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book reviews |
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Multi-volume, multi-genre author, Sandra Sperling introduces us to her latest romantic suspense story, “The Stash”: People have fantasies about finding buried treasure, but for Sarah Altman it becomes a reality when she convinces herself that it isn't really a crime to appropriate a large stash of money hidden by a meth dealer after he has a car accident. Every dollar will likely add to the time he spends in prison, so she chooses to be a good Samaritan and relieve him of the burden. Already contemplating a divorce, Sarah realizes that the money will allow her the freedom to do so with financial security---so long as no one learns she has it. Deputy Nate Carlson has been giving protection to the dealer in exchange for a share of the profit from the meth. He's severely injured, but before he dies, he manages to tell Nate where the cash is buried. Sergeant Frank Devich, Nate's widowed brother-in-law, questions Sarah, triggering a mutual attraction. Frank doesn't recognize her as the young woman he'd left with a broken heart years ago, and he's determined to have her. Sarah, however, resists involvement. Nate soon discovers that only Frank and Sarah had easy access to the Minnesota gravel pit where the stash had been hidden. Desperate for money, he will do anything to get it  This is a marvelous story! I love it. The stash is a suspenseful, romantic comedy or is it a comedic, romantic suspense story or is it a romantic, suspenseful comedy? Whatever! I can’t figure it out, but I do know this is a lot of fun to read! I loved the action and the dialogue. Sarah is strong, sassy and sharp as a tack! I wouldn’t want to have a battle of wits with her. I really like Frank also; he is steady as they come, committed to his job and he is thinking ahead. Nate is a couple of fries short of a happy meal, but he tries hard if mainly in the wrong direction. Good story and lots of fun! The Stash gets 5 stars from me!  You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/The-Stash-Sandra-Sperling-ebook https://www.goodreads.com/-the-stash I reviewed another book by the author: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/elisabets-will 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.
63 Comments
Mark
10/3/2022 01:24:35 pm
Welcome back to the Word Refiner channel. We talked last during the promotion for Elisabet's Will, a link just above. This interview will continue the conversation we started in the previous interview. Let's get started. 10/3/2022 02:09:33 pm
An actual incident inspired the book. I searched for fossils a couple times a week at a gravel pit owned by a second cousin of mine, where I found the ammonite described in the book at the top of a gulch. When I walked out of the pit, a strange car came racing in, nearly crashing into me. The driver roared back out, a look of manic hatred on his face. I wondered if he were running from the cops and speculated about the incident, thus creating the story you read.
Mark
10/3/2022 03:22:44 pm
I can't recall a recent interview where the author was inspired by an actual incident to write a story. I think that is very cool! A little bit scary the way that guy looked at you, also. You applied the tried-and-true question to that experience, 'what if...?' It seems most stories start at that point. 10/3/2022 04:24:21 pm
I recall writing the basic bones of the story in a notebook, and it took over 20 pages. The first draft was only about 150 pages, at which time the characters came alive, and the plot was solidified, although the ending was elusive. I entered several solutions, knowing it would come to me as I went along. I estimate that it took about three months to finish this.
Mark
10/3/2022 05:56:22 pm
That is pretty quick, around three months. Most authors take longer to write a book. 10/3/2022 06:31:24 pm
I read a great deal, both fiction and non-fiction, so I pick up a lot of information that way. I had to do a little research on meth, and a little more on the Catholic religion, which came from my friends. Most of the rest came from things I'd done. A lot of stuff I just made up.
Mark
10/3/2022 07:49:26 pm
That is what imagination is for. To fill in the gaps and make a pretty package. That amount of detail makes for realistic characters. 10/3/2022 08:06:36 pm
I have a file on each character, noting all the most important facets of their taste in clothing, favorite foods, pet peeves, birth order--just about everything. Also, it contains a secret they have kept and will never tell anyone.
Mark
10/4/2022 09:03:43 am
A lot of authors create files for characters, especially when they are writing a series. Those that don't run a great risk of making mistakes in eye color or other things. I have caught mistakes like that more than once. The idea of the secret is genius! It provides a source of motivation for the character. 10/4/2022 09:46:43 am
I wrote a play in grade school, which involved dancing on a stairway.
