Win a Borders Kobo eReader - Entry instructions on the Books We Love website: To enter the contest simply visit five of the author pages displayed on the web page index and sign the guest book of the author you choose to visit. Then fill out the entry form on the website and click submit.
PRIZES: (1) Every week until July 31 we will draw one winner to receive their choice of an ebook from any one of our Books We love authors. (2) On May 31, June 30 and July 31st we will draw three winners who will each receive an autographed copy of one of the print books displayed on the page. (4) GRAND PRIZE: Borders KOBO EREADERS on July 31st one lucky winner will receive a Kobo and their choice of any five Books We Love ebooks.
Enter Now: http://www.bookswelove.net
Friday, May 14, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Spring Cleaning for the Writer
It’s the time of year everyone gets the itch to get outside, clean up all the sticks and leaves in the yard, look at what’s popping up in the garden, sneak in that first sit on the deck or in the yard with the warm spring sunshine on your back. You might even be moved to clean some windows, wash the car or sort through what’s accumulated in the garage over the winter. It’s spring, at least on the calendar and it’s the time of year that burst of energy called spring fever hits!
For writers, this is a good time of year to spring clean as well. Take a look at the project ideas stockpiled in a file cabinet or on a hard drive or flash drive. Pull out those index cards with character outlines. Pore through the notebook with plot sketches, timelines, lists of red herrings or clues. There might even be a storyboard started a couple of years ago to check out.
This is a great time to sift through those – I could find a gem that gets my mind working on my next story, or find a great twist for my current manuscript. I might discover the perfect villain for the story I have simmering away at the back of my mind. Or I might even discover a series in what someone else might call clutter, but we all know is research and planning!
Take some time to let the sun shine on some of my ideas, plots, characters and outlines and discover what great material I’ve had hibernating over the winter.
I’ll let you know what I discover during my writer’s spring cleaning.
Libby
Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
libby@libbymckinmer.com
Also on Twitter, Facebook & GoodReads
For writers, this is a good time of year to spring clean as well. Take a look at the project ideas stockpiled in a file cabinet or on a hard drive or flash drive. Pull out those index cards with character outlines. Pore through the notebook with plot sketches, timelines, lists of red herrings or clues. There might even be a storyboard started a couple of years ago to check out.
This is a great time to sift through those – I could find a gem that gets my mind working on my next story, or find a great twist for my current manuscript. I might discover the perfect villain for the story I have simmering away at the back of my mind. Or I might even discover a series in what someone else might call clutter, but we all know is research and planning!
Take some time to let the sun shine on some of my ideas, plots, characters and outlines and discover what great material I’ve had hibernating over the winter.
I’ll let you know what I discover during my writer’s spring cleaning.
Libby
Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
libby@libbymckinmer.com
Also on Twitter, Facebook & GoodReads
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
AQP Daily Deals -- Almost Over
Love the Daily Deals at my publisher, but they're ending soon -- now's the time to shop at www.amberquill.com !!
FINAL DAYS - FINAL DAYS - FINAL DAYS - FINAL DAYS
What is an Amber Daily Deal? Simply put, every day through the end of March 2010, a different e-book from each of our three imprints (Amber Quill Press, Amber Heat, and Amber Allure) will be offered at a 75% discount! Yes, you read that correctly--a 75% discount! Now you can stock up on even more books--up to 21 different titles each and every week--at substantial savings!
How can you find the various Daily Deals on our website? Just look in the right-hand column of your screen for the book marked "Today's Daily Deal," click on the cover, and you'll be taken to a special page where you can purchase the discounted book(s). It's that simple!
So look for a new Daily Deal every day until the end of March 2010, and don't forget, there's a different Daily Deal for each of our three imprints.
* * * * *
Please note: E-books downloaded at the Daily Deal discount do not earn points in AQP's Rewards program.
