Thursday, October 30, 2014

A Simplistic, Step-by-Step Guide on How to Prepare Your Ebook Novel for PRINT


http://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Tall-Pines-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00MU76KCS/ref=sr_1_53?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1414676568&sr=1-53&keywords=sanctuaryHi folks.

I have struggled a lot with my print book formatting. It seems every time I do it, I forget a step or just plain forget how to do it. Sometimes I feel like a real dummy!

So, I thought it might be nice to record a list of steps I use when converting my eBook to print book format (ultimately to a pdf file). My references below are based on books I wrote created with a docx file, using Microsoft Word on a MacBook Pro. But if you’re already proficient with Word and have created your own eBooks, it shouldn’t matter which platform or computer you’re using.

You may want to read another article I wrote a few weeks ago first, however. It covers the timing of the release of your book versions (eBook, audio book, print), because it really does help you cut down on typos, and the whole process is easier if you go this route. Here's the link.

The following guide assumes you have already successfully formatted your book for eBook usage, that you use headers for your chapter headings, and “normal” text for the body of your book. If you haven’t done this yet, I strongly suggest you watch the many videos on YouTube that will teach you how to create a mobi, ePub, and pdf version of your eBook for Amazon or other venues. And be sure you have done it all correctly by using the Preview feature to page through every single line of your eBook before you release it. Of course, if you goof up, it’s not biggie. You can fix it by reloading a new file.

Depending on your book, this article may be too simplistic an approach. But if you don’t have photos or graphics, if you’re producing a straight-forward novel, and if there’s nothing else “fancy” about your book, this could help you. If you’re creating a cookbook with recipes and illustrations, you will need much more in depth knowledge than I share here!

http://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Tall-Pines-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00N2134W0/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=12S0W4NJGB0JWN2B9CY0
You may also look up many videos on YouTube which help with this process. I use CreateSpace, an Amazon company, to create my print books, and I am very happy with them.

I’m assuming if you’ve already learned how to do the eBook part of this process, you will have no problems registering and following all the steps at CreateSpace. If you do, however, use their support system via email or phone. They are very good!

I’ve had unique issues from time to time with footers (strange spacing issues), special fonts, creating a nice image for the title font, or other weird situations. But today I’m just going to give you the basics, and if you have strange things happen on the side, search for an answer online. I’ve found help that way which thankfully saved me and helped me solve some bizarre issues.

A Simplistic Step-by-Step Guide on How to Prepare Your Ebook Novel for PRINT
 copyright 2014, aaron paul lazar

1)   Decide what size print book you want. I usually choose 6”x9”. It has a very nice look and feel. Go to your “File/Page SetUp” menu and choose “manage custom sizes.” Then enter 6” x 9” (or size of your choice). If you already have a slew of books, especially if they are in a series, think about uniformity and how they will look stacked together on a shelf. You want to keep the sizes the same, if possible.
2)   BE SURE TO SAVE THIS FILE WITH “PRINT BOOK” in the title, or in a new folder, so it doesn’t change your eBook file!
3)   Select the main body of your text and change it from “left justified” which you probably used for your eBook, to “justified,” so it spreads out evenly across the page from left to right. There is another way to do this more globally, using styles. But many folks aren’t familiar with that process, so I’m using the manual example here.
4)   You will have to go back to your title page, dedication page, acknowledgments page, chapter headings, etc. now to be sure they are centered. (Again, you can do this globally by using the header style setting – but that’s another whole article. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube that show you how to use the Styles features in Microsoft Word if you are interested.)
5)   Next go to “Format/Document.” On the “Margins” tab, click on “mirror margins.” You can use whatever spacing you want within the Create Space guidelines, but I chose the following, and it works well on my book size of six by nine inches.
 
a.     Top: 0.57” 
b.     Bottom: 0.57”
c.      Inside: 0.91”
d.     Outside: 0.57”
e.     Gutter: 0.0”
f.      Header: 0.50”
g.     Footer, 0.50”

6)   Double check all your Headers, such as Chapter Names/Numbers. Be sure that you don’t have a tab on this line, because the chapter heading will not be centered properly if so. Remove all tabs for centered headings.
7)   If you want to fancy up your text a little, take the first few lines of each chapter (beneath the chapter heading) and make them into another font. I use Copperplate Gothic Light, which is quite nice.
8)   If you use scene breaks, you might want to make them “prettier” than just three asterisks in a row or whatever character you use to separate the scenes. I use the wingdings 2 "e and f” in series. It looks like like a nice scrolled designBe sure when you center this that there is no tab which will offset it’s centered position!
9)   If you have links to your social media in your eBook, you will have to spell them out in your print book. I realized this too late and now have to go back and update a bunch of my print books. But we live and learn, and I make no claim to being brilliant, LOL.
10)  I use hyperlinks in my eBook, which just show “Facebook,” for example, with an embedded link. When they click on the link in the eBook, it takes them to my author page. But in the print book, you need to spell it out, like this:
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aplazar2
11)  Headers and Footers are next. They can be a real challenge, and it took me a long time to get it right. I’m not sure I still have it right, but here’s what I do: 

a.     Go to page 2 of your book, and hit “View/Header and Footer.”
b.      In the Header/Footer formatting section, select, “Different odd and even pages” and “Different first page.” (you don’t want headers or footers on your title page!)
c.      From my observations, the author’s name goes on even page numbers, and the book title goes on odd page numbers. When I hold my books in my hand, that means the left side page has my name on the top, and the right side page has the book title on the top. If you want it reversed, then just switch the following directions.
d.     Go to the first even page header. Type your author name in the header section. Put one line break beneath it, to separate it a bit from the text. I usually make the size one or two sizes smaller than the body text. Center it, and make sure you have no tabs active so it will really be centered on the page. I use the Copperplate Gothic Light for the header texts.
e.     Go to the next page (odd). Type your book title there, with the same instructions as above for font size and type, spacing, centering, no tabs, etc.
f.      Hit Footer.
g.     Select “different first page” and “different even and odd pages.”
h.     Choose a page numbering format that you like. There are many canned formats. I’ve seen page numbers on the “outside” of pages on the header and/or footer, or centered in the footer. Your choice! Be sure you select this for both even and odd pages if you want it on the “outside.” You’ll need to customize each footer and make the even page “left justified” and the odd page “right justified.” 

12)  Save the file as a pdf. Be sure to organize this file and your new “print” file separately from your eBook files. I suggest dating the file name as well, because you will likely have iterations. I name mine, for example, “Sanctuary, Print DOC, 10-30-14, a” because if there are errors in your formatting, you will have iterations on the same day. Using the a, b, c, denotes the changes, and you can erase the previous ones when you’re done. I also put the DOC and PDF in the titles, even though the doc type shows it. It makes for less errors. And don’t forget, you won’t edit the pdf version if you have errors, you’ll edit the doc version, then resave it as a pdf. Saving as a pdf keeps your special fonts from disappearing. Create Space doesn’t have all the fonts you may use. For example, if my characters are reading an entry from an antique diary, or reciting poetry, or singing a song, I usually try to pick a different font to make it stand out. Using the pdf preserves these fonts.
13)  Now comes the really important part. After you register your account on Create Space, enter all the pertinent data for your book, and load your book file, you have to check it out, page by page. Use the “Launch Interior Reviewer” to do this. If you get an error, don’t feel bad. I’ve had errors almost every time I format a print book. I have to go through the whole process, fix my mistakes, and reload the book to their site. It’s an iterative process at best, but maybe you’ll be lucky and nail it the first time!
14)  Book Cover Caveat: I use a professional cover designer to make all my covers. One of the files she gives me is for the print book. Just before you load your cover up to Create Space, you will have to tell your cover designer several things: Black and white or color image, white or cream paper, and number of pages (as determined by final file in Create Space, not what you see on your docx file.) She will send you a new file custom formatted exactly for your number of pages. This is important, as the spine size has to be “just right.” If you are better than me at all this, you can buy books on how to create your book cover, or, once again, go search on YouTube! Maybe I’ll learn this eventually, but for now, I like the look of a professionally designed and formatted cover.
15)  After you are certain your book looks good, and after you have paged through it religiously to be sure there aren’t any extra blank pages or improperly centered chapter headings, then save it, and order one (1) proof copy. You really need to examine the print book in person before you order any more for your next book signing.
16)  It might be a good idea to have your spouse or a friend review the print book, too. Once you’ve approved the print book for sale, it’s “out there,” and all your mistakes will be forever printed on customers’ copies.
17)  CreateSpace will have to approve your files, usually within 24 hours. If you are 100% confident that you have done it right, if you’ve made no changes that you haven’t proofed AGAIN with one physical copy of the book, then order your books for your book signings, etc. The prices are really reasonable (I pay about $4-5 including shipping for a book sized at roughly 250-300 pages.)
18)  Your readers will be able to order through Amazon and other platforms if you choose that option when you set it up. Be sure to fill in the section for the BISAC code, including author bio, synopsis, and tags, so your book can be sent to more vendors for sale.
19)  Remember, if you are on Kindle Select, your eBook only sells from Amazon. But your PRINT book can be sold at Barnes and Noble or anywhere else that CreateSpace sets up for you.


