J J Dare

How Do You Like That?

jjdare — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 01:12:45 +0000

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I forgot I had a personal wordpress blog until someone reminded me of it. Duh. I feel kind of sheepish.

The only blogging I’ve been doing lately is on 2W, Second Wind Publishing. I haven’t seen my own blog for over a year. WordPress was either very kind or just too lazy to delete it.

Since it’s still here, I guess I’ll start blogging a little bit. I don’t anticipate making much of a dent in the internet’s blogasphere. However, that won’t stop me from using this as a 10″ x 10″ soap box to stand on.

Without further adieu, here’s something I was thinking about today that kind of fits with the topic of forgetting you have your own personal blog:

I Don’t Want to Grow Younger (or, The Value of Getting Older)

1. Slow motion. I can walk at my own pace without anyone getting irritated that I won’t keep up. I can still move very fast when I want to, but sometimes, I don’t wanna.

2. Hearing. I’ve always been a little hard of hearing; I blame all the rock concerts I went to during my younger days. Now, I can get people to repeat what they say – not because I didn’t hear it, but because I wasn’t paying attention the first four times.

3. Paying attention. It’s an old-age deficit that is more excusable now then it was ten years ago. Instead of saying, “Never mind,” I can get them to tell their story over and over again until I get bored.

4. Clothes. I can get away with wearing anything as long as it’s age-appropriate. Dressing like I did in my twenties is strangely age-appropriate because we all dressed like old people back then.

5. Forgetting. See #3. That’s always been my excuse.

There is an acquaintance of mine (I can’t stand her, but I can’t erase her from my memory, so, “acquaintance” will do until my amnesia kicks in) who is stuck in the early 90′s with her bleached hair, clunky shoes, tasteless gobs of jewelry, and weird sleeveless clothing that she wore back when she was in her 20′s. She’s pushing 40 now. She can’t blame OLD age yet. She’s just older than she wants to be. To her I say, it’s a new century, ya weirdo – try to keep up.

Old is the new cool. Just look at Betty White. She’s my old coot mentor.

Rubicon Ranch

jjdare — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:19:33 +0000

I have joined a group of Second Wind Publishing authors as we collaborate on an online mystery novel. I am Chapter 5 in the lineup, and that’s what it is: a lineup of characters who each have motive and means to kill.

http://rubiconranch.wordpress.com

“False World” Contest Winner!

jjdare — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:02:01 +0000

Congrats, Kimmy H! My three judges, Nick (retired lit professor), Josiah (newspaper editor), and Simmie (local writer), had a hard time choosing a winner from all of the “deliciously scary” stories submitted. “Dying to Get Out” by Kimmy H. stuck out as the epitome of one of the greatest human fears (and “creeped” Josiah out the most ).

Click here to read the short story.

Congrats, again, Kimmy!

Super special thanks to all the very talented writers who entered my contest. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all the stories! Thank you and keep writing!

“False World” Story Contest!

jjdare — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:59:15 +0000

http://www.jacketblind.com/contest.html

I’m hosting a 50-word story contest on my site, for the debut of “False World,” the second book in the Joe Daniel’s trilogy.

Contest starts on November 22, 2009, and ends on December 28, 2009.

How to enter: Email contest@jacketblind.com your name (or your alias), your age (or the age you wish you were), and a 50-word count mystery, thriller, or suspense story. OR you can post it as a comment on this blog. Enter here or there.

Rules: Write a tight 50-word count story around an everyday object in the mystery, thriller, or suspense genre. 50 words, no more, no less. Has to be exactly 50 words. Did I mention the story needs to be 50 words, and only 50 words?

More rules: Entries are unlimited, just like your creativity. Must be 18 years or older. Prizes will be shipped within 6 weeks of contest’s end.

Even more rules: All authors agree to have their stories showcased in a special section on my website UNLESS story is picked up for publication elsewhere. If it is, I’ll celebrate with you.

Judging: Make us go, “Did I lock the door behind me?” Look at the examples at the end to get an idea of what we like.

Prizes: The winner will receive a signed copy of False World and a surprise gift.

Email your entry to contest@jacketblind.com, visit my website (listed at the beginning), OR post in comments here.

EXAMPLES:

Air Freshener

One night, I decided to get on with my life.

I had been sad for decades.

I wanted to be happy again.

A week after my decision, I ran out of air freshener.

My neighbor complained about the stench.

She joined my husband’s cheating corpse.

I need more air freshener.

Garden Hose

Turning on the hose, water hit the flower bed with full force.

Fresh dirt went everywhere.

She plucked a pale stick from the upturned earth.

It was smooth.

It looked odd and disturbing.

This isn’t a stick, she thought a second before

a shovel hit the back of her head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FALSE WORLD
Published by Second Wind Publishing http://www.secondwindpublishing.com/FalseWorld.html

Out of the Loop

jjdare — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:59:41 +0000

Yeah, I’ve been out of the loop for awhile. Haven’t been anything other than too busy to write. That’s not the thing you wanna be when you are a writer LOL

My latest book is coming out as soon as I finish reading the 2nd proof. I love the cover: it’ s a composite photo that includes an eye. Guess who’s eye? Pops from an old WWII picture when he was coming off a field in Guam.

