Latest Book Reviews

May 31, 2018May 31, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

Looking for something to read this summer? Check out my latest book reviews. All highly recommended! Enjoy!

You’ve heard it said when the right or wrong two people come together – it is combustible. And boy, does Wolfe deliver in this erotic, psychological thriller.

London, a licensed psychologist with a penchant for helping criminal, has found herself way out of her safe zone when she meets a serial killer named Grayson Sullivan. The chemistry between them is instantaneous, dangerous, captivating, alluring, and combustible.

“I’m not afraid of what lies beyond the blackness. I know what’s there lurking, waiting. Threatening. I am afraid that once I set the truth free, I’ll lose the rest of my humanity.”
Book one of a duet, Born Darkly is a twisted, dark, erotic, sexy, and spell bounding, and erotic thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, and breathless, and uneasy. An exciting page-turner you can put down.

*Warning: explicit sex and violence.

Book two in this duet by Trisha Wolfe starts where the first one left on, only more intense! London is transformed and forever changed. Graham is on the run, and she can’t stay away. So entwined, it’s as if they are one. London is no longer an observer. Her desire for Graham takes over everything and becomes not his only his “soul mate,” but a willing participant.

This dangerous, erotic, thriller will take you on a wild, dark ride.

*Warning: explicit sex and violence.

Scuba divers discover a coin from an ancient shipwreck with an unusual marking – a hole. When they find out the coin may be connected to a 30-year-old murder and the suspicious death of another, they find themselves in deeper and the increasingly troubled “waters,” of murder, political corruption, and sunken treasure.

Reminiscent of the old detective novels, Blood in the Water, set in the Atlantic off the Florida coastline, is a fun, face-paced whodunit, A most enjoyable read.

I’d love to hear your comments. Talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears and look for me on Facebook at SheilaMGood, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Twitter@sheilamgood, Contently, and Instagram. You can follow my reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Words Worth Sharing

April 30, 2018April 29, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Sometimes you read something so powerful all you can do, after breathing, is to share. Following is the winning essay in WOW’s Second Quarter Non-fiction Essay Contest.

An essay guaranteed to take your breath away.

Let’s Kill Your Grandfather Together by Adriana Páramo

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Stories to Share

February 26, 2018February 26, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

There is no shortage of talented writers out there, but if you’re like me, finding time to read all of the great stories that come across our screens can prove to be difficult. However, I encourage you to make the time. Not only will you enjoy some great stories but also learn a bit about the craft of writing short fiction.

Reasons to Read Other’s Stories

Here are a few of things I’ve learned from reading the work of other writers.

1. With each story, I learn something new about the craft.

Story structure.
The use of a theme.
Character development.
The use of imagery
And, the lyrical language of prose.

2. I also learn about the magazine, contest, or journal. The types of stories they like and publish most often. The more you read from a magazine, the better feel you have of what your story might need to achieve acceptance and publication. Of course, it goes without saying, read the guidelines before making any submission.

3. I love to pass these stories on. As a writer, I know the work that goes into perfecting a story. It’s a labor of love and one we all like recognized.

It’s my honor to share these stories with you, and I hope you will pass them on. So, without further ado, happy reading:

Cadenza by Naira Kuzmich – carvezine.com/story/2018-winter-kuzmich

This Too Shall Pass by Shannon Stocker – WOW Essay Contest 1st Place Winner

Two Slices of Toast by Dan Belmont – The Weekly Knob

As always, give the author a shoutout and let them know how much you enjoyed their work.

For Every Action

February 12, 2018February 19, 2018 / Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 6 Comments

If you remember much from your school days (which is getting harder by the year for this fence jumper) you’re familiar with Newton’s Third Law of Motion – For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (a force when an object interacts with another interaction).

For example, if I throw a rubber ball against the wall in anger, the wall is gonna push back and one of several things will happen: 1) I’ll catch it; 2) I will miss it and it will crash into my antique lamp; or 3) it will fly back and sock me in the nose (the most likely scenario). That’s a silly example, but you get the drift. Now, think about writing and how this law relates to your characters and their dialogue.

Dwight V. Swain, author of Techniques of the Selling Writer discusses how to identify “the code of efficient prose, Motion-Reaction Units (MRU); and, in her post, Motivation-Reaction Units: Cracking the Code of Good Writing, K.M. Weiland breaks it down even further by providing excellent examples.

Simply put, something motivates your character to react. An action, deed, event, conversation, impulsiveness, or fear, to name a few. The possibilities of what that motivation is depends on your character, and your story. The list of motivations can be long, winding, and provide depth to your story. Whatever it is that motivates a character to action, the reactions will help propel the story forward, introduce complications, the ante, and used to reveal.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind When Using MSU’s:

Motivations, the actions and reactions must run in a logical manner. They have to make sense to your reader. Introducing a reaction before the cause or motivation sows confusion.
According to K.M. Weiland, MRU’s typically are divided into three parts: feelings/thoughts, action, and speech.
Not all three of these elements are always necessary; well-written dialogue can reveal a lot about the characters reaction.
Reaction doesn’t always mean a physical reaction; sometimes, it’s mental or emotional. It should, however, be clear to the reader.

Using MRU’s is a tool which we can use to bring our scenes, characters, and dialogue to life, making them feel real and authentic to the reader. Check out K.M. Weiland’s post, Motivation-Reaction Units: Cracking the Code of Good Writing and tell me what you think. Do you use this technique or something different? Share it with the Fence Jumpers, we’d love to hear all about it.