Hello, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Charlene Bell Dietz and her new book, “The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker,” here on FAB!! For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Charlene and to increase your chances of winning!!
This eBook is on SALE for ONLY $0.99 during the book tour!! See below for more details.
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker
by Charlene Bell Dietz
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GENRE: Mystery, Historical, Suspense Novel
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BOOK BLURB:
A privileged teenager from Minneapolis in 1923, scraps her college scholarship and runs away to become a flapper in dangerous, chaotic Chicago. In her search for illusive happiness, she confronts the mob and then must contrive a way to not be murdered.
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EXCERPT ONE:
Kathleen continued, “You said you wished you could go to college with me. What if we could go somewhere together, not to college, but someplace where we could dance and act and you could sing? I bet with our talents, we could turn this horrid world into something much more joyful—help make it one big party.”
“How?” Sophie’s eyes opened wide.
“We’ll go where you won’t have to teach kids piano, or act or dance, unless you want. You’ll be able to sing your heart out and, who knows, maybe even write your own songs.”
“My mother would never let me.” Sophie looked off into the near distance.
“Sophie, we’ll get to wear sparkly dresses. And wouldn’t you love to wear those modern, classy clothes? We’d bob our hair even shorter, wear lipstick, and be around people who know how to have fun and not have a care in the world.” Sophie should see the photos in Kathleen’s collection of theater magazines again. Then she’d be excited too.
“I’m sick of funerals and consoling others,” Kathleen continued.
“Look at how miserable Dolly is. Aren’t you tired of that too? We’d be around progressive people, thinking people, people who know how to make the most out of life. They’re searching for talent, Sophie. We’ll fit right in.”
“Where, Kathleen? No one much appreciates our abilities here.”
“Chicago. There are all sorts of openings for attractive young ladies with well-turned ankles and voices like canaries. That’s what the advertisements say.”
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GUEST POST:
Five Ways to Your Engage Readers
For years, I’ve judged numerous books for the New Mexico-Arizona Books Awards. After reading hundreds of books, along with decades of figuring out my own writing, I’ve developed a critical eye for winners. Here’s some common traits these frontrunners share.
1.) They make their scenes work hard, really hard, by using one or more of five driving components in their scenes. 1. shows conflict 2. creates suspense 3. reveals character 4. resolves suspense 5. has an emotional reversal.
Think about this: If the first paragraph of a book doesn’t show at least one of these components, how engaged is the reader? An opening line of one of my books reads, “Die, old lady, please die.” This harsh sentence includes the first three tasks I’ve listed for hard-working scenes. The more of these tasks a writer can pack into each scene, the more powerful and will keep the reader up late, turning pages.
2.) These authors avoid on-the-nose dialogue and allow their readers to participate in the fun of writing the book through using subtexts.
Myra
whacked him on the head with an 18-wheeler paperweight.
Jock
stumbled to the floor. “Why did you do that?”
She smirked, then said, “Because you lied to me.”
Here’s an example of on-the-nose dialogue. It’s placid and uninteresting because it’s what the reader expects these two to say.
Myra
whacked him on the head with an 18-wheeler paperweight.
Jock
stumbled to the floor. “Holy crap. You’ve turned freaken nuts.”
She smirked, then said, “Just take your truck-load of shit and get.”
Charging it up with some subtext let’s your reader stop and fill in the blanks. When your reader can participate this way, you let your reader become your coauthor.
3.) Often you can find two or three ways to say the same thing, but does it matter? Selecting the perfect word can make a mundane sentence vibrant.
My first paragraph of each of my works suffers many revisions. I’m always looking for the perfect words. This is from my latest mystery in progress.
Original draft:
Kate Hanover turned off the engine. She swallowed hard and looked at the side of the three-storied schoolhouse. A headache started at the back of her neck.
Twentieth draft:
Kate Hanover killed the engine. Strange. Leonard, in a ratty gray overcoat, skulked around the side of that crumbling, fake-adobe, three-storied building she suspected would be the death of her.
