Co-Authors: Blending Creative Brains

For most authors, writing is a solitary pursuit. There's no one with whom you have to consult on names, plot ideas, character actions or motivations. There's also no one to argue with your decision if you suddenly want to veer from the original story line. All of that changes when you decide to collaborate on a writing project.

I've heard others speak of some great collaborations, yet others have been left hurt, confused, and/or frustrated. For me, working with co-authors has been not only a positive experience, but also fruitful and deeply satisfying.

Why did it take a collaboration to bring three of my projects to fruition? Because I'm not an expert on musical composing, nor am I an expert in internet safety or police procedure.

2007 - Times Square, NYC

My first collaboration wasn't with one, but two, co-creators. In 2005, I convinced two friends, Laura E. Williams, the author of the award-winning middle grades novel, Behind the Bedroom Wall, and Joan Burr, my dear friend and colleague in the middle school where we both taught for decades, (Wow! That makes us sound super old!) to write a full-length musical based on Laura's book. 

It was an incredibly seamless transition from being three independent creatives working on our own projects to a thriving threesome working on a labor of love that required the varied strengths of each of us in order to ensure success. It took us approximately 8 months to pull it all together in a full draft that we could then use as the production piece for our sixth graders in Drama Club at Gideon Welles School in Glastonbury, CT. We each had our roles in the writing and production. 

Laura and I mainly worked on the script - but Joan was involved in the brainstorming and planning. Usually what would happen is I would convert the chapter/scene of the book into script format, then Laura and I massaged it to make it flow. For the scenes that were added to the musical but not part of the book, the three of us brainstormed the scenes. Joan was the brains behind composing and she wrote most of the music for it and did all of the arrangements. Laura and I each contributed three songs, then the three of us collaborated on two or three songs, then Joan wrote the rest and pulled it all together into a a fully composed musical. MAGIC! 

2006 Rehearsal for BTBW- the Musical

The musical was produced for eight audiences of 400+ attendees. (So more than 3200 people have hopefully enjoyed the show.) It was also backed by The Bushnell, the performing arts center in Hartford, who encouraged Connecticut Repertory Theater to workshop it using equity actors from New York City. It was a pretty exciting endeavor as the three of us were called into action to make some major revisions based on suggestions from the CRT director, Gary English.

So, here's how we stayed in sync with one another: hours and hours of meetings after school in Joan's music classroom, in our homes, in restaurants, over the phone, and then an utterly hilarious weekend writing retreat in the suite of a local hotel - not to mention the weeks we worked at the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs with Director Gary English, Mary Costello, a phenomenal stage manager, and the actors from NYC. We debated a lot, laughed a lot, but above all else, respected each other A LOT! I'd love to do it all over again with Joan and Laura. The only hitch...Laura moved to Hawaii, I moved to the Finger Lakes of New York, and Joan is traveling the countryside visiting family and working on another successful musical collaboration with another musical friend, Nina Allbert. (Laura and I aren't jealous - MUCH... haha!) Seriously, with today's technology, I bet we could write another musical together.

My other collaboration is with my co-author on two books, Scott Driscoll. After my first published novel, FINDING ATTICUS, came out, Scott approached me about collaborating on a book based on an idea he'd had for several years. As a police officer, DARE instructor, and owner of Internet Safety Concepts, his desire to educate kids and their families on the dangers lurking when using technology was inherent. At first, I was hesitant. As Scott declared right up front, he was an idea man, not a writer. That's why he came to me. We sat and brainstormed what the collaboration could look like, and before he'd walked out of my classroom, we'd formed a new partnership.

This collaboration was very different. Scott was eager to learn the ins and outs of writing a book. Because of the format we chose for the book's set-up, I wrote the fictional parts and he wrote the non-fiction, educational parts. We then worked together on the reinforcement activity at the end of each chapter. It took more than a year of meetings and brainstorming calls to pull the book together. I'll never forget the excitement on his face when he first held a book with HIS name on the cover (along with mine, of course). Thus. our novel, www.RUinDanger.net was ready for others to read, and Scott's dream of having his idea become a book and get published had become a reality. (By the way, he's become a pretty darned good writer along the way, too! He's starting to really grasp story structure, character development, and all those things authors need to understand.)

