#AtoZChallenge Q is for Yolanda Renée's Detective Quaid

Established Author Name: Yolanda Renée

1- Would you tell us about the inspiration for and a little about your Detective Quaid character?

Spending four years in Alaska inspired the series and the detective. Detective Steven Quaid is half Tlingit Indian and half Irish. Even though he descended from the gold miners that settled Alaska and Tlingit royalty. It gained him no favor during his adolescent years nor on his road to becoming a detective. After solving his first case, The Snowman, Quaid gained a bit of fame, which grew with each consecutive case. But Murder, Madness & Love tarnishes his reputation after he falls for a suspect. Which may not have been the best way to introduce my hero character. 😊

2- In what category/genre do you write? Why?

Crime, mystery, romance, and horror are my favorite genres, but I also write sci-fi. My sci-fi story Ever-Ton won a spot in the IWSG Anthology, Parallels: Felix Was Here. I also dabble in poetry. I write what I know and what I want to read. I grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries, Daniel Steele romances, Steven King horror, and Ray Bradbury science fiction. My grandmother wrote poetry and encouraged my writing. My book, For Opal, was written to honor her.

3- What part of one of your stories was the most fun to write? The most challenging?

Two of my most controversial characters were the most challenging and fun to write. Lucifer from Memories of Murder, and Stowy Jenkins from The Snowman, and Murder Just Because. Writing true evil is more complex than you think. Research is vital.

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

Write your antagonist's entire history. Birth through adolescence, to first kill. Even if it's not in the book, because with that knowledge, the character will lead you to their destruction.

5- What draws you to flash fiction, and what's happening at writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com?

I love the challenge of telling a complete story in the least number of words. My books went from 149,000+ words to 80,000+. Flash fiction writing helped me hone my skills and cut, cut, cut.

WEP – Write, Edit, Publish is a semi-monthly flash fiction challenge created by Denise Covey. I'm one of several hosts, Nila, Jemi, Sonia, and Olga. This year we chose movie posters as our inspiration, and this week we are writing to the movie prompt, "Life Is Beautiful."
The WEP allows writers of all levels to stretch their writing chops with different genres. While giving them constructive feedback and an opportunity to win prizes, advertise their work, and, most importantly, become part of a writing community.
https://writeeditpublishnow.blogspot.com

6- What do you love and hate most about being a published author?

I love sharing my work. I enjoy the entire process, but what I hate most is marketing. Too many rip-offs that promise tweets, shoutouts, and publications on book sites that don't exist. Or emails promising a discussion with a movie producer for only $1,000. It's very discouraging. Creating ads on Amazon or Facebook triggers my dyslexia and causes migraines. It's incredibly frustrating for an introvert.

7- Do you publish traditional, self, hybrid, other? Why?

I'm currently self-publishing. My first three books were traditionally published. But problems receiving royalties soured that option for me. I now have the rights to all my books. But I'd love to be able to safely hand off the publishing responsibility and have someone else running the show for book promotion.

8- What question are you dying to answer?

Why did you write two books with Stowy Jenkins as the antagonist?
In The Snowman, Stowy was captured and tried for his crimes, but Alaska doesn't have the death penalty, so he was sent to prison.
In Murder Just Because, he escapes to get his revenge on Quaid. He had a much bigger story to tell, which I wasn't aware of until I wrote the first book. He's one of the most hideous villains I've ever created. Lucifer was crazy, but Stowy is evil incarnate.

9- Would you please ask our audience an intriguing question to answer in the comments?

What book or author has made the biggest impression on you?

10- What are you working on now?

I'm currently editing Murder on Mount Fairweather, the 7th book in the Detective Quaid series. I'm hoping for a December release.
Quaid is in New York when he gets the news that a hijacked plane has gone down in the mountains west of Juneau. His wife is on board. An Airforce Jet can't get him home soon enough.
Despite Quaid's best efforts, the weather has the mountain socked in, and it isn't letting up. Can he reach the top of Mt. Fairweather in time to save his wife from the horrors of the Alaskan triangle and capture the hijacker?
FYI - each book is only .99 cents on Amazon Kindle this month. The entire series can be purchased for $5.99. @ Amazon.com


