MY MAGIC MIKE!

I've written millions of words and now have 2 published books and a 3^rd on the way, Murder & Obsession. But an odd thing happened on the way to publication, I'm suddenly stumped even wordless—innovation is gone because my publisher has asked for a tagline and blurb.

They want me to turn a 140,000-word manuscript into one or two sentences, and then entice the reader in 100 words or less with a blurb. I go blank.

         I panic; well I did until I met Michael Di Gesú, creative genius and my own personal Magic Man! Sorry, Channing Tatum, but Michael Di Gesú was the 'Magic Man' long before you claimed the title!

Michael Di Gesú Presents…

         To show you the process we go through I'm showing my originals and Michael's response, and how, after just a few emails we came up with perfection!

My original tagline was:

One man's obsession will create every possible obstacle for an ill-fated couple.

Michael said.

"This can use a bit of punching up…."

Flames burn between a hardboiled cop and an aspiring artist but soon extinguish as another man’s obsession ignites into a towering inferno, destroying the couple’s happiness.

I countered with:

Flames burn between a hardboiled cop and a gifted artist but soon extinguish as another man’s obsession ignites into a towering inferno of desire that drives him to destroy the object of his madness.

Michael responded with:

Flames burn between a hardboiled cop and a gifted artist but soon extinguish as another man’s obsession ignites into a towering inferno of desire, driving him to destroy the object of his madness…Sarah.

RESULT:

Flames burn between a hardboiled cop and a gifted artist, but soon extinguish as another man’s obsession ignites into an inferno of desire, driving him to destroy the object of his madness.

*****

My original blurb was:

The road to marital bliss is never easy, but for Detective Quaid and his fiancée, Sarah Davis the path down the aisle to the altar is a minefield.

His grandfather's cabin was to be their honeymoon retreat; instead, it becomes a crime scene. Running from incarceration was supposed to help Steven find answers, but while he fooled the trackers, he couldn't outsmart the ultimate predator. Not once the grizzly had his scent.

Mauled, shot, and no longer a cop, can Steven Quaid bring the actual culprit to justice?

Michael's suggestion was:

Love is never easy, but for Detective Steve Quaid and his fiancée, Sarah, their road to happiness is laden with minefields.

Steve’s countless hours reconverting his grandfather’s cabin into the perfect honeymoon nest for Sarah soon becomes the bloody crime scene for her death. Distraught, Steve is accused and escapes into the Alaskan mountains, biding his time to find the truth…

Who killed his beloved?

A seasoned woodsman, he outsmarts even the cleverest of trackers. All but one…

Mauled by a grizzly, he barely escapes.

But will he live to bring the true murderer to Justice?

My response after the fewest of changes was:

I knew you could take my meanderings and create magic! Thank you!

RESULT:

Love is never easy, but for Detective Steve Quaid and his fiancée, Sarah, their road to happiness is laden with minefields.

Steven’s countless hours reconverting his grandfather’s cabin into the perfect honeymoon retreat for Sarah soon becomes a bloody crime scene detailing her death. Accused, Steven escapes into the Alaskan mountains, biding his time to find the truth…

Who killed his beloved?

A seasoned woodsman, he outsmarts even the cleverest of trackers. All but one…

Mauled by a grizzly, a half-dead Steven barely escapes.

But will he live to bring the true murderer to justice?

*****

         

It was that easy!
If you've finished your masterpiece and suddenly feel intimidated

because you just can't whittle it down to a few words – contact

Magic Michael Di Gesú of Michael Di Gesú Presents…

 and create perfection with a true artist.

*****

If you're looking to tighten your writing, eliminate the fat or just kick-start your creativity consider joining the WEP - Write...Edit...Publish Flash Fiction Challenges. Hosted by the indomitable and talented Denise Covey and me, her assistant, this year we have three challenges scheduled. 1000 words, short story, poem, photography, screenplay - you decide, but please consider joining the fun! WEP 2015!

HARLOT

HARLOT

Mary caressed the photograph remembering their honeymoon in the ancient capital of the Burgundy province of Dijon, France. The wonderful romantic strolls through historic streets while planning their future.

