I was born in a little town in Nebraska with 700 folks—mostly all my relatives. I wanted to find “the rest of the world” around my 14th birthday (but of course I had to wait until I was 17). After that, I travelled whenever I could, first in U.S.A. and then the world
2. How many places are still on your “to go to” list?
Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, and Galapagos Islands are right up on top for now.
3. Is there anywhere you would not visit? Why?
I would like to visit Venezuela but not until it is safer.
4. What are your top three tips for traveling alone?
1. Don’t be afraid to be alone; there are friendly singles and couples that will always befriend you. 2. Don’t talk about you too much; be a good listener first as most folks would rather talk than listen. You will be adored for being a listener. 3. Be flexible; go with the flow, never know what opportunities will arise.
5.What inspired you to write Traveling Well With Less: A Woman’s Guide.
It was Monday October 7 and I was leaving on a cruise in Bucharest on Friday. My daughter called and asked if I was packed and I said, of course. So she said, why don’t you write a book on Travelling with a carry on and why it is best, etc. and do it before you leave Friday? So I did.
6. Do you intend to write another book? What will it be about?
My daughter, Tosca (the same one above), advised me to write a Financial Independence book for women. So I might.
7. Would you write in another genre? No.
8. Where do you feel most comfortable when writing? At my desk in the middle of the family room.
9. If you could eliminate one task from your daily schedule, what would it be?
I have already eliminated making my bed every day so that takes care of 15 minutes saved. I hate to dust—so that would be #1 on my list.
10. Think about punctuation marks. Which one would you pick to describe your personality and why?
Period probably. I like to finish what I start—one way or another.
11. Describe your handwriting.
Scribble. I make notes all over for everything.
Traveling Well With Less: A Woman’s Guide What, not another travel book? No, something better! Author Laura Moncrief has traveled to over 70 countries and every continent and she wants to save you from the many pitfalls that can be a disaster when you travel. This book tells you how it is (and it ain’t like it used to be) and how to ensure you will have what you need to travel well without dragging along the kitchen sink.This book includes tips on all aspects of travel but the most important parts of this book are THE LISTS—what to pack and what to wear. Print off these lists for every trip, and whether you are going for a week or a month, you’ll never forget something important that might ruin an adventure.
Biography
Laura Lee Moncrief is a native Nebraskan who has lived in Virginia, Colorado, Montana, and Georgia. A stay-at-home mother for 18 years, Laura went back to college to finish her education at 43. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Consumer Science and Finance, graduating with high distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1991. Upon graduating, Laura was self-employed as an American Express Financial Advisor for seven years and then investigated security clearances for the federal government for the next three years. Laura also taught senior finance classes at her alma mater for two years before retiring. Today, Laura volunteers at her church, plays pickleball three times a week, and, of course, continues to travel all over the world. She is the published author of six genealogy books and two about the early pioneers of Divide and Woodland Park, Colorado. The mother of three daughters, grandmother of seven and great-grandmother of two, Laura resides in Arizona … at least for now.
Other book:
Florissant, Colorado Pioneer Cemetery–The Stories Behind the Tombstones
I am asking for help naming my heroine in my steampunk novel, The Commodore’s Gift. I have named her Owena but need to know your thoughts. I used Owena as it is a Welsh name meaning young warrior.
The images above are for reference only, to give you an idea of how I envisage her.
To give you some background on her – here are a few things about her.
1. Comes from a upper middle class family background but not super wealthy.
2. Her mother died when she was young.
3. She was brought up by her father and older brother – they allowed her to learn from ‘manly’ literature, practice sword play and was more ‘tomboy’ than debutante.
4. She is feisty, adventurous and opposed to a conventional female role in society.
5. She stands up for herself.
Comment below with your suggestions. Thanks for taking part.
Being aware of your genre can help you contextualize your story but remember—just because you may have been writing towards a certain kind of genre, it may not mean that’s what your story actually is.
Common Genres include:
Thriller –built around the fast-paced pursuit of a life-or-death goal.
Fantasy – typified by fantastic aspects, such as magic.
Sci-fi – Sometimes called ‘speculative’ fiction. Fiction typified by scientific aspects, such as nonexistent technology or alternative realities.
Horror – instilling dread or fear in the reader. Sometimes but not always featuring supernatural aspects.
Mystery – solving of a mysterious set of circumstances.
Crime – typified by a focus on criminal activities.
Historical – set within a defined time period but drawing context from the cultural understanding of that time.
Western – typified by aspects of the American frontier.
Romance –focuses on a romantic relationship as the source of its drama.
Erotica – primarily intended to instill arousal in the reader.
