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Sunday, 16 March 2008
Thursday, 6 March 2008
Debut author Jordan Dane was in top form at the first stop of The Writer’s Chatroom’s “SHOW--NOT TELL” virtual book tour at the blog home of Billie Williams. http://printedwords.blogspot.com Next stop? My own blog: http://www.reviewhutch.blogspot.com on March 8th. Jordan has thrown a contest into the fray, your comments automatically enter you into a drawing for one of FIVE $20 gift cards to-what else?-a great bookstore. Winners will be announced at the live “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30th at http://www.writerschatroom.com. We’ll also be drawing for those valuable first copies of NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM at the party. Here’s my review: No One Heard Her Scream Jordan Dane Avon Harper Collins ISBN: 9780061252785 Dani Montgomery is but one of the missing, and presumed dead, young women from around San Antonio, TX. She is the focus, and the force, of tough homicide detective Rebecca Montgomery. When Becca is told to stay away from the investigation into Dani’s disappearance, her boss puts her on another case-that of a body found behind a brick wall in an old theater that has been torched. As Becca investigates the crime scene she realizes she’s being watched by more than one stranger, but one is deliciously tall, dark and dangerous. When she visits the former owner of the theater, a notorious mob boss, she is loathe to find her stranger is his enforcer. Becca trusts her gut to tie it all together, with the help of one watchful stranger and without the help of the other. Piecing together evidence at the theater gives rise to the title. NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM by debut author Jordan Dane is a romantic thriller with all the great elements; intrigue, debauchery, retribution and redemption-with libido to match. Reviewed by: Linda J. Hutchinson
Posted by lindajhutchinson at 10:01 AM EST
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Updated: Wednesday, 19 March 2008 12:22 AM EDT Monday, 3 March 2008
If you’re a writer, you’ve heard the phrase, “Show—don’t tell!” That’s exactly what we’ll be doing for the month of March at The Writer’s Chatroom. We’ll be showing you how to market yourself and manage your networking BEFORE your first book comes out. (Of course, this is in addition to bringing you great guests all month.) About a year ago Jordan Dane’s name popped up on my MySpace friend request list. She had already sold three novels to a major publishing house. A few months later, she sold three more to the same house. Her FIRST novel, NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM, will be available March 25th. Jordan is one to watch; if you’d like to see how the marketing and networking part of being an author is done; and done well. We’ll be hosting a live “Launch P-A-R-T-Y!” on March 30th at The Writer’s Chatroom. Plan on stopping by to meet Jordan. In the meantime, please visit this week’s Virtual Book Tour stops as Jordan visits with Billie Williams at http://printedwords.blogspot.com/ on March 5th. The next stop will be at my review site, http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com on March 8th. Stop by and say hello by leaving a comment on each blog during the tour. We have eight authors/writers lined up to interview Jordan before the P-A-R-T-Y! And just to whet your whistle, here is the first of our reviews, by TWC founder Glenn Walker. NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM by Jordan Dane Avon Harper Collins When her teenaged sister disappears and is assumed dead, homicide detective Becca Montgomery is obsessed with finding out what happened. When given a different case to divert her attention she falls into the arms of a charming mob enforcer and soon they find both cases may be related. Dane is a mistress of the metaphor and a sorceress of the simile. She uses words as a weapon and the pace never stops. Her characters and their personalities seem as if drawn by a modern day Chandler. Her sense of place is delightful as the flavor of San Antonio comes alive within the pages. This romantic suspenser is a must-read for the genre. By Glenn Walker http://www.monsura.blogspot.com/
Posted by lindajhutchinson at 5:16 PM EST
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Updated: Tuesday, 18 March 2008 11:56 PM EDT Sunday, 20 January 2008
My review of debut author Tosca Lee's "Demon: A Memoir" is up at The Review Hutch. Spellbinding! A fabulous read. Linda J. Hutchinson www.myspace.com/lindajhutchinson
