Distilling the Essence of a Story

I have an interview on BlogTalkRadio on Saturday, September 5 at 11:30am ET. We’re going to be talking about back story -- where I got the ideas for A Spark of Heavenly Fire and More Deaths Than One. Although one of the hosts of the show has read at least one of my books, I’m sure at some point he will ask me, “What are your books about?” And I will give the same answer I give to everyone who asks. A blank stare. Though, being radio, it will come across as blank silence.

How does one encapsulate a three hundred-word novel with subplots and subtexts, themes and scenes, complexities and ironies into a minute of description? This distillation is commonly called an elevator speech, and after five months of being published, I still haven’t figured mine out.
I can talk around the story -- More Deaths Than One is a thriller/mystery/suspense novel that explores what it is that makes us who we are. Is it our memories? Our experiences? Our natures? A Spark of Heavenly Fire is a thriller/suspense novel with a strong romantic element. It tells the story of ordinary people who become extraordinary because of the trauma they must endure. -- But neither of those descriptions gives an idea of what the stories are about.

I can relate a bit of the story -- More Deaths Than One tells the story of Bob Stark who sees his mother’s obituary in the morning paper, which stuns him because he buried her two decades ago before he the country to live in Southeast Asia. So how can she be dead again? A Spark of Heavenly Fire tells the story of how Kate Cummings, an ordinary woman, gathered her courage and strength to survive the horror of a bioengineered disease let loose on the state of Colorado.

The problem I’m finding is that I don’t know the essence of either story, the emotional triggers. What do the books do for readers? Why should people read them? Perhaps the books will bring romance and adventure to readers’ lives. By showing ordinary people rising to horrific occasions, perhaps readers will feel better about themselves, knowing they too have the potential for heroism. And, in the case of A Spark of Heavenly Fire, people will know what to expect if ever the Swine Flu or any other virulent disease spreads so rapidly that an entire state needs to be quarantined in an effort to curtail the deaths.

So, how do you distill the essence of your book (or any book!) into a few words and make a reader desperate to read it?

More Deaths Than One and A Spark of Heavenly Fire are available from Second Wind Publishing, LLC.
You can also download the first 30% free at Smashwords.

A Couple of Things

This summer, I’ve been editing the first book in my new mystery series. This is draft number ten, but I have good reasons for tackling it again. First, the training I received for my current work in security has offered some deeper insights into policy and procedure changes for people working in this field. Since my protagonist is a transit security cop, it was important for me to update the way she handles certain situations.

Secondly, the manuscript is currently being considered by a publisher who generally publishes mysteries about 10,000 words shorter than mine. You see, no matter how finished you think you are with your manuscript, there’s always another draft down the road until the book is finally published. The good news is that I’ve been able to cut over 3,000 words so far. This is a bit surprising because when I submitted that book originally, I was convinced that it was as polished and tight as it could be. A year later, it’s quite clear I was wrong, but it’s also a good thing that so much time has passed because I might not have seen these things if I’d only taken a few weeks. I’m not sure how writers under contract to produce a book every year do it. Maybe they get it right the first or second time, or maybe they’re very lucky and have a great editor to help them peel away the extra layers.

The other thing I want to talk about is my guest spot on a terrific blog called Park Avenue Princess. The blog owner invited me to write a little about myself, and she’ll be posting a review. Four out of five tiaras, no less!! She's also offering a giveaway of Fatal Encryption which I believe goes on until September 17th. If you’re interested in winning a copy of my book, please visit http://tinyurl.com/p5zfpb. Thank you!

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

More Blogs Than One

I love starting a new blog, though technically, my latest blog is not a new one. I set it up Wayword Wind at the end of last summer because I wanted a green blog to go along with my blue one (Bertram's Blog -- writing), my purple one (Book Marketing Floozy -- promotion), my red one (Pat Bertram Introduces -- character interviews), and my orange and yellow one (Dragon My Feet -- books and reviews). I never quite knew what to do with the lovely green blog because it seemed as if the others already deal with the topics I'm interested in, but it's been sitting there taunting me all these months.

At one time I thought of posting quotes and then giving a commentary, but I really don’t have much to say on any subject except writing. I discovered this recently when I started yet another blog simply because I like the WordPress theme. (Do you see a pattern here?) I call it The Mind of Pat Bertram, but since I seldom post to it, you can see how little is actually on my mind. Then I thought of turning Wayword Wind into a blog for posting my progress with Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way program, but since I haven’t actually been doing the program, there's really nothing to say about it.

Then I realized I have several photo essays that I've posted on various sites, so I brought them all together under one roof. And green is the perfect color to set off the pictures. So, now I have all my blogs organized. Now I just need to figure out how to organize my time so I can post to all of them!

