Is It Possible to Have a Real Friend on Social Media?

I've seen a few comments lately about whether the friends you make on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter are really friends. They question whether you can have a meaningful relationship with someone you've never met, and are likely never to meet. Some say yes, others say no. I'd say the people you meet through social media are pretty much like the people you meet in 'real life': a collection of folks who stay with you through thick and thin, those whose company you enjoy on an occasional basis, those who run at the first sign of trouble, and those who simply are trouble.


Although I've lived in big cities and traveled pretty widely, I'm somewhat naive when it comes to meeting people and making friends. (If you were traveling on the London Underground between 1999 and 2007, I was the gal who made eye contact and smiled. You might've wanted to have me arrested for aberrant behavior, but I couldn't help it. Still can't.)

Maybe naive is the wrong word. I have few reservations when it comes to meeting new people and making friends, and I rely on my gut to determine whether you're someone I want to know better.

Is it easier to make that gut level determination in person? Possibly. I watch your body language, hear the tone of your voice. I feel the strength of your handshake, observe how you interact with those you might consider less than yourself, like wait staff or receptionists. On social media I rely on your written interactions with me and with other people. Some folks I've met through social media make me uneasy due to their language, the nature of their comments, or the inconsistency of their behavior. We can all be who we want to be online, but it's hard to be someone else full-time.

There aren't many people who make me uncomfortable. On the contrary, I've met some wonderful people who provide great support or comfort, and who make me laugh. People who are genuinely happy when I achieve something big or small, and share my frustration when things don't work out as I'd hoped. People who trust me with what's going on in their lives, and want to know what I think and feel about what's happening to them. People who help me when I need it, and will ask for help when they need it. Aren't these the kinds of things friendship is about?

Maybe I'm being naive again. It's quite possible. But I've had the pleasure of meeting a few of these cyber-friends in 'real life', and have found everyone I've met so far to be just who they presented themselves to be online - a real friend. Will every encounter turn out that way? Probably not, but I'm grateful for those that have.

What about you? Do you think it's possible to make real friends through social media?

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Does Size Matter? (Sorry All You Sex Fiends-We're Talking #Books)

Size is a factor in my life at the moment. I'm working on book three in the Cass Elliot crime series and while not tapping at the keyboard, am stumbling upon opinions about book length.

The general consensus I've heard through authors on Twitter is that shorter is better, regardless of genre. That attention spans are shrinking and readers want shorter books. That you can churn out more books if you use fewer words and thus hit the bestseller lists faster.

I've watched these conversations with morbid fascination, but I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid.

Let's start with the premise that everyone (readers and writers) wants a well-written book. Beyond that, I think writers are looking for an absolute that doesn't exist. I also think we're asking the wrong question. Instead, I'd like to know:


 
Does one size fit all?

 



From a reader's perspective, the answer has to be "no". Otherwise, either James Patterson or Stephen King would be out of a job. Based on bookstore shelf space and bestseller lists, both authors, who write books of very different lengths and complexity, are doing a booming business. And if you think King gets away with writing huge tomes due only to his superstar status, check out bestsellers The Passage and The Twelve by Justin Cronin. They weigh in at 900 and 600 pages, respectively.

The answer also has to be "no" from an author's perspective, or the bestseller lists would be loaded with books of roughly the same length.


My two cents? I think each author has a sweet spot that works for them. I also think that sweet spot might change as the author changes genre, moves between the series they write, or as their writing matures. Readers might also have a sweet spot, or expectations, particularly as they get to know an author.

As a reader, I gravitate toward books in a series. And I'm a little Pavlovian about those books. When I open a Charlie Parker novel by John Connolly, I expect a read that's at least 450-500 pages. His plots are complex and some story lines weave through several books. I love that sense of anticipation between books, wondering if Parker will finally deal with the Travelling Man, or if the Collector will show up in the next novel.

When I read an Artemis Fowl novel by Eoin Colfer? I'm expecting 350-400 pages. These books are a lighter read, aimed for a teen or young adult audience. They're well-written, make me laugh, and I can't wait to open the next book in the series.

Regardless of book length, isn't achieving that level of engagement with our readers the reason we write?

