When Fantasy and Reality Clash

Let me set the scene for you: It's mid-day in mid-April. The skies are as clear as a baby's complexion, and a beautiful deep blue. The wind, what little there is, cools our skin; the temp is close to 70. The place - Costal Virginia. The event - a one-year-olds birthday party.

So, all you post-apocalyptic fans out there, look at the picture below. What AMC show title slaps you in the face when you peek at the pic? What music theme enters your brain? What do you expect to come out of the sparse woodlot?

If you answered anything but THE WALKING DEAD, you are incorrect.

Come on, don't you just expect zombies to come out of the head-height brush? Sneaking up (as best as zombies can) and claiming these folks as victims? If you are one of the people in the pic, what would you do if you heard the telltale moans coming from the woods? Run like hell, right? Just be sure to grab the baby on your dash back to the apartment.

It's not Georgia, but it's Close

Truth be told, almost all of THE WALKING DEAD has been filmed in Georgia. And almost all of it within a stone's throw of Atlanta. The above pic, again, is from Virginia. But much of the south - to a northerner like me - is similar. And it iss a great place for the series to be based.

If you're a fan of THE WALKING DEAD you'll be happy to know that I have two posts coming up next month about the show. I'll give you my take on the good and puzzling of the series (now ready for season six next fall). I already said I'm a fan, but there are still things that make me wonder. I bet some of you have the same thoughts.

What would YOU change?

If we are honest, there are always things you would change in what you watch and read. Some characters are portrayed incorrectly, perhaps: Daryl should have shorter hair? Lori should still be alive? Why are they circling Atalanta for so long? So many questions; so much opportunity for interpretation.

Look for those posts in the next three or four weeks. Even if you are fan #1 of the show, I promise I have some thoughts that you might not have come up with yet.


Want to win signed copies of my two current novels? Click here to enter a contest to do so. Next drawing is May 1st; there's still time to win.

Until next time, thanks for following.


e a lake

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Show, Don't Tell (A famous quote most authors understand)

I was mad, really mad. I hurriedly walked into the room. I needed to find my wife and take my frustration out on her.

Okay, before you get too upset, the above sentence is an example of something that any author may write. It is not what was going on right before I began writing today. All-in-all, the above mess gets the point across to the reader. Someone was mad, they hurried into the room, and looked for his wife. We can do better though.

I ran into the living room, my fists clenched, ears ringing. Scouring the area, I noticed my wife missing. "Where the hell are you, Carolyn?" I screamed. "You owe my a huge explanation."

So what's the difference you ask? Simply put, I told you everything in the first sentences; in the second, I showed you what was happening.

One of the most difficult concepts for new authors to get a handle on is the Show vs. Tell idea. Didn't I mention he walked "hurriedly" in the first one? I told you he was "mad". The reader should get the idea, right?

The answer is: maybe

I'm going to try and keep this short and sweet, without going into boring detail. But to me, it's all about the verbs.

Let's start with walked vs. ran. The first problem with the verb walked is that I used an adverb (a -ly word) to modify the first word. "Walked hurriedly" gets the point across, but what we really need to do is search for a better, stronger verb to make our sentence really shine.

That's why I used ran. You can see that action clearly in your mind. The same goes with mad (more of an adjective, yet can be a verb). Don't just tell your readers someone is mad - show them mad/angry.


Another example

The woods was beautiful today. Karen looked at the new green leaves, moving wildly in the strong breeze. She smiled, remembering the woods of her youth.

That's okay, but I basically told you about the scene. I showed you very little.

The breeze caused the spring foliage to flutter as if they were being shook by a giant. A musty odor reached Karen's nose, the smell of decay. She remembered as a child playing in piles of brown and orange as her father raked the backyard. The corners of her mouth curled upward; how long has it been since I thought of Dad? she wondered.

First off, I used a metaphor with the giant. These are great tools, just don't overuse them. Next, I killed the verb, adverb in the first (moving wildly) and replaced them with a stronger verb (flutter) - followed by the metaphor.

