THE MAY ISSUE

THE MAY ISSUE   

                                                NEWS @

Welcome to the third issue.  While I continue to write the occasional blog posts, this newsletter provides information about multiple topics. This month I’ll explain my methods with dialogue, discuss my latest work in progress, have an interview with another author and music. There must be music!  Ready? Let’s Roll!

WRITING

Years ago I picked up a book that had won an award or two and was supposed to be a fantastic read. The back cover sounded intriguing. Nice artwork on the front. So I gave it a try. But I couldn’t get past the first twenty pages. Why not? There was not a single line of dialogue! Not one single line!

Dialogue to me is one of the most important elements in a story. That’s another way for my characters to interact, to share thoughts, feelings, ideas and reactions. It can help set the tone and the pace of the book.  It sets the mood. Long, lengthy sentences can slow it down. Short, quick responses can speed things up. It’s action in the form of talking.

In order for the dialogue to flow, you have to listen. As a writer, it’s not uncommon for me to hear not only what people say, but how they say it.  If you want a character that’s a bit more refined, they may speak only in full sentences, avoid vulgarities and contractions.  I did that with Harrison Mundy, a character in “Fleeing Beauty”.  His dialogue matched perfectly with his mannerisms and his bearing, while different from any of the other characters. The vocabulary used can also give an indication as to education and upbringing.

On the flip side, you can have a character whose speech is less than perfect or comes from a different part of the country.  Captain Prescott ‘Pappy’ Cantrell from the Chene series is just that kind of guy.  Pappy uses phrases like ‘My daddy learned me that…” and while I know an English teacher or two would cringe, it helps define him.

Sometimes, it’s not just what you say, but how you say it.  All of that can be conveyed in dialogue.  Which, by the way, doesn’t always have to come in the form of complete sentences. Unless your story is set in the time of Queen Victoria, it’s not uncommon for your dialogue to be short. It can even be interrupted by the comments or actions of another character.

Dialogue. As Pappy would say ‘gotta have it’.

Work in Progress

I started a couple of novels last fall, before getting caught up in the “Don’t Mess with the Gods” project that I described last month.  Now that the final edits have been done, I can put that to the side until it’s time to promote the release. Which is a perfect time to get back to work on the third book in the Chene series.

“Your Turn to Die” the second book in the series, introduced Leo Agonasti, a retired member of organized crime who has an unusual friendship with Chene. As I was finishing that novel, the idea of him turning to Chene for help started to percolate in my brain. A couple of possibilities surfaced and were rejected. Too bland, too outlandish, too unrealistic, too overdone.

This relationship between Agonasti and Chene does not sit well with Pappy Cantrell. The idea that Chene would investigate an old crime in an attempt to clear his friend sets Cantrell on edge. He’s concerned not just for the image of his squad, but also any blowback this could have on his best investigator’s career.  In case you’re curious, there is no link here between this case and the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Yet.

Getting back to this story was easier than I expected, given the number of months since I’d worked on this. But these players are like old friends. You fall out of touch for a while and when you return, they welcome you back without a moment’s hesitation.  Of course, they’ll probably stick me with the bar tab. A quick review brought me up to speed and I just passed 26,000 words.

Author Interview:

Clay Boura

It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Clay.  We met a few years ago at a local author’s event and ended up having tables beside each other. While the event wasn’t as productive as some, we did get a chance to trade stories and background.

Clay is a gifted writer and a very talented artist, whose children’s books are a delight to read.

Where are you from?
I grew up in Ferndale, MI and moved to Oak Park, MI after getting married. We lived there for about 15 years before recently moving to the Anchor Bay area.   

What’s your ‘someday’ or dream vacation spot and why?
I actually have three. My first dream vacation would be to go to Australia and see the Great Barrier Reef because I am a huge lover of sea-life and marine animals. My second and third dream vacations would be to take my wife and kids to the Philippines and Thailand to visit my wife’s family and to show our children where their mother’s and grandmother’s (Lola’s) and grandfather’s (Lolo’s) families came from.  Australia is on my bucket list as well!

