Judgment Trailer

The day of Judgment is coming. Take a peek at the trailer to find out what the fourth and final book in the Deck of Lies series has in store for you...

Check the blog every day this weekend for announcements about Judgment (Deck of Lies, #4), and get the book as soon as it's released!  

Books on Film: Miracle on 34th Street

The holiday season is a special time of year, and plenty of writers have used that to their advantage. Stories about Santa Claus, believing and the holiday spirit are always going to be popular. But few are destined to gain the sort of love and popularity enjoyed by Miracle on 34th Street, one of my all-time favorites. You've probably seen the movie, but what do you know about the book?

The Book

Valentine Davies wrote Miracle on 34th Street in 1947, as a companion novelette for the film released the same year. It was actually published by 20th Century Fox, who also made the film, but it's managed to stand on its own and has sold millions of copies. The book introduces readers to Doris Walker, a rather cold career woman who works for Macy's. She's managing personnel for the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and must fire the Santa Claus she's hired at the last minute when he turns up drunk. She hires bystander Kris to take his place, an elderly gentleman who looks the part. He's so good in the parade that Toy Department head Mr. Shellhammer suggests that Kris play the department store's in-house Santa for the duration of the holiday season. Kris accepts the job and goes to work at Macy's, on 34th Street in New York City. 

Doris has a daughter, 6-year-old Susan, who has been raised in a world without fairy tales, dreams or fantasies. Doris doesn't believe in illusions; apparently she already got her fill of them with her former husband (Susan's father). Once the parade is over she goes to fetch Susan from the apartment of Fred Gailey, a lawyer who lives in the same building, and he manages to wrangle an invite to Thanksgiving dinner with Susan's help. Gailey is single, Doris is pretty, and he's hoping the dinner will only be the beginning.

The dinner goes well, but Doris's next workday does not. It seems that Kris thinks he actually is Santa Claus, like the real one, and this is cause for concern. He is taken to Macy's company psychologist Albert Sawyer, who takes an immediate dislike to Kris. Meanwhile, Kris has managed to strike up a friendship with Fred Gailey, and together the two of them plan to unthaw Doris and Susan. Gailey will work on opening Doris's icy heart, and Kris will teach Susan how to be a child with an imagination she's not afraid to use. 

But Sawyer proves to be a fly in the ointment. He manages to get Kris committed to Bellevue, the famed insane asylum, without Doris's knowledge. Gailey signs on as his lawyer in order to prove that he's sane and get him out of the place. 

Gailey comes up with a truly unique defense. Instead of finding a way to prove that the man who calls himself Kris Kringle is sane, he decides to prove -- in a court of law, mind you -- that Kris actually is Santa Claus. And maybe he is. It's the holiday season, and anything's possible...as Susan will learn at the end of the story.

The Film

The story beautifully comes to life on film, which makes since as the book was created to complement the movie. Natalie Wood stars as the adorable Susan, Maureen O'Hara is gorgeous as Doris, and Edmund Gwenn is Kris Kringle/Santa Claus. He was so good in the role, young Wood actually thought he was Santa, and the Academy agreed. He won an Oscar in the role.

The movie opens with Kris window-shopping on Thanksgiving, where he corrects a store clerk who has put the reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh in the wrong positions. The audience is this taken into the bustling middle of the parade, where Doris is putting out several different fires. We know at once that she's a strong, capable career gal. We find out soon that she's also a single mother who does her best to keep her daughter firmly grounded in reality.

My favorite scene occurs early in the film, when Gailey takes Susan to Macy's to visit Santa. She matter-of-factly tells him that she doesn't want anything for Christmas -- "whatever I need, my mother will buy me, if it's sensible and doesn't cost too much." But when he speaks fluent Dutch and sings a song with a little girl who believes he is Santa, even Susan is touched. I just love it. Another great moment comes later in the film, during the trial, which is filled with absolutely fabulous moments. One of the best is when Gailey calls the prosecutor's own son to the witness stand to testify that Santa does, indeed, exist -- "because my daddy told me so." I adore trial scenes, and the one in this flick is worth watching again and again.