Wednesday, 19 December 2007
Ever watched paint dry while you’re waiting for something more interesting to happen? That’s where I am, only it’s not such a serene scene. For Christmas this year, I decided to do a little oil painting. I can’t say what I’m painting, or for whom. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I should have started the paintings about three weeks ago, only I couldn’t because I was out of town helping with the grandkidlets while our son-in-law was in Oregon at his family’s early Christmas gathering. I didn’t do any painting at their house. They have six kids, five still at home. Those with children will understand. And so I wrote what had to be written to meet deadlines and started painting. I’m ignoring the undone housework, hiding the dirty laundry in a closet, and cooking only when hubby appears to be near collapse from hunger. I’m not a professional painter. If I put a lot of thought into it the end product looks like a kindergarten art project. However, if I just get in there and sling and slap paint as though I know what I’m doing, the end result is passable. If I could use acrylics, there wouldn’t be a problem. I don’t use acrylics because, ordinarily, I like to mess with a work in progress for a couple of days. But I don’t have a couple of days. I NEED the paint to dry so I can finish them up and get them wrapped for this weekend. If unexpected company shows up I’m not sure how to explain the canvasses in the oven, or why the oven door is propped open. Or why that mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine smell lingers, a combination worse than cabbage soup and lute fisk. If you’re wondering why I’m blogging rather than painting; I’m watching paint dry.
Posted by lindajhutchinson at 1:49 PM EST
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Updated: Tuesday, 18 March 2008 11:28 PM EDT Tuesday, 13 November 2007
We hear so much negative about the war in Iraq. Let’s keep things in perspective for the moment. There are real people in our military. Kind, intelligent, loving individuals who are members of our military, who are away from their families and loved ones, who are defending freedom. Included in this post is a link to a radio interview with my husband’s nephew, his brother’s youngest son. John is currently serving in the military in Iraq. David has two sons and three daughters. The man you’ll hear in the interview is the second of his sons to serve. His oldest returned safely and we are extremely thankful for that. Lt. John Dickson is a graduate of Notre Dame and married his college sweetheart a little over a year ago. She’s also in the military. Here is his message. </p><p><a href="http://www.lindajhutchinson.com/ blog/IRAQSOLDIER10-26. mp3"><img src="http://www.lindajhutchinson.com/blog/audio _disp.gif" border="0" alt="" hspace="3" width="15" height="13" />Lt. Dickson in Iraq</a></p>
Posted by lindajhutchinson at 12:33 PM EST
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Updated: Tuesday, 18 March 2008 11:12 PM EDT Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Some of my friends at The Writer's Chatroom are waiting to hear the story of how I came to have a bucket of broken blackboard chunks to write all of their names on for the door prize drawing last Sunday. (They've requested the story for tonight's Open Wednesday chat.) Up for grabs was Dr. Gregory Spencer's Guardian of the Veil. I usually don't read fantasy, but this one is very good. So ... since I've been driving most of the day, I've decided to borrow from a letter sent to my friend from fifth grade who now lives in Anchorage, AK. This is, of course, only part one. I'll still need to explain how the 3 year-old boy was involved. An excerpt: Hi Dave, It's been awhile. I spent most of April in Louisville helping Raylene and Jeff get moved (with 5 kids--2 of them requiring birthday parties), and then taking care of Jeffrey after he had bone spurs removed from his neck/spine. He's had a rough time of it. Had an X-ray done before the last trip to L'ville. My doc called just as Jeff and I were leaving the mini-animal farm with a baby pygmy goat, to tell me I now have arthritis in my neck and she was setting up an MRI. The goat and mini-horses were so much fun--until my phone rang. So we got the goat home and put her in the laundry room, blocking the door with a child gate. We'd stopped to pick up some groceries on the way home. Just as I was balanced with a gallon of milk in each hand and had gotten the storm door opened on the front door, "Buster" (the Boxer) lunged at the goat, who cleared the child gate and flew through the open storm door. Here we were, me with arthritis in my back, hips, and now-neck, and Jeffrey recovering from neck surgery--trying to chase this baby goat through the ravine, across the creek, and over the neighbor's field. We must have been some sight because the neighbor who owns the property we were on came over with his two kids to help us corral the goat in their barn. The dad closed the door and we cornered "Lil Bit" so that Jeff could get hold of her. It was after we got her back in the house that I remembered I had my cat's harness and leash (I know, this is not normal, but then neither am I--or my cat) in the trunk of my car. It fit the goat perfectly and she was not allowed out of her pen without it from then on. We figured if she got loose again, we'd at least have something to grab at! She is quicker than a bullet. Daughter--who didn't want the goat--brought her in from the kennel during a thunderstorm a few days later thinking the little goat was lonely and frightened. They now have 2 baby pygmy goats--and I am so happy to be back home! Don't yet know what's in store for me health-wise. Jeff and I have often laughed and said they should just put both of us on gurneys in the same O.R., open us both up and remove everything that is non-essential to life. So, I'm back home and have been a lawn-mowing fool. Love the new John Deere! When I'm cutting that grass on my big green machine, I'm on top of the world. Funny, hubby got a big red diesel F-250--and I got an LA-120 ... Wonder what the shrink assigned to help me with pain issues will think of that ... Linda
Posted by lindajhutchinson at 7:51 PM EDT
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Updated: Tuesday, 18 March 2008 10:54 PM EDT Saturday, 18 August 2007
I’m ashamed to say this: I haven’t written much since springtime hit. This was our first planting season in the new house. (It’s new to us, but not a “new” dwelling.) Husband Michael and I have taken the exterior on a wild ride from ugly-dirty-yellow-with-brown-everything- else to vibrant barn red with avocado and cream shutters and doors. We’ve painted, papered, built shelves, and decorated until we only have three rooms to go on the interior transformation. We’ve moved cabinets around in the kitchen, turned a tiny, dismal, master bathroom into a small-yet-palatial paradise, and even run the water line for the refrigerator twice because we changed our minds on its location. As we’ve gotten to know our neighbors on either side we’ve l earned more and more of the history of our home. We now understand why the flowerbeds have recurrent ten-foot-long weed tubers that never seem to get completely dug out. We know why the lawn is more like a thistle feeding frenzy than a grassy bare foot-friendly stroll. I’ve been taking full advantage of all those allergy shots. I’m actually spending time outdoors and enjoying it! And, I’m learning the names of all the perennial flowers as we’ve planted them in the new beds. Today, we actually “planted” a big white metal headboard in our new shade garden under the twisted, artistically and symmetrically-challenged tree next to the little creek that meanders through our property. (We’re going to tell the grandkids that that’s where our flowers take naps.) Yep, I’ve managed to make all of my deadlines as a freelance writer because no matter how much my muse has dawdled and dinked around, the thought of disappointing my editors is not s omething I’m willing to do. ( I promise to get links posted by the end of this week!) I’ve written epistles to my children and a few friends. I’ve congratulated my friend Ronii on the birth of her eighth child. Yes, eighth! I’ve forwarded funny emails with my comments added. I’ve written many emails to potential guests for The Writer’s Chatroom, and I’m proud to say we’re booked through the end of 2007! And, former beauty queen and debut author Tosca Lee has agreed to be our first guest of 2008. We’ll also be heavily involved in the “launch” of debut author Jordan Dane. She’s got three books coming out back-to-back next spring. For a writer, that’s the equivalent of launching a 40-foot sailboat you’ve just spent every available moment building in the back yard for five years--and then having it trucked 500 miles to the nearest deep-water bay.
Most of the month from mid-June to mid-July was spent in Louisville, KY, helping out with the grandkidlets, goats, and son-in-law's recovery from his third thoracic spine surgery. Not much chance to write there!
