writer | graphic designer | illustrator
Chapter 6: It’s Only Coffee, Right?
Why did I agree to meet him right now, or at all? Does he deserve to see me after what had happened between us?
Maybe it’s not about him deserving to see me, but more about him owing me an explanation.
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Exciting news! I’m revealing the cover for HEARTS AND ERRORS on 12/12/18, so check back soon! Have a great day, everyone!
#heartsanderrorsanovel
Upcoming novel releasing 1/19/19
Chapter 5: Blast from the Past
Roy?
I sit up.
What do I do? Do I hang up? Why is he calling? Why is he calling me now? Why is he calling me at all?
“Y-yes?” I reply, doing my best to sound calm while holding my breath. My hands are shaking. I grip the phone harder trying not to drop it.
“It’s Roy,” he says.
Yes, I know who it is.
#heartsanderrorsanovel
Upcoming novel releasing 1/19/19
CHAPTER 3: A Matchmaker in Paris
“Hello?” she answers.
“Did I wake you?”
“I knew you’d call. I’m in the kitchen eating leftover pizza. Have you ever had cold pizza? It’s not bad,” she says.
“I’m going to Paris,” I blurt.
#heartsanderrorsanovel
RELEASING 1/19/19
More excerpts to come from my upcoming novel HEARTS AND ERRORS! Stay tuned!
Happy Friday!
CHAPTER 2: The Article
“Make a wish,” I mumble to myself, lifting it up and fanning the pages.
A loose leaf falls on my shoes.
I pick it up and notice the creases across the page. I iron it out with my hand, pressing it against my leg. As I do, I find myself drawn to a pull quote that says: I remember having this sudden urge to get lost somewhere, discover something new, or dream something big.
I hold it closer, my eyes gawking at the words.
The title says:
Merci, Paris
#heartsanderrorsanovel
RELEASING 1/19/19
More excerpts to come from my upcoming novel HEARTS AND ERRORS! Stay tuned!
Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!
CHAPTER 1: Cursed
IT ALL BEGAN WITH A BLUE SHARPIE.
A blue Sharpie and an “I’m sorry” card.
It will be three years in twelve days since it happened, and I still get knots in my stomach whenever the date approaches.
#heartsanderrorsanovel
RELEASING 1/19/19
As promised, here is the very first excerpt from my upcoming novel HEARTS AND ERRORS! More to come! Stay tuned.
Happy Tuesday, everyone!
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”
—Anton Chekhov
“Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you are writing.”
—Henry Miller
“All fiction has to have a certain amount of truth in it to be powerful.”
—George R. R. Martin
“Your job isn’t to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up.”
― Stephen King
“So okay―there you are in your room with the shade down and the door shut and the plug pulled out of the base of the telephone. You’ve blown up your TV and committed yourself to a thousand words a day, come hell or high water. Now comes the big question: What are you going to write about? And the equally big answer: Anything you damn well want.”
― Stephen King
Hi folks! HIGH is only $0.99 today! Get your copy now!
“I inhale slowly, soaking it all in. I step forward and backward, my neck twisting and turning, memorizing every corner. I feel an instant connection to this place. Something about being here grabs me and infatuates me. I begin taking mental pictures of the narrow alleys decorated with rows of artists and vendors. I start imagining myself dining at the sidewalk cafes, sitting there with Chad during the summer, spring, winter, and fall. I get this strong desire to take off my shoes and walk barefooted on the cobblestones as if I have found my new home.”
Corey M. P., HIGH
1. “You can make anything by writing.”
― C.S. Lewis
2. “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.”
― Robert Frost
3. “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
― Louis L’Amour
4. “This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It’s that easy, and that hard.”
― Neil Gaiman
5. “You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write.”
― Saul Bellow
What makes a good or a great novel? Is it the characters, the setting, the plot, the dialogue, or the ending? It’s probably a combination of all of these things, and more.
I’ve always believed that a good novel has to have the following ingredients, regardless of what genre:
1. Interesting characters
2. An exciting plot
3. A great story
4. A great ending
Good dialogue is important too. It is how we get a glimpse inside a character’s head and a character’s heart. When dialogue moves us—and makes us smile, laugh, and/or cry—we feel a stronger connection to the story and the characters, which makes the book memorable.
What makes a novel bad? I guess the opposite of the above, right?
1. Boring characters
2. A boring plot
3. A bad ending
And a lot more…
When you find yourself skipping paragraphs and/or pages, chances are, you’re losing interest in the characters and/or the story. I’m sure that many of you have opened a book, started reading it and then midway through, closed the book and never finished it. Do you remember why you stopped reading?
I do. I once read a story that seemed interesting enough to keep going. But when I got to the chapter where descriptions began to feel like the author simply wanting to show off her knowledge on history, even though it didn’t necessarily pertain to the story or to the protagonist, I closed the book.
Description is a vital part of a story. It is what paints the picture for the reader. It is what puts them in the mood and helps them see the story clearer. But when descriptions become too flowery or too detailed, I lose interest.
