Book Blitz of Whiskey and Warfare Book One by E.M. Hamill (#Contest- Win an Amazon Gift Card)

 

Whiskey and Warfare
E.M. Hamill

 
(The Team Huntress Flights, #1)
Publication date: September 15th 2024
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction

Running on caffeine and spite with nothing left to prove.

Maryn Alessi retired from mercenary service after her last assignment went horribly sideways and settled down on a quiet planet with the love of her life. Unexpectedly widowed, Maryn must fulfill a promise to return her mate’s ashes to zer home planet for funeral rites, but a brutal civil war has destabilized space travel.

Former Artemis Corps sisters-in-arms and their sassy ship, the Golden Girl, are up to the task, counting on luck and their rather sketchy cargo business to get Maryn passage through the contested star lanes. But when the crew of the Girl rescues survivors of a ruthless war crime, Maryn and her ride-or-die friends must take up their old profession to save the lives of innocents from a genocidal dictator.

WHISKEY AND WARFARE is the first of The Team Huntress Flights.

Goodreads / Purchase

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EXCERPT:

“We’re in position.” Scylla’s voice came over the headset. She squinted at the display as the external floodlights played over twisted metal. The ramp began to descend, letting the void in. A cold sweat broke out over Maryn’s skin at the sight of interminable space.

I’m inside, not out there, she reminded herself. She tried to train her attention on the heads-up instead, but her eyes refused to focus. “Girl, adjust the holo projector for plus three distance and magnification.”

“Setting display for granny glasses,” the ship responded.

“What did you say?” Maryn blurted.

“That’s what I call it. Girl does too, now,” Scylla said over the comm.

Her eyes finally cooperated. The blasted hull of the ship spun beneath them and she caught sight of the cylindrical life pod, projecting part way out of the tube from which it had been launched.

“I see it. Match trajectory and rotation.” She extended her arms. The hydraulic limbs reflected her movement. “There’s a piece of debris jamming the life pod into the tube. I can only see one of the retrieval cuffs on the pod. It’s twisted the wrong direction. Bring us more to port.”

“Roger. Correcting speed and rotation.” Scylla said. The stars outside spun in a dizzy arc, drawing Maryn’s gaze to them, and she blinked sweat out of her eyes. “How’s that?”

The other cuff was in view. “Good for now.” She reached for the near cuff and clamped hydraulic fingers around the handle. The other limb extended but she met unexpected resistance before she could use the claw to grab the metal rod jamming the tube. “The right arm is stuck.”

“You have to punch a little to unstick it,” Jac told her over the headset. “It’s got shoulder issues. Girl’s getting old, like us.”

“I beg your pardon,” Girl said, offended. “I’m younger than all of you. It’s not the age. It’s the shit you’ve put me through.”

Maryn carefully retracted her arm, swiveling, and extended her fist with more momentum. The joint popped and the robotic manipulator extended the rest of the way, the metal hand slamming against the lifeboat. “I probably just scared the hell out of whoever’s in there.” She wrapped the claw around the junk pinning the capsule into the tube and pulled back. The rod moved but refused to let go. “It’s not going to budge without a little force. It might just pull the wreck with us before it releases. How big of a problem is that?”

“Big,” Scylla admitted. “A huge section of the transport is drifting toward us faster than I hoped. We won’t be able to move out of the way fast enough lugging that behind us and I don’t want the Girl smashed between ‘em.”

“If we leave the life pod here, they’re going to be smashed instead of us,” Maryn snapped. “How long do we have?”

“About two minutes until we have to disengage.”

“Just like old times,” Maryn muttered. “All right. Give me a minute. Be prepared to move away as soon as it comes loose.”

She wrapped one hydraulic claw around the tow handle, the other on the obstructing debris and pulled. Both shifted in the tube and stuck again. “Come on, you bastard,” she grunted, throwing her weight against the hydraulics. The cylinder slid out another foot, not even halfway out of the launch tube.

