December 15, 2019 by Debi Graham-Leard
Whenever the members of our writers group are unavailable for a face-to-face meeting at alternating houses or libraries located between us, we have found that emailing our chapters for critique works very well.
Over the years, we’ve developed a system that provides suggestions to add, delete, or adjust wording.
Yellow Highlighted … suggests words or phrases that could be eliminated without losing the gist of the story.
Black Bolded … provides either alternate wording or phrasing for the yellow highlighted section or suggests additional words or phrases that will clarify the story.
Green Bolded … this indicates words or phrases that have been moved to another paragraph, scene, or chapter to re-sequence the timing for cause and effect.
RED BOLDED CAPS … questions to the author about the story.
If your writers group has developed a system of critiquing clues, I’d love to hear about it!
Writers groups are precious… treat them with care!
Posted in Debi Graham-Leard, Editing, revision, Writers Group, Writing Process | Tagged editing via email, fiction, writing | Leave a Comment »
October 3, 2019 by Debi Graham-Leard
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!
Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
August 26, 2019 by Debi Graham-Leard
This Wednesday afternoon, I’m returning to Upton, MA, to participate in a follow-up interview with Jan Lewis, hostess of the Upton local cable show ‘Be My Guest’. We’ll be talking about the 3rd story in my Gwen Andrews mystery series ‘Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail’.
All you writers who follow my blog should actively pursue the local cable shows in your town and surrounding towns. You never know if you’ll find an outlet to spread the news about your latest story!
As soon as the station advises that editing is completed, I’ll provide the link to the interview on their website.
So exciting!
Posted in Be My Guest, Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail, Debi Graham-Leard, Marketing, Massachusetts | Tagged fiction, Interview, marketing, Massachusetts, mystery, writing | Leave a Comment »
August 8, 2019 by Debi Graham-Leard
I recently participated in an interview with a local radio host in Attleboro, MA. That interview has now been uploaded to the stations’ website. If you’d like to have a listen, here is the link: http://www.wararadio.com/?powerpress_pinw=4388-podcast
The path to this interview was a winding road! You may not be aware that in addition to writing mysteries, I sing in a female barbershop quartet called ‘Serendipity’. On occasion, we perform with a larger chorus Notable Blend. Last year, the chorus came on the local radio show to publicize their upcoming Christmas show, and I tagged along with them.
After the show ended, I approached the host Dominic and asked if he ever interviews authors. He said he did, so I jumped right in and explained my efforts as a mystery writer. He was very interested, but we experienced delays scheduling me for an interview. After many calendar conflicts, he was able to squeeze me into his morning show at the end of July.
Here’s my challenge to other writers who follow my blog… call your local radio station and ask if you can be scheduled for an interview. Dominic advised that many of his loyal listeners are avid readers, and very interested in authors.
To use an old cliche ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’
Enjoy the interview!
Debi
Posted in Debi Graham-Leard, Marketing, Massachusetts, Norton, Published, Radio Interview, WARA radio | Tagged Author Talk, fiction, marketing, Massachusetts, mystery, mystery genre | Leave a Comment »
July 12, 2019 by Debi Graham-Leard
I’m thrilled to announce that the 3rd story in the Gwen Andrews series is finally published!
In ‘Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail’, Gwen arrives at the Harbor Falls B&B expecting an evening of food and fun at the garden club’s Christmas party. What she learns is that their resident ghost is wreaking havoc. Next she overhears a blackmail threat. And then one of the prickly club members falls down the back servant steps. Gwen is enlisted to determine whether mortal or spectral hands were responsible, all the while juggling her personal life as one man exits and another enters.
A parallel cold case, a detective besotted with Gwen, and the spirit of her deceased husband intensify the hunt. As Gwen moves ever closer toward the culprit, her biggest challenge may be her own survival.
‘Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail’ is available on Amazon as both softcover and eBook.
Happy reading!
Posted in Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail, Book Cover, Debi Graham-Leard, Massachusetts, Published, Riverhaven Books | Tagged e-books, fiction, marketing, Massachusetts, mystery, Published, writing | 2 Comments »
So excited to open my inbox yesterday and find an email from my editor/publisher Stephanie Blackman, owner of Riverhaven Books in Whitman, MA! As scheduled in our contract, yesterday was the due date for her to provide me with suggestions to fine-tune ‘Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail’.
So far, her suggestions have been small adjustments, with no major changes to plot, characters, or basic writing technique. My plan is to continue the review process through the weekend, and zip this file back to her bright and early on Monday morning.
After she finalizes the adjustments, she’ll request the galley copy which I will need to review with the proverbial fine-toothed comb before advising any final changes. Steph will then upload to Amazon and order printed copies from the local print shop on my behalf.
Looking forward to the day when I hold the actual book in my hands… nothing more satisfying for an author!
And then the marketing efforts begin!
Posted in Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail, Debi Graham-Leard, Editing, Editor, Marketing, Massachusetts, Publishers, revision, Riverhaven Books | Tagged editor, fiction, good news, Massachusetts, revision, writing | 2 Comments »
March 8, 2019 by Debi Graham-Leard
As I approached the final edit of ‘Bed, Bath, & Blackmail’, I loaded my manuscript into a website called ‘Wordcounter.com’, a most useful tool.
This website came back with a list of my most-used words, along with their quantity. Imagine my surprise to see how often I used ‘when’, ‘about’, ‘back’, ‘down’, and ‘time’.
