Category Archives: Terry Odell

Character Based Transitions

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Character Based Transitions
Terry Odell

dog in the snow with Happy Holidays textAs this is my last post here before TKZ takes its annual holiday break, I’d like to wish everyone my best wishes for a happy holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. And if you don’t celebrate any holidays in December, I wish you a happy month.

Travel played a big part in my 2024, with two big international trips—one to New Zealand, and another to the Faroe Islands. I’m currently working on a book set against some of the places we saw in the Faroes. I’ve mentioned it before. Writing a book set in a place you’ve been turns in into a research trip. Read tax write off.

My Danube Christmas Market book, Double Intrigue, is a stand alone, but when it came to figuring out the bones of a story focused in the Faroes, it seemed more suited to another Blackthorne, Inc. book. Keeping within that series genre, it would have to be a romantic suspense. And, like in Cruising Undercover, it wasn’t going to be a covert ops book, but rather the protagonist would be working in Blackthorne’s Security and Investigations department. I’m too burned out on war and violence to write about it. And, because “romantic suspense” would be in the subtitle, I was going to need a second protagonist in order to meet the expectations of romance readers.

Have I ever mentioned the challenges of writing a romantic suspense? It’s really three books in one. There’s the ‘suspense/mystery’ story, as well as the romance story, which requires character arcs for both the hero and heroine. (Or hero/hero or heroine/heroine, but I haven’t written one of those yet.)

hands of runners handing off a relay race batonMy normal style is to alternate chapters between my POV characters. Which brings me to transitions.

JSB recently wrote that he used a jump cut and Drop Caps to alert the reader to a new scene. I’m old school and use chapters. I used to include both POV scenes in my chapters, but my editor told me that since readers want short chapters these days, to make each POV scene its own chapter.

I recently read a book by a Big Name Author who told the story from the points of view of two protagonists. Not a romance by any stretch. The two characters were working toward a common goal, often going their separate ways. It was a great book, don’t get me wrong, but the author never made it clear (to me, anyway) at the start of each chapter, who the POV character was. It created ‘out of the story’ moments. Now, if I’d been a more astute reader, I might have realized that one protagonist was written in 1st person, and the other was written in third, but that took a lot of time to figure out.

My approach when I’m writing is to make darn sure that every chapter starts out with showing who/where/when/and a POV “flag” to ground my readers. Troubling as it may be to authors, readers might have put the book down, gone to work, come home to a family crisis, or any other interruption and they might not get back to the book for several days. Or, they’re like me, and they just plain forget.

In the current wip, not only do I have 2 POV characters, but they don’t get together on the page until Chapter 14. Until then, they’re in different countries, and their timelines aren’t the same. Not because of time zone issues. One’s several weeks ahead of the other.

I ended up writing each character’s chapters separately, and then weaving them together. Sort of like JSB’s Shadow Stories, because I needed to know what each of them was doing in their own timeline even though they hadn’t met yet, but these stories were on the page, not in my notes. That wasn’t my normal process, and created its own challenges when it came time to weave them together.

If you’re alternating POV characters, and they’re not together, the last sentence of the previous paragraph might not lead into the first one of the next.

Every chapter needs to ground the reader. Who’s the POV character? Where are they? When is it? What are they doing?

I prefer to get this information right up front. Definitely within the first few paragraphs.

The “who” I want in the first paragraph if at all possible.

Things to consider:

  • Use the character’s name.
  • Show them doing something.
  • Show a thought or something only they would know—the POV “flag”.

The vibration of Logan Bolt’s cell phone gave him a welcome excuse for a break from his run.

We have his name: Logan Bolt. He’s running. He’s glad for the interruption, and only he knows this. (flag”)

Or this:

Maddie busied herself with kitchen tasks, trying not to think that Logan might not have been completely honest.

We know the POV character is Maddie. She’s working in the kitchen. Only she will know what she’s thinking. (”flag”)

Doesn’t take much, but you’re grounding your reader.

I did a post a while back dedicated solely to different kinds of transitions, so if you want more, you can find it here.

How do you handle transitions? Tips and Peeves welcome.

And again, Happy Holidays. See you in January.

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Double Intrigue
When your dream assignment turns into more than you bargained for
Cover of Double Intrigue, an International Romantic Suspense by Terry Odell Shalah Kennedy has dreams of becoming a senior travel advisor—one who actually gets to travel. Her big break comes when the agency’s “Golden Girl” is hospitalized and Shalah is sent on a Danube River cruise in her place. She’s the only advisor in the agency with a knowledge of photography, and she’s determined to get stunning images for the agency’s website.
Aleksy Jakes wants out. He’s been working for an unscrupulous taskmaster in Prague, and he’s had enough. When he spots one of his coworkers in a Prague hotel restaurant, he’s shocked to discover she’s not who he thought she was.
As Shalah and Aleksy cruise along the Danube, the simple excursion soon becomes an adventure neither of them imagined.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

When Characters Get Together

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When Characters Get Together
Terry Odell

As writers, we spend a lot of time with our characters. But what do they think of us?

Open book in a forest reading The Other Side of the Page When I finished writing FINDING SARAH, the characters, Randy and Sarah, wouldn’t leave me alone. I ended up writing a sequel, HIDDEN FIRE.