I also tell you Karen smiled and remembered her childhood without using those exact words. I gave you the specific memory (dad and/or) raking of leaves. And what is a smile if not the "corners of her mouth curl(ing) upward?"

Writers, good writers, learn how to show their readers almost everything. Rarely will they use words like mad, or happy, or beautiful. No, they show you what mad looks like, what happy might sound like, just how beautiful as rose really is.

 I'm not there yet, though I'm trying. It's hard to get the hang of this when you first start writing. But, as with anything, practice makes you better. Thus, I'll keep practicing.

(And remember to sign up for the free drawing to both of my novels in paperback form. Click here for details.)


Until next week,


e a lake

My Books:

                        

April Promo - Paperback Giveaway (Signed)

HI ALL!

I'd like you to enter a giveaway. No big catches, nothing to buy, you don't have to promise to be my friend. All you need to enter is an email address - and I assume if you are on-line reading this, you have one.

What am I giving away? Great Question.

At this time I have two books in print: WWIV - In The Beginning, and, WWIV - Kids at War. By summer I will have two additional books ready for reading. I will be giving away two copies of each (in The Beginning, and Kids at War). One set on April 15th (Tax Day in the US), and another set on May 1st (May Day - all around the world, I believe). All will be signed and personalized for each of the winners.

Here's how you enter:

That's it, sign up and you are entered. I will announce, on my blog - this blog, the winners on April 15 and May 1. I will contact the winners at those times for their shipping information.

And there are no losers in this deal. Just providing me with your email address will keep you informed for future giveaways. I'm already planning a huge 4th of July promo; you will want to be part of my list for that (details in June).

As always, thank you for following this blog. Also, for those who have purchased and read my novels - Thank You, as well. I would be lost in this journey if not for you.


Have a great week, and enter for free paperbacks. Please feel free to enter once a week (if you would like to increase your odds of winning).



e a lake

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Special Post for a Friend

I am posting a special announcement today from my friend and fellow indie author Rainy Kaye.

Please take a moment and consider purchasing Rainy's newest novel, Stifled.

Also, please take this opportunity to download SUMMONED for free, for a limited time.







Today we're celebrating the release of STIFLED, book two in the SUMMONED series by USA Today Bestselling author, Rainy Kaye. A dark twist on genie folklore, SUMMONED follows a reluctant criminal as he unravels the mystery of the paranormal bond controlling him. In STIFLED, Dimitri trails an elusive jinn and finds himself in the middle of a community keeping dark secrets. The SUMMONED series is represented by Rossano Trentin of TZLA.

Scroll down to pick up your copy of STIFLED, get SUMMONED for free for a limited time, and enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card.



Dimitri would like nothing more than to live a low-key life in Naples, Italy. His girlfriend, Syd, has other plans.

After three months of researching, she is positive she has found a jinn on a killing spree in San Diego, California. Since Syd gave Dimitri the one thing he thought was out of reach, he feels obligated to use his ill-gained talents for her cause.

A few hours back in the US proves that Dimitri and Syd didn't quite make the clean escape they had thought. As they trail the elusive jinn, someone else trails them. What should have been a simple trip to confirm once and for all if the jinn are living among humans, instead reveals a community keeping dark secrets.

Unfortunately for Dim, the only way out is in.

Get your copy here!


Haven't read book one yet? No problem! It's currently FREE on Amazon.




Twenty-three year old Dimitri has to do what he is told?literally.

Controlled by a paranormal bond, he is forced to use his wits to fulfill unlimited deadly wishes made by multimillionaire Karl Walker.

Dimitri has no idea how his family line became trapped in the genie bond. He just knows resisting has never ended well.

When he meets Syd?assertive, sexy, intelligent Syd?he becomes determined to make her his own. Except Karl has ensured Dimitri can?t tell anyone about the bond, and Syd isn?t the type to tolerate secrets.

