Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Resolved for the New Year

The new year will soon be upon us. As I have for the last several years on this blog, it is a time for reflection and renewal.

With the recent release of COLD OATH, I now have eight published novels, six in my Brad Frame series and two standalone suspense novels.

I've been mulling my next writing challenges. In 2017, I plan to write a Brad Frame short story, which will probably be in the 15,000 word range. My expectation is to share this story to introduce readers to the Brad Frame character, and hopefully generate more interest in the six novels that are already a part of the series.

I've enjoyed writing the suspense novels, and I'd like to tackle another one in 2017.

In mid-January, I'll be performing my one-man Ben Franklin play in Orlando at the John & Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center. I plan to seek additional performance opportunities for the play throughout the course of the year.

Maintaining my health is important to me (which means trying to lose a few pounds as well as staying physically active). My mental health is equally important, so I plan to love more and fret less. Life's a Mystery, but as the saying goes, "None of us gets out of here alive," so best to stop stressing about the small stuff (like Facebook posts that make me cringe) and devote my attention to the people and issues in my life that really matter.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2017!

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Holiday Wishes

Whether you're a devoted reader of my blog, an occasional visitor, or stopping by for the first time, I wish you the best this holiday season.

Here is a link to a holiday story I first shared last year. It is my gift to you. www.rayflynt.com/spiritofchristmas.pdf

If you'd like to give me a gift (hint, hint) :-) just share that link with your friends. Hopefully, they'll enjoy the story and it will expose them to my novels. Hey, maybe they'll even buy one of my books as a gift for one of their friends this holiday season.

I look forward to spending the holidays with friends. There are a group of us that rotate among each other's homes for meals during the two week period of Christmas/New Years. It is a fun time!

No matter what holiday you might be celebrating, best wishes to you and your family.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

What Do Readers See?

"Oh, that's too scary for me." With those words posted on social media, a person who had read several of my books announced that they wouldn't be reading EMBALMED because of their reaction to the cover.

That got me thinking about the broader topic of what reader's see (or don't see) in my books/stories.

I had started reading Agatha Christie's Poirot series about the time that the movie Murder on the Orient Express, starring Albert Finney as Poirot, was released. Thereafter, I couldn't read a Poirot without picturing Finney in the character. Later, after seeing David Suchet create the character, he became a more enduring image in my mind.

I've had readers tell me that they wish my Brad Frame character was more fully described. I'd prefer for my readers to conjure their own picture of him (although I do provide a few descriptors). At least until Hollywood makes a movie of one of my stories. :-)

In my novel, BLOOD PORN, a reader I spoke with had a Bate's Motel view (Creepy vibe) of the juvenile institution as it unfolded in the story. I was surprised when he said that, since it was not my intention (or the way I saw it). But it demonstrated that a reader's imagination was as important as my words in how one of my stories is received.

What about you? How important are descriptions when you read a book? Do you prefer to let your imagination run wild? Feel free to comment below, because after all, Life's a Mystery.


Tuesday, November 15, 2016

For Love and Money

From time to time I like to include links to my short stories on this blog.

I'm busy trying to wrap up my latest suspense novel, and thought while you were waiting you would enjoy a fun short story.

Here's one I wrote a few years ago with themes of Wall Street greed.

Feel free to comment.

Here's the link: www.rayflynt.com/forloveandmoney.pdf

Don't forget, "Life's a Mystery"

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Vote

Election day is November 8th. Vote. It is your duty as a citizen. In a representative democracy, we chose who will represent us whether in the local courthouse or in the Congress.

I try very hard on social media, including this blog, to avoid politics. This post isn't about politics. It's about governance. Who's going to call the shots until the next election. The choices we (collectively) make are important.

There are quite a few people who have already made their choice in this election. In most places, there are options for early voting - either by mail or at early voting locations. Thus far, nearly 14 million people have already voted in this election. When I lived in Maryland, early voting was available at the local library. I recall the last presidential election that we tried to do early voting, but there were no parking spaces available. Being a good citizen can be hard work. If we want to keep our democracy, we have to work at it.

During the course of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Ben Franklin was asked about what kind of government the delegates have created. His response: "A republic, if you can keep it."

So get out there and vote, so we can "keep" the republic.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Tinkering

I'm in the last roundup on my manuscript for COLD OATH. The critical question is, "When is it finished?" The story is written, and I've done a read through to make sure that I'm satisfied.