This tendency to use the same words over and over is a trap that writers groups won’t catch, because they see only a chapter or two at each meeting.
Most often, these redundant words … and the phrase that goes with them … can simply be eliminated. On occasion, another word brings more clarity to the context. My total word count for the story has been reduced by 3,000 words, resulting in a tighter story.
For the writers reading this post, I encourage you to give wordcounter.com a try. You’ll be amazed at the result!
Posted in Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail, Debi Graham-Leard, Editing, Massachusetts, revision, Wordcounter | Tagged fiction, mystery, revision, writing | 2 Comments »
December 6, 2018 by Debi Graham-Leard
There is nothing sweeter than setting up an author table at a holiday craft fair, then waiting for the browsers to wander past, stopping to chat about my characters, the setting, the storyline. If the two of us connect over my mystery series, another reader will walk away with one of my books, anxious to meet my amateur sleith Gwen Andrews.
Such was the case when I purchased a table for the 4th Annual Craft Fair in Mansfield, MA, this past Saturday. Although my spot in the second room placed me away from the entrance, many shoppers made their way into my section. Young and old, male and female, mystery lovers come in all shapes and sizes.
The first story in the series ‘The Uninvited Guest’ outsold the second ‘Where There’s Smoke, There’s Trouble’, simply because readers were new to the series. Several purchased one of each as a Christmas gift set. Several accepted my bookmark as a reminder to link to my Amazon page and download the eBook version.
At the end of the day, I was pleased to realize I had placed more books in the hands of mystery lovers than in any previous single event… yea!
Posted in Debi Graham-Leard, Holiday Fair, Mansfield, Marketing, Massachusetts, Merry Christmas, Published, The Uninvited Guest, Where There's Smoke There's Trouble | Tagged fiction, Happy Holidays, marketing, Massachusetts, mystery | 2 Comments »
November 16, 2018 by Debi Graham-Leard
The 3rd story in my 4-book series is approaching the final scenes. I expect to turn it over to Riverhaven Books for editing after the holidays and subsequent publication in 2019. This installment in the Gwen Andrews mystery series is titled ‘Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail’.
Without giving away the plot, I’ll simply tell you that this third story occurs just before Christmas and is centered around the fictional Harbor Falls Bed & Breakfast. Of course, Gwen will again become entangled in a police investigation, but this time with a twist!
During the research phase, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there was indeed a B&B type of establishment across from the Norton Common in my town. It was called ‘Wheaton Inn’ and served as a hotel for many years before being torn down in the 1960s.
As the author, I developed my B&B replacement based on a 3-floor center hall colonial design. I’m thrilled that the Colonel Blackinton Inn has given me permission to use a photo I snapped of their establishment to represent my B&B in the cover photo. My publisher will adjust the sign to read ‘Harbor Falls Bed & Breakfast.’
If you’ve never tried your hand at writing fiction, I’ll just share with you that it’s a wonderful way to keep your imagination active!
Posted in Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail, Book Cover, Debi Graham-Leard, Massachusetts, Norton, Story Research, Writing Process | Leave a Comment »
September 7, 2018 by Debi Graham-Leard
There is nothing more satisfying than to walk into a bookstore and see both of my mysteries displayed on the shelf in the local author section.
I’m referring to An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Massachusetts. Children’s book author Jeff Kinney of Wimpy Kid story fame, built his unique bookstore on the site of the historic Falk’s Market at the intersection of Rt.106 and Rt.1A. Some of the shelving and stairs to the second floor were built using the floor boards from the old market… truly a nod to the past.
When my debut mystery ‘The Uninvited Guest’ was published, the Strong Women Book Group at An Unlikely Story chose it as their book of the month. I joined them at their follow-up discussion for an enjoyable question and answer session. I’ll be suggesting the second story titled ‘Where There’s Smoke, There’s Trouble’ and ask them to choose it as an upcoming monthly selection.
And it’s time to contact the venues located in the area around Largo, Florida. Last year, when I arrived in January as a first-time snow-birder, I was too late to be included in their calendars. Many suggested I touch base this fall as they’re preparing the calendar for 2019, promising they’d do their best to assign a date for my Author Talk.
About the daily writing efforts … re-sequencing is the word of every day as I continue to create story #3. ‘Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail’ takes place during the days leading up to Christmas. After attending a 3-day forensics class at the Cape Cod Writers Conference last month, and then discussing the nitty-gritty details with my local police detective, I found I had to re-shuffle many activities one day earlier than I’d written them. Doing this is not as simple as it sounds. By moving a key piece of the investigation to the previous day, it impacts conversations between characters, where they go, and what they do. My opening chapters are now interspersed with green text to signify it’s been moved, and red text to signify re-writing is required. Chapter numbers are also changing as the quantity of pages in each ebbs and flows.
And so, I chug along each morning, knowing that one day, I will type ‘The End’ … and mean it!
Posted in An Unlikely Story, Bed, Breakfast, & Blackmail, Cape Cod, Conferences, Debi Graham-Leard, Largo, Florida, Massachusetts, Merry Christmas, Published, revision, Story Research, Where There's Smoke There's Trouble, Writing Process | Tagged conference, fiction, follow-up, Happy Holidays, marketing, Massachusetts, mystery, Published, research, revision, writing | 2 Comments »
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Debi Graham-Leard 