Tag: A Stone’s Throw

Posted in A Stone's Throw, Books, Excerpts

Book News and Another Excerpt

Posted on by Debbie

blogpicnews

  • I have some exciting news to share with my blog readers. For those who missed my podcast, I am repeating some of that information along with a never before seen or heard excerpt from my novel.
  • To celebrate the cover reveal of my new novel, “A Stone’s Throw” by Limitless Publishing on October 28th, I am hosting a contest on my Facebook author page. Each Wednesday, up until the 28th, I will post a question that can be answered by reading my blog. The question might be about me, my books or articles, a previous blog post, or something else, but all of the answers will be found on my blog at https://debbiedelouise.wordpress.com. The first person to answer correctly on my Facebook author page at www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author will win a virtual “ticket” for a prize. Questions will be posted at various times to give people on all time zones a chance to reply. On October 28th, the day of my cover reveal, I will post the final question and then choose a winner from those holding tickets. I will contact the winner and they can select from a choice of prizes.

I am also participating in several online author events on Facebook. I will be at Taylor Henderson and Sara Schoen’s Halloween Release Party on Friday, October 30th from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.; Carissa Lynch’s Release Party on Tuesday, November 3rd from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m.; Santa’s Helper’s Online Book Release Party from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, November 30th (Cyber Monday); and Cassandra’s Big Christmas Bookstravaganza on Wednesday, December 12th at 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. All events will feature authors, books, contests, giveaways, prizes, and fun. All events have Facebook pages for you to sign up to attend. Times are given in Eastern U.S. time (November and December dates are adjusted for Daylight Savings). I hope to see you many of you there.

Here is another excerpt from “A Stone’s Throw.” It appears in Chapter 9:

After Alicia unpacked her things, heated up Sheila’s stew that turned out to be quite tasty, and changed into pajamas, she lay in bed with a book, but she couldn’t concentrate on her reading. She turned off the light and tried to sleep, but the heavy rain against the window kept her up, as did the loud purring of Sneaky Cat, who snuggled against her, happy to have company again. She thought about Tina, the girl who’d stayed here last. From what Alicia knew of her, Tina was a young library school graduate who’d been hired by Sheila as quickly as Alicia had. She’d lived over the library in this space, as well, taken care of Sneaky, and left after a year and a half to care for her sick mother in Florida.

Sneaky dug his paws into the quilt at her back. It had been a long time since she’d had a cat, but she recalled the kneading sensation both male and female cats practiced to comfort themselves. Maybe it would comfort her too. Had she done the right thing by returning to Cobble Cove? Would she be bored in this small town with only a hand full of people patronizing the library each day? Sheila had mentioned the large number of homebound patrons, the seniors of the town, who needed books delivered. She might enjoy that. She liked reader’s advisory work, selecting books that would interest people. Sometimes it was a challenge, but she always learned through the experience and even found new authors and books for herself.

After a few hours of restlessness, Sneaky finally got sick of her tossing and left the room. She felt strangely deserted. She decided it might be better to get up and do something than spend unproductive time in bed. She turned on the light and went out into the hall. All was quiet from downstairs except the continuous downpour. She didn’t plan to go into the library, but she considered checking some of the unprocessed books Sheila had mentioned Mac was working on in the storage room. Perhaps she’d find something more interesting than her current reading that could help her fall asleep.

When she entered the storage room, she didn’t see Sneaky, although she thought he might’ve headed there to use his litter box. Cats can be quiet and liked to sleep in the strangest spots, so he could be there in some corner. Mac’s jacket was still draped across the chair by the desk. She laughed recalling the story about what Sneaky had once done to it out of spite, so typical of an angered cat. She sat in the chair and perused the stack of books on the desk. A few were from James Patterson’s “Private” series. She didn’t read too many series and had only read a few of Patterson’s standalone titles. As she was about to choose a book from the pile, she heard scratching in the corner. She jumped. Hopefully, that was Sneaky and not a mouse he hadn’t caught, for this place probably attracted them. She walked cautiously to the corner where she’d heard the noise. It wasn’t coming from the litter box under the window but from the opposite side.