What Got Adapted?

Very little changes from book to film in this one, for obvious reasons. As the story goes, it was originally written around 1944. Davies later adapted the work when Fox thought it would make a great screenplay, and she worked on both the novel and the script with other Fox writers.

The AFI ranks the original film in their Top Ten of classic American films, and it's part of the National Film Registry. Several remakes of the movie do exist, but the 1947 version is still the best by a country mile. Now is the season to watch it, so go and watch it! This story is a delight, both on the page and on the screen.

Cover Reveal: Judgment

The fourth and final book in the Deck of Lies series, Judgment, is nearly here! The book will be available in online bookstores soon. Now, you'll know what to look for. The cover has been officially revealed!

Cashing Out

Do I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

How can I, when the truth will destroy us all? Now that I've started telling lies, I can't stop. Not until all this is over, and I'm free of the family that never felt like mine. Maybe it's wrong. Maybe I'm a bad person.

But it's definitely the only way I'm ever going to escape them. I have to take this opportunity to end things between us once and for all, no matter what it takes.

Don't I?

And here's a little taste of Judgment (Deck of Lies, #4). You won't find this brief excerpt anywhere else! 

“It’s fine, Rain,” Asher assured me maybe four minutes later. He’d excused himself to leave the room, no doubt to talk to media outside the courthouse, and arrived looking loose and relaxed. At least someone was having a good time. “Warren loves to showboat and grandstand, but he’s never won a case in a head-to-head against me.”

“This isn’t a boxing match,” I answered woodenly. My eyes were still glued to the judge’s bench, though she’d retired to the little room where she hid when court wasn’t in session. I didn’t dare look to the jury; I didn’t know what I would find there if I did.

“You’re wrong about that,” Asher answered. He was actually smiling as he double-checked to make sure his cufflinks were in place and his tie was perfectly straight. He had his briefcase open, and I caught him checking his hair in a tiny mirror secured to the inside corner before he closed it. “It is a boxing match, and you’ve got the better man on your side. Just wait and see,” he added.

Asher came to his feet like he knew the bailiff would choose that moment to enter. The judge followed, and within a minute the court settled down into uneasy silence. Graham Warren’s speech had left its mark on them all.

It was Asher’s job to undo all that work.

“Court is resumed,” the judge tapped her gavel. “Mr. von Shelton, we are now prepared to hear your opening statement.”

Act one of my drama continued as Asher swept gracefully to the center of the room. His brown hair gleamed under the lights, and his light blue silk tie perfectly brought out the golden, tanned tone of his skin.

Check the blog every day this weekend for announcements about Judgment (Deck of Lies, #4), and get the book as soon as it's released! 

Writing 101: Food in Books

Food and books go well together. When you're nice and full from your Thanksgiving feast, there's nothing as sweet as curling up with a good book. They seem to encourage snacking, and sometimes a book is so good it's difficult to pull one's eyes away to bother with looking at dinner. Why not cut right to it, and add food directly into your books? 

Even Characters Have to Eat

Everybody eats. It's one of the universal truths that ties all human beings together. I live in Kentucky, in the United States, and passionately love books and basketball. But when it comes to food, I'm not so different from the boy working on a farm that has no electricity in Asia  -- because I eat it, too. And that brings us right back to why you want to add food to your books. 

• Realism

Anything that makes your characters feel more real to readers is a good thing, and there's nothing like food to do that for you. Have your character eating pizza with friends or stopping at the fast food burger joint; we've all done that, so we can all relate. Use food to help me relate to your characters, because it'll work. 

• Descriptive writing

Food also allows you to be really descriptive, and that's exactly what you want your writing to be.  Describe the smell, the texture, the taste. Put me right there in that moment -- in that booth, eating pizza. Put me at the dinner table, cutting into the steak. 