http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Lake-Aaron-Paul-Lazar-ebook/dp/B00LNFP8XU/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1173Z3BKYEXN12GYA132

Good luck and happy formatting!

Aaron Lazar

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. A bestselling Kindle author of 22 books, including three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming release, UNDER THE ICE. Aaron has won over 18 book awards for his novels and finds writing to be his form of "cheap therapy." Feel free to connect with him on Facebook or his website; he loves to connect with readers.


Monday, October 06, 2014

Sky Lissoneau, The "Bad Boy" from Tall Pines Mysteries

Hi, folks!

Today I'm participating in another blog hop, an event that jumps from one writer's blog to another. In this particular hop, we're featuring characters from our novels. Polly Iyer, suspense author extraordinaire, invited me to participate. I've read and loved all of her novels, including HOOKED and MIND GAMES.  

Here is a link to her blog, where she discusses her character, Diana Racine, one of my favorites.

Polly has just released the third Diana Racine novel, BACKLASH, which I'm dying to read. Here's a peek at the book:


http://www.amazon.com/Backlash-Diana-Racine-Psychic-Suspense-ebook/dp/B00N23JRTC/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1412608957&sr=1-2-spell&keywords=bakclashWhen psychic Diana Racine’s old friend is murdered in New Orleans, her love, Lieutenant Ernie Lucier, brings her in to consult on the case. What she sees when she touches the dead man’s body is another man with silver eyes, a gang tattoo, and a bullet in the middle of his forehead. Before long, Diana and Lucier are drawn into a web of murders that stretches far into the past. The deeper they get into the investigation, the more it appears the deaths are the work of a group of vigilantes on a moral crusade. Vigilantes wearing the blue of the NOPD who won’t let anything or anyone stand in their way.


*** Now here is my piece about one of my very favorite characters. ***

Sky Lissoneau: the “Bad Boy” from Tall Pines Mysteries

copyight 2014, Aaron Lazar

When I began to write the Tall Pines Mystery series, I never intended to create a mystery featuring a sensuous three-way relationship between Marcella, her husband Quinn, and her first love, Sky. But that’s exactly what happened, and the tension and desire are still scorching the pages behind the mysteries in books two through four.

In For the Birds, book 1, Marcella is in love with her husband of seven years, a beautiful half-Seneca man named Quinn “Black Eagle” Hollister. I hadn’t created Sky Lissoneau yet, who shows up as a feature character in book two, Essentially Yours.  Sky proposed to Marcella when she was a young woman on the brink of pursing her singing career. She loved him deeply, but wanted to follow her heart to New York City, where she hoped to become part of the cast in The Metropolitan Opera.

