Guest Author: Using Fiction to Interest Young Readers in Non-Fiction by Henry Herz

Using Fiction to Interest Young Readers in Non-Fiction

I think it's fair to say that parents want their kids to develop both the right-brain creativity stoked by reading fiction, AND the left-brain analytical capacity encouraged from reading non-fiction. Both help round out young minds. Both improve school grades and SAT scores. Both are useful life skills.

Sadly, many young readers view only fiction as fun reading; looking down their cute noses at “boring” non-fiction. This makes fiction the chocolate pudding of the literary banquet table. History, math, and science are relegated to the role of lima beans, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. Boy are they steamed!

Now, I love fiction. After all, I write fiction picture books - like the fractured fairy tale, Little Red Cuttlefish recently released by Pelican Publishing. And I moderate fantasy literature panels at San Diego Comic-Con. That said, I've also been long fascinated by history, math, and science. 

So, how do we get kids to use both sides of their brains and eat their literary vegetables? Well, as a parent, I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've resorted to melting cheese on vegetables so my co-author sons eat what's good for them. And why not use the same technique with my writing? 

Little Red Cuttlefish is a good example of this approach. The story is an aquatic retelling of the classic fairy tale. In the original, Little Red Riding Hood is swallowed whole by the wolf - not a very savory outcome (for the girl, anyway). In Little Red Cuttlefish, the plucky cephalopod protagonist uses her wits and natural defense mechanisms to thwart a hungry tiger shark. 

Aside from a more positive message (they were called the Brothers Grimm, after all), the aquatic version is intended to spark young readers' interest in learning about sea creatures, zoology, and science in general. Toward that end, the story showcases the superhero-like abilities of cuttlefish, and an author's note serves up fascinating facts about cuttlefish and tiger sharks, an excerpt of which is below.

Cuttlefish aren’t fish at all. They are members of a class of animals that includes squids, octopuses, and nautiluses. They have a porous shell inside their bodies, called a cuttlebone, which is used to control their buoyancy.

Male cuttlefish have eight arms and two tentacles. Female cuttlefish have only six arms and two tentacles. The arms and tentacles have suckers for grabbing prey. And if that isn't strange enough, their blood is greenish blue.

Cuttlefish have an amazing ability to quickly change the color, pattern, and texture of their skin. Cuttlefish can use this camouflage to sneak up on their prey, which consists mostly of crabs and fish. 

The cuttlefish's ability to quickly change color also helps it avoid being hunted by sharks, dolphins, seals, and other predators. If camouflage doesn't work and it is spotted by a predator, a cuttlefish can squirt out a cloud of brown ink to help it hide.

Now, what kid wouldn't want the superpowers of changing color, squirting ink, and multiple sucker-covered arms? As if by magic, fiction can point young minds in the direction of non-fiction. “Why, yes, I WILL have some broccoli now.”

About Henry Herz:

Henry Herz writes fantasy and science fiction for children. He is represented by Deborah Warren of East/West Literary Agency. He and his sons wrote MONSTER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES (Pelican, 2015), WHEN YOU GIVE AN IMP A PENNY (Pelican, 2016), MABEL AND THE QUEEN OF DREAMS (Schiffer, 2016), LITTLE RED CUTTLEFISH (Pelican, 2016), and DINOSAUR PIRATES (Sterling, 2017).

Henry and his sons have also indie-published four children's books. NIMPENTOAD reached #1 in Kindle Best Sellers large print sci-fi & fantasy, and was featured in Young Entrepreneur, Wired GeekDad, and CNN. BEYOND THE PALE featured short stories by award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors Saladin Ahmed, Peter S. Beagle, Heather Brewer, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia, Nancy Holder, Gillian Philip & Jane Yolen, and reached #2 in Amazon Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Anthologies.

Read more HERE

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Guest Author: Fairy Tales and Fairies and Fae (Oh, My) by Henry Herz

Fairy Tales and Fairies and Fae (Oh, My)

Fairy tales are commonly defined as children's short stories featuring fantasy creatures and magical enchantments. Wikipedia artfully states, “The characters and motifs of fairy tales are simple and archetypal: princesses and goose-girls; youngest sons and gallant princes; ogres, giants, dragons, and trolls; wicked stepmothers and false heroes; fairy godmothers and other magical helpers, often talking horses, or foxes, or birds; glass mountains; and prohibitions and breaking of prohibitions.” The fairy tale is such a ubiquitous literary form, that it even has more than one classification system*.

