I Broke The Rules Again...

Hello Seekerville, and thanks to Audra for this wonderful opportunity to come visit again.  I always feel at home at Seekerville because the readers and bloggers here possess something that I have an abundance of.  It’s called “Faith.”

I was raised Catholic, so imagine my surprise when I suggested to my then agent that I write a Catholic inspirational.  She quickly nixed the idea, saying Catholicism isn’t recognized in the mainstream of Evangelical Christianity.  At a conference someone said to me, “There are Christians and then there are Catholics.”  So For years, I veered far from writing something so absolutely intrinsic to me.  After all the industry professionals know best, right?

All right.  No one would let me play in their sandbox, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t put the tenements of my beliefs into my secular novels.  In The Past Came Hunting, from Bell Bridge Books, the theme of redemption is huge in that story. 

Still, I was raised in New Mexico, in the Four Corners area, and I am nothing if not influenced by that state’s rich Hispanic and Indian culture.  To leave Catholicism out of a potential story set in New Mexico was like leaving the fish out of the ocean.  I also LOVED stories like The Trouble with Angels, or the stage production of “Patent Leather Shoes Reflect Up.”  Those stories summed up my Catholic education.  And I’m hardly a political or a “tell all” writer.  I simply write romantic suspense and mystery, and the more people that told me no, the more DEADLY RECALL called to me.   (Kind of like those check marks I received in parochial school for failure to conform.)

So I wrote Deadly Recall, against expert advice, knowing I was taking a risk, and the outcome of its success or failure remains to be seen. (This is not a Dan Brown, Davinci Code novel, mind you).  It simply a mystery that takes place in a Catholic Church setting.  I found out quickly what I was up against.  In the Linda Howard Award of Excellence, I received two perfect scores, one of the judges, a multi-published author wrote, “I can’t wait to see this in print.” I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I confess I was hugely disappointed when it came back from the final round judge/editor as an Honorable Mention.   

I could have stashed it in the drawer at that time, (maybe I should have) but there’s that check mark thing again, and I’m stubborn.)  I entered the Golden Heart, and Deadly Recall went on to become a 2010 Golden Heart® finalist.  What this was telling me was that readers liked the story, but industry professionals weren’t sure what to do with it.

I admit I had severe doubt when writing the story.  My mother who is exceedingly Catholic and my first reader said of the opening, “You can’t do this.  Flipping more pages, she said, “You can’t do this.”  Eventually, though, she said, “All right.  You can do this.”  Good.  I had my mother’s blessing ;)

For me, this story has been an emotional rollercoaster and so far, a month after its release I have 15 five and four star reviews.  Two in particular make me smile, one because I wondered myself and the other because the author clearly understood what I was trying to do in this story:

~~ I loved Bell's first novel, and feared that she might be a one-hit wonder. I found Deadly Recall edged out The Past Came Hunting by a nose. Now I can't wait for her next work.  ~ Bill Abell

~~ I enjoyed Deadly Recall. Having a detective fight an attraction to someone on the "dark side", a cute public defender, made for great dialogue exchange and character interaction. Having the mystery in the Catholic Church, without pulling too many PC punches, was nice as well. The plot was realistic and kept my attention. For mystery fans, this is lightweight on the blood and gore, with a reasonable taste of violence, so you can kick back and enjoy watching things play out without too much "shock" factor. Nice solid story I definitely recommend.  ~ C. Hope Clark

As I mentioned, I’m big on writing redemption stories as part of my happily ever after and the theme of forgiveness lives on in this book.  Amazingly, I felt lighter at the story’s end so for that I’ve already been paid in full in writing it.  I’m happy I wrote Deadly Recall, and delighted that Bell Bridge Books saw fit to publish this mystery.  And about those rules I always seem to break . . .

Pablo Picasso wrote, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” 

So I ask you Seekerville readers, have you ever been told no but stubbornly persisted?   What were the results?  Success or failure?  I’d love it if you’d share your stories.  I’ll give one commenter in North America a paperback or digital copy of DEADLY RECALL.  

Thanks for having me, my Colorado buddy and Seekerville.  Always a pleasure.

A terrifying memory is locked deep inside her.  A killer wants to keep it that way.

