TWC Spotlight, June 2008

Published: Sat, 06/07/08


 

 

TWC SPOTLIGHT

A Monthly e-Newsletter                 June 2008                     Newsletter Archive
Letter from the Editor

When does life get easy? I hope mine soon gets a little bit easier. Or, at least more on schedule.

I'm finally moved into my office. I've been running my business from my home for the past four years. Moving wasn't just the logistics of buying furniture and computers, and getting them set up. It was moving all my files and information to the office. Then the hard part...transferring all my clients from working in their offices to working in mine. This has been a rough transition.

And yes, that's my current excuse for your Spotlight being late.  I've simply been so buried that I couldn't get the pieces put together. But this issue is finally finished, I've already got one article submission for the July issue, Kim and Lisa are starting to schedule guests and mod chats, and poor Linda can finally relax and work on her own writing. The forum update is over and done, and Renee is getting the new forum beaten into shape.

Could the worst be over? I sure hope so.

Lisa made the mistake of asking what she could do to help with this Spotlight. (Silly girl!) I gave her a vague topic, and told her to write. She didn't flounder, she just did some thinking and wrote a really cool article. I love the way she turns books into living beings with feelings and wants of their own. Scroll on down to read it.

Would you like to get your name in the TWC Spotlight? Our submission guidelines and editorial calendar are right here. Look it over and see if any of our topics appeal to you.

Jeff Shelby is one of the first authors who comes to my mind when I hear the term Beach Read. I dusted off my review of his first book and included it here, so you can discover him too. Jeff has been our guest twice. Might be time to email him again...(Audrey makes a note.)

We're revisiting our Prompt Chats this month. I haven't caught up with Christine Senter yet, but I'm still hoping to. If she can't make it, we'll wing it like we used to in the beginning. Either way, it will be a lot of fun.

Time for me to shut up and get back to work. Enjoy the latest Spotlight and...

Keep writing!

Audrey

 

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ARTICLE

Beach Reads - Relaxing Entertainment Any Time of Year By Lisa Haselton 

Look! Summer is around the corner.  Do you have your stack of beach reads ready?  Even if you aren't going to be sunning yourself on the beach any time soon, it's comforting to have a book on hand.

What does the term 'beach read' conjure up in your mind?  If you're like me, it might mean 'disposable.'  No, I never throw out books.  I love books.  I love to read.  I'm curious about anything that's written, actually.  I collect books and have an extensive, eclectic collection of authors I love and books I want to recommend to others, or even re-read sometime. 

One type of book that I do not hold on to is a 'beach read'.  Beach reads have their place in the various To Be Read (TBR) piles beside my bed, near the bathtub, and in the car. However, they are not books that I keep.  I pass them on to friends, charities, or I'll swap them for other books.

It's typical to associate 'summer' with the term 'beach read.' But beach reads are good any time of year.  Beach reads are books that don't require much brain power.  That isn't to say they are dumbed down.  No, not at all.  Beach reads are actually for the intellectual who wants to read for fun, to get away from the need to focus and concentrate.  Beach reads are those entertaining novels that pull the reader into a new world and don't require a lot of focus - because, when you crave relaxation, you want to, well, relax.   

Beach reads are common items for vacation.  But even when relaxing on the beach, or on the deck of a cruise ship, or at the island resort pavilion, there are constant distractions that pull the reader's eye from the page.

Beach reads contain uncomplicated storylines and most commonly have happy endings.  They can be adventures, mysteries, comedies, romances, just about any genre you enjoy. 

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books jump to mind, as does Sarah Strohmeyer with her Bubbles books.  Their novels are quite entertaining and contain a myriad of funny characters who continually have experiences the average person doesn't.  The characters may be in danger, but you know they will get out of whatever mischief they are in, unscathed by the time you turn the last page.

Beach reads aren't all fluffy, gooey, sappy stories.  They are full-length novels with short chapters, lots of dialogue, and entertaining action.  I have to wonder if authors intend to write a beach read when they write a novel, or if they just write the story that is in them and move on. 

Beach reads aren't books that need a lot of care.  If they can be described as having their own personality, beach read books are books that are comfortable with the wear and tear they receive from being jostled around, dropped in the sand, splashed with water, and tossed onto a table, couch, or hammock to be picked up later.  Beach read books love to be handled.  They don't mind having their pages folded over or flipping back and forth in the wind. 

