Happy New Year and what are you doing?

Ahoy, Murderers!

It's a new year and I hope you are writing like mad. I have been working on the next book in the Shannon Wallace Mysteries, and if you didn't catch the promo, you definitely want to read Schooled in Murder. I have a cool new subplot in this book that is carried over into the next two books.

Ah here is the link:

Schooled in Murder by Kim Smith

What are you reading? This year I hope to get more books consumed than ever before. I am reading The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams and I am also reading Brotherhood of the Wheel by RS Belcher. Both very intriguing books for different reasons.

In my personal life, I have once again begun the annual trek for good health. I was very bad over the holidays and have to rein it in. I am eating veggies and drinking water as a way to calm my inflamed tastebuds. They are still screaming for fudge, and Chex Mix. I hate to tell them that Super Bowl season is on its way.

That's about it for me, you MB4 fiends. Hope your first week back into the world has been one of viral-substance.

Welcome to my new life

Good morning Murderers, I hope this lovely summery Thursday is the best you've had in a long while. I call Thursday "friday eve". It makes the day special in some way. It's like Christmas Eve or New Years Eve.

I am currently working hard on my book that is being composed on my blog for the How to Write Series. You can check it out here : http://www.kimsmithauthor.com -- I posted a link under the links part of the header to all the posts so someone who was interested could start with the first post and follow all the way through.

I have a subscribe thing on the site, too, so that no one misses any posts.

So far, this has been a lot of fun. It is making me really think about HOW I write a book. What do I do now? What do I do next? All those questions that come to mind. I am considering doing a contest to name the book. Maybe along about chapter three? I am finishing up chapter one now.

Sorry Murderers, it ISN'T a murder mystery.

But, the new revised Shannon Wallace mysteries will probably be out next month. At least the first book. I have retitled Avenging Angel to Deadly Array, and am very excited. The editor that has been working with me is top notch. She found things that THREE other editors didn't find. Just so you know, errors can and will make it into the printed version.

I am still struggling with my "new life". In case you do not follow me, my husband has cancer. There, I said it. I am doing many many things that I never thought I would have to do, and one of those is looking for a second job. It would be so much easier for me to just find ONE that paid more money, but I need the benefits that my one poorly paid job offers, so...there's that.

Maybe one day I will post the whole story. Maybe it will be an ebook one day. Hah! Maybe it will be a Lifetime movie. But for now, it's just my "new life" and I am bearing the burden.

Money is very tight because he cannot work so if you have a few bucks you are not in need of, please consider supporting us by buying a short story or book. And thanks for your prayers, folks. They are always needed and appreciated.

Straying from the normal

I have written in almost every genre. Fantasy, mystery, romance, and a little bit of in-between--leaning toward horror. But there is one thing I always said I would never write.

Sci fi.

I know, right?

I just didn't care for it. I loved sci fi movies, but books just left me dry. I didn't have enough of a science background to know when it rang true or was baloney-sauce. So I mostly left sci fi to those who are aficionados. Give me good old
Southern fiction any day. Throw in a murder or a ghost, well, I'm yours forever.

Then I got a wild hair and wrote what passed for sci fi in a short piece. I submitted it. They liked it and wanted to put it in an anthology. Well, punch me and call me Judy. They LIKED it! William Faulkner is rolling over in his grave about now.

Just hold up there, old Bill. I am hot on the trail of something new. Sci fi. And not just sci fi, the old dry pie. I mean space opera stuff. I know you fellers are all about mystery and suspense and thriller, but that all can be inserted in this type of sci fi. In fact, it is a prerequisite. You have to have drama and high stakes. Somebody might get "insert space gear name here" to death. They might have a spaceship collision. What if a planet exploded?

Yeah, man. I am on the hoof now, outlining and plotting a blockbuster. I am so excited, I can hardly wait to share it.

