A Catholic priest on the run from Chicago cops. Only $3.99 on Kindle! http://ping.fm/NiJrh

Cops murdered on the streets of Chicago: Targeted only $3.99 Kindle http://ping.fm/ovmIZ

Find my reviews here on the New York Journal of Books http://ping.fm/0xN1m

Planning Your Book

Writers are often asked about the process of writing their book(s). Questions regarding the plot, characters, length, and ending are always topics for discussion. And just as there are authors who write with different styles, so also are there varying ideas on how to organize or plan a book.

A successful writer, John Connolly, said this:  "Again, every writer is different. The two most extreme examples I've found are James Lee Burke, who doesn't even know what the book is going to be about when he starts writing, and Jeff Deaver, whose outline is nearly as long as the eventual book, even down to including paragraph breaks. The rest of us fall somewhere in between. I don't plan anything on paper, but I have a rough idea of the plot and I'm prepared to watch it change as I go along." 


As for me, I have an idea about the book I'm about to write and the main characters. I put that on paper, not in any outline form, but as generalized notes. As I get further along in the book, I expand on the story or sub-plot and create additional characters, ensuring I write them down for the sake of consistency. In my case I write thrillers/mysteries, so I ensure I note clues and pieces of evidence to ensure I've addressed all of them by the book's end.


The bottom line: don't worry so much about the process, sit down and start writing.

Digital Is Here To Stay

The recent Book Expo in New York confirmed what many have been thinking: digital books are dominating the publishing world.  Indy authors are in control, publishers are not. You can publish everything from a short story to a novel on Amazon--by yourself. And there's a new company, BookBaby that will convert your manuscript straight to ePub and mobi which are the formats that allow ebooks to publish on ereaders and mobile devices and sold on major ebook stores. So what are you waiting for, get published!

Now just $3.99: http://ping.fm/4yBgB

Make Money by Pricing Low

I've been following this whole eBook phenomena, particularly since I have four eBooks for sale. It seems to be a money making proposition and a viable option for anyone who wants people to read their work. Here's a link to an author who sells for .99 http://thewritersguidetoepublishing.com/welcome-to-the-wg2e-john-locke and makes his money by the sheer volume of sales. (Recall my past post in which I talked about eBook readers who shop by price).

I am experimenting myself, by having my publisher reduce the cost of my new fiction release, Targeted, to just $3.99, and my non-fiction release next week, Lessons From The Street, for .99 (comes only in eBook). I'll keep you posted.

Get Free Books or Books at Reduced Prices for Kindle!

Here's a great site that allows those of you who have Kindles or Kindle apps for your iPhone, iPad, or computer (all Kindle apps are free). Follow this link: http://www.ereaderiq.com/ to choose from hundreds of titles, or use the site to follow price drops. This is an excellent tool for those of you on a tight budget and/or those who just love to read.

Hippocampus Magazine

I had a short story accepted by this new online magazine that debuts next month (May). Hippocampus Magazine is creative non-fiction site that also seeks submissions for memoirs, interviews, personal essays, etc. According to their website, "Hippocampus Magazine is an exclusively online publication set out to entertain, educate and engage writers and readers of creative non-fiction. Each monthly issue features memoir excerpts, personal essays, reviews, interviews and craft articles." 

If you are interested in submitting work for publication, check out Hippocampus submissions. It looks to have a bright future.

Monthly meeting of the Riverside Writers today at Salem Church Library.

It's Now Mainstream

Electronic publishing, e-books, e-readers, are things we used to think were anomalies--something only a very few utilized. All that has changed and writers and readers are drifting toward electronic everything. How many rejection letters to agents or publishers does it take before one throws up their hands? That will vary with each individual, but even those who have been published in the traditional manner, i.e., printed books sold through brick and mortar stores, are gravitating toward e-publishing.

Here's a link to an excellent blog post that makes the case for this non-traditional route. E-publishing gets your work in to the readers' hands while also making you money at little or no cost. And for most of us, self published e-books mean more money than traditional royalties offer.  Here's the link: The Writers Guide to Epublishing.