When Sky arrives on the scene after being MIA for eighteen years, Marcella is stunned and deeply conflicted. Of course she loves her husband. She adores him. But when she sees the passion that still fills Sky’s sea green eyes, it makes her remember the times they had together as teenagers on Honeoye Lake. As a youth, the young Sky methodically studied methods to please women, and his talent in that arena had driven Marcella to heights she’d never forget. He’d been her first, and she’d ridden those waves of rapture with abandon on his family’s pontoon boat at night in the middle of the lake.

Sky suffered badly in the war, including having to secretly leave his platoon when his best friend’s life was in danger. Captured and held as a prisoner of war for years, all he could think of was Marcella, his darling Marcella. It was the thought of Marcella’s soft kisses that kept him going. Her infectious laugh helped him survive the cruelest torture. And when he returned with a gang of vicious hi-powered crooks chasing him, she’d saved his life. Somehow, he just knew she’d be there, still waiting.

It was when Marcella introduced Quinn that his heart was broken for the second time in his life.

Now he secretly hopes she’ll dump her big, beautiful Indian brave and come back to him. But he never says a word. He just looks at her with adoration, and jumps to help her whenever possible. In Betrayal, book #4, Marcella is on the outs with her husband and flees to their cabin in the Adirondacks for solace.

Sky lives and works at Project Hope, a research site in the mountains. When she calls him for help turning on her water and heat, he’s at her side in a flash, and is very happy to oblige. ;o)

http://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Tall-Pines-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00N2134W0/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0Y6S4QSBQ14YDT39KE39
BETRAYAL: A Tall Pines Mystery

Marcella Hollister realized a lifetime of hopes and dreams when she was given custody of a child. A cousin of her half-Seneca husband, Quinn, the baby’s mother was murdered in a political plot—and Marcella, who’s never been able to have children of her own, formed an instant bond with little Kimi.


Then a distant relative comes forward to claim Kimi—and Quinn, who Marcella thought understood her pain better than anyone, allows them to take the baby without a fight.

Confused and deeply wounded, Marcella takes off for Tall Pines, their secluded Adirondack cabin. She hopes the peace and natural beauty of the mountains will help clear her head and decide whether to forgive Quinn…or leave him.


But the situation at Tall Pines is anything but peaceful. Her high school lover, Sky, arrives to help out—and Marcella discovers her old feelings may not be as distant as she thought. Worse, a serial killer is stalking young women in the area. And when a teen girl whose mother works with Sky goes missing, Marcella and everyone she cares for wind up dead center in the killer’s sights.

Next, please stop by my fellow authors' websites when you can. Next week they will post their
"About My Character" pieces for you to enjoy!

Mary Bradley McCauley

http://secretsometningwithin.blogspot.com/2009/12/healing-power-of.html
They are at The House of Annon to learn how to change their lives. Annon is their guide, helping them and at the same time searching for the one who will replace him, guiding others to change their lives. He studies each one, wondering who it will be; one of these, or is there another to come? At each session they talk about the amazing changes in their lives, face obstacles, and overcome set-backs in order to learn how to use the infinite power within. In the beginning there are only four. More will come, more always come.

 ***

Books by multi-award winning author, Aaron Lazar:

DOUBLE FORTÉ (print, eBook, audio book)
UPSTAGED (print, eBook, audio book)  
MAZURKA (print, eBook, audio book)
FIRESONG (print, eBook, audio book)
DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU (print, eBook, audio book)
THE LIARS’ GALLERY (eBook)
UNDER THE ICE: COUNTERPOINT (coming soon 2014)

HEALEY'S CAVE (print, eBook, audio book)
FOR KEEPS (print, eBook, audio book)

FOR THE BIRDS (print, eBook, audio book)
ESSENTIALLY YOURS (print, eBook, audio book)
SANCTUARY (eBook)

STANDALONES
THE SEACREST (print, eBook, and audio book)

WRITING ADVICE: 

WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volumes 1, 2, 3 (ebooks and audio books)

About Aaron Lazar: 

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. A bestselling Kindle author of 22 books, including three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming release, UNDER THE ICE. Aaron has won over 18 book awards for his novels and finds writing to be his form of "cheap therapy." Feel free to connect with him on Facebook or his website; he loves to connect with readers!