Coming Home, original flash fiction

Well, I know I know. I have been missing on the blog AGAIN. But I promise it is for a good reason. I am writing, you see. It is imperative that a writer writes, or they lose the right to call themselves a writer. Okay, that was a lot of right/write stuff, but you get my meaning. So, because I made you wait so long for a post from me, I am going to treat you with a flash fiction I wrote as an exercise. It is not complete, but writers sometimes keep adding bits and pieces to their work to make it better. I suspect this one will be that way. Maybe you'd like to help me finish it? What do you see happening next?

by Kim Smith, copyright 2015

Coming Home
by Kim Smith

Coming home is like breathing in a dust storm. You can do it, but you might die, and if you don’t do it, you will certainly die.

My return pulled at me like so many hands plucking my sleeve. Memories engulfed me. Surviving this visit would be hard, but that didn’t stop me from climbing off the train in Memphis. The familiar scenery hit me like a blues song. Coming home, being alone, feeling gone, all done.

The acrid scent of hot pavement, and roses wafted up. Crepe myrtles in fiery array all down Riverside Drive greeted me, and I looked up to see people on the bluffs enjoying the sights and sun. I joined them for a little while, sitting and waiting for that glimmer of hope that happened at the end of every day when you live near water. The hope called sunset, hope of a better tomorrow.

Sunsets over the Mississippi River is all gold and red and orange, and when the shadows fall and darkness swamps the whole area, a sojourner could feel lost. Loss of bearings, loss of self-lost forever in what might have been, not what had been, for what had been had done its worst and moved on. I moved on too, down the cobblestones slanting down to the river and my past.

Beale Street was the same as ever. Music spilled out of each doorway like a private concert being played just for me as I passed. The sounds of broken conversations, the tinkle of beer mugs being passed about, all created a symphony of sound that made me want to go inside.

But I didn’t. I kept moving. My heartbreak like a guitar strung around my neck, hanging useless waiting to be picked up and turned into life again.

When I arrived at Meemaw’s house, I knew coming home was just the period at the end of a sentence with no meaning. I had to come here. The old place brought tears to my eyes and washed away some of the misery inside my heart. The ramshackle building hosted a long well-used porch, complete with porch swing, now aloof and lonely. Maybe being here would fill the emptiness that traveling had not. Maybe my loss would find company here.

Out back, I could hear Pappy scraping food from a plate into the dog’s pan. The old flea-ridden Beagle shook her whole body as she waited happily, anticipating the morsels he’d put there. He straightened and saw me.

I greeted him and was embraced with a toothless smile. A welcome home. A “so sorry it has to be this way”. He didn’t have to tell me. He felt the loss as much as I did. No matter how far away I’d roam, I’d never forget the tears filling his eyes as he spoke of her.

We went into the living room where the worn out flowered sofa sat looking forlorn as if it wanted Meemaw to come and lie on it again. I knew I did. Pappy did. The place was never going to be the same without her.

Coming home was as bittersweet as missing the last piece of Meemaw’s best chocolate pie. But being home was as twice as welcome. I was home. Home was where life began.

______
Kim Smith has more freebies for you on her website, http://www.kimsmithauthor.com

Love Inn and more...

In case you missed yesterday's post on my blog Love Inn is now up for preorder on Amazon for Kindle!
And here is the cover art:


The paperback for is just around the corner. It's a time constraint more than anything else. Apparently, cover art is the quickest part of the process for me now, who knew?

So it's just starting to set in that the writing of this short story is over. It's weird. There's so much time and energy put into the stuff getting it ready for public consumption. It feels really strange to think that this is it, and I am soon to be off on the next project. This one has been around a long time, but this is IT for me. I am finished with it. Just like with of A Sweet and Spicy Christmas. It was a completion. The final round for several of my old stories.

I know other writers have talked about how they felt sad when they finished writing something, but I don't. It's like a birth-day or something.

But it is weird. And Love Inn has so many other possibilities, too.

It definitely is making me consider the idea of writing a spin-off of it. Maybe more from Ben's sister's perspective? I don't know why exactly, but I think that as main characters in another book, Nikki would work.

Oh well. I can't work on it any time soon anyway. I have about 59 other things I need to do first. Including a SLEW of podcast interviews. I hope you are enjoying them!

But thanks to everyone for reading the books and all the support. So far, the response to Love Inn has been really positive, and I was pretty scared about how people would react to a re-issue. It's nice to know that none of you have plans to kill me in my sleep (so far, anyway).