Thomas Keightley indicated that the word 'fairy' derived from the Old French faerie, denoting enchantment. Fae is not related to the Germanic fey, or fated to die. Some authors don't distinguish between Fae and fairies. Other authors define Fae as any inhabitants of Faërie, be they large or small, good or evil. For them, Fae is the broader term encompassing not only fairies, but elves, dwarves, ogres, imps, and all other fantasy creatures. They consider fairies to be Fae who are diminutive and often ethereal, magic-wielding, and/or winged. 

Fairy Islands from Elves and Fairies by Ida Rentoul Outhwaite, 1916

Fairies of either flavor have been flitting about literature for centuries. Consider Morgan le Fay in Le Morte d'Arthur, Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Oberon and Titania in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Tinker Bell in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, Holly Short in Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl, all the way up to Bloom in Doreen Cronin's eponymously titled picture book and Mabel and the Queen of Dreams (inspired by Queen Mab in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet).

C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and others established fantasy as the subgenre of speculative fiction that employs magical elements set in an alternative world. Tolkien wrote in his essay “On Fairy-Stories” that fairy tales are distinct from traveller's tales (e.g., Gulliver's Travels), science fiction, beast tales (e.g., Aesop's Fables), and dream stories (e.g., Alice in Wonderland). He felt that fairies themselves were not an integral part of the definition of fairy tales. Rather, fairy tales were stories about the adventures of men and fantastic creatures in Faërie, a marvel-filled magical otherworld. By that definition, The Lord of the Rings is a fairy tale.

By John Bauer from The Boy and the Trolls, 1915

Urban fantasy** is a subgenre of fantasy set in an urban setting, typically in contemporary times. This setting violates Tolkien's definition of a fairy tale, since the story takes place in the “real” world, rather than in Faërie. Thus, Mabel and the Queen of Dreams, though featuring a fairy, is an urban fantasy rather than a fairy tale, or as Tolkien preferred, Märchen (wonder tale).

Regardless of subgenre, I hope readers will find in my story what Tolkien posited for Märchen generally. “Far more powerful and poignant is the effect [of joy] in a serious tale of Faërie. In such stories, when the sudden turn comes, we get a piercing glimpse of joy, and heart's desire, that for a moment passes outside the frame, rends indeed the very web of story, and lets a gleam come through.”

*Two major fairy tale classification systems are Aarne-Thompson and Vladimir Propp's Morphology of the Folk Tale.

**Some notable urban fantasy includes the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, Modern Faerie Tales series by Holly Black, Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Weather Warden series by Rachel Caine, Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, The Southern Vampire Mysteries series by Charlaine Harris, The Hollows series by Kim Harrison, The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne, Feral series by Cynthia Leitich Smith, The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr, October Daye series by Seanan McGuire, Marla Mason series by Tim Pratt, Simon Canderous series by Anton Stout, and Borderlands series by Terri Windling.

About Henry Herz:

Henry Herz writes fantasy and science fiction for children. He is represented by Deborah Warren of East/West Literary Agency. He and his sons wrote MONSTER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES (Pelican, 2015), WHEN YOU GIVE AN IMP A PENNY (Pelican, 2016), MABEL AND THE QUEEN OF DREAMS (Schiffer, 2016), LITTLE RED CUTTLEFISH (Pelican, 2016), and DINOSAUR PIRATES (Sterling, 2017).

Henry and his sons have also indie-published four children's books. NIMPENTOAD reached #1 in Kindle Best Sellers large print sci-fi & fantasy, and was featured in Young Entrepreneur, Wired GeekDad, and CNN. BEYOND THE PALE featured short stories by award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors Saladin Ahmed, Peter S. Beagle, Heather Brewer, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Kami Garcia, Nancy Holder, Gillian Philip & Jane Yolen, and reached #2 in Amazon Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Anthologies.

