Dread by Cash Anthony

The following article was supposed to appear yesterday on The Final Twist Society blog. A lack of electricity in the aftermath of Ike has created a posting challenge, so I'm hosting the story here. Please use the comments link to leave messages for Cash and her fellow authors in The Final Twist Society.

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Dread.

If you have ever sat through a hurricane of any size and duration, you’re familiar with this emotional state. It’s far more than mere suspense. More like a toothache, because it doesn’t subside in a moment and go away. It drags on, and it grows.

This emotion is a good one to evoke when setting up the environment for a murder mystery or horror story; and since it looks as if it’s inevitable that Houston’s going to get clobbered with Hurricane Ike this weekend, anticipation of that reminded me of what dread entails: a period of waiting that, in the big picture isn’t all that long – a few days, maybe a week to watch a watery monster grow – but it feels like forever; dire consequences are likely to befall someone, and everyone knows it! And everyone is powerless to stop it. Someone will suffer, maybe die. The question is who.

If you’re in the path of Ike, will you be spared both the immediate loss and the resulting trauma? Even if you are, will you be one of the people who have to live through the aftermath? Coastal veterans know that means more powerlessness (literally), that extends past days into weeks, slowing every part of life down except disease and hunger; general disorder and frustration and irritation and the heightened emotions of other people… and an awareness of suffering not far off, if not in your own backyard.

No one knows who’s going to get it, but whoever it is, it’s likely to be bad. Dread.

What should you do? Should you flee, even though you know that the target is going to keep moving, and maybe if you had sat frozen like a hare, you’d have been spared…

Should you dodge out of the way, just a little, even though you know other people in more danger than you probably are need the resources and lodging and open roads? Even though you know none of them are open, and you’re going to be part of the huge problem of people out of their normal life situations trying to save themselves in a chaotic and dangerous environment – that you aren’t presently in?

No… you’ve decided to “hunker down”, a word described well elsewhere, a course of action equally necessary for the helpless and the brave. (Diana’s blog site) But once you decide to stay, then you come to know dread for sure.

You’ll feel it as you watch endless news accounts to see a spot over water move a quarter inch at a time – knowing that if it represents eighty miles or so, that will change many lives, including your own. You’ll dread the news when the storm (the muzzle of the gun?) turns more toward you – your life, your health, your home and community and everything you know are at risk, except the work you’ve got on a computer you’re ready to disconnect and run with.

Dread… before the storm, and then of the storm itself when it finally, finally gets here. The howling wind, the lashing rain, the pounding of waves of water on the walls of your house, until it comes squirting through the keyhole to your door. Hour upon hour of it. Will the house stand up to this? How many more hours of it do we have to tolerate? How long before the creaking of the house and the swishing of the battered trees outside end -- because they start shredding apart, snapping off, letting the torrent in?

I can only put up with so much dread, and so many of the TV weather reports. When it finally gets here, we’ll all be mentally exhausted anyway. I will probably mix something with rum in it, toast the emergency workers out there, and sleep through as much of it as I can. We’ll circle the recliners, push them back into quasi-lounges, and let the dog crawl underneath. The cat, most likely, will do even better than me, and sleep through the whole thing.

Wishing all on the Gulf Coast a safe weekend… and if you don’t have anything to read while you’re waiting for the insurance adjuster next week, check out the terrific books by writers of The Final Twist.

Our new anthology of short stories, A Death in Texas, will be out in October. Drop by the book launch at Kay Budget Books on Friday, October 10th, after 5:30 p.m., meet the Final Twist authors, and pick up a copy. I’m honored to say my story, The Best Man, will be inside.

