I'm delighted to say that my books aren't staying long on the shelves. Unfortunately, I hear from readers who have missed one or more of the books in the series and want to know where they can get a copy.
I'm happy to say that my local bookstore here in my small Montana town still has copies of all five of Whitehorse: The Corbetts. It's a small independent bookstore that promotes Montana authors. So if you need any of those books, please contact: Danni Hill at promises@mtintouch.net or call 406-654-2380. She said she would be happy to ship them to you as long as the supply lasts. Also if you need them signed, I would be happy to trot over there and do that for you. Once you have made arrangements just let me know.
As for other books, check eHarlequin. Amazon still has a few new ones of some titles. Otherwise it is used books from one of the on-line dealers or a used bookstore.
I'm deep in Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch, the 6-book series coming out beginning in April. I send out postcards as I have books come out. If you aren't on my list, email me with your snail mail address. I can usually accommodate most everyone with a few exceptions such as those readers outside the US.
Thank you all again for your wonderful loyalty and support. It is a pleasure writing books with such terrific fans.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
With the Corbetts done, what's next?
The last of the five Whitehorse: The Corbetts books, One Hot Forty-Five, came out this month. I've been getting emails asking, "Now what?"
I'm pleased to announce that there will be at least another six Whitehorse books. The mini-series Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch will run April, May, June and Oct, Nov, Dec of the coming year. I am busy writing them now. I think you all will enjoy the Winchesters. They're a unique family.
What started out as a 6-book series has now grown to 18. I love returning to Whitehorse and from my email and letters, readers are enjoying it as well. Where it ends, who knows.
I told my husband recently that the Winchesters might be it. But the other day when I was writing, one of my characters told me about another ranch family, the McCormicks, wo live north of Whitehorse. I already know one of their secrets...
So we'll see. But thank you all for coming with me to Whitehorse, Montana. I hope you're having as much fun as I am for as long as there are stories to tell there.
I'm pleased to announce that there will be at least another six Whitehorse books. The mini-series Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch will run April, May, June and Oct, Nov, Dec of the coming year. I am busy writing them now. I think you all will enjoy the Winchesters. They're a unique family.
What started out as a 6-book series has now grown to 18. I love returning to Whitehorse and from my email and letters, readers are enjoying it as well. Where it ends, who knows.
I told my husband recently that the Winchesters might be it. But the other day when I was writing, one of my characters told me about another ranch family, the McCormicks, wo live north of Whitehorse. I already know one of their secrets...
So we'll see. But thank you all for coming with me to Whitehorse, Montana. I hope you're having as much fun as I am for as long as there are stories to tell there.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Only you can tell your story
I spent Saturday quilting with a group of wonderfully creative women. It didn't matter what we were sewing -- we just happened to all be making the same scrap quilt. Not that any of them looked anything alike as we built our "blocks."
I couldn't help but notice how much quilting is like writing. We all had the same pattern or formula, if you will. But none of us approached the quilt in the same way and we all came up with something different that was each of us.
When it comes to writing, everyone knows that there are no new plots under the sun. So what makes one book become a bestseller while another book about the same thing is rejected? It's the way an author tells her story.
Why? Because no one else has lived the same life she lived, had the same experiences, reacted the same way because of those experiences. No one else sees the world around us the exact way we do.
With quilting, it's a matter of putting the pieces together -- just like writing. Fabric, like scenes, comes in different colors, designs, textures and sizes. Does this piece go with that one? Or would another one work better?
We make the decisions, picking and choosing what feels right, putting our own unique stamp on it. The choices can be ugly, trust me. But that's how we learn. The next one could be a work of art.
I have often stood in a bookstore and thought there is no room for me to write a mainstream book because there are already too many books on the shelves. But I also know that even if I told another writer everything about the book I want to write, that writer couldn't write my book. If I don't do it, that book will never get written.
Like writing, when I look down at my latest "block" of fabrics I've sewn together -- not matter if the points match perfectly or if the seams are all exactly one-quarter inch -- I realize I have created something that is all me. I've expressed myself, my particular vision.
With any creative endeavor, we are putting ourselves out there. Some people may look at what we've created and say, "I would never have done it like that." No, they wouldn't have. And isn't that a wonderful thing.
I love the freedom of writing what I want to write -- and piecing together scraps of fabric any way I darn well please. That's the fun part, being myself, creating something that is all me. It's saying "this is my story, like it or not."
Which is the good news for anyone who wants to write or quilt or create something but is afraid of failing. No one can bring what you can to that endeavor because no one is exactly like you. If you don't do it, then that one-of-a-kind creation will never get made.
So take a chance, do that something you've always wanted to do. Put your unique stamp on it. If it makes you happy then it is perfect. It's you.
