Finding Inspiration

Where do you find your inspiration? What motivates you to succeed and exceed? 

Inspiration is described as a feeling of animation, arousal, or feeling infused with spirit and enthusiasm to do something. So, where do you find your inspiration? Here's where I find mine.

(1)  Exercise. It sounds corny, but a walk outside can clear the mind and refresh it. Yoga, Zumba, swimming, walking, lifting weights, and even meditation can inspire, too.

(2)  Take Photographs. I don’t have a fancy camera, every picture I take is with my phone. But I love taking all kinds of pictures. It helps me look at things through a different lens. Sometimes a new perspective is all you need to be inspired.

(3)  Be Creative. Draw, paint, play music, sing, dance or write. Artistic expression can be very freeing and often opens your mind to a variety of life’s possibilities.

(4)  Give It a Shot. Try something you always thought you couldn’t do, but always wished you could.

(5)  See the World Through the Eyes of a Child. Hang out with a kid for a day. Most children have a straightforward and honest view of the world. Without responsibilities weighing them down, their carefree attitude inspires fun. So, ride that rollercoaster, splash in the puddles, and smell every single flower on your walk.

(6)  Travel. See how other people live, eat and work. Experience the wonder of another world and culture. There is a lot of inspiration to be had there.

(7)  Let Go. Decide to leave behind those people, behaviors or things that don’t work for you anymore. Sometimes things are out of your hands and you have to make peace with that. Spend your energy on reflecting and enjoying your accomplishments and the relationships that are working.

(8)  Stop Being a Perfectionist. Celebrate your messiness, mistakes and flaws. Hooray! You are human. We love you just the way you are.

So, tell me, where do you find your inspiration?

NO REGRET, the 10^th book in Julie's fun, geeky Lexi Carmichael series, releases on January 8, 2018 and is available for pre-order across all online platforms! Her new young adult spy/adventure WHITE KNIGHTS drops on December 14, 2017. Wohooo!

Check out the details on all of Julie's books at her website here.

Branching Out of Your Norm

Here at Not Your Usual Suspects, we mostly write mysteries and suspense, but I’m sure there are a number of authors who have branched out to other genres…maybe with material along the same lines (including horror or thrillers) or maybe...something else.

Personally, I’ve branched out into young adult (although it’s not yet published). It’s not a permanent move, but it’s definitely a departure from my norm of romantic suspense.

There is another more recent branching out that occurred. It’s been years in the making and really something I didn’t think would see the light of day, but sometimes life leads you down unexpected paths. After all, I never thought the day job would actually co-exist with my writing job, but one gave me the education to make both worlds meet.

Also… the current climate of the nation had something to do with this latest endeavor because this country could really use a couple of minutes to laugh and recharge as we struggle through each new day and the surprises that come with it.

Okay, I’ve stalled long enough, so here’s the latest.

Last Monday was the release of my first non-fiction book. It’s straight from the day job and in that, I mean, it’s been years in the making. It’s called Overheard on the Set and it’s a book of quotes that my husband and I have been compiling for a very long time.

It’s strictly for laughs (and maybe a few shocks).  It’s also rated PG and intended for older audiences. (18+)

So, if you’re looking for a laugh or even a gift for someone who has everything, this might be something to consider.  Keep in mind the quotes are out of context, but that's most of the fun. We have separated them by chapters including 'Props Gone Wild', 'What!' and 'Wardrobe issues' just to name a few. 

Here are some of the quotes in volume 1. (Volume 2 & 3 are in the works.):

“His goal? His goal is to be employed tomorrow.”

“Would you give him the note? I don’t want to be punched.”

“We’ll never see him fully erect.”

“Maybe we go a little angled just to see his thing.”

“I’ll try not to draw blood.”

Here’s the blurb:

Ever wanted to be a fly on the wall during production of a sitcom?

Ever wanted to know just what goes into making television?

Overheard on the Set is a behind the scenes glance at what really happens on set before and during production.

We warn you. Sometimes it isn’t pretty. And sometimes it’s so funny you can’t help but laugh.

Overheard on the Set. You won’t believe your ears.

The 5 star reviews keep coming which makes us very grateful!

Happy Monday!

Links are below if you're interested. 

Amazon | iBooks | Kobo 

THE BEST HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR WRITERS

Well, the holidays are upon us so that means gift giving galore for most of us. While it's great to get that comfy pair of slippers and a fuzzy sweater, the writer in us longs for specific gifts. Not sure what they are? No problem. Grab a pen and a piece of paper because I'm here to help you find just the right gift for that writer in your life.

THE BEST GIFTS FOR WRITERS

1.) TIME.  For writers (especially those with children) the most precious gift is the TIME. Time alone time to plot, think and actually write. Offer to babysit or take their kids somewhere. You will get so many bonus points as a friend/spouse/companion for giving this that you will end up gifting yourself in terms of gratitude from said writer.

2.) A TRIP TO A WRITER'S RETREAT/CONFERENCE. Give the writer in your life the chance to go away on a writer's retreat or conference. This is important because writing is a solitary profession and writers NEED that connection with other writers to commiserate the hardships or celebrate in the milestones that only other writers can understand. This can be a monetary gift, making the arrangements for the conference/retreat or watching the house/cat/children while the writer goes away.

3.) EXTRA MONEY FOR PROMO. These days writers are not only writers, but they must also be marketing whizzes as well. Since most of us are trying to figure out how the heck to do this right, we need to experiment a bit with advertising. A little extra support in the promo budget would be very welcome. If you are flush and want to offer the gift of a personal assistant -- well, I freaking guarantee you that will go over WAY better than a diamond bracelet.

4.) BUY THE BOOK. Buy the writer's book and encourage all your friends/family/co-workers to do the same. Talk up the writer to everyone you know and be sincerely proud of their hard work. This is a low cost gift, but would be much appreciated.

5.) WRITE A REVIEW. This is a no-cost gift in terms of cash, but the gratitude you will receive from the writer in your life will come back to you tenfold. A kind word-of-mouth about the writer's books and a review or two will be very well received, I promise you.

Every writer is different and each writer will want different things. My advice is to ask the author in your life what they need to support their writing. The fact that you asked will also earn you bonus points.

By the way, if you are MY friend and you want to know what to get ME for the holidays -- my latest book, NO ROOM FOR ERROR, the seventh book in my geeky, mystery series was just released and is available for purchase here. Hint, hint!

Good luck with your gift giving and Happy Holidays!  Love, Julie

What the Heck is a Cozy Anyway?

I probably don’t have to tell you cozy mysteries are in a class by themselves. Cozy readers are some of the most passionate people I know, but in case anyone out there is stumbling onto the term for the first time, let me tell you the cozy “rules.” Okay, I used quotes because I’m kind of a most-things-are-probably-guidelines girl. Plus, “rules” seems so rude and totalitarian, doesn’t it? I prefer Guidelines. Maybe that’s me?

Cozy guidelines are easy. These lively little mysteries are part of the crime fiction family, but they are also so much more….They’re fun! Cozies always have an amateur, sleuth. Once upon a time most of those were female, nowadays there are plenty of fabulous male amateur sleuths as well. (My heroine's a female, so I'll go with "She" for this post). The heroine’s drawn into the investigation and has to learn as she goes. She lives in a small community where she’s comfortable. The secondary characters are rich and interactive.

Cozies don’t linger on gory crime scene details and they don’t use excessive foul language. They also don’t describe intimate scenes between characters. Ugh, that really does sound like rules, huh?

BUT! Hang in here with me. This is the best part…Cozies are meant to make a reader smile, keep her hooked and hopefully keep her guessing. Cozies can have romance, but it never overwhelms the plot. Cozies are written for quick-witted readers and the storyline moves at a clip. Plus, like any good mystery, red herrings abound! I do enjoy a good bunny trail. Just when I think I know what’s happening, the author yanks the carpet out from under me and I’m reading faster to find out what will happen next! Cozies are a thrill! I’m still getting my head around the fact I’ve written one. No. Three!

Many small things come together to form a good cozy, but my favorite aspect of this genre is the humor. I love to laugh and I really really like to make others laugh. A lot. So, when I pick up a novel that can make me smile, it’s a keeper – and it’s often a cozy. If I can make a reader laugh? You can’t see me, but I’m shaking my head. If I make a reader laugh, I’ve nailed it. I win at authoring.

In my Patience Price Myeteries, I’ve taken a curiosity-driven island counselor and taunted her with endless amounts of intrigue and obstacles. She’s dealt with body parts washing up on the beach, a reality show come to town, locals worried about their safety, a shark infestation, birders arriving by the busload, money problems and some pretty serious threats on her life.
If that’s not enough, she’s got family drama. Her adoring, hippie parents don’t understand her Type-A ways. Her current love interest doesn’t understand why her ex-soul mate is always hanging around and her ex doesn’t really see the problem. The town’s dividing up publicly on the topic of her love life and hey! They even made shirts.

I think women have the most fun with cozies because we understand the struggle. We juggle the same things, minus the murder, I hope. We deal with family and friends and romance. Community commitments and punch a time clock. Women know all about how easy it is to leave the house wearing two different shoes. We’ve all tried to dial our glasses and put the phone on our nose. Imagine trying to solve a murder too. It’s crazy, but when it’s someone else’s crazy…..so it’s fun to watch the antics unfold.

Car bombs? Shootings? Abductions? Sure. But what about golf cart chases, cat dates and missing eyebrows? Absolutely! In a cozy mystery, there’s no end to the antics an amateur can get herself into while following the clues to a killer. I shudder to think how far I’d make it in a real sleuthing scenario. I’m going to guess not very far.

Are you a cozy reader? What’s your favorite series? Do you think you’d make a good sleuth?

Taking on the Series Challenge

Writing a series is a lot different than writing a stand-alone book. When an author sits down to plan out a series, it’s like writing multiple books at once. Each book has to have a singular plot, but all the books have to be working together toward a series finale. 

If this is a series that involves the same main character, then all additional main characters, their personalities, growth, issues and challenges all have to be mapped out in coordination with an overall series arc. A series requires a lot of foresight, planning and long-term character development. Plots should be at least lightly sketched out for a few books in advance. If you have an exact number of books planned for your series, then it's even easier. It’s helpful if you have a clear idea of where you want to go with your characters and how you want them to change over the course of the books.

It can all seem daunting, but it is also a lot fun. Personally, I love to revisit my characters in novel after novel. In many ways they have become like family to me. It's fun to plot their activities and watch their growth as people, lovers and friends.

Obviously, I like to write series. The latest book in my humorous, geek mystery series, NO TEST FOR THE WICKED, came out December 1. It’s the fifth book (actually the sixth because there is a novella in the mix) and Lexi Carmichael and her friends are back again for another adventure.

Lexi Carmichael, geek girl extraordinaire, is headed to high school. Again. Returning to high school is not something she ever wanted to do over—it was awful the first time around. So why do she have to go back as part of a new undercover assignment? Because the universe loves playing jokes on her, obviously.

She’s been ordered to go all 21 Jump Street and track down the students who are breaking into the computer system, changing grades, and causing all kinds of havoc. Although she’s not thrilled about her new gig, at least it gives her something to do other than worry over the fact that she now has a boyfriend. And no freaking idea what to get him for Christmas.

Or it did give her something else to worry about, until she stumbled across a more sinister threat. Lexi is shocked to find distinct traces of a group of international hackers inside the network. Why would dangerous cyber mercenaries be interested in a high school in the middle of Washington, D.C.? What exactly has she gotten herself into?

So, what do you think of series? Love them, prefer a stand-alone novel or a mixture of both?