Why We Write

I spent last weekend with an amazing lady, and indie author—Syd Blue. As I watched Syd sell her books at cost, it reminded me how powerful the gift of writing can be. Her attitude is to inspire our children, at whatever cost. What a great reason to write.

For the young ladies, Fly Girl is a story of sixteen year-old Jill who learns to fly the hard way. Jill has far less than the perfect life—more responsibility than a teen should have. But despite the challenges Jill faces throughout the story she calls life, she learns to believe in herself and takes responsibility for the consequences of her actions. This is a book that (secretly) teaches, while it entertains and inspires. I wish I had this book when my kids were young.

Syd did not want to leave out the boys, so she wrote a second book, Circle. Imagine Indiana Jones meets ET, and you have Circle. Fun flying scenes and excitement for all ages, and the girls will love this too. What would your son do if an extraterrestrial girl turned up under his bed?

A pilot herself, Syd knows the power behind taking control of a plane and how it fuels confidence. Something that we all want our children to have. There is a great analogy between being in control of your life, and flying a plane where you literally are.

Please take a moment to visit Syd at:  

Fly Girl, Life in the Skies.
Follow her on Twitter @SydBlue

If you know any child you want to inspire, and stuff their Easter Basket with something yummy for the soul… Circle and Fly Girl are both priced right and found at Amazon.

Syd, Linda, Heather and Karlene at the SFO writers conference 2010~

Why do you write?

Enjoy the Journey!
XO~ Karlene


Karlene is the author of Flight For Control, an aviation thriller that will change the way you look at flying forever.

Aloha from Hawaii!

One of my favorite things to do as a writer, besides write, is learn how to write better. But this week I dove into the pool of screenwriting. I'm at the Aloha Writers' retreat, studying with Diane Lake. Trust me when I say, “I know why the movie rarely, if ever, mirrors the book.” One might use the word ‘impossible’ to turn a 400-page novel into a 100-page screenplay. This is going to be a challenge. But I believe a challenge is nothing more than an opportunity.

We all know to show, don’t tell. But sometimes knowing what to do, and ‘how to’, are two different things. As I study the art of using perfect words to paint a picture for the big screen, I realize that I’m learning how to create pictures for my novel too. While we all love books and reading, I suggest you watch a movie and pay attention to how those pictures create feelings and emotions. See the action they show. And if you have an urge to read, pick up a screenplay book. You’ll find some useful tools within the pages. I did.

Remember, no matter how large the challenge is, it’s nothing but an opportunity to grow, learn, and become the best you can be.

Enjoy every moment!

~XO Karlene Petitt

Author of the thriller, Flight For Control.

Happy Birthday to Author Karlene Petitt

We would like to wish a very happy birthday to the Indie Elite's own Karlene Petitt! It's a big one for her today and she had a birthday wish that we can all help out with. Be sure to visit her site to learn what it is. If you haven't read Karlene's book yet then now is a perfect time to pick it up and make her birthday special. Her adult thriller novel will have you wondering who's flying your plane. Here is a bit about Flight For Control:

Airliners are crashing throughout the world, and nobody knows why...

Kathryn Jacobs was on a fast track in a career that she loved with the National Transportation Safety Board until her life took a different direction. Now, ten years later she lives with her husband, Captain Bill Jacobs, and their twin daughters in Seattle Washington. 

Haunted by her past, and yearning for the career she'd given up, Kathryn’s offered an opportunity of a lifetime—to return to the N.T.S.B. to investigate a series of airline accidents. Unfortunately, Bill has other plans.

While her husband is campaigning for his airline pilots' union presidency, Kathryn secretly investigates the mystery of these unexplained crashes. And the only thing stopping her from discovering the truth is a trail of deception paved by her husband.

You can get an autographed copy on Karlene's blog or you can find it on B&N, Amazon, and other retail sites.

Karlene Petitt Author Appearance Contest

The fabulous new thriller author of Flight For Control, Karlene Petitt, is hosting a unique giveaway that you don't want to miss. If you didn't know, Karlene is also a commercial airline pilot, which when combined with her writing talent, makes her the perfect person to write the most heart-pounding aviation thriller you'll ever read. After reading it you will not look at your typical flight, or the aviation industry, the same ever again.

Here are the details: For every book ordered due to this blog post, each person who comes back and shows they purchased a book~just a little cut and paste, in the comments, will be entered into a master worldwide drawing for Karlene Petitt to come to their location~anywhere in the world~and be a guest speaker at their book club. Where in the World will she go? Who knows. But she will schedule a day and fly there to meet them and their friends for a personal book signing and discussion.

For more on Karlene and the contest be sure to catch her on March 31, at 0600 EST March 31st, when she is speaking on The “Brave New Radio” on a N.Y. radio station WP88.7 FM discussing Flight For Control. The show can be heard live at www.gobrave.org and she'll be interviewed on FlightPodcast one day that week too. Date to go live will be determined but during that week. She will be been interviewed on the Stuck Mic Podcast and will shout about this during that week.