Legends of Windemere – The Compass Key Cover Reveal

August 6, 2014August 5, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 4 Comments

Debuting August 8th on Amazon Kindle!

Swords will clash and spells will fly in the newest adventure of young warrior Luke Callindor, Nyx the magic-flinging caster, and their friends.

With Sari captured by their enemies, the champions of Windemere are determined to get her back and destroy the Lich’s castle. Little do they realize, their battles in the Caster Swamp are only the beginning of this adventure. Trinity and her Chaos Elves have invaded the city of Gaia in search of a relic called the Compass Key. Rumored to be the key to rescuing Sari from a magical island, our heroes are in a race to find the mysterious relic.

Which side will claim the Compass Key? And, what will our heroes do when they’re faced with an enemy whose evil power overshadows anything they have ever faced?

About the Author:

Charles Yallowitz was born and raised on Long Island, NY, but he has spent most of his life wandering his own imagination in a blissful haze. Occasionally, he would return from this world for the necessities such as food, showers, and Saturday morning cartoons. One day he returned from his imagination and decided he would share his stories with the world. After his wife decided that she was tired of hearing the same stories repeatedly, she convinced him that it would make more sense to follow his dream of being a fantasy author. So, locked within the house under orders to shut up and get to work, Charles brings you Legends of Windemere. He looks forward to sharing all of his stories with you and his wife is happy he finally has someone else to play with.

Blog: Legends of Windemere
Twitter: @cyallowitz
Facebook: Charles Yallowitz

Read the Previous Volumes of Legends of Windemere!!!

Cover Art by Jason Pedersen (CLICK FOR AMAZON SITE)

Cover by Jason Pedersen (CLICK FOR AMAZON SITE)

Hump Day Short, Short Story

August 6, 2014August 1, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 26 Comments

Wednesday is here and I’m sure we are all glad it is. I have noticed the summer flying by. I was talking with some folks and came to realize their kids go back to school in two weeks. I can hardly believe it since it only seemed like yesterday that it was Memorial Day.(or even the Forth of July) The end of summer used to put me into a very dark place thinking of all the snow and bad weather to come during the winter months. Of course now that I live in an area where we really don’t start a so-called winter season until after Christmas, I am a little removed from empathy about the meaning of back to school. Today’s story is about the ending of summer. It’s not a back to school story but does explore the feeling of “being over.” The title coincidentally is It’s Over. I hope you enjoy it.

“What do you mean ‘it’s over?”’

“Just what I said. Do you not hear me?”

“I hear you fine, I just don’t understand.”

“Let me explain it to you then. You see there was you and there was me. Then there was you and me. Now there is you and there is me again.”

“You breaking up with me?”

“That’s pretty cold.”

“Excuse me, but what’s pretty cold.”

“The term breaking up. I would hope we would just call it we are now ourselves again.”

“You are yourself without me?”

“Yeah, sorta.”

“’Sorta.’ What do you mean by ‘sorta’”?

“C’on Helen. Let’s not make a scene.”

“Frank. The only scene to be made is me wondering how I picked up your useless ass from the gutter and made you into something and now you say we are no longer a pair.”

“Yeah, well sometimes we have to do good for others to really feel good about ourselves.”

“So helping you get to the top was good for me?”

“Good way to look at it.”

“So if you somehow take a dive and fall to the bottom I will cease to feel good?”

“Another good way to look at it. What’s that?”

“It is a Glock 9MM Frank and I am preparing myself to get real sick over your decline.”

Top Ten Things Not to do at a Writer’s Conference

August 4, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 44 Comments

Here is the 57th installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do. I put this together after observing other conference attendees in action at a recent writer’s conference I attended. Hope you enjoy

Top Ten Things Not to do if You Attend a Writer’s Conference

10. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not think you need to impress the faculty with your knowledge of the writing craft. If you do, at best you will sound ridiculous teaching best-selling authors about writing. At worst, one of the best-selling authors may ask you how many books you have sold.

9. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not volunteer to be the first to read your story out loud. If you do, at best you will finish your reading and no one will applaud since you obviously did not hear the instructions. At worst, you will finish your reading and the instructor will use you as the example of what not to read aloud.

8. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not continually ask questions in the form of personal anecdotes. If you do, at best you will demonstrate to faculty and fellow attendees how insecure you really are in your writing. At worst, you may find the faculty intentionally ignoring your raised hand during Q&A to the delight of your fellow authors.

7. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not think one of the agents attending will remember and represent you if you try to monopolize their time. If you do, at best you might find that agent has decided to go home early and will remember you forever. At worst, the agent will believe you to be a stalker and report you to the police and remember you forever.

6. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not try to maneuver yourself next to best-selling authors at the social events. If you do, at best you will eventually be discovered and the authors will know you for a not so good reason. At worst, you will be the laughing-stock at the faculty gathering prior to each event which will result in an informal shunning procedure.

5. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not believe you become even more interesting to best-selling authors after too many glasses of wine. If you do, at best you will be the only one at the conference who believes you to be a serious author. At worst, you may just go over the line and need help getting to your room which will leave a lasting impression on all those who witness the event as well as those who may not want to sign a contract with someone who has a drinking problem.

4. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not jump to the front of the serving lines to be the first to grab your food so you will be ready to squeeze into the spot next to John Lescroart. If you do, at best you may have the conference attendees believing you have some kind of eating disorder. At worst, you might be sending a message to the conference that you will do all most anything to get ahead and will be able to count with one finger the number of people who might be willing to help you

3. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not assume all the conference attendees can learn from your experience. If you do, at best you will eventually have difficulty finding people who will talk to you. At worst, you might be really humiliated when you discover the attendees you are trying to impress have signed with major publishing houses and dearly want to stay away from you.

2. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not think others will be impressed by your numbers of followers on social media. If you do you, at best you may find out some successful authors do not personally do social media and will not be impressed. At worst, you will find that your numbers no matter how large are still smaller than others in attendance.

1. If you attend a writer’s conference, do not promise to send e-mails and to keep in touch after the conference and then fail to do so. If you do, at best the attendees will forget about you and it will be your loss. At worst, you will be remembered as one who doesn’t follow through and at some point in the future you may have to live down that trait.

Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Prompt

August 2, 2014August 1, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 18 Comments

This week’s stream of consciousness Saturday prompt is “Hear/hear.” SoCS is a weekly affair and you can drop in to check it out at: http://lindaghill.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-august-214/

My attempt to interpret “here/here” follows and it titled Tell Me Again.

Tell Me Again by John W. Howell

When I listen to you talk I can almost see the scenes you describe. I am with you on a long trek up the mountain and fast track down to the sea below. You’ve carried me along for the journey of a lifetime and I know it must be hard to have the extra burden. I wish I could help, but you have me transfixed and a prisoner of your words. You painted the verbal picture of the courtroom with the majesty of the law. The judge and jury so eloquently drawn it is as if I am there. The words of the bailiff calling, “Hear/hear order in the court.” Almost imagined by me yet understood clearly. The judge so beautifully pictured from your mouth leans over the verdict and gently asks that god have mercy on my soul. Tell me again what happened and why I must stay and you can go? Tell me another story, but this time make the ending not so dark. Tell me why I am no longer allowed to go free?

Friday TGIF JohnKu

August 1, 2014July 27, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 21 Comments

Friday for the most of us means the week is coming to a close. I guess I can’t help but feel good about that. I was pretty much knocked out by the conference I attended all last weekend and am looking forward to a nice cold margarita and a chance to take it easy on the veranda. I need to write another 1000 words today before I rest, but am still looking forward to it. The nice thing about hard work is an opportunity to kick back and relax after you have done it. This is the subject of my JohnKu (a term coined by Words4jp). It is titled Work and Rest and I hope you find it pleasant.

Work must be finished,

And recorded as complete. . .

Then rest has value.

Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference Part II

July 31, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 17 Comments

I posted the faculty on Tuesday with the promise that I would come back today and give you an idea of the agenda, so here it is.

The conference opened on Thursday July 24 and got right into interviews with William

Friday came and with the twelve and one-half hour session of learning about:

Opening strategies, developing character, developing intensive dialog, and maintaining suspense. After a brief break, we were treated to a courtroom scene acted by real law enforcement and judicial people taking a case and retrying it with new twists. After lunch, we were engaged in learning how to make the past real and good ways to do in characters that are believable and unique. This session was followed by a group of agents providing tips on how to get represented. One of the key ways is to query effectively and unless you have sold 10,000 books as a self-published author, query something completed and new. After dinner, there was an interview of Valerie . This was followed by a terrifying reading by those who wanted to participate. Yes, I did it and was very glad I did even though reading in front of a group of authors is always nerve-wracking.Blowback. This was followed by a terrifying reading by those who wanted to participate. Yes, I did it and was very glad I did even though reading in front of a group of authors is always nerve-wracking.

