Writing a Novel is Like Running a Marathon – Guest post by Colleen J. Shogan + blog tour

Book: Stabbing in the Senate

(A Washington Whodunit)

Author: Colleen J. Shogan

Publication: 15 November, 2015
Genre: Cozy Mystery

Synopsis:

Life is good for Kit Marshall. She’s a staffer in D.C. for a popular senator, and she lives with an adoring beagle and a brainy boyfriend with a trust fund. Then, one morning, Kit arrives at the office early and finds her boss, Senator Langsford, impaled by a stainless steel replica of an Army attack helicopter. Panicked, she pulls the weapon out of his chest and instantly becomes the prime suspect in his murder.

Circumstances back Kit’s claim of innocence, but her photograph has gone viral, and the heat won’t be off until the killer is found. Well-loved though the senator was, suspects abound. Langsford had begun to vote with his conscience, which meant he was often at odds with his party.

Not only had the senator decided to quash the ambitions of a major military contractor, but his likely successor is a congressman he trounced in the last election. Then there’s the suspiciously dry-eyed Widow Langsford. Kit’s tabloid infamy horrifies her boyfriend’s upper-crust family, and it could destroy her career. However, she and her free-spirited friend Meg have a more pressing reason to play sleuth.

The police are clueless in more ways than one, and Kit worries that the next task on the killer’s agenda will be to end her life.

About The Author

Colleen J. Shogan is the deputy director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) at the Library of Congress. She is a former Senate staffer who started reading mysteries at the age of six. A political scientist by training, Colleen has taught American government at George Mason University, Georgetown, and Penn. Stabbing in the Senate is her first novel.

Guest post by the author

Writing a Novel is Like Running a Marathon

As my bio demonstrates, I’m not a fiction writer by trade. I work on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. at the Library of Congress. I am an avid reader of mysteries, and one day, I took a walk in my suburban neighborhood and conceived of the plot that eventually became my first novel, Stabbing in the Senate.

It was a big achievement to write a mystery. I’m a political scientist by training, and I never took a class in creative writing. As I wrote, revised, edited, and shared my drafts, I learned more about the craft. Even after I was satisfied with what I’d written, I realized quickly that the party was just beginning.

Publishing a novel is similar to running a marathon. I’ve finished five 26-milers and the common lessons from both experiences are compelling. For a long distance runner, the race starts at Mile 20 or Mile 21, even though mathematically, 80% has already been completed. The last six miles are the real test of endurance. Competitors drop out and medals are won or lost. The final leg of the race is the most important.

Likewise, a well-written draft of a novel is often not enough. The composition of a story is followed by the long slog of disseminating your literary masterpiece. The business side of writing – the last six miles – is the most difficult part of the entire endeavor. There are two critical components to this process: finding an agent and then securing a publisher.

It requires persistence, relentless networking, careful research, and sometimes a bit of luck to find an agent for representation.  I went to one-day conferences about the publishing industry, read websites, and talked to many authors before I found my agent.

One day, something glorious will happen. You will receive a phone call from someone who read your book and believes he or she can sell it. That will be a great day, and most likely, a memory seared into your brain.

After signing an agreement with an agent, the interactions with publishers can be challenging. There may be periods of extreme excitement and unfortunate disappointment. It’s a roller coaster ride, and a strong stomach is required. Some aspiring authors find the criticism and rejection too difficult to handle psychologically.

This is where the confidence in the overall quality and contribution of the book comes into play. It’s important for writers to accept criticism from acquiring editors and make improvements. But it’s equally important to possess a strong and steady belief in the project. Once again, a marathon runner never loses sight of the Mile 26 signpost. Most likely, the right publisher is out there.

I’m proud of Stabbing in the Senate, just as I’m proud of each of my finisher medals. The pride emanates partially from the final result. But for me, the bulk of the enjoyment came from the journey itself. Much like a marathon, if you want to write a novel, be prepared for the long uphill stretches so you can enjoy the thrill of crossing the finish line.

As part of the blog tour with Lori Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours, there is a tour-wide giveaway for several prizes. Enter using the widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Links

Webpage – www.colleenshogan.com

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/washingtonwhodunit

Twitter – www.twitter.com/cshogan276  

GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25775813-stabbing-in-the-senate

Check out the rest of the tour here:

http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/upcoming-tours/stabbing-in-the-senate-by-colleen-j-shogan/

Buy Links: Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Takhayyal 27: Imagine

Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's FIRST Takhayyal prompt for 2016!

