Based On A True Story

Book 1, Really (Almost) True Story

The Based On A True Story series is actually based on our adventures. From the time Joey was in a tow truck that then got in an accident to the time Mark got kidnapped by a horse, there have been a lot of… interesting… experiences that find their way into the books. Some things in the books happened just that way. Others happed but the people involved were different, or not everything happened on the same trip, but it’s all Based On A True Story.

Mark’s Mom ( the model for Evie – IYKYK) read the first draft of Book 1, Really (Almost) True Story, and said, “It’s hard to be objective – I was here for some of this!”

Book 1, Really (Almost) True Story (RATS) is about Patricia, a shy, bookish PPP (Perpetual People Pleaser) who’s spent her entire life trying to please the people around her, only to feel more or less invisible, and finding that she’s not pleasing anyone, including herself. Her husband, Jerry, surprises her with a vacation (their first in years), but nothing goes as planned for either of them, especially after Patricia accidentally becomes famous.

FYI, “The Little Post Office That Wasn’t?” Real.

(Buy now, Amazon) (Buy now, IngramSpark) (D2D)

Winner (Semi) Winner, Chicken Dinner

I entered the first draft of R(A)Ts in the ScreenCraft Cinematic Books competition. When we got word that we were in the quarterfinals, I was surprised – because we’d been getting ready to go out of town for a memorial, and I’d forgotten I’d entered us in the contest. Mark was even more surprised, because I’d forgotten to tell him we were entered at all.

In the midst of what was a rather down time, a lovely surprise. The contest was for books that would make good movies. RATS advanced into the semifinals. Multiple rounds of readers not only liked RATS, they thought it would make a good movie! If that happens, it’ll be great, but meantime we were trying to make it into a good book first.

We edited, polished, gathered feedback, placed in another writing contest. Along the way, beta readers and contest readers gave feedback. We met an incredible writer/editor, Marci Wilson, who became a close friend. She took a look at it and basically said, “I really like this – now rewrite it!” We did.

Agents wrote encouraging letters that all said basically the same thing, “I love this book. It’s funny, smart and warm. There’s definitely an audience for it, but I don’t know which editor to sell it to!” Welcome to publishing! If you’re a new novelist, most agents want to feel that they know EXACTLY who to send your book to who has room in their list for a book just like yours at that moment. Still, we remain grateful for those encouraging letters that said, “Keep going! Don’t give up!”

We looked at each other and said, “I know who can sell this… us!” And here we are.

An open letter to the contest reader who offered us feedback. It was anonymous on both sides – the reader saw only R(A)TS without our names and the feedback was sent by the contest organizers. The contest was open to established novelists and newbies like us. We’ll probably never know who wrote the feedback, but we hope you see this, because you should know…

Dear Contest Reader:

Whoever you are, we wish we could tell you how much your comments, both the praise and the suggestions, meant. Your review arrived in the mail the same day we were getting ready to go to court. Someone was trying to take our puppy. It was an insane, stressful, awful time. In the end, the judge would throw her case out on its butt. That day, though, we were stressed, exhausted and scared. Those months of hell ate up most of a year. Then the letter carrier delivered the magical envelope that reminded us that we had a life outside that situation.

You offered useful criticism and thoughtful praise, and we considered all of it, but at that moment, we had been fighting night and day to protect our puppy, unable to think of anything else. Within hours of getting that review, we remembered a life that had nothing to do with neighbors asking, “Did you know there was a woman hiding in your hedge?” (Yes, it got that weird).

Here are some of the things you said:

“I was drawn into her (the protagonist’s) mind and world very eloquently… it was a fun read… I totally appreciated the dry humor, sense of self-determination and self-deprecation… great tension and good humor… there is definitely internal tension and it is well-crafted… I was hooked.”

You helped us refocus on our writing, and even helped Joey stay steady in the courtroom. Our puppy is now a successful, happy dog, managing all of us.

Whoever you may be, thank you.

#writerlife #reallyalmosttruestory #rats #r(a)ts #basedonatruesory #boats #california #novel #fiction #jones #authorlife #johnwicks #mickmartin #jamesleestanley #WFWA #WomensFictionWritersAssociation #PNWA #PacificNorthwestWritersAssociation

Keep up with IdeaJones on Facebook: Twitter: