Linda Barnett-Johnson

    How to bring your characters to life.   Assuming you've chosen your POV, you will already be thinking about your characters. True, too, you may have been thinking about your characters before choosing your POV. The two go hand in hand, or word-for-word. In order to flesh out your characters and give them ample zing, it's a good idea to make lists of attributes for each player in the plot. However thorough, you must then write your scenes to fit each character. That is, each scene that you write when a character appears in the story should reveal what you planned for him or her when you made your list, and how you planned for them to act. Of course, as the story develops, any character may take on a different persona than you first imagined. That's not a problem. Amending the original sketch will suffice, keeping in mind how the new character image affects all the other characters and the plot overall. I've always been interes...

A personal road map for spiritual growth ORDER UNFOLDING THE MYSTERY OF SELF AND GET LYNNE'S FIRST BOOK FREE - LIVING HOPE Read more. Dr. Cockrum-Murphy has provided a personal road map for a spiritual journey to enlightenment for anyone willing to embrace the message. She has provided a gift that is a must read for all.   ~ Lynda Hemann, PhD., LISAC As the illusion of the material world melts, communion with angels, ancestors, teachers and masters becomes common place when Lynne Cockrum-Murphy shows we are all guided throughout our lives. This  awareness and self-realization is available to anyone who seeks .  Unfolding the Mystery of Self – We Are Never Alone  is a descriptive illustration of the author's development of her  spiritual pat...

        Many books I've read start off with great beginnings and even end with surprises. However, their middles left me wondering why I should keep reading. Truth is, the beginning had set up a situation I wanted to see to completion, so I read to the end, but getting through the middle was nearly an arduous task. You've heard the term sagging middles , right? Many books begin and end in a spectacular manner but the middles offer little. In order to keep your story from developing a sagging middle, you must keep the action going. In a crime investigation, have some clues show up, only to be disproved. Or have the perpetrator almost caught but gets away. In science fiction, when the hero flies to a distant planet to rescue his love, have him meet with landing bays locked down tight with no other access to the dying star which will eventually explode. He further meets resistance from ships guarding the planet who want to see i...

Love, lust & betrayal... Read more. I couldn't put it down. I literally read it cover to cover in 3.5 hrs. This was a fantastic book with excellent use of a refreshing variety of literary devices from flashbacks to foreshadowing. One of the things I enjoyed most about it was the way the book concluded with an amazing roller coaster ride over the last 3 chapters. Also included a delightfully accurate description of the actual local area that it's set in.  ~ Mike T. When wealthy  Charlotte Phillips-Pierce is found murdered on a trail , Detective Parker Williams finds himself with a long list of suspects. Who would want to kill her? Or, as her son tells Parker, who wouldn't? From her children to the murderer she once befriended,  the list of suspec...

A government cover up that destroyed many lives... Read more. "I loved this book!! What a matter​-​of​-​fact inspirational story. I found it to ​be so ​heart felt, ​h​eart warming and genuine. It gives hope to the hopeless and faith to those struggling. ​Very empowering!" ~Brenda R. A  cover up of one of the worst environmental disasters in the history  of the United States took place at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina from 1957 to 1987. An estimated  one million Marines and families were exposed to multiple sources of unregulated chemicals  discovered in base drinking water systems. One specific chemical was benzene, a gasoline additive, which is  a carcinogen known to cause cancer.  One point one million gallons of gasoline leaked into the dri...

    This past spring, I attended a semi-local writer's conference. One of the speakers said that it was okay to publish a book that had errors in it. That it didn't matter, because you could always upload a revised version any time you want. He also said if you were to get a bad review due to the errors, that was okay too. You just need to grow a tough skin and ignore it. Then he stated that if the reader likes your story, they will buy your next book, even with all the errors. By the time I recovered my senses, he'd gone on to promote his "how to write and publish a book in thirty days or less" book.   I don't know about you, but I dislike a bunch of typos and grammar mistakes when trying to read. Sure, I understand a book will never be totally error-free, but we should strive to get as close as possible. I'm an avid reader and have returned books riddled with formatting issues and errors. And I certainly won't be buying anythi...

When the Curse of Tutankahamen was unleashed, Elvis stepped in... Read more. As with Carolyn's books on Astrology I was impressed with her meticulous research and clever skills as a writer. The possibility of Elvis being the incarnate of King Tutankhamen seems so very possible as she brings together the lives and similarities of the two "Kings". It just so happened I finished the book the day before the anniversary of Elvis's death bringing an even deeper appreciation of Elvis and all he contributed to our lives. Thank you Carolyn for sharing your experience,knowledge and dream. This is one of those books that will have a lasting effect on my life. I was sad to read the words "The End".  ~Susan S. A time travel about the reincarnation of Elv...