Top Ten Fave Movie Characters Blog Hop

I was tagged by author Tim Hemlin at http://www.Tim Hemlin.com to participate in this fun little blog hop so here goes:


1. The Terminator played by Arnold Swarzenegger
Still one of my all time favorite movies. Had some of the best one-liners of all time. "I'll be back."

2. Sarah Conner - Terminator 2 - played by Linda Hamilton
I loved the movie because of the way she transformed herself from gullible waitress to kick-ass heroine (and the mother of John Conner, of course).

3. Captain Augustus McCrae - Lonesome Dove - played by Robert Duvall
Such a memorable character, flawed but loyal. "Anybody who wouldn't cheat for a poke don't want one bad enough."

4. Han Solo - Star Wars - played by Harrison Ford
Unlikely hero forced to save well, everyone. With help from Chewbacca, of course.

5. Evelyn Couch - Fried Green Tomatoes - played by Kathy Bates
"TAWANDA!" enough said

6. Rooster Cogburn - True Grit - John Wayne
When Rooster takes the reins in his teeth -- that's iconic "baby sister!"

7. Idgie Threadgood - Fried Green Tomatoes - played by Mary Stuart Masterson
She was all about women's rights and doing what's right even if it meant serving it up with a special bar-b-que sauce. And again with the loyalty thing.

8. Kyle Reese - Terminator - played by Michael Biehn
Sacrificed himself to meet "the legend."
"I came across time for you, Sara Conner." Swoon.

9. Martin Riggs - Lethal Weapon - played by Mel Gibson
He was disturbed and disturbing in his nuttiness. But once again, you wanted him on your side when the going got tough. Loyalty. "We're gonna get bloody on this one, Roger." Yep, they did.

10. Doc Holliday - Tombstone - played by Val Kilmer
"I'll be your huckleberry." When he raises that shotgun and shrugs off that long, black, duster outside the OK Corral, well, that's an image fairly ingrained in my DNA.

And then there's also Inigo Montoya "You keeled my father!" And Andre the Giant and Westly, dahling. Hmmm. So many, I may have to revisit this topic another day! Can we say Danny Glover? I still use one of his lines all the time: "I'm too old for this sh*t!"

Now, to see more blogs on this hop, return to http://www.Tim Hemlin.com 

The Genesis of Stutter Creek - Romantic Suspense

My beautifully covered little suspense novel, STUTTER CREEK, hit Amazon’s bestseller lists back in November of 2014. It went right up to #1 on both the Romantic Suspense list and the regular Suspense list. It was very exciting for me to be on the same list with the big boys—even if it was only for the week of the promotion. Dang.

Since then I’ve had a few folks contact me and tell me their thoughts on the story. I LOVE when this happens. Writing is such a solitary game—okay, the Internet has changed that, a lot—but still, to really get anything done, one has to cut off contact with the outside world for a certain number of hours each and every day. Where was I going with this? Oh yes, I love it when readers contact me and tell me their thoughts about the books and stories I toiled over in my little cave. I especially like it when they want to know more, such as . . .

What gave you the idea for this book?

That’s an easy one. STUTTER CREEK came about because of two things; the first was a news story about an incident that occurred near our small West Texas city. A man threw his four-year-old son out of the car beside the Interstate in the dead of night. The little boy was found wandering along the shoulder of the highway early the next morning covered in cactus spines, four hundred cactus spines to be exact. When his father was located, he was determined to be suffering from schizophrenia. That story haunted me from the day I read it until the day I wrote about a similar—fictionalized—character in STUTTER CREEK.

The second incident that inspired this story was very simple. Each year our family reunion was held in a mountain town in New Mexico where we always stayed at the same set of rustic little cabins. Those were some wonderful reunions. I also included a fictionalized version of that cabin in the story. I did not include the bit about my uncle having to dive into a Dumpster in search of his wife’s dentures. She’d taken them out and wrapped them in a napkin at a restaurant. The napkin was accidentally thrown away—but retrieved by her own Dumpster-diving knight in shining—stinky—armor and we never let another reunion go by without asking her if she had her teeth. (He also carried her big purse for her from time to time, but he said it was all right because it matched his cowboy boots.)

