Reading to Soothe the Soul

By Elaine L. Orr

I was fortunate to be introduced to books very young and to have been around adults who enjoyed books. Reading is the best stepping stone to a writing career, and there was a library in walking distance. I doubt it was 600 square feet, but it was heaven.

When a friend recently entered an Alzheimer's care facility I noted the activity calendar showed people read books to residents so I asked to join the reading team. It's a fascinating opportunity. People from a wide variety of careers (physicians, teachers, book publishers, homemakers) have very little comprehension of what's going on around them, but they like to be read to.

I choose books for very young children, and started with Billy Goats Gruff. My only criteria is that the books have to tell a story rather than just amuse. Attention spans are very short. 

Every now and then something in a book will click a memory in a resident. Last week, a story mentioned (only in passing) collecting syrup from maple trees. Suddenly a man I'd never heard speak raised his head and described the process to tap a tree, hang a bucket to collect sap, and use the sap for syrup. Then he ducked his head and grew quiet again.

I pick relatively short books with good illustrations and walk around the room to show the pictures. The natural ham in me tries to act out character voices.

The library in Chatham, Illinois has a large selection of used books and children's books are usually fifty cents or a dollar. I decided to buy the books in case a resident wants to keep one. Occasionally they do.

Sometimes I'll take a second book that's a jumping off point for conversation. One about truck stops let us talk about taking vacations when cars traveled on two lane roads rather than interstates. Mostly I mention things they might have seen and get some appreciative nods. The key thing is never to ask the residents if they remember something. Some folks can perceive that they used to know more than they now do, and it would be frustrating to ask what they can recall.

Today it's almost 100 degrees in central Illinois, so I took a story about a snow monster -- a little girl who likes to eat snow and mistakenly made a wish about eating all of it! We can then talk about blizzards and making snowmen as children.

It may sound as if I'm doing something noble. I'm not. As with most forms of volunteering, I get a lot more out of reading than the residents do by listening.

If you're interested in doing something similar, check with a memory care facility. The one I go to likes to have readers in the hours before lunch and dinner, because the residents are waiting to eat and it makes the time go faster. You'll get more than you give.

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Projection Is More Than an Old-Fashioned Machine

By Elaine L. Orr

I sometimes teach in a middle or high school, and I laugh to myself at how differently kids speak to a teacher in a classroom than they speak to each other.   Answering a question in class, some of them talk almost in a whisper.  You ask them to speak up and they do raise their voices, but nowhere near as loud as they could. You have only to stand in the cafeteria to realize they know how to get people to listen to them.

It may sound obvious, but part of making your voice heard is to project well. I am often in groups, at meetings or fun activities or church.  I admit to a hearing deficit, but if that were the only issue then it would be difficult to hear everyone. In fact some people come through loud and clear.

People who cannot be easily heard at all or who don't come through clearly are doing one of several things. They:

1. Speak in a conversational tone, as you would at the dinner table.

2.  Start a sentence or thought in a strong voice, but as they get to the end of their point, they drop their voice or speak quickly.

3.   Don't finish some of their sentences. It's natural for your brain to move from topic to topic. But if you're speaking to someone, you need to finish a thought.

4. Don't open their mouth as fully as they could. If you're muttering to yourself or talking to someone sitting next to you, you don't necessarily enunciate well. Part of that is rushing through sentences without fully forming the words.

5. Talk too fast. When you listen to a bunch of  kids giving presentations at school, they talk twice as fast as adults or even faster than they usually would talk to other kids. They want to be done. Adults do this too.

Some things to keep in mind would be jotting notes before you start to talk in a meeting or when talking to any group. That's when you are nervous and most likely to talk quickly or drop your voice at the end of sentences.

Put a small pebble or dried bean under your tongue and try to speak clearly. It isn't easy, and of course you have to make sure not to swallow the pebble. The speed at which you talk when something is under your tongue is probably close to the speed you should speak in many settings.