At the time, I belonged to an online writing group, and every Monday there was a writing challenge. Often, it included using specific words or putting a character in a particular situation. For fun, I decided to  incorporate some of the “behind-the-scenes” aspects of being a writer, which I recounted in THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PAGE. I hope you’ll enjoy this peek.

The Other Side of the Page

“You know, I’m getting sick of just sitting around here at the mercy of my writer,” Sarah complained. She squirmed, trying to get comfortable on a fallen log. “Look at me. Stuck out here in the woods in the middle of the night, freezing my ass off in a wedding dress while she tries to figure out how to have Randy find me and save me from that creep.”

“Hey, who are you calling a creep?” Chris popped out from behind a nearby tree and sat on the ground next to Sarah. “It’s not like any of this was my idea. And all that perverted sex stuff. What baloney. Hey, I like women. Women like me. I had no problems with women until she decided she needed a nastier villain.”

“Oh, be quiet you two.” Maggie appeared in the clearing, bundled in a heavy parka. “I’ve got some hot tea in this thermos and cookies in my backpack. And a blanket for you, Sarah, since she’s managed to have you lose yours. Maybe she won’t notice.”

“Thanks, Maggie,” Sarah said. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders, wrapped her hands around the cup of tea Maggie had poured for her and tried to keep her teeth from chattering so she could take a sip. “Mmm. What kind of tea is this?”

“How the hell should I know? I just bought some cheap tea bags and added boiling water. All those fancy teas Terry keeps writing for me—what a crock. I would have brought some booze but I was afraid you-know-who,” she glanced skyward, “might notice if you got drunk.”

“Shhh!” Chris said. “I think I hear the keyboard clattering again. God knows what she’ll have us do next.”

“I’m out of here then,” Maggie said. “I’m not in this scene and I don’t want to be, thank you very much. Finish that tea, Sarah, and hide the thermos. If she finds it, you’re in big trouble.” As quickly as she had arrived, Maggie scurried away.

Sarah gulped the rest of the tea and tossed the cup behind a tree trunk. “Get out of here too, Chris. You’re not supposed to find me yet, although I must say, I wish you would. I saw her looking up hypothermia on the Internet and I’m afraid I’m going to be in bad shape.”

“Sorry about that. But at least you’re the heroine. She can’t really harm you. I hope she doesn’t have a shootout planned for me. I don’t think she has a clue that I’m a crack shot and she’ll have my brains blown out instead.”

Sarah jerked upright. “What’s that? Did you hear something? An animal? You don’t think there are bears out here, do you?”

“Bears?” He shook his head. “No. Maybe an owl. She’s not going to put anything out here that will hurt you. Hang in there—I’m sure she’ll bring me back before that beanpole cop finds you. She’s got him stuck in Pine Hills all exhausted and frustrated.”

Sarah wrapped herself in the blanket and watched Chris disappear into the darkness. This character business wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. When she’d answered the ad, she thought it would be fun—be the heroine of a romance novel. Ha! Aside from one really great night with Randy, it had been one disaster after another. Now here she was, stuck in the woods, waiting around to see what her writer could possibly come up with next.

At least it ought to start happening soon. Chris had been right—the keyboard was clattering at a rapid pace.

Without warning, a calico kitten appeared from underneath a nearby log and climbed into Sarah’s lap.

“What the—?”

A voice from above echoed through the trees. “Hey, I can’t help it. This week’s writing class assignment is a killer. I have to use specific phrases in a story, and they’re all unrelated. They gave us six to choose from. I have to use three of them.”

“Let me guess,” Sarah said. “One choice was ‘calico kitten’, right?”

“Right. Now I need two more. Hmm. Untied sneakers won’t work—Chris already took yours away. Same goes for wool socks. Mouthwash? No, that won’t fit. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to dream about herb-roasted potatoes or feta cheese before you pass out from the cold, would you?”

Sarah sighed. “I’m at your mercy, Terry.” She closed her eyes and conjured up a vision of a five-course dinner including the requisite foodstuffs. “But how hard would it have been to use the wool socks instead of the damn cat?”

Ah, but where’s the challenge in that!

OK, TKZers. What are your characters doing when you’re not around?

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Double Intrigue
When your dream assignment turns into more than you bargained for
Cover of Double Intrigue, an International Romantic Suspense by Terry Odell Shalah Kennedy has dreams of becoming a senior travel advisor—one who actually gets to travel. Her big break comes when the agency’s “Golden Girl” is hospitalized and Shalah is sent on a Danube River cruise in her place. She’s the only advisor in the agency with a knowledge of photography, and she’s determined to get stunning images for the agency’s website.
Aleksy Jakes wants out. He’s been working for an unscrupulous taskmaster in Prague, and he’s had enough. When he spots one of his coworkers in a Prague hotel restaurant, he’s shocked to discover she’s not who he thought she was.
As Shalah and Aleksy cruise along the Danube, the simple excursion soon becomes an adventure neither of them imagined.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

There’s Always Writing Fodder

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There’s Always Writing Fodder
Terry Odell

house burning I live in a rural mountain subdivision in Colorado. Last week, there was a house fire very near to my house. Firefighters (all volunteer here) showed up quickly and began their attack. The structure was too far gone to save, and the dried grasses which had grown quite tall due to a wet spring and summer, caught quickly. The wind, fortunately for us, was blowing everything in the opposite direction, but was pushing the fire into other subdivisions.

