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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Plotting Decisions

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on May 12, 2022| 8 Comments »

With four Gwen Andrews mysteries published, I’ve been struggling to create Gwen’s story #5.

The location determined, multiple characters introduced, and victim discovered, I was hard-pressed to choose one of them as the culprit. The names have been tumbling over each other in an attempt to convince me of their reason for the crime.

When I awoke from dreamland this morning, the culprit was revealed! I now have a clear path and can write with abandon as I incorporate the innocent suspects into the chapters, dropping clues as I go like Hansel and Gretel.

The other half of this story involves the romantic… or non-romantic… subplot between my Gwen and her hopeful love interest. And let’s not forget the ghost of her deceased husband!

As always since my retirement, I enjoy creating a story that my readers will enjoy. Now get to work!

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Latest Novel on Amazon!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on December 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I’m thrilled to share with you that my latest novel ‘The Life She Left Behind’ is now available on Amazon.com as either a softcover book or eBook for those of you who prefer your Kindle for reading.

Please note that ‘The Life’ is a contemporary standalone novel and not a story in the Gwen Andrews mystery series. But have no fear, I’m writing Gwen’s next amateur sleuthing adventure as we speak!

Such an exciting time fo an author and her readers!

Thank you for being fans!

Debi Graham-Leard

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Facilities vs. Communities

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on April 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

After a year of no speakers because of mandated virus precautions, venues down here in Florida are beginning to open their activity calendars.

Recently, I’ve been successful in scheduling my Author Talks at retirement facilities because their residents are year-round and a reliable audience is possible.

On the other hand, retirement communities in 55+ parks have advised that a good portion of their residents will not be available until the 2022 winter season. Some of them never arrived [mostly restricted Canadians] and snowbirds are beginning the exodus to their northern homes.

Nothing to do but move each of these venues forward in my personal calendar and cross my fingers that they’ll be open to my Author Talk next year.

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Writing in a Different Genre

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on February 8, 2021| 2 Comments »

After publishing the 4th story in my Gwen Andrews mystery series last summer, I decided to try my hand at a different genre…. women’s fiction. Perhaps you savvier writers out there will have a different genre suggestion after reading the following first pass at the book cover blurb.

Working title: The Life We Leave Behind

It’s mid-October, and thirty-something Morgan Stone finds herself driving from New England to Delaware for her 20th high school reunion, the perfectly-timed destination chosen to flee yet another disastrous relationship. When plans to stay with her mom fall apart, Morgan rents a cabin in a local vineyard. Enchanted by her surroundings, she seizes the opportunity to extend her stay through the end-of-the-year holidays. A simmering high school flame, his jealous wife, an attempt to improve her mother/daughter relationship, and a surprise visit from the Boston heart-breaker add interest to Morgan’s days and nights as she searches for the perfect place to call home.

As always, creating the characters and settling on their relationships is challenging but fulfilling. How do they talk to each other? Where do the scenes take place? Does every word, sentence, and paragraph move the story toward its final conclusion?

As with my previous mysteries, when I finally type “The End” after many months of re-vamping, re-sequencing, and re-editing, I wonder why I didn’t write the finished story just that way from the beginning!

P.S. if you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in this blog recently, my WordPress dashboard was locked up with no apparent way to unlock it. But smarter heads to the rescue, and I’m back online!

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Self-isolation a boon to authors

Posted in Debi Graham-Leard, Editing, Riverhaven Books, Uncategorized, Wedding Interrupted, Writers Group, Writing Process, tagged , , , , on April 21, 2020| Leave a Comment »

hands on laptopTo all the writers out there… whether you write fiction or non-fiction, regardless of your genre…  have you been more productive during our self-isolation?

I know I have!  With outside activities pared down to a bare minimum, the page numbers in my WIP swell on a daily basis.

Chapters have been flying back and forth with my writers group via email. Critiques are returned much faster. Because I plan to publish this summer, Riverhaven Books has placed me in the queue for mid-June. A looming deadline provides incentive.

So forge ahead, writers! Follow your characters from your self-isolation into the world you’ve created for them!

 

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Author Panel Oct 7, 6pm

Posted in Uncategorized on October 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Readers in the southeastern MA area, please join me plus authors Paula Norton and Ray Anderson at the Ames Free Library in Easton on Oct 7, 6pm for a lively panel discussion about writing mysteries and thrillers.

Hope to see you there!

 

Mystery Author Panel Flyer AMES

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Updating My Author Talk

Posted in Author Talk, Book Cover, Book Signing Events, Debi Graham-Leard, Editor, Marketing, Massachusetts, Norton Senior Center, Published, The Uninvited Guest, Uncategorized, Where There's Smoke There's Trouble, tagged , , , , , , , on April 19, 2018| 2 Comments »

A_Woman_Reading_Papers_At_Her_DeskAfter two years of sharing my writing journey with audiences in New England, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Florida, I received a return invitation from the friends group of my local senior center to speak to them again about the current status of my writing life.

