Escape Into Fiction

A Tiny Bit of Backstory

Authors are often asked a lot of the same questions but trust me, most of us never get tired of answering them. Questions signal “engagement,” and that means the world to us.

One question I’m often asked is, “How did you decide to become a writer?” I’ll leave the long answer alone, but here’s the short answer:

I was always a reader. The only thing that’s missing in this photo is the dog I would have been curled up next to. No doubt I was thinking I could do as good a job as Carlo Lorenzini did with The Adventures of Pinocchio… Not.

Fast forward a few decades for the medium answer.

I’d finally extracated myself from the corporate world (I’d been in the mortgage business for two hundred years) and was building a home-based business (lipstick, anyone?) when my Bonus Son suffered a stroke. After we exhausted what the state of Nevada could offer him in terms of rehab, we brought him home to Colorado to live with us. Needless to say, my business tanked while I focused on helping our son.

After Jeff had been with us a year or so, I was struck by a wild idea. Why not write a book? I certainly had the time. How hard could it be? So I sat down to write. (This is where the story gets long, so I’ll end it here.)

It took a family tragedy to help me find a way to a dream I’d long held.

(Thank you, Saralyn Richard for letting me know this was something you were interested in. If there’s anything YOU would like me to talk about, just drop it in a comment, or email me at pegbrantley@substack.com.)

Revisiting An Old Process

I was in a critique group ages ago. So long ago that I can’t specifically recall how or why we disbanded. We just did. All but one of us went on to publication, and the one who didn’t I consider the most talented of us all. Go figure.

For many years I’ve relied on self-editing, beta readers, and finally professional editing to get my words ready for readers. In an effort to get the words in this manuscript pulled together I’ve joined another critique group and purchased a software program. The plan is to figure out what the problem is with the story and fix it. The faster the better.

Quinn’s Corner

Quinn is taking a little time off, but he assures me he’ll return soon with something exciting (at least to him) to share.

What I’m Reading

Before I go there, has this ever happened to you?

I’ve only returned one book in my life and that was enough. I’m thinking of contacting one of the authors and asking for page 228. What would you do?

Currently I’m reading an earlier Dean Koontz. icebound was published in 2007 and I actually purchased it for my Kindle in 2021. It sat there until now. Dean Koontz is so prolific I’m sure I’ll discover another one or two to dig out and devour. (His first publised book was in 1968!)

In icebound, a multi-national group of scientists are conducting an urgent experiment on the Arctic icefield with the goal of figuring out how to transfer large blocks of icebergs to drought challenged areas farther south. A record-setting storm, explosives set to detonate, a tidal wave and a Russian submarine don’t leave the scientists much time for cocktails.

I’ve often said Koontz surely writes poetry because his prose is often beautiful. Here are a couple of examples in icebound:

“Politics was a jeweled mask under which hid the true disfigured face of the Phantom.”

“… his bass voice carried over the wind, which had escalated from an unearthly groan to a soft ululant howl.”

And I do need to mention a book I recently read. In my opinion, this wonderful story, written by an author I believe to be talented, sorely needed a different editor.

I was a little surprised to learn that Yasmin Angoe works as a developmental editor, and she sincerely thanked her editorial team at Thomas & Mercer. In my opinion they let her down. Angoe’s debut novel, Her Name is Knight, has landed her a seven-figure TV deal, and I know of at least one other author who raved about Behind These Four Walls.

Just goes to show that not only do we all have different tastes in our reading choices, but different expectations for our reading experiences.

What I’m Listening To

I’ve been on a David Baldacci kick lately. I’m thoroughly enjoying listening to his stories, but have a question. Are they all omniscient? Or a mashup of different POVs? Whatever he does, he does it well.

I’m only 16% into Total Control (read by Jonathan Marosz), so I’ll share a portion of what the publisher said:

Sidney Archer has it all: a husband she loves, a job at which she excels, and a cherished young daughter. Then, as a plane plummets into the Virginia countryside, everything changes. And suddenly there is no one whom Sidney Archer can trust.

What I’m Streaming

I finished Season 5 of Stranger Things last night. This was a series I got away from, but am very happy that I went back to it.

Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer and Harlan Coben’s Run Away are next up, and I just saw that there’s a new season of The Night Agent coming soon… all on Netflix. An abundance of solid streaming hours are in my future!

A Little Humor

This is sooooo Quinn! (Sent by a friend.)

Thank you for letting me take up a little space in your day. I hope you found something interesting.

It’s all better with friends.