Bestselling author Gail Bowen critiqued my novel Divine Justice - aka Sometimes it's best to leap before you look!

Everyone has heard the old adage, "Look before you leap." Well, sometimes it's best to just leap right in before you look. Looking often stops us dead in our tracks and prevents us from moving forward. Anyone who knows me would probably say I boldly push my way through most barriers. Why? Because I have my eye on the prize.

Before I tell you what happened, I want to extend my apologies to writers in Toronto. It seems I snuck in under the radar and received quite the treat as a result. So please don't be mad at the Toronto Public Library or Gail Bowen. I can be very persistent, I've been told--perhaps akin to a puppy who wants a treat. :-)

Weeks ago, one of my writer friends posted a notice to our writing group--I think it was Crime Writers of Canada. The post revealed that bestselling author Gail Bowen had accepted the role of Writer-In-Residence at the Toronto Public Library and was accepting samples of manuscripts and would give in-person critiques.

Now Gail and I go waaaaaay back. Well, not me and her personally, but me and her books and movies. I've been a fan of the Joanne Kilbourn murder mysteries since forever. The movies, starring Wendy Crewson, were one of my first experiences at watching something originally created by an author I had read--other than all the Stephen King movies. When the powers that be stopped filming the Joanne Kilbourn movies, I was heartbroken. (Rumour has it that they may be filming 4 more in the future. YAY!)

I followed the link in the email to the Toronto Library website and very quickly scanned the page for the mailing address. Then I immediately printed off the first 3 chapters of Divine Justice, a novel that is in final edits before it goes to my agent. Sealing the envelope, I walked to the post office, told the gal there that my sample was going to be critiqued by the awe-inspiring Gail Bowen, kissed the envelope (ok, I do that sometimes) and sent it on its merry way.

Shortly after, I received an email from Peggy Perdue, Librarian and assistant to Gail. When she discovered I wouldn't be able to go to Toronto and that I had assumed (yes, I know...) that Gail would have lots of submissions from out-of-town writers and that she'd maybe email a critique, Peggy very kindly said, "Your manuscript submission was actually a bit of a surprise, because we were thinking of this as a local thing and not expecting out of province manuscripts." To which I replied, "I do understand why you'd keep this local. But...darn. Perhaps you could slip my manuscript under her door...hehe I'd love to chat with Gail."

Resolved to my fate, I gave Peggy permission to shred my manuscript sample. Then I crawled back into my den and licked my wounds. No Gail...waaaaa! It's not fair! Why didn't I move to Toronto? Then I put this out of my mind and focused on my next project.

Three weeks passed. One day I saw an email from Peggy. "You probably didn't expect to hear from me again, but when it came to shredding the manuscript, I didn't have the heart to do it out of hand. So I waited until Gail Bowen arrived to see if we could offer at least some input. Gail very graciously agreed to have a look and give you some feedback..." I was elated! Picture a puppy running around in circles chasing its tail.

When I received my sample in the mail a few days ago, the first thing I saw was a lovely note Gail Bowen had written on the first page. She said Divine Justice was "wonderful--strong, original & compelling!" This made my month! Having a writing peer, especially one I admire so much, tell me my work is wonderful is a piece of heaven, and something I'll never forget. Throughout my manuscript she'd added notes, tips, suggestions--everything I then added to my manuscript on my computer.

We need writers like Gail, ones who are willing to relocate temporarily and sacrifice their time to help other writers. The Writer-In-Residence program is so vital to our literary culture and to writers. Having this opportunity helps me believe a little more that I'm in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. Having a positive critique experience is not always a common thing, but it's evident that Gail really took the time to get to know my characters, the hint of plot, my humour and what I thought was one of my best lines. I learned so much through this critique.

Thank you, Peggy, for not shredding my manuscript, but instead slipping it into Gail's hands. And thank you, Gail, for giving your time and expertise as a WIR, and for taking on an additional out-of-town project. I so appreciate it. And yes, Gail, one day we'll celebrate our successes over a glass--or bottle--of wine. :-)

The moral of this tale: Sometimes it's best to leap before you look!

If I'd spent time really looking over the website, I probably would have figured out it really pertained to Toronto writers. Or I would have talked myself out of doing it for any number of reasons. If I'd emailed and asked about the critique program, I would have found out I didn't really qualify--and never mailed my sample.

Fate? Destiny? Law of attraction? Darn right!

For more info on Toronto Public Library's Writer-In-Residence program, please go HERE.

Be Your Own Editor

Today I took a break from editing my fourth manuscript and started to read a thriller. To say I found it less than thrilling is an understatement. I hope in my efforts to become a good writer I do not lose my love of reading, but I can feel it happening. I get caught up in the words and lose the story.

And the authors are not helping.

In this particular thriller, the author described a character as a precise individual who did not use contractions. The writer did fine for most of the first chapter, then forgot what his character's persona was and started contracting all over the place. So, is the character precise?

How do I know if the author does not?

According to Emerson, "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Some authors must think any consistency is an indication of a small mind, or they do not know the meaning of the word. The only consistency I see is poor writing.

I know I'm getting cynical about books, so I will give the author the benefit of the doubt. Sitting at a keyboard for any length of time can be rough, and one can get so involved in one's own story that one loses track of the words one is typing, but that's why there are editors.

Are there editors, though? I don't see much indication of it. Too many elemental mistakes are being made by authors who should know better.

The moral of today's tale? We must learn how to be our own editors if we hope to master the art of writing. This blog is no place for a tutorial on editing, but you know how to do it anyway. Make sure you use proper grammar (except for when you purposely do not want to use it). Take out all unnecessary adverbs and adjectives, remembering that most of them are unnecessary.

Remove anything, no matter how much you love it, that does not move the story along.

And be consistent.

Pat Bertram is the author of More Deaths Than One, and A Spark of Heavenly Fire now available from Second Wind Publishing, LLC.

Legendary Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer releases candid memoir about his fight with addictions and depression

When the publicist for Joey Kramer, legendary drummer for the rock band Aerosmith, first approached me about helping publicize Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, I was almost going to decline because of a heavy workload. Then I read the description of the book and read a sneak peek.

Keep reading this post for an opportunity to win a copy of Hit Hard, complete with an autographed bookplate from Joey Kramer.

To say that Kramer's autobiography is revealing is an understatement. It is brutally candid and makes no excuses. It's also an inside look into the rock world and the effects that fame often has on the famous. Like Michael Jackson, Kramer had his fair share of ups and downs, challenges and rewards. This memoir strips bare the dream of fame and fortune, and shows the often harsh realities of rock band stardom.

"I'd played my drums in front of eighty thousand screaming fans and passed out in my own puke," Kramer states.

With a foreword written by Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe, the book starts off with nothing less than sheer honesty, and by the time you've finished reading it, you might feel like you've just gone through an old wringer-washer.

Book Description:

In 1997, amid Aerosmith’s sold-out world tour and number one album release, word about Joey’s troubles was reported in the press. Despite the advice he had received to play it down, Joey revealed in an interview his ongoing struggles with depression. The response from fans and people battling those same internal demons was overwhelming. Joey--who has been the drummer in Aerosmith since it was founded in 1970 and is the first member of the band to release his own book--now tells the complete story: the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates, and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith that continue to unleash a fury of endless creativity.

This is not just another rock ‘n’ roll memoir. In addition to the never-before-told Aerosmith war stories that abound in the book, Hit Hard unpacks the history of a rock star who was both fragile and tough, who after years of insane wildness became willing to accept help and finally kick a serious alcohol and drug addiction, only to find that the real terrors and hard work were still ahead. It’s the story of an average kid from an average American suburb who went through physical and emotional trauma. It’s about years of depression and the nervous breakdown at the height of the band’s comeback success. Ultimately, Hit Hard is about how Joey recognized his confusion between love and abuse, awakening to the kind of self-acceptance and compassion that make relationships possible in the “real world” as a member of the biggest band in American history.

For a chance to win Hit Hard, please leave a comment after this post. Include your email address, so we can notify you if you're the winner.

Listen to a special message from Joey Kramer:



Purchase Hit Hard from your favorite bookstore, or from online retailers, including Amazon.com.

About Joey Kramer:

Joey Kramer is the legendary drummer with the most successful band in American history-Aerosmith. Since 1970 he and his partners have sold over 150 million albums, and today their multigenerational, global audience is bigger than ever. In addition to the Grammys and the twenty-one multiplatinum albums, Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 and they are the subject of several documentaries, including a film dedicated to Joey and his lasting influence, called It’s About Time. Joey lives south of Boston, Massachusetts.

Visit the author online at http://www.joeykramer.com/.

For Aerosmith news, visit http://www.aerosmith.com/ and http://www.aeroforceone.com/.

*A personal note from Cheryl Kaye Tardif:
The main reason why I was drawn to this book and to promoting it was that my baby brother Jason fought the addictions and depression demons. Unfortunately he was murdered before he could win the battle. I wish Joey Kramer the best in health and happiness, and the best in success with Hit Hard. It takes a brave person to 'strip bare' their soul and life in front of the public.

Now don't forget to leave a comment so you'll have a chance to win the autographed bookplate and copy of Hit Hard by Joey Kramer.

