Merry Christmas
From a non-writing writer
Sidetracked
Sometimes life gets in the way of...well, everything. I haven't written much since early summer. I know, it's crazy. I'm the guy who proclaimed "I hope to write a hundred books before I die." Really? I'm at sixteen books and I feel...stalled.
I guess it was family health issues that pushed me off track, for the most part. While I've recognized and handled my own issue (high sugar levels) and I'm now fit and healthier than ever before, I've needed to refocus on life and take an extra hour or two every day to exercise.
I've loved my morning walks (yes, even in the cold & dark) because I listen to audio books and it's been fantastic. But this refocusing on health sure has done a number on my "free time.'
In other words, my writing time has pretty much evaporated.
It feels strange to say this in a year when my publisher released seven of my books. Seven! And we have three ready to go in 2013. And yes, I've been poking around rewriting/editing some of my yet-to-be-released LeGarde books (Virtuoso, to be exact).
But editing and prepping and promoting  just isn't the same as writing something new and fresh. That's the fun part of being an author. I miss it, but I"m sure I'll get back to it soon.
But who am I to complain? In this age where children are shot in their own schools and soldiers are dying for our freedom, I truly have no rights to grumble.
I'm grateful to have my family. I'm so eternally grateful... And every day I hug and hold them as much as I can without them batting me away and telling me "enough already!"
So please, in this season of holiday joy, please go hug and kiss your loved ones a little extra today. And have a very Merry Christmas.
Warmest wishes to you and yours...
Aaron Paul Lazar
AUDIO BOOKS
Moore Mysteries
Healey's Cave - on sale for $10.37!
Listen to Excerpts HERE.
HEALEY'S CAVE, narrated by  Dr. Tom Fraser
***
 Now on sale for $10.37, down from $19.95!
Meet our newest narrator, Mr. Robert King Ross.
Regular $19.95, now $1.99!!
LEGARDE MYSTERIES
Reg. $24.95, now $12.97!
Listen to Excerpts HERE.
Tremolo now on sale for $1.99!!
Narrated by the talented Erik Synesstvedt.
Reg. $19.95, now $10.37!
Listen to Excerpts HERE.
Reg. $19.95, now $10.37!
Why are these audio book covers different from the books? My publisher doesn't hold the audio rights, so I am on my own here. But she does own the cover art from the books. So I created some new artwork for each book. Hope you like them.
Kindle eBook, 99 cents each
Introduction

This writing guide is a collection of articles I’ve written over the past seven years for fiction writers of all levels. Whenever I stumbled across something in the writing process, whether it was new-to-me technical skills or promotional methods, I wanted to share them with my network of writing pals. I was driven to help new writers just as my mentors helped me in the beginning of my career. Sort of like paying it forward, you know?

One of my favorite sayings I use when I sign off from my articles is “remember to take pleasure in the little things, and if you love to write, write like the wind!”

I guess it’s a strange concept, but I have this vision of unleashing swirling gusts of words just like the wind that rattles leaves in trees and blows hats along the sidewalk. Don’t stop to analyze, don’t hesitate, don’t edit yourself to death. There’s plenty of time for that later (and then you can “Edit Like an Architect” like my friend Natalie Neal Whitefield says.) Just let it all out in one big gushing explosion of words, and keep going until you reach the last chapter.

Thanks for ordering this guide. I’d love to hear from you, so if you’d like to say hello, feel free to drop me a line at aaron.lazar@yahoo.com or stop by my website at http://www.lazarbooks.com.
Aaron Paul Lazar
What Makes a Writer Tick?
1.     Motivation
2.     Balancing Life and Writing
3.     Writing From The Heart
4.     Defining a “Real” Writer
The Nuts and Bolts of Writing
5.     Advice for New Writers
6.     Forbidden Words
7.     The Hook
8.     Writing Like You Talk
Marketing and Building Your Platform
           
1.     Bringing Back the Dead
2.     Writing Reviews to Build Your Platform
3.     How Radio Shows Can Help Writers
4.     Tweet, tweet! (I feel like a bird)
5.     Read an eBook Week — an experiment
A Little Poetry, Please
6.     Word Painting
7.     Squeeze a Little Poetry Into Your Novel
8.     Savor the Moment
Learn to Write by Reading
9.     Listen to the Master – John D. MacDonald
10.  Speaking in Voices – Tami Hoag
Dreams – Do They Influence Your Writing?
11.  Connecting through Dreams
12.  Downtime and Dreams
Defining Success
The Ultimate Reward
Volume 2:
What Makes a Writer Tick?
1.     Finding Time to Write
2.     A Writer’s Life
3.     Cheap Therapy
The Nuts and Bolts of Writing
4.     The Dreaded Synopsis
5.     Writing Love Scenes
6.     Writing From a Woman’s POV (when you’re a guy)
7.     Tag Team Query Letters
8.     Beta Readers — who they are and why you need them
Marketing and Building Your Platform
           
