Adventures N Writing

It's been a few days since I've posted. I have been in plotting mode for the next book and am happy to say that as of yesterday I now have a 16 single-spaced detailed outline and 50 pages on the new book (Haunted Hills). This one has some of the same kind of humor as a Nikki book, which for those of you waiting for a new Wine Lovers' Mystery, you will be pleased to know that there will be Book #7 out in early July! Today, I am giving some "Plugs" for a few things (favorite books, favorite blog, and new e-reader), so if you feel like I am trying to sell you on some stuff, well, fine. I am. The first things is for you writers out there. A friend called me this week as she is in the middle of writing her first novel. She told me that she felt stuck and that she isn't sure where the book is going and that she keeps rewriting pages over and over. I asked her, "Do you have an outline?" She does not. My suggestion to her was to pick up any of James Frey...

 I hope if you haven't read this book, you will take a chance on it. I loved writing it and the book means a lot to me. Cheers, Michele ZOVA Books Releases the first must read of the summer season ZOVA Books announces the release of Happy Hour, by acclaimed author Michele Scott. Los Angeles, CA, March 21, 2011 - ZOVA Books announces the release of Happy Hour, a new novel by Michele Scott. ZOVA Books is a boutique publishing firm representing such acclaimed authors as Dances With Wolves novelist and Academy Award winning screenplay writer, Michael Blake, as well as the Pulitzer Prize nominated bestselling author of Sacagawea, Anna Lee Waldo. Their partnership with Michele Scott brings them a wide body of previously published and wholly new material. Michele Scott's Wine Lovers mystery series, released through Berkeley Prime Crime, achieved wide acclaim upon its release. Scott has since established herself as one of the preeminent writers of the mystery genre, following her ...

Getting a great review on a Monday morning is always a wonderful way to start the day! I am a happy camper this morning. The editor from Substance, Style, and Soul reviewed "Happy Hour," and Loved it! So, I have to toot my own horn here, because I really love this book, too, (it's that book I wrote from my heart like writers are always being told to do) and am excited to let you know that ZOVA books has picked it up and the new release with some changes to the original book, will be out March 15th! Here is the awesome new cover, which I love. Hope you do, too. Check out the review.    http://stylesubstancesoul.com/2011/02/book-bite-happy-hour-by-michele-scott/ Cheers, Michele P.S. You can pre-order a copy now off of amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Hour-Michele-Scott/dp/0982788088/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298913528&sr=1-1

In between posting a few chapters here and there of "Saddled with Trouble," I thought that I would also post a workshop that I gave a few months back to the Orange County RWA on Writing Women's Fiction. It's quite long so I am breaking it up over the course of the next week. You can also find this workshop in my book "The Writer's Workshop." Thank You and I hope that you enjoy! Cheers, Michele http://www.michelescott.com/ What is women’s fiction, and how do we as writer’s “get it right?” According to Wikipedia, Women's fiction is an umbrella term for a wide-ranging collection of literary sub-genres that are marketed to female readers, including many mainstream novels, romantic fiction, "chick lit," and other sub genres. I would say that’s a decent generalization, but women’s fiction is so much more. Women's fiction is all about relationships. Not necessarily romance, but the type of relationships women deal with everyday: family...

For the months of October and November you could win your choice of a Nook or Kindle. How you ask? Good question. All you have to do is purchase either a copy of Happy Hour or El Patron off of http://www.amazon.com/ or http://www.bn.com/ , forward the proof of purchase to HappyHourBook@gmail.com and type in either Nook or Kindle in the subject line. The winner will be announced in the December issue of my newsletter, which is you want to subscribe to, all you have to do is e-mail me at the same e-mail HappyHourBook@gmail.com and type in Newsletter in the subject line and Viola! If you have any interest in following me on twitter go to http://twitter.com/winemysteries , and/or on my fan page over at facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Michele-Scott/117686908963 . To read excerpts from either book, visit my site at http://www.michelescott.com/ . Good Luck! Cheers, Michele

When I write a book I have my own process that works for me. I teach this process to the kids I work with and in adult writing workshops. Every writer has her/his own process. If you've been reading over any of my writing series that I've posted on the blog, it gives you a little insight as to how I go about it. One thing I really like to do when creating a book is put together a scrapbook of characters. This gives me a visual that I can thing consistantly refer to. It also helps to study the photos, where I can really think about description and the right words to put on the page. When I do scrapbooking, I cut and paste pictures from magazines of what I think my charcaters look like, where they might live, what their favorite foods are, etc. It's a visual outline for me, and I can come back to it over and over again. I have now started putting together my visual outlines on my computer. Isn't technology great? Since Happy Hour was relased today, I thought it might be a...

I LOVE Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday because I love to eat. I think that's a given for many of us, right? Thanksgiving is always at my parents' house. It's been that way forever and I don't see it changing any time soon, as my dad doesn't like to leave his house. I can't really blame him. My folks live out in the country with views of mountains and trees, a pasture and their horses--pretty nice. We don't exactly have peace and quiet in our house seeing that we are directly in the flight path here in San Diego. I can pretty much tell you what flight is going out when they fly overhead about every three minutes. Don't get me wrong. I love this old house--it was built in the 20's and is a Spanish style with the arches and hardwoods and a ghost or two (think I'm kidding?). But no one really says no to my dad. So, it's off to Grandma's house we go for turkey day. On T-Day at my mom and dad's place you can find relatives, frien...