Since the one bulb in the room was dim, she could hardly see in the dark recesses of the room. She wished she had a flashlight. As she approached the area where she heard the noise, she saw a bunch of boxes. She was relieved to see Sneaky scratching the side of one, cardboard pieces scattered at his feet. “Oh, Sneaky,” she said. “You scared me, but you’re only using a box for a scratching post.” The cat, caught in the act, stopped in mid-scratch and scampered away through his cat flap. Alicia made a note to speak to John about helping her find a real scratching post for Sneaky,. but before she left the room, she went over to the boxes. She figured they contained more books, but when she looked inside the one Sneaky had been scratching, she saw a few papers bundled together with rope. Newspapers? They weren’t that thick. She realized as she picked up the first bundle, they were a stack of letters. She felt uneasy snooping through them and was about to toss them next to the other two stacks in the box when she caught the name on the top envelope, Miss Carol Parsons. Her heart thudded in tempo with the rain. Were these the letters Mac wrote to Peter’s mother all those years ago? If so, how had Mac gotten them back?

She dug deeper, despite a growing unease, and pulled out all the bundled letters. She brought them to the desk. While the first two bundles were addressed to Carol in different handwriting, the second bundle of letters hadn’t been opened. The last bundle was addressed to John McKinney in a flourished female hand. These looked as if they had been handled the most, and some of the letters spilled out of their envelopes.

For a moment, Alicia considered sitting down to read them. She could hardly go back to bed now. She knew they must be Mac’s private property, so she put them back where she found them. Mac hardly had them hidden because the box they were in wasn’t sealed. She decided to ask John about the letters the next day since he was already planning on questioning his father about the information Pamela gave them.

Surprisingly, after Alicia turned off the light and crawled back into bed, she fell asleep rather quickly next to Sneaky, who had rejoined her, a beige ball of fur purring a soothing lullaby that drowned out the rain.

Posted in A Stone's Throw, Authors, Books, Uncategorized

Cover Reveal News, Contest, and Events

Posted on by Debbie

Animated-swirling-question-mark-picture-moving To celebrate the cover reveal of my new novel, “A Stone’s Throw” by Limitless Publishing on October 28, I am hosting a contest on my Facebook author page. Each Wednesday, up until the 28th, I will post a question that can be answered by reading this blog. The question might be about me, my books or articles, a previous blog post, etc. The first person to answer correctly on my author page will win a virtual “ticket” for a prize. Questions will be posted at various times to give people on all time zones a chance to reply. On October 28, the day of my book release, I will post the final question and then choose a winner from those holding tickets. I will contact the winner and they can select a choice of prizes from an eBook, Amazon certificate, or signed copy of my new book. The prize will be sent in November.

I am also participating in several online author events on Facebook. I will be at Taylor Henderson and Sara Schoen’s Halloween Release Party on Friday, October 30 from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m.; Carissa Lynch’s Release Party on Tuesday, November 3 from 12 noon to 12:30 p.m.; and Santa’s Helper’s Online Book Release Party from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, November 30 (Cyber Monday); and Cassandra’s Big Christmas Bookstravaganza on Wednesday, December 12 at 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. All events will feature authors, books, contests, giveaways, prizes, and fun. Click on the above links to join any or all of the events. Times are given in Eastern U.S. time (November and December adjusted for Daylight Savings). I hope to see you there.

 

 

Posted in A Stone's Throw, Characters

Only Children and Siblings in Novels

Posted on by Debbie

siblingsforblog I read an article about birth order recently for an online Gale Course I am taking on adolescents to help me understand the changes my tween daughter is going through. It got me thinking about the characters in my novels and other books I’ve read and what roles their siblings played. In my upcoming romantic suspense, “A Stone’s Throw,” both the main character, Alicia Fairmont, and her new romantic interest, John McKinney, are raised as only children. Alicia’s dead husband, Peter, has a sister, Pamela, who is seven years older. As only children, Alicia and John share some traits. They both tend to be perfectionists and can be stubborn in their beliefs.  Through flashbacks and additional information learned later in my book, we see that Peter Fairmont, a youngest child, is extremely self-centered. His older sister enjoys running the show.

