Guest Author: Judy Alter

Mystery and Western writer Judy Alter joins us today to talk about book signings and finding a niche. I'm glad she was able to join us as she touches on two subjects that speak to the nostalgia of the season. My father loved westerns and mysteries and I inherited a good many of his books when he passed away. To my delight, I found after I married my wonderful husband, that his German mother also loved westerns and I felt privileged to share my father's books with her, too. Sharing books and finding new authors is one of the best ways to make a connection with others, so I hope Judy's blog helps you to connect with her and find a new, favorite author to share with your friends and family.

Judy Alter
Book signings and finding a niche


I’ve been following the Facebook postings of western writer Steven Law. He apparently arranged to sign books at Hy-Vee grocery stores across the nation. For the last three days, he’s been at Hy-Vees in the Omaha area—he always tells what part of the store he’s in, such as next to vitamins, the produce, whatever—once, by good fortune, next to the ATM machine. His book is a traditional western, Yuma Gold, and I doubt HyVee is mentioned in it. But he’s somehow made great use of a connection and has done successful signings in an unconventional venue for books.

My new novel, Skeleton in a Dead Space, is definitely a neighborhood novel, one in which the Fort Worth historic neighborhood of Fairmount is a major character. Kelly O’Connell buys and sells real estate and renovates older houses, particularly Craftsman style, in Fairmount, and she is passionate about the neighborhood. So are the residents there today.

Fairmount was built mostly between 1910 and 1930. For years, it was a stable upper-middle class neighborhood. But in the latter part of the twentieth century residents began to move to the suburbs, to more fashionable neighborhoods and, probably in truth, to safer neighborhoods. Many houses became rental property, with larger ones broken into apartments and rooming houses. It was a neighborhood on the decline until maybe the 1990s when young professionals began to realize the advantages of a neighborhood so accessible to downtown and the hospital district. They moved in, renovated the older homes, and turned the neighborhood around. Today it is more remodeled homes than not, but there’s still an occasional dilapidated house that leans and needs paint and has a washing machine on the front porch. There’s a great esprit d’ corps among the residents, and so I’ve marketed directly to them.

My book signings have been in unconventional signing sites but places dear to Fairmount residents. I launched the book with two signings at The Old Neighborhood Grill, a popular café about a block beyond the actual boundary of the neighborhood but one many residents frequent. In two signings—early (7:00 a.m.) Saturday morning and 5:30 the following Monday evening, I sold almost 75 books. Sure, lots of people came because I’d sent out emails and Peter, the grill owner, had fliers. But several regular customers walked up and said they wanted to buy books for their wives.

Fairmount also houses a wonderful store called Old Home Supply—it’s got everything you could possible want to redo your older home or add character to a new structure—from doorknobs to French doors, plumbing fixtures, fire screens, you name it. I once bought a metal couch for my porch there. It features two running horses and a Texas star. So now, Old Home Supply has eight copies of my book, and I signed there the Saturday after Thanksgiving. For that signing and the one at the local Barnes & Noble, I made a sign that said “A mystery set in Fort Worth’s own Fairmount Historic District.”

Fairmount also has a book club, and I spoke to them, though it was a small group, and they talked as much about the neighborhood and its street repairs as they did my book. But it was a pleasant evening, and I bet the word spread. They eagerly asked if I’d come back to talk about the second book, and I assured them I would.

My point in all this is to suggest writers find the unique audience for each of their books and then look for alternative signing sites. My marketing in Fairmount has paid off wonderfully.

Check out my website— http://www.judyalter.com/ —for pictures of Kelly’s neighborhood and see why it’s a character in the book.

Author’s note:

Judy Alter is the author of fiction and nonfiction for adults and young adults. Much of her career focused on women in the American West, and she is the recipient of Western Heritage (Wrangler) Awards from the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame and Spur Awards from Western Writers of America She also was honored with the Owen Wister Award for Lifetime Achievement by WWA. But she always wanted to write mysteries, and Skeleton in a Dead Space, published by Turquoise Morning Press, is her first venture into cozy mysteries. At least two more Kelly O’Connell mysteries are scheduled.

