I've decided to give up the last novel I was writing since it's been so long since I last visited it, but I have a very rough outline for a new one.
Here's a brief description:
After a very dramatic break up with her live in boyfriend, Carly decides to move back to South Florida to start over.
Anna is Carly's best friend and is also an exotic dancer at a strip club owned by her boyfriend's father. Anna seems to enjoy being a dancer and soon talks Carly into trying it out one night during an 'Amateur Night' at the club.
'Amateur Night' changed Carly's life forever. She had fun, felt empowered and in control of the men watching her, and won 2nd prize and $1000. She also met the night manager, Reggie, who offered her a job as a full time dancer.
Reggie, acting like a protective father figure, watches Carly over the next few weeks and becomes obsessed with the 22 year old's beauty. Soon he begins to reveal a much darker side, and ignoring Anna and the other dancers' warning, Carly is soon entangled in Reggie's web of manipulation, drugs, sex, and violence.
Carly is soon searching for an escape.
I have 3 reasons for writing this novel.
1. With all of the controversy surrounding "sex work" I am writing this because I want to truly show the dark side of this line of work. I'm taking all of this from personal experience and knowing strippers and the hell that is their world.
2. I love, love, love dark dramas, probably because the entire first part of my life was so dark.
3. I love exploring the dark side of the human psyche. Something attracts me to it, and by writing about it, it helps me understand it a little better.
I realize this isn't a novel for everyone, but no novel is liked by everyone. Books are like movies: Different people like different styles. And since I prefer reading these types of books, I prefer writing them, too.
Even if you don't like the genre, I'd love to have people's opinions on the plot line. Like I said it's a very rough outline (I hate outlines) so who knows where it will go? Characters have a habit of taking over the story line, but I'm excited to see where this goes and how it ends. I do have an ending in mind, however, it may change as the novel develops.
Friday, October 9, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Review of "Now You See Her" by James Patterson
As I've mentioned before I love James Patterson's novels. He writes short chapters and is able to keep the reader's attention by giving just enough detail to capture the attention of his audience without giving too much away to give away the ending.
We all know his most famous books have to do with the character, Alex Cross, but the most recent novel I read has a female lead. "Now You See Her" is about an attorney named Nina Bloom.
Summary:
Nina's past life was perfect - married to a police officer, pregnant, happy - until she found out something terrible about her husband and is forced to flee for her life. Having successfully escaped by faking her own death, she is now forced to face her past when a case is put in front of her having to do with a man wrongly convicted and awaiting his death sentence. She knows he's innocent, but she has to decide whether or not risking her life is worth fighting for his.
My Thoughts:
I LOVED this book. Patterson does an amazing job with character development. The characters are multi-faceted and intriguing. Nina's husband is portrayed as a hero and the perfect man: handsome, charming, intelligent, an upstanding citizen and police officer. He saved Nina from jail, got her a job, and fell in love with her. There is, however, a much darker side to him that we don't see until it's almost too late. Patterson reveals the real man behind the mask slowly, and it's not until near the end of the book that the true evil of his character reveals itself.
Nina starts out as a sweet and naive college student on spring break with her friends until she discovers her boyfriend is cheating with her best friend. She sneaks out and takes her boyfriend's car to escape her shattered reality when she loses control and hits a man. That night she meets Officer Fournier and her life changes forever. Throughout the first part of the book Nina stays sweet and somewhat naive until she discovers the truth about her now husband, Officer Fournier. This is when she takes advantage of the fact that a serial killer is on the loose, fakes her own death and goes on the run. Later on the reader learns Nina has changed her name (it was previously Jeanine), finished college and law school and is an attorney at a high powered law firm in New York City. It's when her boss puts her on a project to help free innocent people from jail that Nina learns of the case that sends her back to Key West to face her past. At first, she doesn't want to do it, but her conscience gets the better of her. She knows the man is innocent because she came in contact with the real killer during her escape from her husband. Now she's out to prove the real killer is still on the loose while an innocent man sits on death row. I love the development of Nina's character. She's a character who seems like a real person. We all start out innocent and naive until we learn better. The mistakes she makes causes her to seem more real because it's mistakes anyone could make, and her later perseverance to prove the innocence of a wrongly convicted man. She is amazing, strong, and resilient. By the end of the book, she's no longer the naive college student but a strong, independent woman.
Overall, I found this book enjoyable, captivating and a quick read. I was so swept up in it that I finished it within 2 days and was actually sad that I finished it. Right now, I'm reading Patterson's "Pop Goes the Weasel," and so far it's another excellent book. Look for my review of that one next week.
Brenda
Link to book:
Now You See Her
We all know his most famous books have to do with the character, Alex Cross, but the most recent novel I read has a female lead. "Now You See Her" is about an attorney named Nina Bloom.
Summary:
Nina's past life was perfect - married to a police officer, pregnant, happy - until she found out something terrible about her husband and is forced to flee for her life. Having successfully escaped by faking her own death, she is now forced to face her past when a case is put in front of her having to do with a man wrongly convicted and awaiting his death sentence. She knows he's innocent, but she has to decide whether or not risking her life is worth fighting for his.
