New Beginnings...Again

 Hello out there.

My apologies for just disappearing for almost two years. Frankly, a lot has happened in that time, and my writing has suffered. I am recommitting yet again, but it will be a while before a truly finished product other than short stories appears.

First off, as I mentioned in the last blog post from early 2021, my last publication, Drive Into My Heart, did not do well. To date, it has sold less than five copies in almost three years. This was a blow - a big one - to this author. The books in the Turn My Head series always did well in the first few weeks. DIMH took a lot of time and effort, and for the sales to go nowhere was downright demoralizing. I really did lose momentum, and last year when I tried to revive it, life interfered.

I mentioned in the last post a void in my life when a person departed it. Well, that person is back in a much more deep way, and our friendship has really helped me recover, and keep going in other parts of my life. In fact, it's a strong, inspiring friendship that I need in my life at this time. At about the same time last year, on March 24, 2021, one of my family's cute and charming tyrants crossed the Rainbow Bridge all by himself after a spiral of kidney failure. The poor little dude died on the living room floor. That took a lot out of me.

In the background, the family issues remain. My one sister-in-law is not well at all. Both of my parents are aging not so gracefully, and my mother is in need of a lot of assistance at this time. Sooner or later, they will need to be moved to another living situation. In the meantime, I'm support for them.

For the last couple of years, I also was working on an editing project that I delivered before Thanksgiving this year. Finally. God works in mysterious ways. There were a lot of changes and delays, and in the end the product was not anywhere close to what I was handed when I agreed to do it. That is actually a good thing. I did learn a lot doing it, though.

In addition to life just interfering, the distributer I use for publication, Smashwords, was acquired by Draft2Digital (D2D). After taking some time to catch up on this news, and find out what it means, essentially, the competing platforms have complimentary features and services, so eventually, I'll be publishing at D2D, and...when that comes to pass the books will be available in hard copy ay some point. When that happens, of course, I will communicate with all of my readers.

So, where do we go from here?

Well, before writing this, I did some work on the book entries in Smashwords changing categories and tags to more accurately reflect the books, and make them more findable for new readers. I was inspired to do this ahead of the annual Smashwords End of the Year Sale. 

https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos

The link will work beginning December 15. The sale ends January 1. All of my non-free titles will be 50% off, and Drive Into My Heart, is free at Smashwords for the duration of the sale. If anyone reads it, I would appreciate a review.

As far as I know, this sale only applies to the Smashwords site, not the retailers Apple, Barnes & Noble, etc. My books are on Amazon via another route. I do need to tend to that, and will get to it in the coming weeks.

With that in mind, I do ask that my readers stop by the Smashwords sale, as the D2D books will be added to it. There are a number of free offerings out there written by hard working authors just trying to make a living.

So, I'm starting over again, again. I do ask that my readers stick with me. Life throws curveballs and I'm trying to deal with that.

Hugs,

Patricia Holden

Also, please, consider sharing links to the Turn My Head series with other book lovers:

Apple Books links

Turn My Head
Break Through
Third Time's the Charm
Conflict of Interest
Romeo Night
Last Man Standing
Talk Dirty to Me
High Maintenance
No Turning Back
The Stork Club
Next Bride In Line
Drive Into My Heart

Amazon Links

Turn My Head
Break Through
Third Time's the Charm
Conflict of Interest
Romeo Night
Last Man Standing
Talk Dirty to Me
High Maintenance
No Turning Back
The Stork Club
Next Bride In Line
Drive Into My Heart

Barnes & Noble Links

Turn My Head
Break Through
Third Time's the Charm
Conflict of Interest
Romeo Night
Last Man Standing
Talk Dirty to Me
High Maintenance
No Turning Back
The Stork Club
Next Bride In Line
Drive Into My Heart

Smashwords Links

Turn My Head
Break Through
Third Time's the Charm
Conflict of Interest
Romeo Night
Last Man Standing
Talk Dirty to Me
High Maintenance
No Turning Back
The Stork Club
Next Bride In Line
Drive Into My Heart

Ending the Year of Disarray

 The beginning of Lent 2021 brought home some realities for me as I am determined to put my life back on track after losing what amounts to a year of my own work in writing.

Essentially, what happened to me in 2020 was a loss of momentum. I published a stand alone novel, "Drive Into My Heart" on all platforms including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Smashwords, and more, and to date - one year after publication - the book has sold exactly four copies.

Place this with family drama that includes a family member discovering a lengthy list of chronic health problems in the fall of 2019 that continues now, 18 months later, and has impacted just about everyone in the family, and the year of COVID, and, frankly, until now, my heart just has not been ready to write again.

The catalyst for change, interestingly enough, was not so much Ash Wednesday or anything having to do with faith, but the "loss" of a kindred spirit on a group blog where I participate. That person chose another path, and is no longer a regular part of the group. Frankly, when that happened, I was sent into a bit of mourning, not unlike other episodes in my life where the void of a person's presence becomes a hole that needs to be filled.

In the last week, I've come to the conclusion that the void is just something I must live with as this person, to an extent, serves as a reminder that frequently I am attracted to that which I cannot have. And thus, a cold dose of reality was showered on me. 

It's time to return to what I love even if there are disappointments along the way.

Of late, I have awakened in the night, and conjured up new characters and story scenarios. How all of that will play out, I am not sure. One of the themes in love and marriage I would like to explore is the job of spouses getting each other to Heaven, which is not exactly a Romance Genre theme beyond strictly Christian Romance, and there, the injection of the realism if the human condition can be a bit puritan. Humans have hormones, and they do run wild when one is attracted to a potential mate. That has to be dealt with, and I have tried to be realistic on this topic in my writing.

As of now, book 12 in the "Turn My Head" series was supposed to be the story of Declan Collins and Martina Hughes. Frankly, I don't like Martina very much. She's at a turning point where I am with the story, and will need to change. How that happens hasn't come to me as yet.

If I get too stuck, I will move on to Megan Dolan and Todd Riordan who meet on his dad's campaign trail.

And then Isabeau falls for her boss, a conductor.

And Helene's best fashion customer's brother sweeps her off her feet.

I haven't quite got Jean-Paul nailed down just yet.

And then there are all these other story ideas I have....

Well, time to get to work.

No time like the present to get started.

About The Upcoming Short Story "Secrets of the Bayou"

Photo: my own, from my visit to Destrahan Plantation in May 2015

In my previous blog post, I announced that my next publication would be my first short story, "Secrets of the Bayou." It was inspired, actually, by a trip a couple years ago when my mother and I visited a number of plantations in Southern Louisiana, including the famous one, Oak Alley.

It wasn't Oak Alley, or the famed "Sugar Palace" Houmas House that captured my imagination, though. It was Destrahan, a plantation very close to New Orleans, and the history we learned from our tour guide, Frank. Frank was, to put it mildly, an effing encyclopedia.

Destrahan, as it happens, pre-dates the American take over of Louisiana Territory. It dates to the 1770s, and as such, the system set up there including slavery very much reflected European social mores rather than English colonial society. The system of "slavery" was a variation on Roman bondage where a slave could earn money from work not done for the plantation master and eventually buy his freedom. Families were expected to stay intact with enslavement passing through the mother, and the families were expected to provide for themselves.

This is not the image of slavery that popular culture gives us.

In fact, in school we rarely learn about slave revolts, let alone the one in Louisiana in 1811 which was a direct result of the American takeover, and the imposition of the much less humane American system of slavery. We also don't learn much about the culture of the plantations where company was scarce for the plantation owners, and after a while sisters started looking really good to their brothers. In that part of the country, every plantation had a place for the boys to live after puberty until they were married known as the garconnierre. It was generally placed away from the house, and the only time the boys were allowed in the big houses was for dinner.

That was something else that was different about Destrahan. Unlike the newer plantation houses, Destrahan's dining room was on the ground floor and the stairs were outside the house going from veranda to veranda. Staircases in some of the other houses had grand architectural features on the interior.

Given that "Secrets" is a "mini" all of these details could not be worked in, but many were, including the role of "Mammy" who had the charge of raising the household children. According to more than one guide, on every plantation Mammie was the sort of woman no man argued with. (Hattie McDaniel wasn't that far off in "Gone With the Wind".)

I just wanted to give some background to my regular readers as the truths of popular culture and actual records never seem to be the same.

Reminder of upcoming releases:

November 2017 - mini "Secrets of the Bayou"

December 2017 - Book 8 of the Turn My Head series, "High Maintenance"

January 2018 - release of the original book "Turn My Head" to Amazon readers

February 2018 - mini "The Walkabout"

March 2018 - Book 9 of the Turn My Head series "No Turning Back"

Also on the horizon:

June 2018 - Book 10 of the Turn My Head series. This is Gabriel and Alicia's story which is resting.  With their tale, a short story that is yet unnamed will come with it as a bonus.

Yes, Loneliness Is The Constant Companion Of The Artist

Of late, for a variety of reasons, this writer/singer/crocheter has been feeling the sting of loneliness. The whole thought is rather odd since I do not live alone, and do have regular contact with the outside world even not working in an office, but the lack of someone to talk to who will not judge started to wear in the last couple of weeks. As luck would have it, I had a weekend away in a quiet place to try to put the feeling behind me, but experience tells me it will return.

Why? Because the work of an artist - the actual hours spent creating, perfecting and polishing - art in multiple forms, is done alone, preferably with no extraneous noise, and no interruptions. And what's more, in today's work environment, that is an anathema to those with nothing but office experience.

