Skiing: My Fiction Versus My Reality

In Just Like the Brontë Sisters, sisters Jo Beth and Skylar are both expert skiers. I am NOT an expert skier. However, I like to follow that adage, write about what you know, and I do know a little something about skiing. I do have some real-life experience. But how does my skiing reality compare to my skiing fiction?

1.       I did not grow up in a Colorado ski town but am I sort of from Colorado.

Jo Beth and Skylar grew up in the fictional town of Black Diamond, CO. They spent every free moment hitting the slopes, and their peers were mostly ski rats. I grew up in Lawrence, Kansas. I spent most of my free time participating in local theater or dance productions, and my friends were all kids of faculty members from KU.

How does that make me “sort of” from Colorado? Well, my mom’s family (my aunts, uncles, etc.) all lived in Colorado as I was growing up. They still do. For the last twenty years, my mom and stepdad have lived in Boulder as well. So, I’ve spent a lot of summers and Christmases out there, and I since I no longer have any ties to Kansas, Colorado feels like a second home. Plus, I’ve lived in Colorado for months at a time. Which leads me to my next point…

2.       I am not an expert skier, but I did work as a ski-lift operator.

Both Skylar and Jo Beth can race down slopes, fly over moguls, and carve tracks like they were born with skis attached to their baby booties. Not me. I haven’t been skiing for years, but there was a time when I was halfway decent (but only if you compare to someone with no athletic ability or skiing experience.)

I need a lot of time to pick up physical skills. But at one point in my life, I had time and opportunity to learn to ski. You see, when I was a senior in college, some reps from the ski resort in Crested Butte, Colorado, visited campus to recruit people to come work as lift operators. I went and got hired. I was about to graduate with a degree in theater, so a job working at a ski resort was probably as good a prospect as I could hope for. 

I thought I was signing up for a romantic adventure. Now, when I look back on those months of employment, I remember a little bit of romantic adventure, but mostly I recall frozen toes and the feeling of not really fitting in. The other ski lift operators gave me a nickname: the librarian. This was because I wasn’t didn't enjoy going out and getting drunk, and I used my evenings to stay in and read. Plus, I wasn’t a great skier when I began working there.

When I finished, I also wasn’t a great skier. But I had graduated from green slopes to blue. I even tried one black slope, inching my way around moguls instead of over them. I did learn to keep my skis parallel, which I was proud of. And I can still remember that feeling of control plus speed, with the wind rushing past me, and feeling at one with the snow and the mountain. That feeling didn’t come often, but it was powerful enough to remember and to write about.

3.       I have never competed in the Olympics, but I love watching them.

Both Skylar and Jo Beth are the stars of their high school ski teams. I don’t want to give away too much of the story, but at least one of them goes on to compete in the Olympics. I think it’s safe to say I will NEVER be an Olympic athlete. That non-existent window of opportunity has passed.

Yet I do love to workout. No, that’s not the same as being in the Olympics, but I’m addicted to the rush I get from my morning run or from a really good exercise routine. And while I’m not a sports fan, I adore watching the winter Olympics. It’s so cool that all the events center around snow and ice. The figure skating is always fun, but my true loves are the skiing events: the bells that the spectators ring, the biopics they show of the athletes, the suspense over who will get down the slope the fastest. I suppose it all reminds me of my brief flirtation with the world of skiing, so I feel vicariously cool, sitting on my couch with a box of cereal, wearing my flannel pajama pants while cheering on Bode Miller.

I think one of the best parts of writing fiction is wish fulfillment.  I can give my characters the success and glamorous background that I never had. Another great thing about fiction writing is taking memories and molding them into something new and exciting. That’s what I did with skiing in Just Like the Brontë Sisters and I’m so excited to share it now with readers!

My new novel is in presale on Amazon right now, and it's available for download on November 11th. You can read all about Jo Beth and Skylar's adventures with skiing and so much more. :)

 Click here to see the book on Amazon.

I'm Giving the Star System a Thumbs Down

Netflix has adopted a new review system, or rather an old-school, Siskel & Ebert inspired system, where they ditched the "one to five stars" option in favor of “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.”

Why? Netflix said that over time, they realized the average number of stars that something received didn't correlate to people's viewing habits. For example, documentaries get a lot of five star ratings and silly comedies usually receive three stars, but the comedies are way more popular in terms of what people actually watch. So really, a simple "thumbs up" or thumbs down" is a more effective way for viewers to express if something is worth their time to watch.

I wish Amazon would switch to "thumbs up" or "thumbs down," because personal taste, by its very nature, is subjective. Most people rate things on whether or not it appeals to them, rather than objectively assessing its quality. For that reason, I hate the five star rating system.

