I belong to a critique group with two wonderful authors, D.L. Finn and Yvette M. Calleiro. In this humorous piece, D.L. (Denise) illustrates why groups like this are so important. Her input has certainly been valuable to me, for the same reasons she shows here! Bloopers are inevitable in writing. She handles hers with the utmost grace.
Hi SEers! Denise here, and I’m going to share some mistakes and things I missed from my work. Why? To show why a second pair of eyes or a critique group can be so important.
These are actual mistakes from my current work in progress and the comments from my amazing Critique Partners, Yvette M Calleiro and P.T. L. Perrin. I call these my Author Bloopers. A few, especially the last one, had me laughing out loud once I realized what I had said. The others had me cringing or nodding in agreement. I will follow up with the current corrected version which may change and improve with more edits.
“They will think I have too much time on my heads, but I’m okay with that…” (heads? How many do you have? I think you meant hands—PTL) Simple fix: “They will think I have too much time on my…
Have you ever wondered where the ideas for stories come from? D.L. Finn has unlocked and revealed the secrets to finding ideas. If you write, then this might be a great resource for you!
Where do some well-known authors believe their “thought, conception, or notion” originates from to create a story?
I get my ideas from everywhere. But what all of my ideas boil down to is seeing maybe one thing, but in a lot of cases it’s seeing two things and having them…
I am a proud member of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB and for the next 48 hours (11/15 through 11/17) there is a $25 discount on any membership tier when you join the club!
We aren’t just an organization where you add your name to our roster, and then you disappear. We are the club that supports our members in numerous ways! Here are just a few…
-We purchase, read, and review our fellow member books that are listed in the catalog.
-We promote our fellow members and their books on social media, just as hard as we promote ourselves.
-We promote our members with interviews via our RAVE WAVES Talk Radio Shows for RRBC members only. Books are always being purchased during those interviews!
-We keep our fellow members lifted and promoted even when they can’t promote themselves (in the event of personal emergencies, illness, etc.)
-We have a hard-working Tweet Support Team, promoting our members and their books daily.
-At RRBC, we believe that “each one should teach one,” therefore, we don’t compete against each other. We lift as we climb.
There are so many more awesome ways that being a member of RRBC has benefitted me and I would love to share them all with you. You have questions? Just ask me!
RRBC is such a fun place to belong! We’re not just about books, you know, we’re also about making beneficial connections and lifelong friendships!
Today, Monday, 11/15 through Wednesday, 11/17 are our Recruitment Days and whenyou join, please list my name on your membership application as the person who referred you, as I’ll get a special prize! You can join here > RaveReviewsBookClub.wordpress.com/rrbc-join-renew
If you have specific questions regarding membership, please reach out to Paula, our Club Personal Asst! She’s a whole lot of awesome!
I hope to see you on the other side of membership soon and your books in the catalog!
Thank you for sharing this page to your social media platforms for me!
I’m thrilled to introduce you to one of my favorite authors, Yvette Calleiro, and her new book HYPE! As grandmother to an amazing cheerleader, I’ve seen these young athletes in competition. Yvette, who knows the inner workings of the sport from experience as a coach, draws us into the world of high school cheerleading through Cici’s eyes.
GIVEAWAY: 3 e-book copies of HYPE! Leave a comment below for your chance to win!
Cheerleading – Activity or Sport?
When I was in 8th grade, I joined the JV cheerleading team. Back then, it was about cheering, jumps, and a few small pyramids. As a beginning teacher in 1996, I was asked to sponsor the school’s JV cheerleading squad. Cheerleading was no longer about cute, little cheers and pom poms. It had grown into an athletic competition filled with tumbling, intense stunts, and rigorous routines.
When the Varsity sponsor and I took over our respective teams, there were only girls. We had a JV and a Varsity cheerleading team, but we wanted to combine the best of the best talent to take to competitions. So, we created a competition squad and co-sponsored it. We quickly decided to incorporate some boys on the squad. My co-sponsor was bolder than I and approached a couple of football players about switching sports. She planted the seed, and they came after football season to get a taste. They never left.
