Books by Melissa Bowersock

Monday, January 30, 2017

Words, Perfect Words

I love words. I wouldn’t be a writer if I didn’t.
One of my other vocations beside being a writer is being a hypnotherapist. I don’t practice it much; writing is my first love and takes up 99% of my time. As a writer, I have always been enthralled at the power of words to describe, to evoke, to inspire, to create. As a hypnotherapist, I found the power of words took on an entirely new dimension and that is the ability to induce an alternate consciousness. It still amazes me that I can lead a person into an altered state from where they might examine their psychological issues, fears, even past lives, simply with words. What amazes me even more is that I, too, can be coaxed into an alternate state, even when I understand the process inside and out, even when I’m fully aware of what is happening, simply by the use of the right words.
Words, with all their delicate meanings and nuanced emotion, can build empires or bring them down. They can harden hearts or move us to tears. They are freely available and yet only a portion of humans seem to have the will or talent to string them together in meaningful ways. Yet there is simply no denying that words can capture our imaginations and move us in ways that nothing else can.
I was reminded of this one morning as I was sitting quietly, taking a mid-morning snack break and listening to the radio when The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel came on. Now I normally have music on but I normally hear very little of it; if I’m concentrating on my writing or any other task, my ears just stop working. I have that kind of attentiveness that lasers in on one thing at a time so any other considerations (husband included; just ask him) fade into white noise. When I’m writing, people often have to call my name several times before I can drag myself up out of the depths of a story to even hear them. It irritates the hell out of some people, but I don’t do it on purpose; it’s just the way I’m wired.
So anyway, The Boxer starts to play. This is one of a handful of songs that, when I hear it, I have to stop whatever else I’m doing and just listen (or better yet, sing along) because the way the words are put together just knocks me out.
I honestly don’t know what it is. The music and the cadence have a lot to do with it, of course, but the way the words come together is just magical to me. The meter, the rhyme, the images all combine to create a beautiful soap bubble of imagination that just picks me up and floats me away from the rest of the world. It just all comes together flawlessly.
Bits of books and movies can do the same thing to me. If I’m channel-surfing and Grapes of Wrath comes on, particularly Tom Joad’s soliloquy, I cannot surf away; I have to watch. I have to listen to every word.
Then I’ll be all around in the dark – I’ll be ever’where—wherever you look. Wherever they’s a fight so hungry people can eat, I’ll be there. Wherever they’s a cop beatin’ up a guy, I’ll be there… I’ll be in the way guys yell when they’re mad an’—I’ll be in the way kids laugh when they’re hungry and they know supper’s ready. An’ when our folk eat the stuff they raise an’ live in the houses they build—why, I’ll be there.
And it doesn’t even have to be an entire verse or a long paragraph. How many of us would kill to know that the first line of our book resonated with and was instantly recognized by millions?
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, …
Call me Ishmael.
I have some favorite books that I read over and over, but sometimes I might pick one up and read just one scene, one section that stuns me with its perfection. In A Prayer for Owen Meany, I can read the part about getting the Volkswagen off the stage in the school auditorium for the 50th time and still end up crying because it’s so blessedly funny. The same is true for Rita Mae Brown’s Six of One; I can read the part about the Fourth of July parade and end up weak from laughter. These are the kinds of things that writers dream about, when all the right words come together at the right time, in the right combination, in the right meter, the right cadence and the result is absolute perfection. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it doesn’t just flash like a star; it shines like a super-nova.
And that’s when we know that, for that one moment in time, we’ve reached the pinnacle of our craft; we’ve attained the highest potential for being a wordsmith, a writer. We’ve strung a few words together that capture the human psyche and take it on a journey of the mind.
Then it’s on to the next opus.
Your turn: what lines, phrases, passages grab you like this? What are your nominees for the most perfect words ever written?
Originally published by Indies Unlimited on June 24, 2014.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

New Release! Ghost Walk!

