First Word

SPOILER ALERT: The following is a brief excerpt for California Girl Chronicles: Brea's Big Break, which is the second book in the series due out in summer 2012. If you hate spoilers, read no further. If you love spoilers, enjoy! I arrived at the Tea Leaf, and he was sitting out front reading his Blackberry, engrossed in something. He looked up, smiled and set it down. I pulled out the iron chair, which made a scraping noise on the pavement. Curtis had two cups sitting in front of him and slid one across to me. I looked down, smiled and asked, “For me?” “I took the liberty of ordering hazelnut.” He smiled. “I noticed you liked it.” “How sweet,” I replied. “Thanks!” I said and took a sip. Curtis looked at me with a curious tilt to his head, grinned and asked, “You have a manager?” “No,” I replied. “Kale said they’re all bloodsuckers and to get an entertainment attorney.” “Kale said?” he asked with a strange look. “Well, yes,” I replied and frowned. Curtis looked down at h...

I’m going to take a full section for your character development. A key to a character-driven (not a plot-driven) book are the characters. First, I want to say something important. Even a great plot-driven book has well-developed characters. Plot-driven books that fail to develop characters and go on the simple merit of the action will fail to become classics. Let’s look to film to show the difference. Why does a mega blockbuster film like Avatar earn critical praise while a popcorn film like Transformers does not? It’s all about a well-developed story that contains characters we love to love. Avatar has a real story with well-developed characters so much so I remember the star character’s name, Jake Sully. Transformers has some gorgeous stars for sure, how many of you remember the hero’s name? I don’t remember a single character’s name. Think of classic literature and the characters you probably know their names. You may not even remember the name of the book, but you remember ...

Another short excerpt from California Girl Chronicles (chapter 2): “Laid off?” I felt a pit of dread form in my stomach. “All of us?” And just as I asked that stupid question, the accountant Janet walked over and handed me my literal, day-glow pink slip. “Why did they print it on day-glow pink?” I heard myself ask with scorn. “How tacky,” I mused. I knew what it said, and I understood the envelope was probably my last check.

I am editing a new book titled Miss Fannie Mae's Girls. This uncomplicated story is about death and rebirth. It's not terribly new or profound; however, the story is peppered with a cast of extremely colorful and delightful characters. So you could say this is a character-driven piece. Many writers often try to over think their story lines, trying to razzle-dazzle their readers with special effects and new ideas. I am sure, however, you've heard there are no new ideas. I actually think Shakespeare covered the ideas pretty well way back when. It is how you put together your story and how you paint canvas that makes it unique and special. Miss Fannie Mae's Girls is the perfect example, because new author Larry Batchelor takes the simple premise of a family reuniting to grieve over the loss of the matriarch, whom we never officially interact with in the story, and then heal old wounds and go on to celebrate the marriage of one of the sisters. It is how the author executes ...