9.     Blogging — what’s the big deal?
10.  Live Chats — do they sell books?
11.  Writing Columns and Branding Yourself
12.  Audio Books — how to get your novels into ACX
Dealing with Rejection or Unfair Criticism
13.  The Shredding
14.  Rejection! (Is your book REALLY that bad?)
Character Letters – examples
15.  Sam Moore Speaks
16.  Message from Gus LeGarde
Where Do You Write?
17.  Writing on the River
18.  Writing on the Road
19.  Writing with Kids
20.  Face-to-Face with Writers (in real life!)
Author Interviews – some examples
Interview with Aaron Lazar by Dorothy James  
Volume 3:
What Makes a Writer Tick?
1.     Are All Writers Egoists?
2.     Practical Advice for Writers
3.     Chasing the Writing High
4.     Coping Skills for Writers in Hard Times
The Nuts and Bolts of Writing
5.     Dialogue Tags
6.     Your Preface: what it is, when to write it
7.     Writing the Tough Stuff (or killing the one you love)
8.     Setting the Scene in Your Own Backyard
9.     Typing “The End”
Marketing and Building Your Platform
           
10.  Being a Guest on Radio Shows — how hard is it?
11.  My First Book Signing
12.  Freebies — clever marketing, or foolish folly?
13.  Recording Your Character’s Voice
Plotting and Ideas
14.  What Scares You?
15.  Using Emotions to Drive Your Next Plot (“It’s Over”)
16.  Response to “It’s Over”
17.  Comfort Movies (plot themes)
Character Interviews and Letters – examples
18.  Interview with Oscar Stone
19.  Interview with Sam Moore
20.  Interview with Siegfried Marggrander
Interview with Ruby, from Tall Pines Mysteries
Specials
 Two of my audio books (Tremolo and For Keeps) are slashed from $19.95 to $1.99! That's many hours of listening for the same price as an eBook. Please check them out, and if you do, review them on Audible.com with your honest thoughts. I appreciate it!
Most of my Twilight Times eBooks are on sale right now, they range from $0.99 to $6.50.
Did you know you can "gift" eBooks and audio books to family and friends? It's easy. When you buy, you just need their email or Amazon account and you can easily transfer the book to them. It's a great bargain that will bring hours of armchair escapism.
Of course, I always have print books in stock and can send them to you for Christmas presents if you wish. Just let me know.
BOOKS
(eBook and print)

LeGarde Mysteries

Double Forté
Gus LeGarde’s life essentially ended four years ago, when his beloved wife leapt to her death. Today, Gus lavishes love on his family, trying to bury the pain. But trouble arrives when his arrogant son-in-law’s business partner goes missing, and Gus’s innocent friend is set up to take the fall.
(author’s preferred edition, eBook and print via Twilight Times Books)
 ISBN-10: 1606191721 ISBN-13: 978-1606191729 ASIN: B007F2HHGQ
Tremolo: cry of the loon
A coming-of-age story, prequel to Double Forté.
When eleven-year-old Gus LeGarde sees a girl fleeing an attacker in the dark Maine woods, he and his friends spend the rest of the summer hunting for her on horseback and in their rowboat, only to face the wrath of the nastiest villain ever to haunt the Belgrade Lakes.
Finalist in the category of Mystery Suspense in the 2011 Global eBook Awards. Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Award – 2nd place 2011* Winner of Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s 9th Annual Noble (Not Nobel!) Prize for Literature 2011 * Finalist Allbooks Editor’s Choice Awards 2011 * Preditors&Editors Top 10 Finalist 
ISBN-10: 1933353082 ISBN-13: 978-1933353081 ASIN: B0042RULTM 
Mazurka                   
Join Gus and Camille LeGarde as they chase down a family secret with the potential to change European history. When Gus's brother-in-law is framed for a thug's murder, the couple is plunged into a cat-and-mouse game where the stakes are lethal and the future of Europe hangs in the balance.
ISBN-10: 1606191608 ISBN-13: 978-1606191606 ASIN: B0042RULSS