After that, I went back to writing books on my own. The next book out was OVER THE EDGE in 2014, but Scott was always in my ear asking when we could write another one together. (I guess that's proof that the first experience wasn't horrifying. 😉) For two or three years we bantered around ideas for plots that would incorporate his expertise and experiences doing undercover work in internet crimes against children into a story. While we bantered, I continued writing other books on my own. Then, right after BEFORE I KNEW came out in December of 2016, his wife, Bonnie, commented on my Facebook post about the book coming out and asked, "So, when are you and Scott going to write the next one together?" I responded, "He has a small window of time to catch me before an idea for one of my own books takes over again."

Scott seized on the opportunity. He saw the message and texted me at 7:00 a.m. while I was making my breakfast and said, let's talk. And, the rest, as they say, is history. It took us two years, and me writing and publishing another book, ATTIC LETTERS, in between, but now our latest collaboration is almost ready to meet the world. YOU CAN TRUST ME is nothing like my other stories, but that's because I worked with Scott who introduced a whole new dimension of thinking to my world. (This book is realistic fiction, and we hope it will be a wake-up call to families who dismiss the ease at which predators can get inside their lives and homes. Yes, it can happen to you!) 

So, back to the decision to collaborate. How do you know if it's going to work? To be honest, chances are you won't know until you give it a try. First, you have to really, really like and respect the person with whom you're considering forming a creative partnership. For me, I have to know them - WELL! Writing something together requires you to let a lot of walls down and get very personal at times. (Scott, and my husband, Jim, jokingly refer to me as Scott's writing wife.) That's because in addition to respect, you have to have a whole lot of trust in the other person. 

That trust comes on many levels during the writing process, including agreeing on the story line, making sure the work is equally distributed, and the vision for the cover. It also includes the financial aspect of the project when it's completed. How do you decide who pays for what? How will royalties be paid out? What will marketing look like?

This is a long missive to get around to my main point. Based on my experience, here are the characteristics necessary in all collaborators if it's going to be a positive and productive experience.

Imagination

Respect

Patience

Flexibility

Trust

Open-mindedness

Humor

Willingness to Learn

Would I collaborate again? Scott says yes. 😀 

Meanwhile, keep your eyes open for YOU CAN TRUST ME to come out within the next couple of months.

Please visit my website: www.lauriegiffordadams.com

p.s. If you're married and planning to take on a co-author, it also helps if your spouse understands that you're going to spend a lot of necessary time with your co-author. There's just no way around it. Thanks to Jim, Bonnie, and The Rog for understanding this. 💝

The Calm Before the....Release!

The word CALM is probably really inaccurate. I'm going to break down that phrase in the title so you understand what it really means to have a new book released.

But first...YUM! (It's always good to keep the end rewards in the forefront of your mind. Motivation!)
                           

What happens during the CALM phase...

I write the book.
I set it aside for a few years because other writing projects (and distractions, like moving from Connecticut to New York and looking for new career, come up)
I finally pull the book back out and re-write it because there's a lot I've learned about writing in the last 17 years.
I edit and revise.
I edit and revise more... (repeat 15 times at least)

I go through critique sessions with my critique partners, Lorraine and Dot. They call me out on everything that doesn't make sense, everything that isn't believable, every part of the plot that hangs them up.

I edit and revise more... (repeat several times again)

The draft goes out to beta readers who don't read it like writers; they read the book like readers. They tell me what they like. They catch little errors that somehow slipped by. They tell me what they didn't like. 

I edit and revise more... (repeat several times again)

Meanwhile, I contact a new cover designer who, thankfully, is fabulous to work with. 
We exchange dozens and dozens of emails trying to work out the particulars of the cover, the title, the back copy, the formatting.

We edit and revise more...

We work on formatting issues.

We're finally satisfied with that part. 

It's ready for publication!


THE RELEASE - Oh happy days leading up to it...

