The Fiftieth Issue!

​It’s the 19th, so it’s time for the news. There’s a bit about writing, details about new events, my latest project, an interview with another author and of course, music.  There must be music.
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          As comedy legend Jackie Gleason would say “And Away We Go!”

Writing
 
A subject all authors must be aware of is one I’ve learned the hard way: the pitch.  When I was young and innocent all those decades ago, I just assumed once the story was written, my work would be done.  Then I could move on to the next project.

Talk about naïve.

The pitch is part of marketing.  I believe they are interconnected and extremely necessary to the writer’s efforts.  A few authors I know dedicate one day each week to focus on their marketing efforts.  That could include a mix of social media posts, paid advertisements or entries into different contests or competitions.

Lately my focus has been on the pitch.  While I often post updates and photos on social media, it’s the pitch that draws people in. Your pitch can be written, the various words you use to describe the photos on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. 

But nothing compares to a live pitch. Here are a couple of examples from the show I was in recently. My booth was all set and ready to go. There was a nice, steady stream of people.  I have learned over the years that being friendly and approachable is the best start.  Smile, wave, say hello or good morning or whatever feels comfortable greeting people as they pass your station.

With 10 books on display, I’ve got a quick spiel already in mind for each of them. Some people will start to pass my booth, only to be drawn in by the colorful covers.  Others may hesitate.  That’s when it’s time to make the pitch.

A lady walking past wore a T shirt emblazoned with LOVE on the front. I asked if we were related, making a play on my last name. She smiled, then stepped closer to check out the books. Her friend tagged along. They asked a few questions.  Turns out they were both in a large book club and we’re always on the lookout for new authors. I explained that if the book club were to read one of my books, I’d be happy to join their meeting, either in person or via a video conference, to answer questions or chat about the characters and my writing process. That led to two sales.

A short time later, a young couple wandered past. The woman had beautiful, thick red hair. I asked if she was one of the cover models used in the Jamie Richmond series.  Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. She picked up each book, studied the covers closely, indicating which ones she liked. Her boyfriend was grinning, shaking his head.

“You could always tell your friends you posed for the cover,” I said. “Or that you were the inspiration for the character.”

“My friends would believe that.”

She bought copies of “Stealing Haven” and “Chasing Favors”.

When asked by others about the pitch, I explain that working these events is like being on stage, doing a play or improv. You need to connect with the audience, which in this case, is made up of potential readers.  Tell them a little something to draw them in.

That’s the pitch.
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It’s essential.
 

Events
 
The road show continues!  An old friend commented recently that I’m turning into a carney, bouncing from town to town. But I’m having fun!  And it’s a great way to connect with new readers.  You just never know who you’ll see at these events.

I’ll be in Otsego on June 22, then Dowagiac July 19 and 20 and Sterling Heights July 27.

Works In Progress
 
Now that “Rules of Desperation” has been released, I’ve been able to return my attention to “Agonasti’s Dilemma”.  That’s the working title on my crime novel.  Fortunately, I’ve had a bit of free time to write some new scenes.  Once I add another 3,000 words, I’ll have to start sketching it out, deciding what new scenes will be needed to put all the pieces together in some kind of order.

I’ve also been sneaking in a couple of scenes on what will become the fourth book in the Jefferson Chene series.  Ideas keep sneaking into my brain on that one and the only way I can move beyond that point is to write them out.  It’s good to know that Chene, Pappy and the rest of that crew are waiting in the wings. 
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Author Spotlight
 
          I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting Marianne Wieland several times over the years at different festivals.  She’s also been an active participant in the monthlong virtual festivals, taking the role of a character in the event.  Marianne’s efforts often result in gales of laughter from the audience.
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          Time to learn a little more about her.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you became an author.

I have been writing in one respect or another most of my life. Before I wrote my first book, I was writing plays and musicals that were performed around the Battle Creek area and occasionally on the east coast. I’ve been on the stage most of my life and as I got older, preferred being behind the scenes directing and producing. About ten years ago I decided to try turning scripts into a novel and it worked out.

Do you ever imagine one of your novels being made into a movie or television series?

 Sometimes.  I was approached years ago after I wrote ‘My Heart for Jill’ to buy the rights to the book for a movie or TV series. It was after the book was accepted by Harlequin. But I had already gone with another publisher at the time. I turned it down because I was a new writer and was planning several sequels. I didn’t want anyone to change it. If I could turn back time…

Any favorite actors you’d cast in the lead roles?
 
I gave it some thought a long time ago. I am sure the ones I had in mind are no longer in the appropriate age range. In ‘My Heart for Jill’ I imagined Karl Urban as Nick Wallace. Steve Martin as Jim Dennison. Andrew Womack as Andrew Wallace. Rufus Sewell as Gerard Wallace. Kaley Cuoco as Brenda Montgomery.

Jennifer Love Hewett as Gwen Wallace. Linda Hunt as Margaret Wallace. No one ever came to mind for Anika Wallace, Matt Dennison or Josie Dennison and no one for Jill.

In ‘Meeting Henry’ I had thought of Richard Flood as Henry. James Marsden as Joe. Nicolas Cage as General Barnett. Larry Joe Campbell as General Smith. Prince Harry as Mark Jones. Katherine Heigl as Missy. Amy Adams as Rayna Ivanov. No one came to mind for the others.
 
What is your writing process? For instance, do you do an outline first? Do you write the chapters in sequence?
I always write the chapters in sequence. I make a general outline as to what chapters should include but as I write, it takes on a life of its own and a lot of the outline goes out the window.

Describe the characters in your latest book.
My latest book, ‘Unintentional Moments in Time’, is a collection of short stories.  Many of the stories include real events with real people. A couple of these include characters based on real fear. Imaginable fear. Forgotten love. Growing up and facing the past. Some comedy stories, but all stories have a big twist to the ending that you don’t see coming.