Her thigh muscles burned with the effort as she leaned backward in the arm controls. She staggered when the cylinder suddenly slid free, and the hydraulic claw jerked the life pod forward too quickly, banging it on the ramp of the cargo bay.

“Damn it, I’m really rattling whoever is inside. I hope they’re strapped in.”

“Make it fast, Mar,” Scylla said. “That wreck’s getting too close.”

Maryn gritted her teeth and clamped the other claw on the opposite tow handle. She carefully drew the vessel into the bay and deposited it hatch side up on the deck, not as gently as she would have liked. “Got it. Go!”

Impulse engines fired, treating her to a fresh, terrifying sight of wheeling stars and drifting wreckage as the bulk of the shattered transport plowed into the remains of the smaller ship and drove it toward the Girl’s stern. “I said go, go, go!”

Author Bio:

E.M. (Elisabeth) Hamill writes adult science fiction and fantasy somewhere in the wilds of eastern suburban Kansas. A nurse by day, wordsmith by night, she is happy to give her geeky imagination free rein and has sworn never to grow up and get boring.

Frequently under the influence of caffeinated beverages, she also writes as Elisabeth Hamill for young adult readers in fantasy with the award-winning Songmaker series.

She lives with her family, where they fend off flying monkey attacks and prep for the zombie apocalypse.

Visit her website at www.elisabethhamill.com and her blog at www.emhamill.wordpress.com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok

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Book Blitz of The Midst Of Shadows by Nicola Italia (#Contest- Win an Amazon Gift Card.)

In the Midst of Shadows
Nicola Italia

Genres: Adult, Historical, Mystery

In the Victorian era, a cheap and popular form of entertainment has entranced the population often known by the name; penny dreadful Costing a penny, readers purchased the stories and entered the fantastic world of superhuman men and damsels in distress.

The stories have been popular for over fifty years and Lavinia Howard is a young woman who dreams of being such a writer. Having recently lost her father, she turns to a family friend who puts her in touch with Jasper Courtenay, owner of Courtenay Publishing.

Writing under the pen name G. R. Howard, Lavinia creates a character who becomes a huge success as her penny dreadful stories are the most popular ever printed. Her character is brash and obnoxious and has no respect for authority as he solves London murders and the working classes adore him!

But strange things begin to happen as the stories Lavinia writes start to come true. Two very similar deaths mirror those she writes about, and Detective Chief Inspector Harrison Bryce is assigned to investigate. Inspector Bryce soon discovers that Lavinia has become so popular that she has also made enemies along with her legion of fans.

He realizes that everyone surrounding Lavinia has a motive to have committed the crimes. He must work fast to determine who wants to harm her as he suspects Lavinia may be the next target on the killer’s list.

Also on audio – The Belle of London

Goodreads / Purchase

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EXCERPT:

Casimir Kimberly strode resolutely past the throng of people gathered in the alley who were trying to catch a glimpse of the body of the woman lying at the foot of the wooden stairs. His black woolen overcoat reached to his knees and he could feel the material swirl about his legs as he walked. Casimir was not a man given to fanciful dress or cologne as some dandies and French men were known to be, but damn did he love his coat.

He made eye contact with a policeman keeping the crowd under control and the man immediately motioned for Casimir to make his way through the circle of people. Casimir glanced over his shoulder and saw that Ralphie was behind him but lagging. The man was always falling behind.

As he came closer to the body lying in an odd position from the fall, a flash of lightning dominated the sky and he looked up. It was early in the morning and most people were still in bed. The crowd that was gathered now must be the dead woman’s neighbors or local tradespeople.

He felt around in his coat pocket for his John Millar & Sons tin and took out one drop and popped it into his mouth. As the delicious flavors of black currant and licorice filled his mouth, he began to study the crowd surrounding him. He first surveyed the middle-aged men, then the women. He knew what he was searching for and his heart beat faster as the lightning flashed once more through the morning sky.

