Happy New Year!

 It's the last day of 2020 and I know most of us will be glad to put the year behind us.  There probably won't be a lot of celebrating the incoming year for most people - at least not together - so perhaps it's time for some reflection on what we might want to achieve in 2021.

It's very tempting to make grand resolutions like "This year I'll get an agent" or "this is the year I will finally be published".  But these goals are largely out of your hands.  When making resolutions it's important to make sure they are achievable or you will give up within a month of making them.

Instead of saying "I'll get an agent," resolve to query widely.  Maybe even give yourself a number of queries to aim for: "I'll send 100 queries before I quit querying."  If you're lucky, you won't have to send 100 because someone will love your book enough before you reach that number.

Or resolve to write a certain number of words per week, or hours or days.  These are things that are within your control and you can achieve.

Whatever goals you set yourself, I wish you luck with them.  And all the best for the New Year.  It can only be better than the last.

Thanks to everyone who read and commented on the story I posted for Christmas.  It's so gratifying to discover people have read and responded to your work.  So here's another story for you, very different, but perfect for a night where people often see in the New Year with fireworks.

Happy New Year!

Ten Year Summary of Writing #DebutAuthors

The debut authors interviewed in 2020 answered this question:

It's our tenth anniversary! How far has your writing come in the past ten years and where do you see your writing career ten years from now?

We have come from wanting to write a novel, to writing one, to getting an agent (actually, quite a few), to getting the right publisher, and finally seeing our first book in print. These sound like career goals, but they were also writing goals. We were very conscious of how we had to develop our writing all along the way, and winning awards, getting short stories published and responding to criticism from agents and editors were so important in becoming better writers. In ten years, it would be wonderful if we had ten published novels and a well-developed career. In fact, it’s hard to imagine anything else when we think ten years ahead.
- Jim Kroepfl and Stephanie Kroepfl

My writing has improved by leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. I went from writing news articles and web copy to writing fiction. I used to be so self-conscious of my fiction that I did all my writing in secret and didn’t try to connect with other writers at all. Needless to say, that didn’t work out.

My own personal writing style has improved over the last decade as I’ve found and developed my writing voice. I’ve learned so much about writing craft and what makes a great story. I understand why some novels succeed and why others end up as a DNF.. I’ve also learned that Twitter is a great place to build real writing friendships.

In another 10 years, I would love to have my entire Krador Kronicles series published. I have a few other books in the works that I would love to write and get published as well. At least 5 published works over the next decade seems like a great goal to shoot for.
- Kari Veenstra

Happy Anniversary and congratulations! The past ten years of my writing life have been the best, I think, because I have found treasured mentors who guided me to improve my craft. Of those ten, the past seven years have been the best, because in the summer of 2012 I met my Writing Sisters. We are eight writers who have helped each other not only improve our writing, but have helped each other through real life difficulties. We have become sisters in all but blood.
- Julie Holmes

Ten years ago, I was in Africa doing my first electrification of a hospital torn by fourteen years of civil war. Writing was the furthest thing from my mind. In ten years, I hope Power From the SON has grown and is providing multiple electrical systems per year, and I can spend my time promoting by writing and speaking about our work and encouraging others to follow their quest.
- Stephen H Vincent

Hugely! I have gone from writing stories for my family, writing on an academic level at university to completing a complete dark fantasy novel. In the next ten years, I hope to have my first series of books under my belt as well as having a collection of short stories published.
- Michael Dennis

Wow. Ten years ago, I was writing plays and radio stories. I didn’t have the guts to write prose. Now, it’s all I can think about.
Ten years from now, I plan to have a shelf full of books with my name on them and invitations to Book Festivals around the world.
- Kitty Felde

Congratulations on your tenth anniversary!
In the past ten years, my writing has made much amazing headway. My first professionally published fiction piece was in 2008, and it was flash fiction in a journal that no longer exists (Oak Bend Review). In 2011, I had an academic article published in the peer-reviewed Popular Culture Review. In 2013, I self-published Pivot, which ultimately received over 65,000 downloads and multiple awards. At the World Horror Con, I met individuals who were willing to help me revise my work and query agents. I was fortunate to find a wonderful agent in and around 2016 and land a book deal with California Coldblood Books by 2018. I signed a contract with Brilliance audio in 2018, as well, and Emma Galvin – the amazing voice actor who voiced Winter’s Bone and the Divergent Series – voiced Pivot. This blew me away. Both Josh Malerman and Weston Ochse wrote wonderful blurbs for the book. So, too, did Publishers Weekly and ALA Booklist. Finally, I received my MA in 2013 and MFA in 2019.
- L. C. Barlow

Happy 10th Anniversary! That’s quite a landmark. In some ways my own writing has come a long way in the last ten years, from dreamy first drafts to a finished novel about to be published. I’ve also self-published a book of poetry (https://trafford.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000163671) and co-written and directed a successful amateur musical (‘Honeybees: The Musical’ - the world’s first lesbian field hockey musical) which sold out performances in Brighton, Eastbourne and the legendary RADA Studios (formerly the Drill Hall) off the West End of London. These days my ‘mainstream life’ is very busy though, with work and parenting taking up a LOT of hours, so in an ideal world in ten years time, I will somehow have carved out enough time to write full time and have a few bestsellers under my belt allowing me to travel the world guesting at book festivals (that’s every writer’s dream, right?)!
- Cat Walker

The past ten years has been incredible for my writing. I used to think writing was all about creativity and used to just write cool stuff. But over the last ten years, I focused more on the non-creative part of writing, such as grammar, sentence structure, story structure, word choice, specificity, archetypal design, and character development. This sounds crazy, but a lot of writing is almost mathematical. It’s not as fun, but its essential if you’re going to take yourself seriously. And for the past three years, I’ve focused on the infrastructure and entrepreneurial side of writing, which includes blogging, social media engagement, website design, publishing, contracts, video editing, and content creation. Yeah, also less fun than creative writing lol. My hopes are that the foundation I’m laying today will put me in a position ten years from now, to write better books at a faster pace and with a waiting audience. I want to become the best possible writer I can. I feel like I’m only just getting started.
- Douglas A. Burton

