New! Improved! Stop In!

 Hi all!

Whether you're new here or have been here before, it's time to migrate to my NEW, IMPROVED website with videos, blogs, book announcements, interviews!

I've made it easy- charlottebennardo.com 

Subscribe to my newsletter to get news about upcoming sweet holiday romance, Christmas Bells, Hanukkah lights. I'll be doing several giveaways. 

So stop by! Say hello! Make a suggestion! 

Char

The Winner!

 In case you still haven't jumped over to my new website, charlottebennardo.com

you won't know about the cool things on there, like the most recent giveaway. Here's the most recent post: https://charlottebennardo.com/2025/10/28/and-the-winner-is/

So sign up at the bottom of any website page. 

Here's a peek:

Hey, You! You're Going to Want to See This!

 If you're still coming here or a curious new drop in, I don't really post here, BUT! I post blogs and news on my new website: Charlotte Bennardo

and guest post on YA Outside the Lines: YA Outside the Lines 

and guest post on Smack Dab in the Middle: Smack Dab in the Middle

You can also find me on Instagram

and X/Twitter: (2) Charlotte Bennardo - Just another writer querying (@charbennardo) / X

and Bluesky: (3) Charlotte Bennardo (@charbennardo.bsky.social) — Bluesky

and Threads: (1) Charlotte Bennardo (@charlottebennardo) • Threads, Say more

and TikTok/BookTok: Charbennardo (@charbennardo) | TikTok

Yeah, I'm all over the place, but authors HAVE to be! Stop by, say hello, chat, take a look at my books. And... if you subscribe to my newsletter/blog, I will be doing a giveaway in the next few weeks of this bookmark to go with my newest YA release:

Cover illustration by Grady Earls

So pop on over and sign up! 

Moving on....

 Hey all, if you're still coming here, go to my new website! More than just a blog site! It's got lots of good stuff- pictures! stories! news! book info! Go here:

This Book is…Cursed – Charlotte Bennardo

Or simply charlottebennardo.com (Isn't that easy?)

I'm doing a book giveaway, but only for those who sign up for my blog/newsletter. Pop over! (and no, I won't be bugging you with constant emails. Who has time for that? 

Char

The End of Summer Vacation

 The end of August brings a few last hurrahs; swimming on the more rare hot days, planning the last summer BBQ/party for Labor Day, enjoying the final theatrical production of crickets and fireflies. Soon to come, if not already, there are chilly nights, back-to-school and work routines, and gearing down to indoor living. 

Those changes are happening in our house. Two sons return to college in the next few days, we're planning when to close the pool, and fall cleaning will soon commence. The biggest change for me will be that I will work for one year and nine months on one novel. No #NaNoWriMo this year. That one novel will be the project for my MFA- my Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (emphasis on speculative writing- Science Fiction and Fantasy- with a minor emphasis on Romance). It's long been a dream of mine to get my Master's and with the chaos, uncertainty, and upheaval in the publishing sector (like many other sectors), I feel this is the time. My boys are pretty much independent and my husband retired, so this is 'me' time. I'll still be doing my blog, although I can't promise a better regularity. It may even get worse... I've cleaned out my office and files, set up new files for coursework, and have resigned from several groups, one being my critique group. It feels strange to pull back from them, but I know the demands of school will make me glad I did withdraw. 

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

I will make one final book event appearance, at the beloved Collingswood Book Festival on October 2, 2021 (info https://www.collingswoodbookfestival.com/ ). It will be great to see old friends, make some new ones, talk writing, sign books, and generally have fun. I hope to see you there.

So, wish me luck, and I wish you all luck in your upcoming endeavors, and don't be afraid to send chocolate for those hard days to come.

Char

Just a Quickie....

