Kara Comes Clean – Gift Read her Story Anytime

Riverton Road Series, , ,

Kara Comes Clean. My name is Kara Cartwright. Some people think I’ve got a chip on my shoulder, but what I really have is a wound in my heart. That wound was inflicted in Riverton, New York, a place everybody else seems to love.

Kara Comes Clean. Too many of my Riverton memories are painful. From the heartbreaking fate of my mentally ill mother, to the day I met Anthony Benton, a cruel man who preys on the vulnerability of others, especially women. Nine years ago, I was one of those women, vulnerable and naïve and making the worst choice of my life.

Kara Comes Clean. I’d lost the man I loved, and I was shattered. Anthony Benton promised comfort and protection. He gave brutality instead, until I was finally able to escape from him, and from Riverton.

Kara Comes Clean. Unfortunately, that meant I also had to leave Aunt Dee, the one person in the North Country I truly cherished. Other than Matt Kalli, of course, the person who destroyed my heart.

Kara Comes Clean. Now, Aunt Dee has died and left me her big old house on Flower Street, but with some strings attached. I’m in Riverton to untangle those strings, then leave here asap. That is my plan, and I intend to stick to it, like hard winter ice sticks to a North Country highway.

Kara Comes Clean. I have remade myself and my life since I was last here. I’m no longer either shattered or vulnerable. I am quite the opposite as a matter of fact, strong and independent and in charge of my life. Or so I think, before the old hurts and confusion return the moment I drive into town with a dead cell phone and unsettling realities assaulting my heart.

Kara Comes Clean. Maybe that explains my hare-brained impulse to call Matt Kalli from the ancient phone booth I can hardly believe still stands on the corner next to the Victory Diner. I have been in Riverton less than half an hour, and I’m already making foolish choices. Kara Comes Clean. Maybe I haven’t changed as much as I thought, which makes me more than a little shaky in my no-nonsense hard-heeled boots. AND, I don’t yet know Anthony Benton has been murdered. OR, that I could be a prime suspect. What I do know is that I have definitely taken A Wrong Way Home.

Alice Orr – www.aliceorrbooks.com

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A Wrong Way Home – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Book 1 – Matt & Kara’s Story – is a FREE Kindle eBook HERE. Danger & romance explode in a red-hot read. Don’t miss it.

A Time of Fear & LovingFor yet another great read and fiery ride – readers recommend Alice’s latest novel. A Time of Fear & Loving – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Book 5. Available HERE

What readers say about A Time of Fear & Loving. “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.”
“A budding romance that sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.”
“The best one yet, Alice!”

Look for all of Alice’s books HERE.

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FREE BOOKS GIVEAWAY – A Villain for Vanessa – Gift for 5 Days

Great Read, ,

#FREE #Books #Giveaway. Autumn in the North Country and everything is on fire. Fabulously flaming trees. Red hot passion about to ignite. Blood-red murder smoldering in the vengeful heart of A Villain for Vanessa.

#FREE #Books #Giveaway. I loved conjuring this story. Now I love giving it away. Vanessa, in search of a warm family embrace, finds terror and sorrow and a wild river to drown her deep. Bobby, struggling to keep his loved ones safe, sees them dash toward destruction instead. A Villain for Vanessa book over art

#FREE #Books #Giveaway. I’m thrilled by the response to this story which was a rollercoaster ride to write. What readers say about A Villain for Vanessa. “Tightly written suspense with tension, shifts and twists that don’t let you look away.” “I was gripped before I was off the first page.” “The mystery gets tighter and tighter while the romance gets hotter and hotter.”

#FREE #Books #Giveaway. I reveled in recreating the place where I once walked among swirling leaves beneath thrashing branches beside that roiling river. Like Vanessa, my heart pounded as the wind rose. The same furious winds whipped my imagination to frenzy as I wrestled each scene onto the pages of A Villain for Vanessa.

#FREE #Books #Giveaway. We dare you to join us, Vanessa and me, careening past catastrophe, squealing through narrow escapes, a runaway speedboat toward conflagration. Your free ticket awaits – RIGHT HERE – Today/Thursday, October 25th, through Monday, October 29th. Enjoy the ride called A Villain for Vanessa.