But I have two additional processes that I go through before the book is on sale and available to the public.

First, I have the manuscript reviewed by a line editor. That person goes over it with a fine tooth comb looking for typos, grammar or punctuation errors, or the badly phrased sentence.

Then I give "beta readers" a copy of the book. They read the story from beginning to end and let me know what they think. I truly value the feedback I receive from the beta readers.

As readers, we can devour a book in 6 to 10 hours of reading time, but as writers, the process takes months and the disconnected nature of trying to tell a story sentence by sentence, page by page, is often painfully evident when we go back to the beginning of the story - find that we've used two different names for one character, or that she had brown hair in one scene and a blonde in the next (not due to hair color, but author forgetfulness).

My hope is that at the end of the process, the book will be a "satisfying" read. Of course, not everyone agrees. The last time I went through the beta reader feedback process, one person said, "This is my least favorite book you've written." Two days later, another reader said, "Ray, I think this is your best book." Who was I to believe? The latter, of course. Because Life's a Mystery. :-)




Tuesday, October 4, 2016

All in the Family

Periodically, I enjoy dabbling in family genealogy. I knew that my great-grandfather's name was Chester Dana Flynt. As a boy, when I inquired of my dad what Chester had done for a living, I was told that he was a spy during the Civil War, and that he had been an inventor. "What did he invent?" I asked my dad. He didn't know.

Occasionally, when the spirit moves me, I've gone into a library or on the Internet to search for more details about this elusive relative. I tried a few years back to search online for Patent Office information that might tell me more about Chester's inventions. No luck.

Chester was married in the 1840s to Caroline Yohe, my great grandmother. When I lived in Pennsylvania, I visited the church (still standing) where they were married. I also trolled through the church's cemetery hoping to locate a few more distant relatives. No luck.

During a recent search, I stumbled upon information from another person seeking information about Caroline Yohe. In her post, she wrote: "I am also keen on finding out more about CAROLINE'S husband CHESTER DANA FLYNT, an artist who traveled from town to town as a portrait painter and inventor of the universal automatic lubricating pads for trains which are still in use today. a painting of his entitled "the good samaritan" was presented to the sons of temperence, wyoming division in Wilkes Barre, PA"

Wow! My dad was right. Chester was an inventor. I was then able to search and found the patent for the lubricating pads. It was filed in the 1880s. I learned a couple more bits of trivia. Caroline's family was among the first settlers of Pennsylvania, and Chester was living in Philadelphia at the time of his first patent application. Suddenly, my family history brings me a little closer to the location for my books, my interest (expressed via Brad Frame) in trains, and perhaps my fascination with Philadelphian Ben Franklin.

Genealogy helps unravel Life's Mysteries.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Friends

The picture to the left has absolutely nothing to do with this post. Why you ask? I didn't want regular readers of this blog to think that I'm always trying to hock one (or more) of my books. The picture is an historic area of Philadelphia, mostly preserved from the 18th Century.

Today I want to share a few thoughts about friends. I'm blessed with good friends. I'm not talking about just the Facebook kind of "friend." I mean the people in my life that though I may not see them for years, when we get together we can pick up exactly where we left off.

In less than a month I'm traveling out to Las Vegas to visit with my best friend. We used to live quite close to each other and visited often. Now we are a couple of thousand miles apart and manage to stay in touch via email, phone, and occasional visits. Two years ago, I traveled to Las Vegas to see him, and last October he flew to Florida to visit with me. Now it's my turn to go back to Vegas.

Recently, I was asked a "security question" on a website for the name of my childhood "friend." First, I'm not sure we have a good concept in childhood of what friendship means. Usually at that point it is a person you are hanging out with the most. When I was a kid, I had several "friends."

As I got older, some of the friends I had during college have drifted away. The internet and social media sites help with keeping in touch, but I always enjoy celebrating friendships of the lasting variety.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Home Stretch

I've crossed the 60,000 word mark on my latest suspense novel, COLD OATH. It will probably top out around 70,000 words, so I'm definitely in the home stretch.

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Reader Expectations

Recently I saw the title for a blog that asked the question: "Can a mystery still be good if no one gets killed?"

Of course, the short answer is, "Yes." But it got me thinking about reader expectations. So often, our life experiences - or our reaction to them - is based on how well it met our expectations. This is true of a restaurant meal, vacation, movie, play, or a book. We spend months planning a vacation, often having an idealized vision of what we will experience. Bad weather, airline delays, illness during the trip, are all factors that can turn "the trip of a lifetime" into a nightmare or at least a very forgettable vacation.

