An Unexpected June...

https://www.amazon.com/Unexpected-June-Twelve-Months-Stories/dp/0960031189

Hi!

I'm back! I know it's been a long time, but is it just me, or is time flying by? Mid-July? How did this happen?

But I guess I've been sort of busy... finishing up Book #5. And, I did it. It's finished. Done. Hasta la vista, baby!!

Be honest here... don't you just love the cover? If you've already read the book, you have to agree it fits the story to a tee.

But don't worry, it's not the end. I am working on Book #6 as I write this.

I think you may become hooked on this series after you read An Unexpected June. Why? Because I have definitely left you hanging with this latest installment in the series. I'm just sayin'... you're really going to want me to hurry up and finish #6 so that you can find out what was only hinted at in #5.

I have to confide in you... when I was about halfway through An Unexpected June, my mind just quit on me. I can't tell you how many times I sat in front of the computer, staring at the screen, writing absolutely nothing. I got to the point that I didn't know if I was going to be able to finish the book.

I know, sad, huh?

But then, on one of those sitting-there-writing-nothing-and-wondering-why-I-ever-started-this-in-the-first-place kind of days, I decided to go against the rules and write the ending. This was because I had already decided how I wanted the book to end. I could see it all in my mind, the words just waiting to be written.

If you read all of the advice and rules about writing a book, they (here's that infamous 'they' again) tell you to come up with a plan. Outline the book from beginning to end.. Line up your cast of characters, decide when they will become a part of the story, set up a plan of how the story is going to unfold and then finally, come in with the ending. All in this order.

Ha... seriously? Do people really do this? I'm told they do.

Well, I can't. My mind doesn't work this way. I skip from chapter to chapter - an idea comes in my head and I start writing. Because I've found, even if I write it down, when I come back to what I've written, I've lost all of the little details.

For those of you who aren't aware, I'm also an artist. I paint my original designs on glass Christmas ornaments. In fact, I have been designing and selling Christmas ornaments for almost forty years. I've worked with all kinds of materials - fabric, wood, polymer clay and so on. About ten years ago, I began to feel like a machine, making the same ornament over and over. Turning them out assembly line style. So, I started painting on glass, each design whatever popped up in my mind. No exact duplicates and I don't do special orders.

I've found by doing this, I've become more creative. And this is how I go about my writing. Whatever and whenever something pops up in my mind, it goes right down on paper (or should I say, the computer screen). A little crazy, I know. But it works for me.

Now... back to book #5 - for those of you who read it, what did you think? I really like how this book turned out. I think the story is starting to come together. The characters are all turning out to be the best of friends, developing into the type of friendships that will last a lifetime. Let's just say everyone is watching out for everyone else, it's a small town kind of atmosphere.

Not that Cleveland can be classified as a small town kind of place. But it really does give off those vibes. Maybe this is the Midwest influence. And they really do have the best fans when it comes to their hometown teams, no matter what sport it is. This is why I've brought baseball into the mix.

My hope is you were feeling a little sad when you came to the end of the book. Only because you didn't want it to end.

Here are a couple of quotes from An Unexpected June ~

If you have any comments, questions, etc. etc. please, please do. Also, if you have any spare time and you're just hanging around, looking for something to do, you can also go over to FB and check out my author page @lbjoyceauthor or my ornaments/Christmas page @LBGlitterGirl

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Linda

Cinderelly, Cinderelly...do you have time for love?

Hi!

For those of you who are devoted fans of the Hallmark Movie Channel, have you noticed a reoccurring theme in their movies over the past few years?

These women are not just sitting at home, twiddling their thumbs while they wait for their Prince Charming. Oh no... they are out there, ready to save the world.

Nope... they are are there, everywhere... getting their degree, holding top positions in major

companies and solving even the most complex small town problems with their brilliant ideas.

And what about the man they fall in love with? They seem to have drifted off in a whole new direction A good number of them appeared to have left their high profile jobs and the corporate world, to instead settle in a small town. Where they have become the town handyman or maybe carving nutcrackers in their little workshop in the barn out back.

Okay, okay... this is a bit of an exaggerating on my part. Some do have rewarding careers. But, really? And a little shout out to Hallmark, if you're going go nation-wide, selling these nutcrackers for hundreds of dollars, at least make them look like they're worth the cost. (Maybe as an artist, I'm one of the few who noticed this, but come on... those nutcrackers looked like a first grader painted them.)

I'm glad Hallmark is showing women as independent and successful. Because it's obvious someone needs to know what they're doing when, say, the Inn is on the verge of going out of business because of a bad cash flow... the festival has to go on, even if the sleigh or Santa is nowhere to be found... or the local restaurant, cookie factory or the whole town is about to be taken over by a huge conglomerate, who doesn't give a you know what about the town. Evidently, it's all about money.

Sigh... and unfortunately, in the real world, it sometimes feels this way.

But in Hallmark land? Everyone is happy. Love is in the air. Smiles, too. Which is a good thing.