What about other sibling characters in popular books  such as sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy in Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women,” and Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice?” What about Cinderella and her stepsisters? Hansel and Gretel? Cain and Abel? Feel free to post other famous literary siblings, their birth order and personalities. (and even your own if you’d like). I’m a last born or youngest, but there are 11-15 years between me and my two brothers and sister. My daughter is an only. My husband is second oldest.

Here is the link to the birth order article from my class.

Posted in A Stone's Throw, Cats, Characters, Dogs

Interview with My Characters

Posted on by Debbie

interviewblogpostI decided to interview six characters from my upcoming novel, “A Stone’s Throw.” I conducted the interviews at the Cobble Cove Library, the main setting of the book. The people interviewed were:

Alicia Fairmont – Protagonist of “A Stone’s Throw.” She is forty-two, a librarian, and the widow of Peter Fairmont.

John McKinney – The newspaper publisher of the Cobble Cove Courier. He is forty-five, a widower, and Alicia’s new love interest in the novel.

Sheila Whitehead – The fifty-two year old director of the Cobble Cove library.

Jonathan McKinney, Sr. (Mac) – The eighty-year old founder of the Cobble Cove library who is semi-retired. He is John’s father.

Sneaky Cat – The Siamese library cat at Cobble Cove Library.

Fido – John and Mac’s old Golden retriever.

I asked all six the following three questions:

Without giving away any spoilers, what was your favorite and least favorite part of the book?

Why do you think Debbie chose you as a character in “A Stone’s Throw?”

What other characters did you like and dislike in the book?

The four humans sat around a table in the reading room of the Cobble Cove Library. Sneaky, the library cat, was in his cat bed by the Local History section, and Fido was at Mac’s side.

As the lead character, Alicia answered first. She shook her long, chestnut hair away from her face and paused as she considered my questions. “It’s hard not to give away spoilers, but I would say one of my favorite parts of the book was when John took me up to Cobble Point and showed me the view of the town and the cove. I think I started falling in love with him then.  As far as my least favorite part of the book, I think it was when I discovered something that implicated John in my husband’s murder, but I can’t elaborate on that without giving away too much of the plot.”

“I think Debbie chose me because I’m a librarian like she is, and I know authors prefer to write about what they know. I liked most of the townspeople in “A Stone’s Throw,” although it was hard to get to know Dora, the innkeeper, and Casey, the diner owner, at first. I also had mixed feelings about Sheila. The character I think I disliked the most was Detective Ramsay. He took the definition of ‘Bad’ cop a bit too far.”

Next up was John. He smiled, showing the dimple in his left cheek. “I really loved showing Alicia the town and walking around Dora’s garden at the inn. It was really fun to paint with her, too. I hated it when I had to admit my relationship with Tina, and it really hurt me when Alicia stopped trusting me.”

“Debbie probably chose me because I’m so good looking. Just joking. She needed a love interest for Alicia, and I filled the bill. It also helped that I was a newspaper publisher and was also dabbling at writing a mystery. I guess I was Debbie’s other half. Alicia was the librarian, and I was the writer.”

“I try to get along with most people, but Detective Ramsay really tried my patience.”

Sheila answered after John. She tossed her flaming red hair over her shoulder and kicked her boots out from under the table. “I liked showing my strength when I shoveled my walk with John after the snowstorm. I also really enjoyed having tea and chatting with Alicia when we were snowbound at the library. I didn’t like when I realized some of the stupid mistakes I’d made.”

“Debbie probably picked me because I was such a strong character, and I was close to John in a platonic way. I also didn’t like Detective Ramsay, and I almost told him where to shove it (excuse my language). I found Betty, the homebound, a bit exasperating, too, but I felt sorry for her.”

Sneaky meowed when it was his turn to “talk.” He jumped out of his cat bed and joined the group. “I liked the part where I got to sleep with Alicia and helped her find one of the big clues in the book. I didn’t like it when Alicia and John left me alone, and Mac forgot to feed me.”