Then Karl starts sending him away on back-to-back wishes. Unable to balance love and lies, Dimitri sets out to uncover Karl?s ultimate plan and put it to an end. But doing so forces him to confront the one wish he never saw coming?the wish that will destroy him.









Rainy Kaye is an aspiring overlord. In the mean time, she blogs at RainyoftheDark and writes paranormal novels from her lair somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona.

She is represented by Rossano Trentin of TZLA. Someone told her she's a USA Today Bestselling author. She thought there would be cake.







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Get to know the Author

Here's an idea; how about this week I answer some general questions about myself. That way you'll get a better idea just who I am, both as a person and as a writer.

All I've done is to take some questions from previous interviews, ones that I've been asked for my book blog tours. Perhaps you haven't read any of those interviews. And while I could point you in the direction of each and every one of them, saved here and there on the blogosphere, I believe it will be easier for all of us if I just do it here in one spot and at one time. Plus, you get a chance to meet me on video.

So, without further pause, let's get this show started:

As always, have a great week, read a great book, and enjoy the chilly spring nights curled up in bed.



e a lake

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                        https://booklaunch.io/ealake5/kids-at-war

The Dreaded Semicolon; or in my case, The Semicolon, man's greatest invention

Truth be known, I actually know how to properly use a semicolon. But...that doesn't mean I use it correctly as I create.

The semicolon is a punctuation mark used to connect to thoughts of a similar nature. At least that's how I define it. But according to another source, Wikipedia, it is defined as such:

A semicolon can be used between two closely related independent clauses, provided they are not already joined by a coordinating conjunction.

Yeah, okay, I get it. Let's agree that thoughts equal independent clauses. And I guess I left out that conjunction thingy. But, all in all, my definition pretty much matches the given definition pretty darn close. Don't you agree?

Here's the thing: When I am creating a rough draft of any manuscript, my mind is going six thousand miles a minute. Typically, I'm a sentence or two ahead of any given point I might be writing. I'm thinking of the next paragraph of narration, or perhaps some snappy dialogue. When it comes times for proper punctuation, I'm like a prize fighter moving in for the kill. Be gone training and technique; away with any sage-like advice. Let's get this over with!

So, I end up with sentences like this:

As he was about to turn back to her, a speck appeared in the sky; far away and falling swiftly to earth. (This line is from my soon to be released novella: WWIV - Darkness Descends.)

Once an editor gets their hands on my material, they love to add a comment just like this: "You are using the punctuation mark, the semicolon as a comma. When you use a semicolon, there needs to be a complete sentence after the mark" (actual wording from the editor of the rough draft).

Yeah, I know. These two thoughts in the sentence are not independent. I've been told this same advice many times over already. In book one and two of the WWIV series, my main editor, Rob Bignell, might have noted this one hundred times. By the tenth time, I think he just took to changing the semicolon into a comma. He's a smart guy.

Here's one that I caught using Grammarly, an Online Grammar checker:

Kate was absent; and that left just the Little Queen and Mara to listen to Raison. 

I most likely would have caught this error in the proofreading stage. This one would have never been seen by an editor. At least that's what I'm telling myself right now. 

With a conjunction in the sentence (and), a semicolon should never see the light of day. But there it was; no sense in denying it. And doesn't even sound correct if I change the semicolon to a comma. In this case, I simply removed the word "and" to make wise use of the punctuation.

Kate was absent; that left just the Little Queen and Mara to listen to Raison. 

Now that I study that sentence closer, there has to be a better way of saying what it is I mean to get across. I think I'll just scratch that one from my rough draft entirely.

Even though I am fast approaching the one million-word mark in my writing career, anyone can plainly see that I have a ways to go before becoming proficient at this trade. With that in mind, I will set out this year to become better at:

1. Using funky punctuation such as the semicolon and the em-dash (--).
2. Learn the proper use of gerunds (was running, were coming). Something to do with cleaning up my tendency to slip into the passive voice, from time to time.
3. Listen to my editors carefully, and depend on these professionals to clean up where I may still fall short.


