Another bit of wisdom I take from Hemingway’s advice is to write about places you know. I live on the west coast of Florida. The books I write are set in the Sarasota area. My first book, The Myakka Murders was set in Myakka River State Park, a place I’ve visited hundreds of times. My second book, Sarasota Sour Grapes takes place in Fruitville, which is on the outskirts of Sarasota. The opening scene for Overexposed on Bird Key takes place on Bird Key. The stories wind their way through downtown Sarasota and nearby locales. Yale Larsson and his half-brother Jayson live in a beach house on Longboat Key.

To find out more about my Yale Larsson books, scan the following QR  code with your  cell phone.

The West Coast of Florida is a wonderful place to live and write about. Here are some pictures from the area.

Sarasota Bay

Sarasota curing a thunder storm.

Myakka State Park

James W. Hall creates compelling stories about a loner named Thorn. For Thorn trouble seems to crop up at any moment. But he always finds a way out of the fix.

Robert Crais writes compelling stories about a private investigator named Elvis Cole. Cole had a sidekick named Joe Pike. Talk about your yin/yang characters. Crais writes stories that grab you by the throat in the first chapter and have enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages.

Lee Child writes about another larger than like character, Reacher. Reacher’s ex-military and a drifter. Reacher sees something wrong when he arrives in a new place and does his best to make it right.

Elmore Leonard was at a book signing. A man walked up to him with one of Elmore’s books. Elmore said, “Who to I make it out to?” The man said, “Chili Palmer.” Elmore asked him if he could use the name. The man told him he could. It became a character in Elmore’s “Get Shorty.”

In addition to being a good listener, you need to retain the information. I always carry a small notebook with me. of course you could dictate the information into your phone. But hey, I’m an analog guy in a digital world.

Click the book covers to learn more about my Yale Larsson PI series.

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My goal is to publish the novel before Thanksgiving. Stay tuned.

This is the fourth novel in my Yale Larson Private Investigator series. To learn more about Yale’s earlier exploits, scan the following QR code with your phone.

The best way to get dialog, is to listen. Elmore Leonard was a keen listener. He was known as the “Dickens of Detroit”. I always carry a notebook with me. When I hear something interesting, I write it down. During a trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I had breakfast in a place called “Louies Cafe”, which is close to LSU. The chef, a guy know as “Frenchy” rambles on in a Jack Kerouac stream of consciousness. His dialog is colorful and witty. While cooking eggs, he said, “Pavlovian primates waiting for maturation of the egg.”

Frenchy the Chef

Authors in my writing group, tell me I write good dialog. My protagonist is a PI named Yale Larsson. He talks in short, staccato sentences. Just the facts, ma’am. His cohort in crime, half-brother and gourmet cook has different speaking characteristics. When you write a scene with many characters speaking, it’s important to identify a character by his speech. The eliminates the need for “he said”, or “she said” after every sentence. You can also differentiate between character, by having on do something before the dialog such as:
She furrowed her forehead. “I can’t condone that, young man.”

Here a snippet of dialog from my upcoming novel, “A Pocketful of Euros.”

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Blind Melon strummed the last chords of the song and placed Sweet Melissa in her case. A couple of people dropped coins in his singing bowl.
“Song was great, but Sweet Melissa sounded out of sorts,” I said.
Handed him the box that was delivered yesterday. He broke it open and smiled.
“Strings.”
“As promised. Six sets. Should last you a while. ”
Blind Melon tipped his Pork-Pie Hat. “Thank you, my friend.”
“Blind Melon, got a list of local kids from an Internet Social Media website. Wonder if you can identify them for me.”
“Okay.”
I read the list to Blind Melon. He knew five of the families.

To find out more about Yale Larsson scan the following QR code with your phone to see my Yale Larsson Private Investigator novels at Amazon.

I also created several Facebook Ads. The results were fairly dismal. I attended a book fair where I sold enough copies of my books to break even. At the event I handed out business cards and bookmarks. Then one day I brainstormed and had a blinding flash of insight, or BFI, to create a business card with a direct link to every Yale Larsson Private investigator book I’ve published. But before I could do that, I needed to set up a page on Amazon with all of my books. I did this through my KDP account by designating that the books were part of a series. Once I had a URL for my books, the next step was to create a QR code. If you’re not familiar with QR codes, they are images that can  be scanned with a phone and will take the user directly to the associated web page. You can get a high resolution QR code for free from this website: Free QR code 

With that bit of housekeeping out of the way, it was time to create the business card. I wanted a card that was unique, so I used Moo to create a Mini Moo card. Moo offers free templates for Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. The cards are small and pique the curiosity of the people you give them to. The cards measure 1.3 inches by 2.75 inches. Moo also offers a small plastic card carrying case you can put on your key chain. I never leave home without my Moo author cards. I’ve been monitoring the results through reports on KDP. Handing out the cards has increased book sales.

Some writers wait for ideal conditions. E.B White was not a proponent of waiting for ideal conditions. His thoughts on ideal conditions are as follows: “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.”

The time of day at which you start to write is also important. This ritual sends a signal to the muse. Some writers are morning people. I am not. “I write every morning.” Ernest Hemingway

Physical activity is also a good way to prime the pump. Physical activity is also a good way to stimulate the body and brain when you take a break. “I do pushups and sit ups all the time” Kurt Vonnegut

I have a ritual of sorts. My best time to write is in the afternoon. I write at a small roll-top desk in my bedroom. Two votives are lighted and I start a diffuser with essential oil. I take frequent tea breaks to get away from the computer.  My muse likes my ritual. My ritual is helping me write Yale Larsson PI Book 4: A Pocketful of Euros.

“You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes you. This is a place where you can simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be.This is the place of creative incubation. At first you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something will eventually happen.”

I have two bliss stations: my Author Bliss Station where I write my Yale Larsson PI novels, and my Digital Bliss Station where I edit my photographs and create online videos. Both are constantly evolving. The following image is part of my Digital Bliss Station. Notice the votive. I have on at each bliss station. I always light a votive when I begin to work. Yes, I have a creative ritual. More about that in a future post.

Write on,
Doug