"You said you'd always love, cherish, and adore only me, but she entered your life, and I no longer exist. Her emerald eyes, cherub cheeks, and that melt your heart smile.

"I've lost you my love, but I refuse to admit defeat, and I will never accept this harlot.

"Despite your assurances you'll always be mine, I hold no love for our daughter. She is the ruination of my life."

100 words

Yolanda Renee © 2015

FRIDAY FICTIONEERS

*****

The WEP Write...Edit...Publish 2015 Schedule

has been published.

Join us in August, October, & December

for some unique challenges

1000 word limit & Prizes Awarded.

HOT PANTS

I was given The Versatile Blogger Award by Dee Dee back on July 2. But I was in the midst of edits for Murder & Obsession, so I had to delay my thank you post and passing it forward. Dee Dee writes the blog Rantzz of a Drama Queen.

Dee Dee tells me The Versatile Blogger award is given in recognition for great commitment, diverse talents, and generosity shown by a blogger. It's a great motivation and celebration of their work in the Blogosphere.

I'm thrilled to receive the award! I've been blogging since 2008 and while it only shows a few blog posts I had over 400. But after a glitch while reformatting there was a few problems with blogger and I lost almost all of them.

Now on to The Versatile Blogger Rules:

·       Display it on your blog

·       Thank the person who nominated you. - Thank you, Dee Dee!

·       Share 7 Facts about yourself

·       Nominate 7 others

Here are 7 facts about me:

1.   I am in the middle of painting my 'new' laundry room. 3 years after a fire destroyed my basement laundry room, it's finally been moved to the first floor! Yay!

2.   My husband says I'm funny, headstrong, and competitive. I figure he should know.

3.   I don't own a cell phone – really hate telephones in general—I do not like phone conversations. IM's are fine though – when chat rooms first appeared I was hooked. Now I wouldn't even know where to find a decent chat.

4.   I graduated with the highest honors from graduate school while working full time as Finance Director and still hope to get my doctorate.

5.   I have a younger brother that I haven't seen nor spoken to in 35 years. You might have noticed that family isn't part of my FB page – they keep rejecting my friend requests.

6.   Josh Groban's songs especially from his album The Closer were the influence for the love story in my Murder Trilogy

7.   When hot pants were in style – I rocked the look! J.

I'm nominating these lovely bloggers to receive THE VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD:

         Denise Covey @ My Writing Blog

         Ella @ Ella's Edge

         Gary @ Klahanie

         Donna @ Book Lover

         Ivy @ The Happy Wisk

         Sally @ Sally's Scribbles         

         Mina @ Some Dark Romantic

Thank you, Dee Dee, this was fun!

*****

As reported the WEP-Write…Edit…Publish Flash Fiction Challenges are returning.

Learn more HERE!

WEP Challenges for 2015. Why We Believe in WEP.

REGRETS

REGRETS

“Delphine always wanted to pilot her father’s plane and when he forgot his keys on her tenth birthday, she knew that taking off would be easy.”

Taking off is always the easy part, whether it's flying a plane, running from danger, or starting a project. It's the finish that can kill you.

Delphine learned the meaning of the word regret the day she stole her dad's plane. It wasn't the landing that taught her that important lesson; it was where she landed—a deserted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

For five years, she lived alone on a beautiful tropical isle and managed to avoid the poisonous snakes, the wild boars, even the Komodo dragons. But when she finally found the islands inhabitants, she couldn't escape being the guest of honor for dinner.

The cave had always frightened her, so she kept her distance, until the day she swore she saw Amelia Earhart run inside and she followed.

Water bubbled, and the steam spiraled a path to the heavens just like Delphine's screams.

148 words

Yolanda Renee © 2015

*****

Mondays Finish the Story

*****

In the near future consider a new Flash Fiction Challenge with the WEP

DETOUR

PHOTO PROMPT © Stephen Baum

DETOUR

We'd been crawling for hours, the light ahead our only guide. I concentrated, imagining the cold beer, soft bed, and workshops.

The scarf wrapped tightly around my nose and mouth did little to filter the smell of blood, shit, or the decaying stench of wasting bodies.

Despite our efforts to carefully crawl over the dead below us. My gloveless hand always found that raw open wound, eye socket, or unidentifiable collection of tissue and fluids that would make my stomach lurch in revolt.

