A #Pricedrop for SILVER LAKE - #amazon #oneclick

My debut novel, SILVER LAKE, is now two years old (where did the time go?) and when books hit this milestone, my publisher gives us the option of a price reduction for electronic formats.  I'm thrilled with the option, since older books often need a lower price point to stay competitive in a market filled with new releases.  SILVER LAKE is now available on Kindle (and nook and iPad) for $2.99, almost half of its original $4.99 price!  A fancy coffee costs about the same thing, so it's a great bargain for hours of entertainment.

The premise of SILVER LAKE is a reunion between former friends who became estranged when their friend Brandy disappeared their senior year of high school.  Five years later, the group agrees to reunite at a lake house from their past in a final attempt to solve the mystery of her disappearance.  Rain Anderson, the main character, is determined to find closure for Brandy's terminally ill mother, and she's also anxious to try to reconcile with Jason Lansing, the man whose heart she broke back in high school.  As the paranormal activity escalates throughout the summer, it soon becomes clear that Brandy's ghost has a message to share...and she's willing to put her friends in danger to expose the truth.

I recently typed up the original Goal, Motivation, and Conflict charts for three of the characters: Rain, Jason, and Brandy (yes, the ghost has an agenda too!).  You can find the GMC charts here - I posted them for a class I'll be teaching on writing fiction.  Don't worry, no spoilers...just more insight into the characters.

If you'd like to grab a copy of this ghost story/reunion romance at the new lower price point, the links are above under each device format, and I've posted them below as well.  October is around the corner, and it's a great time for a spooky read...and it's always a great time to experience first love again, as two people fight for a second chance to be together--while wading through the secrets of the past to finally expose the truth behind Brandy's disappearance.

Enjoy the story if you give it a read!  Links:



Kindle - Amazon

 

Nook - Barnes & Noble

 

iPad - iTunes

A little excerpt from one of my favorite scenes!

Goal, Motivation, & Conflict - #amwriting GMC

Anytime I'm asked in an interview to suggest a "must-have" tool for aspiring writers, my answer is always the same: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict, by Debra Dixon.  This book lays out the framework for commercial fiction in terms of those three building blocks, known as GMC.  Every character needs a chart, even minor characters.  Maybe their goals won't receive much time or attention in the actual novel, but if the character is in your book, he or she is there for a reason.  That character plays a part.  As writers, we need to develop every character, by giving them solid reasons for their actions and urgent goals that must be met.

As Ms. Dixon points out in her book, goals, motivations, and conflicts can shift throughout the story.  One goal may be achieved, only to set the character on a new path with a new set of GMC.  Smaller GMC scenarios may exist within the larger, overarching GMC for each character.  For maximum tension, heroes and villains should have GMC charts that directly oppose each other--if one character gets what he/she wants, the other character will fail.  Adding urgency to a goal is another way to maximize the impact.  And characters should have both external (the "outer goal" - something physical) and internal (the "inner goal" - involves emotion) goals.

I make charts for every character, using Ms. Dixon's examples as guides.  I'm sharing a few of the charts I made for Silver Lake, my debut novel, with the participants in a fiction class I'm teaching.  I've copied them below as well for reference, and I was careful to include only the major GMC arcs for the three characters I've highlighted; the smaller GMC scenarios are not revealed (no spoilers).  If you'd like to read the blurb first to get an idea of what Silver Lake is about, you can find it here.  But a simple one sentence description (it's good to have one of those too!) would be something like this: When Brandy Pierce vanished during their senior year of high school, Rain Anderson's tight-knit group of friends slowly unraveled; five years later, they agree to reunite at a lake house from their past in a final attempt to solve the mystery of her disappearance.

Each set of numbered GMC points should fit into the following sentence:  (Character) wants (Goal) because (Motivation), but (Conflict).  For example, Rain wants to find out what happened to Brandy because Brandy was her best friend, her terminally ill mother needs closure, and Rain is haunted with guilt--but the mystery is now five years old, and while Brandy's spirit seems to want help, there are barriers to communication.

A simpler, internal GMC would be: Jason wants a romantic relationship with Rain, because she's still the one he loves, but she wounded him once before, and he currently has a girlfriend.

I've bolded things within the charts that add urgency to the dynamic. 

RAIN	External	Internal
GOAL	1.      Find out what happened to Brandy	1.       Earn Jason’s forgiveness 2.       Maybe earn his love again? 3.       Renew old friendships
MOTIVATION	1.      A)  Brandy’s mom is dying and has asked for help=Closure B)  Brandy was Rain’s best friend C)  Guilt over the missed phone call D)  Disturbing dreams seemingly sent from Brandy – she’s being haunted E)  Help her friend’s spirit rest in peace	1.       She still feels guilty over the choice she made – she hurt him badly 2.       She’s still attracted to him 3.       She’s recently divorced and extremely isolated…misses her old friends
CONFLICT	1.      A)  The unsolved mystery is now 5 years old – few clues B)  Brandy is a ghost – seems she wants to communicate, but is unable	1.     Heartbreak leaves deep scars 2.       It’s unlikely he’d make the same mistake twice 3.       There are still secrets and suspicions lingering between them…and they’re not the exact same people they were in high school

