Patty Lesser, Author
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The Wait is Over

12/5/2020

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​​I’ve got some big news, but first I want to talk about Tim Horton’s.

​Tim’s is the Canadian version of Star-bucks, but much cheaper. (A large coffee is $2.)

​ I live in a city of 100,000 and there are 18!! Tim’s restaurants all over the city. You can go anywhere and run into a Tim’s.

I go almost every day for my latte and iced capp, and sometimes Timbits (donut holes). We all wait in the long line at the drive-thru for sometimes 15 minutes. The drivers are congenial and respectful of other drivers, and we all wait in line patiently.

One time, I was behind someone and all the guy got was a small cup of coffee. When I got to the window, I asked, “Did he wait in line for 15 minutes for a small coffee?” And she said, “Yes,” which I find amazing.

I saw someone else hand over a $50 bill for a $2 coffee.

But last April, as I waited in line, a guy on a bicycle was ahead of me. I saw him check every pocket but couldn’t find anything to pay for the coffee. He moved off and I asked the cashier if he had paid for his coffee. When she said, “No,” I called to the guy and told the cashier to put it on my bill. He was obviously homeless so I’m sure that coffee meant a lot.

Miles Gilbert “Tim” Horton (1930-1974) was an NHL hockey player who played defence for a few teams over 24 years. With a friend, he started the chain, and the first Tim’s restaurant opened in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, where I grew up. We had a Tim’s at the head of our street, and Dad used to pick up donuts for breakfast.

Okay, deep breath. Sister Innocent has been re-published and is now available on Amazon:
​

www.amazon.com/Sister-Innocent-Mystery-Revenge-Killing/dp/107067012X

I had previously published that novel back in February, so I’ve been improving it for 8 months. It has gone through a copy editor and a proofreader, and I made my way through the novel after each editor.

To my reviewers, I’d like to ask you to read the novel again. I don’t want to see any more reviews commenting on the editing. I’m 100% sure you’ll see how much this corrected version has advanced. Even the story has changed in a few places. I know you’re busy reading lots of books, but I’m really proud of this final version. It’s a much better read.

If you’d trade me for a review, I’d be happy to send you a pdf or epub version of my novel. Email me at patty@pattylesser.com.

Thank you so much for your anticipated response. 

Have fun,
Patty

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Great Expectations

9/26/2020

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Hello everyone,

I spent the last week listening to webinars hosted by Brian Berni and the Fiction Marketing Academy. There were around 30 different specialists in all areas of marketing from perfecting an email list to creating and running Amazon ads. Brian did a great job rounding up these specialists, who provided many great lessons.

I discovered a great deal, but mostly these experts validated what I’m doing to market my books. My problem is that I write various genres so it’s hard to market me. If I stuck with one genre, it would be easier to build a platform. I can’t help it, I get an idea in my head, roll it around and develop it, and then decide the genre.

But I’ve learned my lesson and will stick with the genres I already have books. I do have ideas for another murder mystery and a science fiction story.

To keep you updated with the status of Sister Innocent, the proofreader has it now. She will get it back to me by October 9th. It will take me 7-9 days to read over the novel and make any corrections. Then it goes the formatter. My proofreader and I will then go through the novel again to make sure there are no formatting issues.

To all those people who said my novel was poorly edited, I want you to read my book again. It’s been through the copy writer twice then me twice and then proofreader will read it twice and I will go over again twice.

I’d like to bet you that if you find a mistake, I’ll send you a hard copy of the book, but I don’t want you looking for mistakes. I want you to enjoy the improved story, and I’m hoping all the errors have been found.

I think Sister Innocent has improved 100%. The copy editor gave me lots of suggestions and made comments about things I had to change. It’s the same story but I’ve changed a few things.

For some strange reason, no one liked Rebecca’s laundry room affair. I thought you guys wanted sex? So I put in a sex scene, and no one liked it. I thought that was hilarious. I have completed changed the scene. She still does her laundry, but she meets two sisters.

I also added more to the ending so it’s not as abrupt. Hopefully, I’ve explained a few things.

But the biggest change in the book is Rebecca. I’ve developed the character completely. I took to heart your reviews and realized I could easily adapt your thoughts into the character. I think you’ll find her enhanced.