Sunday, October 05, 2014

So I Broke the Rules – Go Ahead and Shoot Me! (the story behind the creation of Tall Pines Mysteries)

Aaron Lazar, copyright 2014

I didn’t intend to write a series when I created the rather kooky and slightly paranormal mystery, For the Birds. I knew it would feature a pretty little red bird on the cover (see below), because I’d just had an unforgettable dream about her. Out of the wild blue yonder, Ruby came to me, landed on my shoulder, and insisted I begin a new mystery. I’ve never owned a bird, never even knew anyone with a feathered pet, but this dream was so vibrant I couldn’t get Ruby out of my mind.

Marcella and Quinn “Black Eagle” Hollister popped onto the scene as Ruby’s owners, and Marcella’s mother, Thelma, appeared out of nowhere. Before I knew it, I had envisioned a dynamic and diverse family and their pets. Staying true to my dream, I set the story in the Adirondack Mountains, which incidentally set me craving the mountains, woods, lakes, and rivers that I’d come to love. After this dream, I just had to get up there again.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, as the case may be, I was laid off from my engineering job at Kodak right around the same time. So, with lots of free time on our hands, we headed up to the mountains and discovered the cabin where the story ultimately takes place. Tall Pines is a rustic, wonderful cabin situated on seven acres of pines above the Sacandaga River in Hope, NY. We fell in love with it and visit as often as possible. It has become the center of the series that grew from For the Birds.
 

http://www.amazon.com/Birds-Tall-Pines-Mysteries-Book-ebook/dp/B005W629E2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1412546891&sr=1-1&keywords=for+the+birds%2C+lazar
When Marcella Hollister’s prize parakeet gets zapped by a wayward power line in the same pool as her mother, the ensuing psychic link helps Marcella chase her mother’s kidnappers through the Adirondack Mountains, where she unearths a fifty-year-old secret about her dear father with shocking links to a hidden treasure.

I really didn’t plan to include paranormal or spiritual elements in For The Birds, either. I just went ahead, guns blazing, and let the story pour out of me.

You can’t exactly call me a planner, can you? I never outline my stories and usually plunge into them with just vague ideas about the conflict, mystery, and locale. I actually have a hard time keeping up with myself and all the books that want to come out. I know, that sounds nuts. But it’s how I write.

When I finished this book, I was in love with the characters. My readers wanted more of Marcella and her gorgeous half-Seneca husband, and they seemed to enjoy our jaunts to the Adirondacks. At the same time, I’d recently become infatuated and obsessed with essential oils. There was no question that my characters would also discover them, and it came as no surprise that I used the healing power of essential oils as one of the main themes in the second Tall Pines book, Essentially Yours.

Strangely enough, however, this book was a bit different. Although it’s dubbed a mystery, it had more suspense and action than the first book. If I had to give it a genre on its own, I would have called it romantic suspense, although in general terms it could fall in the broader mystery category.

Where’s the consistency?

Perhaps there is none, and this is where I started to break the rules about keeping ones series in the same exact genre.

If push came to shove, I’d say the consistency and appeal of the series is in the characters and the telling of a rollicking story set in the same locale.

http://www.amazon.com/Essentially-Yours-Aaron-Paul-Lazar-ebook/dp/B007KPBBP6/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0QG6XCM0A12P5SC03TE0
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?

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.

The characters screamed at me to write more, especially Marcella’s newly introduced old flame, Sky Lissoneau, and his damaged, but adorable, sister, Callie. I thrived on the tension between Marcella’s husband and her first love, who showed up after eighteen years with a whole gang of villains chasing him through the Adirondack woods. Quinn—usually a quiet and passive soul—is insanely jealous of Sky. After all these years, Sky still adores Marcella, and can’t get that look of desperate heartache out of his eyes.

