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book reviews |
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Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Sandra Sperling introduces us to her latest book, “Elisabet’s Will”: The few relatives who are still friendly to Lisbet spend the summer at her northern Minnesota home. Determined to discover the reason why the rest of the family has shunned her since she was a child, she confronts Evelyn, her estranged uncle's wife. This action exposes her and her loved ones to danger and thrusts Greta, her beloved 5-year-old granddaughter, into deadly peril.  Oh, Mylanta! This is an amazing story about several generations of one family in Minnesota. The story had a slow start for me. But I am so glad I kept reading. The author weaves a startling and clear tapestry about the depths of depravity some people in a family can sink to while other members of the same family remain normal. There are a lot of people in this family, many of them play an important part and all wonder what happened to the will of the matriarch, Elisabet. This story has a delightful texture! The author has woven so many details about their daily lives and activities into the story that I feel like I know them all very closely. The intimacy is extraordinary and brilliantly portrayed. I love this story about family life and you will too. "Elisabet's Will" gets five stars from me!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Elisabets-Will-Sandra-Sperling-ebook I have reviewed other books by the author: www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-stash www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/control-by-sandra-sperling You can follow the author: Twitter: @sandysperling3 https://www.facebook.com/sisuforever http://sandrasperling.com Copyright © 2022 Mark L. Schultz except for the author’s introduction.
73 Comments
Mark
3/27/2022 07:30:49 am
Welcome to the Word Refiner channel. We are going to discuss your writing and publishing journey for "Elisabet's Will" an amazing and intimate story. 3/27/2022 08:03:34 am
Well---I was born in Nevada, the oldest of five kids, between the Civil and Gulf wars. My doctor was out of town, so I was delivered into the hands of a Navy doctor from the post, giving me a somewhat twisted view of reality with my first breath.
Mark
3/27/2022 09:18:40 am
That is funny, born between those two wars. 3/27/2022 11:41:53 am
Full time. I usually scribble ideas in a notebook in the morning when I'm still in bed, which is when I come up with my best ideas. Solutions to whatever problems I'm having with a story often come to me at that time also. My best time for writing is usually between 1:00 and 7:00 pm.
Mark
3/27/2022 02:32:41 pm
You are very blessed. I know a writer who hears from her muse only around 2:30 in the early morning. It has been like that for years. She keeps a pad and pen next to her bed. Sometimes she can even read her notes in the morning. Another writer lamented to me that she regularly receives regular visits from her muse while in the shower. I suggested she get a pad of waterproof paper and a Space pen. She reported positive results. 3/27/2022 03:49:29 pm
Young children are helpless against crime and for various reasons are afraid to report it, as was Greta in the book. I hope to make readers aware of how kids behave when this happens.
Mark
3/27/2022 04:55:07 pm
You wove an amazing story to share that lesson. I realized that she was in the story a lot. But I didn't consider her a major player. I was too focused on what the adults were doing. Greta was very brave and did her best to save herself. 3/27/2022 06:01:22 pm
My cover was designed by Emily's World of Design. She has an almost psychic ability to convey what's in my mind and has never disappointed me. She asks for a synopsis of the story and sends a questionnaire asking for detailed information. Barbed wire was mentioned twice in the story. The rusty strand of it on the cover hints at imprisonment and danger. The somber coloring sets the tone of the story.
Mark
3/27/2022 06:52:42 pm
Emily is good! That is a striking cover! 3/28/2022 10:13:13 am
The title was easy to choose, since the legal will powered the story. Besides being literal, the title is figurative in that it shows how much willpower--sisu (Finnish for enormous tenacity) the women in this story have, especially young Greta. I decide titles based on incidents, objects, places or whatever runs through the entire story, usually at key points in the plot. If it's both literal and figurative, it gets my strong vote of approval.
Mark
3/28/2022 11:00:16 am
That is an interesting way to come up with a title. It fits quite well. It also helps me understand why some writers start without a title in mind. They want to see where the story goes. 3/28/2022 12:18:58 pm
Names are fun! I try to use a variety of popular and not-so-popular names that are consistent with the time of the character's birth and the region they were born in. You wouldn't, for instance, name a character born of first-generation Finnish Americans Jose or Rashid unless you were writing a comedy. That's an idea!! Jose Rahkola??