Things seemed all right, but the winds intensified the next day, with 50+ mile per hour gusts, and the Sheriff declared our entire subdivision under evacuation orders. The Hubster wasn’t in town, and after a brief discussion, we decided it was smart for me to follow the orders. I’d rather be packed up and leaving mid-day rather than discover the fire had shifted direction later that night, and was now coming our way. There’s only one road in and out of our subdivision, and the thought of dealing with leaving in the middle of the night didn’t appeal. Nor did being trapped. I have a son who lives not that far away, and he has a guestroom, so that’s where I went.

Although very little of our subdivision was affected, the higher ups decided to name the fire after it. Word spread through social media, and I had mixed feelings about being thankful for everyone who wanted to know how I was, and trying to reassure everyone I was fine, while trying to get everything that I needed to pack up so I could leave.

All in all, it was a “small” fire—under 200 acres. Seven hundred homes were at risk, but only that first one, where the fire started, was lost.

I was only gone for 24 hours, but it was a lesson in preparedness, and knowing what the essentials are should you have to leave in a hurry.

I posted a much more detailed accounting of my experiences on my own blog. If you’re interested, it’s here.

My heartfelt thanks to the first responders, and to our Sheriff who coordinated getting firefighters, law enforcement, air support, heavy equipment, and everything else that goes with fighting a fire mobilized quickly—and to use his terms—aggressively.

Of course, everything is writing fodder, and the circumstances surrounding this “event” opened a number of possibilities.

Our subdivision has a Facebook group, and there was—as might be expected—a lot of action. The house that burned to the ground was owned by a woman with a sketchy reputation in the hood. She had mental health issues, had a reputation for running cars off the road, pulling a gun or a knife, and had spent time in jail. The house was in foreclosure the day of the fire, and due to go up for auction in a couple of weeks.

Consensus seems to be that the (former) owner was responsible for the fire. An accident or deliberate? The case is still under investigation. Someone reported seeing her watching from the street as her house burned. Suspicious behavior or genuine concern?

Some residents offered extreme sympathy, pointing out that she was apologizing profusely, with abundant tears. She didn’t mean it, and it was a tragedy, and she should be forgiven.

Others spoke up that she should have been arrested on the spot. (She was detained, but released.)

Still others brought God into the picture, because the tall cross that was in the woman’s yard was spared. Was it divine intervention, or just located far enough away to not be burned?

The house in question was on one of my regular walking routes. What I saw was how close the fire had come to the three nearby houses. The yards surrounding them were charred. Had a gust of wind sent embers flying, those houses could have been destroyed as well. It was only because the firefighters arrived so quickly that they were able to keep those homes from burning, too.

view of houses spared by a fire

photos taken by a local resident.

 

Vocabulary word of the week: Mitigation

I wonder whether the residents of those homes would be on the ‘forgiveness’ side of the fence. And what about all the other homes in the other subdivisions that were threatened, whose owners had to evacuate in a hurry?

Even if I have no intention of writing a fire story (I already included several fire incidents in my Mapleton books), the human nature aspect offers plenty of character fodder. Then, there’s drawing on the emotional reactions, which can be incorporated in a variety of other situations.

What writing/character fodder do you see in these events, TKZers?

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Double Intrigue
When your dream assignment turns into more than you bargained for
Cover of Double Intrigue, an International Romantic Suspense by Terry Odell Shalah Kennedy has dreams of becoming a senior travel advisor—one who actually gets to travel. Her big break comes when the agency’s “Golden Girl” is hospitalized and Shalah is sent on a Danube River cruise in her place. She’s the only advisor in the agency with a knowledge of photography, and she’s determined to get stunning images for the agency’s website.

Aleksy Jakes wants out. He’s been working for an unscrupulous taskmaster in Prague, and he’s had enough. When he spots one of his coworkers in a Prague hotel restaurant, he’s shocked to discover she’s not who he thought she was.

As Shalah and Aleksy cruise along the Danube, the simple excursion soon becomes an adventure neither of them imagined.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Every Book is Different

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Every Book is Different
Terry Odell

There are no hard and fast ‘rules’ about how to write a novel. There are plotters who spend months writing detailed outlines. There are those who have a plot in mind. There are those who have to dive into the lives of their characters before they can put fingers to keyboard. There are those who write the first draft longhand. An author friend has to have a picture of her hero before she can start. Others need a title. Some write scenes on note cards. Some write them using plotting/writing software. And some write a sentence, see where it goes, then write another, and another, and another.

When I was still regarding writing as a fun thing to do, I joined a local chapter of RWA on the advice of others who said I’d learn about more than just writing a romance. My first meeting, there was a lot of talk about how to map out a story board for the typical 20 chapter category romance.

I knew I wasn’t writing a category romance, but the idea of blocking out 20 blank boxes on a foam core board or a poster board looked interesting. I went to my local craft store, bought a package of 3 foamcore boards, and marked them into 20 sections. I managed to have a rough idea of what should happen in the first 3 chapters, and then everything fizzled. Detailed plotting wasn’t going to work for me.

