books

Mending Fences

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

My novella, Mending Fences, is now on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats. 

 I previously published this novella in a collection alongside three other authors. It is now available as a stand alone novella with special pricing.

After the death of his beloved grandfather, Mason finds himself torn between the needs of Rose, the aging grandmother who raised him, and the demands of Lee Ann, the mother who abandoned him as a baby.

Mason’s relationship with Lee Ann is turbulent and complicated. After marrying the wealthy Rex LeMasters, Lee Ann charged back into Mason’s life, reclaiming him and his older sister, Glory, and moving them from the family ranch in Boise, Idaho to Green River, Washington when Mason was fifteen. His mother has not spoken to Mason’s grandparents since that time.

 When Gram takes a fall, Lee Ann at last returns to see her mother—a visit which dredges up memories of a secret buried since Lee Ann’s childhood. 

Will learning the truth about what caused the rift between them so many years ago help them move forward toward reconciliation? Will Lee Ann’s new perspective on the past serve as a catalyst to restore her relationship with her own children?

This novella will inspire you to face your own difficult circumstances, let go of bitterness resulting from past hurts and disappointments and offer forgiveness to the significant people in your life. 

Share Your Favorites

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I found myself at Target last week, like many of you, reading the beautifully-worded Mother’s Day cards. During the week I saw flower arrangements that could be ordered online. Television ads abounded for jewelry and beautiful sweaters. There were coupons for terrific buys on small appliances at many department stores.

In years past, I would have been making my purchases and anxiously awaiting my mother’s reaction when she opened my gifts.

But, like last year and the year before it, I had no purchases to make. No Mother’s Day meal to cook for my mother who has already passed from this life into the next.

A sweet gift from my daughter came in yesterday’s mail. I will spend part of the day today reminiscing. I will spend the evening with my son and his family, opening my cards with pleasure and thanksgiving for traditions like Mother’s Day that make mothers everywhere feel special.

Some things are different. Some stay the same. Names and faces may change but the spirit of love is still shown across the globe.

I hope you make the grandmothers, mothers, and soon-to-be mothers in your life feel cherished. May you enjoy the opportunity to experience the love of family both today—and always.

By the way, two of my favorite “Mother” books are Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman. What about you? Care to share your favorites?

Has Amish Fiction Met Its Demise?

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I don’t write “AMISH”, but I sure enjoy reading Amish books. About three years ago, these were very popular and it seems like I devoured every one of them. It didn’t matter who the author was (although I did come to have my favorites). I simply liked the good, clean reads, with the conflicts of religious beliefs which sets them apart from mainstream christian practices.

At any rate, last year I noticed that there might not be as many Amish books coming to the market. This year, I’ve only seen a few.

I asked myself if this was just a “sign of the times,” had I really read everything out there, or were there just not as many authors who were writing in this genre? 

Perhaps it was something else entirely. 

Back in 2002, there were only a couple of authors writing Amish fiction, while currently there are over 60 authors and hundreds of titles.

Among them are: Amish Romance, Soon-to-be Amish, Leaving the Amish, Amish cozy mysteries, Amish Wild West Adventures, Amish quilting, Amish cooking, and so on.

I have found that Amish fiction hasn’t slacked off. In fact, at some point it even spawned a sub-genre called “bonnet fiction,” a flourishing genre of Amish Romance. 

So, to answer my question. I have fewer choices now because I have read so many of these books! 

These authors aren’t going anywhere. They are still writing uplifting and inspiring stories.

 What Do Readers Want in 2024???

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

If you are an author that writes according to the trends of the reading audience, I suggest looking back at what the most popular trends were in 2023 and take your writing in one of those directions.

Remember, however, popularity of genres change from year to year—even season to season.

So you may want to stick with your current genre or try your hand at one of these rising stars:

Romance was #1, again! (No surprise). However, a new kind of romance has taken readers by storm in the last year or so. It is called Romantasy (Adult Romance Fantasy). Other new twists were Sports Romance and Dark Romance.

Also, rising to popularity are stories about robots and other AI-related.

Crime fiction always gets lots of readers, but a new twist are those whose targets are authors. Yikes! (An upcoming movie soon to be on the big screen—if you are interested— is on this very subject).

I don’t want to forget to mention memoirs, satires, and short story collections.

Finally, this one might surprise you. There seems to be a resurgence of re-reading favorite books.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

What one person likes, another may not.

That’s why it’s important to offer your book in a variety of formats.

For a long time, hardback and paperback were the only options for readers.

Later, e-books and audiobooks were added.

You can widen the market further still by offering your book in other languages.