I let all hell break loose in Marcella’s family and in the mountains where the scientific medical studies were being held to prove that a common lake week held the key to curing leukemia. Mix together some nasty drug company thugs and a bit of mysticism with crystals, oils, and the love of a big old Bernese Mountain Dog, and you have Essentially Yours.

When I wrote Sanctuary, book three, I was obsessed with what I call “my Indian soul.” In my very distant past, on my father’s side, there was a lady of native heritage up in Canada. I’d been feeling a close connection with her and my heritage for my entire life, even though the cold light of dilution of many generations, her blood flowed in less than 3% of mine. Here is an essay I wrote about this, just for grins.

With the help of a Cherokee historian friend (Thank you, Pineleaf!), I wove substantial elements of Native American traditions into this story. Using mystical elements of crystals, smooth river stones, essential oils, and a haunted mountaintop, I pushed the psychic barrier a bit here and allowed a bit of mind-melding.

This doesn’t belong in a mystery, does it? You’d really expect it more in Star Trek. But hell, like I said, I didn’t care. I just forged ahead.


http://www.amazon.com/Sanctuary-Tall-Pines-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00MU76KCS/ref=pd_sim_kstore_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DS73WDGWPTJXQQHVPCN
Marcella’s husband, Quinn “Black Eagle” Hollister, severed ties to his family and friends on the Seneca reservation years ago. He rarely mentions his past—until his young cousin Kitty collapses on the couple’s doorstep in the dead of a rainswept night.

After two Seneca men break into their home with intent to kill, the Hollisters flee with the mute and injured girl to Tall Pines, their cabin in the Adirondacks. Marcella, unable to bear a child of her own, unleashes her motherly instincts caring for Kitty. As the girl slowly recovers, they start to piece together who wants them dead, and why.

When it came time to write Betrayal, book four, it flowed seamlessly after Sanctuary, I wanted to create a winter mystery full of threats, sexual upheaval, and plenty of chase scenes. I didn’t expect to introduce a pair of serial killers who left bodies on the icy shores of the Sacandaga, but that’s what happened.

I also introduced some pretty dark relationship issues into Marcella’s marriage. She feels Quinn betrays her, and flees to Tall Pines to escape for a while. Trouble is, Sky is waiting there for her, and it’s all she can do not to let herself fall into his arms. The old passion is still there, and it tortures her to look into his sea green eyes. She fights the urge to give in, but wants him so much it kills her.

http://www.amazon.com/Betrayal-Tall-Pines-Mystery-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00N2134W0/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0Y6S4QSBQ14YDT39KE39
Marcella Hollister realized a lifetime of hopes and dreams when she was given custody of a child. A cousin of her half-Seneca husband, Quinn, the baby’s mother was murdered in a political plot—and Marcella, who’s never been able to have children of her own, formed an instant bond with little Kimi. Then a distant relative comes forward to claim Kimi—and Quinn, who Marcella thought understood her pain better than anyone, allows them to take the baby without a fight.

Confused and deeply wounded, Marcella takes off for Tall Pines, their secluded Adirondack cabin. She hopes the peace and natural beauty of the mountains will help clear her head and decide whether to forgive Quinn…or leave him. But the situation at Tall Pines is anything but peaceful. Her high school lover, Sky, arrives to help out—and Marcella discovers her old feelings may not be as distant as she thought. Worse, a serial killer is stalking young women in the area. And when a teen girl whose mother works with Sky goes missing, Marcella and everyone she cares for wind up dead center in the killer’s sights. 

If I were to read Betrayal on its own, I might classify it as a romantic thriller.

Uh huh. Not a kooky, paranormal mystery like For the Birds. Not a romantic suspense, like Essentially Yours. Not a Native American spiritual mystery, like Sanctuary.

I know! Where’s my platform planning?