But now, I must bid you farewell. I have to eat breakfast, watch the traffic report, and drive my hubby's SUV to work since he is getting my little car worked on. Then later, I have a podcast interview so ... busy busy busy! But please do go out and PREORDER LOVE INN -- you can do that here

Happy Thursday!

Get a DEAL on An Unexpected Performance~!

I just checked the calendar, and An Unexpected Performance will be on Kindle Countdown Deals THIS WEEK. You do NOT want to miss it!!

Starting on Friday April 18 and going through April 25, my time travel YA fantasy will be out there for all you Kindle readers who have been waiting to get it.

Be a part of this promotion for my book. And check out the reviews on my Books page. I have gotten some new ones that I am pretty darn proud of.

and...since tomorrow is Good Friday and Easter follows that...have a blessed weekend! I hope it is warm and sunny where ever you are and that you have a chance to enjoy it.

Inspiration, who has it and where can I get some?

The subject of today’s post is inspiration! Where can you get some? What can you do with it?

Well, first of all, if you write, you can find inspiration just about anywhere. The inspiration is always there, but it is usually the motivation that hampers our efforts. But I digress.
















A few places to get you started would be:
1. The Internet. Heckfire, you can find a TON of great things to inspire you just by surfing. Find blogs to read, find news stories. They say that more and more people are hitting the web for their newspaper reading so get out there and join them!
2. How about television? I know there are a bunch of great stories that are on each week. I can turn the volume down and make up my own story just by watching their facial expressions.
3. Read! There are so many fabulous books out there with information about anything you will ever want to know. How about a book on sailing? Golf? Building a better birdhouse? Can you just see what your mind will do when you find new information to digest?

And so on. There is no limit to inspiration! I can find something to write about from listening to the birds chirping outside my front door. It depends on what your mood is, and what your plan is. I am sure chirping birds can have a place in a suspense thriller if they suddenly shut up, right?


Since I will be out enjoying spring, I am leaving you with a few pics I've snapped as I drove around town. Maybe these pictures will inspire you to write about a season like this.


Happy Thursday everyone!

Power Outages in Our Writing

by Kim Smith
Potholes are commonplace in the south in winter and spring. They occur due to inclement weather conditions, mostly rain. No matter what they are, they signal worrisome woes on any highway, byway, or road. Literary potholes are no different and when we are on the “Road to Writing a Novel” show up at the worst time, when you cannot swerve around them, and they can hamper your efforts to get somewhere with your writing.

But you can avoid them if you are wise and watchful. Here is a short list of things that will detour your journey:

1. Answering too many emails.

The novel or short story can face power outages if you have more than one email to answer over the course of an hour. Some of the emailers want to chat, some want answers to writing questions, and some want an interview. Taking the time to answer all of these emails and commit to the various requests will make your muse plop down and take a nap.

2. What time did you put down to write?

Your writing was scheduled to begin as soon as you got the kids off to school on Monday, but on Monday your son needed cleats for his ball gear. Then, your husband had a dinner guest coming unexpectedly for Tuesday night, and it was Wednesday before you revisited the calendar. So why hasn’t it gotten underway? Because by now you are mentally anguished and out of resources and cannot write. No wonder! You haven’t put any time aside for you.

3. Let's try this one!

Sometimes "new" ideas come to you and take your mind off the current WIP. It’s okay to do the stop and start thing if you KEEP GOING on the current WIP. Don’t let the idea monster gobble up the idea you are already working on. Put the new ideas on paper and file them for the week after you finished this first draft.

4. Another writer gets a contract and you are eating their dust!

Sometimes when a writer friend of ours hits the jackpot and gets a contract for an agent or publisher, it means the death of our time. We spend an enormous amount of energy either being jealous and not talking to them anymore, or acting like a burr in their sock and wanting to be as close to them as possible to learn as much as we can about the experience. Either way, it is a muse killer and soon our own writing is left behind.

5. Why don't we talk anymore?

When the writing pace decreases, the first place to look is a sagging middle. Most published authors will tell you, it is the middles that will kill writing efforts. My advice to fix a sagging middle or a basic beginning that is going nowhere is to kill someone. Killing off a character will definitely shake things up and get the ball rolling again.