This is the last chapter that I will be posting up for Happy Hour. If you've enjoyed the chapters, I hope you will purchase a copy of the book. This is a great "girlfriend" book. If you're wondering what to give your good friends, your sisters, your mothers, mother-in-law, (speaking of, I have a wonderful mother-in-law--actually the best, and in Happy Hour, I think one of the sweetest relatsionships is between Jamie and her mother-in-law Dorothy), cousins, etc--pick up this book for them. Also, for those of you with a Kindle, the book is on sale right now! You may want to check it out on amazon. The book is still only currently available from my blog site and website at http://www.michelescott.com. It will be available on amazon in the next week. However, if you order this week off of my site(s), you will also recieve a signed copy of "Zamora's Ultimate Challenge." For those of you with middle grade aged kids, this is a book for them. To check out some i...

Here is chapter three of Happy Hour. Enjoy! Three and a half years ago... CHAPTER THREE Danielle These things were always so phony. The smiles, the chit-chat, the bullshit. Women in their designer outfits discussing the latest craze in cosmetic surgery and gossiping about which desperate housewife had taken the leap and gone under the miracle worker’s knife. Good God, could it be any more dull than that? Get a life, right? But Danielle Bastillia caved every time someone called and asked her if she would participate in whatever charity event their organization represented. Al thought it was wonderful, explaining how necessary it was to keep good community relations. Sure, that was a part of it. However, for Danielle, it always came down to the charity itself. She was a sucker for kids, animals, anything and anyone stricken. Maybe it was the Catholic upbringing and the inevitable guilt that came with it, but come on? How could she turn down the Leukemia Fund for Children’s Hospital, or...

Lori at Lori's REading Corner has been cool enough to post excerpts from the Happy Hour book, and she's running an awesome promo as well (amazon gift cards, anyone????). Anyway, Happy Hour is on schedule to go on sale late next week, but for now you can still get your pre-order in on the link to the right or off my website at http://www.michelescott.com (if you haven't checked out the new site, please do. There's a yummy recipe up, plus some great contest info for book clubs, etc--and you can see photos of my four legged kid Krissy). I thought I would give readers here a little "taste" of Happy Hour for the week. Here's a partial of Chapter One. Hope you enjoy! Cheers, Michele CHAPTER ONE (Three and a half years ago...) Kat Kat McClintock was late. This was not good. This would not be good. Damn. Damn. Damn. “Okay, boys, listen.” Neither one of her pre-pubescent sons looked at her. They were far too absorbed in whatever new Game Station, Game Cube, Play St...

It's a little late in the day for my post. Sorry to be behind. Wednesdays can be a little disorganized because it's my day to go and teach a very excellent group of 8th graders a writing program I've created. We will work for the year together and each student will write their own book. I've done this program for two years now with 8th graders and I think I learn as much as they do. I love working with kids because they get really involved with the project and their imaginations are amazing. They let go when they discover that I don't give them very many rules in the creative writing process. I've also been fortunate enough to work with Kindergarten and a fifth grade classes last year, and it looks as if I'll be adding third grade into the scheme of things. It's my goal to get kids writing and to enjoy the process of writing stories. Each age group is unique and fun. Today was all about where stories come from and how we begin to develop them. The initia...

I know that I'm a bit "eclectic." I suppose that is a nicer term than weird, but I'm a writer and many of us (I think) are a tad "eclectic." For example, on my bedside table you will find my Mother Mary and Baby Jesus paperweight (my middle child bought me for Mother's Day at the swap meet last year), the little Buddha set in jade (got them at one of those tables on a corner in NYC), there is a little change thing in the shape of a pretty butterfly, and another one of a frog, then on the lower shelf are my kitty Tigger's ashes, and then there is my Gwen Stefani Bratz doll (she does not share Tigger's shelf) Yes--you read that correctly. All of it. Go ahead, go back and re-read and shake your head at me. Remember the other day if you read the blog that I was going to tell you who my favorite celebrity is? Well, I am certain you have all been waiting with baited breath through the weekend to find out and you can now obviously figure out that if I h...

Okay, okay. I did not plan to post today, but I am taking time out from the housework to make an announcement. I have a new book now available for pre-order. the official release date is November 5th, but order now because this is a special, limited edition. In the back of the book there are book club discussion questions, an interview with the author (oh that's me) and some cool offerings for book clubs. The book is currently available for those of you who have a kindle. http://www.amazon.com/Happy-Hour/dp/B002RL9KRO/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1255200745&sr=1-8 Also, readers have an opportunity to win a copy over at Lori's Reading Corner http://www.lorisreadingcorner.blogspot.com . Lori will be posting a chapter a day of the book over at her blog, so readers will be able to read the first several chapters, and I will be posting up some tidbits about the book as well throughout next week, including some of the recipes that are in the book. Lori has a grea...