The Writer's Body Lexicon by Kathy Steinemann – Book Review

The Writer's Body Lexicon: Body Parts, Actions, and Expressions by Kathy Steinemann in the third book in The Writer's Lexicon Series. Each book offers a wealth of information to help writers write and edit their books.

This review is loooong overdue. I read The Writer's Body Lexicon before it was published and had the honor to write its Foreword. :)

The book opens with a "Read this First" section, which explains how to use the book and where readers can find what they need.

Like many books about writing, The Writer's Body Lexicon is an encyclopedia-like volume. It will be very hard to read it all at once or as if you're reading a novel.

"Sometimes a figure of speech adds the perfect touch. Exercise caution, though. Provide enough imagery to stimulate the imagination, but not so much that you slow action or bore readers."

To get the most of The Writer's Body Lexicon, determine what area of the body you need help with and look it up.

Regardless of the book or blog post you're reading, Kathy Steinemann will always point out that you don't need to "bloat your writing with superfluous words."

"Note that a frown on one’s face can be shortened to a frown. No point in bloating your writing with superfluous words."

The Writer's Body Lexicon covers everything from opinion adjectives, stacked modifiers and how to arrange them, colors and variegations, facial expressions, body parts (and the naughty bits), and much much more!

I also like Steinemann's use of other authors' quotes in The Writer's Body Lexicon. She quotes Ovid and Stephen King and offers writing tips from them.

 

 

If you're writing a fantasy novel with muscled-warriors, you should definitely check out the "Body Build Cheat Sheet" chapter. (p. 86)

And don't forget the part about the abs, here's a tip from Steinemann:

"Abs, abdomen, stomach, waist, midsection … No matter what you call this area of the body or how you describe it, well-chosen words will strengthen your writing.

Abs often occupy center stage in romance novels. They also appear in historical fiction where scantily clad gladiators compete for their lives. And let’s not forget bikini-wearing beach beauties stalked by monsters in horror stories."

If facial expressions are your weak spot – I know they are mine – you may want to visit the relevant chapter. As an author, you don't want your reader to tire of repetition. Sometimes you don't need a facial expression where the dialogue suffices.

The Writer's Body Lexicon and coffee in my library :)

I was recently reading a book where the main character "raised her eyebrows" over 35 times!  You can imagine how exasperated I was while reading it.

As a reader, I see lots of 'eyebrow raising' and 'nodding' and 'eyes widening.' So before you get your book published be sure to check out the chapter on Facial Expressions. Hint: It starts on p. 45.

 

“A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man's brow.” – Ovid

Although Steinemann offers hundreds of word options and descriptive alternatives in each chapter, she also encourages writers to create their own words like "flubbery --> flabby + blubbery" or "brawnilicious à brawny + delicious."

Think of The Writer's Body Lexicon as your go-to resource for descriptions, colors, and everything related to the body. 

 

Steinemann goes on to offer suggestions and indicators for writers to use when they want to create a descriptive and emotional scene. In the section "Effective Writing Agrees with Itself," Steinemann says this: 

"In real life, scowls, smiles, and curling lips reflect underlying emotions. They should do the same in fiction or creative nonfiction.

A protagonist in pain is unlikely to smile. A deceitful character probably won’t maintain eye contact with others."

A tip: You want to read the section on colors and variegations starting p. 32. 

There are soooo many useful tips in The Writer's Body Lexicon, I feel like I can quote the whole book! And it's over 500 pages - so there's a wealth of tips in there. 

I also read the first book in this series The Writer's Lexicon, where Steinemann offers tons of word replacements.

Authors: You no longer have to say 'said' every time a character says something. Steinemann has over 200 alternatives to 'said' and many other verbs in The Writer's Lexicon. 

To learn more about The Writer's Body Lexicon, check out its Table of Contents.

Discover all 3 books in the series via Kathy's blog and I highly recommend you subscribe for weekly writing tips, prompts, and her redundancy quizzes :)

Get The Writer's Body Lexicon by Kathy Steinemann via Amazon.

Overall rating for The Writer's Body Lexicon by Kathy Steinemann? 10 stars. 

Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore by Nellie H. Steele - Book Review

  

Today, I'm featuring a book review of a new cozy mystery by a new author for me. 

Synopsis:

A new town.

A haunting legend.

New beginnings or the beginning of the end?

After Cassie MacGuire’s husband dies in a plane crash along with her father, both her and her mother, Lily Bennett, are left as widows. Looking to make a new start, they move together to the quiet seaside town of Hideaway Bay.

But their new home, Whispering Manor, has a reputation stretching back centuries. Legends of ghosts, paranormal disturbances and pirate treasure are all associated with the former sea captain’s mansion, starting with the death of its first mistress, Henrietta Blanchard.

When Cassie stumbles upon Henrietta’s journal and Lily uncovers a more recent tragedy in the home, they begin to wonder if the stories may be fact instead of fiction. When the strange occurrences turn dangerous, Lily and Cassie will have to investigate to save their home and possibly even their very lives!

Ghosts, Lore & a House by the Shore is the charming first installment in this small, seaside town mother-daughter cozy mystery series by Nellie H. Steele.

 

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion  

"I'd be careful about digging too deep in the past. You might end up regretting it."

Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore by Nellie H. Steele is the first installment in a new mother-and-daughter cozy mystery series.

Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore opens with Cassie and her mother Lily getting very-late calls informing them of the deaths of their husbands. In other words, Cassie is stunned to learn that she'd lost both her father and her husband in a plane crash.

Chapter 1 focuses on the death and its impact on the two women. It's a very long and painful chapter.

Lily and Cassie decide to leave their city and move to the much-smaller town of Hideaway Bay, where – unbeknownst to them – they buy a reportedly haunted house overlooking the ocean.

After they settle in, the two women learn that a few tragedies had taken place in their new home. But is the new house-by-the-shore really haunted?

 

"On the large mirror above the dresser, in dripping red blood was the word LEAVE."

 

What I liked about Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore 

One of the things I liked about Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore was the presence of the two diaries that Cassie and Lily uncovered in the library.

We get to learn about the mystery of Black Jack's treasure and the former occupants of Whispering Manor through these detailed accounts.

"Others would say it's whispers of past souls, long since forgotten, but not yet gone."

A few of the characters in Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore reminded me of characters in the Hallmark sort-of-paranormal series The Good Witch.

Even the mayor, Tinsley reminded me of Martha Tinsdale from The Good Witch. It made me want to re-watch the show.

 

What I didn't like about Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore

One of my biggest problems with this book was the number of times characters raise their eyebrows. You'd think that from the sheer number of times the characters do this, their eyebrows would be stuck to their hairlines by the end of the novel!

There were over 70 references of 'raised eyebrows' in the book! Seriously!

Another problem was that half way through the book, the reader isn't introduced to a 'real mystery.' It's only when Cassie and Lily hear of the tragedies that took place in Whispering Manor and discover the journals of Henrietta and Susan Davis (two women who died in their house) that they begin reading into the mysteries.

I'm not sure if my copy was an uncorrected proof or not but there were many grammatical errors and phrasing problems. Plus some illogical verb usage. (Does your cat 'sigh?')

Also, halfway through the book, I began to question the coziness of the story. It's significantly different from standard cozies because

1)    It opens with a heartbreaking event (two deaths for two family members)

2)    The mystery comes in very late in the book

 

Review sum-up

Overall, I think Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore has lots of good potential. It can act as a prequel to the series, though not book 1.

As an Instagram follower of Nellie Steele, I learnt that Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore is a spin-off of another historical fiction series featuring Henrietta and her brother Clifton and some piratey tales.

That said, I think there were many redundancies in the novel that could have been crossed out. I'd have liked to see more focus on the mystery and a faster pace.

 

Note: I received a free Advanced Readers' Copy (ARC) of Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore by Nellie H. Steele as part of a blog tour by Lori Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

 

Overall rating for Ghosts, Lore, and a House by the Shore: 2.5-3 stars

 

About the author

An Indies Today finalist for Best Book of the Year 2020 with Cleopatra’s Tomb, Nellie H. Steele made the leap from science to art with her first book, The Secret of Dunhaven Castle.

