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Posts Tagged ‘writing’

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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Return to Smyrna Library!

Posted in Author Talk, Book Signing Events, DE, Debi Graham-Leard, J B Moore High School, Smyrna, The Uninvited Guest, tagged , , , on October 8, 2017| 1 Comment »

For those of you who live in mid-state Delaware, I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be returning to my hometown of Smyrna for my 50th J.B. Moore High School Reunion next weekend.

I’m traveling south a few days early to present my Author Talk to the Bon Ayre Complex in Smyrna on Wed morning, as well as the Nobles Pond Complex in Dover on Thursday afternoon.

On Thursday evening, October 12, at 6:30 pm, I’ll be sitting in with the Book Club at the Smyrna Public Library. We’ll be discussing the writing process for my debut mystery ‘The Uninvited  Guest’.

The Book Club meeting is open to the public, and promises to be an interactive session of questions and answers about my writing journey, the story specifics, and plans for future books in the Gwen Andrews series.

After the meeting, copies of ‘The Uninvited Guest’ will be available for purchase and autographing.

Hope to see you there!

 

 

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Colonial vs. Victorian?

Posted in Massachusetts, Merry Christmas, Story Research, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 2, 2017| 4 Comments »

As I’ve been creating mystery #3, taking place in mid-December New England, I discovered I was mixing up Colonial timelines and character names with the later Victorian architecture.

I had to make a decision so I could write the opening scene in the appropriate location.

Victorian period would allow the story to unfold in a beautifully appointed bed & breakfast, converted from a generations-old family home.

Colonial architecture would age the bed & breakfast, allowing centuries-old family history to filter into the story.

Earlier this week, my husband and I visited the Daniel Webster Estate in Marshfield, MA, to help narrow my choice. And yesterday, I stopped by the Society of Mayflower Descendants in Plymouth, MA, for a nice chat with the two women behind the desk and a man sitting at a research table.

In the end, because my fictional Harbor Falls series is located on the coast of Massachusetts, I settled on a Colonial backstory. Connections to the Mayflower pilgrims, a sad eighteenth century ghost, and parallels to current times will round out the main mystery plot with ghostly connections to my amateur sleuth’s personal subplot.

Such fun!

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The importance of Research

Posted in Debi Graham-Leard, Massachusetts, Myles Standish Monument, South Duxbury, Story Research, Where There's Smoke There's Trouble, tagged , , , , on June 28, 2017| 4 Comments »

As I finish my next story, set on the coast of Massachusetts, I’ve added a scene where two characters take a drive in a red Corvette. I thought a lighthouse would be a good destination. After climbing the steps, my characters could comment on the view from the top.

And so after writers group in Plymouth last Saturday, I took a drive to the Scituate Lighthouse to check out its details. To my surprise and disappointment, the only entrance to the lighthouse came through the private home sitting next to it. I approached two ladies in the parking lot and learned that climbing the lighthouse is possible only during the few open houses held during the summer. Since this story occurs in April, I’d never get away with faking the climb. Unfortunately, the area around the lighthouse was sparse with very few interesting attributes. Bummer.

When I arrived back home, I googled a list of coastal
lighthouses and checked their details. More disappointment…none of them are open to the public.

What to do? A different search brought up the Myles Standish Monument in South Duxbury. This looked promising! I convinced my husband to take me for a ride in… guess what? his red Corvette!… to check it out. As I suspected, the monument would not open until the first Sunday in July, Regardless, we parked at the lower entrance, walked up the steep road, and wandered around the outside of the monument. Although no climb was involved, I gathered terrific details to write into my story.

Research is not only required, but can be fun!

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Author Page Published!

Posted in Book Signing Events, Debi Graham-Leard, FaceBook Author Page, MA, Marketing, Norton, Norton Public Library, Published, Social Media, tagged , , , , , , on November 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Debi's Book Cover Collage

After taking a social media workshop at this year’s Cape Cod Writers Conference, then receiving tips and hints from my friend Elizabeth Butts, I finally felt confident to complete the set-up of my FB Author Page and publish it to the world.

Debi Graham-Leard Author

As a follower of my blog, would you please click on the above link and ‘like’ my new page?

Watch there for photos of author events and news about my novel ‘The Uninvited Guest’ as I find new venues to place my story into the hands of mystery readers. I’ll also be posting interesting articles that are writing-related.

THANX!

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Return to Delaware for Author Talks!

Posted in DE, Dover, Dover Public Library Author Day, J B Moore High School, Kent County Bookmobile, Kent County Public Library, Kenton, Mamie A. Warren Senior Center, Modern Maturity Center, Smyrna, tagged , , , , on October 27, 2016| 1 Comment »

kent-county-bookmobileYou may or may not be aware that I was born and raised in mid-state Delaware. When I was five years old, my family moved from the little town of Kenton to a house in the country on Massey’s Mill Pond outside Smyrna .

During the late 50’s and 60’s, when my mother, sister, and I owned pleasure horses or ponies, we would ride them to the end of our dirt road every few weeks and climb aboard the Kent County Bookmobile to check out a few stories and keep our young minds busy.

After college, I followed my heart to southeastern Massachusetts, and live there still.

I am so excited to share with you that I’m driving to Delaware next week to present my author talk titled ‘The Ins and Outs of Writing My Debut Mystery’. Not on the Bookmobile, but at the Kent County Public Library this coming Tuesday evening, Nov 1, at 6:30 pm. Address: 497 S. Red Haven Lane, Dover, DE.