What other things can you think of that will keep your writing on track? Many of you are planning on trying out the NanoWriMo method next fall. If you will keep these things in mind, you may find you are more successful than you have ever dreamed of being.

Doing the mememe thing

Can I squee a little???

My very first anthology sale has just gone live through the cover reveal by the publisher. Here are all the details:

A Chimerical World: Tales from the Unseelie Court, will have my short story, Treehouse, in it. The ebook is coming out probably in a week or so and the print version shortly after. It will be unveiled at ConNooga Con in Chattanooga TN next month (Feb. 21-23) and will then go on the con circuit for a time, including a stop in Memphis (my hometown!) at Mid South Con in March.

I am so excited and proud, y'all. This was a truly fun story, and different from anything I have ever done. I have to say, I may just be addicted to anthology stories from now on.

I will post more later and let you know where and when you can get your copy, cuz you KNOW you wanna read it!

Killing those darlings

by Kim Smith

It has often been said that sometimes writers have to "kill their darlings". What exactly is meant by this statement and why on earth would a writer do such a thing?

Well, sometimes a favorite scene, passage, character, or event in a story is not moving the plot forward like it should. It simply exists because we (the writer in question) love it. So the only alternative is to cut it out like a piece of bad apple.

Let's be honest, now.

We love that one line, that joke, that description that is so perfect the reader can smell it. Well, almost. The point is, we LOVE it -- WE the author, the writer of said work has penned something so awesome and earth-shattering that we don't care that it is slowing the story down to a halt. WE DON'T WANT TO TOUCH IT!!!

But touch it we must. Cut it out. Kill that darling piece of writing that you simply adore.

How does one do such a cruel and terrible thing? Well, first you have to discover that there is such a phenomenon in your work.

How do you do that?
Hopefully, you have mean and nasty beta readers who would love nothing more than to tell you to cut it out. Literally. They can be useful things, those betas. Then too, if you are lucky enough to have an editor, that person will be the one to seek and destroy your darlings for you. And the bonus here? You can bemoan the loss of your darling to your heart's content, because you DIDN'T do it truly. The editors and or beta readers were the murderers.

Another way to ditch the darlings in your work is to remember that they ain't dead forever. You can always resurrect those snippets that you cut in another work. Just cut and paste them over in a folder on your old hard drive. There. Not dead forever. Ever.

Thirdly, you will care a lot less about your darlings with each book you write. The more words you pen the fewer darlings you find. It's true, my friend. Darlings can sometimes be a sign of an immature writer. The only way to grow up is to write a lot.

Good luck.
___________________________________________

Kim Smith is the author of An Unexpected Performance, Ten Tips for Getting that Book Written, and several mysteries and romances. You can find more about her at her website, http://www.kimsmithauthor.com

Ride the carousel!

Currently gearing up for a new season of radio shows and books coming out...recycling an old article here... enjoy! 

kim

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Writing a story, whether short or long is like a carousel ride.

copyright Kim Smith

The exciting calliope calls to you to be a part of the magic. It tugs and pulls until you throw caution to the wind and get on board. Sometimes you have to pay to get your moment on the ride, sometimes with fortune smiling, the ride is free.

Some people approach the carousel with trepidation, as it can be tricky to get onto the platform if you don’t watch your step. Some people never try; content to sit on the outside of the experience and watch. But for those who do, the world looks a bit different.

Inside the carousel are painted animals. Horses, rabbits, cats or pigs, each one is different from the rest, with intricate factors about its design and history. Some are dark, some are light, but all are interesting and beautiful. If you are new to carousels you may find staying on the animals is difficult as the seat is hard, uncomfortable, and sometimes not working.

Around you people climb atop the animals. They hold onto them with clutching fingers and laugh or cry, as the ride begins to move. The upward movement is exciting, and the rider goes with it all the way, and then back down again until the end.

The riders talk to you with accents and diction each unlike the last. The trick is to develop a friendship with them and be interested in their story because if you don’t, they soon will be gone.

