Author: L. A. Lewandowski

Lois Lewandowski graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Political Science and French Literature. A passion for life lived well is reflected in her novels, Born to Die-The Montauk Murders, A Gourmet Demise, and My Gentleman Vampire, giving readers a glimpse into the world of the beau monde. Lois lives in Tampa, Florida. Learn more at her lifestyle blog, and her Amazon author page.

Emote With Style

I never let an opportunity escape to express myself with personal style. Developing a consistent, signature style is key to branding yourself, a necessity for successful long term promotion. At the end of this post you will have a style assignment, a personal mission if you will, to express yourself with your own unique emoticon. Let’s do some research first.

The exciting thing about American English is its acceptance of new words. Sites like the Urban Dictionary allow anyone to post a word they’ve made-up. Look under my user i.d., sassy/swag, and you will see the word Cheneyesque. Definition: A cold, uncaring attitude. Callous, unsmiling, condescending. Example of usage: I knew Bob wouldn’t care about the starving children in Ethiopia, he is completely Cheneyesque. I was annoyed with Dick Cheney that day so I decided to immortalize him. Continue reading “Emote With Style”

Brooks, Mader, and Hise Admit to Collaboration in New Release

Artist's conception of the collaboration

Formerly respected indie authors K. S. Brooks, JD Mader and Stephen Hise have announced the release of a new book written in a top-secret collaboration and from an undisclosed location.

Their new release is BAD BOOK, a parody of multiple literary genres and pop culture melded into one book. It will be available online soon as an e-book through Amazon’s Kindle Select Program.

The project was the brainchild of veteran author K. S. Brooks, co-administrator of the super-blog Indies Unlimited, and an accomplished and award-winning author and photographer (up until this point). She says of the collaboration, “I don’t know what I was thinking. I had to carry both these guys through the whole process. It was exhausting.”

Author JD Mader says, “I’m not sure they are using the word collaboration correctly. I don’t know exactly what the other two did. I remember writing it—the other two added their names to it. I suppose that’s what they mean by collaborating.”

Obscure and reclusive author Stephen Hise recalls the collaboration somewhat differently. “I wrote the funny stuff and Brooks and Mader would occasionally throw in some nouns and verbs or something like that,” he says. Continue reading “Brooks, Mader, and Hise Admit to Collaboration in New Release”

Feed Your Readers

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” – Brillat-Savarin

Title page, translated, of "The Physiology of Taste", by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Do you agree? I do. That is, of course, if you have the choice to consume whatever your little heart desires. Honore de Balzac was famous for the meals he consumed after the proofs of his novels were sent off to his publisher – his choice of a celebratory meal beginning with dozens of freshly shucked oysters washed down with beer. This appetizer merely whetted his craving for the ensuing feast. The school of French realism, populated with such greats as Balzac, Flaubert, Maupassant, Dumas and Zola glorified the sensual pleasure of a meal well-cooked and consumed with appreciative abandon. Can we transfer this love of food to our modern day novel and seduce our readers as these masters seduced theirs? Continue reading “Feed Your Readers”

Spunky’s Present to You

Dali and his pet Ocelot.

The first writer’s blog that I read was written by the woman who would end up editing my first novel. In a particularly excellent post, she discussed at length the need to layer your characters – to give them strengths and weaknesses, good and evil motivations, and to otherwise make them as believably flawed as any human you might know. Annoying habits and pet peeves add depth, she postulated, and these idiosyncratic traits will make the character more believable. I’ve kept this post in my head as I develop my characters, and I’ve created a couple of doozies. In true Lois fashion, however, I would like to add a stylish twist to my mentor’s essay – when you want to give your reader a real clue as to what makes your character tick, give the character a pet. Continue reading “Spunky’s Present to You”