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Thank you, Judy, and Happy Holidays

Guest blog: Caroline Clemmons

I'm lucky to have one of my favorite romance authors back: Caroline Clemmons. I've asked her to talk a little bit about the research she's done for her books, and she happily obliged.

Irish-Americans 

Top O’ The Morning To Ye! It may not be morning where you are, but the best to you no matter what time of day you’re here. The only place I love better than the United States is Ireland. Please let me introduce you to a few facts on Ireland and Irish-Americans before I tell you about my western historical, THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE.

Irish-Americans have made considerable contributions in the United States from Charles Carroll III (the only Catholic to sign the Declaration of Independence) to Andrew Jackson to Sandra Day O’Connor. My favorite is Maureen Fitzsimmons, whose name was shortened to O’Hara. (Maureen O’Hara holds dual citizenship with the United States and Ireland.) Irish-Americans fought in our wars from the American Revolution forward. In fact, John Coleman, an Irish sailor on Henry Hudson’s Half Moon was killed by Indians in 1609 at what is now Sandy Hook, New Jersey.

When the infamous potato famine struck and millions in Ireland literally starved, there was a mass immigration of Irish into the United States. Due to their poor education, they were looked down on by many. At the time, it was against the law for Irish to learn to read and write. Only the English could attend Irish schools. The Irish’s only education came from “hedgerow” schools in which someone would teach a small group of children behind a hedgerow by using a stick to draw on the ground. Anyone caught teaching Irish children to read and write was jailed.



What does this have to do with my romance novels? Thank you, I’m so glad you asked.



When I was researching for THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE, I became even more enthralled with Ireland and the Irish’s role in my home state, Texas. Because of the lack of schooling, the Irish heroine Cenora Rose O’Neill (who may look suspiciously like a young Maureen O’Hara) cannot read cursive and reads only a little in print. Hero Dallas McClintock reads most evenings and values education. This difference causes only one of the many conflicts that arise in the book. (Shameless attempt to coerce you to buy this book.)



Cenora and her family had fallen in with a group of Irish Traveler. The Travelers, or tinkers, are descended from medieval minstrels and poets who traveled Ireland telling myths and stories. At that time, they were respected and learned. Travelers have their own language/cant, Sheldroo, which is linked to a medieval language. At the time of Cromwell’s English occupation, many Irish families were turned out of their homes. Homeless Irish families drifted in with the traveling minstrels and eventually became the Irish Travelers. They camped in fields. Later they acquired tents, then the colorful wagons that resemble gypsy wagons, such as the ones used in my novel. I was fortunate enough to see a couple of these wagons in museums when my husband and I were in Ireland and Scotland. The wagons are unbelievably compact, and brightly painted inside and out.



In THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE, Cenora Rose O’Neill knows her father somehow arranged the trap for Dallas McClintock, but she agrees to wed the handsome stranger. She’d do anything to protect her family, and she wants to save herself from the bully Tom Williams. She believes a fine settled man like Dallas will rid himself of her soon enough, but at least she and her family will be safely away from Tom Williams.



Texas rancher Dallas McClintock has no plans to wed for several years. Right now, he’s trying to establish himself as a successful horse breeder. Severely wounded rescuing Cenora from kidnappers, Dallas is taken to her family’s wagon to be tended. He is trapped into marrying Cenora, but he is not a man who goes back on his word. His wife has a silly superstition for everything, but passion-filled nights with her make up for everything—even when her wild, eccentric family drives crazy.



Here’s an excerpt from the wedding in THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE:



Dallas raised his gaze where Aoife directed. Four girls danced, but only one drew his attention. Shoulders straight and feet flying, Cenora met his glance, then broke away from the other dancers to perform only a few yards from him.


