67 Accounts You Should Follow on Twitter

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Here are 67 accounts (people and organizations) you should check out. I enjoy reading their posts. They're not in any order. I just numbered the list to keep a running total. Happy tweeting!

  1. Sisters in Crime - Where I go to  keep up with all that's new in mystery and suspense
  2. Annie Acorn - Great writing advice
  3. Rachelle Gardner - Enjoy her insights into the world of literary agents
  4. Tina Glasneck - Love that she promotes other writers
  5. Mollie Cox Bryan -Great daily tweets about her writing journey
  6. Book Celebration - Great writer promotions - Stop in to see what's new
  7. Ellery Adams - Fun tweets about her writing journey
  8. Mary Burton - Love reading about her adventures and her 3 cute doxies
  9. James River Writers - Great information about writing
  10. Thrill Writing - Good source information for thriller or suspense writers
  11. Rachel Thompson - Great source for book marketing and social media tips
  12. Hank Phillipi Ryan - Fun tweets about mysteries
  13. Halli Ephron - Check out her mysteries
  14. Jungle Reds - A sassy blog by 8 mystery writers
  15. Mary Feliz - Fun mystery tweets
  16. Lelia G - Great tweets about her writing journey and #RVA photos
  17. Elaine Viets - Fun tweets about her mystery series
  18. Mary Miley - Great blog posts about myths in history
  19. G. M. Malliet - Lots of good writing, book, and Great Britain tweets
  20. Sparkle Abbey - Love their animal mysteries and dog tweets
  21. Jeanne Adams - Love her great, wicked sense of humor and she supports authors
  22. Rosemary Stevens - Fun tweets about nostalgia from the 60s and 70s
  23. Kristin Kisska - Great fan girl and funny tweets
  24. Kait Carson - Lots of tweets about mystery writing
  25. Shawna C - Fun tweets and she's a great promoter of writers
  26. Kristin Wright -Enjoy her BookBub lists and fun tweets
  27. Kat Stiles - Lots of tweets about books and writing and she promotes writers
  28. Julie Valerie - Great writing advice. Keep writing!
  29. The Bookshelf Café - A neat place to keep up with what's new in books
  30. Lyn Brittan - Fun tweets and she's a great supporter of writers
  31. Book Swag - Fun book and bookish tweets
  32. Suzie81Blog - Love the #SundayBlogShare tweets
  33. Promocave - Lots of author and book promotions
  34. Dru - Great book blog posts
  35. Art Taylor - Fun tweets about his writing journey
  36. Nancy Cohen - Light, fun mysteries
  37. Jenny Milchman - Great writing and publishing advice
  38. Nancy Naigle - Lots of homespun humor and fun tweets
  39. Edith Maxwell - Lots of good New England mysteries
  40. Rhys Bowen - Enjoy her royal mysteries
  41. Cyrus Webb - Lots of great author promotion with his podcasts
  42. Kristi Tuck Austin - Great tweets about writing and author promotion
  43. Mary Behre - Enjoy her tweets about her writing journey
  44. The Wicked Cozy - A interest blog with a New England accent
  45. Sherry Harris - Love her yard sale mysteries and her great adventures
  46. Krista Davis - Lots of fun mysteries with pets and great social media advice
  47. Alan Orloff - Love his great sense of humor
  48. BOLO Books - Wonderful book reviews
  49. Kris Spisak - Great tweets about writing and books
  50. LynDee Walker - Like reading about her adventures and her mysteries set in #RVA
  51. Maggie King - Great posts about "where are they now" mystery writers
  52. Fiona Quinn - Helping writers get it right
  53. Jim Jackson - Good advice about writing, publishing, and editing
  54. Leah St. James - Lots of good book promotion and fun tweets about Hampton Roads
  55. Ally Shields - Great writing tips
  56. Deborah Coonts - Love her funny Las Vegas mysteries
  57. Eleanor Cawood Jones - Love her mystery writing posts
  58. Stacy Juba - Lots of great tweets about books and writing
  59. Barb Goffman - Good writing tweets and fun posts about Jingle dog
  60. Larissa Reinhart - Lots of great tweets about mysteries
  61. Bill Crider -Love his mysteries and posts about the VBKs (Very Bad Kitties)
  62. Vivian Lawry - Lots of fun writing prompts
  63. Sacha Black - Great writing and book promotion tweets
  64. Terry Tyler - Lots of good tweets about writing
  65. Lori Caswell - See what's new in the cozy mystery world
  66. Diane Vallere - Fun fashion mysteries
  67. And me...I'd love to see what you're tweeting...

