Helen Ginger, Corner Cafe and Red Carpets

I am very pleased to welcome Helen Ginger here today.  Helen is a member of a group I belong to, up here on cyberspace.  Over the past three months I have watched a smaller group of fellow members, in fascination, as they decided to write and publish a collection of short stories together.  To achieve this they collectively learnt the formatting necessary for Kindle and the shenanigans  publishers have to engage in to self publicise their books:)  All through e-mail communications.  Impressive. Especially as  the stories are all original, written specifically  for this particular book, the authors had free reign as to subject matter with the proviso they had to connect in some way with The Corner Cafe.  The book has turned out to be a great read.  So here on the Red Carpet today is

 Helen Ginger

author of Angel Sometimes

Joining Forces

 The month of June has been a crazy time. Alberta knows what I’m talking about. We’re both members of a group called Blog Book Tours. I believe there are close to a hundred members. Months back, we began a project to create an anthology of short stories and publish it on Amazon for the Kindle. It went live at the end of May, so this month is filled with promotions and blog posts across the world. Some days the book will cost 99 cents. Some days it will be free. Even if you download it on a non-free day, you won’t feel cheated since all proceeds go to charity.

 I’m happy to say I have two stories in The Corner Café. One’s short and one’s a bit longer. Here are the loglines for them:

 Neree, who parked her beat-up truck, Gila Monster, in the senior parking lot, hopes to find it still there at the end of school, but what she finds is an unexpected possibility, in Gila Monster by Helen Ginger.

When a couple ski a black diamond run in a blizzard, the truth of what happened is in the blood, in One Last Run by Helen Ginger.

 The Blog Book Tour was able to create, edit, publish and promote The Corner Café because we all joined forces.

“The Corner Café“

In addition to promoting the anthology, I’m working to get the word out about my first fiction book. (I have three non-fiction books out with TSTC Publishing.) Angel Sometimes is a women’s fiction book. Writers tend to put a little of themselves in whatever they write. I put more than just a little of myself in Angel Sometimes. Angel’s life is not mine, but her job is. She swims as a mermaid in a bar/restaurant called The Aquarium. For three years, I swam as a mermaid at a resort/park called Aquarena Springs. So, most of what Angel does while in the tank — eating and drinking underwater, blowing air rings, doing backward flips and spinning dervishes, for example — were taken directly from my life.

Angel Sometimes

Angel Sometimes has a plan: Go home to Oklahoma and ask her mother why she loved her one day, then threw her out like garbage the next. Since her mother was never going to come looking for her, she’ll go to her mother. To do that, she needs three things: her high school diploma, a car and a gun.

I wrote Angel Sometimes on my own, but even then, I joined forces. I have a friend who lives in another town about an hour and a half away. Her book, The Dividing Season, came out about two months ago. When I had questions about publishing in print or Karen had questions about marketing, we would meet halfway. One time we even checked into a hotel mid-way and invited another author to join us in the hotel’s boardroom for strategizing. We joined forces and both of us are better off for that.

Have you ever joined forces with other writers?

Alberta comments: I’m thinking that Angel Sometimes sounds like a good read.  The Corner Cafe certainly  is and I’m off to check out some of the other links:)

  Helen Ginger

Helen has written 3 books in TSTC Publishing’s TechCareers series, as well as the above mentioned. You can find two of her short stories in the anthology, The Corner Café. Her free ezine, Doing It Write, now in its thirteenth year of publication, goes out to subscribers around the globe.

 You can follow Helen on her blog, Straight From Hel on Twitter or connect with her on Facebook and LinkedIn. She is also Co-Partner and Webmistress for Legends In Our Own Minds® and the Coordinator of Story Circle Network’s Editorial Services.

Field trip,public houses and fun

Well, I have had such a nice week, despite it being a little too busy – writing having to take back seat.  The best was yesterday, when I went down to Norfolk for a few hours in the evening, to catch the moods of that part of the coast, in the early summer sunset, (research for Blue Moon   It looked as if it  was to be a ‘see what it is like in the pouring rain’ trip most of the day, but we need rain in our books too-don’t we? So we went anyway.