Nine-year-old Eden Moran thought she was saying good-bye to her mentor that fateful day in St. Patrick’s.  She had no idea she’d witness the nun’s demise, or that her child’s mind would compensate.  Now seventeen years later, Albuquerque cops have unearthed human remains, and the evidence points to Eden as being the key to solving Sister Beatrice’s murder.  When a hell-bent cop applies pressure, Eden stands firm.  She doesn’t remember the woman.  Unfortunately for Eden, Sister Beatrice’s killer will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

News Flash! Amazon has just selected Deadly Recall as its Kindle Deal of the Day (tomorrow) Friday, April 5 at a deeply discounted rate!! Don't miss this opportunity! 

Donnell Ann Bell is the author of The Past Came Hunting and newly released Deadly Recall from Bell Bridge Books.  Both books were nominated for the prestigious Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America.  Her website is www.donnellannbell.com  

Hi Everyone, Audra here. As always, I love having Donnell as my guest in Seekerville. And isn't that a great Amazon promotion tomorrow? Don't miss out! Of course, leave a comment and look for the Weekend Edition on Saturday to see if you're the lucky winner of a copy of Deadly Recall. Thanks, Donnell for playing with us today!! To start off the morning, I've brought my special recipe Cherry-Almond Oatmeal to share. It took all night in the slow cooker to blend the flavors to perfection. Pour some milk over the top and enjoy!!

Research: My Crazy Need for Fact Checking

Mornin' all, Audra here. Oh my goodness! Can you believe it's September already? Hard to tell here in Colorado, we're still averaging 90 degrees and I'm not seeing any relief in sight. And speaking of Colorado, I'm just tickled to have Donnell Bell, my fellow scribe at Five Scribes and Coloradoan  - separated by just a couple of mountain ridges south of me - here in Seekerville today to talk research, and hype up her DEBUT novel!! Many of you know Donnell as former contest coordinator for the Kiss of Death chapter's Dauphne du Maurier contest. Since resigning the coordinator gig, Donnell has concentrated on writing and polishing, and what does she have to show for it? A publishing contract!


Enough of me. Here's Donnell to tell you all you ever needed to know about research but were afraid to ask -- sort of, LOL! Leave a comment for a chance to receive a copy of The Past Came Hunting when it hits the shelves!

Good morning Seekerville! Oh my, it’s good to be here again, and special thanks to Audra for inviting me. Confession time: This will be my very first blog to promote my September 15, 2011 release, “The Past Came Hunting,” from Bell Bridge Books. I’m excited, I’m bald and friends say I’ve developed a nervous twitch. But enough about the hair loss and palsy that comes with a debut novel.

When Audra and I discussed topics, I thought--great. Now that I’m a “published” author, people are going to expect me to know something. Unwritten Rule No. 44 is: Author must know something. So, I went into my writer’s cave and hurt my head and thought: What can I enthrall my friends at Seekerville with that will make me sound authorial? And then it hit me, or maybe it was just another tremor, I’ll dazzle them with the provocative topic of research.

Hey, where’s everybody going? You get back in your chairs this minute. Research can be a provocative topic. Rather, it can be if you don’t get it right…

When I worked for newspapers, we were told repeatedly to double check our source. We never accepted anything unless we could corroborate our facts. I think this must have carried over into my fiction career because when I research, I’m never sure of anything--especially if I find it on the Internet or read it in Wikipedia. We’ve all learned that programs like CSI, while entertaining, are far from accurate. And the worst thing an author can read next to a bad review is that he/she didn’t do his research.


Research is a fine line. Too much can lead to an information dump, too little can result in a less than satisfying story. What’s more, thanks to the time it takes to write a book and get it published, your research can become obsolete. Think I’m exaggerating? Consider New Orleans and the French Quarter before and after Katrina. Authors’ settings and probably their storylines changed in the blink of a hurricane’s eye.

                                     

It happened to me in “The Past Came Hunting.” You see, I wrote the first version of the book in 2005. It finaled in the Golden Heart in 2007 and Bell Bridge bought the book in 2010. My revisions consisted of a two-page letter, which, after I hyperventilated for a few days, I had no problem completing. However, a nagging voice kept after me to recheck my facts--some time had elapsed. Was my research still current?

I’ll never regret double checking. Originally, my story dealt with the Colorado Correctional Facility for Women in Cañon City. Subsequent fact checking revealed that the facility closed in 2006 and that the women convicts were transferred to both the Pueblo and Denver prisons. This created a plot problem. I had the warden, an integral character in my book, as the head of a now-defunct facility. Maybe readers unfamiliar with Colorado or Cañon City wouldn’t have noticed, but I’ll wager my Colorado readers would home in on the fact.