A friend found this picture and I knew it was perfect as the first prompt in the year. I hope you find it as enticing and writing-provoking as I did.

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity.

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!

Dark Sun, Bright Moon Excerpt & Giveaway

Dark Sun, Bright Moon

By: Oliver Sparrow

Publication date: July 2014

Author Oliver Sparrow is offering one ebook copy of his book exclusively on Nadaness In Motion. Check out the blurb and read an excerpt from Chapter one then enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter below.

Blurb:

Dark Sun, Bright Moon describes people isolated in the Andes, without the least notion of outsiders. They evolve an understanding of the universe that is complementary to our own but a great deal wider. The book explores events of a thousand years ago, events which fit with what we know of the region's history,” says Sparrow.

In the Andes of a thousand years ago, the Huari empire is sick. Its communities are being eaten from within by a plague, a contagion that is not of the body but of something far deeper, a plague that has taken their collective spirit. Rooting out this parasite is a task that is laid upon Q’ilyasisa, a young woman from an obscure little village on the forgotten borders of the Huari empire.

This impossible mission is imposed on her by a vast mind, a sentience that has ambitions to shape all human life. Her response to this entails confrontations on sacrificial pyramids, long journeys through the Amazonian jungle and the establishment of not just one but two new empires. Her legacy shapes future Andean civilization for the next four hundred years, until the arrival of the Spanish.

Dark Sun, Bright Moon takes the reader on a fascinating adventure that includes human sacrifice, communities eaten from within, a vast mind blazing under the mud of Lake Titicaca, and the rise and fall of empires cruel and kind.

Chapter 1

A Small Sacrifice at Pachacamac

A priest knelt before her, a feather from his head-dress tickling her face. His musky odour of old incense and stale blood was rank, even here on the windy summit of the pyramid. Four other priests held her body tipped slightly forwards, and the pressure that this put on her tired old joints hurt far more than the fine, cold bite of the knife at her neck. Quick blood ran thick down her chin and splashed into the waiting bowl. Then the flow weakened, the strength went out of her and she died, content.

Seven elderly pilgrims had set out for Pachacamac, following their familiar river down to the coast and then trudging North through the desert sands. Two of the very oldest of them needed to be carried in litters, but most were able to walk with no more than a stick to help them in the sand. Lesser members of the community had been delegated to carry what was necessary. These would return home. The elderly would not.

The better-regarded families of the town were expected to die as was proper, sacrificed at the Pachacamac shrine for the betterment of the community. Such was to be their last contribution of ayni, of the reciprocity that assured communal harmony and health. It was also their guarantee of a smooth return to the community's soul, to the deep, impersonal structure from which they had sprung at birth.

The Pachacamac complex appeared to them quite suddenly from amongst the coastal dunes. They paused to marvel at its mountain range of pyramids, its teeming myriad of ancient and holy shrines.

Over the millennia, one particular pyramid had come to process all of the pilgrims who came from their valley. They were duly welcomed, and guards resplendent in bronze and shining leather took them safely to its precinct.

They had been expected. The priests were kind, welcoming them with food and drink, helping the infirm, leading them all by easy stages up to the second-but-last tier in their great, ancient pyramid. The full extent of the meandering ancient shrine unveiled itself like a revelation as they climbed. Then, as whatever had been mixed with their meal took its effect, they were wrapped up snug in blankets and set to doze in the late evening sun, propped together against the warm, rough walls of the mud-brick pyramid. Their dreams were vivid, extraordinary, full of weight and meaning.

The group was woken before dawn, all of them muzzily happy, shriven of all their past cares, benignly numb. Reassuring priests helped them gently up the stairs to the very top tier. In the predawn light, the stepped pyramids of Pachacamac stood sacred and aloof in an ocean of mist.

Each pilgrim approached their death with confidence. A quick little discomfort would take them back to the very heart of the community from which they had been born. They had been separated from it by the act of birth, each sudden individual scattered about like little seed potatoes. Now, ripe and fruitful, they were about to return home, safely gathered back into the community store. It was to be a completion, a circle fully joined. Hundreds of conch horns brayed out across Pachacamac as the dawn sun glittered over the distant mountains. Seven elderly lives drained silently away as the mist below turned pink.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Oliver Sparrow was born in the Bahamas, raised in Africa and educated at Oxford to post-doctorate level, as a biologist with a strong line in computer science. He spent the majority of his working life with Shell, the oil company, which took him into the Peruvian jungle for the first time. He was a director at the Royal Institute for International Affairs, Chatham House for five years. He has started numerous companies, one of them in Peru, which mines for gold. This organisation funded a program of photographing the more accessible parts of Peru, and the results can be seen at http://www.all-peru.info. Oliver knows modern Peru very well, and has visited all of the physical sites that are described in his book Dark Sun, Bright Moon.