That summer, we enrolled the kids in gymnastics classes. They all began learning to tumble and fly when tossed up. Our boys (and one of our girls) learned how to do an awesome (holding a girl in the air with both feet in one hand). We watched these kids become true athletes as they conditioned and strengthened their muscles to handle the routines and stunts that were required for our competition. The practices were long and hard, but they never gave up.
We took them to cheer camp at a local university. There they learned even more skills and techniques, and our cheerleaders got to see the opportunities they could have for cheering in college. We took them to local competitions where they went up against all-star private teams. They lost a few times, but they stayed hungry for more. Finally, we went to Nationals where all their hard work paid off. They became National Champions!
The cheer experiences were amazing, but it had its ups and downs. There was always a bit of drama, which is expected when you are dealing with teens. But the bond they created as a team was beautiful to watch form. I loved seeing the timid and insecure kids on the team blossom into natural leaders.
My co-sponsor and I were always worried about injuries, especially with the tumbling our team did. There were plenty of sore muscles and bruises during practices. We only had one serious injury. One of our flyers (the girls who get lifted up in the air to be on top of the stunts) came down badly and dislocated her elbow. That memory is still vividly embedded in my mind today. I remember going with her to the hospital and comforting her. Luckily, they just popped her elbow back into place, but it kept her on the sidelines for a bit, which she was not happy about.
I only lasted three years as a coach. The almost everyday practices, the nights at the gym, and the weekends at fundraisers were keeping me from going back to school for my master’s degree, so I had to let it go. It was not an easy decision, but I knew the team needed someone who could dedicate more time to them. Still, I hold those memories close to my heart.
In HYPE, the main character is the co-captain of her cheerleading squad. Because of my experiences, I was able to bring to life the practices and the competitions. Here is an excerpt from the story:
Before we know it, it’s our time to perform. Ms. G stands in the coach’s area as we take our places. Our routine starts with a quick cheer which leads into a dance followed by stunts, cheer, dance, and tumbling before ending in a final, complicated stunt.
Our cheer is sharp, loud, and perfect. The music begins, and from that point on, it’s about letting the body do what it’s been trained to do while keeping our expressions fun, energetic, and vibrant. We are the epitome of perfection, and I’m pretty sure everyone hit his or her marks based on the exploding applause in the stands as we perfectly hit our last stunt.
We dismount and head off stage in a professional line as we’ve trained our team to do, but there’s no controlling our excitement once we exit the stadium’s main viewing area. We all jump and scream and try really, really hard not to cry. Ryan meets us outside with his camera since he recorded it all. We watch it quickly as the team after us performs its routine. I see the video three times and can’t find a single area in which we messed up. We were incredible.
Ms. G calls us back in to take our places as the last team gets set up to perform. She whispers to Nicole and me that she’s proud of us. Her expression tells me she isn’t as confident as we are about our win, which makes me replay the video in my mind and begin comparing it with the teams we’ve seen perform. And that’s when the sinking feeling starts to hit me that the Sunset All Stars also performed flawlessly. I try to dampen the doubt creeping into my thoughts and keep the winning smile on my face as the final group performs.
So, when someone tries to place cheerleading as an activity, I strongly disagree. Cheerleading is a sport, through and through, and the season lasts all year. If you enjoyed this sneak peak, I hope you’ll pick up a copy of HYPE to find out whether they won or not. 😉
Author Bio:
Yvette M. Calleiro is a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels. She spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends). When she’s living among real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean.
Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her incredible son who has embraced her love for paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.
Thank you for stopping by today! I have read and loved every one of Yvette M. Calleiro’s books! Get HYPE today! And if you love fantasy, then dive into the Chronicles of the Diasodz, or for a touch of romance with a twist, read Breathless — A Short Story. You’re in for a treat.
To follow along with the rest of the HYPE tour, please visit the author’s blog. Thanks for supporting Yvette M Calleiro and her work!
Remember to leave a comment! You might win one of the giveaways!
Love a chilling ghost story mystery with a touch of romance? Dr. Randy Overbeck’s newest release more than satisfies! I loved it! Check it out, and don’t forget to leave a comment! Who doesn’t like cool giveaways?
I’m pleased to feature Author, Randy Overbeck on Day 1 of his third tour in the Haunted Shores Mysteries series! This tour is featuring his latest read, SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER.Today my guest is sharing…
GHOSTS AND WORLD RELIGIONS
But, before he gets into that, I ask that after you check out all the information here, you leave a comment for the author below as well as like this page and then share it onto your own social media. The author is giving away two goodies and you can get your chance to win simply by leaving a comment.
