How to Get Your Hands on That Book You Want...

By Karen M. Davis

You are standing in line, waiting for a coffee from your favourite cafe and you overhear two ladies in front of you gushing about the latest book they've read. Being an avid reader your ears prick up and you can't help but politely interrupt and ask the name of the book they are talking about. One of the ladies tells you the author and title... 'Oh but unfortunately it's not on the shelves anymore,' she says. 'My friend lent it to me and there is a reserve list at the library a mile long.'


Bummer, you think, already excited about what sounds like an exciting read.


I can't remember how many times I've been asked (and I'm sure other authors get the same thing) 'How do I get your book? I can't find it anywhere.'


As you may already be aware, with many new authors being published all the time and established authors putting out a new book each year, book retailers only have limited space on their shelves for all these amazing books. I've been told there is about a three month turn around, sometimes less. And if a book is really popular and sells out they are not always replaced because new books are constantly replacing them.

Image courtesy of bookbitesoz.BlogSpot.com

So what to do when you can't find THAT book you are looking for???

Visit a bookshop or give them a call and order the book you want. You want to buy it and the retailer wants to sell it.

Or, go to your local Library. If they don't have it because it seems to have constant reserves on it, they may be able to borrow a copy from another Library.

If you like to read from a Kindle or ipad there are plenty of apps and online options for download. Or you can order online using the printed form from Booktopia, Amazon or Boomerang Books. You will have to wait for a few days but hopefully it will be worth it.

Image courtesy of freepngimages.com

Disclaimer: this blog was inspired by a blog post by author Jenn J McLeod.

I love to laugh at old Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em shows. I love Frank Spencer.

I would love to learn a musical instrument when I can find the time.

I love to love my family obviously but also my pets; Heidi the cat, Benny the Moodle, and his very old dad, Billy the wonder dog.

Giving Winter a Voice

with Jenn J McLeod

Anyone who’s read my novels will know I’m inspired by the seasons.  

Moving to the country years ago first opened my eyes and ears to the wonder, and sometimes the wrath, of Mother Nature. Since opting for the gypsy life in 2014 to live fulltime in a caravan, Mother Nature and I have been getting re-acquainted. With my days mostly spent outdoors, and my nights with not much between me and the elements, I’ve realised how many sounds, sights, smells and sensations I was missing whilst cosseted by four brick walls and a tile roof. I also discovered what a sensory (and stress) overload the perfect storm of lightning, thunder, wind and hail can be as it hits the camp site!

 My first book, House for all Seasons—a four-part story of four women who return to their hometown to spend a season each in an old house—allowed me to dabble and experiment with writing each season. It was at this time, as part of the RWA Bootcamp experience (2009, I think!) Rachel Bailey put me in touch with Lisa Chaplin who taught me four important letters that nag me through every draft of every manuscript: PMIP (Put Me In the Picture). It makes me ask myself constantly: Where are my characters? What are they doing? What are they seeing, hearing, feeling? I worked on this in Simmering Season — as the name implies the setting was a sticky, steamy, stormy season—while for the setting in Season of Shadow and Light I immersed myself in a summer flood event in a small country town.

 This year, taking readers from the country to the coast for a sea change, you might expect a summer setting, but as you’ll discover when you read The Other Side of the Season, I prefer to not do what’s expected. *nudge/wink*

 I think I’ve finally got the hang of it with reviews for The Other Side of the Season focusing on setting-like this one on Goodreads.

“Small town fiction is Jenn J Mcleod’s speciality and again this aspect of her novel receives her expert treatment. The Other Side of the Season exudes a strong sense of place. From the majestic Blue Mountains, to the tropical banana plantations and tranquil coastal beauty of Watercolour Cove, McLeod’s setting descriptions have the power to transfix any reader.

The Other Side of the Season contains an intricately crafted plot that deftly combines high family drama, secrets, love and abandonment. Woven into these main themes are issues explored with great care and attention to detail, such as the Australian art industry, imprisonment, albinism, mental illness and the impact of institutionalised child abuse.

