Andreia Marques Marques itibaren Bor, Leningradskaya oblast', রাশিয়া, 187440
** spoiler alert ** I enjoy the work work of Gayle Trent/Amanda Lee. Her stories are quick and easy to read and usually fill a need for light "fluffy" mysteries. I have to admit, while I liked this second Marcy Singer, it was my least favorite of this series and the Daphne Martin series. The mystery just wasn't that much of a mystery and much of the character actions just didn't make sense except to further the story. **Spoilers ahead** For example, even after reading the entire book, I have no idea why Mrs. Ralston came to Marcy to help her find her daughter. It also seems completely unrealistic that she never asked any of her other family members, or her trusted attorney for help. Also the ease which Marcy uncovers these *huge* town secrets is ridiculous. Clearly they aren't really secrets if all Marcy has to do is walk into the genealogical society and ask! On the flip side, no one can figure out who ultimately owns the dummy charity in Mrs. Ralston's will? And no one actually seems to care that an entire estate is going to a suspicious charity with no records? This is just ridiculous. I also cannot understand why Eleanor would use the method of murder that she did. Clearly, as a nurse, she would know that the deaths would be suspicious and linked to one another and cause an investigation. Plus, I cannot imagine what she was thinking when she pulled a gun on Marcy, Devon and Ella. Did she really think she could kill all three of them? And that FIVE dead people in a small town wouldn't be a big deal? Even despite these things, I still enjoyed the book and will continue to read the Marcy Singer series.
Writing The Breakout Novel by Donald Maass If you're ever looking for a literary agent, you should try to get someone that knows something about how to tell a great story. Donald Maass (a literary agent) has written one of the finest books on the subject of storytelling. I was amazed to see so many practical techniques for writing in this book. While simply getting published is the goal of many writers, you need to keep in mind that this is not the end of the story where it comes to seeing your books in print. After your book reaches the store shelves, it must sell. Many authors struggle for years to become popular, but never make it. Why is this so? The Breakout Novel When an author's book becomes wildly popular, when it reaches the bestseller lists, it has broken out. How is this done? Writing The Breakout Novel will show you how to develop your writing skills to the place where your stories stop being average and start being great. Ninety percent of your success as a author depends on how good your writing is. The most important thing a writer must learn is how to tell a fantastic story. Stop worrying about marketing. Don't bother trying to meet the "right" person. Forget about networking. Don't worry about the competition. Don't be jealous of other writers who seem to be more successful than you are. Stop trying to get the "attention" of an agent. If you can write a fantastic story, getting an agent is easy. The secret of success as an author is in your own hands. You are not competing against other writers. You are competing against yourself. How good is your writing? Writing The Breakout Novel takes you through the steps of writing a great story, from an agent's point of view. Starting at how to come up with a great story idea and how to develop it, the book then goes into a variety of writing techniques, examining them in a new light. For instance, o ne of the biggest problems of average stories is that they don't have enough conflict. One of the secrets of a breakout novel is to put conflict on every page. Don't think that you know all there is to writing. If your books haven't become wildly popular, then you need to go back to the basics and get the story right. This book contains many of the secrets of how to get your book out of the discount pile and onto the bestseller lists. Mark O'Bannon www.BetterStorytelling.Net/Blog