Dialog

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A writer friend of mine, Kim Smith, pointed me to an interesting link on how to write effective and realistic dialog. Go to murderby4.blogspot.com and scroll down a bit. I found it very well done.
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About Paul West

Paul West is a freelance writer and novelist. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Paul claims to be a "Prune Picker," though he now makes his home in Taylorsville, Utah.

You can follower him on Twitter: @PaulWWest

Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008

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Olivia Jane came into this world on Wednesday, September 24th. She was 6 lbs, 3 oz.

See pictures below.

I can't figure out how to edit the photos, so they're kind of out of order.

First are Andrew Jefferson and Emma Leigh my daughter's two eldest.

Second is My son David with his three boys, Matthew David, Nathan Michael, and their newest Joshua Wyndham.

Third picture is baby Olivia Jane

Fourth is my daughter Rebecca and Olivia

Fifth is baby Joshua Wyndham

Ain't they cute???
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My daughter, Becky's kids, Andrew and Emma Andreason


My son, David and his three boys Matthew, Nathan and baby Joshua














My daughter's new baby, Olivia Andreason














My daughter Becky just minutes after delivery. Doesn't she look fantastic!?














Baby Joshua not long after he entered this world.

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Welcome to this world! Little Joshua was born this afternoon at 1:15 Mountain Standard time. He was 8 lbs and I forgot how many ounces, and 19 inches long. I can't wait to see him!!! I'll post a picture as soon as I get one.
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Someone recently suggested that my novel, SWEET REVENGE, isn't really a story about revenge as much as it's a milieu romance. It took me some pondering, but eventually I came to the realization that she is right. But rather than calling it a "romance," I think it's more a love story. I think there's a distinct difference. To me, a young adult romance would fall under the "Sweet Valley High" genre. Kind of shallow, kiddish, with lots of jealousy and stuff like that.

SWEET REVENGE is not like that. Yes, there is jealousy, but it's deeper. There's a story beginning with tragedy. It has hatred, jealousy, and yes, revenge in its core. It's a love story between Mark Wilkerson and Genie Lombardi, a lot like Nicholas Sparks' A WALK TO REMEMBER. In the end, the mentally deranged villain creates another tragedy for Mark and Genie.

The milieu aspect comes in because of its setting. I originally chose to set this in the mid-1960s because that's the era I grew up in and could identify with. I've been told that a YA novel set in that time frame could be a tough sell. I could easily translate it to modern day. It would probably take me a couple of months to do that, but I don't want to do that. The Vietnam War is an integral part of the plot. It colors the characters' attitudes and motives.

With all this in mind, I've decided to revise my novel one more time. I'm going to minimize the revenge aspect and play up the love story aspect. Then, with the war as a background, and a new title, I still think it will sell.
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Hey everyone (all 1 or 2 of you), I just finished a GREAT new novel called THRIPZ, by Robert Farley. It was written by a good friend of mine and I have to admit I had a role in helping Bob write it. I, and other members of our critique group, critiqued every chapter as he wrote it. BUT, and this is the huge BUT, the final version is SOOOO much better than what we saw originally.

It's probably best described as a techno-thriller about a mad terrorist using genetically altered insects, thrips, to destroy the agriculture on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, but the insects get out of hand and become a threat to human life as well. It starts out with a bang and doesn't let up until the last chapter. Even though I knew what the story was about, Farley's final version still held me glued to the book. It is a real page turner.

My only regret is that Farley didn't find a mainstream publisher for his novel. I truly think he could have sold it and made a lot of money from royalties. Instead, he chose to self-publish it.

If you would like to see more follow this link to Robert Farley's website where he has a trailer and more exciting information about his writing.
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