Great way to end the week!

You ever have one of those weeks where you just don’t get to do the things you want to do because the job and life takes over? That has been my week or last two weeks.

On the other hand, this has been a week of great enjoyment for me as a writer. On Monday, I posted about the guy who yelled out his truck, blocking traffic, to tell me he liked my latest book, CONNECT THE DOTS.

Monday night I came home to find a message from Heather Bishop of WZID who said, “I’m not a cute guy, but I REALLY like Connect the Dots!”

One of the guys who work for me out of New Jersey sent me an email on Wednesday sent me an email telling me that he started reading Connect the Dots and is with him so he can read during lunch. Mike claims, “It is non-stop movement and action.”

Friday morning, I decided to get some breakfast and ran into Scott who works for the postal service and is reading Connect the Dots during his lunch break. According to Scott, “I’m really enjoying it and it makes me want to turn the page.”

The piece de resistance is after a very long week, I come home and at 1 AM I see a Google alert in my email. I click the Google alert and it takes me to Intense Whisper’s blog where I see she posted a review and book giveaway of CONNECT THE DOTS. Not just a review, but a wonderfully worded and high-praise review that immediately put a smile on my face and made me send the link to my family at one in the morning.

Thank you all and especially Robin for making me feel loved as an author. It's always nice to hear someone say they like your story and want to read the others. What a compliment!

Please click the link above and show Robin/Intense Whisper some love by leaving a comment and entering her book giveaway.

Intense Whisper AKA Robin K and I met on Twitter and send quick quips back and forth. She is hysterical, and a great follow on Twitter.

Now, would you say this was a great week to be a writer or what?

Time to go celebrate the 15th Anniversary of my favorite bagel shop, Big Easy Bagels, in Manchester, NH. Hope to see you there.

I lose power and get a great review of Connect the Dots

One bad turn deserves a good one.

The day New England is hit by a powerful rain and wind storm and half of New Hampshire loses power, including me, I find out that April of Cafe of Dreams posts a terrific review of Connect the Dots. Of course, I don't find this out until I'm sitting at Panera Sunday morning because while I have power back, I still have no Internet access. What a terrific surprise!

April starts the review with "The queen of techno thrillers, Denise Robbins, once again graces readers with her clever talent in Connect the Dots." How's that for cool title? "Queen of techno thrillers." [HUGE GRIN]

Please stop by April's blog to see the review, leave a comment, and enter to win a signed copy of Connect the Dots. Cafe of Dreams

Keep your fingers crossed that my Internet access is returned on Friday. In the meantime, I will try to check in while I am at the office or make more stops at Panera.

April - If you see this post, I hope you know I wish I had had access to see your review sooner, but it was a much needed pleasant surprise. Thank you!

President fails to ‘connect the dots’ but this crime thriller doesn’t

Salem author Denise Robbins didn’t know the title of her latest release would become today’s headlines, but she’s pleased at the media attention being paid to her crime thriller “Connect the Dots.”

A failed Christmas Day attack on a Detroit-bound Northwest flight led President Obama to proclaim his administration had failed to “connect the dots,” a phrase that has since taken on a life of its own. In a Google search for the words “terror” and “connect the dots,” there are no less than 192,000 returns.

“I received an email from a reader who had just bought my book, and she said she wouldn’t want to have a book title with a phrase being quoted by the president every two minutes,” Robbins said. “I look at it differently. My books are crime thrillers with terror as a main part of the plot. The title and the book fit perfectly with the news event.”

Robbins knows a thing or two about fright and making readers’ hearts pound. A software engineering manager, she successfully combines her knowledge of computers and technology with the world of crime and clandestine activities in all of her novels. Her last release, Killer Bunny Hill, gave readers a glimpse into the breakthrough science of nanotechnology, while Connect the Dots delves into the secret world of the CIA.

Torture, secret prisons, and ghost flights are just a few of the other current-event themes touched upon in Connect the Dots, which was released on Dec. 15.

The hero in Connect the Dots is a special agent, and the heroine is a CIA Human Intelligence Officer who is kidnapped and ends up in a “black site.” Black sites, or secret prisons run by the CIA, made headlines a few years ago when stories about their existence were published by national media. Robbins also effectively intertwines real events like the 2008 Russia-Georgia War into the plot, giving readers a glimpse into behind-the-scenes international activities.