Mark
3/28/2022 01:40:31 pm
I like your process, very organic. Effective too. The memory joggers are handy as well. 3/28/2022 03:14:02 pm
Elisabet's Will is my newest book.
Mark
3/28/2022 04:09:43 pm
That is good, you are not just a one-trick magician, you can write in multiple genres.
Mark
3/28/2022 05:31:16 pm
A lot of people are afraid of public speaking. I have found a secret. If you are an expert and you accept that people are eager to hear what you have to say (otherwise, they would probably be somewhere else) public speaking becomes ever so much easier, nearly effortless. 3/28/2022 05:57:00 pm
I entered my first book, The Beginner's Guide to Spouse Removal, and my third book, A Few Trivial Felonies into a contest held by IAN (Independent Authors Network) and won a Finalist award on both of them. I'll enter Elisabet's Will into a couple. Anything for exposure!
Mark
3/29/2022 08:07:56 am
Getting exposure is the big deal! Contests are one way of facilitating that. You are being careful and that is smart. There are bogus contests out there. The more harmless ones just want a chunk of your money. The really bad ones want a piece of your future. They steal your intellectual property (IP), your book. More precisely, they try to steal your rights to your IP. Here is a good, copy-and-paste link about that Beware Bogus Writing Contests! Look for These 8 Red Flags. https://annerallen.com/2019/05/beware-bogus-writing-contests Anne is one of my favorite bloggers. You can also use the search box below to find it. I have links to many fabulous blogs for writers on my Highly Regarded Blogs page. 3/29/2022 08:46:21 am
Kindle unlimited is working well for me. I've made sales every month since I began that. I now have two books on there and will likely keep using it.
Mark
3/29/2022 09:59:38 am
That is good to hear. Not everyone does well on KU. I am inclined to think that having multiple books available helps sales. Many readers want to read more by the author when they find a book they like a lot. I also think having some books available outside of KU can be helpful also. 3/29/2022 10:16:57 am
I wrote and sent queries to agents and publishers but got the usual rejection letters back. Some actually contained handwritten notes of encouragement, but it was a lot like fishing with a barbless hook. I decided on Amazon after researching the options. I learned a huge amount in a short time, writing stuff down as I went and watching it become obsolete.
Mark
3/29/2022 11:48:02 am
You were lucky to get those notes. I imagine the notes were quite encouraging for you. Other writers have not had that good of a querying experience. Most get rejection form letters; some get only crickets on many of their queries. 3/29/2022 01:36:27 pm
Thank you for the information!!
Mark
3/29/2022 02:52:15 pm
That is pretty funny. Pictures of pets are a big draw. That might get a second or third look from an agent. 3/29/2022 06:41:07 pm
Amazon seemed like the easiest way to go, with everything explained in understandable terms.
Mark
3/30/2022 08:41:51 am
That makes a lot of sense. Self-publishing allows an author the most control over their book. They also don't have to share the profits. 3/30/2022 09:28:29 am
I think Elisabet's Will is comparable to the top third of the best ones. In the past year, I've tossed out two books published by the major houses, kept six to read again and given three or four to Goodwill. I'm designing hanging bookcases to install on the interior doors, but I'd need more massive hinges than are available at Lowes.
Mark
3/30/2022 11:25:15 am
Not just the hinges, although that is a good idea. You might need solid wood doors and possibly four hinges to carry the weight. I suggest looking for the shelves you want to use, getting one and see how many books the shelves will hold. Then, weigh all of it. That is an important factor to consider. Keep in mind, that the doors may not lay flat against the wall if the rack is more than 3 or 4 inches deep. 3/30/2022 12:43:28 pm
Watchers by Dean Koontz get to me every time I read it. I'm a sucker for smart dogs and Einstein in that book hits me with amazement, affection, humor and sorrow. I wore out my first copy and bought a copy with large print after I had to have surgery on my retina, afraid I might not regain my clear eyesight, but fortunately I did.
Mark
3/30/2022 03:17:22 pm
That is an eclectic list. I have read a couple of Grisham's books, last century. I have also read Huck Finn when I was a boy, probably an abridged edition in an encyclopedic set of great literature. 3/30/2022 04:45:16 pm
Watchers is probably my favorite book. I've read all the books from the previous answer at least twice, along with dozens of others. I prefer paper over e-books, and I think I was born with a library card clutched in my hand.