Mark
10/4/2022 11:23:23 am
That play sounds cute and something like Ginger Rogers would perform. She was an amazing actress and dancer. 10/4/2022 01:31:13 pm
Yes, I do have beta readers. Reading friends are usually thrilled to be asked, or at least they pretend to be. Anyway, I tell them not to worry about pleasing me or hurting my feelings with their judgements--I just want the truth, so the book can be better. Usually, I have three or four readers. They almost never suggest any big changes but pick up where I haven't made the timeline clear, say I need a more common word or point out 'their' instead of 'there' type of problems. Two told me about a clear lack of foreshadowing, which I was grateful for!! For The Stash, I had two writers, a newspaper editor(deceased), a poet plus an excellent wordrefiner who gave me sharp advice.
Mark
10/4/2022 03:54:34 pm
You are blessed. Some authors struggle to find beta readers. I have a list of beta readers, and other people who provide various services to authors, I have found on Twitter on my two Twitter pages, @wordrefiner and @MarklSchultz1. The lists can be found by clicking on the 3 dots under the banner picture. While there is a bit of overlap, the newest additions are on the second account, the first account has many more on it. 10/4/2022 04:33:54 pm
They get the manuscript after it's done. I've given them both paper and electronic versions of the stories.
Mark
10/4/2022 08:14:50 pm
Very good. Some authors engage the beta readers early in the process and some prefer to do so later in the process. As long as you are happy with the results and the book is published, that is what counts. 10/5/2022 09:12:26 am
I give them free rein, sometimes asking a question when a certain passage or action is questionable in my mind. I pay the beta readers back in kind, with being their beta readers, retweeting their books, sometimes making ads to praise them. I mention them on the 'special thanks' page in my novels. Also, I write reviews, although I don't think I'm very good at that---yet. And I buy their books!!!
Mark
10/5/2022 10:48:58 am
That sounds like a good way to go. You are very nice to buy their books also. Many authors gift their beta readers with a completed copy of their book. 10/5/2022 10:58:55 am
No, no critique group, although my cousin who is also a writer, and I exchange views and occasionally whimper, whine and snivel to each other about the problems involved in the work. It's a great way to vent, and we have absolute trust that anything we say will never become public.
Mark
10/5/2022 01:58:03 pm
Wonderful, that trust is so important! Having at least one comrade in arms is a great help. Some writers, in small towns feel lonely. 10/5/2022 03:27:19 pm
I learned NEVER to give up, especially if you are certain you have a good book. I first wrote this book when we lived in Minnesota, and submitted it numerous times. Every few times it was rejected, I reworked it, cutting out about 2000 words, making the chapters shorter--one was 23 pages long, and that is not the current style--and using more violent verbs. Instead of: 'She placed it on the table with force.', I wrote things like, 'She slammed it down, sloshing coffee all over her white jeans.' I continued to get rejections, so I saved the manuscript in a closet, along with a thumb drive, and wrote other stories. After moving to Kentucky and publishing four other books, I dug it out and read it, knowing that it was the best thing I'd ever written. The thumb drive was faulty, so I ended up typing the entire thing into my current computer. Ugh!! It was a bit out of date, but rather than modernize it, I added a chapter at the beginning, in the current time, and followed the suggestions of three intelligent beta readers. Then a WONDERFUL wordrefiner proofed it, and I knew I had a winner. So, NEVER give up.
Mark
10/5/2022 05:50:30 pm
Not giving up is so important! Millions of people have wanted to write a book, many of those never take the first step. Some will write a few pages and make the mistake of comparing their very first draft to published books they have read; discouraged they bin everything. Some will realize they know nothing about writing a book and might check a how-to book from the library or buy one. Many of those will give up before they finish the book. So, not quitting is an important necessity! 10/5/2022 07:39:54 pm
Frodo.
