FEATURED AUTHOR: MADISON JOHNS

Author Madison Johns

Madison Johns is a self taught writer who started writing at the age of 44 for no apparent reason, as if it were preordained. She then pounded out a book a year for the next three years and published her first novel May 1, 2012.

Her caring nature led her to the healthcare field where she was employed as a nursing care assistant at a nursing home, and it was there that she was inspired to write her first cozy mystery, Armed and Outrageous.

She resides in Saginaw, MI, with her husband, two children, and delightful cat Misty.

Her novel, Armed and Outrageous is a murder mystery. She says of her main character, “Agnes Barton is not your typical senior citizen living in Tadium, MI, on the shores of Lake Huron. She drives a red hot Mustang, shops at Victoria’s Secret, rankles local police officials, and has a knack for sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Armed and Outrageous is available from Amazon US, Amazon UK or Smashwords.

What does a murder that happened forty-three years ago have to do with missing tourist Jennifer Martin? Agnes makes it her personal mission to find out, and she’s not letting the fact she’s seventy-two get in the way.

Butting heads with Sheriff Clem Peterson is something she’s accustomed to, but lately Clem seems to be acting even more strange, making Agnes wonder what he may be hiding ala the Martin disappearance.

Agnes’ partner in crime, Eleanor Mason tags along, Watson to her Holmes.

Together, they unearth clues. If only Eleanor would behave, as although lovable, she has a knack for getting into trouble by tangling with her rival, Dorothy Alton, or flirting with anyone—male or female—and gossiping! She’s incorrigible, but she does carry a Pink Lady revolver in her purse, one that has proved useful at times.

Life for Agnes and Eleanor is shaken up when Agnes’ former boss and secret crush comes to Tadium. Before long, the lady sleuths have more on their hands to contend with as goons roll into town and bullets begin to fly.

It is time, the walrus said, to speak of Pros and amateurs…

I had the unlovely experience last week of being contacted by another author via Facebook chat. Mind you, I didn’t initiate this conversation, and I truly, truly hate being contacted via Chat by someone I don’t know in order to berate me. It seems I had committed the unpardonable crime of deleting the ‘gentleman’s’ – and I use the term loosely – post for a violation of the rules of the Facebook page I administer.  It seems that he has the best book since the invention of the printing press and I was damaging his career by not allowing him to promote on my page in clear violation of the no-promotion rule. Oh dear. He also said unflattering things about my personality and character, but that’s neither here nor there.

There seems to be an odd rash of authors doing that sort of thing lately. Another self-published/Indie author – although apparently he’s FAR too good to be lumped in with the rest of us – went off on a rant in a forum, protesting the fact that his posts kept getting moved to the self-published thread. His books are published by himself under his own imprint. That would seem to make him self-published I would think, but apparently he disagreed. Vehemently. His book, too, was supposed to be the best thing since Gutenberg.  What an amateur.

So, how do you tell a professional Indie writer from an amateur? Continue reading “It is time, the walrus said, to speak of Pros and amateurs…”

Characters – Who Are They Really? Melissa Pearl

Author Melissa PearlI am in the throes of planning my next novel and having so much fun with it. I love the planning stage. Who am I kidding? I love every stage!! But there is something very cool about starting with a blank slate and filling in all the spaces.

I have been working on character profiling this week and as I delve deeper into who these characters really are, my story is getting shaped and formed into something much stronger than my original idea. Scenes are being added and changed as I discover what these characters are like beneath the surface.

Robert McKee, author of STORY: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting says the best characters are the ones who are contradictory in nature. I agree. It is so much more interesting writing about a person who comes across as a golden boy, but when push comes to shove, turns out to be a total weakling… or a woman who is all prickles and snark, but in reality is just a scared little kid, afraid to face the failings of her past. Continue reading “Characters – Who Are They Really? Melissa Pearl”

Week 21 Flash Fiction Challenge Poll

The time has arrived for IU readers to begin voting in this week’s Flash Fiction Competition. On behalf of the IU staff, I want to thank all the entrants for doing such a great job with the writing prompt and the merciless constraints of the exercise.

This week, there are 9 entries from which to choose. You may review the entries here. Please spread the word and encourage your friends to vote by using the share buttons at the bottom of the post!

The poll will be open until 5:00 PM (Pacific Daylight Time) Thursday

Select your favorite entry for the week 20 Flash Fiction Challenge: Gone Fishin'

  • Ed Drury (33%, 11 Votes)
  • Dick Waters (30%, 10 Votes)
  • Brian Beam (15%, 5 Votes)
  • Brianna Lee McKenzie (12%, 4 Votes)
  • RG Bud Phelps (3%, 1 Votes)
  • Donna Morang (3%, 1 Votes)
  • Rich Meyer (3%, 1 Votes)
  • Richard Sutton (0%, 0 Votes)
  • Ey Wade (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 33

Loading ... Loading ...