Unwanted Discovery - Book One By Sandra Denbo and Tamarine Vilar

5/23/2020

Multi-volume authors, Sandra Denbo and Tamarine Vilar introduce us to the first volume of The Unwanted Series, “Unwanted Discovery”:
Sharon Cooper and her daughter, Callie, nearly bit off more than they could chew when they started to inventory Sharon’s mother’s estate. A series of unwanted discoveries begins when they find old letters in the attic. Hidden and locked away throughout the mansion are more secrets about Sharon’s family than she ever imagined. How could Sharon have grown up here and not be aware of the mystery, intrigue and scandal within these walls?

This complex mystery is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it. Since it’s the start of a series, the authors have provided a longer-than-normal opportunity to get to know the full cast of characters.
The surprises and plot twists keep showing up and that was one thing I really liked. The shocking events more than made up for the slightly slower pace. This pace allowed for fuller development of the characters which is quite nice. They come across as quite real for me.
The scene setting is very thorough and lends a lot to the enjoyment. The dialogue is quite funny at times and so delightful. The action keeps the story flowing as well as the dialogue.
Overall, this book is a lot of fun to read and I highly recommend it! I award a score of 4.9 stars! The score would have been higher except for a few spelling errors. The authors have assured me the errors are corrected; your reading experience will be better.

You can buy this book:
https://smile.amazon.com/Unwanted-Discovery-Book-Sandra-Denbo-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/-unwanted-discovery---book-one
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/unwanted-discovery-sandra-denbo
You can follow the authors:
https://twitter.com/SeriesUnwanted
http://theunwantedseries.net
https://www.facebook.com/TheUnwantedSeries

Copyright © 2020 Mark L. Schultz except for the authors’ introduction

69 Comments

Tamarine Vilar link

5/23/2020 07:55:01 pm

I'm so glad you enjoyed our first book! We had so much fun writing it together! Interestingly, it started out as a short story for a college course I took at PCC!

Mark

5/23/2020 08:15:22 pm

For those outside of the Portland, Oregon area, PCC is Portland Community College. Very nice!
First question.
Please, tell us more about yourself and your writing partner. Perhaps something a little bit beyond your bio.

Tamarine Vilar link

5/23/2020 09:00:26 pm

I've been a caregiver and single mom of a wonderful autistic boy for 20 years now. Learning how to meet the challenges that come with those roles has been very rewarding.
My mom has been adapting to the changes in her life with a positive outlook (I think I got that trait from her, among many others).
She had me in her 30s, so she's been retired for a few years now, and writing has been a great outlet for her while keeping her mind active.

Mark

5/23/2020 09:34:33 pm

Thank you. Children are wonderful part of our lives.
Who was writing first, you or your mom? Or did you embark on this adventure together?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/24/2020 12:16:00 am

I guess technically my mom was writing first, back when she was in school. She wrote short stories, even recorded a few of them with her friend, I have a copy of them! Then she got married, had five kids and somehow didn't have the time anymore.
I wrote some in high school, then went on to college for my BA in English, and added on a minor in Writing because I enjoyed it so much. So when we started playing with the short story I wrote for that class, it blossomed into something amazing.

Mark

5/24/2020 10:19:20 am

That is really neat. You have copies of stories your mom recorded in school. What a treasure.
Marriage and five kids; where does the time go?
A multi-volume set developed from a short story. That is great! Your book is quite interesting, I really enjoyed reading it.
New questions.
What kind of work do you do? Feel free to skip that question, if you would rather not answer.
Does your work, or past work if you are retired, have any influence on your writing?
What inspired you to write this book?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/24/2020 02:28:10 pm

As a caregiver, I go the the elderly or disabled client's home and do the things for them that they aren't able to do for themselves. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc.
My mom was an executive assistant after raising is all, but I think it was more life experiences that helped shape our books.
We based our main characters on ourselves (with a few tweaks here and there), and some of the secondary characters are loosely based on people we know. Ralph, a cranky old man who comes into the story in book 2, is based on my dad, crazy eyebrows and all. And the inspiration that started it all was that short story almost 10 years ago!

Mark

5/24/2020 05:16:00 pm

Being a caregiver provides an opportunity to become well acquainted with the clients, you see them when they are having good and bad days. I imagine that assisting executives is not a lot different, except the setting is an office rather than a person's home. Observing the lives of others combined with personal life experience provides a lot of raw material to work with.
I suspected that Sharon and Callie were patterned after you both. Those two characters came across the page to me as so real, like I was right with them all the time. The details made a lot of that difference.
New questions.
Who made the cover of your book? Feel free to drop a link if appropriate.
Were the character names difficult to develop? How did you choose them?
What other books and genres have you written?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/24/2020 08:41:27 pm

The artist for our first two books was Monika Kralicek, but she decided to explore other artistic forms. We spent a good amount of time searching for another artist who could use the same style, and found Diane Avenoso.
Character names were hard to come up with, especially tertiary characters. We had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of them all and to ensure they weren't too similar to others. Mostly we just tried to be random. Callie is actually a nickname, short for Calamity Jane, but her real name is Diane, which is my middle name. And apparently, people used to mess up and call my mom Sharon when she was growing up.
Sadly, The Unwanted Series is likely the only books we'll write together.

