The Two-Week Book Tour
This is my office where I expect I will spend a great deal of time in the next two weeks. One person; two chairs. Lots of work gets done here.But…
Blog, blog and more blog
Now that the audio book is up on Amazon, I’m excited that the paperback will follow soon. The ebook has been available for a month. The book tour organized…
Getting out of the Nest
At Word Vancouver (formerly Word on the Street) I sat with other CrimeWriters of Canada talking about writing, publishing, and promoting. We interrupted our conversation when fans or other writers…
Working through the new website
Working through the new website At Word Vancouver It`s stimulating to work with a new format on the website, and a little daunting. I had become comfortable with the old…
Release Date Getting Closer
Release Date Getting Closer I have bookmarks; I have business cards; I have rack cards on order. I’m working on a virtual tour for November. Hazards in Hampshire is on…
Hazards in Hampshire release three months
Hazards in Hampshire release three months The two youngest grandchildren have returned home leaving my house relatively calm. I have one remaining grandchild here with her dog. Leo the dog…
Rushing into Summer
Rushing into Summer It has been a busy week. One of my occasional compelling activities is editing. Deadlines loomed this week, so I spent Canada Day chasing elusive commas, but…
Back from Yorkshire
At Kings Cross Station in London Harry Potter has his own platform 9 ¾. People were lining up to take their picture with the sign. Amazing what can come from…
Still writing
The British Book Tours Mysteries is moving along. The first book Hazards in Hampshire is due out in October of this year with Coffeetown Press, Kenmore WA. The second book…
It has been a difficult month
It has been a difficult month but I have been writing. The hardest part for me is getting the first draft of Yobs in Yorkshire down with the plot…
Update
Hello all, I am still writing. Book II in the British Mystery Book Tours. I am at the final read through before it goes to the wonderful editor at the…
I’m working, I’m working
I planned to put a post up more often this fall, but I didn’t. I am working hard on the Hazards in Hampshire book which should be out next…
Finally, I’m surfacing
I sent the British Book Tour Mysteries out to several publishers in the middle of June. The first book is Hazards in Hampshire. I got an enthusiastic response from Coffeetown Press…
Writing for Teens and New Adults
by Marion Crook for Mama Reads Blog September 30, 2016 https://mamareadsblog.wordpress.com/?s=Marion+Crook Writing for Teens and New Adults Teens are a collection of individuals with individual ideas, prejudices, concerns and…
7 Ways to Make a Young Reader’s Hair Stand Up
7 Ways to Make a Young Reader’s Hair Stand Up The Writers`Dig (Writers Digest) http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/7-ways-make-young-readers-hair-stand By: Guest Column | January 4, 2017 Marion Crook 7 Ways to Make a Young Reader’s Hair Stand Up…
The Problem Must Matter
By Marion Crook for yatopia.blogspot.ca September 23, 2016 The Problem must Matter Most writers want to engage their readers, have the readers worry about the characters and feel relieved…
Back from the Summer
I’m in the front, enjoying it. Hello all, I never expected to be away from my blog for so long but summer happened–and children and grandchildren and deadlines. I’m back.…
Who is your market? The book world of children and young adults
Children and teen literature is classified in genres. This is not so much on the insistence of the authors, but on the insistence of the marketing department of the…
Must I bother about grammar?
Everyone has some gaps in their grammar education. No matter how much grammar was pounded into us in class, we didn’t get it all. We might operate on the principle…
My Writing Style
Of course, I have style. Writing style is part of our personality: brash, in-your-face, shy, retiring, academic, rational or emotional. It is a little like clothes sense–something we develop…
My Writing Style
Of course, I have style. Writing style is part of our personality: brash, in-your-face, shy, retiring, academic, rational or emotional. It is a little like clothes sense–something we develop to…
The Dialogue Test
Here is the dialogue test: Give a reader a sentence taken from the dialogue in your book manuscript. Ask him or her to identify which character said which sentence. It…
How a viewpoint Tells the Story
Whose story is it? Which character is giving the reader the gateway into the book? Decide early. Trust me, it saves hours of rewriting. Usually, the story…
Reluctant to Start?
Reluctant to Start? You have an idea. You want to write a book. You are almost afraid to start. You’ve decided which age level you want as your audience. Now…
The framework of a story
Stories share structural frames. Readers expect a certain framework. Stories have characters, a setting and some kind of plot. Somebody, somewhere, does something. The stories we had read to us…