GIVEAWAYS:(1) $25 Amazon Gift Card & (1) e-book or paperback copy of the winner’s choice out of the series
The floor is yours, Mr. Overbeck!
As I’ve shared my program about ghosts with groups around the country, I’ve encountered more than my share of…
Dr. Randy Overbeck’s Haunted Shores Mystery Series, ghost mysteries with a meaningful twist, hooked me from the first words! Enjoy his amazing blog tour stop today, and leave a comment for a chance to win one of the great…
#GIVEAWAYS!
“So-o-o atmospheric. Cape May, with its history and Victorian mansions, has no end of ghostly stories. And the Haunted Bride is a doozy.”—V. Williams, Rosepoint Publishing
In deciding on the locations for the novels in my Haunted Shores Mysteries series, I’ve put as much effort into selecting the perfect setting as I do crafting the puzzling whodunit or creating credible characters. I do a good deal of research to seek out lesser known gems of romantic, resort locations readers will find memorable. No place like Myrtle Beach or Malibu or Ft. Lauderdale will do. (This research is a tough job, but somebody has to do it.) I want readers, when they read each entry, to say, “I didn’t know about this place. What an intriguing little town. I think I’ll put this on my ‘to visit’ list.”
That’s exactly how I felt when I “discovered” Cape May. (I’d never been to this charming town and stumbled upon Cape May when I attended a family wedding up the shore a few years ago.) After some extensive research, I decided it was the exactly the right locale to set the second entry in my series.
What made Cape May so perfect and memorable for my ghost story/mystery? I’ll share just five reasons and I think you’ll get it.
Cape May is the nation’s oldest seaport resort. Vacationers and tourists have been flocking to Cape May since the early 1800’s. Back then, big city dwellers from Philadelphia and New York would head to this shore town in the summer to escape the heat and foul air. Today, visitors come from all over the northeast US and Canada to enjoy the sun and sights of this remarkable little town.
Cape May has one of the premier beaches in the U.S. With thirty miles of beautiful white sand beaches, Cape May is ranked as one of the top ten beaches in the country by the Travel Channel. Since “the shore” part of my series is critical to my narratives, this beach makes for some delightful scenes in the novel.
Cape May has a rich history which helps to shape the unique destination it is today. A large fire in 1879 destroyed almost the entire town requiring the rebuilding of most of the homes and businesses. They were rebuilt in the latest style at the time, which we now call Victorian. The rest, as they say, is history.
Cape May has one of the largest collections of Victorian architecture in the country (second only to San Francisco). Over 600 mansions and Bed and Breakfasts, each painted and detailed in the unique Victorian style, made the perfect romantic backdrop for Darrell and Erin’s reconciliation—not to mention the perfect atmosphere for an old time ghost story. Speaking of which—
Cape May is famous as the most haunted seaport on the East coast. It’s hard to walk down any street in Cape May and not run into a house, hotel or store where a ghost encounter has been documented, some sightings going back centuries. Craig McManus, famed Cape May ghost hunter, has documented over fifty different spirits in his series, The Ghosts of Cape May. I even decided to include a few of these documented ghosts in my ghost story/mystery about the Haunted Bride, a young woman murdered on her wedding night.
Check out the newest installment in my series, CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY, for both an exploration of the incredible resort town and a peek at its wonderfully eerie history.
Incredible sale on the entire Haunted Shores Mysteries series! BLOOD ON THE CHESAPEAKE-$.99, CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY–$1.99, SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER (pre-publication price)—$2.99.
Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for more than three decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon and B & N No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake and Crimson at Cape May have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year–ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.
BLURB—CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY
No matter how far you run, you can never really escape a haunted past.
Darrell Henshaw—teacher, coach, and paranormal sensitive—learned this lesson the hard way. With his job gone and few options, he heads for Cape May to coach a summer football camp. The resort town, with gorgeous beaches, rich history and famous Victorian mansions, might just be the getaway he needs. Only, no one told him Cape May is the most haunted seaport on the East Coast. One resident ghost, the Haunted Bride, stalks Darrell, begging for his help.
