Saturday, June 22, 2013
Friday, June 14, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
JUST ME, 100 Monologues for Teens, presale price at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Just-Me-100-Monologues-Teens/dp/1566081904
Go to this link to see the presale price for my new monologue book, JUST ME, 100 Monologues for Teens! 50 for girls, 50 for boys!
Thursday, March 07, 2013
Quiz for inkBLOT the novel
1. What is Ronnie Wright’s soft drink of choice
2. In what state were the bodies of the two dead girls found in the beginning of the book?
3. What is Ronnie’s dog’s name?
4. Where did Ronnie’s mom go when she abandoned him?
5. How were bodies of the dead girls found?
a. Like fish in a pond
b. Tied up like dolls in a display case
c. In a clothing store
6. What was tied around Sheila Monroe’s neck when they found her?
7. What was the name of Sheila Monroe’s most recent novel?
8. What kind of new car did Ronnie drive?
9. What kind of rating system did Chelsea have for food pieces?
10. What is Chelsea’s favorite color?
11. What was Super Scott riding when he had an accident?
12. The spin-off of the inkBLOT site would include an inkblot image – tattoo crossover for gaming and social networking. What would the name of this extension to his system be called?
13. Where did Ronnie get his tattoo down at Virginia Beach?
14. How much did Ronnie pay for a date with Chelsea at the celebrity auction?
15. What was the title of the newspaper story about Sheila Monroe?
16. What kind of motorcycles did Hallie Davison’s dad prefer?
17. Ronnie’s twist on inspirational quotes are called what?
18. What is Ronnie’s twitter name?
19. What is Chelsea’s twitter name?
20. What did they find in the victim, Fred Crenshaw’s car?
21. What made Travis Holden’s stove explode?
22. What was hurled at Emma Smith?
23. What was the pumpkin hurler playing when he ran away?
24. What did Chelsea drink at home the night of the big win?
25. What piece of evidence helped point the police to the right culprit?
If you can answer all these questions, drop me an email at pjwriter7@aol.com
2. In what state were the bodies of the two dead girls found in the beginning of the book?
3. What is Ronnie’s dog’s name?
4. Where did Ronnie’s mom go when she abandoned him?
5. How were bodies of the dead girls found?
a. Like fish in a pond
b. Tied up like dolls in a display case
c. In a clothing store
6. What was tied around Sheila Monroe’s neck when they found her?
7. What was the name of Sheila Monroe’s most recent novel?
8. What kind of new car did Ronnie drive?
9. What kind of rating system did Chelsea have for food pieces?
10. What is Chelsea’s favorite color?
11. What was Super Scott riding when he had an accident?
12. The spin-off of the inkBLOT site would include an inkblot image – tattoo crossover for gaming and social networking. What would the name of this extension to his system be called?
13. Where did Ronnie get his tattoo down at Virginia Beach?
14. How much did Ronnie pay for a date with Chelsea at the celebrity auction?
15. What was the title of the newspaper story about Sheila Monroe?
16. What kind of motorcycles did Hallie Davison’s dad prefer?
17. Ronnie’s twist on inspirational quotes are called what?
18. What is Ronnie’s twitter name?
19. What is Chelsea’s twitter name?
20. What did they find in the victim, Fred Crenshaw’s car?
21. What made Travis Holden’s stove explode?
22. What was hurled at Emma Smith?
23. What was the pumpkin hurler playing when he ran away?
24. What did Chelsea drink at home the night of the big win?
25. What piece of evidence helped point the police to the right culprit?
If you can answer all these questions, drop me an email at pjwriter7@aol.com
Activity Sheet for inkBLOT the novel
Activity Sheet for Teens for inkBLOT the novel
Read inkBLOT, the suspense novel by Johnson Naigle.
Then do these activities:
Find a crime report in the newspaper for a mysterious death.
Who is the victim?
Where was the crime?
Are there any suspects?
Is there any possible motive?
What questions would you ask the reporter if you could?
Eat at your favorite restaurant.
Write a food review on it like someone would run in the newspaper.
Rate the restaurant. Would you give it a five fork review?
Research inkblot surveys online. Take one of the tests. Give it to your friends to take.
See if you can guess your friends’ answers.