There’s a treasure hunt starting around 10-26-09 involving 2nd Wind Publishing. Basically, it’s a Blog Hop. My blog will be included. Good luck, have fun, try not to kill anyone.

“Trick or Treat” Blog Hop Clue Game Sponsored by Second Wind Publishing

jjdare — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:59:09 +0000

Excerpt from “False World” by JJ Dare coming out in November, 2009

One by one, people disappeared. The local historian was the last to go and he was prepared to fight until he came face to face with the emotionless men who offered him the deal of a lifetime.

For a sinfully wonderful amount of money, the historian sold his house and soul to the devil. The only catch was he could not ever, ever talk about where he had come from nor who he had dealt with nor what they had given to him.

To reinforce this, the emotionless men who had made him the deal showed him photo album of people who had broken their end of the bargain.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Disappearing Act

jjdare — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:24:17 +0000

Before drifting off to sleep one night last month, the idea for a new novel came to me. In my head, I played the first chapter and the beginning of the second chapter like a movie.

I was so tired I could not move to turn on the light and write down my thoughts. No matter, I thought, I will remember everything and put it to paper in the morning. This is so interesting and new, how could I forget?

Yes, how could I forget? Very, very easily. When I woke the next morning, only fragments of the novel were floating around the bubble of my memory.

Did I learn my lesson? Maybe. I thought I would recall, in detail, everything. I was so wrong. It’s funny how your mind can trick you. My sleepy brain was saying, “No, you don’t have to move. I’ll keep it all in here for you. Just go to sleep.”

Next time this happens, I hope I can goose myself hard enough to get out of bed. Next time, I won’t listen to a sleepy brain.

How do you deal with ideas, solutions, grocery lists, etc., you have right before sleep?

When Writing Becomes a Drudgery

jjdare — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 17:26:27 +0000

BAM! A few days ago, I hit a writing pole. My brain could not think of anything coherent to write and I kept finding myself distracted away from writing more than usual.

Although I had not written much over the past few months due to family and health issues, I felt well enough to jump back on the horse. Imagine my surprise when the horse I tried to jump on took off without me.

Part of my problem is I still had too many irons in the fire. I’m working on too many different genres (I’ve always juggled mystery, crime, romance, non-fiction, scifi, etc.), but for some strange reason I was having trouble staying within even one subject area.

Pulling on the past when I was a kid and had to do homework before I could play, I think I’ve found a solution. No TV. That’s the biggie right there; that’s my playground. No television until I write at least 2000 words.

Just like my New Year’s resolution of writing at least 500 words a day, we’ll see how long this discipline lasts. Wish me Luck!

Book Signing in Winston-Salem, NC

jjdare — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:38:27 +0000

Our wonderful publisher, Second Wind Publishing, is hosting a three-day book signing in Winston-Salem, NC. Here’s the scoop on where I’ll be, unless I get lost LOL:

Friday, February 13, 2009
9-11 AM and 2-5 PM
Casanova’s
6275 Shallowford Rd
Lewisville, NC

Saturday, February 14, 2009
1 PM – 4 PM
Krankie’s
125 S. Stratford Rd
Winston-Salem, NC

Sunday, February 15, 2009
1 PM – 4 PM
Angelina’s Teas
125 S. Stratford Rd
Winston-Salem, NC

The only bad thing about each of these venues is the amount of chocolate available that I won’t be able to resist. I need to find someone else to blame for my weakness. Mike. I’ll blame Mike. It’s your fault, hoss, when I gain ten pounds in three days.

Hitting the Beat

jjdare — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:51:15 +0000

(Originally posted on SecondWindPub on October 25, 2008)

Music is an absolute must when I’m writing. Because I suffer from tinnitus, it’s important to have something to drown out the zillion crickets in my head when I’m trying to think about what I’m penning.

In addition, the mood of the music is critical. The best tempo for my suspense is, of course, heavy metal. There’s something about the deep, primal beat of the drum and the mysterious wail of the bass that feeds the story I’m writing.

As with music, tempo is important in storytelling. I try to keep an underlying steady beat throughout the story, with crescendos matching climatic scenes.

Dark and heavy with small glimmers of light populate my suspense stories. The music I listen to matches the mood of the scenes: Avenged Sevenfold, Pulse Ultra, Stone Sour, Godsmack, and Papa Roach are some of the more frequent bands I listen to when I want the story to pulsate with sinister tension.

When the mood calls for it, I switch gears. If a character becomes lost in a memory of love long gone or a life undone, I myself become reflective. This type of mood change calls for something retro and my pick of the pack would have to be Steve Perry. Other bands that bring back the good old days include Heart, Roxette, Fleetwood Mac, to name just a few

For me, there is a close relationship between music and writing. Music tells a story, whereas a story can be told with an underlying beat. The smooth transitions in musical chords mimic smooth transitions in writing.

I write stories with music as a driving force that helps me focus. Friends and family do not understand how I can write with the cacophony of noise. I cannot see how I can write without it.