And this is why we love Hallmark. For an hour and a half, or however long each movie is after commercials, we can pretend there really is such a perfect little town. Where everyone lives in harmony, always ready to help when a problem arises. And of course, there is an abundance of love floating around, where you know the ending is a perfect love story to boot..

Just out of curiosity, I wonder if Hallmark has ever considered making a movie here in my home town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio? It would be the perfect festival type of town.

Until next time, take care!

Linda

P.S. Is anyone else out there wondering what's going to happen to the popular Hallmark series, When Calls the Heart? What changes Hallmark will be making? It will be interesting to see what they will decide to do.

Plagiarism... Not a Good Thing.

There is a lot of anger traveling through the world of Romance authors right now. A USA Today and Amazon Best Selling author, Cristiane Serruya has been accused of plagiarism. Not only did she plagiarize large sections of other romance author's books, the books she chose were written by well-known and famous authors such as Nora Roberts, Courtney Milan, Tessa Dare, and Kresley Cole, to name a few.

Over twenty-five authors in all. Who knows how many books this involves. And as I write this, I'm betting the numbers will rise even higher. .

Christiane has put all of the blame for this on her ghostwriter.

A ghostwriter, you say? What's that?

According to Wikipedia, this is the definition of a ghostwriter:

A ghostwriter is hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are officially credited to another person as the author.

Now, this is what I don't understand. Why is there even such a thing as a ghostwriter? If your name is printed on the cover of a book as the author, shouldn't the story inside be written by you? Only you?

If you hire someone to help you, and yes, ghostwriters are paid for what they do, they should also be acknowledged. Maybe using the word collaborator. Or here's a thought, how about co-author? It isn't as if the author doesn't include credit for other things that helped bring the book into existence. Such as the cover design, the acknowledgements from the author for information used to build their story and, heck, even the dedication.

Yeah, I say get rid of the title, ghostwriter. No one gains from this. Not the author, the ghostwriter and especially not the reader.

It was an avid reader who brought this latest plagiarism to light. She contacted one of the above authors and from there, it snowballed as more and more authors found the same had happened to them.

Kudos to that reader. This goes to show you how loyal the readers of romance novels are.

Since I am new in the world of writing, I can't even imagine what these authors are going through. There is so much work that goes into writing a book. The time taken to write and re-write again, the perfect sentence. The careful attention to detail, making sure everything connects and falls in the right sequence throughout the story. And then, there's the editing... a dirty word in a writer's life.

It wasn't until after I started writing this series, I realized how difficult this all is. And even though I"m on my fifth book, it's still difficult at times.

Cristiane has said she never meant for this to happen. And she would never do such a thing. But, just as quickly, all of her social media pages disappeared - Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram. Just like that, BAM! They're all gone.

Just like Cristiane.

By the way, on Amazon, Cristiane's books are now shown as either no longer available, out of print or only available through third party sellers.

Another kudos, this one going out to Amazon... though it would be better if they removed anything pertaining to her completely.

In her bio on Amazon, Cristiane claims to have been a lawyer, but thought she needed a change. And, lo and behold, it turned out to be the missing puzzle in her life.

Hmm...

Which makes one wonder, was there ever really a Cristiane at all? Has anyone even ever met her? Not just by communicating with her through social media, but actually talked to her in person?

Could this have been something even bigger? Maybe a group of people that started out small, but then got greedy, deciding to go after the big authors. A stupid move, because these authors won't stand back and take this. Unlike the little-less-known authors, who don't have the resources to fight this, they do.

And they will.

And please... please don't blame this on authors who publish independently. Most of us are working as hard as we can at this writing thing. Wait... struggling is a more perfect fit of word here. And we're following all the rules. I know there's a lot of controversy right now about authors placing their books in obscure and less known categories, that don't pertain at all to their books, hoping to build up their ratings. I'm hoping Amazon starts clamping down on this. Again, it's not fair to us that, again, follow the rules.

I know, boring... but there's always the hope we'll be the winners in the end.

One final thought... in no way do I blame ghostwriters for what happened. This is if they can honestly claim they didn't know the manuscripts they were handed to fix included plagiarized material. I've read a few came out on their own, admitting they were a part of this and even a few more claimed to have turned down the job because something just didn't seem right.

And the zinger? Those that did do the work for Cristiane, didn't even get paid. Maybe this is a sign it's time they started to stand up for themselves and get the credit they deserve for what they do.

That's all I have to say... except I hope some good comes out of all this.

Thanks for reading!

Linda

P.S. Oh... and you can be completely assured there is no plagiarism in any one of my books. What you see, is all me! I don't know if this is a good thing, or what...

UPDATE!!!!!

It looks like Nora Roberts might have a chance of winning this one for authors everywhere. Check out the following link for the latest news on what's happening with this current case against plagiarism!

http://fallintothestory.com/breaking-news-2/?fbclid=IwAR2XWg1tUX2Jy4iN8VNjxOFzJ1wieCBna3QAee9ieDE8lGuNC3xFCuDAi6I