Marilyn's Musings

Me and Bonnie Hearn Hill This was the second year I attended the Great Valley Bookfest in Manteca. What a great event! I'm not sure how many authors and other vendors participated, but there were a lot of us. Bonnie Hearn Hill is a friend and fellow author. Years ago, she wrote a review for the Fresno Bee for my first published book. The night before, the organizer of this event treated the authors and volunteers to a get-together at her home. Lisa and I shared a table with Manteca's Chief of Police and his wife, a retired police officer and his wife--she turned out to be an avid reader who loves series--and yes, she came to the bookfest and bought two of my books. One from each of my series. Many, many people turned out to peruse what we all had to offer.  Remarkable too, since it was a very hot day! I also gave a talk (to not many people) about writing a series and keeping it going. A married couple attended and also came by and each bought a ...

Christopher Allan Poe and Bonnie Hearn Hill At a recent San Joaquin Sisters in Crime meeting, Christopher Allan Poe and Bonnie Hearn Hill gave a wonderful presentation on Hooks. Some of the tips they came up with were things I hadn't even thought of as hooks, for instance: The first two hooks are the title and the book cover. Next comes the first line. Start the reader off with a question that pulls them into the story. I still think my best first line came from Murder in the Worst Degree: Except for the dead body washed up on the sand, conditions were perfect for surfing. Next come the first couple of paragraphs. Again, asking questions the reader wants to keep reading to find the answers. Right away, will the reader know the time frame. Voice of the protagonist. Writer's style sensed right away. First chapter must hook the reader into continuing on. The popularity of genres seem to cycle. Bridging Conflict means taking ...

  Today, novelists Bonnie Hearn Hill and Christopher Allan Poe are sharing an excerpt from their co-authored book on writing in the digital age. Bonnie has a long list of publications, including six thrillers from MIRA Books (which will soon be available in audio) and four young adult novels, and Chris is finishing his second novel and has been accepted into the International Thriller Writers Debut Author Program. They are members of the same critique group, speak at writing conferences across the country, and they are both Type A, high-energy authors who frequently finish each other's sentences. They wrote the book because they believe that in the stampede to get published in today's market, too many writers are focused on marketing instead of craft. Over many cups of coffee and frequently Bonnie's taco soup or Poe Lite Potatoes, DIGITAL INK was born. "I learned how to write and sell by studying books by Jack Bickham, Gary Provost and John Gardner,...

TAURUS EYES Monterey, California. When Logan McRae travels to a summer workshop, she takes part in a tour of the local ghosts, including folksinger Sean Baylor, who died in the late sixties. Logan tries to sit by her mentor on the bus, but an aggressive classmate shoves her out of the way, and she stumbles into the seat beside Jeremy Novack. He grabs her hand, and Logan feels an immediate connection. She’s sure Jeremy feels it too. She can see it in his soulful Taurus eyes. As strong as their mutual attraction seems to be, they are driven apart when they are both assigned the same topic: Find out what happened to Sean Baylor. She tackles the subject using astrology. Jeremy is determined to make her research difficult and will stop at nothing, including flirting with her, to try to get her to write about anything else. Then, at a hotel restaurant, they encounter what may indeed be Sean Baylor’s spirit. And Logan knows she must convince Jeremy that the only way they will solve the myst...