All posts by cmbowenauthor

Lover of Mysteries: Also the beach, dolphins, kitties, guys in shining armor, and really high heels. Here’s my blog. Love visitors to drop by my place!
Amazon and Goodreads Author, Best Life Now!, Best selling books, Book Blog, Books by Carolyn M. Bowen, Buying books, Career Planning, Careers, Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success, Forrest Gump Movie, Forrest Gump Sayings, Inspiration, Mental Health, Motivation, Online Bookstore, Quotes

You’ve got to put the past behind you!

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Quote of the Day: “My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.” Forrest Gump

Photo Credit: Pixabay

In the movie Forrest Gump, he shared his reasons for running across the United States as his way to put the past behind him. He said, “I guess that was what my running was all about.”

So many times, we try to move on after failure, defeat, bad circumstances, and other life events, without taking time to reflect, to process and learn from and release burdens that are dragging us down. Moving from one failure to the next is not a way to live your best life now. Make your happiness a priority and make peace with your past, explore new goals, and be the best you can be.

In my book, Cross-Stepping Your Way To Success, the tools and resources are available to help you find your unique personal path for living victoriously. Topics include leaving the past behind, death & dying, depression, fitness, careers, and inspiration.

The reference to cross-stepping in this book refers to the zig-zag motions you’ll master to become successful for whom you are and were meant to become. Cross-Stepping is a way of moving forward and backward until you achieve success. This is typical knowledge for surfers of the longboard who succeed with this method to hang ten or other magnificent watersport feats.

Get ready to throw overboard anything that stands in your way of achieving your dreams of living a purposeful and successful life.

Thank you for following my newsletter. I look forward to hearing about your successes. Carolyn Bowen

Novels by Carolyn M. Bowen

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Hemingway’s Advice to Writers: Part 1

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Quote of the Day: There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway

Lifelong learning around my home means studying the art and craft of writing. This means I do a lot of reading and writing.

We all have our favorites and my reference to Ernest Hemingway probably doesn’t surprise you. I am fortunate to have read many of Hemingway’s novels and came across a book about him written by his friend, Arnold Samuelson, an aspiring writer at the time.

For the next few posts, I’ll share some of his advice to writers from the book by Arnold Samuelson, With Hemingway, A Year in Key West and Cuba.

Note: The book was published after the author’s death in 1981. You may have seen the movie, if not watch it. The book is available in hard copy from Amazon and at most libraries.

Ernest Hemingway’s advice on ambition, self-comparison, and originality:

“Never compete with living writers. You don’t know whether they’re good or not. Compete with the dead ones you know are good. Then when you can pass them up you know you’re going good. You should have read all the good stuff so that you know what has been done because if you have a story like one somebody else has written, yours isn’t any good unless you can write a better one. In any art, you’re allowed to steal anything if you can make it better, but the tendency should always be upward instead of down. And don’t ever imitate anybody. All style is, is the awkwardness of a writer in stating a fact. If you have a way of your own, you are fortunate, but if you try to write like somebody else, you’ll have the awkwardness of the other writer as well as your own.”

In the next post, we’ll look at what Ernest Hemingway thought was the “good stuff” writers should read.

Please take a moment and share your thoughts below. Thanks for following my newsletter. Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Carolyn

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Fiction: When Truth Fails

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Quote of the Day: “That’s what fiction is for. It’s for getting at the truth when the truth isn’t sufficient for the truth.” Tim O’Brien

One of the political topics in the air right now is about Pro-Life. I don’t usually get into political debates and I’m not this time. What I will say is that my latest mystery-thriller addresses this issue.

In my latest novel, Primed For Revenge, the main character Sydney Jones was brutally beaten and raped by her kidnapper. She became pregnant from the accoster and couldn’t imagine giving birth to the child that she’d always see as a result of the manhandling and rape. For the rest of the story read here.

There have been times in the past when fiction clearly stated the obvious truths about social, political, world events, and futurists’ expectations, and many have come true in our lifetime.

My suggestion about the current political restrictions concerning a woman’s body is doing the research: look at the mental health, financial, social welfare of THE woman affected. Then answer the question, should her life be legislated without her consent?

For more about my novels, click here!