I’m going to send Amazon an email when the novel is published instructing them to send everyone who had downloaded the book the updated version.

If you are one of those, you’ll be getting the new book directly. If you would like the ebook version (in exchange for a review), I’d be happy to send it to you.

Email me at patty@pattylesser.com and let me know if you’d like an ebook or pdf version. I will send it to you as soon as it’s published around beginning of November.

By the way, what do you think of my new banner? All of my 10 books are there. 

​Stay safe and have fun,
Patty
 
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Many Changes

7/11/2020

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I’ve been thinking about how much school has changed since I was a kid. I don’t think I could survive it today.

While in school, my greatest love was sports. I belonged to many sports teams like volleyball, baseball, waterpolo, badminton, etc. We had practices, games and tournaments. It was so much fun going to other schools and meeting other students. I made many friends from participating in school sports.

And before the virus, teachers were striking. Teachers never striked when I was in school. I’m not picking sides, but I don’t think it’s fair to the kids when teachers strike or work to rule. During those times, the kids don’t have after school programs which were important to me.

University was something I was expected to attend, but, if it weren’t for a sergeant in the Israeli army, I wouldn’t have gone. I was 22 years old and living in Israel. I had spent 6 months on a kibbutz and a year working in Haifa, but I wanted to find a way to meet Israelis my age, so I thought I’d join the army.

I met with a really nice sergeant. He was sympathetic but said, since I had no family in the country, I would be considered a security risk, and therefore I wouldn’t be able to get a good job in the military. When he learned my reason, he suggested I finish my university degree.

I’ll tell you one funny story about my university days. I studied English Literature, and, for my classmates, English was a second language. 

I usually read the assigned books before my classmates. While reading, I would eat a bowl of popcorn. If it was an easy book to read, I only needed one bowl of popcorn. But Portrait of a Lady by James Joyce took me 5 bowls of popcorn!

My classmates would ask me, “How many bowls of popcorn did it take to read the book?” Then they’d know how difficult it was.

​But university/college has changed with the virus. It’s done online now. Not an environment I could survive in.

I miss smiling at people. Nowadays everyone wears a mask. You can’t see anyone smile.

But how does covid-19 change our books? Do I write about situations before or after covid-19? Do my characters wear masks and keep a 6-foot distance?

What do you think?

Have fun,
Patty

p.s. I’ve parted ways with my developmental editor and proofreader. The proofreader edited another book of mine and did a terrible job. I would expect a novel to be ready for publishing after it’s been edited. Obviously these editors did not fulfill that objective.
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I'm Sorry

5/14/2020

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Hello everyone,

I’m so embarrassed. I’m so upset. It feels like a punch in the gut.

What I’m talking about is my murder mystery Sister Innocent. I had it professionally edited a few times. I thought it was a clean manuscript. I thought I didn’t have to worry about editing.

BUT I received a few reviews that wrote “good but editing” which shocked me. I was given the name of another proofreading editor and she edited the first two pages and there were problems, which upset me.

So, I’m going to have Sister Innocent edited again by someone new. I’m told she’ll do an excellent job. It’s very frustrating to have this done again, but no choice. I want you to judge my book on the story, not the editing. 

Once the editing is completed, I will be re-publishing.

Please delete your copies of Sister Innocent.

When it’s ready, I will write and happily send everyone who downloaded a copy, a free epub or pdf version of the novel. Hopefully Amazon can send the new copy to everyone who had downloaded through them.

My heart is broken. I always thought I could pride myself on the editing. I’ve read through these books hundreds of times, but obviously my editor and I didn’t do a good job. 

I’m so sorry. I should have had it edited better before I published.

Thanks for listening,
Patty
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Giveaway

5/4/2020

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Hello everyone,
​
Starting today for two weeks, I’m doing a two-week giveaway promotion with Amazon and you can download Sister Innocent for free.

https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Innocent-Mystery-Revenge-Killing-ebook/dp/B0855M2G6W/ref

The murder mystery story takes place in a Toronto law firm, but it deals with the legal assistants, not the lawyers.

I worked in a number of law firms off and on for 9 years, and I always had trouble with the other secretaries. They made my life miserable because I wouldn’t gossip and sit in the lunchroom with them every day divulging everything about my life. (I went for a walk at lunchtime to clear my head and smoke a cigarette.)