Look at the images and write your thoughts about the images.
Do the images conjure up any crime scenes? That’s what happened to one of the co-authors of inkBLOT and that’s how the book was born.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
JUST ME, 100 Monologues for Teens- March 2013
It's just a month away from the release date of my newest book,
JUST ME- 100 Monologues for Teens. There are 50 monologues for girls and 50 for boys in this book
that's being marketed to middle and high schools across the country. Working in a high school library,
I have seen teens come in, looking for the perfect monologue. I knew there was a niche for this kind of
book so it got the wheels turning. I had fun climbing into the heads of folks from different walks of life
to create these monologues. It should be published in March this year and included in Meriwether
Publishing's catalogs going out soon.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Pigs and Pugs at the Virginia statewide librarian conference (VAASL)
I kissed a pig. Okay, maybe that's nothing to brag about but this wasn't an ordinary pig. Farmer Minor travels to schools with his pet pig, Daisy and two adorable pug dogs for the Pig Out on Reading program. Daisy has bragging rights to the world's largest collection of pig books. They were visiting the VAASL statewide librarian conference in Hampton. I wanted to snap a photo of the animals and Farmer Minor asked me to lean over and kiss the porcine wonder so he could take MY photo. What a twist. I'm usually on the other side of the lens.
I attended the conference to give a workshop on turning nonfiction into poetry. My workshop was titled, From Timeline to Byline. It was fun to present and before long, I was coaxing poetry out of some great poet/librarians from all over the state. Here's a poem written by Alesia Talbot, employed at Elkton Elementary School in Elkton. It was inspired by a famous photo of a sailor kissing a nurse.
Joy
Passion
Grabbing life
Celebrating
Seizing the moment
Touching humanity
Death not here.
Here's a poem by Laura Bell, librarian at Clara Byrd Baker Elementary in Williamsburg.
Stuck in the Mud
Road of mud,
tires stuck
all we have is awful luck.
Jack up the car
let's make haste
there is just no time to waste.
What's up ahead,
we haven't a clue,
we're just hoping for work to do.
An excerpt from Zlata's Diary inspired this poem from Mary Margaret Browning, librarian at Nandua Middle School in Accomack County.
Life in Sarajevo
On this morning,
water didn't come
nor did birthday parties,
better than cellar life.
But on this morning,
shooting came
as did Mommy's
broken heart
because Neda
needs to leave.
I enjoyed hearing some of them share their poetry with the workshop participants. It was also a pleasure that day to meet vendors such as Bookworm Central, where I had a book signing following the workshop. The folks from the LUCY Bibliography group were also there. That is a listing of multicultural books, maintained by Old Dominion University. My book, Being Frank with Anne, is listed on that bibliography under Holocaust books.
Next time I hope to attend some of the other workshops. The librarian conferences have the most incredible offerings. In the spring I attended a number of great classes. I'd recommend these conferences to other writers. It would be well worth their time.
I attended the conference to give a workshop on turning nonfiction into poetry. My workshop was titled, From Timeline to Byline. It was fun to present and before long, I was coaxing poetry out of some great poet/librarians from all over the state. Here's a poem written by Alesia Talbot, employed at Elkton Elementary School in Elkton. It was inspired by a famous photo of a sailor kissing a nurse.
Joy
Passion
Grabbing life
Celebrating
Seizing the moment
Touching humanity
Death not here.
Here's a poem by Laura Bell, librarian at Clara Byrd Baker Elementary in Williamsburg.
Stuck in the Mud
Road of mud,
tires stuck
all we have is awful luck.
Jack up the car
let's make haste
there is just no time to waste.
What's up ahead,
we haven't a clue,
we're just hoping for work to do.
An excerpt from Zlata's Diary inspired this poem from Mary Margaret Browning, librarian at Nandua Middle School in Accomack County.
Life in Sarajevo
On this morning,
water didn't come
nor did birthday parties,
better than cellar life.
But on this morning,
shooting came
as did Mommy's
broken heart
because Neda
needs to leave.
I enjoyed hearing some of them share their poetry with the workshop participants. It was also a pleasure that day to meet vendors such as Bookworm Central, where I had a book signing following the workshop. The folks from the LUCY Bibliography group were also there. That is a listing of multicultural books, maintained by Old Dominion University. My book, Being Frank with Anne, is listed on that bibliography under Holocaust books.
Next time I hope to attend some of the other workshops. The librarian conferences have the most incredible offerings. In the spring I attended a number of great classes. I'd recommend these conferences to other writers. It would be well worth their time.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Just Me- my latest book, 100 monologues for teens
I hope you've had a great summer. It's been a busy one for me. One thrill this summer was landing a contract for my monologue book, JUST ME. This book has 100 monologues for teens, 50 for boys and 50 for girls. It's going to be in catalogs distributed by Meriwether Publishing in January that will be sent to middle school and high schools across the nation. The publication date is set for March 2013 so I'm pumped about that. I don't have the front cover yet but look forward to seeing it. I'll keep you posted. Now, on to writing JUST ME, books two and three. Woo hoo! Unfortunately I missed the Annual One Acts at the Smithfield Little Theatre this year. I'd hoped to present a monologue this year like I did a few years back but I had a conflict in schedule. I'm sure it was great!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
My thoughts on writing about Anne Frank
The Diary of a Young Girl is the kind of book that grabs hold of your heart and never lets go. Reading it as a young girl, it staked a claim on my emotions and followed me through life. Never recovering from it, I sat down and immersed myself in the diary entries. What resulted was a poetic interpretation, Being Frank with Anne. It was a moving experience that allowed me to climb into her head while attempting to feel some of what she did while in captivity.
In the end, I had several spiral bound notebooks full of my poetic thoughts on her life in the Secret Annexe. Writing the book meant a great deal to me and I felt as though I had come to know Anne in a whole new way. The original version was published by Community Press in Virginia Beach. Later, I had it re-published with Anne Frank’s image on the front cover, licensed by Getty Images.
I was honored to have had it reviewed by Anne’s first cousin, Buddy Elias. He sent me a personal letter telling me that Anne would have loved it. Encouraged by his words, I contacted Miep Gies, the woman who hid the Frank family. At age 99, she requested copies of the book. She returned one of the copies to me with her signature inside. I was both humbled and amazed by having received this very special package from the Netherlands.
It’s been an interesting journey for me to have written this book. A book that is now archived at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and posted at the online bookstore at the New York Anne Frank Center website. To have come in contact with Anne’s cousin and the woman who bravely hid the family leaves me both grateful and breathless. I wish that I could also be in contact with Anne herself but sadly, that isn’t possible. The Holocaust was a horrible time and it saddens me to think about it. If only mankind would learn from its mistakes and love its fellow man. The fact that Anne tried to look on the bright side of things always endeared me to her. Now, like I said in Being Frank with Anne- Anne you are with us still.
www.beingfrankwithanne.com
www.phyllisjohnson.net
In the end, I had several spiral bound notebooks full of my poetic thoughts on her life in the Secret Annexe. Writing the book meant a great deal to me and I felt as though I had come to know Anne in a whole new way. The original version was published by Community Press in Virginia Beach. Later, I had it re-published with Anne Frank’s image on the front cover, licensed by Getty Images.
I was honored to have had it reviewed by Anne’s first cousin, Buddy Elias. He sent me a personal letter telling me that Anne would have loved it. Encouraged by his words, I contacted Miep Gies, the woman who hid the Frank family. At age 99, she requested copies of the book. She returned one of the copies to me with her signature inside. I was both humbled and amazed by having received this very special package from the Netherlands.
It’s been an interesting journey for me to have written this book. A book that is now archived at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and posted at the online bookstore at the New York Anne Frank Center website. To have come in contact with Anne’s cousin and the woman who bravely hid the family leaves me both grateful and breathless. I wish that I could also be in contact with Anne herself but sadly, that isn’t possible. The Holocaust was a horrible time and it saddens me to think about it. If only mankind would learn from its mistakes and love its fellow man. The fact that Anne tried to look on the bright side of things always endeared me to her. Now, like I said in Being Frank with Anne- Anne you are with us still.
www.beingfrankwithanne.com
www.phyllisjohnson.net
Monday, March 26, 2012
Written a Poem Lately?
