You'll Never Believe What I Saw!

My local library is a little bitty thing, stocking less than 8,000 books. Thankfully, it's part of  a bigger network, so I can go on-line and choose whatever book I want from their selection and it'll be delivered to my local branch. 

But I digress. A few days ago, I stood browsing the shelves in my little local library while my kids selected some books for themselves, and I saw something that made me pause and grin.

Let me offer a smidgeon of background first. In the far corner, the shelves are attached directly to the wall, molded perfectly to the ninety degree angle of said corner. On one side of this corner, general fiction and romance paperbacks are shelves, alphabetically, by the author's last name. On the other side of the corner are the sci-fi and mysteries. I'm attracted the the sci-fi/mystery shelves, constantly on the look-out for new and exciting stuff. I usually ignore the general fiction and romance because I assume there will be nothing there worth my time and attention. I'm not saying that it's all garbage, just that it doesn't appeal to me in the least. In fact, I'd usually rather read technical manuals than bury my nose in a romance. I don't mean to offend anyone, that's just me.

I have no clue why my eyes strayed from all that delicious sci-fi, but I found myself browsing the romance shelves. One cover caught my attention, so I (gasp) picked it up. I flipped it over, read the back, and grimaced in distaste, quickly re-shelving it before anyone saw me with a tacky romance novel in my hand. As I shelved the book, I happened to glance down at the bottom shelf. And a name caught my attention: Susan May Warren.

I stared at the name for several seconds before I realized that, not only did I recognize the name, I'd met the author in Dallas last September at the ACFW Conference. She's a Christian, a funny lady, and a romance writer. My brain fought with me for several seconds as I tried to figure out how Ms. Warren's book had ended up with all the other trashy romances, but I couldn't help but grin. Her book was face out, drawing attention away from the other stuff. The cover didn't have a scantily clad female or a bare-chested Hercules or a melting ice cream cone with a juicy cherry on top. It had a cheery coffee mug atop a stack of books or papers or something. It looked innocuous. It looked completely out of place. It stuck out like a hot pink flower in a sea of sand.

Truth be told, I can't remember the title of the book. I just felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and joy that a Christian book, a lovely jewel, sat amongst all the almost-porn and bodice-rippers. Way to go, Susan! It's one thing to know that my local library carries Christian fiction. But it's downright cool to see one sitting on the shelf, drawing attention away from the unreadable stuff. (FYI: I went on-line and found the book. It's called Happily Ever After.)

I probably should have checked the book out and given the romance genre a shot, but since I didn't, it's ready for someone else to grab. Maybe Ms. Warren will impact someone else's life with her morality-filled words. I pray it will be so. 

-Sonja 

Don't Wait! Read, Enjoy, and Comment Now!

I've posted two new short stories on my website. They both take place in the same universe as my novels, and I'm pleased with how they turned out. Feel free to take a peek--and let me know your opinion! Either post a comment here at the blog, or follow the email link on my website.

For what it's worth, I've hired the services of editor-guru Jeff Yoda Gerke to help me with the first three chapters of Servant of the Just (book 1) and I'll be sending out a new wave of queries after I've received Jeff's comments. I've also finished the first draft of Warrior of the Just (novel 3) and I'll be working on the polishing phase over the next month or two. Words have been pouring from me in the past two months, and that's a blessed-good thing.

-Sonja

Alphabet Soup

Huge sigh of relief - the holidays are over! Now, back to business. 

Before the break, I was reviewing some of the books I read during the Fall into Reading program. Today's review encompasses a series of books by Sue Grafton. Her series of mysteries began with A is for Alibi and marches straight through the alphabet. I think she's up to U now, but I'm not sure. I'm also not sure what she calls her series (Alphabet Mysteries? Millhone Mysteries?) because it's not printed on the front of the book, like most series do. However. For Fall into Reading, I wanted to read O is for Outlaw. I actually managed to read O, P, Q, R, and S over the autumn months, and today the library just informed me that it's my turn to read T is for Trespass. I'm looking forward to it.

