Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Guest Post: THE VISITOR MEETS OLD HAIRY by Fay Lamb

     My guest today is Fay Lamb. She is the only daughter of a rebel genius father and a hard-working, tow-the-line mom. She is not only a fifth-generation Floridian, she has lived her life in Titusville, where her grandmother was born in 1899.
     Since an early age, storytelling has been Fay’s greatest desire. She seeks to create memorable characters that touch her readers’ hearts. She says of her writing, “If I can’t laugh or cry at the words written on the pages of my manuscript, the story is not ready for the reader.” Fay writes in various genres, including romance, romantic suspense, and contemporary fiction.
     If you’d like to catch up with Fay, visit her at her website, on AmazonGoodreadsFacebook, and Twitter. Also, Fay has become a “novel” gardener, and she shares her adventure in her newsletter, Tales from the Azalea Garden. You can sign up for her newsletter, Tales from the Azalea Garden, here.

Fay's newest release is THE VISITOR MEETS OLD HAIRY. 
Here's the blurb:

     The Visitor goes camping? Pollyanna Reagan can't wait to take her always-put-together, ultra-professional sister out into the boonies. But when they encounter what they thought was a mythical creature, they might both become sticks in the mud.
     Of course, when they find a body, a stiff in the mud, Connie shifts into deduction mode. Was the deceased somehow scared to death or possibly attacked by what should be imaginary, or are there other, more human and certainly more vicious, intentions at play?
     Match wits with The Visitor as she unravels this twisted puzzle and the family drama that surrounds it.


The Visitor Meets Old Hairy

Preview by Fay Lamb

 

Polly turned to her sister, her finger to her lips.

“I’m not talking.” Connie’s attempt to whisper had the decibels of a seven-forty-seven. Wind whipped hair into her face. “And who can hear anything with this wind. Give us a little rain, and we’ll have a hurricane.”

“Try not to step on the twigs.” Polly ignored her sister’s complaints. 

“We’re not on a path, Polly. The ground is littered with them.”

Ethan’s snicker took the air of frustration from Polly’s wings. She leaned against a tree and covered her face with her hands, trying to keep from bursting into laughter.

Connie leaned against her, her body shaking. “If Old Hairy was out here, we most definitely would see him.”

“No.” Ethan came near. “Aunt Connie, they’re stealthy and hard to spot even in the daytime. They hide themselves against trees and don’t make a sound unless they want to be heard or seen—all eight feet—no grunting from exertion, no stomping when they walk.” He glanced at his mom with a sly smile. “Some people believe they have a cloaking ability like a chameleon.”

Marc drew near. “And they read minds.” He wiggled his brows and glanced at his wife. “When they’re near you, their sub-sonic hum can make you deathly ill.”

They were making fun of her, but Polly didn’t care. Standing alone with her family in the middle of expedition and gabbing with the people she loved, that was all she wanted. “They hide in caves. That’s why they aren’t seen,” she countered with her own knowledge of Bigfoot lore. “And they’ve had years to adapt to the land; they know the layout.”

They remained silent for a moment as the limbs above them rustled.

“Did you hear that?” Connie spun around.

“With the wind?” Polly threw her sister’s words back at her. 

Connie waved her hands back and forth in front of her face. “And smell that?”

Polly took a deep breath and coughed. “That’s not a Bigfoot.” 

“It’s a skunk.” Ethan took off running through the dark in the direction of the camp.

Connie put her hands out to stop Marc and Polly. “Let’s see if he runs into it first.”

Marc laughed aloud. “Good idea.”

Polly spied something illuminated by the rays of the moon filtering through the trees: the white of a skunk’s coat.

Perhaps Ethan had been the clever one.

Polly held to her sister’s and her husband’s arms. “There.” She nodded.

The skunk stood up on two feet and looked around.

Polly held her breath, and not from the stench. Did skunks attack?

The skunk stayed still for a moment, looked behind it, and then turned to look in their direction.

Polly planted her feet so as to run if it moved toward her.

Despite the wind, tromping could be heard and then a heavy grunt.

The skunk took off.

Connie—and Marc—jumped behind Polly’s back.

More stomping sounded, coming closer.

An overly large figure silhouetted in the moon’s shine moved into the center of the trees. His attention was in the direction the skunk had fled.

Connie gasped.

The creature stilled completely. Then it turned.

“Stay still.” Marc whispered. “Polly, is it a man?”

“I-I don’t think so.” She trembled. “He’s huge.”

The huge apelike man stared. When it blinked, the action was slow.

It swayed back and forth like an ape.

Polly took a step back, forcing Marc and Connie with her.

The creature raised its shoulders, bent low at the knees, and inhaled. As it straightened, a tremendous howl built from its innards and reverberated against Polly. She’d never heard anything the likes of it.

The howl ended, and the creature stood stock-still, his attention never leaving them.

“Shoo. Shoo.” Connie moved her free hand.

The lumbering beast stared at Connie, blinked again, and turned. Then it thundered off into the woods.

Polly released her breath. “Was it really…?”


👀



You can find Fay Lamb and her Social Media Links:

 

The Visitor Meets Old Hairy: https://amzn.to/3iLN5Uk

Join the Expedition: Enter the contest by guessing at the clues given to you as to the location of each book in The Visitor series: https://www.writeintegrity.com/thevisitor

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/FayFaylamb

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1482814.Fay_Lamb

Amazon Central: https://amazon.com/author/faylamb

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Thursday, February 16, 2023

Did I Write Myself into a Corner?


I joined the #JeRoWriMo challenge again this year. Every year the New Jersey Romance Writers challenges their member to write 30,000 words during the month of February. So far, this year I've accumulated 20,000 words! 

This year I did not write myself into a corner as I have done in the past. However, I left out a very important fact about a secondary character's motivation, which explains everything about her behavior. 

Is there an easy way out?

There's plenty of advice online, but I found Ken Levine's suggestions useful for me--and perhaps it would be helpful for anyone.

The most important thing to remember is that the story can be fixed. It will be much better, too.

Have fun writing!

Thursday, February 02, 2023

JeRoWriMo--The New Jersey Romance Writers' 30,000 Word Challenge


 I signed up for JeRoWriMo again. This time I'm doing revisions on a book I started in the 2021 JeRoWriMo Challenge. Last year was difficult for me, so not much writing was accomplished, but I am going to finish the book this time. It's a historical romance set in 1903, which is considerably more contemporary than some of my other historicals, but still an interesting time in the history of the world. 

I haven't decided on a name yet though I have a few ideas for the title. But right now, I want to get everything nice and tidy. 

The JeRoWriMo cheerleaders are in high spirits and encouraging everyone to keep typing! Good times!