Saturday was an easy day in that there were only eleven hours of meetings:

The meetings started with a great discussion of the compelling protagonist and how to make it real. Plot and advance plot techniques were next on the list. The plot fundamental is basically a three-act play, act one: the opening scene (short). Act 2: The major part of the story and the set up for the last act. Act 3: the final where you solve all the issues to the reader’s satisfaction. After that several authors gave us an idea of their life as an author who was interesting. Most live like the rest of us, they write all the time. After lunch, Isabel Allende gave a lecture on how she came to write Ripper a Mystery which is out of her comfort zone. The main reason? Her publisher wanted a book by her and her husband, who was a mystery writer. Long story short, her husband dropped out and she had to do it alone. She was followed by a discussion on how to compose grief in a character. The lesson show grief don’t describe it. This was followed by a how to publish the tutorial. The way was traditional and hinged on an agent which may or may not be the way everyone wants to go. The rest of the afternoon was taken up by a discussion on social marketing and the heartbreak of editing. I don’t think there was anything new in these subjects, but it was nice to know the big guys suffer as much as we do on these. After a lovely wine and cheese hour we were treated to a fascinating discussion of covert ops by Valerie Plame and George Fong. They discussed the real world as opposed to the fictional world we think we know. The day was wrapped up with a great interview of Tom Rob Smith author of the Farm and Child 44 series. He discussed the role of research in the story. He believes the story can begin by research. He believes success is found in passion about a subject. Who can argue? His book Child 44 is not only a best seller, but will be released as a movie next April.

Sunday was the last day, but full of information anyway:

The day started with a workshop on sustaining writing steam through a real understanding of personal goals. We all wrote down five and had to present them to someone else to make sure there was someone in the world to whom we would be accountable. The next session was creating a backdrop on time and place and mining the research for a better story. Texture and facts were discussed and we as writers need both. After a short break, there was an actual FBI case presented and we were asked to conceptualize the case into a story. It was then our task to either finish the story the way the case finished or to create a new ending. I chose new (of course). The conference concluded with The Conference Challenge which we were given on check-in. The challenge was to finish your current book in three lines. You were not allowed to use semi-colons and had to include dialog, a little about the character and only three sentences. Here is mine:

Looking at his tear streaked face I say, “please come closer so you can hear me since I have something you need to know.” Jacobs leans in just close enough for me to grab his ear with my teeth and hold tight while he reels back causing his lower lobe to tear off and remain in my mouth. I spit the lobe in his direction as I hear the round being chambered in his 9MM and his muffled apology made through the gun in his mouth.

Hump Day – Short, Short, Short Story Day

July 30, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 24 Comments

Wednesday is here and it looks like the week is going to go by pretty fast. Last week I asked your opinion of the title of this mid-week feature and received some really good responses. The net-net was to indicate in the title that the story is very short (which it is) since a lot of bloggers really don’t have the time to read long posts. So this week the result is up there and hopefully it will lure attract some readers to the actual content. I’ll just have to wait and see. This week’s story concerns the element of not enough time to take care of things properly. It is titled Too Busy and I hope you enjoy it.

“Did you get a chance to read the report I sent you, sir.”

“Sorry Ray, but I just didn’t have a chance to finish it.”

“Did you read any part of it Frank?”

“Well yeah, I got a few pages in.”

“And you ran out of time?”

“Let me be honest. The report was pretty boring and way too long.”

“But the subject of stealing and selling company secrets is a complex subject.”

“Sure. I know that. Don’t worry about it; I forwarded the damn thing up the line. Let’s let the big shots earn their money. As far as I’m concerned you did your job.”

“I wish you had finished the report.”

“We all wish for things that never come true. So sorry Ray what can I do about it now?”

“I guess you’re right. If you had read it and before you sent it on maybe we could have helped you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I named suspects in there Frank and your name was at the top of the list. By the way, corporate security is headed over here. I have to go now.”

Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference

July 29, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 10 Comments

I was very fortunate this last weekend to be able to attend the Book Passage Mystery Writers Conference. This is an annual affair held in beautiful Corte Madera California which is in Marin County north of San Francisco. The agenda was extremely full and beginning on Thursday July 24^th at 4:00 to Sunday July 27 at 4:00 there did not seem to be a moment that wasn’t filled with delicious craft, scene, publishing and support. I have to believe this is the best conference of its kind in the US. The mission of the conference founders was to provide the writer with a full toolkit for success and to do it with the most talented faculty that can be found. On Thursday, I will list the agenda to give you an idea of the subjects covered. Today I want to list the faculty so you can get a feeling of how exciting it was to be present. The faculty members were committed to be at the conference for the full four days and they were present at all meals and functions. There is an unwritten rule that all egos need to remain outside and that the conference is an opportunity to share ideas and improve writing skills.

You must imagine how thrilling it is to sit with these wonderful people and share stories, plot, challenges and triumphs. This went on at each meal and during regular classes.

Here is the faculty and imagine having coffee, breakfast, dinner, or lunch with them individually and being able to hear wonderful stories about their writing career.

