Nancy's Notes From Florida

Transitions Can Be Tough
July 15, 2022

Transition scenes in a novel can be tough to write. These can serve your need to jump ahead in time, have your characters go from one place to another, or act as a bridge between action sequences.

It’s easy when you’re jumping ahead in time. You can leave a space break between paragraphs or start a new chapter to indicate that time has passed. To make things run smoother, you can include phrasing or a snippet of information from the previous section into the new one. Ditto when hopping from one place to the next. You can use a space or chapter break or try one of the techniques below.

Getting your hero from one piece of action to another can be trickier. You need to vary the pacing without boring the reader. Too many exciting scenes running together will become wearying as well as unrealistic. Think about what purpose you want this shift to serve. If you have difficulty, consider your sleuth’s Life Space. I talk about this in my guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery, which can help you plan your story’s structure.

To get inside your sleuth’s head, draw her Life Space. Start with a circle and write her name in it. Then add cartoon-like bubbles around her head. Inside of these bubbles, put her concerns at any given moment in time. This will provide insight into your character’s interests.

Use your character’s concerns to fill in the transitional pages. Here are some suggestions for your sleuth:

  • Mentally review the suspects
  • Catch up on phone calls
  • Visit with a friend or relative
  • Discuss progress with sidekick
  • Have a romantic interlude
  • Deal with personal issues
  • Bring in subplots
  • Reflect on goals
  • Do research related to case

Make sure your passage isn’t filled with mindless chatter, mundane chores, or a laundry list of to-do items. If your heroine is making her favorite slow cooker recipe, for example, have her stew over the suspects or talk about them to her friend over the phone. What happens in these scenes should lead fluidly into whatever comes next.

Writing Tip: Transitions Can Be Tough #writingcommunity #amwriting Share on X

How do you deal with transitional scenes in your work?

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Perish by Pedicure On Sale
July 1, 2022

Looking for a fun Beach Read or a new book for the holiday weekend? Grab a copy of PERISH BY PEDICURE on sale for only 99 cents! Limited time offer.

Salon owner Marla Shore finds herself fixing more than just hair at a Fort Lauderdale beauty show. When the much‑disliked director of Luxor Beauty Products is murdered, Marla jumps into sleuth mode. Suspects include her former college roommate, a pompous celebrity stylist, an ambitious company sales rep, and an aspiring hairdresser to the stars.

“Find your favorite beach chair and a tall glass of lemonade to enjoy another Marla Shore mystery amidst the fashionistas! The perfect read for a beach chair.” Nancy Martin, author of the Blackbird Sisters mystery series

“Perish by Pedicure is filled with hair-splitting humor, unexpected nail-biting twists, and a bad hair week caused by former in‑laws while Marla cuts to the roots of the case.” Midwest Book Review

“Nancy J. Cohen leads readers into the world of beauty shows, where salon owner and amateur sleuth Marla Shore finds things more tangled than a model’s tresses.” Miami Herald

“Perish by Pedicure is a suspenseful and enjoyable read… the perfect gift for your hairdresser.” Murder on the Beach Mystery Bookstore

“If you want something lighthearted to pick up and just laugh, then this is great.” Fashionable Maven

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If you enjoy the story, please leave a review at your favorite online bookstore.

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Party with the Authors
June 28, 2022

Cross-promotion with other authors is one of the best ways to increase exposure to new readers for your books while supporting your fellow writers. This can occur via group blogs, websites, contests, social media shares, and special events.

Summer Book Blast

Tonight’s party is an example of a Facebook event featuring several of our Booklover’s Bench members. We’ve each prepared a couple of posts with giveaways for our readers. We hope you’ll come and bring your friends.

Winning a book can introduce you to a whole new series. Look for these opportunities and jump in to participate when you see a multi-author event pop up on your screen. They’re fun to attend not only because of the giveaways, but also because you can learn about new authors who might interest you.

Meanwhile, join us TONIGHT at 7:00-8:00 pm EDT for a Summer Book Blast party with fun posts, prizes and giveaways at https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty


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Korean Dramas on TV
June 23, 2022

Recently I’ve been exposed to an entirely new genre on television. K-Dramas apparently have been around a while, but I’d never heard of these Korean TV series until recently when my writer friends, Charlotte Hunter and Ruth Owen, clued me in. Now I am utterly addicted to this mesmerizing form of entertainment. These shows are made in South Korea with subtitles in different languages.

K-Dramas

While the series may be contemporary or historical, I prefer the period dramas. There’s a whole list of them on Netflix. At the recommendation of my friends, I started with The King’s Affection. Oh, my. It had every trope I loved! And so do most of them. If you enjoy these recurrent themes, you should give these shows a chance: Person in disguise, hidden identity, twins, amnesia, royalty, court intrigue, secret baby, forbidden love, swordfights, murder and betrayal. These stories have it all. Moreover, many episodes end in a cliffhanger that compels you to keep watching.