“My cat sixth-sense tells me Debbie picked me for her book because I’m Siamese like her cat, Oliver. She also loves to write about cats and is even a member of the Cat Writer’s Association.”

“I didn’t like Sheila that much because she never wanted to clean my litter box and always left it up to Mac or John and even had Alicia do it.”

Fido barked for his turn. “I loved when John put me on the mission that was the pivotal point in the plot, but I can’t give that away. I didn’t like it when Alicia and Sheila doubted I was dog enough to help them because of my age.”

“I liked John and Mac the best because they were my owners. I didn’t like Detective Ramsay. He smelled bad literally.”

“I’d wager a bone that Debbie chose me because she had to consider the dog loving readers out there, but I also know that she likes all animals, even though she is partial to cats.”

Mac tapped his cane. “Don’t forget about me.  I loved the part where I told Alicia that things happen for a reason. That was the best line in the book. I didn’t like when John confronted me about issues in my past that forced me to reveal some things I’d done when I was young.”

“I would figure Debbie gave me a role in her book because I had the most experience and, if I wasn’t the smartest, at least I was the one who had the most sense.”

“The character I liked the most was John because he was my only son. I also grew to like Alicia a bunch. Sheila and I sometimes rubbed one another the wrong way, but I respected her. Ramsay was a rude guy, but he was only trying to do his job. Faraday was a lot nicer if you like cops.”

As the interview wrapped up, I thanked all the characters and told them I’d try being gentle when I edited their parts.

 

 

 

Posted in A Stone's Throw, Authors, Books, Characters, Romantic Suspense

Romantic Suspense vs. Mystery

Posted on by Debbie

gothic I consider my upcoming book, “A Stone’s Throw,” a romantic suspense novel, but it contains a mystery, so why isn’t it classified as one? There are many types of mysteries. Most people are familiar with the Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie detective mysteries or, more currently, the crime solving amateur sleuths featured in Sue Grafton or Janet Evanovich’s books. “A Stone’s Throw” features two detectives, the nasty and arrogant, Ron Ramsay and the nice cop, Michael Faraday. Neither of them are very useful in solving the mystery but that is not why “A Stone’s Throw” is romantic suspense. Would you classify a Mary Higgins Clark novel as a mystery? What about a Nora Roberts book? Compare them to her JD Robb series  of books which are mysteries (but include romance, too).

The Romance Writer’s of America define romantic suspense as a subgenre or romance in which “suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot.”

When I was a young girl in the 1970’s, my older brother gave me my favorite Christmas gift. It was the novel, “Winter People” by Phyllis Whitney. Once I read that book, I was hooked. I gobbled up everything Whitney wrote and then began reading similar authors – Victoria Holt, Barbara Michaels, and others. I was transported to faraway places. I fell in love along with the main character with the mysterious and attractive stranger who might or might not be a killer. These books, sometimes referred to as gothic novels, were very popular at the time. They were also a form of romantic suspense. Daphne Du Maurier was one of the master writers of this genre. All these authors were my teachers and mentors in writing because I was learning their style as I absorbed their words.

The Wikipedia defines romantic suspense as “a blend of romance and mystery.” According to the Wikipedia, “This blend of the romance and mystery was perfected by Mary Stewart, who wrote ten romantic suspense novels between 1955 and 1967. Stewart was one of the first to seamlessly combine the two genres, maintaining a full mystery while focusing on the courtship between two people. In her novels, the process of solving the mystery “helps to illuminate” the hero’s personality, helping the heroine to fall in love with him.”

As I matured, I progressed to other authors and sampled many genres. As a librarian, I had the advantage of access to a wide variety of reading material. However, I still had a preference for mysteries that featured a heroine thrust into danger who was saavy enough to save herself and find love in the process. I began reading Nora Roberts, Mary Higgins Clark, and others. I also realized that romantic suspense authors are not exclusively female and neither are the protagonists or main characters of these novels always women.  The prolific James Patterson writes novels that might be considered romantic suspense in addition to his mystery series.