What’s your favorite thing to do for relaxation?
Honestly, spending time with my wife and kids. Whether we are going for walks around the water, playing board games together, going camping or simply enjoying a movie night at home, I love spending time with my family.

Any favorite hobbies?
I love to draw (obviously)! I also have a 1993 Ford Mustang Convertible that I enjoy tinkering with and cruising around in. I also enjoy listening to music and playing video games.  I’ll bet the kids have their eyes on that Mustang for when they get their driver’s licenses.

How long have you been writing?
I like to joke that I came out of the womb with a pencil in my hand because I have loved to draw and write for as long as I can remember. I have been creating characters and writing stories since probably kindergarten or earlier.

Are you able to write full time or do you also have a job/career?
My ultimate dream is to be able to write full time and put all of my time and energy into my passion. However, at the moment, I do have a full-time day job working in sales and doing web design/marketing for my company.  Sounds like you’re a very busy guy.

Is there a particular genre that you write?  What led you to there?
I have always been interested in fantasy. Wizards, dragons, centaurs, magic, time travel and things like that have always fascinated me. When I was younger, I used to write lots of stories based on those things. However, after starting a family I found myself spending my evenings reading children’s books to my kids. Watching how much enjoyment they got out of those stories, I decided I wanted to write children’s stories. The rest, as they say, is history!

Do you use friends or family as characters in your work?
Absolutely! So far in my 3 children’s books I have used my wife and 3 kids, an aunt and 2 cousins, 4 nephews and 1 niece as characters. And there are many more to come!  

What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult?
My all-time favorite author is Dr. Seuss. His creativity and imagination are unparalleled. He excelled at making his stories and characters extremely different and unique and unlike anything else that had already been done. I absolutely love that and try to emulate those same things in my characters and stories.

Has anyone in your life influenced you or encouraged you to pursue your interests of writing?

I am extremely blessed and lucky to have been surrounded by so many loving, caring and supportive people throughout my life. My 5^th & 6^th grade elementary teacher, Mrs. Stede, was always supportive of my writing. I had a high school art teacher named Mrs. Potts who encouraged my love for drawing and even encouraged me to create the very first animated Beamer cartoon, which my girlfriend (who is now my wife) helped me create. My mother has always been very supportive of my writing. She held on to some of my early stories from my childhood and gave them back to me as an adult. I remember her encouraging me to keep adding on to stories I wrote for school assignments in case I wanted to publish them some day. However, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and support and encouragement of my amazing wife, Sheri. My initial dream was to become a cartoonist and have my very own comic strip in the newspaper. Being the school teacher that she is, she would give me assignments to turn in and hold me to deadlines to keep me motivated. Later, when I decided to write and illustrate children’s stories, she supported me in every way and helped me become the author I am today.  That’s great that you’ve had so many people rooting for you!

What is your favorite aspect or writing?

When I visit schools and share my stories with kids, I always ask them if they enjoy writing. I then tell them that we are only limited by our own imaginations. There is no right or wrong story. When we’re in school we have to write about specific topics, whether we like them or not. But as an author, I have the freedom to write about anything that I want and that is fantastic.  

Do you have any “must haves” with you while you’re writing? 

They aren’t necessarily “must haves”, but I always use my laptop for writing and my tablet for sketching and illustrating.

Is there a common theme or item that appears in each of your work?  
The main plot/structure of all of my stories are the same. Beamer hears someone speak an English idiom which he doesn’t understand. He then drifts off and dreams up a wild, crazy adventure which helps explain why he thinks we would say such a silly thing. Then he awakens from his daydream and learns the real meaning to the idiom. Every single one of my stories follows this same structure, but with different idioms and different stories dreamed up by Beamer.

