Category: fiction

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My Review of The Locket by Laurie W-J-N

the locket

Amazon Book Description:

It has been said that every locket has a story to tell. In these stories a very special locket shares the history of a group of women through the generations, stories of love and happiness, stories of struggles and triumphs, memories of the past and hopes for the future. The locket weaves itself through each story as a beautiful and personal memento of love and devotion, from one generation to the next.

What I Thought:

At only 31 pages, The Locket is definitely a short read but don’t let that fool you. This novelette incorporates five vignettes, focusing of five generations of women in the same family. With each episode, Laurie introduces a woman and plunges the reader into that woman’s life.  Each scene evokes strong impressions of the women’s misfortunes as well as their successes.

I enjoy the author’s writing style.

Perfect for a quick afternoon read.

5 stars

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STAYING TRUE TO THE PANTZER IN ME

writer's blockWorking on the sequel to my first novel has been a wonderful experience. Not.  More accurately, its been disappointing – feeling like a wretched waste of time as I write and rewrite…  And with each new effort, the story feels more forced.

In an effort to continue on, I decided that I might need to change some things up.  In the past, I’ve been a pantzer. Considering my lack of progress, I thought that plotting might help.  Yeah – nope.  Not so much.  In fact, I think planning the story sucked all the joy from the project.

I discussed my writing problem with a dear friend.  She offered me some real insight:  STOP OVERTHINKING IT!!!  There’s no right or wrong – it’s my story after all.  She went on to advise me to stay true to my writing style – so I’ll be flying by the seat of my pants again.  And I find that rather liberating.  Instead of worrying over my lack of progress on the sequel, I’m allowing myself to answer the call of my muse.  She’s been patient long enough and I’m afraid that if I don’t heed her call, she may very well leave me.  It would be nice if she turns my heart back to the sequel but if not – that’ll be okay.  There are other stories to tell.

 

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Villains – Gotta Love ‘Em

televisionI think it began with Saturday morning cartoons – specifically re-runs of Scooby-Doo and Johnny Quest.  I absolutely loved watching them – until it was bedtime and my imagination kicked in.  I was certain some evil creature was lurking in my closet or hiding under my bed.

My fascination with shows/movies that scared me continued with Star Wars. I loved the commercials until Darth Vader appeared.  The combination of his mask and the sound of his breathing was enough to send me running down the hall. And yet, there was something about him that intrigued me.

As I grew older, Vader became my favorite character.  Not Anakin, mind you. I mean – What was there to like?  Nothing. Not until the very end – as he struggled to live.

Considering my fascination with villains, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when I realized that I loved bringing my “bad guys” to life.

I’m a nice person.  For real.  I may be one of the nicest people I know. 😉 Seriously. I like being nice.  I love sappy commercials and have been known to cry during touchy-feely ones.  BUT – there is something about being inside my villain’s head that is particularly satisfying.  There’s this rush when the scene starts coming together and my bad guy shares his secrets.  At times, I can’t help but shake my head at his devious plans while my fingers put his thoughts onto paper.

That’s the thing with villains. They help propel the story.  They give purpose to the hero’s struggles. They are compelling.

For some great advice and insights on developing your villain, check out the links below:

Kristen Lamb’s blog

Writing Forward

Script Mag

If you have a favorite site/link/book dealing with developing a villain, share it in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy writing!

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Writers Workshop – “Lions, Witches, and Wardrobes…”

The Hampton Roads Writers Group offers a monthly workshop through The Traveling Pen Series.  I was fortunate to be able to attend Saturday’s session – “Lions, Witches and Wardrobes…Oh, My! – Writing Paranormal and Fantasy” presented by YA and Paranormal Author, Vanessa Barger.  The 2 1/2 hour workshop was $20 for non-members ($10 for members) but was well worth the price.

As a writer of young adult fiction, I am always looking for fresh ideas.  Nothing against vampires and werewolves, mind you, but in my humble opinion, they are a bit overdone.  Barger presented each participant with a mythical creature, complete with the general description and instructed us to make the creature our own.  I received a Wendigo.  For those unfamiliar with this beast, he appears in Algonquian legends and seems to discourage cannibalism (apparently, those individuals who consumed human flesh were at risk for turning into the monster).  For the exercise, I decided that my wendigo would indeed eat people but only those that were evil and needed to be eaten…  He/She would prefer to live in solitude, in order to minimize chance encounters with said evil people.  Just by changing a couple of details, the possibility of a new story emerged.

Downtown, Suffolk, VA
Downtown,
Suffolk, VA

As the workshop ended at noon, my husband and I drove over to Suffolk, VA. We visited the downtown area and had some amazing she-crab soup at a little place called The Baron’s Pub and Restaurant.

With the sun shining and a nice breeze, we did a little sightseeing.

This particular church caught my eye.  I love the windows and the ornamental details.

And I couldn’t help but wonder what stories this church would tell if it could only talk…

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Book Review – Beyond Vica by T.C. Booth

Beyond Vica is a young adult, contemporary short story.  It deals with some sensitive issues such as sickness and death.  Below you will find my spoiler free review.

Book Description:

beyond vicaGabby and her two best friends share a constellation in the sky named VICA. The trio named the constellation that tells the tale of their childhood friendship. Now that Gabby is fifteen, this tale written in the stars means more than ever.

Gabby finds herself facing the threat of losing her best friend, Sam to cancer. On top of that, she develops a crush on the other friend, Brody. She fears the friendship will fall apart and feels alone. To complicate matters, Sam’s condition brings back memories that Gabby has not allowed to surface since she was five.

As Gabby’s world crashes down on her, she’s forced to face the realities of life, death, grief, and love. How will she survive without the friendship that’s written in the stars?

What I Thought:

Beyond Vica is a short read (approximately 75 pages).  BUT – don’t let the length of this story fool you.   It carries a big emotional impact.  Within the first few pages, I was hooked.   The author grabbed my heartstrings and didn’t let go.  I enjoyed the writing style.  The characters felt real and the story flowed at a nice pace.  TC Booth has rendered a tender story of friendship, love and loss that I highly recommend.

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**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**