Author Donan Berg rating 4.59/5.0 on Goodreads

 Author Donan Berg with his multiple mystery, romance, thriller, and fantasy novels has earned a rating on Goodreads of 4.59 out a possible 5.0.

Checkout Author Donan Berg ratings at Goodreads.com.

One Paper Heart e-book on Amazon

 Exciting News

Award-winning romance, One Paper Heart, will now have an e-book

version on Amazon.com to complement its paperback edition.

The e-book preorder goes live June 21, 2025. Click on the following

link to read a synopsis and learn more.

One Paper Heart e-book

Thread suspense into the story

 

Thread suspense into the story

How does an author keep the reader interested?

A surefire way is to add the element of suspense. When incorporated into the story, this provides a payback to readers who have trusted you with their precious time.

The simplest definition of suspense is not knowing what will happen. For this, there needs to be a character the reader can emphasize with. Without reader empathy, adding an obstacle or visible peril won’t have pages turned.

If the reader cares, the creation of suspense requires the dilemma to linger before resolution. Let’s look at an example.

A bookstore browser enthusiastic for historical fiction is introduced to a 19th Century female coming of age. She has attractive attributes but fears a family history of sterility will damn her to spinsterhood. She meets the male heir to a stable of pedigree, prize-winning racehorses. He expresses a desire to raise a family.

Our heroine reluctantly explains to him that, if he should marry her, the odds of his attaining his goal is not guaranteed.

They nevertheless marry.

After two years, she’s still unable to conceive.

They adopt a young baby boy abandoned by a traveling gypsy caravan. Happy, the couple is heartbroken when authorities identify the boy as kidnapped, and the boy’s real father appears.

In secret, the heroine learns of an experimental method to be impregnated, and she volunteers to be a medical test case. When she becomes of child, she tells her husband. They are overjoyed to wait.

Within a month, the heroine miscarries.

For a second time, dread descends upon the heroine for life’s uncertainty has dealt her and her husband unexpected blows.

Will the reader keep on reading? The ending has not yet come. Will it be tragedy or success?

As the author, you know. And, by threading suspense of what the unexplained, but believable outcome, lies on upcoming pages will create a great incentive to keep the reader along in lockstep to complete the journey.

All's Forgiven by Donan Berg Earns 5-Star Review

 

5.0 out of 5 stars 

Trust No One, but Revel in the Mystery

Reviewed by Michael P. Hartnett in the United States on November 19, 2023

Donan Berg’s All’s Forgiven is one of those wild mysteries that keeps the reader guessing to the very end. Much of the lively engagement of constantly shifting suspicions comes from the novel centering on the viewpoint of Jenny Olsen, who’s a bit loopy and is recovering from an accident that also led to the death of her niece Eileen. Jenny is often uncertain and the reader more so. I can never fully trust her intense, emotional sister Ruth, her gruff Uncle John, the police officer and possible love interest Robert, and the urbane, mysterious professor Holmes, who also might be another love interest. The plot involving that niece’s death, car accidents, a valuable brooch from Queen Elizabeth’s inauguration, and, most importantly, the kidnapping of Jenny’s mother percolates along with amusing interactions and disarming twists.

The novel is filled with gothic elements, including the mysterious basements at home and at the bookstore where Jenny works. Berg plays with these subterranean notions which such lines as, “For Jenny, someone might well padlock her future behind the wall, never to be revived.” A single boot that may or may not belong to Jenny’s kidnapped mother, a missing garage key, and that brooch whose history and provenance vex and confound are situated around a group of characters prone to lying and keeping their counsel at inconvenient intervals. That Jenny’s bookstore borders on Riddle Jewelry where sister Ruth works adds another layer of proximity to their sibling tensions.

Little wonder Jenny makes asides like, “Afraid my memory gets jittery.” Oh, the revelations keep coming in a novel that subtly considers what is counterfeit and what is genuine. Without giving too much away, the reader is guessing right up to the final pages, where he discovers he’d been given sufficient clues all along. He was just too wrapped up in the crazy family drama and the bizarre combinations of romance and manipulation to center his pleasures on piecing together the puzzle. Donan Berg has given us quite a yarn across a snowy lowan landscape, one that keeps the reader involved and intrigued throughout.