I am not perfect at anything, much less writing. But this year I will strive to become the best I can; so help me George Orwell. (You can check me on this, but I think I used the semicolon properly in the preceding sentence - there may be hope for me yet)!


Until next week, stay warm everyone!




e a lake

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Just say NO! to profanity

Let's start with football

Late last fall, I watched the Packers hammer the Pats in Green Bay. I watched it on TV, I should add, not in person. I already live in a cold climate, I know what cold feels like. I don't have to go out to enjoy freezing.

Anyway, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers faced off on the frozen tundra. The game was an instant classic, maybe. I hate the Pats, and equally hate the Pack. So I was sort of cheering for the end of the world while the game was on; that way they'd both lose.

After one fruitless series, I watched as Tom Brady trotted to the sidelines and let out a string of profanity that even my three-year-old granddaughter could have lip-read. One of the announcers said something like, "That Brady, he's such a competitor." The other mindless boob in the booth chimed in, "Sometimes you just got to get it out and move on."

Really? That's our attitude to open profanity now? Watched by 20 million people. Really?

Later that night I watched the Broncos and the Chiefs. I like the Broncos; I really like Peyton Manning. He's a classy guy.

So Manning trots off one time, after missing a wide open Wes Welker, and shakes his head. As lips parted, I carefully watched for his silent words (thank God they don't have a ton of open mikes on the sidelines). And then the frustration boiled over and Peyton let it fly.

"Dang it," he chided himself. "Dang it!"

Now, let's talk about writing

I know some of you are clever and like to use lots of large, complex words. Some even go as far to fill pages with similes and metaphors. Sentences have perfect construction; paragraphs fly by with seemingly no effort. All is well in your writing.

So explain this to me, as if I were a simpleton: Why do you feel the need to fill your dialog with profanity? Really, I'm dying to know.

I've been told there are good reasons for the use of these kinds of words, sparingly though. Certainly not in every other line. Here's a few of the good ones:

1. Profanity is the language of the real person. Really? You think the Barack Obama uses a lot of cussing throughout the day? I don't. I've heard my mother swear once in her life; sadly in reference to me. Something, I did, made an "ass" of myself. That's it; her big use of profanity, saved up for a one-time use on me - for effect.

2. Profanity makes your writing real. NO! It actual cheapens your writing. You couldn't be any more clever than to spit out a disgusting word that is typically reserved for rap songs and trailer park conversations? And you think that's real? Tell me, how stupid does that sound!

3. The big authors do it, so should we. I know several who use profanity in their writing. Mostly, they use it sparingly, certainly not every page. But here's the rub: They are huge authors, with followings in the millions. You (we) are Joe (or Josette) Schmo; following in the dozens.

Early on in my writing career I read several articles on this touchy subject. The articles all said the same thing: You risk cutting your readership by more than half with the continued use of harsh language. That made me sit up and really think. The occasional "damn" or "hell" is forgiven. Even the once in a while "shit" can fly under the radar. But start dropping f-bombs and people will take notice - and not in a good way.

In 2016, I will introduce you to a character with a military background. In his particular branch of service, the f-word is used as a noun, an adjective, a verb, and so on. Yet, in the almost 650,000 words I plan for the four-book set, not once will he use something as crude as an f-bomb.

Mind you, I'm surrounding him with a family of younger ladies. And one of these young women is on him all the time about his salty language. "Really, Mr. Smith. Must you be so crude?" And that follows him telling her to "mind her own damn business." There are plenty of other ways to get his hardened personality across. I chose from the onset to portray John Smith's crustiness to my readers without resorting to long tirades of profanity.

In the end, it's your choice

So choose wisely, please.


Until next week, enjoy life through the eyes of another... in a book.


lake

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