Life With McDuff - a column worth revisiting

 My friend Judy McFadden's name came up the other day, and I thought about one of my early articles for examiner.com, back in 2009. Judy's book about her beloved therapy dog McDuff is definitely worth revisiting. That's one of the nice things about a blog. You can make the rules about what to publish, and today I choose to revisit McDuff. Enjoy!

 

Arts & Entertainment | October 15, 2009

 

Life with McDuff

Many fine authors live in the greater Las Vegas/Henderson area.

Local author Judy McFadden, a volunteer at St. Rose Hospital for over eight years, is now a published writer. Her book, Life With McDuff—Lessons Learned From a Therapy Dog, introduces you to her noble, hilarious Scottish Terrier therapy dog. McDuff miraculously touched her life and that of many others— even after death
Because of his astounding work with individuals with severe physical and mental disabilities in Opportunity Village’s “Project Pride, she was asked to appear with McDuff on KVBC-TV Channel 3 News. Also, the Henderson Anthem View newspaper profiled them in an article on the front page.McFadden says, “During our nine year journey together, McDuff taught me valuable life lessons.” READ FULL ARTICLE

On the radio with Vito Collucci, P.I.

Vito and Morgan kept the laughter going

I had a great time as the guest author on the radio show Crime Time with Vito Collucci, P.I. on Sunday night, March 18. 

After his Stupid Criminals introductory feature the laughter continued. The two incidents he talked about were the kind where you say, “That just can’t be real.” They were so funny, they set the tone for the show.

I'll give you a hint about one of them: Just imagine a robber pulling out a plastic garbage bag to put over his head as a disguise. Now, if you can't imagine what would make this stupid, listen to the broadcast. You'll laugh through that and much more.Click the Crime Time link above to listen to the show. It will open with a commercial, a bit of news and then Crime Time. It takes a short time for the recording to buffer and load, so be patient. It’s worth it. You can find Vito's Show on http://www.businesstalkradio.net/schedules/pacific.shtml and there is also a listing of archived podcasts on that page.

MARCH ISSUE OF WRITERS' TRICKS OF THE TRADE-39 Information Packed Pages

The Writers' Tricks of the Trade eZine continues to grow. So many talented authors have contributed wonderfully informative articles that it boggles my mind. You'll also find listings for writers' conferences, resources, and even some industry news.

This month we have noir mystery author/musician  Mike Dennis writing about the importance of book covers, comedienne/author Linda Lou with advice about how to use humor in memoirs, author Don Helin's article about creating believable bad guys, author/speaker/promotor Carolyn Howard-Johnson's advice about launching a book on Amazon, a Life Story by author/artist Phyllice Bradner entitled "The Missing Lamb Chop" and author Maryann Miller's reminiscence about it how old towels related to writing. And, that's just the beginning. Click the cover of the flip book and your full March issue will open. Enjoy.

Be sure not to miss a single issue by entering your email in the yellow box on the right of this site.

If you are a writer and have an article or brag that you think will be of interest to our readers, submission information is in the beginning of the eZine. Submissions are now open for LIFE STORY articles as well. Do you have something special to share? It can be funny, uplifting, nostalgic, life changing. Just no porn please. I would love it if you would share this with your friends, tweet it, Facebook it and any other "it" you can think of. Remember, Writers' Tricks of the Trade publishes on the 15th of the month. You will find that all of the book links go to their Amazon page for convenience. However, most of the books can be found at your favorite online bookseller or ordered from your favorite local bookstore.

A huge thank you to all of the people all over the country who have helped grow this publication, guest authors and readers alike, and here's looking forward to many more fine articles, brags and information.

MORGAN ST. JAMES

My series of 4 weekly webinars for Savvy Authors begins March 13, 2012

The first webinar in the Writers Tricks of the Trade series for SavvyAuthors.com begins March 13, 2012. They have scheduled me for a series of four weekly sessions, and it isn't too late to register. All the information, including cost, is right at your fingertips. Just CLICK to go right to the page on their site.  

Other sessions in the series will include

• Dialogue, 
• Pacing, and 
• Not Writing Xeric. Xeric is dry writing, the type that makes a reader put a book down for later...or never. 

 SAVVY AUTHORS records all of their workshops and webinars so they can make them available to people who can't attend on the particular dates.