You listen to the riders and notice every so often, one of them will stretch out and attempt to grab something zipping by. It’s a brass ring, and if they catch it, at the end of the ride, they receive a prize.

What does this have to do with writing you ask?

The ride’s motion is a successful story idea. Usually coming around on a regular schedule, some story ideas are long and some of them short. Oftentimes it’s the shorter ones writers have the most trouble with. Story ideas can be tricky, and many approach the process with trepidation, but eventually they get to the place where they can see their way.

Inside the story, the writer sees a plot, a painted animal. Each is special, beautiful and different, comedic or dramatic, with possibilities to be explored. Sometimes finding the plot is hard, just like the animal’s seat, and can be frustratingly difficult to stay with when they don’t work.

The carousel riders are the characters. They breathe and move, speak and tell stories of their lives. They want to tell a writer their stories and do so in differing voices, with accents and diction, which make them unique.

Finally, the brass ring would be publication. For some, it remains outside their reach, an illusion as it zips just past their fingertips. For others, it’s a prize, hard-fought and won, to take along down life’s path until they discover another carousel to ride.

Welcome to December!

It is December (again!) and the time has come for some updates. I have news for you pertaining to books, blogs, and radio shows.

First, books. I am in the throes of a new story. Haven't decided if it is going to be a short story, novella, or novel yet, but it feels short. It feels like a novella. It also feels very serial-esque. So who knows-2014 may bring a whole new series from moi. It has been entitled, Apocalypse, and I am quite sure that will change. It is about a mother seeking her daughter during an alien invasion. No, it is not sci-fi, but it is pretty fantasy bent.

My blog has been humming since I started posting stuff about my Christmas stories. This week I posted this and my numbers jumped considerably. Love it when that happens.

And now for the really interesting big news, Maria DeVivo is going to be on Writer Groupie TOMORROW! Maria as you will remember is the awesome author who was our guest with her book, The Coal Elf. Tune in at Writer Groupie here and have a listen. 10 PM Central Standard Time Friday night.

If you still haven't gotten your copy of An Unexpected Performance, I have to tell you, you are missing out!




Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Murderers...I am getting the house all dolled up for the holidays. Great things are a'cooking up here too!

Thanksgiving then and now

I was going over my list of things I am thankful for, and one of the top most often prayed over is this site. I love this site and am so thankful for it and the great friendships it has brought. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all those things that you received from the hands of others, and all the ways life has been a blessing to you. As you ponder, don't forget the Cyber Pals you have gained.

When I chose Thursdays as my day to post, I never anticipated being the "turkey" for this time of the year. But there ya have it. I get the Thanksgiving post.

I have celebrated a lot of stuff over the years, like this post (click to read) Thanksgiving 2008 and it has been like a kickoff to the year to come.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Soon, I will be bringing you a new book, (Click for more info) Loran Rudder and the Secret Key is on its final round, and over the last few days has even gotten a cover. (no, I am not revealing yet!) -- so that is something to look forward to in the weeks to come.

I will do this time as I did back in 2008- and bring you tidbits and tasties about the making of the book over the next few weeks. SO don't eat too much this holiday--save room for dessert!

God bless you and keep you.

Happy Thanksgiving -Murderers!

Introducing Kim Smith, founding member of Mb4

So, here I am, how ya like me now?

Something big rises. It stirs the darkness. The occupants in the room feel it pressing against their shoulders, crushing them beneath its weight. Four inhabitants of the swirling creative gases stand together.

That's really how it felt back in February of 2008 when I started this blog with my three buddies, and together we birthed Murder by 4.

At that time, we were all into mystery, suspense, and thrillers. We knew there were few blogs geared specifically to a genre at that time, and our idea was a great one. Mb4 took off and has never looked back.

We've made changes through the years -- but you, dear Murderer has always known you would find us here. I, personally, have been talking to you for nearly five years now. That's longer than some marriages last!

But because of the recent addition of Dora, (isn't she just precioussssss, Murderers?-oh no you don't- no biting-we need her)- and a wealth of new readers on the blog, I am posting this week as if I were a new member.

Some of you have no idea about me, who I am, what I do, how I love the taste of blood...ha.

