Mystery with a splash of romance…
Chicago Tribune reporters Emma and Grace have been best friends since college despite coming from different worlds. When Grace is assigned to cover an annual charity ball and auction being held at a lakeside mansion and her boyfriend bails on her, she brings Emma as her plus one. The night is going smoothly until Emma finds the host’s brother unconscious in the study. Though at first it is thought he was tipsy and stumbled, it soon becomes clear more is afoot, as the wall safe is empty and a three-million-dollar diamond necklace is missing. With visions of becoming ace investigative journalists, Emma and Grace set out to solve the mystery, much to the chagrin of the handsome local detective.
Guest Post
It Takes a Village to Write a Book
Thank you so much for letting me share my thoughts on your blog today. As an independent author, I rely on book bloggers to spread the word about my books, so I am especially appreciative when given the opportunity to introduce myself to readers.
I’ve been writing creatively since 2008, though I was a professional technical writer for over twenty years. I decided to write my first book when one of my daughters asked if I liked my job. I try to be honest with my girls, so I said, “No. I’d rather be writing books.” She said, “Why don’t you do that instead?” I could have gone into a deep discussion on the family budget and the need for my corporate salary, but instead, I started writing in my spare time. I felt it was important to show my children that it is never too late to follow your dreams.
As a card-carrying introvert, writing started out as a solitary event. I knew that other writers participated in writing/critique groups and shared their writing with their family members and friends, but that wasn’t for me. I rarely seek out social events (because there are people there), so why would I share something as intimate as my writing? Also, I thought if anyone helped me, it would lessen my accomplishment. I wouldn’t be able to hold up my printed book and say to the world, “Look what I did! This is all me!” So, for my first three books, I rarely discussed the plot and didn’t show anyone the manuscript except for my editor.
When I set out to write The Great Jewel Robbery, I was under a tremendous time crunch. I had read that Hallmark Publishing was accepting submissions, but the deadline was less than three months away. I am a slow writer, and I calculated I would need to write at least one thousand words a day—something I’ve never done. That obstacle, along with a nonexistent plot, made me ask for help.
Over drinks and a Friday night fish fry, my family and I brainstormed the plot. As I finished each chapter, I sent it to my daughters and my husband to critique. My girls caught typos and grammar, and once I convinced them I wouldn’t be upset, they offered character and plot criticisms. My husband was extremely helpful with the big picture. He’s an engineer with a logical mind that I was grateful to take advantage of.
I didn’t make my deadline, but they opened up submissions six months later. So, I kept plugging along at the story, though I went back to doing it alone. When I thought I was done, I sent it to my editor and then some agents and publishing houses. Unfortunately, I jumped the gun. The story wasn’t good enough yet.
I decided to try beta readers, something I had never done before but will do with every future book. I was amazed at how different each reader saw the story, and their comments were insightful.
Then, out of the blue, one of the agents I had submitted to responded with a rejection but offered some advice on the story, which I wanted to take because she obviously knew what would make a successful story. The problem was, her advice screwed up the story’s timeline and a key clue reveal. I didn’t know what to do and felt extremely discouraged. I considered calling my daughters to brainstorm, but they were away at college, and well, it was Saturday night.
That left my husband, who had been out of the loop for several months. On our nightly walk, I tried to explain the current plot and the problems I had with it. By the end of the walk, we had solved them all.
I reworked the story again, but I still wasn’t sure if it was good enough for cozy readers. I found a few more beta readers, and I sent an email to Mrs. Dollycas of the Escape to Dollycas blog and begged her to read it. She graciously agreed. The story received her blessing, and The Great Jewel Robbery was born.
Do I feel a lesser sense of accomplishment because so many people helped me with this book? If I’m honest, yes, I do. But as my husband said, “Giving out ideas is easy. The hard part is writing.” I feel I have to make peace with the little voice in my head because the village I used to write this story was invaluable.
I’d like to say thanks to my family, my editor, my beta readers, the kind agent who offered me advice, and Mrs. Dollycas.
Take care,
Elizabeth McKenna
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
August 4 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
August 4 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
August 5 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
August 5 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
August 6 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 6 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW
August 7 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
August 8 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 9 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
August 9 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – GUEST POST
August 10 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
August 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
August 11 – T’s Stuff – SPOTLIGHT, RECIPE
August 12 – Books Direct – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
August 12 – Reading Authors – REVIEW
August 13 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW
August 14 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
August 15 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
August 15 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
August 16 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 17 – The Book Decoder – REVIEW
Thank you for featuring me on your blog!
Posted by: Elizabeth McKenna | 08/09/2019 at 12:45 PM