All's Forgiven is available in paperback and e-book format at major book retailers. Click Purchase e-book here. Click  

 

All's Forgiven, a novel, available now

 Author Donan Berg's latest novel, All's Forgiven, in ebook

format is available at Amazon.com and at Smashwords.com 

Official paperback release on Amazon.com will be October 2, 2023.

All’s Forgiven is an inspired family drama where thirty-two-year-old Jenny Olsen’s life spirals into chaos. Jenny’s injured in a hit-and-run car accident that kills her young niece. Thieves kidnap her mother and demand a ransom. Romance teases Jenny’s heart as she struggles with an injured foot, engages in spats with her sister, and, after a next-door theft, investigates strange goings-on at her uncle’s bookstore where she works.

Save Big on A Body To Bones

 

Update:  There's bad news and good news.

The limited time sale mentioned below has expired. Sorry.

Good news

The 50% off sale has been renewed.

Sale ends December 15, 2022 so Santa can rest for his

Yuletime December 25 delivery trip.

If you can't remember coupon code QD86Q, don't worry.

 Click here to save big 

The link will take you to the A Body To Bones e-book page.

Save 50% on ebook A Body to Bones for a limited time only at

www.smashwords.com/books/view/1042160.

This private sale is only for persons who enter coupon code

QD86Q prior to checkout. (Ebook may have updated cover.)

Ps, While at Smashwords, check out Donan Berg/s One Paper Heart, a Gold Award Romance.

Click here:  One Paper Heart

Review To Steal a Heart by Jennifer Youngblod

 Review To Steal a Heart by Jennifer Youngblood

Midway through a series, which To Steal a Heart by Jennifer Youngblood is, don’t feel inadequate if you believe you’ve missed something. In the beginning, the feeling gnawed at me continuously.

Calm yourself and enjoy a classic summer beach read. If you add a glass of wine, no problem. If the sweat gleams because you’re lathered in sunscreen, likewise no problem.

Here’s a tip. Don’t count the twists and turns. If you’re put off by the pettiness and selfishness of high society circles, banish the thought. And remember this secret, if a heroine is bashed by an unfaithful or conniving lover in the beginning pages, and that “heel” then dates her former childhood friend, be prepared for revenge and enjoy the next page.

You’d earn a gold star if you believed the outcome was preordained because the ex-boyfriend was named Hector. Yes, the name is Greek. Homer in the Iliad describes Hector as “Breaker of Horses.”

Thus, why wouldn’t the modern day Hector, under the grip of a romance writer, “break” a woman’s heart? You may find additional allegorical references. Go to it.

Reviewer Donan Berg has earned three gold awards for his novels, a romance and two fantasy. He received an advance review copy for free and he leaves this review voluntarily.

Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel, No1 for 412 Days

 Find the Girl, No1 most popular 412 days

Donan Berg's first fantasy novel, Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel,

has, on June 7, reached a milestone 412 days as the most popular

novel on AuthorsDen.com, all genres. In fact, on this day, eight

spots in the top ten for most popular were filled by Author Donan Berg novels.

We're prompted to shy away from humble to say there's something special

about his novels, be they fantasy, mystery, thriller, action, or romance?

To explore Eta Dorcas' reality and her time travel new world visit

Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel 

On World Book Day, Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel

was featured as Book of the Moment by Caleb and Linda Pirtle.

Their website is at Book of the Moment

Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel, has been joined by Author Donan Berg's

second fantasy, Lucia's Fantasy World. Now out as a free read on 

Amazon's KindleUnlimited and also available in paperback. Click on

the link below to learn more, including a free chapter read.

Lucia's Fantasy World

Additional clicks on the links below will allow you to check out

five-star reviewed Author Donan Berg novels.

One Paper Heart

Aria's Bayou Child, A Thriller

Alexa's Gold

A Body To Bones

And many more if you visit Author Donan Berg's homepage 

Author Donan Berg Home Page  Here you will find Donan Berg's biography

and a connection to his novels, short stories, writing tips, articles and poetry.