I have to let readers know that it's coming out soon. How do I do that?

I do a cover unveiling on Facebook. Over the course of a couple of days, I'll share the cover and the back cover copy.

I have a pre-release contest and give away lots of prizes because that's so much fun!

I share the release date with people

Send out some tweets

Share on Instagram

Have an "Ask the author" day on Facebook. 

Market...market...market...

Eat chocolate-covered strawberries and warm chocolate chip cookies - because that's a great way to celebrate! (See pictures at the top!!!)
  
And, after all of this...I say lots of prayers and cross my fingers that readers will enjoy the book and encourage others to buy it, as well. I ask those readers to put a review on Amazon and Good Reads so others might find my book and be interested.

Keep phone handy so movie producers can contact me.... (Okay, there's nothing wrong with dreaming big, right?)

I guess there really is no calm before the release - and I've only shared a little here.

SO WHY DID I WRITE THIS BLOG? HINT...HINT...

It's a Title! What's the big deal?

Like many authors, especially we indie authors, deciding on the title of a book can be pretty difficult and time-consuming. That may seem ridiculous, but if you think about it, the title of your book is the first step to catching a potential reader's attention. The next is the back cover blurb, but that's a whole different topic.

A title has to fit the tone of the story.

My current w.i.p. is a contemporary young adult novel. For a long time I didn't have a title for it. Then after discussions with writing friends, the title "If I Knew" surfaced. While I liked it, and the questions it raised, something about it hasn't set right with me. I don't even remember what the first working title was. I was about on Chapter five when my writing friend, Mary Buckham, and I were on the phone brainstorming when she threw this one onto the list. The title works...it fits the book...and it raises story questions, so technically, it's a "hook". I decided unless I came up with something different, this title would be fine.

But it wasn't. Over the past year, I've sought suggestions from others, did my own private brainstorming, put those ideas out on Facebook to get feedback from readers, and still, nothing seemed better than "If I Knew", so I kept it.

I made a mock up of a cover just to try and make it look official. (I am not a cover artist, by the way, although it's not horrible.) I'm someone who is motivated by something that forces me to finish...like a cover.  I thought seeing the title on a cover would make it feel right.
                                                        

Um, nope.

So, today, I was writing the back cover copy. As soon as I wrote the first line of the second paragraph, I realized what was wrong. The word IF was hanging me up. I didn't like the word IF. (Maybe it's because I like to fancy myself a decisive person. <grin>)

I wrote the line "Before I discovered..."

Then, for the next line I realized I was starting the sentence with  "Before I met..."

Next, "Before I realized..."

Then, I got to the last line, and it flowed out. "Before I Knew..." As soon as I wrote the words, I felt something in me settle. I like the word "before". It raises questions.

Before what?  Before she knew what? How did learning what she didn't know before change her life? What changed? Was it positive or negative? (The options for questions goes beyond these.)

So, why is the title important? It should catch a reader's attention so that they're asking a question...hopefully a question that they just can't bear to move on in life without getting the answer. #booksales

And the title has to fit the book so the reader isn't misled. If they pick up the book based on the title, and then the story line doesn't pan out to fit with the title, the reader may get annoyed or frustrated and put it down - and then that means they won't recommend it to others. So, if my title seems to point toward a mystery or something humorous, but the theme is really about building family relationships, healing broken people, etc., then there are going to be annoyed readers when they find out they aren't going to laugh throughout the book or sit on the edge of their seat wondering "whodunit".

My advice: without giving any details about the story line, share your potential title with others. Ask them what comes to mind when they hear it. Then, add a little detail about the story and see if they still feel it fits.

With my mock up cover up above, I asked people if they were picking this book up in the store and had to guess at what the story was about without seeing anything other than the cover with title and tag line, what does this cover tell them. Many were right on the mark about the general sense of the story. Imagine my surprise when a couple of people asked in horror, "Is she going to kill the horse?" And they were serious.

You, as the author, know exactly what the title is supposed to convey. Readers who don't know the story have nothing to go by. So, choose your title carefully, run it past a few people, and always be open to the possibility that there's a better title out there than the one you've fallen in love with.

