happily ever after. That’s not the forever-after Angel Delaight found when she moved to Whistle Stop, Minnesota. First her realtor is found dead in her new house, which is also rumored to be haunted. Then homeless animals began showing up at her door, along with a bevy of townspeople who seem to know what she is doing at all times. Not to mention a secret journal turning up during renovation, revealing more secrets hidden in this small community.

Will those secrets from the past put Angel’s life and those of her friends and family in danger? When the big-city girl meets a small town, it can be murder.

About Julie Seedorf

A Bit About Me As An Impassioned Writer

As human beings, we are always a work in progress. From birth to death we live, hurt, laugh, cry, feel, and with all of those emotions we grow as people, as family members, and as friends. I am a dreamer and feel blessed to have the opportunity in my writing to pass those dreams on to others. I believe you are never too old to dream and to turn those dreams into a creative endeavor. I live in rural Minnesota and I am a wife, mother, and grandmother.

I have worn many hats throughout my life such as working as a waitress, nursing home activities person, office manager and finally a computer repair person eventually owning my own computer sales and repair business. I never forgot my love of writing and quit my computer business in 2012 after signing a contract with Cozy Cat Press for Granny Hooks A Crook, the first book in my Fuchsia, Minnesota Series.

Adding five more books to the Fuchsia Series, adding a Brilliant, Minnesota Series and writing a column for local newspapers feeds my writing creativity. This year the Whistle Stop series was born. Small towns have my heart and I hoped to convey that in my new series.

I also dabble a bit in watercolor painting and hope to eventually add pictures to my children’s book series, Granny’s In Trouble.

Oh, and did I tell you I like to be a little bit silly.

Author Links

Website: http://julieseedorf.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/julie.seedorf.author

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/julieseedorf

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/julie_seedorf

Pinterest.com: http://pinterest.com/julieseedorf

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Julie-Seedorf/e/B009WAAANQ

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/JulieSeedorf

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JulieSeedorf

Purchase Links – Amazon – Kobo – BarnesandNoble.comSmashwords – Apple – Skye Bridge Publishing –

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