Petals on the Wind – My Thoughts

Petals on the Wind – My Thoughts

F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

I’ve got another review for you all. I have finished the second book in the Dollanganger series Petals on the Wind. Like I warned with my first, if you haven’t read it and you want to, then proceed with caution. There may be spoilers ahead.

This book is just as a good as the first. It also sends you on just as much of an emotional roller coaster, if not more so. It made me cry at one point, and there was one character that I wanted to rip his head off.

So this book picks up right where the other left off. The kids are trying to head south. While on a bus heading through South Carolina, Carrie starts trowing up. Everybody starts fussing about it, but this lady, Henny, goes to the kids and helps them. She then tells the bus driver to go to the place where she works and lives, which was not on the bus route. Henny introduces them to Dr. Paul Sheffield.

I’m not going to walk you through the whole books step by step, so, to make a long story short, Paul takes them in, makes them all better, and becomes their legal guardian when their mother doesn’t come after being sent a summons (shocker).

I had to keep reminding myself that these books took place in the ’60s and not in modern times. There were things done and said that annoyed be based on how things are now. But back 50 years ago, they were completely normal.

Chris and Cathy really become their own person. Carrie, not so much. She never really got over Cory’s death, and she couldn’t overlook the fact that her growth had been stunted because of the three years and four months they had spent in the attic. She pretty much stayed in a deep depression who whole life, even if she did put on a facade of a happy face. Unfortunately, she was a little too good at acting.

Paul gave the kids everything they ever wanted and made sure that they were happy. Chris became the doctor he wanted to be. Went to Duke University, had an internship at the Mayo Clinic. Cathy got to become a ballerina. She didn’t quite get to be a prima ballerina, but she did get to dance in New York and travel the world. The biggest thing that held her back was the fact that she wouldn’t let go of revenge against her mother and grandmother. This ended up with her having two sons by two dead men.

Now, she did get involved with Dr. Paul and eventually married him. She also married a ballet dancer Julian who was an utter ass, but that had more to do with the way his parents raised him more than anything.

I do have to say, Cathy got on my nerves some with her revenge plan. I won’t reveal any of that. I will let you read it for yourself, and you should. But she was a great mother. She doted on her children and made sure she was a better mother than her mother had ever been to her. And I felt really sorry for her at the end of the book. Death has plagued her life. She can’t help but feel responsible for all of them, even though she probably couldn’t have done anything to prevent most of the deaths.

While Chris kept telling her to forgive and forget, that God would exact the revenge on their mother when he saw fit, Cathy wouldn’t listen. She kept on with her plan. But, and I’m going to give you a little insight into my mind, maybe God (or whatever Universal power you want to believe in) was exacting his revenge the way he wanted, through Cathy. That what Cathy did is what she was meant to do. Just a little thought for you.

There is a lot more to this story. It fills the span of around 12 years of their lives. There is probably more death and heartache in this book than the first, but it’s definitely worth a read. It really makes you think about religion, society, and the stress that both of them puts on us. And if you’re wondering, yes, Cathy and Chris get to see their mother again in person. Trust me, it’s a great meeting.

Make this book series your next read. I can’t wait to get finished with the third.

I’m Getting Published!!!!!

I’m Getting Published!!!!!

F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

I recently submitted my short story Awaiting Fate to a new independent publishing company called Millhaven Press. It was accepted and now I am just waiting for the first issue to come out.

When I say that they are new, I mean NEW. This is literally their first issue. They are a quarterly publication and each issue had a different theme. The first theme is fantasy and science fiction, so if you are into those types of stories you should definitely get a copy.

They also have some other books that you can buy on their website as well. I am extremely excited about this, and I hope that the publication does well. That is why I am doing my best to help them out by sharing the issue on all of my social media outlets, and writing this post.

Right now, the first issue is available for pre-order. It is only $9. Once April 1st rolls around, you will get your copy. They also have some bundle packs that you can get as well. Check out their website with the link above, and make sure you pre-order your copy here.

Stay Focused

Stay Focused

F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

I don’t know about you, but staying focused on my writing is my biggest problem. Focus is why it took me so long to write Loved By Death. I enjoy writing, spewing out all the words and feelings, but I am so easily distracted. Hell, I’m lucky if I’m able to focus long enough to write a complete chapter in one day. Ironically, when I am ghostwriting a book, I can have it written in a couple of days depending on the length and the material.

So, we are going to take a little class together today on how to keep yourself focused. Trust me, I’m learning just as much as you are. If you have any tips on staying focused on your writing, please share them in the comment below.

Work With Your Brain’s Schedule

Who knew that your brain had a schedule? Actually, that makes sense. My brain tells me when it’s time for coffee.