Since I write in a deep point of view, I need to know my characters. But interviewing them in depth before starting to write seemed like a waste of precious writing time. I didn’t need to know what they looked like until I had to describe them. Or what their favorite song, food, color, or astrological sign was. We’re not writing on stone tablets, so we can go back and make adjustments as needed.

For “Seeing Red”, I’d always wanted to use the line “He’s dead, Jim.” So, I wrote that and kept going. It didn’t end up being the first line in the book, but it gave me a start.

In another, I had an idea for my opening “gambit” in a Blackthorne novel, but when I did a little research, I discovered something that had me abandoning the original premise for the main plot of the book. I had one book where the title came first. I’d finished my first novel, and decided I kind of liked the gig, so I wanted to try another. I created a file folder called “Starting Over” which ended up being the title of the book (since changed after I got the rights back).

I’m writing my thirty-somethingth novel. Yes, someday I should go to my website’s book page and count them, but for me it’s just “Write the next book” and don’t worry about giving it a number. I’ve used numerous approaches.

What’s my method? This one’s a total jumble. I knew it would be a Blackthorne, which gave me a rough framework. I knew it would be someone from the Security and Investigations Department, not Covert Ops. Because it was a Blackthorne, it would be a romantic suspense (or, as I prefer to call it, a “mystery with a relationship”). I also knew that it would be set in Copenhagen and the Faroe Islands. Not because I couldn’t wait to set a book there, but because—and I’ve done this a few times before—I’d gone there on a photography trip and writing a book expands that photography trip into a research trip.

I opened a Word document and stared at the blank page for a while. All I knew at this point was I had an investigator who had to get to Copenhagen. I came up with this:

The vibration of Logan Bolt’s cell phone gave him a welcome excuse for a break from his run. He debated waiting until he’d finished—only two miles to go—but the ringtone said the call was from Ryan Harper. His boss at Blackthorne, Inc. Logan slowed to a jog, then a walk, then extricated the phone from the belt at his waist.

Not much, but I had a character who was interrupted by a call from his boss. Usually not a good thing.

And then the questions, the whys and what ifs began.

Often, I’d write the questions on paper, where I could draw circles and arrows and a paragraph about each one, but this time, I opened another document and jotted things down there. It looked like this:

Hero:
Investigator, Logan Bolt
Not covert ops. Security and Investigations
Boss – Ryan Harper
Limited language experience. Born in the US
Why in Copenhagen? Connection?
Lots of bicycles
Little mermaid statue
Castles/history
R&R after injury on op? Mental fatigue?
Visiting relatives/friends?
Grandmother dying? Sister? Grandmother used in Cruising Undercover.
Where are his parents?
Blackthorne mission?
Find and bring back daughter of political bigwig? Industrialist?
Father? Mother? Alive? Dead?
Siblings?

Heroine:
Madison Bright Westfield
She holds secret? Someone wants it?
Running away?
Kidnapped?
Tracked to Copenhagen or Faroes? Schengen area; passports not needed to get from one to another member country
No desire to support her father’s/family’s business(es). Diametrically opposed to what they stand for.
Changed her name to avoid connection?
Conservationist? Puffin tie-in?
Photography tie-in?
Has to get to Faroes. Why?
Mykines – puffins
Sudoroy – southernmost island. Ferry.

I started writing, answering some of these questions. I’d written five chapters before I realized I hadn’t put the heroine on the page yet, and since I write my romantic suspense books with alternating hero/heroine POV scenes, I gave myself a quick mental head slap and wrote her first scene. Where will it go? I’m not sure, but I think it might belong as Chapter 1. And I’ll need more scenes from her POV, which means I’m—gasp—writing out of order. I don’t do that. Until I do.

What about you, TKZers? Do you have a ‘tried and true’ method for writing, or does it change from book to book?

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

When your dream assignment turns into more than you bargained for
Cover of Double Intrigue, an International Romantic Suspense by Terry Odell Shalah Kennedy has dreams of becoming a senior travel advisor—one who actually gets to travel. Her big break comes when the agency’s “Golden Girl” is hospitalized and Shalah is sent on a Danube River cruise in her place. She’s the only advisor in the agency with a knowledge of photography, and she’s determined to get stunning images for the agency’s website.
Aleksy Jakes wants out. He’s been working for an unscrupulous taskmaster in Prague, and he’s had enough. When he spots one of his coworkers in a Prague hotel restaurant, he’s shocked to discover she’s not who he thought she was.
As Shalah and Aleksy cruise along the Danube, the simple excursion soon becomes an adventure neither of them imagined.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Why I Suck at Marketing

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Why I Suck at Marketing
Terry Odell

shopping cart of booksBeing an old dog and, as an indie author, being responsible for every aspect of my book publication processes, it’s hard to remember that just because I don’t like something doesn’t mean nobody else does. I’m not talking about the writing. Everyone finds the system that works for them. Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser? Nitty gritty or beautiful words? How much violence? Profanity? Look at any best-selling book’s reviews on Amazon. There will be one and two star ratings along with the fours and fives, so you’ll never please everyone.

No, I’m talking about the other side of the job. The part I dread.

Marketing. Promotion. Getting the book from “uploaded” to “being bought.”

There are so many aspects of marketing, and I haven’t found any I like.

But just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean I shouldn’t at least give some of them a try. Debbie covered some of this in her post yesterday.