Jenn J McLeod descriptions of scenery and artworks shows she sees the beauty around her and can put this passion into words. Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28452625-the-other-side-of-the-season

With the exception of last year’s three-month stint living in a paddock on a Brahman cattle station north of Rockhampton, I’ve been living in my caravan by the beach. I’ve loved winter by the sea, I’ve felt spindrift on stinging skin and had blustery winds that turn hair and scarves into a tangle. And I’ve loved an opportunity to add some of my dad’s lines to my novels, like this one:

 “This sea breeze is nothing. Wait til we get a good southerly buster. Them winds will likely blow an apple through a tennis racquet.”

 Have you read many Australian books set in winter? I hadn’t, so I was keen to give winter a voice and let it shine, because some seasons seem to get all the attention: like spring—always too pretty and perfect. Summer can be typical of many Australian novels, while autumn’s colours can be alluring, But it’s the gnarly, grey and wintery backdrop that makes scenes pop off the page:

 “When she arrived at the car park there was a stretch limo, the driver safely cocooned inside, while down on the beach a bride and groom, blissful and barefoot, were posing for a photographer and laughing as the wind played havoc with layers of lace and chiffon. On the sand, children in jumpers and swimsuit bottoms built castles and others ran from the water shrieking with the cold, before joyfully skipping back in again.”

 I love to love . . . winter here in Australia. Time to snuggle up in bed with a good book.

I love to learn about other authors and anything writing.

I love to laugh at anything really. 

Book information and BUY links - www.jennjmcleod.com/book-room  

Connect with Jenn on Facebook www.facebook.com/jennjmcleod.books and Twitter @jennjmcleod or join in the discussion at Readers of Jenn J McLeod Facebook group (no cat memes allowed!)

[image provided Andrew Wyeth quote]

Are You a Plotter or a 'Fly by the Seat of Your Pants' Writer?

with Karen M. Davis

Probably stating the obvious here but, to be clear, the definition of "flying by the seat of your pants" is deciding a course of action as you go along, using your own initiative and perceptions rather than a pre-determined plan or mechanical aids. Being a "plotter" is devising the sequence of events in (a play, novel, movie, or similar work).

While visiting rural towns and talking to book lovers around NSW on the Australian Voices in Print tour with fellow authors Jenn J McLeod and Tricia Stinger earlier this year, we were asked numerous questions. Of course that was why we were there - to share our stories and love of reading and writing - and I would say the most common question was about our writing process. Do you write so many words a day? Do you set a routine? Do you plot or fly by the seat of our pants? Interestingly, our three individual answers were different.

 

Jenn explained that she starts with a title, a leading character's name, an idea and then writes by the seat of her pants, goes where the words take her. She calls herself a pantser. Tricia has a vague idea of what the story is about but often doesn't know what will happen until she writes it. She sometimes changes her characters' names when she gets a feel for their personalities and admits to taking pleasure in picking unpleasant names - in her opinion - for unpleasant characters.

I consider myself a combination of a plotter and a pantser. I need a rough outline of what's going to happen because in writing Crime Fiction there is always a crime that needs solving. There are hints to be dropped, investigation details to explain, leads and breakthroughs to demonstrate, and then all loose ends have to be tied up, so some plotting is necessary. However, I don't start with a title, I begin with an idea - usually one I pull from my personal catalogue of experiences, and I build on it from there. I decide early on who my POV characters will be so the story can be told from different perspectives. I start off with a definite on who my bad guy/girl is and that usually changes along the way. While writing my second book, Deadly Obsession, I began to like the bad guy so I switched that role to a character I didn't like. So as much as I do like to plot, I like the story to develop on its own also. Scenes constantly change as the story progresses and often, when I read over what I have written, I wonder where it came from. I'm guessing most writers can relate...

So what are you: a plotter, a pantser, or a bit of both?

I love to love to relax with a good book (when I can)

I love to laugh at funny cat video's

I love to learn about animals doing interesting things