Nostalgic Moment:Suite T - Mary Ellis on Time Management for Authors

 

NOSTALGIC MOMENT

Friday, November 15, 2013   


Time Management for Authors

By Mary Ellis

In my blissful, pre-published days, I erroneously believed that once an author received the coveted “call” and turned in a complete manuscript, she could relax and put her feet up. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being published means honoring contracts in a timely fashion, along with a multitude of details. No longer was I squeezing time to “write a book” into my daily routine of tending home, family and day job. With each new release, the juggling act increases from three balls in the air, to four, five or even six. Let’s take a look at how five projects could potentially demand your attention simultaneously:


First, there’s the book you’re currently writing and editing, according to your publisher’s expectations for word count, sensual level, etc.


Secondly, the book you recently submitted is by no means done. A plethora of add-ons must be finished before the book heads to the printer, such as developmental edits, line edits, back cover copy, book cover and trailer suggestions, and blurbs or excerpts for catalogs and sales brochures.


Thirdly, if this was a series, chances are a book was recently released and requires promotion. Your title will either sink or swim during the first several, crucial months. An author must get the word out to readers through blog or radio interviews, website and newsletter giveaways, and book signings, along with social media. Otherwise, with so many fine books releasing each year, how will potential readers find yours?


Fourthly, an author needs to research the next book she intends to write, and that often involves travel or at least long hours spent in the library. Not everything on the internet can be trusted for accuracy, especially with historical fiction.



And finally, what happens when your current beloved series draws to a close? If you don’t wish to be out of a job, you must devise an irresistible proposal that your publisher simply cannot turn down. Publishing houses consider projects well in advance, so authors need to think far down the line too. Considering all this stress, hard work and long hours, you might conclude that I’m complaining. Nothing would be farther from the truth. I love being an author, and pray each night for God to make me a better juggler. Happy writing!

Mary Ellis is a former schoolteacher turned USA Today bestselling author who’s written twenty-six novels including Amish fiction, historical romance, and suspense. Her first mystery, Midnight on the Mississippi, was a finalist for the RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Award and a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award. Her latest series is the Bourbon Tour Mysteries from Severn House. Book two, One Hundred Proof Murder released August 3, 2021. Her latest Amish novella is Missing available on Amazon Kindle. She enjoys gardening and bicycling and lives in Ohio with her husband and dog. www.maryellis.net or www.facebook.com/Mary.Ellis.Author

HOW TO START A NEW SERIES WITH OLD CHARACTERS

By Mary Ellis

Since my new publisher, Severn House, wanted this book to pick up where my last series (Secrets of the South) left off, I first hit the road in search of the perfect location. For my PI on the run from a violent past, I selected the coastal city of Charleston with its cobblestone streets, trees shrouded in Spanish moss, and hordes of tourists. Kate Weller has plenty of spots to duck out of sight as she investigates crime under a new identity. Years ago, I fell in love with those ancient trees and dark alleys on my first trip to the three-hundred-year-old city. But by my second or third visit, I realized the past hadn’t been walled off into a museum but has nurtured each new generation. Charleston is one of the few places where doctors and lawyers, students and professors, artists and waiters coexist with horse-drawn carriages and haunted history tours. For the pivotal scene between my murder suspect and his son, I chose Shem Creek Park, across the Cooper River from downtown. Shrimpers still venture out each morning to cast their nets and sell their fresh catch at the dockside market, like fishermen a hundred years ago. For the palatial home of my murder victim, I chose the slow-paced barrier island of Kiawah with its fiercely protected privacy. I had so much fun staging the pivotal climax amidst palm trees and sandy beaches.

Next, once you’ve found the perfect setting for your new series, you must up the stakes for your characters, both carry-overs and new. Don’t rely on the same old conflicts to keep the pace lively. Deepen your characters’ motivations by creating more dire consequences should they fail. Depending on the length of your novel, introduce one or two new main characters to the story. In addition to complementing the main plot, these new characters should have their own agendas that carry-over into the next book. Readers love a series because of the chance to revisit beloved characters. But to keep them turning the pages, you must constantly introduce fresh ideas into your story lines. The old and new, the past and the present, each book picks up where the last leaves off and heads for the stars….just like the city of Charleston.