Oh wow, the last ten years have meant *everything* for my writing! Though I’ve written stories and poems since I was young, I began seriously writing my first novel about ten years ago. That novel was a totally different genre, has some serious problems, and will probably never see the light of day, but it was the sign to myself that I was ready to do this for real, and take a writing career seriously. STARS is my fourth novel, and many years and hundreds of rejections later, it’s now going to be on shelves!
- Sarah Allen

Well- Ten years ago I was nine.
- Ruby Walker

Congrats – that’s a big anniversary! Ten years ago I was in the MFA program at Purdue University, honing my craft and finding my voice and wondering if I would ever publish a book. I am so proud of where I have come since then! Ten years from now, I hope to have many more books out in the world and significantly more daily writing time since my 17-month-old daughter will be at school most of the day!
- Dallas Woodburn

Ten years ago, I was not writing. I was in the middle of a really difficult period in my life, and I was basically in survival mode. I've been writing for about seven years now, and I've come so far - partly from constant writing practice, and partly because I've become an obsessive reader.
Ten years from now, I hope I write more confidently and judge my first drafts less. I hope to have several more published books under my belt (fingers crossed)! Maybe I am dreaming small, but my goal isn't to become a full-time writer or a bestseller. My goal is to write steadily, and to produce stories that could only have been written by me. Stories that are my own particular brand of weird.
- Samantha Vitale

I think my writing has come a long way! Looking back on my early manuscript drafts (which I still have!), I think I’ve gotten a lot better about controlling the pace of the story and writing dialogue. I have a really cool concept in mind for a new book series, and hopefully 10 years from now you’ll be reading it!
- D.C. Payson

It’s come a long way in ten years! I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but I think I wrote my first novel about ten years ago when I was in school. It was... pretty bad, but I knew I wanted to keep writing. In ten years I’d love to have a good ten more published books under my belt, if not a few more. I just don’t want to stop, basically.
- Chris Durston

Writing my first book took me seven years. I call this my “Seven Year Itch”. With it published in 2020, I can proudly say that the first draft of my second novel, a free standing story about an immigrant family, is now complete.
- Vee Kumari

I have only been actively considering myself a writer over the past two years. Before that, I wrote comics in script format, along with the occasional poem or flash fiction story. A few years ago, I never would have thought I’d be able to finish a novella, let alone a novel. I’m proud of myself for my progress, while recognizing I have a long way to go.
I want to work on my technical abilities over the next decade, but also just get much, much more practice in. Having been a professional artist, I know that practice is one of the best teachers, and I simply haven’t had as many years and I’d like under my belt. Ten years from now, I’d like to be able to write faster, with greater ease, and with greater confidence. Career wise, the usual I think! I’d like to have more published books under my belt.
- Rue Sparks

Well, it took me more than 7 years to write and publish my book `Joshua Garland – The Legend of the Kids’. Not because it’s an incredibly long novel, but life just got in the way of making it a quicker write. In that time my writing style did evolve. Similar to what I said in one of my earlier answers, I just learned the value of using less words to be more effective. This was in part thanks to a number of beta readers who provided me with this piece of advice. I plan to use this style in future projects.
- Ramsey Damouni

Congrats! Let’s see, ten years ago was about the time that I, in the face of getting laid off, going through my most stressful phase as a stay-at-home dad, and probably other horrible things I’m blocking, decided to double down on my goal of publishing a novel. I still did journalism to make money, but fiction proved far more fulfilling over the course of the decade—and it still is!
In the next ten years, I’d love for the chance to publish other middle grade and YA stories I have in mind.
- S.G. Wilson

Ten years ago I had sold only one or two stories, had a massive stash of rejection letters (some from SF/F/H heavyweights like Gordon Van Gelder, John Joseph Adams, and Ellen Datlow), and had most of my success in other people’s worlds. I’d gotten the most attention from Harry Potter and Transformers fan fiction and the most money from a single licensed BattleTech short story. Ten years from now, hopefully I’ll have completed the Wastelands series (I can finish the series with six books if I want, but the complete plan is three trilogies and a darker coda novel a la Beowulf), have many more books in the Long War, and am able to do this full-time. Per my earlier comment, a TV or film adaptation would be great to have by then.
- Matthew W. Quinn

Ten years ago, I was writing scripts, having decided to try that when I was struggling to write books. I made a bit a headway but wasn't happy. In 2016 I came back to novel writing. I plan to publish a new book every two months, all going well, so in ten years I plan to have a lot of books self-published. I also plan to write books in fantasy and contemporary fantasy and submit them to agents and publishers.
- L.P. Peace

How far? About a million miles. Ten years ago, I was halfway through Summer of L.U.C.K.'s almost twenty-year journey. Around that time, I worked with a development editor, which was invaluable. Then, four or five years back, I discovered the online writing community and found wonderful opportunities to have my work evaluated and mentored. Finally, I connected with critique partners and Beta readers. And I queried widely, with many agent requests and more agent rejections. Eventually all this feedback helped me bring Summer of L.U.C.K. up to standards that attracted a publisher. Looking ahead ten years from now, I hope I'll have written and published a collection of books beyond the three that are contracted by INtense Publications. Happy anniversary, by the way! Ten years is an outstanding accomplishment.
- Laura Stegman

Happy anniversary!! Congratulations! Ten years ago I was just starting my writing journey in earnest. I was a junior in college and had just finished the rough draft of my first full length manuscript. A billion revisions, five new manuscripts, two agents, and one publishing team later, and here we are! In ten years from now I’d love to be getting better and better with each book I write. I hope to be someone’s favorite author someday.
- Kit Rosewater

I've been writing short stories and poems since 3rd grade, but this is my 1st children's book and I hope to have a thriving series as well as a few books for young adults in the future.
- Dr. Tinita Kearney

Ten years ago I was 16, so my writing has come a long way! I have always loved writing and hoped to publish a book, so I am excited to have brought this goal to fruition. Over the next ten years, I plan to continue writing books that expose how key policy issues affect people’s lived experiences. One of my strengths as a writer is my ability to connect the personal with the political, so I intend to continue this focus over the next ten years.
- Kelsey Freeman