If you are told that you don't speak clearly, record yourself and play it back. Many people are surprised that they sound higher in the recording. Don't pay too much attention to that. Listen to the pacing and how each word sounds. If you don't like what you hear, watch a couple of newscasts and listen to how the announcers enunciate every word even when they are speaking in a conversational tone. That's your goal for just about anything other than a casual conversation with friends.

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Remembering their Sacrifices on Memorial Day

 By Elaine L. Orr

I often think about how an entire generation rose and sacrificed to defend freedom and save the world from fascism. My father (Miles D. Orr) and his brothers William Tom and Harold James were among the brave, but ALL of their siblings (total of nine) played important roles, as did their spouses. 

Miles was a friendly guy, but he did not have even one close friend. He loved to go to Missouri each spring and play golf with his brother and brother-in-law (Curtis Jackson) and rarely missed high school reunion weekend in Mount Vernon, MO -- held on Memorial Day weekend, if I remember correctly. He NEVER talked about his war experiences except to say things like the Red Cross had good donuts.

Not long before he died, he wanted to talk about "the War" so he spoke to one of my brothers. My brother had to swear he would not repeat what he was told because the experiences were so awful Miles did not want the rest of his family to know what he endured. My brother repeated one thing -- Miles had sworn never to have a friend again, because he watched so many friends die awful deaths. Essentially, he wouldn't bear the pain of loss if he don't get close to anyone outside of his family. 

Not long before he died in 1994 I pulled together some of his poems so he could see them in a booklet. I later published them and his letters to his sister (Marguerite Orr Harlowe) in Portrait through Poetry. Probably 20 times a year I'm thankful she saved them, and that my cousin Barbara found them and shared them after her mom died. 

Military men and women could not talk about what they did or where they were, and correspondence was censored -- appropriately. Among their topics, besides family, were books. She would send Miles books and he would share them with fellow Army Air Corps members. They'd share opinions. Books.  

I try to remember to make Portrait Through Poetry free for Memorial Day, but forgot. So, it'll be free from May 27 to 31. It's amazing that Miles could write happy poems. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004T5   

Never Forget.

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Looking for Balance or Writing Without a Muse

By Elaine L. Orr

I've been less interested in writing the last few months -- something that has never happened. I had successful cancer surgery in 2024 and serious neck surgery in early 2025, so I explained (to myself) the recuperations affected my writing drive.

To be honest with myself, medical issues are not the problem. I am in a major funk over not simply the election of Donald Trump but the people around him who want to shred democracy. Without one iota of introspection or analysis of government programs, they have slashed the ability of governments at all levels to meet the needs of citizens. I think the result will be vastly reduced services and many functions pushed to state budgets. And reduced food programs, cuts in cancer research, slashed health care, etc.

The president is not sure everyone needs due process (guaranteed by the 5th and 14th amendments), which is meant to ensure fairness and protect people from arbitrary government actions. A senior aide is talking about why it would be okay to get rid of the right of habeus corpus, which is the right of a person in custody to be brought before a judge to determine if their confinement is lawful. 

Immigration as the Focus for Denying Rights

Trump and his ilk have created an enemy (immigrants) around which they hope to gather enough anger to support their actions. It's a common action of authoritarian leaders. Who would question the need to expel violent criminals who entered the U.S. unlawfully? Almost no one.

So what's the problem? Nearly all immigrants (legal or otherwise) are looking for freedom and the chance for a better life for their families. They do the jobs Americans are unwilling to do. Have you ever seen a list of the prisons or mental health institutions that "released their criminal residents" to come to the U.S.? There's no evidence of that. Facts matter.

Multiple Congresses have tackled immigration problems (and there are many), and the 2024 legislation would have been a major step in controlling it. (President Trump didn't want it passed, as he wanted to run on the issue. Shameful. Republicans dropped support after having taken the lead on the legislation.)

Ronald Reagan tried. The Immigration Reform and Control Act he signed in 1986 authorized amnesty for 3 million people, with the proviso that U.S. companies would be penalized in the future for hiring undocumented people. President Reagan, and others, believed that if it was difficult for immigrants to work they would not come. 