My co-writer, Nancy Naigle, and I had the pleasure last week of giving a presentation at the ODU Tri-Cities Center at the VEMA Conference. Lots of librarians were in attendance and we had fun coaxing poetry out of them in our From Timeline by Byline session. Turning nonfiction into poetry was the name of the game and a half dozen district librarians wowed us with their poetic prowess. The others wrote poetry but didn't share them orally.
I enjoyed attending some other sessions, listening to Bill Wellington, a storyteller and folk music singer, hearing a librarian talk about working with students who knit to contribute to society and listening to Sue Kimmel talk about the LUCY multicultural literature list, maintained by an organization at ODU.
The barbecue we ate at lunch was phenomenal and the keynote speaker was Sue Corbett, an author. A lot of raffle gifts were given away and I was lucky enough to win a cookbook, published by the VEMA organization. I can't wait to try some of the recipes. I'm looking forward to the next conference in the fall.
I enjoyed attending some other sessions, listening to Bill Wellington, a storyteller and folk music singer, hearing a librarian talk about working with students who knit to contribute to society and listening to Sue Kimmel talk about the LUCY multicultural literature list, maintained by an organization at ODU.
The barbecue we ate at lunch was phenomenal and the keynote speaker was Sue Corbett, an author. A lot of raffle gifts were given away and I was lucky enough to win a cookbook, published by the VEMA organization. I can't wait to try some of the recipes. I'm looking forward to the next conference in the fall.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Ink Link- Teen Murder Mystery Inspired by inkBLOT
It was teen murder/mystery night at Russell Memorial Library in Chesapeake, Virginia and teens congregated to solve the mystery at hand. Four fake crime scenes provided clues for the Ink Link, the murder mystery inspired by the novel, inkBLOT by Johnson Naigle, the creative writing team of Nancy Naigle and Phyllis Johnson. Who was the real culprit? The common denominator in all the crime scenes was rat poison and a copy of inkBLOT. At the secretary's desk, the janitor's station, the psychiatrists' office and apartment space and the crazy daughter's room, there was rat poison and a copy of the novel to be found. The victim? A psychiatrist named Ima Gawner. Suspects? The crazy daughter, Matera; her mother, Lilly; Anita Friend- the other psychiatrist, a bystander and the janitor, Klean O'Nuton. The motive- Ima Gawner had told the mother, Lilly that she'd have to send her crazy daughter away to an assylum. Isaiah, one of the attendees, made the correct guess that Lilly had killed the psychiatrist. Word was that she'd done it with a broom, of all things. All three students who placed won free books. Morgan, the oldest winners was awarded a copy of inkBLOT. Ronnie and Tiffany of inkBLOT fame would have been proud. Who knows? Maybe they were watching...
Saturday, January 28, 2012
inkBLOT review at Books with Bite
As I started this book I was intrigued with the concept of Inkblot. I always tried to read them and I always see something different than most. Or most of the time I don't see what others see. IDK. I like the way the author entwined the Inkblot with crimes. I took quite a few psychology classes and learned loads about criminals and their characters traits. This book is great in creating high tension and a great mystery to solve.
What I liked most about this book is the great mystery that the reader get to follow along. We have a the main character Ronnie who has dedicated his life in Inkblot. He has a great online survey to find out your personality traits,character, etc. I liked that the main character Ronnie is very mature. Her has been through a lot and knows where he is going. He has very few friends which sets up for him being naive. I liked that as well. The author did a great job in setting the plot up simple and not too confusing for the reader.
The main thing I like is the whole mystery of the murders being committed. As I read the book, I like that Ronnie fell in the rabbit hole. It gave the reader a nice chase in seeing the main character struggle. What I also liked is seeing Ronnie's best friend come to his rescue.
The love interest in this book played out the way I expected it and enjoyed it. I liked seeing Ronnie realize that his true love was right before his eyes. And I'm glad that even with all of this trouble, Ronnie finally made some good choices.
Overall this is a great book with lots of mystery, adventure and a psycho on the loose.
I give it 4 BITES! (a review posted by the reviewer at Books with Bite)
What I liked most about this book is the great mystery that the reader get to follow along. We have a the main character Ronnie who has dedicated his life in Inkblot. He has a great online survey to find out your personality traits,character, etc. I liked that the main character Ronnie is very mature. Her has been through a lot and knows where he is going. He has very few friends which sets up for him being naive. I liked that as well. The author did a great job in setting the plot up simple and not too confusing for the reader.