Happy anniversary! Ten years ago I was writing about technology trends in the Silicon Valley. Ten years from now I hope to have completed 2 more novels featuring interesting women and rich plots set in early California.
- Wendy Vooranger

Congratulations!! That’s such a momentous milestone. For me, I won my first attempted First Line Fiction short story contest in 2010, and then set writing aside for quite a while. I have more life experience behind me and the tools to take an idea, you know, full scale. I still like that short story I did, but I can definitely see that my depth as a writer has changed and my complexity of prose is significantly better. With age comes wisdom I guess. Where do I think I’ll be in ten years? I haven’t thought about it before. I write to get the stories out of my head, and I doubt I’ll ever stop writing. So I’m just hopeful that it’s a field of dreams situation: if I write it, ‘they’ will read it.
- Kismet Scott

Kudos!

My writing has come quite a ways. I’ve become more brave in my writing (like publishing my first book!) Writing has been a sacred, personal practice for me my whole life, so publishing was a very vulnerable thing for me to do, and something I’m glad I did. In ten years I see myself with several books, journals, workbooks and more available. And an amazing circle of readers and writer friends along for the journey.
- Aimee L. Morgan

I started writing Adverse Effects roughly ten years ago. Since then, I’ve learned through working with editors and beta readers, as well as dabbling in other genres like fantasy and young adult, how important the first few pages are to hook the reader. I struggled back then to make the character as important, if not more than, the plot, whereas now I understand how to engage the reader in the character’s inner world and to give each character a unique voice. In ten years, I hope to have established a solid franchise with characters crossing over into each other’s stories, weaving a web of thrills and intrigue for readers.
- Joel Shulkin MD

Ten years ago, when I was thirteen, I would sit with my paper tablets on the picnic tables at lunch and scribble fantasy stories down. The margins were full of drawings of dragons, gnomes, and elves. One of my projects from a decade ago is still actually in the works. I mean, it’s evolved past the point of recognition, but I still work on it from time to time. I write mostly YA now, but I think it’s always going to be a middle-grade project, kind of a present to my thirteen-year-old self. Something I would have wanted to read back then.
I’m terribly impatient about my ideas, and whenever I get an idea for something, I have to start sowing the seeds for it immediately. So I have about four or five projects in all sitting on the back burner. I’ve got my middle-grade fantasy inspired by Celtic mythology, a 1920s urban fantasy, a comedy-mystery-romance novel about an illegal theater, and a fantasy space-opera. I hope that the Drifters’ Saga is complete, and that at least a generous handful of those side projects are also afloat in ten years. It’s really crazy to think about.
- Sophia Minetos

Happy Anniversary! I used the past ten years to hone and improve my writing and will use the next ten years to hone my writing, explore my creativity and produce many books.
- Stella Oni

I am worse at embodying voices other than my own. I am a little better with empathy in my own life. Maybe that give and take are related.
- Kari Flickinger

Oh my goodness I've come so far in the last 10 years. I started getting really serious about my writing at the tail end of 2009/early 2010. I was a baby writer wondering if my ideas were worthwhile and learning to hone my craft. It's when I joined my local writers guild and started working with critique partners. Since then I've written several manuscripts, been agented, published, and met so many amazing people in the writing community.
As for the next ten years, I hope there's many more books in my future. I hope to find another agent and look forward to lots more writing!
- Jamie Krakover

Ten years ago, I was still talking about wanting to be an author. Today, I’m a published author. In ten years, I plan to have a huge backlist and an even larger following of readers.
- Glenda Thompson

Reading Goals for 2021

(Photo Source)

I am amazed at how much I read this year, over 100 books. I was not expecting to read very many books for fun because of my required reading for grad school. Since I have read many more books than I expected, I hope to finish the year strong with a couple more books before midnight on the 31st.

2020 Reading Highlights in no particular order:

• Several by Jason Reynolds (so many good ones, it's hard to pick one)
• Radical Compassion by Tara Brach
• The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin
• Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley
• Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
• Sing for Your Life by Daniel Bergner
• The Long Way to A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
• Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
• The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
• Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn
• Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist
• The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
• Nothing Was the Same by Kay Redfield Jamison
• Trauma-Informed Treatment: The Restorative Approach by Patricia D. Wilcox
• The Wounded Healer by David Sedgwick

Books I intend to reread:

• How to Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
• White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
• Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit by Mary Frances Winters

I shall set my 2021 reading goals to include the books I want to reread, as well as another reading of The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff. It is a book I have reread several times. 

What books do you intend to reread? What are your reading goals for 2021?

Early happy new year OA readers!

It's the last week of one of the longest years in history.  Good-bye and good riddance 2020!

A final piece of good news happened to all writers in 2020, and it's thanks to you OA readers.  Remember our favorite book marketing scammer?

A cautionary tale

A cautionary tale update

A cautionary tale update for the end of 2020

Here's the latest Twitter account

Yay!  One scammer down.

Before agreeing to a contract or paying any money, don't forget to check out agents/publishers/other industry actors with Writer Beware.

Victoria Strauss helps keep you away from the scammers out there.

Here's to a better 2021 for all of us.

Merry Christmas from OA

 To all who celebrate it, a very merry Christmas! Stay safe, stay warm, stay positive. We are all getting through this together.

Happy Holidays!

 By the time this goes live on the Operation Awesome site, it will be Christmas Day where I live in New Zealand.

So please let me be the first to wish you a very happy holiday season.  I realize many of you will be having a very different celebration this year, possibly without the family and friends you usually celebrate with.  I hope you can still have a joyful day, even if you are celebrating in separate houses, in different parts of the world.

We're lucky here, and can have family gatherings, but none of our whānau (family) who live overseas will be here, and they will be missed, even if we can connect with them via Zoom or Skype on the day.

The image above is a flowering pohutakawa tree - New Zealand's native Christmas tree. A lot of the trees in my neighborhood are absolutely dripping with these flowers right now.  So beautiful!