So how would you define romantic suspense? Is it mystery or romance? It’s actually both and that’s why it’s such a popular form of writing and reading.

Posted in A Stone's Throw, Authors, Books, Characters

My Character, Myself

Posted on by Debbie

characterimageI was asked to write a synopsis with a character-oriented focus to help my publisher create some cover copy for my upcoming book. While doing this, I began to reflect on how I created the varied characters, some major and some minor, in “A Stone’s Throw.” I think it’s pretty obvious that the librarian protagonist, Alicia Fairmont, is based on me. While she’s not identical in her personality or looks, there are some interesting similarities. When the story starts, she has been a librarian for 17 years. I’ve been one for over 20. She and her husband have been married 15 years without children. I had my daughter after 15 years of marriage. She has chestnut hair (some people consider my hair reddish brown), and she is quite stubborn (I’m a Taurus, need I say more?).

What about the rest of my characters? Going back to my previous analogy of authors giving birth to their book, I believe that their characters are their “babies” that grow throughout the story.  In an online Gale Course I am taking on Mystery Writing, I am learning about the protagonist’s and antagonist’s flaws. No one is perfect, and characters share the same imperfections as real people, so it makes sense that they are based on real people – whether it’s the author or a relative, friend, neighbor, or acquaintance of the author. A character can also be a composite of more than one person. Characters are then shaped by their experiences, both the back story and the continuing plot.

Some authors create detailed sketches of their characters before even adding them to their manuscripts (I wish I had been one of those). Like me, others create characters as they write. It often feels that the characters create themselves.

Another type of character that adds interest to a book is the pet character. As a member of the Cat Writer’s Association, I am familiar with cat and dog mysteries such as those written by Rita Mae Brown, Carole Nelson Douglas, Shirley Murphy, Lilian Jackson Braun, Amy Shojai and others. While the cat and dog characters in “A Stone’s Throw” don’t speak or solve mysteries by themselves, they play important roles. Sneaky, the Siamese who is the Cobble Cove library cat, is modelled after my 15-year old Siamese cat, Oliver. Fido, the old, overweight golden retriever, is just the perfect type of dog for 80 year old Mac.

The most important thing about a character is that a reader can relate to that person and finds the person interesting, not a flat caricature. I believe one of my strong points as a writer is the way I depict characters. I hope you will agree when you read “A Stone’s Throw.”

Posted in A Stone's Throw, Books, Cloudy Rainbow, Romantic Suspense

Contract Signed!

Posted on by Debbie

contractimageYesterday, after around thirty emails and several document revisions,  I signed a contract with Limitless Publishing for my romantic suspense novel, “A Stone’s Throw.” Now the fun part starts. I received some welcome emails and was invited into their elite Facebook group. I was asked to complete some forms, financial ones for royalty deposits and taxes, as well as a cover questionnaire to help their graphic artist design my book cover. They also requested my bio, photo, and social networking list along with a short description of the book and a character-oriented 1-2 page synopsis to assist in creating the inside and back cover details.

Even though I’d previously self-published a novel, “Cloudy Rainbow,” I had forgotten how much work went into preparing the book for publishing. I guess that’s what it’s like when women forget the pain of labor, and writing and publishing a book is definitely like pregnancy. You have your highs and lows and, at points, wonder if it was worth it. But, afterwards looking at your adorable baby or your beautiful book cover, you know you would do it all again in a heartbeat.

What advice would I give those still trying to get into print – don’t stop writing. I made the mistake of doing that after my self-published book. My daughter was young, and I just couldn’t find the time. And, then, after a few years of one particular library patron’s prodding, I started again. That’s all it takes, one person’s gentle push. Not only did I finish writing “A Stone’s Throw,” but I started another that I am currently about a quarter of the way through. I have also written several short stories that I’ve been sending out for possible publication. I may compile them into a book one day. But one step at a time. I’m eager to see “A Stone’s Through” in virtual (eBook) and real print. I’m hoping readers like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I may include some pre-launch book excerpts on this blog and on my Author’s Facebook page. Thanks for sharing the journey with me.