• Introduce something new

Books allow readers to go to new places, to meet new people...to try new things. Why can't one of those things be food? It can be exciting to read about a food that I've never tasted, to learn about some new dish. I read one book that actually gave me a recipe, and I was delirious about it. I went straight into the kitchen once I got to the end of the chapter, no kidding. Use food to give your readers something new and different, and it will make your writing more memorable and enjoyable.

 Food and Books

Add food to your books, and your readers will eat it up (pun intended). It brings more flavor to the page, and your fans will end up being hungry for more of your writing. I could do this all day, but now I'm the one getting hungry. So think about ways to add more food to your writing while you're eating today, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Writing 101: Getting Exposure

Exposure is the best way to sell books, because if people can't find you they definitely can't buy. As a self-published author, you've probably got accounts on all those social media sites. You may already have a blog, even a website, to promote your writing and your books. But there's more you can start doing if you want to start getting exposure.

Becoming Noticeable

Blogging and staying active in social media, particularly book-centric sites like Goodreads, is a great way to get exposure for yourself as an author and by extension, your books. But you can always take things up to the next level, too. 

First, you've got to identify what sort of author you are. If you write in a specific genre, you've got a good starting point. If you're a short story author, you're already ahead of the game. 

Expose Yourself

Writing articles for magazines, professional blogs and literary journals is a great way to get exposure among a reading audience. But your stuff is only going to get published if it's really good, and it's only going to help you if you go about it in the right way.  

Here's what you have to do: start thinking about topics that are relevant to your books and your writing. For example, I like to write mystery-romance books. I might write an article about real crimes involving couples who were once romantically linked. Maybe I'll call it Jilted: Real Crimes of Passion. Exciting, right? 

That's the whole point. If you write about erotica, maybe you'll come up with an article about safe sex toys, or how to practice bondage in a safe way, or maybe how to find like-minded sexual partners. If you write children's books, an article about the important of youth literacy might be in order, or maybe something scholarly about how creativity is essential in child development.

If you're going to write articles, write them the right way. Use AP style and write in an engaging, informative tone. If you have a specific website in mind for your submission, read other articles on that site to get a feel for the tone they like. Cite your resources, cite your statistics, cite your quotes. Include an About the Author box! If readers can't find you, all this effort isn't doing any good. Offer your articles for free. They're more likely to get published if they're good and there are no strings attached, and the promotion you'll get in return is well worth the time and effort it takes to write the article. You don't need additional compensation.

Writing non-fiction articles just isn't for everyone, and even the most creative novelists struggle with simple newspaper copy. You can always write short stories, or submit your own short stories, instead. It's best if your short stories are in the same genre as the book you'd like to promote (because if readers like your stories, they're more likely to buy a book that's similar). Always include an About the Author box with the submission, and don't forget to include the contact information to help readers find you. 

Writing 101: Writing an Author Bio

Every author has to have a bio somewhere, sometime, for something. Just about every website is going to want one, bloggers are bound to ask, and even Amazon expects you to write a little something about yourself when you self-publish your book. 

Who Am I? 

It's a little task, and for many authors it's terrifying. What does one say about oneself? The author bio is another little piece of promotion, and it shouldn't be overlooked. I've literally purchased books based on the strength of an author bio. You want to come up with something standard to use, 50 to 150 words, that is interesting but professional, attention-getting but low-key, suggestive without being pushy...and written in the third person. 

It's a whole lot to ask for, and frankly I find it to be one of the more undesirable tasks that come with being an author. Some people can afford to hire publicists to do this sort of thing for them, but the self-published author has got to write their own bio. Keep a few points in mind while you're working to write a good one. 

About...

There are several standard items that traditionally go into an author bio. Lots of authors mention where they live, their credentials and what they write about. This might look something like this:

S. P. Author makes her home in Boulder, Colorado, where she writes about murders every day. After spending ten years as a private investigator, Author turned her attention to crimes that happen on the page. 