Here's a story that references these flowers and the kind of holidays we have here because Christmas is in the summer.

However you plan to spend the holiday, be safe.

X O'Abby

Operation Awesome #20Questions in #2020 of #NewBook Debut Author Glenda Thompson

Broken Toys by Glenda Thompson

1- What does the hashtag #TWRP stand for on your Twitter feed?

#TWRP represents my amazing publishers and the great group of authors and artists who make up The Wild Rose Press. RJ Morris and Rhonda Penders are magnificent gardeners who help the Roses (authors) in the garden blossom and grow.

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Don’t chase perfection.

3- What is the best piece of writing advice you've received?

Write for yourself. Tell the story you want to read and don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Be true to your own voice.

A corollary to that which I apply not only to writing but to life is “don’t let anyone steal your dreams.”

4- How are you spending the holiday season this December?

Christmas week will be spent driving Darlin’ back and forth from chemotherapy and radiation treatments and sitting in the parking lot waiting because they won’t let me go in with him. But it’s okay, while waiting I write. The hour and a half one way drive is spent talking and laughing with Darlin’ about anything and everything under the sun.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book with something classic Texas?



6- What do you think Americans would be most surprised to learn about human trafficking?

Human trafficking is much more prevalent than most people realize and it’s not just happening in foreign countries. It’s happening right here in the USA. On average, 6 people out of a 1,000 will be trafficked in a single year. That’s 40.3 MILLION victims. Some will be sold into forced labor, others into forced marriages. The scary part is that anyone can become a victim in a blink of an eye. The bad guys aren’t always your stereotypical bad guys involved in organized crime. Many times the perpetrators are the victim’s neighbor, friends, or even family members.

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

I’m @PressRattler on Twitter. Several of my writer friends include @SandyRStuckless ; @JWorrellWrites ; and @10MinNovelist

8- What’s one writing goal you hope to accomplish before you die?

I want to write each of my grandchildren their own book.

9- What most motivates you to read a new book?

If it’s an author I’ve read before, the characters are the reason I continue a series. If it’s a new author I’m unfamiliar with, the blurb has to catch my attention.

10- It's our tenth anniversary! How far has your writing come in the past ten years and where do you see your writing career ten years from now?

Ten years ago, I was still talking about wanting to be an author. Today, I’m a published author. In ten years, I plan to have a huge backlist and an even larger following of readers.

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

Author name: Jennifer Worrell @JWorrellWrites
Title: Edge of Sundown
Love because: it kept me guessing


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

I hope readers will feel the gamut of emotions when they read Broken Toys. Everything from love and happiness, to fear, despair, anger, and loss.

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

I hope Broken Toys will bring a spotlight on human trafficking. I also hope it teaches readers that they don’t need to hide who they are on the inside to be loved. One should always be true to oneself.

14- What is the best writing tool, program, or reference book you've ever bought?

Story Genius by Lisa Cron. This book taught me to look for the lie that my main character has accepted as truth in their own life. I may or may not have applied this technique to my own life as well.


15- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks

I have a bit of difficulty with this question. I truly believe until we can quit seeing the world in terms of us and them, we will never move past the issues we are dealing with on a daily basis. That being said, in Broken Toys, I don’t really address diversity. My next novel, Wings Over Wylder, however has a main character on the autism spectrum. Charlie is based on my youngest grandson who is also on the spectrum.

16- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

I don’t have a favorite—yet.

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

I have always dreamed of being traditionally published. I think a small press, like The Wild Rose Press, was a perfect fit for me because I am not just another number in a long line of authors being pushed out by a more traditional press. The Wild Rose Press feels like home. I love my editor and the time she takes to work with me, to help me grow my talent and skills.

18- Which author, past or present, do you feel most resembles your work?

I like to think my work resembles a mish-mash of James Patterson, John Sandford, Dean Koontz, and JD Robb.

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

What major criminal issue would you like to see addressed in fiction?

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

Blurb:

Texas Ranger Noah Morgan has his life together—with a great job and the girl of his dreams. Too bad it's all based on a lie. A single phone call threatens to bring it all crashing down. After an irate citizen complains shoddy workmanship has left him with a booby-trapped driveway, and the local sheriff's office is too busy to respond, Noah takes the call. The investigation of local scam artists uncovers a human trafficking ring, Noah fights to avoid being swept back into the sights of his murderous family—people he escaped at the age of seventeen.
Can he keep his past a secret or will his carefully crafted life come to a violent end?

Tagline:

“His life is perfect. Too bad it’s built on a lie.”

Excerpt:

“While we wait for the mobile crime scene lab to arrive from Austin, I need you to sign this consent-to-search form. Next, Ranger Trammell and I will photograph the scene to preserve it in situ—as it currently is.”
“Now you wait one cotton-picking minute,” the old man growled. “How long will all that take? What if I don’t want to sign your verdammt form? I need my car. The old lady has several doctors’ appointments in San Antonio this afternoon.”
Noah lifted his hat again and brushed sweat off his forehead before it rolled into his eyes. “Tell you what. Sign this piece of paper giving us permission to search your driveway, and as soon as we finish the photography, Ranger Trammell and I will change your tire. Then you can pull your car out of the driveway. If you don’t sign it, we will have to find a judge and get a warrant. Going the warrant route will delay things considerably.” Noah shrugged. “The choice is yours. Either way it goes, you won’t be able to pull back in for some time. We’re going to have to tape off your driveway and process it as a crime scene. Is there somewhere you could stay for a few days?”
“Crime scene?” Mr. Schmidt crumpled as if he’d been kicked in the solar plexus. Bewilderment flooded his features. For the first time since the rangers arrived, the man looked old. “My driveway is a crime scene?”
“I’m afraid so, sir,” Noah said, using the tone he reserved for scared kids, grieving family members and sagging old men who hadn’t tasted sweet tea in more than sixty years. “Hip implants, bits of bone and teeth are not normally used for road base. It looks like someone may have disposed of a body in your driveway.”

