When It Comes to Books — First Impressions Count — Big Time

catherSo you’ve written the next Great American Novel and you’re ready to publish. Now you’re down to the silly details that try your patience. You have to choose your categories and then come up with a short description, almost every writer’s bane. How do you distill 600 pages down to six sentences? How do you convey all the passion and wisdom and inspiration of your story into one or two paragraphs?

Careful. It’s tempting to throw down a few sentences and call it good.

Don’t do it. Continue reading “When It Comes to Books — First Impressions Count — Big Time”

Book Brief: Kidnapping in Kaua’i

Kidnapping in Kaua'iKidnapping in Kaua’i
by Ava Easter
Genre: Young Adult Mystery
51,000 words

Danger lurks in paradise…

Leilani Leia lives on Kaua’i with her Auntie Rita, a GMO-protesting organic farmer. Lani’s biggest worry is about starting high school, until she stumbles upon a secret field in the mountains, and bites into a strange, new fruit.

Suddenly, the island’s ancient gods and legends come alive for her. A waking giant causes a landslide, a beautiful woman sets fire to her hair, and Hawai’i’s mythical ancestors, the menehunes, leave mysterious clues for Lani to find.

Thinking she’s going lōlō — Hawaiian for crazy — Lani decides to ignore these strange visions. But, when Auntie Rita is kidnapped, everything changes.

Lani knows the kidnapping is connected to her visions, and only the ancients can help her figure out who committed this crime. She can’t ignore her new powers any longer — without her help, Auntie Rita might be gone forever.

Kidnapping in Kaua’i is available on Amazon.com and Amazon UK. Continue reading “Book Brief: Kidnapping in Kaua’i”

The Best Bad Writing Advice I’ve Ever Been Given

bonesmain.bodymindfeat.WEBAbout ten years ago, in the middle of writing my seventh as-yet unpublished novel, I picked up my hard drive the wrong way and changed my life. Several MRIs and a couple of bottles of ibuprofen later, I ended up on disability leave, in physical therapy, and, thanks to the straw that didn’t quite break my back but gave it something serious to think about, I had to be taught how to walk again. Continue reading “The Best Bad Writing Advice I’ve Ever Been Given”