Last year, I began reading a novel that started off strong. A few pages in, I found myself skipping sentences and paragraphs. The author described too many mundane details I didn’t care for. I wanted to get to the story, but instead found myself skipping through sections about what the character ate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then what beer he bought, when and where he bought it, and how he sipped it. It was way too much. I stopped reading in the midst of chapter four.
So now I’d like to ask you a few questions about fiction. If you’d like to answer them, simply leave your answers in the comments section below:
1. What genre of fiction do you enjoy reading?
2. What is your favorite novel, and why?
3. Who is your favorite novelist, and why?
4. What makes you lose interest in a story?
5. What types of protagonists do you like reading about? Do you dislike?
6 What type of endings do you prefer (happy, tragic, sad, cliffhanger endings)?
7. What type of narration do you prefer (example: first-person or third-person)? Does it matter?
8. What novel(s) have you read more than once? Why?
Thanks for answering the questions.
Happy reading and writing!
It was an honor to be part of the The Noe Valley Authors Festival last Saturday. I had a great time meeting other local authors and learning about their books. I also met people from the neighborhood who stopped by my table to purchase books, while others simply came by to ask questions about writing and publishing. I was happy to answer their questions and even share some tips.
The festival was three hours long. It was enough time for us to meet and greet folks and sell our books. It was indeed a fun afternoon. I can’t wait to join other author events in the near future.
Check out the list of authors who came to the festival. Take your time and click on the links below. I’m sure you will find something that will interest you. 🙂
Author: Michael Alenyikov
Books: “Ivan and Misha”
Winner of the Northern California Book Award
Finalist for the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction
Awarded the 2013 Gina Berriault Award from San Francisco State
Booklist
Word madness is a hallmark of the writing: lyrical descriptions of place, time, and events; touches of the bizarre; everyday humor; and a love of New York from Brighton Beach in Brooklyn to the gentrifying East Village delight with their clarity and detail. Written with sweetness, compassion, and great beauty, this book will have broad appeal to lovers of short fiction and literary writing.
“Ivan and Misha” is the Great American Russian Novel told as Chekhov would tell it, in stories of delicacy, humanity, and insight. From Kiev to Manhattan, Brighton Beach, and Bellevue, Michael Alenyikovsky lays out a series of compelling arguments for brotherhood between brothers, between lovers, between men from an old country. Alenyikov confronts big subjects–illness and madness, sex and love in the age of AIDS, Old and New World values, a fallen wall, the metaphysics of survival, the march of generations.” — Carolyn Cooke, author of The Bostons and Daughters of the Revolution
Author: Michelle Cannon
Books: “Ben Not a Puppy!” and “Remember When?”
cannonbooks.org
Author: Marie D’Abreo
Book: “Beautiful: A girl’s trip through the looking glass”
http://amzn.com/0991528506
Author: Peter Gabel
Books: “Another Way of Seeing” and “The Bank Teller”
Available at Folio Books
3957 24th Street, San Francisco
Books also available on Amazon
Author: Tom Graves
Book: “Twice Heroes: America’s Nisei Veterans of WWII and Korea”
Interviews and 98 portraits of men and women who fought for America while their families spent the war in internment camps.
National Japanese American Historical Society
1684 Post Street, San Francisco
(415) 921-5007
Kinokuniya Books
1581 Webster Street, San Francisco
(415) 567-7625
Online: www.TwiceHeroes.com
Author: Chester Hartman
www.prrac.org
To order books, email author at: chartman@prrac.org
Author: Kathleen Knowles
http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/Author-Kathleen-Knowles.html
Author: Sheppard Benet Kominars
Book: “Portal Poems: Perspectives on Aging”
Senior Years Are the New Frontier in the 21st Century. The moment you pass through this portal, finding a new compass to navigate is a task that must be initiated. Portal Poems offers valuable insights into this new territory in which the Old Rules have changed and new ones need to be discovered. What better way than through the poetry of someone who has lived it?
You can purchase Portal Poems online through GoodSheppardBooks.com and the Kindle edition is now available on Amazon. www.portalpoems.com
Author: Richard May
Book: “Ginger Snaps: Photos & Stories of Redheaded Queer People”
Available at Folio Books
3957 24th Street, San Francisco
Author: Mary Jo McConahay
Book: “Maya Roads: One Woman’s Journey Among the People of the Rainforest”
www.mayaroads.com
Author: Rebecca P. McCray
Book: “The Journey of the Marked”
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GV3D7J6
Author: Vincent Meis
Book: “Down in Cuba”
http://www.vincentmeis.com
https://www.createspace.com/4267959
http://www.amazon.com/Down-Cuba-Vincent-Meis/dp/0615812201/
Author: Sara Oletti
Book: “The Kitchen Book for Girls Who Think They Can’t Cook”
http://sarabetholetti.com/
Author: Dan Richman
http://cunningcrowbooks.com/
Author: Bruce Rogers
Book: “The Orchid Whisperer”
www.theorchidwhisperer.com
Author: Julianne Victoria
http://juliannevictoria.com/books-2/