Catcalls sounded nearby. She ignored them but gave a toss of her head. Her hair had come unbound, and her act sent her fiery hair awhirl. Light from the blazing campfire cast an aura-like radiance around her. Lantern glow overhead reflected her eyes sparked with merriment, challenge, and something mysterious he couldn’t name.


No longer the delicate china doll, her wild beauty called to him, mesmerized him. He visualized her brilliant tresses spread across a pillow, her milky skin bared only for him. His body responded, and savage desire shot through him. Surprised at the depth of his reaction, he wondered if her performance in bed would parallel the unbridled nature of her dance.


Good Lord, could this glorious woman truly be his wife? And if so, heaven help him, what on earth was he to do with her?



I hope you’ll read and enjoy THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE. I’ll donate a free PDF download to someone who comments here and tells me they’ve gone to my blog http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/  to sign up for my Mostly Monthly Newsletter. The buy link for THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE is www.thewildrosepress.com/caroline-clemmons-m-638.html . My other links are http://www.carolineclemmons.com/ , Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon as Caroline Clemmons, and on Twitter as CarolinClemmons (no E in Caroline).


Thanks, Amy, for having me as your guest, today!

Caroline's Bio
Caroline Clemmons writes romance and adventures—although her earliest made up adventures featured her saving the West with Roy Rogers. Her career has included stay-at-home mom (her favorite job), newspaper reporter and featured columnist, assistant to the managing editor of a psychology journal, and bookkeeper. She and her husband live in rural North Central Texas with a menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not writing, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, travel, browsing antique malls and estate sales, and genealogy/family history. Her latest contemporary and historical romance releases in print and e-book include THE TEXAN’S IRISH BRIDE, OUT OF THE BLUE, a novella in the Civil War anthology NORTHERN ROSES AND SOUTHERN BELLES, and the upcoming HOME SWEET TEXAS HOME in July. Her novella SAVE YOUR HEART FOR ME is available as a download only. Her backlist of contemporary and historical romance is now at Smashwords and Kindle. Read about her at www.carolineclemmons.com or her blog at http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com  She loves to hear from readers at caroline@carolineclemmons.com
It was my pleasure to have you here. I really enjoyed hearing a bit about the travelers. I'd read a few books that mentioned them and it was fun to learn a little background.
Thanks!

Guest Author - AJ Neust on the Significance of First Lines

Please help me welcome author AJ Neust who is going to talk about the significance of first lines in a novel.

Welcome!


Ahhh…that first line of any new story is like that first bite of chocolate, or maybe that first sip of wine. With it, an author can create mystery, sound, action, tone, setting, or even inspire the reader to think outside the box. The first line of any new story is a powerful tool. It needs to snag the reader, invite them into a world the author’s created so they get lost in the story and finish that first chapter without even realizing how far they’ve come. Maybe that’s why first lines are so hard to write. And why I so often get asked by aspiring writers, “Where do you start?”



My answer? Start in the middle. While this may sound contrary to everything you imagined about crafting a story, don’t assume all great novels start at the beginning. In fact, most of them start somewhere way past the beginning. And some even start at the end.


In one of my earliest manuscripts, I clearly laid out all the details, describing with great care the scenery, now my characters were dressed and each expression they wore. I delved into character development, going off on tangents to show the reader the place each person stood in their lives. I spent hours laboring over the groundwork, when in reality, I was bogging down the manuscript with so much ennui, the story didn’t actually begin until five or six pages into the first chapter.


Now I start in the middle and let the story unfold. I weave history in where appropriate, describing only those details needed to move the story along, giving hints about the past and future, while leaving the rest for subsequent chapters. While I realize this sounds a lot easier said than done, the most important thing to remember is your characters already know who they are. They’re already IN the scene, and have lived up to the point where you START the story. If a good author is truly each of their characters, then those characters wouldn’t waste page after page telling themselves what they already know. They wouldn’t tell themselves why they are taking a certain action or what they’re wearing, because to the character, these story elements are already in place.