Five-Star Review - A Body To Bones

 

Top reviews from the United States

Michael P. Hartnett

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Gothic of Charming Complexities

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

Donan Berg’s A Body To Bones offers an enthralling mystery that is evocatively embedded in middle-American small town life of the 1960s. Berg’s ability to draw the reader completely into this Iowa town, using the Tom Hamilton’s local newspaper as both the historical and social heartbeat of community, makes this novel stand out from most in the genre.
Yes, the presence of hidden bones in a factory provide intrigue that will carry the reader through the deftly crafted plot, but it is the immersion in the small-town of fifty years ago that makes the work such a pleasure. Berg knows how to develop characters. The shady lawyer George Windhurst is folksy hoot, constantly cajoling Tom and others in ways that can be alternately effective and incompetent. Myron is also memorable, a young dreamer who is navigating both the careful construction of a glider and a wholesome romance with Wanda. And Wanda is another live wire, whom Berg described, “She lives at home to save money for her dreams, not yet completely defined, which include stylish clothes.”
The village gossip and the expanding discoveries about the bones give the novel other layers of intrigue, as does a lurid history connected to the priest Father Cornelius Murphy. While Tom’s wife Sarah (with her reticence and her secrets) certainly is the emotional and moral locus of the novel, so many other characters contribute both curious theories and discoveries. Indeed, A Body To Bones is American Gothic as an entertaining ensemble play.
As a local resident explained about the increasingly disturbing revelations, “It’s been too gruesome around here lately. All the black humor.” Such is the nature of a novel that will grippingly propel forward right through to its satisfying conclusion. So I highly recommend you pick up A Body To Bones as much for the neighbors you get to visit as for the mystery they have to solve.

One person found this helpful

Mystery versus Suspense. A writing Tip.

 Mystery versus suspense.

 Let’s differentiate the two in simple terms.

 Mystery concerns the past. There’s a body. Whodunit? This is a prime mystery example.

Suspense, on the other hand, concerns the future. What will happen? Who will be hurt?

 Your major character is about to lift a lid on a box.

 Is this mystery? Yes, if the box contains a clue.

Is this suspense? Yes, if the box has a poisonous snake ready to bite. But, and here’s the crucial point about suspense, the character must have an inkling a peril lurks.

How does that happen? Well, the writer could say the character faces death. But come on. That’s sophomoric, at best. There needs to be a build-up. The character’s boss may deal in poisonous snakes and this box returned from Egypt when the boss did. While the box may not say a poisonous snake is enclosed, perhaps the stamp of A.S.P. Co could be a foreshadowing? Maybe if the boss returned from the western USA, the character hears a rattle inside the box.

 The point for writers is: even if the character does not suspect to be hurt, the reader must be aware of potential adverse consequences for suspense to be created.

The reader must envision the possibilities. If the hero stands on the edge of a cliff, there’s no significant possibility he may fall, even die. If the hero stands there and a villain rushes towards him, the reader can assume the villain may push the hero. And, if that happens? The hero is in danger.

 As it has not yet happened, suspense can build. Add in a few other details, like the villain’s shout “you’ve breathed your last” or the hero’s foot slipping on a loose rock that cascades to the canyon floor below and there’s suspense.

 If you skip all that and a park ranger comes across a dead body on the floor of the canyon, well, we’re now dealing with mystery.

 Choose your approach. Yes, an unidentified villain can cause suspense by creating the death of a hapless individual and allow the story to migrate into a mystery.

This is a conscious choice. An author may choose. Yet, mystery and suspense live separate lives.

Visit Author Donan Berg at Award winning books .

Independent Website Honors Author Donan Berg with Firsts

 Independent website www.authorsden.com honored Author Donan Berg on May 12, 2021 with four top most popular ratings for four of his novels.

More than a week later on May 20, 2021, the most popular novels, yes, the top six in reader appeal at www.authorsden.com are written by Author Donan Berg.  They include the below listed four.  Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel, has been a top pick since April 16. A Body To Bones, his debut paperback novel that recently joined the e-book ranks, like cream, has risen to the top. 

Top fantasy - Find the Girl, A Fantasy Novel

Top mystery/suspense - Into the Dark

Top action/thriller - Aria's Bayou Child

Top romance - Alexa's Gold (Author Berg's Abbey Burning Love earned a second.)

