Daily Dialogue: Lipstick & Bolsheviks

Sometimes when I'm stuck in a rut I just write out the dialogue of a story, the conversations between  characters as they flow through my head. But now that I consider it...just giving you the dialogue does make it a little more fun. Because you don't necessarily know the WHO or the WHAT of what's going on. 

So, knowing what you know fill in the blanks. I put the first two blanks, you decide what else is missing! Copy and paste your ideas in the comments section below!

Lipstick & Bolsheviks: von Strassenberg Saga Book Three

 “Rocky just open the door,” said ____________.

“How did you even get up here? What’d you do? Plow down my gate? Did you plow down my gate!?” Rocky _________________.

“Would you calm down? I just want to talk.”

“How did you get here?”

“I climbed over the wall.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m getting an electrified fence, you whackjob! What is wrong with you?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“You can talk to the door. If you come anywhere near my windows I’m going to shoot you in your dang head, you creeper freak!”

“Calm down. You don’t even have a gun…Do you?”

“What about now Strauss? Von Strassenberg!? Think I got a gun now?! Back away from the door!”

“I can’t talk to you when you’re hysterical like this.”

©2012Gwenn Wright

Before BlueStocking Girl There is Filter

Book 2 of the von Strassenberg Saga should be out sometime this fall (barring the miracle of me actually securing a literary agent before then). If you haven't read Filter yet, get on it! These books are not stand-alones. You absolutely need the first to make sense of the second. If you need a little more convincing here are snippets of reviews on Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11234679-filter 


These are real reviews, not friend reviews. I don't have that many friends. And they are not paid for either. I'm too poor for that. 

Bunny says, "How they are connected is a mystery, and the story is basically page after page of adventure as we try to fit together the pieces of the puzzle. The story is dark, gothic, romantic, and tragic. Yep, Ole Miss Bunny Cates cried her face off toward the end. "


Dani says, "Wright's formatting of this book is part of what makes this book so “un-put-downable.” (Yes, you can quote me....lol.) She switches the story's POV chapter to chapter (first person for Rocky and third person for Katherine) and masterfully keeps the mystery moving through both storylines, revealing just enough to make sense of both stories, and often leaving you with mini cliffhangers until that heroine's next chapter. I've read some books recently where the shift between narrators is just a confusing mess; however, this is never a problem in Filter and the shift between narrators/timelines is one of this story's greatest strengths. Another aspect of the shifting POVs that I absolutely LOVED was that each POV was written to the period of the narrator. I absolutely hate when period pieces sound too modern day, but Wright has expertly tailored each girl's POV to their respective times." 


Heather says, "There are authors who know how to end a chapter and then there is Gwenn Wright who practically drives you into the beginning of the next chapter with her skillfull weaving of just the right balance of suspense and revelation!





Filter is also available in paperback at Amazon and Barnes and Noble (cheaper at Barnes and Noble!) and in just about every ebook format at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/20957

Book Giveaway! The von Strassenberg Saga

Enter to Win at Goodreads! 

~3~

My life is hard. No one would rob me of that. The clothes I am wearing came out of a knotted up black plastic trash bag from a resale shop downtown. And not the downtown where shiny cars wink at you in the sunlight. If a car winks at you in this area it’s being driven by a person you would be best to avoid.

My side of downtown is crumbling and skirted by chain link fences.

Kevin’s out of work again. Staying sober for eight hours out of the day was too much for him.

It always is.

So I work here, at Dobson’s Market, fifteen hours a week during the school year. That’s my Friday, Saturday, Sunday job.

Since Dobson doesn’t want to get in trouble for overworking a minor we worked it out with his younger brother that I would work the rest of the week at the family restaurant. Fifteen hours here. Fifteen hours there. No benefits anywhere and crap pay everywhere.

But for now, it’s holding us. We’ve been in the same place for three months now. I’ve opened my own bank account, that Kevin knows nothing about, and I’m paying the bills as they roll in.

And we’re finally making it.

Eventually, though, he’ll come out of his stupor and realize things are getting comfortable and he’ll want to know where the money is.

But maybe by then I’ll be gone.

(c) 2010 by Gwenn Wright

Available for Kindle and in Paperback

Now In PAPERBACK!!!

It took more than a year of work...ok, not really. Writing the book, scraping the first 100+ pages and starting over, writing the 390 pages of Filter, editing the 390 pages, editing them again and again and again....unpublishing Filter for months because I decided it must be junk because only a few people bought the eBook each month and then re-publishing it because while editing I fell in love with the story again, struggling to get it to look professional in paperback and marketing the eBook almost 24/7....that has taken a year. The initial writing took about five months. There was about a month or two of research before that. Some people complain about the price of paperbacks, but it is 390 pages long, ink and paper cost money. And I'm only making $0.82 per copy. Unless you buy the $0.99 cent eBook, then I'm making $0.61. Rakin' it in. O yea. And now, with all that done (except the marketing, that's constant) you may now read Filter in paperback. A local teen I gave one of the proofs to texted me to tell me it's BEAST. Ok. I'll take that!

Dealing With Ducks

There are some city folk among my kin…well honestly, we come from the city. We moved out to the sticks when I was in middle school. But even those family members who eventually followed us out to the peacefulness of the forest don’t  quite understand why I don’t mind dealing with duck doo and the bird-brained chickens. Well I do mind, sometimes. Ducks are messy and constantly draining their water supply. Keeping their living quarters tidy is a chore. Livestock takes up a lot of time, which means there is even less time for me to write and market my books. So why? Why do I put up with the ducks? Well for one thing, they don’t argue with me. I can bring them tomatoes and squash and they worship me. And, more importantly, it is all part of a grander plan. It is my husband’s dream to have a farmhouse restaurant…one of these days. So, in my “spare time” while he’s off working 15 hour days (that’s not a hyperbole), I am gardening and tending the poultry. We’re starting very small so we can learn what we’re doing. Good thing it will take us years to be ready to start up our own restaurant! We have a lot to learn.