Order Link

https://thewildrosepress.com/books/broken-toys

Bio:

A sixth-generation Texan with Scottish roots, Glenda Thompson can 'bless your heart' with the best of them. As a former emergency medical technician married to a south Texas Lawman, she's used insider information from both their careers as inspiration to build her Broken world of Texas Rangers with hidden pasts and dark secrets.
When she's not busy embarrassing her children or grandchildren by dancing in the middle of a country road during a rainstorm, she can be found huddled in her writing cave with her law enforcement technical adviser/husband working on another story in her Broken universe.
You can keep up with the future crazy cat lady's hi-jinks at http://glendathompson.com or follow her on Twitter @PressRattler or Facebook @Glenda Thompson, Author or Instagram. Amazon author page.
http://glendathompson.com


Broken Toys by Glenda Thompson

2021 Writing Goals

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Every year I enjoy making a list of goals and seeing what I can do to achieve them. 2020 has been (insert word here). When it comes to goals I made at the beginning of 2020, I have been successful in some ways, and terrible in others (cue the laughing and crying).

It is more pleasant to think about 2021 goals because there is hope around the corner. I participate in National Novel Writing Month in November every year, and since I will be graduating, I will be able to write more in the coming year. So here are my goals as they stand now.

1. Participate in April Camp National Novel Writing Month

2. Complete masters thesis

3. Prepare thesis for publication

4. Participate in July Camp National Novel Writing Month

5. Participate in November National Novel Writing Month

6. Edit 2020 National Novel Writing Month Novel

 

What are some of your writing goals for 2021?

 

Christmas gifts for us!

Christmas is four days from today!  And my guess is you haven't bought yourself a gift.  Am I right?  If you're like me, you shop at after-Christmas sales to get something for yourself.  And we here at OA are ready to help.  Here are a few links of Christmas gifts for book-lovers like us!

Oprah Magazine

Good Housekeeping

Esquire

New York Magazine

Uncommon Goods

Reedsy

Book Riot

So after Christmas, treat yourself to a book-lover's gift.  Enjoy.

#QueryFriday

  

It's time for #QueryFriday! Enter for a chance to win a query critique by yours truly! Here's how to participate:

1. Comment on this post and at least one other post from this week by SUNDAY 12/20 at 12 pm EDT.

2. Leave your email address in the comment or have it available on your Blogger profile. (If I can't find you, I can't get in touch with you!)

The winner will be chosen via random draw and will be announced in the comment section of this post on Sunday.

See this post for additional rules. Good luck!

-Amren

Dear O'Abby: Is it normal that I can't write and listen to music?

 Dear O'Abby,

I see writers often post playlists of songs that help them with their writing or are on social media talking about 'today's writing music'.  I find I can't write if I'm listening to music - I end up writing the song lyrics I'm hearing instead of what I mean to write.

Am I weird?  Or is this one of those things you can teach yourself to do?

Cheers,

Musicless

Dear Musicless,

I don't think you're weird.  Everyone is different and everyone has their own level of ability when it comes to concentrating and how much distraction they can tolerate.

Personally, I find it difficult to listen to music when I write too.  I tend to use music and playlists as something I listen to before I sit down to write, to get me into the right mood or emotional space.  If I do listen to music while I'm writing, it tends to be music without lyrics or with lyrics in a language I don't speak.  Sigur Ros are great because their language is made up, so no one speaks it...  Classical music is also great.  I have several playlists of classical music I like to listen to when I write.  Elgar's cello concertos are among my favorites!

People are different in their appreciation for music too.  Some people can't hear music without concentrating on it entirely, analysing everything about it.  Not helpful if you're using music as something to drown out the noise of a coffeeshop.

I find certain books lend themselves more to having a soundtrack than others.  For example, my book The Sidewalks Regrets has a very distinct playlist associated with it and I just need to hear a song off it and I'm instantly back in the grimy reality of that story.  The book I wrote during NaNo this year was the same and has a very definite soundtrack of its own.  Other books, not so much.  I can't think of a single song that I would associate with Stumped or An Unstill Life, whereas the book I have coming out next year, Chasing the Taillights, has three or four songs, but not a playlist as such.

Like so much else about writing, whether or not to listen to music while writing, before writing or as a reward for writing is a personal choice. You're not doing anything wrong if your book doesn't have a soundtrack.  You're not breaking any rules if you prefer to write in silence or to the sound of the ocean lapping against the shore.

There are no rules. Just do what works best for you.

X O'Abby

Operation Awesome #20Questions in #2020 of #NewBook Debut Author Jamie Krakover #GIVEAWAY

Tracker220 by Jamie Krakover

1- Okay, so you're a rocket scientist. That does, actually, impress me very much. What's the coolest thing you've done or worked on because of that job?

Too many too count, but one of my favorites was when I was working as a Teardown Engineer. It's a lot like it sounds, we would tear apart aircraft structure either physically or virtually and analyze the cost implications on the designs. I was working on some landing gear but we only had 2D drawings which I was struggling to visualize. At that time they were only letting a small number of people in to see the aircraft but I asked the design engineer if there was any way we could see the landing gear. The next thing I knew, I was laying underneath jet prototype number 1 as the engineer walked us through the different parts of the landing gear. Such a cool experience.

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

You do you. If you can write every day, do it. If not, don't. Taking aspiring out of your profile, if you write, you're a writer, no matter how you do it.

3- What is the best piece of writing advice you've received?

I'm going to cheat and give two pieces of advice

1. Make sure your main character is an active participant in their story, explain their world through their eyes. That includes everything from internalization, to dialogue etc. Make the story about the main character.
2. Kill the filter (heard, felt, saw, thought, etc.) words and to be verbs as much as possible. The right verb can take a good sentence and really make it pop. It's the difference between she heard the car beep outside the window and The car horn blared through the window. The difference between Her hair was long and brown and Her long brown hair draped perfectly over her shoulders and down her back, not a single strand out of place. It lets you go deeper into the description.

4- Would you please tell us more about FIRST Robotics?