FINAL DAYS - FINAL DAYS - FINAL DAYS - FINAL DAYS
What is an Amber Daily Deal? Simply put, every day through the end of March 2010, a different e-book from each of our three imprints (Amber Quill Press, Amber Heat, and Amber Allure) will be offered at a 75% discount! Yes, you read that correctly--a 75% discount! Now you can stock up on even more books--up to 21 different titles each and every week--at substantial savings!
How can you find the various Daily Deals on our website? Just look in the right-hand column of your screen for the book marked "Today's Daily Deal," click on the cover, and you'll be taken to a special page where you can purchase the discounted book(s). It's that simple!
So look for a new Daily Deal every day until the end of March 2010, and don't forget, there's a different Daily Deal for each of our three imprints.
* * * * *
Please note: E-books downloaded at the Daily Deal discount do not earn points in AQP's Rewards program.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Time to Write
In these days of ever increasing demands on time as the warmer spring weather arrives, where do I find time to write? By the time I check email, answer the ones that need answering and check the day’s headlines, follow my favorite blogs and get some calls returned….it’s time to do some promo. Need to post on Twitter and Facebook, GoodReads and Linked In, and don’t go looking at other’s pages, if I can resist.
In between are household responsibilities and friends, volunteer work and bill-paying. And don’t forget the day job – in my case, editing. You may have a longer commute than I do – from kitchen to office – but I often work outside of “regular” 9 to 5 hours, finding myself at the computer late at night.
Right now, with the warmer weather luring us out of our homes, we must include get-togethers with friends, shopping and travel and build them into our schedules.
Don’t even think about the down time of getting a cold!!
So, when does my writing Muse strike in the midst of the hectic life? Mine has been prodding at me a lot lately…and at times I can’t always indulge the urge. For me, the best time to write is at night. Everyone else is settled down and it’s “my” time. Add to the fact I’m a night owl and it makes sense. The wee, small hours are often very creative – but sure makes morning come early!
Libby
Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
libby@libbymckinmer.com
Also on Twitter, Facebook & GoodReads
In between are household responsibilities and friends, volunteer work and bill-paying. And don’t forget the day job – in my case, editing. You may have a longer commute than I do – from kitchen to office – but I often work outside of “regular” 9 to 5 hours, finding myself at the computer late at night.
Right now, with the warmer weather luring us out of our homes, we must include get-togethers with friends, shopping and travel and build them into our schedules.
Don’t even think about the down time of getting a cold!!
So, when does my writing Muse strike in the midst of the hectic life? Mine has been prodding at me a lot lately…and at times I can’t always indulge the urge. For me, the best time to write is at night. Everyone else is settled down and it’s “my” time. Add to the fact I’m a night owl and it makes sense. The wee, small hours are often very creative – but sure makes morning come early!
Libby
Libby McKinmer
Romance with an edge
www.libbymckinmer.com
libby@libbymckinmer.com
Also on Twitter, Facebook & GoodReads
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wow -- Look What My Publisher is Doing!
Amber Quill Press understands that in these days of economic instability, many consumers are attempting to make every penny count, especially when it comes to their entertainment needs. Therefore, with this in mind, AQP is pleased to provide a new feature at our website...
AMBER DAILY DEALS
What is a Daily Deal? Simply put, every day, a different e-book from each of our three imprints (Amber Quill Press, Amber Heat, and Amber Allure) will be offered at a 75% discount! Yes, you read that correctly--a 75% discount! Now you can stock up on even more books--up to 21 different titles each and every week--at substantial savings!
How can you find the various Daily Deals on our website? Just look in the right-hand column of your screen for the book marked "Today's Daily Deal," click on the cover, and you'll be taken to a page where you can purchase the discounted book(s). It's that simple!
So look for a new Daily Deal every day, and don't forget, there's a different Daily Deal for each of our three imprints.
* * * * *
Please note: E-books downloaded at the Daily Deal discount do not earn points in our Rewards program.