For much of my work career, my duties included organizing conferences, which were held in hotels.We always provided our participants with evaluation sheets, and would ask them to rate, for example, the conference meals. We provided a five point scale, and responses would be all over the place. I NEVER have high expectations for hotel banquet food, so if it arrives warm, looks good, and tastes palatable, I'd be likely to give it a rating of 5. For others it seems, they were expecting fine dining, and would rank low.

I often wonder how much a reader's reaction to my book is related to what they expected going into the read. A first time reader will be affected by the book's title, reading the short description on Amazon.com (for example), or perhaps even reading the first few pages online. Maybe a friend raves about the book, but then they don't quite have the same reaction. Or perhaps it is the other way around, a friend hands them the book and says, "I couldn't get into this, but you might like it."

Often, movies I enjoy the most are those I go into with ZERO expectations.

Similarly, with each new book I issue, I wonder what those loyal readers will think. Many of them have read all of my books, which definitely gives them an expectation level. I always hope I'm able to deliver.

Since "Life is a Mystery" do you have any thoughts you'd like to share on your expectations when it comes to a particular book or an author? Feel free to share your comments below.


Tuesday, August 9, 2016

More on Ben Franklin

Just about a month ago I wrapped up performances of my one-man play - BEN FRANKLIN: AN INGENIOUS LIFE at PACA in Erie, PA. The play was well received, and since I was back in a community where I had spent a chunk of my life, it was great to see so many friends.

This marked only the second time that I'd been able to do performances of the show. It was a different kind of experience for me. The first time I'd done it, in May of 2014, I was concerned about a lot of the technical aspects of the show. This included whether or not I'd be able to learn the 9,000 word script that kept me on stage for about 90 minutes. Although I'd previously done a workshop performance (which involved reading much of the material) and knew that those audiences had been pleased, it was still a bit daunting to see how the material would work with a regular audience.

I didn't need to have any fear. It all worked. And since I'd done talk backs following each performance to field questions about the play, Franklin, or whatever else the audience might have on their mind, I felt that I had a good grasp of audience expectations.

As I approached this second series of performances I felt I had a better idea of what worked well, and specifically how (as an actor) I might be able to "punch" a line for better effect. All of this held me in good stead, and the performances went well.

A live play involves interaction between the actor and the audience. Some of that is very obvious, such as when the audience laughs or applauds, but quite often I could hear a audience member's subtle reaction (a gasp) or a comment made to the person next to them. Or sometimes, just hearing an "ah" in response to one of Franklin's timeless aphorisms.

All in all, doing the play again was a fun experience. I look forward to more performance opportunities of the play in the future.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

Irony

Mystery writers like to keep their readers in suspense and do the equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of the hat with a surprise ending. I'm no exception. I enjoy writing a nice twist to the end of the story (hopefully one the reader did not anticipate) as well as reading authors who accomplish the same.

I also enjoy the use of situational irony in my writing. When I wrote BLOOD PORN, I introduced the character of Oliver. He was a probation officer with whom Sharon had briefly worked before she joined Brad's detective agency. I got the idea for the character from a guy who had lived next door to me in my college dorm. He had lost his sight from birth, but enjoyed enhanced use of all of his other senses.

Fellow students would try to trick him, for example sneaking into his room, but he had come to know our footsteps and frequently called us out (to our amazement, I might add) when we were attempting to fool him.

The irony of Oliver's involvement in BLOOD PORN, was that in spite of all of the "sighted" people who had viewed an illegal porn video in an effort to determine where it might have been filmed, Oliver "heard" a distinctive background noise. This led to solving the case.

In another irony, I turned that same character into a love interest for Sharon. As to their future, I can only say, "stay tuned." Because Life's a Mystery.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Celebrating Four Generations

I have returned from a trip to Pennsylvania, which included a visit to see my mother. She is in a nursing home located near the Pittsburgh airport. It is always good to visit her, but this time our visit coincided with a trip made by my sister, her oldest daughter, and the newest member of the family - Arthur - at age four months.

My mother was particularly excited to see her great grandchild (one of three). The visit created an opportunity to capture a photograph of four generations of family members, which I have posted above.

I was also reflecting on the fact that (in addition to those pictured), in my lifetime I knew my mother's father and his mother, my great grandmother. So in my lifetime, I've witnessed six generations of family members whose birth extends back to the 1860s.