Literary – focuses on realistic, weighty issues, typified by character-focused writing and a lack of other genre features.
Adventure Story A genre of fiction in which action is the key element, overshadowing characters, theme and setting. … The conflict in an adventure story is often man against nature. A secondary plot that reinforces this kind of conflict is sometimes included.
Biographical Novel A life story documented in history and transformed into fiction through the insight and imagination of the writer. This type of novel melds the elements of biographical research and historical truth into the framework of a novel, complete with dialogue, drama and mood. A biographical novel resembles historical fiction, save for one aspect: Characters in a historical novel may be fabricated and then placed into an authentic setting; characters in a biographical novel have actually lived.
Ethnic Fiction Stories and novels whose central characters are black, Native American, Italian American, Jewish, Appalachian or members of some other specific cultural group. Ethnic fiction usually deals with a protagonist caught between two conflicting ways of life: mainstream American culture and his ethnic heritage.
Fictional Biography The biography of a real person that goes beyond the events of a person’s life by being fleshed out with imagined scenes and dialogue. The writer of fictional biographies strives to make it clear that the story is, indeed, fiction and not history.
Gothic This type of category fiction dates back to the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Contemporary gothic novels are characterized by atmospheric, historical settings and feature young, beautiful women who win the favor of handsome, brooding heroes—simultaneously dealing successfully with some life-threatening menace, either natural or supernatural. Gothics rely on mystery, peril, romantic relationships and a sense of foreboding for their strong, emotional effect on the reader.
Historical Fiction – story set in a recognizable period of history. As well as telling the stories of ordinary people’s lives, historical fiction may involve political or social events of the time.
Horror – includes certain atmospheric breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces.
Juvenile – intended for an audience usually between the ages of two and sixteen. The language must be appropriate for the age of the reader, the subject matter must be of interest to the target age group, the opening of the work must be vivid enough to capture the reader’s attention and the writing throughout must be action-oriented enough to keep it with the use of suspense and the interplay of human relationships. Categories are usually divided in this way: (1) picture and storybooks (ages two to nine)… ; (2) easy-to-read books (ages seven to nine)… ; (3) “middle-age” [also called “middle grade”] children’s books (ages eight to twelve)… ; (4) young adult books (ages twelve to sixteen.
Literary Fiction vs. Commercial Fiction Literary, or serious, fiction, style and technique are often as important as subject matter. Commercial fiction is written with the intent of reaching as wide an audience as possible. It is sometimes called genre fiction because books of this type often fall into categories, such as western, gothic, romance, historical, mystery and horror.
Mainstream Fiction – transcends popular novel categories—mystery, romance or science fiction, [etc.] and is called mainstream fiction. Using conventional methods, this kind of fiction tells stories about people and their conflicts but with greater depth of characterization, background, etc. than the more narrowly focused genre novels.
Nonfiction Novel – real events and people are written [about] in novel form but are not camouflaged and written in a novelistic structure.
Popular Fiction Generally, a synonym for category or genre fiction; i.e., fiction intended to appeal to audiences for certain kinds of novels. … Popular, or category, fiction is defined as such primarily for the convenience of publishers, editors, reviewers and booksellers who must identify novels of different areas of interest for potential readers.
Psychological Novel A narrative that emphasizes the mental and emotional aspects of its characters, focusing on motivations and mental activities rather than on exterior events.
Roman a Clef The French term for “novel with a key.” This type of novel incorporates real people and events into the story under the guise of fiction.
Romance Novel – the romance novel is a type of category fiction in which the love relationship between a man and a woman pervades the plot.
Romantic Suspense Novel – romantic suspense novel is a modern emergence of early gothic writing and differs from traditional suspense novels because it moves more slowly and has more character interplay and psychological conflict than the fast-paced violence of [most] suspense thrillers.
Science Fiction [vs. Fantasy] Science fiction can be defined as literature involving elements of science and technology as a basis for conflict, or as the setting for a story.
Techno-Thriller – utilizes many of the same elements as the thriller, with one major difference. In techno-thrillers, technology becomes a major character.
Thriller – intended to arouse feelings of excitement or suspense focusing on illegal activities, international espionage, sex and violence.
Young Adult – refers to books published for young people between the ages of twelve and seventeen.
Do real research, describe aesthetic/tone/vibe over content, and be open to adjusting your decision down the line as you grow more accustomed to working with genres.
Genre is different from age group
Genre isn’t the age group you’re writing for. Age group and genre are often said together, so it’s easy to think they’re the same, but they’re not. For example: Young adult is the age group – Spy and thriller are the genres.