AMBER DAILY DEALS
What is a Daily Deal? Simply put, every day, a different e-book from each of our three imprints (Amber Quill Press, Amber Heat, and Amber Allure) will be offered at a 75% discount! Yes, you read that correctly--a 75% discount! Now you can stock up on even more books--up to 21 different titles each and every week--at substantial savings!
How can you find the various Daily Deals on our website? Just look in the right-hand column of your screen for the book marked "Today's Daily Deal," click on the cover, and you'll be taken to a page where you can purchase the discounted book(s). It's that simple!
So look for a new Daily Deal every day, and don't forget, there's a different Daily Deal for each of our three imprints.
* * * * *
Please note: E-books downloaded at the Daily Deal discount do not earn points in our Rewards program.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Overlapping
How many of us read both mysteries and thrillers with equal enjoyment? What’s the difference? Well, according to International Thriller Writers, a thriller is characterized by "the sudden rush of emotions, the excitement, sense of suspense, apprehension, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace."
From www.who-dunnit.com a mystery, in books, is defined as “mysterious, unresolved and unexplainable circumstances with which the hero or heroine comes in contact. This can be anything from the occult realms, strange disappearances, unexplainable sudden affluence or sudden monetary loss, psychological distortions, property destroyed or desecrated without known reason, suicide when no suicide seemed feasible, and of course, murder.”
Those may, at first, seem very disparate, but any of the circumstances in a mystery can result in a thriller’s “sudden rush of emotions” and, while some cozy mysteries may not proceed at a “constant, breakneck pace,” most mysteries have a sense of apprehension and suspense. Without it, why would we worry about who dunnit?
Who are your favourite mystery and thriller writers – and who would you consider a crossover author?
From www.who-dunnit.com a mystery, in books, is defined as “mysterious, unresolved and unexplainable circumstances with which the hero or heroine comes in contact. This can be anything from the occult realms, strange disappearances, unexplainable sudden affluence or sudden monetary loss, psychological distortions, property destroyed or desecrated without known reason, suicide when no suicide seemed feasible, and of course, murder.”
Those may, at first, seem very disparate, but any of the circumstances in a mystery can result in a thriller’s “sudden rush of emotions” and, while some cozy mysteries may not proceed at a “constant, breakneck pace,” most mysteries have a sense of apprehension and suspense. Without it, why would we worry about who dunnit?
Who are your favourite mystery and thriller writers – and who would you consider a crossover author?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Ramping Up the Conflict
There is an essential need to up the ante in a mystery – your reader expects it. It's part of what you've promised as a writer of a mystery. If there’s a murder, is there the threat of a second or a third? Could the investigator be at risk? Someone near and dear to him or her? If there isn’t the threat of a murder, could it be that the villain will “get away” with his or her plan? What effect will that have on the hero, the investigator or innocent bystanders? You want your readers to keep turning the pages, wanting to know what's going to happen next…and you want them to really be cheering on the hero/heroine.
The author must increase the conflict and tension to have a satisfying denouement that the reader can believe in and be happy about. We can have conflict between characters if the investigator and the villain come face-to-face. Or the villain and another victim. Or the investigator and authorities, if the detective isn’t law enforcement.
Writers can also increase the tension in a story with setting and atmosphere. A dark, deserted urban setting is much more intimidating than a peaceful country trail on a sunny day with dozens of hikers around. A dwelling with no power versus a homey bed & breakfast with a grandmotherly owner. A storm (whether wind, rain or snow) versus the perfect sunny day with puffy clouds. A cute cuddly kitten is much less tension-inducing than a hungry lion or tiger.
I find it a “fun” part of the process to increase the tension and conflict – maybe because there are so many options.
What makes you keep reading a mystery title?
The author must increase the conflict and tension to have a satisfying denouement that the reader can believe in and be happy about. We can have conflict between characters if the investigator and the villain come face-to-face. Or the villain and another victim. Or the investigator and authorities, if the detective isn’t law enforcement.
 |
| How dark are the woods? |
I find it a “fun” part of the process to increase the tension and conflict – maybe because there are so many options.
What makes you keep reading a mystery title?
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