The U.S. didn't limit immigration (except for health reasons) until after World War I. Immigration quotas based on nationality were made permanent in 1924 and abolished in 1965. While they don't exist now, most of the one million green cards go to relatives of U.S. citizens.

If you don't know the story of your family beyond grandparents. check out the U.S. census for their occupations and income levels. If you don't want to pay a genealogy site, go to your library; they'll have a subscription to Ancestry.com or another site. Same with the free Family Search Centers, sponsored by the Church of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Some are affiliated with public libraries.

My own ancestors are all White. Most came from Ireland, none from what Mr. Trump calls the "s**thole countries. Or the African nation of Lesotho, which he maintains no one has heard of.

While one grandmother was born after her parents immigrated to the U.S., most came in the 18th and early 19th centuries. I keep wondering what ending birthright citizenship means for succeeding generations.

I Have Digressed...

I need to figure out how to balance the importance of resisting authoritarianism and cruelty with maintaining the ability to write.

In 2018 (when children were being taken from their parents) I wrote In the Shadow of Light, the fictional story of Corazon and Pico who were separated from their mother at the U.S. border.

This time, I'll revise The Art of Deliberate Distraction, nonfiction written as a panacea to constant worry. It needs to offer constructive suggestions for dealing with the overwhelming frustration and grief of the dismantling of democracy. How can people constructively distract themselves and possibly contribute to hope?

But I do need to continue to write traditional (cozy) mysteries. Besides being my bread and butter, they are their own distraction for people. They also have characters who work to make their world a better place. Good reading for the current time.

When I talk to unpublished authors, I always say they can't wait for a muse. They need to put their tailbones in chairs and work on some semblance of a schedule. Even if it's an hour a week. I need to stop waiting to feel better about the world and just write.

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Self Publishing Overview -- Whew!

By Elaine L. Orr 

Writers who decide to publish their books wear many hats. Some are more comfortable than others, and all are necessary.

You may be reading this before you finish a book or essay. It’s good to plan ahead, but more important to focus on what you are writing.

None of these tasks matter if you don’t produce a high-quality product.

THE BROAD DUTIES

 Some may seem obvious, some less so. The steps are discussed in terms of books, but apply to stories and essays. If I thought a step may not be clear for a novice, I added detail. Mostly, since the devil is in the details, you will have to learn more later – after you decide to self-publish and pursue these tasks in earnest.

 1.        Put yourself in a chair and finish the first draft of your book.

2.        Obtain feedback from several sources, and revise the book.

3.        Let the work sit for enough time to gain a fresh respective when you reread and revise again.

4.        Work with at least a proofreader (and an editor if you can afford one) to make your book the best it can be.

5.        Decide how to publish the book – digital only, add a paperback, think about audio.

6.        Determine where to publish the ebook and paperback– Amazon only, all major online retailers, Ingram Spark for bookstore and library distribution.

7.        Understand the copyright system. (Note: Under the laws of most nations, your work is copyright as soon as you put it on paper.)

8.        Determine whether you need to register as a publisher with Bowker and buy ISBNs or use free ones when offered. Some print-on-demand (POD) firms or ebook retailers provide free ones, but the ISBN is associated with their name. That does not affect the copyright.

9.        Decide whether to do all steps yourself or work with a hybrid publisher, who assists with self-publishing steps. If you choose this route, do your research and have a lawyer review the proposed contract. The following steps assume you will do all the work yourself, or contract out a few steps and oversee the work.

10.    Begin work with a cover designer by first expressing your ideas for a cover in a paragraph or two. Allow the designer to be creative, within some basic parameters.

11.    Develop a marketing plan, for online and real-world marketing. (There are hundreds of inexpensive ebooks and free blog posts on this topic.)

12.    Develop a master digital file by stripping the formatting and reinserting it.

13.    Approve the cover.

14.    Adapt the digital copy (by saving it with a different name) for each website that will sell your book.

15.    Load the digital book first to Amazon KDP, and carefully review its presentation in the digital previewer. You are not editing text, simply looking at format (such as text size) or layout.

16.    Make formatting or layout changes as needed and reload the book.

17.    Choose a date for final publication, preferably in a month or longer. This gives you time to garner sales throughout the preorder phase, thus giving the book a higher rank when it is available for purchase.