Click here to Find Donan Berg novels .

In a statement, Author Donan Berg said he couldn't be prouder of his readers. "They are the most important persons," he said.  "Honors are fantastic, but the underpinning is to write for the enjoyment of readers. That, in all humility, is best. To be a part in a win/win spurs my passion to write even better."

After his statement, word was received that a new five-star review has been issued into the literature world. Read a review of Aria's Bayou Child, A Thriller at www.featheredquill.com.

Writing tip : Ask yourself why?

 Multiple writers send out samples of their work and ask for comment. The writer expects compliments. Yet, criticism is received. This can be both good and bad. The focus for you, the writer, must be:

What are you asking for?

Is it to improve your writing? 

While writers may hope all feedback helps them improve, honest readers know they walk on eggshells when they express what they see as faults in the written word they have read. Readers assume you, the writer only want praise. And, loads of it.

This presents a conundrum. Bad prose will result in fewer sales. This inflicts greater sadness to the writer after the lack of praise.

For me the analogy is like Brussel sprouts.  I like them. Majority don't. Should I say so if thus predict the answer to be received will be a negative? Probably not. Should it be so for writing?  I think not.

So, you're the writer. How do you approach this?

Consider that the reason you're asking for honest feedback is that you're still learning to be a successful writer. Ask any bronco rider: Do you expect to get tossed to the arena dirt? The answer: yes.

As a writer, do you expect to be loved by every reader?  

If the bronco rider learns with every ride, shouldn't the writer learn by every critique?

The answer: yes.

Does pride blunt the learning experience? Yes, but only if you let it.

Take every reader response in stride. Weigh it. If a reader can find fault with you as a writer, why can't you as a writer find fault with the reader. Yes, you can. But, be objective. 

Be in control of what you write. If your words have unintended consequences, learn to be more precise. If your words strike a chord, but less than you expected, amplify with a sharper focus.

It's the interchange between writer and reader that strikes a harmonious chord.

Only by interacting can the writer find the common niche. The writer's and the reader's world, as expressed by the word, is enriching and better if in sync.

Five-star review of Donan Berg's novel Into the Dark

A Complex Mystery That Keeps You Guessing

Very late in Donan Berg's  exciting crime mystery Into the Dark, a line metaphorically serves as emblematic of our protagonist's quest for what often appears to be the murkiest of truths: "His weakened flashlight batteries strained to illuminate the unknown."

From the exciting opening, Donan Berg's Into the Dark relentlessly builds a thrilling mystery centering around election tampering, a stack of money, a counterfeiting operation, and a dead body. In order to reveal the truth, Sheriff Jonas McHugh finds himself compulsively returning to a rustic cabin with hidden compartments and trap doors and to a cave that is the source of more than its share of secrets and disturbing activity. As Jonas simultaneously investigates the money and counterfeiting issues, the election fraud angle, and the death of operative Ed Telling, the reader follows along; plot threads first complicate and then eventually align to great satisfaction.

Methodically and doggedly, Jonas edges toward insight. "Bonnie's statement of the obvious unleashed within Jonas a mental lightning bolt to illuminate what had been dark." A novel smartly riddled with Biblical quotes and allusions, Into the Dark follows Jonas's journey toward enlightenment, one that paradoxically will send him into a fair share of hellish, subterranean places.

At the heart of the mystery is the beautiful, mercurial Kayla, for whom Jonas possesses contrary feelings of attraction and mistrust. Her presence and Iowa's political environment's home of high-stake caucuses inform the novel with layers of compromised motivations and machinations.

Throughout Berg peppers the story with terse phrasing that echoes Jonas's mindset: "Telling's killer is still free. Bogus bills infest Silver County wallets. Unfed, unclothed teens flood rural roads."

Berg's skillful sorting out Jonas's complicated thoughts as he reaches disturbing conclusions makes Into the Dark a smart, engaging novel.

Michael Hartnett, author of The Blue Rat.

Donan Berg's novel Alexa's Gold achieves 89 days as most popular.

It makes one humble.

