There are bad dogs--and then there are bad beagles. In this hilarious and heartwarming memoir, single mother Paula Munier takes on the world’s worst beagle--and loses every time. She tries everything to fix Freddie--but nothing really works. As her youngest son grows up and prepares to leave her soon-to-be empty nest, Paula’s worst fear is that after more than thirty years of raising kids, she’ll be left all alone--with Freddie.
Build an Exceptional Plot, One Scene at a Time! Think of your favorite story--the one that kept you turning pages late into the night, the one with a plot so compelling, so multilayered, so perfect that you couldn't put it down. How can you make your own plots--in your novels, short stories, memoirs, or screenplays--just as irresistible? Plot Perfect provides the answer. This one-of-a-kind plotting primer reveals the secrets of creating a story structure that works--no matter what your genre. It gives you the strategies you need to build a scene-by-scene blueprint that will help elevate your fiction and earn the attention of agents and editors. Inside, literary agent, editor, and author Paula Munier shows you how to: • Devise powerful plots and subplots and weave them together seamlessly • Organize your scenes for the greatest impact • Develop captivating protagonists, worthy antagonists, and engaging secondary characters • Use dialogue, setting, tone, and voice to enhance your plot • Layer, refine, and polish your storyline • Define your story in terms of its theme Filled with writing exercises, plotting templates, and expert advice, Plot Perfect helps you dive into the intricacies of plot--and write a compelling story that readers won't be able to resist.
Juliette Ward is tired of trying to be superwoman. Her job's driving her crazy, her house has been burgled three times and she's scared to let her six-year-old son out to play. But just as she persuades her family to move to the country, her DJ husband Jon promptly lands the breakfast show on a new London radio station. Juliette knows he'd be mad to turn down his big break. But she hates the thought of swapping her stable marriage for a long-distance relationship. Big city versus country idyll? If only things were that simple...
Love is a complicated thing... Lottie Carlyle is happy enough. Living in a beautiful cottage with her two adorable—sometimes—kids in an idyllic village, on good terms with her ex-husband, and with friends all around, everything is going just fine. But when she meets her new boss, her peaceful world is thrown into delightful, exciting, and frustrating chaos. Tyler is perfect for Lottie, but her kids do not agree. To make matters worse, the handsome and mysterious Seb appears on the scene, intriguing—and distracting—Lottie and charming her children, making it more and more difficult for her to make up her mind... "Very nicely done... Jill Mansell's chorus of sharp-witted youth, shaking sticks at the foibles of their elders, is delightful." —Daily Express "A smashing read that both delights and surprises the reader." —The Sun Praise for Thinking of You: "Mansell is like a Michelin-rated chef: She may use common ingredients, but under her sure hand the results are deliciously superior." —Kirkus "Humorous, sometimes poignant... Her breezy style resembles that of Sophie Kinsella or Helen Fielding... readers will be delighted." —Booklist "Jill Mansell combines, humor, friendship, romance and betrayal... keeps you wanting more." —Fresh Fiction "Beyond the fun, faulted characters, Mansell has a gift for humorous and witty dialogue that will leave readers in stitches... Mansell excels at creating relationships that are dynamic and complicated." —Savvy Verse and Wit
Dear old Freddie, don't you know, has been a dear old pal of mine for years and years; so when I went into the club one morning and found him sitting alone in a dark corner, staring glassily at nothing, and generally looking like the last rose of summer, you can understand I was quite disturbed about it. As a rule, the old rotter is the life and soul of our set. Quite the little lump of fun, and all that sort of thing.
Mercy and Elvis are back in The Hiding Place, the most enthralling entry yet in USA Today bestselling Paula Munier's award-winning Mercy Carr mystery series. When the man who killed her grandfather breaks out of prison and comes after her grandmother, Mercy must unearth the long-buried scandals that threaten to tear her family apart. And she may have to do it without her beloved canine partner Elvis, if his former handler has his way.... Some people take their secrets with them to the grave. Others leave them behind on their deathbeds, riddles for the survivors to solve. When her late grandfather’s dying deputy calls Mercy to his side, she and Elvis inherit the cold case that haunted him—and may have killed him. But finding Beth Kilgore 20 years after she disappeared is more than a lost cause. It’s a Pandora’s box releasing a rain of evil on the very people Mercy and Elvis hold most dear. The timing couldn’t be worse when the man who murdered her grandfather escapes from prison and a fellow Army vet turns up claiming that Elvis is his dog, not hers. With her grandmother Patience gone missing, and Elvis’s future uncertain, Mercy faces the prospect of losing her most treasured allies, the only ones she believes truly love and understand her. She needs help, and that means forgiving Vermont Game Warden Troy Warner long enough to enlist his aid. With time running out for Patience, Mercy and Elvis must team up with Troy and his search-and-rescue dog Susie Bear to unravel the secrets of the past and save her grandmother—before it’s too late. Once again, Paula Munier crafts a terrific mystery thriller filled with intrigue, action, resilient characters, the mountains of Vermont, and two amazing dogs.
Enthrall Your Readers! Suspense is one of the most powerful tools a writer has for captivating readers--but it isn't just for thrillers. From mainstream fiction to memoir, suspense creates the emotional tension that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is your hands-on guide to weaving suspense into your narrative. Award-winning author Jane K. Cleland teaches you how to navigate genre conventions, write for your audience, and build gripping tension to craft an irresistible page-turner. Inside, Cleland will show you how to: • Implement thirteen no-fail techniques to construct an effective plot and structure for your story • Use Cleland's Plotting Road Map to add elements of suspense like twists, reversals, and moments of danger • Write subplots with purpose • Improve your descriptions, character development, sentence structure, and more Packed with case studies, exercises, and dozens of examples from best-selling authors, Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot is the key to writing suspenseful, engaging stories that leave your readers wanting more. ------ "Indispensable! For newbie authors and veterans alike, this terrific how-to is your new go-to. Don't write your book without it--it's a treasure." --Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author
The Prequel offers an introduction to the compelling 'Second Chances Romance' Series. Meet the five women whose stories comprise the series. The Prequel is FREE and is also included in Book 1 of the Series - Lianne, which is also Free. Can five determined women save their dying hometown? Like many small towns, Chance California is losing businesses and residents at an alarming rate. Can five women who suffered recent heartbreak put their energies into stopping the town’s decline? In this short prequel, get to know the women who pool their considerable talents, joining forces to bring new life to their town. And who knows… they might discover love among the ashes of their heartbreak. The series continues with the individual stories of Lianne, Emma, Madison, Jade and Chloe. Each is a stand-alone romance.