First, the unpleasant stuff. The Grafton series isn't Biblically moral. Several books in the series contain sex scenes, although they aren't graphic. They kind of remind me of the old movies, where the Extremely Handsome Male Lead picks up the Gorgeous Female Lead and carries her off to the bedroom, slamming the door with his foot. In the next scene, he's leaving the bedroom, a cigarette in his mouth as he tucks him his partially unbuttoned shirt. Well, maybe Grafton takes it a little further than that, but not too much. I was not offended by the sex scenes, but I could have lived without them. Also, her crime scenes are somewhat gruesome and graphic, and at times, the bad guys get violent with the protagonist. Those scenes didn't bother me, either, but I know some Christians would have a hard time with Grafton's books because of these unpleasant things.

So what keeps me coming back to them? The protagonist is amazing. Kinsey Millhone is an unorthodox ex-cop private investigator who gets sucked into these seemingly sublime mysteries, only to find them much more intriguing, twisted, and down-right dangerous than she first thought. Kinsey is likable, sympathetic, and has a moral standard that she sticks to. It's not the same standard as mine, sure, but she's got her own version of right and wrong, and it sides with law and order. She's also stuck in the '80's: the series began in the early 80's, and there's only three to six months between each story, so real time passed her by quickly. Bottom line, Kinsey doesn't have a cell phone, or internet access, or affordable bugging equipment... she does it all the hard way.  

The mysteries are also engaging. In the entire series, I've guessed at 'who-dun-it' for every book, and guessed wrong more than half the time! And I'm pretty good at guessing mysteries, so I love the challenge. Grafton brings all the characters to life, so much that I feel I know them by the end of the story. She's always got multiple suspects, and they all have believable motives and opportunity. There's almost always one clue that gives the whole puzzle away, and like the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Grafton puts the clue in plain sight but disguises it as ordinary. 

Bottom line: I really like this series. The problem with mysteries, though, is that once you know who-dun-it, it's no fun to read again. I haven't purchased any of these books because they're readily available at the local library, and I probably won't read them a second time. But they were worth the ride the first time around!

Review of Deathly Hallows

I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows during my Fall Into Reading excursion, and I'll offer my review, for what it's worth. Yes, I know I'm way behind. Deathly Hallows came out in July. But I checked it out from my local library, and had to wait this long for my turn.

It was worth the wait! It took me two days to read all 26,000 pages, or however many there were, and I loved it. Deathly Hallows nicely wrapped up all the hanging plot points. The protagonist prevailed. The antagonist was brought down spectacularly. We even had a glimpse of the future. And I couldn't quit turning pages: conflict and tension galore! Every time I thought it couldn't possibly get worse, it did.

*Spoiler alert * (skip to the next paragraph if you haven't read the book yet). This book truly tugs at your emotions. My heart sank when Harry was captured and taken to the Malfoy's. I cried when Hermione was tortured. I cheered when Dobby freed them. Then I cried again when Dobby died. Moody's death, his eye mounted on that office door, all those deaths at the end, Tonk's and Lupine's orphaned newborn, Harry's spirit of sacrifice, Neville Longbottom's bravery, the truth about Snape, Harry's marriage and children, even the names he gave his little bairns... Wow! The entire book was a roller coaster of emotions.

I also learned more about the craft of writing by analyzing Rawling's techniques. Despite the fact that she writes for a younger audience, and my audience is adult, I learn some fantastic plotting skills. Rawlings knows how to tell a story! She creates sympathetic characters, places them in a truly unforgettable setting, and then offers extraordinary conflicts to overcome.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the Harry Potter books, and this last one was just as spectacular as all the others. I recommend highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys a good story.

-Sonja

Without A Doubt, Read Colleen Coble

Back in September, I posted a list of books I wanted to read for the Fall Into Reading program described by Katrina at Calapidder Days. I'm an avid reader. I had twelve books on my Fall Into Reading book list, but I've read closer to thirty books since the beginning of September. I thought I'd post some book reviews in the coming days.

The book I want to discuss today wasn't even on my Fall Into Reading list, but it should have been: "Without A Trace" by Colleen Coble. I attended one of her lectures at a writing conference in late September, and her teaching style and content drove me to read one of her books.

"Trace" is a mystery/suspense/romance. I can't really pin it down. The protagonist faced two mysteries: searching for lost people and trying to identify a murderer. And all the while, she's inadvertently falling in love. (I don't want to give anything away, so forgive me for being nebulous.) The book sucked me in - I stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn't put it down. I'll admit, I figured out the first mystery long before Ms. Coble brought it to light. But she had so much suspense, so much intrigue, I had to keep turning pages. And when the murderer's identity finally came to light, it surprised me. I'd guessed wrong on the second mystery. The book had a satisfying ending and a tear-jerking reunion, and if I say any more, I'll ruin the journey for you.