I'm happy to announce the release of my latest book, Ghost Walk. After three time travel novels, I have returned to ghost stories, but with a twist. This is the beginning of a mystery series involving an ex-LAPD female detective and a male half-Navajo medium who commune with ghosts to find out who killed them. Here's the story behind this first book:

Lacey Fitzpatrick is an ex-LAPD detective with an axe to grind. Tainted by the betrayal of her drug-dealing cop boyfriend, she’s on a quest to prove to herself—and the world—that she’s still a competent crime-fighter. In order to do that, she teams up with Sam Firecloud, a half-Navajo man who communicates with ghosts. With his talent and her research, they tackle troubling unsolved crimes, but their latest case is the toughest. They have to solve a murder—where no record of a murder even exists. Can Sam glean enough information from the victim’s ghost to unravel the mystery, and can Lacey convince the authorities that the murder actually happened?



The book is available in both paperback and eBook, and to celebrate the release, I have priced the Kindle version at just 99 cents through January 28, 2017. 

I'm excited about these new characters, and am already  working on Book 2 of the series: Skin Walk. Stay tuned for more information about that in the coming months. And in the meantime, enjoy Ghost Walk!


Monday, January 16, 2017

Cover Reveal: Ghost Walk

I'll be releasing my latest book, Ghost Walk, very soon, but for now, I want to share with you the spooky cover. The design was done by Brenda Remlinger at coversbydesign.net, and I think she did a fabulous job. Here's the blurb for the book to give you an idea of the story line:

Lacey Fitzpatrick is an ex-LAPD detective with an axe to grind. Tainted by the betrayal of her drug-dealing cop boyfriend, she’s on a quest to prove to herself—and the world—that she’s still a competent crime-fighter. In order to do that, she teams up with Sam Firecloud, a half-Navajo man who communicates with ghosts. With his talent and her research, they tackle troubling unsolved crimes, but their latest case is the toughest. They have to solve a murder—where no record of a murder even exists. Can Sam glean enough information from the victim’s ghost to unravel the mystery, and can Lacey convince the authorities that the murder actually happened?

 And here--ta da!--is the cover:


Watch this space for more information on the release date. Coming Soon!

Friday, January 13, 2017

Author Interview: Brendon Marks

Today I’m sitting down with my buddy Brendon Marks to talk about his new book, On Your Marks, Get Set, Laugh, a collection of one hundred columns originally written for newspapers. The articles have in common that they were all written by the same man, yet they vary widely in subject matter and scope, and there’s a liberal sprinkling of humor throughout. I found them to be fun and fascinating at the same time.

MJB: So, Brendon, tell us a bit more about the book. Over what period were these columns written? And for what newspapers?

Brendon: These columns were the first 100 that I had published and were written from mid-1997 to late 1999. I was writing for The Villager Journal, a weekly in Salem, Arkansas, The Sedona Excentric, a monthly in Sedona, Arizona, and the Arizona Roadracer, a bi-monthly runner’s newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona. I also did some freelance work for Inside Texas Running. These columns were published in soft and hard-cover in December 1999.

MJB: How did you start writing for newspapers? If any of our readers out there wanted to follow in your footsteps, how would they go about doing that?

Brendon: I credit my wife Hwa-Ja for the initial success. We had purchased some property near Salem, Arkansas with the idea of retiring there and when we went for a visit she thought I should start writing for one or more of the local papers so I would be a celebrity when we finally moved there. We hand-delivered some of my samples to every little newspaper within a fifty mile radius and David Cox, editor of The Villager Journal, liked what he read. I was very fortunate; if I were starting out now, I honestly don’t know if I could make it. So many newspapers are going under due to the instantaneous aspect of the internet that it is very difficult. You must find a paper that matches your style and don’t expect to get paid much, if anything.

MJB: I noticed a distinct similarity to Dave Barry and Bill Bryson with your very dry wit. Did you model your style after anyone, or is it all your own?



Brendon: I did not, I started writing casually. I would be at work and send out an email to several of my coworkers relating a story about something that had happened to me on the way home from work, or over the weekend, or while shopping with my wife. I received so many positive responses and “You should write book” urgings that I figured “What the heck.”

MJB: What the heck, indeed. Why not give it a try, and look at it now. 

You’ve taken some very mundane, everyday occurrences and transformed them into humorous and informative articles. I get the feeling that your brain simply works that way, taking in the events of the day and turning them on their head. Do you find yourself narrating everything that happens during the day? Does everything inspire you to see the humor of it?

