Our blog has moved to our new website: www.joannelewiswrites.com. Please come for a visit!
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Climb aboard The Mowchine because we’re riding into fall with wicked good novel and lots of fun events, including two contests!
WOW! is very pleased to introduce Joanne and Amy, two talented sisters who will be touring with us September 12th through October 7th with theiraward winning debut novel, Wicked Good. In addition to fun discussions, author interviews, book reviews, and prizes we will be having a writing contest, mass blogging day, and more prizes! That’s a lot of information to cover so let’s get started...
Archer Falcon manages to maintain a successful law practice but in her private life she feels inept, especially when it comes to her adopted son, Rory who has been diagnosed with both bipolar disorder and Asperger’s syndrome.
Rory is a teenage boy struggling in a world that doesn’t understand him. He is as intelligent, witty and creative as he is destructive. Like all teenagers he seeks a sense of belonging and decides that his birth parents migh
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This is our first royalty check as authors. It covers the one week we were published in the first quarter of 2011 (March 24 - March 31). It might not be much to deposit into our bank account but to us it's gazillions!
Other good news: We just learned from Trestle Press that the hardcover will be available on June 15, 2011 and will retail for $14.95. Trestle Press is also planning a collectible edition of Wicked Good to be released in November, 2011. The collectible edition will retail for $25.00 and will include chapters of Wicked Wise (the second book in the "Wicked" series), a foreward by a renowned doctor in the field of Autism, and other wicked good features.
Please check out our website at www.amyandjoanne.com. I designed it. If you have any thoughts about how to improve it, please let me know and I'll do my best to incorporate your ideas.
Thanks, as always.
Jo
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WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING ABOUT WICKED GOOD: “WICKED AMAZING!” Minda, NY. “HIT ME IN THE PIT OF MY STOMACH.” Marilyn, CA. “FUN, PAINFUL AND HONEST.” Jody, ME. “TERRIFIC. MY FRIENDS WITH TEENS, PLEASE READ!” Anne, FL. Two sisters in Maine and Florida wrote Wicked Good. E-mail us at [email protected] or leave a comment. Scroll down to read chapters 1 & 2 and other features. Buy it on Amazon for your Kindle now, other e-readers soon, printed book in June. www.amyandjoanne.com. Thanks.Statistics for Wicked Good the book
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 5/24/2013
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 7/14/2012
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Alchemy and Self Publishing
by Joanne Lewis
I wrote my first book when I was eight years old. It was a book about the weather and it was called, of course, The Book of Weather. I took construction paper and drew the sun and wind and clouds, wrote instructional blurbs about lightning and thunder and fastened the pages between two pieces of cardboard taken from my father’s new button-down work shirts. I covered the cardboard with green and yellow wallpaper that had bright and bubbly orange flowers dancing along it. The wallpaper had been left over from decorating our 1970’s Long Island kitchen.
I was pleased with my book but nothing made me prouder than when the librarian placed it in my elementary school library. I visited it every day. I don’t recall anyone checking out my book, or if it was given its own listing in the card catalogue or even a Dewey decimal number, but I didn’t care. There it was on the shelves. My book. I was a writer.
And a writer I was determined to be until the day came when practicality usurped my dreams. I graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and was considering what I would do next. I had to get a real job. My father’s words bounced around my head. You have to have a career so you know what you’re unemployed from. I went to law school.
I wrote my first novel when I was 24 years old and while a prosecutor working felony trials and sex crimes. I didn’t have an agent. A small press that has since gone out of business published the novel, a murder mystery called The Forbidden Room. While I did not sell many books, I was invited to speak on panels and did book signings. I got an agent. I was asked by an editor at Simon & Schuster to write a series featuring a young female prosecutor. She asked me to provide her with a synopsis of the first book and a general outline of books two and three. I was on my way.
Two months later, my agent presented my proposal to the editor who said, without further explanation, that she was no longer interested. Then my agent unexpectedly passed away. I was sad and wasn’t thinking about finding another agent when her associate called and said he was taking over her business and would not be keeping me as a client.
Opportunities continued to arise, at least for a short time. Another small press wanted to publish a book of mine, however things fell apart during the editing stage and the novel was ne
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 11/23/2011
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Wicked Writing
Adding Symbolism & Subtext to Fiction
By Joanne Lewis
Very often what makes a novel a rich experience for a reader is not readily seen on the page but lives in the spaces between the words. This is where subtext and symbolism are found.
