Romancing the Reader

Every fiction story written is contrived, as in occurring deliberately instead of spontaneously or naturally.

The nuance between good fiction and bad is if you can see the contrivance. 

The ebb and flow of a novel is key to keeping a reader interested. Always best to end a chapter on a cliff so the reader will want to continue to read the next chapter. Clever. 

A writer must also be a magician. A bit of sleight of hand, and the reader doesn't realize they've been directed to see or hear something germane to the story. It's only when the reader is putting together the pieces at the end do they realize they were given the important piece earlier in such a smooth way. There's an art to the craft.

I've read books that feel like all knees and elbows. I feel constantly bumped and pushed in odd directions because the author doesn't know how to direct traffic yet. And so it's a bumpy ride. I've read books that feel as though are neon signs above the places the reader should be allowed to pick up, themselves. I don't like obvious in books. 

I'm still reading Fairy Tale by the most-talented Mr. King. Normally, I would have gobbled it up in about three days, but we were out of town last Thursday through this past Monday. I'm not sure if this is considered a spoiler...but if it is..*SPOILER*

Hardback page 186:  "In a fantasy story, the author would invent some way the young hero or heroine could explore that world I was starting to think of as the Other. The author, might, for instance, invent a retreat his parent, or parents had to attend for several days, thus clearing the way for the young hero to visit the other world without provoking a bunch of questions he couldn't answer."

Our Mr. King is cheeky as hell. This is exactly what he's done in this book. He takes our hero's father and sends him on a retreat so Charlie is able to visit the Other without all those pesky questions. It's smooth and sly. A wink wink nudge nudge, if you will. 

Being able to connect with readers subtly without knocking them about is finesse. It's an author's love letter to the reader. This is my offering to you, with all my love. 

It's a beautiful thing.

Always writing*

Clear your calendar! OCTOBER 15TH 12-4

 

Come and see me October 15th at the Lawton Farmers Market. Coffee, pastries, and books!

Going to be a great time. 

I'll bring swag and my sparkling personality. They'll supply sugar and coffee.

It's a win-win!

Hope to see you there!

Always writing*

...or going to these awesome events

Canary: Dark Descent

Giving myself about three more weeks to finish Canary:  Dark Descent. Then off to my editor. Hope to publish a bit after Thanksgiving for holiday sales.

It's dark.

Canary isn't a walk in the park, but we see sides being drawn in Dark Descent. We see characters evolve into harder beings because they have to. We see loss. We see sacrifice. Love. There's always love. Like an undercurrent. But there's a darkness, a pall, that hangs over our characters. They thought one quick strike would finish the war, but the battle has only begun.

This series has given me an opportunity to explore and go deeper with my characters. I love Ray, my mercenary girl. She has her own set of rules and morals. No one else has to like them. But they keep her sane and alive. 

Good isn't always good, and bad isn't always bad. It's not a black and white world. Some would like to believe it is. Easier for them to think less if we were all carbon copies of either angels or devils. No comment on my placement.

Authors give characters attributes they need for the story, and those are not always pretty. We often walk the fine line between anti-hero and asshole. Readers want to punch this character in one scene and hug them in another. That's talent. 

I'm reading Fairy Tale by Stephen King on weekend evenings. What I'm enjoying, more than anything in the narrative right now, is the duality of Charlie Reade, the main character. And Charlie Reade is aware of his duality. Yes, he's done some pretty awesome things lately, but he's also capable of incredibly dark ones. And he doesn't let you forget it.  

Ray and I have miles to go before we rest. We're both committed or should be committed.  😶

See you in the story.

Always writing*

What world domination looks like

I couldn't leave it alone.

Let's be real.

I haven't brushed my hair in two days. I'm in boxers and a tank top. I'm on my second load of laundry. My feline love, Simba, isn't talking to me since I took him to the vet yesterday. The dishes need to be unloaded from the dishwasher. Kitchen needs to be cleaned. Rug needs to be vacuumed. Need to take out the trash. I haven't had lunch yet. No idea what that's going to be.

 

lmao  😁

TA-DA!

I always make the kitchen wait until after two when I'm mostly finished writing for the day. 

Still...laughing...

Dreams

I've always been a dreamer. I dream big. I love big. Like...I am the WHOLE DAMN ENCHILADA. 🥳

Happens to be a lot for some people. And I DO try to gauge my audience. But I'll be your hype chick. I will whoop and holler and rise up for your success. Because that's what we should do for each other.