The main thing I like is the whole mystery of the murders being committed. As I read the book, I like that Ronnie fell in the rabbit hole. It gave the reader a nice chase in seeing the main character struggle. What I also liked is seeing Ronnie's best friend come to his rescue.
The love interest in this book played out the way I expected it and enjoyed it. I liked seeing Ronnie realize that his true love was right before his eyes. And I'm glad that even with all of this trouble, Ronnie finally made some good choices.
Overall this is a great book with lots of mystery, adventure and a psycho on the loose.
I give it 4 BITES! (a review posted by the reviewer at Books with Bite)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Happy New Year!
2011 has been an exciting year for me! It was fun to be part of the Paul D. Camp Literary Festival again and I had the pleasure of speaking at Virginia Wesleyan College in Professor Bill Ruehlmann's class for the third time. He's such a pleasure to work with and quite an inspiration.
I had some book signings at a craft show and at the Simon Family Center in Virginia Beach. I also sold books at the Olde Towne Art gallery in Olde Towne Portsmouth. It's such a blast to be around such beautiful artwork. It inspired me to start painting again.
Releasing Poetic Dreamer made nearly every poem I've written now published. Guess that means I need to get busy writing new ones. I've re-released Being Frank with Anne and hope to get busy marketing that again. The new book has Anne Frank's picture on the front cover. I love it. Book Graphics did a great job with the design. You can see it on my widget.
A big thrill this year was publishing inkBLOT, a YA suspense novel with Nancy Naigle under the pen name, Johnson Naigle. I got quite a surprise this week when I found a wine bottle with an inkblot label (brand) and a note inside. It mentions knowing about a certain famous online novel titled inkblot and asked if it was the same vintage. Then it said- quite a plot, Happy New Year. There was no signature. I love mysteries and whoever left the bottle left me quite a mystery. That was so cool!
Another publishing effort this year was publishing Hall Pass, a collection of funny high school stories in ebook form. I hope you enjoy that book on your Kindle or Nook.
We're going to have a new addition in our family in April and we're happy about that. It's going to be a girl!
I had some book signings at a craft show and at the Simon Family Center in Virginia Beach. I also sold books at the Olde Towne Art gallery in Olde Towne Portsmouth. It's such a blast to be around such beautiful artwork. It inspired me to start painting again.
Releasing Poetic Dreamer made nearly every poem I've written now published. Guess that means I need to get busy writing new ones. I've re-released Being Frank with Anne and hope to get busy marketing that again. The new book has Anne Frank's picture on the front cover. I love it. Book Graphics did a great job with the design. You can see it on my widget.
A big thrill this year was publishing inkBLOT, a YA suspense novel with Nancy Naigle under the pen name, Johnson Naigle. I got quite a surprise this week when I found a wine bottle with an inkblot label (brand) and a note inside. It mentions knowing about a certain famous online novel titled inkblot and asked if it was the same vintage. Then it said- quite a plot, Happy New Year. There was no signature. I love mysteries and whoever left the bottle left me quite a mystery. That was so cool!
Another publishing effort this year was publishing Hall Pass, a collection of funny high school stories in ebook form. I hope you enjoy that book on your Kindle or Nook.
We're going to have a new addition in our family in April and we're happy about that. It's going to be a girl!
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
909Reviews.com Gives inkBLOT a 5 Star Rating!
It's been a busy week. I've been taking a painting class and sat tonight working on a painting assignment.I just checked my email and saw that Angel of 909reviews has posted a review on inkBLOT. Go to www.909reviews.blogspot.com to check it out. She gave us a 5 star review! Woo hoo! She's also having a book giveaway on her blog!
Maybe if my painting turns out well enough, I'll photograph it for you to see. MAYBE...
Maybe if my painting turns out well enough, I'll photograph it for you to see. MAYBE...
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Highlights from the Killer Nashville, Suspense Writers' Conference
Whether you were a writer or a reader, the Killer Nashville suspense writing conference was the place to be. From forensics experts to advice from debut authors, there was much to be learned and a lot of networking going on. Founded by film producer, Clay Stafford, the event is growing in popularity and attendance.