Thanks for following my blog and reading my mystery novels. You are appreciated! Carolyn Bowen

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Reader’s Fun Giveaway

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Reader’s Favorite Fun Giveaway

Book Blogger, Summer Giveaway

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Quote of the Day:  “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Spring is about new beginnings and having fun with beach season right around the corner. The days grow longer when the summer solstice arrives June 21st.  I can’t think of a better way to kick start the season than with a fun giveaway for loyal and new readers. Let the fun begin!

Game Plan

Hit the subscribe (follow) button and share on Twitter tagging me with your favorite quote, scene, or why you like a certain character from any of my novels. Use hashtag: #ReadersGiveaway

Novels by Carolyn M. Bowen

Cross-Ties, The Long Road Home, and Primed For Revenge, The Sydney Jones Series Book 1.

For example Cross-Ties – quote “Bless Your Heart,” Leah figured out the southern meaning behind the phrase. It wasn’t as expected. #ReadersGiveaway

Winner Prizes

Enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Carolyn Bowen’s book of your choice and a $25 gift certificate. The winner is selected by the most tweets with the hashtag #ReadersGiveaway – Deadline midnight June 21st.

Deadline: Midnight -June 21st

Thanks for following my blog/newsletter. I hope to see you on Twitter soon sharing this fun giveaway.

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Mother's Day Quote

Happy Mother’s Day!

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Quote of the Day: “Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; a mother’s secret hope outlives them all.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes

Today is a celebration of motherhood with a thankful heart for the blessing of having a loving mother who supports your dreams.

From my house to yours, wishing you a day filled with joy and good tidings. Happy Mother’s Day, Carolyn Bowen

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An Evening with James Ellroy

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Quote of the Day: “Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” Mark Twain

Los Angeles CA

The Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB) is hosting an evening with James Ellroy June 13th, 7:15 p.m.–10:30 p.m. at the historic Hancock Park O’Melveny estate of Brian Curran and Kevin MacLellan Los Angeles, CA 90020.

About the Author

Lee Earle “James” Ellroy is the author of the Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy: American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand, and Blood’s A Rover, and the L.A. Quartet novels: The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz.

Visit Eventbrite for more information and to reserve your ticket/s for a luminary evening with James Ellroy, a master of American mystery and crime fiction writing.

This event is organized by The Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

 

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Book Review: Livia Lone by Barry Eisler

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Quote for Today:  “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.” —Norman Vincent Peale

Spring 2019

Spring is in the air and I’m enjoying my writing life – reading and working on book 2 of the Sydney Jones Series. As you know, I rotate my reading from craft, marketing, to the mystery-thriller genre. This is my latest read. Hope you’ll give this gripping fiction a shot!

Livia Lone (Livia Lone, #1)Livia Lone by Barry Eisler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Livia Lone opens the dialog for talking about human trafficking. It’s a worldwide criminal operation partnering for taking and fulfilling orders for people, against their will, to be distributed worldwide. This fictional account shows the political corruption and horrors associated with this heinous crime.

The psychological effects of abuse take on many forms and we get a front row seat to seeing Livia deal with years of childhood and early adulthood abuse. The suspense of not knowing if her sister is dead or alive after both were sold by their parents in Thailand haunts her.

The love for her sister keeps her going. Learning how to defend them both was her objective. She excelled at martial arts, studied criminal justice and became a cop with one purpose in mind – find and free her sister. What she did with her new found knowledge crosses the line, but it fit her agenda – vendetta against those who caused their suffering.

Barry Eisler weaves a tale of deceit that’ll keep you turning pages. In the end, you’ll be ready for the next in the series.

View all my reviews

I look forward to this new season and connecting with mystery lovers here and on social media. Carolyn Bowen

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Meet & Greet: Author Event

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Quote of the Day: “Just write every day of your life. Read intensely. Then see what happens. Most of my friends who are put on that diet have very pleasant careers.” Ray Bradbury, WD

Meet & Greet!

Join me May 3rd, 7-9 p.m. for a meet and greet at FoxTale Book Shoppe in Woodstock, GA. I’m tickled to participate in their Emerging Author’s Program.  I hope to see you there. Be ready for some fun and games with giveaways. Hint: What is your favorite scene or quote from any of my novels?

