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Rented Rooms: A Collection of Short Fiction Paloma: A Mystery (Print and Kindle) Thirst: A Collection of Short Fiction Composition: A Fiction Writer's Guide for the 21st Century Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer E-Books Thirst: A Collection of Short Fiction Composition: A Fiction Writer's Guide for the 21st Century Spots Blind: Short Fiction (PDF or TXT) Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer (PDF or HTML) Blog On Creative Writing and Publishing Links Links for Independent Writers News Articles, Thoughts, Reviews, Events Recent Work Excerpts, Micro Fiction, Poems |
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I'm from Buffalo, New York. I began writing in my forties having shown no particular talent earlier. In fact my two worse subjects in high school were English and typing. Go figure. Anyway, although my journey has been roundabout, here I am. My work has appeared in the following publications: The Southern Cross Review, Wilmington Blues, Plots with Guns, Unlikely Stories, Ascent Aspirations, A Cruel World, Zimmerzine, Cenotaph, Over Coffee, Tangents, and published by the Haworth Press. A short story, "The Accident", was a finalist in Otto Penzler's Great Mystery Stories of 2003. "DMV", another short story, received an award from Ascent Magazine. Besides writing I give seminars and have developed curriculums on: Novel Writing, Short Story Writing, Writing a Mystery, and Self Publishing. Venues for my seminars and presentations have been at Buffalo State College, Erie Community College, Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo and Erie County Libraries, Just Buffalo Literary Center, and the Chautauqua Institution. I offer free two-hour seminars in the Western New York area. If you'd like me to speak to your class or organization, please E-mail me. I love talking to anyone, anywhere about my passion - writing and publishing. |
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Somewhere in this world Somewhere in this world Somewhere in this world Somewhere in this world . |
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Excerpt from "Dear Dr. Rice" For
a brief moment during his lunch hour, Myron felt relieved from the
threat of terrorism. It occurred while eating a cheese and
pepperoni hot pocket. Condoleezza Rice was on television. Her
name was spelled beneath her talking head. He thought it was
overextended, not the talking head, but the name, and definitively
convoluted. Condoleezza herself was another anomaly, not only a
woman and black and Republican but curiously cute and somewhat
childlike only with a razor-sharp brain and powerful voice. The
woman, he decided between sips of Dr. Pepper, was capable, but could
she be trusted? He then wondered where she’d been on September
11th. Most likely in the same bunker with the old boy
network. In a flash, he discounted her and wiped his mouth with a
paper napkin. And by the time the noon news moved onto the
weather, Myron returned to thinking about terrorism and how he could
possibly survive it. (included in Thirst)A week previous to watching Dr. Rice, Myron had spent seventy-two hours in observation at a psychiatric emergency room. He had been admitted after he was found ministering to those who’d listen at Wal-Mart the prophetic words of Jim Morrison, “No one gets out alive.” He truly meant it as consolation (everyone has to die sometime), but no one wanted to take any chances. The bulge in his back pocket could have been plastic explosives, not the flashlight he had absentmindedly placed there after his hands were full with a hefty box of cornflakes, batteries, toaster, and he didn’t want to make a trip to the front of the store for a cart. |
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Scene Scene is the basic indivisible unit of fiction where the action plays out, where forces collide, where emotions ebb and flow. Delectably distasteful but true, scene is also a manipulation of the reader. To pull this off, the writer must be aware of that which is hidden, the purpose of the scene. With story goal in mind, the following questions will lead the way. Who’s in the scene? When considering the number of characters in a scene, “Less is more” should be a constant refrain. Conflict is portrayed and heightened with more clarity and punch when there are two, and only two, opposing characters. When more characters are roaming around, the writer runs the risk of diluting the struggle or confusing the reader, fault lines that once rattled can stop the reader from reading. What does each character want? This is where conflict plays out. While you may be in one character’s POV, it is important to know the agenda of each character, for then they can parry and lunge attacks. Conflict is an interchange where gains are made, then lost; a two-steps-forward-three-steps-back scenario. How does each character feel? Whenever I write, I always identify how each character is feeling. Why? So I can change it. If a character is bored, by the end of the scene, I’ll have her engaged. If a character is happy, I’ll make her sad. This type of manipulation has tremendous payoffs. For one, it makes change occur. Change, a shift in the status quo, is essential in a scene. Secondly, emotional content hooks a reader and heightens the drama. The only caveat is to express one emotional state at a time. In other words, don’t make a character actively lonely and angry and revengeful. Decide on one emotion that then changes to another. What’s the outcome? Resolution of the scene is the gasp. Here someone loses, usually your protagonist. When deciding an outcome, play around with a few options. If you’ve written a scene on the wings of inspiration (without forethought) review it for the above elements. If any of the elements are missing, strongly consider adding them. Your work will pay off with a scene that readers can’t put down. |
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Spots
Blind is a
Free
e-book of short
fiction.
