One or Both?

Having recently released the Blessing or Curse Collection, I find myself in between books. I'm promoting my current release, yet know I have Always Young to finish and complete the Always Young Trilogy, which began with Forever Young: Blessing or Curse.
Though I strayed somewhat from the thriller genre for the second of the series and made Blessing or Curse more a relationship/romance collection, the third will definitely be a one story thriller.

In the meantime, I'm tempted to start A Perfect Angel, which would be the sequel to my romantic comedy, Her Handyman, since one of the secondary characters is begging for attention. I don't blame her, since she did get a rotten deal, which needs to be rectified.

Should I work on both books now, or one at a time?

Maybe I'll try the thriller when I feel in a dark mood, and the romantic comedy when I want something light.

What about you? Have you ever worked on two books at once? Is it a good or bad idea?

Morgan Mandel
Amazon Author Page: http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel
Twitter: @MorganMandel
Morgan's Book Links Blog: http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

I See You, But You Don't See Me

By accident I discovered I can look out my dining room window, see two blocks away, yet no one can see me looking. I know this, because I've checked outside from that distance and can't see into that window. I'm not an expert, but the reason appears to be a combination of the shrub blocking over 50% of the window, plus the way the light hits the glass.

It's kind of fun watching people walk down the street, some with their dogs, some on their way to work, some to other destinations.

This scenario fits well into mystery books in various instances. Here are some:

A person witnesses a crime, yet the criminal can't see the witness. Perhaps it was a case of looking out a window like mine, or inattentiveness by the criminal in not casing the area for bystanders, or various other factors.

Or, the reverse. A victim doesn't see the criminal, perhaps a stalker, who hides behind doorways, or hides behind cars in traffic lanes, sneaks into a house while the door is open, or uses other methods. Or, perhaps the victim is so engrossed in some other problem or event the criminal goes unnoticed.

Carrying this scenario to a different level, here are some instances between authors and readers:

An author creates a book and puts it online, or it's carried in a bookstore. Readers don't see it. Why? Perhaps an author gets caught up in having the book published and expects the literary world to rush out and get it. However, that author hasn't set up any publicity, or hired someone to do so, either through social media or other methods. Unless readers know a book is available by seeing the cover or description somewhere, or hearing about it, the author can see the book, but no one else does.

Or, in another case, a reader notices an author, purchases a book, yet no one, including the author, knows whether or not that reader enjoyed the read. The only person who knows this is the reader. If only the reader had shared the experience, either through word-of-mouth, a comment somewhere on social media, or even by going so far as to write a review, that would have made the difference. Then, the author would know the effect of the book on that reader.

Can you think of other instances? Or, perhaps you just want to agree or expand on one of mine.

Morgan's current thriller is
Forever Young: Blessing or Curse.
A 55 year old widow takes a pill to be 24 forever, but
learns that being old might not be the only way to die.

Soon, the villains and the law are after her.

In the works is a sequel to Forever Young: Blessing or Curse,
called Blessing or Curse.

Consuela's husband has Parkinson's. Would the pills help him?

Ezekial suffers from E.D. Will the pills cure his curse?

Police officer, Mike, has let himself go. His physical is coming up. Maybe the pill will help.

Dee Dee wonders if her husband is cheating. Will the pill make her more attractive? 

Sherri's washed out as a model. Can the pill reignite her career?

If you like romantic comedy, check out Her Handyman,
and be amused by the adventures of Jake, the handyman, who answers a frantic call by Zoe, the rich artist, to stop a bathroom flood in her penthouse.

Find all of Morgan Mandel's mysteries, thrillers and romances at:
http://www.morganmandel.com

Amazon Author Page:
http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Why Should I Care?

The other day I saw a kid on a skateboard dart in front of a car near our local food store. Though I didn't know him or the driver, I got mad, thinking he should have known better than to jeopardize his life. Also, what about the driver? Imagine what hell the driver would go through if he'd hit the kid.

I often seen people on bikes with child carriers attached to the back, and I wonder why those parents think so much of their own exercise at the expense of what could happen to the child. Again, I don't know these individuals, but they still aggravate me. I can't figure out why children must be buckled up in special car carriers, yet can be so out in the open in the flimsy ones in back of bikes. It doesn't make sense.

