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In this newsletter ...
We made it to February! The days are growing longer and spring is ever closer. I always feel just a little more upbeat at this time of year.
This month's newsletter features an interview with Elena Taylor Hartwell, author of Foundations of Plot, the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mystery series and the Eddie Shoes Mysteries (as Elena Hartwell). Learn more about Elena, and my own publishing journey in this edition.
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IT'S HERE!
NEVER LET GO, a psychological thriller, released in December from Level Best Books in paperback and ebook and from Dreamscape in audio, is now available! Order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org
or from your favorite bookseller.
Here is what reviewers are saying:
"Never Let Go will appeal to readers who enjoy some
psychological depth to their thrillers and suspense tales. Just be
prepared to lose a night’s sleep as Lori Duffy Foster’s plan is to make
sure you can’t stop turning the pages until the very end." – Kristopher Zgorski, BOLO Books
“Once I started reading, I could not put this well-written and
fast-paced drama down. … There were so many plot twists that kept me in
the game and when I thought I was on firm grounds with where the
narrative was going, the author changed the direction all to keep me
emotionally invested as the drama unfolded to its conclusion.” – Dru Ann Love of Dru’s Book Musing, Raven Award winner and two-time Anthony Award Nominee.
“Packed with fast-moving action, Never Let Go delivers a powerful message of how far a mother will go to protect her child, especially one who has been taken from her.” – Amy, Novels Alive
More about NEVER LET GO:
Most people have nightmares while they sleep. Carla Murphy awakens to find herself living one. Carla is excited when her best friend asks her to lunch and tells her to bring the baby. Rachel dislikes children and had been distant throughout Carla’s pregnancy. But Carla should have known that people don’t change that quickly. Lunch was a ruse. Carla emerges from a drug-induced slumber sealed in a room in Rachel’s basement with her son gone. Her best friend is no friend. She is obsessed with Carla’s husband and will kill them both if she doesn’t get what she wants. Carla has no choice. She must help Rachel, her confidant since childhood, seduce her husband or they all die, and her baby will be lost to her forever.
(Reviewers, click here to download ARCs from NetGalley.)
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Meet Elena Hartwell Taylor
Elena Taylor
spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and
educator before turning her storytelling skills to fiction. Her first series,
the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under the name Elena Hartwell, introduced a
quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo. With All We Buried,
Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers a much more serious and
atmospheric novel. Located in her beloved Washington State, Elena uses her
connection to the environment to produce a forbidding story of small town
secrets and things that won’t stay buried. Elena is also a senior editor
with Allegory Editing, a developmental editing house, where she works
one-on-one with writers to shape and polish manuscripts, short stories, and
plays. If you’d like to work with Elena, visit www.allegoryediting.com. When she’s not writing or coaching
writing she can be found outside with her horses, or with her husband, their
dogs Polar and Wyatt, and their cats Coal Train and Cocoa. Elena holds a B.A.
from the University of San Diego, a M.Ed. from the University of Washington,
Tacoma, and a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.
Websites: https://www.elenataylorauthor.com/
& https://www.elenahartwell.com/
About THE FOUNDATION OF PLOT
Structure underlies every story, but without a strong
foundation, even well-written sentences can fail to result in a marketable
manuscript. The Foundation of Plot defines the components of a story arc,
details the differences between plot and story, and covers common errors
writers make. It also includes exercises which apply concepts to works in
progress or new projects.
Drawing on the author’s decades of storytelling and teaching
experience, this short guide provides the framework for fiction, narrative
nonfiction, and memoir, walking writers through a first draft, the repair of a
failed manuscript, or any draft in between. For experienced authors and
first-time writers alike, applying the concepts outlined in this manual can
help launch a submission from the slush pile to the bookstore shelf.
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Q: For 20 years of your career, you worked in theater. What inspired you to give that up for fiction, and now nonfiction as well?
Elena: I have always been a writer; it just used to be for the theater. I was also a director, designer, educator, and occasional actor, which was interesting and paid the bills, but my heart was always with the writing. I always wanted to write a novel, and after three “learning” manuscripts, I wrote my fourth and landed my first book deal with the Eddie Shoes Mystery series. After moving farther away from a city center, it got easier and easier not working in the theater. I also stopped teaching formally (I still do workshops.). Academia was never a great fit for me. After the Eddie Shoes Mystery
series, I launched All We Buried, and have new books in the works, currently out on sub through my agent. That’s my happy place.
Throughout all that, I worked as a developmental editor. Andrea Karin Nelson, a longtime collaborator, opened a boutique editing company: Allegory Editing. She brought me on board, and I now consider Allegory my second home. We are full service, from developmental editing to copy editing and proofreading. There are four of us, and I couldn’t ask for a better team.
When Covid hit, I taught a 90-minute workshop every week for 54 weeks. It kept me grounded during lockdown. During that time, a lot of people asked when I would write a book on writing. I started several but couldn’t organize all the topics I wanted to cover. Then I realized the best way for me would be short books on each topic. The first, The Foundation of Plot, is the result of all that history. The second, The Construction of Character, will be out in the spring.
