How Do Heroes Keep Up With Their Daily Chores?

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In critiquing my storyline, I have two challenges.  One is to keep the excitement going in book 2 and 3.  The second challenge is to keep the characters real enough so the readers can relate to them.

I found the 2nd and 3rd book more difficult to write because I had to maintain the excitement level for the reader.  A real page turner needs a lot of twists and turns.  My favorite part of book one was when the characters were working on their own end of the problem with such intensity that they were led in opposite directions making the situation much more complicated.

Piling up the misadventures to keep the suspense going  brings me to the second challenge.  I want  the story to have some fantastical musings bouncing around more realistic ideas so it's not so bizarre that the reader feels it is a childish creation.

My characters have been thrust into dangerous scenarios and are drawn into courageous and self sacrificing choices. But how do they get their chores done?  The sidewalk needs to be shoveled.  The light bill has to be paid.  There's food going bad in the fridge because the characters are so busy getting away from bad guys!

Another problem is the main characters, Barry and Jillian, have a child.  Unlike soap opera story lines, I did not give them a nanny. Sure Julia helped out, from time to time, but I had to eventually deepen her character which meant she had to do more than babysit her nephew. 

So check out the books and read how I tried to keep the story realistic with entertaining fantasy.  

Is Barry Sullivan an Atticus Finch?

We sat down and watched To Kill A Mockingbird on Netflix two weeks ago.  I read the book in 9th grade  for English class.  This was the first time I watched the movie all the way through, so it really awakened my memory banks.  

Gregory Peck brought out the character Atticus Finch in a marvelous way.  Atticus was a quiet man, not feeling the need to always speak out.  I get the feeling that Mr. Finch held back on purpose to avoid looking like a clucking gossiper and that he would save his debates for the court room where it really had to make an impact. 

As for defending a man who was already guilty by his looks and place in society, Atticus knew he was going to be controversial, yelled at, spit upon because no one would really take the time to face the facts of the case.

How does Barry Sullivan seem to be in Prototype Prison?  Is he a Gregory Peck?  I have no photo example of him.  After all, this is a novel and you, the reader, get to form him in your own mind. 

Barry is a soft spoken character, not looking for the limelight.  He likes his privacy.  He likes deep friendships with a few like minded folks.  He loves his family and cherishes the quiet life.

At the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus doesn't need to file the appeal and continue to defend Mr. Robinson because Mr Robinson is shot while running from the sheriff.  This leaves open unanswered questions about Mr. Finch's feelings.  How did he accept not finishing his job and truly defending an innocent man?  Does a lawyer like Atticus Finch ever see justice during his career?  Is their a gaping whole in your being when you know more could have been done?

Up until his adventures in Prototype Prison, Barry Sullivan has no idea how strong he is until the need for survival becomes a necessity for him.  He has a fervent desire to keep his family safe and when push comes to shove, he gets busy.  He learns to uncover this sleeping fighter within his personality. Even his own wife is perplexed by his sense of duty and loyalty until she sees the bigger picture.  

Coming soon......  How is Jillian Sullivan shaped by Barry's situation?

What is Sci-Fi for Chicks?

My book series: Prototype Prison, fits into a niche I call “sci-fi for chicks.”

I borrowed the chick term from “chick-flicks,” and I think most people know they are the movies that women really dig because they are happy ending love stories with a lot of gossipy, emotionally driven drama. Boyfriends and husbands have to sit through chick-flicks to make their loves happy, and it seems to work out fine. A few guys will admit certain chick flicks have a cute quality, especially if they have good comedic characters. Male actors know that's where a lot of their salaries come from.

Anyway, I am not a sci-fi buff so you could say I created the genre for myself. I loved the Star Wars movies of my teen years, and caught one or two Star Trek films, but I really was not the movie goer that wanted everything to revolve around space travel.

I know sci-fi isn't only about space. I have enjoyed a few superhero story lines (X-Men), as well as the supernatural thrillers (the paranorml episodes of X-files), but I have not attended conventions or put on character costumes to celebrate my love of awsome movies.