Arriving at the awesome Hutton Hotel in Nashville, there was a wine tasting and a great way to start networking. inkBLOT co-writer Nancy Naigle and I quickly got to make some new friends and set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Friday was much awaited, as we had in our hands a long schedule of events and classes.
Friday morning, Dr. Bill Bass, forensics pathologist and founder of The Body Farm, gave a far from toxic talk on skulls and bones. At one point, holding a skull laced with a knitting needle, he described the source of bullet holes in the self made skull-kabob. “Was this a homicide or a suicide?” was a question he posed the attendees.
Stretching the mind further was a crime scene and a clue finding contest, explained by Mike Breedlove, from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Crime solvers and sleuths jotted down notes and did their best to solve the crime.
Among the most notable authors present were Don and Renee Bain, collaborators on the Murder She Wrote books. Don later wowed the crowd playing drums with the Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers band on Saturday night. You rock Don!
Marco Conelli was a pleasure to meet and talk beside on the Writing for Young Adults panel. His Matthew Livingston book won the Silver Falchion award. Way to go Marco! I missed his session on being an undercover officer and look forward to hearing the recording.
Workshop panels covered such topics as POV, public speaking, marketing, promo, writing sex scenes (woo hoo) and cozy mysteries. It was hard to choose workshops because there were so many good ones. The How to Plan an Author Event with Media Appeal was informative and fun. Other workshops included creating mood and atmosphere, pitching, writing young adult and info about contracts. I had the pleasure of learning more about making podcasts from the Library Police. The Mood and Atmosphere panel was enlightening and debut author Tracy March and other panelists gave good ideas on making a setting set the tone in a scene. One idea I took away was “The writer writes fifty percent and the reader writes the other fifty percent.”
I attended the panel on how crime literature can be a force for good. After all, justice does prevail, right? And speaking of crime, there was a lot of instruction on how law enforcement handles criminals. Interrogation techniques was one of the areas covered. A “No Body” Cases class showed how much of a challenge it can be when there is a missing person case. These cases can be opened years later when they are considered a cold case. Sgt. Pat Postiglione, Metro Nashville Homicide Detective shed light on this subject.
If you wanted to learn how to promote your book without spending a ton of money, the Publicity and Promotion for Writers with Little or no Budget class was the go to place. According to one of the organizers, Beth Terrell, most authors wanted to be on this panel.
All this learning and networking was coupled with festivity. There was a Mystery Writers of America party as well as a Sisters in Crime party. My favorite gathering was the Saturday night party featuring those Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers and one of the original members of the Grassroots. Awesome! The Electric Slide brought folks to the dance floor and I was soon dancing, along with Clay Stafford, Robert Dugoni and others. What a fun time!
Agent Jeff Kleinman and more panel notables lent their insight on the future of publishing. This was followed by a two hour class on writing, given by Robert Dugoni, one of the most memorable learning sessions of the event. He packed more great instruction on novel writing in those two hours than you can imagine.
This was a fantastic conference and I hope to attend again next year.
Arriving at the awesome Hutton Hotel in Nashville, there was a wine tasting and a great way to start networking. inkBLOT co-writer Nancy Naigle and I quickly got to make some new friends and set the tone for the rest of the weekend. Friday was much awaited, as we had in our hands a long schedule of events and classes.
Friday morning, Dr. Bill Bass, forensics pathologist and founder of The Body Farm, gave a far from toxic talk on skulls and bones. At one point, holding a skull laced with a knitting needle, he described the source of bullet holes in the self made skull-kabob. “Was this a homicide or a suicide?” was a question he posed the attendees.
Stretching the mind further was a crime scene and a clue finding contest, explained by Mike Breedlove, from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Crime solvers and sleuths jotted down notes and did their best to solve the crime.
Among the most notable authors present were Don and Renee Bain, collaborators on the Murder She Wrote books. Don later wowed the crowd playing drums with the Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers band on Saturday night. You rock Don!
Marco Conelli was a pleasure to meet and talk beside on the Writing for Young Adults panel. His Matthew Livingston book won the Silver Falchion award. Way to go Marco! I missed his session on being an undercover officer and look forward to hearing the recording.