Read more HERE

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Guest Author: Andrew Joyce (Resolution: Huck Finn's Greatest Adventure)

My name is Andrew Joyce and I write books for a living. Jenai has been kind enough to allow me a little space on her blog to promote my new book RESOLUTION: Huck Finn’s Greatest Adventure. I think it’s a good book, but what do I know? Anyway, I’m kinda shy about tooting my own horn. So I think I’ll turn things over to my dog, Danny. He always has an attitude and usually does not speak highly of me. But please understand that we co-exist as the old Soviet Union and the United States once co-existed. We tolerate each other. So without further ado, here’s Danny.

Andrew dragged me away from an interesting documentary on television about how dogs were originally domesticated. He wanted me here to speak for him. For a person that works with words for a living, he has very little to say in real life. He wants me to tout his book for him, but I don’t think I will. Instead, I’ll tell you about our latest adventure. We’re always having fun adventures and I like to write about them. And everything I write is 100% true.

I’m Danny or to my fans, Danny the Dog. Today, I’d like to tell you what happened one recent morning after I walked Andrew. We live on the Asun; that’s the name of our boat. She’s named after my friend Suni. Andrew wanted to call her the Andrew, but I nixed that idea. I mean how narcissistic can you get? Well, in his case, quite a lot.

Before I can get to the events of two mornings ago, I have to preface my story by telling you what happened three days ago. I outsmarted Andrew and earned myself an hour of freedom. In addition, while running free, I came across a delicious treat and ate it. I’m not sure if it was the treat or what, but that night I got sick. So I was a bit out of sorts for a day. Andrew made a big show of insouciance and told me it was my karma. He even went so far as to say God was punishing me for running away. By the way, don’t blame me for using big words. Andrew makes me learn a new one every morning before he’ll give me my daily hot dog.

Anyway, after being a little under the weather for a day, I was feeling frisky that morning. When we got back from our walk, Andrew drummed a new word into my head. That day’s word was enfilade. I’m a dog—when am I ever going to need to use a word like that? If he taught me a word like bratwurst, now that is something I could use. I think it’s German for hot dog. And speaking of foreign languages, why can’t he teach me French? I’d love to go up to a pretty mademoiselle and say, “Je voudrais un hot dog.”

I’m getting away from my point. I was feeling pretty good and felt like playing. But would that old fart Andrew play with me? No, he wouldn’t! He sat there at his computer writing some silly story while I lay on the bed and begged him to come over and play. I gave a low growl to get his attention, then barked one bark. He looked at me and said, “If you want to play, come over here, and I’ll scratch your head.” I didn’t want a scratch on the head. I wanted Andrew to get on the bed and roll around with me, and maybe rub my tummy. For twenty minutes, every few minutes, I’d give out with a single bark, all to no avail. But in the end, I did win. He gave me a hot dog just to shut me up.

That was in the morning. At mid-afternoon, I still wanted to play, but Andrew was napping. Old people nap a lot. I let him sleep then, but the next time I’m going to jump up on the bed and lick him on the face until he wakes up and plays with me. At the very least, I’ll get a hot dog. By the way, tomorrow’s word is vociferous. He hasn’t told me what it means yet, but he did say my actions that morning inspired him to teach it to me. Maybe it means hot dog in French.

That’s about it from Dannyland for now.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot—go out and buy Andrew’s new book and make the old guy happy.

This is Andrew again. On behalf of Danny and myself, I would like to thank Jenai for having us over. It’s been a real pleasure.

Resolution: 

Huck Finn's Greatest Adventure 

by Andrew Joyce

About the book:

It is 1896 in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The largest gold strike in the annals of human history has just been made; however, word of the discovery will not reach the outside world for another year.

By happenstance, a fifty-nine-year-old Huck Finn and his lady friend, Molly Lee, are on hand, but they are not interested in gold. They have come to that neck of the woods seeking adventure.

Someone should have warned them, “Be careful what you wish for.”

When disaster strikes, they volunteer to save the day by making an arduous six hundred mile journey by dog sled in the depths of a Yukon winter. They race against time, nature, and man. With the temperature hovering around seventy degrees below zero, they must fight every day if they are to live to see the next.