The corrected version now reads:


The East Cañon Complex where Joe now stood housed seven prisons, from minimum to close security, high-risk offenders. Maxwell had been incarcerated in the Colorado State Penitentiary, a prison ranked level V. No big surprise there. But the man Joe had come to see supervised the Arrowhead Correctional Center, a level III facility.

Two years previously, however, before it closed, Simon had been warden of the Colorado Women’s Correctional Facility, the prison where Melanie Daniels had done time.


So what was Joe doing here? His job, he told himself, or at least what was necessary. Maxwell was a book already read, Melanie Daniels Norris an unfinished novel.


Some publishers employ fact checkers. Ideally he/she might have caught my blunder. But there’s always the chance that he wouldn’t, and later I’d be contacted by a reader. No doubt there are mistakes I didn’t catch in the book. But I sure breathed a sigh of relief when I caught this one.

So how about you? When it comes to your writing, or when you’re reading a book, do you check and double check your facts? Have any of you experienced, like me, a passage of time that led you to update your manuscript? Have readers contacted you about plot points in your stories? I’d love to know I’m not the only one who has this compulsive need to give that manuscript just one more “look-see” for accuracy. Thanks for having me, Seekerville and best wishes!

One Man wants her gone . . .



Lt. Joe Crandall is on the fast track for Commander and not pleased to learn his new neighbor is a woman he sent to prison 15 years earlier, or that she might be the target of a recently released convict. Now their sons have become inseparable. Joe doesn’t need the headache or the unwelcome attraction.


One Man wants her dead . . .


Drake Maxwell has one goal upon his release from prison–finding the girl whose testimony landed him a 15-year prison sentence and making her pay.


As for Melanie Norris . . .


All she wants is to raise her son, forget this unshakable past and move on with her life. . .

THE PAST CAME HUNTING
By Donnell Ann Bell
Coming September 15, 2011
From Bell Bridge Books
http://www.bellebooks.com/

Donnell Ann Bell is a two-time Golden Heart finalist and debut author with Bell Bridge Books. http://www.bellebooks.com/ You can find her on Facebook and Twitter @donnellannbell or at her web page, www.donnellannbell.com

The 2010 Daphne du Maurier Award, a high-profile contest with many, many cogs

I'm excited to introduce Donnell Ann Bell as our guest to Seekerville. Donnell is known all over the writing world for her humor, grace and the ability to draw the best out of anyone she meets. 2010 ushers in her eighth year of service with the Daphne. Don't hesitate to ask questions of Donnell...she's offering an extra special surprise....

Good morning, Seekerville, and thanks for inviting me here to talk about The 2010 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. Hosted by the RWA®’s Kiss of Death Chapter, this contest is very near and dear to me. One, because it involves my favorite genres, mystery and romantic suspense, and, two, it honors the legendary Suspense Author Daphne du Maurier.

Now, I’d like a show of hands, because as a contest coordinator, I come complete with an omniscient viewpoint. Thus, I can see all of you out there. How many of you fabulous Seekerville blog readers think I coordinate this contest all by myself?

That many? Wow! I would love to take all the credit for the growth of this mystery and romantic suspense contest, but the truth is, I have help – enormous, qualified and distinguished assistance. So, today I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce them. The truth is there’s a reason for the Daphne’s success, and I’m just a cog in a process that makes this contest click year after year.

INTRODUCING THE PUBLISHED DAPHNE COORDINATORS

(The published contest, divided into sub genres of: Mainstream Mystery, Single Title Romantic Mystery/Suspense, Category (Series) Romantic/Mystery Suspense, Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense, Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense and Paranormal Romantic Mystery/Suspense. Open to published authors who have a 2009 copyrighted mystery or romantic suspense novel, The Daphne Published contest levels the playing field. It is open to self-published, e-published, traditional presses and vanity press authors. Of course the books must be bound, and you would do well to make your product look as professional as possible, but non-traditional published authors have done extremely well in the Daphne published contest.)

Kelly Ann Riley and Caroline Dunsheath are the longest-standing members on the Daphne committee. They work tirelessly January through July, in which Kelly receives the published books and distributes them, while Cee is in charge of training, coordinating and handling the score sheets for the published side of this competition.

