A Dublin Student Doctor

It was a rainy, stormy day, and I needed something entertaining to read. I subscribe to Reader’s Digest Select Editions, and I had already read three of the condensed novels, leaving A Dublin Student Doctor by Irish author Patrick Taylor. The book looked too tedious, and tedious wasn’t the kind of story I needed for on a rainy afternoon. Finally, I sighed rather laboriously, and decided to give Dr. Taylor a chance.

One thing that really puts me off on any novel is one-dimensional characters that seem to know nothing, feel nothing, and accomplish little except to exercise the other bland set of characters in the story. To say that I loved Patrick Taylor’s book, is not eloquent enough to give justice to what he did.
 
A few weeks ago I received an email from a man in Florida who had read one of my books and cobbled a review together that blasted me for creating characters that were too complicated. “Your character was too much of a busybody who spent too much time with his love interest, when he could have been doing something else,” he said. I was not unkind enough to tell this reader that maybe he should read something else by another author, but the thought did cross my mind. I am an old goat that has been around a long time, done most of the things that an ordinary person can do, and I know that real people are very complicated. There was a documentary last year about serial killers. One thing that was surprising to many, but not to me was the revelation that many of these criminals were loving family men; good fathers, considerate toward their wives, and enjoyable to be around.

People are many-dimensional, and it should be reflected in the author’s story. Regardless of how dedicated, busy, complicated, lovable, or depraved a person is, they have someone they love. I love complicated fiction where the characters are many things to many people and their lives are complex, fought with danger, periods of happiness, and frustration. Or to put it another way, I love stories that entertain me, challenge me, and teach me a little of what life is all about. It is the kind of novels I write, and I hope it is the kind of stories you like to read. Enough for now, I need to get back to my latest novel.

Bee Gees

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I was saddened when I read that singer Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees was in a coma in Chelsea hospital in West London. Robin is the last surviving member of the legendary British singing group that performed for us for almost a half century. I think that most of us will remember the Bee Gees best for the soundtrack from the movie Stayin’ Alive. There was something magical about that movie that captivated most of us, not that we lived a life similar to the character that John Travolta played, but rather that we were moved by the music, and could identify with the longing of someone who wanted to excel at what he did. It is the end of a passing era in some ways, but in others the Disco Era will never end as long as we can hum along with the many great hits that were written during those years. I shall always remember Barry, Robin, and Maurice. Their music brought a lot of pleasure into our lives. Click on the title of this article to watch the YouTube video of the Bee Gees performing their hit song from Stayin' Alive.

Another Winner From Writer Felix Francis

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I was saddened when mystery writer Dick Francis passed away in 2010. He was the author of more than 40 international bestsellers, spanning a career that lasted more than a half century. When I read Francis first book, The Sport of Queens, I was immediately hooked. There was just the right amount of mystery and authenticity to keep me turning the pages. All of his books were centered around horseracing, and as a former jockey who rode in more than 300 races, he was able to capture the magic of the sport.

I was pleased when his son, Felix Francis, co-author of his books, decided to continue in his father’s footsteps and keep the tradition alive. Gamble, the novel that I am currently reading, is as exciting as any of the books that went before. I hope there will be many more in the years to come.

Writing Your First Novel

In the last few weeks I have received a large number of emails from writers, especially the ones who are trying to get their first novel off the ground. Some of them were having trouble with their writing, and a lot of them were having problem with formatting and uploading their finished book on Kindle. After answering so many questions, I decided that it would be easier to just put everything together in one small self-help book and make it available to everyone who needs some assistance. This book will not write your book for you, nor will it allow you to publish it on Kindle without doing some of your own research when you get on their site. What it will do is open up the process and point the way to where you can find the information you need. Thinks for visiting my site, and happy writing!

Click this link to read more about my book.

Creating Realistic Characters in Fiction

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Writing fiction is never an easy task because it requires the author to crawl inside the minds of a very diverse group of characters. No writer would put a real person inside a novel, for what would be the point in doing this. We do, however, draw clues from the people we know that helps us understand humanity a little better. While the sadness a friend encounters after losing a loved one will not appear in a book, the experience makes us more aware of what personal loss involves. Our books become richer, more realistic, and in various ways, more helpful to readers who might be going through a personal crisis.