Workshop panels covered such topics as POV, public speaking, marketing, promo, writing sex scenes (woo hoo) and cozy mysteries. It was hard to choose workshops because there were so many good ones. The How to Plan an Author Event with Media Appeal was informative and fun. Other workshops included creating mood and atmosphere, pitching, writing young adult and info about contracts. I had the pleasure of learning more about making podcasts from the Library Police. The Mood and Atmosphere panel was enlightening and debut author Tracy March and other panelists gave good ideas on making a setting set the tone in a scene. One idea I took away was “The writer writes fifty percent and the reader writes the other fifty percent.”
I attended the panel on how crime literature can be a force for good. After all, justice does prevail, right? And speaking of crime, there was a lot of instruction on how law enforcement handles criminals. Interrogation techniques was one of the areas covered. A “No Body” Cases class showed how much of a challenge it can be when there is a missing person case. These cases can be opened years later when they are considered a cold case. Sgt. Pat Postiglione, Metro Nashville Homicide Detective shed light on this subject.
If you wanted to learn how to promote your book without spending a ton of money, the Publicity and Promotion for Writers with Little or no Budget class was the go to place. According to one of the organizers, Beth Terrell, most authors wanted to be on this panel.
All this learning and networking was coupled with festivity. There was a Mystery Writers of America party as well as a Sisters in Crime party. My favorite gathering was the Saturday night party featuring those Killer Nashville Coffin Bangers and one of the original members of the Grassroots. Awesome! The Electric Slide brought folks to the dance floor and I was soon dancing, along with Clay Stafford, Robert Dugoni and others. What a fun time!
Agent Jeff Kleinman and more panel notables lent their insight on the future of publishing. This was followed by a two hour class on writing, given by Robert Dugoni, one of the most memorable learning sessions of the event. He packed more great instruction on novel writing in those two hours than you can imagine.
This was a fantastic conference and I hope to attend again next year.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
inkBLOT is finally here!
Our co-written suspense novel, inkBLOT is out! Nancy Naigle and I are excited that it's finally here! Written under our pen name, Johnson Naigle, this book is for young adults and anyone who enjoys a good suspense novel. In the book, Ronnie Wright is tired of being looked at as a geek. His virally successful website is making him money but the object of his attention, Chelsea Pressman, is what he really wants. Her interest lies in making a name for herself as a reporter. A series of crimes go down revolving around inkblot images. Who's the culprit? Ronnie or Chelsea? And where does this leave Tiffany, his good friend and co-worker? Read inkBLOT and find out! Join our street team to help give our bookmarks and other fun things. www.inkblotthenovel.com
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
On Being Inspired
How many of us have times when we think the Muse has left us? No matter how hard you try, the words just won’t come. Award winning multi-published author, Judi McCoy, author of Hounding the Pavement and other books in her dog walker mystery series advises us to keep trying. “No matter how silly the ideas are, something will lead to a good idea.”
What stimulates the Muse? A good glass of wine? The hammock in the back yard? Judi advises writers to meditate, listen to your favorite music, take a car ride, read a book that is in a genre other than the one you’re writing or record thoughts on a tape recorder. Go into the kitchen and cook something delicious.
The library is a good place to jumpstart the Muse too. And watching a movie will give you a wealth of thoughts as well. Many writers end a chapter at the end of a scene. Judi tells writers that it will make you want to return to the computer if you don’t end the chapter there.
Staying On Track
Along with keeping the Muse at your side, another issue in writing is whether or not you consider yourself an outliner or a “pantser.” Most of us know by now which category we fall under. You either generally outline and write by that, or you start writing and let it take you wherever it will. I confess to usually falling in the latter of the two types.
“If you don’t have some kind of an outline, you can write yourself into a corner,” says Judi. “At that point, some writers are tempted to quit the book they are on and start on another one. Don’t do that. Don’t give up on it. Keep writing. You can fix ‘crap’, but you can’t fix nothing. If you run into a wall and don’t know where to go next, mentally become one of your characters and he or she will tell you what to do next.”