He sat back on his haunches, surveying the body before him. He had been told a portion of the woman’s story when the police had summoned him. The charwoman had lived on the second floor and the stairs leading to the flat were outside in the alleyway. Sometime in the night, the woman had fallen down the stairs and broken her neck. Some in the police said it was an accident, others were not so convinced. He had been called in to look over the scene and give his opinion. Casimir wasn’t a detective with Scotland Yard nor a private investigator who worked for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, but he was blessed—or cursed, depending on whom you asked—with an abnormal understanding of crime, its victims, and most importantly the offenders.

Casimir suddenly looked up. He sniffed the air distinctly with several sniffs to the right and then to the left and narrowed his eyes.

“Ralphie,” he growled once.

“Yes, Guvnor,” came the quick reply from the man standing nearby.

“Move that fishmonger down the lane,” Casimir said simply. “All I can smell is his two-day-old mackerel.”

“Aye, Guvnor.”

The fishmonger was moved along but Casimir’s sense of smell was compromised. He swore inwardly. He always liked to get a sense of the crime scene’s smell. The blood, the vomit, the rain, the earth. Each had its own distinct smell and each told its own story. He looked down at the body and noticed the shabbiness of her nightdress, the small feet, and the hands used to hard work. The woman was probably in her forties but her weathered face looked closer to sixty. Her forehead was deeply lined, her eyes sunken into her skeletal face.

As he took in her worn hands, he noticed something peculiar. On the ring finger of her left hand there was no ring but lighter skin where a ring had once been. He knew the woman was married.

Casimir stood up abruptly, causing the onlookers around him to gasp. He shook his head and looked about at the group. He had been so absorbed in concentrating on the woman he had forgotten about the people surrounding him in the alleyway. He looked back into the group, his eyes searching for what he had seen before to assure himself that he was correct. His eyes narrowed when he saw the exchange and then he almost grinned. This was too easy, he told himself.

He strode forward, his long legs covering vast amounts of space before he stood before a stout, well-built man in the crowd. The man had the look of a stonemason, not very tall but built like a solid bull. He eyed the man quietly, looking over his beefy chest, his bulging forearms, his black hair sprinkled with gray, and the cap he held in his hands respectfully. Casimir narrowed his eyes and watched the man glance quickly to his right and then away again.

Following his gaze, he saw what the man was looking at. A small red-haired woman with a large bosom and thick ankles. She smiled shyly back at the man before he looked away.

“He did it,” Casimir said loudly and strongly, pointing to the stonemason.

Author Bio:

Nicola is a Los Angeles native. Early in elementary school, Nicola had a great fondness for reading and began to write creatively. She graduated from university with a degree in communications and has held a variety of positions in journalism, education, government and non profit.

Nicola has traveled extensively throughout Europe, China, Central America and Egypt and loves all things historical.

She has nineteen historical romance and mystery novels on Amazon.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon

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Review of No One Will Know by Rose Carlyle. (Mystery)

I want to introduce you to Rose Carlyle. Rose is the author of No One Will Know an adult mystery novel. The novel will be released on 10/1/2024. Let me tell you about the novel and my thoughts.

About the Book:

They’re the perfect couple. They have the perfect plan. All they need is the perfect victim.

Julia and Christopher Hygate have the picture-perfect Gobs of money thanks to their lucrative shipping enterprise, an estate on a secluded island, and a baby on the way.

When they meet Eve Sylvester, they know she is the exact person they should hire to be their son’s nanny. Eve doesn’t have any living relatives, she’s lost touch with her friends, and her partner is out of the picture. Best of all, she’s also expecting a child.

Eve thinks she’s landed the best possible gig—previously desperate and penniless, now she’ll live like a queen and have a promising future for her daughter.

But the job seems too good to be true. Why would the Hygates hire Eve if she has no prior nannying experience? Why must Eve stay out of sight? And what’s with the mysterious yachts coming in and out of the Hygate’s private marina?

It's too late to ask questions, though, Eve is already in far too deep to turn back.