Isabel Allende – Author of Maya’s Notebook, Zorro, Portrait in Sepia, Daughter of Fortune and Ripper

Ace Atkins – Selected to continue the late Robert B. Parker Spenser series

Cara Black – Author of the Aimee Leduc mysteries

Rhys Bowen – Author of The Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy mysteries. Winner of the Agatha and Anthony awards

Susan Breall – Superior Court Judge San Francisco

Peter Busch – Superior Court Judge San Francisco

Kimberly Cameron – Literary agent and President of Kimberley Cameron and Associates

Karen Catalona – Senior Felony DA San Francisco

David Corbett – Private investigator and author of Do They Know I’m Running and Done for a Dime

George Fong – Director of Security at ESPN and former FBI agent and author of Fragmented

William Gordon – Author of several mysteries including The Chinese Jars and The Halls of Power

Elizabeth Kracht – Literary Agent at Kimberly Cameron

John Lescroart – Author of over twenty-mystery novels

Chelsea Lindman – Literary Agent Sanford J. Greenburger Associates

D.P.Lyle – Physician and author of Howdunit Forensics and Forensics and Fiction

Tim Maleeny – Author of the Cape Weathers series

Jill Marr – Acquiring Agent at Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

Vilaska Nguyen – Public Defender San Francisco

Otto Penzler – Owner of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York and author of over fifty anthologies

Anne Perry – English author of over eighty books and most known for Thomas Pitt and William Monk series

Willaim Petrocelli – Co-Owner of Book Passages and author of The Circle of Thirteen

Valerie Plame – Former CIA Operations Officer and author of Fair Game and Blowback

Amy Rennert – Literary Agent

Ansy Ross – Literary Agent

Priscilla Royal – Author of numerous Crime novels

Kirk Russel – Author of three Inspector Ben Raveneau Novels and four Marquez eco-thrillers

Sheldon Siegel – Former attorney and author of Special Circumstances, Perfect Alibi and Terrorist Next Door

Tom Rob Smith – Author of the Child 44 trilogy and the thriller The Farm

Jacqueline Winspear – Author of the NY Times best sellers A lesson in Secrets, The Mapping of Love and Death and The Care and Management of Lies

Top Ten Things Not to do When You Need a Rest Stop

July 28, 2014July 22, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 26 Comments

Here is the 56th installment of Ten Top Lists of What Not to Do and want you to know, I’m pretty much going it alone. With all the summer travels, I thought I would offer some advice on what not to do when you need to stop. I hope you enjoy.

Top Ten Things Not to Do When You Need a Rest Stop

10. If you need a rest stop, do not think you need to finish that 32 ounce Big Gulp. If you do, at best you will reach the rest stop with no delay. At worst, the traffic pile up on the 687 which caused you to run onto the median for relief makes the evening news with the enhancement of your handcuffed frame over the back of a police car.

If you need a rest stop, do not continue down the highway. If you do, at best you may make it to your destination dog tired but in one piece. At worst, you will be wondering why the police are waking you up knocking on your window and asking you to move your car off the interstate highway into the care of the friendly tow truck driver.

If you need a rest stop do not speed up to get there faster. If you do, at best you may not make it any quicker. At worst, you will be trying to explain to the friendly officer why you have a grimace on your face as well as why you were speeding.

If you need a rest stop do not listen to others in the car who are calling you chicken. If you do, at best you will be uncomfortable. At worst, you will get no credit for being brave when everyone finally gets wind of your mistake.

If you need a rest stop, do not assume there is one every ten miles and go flying by the last one. If you do, at best you may get lucky and there is one close. At worst, you have just seen the last rest area for one thousand miles and you might as well pray for a cover of darkness which you will need in ten minutes.

If you need a rest stop, do not think everyone in the car needs one as well. If you do, at best you will only hear the grumbles about stopping again. At worst, your car mates (or family) will take your frequent needs to stop as evidence you never wanted to go on this trip in the first place and may end up on the roof like granny Griswold.

If you need a rest stop do not think the water found there is safe for drinking. If you do, at best you may only have a slight reaction. At worst you might be spending your entire vacation in the ER strapped to a metal pan begging the attendants for pain killing drugs or failing that, to use euthanasia as a final solution.

If you need a rest stop do not pull into one of those country kitchen store kind of places. If you do, at best you will only have to shell out a small fortune for the treats everyone picked up. At worst your family will want to stay for a nice $25.00 a plate country fried steak dinner (with all the fixin’s) and before you know it all your vacation money has been spent.

If you need a rest stop do not try to get free air for your tires. If you do at best it will only cost you a dollar to fill them. At worst, the machine has been programmed to actually suck the air out of your tires and the only way to get a refill is to pay an attendant to do it for you and you will probably need to sell your car to settle up

If you need a rest stop, do not get off the interstate to go see a crocodile farm as a way to kill two birds with one stone. If you do, at best the owner of the crocodile farm will not have gas and a rest room. At worst, you will be hearing the music from Deliverance as you meet the lovely down home family who have yet to see a more beautiful car in all their born days.