Mark
10/5/2022 07:43:21 pm
I would have to include Samwise with Frodo. I don't think Frodo would have made it without Samwise Gamgee. He is an excellent choice. 10/5/2022 08:16:53 pm
I always take notes by hand, and write the sort of outline that way too.
Mark
10/6/2022 08:09:49 am
You are not the only author that starts with handwritten notes. Many authors have notebooks filled with notes and ideas. I have recommended to many authors that they keep a separate book for ideas only, that way they don't have to search through a lot of notebooks to find an old idea. 10/6/2022 09:23:53 am
I wrote a book before I read anything about doing so. Reading one made me realize just how many steps were involved in the process and very nearly made me quit. Then, I figured it was like eating a huge ham--you ate it one slice at a time until it was done, then you threw the bone out for the dog.
Mark
10/6/2022 10:58:21 am
You are smarter than the average bear. So many quit when they compare that first draft to a finished book they recently read. You have grit, to quote that famous philosopher, R. Cogburn. 10/6/2022 02:05:49 pm
Writing with the stilted grammar you learned in school, which is absolutely accurate, but lacking in pizzazz. Writing what you know.
Mark
10/6/2022 04:09:58 pm
You are right. While it's pretty important to follow most of the rules of grammar, engaging the creative side is very important also. Grammar serves to provide a common foundation for communication between writer and reader. 10/7/2022 09:18:49 am
My lucky charm is a black pencil with colorful frogs printed on it. I use it to start every manuscript I scribble down.
Mark
10/7/2022 01:04:17 pm
A very special pencil! I love frogs, in high school, my nickname was toader or toad. 10/7/2022 01:17:05 pm
Episode type things are good, but once I've worked on something, I don't want to go back and do more of it. Maybe someday.
Mark
10/7/2022 01:57:56 pm
The episode things are interesting, Amazon has its version also. But not everything is sunshine and roses, here is a blog cautioning about some landmines an author doesn't want to step on: The Predatory Contracts of Serial Reading/Writing Apps https://writerunboxed.com/2022/06/24/reading-between-the-lines-the-predatory-contracts-of-serial-reading-writing-apps Copy-and-paste link or hit the search box below. 10/7/2022 02:29:04 pm
I thought about a pen name, and in fact used a different name on my paintings--for privacy. People said my actual name was a good one to use--easy to remember--and so I used it.
Mark
10/7/2022 04:07:44 pm
The romance added a wonderful dimension to the story, as you say, there was more at stake for the characters. Genre mashup is something you are good at. 10/7/2022 06:54:40 pm
I was lukewarm about time travel until I read the Tractus Fynn Mysteries, which, along with a great plot, had great characters, a lot of action, and were unpredictable. By MK Alexander.
Mark
10/7/2022 07:59:23 pm
Time travel stories are so much fun! That is my favorite subset of science fiction. I also loved the concept in The Dragon Riders of Pern. Last week's promotion was a story about time travel with a surprise at the end. I really enjoyed that story! I am going to have to locate Tractus Flynn and read that. 10/8/2022 12:08:51 pm
90% for pleasure, 9% for research (which is very often pleasurable) and 1% of the dreaded type that instructs you: place tab c into slot s, while at the same time . . . Or one of the favorites from the IRS--If the amount on line 26 is less than the amount on line 29, but more than the amount on . . .
Mark
10/8/2022 01:01:38 pm
Books can alleviate our ills, if only temporarily. Instructions, on the other hand, can make things worse, occasionally. Most of the time they are helpful, but the inscrutability factor can throw a wrench into the process. The IRS instructions are so full of the inscrutability factor it's almost funny; but with penalties and interest no one is laughing. 10/8/2022 01:18:50 pm
I've always noticed how people justify their actions, no matter how high or low their moral barometer is set. The three main characters in The Stash are no exception, and it was a lot of fun to make them all a little wicked and a little angelic. I wrote the book to poke fun at myself, for having the very same traits, and give a nod to others. We're all much the same!