Life's a mystery! I can't help but think about how our memory of family keeps them alive in our hearts even when they are no longer with us. When he is old enough to appreciate it, I'm sure Arthur will be shown this photo and reminded of who all those people are. Their lives will become embedded in his consciousness, and he will go on to tell future generations about his mother, grandmother and great grandmother (and maybe even his great uncle, Ray.

I realize this blog post is more personal than some, but I wanted to share it with you.

Wishing you happy memories of your own family members!

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Click Bait

Looking for ways in which the Internet can consume more of my time.


I learned a new term in the past year. No, not Brexit. Well, that too. I'm talking about "click bait." Apparently, anyone who has ever had a website desires as much traffic as possible to visit that site. We live in a world of numbers. How many Monday mornings do we wake up and learn that a movie "only" made $18 million over the weekend and is considered a bomb. I wonder what they would consider the balance in my checkbook? But I digress.

So, I'm minding my own business trying to educate myself to what's going on in the world. The news is too depressing. I find my eye drawn to an intriguing title of an article. For example: Eight foods you should not be eating. Okay, I'm hooked. And I click on the site (first mistake). Invariably, I don't even find the beginning of what I'd like to know. The headline was clear. I want to know what I should not be eating. I am consumed with fear that my diet consists entirely of those 8 things. I break out in a sweat and start to feel poorly.

But all I'm staring at is a screen that takes two hundred words to say what has just been said in the headline. At the bottom of that boring paragraph, it says, "Click here to change your life (or some such drivel of a claim)." So I click... again.

What I read now seems so obvious to me. I'm muttering to myself, "I know I shouldn't be eating that." It's at this point that a few expletives might pass my lips. But the article predicts even more dire news ahead. I'm wondering to myself if peanut butter is on the list. I mean, if I shouldn't be eating peanut butter I might as well go crawl in a hole somewhere and die.

I reach the bottom of that page and now I read, "People don't believe that the second item on our list could shorten their life by 10 years." Wow! I do a quick calculation. I'm almost 70. If it's a food I've been eating (please don't let it be peanut butter), does that mean my time is almost up?

My hand is quivering as I grip the mouse. Should I click or not?

I realize that I've already invested three page clicks, and if I follow through with their entire list I will have succumbed to their "click bait" for a total of 9 or 10 pages. I quickly exit the page, and am able to breathe again.

The following morning, I see another interesting article. This time, the title is 23 places that should be on your bucket list. OH, NO!!!

Disclaimer: Clicking on blog posts, especially named "Life's a Mystery" will not cause severe harm to your health. Just sayin'.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Social Media and Writers

Yes, that's the Facebook logo to the left. I'm having a love - hate relationship with Facebook right now. I look at it a couple of times a day, and it seems to take longer each time to scroll through all of the posts on my "news feed." I've spent as long as a half hour to get through all of the "new" posts since the last time I looked.

I'm sure Facebook loves that I'm spending more time with them, which means they can tell their advertisers that people are spending X amount of time on the site, thus justifying what the advertiser pays for the exposure.

Unfortunately, the "news" I'm really interested in takes up about 2 minutes or less of my time. Why? Because I keep seeing repeats of the same posts that I've already read and reacted to. But each time another person "reacts" that same post appears again. Grrrr!

I enjoy following my friends, but that doesn't mean that I like everything that they enjoy. If Joe Schmoe on my friend's list "likes" or "reacts" to a post about a topic in which they are interested, It pops up on my news feed with the caption "Joe Schmoe reacted to this" or "commented on this."

I want to see pictures of Joe's kids, or dogs, or to hear that he got a promotion at work, etc. But if he "liked" a lodge in the Rocky Mountains because he's planning to go there next November for vacation, I honestly don't care. Seriously, I don't.

I also have a diverse group of friends. Not all of my friends share my political beliefs (nor do I expect them to), but if they "like" or "comment" on a post of political persuasion with which I strongly disagree, at best it prompts me to roll my eyes. I try not to think about unfriending in situations like that. I'm more likely to think of giving Facebook a vacation until after the election. :-)

I'm also sure that I've liked a few posts that have caused sneers among my "friends."

But social media is also a cost effective way of getting the word out to people that I have a short story to share, or about a great review I received on one of my books, or the fact that a new book is about to be published, or the performance dates of my Ben Franklin one-man show.

