Fw: RAWSISTAZ Literary Group presents: True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks (Book Spotlight)

RAWSISTAZ Literary Group True Confessions by Electa Rome Parks (Book Spotlight) Posted: 20 Jan 2011 12:12 PM PST Confession is good for the soul. . . Kennedy Logan is too ashamed to reveal the truth about her steamy relationship with hot, insatiable Drake—his sweet lies and hellacious lovemaking—to anyone except her private diary . . . ABOUT THE BOOK Twenty-eight year old Kennedy Logan is gorgeous, educated, talented, and in love. Unfortunately, Drake Collins has other ideas about the true state of their relationship. Kennedy hopes to turn him around; Drake just wants to turn her out sexually. Kennedy is also searching for her biological mother, who gave her up at birth. She wants answers and she has tons of questions. The enormous weight of these predicaments leads to a failed suicide attempt. Her overprotective and overbearing mother, Dorothy Logan, moves in with Kennedy and makes it her mission to get her daughter's life back in order. The first step is getting rid of Drake Collins once and for all, but that's easier said than done. Drake has no intentions of going anywhere. Kennedy's ever loyal and fun-loving best friend, Taylor, and her absentee father join forces to help support Kennedy in her time of need. At her psychiatrist's advice, Kennedy uses writing as her therapy. She starts to keep a daily journal detailing the erotic circumstances and family drama that led up to her despair. Through very personal, funny, and graphic entries, readers will share her confessions. Brace yourselves for a very steamy journey! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Electa Rome Parks lives outside Atlanta, Georgia and is the bestselling author of six acclaimed novels, The Ties That Bind, Loose Ends, Almost Doesn't Count, Ladies' Night Out, These Are My Confessions (anthology) and Diary of a Stalker. Electa is currently working on her next novel and first screenplay. VISIT ELECTA ROME PARKS ONLINE Website: www.electaromeparks.com Myspace: www.myspace.com/author_chick Facebook: www.facebook.com/electaromeparks Blog: www.electaromeparks.blogspot.com E-mail: novelideal@aol.com Confession is good for the soul. . . Kennedy Logan is too ashamed to reveal the truth about her steamy relationship with hot, insatiable Drake—his sweet lies and hellacious lovemaking—to anyone except her private diary . . . Send via Email, Print or Share with Social Networks

Part VII Suspense - Setting and Atmosphere

Besides a sense of place, the right kind of setting offers the reader an atmosphere conducive to creating tension. Certain settings bring established mental images of frightening settings or ones open to danger. Think of a rundown farmhouse, a lonely cabin in the woods, a Gothic mansion, a hospital ship, an abandoned building, a park at night, a cemetery, or a gloomy parking garage. You have seen movies and read books with settings like this that set you up immediately for bad news.

Even a familiar setting can create fear. A night shift stock boy working when the store lights go out. Visiting your place of employment at night. Entering an empty church at night. Losing power in your own home during a storm. All of these locations, normally familiar, add an unknown element of darkness, gloom, or loneliness.

Each of the sense images you create for your setting came be affected by the time of day, weather conditions, and mood of the character. In this case, setting can become a character in itself or can reflect information about the character you place in the setting. Think of the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks. Characterization comes alive when we see the person in a setting of its making. Picture a woman sitting in her parlor filled with bric-a-brac and doilies. Imagine a different women in a modern apartment with limited decorations and everything in place. Imagine a man in his organized, pristine garage, and then picture another man with greasy tools and dirt under his fingernails.

The settings help describe the characters. In the parlor we have a woman who treasures her belongings. To her, they are cozy and comfortable. In the modern apartment, we have a no fuss business women or socialite living in a world that’s restricted by the her narrowness and control. The pristine garage owner prides himself in being organized, while the other man prides himself on repairing cars.

Now return to the parlor and have the modern business women studying the setting. She selects one of the many adornments, eyes it with a look of disdain and replaces it on the table before wiping her fingers on a pure white handkerchief. Same setting but different characterization. Use settings in this way to bring out the strengths, weaknesses, values and attitudes of your characters.

Details in your setting can foreshadow future events. A man’s den shows a display of antique rifles and revolvers covering one wall. Allowing your readers to see this display will alert them—even casually—that these weapons will reappear later in the novel. They will expect the weapons to play an important part of the novel. So be careful with what you describe or you will disappoint readers if the item is significant to your plot.

Use setting details to around reader’s curiosity and to draw them into the stories tension. My novel, A Love for Safekeeping, (which I preferred to be titled See Jane Run) is a good example of a novel with multiple red herrings and many of the techniques mentioned. Jane, an elementary school teacher, is being stalked. On a school field trip one of her students is missing, and she receives a message that he is in the barn and she leaves the lodge to find the child.

Jane raced from the lodge, praying nothing was seriously wrong. Her heart pounded as she rushed toward the barn, fearing the worst.
The door stood ajar.
Adrenaline fired her action. She took a deep breath, tugged back the door, and stepped into the dim interior. When her feet hit the straw-covered floor, terror charged through her. She faltered, peering into the shadows. No one was there. Nothing.

Yet from inside, she heard a childlike whimper. “Danny? Danny, are you in here?”

Her voice faded into the dark corners.


Overhead, she heard another sound.


She peered upward toward the dark loft. “Danny?” Jane held her breath. Fear prickled up her quaking limbs.


From above, another muffled moan reached her ears. Her chest tightened against her thundering heart.


“Danny!”


Terror tore through her as icy tendrils slithered through her veins. She stumbled backward.


No. Not here.


Engulfed by panic, she tried to run from the gloom, but her legs, as if nailed to the floor, held her immobile. Her throat constricted, paralyzing her scream.


Out of the blackness, a body hurled through the air and swung from the rafters.


Her legs buckled, and Jane faded into the darkness.

This is a good example of ending a scene with a hook.

Give serious thought to your settings in all fiction, but particularly in suspense novels, and use the setting to bring characters to life, arouse readers curiosity and create tension that grabs the reader and doesn’t let go.

Posted by Gail Gaymer Martin

About Me

Multi-award-winning author, Gail Gaymer Martin writes Christian fiction for Steeple Hill and Barbour Publishing. She has forty-seven contracted novels with over three million books in print. Gail is the author of Writers Digiest’s Writing the Christian Romance. Gail is a co-founder of American Christian Fiction Writers, a keynote speaker at churches, libraries and civic organizations  and presents workshops at conference across the US. Gail live in the Detroit area.

www.gailmartin.com
www.gailmartin.blogspot.com 
www.writingright-martin.blogspot.com 

A Dad Of His Own - Coming March 2011
Dad In Training, Groom in Training, Bride in Training - Steeple Hill Love Inspired
Monterey Memories - Barbour Publishing
Writing The Christian Romance - Writers Digest