On the frozen trail, they are put upon by murderers, hungry wolves, and hostile Indians, but those adversaries have nothing over the weather. At seventy below, your spit freezes a foot from your face. Your cheeks burn—your skin turns purple and black as it dies from the cold. You are in constant danger of losing fingers and toes to frostbite.

It is into this world that Huck and Molly race.

They cannot stop. They cannot turn back. They can only go on. Lives hang in the balance—including theirs.

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Guest Author: Lynne Hinkey 'Writing is an Endurance Sport'

Writing is an Endurance Sport

Hello Readers, and thank you, Jenai, for this opportunity to sit down for a chat with your fans and followers at Bookingly Yours.

I'm Lynne Hinkey, and as my tagline and business cards will tell you, I'm an author, marine scientist, and curmudgeon. I've written three novels, all set in the Caribbean, where I spent many years studying, working, playing, and gathering great story ideas from the quirky characters that tend to gather in tropical climes. 

One of the most frequently asked questions I get as a writer is, what advice would you give to aspiring writers? While I've learned (and continue to learn) so very much about the craft of writing, marketing, and the business of publishing the most important bit of advice I've received and would pass on is:

Writing is an endurance sport. 

That's been my mantra since I started on my writing journey about eleven years ago. I'm thankful that many who've come down this path before me shared that wisdom. Today, with an ever-expanding range of options available for writers to get their work out into the world, it's easier than ever to sprint to the "finish line" of having a book published. But, for anyone looking for a career, who wants to establish a reputation as a writer and not only publish books, but have a following of readers, sprinting to publish can often do as much harm as good.

Like in a marathon, runners who go out too fast run out of energy and get passed by those who take the long view and hold back at the start, when excitement and enthusiasm are high. Over the miles, eagerness will be replaced by exhaustion, ambition by frustration. After putting in those early miles that lead to writing "the end" on the last page, marathoners know that's where the hard work starts. 

After writing "the end," the editing, revising, and rewriting begin. Those are the tough middle miles, where the sprinters fall to the wayside. For those looking to complete the race, there's no short cut through those miles. For those who do take a short cut, the "victory" will be fleeting. Just ask Rosie Ruiz. (Go ahead and Google that name. I'll wait.)

How do any of us get through those bleak middle miles? Look to your favorite writers, the ones with staying power, who have grown their fan-base over years of slow, steady work. I look to Christopher Moore, who took eight years between deciding to become a writer and selling his first book, Practical Demon Keeping. He spent a year writing it, and almost another whole year polishing and editing before it sold. His persistence and care paid off. His writing and his example inspire me and remind me that I'm in for the long haul. Writing, becoming an author, is an endurance sport.

About the author:

I am a marine scientist by training, a writer by passion, and a curmudgeon by nature. I'm also an Olympic-caliber procrastinator...er, pacer, you know, for getting through the long, arduous journey of writing. I honed that skill through years of practice and dedication to life on island-time. I use my experiences living in the Caribbean to infuse my novels with tropical magic, from the siren call of the islands to the terror and hysteria caused by the mysterious chupacabra.

My short stories and essays have appeared in The Constellation International Literary Review, Skylines, The Petigru Review, Infective Ink, Two Hawks Quarterly, and other print and online publications.  My debut novel, Marina Melee, was released by Casperian Books in 2011, followed by Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons (2014). The sequel, The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods, comes on July 1, 2016.

You can read more about me and my writing at http:www.lynnehinkey.com, or on Facebook (Marina Melee by Lynne M. Hinkey) or Twitter (@LMHinkey).


About my books:

My first novel, Marina Melee, is the story of George Marsh who sails away to the Caribbean to escape the rat race and finds that living the easy life is hard work. In my second novel, Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons, bestselling author Jack Halliman (a minor character in Marina Melee), sails to Puerto Rico to get over his writer's block and instead becomes one of two suspects in a murder investigation--the other is the mythical chupacabra. Jack has to prove his innocence, but that might mean proving the chupacabra is real.

The Un-Familiar: A Tale of Cats and Gods--the sequel to Ye Gods! and my third novel-- comes out on July 1. In it, the chupacabra, known to a select few people as the dog-god of Mercy, is back. This time, he's brought friends, and maybe even an enemy or two. There's a beast of a storm brewing and only a god can stop it. The question is, which one? The chupacabra stories (a trilogy is planned, and the third Ye Goddess! A Tale of Girls and Gods is in development) are comic-fantasy tales that explore the way our beliefs become reality and affect our actions, and the consequences of those actions.

