In The Book, Female Friendship is the Best #girlpower #inspiration

In the current state of social distancing (although I much prefer we use the term physical distancing), we can still stay in touch in real time with social media, text, Skype, etc. Let's transport back in time and think of how our life would be impacted if we didn't have all of these immediate outreach abilities.

I'm old enough to remember when letter writing was the primary mode of communication. If it still was, we'd feel much more isolated, I suppose, but what fun it would be to go to the mailbox everyday and find more than junk mail.

The inspiration for Amanda in the Summer came from a letter in my mail. Actually, it wasn't a letter but a handmade invitation to a wedding. The one-page, 8x11 folded piece of paper resembled a peach-cloud in color, and as I pulled it from the envelope the words "Amanda in summer" came together because of the way the paper had been folded.

Those three words became my inspiration for my short novelette Amanda in the Summer. An image of a woman, sitting on a blanket on the beach, pregnant and writing a letter came to me so colorful and evoked such emotions, I knew there was a story.

Amanda in the Summer is about the friendship between women through three generations. The story is told entirely through the letters of the these women.

So...during this time of physical distancing, are you women keeping your connections going with your close female friends? How are you managing? Do you have longtime female friendships? Our bonds can be a powerful essence for our sanity.

A line of women, all named Amanda, stretches back for generations. Each with her hopes, her joys, her pain—each pouring out her heart in correspondence with a dear family friend who shares their lives, understands their loves, and joins in their sorrows.

But within the correspondence lies a secret. And as the youngest of the Amandas retraces the journey through the years—beginning in post-war America and following through to modern day—the letters reveal, layer by layer, the Amandas who came before her. Soon, the truths and lies hidden in the letters lead her down a path of self-discovery that forges a bond between her past and future.

AMAZON

iBOOKS ON iTUNES

BARNES AND NOBLE

In The Book: When #Inspiration Strikes #girlpower

In the Book

One spring day, I received an invitation for Ben and Amanda for a summer wedding. The invitation was on a full sheet of paper, folded. Because of the folds, the first thing I saw was "Amanda in summer." I was instantly transported to another era. Holding a folded sheet of paper was reminiscent of an age of letter writing communication. That led me to a woman named Amanda, toes in the sand on a summer day. Inspiration hit. I wish I’d kept a detailed account of where my mind wandered. But I didn’t. The complexity of this brief novella tells the tale.

Three generations of women…and the secret that strengthens their love.

Imagine summertime, lazy days, lying on the beach watching the waves roll in and writing a letter to your best friend. Okay, this is probably totally foreign to some of you. Write a letter? Why not just call or text? In 1947, you wouldn’t have had that option. Writing a letter was an art, an intimate exchange and a satisfying pastime. The excitement of waiting for a reply and checking the mailbox every day was a treat.

Amanda in the Summer is told through that old-fashioned way of communicating. Three of my characters are named Amanda, mother, daughter and granddaughter, and through letters they write to Tilly, over the course of fifty-seven years, a story of love, pain, secrets and joy unfolds.

We never hear from Tilly, but through the words of the three Amandas we meet the woman who is the epitome of the forward-thinking female of her era. She’s a member of the beat generation of the forties and fifties and holds a secret that affects all three generations of Amandas. Although each generation has her own voice, the friendship and love remain constant. But then there’s that secret…

BUY LINKS: 

iTunes 

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Amazon

Bookstrand

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CAN YOU TELL A BOOK BY ITS COVER?

MUSE MONDAY
It's that time again, when the book is in edits, and I get the cover art from the artist. This can be the moment when I do the crazy dance of excitement or tears of disappointment trickle down my face. I've had it both ways.

When I published my first book, I had no idea how important a cover can be. I'd never purchased a book because of cover appeal. And since a cover had never influenced me, I didn't realize how much a cover can make or break a book.

I've been lucky enough to work with the artists on some of my books, but on others, all I've been able to do is make a vague suggestion and hope for the best. That method has not always made me happy.

Since I sort of fell into writing romance, I thought no way did I want the typical romance cover with some hunky hero and/or gorgeous heroine. What was I thinking? Ah, but I'm so much wiser now. I've embraced my genre. It also helps to have an artist that seems to know my mind better than I do at times.

I wish I could reveal my cover for my next book, The Art of Love and Murder. I've seen the prototype, and Rae has done it again! Yes, I'm doing the crazy dance of excitement. I'll give you a hint. The models are Jimmy and Ionica who are the models for this blog header and the main page on my web site. As soon as the publisher puts their stamp of approval on it, I'll post the cover.