Instead, (and here’s where things get tricky) their story would be told by the comments other characters give them, the reactions displayed, the scenery and emotions these elements inspire. This is the key to create a great first line, scene and chapter.


One of the best comments I get from a critique partner is a QUESTION. “Wait, what happened before this happened? Why is she acting so weird?” AHA! Then I know the reader will flip the page to find out what happens next (or in some cases, what happened previously). Even if the element I’ve introduced doesn’t yet make sense, I’ve sparked the reader’s curiosity enough to keep turning pages. That being said, a fine line exists between creating enough intrigue to snare the reader’s interest, and leaving the reader frustrated. Any good author has the ability to “divine” this mysterious line. Don’t be so vague, the reader can’t follow the story.


Start in the middle, at a key point in the story. Being with a bang–the moment your hero and heroine meet, the fleeting second your heroine has an epiphany or sees another character do something that could potentially change her life. Become you’re characters, and undoubtedly, the first line will write itself.


Answer this question to enter AJ’s blog drawing:


What author penned this famous first line? “Who is John Galt?”


Visit our February Valentine’s Blog Tour and leave a comment to win a prize. The more blogs you visit with comments, the better your chances of winning. Prizes begin valued at $20, increasing each week to a Grand Prize of over $50!


Other blogs to visit include:

http://www.ajbooks.blogspot.com/

http://amielouellen.wordpress.com/

http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/

http://www.authorjenniferjakes.blogspot.com/

http://www.jilljameswrites.com/

http://www.katduncan.net/writeabout

http://www.lillygayleromance.blogspot.com/

http://lindakage.blogspot.com/

http://lynneroberts.blogspot.com/

http://maevegreyson.blogspot.com/


Bio -

Author AJ Nuest lives in a small farming community in Northwest Indiana with her loving husband and two beautiful children. She is the author of two contemporary romance novels.


Contact Information her on the web:

Website: http://www.ajnuest.com/

Blog: http://www.ajbooks.blogspot.com/

Email: ajnuest@yahoo.com

Jezebel’s Wish Blurb:


Haunted by nightmares, tormented by guilt, Jezebel came to Redemption Ranch to escape the past—except now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with no redemption in sight. When her mother pushes her into riding lessons with local veterinarian Matthias Saunders, Jezebel balks. Sure, the doctor is gorgeous, but he’s completely obnoxious and knows how to push every one of her buttons.



Only her deep connection with The Reverend, a gentle stallion who guards her darkest secrets, has her agreeing to spend any more time with Dr. Saunders. Caring for the stallion is the first bright spot in her life in months, and if being around the horse means she has to deal with Matthias Saunders, then so be it. Surely a city girl like her can handle one country vet—even one with disturbing blue eyes. Can't she?


Jezebel’s Wish Excerpt:


Jezzy stopped. “I thought I was having a riding lesson.”


“You are.” He nodded toward the empty paddock. “Go in.”


“Go in?” Jezzy propped a hand on her hip. “You sure you know what you’re doing? Because it was my understanding that an actual horse is needed for a riding lesson.”


“Don’t you think it would be wise at this juncture to leave the understanding up to the professionals?”


Jezzy rolled her eyes. “You’re making this way too easy. Professionals? Please. Don’t get me started.”


“Why not? Getting you started is exactly what I’m here for.”


Jezzy’s jaw dropped. She didn’t quite know how to interpret that remark.


He held out the rope. “Now go in. And take this lead line with you.” Steely blue determination glinted in his eyes. There was no way he was going to give in.


Jezzy snatched the lead line from his hand and stormed through the gate, then turned when he closed it behind her.


He put a foot on the bottom railing and rested against the gate, facing the horizon. “Take the chair to the center of the paddock and sit down.”


“And just exactly how is that supposed to teach me to ride?”


He cocked an eyebrow. “You want out of the deal?”


Jezzy’s fist clenched tight around the lead line. What she wanted was to march back to the fence and smack his face.