Tracking down a client’s biological sister turns complicated when a P.I. rents a room above an Italian restaurant where the handsome chef has plenty of enemies in Hiding in Plain Sight, first of the Marked for Retribution Mysteries by Mary Ellis.

____________________________________________________________________________

Mary Ellis has written twenty-five novels including Amish fiction, historical romance, and suspense. Her most recent mystery, Sunset in Old Savannah has been nominated for a Bookseller’s Best Award and the Daphne du Maurier Award for 2017. In August, Severn House will release Hiding in Plain Sight book one of Marked for Retribution Mysteries. In January, Kensington will release her novella, Nothing Tastes So Sweet, for the Amish Candy Shop Anthology. Social media:  www.maryellis.net or http://www.facebook.com/Mary-Ellis. Author/

Need a New Direction?

By Mary Ellis

Write what you know…is a quote usually attributed to Mark Twain. Twain might have been a great American novelist, but his advice better suits authors of the 19^th century. What are authors supposed to do in the 21^st century when expected to produce two or three novels a year? As books become shorter and faster-paced, some writers are releasing books faster than that. If as a full-time professional writer you only write about subjects you’re familiar or experienced with, won’t you run out of story fodder? On a personal level, how many stories about a schoolteacher, living on the edge of Amish country, who loves gardening, animals and American history will readers tolerate? Perhaps more practical advice for this day and age would be: Write about what fascinates you, or perhaps the person you hope to one day become.

I have reached the stage when retirement isn’t a distant pipedream. As much as I love Ohio, winters have grown intolerable. My husband and I are determined to live three or four months of the year in the warmer and sunnier South. Recently we’ve combined our quest for inexpensive spots to “snowbird” with my new mystery series.

The setting for my first story was easy…New Orleans, a city we visited while family lived in the area and many times since. After several stays in Cajun country I was playing the washboard with spoons and cooking gumbo from a roux. My second mystery, What Happened on Beale Street, allowed me to indulge my love of the blues while researching Memphis and the Mississippi delta where rice and cotton fields stretch to the horizon. For my current work in progress, I prowled the streets of Natchez, a charming town overlooking the mighty Mississippi where the police captain turned out to be the nicest person I ever interviewed. As we check out new places to live, I’m discovering wonderful spots for fictional dead bodies to wash ashore or characters to go missing.

If you’re looking for new story ideas, why not consider places you’ve always wanted to visit? Start with research at your local library and on the internet. Then create the characters of your dreams. Maybe you can give them the talents you always longed to have.

Your enthusiasm will turn your story into a page-turner readers can’t put down. And just think…when you visit the area to tweak the details, your trip becomes a tax deductible expense. Sounds like a win-win situation, no?

________________________________________________________________ 

Mary Ellis has written twelve award-winning Amish novels and several historical romances set during the Civil War.Midnight on the Mississippi and What Happened on Beale Street are the first two books of a new series, Secrets of the South Mysteries. Before "retiring" to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. She lives in Ohio with her husband, dog and cat and can be found on the web at: www.maryellis.net or https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236

Historical Research during a Controversial Era

By Mary Ellis

Researching the area of the country that your story takes place in can be a minefield, no pun intended. An author has a responsibility to put characters into an accurate historical context. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. My current series of romances takes place during the American Civil War. 

I’ve spent the past dozen years in a local Civil War roundtable, in which the members are dedicated to remembering four tumultuous years of our country’s past…at least from their perspective, which happens to be decidedly Yankee. Although these dedicated historians believe their information to be accurate, I’ve heard conflicting accounts of the same events while traveling through the South. Who is correct—the distinguished professor of history from a respected New England college, or his counterpart who teaches at the University of Alabama? Far be it from me to decide. Everyone with firsthand knowledge is long dead. I believe there’s never been a more controversial period than the Civil War.