Editing and revising...it's even important with book titles.

What's in a critique partner?

No! I'm not talking about what my critique partners just had for dinner.
I'm not talking about their anatomy, either.

Most writers have at least one, if not more than one, critique partner. I'm the type that prefers multiple critique partners. I think multiple critique partners are going to keep you honest - and keep each other honest. You hear different viewpoints (that you then can choose to ignore or grab nuggets from to improve the plot, or character, or whatever the suggestion was for.)

Writing is more often than not a very solitary venture. I dare guess that most writers tend to secret themselves away from other distractions in their lives and write in a room or office closed off to the rest of the world. If this is you, raise your hand. (Oh, sorry, I couldn't actually see those hands go up, but I felt a breeze in the air that told me you did it!) Having a critique partner helps take away the feeling of isolation that can come with being a writer.

I have been in more than one critique group over the years. Each one was configured differently. (If you're not interested in the different configurations of the groups I was in and my explanation of the pros and cons, you can scroll down to the part: What I look for in critique partners and where to find critique partners. I even put them in a different font and color to distinguish them. BUT, I think you'll learn something from my critique group history, too.)

This blog is also very "link-heavy", so I hope you'll read the blog in its entirety before going back to click on the links.

                               THE DAWNING OF MY CRITIQUE GROUPS
                                       (I was going for a catchy heading, here.)

The first group I was ever in (almost 30 years ago!) started out with about 20 members. Looking back, I now realize that wasn't a critique group. That was a bunch of writers getting together and sharing their work.  It wasn't even the same kind of work. Some wrote poems, some were working on books, some were working on memories. There wasn't time to really critique each person's work, and it was hard to be focused on what I needed to do to get better with so many different kinds of writing being presented. The positive was that it connected me with some other people who were writing what I was writing. So, that led to...

My next, and longest running, critique group, was pretty effective for helping me grow as a writer. There were five regulars, but often there were six or seven of us. All women. That was okay, though, because we were all focused on some aspect of romance writing. We were also all in the same RWA chapter. (RWA = Romance Writers of America, the largest organized group of writers worldwide.) I have to thank Zita Christian, a past president of the Connecticut chapter and a dear friend for convincing us to join. We needed that professional push. (Zita is also a top-notch brain stormer whose insight helped me put the "icing on the cake" in my book Over the Edge. Thanks, Zita. Take a bow!)

In meetings, we discussed our stories, but we also talked about the craft of writing, about the publishing world and expectations. What I learned from being in this group was that I needed to be in a "focused" group of people who understood my genre. We usually met once a month. That was not the most productive frequency, but it's what fit our busy lives at the time. Unfortunately, life (and sadly, the death of our original organizer), started interrupting our opportunities to meet regularly. Most of us were only writing sporadically, or not at all, and we eventually drifted apart as a critique group. (But, we've remained good friends who are there for each other to support in any way we can.) Leslie Nielsen, Crystal Smith, Christine Church, and Sandra Hassan, this is where you raise your hands.

I need critique groups. I found two colleagues who taught in the same school system as I did, and added in the mother of one of my former students who was also writing, and we formed my next critique group. So, there were four of us: one man and three women. We kept it to this size because we wanted to make sure we had enough time to get through everyone's writing within two or so hours. The positive about this group is that we all worked with pre-teens and teens, so we understood the audience for our writing. Unfortunately we had just found our groove as a group when I moved to NY. I'm happy to say that every one of us has found some sort of success with our writing since "our break-up". haha! We've all been published in some form, and we're still cheerleaders for each other and always will be. Dave Polochanin, Suzanne Cordatos and Michelle Vigue: it's your turn to raise your hand.

