Sneak Peek: Cover Photo for the Mystery Novel Fame Comes to Three Forks

In addition to copywriting and ghostwriting content for several clients, I am also an aspiring novelist. In fact, if all goes according to plan, I will be releasing the first FIFTEEN of my novels sometime between October 1st and October 15th this coming fall! 

I write in five main genres: cozy mystery, supernatural romance, YA horror, Sci-fi fantasy, and international intrigue/thriller. So, I will be releasing the first three novels of  each series in each genre by October 15, 2016. 

I will be posting more details in the coming months, but right now the plan is for the first novel in each series to be offered to readers for free! 

I will also be posting some links in a couple of weeks or so that will let you, the reader, subscribe to my new upcoming author newsletter where you will get advance notice of release dates for books, tour dates, as well as free bonus material! 

At the moment, ALL 15 novels are actually complete, but they are undergoing the first round of proofing and revisions. There is still a lot of work to be done, but I am so excited at how everything is finally coming together! So excited, in fact, that I thought I would share with you the proposal for the cover for my first cozy mystery novel!

A big shout out and thank you goes to my friend, Tony Mazzara, photographer extraordinaire and fellow horror writer. You can learn more about Tony's work over on his Facebook page: Horror by Design. If you are looking for a photographer for your book covers, or other work, I can not recommend him enough!

The title of this novel is "Fame Comes to Three Forks - Jonah Edwards Mystery #1." This mystery is the first in a series of books about the misadventures of detective Jonah Edwards. The stories are set in a fictional small town located in far southwest Virginia. I won't spoil the plot of the novel for you, but, the photo is of one of the central characters in the book.

So, dear readers, tell me what do you think? Do you like the image on the cover? What about the actual title of the book? Do the image and title make you want to learn more? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

My Entry for Round 2 of the 2015 NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge Uncomfortable

I made it to the second round of the competition. For this round, I was given heat 11, genre: romance, location:statue, object: a donut and word limit: 1,000 words.

My entry title: Uncomfortable.

Brief Synopsis: As head of security for The Met, Jack Sullivan naturally feels a bit uncomfortable when he discovers that his ex-wife Kate will be leading the police's investigation into the attempted theft of a statue. Will his discomfort lead to more painful encounters with his ex, or will it prove to be a fertile ground in which to sow the seeds of romance?

As with my first entry, I used a real place, and a real statue for the setting and location of my story, but both are used fictitiously. None of the characters in my story are based on any real persons that have existed at any real point and place in time.

This story is copyrighted by me, and no one has permission to use my story, in part or in whole, without my prior express written permission, except for a short excerpt used to conduct a review of the story. 

Please read my story and let me know what you think in the comments section below. I especially desire to receive any specific suggestions for how I can improve my writing skills and the story overall. 

Uncomfortable

By Lyn Brooks

Jack scowled as he stood; staring at the display case, examining it for any sign that would explain why the alarm had gone off, again. All of the statues were undisturbed and in their places. There were not any obvious marks on the glass, and nothing was missing, again.

Jack swallowed the last bite of his stale donut that he held in his left hand, and raised the flimsy paper cup that he carried in his right to his mouth, grimacing at the bitter taste of the hours old coffee. He crumpled the now empty cup in his fist as he wheeled around on his heels to walk back to his office and await the arrival of the police. As director of security for The Met, there had been too many early mornings and late nights over the last few years for Jack Sullivan's liking.

He stopped making his way forward when his eyes caught a hint of movement. It had come from the shadows that gathered near the base of one of the temple pillars that marked the entrance to the exhibit. His mind began to race, had he actually stumbled upon his would be burglar?

Jack's feelings of fear and apprehension turned to aggravation. The scowl returned to his face as he saw a familiar figure walking towards him. It was Kate, Detective Kate Sullivan.

With her petite frame, overly sharp, angular features and brown hair that was more prone to kinks and frizz than genuine curls, she was not what Jack or most other men would have considered beautiful in the typical sense. Still, as Jack well knew, Kate had a way of capturing a man's attention when she talked with him and looked at him. Her emerald green eyes sparkled when she met a man's gaze. They were always shining, as though she was laughing at a secret joke that only she knew. Her rare smile hinted to a man that she might let you in on the secret and share it with you if she liked you.

