My romantic suspense, working title Death of a Political Nobody, is in search of a home and an agent/publisher.

Jon Murray is hoping to find his name on the presidential ticket in the fall, but his estranged wife shows at a political function and threatens to derail his childhood dream. Sabine is a Marine first. She works as a linguistics specialist, but what she does for our government has little to do with language and far more to do with national security. The problem is, someone wants her dead and Jon finds himself included in the contract because of his association to Sabine, or that’s how she presents the situation when she asks for his help.

Nothing is ever simple where Sabine is concerned, not for Jon. He fell in love with her when she moved in next door, Jon was eleven. Now they’re closing in on fifty, but the marriage of ten years was never consummated and the last time he saw her, was after the ‘I do’s.’ The more she draws him in the harder he fights his reemerging love and the farther his dream drifts away.

Okay, so that’s the gist of the story, at least as a romance, but Death of a Political Nobody is more than a romance. Or I’ve been told the story has too much plot for a romance, which I can’t see as much I see that it has too much romance for a straight up suspense. There’s intrigue, drama, family lies and deceit, as well some sexual tension. There’s violence and sex, not at the same time, and twists that you won’t see coming until you roll over in the morning into a face full of cat fur.

You’re going to want to read this because Jon’s basically a nice guy, who married his high school sweetheart and then had his heart ripped out when she left. Not literally, but still. He has resentment. And lust. When we first meet Jon he’s firm in what he wants, but by the end of the book, he wants something entirely different. Come, see how he changes and why.

Have I talked it up enough yet? No, well, I can’t give the whole story away.

Come back next week when I’ll explore some of Jon’s characteristics you won’t learn in the novel. What is the significance of the ball cap? Why is there family strife between Jon and his brother? Do these two items have anything to do with the other?

Yeah, stuff like that.

“Bet she’s a secretary,” Jeremy said.

“Associate producer of a TV show,” I said.

A man wearing a pinstriped suit stopped at the watch kiosk beside where Jeremy and I sat crossed legged on a bench. The man didn’t spare us so much as a glance as he ordered the hapless teenager working the kiosk to replace the battery on his expensive watch.

I couldn’t help, but laugh. “Like a mall in cow country, would carry a watch of that caliber.”

Jeremy grunted, “Batteries are batteries.”

“Yeah, but if you were a lawyer type who could afford a watch like that. Would you trust a kid with five face studs working at a place blaring out christian screamo music?”

The above is a writing exercise I did today during the Mad Anthony Writer’s Conference. Our only rules were five minutes writing and the scene is a mall.

I found the book entertaining and kept me listening. It’s genre is YA, so that should tell you something, about me anyway. As for the writing, I’m not a fan of putting dates and such at the beginning of chapters; however, in this case I can’t see another way the author could have kept the reader straight on who was talking. Telling the story from about ten (5) POV’s made itdifficult  at times to follow. A classic example why it’s usually suggested to keep the character number to a minimum. It wasn’t that there were too many characters, just that so many had a chapter in their POV.

The book read like a journal. It’s this date, time, place, and Ms. Smith is talking.  Again, not my preference, but the author made it work. I always knew where and when we were. I wasn’t always privy as to the why. After finishing the book, I’m still left wondering why we spent so much time in character one’s head at the beginning of the book. She did not, in truth, end up being the main character though I suspect, the author initially thought she would be. Like this summary, I found the story to be all over the board, in that each POV had their own agenda on looking at what was happening. The story itself followed a time line, as the POV’s changed, the new POV picked up minutes after the last. I think the book would have read better if the author had picked one or three characters and stuck with them.

I will add that each character was their own. The voices were individual and their motivations came through clearly. The author did a nice job of developing the characters. You want to root for them all.

Was the book a good read? Yes. Would it appeal to others? I’m not sure that others would have kept going as the characters multiplied and changed. Then again, it was engaging and the story intriquing so, maybe.

Recently I shared a short piece with someone I don’t usually share with. An avid reader, she doesn’t usually read my genre. I expected the typical, not bad, or needs a little work, but what she gave me had my heart singing.  She loved it.

Although I’m not going to share the piece because I’ve submitted it to a contest, I will share her comment.