I know authors who promote a new release with Facebook “parties.” Or blog tours, some of which they spend bucks on to have a professional set them up.

What I see is people who follow these tours are looking for a chance to win whatever giveaways the author is enticing people with. Most of them aren’t buying the book. But maybe the authors are looking at this as more of a way to connect with readers, which might lead to future sales.

What about posting things on social media? I’ve said it before, and my opinion/advice hasn’t changed. Social media should be at least 80% SOCIAL. Seeing countless variations on “buy my book” doesn’t work for me as a consumer, so I don’t do it as an author.

I’ve never bought a book based on a book trailer. I might have looked at the book after a trailer, but that’s rare. Yet, just because I don’t think book trailers are of much value, some people do. And, because it was very easy to do with Canva, I went ahead and made a trailer for Double Intrigue.

Again, because it was easy, and more fun than a lot of other marketing chores I avoid, I created some graphics as well. Do they send people to my book pages? I don’t know. But they seem a slightly more subtle way to draw attention to my book. (Clicking will enlarge images)

Don’t get me started on ads. When I’m shopping for a book, I usually have a good idea what I’m looking for, and go straight there. I’ve been told that Amazon puts ads on book pages, but to be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed them. Of course, that’s because 97.63% of my book purchases are at Barnes & Noble, not Amazon. Almost all of my Amazon “buys” are the monthly free books because I have a Prime account. B&N probably has ads, too, but there again, I’m there for the book I want.

I haven’t done Amazon ads.

The big reason? Because Amazon ads require all sorts of conniving to reach an audience. You have to bid for placement, target an audience, set budgets, do AB testing … my old brain hurts, and I wonder how much money you have to put out there before you see a return. I was at a workshop once, and the presenter said she had no issues with forking over $200/day just to test her ads. Not me. And having to take courses to learn how to run ads … not my thing. I’d rather spend that time writing. After all, writing the next book is the best marketing ploy.

Now, I have run ads (not talking about Featured Deals) at Bookbub because they’re very easy to set up. Are they as effective as if I’d spent the time learning how to use Amazon and Facebook ads? I don’t know. Can’t compare what I haven’t tried.

A takeaway here is that you shouldn’t be acting based on only your preferences. You’re not your audience. You’re not your peers.

Another aspect of marketing I learned the hard way. Covers. They’re part of your book’s image. Part of your brand. They need to let readers know at a glance what kind of a book they’re being asked to buy. That’s why publishing houses have art and  marketing departments, and they’re separate from the editing side. Deb went into covers in great depth last week, and I shared a post I did about covers there as well.

What about you, TKZers? Do you enjoy the marketing side of publishing? And yes, even traditionally published authors, unless they’re the BIG NAMES, have to do some of their own marketing.

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

When your dream assignment turns into more than you bargained for …
Cover of Double Intrigue, an International Romantic Suspense by Terry Odell Shalah Kennedy has dreams of becoming a senior travel advisor—one who actually gets to travel. Her big break comes when the agency’s “Golden Girl” is hospitalized and Shalah is sent on a Danube River cruise in her place. She’s the only advisor in the agency with a knowledge of photography, and she’s determined to get stunning images for the agency’s website.
Aleksy Jakes wants out. He’s been working for an unscrupulous taskmaster in Prague, and he’s had enough. When he spots one of his coworkers in a Prague hotel restaurant, he’s shocked to discover she’s not who he thought she was.
As Shalah and Aleksy cruise along the Danube, the simple excursion soon becomes an adventure neither of them imagined.

Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

It’s Banned Books Week

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Banned Books Week
Terry Odell

display of banned books at Barnes & Noble

We’re smack dab in the middle of Banned Book Week—Sept 22-28.

I think the Kill Zone is a “Banned Free Zone” but it never ceases to amaze—and frustrate—me that people are determining what others can read.

My parents were liberal when it came to my reading choices, although they had a friend who wrote porn under a variety of pseudonyms, and they’d buy his books to support him. Those, I discovered later, they’d kept off the house’s bookshelves. Had I found one and read it, I’m not sure what they’d have said.

Barnes and Noble has a Banned Book section on its website, as well as in some stores. Titles include:

Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
1984, By George Orwell
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Benedict—

And the list goes on.

top ten challenged booksThe American Library Association, ALA, documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in 2023—a 65% surge over 2022 numbers—as well as 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources. Pressure groups focused on public libraries in addition to targeting school libraries. The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023.

According to PEN America:

“This 2022–23 school year, efforts to remove books expanded to sweep up a wide swath of literature and health-related content. Of the 3,362 instances of books banned in the 2022–23 school year, certain themes, formats, and identities recur:

  • 48 percent include themes or instances of violence and abuse (n =1,620). Of note, within this category, 834 instances are books that include episodes of sexual assault, which is 25 percent of all instances of books banned.
  • 42 percent cover topics on health and wellbeing for students (n = 1,402). This includes content on mental health, bullying, suicide, substance abuse, as well as books that discuss sexual wellbeing and puberty.
  • 33 percent detail sexual experiences between characters (n = 1,110).
  • 30 percent include characters of color or discuss race and racism (n = 1,003)
  • 30 percent LGBTQ+ characters or themes (n = 997). Of note, within this category, 205 instances are books that include transgender characters, which is 6 percent of all instances of books banned. 
  • 29 percent include instances or themes of grief and death (n = 980). This includes books that have a character death or a related death that is impactful to the plot or a character’s emotional arc.”

