Excerpt; Searching for Irene
The
tallest parts of the mansion—fanciful turrets and a circular tower—were visible
only in glimpses Anna caught between lofty oaks and towering pines as her cab
wound through the knolls and hills of eastern Virginia.
When
the cab turned up the long driveway lined with dogwood trees in full bloom,
Anna Coughlin reached for her handbag, gripping it with a tension that had
knotted her muscles ever since getting on the train.
The
vast estate stood on a hilltop, like a castle—and she craned her neck to better
view the starkly impressive gray-stone mansion of Ashton Hall—where she hoped
to be hired. With its arched, leaded windows and slate roof with numerous
chimneys, the house rivaled pictures she’d seen of castles in Europe.
Instructing
the driver to wait, she climbed out, patted her hat in case it was askew, then
smoothed her gray suit with gloved hands in hopes of presenting a professional
appearance. Anna had no confidence she was clever enough or bold enough to pull
this off, but she had to try.
Her
eye was drawn by a tall man—more than six feet—who came from the side of the
house. Since the man was striding toward her so purposefully, Anna stopped and
waited. As he drew near, Anna noted his deep-set eyes were as black as his
hair. His skin was tanned, his thin, long-fingered hands brown and strong.
“Miss
Coughlin?” He stretched out a hand and shook hers, but there was no warmth for
her in his eyes. “I’m Tyler Richardson. Unfortunately, your services are not
needed after all.” A touch of arrogance marked his manner, as though he was long
accustomed to command those around him.
“Your
father called only last week to have someone come out,” Anna blurted in dismay.
“May I ask what caused him to change his mind?”
A
fleeting glimpse of discomfiture crossed Mr. Richardson’s face. “I wasn’t
consulted about his hiring another secretary to replace the one who left so
suddenly. My father isn’t in good health, and the last thing we need is someone
coming in and upsetting him by making a muddle of things.”
His words kindled a fire that glinted in Anna’s eyes. How
dare he make such an assumption? It was difficult to hang on to her temper, but
there was too much at stake to let his boorishness sidetrack her. “Since I’m
here, I’m sure you won’t mind if I keep my appointment. After all, your father
is the one who requested my services. I’m sure he’s expecting me.”
Her
words hit home.It took a few bitter seconds, but he finally acquiesced. “Come
in, then,” he muttered ungraciously before leading the way up the steps and opening
the door.
Following
his rigid back down the narrow hall, Anna’s brows furrowed as doubts crept in. How
wise had she been to come to this remote place? Especially when the previous
secretary had disappeared so mysteriously? Even her employer thought it odd
that no one in this mansion seemed to know where Irene had gone or where she
was now. It was as if Irene had vanished into thin air.
Blurb for; For Sale by Owner (Published
Oct. 2016)
For Sale by Owner; Stressed by a difficult year, McKenzie
Forsberg quits her high-powered job to move back to her hometown. Desperate and
determined to rebuild her life, Kenzie seeks to buy the home she grew up in. The
only problem is that a handsome widower, Jared Rawlins, also wants the house. As
a battle of wits ensue, sparks of attraction grow into something more. Then,
Kenzie makes a stunning discovery about her past that changes everything. Will
the power of love be enough to allow Jared and Kenzie to find their happily
ever after?
If you are like me, and would love to write a book, here are some tips from Marlene!
Five Practical Tips for the
Beginning Fiction Writer
by Marlene Bateman, Author
of; Searching for Irene
1.
Great Characters Will Make
Your Novel
Character,
not action, pulls readers into your story. If you can’t create characters that
are vivid in the reader’s imagination, you can’t create a great novel.
Characters are to a novelist what lumber is to a carpenter. However, fictional
characters are not the same as flesh and blood human beings. Readers want to
read about the exceptional, not the mundane. Readers demand characters be more
handsome, ugly, ruthless, noble, vengeful, or forgiving than real people. There are three dimensions to every character.
1.
Physiological.
This refers to height, weight, age, sex, face, health, etc. Choose physical
traits that will affect the way readers view a character.
2.
Sociological.
Sociological refers to the character’s social class, what kind of
neighborhood he grew up in, his politics, religion, the discipline he received.
Human character is forged by the sociological climate in which an individual is
raised.
3.
Psychological. You must
understand the dynamics of the character’s physiological development
because that produces the conflicts and generates the narrative tension that
your novel must have if it is to succeed.