The most difficult characters to create are the ones who commit senseless crimes. A writer friend of mine attempted to probe inside the mind of an inmate who had killed several people in a decade long crime spree. He came away without any additional understanding of the situation, and a feeling that the prisoner did not really understand it himself. One thing that makes it so hard to probe the mind of these people is the fact that they are so skilled at concealing who they really are. People are dangerous, complex, and often loveable. This is the thing that makes fiction so appealing to all of us. Thank you for your visit and happy reading.

The Hunger Games

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“Why don’t you write a romance?” a friend of mine asked. So I explained to her that all of the main characters in my books have a love interest, even the villains. I have discovered that it brings a special dimension to any character to insert a soft center somewhere inside all of that macho posturing.

“That’s not what I’m talking about,” she protested. “You need to write a real romance. That is what everyone is reading and I think you would be good at it.”

“What are you reading?” I asked, somewhat fearful of her answer. She gave me that kind of grin women give men when they are especially clueless. I found myself looking at the cover of Suzanne Collins’ novel, The Hunger Games. I had only read a few pages before I was hooked. Writers tend to forget from time to time that ‘plot’ is a verb, and is best defined with power words like confrontation, turmoil, or trouble. After reading halfway through The Hunger Games, I am still not convinced that romance is the right genre for me, but it has made me take a new look at the personal relationships in the type of novels I write.

“I’m not sure I can write a straight romance novel,” I told her. “Please . . .” she said. “Please, please, please!”

If she had only said please twice, I might have rejected her suggestion. But three in a row? I feel myself weakening . . .

Author interview by Louise James on her blog March 20-22

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As an avid reader, I never know as much as I want to know about the authors of the books I enjoy. I was pleased to receive an invitation from Louise James who graciously takes the time to promote other authors. Later this week (March 20-22) I will be the author on center stage answering some questions from Louise about my writing. Be sure to drop by and visit her blogs and websites. You will find some interesting and informative information there. See you then.

Click on the title of this article to visit her site.

Joe Prentis
Website: http://www.joeprentiswebsite.com
Blog: http://www.prentisatpickwick.blogspot.com/

Censorship of our First Admendment Rights

Authors were notified this weekend that the financial institutions that handle payment for books on Smashwords will longer allow Smashwords to process payments for books that contain erotica, rape, incest, or bestiality. I do not write or read erotica, but I am reminded of the famous quote regarding the first amendment rights of freedom of speech. Voltaire said: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

I do not like censorship because it is impossible to come up with anything that makes sense. In one city a few years ago, the city fathers were well on their way toward writing an obscenity ordnance, when one member wanted to go one step further and outlaw animals going naked. Her amendment would have required owners to make their pets or farm animals wear diapers.

My books contain every crime or sin imaginable, although I try to present it in a sensible way in which the good guys win and the criminals get the punishment they deserve. While I do not like erotica, I see this act as a first step in banning other anti-social acts from literature. What would happen to our stories if they banned murder, bank robbery, simple assault, or criticism of corrupt officials? Censorship in any form is a slippery slope that I don’t think we can deal with until we take a giant step up the evolutionary scale from where we are. If the management of these financial institutions gets away with this, can censorship of Amazon or the other publishers be far behind? Below, you will find the addresses of the financial institutions and credit card companies that are leading this crusade to reign in our rights of freedom of expression. If you agree with me, send them an email stating your position.

VISA
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=V+Profile

American Express
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=AXP+Profile

MasterCard
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=MA+Profile

Discover
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=DFS+Profile

EBay (Paypal)
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=ebay+Profile

Support Groups Needed

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There is nothing quite as wonderful as a good sense of humor. Being able to approach the difficult things in life with an upbeat attitude tends to smooth out the rough spots along life’s pathway. Fellow writer Joyce Scarbrough is not only a good writer; she has the ability to see humor in a way that makes the rest of us envious. Every agent or publisher wants to know a writer’s marketing plan. Joyce wrote a great article a few days ago about one of her ideas that might push her books to the top. It is entitled, Support Groups Needed. Even if you aren’t a writer, you will get a chuckle out of her humorous suggestions. Follow the link by clicking on the title to this article. While you’re on her site, take a look around. You will find some other articles well worth reading.

