Truth is Relative by J.J. Lyons #booktour

Welcome to my stop on the Truth is Relative book tour. I have a great guest post to share written by the author J.J. Lyon with advice for aspiring writers. There is a great giveaway as well and many bloggers taking part.

Anthony Blackwell’s “gift” compels people to confess their deepest secrets.

It corrupts his relationships, derails his career and drives him toward eviction—until he becomes Anthony Bishop, private investigator.

His first case drops him into a deadly family drama that will save him financially, if it doesn’t kill him first.

Who can resist a great first line: “The Monday before Thanksgiving, my car disappeared…

Anthony Blackwell’s “gift” compels people to confess their deepest secrets.

It corrupts his relationships, derails his career and drives him toward eviction—until he becomes Anthony Bishop, private investigator. His first case drops him into a deadly family drama that will save him financially, if it doesn’t kill him first.

Advice to aspiring writers: Get a day job. Seriously.

It’s not the only way to do it. I have at least one friend who launched straight into writing without having a day job first, and she’s successful by just about any standard.

I still think you need a day job. For one thing, it will give you fodder for your fiction. As a small-town reporter, I met many people whose stories haunt me to this day. Bits and pieces of them show up in my stories.

Dilbert creator Scott Adams made a lot of money poking fun at the corporate machine that employed him. The rest of us can relate to his experience—so much that we cut out his comic strips and post them on our office doors. If he’d quit and started drawing comics full-time as soon as he recognized the absurdity of big business life, he wouldn’t have nearly the wealth of comedy to draw from—and his work probably wouldn’t have been as good.

So yeah. A day job probably won’t hurt you, either.

But if you don’t get a day job (or even if you do), then do this:

Write every day, and be honest with yourself about it. You’ll produce some things that took a lot of effort. Things that are likely still not your best work. I’ve heard of bestselling first books, but they’re really rare. Often the first couple or three books are a learning exercise. It’s all right. It’s part of the process that culminates in the story that deserves to be published. If you haven’t read Ira Glass’s advice on closing the gap between your fantastically good taste and your creative work, it’s worth a couple of minutes. (http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/01/29/ira-glass-success-daniel-sax/)

Find some writing buddies. Join a writing group. Attend workshops. The friends you make can help your writing bloom. They can point out problems and help you recognize your strengths. They can celebrate a success with you or cheer you up after you get a pile of rejections. They are so important. So valuable! But you also need to understand that:

If you’re serious about publishing, you’re going to need a professional editor. If you go the traditional route, the publisher will provide one. If you’re an indie, you’ll need to hire one yourself. But you will need one. Make sure it’s someone you can trust not only to preserve your artistic integrity, but to tell you “no” when you don’t want to hear it.

Learn to trust your gut. This is harder than it sounds. Judicious writing is more than just hanging onto an idea that you love. It’s more than taking the advice of someone you think is smarter than you. It involves weighing risks and benefits, your passion versus your practicality. Ultimately it’s your call. Learn how to decide what bits of your writing—bits of yourself, really—you will keep and what you will throw away.

It gets easier with time.

Praise from readers

“I love the premise of this book, it’s like PI Morrow meets Liar Liar.”

“This book reminded me of the stone movies Tom Selleck was in. It has the rough feeling of the west but is written smoothly so that it’s hard to stop reading. I’m hoping there is/will be more.” Stefanie Andersen – Logan, UT

“A very interesting and innovative plot.” Billie H – Lamesa, TX

From the author:

The world didn’t have enough mysteries with a sense of humor, so I wrote one.

From other authors:

“What a fun, great read! I loved the characters and the concept was one I’d never heard of. Reading was an absolute pleasure.”
–Rebecca Belliston, author of Sadie and Augustina

“Even though Anthony’s “gift” makes him an effective detective, it is almost impossible for him to establish meaningful relationships. Anthony finds himself in situations fraught with danger, but tinged with humor. His charm and good looks draw people to him, but they quickly regret revealing their darkest secrets. I found myself laughing out loud and reading to find out what happens next. It’s easy to get caught up in the fresh and intriguing story. Lyon has so much imagination and skillful writing, I look forward to reading whatever she comes up with next.”

–Carole Warburton, author of A Question of Trust and Poaching Daisies

Title: TRUTh is RELATIVE

Author: J. J. Lyon

Release Date: July 10, 2014

Pages: 275

Find it: | Amazon & Goodreads

J. J. Lyon is a wife, mom, public relations professional and recovering journalist.

Her passion for prose and love of the American West are so intertwined, she confesses to the difficulty of separating them. When she runs out of words, she reaches for her camera, takes off on a back road and returns home with a bucketful of inspiration.

J. J. lives in a mountain valley with her husband, three children, some cats, two goats, a bird and a basset hound.

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