FIRST Robotics is a fantastic organization that allows students of varying age groups to build and code/program robots with the help of a coach and mentors then compete to accomplish a series of tasks. The program promotes STEM in kids as young as kindergarten all the way up through high school. Grade school kids work with Lego sized creations with FIRST Lego League then in middle school/high school can move to 18 cubic inch robots with FIRST Tech Challenge, and in FIRST Robotics Competition for high schoolers, the robots can get as big as 28'' x 38'' x 60''.

I had the pleasure of mentoring an all girls team, and it was awesome to watch them learn and explore the engineering process as well as gain confidence through the program. For more information on FIRST including finding out ways to volunteer visit https://firstinspires.org.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book with some cool science thing?



6- What did you contribute to the book "Putting the Science in Fiction: Expert Advice for Writing with Authenticity in Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Other Genres"?

Putting the Science in Fiction is a great resource for folks wanting to learn the basics of a variety of science topics. The book can be leveraged by writers to get complicated science topics right in their writing. I wrote two pieces for the anthology, one on the Misconceptions of Space and the other on 3D printing and the feasibility of the Star Trek Replicator.


7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

I'm @Rockets2Writing on Twitter. I tweet about space, writing, women in STEM, cosplay and pretty much anything sci fi. One of my favorite people on twitter is my critique partner Tom Torre ( @TomTorreD20 ). He tweets about writing and gaming including video games and Dungeons and Dragons. Jennifer Stolzer ( @jenniferstolzer ) did my cover art and is part of my local writing group. She tweets amazing art as well as lots of dog pictures. Meredith Tate ( @mltate24 ) who is another one of my critique partners and used to be part of my local writers group but moved away and I miss her. She has several awesome YA sci fi books out as well as her upcoming YA Rom com called SHIPPED about fandom which I'm so excited for.

8- What’s one writing goal you hope to accomplish before you die?

This is probably a pipedream, but I would love to be invited to San Diego Comic Con as an author. And if I could write something for Star Wars that would be amazing too!

9- What most motivates you to read a new book?

For me it's the story. If it's something that piques my interest I'm sold regardless of who wrote it. That tends to be YA or MG Sci Fi or Fantasy but doesn't have to be.

10- It's our tenth anniversary! How far has your writing come in the past ten years and where do you see your writing career ten years from now?

Oh my goodness I've come so far in the last 10 years. I started getting really serious about my writing at the tail end of 2009/early 2010. I was a baby writer wondering if my ideas were worthwhile and learning to hone my craft. It's when I joined my local writers guild and started working with critique partners. Since then I've written several manuscripts, been agented, published, and met so many amazing people in the writing community.
As for the next ten years, I hope there's many more books in my future. I hope to find another agent and look forward to lots more writing!

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

Author name: Jay Kristoff & Amie Kaufman @misterkristoff and @AmieKaufman .
Title: Illuminae Files
Love because: I loved the unique format, the ya space/sci fi aspect of the story and the nonstop action and problems. It was a really fun book to read that reeled me in and never let go.


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

In general, TRACKER220 is a pretty dark book, but it has moments of finding the light in the darkest times. I hope people are able to experience the sadness, the frustration, the questions, the adrenaline rushes, and so much more. But most importantly, I hope readers are able to find the light in the darkness which is something I think we can all use right about now.

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

The book focuses a lot on advanced technology and what we are willing to compromise (or not) as technology advances and conflicts with other aspects of life. I hope TRACKER220 makes people think about what technology they use, why they use it, what they might be giving up because of it, and what they want to have control over (or take back control of).

14- What is the best writing tool, program, or reference book you've ever bought?

The First Five Pages by Noah Lukemon. It gave me a great foundation early on. Also highly recommend Angela James's 'Before You Hit Send' class. I learned so much about editing in that class.

15- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks

The main character in Tracker220 is Jewish like I am. As Kaya has issues with her tracking chip, she starts to explore what it means to be Jewish. Over time she discovers how her faith sometimes conflicts with her technology, how she wants to observe her faith, and how she wants to own her Jewish background.

Growing up the only Jewish characters I saw in books were related to the Holocaust or Jewish persecution. I hope this book finds Jewish readers who can identify with it, as well as others looking to learn more about one Jewish experience.

16- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

I'm a little biased because I work on the blog, but Middle Grade Minded has a lot of awesome book reviews as well as some fantastic writing advice. I also really enjoy Forever Young Adult, which reviews books, movies, and tv shows. And of course if you're looking for book recommendations of pretty much any kind, Dahlia Adler( @MissDahlELama ) is who you want to follow.

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

TRACKER220 is the manuscript that found me my agent. I worked with her for about 6 months on editing the manuscript. Just before going out on sub, she left agenting for another role in publishing. It really pulled the rug out from underneath me. I tried to requery and find new representation but YA sci fi is a particularly tough sell.

That said, I knew I had something special that had gotten a lot of traction during pitch events. That told me readers were still very hungry for YA sci fi. I wanted to take back some control of my publishing career. I decided to self-publish through Snowy Wings Publishing which is an awesome cooperative group of self published authors. And it's been a great experience. I've learned a ton and have enjoyed hearing from readers.

18- Which author, past or present, do you feel most resembles your work?

I think folks who enjoyed Proxy by Alex London will enjoy TRACKER220. Both are dystopian YA's with Jewish characters and similar advanced technology. Very different plots, but similar tones.

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

In TRACKER220, the trackers implanted in everyone's head allows people to communicate and access anything on the network in the blink of an eye. But it also means the authorities track everywhere you go, everyone you talk to, and everything you do. If you could do anything in the blink of an eye what would it be? What would you be willing to give up for that ability?