The primary age groups are:
– Board books: Newborn to age 3 – Picture books: Ages 3–8 – Colouring and activity books: Ages 3–8 – Novelty books: Ages 3 and up, depending on content – Early, levelled readers: Ages 5–9 – First chapter books: Ages 6–9 or 7–10 – Middle-grade books: Ages 8–12 – Young adult (YA) novels: Ages 12 and up or 14 and up
Choose a primary genre
When you pick your primary genre, you’re identifying the most prominent elements of your book. Ask the following questions.
You may have a handful of these elements in your book but when picking a primary genre focus on the most dominant aspects of your novel.
Is there magic?
If the answer is yes, then your book is most likely a fantasy. Is it set it in a fictional world that you created from scratch (like Lord of the Rings)? Then you probably have a high fantasy. Or is it built into our own world? If so it is most likely an urban fantasy.
Is it a fairy tale or a fairy tale retelling then you might want to classify your book as such.
Are there paranormal creatures (such as vampires, zombies, etc.)?
If there are, then it could be a fantasy, or it could be a supernatural/paranormal. Fantasy and paranormal are closely related and share some overlap, so it comes down to what is the more dominant element. If the magic is the more dominant element, then you have a fantasy. If the creatures are the more dominant element, then it’s supernatural.
When is it set?
If it’s set in the past, it’s probably a historical fiction. If it’s set in the present, you’ve got a contemporary and if it’s set in the future, it’s probably science fiction.
Where is it set?
If it’s set in this world, it might be a historical or contemporary. If it’s set in a world you made up, it might be some kind of fantasy or science fiction.
Is there manipulated science/technology?
If you are using significant manipulation of the science, we know today it’s likely to be science fiction. If you have time travel, then you could consider it science fiction.
Is there an element of mystery/crime to solve?
If the main purpose of your plot is mystery, then this is the genre you will use.
Is it laugh-out-loud funny?
If it is, then you’ve got a comedy
Is it a tear-jerker or a book with a lot of interpersonal conflicts?
Then it’s probably some form of drama.
Is there a romance?
Use the romance genre when the central plot of the book is a romantic relationship.
Is it intended to scare?
Then you’ve got a horror.
Is it “literary”?
If it’s a deep book, rich with symbolism and deeper meaning that’s meant to be dissected an analyzed than you most likely have written a work of literary fiction.
Is it action packed?
If your book is littered with action scenes like fights and car chases, then you have an action or thriller on your hands.
Is it about a terrible version of this world?
Then you’re looking at a dystopian.
Now decide which elements you think are the strongest/most prominent. That’s your primary genre.
Do your research
Make sure you do your research and have a good understanding of genre conventions. Readers of each genre have certain expectations. While you can most definitely take some liberties, you want to make sure you’re giving your readers what they’re looking for.
Note*** I did a series of posts throughout 2018 detailing every genre if you want to scroll through put ‘genres’ in the search box.***
I had two books delivered, to add to the never ending TBR pile 10 Days in January by Elenor Decker, which was the result of a competition entry and Eat with Us by Gina Cianfarani & Nancy Castro.
I have already read 10 Days in December by Eleanor. It is an extraordinary story of her life, building a home in the most extreme weather conditions.
I love all things Italy, so this cookbook was too good to not purchase! Can’t wait to try out the recipes.
Why not share the last book you purchased and why you chose it?
When in the midst of creating a new narrative, inspiration boards, whether physical or digital, can help immerse us in a particular time period, allow us to ‘see’ our characters, and are a great aid to making the story come alive. This board will evolve over time as ideas, images, quotes, magazine and newspaper clippings, photos, found objects, handwritten quotes, font samples, buttons and badges etc. influence our writing.
There are options for an inspiration board:
A full wall
A large poster
A notebook
A digital folder of images
A Pinterest board
A collage
Find an option that works best for you and that can be arranged and rearranged easily. As you delve into the narrative new characters may form or there is a twist in the plot that takes the story somewhere unexpected – change the board accordingly. Physically moving papers, photos, objects, and ephemera triggers different parts of our brains than moving digital information…and that can help us create new connections and come up with even more fresh ideas.
There are options for the type of board you create but all of them should allow change as the story develops.
Book Cover Board – what images appeal?
Character Board – what do they look like?
World Board – where are they?
History Board – what events have taken place?
Problem Board – what is the protagonist’s problem?
Quote Board – which evoke the story?
As I am writing a steampunk novel currently, my boards are filled with physical and digital images. There is a plethora of images available so that has made it easy to some extent but also difficult as too much input can detract from my focus. Here are some examples.
Physical:
Digital
What does your current inspiration board look like?
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