Zombie apocalypse my ass, the road to the 2016 World Horror Convention took a death defying detour!

100 words

Yolanda Renee © 2015

*****

My inspiration besides the picture is the

2016 WORLD HORROR CONVENTION

WORLD HORROR SOCIETY

*****

FRIDAY FICTIONEERS

*****

In the near future consider a new Flash Fiction Challenge with the WEP

A SILENT SOLILOQUY

It is my honor to introduce to you a talented science fiction writer and today she's sharing her work. Now this is Flash Fiction!

Take it away L. G. Keltner!

Before I begin, I’d like to thank Yolanda Renee for letting me stop by her blog today!  I have for all of you a piece of flash fiction related to A Silent Soliloquy.  It portrays the first time that our narrator meets David.

*   *   *

The sun seems particularly bright today.  Then again, that probably has a lot to do with the fact that we spent most of the last week infiltrating an anti-government militia that took up residence in the deep woods.  Only hints of sunshine made it all the way to the ground, and few unburned bits of the bodies TIPPIE left behind won’t likely be discovered for decades to come.

The coffee shop is full of upper-tier business people on lunch break.  Suits, briefcases, and mindless chatter fill the space.  The strong aroma of dark roast and fresh cinnamon rolls mingle in the air.  Much as I wish such things meant as little to me as they do to TIPPIE, they actually lure me like a kid to a candy store.

Our business here isn’t inside the establishment.  The tattered, dirty clothes TIPPIE donned for this would only get us kicked out anyway.  Instead, we’re leaning against a lamppost beside the open door.  Someone might still call the authorities about the apparent loitering, but if all goes according to plan, we won’t be here for long.

TIPPIE casually examines the ratty sneakers on our feet for a few moments before raising our head to scan the crowd again.  Adrift amongst the sea of pressed slacks and manicures, his dark, disheveled hair and torn jeans make him stand out like a beacon in the night.  Our eyes focus on him as TIPPIE begins her scrutiny.  His steps are hurried.  He must know that standing still for too long makes him a target.

As he gets closer, his gaze focuses on us, and I notice that his irises are the same green as the cheap shamrocks lower-tier eating establishments bring out for St. Patrick’s Day.  Regardless of the fact that TIPPIE has never seen a photo of him, there’s no doubt that he’s the one we’re here to meet.  He doesn’t slow as he approaches, but instead brushes a hand across our shoulder as he passes.  TIPPIE takes the cue and easily falls into step beside him.

Once we’re free of the knot of upper-tier patrons, he says in a hushed tone, “I’m David.”

“I’m Tippie.”  The reply comes out just as quietly, and there’s a shy quality to it that’s meant to be disarming.

David must think so, because he responds with a smile.

*   *   *

Title: A Silent Soliloquy

Author: L.G. Keltner

Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian

Length: 28,000 words

Cover Art: Devross

Release Date: July 6th, 2015

Blurb:

TIPPIE was created to be a weapon.  By all appearances, she's an ordinary girl of 18, and she uses that to her advantage in her work for The Facility.  What no one sees is that there's another girl buried deep inside.  She can't speak or control the movements of the body she inhabits.  As TIPPIE's silent passenger, she can only observe.  She uses the details she learns from TIPPIE's work to reconstruct the stories of other people's lives.  It helps her feel a little more connected to the world she can only watch.

When TIPPIE's work leads her to David, a young man with a haunted past and information that The Facility wants, TIPPIE uses her skills to earn his trust.  The silent girl beneath the surface knows that TIPPIE is only going to hurt him, but she can't help but feel for him.  Those feelings only grow, but she knows all too well that TIPPIE's work will soon come to an end.

Bio:

L.G. Keltner spends most of her time trying to write while also cleaning up after her crazy but wonderful kids and hanging out with her husband.  Her favorite genre of all time is science fiction, and she’s been trying to write novels since the age of six.  Needless to say, those earliest attempts weren’t all that good. 

Her non-writing hobbies include astronomy and playing Trivial Pursuit.

You can typically find L.G. lurking around her blog, on Twitter, or on her Facebook page.

Purchase Links:

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Smashwords

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

You can also add it on Goodreads.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to know but not have the ability to respond? LG did.