Mark
3/30/2022 05:51:41 pm
I used to read favorite books multiple times. Not anymore. Doing a book promotion almost every week and proofreading in the middle doesn't leave me enough time. 3/30/2022 06:14:20 pm
When I wrote them, I felt the emotions of the characters in varying degrees. I literally become each person as I write about him or her, but record what the character is feeling, was not necessarily what I personally feel. I've always observed how people react to situations--what they say, their expressions, their body language--and use it in my work. Having eight uncles, three brothers and four brothers-in-law to study was a great help in writing about men.
Mark
3/31/2022 08:51:10 am
I think most authors have a similar experience. Otherwise, the emotions might be shallow and unrelatable. It's important for the reader that the author can recreate the emotions and emotional context on the page. That is when the reader connects with the characters. We all crave connection with others, we all want to be loved and accepted for who we are. If our self-image is twisted or damaged, then the desire for connection can be equally damaged. 3/31/2022 10:24:37 am
No. I had to look that up to find out what it actually (pet word) meant.
Mark
3/31/2022 12:24:34 pm
A lot of authors use the opportunity to jumpstart a novel. Many will join a virtual group for mutual fun and support. Some pansters, like you, might jot down a few ideas about where they would like the story to go. The plotters, on the other hand, will spend time in October to create an outline to work from for the new book idea. All of that is personal taste, of course. 3/31/2022 12:38:02 pm
Both, but usually I have to delete and condense. In The Stash, my next book to publish, I cut the length by about 2,000 words.
Mark
3/31/2022 01:55:20 pm
You are all over the map. But many writers are. You have lots of company. There is so much behind-the-scenes detail that goes into writing a book. Not enough prose can leave the reader feeling disconnected, too much and the reader can lose track of the action or plotline. The danger is the same in either case, the reader might close the book. 3/31/2022 05:50:02 pm
I've chopped out entire chapters that unnecessarily enriched a character but put a stumbling block into the plot. I delete words and sentences, more often rewording them to make the prose slide when read. Long paragraphs are split, or they bite the dust.
Mark
3/31/2022 06:51:05 pm
Removing entire chapters doesn't surprise me considering you are a pantster. That is what pantsters do. The story and plot dictate what remains.
Mark
4/1/2022 07:58:47 am
I have been told that many writers use themselves as the starting point for one or more characters in a story. Whether it is a conscious decision or not. Truthfully, I think that is the only way a character can be written. We know ourselves pretty well, unless an author has DID, then that can be a questionable concept. We have a lifetime of experiences, and we are not the same person as we were one, two or ten years ago. Our experiences provide a varied and textured backdrop to develop any and all characters. 4/1/2022 09:00:00 am
I've often used heavily disguised people I knew, mostly from long ago, changing everything except the nasty personality traits.
Mark
4/1/2022 11:20:05 am
That is a good way of writing what you know. Utilizing the worst or best of a person you know. 4/1/2022 11:41:16 am
Thank you for the link. I use the Briggs Myers personality types, but always add one or two traits that barely fit the character, for a little surprise. Even a villain must have some redeeming points.
Mark
4/1/2022 01:37:23 pm
I am glad you like the website. It impressed me quite a bit. I think the Briggs Meyer has been around for a long time. 4/1/2022 02:04:08 pm
I loathe the way Dennis thinks and feels about women--to be used for the dirty jobs in life and blamed for his own shortcomings. Grrrrrrr. I respect the way he continues to pay child support for all those kids he fathered.
Mark
4/1/2022 03:47:08 pm
Dennis is that guy. He seems to be in love with love but can handle the reality after the feelings simmer down and wear off. That is what feelings do, they are transitory. They cannot stay in one place too long. 4/1/2022 05:45:03 pm
I usually play a game of solitaire, then get to work.
Mark
4/1/2022 06:47:16 pm
Very nice! Solitaire is one of my favorite games to play on my phone. 4/1/2022 07:57:02 pm
My process hasn't changed, although I tend to spend a little more time on research when needed. There is very little I'd like to change about Elisabet's Will.