…So I put up with duck doo to support my husband’s dream. Because I love him and have had a crush on him since I was a freshman in high school!

To support my dream you can either buy Filter as an  ebook or wishlist the paperback (should be out next week!). http://www.amazon.com/Filter-Von-Strassenberg-Saga-1/dp/1461053005/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303916462&sr=8-2

You can also find me on goodreads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8853655-filter

Crisis Averted

All right kids....

Thanks to a very helpful thread on Amazon's Createspace and a guy who knew just the right thing to say, we now have page numbers! Woohoo! Page numbers have never been this exciting! Also, whilst finding the solution to our page number woes I also discovered something most of us probably don't even pause to consider: Chapters always start on the right-hand page. Never thought about it, but it's so true! So....we have page numbers and our chapters begin on the right-hand page. Folks around here will probably be a little sad that I have things figured out. I've been giving away the proofs that weren't quite right. Not that there is a hoard of people following me and demanding copies, but there are several people who have been waiting. So, cross your fingers, this may really be it! And, now at 394 pages the book will be $15.99. Maybe that sounds ridiculous but if you bought Filter at your local bookstore that would earn me $0.82. So no, I'm not trying to get rich quick! That's just what it is. If you want to save $15, you can download the ebook for $0.99! It doesn't need page numbers!

Filter, One Customer Really Got it!

One customer review boiled my book down better than I ever could!
Maybe I should have her develop my pitch for me! Here's her review: 

Intertwining the past and the present, Ms. Wright expertly weaves a tale of romantic suspense that keeps you turning the pages. The struggle of the feisty Rocky (Raquel) and the moral William against corrupt and unjust relations in modern St. Louis, Missouri, is parallel to the struggle of the fragile Katherine and the courageous Viktor in a bygone era. In the unanticipated ending, the connection these people share is understood, and you will cry out for the next episode of this intriguing tale!

eBook Coupon!

I am not a good businesswoman.
It is so thrilling for me just to know that people are reading my work and (from reviews) enjoying it that I don't even want to charge for it. But my tooth really hurts and we just had to pay to put a new fuel pump in my car (NOT CHEAP).
So I have started charging $0.99 for my ebook. We'll see if people are willing to pay. For those of you who stopped by my blog though....I have a coupon code for you! BD39K
http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/filterbookone
If you use the coupon between now and September 16th Filter is yours for FREE!

Filter Book Trailer!

Filter is Available on Smashwords.

Filter is available on both Smashwords and Amazon.com.
If you actually want to buy it and don't have a Kindle I would recommend getting it from smashbooks for now. I've just uploaded a more e-friendly version to Amazon and it isn't active yet. Sales are going up! I'm just waiting for the reviews. More than anything I want to know people are enjoying reading about Viktor and Katherine and William and Raquel!
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/20957

Infinity

For the first time ever I had to take a break from reading an LJ Smith novel.
So instead of finishing Shadow Souls I picked up Infinity: The Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It looked like something my oldest would be interested in but I wanted to read it first before letting him have a crack at it. The lead character is a high school boy and I was afraid that would lead to material unsuitable for a 9 year old. It did. My son can't read it yet, but I enjoyed it.
The writing wasn't the bestest in the world and, at times, the dialogue suffered horribly. Some of the analogies were a little too feminine for a boy book.
But all that aside, it was entertaining. There are zombies and vampires and creatures I haven't heard of all roaming around in good old New Orleans. It only took me two days to get through it. And it's kind of like watching horrible horror movies. It isn't always going to make rational sense, but it's fun. The characters were vibrant and alive and the story sure made me want to drive down to New Orleans.
With some more practice Sherrilyn Kenyon could become a force to reckon with. I even want to read her previously published books, The Dark Hunters.

Paranormal Activity

Where was I when this movie came out?
It has been a LONG time since a movie actually gave me shivers.
My father suggested that I watch Paranormal Activity, which shocked me a bit because he so vehemently hated Blair Witch. But this, he said, this gave him an actual shiver.
"Fine," I conceded. "Is there ickiness? Overt grossness?"
No. But a bit of strong language.
So I watched.
And had chills and felt myself curling into a protective ball against my husband.

This was all surprising to me, since I am usually the last to jump at things and am so Scully about everything....but this was a brilliantly crafted movie. It just goes to show that technical skills come second to mad storytelling skills. It was brilliantly paced and well thought out.
If you've been reading this blog, and I don't know why you would, you will know that I don't like to summarize stories (the point of watching or reading is to discover the story), we'll just say...there's some paranormal activity in this house...hence the title.
My stoic, sensible husband shrugged at it but I was uncommonly impressed.

Snobbery With Violence

With British cozies being a weakness of mine, it is to be expected that Marion Chesney would be one of my absolute favorite writers. Such fun are the Victorian murder mysteries with all their lace and finery! This week I listened to BBC Audiobooks' version of Snobbery With Violence. Davina Porter's performance was a bit disappointing, the voices she chose being inconsistent both within the performance and within my own imagination. I felt she poorly chose the voices for the characters. It was distracting. Anyway, the story's the thing. I had read this one before and was excited for the chance to listen to it. Aside from Porter's performance, it was great fun. I fell in love with the brooding and handsome Captain Harry Cathcart all over again as he tolerated Miss Rose and saved all the aristocracy from their dirty little secrets. It's definitely one to buy for the Ipod and listen to over and over.
Next week's listening? Reading Lolita in Tehran.