So intriguing! Thank you L. G.!

COFFEE BLACK

 COFFEE BLACK

“The barista shook his head. That hedge couldn’t have moved closer overnight. Could it?”

Don't be foolish, you're just imagining things.

"Coffee, black, please?" a stranger demands.

"Yes, sir. Anything for a connoisseur of the bean?"

His face contorts. "A what? What did you call me?"

"Oh, no sir. A connoisseur an expert, someone who loves the pure taste of the coffee bean. No insult intended." I add a bear claw to his order. "No charge, please, enjoy."

"Shit, I'm sorry." He wipes his forehead with a napkin. "I'm exhausted, been driving all day. Still have hours to go. Never drink the stuff, but I need to stay awake. Thanks." He picked up the bear claw and took a bite. "Now that I consider myself a connoisseur of, d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s."

I cringe, smile, and switch off the open sign. He'll be dead before he gets the key in the ignition. His tall, lanky body is perfect.

Time to start that row of Gumby shaped hedges.

150 words

Yolanda Renee © 2015

*****

Mondays Finish the Story

http://www.bing.com/images/search?

GUMBY

Since Gumby and I are too old is so unfamiliar and folks don't get the gist of the story

I thought I should post this. :) 

Enjoy!

*****

In the near future consider a new Flash Fiction Challenge with the WEP

DOUBLE THE FUN

ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE OF

DECEPTIVE CADENCE
by
KATIE HAMSTEAD

Cadence Anderson has the perfect definition of happily ever after . . .

Until she doesn't. A freak earthquake shatters her life as surely as her home, taking away everything she holds dear. She wakes in a hospital to find that her beloved husband and infant daughter have been killed, crushed by the earthquake's wrath. Disoriented, injured, and alone, Cadence refuses to accept the loss. So when a man claiming to be her guardian angel appears and offers her a chance to go back in time to save her family, she doesn't need to give it a second thought. She accepts.

Thrust back eleven years, she now faces the ordeal of high school all over again. But this time, she's armed with all the knowledge of her adult life and the determined to do everything better, from preventing the loss of her best friend to avoiding her original, drama-inducing boyfriends. She's focused solely on Austin, her future husband, and is content to bide her time until she meets him again.

But then James Gordon crosses her path. Cadence wants to remain single, but James has his sights set. He is determined to win her over, and he's very hard to resist. As Cadence starts to develop unwanted feelings for him, she realizes he threatens to disrupt everything, changing the future and distracting her from her original goal. Now, Cadence must choose: deny the unpredictable and exciting path James offers her, or stay true to the life she had and is trying desperately to resurrect. Second chances are more complicated than they seem.

Deceptive Cadence combines the soaring emotion of a heartfelt romance with the innovative storytelling of magical realism, crafting a uniquely moving, intricate tale about love and loss that asks: what would you do if given the chance to right all your wrongs?

Get Deceptive Cadence from Amazon.

Meet Katie Hamstead:

Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.

After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dogs.

She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She now works as an Acquisitions Editor to help support her family. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

Find Katie Hamstead on twitter, facebook, and her website. 

Giveaway – Running from June 30th to July 31st

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Youtube Link: youtu.be/cHbMXBp_Z_A

Katie has even more good news to share - 

the cover for her next release:

When Donna is sent back in time to Classical Athens, she's furious at Dr. Stephens for sending her against her wishes. Then a Greek soldier purchases her to be his wife.

She's forced to learn a new language and culture, and faces her fears of never returning to her own time. The society hates her, especially because they think she’s an Amazon, which forces her to confront her issues—being compared to her genius brother, borderline abusive friends, and a cheating boyfriend.

But her husband, Peleus, is kind and patient. Although against her best judgment, she allows him into her heart. He counters all the negative voices from her past, but those voices drive a wedge between them. She must let go of her fears, her inhibitions, and insecurities, and admit her feelings, or she could lose him and the life they’ve built.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24980867-dancing-in-the-athenian-rain

Blog: http://kjhstories.blogspot.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatieHamsteadNovels

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KatieTeller1

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6585259.Katie_Hamstead

CONGRATULATIONS KATIE HAMSTEAD!