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Cash Anthony is a Writer, Director, Actor, and Producer
Ninth Lord of the Night - screenplay, novel adaptation, Blue CatSemi-Finalist
Taking Up Serpents - screenplay, multi-competition Finalist
Do Me No Favors - short film, written, produced & directed
Complaining Witness - short film, written, produced & directed
False Negative - short film, written & directed
The Best Man - short story, in A Death in Texas anthology
The Stand-In - short story, in Dead and Breakfast anthology
The Secret of the Acequia Stone - B&B play and puzzles
The Case of the Baker's Dozen - B&B play and puzzles A Week of Wednesdays - Novel (WIP)Other B&B plays, puzzles, clues and poems

Unleash Your Story for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

I’m participating in an event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Please join me and help raise funds for investment in vital CF programs to support research, care and education. During the month of September, I commit to writing 15,000 words and I'm hoping to raise at least $150 for CFF. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a devastating genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. More than ten million Americans are symptomless carriers of the defective CF gene. Advances continue to be made in finding a cure, but your help is needed now-more than ever-to help keep up the momentum of this life-saving research. To learn more about CF and the CF Foundation, visit www.cff.org. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those with cystic fibrosis. Thank you for supporting the mission of the CF Foundation!

Thanks to everyone for your support!

Click Here to donate. In other news, both of my non-fiction booklets, Made Up Mayhem and Adapting Your Novel for Film have released. Stop by my website for details! Perilously yours, Pauline

Creative Book Marketing

"Tie your book to a current event..."

How many times have you read a version of this tip?

Until recently, I couldn't figure out a way to use this advice in my own marketing campaign. You see, I write mysteries - make believe murder and mayhem stories. It seems more than a little crass to consider tying my stories to the latest gruesome murder in an effort to receive free publicity. Just how would that call begin? "Good morning Mr. Producer! You know that story you ran last night on the slaughter of the much loved pastor of that little church over on main? In my recent novel, a minister finds his end in much the same way. Do you think the murderer read my book? Perhaps we can talk about it on your morning show..."

I think not.

Some mystery series have themes. The protagonist has a hobby (scrapbooking, knitting, antiquing) or a profession (catering, teaching, archeologist) that can be used to approach special interest groups. I wasn't that smart. My protagonist is a PI and her spare time hobbies seem to revolve around dating and helping out the homeless. She isn't even an expert PI. She's young, inexperienced, makes mistakes.

Early this morning I started to wonder about those National __________ Months. Who decides? Is there a list? Is there something for Hacksaw or the challenged Eva Baum?

Google to the rescue.

Did you know that 2008 is the International Year of:

• Languages
• Planet Earth
• The Potato
• Sanitation

What about the month of September? September is (partial list):

• Be kind to editors and writers month
• Library card sign-up month
• National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month
• Menopause Awareness Month
• National Potato Month
• Pleasure Your Mate Month
• Healthy Aging Month
• Shameless Promotion Month
• National Hispanic Heritage Month
• Hug a Texas Chef Month
  

And on the weekly list (partial list):

• Sept 8-13 Lind Dance Week
• Sept 27-Oct 4 - Banned Books Week - Celebrating the Freedom to Read
• Sept 18-21 International Women's Ecommerce Days
• Sept 21-27 Build a Better Image Week

Then there is a daily list that includes things like Be Late for Something Day, Google Commemoration Day, Salami Day, Talk Like a Pirate Day, Responsible Dog Ownership Day, Elephant Appreciation Day, and International Literacy Day.

Anyone (you) can find a tie-in to their book and use it for marketing - check it out at http://www.brownielocks.com/ or http://www.quamada.com/months.html

In case you were wondering - October is National Toilet Tank Repair month. Be ready.

Pauline Baird Jones Wins Again

Dream Realm Awards 2007 winners were announced at ArmadilloCon 30 on August 16. And in the category of Speculative Fiction Romance, the winner is...

The Key by Pauline Baird Jones!

Ms. Jones is no stranger to awards as her well-crafted stories have won many. Her latest entry, The Key, is full of suspense, action, humor, intrigue, and yes - a love story. The book is so well written and such fun to read, I can't imagine a reader who wouldn't enjoy this book. Congratulations to Dream Realm Awards judges for an excellent choice and a big thank-you to Ms. Jones for another great story.