When I returned to my home state of New York, I was invited to be a part of another critique group with an eclectic mix of writing styles, genres, genders and ages. The youngest member was a young man in his thirties (go ahead, Jamie Henshaw, if you're reading this, raise your hand), several middle-aged women, and the oldest was Jamie's father in-law who I guess was probably in his seventies. This was a good "starting point" for me when I came back because I got to meet other writers and TALK writing. I love talking about writing. I met with this group for about a year, but our meetings also fell by the wayside. I also attended a few meetings of another writing group that was more into sharing than critiquing. It was a very nice group of people, but they met on a weekday during the day. Anyway, I started working full time again, so that was the end of that.

But out of that first NY group came one of my current critique partners. Lorraine Lander and I wanted to get a small group together that was focused on the same genre and with the goal of publishing sooner rather than "whenever". We searched and searched for at least one other person to form a group. Then a writing friend from way out in Washington State (Mary B., that was your cue to raise your hand) suggested I contact a writer she knew in our area. Lorraine and I met Dorothy Callahan (although we call her Dot) at Olive Garden to see if it seemed like we might be a good match, and, voilà! We've been working together for almost three years. I also have another writer friend, Lisa Tapp, with whom I work long-distance. Mary Buckham, writer and teacher extraordinaire, also connected me with Lisa. Each of these women brings a different knowledge, skill and interest to our discussions about writing. 

Lorraine Lander and Dorothy Callahan have pushed me to complete my books. They give me the proverbial "slap upside the head" if something in the plot doesn't work or make sense. They brainstorm with me when I hit a brick wall with the plot and I need to get over that wall. I'm very fortunate that I was able to connect with these two ladies.

So, after all of that, what's the take-away for other writers? Well, I can tell you what my criteria is for critique partners, and maybe that will help you when you're trying to put a group together.

                                         WHAT I LOOK FOR IN CRITIQUE PARTNERS

1. I have to "like" them as people in order to work with them. This is important because I'm going to be putting my "baby" in their hands at every critique meeting, and that requires trust on my part. What do I need to "trust"? I need to trust that they have my best interests at heart when they're dealing with my "baby", because there are times when my baby is just plain bad. I need to know they won't "throw the baby out with the bathwater" but will give me suggestions on how to clean it up.

2. Connecting to that trust is trusting that they will be honest. If what I've written is weak, I have to trust that they won't tell me it's the best thing they've ever read. I need them to be honest with me and tell me that they're just not buying the scenario. Or, there's no logic in this plot point or scene Or, your character is too one-dimensional. You get the idea...if they aren't honest, how will my writing improve?

3.  I need critique partners who aren't sensitive and can accept the negative parts of a critique. Maybe they won't agree with it, but I need to know they're going to consider that they might be blind to the issue because they're too close to the story. (After all, who wants to admit that they're "baby" isn't wonderful?) If every one of my suggestions, concerns, comments, falls on deaf ears with the partners, then why should I bother giving feedback? They would feel the same way, I'm sure.

4. They have to be committed to writing, too. There have been a handful of meetings when I have gone without new material, and boy, it's made me feel like a slacker! They push me to have something for each meeting. (They aren't bullies, don't worry. The pressure is totally internal coming from me.)

5. They have to be actively learning about writing, as well. When we're all hitting the NY Times best-seller list consistently, then we might have a little leeway with each other in the learning department. But a writer only gets better by studying the craft. 

6. My critique partners need to be as invested in my story as I am in theirs. The only way brainstorming can be effective is if we each feel some kind of ownership/loyalty to what the others have written. It's not just courtesy, it's what makes the brainstorming worthwhile. If they don't care about my characters or the story, they're not going to be able to help me work through those "bumps" in the plot.

7. They have to turn over a percentage of their earnings to me.
    (Okay, maybe not,  but for just a second it sounded like a great idea. haha!)

WHERE TO FIND CRITIQUE PARTNERS

1. Ask the library if you can hang a sign seeking other writers for a group

2. Check with the local libraries and see if there are any groups that meet there.

3. Join on-line groups for writers. (Of course, be careful and discriminating)

4. Check at local bookstores. They often feature local authors on their shelves.

5. Join local writers groups and actively participate at meetings. If you only go to one or two meetings, don't expect a critique partner to jump out at you. You need to show a commitment, and you'll start making connections.