Readers can learn more about Denise Robbins and her crime thrillers at her website www.deniserobbins.com. All her books can be purchased through the publisher at www.lldreamspell.com.

Books make great gifts!

Got some last minute holiday shopping to do? Not quite certain what to get that someone who has everything? Need some stocking stuffers?

Books make great gifts! And this Saturday, December 19, you can make that book gift all the more special by picking up a signed copy of a local authors novel.

Get in that last minute gift buying and celebrate the release of my latest thriller, CONNECT THE DOTS by joining me and mystery authors Michaeline Della Fera, Robin Beaudette, Cindy Davis, and Julie MacShane this Saturday, December 19 from 11 AM to 2 PM at Paper & Roses in Peterborough, NH.

This latest thriller takes readers on a page-turning tale of suspense, intrigue and international espionage with a storyline ripped straight from today’s headlines. Torture, secret prisons, and ghost flights are just a few of the modern-day themes touched upon in CONNECT THE DOTS.

Stop by Paper & Roses, have one of my homemade wine chocolate truffles, drink a glass of wine, and pick up a couple of books for the holidays. If you've finished your holiday shopping then come on out and treat yourself to a gift of reading.

I hope to see you there!

Making of CONNECT THE DOTS book trailer

Celebrating the release of CONNECT THE DOTS includes a book trailer. For those of you who don't know what a book trailer is, I equate it to a movie trailer. It's a teaser video that visually represents the story idea and teases or entices you into wanting to read the book.

How is this trailer created...from the author's perspective.

I start out by contacting Jeannie Ruesch, graphic artist and romance author. Jeannie created the book trailer for CONNECT THE DOTS as well as the book trailers for KILLER BUNNY HILL and IT HAPPENS IN THREES. Once Jeannie says yes that she wants to create the video I send her some of the same things that an author send to an agent or editor. I email Jeannie the book synopsis and back cover blurb (which is basically the query letter).

This results in Jeannie asking me some questions.

Typical questions are what do the characters look like? Do I have certain images in mind? More come but this is a typical start.

The hard part comes in when I have to craft the script for the trailer. You know how difficult it is to take a 90,000 word book and condensing it to 5 pages in a synopsis and then 2 paragraphs for a query. Now, you have to take all those words and condense them into maybe 100 words or less. Less is better.

Why so few words?

The typical length of a trailer is 1 to 2 minutes and 2 minutes is actually long. The reason for the short time is that you don't want to lose the viewer's attention and typical attention span is 60 to 90 seconds.

Jeannie helps me with the length aspect because I will send the script and she will shorten pieces. She will chop words or cut sentences, or she will even suggest that it needs to be stronger or tell me she wants something more visual.

Once we agree on the script, Jeannie does all the work.

Jeannie puts words to images and then to music. With CONNECT THE DOTS, Jeannie's husband actually created the music specifically for the trailer. Amazing!

I sit back and twiddle my thumbs, and wriggle in my seat with impatience to see the end result. When Jeannie has a draft ready she notifies me and I review it. Between the two of us we see if the wording/spelling is correct, if the images match what I envision, and the speed of the whole thing. We tweak back and forth and finally both say YES!

It's a fun and interesting process and the end result is seeing the visual representation of my story on screen. When Jeannie sent me the trailer for KILLER BUNNY HILL I literally cried. I couldn't help it. The representation was so perfect I was lost in the imagery. With CONNECT THE DOTS, I was awestruck. The video made my story and the heroine come to life and kept me spellbound.

Jeannie does such a terrific job that the guys who work for me want to know when the movie of CONNECT THE DOTS is coming out. Thank you, Jeannie!

Find out more about Jeannie Ruesch and her talent at her website www.willdesignforchocolate.com.

Four Days until CONNECT THE DOTS and I'm giving away books

In case you have not paid attention, my latest novel, CONNECT THE DOTS, releases in 4 more days. Of course, if you were unaware of this fact you must have been hiding under a rock or in a very long, very deep cave.

I am continuing the pre-launch today with a GIVEAWAY. In preparation for my third novel's release this year I am going to give away 15 signed copies of my first novel, IT HAPPENS IN THREES to 15 people chosen at random. If you are unaware of the storyline for IT HAPPENS IN THREES, visit my website to find out more.

The rules for this giveaway are very simple. Since this is the holiday season, let's give books to other people.

1. Leave a comment here as to who you would like to give a copy of IT HAPPENS IN THREES to as a gift.
2. Due to cost, I can't ship everywhere so the book has to be delivered to someone in the United States.