Chances are you have probably noticed the times during the day when you seem to be more focused. Most people tend to be the most distracted between 12 and 4 p.m. with the peak being around 2. The brain works the best during the late morning, meaning after 10 a.m. This is when the brain is fully awake. Use the hours between 10 a.m. and noon for some intensive writing, and then take a break about midday to refresh.

Reward the Brain

Your brain learns the things you do. This means that the more often you engage in a distracting behavior, like playing a matching game on your phone every time it says you have lives, the more likely you are to do it. Your mind has been rewarded in some way by these distracting behaviors. This means you need to break these behaviors by stopping them when you notice them happening. The harder it is for you to be distracted, the less likely it will happen.

Take Real Breaks

While work typically involves a constant stream of input: constant phone calls, emails, 20 tabs open, it doesn’t do much for your focus. Find someplace you can go for 15 minutes where you cannot be distracted. A quiet room, a place without wi-fi, somewhere you can let your mind rest.

No Multitasking

The fact is, nobody can actually multitask. The brain can only focus on one thing at a time. All you do when you multitask is switch between different tasks quickly. You’re not actually doing two, three, four things at once. The more often you switch, the more energy you use. Instead, make a list of what you need to do, and work down the list. One task at a time.

Do Something Engaging

Have you ever started working on something and then a few minutes later you are daydreaming?

When you don’t think what you need to do is worth your time, your brain will start to float around to other more stimulating things. You have to figure out if it’s you or the task. If the task isn’t currently engaging you then you should work on something else, and work on the less engaging task during the late mornings.

Chew Gum

This sounds completely crazy, but it works. Research has found that chewing gum will increase the oxygen flow to the attention part of your brain. It will also help your long-term memory and give a bit of an insulin boost. If you don’t really like gum then you can grab yourself a snack. This doesn’t mean you should eat something every time you’re distracted, that could start a bad habit.

The important thing for staying focused is to create an environment for focus. Help your brain out by not making it have to work as hard.

Like I said earlier if you have any tips for staying focused comment below.

The biggest challenge is to stay focused. It’s to have the discipline when there are so many competing things. – Alexa Hirschfield

7 Ways to Kill The Dreaded Author Bio

7 Ways to Kill The Dreaded Author Bio

F.A. Huffman1 Comment

I’m going to say something that may cause other bloggers to hunt me down.

I am by no means an authority in writing an author bio. In fact, besides the about me page on my site, I have only ever written one author bio. I can safely say that I literally just wrote my first author bio earlier today. One of my short stories was chosen for publication in Millhaven Press quarterly journal, and they asked for an author bio.

Now, if you have never written an author bio, like me a few hours ago, you probably have one of two thoughts running through your head. One, why do you make it sound like it’s so hard? Or, two, AHHHHHHHHHHHH! (BTW, I was the second.)

I have learned that author bios have the ability to make or break you. What you need your bio for will also have a large influence. Bloggers that guest writes for other websites, where they do need to be an authority on a subject, have to let the readers know they can trust them.

For example, if some blogger is asked to write an article for another website about investing, they would want to make sure the website’s readers trust their article. They may also be interested in driving some traffic to their own website. So, if you’re reading an article about investing and you get to the author bio and they tell you nothing about their experience in investing, you’re probably going to question their article. If their bio says:

Jane Doe has worked as a stay at home mom for 18 years and is now starting her own knitting business. She blogs regularly on imaknitter.com about her knitting adventures. She loves her three children aged 15, 12, and 2. Jane hopes you enjoy her post.

You’re going to look back at that article about investing and wonder what crap you just read. There is nothing about that bio that suggests she knows a damn thing about investing. (BTW, I’m not knocking knitters because I LOVE to knit.)

Now, if you are writing an author bio for something like I had to today, for a fictional story, it can be trickier (in my opinion). You still want to grab their attention, and you want to make them want to read more of your work. That’s a lot of information for a short bio. I’m going to do my best and give you a few tips at coming up with an author bio that people will like.

Prepare Yourself for Your Bio

Depending on what you’re writing about, your author bio is going to be different. If you are writing a romance novel, your bio is going to a lot different than if you are writing about investing. Think about who your audience is and what they are going to want to know. Do you need to prove to them that you know what you’re talking about, or would they be more interested in knowing where they can read more of your work? While you’re writing, make sure that you ask yourself, “Who am I writing this for?”

Write in Third Person

Unless the person you are guest blogging for asks you specifically to write in the first person, always write your bio in the third person. Yeah, it will probably feel weird, and self-congratulatory, but you’ll get used to it. One thing you want to make sure you don’t do is overuse he or she.