Meanwhile, it's only two days until the worldwide release of Amanda in the Summer, my short eBook from The Wild Rose Press. Until now the book has been available only on Amazon. As of the 18th, Amanda will be available wherever eBooks are sold.

This beautiful cover is the handy work of the same artist, Rae Monet.

Buy Links:

The Wild Rose Press:

http://tinyurl.com/ltatmmf

Amazon:

http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly

Promo, Promo...Back to Writing

MUSE MONDAY
What a week it was! Amanda in the Summer was free on Amazon for five days which required me to spread the word. I appeared on thirteen blogs and tweeted up a storm. Totally missed writing my Tortuga Thursday blog.

The point of free days is to get your name out, get the book seen and lead readers to the author. I became a ratings maniac checking my Amazon rank every few hours. The higher the rank, the more books are downloading. The thing is I have no real idea of what the ranking means. I know there are thousands of free books offered on any given day. To break the top 100 is supposed to be a big deal. And I did break it several times getting as high as 86 in over all free Kindle downloads. I actually made it to number 6 in women's contemporary. That one threw me since my publisher classifies the book as mainstream historical.

So how many books did I give a way? No idea. And I won't know for probably a month or better. It takes Amazon a while to report numbers to my publisher who will then post the results on their on-line author pages.

The question is will this give a way help me? Will more people know who I am? Will more readers look for my books. Will I actually sell some copies of Amanda in the Summer? Will I sell more copies of my other books?

Can I get back to writing, please?

Living with an Impatient Muse

 MUSE MONDAY

A favorite corner that pleases my muse

My muse has been testy lately. Okay, so I don't have an actual muse that I can point to or introduce to you. She's me, the inside me, that is chomping at the bit to write a new chapter in any one of the books I've put on the back burner for a few days. Which means I'm testy with myself.

I can't blame me for losing patience with me when I'm only doing what I have to do for all those other facets of writing.

First off, I'm a finalist in the Hot Prospects contest with my current manuscript, Southwest of Love and Murder. The judges sent me their comments which I can use to improve my pages before the final judges choose the winner in the Romantic Suspense category. The judges are editors from large publishing houses and I'd really like to impress them with my writing. I'm laboring over the improvements. Tedious and eye-bugging work.

Secondly, on Tuesday Amanda in the Summer starts a run of five free days on Amazon. Just being there isn't enough. I have to spread the word which means I've been writing guest blog after guest blog and reaching out to dozens of sites to mention the free days. If editing and re-editing the pages for the contest is eye-bugging then this sort of promo is doubly so. I'm pretty tired of staring at the computer.

I'm looking at the end of this week like a rabbit would a carrot dangling in front of her nose. But I have the sneaky suspicion that I will no sooner make it to the end when I'll get an email from my editor with the second round of edits for The Art of Love and Murder.

Oh be still my muse, er, me.

Be sure you go to Amazon tomorrow to download a free copy of Amanda in the Summer. http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly

It's a Wrap and a Baby Recipe

 Tortuga Thursday

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

One more bowl of bell peppers to strip the seeds from for next year's crop. A few more plants in the greenhouse to chop down  to make room for the winter crops. One more row of carrots to harvest. Then Lance will scrap the land, turn it and till. He'll do that a couple of times over the winter.

Tomatoes that didn't ripen before the frost.

Tomato row before the tear down.

Greenhouse nearly clean and planting again.

Onions, cayenne, sage, thyme and parsley drying.

Get these great Popsicle makers at the store. Mix 50/50 with water and any fruit or cooked veggie.

 

In the coming months, I'll share some recipes we use here on Tortuga Flats Farm. Simple baby Popsicles are the first!

An Early Announcement

 MUSE MONDAY

It's Sunday night, and I'm staring at a blank screen. The only time I ever get writer's block is when I want to type a quick, clever Muse Monday blog.  For some reason I freeze up when I challenge myself to writing about my craft.

Two days ago, I reconnected with an old friend and had dinner with her, her parents and brother. They remembered the high school Brenda who they really didn't know all that well. My published status had them fascinated. I got questions, one after another, about my books, my process and every other facet of  writing. My mouth ran off. I had no trouble at all expounding on any subject related to my writing. It was amusing and fun for me. Now I'm speechless. I must need an audience in the flesh to get me going.