Facebook is full of graphics, or “memes” protesting banning books. Is it doing any good? Judging from the rising numbers of challenged books, I have my doubts. I haven’t seen any reports of actual book burnings, which might be the only positive piece of information I can include today.

Cover of Double Intrigue by Terry OdellIf I may be so bold, I have a new release dropping on October 3rd, and I don’t think anyone will find cause to challenge or ban it. It’s available for preorder now. Read more about it here.

The floor is yours, TKZers.

**New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate?
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gordon’s frustrations build as the crimes cover numerous jurisdictions, effectively tying his hands. Available now in ebook, paperback, and audio.
Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Significant Events

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Significant Events
Terry Odell

picture of a family arriving in the US in 1938Significant events can be individual, familial, national, or international.

I was at a family reunion last weekend, and seeing so many cousins in one place was a visual lesson in the strength of DNA. No problem knowing we were all related. What was missing was the generation that included some we fondly remember as the crazy old aunts. Looking around, the cousins of my generation realized that to a lot of the others in the room, we were now the old guard and undoubtedly would be thought of as the crazy old cousins.

Many of the maternal side of my family hailed from Danzig (now Gdansk), and were lucky enough that one of the crazy old aunts had the foresight to push the family into selling their goods and getting the hell out of there. Their arrival in New York was on the maiden voyage of the SS Noordam. A reporter was sent to cover the arrival of the ship, and when they saw the passenger manifest with Anker after Anker, they figured there was a story there.

Another branch of the family lived in Berlin, and their patriarch was of the “This too will pass” mindset. Kristallnacht, November 9-10, 1938, opened his eyes, and they began their plans to leave. That’s a significant historical event that might be more significant to their family than others.

September 11 Memorial

Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay

For most of us who are old enough to remember, September 11th, 2001 is a date that won’t be forgotten. We remember where we were, what we were doing, when we heard the news.

I was home, working on my part-time day job, which was entering registration data for an upcoming conference. As was typical, most of the attendees waited until the day before the early bird pricing was going to expire, and I was swamped. My husband called, said a plane crashed into the twin towers. My first reaction was, that’s a terrible accident, but I’m busy. He said to turn on the television, which was in his office in the next room. I did, and it took a moment or two to register that it wasn’t an accident at all. I turned up the volume, went back to my data entry, but turned on the ‘real’ television in the living room and bounced back and forth between work and watching for updates.

John F. Kennedy's gravesiteThere are other major historic milestones. Another for me was the assassination of JFK. I was in high school history class, which was being taught by a ‘student teacher.’ I don’t know what they’re called in other regions, but this was part of the required curriculum for anyone wanting a teaching certificate in Los Angeles, and it was late enough in the semester that the teacher himself felt he could leave the room and leave her in charge. I don’t remember their names, but I remember he came into the room and interrupted the lesson and announced the assassination. Everyone’s first reaction was that he was playing up the curse that presidents elected in years with zeroes would come to a bad end. Then we noticed he was crying, and the shock hit us. School was dismissed for the day.

pearl harbor memorial

Image by wojoan from Pixabay

Few of us still remember Pearl Harbor Day, but that was another one where people knew what they were doing when they got the news.

Today, we should take a moment to remember 9-11 and those who lost their lives, and the repercussions throughout the world.

How do you handle historical and significant events in your writing? If your characters are boarding a plane, do you consider the security hoops they have to deal with? Do they even know what it was like before the inspections were put in place? Do you include mention of the pandemic? I read books obviously written during the pandemic by authors who assumed it would be long gone before their books came out, and they got it wrong. Or elections? Do you mention current administrations? The floor is yours.

How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate?
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gordon’s frustrations build as the crimes cover numerous jurisdictions, effectively tying his hands. Available now in ebook, paperback, and audio.
Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.

New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Expectations and Mediocrity

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Expectations and Mediocrity
Terry Odell

Light brown dog peering through a fenceRecently, James Scott Bell posted an article about whether writers should write mediocre books. Having just completed a book that’s on the fringes of my normal writing genre, I’d been struggling with the “is it good enough?” question. Given my primary goal in writing this book was to be able to use my recent trip to the Faroe Islands as a tax write-off, I had to resist the urge to crank something out quickly, just to have something to wave at an IRS auditor should they question the validity of my deductions.

I couldn’t. I needed to write something I’d be proud to have my name on. Not something that might have a reader crossing me off their reading list.

JSB’s post reminded me of frequent discussions I have with my son, who’s a photographer.

Our trip to the Faroes, wonderful as it was (There were Puffins! And waterfalls! And striking landscapes! and sheep!), led to discussions with both my son and the organizer of the tour.

Now, I’m no spring chicken, but I think (or thought) I was in decent physical shape. The description of the photography tour/workshop said most days would be “easy walks, gentle hikes.” There was one day, they said, that would be longer and more strenuous, but the views would be worth it. My expectations were nothing like the actual efforts required for almost every shooting venue.

Granted, the weather increased the efforts required. We had rain, which made the uneven terrain muddy and slippery. Add schlepping camera gear, and those of us in the over 70 group were challenged.