Coming soon: Murder on Mount Fairweather
Read more by Renée @ Defending the Pen
Thank you, Operation Awesome, for this opportunity to discuss my writing and showcase my books.
Yolanda Renée


Please check out the April Blogging from A to Z Challenge
#AtoZChallenge 2023
a-to-zchallenge.com

Caged Bird #WEP #WEPFF #IWSG #FlashFiction

Free Oliver Awesome

By: The Operation Awesome Team

Nathaniel: Oliver Awesome was no stranger to prison. His first time in The Big Cage came practically right after he learned to hold a pen with his wing. When they put him away this time, they didn’t even bother taking prints of his feathers. Last time, they got him for infodumping too much in the opening paragraph of his unfinished manuscript. But he’d violated probation when his editor came across this line in the first draft of his query:

“COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF BUTTER is an Adult Historical Romance complete at 100,000 words. It chronicles the adventures of Julia Child, a KGB spy and a trenchcoat full of gnomes.”

Oliver learned the hard way that an Oxford comma could mean the difference between three characters having a quirky, absurdist road trip and calling Julia Child both a Russian secret police officer and a long emo jacket full of tiny mythical creatures. They were using any excuse to put him away at this point.

He put a tick mark on the wall for every word in the edited version of his manuscript. A cage was no place for a bird, but he wasn’t worried. He knew he would get out eventually. Because the most dangerous animals of all were the creative and carnivorous.

Kate: And Oliver was both.  The prison diet of birdseed and water was supposed to weaken him, but Oliver refused to let it.  He imagined each stale husk was a mouse, fresh and juicy and delicious.  It kept both his strength and his spirits up as he stared through the bars at the lines of cages, each holding a feathered friend.

"What did they get you for?" he asked the cockatoo in the neighboring cell.

"Impersonating royalty," the cockatoo squawked back in his coarse, Australian accent.  He tossed his head, showing off the gold crown he still wore, even in prison.  "This time...  Last time it was pinching sandwiches from tourists."

Oliver shook his head.  Typical of Australian birds.  They were all crooks.  Must have learned bad habits from all those prisoners that settled the country.  But Oliver could use someone with a criminal mind.  If he was going to escape this cage, he'd need an accomplice.  And what better accomplice was there than a career criminal?  Someone whose mind was tuned to the nefarious?

"I'm Oliver," Oliver said.  "Pleased to make your acquaintance."  And to cement the burgeoning friendship, Oliver tossed a few of his choicest seeds into the cockatoo's cage.

J: The cockatoo ate the offering. "Right nice to meet such a generous fella. Name's Quentin Cocky.  What's your crime?"

Oliver relayed his story.

"That title reminds me of the movie, Butter. Human friend-of-the-feather, Jennifer Garner, is in that."

Oliver hooted and jumped around in his cage. "That's what I compared it to in my query! Another alleged crime of mine. They said comparisons are meant to be to other books, recent ones with decent ranks, and in the same genre. Not to films."

"Eh, whatda' they know?" Quentin Cocky chewed on his cage. 

"Careful, you'll hurt your beak." Oliver twisted and turned his head until, at last, he found a loose feather on each wing. "Can you keep watch for the guards?"

"Mate, that's my specialty!" 

Oliver used his quills to pick the lock. A skill he researched for his crime book THE HEN WITH THE PHOENIX EMBLEM. If anyone glanced at his search history from back then, he'd be plucked for sure. He listened to the click of the pins. His mouth opened as he puffed his throat in and out.

The cage swung open. Oliver flapped his wings, preparing for his flight of freedom.

Amren: "Wait!" Quentin hissed, and Oliver paused. "Guard's coming, mate."

Oliver quickly shut the cage door once more and ruffled his feathers, trying to make them look raggedy and unpreened. A huge raven with hulking talons appeared at the end of the hall. Sergeant McBill. 

McBill peered into the cages as he flapped past, clicking his beak harshly at any caged bird who looked back at him with the wrong spark in their eye. His talons were long and thin enough to reach through the bars and scrape out a prison tattoo on anyone who stirred his ire. Oliver shrank back with fire in his veins. He'd get free. He would. 

"What a preener," Quentin Cocky taunted.

Oliver groaned internally as McBill's flinty eyes turned their way. He should've known better than to throw in his lot with such a flashy bird - and an Australian at that. Did he learn nothing from his debut, WHEN THE CAGED BIRD DOESN'T SING? McBill hovered in front of Quentin's cage, his gaze flicking from Quentin to Oliver.