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?

I have most in mind when I outline what I want in the book. However, sometimes the character changes depending on seeing them in a larger role than what I originally imagined.

Can you share a scene?

This is an excerpt from the story, ‘The Adventures of Stevo and Jorge’.

Several of the team players met at the local pizza parlor to talk about practice and the upcoming game with their most feared rival team. They had never won a game against this school in the history of having a soccer team. “Maybe that will change now that we’re getting an expert soccer player,” said Dave. 

“We don’t know yet just how much of an expert he is,” said Nick.

“We can hope,” said Wendy.

“Do you suppose he is from a foreign country?” Anita was picking the mushrooms off her pizza. “Your dad did say he was from a distance away.”

“Who knows,” said Mike. “I just hope he doesn’t have an attitude like he is better than the rest of us.”

“Yeah,” said Dave. “Nick is bad enough without another big head in the mix.”

“Cut it out,” said Stevo. “He will probably be nervous meeting and playing with all of us. If he is from such a good team, he is probably worried that we won’t meet his standards.”

“Gosh, that’s right,” said Wendy. “We never thought of that. He might take one look at us and quit the team.”

“If he takes one look at Dave,” said Taylor, “he will quit the team for sure.” He got up quickly before his teammates threw ice water at him and headed into the bathroom, where he overheard half a conversation from some other classmates.

          “The new janitor starts next week,” said a freshman boy that Taylor didn’t know, so he ignored this part of the conversation. “I heard he is from Mexico.”

“Hey!” Taylor’s ears perked up at this news. “Do you know his name or what he looks like?”

“Probably Jorge or Juan or something like that,” said another Freshman boy. “If he’s from Mexico, he’ll have darker skin, dark hair, and dark eyes, right?”

“Oh, right,” said Taylor, leaving the bathroom. “Wonder why one of the soccer captains is so interested in the new janitor?” said one Freshman boy to the other.

“Beat’s me,” shrugged the other freshman boy.

“You’ll never guess what I heard in the bathroom,” said Taylor excitedly.

“What? Tell us quick,” said Mike. “Here comes your mother.”

“Guys!” Taylor tried to get them to hear him. “The new guy on the team is from Mexico.” He was quickly pulled out the door by his mother. “Wow!” Anita and Wendy said simultaneously. “I bet he’s cute.” Wendy leaned into Anita. “All that thick, dark hair.”

Dave noticed the freshman boys leaving the bathroom, heading to the door of the pizza parlor. “Hey! You! The new guy from Mexico,” said Dave loudly. “Do you know his name?”

“Jorge. We think it’s Jorge.”

By the next morning, Steveo and Mike were in the office signing up for junior pictures. “Have you boys heard about the new soccer player?” Lydia, the office aide, got the forms to take to their parents. “A little,” said Mike.

“What do you know?”

“Well,” she looked both ways. “I probably shouldn’t say anything, but I think you two can be trusted not to spread rumors. His name is Jorge, and he is from Mexico…” she continued to tell them all she had heard.

“Here comes Jane and Ryan. We should give them a heads-up before they get blindsided at practice today. I doubt they have heard anything about the new player.”

Before the boys could say anything, Jane and Ryan began to regale them with information about the new player.

“He has never missed a goal. He has scored more than twenty points in every game he has ever played and dates the daughter of the President of Mexico. They are getting married as soon as he graduates. His parents have already arranged it. The wedding will be at their mansion in Mexico City.” They ran down the hall to catch others who had not heard the news.

“And he sings back-up with Enrico Iglesias.”

“He has one brother and five sisters, but they are not coming to America.”

“He speaks five languages.”

“His father has a magic act in Vegas, and his brother is a professional Mime.” 

“He has already been accepted into Harvard Law School but turned it down to play professional soccer with Argentina.”

“He is a professional dancer, and his parents own a string of dance studios worldwide.”

“He doesn’t eat. He only drinks protein shakes made from wheatgrass, tapioca, and goat.”

“He has a God's body and a Devil's personality. He is every girl's dream and every boy's wannabe.”

“His mother was Miss Mexico and was named the most beautiful actress four times by People Magazine.”

“He has to shave three times a day.”

**It’s a story about how rumors get started and is based on a true situation from my son’s soccer team.


What’s the next project you’ll be working on?

I am currently writing my first ‘standalone’ novella. It is called ‘Summer Vacation’ and is told initially from the boy’s point of view. Then I am retelling it from the girl’s point of view. The final section is what happens in the future to them both. It’s a sweet’ coming of age’ type story.

Here’s a link to Marianne’s website.
https://www.mariannewieland.com/

Music

Glenn Frey has always been one of my favorites.  The fact that he’s originally from Detroit probably has something to do with it.  As one of the founding members and frontman for The Eagles. Frey co-wrote many of the band’s hits and was often the lead singer, playing guitar and piano.

After The Eagles went on hiatus in 1980, Frey had many successful hits with his solo career. The Eagles won six Grammys, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors.

Here are my top five Glenn Frey Songs (including a couple with the Eagles)

The Heat is On.  https://youtu.be/uZD8HKVKneI?si=9C47RfmJiltrrvmp

Smuggler’s Blues: https://youtu.be/8sXHQKJwOMA?si=KTbK0n5Sw9Gpb8If

You Belong to the City: https://youtu.be/HeH4vCOKd8E?si=OjcdrP1dTA21SE8L

Heartache Tonight:  https://youtu.be/JAKx_ndmBqo?si=CUvEc-e0Za7y762j

Hole in the World:   https://youtu.be/9-NWi0LPo1w?si=0k779U9YNPhFeRpi