What stimulates the Muse? A good glass of wine? The hammock in the back yard? Judi advises writers to meditate, listen to your favorite music, take a car ride, read a book that is in a genre other than the one you’re writing or record thoughts on a tape recorder. Go into the kitchen and cook something delicious.
The library is a good place to jumpstart the Muse too. And watching a movie will give you a wealth of thoughts as well. Many writers end a chapter at the end of a scene. Judi tells writers that it will make you want to return to the computer if you don’t end the chapter there.
Staying On Track
Along with keeping the Muse at your side, another issue in writing is whether or not you consider yourself an outliner or a “pantser.” Most of us know by now which category we fall under. You either generally outline and write by that, or you start writing and let it take you wherever it will. I confess to usually falling in the latter of the two types.
“If you don’t have some kind of an outline, you can write yourself into a corner,” says Judi. “At that point, some writers are tempted to quit the book they are on and start on another one. Don’t do that. Don’t give up on it. Keep writing. You can fix ‘crap’, but you can’t fix nothing. If you run into a wall and don’t know where to go next, mentally become one of your characters and he or she will tell you what to do next.”
Friday, July 01, 2011
Looking back over the last year...
Looking Back:
May 2011, Cover story, Tidewater Teacher, Teachers We Love, published Chesapeake, Virginia
May 16, Designed to Flourish magazine organizational meeting, Chesapeake, Virginia www.iflourishonline.com
Cover story- Divine Impressions
April 2011, Release of 4th poetry book, Poetic Dreamer
April 2011, Served on literary panel at 3rd Annual Paul D. Camp Community College’s Literary Festival, Suffolk, Virginia
February 2011, Romance writing talk at Virginia Wesleyan College, Professor Bill Ruehlmann’s class (3rd time doing this) Virginia Beach, Virginia
February 2011, Held Turn Your Journal into a Book Workshop ($25 fee) Chesapeake, Virginia
January 2011, Book signing at Shapin’ Up Conference at Point Harbor Church, Chesapeake, Virginia
November 2010, Chesapeake Romance Writers conference, Chesapeake, Virginia
November 2010, Cozy Corner bookstore, Virginia Beach, book signing and reading
November 1, 2010- guest blog at K. Dawn Byrd’s blog and book giveaway for Hot and Bothered by It
October 2010, Poetry, Prose and Pizza night, Russell Memorial Library, poetry reading
October 2010, 10-10-10 event at Olde Towne Art, Portsmouth, Virginia book signing and reading
September 2010, Books in the Park, reading and book signing (100 author event) Norfolk, Virginia
September 2010, Hampton Roads Writers Conference- reading and book signing Virginia Beach, Virginia
August 18, 2010 radio interview with Dr. Michael Cortson discussing Being Frank with Anne
May 2011, Cover story, Tidewater Teacher, Teachers We Love, published Chesapeake, Virginia
May 16, Designed to Flourish magazine organizational meeting, Chesapeake, Virginia www.iflourishonline.com
Cover story- Divine Impressions
April 2011, Release of 4th poetry book, Poetic Dreamer
April 2011, Served on literary panel at 3rd Annual Paul D. Camp Community College’s Literary Festival, Suffolk, Virginia
February 2011, Romance writing talk at Virginia Wesleyan College, Professor Bill Ruehlmann’s class (3rd time doing this) Virginia Beach, Virginia
February 2011, Held Turn Your Journal into a Book Workshop ($25 fee) Chesapeake, Virginia
January 2011, Book signing at Shapin’ Up Conference at Point Harbor Church, Chesapeake, Virginia
November 2010, Chesapeake Romance Writers conference, Chesapeake, Virginia
November 2010, Cozy Corner bookstore, Virginia Beach, book signing and reading
November 1, 2010- guest blog at K. Dawn Byrd’s blog and book giveaway for Hot and Bothered by It
October 2010, Poetry, Prose and Pizza night, Russell Memorial Library, poetry reading
October 2010, 10-10-10 event at Olde Towne Art, Portsmouth, Virginia book signing and reading
September 2010, Books in the Park, reading and book signing (100 author event) Norfolk, Virginia
September 2010, Hampton Roads Writers Conference- reading and book signing Virginia Beach, Virginia
August 18, 2010 radio interview with Dr. Michael Cortson discussing Being Frank with Anne
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