To learn more, go to http://www.darksunbrightmoon.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22805356-dark-sun-bright-moon

Dark Sun, Bright Moon, by Oliver Sparrow, was published in July 2014 and is available for sale on Amazon in both paperback and ebook.

Aria Glazki launches new cover for Mending Heartstrings

Book: Mending Heartstrings

Author: Aria Glazki

Cover design by: Christa Holland at Paper & Sage 

(www.paperandsage.com)

Publication date: 9 February, 2016

Blurb:

Kane’s a country singer who’s tangled with too many deceitful women. He’s learned his lesson: girls are for flirting and fun; emotions are for his music. But after spending a night with an earnest woman unlike any he’s known, he can’t force her out of his mind. So he goes in search of the woman he knows only as “Elle.”

On her last night in Nashville, the staunchly pragmatic Sabella found herself in a situation more suited to a romance novel than reality. Swept away, she ignored her rigidly self-imposed rules, succumbing to the fantasy just this once. But she knows real-world relationships have nothing in common with their fictionalized portrayals. When Kane unexpectedly shows up at her Portland apartment, she must choose between the practical truths she has learned and the desire for a passionate love she has struggled to suppress.

Despite the distance, Kane’s tour schedule, and their meddling friends, both are drawn to the chance for a romance neither quite believes is possible.

Add the book to your Goodreads to-read list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27873304-mending-heartstrings

Preorder Links:

Amazon US, Amazon UK, Amazon Canada, Smashwords, iBooks

You can exclude the other cover and read an excerpt from the book in a previous post here.

About the Author:

Aria’s writing story started when her seventh-grade English teacher encouraged her to submit a class assignment for publication. That piece was printed, and let’s just say, she was hooked!

Since then, Aria has run a literary magazine, earned her degree in Creative Writing (as well as in French and Russian literatures), and been published here and there. Though her first kiss technically came from a bear cub, and no fairytale transformation followed, Aria still believes magic can happen when the right people come together—if they don’t get in their own way, that is.

Other than all things literary, Aria loves spending time with her family, including her two unbearably adorable nieces. She also dabbles in painting, dancing, playing violin, and, given the opportunity, Epicureanism.

Connect with Aria on social media:

Her website, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon

As part of the cover reveal, Aria is hosting a giveaway via the widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover reveal for Shari Lambert's Borrowed Magic

Borrowed Magic by Shari Lambert

Publication date: 1 February, 2016

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

After a three-year siege, Lord Kern, the dark mage, is dead. Magic has left Tredare, and life is almost back to normal.

For everyone except Maren, that is. 

Before the siege, an attack by Lord Kern left Maren near death and with a sliver of magic buried deep inside her. Now, for reasons Maren doesn’t understand, that magic has been triggered, giving her the ability to “see” the truth: that her world is nothing more than a magical façade; and that the kingdom’s hero may not be a hero at all.

But this gift of sight comes at a high cost. Maren is in constant pain, and fears her own death is imminent. Plus, no one believes her suspicions that another Dark Mage has risen, and that Tredare may be in just as much danger as it was when Kern was alive.

With the country’s future in the hands of a man who’s vowed revenge on its king, Maren must convince someone else of the truth. Unfortunately, the only person powerful enough to help is also the one man she can’t trust; the man she almost married; the man who abandoned her and disappeared for three years: Kern’s son.

As Tredare crumbles around them, Maren must persuade him to help – before the king is murdered by the very hero he reveres; and before the same magic that gives Maren the gift of sight also takes her life.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28146512-borrowed-magic?ac=1&from_search=1

Buy Links:

The prequel, Siege, will be available for FREE starting the 18th!

Pre-order Borrowed Magic via Kobo and Smashwords.

To celebrate the reveal, Author Shari Lambert is hosting a giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author:

Shari has always loved to read. "Bookworm" may even be an understatement. But when she discovered Georgette Heyer in high school, her love of reading exploded. Ms. Heyer's books were not only entertaining, witty, and smart, but they saved Shari from the awkward, unromantic teenage years. To this day, Shari's favorite books all have romance in them.