 The rain blew away, and we had sunshine, blue skies, dark atmospheric clouds, high winds and the most marvellous patterns and disturbances on the long empty beaches, and the wonderful marshes.  Fantastic evening.

 We started with the salt marshes and mud flats and then dropped into a pub for a quick snack.  We succumbed to temptation and had some sea bass- delicious with spiced potato.  Then well fed, headed of to the long wind swept beaches.  Alive with movement and no people just my kind of place:) walked along some of it. I’m not up to very long walks yet – my goal is to be fit enough end of September to walk some of the coastal path and nature reserves.  Then, as the light faded, we ducked into another pub and had pudding:)

 I have masses of pictures, pages of notes and happy memories, a new incident to put into the novel and an actual spot in which to place a romantic moment, it is not a romantic spot! but then my books aren’t like that:)  On the way home my friend finally thought of name for my secondary male character. I was finding his name tricky and nothing I came up with seemed to suit, my manuscript is littered with various name (must make sure I clear them all) Now I am happy – just the surname to contend with now:)

 The evening had turned into a 7 hour jaunt with about 3 of them driving and I found it very difficult to wake up this morning, and have subsequently gone back to sleep after walking the dog!! My ankles have given up the ghost, and I’m whacked out but it was such fun and I enjoyed every minute.

Haven’t had time to edit these sorry about that.

 The rest of the week:

 My sister’s training has gone up a level and she and the trainer very pleased.  I held my Living History Group and my Writing Group on successive days (not often that happens) and went to one of my Reading Groups.  After that last group, during some idle chat with another friend I finally got a solid framework for Blue Moon.  So good week all told.

 Have kept up with the JuNoWrMo and word count stands at 38,334  I am having today off as I’m ahead of myself.

 Have written another short story for workshop on twisted tales – all about Puss in Boots – it is at friend from forever/editor as I write. This counts towards the one a week challenge as well as another story for my collection.

 Have posted three times this week.  If I care not what you are? I wasn’t sure about posting, as I have tried to remain fairly even keeled up here on cyberspace.  Not my place to judge etc, but I just got fed up with being called naïve that I had a poke back, hopefully in a fairly lady like manner:) earlier in the week I had posted a piece  My prospector’s soul- plus ROW80

 I have a couple of blogs prepared for the coming week plus I have a guest later in the week on my Red Carpet Day.

 Finally put The Sefuty Chronicle book trailer up on YouTube. If you ever have a look and like , I would appreciate some ‘likes’ to get it on its way

 So next week: more of JuNoWrMo(going to try and see if I can join a sprint or two), Blue Moon editing, another twisted fairy tale for workshop, blogs and networking.  It’s a reasonable clear week as far as social engagements go so should be able to put my head down and steam ahead:)

Hope everyone else had a good week and all the best.

Probably wont have anything to report on last day of this round, so will wish everyone best of luck enjoy the hols and hope to see you all in next round.

Ellen on walkabout and car park inspiration

Well I continue to make good progress with the 4^th of The Sefuty Chronicles. So for all who haven’t started this journey into the trashed world of post Climate Wars.  Those who haven’t yet fallen for Ellen and Bix, I have sent Ellen on her own new journey.  I was going to start another book tour this year but life is intervening with malicious little giggles, so have put that idea on hold for a while.  In the meantime am sending

 Ellen’s Tale: being the first of The Sefuty Chronicles

 out for a fortnight at a reduced price.  To begin strangers on their journey into the Chronicles.

 Until June 30^th Ellen’s Tale  is available at http://bit.ly/ebKWtW  for $1.99 – using the codeYU63E at the checkout.

This is smashwords and they have the Tale in all electronic formats. Nook, Sony, Kindle, computer  and more.

This week:

Writing the fourth in the series with the aid of the madness of  JuNoWrMo, I am hopeful of catching up on the missed months of writing.  Maybe it will still see the light of day by the end of the year:) 30,000 by the weekend with luck:)

Was a bit overwhelmed at being named writer of the day with 70,000 words. Yay I’m a machine:) Well 70,000 in 9 days let alone 1 day would have been magical!  However, I had to tell them their machine had had a senior moment with it’s adding – shame, I have never been writer of the day before:(

In the meantime with the aide of a twisted fairy tale workshop I am taking, I have written this week’s short, for the short story a week challenge. I am having such fun with these; I’m seriously considering having one slim volume of magic, in e-book format first, before the Purple Turtles.