What's in a Character Name?

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Naming characters, even minor ones, takes some thought. There are lots of hidden meanings and information that can be transmitted by names. Here are eight things I've learned through the years about choosing monikers.

1. If you give random characters names with little or no significance, be sure that you don't over use the choices. I always end up with too many Bills, Bobs, and Mikes that I have to change during revisions.

2. I keep a character master list that's in alphabetical order. It's actually a Word table, and I add columns for each book in the series. I can track which names I used in what book. I can also easily see which characters return in later books. And it helps me locate names I've already used, so I don't have repeats.

3. It is often confusing to readers to have the same or similar names (even similar sounding ones) in the same work. My friend, Kathleen Mix, creates an alphabetical list of characters for each of her books. Her rule is that only one character gets a name that starts with a particular letter. (Example: A: Alice, B: Bob, C: Cherrie...)

4. I try to make sure that my names are age appropriate. If you Google ​popular baby names by year, you'll see the top names of each year. If a character is in her late 40s and American, Michelle, Jennifer, Heather, and Laurie are all good choices.

5. My friend likes to make all of her character names unusual and unique. She's had multiple editors ask her to change them. It's usually okay to have one unique name or spelling, but multiples often attract the attention of editors.

6. I name my minor characters after friends and family. Sometimes, I sneak in famous names from pop culture. My coworkers often find their names sprinkled through my books.

7. I like to pay homage to literary greats. My sleuth, Delanie Fitzgerald, is named after F. Scott Fitzgerald. Her firm is called Falcon Investigations. I named that after Dashiell Hammett's ​The Maltese Falcon.

8. I also Google names to see if the meaning fits the character that I'm describing. I look for connotations that the name has to make sure it fits my character.

Best wishes with your writing and your character names.

My Homage To Nancy Drew, Girl Sleuth

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My Homage to Nancy Drew – Girl Sleuth

I have loved mysteries since Scooby Doo and Nancy Drew. I was over the moon in 1977 when the “Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys” TV show debuted. (And it didn’t hurt that Shaun Cassidy played Joe Hardy.) My friends and I raced through all the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys collections at the Kempsville Public Library in Virginia Beach. My favorite is still The Crooked Bannister (1971) with its hot pink cover. I loved the plot twists and the double meanings. I was hooked on mysteries. From there, I moved on to Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. But Nancy Drew is still one of my favorite sleuths.

In the late 1980s, I had a double major in English and secondary education. My research project in “Adolescent Literature” was a comparative study of the original Nancy Drew mysteries from the 1930s with the updated ones in the 1980s and their influence on generations readers.

As a young reader, I adored Nancy’s freedom. She had a car. She did things that other girls didn’t, and she solved crimes that adults couldn’t. She influenced generations of women from the 1930s to the present with her spunk and enduring appeal.

The Nancy Drew mysteries were written by several ghost-writers under one pseudonym, Carolyn Keene. The series has undergone several revisions and updates over the years, but Nancy’s spirit and pluck prevail. The famous yellow spines were added to the books in 1962. That was the set that I remember reading. And her stories have been translated into over twenty different languages.

The girl detective appeared in several movies from the 1930s to the 2000s and TV shows through the years. Her face and logo have graced all kinds of merchandising from jewelry, lunch boxes, and clothing to board and video games. She has appeared in novels, coloring books, and graphic novels. Nancy has been a role-model for lots of young girls for over eighty years.

There are some similarities between the iconic Nancy Drew and my private investigator. I didn’t intentionally mean to create the parallels, but subconsciously, her character influenced my mystery writing.  In the 1930s, Nancy started out as a blonde, but artists later depicted her as a redhead in the 1940s and 1950s. Nancy also drove a sporty roadster. (It was upgraded to a Mustang in the mysteries from the 1980s.) Nancy’s girlfriends (Bess and George) were important in her life and to the stories. And she was fearless, smart, and feisty. I was so impressed that she was able to solve crimes before the professionals did.

I like to think of Delanie Fitzgerald as following in the footprints and traditions of the original girl sleuth.

My Funny Christmas Moments...

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Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year. The season is full of sparkle, lights, magic, and the goodness of humankind. My grandmother Ruth loved the holiday season too, and as a little girl, I always spent Thanksgiving weekend with her to help her decorate, bake, and make Christmas candy.

I was the kid who stayed wide awake all night every Christmas Eve, and much to my parents' dismay, I was always up at four or five in the morning to open presents. One year when I was about four, I was so excited to see Santa. We waited in line for at least an hour at Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach. When it was my turn, fear took over, and I had a tearful outburst. I didn't get to give him my list. I fretted for days that he was going to skip our house that year. I was shocked and SO relieved on Christmas to find out he came through for me.

When I was almost five (and the only grandchild on all sides), I wanted a puppy. I got a sister that year. She came home on Christmas Eve, and things haven't been the same since. I'm just kidding, my sister is my best friend (but I was a tad disappointed that I didn't get the puppy and that she was too big for me to carry around like a doll.

This time of year is chaotic, but it's fun. Here are some of my humorous holiday moments.

I Have Proof - One year before my sister arrived, it snowed late on Christmas Eve. It rarely did that in Virginia Beach. I didn’t know which was more exciting, Christmas or snow. We opened the front door, and there were real, honest-to-goodness reindeer tracks on the front steps. I couldn’t believe it. I had proof. I saw them. That’s where the reindeer waited while Santa unloaded all of my loot.

I found out much later that my “reindeer” was the next-door neighbor’s German Shepherd JoJo.

What is That Smell? - One summer, I was driving back and forth from work, and I smelled this sickening citrus odor in my car. I checked my bags and the car. It kept getting worse, and I couldn’t find the source. When I couldn't stand it any longer, I pulled everything out of the car. Someone had given us a bag of potpourri the previous Christmas, and it had gotten stuck between the back seat and the trunk. It was ripe when I finally threw it out.

Invasion of the Short People - My husband volunteered to help the men’s club at church one year when they decided to sell wooden angels as a fundraiser. The angels were about four-feet tall with the name of the donor on the front. At Christmas time, they decorate the lawn of the church.

He cut about five of them and put them up against the wall in our garage. I went out to the garage in the dark and saw five figures lined up next to the wall. I got a start until I realized what they were. In the dark, it looked like a bunch of short people hiding in my garage.

The Terrible Christmas Cookies - One December after work, my husband met me in the garage. “These cookies are terrible,” he said munching on something hard.

“What cookies?” I asked as I tried to remember what kind I bought last time. He finished his snack and said, “These in the red bag.” They were the peanut butter dog treats my niece made for the pair of Jacks.

I Don’t Care About the *&^%* Carolers - One Christmas, I volunteered to bring four dozen cookies to the holiday party at work. Well, at my house, to get four dozen cookies that look good enough to share, I had to bake six or seven dozen. The malformed ones were for sampling, and the burnt ones went into the trash. About halfway though the baking, I had lost my holiday spirit and all desire for peace and goodwill.

My husband came bounding into the kitchen with the joyous news that we had holiday carolers outside. He wanted to know if we should take them some cookies. By then, the floor, dogs, and I were covered in flour and sugar. I gave him the look of death, and he slowly backed out of the kitchen.

What Happened to the Angel? - One year, my sister and I went over to my Grandmother Ruth’s house to help her decorate for Christmas. When we were unpacking decorations, we discovered a bald angel. Previously, she was a blonde. It seemed she fell off the tree last year, and Patton, the Boston Terrier ate her hair.

It's Awfully Humid in Here - My Grandmother Ruth always had candy at her house. She had an open dish in her living room for guests. During the holiday season, it was filled with all kinds of festive hard candy. I loved the assortment, but it was always stuck together. We had to break it off in chunks. Grandma always chalked it up to the heat and the humidity.

One day we discovered the truth about the sticky candy. We went in the living room, and Patton, her Boston Terrier, was standing in the chair licking the candy dish. I pass on the hard candy now.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. I know there's a lot of activity, but try to squeeze in the moments to enjoy the magic and fun.

Holiday Time Management Ideas for Writers

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Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the December holiday season is fast approaching. It should be a time of celebration, but it's stressful when there are too many tasks and obligations. And somehow, my schedule always gets crazy in November and December.

Here are some ideas for managing to celebrate and still work on your writing and book marketing.