Bottom line: I recommend this book, for what it's worth.

-Sonja

The Biggest Weakness

Randy Ingermanson, in his blog post at Advanced Fiction Writing, said something profound yet beautifully simple: "The life of a novelist is about continuous improvement. You will NEVER arrive. You will never be perfect. The trick is to identify your biggest weakness and work on it until it's no longer your biggest weakness."

Wow. That's heavy. In the last month or so, I've been working on my dialogue tags, trying to remove unnecessary ones. I think I've about mastered that. So now, I ask myself, what's my new biggest weakness?

That's a no-brainer, since I've struggled with this for years: imagery.  

One of my writing friends, Melody, has the spirit of a poet. Her fantasy fiction sparkles with beautiful imagery. Her word choices are exquisite. Her scenery jumps off the page, making me feel like I'm there. And I've noticed, in speaking with her, that it all just flows naturally that way from her brain. She's lyrical. Imaginative. Poetic.

I've not been blessed with that type of gift. I'm a Vulcan. I see things in logical progression, with proper motivations, plot lines and subplot lines weaving in and out of each other. Scenery and imagery is incidental, especially in my first draft. Once I've got all the action, suspense, and character development thoroughly laid out, then I have to go back and add in the scenery, the sensations, the metaphors and similes that make the story hop off the page. I easily identify the patterns, mirrors, and moods I need to establish; then I struggle to add the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. 

I'm pleased that I can identify my greatest weakness. Now I'll follow Randy's advice and work on it until something else takes the title "biggest weakness."

-Sonja

"Holy dialogue tags, Batman!" Robin exclaimed

For the past two weeks, I've been struggling with dialogue tags. Silly me, I thought I'd mastered them... then a friend pointed out how many unnecessary tags I managed to work into my text. So, I went on a learning binge, and am now ready to impart the vast amount of knowledge I've collected. Which isn't a ton, but it's definitely improved my dialogue.

Lesson #1: The modifier "said" is invisible. Use it, because readers completely overlook it. 

"Take this," Matthias said. 

I've identified the speaker with that little invisible word. Other words, like exclaimed, postulated, articulated, and shouted, are not invisible. They stand out in the sentence, calling attention to themselves and away from the actual dialogue. And I don't want that. So I use "said" whenever I need to identify the speaker.

William Noble, in his book "Shut up!" He Explained: A Writer's Guide to the Uses and Misuses of Dialogue, says that the modifier "said" should be used at least three-quarters of the time any modifier is used, and a page of dialogue should not go by without a couple of "saids" appearing in the text. 

Lesson learned: when I want to identify the speaker, use the word "said."

Lesson #2:  When possible, avoid dialogue tags altogether.

"Take this," Matthias said.

"What is it?" I peered inside.

"Gold, mostly."

The reader knows Matthias said that last line because it was his turn to speak. (Of course, if there were three people in the conversation, then the speaker of line 3 becomes foggy. But when there's only two, this works well.) When possible, leave out the tag. It makes for a quicker read, and it's definitely invisible. But I need to be careful, because if it isn't clear who is speaking, then leaving the tag off can add to the confusion and annoyance factor.

Lesson #3: Use beats instead of a modifier. Beats are the little bits of action interspersed through a scene, such as someone walking to the window or rubbing their eyes. They can take the place of the word "said," like this: 

"Take this." Matthias handed me a bulging leather bag.

Instead of saying said, or gushed, or ordered, I substitute the dialogue tag with this big of action. Doing this adds a pause in the speech, eliminates the need for tag, and identifies the speaker all at once. A brilliant little tool, which I employ often. There are two important rules to remember when working with tags: don't interrupt the dialogue with too many beats (the poor reader will get dizzy, trying to follow all the action and conversation) and don't use cliched tags (puffing on a cigarette, drinking coffee, scratching, etc.). Otherwise, they work nicely in place of tags.

Lesson #4: Use a variety of these methods. Too many of any one technique stands out. Not using "said" enough, using no dialogue tags at all, or using only beats all lead to confusion for the reader. That Biblical truth is universal: moderation is the key.

For what it's worth!

-Sonja