JASON	External	Internal
GOAL	1.      Keep Rain Safe 2.      Spend time at the lake	1.       A romantic relationship with Rain (even though he does not want to admit it to himself)
MOTIVATION	1.      A)  He’s a black belt in Karate; owns a studio; it’s what he does=KEEPS PEOPLE SAFE B)  He still has feelings for Rain 2.      A)  He’s done nothing but work 24/7 since starting his own business after college B)  Brandy’s mother asked them all to participate in the reunion C)  He wants time away from his girlfriend	1.       He loves her – she’s still the one.
CONFLICT	1.      A)  He’s up against supernatural forces – how to fight a ghost? B)  He can’t stay at the lake house all summer – work 2.      Reuniting with former friends—especially Rain—will bring up difficult emotions	1.      A)  Pride B)  His current live-in girlfriend C)  Fear of another rejection

BRANDY	External	Internal
GOAL	1.       Be found	1.       Expose the truth of what happened
MOTIVATION	1.      A)   Allow her spirit to rest in peace B)   End her mother’s suffering before she dies	1.       A)  People can finally heal B)  Brandy can let go and move on
CONFLICT	1.       She’s a ghost; barriers to communication	1.      Her friends need to be together to provide energy for her spirit to draw from and summer is almost over

I hope these charts help demonstrate the importance of GMC when developing characters.  Even Brandy, the ghost, has a goal with valid motivation and frustrating conflicts.  Of course, Allie and A.J., the other two friends at the lake house reunion, have charts as well, but in the interest of space, I left them out.  However, you can find their GMCs within the pages of the book--plus, you can experience the additional conflicts Rain and Jason must face as they struggle against their attraction and face the danger of a ghost willing to put her friends at risk to expose the truth. SILVER LAKE is now available electronically for only $3.99 on Kindle exclusively, as this title is now an Amazon Encore Imprint.  Print copies are available from the original publisher, The Wild Rose Press, and also on Amazon as well.

Now that I'm used to analyzing characters and plots within this paradigm, I see GMC everywhere.  Not surprisingly, if I don't see it, I'm not usually interested in continuing reading or watching.

I love comments, so please feel free to chat about this topic...Happy writing!

My First #Tattoo at 43! The #fullmoon from Silver Lake's cover! #moon #ghost #mystery #romance #paranormal

Love my moon &
first initials tattoo!

I admit it, I definitely have a wild side.  I've always wanted a tattoo, and once every few years I would spend time researching the process and looking for artist recommendations.  But it's such a permanent and personal thing, and the one thing holding me back was: what did I want inked onto my body?

I've read enough to know you don't show up at a tattoo parlor and pick "flash" off the wall.  I wanted something meaningful and significant, like what I gave my hero in Silver Lake.  Jason Lansing had the Japanese symbols for an inspirational statement inked onto the outside of his shoulder right before he took the plunge and opened his own Karate studio.

I decided for sure I would somehow want to incorporate the men in my family: my husband and two sons, the most important people in my life.  But the design I had in mind still felt incomplete, and I was lacking the motivation to actually begin the process with the artist I planned to use.

Silver Lake has earned an
orange #1 Amazon Bestseller
on three different occasions!

Then I got the "call" last winter, a year ago on a cold morning of December 2011.  Silver Lake, the novel I'd worked on for 4 years, had earned a publishing contract!  It was one of the most memorable moments of my life.  My younger son and I danced around the kitchen.

Silver Lake was released in August of 2012 (eta: and ended up hitting #1 on Amazon on several occasions over the years!), and from the moment I saw it available on Amazon a few days early, I didn't sleep for almost a week.  The excitement of the arrival of a day I had been anxiously awaiting, combined with the stress of knowing many of my family and friends were finally reading my words, fueled an insomnia that lingered until those first few reviews came in (eta: Worth it! 😂💙)

Somehow, I wanted to include this huge accomplishment -- and realization of my dream coming true! -- in a subtle way into my tattoo design.  Suddenly I knew exactly what it would look like, and I wanted to get it before 2012 - the year I was first published - was history.  I quickly made a rudimentary mock-up of what I had in mind and made an appointment with the artist.

Surprisingly, it didn't hurt very much.  I did almost faint before we got started, but that's the kind of thing I do around needles.  The end result is a design incorporating the first initials of my guys with the moon from Silver Lake's cover.  I truly love it, and it serves as a reminder that you have to work for your dreams, be patient, stay strong, and never give up!  

Another eta:  In a strange coincidence, last night, July 3rd, 2023, welcomed the first Super Moon of the year...AND, a local TV show we were watching featured Candlewood Lake, which is featured in Silver Lake and has a fascinating history!  The "Silver Lake" in my book is a fictional lake inspired by the very real kettle ponds surrounding the man-made Candlewood Lake.  More on the history and our visit to the area here.