Guest Post By Angela Shelton Author of Tilda Pinkerton's Magical Hats

Be Inspired to Write Your Book!

We all have a book in us and some of us have a series!

The question is if you answer that inner call from the writer in you – or not.

I’ve heard from so many who say they want to write and have so many ideas but their list of fears and/or excuses outweigh their list of story ideas.

Well, I have a few suggestions.

First let me share that I too had a book knocking at my brain, or on my hat actually. It was one of Tilda Pinkerton’s Magical Hats that was poking me, teasing me, and constantly reminding me that hello – there are a whole series of stories in here – get to your laptop, take up your pen!

I paused in beginning to write the Tilda books because they were TOTALLY outside of my genre.

I write Southern stories like Tumbleweeds and the soon to be revealed Chocolate Gravy. I also write self-help books for survivors of trauma.

But a fantasy series about an amazing woman who makes magical hats?

Ah… who in my audience will understand that and BUY a copy?

Hmm….

Despite the constant hounding of the stories in me, telling me to write them down already – I had to have some real long discussions with myself.

Those discussions apply to you and your inner writer too!

Every time you have a voice pop into your head with whatever fear, excuse, or delay in your creativity, here is what to do:

Switch It and Write.

I don’t have time to write.   SWITCH - I make time to write.

Who will read this book?  SWITCH – The stories want to be released, they will find an audience, and otherwise they would not be pestering me like this!

You don’t make money on a book unless it’s erotica or about vampires.  SWITCH – These stories don’t care about money, it’s my duty to let them live free, on the page. I don’t let money stop my creativity.

I don’t know where to start.  SWITCH – My characters tell me where to start, stop and continue.

This book is unlike anything I’ve ever done.  SWITCH – I’m so grateful these stories chose me to come through. They are a blessing.

I’m not a writer.  SWITCH – We are all writers and we all have a story. I’m grateful for mine.

You get the idea.

The point is to write.

When you do, little miracles show up you were not expecting.

Had I not listened to the Tilda stories and guided them to the page, I would not have seen the beaming faces of the young kids who love her, telling me how they are making their own hats now.

I would not have heard from the elderly woman who read them and loved them so much she is leaving me her entire hat collection – and what a collection she has!

You never know who will show up as readers, so just write.

About Angela Shelton:

Angela Shelton is an author, actor, blogger and public speaker. She has been writing since she was eight years old. Her first novel was adapted into the movie Tumbleweeds. Angela won a regional Emmy award for her portrayal of Safe Side Superchick in The Safe Side video series created by Baby Einstein’s Julie Clark and America’s Most Wanted’s John Walsh. After living in Los Angeles for over a decade, Angela left the big city for a one-light country town to marry her first love and fulfill her dream of writing books in a barn house.

Find out how Angela has incorporated the character of Tilda Pinkerton into an entire line of book projects, each geared towards a different age group at  www.MagicHatShop.com

Angela Shelton’s Website: http://angelashelton.com/

Angela Shelton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelashelton
Angela Shelton on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AngelaSheltonFanPage
Tilda Pinkerton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tildapinkerton

Buy Tilda Pinkerton’s Magical Hats at:

Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble

Follow the Tour:

So Many Precious Book July 2 Review & Giveaway
Books, Books & More Books  July 3 Review
Books, Books & More Books  July 5 Guest Post
Haunting of Orchid Forsythia July 8 Review
Sweeps4Bloggers July 9 Review & Giveaway
Sincerely Stacie July 10 Review
Library of Clean Reads July 11 Review
Cozy Little Book Journal & The Bookish Elf July 15 Review
Cozy Little Book Journal & The Bookish Elf July 16 G & Guest Post
Carole Rae’s Ramblings July 17 Review
Reading Novels Online  July 18 Review
Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell July 19 Review
Sisterhood of the Sensible Moms July 19 Review
Saving for 6 July 22 Review
Saving for 6 July 23 Guest Post
Thoughts in Progress July 23 Review & Giveaway
Joy Story July 25 Review
Haunting of Orchid Forsythia July 26 Interview
From L.A. to LA July 29 Review
Heck of a Bunch July 30 Review & Giveaway
Second Bookshelf July 31 Interview
Pragmatic Mom Aug 5 Review
Sweet Southern Home Aug 6 Review
VW Stitcher Aug 7 Review
Musing with Crayolakym Aug 8 Review    
DWED Blog Aug 9 Review
DWED Blog Aug 9 Interview
City Book Review Aug 12 Review
Giveaways & Glitter Aug 13 Review         