Mark

5/24/2020 09:44:29 pm

Monika has an unusual style, so many cover artists go for a shiny and glitzy style. The cover of this book is different and refreshing.
Sandra to Sharon is a stretch for me. Unless they were reminded of another family member with that name.
Writing these books with your mom is an adventure you will treasure all your life. I am going to guess that she doesn't want to write anymore. That leaves you to write alone.
Most authors do write the first draft in solitude. Once it's out of their head then it can be worked on and shared with beta readers, critique partners, editors and proofreaders.
New questions
Do you think you will keep writing? Or is my guess a complete miss?
If you do keep writing, what genre do you think you will tackle next?
Do you have a list of ideas for future books?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/24/2020 09:54:18 pm

Oh gosh, I don't know if I'll write one on my own. If I did, it would probably be more based on my life experiences. I don't have any plans for any of my own writing, but who knows what may come!

Mark

5/25/2020 10:39:44 am

I have heard some say there is a difference between being a writer and an author. Wanting to be published is the difference for most people. I think almost every person has thought at one time or another, "I should write a book about that." and that's as far as it goes. Some of those actually sit down and bang out a few chapters, with or without planning a story line. A few of those will actually finish a first draft. They are thrilled and terrified at the same time. Only a few of those go forward and seek to improve their book (we hope) and publish.
It's a lot of work, unless there are characters screaming to be heard or a story crying to be told I am not surprised when any writer decides to exercise their creativity in a different venue.
Back to the book.
New questions.
Have you entered any writing contests?
Have you won awards of any kind for your writing?
I noticed that you didn’t put your book in Kindle Unlimited. Why is that?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/25/2020 01:04:08 pm

I did win a couple poetry contests when I was in high school, even got published in a national anthology once.
As far as Kindle Unlimited, I'm guessing our book isn't there because my mom hasn't heard of it, and she's been in charge of that aspect. We'll definitely get it on there now!

Mark

5/25/2020 04:53:48 pm

Very nice winning those contests and a national anthology is nothing to sneeze at. Congratulations.
Kindle Unlimited has restrictions, and I think it's a six-month contract. It might be worth checking into. I don't know all the details. It might be worth it to research some blogs about it to learn what the down side is.
New questions.
Have you ever gone through the query process, seeking an agent or submitting directly to publishers or did you go straight to indie publishing or self-publishing, and why?
What kind of a publisher is Lulu?
Have you done all your books with them?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/25/2020 09:01:31 pm

We did try to find a publisher with the first edition. We gave it less than a year I think, before we decided to go with self-publishing, which is what Lulu is. And yes, we've published all five books of the series with them.

Mark

5/25/2020 09:48:03 pm

Getting a contract with a traditional publisher is extremely hard. The number oftraditional publishers has dropped dramatically in the last 12 years or so. This is thanks to Amazon. They turned the publishing world upside down and inside out. The publishers that remain exist on very slim profit margins.
Lulu looks like an independent publisher on the surface, possibly a hybrid publisher. I scanned their website pretty quick. Self-publishing is precisely that, the author makes all the necessary arrangements for everything they cannot do personally, including editing, formatting for different platforms, cover, ISBN, the whole kit and caboodle. Each platform has their own requirements to upload a file for an e-book. It's a lot of work the first time and the author puts all the money upfront. But the author reaps all the rewards after the platform takes their cut. Plus they retain all of the Intellectual Property rights for things like audio books, graphic novels, foreign distribution, large print editions and such. Some publishers try to lock up the IP rights for years, whether or not they actually publish the book. These days, a knowledgeable lawyer is the best investment for an indie author.
You have your book available on a lot of platforms, far more than the three I highlighted above. Congratulations on that. I think that is a very wise move.
New questions.
After leaving off the attempt at traditional publishing, how did you locate your publisher?
What is your publisher doing to market your book?
How do you think your book compares to a book published by a major publisher?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/26/2020 11:43:49 pm

We did a lot of research and asked a lot of people in our local writing groups before we went with Lulu. They don't do any marketing for us, unfortunately.
As far as how our book compares to those published by a major publisher - they have marketing. That's it. Really the only reason we aren't selling more - not enough people know about it!

Mark

5/27/2020 09:56:10 am

It seems that most publishers don't do a lot of marketing, beyond posting the cover and blurb on their website and other selling platforms. There are some hybrid or ala carte publishers who offer packages for marketing, the price is not cheap of course, as are most of their offerings.
Some publishers won't even talk to an author unless they have a substantial presence on social media and a website mailing list numbering in the thousands.
Unless your last name is Patterson, Rowling, or King or similar, most publishers will do little to nothing for marketing your book.
Almost every author is thus required to assume that responsibility.
New questions.
There are many unethical practices in publishing, which one is the most unbearable in your mind?
Have you thought about doing an audio book?
Who would you pick to do the audio book?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/27/2020 12:17:15 pm

I don't know anything about unethical publishing practices, so I can't comment on that.
We have talked about doing audiobooks, and I suppose if we were going to, I'd be the one reading. It's definitely something we are still considering.

Mark

5/27/2020 01:31:32 pm

Audio books are exploding worldwide. There are many countries where English is the official language of government and commerce, there are still many other countries where English is taught as a second language. Millions use audio books to help them improve their speaking and listening skills. Also, for many millions in third world countries there only access to the internet is through their smart phone' so audio books are the easiest way to consume that form of entertainment.
There are many blogs on my Highly Regarded Blogs page that discuss different aspects of audio books, including at least one about DIY.
Go read the interview for this book on my website: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/heir-to-a-prophecy-by-mercedes-rochelle-narrated-by-kevin-e-green Sorry, it's not a hot link, copy and paste time or look it up on my Previous Book Reviews page. The fellow who narrated that book joined us in the interview and I had the opportunity to ask him questions. It was quite fun and enlightening.
New questions.
Do you have a favorite book by another author or just favorite authors?
Did you have a favorite book as a child?
Which of your books is your favorite, and why?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/27/2020 03:41:14 pm

I remember loving Aesop's Fables growing up. The Fox and the Grapes, The Sun and the Wind, The Lion and the Mouse; all of them, really, have wonderful morals.
Favorites now would probably still be Harry Potter, all of the Percy Jackson and similar series. There's just nothing like getting lost in those worlds.
The favorite of my books would probably be the final, because Callie has grown so much as a character and she really blossoms.