Actually, you can help. If you'd like to do a character interview, you can find the questionnaire here: Character Questionnaire.

If you have book information, a book review, or anything bookish that you'd like me to post on Dragon My Feet, or if you have an article about book marketing, leave me a message in the comment section. I'll be glad to have you as a guest!

Blog Apple Pie

I have been making apple pies since the seventies, perfecting the crust, the texture, the apples and the taste…tart. My pies have been a staple in our building of traditions, one pillar among many. We are a family of foodies and there are occasions that require apple pie. Twenty years ago, Pat Brooks (New York Times) praised the crust (like grandma used to make) and its taste. That was in the days when you could bring baked goods to local establishments and “sell” them with out worries of the health department or salmonella.
This weekend I entered my green apple pie in a local agricultural fair, one that brings their blue ribbon apple pies to the state fair. I entered without expectation, just for the fun of it. I had long ago ceased to “sell” my goods and now baked only for those whom I loved.
My pie won a red ribbon, second place…I was thrilled because the competition was intense, many pies to taste by the judges. Only later did I learn that I lost by a mere four points because the pie was tart. Bravo to the judges…their taste buds were correct, green apple pie is tart. I guess I will have to enter again next year and assuage red apple pie palates. Touché…

Interview on Thursday…”Meet the Author” http://wxci.org 91.7 FM on your radio at 9:30 am and again on Sunday the 30th at 9:30 am. You can stream the broadcast on your computer.

Have the best day everyday...

Linda

Why I'm Not Prolific

When my first mystery, Taxed to Death, was published I was proud, but even more than that, I was relieved to have finally seen this book come to light. It had taken me years to write it and, as my mom said, “only three days to read”. My second mystery, Fatal Encryption, took almost as many years to write, although I have to say that with both books, I was also working on short stories, personal essays, and writing-related articles.

After all these years, I’m still not a prolific author. I wish I was, but I’m not. Below is the reason why. Can any of you relate?

On Friday, my day off from work, I had contractors working in our backyard, the furnace maintenance guy show up, school supply shopping, the kids’ passport photos done, chores, laundry, and a trip to the movies to see the latest Harry Potter installment. In between, I squeezed in some editing and reading.

Saturday was a Curves workout, a trip to the grocery store for last minute things for my mom’s BBQ later that day, plus dim sum with my hubby’s family mid-morning. Oh yes, there were bathrooms to clean too. Between each event, came a little more editing, social networking and about 15 minutes of reading at the end of the day before I crashed, exhausted.

Today—Sunday—I was up at 5:30 a.m. for work, where I squeezed in 10 minutes of reading before dashing out the door. I grabbed a chapter to take with me and spent a few minutes of editing on my first break. People were in the staff room on my second break, so I read for twenty minutes instead. Now I’m home and I have a little energy left. Notice that I haven’t done any cooking these past three days? That’s mainly thanks to my son who loves to cook and has plenty of time before he heads back to school.

In the last three days, I’ve spent all of three hours of editing and another two hours of networking or other writing-related activities.

I was a big fan of James Clavell, but did you know that he had a researcher and a secretary to type his work? Many other famous authors have had this kind of help too. One reason for their output and consequent fame might be that they didn’t spend their time cleaning bathrooms, grocery shopping, doing laundry, and school supply shopping with their kids. And let’s not forget the day job.

My hat’s off to any writer who’s balancing jobs, with kids, with housekeeping, and still managing to write novels. If you’re doing all that and still producing a novel every two or three years, than you deserve a medal, made of solid gold, although I’m sure you’d prefer the publishing contracts.

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

It's a Birthday Party!

No, it’s not my birthday, it’s the birthday of Second Wind Publishing, LLC. The first book was published exactly one year ago today, and now there are almost thirty, including two of mine (with a third on the way.)

I have no doubts of the success of Second Wind. The publisher, Mike Simpson has the uncanny ability of getting his authors involved in the business, challenging us to expand our abilities beyond the scope of writing. He’s gotten die-hard thriller writers to edit romances. He’s gotten shy authors to do book signings. And somehow (still don’t know how) he’s gotten me to become Second Wind’s promotion co-ordinator. Okay, I do know how. He genuinely likes the books he publishes, and says the most wonderful things about them. In an introduction to my 100-word stories that were included in the romance anthology, Love is on the Wind, Mike wrote: “Pat Bertram, author of the newly released duo of suspense novels, More Deaths Than One and A Spark of Heavenly Fire, is a writer who defies categories, a literary maverick whose stories transcend genre and transport readers to beguiling worlds filled with compelling characters.”

So, stop by and join the celebration!

Ten Lessons I Learned (The Hard Way): A Publisher’s Reflections on the First Year

What Second Wind Book Do You Wish to Read? You Might Get Your Wish!

Introducing the authors of Second Wind!