WRITING WEDNESDAY

I can tell people how to write, but it\’s hard for me to take my own advice. My work in progress (WIP) is a case in point.

The best way to start a book is with action in the first chapter, the first sentence. That is what I\’ve told writers for years. My WIP is so boring at the beginning, and I\’ve been thinking how to change it around to grab readers more. I have started with backstory, which is so wrong. Now, I\’m changing it to more action.

Let\’s look at the setting This book is set in beautiful Shady Valley, TN. It is a real place, my husband grew up there. For those of us who have lived there and moved away, it is a little different. Going back to the beauty, it is nestled between three mountains, Iron, Cross, and Holston Mountains. Beautiful beyond words. The temperature is cool, even in the hottest summer. When we lived there, we had no need for air conditioning. We opened the windows and a breeze floated through the house.

If you can imagine a place that is quiet and peaceful, creeks cold as ice, trees and birds everywhere, then you\’re in Shady Valley. No hustle and bustle. It\’s a farming community, and a motorcycle ride across the mountains is called \”The Snake.\”

There is a small grocery store and a restaurant. That\’s about it. Did I say peaceful? Don\’t depend on credit cards when you go there. Bring cash or checks. That is what makes it so peaceful and quaint. The picture above is entering Shady Valley from the Holston Mountain and Bristol, TN.

Now that you have an idea about where my book is set, I\’d love to give you the first page. This is the revised first page. The final first page. All you have to do is make a comment and I\’ll send it to you. The name of the book is simple, Daisy\’s Story. The series is Nothin\’ Shady Ever Happens in Shady Valley. There will be four books. I\’d like a better title, and if you have any ideas, put them in the comments. If I find a title I can\’t live without, I\’ll give you a free book when it is published.

Remember to make a comment for the first page, and give me a new title that I love to receive a free copy hot off the press.