Mark

5/27/2020 04:02:21 pm

I read a lot of Aesop's fables also, and loved them. We had a set of books of classic literature. I read a lot of the contents.
I love getting deep into a world. I grew up reading a lot of science fiction in the 60s. Asimov, Herbert, Poul and many others filled my mind with stories about other worlds and other times. Time travel stories are still my favorite subset of sci-fi.
One of my granddaughters has written some fan fiction set at Hogwarts and includes Harry and the crew; she has done a very good job of inserting a new character and she shows a lot of promise. She might be losing interest, she turns twelve next month, we haven't worked on her book for sometime now. I am helping her with line edits.
New questions.
Does writing have a spiritual or healing component for you, does it energize you or make you feel tired?
Why is it important for writers to tap into the emotions of the characters?
Have you ever done NaNoWriMo?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/27/2020 04:29:41 pm

Writing can be very healing. One example for us was when we put a character through one of our real-life experiences. We changed very little about the scene where my dad died and conveying what we went through ourselves through our characters. We cried so many times while brainstorming, writing, editing, every step of the way. And it was so cathartic. However, if I read that scene again, I'd bawl. Tapping into the emotions is important so that the reader is fully immersed and feels every bit of what the characters are going through.
No, I'd never heard of NaNoWriMo. I'll definitely look into it now!

Mark

5/27/2020 06:27:20 pm

That sounds like a very powerful scene for you and your mom. I bet the readers find it to be similar for them, especially if they have lost a loved one.
NaNoWriMo is quite an experience. It's a month-long competition every November. The challenge is to write 50,000 words of a first draft in 30 days. If you accomplish that you are a winner! Many writers join groups on social media for fun and mutual support. Each writer is competing only against themselves and the calendar.
Plotters may spend weeks developing the plot for the book and each chapter, scene by scene. Some create character profiles and playlists of music. Less than 3,000 words a day seems to be achievable, many reach that goal.
New questions.
Are you an under-writer or an over-writer? When the first draft is done, do you need to add more to flesh it out or do you have to cut material because there is too much?
Do you prefer dialogue tags or action beats in your books?
What do you do to flesh out the characters for your stories?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/27/2020 06:42:57 pm

We're both over-writers. My mom glares at me when I have to "kill off one of her babies", which are lines she especially loved which just don't work and have to go. Then there's a lot of tweaking how it's written. But there's never been an issue of there not being enough.
For dialogue, it depends on the scene. Action beats are preferred, mostly because finding different ways of saying "he says this, she says that" can be tedious.
The characters, for the most part, kinda formed themselves. Some because they were loosely based on someone we know, others just kinda happened. Alice is based on my mom's mom, then our cute Officer Roy Jackson is completely fictitious. The characters came to us pretty easily.

Mark

5/27/2020 08:07:16 pm

You nailed it. A great and wonderful line may not be so in the wrong context. I can appreciate the sorrow your mom experiences, so many writers don't do the hard thing; they keep those lines or sections even if the story is not moved forward.
For most genres grand and florid descriptions do not sit well with readers, especially in Kindle Unlimited. The reader can close the book anytime without penalty, and move on to the next story.
There is a fine line between scene setting and info dump. Too much of the latter will cost readers in the long run.
Characters are the heart of the story, for the reader, they must be believable and understandable. Some writers have a lot of difficulty with creating certain characters, obviously you and your mom do not fall into that category.
New questions.
Back to over writing.
Are you talking about sentences, paragraphs or a chapter that didn't survive the final cut?
Did you cut mostly descriptions, action, dialogue or whole chapters?
Do you save the parts that didn't make it into the final version?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/28/2020 12:05:31 am

We have cut all of the above. And we have done it to each other, usually with lengthy, and sometimes heated, dialogue between us. But we reason with each other. Sometime vociferously, and we come to an agreement to make the cut. We used to keep portions early in our writing, but not anymore. The descriptions we've cut don't seem to fit in anywhere after the fact. As an example, in Unwanted House Guest, we were going to introduce Roy's brother and grandfather, but we decided it was superfluous and we said goodbye to several chapters.

Mark

5/28/2020 09:56:42 am

That's what good rewriting and editing is about. Making every word and phrase earn a place in the book. If it doesn't move the story forward, then it should go.
You and Mom did well, even with some sparks and heat. Although, Roy's family could be the inspiration for another series and a different point of view on crossover events.
New questions.
If you used a close friend or family member in a book, would you tell them or make sure that they wouldn't recognize themselves in the story?
Which is more fun to write, the protagonist or the antagonist, and why?
What is one thing you hate about your protagonist and one thing you love about the antagonist?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/28/2020 11:19:57 am

It depends on the character we've created. We based Ralph (in Unwanted House Guest) on my dad, but only because my dad didn't read our books, so there was no way he could have known. If my grandmother was still around, there's no way we would tell her.
I think my mom had more fun writing the antagonists, and I had more fun with the protagonists. I have no idea why.
Something we hated about a protagonist, we won't say who, does get swayed to do something illegal and it turns out pretty bad for them. All it takes is one bad choice to ruin one's life. As for an antagonist, we especially love the comeuppance of one in particular, again, we won't say who, but it's really a beautiful justice situation when the good guys only have to turn the bad guy over to more bad guys for them to handle the scumbag.