I'm in the midst of #NaNoWriMo2018 and happy to say I'm not only on track, but 4 days ahead. This allows me a stress-free Thanksgiving and a weekend visit with my sister. Here are 5 things I've learned this year during the craziness of NaNoWriMo:

1. I work faster and better if I shut myself in my office, working at a proper desk. There are too many distractions if I'm sitting on the couch (too near to the TV and people coming in & out, the fridge, etc. For me, isolation is key to productivity!
2. When I work on a comfy couch, being so tall, I have to dip my head to see the laptop. This has given me neck and back problems. Who needs that? So, another reason to use my beautiful office.
3. Stretch! I work about an hour, then get up and get a cup of tea, throw in a load of wash, etc. Sitting too long leads to stiff joints. 
4. Getting up is good for the circulation, but I don't want to lose my train of thought. make a few notes at the bottom of the page saying where I was going. As I do a chore, make that tea, I keep thinking about the next chapter/block of writing. By the time I get back to my seat, I'm fairly burning to get the words on paper. Bonus: if you can, incorporate your notes into the chapter/block rather than erase and you've added a bunch of words!
5. I had to break from writing because I needed a fact. Going onto the internet to find out what I need for this particular section of the manuscript can lead to getting lost down that rabbit hole. Key: set a timer so that you spend no more than 5-10 minutes searching. You just need that one fact, not pages of notes. If you need more detailed info, try to write around it, like a scene that comes later in the book, and research after you've hit your word count. I like to surf at night, on commercials while I relax in front of the TV. 

Now it's time to get in another 1,677 words so I stay ahead of the daily goals. 

Don't forget to update your word count!

Char

On the Flip Side-

It's been a tough week. In my church, we lost a long time member and friend. Another church friend lost her sister. Yet another's father was seriously sick. And then I landed in the hospital. A long scary story later, I'm getting better, but my stepdad is having knee replacement surgery and I'll be giving emotional and driving support to my mom. I'm stretched a little thin so this is my blog post for two weeks, unless I find time, energy, and motivation to post sooner.

Be good to yourself  because you mean a lot to others. And you deserve to be taken care of.

Photo by Ian Turnell from Pexels

See ya soon-

Char 

I'm going to cheat a bit- I'm recovering from a stomach bug and I really need another nap so this is going to be easy and quick.

Photo courtesy of Pexels

I'm working on a new manuscript (my NaNo project) and these are the things I'm discovering about it:

1- I need to fill out the details. What time of day is it? What is the main character wearing? What shade of dingy is that white wall?

2- I figured out the element that runs through all three books (did I tell you it's a trilogy?) And it fits together sooo nicely.

3- For a time I was stumped about the third book- the hook that worked with the other two. (No, I'm not telling you because the idea is too new. Some things I don't share.) But, then, Eureka! I found it! I know where I'm going with the third book after this second one is done.

4- I know it's a great concept; a nice twist on something traditional, which will appeal to boys and girls, and it's a bit sci-fi, a bit fantasy, a bit contemporary. (No aliens, wizards, time travel, space craft, zombies, magic, or vampires, werewolves, or shapeshifters. What's left? Ah, that's the secret.)

5- Surprisingly, I'm hitting road blocks with editors and agents. Hmmmm. But, I believe in the concept and hope I can get it polished and contracted before someone else beats me to the finish line.

Next Monday will be a year-in-review as I look back on my successes and... unsuccesses.

Till then,

Wishing you Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, and a Happy New Year!

Char

The Science of Fantasy

The best part about writing fantasy is that your brain can envision things that don't (or maybe shouldn't) exist: time travel, zombie apocalypses, aliens, ghosts, etc.

But that doesn't mean you can pull anything out of your tush and throw it on the page. There's a science to writing fantasy. Anything you write needs to sound if not plausible, then possible.

While Evolution Revolution: Simple Machines may seem like a sweet animal adventure story, there's a lot of science and research that went into the creation of this series.

Here's what sparked the idea:

That's my middle son's third grade science homework papers on simple machines. I saw it, and thought, ok, I remember this stuff, but really thought nothing more about it.

Until I saw a BBC special not long after about how squirrels were brilliant puzzle solvers when it came to scoring food. I also learned that female squirrels are smarter (ha ha to my boys who always think they're the smarter ones!), share what they learn, and learn from others. They don't give up until they've solved the puzzle--and get this: they can study a puzzle and figure out a short cut. They think.

Suppose...just suppose they started evolving intellectually...using human things...

Story idea!

But that was the easy part. What kind of squirrel should be in my story? How will he understand simple machines like the inclined plane or lever, and use them? For a 'simple' adventure story, there were a lot of questions that needed to be answered.

Research time.