  

What have you learned the most from being in the writing business?

Before I became an author, I thought (or maybe hoped!) that there was one specific way of getting published. However, I have since learned that there are many different ways of accomplishing that. I also learned how tough it can be to become successful as an author/writer, especially as an indie author/writer. Not everyone can be Stephen King or J.K. Rowling. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication and creativity to get yourself out in front of potential readers and to promote yourself. It also takes a strong mind and lots of willpower to push through the setbacks and the failures, because those do occur. However, I also learned how rewarding it can be. When someone tells you they loved your story or they can’t wait for your next story or they carve your character into their pumpkin on Halloween (true story!), it makes it all worth it!  You make some excellent points.

Tell us about your latest work:

If you’ve read my stories or been to my website, you know that I like to put little Easter eggs in my books. One of the Easter eggs that I put in each book is a clue as to what my next book will be about. So in my most recent book, “Leave it to Beamer Presents: The Proof is in the Pudding”, I have an Easter egg which gives a hint at my upcoming book, which is “Leave it to Beamer Presents: Get The Ball Rolling”. In this book, Beamer dreams up a story about a town of gnomes who don’t get along and rarely talk to one another. One day, a giant walking by and drops his toy ball right in the middle of their town. The giant’s ball is so big that it gets in the way and causes all sorts of problems and none of the gnomes are able to move it. Eventually all of the gnomes put their differences aside and start working together to “get the ball rolling” so they can get it out of their town!   What a great way to tell the story!

How did you decide on your story plot?  

My books are all about English idioms and how a young boy, Beamer, could misunderstand them in their most literal form. Since we use idioms multiple times a day, every day, I am constantly surrounded by potential book ideas. Any time I am at work or out shopping or talking with friends and neighbors and I hear someone use an idiom, the gears begin to turn in my mind and I start thinking of potential story ideas. If/when I come up with a good story idea, I make sure to write it down for later. Right now I probably have ideas for around a dozen more books and new ideas are popping up every day. So when I finish with one story, I go to my archives to find the next one!

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written?

I don’t have a favorite scene. However, people always ask me which one of my books is my favorite. This is kind of like asking me which one of my kids are my favorite! However, I will always have a very special place in my heart for my first book, “Leave it to Beamer Presents: Don’t Let the Cat Out of the Bag”, because it was my first book and the one that helped me realize my dream of becoming a published author!  Yes, that first book is always memorable.  Thanks for stopping by today.

Here are some links to Clay.

My website: www.leaveittobeamer.com
My Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/ClayBouraBooks
My Twitter Page: www.twitter.com/ClayBoura
My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT_mR22i0J9iGK5p3WWXnug/

My books can be purchased online through my website (https://www.leaveittobeamer.com/store.html), online through my Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/LeaveittoBeamer) on Amazon.com, BooksAMillion.com and many other places. You can also check out my website for “Where to Buy” (https://www.leaveittobeamer.com/books.html - scroll down to the bottom of the page).

I am also available for school visits, library visits, book fairs and other events and can be e-mailed at kartunist78@yahoo.com

                                                 MUSIC

A good friend suggested I always include Motown music as part of the newsletter, because there is such a great collection of artists and songs going back more than fifty years.  I agree. However, every once in a while, you need to change it up.

So this month, here’s a tip of the rock and roll hat to one of Motown’s favorite sons. Bob Seger’s deep voice has been a driving force for years. Whether it’s ballads or the ‘get you moving’ tunes, Seger never disappoints.

Here’s my top five from Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

Sunspot Baby: https://youtu.be/ivVacsOQfxc

Shakedown: https://youtu.be/uS-EGbXU_Fw

Betty Lou’s Getting Out:  https://youtu.be/bQSpvk6Vtfc

Old Time Rock and Roll: https://youtu.be/W1LsRShUPtY

Rock & Roll Never Forgets: https://youtu.be/cO3bufB547A