When I finally decided to make the leap from notebook scribbling to writing a novel, I knew a large chunk of time would go toward learning the craft. Old-school notebooks are still my go-to in the beginning stages of a new book, and I will forever be honing my writing skills. In the beginning, I hid the first few books from public view for fear of people thinking I was nuts to even attempt something so daunting as finishing a full-length novel. And to have the audacity to assume anyone would want to publish something I wrote was unthinkable. Today, my secret is out in the open, and I’m sharing a few of the resources that played a role in moving me toward seriously pursuing this dream.
Writing Fiction for Dummies, by Randy Ingermason & Peter Economy
This book is an excellent resource for beginners with an easy-to-follow format. Every section is useful, but readers will find themselves taking copious notes, highlighting, and tabbing the sections on creating believable believable characters, building a story world, three-act structure, synopsis, scenes, action, dialogue, editing, the road to publication, plot, theme, genre, editing, interior monologue…okay the list is endless.
Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies, by Leslie Wainger
Like all Dummies books, this resource is easy to navigate and ideal for aspiring romance writers. Sections to take notes from, highlight, and tab include how to create compelling characters, writing conflict/climax/resolution, scenes, outlining, love scenes, research, the road to publication, the Top Ten lists, and..okay, everything else in between.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
The infamous and unparalleled Mr. King states that this is not a how-to book. But he shares a wealth of invaluable knowledge and expertise in these pages. Cue copious note-taking. An added bonus is the memoir. A glimpse into his backstory and personal anecdotes from early writing days were a delight to read.
As a fan of the Bad Hair Day mystery series, I was thrilled to come across this how-to by one of my favorite cozy mystery authors. This book is another easy-to-follow resource filled with information on creating a sleuth, casting the suspects, building suspense, including a sprinkle of romance, crafting a series, and marketing tips.
This title is one of the cardinal rules for any fiction writer. However, at times, the task is easier said than done. A slew of writing exercises accompany the tips for describing backstory and emotions. I appreciate the section on recognizing and fixing instances of telling.
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, by Becca Puglisi & Angela Ackerman
After a brief, but useful, introduction to showing (not telling) emotion, readers are provided with a seemingly endless list of emotions, related physical signs/behaviors, mental responses, acute/long-term responses, signs the emotion is being suppressed, and power verbs. This book is a must-have in the arsenal of any aspiring fiction writer.
The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior, by Joe Navarro
Joe Navarro was a special agent for the FBI and has been called a body language expert. This book was not likely intended for authors. But the insight into the smallest details and subtlest changes in human movement and expression has landed this title at the top of my resource list.
Please join me in welcoming Shirley Goldberg. Today she is interviewing one of the main characters, Lucy Bernard, from her novel. She was also kind enough to share a scrumptious recipe for Chocolate Macaroon Cookies.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: A Little Bit of Lust
Series: Starting Over (Book 3)
Author: Shirley Goldberg
Genre: Women’s Romance Fiction
BLURB:
How many second chances will she give him?
Thanks for hosting us on your blog, Jill. I’m here with Lucy Bernard, one of the main characters in A Little Bit of Lust, the third book in my Starting Over series.
Lucy: Let’s talk about five things readers need to know about the characters, the book, and what you can’t live without. And I want to interview you, Shirley.
Shirley: Good. That’s a lot to cover. You start.
Lucy: It’s tough to talk about the book without spoilers popping out. Readers need to know that my best friend Deon, and I get together and break up near the beginning of the book.
Shirley: Yeah, that’s in the blurb, so it’s not a spoiler.
Lucy: It’s complicated.
Shirley: Have you seen the movie, It’s Complicated? Meryl Streep and Steve Martin.
Lucy: Love it. Alec Baldwin plays the ex-husband. He’s hilarious. Sexy, too, for a chunky guy.
Shirley: So, you guys are besties, along with Phoebe. And you have this hot weekend that starts with kissing on the beach––
Lucy: Don’t remind me. Why did you do that?
Shirley: Do what?
Lucy: Have us go from friends to…well, it was a tremendous weekend and then pfttt. Nothing.
