Jazz Era Mystery

     Set at the end of the Roaring Twenties, Rumer Haven's Coattails and Cocktails is a murder mystery in the vein of Agatha Christie with multiple suspects and a red herring or two that keep the reader questioning characters' motives. Actress Lottie Landry's romance with co-star Noble raises objections from her former guardian, Ransom. His wife is suspicious. Undertones and relationships among the characters provide conflict and tension. For a quick entertaining read, I recommend Coattails and Cocktails. See Reading Alley for additional reviews on this book.

Creating Conflict on Multiple Levels

Every plot revolves around conflict, but that conflict shouldn't be black and white. That is too predictable. Someone needs to be hurt by what is going on, and someone also has to benefit. In some situations that is one and the same character. A book I'll always remember from high school was A Separate Peace by John Knowles. What if the person you care about most, the person who is your best friend, is also the person you envy most? Could that driving envy cause you to hurt the person you admire and long to be? How would you live with yourself after that?

Once you create the main conflict of the story, you have to choose a protagonist caught in the middle, one who faces the hardest challenges and toughest choices. There should be both personal and external conflict that drive the plot. As the story continues the challenges should increase in personal cost to the protagonist. This is what keeps the reader's interest captured and compels him to discover how the conflict is resolved.

Don't Forget to Visit Southern Writers Magazine During Sept. and Oct.

_ <a href="http://www.southernwritersmagazine.com/index.html"><img src="http://www.southernwritersmagazine.com/uploads/7/3/4/4/7344228/9256041.jpg"></im

www.southernwritersmagazine.com/index.html

Article in Southern Writers On Line Magazine

Dear Writer and Reader Friends,

I have an article in Southern Writer's Magazine's Sept./Oct. issue. It available on-line or in hard copy. The article is a concise overview of the various marketing techniques I've learned over the past 3 years since the suspense novel Hiding came out followed by the inspirational romance Abbey's Tale. If you are like me and feel like you've been learning how to market your books by the (excuse the cliché) seat of your pants, there are some useful suggestions that I've picked up along the way so far.
So happy reading at Southern Writers Magazine.

http://www.southernwritersmagazine.com/index.html


Yours,
Kim

In The Moment a new contemporary romance

From the author of A Heart of Little Faith, Miriam’s Surrender, and Addicted to Love, Jennifer Wilck has  a new mesmerizing romance In The Moment.

Blurb:

Cassie Edwards, a former foster child, purchases an 1870s Victorian

mansion, the one home from her childhood where she felt like part of a

family. She’s spending her summer lovingly restoring it, with dreams of

one day raising a family of her own here. Rayne Tucket, a

photojournalist, is haunted by the death of his best friend in Afghanistan,

a death he thinks is his fault. He survives day to day. Forever is not in

his vocabulary. Swearing off photography, he answers an ad for a

handyman—mindless, no emotion involved. As the two of them

renovate her house, can Cassie show Rayne that love is strong enough

to heal all wounds.

About the author

Jennifer started telling herself stories as a little girl when she couldn’t sleep. Her

favorite stories are those with smart, sassy, independent heroines and handsome, strong, slightly vulnerable heroes.

Links

https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Wilck-201342863240160/

https://twitter.com/Wilck

https://www.jenniferwilck.com

http://jenniferwilck.blogspot.com

https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/5219-in-the-moment.html?search_query=jennifer+wilck&results=4

 Amazon: https/www.amazon.com/Moment–Jennifer–Wilck–ebook/dp/B073XYRMG7/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1503063949&sr=8–

2&keywords=jennifer+wilck

Barnes & Noble: https/www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in–the-moment–jennifer–

wilck/1126972509?ean=2940158847929

 

Teachers,

If you haven’t heard of http://www.teacherspayteachers.com , this is a good resource for you as a professional. I allows teachers to share and make a little extra cash with the activities and materials they have developed themselves.

I was an English teacher for over 25 years primarily high school but also two years in middle school before I started publishing fiction and non-fiction of my own.  Some of the activities used in my creative writing class are available at the website. Tired of coming up with journal topics? Check out Jivin’ Journal at www,bit.ly/TpTJournal for new ideas. Add script writing and satire to your curriculum with Getting in the Act at http://www.bit.ly/TpTDrama. And in October introduce students to eerie tales and ghost stories with The Twilight Tone at http://www.bit.ly/TpTtwilight

Set up your own store and share your ideas with other teachers too!

The Link – it’s elementary!

JULY 29, 2017 / KMCDERMOTTAUTHOR / EDIT

I continue to learn how to market books by talking to other authors and attending conferences. Readers need a quick way to click on a short link and access your book. The solution is a site like Bitly.

How does it work?  Go to Amazon, Nook Books, your publisher’s site or any other place on the internet that sells your book. Find the exact page where your book is listed. Then copy the long URL at the top of that page. Paste it in Bitly and enter the long link where the website will give you a short link. Use it in tweets, on Facebook, or any other social media where you market your books. You can even customize your short links so they are easy to remember.

How does this help sell books?  All the customer who reads your tweets, etc. has to do is click on the link to immediately be transported to the purchase place. Quick and easy for everyone.