But I'm just one voice. Reader, writer, or both: Do all the readers in your life demand books of a certain length? Do you judge a book by its heft? Do you feel cheated if you spend $20 to $30 for an anorexic hardback, or victorious if you pick up a doorstop for under a fiver?

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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop: AVENGERS OF BLOOD

Charles Dougherty

Last week, fellow writer Charles Dougherty (@clrdougherty on Twitter) invited me to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. 

If you haven't met Charles, stop by his blog. And if you haven't read his books, give them a try. I've read DECEPTION IN SAVANNAH and enjoyed it - it's a great mystery with quirky characters (even a raccoon with a personality) and it'll have you laughing out loud!

You'll find links to six other fabulous authors at the bottom of this post. Follow the links on February 7, 2013 to learn more about their works.


 

1) What is the working title of your book?

AVENGERS OF BLOOD. It's the second book in the Cass Elliot crime series.


(AVENGERS OF BLOOD is now live on Amazon! Get it here.)

 
2) Where did the idea for the book come from?

The idea for AVENGERS OF BLOOD came to me after I read about James Byrd Jr.'s murder in Jasper, Texas back in 1998. His death was atrocious, but even more than his killing, it was his family's reaction that caught my attention. They chose to forgive his killers, even asking that the two who received the death penalty have their sentences changed to life without parole.

AVENGERS OF BLOOD isn't a book about James Byrd Jr. or his family. Instead, it asks what would happen if someone chose vengeance instead of forgiveness. If you want to read more about how the novel came to be, read this post.


3) What genre is your book?

It's a crime thriller.


4) What actors would you choose to play the characters in a movie rendition?

Oooh, this is a hard one. Each of my characters is fully formed in my head, but finding the right person to fit that image is tough! I picture Cass Elliot as a Kate Mara or Jennifer Lawrence kind of gal. 

Kate Mara

I can see Matthew McConaughey as Mitch Stone, although he might have to put on a little weight. Just a smidge. He's an East Texas boy, so he's got the accent down and he could probably pull together Mitch's swagger and vulnerability. 

My editor recommended Harrison Ford for Sheriff Bill Hoffner - yup, that would definitely work. 

Harrison Ford

5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

A horrific triple murder, a crime without punishment, and memories that will not be silenced.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published.


7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

About 90 days for the first draft and another 45 for editing.


8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Probably Karin Slaughter's Grant County series. They're gritty crime thrillers with a strong, flawed female lead.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

This story has been nagging at me for years, but the plot is a bit complicated and I wasn't sure I could pull it off. It involves two sets of individuals who are seeking vengeance from the same people, but for different reasons. Things get nasty when their paths cross. When I finished THE DEVIL OF LIGHT, I talked the plot for AVENGERS OF BLOOD over with my husband, and he encouraged me to try writing it.


10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

If you've read THE DEVIL OF LIGHT, you know that the book ends without full resolution: some of the bad guys get away, a character's life hangs in the balance, and Cass Elliot's future as a Forney County Detective is uncertain. Some of those loose ends are tied up in AVENGERS OF BLOOD, and others continue to weave through the series storyline (yup, Hitch and the old man still linger...).

__________________________________________________

And now to introduce six great authors - in no particular order. Remember to check out their Next Big Thing posts on February 7, 2013:

Wendy Potocki (@WPotocki) - horror author, her most recent is the second book in the Adduné series - The House of Cards

Douglas Wickard (@DouglasWickard) - author of the Sami Saxton thriller series 

Joseph Souza (@josephsouza3) - author of The Living Dead Trilogy 

Teri Heyer (@TeriHeyer) - poet and author of contemporary and paranormal romance, her most recent is Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows

Ron Dahle (@chrningcauldron) - author of The Churning Cauldron paramilitary novels

David Perlmutter (@davepperlmutter) - author of true story Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Triple 7 Challenge

I was recently nominated to take up the 777 Challenge by my good Twitter friend Alan McDermott (find him at @jambalian on Twitter). Alan is the author of the GRAY JUSTICE and GRAY RESURRECTION thrillers - both available on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. You can find the seven line excerpt from his upcoming novel GRAY REDEMPTION on his blog, here.

 

The rules are simple - share seven lines from page seven or 77 from my current work in progress and then pass the Challenge along to seven lucky authors!

