Binge Watching and Binge Reading

I started binge watching TV, when I noticed some of the stations, such as ION, TNT, and others devoted entire days to certain programs, or at least showed one or two episodes each day in a row until the series was completed, such as House, and Judging Amy.

Turns out I found binge-watching so satisfying, I've graduated to borrowing television DVDs from the library, such as  Homeland, The Mentalist, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D.. That works even better for me, since usually only a few commercials appear on the lead disc of a series. Last December, I was lucky enough to get a free trial offer for Showtime and I binge watched the entire season of Homeland, which had just been completed. I'm dying to see the new episodes when the series starts up again, but will now need to decide whether to get a subscription to Showtime or wait for the DVD. I'll be more fortunate with Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., since they're on NBC, a major network. I've digressed a bit here. Anyway, I've heard I'm not the only binge watcher. 

This TV binge-watching of mine reminds me there are also a ton of binge readers. I'd often heard readers like nothing more than to follow a series by a favorite author, and now I better understand that preference. 

For authors, I'm offering some suggestions on how to create a series to hook binge readers: 

1. Use the same character in each book.
2. Create a collection or anthology using the same theme as presented in the lead book, as I've done in my Always Young series. I confess to not completing the third of the series, but one of these days it will be ready. I've been sidetracked by a good twin, bad twin book I'd started ages ago and begs to be done first.
   
3. Use a certain locale in each book, as I've used in my so-far two book Deerview series, which I might later expand.
   
4. Do a spin off by turning a minor character in one book into a major in another, as I've done in my short Perfect Match series.
   

What about you? Do you binge watch or binge read? Do you like to write or read a book series? If you're an author with a series, please share a link to the first of your series and offer a few sentences about the character or premise.

Catch all of Morgan Mandel's mysteries and romances at

http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Check out Morgan's mystery website at:

http://morgandoesmystery.com 

Connect with Morgan on Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter:@MorganMandel 

It Will Be Done!

I'm at least two-thirds through with my work in progress, called Awake, but life intrusions keep getting in my way.

Hopefully, my good twin, bad twin thriller will be available some time this summer. I'll need to squeeze in my writing time in between visits to Wisconsin, where the hubby fishes and I go on long walks with Buster, our energetic Miniature Pinscher.

Anyway, above is the proposed cover for the book which I'm determined to get finished!

Find excerpts and buy links to all of Morgan's
books at http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com 

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

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel 

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Ten Ways to Use Reviews to Advantage

Reviews are a great help to an author. Yes, bad ones really smart, but if they're constructive, they can still lead us in the right direction.

And, the good ones, well, those not only make us feel good, encourage us to keep writing when the going gets tough, but are also great fodder for promotions.

Some ways to use a good review, or even part of a not-so-good review:

1. Pluck a short phrase from a review and place it on Twitter, along with your book link, and a copy of the book cover. Add a few hashtags where they may apply, such as #amwriting, or #mystery, or #thriller, #review, etc.

2. Place the review link on your Timeline at Facebook. If you're lucky, at least a few of your followers will see it. Facebook has become stingy about sharing links, but even if one or two people notice, the ball can still get rolling.

3. Share the review on any groups you belong to at Facebook. Again, if you're lucky, some of the others who are also posting promotions at the groups will notice yours.

4. Try not to be too pushy, but casually mention your new review with the link at one or two of your Yahoo groups, if you belong to any.

5. Post the review at Goodreads. I confess to not paying attention to Goodreads as much as I should. I really need to follow this advice.

6. Place the link and a teaser from the review on your website.

7. Make a Review Board on Pinterest and add our review links there, or use a different board for each of your books, and put the review link on the appropriate board. If you want, you could do both.

8. Include part of the review in a blog.

9. Remember, if you're doing a special promotion, many promotional sites require at least 4 stars or more. That's your goal.

10. Post a review of a book you liked. Maybe, later that author will reciprocate after reading one of your books. Since Amazon is a little strict about buddy authors doing reviews, I don't mention I'm an author in my review profile, and my reviews have so far not been taken down.

Can you think of any other ways to use reviews to advantage?

Find all of Morgan's books at
http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel

Excerpts are at:
http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel

Twitter: @MorganMandel

Walking In Mud

As so often happens, I receive my writing inspiration during the morning walk with my dog, Rascal.

The same happened today when Rascal decided to make a detour into what yesterday had been dry dirt, but had overnight turned into mud. I could have tightened her leash and kept her away, but didn't wish to spoil her walking pleasure. I knew once she walked on the grass and sidewalk, her paws would probably come clean, and if worse came to worse, I could wipe them off on the way into the kitchen.

That little detour in more than one way reminded me of mysteries where characters figuratively walk in the mud and most often come out unscathed.