         It just exudes allusions of bone draining tiredness, weariness. Undertones of despondency and melancholy, but yet a small glimmer, just a spark of hope. And woven in and out of the story is a basal thread of doggedness, determination, tenacity and plenty of moxie.  

I strive to hear this kind of feedback and knowing that this piece evoked this response, shows me that I can achieve my desire, to write a story that will evoke this kind of response. Thanks Debbie for the ego boost.  And thanks to my writer’s group for helping me bring the piece to this level.

What’s is your best response to something you’ve written, and for those who do not write, what story, novel, provoked the most emotional response? Leave your comment and share with everyone. Maybe someone will pick that book up and enjoy it as much as you did.

I see this as a learned lesson. We began with this simple idea, I write chapter 1, she writes chapter 2 and so on until complete. The problem, and as I’ve never done this type of writing before I could not have foreseen this problem, I got a little attached to my character. The  issue came, when chapter 2 arrived and I read it. Let me say that the writing wasn’t the problem, as I perceived it, but we had set no ground rules. Ground rules being, genre. We’re both adults, but I generally write YA with the occasional venture into mainstream. My initial reaction to chapter 2 was that the story line was heading into adult, erotic.

We all have what we like to write, our comfort zone and occasionally expand our wings, this spread my wings a tad too wide. Let me say I did some homework, such as it is. Before we started I went to the other writer’s blog to read some of her work.  The stories were well written, but I didn’t finish any of them, I just wanted a gist of her style. There in lies my folly. When I received chapter 2 I wasn’t comfortable with the direction hinted at. More important, I was a little protective of my character and felt the need to pull him to my chest hiding him in the comforts of my bosom.

Who knew this would happen? Not me. I saw the possible direction of the story and had a mother’s instinct to protect. I shut the program down wanting to keep my character from harm. This was not a particularly nice character, but that doesn’t matter, I shut my laptop lid and took a step away from my desk. How childish is that? After I’d taken a moment, I went back and read the chapter again. I still wasn’t liking the direction, but saw what I had before, potential in the writing ability. I don’t think of myself as a prude, though it’s been suggested before, I’m just not comfortable writing an adult theme. As  a professional writer, letting a few days pass, I went back to the laptop and started chapter 3 with the decision to see this through…and stopped. It wasn’t in me to go from her chapter 2 and write a chapter 3. Unwilling to allow this character to join the dust bunnies under my bed, I wrote my own chapter 2 a week later.  Telling myself that I would also write a chapter 3 for the other writer and let both stories unfold. I never did.

I apologize to that writer because a measure of the issue lies with me.  The problem was bigger than just not being able to write an adult story, which is where I saw this going, I had become attached to my character, evil as he is. I felt protective of him. I wanted to shield him from…I wasn’t even sure what, but I needed to keep him safe.  This is not my first character, I have any number of others, some of which I am deeply invested in and there is no real reason for my actions. He is, and those in my writing group who have heard this story will agree, a bad character. Maybe he is even the first really evil character that I’ve put in the forefront of a story. Either way,  I’m still protective of him.

Do you have a character that you are overly attached to? Are you protective of them despite their evil actions? How would you react to one of your characters going off with another writer? Is this akin to allowing your children to grow up and become their own person? I wonder.

What book?  11-22-63   I don’t know how many of you have read 11-22-63, or  the book jacket, watched a trailer, heard friends talk about the book and want to read the book, but the story wasn’t what I thought it was going to be about . The JFK assassination is a major focus, but that wasn’t the bulk of the story line, which seemed to take a while to  gain it’s momentum and any sense of the plot. I’m told this is typical for King. Once the plot started moving though, I found it hard to put down.

Not an avid King fan, I was surprised at how eloquently he uses description. I’m truly impressed with the way he works a story, the details he infuses, and the spirit he brings to his characters. I did find a few inconsequential overly described people and places. I also found one oops. Sorry can’t help it, since I’ve started writing for publication, really writing and really paying attention to how it all flows, I can’t just read for enjoyment. I find little things. Even saying this, I am impressed with his writing. Makes me wish he had more books I could  lose myself in. I’ve tried reading some of his other works and haven’t found any I could finish. Sigh.