My Thoughts:
I LOVED this book. Patterson does an amazing job with character development. The characters are multi-faceted and intriguing. Nina's husband is portrayed as a hero and the perfect man: handsome, charming, intelligent, an upstanding citizen and police officer. He saved Nina from jail, got her a job, and fell in love with her. There is, however, a much darker side to him that we don't see until it's almost too late. Patterson reveals the real man behind the mask slowly, and it's not until near the end of the book that the true evil of his character reveals itself.
Nina starts out as a sweet and naive college student on spring break with her friends until she discovers her boyfriend is cheating with her best friend. She sneaks out and takes her boyfriend's car to escape her shattered reality when she loses control and hits a man. That night she meets Officer Fournier and her life changes forever. Throughout the first part of the book Nina stays sweet and somewhat naive until she discovers the truth about her now husband, Officer Fournier. This is when she takes advantage of the fact that a serial killer is on the loose, fakes her own death and goes on the run. Later on the reader learns Nina has changed her name (it was previously Jeanine), finished college and law school and is an attorney at a high powered law firm in New York City. It's when her boss puts her on a project to help free innocent people from jail that Nina learns of the case that sends her back to Key West to face her past. At first, she doesn't want to do it, but her conscience gets the better of her. She knows the man is innocent because she came in contact with the real killer during her escape from her husband. Now she's out to prove the real killer is still on the loose while an innocent man sits on death row. I love the development of Nina's character. She's a character who seems like a real person. We all start out innocent and naive until we learn better. The mistakes she makes causes her to seem more real because it's mistakes anyone could make, and her later perseverance to prove the innocence of a wrongly convicted man. She is amazing, strong, and resilient. By the end of the book, she's no longer the naive college student but a strong, independent woman.
Overall, I found this book enjoyable, captivating and a quick read. I was so swept up in it that I finished it within 2 days and was actually sad that I finished it. Right now, I'm reading Patterson's "Pop Goes the Weasel," and so far it's another excellent book. Look for my review of that one next week.
Brenda
Link to book:
Now You See Her
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Long Chapters versus Short Chapters
Have you ever read a book with chapters so long you thought the chapter would never end? It can seem like the chapter goes on forever, especially when you're searching for a good stopping point. If you're like me you refuse to stop reading in the middle of a chapter. It's these types of books that I tend to fall asleep reading only to wake up having lost my place because the book has fallen onto the floor or my page is wrinkled from my face having laid on it. These are some of my biggest pet peeves when reading.
Then there are authors like James Patterson who write very short, concise chapters. While I love James Patterson's writing and do enjoy the short chapters when I need to find a good stopping point, his writing can seem a bit choppy at times, especially when he doesn't give enough time to a particular scene.
Overall, I prefer writers who know how to end a chapter successfully without being wordy. I love James Patterson's writing for more reasons than the short chapters, but they do help. Personally, I think the length of a chapter may not matter if the author writes well. There are those times I love reading long chapters, but they have to be able to keep my attention.
Which style do you prefer and why? Comment below.
Then there are authors like James Patterson who write very short, concise chapters. While I love James Patterson's writing and do enjoy the short chapters when I need to find a good stopping point, his writing can seem a bit choppy at times, especially when he doesn't give enough time to a particular scene.
Overall, I prefer writers who know how to end a chapter successfully without being wordy. I love James Patterson's writing for more reasons than the short chapters, but they do help. Personally, I think the length of a chapter may not matter if the author writes well. There are those times I love reading long chapters, but they have to be able to keep my attention.
Which style do you prefer and why? Comment below.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Writing Tips from Stephen King
Stephen King is not only a best selling author but also a talented writer, which is why I was excited to read the following article:
This is an excellent article giving expert advice on writing. Some of these tips I already knew and some were new to me, like not watching so much tv. Apparently it kills the creative process we writers rely on to do our work. I really shouldn't be surprised, though. I'd much rather read a book with no distractions so I can concentrate on said book. The same can be said about writing. Write without distractions (also #13 on the list). I've found that when I'm alone in a completely quiet room and have my phone turned off that I get much more and better quality writing done. You will find these and other great tips in the article so get going. Here's the link
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers/
Happy Reading and Writing!!!!
Brenda
Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules For Writers
This is an excellent article giving expert advice on writing. Some of these tips I already knew and some were new to me, like not watching so much tv. Apparently it kills the creative process we writers rely on to do our work. I really shouldn't be surprised, though. I'd much rather read a book with no distractions so I can concentrate on said book. The same can be said about writing. Write without distractions (also #13 on the list). I've found that when I'm alone in a completely quiet room and have my phone turned off that I get much more and better quality writing done. You will find these and other great tips in the article so get going. Here's the link
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/stephen-kings-top-20-rules-for-writers/
Happy Reading and Writing!!!!
Brenda
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