I also TRY very hard not to use social media to "push" my books on my friends and acquaintances to the point where everyone sighs and mutters under their breath, "Ray, give it a rest." :-)

How about you? Any thoughts to share about your reaction - especially to authors - via social media? After all, "Life's a Mystery."


Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Writing Goals

Later this year, I'll be publishing my eighth novel. Six of them have been mysteries in my Brad Frame series. COLD OATH will join KISSES OF AN ENEMY in my suspense novels.

Even as I'm still working on a project I have to think ahead. I've got an idea for a new Brad Frame novel. But I've also been thinking about working on a Brad Frame short story. I've written five short stories (all available for free on my website), but haven't attempted a Frame short story.

In terms of overall goals, I'd like to build my readership -- expose new readers to my material. I've recently heard from a number of people who, having found one of my books, end up going out and buying all of them. That's exactly what an author wants. In my case, it might boost sales so that I can afford to buy French onion dip to have with my potato chips. :-)

For me, writing has never been about making a lot of money. Good thing, right? I enjoy entertaining people with good mysteries and suspense stories. But there is a part of me that would like an expanded readership. My goal has always been to write good stories. Marketing is not my strong suit, but these days it goes with the territory of being a writer.

I "put my stuff out there" on social media, but I try not to do it so frequently as to elicit eye-rolls every time a person sees a new post from me on Facebook.

Still, the most important goal in my opinion is to write the best mystery/suspense possible. I'm always gratified by the feedback I receive from readers. Thanks to those of you among my very loyal fans.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Recent Reviews

You've heard that phrase: "Can't live with them, can't live without them."

I feel that way about reviews. I've been blessed with many fine reviews, and I'll share a few below. But every once in awhile I see one that makes me wonder if the "reviewer" has even read the book. Are they posting reviews on Amazon to create mischief? I'm only a mystery writer, but my guess is yes.

In response to one such "1 star" review, I posted a comment indicating that I was sorry the person was disappointed with the book and offering to refund their money. I never heard from the person.

In another recent review of FINAL JUROR, which is actually two stories in one, the reviewer wondered if Rachel (a character who wanted Brad Frame to investigate her father's death) was being honest with the detective about what she knew. If the person had read the complete book, there would be no doubt on that question. The reviewer might also have made mention of the second - and larger aspect - of the novel. <sigh>

Here are a couple of review snippets from my most recent books:

FINAL JUROR

Shows readers both sides of a trial by following the closing of a cold case and the jury tribulations on
a scandalous murder trial. A solid entry in the Brad Frame series, a welcoming introduction to new readers, and an overall fantastic read.

In more than one scene, there is a sense of strong ambition on the writer's part for Brad Frame to appear like Myron Bolitar (created by Harlan Coben) and Alex Delaware (created by Jonathan Kellerman). Characters were believable and the excellent development of character relationships with one another made this an easy read. I was left intrigued to the end and could not wait to finish this good mystery read.

EMBALMED

This is the second book I have read by Ray Flynt. His concoction of a mystery can keep you glued to your seat while you become engrossed with Brad Frame's latest case...Highly descriptive, plotted to perfection and very entertaining. If you like James Patterson, Harlen Coben or Robert Galbraith, Brad Frame is a detective you must read about. Highly recommended for its plot.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

A Fun Short Story

TRUDY AND HERB

Since retiring, my husband kept the same morning routine. Herb would amble from the bedroom around 8:30 a.m. wearing plaid boxer shorts and a ten-year-old wife beater with sweat stains at the armpits that defied detergent. He’d plop down at the table, greet me with a where’s-my-breakfast glare, and thumb through the newspaper hunting the daily crossword puzzle.

Frankly, I missed the days when Herb jumped out of bed at five, left me undisturbed, and grabbed a bagel on the way to work.

“Herb, you never talk to me,” I whined. Silence.

Without looking up from his puzzle, Herb blurted out, “Recondite.”

“Excuse me?”

“Seven letters. Second one’s a B.”

“How the hell am I supposed to know some obscure word?” I said.

“That’s it,” he shouted. “Obscure!”

I hadn’t seen him that excited since our wedding night. To thank me, he shoved his empty coffee cup in my direction.

“We’re out of coffee,” I informed him. “How ‘bout a Colt 45 malt liquor?”

His eyes brightened until I said I was being facetious.

“I put coffee on that shopping list I handed you three days ago,” I chided him. “If you’d done as I asked, there’d be plenty of coffee.”