The current bout of loneliness did not begin with writing, romance writing or anything of the sort. It began with the most selfish and demanding of all art forms, music. In a previous life and having a Queen of the Night range (that means all the REALLY high notes), I trained in classical singing. After leaving the flashy professional choruses and choirs behind - season after season of singing in two groups with a full time job was exhausting - my only music commitment is to the parish choir.

Well, long story short, we are preparing for a big concert during Lent, and yours truly is the main soloist, and possibly the only soloist, for a masterwork. I've been woodshedding the music, as we say, for weeks. Even longer story short, the date of said concert was revealed week before last: March 18. That means...I can't join the friends and family hoard headed for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Either one of them. Due to the uncertainty of the weather, the three mile walk, yelling screaming and a fifth of Jameson...yeah, no. Not the day before the concert.

That didn't go over well with one person who decided to try and guilt me into going to the parade instead of singing the concert.

Sorry, but, no. These chances don't come along very often, and that is something the non-artist who disagreed with my choice did not understand.

And that was the beginning of the week of loneliness that went beyond being an artist. For days, I remembered the platonic friends I jettisoned, and the combination of mutual desire and interest that never materialized with all the guys I've known over the years. It may be out there, but at this point, there is no reason to sit by the phone. (And then there was the young adult group at church which I'm too old for. As if the singles in middle age aren't the better fundraising targets.)

On top of it, I can never seem to forget that the friends we make that are supposed to be the ones we know for life...my childhood group was gone before I was nine. Most of their dads were transferred away, and more than one set of parents split up. Not that most of them would have been artists or understanding of the loneliness dilemma. Okay, maybe a couple would. We were all in dance together.

This is the main pitfall of being an artist: a lack of someone to understand. If artists didn't love to create, there would be no art, loneliness and all. For us, it is all about feeding other people's souls by feeding and baring our own - and if that means skipping parades and letting friendships lapse, then so be it.

It is not something everyone understands.

Coming up:

November 2017 - At some point, I will put out my first mini-story (it's too long to be "short") titled "Secrets of the Bayou". It's not a full length book by any means, though. This mini takes place in Louisiana just a few years after the American government purchased it. It was inspired by a tour of Destrahan which is a plantation very close to New Orleans where I learned that much of what we know of historical slavery in the United States is distorted and leaves out a lot of historical detail.

December 2017 - By the 15th, Book 8 in the Turn My Head Series will be published. "High Maintenance" is the story of how Mickey Dolan figures out that his new hot shot interior designer, Tara McKenzie, may look like she's high maintenance, but really isn't.

January 2018 - "Turn My Head" the original should be published to Amazon. It will still be free, and I will let everyone know when that happens.

February 2018 - With all luck, the second "mini" titled "The Walkabout" should be published around the Feast of St. Valentine. This is the meeting of Manon Beauchamp and Stephen Pernoud. I apologize in advance for all the religious detail.

March 2018 - Book 9 in the "Turn My Head" series WILL be out by Holy Week. I have a concert to sing (see above), but Sean Dolan and Marianne Drummond were so much fun, I can't wait to dive back in, really serious topics as part of the plot and all.

As always, check my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaHoldenAuthor/ for updates, and more news.

Studying The Masters (Or Is It Mistresses?)

In my quest to improve my writing and make stories more irresistible for the readers, I've been doing some research. It's amazing the number of online resources there are for writers who give away some of the secrets of creating interesting characters and keeping the plot going. Much of what exists online is applicable to any genre, but, like all the others, there is a secret sauce when it comes to romance that keeps the readers coming back for more.  What is it? What need in life does romance fill?

After perusing several websites that did not exactly answer the question but did give a name to the climax of a romance novel (dark moment, remember that), the mentions of an old classic, Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, caught my eye. It seems that this is as close to a go to textbook on how to write romance as exists.

And, as it happens, I had a copy on my bookshelf, unread until now, from when I first thought to be a romance author over twenty years ago, before I rehabilitated my singing voice and gave opera a try. (Seriously, talk about an obsequious world. Stuck in the 18th century, and full of blood suckers.)

Imagine my delight to find on the front cover that the small tome was edited by my (now) idol in romance authorship, Jayne Ann Krentz. I'm not sure what it is, but her books are like crack. You just can't get enough. (Incidentally, I think the same of roasted cauliflower and sparkling water, so it's gotta be more than just a drug.)

This monograph (did I mention I used to work in a library?) is over twenty-five years old, before the internet was really a utility, and when connecting to other computers was done pretty strictly by modem. Publishing at the time was a matter of standing out in the slushpiles of the New York City publishing houses, not just signing up for Smashwords or B2B and pressing publish when you were sure the thing was polished enough. Seriously. You had to really put the time and effort into a submission.

It's that time and effort that needs to be honed for true artistry. That I know from being a singer. It takes study and practice of technique to perfect an art form.