My first author talk to these volunteers explained the ins and outs of creating my debut mystery ‘The Uninvited Guest.’ Now that I’ve published my second story, ‘Where There’s Smoke, There’s Trouble’, my author talk needed to focus on the challenges of writing a series. My talking points had to be updated.

To this end, I pulled out my crib notes for the original talk, opened a new file titled ‘Author Talk, The Sequel’ and updated each step of the process from the viewpoint of the second story.

  • The fictitious seaside town of Harbor Falls remains
  • My amateur sleuth Gwen Andrews again solves the mystery
  • Creating Characters becomes ‘Who Stays, Who Goes’
  • The season switches from autumn to spring
  • The location within the town switches to the local bookstore
  • The plot has to be totally unique… no repetition from the first story
  • Research and local experts change as needed to support the new storyline
  • Decision to omit expensive outside editor
  • Cover creation based on new storyline
  • Publication remains with same independent house
  • Marketing is adjusted during approach to previous venues for follow-up talk

After I share this new Author Talk the first time, I’m sure I’ll find sub-topics that need to be tweaked, but that is simply the nature of a presentation.

My writers life in my retirement years remains a fulfilling activity.  I continue to meet new and interesting people, keep my brain active, and hopefully provide enticing stories to my readers and ever-expanding base of fans.

 

 

 

 

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Two Talks in One Day!

Posted in Author Talk, Book Signing Events, Largo, Florida, Published, The Uninvited Guest, Uncategorized, Where There's Smoke There's Trouble, tagged , , , , , on February 19, 2018| 1 Comment »

For my followers who live on the central Gulf Coast of Florida, I’m pleased to share that I’ll be presenting my author talk titled ‘Have you Ever Wondered How a Mystery is Written?’ not once, but twice, this Wednesday, February 21.

The afternoon presentation to the Caribbean Isles residents will begin at 2pm in the clubhouse on St. Croix.  Park addresscaribbean isles logo.png for your GPS: 10900 Walsingham Road, Largo, FL.

The evening presentation to members of the Creative Writing Group will begin at 6pm. Location: Safety Harbor Public Library, 101 2nd St N, Safety Harbor, FL.Safety Harbor Public Library.jpg

After both events, autographed copies of both ‘The Uninvited Guest’ and ‘Where There’s Smoke, There’s Trouble’ will be available.

Meeting new people who are interested in a writer’s journey and appreciate a good mystery is always a satisfying venture for me.

I hope to see you there!

Debi

 

 

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Where There’s Smoke, There’s Trouble

Posted in Debi Graham-Leard, J B Moore High School, Marketing, Massachusetts, Norton, Published, Smyrna, Uncategorized, Where There's Smoke There's Trouble, tagged , , , , on January 8, 2018| 4 Comments »

Back in October, a week after I returned to Massachusetts from my 50th Class Reunion in Delaware, I tumbled from my bicycle into some frightful bushes edging a bike path and broke my wrist in three places. This injury put a big dent in my plans to place Gwen’s second story into the hands of readers.

Burdened with a purple cast, a swollen hand, and not a little pain, I chose to cancel three author events in November with great sadness. One of them will be rescheduled. The other two were unfortunately one-time events.

My cast is now gone, and I’m regaining strength and flexibility in my right hand. I’m finally able to grasp a pen, although a signed autograph still appears a little funky with the restriction of three stiff fingers.

For those of you who enjoyed Gwen’s debut mystery, ‘The Uninvited Guest’, you may want to follow her next adventure in ‘Where There’s Smoke, There’s Trouble’, which takes place the following spring. As the story creator, I imbued Gwen with my personal dislike of cigar smoke and built a story around that aversion.

Here’s a link for your convenience:

Thanks to all of you who continue to support my writing journey!

Debi Graham-Leard

 

 

 

 

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Setting Up an Author Page on Facebook…YIKES!

Posted in Book Cover, Cape Cod, Conferences, FaceBook Author Page, Marketing, Published, Seminars, Social Media, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on September 20, 2016| 2 Comments »

scaredy-catDuring the Cape Cod Writers Conference, I attended a class to learn about various Social Media as they relate to writers. One such outlet is an Author Page on Facebook.

Back home, I managed to register my author portrait and also a collage of the book cover from ‘The Uninvited Guest’ as the header image. But I need more content before I ask my regular FB ‘friends’ to like my new page.

The instructor emailed the link to my Amazon page, but I have yet to attempt the registration of the link.

All right, I admit it… I’m a Scaredy-Cat!

Fortunately, I discovered that the Ames Free Library in Easton, MA, offers one-on-one workshops with patrons who are seeking a comfort zone for FaceBook. I’ve signed up for a session next Thursday, and hope to come away with enough confidence to complete the set-up and release my Author Page to the world.

 

 

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