The stories
share a common theme of being blindsided - sometimes by family, friends, lovers; sometimes by our own refusal to see the truth. "You can’t always see what’s coming. The trajectory is misinterpreted, misconstrued, minimized. On the other hand someone could be blocking your view, on purpose, with malice. No matter what, that something is heading your way." Reviews: "Stories are mystic..." Simply Bookish |
You'd like Spots Blind if
you...
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Composition,
A Fiction Writer's Guide for the 21st Century, welcomes
you into the tech world of the independent writer. Writing,
publishing, marketing tips abound to encourage and educate. The time is
now. Take the plunge and turn your creative work into a book that
sells.
Reviews: "Composition: A Fiction Writer's Guide for the 21st Century is a brief but illuminating read about how to write a book from concept to creation,and then get it out there. It’s super easy to read, and for a non-fiction book, fast paced and fun..." The Compulsive Reader "Composition clears my bar for a to-do book... " BoggerNews "A priceless gem of a book..." Armchairinterviews Review. "A helpful guide for new writers..." ReserveBooks "A nice little book for any potential writers who just do not know how to get started." Curled up with a Good Book. More reviews . |
You'd like Composition if
you...
Purchase E-Book: Lulu Purchase Paperback: Amazon Barnes & Noble PayPal Comparison shop |
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Thirst
is a collection of short
stories where jaunty, lusty, creepy,
quirky characters, all needful, discover what they want is not what
they get. A man obsessed with terrorism, a woman in an abusive
marriage, a secret forced into the open are a few of the dilemmas faced
by desperate characters reaching blind. Included in Thirst is the
award-winning story "DMV".
Reviews: "Composed of twelve short fiction stories about human desire and want, Thirst captured my attention from the moment I began reading it. Ranging from a story about a professor's unquenchable thirst for young undergrad women to the enticing read of two women playing off each other in a bar to attract men, Linda Lavid's writing is sophisticated, masterful, and full of desire." Great New Books "This short story collection is exquisite, exciting and a pleasurably fast read. Each story, although different in nature, is woven to the next with the common threads of infidelity, a multitude of flaws and the ever delicious...jealousy." Literary Lighthouse Reviews "I would recommend this book to book clubs. I think discussing which story is each person's favorite and why would be very interesting. And anybody can find the time to read "Jealousy". Especially for those who read during breakfast...Linda Lavid manages to write stories that are short and sweet, but branches out to the short and bitter, and manages to make them all short and startling." Reader Views More reviews. |
You'd like Thirst if you...
Preview Book: Google Amazon Purchase E-Book: Lulu Purchase Paperback: Amazon Barnes & Noble PayPal Comparison shop |
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Rented
Rooms is
a collection of previously published short fiction. Purchase
Paperback: |
You'd like Rented Rooms if
you...
|
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Paloma,
a woman with three identities, is running hard and fast.
