What They Did Right--RD Henham (Rebecca Shelley)

Let me start out by saying my fifteen year old, fantasy loving daughter LOVED the Brass Dragon Codex. Read it in two days. Said it was better than other dragon books she'd read recently. To me, that means Rebecca Shelley definitely did something right. And one of the things I believe she did right was she filled her book with action.

In You Can Write Children's Books, Tracey E. Dils advises middle grade books should "rely heavily on visual action . . . One way to ensure you have enough visual action in your plot is to ask yourself if you can think of at least one illustration that can be created for each chapter."

This is advice R. Shelley obviously took to heart. From the get-go. Her first chapter opens with a young dragon discovering his parents have been killed. The next introduces us to two gnomes working with lightning and acid as they try to invent a moving giant. Third, the gnome is burned. The action goes on and on. And so, too, does the reader's interest. I'd definitely recommend this book to young, fantasy loving readers.

What They Did Right--Joyce DiPastena

What do Jane Austen, Stephenie Meyer, and Joyce DiPastena have in common? The ability to make romantic scenes come to life and even, especially if you're a girl, increase your heart rate a bit. And they do it by incorporating "restrained desire."

For example, in Pride and Prejudice, both Elizabeth and Darcy occasionally convey their desire for the other, and yet because of social restraints, not to mention their belief in the other's indifference, they resist. In the Twilight series, Edward resists his desire for Bella because if he didn't, he'd kill her. And in DiPastena's Loyalty's Web, Helene and Gunthar resist each other because Gunther is engaged (at the Prince's command) to Helene's sister.

Furthermore, their restraint is depicted, not just through their situations, but through tiny, catch your breath details as they associate with each other. Think of Darcy staring at Elizabeth and then looking away. Of Bella touching Edward's hand and he pulls away. Of Helene and Gunthar's constant misunderstanding of each other and acting according to that misunderstanding.

You see, restraint is the key to compelling romance, not letting it all hang out as is so often shown in today's media. And that's exactly what Joyce DiPastena has done right in Loyalty's Web. I look forward to reading her next book.

Book Publishing Update Feb. 11

While I'm waiting for the final decision on my book title, I've been gathering more marketing ideas, building my official website, and collecting "blurbs" about my book from early readers. One of the blurbs I liked but will not, I don't think, use on my website because I already inserted several really great comments from her is:

Ronda Hinrichsen's descriptions made me feel like I was actually there, and the characters were believable and well-balanced. Her villains were so realistic that I found I intensely disliked both of them. . . The tension and suspense were really well done . . . and the way Ronda tied Stacie’s dream into the ending was great! --Cindy Beck

You know, there's something very satisfying, validating, and humbling about reading how our hard work has affected someone. Thanks, Cindy!

Book Publishing Update

Well, I think we're getting close to choosing a new title for my book. I won't say what it is until I know for sure, but the name on the table sounds promising. Meanwhile, besides working on my work-in-progress, I've spent time working on my website and gathering marketing ideas. My website will be rondahinrichsen.com. I haven't got it up and running yet, because I keep changing my mind on how I want it to look. Besides that, I'm wanting to know more about the title of my book and when it'll be published before I put it out there. You know, I'm starting to see why "site under construction" takes so long sometimes.