From the Scriptorium: Book It!

From the Scriptorium: Book It!: Why all this stuff about my books? Well, I'll tell you. When I became more disabled with my Post Polio, I knew something had to change in ...

Book It!

Why all this stuff about my books?  Well, I'll tell you.  When I became more disabled with my Post Polio, I knew something had to change in my life.  Gone was my ability to be out on the road in sales - which saddened me greatly.  Gone was my mobility, added was arthritis in my hands, ankles, shoulders, back and knees.  What joy!  NOT.  So, I needed to do something to earn a living and at age 55, I decided to write a novel.  How stupid could I get?  Plenty.

When I was in college, I took writing courses as part of my degree - English, of course.  I'd written a lot as a child, mostly those silly childhood poems Mom posted on the fridge door and I thought I could draw on that past experience and education. Hmm - faulty memory strikes again.  One thing I did learn is to fine tune your craft BEFORE you begin.  Gone was my common sense, proper punctuation, quotation mark placement, yata yata yata.  Oh the content and story lines were great - and so is the writing, but technically?  I didn't have a clue.  And once the books were in print, it would cost my first born to change them...so I was stuck....and still am.

But I began to learn.  I dealt with rejection from publishers - over 300 of them.  Newbies rarely get noticed by a reputable publisher unless you know someone who knows someone else. I found what I thought was a wonderful publisher and in actuality, it didn't turn out that way.  The publishing business was in the process of changing radically.  EBooks weren't thought of yet, but marketing and strategies were.  Publishing was a whole new ballgame and I wasn't ready.  I was wearing my rose colored glasses then.  They certainly aren't on now.

My first novel, Northwoods Forest Mystery, introduces my main characters, Roan Sanderson and Shauna McGuire, college friends at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.  They'd lost touch over the years then re-established their friendship after Shauna's husband died in a tornado.  She and her son Conor come home to Minnesota after the funeral but no one expects these friends to fall in love and marry. However they do and this story begins a four-book saga of their lives and those of their friends - and enemies.  It crosses continents and decades, plus the first book sets the stage for a mystery which began many years earlier in a logging camp in Bemidji, Minnesota.  A crime was committed - yes.  But not by the innocent man who was convicted.  Roan and his friends work diligently to solve the mystery and bonds are formed which cannot be broken, not even by death.  We meet some absolutely wonderful characters (including Franco, the goofy waiter and Miss Lulabelle Lavinia LaFontaine, Doyenne of literary societies, plus a religious sister who sports a visible tattoo) and folks who you will remember long after you've read the books.  There is love and heartbreak, great joy and much sadness we can all relate to.

This is an excellent first book, but as I mentioned earlier, it is my first foray into writing, so technically I am not pleased.  I have, however, re-written it so it IS technically correct and ready for a new publisher.

The second book, Death Across the Pond, deals with the loss of a character's sight due to a plane crash.  It also introduces a dark character - an internationally sought assassin who begins to follow Roan and Shauna on a European honeymoon. What follows is a deepening mystery - one which will test their faith and strength in dealing with the devil.

There are new relatives introduced, some of which are quite strange (and we all seem to have those, don't we?).  One is a serial murderer, but what happens to him and how is he connected to the 'Ghost'?  "Death" begins to take the characters deeper and deeper into a psychological mystery with plot twists one wouldn't expect.

Book three, The 'Ghost' in Bolton Hall, moves the Sanderson family into an entirely new direction as they restore an ancient family manor house in England, but the 'Ghost' follows them to Britain and wreaks havoc on the family and the people of Bolton-by-Bowland in Lancashire.  This time, we see history, generations of family pride, ownership and greed - greed by the 'Ghost' who plots revenge for the death of his wife and greed from a gaggle of shady characters with centuries of ties to the Sandersons.  The family story line has now become dark and sinister, but with the addition of several new characters - and I do mean characters, the Sanderson family and friends are able to move forward again, only to have their hard work destroyed in a fire.  And Roan must deal with heartbreak and the death of a beloved family member.  This story line never stops moving.

                                                                   
The final book, Murder and Pasta Don't Mix, wraps up the Sanderson saga and goes back and forth between Ireland, Italy, the UK and the States, with Franco, the nutty Italian actually becoming a mature man in love, who, unfortunately, gets his heart broken by his childhood sweetheart.  The Sandersons find out they have inherited a large plot of farm land in Tuscany, near Franco's family home town and what insues is hysterically funny, but also a dangerous time for the Sandersons.  The 'Ghost' is still on the loose - but not for long and they also encounter a crime boss out for his own style of revenge.

