 |
| Paranormal adventure |
After reading all about Beverly's new book, please visit Beverly's site to find out about my book for middle grade girls, Girl's Succeed: Stories Behind the Careers of Successful Women, AND leave a comment at her blog to enter to win a copy of Girls Succeed!
WRITING A SERIES, OR NOT
by Beverly Stowe McClure
Series stories are popular.
Many readers, myself included, are so intrigued by the characters and their
lives that we aren’t satisfied when a novel ends. We want to know what happens
after the first book. Authors gladly continue writing, satisfying our needs.
I write single stories,
however. Or I did, until recently. My characters have a goal or a problem. They
strive to fulfill their desires or to overcome the situation(s) in their lives¾parents, bullies, self-image, or whatever they’re
dealing with¾that cause them trouble. Sometimes they succeed. Other
times, they reach a new understanding about themselves and/or others and see a
different side to their goals or their problems.
No sequels or series were in
my thoughts. Then, a nice reader wanted to know what happened to Breeze in my
tween contemporary novel Just Breeze. Gee, I don’t know. I thought her story
was over. But I started thinking about the kids in the story. Did they want to
tell us more about themselves? What other adventures awaited them? Well, Breeze
whispered in my ear. And I liked what she had to say. So, I wrote a second book
about Breeze and her friends. It took over a year because I was also working on
other stories, but the manuscript now is at the publishers. I’ll soon know
whether they like it or if the story ends with Just Breeze.
Also, with A Pirate, a
Blockade Runner, and a Cat, my latest tween paranormal novel, it’s been
suggested I write a sequel to this book. I hadn’t planned to, but plans do not
always turn out the way we expect them to. So, ideas are bouncing around in my
head. What could the kids do next? More ghosts? Possibly. Why not? Even a dear
writer friend, who has written two popular series, has offered her thoughts. I
like them. So, maybe we’ll hear more from Erik and his friends. Maybe not.
One thing I’ve learned about
the writing world. “Change” is the normal. And if we as writers want to
succeed, we need to be flexible and change with the times. Let’s see. Do I have
other novels that the characters are waiting their turn to continue with their
stories? Hmm, maybe I should talk to Lizzie or Rebel or Jade or Jennifer. I
wonder what they’ll say.
###
Beverly, I bet your characters are clamoring to tell more stories. Because you are a good listener and a great storyteller, we can look forward to more wonderful books about our favorite characters. Thank you.
Readers, don't forget to leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of her new release,
A PIRATE, A BLOCKADE RUNNER, AND A CAT
Blurb:
Thirteen-year-old Erik Burks’
life is falling apart. When he discovers a lace bra in the glove compartment of
his dad’s car, his mom leaves his father and drags Erik from being king of the
hill in Texas to the bottom of the pits in South Carolina. No Dad, no baseball,
no friends, just Starry Knight (a girl who reads minds) and her equally weird
brother, Stormy, the twins that live down the block.
Just when Erik thinks life
can’t get any worse, while hanging out at the beach one evening, he and the
twins notice lights radiating from the lighthouse. The only problem is the
lighthouse was deactivated years ago. Stranger still, a ship materializes in
the moonlit harbor. Curious, the twins and a reluctant Erik investigate and
discover the ghost of a blockade runner, a phantom cat, and a pirate who prowls
Charleston Harbor, all searching for rest.
A former nonbeliever in the
existence of ghosts, Erik cannot deny the proof before him. And he has a
revelation: The ghosts may be the answer to his desire to return home. Erik
soon makes a deal with the ghosts. He’ll help them find what they’re looking
for so their spirits can rest in peace. In return, the ghosts will scare Erik’s
mother so she’ll be on the next flight back to Texas. Star thinks his plan
stinks, but Erik wants his life back, even at the cost of his mother’s sanity.
Excerpt:
“Have you seen the lights?”
Star asked.
On the day we met she told me
to call her Star or Starry. Either way she was from outer space. I glanced over
my shoulder at the football field length of tall grass separating the beach
from the nearest houses.
“You mean those?” I pointed
at the hazy glow around a street lamp. “What’s the big deal?”
“Not those. Over there.” Star
tipped her head in the direction of the water. “Look.”
“I’m looking. I’m looking.”
Why was she so excited? All I saw was a faint beam of light floating across the
inlet. “So? It’s a reflection of the moon.”
Star shook her head. “No moon
tonight.”
She was right. Yet stars (the
heavenly kind, not the girl) glittered between the layers of gathering clouds.
“Okay, it’s only the starlight.”
“The light comes from the
lighthouse,” Star said.
“You can see it blink on and
off,” Storm added.
Morris Island Lighthouse stood
several hundred yards into the water. According to Mom, who was big on history,
the water was land during the Civil War. Over the years the sea had eroded the
shore and water now surrounded the lighthouse. I couldn’t deny the yellow glow
flowing from the top of the building. I couldn’t explain it either.