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

You can find out more about TRACKER220 on my blog including a book trailer, synopsis, and an excerpt of the entire first chapter!

http://jamiekrakover.blogspot.com/p/tracker220.html

Jamie Krakover

Growing up with a fascination for space and things that fly, Jamie turned that love into a career as an Aerospace Engineer. Combining her natural enthusiasm for Science Fiction and her love of reading, she now spends a lot of her time writing Middle Grade and Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.Jamie lives in St. Louis, Missouri with her husband, Andrew, her son, and their dog Rogue (after the X-Men, not Star Wars, although she loves both). When she isn’t being a Rocket Scientist by day and a writer by night, she can be found catching up on the latest sci fi TV, books, and movies as well as spending time on Twitter (maybe a little too much time :-P). And no, the rocket science jokes never get old!Through Snowy Wings Publishing, Jamie is the author of Tracker220 (October 2020). She also has two female in STEM short stories published in the Brave New Girls anthologies and two engineering-centered nonfiction pieces that published in Writer’s Digest’s Putting the Science in Fiction.

Social Media Links:

Blog – http://jamiekrakover.blogspot.com
Twitter – @Rockets2Writing
Instagram – https://instagram.com/jamiekrakover/
Goodreads – https://goodreads.com/author/show/16483406.Jamie_Krakover
Bookbub - https://bookbub.com/profile/jamie-krakover


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Tracker220 by Jamie Krakover

Celebrating Beethoven's 250th Birthday

 

(Photo credit and history of the painting)

With my background in music, I cannot forget my first piano teacher who had a poster of this Ludwig van Beethoven portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler. The portrait has captured my imagination, especially the tale that the painter had to finish the hands by memory because Beethoven refused another sitting.

The best known guess for Beethoven's birth is December 17th, 1770 since he was baptized on the 17th, although he was probably born a day or two earlier. Regardless, this week will mark his 250th birthday.

I usually listen to Beethoven while writing, and I have selected some of my favorites beyond the widely known 5th and 9th Symphonies. May these pieces be your writing background music and inspiration for your writing to celebrate his 250th birthday.

Piano Sonata No. 5 in C Minor; Op. 10 No. 1 -1. Allegro molto e con brio

Rage over a lost penny Op. 129 

Symphony No 4 in B flat major 

Symphony No 7 in A major, Op. 92

Fidelio (Beethoven's only opera) 

What music do you listen to while you write? Do you have favorite composers, bands, groups? Favorite pieces? Something you listen to every time you write?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A cautionary tale update for the end of 2020

Yes, we're keeping an eye on our favorite scammer.  

Read the original post here

Read the first update here

When we left off on November 2, 2020, this was their account

Since then, here's what we've found:

November 18

November 22

November 29

December 12

Writer beware!

#QueryFriday

 

It's time for #QueryFriday! Enter for a chance to win a query critique by yours truly! Here's how to participate:

1. Comment on this post and at least one other post from this week by SUNDAY 12/13 at 12 pm EDT.

2. Leave your email address in the comment or have it available on your Blogger profile. (If I can't find you, I can't get in touch with you!)

The winner will be chosen via random draw and will be announced in the comment section of this post on Sunday.

See this post for additional rules. Good luck!

-Amren

Dear O'Abby: What is platform and do I need it?

 Dear O'Abby,

I keep hearing about "platform" and how important it is for writers to have one, but I'm not sure what it means or why it is so important.  Can you please explain?

Yours,

Unsure

Dear Unsure,

Platform is something that is critical when you are a non-fiction author, but less important if you write fiction.  Basically "platform" means the built-in audience for your book, the people who are already engaged with you and whatever it is you are an expert in and who are already listening to what you have to say.  

Platform could be a popular blog or social media channel.  It could be a newspaper or magazine column. It could be a television show.  The larger your platform, the more likely it is that you will be able to reach a large number of people to talk about and sell your book.

As a non-fiction author, your platform will indicate to agents and publishers that you are the right person to write this book, that you are already an expert in the field and have people following your work.  Before your book is published, your platform may be relatively small, but the aim is to grow it through the additional content.  The publication of your book is one step in growing your platform.  Any tours or interviews or media coverage you get as you publicise the book will help to grow your platform which will hopefully help to make publishing a second book easier.

Platform is not so important for fiction writers because there is no expectation that a fiction writer is an expert.  For fiction writers it's more important to write the best possible book for the audience you are writing for.  Platform for fiction writers will come from the readers who become fans of your book.

Hope that's at least a little bit helpful.

Best,

O'Abby.

Operation Awesome #20Questions in #2020 of #NewBook Debut Author Kari Flickinger

The Gull and the Bell Tower by Kari Flickinger

1- How did you get your book trailer?


The amazing folks at Femme Salvé Press put together the trailer on my behalf. Amanda did ask for my input regarding the music, but they put in so much work into the marketing materials, and I am so grateful for their direction, and talents.

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Learn to ask questions you think you know the answer to. Remember to listen for the answers.

3- What is the best piece of writing advice you've received?

Having professors ask me “what does this mean” with such frequency helped me realize that my struggle toward clarity was a lifelong one. Writing advice is useful if it targets one of your personal problem areas, so I think finding the right advice starts with asking the right question. Sit down with a sentence and ask yourself “what does this mean?” Pretend the sentence is circled in red pen. Take it apart. What does each piece mean? What does it mean in a different order? What does it mean personally and globally? Your reader is making meaning, you should too.

4- How is your cat handling the trials and tribulations of 2020?

My darling little Bear chews on everything. He chewed a dent in a dvd reader the other day. We have neighbors on all sides, so the ambient sound of people in their homes is substantial. Sometimes, he paces and screams “hello” and I usually take that as an indication that he wants me to leave. So, I get in my car and drive around in circles for a few hours. When I return, he likes me again, and naps on my arm. We accommodate reciprocal neurosis.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book with your cat?



6- What most draws you to writing poetry?

Poetry gives me parameters for dismantling and cohesion, and I really appreciate that. I don’t think I would be able to express myself without poetry. It’s not food, and it doesn’t supply food. But it addresses the needs that are further up the pyramid, sometimes.

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

My twitter handle is: @kariflickinger Shoutouts: @BooksFemme @AmandaMWrites @ehoranpoet @bethgordonpoet

8- Do you have a favorite #bookstagram image or account/ profile?

@moes_books I like the Moe’s Books (Berkeley) account. People should buy books from them.

9- What most motivates you to read a new book?