4.) Nothing slows the pace or turns readers off more quickly than redundancy. Spotting unnecessary embellishments takes practice, but it’s worth the effort.
Dora’s mind was full of questions. She pulled open the door to the anteroom of his office. There sat Ms. Prim, thumbing through piles of paper and as usual, ignoring her. She wouldn’t bother to question her about Jack. Instead, she’d just charged in and ask him. She pulled his door open and screamed, “I have one question, did you or did you not sleep with Hilda?” She fumed with fury.
This passage has numerous problems:
(Redundancy
“she” five times)
(Redundancy
, used, “pulled door open” twice)
(Pronoun misuse “She” in the fourth sentence refers to Ms. Prim or Dora?)
(Redundancy “question” three times)
(Buried on-the-nose dialogue, (asking if he did or did not sleep with Hilda.)
(Redundancy and not necessary “and screamed” “She fumed with fury.”)
5.) Finally, the most tragic killer of all, ignoring the opportunity to build suspense.
Look at the paragraph above, the fourth and fifth sentence: She wouldn’t bother to question her about Jack. Instead, she’d just charged in and ask him. These sentences need to be deleted. When writers miss chances to create suspense, their stories become boring.
Winners
Writers who pack their scenes with powerful tasks, use subtext to stimulate the reader’s imagination, get rid of redundancy and over explaining, and employ every opportunity to create suspense will be the few who stride away holding the coveted trophy. These authors have learned to make their stories engaging. Engagement happens only when the writer allows the reader to use their minds for guessing, feeling concern, or wondering how something can possibly turn out well. Grab your reader at the start, hold on, and you strut away with the award.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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Charlene Bell Dietz’s award-winning mystery novels The Flapper, the Scientist, and the Saboteur combines family saga with corporate espionage, and The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker propels readers back into 1923 in frenetic Chicago. The Scientist, the Psychic, and the nut gives readers a frightening Caribbean vacation. Her latest novel The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor is a historical biography about Lady Margaret Brent, the first American woman to be called an attorney, whose integrity and intelligence saves pre-colonial Maryland from devastation. This book won the New Mexico Press Women’s first place award and an award by the National Press Women. The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor will be released as a second edition by Artemesia Press in February 2024. Two of her Flapper books have won the coveted Kirkus stars, and two were named best book of 2018. Charlene, a retired educator, lives in the foothills of the mountains in central New Mexico where abundant wildlife, solitude, and natures’ beauty inspires her creativity.
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CONNECT WITH CHARLENE:
Charlene’s sweet and silly cat fussing about a fawn at her
window.
Website:
Email:
chardietzpen@gmail.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/charlene.dietz.9
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15277083.Charlene_Bell_Dietz
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36747175-the-flapper-the-impostor-and-the-stalker
Amazon Author Page:
Charlene’s grumpy Says Phoebe, on their front porch, out of the
nest, but not ready to fly.
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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:
**The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker eBook is on SALE for ONLY $0.99 during the book tour!!!**
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon US Hardcover:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Flapper-Impostor-Stalker-Inkydance-Collection-ebook/dp/B077PCF5H1
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Flapper-Impostor-Stalker-Inkydance-Collection/dp/1945212667
Amazon CA Hardcover:
https://www.amazon.ca/Flapper-Impostor-Stalker-Inkydance-Collection/dp/1945212659
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
Barnes and Noble Hardcover:
Kobo US eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-flapper-the-impostor-and-the-stalker-1
Kobo CA eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-flapper-the-impostor-and-the-stalker-1
Treasure House Books Paperback:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Charlene will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thank you so much for hosting today!
ReplyDeleteGreat cover.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bridgett.
DeleteAlly, you have such an engaging website. Thank you so much for hosting my story.
ReplyDeleteWho influenced you to be a writer!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. This sounds really good.
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ReplyDeleteI'm excited to read this!
ReplyDeleteThank you for everyone's comments. I have to say, no one influenced me to write, Tami. I just found a story too good not to be told. Hope you all enjoy this fast paced, witty, thrilling story.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds very interesting. Love the cover.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pippirose. This is one of my favorite covers, too.
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