Mark

5/28/2020 12:32:28 pm

I have heard actors say they prefer the antagonist role for a variety of reasons, juicy is a word that gets used a lot, however. It seems to be the same for many writers also, though it appears to depend on the genre.
One thing that is important to the development of the antagonist is to seem more real than a cardboard cutout. The antagonist must be the hero in their story, they have to have a depth of belief that they are doing the right thing, and this person over there keeps getting in their way.
Choices can have devastating consequences, life is exactly like that. Bringing that into your book is brilliant.
Of course, we all like to see justice served. It should be served hot as often as possible, unlike revenge, which is a dish best served cold according to Khan, in "Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan".
New questions.
What is your writing routine when you sit down to write?
Do you write in a straight line or do you write whatever the muse provides for you at a given moment?
Which is more important to a story pace or flow? How do you control it?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/28/2020 06:38:18 pm

A lot of the pre-writing is just getting the ideas on paper, or rather on the hard drive, and a lot is filled in later. Other times, "word vomit" gets thrown in, and needs a lot of clean up for it to make sense. We then send bit back and forth via email, a lot of sessions of the two of us hashing things out, and tons of editing. So much editing. One can easily tire of re-reading the same story, over and over, no matter how good it is. We mostly write in a straight line, but when ideas of something that we know is happening later come at us, we put that down as well, and make notes about where we want it to fit in.
And I believe pace and flow are equally important, and reading a lot of other books helps one learn how to gauge them.

Mark

5/28/2020 06:51:22 pm

The dynamic between you and Mom must be interesting, you know each other so well, yet working on a book must bring in conflicting ideas and opinions. I bet that iron sharpening iron helps a lot. I certainly enjoyed your book, so the process works.
I was going to ask if you used Google docs or something like that. It doesn't seem so.
Many authors do exactly that, write in a linear fashion for the most part. When the muse suggests something out of sequence it pays to listen carefully.
Rick Hall, one of my fabulous guest bloggers, has written an excellent post expanding on the idea of writing out of order and the benefits it provides, Non-linear Writing. It made a lot of sense to me.
Reading lots of books, in and out of the chosen genre is important for many reasons.
New questions.
Did your writing process change much from this book to your current book or did it stay the same?
Now that your book is published, is there anything about it you would like to change?
How do you think your book relates to the world we live in today?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/28/2020 07:37:05 pm

Our writing process started just as is ended, and it was such a blessing to have that experience with my mom. We really are close, and I treasure every moment I get with her.
We did actually make a few slight changes, and that's why we had you read and talk about our Second Edition. I don't recall it being anything big that was changed, it was a few years ago.
Our books absolutely relate to the world we live in right now, time-wise and geographically. We based each book in current Portland, Oregon everything, with local scenic shout-outs throughout. Well, our fifth book is mainly set in Newport, Oregon, but we consider the beach local to us.

Mark

5/28/2020 08:33:59 pm

This experience writing a series with your mom is very special and something family members will treasure for generations.
Being a Portlander myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the location bits, I felt like a part of the story almost.
Oregon has amazing beaches, we have driven the coast from Astoria to Gold beach and it was wonderful. We normally go to Seaside or Cannon Beach.
New questions.
What is the one thing you hope readers will remember from your book?
What else are you writing these days? Are you writing anything for yourself or only for readers?
Do you have a classical author or poet, you admire?
What popular modern authors have influenced you?

Sandra Denbo link

5/29/2020 02:26:50 pm

Tammy is working today. So this is Sandra who is answering for her.
We hope our readers will remember our characters. We always try to make our main characters memorable, and although imperfect, they still try to do the right thing. And emotions. When you, the reader, feels the love, sadness, anger, or even hate, then everything else disappears and you’re going to remember everything. That was our goal, and I hope we achieved that.
When my mother passed away in 2005, I started writing down everything I could remember about her before it was forgotten. It wasn’t long before I decided to record my history for my children. That is a work in progress.
In November last year, I won Honorable Mention in the 50 Word Contest held by Oregon Writers Colony.
Personally, I admire author Suzi Weinert who wrote the Garage Sale Mysteries series that were the basis for the Hallmark movies. I like the mystery and character development - she’s an ordinary person, not the super woman type, she has a nice relationship with her family, yet she has the curious mind that compels her to dig for answers.
Mary Higgins Clark has influenced me. I discovered that you don’t need to tell it all from the start. Suspense holds your attention, and ending a chapter with a cliff hanger compels the reader to continue (a page-turner). It’s all about emotion.

Mark

5/29/2020 02:53:02 pm

Thanks for joining us.
You are right, Sandra, emotions are paramount and critical for creating memorable characters and the events they find themselves in.
Congratulations on winning that contest, that is very cool. Writing extremely short stories is quite a skill.
Suspense is very important, as you well said. I think some new authors hurry too much to get clues out. It almost is the same as the dreaded info dump.
New questions.
What software do you use to write and publish your books, and why do you use those?
How do you keep track of all the characters and events in your books?
Are you a plotter, a pantster, or a hybrid?

Sandra Denbo link

5/29/2020 03:44:28 pm

We use Microsoft Word. As you know, we publish our books on two sites, Lulu.com and Smashwords.com. Each one has their own criteria for the formatting, so that has to be kept separate. It’s a lot of work, but when you’re self-publishing, that comes with the territory.
We tried to use Google Docs, but there is very little formatting on that platform and I got frustrated with it.