As many of you know, my latest mystery-thriller is celebrating an April birthday. Primed For Revenge, the first in the Sydney Jones Series is available now at your favorite bookstores. I look forward to your comments and reviews. Thank you, Carolyn Bowen

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Author to Author: The Writing Life

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Quote of the Day: You see, I am trying in all my stories to get the feeling of the actual life across – not to just depict life – or criticize it – but to actually make it alive. So that when you have read something by me, you actually experience the thing. You can’t do this without putting in the bad and the ugly as well as what is beautiful. Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway

One thing I think we can all agree on is the road to discovery for authors is challenging. We write and hope for the best reception for our stories. Most times it seems as though our stories come from a place of inspiration rather than a rational decision to write and plot around a specific topic. I’m speaking for myself here. If you have a writing method that works for you, good!

I’m going to skip right to reviews and reviewers for this is the pressure point for deciding the fate of your novel.

  • The shoot-gun approach to seeking reviews thinking everyone will want to read and leave a great review is a journey filled with perils and one you’ll most likely regret.

What to do!

Find your niche, your tribe, or following many say. Don’t send out review copies or place your work on websites that are not friendly to your genre. For example, you may ask why in the world someone would download and read or attempt to read about murder mystery if they find it appalling?

They do and are subject to leaving crass reviews making it difficult for real mystery lovers to find your novel. It doesn’t matter if you’ve written in Agatha Christie’s style or the most eloquent presentation of your story. Your novel and some readers just do not match. And, Lord help you if you get an overly zealous reviewer that goes to every site your novel is published on and shares their distaste. Please beware this is cyber-stalking!

You may ask, “Didn’t they read the novel’s description, clearly stating what it was about?”

I’m with you there. If a novel is crime fiction or in similar categories, you can expect a story line with gritty details about happenings that some may find offensive. That’s why their different genres for novels on all the platforms selling books.

What to do

  • Clearly identify the genre/s your novel falls into.
  • Write an accurate book description about your novel.
  • Find where the readers hang-out who would enjoy reading your story.
  • Think about groups on social media seeking books of your genre.
  • Your website is a goldmine and where true readers will navigate to keep up with your writing. Also, your website is the real estate that you own unlike the social platforms where you may post. Think back to social sites now dissolved and the followers that you no longer have access to.
  • Become a developer and up your game by engaging your fans on your website and where they hangout.
  • Find professional reviewers in your genre. You can post their reviews to your online book platforms.
  • Don’t give-up! There are readers who will enjoy your novels and give positive reviews. An interesting part of the writer’s journey is finding your base support. Once you do that, the sky is the limit. Go create!

 

If you’d like a sample of my new psychological thriller, Primed For Revenge, the 1st in the Sydney Jones Series, follow my blog using your email address and I’ll forward you a PDF of the first 25 pages. Note: Crime fiction, murder mystery, psychological thriller, adult rated!

I look forward to this new season and connecting with mystery lovers here and on social media. Carolyn Bowen

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Today’s Inspiration: Book Blog Tour

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Quote of the Day: “It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.” Dale Carnegie 

Today, I want to pay tribute to Win Kelly Charles who gives hope and inspiration to everyone she meets. Her latest book, She is CP, Butterflies of Wisdom is now up for votes on Something or OTHER publishing site.  Go here and vote for her book idea.

Check out her blog, A Diary of a Fashionista and her podcasts on itunes.

Win Kelly Charles is an inspiration. She is an author, blogger, podcaster, designer, and more.  One of her endearing qualities, is her passion for life and love of people. Whether in her business outlets or social platforms, she brings positive vibes to the table.

Check out Win’s latest release January 2019 – Smile with Dictation

Where to find Win Kelly Charles books on Amazon.

About Win Kelly Charles (Amazon bio excerpt)

Win Charles has Cerebral Palsy–she also has a thriving jewelry design company, enough metal in her feet to set off any airport’s metal detector, and a love of snowboarding. How do all of these things fit together?
Don’t be fooled. This isn’t a novel about hardships or all of the things a young woman with a disability can’t do. This is a story about LIVING, about doing it anyway, and about passion.
I hope you’ll check out Win’s books and vote for her book idea to be published and follow her Amazon Author’s Page for the latest news.
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you’re enjoying  this fabulous spring season. Carolyn Bowen

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