He can’t refuse. Joining forces with Cassie, a street-wise teen and another sensitive, he investigates the bride’s death and discovers her murder is connected to a far greater horror. But can Darrell and Cassie expose those behind the crimes before they end up being the killer’s next victims?
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT CRIMSON AT CAPE MAY
“With both elements of mystery and suspense, readers across genres will find this second book about Darrell Henshaw intriguing…I highly recommend it.”★★★★★—Literary Titan
“It’s a ghost/mystery story filled with suspense and action. The plot is so engrossing it had me hooked from the very first page.”★★★★★—Nana’s Reviews, Greece
“An exciting paranormal mystery I couldn’t put down… A great read. Highly recommend!” ★★★★★—N.N. Light’s BookHeaven
“Rollicking good…Darrell is a wonderful protagonist, an ordinary man put into extraordinary situations and rising to the challenge..” ★★★★★ —Over My Dead Body magazine
“I loved everything about this book. As a ghost story combined with a mystery, a romance, a social injustice and stunning historical details, Crimson at Cape May has something for everyone.”★★★★★—ReaderViews
“Masterly spooky adventure…an accomplished work of haunting mystery fiction that fans of the genre won’t want to miss out on. Highly Recommend.”★★★★★—ReadersFavorite.com
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the authors’ tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and his work!
Don’t forget to leave a comment below for a chance at a cool #GIVEAWAY!
Have you visited the author booths yet? If not, you might be leaving prizes on the table that would have had YOUR name on them! There’s still time! Enjoy, and leave comments to enter.
If you’re like me, you may find yourself using certain descriptive words more often than others. D.L. Finn shares how to break out of that habit, and why you should, in her entertaining and educating article.
Hi SEers! Denise here to discuss what happens when people talk to each other and how to apply that to writing.
Have you ever watched people talk? Do they sit and speak without moving or any expression? In my family, I’m surrounded by Italians. Hands are always flying around during conversations. I know who not to sit next to during a meal if knives are being used. It’s dangerous!
Besides hands, heads are moving, faces change expression, bodies are constantly in motion, and tone shifts can take the spoken level from high to low. The speaker’s mood comes out in not only their words but their body language.
Yet, when I first write a dialog for a story, I only put the conversation. I barely tag who’s talking. Later, when I’ve completed the story, I go back and add all the movement that accompanies the words.
What’s going on in your world today? Well, I’m spending my days perusing the 6th Annual Writers’ Conference & Book Expo! Yes, this is the best place to be this weekend, and until it closes on Wednesday, August 25th… let me tell you why.
This virtual event offers so much fun and so many activities for the general public, that you’d be crazy to pass on not visiting! The first attraction that should get your attention is that there are $420 worth of Amazon gift cards up for grabs, and all you have to do for a chance at having your name selected for each booth’s door prize, is to drop by, check out the (virtual) author booths, and simply leave comments! It’s that simple! Winners are chosen at the end of the conference from the pool of comments left in each booth!
We have games, prizes, surprises and other goodies, so be sure to visit each Author Booth, take a look around, then leave a comment for your chance to win each Author Booth’s door prize!
There is a Scavenger Hunt Game to play, a 2 Truths & a Lie Game to play and more! In each Author Booth, you will find a clue, and if you find the correct answer to all the clues and are the first to submit your answers, you could be the winner of an awesome prize!
Of course, we’ll have our READING ROOM open and one of our members is going to blow you away showcasing their talent!
If you’re into BINGO, purchase your BINGO cards and join us for a game or two!
And what we all wait for every year – our RAFFLE! Yes, each year we raffle off (7) $100 Amazon gift cards and this is open to the public so go on and snag your tickets today! Raffle tickets are only $5! How awesome would that prize be? Some of them also include additional goodies like other gift certificates, ebooks, and more! Enter for your chance to win one or more of these $100 Amazon gift card gift baskets. The more tickets you buy, the greater your chances of winning. (Please do not purchase more than 7 tickets).
This year for the first time ever, we’ve added our BEST BOOK COVER CONTEST! This contest is open to the general public so go ahead and enter your book cover(s) now! Share your comments with us and let us know which one you think is best!
PTL Perrin Writes... 