Category: Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett

I’ve always loved October. As a little girl growing up in Ohio, it was the change of seasons with all of the beautiful leaves, the crisp cool weather, and the autumn foods my mother made. Pumpkin bread, chili and stews, apple pies, all made me look forward to October. And then of course, there was Halloween! We didn’t buy our Halloween costumes, we would scrounge around the house go through old clothes and accessories, and create our own costumes. My favorite was the year I was Mary Poppins.

As I got older, of course, I planned treats and costumes for my kids, and my youngest son’s birthday is near the end of the month, so he often chose to have a Halloween themed birthday party. I loved planning those parties and taking our boys trick or treating.

I live in Los Angeles now, so no colored leaves or dramatic change in temperature, and my kids are grown, so no costume planning or trick or treating, but October is still a wonderful month. Somehow, it’s now filled with writer events. The InD’Scribe conference for Indie authors is held in October, the OCC RWA Birthday Bash is in October, and this year, our new reader group The Charmed Connection is having a 5 day Halloween Event on facebook. So it’s a month of learning, sharing, writing, stories and books. What more could a girl want?

If you’d like to join us for any or all of The Charmed Connection Halloween Event hosted by our Charmed Writers, on facebook. Just click on the link below.

The Charmed Connection Halloween Event

We’ll be sharing Halloween Flash Fiction stories, recipes, games and PRIZES! There are nearly 100 authors in Charmed Writers, best selling authors in all genres, award winning authors and debut authors, if you love books, this is truly a ‘charmed’ place to hang out.

What are your favorite things about October? Scary stories? Baking? Costumes and parties? What were your favorite things as a child?

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Charmed Connections

September 10, 2018 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett, Events tagged as #Charmed Writers, Authors, books, Caitlyn O'Leary, Grand Opening, Jeri Bronson, Jina Bacarr, Kathleen Bitner Roth, Laura Drake, prizes, readers, Rebecca Forster, The Charmed Connection

Local Charmed Writer Write In

Stories are about connections, the connection between the author and their characters, the connection between the reader and the story, and then there’s the connection between the reader and the author. While the reader and author may never meet, they share a special bond, a creative bond, and an imaginative bond. They’ve share an experience. They’ve lived another life together.

Yes, we really give charms.

I’ve told you about our special writer group Charmed Writers, well we’ve decided that we want to connect with our readers in a direct way, and so we’ve created a new facebook group The Charmed Connection. More than 100 authors are available to our readers in this new facebook group that in it’s one week of existence already has nearly 600 members.

Our “Grand Opening Party begins today with three weeks of author introductions, prizes and fun.

Charmed Writers is a group with writers from NYT, USA Today and Amazon Best Selling authors, to award winning, debut and even authors completing their first manuscript. There are writers in all genre’s, thrillers, suspense, mystery, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, all genre’s of romance, inspirational, literary fiction, women’s fiction, gay fiction, and all levels of heat from super clean and sweet to erotica.

Books by just a few of the Charmed Writers.

So if you would like to have a direct connection with the storytellers, this is you’re opportunity.

Come join the party and meet The Charmed Writers in The Charmed Connection. What do you like to read? We know an author that writes books for you.

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It’s Just Your Point of View

July 10, 2018 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett tagged as Cynthia Swanson, Edgar Allen Poe, Erika Robuck, Mark Twain, Megan Hart, point of view, POV, The Book Seller, The Tell Tale Heart, Tom Sawyer

I’m the mother of three sons, all voracious readers, and all highly opinionated. Each knows what he expects from a story, so if he’s going to invest time reading a book, it better deliver. So, no surprise that as I rinsed the dishes and arranged them in the dishwasher my youngest son, Joey joined me to talk books.

“Hey Ma, do you prefer books written in first or third person?”

I thought for a moment, which did I prefer? First or third person point of view? “Either as long as it’s well done.”

A lively discussion ensued regarding the pros and cons of first person…he had mostly cons, I was somewhat divided.

I wondered how my writer friends might feel about the topic, so I brought it up at a recent write in.

“It doesn’t work well in fantasy, how do you give the reader a view of the world you’ve built in first person?”

“Don’t like it, it just doesn’t work for me.”

“The reader’s view is too limited in first person.”

The majority landed on the third person POV team.

Interestingly enough I’d never considered POV as controversial until these conversations. Personally, I love good writing, and whether the author delivers in first or in third, I’m happy.

First person done well can be amazing. Think Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, or Edgar Allen Poe’s, The Tell Tale Heart. Either story can be told in third person, but first person gives you a more personal glimpse into the main character’s head, and The Tell-Tale Heart gives you a view of the mind of an insane person that you probably couldn’t get in third person.

