Writer's Block

Yes, the dreaded writer's block has befallen me. It sucks. I'm working on the third book of my Evil trilogy, and I'm stuck. I know how it ends, and I have my pre-written rough sketch written. I'm mostly satisfied with the first twenty pages. I know some of the parts in the middle. I know the arc that gets my character, Rebekah, to the final situation. But there's all this other stuff that needs to be in the book, and I don't know what it is. Did I say that this sucks? I'm going to have to get out index cards, I think, and write a scene summary on each card, put them in order, and see what I have. And then make new scenes and put them in order. Just writing about writer's block has made me think of two scenes for the book. And then I went away and roughly outlined the rest of the book. Maybe I'm not so blocked after all.

Instrument of Evil Website

The Instrument of Evil official website, www.instrumentofevil.com , has been live for a few days now. Please check it out. My talented husband designed it and made it. It has links so you can click to the Amazon Kindle page, the Amazon softcover page, and the Barnes and Noble Nook page,
as well as an author bio.

When considering knives...

You have to make sure they're sharp, obviously. Definitely need them to be sharp. You want to make sure the handle fits in your hand nicely, and is not uncomfortable. You want it to be long enough to do the job--there's nothing worse than a too-short knife. It's good if it has a sheath, so you don't cut yourself on it. You also want to make sure the weight of the knife is appropriate for you. You may choose a particular decorative handle, if you'd like, but remember to clean all of the decorative surfaces. It's best to go to a kitchen store or a hunting goods store (depending on your purpose), where you can try the knives out. In a pinch you can order some pretty good knives from Amazon.

How to buy and set a good bear trap

So you need to catch a bear or other large animal, and you're not quite sure what to do? The best way to do this is to use a bear trap, which will immobilize the animal until you can get back to it.
1. Look for bear traps at sporting goods stores, on eBay, and at Amazon (yes, Amazon sells bear traps). You want a #16 size trap.
2.Order it, being prepared to pay extra for shipping. A decent bear trap will be in the area of 40 lb.
3. Lug the trap to the place where you have the bear (or other large animal) infestation.
4. Set the trap according to the manufacturer's specifications. Don't have the directions? You want to make sure the jaws (with teeth) are open, and nothing is on the springs.
5. There's a trigger pad in the center of the open jaw. That where the bear will step to trigger the trap.
6. Do not put your hand inside the trap or touch the trigger.
7. Cover the trap with some leaves to make it blend in to its surroundings.
8. You might put something to lure the bear (or other animal) such as honey, apples, twenty dollar bills.
9. Leave.
10 Come back in a few days, to see if you've caught anything.

Hello

Let me introduce myself. I am Lori Lowthert, author of Instrument of Evil, my first novel, and creator of the bad-ass Rebekah Johnson. She's a rarity in this world, a female serial killer. She tries several different methods of killing in Instrument of Evil. However, for the first time in her life, she loves someone, her boyfriend, Scott. She has a dilemma--should she break things off with Scott, leaving him none the wiser about her secret life, or should she try to stop killing? The book details her essentially normal childhood, her behavior outwardly perfect, but already the secrets have started. She kills her first victim when she is 20 years old, a college junior. She starts with more tentative methods, but gradually grows bolder. By the end of the book, she is a  full-fledged killer trying to balance life in both her worlds.
I got the idea for the book when I was talking with someone about all the different ways you could kill someone, and decided I would create a female character to do these things. I think if you like the Showtime series Dexter, you might like my book.

Promoting Books

This is something I had never thought about that much. I knew my friends and family would (most likely) buy my books. At least most of my friends and family would. Then in my fantasy somehow other people would find my book, and sales would go up based on word of mouth. That still may happen--I haven't ruled it out yet, as my book has only been available for purchase on Amazon Kindle for about a day and a half. But I have to self promote, and I'd really rather be writing the third book in the trilogy. I'm tweeting every hour or so, trying to get as many eyes on my title and link as possible, in the hopes that someone will give Instrument of Evil a chance. I've signed up with Kindlefinds and Indie Kindle, to get some promotion that way. (Those are great sites, by the way--you can find out about all sorts of Indie books that are out there). I have a Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/#!/InstrumentofEvil, which has gotten a few likes, again mostly from friends and family. The book is available here http://www.amazon.com/Instrument-of-Evil-ebook/dp/.
I'm thinking of taking out a few ads on popular blogs. I've been trying to figure out how to get on the early morning news (I figure I have a better shot at early morning). I'm trying to figure out what to do to make a good YouTube video to support my book. Anyone have any promotion tips they found useful?

Instrument of Evil

Instrument of Evil is now available for purchase in the Amazon Kindle store!

http://www.amazon.com/Instrument-of-Evil-ebook/dp/B005TUG136/

Get your copy now and read about the killings. And the relationship.

After everything

I was never really sure what I was waiting for
When the moment came I was looking away
Obsessed with a past, scared of the future
Never took the time to be here today

The Church

How to pick a good therapist

Hi all. I'm in this court-ordered psychotherapy, so this doesn't really apply to me, but since I'm a graduate student in Psychology, I thought I might have something useful to say.
1. Get recommendations. Ask friends, your medical doctor, coworkers (if you dare), other students, and other therapists. It's better than picking one out of the phonebook or off the web, or out of your insurance plan's list. A therapist that other people like is a good recommendation. And say you call a therapist, and they're not taking new patients? Ask them for a list of other therapists they recommend. Likely those will be good ones.