I've been my own cheerleader for a bit. My own hype chick. Giving myself high-fives and doing dances in my office chair. 

Because...dreams.

I wanted to write. I wanted to be a published author. I wanted readers to enjoy my books. I wanted readers from all over the world. 

I've accomplished all of the above.  What's next?

World domination!  😁  slightly kidding...

Movie based on one of my books. USA Today bestselling novel. NYT bestselling novel. More conferences and book events to connect with fans--around the world. So many dreams to still work on and someday realize. I want name recognition. I want readers to chat with each other and ask, "Did you read this book by Crystal Inman?" Then they chat away.

But, for now, I'll work on Canary:  Dark Descent.

I'll eyeball my box of books. 😍

And I'll continue those world domination plans. 😉

Always writing*

The Audacity

I submitted "Canary" to a book magazine to see if one of the many editors would pick it to write a review. I received an email stating yesterday that they all passed.

For a literal millisecond, my feelings were hurt. Then I immediately shifted to--the audacity.

Then I laughed because that's probably what they were thinking about me. 😄

I've never heard of this author. Which may have been followed by any number of things. Not enough this. Not enough that. Que sera sera. 

But I'm still at--The Audacity.

I am one audacious soul. I freely admit it. 

I'm bold. Spirited. I'm a balls-out kinda girl.  And I always think in these situations--I took a chance. Why can't you?

Give it a shot. If you hate it, all's fair.

And this goes with everything. Sixty years old and want to go back to college???  Baby...GO!  Rooting for you! 👏👏👏

Having a baby late in life?  All the blessings for you and the tiny one. 🍼💝

Did this stop me in my professional tracks?  Ah, no.  *snort* Hurt my feelings for a millisecond. Irritated me for about twice that. Then pushed my drive button even harder.

Speaking of that. I'm booking for author events next year. August 17th is locked in. Poking around in February, March, and May, I think. I'll post when I have things finalized.

Also doing November 18th, a Saturday, this year at the Sapulpa library. More info to come on that the closer the date.

Don't let anyone take a bite out of your dreams. Or stomp the edges. You keep working. Polish the edges. 

Love it to life.

Always writing*

...and looking for places to listen to me talk or simply let me sell my books...😁

Conferences and Author Events!

 I've been trying to find author events and/or conference where I could sign up. As much as I would LOVE to go to Wyoming (oh, SO bad...you just don't know), I'm probably going to keep my yearnings fairly close for now.

Except Iowa. We have people there. 😁

If you've been stumbling along the Internet, here's where you need to go:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/AuthorsConnecting

Join this snazzy little group.  They have a spreadsheet in Google Docs that has listings from 2023-2025, as of now. 

I didn't realize how quickly tables go. I submitted four interest forms for 2024 and one for 2025. THAT was exciting. 😄

And I love the spectrum I submitted forms for. One was the inaugural. Another was the 11th year. One was only romance. Another was across all genres. I love to be a part of all of it. Meet new people. Learn new things. Laugh. Commiserate. 

Man, I love my people. Readers and authors. 💕

Now that I've done my due diligence, I'm off to look at my two Stephen King books I rented from the library yesterday. I have "The Outsider" 2018 and "Fairy Tale" 2022.

If you've read my bio, you know that I grew up reading the prolific Mr. King and any fairy tale I could get my hands on. This "Fairy Tale" he wrote sounds a lot like "The Talisman" he penned with Peter Straub and Jack...lonely brilliant Jack.

Either way, I'm sure he'll emotionally eviscerate me. I won't let just anyone do that to me.

Always writing*

...and letting some authors in so far, the words are imprinted on my soul

New cover. Same great story.

 Time for a cover refresh. 

"Over Her Head" is a Contemporary Romance. First in a trilogy. Set in Oklahoma.

It needed a new cover, but I looked and looked for probably two weeks and couldn't find anything remotely like what I wanted.

Shutterstock and I are frenemies. And I know it's been said that authors shouldn't create their own book covers, but HEY! I do it all. Literally.  All.

Then I perused what's selling in this genre and what the covers look like.  And let me simply add...I loathe doing that.  I want covers that are different, but different doesn't sell.  Or, rarely, which is incredibly disappointing.

Lo and behold...this sells.

I can see why it would. But dang.  *sigh*

Here's the new cover. Same great story. Guess it's easier to sell more feathers with a peacock than a sparrow.

Always writing*