At the heart of each one that I’ve seen so far is a classic romance. Boy meets girl. Boy and girl clash but are attracted to each other. We see them falling in love and gazing adoringly into each other’s eyes. Then the Big Black Moment follows where all seems lost and you wonder how these two will ever be together. The resolution and happy-ever-after ending come just like in a Hallmark movie, albeit after 16 to 20 episodes.

I’ve only seen three of these series so far. Because they’re so addicting, I need to get caught up on my other shows in between. It’s fun to figure out the types of characters in these period dramas that take place in the Joseon Dynasty. Here are some commonalities that I’ve noticed in the three series I have seen to date.

Common Recurrent Characters

Aristocrats or Royalty in the lead roles
Weak Ruler
Evil First Minister
Ambitious Stepmother as the Queen
Friends who are the Comic Relief characters
A secondary character who is in love with the hero/heroine who loves someone else
An assassin who serves the bad guys
Evil henchmen and loyal royalists

Storylines

The King’s Affection – When her twin brother is murdered, his sister steps in to assume his identity as crown prince. Her situation is complicated when she’s attracted to her tutor who thinks she’s a boy. Meanwhile, she tracks down her brother’s killer who is still at large.

100 Days My Prince – The crown prince is injured in an assassination attempt. He wakes up with no memory of his identity and in a strange home. The heroine’s father has restored him to health and claims he is their daughter’s fiancé. As his own loyal followers search for his whereabouts, so does the traitor who wants him dead. Meanwhile, the heroine is guarding a secret of her own that could put her in peril if exposed.

My Sassy Girl – This is a classic romance with a snippy princess attracted to a handsome tutor. He rescues the princess from a drunken bout and ends up falling for her. Danger surrounds them as the person responsible for her mother’s dethronement ten years ago is making a grab for power.

Watch Korean Dramas on TV #adventure #romance Share on X

Resources

https://www.preview.ph/culture/historical-korean-dramas-netflix-a00268-20200530
https://www.cbr.com/korean-historical-dramas-netflix-bridgerton/
https://reelrundown.com/tv/top-30-best-historical-korean-dramas-sageuks-you-must-watch
https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/2638104 
https://www.netflix.com/browse/genre/12123

Put K-Dramas or Korean period dramas into your search window and see what you get. These series may be available on other channels besides Netflix.

Kobo 30% off Box Set Sale!

Get a copy of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries Volume One: Books 1-3 for 30% off at Kobo – Use promo code JUNE30 at checkout. https://bit.ly/33fPpIi

June 28 Facebook Party

Save the Date! Tuesday, June 28, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm EDT Summer Book Blast 2022 with 4 Fabulous Cozy Authors! Fun & Prizes! https://www.facebook.com/NewReleaseParty  

Summer Book Blast


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New Cozy Mystery Award
June 18, 2022

MWA has announced the Lilian Jackson Braun Award for contemporary cozy mysteries. It’s gratifying that the cozy subgenre has finally been recognized by Mystery Writers of America. Ever since I’ve been a member, the Edgars have leaned toward serious crime fiction. Conferences such as Malice Domestic, Killer Nashville, and Left Coast Crime offered cozy writers a chance to win their own awards.

Books submitted for the Lilian Jackson Braun Award must be at least 65,000 words and be published by a traditional MWA-approved publisher in the year prior to the award. The story must feature an amateur sleuth in a setting with a sense of community, a lighthearted tone, and a crime to solve. Historical mysteries are not eligible.

While I applaud this recognition for the cozy mystery genre by our national organization, I yearn for the day that MWA also accepts indie published books into their contest. Fortunately, there are other competitions that indie authors can enter. Usually, these require an ISBN number and may ask for a publisher name, but they don’t distinguish between trad published and self-published titles. The Alliance of Independent Authors puts out a good list.

Do readers look for the publisher’s name when considering which book to buy? Or are peer reviews, the storyline, writing style, and price more important? How about contest wins? The well-known awards naturally garner more attention and respect, but how about first place wins at other sites? Do these influence readers in any way? What do you think?

Also see my previous post on Writing Contests for Published Authors.

Kobo 30% off Box Set Sale!

Get your copy now of the Bad Hair Day Mysteries Volume One: Books 1-3 for 30% off at Kobo – Use promo code JUNE30 at checkout. Valid June 16 – 27 in Canada, US, UK, Australia, & New Zealand.

The Bad Hair Day Mysteries Box Set Volume One

 

 

 


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