Why do they do it? Here are some reasons I've come up:

1. Curiosity - Something deadly or out of the ordinary happens and the character's mind is not set to rest until the riddle is solved.
2. Necessity - Something dire is likely to occur unless the character faces fears and obstacles and overcomes them.
3. A desire to do good - The welfare of one or more others is at stake, prompting a noble character to brave dangers. 
4. Escapism - A desire to live someone else's life for a short while, and be brave or cowardly, without suffering the consequences.

On a side note - I was employed as a legal secretary when I wrote Killer Career, the story of a lawyer who gave up her practice to become a writer, a decision which turned unexpectedly dangerous. Later, I realized the book had been inspired by my frustration at seeing no way out of the security of my longstanding job. For a while, I could live the life of someone who did escape, faced the consequences, and was able to defeat them. 

Walking in mud can also apply to mystery/thriller readers who bond with fictional characters, experience their trials, yet can breathe a sigh of relief and wipe off their feet, so to speak, after all is right again in the make-believe world.

Can you think of other instances where walking in mud might apply? Or, maybe you'd just like to comment on one of my examples.

Find all of Morgan Mandel's mysteries, thrillers &

romances at her Amazon Author Page:

http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel 

Excerpts are all at: http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

Twitter: @MorganMandel

 http://amzn.com/B002PDOPPG

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

A Confession

I have a confession to make.
Maybe you want to sit down for this one.
Okay, here goes...

I'm a multi-genre author. I write and read more than one genre. You may be gasping by now, since you no doubt realize that writing in more than one genre is said to dilute a brand.

That may be true, but I can't help it. I'm fascinated not only by romance, but also mysteries and thrillers, even science fiction.

I've been known to combine them to make things more confusing, such as in the first of the Always Young Trilogy, Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, a combination thriller/science fiction, with a touch of romance.

No, the characters don't explore other planets, but they do take a pill to turn their ages back, and we do know that no such pill exists. If so, somebody is closely guarding that secret.

In Blessing or Curse, my short story collection sequel to Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, I switched to mainly romance/science fiction, telling the story about five people taking that turn-back-the-age pill. I also made the short stories available not only in the collection, but also separately, as you can see from the covers below. So, I even switched formats. Wow, even more daring than combining genres!

If we go back to my other novels, you'll find Two Wrongs, my debut mystery with romantic elements, followed by Girl of My Dreams, a romantic comedy, followed by Killer Career, a romantic suspense, then followed by Her Handyman, another romantic comedy.

What will I write next? Well, I'm leaning toward a sequel to Her Handyman, since one of the characters advised me she'd love to have her own story told.

Then, there's Always Young, the last of the Always Young trilogy to do, which I must complete, since it was promised, and I won't go back on a promise. I'm leaning toward making that one a thriller, as in the first of the trilogy, but will most likely include romance somewhere along the way, and of course, science fiction.

I almost forgot to mention I may write a book about my dog, Rascal. Not sure yet if it will be for adults or children. After all, I did give her a Facebook page. Why not? Other dogs have one and I didn't want her to be left out.

http://www.facebook.com/ourlittlerascal







To learn more about my available novels, I invite you to check out my website at http://www.morganmandel.com and my Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/morganmandel 


Twitter: @MorganMandel
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/morgan.mandel


What about you? Do you stick to one genre?

Magic?

Steam escapes from my humidifier. Magic? Well, not really. Care went into achieving this phenomenon. First, someone a while ago figured out how to construct a product a certain way to make steam occur, turning dry air moist.

That wasn't all. A company had to gather each part either by making them or through purchase. Then, it all had to be put together. The humidifier is ready. Still, if no one knows of this particular brand, how can its benefits be enjoyed?

Using advertising methods, be they word of mouth, written, e-mail or snail mail, someone from the company has to inform buyers this particular humidifier is available at a particular price. Someone at Walgreen's has to make the decision to buy that brand and how many.

Walgreen's then keeps an amount of humidifiers in the stores, keeps circulars in its stores and also sends out copies of the circulars in the Sunday papers.

I see the ad in the paper. I buy the humidifier, take it home, put water in it, place it on the table, and turned it on. Steam comes out. This particular day the sun from the window shines on it, highlighting the steam even more.

Not exactly magic.Actually, lots of work from many people before this product got down to me, the consumer, to enjoy its benefits.

Books aren't magic either, although their inspiration might seem to be. Authors need to not only get an idea, but also master grammar, use common sense, research the genre, settings and/or plot points, plus spend however many hours it takes to put that book together. That could take months, or years, but very rarely only a day or two.

After a book is written, whether indie or traditional, it still needs to go to an editor to catch what the author missed. That editor offers suggestions for improvement, which the author agrees to or not. Changes are  done to make the book stronger.