Back in 2008, I was just releasing the first book of my mystery series, Avenging Angel, book one of the Shannon Wallace Mysteries I called it a cozy, but truthfully, it is more of a New Adult zany mystery. Shannon is a recent college grad looking to situate herself in the career market. She loses her first real job and when her boss is murdered, well, she takes off on an adventure that will make you laugh out loud. Very much in the vein of Janet Evanovich.



Avenging Angel by Kim Smith
I also started up a radio show called INTRODUCING WRITERS (still archived out there). It garnered great author guests(Charlotte Hughes, Katherine Center, Robin Burcell, etc) and a ton of great books were presented to my fans and followers. But after a couple of years of hosting the show, Shannon and Dwayne were slapping my muse around and I realized that I hadn't written anything in a long time. I held shows nearly every night. It was grueling and a bit devastating to my writing career. So, I stopped the show.

In the following years, Shannon and her sidekick, Dwayne, get into two more books, Buried Angel


and Crooked Angel


making a whole trilogy of their adventures. You can still get them, Murderers. They are on Amazon. I also penned A Will to Love, Love Waltzes In, and a slew of short stories.

I guess you could say I was in transition. Something new stirred in the darkness. My heart longed to follow after a different love. I called it my first love, because the very first book I ever penned was a YA fantasy. At least, Victoria Strauss told me so, waaaaaay back in the early 2000s when I first started writing.

Confession time. When the light pierced the darkness, and Murder by 4 really took notice by such greats as WD's 101 Best Sites, and the blog was going great guns, I silently switched genres.

I published a YA fantasy, A Mirror in Time, but lost the publisher who closed her doors. I did what so many indie published authors have had to do. I rewrote the book, re-covered it, and self-published it. http://www.amazon.com/An-Unexpected-Performance-Kim-Smith/dp/1484887514 An Unexpected Performance was born.


Blurb:
A drama award, a theatrical mirror, and two teens destined to be great actors. If they can survive their part in ... An Unexpected Performance.

I also started up a new radio show. Writer Groupie is alive and well, and in the new year will be looking for guests. I host my shows on Friday nights at 10 PM CST.

I have a new website, with a shiny new blog as well, at Kim Smith, author -- I hope you will take time to check it out. I post mini-podcasts about once a week, talking about sorts of subjects.

Some things never change, Murderers, and the fact that I am here, posting, back in the saddle as it were, is one of them. You will get a new book from me in 2014, as Loran Rudder and the Secret Key is about to be born. I have several short stories as well, one is free on my website, for you, if you choose to get it. It's a weird experimental thing called Anenome Hanks.

I don't know what the future holds for this blog, or my writing life, (I am not THAT good, pal)- but one thing is for sure--it will be interesting. I believe it will be stellar. After all, we are Mb4-after all.

I hope you will hang around to find out!

_____________________________________________



Steal this banner!


Kim Smith is the author of Ten Tips for Getting that Book Written, a tiny tome to tweak your muse and get you in the writing chair. A founding member of Mb4, an exciting voice in the writing community, Kim has penned tons of articles about writing and the writing life. She has six books in print and ebook, including the wildly popular Shannon Wallace Series. She can be found every day on her website and blog at http:/www.kimsmithauthor.com-on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/mkimsmith and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/mkimsmith or @mkimsmith- she also has a tumblr and linkdin account as well as her writing appears on wattpad pretty regularly. She welcomes your interest in Writer Groupie radio show you can email her to be a guest at kim smith@ kim smith author dot com (no spaces)

Ten Tips for Getting that Book Written

My little booklet, (40 pages is not even a short story probably!), Ten Tips for Getting That Book Written was on free download over the first part of the week. (I figured since Monday was a holiday for most people, it might be a good time to offer it for free.) -- anyway! It was downloaded 383 times, rocketed to NUMBER ONE on the Top 100 free under Writing Skills books -- and it made it to number 5 under writing motivational books.

Whew.

I was too thrilled to get so many downloads. I didn't realize it would net me a POSITION!

So, if you are a new fan or friend, if you are a new reader, etc... thank you very much!

If you haven't gotten yours yet, it is still a measly $1.50 to get.