Guest Post From a Dead Sleep Book By John A.Daly

What Makes a Good Suspense Story

For a good suspense story to work, it needs to not only intrigue the reader from the opening pages, but also shock them. If the story starts off with a figurative (or even a literal) bang, there is a swift, emotional connection established with the reader. They become engaged, and that’s important because what happens very early in the story sets not just the stage, but also the tone for everything else that is to come.

Other genres can afford the author a slow tease and a drawn-out development of key characters until a pivotal moment in the story is reached. Suspense stories are different.

If the reader isn’t wide-eyed and immersed in a suspense story by the end of the first chapter, it’s going to be tough to capture and hold their interest throughout the book.

Almost as important as making a strong first impression is the necessity of a strong but complicated protagonist.

Every story needs a distinguished leading character, but a suspense story works best when the hero is already dealing with challenges in their life prior to being drawn into the crux of the plot. This baggage adds a layer of complexity to the story, and it helps develop a unique perspective that the character might have in dealing with adverse situations. For example: Someone who leads a relatively carefree life is likely going to react to circumstances differently than someone who has suffered a deep loss, is stuck in a trying environment, or leads a highly stressful lifestyle.

With a well-established protagonist comes the significance of overwhelming him or her with obstacles – seemingly more or greater obstacles than they can possibly handle. If the reader is convinced that the protagonist is capable of dealing with whatever challenge arises, the story becomes less interesting.

Readers needs to be continually asking themselves how the leading character can possibly overcome the weight of the situations they’re in. If they’re not asking those questions, the author has failed to capture a key element of the suspense genre.

While the plight of the protagonist offers the story’s most vital perspective, additional perspectives can dramatically improve the way in which the story is told.

Some of the best suspense stories take a multiple-perspective approach, in which the hearts and minds of multiple characters – even the antagonist – are followed. Different people approach the same events or circumstances in distinct ways, and telling a story in that fashion adds its own element of suspense. Even going as far as changing narrative modes between characters is an alluring method of keeping things interesting.

Lastly, every good suspense story needs a good villain.

The importance of a strong antagonist was once described brilliantly by a non-literary, unlikely source: Professional wrestling icon, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.

Many of us who grew up in the 1980s probably remember Piper’s name, even if we weren’t wrestling fans. He was the sharp-tongued foil of the industry’s flagship hero, Hulk Hogan, during wrestling’s boom era.

Years after he retired, Piper explained how wrestling was mainstreamed into American pop-culture in the mid 80s, and why Hogan became a household name.

He claimed that the reason fans went so bananas over Hogan, was because of how much they hated Piper’s character.

Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert remarked on a similar observation years ago, stating, “Each film is only as good as its villain. Since the heroes and the gimmicks tend to repeat from film to film, only a great villain can transform a good try into a triumph.”

The same logic applies to literary storytelling, especially in the suspense genre.  The reader must find the story’s villain to be a formidable, perhaps superior foe. The villain needs to not only be capable of doing very bad things, but actually does them.

The best antagonists aren’t caricatures like classic cartoon villains… You know, the ones with grand goals of taking over the world, or who perform dastardly acts for no other reason than to be dastardly people.

No, a good suspense villain is one who is smart, calculating, and motivated by a specific need or desire. That need or desire can be driven by greed, jealousy, desperation, lust, or any of a number of catalysts. The antagonist doesn’t have to be inherently evil. He or she just needs to be determined enough in their actions to not let anything stand in their way.

Writing a good suspense story is all about creating a pressure-filled scenario in which more and more weight is added to the shoulders of the hero, and by extension to the reader. If done right, that weight will pin down the reader until the last page of the story.