Greta Boris

Stories of Domestic Suspense

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How to Beat Loneliness

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I love writing. I love creating characters, plot lines, seeing my name on the cover of a book. I feel incredibly blessed to do what I do.

Having said all that, there is a downside to the author world you, as a reader, might not be aware of. Writers are listed in the top 10 professions most likely to experience severe depression according to US World’s Website. The reasons listed for that are:

  • Erratic pay
  • Rejection
  • Isolation

Generally I’m a pretty cheerful person, in part, because I’ve learned to guard myself against the third on the list. The first two I’ve accepted as part of the job. But I had an unusual three weeks due to deadlines, support people being out of town, and just general poor planning on my part. Consequently, I was alone a lot.

The “Big D,” as my father calls it, came knocking on my door. After two weeks of hanging out in the doldrums, I realized I had to take action. I thought about joining a church group, but I’m already in a church group. I thought about finding other writers to hang out with, but I already have a big group of writer friends. Then, I had a brainstorm.

Instead of looking for people to support me, what if I went out and found somebody I could support?

I signed up to help at a local food pantry that week. I assisted low income women choose and load their carts with food, helped them carry to their cars, and took a moment to listen to their concerns and pray with them. I left there on cloud nine.

The next step in my anti-loneliness plan, I stumbled into.

I noticed some beautiful, fresh produce when I was stocking the pantry that morning. It didn’t look like it had come from a grocery store, so I inquired. Turns out the pantry has an organic vegetable farm on the property where volunteers grow produce to add to the the pantry’s offerings.

That Saturday I went to the farm and helped trim cabbage, harvest lettuce, and turn the beds. What a perfect way to counteract depression. I had sunlight, exercise, and the camaraderie of lovely people.

The literary world is a wonderful one, but writers and readers alike must spend time alone to enter it. I believe alone time is essential for mental health, but so is community. How do you find the balance in your life? I’d love to hear. Please share in the comments below, or join the conversation in the 7 Deadly Book Club on Facebook.

Want to be in a 7 Deadly Sin?

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Secret Confession – I write people I know into my novels.

But, don’t worry, I don’t kill them.

Last week I got a text from a friend. He’d just finished reading The Scent of Wrath and was excited to see his name in print. In this case I wasn’t really thinking of him – his first name is common – but don’t tell him that.

Other times I intentionally write real people into my stories. Here’s a few examples:

The Scent of Wrath :

In Chapter 2, Olivia is frantically searching the San Juan Capistrano Mission for Brian, who is recovering from a head injury. She stops a little boy who’s in Brian’s class to see if he knows where her son is. Johnny Wilson, the boy, is not little anymore. He’s thirty, and a good friend of my kids, but I’ve known him since he was a shaver.

In Chapter 12, I mention a Pilates instructor who can’t come to Olivia’s party, Julianne, because she’s teaching at ABC Pilates that evening. I worked with Julianne at ABC Pilates and the YMCA for years.

The Sanctity of Sloth: 

In Chapter 2, Steven Homestead, garden volunteer, finds the body. He’s the son of a close friend. That’s all he was supposed to do, but as I wrote I realized I needed more out of him. He makes problems for Abby and her father in Chapters 16 and 20 too.

The Color of Envy: (Coming this summer)

In Chapter 1, a woman walks her dog in a Seattle park early in the morning and has a harrowing experience. My sister-in-law, Kate, lives in Seattle, so she seemed like a natural choice. She could use a little shaking up in her life. For added fun, I decided to name the dog after my nephew Jake.

Would you like to be featured in one of the sins?

If so, join my Facebook Group, post there and tell me why you’re a good candidate for A Pinch of Gluttony! Your answer doesn’t have to have anything to do with your eating habits. It could be that you’re a park ranger, a dog catcher, or a mail delivery person and you’re out and about a lot. It could be because you have a special skill like painting, or jam making or party throwing. Tell me something interesting about yourself! I’ll let everyone know who the winner is next month.

Three Reasons Crime Stories are Good for You

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crime storiesSometimes I feel like I have to justify writing crime fiction.

I’m a nice person, generally upbeat and positive. Most of the crime and horror writers I know are. This surprises folks,

People often ask me, with concerned looks on their faces, how I came up with my bad guys and girls. Once after I read a scene from a criminal’s perspective aloud, a woman said in a horrified voice, “Who are you?”

They wonder if I’m channeling my own inner demons onto the page. If I would like to plunge in the knife, or feed them poison.

The truth is, I’m fascinated by crime for the same reasons half the country is. My lizard brain feels the fear and wants to protect me. According to Lisa Cron, author and story consultant, we’re hard-wired for story. It’s the way we learn about the world around us. You can watch her TEDTalk here. 