This is the eighth annual event for Dream Realm Awards which were created "to recognize excellence in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in electronically published books." For a complete list of this year's winners, please click here.

If you are interested in meeting this award winning author, check out the release party for A Death in Texas on October 10 at Katy Budget Books in Katy, Texas.

Great Promo Tip

Author Linnea Sinclair shared this great promo tip with me. When she's writing a new book, she notes great "clips," small snippets that tell a sort of mini story or make a great teaser. She copies them into a file marked, "promo tips for book XXX" and then gets the file out when she ramps up the promo engine. She randomly copies the clips into the signature file for her email and "teases" readers until the book releases and beyond.

It certainly worked to get me to read more of her work!

Perilously yours,
Pauline

Agatha Nominees

I just read on DorothyL that two L & L Dreamspell authors have been nominated for an Agatha Award in Murder New York Style, an anthology published by (who else?) L & L Dreamspell. This brings well-earned attention to a great publisher after only one year in business!

Best Short Story"Casino Gamble", by Nan Higginson (Murder New York Style, L & L Dreamspell)
"Death Will Clean Your Closet", by Elizabeth Zelvin (Murder New York Style, L & L Dreamspell)

Laura

New Books - New Authors!

It's been a long time since I've posted on our team blog - and it's not because there's nothing new. On the contrary, we have a lot of great new books by our team of fantastic authors!
Since last fall we've released two mystery anthologies - "Dead and Breakfast" by the Final Twist Mystery writers - a collection of short mystery stories all set in Bed and Breakfast Inns. Also "Murder New York Style" by the New York/Tri State chapter of the Sisters in Crime. It's theme is "New York" - and includes 21 great short stories.
We also released the latest in the "Third Eye" mystery series by Sylvia Dickey Smith - "Deadly Sins - Deadly Secrets" - and Betty Gordon's legal mystery "Murder in the Third Person."
Veteran author Pauline Baird Jones penned a Sci-Fi romance novel - "The Key" - it's her best book ever, and was on the best seller list at Fictionwise (in ebook format) - of course it's also available in print form (as are all our books!)
Our author John Foxjohn wrote another novel in his David Mason series - "Cold Tears" - and it was just named NUMBER ONE MYSTERY in the Preditors and Editors readers poll - congratulations John! (also note that his historical fiction novel "Journey of the Spirit" was named number TWO in the same Preditors and Editors poll, in the mainstream category!)
We published "Left at Georgetown" by David Ciambrone - his first novel with L&L Dreamspell, but not the first in his "Virginia Davies" mystery series.
If you are a dog lover you'll want to check out Cherri Galbiati's first in her new "American Service Searchers" series titled "The Scent of Money" - a "cozy" style mystery novel.
And just to prove we aren't only publishing mysteries - we released the first novel by new author Christine Prebler - a dark erotic adventure titled "Vampires at the Opera" - an interesting blend of the characters from two classic stories - Dracula, and the Phantom of the Opera.
Also we just released "The Bodyguard and the Rock Star" - a romance novel full of action and adventure. It's Christy Tillery French's first book with L&L Dreamspell, but not her first novel in the "Bodyguard" series.
Lisa and I are extremely pleased with all the great new books and authors - we wish them great success - be sure to visit our website and read more about them! www.lldreamspell.com
And stay tuned - we've added even more new authors, and we'll be bringing you a lot of new books in 2008!
Joining the team are: Laura Elveback - author of the upcoming mystery "Less Dead" - Caitlyn Hunter - author of the upcoming romance "Snow Shadows" - June Venable - author of the upcoming young adult novel "Hannah's Journey" - and there's more!
We are publishing the second mystery anthology novel by the Final Twist mystery writers group, and have added in these new participating authors: Cornelia Amiri, Loretta Wheeler, Charlotte and Mark Phillips, and Shirley Wetzel.
One more note - author John Foxjohn's latest David Mason mystery novel, "Color of Murder" will be released this fall!
Happy reading - Linda - L&L Dreamspell