First I read up on squirrels online and in the library. I had to answer questions like which squirrel species would work best? The answer is the common gray squirrel because they exist in so many countries and in urban, suburban, and rural areas and there was a lot of documentation of interaction with humans. What were they capable of, what physical limitations did they have? While they have dextrous paws with finger-like claws, they don't have a lot of strength so they can't actually manipulate large or difficult things. I collected newspaper stories about their exploits and the mayhem they instigated because my squirrel was going to cause a lot of trouble on his way to growing intellectually.

There are six simple machines- which meant one really long book to explain them all, which wouldn't work for a middle grade reader, or several books. Because there was so much information, I started a note/scrapbook. I collected humorous clippings and pictures of squirrels doing human things: water skiing, cartoons where they think like humans, etc. as fodder to help me write the story of how my main character, Jack, would get into situations and learn.

I almost always incorporate humor into my books, even horror stories. Seeing what squirrels were, and might be capable of doing, helped me to add levity into a story that had a lot of science. Evolution Revolution will teach kids about simple machines and conservation and evolution among other sciences just by reading Jack's story, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun to read. I didn't want it to sound like a textbook.

As any writer will tell you, ideas and problems to be solved in your story pop into your head. One of the big problems was language; how was Jack to understand human language? I made a list of words that Jack needed to learn so the story could be told:

Why does Jack need to know what toilet paper is? It relates to a funny bathroom scene. And while Jack can't speak the human words, he can understand them.

In the second book, Evolution Revolution: Simple Plans, I introduce new characters. One of them is a mynah bird. I needed a vehicle for Jack to communicate with his human friend, Collin, without magic or such. Jack is, and always will be, a normal, common gray squirrel like you find in your own backyard. The one concession I had to make was that different species communicated amongst each other. Fox taunts Jack, Beaver whines, and Owl encourages him. The mynah bird can repeat hundreds of human words. Mina (get it: Mina, mynah moe!) doesn't need to use proper grammar, only repeat words between Collin and Jack. But could such a bird, usually a pet in a cage, survive in the cold north? For that answer I had to reach out to mynah bird specialists. (There is a group devoted especially to them!) I emailed them and got my answer: escaped pet mynahs can survive in the northern US, and had for some time in southern Canada.

There were so many science questions that needed to be answered to write Jack's story. Yes, there is so much imagination in it, like animals working together to save another animal. A hop around the internet brings up stories about a lion saving a baby wildebeest from another lion, or an elephant trying to rescue a man that it thinks is drowning. Think about Koko, the gorilla who uses sign language, or the elephant that paints. Not such a far-fetched story anymore... Maybe animals are a lot smarter than we give them credit for and 'science' has to catch up to my imaginative tale...

Imagine the impossible- because it may be possible...

Char 

Look for Evolution Revolution: Simple Plans in January, 2017

Creating Truthful Fiction

If you're novel tells me the green sun is shining brightly, I'll believe it- as long as the setting is a dream, an apocalyptic moment, an alternate universe, or an alien planet. Even fiction has to tell the truth if you want people to believe it. (Ever hear the saying 'Truth is stranger than fiction'?)

This is especially true in crime fiction. Oh, there are books out there that s--t--r--e--t--c--h the boundaries of believability and most of the time it's obvious. From my presentation at the NJ SCBWI annual conference, here are the tips I offered:

1. Read crime novels; get a feel for how they set up the crime, discovery, evidence and resolution, the pacing, the twists.

2. Look at crime scene photos in no-fiction accounts of crimes like Helter Skelter, Fatal Vision, and The Stranger Beside Me, the Story of Ted Bundy. Watch true crime specials on Discovery, Investigation Discovery, Smithsonian and American History channels.

3. Plan the crime from the start- from the first thought of the evil deed to the resolution (arrest/jail/death). You may not use all the info, but it will help you stay on track. Plus, you as the author, can't be as surprised as the rest of us when the perpetrator is revealed.

4. Use specific and numerous details. The smallest clues can lead to discovery of solving the case. While some clues like fingerprints do help solve crimes (if the fingerprints are in the fingerprint database), it's not always the case. Son of Sam was caught because of a parking ticket. No clue is too minute.