I will contact the winners of the giveaway tonight (Friday, December 11) so make sure to include your email address in your comment.

Where am I today?

Today we're continuing the Countdown to the release of CONNECT THE DOTS over at Heather's Book Obsessed blog.

Stop over at Book Obsessed and see the interview I had with Heather. Leave a comment or ask a question and enter a chance to win a free copy of CONNECT THE DOTS.

Join the fun and the Countdown to CONNECT THE DOTS! Visit Book Obsessed and then visit the other wonderful blogs on our countdown stops. Find the answers to the 14 questions in the celebration of the CONNECT THE DOTS release and return here, post your answers and enter to win...

2 posters, 3 bookmarks, 1 Connect 4 game, 1 T-shirt, 1 Starbucks gift card, and ... two books under the tree

http://bookobssessed.wordpress.com/,
http://michaelj.blogspot.com/,
http://www.jessicajamesblog.com/,
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/,
http://thebookjournal.com/blog/,
http://www.cerihebert.blogspot.com/,
http://torchundertheblanketbooks.com/,
http://crystalposey.blogspot.com/, http://emmaleighreed.blogspot.com/, and http://kcsbooks.blogspot.com/

On the 9th Day of Connect the Dots...Cookies?

On the 9th Day of CONNECT THE DOTS my author gave to me...

Miked Up, a terrific blog by writer Michael Jensen.

Visit Mike's blog at http://michaelj.blogspot.com/ and check out his blue monster. Find the answers to yesterday's questions and get a chance to win prizes.

**Return here with just today's answers from yesterday's questions and leave them in a comment you could win:
Two bookmarks,
two books,
and chocolate truffles made by me under your tree.**
One winner will be selected at random.


If you go back and visit all 8 blogs, get answers to 12 questions and leave the answers here, you could win:

2 posters, 2 bookmarks,
1 electronic Connect Four game, one Starbucks gift card. . .
and 2 books under the tree!


Join the fun and the Countdown to CONNECT THE DOTS!

Today please visit these wonderful blogs to find the answers to the 12 questions and directions to where you'll go tomorrow to continue the celebration of the CONNECT THE DOTS release.

http://michaelj.blogspot.com/,
http://www.jessicajamesblog.com/,
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/,
http://thebookjournal.com/blog/,
http://www.cerihebert.blogspot.com/,
http://torchundertheblanketbooks.com/,
http://crystalposey.blogspot.com/, http://emmaleighreed.blogspot.com/, and http://kcsbooks.blogspot.com/

On the 8th Day of Connect the Dots...

On the 8th Day of CONNECT THE DOTS my author gave to me...

historical fiction author, Jessica James.

Visit Jessica's blog at http://www.jessicajamesblog.com/ and check out her book Shades of Gray. Find the answers to yesterday's questions and get a chance to win prizes.

At the same time locating the next questions in our game of Blog Connect the Dots.

**Return here with just today's answers from yesterday's questions and leave them in a comment you could win An electronic Connect 4 game, a bookmark, and a book under your tree.** One winner will be selected at random.


If you go back and visit all 7 blogs, get answers to 10 questions and leave the answers here, you could win:

2 posters, 2 bookmarks,
1 electronic Connect Four game. . .
and 2 books under the tree!


Join the fun and the Countdown to CONNECT THE DOTS!

Today please visit these wonderful blogs to find the answers to the 8 questions and directions to where you'll go tomorrow to continue the celebration of the CONNECT THE DOTS release.

http://www.jessicajamesblog.com/,
http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/,
http://thebookjournal.com/blog/,
http://www.cerihebert.blogspot.com/,
http://torchundertheblanketbooks.com/,
http://crystalposey.blogspot.com/, http://emmaleighreed.blogspot.com/, and http://kcsbooks.blogspot.com/

On the 7th day of Connect the Dots...

On the 7th Day of CONNECT THE DOTS my author gave to me...

a Cafe of Dreams http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/

Visit http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/ site and check out April's book reviews. Find the answers to yesterday's questions and get a chance to win prizes.

At the same time locating the next questions in our game of Blog Connect the Dots.

**Return here with just today's answers from yesterday's questions and leave them in a comment you could win A Starbucks gift card, a bookmark, a poster, and a book under your tree.** One winner will be selected at random.


