How Legends Start

I’d just finished writing THROUGH THE VIEWFINDER and my editor enthusiastically told me she couldn’t wait to read Bella and Carlos’s story. Still exhausted from birthing that baby, I smiled and said, “yeah, maybe.” 

With the book behind me, I met family for dinner since my nephew was in town. He was doing a model airplane show, and the weather had turned ominous. Dark. Thundery. Tornado-y. So they abbreviated the flying that afternoon. As we sat around the table, he asked politely about the new book and I gave him the short synopsis of how I'd been inspired by the cold case they'd recently solved where I lived, locating a missing person after 42 years. “Interesting,” he says. “Have you heard about the Tonti Stone?” Why, no, I haven’t. When he told me the story, the author exhaustion turned into curiosity.

The "Tonti Stone" refers to a grave marker for an unidentified victim of a train derailment in 1971 in Salem, Illinois. Tonti is a small unincorporated community near the site of the crash. The story involves a decades-old unsolved mystery and a community's desire for answers, making the Tonti Stone a poignant local legend. One of the eleven fatalities remained unidentified and was buried under the Tonti Stone, leading to recent efforts to identify the remains through advances in science. In essence, the Tonti Stone is a symbol of an unsolved historical event, representing a life lost and a family's potential longing for closure. In other words, the stuff legends are made of. The interesting part of the story is that when the remains were exhumed, they discovered "extra" parts. 

"... we started seeing bone fragments and bones that didn’t match up with some of the other remains that were in there.”

The Marion Co. Coroner confirmed finding the remains of as many as 3 people inside the casket.

“Does that mean there are multiple unknown victims,” [one of the journalism students] asked.  “Does it mean the remains belong to other people who were killed in the wreck?  We’re not sure.” - KSDK television 

Yes, I have an affinity for the macabre. Add in a tour of a local park district estate with macabre exhibits, and WHEN THE PENNY DROPS was born. Not only did I have the characters my editor wanted to read more about, I had a mystery for them to solve. What started out as "Unidentified Remains," turned into realizations, not only for my characters personally, but for the ghost they'd unleased. When the Penny Drops is an expression which means someone finally understands something after a period of confusion or not knowing, an “a-ha” moment. Oh, and the ghost? Her name is Penny. 

The book drops next week, but you can preorder now. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR.  🎉

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year.

Community note: I'm going to move my blog starting tomorrow. You can find my weekly blog at 

Substack.

Creating realistic characters

The thing about writing is that it mirrors real life without BEING real life. Your characters take on a life of their own, and you need to let them. I experienced this first-hand while writing MIST ON THE MEADOW and Wolf Harper. I was constantly correcting Wolf, like an authoritarian parent. "You can't act out like that." Until I realized he was a grown man (albeit fictional) and he was going to do what he was going to do. Once I gave him permission to be who he was, the rest of the book was more fun to write.

I've been thinking a lot about Wolf lately, and part of writing characters is giving them the backstory and informational support they need so the reader understands why they act the way they do. I've run into that to a certain degree with my upcoming release. I've known all along that my main character is overreacting, and I've tried to shore up her position. Despite that, my editor also pointed out the overreacting, but she also had some good suggestions to help validate my character's position. "Wounds" provide rationale for irrational behavior. Hopefully I've added the appropriate information to help the reader understand. Yes, you're going to be impatient with her (because it is a tad out there), but in addition to that impatience, I hope there is understanding. I've provided reasons. It's okay to be impatient with her, but I think you'll also sympathize with her as long as you know why.

I recently read a book where the author inserted themselves into the story to correct their character's behavior, which is what prompted my blog post today. I wasn't enjoying the book to start with, and then when the character stopped to correct themself (i.e., the author's hand was firmly visible in my mind saying "you can't do that"), I wanted to throw the book at the wall. "You can't say that/think that because it isn't politically correct." That's not exactly what it said, but it was implied. The character stopped themself mid-thought to adjust their response, complete with explanation, making them less "human." Hey, if my character has an emotional response to something, all bets are off. They can self-correct later, self-flagellate for what other people might think, but if that's what they think/feel, let them. Not everything in this world is politically correct (although I certainly get the issue in our current world and the state of affairs). The character in question is well established, and a "likable" character. If they have "a moment," I think the reader will sympathize rather than throw stones. I'm not even halfway through the book, and now it's falling into DNF territory for me. Bad enough I can't follow the plot, but to now have the author obtrusively step in to correct the character's thoughts? NOT HAPPY.

On to better things. I've made the last edits to WHEN THE PENNY DROPS and it is on schedule for release! YAHOO! Merry Christmas to me!

