JUST RELEASED!

 

Treacherous Waters - https://mybook.to/50ZBKq

Well, here it is, the product of the last book club's inspiration and the story they wanted! I never thought I'd be writing about pirates - female pirates at that. Yet, here she is - the Black Witch - well know in the Bahamas in the 1600's.

The plot thickens with intriguing twists as we delve into the story of the Black Witch, a captivating beauty and beloved daughter of a major shipping company owner in the Bahamas. Known to many as Lady Sabrina Harcourt, her true identity as the Black Witch remains a well guarded secret. 

She encounters Lord Christopher Stone, the owner of a shipping company as well. Both of them are captains of their own ships. He charms her for awhile and then vanishes.  I then bring her descendant into the story again... and she ends up being pretty interesting. I utilize the ancestor's journal to guide her descendant. And as always, there is a man enters the story ... an FBI agent.

When i reached the end of the manuscript I didn't want either story to end... so there will be sequel!! That's all I'll say.

I'm also working on the next Oyster Point Mystery! Jack and Jamie still getting into trouble and I brought back a few of the characters from the other books. So maybe in 3 or 4 months that one might be ready to go. I usually work on two books at the same time 😉

Planning on a bit of traveling the next few months so I maybe back in October... we shall see.

Keep writing... enjoy!

Till,

Judi

Submitted another novel!

 

Treacherous Waters... She was gorgeous, young, fearless and unbeknownst to most, she was the pirate called the "Black Witch"; she also was the ancestor of Sabrina Harcourt-Stone, a wealthy heiress in the shipping industry who knew virtually nothing about this ancestor until...

I have been working on this novel for months and FINALLY, I submitted it to  my publisher on July 3rd. 

I'm not one to write about pirates and scoundrels but I wrote you last time that at my April Book Club, the group was very interested in the story I was really just fooling around with.  Well, in the end, I decided to write it. But, I ended up with two stories developing at the same time... the 1600s love story and the today's ancestor who becomes roped into working with an FBI agent on a smuggling and money laundry scheme in the Bahamas. I loved the characters - Sabrina and Nick - and when I came to the point where I normally type THE END - I added "Or is it?"  I'm going to do some research on their next case together... I have an expert who I'm hoping will spend some time with me explaining how he works.  That's about all I can say now until I formulate the story a bit more.

I'm also writing the next chapter of Jack and Jamie's life, the Oyster Point Mysteries. I've developed a few pieces of the story so far but still haven't found a cold case that Jamie could sink her teeth in. So - more work in that area.

I wish you a wonderful 4th of July weekend! May we all remember how much this freedom has cost.

Keep writing and I'll try to be back soon!

Till...

Judi

Another Successful Book Club

I'm so pleased with the response from the latest Book Club - I chose "Dark Secrets" for this one! The promo was perfect:

"Join our author Judi Getch Brodman on Thursday, April 11th at 7PM in the Ocean Club for a unique opportunity to delve into the intricate storyline of Dark Secrets (Mystery, romance and fashion rolled up together into an edge-of-your-seat Paris adventure!). 

Discover how she crafts her stories and where her creative ideas begin. Gain insight into her journey as an author. This conversation with Judi offers a glimpse into the mind of a talented writer and the world she creates in her captivating novels. And, at the end, she might even give you a glimpse into her upcoming novel."

 The group was large, engaged and had wonderful questions. I love when they provide insight into the characters... love them or want them gone! In this case, Philip should be gone. The setting descriptions also hit a homerun with the group - the cities of Paris and Boston as well as the countryside descriptions. So again, I'm very pleased with their response.

Two questions that always come up is, "How do you chose your story?" and then "How do you build your story as well as the characters?" The first question is easy to answer... in this case it was an article that I read about an apartment in Paris that had been closed for 70 years until the owner died. The photos of the inside with the items discovered were breathtaking, so I knew I had to build a story around this treasure of an apartment. And for the most part, that's how my stories start - an article about a place, a murder, serial killers, etc. Although I have written stories that have been in my mind and heart for awhile, such as "The Looking Glass Labyrinth" -- one of my favorites and my readers as well. It combined the town of my childhood summers, Wellfleet, with a chance to go back in time. It was a joy to write... researching the 1800s and the characters. If you haven't read that one, please do... tell me how you feel about it.  The reviews were terrific.