An animal enthusiast, Nellie often features a version of one of her fourteen rescue animals in her stories, though the fictional pets are usually better behaved than her own fur-babies!  A literary split personality, Nellie’s work ranges from cozy mystery to supernatural suspense to riveting adventure.

She lives in the South Hills of Pittsburgh.  When she isn’t writing or engaging in animal care, she enjoys teaching Statistics and Data Science at a local university.

Check out all Nellie offers at www.anovelideapublishing.com/novels  or at her blog, Nellie’s Book Nook, available at www.nelliesbooknook.com

Connect with Nellie Steele via her Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Goodreads, Bookbub, and Amazon.

 

Publisher Website: www.anovelideapublishing.com    

 

Costumes and Cadavers by Katherine Brown – Book Review & Author Interview

Today, I'm featuring a book review of Costumes and Cadavers by Katherine Brown as part of a blog tour with Lori Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

The post also includes an exclusive and exciting interview with Katherine Brown :)

First let me tell you the book is about.

Synopsis:

Nobody ever plans to be the death of the party.

Party guests congratulate Charity Basham, owner of Sassy Supplies Crafts & More, on the scariness of her backyard skeleton decoration. Unfortunately, Charity didn't put out any skeleton decorations.

With the discovery of a dead body, her Halloween party turns into a nightmare. With her fingerprints (and some white cat fur) are all over the murder weapon, Charity finds herself at the top of the suspect list.

Can she clear her name before the dishy Detective Sota arrests her for murder?

 

Book Review of Costumes and Cadavers by Katherine Brown 

"Standing in a room, wondering if you were next to a killer, really did a number on a girl's nerves."

Costumes and Cadavers by Katherine Brown is a short cozy mystery novella that's part of the Sassy Supplies Mystery Series.

Divided into six short chapters, the book opens with Sassy Supplies' owner Charity Basham at her Homemade Halloween. One of her guests nearly stumbles on Charity's scary-looking Halloween decoration.

But Charity doesn't recall putting up any Halloween Decoration.

Charity immediately recognizes the murdered victim as one of her not-favorite customers. But problems truly arise when police begin not only questioning her but also finding a ton of evidence that says she likely killed him.

Evidence except motive.

"Your hair was found on the body, your prints are the only ones on the murder weapon, the murder weapon came from a store that you happen to own, and the murder occurred at your residence. Plus, your cat's fur is on the body as well."

As is the case with multi-book series, there isn't a lot of character development. Add in that this is a mystery novella, then there's no room for much development. However, it's a good and fast read.

Short as it is, Costumes and Cadavers offers a complete cozy mystery with a set of characters, a feline, murder, a couple of suspects and all in a few pages.

Overall rating for Costumes and Cadavers by Katherine Brown: 3.5 stars.

 

Note: My book review of Costumes and Cadavers by Katherine Brown is part of a blog tour for the short novella, organized by Lori Great Escapes Virtual Blog Tours. This has, in no way, affected my review.

 

Now it's time for my exclusive interview with Author Katherine Brown 

Q: How did you get into writing cozy mysteries?

Katherine Brown: Cozy mysteries are one of my favorite genres to read. Even when I branch out and read in romance or fantasy or other things, cozies are still going to show back up in my to-be-read pile over and over.

When I began writing, I naturally veered to cozy mysteries because I felt familiar with the expectations of readers as a lover of them myself. I also thought cozy was a “safe” category for my friends, family, and children to read (i.e. clean, no extreme language or physical romance scenes…etc.).

Q: Are you a full-time author? If not, what do you besides being a writer? What did you do before you became a writer?

Katherine Brown: Technically, I’m a full-time stay-at-home-mom. Far, far more hours are spent momming than writing. Being an author is my only occupation, though because I am only able to dedicate part-time to it, I’m not an “income earning” author yet, if that makes sense.

Thanks to a supportive husband, I’m able to spend the money to invest in my career now (editors, advertising, etc) that will hopefully lead to a long and profitable future as an author later on.

Prior to leaving my office job to stay at home and pursue my passion of writing and caring for my daughters, I worked at a metal building construction company. While the industry itself hasn’t leaked into my books yet, (there is always time) dynamics and personalities in any situation shape us as writers I believe.