Brendon: It does, at first I was surprised when the things I wrote were found funny by others, then I realized that some other members of my family were similar. Mom would say something 100% serious, we would explode in laughter and she would have this puzzled look on her face that made it even funnier. When I set out to write a column I don’t ask “What should I write about?” I ask “What can I say that’s funny about…..?” I always have a subject in mind when I start, even though the direction may change before I finish.

MJB: Sounds like a formula that's worked out for you. And of course there's never a lack of inspiration in the happenings around us.

Paul Harvey and Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul) perfected the art of short essays that are both funny and uplifting. Yours is the kind of book that can be picked up and put down on a moment’s notice, available anytime a reader has a few minutes but doesn’t require total immersion like a novel might. Do you find it easy to write short bits like this, or do you ever struggle with wanting to write more? When you write, do you just write until the episode is done, or do you have to do quite a bit of cutting after the fact? (I only ask this because I’m a novelist, and suffer from diarrhea of the pen!)

Brendon: It’s easy for me to write the short articles. I try to have my articles read in five minutes or less for a couple reasons. One, I dread that if I drag it on my reader will lose interest, give up, and never get to the important part. And two, humor is very subjective. I can get comments on the same column ranging from “It’s the best you’ve ever written” to ”it’s the worst you’ve ever written.” If a first-time reader is reading an “it’s the worst” article I don’t want them to be permanently turned off, I want them to try another, because the next one might be one they’ll relate to. I do write until I’ve said what I want, but I’m always mindful of the reader’s time and attention span. Another factor when writing for a newspaper or magazine is space limitations. With a book you can always add four more pages, but with periodicals you have a finite space. The Villager Journal wanted 600 words. Also, I find it is more often easier for me to add than it is to cut. It’s like fluffing a pillow, you don’t add anything, just put more space between the good bits. Bob Early, the long-time editor of Arizona Highways told me (along with 15 other writers) that if a sentence was not informative, interesting, inspirational, or insightful,…cut it. With that in mind my columns are quite lean to begin with. I have many columns sitting in the bull-pen waiting for more fluffing.

MJB: Sounds like the newspaper gig was excellent training for you. The Flash Fiction contests on Indies Unlimited is like that, too, and helps writers hone their words into only what's necessary. 

Can you tell us what your favorite column was, and why?

Brendon: That’s very difficult. I looked back over these 100 columns attempting to pick my favorite of just those and couldn’t do it, expanding that to all that I have written would be impossible. However, I can narrow it down to a theme. My favorite articles are those that involve my wife. She has always been my greatest supporter and the opportunity to poke fun without having to hire a food taster has given me a freedom not enjoyed by all husbands. Furthermore, the husbands and wives alike relate, albeit for different reasons. However, my shining moment (so far) was when I had an article published in the August 2005 edition of Arizona Highways.

MJB: Congratulations! That's quite a milestone. 

Do any of your observations ever lead you to think about spinning out further stories, writing fiction, writing a novel?

Brendon: I have always been impressed by fiction writers. I can barely do justice to things that have happened to me or that I have observed. I can embellish a little or change the outcome, but to just make stuff up while developing characters and a plot seems like a whole lot of work.

MJB: LOL, I think you'd be surprised. For us fiction writers, the hard part is deciding what NOT to write. I have way too many characters and plot lines clamoring for attention all the time.

What’s next for you? More books? More columns?

Brendon: This is only the first 100 columns. I already have over 200 more that will probably generate two more ebooks, and I will continue to write more columns as long as I can stave off dementia. Although some may think I have already lost that battle.

MJB: I'm sure that's not true. And if it is, well, you'll have your books to remind you of things.

If people want to know more about you and your unique take on the world, where can they find you?

Brendon: To say I don’t have much of a social media footprint is a gross understatement; however I am working on it. I can be reached by email at onyourmarksbook@gmail.com.