Anyway, back to the second question, "How do you build the story and the characters around it?", is not so easy to answer. I really can't tell you how I came up with the Dark Secret novel around this article. I'm sure I knew I needed a male and female character... I always do. My first draft had Brielle as a spoiled young woman who I didn't even like 😖 So I needed to rewrite her as a woman who had a story... a tough story, a hard life... and who didn't want anything to do with Paris, in fact hated it and had never traveled there. Brielle appeared. She wanted nothing to do with Paris, a city that she felt had stolen her mother.  The backstory begins... her mother left when she was a child, never wrote and never came back. How does she meet Jacques I ask? Maybe she could inherit the apartment? Jacques could handle the will? All of this just happens as I sit there writing... I really don't know how. And I'm a "pantser" not a "plotter" - no outline, I write by the seat of my pants, letting the characters tell their story.

At the end of the discussion, the group wanted to know what I was working on now.  I currently have a time travel pirate story with a twist as well that I'm writing... told partially by the woman pirate's descendant. But there's a mystery in the Bahamas she has to help solve! I'm almost at the final draft so it should come out in less than six months!.  I'm also working on the third Oyster Point Mystery with Jack and Jamie. This story started when someone asked if I had ever killed off a character... hold on to your seat with this one.

Well, hopefully that catches you up a bit on my writing. On a personal note, we lost a very dear longtime friend of my husband... a world renown oncologist. We flew to Washington DC to be with the family as he was honored.

Seize the day as they say!

Keep writing,

Till, Judi

"Unanticipated Consequence - A Second Chance" RELEASED!

 

Well, it was a job getting this book released - publisher had trouble with copies and formats and so it felt like it took forever. But finally - last week it was released.  Now it looks like the format is still incorrect!  ARGH!! Here's what I said before (I think) and related at the beginning of the novel... 

"Unanticipated Consequence A Second Chance is an outgrowth of my well-received novella/eBook, Broken Christmas Promise, published at the end of 2019.

Feedback from a production company stated that the setup of the story was terrific but because it was written as a short novella, it was lacking the kind of “complex and layered romance that the modern market demands.”

Therefore, after rethinking what they had said, I had to agree –I hadn’t told the entire story of Brett and Jenna’s love, heartbreak and ending in the novella. I had written a simple love story, but theirs was not so simple."

I'm thrilled it will be out in time for the holidays!  
https://mybook.to/Unanticipated_Conseq

Now, I working on an interesting take of a female pirate. When In Ireland I toured Grace O'Malley's castle outside of Westport including the remains of dungeons in the basement. I've never thought of writing this kind of story until when answering a question about what I was working on now, I told a Book Club group I was fooling around with a female pirate story.  They became very excited and had many questions about where and when, etc. So here I am working on that manuscript and enjoying it.  

I'm also starting my 3rd Oyster Point Mystery. Let's see what trouble Jack and Jamie can get into next.

I'm scheduled for hold another Book Club in April; these are so much fun! The August one was terrific as well. I can post that one if you'd like to see it.  It's up on YouTube. 

On a very sad note, I lost a very dear friend of mine, We met the first year of college and were roommates after we graduated.  It's hard to say goodbye to life-long friends. It was unexpected. She was on a trip to Greece, a trip of a lifetime as she called it, and suddenly died.  I had lunch with her right before she left. We joked because I was flying west to Seattle and she was flying East. We couldn't wait to meet after our trips. I think I'm still in shock... can't really believe she's gone. Life is hard sometimes...

Well, that's about all I have to report at this point.  Holidays are coming fast so I wish you peace and joy as you hopefully gather with family.

We'll talk next year.

Till - Judi

 Well, I'm back!  I know, I know... I always say that! 😉 I've been very busy with a number of things. First, I'm a gardener and my back flower garden had been taken over by hordes of invading weeds. Then there was the invasion of the bunnies and the resident gopher. This last winter was a weird one with very cold days followed by very warm days and NO snow cover.  I lost a lot of my favorite plants through the heaving process. So I decided to have some help in choosing the best flowers for my environment. I'm still waiting for the plan but am excited to have this done. My other gardens are doing so well... here's an example of my daylilies!  I adore them. 

Then, I have two WIPs (works-in-progress) going on -- the rewrite of "Broken Christmas Promise" which I'm adding, deleting, editing and revising!! I'm almost there... maybe another month or so. So watch for the full story of Jenna and Brett to appear. Not sure of a title yet, as always.

I'm also making so headway with the pirate story!  Might finish that one and have it published by Christmas. A good stocking stuffer!!

I'm also in an art show this month...So I have been PRETTY busy!! 

I can't believe that I have actually written eight books and have two in the works.  Please let me know with a review if you enjoyed them!!

Back to one of my tasks 😉😉

Keep wring and enjoy the summer!

Judi

WRITING IN THE MODERN AGE advice - shared with you

It's been awhile so I'm going to try to catch you up on my activities! 