CHECK IT OUT. Click the play arrow for a little sample of what will be contained in these online workshops.

Guest blogging at Writers of Southern Nevada Today

Avoid the four pitfalls in the Writers of Southern Nevada article

The Writers of Southern Nevada is a relatively new entity and I'm honored that they have asked me to contribute an article every month. What could be more appropriate for the first one than discussing four things that can really trip writers up, whether aspiring or published. One of my rules of thumb is never think you're beyond making mistakes and as the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar says, "You can't hit a target if you can't see it." I loved the example he gave one time when I saw him live.

Ziglar said, "I've never shot a bow and arrow, but I can do just as well as the top archer in competition." Of course there were lots of groans from the audience. Then Ziglar qualified it. "The thing is, he or she has to be blindfolded with one hands tied behind their back!" Ahh. Therein lies the adage above. Knowing some of the pitfalls to watch out for prepares you to avoid them. READ THE ARTICLE. It would be great if you could leave some comments, too.

Remember, I am starting to give my series of webinars for savvyauthors.com on March 6 and there is still time to register. The first one will be a real world look at effectively working with Point of View.

On Wednesday Maryann Miller will blog about using personal experiences in books and stories

I've said often that my latest book, The MAFIA FUNERAL and Other Short Stories draws heavily from some of my past and present experiences. But I'm not the only author who does that---not by a long shot!

Maryann Miller

On Wednesday, Maryann Miller, author of One Small Victory will be my guest blogger with a unique view about relating to personal experiences. Don't miss it.

As a journalist and author, Maryann Miller has amassed credits for feature articles and short fiction in numerous national and regional publications. She has several non-fiction books in print, including the award winning, Coping With Weapons and Violence In Your School and on Your Streets.

Miller also writes novels, screenplays and stage-plays and has won several awards for her fiction, most notably the Page Edwards Short Story Award. Her nonfiction book was named the Best Book for Teens by the New York Library Association, and her screenplays have been semi-finalists at Sundance and in the Chesterfield Screenwriting Awards contest, placing near the top of over 4,000 entries.

Active in community theatre as a director and actress, Miller is the Theatre Director at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts, where she likes to "play" on stage.

When not writing or acting, Miller loves to play farmer on Grandma's Ranch, taking care of her horse and goats and gardens. She shares her home with one husband, one dog, and four cats.

So, be sure to come back on Wednesday to see what Maryann thinks about personal experiences relative to writing.

Don't Be Afraid to Reinvent Yourself When Necessary

As a writer or author, perfecting the ability to reinvent yourself is priceless. I’m an old veteran of the technique, having done that so many times I’ve lost track.

Morgan as herself and as Arliss Adams

People who know me personally know that I’ve had several professions and several “looks” through the years. We’ll talk a little about why this is so valuable to writers, but in this era of economic upheaval and uncertainty, it applies to many other walks of life besides writing. Flexibility takes on new importance.
As for me, at an age when many people feel they have to slow down, I seem to be speeding up. When you write fiction, it’s extremely beneficial to be able to wear many hats and even add to your attributes and experiment with different personality styles.
Hey, Spiderman has the Spider Sense, why shouldn’t WriterPerson have the Chameleon Sense? READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Writers’ Tricks of the Trade: Set your writing goals for 2012

Just as most people make lofty resolutions about things like losing weight in the New Year, writers often take a deep breath and make resolutions about how they will improve their skills,  their marketing and production in the New Year.

Well, we are nearing the end of January, so the question is what have you resolved to do?

It has been proven over and over again that goals, particularly if they are written, actually internalize and help a person move in the right direction, much the same as setting out on a trip with a road map. Take a good hard look at what kind of goals would work for you, and commit them to a list. It’s a good way to wrap up this first month of 2012.

Some things to keep in mind when setting goals

Goals should be realistic

It is one thing to scratch out a list of very ambitious and possibly unattainable milestones you resolve to reach. Although it is definitely good to challenge yourself to work up to your potential, the goals should be ones that stand a chance of really being something you can achieve—not pie in the sky. CLICK TO CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE

Guest Blogger LOIS WINSTON talks about "The Happy Hooker"

The Happy Hooker

Guest Blogger, Author Lois Winston

No, this is not about the world’s oldest profession. It’s about opening hooks. Do you know how few seconds an author has to hook an agent, an editor, or a reader? Precious few. Attention spans just aren’t what they used to me. If you don’t hook a reader (and by readers, I mean agents, editors, and the reading public) with the first page of your book, chances are, she won’t read the second page.