Monday, January 2, 2017

When Traditional Publishing Comes Knocking

Over at Indies Unlimited, we often engage in discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of being an indie versus being published by a traditional house. Just recently I talked about one major aspect, having control over the look and feel of a book. We’ve also discussed getting better royalties and having the flexibility to be instantly responsive to prices, trends, and sales.
But what happens when a traditional publisher wants your book?
I’ve done some thinking about this. I was lucky enough to have been inside the ropes of the traditional publishing process for the first few years of my writing career. I’ve also had some *ahem* experience with scammers and vanity presses. I’ve made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot of lessons. If a traditional publisher approached me now, my response would be very different than it was the first time.
First of all, I would pore over the contract with a magnifying glass. If I had any questions about the meaning of a clause, or the validity of it or how it might affect me, I would get legal help. Next, I would concentrate on a few crucial areas, and if the details were not spelled out sufficiently (or not to my liking), I would begin negotiations to change that.
Input/influence with the title – Back in the day when I signed my first traditional contract, the publisher retained all control over the title of the book and I signed away any rights I might have had. Today, I would ask for the right of final approval.
Input/influence with the cover design – Like the title, it used to be that the publisher had total control over the cover design of the book. Likewise here, I would ask for the right of final approval. In addition, if a trad publisher wanted to pick up one of my already-published books, I would fight like crazy to keep the exact title and cover I already have.
Financial issues: royalties and pricing – We all know traditional publishers pay paltry royalties. I would certainly negotiate for a higher rate, especially knowing what I can get for myself by publishing independently. Another financial issue is the retail price of the book. I’ve seen a book of mine priced clear out of the stratosphere, and there was not a thing I could do about it. No more. I’d want to be included in the pricing process and would want final approval.
Timeframe – Traditional publishers are famous for being agonizingly slow. Why I can put out a book in weeks or, at the very most, months and they can’t do it in less than two years is beyond me. I would certainly ask about this, and about any recourse I might have if they didn’t meet their end of the deal.
Editing – Traditional publishers love to blather on about how much expertise they bring to the table, but my experience has been otherwise. My first two books were published by a NY house absolutely verbatim as I sent them in—including typos. If a traditional publisher promised editing, I would ask what that process was, how many eyes looked at it, and I would want final approval of any changes made.
Point of contact – When I signed with that NY house, I got very little communication from them. The few letters I did get (remember, this is before e-mail) never came from the same person. If I wrote back to ask questions of “my” editor, I was informed that that person was no longer there and I had a new editor. These days I would definitely ask about a single point of contact, someone I could call or e-mail whenever I had a question.
Length of contract – I no longer have my original contract, and I don’t remember what the length of the agreement was. Probably 2-5 years or thereabouts. Normally there’s a clause about renewing for an additional two years if all is going well. However, some publishers are now issuing contracts that stretch for seven and even ten years. When asked about it, they insist they require that much time to make back all the money they are pouring into the book. I would certainly think long and hard about tying up my book for that length of time. If by chance the relationship doesn’t work out as planned, that’s a lot of years to be tied to a company you really don’t want to do business with.
Rights – It used to be that all rights were pretty much lumped together, and all went to the publisher. Nowadays, though, with hybrid publishing, we might assign the print rights to a publisher but retain the digital rights. Don’t forget the movie rights and the audiobook rights. I’d be very selective about what I signed up for.
Promotion – I have contracts that say that all promotion is at the discretion of the publisher, but it gives no detail about what that promotion might look like. More often than not, it was putting my book up on their web page and store front and the rest was up to me. If a contract presented today were that vague, I would certainly ask for more details about what this process might look like.
Copies – Publishers tend to offer very few free copies these days. The first time I asked for more than was offered, I thought they might balk, but they agreed immediately. If you want more, ask. Believe me, they can afford to send you a few more.
Discounts – Most contracts will detail the author’s discount if we want to buy directly from them. If not, ask about it; if it’s there, see if you can negotiate a better deal. Remember, if you don’t ask, the answer is always no.
Those are the main issues that jump out at me. Having been an indie for many years now and having total control, just looking at this list gives me the heebie-jeebies. Signing a contract now would feel like slipping into a strait jacket. But that’s just me. If you ever do get approached by a traditional publisher for your book, I hope you will consider all the issues and make a very careful and informed choice. I’d also be interested to hear your own experiences and what other issues might be sticking points for you.