Was a bit stumped for an ending of the fairy story and then blow me down if inspiration didn’t strike as I was pushing a trolley across the supermarket car park.  What?  It’s a bit scary really what one’s brain is up to back there, when you’re thinking of other things. Like negotiating stupid drivers concerned only with their paintwork: (

The Sefuty Chronicles video is up on YouTube.  Still struggling with the Ellen’s Tale one – there is just something missing or wrong with it and I can’t figure what, so have launched Sefuty anyway.

Have got a blog on random book buying and tomorrow a rebuttal of accusations of naivety! I put Ellen’s offer up on Sefuty Chronicle blog – so am doing much better this week on blogging.

I am struggling with getting triberr to recognise my Sefuty blog, on a new tribe I belong to, which is for promoting our work. It drives me to distraction, triberr does.  Bones? No one knows where they are.  Recognising blogs? No.  So frustrating when it is designed to save time:)

While I have been allowing Blue Moons to percolate slowly into a richer brew, I have been pondering how to best present the characters, and show the effect one has on all the others.  Idle chat over coffee with a friend of mine about our favourite books has, I think provided the answer.  So next book TBR is the Alexandra Quartet.  Will report back next round if it has solved my problems

On a lighter note we should be due at least three months of sunshine now. Tomorrow most of the hosepipe bans will be lifted here, in England anyway.  When the bans were put on the country immediately went into a three month orgy of rainfall! So taking them off should have the opposite effect-yes?

All the best everyone.

Pink moon, sweet blood:alberta’s check in

My visitors left on Wednesday afternoon, after a five day stint here.  With their help, a great deal was achieved in the garden.  The wild patch is almost clear and those pesky muscles on muscles no longer ache, so I guess I’m fitter now than a few weeks ago:)

 I got angsty with my wildlife, again! Always having to give the creatures a talking too, this time the winged variety.  When I agreed to share my space with them and it was a genuine offer, I didn’t actually mean I was to be part of their mealtimes.  Every mosquito in the garden must have sampled my blood this week.  I wonder how many thousand I have helped nourish over my lifetime? Still, I suppose it’s an indication that one of my life forces is  still sweet and rich:)

 I took the rest of Wednesday off and read. I had started Game of Thrones a couple of weeks ago and read about a hundred pages before I wandered back to my machine.  So I settled down to give it another go.  ‘Tis a mammoth read.  My dentist’s nurse lent me this book and its sequel, way back last year.

 Then I couldn’t find them. They come in at 800 +pages each, how could they go missing?  I checked that she had lent them to me. Yes. So, okay I know there are many thousand books in my abode but they are mostly upstairs; books TBR stay downstairs until they are read.  But these two had gone AWOL big time.  So I wandered into town couple of weeks ago to buy her new copies.  But before I visit the dentist again in another month I was determined to read them.  After all they had cost me:(

 Why had I put it off for so long, why the resistance to reading them?  The size doesn’t bother me.  Sometimes, one just decides something isn’t for them, for no apparent reason; maybe the moon is pink that day.  Anyway, I proved that moon wrong, I thought it a great read.  I gave it my undivided attention for six hours, finishing it in one session.  Was hooked, well and truly. I have had to hide the second until I have read my readers group selection, due this Tuesday! But will be back for the second, hopefully next weekend.

 In the meantime this week:

 1)   I have kept up with JuNo, even while my visitors were here and last night (Sat) my word count stood at 20,216  Very happy with that – 9 days into the challenge:)

 2)   Posted my Insecure Writers blog on Wednesday but no other blogs, so not good.

3)   Am hopelessly behind on networking – have caught up on Triberr – apologies everyone on the lateness of some of the tweets, but got them all up there:)

4)   Done some more editing on Blue Moon and have found a few more points I have to research (and there I was thinking I’d done most of it!)