Shirley: Don’t blame me. That was Deon’s fault.
Lucy: You wrote the book! [Frowns and glares at Shirley] Why isn’t Deon here?
Shirley: I didn’t invite him. I was afraid you two would embarrass me.
Lucy: That’s ridiculous.
Shirley: Now you’re embarrassing me.
Lucy: You’ll get over it. [Clears her throat.] I think the readers need to know Lust is about starting over. All the characters start over in some way. Deon’s a widower, I’m divorced, and Phoebe is moving on after a break up. We all hang out together, so our friendship is a big thing too. [Turns to Shirley] Did you ever start over?
Shirley: More than once. I was married and living in Crete, Greece and moved back to Connecticut. Went back to school to become a teacher. Lived with my mom.
Lucy: Me too. My husband left when I was nineteen. I had a two-year-old. My parents invited me to move in with them. We’re very close.
Shirley: What’s one thing readers need to know about you?
Lucy: I love to bake and I have a small business concocting yummy desserts for local businesses. I cater to a few of the restaurants around the New Haven area and on the shoreline.
Shirley: Yes, and Lust is all about summer and the beach and going dancing.
Lucy: It’s also about me getting up at an ungodly hour because I can’t sleep and I have to bake to get my mind off…things.
Shirley: No spoilers. One more question. What’s the one fun thing you can’t live without?
Lucy: That’s easy. Besides trying out new recipes, I love posting on Instagram. I have my own account and an account for my students’ work. They love it.
Shirley: Cool.
Lucy: What’s your one fun thing you can’t live without?
Shirley: Dancing with my honey. Oh, and dropping my characters into steaming hot soup. Metaphorically.
Lucy: Not funny.
Shirley: So funny.
Lucy: Hey! Speaking of baking. I have a special recipe for the readers.
Shirley: Thanks, Lucy. They’ll love that. And thank you, Jill. This was fun.
BLURB:
Love-cynical Lucy Bernard delights in her independence. Baking, all things Instagram, the occasional special guy, and most of all hanging out with best friends Deon Goldbloom and Phoebe Karis. But when Deon kisses Lucy at the beach on a chilly afternoon, the two friends jump into a lust-filled romantic weekend. So what’s with slotting her into “ignore” status afterward?
Deon Goldbloom is a widower who can’t move on after his wife’s death. Is he a little crazy spending a sexy few days with Lucy and calling it the best time he’s had in four years? Yeah. Except blue Monday comes calling, and Deon isn’t ready for the guilt.
Lucy wonders how a smoochy weekend turns into a friends-with-benefits disaster. And Deon wonders if he’s made the biggest mistake of his life putting Lucy on “ignore.” Using all his nerdy charms, he launches a campaign to bring Lucy around. Maybe they can chart a course back to one another if Lucy will only forgive him.
EXCERPT:
Lucy and Deon sat cross-legged, sifting through the stack of DVDs.
“Seriously?” Lucy read the movie titles aloud. “You’ve got chick flicks? When Harry Met Sally. You’ve Got Mail. Sleepless in Seattle. Nora Ephron.” She turned to him. “So you love Nora as much as I do?”
“Sure.” He dug out a few more movies.
“An Affair to Remember. That’s romantic. Heartburn, not so much, but it’s a great movie. Who doesn’t love Meryl and Jack?”
“There’s more,” he said, stacking movies on the floor.
“Let’s watch You’ve Got Mail. I always cry at the end.”
“So do I.”
“You’re a man. What are you doing with romantic––” Lucy stopped in mid-sentence. A verbal gaff. “Sorry.” She felt embarrassed. The movie collection had to be from when he and his wife used to watch together.
“Melinda loved them, yeah. We weren’t big on vacations or fancy restaurants. She loved a plain old movie night. And men cry at the movies too, you know.”
“Oh, of course.” Lucy tilted close and hugged him. “You cry at the movies, that is so, so romantic.”
“Sit, relax.” He knelt down. “And by the way, my lips hurt from all that good kissing. Do yours?”