As Jack had discovered, much to his discomfort, when she had shown up at the scene two nights ago, Kate was in charge of the police's investigation. That meant they were going to be working together, in close proximity, until the would be thief was caught. Jack felt his face flush at that thought. He didn't know if he was irritated, frightened or excited, the sensation made him uncomfortable.

She came to a stop in front of him now, her eyes smiling in laughter. Same old Kate, Jack thought to himself. As his ex-wife it was a forgone conclusion that she didn't like him, and so, would not be sharing anything with him anymore, especially any secrets.

They walked back to the display case in silence and stood side by side looking at the exhibit statues. "You got here quick," he stated dryly.

Kate shrugged her shoulders in response, "I was up already up, when I happened to notice on the clock that it was close to 3. Since the alarms have gone off the past two nights around the same time I thought I would go on ahead and make my way over in case it happened again. Guess my hunch was right."

Jack forced himself not to ask her why she was already up so early, was something, or someone, keeping her from sleeping? He left the question unasked and just nodded as he replied. "I just can't figure out why whoever is doing it would target this particular case. There's nothing particularly valuable in here when you compare it to the other stuff in the Egyptian collection or rest of the museum! It's just Old Kingdom statues and some other odds and ends from 4^th Century Giza."

Kate smiled as she gestured towards a specific statue. It was the royal acquaintances, Memi and Sabu, a married couple. The statues stood together facing them, smiling, Sabu's arm around Memi's waist and Memi returning her embrace, his hand gently resting on her breast, the picture of wedded bliss. "I know they might not be as valuable in terms of price, but I've always been especially fond of this particular statue, Jack."

Jack's eyebrows shot up, silently asking her, why, in reply.

Kate shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't know, I mean, just look at them. Look at how relaxed they appear - and they are carved out of stone! Their very comfort with one another shows! Have you ever seen statues, or living people for that matter, look so happy and content to be standing so close to one another? It's almost erotic."

Kate turned to look up at him and Jack felt his mouth go dry and his heart began to pound. He suddenly became very conscious of the presence of the wadded up cup in his hand and shoved it into his pocket, out of the way. It was Jack's turn to shrug his shoulders now. He bent forward as he nodded his head towards her, "They do look happy, don't they?" He asked gently, almost in a whisper as he extended his arms and hands towards her, "Is that what happened to us, Kate? Were we just not able to relax when we were together and get comfortable?"

Jack's heart tried to hammer its way out of his ribcage as Kate stood there staring silently. Several minutes passed. He had just begun to silently berate himself for being foolish and started to draw back to make a retreat to his office when Kate stretched out her arms towards him and took one tentative step forward.

Looking into one another's eyes, the pair embraced. Jack lowered his face towards Kate's and felt the crackle of electricity as their lips touched. As he pulled back he was relieved to see Kate still smiling up at him as she replied. "I don't know that making each other uncomfortable is such a bad thing."

==================================

Photo is of the painted limestone statue, Royal Acqaintances, Memi and Sabu, c. 2500 BC, Old Kingdom, Giza, 4th Century from The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Collection. From Flickr, The Consortium

Putting an End to the Snark - Speak Life

Each year, fans and critics a like have a lot to say about the talent portion of the Miss America competition. This year was no exception, with many folks either loving, or hating, Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson's original monologue. In it, Johnson raises awareness about the impact of Alzheimer's Disease on both patients and the nurses that care for them. Personally, I thought she did a great job with her speech.

But, the ladies on The View disagreed. Not only did they not like Johnson's speech, they were rather mean, and petty, when expressing their dislike. You can watch a clip of the comments that they made on their show here:

Now, I am not going to waste your time with a rehash of what they said or how I feel about it. Many people have already made their feelings quite well  known. I've seen a lot of great points made by many others, and I think one of the best is a post by Kateri:

An Open Letter to Joy Behar

What I want to focus on in my personal post is this observation: the hyper-critical comments that Behar and the other ladies of The View made are, sadly, nothing new in our public discourse. 

Personally, I've found that the attitude that was expressed on The View in this clip is all to common in our talk shows, news programs and other media. Now, I personally have a sarcastic sense of humor, but even I find this trend towards mocking people that is now found everywhere in our public society to just be snarky and mean spirited, especially when it's women putting other women down - it's just too much.

