Four Bookmobile Books Discounted

I scheduled four of my popular Bookmobile books for the Kindle discount promotion. Unfortunately, I forgot to tell anyone. Although there is still time to send out announcements, I didn't want you to have to go to four different places to find them all. So, they're all listed below with dates and savings. Pick any or all.

Books	Regular Price	Discount Price	Discount End Date
Murder in Sun City US: http://amzn.to/1RTDAIH UK: http://amzn.to/1ZoZol1	$3.99	$0.99	12/31/2016
The Vengeance Squad US: http://amzn.to/22oQUzC UK: http://amzn.to/1LEsFWB	$3.99	$0.99	11/20/2016
The Vengeance Squad Goes to England US: http://amzn.to/1RTEk0g UK: http://amzn.to/1ZoZKYH	$3.99	$0.99	11/21/2016
Where Love Once Lived US: http://amzn.to/1RTEJ2P UK: http://amzn.to/1LEs1bF	$3.99	$0.99	11/20/2016

Beginnings that Grab the Reader and Carry Her Along to the Last Page.

I gave a talk in Mexia, Texas about my writing journey. It seems everywhere I go there are people who want to write a book. In this group of 12-15, three were writing. I told them how I got started, the classes I took, the organizations I belong to, and the importance of joining a critique group.

I also talked about ways to organize a novel to keep the reader interested from start to finish. This lead to a discussion of the importance of the first scene. Writers tend to start the book a few pages, sometimes chapters, before the action begins. In my first book, Where Love Once Lived, I stripped off page after page of the beginning while at the Yosemite Writers' Conference preparing to read from my work in process the next day.

I did more stripping and editing when I got home. Here's what I ended up with:

Karen felt loved on Tuesdays. She was fifty-three and divorced with a college-aged daughter at home who’d probably flee the nest soon, leaving Karen to live alone. She’d missed her chance for happiness. Still, she wasn’t sad. Teaching and her volunteer work as a lay minister, hospital chaplain, and member of her church choir fulfilled her. To be honest, she wanted more. She wanted the special kind of love she felt on Tuesdays.

This is not great, but it's not bad for a first novel. Readers should want to know why Karen felt loved on Tuesdays and, perhaps, wonder how she'd missed her chance for happiness. She seems to have a good life, but something is missing. They learn a little about her, age, family, job, church, etc., without getting bogged down in too much backstory.

My second novel, The Vengeance Squad, is written in first person with a young male protagonist. There is a prologue, too short to warrant chapter formatting, which I placed above the Chapter One beginning. See how this grabs you. Would you want to read more?

I’ll never forget the look on her face. It sustained me for months afterward. Without the memories, I wouldn’t have survived. Chapter One Sometimes it worried me because I thought I must be wrong, but there were times I could read her mind. I’d heard stories about couples who had been married for years who experienced a level of silent communication, but Sarah and I had known each other for only two years. Perhaps it was the intensity of love for one another rather than the length of time together that made the difference. Quite honestly, the love we shared was stronger than I believed possible. It was as if God brought us together and blessed the joining of two faithful servants of the Lord. I thanked Him daily for that.

The prologue gives us a glimpse into the future and, hopefully, a desire to know what happens. The first paragraph of Chapter One gives the reader an understanding of how in love the narrator is.

Love Lives On, my third novel, is a sequel to Where Love Once Lived. It also ties in some of the characters from The Vengeance Squad. I don't call them sequels because each will stand alone. However, I think readers would enjoy them more if the books are read in chronological order.

Here's how Love Lives On begins:

Karen Williams was fifty-four and divorced for so long she'd given up hope for that special marriage everyone talked about, but few probably had experienced. Then, a year ago, her life changed. Her college sweetheart charged back into her life, acting as if he'd never stopped loving her. He was waiting for her at the altar now as she touched up her makeup in the bride's room of her church. She hurried to apply mascara, but her right hand wouldn't be still. The pencil hit the table with a soft clunk. Tears followed. Tears from nowhere. A glance into the mirror showed mascara running down both cheeks. What was happening? Was it that feeling of unworthiness that crept in when she least expected it? Couldn't be. God had forgiven her long ago, but she would never forget what had happened. Second thoughts? Definitely not. She loved Brian and he loved her. He would never do anything to hurt her. Not again.