These are adult, family-oriented novels (not for children under 18).  Yes, there is violence in them, a tiny bit of blue language, hysterically funny bits and definitely romance, but no sex scenes.  When I began writing these books, it was because the members of a Mom's group I belong to said they didn't like all the gratuitous sex in novels today and could someone try to write a book they could all read?  I took that challenge and ended up writing not one book, but four.  I simply couldn't stop.  But I accomplished my goal and now I was a published writer.

You can find all my book titles listed on our family web site at: http://www.thecookcompanies.com/ and it will give you a few links on how to purchase them.  The eBooks are there, too.  And those are the ones I am most proud of.

And now, being part Irish, I think I will imbibe with one of the famous Irish brews: 

'Tis a grand way to spend an evening, relaxin' by the fire with a pint and good friends.  (I know, I don't have a fireplace - but I can dream, can't I?)

From the Scriptorium: Who plays golf in January in Wisconsin?

From the Scriptorium: Who plays golf in January in Wisconsin?: Right now, in the City of La Crosse, people are playing golf on the local courses. There is no snow, temps in the 50's and the greens are s...

Who plays golf in January in Wisconsin?

Right now, in the City of La Crosse, people are playing golf on the local courses.  There is no snow, temps in the 50's and the greens are still playable.  I must admit, the thought of no snow in Wisconsin as we approach mid-January is rather curious.  Is it La Nina?  Is it El Nino?  Is it some cosmic shift in global warming?  Naah, it's just Red Dwarf coming out of orbit.

This is what I picture.  A crackling fire, a glass of wine or perhaps a brandy.  A cat cuddling by the foot of my chair on the afghan I just finished.  Or just sitting by the window watching the snow falling gently on our yard.  HA - none of those wistful pleasures to be certain.  No fireplace and no cat.  And NO SNOW.  This is the craziest winter I have seen in ages.  Who doesn't have snow in the middle of January in Wisconsin?

Addendum:  The following day, we received over 5" of snow.  Right now temps are in the low teens and the golfing range has closed for the season.  The Mt. La Crosse Ski Slopes are open for business and now don't have to make snow.  Winter finally made it to Wisconsin...January 12, 2012.

I'm excited about the football playoff games.  I can't wait to watch Clay Matthews - No 52 on the right, make his titanic tackles and glamourous takeaways, then do his victory dance to the delight of all the fans in Lambeau Field.  I get positively rowdy watching these men in green and gold.  Naturally I wear my own ensemble of green and gold with custom made necklace and earrings for the support of my team.  I've even thought about making my popcorn green and gold but that might be difficult.  I must be content with the traditional stuff and being a dedicated fan in Packer Nation.  For Greg, Donald, Clay, BJ, TJ, and my other Facebook and Twitter pals, you can count on me to be cheering in front of my little television and raising the roof - so to speak.

I am working on my historical novel, which involves the gentleman on my left - John Paul Jones, the first Commodore of the US Navy.  His flagship, the Bonhomme Richard features prominently in this historical drama about a series of murders committed in 1779 in Whitby, England.  However, his is not the only Bonhomme Richard IN this book.  The Bon Homme Richard of World War II and our current ship, Bonhomme Richard are also featured in the book.  A sailor from each must come through a vortex to use the skills from each century to solve these murders.  Sound intriguing?  Ah ha...this is the best one I've written yet.  "The Marlinspike Murders" should be ready for publication at the end of this year (2012), hopefully in both ebook and traditional paperback formats.

I understand Tesco wants to build a new store on the west side of Holmfirth, close to the setting for "Last of the Summer Wine" television series.  They tried to get planning permission once before and failed, because a store such as Tesco should be placed downtown for shoppers to come to the town centre - not to the fringes of it.  And understandably, one would not want to spoil such a pastoral setting with a store and traffic.  I suppose if the store is placed in an area which doesn't impede traffic and doesn't spoil the countryside views, it might be okay.  Tesco has offered to set up bus service to and from town centre so people can shop in both locations, but being the purest I am, I'm not certain that would fly with Holmfirth residents.  We shall see.  I wonder what Nora, Compo, Clegg and Foggy would think of a Tesco store over by Compo's Cafe?  Would there be a place for Howard and Marina to ride their bicycles away from prying eyes?  Goodness, the shock of it all!!

Don't forget these fine eBooks available through http://www.smashwords.com/

or these

Good reading at a reasonable price.

Until the next time, happy reading.  Stay warm and cuddle with the one you love.