Let's do launch! TRAIL WINDS by Janet Fogg is now available!

Hey! Where's the champagne? On the counter next to the glasses? Okay then, let's pop the cork and launch Trail Winds, five etiological tales presented in this (very short) ebook.

From Splitwing, the first Red-winged blackbird, to HeCoYa, a massive gray coyote, in Trail Winds you'll find fanciful tales of how five natural phenomena came to be.

A recent 5 star review stated: "Heroic metaphors told in the language of conversant animals, reminding adults of how truly clear was the world when we were young. Suggest you share outloud with children at the campfire... just to hear them in the right air." ~ J. J. Wilson

If you enjoy book trailers...

 



 

 

 

Trail Winds is available from numerous online ebooksellers, including Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Smashwords, and others!

 

I hope you enjoy Trail Winds.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Janet Fogg

Janet is the author of Soliloquy, an award-winning historical romance, and co-author of the military history best seller, Fogg in the Cockpit.

 

 

 

 

Creating Fictional Characters

By Pat Stoltey

This post is adapted from an article I published on my own blog in May 2009.

As I reread my second Sylvia and Willie mystery The Desert Hedge Murders to check the e-book formatting before I publish for Kindle and Nook, I’m reminded how much fun I had creating and writing about The Florida Flippers, a travel club of elderly ladies. One of the ladies, Kristina Grisseljon, is the mother of my protagonists, Sylvia Thorn and Willie Grisseljon. Kristina is a spirited gal who loves to read mysteries (primarily police procedurals), travel, and meddle in her children's affairs. The travel club was formed years ago when all of the ladies lived in the same retirement community and all were enthusiastic fans of the Miami Dolphins.

I needed models for my characters to make it easier to establish individual personalities. Luckily, I just happened to have a few cousins and a much-loved sister-in-law who could provide all of the idiosyncrasies I needed. And just for fun, I used their first names for their characters.

Linda Swayble, for example, was named after my sister-in-law. I added about fifteen years to her age, exaggerated a couple of her most endearing personality traits, and then expanded her bio, description, and speech mannerisms. Then I dumped her into the story to see what she would do. She was full of surprises. Linda of the mystery novel was a first-class worrier and way more timid than I expected. The real Linda, however, was one of the bravest women I've ever known. This is what happens when I give my characters too much freedom.

Three cousins were the models for Marianne, Gail, and Diane. In real life, they're sisters. In my book, they're not related. I've assured the cousins I will let everyone know my Flippers are drawn completely from my imagination and not from real life. For instance, my red-haired cowgirl wannabe Marianne, who line dances with the sexy cowboys at a country bar in Davie, Florida, and plays Blackjack in Laughlin, Nevada, is actually a lovely white-haired grandmother and first-grade schoolteacher in Oklahoma.

Similarly, the real Gail would never kick anyone with her orthopedic boots, unless he truly deserved it, and Diane did not really win the lottery and does not live in The Sanctuary in Boca Raton, Florida.

Using real people to create characters in a novel has certain risks, of course. For instance, did I have someone in mind for the killer(s) and victim(s) in the Sylvia and Willie mysteries? No, definitely not. Really. Although someone who knew me in high school thought I was very tough on old boyfriends in The Prairie Grass Murders, which was set in central Illinois where we grew up. But those were Sylvia Thorn's old boyfriends, not mine. Honest.

The Prairie Grass Murders is already available for Kindle and Nook, and The Desert Hedge Murders is coming soon.

Of eBooks & Packing Boxes

Tamela Buhrke, book lover, finally succumbs...

I confess, six months ago I bought an iPad. I bought it because I was about to go on a cruise and needed something that could act as a computer while also providing me with hours of reading entertainment. As a lover of all things book, I didn’t think of the iPad as a replacement for my beloved paper bound books. It was merely a convenient way to travel.

Last month something happened that drastically changed my opinion. I know. I can actually feel you glaring at me, clutching at your signed copy of Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Australian. I get it. I was you before my iPad. Most of all, I was you before I decided to move into a smaller home.

The Packing

I haven’t been writing much on the Chiseled in Rock lately because I spent the month of July packing, then moving and the early part of this month unpacking. My previous home totalled approximately 2600 square feet and I had decided to downsize to a place with 1800 square feet that I was now sharing with a roommate. I had books in nearly every room.

First, I sorted through all my books to weed out the ones that I could bear to let go. Two whole boxes went to the used book store. Then I happily bought small boxes for my books, knowing they would weigh too much if I put them in larger boxes. Packing the boxes was like reuniting with old friends. I cooed over this book and laughed at the memory of that series. I packed them in order by series. The boxes were arranged by category: humor, urban fantasy, various fiction, various nonfiction, business and cookbooks. They were lovingly stored in a place that would keep them dry—all twenty-five boxes of them.

The Move

Wow. Um. These boxes are heavy. I thought I packed them in small boxes. How many of them are there? I didn’t realize I had this many books. What? Oh, is that another box of books? Why do I have so many books? My back is killing me.

The Unpacking

Hmmm... where am I going to put these. Maybe we can squeeze the small glass bookcase into the kitchen by the sliding glass door. Yes, I do need all these cookbooks. I have food allergies. Can I put these picture books on the coffee table? It’s fashionable to put picture books on coffee tables. Okay, maybe twelve is too many. Do I really need all of these books on business? Half of them I've downloaded the updated versions to my computer through Kindle. I really want to keep the ones on gardening.

There really isn’t any room for a bookcase in my bedroom is there? Maybe I don’t need the dresser? Let’s take a look at these books and see if... well, this series wasn’t this authors best. Maybe I could take them to the used book store? I’ve started reading this series on my iPad. I already have two of them. How many books do I have on my iPad? Forty-eight. Wow. That would be two boxes of books and a small bookcase. My iPad weighs just under two pounds and fits in my purse.

Don’t unpack those five boxes. I’ve decided to take them to the used book store. Credit? No, I’ll take the cash.