Category: Author

A Rave Review for “The War On Sarah Morris”

(Posted by Bernice Leahy on Amazon.com on April 19, 2024)

5 Stars

A poignant, coming of age story

The War on Sarah Morris is a thought-provoking tale of one woman’s struggle to survive in the cutthroat corporate world of publishing.

Having worked in a corporate environment for several years, I could relate to this story, having witnessed first-hand incessant bullying in the workforce, talented people constantly overlooked for promotion because of their age, sex, and their unwillingness to suck up to the boss, in a toxic workforce, often rife with misogyny. And don’t get me started on those endless, pointless meetings. As the author says, those are hours of your life you will never get back.

The author does a fine job of narrating this story from the POV of Sarah Morris, who not only has to battle to keep a job she comes to loathe but cannot leave due to the economic climate. She must also battle her own demons. A lot of people will relate to this compelling, well-written story, with its realistic characters, heart, humour, and soul. The author does a terrific job of describing the pitfalls of corporate life. At one point, I wanted to punch Sarah’s boss, Gillian, in the face and had to keep turning the page to find out what happened next. I highly recommend this engaging tale. And the ending is terrific. It’s five stars from me. Well done.

Let’s Hear from new LBP author, Kathleen Jones

 

(Published on the Legacy Book Press website on April 1, 2024: https://legacybookpress.com/hear-from-new-lbp-author-kathleen-jones/)

“The War on Sarah Morris, the story of a middle-aged woman struggling to stay employed when the company she has faithfully served for twenty-one years tries to bully her out of a job, will be released by Legacy Book Press in May. It’s been a long journey.

I got the idea for the novel in 2016, but I didn’t start writing it until October 2017. Why? Because I had just sold my first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, to Moonshine Cove Publishing, and I had to spend my time completing that novel and publicizing it. In other words, I was juggling two novels at the same time! In fact, since my time was so limited, I couldn’t finish writing the first draft of Sarah Morris until the fall of 2018.

By the fall of 2020, I had completed two more drafts. I wasn’t happy with them, so I decided to seek help. I thought of taking a creative writing course, but I couldn’t; the pandemic had shut down most public spaces. Then I discovered an email-based course, Online Mentor, offered by The University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. I took the course in early 2021. My online mentor was Marina Endicott, an award-winning Canadian novelist. It was a wise move; Marina’s feedback was very helpful, and she helped me craft a more polished novel.

In September 2021, I started working on my fourth draft with editor Glenda MacFarlane. Glenda did a very thoughtful and detailed substantive edit, followed by a line edit. Once again, I rewrote the entire novel. We worked together for five months—from September 2021 to January 2022—and I learned a lot from her. In early 2022, I hired Britanie Wilson to proofread the latest draft. I began submitting the manuscript in May 2022, and I signed a contract with Jodie Toohey of Legacy Book Press in December 2022.

The novel published in April 2024 was the fifteenth draft. This novel has been a lot of work, but I’m so glad that I stuck with it. For one thing, it helped me hang onto my sanity during the pandemic; it kept my mind occupied during those long months during lockdown when I couldn’t shop, socialize with friends, or eat at a restaurant. And it also served as an outlet for my anger about a number of issues: economic inequality, sexism, age discrimination, bullying in the workplace.

As I said before, it’s been a long journey, and a journey well worth taking.”

The War on Sarah Morris will be published by Legacy Book Press on April 11, 2024. The paperback and ebook will be available from Amazon, Ingram Book Company, Barnes & Noble, and Indigo Books and Music.

 

 

 

How Authors Can Keep Track of Queries

<a href=”https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/post-it-note”>Post It Note Stock photos by Vecteezy</a>

By Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist. Please sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT

Black binder clips spread with yellow post-it note on cork board

The querying process can be overwhelming. Most authors follow a two-step process when querying: first agents, then (if they can’t land an agent) publishers who accept unagented manuscripts. It’s not uncommon for authors to approach 80-100 agents and 50-80 publishers. How can they keep track of all these queries?

Some ideas:

Agents

  • Start by creating a new Word file containing the names of agents and contact information.
  • Find the agents who represent your genre. Good sources include QueryTracker (https://querytracker.net) and the Poets & Writers Literary Agent Database (https://www.pw.org/literary_agents) 
  • List entries by the agencies’ names, not by the agents’ names. Also, place the agency names in alphabetical order. Most agencies don’t want authors to query more than one of their agents. Consequently, this is the best way to avoid sending multiple queries to an agency. Include a link to the agency’s website, contact information (such as email addresses), and submission requirements. If you get any feedback from an agent, be sure to include it.
  • Before you send a query, check the agency’s website to see if the agent is currently open to queries.
  • Try to query at least 80 agents.
  • After you’ve finished working on the Word file, create a corresponding list of agencies on an Excel spreadsheet. Referring to your Word file, list the agencies in alphabetical order; beside the agency’s name list the agent’s name and the date you made the submission to her or him. If that agent rejects you, note the relevant date on the same line. Also, be sure to note the dates of any follow-up queries.

