21 Comments
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Noel Deal's avatar

My favorites: The original Classics Illustrated graphic novels. TheHarfy Boys, Tom Swift, Rick Brant Science adv., Ian Cameron's The lost ones (Disney crucified it as Island at the Top of the World), & HMS Ulysses by Alistair Maclean. What are your favorites? Are their books out that can teach a person to read?

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Sarah Moore's avatar

Refreshers on plotting/planning and inspiration. Getting ideas and staying focused. I do like the idea of favorite reads: fiction, memoir, poetry. 🙂

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Jaye Wells's avatar

Great list! Coming soon ...

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Lee Smiley's avatar

No question - I just want to let you know that you're awesome and I'm glad we're friends.

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Jaye Wells's avatar

Thank you, Lee! You're awesome, too.

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Sara Marschand's avatar

I'd love your take on urban/contemporary fantasy and how saleable it is. It's a hard sell to agents, but how does the indie market vary?

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Jaye Wells's avatar

Hi Sara. It’s been a hard sell to NY for the last several years, but several indie publishers have had great success with UF. My understand is that the momentum there has slowed a bit, but it’s possible to have indie success with it if you’re savvy about the requirements of indie marketing. I’ve been waiting for NY to return to the paranormal but whether that will be UF under a new name or something else—horror?—is anyone’s guess.

If you’re asking because you’re writing it, write what you love. If the market is down it’ll come back around.

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Noel Deal's avatar

Darn. Poor phrasing. Last sentence should ask about learning ways to understand different writing styles, phrases, words so the stories would be better understood.

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Jaye Wells's avatar

You might try How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster. Otherwise, you could study tools like rhetorical devices to understand how and why they’re used.

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Jaye Wells's avatar

Foster also has a title: How to Read Novels Like a Professor, which may be more applicable if you're reading mostly popular fiction.

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Noel Deal's avatar

...the Hardy Boys... I missed that, not spell check.

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JudeC's avatar

Any more Sabina novellas in the offing? There was a fantastic level of humour in the novels that I've rarely seen.

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Jaye Wells's avatar

Thanks so much. I loved writing those stories. I’m open to writing more if a really great idea comes to me.

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O Scott's avatar

How to treat descriptive copy after dialogue

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Jaye Wells's avatar

That's a great topic! Thanks for the suggestion.

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M Merrill's avatar

Quick question I’m a huge fan of Prospero’s War series.... is there another book coming?

(Fingers crossed)

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Jaye Wells's avatar

Well, here's the thing: I had to put those aside. I've tried a lot of times to write the fifth book but it's been like pulling teeth. I'm not saying I won't ever write them. I want to. But right now I'm focusing on some projects that feel less like grave digging.

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M Merrill's avatar

Thanks much.. and like lee i also think your awesome

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Jaye Wells's avatar

Thank you!

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Shana DuBois's avatar

Hmm... some favorite spooky, creepy reads? How you outline/plot a story/novel? Balancing work and life and writing and goals and family and hobbies and and and... ❤️

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Jaye Wells's avatar

Adding these to my list of future topics. Have a great weekend!

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