Let’s start with definitions. Subtext is the implicit meaning of the text. Symbolism gives meaning to the words beyond what is described. Here are examples from my novel, Wicked Good.
First, subtext.
In chapter 11 of Wicked Good, Archer, exhausted and frustrated, finally finds Rory at the Mobil-to-go with bad girl, Trish. Archer sees Trish slip candy into her pocket.
Rory, who doesn’t notice, is standing at the counter, speaking. “If we could turn dirt into oil we would solve the world’s energy crisis and not have to rely on other countries. Don’t you think that’s a great idea, mom?”
“Yes, Rory,” Archer eyes the Monster energy drink cans on the counter, “it’s really smart. I’m tired. Can we go home now?”
“Yeah. I need money to pay for this stuff.”
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 10/31/2011
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I foster dogs through my local animal shelter and recently brought home Ace, a one-year-old puggle named after the Snoopy flying ace character. Ace had been hit by a car and his family could not afford to have his broken leg fixed. They surrendered him to my local shelter. After surgery, he needed a place to heal his clipped wing. It took Ace a few days to get used to us. But once he did, we all fell in love. Ace knew his jobs - to snuggle up with me while I slept, to wake my 17-year-old son Ryan for school, to be accepted by Brendan - my 19-year-old son who is on the autism spectrum - and to find his way into the heart of my big old grumpy poodle.
Ace didn’t know his other job was to get strong. He approached all his jobs like the ace that he was and three weeks later, his wing was healed well enough so he could be put up for adoption. It was time for Ace to fly. I didn’t want to let him go but I couldn’t keep him. He had his wings.
It is not just dogs developing their wings in my household. My 19-year-old has Asperger’s syndrome and doesn’t like disruptions in his routine. He doesn’t like to be far from his coping mechanisms - DVDs blaring on his laptop and music on his I-pod. He began to panic when his laptop starting malfunctioning days before he and his brother were going to visit family in Washington, D.C. I began to panic as well and took him to buy a new laptop to avoid a break down. There was a minor melt down on the way home from the store when they didn’t have the laptop he wanted. We got home and I escaped to my bathtub. Forty minutes later, I went downstairs. Laptop, I-pod, DVD player and cords were scattered all over my kitchen table. He had fixed whatever had malfunctioned.
"Really?" I said.
"Yes," he said.
"So you are all set for the trip?"
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 10/3/2011
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Sisters publish novel from their blog on Asperger’s syndrome
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 9/26/2011
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CMash Loves To Read: Guest Authors Amy Lewis Faircloth and Joanne Lewis
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 9/14/2011
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Wicked Good by Amy Lewis Faircloth and Joanne Lewis, Blog Tour & Giveaway Contests!
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| The Mowchine |
WOW! is very pleased to introduce Joanne and Amy, two talented sisters who will be touring with us September 12th through October 7th with theiraward winning debut novel, Wicked Good. In addition to fun discussions, author interviews, book reviews, and prizes we will be having a writing contest, mass blogging day, and more prizes! That’s a lot of information to cover so let’s get started...
About the Book
Rory is a teenage boy struggling in a world that doesn’t understand him. He is as intelligent, witty and creative as he is destructive. Like all teenagers he seeks a sense of belonging and decides that his birth parents migh
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 6/30/2011
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My sister and I have written a novel called Wicked Good. It's the story of a mother and her son with Asperger's syndrome. People frequently ask how it came to be that two sisters wrote a novel together while living in different states.
It was March. The snow was dirty brown and the sun was absent here in Bangor, Maine. I was spending a lot of time on my sofa, channel surfing and landing nowhere.
Joanne called from her home in Florida. “Wanna write a book together?” she asked.
I wrapped the afghan around me tighter and yawned from lack of blood flow to my brain. “Sure,” was the best response I could muster.
I am a lawyer by day and single mom to two teenage boys by day and night. My oldest is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism which has been of mixed blessings to my life.
Joanne is the literary brains behind this outfit. I can only write based upon my life experiences. Without Joanne moving the plot along, we would be nowhere. On the other hand, I have the experience. My son is now 19 years old. Life has been a challenge for both of us. The incidents in our novel Wicked Good are fiction. But many of the characteristics of the mother and son have basis in authenticity. For example, once my son gets an idea in his head, it is tough to dissuade him otherwise. The teenage character Rory in Wicked Good is the same. As another example, juggling my son's needs with my job truly does stress me out and the bathtub is a frequent refuge; just like it is for Archer, Rory's mother in Wicked Good. However, my son has never hit me and I do not have a drinking problem.
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 6/19/2011
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As Rory would say - I really really love you, Dad.
Happy Father's Day.
Amy and Jo
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 6/17/2011
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I know we've been quiet on the blog for the last couple of weeks but a lot has been happening behind-the-scenes. Wicked Good continues to sell well as an e-book on Kindle, Nook and other places. Wicked Good has been in the top 100 on Amazon for Kindle books dealing with special needs issues. The hardcover has not been released yet but we are hoping by the end of the month it will be ready.
Wicked Good has been acknowledged on various sites (see Events/Media on our website at www.amyandjoanne.com) but the real exposure will be when the hardcover comes out. CNN reported recently that e-books were selling better than bound books on Amazon however people keep asking me when will Wicked Good be available to purchase as a book I can hold in my hand. Guess my independent research doesn't beat out Amazon's statistics but I feel pretty confident Wicked Good will get a lot more exposure once the hardcover is ready.
That's it for now except congratulations to my nephew Brendan for graduating from high school. We are very very proud of him.
And thanks for the latest shout-out for Wicked Good in the blog article "More Noise and Props for Indie Publisher - Trestle Press". See http://gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-noise-and-props-for-indie.html
And finally, thank YOU for your continued faith in Wicked Good and in us.
All our best for a great weekend, Jo
Wicked Good has been acknowledged on various sites (see Events/Media on our website at www.amyandjoanne.com) but the real exposure will be when the hardcover comes out. CNN reported recently that e-books were selling better than bound books on Amazon however people keep asking me when will Wicked Good be available to purchase as a book I can hold in my hand. Guess my independent research doesn't beat out Amazon's statistics but I feel pretty confident Wicked Good will get a lot more exposure once the hardcover is ready.
That's it for now except congratulations to my nephew Brendan for graduating from high school. We are very very proud of him.
And thanks for the latest shout-out for Wicked Good in the blog article "More Noise and Props for Indie Publisher - Trestle Press". See http://gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/2011/06/more-noise-and-props-for-indie.html
And finally, thank YOU for your continued faith in Wicked Good and in us.
All our best for a great weekend, Jo
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 5/31/2011
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Just wanted to share the good news that Wicked Good is ranked #33 as an e-book in Special Needs - Parenting section on Amazon.
Here's the link: Wicked Good
Thanks for your support.
Amy and Jo
Here's the link: Wicked Good
Thanks for your support.
Amy and Jo
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 5/30/2011
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 5/24/2011
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SAVE THE DATE: JULY 16, 2011 AT 1:00PM
We are pleased to announce our
WICKED GOOD BOOK LAUNCH GOURMET LUNCHEON
including prizes and surprises!
July 16, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. at 11th Street Annex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Amy and Joanne will both attend.
This event will be limited to 25 people. RSVP only. Leave a comment on the blog or e-mail us at [email protected] if you would like to attend.
Let us know how many in your party.
Cost: $30.00 including gourmet lunch, hardcopy of Wicked Good and other goodies.
Sorry, credit cards are not accepted.
More information to follow.
Other WICKED GOOD Events and Media Coverage:
INTERVIEWS/GUEST SPOTS
READ PRE-PUBLISHING INTERVIEW OF AMY AND JOANNE AT: www.jodiwebb.com/news/wicked-good-co-writing/
April 11, 2011 JOANNE APPEARED AS GUEST BLOGGER ON GEL
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 5/20/2011
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I spend a lot of my time trying to figure out how to get our novel Wicked Good into the hearts and minds of strangers. I know my friends and family will read the book, if they haven’t already done so. And I appreciate all of you more than I can properly express. But now that the hardcover is going to be released in less then one month – it’s time for Wicked Good to reach broader exposure. People who don’t know me or Amy. The question is – how?
I’ve read books and blogs on marketing novels. I’ve had in-depth conversations with my writing friends who have already published novels and are asking the same question as me. And I’ve taken all of the advice – almost.
I’m on Facebook. My friend Steven who is a writer on the verge of being published has over 3000 friends. He believes that once he gets the publishing contract step one of his marketing plan will be in place. My friend Michael, also a writer who will most likely be published one day, has 30 friends. His logic: I only want “real” friends. I see the value in both points of view. I try to friend new people weekly but I still cherish my “real” friends.