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Guest Author: Philip Brown

The Origins of Light Runner

First of all, I’d like to thank Jenai and her wonderful blog for inviting me as a guest.

When I began writing Light Runner several years ago, the first scene I created was one that ended up on the cutting room floor. Call it, “Dara meets Vadoma 1.0.” 

Vadoma is an elderly Tarot card reader who lives in the apartment right below Dara’s. In Dara’s mind, she’s just a mean old lady who hates skateboarding teens. However, Vadoma comes to Dara’s aid when Dara injures her knee in a skateboarding accident. The scene I wrote (and cut) was one in which Vadoma does a one card Tarot reading for Dara. Dara turns over one card and Vadoma interprets it in the context of the moment. It turns out to be the Temperance card. In the particular deck I was using as a basis for this scene, the card shows a winged girl standing next to a river pouring water from one cup into another, like she’s trying to even out the liquid portions. It symbolizes moderation and balance. It also represents lack of prejudice, and Dara has certainly stereotyped Vadoma as a judgmental grey-haired lady.

Vadoma looks from the Tarot card to Dara’s injured knee and says, “You must learn balance.” I liked the scene, but had to part with it when I couldn’t find a way to make it serve the plot. However, I wrote a longer Tarot scene for Vadoma and Dara, in which the three cards she turns over carry a great deal of foreboding.

This scene rang true for my own life. I, too, was a rebel who had to learn balance. And I found that the ones I learned from the best were older people—Vadomas or the male equivalent—who came into my life. I wasn’t very good at heeding advice from my own parents. But when life counsel was offered by a kind person who was gentle and old enough to bear some of life’s scars, I accepted it. It seemed like an older wise man or woman always stepped into my life when I was most in need of support and guidance.

The main concept for Light Runner—an armband that can heal wounds—came to me after I’d already worked on the book for at least two years. It had gone through several drafts and I’d workshopped it with a writing group. However, I knew the story lacked something essential. It started out as a YA mystery/thriller, not a fantasy, but something kept tugging me in the direction of fantasy, a genre I’ve always loved. I resisted the pull, but finally had to let go and allow something fantastic enter the story, let it become what it could be. Putting a healing armband in the hands of a teenage girl changed everything. It opened the story up to a whole new range of possibilities that weren’t there when it was grounded solely in the mystery genre. 

I’ve got some background in astrology. Vedic astrology (which originated in India, but has become increasingly popular in the West) prescribes gems for healing or warding off the malefic influences of the planets. Dara’s healing armband—the Jyotisha—came out of that, although the one I created in the book has powers far beyond what one might expect from healing gems.

* * *

Light Runner 
by Philip Brown

Sixteen-year-old Dara Adengard would rather read graphic novels than do her homework and prefers the freedom of skateboarding to the restrictions of life with her military father. Stung by the recent death of her mother, Dara conceals her mom’s picture under a square of grip tape on her skateboard. But no matter how much Dara tries to keep a foothold on the past, she can’t ride away from her own destiny.

One evening, she discovers a silver and gold armlet with mysterious powers in the shadowy water of the swimming pool. Forged from an ancient meteorite metal, it possesses the power to heal or wound. When Dara holds it, it emits a light that seems to have been ignited by a star’s ray. Moments later, she is stunned to find that someone’s broken into her apartment, her father has vanished, and a dead body lies sprawled in the courtyard.

Evading the police, Dara escapes on a perilous quest for her father, begins to uncover her mother’s hidden past, and starts to realize the shocking truth about herself.

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About the author: 

Philip Brown, YA contemporary fantasy author, is motivated by the power of words to change lives. He teaches high school and is inspired by his students, many of whom struggle to overcome difficult social and personal issues. “The classroom,” he says, “is a place filled with brilliant and amazing stories.”

Before he began writing fiction, Philip wrote a couple of astrology books. Cosmic Trends was published by Llewellyn Worldwide in 2006 and was a finalist for the Coalition of Visionary Resources Award. His widely read AstroFutureTrends blog was turned into the book, On the Cusp: Astrological Reflections from the Threshold.