Maybe it's just me, but in the last few years, we, as a country, have become a lot less civil and polite, and people are just mean and rude so that they can get a laugh, or ratings or whatever. It just seems like the women on The View attacked Johnson because she came across as being a nice and caring human being.  I don't know when it became such a crime in this country for people to be "nice" and try to help others and care for others and to talk about helping others and caring for them. 

So, when I hear comments like those in this clip on The View, I can feel my eyes start to roll up in my head as I think, Why do you have to be so snarky,Women From The View? What do you get out of being so mean and putting someone down?

When I hear others, or even myself, (because as I mentioned before, I can be pretty sarcastic at times), I've learned to take a step back and really listen to the emotion that is underlying and hidden in a smart-alecky, snarky comment. When I take a step back and listen to that emotion behind a mean comment, I am reminded of this scripture in the Holy Bible: 

Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)

"Death and Life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

I think all of us forget that sometimes. Words are powerful. If you believe what is written in the Bible, then you know that the Lord literally spoke the universe into being. Even other religious traditions believe something similar, saying that it was "sung" into existence. 

Many do not realize it, but each of us literally does has the power to manifest things into being simply by speaking them out loud. So, why waste our power? Why say mean, snarky things? Why speak Death? Why not speak Life? 

Don't believe me yet? Let me ask you this question, and really think about it before you answer. Do you think you will have a good or bad day today? Guess what, regardless of which way you answer, you will be right! We each have an uncanny knack for finding what we are looking for. 

So, go out there and find something good, do something good, make it a good day, and speak Life!

It is like that old parable of having two beings inside of us. Some say it's two men, others say it's a wolf and a sheep, it varies depending on the culture and person telling the story. But the gist of it is that each of us has two natures inside of us, two people, a positive one and a negative one - guess which one grows - that's right, the one that you feed the most! So, in the grand scheme of things, why do the women on The View feel as though they have a right to say snarky things? Why is our public discourse becoming so negative and mean spirited? That's right, it's us, we feed the negative, we listen to it and we give it a place in our hearts and minds. 

The good news is that you don't have to continue to live this way. If you've been like me and laughed at, or even said, some mean, snarky things in the past, the good news is that you and I don't have to stay that way. You can stop speaking death, you can start sowing the seeds of life.

It starts with small things, but it starts with a personal decision, a conscious decision to stop speaking death and start speaking life. 

If you are like me, and you are really just sick and tired of all the negativity, I invite you to join me in changing the channel. Not just on the TV, but in every area of your life. Just say no to going negative. Changing the world really is that simple, it begins with changing how we speak to each other and about one another.

Come on, say it out loud with me, No! I am going to stop going there. I am going to start choosing Life. I am going to start looking for the good and I am going to start speaking Life!

It's a bright new day - here is to reaping the harvest of speaking Life!

Photo Credit: Flickr, Matthew Fang

Time Management

Do you have enough time? Yeah, me neither. No matter how well I plan, how early I go to bed, how many lists I make or people I recruit to help me with the various tasks that need to get done each day, I never seem to have enough time. 

One of the reasons why I am chronically short of time is that I am just very busy and have a lot of responsibilities and few resources. Another reason is that I have some chronic, serious and debilitating health concerns that take up a lot of energy, money and time. I am also the world's worst for not saying no and taking on too many responsibilities and putting too many irons in the fire. If I am honest with myself though, I have to admit that one of the real reasons why I am often short of time is that I am a bit of a day dreamer and a procrastinator. In short, my time management skills suck!

I've been a freelance commercial writer for a little over four years now, and aside from being able to write well,  I would have to say that time management is the one other skill that you absolutely must have. Indeed, whether you want to be able to make a living with the income that you earn from your writing or if you just want to be successful in any other area or occupation of your life, time management is probably the most important skill of all to have if you want to be successful.  

Some people seem to be just magically born with the ability to be super-productive because they are somehow blessed with the ability to manage their time. These creatures are always organized and pulled together each day because they somehow intuitively just KNOW how to manage their time. My husband is one of these mythical beings - and it annoys the crap out of me! Almost as much as my daydreaming and procrastination annoy him!