I’m going to make a bold statement: I think the gravitational pull toward crime stories is not only healthy, it can make you more joyful. Here’s why.

 Three reasons crime stories are good for you:

1.    You can learn vicariously.

Bad stuff happens. We hear horror stories every time we open our browsers or turn on the TV. Those who live to tell their tales have important information to share. If we learn how they survived, maybe we will too. The Podcast and TV series Dirty John, a true crime story, is an incredible example of how a vicarious lesson paid off. I won’t tell you what happens because I don’t want to spoil it.

2 .   You better understand criminals.

Know your enemy. What makes people do horrible things? You probably guessed this question is a big draw for me since I write psychological suspense. If I understand the criminal mind perhaps I can raise a better child, be a better person, pick up the red flags when I’m around someone dangerous.

One of the characters that became more and more real as I wrote him is the killer in A Margin of Lust. He seems so cocky, so sure of himself, so superior in the beginning, but as the story progresses the cracks and insecurities appear. In one scene, he’s touring a house with a realtor. His reaction to her says a lot about him:

She was another gorgon.

Another grasping chit.

Not even the abundance of makeup she wore could conceal her lust for status, her need for significance. The listing was just what you’d expect her to represent. Ostentation was carved into the little-boy-peeing fountain in the front yard and the ivy scroll work on the huge front doors. The word echoed through all the empty, cavernous rooms and swam in the infinity pool in the backyard. I hated it almost as much as I hated her.

3.   You get a serotonin hit from a happy ending. 

Recently I had a conversation with someone who’d read one of my books. She said she loved the end, but didn’t like the tension and angst that led up to it. My comment was: You wouldn’t have loved the end if there hadn’t been tension and angst leading up to it.

My husband and I used to watch the show I Shouldn’t be Alive. Each episode enacts a true survival story. When the helicopter thumped into sight, or the rescue snow mobiles traversed the frozen fields, it brought tears to my eyes. The word used by the survivors to express that moment was always joy.

Happy endings are only impactful if the reader experiences the characters’ pain first. If there’s no fight, no struggle, no danger, a happy ending is like eating icing without the cake. The more intense the situation, the more joy at the end.

I’m sure there are many more reasons crime stories are good for you. Can you think of one I missed? Please share below or on Facebook. We need to defend ourselves from the lollipop, butterfly and puppy dog crowd!

Audio Made Simple

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Audio books are good for your heath.

Most of us have made New Year’s resolutions or goals related to health and fitness. Whether you want to lose weight, or lower cholesterol, or run a marathon, one thing is pivotal, you must move more.

But if you’re here, on my website, you probably love to read as well—a very sedentary occupation.

Audio books change the game.

About three years ago I discovered OverDrive and Audible. Before I found I could download an audio book onto my phone in seconds and listen as I hiked, cleaned house, drove, or worked out at the gym, I rarely imbibed. I thought I had to buy CD’s and listen on my ancient car player on long drives. Now I consume one to two audio books a week depending on my schedule.

Here are 5 reasons I love audio books and you should too:

  1. They encourage me to move. I look forward to my gym workouts because I can justify sneaking in a few chapters on a weekday morning.
  2. They slow me down. I’m a very fast reader and have been known to skim read during exciting, or boring, sections of a book. Audio forces me to listen to the language. I hear the author’s clever turns of phrase, their lovely metaphors, their sparkling dialogue.
  3. They make me more discerning. To the above point, because I’m listening instead of plowing through pages, I’m more aware if an author has taken short cuts and not put their best work forward.
  4. They introduce me to new authors. There are much fewer audio books on the market than print or digital. In order to satisfy my addiction, I’ve had to dabble in new genres, find new authors, and expand my reading world. I’ve found authors I love whose books I would otherwise not have picked up.
  5. My house is cleaner. If I’m really into a story, I will look for more chores to do. I’ve washed my kitchen cupboard doors and sorted the junk drawer when the only chore on the list was to clean out the refrigerator just to get to the exciting climax.

Okay, you’re sold. Audio books sound great, but you’re concerned about the technology.

Never fear, if you have a smart phone it’s simple. The two programs I use most are the public library’s digital and audio platform, which is a little more complicated, but free. And, Audible.com, more simple and has more books, but does cost money.

You can either purchase books on Audible for the cover price, or sign up for a monthly membership which saves you money on each title you purchase.

Membership costs $14.95 monthly, but they give you a free month and two free books when you sign up provided you stay a member for two months. Which means you can get The Sanctity of Sloth for free!

Step 1: Sign up here for an Audible account and get The Sanctity of Sloth for free.

Step 2: Go the the App store on your phone and find Audible

Step 3: Download the free app and follow directions to connect to your account.