So I'll just put a plug in for Amanda in the Summer. AND make the big announcement here - it will be free on Amazon for five days beginning October 22. I need everyone to download a free copy. I'm shooting for 1,000 downloads a day. Help me out - it's a quick make you cry, make you smile read. And it's free!

Three generations of women…and the secret that strengthens their love.

A line of women, all named Amanda, stretches back for generations. Each with her hopes, her joys, her pain—each pouring out her heart in correspondence with a dear family friend who shares their lives, understands their loves, and joins in their sorrows.

But within the correspondence lies a secret. And as the youngest of the Amandas retraces the journey through the years—beginning in post-war America and following through to modern day—the letters reveal, layer by layer, the Amandas who came before her. Soon, the truths and lies hidden in the letters lead her down a path of self-discovery that forges a bond between her past and future.

Please spread the word! Here's the link:

http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly

How To Bypass Your Fingers When Writing A Book

MUSE MONDAY
The biggest problem I have with writing is speed. No matter how fast I write it isn't fast enough for the amount of time I have to devote to my novels. Someone needs to invent a think machine. It could look like a laptop but all you'd have to do is look at it and that book in your head would appear. The only time consuming part of it would be editing. Editing would require actually reading the words and polishing the manuscript.

Most of my writing goes on in my head. How great it would be to go straight from head to computer. I could go about my daily chores and obligations, creating the book in my head and at the end of the day look at my computer and bam! Three hundred pages would appear.

Until that happens, frustration reigns. At present, I'm working on edits for The Art of Love and Murder that The Wild Rose Press contracted me for last week. There are blogs to write and promo points to mind for Amanda in the Summer which is partway into a three month Amazon run until the worldwide release in December. Southwest of Love and Murder is 2/3 done and I really need to pick up the pace so that this sequel is not to far behind book one. I need to begin the re-editing process for Honey On White Bread that Melange Books might reissue (my proposal they are considering) when I get the sequel written - which is only a glimmer in my head right now but needs to become black on white in my computer. Oh and did I mention I'd really like to tackle a book in the Viet Nam era? But I can't do that until I get book three done of my love and murder series.

I know I'm not alone in this. I'll bet there are plenty of authors out there would pay the price for a think computer. Are you listening Bill Gates?

Toot-Toot...Promo Pride

MUSE MONDAY
Keeping it short and tooting my horn about my latest release, Amanda in the Summer. The reader reviews so far have been fantastic. Thought I'd share a new excerpt (first time revealed) and some of those reviews.

Excerpt:

July 28, 1968

Dear Auntie Tilly,

I didn’t get the whole of what happened while you

were here. You and my parents seemed all happy and

cool when you left though. You three are the most

important old folks in my life. What an odd threesome

you are to me, at times. You’re so very cool, free spirited

and groovy. Mom is—I don’t know what—

going through menopause? Daddy is Daddy and seems

to understand both of you. I felt some tension I’d never

noticed before, but I could’ve been projecting my own

insecurities into the atmosphere. Taking this step with

Kevin is huge, you know? Or maybe it’s just Mom’s

erratic behavior lately.

I can always count on you for the blunt truth. Like

when you told me that what I wanted with Kevin was

admirable. And regardless of how groovy I think the

way you lead your life is, I need to lead my own life. Of

course, I had no idea you’ve had a love relationship, of

sorts, all of your life…

A few of the Reader Reviews on Amazon:

This is a quick and rewarding read. I was captivated from start to finish and couldn't put it down. I became so engrossed in the various Amanda's lives and how they intertwined with Tilly's. This is a very poignant story reminding us that life, love, and friendships are not always what they seem on the surface. I strongly recommend this short and entertaining book.

If you remember writing to your dearest friend, telling her your deepest secrets, etc..... you will love this e-book!

Loved the lineage of the Amanadas. Clever approach for a heartwarming story. The letters were well written and I wanted more. Thank you Brenda.

This was well written. Once started I had a hard time putting this e-book down. As a matter of fact, I ended up going into work the next day sleepy! The only criticism I have is that when I got to the end, I wanted MORE.

"Amanda in the Summer" is a collection of letters written to a dear friend named Tilly. What makes this book unique is there is more than one Amanda. An aged Tilly gives all the letters to the youngest Amanda. Amanda learns more about her family through the letters than she could ever have imagined. I enjoyed the story, and did not want it to end.

On Amazon exclusively for 3 months:

http://tinyurl.com/mb5cwly