I keep a spreadsheet to keep track of the characters to record relationships, descriptions, ages, etc. As for keeping track of the events in our books, I make a synopsis of each chapter in a separate Word document to record when things happen. So if we have to embellish an event, we don’t have to scan the whole document to figure out where put it. Keeping it up to date is the challenge. Occasionally, I’ll forget to notate a scene, and it will take some time to figure out where it is.

I’ve never heard the word “pantster”, so I’m assuming that you mean ‘writing by the seat of our pants.’ If that is correct, then we are a hybrid of plotting and going with the flow. The plotting comes in when we create the story line. But then we are always making changes, adding something, or putting in a twist. As we said before, sometimes we’ll completely delete something. We do whatever works.

Mark

5/29/2020 04:08:52 pm

I discovered Smashwords almost 10 years ago. Found some very talented writers there, none of them could spell. I thought about becoming a formatter for books on the website. I decided against it when I realized that it would take away from my primary mission of proofreading.
MS Word has such a wide user base. Many of us learned it at work and didn't want to learn something new. I use it also. I use the Commenting feature when I am proofreading. I don't like to use Track Changes because my other software is incompatible with it.
You guessed correctly about pantster, some call it pantser. You and Tamarine certainly fit the hybrid category.
New questions.
Have you ever had the experience of the story swerving in a different direction than planned, as if a character was driving it?
Do you have defined space for writing at home, or are you a coffee-shop writer?
Do you listen to music or have the TV on when writing at home, or do you need quiet?

Sandra Denbo link

5/29/2020 11:31:48 pm

We almost always swerve to a new direction when writing. It happens when we come up with a new wrinkle, or new character, or just decide that we need to do something different. It happened in every book, especially in Unwanted Discovery. Sometimes we’ll change something after getting it back from the editor.

I have a designated space at home for everything connected to our books, writing, materials for book signings, etc.

I definitely need quiet when writing. I suspect I’m ADD; I get easily distracted. If the phone rings, or I just get nudged from my cat, my thoughts will evaporate like a mist in the wind. And Tammy is even worse than I am. So when we’re together, it’s like trying to steer a car that is severely misaligned.

Mark

5/29/2020 11:41:41 pm

Lots of swerving, that is the pantster part working overtime. I have a hunch you and Tamarine are flexible enough to handle it well.
I think an office-type space is very important. I have troubles with organization and need to keep things I use a lot close at hand.
ADD is not all bad, it can offer a lot of creativity and sensitivity at times. I think I have a touch of it also. My masculine brain allows me to focus a lot also, to the exclusion of most everything around me, in the past. My wife has helped me to adjust that some.
New questions.
Action, dialogue, or narration; which is easiest to write?
Of the five senses which is the easiest to write and which is the hardest?
Have you ever participated in theater in some way, acted, behind the scenes or written a play?

Sandra Denbo link

5/30/2020 12:37:02 am

Actions sound like they’d be easier to write, but I like dialogue and narration because I can blend in the emotions. In any scene, I think about what’s happening, then I picture it in my head and write what I see and feel.

Sight seems the easiest for me, I’ve always been a visual person. I guess that’s why I visualize what I’m writing. I think taste might be the most difficult. Although I’ve cooked my whole life, I’m still learning new things to try and new tastes to incorporate. So, if at my age, I’m still learning new tastes, how difficult would it be to describe a flavor that most people haven’t tried yet?

I was never involved in theater. But I did write a short play with my best friend in high school. It was awful and the teacher said we were too nice to the bad guys. We was pretty naïve then and had very little life experience. Since one needs to write what they know, it was little wonder. Thank goodness I didn’t take up writing again until recently.

Mark

5/30/2020 10:45:33 am

Some authors have problems writing action, one of the problems some encounter is how much to describe. It's important to only include actions that move the story forward in a particular way.
Most of us are visually oriented, so it's no surprise that you write like that. I also think it's why most movies fall short of the book. Our imaginations can construct a richer environment and story from a well-written book.
Cute story from high school. You make a good point, experience with people and life events in general helps us to write. Imagination coupled with research can fill in the rest.
I wrote a one act play in high school as well. We were bank robbers and overcome with greed for the loot. We all died.
New questions.
In your experience, which marketing avenues have been the most rewarding or profitable?
Speaking of marketing, why did you pick me to help promote your book?
Do you have a newsletter you send out to fans? Why or why not?

Sandra Denbo

5/30/2020 02:19:51 pm

Marketing has always been an issue with us. Our friends were first excited that we had written a novel. Then after reading it, became fans. Everyone from whom we’ve gotten feedback has said they loved it and couldn’t wait for the next one. The problem is getting known by the general public. We’ve placed books at local book stores, both by consignment and by direct sales. We’re in a local library, but the Multnomah County Library has refused all attempts to get our books in there, either physical or digital. We post comments on Facebook, offer discounts at book fairs. I’m retired and Tammy is a single mother, so we have a very limited budget and can’t afford most marketing campaigns.
We met you at the at Oregon Writers Colony book fair. You gave a great sales pitch about what you do, so we checked you out on your website. We thought it would be great for the book and would be fun too!
We do not have a newsletter for fans. I guess it’s because we don’t know the process, how to go about starting or maintaining one.