"What you say, squawker?" McBill cawed.

And as his head swung in Oliver's direction, Oliver realized that his cage door wasn't quite shut.

Dena: McBill eyed the door. “What the-?

“Lenore!” Quentin squawked.

The raven whipped around. “What'd you say, jailbird?”

“Lenore!” Quentin squawked again.

“I ain't no Lenore,” McBill snarled. “But that name does sound familiar...”

Oliver took a deep breath and exploded out of his cage. “Lenore!” Wrapping his wings around McBill, Oliver spun him around and squeezed him tight. “I've missed you so much!”

“Confound it!” McBill spluttered, attempting to extricate himself. “I ain't no Lenore!”

Oliver twirled the raven and conjured a tear. “I can't believe you're back! How've you been? We have so much to catch up on.” Reaching the open cage, he shoved McBill inside and slammed the door shut.

“Good onya, mate!” Quentin cawed.

Hoots and shrieks filled the room. Oliver plucked two more feathers and opened all the cages. The sound of furiously flapping wings filled the air.

“Cheers, mate!” Quentin said, saluting Oliver. He and the other former prisoners disappeared into the night.

Oliver turned a piercing stare on McBill. “We writers don't follow no stinking rules.” He left McBill, never flitting, still just sitting, contemplating the cage door.

McBill shook his head. “Nevermore.”

---

We hope you enjoyed our story of Oliver Awesome's writing crimes. Be sure to check out the other WEP entries! Click the image:

What writing crimes have you committed that would land you in the bird cage?

📢 The Operation Awesome Team is proud to introduce you to our newest member, Dena! Be sure to check out the introduction post tomorrow. 🎉

Want to learn more about cockatoos? https://www.natureaustralia.org.au

Open our Jewel Box of #WriteTips for the #atozchallenge and #wep

The Operation Awesome Team presents a different kind of jewel box for you to OPEN.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/jewel : "thing that is treasured, esteemed, or indispensable."

Writing knowledge is the jewels in our box at OA. So here's a #WriteTip from each of us!

J: #WriteTip When publishing on Amazon, be sure to link your ebook and print book.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1090907575 That's my print version. It ends with my ISBN-10 number.
https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Book-Reviews-Author-Inspiration-ebook/dp/B07MYDYDZX That's my ebook version. It ends with my ASIN number. 
Amazon will send an email saying: "links to its Kindle eBook version may take up to 48 hours." But if two days have passed and it hasn't automatically linked, here's what to do: 
https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200652220 Go there and CONTACT AMAZON. Not only does having them linked look more professional, it also increases sales. People who prefer one or the other will not go looking elsewhere for your other version. They expect it to be linked because that's how it is for all the other books. 
.

Karis: #WriteTip Here's what I all but screamed at my roommate recently, when she told me she didn't tell people she was a writer and struggled to think of herself as one because she hadn't been writing a lot lately. And what I told her, what I have been trying to remind myself, what I want to remind every writer out there who struggles with self-doubt and sometimes feels like they're not working hard enough, not working enough in general, is that you are always a writer. You are a writer because you write. You are a writer because storytelling through the written word lives in your veins, powers you forward, keeps you going when you don't know otherwise how you'll move on.
You are a writer because it's who you are, what you are. Whether you write daily or take a 10-year (or longer) gap. You. Are. A. Writer. 

Nathaniel: #WriteTip This isn't exactly practical advice on craft, but please remember to keep your writing life psychologically healthy. Treat writing as a mini-vacation as opposed to stressing yourself out about word count or grammar. Write something that you're truly passionate about and run with it for as far as the rough draft takes you. Listen to your characters and build the universe they live in to make yourself happy, setting a time for this each day if you can. 

But there's a catch to this. 

Recently, there has been a lot of tension in the online writing community as of late, particularly in the YA sphere. The most important part of keeping yourself mentally well when writing is accepting the fact that your work is not going to be loved by all. There has not been a book in the history of the world that has been universally loved. My favorite book is "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, and the Goodreads reviews are mixed to say the least. I suggest that you look up your favorite book on Goodreads and read the one and two star reviews just to solidify the idea that even a work that you deem the magnum opus of a genius can be disliked by others. 

