Novel Writing Guide by Jon Guenther

"HEY, DID YOU HEAR THE NEWS?"

Author Jon Guenther has a new blog for writers...aspiring writers...or those interesting in the art of writing...

Novel Writing Guide
Your ultimate guide to creating, writing and publishing a novel by Jon Guenther.

Take a look as he has some excellent comments and ideas--and this will be an ongoing series of instruction and information.

~Linda

Don Pendleton's Last Novel, Roulette

I see Amazon has dropped the price of my Kindle edition of our crime novel, Roulette by Don and Linda Pendleton. This turned out to be Don Pendleton's last novel. Also our first fiction collaboration. It's also available in paper at amazon and other online bookstores.

Review of Roulette: “Great story. I could hardly put it down. So real, so credible, a delightful page turner.” ~Ken M., California



Roulette by Don and Linda Pendleton

Husband and wife police detectives, both married more to the badge than each other, have inevitable conflict within their marriage and their careers are put to the test when a psychopathic killer invades their community.

In the early morning hour of a spring day, Helen Carter, twenty four-year-old housewife and mother of two small children, is awakened by a ski-masked intruder at her bedside. Paralyzed by fear, she works desperately to steel herself against the inevitable rape and harrowing attack that is already in progress. Helen Carter is to become only the first victim of the Sunrise Rapist. She is a very lucky young woman. Following the brutal attack of the second victim of the Sunrise Rapist, the perpetrator is immediately tagged the Sunrise Killer, and the quiet and peaceful community of San Remo, California, becomes a hotbed of fear and outrage.

The San Remo Police Department, already caught up in a difficult political climate, now has its hands full with a killer in their midst. Detective Rebecca Storm, the only woman in the detective bureau, and the sole member of the Sex Crimes Unit, finds that the Sunrise Killer will not only challenge her career, her marriage, but her very life.

Her husband, and fellow officer, veteran Detective Sergeant Peter Storm, already caught up in the infighting of the police department and city management, is drawn deeper into his career battles and challenges as the Sunrise Killer makes his appearance in San Remo.

What is ahead for the San Remo Police Department, and especially for two of its detectives, is many sleepless nights as the Sunrise Killer increases his maniacal assault on the innocent women and children of San Remo. But the killer’s reach goes far beyond his actual victims and their families. The lives of those dedicated to preserving peace within the city and pursuing the serial killer are challenged to the limits, both in their personal lives and in their professional careers.

The story is fast-moving, often riveting, often disturbing, as the cops are repeatedly challenged by a psychotic serial killer who has them all in his grip.

Copyright © 2010 by Linda Pendleton.

New Book by Susan Boyle Coming Soon

Coming this fall, the autobiography, The Woman I was Born to Be by Susan Boyle.

Boyle said: "When I strutted onto the stage for that audition, I was a scared wee lassie, still grieving for my mother, not caring how I looked. I think I’ve grown up a lot in the last year, become more of a lady, and I’m not so frightened anymore.

"I’m writing this book to try to show that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and I hope it will benefit other people. My story demonstrates that you shouldn’t just look at the label, you should look at the whole person, emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually, and I hope that telling it will show that dreams are not impossible, if you’ve got courage and a willingness to go on no matter what the circumstances."

Gay rights and Patient Rights

SUBJECT: Respecting the Rights of Hospital Patients to Receive Visitors and to Designate Surrogate Decision Makers for Medical Emergencies

Today President Obama issued an important memorandum concerning hospital visitation rights and medical directives. In some ways, it could be considered historic, giving not only patients the respect and honor to their decisions, but to give gays and lesbian couples and unmarried heterosexual couples visitation rights that have either been denied, or could be denied. It's all about equality....

“Every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindness and caring of a loved one at their sides,” Mr. Obama said in the memorandum to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, adding that the rules could also help widows and widowers who rely on friends and members of religious orders who care for one another. But he says gay men and lesbians are “uniquely affected” because they are often barred from visiting partners with whom they have spent decades.

Hopefully our President’s memorandum will make the necessary changes to the law concerning hospital care and it appears it will have to be honored by any hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid. And it should be that that participating hospitals may not deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

This could affect thousands of people so hopefully it will move forward quickly.

Have any of you ever had a problem with visitation of love one or fear of being denied visitation or the acceptance of a directive?

Read the President’s memorandum here.

Mystery writer, Sue Grafton Interview

Mystery writer, Sue Grafton, has had a very successful run with her Kinsey Millhone series of novels. Known as the alphabet mysteries,"A" is for Alibi, “B” is for Burglar,” and so on up until "U is for Undertow" her December 2009 book, Grafton has continued to put out a good book with each story. I personally have not read them all, but did read a few of the early alphabet.

I did hear her speak at a mystery writers luncheon some years back and very much enjoyed her talk. Thinking back it may have been in the very late 1980s. At that time her series was fairly new as the first book was published in 1983—but even so, she was already an international best-selling author.

In this recent interview here from Borders, she addresses the reason she is not interested in her books becoming films, and many writers often hold her view on that. And Grafton is even more in the “know” as she worked in Hollywood on films for fifteen years.

Enjoy...





~Linda

Don Pendleton's "Heart to Heart" Novel

Don Pendleton’s fifth Ashton Ford novel, Heart to Heart, is now available at Kindle.

I have enjoyed again reading and getting Ashton Ford ready for Kindle. Don was able to explore metaphysical ideas and the paranormal with his Ashton Ford character.

Don Pendleton wrote this for his readers about his Ashton Ford, Psychic Detective series:

"Through this character I attempt to understand more fully and to give better meaning to my perceptions of what is going on here on Planet Earth, and the greatest mystery of all the mysteries: the why of existence itself. Through Ford I use everything I can reach in the total knowledge of mankind to elaborate this mystery and to arm my characters for the quest. I try to entertain myself with their adventures, hoping that what entertains me may also entertain others–so these books, like life itself, are not all grim purpose and trembling truths. They are fun to write; for some they will be fun to read."

Heart to Heart, is an adventure that Ashton Ford never intended to share because it involved many tender depths of his own heart. It all started with the sudden appearance of a gentleman reported to have died over 150 years ago—and a mind-blowing mystery high above the sea in Laguna Beach, California. There, in a magnificent mansion, Ford finds himself surrounded by luxurious comfort and the flesh and blood “ghosts” of people from the past. Ford’s keen and awesome talents must now pierce the secret of the mansion, while his heart, at the mercy of an ageless and beautiful sculptress, follows a dangerous path of its own.

For Ford, his beliefs about reincarnation and reality would never be the same as he sees into the past, and sometimes, into your heart as well as his own.


Soon, I will have the sixth Ashton Ford book, Time to Time ready for Kindle.

Read about the other books in the series, here and here.

~Linda