Today, I think I found a solution to my dilemma. Since I know several writers that share in my predicament, that are held back by their inability to manage their time well, I thought I would share the solution:

It is not enough to WANT to be able to manage your time. Good intentions are not enough! To be able to manage your time wisely, you must first LEARN and be TAUGHT, rather than TOLD, how to manage your time. 

Yes, I am talking about the S word - School!

As some of my readers know, I am a big fan of education, especially when it's free. Coursera is currently offering a free class on improving your time management skills. It's called:

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity and is offered by by University of California, Irvine.

I recently had a bad flare of one of my health conditions and fell behind on my work, and so, as a final act of desperation, I thought I would see if there is actually a way to learn how to manage my time more effectively so that I can learn how to get more done each day without working 20+ hour days every day of my life. 

If you are like me and have trouble maintaining your focus, getting and staying organized, or just getting enough things accomplished each day without wanting to pull your hair out at the end, why not sign up and join me? It's free and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain! 

Photo Credit: Flickr: Bobby McKay, catching up. 

My Entry for the 2015 NYC Midnight Flash Fiction Challenge Kate for Jack

I recently entered the NYC Midnight 2015 Flash Fiction Challenge. It will be mid-September before I know how I did, but each of us will receive feedback from at least professional 3 judges, so I think it's a valuable contest, even if one doesn't win.. This is the first flash fiction challenge that I've ever entered. 

For this first round, I was placed into heat 11, and given genre: horror, location: lighthouse, object: walkie talkie and word limit: 1,000 words.

The title of my story is: Kate for Jack.

My synopsis: They say that not even death can stop true love. As a grieving Kate soon finds out, sometimes, it might be best if Love didn't conquer all.

I also want to add that the setting of my story, the Lighthouse at Monhegan, Maine, is a real place, but it is used fictitiously in my story. None of the characters in my story are based on any real persons that have existed at any real point and place in time. 

This story is copyrighted by me, and no one has permission to use my story, in part or in whole, without my prior express written permission, except for a short excerpt used to conduct a review of the story. 

Please read my story and let me know what you think in the comments section below. I especially treasure any specific suggestions for how I can improve my writing skills and the story overall.

Kate for Jack

By Lyn Brooks

Kate pulled the tower door closed and walked out onto the narrow and rusting iron platform. 200 feet above sea level, counting the hill, she had a perfect view of the harbor. She grasped the railing with her left hand as she looked out towards the horizon. The sun was just beginning to set, turning the Atlantic's icy blue waves into gold.

Below her, she could hear the bell-like laughter of children interspersed with the drone of adults' idle chit chat. Tourists came to Monhegan to ramble over the isolated Island's pristine nature trails. With some luck, they might see a flock of endangered birds, or a whale, before stopping by to visit the lighthouse turned museum.

They hurried to the wharf now, as all outsiders did in the evening. 12 miles from the mainland, no one wanted to miss the lone ferry that could carry them back to civilization. It was the last night of the season; the winds and waters were already beginning to turn rough and cold. After tonight, there would be no more visitors until the following June. For townies and city-folk, the wilds of nature were something to be enjoyed, and endured, in small, bite-sized chunks.

It was quiet now. Kate continued looking out onto the ocean, silently nodding to herself. To her ear she raised the well-worn walkie talkie that she had brought with her. Earlier in the day, she had taken care to replace the batteries with fresh ones.

Without towers, cellphones were unreliable in remote places, so the island's residents still relied on walkie talkies for close communication. It had been Kate and Jack's preferred way, 13 their favorite channel. She had always called on his return approach to the harbor.

"How can I find my way home without the voice of my sweet angel to steer by?" Jack had often asked her.

There were only 64 year round locals left on the island. Exactly one year ago, tonight, there had been 65.

"Has it really been one full year?" Kate asked out loud, but only the roar of the waves answered.

Kate hit the button and waited a moment before speaking, so none of her words would be cut off.

"Kate for Jack," she spoke, loudly, into the walkie talkie. She waited a moment before repeating her words. A hiss of dead air was the only reply.

Kate leaned forward against the railing, and began to cry. "What were you thinking, crazy girl, did you really expect a reply?" she wept bitterly.

Kate wasn't certain how long she stood there, silently searching the sea. She wasn't even certain what, exactly, she was looking for; a sign, maybe.