18.    Load the digital book to other sites, possibly using an aggregator such as Draft2Digital, so you load fewer times. The more sites, the more places to correct if you find a typo later. (An aggregator loads your book to multiple sites, though not to Amazon. Though they take a small portion of your royalties, they save time and frustration.)

19.    Begin or continue formatting the paperback. (You may do this even earlier, recognizing it’s not final, but a way to review the draft book as you edit.)

20.    Load the paperback to a site such as Barnes and Noble or Amazon KDP (free) or Ingram Spark (some fees). Proof the paperback, using a paper copy at least once, and digital copy for the second round of paperback revisions.

21.    Consider publishing the paperback a week or so before the final digital release date, so you can order copies for the press and bookstores.

22.    Initial marketing should include an email blast to friends and fans whom you know will make early purchases. Follow this with social media posts (Facebook Groups, BookSky, Instagram, Pinterest, even You Tube).

23.    Implement the rest of your marketing plan (which includes real-world marketing) by visiting bookstores and libraries, encouraging local media to mention your book, possibly buying an ad in a local paper or another outlet geared to your readers.

24.    Encourage readers to leave reviews for your books online, and try to get local media to review the book at their online site or in print versions.

25.    Start your next book.

26.    Never stop marketing this one, even if you don’t work on it every day.

27.    Note: Audiobooks are for another day. Amazon and Google use AI to prepare books from your manuscript – though nothing compares to a talented narrator.

      These steps are simplified, but they could still seem like too much to absorb. Step away for a bit. Play a game of golf, read a good book, or walk a mile.

Still feeling overwhelmed? Remind yourself that authors tend to congregate in critique groups, library book clubs, professional organizations, and at conferences. You can create a network of advisors. You can also pay people to do some things for you – even formatting a book for publication.

When you hold your book, it all becomes worth it.

       RESOURCES AND LINKS

      There could be thirty resources here, multiple ones for most steps. Detailed material is for a how-to course. However, a few references may answer some basic questions.

     Who copyrights my book? When you publish a book (actually, when you write it) you establish your copyright, automatically, according to U.S. Law. You can choose to register the work with the U.S. Copyright Office in the Library of Congress (http://www.copyright.gov/). The fee is $35. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean your book will be in the Library of Congress. A list of fact sheets is very helpful. (http://copyright.gov/circs/factsheet.html).

Do I need an ISBN for every edition? Not necessarily, but it helps. Amazon assigns an ASIN to each book, and it is becoming a commonly accepted book identifier for ebooks. Other sites assign their own identifiers. Some sites provide free ISBNs for paperbacks  Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Ingram Spark, to name a few.

The ISBN process is managed by Bowker (https://www.myidentifiers.com/), and means your work is in Books in Print. One costs $125 (!), ten are $295, and one-hundred are $575. Don't spend money you don't have, but buying ten could be a good goal.

 Should I get a Library of Congress Preassigned Control Number for paperbacks? Yes. You need to register as an author publisher and send a copy of the book to the Library of Congress. You can, and should, get the number long before publication. It's free.

https://www.loc.gov/programs/prepub-book-link/about-this-program/

 How many places should you publish? Some people do Amazon only, which lets you participate in its KDP Select program for ebooks. I publish “wide,” which means many sites. For that, I publish with Amazon and then use Draft2Digital to load ebooks to other sites – except Google. That’s separate. D2D is much simpler than formatting for all sites, though you make less per book sold.

I strongly suggest you use only three sites for paperbacks: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and IngramSpark. You could do just Amazon and IngramSpark, but I like to promote directly to Barnes and Noble (and you make more with them than by using a distributor.) Bookstores and libraries generally order only through Ingram. They will not order from Amazon. You can develop consignment arrangements with local stores, but that involves you ordering the books and keeping them in stock – a lot of work.

