Newsletter 12/09: Five stars from the Midwest Book Review!
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| A book is a present that can be opened again and again. Give the gift of a book this holiday season. Satan’s Chamber is sure to please. Click here to purchase. |
| In this letter:
- Five Stars from Midwest Book Review
- New York Times Bestsellers and Satan’s Chamber
- Molly at Tea Party Bookshop
- Tapping the Muse by Molly Best Tinsley |
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| 1. Five Stars from Midwest Book Review |
This past Friday the Midwest Book Review honored Satan’s Chamber with its coveted five-star review and posted the review on several industry websites including Amazon. According to editor-in-chief James Cox, the Midwest Book Review receives 2,300 books each month for review and chooses only 79. He confided to Karetta that he was the reviewer for Satan’s Chamber and after page 2 he was hooked and thoroughly enjoyed the read. Hence our five stars!
A fine political thriller that will go far to entertain many a reader,
December 11, 2009
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
Some would worry when sent to an unusual location. Tory Pierce sees opportunity. “Satan’s Chamber” tells the story of CIA Agent Tory Pierce as she takes her assignment to the chaotic Sudan as a chance to find out what happened to her father five years prior to the events. “Satan’s Chamber” is a fine political thriller that will go far to entertain many a reader. |
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| 2. New York Times bestsellers and Satan’s Chamber |
| What do the following books have in common?
1. I, ALEX CROSS, by James Patterson
2. PIRATE LATITUDES, by Michael Crichton
3. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown
4. UNDER THE DOME, by Stephen King
5. BREATHLESS, by Dean Koontz
For starters, they’re the New York Times‘ top five bestselling hardback novels. They are also all adventure novels that are written by men and feature male protagonists. While we may enjoy reading Dan Brown and Stephen King as much as you do, don’t you think it’s time for the New York Times bestsellers to represent a more diverse range of writers and characters? Satan’s Chamber breaks with the tradition of the thriller genre, by featuring strong female protagonists. But, don’t worry, fans, Satan’s Chamber is filled with strong male characters too.
When you’re thinking about gifts for your friends and family, consider a read that breaks the mold. If you’ve already read Satan’s Chamber, show your support for its prominent female characters by writing a review on Amazon.com, joining the Satan’s Chamber club on Facebook, buying a copy for a friend, or asking your local, independent bookstore to carry the novel.
Thank you! |
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| 3. Molly at Tea Party Bookshop |
| Molly braved the icy roads between Ashland and Salem, Oregon to attend an afternoon event featuring small presses at the Tea Party Bookshop. While the nasty weather kept many shoppers away, Molly’s synopsis of Satan’s Chamber prompted three other authors present to purchase the book! Store owner JoAnne Kohler, who said she’s been waiting for a spy novel with a female lead, will not only be carrying Satan’s Chamber at the Tea Party Bookshop, she will also be recommending the book to patrons who ask her for suggestions of good reads! |
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| 4. Tapping the Muse by Molly Best Tinsley |
| Creative writing draws on two separate processes. In fact they’re so different that trying to perform them simultaneously can truly boggle the mind and keep you from writing anything at all. Think of the two processes as Tree Shaking and Jelly Making:
First the tree shaking. Jot down everything that comes to mind around your subject: disorderly sentence fragments, memory flashes, tangents and wild goose chases—judge nothing irrelevant, reject nothing. When the first wave of thoughts runs out, don’t stop, but wait for a second wave to build and break. Sit somewhere comfortable with a clipboard. Feel free to write anywhere on the page, rather than line by line, top to bottom.
Then the jelly making. Sort through the jottings, looking for surprising images, feeling for hot spots. Can you detect a theme or storyline in the chaos? Choose a starting point and begin to focus on logical and chronological order. This may feel arbitrary; it will definitely mean leaving things out, reserving them for another day. Creating a computer document to allow you to move things around would be useful now.
When you identify places that lack depth or detail, return to the first process of brainstorming to inspire more raw material. Then it’s back to the second process of analyzing and organizing. It’s by taking the time to shuttle between these two distinct mindsets that you will produce strong, layered writing.
Molly co-authored The Creative Process (St. Martin’s Press) and has taught writing workshops for twenty years.
Please look for Molly’s tips biweekly.
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