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Guest Author: Barbara Venkataraman

NOTHING TO SNEEZE ABOUT

Remember the last time you sneezed? There was that little itch that sent your nose into high alert. This could be the big one, you think, a real head-bobber, or it could be a tiny little nothing sneeze. Or it could be a false alarm. You just never know what to expect. There's the build-up, then the sneeze and, finally, the feeling of relief. And then it's over, or at least you hope so. I always sneeze three times in a row, but that's just my thing, a little author trivia.

So, how is a sneeze like reading a mystery? Well, I'm glad you asked.  Like a sneeze, the plot of a mystery starts out slowly, the tension gradually builds while the reader wonders, is something about to happen? Is this a clue? Is this a major plot development? Or is it a fake-out?  For every build-up of tension in a mystery, there must be a release afterwards, a resolution to the problem and then a period of low-tension. In most books, this pattern will happen many times before the final resolution (the big sneeze!) which signals the end of the story.

Without conflict, there is no story, of course, so the writer wants to keep putting the characters in dangerous or stressful situations. A good writer keeps the reader on edge by dangling the prize in front of the protagonist and then snatching it away at the last minute, or by throwing roadblocks in the way. The author has to be subtle about it, so the obstacles vary constantly. Maybe the protagonist loses faith in herself, or is physically detained. Maybe someone she cares about has a crisis and she has to stop what she's doing to offer help. Or maybe she's sent on a wild goose chase or follows the wrong lead. She may wind up in physical danger, or some other kind of trouble.  

Here's an example of a best-selling mystery plot. The novel begins with the murder of a beautiful prosecutor in her apartment. The protagonist, also a prosecutor, was her co-worker, and is assigned the case. Nobody knows that the victim was the protagonist's former lover (raising the stakes). The protagonist's boss is up for re-election and the murder of one of his people is embarrassing. If he loses the election, the protagonist loses his job (raising the stakes some more). The election is lost and suddenly the protagonist finds himself accused of the murder. There's lots of evidence to implicate him: calls made from his home to hers the night of the murder, a glass with his fingerprints on it, carpet fibers, etc. The courtroom drama raises the tension even further; taking many turns along the way. But the expert testimony proves unreliable. The protagonist learns the judge had a relationship with the victim and also that the judge, the victim and his former boss all took bribes from suspects. A crucial piece of evidence for the prosecution disappears and the judge dismisses the case for lack of evidence. 

But the reader still doesn't know who killed the prosecutor! Was it the protagonist? He's the narrator, but is he reliable? Yes, he is, and he figures out who murdered his former lover…dun dun dun! It was his angry, betrayed wife who tried to frame him. Recognize the plot? It's Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow.

The challenge for the mystery writer is how to build the tension to a crescendo and timing is everything. Think about that horror movie trick where the girl (and the audience) is terrified because we know something bad is about to happen. We're on the edge of our seats, our hearts are racing, and, suddenly, something scary jumps out at the girl--and it's just a cat. Everyone lets down their guard, shakes off the nervous tension and--WHAM--the bad guy/monster/psycho/alien then attacks the girl. That twist worked great the first time we saw it, but now we've come to expect it. 

In my Jamie Quinn mystery series, Jamie is a reluctant family lawyer who keeps finding herself involved in murder cases. In Death by Didgeridoo, her disabled cousin is accused of murdering his music teacher; in The Case of the Killer Divorce, Jamie's client is accused of murdering her husband, and in Peril in the Park, Jamie and her boyfriend are in danger from an evil jester who has already murdered one person. The tension rises and falls in each book while Jamie tries to figure out what's really going on, while, at the same time, there are mysteries to solve in her personal life. Because these books are part of a series, the tension isn't completely resolved at the end of each book. Certain story lines continue through to the next book and, in fact, each book ends with the first chapter of the next book as a teaser. 

Now, I think you understand how a good mystery can be just like a sneeze. And who doesn't like a good sneeze? It can be energizing and unexpected. But, at all costs, you want to avoid books which don't have tension; the kind that go on and on, the ones you wish would hurry up and end already. They are like having the hiccups and nobody wants those! 