He merely shrugged.

Whenever I confided to my sister, Joan would say, “Trudy, I advised you not to marry him forty-five years ago.” How could I know Joan had the power of prophecy? She ended our conversations with, “Pray about it.”

Oh how I prayed.

Then a few Sundays ago, Pastor Jeff gave a sermon based on 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verse 55. O death, where is thy sting. It gave me an idea. As I exited the church that morning I told Jeff, “I’ve been praying for God’s help.”

Pastor clasped me by the elbow and said, “God helps those who help themselves.” I nodded. That’s exactly what I intended to do.

Herb belched. It was time to call my sister and put my plan in motion.

After a few minutes of small talk I told Joan, in a voice loud enough to draw Herb’s attention, “I spotted a swarm of bees this morning in the snapdragons just outside our kitchen window.”

Herb glanced up from the crossword puzzle, a twinge of apprehension in his eyes.

“You’re right, Joan. I hope they stay outside. You know how allergic Herb is. I added an EpiPen to his shopping list, since we’re all out.” I neglected to mention that I’d destroyed the only one we had. “Oh no!” I shrieked, “One’s buzzing around Herb. I gotta go.” I ended the call.

Herb bolted upright looking first left, then right.

That’s when I jabbed him in the left shoulder with the syringe of bee serum. He slapped his hand over the spot, rubbing it. Herb’s eyes widened like he’d just seen a purple jackalope lumbering through the kitchen. His body convulsed. It all happened so fast.

According to the coroner, death was from anaphylactic shock. I credited the power of prayer.


Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Revisiting Ben Franklin

Don't be fooled. The guy on the left, looking a bit like Ben Franklin, is me. And the quote is one of my favorites, especially in this political season.

In addition to writing mystery and suspense novels, I've written and performed a one-man play based on the life of Ben Franklin. I'm gearing up to do performances of the play this summer (right around the 4th of July).

While I've done the play before, I've been in the process of brushing up on the lines and I find new bits of wisdom in Franklin's words from 250 years ago. (He was born in 1706 and died in 1790.) We just passed his 310th birthday.

He was quite a character in every sense of the word. I can't think of anyone in history who achieved success in so many different fields as Franklin. I've been reflecting on the process I went through in selecting the material to show the arc of Franklin's life and to give the audience that sense of his accomplishments.

The truth is that one cannot possibly sum up a man's life in an hour and a half. I can only give audiences a glimpse. I can also hope that their exposure to the play will make them curious to learn more about the man who many consider the "Grandfather" of our country.

I always try to incorporate time for a "talk back" following performances, since it gives audiences an opportunity to ask questions. It also give me a chance to mention several of his accomplishments that I did not have time to include in the play.

Doing these one-man play performances is something that I could not have imagined myself doing for most of my life. But, as I like to say, "Life's a Mystery."

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Writing is Hard

The more I write, the harder it becomes. I know that's counter intuitive. With more experience comes a more critical eye. I'm much harder on myself now than when I started out.

I still recall the sense of accomplishment when I completed my first honest-to-goodness novel. It was about 40,000 words (no WAR AND PEACE).

I allowed a few people to read it. They were friends, so they wanted to be kind. I think the most encouragement I received was, "Well, now that you have that first one done, you should try to write another one."

I found that first novel stuffed in a drawer years later. I started to read it and couldn't get past the first few pages before realizing what a piece of @%&$ it was. Valuable lesson learned. 

Not counting the manuscript that ended up in a drawer (it was disposed of in the trash eventually), I'm currently working on my eighth novel. Six of those are part of my Brad Frame series, and the other two are standalone novels - like the one I'm working on now. I've had the blessing to be part of a couple of critiques groups over the years. Each person who reads and comments seems to have a different take on the material. As a result, I now find that as I write I'm examining each sentence the way members of my critique groups might look at them.

The process of continuing to write and listen to feedback from critique groups has made me both a better writer and and pickier one.

Ultimately, it is the judgement of the readers who will determine my success. I hear from those who have read my books and tell me that they are going to try and get their book club to read one of my books. That's great. I found it curious to read a recent review of FINAL JUROR in which the person noted that I was trying very hard to achieve the style of _____ (and she named a specific writer). Except I've never read anything by that person, so I certainly wasn't aiming to match their style.

Any fellow writers care to comment on whether they have also found writing to be more difficult the more they write? Please feel free to share your comments..