Alexa's Gold, a romantic thriller, has achieved a record eighty-nine (89) consecutive days at the most popular novel on the Authorsden.com website. Click here to access Donan Berg's page: Authorsden.com .

In fact, four Author Donan Berg novels occupy four of the five top most popular novel spots. (December 27, 2018 Update: novels  Alexa's Gold, A Body To Bones, Abbey Burning Love, One Paper Heart. All are romances, except the mystery novel A Body To Bones.)

Alexa's Gold becomes the second Author Donan Berg novel to reach the highest pinnacle of popularity at Authorsden.com . As of December 27, Donan Berg novels are four of the top five.

The first was A Body To Bones. After rising to number one in July, 2018, A Body To Bones has in the past month challenged Alexa's Gold, rising as high as a runnerup.  Today, December 27, 2018, the former number one still ranks number two.

Both novels have free excerpts and signed copy availability at Authorsden.com .

Joining Alexa's Gold and A Body To Bones as top most popular books, all genres, are romances Abbey Burning Love and One Paper Heart.  The three romances are the top romances at Authorsden.com. Adolph's Gold, a police procedural mystery has ranked as high as number nine this December. (On December 27, it's number 12.) One Paper Heart was a 2016 Feathered Quill Gold Award First Place romance.

To all who have read either excerpts, entire stories or accessed any one of the five novels, thank you.

If you wish to enjoy these novels, there's an easy remedy.

Two Donan Berg Novels Top Popularity

Breaking News

As of  Thursday, October 18, 2018, two Donan Berg novels continue their
string of consecutive days ranked most popular. Now at twenty-one (21).

Alexa's Gold, a romantic thriller, ranks No. 1 most popular at
Authorsden.com, a literary website.

A Body To Bones, a mystery, ranks No. 2 most popular at Authorsden.com.

Both novels have maintained their top literary ranking since September 28.
Joining them October 17 at #6 is Author Berg's romance/mystery Abbey Burning Love.

Thank you all and keep up your visits to the below links.

To find more information and the rankings click here:  AuthorsDen.com .

Donan Berg's AuthorsDen.com author page is here: Donan Berg Author .

Thank you all.

For reviews of Alexa's Gold and A Body To Bones, check out prior blog posts.