What about the book? It’s a wonderful journey that will engage and delight, make you cringe, laugh, and at a couple of places cry. I’m not a crier, I had tears. I really became invested in Jake, the MC, and his plight, his many plights as he moves toward his desire to stop the JFK assassination. The story was more than just this goal, it was a lifetime of experiences that cumulated in an ending I didn’t see coming.

The past is obdurate.  It doesn’t want to be changed and as Jake goes along, trying to change the past with the intent of a better future, the past throws multiple obstacles in his path. A major theme of the story is comparisons of characters from one location to another location as Jake moves from venue to venue and through time. The past harmonize, resonates with the future and King shows this theme in various ways.

I found myself not wanting the book to end, or at least, not wanting it to end without a closure I could live with. Many authors would have wrapped the story a bit sooner , but I’m glad King didn’t. Maybe not the ending I would have written, but the story came full circle and left me satisfied.  Hats off to King.

11-22-63  left me with a deep desire to write like King. I enjoy writing. I enjoy reading what I’ve written to the point that I often have a difficult time editing, because I get caught up in the story and don’t want to stop to edit. Is my writing perfect? Still working on that, but King makes me feel as if I’m a child just learning to write my name.

Would I recommend this book to my fellow readers? I would. Jake Epping would give the book an A+, because it evoked an emotional response from this reader.

In the second book of Alex (Working title), a few of characters from Not Her Father’s Son show. The two main characters dealt with life changing events before the book concluded.  Alex was the most affected and  came away with a major personality change.  I thought it might be interesting to discuss these changes.

In book 1, Alex worked at the DOJ as a special agent.  She had recently fought to return to work after an undercover assignment ended badly. The job required long days and many trips out of state. While at work, Alex lived on coffee and one night stands with men she barely knew.  At home, she was a consummate athlete, aware of her every morsel and it’s nutritional value.  Alex also leaned heavily on her life partner for emotional support

Book 2 we find Alex doesn’t require men and sex to keep the demons at bay. She’s made peace with them, as much as she can. She no longer runs or works out, instead getting out of bed and moving through the day is the workout. She’s replaced  obstinance with pride, and the hate and resentment she felt toward her mother, with understanding and sympathy. Being made weak physically has taught her to be strong spiritually. She still reads, but prefers true life crime novels over romance, no longer looking for an escape, but missing what she had. Before she wanted someone to protect and take care of her, now she’s just wants a friendship of equality.

Today I’m writing about a major character in the Second Book of Alex, which I am still debating to continue slogging through or just trash the entire idea.  Maybe today’s title should be more along the lines of when do you give it up as a bad egg?

Who is Sam Stone and why should you care? Sam is Jack’s best friend since childhood. For those who don’t know, Jack is one of the major characters from Not Her Father’s Son, the first book of Alex. Jack went to college following high school and Sam joined the military. After serving two combat tours with the Army Rangers during Desert Storm, Sam returned  home and went into law enforcement.

They’ve kept in touch, remained friends, and even worked together when a case Jack was investigating with the DOJ brought him to Sam’s Town. If you’d asked Sam, he’d have said they were close.  That was before Jack’s Mom died and Jack moved to DC when his sister’s cancer was diagnosed as terminal. Before Jack met Alex.

Sam’s s a good looking man, in a rugged sort of way, but he’s not easy to live with and tends to gravitate to the bimbo’s and needy when what he most desires is someone his equal. Or that’s what he tells himself. Each of his five wives has been prettier than the last. They have also been younger and more immature to the point he often feels he’s married to a child instead of a woman. Even he sees the fallacy in his choices.

He likes his eggs with steak in the morning and his coffee black at his desk when he starts his work day. Utilitarian in his clothing choices, he wears jeans and a flannel shirt over a t-shirt when not in his sheriff uniform. Typical for the type, he’s a workaholic, or maybe he’s a workaholic because he doesn’t handle his personal life with anything close to finesse. Even his Brittany spaniel prefers to be alone to Sam’s company most days and the cat that adopted him, would just as soon swipe at his feet in the dark as piss in his boots while Sam watches.

In the Second Book of Alex, Sam is called in to investigate a death. On the surface the scene looks like a hunting accident, but Sam knows you work every case like a murder or  risk missing important details. That and Jack insists it’s anything but what it looks like. Uncovering the truth leads Sam to look more closely at his lifelong friend and as the evidence stacks, Sam is left questioning everything Jack’s ever told him.