I would love some reviews, Murderers. Get on in there on Amazon and LEAVE A REVIEW!!

Ten Tips link

Ten Tips for Getting that Book Written

Are you looking for some motivation to get in the writing chair? Maybe looking for a way to keep your focus and get that book written? Today I have something for you.

I have just released a new little booklet called, TEN TIPS FOR GETTING THAT BOOK WRITTEN and I think it may be just the ticket for those of you looking for something to light a fire under you.

It has ten tips, AND bonus materials in it.

Plus, and this is the best thing of all, it is only $1.50 !!!

Check it out here at the buy link :

http://www.amazon.com/Tips-Getting-that-Written-ebook/dp/B00DK0TGQQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372242831&sr=8-1&keywords=ten+tips+for+getting+that+book 

Is that really necessary?

I have been editing my WIP, Loran Rudder and the Secret Key, for months now. For me, edits two through four are the longest and hardest. I am only on two.

I am looking for unnecessary verbiage. I mean, get this, I spoke about a character waking up from "dreamless sleep". I know I have read that same sort of sentence in a lot of books, but really, is that necessary?

Let's consider:

If you are waking up from a dreamless sleep, that means there was nothing in the sleep to talk about. It was formless, void of anything. (I have those a lot so I definitely know about that.)

If it is imperative that the reader know that your character woke up (since them NOT waking would mean they are dead, depends on the story) you could just talk about them waking and stretching, but is the dreamless sleep something that is important? Unless they are having nightmares that are leading them to finding corpses, I mean, then the dreamless sleep might serve a high priority purpose!


Maybe I am just over thinking this but, how much of our writing is just blather? I know we all do some of this "unnecessary" stuff. How many times I have found myself repeating the same thing in a long paragraph? A million of times. It's like I cannot get my brain to accept that I JUST said that.

Want an example?

She woke from a dreamless sleep and stretched. The alarm never went off which meant she was late. The formless dream had meant she slept well, but that wouldn't help her with the boss. He was a stickler for punctuality. She rolled out of bed and tried to recall any part of her  nighttime mind. She couldn't recall anything. No dreams had been there. She'd know if she'd dreamt anything.

Well, okay so that is not a great example but really, those are pretty obvious two by fours you are pounding the reader over the head with.

Happy Thursday, Murderers. Stop that unnecessary stuff and get on with that story!

An Unexpected Performance by Kim Smith

I am very proud to present to you my latest book, and it's cover art reveal. I worked really hard on this artwork, let me tell you. My good friends here on Mb4 and family members all gave opinions and ideas.

I have never done cover art before so this was a real chance to figure out how it is done. It is also the best way to find out what looks good and what doesn't BEFORE it is set in stone.

I also have now broken ground as a self-publisher. I have this book and a serial short story (YA) up at Amazon (THE FIRST INSTALLMENT IS FREE THIS WEEKEND!!) and finally have all the info available on "how to do" it. Believe me, it is NOT as easy as some would have you think. But honestly, it shouldn't be easy. It should be RIGHT, and there is a clear difference.

Thank you to all my fans and followers who have been with me through the entire deal, and so here now, I present to you, An Unexpected Performance.

go buy it here : Amazon Kindle and in print

And don't forget, I have an Amazon author page, if you want to go out and read about me, the books, etc. I would love it if you buy the book if you would leave me a review. It helps so much for ranking on the site. 

Editing: Be Brief

Being brief in your writing is very important in this world of ours and its "catch me quickly" attitude. I mean, come on. Twitter anyone? 140 characters and that's all folks.

So, how do you know when you are NOT being brief? Well, by using words that are not necessary. Sometimes I think we repeat ourselves and don't even realize it. Like saying, the blood pooled around the body and in the next sentence or two talk about how the blood around the body had made the carpet   wet or how it looked like a blood bathtub, outlining the corpse. Isn't that basically the same thing? Couldn't you say it all in one sentence?

Podcast do-over

All that talk a few weeks ago about podcasts gave me the bug to do one again. Okay, so sue me. I know I must be nuts. I booked the entire group of shows I wanted to do for April in 24 hours. Go figure. But wait, that's a good thing, right?

I hope to think so.