For a sneak peek at Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top, go to:
http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061566608

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Canadian suspense author
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Guest Post: GumboWriters interviews literary agent Kae Tienstra

Hey, this is Cheryl again, bringing you another great interview--this time with literary agent Kae Tienstra. Kae shares some 'inside secrets' on how to hook this agent's attention. This interview is brought to you by my friends at GumboWriters.com. Enjoy the interview. ~ Cheryl Kaye Tardif

GumboWriters: How long have you been agent and how did you get your start, Kae?

Kae: This is a two-part answer. I began my publishing career at Rodale where I served as publicity director for the book division for over 10 years. I left Rodale in 1993 to launch my own book publicity firm, KT Public Relations. My husband Jon had retired from corporate life and acquired a Masters in library science. He joined me in the PR business. A few years ago I accompanied one of my authors to a popular home and garden show where she was taping several segments to publicize her book. In the greenroom I met a delightful woman who had self-published a book on homemade beauty products. I asked her if she'd thought of shopping it to publishers. She had not, but welcomed my interest. I came back home and talked to a literary agent friend, asking her if she'd be interested in the project. She was, and together we sold the book to Putnam. The same agent and I sold another self-published book to Marlowe and Company. My friend retired from agenting and encouraged Jon and me to launch our own literary agency. She felt that our marketing and publicity background would be most helpful in this "platform driven" business. We decided to keep our publicity business and create the literary agency as a separate entity. We call our new combined business KT/PR & Literary Services.

What makes your agency different than any others?

We are not your standard literary agency. Because publicity is our bread and butter, we are acutely aware of a book's marketing potential. Our decisions are based, in large part, on the publicity potential of the project. We are also intimately connected with our authors. It's just the two of us here--reading the queries and partials and asking for manuscripts. When you sign on with us, you sign on with us, not a junior member of the agency.

What are you looking for specifically that you wish you would see more of?

I love fiction of all kinds, but am interested in finding brilliant nonfiction as well. We don't get much of that and I'd like to receive health books (from pros), and other kinds of nonfiction. The problem with the nonfiction genre is "platform." Most nonfiction publishers today insist that their authors are well-known or that they write a newspaper column, are sought out by television and radio interviewers or have a fabulous blog with a huge readership. Because we have to sell to these publishers, we insist on author platform for nonfiction as well. Jon likes science fiction and is looking for fine writing in that genre. He also is looking for mystery/crime, thrillers and military.

Kae, what are you tired of receiving?

I still get lots of standard sword / wizard / dragon fantasy and I can't sell it. Please, no more!!

How can a new writer get your attention in a good way?

Write a beautiful, "perfect" query. Do your research--online, in books and writer's magazines. Information abounds that will help you hone the ideal query to get my attention and the attention of other agents. Don't send me a long synopsis or chapters until I ask you for them.

How can a signed writer stay in your radar without driving you insane?

Email. It works every time.

What do you wish more writers understood about you as an agent Kae that they don't seem to?

There's no way for authors to understand how much material we process on a daily basis. We talk about that on our blog and it does impact our work to a great extent. But, as Jon is fond of saying, "Good writing trumps all." Our goal is to sift through everything we get to find the jewels, the good writing that can find a home with a publisher. That means we are reading each and every day and that we may not get back to your query or to your requested partial or manuscript in good time. We try, but we tend to fall behind.

What's the best way for a writer to reach you?

Again, email. Or, read our blog http://www.newliteraryagents.blogspot.com/ and post comments. We try to answer all of those.

Article provided by http://www.gumbowriters.com/

Memories of the Past

Thirty years ago, I was studying criminology and volunteering at a youth detention centre. I visited the centre once a week for one year and learned a lot about teenaged girls in all sorts of legal trouble and emotional distress. I watched them interact, witnessed their despair, and listened to them talk with gullibility and hope about their futures and, in many cases, their mothers . . . mothers who rarely visited and who clearly preferred their new boyfriends to their daughters’ company.

I never pursued a career in criminology for a number of reasons and I stopped volunteering to venture into a different line of work. Then came marriage and a family. For some reason, though, those days at the detention centre are on my mind again.

Currently, I’m writing a short story based on a real incident in the centre. I don’t know why this particular memory has resurfaced after all these years, but I know it’s important enough to explore on the page. While I’ve been working on the piece I’ve been recalling other incidents at the centre. Those incidents have got me to thinking about kids’ problems. And kids’ problems have made me think about runaways . . . those who feel trapped in hopeless situations. Out of this, another idea has formed and it's now an integral part of a new novel I’ve started.