Keep it Short and Sweet

People just want to know a little bit about you. They aren’t looking to get your life story. Save all the extra information for your autobiography. You may have a bunch of information that relates to your story but only provides the most important and relevant. Think of it like a resume. You don’t write out ten pages of past employees on your resume. You use the most recent jobs and the ones that are more related to the job you are applying for.

Establish Truthful Credibility

If you have to establish credibility with your bio, make sure you do so truthfully. Don’t lie. In this day and age, people will find out if you are telling the truth. As a ghostwriter, it’s probably safe to say I wrote some books for people that had no clue about the subject matter of the book. Unfortunately, for marketing purposes, they are probably lying to establish credibility. You don’t want to be them. If you’re trying to prove to people you are a credible source for investing information, then you better have experience in the stock market, and preferably more than a year’s worth.

Be Personal, but Not Too Much

Depending on what your bio is for, your readers may not want to know you’re a cat lover or a coffee addict. Adding personal touches is fine so that your readers know that you are human. Make sure you don’t go overboard and take away from the actual bio. Throw in a fun fact sandwiched between the important info.

Don’t Worry About Bragging

It’s okay to brag a bit. Make sure you don’t go overboard, but you can brag. It’s not rude, you’re just proud of your accomplishments.

Don’t Make it Long

I said this in the keep it short and sweet tip, but it’s important, so I’ll say it again. DON’T MAKE YOUR BIO LONG. Nobody wants to read your life story, they just want to know they can trust you, or they’re looking to get to know you a little better.

If you follow these tips you should be able to create a great author bio. The three most important things to remember are: keep your audience in mind, write in the third person, and keep it short. Those three things will help you the most.

Half my life is an act of revision. – John Irving

Flowers in The Attic – My Thoughts

Flowers in The Attic – My Thoughts

F.A. HuffmanLeave a comment

Yes, I’m talking about the V.C. Andrews novel Flowers in The Attic. It was published in 1979 and is considered a Gothic novel. There is even a Lifetime movie based on the book, and, no, I have not watched the movie., but the movie was the reason why I wanted to read the book. Just so you know, there will be spoilers ahead in this post. That means if you have not read it, and you don’t want anything ruined for you, STOP READING NOW. Thank you.

So, a quick little overview of what this book is about:

Four children and their mother go to live with their grandmother when their father dies. Their grandmother turns out to be a fire and brimstone woman, and their mother, at first, seems to be a sweet woman who is doing the best she can.

The children are forced to live in the attic until their grandfather dies because he didn’t approve of his daughter’s marriage, and he doesn’t know she has children.

The amazing thing about this book is that my emotions followed Cathy’s, the oldest girl and 2nd oldest child. At first, I was sympathetic to the mother and optimistic that things would work out. Then, as the story progressed, and the mother became more and more ostentatious in how the dressed and acted, the more annoyed I became with her. She broke promise after promise to her children, but if they said anything about it, she played the victim. She felt that if she brought them enough stuff and expensive things that they would forgive her. She believed that money could solve every problem. While money may help out with a lot, it can’t replace love or the knowing that somebody is looking out for you.

I’ve had to deal with people similar to this. No matter what happens in somebody else’s life, their life is always way worse. Or, nothing that happens to them is their fault, there is always somebody else to blame.

Chris, the oldest child, got on my nerves from time to time because of the way he was willing to stand up for their mother. I get it, though. He was trying to stay optimistic. Who wouldn’t want everything to work out in their favor? For them become rich and not have to worry about anything else.

Then their mother remarries. The man she marries doesn’t even know she has kids. By this point, they have been locked away for over two years, going on three.  She barely looks at the two youngest twins. Who, in their time in the attic, have only grown two inches between the ages of five and eight. She hasn’t even noticed that Cathy’s body has changed, and still brings her little girls clothing as if she were still 12 and not 14.

Cathy and Chris make the decision to escape the room, for the safety of the twins. Unfortunately, they don’t make their escape soon enough to help Cory.

They make a replica of the door key, and Chris would sneak out of the room on the nights their mother said she would be out with her husband. He would go to her bedroom and take some money. They do this until they have over $300. That may not seem like much now, but the book is set in the 60’s, so that would probably last them a good little while.

Now, I’m not going to go through every little detail here, I don’t want to give away the big realization. All I can say is, I was as devastated as the children when they learned about their mother’s secret.

If you love books that send you on a roller coaster of emotions, then this is definitely the book for you. I have yet to read the rest of the books in the series to see how the three remaining Dollenganger children survive, but I have the books and I plan on starting Petals on the Wind today.

This book really has everything: a mean God-fearing grandmother, a deceiving mother, innocent children, money, sex, incest, and arsenic.

If you’ve read the book, tell me what you thought.