If you have other suggestions, please feel free to comment. We're all in this crazy writing thing together.

The Art of Writing Realistic Young Adult Fiction in a Dystopian-driven World

Because one of my Google alerts is "realistic young adult fiction", I'm notified when something goes out on the web that deals with that topic. Today, a well-written opinion piece came across from The Valley Vanguard online that was written by Brianna Rivet, a young woman whom I am guessing is a junior at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. (Okay, I'm not a detective, but I get a kick out of putting clues together.) The title of her piece caught my attention right away: Young adult fiction stagnant, troublingly formulaic. I was curious to see her take, as a young adult, on what she considered stagnant and formulaic.

I found her opinion refreshing and "real".  (Okay, of course, since it aligned with my thinking, I would agree with her. Isn't that how we all operate, anyway?) But seriously, while I was probably looking for affirmation and validation for the genre in which I write in an era when dystopian and "other realm" stories are at the top of the bestseller lists, I had to agree with her. (Okay, color me green! Yes, those dystopian books that have graced the top of the bestseller list do make me a little jealous.)

Just hear me out...I'm going to guess that 99% of the young adult readers will never be faced with trying to outwit an opponent who is out to kill them before they get killed themselves, or fighting against entities that morph from one being to another. These are nowhere in the realm of reality of what they may have to face in their lives. It's fun to imagine other worlds and other beings (although, I do get concerned with so much violence in today's literature and entertainment) but it seems many of them are just trying to jump on the coattails of a few successes. Don't get me wrong. We do need stories for escapism, but there are other ways to escape into a different world - a world they would recognize.  A world that isn't so bleak.

I guess when compared to the last decade's best sellers, I'm a rebel who marches to her own drum. I write the stories I wanted to read as a middle schooler and young adult. (I also taught middle school English for 26 years, so I had plenty of conversations with thousands of readers in my classroom who weren't shy about telling me what they did and dd not like in the books they read.) They don't want to feel unempowered when they're through.

As a contemporary, realistic fiction author, one of my goals with my stories is to showcase real teenagers in real situations that are not ordinary to the majority of teenagers, but are situations they will probably encounter during their formative teenage, angst-driven years. (How was that for a lofty, mouthful goal?) My characters don't fight off dragons, werewolves, vampires and demons. No, they struggle with real-life issues: the death of a close loved one , a family member with a disability, adoption, a family member with war-related PTSD, new relationships, real-life difficult choices and moral issue struggles.

Realistic fiction can subliminally, or even overtly, give them tools and confidence to deal with real-life situations. I dare say it can give them hope. While the characters in the books are fictional, teens will identify with those who are the same age as they are and in their mind will process their situations as real.

A quote from The Valley Vanguard resonated with me:

           "If YA (young adult) fiction starts to challenge young adults to think differently about the world
           around them, it could start to bring a real, important impact to the shaping of a generation."


That quote sums up my goal. I want my books to entertain, for sure, but I also want them to empower readers. And, yes, the teacher in me will always want to make sure readers learn something from my stories. I want to be that writer who has a positive impact "to the shaping of a generation".

One review on Amazon of my novel Over the Edge is my all-time favorite because, although it's written by an adult, it proves to me that I have accomplished my goal with that book. Karen Jensen (and, no, I don't personally know her) wrote:

While I haven't read many books with autistic characters, this one stood out as amazingly real. Dylan's brother is a regular kid in many ways, and because Erik is never presented as exceptionally angelic or exceptionally pitiable, Dylan's quest to look out for him without sacrificing his own interests is gripping.

I kept hoping he'd do the right thing, because he's a likeable guy, but there were times when it seemed impossible. Again, nothing came across as unrealistic; it was easy to envision every situation happening to real people who might live just down the street.

By the end, I found myself no longer feeling nervous about volunteering for the special-needs students at church. It was so empowering to read about an autistic boy who really IS just another kid with problems that aren't his fault, and the kind of (good and bad) reactions Erik generates among family, neighbors, and Dylan's classmates...especially the compelling Willow and the frightening Brock.