"A Body To Bones" Book Reviews

A Body To Bones, First Skeleton Series Mystery Author Donan Berg Review Number One: By E. Harris (Reader) 6/25/2018 Ten years ago Sarah Hamilton made a mistake. Never far from her mind were the reminders of the consequences. Not wanting to dwell on the past, she tried to look towards the future. This was not to be when an investigation into recently found skeletal remains threatens not only her secrets, but her safety as well. Will she survive the turmoil? The author has crafted an intriguing and suspenseful mystery novel. The tension builds slowly and keeps the reader engrossed throughout. When least expected, the narrative takes unexpected twists and turns. The well-drawn characters are an interesting group as are their roles in the story. I found this to be a well written and engrossing novel. Highly recommended. I received a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed are my own. Review Number Two: By Laura H. (Reader) 5/8/2018
The meticulous and lengthy descriptions of the characters in this story are an integral piece of recognizing the clues. The masterful way Berg entwined them into the story shows the extent of his creativity, imagination, and depth of writing. As a debut novel, this book deserves the praise it has received. If this publication is any indication, this writer has a prolific career ahead as a novelist. The twisting and turning storyline keeps the reader enthralled and wondering 'who done it' and 'why' to the end. What this reader supposed happened and why--was way off! The reader quickly becomes invested in the character's lives as horrific findings are unveiled. The complex secrets, lives changed, and Sarah's role--brings the town and its events into focus. Sarah's difficult decisions and finally confrontation with the past are written beautifully. The book highlights how incredibly complicated a police investigation is and how the simplest observation, say: a key, can change the future of an entire town. This reader is looking forward to reading the next novel in this series. One can hope it is as well-written and engaging as this one. Also a big plus is the price is reasonable.  Review Number Three By Glenda Bixler (07/2018) Reading the Prologue of Berg's first book certainly will grab readers and have them continue to learn what happens! Ten years has passed for Sarah Hamilton with a burden hanging over her... Clearly she had not yet felt God's forgiveness for her act... I have often thought that God sees our contrite heart and forgives us long before we are able to fully accept that... Then, too, what of the man who had been involved? Had he even thought to seek forgiveness, especially when we later learn, that Sarah was not the only woman with whom he had been involved... The small-town intrigue and gossip is alive and well in Clinton... The morality of the characters in the novel plays an important part as, ten years later, a body is found...or should I say, bones of a body... For this skeleton had missing bones that soon became part of the mystery... There was mystery in town this past week as every citizen wondered about the disappearance of Father Cornelius Murphy, pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church of Clinton. ~~~ But before then, we learn more about the lives in Clinton a small town, of less than 900...for, of course, each is known and involved in some way in those events that the Pioneer Ledger shares to its readers once a week. Sarah and her husband are well-known and respected, and involved with local church activities. Sarah Hamilton is married to the editor/owner. One of those moral issues she has suffered under was her mother's dictates of how a Christian woman should act. One definitely was that she should take care of the home and not work outside it. But the Hamiltons actually lived in the building where the newspaper was created and printed... and her husband really did need her help. So, while agreeing to help with the paper, once more she buried her personal feelings of guilt and sense of doing something wrong... I had great sympathy for this woman living very much like I did in a small town... Throughout the story, the Hamiltons, not only because of their news-gathering activities, remain involved...We soon learn that there had been two disappearances around the mid-50s... One of them was the wife of the neighbor of the Hamiltons, who also owned a large warehouse in which the bones were later found. The other was the disappearance of a local priest... The officials, including local and federal, do an excellent job in pulling the investigation together and the created characters add greatly to the enjoyment of the hunt for whodunit! And the possible villains, including even Sarah, are explored as we learn more about the bodies, keeping us guessing. My intuition was right again, but the author keeps readers on the edge until almost the end of the book, as Sarah faces danger from the killer! I was pleased how the author allowed our main character's family to come together after all that had happened and we find a quite satisfactory ending after more than a decade of hidden secrets... A solid whodunit mystery that I highly recommend! GABixlerReviews (End of Reviews) Read this and other reviews of Author Donan Berg novels at Author Donan Berg Website . In addition, Author Berg's most popular story, "Inspiration" and most popular article "Aisle Two Romance, Chapter One" are both at the above website. Also see earlier post of "Inspiration" that appears on this blog. Thank you to E. Harris, Laura H., and G. Bixler and other readers for your continued strong support.

Alexa's Gold Book Club Discussion Topics

Alexa’s Gold

Reading Group Questions

and Topics for Discussion

1.     Do you agree with Alexa’s response to her traumatic work-related assault? Has she tried to envision what lies ahead in her life or acted with an unhealthy disregard for reality? Is her attempt at societal isolation healthy or a character frailty? Is she courageous, foolhardy, naïve, or a complicated mixture of these and other human attributes?

2.     Belinda, Alexa’s work and social friend, is definitely a secondary character. Why is Belinda’s character integral to Alexa’s journey? Does the character of Belinda represent a personality trait or traits that may be absent or conspicuously missing from Alexa’s character?

3.     What significant conflicts exist between Alexa, her mother, or her grandparents that need resolution? Does Alexa recognize the different influences on her life? Does Alexa navigate her circumstances with aplomb or defeatism? When considering her mother and grandmother, is there a spiritual influence and, if so, how significant is it?

4.     Alexa’s Gold is in some ways a typical journey story in which a person travels to a new land, has adventures, and ends up with a new perspective. There is a search for grandpa’s hidden gold. Can “gold” be defined as something other than monetary coins? What new experience or perspective enlightens Alexa?

5.     Novels generally rely on four typical archetypes, to wit, protagonist or hero; monster as either a villainous person or evil force; Anima figure which is the opposite personality the protagonist must strive to be in alignment with; and helper who aids the protagonist or listens to the protagonist and in so doing lets us understand the protagonist. Alexa is obviously the protagonist. Where do the other characters fit in?

6.     Alexa often bemoans the fact that Attorney Brad Haberkorn doesn’t tell her everything or anything, especially when it comes to her grandmother’s will. Does Alexa have a legitimate gripe? How does this relationship tug-of-war speed or slow Alexa’s and Brad’s romance? How does her son Samuel fit in? What influence does grandma exert in selecting Brad to be her attorney or grandma’s earlier life advice to Alexa?

