Which Famous People Are Your Book Characters? by Morgan Mandel



Available for all ereaders,
also in print at Amazon.

Do you put photos of famous people near your computer to remind you of what your characters look like? Actually, I don't, but today I started imagining which ones would fit the bill for my Fountain of Youth theme, romantic thriller, Forever Young: Blessing or Curse.

For Dorrie Donato, the Boomer Generation widow who turns from 55 to 24, for the older version, I'd choose Holly Hunter,who is close to 55, has warm blond hair and warm brown eyes. Holly seems approachable, yet vulnerable, qualities I want my character to project.

For 24 year old Dorrie, I choose Carrie Underwood. She's young, and fits the description, of blond hair, brown eyes, a pretty face, spectacular figure, spunk and talent. Perfect casting!

Roman Remington, Dorrie's boss, dubbed as the Angel Man in my thriller, is tall, with shoulder length blond hair, appears in commercials and is very charismatic. Immediately, the image of a young Fabio comes to mind.

What about you? Which Famous People Are Your Book Characters?

If you'd like to read Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, it's now available in Print. Also, in Kindle, Nook, Itunes and other electronic formats. See excerpts and all buy links for the four Morgan Mandel books at http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com.

If Wishes Were True by Morgan Mandel



Temporary Cover for Forever Young



Now that I'm older, I wish more and more that I could be younger and stay that way.

Such wishing for the impossible is the impetus for my work in progress, a paranormal thriller called Forever Young, where a 55 year old woman takes a pill to become 24 forever. That's not all that happens, but it was the spark that began the long haul of my manuscript, which is two-thirds done. I've set my mark on 1,000 words per day, and have been doing pretty well at keeping up to my goal, making up for it when I slip back. 

What about you? Did you ever write or read a book because you wished something were true?

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
Killer Career 99 cents on Kindle
and on Smashwords

Cut and Paste by Morgan Mandel

With the Love is Murder Mystery Conference looming ahead the first weekend of February, I've been working on my Boomer thriller, Forever Young, the past week.  Of course, I should have been working on it way before.  Now I have no excuse, since I don't have a job presently.

I had over 65,000 words done before I realized the manuscript just wouldn't fly in its present form. With very much regret, I cut the last 196 pages, leaving three main characters central to the plot, with also a few side characters.

The 196 pages cut will not be wasted.  I plan to include them in a bonus book or anthology with a similar theme featuring the characters that don't fit in the first book.

What about you? Have you ever had to cut almost two-thirds of your manuscript for it to make sense? Or, maybe you wish an author you've read had cut lots of pages from his or her book before publishing. (g)

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
Killer Career on Kindle for 99 cents.

Spring Fling Conference next weekend by Morgan Mandel

The Spring Fling Conference is only days from now. My thriller, Forever Young, is not yet completed, although I've made good headway. I'm afraid I've spent too much time promoting Killer Career and not enough on writing. I've made this mistake before, but never learn. (g)

If I stayed up night and day until Friday, it still wouldn't be ready. I may have made it on time, but I've changed the entire structure of the novel. I'm saving some of my characters for a spinoff, because there were just too many to keep track of without confusing readers. I believe my novel will be stronger and tighter, but wish I would have originally decided to write it this way.

So, I'll still meet with the agent, tell her what the story is about, see if I like her and she likes me, then go from there.  That way we can both relax after that and talk about whatever we feel like. - Like maybe my children's book about my dog, Rascal. That can be ready for her very soon if she doesn't want illustrations. I'd like to figure out Photoshop CS4, but it will take me a while.

So, here I am with two books not finished. Maybe she'll want to see partials and that's a step in the right direction.

What about you? Do you have any manuscripts ready for submission, or are you still working on your WIP?

Have you ended up emptyhanded at a conference when you thought you'd be ready?

Morgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com/
http://facebook.com/morgan.mandel

The Unfinished House by Morgan Mandel

A house a few blocks down was extensively remodeled, with a new addition added, a new porch, new garage, patio, the works. Then, new windows were put in. They were painted - all except two which still retain the original color. Will that house ever get finished?

I ask that question to myself often as I walk past with my dog, Rascal.  I guess no one knows the answer, except the owners, or maybe they don't even know it.

I started my thriller, Forever Young, at least three years ago, maybe more. I worked on it diligently for a while, then put it aside to get Girl of My Dreams and Killer Career published.

I've picked up writing Forever Young again, but have decided to do some extensive remodeling (editing) involving removing many characters and saving them for a later book. I know by doing this, even though it's taking me longer, Forever Young should be much stronger as a result. Still, when I look at what still needs to be done, I often ask myself  Will this book every get finished?

What about you? Do you have a book like that unfinished house, that never gets done?

There's Only One You by Morgan Mandel

You may have friends with similar tastes. You may live in a neighborhood with similar houses. You may look like other people, yet not quite. That's because there's only one you. You are a unique person, with your own background, family, and memories.

Remember that when you write. I'm not saying to cram all of your views into your manuscripts. What I am saying is to develop your own style. Sure, you can learn from other authors who have mastered the craft, but bottom line is it's your voice that needs to shine through.

No one can write like you do because they haven't experienced life exactly as you have. Become one with your characters. Enrich them with your own emotions taken from the joys, triumphs, sorrows and disappointments you're already lived through. The instances won't be the same, but the way you express your feelings will put the reader deep into your point of view.

One way of doing this is by including something that happened in your life, but put a different spin on it. I'm borrowing from one of my experiences in my work-in-progress called Forever Young. A while back, I was bitten on the face by what appeared to be a friendly dog. It was a horrid sight. Fortunately, a plastic surgeon repaired the area so well you wouldn't be able to tell where it happened. In my novel, it's a different story. The face of the person bitten can't be repaired. The result is his outward looks become a mirror of his grotesque thoughts.

So, give the reader what no one else can provide. Take advantage of the fact that there's only one you.

What other ways can think of to make a book unique? Have you included something in a book you'd like to share?