First, my ‘Romance Over 50’ - One Summer Night - has done extremely well and feedback has been awesome. One reader wrote:

“I read your latest in one long sitting. Totally grabbed me! I love that you were able to move into another genre for the Over 50 readers. As always blown away by your writing: so fluid and the dialogue so realistic. Loved Jason. Looking forward to more.”

 https://mybook.to/OneSummerNight

Next, I was invited to facilitated a book club last week using "She's Not You" my first novel.

https://mybook.to/Shes_Not_You

I made it more about the writing process and everything that goes into writing a book – learning to write well, taking classes, doing research and knowing your genre.  The questions from the group were thoughtful and relevant to writing. We talked about where I find my ideas. I mentioned that I was working on a fun story right now – about a woman pirate.  They loved that idea so I guess I better put some time and effort into that. They had questions about that era and where it was set – great questions.

Then, my sequel to “She’s Not You” – “Treat Me Nice” – another Elvis title, has also been well received.

“The author certainly can capture your attention and keep your interest. Her words create a visual image throughout as if you were really in the characters shoes. It’s the second In the series and when your done you know you want more and you know there will be more.  Even if you haven’t read her earlier book with these characters (She’s Not You) you can easily jump into this one and connect . The authors plot creativity and ability to translate into words amazes me. I couldn’t put the book down. If I didn’t need sleep and a short respite for my eyes I probably would have finished it in one day rather than 1 1/2. Can hardly wait to hear there will be another book from this author soon.”

I have another book club coming up in August on the sequel so excited about that.

Finally, my five pieces of writing advice can be found in the Spring 2023 Writing in the Modern Age blog - https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com/blog-posts/writmodage-advice-from-writers-ten-year-anniversary-multi-author-special-spring-event

I kept it simple…

1.       Be dedicated to your writing,
2.       Learn to write well,
3.       Work on the words that best tell your story and make your characters come alive,
4.       Create interesting three- dimensional characters, and
5.       Do your reseach!!

Right now I have one full draft completed which I put aside so that I’ll read it later with fresh eyes and I guess, I’ll be writing about lady pirates. 😄

Keep writing,
Till, Judi

Links:
https://tinyurl.com/JudiGB
https://judigetchbrodman.wordpress.com/

An just an update on my #over50romance... it is doing great. 

top five pieces of advice (or tips) for a new writer

 

I was asked to offer five pieces of advice for new or experienced writers which will be published on another blog.  When I finished, I thought I might give this advice to my own readers so here we go...

First, you need to want to write... to be dedicated to your writing. Writing is hard work; good writing is almost impossible. It is time consuming and isolating.

Second, you need to learn to write.  What does that mean? Join writers group, listen to other writers and learn from them, from their writing and from the constructive criticism of your peers. I joined one early on and learned so much from them all. I will be forever grateful to this group. I also took an encouraging creative writing class.  The professor encouraged me to continue my writing because I had, as she called it, a unique voice and writing process.

Third, after I said all that, anyone can write, string words together. You can sit down, write 50K words and feel as though you have a book.  Well, you don't, not one that a publisher will touch.  When I said above, "good writing is almost impossible", I meant it. Good writing comes after many drafts, much editing and many revisions. This is where your story comes alive... here you polish it by working on words that best tell the story and fit the character, by making dialogue meaningful (this is very important), removing errors and misspellings, and by creating a story that will capture the reader. 

Fourth, create interesting, three-dimensional characters. I learned this from a workshop I took given by a writer whose books I loved. No one wants to read a story with ‘flat’ characters. You, as the writer, need to know their backstories, what’s in their ‘bag of rocks’ that they carry with them, what their secrets are… what’s in that box under their bed. You may not put all that information into the manuscript, but you will use it as you write, trust me, and your characters will come alive.

Fifth, do your research! If you are writing a time travel back to the 1800s, know what it was like to live in that time. One of my favorite books, “The Looking Glass Labyrinth”, was a time travel back to 1804. As I wrote, the story evolved into a mystery within a mystery with a beautifully layered romance. I won’t say much more except that I spent hours and hours doing my research on sea captains and their trade routes, on how women were educated and treated culturally, the fashion and family dynamics. The research fascinated me and although I didn’t use it all, I felt I knew my characters well enough to tell this beautiful story.  Remember, your readers are smart, and if you make errors in history or anything else, they’ll notice, put the book down and not trust your story telling ever again.

I could go on and on but I was asked for only five points. My advice to all, enjoy the process of creating and writing! I’ve passed my love, my passion for writing, on to two of our little ones, eleven and nine, who wrote every word of their first book, Two Mice and a Train, and I published it. What a huge accomplishment for them!  May their imagination fire many more. One of the keys to their writing was that they are both avid readers and LOVE stories.

Therefore, I hope the advice that I’ve learned along the way helps you to become a better writer.

Keep writing…
Till,  Judi

So I hope this advice that I learned along the way will help you!