About Kelly Ann Riley: Penning stories at an early age, Kelly Ann, received special recognition for her short stories. Later, she became a reporter and editor for her high school newspaper. After earning a B.S. in Clinical Nutrition and a MBA, she worked for years as a Registered Dietitian and Director of Nutritional Services, but never gave up her first love of writing. Before she was published, she finaled and placed in numerous writing contests, including winning first place in the Daphne du Maurier Contest and Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart competition.

Kelly Ann is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and RWA's Mystery/Suspense (KOD) and Inspirational (FHL) chapters. She's been a Published Coordinator for KOD's Daphne du Maurier contest since 2002. She enjoys working with the Daphne committee and interacting with the authors who enter the contest. It's always exciting when the finalists are determined and then announcing the winners at RWA’s National conference.

Kelly’s first published novel, which won the Golden Heart in 2009 for Best Inspirational manuscript will be released by Steeple Hill as a Love Inspired Suspense in July 2010 with the title "Firestorm." She is also contracted to write a Guidepost Patchwork Mystery novel for Christmas 2010.

Kelly lives in Alabama where she writes her novels and enjoys many adventures as a youth leader in her church, wife to an engineer, and mother to two wonderful teens. You can contact her through her website at http://www.kellyannriley.com/

About Caroline Dunsheath: Cee has been involved with the Daphne since it evolved from a one-page, then a three-page contest [to its present day form]. As an entrant, judge and later a coordinator (originally Unpublished, and now in her third year as Co-coordinator of the Published Division), Cee never fails to be impressed with the breadth of talent on both sides of the score sheet. The competition stiffens every year as the Daphne’s reputation draws the best in mystery and suspense. But our judges are so amazing, giving such great feedback, that she believes even the nonfinaling entries “win” big.

Volunteering for a chapter contest is daunting, especially one that attracts a large number of entries, but Cee credits a committee filled with talented, selfless, and seemingly tireless members as the secret to the Daphne’s success and the reason the job hasn’t driven her insane (that, and having a super-productive best friend who lets her rant about late scores, lousy math and the lack of a 25th hour in a day, as a partner!)

Sanity challenged or not, she still whole-heartedly encourages writers to become a part of their chapters’ contests. It’s not only rewarding, it’s a gold mine of inspiration, motivation and on-the-job training. “I feel as though I’ve gotten a non-accredited Master’s degree in writing by judging, submitting for judging and seeing how other writers judge. There’s something to be learned in every step of the process.”

When not volunteering, Cee puts her contest-garnered education to use writing paranormal suspense. She is represented by Kelly L. Mortimer of Mortimer Literary Agency, whom she met via cell phone at Death by Chocolate, when her manuscript “SEEDS” took first place in the Daphne.

INTRODUCING THE UNPUBLISHED DAPHNE COORDINATORS

The Unpublished side of the Daphne (now 100 percent electronic) is also divided into sub genres of : Mainstream Mystery, Single Title Romantic Mystery/Suspense, Category (Series) Romantic/Mystery Suspense, Inspirational Romantic Mystery/Suspense, Historical Romantic Mystery/Suspense and Paranormal (PTTF) Romantic Mystery/Suspense. The coordinators of these sub-genres are amazingly talented not only in coordinating the Daphne but in their professional lives. Read on:

Mainstream Mystery/Suspense Coordinator Joelle Charbonneau. Now in her second year with the Daphne, Joelle brings to this committee her tenacity, networking savvy and contagious gregariousness.

About Joelle Charbonneu. Joelle is a storyteller at heart. She has performed in a variety of operas, musical theatre and children’s theatre productions across the Chicagoland area. In addition to her stage work, Joelle has also performed with several bands and worked as a solo performer. While Joelle is happy to perform for an audience, she is equally delighted to teach private voice lessons and use her experience from the stage to create compelling characters in her mysteries. She lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and toddler son while penning the third book in her soon to be released mystery series. Her first comedic mystery, Skating Around the Law, will be released in the fall of 2010 by St. Martin's Minotaur. To learn more, visit Joelle at her website http://www.joellecharbonneau.net/

Single Title Coordinator and Co-Judge Coordinator Brooke Wills. What Brooke doesn’t say in her bio is that she’s a contest finalist in her own right and she brings the same dogged exactness in being a controller to the Daphne.

About Brooke Wills: Brooke is a financial controller by day and so far a controller by night. Her interests include reading, writing, gardening and cooking. This is her fourth year with the Daphne contest, this year coordinating the Single Title, Unpublished category and helping with judges’ training. In addition, Brooke is treasurer for RWA’s Chick-Lit chapter. The Daphne contest is great because it’s not just for RWA members, but also for mystery writers in general. There is so much hope in each entry, and the feedback provided by the Daphne judges is such a huge part of the contest.