At some point, preferably early on, a designer puts together a cover provided by an artist or stock source. Sometimes authors do this themselves, but whoever does it must take care to achieve a professional look.

Once the book is done, whether indie or traditional, it needs to be formatted for e-book and/or print. If e-book, it will usually be put up at Amazon and/or Smashwords. If print, some popular places to use are Createspace through Amazon and/or Lightning Source.

The book  is then available for purchase, but no one knows about it. If an author and/or publicist is on the ball, word has already leaked out about the upcoming release.

When the book is actually ready, more publicity results through websites, blogs, publicity releases, and popular social media, such as Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn and Goodreads. If print copies are on hand, an author might arrange a book launch party or book signings at brick and mortar stores.

Then, wonder of wonders, light shines down. A reader sees the book. Magic?  Not really.

Find Morgan Mandel's current Thriller,
Forever Young: Blessing or Curse on
Amazon at http://amzn.com/B006MO28CQ

Like romantic comedy? Try Morgan's latest, Her Handyman,
at http://amzn.com/B0097EVXBK

Find all of Morgan's books at http://www.morganmandel.com

Connect at 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

The Next Big Thing for Me is Blessing or Curse

I received three tag requests to participate in The Next Big Thing -- one from Jenny Milchman, who is posting today at http//www.kathleenkaskawrites.blogspot.com, another from Shonell Bacon at http://shonellbacon.com, who posted on Oct. 22, and yet another from Susan Furlong-Bolliger, at http://booksgoneviral.blogspot.com, who will do her post on Nov. 19, so I had to give in, sit down and do one of my own.  My duties today are to answer ten burning questions, provide a link to the person(s) who tagged me, and also tag off to five other bloggers. So far, I've only found two, so I may need to tag three more victims later. The main thing is to keep The Next Big Thing going! And the questions and answers are:  What is your working title of your book? Blessing or Curse  Where did the idea come from for the book? Forever Young: Blessing or Curse When I began writing Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, my object was to lay the groundwork about the young pill which could revert a taker from that person’s present age to a previous one. So many characters begged for attention, I realized I couldn’t cover them all in one book. I had to yank some of them out of the manuscript and plop them into a separate book. Hence, Blessing or Curse, began. The first novel, Forever Young: Blessing or Curse,  concentrates on the heroine, as well as the villains. The second, Blessing or Curse, today's subject of The Next Big Thing, focuses on test market participants, as well as a bit about the bad guys. The third, Always Young, concludes the trilogy by taking readers back to the original main character  and someone she holds dear.  What genre does your book fall under? Good question. This one has mixed parentage. Paranormal, since no one has invented a pill yet to take anyone back in age and hold that person there.  It's also a Romance, because most of the stories revolve around love and relationships.  And a Thriller, because the pill has a wide reaching affect for good or bad, and also because there are nefarious villains around. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie edition? Ezekiel – Will Smith Sherri - Nicole Kidman Mike Walinski – Kevin James Not sure yet about the rest of the cast What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Blessing or Curse focuses on five characters from differing walks of life, nationalities, and circumstances, yet with one thing in common: they are all test market subjects of the experimental pill, Forever Young, designed to revert the user's age back to an earlier choice. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? Definitely self-published, but with the help of my editor, Helen Ginger, plus my book designer,  Stephen Walker. How long did it take you to write the first draft of this manuscript? This has been going on for too long.(g) Actually, I started this sequel at least three or four years ago, but since much of it was part of the first book, I had to finish that one first. I’ve just about wrapped this second one up and hope to have it ready sometime in December, 2012, fingers crossed. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre? Forever Young: Blessing or Curse, the first book in my trilogy. Also, the original Forever Young book and movie. More movies: 17 Again, Young Again. I know there's more, but I can't remember them all. Who or what inspired you to write this book? Getting old was a big inspiration, thinking how nice it would be to be young again and stay at a younger age. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I made a concerted effort to include different sorts of characters, with a range of nationalities and physical characteristics, to appeal to a wide audience.  Here's something about their stories: Desperation forces Consuela to order the Forever Young pill to cure her debilitated husband, Diego, who suffers from Parkinson’s Disease; but will the cure become a curse? Ezekiel, an African-American male with  E.D. difficulties, sends in for the young pill to prevent his lady love, Luana, from discovering he can’t get it up. Will the pill draw her closer or drive her away? Strawberry blonde model, Sherri’s popularity is fading with her looks. The pill can bring her fame and fortune, but what about love? Overweight Chicago Police Officer Walinski must pass a new physical or lose his job, along with his canine partner. Will the young pill provide security, when danger lurks in the line of duty? Downtrodden going-on-sixty housewife, Dee Dee Marshall, suspects her husband of infidelity, and will do anything to keep him, even take an experimental pill. What she really needs is self-confidence. Now you know something about The Next Big Thing of Morgan Mandel, which I hope you'll be reading soon!!! I'm tagging Debra St. John, who will be posting about her Next Big Thing at my blog, http://morganmandel.blogspot.com on Nov.19. And Helen Ginger, is posting today at http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com.            Thanks, Morgan Mandel http://www.morganmandel.com Twitter at @MorganMandel Amazon Central Page: http://amazon.com/author/morganmandel Excerpt & Buy Links Blog: http://morgansbooklinks.blogspot.com