I’m on Twitter but I don’t really get it. It seems like people on Twitter just want to advertise something or someone or themselves. People tweet about this book or that product or this interview and then mix in a comment on the weather or what movie they’ve seen to make it look like they’re not really doing what everyone else is doing. But then my father asked me to explain the difference between Twitter and Tweeter. I explained that you tweet on Twitter not twit on Tweeter. We went on-line and I showed him. He said, follow Rex Ryan, the coach of the New York Jets; which I did. The next day, Rex Ryan followed me. As a lifelong Jet fan, I definitely see the value of that!
I’m on LinkedIn. I like that one. I posted a question recently seeking to find experts on Asperger’s syndrome who might want to write a testimonial for the back cover of Wicked Good. I received five referrals. None of them came through but I see the value of that.
Amy and I will be doing a blog tour. We will be having speaking engagements, readings and book signings. I will keep posting on our blog and updating our website. I will friend more friends on Facebook and continue to banter with my “real” friends on the social network. I will tweet occasionally, hoping that Rex Ryan is paying attention.
And then I will spend in-person time with my friends like Michael and Steven. I will enjoy my family. I will write. I will play with my dog. I definitely see the value of that!
Jo
Please visit our website at www.amyandjoanne.com
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 5/15/2011
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In 1887, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced the world to an isolated, socially-awkward and eccentric man named Sherlock Holmes. Under Conan Doyle’s pen, Holmes was obsessive and compulsive. He didn’t seem to have conversations but rather single-minded discourses. He had no friends other than the dedicated Watson.
Could it be, as others have suggested, that Holmes had Asperger’s syndrome?
As a writer, what interests me is how Conan Doyle created Holmes. Was he based on one person he knew or on a compilation of many? Conan Doyle was a doctor. Was the character of Holmes inspired by a patient of his or from an article he had read in a medical journal? Did Conan Doyle first describe Asperger’s syndrome more than fifty years before Hans Asperger, the Austrian physician, first reported on the syndrome?
I know there are a legion of Sherlock Holmes fans out there who can offer an opinion on Holmes’ diagnosis but whatever it may be – Sherlock Holmes appears to be the fore-runner to some modern day fictional scientists and doctors of TV fame, namely: House, Monk and (my favorite) Bones. Like Holmes, all appear to exhibit qualities associated with Asperger’s syndrome.
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 5/8/2011
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As Rory would say: "I really really love you, Mom."
Happy Mother's Day.
Amy and Jo.
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 5/5/2011
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This is our first royalty check as authors. It covers the one week we were published in the first quarter of 2011 (March 24 - March 31). It might not be much to deposit into our bank account but to us it's gazillions!
Other good news: We just learned from Trestle Press that the hardcover will be available on June 15, 2011 and will retail for $14.95. Trestle Press is also planning a collectible edition of Wicked Good to be released in November, 2011. The collectible edition will retail for $25.00 and will include chapters of Wicked Wise (the second book in the "Wicked" series), a foreward by a renowned doctor in the field of Autism, and other wicked good features.
Please check out our website at www.amyandjoanne.com. I designed it. If you have any thoughts about how to improve it, please let me know and I'll do my best to incorporate your ideas.
Thanks, as always.
Jo
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 4/30/2011
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Hi Everyone -
As an update, We have entered the next phase of the publishing of our novel, WICKED GOOD. WICKED GOOD has been selling well on Amazon for the Kindle. Here is the link:
Wicked Good
Wicked Good
And, finally - after resolving some issues involving the cover art (ironically, the photo of the book cover is still not up), WICKED GOOD is now available on the Barnes & Noble Nook. Here is the link:
We have been told by our publisher that WICKED GOOD will be available on other e-readers soon. And, we're still on target for WICKED GOOD to be released as a hardcover in mid-June.
Thank you so much to everyone for your support and good wishes regarding WICKED GOOD. The response has been overwhelming. We are thrilled. Here is an of excerpt of a review we just received from a mother with an autistic child:
By: Amy and Joanne,
on 4/25/2011
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Our publisher asked for our author photo today since they are starting pre-production on the hardcover of Wicked Good. So, here it is. Our author photo for the back of Wicked Good. Drum roll, please.......
We hope you like it.
Amy and Jo
We hope you like it.
Amy and Jo
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 4/22/2011
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 4/20/2011
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Wicked Good – The Beaning Ceremony
Part Three of Three
It’s All Wicked Good
Amy and I are receiving bean #30 in Joyce’s class tomorrow night.