My “solution” was to minimize the gear I carried. Never mind that the tour organizer said, “Bring everything” almost every time we got out of the van, I opted to leave almost all of my gear behind. Not once did I use my tripod to get wonderful long-exposure shots. Only once did I bother with a polarizing filter. It was damp, drizzly, and sometimes the drizzles were more like light rain. I didn’t want to go to the trouble of changing lenses, or adding and then removing filters when everything was getting wet. My main lens was water sealed, but raindrops on the lens mess up one’s shots. Most of the dedicated photographers in the group, however, did make these extra efforts.

Getting back to the point I made with my son, and also the tour operator who seemed surprised when I told him my favorite site (other than the puffins, of course) was a stop at a lighthouse. The van parked maybe a five minute walk away. The ground was relatively level. And there was more to photograph than waves crashing against sea stack.

Of course, had I been a serious photographer, I’d have been content to have my camera set on its tripod, and sit around waiting for the light to change for the better. But I’m a writer with a photography hobby. Not a serious photographer. I belong to a book club, not a camera club. He was also surprised when I told him that on day 3, I had under 300 images on my memory card. He probably had 3000.

Although I had much of the suggested equipment, I decided it wasn’t worth dealing with given the effort required to get to the designated shooting area. Yes, I hiked the 7 kilometer round trip to get to the top for the “hanging lake” iconic shot. Uphill. Through mud. Slippery grass.

Terry Odell standing atop a cliff in Vagar, Faroe Islands

Photo by Jason P. Odell

"Hanging Lake" Faroe Islands

Lake Leitisvatn, Sørvágsvatn, Faroe Islands

No, I didn’t climb even further for a ‘better’ view. Most of those ended up being one shot. Nor, after that day, had I any desire to go on yet another hike to get a sunset shot. (Note: this time of year, sunset is around 10 PM). Did I feel guilty? Did I regret it? Nope.

My son and the tour organizer are photographers. Their reputations and their business depends on people seeing photos that say, “If you come on one of my tours, you, too, will be able to get photos like this one.” Putting out a mediocre shot will do more harm than good.

How does this relate to writing? Ah—maybe she’s getting to the point! Putting out a mediocre book isn’t going to help my career or my reputation. Taking photographs that are acceptable to me to put on my website’s photography section is my goal. Heck, the odds are the vast majority of people looking at them are seeing them on their phones.

It all boils down to audience and expectations.

If you’re going to a photography website, you want to be impressed with the images. You’re probably interested in photography as much as looking at striking pictures.

My audience is readers more than anything else. Do they like my photos? Feedback says they do.

But … think about how many mediocre books get stellar reviews. Do readers really know what makes an outstanding book? If I had decided to crank out a down-and-dirty novel based on a trip I took, would my readers know?

Some would, of course. But how many would praise the book for any number of reasons that had little to do with the quality of the writing? My guess (assuming they take the time to write a ‘review’—but that’s another story) is quite a few. People are praising the schlock put out by AI.

Something that can help a book rise above the mediocre level is editing. As authors, we have a myriad tools available: critique partners, beta readers, professional editors, and a variety of software options. How far we choose to go is up to us.

Did you like the photos I shared above? I worked on them to a small degree. Nothing fancy when taking the pictures, and minor tweaks using Lightroom software. In the context of writing, these would be chapters I asked my critique partners to look at. I used my writing skills to create the chapters (taking the picture) and then applied my parnters’ feedback (where I agreed with it) to enhance the words.

Compare this to a professional photographer’s efforts. In this case, the photographer applied his knowledge and skills to set up his shot. These are the ‘tools’ he used:

Camera: OM System OM-1 Mark 2
Lens: Olympus 8-25mm f/4 PRO
Exposure Data
1.6” f/8 ISO 400
Shot at 8mm (16mm full-frame equivalent)
Tripod + Polarizing filter

Seascape at Faroe Islands by Jason P. Odell

Drangarnir, Faroe Islands, Photo by Jason P. Odell

But he wasn’t finished. While he doesn’t use “betas” because he knows what he’s doing, he has his editing toolbox, which includes Lightroom and Nik Color Efex, which he used for this final edited version.

Faroes Seascape by Jason Odell

Makes mine look mediocre, doesn’t it? Did you change your opinion of my images?

**Want to see more of his images? Go to Luminescent Photo.

Bottom line for me: people bring their own expectations and experiences to whatever product they’re looking at. If they’re reading a book by a best-selling author, odds are most of them are predisposed to assume it’s going to be great. And many—probably very many—of them don’t really know how to judge quality. One of the things I’ve noticed in the book clubs I’ve belonged to, is that readers don’t read like writers. When I mention that I found the author’s use of having more than one character in a paragraph with dialogue distracting, none of them were aware there was a “convention” of One Speaker Per Paragraph. It’s always interesting to see what they notice—and what they don’t.

What about you, TKZers? Anything you’ve noticed getting raves when it falls into your definition of mediocrity? Or something you consider fantastic, but then see feedback to the contrary?

Cover of Double Intrigue by Terry Odell(Oh, and if I can take a moment for some BSP. Double Intrigue my international romantic suspense set against the Danube river cruise I took last December is now available for pre-order.)