Although Shari spent a good deal of her time at Brigham Young University on the ballroom dance team, she did manage to get a BA in History and English before going on to get a Juris Doctorate. After graduation, she decided her first priority was to be a mom -- a career she's stuck with and loved.

In between cleaning, laundry, and homework, Shari writes. Just like with reading, she wants to get lost in a world, whether imaginary or historical.

She lives just outside of Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and four children.

Author links:

https://twitter.com/shari_lambert

https://shariwrites.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/shariwrites/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14751141.Shari_Lambert

Beaded in Mystery - Review for High Strung by Janice Peacock

High Strung by Janice Peacock is the first instalment in the Glass Beads Mystery series. The novel begins with Jax O'Connell receiving a letter from the lawyer of her late aunt Rita, who offers to give her her house in Seattle, on the condition that she – Jax – must do what she loves.

The letter, contains two of the most beautiful lines in the novel:

"I know inside your tired heart is a woman waiting to start living." Then she sets the condition, "You must live in my house and find your creative passion. I hope my gift helps you live the life you love."

Jax accepts the offer and begins to make beads in a studio she sets at the end of Aunt Rita's complex.

The novel is narrated from Jax's first person perspective, which is fun since Jax is sarcastic, fun and very down to earth.

High Strung revolves around a bead makers' event, hosted by Rosie at her shop Aztec Beads, which includes several workshops given by various bead makers from several states.

Rosie is an obnoxious and domineering character. Even her dog is annoying.

"Rosie was a fireplug of a woman; her dark hair, complete lack of neck, and right now the intense look of anger on her red face made her look like a very serious fireplug."

Ms. Peacock does a great job in drawing her characters, bringing them to life and making the reader feel as if they were part of the setting and the novel as a whole. It is easy to imagine characters; in fact, I felt as if I'd become part of the book and that going out the door I'd find Aztec beads and Jax around the corner.

Two events take place almost hours apart: Rosie is strangled by her own bead necklace and shortly after another character is killed. At first, it is unclear whether the events are connected, and later Jax and her best friend Tessa work on the how and why they may be connected.

Although the actual mystery does not begin till halfway through the book, High Strung was a fun read, especially since the characters had day-to-day ups and downs and interactions that would seem bizarre in real life but are believable when read.

The only thing I disliked about the novel was how the mystery was unfolded; it was kind of sudden in a weird way. I wanted a stronger confrontation.

Still, I liked how ordinary people had to run around looking for clues and interviewing their friends in order to discover who the killer was and why they did it – Don't depend on "Detective Grant" for that. I also enjoyed Jax's and Tessa's analysis of what they had, the possible motives and so on.

I also loved the use of bead-imagery with regards to the mystery. At one point Jax tells Tessa: "We just have to sort through the junk. You know, like organising a jumbled box of beads. All we have to do is put each piece in its proper place, and we'll be able to see what we have."

In High Strung, it is clear that the author has done massive effort and research to provide explanations for the bead-making process and descriptions for the beads, which were all colourful and just made you want to see – and acquire – many of them in real life.

There's also lots of comedy from start to finish, making it an even cozier and more enjoyable read.

"I didn't think an exploding cake was a reason to call 911, so I called you instead," Val [told Jax].

"My own animal companion was going to have a kitten (although anatomically impossible for a variety of reasons) if another animal of any kind entered his house. I was sure Gummie considered this his house, and that he let me live here simply for his own convenience, because I knew hwo to open cat food cans."

One of the best things about the novel, apart from character depth, is character development. Both protagonist Jax, and the "fireplug" Rosie see some development towards the end of the novel, which is rare in mystery novels in general.

Overall, High Strung is a fun, cozy read with beautiful characters and an interesting mystery. It is also a great start to my reading list for 2016.

Note: I received a free copy from Booktrope Publishing in exchange for an honest review. 

The Magic behind Success - Guest post by Lida Sideris - blog tour

Today, I'm featuring author Lida Sideris, her book Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters and a guest post by the author titled "The Magic Behind Success". Below you'll find a link to other stops on the tour organised by Lori Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters

By: Lida Sideris

Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

Paperback: 408 pages

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc. (11 September, 2015)

ISBN-13: 978-1509202409

E-Book ASIN: B014BVSWTE

Synopsis:

Watch out Southern California! There’s a new entertainment attorney in town and she’s got game. Only problem is, it’s not the one she should be playing. Corrie Locke belongs behind a desk, not behind a Glock. She should be taking VIP calls, not nosing around a questionable suicide. Instead, she’s hot on the trail of a murderer.