Here are some fun stats related to Joyce’s classes:
The Thursday class has been going for 15 years and has received 20 of the beans. This is my class.
The Wednesday class is 8 years old and has 6 beans.
The Tuesday group is almost 3 years old and has no beans.
Other writers not in one of the groups – 4 beans.
Here is the breakdown of beans by genre:
Young Adult: 11
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 4/18/2011
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Wicked Good – The Beaning Ceremony
Part Two of Three
Don’t Blink – You’ll Miss It
One of Joyce’s students and a writer whose novels feature deeply complicated and downright terrorizing plotlines returned from Costa Rica with pods from the Guanacaste tree (www.heidiboehringer.com). The Guanacaste, also known as the CaroCaro or Elephant Ear tree, is a flowering tree in the pea family. Small, green pods appear around December and stay until flowering season begins in March. She brought home two pods and gave them to Joyce who discovered there were approximately twenty beans in each.
On the eve of Joyce’s first writing student being published 15 years ago, Joyce was trying to figure out the exact way to mark this wonderful achievement. Getting published was the goal of all the writers under her tutelage and there had to be a unique way to acknowledge this rite of passage. A trophy ala the Oscars or Emmys? A certificate of achievment? Flowers and balloons? No, no and no. Not original enough. Joyce looked at the beans in front of her and like Jack and his beans that became a stalk which grew into the clouds, she knew they were magical. And she knew there was only one way to mark the wondrous accomplishment for each writer of finally getting published. The tradition of the beaning ceremony was born.
I’ve attended a few beaning ceremonies over the years. Everyone gathers at the start of the Thursday night class. Congratulations fly around the room to the soon-to-be beaned author. Those unpublished wonder when it will be their turn to receive a bean. Everyone is genuinely happy for the newly published author as we all know how hard the journey is from blank page to the bookshelves. Joyce sits at the head of the table and takes out a native American looking rattle and hands it to the person she believes will be the next to be offered a publishing contract. That person shakes the rattle. Joyce walks to the person being beaned and hands her the bean. Everyone claps. Joyce sits down and announces who will be the first to read that night. The ceremony has ended.
Don’t blink – you’ll miss it.
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 4/16/2011
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Wicked Good – The Beaning Ceremony
Part One of Three
Invitation Only
There are many traditions in Fort Lauderdale. Snow-less Christmas. Transplanted northeasterners. Fickle sports fans. Snowbirds. And, Joyce Sweeney’s Beaning Ceremony.
Let me start from the beginning. It was 2006 and I was attending Sleuthfest, a spectacular writing conference put on each year by the South Florida chapter of Mystery Writer’s of America (Sleuthfest is also a tradition). I was working on a murder mystery and at the conference I met Deborah Sharp, (www.deborahsharp.com), author of the cozy Mama series. Deb, a retired USA Today reporter, took me under her writing wing and suggested I join Joyce Sweeney’s Thursday night writing workshop group (www.joycesweeney.com).
“What’s a writing workshop?” I asked Deb, daring to sound stupid.
“Published and unpublished writers read about fifteen pages of their work to the group and get critiqued.”
“Sounds scary.”
“It is at first but, trust me, it’s worth it.”
Those words trust me coming from an author whose books have featured poisoned chili, a dead body in the trunk of a convertible and a murdered wedding caterer made me nervous. But, trust her I did.
“Oh,” Deb added, “Joyce only accepts writers by invitation.”
I exhaled forcefully. Why did every step of the writing process seem to involve another test? But, like all stubborn writers, I plowed forward. I sent a writing sample to Joyce and waited. Would I be accepted into the upper echelons of the Fort Lauderdale writing scene? Or was Deb setting me up
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 4/13/2011
Blog: Wicked Good the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Blog: Wicked Good the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Here is the link to Amy's guest post blog:
http://gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/2011/04/guest-post-amy-faircloth-co-author-of_12.html
http://gelatisscoop.blogspot.com/2011/04/guest-post-amy-faircloth-co-author-of_12.html
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By: Amy and Joanne,
on 4/11/2011
Blog: Wicked Good the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Blog: Wicked Good the book (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Hi Everyone,
I am a guest poster/blogger (not sure of the proper term here) on the Gelati Scoop blog. Amy will be the guest poster/blogger tomorrow. Here is the link:
I am a guest poster/blogger (not sure of the proper term here) on the Gelati Scoop blog. Amy will be the guest poster/blogger tomorrow. Here is the link:
I'll post Amy's link on Wednesday. Enjoy.
Jo
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