5)   Wrote a short story, for a workshop I am doing on twisting fairy tales – it will be my short story this week for ‘one a week challenge’.  I think it might well be almost polished enough for collection, have sent to friend from forever/editor for correcting and hopefully approval.

6)   Read Game of Thrones and a book on the history of weapons for the August boot camp NaNo.

7)   Still exercising, sort of:) – have done the research and have drawn up new life style plan, in hopes the right food and exercise will alleviate some of my health probs. If not, ah well (shrug) ‘tis life.  I do feel livelier these last couple of weeks but that might be the glimpses of blue sky/ sunshine and the effects of fresh air not the changes I am making – who knows what works?

Next week – more of the same I guess

* JuNo each day

* Must put up some blogs on other sites

* Must catch up on networks

* A new short story for challenge

* Continue editing Blue Moon

* Read some more of TBR pile for my reading challenges- will get behind otherwise

Hope everyone’s week has been satisfactory and all the best for coming week

Just a long story chopped into bits?

Writing a series has to be easier than stand alones, surely?  The characters, names, country etc, all known, all plotted.  Just a long story chopped into bits, right?

 As I mentioned last week, Ellen’s Tale, the first in my series, was meant to be a short story! It was never planned, just catch-up all the way through.  By the time she was finished with me I knew this story was the beginning of a series, three maybe, the second, jumping around in excitement in my head.  Easy.  This series writing is easy.

 When The Storyteller’s Tale, the second chronicle, was finished, after quite extensive research and the beginnings of a planned world,  I had the ideas for further chapters in the lives of my characters but. . .  yes a great big BUT. . .

 Writing a series, it seems to me, grows ever harder as the series progresses.  It is not just that I hadn’t planned the world, after all it is set on this planet just a few years hence.  There are no monsters, vampires or zombies, no magic. It is the problem of how the characters behave over time; how plot lines can be developed to follow correct time lines, believable scenarios.  How to build fresh excitement and anxiety into every book.  How many times can one realistically make the characters suffer, falter or fall and still keep the readers on board with you? How does one leave them with hopeful and/or intriguing endings? How to leave the reader desiring to read more of them?

 Jack’s Tale, the third in The Sefuty Chronicles, was a labour of monumental proportions, compared to the first two.  I knew the story in my head, had thought out the various incidents and accidents, had charted the rise and fall of fortunes. . . and then. . .

 And then I faltered.  Who would want to read yet more of this band of travellers?  Why did I think I could manage another chronicle?  These doubts walked sullenly alongside my struggles to find men’s voices, not just men, but fighting men; while I struggled to learn a new language of shorter sentences and different adjectives and personal pronouns.  My research was of wars and battles – I understand neither.  However these were soldiers I had invented way back in that short story and they were now demanding that part of their story be told.

 I would spend days staring at blank screens, chewing nails to the quick. Maybe it was only ever meant to be two books.  Maybe. . . But I had plans for at least two more after Jack. Had left clues and hints all along the line.  Shouldn’t I at least solve those before I gave up?

 I struggled for months with Jack, never quite happy with it, and finally it went into print and eBook.  Still I had my doubts and fears. I was loath to offer it to my friends. Scared of a resounding silence or frowns.  Slowly, slowly, the responses came in, better than The Storyteller’s Tale one said, really?  Couldn’t decide which they preferred another said, really? I became more confident, but were they being kind?

 Then last week someone I barely know from the choir joined us ,on our walk back to the car park, after singing, to extol Jack’s  virtues and dissect what she liked about the series, she hasn’t finished Jack yet, but she was so enthusiastic, even finding stuff I hadn’t realised I had meant in it (I do like that, when meanings, I had no idea about, are found, all things to all folk:) this lady cannot be called a friend as such, I barely know her.  She was also the most unlikely person to buy the first, let alone the second and third.  Not a friend but a fan.  I had sung to the sky at choir practise, I sung to heavens on the way home.  I had pulled off a third.

 This month I began the fourth, with the aid of JuNoWrMo, and the doubts are trotting out, marshalling their forces.  Is a fourth do-able?  No, writing a series is not easy.