“Nope, because I’m tough and you’re a wuss.”
Deon leaned in and kissed her a nice juicy one right when the opening credits started rolling.
Halfway through the movie, when Meg Ryan was losing her bookstore, Deon paused the movie. They opened the takeout bags to let out the oregano and basil and homemade tomato smells and prepared the plates with all the delicious Italian from Niki’s. Deon warmed the food and poured more wine, which contributed to their getting all misty-eyed at the end when Tom Hanks comes around the corner and Meg says, “I hoped it was you.” Which is what Lucy remembered her saying when she thought back on this moment.
Then Deon found Arsenic and Old Lace and they took turns fast-forwarding to all the scenes with Peter Lorre and Raymond Massey. Deon did his Raymond Massey imitation, thrusting out his jaw, threatening the Cary Grant character. “Mortimer, just because you’re my brother doesn’t mean I won’t kill you.”
Lucy howled and they rolled on the couch and made out a little.
And then it was time for bed. Lucy’s new favorite time, since of course, she’d be staying over.
CHOCOLATE MACAROON COOKIES:
*How can anyone not love a crunchy, chocolatey macaroon? These macaroons are a similar version of the favorite little gem but since it’s a healthier version, it’s perfect eaten as part of breakfast or better yet, for an afternoon energy pick-me-up!
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded coconut, sweetened
1 cup oats
1 cup milk of choice
1 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted or very soft
½ cup chocolate chips
2 Tbsp flour
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix coconut, oats, milk and honey together in a bowl. Stir in melted coconut oil and chocolate chips. Add flour 1 Tbsp at a time until you form a dough. Spoon tablespoon sizes of dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
This and all the recipes are originals, contributed by Eva Papadogiorgaki, The Cretan Nutritionist. Find her on Instagram and Facebook @thecretannutritionist. Thank you so much, Eva, for your hard work and support.
AUTHOR BIO:
Shirley Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over. Her website http://midagedating.com offers a humorous look at dating in mid-life, and her friends like to guess which stories are true. A Little Bit of Lust is her third book in the series Starting Over, although all her books are standalone, including Revamped, coming in March as part of the Mortar & Pestle series. Readers can grab the Prequel to the series of 7 books by 7 authors for free. https://dl.bookfunnel.com/3vhm7opc1r
Shirley’s characters all believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and she agrees.
Drumroll please… The first installment in the Music Box Mystery series, A Sour Note, is set in a Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. When writing the first draft, I struggled with whether to use a real or fictional setting. But as a lifelong New Englander and more than thirty years of vacationing in Hampton Beach, I couldn’t resist the urge to write a series set in a place filled with memories for me and my family. To include all of the wonderful sites and activities in Hampton and the surrounding area would prove an impossible feat. Portsmouth, NH or Kittery, Maine, anyone? With nightly summer concerts, weekly fireworks, and an infinite list of dining options, a series set in this location provides endless ideas for story lines and backdrops. I’m already itching to finish Book 2.
I’d love to hear from other authors on whether they prefer real or fictional settings. Better yet, do writers prefer writing about a place they know well or a place they dream of visiting?
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s no secret that I adore the cozy mystery genre. Today, I’m sharing a list of some of my favorites. Please feel free to share your cozy reading suggestions in the comments. I’m always adding to my TBR pile.
The Secret Book & Scone Society Series, by Ellery Adams
Nora Pennington welcomes tourists to her bookstore in Miracle Springs, North Carolina. She is gifted with the ability to prescribe the perfect book to ease her customers’ pain. She and a group of new friends work toward divulging their deepest secrets while also solving the murder of a recent visitor to their small town.
If your looking for humor in your cozy, graduate student Raina Sun won’t disappoint. I particularly enjoy the interactions with her feisty grandmother.
Sun, sand, romance, and a twisty mystery to keep readers guessing. I loved everything about the setting in this book. A Venice Beach boardwalk in February? Yes, and please. When Allison Sweet is implicated in a man’s death, she must clear her name and hold onto her new bakery. Add in a loveable dog, and you have a charming cozy mystery.