This excerpt is a little longer because the backstory was necessary to remind readers of the last book or to introduce Karen to new readers. It was her wedding day. Why was she crying? What did she do that caused her to need God's forgiveness? What had Brian done before to hurt her? Will the wedding go on as scheduled?

Presenting questions at the beginning will cause the reader to seek answers by continuing to read.

My fourth novel, The Vengeance Squad Goes to England begins this way:

Tex removed his ten-gallon cowboy hat, swiped his brow and leaned back in his wheelchair to get his hug. I stood behind him knowing I'd be next. But nothing happened. Liz sat at the end of the conference table with her head in her hands. My friend and former computer science student, Tex Thompson, locked his eyes on mine and I stared back at him in disbelief. Something was wrong. Liz Siedo, the happiest librarian in the world, the person who accepted God's will in every situation and hugged everyone who came within five feet of her, was either sick or depressed.

When I give talks, I tell people not to try to write the perfect beginning before finishing the rest of chapter one. If you do, you'll never finish the book. Write the whole thing and then come back and rewrite the first chapter. Often, my characters have something to say about the endings and the results lead to the need to make changes to the beginning. For example, when I wrote Murder in Sun City I didn't know who the killer was until I was halfway through the book. This caused a need to change the beginning. Here's the original opening:

"Liz! Are you okay?" I looked up at Margie and wondered if I was. I wiggled around before I answered. "Nothing seems to be broken. I guess I'm lucky I landed on my God-made cushion." I could tell Margie was amused by my comment because she was clearly trying not to make light of my mishap. So I laughed to let her know it was okay. I'd never been embarrassed by my ample bottom and was rather pleased with the way it broke my fall today. I wished I hadn't left my coat in the bookmobile, but it was such a short walk to Sharon's house. Margie laughed. "Well that's good to hear. When I saw you slipping and sliding on that iced driveway, I knew you'd end up falling. "Watching you throw books into the air like that was the funniest thing I've seen in some time. Then she sobered. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be laughing at your fall." "That's okay. Glad to brighten your day. Besides, I'm not hurt. Just not sure how to get up."

Besides the unexpected turn of events as I got into the book, there were other reasons to change this beginning. It just didn't grab me.

I should explain that this is the first in the so-called bookmobile series where the reader sees things through Liz's eyes. If you've read the other books, you know she is large, but happy and confident. So this beginning is to let you know she sees herself the same way other people see her. It's okay, but it is irrelevant to the story. It doesn't ask questions. It doesn't cause the reader to want to keep reading. Hopefully, the revision below does:

Margie was waiting on the icy driveway as I parked the bookmobile in front of Sharon's house. Had she been crying? I climbed out and gave her a hug. "Are you okay?" She held on a little longer than usual. "I'm okay." I pushed away and looked into her eyes. "Something's wrong. You've been crying." "No." She brushed at her eyes with a gloved hand. "Must be from the cold." I knew she needed to talk. "Why don't you wait in the bookmobile and get warm? I brought those books you asked for." "Okay." Margie didn't look at me as she spoke. "I guess you should see Sharon first." I stepped into the library and picked up the five books I'd brought for Sharon and a white paper bag. Margie moved back to give me space. "What's in the bag?" "Some scones for Sharon. I got them at the library coffee shop while I was loading books this morning." "Scones?" "Hey. Come with me." I held up the bag. "Carry this for me. I've got enough for all of us."

I will probably change this more before it is published, but I think this works better. What do you think?

If you are a reader only or a writer and reader, check some of your favorite books and see if the magic began on page one.

I talked about this in a previous post where I included the openings of some Pulitzer Prize winners. See Pulitzer Prize First Sentences. Some are better than others. What do you think? Would you read the books based on beginnings, or only because it won the Pulitzer Prize?

Drones Are In!

TV thrillers such as 24: Live Another Day and others are including drones more now than ever before. CBS's 60 Minutes did a story of the increase in drone use for fun and commercial endeavors.

Just look at some of the recent books on Amazon with "drone" in the title:

·         Drones (An International Romantic Thriller) (The Maliviziati Series) by Johnny Ray (Nov 17, 2013)

·         Drones: Their Many Civilian Uses and the U.S. Laws Surrounding Them. by Jonathan Rupprecht (Apr 17, 2014)

·         Drone Entrepreneurship by Jerry LeMieux and James Poss (Dec 4, 2013)

·         DRONES: The Truth About Unmanned Ariel Vehicles by Brenda Foster (Jul 23, 2014)

·         Drones: The Real Truth: What You Need to Know About Unmanned Aerial Vehicles & How They Might Affect Your Life... by Sam Cossman (Jul 13, 2014)

·         DRONE by David James Sullivan (Jun 22, 2014)

·         DRONES (SPECTRAL FUTURES) by Olsen J. Nelson (Apr 16, 2013)

·         DJI Phantom 2: How to Fly Drones, Quad Copters, and The Phantom 2 by David Oneal (Apr 10, 2014)

·         Drone: Test Run (A Superhero Short Story) by Jay Stone (May 8, 2013)

·         UAV Pilot - How to Be Ready for the Coming Drone Pilot Job Boom by J.J. Best (Nov 12, 2013)

·         Drones Over Seattle: Wade's People by R.W. Clark and Elliot Whiting (May 8, 2014)

·         The Amazing Potential of Friendly Drones by James Barton and Jonathan Todd (Jun 4, 2014)

The Vengeance Squad Goes to England

My latest novel, The Vengeance Squad Goes to England, includes a drone. The vengeance squad's Chris McCowan put his drone together on the cheap with a toy helicopter and some creative use of webcams. He laughed when he used the word "drone" in talking about the contraption. But it worked.

Here's an excerpt:

I revved up the helicopter's engine with the remote control then realized I didn't have a plan for entering the house. When the woman closed the door, I rushed back to the van so fast I forgot to check the window. I knew Jane had broken it and Virgil had opened it. But was it open wide enough for the drone? Was the curtain out of the way?

I had to go back.

I turned off the motor and grabbed my phone in case Tex said anything. I ran back to the house and stood outside the window listening for a few seconds. Since I didn't hear anything, I opened each side of the window covering as far as possible. I reached in and slid the curtain to the side. The helicopter could probably make its way through the flimsy drapery, but as long as I was here, I might as well make it easier to fly in. I just hoped the woman wasn't in the room where the window was. Knowing Virgil, I didn't think the woman would call the police, but she may have a weapon.

"Look out!"

I jumped while searching for danger around me before I realized it was Tex on the phone in my jacket pocket.

I retrieved the phone. "What happened?" My heart pumped harder now, even though I knew the danger was there, not here. I checked my surroundings again before I moved quickly back to the van with the phone held tightly against my ear.

"We're okay now," he said. "Liz sort of ran off the road."

"What? What do you mean? Are you still moving? How close is Virgil?"

"Whoa. We're okay. We're in the park. The road is narrow and there are no obstructions along the sides. Liz took a shortcut by going straight where the road curved. That's all. Scared me, but we're okay. Sorry you heard me."

"What about Virgil?" I asked.

"He's gaining on us. I hope you can finish your job at the house so we can call the police to help us with Virgil or at least scare him off. How's it going there?"

"Okay. I have the windows open and I'm ready to fly the drone into the house." I didn't want to worry the others with the fact that there was a woman in the house. He had all he could handle there. I could tell him later, after I got the bank information.

"Good," Tex said. "We're counting on you, Doc. Liz, you're on the grass again. Do you see those cows?"

"What is she doing now?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. She's completely off the road and we're heading toward the edge of the cliff. Right where you told us not to go." His voice rose. "Watch the edge, Liz. There are no barriers there. What?"

"What'd she say?" I asked.

"She saw some people there and thought Virgil might act differently with a few witnesses around."

"Okay. That's a good idea. Be careful. I better get this helicopter going. Keep this line open."

"You're too close, Liz. Turn, turn, turn. No, not that way!" Tex was yelling. "Hit the brakes! Stop!"

I couldn't quit listening to their venture long enough to do my job. But, I had to. I needed to get to work finding the bank information. After all, that was the reason my friends had put themselves in danger. I started the helicopter engine, wondering if the fuel tank was full.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He didn't answer.

"Tex! Are you there?"

There was a long pause.

"We're okay. For now. The front two wheels are hanging over the cliff. Liz has it in reverse but I think we're stuck here. Virgil has parked and is walking toward us."

"What about the people Liz saw there?" I asked.

"They're still a hundred yards away. They're walking toward us now. Some are running."

"Any chance the bookmobile will fall over the cliff?"

"I don't think so, but we moved to the back to weight it down."

"What's Virgil doing now?"

"He's pushing on the back of the bookmobile."

"With his body?"

"Yes."

"Is it moving?" I asked.

"No. Not at all. With two wheels off the ground, it'll take more power than that to move this monster."

"Good. Ask Jane to use her phone to call the police so you can keep this line open. I've got to get this helicopter into the house before it runs out of fuel."

"Uh-oh," Tex said.

"What's happening?"

"Virgil is in his car and he's trying to use it to push us off the cliff. He'd actually kill all of us if he could. Don't worry, it's not working."

"Chris, Jane here. How do I call the police?"

"The emergency number in the United Kingdom is 999," I said, wondering how I knew. Having an over-achieving memory was sometimes fun and sometimes a benefit, but often unnerving.

I heard Liz hollering in the background, but couldn't make out what she said.

"What's Liz saying?" I asked.

"She says there are three of us and we should go grab him and arrest him until the police get here." It was Tex back on the phone.

"Tell her to wait," I said.

"Liz," Tex said. "Take your suitcase. Knock him down like you did in Stratford."

I heard the sound of a gunshot through the phone.

"Everybody get down!" Tex said.

"What's happening?" I asked.

"Just a minute," Tex said.

I waited, but he was silent. The helicopter was ready. I couldn't wait any longer. "Tex! Is everyone okay?"

"No one's hurt. We're just hiding. Liz had just stepped out when Virgil pulled a gun and fired at her. The bullet hit her suitcase. Probably went through it. She dropped it and fell back into the bookmobile. She's okay. Looks scared, but that's all."

"What about the people who were heading toward you?" I asked.

"I'm not sure where Virgil is now and I'm already up pretty high because of this chair. Jane, can you see where the people are now?"

There was another pause and I could hear Jane's voice faintly.

"They've turned away," Tex said. Probably heard the gunshot. I suspect they'll call for help. There's not much on the hill in the way of cover."

I heard the sirens from where I stood, not sounds over the phone. "Someone called for help or Jane's call got through. I hear sirens."

"Good," Tex said. "I hope they get here soon. To scare Virgil off."

More gunshots.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Several gunshots came through our back window." It was a stage whisper.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked.

There was no response. I stared at the phone to see if I still had a connection, but there was none. Tex may have dropped his phone in the excitement of being shot at. Or perhaps, it was worse. I wanted to call back, but I had to finish my mission. Every fiber of my body said I should jump in the van and go to them. Help them. But I couldn't. They were counting on me. They were in harm's way so I could do my part of the job.

I heard sirens, hoping it was help for my friends. I stared at the phone one more time and looked in the direction of where I thought they were. I had no other choice. I grabbed the remote controls, guided the homemade drone into the air and turned it toward the open window at Virgil's house.

Want to read more? Order it here: http://www.amazon.com/author/sidneyfrost.

Using Pinterest to Sell More Books

Here is an easy way to use Pinterest to build interest in your books.

Pinterest lets you easily create groups of photos to share with others. I think everyone enjoys viewing pictures. Sometimes I look through randomly selected groups of photos just for the beauty I might find. The nice thing about Pinterest is that the photos can come from the Internet. You don't need permission since the photo will link to the site where you found the photo. There are some places that don't allow sharing of their photos, but Pinterest knows which ones they are and you won't be able to pin those photos to your board.

How can Pinterest help author?

If your book is not yet published, create a board for you future readers. If you're writing a cozy mystery, for example, create a board called "My Favorite Cozy Mysteries." Your photos could be book cover images and you could add a short note about each book and why you selected it. After your book is published, one of the prominent pins on this board would be your book.

While writing The Vengeance Squad Goes to England I created a board with photos of locations and items used in the book. As I wrote the book, I added additional photos for each new scene. This served two purposes. First, the images helped me describe the scenes more realistically. Secondly, once the book was published, I included a link to the board so the reader could see photos of the places described in the book. See http://goo.gl/B6UFcX to check it out for yourself.

Another Pinterest board I made was one called Bookmobiles. The reason for this board is that bookmobiles are featured in each of my books. You may think of a similar use of Pinterest for your books. See http://goo.gl/NEXeZO for the bookmobile board. While you're there check out the rest of my boards for other ideas.

The Bookmobile Gang Returns with a Vengeance

The fourth Christian Bookmobile novel by prize-winning author, Sidney W. Frost, is now available in paperback and Kindle

"Frost writes convincingly of London and the British countryside. His characters, both British and American, jump off the pages as real people." Longtime Scribbler.

"The main characters and the bookmobile which are present in all Mr. Frost's books are now welcome old friends." Jim Chapman.

"The unexpected twists and rapid pace of the plot make this book a real page turner." Rollo Newsom.

"You are drawn into the images he creates, and it makes me want to visit the locations in Great Britain." Malia.

"I found myself disliking Virgil as much as they did and really rooting for the romance between Chris and Angela." Joelle. 

"Bad guys, Money thief, People after them, Falling in love, A double decker bus Book Mobile, Beautiful scenes in Jolly England." Christina.

318 pages
Paperback: $12.95
ISBN: 978-0983070887
Click Here to Purchase

Kindle Edition: $2.99
Click Here to Purchase

English English vs. American English

I read A Song in the Night by Julie Maria Peace not too long ago. It was published in the UK and, being an American and Texan to boot, I had a bit of trouble with some of the words and phrases. At my age and because of the number of books I've read over the years, I thought I knew English fairly well. Turns out, not so much.

I could figure out some of the words by the way they were used. Others, I found in dictionaries. Still, there were a few I haven't yet found. I should mention that part of the book took place during World War I, and I believe the author used terms from that time period to be more authentic. However, most of the ones I stumbled on were from the contemporary time.

I was reading the book because the author had asked me to review it. I am glad she did because I loved it. You can read my review here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2013/11/book-review-song-in-night-by-julie.html, an interview of the author here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2013/11/q-with-julie-maria-peace-author-of-song.html, and sample chapters here: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/2013/11/book-review-song-in-night-by-julie_27.html.  As I read and noticed the many differences in our English languages, it hit me that a book I was just finishing up may not make sense to English readers in the same way I was struggling with Julie's book. One thing led to another until at some point she agreed to read The Vengeance Squad Goes to England and look for words and phrases the English characters wouldn't say. We let the Americans visiting England use their version of English, except for the main character, Chris. He is slightly OCD and has an eidetic memory, so he picks up on the differences in English and began to speak the way his girlfriend Angela does. Julie did a marvelous job, and I know the changes made because of her greatly improved the book.

Now, back to my concern for the words and phrases in A Song in the Night I don't understand. I put my guess in parentheses in the list below. Would you look over the list and either tell me if I was right, or let me know what some of these mean? Use the comment section below so everyone can see what still needs to be done. Oh, by the way, I didn't think about it at first, but at page 55 I started adding the page numbers.

Thank you.

Fusty

The place was a tip (mess?)

Cuppa (cup of?)

Fortnight (two weeks?)

Iced finger (some kind of cookie?)

Bleeping (phone ring?)

Mobile (cell phone?)

Bit (as in phase)

Niggle

Clapped eyes on

Windscreen

Caravan (RV?)

Mind (mind you?)

Plucker up the courage

Gone ten (after 10:00?)

Ribbons (blasted to bits or smithereens?)

Bullet has your number on it (name on it?)

Violin taster (55)

Broody (55)

Nappies (diapers?)

Stick (57)

Blanking (58)

Sussed (61-suspected?)

Lernt (69-learned?)

Sharpish (69-soon?)

Kitch (69-70 may be a reference to character Ciaran)

Barium meal

It was just gone nine (78-a little after nine?)

She came off the phone (79-hung up?)

Arrived bang on three o'clock (79-exactly at three?)

Cheered off (79)

Knickers (84)

Dab hand (84)

Flicked though the mail (84)

Smalls (84-undies?)

You lot (86-male or female?)

Clued up (96-in the know?)

Mucking in together (89)

While February (95)

Fancy (95-meaning to like)

Horlick (97-malted milk?)

Ciggie (97)

Kith and kin (98)

Respirators (101-gas masks?)

Dunno

Had a bad do at him (119)

While ever (120)

Dowdy (122)

Spot of bother (127)

Wheeze (127)

Bairns (129)

Fingers on the clock (134)

Filled up (134-tears?)

Funk wallahs (141)

Rota (145-schedule?)

Stroppy teenagers (148)

Mooched (149)

Feeding me up (151)

Gooseberry (152)

Natterer (161)

Twigged (183)

Cropper (204)

Coming to meet (205-going to meet?)

Good job you're ill (207-good thing you're ill?)

Chuffed (212, 391)

Snigger (243-snicker?)

Coming back to mine (275-coming back to my place)

Gutted (437-pained?)

Twigging (490)