Set against the backdrop of a remote island, an endless stream of secrets, and unbelievable wealth, No One Will Know is a propulsive, seductive novel of suspense that shows the terrible consequences of shocking greed, staggering lies, and fatal mistakes.

My Thoughts:

The novel started off slowly and was hard to follow at times. What seemed like a simple love story between the main characters, Eve and Xander, turned into a mystery involving multiple characters. I was often puzzled by Eve's naive and frustrating choices in different situations. However, as I kept reading, the author delved into the characters' backgrounds and their connections to the story. The themes of greed and deception were prevalent throughout the book. The story picked up pace halfway through with unexpected twists and turns that kept me guessing. There were subtle clues throughout the book that helped me understand the plot, and the epilogue neatly tied it all together for me.

 

Thanks for Stopping By:

 

Disclaimer: The publisher has given me a free copy of the book for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.

Book Blitz of The Friend Face Off by Grace Worthington (#Contest- Win a $20 Amazon Gift card and a Copy of the Book).

 

The Friend Face Off
Grace Worthington
(Love on Thin Ice, #3)
Publication date: September 12th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

Getting involved with your brother’s best friend is risky enough. But when he’s a hockey player? It’s a whole new level of bad idea.

As a ravenous reader, I’ve got a secret: I’m obsessed with hockey romances.

But let me tell you, real life hockey players are nothing like my book boyfriends.

So I threw down the gauntlet on BookTok. I challenged any single guy out there to prove me wrong. Can a real hockey player be as romantic as the ones in my favorite stories?

Enter Dawson Hayes, a goalie with a point to prove and my brother’s best friend. He’s confident he can win me over and take me on the most romantic date of my life.

But there’s a catch: for me to accept, I have to pretend that he’s my fake boyfriend. Now everyone in my small town thinks that Dawson and I are having a fall fling. Even if it’s a fling that can’t last.

Worst of all, I’m starting to believe this fling is real. I’m falling for my brother’s best friend.

DAWSON

The first time I met Emmy, her brother warned me to stay away. As hockey teammates, that made her totally off-limits.

But now I’m back in Emmy’s small town to play in a charity hockey match, and I can’t resist her dating challenge: to find out if any man can be more romantic than the book boyfriends she adores.

Emmy and I are both fiercely competitive, and I’m determined to win her over.

When the moment of truth comes, the chemistry between us turns into something neither of us expected:
A romantic face-off between friends who are insanely attracted to each other.

Now, I’m out to prove to her that you should never judge a book by its cover—or a hockey player when it comes to love.

The Friend Face Off is part of the Love on Thin Ice sweet small town hockey romcom series. It’s a brother’s best friend, closed door hockey romcom with fake dating, friends to lovers and You’ve Got Mail vibes. It’s a small town romance with all the sizzle and chemistry, but none of the spice.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“She can’t go with you,” a voice growls behind me. I spin around to see the hockey player’s steel gaze locked on the jerk who’s asking me out.
“Why not?”
“Because she’s going to the party with me,” Dawson replies without looking at me.
My breath catches. I’m caught between a guy who makes angry hives break out on my body, and one who makes my heart feel things I shouldn’t.
“Is this true?” Stewart asks me directly.
I pause, then look at Dawson. “Yes, he’s my date,” I say, even though I know this is a bad idea. Because once it’s out there, I’m committed. I’ll have to date my brother’s best friend.
I make myself move closer to Dawson and give his arm a pat, only to realize I’m touching what feels like a boulder. Seriously, no man should be walking around with biceps that huge, even if he is holding a coffee carrier with four cups. Either the man is working for a food delivery service in his spare time or consumes coffee at an alarming rate.
Dawson’s eyes trace over my workout wear. His mouth quirks at the corner. “Good run?”
I nod and thread my fingers through my knotted ponytail.
“You were always so fast,” he says.
How does he know this?
“Oh, right,” I laugh. “The night I tried to leave you behind at the party.”
I glance up at him and I’m immediately mesmerized by his eyes. He’s not my usual type—his hands are calloused from hockey. He’s rough and mysterious and his hair looks amazing without any effort. Plus, he’s always ready with a hockey pickup line that’s so cheesy it actually circles back to charming.
I need an emotionally sensitive man who reads books and quotes my favorite parts. Not someone who punches people in the face for a living. Of course, there was that one time he quoted Jane Austen. And he did buy my favorite romance book at the store. What kind of man does that?
My eyes trace over his frame. Dawson’s got that tall, dark, and muscular look. Put him in flannel and he’d be a sexy lumberjack. The image of Dawson in flannel with an axe stirs a funny feeling in my chest.
I can’t date a hockey player. He’s my brother’s best friend. That’s double the trouble.
And I just agreed to a fake date with him.