Free Book on Kindle

Award-winning author and friend, Dan Walsh, just told me his historical/romantic/Christian novel, The Homecoming, will be free for Kindle owners the entire month of April! It's a fantastic read, check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Homecoming-The-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B003EQ4KXA/ref=sr_1_2_title_1_ke?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301680513&sr=1-2

International Thriller Writers

ITW is a great organization to belong to if you are a fan of thrillers or like to write them. I've been a member for several years and the membership has enabled me to meet other writers who write in the same genre. This month features a very nice piece on my latest novel and my writing. Here's the link: http://www.thebigthrill.org/2011/03/targeted-by-john-m-wills/

The Chicago Sun Times newspaper picks up on my book

Thankful to have appeared in my hometown newspaper. Here's the link: Ex-Chicago Cop faithful in fiction.

Make Money Writing

Want to do some freelance work? AssociatedContent.com, pays contributors from $3 - $30 (including $1.50 for every 1,000 page views) for articles that cover everything from gardening to tech innovations. You can also browse their library for more than 2 million articles, videos, and images published by contributors.  Check it out.

Straight From Hel: Book Review: Targeted

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Book Review: Targeted

 Targeted, a Christian thriller by John M. Wills, is the third in the Chicago Warrior Thriller series. It weaves together two different threads. Here is the cover blurb:

A sniper is targeting and killing cops in Chicago, leaving no clues or witnesses. Detectives Marilyn Benson and Pete Shannon are on the task force charged with capturing this serial killer. These random police executions rock The Windy City and impact the investigators on the job and in their personal lives.

Father Ed Matthews, a Catholic priest, is arrested for child molestation. Freed on bond, he flees Chicago embarking on a journey that will cause him to question his faith and his future with the Church.

John M. Wills has written about a subject he knows well. He’s spent 35 years in law enforcement, receiving two of the highest awards given for valor by the Chicago Police Department. He’s also been an FBI agent.

With all his experience, he gives the reader an insider’s look into the police force and the lives of those who work there. Shannon and Benson are portrayed as real people, with their own lives and problems, foibles and blessings. And even in the toughest of situations, they have their faith.

Readers spend parts of the book with Father Matthews who is on the run and creating a new life outside of the church. They also are with Benson and Shannon as they try to track down the virtually invisible cop killer who strikes silently with immediate and deadly force. Wills does a good job of bringing the two seemingly disparate threads together in the unexpected climax.

Targeted
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

I give Targeted by John M. Wills a rating of Hel-O! since Wills is a new-to-me author.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FTC Disclaimer: Targeted was sent to me by the author, John M. Wills. This did not influence my review. I believe this was the first Christian thriller sent to me. The deeply religious convictions of the two protagonists stand out in Targeted. And before you think I consider this was a negative, I don't. Every book has a “thread” that ties it together. It might be horrifically graphic murders or a search for true love or the loner who becomes the toast of the town. In this case, a big part of the story was how faith carried the characters through hard times. Sometimes, it’s informative for both readers and writers to read a book and ask, what is this about? Sure, it’s about the story, but what is the unifying theme? Ask yourself as you read or as you write, under the love story or the murderer on a spree or the search for a missing child or whatever, what ties it all together?

http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com/

On The Radio Again

Tune in on your laptop this Thursday night @ 10pm. I'll be joined on The Cop Doc Show by two other authors who are former law enforcement. Here's the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the-cop-doc/2011/03/25/thecopdoc-cops-turned-authors

The Trend Continues

I've blogged in the past about the surge in ebook sales. Now, according to Publishers Weekly, the trend continues as they report ebook sales jumped 115%. Read more . . .

Why not grab this wave and get your work out there?

Are You A Writer?

How do you define yourself, is being a writer part of, or the sum of who you are? Do you have a clear understanding of what the term, writer, means? I explore that topic as a guest on Mark Young's blog today. Please click on the link and check it out: http://hookembookem.blogspot.com/

Finished writing a review for New Journal of Books, now on to an article for OdotCom.