If nothing else, the 60+ hours a week, stress, and frustrations that I experienced in that job were the tipping point that set me free to quit and come home to write.

Q: If you could meet or have lunch with any author (dead or alive), who would it be?
Katherine Brown: Jane Austen is probably always a first choice. J.K. Rowling. Julie Klassen. I would be quite ecstatic to sit down with any of them and spill my admiration as well as learn lessons they were willing to share.

Q: I noticed in your bio that you're a Harry Potter fan. Did the books inspire you in anyway in your writing?
Katherine Brown: I do love Harry Potter! I was a lover of words and writing long before Harry Potter was published, however. As a kid, I used to staple papers together and make up stories at home.

I loved writing assignments in school. I sold newsletters to my own parents (who lived happily together and with me in the same house LOL) because I wanted to be a writer. All of those experiences were before I ever picked up my first copy of Harry Potter.

However, the perseverance and success of J.K. Rowling and the incredible, relatable characters she created definitely added to my inspiration later. What a legacy!

Q: And speaking of Harry Potter – along with a bit of snooping around your Goodreads profile – what are your favorite genres? Would you consider experimenting with one of those genres in the future?
Katherine Brown: I think it would be easier to list genres that I don’t read in than my favorites! For example, I steer clear of horror and true crime. I’m definitely not a non-fiction fan; I’m an escapist reader.

I’m an avid reader of clean fantasy, historical fiction (cozies or romance either way), young adult, and steampunk. Fairy tale retellings in most genres easily grab my attention, and my money.

I love the creativity of other authors and the worlds they build for us to experience. It is my sincere desire to continue improving my own writing and create immersive experiences for my readers as well.

As to experimenting in other genres to write, The Librarian’s Treasure was my first such adventure. A romantic fantasy, but with mystery and adventure included, I was dabbling with that story for years but a nervous wreck about actually finishing it for fear it wouldn’t live up to my hopes.

Thanks to an encouraging editor, I’m happy to say I was able to do even more than I thought with Raegan’s story.

I’m working on jumping into some steampunk this year. I haven’t quite decided if my story will lean to romance or mystery, though it is very likely to have a good combination of both. After all, what is life if not a combination of experiences?

Q: Can you tell readers a bit about your book The Librarian's Treasure?

Katherine Brown: The Librarian’s Treasure is a light fantasy (think leprechauns but with my own imaginative twist) which follows Raegan Sheridan from content librarian to becoming a woman seeking answers from her past and embracing her future.

Orphaned as a child, it takes a stranger showing up and an odd quest to send Raegan off to Ireland to see the home of the mother she never knew. She falls in love with the land but has to save it from an evil landowner seeking to take everything.

Filled with secret rooms, a stray kitten, a handsome stranger, and a mysterious league, plus a healthy love of books, I let my imagination have its way with The Librarian’s Treasure. I was so happy and proud to take a risk straying from cozies to something I’d been wanting to write so long that I actually published it on my own birthday.

About the Author

Texas author Katherine Brown is a wife, a mother to two beautiful book-devouring girls, a bookaholic ice cream lover, Harry Potter fan, and an enthusiastic weaver of words.

Writing since she could scribble with crayons, Katherine has published books for adults and children alike.

Fans of her cozy mystery series range from age 12 to 72. She hopes to inspire in others a passion for reading and provide many adventures through the pages of books for years to come.

Connect with author Katherine Brown via her Website, Facebook page, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, and Amazon.

 

Keep up with the rest of the blog tour featuring character interviews, guest posts, spotlights, and book reviews.

March 21 – Brooke Blogs – Book Review, Nadaness In Motion – Book Review & Author Interview, Socrates Book Reviews – Book Review

March 22 – Literary Gold – Author interview, Maureen's Musings – Book Review, Celticlady's Reviews – Spotlight

March 23 – Lady Hawkeye – Spotlight

March 24 – FUONLYKNEW – Spotlight, Sapphyria's Book Reviews – Book Review, Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Character Guest Post

March 25 – I Read What You Write – Guest Post, Baroness Book Trove – Spotlight

March 26 – Nellie's Book Nook – Book Review, Books Blog - Spotlight

March 27 – BookishKelly2020 – Spotlight & ebook addicts – Book Review & Ruff Drafts – Guest Post

Meet author Jack Byrne and The Liverpool Mystery Series - Interview

Today, I'm excited to be featuring a new mystery – or rather historical mystery – author. Meet Jack Byrne and his new novel Under the Bridge.