I have no idea if writing about this part of my past will cause the memories to fade permanently. Maybe they shouldn’t. Maybe the plight of runaway teens should be exposed and written about and shared and over and over again until folks show a tiny bit more compassion or understanding to street kids. Because as tough and belligerent and street-smart as they seem, there is still gullibility and flickers of hope behind many of those harsh stares. You just have to watch and listen awhile. I’m not sure how my novel will end, but I know that the journey will make me rethink a thing or two.

By the way, the short story is tentatively called "Birthday Girl".

To read excerpts of Fatal Encryption and Taxed to Death, visit http://www.debrapurdykong.com/.

Fatal Encryption is available through amazon.com at http://tinyurl.com/ddzsxl and Taxed to Death can be found at http://tinyurl.com/czsy5n

Making the Right Editing Match

Here's another great article, printed here with permission and recently featured in my good friend and publishing expert Jerry D. Simmons' newsletter, which you can subscribe to at www.writersreaders.com.

Making the Right Editing Match - By Barbara McNichol

Setting out to find the right editor for your manuscript puts you on the road to feeling confident you’ve got a good match. You want to feel comfortable that your editor understands what you’ve set out to accomplish so you can “polish” it together.

Look for a reputable editor who understands the type of book you have written. For example, if your book is business or self-help, choose an editor experienced in editing these genres. Ensure that the editor you chose has worked with both traditional and self-published books over a number of years. That person’s website should reveal that information and project a professional image. After all, you want your writing to reflect a professionalism that comes from expert editing.

To help in your search for find the right match, use this checklist of questions to prepare you for questions a good editor could ask in the qualifying process.

Checklist of Questions to Ask

Your answers to these questions give a professional editor a better understanding of your project and help you both make a match in heaven. How would you answer these?

· Who is in your book’s target audience (demographics, age group, position, industry, region, etc.)?

· What genre or market niche does your book fall in? What section would it be found in a bookstore?

· What is your expected editorial timeline (e.g., when did you promise to give it to an agent or designer, or have it ready for a conference, etc.) allowing time for your review, peer reviews, and a professional editor’s review?

· How much of your book is written? Have you finished all the content you want including front and back matter (e.g., foreword, testimonials, acknowledgments, dedication, footnotes, resource list, glossary, appendix, etc.)? If your answer is not 100%, what is missing? When would you be ready to send your complete content?

· What is the current length of your book before editing? (number of pages and/or number of words in an MS Word document)

· What is the anticipated total length, including front and back matter?

· If you want to have a foreword, have you asked someone to write it and provided a deadline for delivering it?

· How much are you expecting to spend on having your book professionally edited (excluding proofreading after the design)?

· What else do should the editor know about your expectations so he or she can do a really good job for you?

An editor who asks these types of questions shows eagerness to understand your project and set up a discussion that gives you a sense of how you’d work together.

Here’s a key question: “Is the manuscript 100% content-complete?” If you answer “yes,” you can expect a project price and an estimated timeline from an experienced editor. If it’s “no,” your manuscript is likely a candidate for a Manuscript Review. This analysis evaluates the ideas and wording to provide direction for changes you’d make before it’s deemed content-complete.

The All-Important Sample Edit

How do you start to find the right editor for your manuscript? First, ask your writer and designer friends for recommendations, check acknowledgments in books you like and contact the editor listed, and search the Internet for editors in your genre. Then request a Sample Edit of your own work—especially if more than one editor is in the running for your business.

If an editor works magic on your writing but you don’t agree with the approach or the kinds of changes made, it’s good to discuss them up front so you both can adjust. Some authors (mostly new ones) fall in love with every word and find it painful to see their prose change. That’s why discussions help a lot.

Here’s a rule of thumb when reviewing the Sample Edit: If you, the writer, can clearly see an improvement from the editor’s work, if you recognize that the words flow better and your writing has more clarity and pizzazz, that’s a green light. If you don’t agree with the changes or find yourself arguing with them, that’s an amber light. Time to talk.

Yes, locating an editor who’s the right match for you requires effort to make sure you’re comfortable with the editor’s approach. Ultimately, you want your editor to be the advocate of those you want to reach—the pro who makes it easier for your readers to connect with you and your message.

Barbara McNichol edits articles, book proposals, and manuscripts. Request a free questionnaire “Getting to the Results You Want” based on the ideas in this article via email at editor@barbaramcnichol.com or contact Barbara at 887-696-4899 (toll free). To help you perfect your writing, sign up for Word Tripper of the Week, a free ezine at http://www.barbaramcnichol.com/.

To subscribe to Jerry D. Simmons' Tips for Writers from the Publishing Insider newsletter, visit http://www.writersreaders.com/.