“Impossible. Mom said the
lighthouse has been out of commission for years. The lantern was removed.
Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse across Charleston Harbor replaced it.”
“Then tell us what it is,
Erik,” Star said. “You see it. Storm and I see it. This isn’t the first time,
either. On cloudy, rainy nights the light flashes on.”
“It’s not raining,” I said.
“It is raining.”
Star had barely said the
words when a gust of wind whipped across the beach. Sand spiraled like a Texas
dust devil. Something wet slapped me on the nose. Several somethings
wet—raindrops. The space girl predicted the weather. So what? Dark clouds
usually brought rain. “Yeah, it’s raining.” Under my breath I mumbled, “And I’m
getting wet.”
In a lame attempt to pep me
up about my new home, Mom had promised many adventures waited for me in
Charleston. Adventures? Yeah. If you called ocean waves slurping against the
shore and neighbors with two grains of sand each for brains adventures, I was
up to my wet nose in adventures.
The twins stared into the
gloomy night, watching the light fading into a dim sliver.
The rain seeped into my
T-shirt, gluing it to my skin. Lightning raced across the sky. I shivered. I’d
had enough.
I shook Stormy’s shoulder. He
kept his eyes focused across the inlet. Star didn’t budge. They could drown if
they wanted. I was outta there. I jumped to my feet, turned, and took one step,
before Star snagged my ankle.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
“Home, before I turn into a
duck with webbed feet,” I yelled above the whistling wind and growling thunder.
She freed my ankle and stood.
Raindrops plastered her carrot-red hair against her face.
“Besides the light, we’ve
seen a ship, Erik. It always comes during bad weather.”
Stormy sprang up. “We think
someone in the lighthouse is warning the ships.”
“Who? How? They can’t.”
###
Available at:
ABOUT BEVERLY
When Beverly Stowe McClure
was a child she hated to read. Even though her eighth grade teacher sent her
poem “Stars” to the National High School Poetry Association, and it was
published in Young America Sings, an anthology of Texas high school
poetry, she hated to write. Nevertheless, she managed to squeak through high
school, where she played the clarinet in the band and was a majorette, and
graduated.
Then she got married, had
three sons (one an angel in heaven), and attended Midwestern State University,
where she read more books than she had ever imagined. What was she thinking?
Finally, she graduated cum laude with a teaching certificate and had a fourth
son. She taught children in elementary school for twenty-two years. And along
the way she discovered that reading was fun and writing was even more exciting.
Forty years after her poem was published, she sent an article on fire safety in
the home to Happiness magazine, and it was published. She was on her
way.
Beverly and Jack have five
granddaughters (one also an angel in heaven), two grandsons, two
great-grandsons, and one great-granddaughter. They live in the country, with
two cats that adopted them and a variety of wild critters that stop by for a
visit. To relax Beverly plays the piano, enjoys discovering ancestors in her
genealogy research, and takes pictures of wildlife and clouds and sometimes
people. She teaches a woman’s Sunday school class. And she writes most every
day.
Find Beverly on line at these links.
###
13 comments:
Thank you for letting me visit your blog today, J Q, and share my latest story with your fans.
Hi, everyone. I'm happy to answer your questions and comments. Stop by my blog http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com where J Q talks about her new book.
Have a great day.
Welcome, Beverly. So happy to have you here. Writing a series is not in my near future because I have a lot of stories swirling in my head. Like you, I may re-visit a character later.
Great post Beverly. Like you, I hated reading as a child and teen. I finally read to escape reality when I had 2 babies. Who'd a thunk!
Your book sounds terrific. It is on my list!
Penny Estelle
Wonderfully intriguing title, Bev. It will, no doubt, end up on my TBR list soon.
Haha! Babies will do that to you, Penny. And aren't you glad you learned how much fun it is to read? Thanks for addin Pirate to your list.
Thank you, Marva. I hoped for a catchy title. If your TBR list is like mine, it's a long one. :)
I still have one of your books on my list. :)
I love to read series books, but I haven't written one yet. This year I plan to.
Had to laugh about the babies...After babies I was too tired to read!!
Kay, I hadn't written a sequel and never planned to, until this year. So you never know.
Love the title and the excerpt, Beverly. When I wrote my first YA, it was meant to be a stand-alone but my critique group said there had to be more to the story. Sure enough there was, and the third book comes out in 6 weeks or so. Isn't it strange how the characters let us know they aren't done yet?
Thanks, Tess. Yes, we should always listen to our characters. They know best.
Tess, I am so glad you listened to your characters. Love your Kitty Irish trilogy. Looking forward to the next book!! Thanks for coming to visit.
Congratulations, Penny. You're the winner of Beverly's book! Enjoy...
Post a Comment