2. Try to figure out what kind of therapy you want. Are you a practical, let's get to the heart of things kind of person? Then Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) might be for you. Is your life really out of control, with lots of mood swings and instability? Then Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) might be a good choice. Want the "traditional" kind of therapy? Then Psychodynamic Psychotherapy is for you. Want to spend years in therapy, going over your every thought? Psychoanalysis (the kind of therapy where you lie on the couch) might just be your speed.

3. Money. You've got to be able to pay for it. Some therapists take insurance, but many good therapists don't take insurance and you've got to pay out of pocket. You can often get your insurance company to reimburse you part of the costs if you fill out some claim forms. A good therapist is going to be expensive, ranging from $150 to $400 an hour, depending on where you live. Some therapists will accept a sliding scale payment system, where you pay less if you make less money. It never hurts to ask.

4. Do you like them? You get to the first appointment, and there's something about the therapist you don't like. Go with that feeling. You might give them one more chance, to see if it was a one-time thing, but generally you should like your therapist at the first meeting. Or at the least, feel neutral about them. But if you don't like them, odds are that's not going to go away, and it can make your therapy unpleasant.

5.Tell the truth. Don't be concerned that your problems are too trivial for you to be in therapy, or that your problems are too weird, or that you're a hopeless case. Tell the therapist about the problems you want to work on, and even tell them that you think it's trivial, strange, or hopeless. The therapist has most likely heard it before, or something like it. This way they know what your feelings are about your problems, and can more easily work with you.

6. MSW, MFT, Ph.D, Psy.D, MD? If you need medication, or think you need medication, go to an MD, a psychiatrist. Only psychiatrists can prescribe medication. If you think you just need therapy, a social worker (MSW, LCSW), marriage and family therapist (MFT), or psychologist (PhD, PsyD) would all be good for therapy. Don't worry if you start therapy with one of these therapists, and you decide you need medication--most of them will be able to recommend a psychiatrist or two for you. Again, go with someone you like, and feel like you can work with. If that's an LCSW, fine. The important thing in therapy is the relationship you have with your therapist, not their credentials.

7. That being said, be wary of someone who calls themselves a "therapist," without having any of the above credentials. In some states, anyone can call themselves a therapist, and there's no regulation of them. One so-called "therapist" around here insisted on conducting his therapy sessions in a general's uniform, among other things.

That's all I can think of right now. If I come up with anything else, I'll add it in the comments.

Instrument of Evil

Instrument of Evil is the story of a basically normal 21 year old woman who has an unusual hobby. She's realized that she's a fledgling serial killer, and sets off on a life of crime, starting with easy targets, then moving on to harder ones. In the midst of this she meets a guy, and she likes him, more than any guy she has ever liked. She knows she should break the relationship off before he gets hurt (or reports her to the police), but she just can't do it. She realizes that she's in love for the first time of her life. The guy has a few secrets of his own, however, but she doesn't know that yet. It's a girl, a boy, and some murders. How do you keep love alive when you're an active serial killer?

Learning a Lot

I'm really learning a lot these days. One of the things I've learned is that my writer has a lot to say. Well, I have news for you, writer, as your character I have a lot to say too. Like how annoying it is to get blood out of clothes. Or things I'm learning in my Psychology studies about deviant personalities. Or that my significant other seems to have a lot of secrets. I'm the only one who's supposed to have lots of secrets. I know not to tell mine, though. Except that I did tell a lot of them in Instrument of Evil. And listen, writer, when are you going to publish the damn thing? I keep hearing soon, soon.
(Author's note: the book is coming out next week on Amazon.)

Twitter is like crack.

I'm supposed to be writing right now. Not blogging, not checking Twitter. But here I am, "wasting" time. But since I want to network with other writers (okay, fine, my creator wants to network with other writers. I'll just continue being a character. I myself want to network with other serial killers.)
Ahem. Back to Twitter is like crack. I'll be writing away, then I'll see the tab saying there are ten posts, and I have to stop and see what they are. Like crack, I tell you!

Rejected and Dejected

So, on a whim, I applied for a part-time job at Target, thinking I could earn a little extra money for the holidays. I just got email from them that they turned me down. I have a college degree and am in graduate school. I would think that I could be a valuable asset to them. But no. It's a harsh job market out there, but I don't have to tell you guys that.

What Are the Odds?

I'm starting out this new blog, and I know there are thousands of blogs out there. What are the odds this one will get noticed? I can be funny, and I've got lots of good stories to tell. I told a lot of them in my book that's coming out soon, Instrument of Evil. Hence the blog title. And what is the instrument of evil, you might be asking? I'm pretty sure it's the saxophone. Have you noticed this resurgence of saxophone in current indie rock? I don't know if it's supposed to be ironic, or what. 

Actually, the instrument of evil isn't the saxophone (but I think it runs a close second), but I'm going to hold off telling you what it is just yet. A girl has got to have her secrets. I have more than others.