That said - I must tell you my Tall Pines fans and readers don’t give a darn into which official genre my books fall. You could certainly still broadly classify them as mysteries. But they don’t care, and frankly, neither do I. It’s the characters we care about, and they are going to experience life at Tall Pines no matter what genre the story falls into.

So, yeah. I broke the rules. Please don’t shoot me. Just go buy my books and see what you think? ;o)

Aaron Paul Lazar

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. A bestselling Kindle author of 22 books, including three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming release, UNDER THE ICE. Aaron has won over 18 book awards for his novels and finds writing to be his form of "cheap therapy." Feel free to connect with him on Facebook or his website; he loves to connect with readers!



Thursday, October 02, 2014

Using Exclamation Points in Your Novel!!!!



Aaron Paul Lazar, copyright 2014


One of the first errors I learned about as a novice writer had to do with the use of exclamation points. After penning my first novel, and fortunately, before publication, I was taught by a writing guru that exclamation points don’t belong in one’s narratives. Period.

Here’s an example of very amateurish writing where exclamation points abound. This is not okay! (I just had to put an exclamation point here to make you smile.) It’s actually very similar to several newbie manuscripts I was asked to critique.

She walked into the crystal cave and cried out. In front of her stood a giant elf! He was huge! And his eyes burned with fire!
She turned and ran as fast as her legs would carry her, and almost fell!

All right, now that you are cringing (I hope), I will stop. A few years ago, I actually edited a manuscript where there were multiple examples like this on every, single page, all throughout the book. Yup. But my young authors learned, just like we all did, and they dutifully removed those offensive punctuation marks.

Of course, there’s a difference when you use exclamation points in narrative versus dialogue. Although this example has far too many exclamation points, it’s not quite as awful as adding them in your narrative as I showed above.

Shelby held a silver chain to the light. A heart-shaped crystal dangled below, winking in the winter sunlight. “Look what Uncle Sig bought me!” she said.
Camille jumped up to examine the necklace and Johnny roared into the room, “flying” his rubbery metallic green dragon toward me.
“My dragon flies!” he yelled, zooming it up and down in the air and finally landing it on my shoulder.
“Wow. What’s his name?” I peered down at the realistic reptile who perched on me.
“I dunno,” he said. “How ‘bout…Claws?”
I picked up the squishy critter and looked at him. He did have very distinctive claws and a rubbery mouth that opened when you pressed on the skull. “Claws is a good name, buddy. I like it.”
“Can he come to dinner with us? He’s really hungry!”
Camille fastened the necklace around Shelby’s neck.
I handed Claws back to Johnny. “Sure he can. Do you have to use the bathroom before we go?”
“Yes!” he squealed, holding two hands in front of himself and dancing in place. “I do!”

Okay, so the little boy and his sister in the above segment are really, really excited. And it’s probably okay to sparingly use exclamation points in their dialog. In the highlighted areas above, such as those with the dialog tags “yelled” and “squealed,” they are sufficiently clear to let the reader know the boy is being very loud. I would remove the exclamation marks from those segments, at minimum. Frankly, I think one or two per chapter is more than enough. You can show excitement in many other ways, especially by using action beats.

For example, you might say, “He shrieked and ran in circles, arms flapping like an airborne chicken.” Or something equally as silly. ;o)

Remember, as a general rule, avoid exclamation points in narrative, and use them very sparingly in dialog. You don’t want to get the same highbrow lecture I did when I was a newbie, do you?

Now, how do you handle someone shouting in your novel? How about when it’s an inner thought?

What if your character has just stumbled upon the dead body of the one he loves?

(As you know, all inner thoughts are generally shown in italics, except where you use, “he thought,” etc.)

I have seen at least three methods to show this:

1)    No! No! No!
2)    NO. NO. NO.
3)   “No, no, no!” he thought.

Some folks use upper case to stand in for exclamation points. I’ve used that approach a few times in my own work. What do you think? List your comments below, and if you have any examples you’d like to discuss, feel free to post them in the comments section.

Remember to take pleasure in the little things. And if you love to write, write like the wind!

Aaron Paul Lazar