The Friend Face Off is a
brother’s best friend
closed door hockey
fake dating
friends to lovers
You’ve Got Mail vibes.

Author Bio:

Grace Worthington eats, breathes, and geeks out over sweet romcoms. So it’s no surprise that she believes that laughter and love are a cure-all for pretty much everything in life. After a short stint working in musical theatre (where she was often cast in comedic roles), she instills her books with witty banter, lovable characters, and a story that moves your heart and soul. Her inspiration includes quaint towns by the beach, romantic comedy movies from the '80s & '90s, and the crazy shenanigans of her family. Snag a free sweet romcom at graceworthington.com

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Book Blitz- Dangerous Allure by S. Fields, D. Rene, C. Denton and E. Bradley (#Contest, Win a copy of the book)

 

 

Dangerous Allure: A Dark Romance Anthology
Cole Denton, Dani René, Eden Bradley, Sara Fields
Published by: GTB Publishing LLC
Publication date: September 10th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

 

 

 

Two’s company. Three’s a dangerously good time.

This deliciously dark collection of stories is flying all the red flags – these men will hunt, stalk, and conquer their prey

And leave them begging for more.

Whether working together to claim their prize, or fighting to be the last man standing, it’s only when you find yourself trapped between them that you realize: there’s no way out.

And maybe…that’s exactly the way you like it.

  Purchase the Book

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WIN A PAPERBACK COPY OF THE BOOK-CLICK HERE

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Book Blitz- State of Union by Paula Dombrowiak (#contest- enter to win a gift card)

 

State of Union
Paula Dombrowiak
(Kingmaker, #3)
Publication date: September 10th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Our marriage could make or break us…

Letting go of billionaire playboy Darren Walker was the right thing to do.

My life as a former escort will only damage his campaign for congress, and I’m too scared to admit I’ve fallen in love with my fake husband.

Except when Darren finds me and refuses to let me go, I can’t run from my feelings any longer. It’s time I have the courage to confess that he isn’t my husband in name only. He’s my everything.

All Darren wants is to carve out a future for himself while honoring his father’s legacy. But can I truly be the politician’s wife my husband needs when there are those who will use me to derail his campaign?

It doesn’t matter how much we love each other, I can’t change my past.

But we have no way of knowing that he has shocking family secrets that are yet to be revealed. Secrets bigger than me and powerful enough to destroy him.

And his enemies won’t stop until they’ve left him—and our marriage—in ruins…

The Kingmaker trilogy is a steamy, marriage of convenience, romance, in a political setting. State of Union is the final book in the trilogy with a guaranteed HEA. The books must be read in order, for the best reader experience.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

The small bell at the top of the door jingles, a leftover from the hardware store that used to occupy this space. In walks Ethel Jackson, her crocheted handbag tucked under her arm. She looks around the space approvingly, her eyes finally meeting mine.

“Looks like a bunch of pomp and circumstance to me,” she says looking at me skeptically.

“Are you looking to volunteer?” I raise a challenging eyebrow.

“I thought you could use my sunny disposition.”

I can’t help but smile. “Well then, I have a spot for you right over here.” I lead the way to an empty desk near the windows where she sets down her crochet bag, a piece of yarn making its way out of the top like it has a mind of its own.

“Is this the famous Ethel?” Rausch asks.