Mark

5/30/2020 02:45:02 pm

Marketing is the Gordian knot that every author seeks to untie. Amazon turned the publishing world upside down, when it made publishing available to everyone. Among other things, this has resulted in a tidal wave of books coming to market every year, up to a million new books each year. Getting noticed has become the primary issue for all authors. If a title and cover don't catch a person's eye, it's an automatic 'no sale'. If a person does look at the title and cover, they might also look at the blurb and maybe buy the book.
Exposure is so difficult and the remedy is a lot of time and/or money. Many blogs have been written about marketing for the independent author, there is at least one excellent guest blog on my website, plus there are many blogs I have linked to from my Highly Regarded Blogs page, lots to scan through.
I recommend to authors they set aside an hour of two of writing time every week or two, and work at marketing steadily; because it's the never-ending story, truly.
I am glad we met at the OWC event, it was fun.
A newsletter can go hand in hand with a website and social media presence. All three legs of three-legged stool are necessary for stability and results. It's how most authors build their fan base and sell books over the long term. Many blogs have been written about this also. I recommend you both subscribe to several newsletters in your genre from the popular authors. You can learn from them.
New questions.
Have you ever thought of adding music to your books, like what the characters listen to or they went to a concert as a plot point?
I have seen some authors use music to flesh out the characters, they create a playlist for them. They publish the playlist in the back of the book.
How did you know when your book was finished?

Sandra Denbo link

5/30/2020 05:33:33 pm

I know that adding another sense to the experience will make it more effective; but, we haven’t taken the step of adding music to our books.
However, in Unwanted Agenda we did write a character who had a negative response to a specific song. Not to give a spoiler, but it evoked memories of a time she was abused.
I’m guessing you mean when Unwanted Discovery was finished. We had put in all the plot twists, character development, and wrapped up all the loose ends while leaving the door open to making it the first of a series. As we said before, there were untold changes, but we became satisfied with how it ended. I suppose if I were to go back to it with the idea of a new edition, I would probably make some changes. We’ve grown in our writing, so I suppose anything from the past could be done differently. We always do that in the middle of writing a book, too. In fact, Tammy is always chastising me, “Don’t make any more changes!”

Mark

5/30/2020 05:49:58 pm

Some authors use a song title or a line of lyrics as a chapter title or sub-title, others list a song that helped them write a chapter or scene; or even their favorite playlist. There are so many ways to include music front and center or behind the scenes.
Music can be a strong trigger, like smells or other sounds.
There is always something that can be improved, in fact, some writers use that as an excuse to never publish and thus never feel rejection.
New questions.
How long does the research process take before you start to write a book or do you do the research as you write the book?
How much time passed from when you got the idea to write your book based on Tamarine's short story, then actually starting to write the book?
How long did it take you to write the first draft?

Sandra Denbo link

5/30/2020 09:07:29 pm

How long does the research process take before you start to write a book or do you do the research as you write the book?
We generally do the research as we write. The Internet has saved countless hours on things like legal issues or the name of a specific celebrity. In one point, we needed to know what size suitcase could hold five million dollars.
It was the fall of 2010 when Tammy got her assignment to write that short story. I had helped her with the plot so I had in interest in it. I was unemployed at the time and after she turned in the story, I asked if we could play around with it. That’s when the fire to write hit me. The story turned out completely different, not only because it went from a short story to a novel, but the characters changed and grew, and we had added so much more. The first draft for the short story took just a couple of weeks, but morphing it into a novel took two years.

Mark

5/30/2020 09:25:15 pm

It's a good thing that writers are not judged by their search history. There might be a lot fewer books to read. That is a an interesting item to research.
A short story written in 2010, very cool.
New questions.
Do you recall the original prompt the story was written to?
Did you and Tamarine get a good grade on the story?
How long was the short story that started this multi-volume series?
Have published the original short story on your website?

Sandra Denbo link

5/30/2020 11:27:16 pm

Tammy can’t recall what the prompt was for that original story. But she got an A+ for it even though the teacher said it was a cliff-hanger.

It was 2551 words on a two-page document.

No, we haven’t published the original short story. But we discussed it and we are going to post it. It’s a good thing we saved it.

Mark

5/31/2020 10:22:41 am

Tamarine must have a lot of talent! A+ is as good as it gets.
I think it will be fun to see the original story.
New questions.
How many drafts did you go through to have a ready-to-publish manuscript?
A lot of new authors struggle with finding beta readers. Because, after the first draft is done, fresh eyes and feedback become very important.
Do you have alpha-readers and/or beta-readers to help you smooth out a lot of wrinkles before publishing? If you didn’t, why?
If you did, how did you find them?

Tamarine Vilar link

5/31/2020 12:16:35 pm

The number of drafts would be impossible to figure. Multiple times a week there would be just a few changes here and there throughout the book, ideas and extra information scattered, just a constant morphing.
As for beta-readers, we used our friends and family as much as we could. They all gave excellent feedback, let us know if anything was confusing or unclear. We made a mistake when Unwanted House Guest went to the printer, and my niece found it pretty quickly. We had one of our chapters put in twice in a row, and the next chapter was missing. So I came up with the idea to put stickers in those copies letting the reader know they could find the missing chapter on our website, and we put all the messed up copies in free little libraries all over town.

Mark

5/31/2020 01:41:23 pm

Some writers keep track of drafts. They do round of self-editing and then send it to an alpha reader, beta reader, critique partner, editor or proofreader. They are likely to do at least one draft, incorporating the previous suggestions, between sending the manuscript out each time. Saving each draft separately.
Many writers do it just like you do, organically growing the story day by day.
I read a book with a duplicated chapter in it. It appeared to be a draft issue, because there was nothing missing, for which I was grateful.
I think that is a great use of those printed books. I love the idea of the free little libraries.
New questions.
Do you ask the beta readers to read through more than one draft of the manuscript?
Do you give them an e-version like a PDF or a hard copy you printed?
What kind of questions did you ask them to get the feedback you wanted or do you let them provide feedback without particular questions?