Under the Bridge is the first book in The Liverpool Mystery Murders.

This post is part of a blog tour, organized by TheWriteReads, and features an exclusive author interview with Jack Byrne.

First a little bit about the book and series:

Genre: Mystery
Length: 360 Pages
Publishing: 18 February 2021
Find the book on Amazon and Goodreads.

Synopsis for Under the Bridge by Jack Byrne

2004 - The discovery of a skeleton in the Liverpool docklands unearths long buried secrets. Reporter, Anne McCarthy, is keen to prove herself and dives into the case with abandon where she finds Michael, an old Irish caretaker who knows far more than he’s letting on and may have a connection to the body.

Meanwhile, Vinny Doyle, is starting a postgrad degree, researching Liverpool’s immigrant history and a burgeoning Scouse identity. But Vinny has been neglecting his own family history and stranger Michael might know about his father's disappearance in the 70s.

1955 - Escaping violence in Ireland and fresh off the boat, Michael falls in with Wicklow boys Jack Power and Paddy Doyle, who smuggle contraband through the docks putting them at odds with unions while they rally the dock workers against the rackets and the strikebreakers. A story of corruption, secret police, and sectarianism slowly unravels. But will the truth out?

As the conflict heightens, Michael questions the life sprawling out ahead of him. In the present, Anne races to solve the mystery, but is she prepared for what she’ll find?

Now for the interview where we talk about the book and series and Jack offers some writing advice for aspiring authors.

 

Q: Can you tell readers a bit about yourself and how you got into the mystery genre?

Jack Byrne: I was born and raised in Speke, Liverpool to an Irish immigrant father and grandparents. I am an advocate of Irish and Liverpudlian history. The Liverpool Mystery Series, including Under the Bridge and Across the Water follow our heroes, Vinny and Anne, across Liverpool and Ireland as the mysteries of the past collide with their investigations in the present.

 

Q: Is The Liverpool Mystery Series more like a CSI or Criminal Minds, or what kind of mystery is it?

Jack Byrne: I write social and historical novels that are structured around a mystery. In Under the Bridge a body is unearthed near the docks in Liverpool.  Anne and Vinny set out to uncover its identity, in doing so they learn a lot about themselves and the city they live in.

Q: I like the idea that there are two timelines in Under the Bridge. Was that hard to maintain while writing?

Jack Byrne: We all exist with two timelines, what is happening now and what got us to this position.  In the historic narrative we follow the lives of two Irish immigrants who were part of the wave of Irish and black immigrants who rebuilt England after the war. Forgetting our real history is part of the reason the country is doing so badly at the moment.

 

Q: Do you have any writing tips or advice for aspiring mystery writers? 

Jack Byrne: Don’t think you need a perfect plot worked out before you start. For me the story develops as it grows, you can add layer upon layer of complexity once you have the bare bones laid out. Start writing and see where the characters take you.

 

Q: If you could meet or have lunch with any author (dead or alive), who would it be?

Jack Byrne: I would go for a pint with Dickens, Zola, Steinbeck, Jack London, and hopefully end up in a pub with Connolly, Castro, Guevara, Mandela, Thomas Sankara and Toussaint L’Ouverture – if you don’t know any of them Google it will be worth your while.

About Jack Byrne

I was born and raised in Speke Liverpool, (Paul McCartney lived in the street behind us for a while) although my parents first lived ‘Under The Bridge’ in Garston, and all my family goes back to Wicklow in Ireland.

The Liverpool Mystery Series will be four novels. Under The Bridge is the first. I am writing Fire Next Time now, and The Wicklow Boys will follow next year. You can find The One Road prequel a collection of short stories on Amazon.

Want to meet more mystery authors?

Check out my interview with HS Burney and read the excerpt from The Lake Templeton Murders. 

Read my reviews of: 

What We Bury by Carolyn Arnold

Crime Scene Connection by Deena Alexander