I can get bad reviews because my book was too short, or there wasn't enough romance, or someone didn't like the main character. Maybe these are all legitimate reasons not to like one of my books, but a bad review can cause serious repercussions. If your book has an average review rating that's below four stars, you can’t advertise on any of the premium sites and readers will automatically dismiss it. It’s so hard to get reviews in the first place, let alone lots of five stars reviews, but that’s the thing that can make or break the success of a novel. A simple "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" would make life a lot easier.

I don’t think the reviewers (who aren’t authors themselves) realize their power. Why would they? And of course I appreciate anyone who has given my books a chance, and has taken the time to review it. But can I now just say my biggest pet peeve? It’s when a reviewer says in their review “3.5 Stars” but because they can only use whole numbers of stars, they round down. Ugh!

But on the other hand, I can understand their indecision.

I have been going to physical therapy lately, because I broke my elbow and now I have weeks and weeks and weeks of seemingly endless recovery where I have to try and bend my arm when it wants to stay frozen. And at every appointment, my therapist asks, “What’s your pain level?”

It’s so hard to answer. Do I try to sound brave? I don’t want to downplay it. But a four for me might be a six, or a two, for somebody else. I always think too hard, and usually wind up answering, “3.5.”

It’s so ridiculous. I should just commit to a three, or a four, or give in to being a wimp and say it’s a five. Or even better, I should just be able to give my elbow a thumbs up or a thumbs down. This feeling must be pretty common. Netflix said they got 200% more reviews once they took the pressure off viewers to pick a star value and let people do "thumbs up" or "thumbs down."

Trust me, it's the way go.

A Nasty Woman Who Can't Seal the Deal

Has it really come down to a bully in a Make America Great Again baseball cap? Click here to find out.

Sex, Lies, and Shackles

Is Monty cheating on Lucy? And how could things have sunk so low? Click Here to read Sex, Lies, and Shackles to find out!

Hot Mics and Lonely Nights

What do Lucy and Donald Trump have in common? Click Here to find out!

Anyone's Game

Win or lose, stay away from bullies. Read Anyone's Game on November Surprises Blog. Click Here

Breaking News

Will Monty go back to Evelyn? Will CNN ever call Trump on all his staged antics? Find out on the latest November Surprises Blog post. Click here to read "Breaking News."

Thought on Audio Books and YOU WILL KNOW ME

I've always felt that the best way to learn to write fiction is to read fiction. And while I will always be an avid reader, in the last couple of years I have grown more and more fond of listening to audio books as well. Maybe it's because I am forced to focus on every word, rather than skimming as I unintentionally do sometimes while reading. Maybe it's because I am always uninterrupted while listening to an audio book, even if it's just for a few minutes at a time. Having a book read to me is so informative and it really gets me thinking about plot structure, characterization, and prose. Usually I will listen on my drive to and from work, but  in the last few weeks I have also listened to an audio book while going for my morning runs.

At the end of the summer I began You Will Know Me, by Meg Abbot. Every morning as I jogged through the blocks of my neighborhood, I listened to this pseudo-thriller about an Olympic-hopeful gymnast and her mother. It was usually pretty warm outside as I ran, it was always humid, and more often than not my knees hurt because I've been in the habit of running for nearly twenty years, and well, that takes a toll. But the story was good enough to keep me going. Abbot's use of description is jaw-droppingly good and had me thinking, "Wow, I don't use description well AT ALL." The more I read, the more I write, and the more I study writing, the more I am convinced that effectively conveying the big picture is done by focusing on the details, and Meg Abbot is nearly poetic in how she uses detail to create a picture and establish emotion. I was truly inspired.

The book got great reviews from places like the New York Times and other major publications, and slightly higher than mediocre reviews from readers on Amazon. Some say the story moves to slow.  It's about Devon, a fourteen year old girl who wants to become an elite gymnast. Right as her last chance to do so comes up, a young man connected to the gym where she trains is murdered, and that has major implications for everyone involved. The plot centers around Devon's mother, Katie, and we are privy to her thoughts and actions throughout. While I wouldn't call the book slow, I did get frustrated at times that Katie was slow, not putting two and two together when anyone else would. I also saw the end coming, but that's okay. It was more about the getting there, and the getting there was done pretty well.

