Authors, Kai Strand & LA Dragoni

 Today, I welcome Penny Lockwood, author of the middle grade ghost stories, Ghost for Rent and Ghost for Lunch , which are now combined into one conveniet book, Ghostly Visions . Penny and her books are from small town Oregon and she's here to talk about why she chose these adorable little towns for her stories' settings.  Take it away, Penny! GHOSTLY VISIONS A Tween Book Set in Rural Oregon Ghostly Visions is a two-for-one book for grades four, five and six, containing Ghost for Rent , set in Scappoose, Oregon, a small rural community of about 6,700 people, and Ghost for Lunch , set in St. Helens, Oregon, the county seat for Columbia County, and home to about 13,000 people. Why did I choose these small towns for my stories?  It’s simple.  I followed the basic rule of writing: write what you know.  In September 1978, my husband and I moved from California, where we met, to Scappoose, Oregon.  We fell in love with the rural area, the f...

I'm happy to be a part of the tour for Cheryl Carpinello's book, Tutankhamen Speaks. Cheryl joins us today to talk about research and to offer a chance for you to win a gift card. Thanks, Cheryl! And now, take it away... *** Researching Historical Fiction: Determining What Type and How Much To Do By Cheryl Carpinello Many writers struggle with this, including me. Unless you’ve built your own world, it’s hard for most authors to physically visit the places their characters live. If you’re a writer of historical fiction, like I am, it is impossible to transport readers back to those time periods without extensive research. So far, I’ve written in two time periods: 400-500 Medieval England and 1330 BC Egypt. For my first two Arthurian stories set in Medieval England, I started with guidebooks and maps—both modern and historical. I used these to get a sense of the landscape, which may have changed a bit, but not that much over the centuries. I also have an extensiv...

I'm excited to have Wendi Nunnery visit Strands of Thought. She has a shiny new release, The Best Kept Secret , that she's here to talk about. Take it away, Wendi! Thank you for having me on the blog today, Kai! I’m so excited to be here and share a few thoughts with you guys on The Best Kept Secret . The Best Kept Secret , as you know, is a young adult novel, and I’ve received a few odd looks when I tell people this is the kind of book I wrote. Sometimes those who are unfamiliar with young adult novels tend to believe that the subject matter is light and fluffy, or perhaps even immature, because of the target demographic. They don’t seem to understand why I would want to write for this particular genre. At least not at first. In recent years, young adult books have been making a dramatic shift from vampires and werewolves back to the daily struggles that teenagers face in an attempt to connect more personally with readers. Among the day-to-day issues like sc...

An Anatomy of Humor Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.  - E.B. White Because I write humorous fiction, I am often thinking about humor itself.  For example, what makes it funny? What qualifies a novel as humorous fiction rather than some other category of fiction that happens to have humor in it?  In other words, let’s kill some frogs, shall we? I’ll begin by paraphrasing (liberally, and with apologies to a great man) Winston Churchill by saying that good humorous fiction is a chuckle wrapped in a guffaw inside a knowing smile.  More simply put, true humorous fiction is all about layering. In this post I’ll be exploring the simplest layer—the famous, but oft-maligned, one-liner. Did you hear the one about the One-liner? One-liners are quick, one-dimensional jokes that most anyone can write now and then.  Part of the reason one-liners are so easy to write is that there are a myria...

Blue skies, a brilliantly shining sun and a happily ever after; who doesn ’t like that? And yet, what would a happily ever after be without a little thunder and lighting on the way? Paranormal YA is a great genre with endless possibilities. While we are all familiar with most of what makes it paranormal (i.e. vampires, witches, werewolves, etc.), there are no rules that say you can’t re-invent the already-known, plus make up your own creatures on the way. When writing ‘How to Live and Die in Crescent Rock’ (#1 Crescent Rock Series), my head was spinning with all the aspects I wanted to incorporate into this story. I enjoyed re-inventing my own breed of vampires as much as creating my very own paranormal beings, that have never before seen the light of day. At the same time, I switched around attitudes and character traits to bring to life unique individuals that readers will enjoy getting to know. Some you will love; and some you will love to hate. As the main character,...

After cutting open the box and picking up the top copy, you hold your novel in your hand. You sigh and run your palm over the cover quite pleased with the final design. Flipping it over, you grin remembering your struggle to write the synopsis, read it checking for typos, and admit it was more difficult to write than the entire novel. It is a proud moment. Many people say they want to write a book, but you actually did it. Recalling the sweat equity that dripped into each word enclosed within the cover, a question forms within your mind. What do I do next? It is time to spread the word of your achievement by creating a website, Facebook page, Twitter account, LinkedIn, a blog, etc. Contact a local newspaper to feature an article announcing your recent publication. Print bookmarks, banners, and posters to promote your book. Approach book stores and set up book signings. The signing may or may not be successful. Either way, it will promote your novel. One day, just on a whim, you en...

In my head, I’ve always been a writer, editor, proofreader and what-not. I can’t help it. It’s compulsive – you decide if that’s good or bad. Then a couple of years ago I actually picked up a pen and jotted down my first ideas. Not sure why it took me so long. Maybe it was the universe telling me the time had come to leave my shell and step out into the world. That thought actually inspired Fireflies, #1 in my Airborne Trilogy. Gabriel is a sad boy; it’s as simple as that. His parents argue all the time and barely notice he is there. Desperate for at least a little warmth and attention, he turns to a role-playing computer game. Then everything changes when he is sent to stay with his grandparents over the summer and forced to abandon his online quest…to join a real one. Life is scary, and Gabriel is terrified by what he might find outside his door. Then again, life is also wonderful, if you choose to live it! As Gabriel takes one step out the door, and then another and ano...