Siobhan Sullivan runs her family’s bistro in Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland while trying to solve mysteries. Readers will feel as if they’ve been dropped into Ireland with every turn of the page – no passport needed.
I was first introduced to this series by the movies starring the always delightful Alison Sweeney on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. Hannah owns a bakery in Minnesota but is routinely tasked with solving murder mysteries. An eclectic cast of characters and several yummy recipes abound in this culinary cozy series.
Iced Chiffon: A Consignment Shop Mystery, by Duffy Brown
After a messy divorce, Reagan is trying to make ends meet while holding onto a run-down Victorian. She converts the first floor of her home into a consignment shop, aptly-named, The Prissy Fox. Reagan should be the last person trying to clear her ex’s name in the murder of his new girlfriend…
Death by Dumpling: A Noodle Shop Mystery, by Vivien Chen
A string of bad luck lands Lana Lee waiting tables in her family’s restaurant. While dodging her mother’s match-making efforts, she is tasked with clearing her family in the murder of their building manager.
Trouble in Mudbug: Ghost In-Law Mystery Series, by Jana DeLeon
This was the first paranormal cozy I’ve read, and I’m happy to say it was pure fun. Maryse Robicheaux was far from close to her mother-in-law when the woman was alive. Death fails to improve relations between the women with Helena spending her free time in the afterlife nagging Maryse as they try to solve a mystery.
One for the Money: Stephanie Plum Series, by Janet Evanovich
This book doesn’t quite fit the cozy genre, but I couldn’t not include it. Stephanie Plum is a newbie bounty hunter with a big attitude. The action-packed, fast pace will keep pages turning long after plans to put down the book.
Please join me in welcoming best-selling author, Sheila Kell. Today we are spotlighting Deadly Betrayal. If you enjoy romantic suspense novels, this is the next book to add to your TBR pile.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Title: Deadly Betrayal
Series: Coastal Investigations (Book 1)
Author: Sheila Kell
Genre: Romantic Suspense
BLURB:
When trusting the wrong person can be deadly.
From Romantic Suspense BEST-SELLING and AWARD-WINNING Author • What happens when a former FBI analyst quits her job to become a PI and ends up partnering with the man who left her fourteen years earlier? In Sheila Kell’s riveting novel of secrets, deceit, and romance, two people rush to find a killer while reckoning with their growing attraction.
Cassie McKay was tired of being passed over as a FBI field agent. She quits her job as a FBI analyst, moved back home with her mother, and takes a job as a PI. Only she hadn’t expected her partner to be the one man who’d left her years before.
Jack “JD” Walker had done a lot wrong in his life, but he hadn’t killed the mother of his child as the police believed, nor had he expected the only women he’d ever loved to come to his rescue. The two work diligently to prove JD’s innocence while someone is determined to make JD pay.
Deadly Betrayal is the first book in the Coastal Investigations series. If you enjoy a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat read, you’ll love this installment of Sheila Kell’s new romantic suspense series.
AUTHOR BIO:
Sheila Kell writes about the romantic men who leave women’s hearts pounding with a happily ever after built on memorable, adrenaline-pumping stories. Or, (since her editor tries to cut down on her long-windedness) simply “Smokin’ Hot Romance & Intrigue.” Her debut novel, His Desire (HIS Series #1), launched as an Amazon #1 romantic suspense bestseller and Top 100 overall, later winning the Readers’ Favorite award for best romantic suspense novel.
As a Southern girl who traveled the world with the United States Air Force, she remembers all the embarrassing moments of her fellow veterans to include in her books and laughs every time she does it. She also tends to sneak in stories she recalls from classmates and instructors while earning her degrees in Space Operations Technology, Aeronautics, and Organizational Management.
Having left behind her days as a University Vice President, she can usually be found nestled in the Mississippi woods, where she lives with her cats and all the strays that magically find her front door. When she isn’t writing, you can find Sheila with her nose in a good book, dealing with the woodland critters who enjoy her back patio, or wishing she had a genie to do her bidding.
Jill Piscitello 