One tiny little rant though - I've noticed lately in several books that when a protagonist is a woman with a teenage daughter, the woman still can't be older than her mid-thirties. What's that about? In You Will Know Me, Katie and her husband Eric supposedly got married and had Devon by the time Katie was nineteen? Okay, but the rest of their back-story doesn't make sense: how they managed to buy a house, establish a career without ever going to school, remember past relationships, etc. It was just unnecessary. Why is it so horrible to have a female protagonist over forty?

And one other thing: SPOILER ALERT!  Don't read this part if you don't want the ending ruined.
Once we finally found out that Devon was in a relationship with hot-guy Ryan, we still never really know what he saw in her. He was twenty-three and in a relationship with a very attractive woman his own age. Devon was fifteen and hadn't even hit puberty, due to her gymnastics career.  Meg Abbot really needed to give more information on how that worked, because I JUST DIDN'T BUY IT.

But Civil is Boring

There's another post on November Surprises Blog! For more about Monty's dinner with Evelyn, click here.

Fact Checking and Foreboding

There's a new post on November Surprises blog! Has someone unwelcome entered into Lucy's life? To find out, read "Fact Checking and Foreboding" by clicking Here.

Onesies and Wikileaks

There's a new post on November Surprises Blog! To read about leaks, hacks, and baby clothes, click here.

Morning Sickness in America

Finally! There's a new post on November Surprises blog! Read about Lucy's reaction to the RNC - oh - and somebody's PREGNANT!
Click here to find out more!

The Holdout is FREE Today!

Tired of snow and winter? The Holdout is FREE for TODAY ONLY, and it's a great cure for winter blues. Download off of Amazon by clicking here.
Posted by Laurel Osterkamp on Wednesday, February 3, 2016

November Surprise is Free Today

Read my most romantic novel, November Surprise, for FREE today! If you think current presidential politics are any crazier than what we've had in the past - well, you're probably right - but take a trip down memory lane nonetheless, in this love story with a liberal, political edge. Download it for FREE by clicking here.

The 'C' Words: Conflict, Confrontation, and Caucus

There's a new post on November Surprises Blog. Read "The 'C' Words: Conflict, Confrontation, and Caucus" by clicking here.

From Reading to Writing

Before I became a writer, I was a reader. All writers are readers; it’s a prerequisite. I received my first training from the wall of YA books at our town library, and my hours of enjoyment only barely exceeded what I learned. The stories I chose were always about a strong female protagonist trying to figure out her place in the world. As I grew up, I never lost my love for reading. That love eventually led to my writing a novel myself, and all my books feature a resilient heroine on a path of self-discovery.

But when I started writing my first novel, I couldn’t shut up my inner-critic. “You can’t do this,” I’d tell myself. “You’re going to make a fool of yourself by trying.” It was a constant diatribe in my mind, until finally I got fed up. “Look,” I told myself. “You can spend a lot of time and energy trying to convince yourself that you can’t write a novel, or you can just write one.”

I chose option two.

I made a commitment to write 500 words a day. I stuck to that, and after a few months, I had my first draft. Yes, it needed a lot of revision, but it had potential. My first book, Following My Toes, eventually won the Indie Excellence Award for Chick Lit in 2008. It also got more than 20,000 paid downloads on Amazon.

Then, three and a half years ago, I got jury duty. This was two full-length novels and one novella after Following My Toes, and I’d become a writing/publishing junkie. As soon as I got on that jury, I started thinking about how I could use the experience for my next project. I also enjoyed watching the TV show Survivor, so I came up with the idea of a young woman who is embarrassed by her performance on a reality TV show, and gets jury duty when she comes home.

I fell in love with my main character, Robin, and after The Holdout was finished, I couldn’t just stop writing about her. So I wrote The Next Breath – and I used my years of theater training as inspiration, along with a lot of research about cystic fibrosis. But Robin’s story still didn’t feel finished, so I wrote The Standout . During that time I really enjoyed reading books like Gone Girl and Girl on a Train, so I decided to try my hand at writing a thriller. The joy in self-publishing is the freedom to experiment. If I read something that I really like, I can take a crack at writing something in the same genre. Of course, the story and the themes have to be my own; I wouldn’t have it any other way! But like I said, the most valuable writing lessons I’ve ever received have been from reading. When I read something that REALLY WORKS, I examine it, and then I use what I’ve learned in my own writing.

And learning has never been more fun!

The Bone Clocks

I had never read anything by David Mitchell before The Bone Clocks and I picked it because Audible had it on sale and I thought it sounded interesting. The story is about Holly Sykes, and when the book begins she is a teenager in 1980s England. She runs away from home after a fight with her mother, and soon encounters all sorts of craziness. It turns out that Holly is a "singular" sort of young lady, meaning that she has psychic abilities and she's attracted forces of both good and evil.