Some of my current favorite authors do first person brilliantly.

Author, Megan Hart writes in both first and third person and does both well. Her first-person books are seductive, slightly dark and suck the reader in from the very first line. As a reader you know her heroine, and each page gives you a better understanding of the main character, the choices she makes, what she thinks and how she feels.

The Book Seller, by Cynthia Swanson is written in first person. Swanson could have told the story in third, but by writing in first, she kept secrets from the reader, only to be revealed at the perfect moment.

Erika Robuck pens literary fiction in first person. Many of her stories offer a glimpse into the life of a historical figure, but written from the point of view of a fictional character who could have been in their life. By doing this, Robuck is able to present a different perspective. The story is fiction, but with an amazing excellent historical detail. She leaves you wondering…what if?

I write primarily in third person, but occasionally in first. And I read and love both. Tell a good story, make me turn the next page. If the writer puts me into their world and I don’t want to leave, I don’t care what tools she (or he) uses to get me there.

What about you? Do you prefer to read third person or first? And why? Or do you care? Which do you use when you write?

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Finding Violet

June 10, 2018 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett tagged as Beth Yarnall, books, edits, Nikki Prince, Priest, reading, Sierra Simone, writing

The start of the library I dreamed of as a little girl, doll and all.

As a little girl I dreamed of having my own library, a room filled from floor to ceiling with books just for me. And to go along with it, of course…unlimited time to read. I suppose that right now I have most of that. As my boys moved out I made one bedroom into a sewing room, and the other into a library filled with books.

Of course, as kids do, my youngest son moved back home last summer to go back to college. He’s sleeping in my library. Rather than pack up all of my books, he moved in another full bookshelf. Now, I worry that my son will be covered in an avalanche of books if we have an earthquake!

So, I have the books, and that doesn’t include what’s on my Kindle, and because my boys are all adults, and I’m no longer working, I have time. I can read all day long if I want. Or I can write.

I’m writing full time, well between loads of laundry, loads of dishes, and feeding my guys. Most of the reading I do is for friends, and while I enjoy working with friends, and it’s important for us to help each other out…I have good friends they reciprocate. There’s nothing like reading a book just to read, just to get lost in a really good story.

But I’m editing a historical novel and writing some novellas, romantic comedies right now, and I’m trying to focus, so there’s been little reading for the pure pleasure of it. I’ve learned so much in the last few years, and editing my historical novel has been exciting, educational and sometimes overwhelming. At one point my editor made notes that I needed to dig deeper to show Violet, my heroine’s growth, I needed to share more with my reader. I thought I knew what she meant, but I wasn’t sure. I poured through my manuscript. I could see places that could use more emotion, partially because Jenny had made notations by many them out, and partially because now that she’d pointed some out, I could see more. I sat at my desk digging into Violet’s soul. I could feel her hurt, her frustration and her fear, but I was having a hard time getting into the page. So, I walked away.

I loaded the washer, unloaded the dishwasher, found other chores that needed done. Eventually, I had to come back to my desk. I played a game of solitaire, then checked in on my friends on facebook. My friend, Author Nikki Prince (who is moving out of state, and I wish her the best, but will miss her terribly) had asked for suggestions for new books to read. Author Beth Yarnall and several others had recommended Sierra Simone’s book, Priest. Now this book may not be for everyone, it’s pretty steamy, and I’d consider it controversial. (Aunt Gloria if you’re reading this, this is not a book suggestion for you!)

So, I downloaded the book to my Kindle…I wasn’t getting much work done anyway.

From the very first words I was hooked. I devoured three hundred and forty-eight pages in one sitting. It had been a long time since I’d done that. I could feel Father Tyler’s compassion, his desire, his struggle with self-restraint, his suffering.

And when I finished the book, I felt renewed, and ready to write. I wanted my readers to feel as though they’d lived Violet’s life when they closed the book and I knew what I needed to do to get more from Violet. I went back to my manuscript, back to page one.

Now, I haven’t finished my edits, and I don’t know if Editor Jenny will be satisfied with what I’ve done, but I feel Violet’s frustration, her desire, her guilt and her fear. I feel Violet, and I hope that my readers will too.

The point of this is, that I’ve realized I need to read. I need to pick up a book just to hear a new voice, to live someone else’s life, to remember why I want to write.

So, make your suggestions now! What books have changed your writing? What books have left you wrung out, energized or in awe. What should be next on my reading list?

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