Alice Orr – www.aliceorrbooks.com

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For yet another great read and fiery ride – don’t miss Alice’s latest novel. A Time of Fear & Loving – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Book 5. Available HERE. Look for all of Alice’s books HERE.

A Time of Fear & LovingWhat readers say about A Time of Fear & Loving. “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.”
“A budding romance that sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.”
“The best one yet, Alice!”

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http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
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Character Triage – Who’s In? Who’s Out?

Storytelling, ,

Character Triage – Who’s In? Who’s Out? Every character you start out with in your story may not carry enough storytelling weight to be allowed to stick around. Some will most likely have to go. Which characters do and do not belong in your story? How do you decide? First, let’s make a couple of general lists. Then we’ll move on to specifics.

Character Triage – Who’s In? Characters Who Should Stay in Your Story. They sparkle with contradiction and controversy (like Holly Golightly). They enhance the main characters in the story, making them more intriguing. They aggravate the main characters in the story, making them more conflicted. They have secrets, often dark ones, the main characters would like to know, or should know, but don’t. They have hidden dreams the main characters would like to know, or should know, but don’t. In other words, they generate plot by adding more complications to the story.

Character Triage – Who’s Out? Characters Who Should Leave Your Story. They don’t make anything happen (which is never the case with Harry Potter). They get along with everyone, neither creating nor enhancing conflict. We aren’t interested in knowing more about them. They are not connected with either the main characters or their stories. In other words, they don’t generate plot by adding more complications to the story.  Here are some specific character types that should be shown the door.

Character Triage – The Lackluster Character. Especially when creating the main characters of a series who must be extra unique and compelling. In fact, any continuing character must stand out in order to hold a reader’s interest through several stories. Be careful not to focus on thrilling plot at the expense of thrilling characters. This can be fatal to storytelling success.

Character Triage – The Character Who Cloys. Especially as a romance heroine. She’s cute/adorable/precious, and the alleged hero scampers along in her wake for far too long. At first, she may be lovable for the reader as well. Then, we become exasperated with her and, eventually, out-and-out irritated. She’s a distraction from the story and undermines your hero’s portrayal too.

Character Triage – The Character Who Fails at His Story Mission. Especially as a mystery-suspense hero. He’s the detective who doesn’t detect. A murder is committed, and he should be intent on finding the murderer but does too little to further that quest. He avoids real investigative questioning. He lets others do the legwork. He slows the pace instead of enlivening it. He must thrust himself into danger and battle his way out (like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes).

Character Triage – The Interchangeables. Especially as secondary characters. Three sisters or friends or whoever that would be better as two. The extra sidekick clutters the story. She isn’t distinctive enough and her lack of substance drains story vitality. She should be folded into one of the other characters to streamline plot and pacing or rewritten to reveal her individuality.

Character Triage – This is Only the Beginning. A sampling of characters that need to go if you want to write a strong story, and of course you do. Make your own list, maybe even from your own work, but don’t be discouraged when you do. There are ways to save these characters from the no-hope heap.

Character Triage – Every character, like every human being, has a story. Your job as storyteller is to discover that story and give your creations life on the page. When you do, they will not just belong in your story, they will be embedded in your reader’s heart.  Alice Orr – https://www.aliceorrbooks.com

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A Time of Fear & LovingFor a great read where every character definitely belongs – Don’t miss Alice Orr’s latest novel. A Time of Fear & Loving – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Book 5. Available HERE. Look for all of Alice’s books HERE.

 What readers say about A Time of Fear & Loving. “I never want an Alice Orr book to end.” “Alice Orr is the queen of ramped-up stakes and page-turning suspense.” “Warning. Don’t read before bed. You won’t want to sleep.” “The tension in this novel is through the roof.”
“A budding romance that sizzles in the background until it ignites with passion.” “The best one yet, Alice!”

http://facebook.com/aliceorrwriter/ 
http://twitter.com/AliceOrrBooks/
http://goodreads.com/aliceorr/
http://pinterest.com/aliceorrwriter/