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Guest Blog - Mary Jeddore Blakney

I'm pleased to welcome Mary Jeddore Blakney back as a guest blogger. She is an author. Here is a link to her website. She also line edits my books.

HOW ADVERBS CAN WEAKEN YOUR WRITING, AND HOW TO FIND THEM
I've seen a lot of 'grammar hack' tips that say you can find adverbs by just looking for words ending in -ly. The problem with that is that some words that end in -ly are not adverbs (Think early.) and there are also lots of adverbs that don't end that way.

Don't worry, there's a better way.

What Is an Adverb?

The official definition I had to memorize in homeschool was this:

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.

If you're not a grammar nut, that may be just a bunch of words to you. Don't worry, I'll walk you through it.

'Modify' is just a fancy word for 'change.' In grammar lingo, a modifier is a word that affects another word's meaning in some way.

Adverbs modify verbs

Some examples:

drove recklessly
drove sadly
drove illegally 
drove fast

The words recklessly, slowly, illegally and fast are adverbs. Each one affects the meaning of the verb drove in a different way.

Drove is an action verb, but some sentences have being verbs instead. Being verbs are words such as is, was, and will be.  Adverbs can modify being verbs, as well. In these examples, the verbs are in bold type and the adverbs are in ALL CAPS:

She was pregnant YESTERDAY.
He will be happier TOMORROW.
Our blankets would be drier INDOORS. 

But how do we know that yesterday, tomorrow and indoors modify the verbs in these sentences and not the nouns or pronouns? Because they wouldn't make any sense that way. Let's try it with the first sentence: There's no such thing as a 'yesterday she.' Same thing goes for being 'yesterday pregnant.' The only thing left for yesterday to modify is was. 

Another thing I learned in my homeschool grammar classes was that adverbs answer questions starting with the words when, why, where and how. Yesterday answers the question 'When was she pregnant?' 


Adverbs modify adjectives.

It's easy to see how the adverbs affect the meaning of the adjective red in these examples:

bright red
dark red 
almost red

Adverbs modify other adverbs.

She drove EXTREMELY RECKLESSLY.
He drove SOMEWHAT SADLY.
She drove COMPLETELY ILLEGALLY.
He drove INSANELY FAST.


One way adverbs weaken our writing is by telling instead of showing. Telling that your character drove recklessly is boring. Showing what happened when she got behind the wheel might be very exciting. Adverbs can also take the punch out of high-energy scenes or make sentences feel cluttered and harder to understand.

But not every adverb is your enemy. In fact, did you know that the word not is an adverb? A 1631 printing of the Bible omitted that adverb just once. Sure enough, it made the sentence much more interesting.


Finding Adverbs

If you're taking a grammar test, then the only reliable way to find all the adverbs in a piece of text is to find the verbs and then see which words modify them (and which ones modify them), and then go through the same process with the adjectives.

But if you're out to strengthen your writing, try this instead:

Look for words that tell how something was done (recklessly, fast, sadly, jealously...). Find ways to show instead of tell. The Emotion Thesaurus is a great resource for this.
Look for words that clutter up your sentences, taking the punch out of your action and the clarity out of your narrative.

Remember, grammar isn't about following a set of rules to the letter. It's about using words to your best advantage.

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

A Short Story

I've written several short stories and shared them on my website.

I had a lot of fun writing FOR LOVE AND MONEY about a philandering Wall Street tycoon and his long suffering assistant.

I'm going to keep this blog post short so that you'll take a few minutes to read the story. Here's a link: http://www.rayflynt.com/forloveandmoney.pdf

Feel free to share the link with friends. Dare I say, "Make this go viral." :-)

Please free to share your thoughts about the story in the comment section below.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Viewpoint

Not too long ago I attended a session with fellow writers where a speaker talked about common mistakes writers make. During the course of the presentation and our discussion, the subject of "viewpoint" came up. Basically, viewpoint refers to the concept of from whose viewpoint the author is telling the story.

The writer describes the action from what the viewpoint character sees, hears, smells, etc.

If Brad Frame is having a conversation with his associate, Sharon Porter, and the scene is in HIS viewpoint. He can report what Sharon says, how she looks when she says it, the tone of voice she uses when she speaks, but it would be a POV (point of view) mistake for Brad to report how Sharon might be feeling or what she might be thinking. If she seems grumpy, he can make note of it. If she should happen to burp during the scene, he could even speculate that perhaps her stomach is upset which is why she is grumpy. But he cannot get inside her head to tell the reader that her grumpiness is a direct result of the fact that she broke up with her boyfriend the previous evening (since Brad wasn't present and she didn't share that information with him).

