Birthdays: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803), Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803), Boris Artzybasheff (1899), Theodore Roethke (1908), Robert Ludlum (1927), John Gregory Dunne (1932), W.P. Kinsella (1935), David Levering Lewis (1936), Raymond Carver (1938), Joyce Carol Thomas (1938), Jamaica Kincaid (1949), Al Sarrantonio (1952), Eve Ensler (1953), Vera Nazarian (1966), Poppy Z. Brite (1967), Octavia Spencer (1972), Madeleine Thien (1974),
Edward Bulwer-Lytton became famous for his opening line “It was a dark and stormy night.”
Boris Artzybasheff won the Newbery Medal for his work on Dhan Gopal-Mukerji’s “Gay-Neck”.
Theodor Roethke won the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his book “The Waking”
W.P. Kinsella was best known for his book “Shoeless Joe” which became the movie “Field of Dreams”
David Lewis was a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History
Quote: “Because one has written other books does not mean the next becomes any easier.” – John Gregory Dunne
Tip: Mad at someone? Use that emotion—or any strong emotion—in your story. Give the emotions to your characters. Your story is where you can legally kill someone off—but remember to change the names!
Jumpstart: Write a short “how to” piece on something you know. Do you know how to pick out good wine? Build a birdhouse? Bake bread? Give the reader details on how to do this.
Birthdays: Maurice Francis Egan (1852), Elizabeth Foreman Lewis (1892), Kathleen Hale (1898), Mikhail Shokolov (1905), William Trevor (1928), Joseph Brodsky (1940), Bob Dylan (1941), Michel Chabon (1963), Mo Willems (1968)
Elizabeth Lewis won the 1933 Newbery Award for “Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze”
Mikhail Shokolov won the 1965 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Joseph Brodsky won the 1987 Nobel Prize in Literature
Quote: “You need three things to become a successful novelist: talent, luck and discipline. Discipline is the one element of those three things that you can control, and so that is the one that you have to focus on controlling, and you just have to hope and trust in the other two.” – Michel Chabon
Tip: In plurals, spelling can be vastly different for similar words, especially in the English language. For instance: one goose, two geese. But we do not say one moose/two meese. One mouse/two mice but one house/two houses. If you’re not sure, look it up.
Jumpstart: If you could have any celebrity act the part of your main character. Who would you choose? Why? Would anything have to change for this person to play your character? What and why?
Incident at Lahore Basin is also available from other Amazon worldwide websites, Barnes & Noble, Fishpond, iBooks, Google, Apple and other good book retailers, worldwide.
5.0 out of 5 stars‘Incident at Lahore Basin’ is a must read for thriller afficionados.
Wow! What a terrific thriller, rapt with cliff-hangers and suspense. Hooked me from the outset. Couldn’t put the book down. ‘Incident at Lahore Basin’ works on a variety of levels; daring action, political intrigue and double-dealing, all underscored by a fast-moving plot having main protagonist Dale Latham engulfed in a whirlpool of intrigue and spy tradecraft.
‘Incident at Lahore Basin’ offers a new approach to the thriller genre, in that it encapsulates an unusual bewitching theme set in a bizarre environment, with none of the usual expected outcomes and even less predictability. It oozes pathos, a clear-cut exposé and most of all, realism on how the world of business and politics often collide, producing decimating outcomes for those inadvertently caught up in the high-powered politicians’ game.
Readers should prepare themselves for the thunderbolt ending; something totally unforeseen, it hit me like a sledgehammer.
Highly recommended. Five stars.
Clive Radford began writing at school, then university but mainly through subsequent life experience.
His poetry has been published in numerous poetry magazines such as The Journal, The Cannon’s Mouth, Poetry Monthly, Poetry Now, Storming Heaven, Poetry Nottingham, Scripsi and Modern Review, plus in many compilations by United Press.
A series of his short stories and poems have been published by Ether Books. The Arts Council has sponsored publication of his novels ‘One Night in Tunisia’ and ‘The Sounds of Silence’. His contemporary satire ‘Doghouse Blues’ was number one in Harper Collins Authonomy chart and has been awarded gold medal status. It has been published by Black Rose. His spy thriller ‘Zavrazin’ has been published by Triplicity Publishing. It’s companion sequel ‘Nexus Bullet’ is published by Ex-L-Ence Publishing. His three-book series ‘Disclosures of a Femme Fatale Addict’ has been published by Wild Dreams Publishing and Miraclaire Publishing. His science fiction novel ‘Maggie’s Farm’, suspense-thriller ‘Incident at Lahore Basin’, contemporary thriller ‘Alpha Centauri’ and his satires ‘Doghouse Blues 2’, ‘Doghouse Blues 3’ and ‘Doghouse Blues Revised and Remastered’ are published by Rogue Phoenix Press. Melange Books has published his mystery thriller, ‘Monsoon in the Making’ and ‘The Spiral Staircase and other Novellas’, a mix of psychological, modern satire and rite of passage sagas.
‘One Night in Tunisia’, ‘Zavrazin’ and ‘Nexus Bullet’ have all been converted into three-act screenplays. The ‘Zavrazin’ screenplay is under contract with Story Merchant/Atchity Productions for film production.
Rogue Phoenix Press will be publishing his action-adventure/rite of passage ‘Desolation Argonauts’ August 2022.
Currently, he is crafting a number of works including ‘Three Cheshire Boys’ a comedic thriller, ‘Colby Richmond: The University Years’, the coming of age sequel to ‘Disclosures of a Femme Fatale Addict’, ‘Mozart meets McCartney’, a mystery, and ‘Wokeland’, a dystopian social science fiction.
His work has a distinctive voice setting it apart and appealing to those fascinated by intrigue, and who question status quo accepted views.
Birthdays: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859), Herge (Georges Prosper Remi) (1907), Vance Packard (1914), Peter Matthiessen (1927), Arnold Lobel (1933), Gary Willis (1934), Max Brooks (1972), Tansy Rayner Roberts (1978)
Arthur Conan Doyle is best known for his Sherlock Holmes mysteries
Gary Willis won the 1993 Pulitzer for General Nonfiction for “Lincoln at Gettysburg”
Quote: “Just do it. Writing, like anything, takes practice and discipline, and I’ve found that discipline comes from a lifetime of repetition. I started writing when I was 12 and it’s made the action as normal as any other activity.” – Max Brooks
Tip: While Americans mostly spell “theater” with an “er” ending, there are some places in the US that use the British spelling: theatre. If you’re using the name of an actual place, be sure to check how they spell it.
Jumpstart: I will never forget his (or her) smile as I… (remember, smiles can be happy, sinister, tentative, etc.)
Birthdays: Alexander Pope (1688), Harold Robbins (1916), Robert Creeley (1926), Janet Dailey (1944), Elizabeth Buchan (1948), Maria Semple (1964)
Quote: “I keep an elaborate calendar for my characters detailing on which dates everything happens. I’m constantly revising this as I go along. It gives me the freedom to intricately plot my story, knowing it will at least hold up on a timeline.” – Maria Semple
Tip: Use commas between independent clauses (an independent clause can be a sentence all by itself): The committee will meet next Wednesday, and the head will report to the boss on Friday. No commas with dependent clauses: The committee will meet Wednesday and report to the boss on Friday. (“Report to the boss” is not a complete sentence, thus it’s dependent).
Jumpstart: The ice caps have melted. Welcome to “Water World”. So, what is your life like on a water planet? What does your house look like? Your transportation? Are there underwater cities? How do people get food and get around?
Birthdays: Honoré de Balzac (1799), Hector Malot (1830), Sigrid Undset (1882), Allan Nevins (1890), Margery Allingham (1904), Justin Cartwright (1943), Mary Pope Osborne (1949), Michele Roberts (1949), Walter Isaacson (1952), Douglas Preston (1956), Christopner Sorrentino (1963), Jon Meacham (1969)
Sigrid Undset won the 1928 Nobel Prize in Literature
Allan Nevins won the 1933 Pulitzer for his biography of Grover Cleveland
Mary Pope Osborne is most well known for her “Magic Tree House” series
Jon Meacham won the 2009 Pulitzer in Biography for “American Lion: Andrew Johnson in the White House”
Quote: “You can’t believe anything that’s written in an historical novel, and yet the author’s job is always to create a believable world that readers can enter. It’s especially so, I think, for writers of historical fiction.” – Justin Cartwright
Tip: When looking over a contract, if you are doing it yourself, be sure you are aware of the rights you are assigning to the publisher and the length of time they have the right to your work. These can include electronic, audio, translations, reprint, other editions, and more. Learn what they are so you can make informed decisions concerning your work.
Jumpstart: What is your character’s dream car? Describe it in detail. How will s/he get one?
Birthdays: Bernadotte Schmitt (1886), Ernest Samuels (1903), T. Harry Williams (1909), Lorraine Hansberry (1930), Paul Erdman (1932), Tom Feelings (1933), Ruskin Bond (1934), Nora Ephron (1941), Jonathan Dee (1962), Jodi Picoult (1966), Jassy Mackenzie (1970),
Bernadotte Schmitt won the Pulitzer for History for “The Coming of the War, 1914”
Ernest Samuels won the Pulitzer for Biography for his work on Bernard Berenson
T. Harry Williams won a Pulitzer for Biography for his bio on Huey Long
Quote: “Here’s a foolproof recipe. Four cups of reading. Two cups of writing. One cup of rewriting, two tablespoons of feedback from knowledgeable people. A dash of humility, a pinch of optimism, and a sackload of perseverance. Finally, write from your heart, or don’t write at all. Passion fuels the process.” – Jassy Mackenzie
Tip: Make sure your manuscript has the same font throughout. Sometimes, in doing different versions, fonts get mixed up. TNR12 (Times New Roman) is the standard, but whatever font you use, make sure you use it throughout.
Jumpstart: Darkness fell, and with it, my nerve… (finish this using: hanging tree, carburetor, teddy)
Birthdays: Omar Khayyam (1048), Bertrand Russell (1872), Henry James (1879), Irene Hunt (1907), Patrick Dennis (1921), Lillian Hoban (1925), Fred Saberhagen (1930), W.G. Sebald (1944), Andrew Gross (1952), Diane Duane (1952), Sarah Ellis (1952), Lionel Shriver (1957),
Henry James won the Pulitzer for a biography of Charles W. Eliot.
Bertrand Russell won the 1950 Nobel in Literature for “A History of Western Philosophy”
Irene Hunt won the 1967 Newbery Medal for “Up a Road Slowly”
Quote: “By all means be experimental, but let the reader be part of the experiment” – W.G. Sebald
Tip: You should get an official copyright for your book. Yes, there is a tacit copyright as soon as you finish the book, but registering the copyright makes sure you’re legally covered.
Jumpstart: On this date in 1980, Mt. St. Helen’s erupted, coating the northwest in ash. Imagine your character was there. What did s/he do? Where did s/he go? Or didn’t s/he?
PHIL Claussen couldn’t very well leave her out there in the middle of nowhere, shoeless and barely dressed, so he offered her a ride. When he asks why she’s hitchhiking on a deserted road, she says, “Waiting for you. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” “Impossible,” he says. “I’ve never set foot in Oklahoma before.” He asks more questions but gets very few answers. It’s two days before he learns her name, Dani. He soon discovers that he’s driven into a realm where events seem to be all set and waiting for his arrival, a place where his own treasured free will means very little. Falling in love with DANI becomes his favorite part of the process. But if it was all arranged so carefully, how does he wind up in jail charged with two murders and Dani as the chief witness for the prosecution?
Available at:
Amazon
The Wild Rose Press
Barnes & Noble
About the author:
A native Tar Heel, Mike Owens obtained his undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, and later, an MFA in creative writing from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA, where he now resides. His topics in fiction vary widely, ranging from science themes to end-of-life issues to erotica…go figure! His new release, IT HAD TO BE YOU follows a man whose self-destructive behavior leads him into a romantic adventure with a young woman who appears to have been waiting for him all along.