2. There Must Be Conflict
William
Knott said, “The most elaborate plot in the world is useless without the
tension and excitement that conflict imports to it.” There must be conflict
between characters and this means insistence versus resistance. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the
main character, McMurphy, wants to liberate the ward. Big Nurse does not, and
does her best to maintain the status quo. That is conflict.
To
strengthen conflict, you must equalize the forces of opposition. No one would
pay to see Muhammad Ali fight a crippled midget. There can be no contest, no struggle, no
story without evenly matched contestants. Good opposition requires that the
antagonist counter each of the protagonist’s attempts to solve the problems
with as much force and cunning as the protagonist exhibits.
Inner
conflicts not only make characters more interesting, but truly memorable. When
a reader feels empathy with a character, it is because the character is in the
throes of intense inner conflict. If a character has no inner conflict, the
reader will only feel pity, not empathy. Inner conflict confirms that the
characters are involved, that something is at risk for them.
3.
Great Dialogue.
Great
dialogue expresses the will of the character indirectly. Characters who use
indirect dialogue come across as more unique and interesting. Avoid direct
dialogue, which expresses exactly what is on the character’s mind with no
attempt by the character to demur, use subterfuge, lie, be witty, etc. Don’t
answer questions directly.
Take time to brainstorm to try to come up with a line that
is more clever and colorful. Most dialogue must be worked through to make it
fresher, indirect, and witty. Check every line of dialogue. Is it in conflict?
Does it further the characterizations? When
looking over your dialogue, ask yourself:
1. Does it provide conflict?
2. Is it trite?
3. Can it be said better indirectly?
4. Is the line as clever and colorful as it
can be?
4.
Satisfy Your Reader with a
Great Ending
The
point of a novel is the climax-resolution. To have a vibrant, gripping novel,
the characters must change as a result of conflict. No matter how well told a
novel, it is nothing without a good ending. The following tips will help.
1. Have a twist or a surprise. As a reader
nears the end of a book, he knows things are coming to a head. Have a surprise,
such as a protagonist stuck in a swamp. He is doomed, but in a burst of
determination, uses his belt to reach a tree branch and saves himself.
2. Exploit powerful emotions. Reading is
primarily an emotional experience. The author’s object is to move the reader.
At the climax, knock the reader over. When Scrooge becomes giddy, so does the
reader.
3. Have justice prevail. Justice is vindicating the innocent and
punishing the guilty. It is poetic justice when a man drowns his aunt in a
bathtub, buys a boat with the insurance money, and drowns when the boat sinks.
Readers crave to see justice done.
4.
The climax
should make the novel whole. After
you resolve the core conflict, you must also answer secondary questions. Will
the daughter continue to hate her father? Will the wife be reconciled to her
cheating husband? You don’t have to answer fully, but most should be answered at
least in part. A good climax leaves the reader feeling the story is finished.
Scrooge has been transformed and will never be a miser again.
5. Don’t Go Overboard on
Description
Description is a slave, not a master and is only there to enhance the actions of the
actions. Without the actors and the
story, it is worthless. Novices often
go overboard on description and describe things in voluminous detail, but without a fast-moving story, nobody cares about
the scenery. Keep description short. Aim
for density by using a few carefully chosen words.
Description that moves
is description that works. There are two
ways to set description in motion.
First, put the description itself into action by using active
verbs. Second, sprinkle the description
through the action of the story. Make
the described things do something, or put a character into the scene and reveal
the objects through his actions.
Passive description;
There are two tall oak trees in the yard.
Active description;
Two oak trees tower over the house.
Interactive; When
Joanne was a kid, she used to climb the two tall oak trees in front of the
house.
Marlene
Bateman Sullivan grew up in Utah, and graduated from the University of Utah
with a Bachelor's degree in English. She is married to Kelly R. Sullivan and
they live in North Salt Lake, Utah with their two dogs and four cats. Marlene
has been published extensively in magazines and newspapers and wrote the
best-selling romance/suspense novel, Light on
Fire Island. She
has written three other cozy mysteries; Motive
for Murder, A Death in the Family, and Crooked House, as well as the romance, For Sale by Owner.
Marlene has
also written a number of non-fiction, LDS books: Latter-day
Saint Heroes and Heroines, And There Were Angels Among Them, Visit’s from
Beyond the Veil, By the Ministering of Angels, Brigham’s Boys, Heroes of
Faith, Gaze into Heaven; Near-death
Experiences in Early Church History, and The Magnificent World of Spirits;
Eyewitness Accounts of Where We Go When We Die.
Buy links for Searching For Irene
