Release date: July 1st 2017
Publisher: Covenant Communications
Purchase: Amazon
Synopsis via GoodReads:
What happened to Irene?
When Anna Coughlin, a modern 1920’s woman, travels to the secluded hills of Virginia to work for wealthy Lawrence Richardson, she discovers that the previous secretary, Irene, mysteriously disappeared a few weeks ago. Upon arriving at the castle-like mansion to begin working, Anna finds that Lawrence’s handsome, but antagonistic son, Tyler, wants nothing more than to have her gone. And he isn’t the only one.
A series of frightening incidents ensnare Anna in a maze of intrigue as she sets out to find the truth behind Irene’s disappearance. She is helped—and often hindered—by the temperamental Tyler Richardson, who—despite her best intentions—begins to steal her heart.
A series of frightening incidents ensnare Anna in a maze of intrigue as she sets out to find the truth behind Irene’s disappearance. She is helped—and often hindered—by the temperamental Tyler Richardson, who—despite her best intentions—begins to steal her heart.
But even as Anna begins to uncover dark secrets in a troubled household, she must continue to hide a significant one of her own. Then, her life is threatened, leaving Anna to wonder if she’ll be able to unravel the mystery before she disappears as mysteriously as the unfortunate Irene.
How to Improve Your Writing
Style
by Marlene Bateman
Author of Searching for
Irene
There are many elements of good writing but perhaps one of
the least understood is style. What is style? Style is not what you write but how
you write. Voltaire said, “Every style that is not boring is a good one.” But how do you improve something as nebulous
as style? Over time, I’ve come up with some simple things that can enhance anyone’s
writing style.
1. The
smaller the number of words you use to contain a thought or an image, the more impact it will have. Let me give you an example: “Lee was a mean
woman.” It’s always better to be more specific, such as; “Lee was a shrew.” Another
example; “He passed away early in the morning, and people all over America
cried.” A much better way to say that is; “He died at dawn and the nation wept.”
You don’t want to put extra words in a sentence for the same reason you don’t
tape two windshield wipers to the windshield of your car: they wouldn’t serve
any purpose and they would get in the way.
2. Be wary
of adverbs. Adverbs usually only crop up when you use a weak verb and need
to boost it. You can use them, but be SURE they are needed. Most aren’t.
3. Use
strong verbs that are active, vivid, specific and familiar. One example of poor use of a verb is; Buster
ate his dog treats quickly. It would be much better to say; Buster gobbled his
dog treats. Don’t use weak general verbs
like walk, cry, fall, and touch if the situation calls for plod, weep,
collapse, and caress.
4. Make
tension fuel your plot. Without tension, there is no plot.
Remember, whenever the protagonist’s intention is denied, the effect is
tension, which readers LOVE.
5. Create tension
through opposition. The role of the antagonist is to thwart
the intention of the protagonist. Readers will be bored if you make things easy
for your protagonist.
6.
Make tension
grow as opposition increases. Tension
is a result of a chain of cause and effect, which builds and produces conflict
and tension. This chain is necessary to keep the story going. Every time something happens, the stakes grow
larger and the action snowballs.
7.
Make
change the point of your story. We expect events to
affect the main character in such a way as to force a change in his/her
personality. Your main character should
be a different person at the end of the book than he was at the beginning.
8.
When something
happens, make sure it’s important.
Plot is your compass and gives you a general idea of the direction
you’re headed. If you write something that is specifically related to the
advancement of the plot, keep it. If it doesn’t advance the plot, chuck
it.
9.
Make the
causal look casual. Everything in
your writing has a reason, a cause that leads to an effect, which in turn
becomes the next cause. For example; If a shotgun is necessary, show it well
before it is needed. Make the appearance of the shotgun casual—show it in a way
that the reader almost doesn’t notice. Then later, when a gun is called for,
readers will remember seeing one earlier.
10.
Make sure
your lead character performs the central action of the climax. Keep the
main character on center stage with the action. And remember that your main
character should act, not be acted upon.
11. Show,
don’t tell. Showing means creating a
picture for the reader. You can say a
person seemed impatient, but it’s better to show
that by saying, “She looked at her watch constantly,” or have her ask, “Are you
almost done?”
12.
Use a thesaurus
to look up words that are colorful and precise and mean exactly what you want
to say. Writing gets more
interesting as it acquires precision, not length. You know thousands of words, but they don’t always rise to the
surface of your brain. Adjectives
are not efficient and should not be your first choice. William Strunk said that adjectives are “the
leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words.” Turn adjectives into verbs whenever
possible. For example, turn impatient
into “looked at his watch” or “tapped her foot.” The best thing to do is
replace words, not modify them. Replace
house with mansion, cottage, hovel, or duplex.
13.
Avoid
clichés. They’re tiresome. It takes
work to come up with fresh ideas, but it’s worth it.
14.
Appeal to
the senses. Bring your writing alive
with the sounds, the smells, the flavors, and the peculiar tactile sensations
that come from textures and temperature and motion. Remind the reader that the world sparkles,
roars, and sometimes stinks. The senses are touchstones for the reader. Don’t say it was noisy at the baseball
game. Mention the crack of a bat, the
whizzing of a fast ball, the roar of the crowd, and the heckling from the
bleachers.
15. Say
things in a positive way. Show
readers what you want them to see, not what you don’t want them so see. Here
are some examples; Do not say, “He was not a generous man,” say, “He was a
miser.” Do not say; “The painting it did
not have any flaws,” say, “It was a masterpiece.” Do not say, Phil was not a graceful person,”
say, “Phil was a klutz.”
16.
Put
emphatic words at the end. Emphasis
tends to flow to the end of a sentence, so if there is one word or phrase you
want to say a little louder, put it at the end.
This is especially important when you are trying to be humorous.
17. Keep it
simple but don’t confuse simple with dull. Write in a simple, direct,
unpretentious way—with every sentence an arrow aimed at exactly what it means
to say. Remember you are trying to do
one thing; tell a story.
About the Author
Marlene Bateman Sullivan grew up in Utah, and graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's degree in English. She is married to Kelly R. Sullivan and they live in North Salt Lake, Utah with their two dogs and four cats. Marlene has been published extensively in magazines and newspapers and wrote the best-selling romance/suspense novel, Light on Fire Island. She has written three other mysteries: Motive for Murder, A Death in the Family, and Crooked House, as well as the romance, For Sale by Owner.
Marlene has also written a number of LDS, non-fiction books: Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s from Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s Boys, Heroes of Faith, Gaze into Heaven; Near-death Experiences in Early Church History, and The Magnificent World of Spirits; Eyewitness Accounts of Where We Go When We Die.
Marlene has also written a number of LDS, non-fiction books: Latter-day Saint Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s from Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s Boys, Heroes of Faith, Gaze into Heaven; Near-death Experiences in Early Church History, and The Magnificent World of Spirits; Eyewitness Accounts of Where We Go When We Die.