Hours later, the full moon was shining high in the night's sky when Kate's walkie began to squeal and burst with static. She felt her heart leap inside her chest, and then drop, when she heard the harbormaster's gruff voice. "Bill for Kate, Bill for Kate."

Kate sighed as she keyed and replied, "Go for Kate."

"What's your 20 Kate?" Bill asked, and continued without waiting for a reply, "You're up there, aren't you? I knew you would be. I know you've been holding out hope, but, you have to let it go, Kate, Jack's not coming back. No one could come back after that storm, the wind, the size of the swells. We all would have heard something by now if he had survived. It's been a year, Kate. You have to let him go. For your own good girl; you have to let Jack go."

Kate shook her head as she replied hoarsely, "There was no wreckage, Bill, no body. I have to keep hoping, as crazy as it sounds, Bill. I have to keep believing, searching, trying until I see some evidence that he is, indeed, beyond us, gone." Kate began to cry again.

Bill sighed and asked gently, "Are you going to stay up there all night, then?"

"No," Kate choked out between sobs, "I am coming down; it's after Midnight now, after it happened. I reckon if he was going to contact me I would have heard from him by now. I'll lock up, before I walk home, Bill. Don't you worry. I'm not giving up, mind you. I'm just resolved to try again next year."

"That's a good plan, Katie, just put it out of your mind and leave it in Fate's hands until next year. Going off walkie now, Kate, you take care." Bill replied, the sound of relief evident in the tone of his voice.

"Going off walkie too, Bill, you take care also." Kate signed off and went back into the tower. As she began her descent she thought she heard something rattle in the darkness below.

Every seven seconds the light made its signal circuit, piercing the darkness. Kate breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the lighthouse's bottom floor was empty.

Closing and bolting the door and gate to the lighthouse behind her, Kate had just inserted the key into the lock when she was assaulted by waves of nausea brought on by a strong odor.

"Someone must have lost part of their catch nearby and the day's heat has fouled it," Kate thought. The scent grew stronger as she felt something grasp her shoulder from behind.

Turning, she glimpsed what appeared to be seaweed and barnacle encrusted arms encircling her waist, embracing her. "Has a giant squid made it ashore," she wondered.

She opened her mouth, to scream, but the monster's maw came down on her lips, silencing her. She flailed her arms and legs wildly, desperate to get away.

Suddenly, the creature let go, and she fell to the ground. She lunged for the walkie talkie, furiously pushing the talk button, "Kate for Bill, are you there Bill…" Kate pleaded.

"Go for Bill, what's wrong!" Bill cried.

Finally looking up into the bloated face of the thing that stood over her, Kate whimpered, "Eyes on Jack, Eyes on Jack!"

Photo Credit: Kristen "Shoe" Shoemaker at Flickr.

Poem Molasses Miracle

It is the proverbial "dark and rainy night," here at my home. It's also October. Sunrise and sunset are accompanied by misty fog most days, and there is a distinct chill in the air; the leaves are beginning to change before they fall to the ground. Today, I have many blessings to count, but tonight I am reminded of an October evening from many years ago, when it was hard to see my blessings to count them.

That October was a time of great upheaval for me. My husband and I went through one of the most challenging times of our lives together; he had recently been laid off from his job of 14 years, and I had just changed jobs. With four young children we weren't quite certain what our next step would be. It was then that I was also newly diagnosed with a dreadful, chronic disease - ulcerative colitis. My gastoenterologist would later go on to change this diagnosis to Crohn's disease, a condition that continues to affect my daily life today.

The following is a poem I wrote that October, on Halloween night to be exact, in the year 2000.

Molasses Miracle

Darkness surrounds me and I am trapped

As surely as a fly in Molasses…

It’s not an insignificant, passing thing

waved away with a mere positive thought or pill.

It’s a heavy, tangible thing,

That fights you the more that you fight it,

And I am powerless.

The more that I fight against it, the more it

consumes me; just like a fly trying to swim

In Molasses…Our only hope is a miracle.

A miracle where the jar falls and breaks

and all of the molasses run off, before we,

the fly and I, just give up and quit

swimming. 

Oh Lord, how we need a miracle, a

jar smashing miracle, someone to come along

and break that glass and save us, instead of

waving us off with a best wish and a pill.

Lord we all need someone. We all need a

molasses miracle every now and then.

Photo Credit: wht_wolf9653