 Jane Friedman periodically updates her comprehensive post on self-publishing. Yay Jane!

https://janefriedman.com/self-publish-your-book/

    There are dozens of websites through which you can sell your books, and you don’t need to pay anyone to load ebooks. With most sites, you can also produce paperbacks but not distribute commercially, if you so choose. To give you a flavor for ebook and paperback publication, look to:

 Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) information. This link takes you to a broad overview; more detailed topics are in the left sidebar. Ebooks, paperbacks, hardbacks. If you use Ingram also, do not select expanded distribution.

https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A37Z49E2DDQPP3

 Ingram Spark Users’ Guide. Because Ingram offers your paperback book worldwide to diverse vendors, it is a detailed process. That’s okay. Use this as a reference tool.

https://www.ingramspark.com/hubfs/downloads/user-guide.pdf

(Note: Ingram works best for paperbacks. Ebook royalty rates are not as good as some other sites.)

 Barnes and Noble Tools and Tips for publishing directly with them. Ebooks, paperbacks, hardbacks. BN hosts author events, which is one reason I publish directly through BN Press. They can quickly get your books to their customers.

https://press.barnesandnoble.com/author-tools-and-tips

Draft to Digital frequently asked questions. D2D has been around for 15 years or so, and bought Smashwords, a popular ebook publishing site. You would not use them for paperbacks if you use Ingram.

https://draft2digital.com/faq/

 D2D publishes with all ebook sites, including Overdrive for libraries and the subscription site Everand. You can publish directly with, for example, Kobo and Apple, but I choose to simplify with D2D. While D2D has arrangements now with Amazon, you would want to publish directly with Kindle Direct Publishing.

 As the key site for Android users, Google Play Partner Program is essential.  It does not have specific guidelines, perhaps because it’s less complicated than other retailers. You load a PDF file, so the book appears as you see it on your computer.

https://play.google.com/books/publish/u/0/

    What About Traditional Publishing?                                                                     

     I would never suggest not going for a contract with a traditional publisher. In fact, I planned to find an agent and go that route for my Family History Mystery Series. I finished the first book in January 2020, the start of COVID. Uncertain about everything, I channeled my energy into work and wrote three books in the series that year. 

     Some smaller or niche publisher will review a book without an agent, but larger publisher will not even read a query an author submits directly.

    Read articles about finding an agent or ask author friends for suggestions about their experiences. Author organizations (such as Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, Horror Writers Association) are good ways to network about this and learn more about writing and publishing.

     The bottom line is that you make the choices. How do you write the best book? Read, read, read.

     Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments.

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 For information on Elaine L. Orr’s books, go to https://www.elaineorr.com or visit her blog https://elaineorr.blogspot.com Books are at all online retailers or ask a bookstore or library to order them. You can also sign up for her newsletter. 

Components of a Cozy Mystery

By Elaine L. Orr

When I began publishing mysteries in 2010, I hadn't heard the term cozy mystery, which was coined at the end of the 20th century. I just sat at my computer and wrote and later thought about the category my mysteries would fit into.

My choice of books with less violence was a deliberate one. I don't like really violent (especially sadistic) books or television shows. I also noted that movies with the largest box office income (at that time) were mostly Disney and similar movies.

It didn't take more than a minute to realize it was because anyone could see them. If you counted by ticket sales instead of dollars, I bet Disney movies would still be at or close to the top. Statistics vary, but Avatar and Titanic are generally in the top five. Intense, but not violent.

Given the lessened levl of violence, almost anyone can read my books. A precocious niece read them in middle school, but my books are geared to adults.

Key Elements of a Cozy Mystery 

• The story involves a murder, but it take place "off screen." Often the sleuth discovers the body.
• The sleuth is an amateur, never a member of law enforcement. Nearly all are women. 
• Professions vary, and sleuths sometimes own their own retail business -- bakery, bookstore, coffee shop -- or work in a field that permits a flexible schedule. She does need time to investigate. In my three cozy series, the sleuths are a real estate appraiser, a graphic designer, and a gardener.
• Small town are the norm. Plots can be complex and characters diverse, but the sleuth needs to know people to query (or from whom to ferret information). When she's one of 300,000 people (a moderately large city) there are fewer links among suspects -- or friends. Easier to get tips in small towns. Plus, less traffic.
• Minimal sex and swearing. Some books have a romantic element, but it can't take away from the mystery. 

Readers have expectations for all types of books. A spy thriller would have high stakes. Major characters will cross boarders and have sophisticated skills (think breaking into complex computer systems or being able to disarm an explosive device). 

A cozy reader does not want to read a detailed autopsy report. I used the word 'damn' a couple of times in an early book and a reviewer commented on "the swearing." That doesn't mean every character needs to be a goody two-shoes, but any swearing would definitely not include the F Bomb.

For a more detailed discussion, get Marian's perspective by going to https://cozymystery.com/what-is-a-cozy-mystery/. This incredible site has information on more than 20,000 cozy mysteries, including mine at  https://cozymystery.com/authors/elaine-l-orr/. Marian is a very generous soul.

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"Short" Can Say More than "Long"

By Elaine L. Orr

In rewriting Fired up and Feisty (first in Shore Shenanigans series), I learned that I had been so anxious to get started on my fun idea I did not probe my characters' motives enough. I did character sketches, but they were more like short bios. They told me what a character did, not who they were or how they fit into the story.

When I realize something like that, I read what others say about writing. This time I came across Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method for designing a novel.

It's an approach to thinking through a novel and its characters before you start writing -- what I often don't seem able to do. Here's how he deals with creating characters.

"Characters are the most important part of any novel, and the time you invest in designing them up front will pay off ten-fold when you start writing. For each of your major characters, take an hour and write a one-page summary sheet that tells:

• The character’s name
• A one-sentence summary of the character’s storyline
• The character’s motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?)
• The character’s goal (what does he/she want concretely?)
• The character’s conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?)
• The character’s epiphany (what will he/she learn, how will he/she change?
• A one-paragraph summary of the character’s storyline."

I took this to heart and began to think short, if you will. My sentence or two for each character does not have a rigid pattern, and I've more to think through.

Broad Theme of Fired Up and Feisty: Simmering resentments during a high school reunion weekend lead to a hotel fire and murder.

Who is in that simmering pot of those who graduated at least 40 years ago?

• Catherine Anderson received a note that said there was more to her sister Lenna's death than a simple car accident. Is it too late to find out?
• Preston McKinley isn't sure he remembers what happened the night of the car accident, but he knows he's guilty of something.
• Retired Police Captain Sandy Cotton had ideas about who was in the car with Lenna but could never prove it.
• Unpopular (and rude) Ben Halperin may be that way for good reasons.
• Ginny Sullivan appears to remember her senior prom fondly, but was it really a good night?
• Harvey Bannon pushed for Achy Breaky Heart to be the talent show entry for the Golden Grads. Does his smart-aleck demeanor hide a broken heart?
• Ethel Collins only left Ocean Alley 5 years ago. Did she stay because she liked it or leave because she didn't?
• Grayson Redmond was class president and is a talented physicist. Why does he seem to be so disliked?
• Audrey McPherson's tightly permed iron gray hair reflects her sour mood.
• Audrey Lawson is a New York City sophisticate who thinks she's better than her classmates.
• Honey blonde Mabel Martin doesn't like to look her age or appreciate Harvey's barbs.

Characters Who Aren't Golden Grads

Though the story takes place in Ocean Alley, New Jersey, it does not feature amateur sleuth Jolie Gentil or her husband Scoobie; they are ancillary characters. Regular characters from the Jolie series have different roles in this series. I'll have more on them in another post.

George Winters thinks he can grow his new firm, Summer and Winters Investigations, if he can help figure out who did what to whom many years ago.

Madge Richards hosts the Golden Grads after the hotel fire. What she hears can help solve the mystery -- and she hopes it will get hem out of her B&B fast.

Harry Steele, Madge's husband, will be more than a pretty face -- but I'm not sure just how he'll go about it.

Jolie Gentil and Scoobie O'Brien serve as occasional listening posts for George, but it's his story.

If it seems like it's taking me a long time to finish this book, you're right. But the second draft will be more fulsome than the first.

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