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Guest Author: Barbara Venkataraman

Inspiration, Brainstorming and Keeping One's Head

Let's talk about Scheherazade, shall we? You remember her--the legendary Arabic queen and star of One Thousand and One Nights. She had the misfortune of marrying a king with a nasty habit of killing his wife every night and marrying a new one the next day. Luckily, she was very clever and a master storyteller and has provided us with the first documented case of the cliffhanger. On her first night with her new husband (which was also slated to be her last night with her new husband), she told him a fascinating story, spinning a tale all night long and stopping at dawn, right at the juiciest part of the story. Her curious, but still murderous husband told her she could live one more night, just to finish the story. She did finish and then started a new story every single night for a thousand and one nights until he finally told her she was so interesting he would allow her to live. That's almost three years' worth of stories, people! And you thought you were stressed about deadlines…

When your head isn't literally on the chopping block, it can be difficult to find inspiration, so what's an author to do? The prolific Stephen King, who never seems to run out of story ideas, says that his secret is to take interesting characters and put them in an interesting situation and see what happens. One of his recent books, Cell, provides a great example. King makes no secret of the fact that he hates cell phones, so why not make them the villain of the story? The premise, according to Wikipedia is this: it is an apocalyptic horror novel in which a New England artist struggles to reunite with his young son after a mysterious signal broadcast over the global cell phone network turns the majority of his fellow humans into mindless vicious animals. There are definite possibilities in that scenario, wouldn't you say?

Yes, you agree politely, but he's Stephen King, and I'm not. How am I supposed to brainstorm something brilliant? Ah, that's the key right there. It doesn't have to be brilliant--in fact, it can be the stupidest idea you've ever had! But it may lead you somewhere if you go with it, follow it, twist it, flip it on its head. You should defy your own expectations and, most importantly, keep asking why. Why does your character go to New York? Who he is going to see? Does he want to go or is he being forced to go? Is he running from something? How does he get there? What obstacles must he overcome? Pursue every avenue, exhaust every possibility and then throw another character into the mix. What are her motivations? What is their relationship? And then comes the most important question you'll ever ask about any imaginary scenario: What is the conflict? No conflict, no story, it’s that simple. Things must go wrong, fall apart, and look bleaker than bleak before you can write that happy ending. But it doesn't have to be an external conflict, it can be internal.

In my first Jamie Quinn Mystery, Death by Didgeridoo, the protagonist, Jamie, is depressed about the death of her mother. She has taken a hiatus from work that has stretched into six months and still, she cannot get her act together. That is an internal conflict. Then her Aunt Peg calls, frantic, because her disabled son Adam has been accused of murder and she begs Jamie for help. Jamie is a family law attorney who knows nothing about criminal law but very much wants to help. When she arrives at the police station, she gets into an argument with the cocky young state attorney who wants to bolster his reputation by making an example out of Adam. Jamie soon realizes that the only person who can help her track down the real killer is someone she despises. Conflicts all over the place! See what I mean?

A good source of ideas is the daily news. People are doing the craziest stuff all the time; you can't make up some of this stuff. I live in Florida, where bizarre news is the norm, so it's easier for me. Here's an example of something going on right now: a man and woman had a brief fling and produced a child. They planned to share custody of their son and signed a parenting plan in which one of the conditions they agreed to was that the son would be circumcised and the father would pay for it. This agreement was incorporated into a court order and then the mom changed her mind, she didn't want her son circumcised after all. Four years of litigation ensued, the case moved from State to Federal Court and the father ultimately prevailed. So, what did the mom do? She fled the state with the child, but only after seeking assistance from radical activists called "intactivists" who reject circumcision as barbaric and who staged protests on her behalf. (They also threatened the doctors. I told you they were radical, didn't I?)

While I don't have an opinion on this particular subject, I think I've proved my point, that the news is a great way to start the creative juices flowing. Just don't forget to change the names and situations in order to fictionalize your story. And remember that conflict can be anything, it can be huge: a war between nations, a hostile takeover of a corporation, the Avengers taking down the bad guys. Or it can be intangible: a clash of ideas, a phobia, or the agony of choosing between two lovers. Make your characters sweat it out! They may hate you for it, but your readers will love you. Now that you're out of excuses, sit down and start writing!