My newest book was just published on Audible. Within a couple of weeks I will announce an interview on Facebook with the producer, Brian Callahan. You’ll want to be sure to watch it. He’s an accomplished guy that can make his voice sound both feminine and masculine; likable, angry, menacing. 

He’s likable, easy to work with, and very amenable to changes/suggestions. 

Justice for Jessie in audio format is now available on Amazon.

The Magic Month

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

Students, teachers, and parents know what the month of August means.

Back to School dominates television ads because in most states school begins in August.

So, what about authors? Should the month of August be on our radar, too?

The more times that I’ve heard it over the years, the more I am convinced that from mid-August to mid-December is a golden time of year for those who write and publish books.

A large percentage of people begin their Christmas lists in August. Many actually begin their online shopping.

So, I’m putting the advice I’ve received to the test. 

On August 15th, I published my latest book, Justice for Jessie, and advertised it at a reduced price on Amazon for the first week. (Both e-book and paperback editions).

I will follow its sales through the end of the year and compare those sales with those of my other books which I published in the spring. And, while I am waiting on those statistics, I will be writing for another release in August of 2024.

(By the way, a few blog posts ago, I mentioned I’d soon be publishing, Blinded. However, I discovered that there were already A LOT of books by that title. I renamed my book right before publishing to Justice for Jessie, which I actually like better!) 

Only One Rule?

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I have just returned home from an amazing Christian Writing Conference in Tempe, Arizona.

If you’re a conference goer, you know they schedule guest speakers who inform and motivate. Everyone needs a “shot in the arm” now and then!

Writers are constantly barraged with rules and they can be tough to learn. And the rules keep changing.

That’s part of the appeal of writing conferences—to learn new techniques and make connections with other authors. Helping each other muddle through is key.

At the end of conferences, there is usually time to wrap things up, evaluate, and do pre-planning for the following year.

In today’s wrap up, J. Tronstad said something memorable—something everyone is likely to remember for a long time. I truly do not know if this statement is “original” to her or if she was quoting someone else. But I do know it got a lot of laughter and head nodding. 

So, here you go. Something to brighten your day: ”There’s only one rule to writing. Unfortunately, no one knows what it is.”

Multi-Author Boxed Sets

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

Here’s an idea I am going to propose to a group of my author friends. It is a variation on what I recently blogged about creating boxed sets: Have each author submit one of their recent books to be included into a multi-author boxed set.

This marketing idea speaks to the recent trend in which authors put their individual works into boxed sets. However, those who may not have enough books for a boxed set of their own, may discover commonalities between their writings and that of other authors. 

They might be writing in the same genre or on the same subject. For instance, all of the books in the proposed boxed set might be of a broad group, say, FANTASY. Or, the grouping might be narrowed to just stories about Grizzly Bears. I suppose you could even group them by “firsts” (the first books by new authors). You may be even more creative in finding complementary aspects of each book.

You will need to write “back cover” copy for the set, and perhaps give it a TITLE, but I was told that KDP support staff will actually help you through the process of getting them into the set. 

It could be just that simple. And, you might find your book garnering increased sales.

That means more of your books in the hands of readers!

What Are You Reading About?

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

If you’re anything like me, you have a stack of books somewhere that keeps getting taller. It seems like every book I read is replaced by one or two more!

The fact is, writers like to read. Need to read.

I’m not just talking about pleasure reading, which is a “given”. Every writer I have ever met has told me that it was the love of reading that sparked within them the love of writing. 

No, I’m talking about reading about writing. The craft. Punctuation and grammar to be sure, but also reading about genres, point-of-view, voice, character development, plot and hundreds of more things we need to consider—need to master—in pursuit of excellence.

So, what’s next on my stack? James Scott Bell’s How to Write Dazzling Dialogue and Steven Pressfield’s Turning Pro.  But I won’t forget to pleasure-read, too.

After all, “All work, and no play, makes Jack a dull boy.”

I read that somewhere…

Writing Reviews

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

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I am part of a writing group that is currently compiling an anthology of short stories. 

Never having written one before, I thought it would be a difficult task since the word count is so low. 

How would I ever tell a complete story in such a few words?

However, it turned out to be fairly easy and this is why I believe it was the case:

I read A LOT and, as an author, I know the importance of book reviews. So, I faithfully write a one for each book I read. 

Writing book and/or product reviews can be an effective way to help authors, sellers and fellow consumers. It’s also an excellent way to hone our own writing skills.

Even though our first objective in writing reviews is to help others, I recently realized how much practice it is giving me as an author.

When there is a word limit, I must write concisely and offer examples—all within the confines of a text box.

I am challenged to use humor, creative skills, and colorful vocabulary.

Every word must have a purpose. And, collectively, they must draw interest. 

Do you write book and/or product reviews? Do you feel it has helped you sharpen your writing skills?