Beach read books enjoy being the holder of notes, grocery lists, and phone numbers.  In fact, beach read books crave attention and the more they are handled the more they feel loved.  Beach reads are quite social books, too, they love to be passed around from one reader to another, the more the merrier. 

So grab a beach read, and enjoy.  Don't worry about getting sand between the pages, just get lost in the fictional world whenever you can tear your gaze away from the sun- bronzed bodies walking by.

BIO:  Lisa Haselton, the newest addition to the TWC team is a freelance writer and editor.  Her award-winning published fiction includes horror, romance, and humor.  She's now combining bits of all three genres into a novel tentatively titled "My Life as a Freelancer".  A lifelong NH resident, she enjoys intelligent conversation, cafés, meeting people who love words, delicious iced coffee, cycling, Sudoku, reading, and b&w film photography.  She continues looking for a man who enjoys life as much as she does.  Stop on by her site at http://lisahaselton.tripod.com.  

 

 

Visit Amazon for the latest in beach reads

 

June Chat Guests
June 1

JD Rhoades

June 8

Michael Murphy

 June 15

Prompt Chat!

Bring your creativity.

 June 22

Doug M. Cummings

June 29

C. Hope Clark

For more information, visit our schedule page.

All chats start at 7 pm EST.

 

The weekly chats at The Writer's Chatroom are wonderful!  Each night I attend a chat, I learn something new.  The support and encouragement during the "general chats" keeps me motivated and excited about writing. The weekly "guest" chats are informative, educational and fun!  I leave each chat saying  "I can do it, I know I can.      Patty Hopkins

 

Book Review

I couldn't resist including a review on one of my all-time favorite Beach Reads. Not only is this a great read, but the main character is a surfer and lives on the beach. You can't get much more "Beach Read" than that!

Killer Swell

By Jeff Shelby
Copyright 2005 by Jeff Shelby
Published by Penguin Group (Dutton)
ISBN 0-525-94880-5

Genre: Mystery/Action

Noah Braddock is a surfer dude when he's not being a private investigator. Life is good...until the mother of his first love shows up.

It's been over 10 years since Kate's parents convinced her that she could do better than Noah. Now Kate has gone missing, and her parents want Noah to find her.

In short order, Noah discovers that the missing Kate is far different from the teenage Kate he has never been able to forget. The case leads to drugs and organized crime. Who was this woman his Kate turned into?

This is a first book in a series. Shelby has set himself up here for a good run. Noah is a likeable character, interesting enough to hang a lot of books on.

The supporting cast is well-built too. Carter is a perfect foil to Noah. They are opposites, yet the same, like two sides of the same coin. Carter's less-than-savory connections are a great resource.

Ernie's appearance is brief, but holds promise for lots of future plots. And what more could a PI want in an on-again-off-again girlfriend, than a police detective? Guaranteed conflict!

Costilla is well-done too. Not just a cardboard "bad guy", he is an intelligent man, hard and cold, yet willing to share info with Noah. After the way "Killer Swell" ends, I can definitely see Costilla returning in future books.

Even minor characters are well-rounded. Charlie the Key Guy is only on a few pages, but he comes through sharp and clear. Emily and Randall are also fleshed out.

I did figure out who the killer was, and had a good handle on the motive. But Shelby gives a lot of choice to pick from, and the book is never boring.

I enjoyed meeting Noah and his friends...and enemies. I'm looking forward to our next visit.

 

Wicked Break is the second Noah Braddock mystery. Pulling out this review has reminded me that I need to go buy it, too! -- Audrey

 

I find the Spotlight newsletter very interesting. Short and sweet and still very informative. I also visit the website quiet often and like everything I find there. So, please keep up the good work.

Tannia E. Ortiz-Lopés
 

If you'd like to suggest a guest, topics for a theme chat, offer yourself as a chat guest, or give feedback about a chat you've attended, contact Audrey Shaffer at: audrey@writerschatroom.com

On the Products page  you will find some great recommendations. Please use our links to buy, and help support the chatroom!

 

We look forward to chatting with you!

Audrey Shaffer      Linda Hutchinson      Renee Barnes    Kim Richards      Lisa Haselton