Sandra Denbo link

5/31/2020 05:29:13 pm

We haven’t typically done more than one draft.

We give them an e-version. Then we ask them if they see any unresolved issues, or something that doesn’t make sense. They are usually good about finding typos or mistakes in grammar and spelling. But as with anyone, oversights happen, even after getting it back from the editor.

Mark

5/31/2020 05:58:08 pm

The way that you constantly adjust and massage your manuscript makes a lot of sense. One draft is perfect.
Not printing hundreds or thousands of pages is good also, all things considered.
Getting many eyes on a manuscript is good to help insure against errors. On the other hand, each time something is changed or corrected an opportunity for an error to be created exists.
New questions.
Do you belong to any writing groups, virtual or otherwise?
Going back in time, did you do any kind of creative writing, even back in grade school?
How early was it that you realized how powerful words can be?

Sandra Denbo link

5/31/2020 08:15:22 pm

We moved several times as I was growing up, so I was always the new kid in school. This, coupled with being an only child, I read a lot. English was my favorite subject, so I’m not sure there was a point of realization. I remember when I was a freshman in high school, my English teacher called me out wanting to know if I knew the meaning of a word that I used. I was embarrassed with the attention it caused, but I was relieved when she went on after I gave her the definition.
When I got married, my husband was not proficient with words. I guess it was then that I realized how important it is to make sure of how you say things, to get the right meaning across.

Mark

5/31/2020 08:28:03 pm

Being the new kid and having to find your place in the pack is a pain, especially as a child or young person.
English was nowhere close to my favorite subject, unless we were reading something, which happened less and less as I moved up grades. But, since I read so much it helped me a great deal and gave me a large vocabulary. I excelled at spelling words in grade school.
Early in our marriage, we were at a company function of my wife's employer. During dinner, my wife was telling her boss how I read a lot and was really smart. He took it as a challenge and asked me to define osculate. I leaned over and kissed my wife, then told him it meant to kiss. He didn't ask any more questions of me. I got lucky.
New questions.
What is the most important thing you learned from publishing your latest book?
What are three things, that you wish you knew before you wrote your first book?
Do you have a hero, real or fictional?

Sandra Denbo link

6/1/2020 01:09:23 am

I don’t think we learned anything dramatically new by the last book. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t think we know everything. But nothing stands out.
I wish I knew how hard it was to get published. We wasted so much time trying to find a publisher or an agent.
I wish we had been forewarned about vanity publishers. We got suckered in, it cost us a lot of money, and it was only good for a year. Then, they wanted the same amount to continue for the next year. That was the first edition. We were so thankful when a friend suggested using www.lulu.com . It was free, so we jumped on it and published the second edition (with a small change in order to call it a second edition). I had to learn a lot about formatting before uploading it.
I wish I had thought about keeping a running synopsis while writing the first book. I didn’t think about that until the third one. It would have been so much easier to keep track of what we put in and where.
Strangely, neither of us can come up with one.

Mark

6/1/2020 10:25:47 am

You have queried, been sucked in by a vanity/scammy publisher and published with a hybrid publisher. You have been through a great deal. Now you have my attention! I have never heard of a free publisher. How does that work? Formatting is an interesting problem, it seems the major platforms have their own requirements for publishing, that must have been really hard at first. Like everything else in life, I would think formatting gets easier as you do it each time.
New questions.
What are some challenges peculiar to writing a contemporary mystery?
What is the most valuable piece of advice you have ever received from another writer?
You have published a number of books. Are you writing more?

Sandra Denbo link

6/1/2020 11:34:09 am

While publishing with Lulu has no upfront costs, they do offer many services with a fee. We choose not to go that route. They provide a template for putting your document into, but then there is a lot of formatting after that. You could ask them to do it for a fee. They put the books out on Amazon and other venues, at no charge. If you use one of their ISBNs, there’s no charge; but we’ve bought our own.
I think one challenge is creating your own sphere of characters that won’t resemble what’s already been written by others. You don’t want your readers to think, “Oh, that’s just like so-and-so’s story. Another is that you need to come up with clues that tease the curiosity or prompt the reader to try to figure out the solution without spoiling the end.
As I mentioned before, the advice to go with Lulu.com was the best advice we’ve received.
We haven’t decided whether to chase another book. We definitely have more ideas to explore, such as delving into the history of the characters, embellishing secondary characters, and then there’s always the possibility of an entirely different setting.

Mark

6/1/2020 12:10:43 pm

Thanks for sharing more about Lulu. They seem to be the opposite of most vanity and scam publishers.
If you haven't come across Writer Beware, it's a blog dedicated to exposing scams and shady publishers. I have linked to several of their blog posts on my Highly Regarded Blog page.
That makes a lot of sense, it would be hard to take a plot used by so many writers and create something original around it. Developing clues and red herrings must be a lot of fun. A good mystery writer has to be a lot like a magician, using misdirection to accomplish the real trick without being spotted.
I am sure your fans are hoping for more books.
New questions.
Do you think a strong ego is an asset or liability for a writer and why?
Can you describe the demographic of your ideal reader? Who is the person most likely to buy your book?
Do you have anything you consider to be your writing lucky charm?

