Book tour for “Phantom Dreams” by T.K. Harris

Phantom Dreams

Blurb

FBI Special Agent Jack Matthews finds himself on yet another serial killer case, having barely recovered from the last disastrous hunt. Still stiff from a gun shot wound in his leg, under investigation for a botched job, and having lost his fiancée when she walked out on him, Jack is beginning to wonder if it isn’t time to move on to something new. But, for Jack, these cases are personal and he can’t say no. 

Marketing specialist Kathy Gilliam leads a fairly boring life. If she’s not working or caring for her ailing father, then she is doing whatever it takes to avoid going anywhere near crowds of people. Her few distractions include her friend Margo Longfellow, occasional hiking trips, and her increasingly alarming dreams of women dying.

As her nightmares cause her to begin to doubt her sanity, the media releases news of the “Coast-to-Coast Killer” and Kathy discovers her dreams may be related. In a moment of panic, Kathy does something that places her on the FBI’s “persons of interest” list. Suddenly, her life is set on a collision course with Jack who must decide if Kathy is the killer or destined to become a victim.

Where To Buy

AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

AMAZON CA

AMAZON IN

AMAZON JP

AMAZON AU

What Inspired Me to Write Phantom Dreams

It started with a dream. I know cliché right? But it really did. I had a dream that I was walking through a large crowd of people, surrounded by white canvas tents. I am moving quickly but don't know why, when suddenly the crowd parts and there is a man in front of me, carrying a sword and it is aimed right at me. Then, just as quickly, the woman is no longer me and I am now watching. I woke up before the sword drove home. And that's how Phantom Dreams was born.

I wish I could say that I wrote it all down in a flash and everything just worked itself out. BUT, that didn't happen. First it percolated in my brain while I went about being a full-time mother while working a 60 hour a week job. (And that was a short week!). And then, I began writing down bits and pieces late at night in between trying to write and publish stories. Only to become more and more frustrated. First, the stories that I had sold to date were short stories. In fact, the first publication I had ever been paid for was a 1200 word mystery sold to mysterynet.net. But it is a very different skill set to go from short stories to a full-length novel. I was good at cutting to the chase, getting to the point and well, you know the rest. So, I floundered.

For the next few years I put most of my effort into my work, family, multitude of projects (I'm a Gemini and we can't help it), subsequent divorce, the 2008/2009 job fiasco, and the many other awesomely awful and wonderful things that life carelessly threw in my path and laughingly under my feet to see how many times it could make me fall. (I still have scars!) And, sometimes I would work on my book. And then, one day, I got frustrated for a different reason. And, then, I got mad. And, then, I got focused. I made myself sit down and write a list of what I wanted out of life. My ideal job. My ideal partner. My ideal finances. My projects. And I wrote those lists and decided to start focusing. My first project was paying of debt (still working on that!). The second was finishing the d*m# book! The right way. (Or is it the "write" way? – Feel free to groan.)

I put the book out to readers. Got feedback. And then began the arduous task of editing, rewriting and editing some more. And then began putting it out there on Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, Kobo, etc. I got a great review on Kirkus Reviews and started getting great comments. I have marketed, tweaked it, re-edited it and developed a new book cover since but I still remember my first "real" sell. Not the books that were bought by friends and family. No. It was that one sell when you realized someone you didn't know, bought it. And now, all I can ask myself is, why didn't I do this sooner?

T. K. Harris

Beta Readers. Get Some.

Why You Need Them
and Where to Find Them

When I was writing short stories, I had a writer’s group to rely on.  We met twice a month, read our stories aloud and received immediate feedback.  It was great!

I sold ten stories, professionally, this way.

But that doesn’t work as well for a novel.  First off, they are right when they say don’t let anyone read a novel you are currently writing.  You're either going to get great feedback that will probably go to your head and make you lazy or you're going to get so much constructive criticism that you may become discouraged and give up.   The only time you want to receive feedback while writing that first draft is when you’re stuck and just need something to pry you out of whatever corner you wrote yourself into.

Once you’re done with that first draft, you put it away for a month or two, then pull it back out and edit. And edit. And edit.  Its mind numbing.  It may drive you a little crazy.  But it has to be done.  And it’s probably the hardest part of the entire venture, next to marketing your baby.  (But that’s another story.)  But now, you need readers.   Readers to help you find the holes in your plot, or to tell you the places where your brilliant novel becomes boring or confusing. But also readers to tell you what you did right!

For those of you who already have dedicated readers willing to wade through what is, inevitably, a manuscript still in need of major repairs, good for you.  I’ll try not to be jealous!  For the rest of us, we know that no matter how much our friends and family say they may help, getting them to finish, is like pulling teeth.  (Although I’ve never pulled teeth, I hear it’s quite difficult.)