Mark
10/8/2022 02:40:10 pm
I agree. Each person is first and foremost concerned with their wellbeing. We are mixtures of good and bad motivations. Such is the human condition. Stories are told from the point of view of the protagonist, mostly. In every story that is well written, the antagonist thinks they are the hero. 10/8/2022 05:12:19 pm
No, I never brainstormed. I'm a divergent thinker, and usually have more idea's than I'll ever use.
Mark
10/8/2022 06:15:28 pm
I have had a lot of different answers to that question, your answer is pretty unique in the bunch. 10/8/2022 08:06:30 pm
I read THE WRITER, WRITER'S DIGEST AND BOOKLIFE (online) I also read THE WEEK, which has a good book page.
Mark
10/9/2022 08:09:00 am
You are staying involved in the craft; those are good ways to stay informed. 10/9/2022 09:19:39 am
I have an identical version of the same book, which is not my favorite reference source. I do unwillingly use commas before 'and'. This tome, however, would made a dandy murder weapon.
Mark
10/9/2022 10:56:48 am
I am not a believer in the complete necessity for the serial comma. If it will make a difference in comprehension, then I agree with it. Most of the time, it does not aid in any way and therefore I don't use it. If an author I am proofreading for use it, I follow their wishes. For me, 'and' is sufficient almost all of the time. Yes, it would make a handy weapon. 10/9/2022 12:10:07 pm
2nd person doesn't invite the reader to partake of the story, it speaks AT them. The Stash is mostly 3rd person, with three points of view. Frank's mother's thoughts are featured in the omniscient view, since it kept a bit of distance from her being liked too well.
Mark
10/9/2022 02:09:41 pm
Thank you for defining that for us. 10/9/2022 04:14:30 pm
I was born with a strong bent toward creative ventures (painting, photography, costuming French dolls from the 1800's, etc), but I had to learn the finer points of writing by reading.
Mark
10/9/2022 06:50:52 pm
I am not surprised that you are so creative. You are right, writing is a skill that must be learned. Any given person might have a strong motivation and creative impulse to write. They may have talent for writing also, but some of the finer details need to be learned. No one has ever written a perfect first draft or a book that is universally loved. 10/9/2022 07:52:06 pm
Please tell me how to trick my brain into believing the text I'm reading is new. That would help me tremendously.
Mark
10/10/2022 08:29:14 am
Here are some ways to trick your brain into not recognizing what you are reading is old material. Change the font size, style and color, change the background color, switch to landscape mode instead of portrait. If you do all of your editing onscreen, then print it out using the aforementioned changes. Read your manuscript aloud, have the computer read it to you. Start at the end and read it backwards, one paragraph at a time. Putting the manuscript away for a few weeks or a couple of months works well also, especially if you work on a different project. 10/10/2022 10:38:21 am
I celebrated by purchasing a set of very costly coffee cups from France, something I'd been lusting after for a long time
Mark
10/10/2022 11:04:23 am
That is a nice way to celebrate. Those cups provide a lasting reminder. 10/10/2022 11:42:40 am
I ask that they leave a review. Maybe I'll put the request on one of the end pages of the books, with some simplified directions (unlike the ones the IRS prints in their tax instruction books) that can easily take them through the process.
Mark
10/10/2022 01:51:49 pm
Many authors do that on the last page of the book. I don't know if it does any good, but I imagine that it doesn't hurt. If you don't ask you are unlikely to get what you want. I have followed that rule for much of my life. 10/10/2022 02:26:30 pm
There are not hidden messages, but there are some things that a very few family members would recognize and chuckle about.
Mark
10/10/2022 02:41:04 pm
Family easter eggs are very cute. A lovely way to let them feel part of the inside story, which of course they are. 10/10/2022 03:45:33 pm
I very much enjoyed doing this, Mark. You gave me a lot of usable information, which I greatly appreciate. I also thank Grizz, who kept nipping at your heels to keep you moving right along. Take care, and thank you very much! Sandy Sperling 2/23/2023 07:05:38 pm
What a fabulous interview!! Great questions and terrific answers!!!
Mark
2/23/2023 07:38:52 pm
Thank you, Susan. I am glad you enjoyed it. I think I am getting better at this. Your turn is coming up in a few months. 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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