This excerpt is from page seven of book two in the Forney County series, tentatively titled AVENGERS OF BLOOD.  If you've read book one, THE DEVIL OF LIGHT, you've met Goober, a gentle resident of Forney County whose transportation is a blade-less riding lawn mower - because that's all the power he can handle. On page seven of AVENGERS OF BLOOD, Goober is on a desperate mission to get to The Whitehead Store before closing time to pick up potato chips. But instead of a simple rack of snack food, Goober finds a crime scene with the victim hung and burning.

For the record, I don't write about zombies, werewolves, or vampires, so it's Goober's overactive imagination that turns the victim into a zombie:

Reaching a hand out, he felt for the spigot on the wall, never taking his eyes from the zombie as it swayed ever so slightly in the gentle breeze. Goober yanked the hose from its reel and flinched away from the sizzling that sounded when the sputtering stream hit the burning figure. With a rip of protest, the frayed rope around its neck broke and the zombie dropped to the ground with a thud. Water flew and bits of charred cloth and skin ripped away from the smoking body. It lay motionless for a moment, then stirred.

Goober’s heart lunged to his throat and he jumped straight up into the air, releasing a blood-curdling shriek. He charged back through the stockroom door, slammed it shut and stood trembling, listening as the zombie staggered to its feet. Goober took a running leap over the gooey mess on the floor and sprinted into the store, where he dove behind the counter and reached for the phone.

With shaking fingers, he pecked out 9-1-1. “Police? This is Goober. We got a burnin’ zombie on the loose in The Whitehead Store. Bring the machetes. We gotta cut his head off.”

Now for the hard part! Here are seven authors I admire to take up the Triple 7 Challenge, in no particular order:

Ashley Barron

Caleb Pirtle

Toby W. Neal

Frederick Lee Brooke

Stephen Woodfin

Jo VonBargen

Ken Hoss

The Author Roundtable at Jason Bourne's Blog!

Jason Bourne

I've recently had the pleasure of chatting about writing with blogger Jason Bourne!

Grab a cup of coffee or tea (or heck, it's July - maybe something fruity with an umbrella in it) and stop by the Author Roundtable for a quick read of the interview - and to meet Jason. He's an amazing friend and tweep - you can follow him on Twitter at @Jason_Bournesm.

Jason and Friends

Thanks for stopping by - I hope you enjoy the interview!

Lucky Number Seven...

I was tagged by the lovely Rebecca Scarberry on her blog, scarberryfieldsForever, to play a Twitter game called “Lucky Number Seven.”

by n3lson

The rules are simple: go to page seventy-seven of your latest work, published or in progress, count down seven lines, then copy the following seven lines to your blog. The next step in the game *evil grin* is to tag new victims authors.


This sample is from my WIP, tentatively titled AVENGERS OF BLOOD, book two in the Forney County series. The scene takes place at the county medical examiner's office. Detective Cass Elliot, English forensic anthropologist Bernie Winterbottom, and Forney County's ME, John Grey, are examining a murder victim. Bernie has just asked Cass what she notices about the body:

Cass leaned closer. “The area around the mouth is significantly more burned than the rest of the face. Goober said the zombie’s mouth was on fire when he found the body.”

“Very good," Bernie said. "Grey’s autopsy identified charring in the esophagus and lungs.”

“What does that mean?”

“He drank an accelerant, probably gasoline, or had it forced down his throat,” Grey answered quietly. He joined them and studied the man’s torso. “It wasn’t much, perhaps a few ounces. The damage to his throat and lungs means that he was alive when he was set alight.”

And now for those Lucky authors who get to carry on the Number Seven Game, four friends from across the pond *drum roll*:

Stuart Haddon, author of thriller THE BUTTERFLY AND THE BULL


Clive S. Johnson, author of mysteries LEIYATEL'S EMBRACE and the newly released OF WEFT AND WEAVE (April 2012)


Sinclair Macleod, author of The Reluctant Detective Series, including THE RELUCTANT DETECTIVE, THE GOOD GIRL, and newly released THE KILLER PERFORMER (March 2012)


D.G. Torrens, author of memoir AMELIA'S STORY


(Book links are to Amazon.com, but all books are also available on Amazon.co.uk)