Write what you love, do your research, take constructive feedback into consideration...but make sure you don't forget to accept that you can't please everyone. That is the best advice I can give you.

Kate: #WriteTip The best piece of writing advice I ever got was to always break the story down into three questions.  Who is the character?  What do they want?  Why can't they have it?  If you can answer those three, you probably have a story.  If you can do it for every character in your book, you might have a novel.

Amren: #WriteTip I'm going to tell you the best piece of writing advice I ever got: "Every character should have a goal." Freaking changed my life. Every character, no matter how small their role, shouldn't just be in your manuscript to fill a void. Think about it: everyone breezing in and out of your life has their own individual goals; why shouldn't the characters that fade in and out of your main character's bubble? You don't have to outright say what that goal is, but it should inform the way that character interacts with others. Make sure that your characters feel real!

Thanks for stopping by! Please tell us if you liked the tips.

#WEP Debut Author Déjà vu

This WEP challenge seemed like a great reason for a
Debut Author Déjà vu post.

Here are a few blasts from our past.

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Kristin Bartley Lenz

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

If writing a novel feels overwhelming, tell yourself to write a short story. Maybe you’ll actually end up with a short story, but good chance it’ll grow into more. #WriteTip

When trying to Show Not Tell, have your character look around her – what does she notice? What does she see, hear, smell, touch? #WriteTip

2- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

Forever Young Adult (http://foreveryoungadult.com/ ) is one of my favorite book bloggers because they have an interesting format (http://foreveryoungadult.com/book-report-grading), and I almost always agree with their reviews. They even have a special series of reviews on Kirkus.

3- What's the best book marketing strategy you've come across?

Show up to support others – in whatever form that takes: sharing good news, going to events, reviewing/recommending other books, encouraging and sharing resources with writers at all stages.

4- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

What books are on your night-stand at the moment?

5- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

I ‘ve experienced déjà vu several times, but of course I can’t think of the specific situations right now! But just as fascinating to me is the idea of premonitions, ie. sometimes I will get a feeling or a thought about something before it happens.

A couple years ago, I entered a writing contest and the winner was being announced at a large conference. I was in the audience, did not think I had a chance of winning, was totally calm and relaxed and curious as the contest coordinator was speaking on stage, when all of the sudden my heart started racing wildly – and then they called my name as the winner!

Another time, I was driving on my way to speak at a book club out of town and one of my old high school teachers popped into my head. We’d had an altercation my senior year, but I hadn’t seen or hardly thought of her in 30 years. When I arrived at the book club, she was there! She was new to the group, her first time attending, an aspiring author, and she didn’t even remember me. It was so weird.

And then there are a lot of stories of people having a “bad feeling” about something. I really believe in this intuitive energy. Thanks for asking this question – it sent me off to read more about it. Here’s a Psychology Today article about déjà vu that was interesting: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/emotional-freedom/201004/the-meaning-deja-vu

Thanks for having me back on your blog, Operation Awesome team!

---

Angela Kay

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

Whenever you have a dream, never give up because you’ll never know where it’ll take you. I never imagined in my wildest dreams I’d be publishing my books, let along publishing for others.

2- You've put out two books since your last interview. Is there another in the works?

I’ve finished the first draft of a cold case thriller, I’m in the middle of a psychological thriller with human trafficking being the center subject, and I just started the second book in my FBI thrillers (“I Can Kill” being the first, which was named awards finalist by American Book Fest.)

3- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

What’s your favorite holiday and why?

4- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

I’ve experienced Deja vu quite often.

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Cath Schaff-Stump

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

Writing words is more important than anything else you need to do as an author.

2- Given your Tweet thread, what's your opinion on the Nike Kaepernick ad?

I applaud Nike for the Kaepernick ad. A real hero is one who stands up for their principles. It is sad that this is such a controversial stance. A United States so flagrantly in disregard for the human rights of all peoples, regardless of their origins, should not censure protest against its government. As a white person, I know we are a privileged group who take a lot for granted. Okay, everything. One of the best ways we can ally and make change is to support such efforts, and try to speak about them with other, especially to those who don't see the privilege. So, go Nike. You're doing your job. And go, Mr. Kaepernick. Way to get out there and hope for a time when we are all on the same enlightened page you are on.

3- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

Can you tell me all about your favorite character from a book or movie? I'd love to hear about them.

4- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

I experience deja vu all the time. I used to think I'd dream things in advance, and then experience them. So, it's a real thing, even though I don't think it has a prophetic cause.

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Jason Disley

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jason-Disley/e/B0034PRF9M/

1- How do you like your coffee? Have you ever had a Pumpkin Spice Latte, and did you like it?

I like a flat white these days. Haven't had a Pumpkin Spice Latte, might wait for Halloween before I do.

2- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

The New Yorker I like the broad spectrum of books covered by this site

3- What have you been up to since your interview?

Where do I start?

Well after my novel Seven Day Fool, I have been writing its sequel Take It Or Leave It. Which sees my private detective Jake Brody drawn into a case spread through Manchester, London and Paris. It sees some character development and his immersion into a much more espionage filled tale as he becomes a person of interest to MI5 - the British Secret Service. The tale is set a mere few months after Seven Day Fool and is set in 1966. England is getting ready to host The World Cup. The Jules Rimet trophy has been stolen, and a mysterious "Pole" is implicated as being involved in what looks like an opportunistic theft. Jake Brody believes that this individual has something to do with Kinga's father who was deported back to Poland at the end of Seven Day Fool. He is offered the task to investigate by the one man in England that he dare not refuse. It is a job offer. Does he "Take It Or Leave It?" I should hopefully have this book finished by the end of 2018.

I still write a lot of poetry and have been performing at spoken word events. I have recorded an album of spoken word called Speakeasy, which is going to be released by Heavy Soul Records. There will be a seven inch vinyl record of two of my poems released in December. One is called Words of Wisdom, and is performed by myself with original music by Rick Blackman. The other side is called Breathless and is recorded in French by Gabriela Giacoman, the lead singer of French Boutik. The music again is original music by Rick Blackman. After this release the album will be released also on vinyl.

I now co-host a regular spoken word /Comedy night called Speaky Blinders which has a great variety of performers sharing their poetry and comedy.

I also published a book of poetry called Songs of Benevolence & Rage this year, and hopefully in December will have an experimental collection titled Beat To A Pulp published. This collection is a complete traditional Pulp style story written in verse form. I have some amazing artwork that will be complementing the collection provided by an artist friend. Who is known as Mr H. It is going to be very different, and is a work I am very proud of. So, as you can see I am busier than ever!

4- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

What's next?

5- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

Many times personally. Jake Brody certainly has a moment in Take It Or Leave It. It's centered around the female interest and the sense of déjà vu is palpable for him as he is still getting over what happened to Martina Godlewski.

---

Matt Harry

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

The theme of your story (what it’s really “about”) is crucial. Once you know the theme, it will tell you which characters to keep, what scenes are necessary, and what the ending should be. Stories without a theme may be enjoyable, but they are disposable.

Teaser pic of the next book in the series, which is out May 14, 2019!

2- Who is your favorite book review blogger?

I really enjoy the reviews at @TheAVClub. They’re intelligent, insightful, and often very funny. I base my to-read list on their “Best Of” picks every year.

3- How would Euphemia Whitmore feel about voodoo magic?

I’ll let her answer this one. The following is a quote from her unpublished volume Alternate Methods of Sorcery for Beginners:
"Voodoo magic, while certainly effective, lacks the elan and work ethic required for traditional sorcery. As such it is quite a tempting field for the young sorcerer to pursue. However, a grounding in traditional spell casting fundamentals is recommended before learning easier, alternate methods."

4- What is one question you would like the readers of this to answer in the comments?

Is there anything you’d love to see explored in a novel about teenage sorcerers? The second book in this series, Cryptozoology for Beginners, has been completed, but I’m in the planning stages for the third novel and would love to hear any wish lists!

5- Have you, or one of your characters, ever experienced déjà vu?

I feel like I experience it quite a bit. I’ve even had dreams that I later think actually happened. Naturally this makes me want to write a story about it, but I haven’t figured out a unique way to do it yet.

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The answers ended up at 1400 words. Who knew these blasts from the past would have so much to say?!
We're not competing to win. There's no need for feedback. But it'd be great to keep the conversation going!
So if you feel like responding to some of the questions asked by our authors, that'd be awesome!