I have visited historical sites in Pennsylvania, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, and Virginia for background. Once I’m home in my office, I read history books and detailed biographies, and then double-check the info against Wikipedia. I can rest assured of accuracy, right? Wrong. Often three different sources provide three different sets of details. History can’t even agree on the names of battles: Bull Run is called First Manassas south of the Mason Dixon Line, while Maryland’s Antietam is often called the Battle of Sharpsburg. When I tried to ascertain how cavalry general, J.E.B Stuart died at Yellow Tavern, VA, one source said his adversary was a “Union sharpshooter,” while another described him as a “scalawag deserter.” Hmmm. Are you sensing that a source’s geographic location determines the “slant” of the information? If you don’t believe me, compare how university presses in the North interpret the exploits of John Singleton Mosby and John Hunt Morgan against those in the South.

When I started gathering information, I assumed the victor of a particular battle would be cut-and-dried. Not so the case. One account of the battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, listed the outcome as a “draw,” despite the Union suffering twice as many casualties. However, a U.S. Park Service brochure listed the same fourteen days in May, 1864 as a Union victory.

No one could possibly describe conditions at Andersonville Prison as anything but horrific cruelty…unless one studies the residual effects of Sherman’s march-to-the-sea. Unfortunately, destroying food production to reduce Confederate resistance also resulted in the starvation of Union prisoners of war.

As a lover of history, I try to see both sides of complex issues. I am a Northerner, born and raised, but I enjoy spending as much time as possible in the South. I hope my fictional characters will resonate with a sense of humanity that transcends political affiliations to uplift, inform and most of all, entertain. The first of my Civil War Heroines series, The Quaker and the Rebel,releases January 1^st from Harvest House Publishers.

____________________________________________________________________ 

Mary Ellis has written ten bestselling novels set in the Amish community. Before "retiring" to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. Living in Harmony won the 2012 Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction. She recently released An Amish Miracle, a collection of novellas, from Harper Collins. She is currently working on book two of her Civil War series. She can be found on the web at:  www.maryellis.net orhttps://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236

Time Management for Authors

By Mary Ellis

In my blissful, pre-published days, I erroneously believed that once an author received the coveted “call” and turned in a complete manuscript, she could relax and put her feet up. Nothing could be further from the truth. Being published means honoring contracts in a timely fashion, along with a multitude of details. No longer was I squeezing time to “write a book” into my daily routine of tending home, family and day job. With each new release, the juggling act increases from three balls in the air, to four, five or even six. Let’s take a look at how five projects could potentially demand your attention simultaneously:

First, there’s the book you’re currently writing and editing, according to your publisher’s expectations for word count, sensual level, etc.

Secondly, the book you recently submitted is by no means done. A plethora of add-ons must be finished before the book heads to the printer, such as developmental edits, line edits, back cover copy, book cover and trailer suggestions, and blurbs or excerpts for catalogs and sales brochures.

Thirdly, if this was a series, chances are a book was recently released and requires promotion. Your title will either sink or swim during the first several, crucial months. An author must get the word out to readers through blog or radio interviews, website and newsletter giveaways, and book signings, along with social media. Otherwise, with so many fine books releasing each year, how will potential readers find yours?

Fourthly, an author needs to research the next book she intends to write, and that often involves travel or at least long hours spent in the library. Not everything on the internet can be trusted for accuracy, especially with historical fiction.

And finally, what happens when your current beloved series draws to a close? If you don’t wish to be out of a job, you must devise an irresistible proposal that your publisher simply cannot turn down. Publishing houses consider projects well in advance, so authors need to think far down the line too. Considering all this stress, hard work and long hours, you might conclude that I’m complaining. Nothing would be farther from the truth. I love being an author, and pray each night for God to make me a better juggler.  Happy writing!

______________________________________________________________________

Mary Ellis grew up near the Amish and fell in love with them. She has now written ten bestselling novels set in their communities. When not writing, she enjoys gardening, bicycling, and swimming. Before "retiring" to write full-time, Mary taught school and worked as a sales rep for Hershey Chocolate. Her debut Christian book, ,A Widow's Hope was a finalist for the 2010 ACFW Carol Awards. Living in Harmony, book one of her current series won the 2012 Lime Award for Excellence in Amish Fiction. Book 3, A Little Bit of Charm, will release in late August from Harvest House. An Amish Miracle, a novella collection from Thomas Nelson, will release in November. She is currently working on a  historical romance series set during the Civil War. The Quaker and The Rebel is coming January 1^st, 2014. She can be found on the web at: www.maryellis.net 

and https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mary-Ellis/126995058236