So where do you find them?  I tried book clubs, college students, etc.  No luck. But then I decided to try something a little different.  I posted an ad on Craigslist.  I know you’re thinking “brilliant” right?  Or, more likely, “Are you crazy?  What if they steal your book?!”  Well, it’s a risk.  And it didn’t happen. 

I basically asked for 5-10 people to read my novel, answer a few questions, and I’d send them a ten dollar Money Order.

The response was overwhelming.  In fact, I had to turn people away.  For those that responded, I outlined the questions, explained that once I got the answers back, I’d send the money.  And, most importantly, I gave them a two week deadline.  Once they agreed to all of this, I sent them the book.

What I got back blew me away.  The comments devastated and inspired me. 

They didn’t like my main character.  She was boring. (A result of writing late at night no doubt).  They got confused in the beginning and at the very end. They couldn’t put the book down in the middle.  In fact, one lady said her interest was so caught in the middle that she sat in her car outside of her gym, until she finished it.  (How cool is that?!)

I used the comments to plug the holes. I rewrote and started the book with Jack, instead of Kathy. And, when I became discouraged, I read and re-read the comments that told me how much they liked the book and would be willing to read it again once it was ready. 

It was an amazing experience that helped me make an OK story so much better.  I will definitely be doing the same for my next book!  And I hope this was helpful!

Writing Tips for "New" Writers

(In 12 Easy Steps.  Ha!)

Whether you've been writing for years or just getting started, we can all use a little help.  Though I have sold several short stories and finally published a novel, I can't give you the same kind of tips as a pro.  I won't even try!  For that, I think one of the best books I've read is Stephen King's "On Writing".  It’s a weird mash of autobiographical information with a heaping dose of practical advice toward the end.  If you haven't read it, read it.  If you haven't bought it, buy it.  It's worth it.

Ok, now for advice from a newbie published author. 

I tried it all I think.  Outlines, freeform writing, story boarding, classes, articles, books, writing while upside down chanting yoga like prayers…Ok, maybe not that last part.  But I may just have to try it the next time I'm staring at the screen with a "deer in the headlight" expression.  Everyone works differently.  But I really hate when an "advice" piece says something like that, or "just try it until you find something that works for you".  You can.  But, sometimes you want to say "Just tell me already!". 

So, here goes. 

Step 1)  Type up a character sheet on each character. Its ok if they change as you go.  But at least have the basics such as full name, age, hair and eye color, etc.  Do this for every character. 

Step 2) Find a wall, a board, it doesn't matter.  Just find a place where you can put up your character profiles and a bunch of 3 x 5 cards and they can stay.  For months if need be.  (I used my dinning room for awhile and then my bedroom wall).  My suggestion is to use paint safe tape or thumb tacks (because both can be pulled off and reused numerous times – although the tape leaves no marks).   This wall should really be close to where you write, maybe across the room so you have to get up and stretch your legs and rest your eyes.  But not too far away.

Step 3)  Write.  Write until you finish your story or novel or opus magnum.  Don't stop, don't rethink.  Write.  With ONE exception.  When you've finished that paragraph, chapter, or even just your 7 words for the day, grab a 3 x 5 card, a pen, and highlighter(s) and write down the relevant pieces of information (by chapter or scene) that occurred.  For me this was the major points in the each chapter of Phantom Dreams such as who lead what scene, any deaths that occurred, how, and who died.  (You'd be surprised how quickly your dead bodies get mixed up!).  You can use the highlighter to highlight things like when a major turning point occurred.  In my case, I used red to highlight each killing and Kathy's escalating dreams. 

NUMBER the cards sequentially.  Either by chapter or scene and try not to put too much information on these.  These note cards and character profiles are going to do a couple of things for you later on. 

Step 4)  Use the cards as reference points to keep you on track and remembering things like what your character looks like and how old they are.  (Kathy changed age in my first draft 5 times! Obviously I didn't start out with Step 1. :/ )

Step 5)  You've finished your first draft!  Have a glass of wine, beer, or whatever.  Put your manuscript and your cards up.  Celebrate.  And then ignore that manuscript for at least a month.  Two months is better.  And find another project.  Try something new to help refill your creative well.  You're going to need it…

Because this is a blog and I'm supposed to keep it short, if you're interested in receiving the entire article and the next 7 steps, simply contact me at: https://www.tkharrisonline.com and go to the contact page OR  my Phantom Dreams page on Facebook and leave a comment requesting the article. 

You can also just stop by to say "hi"! 

Biography T.K. Harris

T.K. Harris was born in California and lived a gypsy sort of life traveling the world as a military brat. She has been writing since she was a child and as had several short stories published by various magazines, including one in Woman's World. She currently lives and works in Colorado as a Senior Solutions Architect and IT Instructor and has recently had her first novel, Phantom Dreams, published. She is looking forward to her next two books, already outlined and partially written.

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