So there you have it, the genesis of STUTTER CREEK. Of course I added lots and lots of different things to make the novel suspenseful because, well, I love tingly suspenseful stories and a writing instructor once told me to “write what you know,” but I took that to mean write what you know you would love to read...

Please, if you have any comments or questions about my books or stories, feel free to email me or leave a comment. I’d love to base the next blog topic on your question.

How to Write a Blurb for your Book

Writing a blurb for your own book can be agony. As authors we know every strength and flaw of our characters, we know their motivations, and their actions. We even know their innermost thoughts and feelings.  I think this is one reason some of us find it so difficult to boil our work down into a one or two paragraph blurb. We simply know too much.

But blurb-writing is a skill that can--and must--be learned.  My first editor had to write my first blurb, how embarrassing.

Now, I think I've got it figured out.

I start with a synopsis of the entire book--usually one or two pages. I've usually done this part already, epecially if the book has been submitted to a publisher or agent. But if you haven't done the synopsis yet, don't despair, simply use the 5 Ws to describe the book: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Write it quickly, without worrying about sentence structure or punctuation (you can rewrite it later if you want to keep it). And yes, this step looks a lot like free-writing.

When you are finished, put it aside for a day or more. Then come back, pull it out, and see what rings true. You may be surprised to find how much of what you wrote now seems superfluous.

Now edit, edit, edit. Narrow it down to the three most important ideas: who is doing what and why.  That's all. Once you have answered those three questions in your own lovely prose, you've got your blurb.

I use this fill-in-the blank sentence: My novel is about ________ who must ________ in order to ________.

Now, simply expand on that sentence. Make every word count. For example. I used that sentence to write the blurb for my book ALL FOR LOVE. It looked like this: My novel is about Liz who must learn to let go of the past in order to survive. 

Here's the blurb I wound up with: Liz falls in love with Quinn the moment they meet in college.  He professes to love her, too.  She begins to think about the future, but his past rips them apart.  What Liz does next impacts the rest of their lives, but she feels it is the only way… she does it all for love.

Remember, this is the paragraph that will sell—or not sell—your book. If it’s dull, the reader probably won’t take the bait. You’ve got to make certain you hook the reader.  Many times they are simply trolling for entertainment. First, they will see your gorgeous, eye-catching cover and short, snappy title, then they will check out the blurb. If you’ve done your job and the blurb hooks them, along with the tagline, a topic for another blogpost, then they will either go to the reviews or proceed directly to the sample pages.

I don't know about you, but I seldom buy a book without reading a few sample pages first. But first, I have to fall in love with the blurb! 

Happy New Year Reading Challenge

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are off to a grand start on the new year.

Check out this 2015 reading challenge via PopSugar. It's kinda cool. Happy New Year and Happy Reading!

http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2015-36071458

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Taking a little break from blogging and writing. I'll be busy cooking, cleaning, and enjoying the kids and grandkids. My mind will be fully occupied with holiday things, but my fingers will be itching to get back to the keyboard. I can't wait to finish up Copper Lake ~ soon!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season with lots of treats, gifts, food, and family. Until next year, enjoy this picture of my Christmas tree. Notice Mojo the cat beneath the branches ~ he claimed his spot as soon as the decorating was done. Merry Christmas and God bless us, every one.

Black Friday 99¢ Sale ~ #1 in Romantic Suspense

Whoohoo! When STUTTER CREEK went on sale for 99¢ it hit #1 in the Amazon Kindle Store in both Suspense and in Romantic Suspense.

http://www.5Princebooks.com

Thank you readers ~ that was a wonderful ride watching those numbers go up and up. And it isn't over yet! The publisher ~ 5 Prince Books ~ has extended the sale through December 3rd. Not only that, but there are several other books on sale for 99¢ as well. Yaya!

Here are a couple of STUTTER CREEK reviews:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is SERIOUSLY scary! 