In addition to the Kent County Public Library, I’m scheduled at the following venues during the remainder of next week:

Wednesday, Nov 2, noon, Mamie A. Warren Senior Center, 1775 Wheatley’s Pond Rd, Smyrna, DE

Friday, Nov 4, 10 am, Modern Maturity Center, 1121 Forrest Avenue, Dover, DE

Saturday, Nov 5, 10:30 am – 2:30 pm, Dover Public Library Author Day, 35 E. Loockerman St, Dover, DE

Ending my talk with a brief reading from ‘The Uninvited Guest’, I’ll answer questions about writing my story and gladly autograph copies of my book.

I’m hoping that a few of my J.B. Moore High School classmates who still live in the area will join the audience at one of these locations!

See you there!

 

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Indie Author Day at Attleboro Public Library

Posted in Attleboro Public Library, Author Panel, Book Signing Events, The Uninvited Guest, tagged , , , , , , on October 6, 2016| 1 Comment »

TUG Front Cover OnlyThis Saturday, October 8 , at 1pm, I’ll be participating in a panel of local authors. We will share our writing habits, the inspiration for our stories, and our paths to publication.

If you are planning to be in the area, register for this event and stop by the library at 74 North Main Street, Attleboro, MA. Join the audience. ask questions and be inspired!

Registration for this event is required.  RSVP online or by calling the library at 508-222-0157.

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Hollihock Writers Conference

Posted in Buzzards Bay Writing Project, Conferences, Hollihock Writers Conference, Seminars, Writing Workshops, tagged , , , , , , , on August 21, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Hollihock headerNext weekend, I’ll be attending the second annual Hollihock Writers Conference in New Bedford, MA. They are offering multitudes of classes, panels, and speakers throughout the 3-days.

This is a new conference as you can tell by the title. I found out about it this past spring at a Writers Retreat on Cape Cod. One of the other writers… Diana Grady from Buzzards Bay Writing Project… mentioned this conference because she thought I’d be interested. Diana will be leading one of the workshops.

Learning new tips and tricks about the process of creating fiction is not only a pleasure, but keeps my retired brain active and alert. There is always something to be gleaned from every class, every speaker, every panel participant.

If you live in southern New England, and haven’t yet signed up, the ‘REGISTER HERE’ button on their website still appears to be active, so what are you waiting for?

http://www.hollihock.org/

 

 

 

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More Author Talks & Book Signings

Posted in Book Signing Events, Marketing, Published, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on February 20, 2016| Leave a Comment »

book club at tableAfter the successful author talk and book signing with the local garden club, the Ugly Dog Bookstore, and a private Girls Night Out last month, I dove into chasing down additional events. Friends were anxious to advise their connections of who to ask and where to go to share my story! Most organizations need a speaker for an upcoming meeting, and have been glad that I dropped into their laps!

To entice the program director of non-bookstore organizations to schedule me into her events calendar,  I offered 15% of books sold during her event. Not only will I cost them nothing as a speaker, but they will receive a small donation as a result of their book sales!

Not every contact gets back to me on a timely basis, requiring a follow-up email or phone call. But the results have been quite satisfactory. Here’s a list of interviews/author talks/book signings scheduled for the coming weeks:

Feb 26… ‘Books and the World’ cable interview, Cape Cod, MA

March 16…Allentown Public Library, Allentown, PA

March 19…Brandywine Community Library, Topton, PA

March 22…Kutztown Community Library, Kutztown, PA

March 31…Ames Free Library, Easton, MA

 

Am I supposed to be having this much fun?

 

Happy reading and writing!

Debi

 

 

 

 

 

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Published!!!

Posted in Book Signing Events, Marketing, Published, Publishers, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 2, 2016| 3 Comments »

 

Jan 12, 2016 updated to include complete Amazon address.

 

Well, after years of plotting & writing, conferences & writers groups, TUG Front Cover Onlymy story… ‘The Uninvited Guest’… has been published through Riverhaven Books in Whitman, Massachusetts. Such a thrill to see it listed on Amazon as a paperback and e-book!

http://www.amazon.com/Uninvited-Guest-Debi-Graham-Leard/dp/1937588505/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1452610802&sr=1-1&keywords=debi+graham-leard

For the purpose of book signing events, I opted to print 400 books locally.  What a thrill to pick up the ten boxes from the print shop! My trunk will hold a box of books at all times for those unplanned opportunities to place my story into the hands of an avid mystery reader, along with a 2-sided bookmark.

And now onto the task of marketing. Area bookstores, local libraries, senior centers, and women’s groups are on my list to contact. Some of them are bound to be interested in a debut local author to speak about writing a mystery with a book-signing event afterwards.

As it happens, my sister is involved with her local library in eastern Pennsylvania, and has already put me in contact with their Friends president, who is excited about planning an event. After we solidify her date in late March, I’ll approach the other libraries in the Berks County system for a possible event at their location while I’m in the area.

In addition, as a member of Sisters in Crime, I have joined their Speakers Bureau, and look forward to participating in author panels around New England during the coming months.

For all of you who have been following my progress over the past few years, I hope you’re as thrilled as I am!

Happy New Year to everyone!

Debi

 

 

 

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