If you go back and visit all 7 blogs, get answers to 10 questions and leave the answers here, you could win:

2 posters, 2 bookmarks,
1 electronic Connect Four game. . .
and 2 books under the tree!


Join the fun and the Countdown to CONNECT THE DOTS!

Today please visit these wonderful blogs to find the answers to the 8 questions and directions to where you'll go tomorrow to continue the celebration of the CONNECT THE DOTS release.

http://cafeofdreams.blogspot.com/,
http://thebookjournal.com/blog/,
http://www.cerihebert.blogspot.com/,
http://torchundertheblanketbooks.com/,
http://crystalposey.blogspot.com/, http://emmaleighreed.blogspot.com/, and http://kcsbooks.blogspot.com/

On the 6th Day of Connect the Dots...

On the 6th Day of CONNECT THE DOTS my author gave to me...

another blog to visit, 2 questions to answer, a bookmark, and a book under the tree.

Visit http://thebookjournal.com/blog/ site check out her books, get a preview of my new bookmark, and find the answers to yesterday's questions at the same time locating the next questions in our game of Blog Connect the Dots.

**Return here with just today's answers from yesterday's questions and leave them in a comment you could win a bookmark and a book under your tree.** One winner will be selected at random.

If you go back and visit all 6 blogs, get answers to 8 questions and leave the answers here, you could win:

2 posters, 1 bookmark,
1 Connect Four game. . .
and 2 books under the tree!


Join the fun and the Countdown to CONNECT THE DOTS!

Today please visit these wonderful blogs to find the answers to the 8 questions and directions to where you'll go tomorrow to continue the celebration of the CONNECT THE DOTS release.
http://thebookjournal.com/blog/
http://www.cerihebert.blogspot.com/,
http://torchundertheblanketbooks.com/,
http://crystalposey.blogspot.com/, http://emmaleighreed.blogspot.com/, and http://kcsbooks.blogspot.com/

On the 5th Day of Connect the Dots...

Before I tell you about today's blogs and questions, I want to give a shout out to my father for his birthday. "Happy birthday, Pops!"


On the 5th Day of CONNECT THE DOTS my author gave to me...

Characters, Careers, and Contests at http://www.cerihebert.blogspot.com/ and a book under the tree. Visit author Ceri Hebert's website to learn more and find the answers to yesterday's question and get the next questions in our game of Blog Connect the Dots.

**If you return here with just today's answer from yesterday's question and leave it in a comment you could win a book under your tree.**

If you go back and visit all 5 blogs, get answers to 6 questions and leave the answers here, you could win:

2 posters
1 Connect Four game. . .
and 2 books under the tree!


Join the fun and the Countdown to CONNECT THE DOTS Release by starting at http://deniserobbins.blogspot.com/2009/12/on-first-day-of-connect-dots.html

Today please visit these wonderful blogs to find the answers to the 6 questions and directions to where you'll go tomorrow to continue the celebration of the CONNECT THE DOTS release.
http://www.cerihebert.blogspot.com/,
http://torchundertheblanketbooks.com/,
http://crystalposey.blogspot.com/, http://emmaleighreed.blogspot.com/, and http://kcsbooks.blogspot.com/

On the 4th Day of CONNECT THE DOTS launch...

On the 4thDay of CONNECT THE DOTS launch my author gave to me...

6 Questions to answer, 4 blogs to visit, 2 posters, a Connect Four game,. . . and a book under the tree!

We're only 4 days into and 11 days away from the launch of CONNECT THE DOTS and we have plenty of prizes to five and more great blogs to visit.

Join the Countdown to CONNECT THE DOTS Release Competition by starting at http://deniserobbins.blogspot.com/2009/12/on-first-day-of-connect-dots.html

Till Dec 15, follow the trail, answer the questions, connect the dots and post your answers back on my site each day for a chance to win.

Today please visit these wonderful blogs to find the answers to the 6 questions and directions to where you'll go tomorrow to continue the celebration of the CONNECT THE DOTS release.
http://torchundertheblanketbooks.com/,
http://crystalposey.blogspot.com/, http://emmaleighreed.blogspot.com/, and http://kcsbooks.blogspot.com/

The Internet and current events helped in the storyline for Connect the Dots come

This is one of those “On the way to the bank. . .something happened tales.”

A little over a year ago in about August maybe September I found myself intrigued by the Georgia-Russia War. Not because I am a ghoul but for the simple fact that a longtime friend was in the Republic of Georgia and I wanted to understand what was happening and how at risk he may be.