SIL was barely sufficently recovered, but made it to Seattle to walk our oldest granddaughter, LaTosha down the aisle on July 13th--her birthday. Also on July 13th, dear husband and son drove down from Columbus and I drove up from Louisville, to Cincinnati for my youngest brother's wedding. May both marriages be blessed with all the Godness life has to offer. I’ve honored my commitments and kept up with the marketing/ networking at MySpace (www.myspace.com/lindajhutchinson). However, my fiction writing seems to have gotten buried in the “back 40” right along with my resolve to write every day. I’m also ashamed to say that my website hasn’t been updated in so many months I’m embarrassed to give out the address. My blogs have become strangers. So … Renee Barnes (Trailer Park Gazette and The Writer’s Chatroom fame) and I have committed to writing every day—to get ourselves back on track. And just to keep us honest, we’ve also committed to sending each other what we’ve written every day! So, here it is Renee! And this was after spending 7 hours outside with dear husband—planting and digging. I promise to do better tomorrow! Oh … and today would have been my Daddy’s 76th birthday. Happy birthday Dad! I sure do miss you.
Posted by lindajhutchinson at 12:01 AM EDT
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Updated: Tuesday, 18 March 2008 10:17 PM EDT Friday, 25 May 2007
Having spent ten years in and around Nashville, TN, I'm well aware of what socialite Martha Ingram and her family do and have done for the community.
Ms. Ingram is a beautiful woman, full of graceful southern charm, whose name is on most charity event planners attendee wish lists. Her picture shows up regularly on the society pages of The Tennessean. www.tennessean.com Go ahead, check it out. are in the top three of book distributors worldwide. If you don't believe me, do a google search. I won't ruin it for you by supplying the URL.
Are your books available through them? If they aren't, they certainly should be! (This one little detail should be enough to get writers to stop paying crappola vanity/subsidy publishers.) did you know there is a phone number for authors who want to know: how many books are in stock, how many sold last week, last year, etc.? book(s) is/are actually distributed by Ingram. I'm sure the person(s) who answers the phone(s) doesn't need his/her time wasted frivolously. 615.213.6803
Thanks for reading!
Linda http://www.lindajhutchinson.com/ www.myspace.com/lindajhutchinson http://reviewhutch.blogspot.com/
(This was copied from my post at The Writer's Chatroom blog. Did I mention that we made the list for 2007? "What list?" you say. The Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers list!)
Posted by lindajhutchinson at 9:50 AM EDT
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Updated: Tuesday, 18 March 2008 10:00 PM EDT Tuesday, 17 April 2007
It's been a labor of love, a lot of hard work, some frustration, team building skills brought out of mothballs, and many laughs. That's how I would describe the last couple of years of my involvement with The Writer's Chatroom.
Audrey Shaffer, Renee Barnes of Trailer Park Gazette fame, and I make up the team. Founder Glenn Walker moderates a chat now and then and is a frequent chatter. It's all been worth it because today I received my copy of Writer's Digest with the coveted annual list inside. The same edition contains a profile: "Tabitha King: Steps out of Stephen's Shadow" and a column written by regular (and quite famous author whom I've been stalking to be a guest) Jodi Picoult. (Did I really say "stalking"? Well ... sometimes you do what you gotta do.)
Several months ago I was asked to furnish some copywriting for TWC's website's new entry page. Imagine my surprise to find that used in the write-up in WD!
Audrey is constantly working on updating the website, and Renee is chronically on spam-control duty at the forum and running contests. Lately, my time has been spent booking guests.
We took honors for: chat, classes/ workshops, contests, critiques, forums, and newsletters!
Congratulations to all of the winners on the list! I belong to several of those groups/subscription lists and they are quite worthy. Feel free to visit at http://writerschatroom.com/.
This Sunday at 7:00 pm Eastern, I'll be interviewing Vicki M. Taylor in a live chat. www.vickimtaylor.com.
Upcoming guests through July: Hope Clark, Tim Bete, Mari Atherton, Karen Syed, Vicki Delany, Sandra Tooley (Lee Driver), Brian Keene, Cyndy Salzmann, Robert Walker, Hailey Lind, Bob Avey, and Michael Murphy.
Posted by lindajhutchinson at 9:22 PM EDT
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Updated: Tuesday, 18 March 2008 10:38 PM EDT Newer | Latest | Older |
party time!