Too many writers make the mistake of opening their books with long passages of description and back-story. So not a good idea! Especially when you open with a description of the weather. There’s a reason Snoopy kept getting all those rejection letters whenever he submitted his novel that opened with, “It was a dark and stormy night…”

It’s also the reason that a well known annual writing contest for the worst opening lines is named for Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, the actual author of that famous line. It appeared in his 1830 novel Paul Clifford. Ever read the complete opening sentence? Most people haven’t.

Here it is:

It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE AND FIND OUT MORE ABOUT LOIS BY CLICKING ON THE JANUARY 2012 ISSUE OF THE WRITERS' TRICKS OF THE TRADE E-ZINE. SHARE THIS WITH YOUR WRITER FRIENDS.

Spotlight: Emerging author, former CSI Steve Scarborough - Part I

Morgan St. James, Las Vegas Writing Examiner January 10, 2012 

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 During a lunch at a local Mimi’s, Steve said, “One of the things I really pride myself about is creating a work that is multi-layered. Scrafitto touches on photography, art, ex-pats in a foreign country, women’s rights, the environment, macho attitudes in a Latin country and even anger management. And of course, police procedure and crime scene investigation. I wanted the reader to learn about these issues.

I am currently reading his book, Scrafitto, and must agree when he says his work is multi-layered. As I read, it is also evident that he understands his way around a camera.

Steve, you worked for the FBI and as a CSI. How did that come about?
Well, I grew up in Long Beach, California and my first job was renting beach umbrellas on Seal Beach. My protagonist in Scrafitto is an ex-Seal Beach cop. While I was going to Cal State Los Angeles where, by the way, the LASD crime lab now exists, I worked for the FBI. I became fascinated with the science of fingerprints and so when a job opened up with the Las Vegas Police Department (LVMPD), I jumped at the chance.  I spent 30 years working with latent prints and have lectured around the world on the infallibility of fingerprints as a forensic tool. READ FULL STORY...

Writers' Tricks of the Trade: Research before you get too starry eyed

Hi folks,

With all of the hype about the self-pubbed authors who are making zillions with self-published Ebooks and Kindle books, I felt I had to write this column yesterday. Sure, there are definitely people who have cracked the code for one reason or another, but they are the minority. No matter how you look at it, unless the average author is extraordinarily lucky, it is still lots of hard work and money to get your work out there, and even then it is lots of hard work and money. I didn't get comments directly on the column but I did receive emails from those who have been there, done that. They thanked me for writing about the reality and they agree. Read on...

 Las Vegas Writing Examiner

January 5, 2012 - Like this? Subscribe to get instant updates.

 Before you get sucked into all of the hype about the big money being made by authors who took the leap into self-publishing Kindles and eBooks and now have tons of money and offers rolling in from all over the world, a word of caution.
In many cases this is true. There are authors who have done amazingly well and others who manage to squeak by. Unfortunately, the “squeakers” are the majority. It is definitely not as easy as it sounds.
E-publishing millionaire Amanda Hocking summed it up: --READ FULL ARTICLE

SPOTLIGHT: BOOK SIGNINGS IN THE NEW WORLD OF PUBLISHING

Many authors will agree that they have experienced this disappointment. It's like giving a party only to have nobody come. 

One of Hall's recently released Kindle books

With promotional materials hyping the signing or appearance, the author's anticipation runs high. Then the time arrives and unfortunately it's the only thing that does! All or most of the seats are empty.

That raises the question, "What now?" I had it happen once at a library presentation. The librarian and I made small talk waiting for someone to show up. I kept remembering that old adage: "If there is even one person--The show must go on." Where was my one person?

I met author Parnell Hall a few years ago at the Left Coast Crime conference in Los Angeles. He is a clever, funny fellow. Likewise, his books are delightful. Hall is no stranger to this  "empty house" phenomenon. But he does something I can't--he sings.  When I saw he would be at this year's conference in Sacramento, I thought it was time to share his lament again. It has had close to 58,000 views. You'll find it on the full version of this article, and trust me, it is hilarious.
...READ FULL ARTICLE