Luckily, she’s the daughter of a late, great private eye and she’s inherited his love of sleuthing…and illegal weaponry. It doesn’t help matters that her gene for caution is a recessive one. Corrie finds herself in the center of a murder case, unearthing suspects in shocking places. With a cold-blooded killer on the loose, Corrie will have to up her game, or die trying.

 The Magic Behind Success

Here we are, just after the New Year, either riding the hopeful wave of resolutions and possibilities, or accepting the well-worn track of habits. The choice is ours. Let’s think about this for a moment. Move forward or stay where we are on the path of least resistance? If you prefer the usual path, no need to read on. If you prefer the not yet experienced road of exciting possibilities, please stay.

If you’re like me, you work, whether inside the home or out. Or maybe you go to school. I’ve done all those things, so I know firsthand, that each is a full-time job. These days, I have two full-time jobs. By day, I’m a lawyer; by night and the rest of the time, I write (insert backflip and cartwheel here). I’m going to share a few of the ingredients I used to achieve my success in completing and publishing my first novel, a road I wasn’t sure I could navigate.

First off, it’s vital not to get stuck on the “how” of things. How am I going to write a novel? Focusing on the “how” may lead to defeat at the onset.  Let’s leave the “how” out of the success equation. Instead, let’s focus on action taking (you must write!) and eliminating obstacles to success. What are some of these obstacles?

-         A negative attitude;

-         Giving up too soon; and

-         Fault-finding.

Enthusiasm is a necessary ingredient to attaining success because when one feels enthusiastic, success finds us, eventually anyway. Who doesn’t enjoy being around an uplifting, enthusiastic and happy individual? Enthusiasm encourages and propels us forward, to share our talents and reveal new ones. It keeps us motivated to forge ahead. How do we stay enthusiastic? By reading positive books, watching light-hearted entertainment, and keeping higher thinking company. People who choose to accentuate the positive. As trite as it sounds, thinking happy thoughts works wonders.

       Persistence is another necessity. Without it, one may give up before discovering that success is hiding close around the corner. In a relay race, what happens if a runner quits after they start? They’ll never reach the finish line. You can have all the talent in the world, be a great intellect, achieve a stellar education, but none of it will matter if one is not determined to pursue a worthy goal to its completion. I longed to write a novel for a long, long time. It seemed such a daunting task. So I wrote small. Short essays, articles, blog posts. They gradually became longer and better with practice. I wrote a few chapters of a historical fiction tale and entered the first chapter in a contest to win a scholarship to the San Francisco Writer’s Conference. And won! I’d felt like giving up along the way. But I didn’t. That win gave me the boost to write a novel, a light-hearted mystery, Murder and Other Unnatural Disasters. The first draft wasn’t great. Neither was the next one, or the next one. Over a hundred (I lost count after thirty) revisions later, I was done. I sent it out and…attained the end result for which I’d hoped.

       And finally, one must refrain from criticism of one’s self and others. If we indulge in fault-finding, it takes us away from the full-time job of focusing on improving ourselves. Criticism diffuses our vision, weakening our purpose and goals. We don’t want that to happen.

 Now is the time to seize the opportunity of feeling rejuvenated by the thought of starting something new. We can begin by accepting the day-to-day challenges and rousing our enthusiasm to accomplish our goals. If you find your goals too lofty, take up something small at first, something you think you cannot do, and then set about accomplishing it. Once we accomplish small victories, our confidence will expand and lend momentum to the will power we need to accomplish the larger things. Like writing a novel and getting it published. Hooray!

About The Author

Like her heroine, Corrie Locke, Lida Sideris worked as an entertainment attorney for a film studio. Unlike her heroine, she did not get blackmailed into investigating the suspicious death of a co-worker. Lida resides in the northern tip of Southern California with her family, their rescue shepherds, and a flock of uppity chickens. She was one of two national recipients of the Helen McCloy/Mystery Writers of America scholarship for mystery writing.

Check out the rest of the tour here: http://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/murder-and-other-unnatural-disasters-by-lida-sideris/  

Author Links

WEBSITE:   http://www.lidasideris.com/

BLOG:     http://www.lidasideris.com/blog/

FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/lidasideris

TWITTER: @lidasideris

Add the book on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26139837-murder-and-other-unnatural-disasters