I guess the short answer is I didn’t give up the theater, I embraced being an editor and writer.
Q: You are pulled in so many different directions between your own writing, coaching, editing, your family, your volunteer work for International Thriller Writers and your horses (of course!). That is just the stuff I know of. How do you manage your time?
Elena: Often poorly! But what a great question.
I think one of the hardest things for anyone with a passion that doesn’t immediately have a financial or substantial reward, is continuing to do the work. If you love what you do, you’ll find the time. And you’ll prioritize it. That means something else won’t happen, but you make that sacrifice.
The second answer is that I have a basic routine. I do my own writing in the morning. Then client work. Then “stuff.” That might be errands or blog posts or other responsibilities. I also live on 12 acres with three horses, so I get up from my desk every couple of hours. I start out my morning with barn chores; work, then go out mid-morning for turnout and more barn chores; then more work … you get the picture. That keeps me physically active as well. There’s nothing better for refocusing on a computer than a physical break, especially outside in the cold with three animals that each weigh 1200-ish pounds. If that doesn’t get you in the present moment for a while, nothing will.
Q: The market is saturated with books about writing. Why did you decide to write The Foundation of Plot? How is it different?
Elena: Many books on writing are comprehensive. I thought writers might enjoy a single focus. The Foundation of Plot is short, concise, and limited to story structure. It also includes writing exercises to help writers on a first drafts or rewrites, so it’s immediately applicable. I’m a big fan of experiential learning.
Q: Can we expect more books on craft from you in the future?
Elena: Yes! The one on Character comes out soon, and then I have plans for a few more.
Q: You devote a lot of time and energy to others. How do you preserve mental space for your own creativity?
Elena: Thank you for your kind words. That can be a bit of a challenge, but having a routine helps. I know when I get up in the morning that my work comes first (well, after I feed the dogs and horses). After that, I can help others. It’s like putting your own mask on first in an airplane. If you can’t breathe, you’ll never get the mask on your neighbor.
Q: In another interview, you mention working as an auto mechanic and a bartender before stepping into the theater world. Do any of those experiences fuel your fiction?
Elena: All the time. I have worked in a cross section of disparate occupations, from auto mechanic to university professor. Diversity isn’t just race, religion, or gender; it’s also how we spend our time and what we value. Those things can vary across socio-economic lines. Engaging with people in different contexts allows me to create dynamic, well-rounded characters, even when they are very different from me.
Q: What advice would you give aspiring writers beyond reading The Foundation of Plot, which I read and highly recommend?
Elena: Awww … shucks, thank you!
Time is on your side; it’s not your enemy. Rushing to query, rushing to publish, these are the enemies of the writer. Good writing takes time. It takes multiple rewrites. It takes craft. It takes hitting the right agent or editor at the right time. Rather than sending queries out as soon as a first draft is done, take a breath. Work with a developmental editor, beta readers, or mentors. Write the strongest draft possible, then be prepared to keep rewriting throughout the process. After that, start on the next book.
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MY BOOKS
NEVER LET GO is now available in paperback ebook and audio from Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org or favorite bookseller!
For more about A DEAD MAN'S EYES, a SHAMUS AWARD finalist for Best First PI Novel, an AGATHA AWARD nominee for Best First Novel and book 1 in the Lisa Jamison Mystery Series, click here!
Click here for more about NEVER BROKEN, book 2 in the series, which released in April.
Contact me at lori@loriduffyfoster.com for signed copies of any of my novels.
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(For the always-updated website version, click here.)
News and Events
April 15, Book signing, Barnes & Noble, 2443 Vestal Pkwy E, Vestal, NY, noon to 4 p.m. Just on time for the launch of NO TIME TO BREATHE, book 3 in the Lisa Jamison Mystery Series! I am excited to return to the area where I spent so much time while earning my master’s degree in creative writing from Binghamton University. All four of my novels will be available.
April 28 – 30, Malice Domestic, Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Malice Domestic is an annual fan convention that takes place each year in Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. Malice celebrates traditional mysteries, books best typified by the works of Agatha Christie. I met so many awesome readers and writers last year. I can’t wait to return!
May 31, Joseph-Beth Bookseller, 2692 Madison Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, 7 p.m. Reading and book signing. Joseph-Beth was my favorite bookstore when we lived in Cincinnati and the first bookstore I ever went to with our twins. I am super excited to return for this event. I hope to see old friends and make some new ones!
July 14, Canandaigua Art and Music Festival, along Main Street and the Central on Main Area, Canandaigua, NY., time to be announced. I will be selling and signing books at the festival while also promoting F.L.A.R.E., the Finger Lakes Authors and Writers Experience. The festival runs from July 14-16 and features more than 100 juried artists along with live music and great food. It should be a blast!
