Till Dirt Do Us Part by Teresa Trent
Cozy Mystery
Pecan Bayou #7
Approximately 219 pages
Synopsis
Not everything stays buried. When Betsy, a notorious brown thumb gets roped into a gardening contest sponsored by the Pecan Bayou Gazette, she finds herself digging up more than weeds. She is ridiculed by the garden club ladies, and now her heart breaks for a newly single mom whose world has just collapsed. The Happy Hinter is back so take some time to revisit the cozy little town Pecan Bayou, Texas. Grab a glass of sweet tea before you turn the dirt in the garden and sit a spell with all your favorite characters who dole out heartfelt caring and compassion with a side of humor. Till Dirt Do Us Part 
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Guest Post
Everyone Has a Story To Tell
By Teresa Trent
It always amazes me whenever I tell someone I’m a writer that within a few minutes they tell me about a book they have bubbling up inside of them. It seems everybody has a story to tell, but they don’t know where to begin to tell it. Sometimes, their first thought is to have me tell it, but my mind is too crammed full of my own stories! Here are some ideas for would-be, wanna-be, wish-to-be storytellers.
- Take your story idea to the mat. Time to ask the hard questions. Be mean and find the holes. For instance, you have this great idea about a dog that solves crimes. Ask yourself—how does he tell anyone what he has deduced? How does he defend himself against a killer? What happens when a squirrel interferes with his thought processes?
- Write the story from start to finish. I’m not talking book-length, but a few pages. There will be plot holes in your story, but that’s okay. This is your first road map. One thing you should know about writing is you’re never really finished. I’m sure some day my tombstone will read, “Teresa Trent—Currently in her second draft in her eternal existence.”
- Once you have written your story, find someone who will give supportive, constructive criticism. Don’t let anybody stomp on your dream.
- Revise your story again to fix problems and then you are ready to start the writing process. This means breaking that story down into scenes. I write scenes first and then assign them to chapters.
This all sounds so simple, right? Writing is a simple thing, but organizing, tweaking, and finding inspiration is something else. Now it’s time to move from inspiration to discipline. Writing a book can take months that can lead to years. Writing for me is work, but it’s a job I dearly love. So, go ahead and let that story inside of you come bubbling out. Who knows? Maybe you’ll knock me down a peg on the Amazon sales list!
About the Author
Teresa Trent lives in Houston, Texas and is an award-winning mystery writer. She writes the Pecan Bayou Mystery Series, is a regular contributor to the Happy Homicides Anthologies. Teresa is happy to add her Henry Park Mystery Series to her publishing credits with Color Me Dead, the first book in the series. Teresa has also won awards for her work in short stories where she loves to dabble in tales that are closer to the Twilight Zone than small town cozies. When Teresa isn’t writing, she is a full-time caregiver for her son and teaches preschoolers music part-time. Her favorite things include spending time with family and friends, waiting for brownies to come out of the oven, and of course, a good mystery.
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Check out the other blogs on this tour
May 1 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
May 1 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
May 1 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 1 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW
May 2 – A Blue Million Books – INTERVIEW
May 2 – Bookworm Cafe – REVIEW
May 2 – Babs Book Bistro – REVIEW
May 2 – A Holland Reads – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 3 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – INTERVIEW
May 3 – Rainy Day Reviews – REVIEW
May 3 – Books,Dreams,Life – REVIEW, INTERVIEW
May 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST
May 4 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – SPOTLIGHT
May 4 – Sleuth Cafe – SPOTLIGHT
May 4 – The Self-Rescue Princess – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 4 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
May 5 – Valerie’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
May 5 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 5 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
May 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
It’s funny, when I tell people I blog about books, I get the same reaction. Apparently there are budding writers all over the place just busting with stories to tell. There is great advice here.