See how interesting that is? Yet the first part of the bio really only gave you the information outlined above: location, credentials, genre. Now, round your author bio out a little, doing your very best to grab the reader's attention. How? By telling them what, specifically, you've got to offer. Adding to the bio we started above, this next bit might look something like this:

S. P. Author has published five mystery novels told from the gritty perspective of a private eye who observes no rules when it comes to solving cases. Visit her blog at spauthorwrites.com for real-life crime stories, excerpts from the books and reviews of mystery novels in all genres.

Now you know even more: this author writes serial mysteries starring a lone investigator, like many of the great mystery writers of the past, and she blogs. You know more about what the author has to offer, and where you can go to get it.

The bio is right around 80 words so far. Finish it up with something colorful if you like to make a lasting impression. Adding on to the bio above, it might end with something like: 

Follow @SAuthorClues to find out why some books are worth killing for.

It's sort of tantalizing, and the author's Twitter is getting a mention, to boot. Now the entire bio is just under 100 words, which is a perfectly manageable size, and it's got all the important information in it. But it's still interesting, and reads well. It's professional, but maybe just a little provocative, too. This is the tone you'll want to strike, but adapt it to suit your own audience. I write mysteries, so naturally I tend toward something a bit dark and cryptic. If you write comedies, be a little bit more funny. If you write romances, be a little bit more suggestive or sweet. If you write children's books, put a little more emphasis on your credentials and think like a parent; they're the ones who will be reading your blurb, not the children you target with your stories.

Writing an author bio can be stressful, but it's still possible to come up with a good one. Be objective, be professional, and add all the important information. Polish it up so it reads well and looks perfect, and save it! You'll end up needing a bio in many different places, so keep it where you get at it easily.

Writing 101: Press Releases

Why do some books succeed, where others fail? A lot of professionals say it's all in the marketing. When it comes to budget, the big publishing houses probably have the advantage over you as a self-published author. But you are your own best possible advocate. And when it comes to gumption, you've got the marketing edge. Use it well by creating press releases. It's totally free for you to do so.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye

Press releases are created for any number of events, products and people, but only for one reason: promotion. Think of it as a text-based advertisement. Instead of moving video or a stunning graphic image, you're using words, and only words, to sway the audience. Many authors excel at writing press releases because they are completely word-based.

Any writer can figure out how to write a press release, because they all follow a pretty simple formula. Master the formula, and then start working on your rhetoric.

All press releases begin with the line For Immediate Release. It's put in bold, and sometimes it's written in all caps. Beneath this, write the headline of your press release. It should read like a newspaper headline -- exciting and to the point. On the first paragraph, the press release begins with a city and state, country, and complete date. After this pertinent information is given, there is a dash ( - ) and the text of the press release begins on the first line.

This first paragraph ought to serve as a brief introduction, outlining the most relevant information. When you're writing a press release to promote your books, what's the relevant information? Are you announcing the release of the book, announcing a giveaway maybe? The date of the event is relevant, as is the name of the book and of the author. If you have a blog or you've written other books, this information may be relevant, too. A press release for me might read as follows:

For Immediate Release

Author Visits Blank Bookstore to Read, Sign Books

Topeka, KS, USA, November 20, 2012 - Jade Varden, author of the Deck of Lies series, will be appearing this weekend to give a public reading at the Blank Bookstore on Fifth Avenue. The author will stay for three hours after the reading to sign books, which will be available for purchase in the store. 

In the next paragraph, you'll want to start elaborating. Using the example above, I'd go on to elaborate on the Deck of Lies series. How many books are in it? What's it about? When writing a press release, always remember that you're trying to sell something. Make it exciting, fill it with verbs, and make sure it isn't boring. The second paragraph of a press release for a book launch might read as follows:

Gravity tells the tale of Reeva, a fairy girl who was separated from her own family as an infant. She's been raised among the humans, but she is not a human. When the world she was born to collides with the world where she was raised, Reeva will have to use all her skills to save the ones she loves. There's only one thing that might keep her from realizing her full potential: Gravity.