Perhaps Ghost fits my description. So when I began writing Prototype Prison, it had a little bit of techno-fiction that could almost sound plausible and a lot of relationship attention woven in to the story with a variety of personalities who have diverse talents that became useful while the characters banded together to solve some very serious techno-fiction type crises.

I know most women are fine with science fiction, but here you go, my sci-fi for chicks.

In my next few blog posts I will include some personality evaluations so you can decide if I conveyed their character traits well enough on paper.

Enjoy! Welcome to the Prototype Prison family.

P.S. I came across this link about popular female writers who authored sci-fi hits.  CLICK HERE.

Kindle Version Available :::: The Goliath Obsession

The Challenge: Keeping My Mouth Shut

Ok, so I took a longer time finishing Book 3.  I allowed myself to be gripped by procrastination.  And I even take full responsibility.  It was my own doing.  

My new resolve to get it done was also my own doing.  How does someone just shift from an old behavior to a different one?  That is the age old question.  

I spent last winter reading a slew of books on habits. Do we really understand what makes people move their butts while others sit on them?  

Here's the funny thing about animals: they don't let themselves starve.  They always seek to fill their animal stomachs.  But as humans, we are okay with mild suffering. The inventor of the couch should be blamed.   

Book 3 is ready for reading and now I don't have to answer the repetitive question I kept hearing:

What happened to ____________________?
How did ____________  get the ____________?

You don't have to wait for me to get off my duff.  
Now I have to keep my mouth shut since many new people are only beginning with book 1.

Enjoy!  I'll be able to chat later when everyone catches up to where I'm at.......

Do You Talk at the Movies?

I like talking during movies.  Do you?  

I can't help it sometimes.  When I think I know who dunnit, I have to let my neighbor know.  
It's usually a friend.  I won't talk to a stranger in the theatre.  That's inconsiderate.

If you're watching a documentary with a group of friends, do you get into heated discussions about your theories?  Do you often agree or disagree with the film makers thesis?

When you watch a horror flick do you scream out loud:  "Run!"  
"Run!"  
"Don't you dare trip and fall!"

Okay, I know you can't disrupt a public place, so how about at home?

If you're watching a crime drama, you can talk with your friends and give your best guess on how the trial will turn out.

If you're on the internet or watching a DVD you can hit pause, hand out snacks,  and break out into a hearty discussion. 

It's even better with a book.  
We can return to the good old fashioned book clubs. 

There's plenty to discuss with Prototype Prison.
The characters each have certain talents that contribute to the plot adventure.
The characters travel to a number of different locations. 
If you know me or my family, you might be able to figure out why I picked certain cities. 

I hope my readers can get together and argue how each book might end. 

Don't Put Off Writing - Get Out of Your Own Way

If you like to write and writing is important to you, do it everyday.  Just write.  I wasted a lot of time these past few years.

I just submitted the final proof of PP3.  It should be available on Amazon tomorrow.

The book was finished November 2016 and then I let it collect dust.

Here were my excuses:

1- This is the boring part.  Rereading and looking for mistakes seems to take longer.

2- I needed a break from looking at my laptop screen.  (a 7 month break? Ugh.  Everyone who read book 1 and book 2 forgot who the characters were and don't remember the plot.  Even my mother said that to me.)

3- The pressure was on to keep the story fresh.  That was my own pressure.  I don't want to show off a poor piece of writing, but I didn't have to procrastinate and make it worse.

4- I told myself I wasn't going to promote the first two books until book 3 was finished.  Well, here is book 3 and if I want anyone to enjoy my story, I have to put myself out there and risk rejection.  This is a fairly passive way to promote.  The book is online.  I'm going straight to the customer.  Once I tell my family about the book, I have to step out of my comfort zone.

5- I'm sure there are millions of undiscovered books out there.  I often tell myself, my books are just more to add to the pile.  Now I have to get out of that kind of thinking.

When I read the last few chapters last night and made some corrections, I realized how much I missed the characters.  I had forgotten some details as the book came to a close and I surprised myself with the twists and turns.

I know most people can read these books in a few days or less, and then it's all over....... (sniff, sniff), If I can get people to talk about the story lines and they start to debate how things will end, well, that's the fun.

Get two or thee of your friends to read together.  I know it will be enjoyable.