Publishers

  • If you can’t find an agent, create a Word file listing publishers who accept submissions from unagented authors. 
  • Start by creating a new Word file containing the names of publishers, editors, and contact information.
  • Where can you find publishers who accept manuscripts in your genre from unagented authors? Try QueryTracker (https://querytracker.net) and The Writer’s Center (https://www.writer.org/publishers-that-accept-unagented-submissions/). 
  • List entries by the publishers’ names, in alphabetical order. This method makes it easier to keep track of the publishers you’ve queried, and it also helps you avoid sending multiple queries to publishers. Include a link to the publisher’s website, contact information (such as email addresses), and submission requirements. 
  • Always check the publisher’s website to see if they’re currently open to queries before you approach them.
  • Try to query at least 50 publishers.
  • After you’ve created the list of publishers in Word, create a corresponding list of publishers on an Excel spreadsheet. Referring to your Word file, list each publisher’s name (in alphabetical order), then the name of the editor you’ve queried and the date you made the submission to her or him. If that editor rejects you, note the date; also note the dates of any follow-up queries you’ve sent.

Querying is a tedious, stressful, and, above all, time-consuming process. However, if you make some effort to organize yourself, you can (hopefully) get through this ordeal without losing your mind.

Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter athttps://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT  Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B0BY3RTNZG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=love+is+the+punch+line&qid=1681409156&sr=8-1). 

How Authors Can Use Twitter to Find Followers

<a href=”https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos”>Free Stock photos by Vecteezy</a>

 By Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist. Please sign up for free updates at‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT 

 One of the best ways for a new author to build a large online following is through a dedicated Twitter account. Creating and maintaining an account is simple and straightforward; it’s more of a habit than anything else.

 There is no charge to create a Twitter account. You can sign up by following these instructions: https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/create-twitter-account

Once you have created your author Twitter account:

  1. Decide on a theme for your account. If you’re an author, your account should probably be based around books and/or writing. My own Twitter account, Kathleen Jones, deals largely with the craft of creative writing.
  2. Write some articles related to your theme. Try to post one of them each month. Be sure to include images with credits; articles with images get more attention.
  3. Repost articles related to your theme from other authors, editors, readers, book publishers. etc. Always include the source(s) of these articles.
  4. Try to post/repost a certain number of articles every week. I try to post 12 of them.
  5. Build up your list of followers by following a certain number of new people daily. I try to follow 12-15 new people each day.
  6. Check your list of new followers daily and send a message thanking them for following you.
  7. Respond promptly to messages (as long as they’re courteous) that you receive from others.

Building a large following on Twitter takes time, but it’s easy, once you get into the habit of doing it on a regular basis. And you’ll probably connect with some very interesting people!

 Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter athttps://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B0BY3RTNZG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=love+is+the+punch+line&qid=1681409156&sr=8-1). Visit the Love Is the Punch Line Media Room at https://kathleenjones.org/media-room/

Looking for Feedback On Your Novel?

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By Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist. Please sign up for free updates at http://eepurl.com/ceSobT 

Have you finished writing the first two or three drafts of your novel? Do you want feedback on your manuscript before you start working on your next draft?

I found myself in this situation back in August 2020. I had just completed the third draft of my novel and wanted to know how to improve it. I didn’t belong to a writing group, and I didn’t have beta readers, either. So I looked online for help.

An Online Mentor Was the Answer

A number of institutions offer creative writing courses; however, most of these courses weren’t suited to me, as I was an experienced author who had already published a novel. What I needed was a course offering feedback on the manuscript I had already written. And that course needed to be online because Covid had made in-class learning dangerous.

After a bit of searching, I found the answer: the Online Mentor course offered by the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies Creative Writing Program. I decided to enroll for Winter 2021.

How Does the Online Mentor Course Work?

The course is email-based. Once the student is enrolled, she or he chooses an online mentor (usually an established Canadian author) from a list. If the mentor agrees to work with the student, the mentor contacts her or him by email; the student then submits some chapters to the mentor; the mentor provides feedback on the student’s writing. Students have up to 12 weeks, including time for rewrites, to work on up to a maximum of 25,000 words of a manuscript, 40 pages of poetry, or 90 pages of a drama or screenplay.

Is This Course Worth Your Time?

It definitely is! My mentor, Marina Endicott, a Canadian novelist and short story writer, provided valuable feedback on my manuscript. With her help, I was able to rethink the characters, cut out unnecessary details, and balance out the plot, which was a bit on the gloomy side. We worked on the first four chapters together; I then completed the rewrite using the insights I got from Marina.

How Do You Enroll?

Apply online at https://learn.utoronto.ca/programs-courses/courses/1686-online-mentor You’ll also need to submit a 10-page excerpt from the manuscript you wish to workshop to scs.writing@utoronto.ca, along with the name of your mentor-of-choice from the list of Creative Writing program instructors.

