ASK AN EXPERT: A Few Good Resources for Writers

I've recently discovered two professionals who offer their expertise specifically for the writer's use. I'm totally intrigued and want to introduce them to you!

1. THE CHARACTER THERAPIST:  An Online Therapy Service for Fictional Characters  is provided by Jeannie Campbell,  Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

If you're struggling with your protagonist's (or other character's) behavior, you can make an appointment for him/her to spend time on Jeannie's couch.  There's an intake form which is by no means easy to fill out. But that's a good thing since it forces you to have a decent understanding of the character before wasting the therapist's time!  Based on the info you give, Ms. Campbell addresses your character's emotional makeup in a blog post. She'll also provide more intensive feedback for a fee. I love this concept and have thoroughly enjoyed eavesdropping on Jeannie's counseling sessions! Perhaps I'll even schedule one. If only I could decide which of my characters needs it most!

Ms. Campbell provides lots of other useful info as well, such as insights into mental disorders, Skype consultations, and Therapeutic Editing.  And since laughter is the best medicine she throws in a helping of that as in the NaNoWriMo Stress Reduction Kit which will either make you laugh or give you a headache.

2.  REDWOOD'S MEDICAL EDGE: Medical Fact for Your Fiction provides medical information related to your story line.  

Jordyn Redwood is a novelist and a registered nurse with years of Emergency Room and Intensive Care experience. She accepts your medical questions via email and after spending an hour researching your topic, she blogs the answer.  More intensive input is available for a fee. Redwood provides info on specific diseases and on medical history. She hosts guest bloggers who write on health topics outside her expertise.  

As an author with 3 disease related novels, I have no trouble imagining the need for Redwood's Medical Edge.. In fact, a google search on polio brought me to this 3 Part Guest Post by author Sarah Sundin. I'm eager to explore other topics on Jordyn's site.

BTW - both of these ladies have gorgeous websites.

I'm curious - if you were to offer an online service to help writers with authenticity, what would that service be?

RIDING BACK INTO 1944 WITH ANTIQUE CAR EXPERTS

This, is an expert. (At so many things!)I won't get into Larry Mosteller's various skills and hobbies. Suffice it to say if the man wants a job done, he doesn't hire it out!

And that includes restoring old cars. Which he has done more than once. For himself and for others who do hire an expert.

I call on Larry when I want to mention some car related detail in one of my books. For example this line from BLUE.

He turned the key and pressed the starter button and said, "Who's going to help me shift this thing?"

Without Larry, I wouldn't know there was a starter button to press. And in the case of COMFORT, I wouldn't know that, although cars were not produced for civilians during the WWII years, Chevrolet began producing them again in October 1945. (Important info for an author who came dangerously close to flubbing up!)

1934 Chrysler restored by Larry Mosteller.

Larry is a member of Carolina Crossroads Antique Car Club which last Saturday took a tour of the Miracle of Hickory emergency polio hospital exhibit provided by our local history museum. Hubby and I got an invitation to ride along!
We're off on a trip into the past.
Starting with a little bit of March of Dimes history.
A 1940s poster advertising a public showing of a film taken at our 1944 polio hospital. The man who took the film had a nine year-old son in the hospital. That son now shows the film and speaks from time to time just as his father did.
A local middle school math class made this scale model of the hospital.
I'm glad the curator provided a notebook for visitors to share their polio experiences.
There's more to the polio exhibit, of course but back to old cars. My hubby liked this one!
I was fascinated with this 1929 Dodge
After the museum tour we enjoyed a real deal BBQ lunch at the home of David Puett. On this photo, David has just presented club member Jack Williams with a copy of Life magazine (July 31, 1944) which had an article about the Miracle of Hickory. Jack, you see, was a patient at the Miracle of Hickory. You can click here to see the Hickory emergency hospital photos from this issue.