Sandra Denbo link

6/1/2020 12:44:36 pm

I believe balance is the key. If you have a strong ego, you may not want to learn lessons – thinking you already know what to do. If you have a weak ego, you may not have the confidence or determination to move forward.
We’ve had readers from eleven to seventy read our books and all of them have enjoyed them. I believe the reason is that we try to present real people, real life events, and emotions while keeping it family friendly. We believe we reach everyone; but more likely a female reader.
I believe family support is our most valuable asset - if you want to call that a lucky charm. Of course, my daughter writing with me is the first blessing. One son provided the web host until we got on our feet. Another son created our logo. A third son sat with us on some tricky plot details. My daughter-in-law photographed us for our pictures. So, family support is awesome!

Mark

6/1/2020 02:13:10 pm

I agree, balance is very important! It takes a great deal of faith in yourself and your writing to survive all the negative answers and any negative reviews. The querying process is a lengthy series of no for most authors, if they even get a reply.
You have a wide range of readers, that is wonderful. Some writers aren't able to span such an age range.
Family support is wonderful, so many authors get little to nothing in the way of support form their loved ones.
New questions.
What is your writing Kryptonite and how has it affected you?
Do you struggle with writer's block, if so, how do you overcome it?
Do you see an advantage of writing under a pseudonym, why or why not?

Sandra Denbo link

6/1/2020 02:59:50 pm

I personally dislike reading about graphic violence, explicit sex, bad language, or the occult. My response ranges from being uncomfortable to being sick to my stomach. To write about those subjects would affect me much more than just reading them. That’s why we stick to family friendly material. I know a lot of readers want that kind of story; but that’s okay, because we’re after the readers that prefer family friendly.
Writer’s block happens. I usually walk away for a day or two to let it simmer. I’ll discuss it with Tammy or my son who helps with the plots, and we find the path through the tangle.
If an author wishes to write a variety of genres, or even just two genres, I think a pseudonym would be beneficial. Suppose a reader is looking for a specific genre and they find an author they like, they might be disappointed if they bought another book by that author and then discover that the genre is not what they are interested in. They might never buy another book from that author. Thus, a pseudonym can be the way to go.

Mark

6/1/2020 04:06:58 pm

I agree with you about those aspects, especially the real dark expressions of them.
Putting the manuscript away for a short time is a good idea. You have an advantage over many authors, who are flying solo. I have heard of many ways to get past the block, some of those include working on some mundane tasks that do not require a lot of thinking such as riding a bike, doing laundry or raking leaves; reading the manuscript aloud, writing a side story or the scene from a different character's POV. There are many different ways that authors find to work around a problem.
There are many authors who do exactly that. They set up a website for each genre and pen name. The next step that some take is to consolidate those websites into one, using a separate landing page for each. They hope to get the loyal fans introduced to a different genre and sell more books that way.
New questions.
Are there any writing styles or genres that you disliked at first but soon came to like?
Do you think reading, watching movies or listening to music help you be a better writer?
At this time, do you read books for entertainment or just research homework?

Sandra Denbo link

6/1/2020 09:00:29 pm

I’ve pretty much stayed with my preferences on genres.
Movies and reading definitely help us. We see new wrinkles to put into scenes, get ideas for a plot, or see how the interactions between characters can move a plot along instead of just narration. Sad to say, I enjoy music, but I never used it to motivate my writing.
At first, reading was for pleasure and for research; but now it’s only for pleasure. I try to always have a novel at by bedside table to read before going to sleep. I like cozy mysteries and historical romance. Since I read at bedtime, I avoid horror and hard-hitting action in addition to the previously mentioned subjects. It’s counterproductive to get your heart pounding when you want to go to sleep. With Covid19 running rampant, my stock of books to be read is running low.

Mark

6/1/2020 10:20:20 pm

Movies rely on writers, not just for the screenplay, but also for the original material quite often. So many movies are based on books. If you include the movies based on those movies then almost every movie is based on a book.
I have recommended to many writers to take a course in screenwriting, because it provides a different angle on the process of writing and how to look at all different aspects of writing a book.
You sound just like me, I always had a book by the bed. Now, I have switched to e-books for convenience and the lack of shelf space in my house.
Last questions.
With the explosion of different streaming services, these companies are scrambling for content. Writers are going to be sitting on the top of the heap soon, because they are content providers. Have you considered shopping your content to these companies?
An ebook is only one form that writing can be consumed in. Have you considered licensing large print, graphic books, plays or audio books? Audio books, in English and translated, are exploding worldwide.
Have you looked into foreign markets? Many different countries use English as an official language or a second language. Big Bad Wolf is a company that sells English language books all over the world in the millions.

Sandra Denbo link

6/1/2020 10:50:02 pm

We always knew streaming was out there, but your suggestion is something we hadn’t thought about. Do you have any suggestions on how to shop those companies?
I think we definitely need to contact Big Bad Wolf to get our books to the world. Audio books are another possibility. We’ll need to explore how much that will cost. Thank you for the suggestions.

Mark

6/1/2020 11:19:01 pm

I know that many blogs have been written on these topics, I have links to some of them on my Highly Regarded Blogs page. Your publisher might know something about these topics, but it will also be worthwhile to do some research first.
I have lists of people who provide services to writers, including people who do audio books, translators, screenwriters and more. You might be able to find some help there. As in all things, research is a good first step.
I want to thank you and Tamarine for being my guests for this interview. I have enjoyed getting to know you both. I hope to see you both at a book fair or event when those things start back up.
I have another promotion starting tomorrow. Until next time, keep writing.

Sandra Denbo link

6/1/2020 11:28:08 pm

Thank you so much for all the information. We will certainly look at your blogs. Yes, we’ll do our due diligence and research before diving in. Again, thank you for talking with us.

Unwanted Discovery - Book One By Sandra Denbo and Tamarine Vilar

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