Another Great Review From Kevin Tipple

Avid readers are always searching for review sites where knowledgeable reviewers can point them toward another great writer. One of my favorite blogs belongs to friend and fellow writer Kevin Tipple. He always does a superb job of discovering writers who know how to craft a great story. I was impressed by Kevin’s review of Dorothy Francis’ new book Killer in Control. Here is the review printed in its entirety with permission of the reviewer. Be sure to visit Kevin’s site for other great reviews.

KILLER IN CONTROL BY KEVIN TIPPLE

Dorothy Francis takes readers back to Key West in Killer in Control and it’s another good very atmospheric cozy style mystery from the author. Full of guilt and heavy with memories, suspended Iowa police officer Kitt Morgan plans on spending time with her sister, Janell and her husband, Rex at their bed and breakfast inn, “The Poinsetta” located at Key West. When she isn’t lecturing one and all about her Prius and how environmentally responsible it is, Kitt’s plan is to relax as much as possible and try not to think about her role in the shooting back home in snowy Iowa. Something that is never far from her thoughts as her police officer father never once shot anyone during his long career.

Sensing something wrong on her arrival, it is not long before Janell and Rex explain to Kitt that they are in real trouble. Fortunately, despite the fact that Rex is bald, it does not mean he is dying of cancer as Kitt quickly suspects on arrival. Instead, one of their guests is dead. Abra Barrie was murdered. Not at the bed and breakfast but elsewhere. They are involved since she was a guest and there is evidence indicating someone at the inn was involved. Both Janell and Rex, as well as their small staff, are suspects in the murder case. Janell and Rex would like Kitt Morgan to quietly investigate, when she is not relaxing and seeing the sites, to clear their names and the business.

How can Kitt tell her sister and her husband no? She can’t. The problem with that, is by sticking her nose in the case when she is not seeing the sites of Key West and the immediate area, she makes herself the target of a killer. While the suspects are many because they are all eccentric in various ways there is only one killer among them. A self-proclaimed “killer in control” who will strike again in this cozy style novel before the case is solved. Despite all Kitt’s reading and experience, and a sister who seems to know much more about police investigative work than she does, it isn’t an easy case to solve when some many characters fit the profile of sociopathic behavior.

Dorothy Francis has penned yet another enjoyable stand alone novel set at Key West. Once again she recounts the sights and sounds along with the unique history of the area while assembling a cast of rather eccentric characters for her latest cozy style mystery tale. A tale of serial murder that fittingly eventually ends on the beach. Killer in Control is another solidly good story from this talented author.

Killer in Control: A Key West Mystery
Dorothy Francis
http://www.dorothyfrancis.com
Five Star
http://www.gale.cengage.com/fivestar/
ISBN# 978-1-43282-502-7
July 2011
Hardback
274 Pages
$25.95

Material in the form of an ARC was provided quite some time ago by the author in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple © 2012, reviews, news and more at: http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Control-Five-Star-Mystery/dp/143282502X

New Book On Amazon

I have a new series available on Amazon. The first book, Wolf Spencer, is FREE. This is a Western series in the tradition of the old west. If you like frontier stories set in the post-Civil War era; this is the book for you.

When John Spencer returns to town after three years of living with the Cheyenne, he does not expect much of a welcome, but it doesn’t matter that much, because he doesn’t intend to stay that long. From the moment of his arrival he is confronted with the problems he ran away from when his parents were killed. There are those who will stop at nothing to make him leave, and others who are willing to pay any price to make him stay. The Indians called him Wolf and he has a reputation to match. There is a price on his head, bounty hunters on his back trail, and the army with a warrant for his arrest. And if that isn’t trouble enough, there is Shannon the one he loves. This is the first book in The Renegade series.

Four Seasons

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I’m glad I live in an area where there are four distinct seasons. Each year as autumn approaches, I wish my camera had the capability of capturing the full riot of colors from the surrounding hillsides and forest. There is always some sadness as the year winds down. You can see it in the meadows and hillsides as summer slowly fades away and geese honk their way southward. Winter brings a special pleasure with the holiday season; warm fires, family gatherings, and events like the Superbowl. There is nothing, however, in any of these things that measures up to the first spring flowers as they emerge from underneath the forest leaves. It excites me in a way that I cannot describe. It is a harbinger of everything the coming year has to offer. 2012 is upon us with its promise of new and better things. There will be some sadness, disappointment, and even tragedy, but as I look at these flowers emerging from the earth, I know that whatever is predestined for the coming year will be good.