I, being the computer-savvy person that I am, decided to use the Internet to search and gain more knowledge. At the same time, I was getting ready to start my third novel. Ultimately, I decided to marry the two interests together.

The issue came down to what would the story be about and my ineptitude at Internet searches. The funny part is that while I may not find what I am always looking for I somehow manage to find something even more interesting. That is the case with the Georgia-Russia War and my novel Connect the Dots.

Somewhere in my search, I came across the words “black sites” in one of the article. The very words caught my attention, which sent me off in another direction and in a direction that grabbed a hold of my shirtfront and my mind and would not let go, not even after I finished writing the book.

So now, your question is or should be “What is a black site?”

I’m so glad you asked. According to Wikipedia “a black site is a location in which a black project is conducted.” Yes, Wikipedia was my first stop when I wanted to learn more. Wikipedia.

That’s a simple but not very detailed explanation, don’t you think? I did however, know what a black project was but just to confirm my suspicion I did look it up. According to Wikipedia “a black project is a classified military/defense project, unacknowledged publicly by the government, military personnel, and defense contractors. Yup, I was right.

I already knew this because I have a complete fascination with DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and many of their projects start out as classified. To find out more visit http://www.darpa.mil/.

From Wikipedia I was able to discern that black sites were secret prisons operated by the CIA outside of the US and currently used in the War on Terror.

Now if that does not take hold and squeeze your heart making it stop for at least a second or two I don’t know what will.

Are you intrigued yet? Want to learn more?


Stay tuned. As the days draw closer to the release of Connect the Dots, I will share more of what I learned.

Book Hooks

I think we'll spend the next couple of days discussing hooks for your books.

BOOK HOOKS

Let’s say you have to go on a business trip or you’re going to visit your family and you need a good book to bury your face in while your brothers and sisters argue over who gets the house when your parents are dead. By the way, your parents are sitting right there, alive and well.

Okay, yes, this has happened to me, although I only have sisters.

Now that you know this situation is inevitable, you need to get a good book to read. With so many books available, how will you choose the book you want to take with you?

Standing at the newspaper stand in the airport, you have five minutes to get a book. Staring at the wall of books, shuffling your feet back and forth, you pull one out. What do you look at to decide if that is the book you want to take on that 3-hour flight to tune out the screaming kids all going to Disney?

Come on, we have all been on that plane ride.

Some people judge a book by its cover, some will read the blurb on the back, and yet others will read the first page. Remember you only have five minutes to make a decision because they have just announced that your flight is boarding.

Whether the reader is a man or woman off the street, an editor, or an agent, five minutes is the rule of thumb to capture a reader and get them to want to read more and buy your book.

This is what you, the writer, need to keep in mind when you are writing the very first page of your book. No matter what you write, you have only five minutes to hook your reader. Therefore, your hook needs to be on that first page, in the first paragraph, even better the first sentence of your story.

Here is your first exercise for Book Hooks.

Exercise: Post a first sentence of a book you have written or one from your WIP, or even just do a free write. Feel free to post several examples.

My examples:

A warning whisper in the back of her mind didn’t stop Ruby from pushing open her fiancé’s bedroom door. - from It Happens in Threes

Tiny hairs danced on the back of Charley’s neck. - from Connect the Dots

When she discovered her date wore pink women's underwear with frills, Jane did not stick around to find out what else he may or may not have. - from my Pink Undie story free write

She had turned the place upside down, inside out, and could not find it. - free write


Have fun and look forward to seeing what you write!

Good writing day

In spite of the fact that my mind has been on something else all day and in a mental debate, I did manage to get some writing done. I got to over 35000 words today and just sent dad chapter 20 for editing. Now he has two chapters to send back to me. So happy when I get ahead of him.

I went out to my publisher's website http://www.lldreamspell.com/DeniseRobbins.htm
and noticed that they have my third book already listed with its ISBN number. Wahoo!

Check it out and look at the top of the page in the red block to see how the title CONNECT THE DOTS was typed in. It's so cute! Love my publishers.

CONNECT THE DOTS

Yeehaw!

Yesterday, I was given a bottle of champagne and decided to save it and celebrate when/if I sold book 3, CONNECT THE DOTS. My favorite hero!!

Well, it just happened tonight. I got the email from my publisher and the contract.

Now I am dancing the happy dance. . .champagne will be tomorrow night!!!