Someone wants her dead. But which identity is the killer after? Max
Laurent, retired FBI agent, throws himself into the mix. Paloma must
outwit the assassin. Max must outwit Paloma. Before coming to terms
with past misunderstandings and a child long ago abandoned,they must,
together or apart, find and eliminate the killer.
Reviews: "Not only do I highly recommend reading this book, it is also a keeper." Lighthouse Literary Reviews "Heart-stopping, blood pressure rising book..." Road to Romance "As much about the relationship between two people as it is about the plot to kill one of them..." Rambles "Filled with blood-rushing excitement...." Coffee Time Romance "Completely enthralling, a roller coaster ride of intrigue and deception." Roundtable Reviews "Really rather clever narrative..." Tregolwyn Book Reviews "Face-paced. A recommended read." Online Reviews of Books and Current Affairs. "Stays in your head long after you've finished the book." The Romance Studio |
You'd like Paloma if you...
Kindle Download: Amazon Purchase Paperback: Amazon Barnes & Noble PayPal Comparison shop (note: the ISBN for this book is 1593303130. Somewhere in the distribution process another author's name, Sarah Karyn, is listed as the author. Before ordering make sure you see the cover or check the ISBN.) |
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On
Creative Writing is a Free e-book. There are several aspects to writing fiction. Rendering what John Gardner in The Art of Fiction describes as a 'vivid and continuous dream' is a complicated affair. Story is created from the imagination of a writer, who in turn must translate it onto a page of symbols so that another person can read, absorb, and experience the story in a similar fashion. It's a remarkable process when you think about it. So, are you up for the challenge or is the writer's quintessential question nipping away inside: Do I have the talent? We imagine talent as some huge reservoir of subconscious knowledge that some lucky people are born with. We think of Shakespeare and Mozart and Einstein. But the truth is we all have talents of many kinds and measures. Talent is nothing more, or less, than an individual ability. And while there are gifted writers, I do not believe that having an innate talent is imperative to become an author. Fiction demands a working knowledge of many points of craft that can be taught and learned. And while mastering craft can be daunting, each one of us has the skills to meet the challenge. In fact, the quality most needed is neither talent nor knowledge, but the mad, unrelenting desire to tell a story. And with this passion, walk to the end of the diving board, loosed your shoulders, and take the plunge. Reviews: "User-friendly walk-through on Creative Writing." Learning the Learnable |
You'd
like On
Creative Writing
if you...
If you enjoy On Creative Writing, and would like a paperback, consider Composition: A Fiction Writer's Guide for the 21st Century. All the information plus more is in this paperback. A free download is available for another book in my Creative Writing and Publishing series....Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer. |
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Publishing
Tips: Weekly
Strategies for the Independent Writer (brown cover
paperback), is a year’s
worth of
weekly tips in bulleted format on the following topics: Writing,
Editing, Publishing, Using
a Website, and Marketing. The layout of this book mirrors the
dilettante role
of every publishing writer where everyday we do a little of this and a
little
of that. In today's world writing and publishing is a dynamic
process: craft builds, technology morphs, markets explode. Still, no
matter where you are
on
this continuum, Publishing
Tips
will
provide valuable and useful information to you,
the inveterate, dreaming
CEO of one: the independent writer. Publishing Tips (red cover download) is a Free complete e-book of Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer. Due to embedded links this download is in PDF and HTML. If you enjoy Publishing Tips: Weekly Strategies for the Independent Writer, you may like other books in my Creative Writing and Publishing Series...Composition: A Fiction Writer's Guide for the 21 Century (paperback and e-book) or On Creative Writing (Free e-book). Also, both my short story collections, Rented Rooms and Thirst, include author's notes at the end of every story. Here I discuss points of craft or inspiration for that story. Fiction goes beyond flights of fancy. Like all art, it reflects, and tries to make sense of, who we are in this world. |
You'd
like Publishing
Tips if you ...
Download Free E-Book: PDF or HTML Purchase Paperback: Amazon Barnes and Noble PayPal Comparison Shop |