So, now that I have some direction, let the study begin!

By the way, I've been busy.

• I put a draft of my first short story, Secrets of the Bayou, in the can this week. It takes place on the Mississippi Delta a few years after the Louisiana Purchase and the American takeover of sugar plantation life. I'll have more on that later.
• By reader request, Stephen and Manon Pernoud's story is developing. It will be a short story and out probably sometime early in 2018.
• Gabriel and Alicia, also by reader request, is in production. Figuring out their "dark moment" is giving me a run for my money.

Planned releases subject to change depending on this household sheltering more hurricane evacuees, and family members having medical crises:

December 2017 - High Maintenance, Mickey Dolan and his southern belle, Tara McKenzie

March 2018 - No Turning Back, Sean Dolan and quartet member Marianne Drummond

Until next time!

Detailing The Flavor Of A City

At the top of Art Hill in Forest Park

Yes, I'm somewhat into self-mortification. Last week, before I pressed "publish" on my latest novel, I actually looked at the reviews of the first one. The one that started it all. For a variety of reasons, I'm reworking it, and since it is free, I need to add it to an online retailer that hasn't ever carried it. So, I wanted to know what needed to be fixed.

One review was amazingly disheartening as the reader completely missed the interplay between the characters and went straight to objecting to their faith demonstrations. Okay, maybe I overdid it with all of that, but when it comes to "write about what you know," that's what I know.

In a way, though, all of that detail was supposed to be a reflection of the character of the city. My hometown of St. Louis was founded in 1764 by Pierre Laclede, a Frenchman who came up the Mississippi to set up a fur trading post. One of the first buildings built was a church. As a friend who is not a native put it, in STL Catholics still rule the roost. We have two St. Patrick's Day parades, a Mardi Gras celebration second only to New Orleans and maybe Carnival in Brazil, the open container law in the state is you can't be the driver and have an open container...and then there are the Lenten Fish Fries.

Yes, I poured on the fish fries a bit thick in the first book, but when I say there are websites dedicated to posting which parishes have one which week during Lent, and listings in the newspapers, I'm not kidding. Radio stations do remotes from them. St. Ferdinand, which is mentioned in the book, is legendary for being the best of the best. St. Mary Magdalen actually has a drive through every week. My parish does two. They're big fundraisers where everyone pitches in and has fun - and it is part of the culture.

Perhaps that wasn't explained well, but there it is. EVERYONE goes to the fish fries. EVERYONE.

And so it is, as I go to write the tenth installment (started the first draft today), this one takes place in August and September. Honestly, for the first three weeks of August NOTHING happens around here. It's hot, and a lot of people are out of town. September, on the other hand, is one festival or event after another. Trying to work all of that in is going to be a challenge. Greek Fest, the Japanese Festival, the Clayton Art Fair which is a nationally judged event, the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. These are the weekend events by which we mark time.

It also speaks very much to the culture of the city, one that is not well understood outside of it. There is so much to do here, it's not even funny.

I'll try to work more of that in.

Pressing "PUBLISH" And Avoiding The Reviews

Well.... It happened. Whether the book or the cover was ready or not, I pushed "PUBLISH" today. The plain and simple reality is that I need the income from it, and the boost of book buying that I get whenever I put out a new installment of the series.

What was maddening today, though, was that, in the pit of my stomach, I really wondered if the final product was too racy to be considered "clean romance" even if the characters never take off their clothes in front of each other. The premise is that they are attracted to each other and do a lot of dirty talking before giving in. Yes, all of that is natural and healthy, but was it enough to spin a book?

The thing is, in a series, there will always be one or two stories that don't quite add up to the angst of the others. I fear this was one of those times. The next one is in a different category when it comes to that. (Yes, there is a tease at the end.)

There is always a chance to revisit a published work later (and a definite opportunity to put a new cover on it), and make necessary changes. The problem is knowing what changes to make. That usually involves reading the reviews.

And just like in my other artistic endeavor, classical music, avoiding the reviews is a good thing. No one wants to read trash talk about what amounts to their baby, even if reviews - good ones, anyway - are how new readers find new authors. Good reviews are always appreciated, so are politely honest ones. Snippy and snarky ones, not so much

So, today I pressed "PUBLISH" on Talk Dirty To Me, the first book in the second half of the Turn My Head series. Now the waiting begins as the distributor takes it the rest of the way.

The first six books of the Turn My Head series are:

Turn My Head – Adam Pernoud and Mae Jones

Break Through – Ben Pernoud and Darcy Platt

Third Time’s the Charm – Christian Pernoud and Sarah Jane Rappaport

Conflict of Interest - Damian Pernoud and Margot Dolan

Romeo Night – Ed Pernoud and Beth Hartke

Last Man Standing – Francis Pernoud and Rosemary Fallon