The Good: I think (I hope) that I am pretty good at creating
villains, at writing creepy scenes and weaving a fairly interesting suspense.
Here is a brief creepy scene from DEATH NOTICE:
Clown-bastard
punched a button on the CD player and that song about Pina Colada's started. He
walked slowly toward her.
"Why?" she
asked, choking out the word.
He spoke for the
first time. "You know why."
"No. I don't. I
swear. Please tell me."
He sighed as if
disappointed. "Laurel, Laurel, Laurel. Would knowing why make what's about
to happen any easier?"
"Oh, God,"
she sobbed, dropping her chin to her chest as her entire body shook with
terror.
"I didn't think
so," he said.
She lifted her head
and stared up into his face. "I'll do anything you want. Please don't hurt
me. Pleeeaasse..."
His red lips curled
into a smile. "You always were easy."
She frowned.
"Do I know you—" The words were cut off abruptly when her eyes
dropped to his right hand and, for the first time, she saw the knife. Panic
gripped her, moving from her heart into her throat.
He gave a soft laugh
and reached his free hand up to the orange hair. Slowly, he removed the wig.
Her attention was riveted to his actions, the knife momentarily forgotten as
she watched in curiosity.
Next, came the nose.
Then, he took the collar of his costume and started wiping at the makeup.
As his features were
slowly revealed, recognition dawned and she gasped in shock, but no words would
come. A small glimmer of hope surfaced. She did know him. And he wouldn't hurt
her.
She smiled, found
her voice, and made a sound, something close to a nervous laugh. "What the
hell? You really had me scared. Is this some kind of joke?"
He didn't answer.
She looked into his eyes and felt the smile slip from her face.
Her remaining hope
vanquished when the knife plunged toward her breasts. The first cut made her
scream.
It was a long while
before she stopped.
The Bad: I suck at characterization. I am not great at
emotion, or at love scenes. I try, really I do, but somehow, what I’m thinking
and wanting to convey, just doesn’t come across. My characters are not real
enough, not sympathetic enough. But, I’m working on it. That’s the thing about
writing, even though I’ve published 18 novels and short stories, I never want
to stop learning, stop improving.
The Ugly: When the writing just isn’t working, when every
scene is like being in labor, a very long, trying labor, and having a tooth pulled
at the same time. Also, the Ugly is that I don’t have near enough time to
devote to my writing.
But, you know what? There is a lot more Beauty than there is
Ugly.
The Beauty is…
I’m doing something I’ve dreamed of my whole life.
When a reader takes the time to let me know they enjoyed my story.
When the words flow and you actually love what you’re writing.
The satisfaction of typing The End, even though you know there will be tons of revisions.
The phenomenal people I’ve met in my writing journey. I still marvel at how supportive and close-knit the writing community is.
I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else, and no matter how Bad and how Ugly, I know, the Beauty is always lurking around the corner, and without the Bad and Ugly, the Beauty wouldn’t be quite so beautiful.
The Beauty is also that with self-publishing, we have the
freedom, the control, to write whatever we want. I’ve always loved gothic
mysteries, and I had the pleasure of writing my own contemporary gothic mystery
a little while back. It’s on sale right now for $1.50. Here’s the blurb for
Lady in the Mist:
(Buy Link: http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Mist-Winter-Frost-ebook/dp/B00J08MW1S/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1400505177&sr=8-3&keywords=lady+in+the+mist )
Upon her arrival in Shoal
Harbor, Maine, Lily Jackson hears eerie moans that the locals claim are the
ghostly cries of the unfortunate Breckenridge women. Running from loss and
setback in Cincinnati, Lily needs the job as semi-psychiatric caregiver for
Andrew Breckenridge, but the storm she has to weather from the oldest
Breckenridge brother is severe. Clinton Breckenridge is a brooding man used to
getting his own way, and he’s not convinced Lily is the right person to help
his troubled younger brother.
Even as
Lily starts picking up the pieces of Andrew’s tortured psyche and finding out
his dark secrets, another mystery looms before her. Andrew’s lover has gone
missing in recent months and no one knows what has happened to her, or if her
voice has joined those of the other Breckenridge women. Before she knows it,
Lily finds herself in danger—thrust directly into the eye of the raging storm.