I couldn't help but notice how much quilting is like writing. We all had the same pattern or formula, if you will. But none of us approached the quilt in the same way and we all came up with something different that was each of us.
When it comes to writing, everyone knows that there are no new plots under the sun. So what makes one book become a bestseller while another book about the same thing is rejected? It's the way an author tells her story.
Why? Because no one else has lived the same life she lived, had the same experiences, reacted the same way because of those experiences. No one else sees the world around us the exact way we do.
With quilting, it's a matter of putting the pieces together -- just like writing. Fabric, like scenes, comes in different colors, designs, textures and sizes. Does this piece go with that one? Or would another one work better?
We make the decisions, picking and choosing what feels right, putting our own unique stamp on it. The choices can be ugly, trust me. But that's how we learn. The next one could be a work of art.
I have often stood in a bookstore and thought there is no room for me to write a mainstream book because there are already too many books on the shelves. But I also know that even if I told another writer everything about the book I want to write, that writer couldn't write my book. If I don't do it, that book will never get written.
Like writing, when I look down at my latest "block" of fabrics I've sewn together -- not matter if the points match perfectly or if the seams are all exactly one-quarter inch -- I realize I have created something that is all me. I've expressed myself, my particular vision.
With any creative endeavor, we are putting ourselves out there. Some people may look at what we've created and say, "I would never have done it like that." No, they wouldn't have. And isn't that a wonderful thing.
I love the freedom of writing what I want to write -- and piecing together scraps of fabric any way I darn well please. That's the fun part, being myself, creating something that is all me. It's saying "this is my story, like it or not."
Which is the good news for anyone who wants to write or quilt or create something but is afraid of failing. No one can bring what you can to that endeavor because no one is exactly like you. If you don't do it, then that one-of-a-kind creation will never get made.
So take a chance, do that something you've always wanted to do. Put your unique stamp on it. If it makes you happy then it is perfect. It's you.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Notes from recent workshop
During the Emerald City Conference I gave a workshop called Where to Begin: Six Sure-Fired Ways to Start Your Book. My workshop was at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, the last day of the conference so I made 30 copies of my handouts, figuring only about 10 people would show up.
Well, I was gratified -- and embarrassed -- when loyal attendees did show up to fill the room with about 60 people! My thanks to all those wonderful writers who turned out.
So I am putting up the two handouts on my blog as well as emailing all those who didn't get copies. If you have any questions, email me at bjdaniels@mtintouch.net
So here they are:
WHERE TO BEGIN: Six Sure-fired Ways to Start Your Book
by author B.J. Daniels
http://www.bjdaniels.com/
What a good beginning does:
1) Sets the tone of the book
2) Kicks the story off
3) Hints at what kind of story this is going to be
4) Establishes the writer’s style
5) Sets the pace
6) Introduces a character or characters
7) Establishes viewpoint
8) Suggests the setting
9) Introduces the opening conflict
10) Hooks the reader and makes a promise
Where to begin. Six options:
1) Setting – Think of it as one of the characters. A sense of place gives a foundation to your story. It can also set the tone of your book and hook your reader instantly.
2) Conflict – A must. Beginning with conflict jumpstarts your book. Always a good hook.
3) Dialogue – Another great jumping-right-in way to begin. Hooks reader if the dialogue is catchy or clever.
4) Character – Introducing the characters sets the stage. Readers want to know who the story is about quickly.
5) Prologue – Only if you must and only if it is short and grabs the reader.
6) Narration – Okay, but it had better be good.
EXAMPLES:
DIALOGUE:
“You really shouldn’t have done that.”
It’s probably a bad idea to slap your husband’s lover – especially when she’d holding a gun on you, but I wasn’t letting her take Jake without a fight.
I looked into those ice-blue eyes, past the pretty, and hoped the gun was just an accessory to her expensive tailored outfit.
“You’ll have my husband over my dead body,” I said, sounding like a bad Country-Western song.
Tiffany Cross laughed as she flipped off the gun’s safety. “You read my mind.”
CHARACTER:
What do you wear to meet your husband’s mistress? I’d changed my clothes a half dozen times. Being a stay-at-home wife and mother, six clean changes were really all I had.
I settled on blue jeans and a blouse, dabbed on what makeup I could find in the bathroom drawer and wore the earrings Jake had given me on our first date.
I don’t know why I bothered to dress up. Tiffany Cross didn’t even seem to notice. She was too busy digging the pistol out of her purse.
SETTING:
It began to snow as I pulled up in front of the cabin next to a vintage Mercedes. So, my husband’s mistress was already here. The wind groaned in the tall pines and made the chimes on the weathered porch tinkle. The lake beyond the cabin was rough, the wind kicking up whitecaps. She came around the edge of the cabin. A woman wearing a bright red coat. The color of blood.
SUSPENSE/CONFLICT:
I jumped at the tap on my side car window. I’d lost track of the time waiting for her and was surprised how dark it was. All my instincts told me to run. This dark isolated spot was no place to meet my husband’s mistress.
I felt the small weapon, heavy in my jacket pocket, as I opened the door and came face to face with Tiffany Cross, the woman who thought I’d asked her here so we could discuss how she was going to steal my husband.
Well, I was gratified -- and embarrassed -- when loyal attendees did show up to fill the room with about 60 people! My thanks to all those wonderful writers who turned out.
So I am putting up the two handouts on my blog as well as emailing all those who didn't get copies. If you have any questions, email me at bjdaniels@mtintouch.net
So here they are:
WHERE TO BEGIN: Six Sure-fired Ways to Start Your Book
by author B.J. Daniels
http://www.bjdaniels.com/
What a good beginning does:
1) Sets the tone of the book
2) Kicks the story off
3) Hints at what kind of story this is going to be
4) Establishes the writer’s style
5) Sets the pace
6) Introduces a character or characters
7) Establishes viewpoint
8) Suggests the setting
9) Introduces the opening conflict
10) Hooks the reader and makes a promise
Where to begin. Six options:
1) Setting – Think of it as one of the characters. A sense of place gives a foundation to your story. It can also set the tone of your book and hook your reader instantly.
2) Conflict – A must. Beginning with conflict jumpstarts your book. Always a good hook.
3) Dialogue – Another great jumping-right-in way to begin. Hooks reader if the dialogue is catchy or clever.
4) Character – Introducing the characters sets the stage. Readers want to know who the story is about quickly.
5) Prologue – Only if you must and only if it is short and grabs the reader.
6) Narration – Okay, but it had better be good.
EXAMPLES:
DIALOGUE:
“You really shouldn’t have done that.”
It’s probably a bad idea to slap your husband’s lover – especially when she’d holding a gun on you, but I wasn’t letting her take Jake without a fight.
I looked into those ice-blue eyes, past the pretty, and hoped the gun was just an accessory to her expensive tailored outfit.
“You’ll have my husband over my dead body,” I said, sounding like a bad Country-Western song.
Tiffany Cross laughed as she flipped off the gun’s safety. “You read my mind.”
CHARACTER:
What do you wear to meet your husband’s mistress? I’d changed my clothes a half dozen times. Being a stay-at-home wife and mother, six clean changes were really all I had.
I settled on blue jeans and a blouse, dabbed on what makeup I could find in the bathroom drawer and wore the earrings Jake had given me on our first date.
I don’t know why I bothered to dress up. Tiffany Cross didn’t even seem to notice. She was too busy digging the pistol out of her purse.
SETTING:
It began to snow as I pulled up in front of the cabin next to a vintage Mercedes. So, my husband’s mistress was already here. The wind groaned in the tall pines and made the chimes on the weathered porch tinkle. The lake beyond the cabin was rough, the wind kicking up whitecaps. She came around the edge of the cabin. A woman wearing a bright red coat. The color of blood.
SUSPENSE/CONFLICT:
I jumped at the tap on my side car window. I’d lost track of the time waiting for her and was surprised how dark it was. All my instincts told me to run. This dark isolated spot was no place to meet my husband’s mistress.
I felt the small weapon, heavy in my jacket pocket, as I opened the door and came face to face with Tiffany Cross, the woman who thought I’d asked her here so we could discuss how she was going to steal my husband.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Home Sweet Home
It is so fun to go to a writers' conference -- and spend time with my daughter and her husband in a place that is green and warm and has a bunch of wonderful restaurants. That would be Seattle.
I just returned from the Emerald City Conference. It was great fun. There is nothing like being around other writers -- and readers. The hotel was beautiful and the weather more pleasant than Montana was those days.
I also got to spend some quality time with my daughter before and after the conference. I can never see enough of her.
And about those restaurants... Seafood, Thai, Mexican, Italian and everything in between. It was great fun.
But it is nice to be home, to sleep in my own bed, to snuggle with my husband and get back to my "real" life.
My real life is writing. I'm working on my Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch 6-book series that begins in April. As much fun as I had, I missed my characters and writing. Crazy, huh.
So it's back to the ranch. :)
I just returned from the Emerald City Conference. It was great fun. There is nothing like being around other writers -- and readers. The hotel was beautiful and the weather more pleasant than Montana was those days.
I also got to spend some quality time with my daughter before and after the conference. I can never see enough of her.
And about those restaurants... Seafood, Thai, Mexican, Italian and everything in between. It was great fun.
But it is nice to be home, to sleep in my own bed, to snuggle with my husband and get back to my "real" life.
My real life is writing. I'm working on my Whitehorse: Winchester Ranch 6-book series that begins in April. As much fun as I had, I missed my characters and writing. Crazy, huh.
So it's back to the ranch. :)
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