The Story Behind the Story

My newest ebook, just available on Amazon for the Kindle, is titled Beware the Jabberwock. It has quite a story behind it. Actually, several stories. I wrote it back in 1990 after I retired from an eighteen-year career as executive vice president of a statewide trade association. I had written non-fiction for years as a newspaper reporter, free-lance writer, magazine editor, and a few other permutations. I had written two book manuscripts over the years and told everyone I intended to write novels when I retired.

I was an avid spy story reader all through the Cold War, so it was natural that I turned to this genre when I looked for a plot. I had read extensively about the KGB and CIA and had no trouble creating a situation involving both agencies. With the Iron Curtain shredding and the Soviet Union falling apart, clandestine warriors on both sides found their futures in jeopardy. I chose that as my starting point.

Since this was an international thriller, the setting was anywhere. I had been on a fifteen-day tour of Europe in the early eighties and spent a month touring the Far East in 1987. With that background, I had lots of possibilities to choose from. I started the story in Vienna, then moved to Washington, DC.guide I had to depend on guidebooks for scenes on Cyprus and in Tel Aviv, but I had visited Hong Kong and most of the locations in the States. I created a small island off the Florida coast south of Apalachicola.

For the main character, I turned to a man I had met back in the sixties when I was editor of Nashville Magazine. He was a close friend of one of my colleagues and I got to know him pretty well. He was an ex-FBI agent with a wild story to tell. I did a long interview with him, and we talked about writing a book. Then he had second thoughts about writing it as a true story. The statute of limitations hadn't run out on some of the things he had done.

According to his story, and my colleague vouched for his authenticity, he had gone to Washington out of high school and worked as a clerk at FBI Headquarters while getting an accounting degree. His job involved taking documents to Hoover's home, and he became closely associated with the director. He attended the FBI Academy after graduation and worked as a field agent. He was tapped by Hoover to be a member of his Goon Squad, a select group of agents who carried out sometimes illegal acts for the director. According to my guy, some of it involved cases outside the U.S.

Hoover and his assistant came up with a plan to infiltrate the Mafia and chose my agent for the task. He was told to resign from the FBI, commit a few crimes to establish his bona fides, and work to get in with the mob in Las Vegas. But after months of trying, he never managed to get connected. When he came back to Washington, Hoover refused to talk to him, calling him a failure.

All of this is covered in the background of my character, Burke Hill. I lost contact with the ex-agent but learned he died several years ago. It makes for quite a story. You can check out Beware the Jabberwock at  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VQJ3PY.

Chester Campbell

Visit me at Mystery Mania

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.

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?

Another mystery author gone - Dick Francis by Vivian Zabel

According to the Telegraph, mystery/thriller author Dick Francis, 89, passed away at his home in Grand Cayman today, February 14, 2010.

Francis not only had a successful career at a National Hunt jockey, but he became a best selling author, drawing on his experience and expertise as a jockey. I remember reading one of his books that had a jockey crashed beneath him and thinking, "That sounds so realistic." His descriptions and details were believable because he had lived them.

He wrote 42 thrillers over 40 years and had worldwide sales of over 60 million, according his his obituary.

Quoting from the obituary in the Telegraph: Where other thriller writers probed the darker crannies of the soul, Francis reaffirmed the values of human decency and the struggle between the man of good against the forces of lust for power, dishonesty and greed. Heroes can expect to be chained, beaten, burned or flayed two or three times per book – but good always triumphs in the end.

Dick's beloved wife, Mary, died in 2000, and many rumors have her actually writing the books with his name on the covers. He said he could never have written without her, and that he wished she would allow him to have "by Dick and Mary Francis" on the books. Again from the obituary: "It is not the case that Mary writes the books," claimed her husband. "I do all the stories. I write them out in longhand. She then reads and edits them, because she can manage my handwriting, and I put them into the computer."

Dick Francis is survived by two sons, Merrick and Felix. Felix helped write his father's last four novels. Even Money came out in September and Crossfire is due to be released this autumn.

Good bye, Dick. I, for one, will miss your novels. You gave me a glimpse into another world and allowed me to enjoy it.


Vivian Zabel
Brain Cells & Bubble Wrap