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Stutter Creek is a top class thriller! The plot is straightforward and all the more frightening for being so. The killer is focused on revenge and he doesn't care who he destroys in, literally, the execution of his plans.

The opening chapter is horrifying in the speed of what happens. The bait which the killer uses to lure his female victims is pitiful and as much a victim as they are.

Ann Swann's writing is brilliantly descriptive, flows superbly and her imagery is just enough to allow the reader to participate in the action. The cover, BTW, is superb.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and urge everyone who reads the reviews to buy the book and support the author - and no, I had never heard of her until I read this book which I found recommended on a list somewhere!

5 stars "Hell of a thriller. Wow, just wow. This little thriller had me wanting to read between my fingers!" 

Go here to order Stutter Creek while it's on sale: http://smarturl.it/stuttercreek

It's also on sale at: 

Amazon
iTunes
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
Buy in Print $11.95

Be sure to read Chapter One of the follow up novel, LILAC LANE. It's included in the back of STUTTER CREEK, or you can go straight to the source and read it there: 

Lilac Lane http://tinyurl.com/qf2makb

"Ella and her son escaped her ex-husband's drunken wrath once. But now he's out of jail. Could that be him driving by their new house late at night, could he be causing all the strange noises in the attic? If it is him, can they survive another round with the madman?"

Here is another excerpt from one of the great books on sale for 99¢

A HEART ON HOLD 

Historical Fiction

War.  Devotion.  Deceit.  Death.  How long can a heart hold on before it breaks?  Most women would carry on with their lives after being thrust into widowhood, but not Charlotte Adamsland.  Upon learning that her husband, Captain Sanderson Redding, was killed in a botched escape from a Confederate prison in Illinois, she clings to his promise to return to her no matter what, and quickly heads north through a war-ravaged country with only her faith in God and her beloved horse to bring her beloved Sanderson home – one way or another.   $.99 ON SALE (ends 12-3)
Amazon
iTunes
Barnes and Noble
Smashwords
Buy in Print $12.95

Afterthoughts: Here are three more of my books on sale for 99¢ Ghost stories for all ages. 

Book One:
Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot

"Don't go in the spooky old house. No matter who dares you, no matter what lures you, do not go in!" 

http://ow.ly/rkYrw

It was the late 60s. The Beatles had washed across America like a British tsunami, Vietnam was a grainy, green and black dose of unreality on the evening news, a bunch of hippies had taken over San Francisco, and there was a heck of a rainstorm pouring down on Woodstock. But I didn’t know all that then.
I was a little bit lost, looking for something. I swear I didn’t go looking for a ghost...well, okay, maybe I did. But I didn’t expect to find one. Heck, I was just a kid. I didn’t expect much of anything. 

Book Two: Stevie-girl and the Phantom Student 

http://tinyurl.com/d47a8hs

 To us, 1970 was a time of beginnings, but to the country, it was a time of endings. National Guardsmen ended the lives of four students at Kent State College.  A hundred thousand marched on Washington to end the war in Vietnam, and in England, Paul McCartney announced the end of The Beatles.  It was also the year Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin both ended their lives through drug overdoses.  It felt as if the whole world was in turmoil.

            Our homeroom teacher said not to let the weight of the world stop us from being open to new experiences.  In fact she said it was more important than ever that we should be open-minded.  I wondered if she’d gone radical on us.  For a moment, I thought she might pick up a sign and start chanting.

            Come to find out, she was simply prepping us for a new addition to our eighth grade class at Crossroads Junior High.  His name was Derol Pavey and he had something called Tourette syndrome. 

Book Three: Stevie-girl and the Phantom of Crybaby Bridge http://tinyurl.com/n7pusfw 

            The year was 1971 and the time was like that hour between twilight and full dark, that time when anything is possible.  That’s how it was being young, I felt like the whole world was just waiting for me to blossom, to bloom, or to wither and fail.  And while I was waiting for something huge to happen . . . life kept on rolling along in fits and starts, never slowing, always moving.  Just like Stutter Creek, the one that meandered along beneath Crybaby Bridge.