I buy my liquor according to the art design of the label. I really like to touch books and bring them home and write all over them. Obsession usually motivates me to seek out a specific book. I was writing these poems about sea snakes and global warming, I have been working on them for a few years, and I bought a book about reading water, and an obscure book about a specific sea snake. I make my own weird systems of annotation. I just get overcome by ideas sometimes. So, I buy books because I’ve got to know more, which is not remarkable. I don’t often part with books, though. Because sometimes I find the trail again, and I need the dots to remember.

10- It's our tenth anniversary! How far has your writing come in the past ten years and where do you see your writing career ten years from now?

I am worse at embodying voices other than my own. I am a little better with empathy in my own life. Maybe that give and take are related.

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

There are so many good books to read in this phenomenal writing community, there is no way to boil it down to one. When I try, I go on too long. Some forthcoming books I am so excited for: Grim Honey by Jessica Barksdale / At First & Then by Danielle Rose Here is a list of a few books I loved:
https://thepoetryquestion.com/2020/11/30/tpq5-kari-flickinger-2/

Author name: Carlo Rovelli @carlorovelli
Title: The Order of Time
Love because: I am a poet, not a physicist, by any means, (though I had lunch with a bearded physicist and his bicycle in a crowded cafe at UC Berkeley one day.) But time, the passage of time, the music of time, how we subsist beyond ourselves with our works, these are some of my greatest passions. And Rovelli writes like a poet. I was transfixed by this text which presents material that could be difficult to understand in a way that makes it something we can better grasp. But beyond that, our reading this text makes us better grasp our sense of self in this world. Near the end, there was a quick-successive reminder of each lesson we had learned, and then a philosophical expansion based in the personal. Or the flashback as one might face the tunnel. The book ushers us into death so gently, one hardly realizes they've passed through not just a set of markers of new knowledge, but the experience of letting that knowledge float outside of you as something you can grasp if you wish or let meander beside you, gently. It's a fullness, but also a lightness. It's a personal, profusive experience to read this book, and I would recommend it heartily to anyone.


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

I hope any readers feel something authentic. I don’t hope to pretend I have any understanding of how my words will be taken. I’ve spent a lot of time wading through theory of reader reception (both medieval and present-day,) but nothing can prepare you for the depth (either heavy or shallow) of a reader’s interest. I guess, I simply hope that readers feel.

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

I hope people will read this swirling confusion and give themselves permission to breathe and fuck up and try again. It’s a phenomenal collection of failures that drive this non-narrative, but I still plow on.

14- What is the best writing tool, program, or reference book you've ever bought?

One of my favorite professors gifted me the Taschen Book of Symbols when I got into UC Berkeley. I read a lot of non-fiction books to learn about science / nature and I think that helps develop my writing. You can’t buy curiosity, but you can fuel curiosity by learning something weird.

15- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks

My answer here is a heavy one, and I hope this sentence serves as enough of a content warning.
This book explores my struggles with mental and physical health. I have fibromyalgia and experience migraines. When I was studying at university, I began medication for the migraines when they escalated to the point that I was experiencing full migraines every few days and a low-level headache that stayed constant. The medication I was prescribed and the rigorous unending studies / constant digging-up of unprocessed traumas as a lit major caused my (at the time undiagnosed) bipolar to throw me into chaos. I rapid-cycled for over a year. I was in my thirties, and I had no idea what was happening to me; because I was undiagnosed, I didn’t believe there was anything beside myself to cause this behavior. I stopped eating because I was ill all the time, became increasingly paranoid, and I walked into busy traffic one day. I lost eighty pounds altogether during my time at Berkeley. This book shows glimmers of my mental health issues as they compound in grief. Time shifts. There are pushes and pulls—the voicing morphs. All of this is intentional. I am showing what it is like to not trust yourself, or the people around you. On the surface these are love poems, but they are doing more work than that if you scrutinize them. They show the fractures. I hope that people will read these and feel a sense of empathy or care for people who struggle with mental health issues in their lives. I am not saying it is an excuse, but I am saying that most people know the chaos they are causing and have no mechanism to stop the works once they’re in motion.

16- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

I really enjoy The Poetry Question. They feature such a wide array of reviews of all types from so many different writers. Plus, they share these wonderful Power of Poetry essays which delve into artistic statements of all kind. I believe they recently added a few new columnists, so I am excited to see what new insights and voices that brings to their offering.

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

The press that first accepted this manuscript folded because of the misconduct of a new editor. I ultimately had to pull the manuscript and was heartsick. But I couldn’t have hoped for a better situation than the one I have experienced with the press who picked up the book. Femme Salvé Press is a new small press who heard my story and approached me. They put so much energy and care into what they are doing and I am really grateful.

18- Which author, past or present, do you feel most resembles your work?

I think I have emulated a lot of the artists I have read in order to learn their tricks. But I have never quite landed on any of them. Once, a man followed me into a café in Berkeley where he excitedly assured me that I was Janis Joplin. I think there might be something there. Maybe Lorine Niedecker or Leonora Carrington?

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

I will give you a writing exercise, instead. I want you to take a recent sentence you have written and ask yourself “what does this mean?” Then write another sentence that answers that in some way. (Form doesn’t matter here, use it or don’t. However, you think writing into the world.) Share it if you’d like or keep writing it for yourself.

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

The book is dedicated to two entities I loved, who died. I miss Jo’s memorial in “I Will Miss Your Memorial”. Oscar is mentioned in “I Grow Numb”. The last line of the book is a reference to “Under Pressure”.

@kariflickinger
@BooksFemme

The Gull and the Bell Tower

In her stunning debut collection, Kari Flickinger maps the elemental displacement of trauma and heartbreak through a journey of triumphant reclamation of the self. These delicate, but complex poems interrogate and redefine the dimensions of love. This collection is for anyone who is ready to change the way they view themselves in their world, and to restore and fearlessly embrace their identity.
Obtain your copy here: https://femmesalvebooks.net/the-gull-and-the-bell-tower-by-kari-flickinger/
Visit my website to keep up with my work: http://kariflickinger.com


The Gull and the Bell Tower by Kari Flickinger