Claymore Annual Call for Entries - You Could Win A Publishing Contract

Claymore Award now open for submissions! Top 10 finalists could possibly win a publishing contract!   January 13, 2011   Dear sylvia, In four easy steps, you could win Killer Nashville's prestigious Claymore Award and a possible publishing contract from Five Star Press. This is the 3rd year for the Killer Nashville's Claymore Award and already several previous Claymore participants have received publishing contracts and other authors are in negotiations with Five Star and others as a result of Killer Nashville's ongoing all-volunteer efforts to help new authors. WHAT YOU WIN     The winner will receive consideration for publication by partnering publisher Five Star/Tekno Books.  Please see the complete list of prizes below.  At their discretion, Five Star may also consider any of the other entrants for publication. KILLER NASHVILLE'S CLAYMORE AWARD WINNER - $500 worth of prizes, plus a possible publishing contract, plus a possible agent All Finalist prizes, plus the following: The coveted Killer Nashville Claymore Award $250 worth of downloads or tuition from Killer Nashville 2011 - your choice (a $250 value) The right to use the "Killer Nashville Claymore Winner" logo on your website, publicity materials, and published book (if applicable) TOP 3 FINALISTS - $300 worth of prizes, plus a possible publishing contract, plus a possible agent All Top 10 Finalist prizes, plus the following: Free admission to Killer Nashville 2011 (a $170 value) Free admission to Killer Nashville 2011 Award Dinner (an $80 value) TOP 10 FINALISTS - $50 worth of prizes, plus a possible publishing contract, plus a possible agent A possible publishing contract $50 worth of downloads or tuition from Killer Nashville 2011 - your choice (a $50 value) Introduction to Killer Nashville approved agents and editors The right to use the "Killer Nashville Claymore Finalist" logo on your website, publicity materials, and published book (if applicable)  *If a Claymore finalist has already purchased admission to Killer Nashville or to the Awards Dinner, cost of winning items will be reimbursed based on winning level, if desired.  Please remember that the conference is limited to 500 attendees in 2011. WRITE WHAT YOU WANT     An author does NOT have to meet publication guidelines of Five Star in order to win the Killer Nashville Claymore Award.   GENRES CONSIDERED     Judges will consider any subgenre of mystery or thriller, including political thriller, cozy, hard-boiled/private eye, police procedurals, suspense, romantic suspense, historical mystery, and paranormal mystery. WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM WINNING?     Although the Killer Nashville Claymore Award would be most helpful to unpublished writers, published authors who are "between publishers" and would like to create buzz about their new works would also benefit, as would published authors seeking award accolades.  For authors who already have a publisher, you do not have to be published by Five Star if you win. WHO ARE THE JUDGES?          Judges are authors and qualified readers who have volunteered their time to Killer Nashville to help new, upcoming authors. WHAT IF I WIN?     Not only does the winner receive Killer Nashville's prestigious Claymore Award, but Five Star can offer publishing contracts to any Killer Nashville Claymore Award finalist.  Not just the winner.  Killer Nashville  is the facilitator and not involved at all in the publishing or the offering of publishing contracts.  If offered a contract by Five Star Teckno, the author is encouraged to procure their own agent or representative to broker the deal.  If the author does not have an agent, Killer Nashville can give a list of recommendations.  By winning, you also do NOT have to accept the publishing contract from Five Star, if offered, but you still win the award and can add the Killer Nashville Claymore to your other award credits.  Publishers love it when manuscripts have won awards. ABOUT THIS YEAR'S CO-SPONSOR     Five Star, an imprint of Gale, part of Cengage Learning, began the Five Star Mystery line in November of 1998.  Since then, Five Star has earned many starred reviews, as well as Edgar Award and Anthony Award nominations.  Many Five Star titles have been listed on regional bestseller lists. ABOUT KILLER NASHVILLE     Killer Nashville was founded in 2006 by writer/filmmaker Clay Stafford with the purpose of providing a networking and educational forum for those in the publishing industry and for helping writers and readers to connect.  Numerous authors have found publication and a new fan base through the all-volunteer effort of the Killer Nashville organization.  Over the years, grant money has been given to Killer Nashville from Clay Stafford and American Blackguard Entertainment principally, as well as Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and others, as well as numerous author sponsors. THE RULES     Submissions must be received no later than May 20, 2011 to be considered for the 2011 competition and will be evaluated through a blind judging process to ensure fairness.  Entry fees are charged to help defray the individual cost of copying and mailing each manuscript to the volunteer judges. Please note that the judging process is highly subjective, dictated by the personal interests of each reader (which is why each manuscript is read by different readers and rated by several rather than relying on one reader) and the large number of quality entries vying for the top honors.  Though we are unable to provide specific feedback on each individual manuscript, please do not hesitate to contact us with any general questions regarding the selection process. The winner will be announced at Killer Nashville 2011, held on August 26-28 at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.  The author need not be present to win and is under no obligation to accept a publishing contract should he/she be offered one by Five Star.  Winner will be determined at the sole discretion of editors of Five Star from the top ten submissions as chosen by Killer Nashville judges in a blind submission process.  All decisions are final. Read all the rules here.  (http://www.killernashville.com/cokina20claw.html) GOOD LUCK!     We look forward to adding you to the Killer Nashville success stories! Sincerely, Clay Stafford, Founder, Killer Nashville Beth Terrell, Executive Director, Killer Nashville Tracy Bunch, Office Manager, Killer Nashville IN SUMMARY     Prepare the manuscript of your unpublished thriller, suspense, or mystery manuscript Fill out the registration form and a check for $35 to help defray copying and mailing costs of your manuscript to judges (judges are volunteers and are not compensated) Mail payment and registration form with the first 50 pages of your manuscript to the Killer Nashville Claymore Award, and You could win! LINKS TO HELP YOU OUT     For more information regarding Killer Nashville's Claymore Award:  http://killernashville.com/cokina20claw.html For more information of Killer Nashville Awards: http://www.killernashville.com/awards.html To learn more about Killer Nashville: www.KillerNashville.com To contact us with questions:  contact@killernashville.com To register for Killer Nashville 2011:  http://killernashville.com/onre2.html Our Killer Nashville Blog:  http://killernashville.blogspot.com/ Enter Killer Nashville's Claymore and maybe win a publishing contract! Killer Nashville's Claymore Award Killer Nashville P.O. Box 680686 Franklin, TN  37068-0686 United States contact@killernashville.com 615-599-4032 www.killernashville.com       Killer Nashville P O Box 680686 Franklin, Tennessee 37068-0686 United States