So what does an author do when she doesn’t like someone? She brutally stabs them to death. Hence the plot line for the book.

You can download it here:
https://www.amazon.com/Sister-Innocent-Mystery-Revenge-Killing-ebook/dp/B0855M2G6W/ref

I thank you in advance.

Happy reading,
Patty

p.s. I’d appreciate a review.




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No Romances

4/20/2020

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There is something you have to know. I can’t write a romance novel.

I had a story that fit the romance genre, and I wrote a few chapters which I sent to my editor. My chapters had problems so my editor recommended I read Romancing the Beat, Story Structure for Romance Novels by Gwen Hayes. It’s an excellent description on how to write a romance.

But I have to admit, I haven’t read any romances. It’s not a genre I enjoy so not really a good idea that I try to write one, but I had this idea about a young, factory worker who meets a handsome stranger on the bus.  Once a guy sat down beside me on the bus and we ended up dating for a while.

I also worked in a factory in Sydney for 6 months in 1993 while I lived in Australia. When I came back to Canada, I wrote a few pages. I found the story a few months ago while looking through my documents file. It was still in wordperfect, and I thought I’d write a romance using those 2 stories.

​There have been at least 4 different versions of the same first chapters. Each time I made an adjustment, I would send the chapters to my editor and Sarah sent them back with lots of comments. But the chapters didn’t improve. They got worse and worse with each version.. It wasn’t working out. 

So I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t write romance. 

I’m re-working Devouring Time. It’s getting a new title because it seems that title doesn’t convey what the book is about so Howard is working on that.  I have a great cover designer and he’s working on a new cover. The present cover is just a stocked version. Since I’m getting all this done, I decided to read it over again.

Devouring Time has been completely rewritten. I get it back from the editor next week, and then I’ll have to read it over again. I’ll be sure to let you know when I’ll be re-publishing.

I’ve also been working on Locker Rooms. Again Howard said it’s a terrible title so it has a new title now: The Devil, Angels, and Demons, The Devil Wants His Lost Souls Back and Will Fight a Rogue Demon and the Chosen Woman to Get Them.

It’s also getting a real cover from my wonderful Greek designer. I re-read the book and sent it to my editor for another read through. I didn’t change much, but I did delete one scene because I had the main character getting busted for smoking marijuana which doesn’t make sense now because pot is legal in Canada.

I get the book back from Sarah on May 8th. I will then have to read through it and make any corrections. I will let you know when The Devil, Angels, and Demons will be re-released.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about my telepathic children. The third book in the series has been started and I plan on working on it when the two books mentioned above are published.

I’m looking for reviews for my murder mystery Sister Innocent. I’d be happy to email you a pdf or epub version if you agreed to post a review on Amazon.

I don’t want to bore you with words about the state of affairs in the world right now, but let me just say:  Stay at home and read a book. We will get through this.

​Take care and have fun,
Patty
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My Murder Mystery

2/27/2020

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​I’m pleased to announce that
Sister Innocent, A Murder Mystery about a Revenge Killing
is now available on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/107067012X/

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Rebecca minds her own business – until the day that her desk mate, Gina Mancini, goes missing. Within hours, her body is discovered in a back alley, and security footage indicates that she may have known her killer. Police officers descend upon the firm, questioning everyone for clues, a motive – and a possible suspect. 
 
Fortunately, a handsome stranger on the subway provides Rebecca with the distraction she’s been craving from the chaos at work. Dave is an interesting and charming man, sharing many of her interests. Best of all, he’s interested in her!
 
Rebecca feels like her luck is finally changing . . . until Angela goes missing. One by one, the women at the office are disappearing, only to be found later, brutally stabbed to death. 
 
Is the killer someone from the firm?
 
And then her boyfriend becomes the prime suspect, and Rebecca finds herself implicated in the investigation. Even though she wants to believe in Dave’s innocence, she secretly harbors her own doubts.
 
From Toronto to Jamaica, from Halifax to Hamilton, join Rebecca in a gripping tale of love, loss, mystery, and murder. 
 
If you would agree to post a review on Amazon, I would be pleased to send you an ebook or pdf version.
You can buy it on Amazon at
https://www.amazon.com/dp/107067012X/
 
Can’t wait to hear what you think of it.