5. Be imaginative! Create clues, i.e. the single pink-blonde hair on Bec's computer in Blonde OPS. (Sorry, you'll have to read the book to find out what the deal is.)

6. Learn what doesn't work. A well-known author had a 16-year-old posing as an insurance agent. Hmmmm, that's a stretch, but let's go with it- makeup, wig, etc. The owner of a 15 carat priceless emerald asks said 'insurance agent' if she wants to hold the gem. This is waaaay too convenient for the story and what the 'agent' plans to do. No one in their mind would ask a stranger if they wanted to hold something of theirs that was so valuable it had no price. Then, said 'agent' drops the emerald in order to kick it away to steal it. That's called cheating to make the story go the way you want it. A crime scene cannot be written around what you want other characters to do unless the character has a routine, habit or gets into a situation created to elicit a specific response. Disabling a car so they would have to call a cab is perfectly legit; the 'he suddenly decided to leave the Rolls Royce and take a cab that evening' is a total cheat.

7. Get the facts RIGHT! If you drop a 15 carat emerald on a bare or hard floor, it will shatter; they are soft stones. Someone didn't check their facts or learn about emeralds. (I've cracked an emerald, this is how I know.)  Even in sci fi and fantasy, there are certain aspects that are always true, like the laws of physics. Cheating to help make it easy to write your story is not allowed.

8. You'll know you're doing the right research if you get a notification from the FBI, Homeland Security, etc. and they shut down your browser. Here's me showing the class my notification:

9. Don't be obvious! The butler can do it, but wouldn't you rather have a fresh suspect? Or at least a single, overlooked-by-others clue that points out the perp? And if we can guess too soon who the perp is, it means you've rushed the scene, cheated on red herrings and misdirection, or didn't give your readers credit for seeing through a thin plot. Unless you are writing a non-fic account that is straightforward and we already know who did it, keep it a mystery. Even then, it's a process filled with errors and presumptions until all the pieces are assemble. Ask any detective- until the end, you're not really sure. Here is my co-presenter, forensic crime scene detective Guy Olivieri demonstrating, based on a true case, how the clues didn't always seem to fit:

10. Learn basic police procedures and those specific to your city/state/country because laws vary. New Jersey is a state, Pennsylvania is a commonwealth; their justice systems/procedures might be very different.

11.  Your crime scene doesn't have to have happened in reality, but it has to be possible. Think of Mission: Impossible weapons or the car stealing scene by computer in Blonde OPS. Experts can help you put in enough details to make it believable, but not make you an accomplice.

Finally, some resources to think about:

*The library. You can get a lot off the internet, but don't be lazy. There are numerous books that might have the details you need--like a book of poisons and famous murder cases, the details of CSI work, etc. Your reference librarian is a goldmine. And they love a challenge. Plus, looking at a book in the library won't get you flagged like online searches can...

*Google Earth. Walk down the street, swim in the lake, look across the way via Google Earth. It allows you to get minute details that make your novel believable because someone will say, "I've been there, it looks just like you described!" Unless, of course, your editor will fly you to where ever your crime scene is to personally note the details.

*Your local, state, and federal government agencies. Chances are any governmental agency will have a public liaison or a PR officer to handle information requests. The best: get friendly to an actual cop or agent.

*Writer's Digest. This professional organization has a library of How To books: writing crime, mysteries, all about weapons, etc. And they are a reliable, verifiable source.

*University and college professors. Chances are you're not too far from a college. Those professors, associate professors love to share their knowledge (that's why they're teachers....). Glean what ever info you need from them (and it's always nice to thank them in your dedication/acknowledgment and also with a thank you email/letter.).

*Professional organizations. Sometimes they'll answer, sometimes not, but you should always try. Some you might need to be a member, but it may be easier than doing all the digging yourself:

 -Mystery Writers of America

 -American Bar Association

 -International Assoc of Crime Writers

 -Sisters in Crime

Don't overlook other orgs that fit the situation; if your character was a member of a club or group, like the American Medical Association, the Lions Club, or whatever, they can help you out.

Finally, no one not associated with a case should have access to the crime scene- Guy says this is so TV/Hollywood, so no "Murder She Wrote" because that just ain't happening.

See you soon- but hopefully not in a lineup-

Char