Mark
4/2/2022 08:08:32 am
Excellent. Some writers find that writing the second or third book is quite a bit different. I would imagine that is because the first book is a learning experience and has a steep learning curve. Every author has to find their way through the wilderness in the beginning. 4/2/2022 09:05:20 am
Tweet, Facebook, contact reviewers, and send books to libraries all over the country (not all accept them, but most do). I send signed copies to some people, including Dean Koontz, and promote wherever I can. Once, before a minor surgical procedure, an orderly who was filling out a questionnaire asked me if I'd ever had thoughts of harming other people. I said, "No, but I should tell you that I've published a book titled 'The Beginner's Guide to Spouse Removal.' It so fascinated him that he wrote down the title and left the room, forgetting to reattach the IV he'd removed so I could use the bathroom. One must be careful where one promotes.
Mark
4/2/2022 10:54:19 am
You are doing a lot of the right things. 4/2/2022 12:34:38 pm
This is a contemporary story, with the major and minor themes true right now, from the past, and sadly, probably in the future.
Mark
4/2/2022 02:25:02 pm
Your positioning this book in contemporary culture was no accident. It seems you wanted to maximize the possibility that people would identify with the adults in the story and utilize opportunities they had to train and protect kids. I love that about your story. Grace is just a child; the adults were involved with all kinds of worldly things. Grace is an unlikely protagonist in this story. The ending proved me wrong. 4/2/2022 03:02:03 pm
I use Word--16 I believe and Adobe Acrobat. I've tried others but have had problems with them.
Mark
4/2/2022 04:09:16 pm
MS Word is the software almost every writer uses. It has a huge installed user base around the world. It can also be set to forty-some different versions of English, Canadian, Nigerian, South African to name only a few. I am using MS Word 2019 currently. 4/2/2022 05:49:49 pm
I have a small bedroom that I use for an office, painted my favorite shade of pale celery green. Nothing fancy, but nice to have the clutter in a room where I can shut the door.
Mark
4/2/2022 06:41:58 pm
Being able to close a door is quite nice, not just to hide the clutter but also temporarily break away. 4/2/2022 07:57:10 pm
Sight is the easiest to write about. Smells are difficult to write about, because you can only compare them to other scents or say something like, "It smells moldy in here."
Mark
4/3/2022 07:53:25 am
Most writers answer n a similar fashion. Sight is the easiest followed by hearing. Either smell or taste are the hardest to write about. 4/3/2022 08:43:18 am
Global Book Marketing, which I also used for my last book--with good results. I'm looking into the Amazon program when I get a couple of other chores taken care of. A good thing about being an Indie writer is that the book is out there for a loooong time and not quickly 'taken off the shelves' as those through traditional publishing. There are a few businesses (resorts, mom and pop stores, a mostly second-hand book store) in northern Minnesota that are interested in putting a few copies on display.
Mark
4/3/2022 12:39:03 pm
Thanks for recommending Global Book Marketing. I am glad you have had a good experience with them. 4/3/2022 01:08:24 pm
So far, to unknown customers, probably due to Global, Twitter and Facebook. Fans are always the first to buy, which is wonderful! It makes the arduous process of writing and publishing worth it.
Mark
4/3/2022 02:18:55 pm
I owe Grizz a lot of treats for all of the assistance he has provided since his death and before. 4/3/2022 02:32:14 pm
I could tweak for years, but when I've wrapped up the story and done the best I can, then it goes out to beta readers. I never think I've done a good enough job. I'm always afraid I might have written a real stink bomb of a story until they read it.
Mark
4/3/2022 04:07:02 pm
I think every writer worries about having a stinker on their hands until someone else reads it. It is human nature. We all have what I call the inner liar. That person whispers to us constantly that we will never measure up. We will never be good enough. With effort, a person can learn to ignore the inner liar. 4/3/2022 04:30:53 pm
I send it to the beta readers and make about 50 corrections--usually typos-- before it's edited. With The Stash, I sent it from corrections straight to you, skipping the editor. My editor found that my stories didn't need any rewriting, but only suggested a sentence here and there to make things clearer. I tend to be sloppy with commas and other punctuation, because I lose track of my story if I worry about it.
Mark
4/3/2022 06:15:56 pm
That is a pretty sleek process. It's working quite well for you. 4/3/2022 06:26:21 pm
Working with you was a lot of fun, and from your comments and suggestions I learned a great deal. It's most pleasant to deal with someone who knows so much about the publishing business. I look forward to working with you again!! Leave a Reply. |
Who am I?An avid reader, typobuster, and the Hyper-Speller. I am a husband, father, and grandfather. Archives
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