Aug. 6, Read Between the Vines, Vineyard View Winery, 2971 Williams Hill Road, Keuka Park, NY, 1 to 4 p.m. Come join me and more than a dozen other members of F.L.A.R.E., Finger Lakes Authors and Readers Experience,on the gorgeous grounds of this winery overlooking Keuka Lake, where we will be signing and selling books. There is nothing like good wine and a good book! (Please note the date change. This was originally scheduled for July 16.)
Aug. 30 to Sept. 3, Bouchercon World Mystery Convention 2023: Murder at the Marina, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, San Diego, CA. More details to come!
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Birds are still hard to find on our property in the midst of winter with the exception of blue jays. They seem to be everywhere along with cardinals, woodpeckers and chickadees. This guy was hanging out on a tree during my walk.
If you are a fan of the HBO series THE LAST OF US, you might worry at the sight of this log! :) No need. This fungus will not grow on humans, taking over control of our bodies and killing us at the same time. It is harmless and beautiful.
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What's up with my books
I hoped to have the cover for NO TIME TO BREATHE, book 3 in the Lisa Jamison Mystery Series, by the time this newsletter released, but it's not quite ready yet. NO TIME TO BREATHE releases April 11. There is nothing more I can do until ARCs are available along with redline edits. So I am focusing on the next book, NO STRANGER HERE, which is due to my editor in June.
Some of you might notice that SPRING MELT was supposed to be next in line. I asked my publisher to swap the two books and Level Best agreed. SPRING MELT is an historical courtroom drama. I felt readers might better appreciate another thriller first. So NO STRANGER HERE a thriller, will release Dec. 19 of this year and SPRING MELT will release just before Christmas in 2024.
I am excited and nervous for NO STRANGER HERE. IT is set locally and I hope it rings true for readers who live here. Well, not too true. We don't want killers running around for real, do we? Here is a bit about the book. I had a lot of fun writing it!
"Marilyn Dekker has no roots. Her parents moved constantly throughout her childhood, sometimes tearing her from bed in the middle of the night, and her husband’s work forced them to move with their own children every few years.
So when the opportunity comes to settle permanently among the lush hills, fresh-water creeks and quiet ponds of Northern Pennsylvania, she readily agrees. But when two strangers on ATVS nearly kill her, Marilyn learns she is no stranger in these parts. With her arrival, she has unknowingly awakened dangerous family secrets that people will kill to protect. Marilyn has a choice: She can escape, like her parents did and raise her children on the run; or she can unravel the mystery of her parents’ past, risking her own life and lives of her husband and children to end the cycle of fear."
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What's up at home
The trees are tapped (many of them, anyway) and the sap is flowing from the maples that get the most sun exposure on our property. Soon, we'll be bottling another season's worth of maple syrup. My husband does the tapping, most of the collecting and the initial evaporation in his homemade evaporator in the woods. I finish off the syrup, filter it and bottle it in the kitchen. We give most of it away, but we also keep a good supply for spilling over pancakes and waffles. We have only two bottles left from last season, so the timing is perfect.
The biggest news at home is that the twins have their learner's permits. Yes, they are on the road. People have asked whether I am nervous. Are you kidding me?! My husband and I spend at least two hours each day driving them back and forth to school, practices and other events. They attend public school in New York, just over the border, so we have to provide transportation). That time will be ours when they can drive themselves. I will miss that alone time with them though. I have found that all our kids tend to open up more during time alone with me while we travel. Both are good drivers so far. They will take their road tests in early August.
Our daughter is back at Temple University for her final semester and our oldest son took a break from Penn State to get some health issues under control. He is taking two classes locally and working. He will return to Penn State for a final semester in the fall, and then we will have a break from all the college stuff for another year and a half.
That's life at the Foster Homestead this month. I hope February is a good month for you as well.
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If you read and enjoyed my books, please
consider clicking on a rating or leaving a review on your favorite
website, such as Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Book Bub.
Reviews are important to newbies like me, who are also published by
small presses. We greatly appreciate them.
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The Lastest: Interviews, reviews, articles and podcasts |
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Here are the most recent interviews, reviews, articles and podcasts. For a complete list, click here.
Do Some Damage, NEVER LET GO, Review
Readers' Favorite, NEVER LET GO, review
The Big Thrill, NEVER LET GO, interview
HannahBernadettebook.com, review, NEVER LET GO
MJB Reviewers, NEVER LET GO, review
Novels Alive, NEVER LET GO, review
The Book Review Crew, NEVER LET GO, review
Bolo Books, NEVER LET GO, review
Dru’s Book Musing, NEVER LET GO, review
Book Notions, interview
Fictionophile, NEVER BROKEN review
My Favorite Detective Stories, Podcast
Celtic Lady’s Reviews, NEVER BROKEN
Uncaged Book Reviews, Magazine article
The Strand Magazine, NEVER BROKEN review
Celtic Lady’s Reviews, review A DEAD MAN’S EYES
Novels Alive, NEVER BROKEN review
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Sending the best of all wishes for love and happiness in the New Year! |
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