Those are actual examples, and there are so many more, where my emotions are affected by people I don't even know.

Why am I mentioning this?

It leads me to one responsibility of authors. Yes, books should be technically correct in grammar and formatting, correct wording, sparse adjectives and adverbs, and all those other items that spell a quality read. However, a book can look correct, but still not engage the reader.

It's the author's duty to make the reader care what happens to the characters, or the reader will feel cheated and bored. Not only must we get into the characters' heads and think the same, but it's also important to share what we feel with the readers.

There are many ways to do this. Some are:

Dialogue, internal or external - What's said or omitted
Mannerisms - Biting a lip, tightening jaws, frown, smile
Another character's observations about the appearance or mannerisms of one of the characters.

These are some techniques. You may know others. If so, please share.

The main thing is to engage the readers. Make them care!

Morgan Mandel

Morgan Mandel is a past president of Chicago-North RWA,
was Library Liaison for Midwest MWA, belongs to Sisters in Crime and EPIC.

Her most recent releases are: Her Handyman, a romantic comedy,
and the thriller, Forever Young: Blessing or Curse.

See all her books at
http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel
Excerpts & Buy Links:
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com
Twitter: @MorganMandel

All a Matter of Perspective

It's amazing how perspective can differ amongst people and even with myself.

On the way home from Wisconsin near Wausau

I got back from our North Woods vacation yesterday. Almost every day, the weather was my ideal - 60s and 70s. I know some people  would say that's not warm enough. They prefer at least 80s or 90s. That's them. I was happy.

So was the DH, who set out in his fishing boat almost every day to catch "The Big One." He tried, but never caught that elusive dream. Still he did pretty well, hauling in some keeper walleyes, bass and a nice-sized crappy. On the days he couldn't catch fish, he'd say, "I guess you can't have good weather and good fishing at the same time."

In past years, when we had no cable and no Internet in our cottage, the DH was fit to be tied if the fish weren't on a feeding frenzy. Now, he takes it in stride, and occupies himself in other ways.

Morgan's dog. Rascal

In the old days, without other entertainment except for eating binges at local restaurants, I went through many books, also lay out in the sun, weather permitting. I walked the dog, did crossword puzzles, and went to Bingo when I could. I worked full time then, and my vacations were relaxing. At times, I'd even go fishing with the DH.

Nowadays, on vacation I can watch TV, read on my Kindle, surf the net, and after walking the dog, I prefer sitting in the shade, while my dog lays in the sun.

I have no day job anymore, except writing. A bit of relaxation is fine and dandy, but I much prefer excitement and variety. Bingo is no longer enough, when the thrills of the casino beckon to me. I haven't fished in two years, and don't miss it.

I bet you're wondering what this has to do with writing. Well, I'll tell you.

To make your book characters come alive, perspective is important. Each character needs to be and see differently, even those who share some basic views or values. Notice that I and the DH both loved the weather and modern conveniences, but still differed in some ways as to our entertainment. Even minor distinctions between characters is important.

Readers should be able to distinguish each character, even without the author continually pointing out which one it is.

Be sure to include clues, even if they're physical mannerisms, such as lifted or furrowed eyebrows, smiles or frowns, or maybe trembling or firm hands. Age can also be a factor in a character's perspective, although you can have fun with that in a mystery by having a senior be spunky and a teenager timid.

When there's a murder involved, which is often the case in mysteries, you can have more fun by showing atypical reactions. A reader might expect an innocent party to exhibit sadness at the death of a family member, but that might not always be the case. Wrongs, either perceived or real, could hinder what seems an appropriate reaction.

You can also allow your characters' perceptions to change. Maybe after more evidence is revealed, the very person who despised the dead party, now feels saddened and guilty for prior feelings.

Lots of possibilities to play around with perspective. Have fun!

Morgan Mandel - http://www.morganmandel.com
Morgan writes mysteries, thrillers and romances
Her latest thriller: Forever Young: Blessing or Curse
Her current romantic suspense: Her Handyman
Her Amazon Author Page:
http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel