Birthdays: Sarah Orne Jewett (1849), Aliki (1929), Adriana Trigiani (1969), Alison Lurie (1926), Jenny Han (1980), Kiran Desai (1971), Lawrence Clark Powell (1906), Malcolm Gladwell (1963)

Tip: Dangling modifiers: modifiers are words or phrases that enhance other words in a sentence. If you misplace them (dangling), you can change the meaning of a sentence, or make it impossible as in: “Carrying the box, the leaves blew across his path.” In this case, it sounds like the leaves are doing the carrying. Much better: As he carried the box, the leaves blew across his path. Or: The leaves blew across his path as he carried the box.

Thought for the day: “You can’t write well with only the nice parts of your character, and only about nice things. And I don’t want even to try anymore. I want to use everything, including hate and envy and lust and fear.” – Alison Lurie

Jumpstart: You’re going to be on a reality show—one that’s never been seen before. What will it be? What will the challenges be? What is the prize? Why are you doing this?

Birthdays: Allen Drury (1918), John Bierhorst (1936), Demi (1942), Barbara Dillon (1927), Ellen Stohl Walsh (1942), Eugene Field (1850), Jack Bickham (1930), Joseph Roth (1894)

Tip: Watch your verb tenses. Whether writing in present or past tense, keep it consistent. I’ve seen too many books where the writer slips from present tense (I am doing this) to the past (I did this) to future (I will do this) sometimes in the same sentence. Most books are written in third person/past tense (She painted the picture.). Some in first person/past tense (I painted the picture). Whatever person/tense you choose, make sure you are consistent throughout.

Thought for the day: “Books cannot change. A thousand years hence they are what you find them today, speaking the same words, holding forth the same cheer, the same promise, the same comfort; always constant, laughing with those who laugh and weeping with those who weep.” – Eugene Field

Jumpstart: This is National Beheading Day. Why would anybody name a day after such a horrible practice? What is the history behind this day? Your character celebrates this day – why and how?

For your reading pleasure:

Under Nonfiction:

Beginner’s Guide to the Occult – an excellent reference book for those interested in the different types of practices.

Essential Oil Magic – another excellent reference for anyone looking to work with essential oils.

Natural Remedies for Sleep – A definite must for anyone who has trouble sleeping

Under Mysteries:

How Everything Turns Away – a 4 sparkler thriller that keeps you guessing

Under Fantasy:

Bitter Thorn Tribe – The second book in the series follows “Keeper of the Grove” – how a modern woman deals with ancient battles and warriors

Under Romance:

Hometown – a short, sweet romance with a HEA that satisfies.

September 1

Birthdays: Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875), Jim Arnosky (1946), Gail Gibbons (1944), Jane Hissey (1952), Jean Burden (1914), Jesse Kellerman (1978), Marguerite Gardiner (1789), Nelson George (1957), Timothy Zahn (1951)

Tip: This is back to school month for many schools. Take a trip to your nearest office supply store and look at all the neat things for students. What would you really like to have? New notebooks? A fancy pen? A new computer? Pick one object in your price range and buy it. Make a plan for future purchases you can’t currently afford.

Thought for the day: “The most important lesson my parents taught me is that writing is a job, one that requires discipline and commitment. Most of the time it’s a fun job, a wonderful job, but sometimes it isn’t, and those are the days that test you.” – Jesse Kellerman

Jumpstart: Edgar Rice Burroughs was the creator of Tarzan. Your character is meeting Tarzan as he gets off the boat in England for the first time. What are his/her impressions of the King of the jungle?

Birthdays: William Saroyan (1908), Kenneth Oppel (1967), DuBose Heyward (1885), G. Willow Wilson (1982), William Shawn (1907), Stephen Coonts (1944), Blake Nelson (1965)

Tip: When you get to the point where you’re doing book signings, some places you’ll be sitting there twiddling your thumbs and at others, you’ll have a line. Even if all you get asked at the dead one is directions to the bathroom, be nice. Smile. Engage the person as you point to the restroom sign. Perception is everything and if you come across as a curmudgeon, you’ll get a bad reputation.

Thought for the day: “For me the hard part of writing isn’t coming up with ideas — it’s shaping and developing an idea into a good story. I find writing very hard work, and I write and rewrite my stories many times before I’m happy with them. I think inspiration is a small part of the writing process; perseverance is equally, if not more, important!” – Kenneth Oppel

Jumpstart: What kind of garden would a vampire plant? What about an evil magician?

When Tessa’s big-city plans take the A Train to disaster, she lands in her sleepy hometown, smack in the middle of the most unlikely love triangle ever to hit Pennsylvania’s Amish Country.

Hot-shot Dr. Richard Bruce is bound to Green Ridge by loyalty that runs deep. Deeper still is Jonas Rishel’s tie to the land and his family’s Amish community. Behind the wheel of a 1979 camper van, Tessa idles at a fork in the road. Will she cruise the superhighway to the future? Or take a slow trot to the past and a mysterious society she never dreamed she’d glimpse from the inside?

Buy links:

Amazon  

Barnes and Noble

Apple

Target.com

Wendy Rich Stetson is a New York City girl who still considers the Central Pennsylvania countryside to be her home.  She grew up road tripping in a 1979 VW camper van, and she keeps a running list of favorite roadside attractions from coast to coast.  Now an author of sweet, small-town romance, Wendy is no stranger to storytelling.  She’s a Broadway and television actress, an audiobook narrator, and a mom who likes nothing more than collaborating on children’s books with her teenage artist daughter.  Wendy lives in Upper Manhattan with her family of three and rambunctious Maine Coon kitty.  Follow Wendy’s journey at www.wendyrichstetson.com

Social Media Links:

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WendyRichStetsonRomance

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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58504083-hometown?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Svcjev2iMD&rank=1

Bookbub  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/wendy-rich-stetson

Birthdays: Mary Shelley (1797), Virginia Lee Burton (1909), Helen Craig (1934), Camilla Lackberg (1974), Guy Kawasaki (1954), N.H. Kleinbaum (1948), Theophile Gautier (1811)

Tip: “Try and” vs. “try to”: “try and” do something is incorrect grammar. The correct usage is “try to” do something.

Thought for the day: “I’ve always viewed myself as a brand. When I started 10 years ago, that was very controversial. ‘Marketing’ and ‘PR’ were dirty words for the literary world, but that has changed. Once the book is finished, I want as many people as possible to read it.” – Camilla Lackberg

Jumpstart: He smiled sadly as he looked at the picture she held. “That was taken when we…”

Birthdays: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749), Sir John Betjeman (1906), Janet Frame (1924), Rita Dove (1952), Robert Duvoison (1904), Allan Say (1937), Tasha Tudor (1915), Jack Vance (1916), Robertson Davies (1913), Leo Tolstoy (1828), Vonda McIntyre (1948)

Tip: Learn what a contraction is and how to use apostrophes with them: it’s (for it is) vs. its (possessive form – belonging to it).

Thought for the day: “The less a writer discusses his work and himself the better. The master chef slaughters no chickens in the dining room; the doctor writes prescriptions in Latin; the magician hides his hinges, mirrors, and trapdoors with the utmost care.” – Jack Vance

Jumpstart: If you think this place is all happiness and smiles, you’re so wrong… so, so wrong. Appearances can be very deceiving. Let me tell you…

Birthdays: Theodore Dreiser (1871), C.S. Forester (1899), Ira Levin (1929), William Least Heat-Moon (1939), Lisa Yee (1959), Suzy Cline (1943), Ann Rinaldi (1934), Sarah Stewart (1938), Antonia Fraser (1932), Jeanette Winterson (1959), Jill Lepore (1966)

Tip: Learn about singular, plural, and possessive nouns: The cat scratched at the door (singular). Three cats showed up on our porch (plural). She was playing with the cat’s toy (single possessive). She was playing with the cats’ toys (plural possessive).

Thought for the day: “The clue to book jacket photography is to look friendly and approachable, but not too glamorous.” – Antonia Fraser

Jumpstart: It’s the future and everyone has a “gem” embedded in their wrist. It monitors your movements, your health, everything about you. Green is perfect; yellow is a problem; red is serious. Yours suddenly turns black…