SHAZAM! Score one for me! Yippie-ti-yi-yo! Hooray! I accomplished my goal!

As a writer, tackling unique, contemporary subjects isn't easy, but it is as diverse as the real world. I don't think there's anything stagnant or formulaic about it. Why wouldn't I want to take advantage of that?

Lest it seem that I was doing any genre bashing, I'll qualify what I've just written with these comments. I'm sure most writers write what they like to read.  It doesn't mean the books I don't normally pick up aren't great. It just means they're not for me...which means, there are probably other readers who feel the same way.

If you're a writer, here's my advice: Let your heart and passion flow out through your fingers and into the keyboard. There are readers out there for everything. And may your novel hit the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list - well, that is, after mine has ended its 100 week reign there! <wink>

Where Ideas for Characters Really Come From

Are you sure you want to be a character in my book?

After Finding Atticus was published, one of my male students (I'll call him "Zeke" to protect his identity) announced, with his chest puffed out, at the beginning of class one day, "Mrs. Adams, since you have a girl on the cover of your first book, now you should put me on the cover of the next book. I could be the protagonist." (We'd been studying literary terms, so I guess he figured if he threw in one of those cherished words, it would charm me into writing him into my story line.)

Uh-huh...I thought it was a great idea. Although I have no connection to the model on the cover of Over the Edge, I certainly kept this young man's suggestion in mind. In middle school, he was a pretty popular "cool" kid, with lots of friends. Girls turned their heads when he walked down the hall. He was athletic. He was a charmer. But he had one flaw that he didn't know I knew about (besides his vanity) - he was a bully to his sister (she confided in me a few times) and he also put down those he saw as "not cool". He was good material for a character, all right.

So, did he show up in my book?

Oh, yeah! Enter the writing of Over the Edge.

Zeke didn't exactly get top billing in the book, though, because he didn't qualify as a protagonist. So what role did he earn? The antagonist, of course. (Bet you saw THAT one coming!) When I was writing Brock Anderson, the bully, into my book, "Zeke" was the inspiration for the mental image that kept me going. Every time I had the protagonist, Dylan, "one up" the bully, Brock, I smiled and gave a mental high five to "Zeke's" sister who had been bullied by him all those years. In the end, "Zeke" ...errr, Brock..got his "comeuppance". Because in my books, bullies don't win.

Just for the record, others have played a positive inspirational role in my plots. In Finding Atticus, my husband's Uncle Bud Hubbard was clearly the inspiration for "Mr. Hubbard". Everyone loved Uncle Bud, and in the book, Mr. Hubbard was a lovable character. My Aunt Ida's name showed up in the book, although I didn't equate my young, vibrant real-life aunt as being the counterpart to littlle, spunky old lady Ida Parker in the nursing home in the book. (Whew, I hope that description keeps me out of the dog house with my aunt!)
   Uncle Bud

In the non-fiction book I wrote with Scott Driscoll, www.RUinDanger.net,  there were many "characters" from my past who had roles in the different chapters in that book. Even scenarios from my teen years were the impetus for situations and characters that we pointed out as "flawed". (That's a writer's way of saying they were naughty people in real life, and I decided to make an example of them! Poetic justice right there, folks!)

So, let's get back to my original question. Are you sure you want to be a character in one of my books? <insert evil laugh here> Maybe you already are and you just don't realize it. Like most writers, I am constantly watching, listening, taking in, examining, analyzing and scrutinizing people (that's a lot of "ing" going on, I know...), all so that my characters come across as real people. 

Karen Jensen, a reader who left a review for Over the Edge on Amazon, had this to say about Dylan, the protagonist, and the rest of the characters:

"I kept hoping he'd (Dylan) do the right thing, because he's a likeable guy, but there were times when it seemed impossible. Again, nothing came across as unrealistic; it was easy to envision every situation happening to real people who might live just down the street."

Why, thank you, Karen. You managed to reveal my well-kept secret. If any of you read my books and something or someone seems vaguely familiar to you, just remember the disclaimer at the front of each book:

    This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

In other words, "if the shoe fits", don't try and sue me for defamation of character. The character may look, sound and act like you, but you'll never know if it really IS you. 

