Category Archives: Fiction Writing
Under the Covers with Nancy Lauzon
Welcome Nancy Lauzon, author of the Chick Dick Mysteries. Don’t you love the series name?
Nancy will be sharing her thoughts on book covers, something I know she is passionate about.
She has also generously offered to run a CONTEST. THREE LUCKY PEOPLE will each win one one of her fabulous books in the Chick Dick Mysteries. If you love mystery, comedy, intrigue and romance, you’re in for a real treat.
CONTEST DETAILS BELOW:
Take it away, Nancy. . . . (Please note: the covers shown here are Nancy’s NEW covers, not the ones she is discussing)
Good quality book cover art is absolutely crucial to a writer’s sales. Or as fellow blogger Chuck Wendig puts it: ‘Make sure your cover doesn’t suck a bag of dicks.’ I apologize for the rough language, but there’s just no better way of saying it.
The Italian Crock Pot
Not to be confused with the Italian crack pot. It’s a good thing I proofread this before hitting pubish as I had accidentally typed crack pot. Although I have met my share of crack pots, and yes some of them were Italian. However, blogging about crack pots would totally change the theme of this blog post.
The Crock Pot is a writer’s best friend. It’s like having a chef in the kitchen after you’ve instructed it what to do. I’m going to share an Italian crock pot recipe (below), but first wanted to chat about how my mom’s cooking lessons relates to my writing journey.
Things I learned from my dog
Please join me in welcoming, Nancy Lauzon, author of the Chick Dick Mysteries, and her fur baby, Sam.
1. Wrinkles define who you are.
Wrinkles, freckles, age spots, flab — all of that stuff — means that you’ve spent more time than others exposing yourself to sunshine and lots of good things to eat. I inherited good skin from the women in my family, and don’t have too many wrinkles yet. As for the rest, I try my best, but I’m never giving up chocolate.
2. Bacon is good
I know it’s pure saturated fat. I try not to eat too much of it, or think about where it comes from, but dang, there’s nothing like a few slabs of crispy bacon to go with your scrambled eggs and coffee on a Saturday morning. Sam isn’t allowed bacon either, but once in a while he gets a tidbit when he smells it in the kitchen. He hoovers it off my hand so quickly, I can’t tell if he likes the taste.
3. Birds are fascinating
For very different reasons. Sam would like to kill them. I love to watch them at my feeders and in the bird bath, splashing and shaking their feathers. A great way to de-stress.
4. Never give up
Sam is VERY stubborn. He injured his ACL, and is currently wearing a brace. He’s not allowed to jump up on things or climb stairs. The living room couch is off limits, and we’ve blocked the staircase with a card table. His favorite place to sleep when we’re out of the house is our bed upstairs. He spends a lot of time huffing and grumping about the fact that he can’t nap where he usually does. After a dozen attempts, he finally managed to move the card table aside and I found him on our bed yesterday, as usual.
5. Follow your dreams
Sam loves to chase trains, squirrels, rabbits — basically anything that moves. Even with an injured knee, I know if I unsnapped his leash he’d be off and running. It’s instinctual for him to chase what he was born to chase. I admire his determination. I think about that when I’m frustrated or discouraged.
6. Cesar Milan is cute
The Dog Whisperer has helped me cope with some of Sam’s ‘issues’, like barking at the mailman or trying to eat my neighbour’s face. Along the way I’ve come to love the show and its fearless star, Cesar.
7. Ice cream is good.
I know it’s corn syrup, fat and artificial flavors. Sam doesn’t care, so I don’t. He definitely likes the taste.
Nancy Lauzon worked nine years on a hospital ward as a cardiac nurse before the night shifts turned her into a zombie. She got a day job in health promotion and began to write health-related articles for magazines and newsletters.
Life threw out a few curve balls, and to relieve the stress, she began to write fiction part-time. Five years later she sold two different manuscripts to two separate small-press publishers, using a pseudonym. She retired from nursing in 2003 and began to write full-time.
She is now the indie author of three Chick Dick Mystery novels, inspired by her early love of Nancy Drew Mysteries.
Write what you know?
Are you a hair stylist? How about a hair stylist who has someone come in to her shop for a cut and dye job, and this person is on America’s most wanted or a famous celebrity?
Taking ordinary things in life things that a writer may perceive as being uninteresting can be turned into a wonderful work of fiction. It’s all about taking ordinary characters and putting them in extraordinary situations.
Happy creating and writing!
Newbie Blogger – Please be gentle. The Blogging Goddess isn’t finished with me yet.
Welcome to my blog, I’ll be updating this blog (probably about once per week) with discussions on books, interviews (authors, editors, reviewers, anybody who will talk to me 
), recipes and much more.
I’ve been tinkering around, trying to figure this thing out, I think I got it. I’m sure if I did screw up, someone out there will let me know. That strike out thing is interesting, I’ve seen it on other blogs, no idea what it means, so I won’t use it. Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I tend to press buttons and tinker with things I’m not supposed to at times.
For the first blog, I guess should post a short bio about myself, but in all honesty, that is one of the hardest things I’m asked to do. I do have a bio on my website, www.selenarobins.com and I tend to use that one when asked to submit a bio. I like to call it time management.
A few tidbits about me, not listed on my site’s bio:
I learned to play the accordian at an early age. Hey, I’m Italian, it’s a right of passage. I wasn’t that good at it. However, I did enjoy practicing at home and driving my older siblings crazy with my attempts at Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I also took Highland Dance classes. I bet you’re wondering why a little Italian girl took Highland dancing? I’m first generation Canadian, I was born in Canada, while my parents and siblings all immigrated from Italy. Hence, why my brothers convinced me I was found on their doorstep, but that’s another story.
My parents wanted to assimilate with the Canadian culture. My dad at the time smoked cigarettes (Export A). On the package was a picture of a woman, wearing a Scottish tam and my parents watched Don Messer’s Jubilee to learn the language. After I was born, they associated these things with the Canadian culture, so when I was old enough, they enrolled me in Highland Dancing.
I didn’t learn to speak English until I was six years old, sometimes this can still effect me, as I think in one language and things come out in English in an awkward way. “English wasn’t my first language,” is what I say. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
I used to be quite the daredevil. Broken knee, wore a full leg cast (downhill skiing), shattered my radial head in my left arm (roller-blading), broken toe (fell down the stairs while multi-tasking, some will say, I can be a klutz, I don’t agree…well, not 100%).
My husband has recently stated that he’d love to start a blog called, “Things my wife says and does.” I’m not concerned, he doesn’t even like to write emails. Funny guy. He makes me laugh, I make him laugh. I love to cook, he loves to eat what I cook. I also like to make him blush, like when I publicly state, he has given me my happy-ever-after that I love to write and read about in romance novels.
Okay, enough about me………
To kick off the Holiday Season and my first blog, I’m going to have a draw.
Comment on the blog, or ask me a question (anything goes…….well, almost anything) and I’ll enter your name for a chance to win 1 of three 3 Gift Certificates to My Bookstore and More. Draw ends, December 23rd.
P.S. I’ll be posting some recipes later on this blog.