7.     Although cooks use recipes to reach the goal of successful creations, many psychologists differ on detailing guaranteed instructions on how to live life. Is Alexa’s chore to find grandma’s recipe clue to the stashed gold coins more than a practical treasure hunt? Is the recipe symbolic? Of what? Are there any symbols in Alexa’s story?

8.     In life, people often muddle along. Are there any lessons the characters in Alexa’s Gold did not learn, but should have?

9.     If we assume Alexa did not want to become a clone of her mother, what aspect of her mother did Alexa object to? Is either materialism or crude language an inherited or cultural influence?

10.  Alexa’s journey is both emotional and physical. Where does it end? Are there any solid clues in what we know from the story to date?

Alexa’s Gold is Donan Berg’s first novel after One Paper Heart, his 2016 winner of Feathered Quill’s Gold Award First Place for Romance. Read a free Alexa’s Gold sample at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/713346.

Writing Analysis - The Bones Dance Foxtrot

Statistical fiction writing analysis is a fun exercise.

How the results are interpreted becomes a writer's individual journey.
A dash of faith is required to accept the topic ranges as fair or supported
by empirical data.

I submitted The Bones Dance Foxtrot, Second Skeleton Series Mystery.
It's a novel available in trade paperback and e-book worldwide,
free on Amazon's KindleUnlimited. Author Donan Berg Amazon Page

Here is what was determined by the word analysis.

Generic words 2.15%  (Less than acceptable range, which should be good.)

Flesch Kincaid Grade 5.73 (Reads at sixth grade level.)

Adverbs 5.19%  (Less than acceptable range, which should be good.)

Passive sentences 4.37% (At range bottom.)

Adjectives 6.24% (Within range.)

Sentence length 9.47 words. (At range's lower end.)

Initial pronouns 2.07% (At range's lower end.)

Difficult sentences 19.79% (At range middle.)

Best genre is mystery/detective/police procedural. (44.69% )

To forge a conclusion from the above results adds further subjectivity.
The novel's length is approximately 86,000 words. Lower than the acceptable
range of generic words suggests the words written were specific. This may account
for the mid-range sentence difficulty, however, the sixth grade comprehension
level indicates readability wasn't hindered, nor was it a PhD dissertation.

Perhaps, the short sentence length coupled with active sentences (i.e., a low
number of passive sentences) mitigated the difficult sentences effect? The low
number of initial sentence pronouns supports sentence variety.

Authors should remember that the typical reader doesn't parse sentences or
count words. He or she reads. If the author makes the story interesting and easy,
the more read the work will be.

New 2015 A Body To Bones novel reviews at Amazon.com

Four new 2015 reviews for Donan Berg's A Body To Bones, First Skeleton Series Mystery, have been posted at Amazon.com. One was quoted in its entirety by this blog on April 1, 2015. The first one below is the one reproduced earlier. Snippets of three others follow. You are invited to read all in full at Amazon.com.

Karsun, April 1, 2015:

"A Body To Bones by Donan Berg . . . immediately drew me in.

"I loved this from the start . . ."

Grady Harp, March 15, 2015:

"Donan writes with the skill of a practiced artist, retaining some of the special Irish flavor that flows in his system. He creates characters about whom we care and with whom we can easily identify despite the rigor of mystery that surrounds them. His use of his little town newspaper headlines and stories adds a clever and credible aspect to his writing.

"Donan has his pen so polished that he leaves us with the need to read more of his work. He is a find."

bertiejf, April 14, 2015:

"I enjoy a good mystery and this is a good mystery.

"This is a good story well paced with some very good twists."

Joy Fox, April 18, 2015:

"If you enjoy mysteries, this book if for you.

"This is a well-crafted book, with likeable characters and a well thought out plot."

Description: A Writer's Challenge

Every reader’s real world visual perception has a deeper nuance and far exceeds what, with absolute certainty, the written word, even with razor-sharp precision, can create. Whether an author attempts to create a physical setting out of whole cloth or describe one that exists in nature, two challenges exist. How can you pinpoint everything to the nth degree and how do you bridge the gap existing between the totality of what you wish to convey and still maintain the interest of today’s reader? 

