Halloween is in Sight, so are some FREE books!

Trick or treating is just around the corner, and I have been thinking about what treat I might be able to leave inside your Halloween bucket or pillowcase.

I have a couple of YA mysteries that will be FREE on the 30th and 31st of this month, so you'll want to fly on over to Amazon to pick up your eBook. 

Tie Died will be FREE on the 30th.

Buckled Inn will be FREE on the 31st.

You may want to bookmark this post so you can find the books easily when the day comes. They will be FREE on these two days only. 

I have four books slotted for the end of November beginning on the 24th, Black Friday. They are

Conquering Your Goliaths

The Feast

The Gift

and Enlightened

All inspiring and motivating! 

5 Tricks That Will Make You a Better Writer

Halloween is almost upon us, but I don't remember the last time one of my grandchildren was asked to do a trick at someone's door over getting a free treat.

With writing, however, tricks remain one of the greatest treats of creating your best work.

Allow me to share 5:

1. Getting out. Like the ghouls and boys at Halloween, you must venture out to get that well-craved treat. You can't expect to stay home (unless you're the parent) and receive your favorite chocolates. The same is true with the better writers who go out - not just to work or to the grocery store - but on a planned visit. Taking a walk is good, so is visiting the park, taking in a movie or dinner alone, or purposely planning a weekend at a favorite hotel or destination to write your heart out.

Our annual Halloween party. From left to right: Bekah as Nancy Drew, Chris as Neighborhood Watch guy, Me as Carmen Sandiego, Doug as Sherlock Holmes, Jacob as Scooby Do.
WE LOVE OUR GRANDKIDS!  

2. Writing when you don't feel like it. Writing, for me, is like breathing. Some days, all I can do is write in my journal, but I write every day. When it hurts the most is the best time to write. I have found when I write when I hurt I heal that much faster.

3. Reading what other writers have written. I know, I know, you've heard this for years, but it remains true. I still talk to writers who love to write but they never read. There is something life-changing about reading what someone else has written and paying attention to how and what they have written about, especially if the book is in the same genre as the one you are writing or wish to write. We can learn a lot about characters, setting, dialogue, and plot by reading someone else's work.

4. Editing! Editing, at least for me, is a dreaded task until I think about the end result. Always, always, the end result is a better representation of what I have written. Always! How many drafts does it take to get to the end of your [book]? The world may never know, but you should.

"How many licks does it take to get to the end of a Tootsie Pop?"

 Photo by Nagesh Badu on Unsplash

5. Taking in feedback. This is hard! I still struggle with this one! Especially after I've worked hard to make the work my best and there are still issues! Sometimes the feedback is someone's opinion. You hear it once and no one else makes the same comment. I take a look at these and often let them go. Then there are the times you hear the same comment over and over. That's when you really take a look! That's when changes for me are often made.

Becoming a better writer doesn't happen in a moment as you know. But a howling night, maybe five or ten years down the road, you'll look at your earlier work and really see something! The best treat of all...

Improvement.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY: Are Pumpkins Just for Picking?

Today is National Pumpkin Day. How are you celebrating?

LOVE this idea.

FRIDAY FLICKS: Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean

Get the Book at Amazon

HALLOWEEN IS SNEAKIN' UP

What will you choose to read this Halloween?

After the trick-or-treating there will be lulls I'm sure, and if you haven't planned on watching a scary movie, why not try a mystery book?

Here's my latest book trailer. Enjoy!

Kathryn

Keep Breathing...

Feeling the holidays fast approaching?

Just yesterday I began my Christmas list...I have to begin the list before the Christmas season actually hits; if I don't, I find myself scrambling at the last minute for gifts, my mind aching from all of the rushing...

This morning I thought about my Christmas tree. Imagine that! I thought about how it looked last year standing in front of my living room window all decorated and glowing.

Boy, what happened to Halloween?

The good news is that I haven't started decorating for Christmas yet. :) It's all I can do right now to sort of stop the rushing in my brain and enjoy the holiday that is fast approaching this week.

Halloween. Tricks. Treats. Dressing up. Halloween movies.

I love it all.

Happy Halloween to you!

Kathryn

HAPPY HALLOWEEN: SOME TREATS!



Photo by: lobo235, courtesy of Flickr

Watch a short video!

Find out who won the Fear Not contest:

 

http://idea-creations.blogspot.com/2013/10/book-giveaway.html

When Spooky Stuff Creeps into Your Writing

Anyone that knows me, probably also knows that I don't write

Horror

But that I do write

Mystery

And for those who have read Scrambled, they have quickly discovered that even then the gory scenes really aren't all that gory. In fact, you may just find yourself being a detective without having to deal
with all of the gory details.



Picture by pugg71, courtesy of Flickr

Still, there are times when spooky stuff sort of creeps into my writing (other than when I'm writing a mystery). And at these times I look closely at what I've just penned because the last thing I want to do is to bring the 'wrong sort' into the room, if you know what I mean.

Suffice it to say, there needs to be tension, a bad guy or girl, or some sort of opposition. Nothing, and I mean nothing, not even a Christian fiction book can be all smiles and a perfect life.

There's no such thing.

But having said that, I think it's important to look at your writing and feel what you've written. If you like the creepy stuff, fine, but if you want your readers to go away feeling as if they still know you, (because you've written other books with a similar feel) double check what you've written before you send it off to be published.

I can usually handle scary scenes

1. If they are coupled with humor, as in A River of Stones and the vampire and Doberman scenes.
2. If they aren't too dark or too detailed. My readers can know there's a dead man, but they don't need to know the specific details of the dead man's body.
3. If the 'spooky' stuff really isn't 'spooky' but sort of eerie thoughtful. In Scrambled, the main character thinks she's hearing the voice of a spirit, though she's not sure if it's the voice of the dead man or just her own mind. 

When spooky stuff creeps into your writing, just take a second look. That's all I'm asking.

Photo by Ben Spark, courtesy of Flickr

You never know who will be trying to slide through your office door.

Happy Halloween!

Kathryn

Halloween Writing Prompts

Want to get... spooked? Experience writing like you may have never experienced it before?

My grandson, Christian, as a ninja

Today I want to direct you to an article I did for Michael Haynes--A Writing Blog, on five Writing Prompts to Die For. On a spooky day like today, what could be more appropriate than visiting a cemetery, writing a creepy story, taking a walk?

If your writing ideas are as dead as a doornail, or you just need a little shot in the neck, you may just want to check out the link below!

http://michael-haynes.blogspot.com/2012/10/five-writing-prompts-to-die-for-guest.html

Have a howling Halloween!

Kathryn

A Halloween Party to Die For

Every year my family gets together for a Halloween Party. We dress up, go out to eat in costume, then return home for a movie. This year the choice was "Men in Black."

I can't tell you the FUN to be had doing this adventurous activity.
Since our family uses another day other than Halloween to dress up in costume and go out to eat we get some pretty strange looks.

This year we went to Salt Lake City Burger Co.

And even though we were dressed as various goblins, we were treated with kindness, though with a bit of initial surprise.

It isn't every day that you see this:

At Salt City Burger Co.

At any rate, we enjoyed a great meal as onlookers stared and raised their eyebrows. It was a bit like being a celebrity, though I have never been a celebrity so I'm just guessing at the attention. We were also seated in a corner booth. I'm not sure if this was because of our number or because of (you know) our attire.

It occurred to me last night just like it does now, that experiences such as this can give us a clue into the heads of others. The experience can help us with our next book, or merely give us cause for reflection.

Like any off-the-wall FUN thing will do.