Ethel places a hand on her hip and looks up at him as he towers over her short, round frame. If I was a betting man, my money would be on Ethel if these two were pitted against each other. “I don’t know about famous, but whatever you’ve heard,”—she pauses and gives him a naughty smile—“it’s probably true.”

Rausch laughs. Apparently, Ethel can win over anyone.

“Where’s that pretty wife of yours?” she asks.

The mention of Evangeline pulls at the edges of my wound, pain ripping through me like a lightning bolt.

Before I can make an excuse, Rausch bellows over the noise. “Angie!” She makes her way over. “This is Ethel, and she would like to volunteer.”

“People say I got a voice like honey, so if you want to put me on the phones, that’s fine by me,” Ethel proposes.

I give Rausch a thankful nod and retreat to my office. The desk is a secondhand one from the nearby school. There are strict rules on how campaign donations can be used. Right now, funds are limited as we start ramping up requests that can sometimes feel like begging. My last name can only carry me so far, and my reputation proceeds me.

“Excuse me, are you Darren Walker?” A young man inquires from the doorway.

I nod and he drops an envelope on my desk. “You’ve been served,” he says and leaves just as quickly as he arrived.

An envelope from a law office in Arizona.

I know exactly what it is. Like a Band-Aid, I rip the envelope open to expose the wound.

Divorce papers.

Pulling off my tie, I throw it across the room. It flutters through the stagnant air and lands silently on the dirty linoleum floor.

“Don’t forget about the fundraising event this weekend,” Rausch says as he enters my office. He sees my tie on the ground and picks it up. When he places it on the desk he notices the papers.

“You can gloat if you want to,” I tell him angrily, using him as a punching bag. “You got what you wanted, right?” I look up at him, the sting of getting the papers still fresh.

“If you want me to say that Evangeline leaving was the best thing for your campaign, then fine, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about seeing you in turmoil.”

I scoff. “In turmoil? Is that what you think this is?”

“No.” A look of understanding crosses his face like a shadow. “I understand your heartbreak.”

I never thought of Rausch as a person, just a thorn in my side, giving me disapproving looks and lectures about getting my life together. Of course he knows what heartbreak is. No human gets a pass on that in their lifetime, not even someone as impenetrable as Rausch.

“You can think what you want, Darren, but what I said to you before was the truth. I would have done everything within my power to protect her.”

I lift my eyes from the papers. “Well, it seems she didn’t want to be a part of this life after all.” I can’t seem to keep the disappointment out of my voice.

Rausch lets out a breath. “You can sit here and stare at those papers, or you can pull yourself together and win this election.”

Author Bio:

Paula Dombrowiak grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois but currently lives in Arizona. She is the author of Blood and Bone, her first adult romance novel which combines her love of music and imperfect relationships. Paula is a lifelong music junkie, whose wardrobe consists of band T-shirts and leggings which are perpetually covered in pet hair. She is a sucker for a redeemable villain, bad boys, and the tragically flawed. Music inspires her storytelling.

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Guest Post by Randy C Dockens Author of Stele Prophecy Pentalogy (Christian Fiction)

I want to welcome Randy C Dockens to Books R Us. Randy is the author of a collection of five books in a biblical end times prophecy series called Stele Prophecy Pentalogy. Thanks to the author for providing a guest post for my readers.

 

Take Advice from Others with a Grain of Salt

When I first started out on my writing journey, I knew I did not know a lot about how to be an author. Therefore, I took everything I read as gospel and tried to follow what I read to the letter. I began to discover many “professional” writers, editors, agents, and publishers have a lot of pet peeves about writing requirements and I told myself I was not going to offend any of them. I tried my best to ensure my writing met all their requirements so when they received my manuscript it would not end up in their waste paper pile. Yet, when I attempted to comply, I found my writing became worse and not better. This is why my novel Mercy of the Iron Scepter went through so many revisions before it was ever published. I was constantly changing how I wrote due to the next pet peeve I read about. I then began to see that some of these “experts” contradicted other “experts.” I was then in a quandary until I began to look deeper. Let me give you some examples and I think you can better understand why I gave this piece the title I did and the reason for why I ended up in my quandary.