The third paragraph should add even more elaboration, except this is where you start to make it personal. If you want your press release to be a success, you want to create some sort of emotion in your readers. Make them love you. Make them hate you. Make them act. This is where you'll want to point out what's unique or special about your event. Why is this book release or event important? Why do I care? Will I get some special edition of the book if I buy it right now, or through the author's website? Will I get an electronically signed copy? Example:

S. P. Author is a trained teacher who worked with children for years before creating Gravity, a book about finding oneself even when it means breaking all the rules. To celebrate the release of Gravity, Author is giving away 100 signed copies of the book free on her website. New followers who sign up between November 20 and November 30 will be eligible for the giveaway. 

Beneath all the text that compels readers to act, you must include contact information to make the press release complete. Usually this information is preceded by the line For More Information and then the information, like visit S. P. Author's website at spauthorswebsite.com. 

You may want to include an "About" section at the very bottom of the press release. This is a standard bio box that will provide a little extra information about the author of the book or the book itself.

Press releases and any About sections must be written in the third person. That means you never use the word "I" or "me." You should also write formally, meaning that you never address the reader directly; do not use the word "you" at any time. Keep the release short, no longer than 500 words including all text and headings.

Need help? Download press release templates to keep yourself on track while you're writing your marketing materials. Find samples of press releases in order to absorb the right tone and style.

When you're done and your press release is absolutely perfect, submit it to press release sites like prleap.com, prweb.com or pr.com. You may also wish to send copies to your local newspapers and news blogs, along with sites that specialize in book news and/or indie book news.

Press releases help you spread the work about your books, and spreading the word is what marketing is all about. It does take extra time and effort, but well-written press releases give your book a little extra professionalism and may even bring you some extra readers.

Books on Film: Nancy Drew

Even if you haven't read the books, or seen the movies, you've heard the name Nancy Drew. She's a famous book detective, and through the years she's been edited, adapted and re-packaged endlessly so she can keep on being relevant. And it's worked, because we all still know who she is -- and she's been a teenager since the 1930s.

The Books

Nancy Drew was born on the page in 1930, to be exact, with The Secret of the Old Clock. This first book spawned an entire series that's going on 83 years old. The many, many books in the series are written under the name Carolyn Keene, a person who does not exist. Several ghostwriters have been responsible for crafting Nancy's adventures over the years.

Ghostwriters were also used to change those stories. Nancy underwent her first big re-branding in 1959, to eliminate racist stereotypes and other subject matter that didn't make for appropriate reading in those times of Civil Rights. Drew changed again in the 1980s, becoming a bit older and more professional in her detective endeavors. The entire original series wasn't ended until 2004, when Nancy Drew re-emerged under the Girl Detective mystery series. She's way more PC in this version, and even drives an electric car (gas is in the past, kids). 

Despite all the changes, or maybe because of them, Nancy has remained highly popular among YA readers through the years More than 80 million books featuring her have been sold around the world. She's also appeared in no less than 5 feature-length films, two TV shows and more computer games than you can shake a mouse at.

She began as a 16-year-old amateur sleuth bent on solving mysterious crimes. Later, she became 18 years old. Nancy lives in River Heights (which does not exist) with her father Carson Drew, a successful lawyer. Housekeeper Hannah provides the mothering influence that Nancy needs, as she lost her biological mother when she was very young. In the original stories, Nancy's mom left the picture when she was 10. Later, Nancy was 3 when her mother died. Nancy also has a love interest, Ned Nickerson, who goes to Emerson College.

Nancy Drew has a truly mind-boggling array of skills. In addition to being beautiful, she speaks French, knows how to drive boats, paints and understands the intricate workings of the human mind. She also swims, sews, cooks, plays golf and tennis, rides horses, dances like a pro, knows first aid and, of course, plays bridge (some sort of card game). She also has a seemingly inexhaustible income, and usually tools around in a blue convertible. All this, in spite of the fact that she doesn't accept money for her detecting efforts. Solving the crime is more than compensation enough for Nancy Drew.