Understanding viewpoint can be tricky for new writers. When we read advice not to "head hop," that is exactly what it means. Watch your viewpoint.

Most of my Brad Frame books are written with a combination of viewpoints. Brad's 3rd person view and Sharon Porter's first person viewpoint. I think it serves the stories well, although a few readers have told me that they were initially confused by it.

One of the issues I confront with each new story is the question of exactly how Brad Frame becomes involved in a case. Usually the opening chapter involves a person meeting with Brad to engage his help. In BLOOD PORN, I wanted to show the set of circumstances that lead a client to seek out Brad for his help. In the story, a man discovers images of his brother in a porn video. That same brother is missing, which prompts the man to seek Brad's help. So the opening chapter of BLOOD PORN (and a couple of other chapters) are in the viewpoint of the "client."

My approach in deciding on what viewpoint to use is to first determine what best serves the story I'm telling.

You can read the opening of BLOOD PORN by clicking this link.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Free Previews

Any writer likes to develop the widest possible readership. A few weeks ago I wrote about my effort to develop "audio" versions of my mysteries.

A few months back I added my first book, UNFORGIVING SHADOWS, to the Amazon program that allows members to download the book for free on an electronic reader. Under that program, Amazon pays authors by the page when people read the "free" book.

I'm currently working to put the opening chapters of my mysteries online. I plan to start with FINAL JUROR, and you can see the special "Free Preview" cover of FINAL JUROR. Readers would be able to download and read the first eight chapters of the book. It should be enough material to allow readers to decide if they like the writing style and are engaged by the story to make a purchase of the full book.

That is my hope.

I've tried to price my books at an affordable price ($2.99). But finding the time to read is often an even bigger barrier.

Hopefully, you'll take a chance and read the preview, buy the book. Dare I hope that you'll recommend it to your friends? :-)

Of course I hope you will because LIFE IS A MYSTERY.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

COLD OATH

Here's my latest writing project. It's about half written, with lots of editing and re-writing facing me when it is completed. But I'm excited about this story. It is a standalone suspense novel, not part of my Brad Frame series.

Ryan Caldwell is a freshman journalism student at Brandell College. He's not your typical freshman since he spent five years in the army, including assignments in Afghanistan, before enrolling. He's even landed a job as a reporter for the Bugle, the student newspaper.

Early in the story, the longtime president of the college dies. Ryan makes a bit of a name for himself when he writes a tribute for the former president. But in the aftermath, Ryan finds himself in the middle of the campus struggle to choose the next president.

I don't want to say much more, but as with any good suspense story, you can expect that quite a lot will affect Ryan's life.

For anyone who has ever attended college, campus life is filled with so many memories. It is a time when young people can begin asserting their independence, and they begin to find their way in the world. While college can offer a bit of protection, it is not immune from the same stresses experienced in the rest of the world. I'm hoping that journey for our protagonist will captivate the attention of the reader.

I'm guessing this book will be finished in the summer of 2016. But as we know LIFE IS A MYSTERY. If you have any favorite revelations from your college days that you'd like to share, we would welcome your comments.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Audio books

I've been having conversations with a friend of mine, Matt Dooley, about producing audio versions of my novels.

The truth is that a lot of people are too busy to sit down in front of a book, Kindle, or other electronic device and "read" one of my novels. Putting them in audio format would allow people to hear them.

As you can see, I already have a "prospective cover" for the audio version of UNFORGIVING SHADOWS, but we are at least a few months away from this project being finished.

When I have a sample, I'll be sure to share a link.

I'd be curious to hear what you think about audio books. How frequently do you choose to listen to a book as opposed to reading it? Do you find it suits your busy lifestyle? Are you able to follow a book by listening to, for example, twenty minutes at a time?

Do you have preferences when it comes to the style of the reader? Perhaps, more simply, I could just ask what turns you on or what turns you off about audio books.

Whether I'm reading or listening to a book I prefer large chunks of time in which to digest the story. My favorite time to listen to an audio book is in the car on a long trip. I find it helps take away the tedium of the drive.

As always, I'd like to hear what you think. Because LIFE IS A MYSTERY, so please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Oh... and HAPPY NEW YEAR!