Let’s try an example. Dame Agatha Christie sets up her classic play, Ten Little Indians, with initial stage directions that are here reproduced with one minor deletion:

“The scene is the living room of a house on Indian Island. It is a very modern room, and luxuriously furnished. It is a bright sunlight evening. Nearly the whole of the back of the stage is a window looking directly out to sea. French doors are open in center to balcony. It should give the impression of being like the deck of a liner, almost overhanging the sea. There is a chair out on the balcony and the main approach to the house is presumed to be up steps on the left side of the balcony. . . French doors are wide so that a good area of the balcony is shown.

“In the left wall, near windows, is a door to dining room. Downstage left is a door communicating with hall. Pull cord below this door.

“Up right is a door to study. Middle stage right is fireplace. Over it hangs the reproduction of the “Ten Little Indians” nursery rhyme. On the mantelpiece are a group of ten china Indian figures. They are not spaced out, but clustered so that the exact number is not easily seen.

“Center are two sofas with space between. Chair and small table up left. Club chair with tabouret right and above it, down left, where there is also a bookcase. There is a window seat up right and cocktail cabinet below mantelpiece. Tabouret down right. Before fireplace is a big white bearskin rug with a bear’s head. There is an armchair and tabouret right center. A square ottoman at lower end of the fireplace. A settee with table left of it in front of window at the back.”

Can you imagine this scene? On your inner visual screen do you imagine colors? What colors? The only color actually mentioned is white in describing the bearskin rug. If you can see the sky through the balcony, would it be a solid blue or dotted with white, puffy clouds? Would this expanse be flat or stretch to the horizon? If either, does that affect the colors you perceive? How would it affect the reader? 

We are told the living room is very modern and luxuriously furnished. Would those words narrow your perception of color? Perhaps. But we aren’t given a date. Many colors can be perceived as modern. Some colors such as those replicating the patina of oak and mahogany are dark and have been associated with luxury for decades. Would they also be modern? Or, is there an unwanted tension created between the dark colors of wood and, say, the sparkle of gold or silver? How about visual intensity? Is one contrasting color concentrated in a small space to become a focal point?

The mantelpiece is mentioned as an important room element. Should it be noteworthy by being crafted from a light-colored stone or gilded with gold? 

Whatever the case, the discussion so far should kindle the thought that there can be no right or wrong answer in a vacuum. The purpose of room color description is most often useful only to create a mood. Dark colors conjure up gloom and/or depression and, while there are no characters mentioned in the stage directions, a dark-colored room makes it easier for a mystery’s burglar to slink into the background. Bright pastel colors could be the trigger to an older person remembering where they grew up as a child, e.g., a red lampshade, a green throw pillow on either or both sofas.

Color, important in itself, can also define shapes. Are the purple velvet curtains a vertical rectangle or visually impressive for their scalloped horizontal line at the top of the window(s) they adorn? We can probably inwardly visualize the shape and size of a bearskin rug. A fireplace or its mantel presents a greater challenge. They can vary greatly in size and design, although visually within limits. Determining what the word “tabouret” means is decidedly more difficult. There is an inherent ambiguity in the word for it can mean either a low seat without a back or arms or a small portable stand or cabinet. Since the word is used multiple times, a mixture of visualized furniture is definitely possible. Why confuse the reader? There is no good reason to. The reader would be busy enough trying to visual the room without generating more confusion, especially since we haven’t added any character yet.

And, even if one is confident in describing the room, how should it be done—all at once, or piecemeal in narrative between character dialogue, in character dialogue, or silently within the thoughts of a character? It’s a big decision. Too much narrative and you lose the reader experiencing boredom with a lack of action. Too little description and the reader will be lost for not being grounded in the context of the story.

While it would be an unending task to try to pinpoint what should be the final result of every written story, the point here is that each author needs to examine his or her setting description with an attempt to determine what is being projected into and absorbed by the reader’s mind. If the projected image is not the desired one, a different perspective is likely the best first choice for finding the solution.