Rebecca Nolen, historical diaries, home renovation, on writing, writing life

This blog hop introduces you to some writers you may not know, and gives a glimpse of their work and style. I was tagged HERE for this Blog Hop by writer Pamela Fagan Hutchins – here’s her introduction, and following Pamela I’ll introduce you to three other writers you need to know, after I answer a few questions.

Pamela Fagan Hutchins writes award-winning and bestselling romantic mysteries and hilarious nonfiction, and moonlights as a workplace investigator and employment attorney. She is passionate about great writing, smart authorpreneurship, and her two household hunks, husband Eric and one-eyed Boston terrier Petey. She also leaps medium-tall buildings in a single bound, if she gets a good running start.

Saving Grace, the lead book in the Katie & Annalise series (#7 Nook/#34 Kindle/#47 iBooks bestseller) is now free, FOREVER! You can get it free everywhere! The Jumbie House, a short story expanded outtake from Leaving Annalise, #2 in the Katie & Annalise series, is also free in ebook form. Pamela’s NEWEST BESTSELLER is the second book in the Katie & Annalise series, Leaving Annalise. The third book in the award-winning and Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes best-selling Katie & Annalise series, Finding Harmony, is now an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-finalist (Winner TBA 7-21-14) and bestseller itself!

Pamela has written numerous non-fiction books including “What Kind of Loser Indie Publishes? and how can I be one, too?

This is Rebecca again and now I will answer a few questions, which may have been answered in a previous blog. That’s okay, sometimes the content is constantly updating.

What am I working on?

Besides trying to keep up a steady marketing agenda for my two published novels, I am currently writing a lot of reviews, working on a Y/A (I’m typing up the outline), and a new short story: a prequel to The Dry. It’s so short that it should be called a prologue. I decided you needed to see how the key was stolen.

How does my work differ from others in the genre?

The Dry is a historical fantasy set in West Virginia. There aren’t a lot of those around. Deadly Thyme is a psychological suspense set in Cornwall, England. There are a few of those around, but I venture to say that you’ll still get a fantastic jolt reading this one. My Y/A is a fact-based fiction set in 1970 Houston. Is it about me? Not really. You would quickly be dulled to death if it were.

Why do I write what I write?

I have a compulsion to tell stories. I’ve done it all my life. When I was a child they were called lies. Okay, I’m kidding, I only lied when it was completely necessary, and the rest of the time I made up stories to entertain my friends or the cats – whoever would listen. Now I make up stories to entertain my friends: YOU!

How does my writing process work?

I have some time each morning to set up my work station. After running through my social media obligations (Okay, I read the funny stuff on Facebook), I set up my daily goal for writing. Sometimes my writing equals a blog post. That’s okay. It’s still writing. I write a synopsis first. A synopsis is like the story condensed to one page – or even one sentence. Writing the synopsis first is much easier than saving it until the end because there are always subplots that feel too important to leave out and subplots make for a long synopsis. Can a writer skip the synopsis? Absolutely not! It is probably the most important part of the process next to writing the first page and the last page.

Now to introduce you to some fantastic authors!

You really need to click on their links. They are amazing!!

Chris Rogers

A visual and literary creative, Chris Rogers began her journey as a graphic designer. Corporate and commercial promotions occupied most of her creative energy during those early years, but Roger’s adventurous spirit led her into diverse avenues where she designed personalized glassware, ceramic tile, and the launch issue of a national magazine.

With the advent of computerized graphics and an economic downturn, she was faced with a difficult choice: either learn this new electronic design tool or choose a new career. She began looking at what that new career might be – writing and illustrating children’s books? Travel writing and photography? She tried her hand at each, and sold her photo-illustrated articles to regional and national publications, but before she was fully committed in any direction, a fire gutted her studio.

After salvaging a single drawing table from the ruins, she continued creating marketing materials for clients while seeking a new path in the literary world. Many rejections later, her stories began to win awards. A major publisher produced her suspense novels in print, electronic, and audio formats. Lauded by fans and critics, the books were translated into three languages, and the series was optioned for film.

While continuing to explore the literary venue, Chris inevitably embraced the creative form of paint on canvas, which allows her narrative flair and graphic origins to unfold in unison. While creating new canvases, she also participates in the design of her book covers. Her paintings can be found in private and corporate collections.

“A lover of art and storytelling since grade school, I opened one of my favorite books one day and wondered if I could ever write half as well as Dean Koontz or Minette Walters or Steven King. How did they create such intricate plots? I started with children’s books – after all – I was a mother … I should understand kids, right?

Well, not so much. So I wrote a romance novel – I’d been married, so I should know a little about romance.

A little was about it. A very nice rejection letter told me there was more mystery in my story than romance. So I owned up to my true calling and, when my suspense thriller Bitch Factor was published, Romantic Times magazine gave it four-and-a-half stars. Rage Factor and Chill Factor also earned high marks for the romantic thread.

The truth is, mystery and suspense novels have always intrigued me, but I also enjoy romance, science-fiction, horror and fantasy, as well as the occasional mainstream novel by such wonderful authors as E. Annie Proulx.

My literary niche, it turns out, is dark and gritty with an occasional humorous twist. If you like that sort of story, you’ll find my books and short stories thoroughly engaging.”

Megan LaFollet

Megan La Follett was born in Florence and went to college in Rome, but she’s never been to Italy; she’s looking forward to the day that isn’t true! She has loved books from before she could repeat the alphabet and has fond memories of devouring every story in the children’s and folklore sections in her hometown library.

She cut her teeth writing as both a Game Master and a player on the play-by-post forums of the publisher of the world’s most popular tabletop RPG, where she was happily surprised to find that her games were popular enough to draw spectators. Writing for game threads is like drafting a book you can’t revise, with characters you can’t control. In other words, a wild ride!