1. Create a bank of blog posts when you have extra time. That way, when you're in a crunch, you can use one that is already ready to go.

2. Schedule blog, Facebook, and Twitter posts in advance, especially for days you know you'll be busy.

3. Find an hour or two on your calendar and block it off as writing time. I cut TV/movie time when I need more writing or editing time.

4. Get up early (or stay up later) to write, blog, or post to social media. My house is really quiet in the morning, and I get a lot done before the family and guests are up and ready for breakfast.

5. Use your social media mobile apps. When you are standing in line, check your social media sites, respond to comments, or do a quick post or tweet. It's a great way to keep up with emails too.

6.Take pictures of the fun and festivities. They're great for sharing to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Pinterest.

7. Use a calendar to keep up with the "must do's." Some electronic calendars (like Google) can be shared with others. There is also a variety of software out there to help manage tasks. Trello is a fun, easy one to use. You create electronic "cards" to manage projects or large efforts.

8. I try to get the holiday shopping done and wrapped early. It just takes some of the pressure off.

9. You can say no and not feel guilty. You don't have to participate in everything. I was asked to be a part of a cookie exchange one year. The idea is to bake one dozen cookies for every participant. I ended up baking ten dozen cookies. It's a nice idea, but I really didn't need the cookies I brought home. And it was more work and stress than value.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. With a little organization, it can be a fun season, and you can still have time to write and do your book promotions. Happy writing!

 

10 Holiday Gift Ideas for the Book Lover in Your Life

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Thanksgiving is next week. Fall snuck up on me this year, but I'm going to do better with Christmas. My goal is to have everything purchased and wrapped by early December. Fingers crossed.  Here are my favorite sites for holiday ideas for the book lover in your life.

1. Café Press has a great selection of literary t's for men, women, and children. They also have ones for movies, TV shows, and pop culture icons.

2. Think Geek has great gadgets and gifts for Harry Potter and Star Wars' fans. It's also home base for gifts for any geek or nerd in your life.

3. The Library of Congress' gift shop has a wide array of book and book lover gifts.

4. Etsy is a great site for fun, literary and author gifts. I've purchased wine charms, bracelets, stickers, and bookmarks from a variety of vendors. I use them for giveaways. Type in "literary gifts," and you'll have your choice of hundreds of vendors.

5. UncommonGoods had lots of stocking stuffers for the reader or writer in your life. Type "reading gifts" in the search box.

6. GoneReading has a great collection of bookworm gifts. My favorite are the book plates. I'm going to have to put them on my list.

7. Shop PBS has some fun ideas. I need to order the Great Gatsby t-shirt and these Scrabble magnets.

8. Amazon has everything. I like the collection of infinity book scarves. I've seen these on Etsy and other sites too.

9. Storiarts has infinity scarves, decorative items, and these great writing gloves from a variety of books and authors.

10. The Writers' Store has gifts for writers, movie makers, and film buffs.

Best wishes with your holiday shopping. My hope is to get the tasky stuff done early, so I can enjoy the season. Wish me luck!

15 Things I Learned about Writing Short Stories from Art Taylor

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I had the pleasure of hearing Art Taylor speak recently at our Sisters in Crime - Central Virginia meeting about crafting short stories. Here's what I learned.

  1. Edgar Allan Poe is not only the father of the American mystery, but the father of the American short story.
  2. For detective stories (whether it's a murder, caper, or puzzle), it all hinges on the clues.
  3. Every word counts.
  4. Character descriptions should be part of the single effect of the story.
  5. The plot drives the detective story.
  6. Think about what you can suggest without explicitly saying it.
  7. Every story needs conflict. There should always be an escalation of conflict in the story.
  8. Always up the ante. Shovel on more grief and conflict.
  9. Check out he Art and Craft of Fiction by Michael Kardos and riting Fiction by Janet Burroway.
  10. Narration is the stage direction and description is the scenery of the story.
  11. Exposition is telling. It is a way to provide information, but it should be done in small bits. What does the reader need to know?
  12. When you're revising your story, look at everything and ask, "Does this need to be here?"
  13. Use jump cuts. (Jump the action to the next scene.) You don't have to describe every detail of every day.
  14. Watch films and how the stories are plotted. This can help you with pacing your story.
  15. Look at your draft. Can you cut the first and last paragraph? You should strive to start your story closer to the action.