(Or you can stand if you want to, that works too.)

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Guest Author: S.L. Mauldin

I am a native of Metro Atlanta, where I served in a management capacity for numerous years. After discovering some personal musings from the past in an old trunk, I recounted his affinity for storytelling. Since then, I've has penned a few novels and several screenplays, one of which was optioned to become a major motion picture. Currently, in between sleeping and dodging traffic, I'm editing my recent work tentatively titled, "Always Here", while maintaining the hopes of rekindling an appeal to the stories like John Hughes once scribed.

Life Sliding is a young adult novel that tackles some difficult social issues.

As his junior year in high school comes to an end, Gavin Bailey realizes his privileged world as the most popular kid in school is a lie. He is sent to assist at a camp for children with special needs for the summer. Suddenly forced to dabble in a world less familiar, Gavin’s past catches up with him at Camp Lift Me Up. Initially convinced he is the only one suffering, Gavin faces a summer of harsh lessons in reality and eventually determines to make a difference at school his senior year. With the help of old and new friends, he implements a plan to stir up the social order, but will they be able to survive the fallout of what they’ve put into motion?

Life Sliding has a release date of February 15, 2016 in all formats,. Currently, for a limited time prior to release it is available on Amazon Kindle in ebook format.

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Guest Author: All About Imps by Henry Herz

All About Imps by Henry Herz 

According to German mythology, imps are lesser goblins who often seek humans on whom to commit mischievous, not evil, acts. Imps are described as small, wild and willful; in some cultures they are synonymous with fairies. They are sometimes depicted as unattractive small demons. Although immortal, imps could be harmed with magical weapons or kept out of one’s house with magical wards.

There’s a certain pathos associated with imps, as their mischief is meant to attract human attention and friendship, but typically produces the opposite effect. Even in “successful” situations, the imp remains true to its nature, and continues to play pranks on its human host. Hence the term “impish” is often used today to describe someone who is a trickster or practical joker.

Given their quasi-demonic appearance, some believed that imps were servants of witches and warlocks, sometimes known as familiars. Such familiars, in the form of the all-too-common black cat, black dog, or toad, were considered proof of witchcraft during the era of witch hunts. Science!!

Imp legend in some cases associates imps with an object. Some imps were kept within a container, like a bottle or lamp. Others were not contained within, but magically bound to an object like a sword or jewel.

Imps could be considered the alter-egos of the far more helpful brownies (not to be confused with young girl scouts or a delicious chocolatey treat). According to Scottish and English folklore, brownies are small humanoids that inhabit unused portions of houses, such as attics, basements, or within the walls. Brownies help with the household chores, but because they don’t like to be seen, they work at night. They appreciate gifts of food, particularly honey, porridge and dairy products. But brownies may depart the home if their gifts are referred to as payments, or if the human occupants mistreat them. It seems like a brownie would be a natural solution to an imp infestation.

Imps appear in the games Forgotten Realms and Dungeons & Dragon, and in the books THE BOTTLE IMP by Robert Louis Stevenson, LIVES OF THE NECROMANCER by William Godwin, THE IMP AND THE CRUST by Leo Tolstoy, The Oz series by L. Frank Baum, and MONSTER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES by Henry Herz.

Henry Herz's latest picture book, published by Pelican (32 pages), is WHEN YOU GIVE AN IMP A PENNY. Before you lend an imp a penny, there’s something you should know—such a simple act of generosity could set off a side-splitting chain of events! A colorful picture book full of mythology, mischief, and magic, WHEN YOU GIVE AN IMP A PENNY shows us just what happens when an accident-prone—but well-intentioned—imp comes along asking for favors! The same writer/illustrator duo that brought you MONSTER GOOSE NURSERY RHYMES brings to life a comedy of fabled proportions.

From tracking mud on the floor to setting the broom on fire, this clumsy little imp causes accidents wherever he goes, but he’s determined make things right again. The only thing it will cost his host is a little patience—and maybe a bit of time cleaning up some messes! It won’t be long before this troublemaker has won over the entire family (except for the cat) with his irrepressible charm. Herz’s whimsical prose and Larson’s bold illustrations make this tale a laugh from beginning to end—and then again!

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