Jerry W Stewart

Another year has come and gone. I’m older and not much wiser. But, at least I know that I have friends and family that care enough about me to take time out of their busy schedules to remind me of it all and celebrate the passing of another year of my life.

All joking aside, I really do thank everyone for the Birthday wishes. It has truly been a reminder to me just how blessed and how loved I am. I’ve gotten well-wishes from family, friends, co-workers, and even one of my favorite authors (Rachel Caine) via Twitter. (By the way, Rachel and I share the same birthday. How cool is that?)

My daughters called me this morning from their mother’s house to sing the Happy Birthday Song to me over the phone, and they called a local radio station to wish me a happy birthday over the radio waves. My Facebook page is piling up with “Happy Birthdays”, and my phone hasn’t stopped dinging all morning. Holly, my beautiful wife, got me 3 books by Noah Lukeman. They are all excellent books about the writing process. If you’re interested check them out at Amazon:

• The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile
• A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation
• The Plot Thickens: 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life

I can’t wait to get them in the mail either today or tomorrow, but enough about books…at least in this post. This post is for everyone who has helped me celebrate the last Birthday of my twenties.  The next one will ring in another decade, and I’m not sure how I feel about that, yet, so let’s make this one count.

My Nanny Linda and Alexis, my youngest daughter, have planned a birthday lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Fuji’s Japanese Steak. In about an hour I’m going to be sitting down with family and eating some sushi, house fried rice with loads of Yum Yum sauce, and filet mignon. My stomach’s growling just thinking about it.

I’ve also received cards (you know what can usually be found in those cards $$$), from family and friends, too. I don’t want to leave you out when sending my thanks. Some of us are separated by distance, and I hope to see you all soon. Thank you for remembering me, today, and thank you for my gifts.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped make this a birthday to remember

~~ Jerry W. Stewart

I recently asked Rachel Caine a question on a Bitten By Books. When I get the opportunity to ask an author a question I try to make the most of the question I’m asking. I usually ask how an author has honed a particular writing skill that they excel at in their work. What better way to learn (next to practice) than to ask a master of what you want to learn?

Rachel is a master of dialogue. Her dialogue comes alive in the minds of readers in a way that makes you feel like you’re eavesdropping on a private conversation. The dialogue between characters breathes life into each and every one of them, whether they are a main character or simple a stand in.

I was so excited that Rachel took the time answer my question, that I just had to share her answer on my blog. The following is copied from the comments section at the virtual release party for Carpe Corpus (which you can get to following the picture like above).

Rachel,

I love the Morganville Vampire Series and I truly appreciate all the freely offered short stories on your website. They are amazing and so are you for offering them freely to your fans.

When I get the chance to ask an author a question it is usually about the writing process. Your ability to bring such life-like dialogue to the pages of your novels is something I can only hope to mimic in my own works. How do you make the dialogue ring so true in the mind of the readers? Do you say it out loud as you are typing it or what?

Thanks,
Jerry W Stewart

Comment by Rachel Caine — June 30, 2009 @ 8:13 pm

50. Jerry, thank you, what a great compliment! I love writing dialogue, but it’s one of those deceptively difficult things, no doubt about it. I do sometimes read things aloud, but I’ve been doing it long enough that I hear the character voices very clearly in my head, so it’s gotten a lot easier over the years. I do think that reading aloud helps get a rhythm to your dialogue and prose as well, though. I highly recommend it.

This is a great tip from Rachel, and one that I’m honored to have. Go and ask her your own questions at the launch party and be entered to win a Sony eBook Reader. Also, I encourage you to read her books for the great stories and to learn how to write dialogue like a professional.

  I really want a Kindle 2, but I’m not having much luck winning one. I’ve entered and participated in a ton of Kindle 2 contests on the Web to no avail. Alas, I may have to purchase one like everyone else to be able to enjoy carry my entire library around where ever I want. I imagine I will give up hope at some point, and shell out the cash for a Kindle 2 of my own.

That day probably won’t come, though, until I’ve exhausted my chances to win one. Getting something for free is so much more fulfilling than spending money on it. If you’re one of those people who would rather just go and buy what you want rather than work hard at every contest you can find, then by all means feel free to click on any of the Kindle 2 links on my site to get yours now. If, however, you want in on some of the contest action, check out the contests below:

Bittenbybooks.com’s Rachel Vincent Virtual Release Party

Rachel Vincent is having a release party for the newest novel in her Shifters Series, Prey. Please check it out here for a chance to win either a Kindle 2 or an autographed copy of her latest book.

Kindle 2 Contests at Twitter

Check out Uncubicled and Squarespace for details on their Kindle 2 giveaways.

Good luck to all of you.

Artist: Flyleaf
Album: Flyleaf (Special Edition)
Song: All Around Me