Have fun,
Patty

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My Merry Christmas

12/27/2019

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How did you spend the Christmas holidays?

I spent it in Frankenmuth, Michigan, not far from Flint, a 3 ½ hour drive for us. The town’s architecture resembled a Bavarian village from Germany. A great number of specialty shops like cheese, chocolate, sausage, line the one main street. A river runs through town. It’s a quaint and lovely place.

It was a 3 day bus group trip starting on Tuesday, December 24th. I have never been on a bus trip, especially with a group. I’ve always traveled alone, so I come and go as I please. But it was fun having your days planned to see and do many different things. It did irk me a little to have to be here and there at an exact time, but, as is usual with me, I’m always early. 

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​The goal of the trip for a number of people was to shop. You can imagine all the unique and specialty German items available in Frankenmuth. We went to one store called Bronner’s. The building was large enough to fit 3 football fields, showing off an enormous variety of Christmas ornaments. There must have been a few million. I’m not kidding. You could get anything you wanted on an ornament. They even had a desk where you could get it personalized. I walked around the store in awe. All of us did. 

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This trip originated with my friend Joan (whom I met while volunteering for the SPCA). She had nothing to do this Christmas and asked me if I’d like to go away, and I said yes. Joan and I are good friends and we go out to eat together and to movies, but we’ve never spent much time together. I love Joan. She’s a wonderful woman with a big heart, but damn it, she didn’t stop talking for 3 days. After the trip, we are still friends, which says a lot.

I met two wonderful women on the trip. One smoked and joined me at the end of the parking lot where the designated smoking area was positioned. We were almost the only 2 in the whole hotel who smoked. There were a couple of others who’d stop by, but Jan and I were always there. What an incredible woman. We had such a fantastic time chatting about every topic under the sun. Unfortunately she lives a little far but hopefully we will remain friends through email.

Maggie was the other woman I became friends with. We found ourselves seated across from each other at lunch and the minute we started talking we had an instant connection because of our common interests like our view of life, euchre, animals and maps. We’re both single so spent much time comparing notes on men. It was so much fun to talk openly like that. I know we’re going to be friends forever.

I returned home on Thursday, December 26th at close to 7 p.m. We had been going since 9 a.m. when we left the hotel for shopping. We left the USA in the afternoon and drove home. Customs was no problem. No one was pulled off the bus and everyone was passed through quickly.

I’m so glad to be home in my recliner with the kittens running around and silence. Wow there was so much noise. I’m an author so a bit of a loner. Being around all those people was definitely another experience.

The kittens were very surprised to see me walk in the door. They seemed a little unsure of me but Sisko of course came up to me and I picked him up and hugged him so tightly. It’s funny how much I missed them. I haven’t been away from them since they were a week old. I know they are happy to have me home.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip organized by the Great Canadian Bus Company. I loved going somewhere I’ve never been and seeing, smelling and hearing new things. It was certainly a unique Christmas experience. Everything was well arranged. I have to recommend Karen who was our tour guide. A lovely, retired woman who does these trips for her enjoyment of travel which showed. No one had any complaints of her.

Our bus driver, Selena, was brilliant. I have never been so comfortable on a bus. And on Christmas Eve night, she took us on a tour of the Christmas lights around Frankenmuth, which displays were amazing. But our local guide directed Selena to a home outside of town. No lights, narrow road, and it was obvious Selena had never been this way. With only that guy’s directions, Selena took us to the best light display any of us had ever seen. It was an incredible experience thanks to her. 

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Sister Innocent, my murder mystery, is with the editor. I get it back on January 10th at which time I’ll read through it again correcting any errors. Then the book will be formatted. I hope to have it published in February, but I’ll let you know when it’s ready to be purchased.

If any of you would agree to review the novel, I can send you the formatted manuscript in any format you would like.

Have a Happy New Year and may next year be an even greater year than the last.

​Patty

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My New Family

11/19/2019

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Hello everyone,

​As you may have read from a previous blog, I have been fostering cats and their kittens for the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).


My third family was Mary and her 2 male kittens who were a week old. That was five months ago. I fell in love with the kittens so decided to keep them. I had been training them since day one, and now they are very well-behaved cats. If I
say no, they stop, but I give them free range in the house. I have put away everything breakable. They do knock things onto the floor.