And Merry Christmas to you (or whatever other holiday might be applicable). Greetings of the season.

On sale January 7, 2026
Preorder now

Required Reading

Remember when we were in high school and we had assigned reading? How many of those books did you enjoy? Some were unexpected gems, others were painful slogs. 

When I left my job, one of my friends asked if this was a new era for me, if I was going to put my skills to use to make my own money rather than off the back of industry. My response was a firm no. I had a certain skill set which I was happy to provide to my employer, but I was done with "required reading." On the plus side, on the job, most of the required reading was boilerplate, cut and paste and customize to apply to your client. Applying that to a private editor position - well, most people don't write boilerplate. Add to that the fact that at least with the boilerplate, I was looking for errors rather than content most of the time. Not that content wasn't most important, but the subject matter was mostly written "as expected." 

Last year, I had an author approach me with an editing project. Did I want to dip my toes back in the water? Not really, but it felt like an opportunity, the world reaching out to me to "use my gifts." I agreed to "look" at her work (not to DO the work) to see if I could help. One chapter in and I backed out. Despite her promise to pay me market rates AFTER other editors had already gone through it. That was probably one of the deciding factors - her comment was "an editor told me to do this, but I don't want to." Well, if you're paying someone for professional advice and then you choose to ignore it, why am I wasting my time telling you what you don't want to hear? But I digress...

I just got my editor comments back and am busily addressing what needs to be fixed, smoothed over, corrected. While she had my work, I took the "down time" to catch up on my reading. I have a long TBR list which I have been ignoring. Granted, sometimes I skip over the TBRs in favor of personal recommendations or books I WANT to read first. (For instance, it's Christmas time. Shouldn't I be reading Christmas books? Spoiler alert - for me, the answer is yes.) The problem is I can't get to the books I WANT to read because there are books I PROMISED to read and haven't yet. Required reading. It's like reading Huckleberry Finn when you want to read Harry Potter. 

As I mentioned at the start of this post, sometimes you encounter unexpected gems in your required reading stack. When I was in high school, I picked a book from the "discretionary" list because I had to read something. WHEN THE LEGENDS DIE turned into an unexpected gem for me. The title appealed to me, but I had no idea what to expect. It's a story about an indigenous boy who is taken from his heritage and forced to live in a white man's world. He has a talent with horses and makes his way on the rodeo circuit. It's about personal struggle, about trying to conform who you are to who the world expects you to be. In the end, he goes back to his heritage.

Reading is considered a leisure activity. I've discovered many new voices and stories picking up books here and there, and I admit to still rebelling against the "required reading," books I read for research or books I promised someone I'd read. This is where I remind you that reading is subjective. When I read OUTLANDER, I recommended it to my mother because I was so blown away by it. My mother hated it. One person's treasure is another person's garbage. We don't all connect with things the same way. As one of my critique partners likes to say, "not in target audience." 

I've knocked out my winter quota of required reading, so once I've attacked these edits to my own work, it will be back to my TBR list (and probably a few Christmas books). What books are you choosing to read this December? 

Cover Reveal

I sent out my newsletter too soon! When I went to schedule it to coincide with this sale, I instead hit publish now. Call it snow blindness, or brain cramps, but whatever it was, here's the sale. All my books are half off during the Smashwords end of year sale.

And the other thing my newsletter announced? COVER REVEAL! Sharing that here since it's already out in the wild. The new book (retitled - Unidentified Remains wasn't quite romancey enough), WHEN THE PENNY DROPS, will be coming out January 7. Waiting for comments back from the editor and then it will be all systems go. Want the sneak peek? Here ya go...

What's it about? 

Ten years ago, an unidentified woman was buried after a train accident. With advances in DNA testing, the NAMUS project wants to dig her up and try to identify her. But when they exhume the coffin, there's a second body...

In Carlos’s five years with the police force in the sleepy town of Bells Hill, Illinois’, he's only encountered one violent crime, one that continues to haunt him. That incident has left him reconsidering whether he’s cut out for the job.

Bella, her best friend Shyan, and Carlos have been friends since high school, but when Carlos went to the police academy, Bella felt it was the ultimate betrayal. As a teenager, her father would call the police to track her down when she wasn't where she was expected to be, creating trauma and distrust of the police in general. While she loves Carlos when he's not in uniform, she can't see past the badge when he's on duty.

A ghost follows Carlos home from the exhumation and takes up residence in Bella's coffee shop. It warns that "she isn't safe," but the "she" in question remains uncertain. In addition, several women in surrounding jurisdictions have been turning up dead, and the one thing they all have in common is complaints against the police officer who terrorized Bella in her youth. Is Bella next?