Category (Series) Coordinator Elizabeth Pina Elizabeth Pina wears so many hats it’s amazing she has hair. When she’s not helping others, she’s winning numerous contests and publishing her wonderful work. Elizabeth returns to the Daphne for her second year.

About Elizabeth Pina: A native Brit and long-time Texan, mother-of-four Elizabeth Pina lives not far from Houston. Her youngest is now a senior in high school, but Elizabeth is constantly busy with livestock, show dogs, and full-time employment. Whenever there's a spare moment, you’ll find her happily ensconced behind her laptop. She's a member of Romance Writers of America, American Christian Fiction Writers, and various local and on-line chapters of each, including the Kiss of Death where she coordinates the Lethal Ladies critique group. Elizabeth credits (or blames) her success on contests, and would like to help others achieve their goal of publication in the same way. She considers KOD a wonderful community and support group, and enjoys working with Donnell and the other coordinators to make the Daphne a success.

Inspirational & Historical Romantic Suspense Coordinator Jen McAndrews If you want something done, give it to a busy person. Also, in her second year, I’m amazed she didn’t shoot the Overall Coordinator for giving her two sub-genres. What’s more O.C. is still alive, AND Jen returned (of her own free will) for a second year to take on the same two sub-genres again.

About Jen McAndrews: Jen has built a career in legal and academic publishing. She is currently working as a markup specialist with a high profile science publisher, where her duties include troubleshooting, project management, and new technology development. A mystery- and romance-writing member of RWA since 2003, Jen has served in numerous roles within local and online chapters, but coordinating the Daphne is a unique treat that allows her to experience all the thrills, fun, and excitement of one of the most prestigious contests in the RWA. And if that's not enough, working with the rest of the committee is an absolute highlight of the year!

Paranormal (PTTF) Coordinator Connie Gillam brings to the Daphne a level of calm and an equal level of professionalism. What this 2008 Golden Heart finalist doesn’t mention is that she’s coordinated other contests as well and that her own compelling work is steadily rising to the top.

About Connie Gillam: After many years in the medical profession, Connie decided to pursue her love of writing and found a home with Romance Writers of America. Because her novels always contain an element of suspense, the Kiss of Death specialty interest chapter was a natural fit. This will be her third year coordinating the Paranormal category of the Daphne. The contest always attracts such excellent manuscripts, and she likes to watch the cream rise to the top. It's interesting to see the finaling manuscripts win in other contests and ultimately the Golden Heart.

A transplanted Midwesterner, Connie Gillam resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her family. You can read more about Connie at http://www.constancegillam.com/

Daphne Advisor Jean Willett Without Jean Willett, there would be no Daphne du Maurier Award. Former KOD co-president, Jean was instrumental in obtaining permission from the du Maurier estate to use the name Daphne du Maurier. Every year, Jean orders the beautiful bookmarks that go to our first place sub-genre winners and the incredible bronze scroll plaque which goes to our published Daphne Winner, and an aluminum scroll plaque which goes to our unpublished Daphne Winner.

About Jean Willett: When Jean isn’t penning her mystery and thrillers, she finds time to advise the Kiss of Death Chapter’s board, lead the Golden Heart Network as its 2010 president. A winner or finalist in numerous contests, Jean has won such prestigious competitions as The Maggie, Colorado Gold and was a finalist in The Golden Heart.

So now my secret is out. I hope now you can understand why the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense is such a well-oiled machine. Thanks Seekerville for allowing me to get this off my chest. I am but a cog in the wheel, but so proud and privileged to be affiliated with the above people as well as the Kiss of Death Chapter that hosts a contest in support of the mystery and romantic suspense genre.

The Daphne opens its contest doors on January 15, 2010. Check out: http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/ for more information.

Overall Daphne Coordinator Donnell Ann Bell has served on the Daphne Committee since 2002, serving in most every capacity to learn what it takes to run this high-powered contest. She is a multiple contest finalist and contest winner, including a final in the 2007 Golden Heart. Check out her website at: http://www.donnellannbell.com/

For those who comment or ask questions about the Daphne, Seekerville will draw one name for a free admission to either the Unpublished or the Published Contest. Make sure you include your email address with your comment!!