​But Sisko and Odo are so different. Sisko is black and white, whereas, Odo is grey and white. What’s neat is their patterns are the same. Sisko likes sleeping on my clothes lying on the couch, Odo prefers just the couch. Odo loves playing with balls and will play with them for hours. Sisko loves straws. He will carry them all over the house. Sisko licks my fingers. Odo loves to rub noses.

They look so different from their mother who was white with orange patches. She was feral (she still didn’t trust me after 3 months together) so I gave her back to the SPCA. I’ve heard she was adopted.

I would call myself a dog person who loves 2 kittens. I would love a puppy but I’m not ready for the work. I believe you have to devote at least 3 years to training a dog, and I’m not ready for that. I have been training the kittens but they sleep a lot and play with each other so I have time off. I’m sure if I ever brought a puppy into the house, the kittens would be more curious than scared and they would all get along well.

What are you doing for Christmas this year?

I’m going to a place called Frankenmuth, Michigan. Anyone been there? The town is built like a Bavarian village and it celebrates Christmas all year round, but it is very special for Christmas day, and I’ll be there for that. It’s a 3 day all inclusive but trip, and it takes 3½ hours to drive there. I’ll blog about it when I get back.

If there is anyone out there interested in my murder mystery Sister Innocent, it will be a few months before I publish it. I’ve been reading it over and decided to change lots of stuff. I’ve deleted some and rewritten others. My editor is reading it over one more time. Then I’ll go through it again one last time with those edits and then I’ll publish.

I’d really appreciate it if you could write a review of my books and post it on Amazon. You don’t have to write something long or literary. Just a few words about what you thought of the story. Thanks.

Have fun,
Patty

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Finally A New Blog

8/25/2019

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It’s been a while since you’ve heard from me and I’m sorry, but I’ve been busy with my volunteering, and I’m working on 4 novels at the moment.
​
Before I get to my books, I’m pleased to tell you that I came first at the live poker tournament I play in every Saturday at a local bar. Fortunately, or unfortunately, we play for points not money. At the end of the season, there is a tournament with the top 20 (which of course I will be in) to play for a ticket to a real money tournament. That picture was taken to show the winning hand.


I’ve finished my murder mystery entitled Sister Innocent, but I met a woman through my volunteering who loves murder mysteries and she offered to read the novel before it goes to print. To my disappointment, she found a few errors that I have to correct, and she’s right. I returned to the beginning of the book and have been reading it over making those corrections. But I just don’t feel like working on it at the moment.

​I was going over my document files and found a story I started in 1994, the year after my fabulous year in Australia. It is about a shy woman who works at a factory in Australia and who dreams of finding a husband. Yes, it’s a romance. My first romance! I’m on chapter 7. The ending I had considered was shot down by my editor and she’s right so I don’t know where it’s heading. My books seem to write themselves.

A few years ago, I published a novel entitled Devouring Time. Since I decided to get a new cover for it, I decided to read it over and found problems. I sent it to my editor Sarah and she edited it for me and agreed it’s missing a few chapters. I will be working on that at some point.

Devouring Time is about a distinguished Toronto family all involved in the art world. Some are artists, gallery owners, collectors, legal, insurance, etc. They come together to open a historic package brought to them by Marcus from England. This novel should be a play because it takes place over 24 hours and in basically two rooms, but I don’t know how to write a play. Can anyone help me with that?
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Finally, I’m working on the 3rd book in the Coma Kids series. I’ve written a few chapters and know what to write next. I’m working on this now. The kids are back on Earth and the story becomes a little darker. One character dies, another becomes an alcoholic, two find great wealth, and the others all have their mountains to cross.

I have a great team around me. There’s Sarah, my developmental editor, and Emily my proofreader. Both are excellent at what they do and my books are better because of them. I have Angela now who has been a lot of help promoting my books. There’s Panagotis from Greece who is a brilliant cover designer and his prices are very fair. Another woman named Sarah formats my books, and she does a wonderful job. And finally Howard has helped with my titles, subtitles and back blurb.

I’m very lucky to have such people I can trust to prepare my books for publishing. If anyone would like someone’s details, please reply to this email. I would be happy to put you in touch with any of them.

Back to writing. Have fun,
Patty
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