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P.M. Terrell

Goodreads Author

Born

in Washington, DC, The United States

August 25

Website

http://www.pmterrell.com

Twitter

pmterrell

Genre

Suspense, History, Romance

Member Since

August 2013

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/pmterrell

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p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 21 books in four genres: contemporary suspense, historical adventure/suspense, computer how-to and non-fiction.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her contemporary suspense.

She has been a full-time author since 2002. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 US p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the award-winning, internationally acclaimed author of more than 21 books in four genres: contemporary suspense, historical adventure/suspense, computer how-to and non-fiction.

Prior to writing full-time, she founded two computer companies in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. Among her clients were the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Secret Service, U.S. Information Agency, and Department of Defense. Her specialties were in white collar computer crimes and computer intelligence, themes that have carried forward to her contemporary suspense.

She has been a full-time author since 2002. Vicki’s Key was a top five finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and 2012 USA Book Awards nominee, and The Pendulum Files was a national finalist for the Best Cover of the Year in 2014. The Tempest Murders was one of four finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards, cross-genre category.

Her historical suspense, River Passage, was a 2010 Best Fiction and Drama Winner. It was determined to be so historically accurate that a copy of the book resides at the Nashville Government Metropolitan Archives in Nashville, Tennessee.

She is also the co-founder of The Book ‘Em Foundation, an organization committed to raising public awareness of the correlation between high crime rates and high illiteracy rates. She is the organizer and chairperson of Book ‘Em North Carolina, an annual event held in Lumberton, North Carolina, to raise funds to increase literacy and reduce crime. For more information on this event and the literacy campaigns funded by it, visit www.bookemnc.org. She is also the founder of The Novel Business, mentoring authors in the business end and selling of books.

She sits on the board of the Friends of the Robeson County Public Library. She has also served on the boards of Robeson County Arts Council, Crime Stoppers and Crime Solvers and became the first female president of the Chesterfield County-Colonial Heights Crime Solvers in Virginia.
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What’s your advice for aspiring writers?

P.M. Terrell The best advice I can give to aspiring writers is to learn as much as you can about the publishing industry. This is a complex business and writers to…moreThe best advice I can give to aspiring writers is to learn as much as you can about the publishing industry. This is a complex business and writers today must wear several hats.

The first step is to write the very best book you possibly can. Never make the mistake of thinking the first draft is the final. It's only the beginning. Edit it multiple times; be ruthless. Make sure every scene does double duty, and make sure every sentence is structured in the best possible way.

Consider your audience while you are writing. Develop a persona of the ideal reader; whether it's someone interested in history or suspense, an incurable romantic or one that loves exotic settings... Analyze your major competitors; those New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors that have the audience you want to have. What are they doing to attract their followers? What is their website like? What do they blog about and how often do they blog? What social media are they actively involved in? What do they post to get interaction - shares, likes, comments?

When your book is the very best you can possibly make it, buy a copy of the latest Writers Market (or find it in your local library) and begin querying publishers and literary agents that are interested in your specific genre.

When you have a publishing contract in hand, be sure to ask what the publisher will do to market your book; what their advertising budget is for your work; and expect to be a major player in your promotional campaign. This can range from physical book tours to online blog tours, social media campaigns and Internet advertising.

By learning as much as you can about the industry, you'll understand what it takes to bring a book into the public eye; what it takes to be discovered by your ideal audience; and what will be expected of you from the writing to the editing to marketing and promotion - and everything in between.(less)

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What are you currently working on?

P.M. Terrell I took a departure from writing contemporary suspense and began an historical series based on real Irish history. I have a series (Black Swamp Mysteri…moreI took a departure from writing contemporary suspense and began an historical series based on real Irish history. I have a series (Black Swamp Mysteries) that centers around CIA operatives but I found in the political climate in Washington - with Russia, the Middle East and our European allies - readers were becoming disillusioned with current events. What is really popular now is escapism books, movies and television. There is something very comforting about reading the past; even if it involves battles, a political game of thrones, adversity and challenges, we know our ancestors made it through. We're here; we survived.

Following in my family's footsteps has been a fascinating adventure for me. Going to Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and standing on land that once belonged to my ancestors; standing in the family cemetery overlooking their land holdings, learning of their contributions to the surrounding villages - has been an experience like no other. I wanted to take the names out of the boxes on the neatly drawn family tree and find out who they were, what they did, what motivated them, what legacy they left. I wanted to know why, generation after generation, they left their homes, often for countries they had never been to with foreign customs, a different language, where they had to begin all over again.

The first book in my new Checkmate series (http://pmterrell.com/checkmate-clans-...) begins with William Neely, my ancestor that left Wigtownshire, Scotland in 1608 for Ulster. You can read an excerpt at the link above. He landed in Ulster as tensions were heating up between the last Gaelic Irish King, Cahir O'Doherty, and Sir George Paulet, the English Governor of Derry, and he would be caught up in O'Doherty's Rebellion. He would be witness to love and hatred, courage and cowardice, loyalty and treason, and he would be changed - and his descendants changed - forever.

I am now doing research on the second book in the series, involving the aftermath of O'Doherty's Rebellion and the Plantation era in Ulster, Ireland.

You can read more about my experience delving into my family history here: http://pmterrell.blogspot.com/2017/05...

I'd love to know if you have discovered anything about your ancestors, and how it changed you and made you the person you are today.(less)

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P.M. Terrell’s books

Average rating: 4.37 · 279 ratings · 91 reviews · 22 distinct works • Similar authors

	Songbirds are Free 4.36 avg rating — 74 ratings — published 2007 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	River Passage 4.20 avg rating — 30 ratings — published 2009 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Exit 22 (Black Swamp Mysteries Book 1) 4.31 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 2008 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Tempest Murders 4.42 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vicki's Key (Black Swamp Mysteries, #2) 4.26 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	April in the Back of Beyond 4.17 avg rating — 12 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The China Conspiracy 4.18 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2003 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Pendulum Files (Black Swamp Mysteries Book 5) 4.60 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dylan's Song (Black Swamp Mysteries #4) 4.30 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2013 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Banker's Greed by P.M. Terrell (Goodreads Author), T. Randy Stevens 4.20 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2011 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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P.M. Terrell's Blog

Behind the Book Part 2: April in the Back of Beyond

This is the second part in the true stories behind the book, April in the Back of Beyond . Part 1 can be found here: https://pmterrell.blogspot.com/2019/08/behind-book-part-1-april-in-back-of.html

Watch the video below for the inside story, or skip below to read it. The video can also be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/-jsmYf4osR8.

Throughout April in the Back of Beyond is another Read more of this blog post »

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The Wicked Lady

by Elena Collins

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A Book A Week: How I Outline and Draft a Full Novel in Just A Week (Self-Publishing Success 1)

by Kate Hall

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Before We Were Yours

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An epic tale of good versus evil-highly recommended It is difficult to believe The Children of Magic is author P.D. Parker’s debut novel, as his writing rivals that of seasoned authors. The action begins immediately, and although we are taken to myth ...more
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“Among the top ten things I've learned in life: when your hair stylist is having a bad day, reschedule.”
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topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : Title and Author game, Round 4	16049	654	Jan 05, 2019 04:49AM
Cozy Mysteries : Mystery ABC's, Round 4	14302	805	Jan 05, 2019 05:39AM
Cozy Mysteries : Title and Author game, Round 5	7285	327	May 14, 2020 09:14PM

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“Music is poetry in motion.”
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― P. M. Terrell

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“Among the top ten things I've learned in life: when your hair stylist is having a bad day, reschedule.”
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