Firesong
When a tornado touches down in Gus’s hometown, it unearths the body of a missing churchgoer. Who killed Colin Springer? Is the murder linked to the recent salt mine collapse? The mystery leads Gus to an underground labyrinth, where he finds the most shocking discovery ever to rock the Genesee Valley.
ISBN-10: 1606191640 ISBN-13: 978-1606191644 ASIN: B004VF698W
Moore Mysteries
Healey's Cave
When Sam Moore discovers a peculiar green marble in his garden, it links him to his vanished little brother and thrusts him back in time, where he battles a faceless serial killer to untangle the maddening mystery and stop the murder of his beloved grandson.
Winner of the Commercial Fiction category for the 2011 Eric Hoffer award, winner in the Paranormal category of the 2012 EPIC eBook Awards, and a finalist in the category of Mystery Suspense in the 2011 Global eBook Awards.
ISBN-10: 1606191624 ISBN-13: 978-1606191620ASIN: B003ZYEVI0
Terror Comes Knocking

When Sam Moore’s daughter goes missing, a green marble linking him to his dead brother whisks him between past and present, where he discovers a bizarre link between his daughter and an exotic villain who plots deadly revenge against the President of the United States.
ISBN-10: 1606191705 ISBN-13: 978-1606191705ASIN: B0079MNVE
For Keeps
When a member of Sam Moore’s family is murdered, he calls on a peculiar talisman, a green marble, to whisk him back in time to chase the serial killer, so Sam can change time and bring his loved one back to life.
ISBN-10: 1606191748  ISBN-13: 978-1606191743 ASIN: B008OXZLR2
Tall Pines Mysteries
For the Birds
What happens when a parakeet named Ruby gets an unexpected mind-meld with Marcella Hollister’s quarrelsome mother, Thelma? When Thelma’s kidnapped, Marcella must find her - somewhere in the six-million-acre Adirondack Park. Marcella’s perseverance coupled with Ruby’s new talent offer the only hope for rescue, until the shocking truth is revealed.
For the Birds by Aaron Paul Lazar was a finalist in the 2011 ForeWord Book of the Year Award in the category of Mystery.
ISBN-10: 1606191667 ISBN-13: 978-1606191668ASIN: B005W629E2

Essentially Yours
Marcella’s first love has been MIA for eighteen years. Callie, her best friend and Sky’s sister, flips out when a mysterious package from Sky arrives on her doorstep. Inside his old backpack are bottles of precious essential oils, a memory stick, and a bag of emeralds. Are these his final effects? Or is Sky alive?
When Marcella’s husband Quinn hears about it, his jealousy spikes. He and Marcella have been married for seven years, and he’s not about to let some punk from the past mess that up.

Drug company goons want the data on the memory stick, because it links a newly discovered essential oil with a leukemia cure. They kidnap Callie, hoping to lure Sky into the open. Marcella and Quinn track her to the wilderness of the Adirondack Mountains, where against all odds they fight to save Callie and preserve the proof that could change the world.
Essentially Yours by Aaron Paul Lazar is a finalist in the 2013 EPIC Book of the Year Award in the category of Suspense.
ISBN-10: 1606191683 ISBN-13: 978-1606191682 ASIN: B007KPBBP6
Coming in 2013
Upstaged
Who’s playing dangerous pranks on the drama club? And what do they have against Gus LeGarde’s fiancée, Camille? Is it Armand, the Latino teen infatuated with Camille? Or Superintendent Marshall, whose past holds horrific secrets? Gus must unravel the mystery before the backstage saboteur stakes his final, deadly claim.
Author's preferred edition - COMING FEB 15th 2013
Don’t Let the Wind Catch You
(Sequel to Tremolo, prequel to Double Forté
When twelve-year-old Gus LeGarde and his two best friends, Elsbeth and Siegfried, stumble on a hermit’s cabin in the woods in the summer of 1965, they’re unprepared for Tully, the crotchety old man who sticks his head out the window and threatens to shoot them. But more surprising is Tully’s best friend, a young Indian girl spirit, Penaki, who reveals herself to the children by forming patterns with butterflies, rattling tin cups, drawing on dusty mirrors, and flipping book pages.
Tully’s past is shrouded in mystery, and Gus can’t understand why his mother hates Tully so. Gus is drawn into an intriguing mystery that reveals long-hidden truths about his grandfather, with even deeper ties to the Ambuscade and the history of the Genesee Valley region. Will Gus’s findings rewrite the most brutal chapter in the history of Livingston County?
(Coming 2013; YA to adult)
When Quinn's little cousin Kitty shows up on their doorstep in the middle of a howling rainstorm, all hell breaks loose. (Come meet Marcella's new puppy, Dak!)
Coming July 2013

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aaron.lazar@yahoo.com