 

Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT  Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B07BYNX7BM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525812415&sr=1-1&keywords=love+is+the+punch+line) and Indigo Books and Music (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/love-is-the-punch-line/9781945181337-item.html?ikwid=love+is+the+punch+line&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0) Visit the Love Is the Punch Line Media Room at https://kathleenjones.org/media-room/

 

Daydream Your Novel

Daydream Your Novel

By Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist. Please sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT 

Finally, you manage to find some time in your jam-packed schedule. You wrack your brain, trying to force the words out . . . nothing. Or the words appear, but your writing seems awkward, forced. You try again and again, work harder and harder, only to get the same dismal results. Why? You know what you want to write. So why aren’t you getting anywhere?

Because creative ideas can’t be conjured up through conscious thinking. Creative ideas are products of the unconscious mind, and they float to the surface only when we aren’t “thinking” (in the conventional sense of that word).

But how can a writer gain access to creative ideas locked up in the unconscious mind?

By freeing the mind. By daydreaming.

Begin by taking the pressure off yourself to write. Close your ideas, lay down somewhere quiet (if you’re at home, that is), let your mind wander. Envision the scene you’ve been trying to write, let it unfold on its own, relax and watch it like a movie. Then, while that scene is still fresh in your mind, write it down as you’ve experienced it. Don’t worry about making every word perfect.

As odd as this technique sounds, it helped me to write my first novel. It also made the process of writing easier, smoother, less intimidating, and more fun. And writing a novel should be fun; otherwise, why bother doing it at all?

Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT  Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B07BYNX7BM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525812415&sr=1-1&keywords=love+is+the+punch+line) and Indigo Books and Music (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/love-is-the-punch-line/9781945181337-item.html?ikwid=love+is+the+punch+line&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0) Visit the Love Is the Punch Line Media Room at https://kathleenjones.org/media-room/

The Green Novelist: Rescuing a Beloved Hat

photo credit: Neal3K Handle With Care via photopin (license)

A series of posts by a Toronto-based novelist who’s trying to reduce her carbon footprint by making more thoughtful choices in her daily life.

Around 2009, I purchased—for the reasonable sum of $70—a gorgeous winter hat from upscale retailer Holt Renfrew (then known for its great assortment of hats) in downtown Toronto. The hat, made in Italy for Holts, was a 1920’s-style cloche that perfectly suited my vintage aesthetic: chocolate brown wool felt adorned in front with a cluster of satin roses in shades of beige, camel, and taupe, mixed with a couple of roses in deep brown velvet.

Every year or two, I dropped off my hat at The Hatter (a Toronto store that sells men’s hats) for a thorough cleaning. But by the spring of 2019, the brim, subjected to years of wear and tear, was badly misshapen. The Hatter cleaned the hat but they were unable to restore its original shape. I considered replacing the hat . . . but I didn’t really want to. I love this unique hat, I know I’ll never find another one to replace it, and above all, I didn’t want to create more waste by throwing it out.

Donating it to a second-hand shop wasn’t an option because—to be frank—who is going to buy a misshapen hat?

So I set out on a quest to rescue my hat. After a brief online search, I found a shop that restores the shape of women’s hats: David Dunkley Fine Millinery at 974 Bathurst St., just north of Bloor (https://daviddunkley.me). This charming shop, which sells its own exquisite women’s hats, replaced the worn-out wire from the brim of my cloche and magically restored its shape! I wound up with a hat that looks just as beautiful as it did on the day I purchased it, at a price (approximately $45) that was much lower than the cost of a comparable new hat.

Best of all, I was able to avoid adding more junk to the planet!

Visit Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist, online at https://kathleenjones.org/ or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/joneslepidas and sign up for free updates at ‪http://eepurl.com/ceSobT  Kathleen’s first novel, Love Is the Punch Line, a midlife romance set in the world of stand-up comedy, is available NOW, in trade paperback and ebook from Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Punch-Line-Kathleen-Jones-ebook/dp/B07BYNX7BM/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1525812415&sr=1-1&keywords=love+is+the+punch+line) and Indigo Books and Music (https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/love-is-the-punch-line/9781945181337-item.html?ikwid=love+is+the+punch+line&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0) Visit the Love Is the Punch Line Media Room at https://kathleenjones.org/media-room/

 

 

 

 

 

 

LOOKING FOR A GREAT VALENTINES DAY GIFT? NOW AT 2 LOCATIONS!

Author Kathleen Jones will be signing copies of her novel Love Is the Punch Line at two locations:

IndigoSpirit: First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West (King and Bay), Toronto

When: Tuesday, February 4, 2020, 12:00 noon to 2:30 p.m.

Indigo: Yorkdale Mall, 3401 Dufferin St., Toronto

When: Saturday, February 8, 2020, 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.