With three children ranging from a kindergartener down to a toddler (with a spitfire in between), and a freelance editing and book design business, she’s pretty sure she’s insane for getting serious about this whole writing thing. But if that’s insanity, she’s in good company and couldn’t be happier!

“I have been, at different stages of life and for varying lengths of time: a horse trainer, a gas station attendant (in Oregon and New Jersey, pumping gas is too hazardous for amateurs), a math tutor, an underpaid lab assistant, a sandwich artist (and a manager of teenage sandwich artists), and a scientist. Somehow or another, that all led to who I am now: mother, wife, freelance editor, writer. Which only makes sense when you understand that what I’ve always been, no matter what the job description said, is a book lover. Story, in all myriad forms, captivates me.”

Denise Saterfield

If you wish to be a writer; write!” – Epictetus the Greek philosopher

I couldn’t agree more with Epictetus so in June 2011, after 25 + years at the same job, I decided to take a leap of faith, quit the safety of a “regular” job, and pursue a full-time career in writing. You see, writing was a passion that I rediscovered after enrolling into college many, many, many years after graduating from highschool. I’ve always heard, it’s never too late. Well, it’s not! So, after 10 years of studying, I reaped the rewards of hard work and determination and received a degree in Professional Writing. Today, graduation day remains on my Top 10 List of Happiest Days of My Life.

When I think about writing, I get happy. My brain kicks into overdrive and the ideas flow freely like Niagara Falls! That’s what brings me here!

My main writing focus is Children’s Books – all categories of Children’s Books – Picture Books, Early Reader Chapter Books, and Middle Grade Books. You can see what I’m working on by clicking the WORKS IN PROGRESS tab above. I intend to publish for children under the name Denise Ditto so be on the look out for my new Children’s webpage and Facebook page coming soon.

I also write short stories, essays, and I blog. I have a Writer’s Blog which you can click here or the above link to visit. I p0st a variety of articles about things that interest me on this blog site.

In addition, I have several other blogs. A movie blog called The Ditto Review, Play it Again Sam, and I recently launched The Ditto Book Review , a book review blog.

You may get the feeling that I only post about great books or that I think all the books I read are great books. That would make little sense. I read a lot of books. Most I’ve picked out because I think I will like them. I don’t always. Perhaps you think that I am posting good reviews for friends. Not so. I haven’t reviewed a friend’s book yet. Although that is fixin’ ta change y’all. Right here, right today, I’m going to review three books written by friends. And I’m going to throw in mention of a few books that I do not recommend just to keep things interesting.

Rodney Walther has written a good book about a boy and his father and baseball. If any writer can make me cry, it’s Rodney. Once I read a short story he wrote and in three pages I was bawling. He has hit a home run with Broken Laces. It’s about a man wrapped up in himself (I can’t imagine – how unrealistic, right?). Jack can’t get off the phone long enough to have any real-time with his sweet family. Then he witnesses his wife killed in a car accident. To top it off, he loses his job. He is lost. But the book isn’t about the loss. It is about Jack connecting to the part of his life that he hasn’t really ever understood, his young son. Broken Laces is well-written with a line of action that is straight forward and easy to follow. Anyone would like this book. Great read!

What happens when your imaginative child comes home from school and reports that her/his new teacher is a witch who wants to eat all the children? You laugh and tell your child that he/she will still be going to school in the morning. Right? Right. But what if it’s TRUE? Nikki Loftin has written a middle-grade novel called The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy. In it little Lorelei’s school suddenly burns down. So a wonderful new school is built – in three days. It seems a little strange and that playground is definitely too good to be true. But Lorelei is dealing with a lot of troubles what with her dad marrying a terrible woman and Lorelei missing her mother so much. So she doesn’t consider the fantastic school with the darling playground sinister in any way. But when her friend Andrew goes missing she begins to suspect all is not what it seems. This fresh take on Hansel and Gretel is well-paced and has just enough page-turning suspense to keep a kid (like me) up all hours reading it. I was a little disappointed with what happens to the kitchen help but I loved the playground sand (because I’m ghoulish that way). Loved the book and I recommend to for all middle-school kids. Wonderful!

Want a little suspense, mystery, and Caribbean island yore mixed with that Bloody Mary? You must read Pamela Fagan Hutchins book Saving Grace. Katie Connel is a successful lawyer dancing daily with alcohol until she realizes that her one true love Nic doesn’t find her inebriated state very sexy. When she realizes that she has lost his respect and possibly any hope of snagging him, she does the only thing a girl in her situation can do. Get sober. Even if she isn’t an alcoholic. And how will she do that? On a Caribbean vacation of course. Except anyone who has ever been to the Caribbean knows that everyone on the islands drink – morning, noon, and night. But she is on a serious mission. She must find out why her parents went to the island on vacation the year before and while there, drove over a cliff and died. Her investigation proves only one thing, nothing is as it seems. But she does feel herself recovering from the alcohol (though she isn’t an alcoholic), and from Nic only to find herself head over heels for an abandoned shell of a mansion in the middle of nowhere. And possibly the house is occupied by a “jumbie”. The suspense keeps the pages turning with unanswered questions such as “Who is the P.I. she hires talking to and why does he keep denying it? Why was her non-drinking father drinking when he died? The novel is well paced, the action moving me forward through the story. I did question why a mysterious woman is seen at the mansion on p.61 but not mentioned again for some time later, the bee incident isn’t clear until afterward, and the finding of the ring is a little too coincidental but overall I was really wowed by the book. The action-packed, lean-forward-in-your-seat ending left me wanting a drink. Although I’m not an alcoholic. Buy the book!

With all these good books I’m going to leave the duds for tomorrow. Thank you for reading!