Then her younger brother Jacko goes missing, which is really the inciting incident of the whole story, for Jacko's disappearance sets a much broader battle into motion, although it will take years for this battle to come to fruition.

The first chapter is from Holly's POV, which I liked quite a bit. Mitchell did a good job of writing in a teen girl's voice, and Holly is tough, no-nonsense, yet very likable. The other chapters are all from other character's POVs, until the end, when it switches back to a 74-year-old Holly living in a post apocalypse Ireland. Although it's not always clear at the beginning of each chapter, eventually the reader understands what the new narrator's connection is with Holly, and how their interactions with her seems to bring out the best of their personalites.

There is also always a bigger theme, about life and death, and the meaning of our daily actions and interactions. We are all "bone clocks" - ticking time bombs, waiting to die. But at what price comes immortality? As Holly discovers, it is our love and generosity, and our willingness to sacrifice for others, that gives life meaning, and that's something that all the characters must contemplate at some point in this epic novel.

I really liked The Bone Clocks. David Mitchell has defied genre by making it part fantasy, part drama, and part social commentary. His characters are not always likable (although Cripsin Hershey really grew on me) but they are always redeemable. While I started out listening to it on audio, eventually I switched to reading it, and I'm glad I did. There were many passages I read over and over, because they left me with a lot to think about. I saw one book review headline, that The Bone Clocks is mostly empty calories, but I couldn't disagree more. It's not difficult reading, but after you ingest it, you're full for a long time.

Kindle Quest 2015: Help for The Haunted

Help for The Haunted has been on my kindle for over a year. I think I found it on BookBub for $1.99. I’d been meaning to read it for some time, and I decided to finally start because I’m interested in writing a ghost story, and I thought might benefit from reading what looked to be a promising novel.

I wasn’t disappointed. It takes place in 1980s New England, where Sylvie is trying to come to terms with her parent’s murder.  Sylvie’s mother was “gifted” – she could pray for haunted souls and somehow bring them peace. Sylvie’s father also worked in the paranormal, and together they provided “help for the haunted.” But shortly before they’re murdered, a book is released about them that calls their integrity into question. Plus, they’re having HUGE trouble with their older daughter, Rose, and the dad of one of the girls they supposedly helped is very bitter towards them.

So Sylvie thinks she knows what happened. Then, she realizes how little she knows, but she also gets that she is the only one who can find out. Sylvie narrates this story, and her character is merely middle-school age. Yet Sylvie is very wise – “special” – like her mother was, and she comes to question not just her upbringing, but everything she once believed to be true. This is a ghost story for sure, but it’s one that questions whether or not ghosts exist.

I liked this story, and I thought the twist at the end was well done. I did think the pacing was pretty slow; the chapters were very long and it took a while to get to the exciting part. The build-up was drawn out, so it’s a good thing that there was payoff at the end.

Sylvie was a great character, and John Searle’s writing is quite skilled. If you’re looking for a creepy, sometimes disturbing, sometimes uplifting story, try Help for The Haunted.

Woman-Child

In the latest issue of Glamour, Tina Fey talks about her most recent role in the movie, Sisters: "Woman-child, I think, is in reference to the fact that there are many male comedians who play man-childs—man-childs is a word. I do think it’s fun to be able to play a character that’s in no way aspirational and in no way a role model, and the more female characters there are on-screen, there’s less pressure on every character to represent everyone. I love playing people who are flawed."
I think she makes an interesting point.Whether it's books, movies, or TV, there is more pressure for female characters to be inspirational and ground breaking. Why is "man-child" even a word, but "woman-child" has just been made up? Comedians like Mindy Kaling and Amy Schumer have also recently played woman-child characters, so maybe it's becoming more of a thing.
On a different note, I recently got into a debate with my husband. I said that Katniss Everdeen was one of the meatiest female literary characters, ever. He disagreed, so I was like - okay, then who? He said Juliet and Lady Macbeth, but my cynical laughter quickly shut him down.
"They are simply there to support the male protagonist," I said. "I'm talking about female characters whose primary objective is not to be with, or to assist, a man."
Then he asked me for some other examples, and I had a hard time coming up with any. Scarlet O'Hara?
Maybe I'm just out of touch. Are things getting better, and more equal, for female roles/literary characters? What do you think?

The Standout Blog Tour Begins

CBB Promotions is hosting a blog tour for The Standout, and it started today! You can read reviews, excerpts, interviews, and guest posts, plus, you can enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Super Cool!!

For the full tour schedule, visit my blog tour page at CBB Promotions. Click here.