Step 4: The book will be on your bookshelf. Select it and start listening.

That’s it!

If you already have Audible, or aren’t sure you want to join but would like to save money on an audio copy of The Sanctity of Sloth, follow these steps.

Step 1: Go to the book’s page on Amazon here. 

Step 2: Purchase the Kindle version of the book and click the box to add the audio for only $7.49

Step 3: Download the free Audible App on your phone.

Step 4: Select the book from your shelf and start listening.

There you go. Fitness made fun and easy. Let me know how it goes.

 

Book Club Questions for The Sanctity of Sloth

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Questions: 

  1. The Sanctity of Sloth has an unusual premise: A young woman locks herself in a secret enclosure at the San Juan Capistrano Mission to observe humanity like the anchorites of old. Have you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall, watching but not participating in life?
  2. Abby is afraid of making mistakes, her solution is to avoid doing anything. Can you think of a time when you or someone you know did the same? How did it work out?
  3. Most of the 7 Deadly Sins are sins of commission – lust, greed, gluttony, envy, wrath, and pride usually inspire wrong actions. Sloth, on the other hand, is a sin of omission. There are many historical events we can look back on now in which people didn’t act when they saw wrong doing. Can you name a couple?
  4. How might history be different if people had acted, or acted sooner, in those instances?
  5. Abby’s inaction starts a domino effect. One calamity occurs after another. What, in your opinion, was her first big mistake?
  6. Although Abby’s decisions prove to be disastrous, do you have sympathy for her when you learn about the events of her childhood? Why, or why not?
  7. Carlos is Abby’s opposite. He makes decisions and acts swiftly. Is that always the best course of action?
  8. Who do you relate to more, Abby or Carlos?
  9. The Wife is motivated by love and concern for her family. Sounds good. But, where do you draw the line when protecting your children? 
  10. Hannah’s story is based on a real event that took place in Irvine, California a number of years ago. The attitudes of the couple who held her as a domestic slave were very similar to the attitudes expressed by the people in the book. Does their world view surprise you? 

My hope is this book will have inspired you to find out what you can do about the plague of human trafficking in the US and around the world. Here are a few links to help: 

https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-fight-for-freedom-7-organizations-combatting-human-trafficking

https://www.a21.org/

https://www.egovlink.com/ochumantrafficking/

 

JOY – Part 1

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Confession time: I’m a closet self-help, positivity enthusiast.

I pursue joy. You might think it’s strange that someone who writes dark fiction is an avid follower of uplifting podcasts, self-help books and encouraging bloggers. Maybe I need them because I write dark fiction, but I think there’s another reason. I’ll tell you about that next month.

This month it seemed appropriate to write about one of the most well known joy builders – thankfulness. 

Fiction is a wonderful but tough business. The highs are high and the lows are low. Learning to maintain a happy heart is a critical part of the job.

One thing I’ve found helps is to review my blessings. Not just the husband, kids, house, dog, kind of blessings, but specifically the wonderful things that have happened in my career over the past year. 

Here goes: 

  • I finished and launched the third book in The 7 Deadly Sins Series, The Sanctity of Sloth (Which reminds me how grateful I am for my publisher and editor.)
  • I spoke at 6 So. Cal. writing events – what an honor to be asked!
  • O.C.Writers (the organization I direct) threw it’s first author event to celebrate women writers
  • I taught two workshops at the Dallas-Fort Worth Writers Conference
  • I met my publisher in person for the first time
  • I wrote the first book in a brand new mystery series I’m very excited about (Am pitching to agents now. I’ll keep you all posted!)
  • I re-released a book for writers with the amazing Megan Haskell – PUBLISH – Take Charge of Your Author Career
  • Megan and I taught 4 workshops at the Southern California Writers Conference (Whew – tiring but great meeting so many wonderful people.)
  • Megan and I taught our first private small group writing workshop (It was a big success and we’ll be teaching a revision workshop in January.)
  • I started my first co-authored fiction project with the inimitable Kristy Tate. 
  • I’m speaking (spoke, depending on when you read this) at LitUP on Tuesday, Nov. 20th
  • I had my first contact with book clubs who chose one of my books for their monthly read

On the personal side of life:

  • My sister and nephew came to California to visit for the first time
  • My Dad came to visit
  • My husband’s company sponsored the building of a house in Mexico for a family in need
  • My daughter adopted an adorable puppy, so I now have a grand dog 
  • I went to France for 3 weeks!! Amazing trip 
  • The annual family camping trip went off without a hitch
  • My music duo, Eclectic Blends, got a regular monthly gig at a wonderful family restaurant – Stephano’s 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Writing this was so encouraging. Looking for more joy? I highly recommend you make your own list, and please share some of the highlights in the comments below.