How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate?
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gordon’s frustrations build as the crimes cover numerous jurisdictions, effectively tying his hands. Available now in ebook, paperback, and audio.
Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.
New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

A Funtime Break

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A Funtime Break
Terry Odell

colored pencils, a smile, and a smiling dog on a blue background

According to my itinerary, I’m still on the Faroe Islands. Our tour/workshop ends tomorrow, and then we’re playing it safe and not trusting a connection from the Faroes to connect with a return via Copenhagen. Too many things can go wrong, as we’ve discovered. So, we’re going to fly to Copenhagen and spend the night, and then return to the states on Friday.

In other words, I’m not going to be around to respond to comments, so I figured why not have a little fun instead. (Don’t let my absence stop you from commenting.)

These made me smile. All taken from Facebook over the years.

And a last one for Sue Coletta

Any of these make you smile?

How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate?
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gordon’s frustrations build as the crimes cover numerous jurisdictions, effectively tying his hands. Available now in ebook, paperback, and audio.
Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.
New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings

Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”

Where Does My Book Belong?

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Where Does My Book Belong?
Terry Odell

a wall of bookshelves full of books with a big question mark

Back in the days before I even gave writing a passing thought, my reading tastes ran to mystery and science fiction. Later, when I was toying with writing an original piece, I headed for the mystery genre. My daughters, who were reading sections as I wrote them, told me it was a romance. What? I’d never read a romance. Later, I learned there were sub-genres of romance, and one, dubbed romantic suspense, was included under the romance umbrella. I’m still irked that they didn’t call it romantic mystery because suspense is a different sub-genre under the mystery umbrella. I asked, and was told that the powers that be had decided to lump all mystery sub-genres together in the romantic suspense category.

For the record, writing a Romantic Suspense, be it mystery, suspense, thriller, police procedural or any other mystery genre, means you’re effectively writing two stories, with two protagonists who are almost equals, each with their own character arc. They can be working together or in competition, but they have their own GMCs. Not easy!

Readers of any romance genre bring their own expectations, and if there’s “romance” anywhere in the book description, they want—at the very least—a promise of a Happily Ever After. Of course, you have to solve the mystery, too. Or, in the case of my Blackthorne, Inc. novels, which are “action adventure romance”, you have to catch the bad guys.

Readers in bookstores—or libraries—gravitate to the shelves that hold the genres they’re looking for. When I was shopping my first true mystery, Deadly Secrets, it was turned down because the publisher wouldn’t know how to categorize it. Yes, it was a police procedural, but it had a “cozy” feel, and I was told to pick one, rewrite, and resubmit, or submit something else that fit their cubbyholes.

I was fortunate with the timing for this one—indie publishing had just become a thing, and I could publish it myself. Which I did.

Of course, all publishers, be they indie or traditional, have to fill out categories and keywords for their books. Something to let readers know what to expect. But ebook publishers can choose more than one category, because the shelves in online bookstores are almost infinite. You no longer have to be a huge best seller to warrant shelf space in two departments (think JD Robb, whose books can be found on both the romance and mystery shelves in brick and mortar stores).

When I returned from my trip through the British Isles, I thought I’d write a simple romance. (Motivation—write off the cost of the trip.) It didn’t take me more than a few chapters to realize I had to include mystery elements. The category romance genre (think Harlequin) wasn’t working for me.

Now, I’m writing a novel, Double Intrigue, set on a Danube River cruise. (Same motivation as above). As with Heather’s Chase, the book set in the British Isles, my intention is to subtitle it “An International Mystery Romance,” thus connecting these two books.

Here’s my dilemma. My main characters are not law enforcement by any stretch of the imagination. Not even amateur sleuths. Their relationship begins simply as two people who meet on a cruise. Their goals are completely different. One, Shalah, is a travel agent who’s got her big chance to prove herself and move up in the company she works for by documenting her trip so the agency can sell the itinerary.

The other main character, Aleksy, is from Prague, and he’s involved in some shady doings in the art world.

Because I’ll be including “romance” in the metadata, their attraction must end up fulfilling a romance reader’s expectation, which, in this case, is a promise of that HEA. I don’t wrap up my books with 2 kids, a dog, and a white picket fence.

Aleksy appears to be in line to succeed the current head of the “institute,” but does he want to continue doing what he’s spent his life doing? Is the institute on the verge of being discovered for what it really is? Would he be arrested? Is his best option to get off the cruise ship and disappear?

Oh, and then there’s the “twins separated at birth” trope that shows up, too. Contrary to expectations, Shalah and her newly found sister aren’t getting along well.

What about the “mystery” angle? Can I even call it a mystery? There’s no crime being solved on the page. No cops or detectives as major players. What other shelves could it fit on?

How would you classify this book, TKZers?

One more thing. Speaking of travel, I’m leaving Sunday for a trip to the Faroe Islands. It’s a photography workshop. Maybe I can come up with an idea for another book. And another tax write off. And some more “Wanderings” posts for my new Substack. This week, it’s about my trip to Croatia.

How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate?
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gordon’s frustrations build as the crimes cover numerous jurisdictions, effectively tying his hands. Available now in ebook, paperback, and audio.
Like bang for your buck? I have a new Mapleton Bundle. Books 4, 5, and 6 for one low price.
New! Find me at Substack with Writings and Wanderings
Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”