Most of the Nancy Drew books written between 1930 and 1959 were penned by a woman named Hannah Gruen, herself a very self-confident and self-possessed independent woman. She drew some flak for making Nancy too assertive and confident, and interjected lines throughout the book where Nancy is talking "sweetly" or "kindly" to people to tone down her perceived abrasive nature. Harriet Adams took charge of the series in 1959, going through all the books to make the needed changes to eliminate racism.

The books are somewhat formulaic in nature, but no less enjoyable for it. Each revolves around a specific mystery, upon which Nancy stumbles accidentally or has been asked to solve by some other character. She sometimes has help with these mysteries, but invariably ends up solving every clue herself. She's pretty and she's stylish, but Nancy isn't afraid to go anywhere, do anything or confront anyone. She always has a flashlight within easy reach, and thinks nothing of creeping through cellars or climbing around attics. A cursory nod to character development is given, and if you read the series you'll notice new developments in the lives of the people who surround Nancy Drew.

Several new series were created to re-introduce Nancy over the years, including The Nancy Drew Files and Nancy Drew on Campus. Nancy broke up with Ned during this series, and became the leading lady of Girl Detective in 2003. She's been through many changes over the years in the literary world, but Nancy Drew has been adapted several times on the screen as well.

The Movies

Actress Bonita Granville became Nancy Drew in four different Warner Bros. films during the 1930s. The stories became more comedy than mystery, and the self-assured Nancy of the early books became vapid and silly on the silver screen. Ned's name was changed to Ted for reasons unknown. These films are very hard to find, but you can sometimes see them on TCM. 

Nancy came to the small screen in the 1970s, this time played by actress Pamela Sue Martin (and later, when Pamela left, by Janet Louise Johnson). This Nancy was more assertive and bold, more like the original storybook Nancy, but arguably didn't look a thing like the character described on the page. Tracy Ryan played Nancy in a very brief 1995 TV series, and she didn't really look like Nancy either.

Nancy Drew languished in film obscurity until 2007, when Warner Bros. produced a fairly big-budget, highly promoted film version of the classic stories. Emma Roberts played Nancy, who was moved into the modern era. The adaptation does take a few tongue-in-cheek moments to poke fun at the long history of the Nancy Drew series, but in this version she's back to being very smart and less concerned about romance, more like the 1930s version of the character. Rumor has it that Roberts has already agreed to appear in the sequel.

In this version, Nancy has recently moved, temporarily, with her father Carson from River Heights. And because she's Nancy, she picked a rental house with its own built-in mystery. It's the former home of a somewhat obscure film star, Dehlia Draycott, who was mysteriously murdered (some sources say that the character was based on Natalie Wood, a well-known actress who did become the victim of a still-unsolved crime). But Carson doesn't approve of Nancy's sleuthing, and hopes that she'll become more "normal" while living in California. 

That's not who Nancy is. She ends up throwing herself into the mystery wholeheartedly, as usual, and begins to unravel all the clues. Nancy's blue car is featured in the flick, as is love interest Ned.

What Got Adapted?

Arguably, the 2007 movie makes fun of Nancy. She "likes old-fashioned things," and doesn't dress like anyone else (because she's really from the 30s). She's very smart when it comes to sleuthing, but seems to lack common sense in all other areas. And she's socially awkward, something the real Nancy Drew never was even through all her changes and re-vamping. The real Nancy makes friends easily and often draws admiration from others. Her friends George and Bess have completely disappeared, something that's sure to upset longtime Nancy fans, and much of the movie focuses on how weird and different she is -- when we all know that Nancy is highly adaptable. She's known for it.

That said, it's a really fun, cute movie, and Emma Roberts is adorable as Nancy Drew. There are definitely elements of the original books in the movie, and there's certainly a mystery to be solved if you look hard enough for it. Ned's a cutie, Nancy's new friend is absolutely delightful on screen, and there's even a cameo from Roberts family friend Bruce Willis (it pays to be related to Julia). So if you haven't seen it, see it! When you're done, read all 200-plus Nancy Drew books, and see if you think the film adaptation is an appropriate modern update for the long-running franchise.