Special shout out to my nephew, George "The Mechanic" Fram, for alerting me to the story of the Tonti Stone. Another story applying artistic license to a real-life story. 

Let it snow, man

It snowed! A lot! Almost a foot, in fact. Fortunately, we could watch from inside since we had no place to be (I feel a song coming on…)

We spent the weekend BEFORE Thanksgiving traveling, so we missed out on all the traffic and delays. I had a lovely day with my kids and grands eating a traditional meal. Shout out to my daughter for hosting. They recently moved, although the chickens haven’t relocated yet. This one decided to try flying - she’s apparently ready to go to the new roost.

After we came home, I spent time finishing the new book to send to the editor. While it isn’t perfect yet, it’s close. Now to see what she has to say, and still getting input from my critique partners.

I’ll be sending the cover reveal in the December newsletter, so if you want a sneak peek, make sure you’re signed up!

While I wait to make final edits, I’m planning some reading days, inside, where it’s cozy and warm with picture perfect winter views out the window.

The Editing Passes

I've just finished "scrubbing" words from the finished product. Editing overused and filler (stuffing?) words. Examining word usage. It's a tedious process, always, and every time I wonder how so much verbal garbage gets through. Then again, until I reach the editing phase, I don't pay close attention to how the words get on the page, only that they tell a story. Every book has its own unique error code. In this book, I found myself missing the extra "o" on too. Must be lazy fingers this time around. 

As I look through demonstrative pronouns and prepositions, I discover they often don't belong. What's worse, they are usually part of a broader pattern that doesn't belong. Case in point, "it was as if it was..." How many of those words really belong? And isn't there a better way to say that? Talking about feeling like a turkey. But again, my brain was in "get the words down" mode, which is why there has to be an editing pass. 

As I finish this next round of edits, I fret that I haven't caught all the errors. There are more. An author's life is filled with such worries. In the end, I probably won't catch them all, but I do try. I'm always proud that I caught most of them. There will be more editing passes. My next phase is to read through the whole darn thing now that I've picked apart targeted words and phrases. I'll see what I've broken in the process, and on this next read, make sure the story tracks and all the threads are trussed up. This will probably be my last pass before it goes to the editor for her input. Then, fingers crossed, I'll only have minor corrections and potentially two more proofreading passes - one of them proofLISTENING, with Word reading the story back to me for snafus I might overlook with my eyes but my ears will catch. My critique partners are also still looking things over for me. They almost always think of things I've overlooked.

I took time out between some of my editing passes to celebrate the holiday with family and will spend tomorrow with friends. My heart is full, getting to spend time with my kids and grandkids all in one place at one time. I am thankful and truly blessed.

My best wishes to everyone for a Happy Thanksgiving. 

Live and Let Die

The title for this blog comes from the James Bond movies of the same name, or rather, from the James Bond soundtrack. Because #MyLifeIsAMusical, I keep hearing "and in this everchanging world in which we live in" in my head. Maybe I should have gone with Bob Dylan? For the times, they are a-changin'. (Get on with it Karla.)

I recently read something from an author about how they are reshaping their book distribution. Because of the hot political climate, people are making bold choices. Amazon, once the powerhouse, has long been under scrutiny. I have friends who actively avoid buying their books there based on principle, but the fact remains Amazon is still the largest distributor of ebooks. Usually. Me? Apple works well for me, too. But this recent move by a big-name author? It changes the game. Aren't we all a little tired of making the rich richer? Don't we all want to make a statement, now more than ever? So here's the deal. 

If you don't want to throw your support into Amazon any longer (and I'm on board with that idea), this author is doing preorders on Kickstarter. Yes, it's one more place to sign up. Then the books are distributed via Bookfunnel. Yes, that's one more place to sign up. The difference is that you are buying direct from the author, and the author retains more of their own royalties. The deal is that you "pledge" your support (the cost of the book). There's an extra step in that you then have to fill out a questionnaire (not really a questionnaire, more of a "where do I send your book" type stuff). Okay. Color me intrigued. Does that mean you CAN'T buy your books at the usual places? Heck, no. For those people who don't want two more logins to remember, they can still get the books at all the usual places. 

I'm going to be honest here. While I do see preorder action, I'm not sure it warrants setting up new accounts. If this were ongoing instead of just for the preorder phase, I might be more inclined to give it a go (Hey, Joe 𝅘𝅥𝅯🎵𝅘𝅥𝅰... sorry, more songs in my head). 

My new book? I'm planning a release in early 2026, which means I have to plan for how to launch it into the world. What do you think? Would you fund a Kickstarter to avoid buying at the evil overlord sites? 

Inquiring minds...