Here are some of the things I read, took to heart, and tried to comply completely: (1) the word that should never be used because it is superfluous, (2) the word was should be avoided because it is too vague and imparts passivity to the text, (3) exclamation marks should never be used because good writers can write in a way that will indicate the emotion rather than having to show it with an exclamation point, and (3) dialogue tags should not be used because they can be distracting and are a sign a writer has weak technical talent.

What I came to realize was that these were just pet peeves of certain writers, agents, editors, and publishers. They are not absolute requirements. Granted, each of these points are useful and can be taken to heart, but they are not gospel. These individuals should have clarified that one should be aware of these pitfalls and not overuse these writing elements. It is the overuse that is the faux pax and not their use itself. Actually, it is impossible to avoid each of these altogether. Well, I shouldn’t say it is impossible, but definitely there is no need for one to avoid them all together.

Let’s look at these pet peeves just mentioned. It is true that many times the word that can be omitted because it is superfluous. Yet, that is not always the case. It is true that was can often be passive and a better expressive word can be substituted, but not in every case. Regarding exclamation points, yes, one should write a sentence that a reader can tell is an exclamatory sentence. Yet shouldn’t one use an exclamation point if the sentence is an exclamation? I think the point is that an exclamation mark does not make a sentence an exclamation if the tone of the sentence is not written that way. And, finally, yes sometimes dialogue cues are not needed, and dialogue can be written without them. Yet, if there is any chance of a reader getting confused as to who is talking, then a dialogue tag is needed.

My conclusion from my initial struggle in this area is that one should take to heart what others say about writing tips and tricks, but realize they are just that: tips and tricks. You need to be sure your writing style and emotional content comes through loud and clear but in a way that uses good sentence structure, correct spelling, and proper grammar. But, if an element or emotion is needed that dictates not to use spelling, grammar, or sentence structure in their traditionally accepted way, then that is okay if what you write and the way you write it is intentional. Your reader will be able to tell if what you did was purposeful or not. So, you can do anything, just know you did it and that it was a purposeful change to accomplish something special for your reader.

So, yes, study all the proper ways of writing and proper writing techniques. Yes, try to avoid all the pitfalls writing experts warn you about. Yet, remember that the most important thing about your writing is you. If you get lost in your own writing, then your writing is lost. Your writing will be different from that of anyone else, and it should be different—unique to you. It should also be as good technically as you can make it and not lose the essence of you in the process. Even more importantly, you need to be purposeful. Your writing is to engage your reader, so be purposeful in your writing. Ask yourself questions about your writing. Why did I use that word? Why did I use that punctuation at that spot in the sentence? You don’t have to follow traditional methodology, but there is a caveat to that statement. You need to know that you did not follow traditional methodology and that you purposefully chose not to follow traditional writing techniques. Every sentence, every word, every punctuation should be purposeful—chosen by you as the author for a specific purpose, to elicit a specific emotion, feeling, or ambience.

If you would like to have a text to get you started in this regard, here are two that I think you can benefit from: Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Writing: Creating Vivid and Colorful Stories that Readers Want to Read and Mastering the ABCs of Excellent Self-Editing: Framing Your Colorful Masterpiece to Keep Readers Engaged in Your Story. These two books were recently published by myself and my editor. I wanted to pay it forward, so to speak, so others did not have to go through the same hardship that I did when I first started writing. My editor and I put these materials into a unique and fun format that I think many will appreciate. These two books are not the end-all for what to know about writing but will provide anyone with a good head start on their writing journey or even remind more seasoned writers of the fundamentals that we should never lose sight of. Also included are other references that writers will benefit from by having such tools in their writing arsenal.

The most important three elements are the following. Study. Learn. Write. Enjoy the process. But most of all, be purposeful. Your readers will thank you for it.


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