Go ahead...read the books and find yourself - um, I mean - lose yourself in the pages. And think long and hard before you ask an author to create a character based on you. You may get more than you bargained for. 

Book Marketing Conundrum

For my first blog, I'm going to get right to the point.

Like so many authors, I love writing books - I'm just not good at the marketing part. There! I laid my weakness out there before you. Chew me up...spit me out...but remember, you can read my books and chew at the same time.

There are various reasons I'm not good at marketing (and the reason I'm starting with this is that I know so many other writers have the same hang ups with it. If you see yourself in any of my excuses, then it will probably be helpful for you to read later about how I plan to improve on those and become better at marketing.)

Here's a taste of my excuses for my lack of marketing:


1. I'm cheap ...errr, I mean, I'm thrifty.  
    A. I want the return on investment to be worthwhile, so if I'm going to pay for marketing, I want it to pay off by reaching new readers.
    B. I want readers to find me through osmosis so it doesn't cost anything and I don't have to work at it.  (Yeah, good luck with that one, chickie!) When you're starting out, you have to go TO the readers, and eventually, if you've done it all right, the readers will come to you.

2. The business side of writing is daunting.
     A. Do you know how many other writers are trying to sell books, too? (Well, okay, I don't actually know the number, either, but I can tell you it's probably somewhere between five and ten million. This
photo shows just a few of the books that my writer friends (and I) are hoping people will buy...and this isn't even ALL of my writer friends who have books available. And you thought I was being dramatic with my numbers...)

   
     B. It's hard to decide what kind of marketing will be most effective. 
         a. If I can get a newspaper article written, great! (I've had newspaper and television news stories done about Finding Atticus and my co-author, Scott, has had multiple appearances on television where he has been able to mention our book www.RUinDanger.net) For niche books, like I write, those avenues are a little more open, but I still have to look for the interesting angle that will catch a reporter's interest.
        b. For the most part, book signing events aren't effective for me. Until my name gets as big as  J. K. Rowling or whoever wrote the Hunger Games series (selective blocking of the author's name out of jealousy!), anyway, until I'm well-known, I'll probably make very few sales at book signings. I can more wisely use that time working on the next book. (Notice I said, "until I'm well-known"...I'm an eternal optimist.)

3.   Marketing takes me away from creating. (Well, yeah, so does making dinner, watching a movie, riding my horses, gardening, working a full-time job... okay, you get the picture. They're all just excuses for avoiding something that takes concerted effort.)

4. I spend too much time looking at others' posts on social media. (Self-explanatory.)


Now, that part of the post wasn't helpful at all, was it? We all have excuses for why we're not marketing more. Don't give up on this post yet, though.

With the pity party behind me, it's time to take action. I'm going to start by taking these baby steps, and if you're also in a marketing slump, maybe this will help spur you on, too.

1. Make sure my website is current and dynamic.
     A. Does it reflect who I am and the image I want to project as a writer and as a likable person? (Let's face it, sometimes an author can turn readers off so they're not even interested in taking a chance on the book.)  You can check out my "work in progress" website here:  www.lauriegiffordadams.com

2. Make sure I post more on Twitter, but not just post, but make them meaningful posts. But, more than that, make sure the hashtags work for me. (I credit my son, Nick Adams from Revault Media for the marketing tips with Twitter.)  You can follow me at Laurie G Adams

3. Experiment with a sponsored post on Facebook, but make sure my target audience is carefully selected.

4. Make this blog relevant to other writers who are in the same boat as I am. It's always good to get grounded and realize we're all in this together. (Oh, and post a blog more than once a month!)

Bottom line - writing is fun, marketing what you've written is not, but if you want to sell books, you have to do it.

With that last thought in mind, if you are so inclined to read about my books (and buy them if they interest you), please visit my website: www.lauriegiffordadams.com

Next blog: Suggestions for ways to kick-start your muse when she's gone AWOL