Pens, Paints and Paper

Welcome to another issue of the Round Robin Blog Fest!
This month's question is:
October 19, 2019: What unique situations have occurred in the writing process of any of your novels? Perhaps, but not limited to, things like where what you planned changed, or the direction you thought the story was on deviated or transmuted?
Years ago, I was given some advice from a fellow writer to set my books in the U.S. so I could sell to a larger market. The funny part is, my books have all been based on Canadian towns yet set across the border.
With my latest work in progress, I’d written a story I loved, packaged it up and sent it to my U.S. agent – who also loved it! What I didn’t like as much was the title and struggled through a couple different options while I outlined and wrote a synopsis for her to submit.
From there she shopped it around to U.S. publishers. One liked the story, but not the writing (Yes, it was rushed to get out there!) Another liked the concept, but… Another liked… And so i…

Welcome to author Eileen O'Finlan!
Eileen O’Finlan’s debut novel, Kelegeen, was released on March 1, 2018 by BWL Publishing, Inc.  Quotes from five star Amazon reader reviews include, “This book grabs you from the beginning…”,  “It’s not an easy book to put down once you start it, but you also don’t want it to end”, “This was probably one of the best books I have ever read.  I would recommend it to all,” “This is what historical fiction is supposed to be,” and the author’s personal favorite review quote:  “I have enjoyed many books which I chose from Oprah’s book club and this is one that would fit on her list. I put Kelegeen in the top three books I have ever read.”  Due to constant demand from readers for a sequel to Kelegeen, the research phase for this next book is underway.
Eileen was born in November of 1963 in Springfield, Massachusetts and has lived in New England all her life.  Both of her parents were born and raised in Vermont, which Eileen considers her home-away-from-h…

Welcome this week to author Robert Marsh!

Tell us about your life outside of writing. Outside of writing I work 2 jobs and support myself and kids.
Do you have a work in progress? I just drop my 2 book in the matter of months
Was there a person who encouraged you to write? Besides my grandparents. I guess my own demons is what push me into the writers light
Five years from now, wheredo you see yourself as a writer? Am hoping too use writing as a way too get into Hollywood and learn from the greats writers
What are you working on now? I am working on two books for next year and hopefully have them done by December 
The Frankie Jackson Story: A Life of Crime Frankie Jackson one of Charlotte, North Carolina’s most requested broken between a body of hypocrisy, swindling, and unprincipled. He compromises with the encounters of love and devotion, but jeopardizes the live of people he loves including his companion, Felicity. How will Frankie rebuild from the misery and heartaches around him? From drug …

Welcome to this week's author MJ Moores!
MJ Moores began her career as an English teacher in Ontario, Canada. Her love of storytelling and passion for writing has stayed with her since the age of nine. MJ relishes tales of adventure and journeys of self-realization. She enjoys writing in a variety of genres but speculative fiction remains her all time favourite. MJ runs the emerging writers’ website Infinite Pathways where she offers editing & publicity advice as well as platform building opportunities. Now that her sci-fi adventure series The Chronicles of Xannia is complete, MJ is focusing her time on three new projects: The Flawed Attraction Romances, DEMON Tales, and Shadow Phoenix.

Tell us about your life outside of writing.
Beyond sitting somewhere writing or typing out my latest book or doing edits and revisions, writing is still a central part of my life. My “day job” is an editor. I freelance and I’m acquisitions editor for Love Knot Books, a division of DAOwen Publicati…

And we're back! Welcome to another issue of the Round Robin Blog Fest for September 2019.
Our question this month is:   In designing your plots, what do you rely on most:  Personal experience, imagination, or research?

A great deal of my plots and writing come from a combination of personal experience and imagination, with a dash of research to make sure I get my facts straight.

We all have those "what if" moments in life. What if I'd gone back to school instead of simply changing jobs? What if I stopped writing for good? What if I took a chance and did something I always wanted to do? I find that allowing myself to ask what if can lead to a great story.

In my current work in progress, an A.J. Cadell Mystery, my main character is presented the opportunity to take a chance. When she almost chickens out, her roommate asks, "What would the main character in your novel do?" No brainer. Alison takes the leap and her life is changed forever, with a few hiccups al…

Now that my nest is empty and it's just me & the cats, I have a bit more time to focus on my writing and would love to devote more to my blog as well. One of my ideas is to start promoting my fellow authors. Once a week for now which will stay up for a few days at a time. I don't have a huge blog reach yet but hope to develop that with a little help from my friends. Right now, I'm sorting out the basics but plan to start with my first author at the end of September or early October.

In the meantime, I thought I'd start with some fun stuff about my own Gilda Wright Mystery series. Sit back, relax, and enjoy. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment!

Q) Where is the real Sandstone Cove in the Gilda Wright Mysteries located? My fictional town of Sandstone Cove is based VERY loosely on a larger town along the shores of Lake Erie called Dunkirk, New York. The shoreline and layout of the town was exactly what I needed for my little town (although I c…