What Comes First?

I’ve got a new post over on Story Empire! Stop by, have a read, take a look around the place!

Story Empire

Greetings, SE’ers! Beem Weeks back with you again. Today, I pose the question: What comes first?

What comes first: the title or the story? Until recently I figured this to be a silly question. You know, a rhetorical thing meant to mock the foolish. Of course, the story comes first, Goofus! Nobody writes a story based on a title.

Or do they?

I discovered recently that there are authors who do indeed come up with a title first, adding the story afterward. I happened to be snooping around in a writers’ chat room some years ago—you know, one of those internet sites where people group together to discuss whatever may be the topic. Anyway, the question was asked: When do you come up with the title, before or after the story is written?

Okay, so call me old fashioned. I’ve always written the story before deciding on a title. It…

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Book Review Tuesday: Jazz Baby by Beem Weeks, #historical fiction #comingofage, Outside by Ragnar Jonasson #internationalmystery #crimefiction @beemweeks

Mae Clair has written a wonderful review of Jazz Baby. Stop by her blog and have a look around.

From the Pen of Mae Clair

It’s past the mid point of April and we had snow yesterday. Not anything that laid on the ground, but the fact that it was even tumbling from the sky seemed so wrong. I resisted the urge to sob, reminding myself we have warmer temperatures coming later this week. Hopefully, yesterday’s snow was winter’s last sneeze.

On a positive note, I have book reviews to share! The first is a gritty and vibrant piece of historical fiction. Sadly, the second fell short of what I expected, but since it’s a Net Galley selection, I felt the need to post my review.

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JAZZ BABY
by Beem Weeks

★★★★★

Beem Weeks will take you back in time with this story of a young girl who dreams of becoming a jazz singer. Emily Ann “Baby” Teegarten is gifted with an amazing voice, but her life falls apart when her…

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MKTG #13 – BOOKBUB ADS

BookBub ads: Do they benefit an author?

Story Empire

Hello, SE’ers!

Jan here with a look at another marketing avenue. I know lots of authors who have had success with BookBub Deals. There are stringent requirements attached to BookBubDeals and they can cost anywhere from $300 upwards to $800. But BookBub ads are something completely separate.

Today, I’m going to share with you my BookBub ads experiment.

Courtesy Pixabay and Canva

Why would you consider a BookBub ad?

Or maybe I should back up a step. Why would you want to have a profile on BookBub?

First of all, it’s free. Secondly, besides Goodreads, it is the largest and most visible place where readers go for the sole purpose of discovering new authors and books. It is also another place readers can post reviews and recommend books.

If you do not have a BookBub profile, I highly encourage you to create one. Then let us know, so we can…

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Crafting Rich Characters (Part 4)

Author D. Wallace Peach offers a blueprint for creating realistic and complex characters.

Story Empire

Greetings Storytellers! We’re off to Part 4 of Crafting Rich Characters. In Part 1, we explored a character’s physical appearance, mannerisms, and quirks. In Part 2, we covered Attributes and Traits, Skills and Abilities, and Occupations and Interests. And in Part 3, we looked at the Formative Backstory, Core Values, and The Lie.

In this post, we’re going to explore some of my favorite parts of character building: Secrets, The Big Fear, and The Mask. We’ll look at the juicy parts of the characters that create tension, obstacles, and perhaps some mystery.

Secrets

All images from Pixabay

Now things get a little interesting. Where The Lie (Part 3) covered information the character doesn’t know, now we’re talking about things the character knows and doesn’t want anyone else to find out.

Secrets are secrets for a reason; they involve risk. Some secrets are small – the “homemade” pie…

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The Hat is Humorous and Original

The Blurb:

Lizzie St. Laurent is dealing with many of the struggles of young life. She lost her grandmother, and her living arrangements. Her new roommate abandoned her, and she’s working multiple jobs just to keep her head above water.

She inherits an old hat from her grandmother’s estate, but it belonged to her grandfather. This is no ordinary hat, but a being from an alternate dimension. One with special powers.

Lizzie and the hat don’t exactly hit it off right away, but when her best friend’s newborn is kidnapped by a ring of baby traffickers, Lizzie turns to the hat for help. This leads her deep into her family history and a world she’s never known.

Lizzie gives up everything to rescue the babies. She loses her jobs, and may wind up in jail before it’s over. Along the way, she and the hat may have a new way of making ends meet.

Humorous and fun, The Hat is novella length. Wonderful escapism for an afternoon.

My Review:

Rating: ★★★★★

When 21-year-old Lizzie’s grandmother passes away, she seeks a memento, a personal item meant to help the young woman grieve Granny. But an uncle gets there before her, and has liquidated much of Grandma’s personal effects. A last-minute decision finds Lizzie snatching an old hat from the remainder of the possessions. Thus begins the often-humorous journey of Lizzie and the Hat.

Author C. S. Boyack is a master storyteller with an incredible imagination. He has created a world and characters that stand out as original and seriously entertaining. Boyack mixes humor with high adventure in equal measures. Giving a memorable personality to a hat is something only a skilled writer can do. I found this story to be delightful and fun. This is the first book in a series that I look forward to completing.

I highly recommend this tale to any reader who enjoys originality at its finest. A wonderful work from an author worthy of celebration. Well done, Mr. Boyack.

About the Author:

I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I’m not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times, and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction.

I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century, and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet.

I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Craig

Where to Buy: