Heroines with Hearts

Friday Friend Joya Field

2012-01-26T18:40:00.001-08:00

Please welcome Joya Fields! Joya is the author BENEATH THE SURFACE, a romantic suspense just published by The Wild Rose Press.

Joya, What sort of schedule do you follow for writing? What tends to get in the way?
A writing schedule is very important. After I grab a cup of coffee and take the pug for her walk, I write two or three hours every morning. If I'm lucky, and errands, housekeeping and "mom" duties don't get in the way, I spend another two or three hours in the afternoon writing.

Did you plot or pantser your new release? Did you use any ‘maps’ or
‘sheets’? Why or why not?
Ooh, great question. I teach a plotting class at the local community college, so they laugh when I tell them I'm a pantser. But even pantsers need a plan. For Beneath the Surface, I used a chart/outline, but I wrote it in pencil because I think plotting is important, but spontaneity--letting the characters change my original ideas—is important, too.

Did you slip a real, personal experience into your new release? Can you
tell us what that was and how you changed it?
I used a combination of life experiences. For instance, I think the heroine, Brooke, is a composite of lots of people with disabilities I've met over the years. She's got the strength of some of the clients I met while working at Easter Seals, and she's got insecurities and worries like all of us.

Do you have a favorite food or drink while you write, or as a reward
for so many completed pages?
A hot coffee as I write helps me keep the words flowing, and if I hit 2,000 words a day, I celebrate with a flavored coffee. Chocolate coffee is my favorite!

How do you approach editing and revising? Do you have critique partners
or beta readers?
I can write a draft for a novel in a month, but then it takes me six months to revise. I'm working on that--trying to get more stuff right the first time through. Thank goodness for critique partners and groups! I'm a member of an on-line crit group and an in-person crit group and those guys and gals have helped me in so many ways that I don't think I'll ever be able to appropriately thank them. I think every writer needs honest feedback from people who understand the process.

How long between submission to your publisher and acceptance? Please
tell our followers something about how they worked with you.
I submitted my query to The Wild Rose Press in October, received a "revise and resubmit" request (with specific suggestions) in January, and then submitted a revised manuscript in February. On April 11th (yes, I remember the exact date), I received an offer for publication. Yipppeee.

If you could spend an afternoon with anyone in history, who would it
be—and what would you do together?
Wow, this is a great question. I think I'd like to get a cup of coffee with Albert Einstein and chat with him about how he got his ideas. I've heard he got a lot of his "a-ha" moments while shaving, and I'd like to know if that's true. If so, I might start shaving more often. :)

Joya Fields has had over 100 stories and articles published in local and national magazines and her debut novel, BENEATH THE SURFACE, a romantic suspense, and LOVE DELIVERED, a romantic comedy novella, are now available. www.joyafields.com

She’s fighting to stay independent—he’s determined to protect her no matter what…

Brooke Richards survived the earthquake that took her parents and most of her leg, but she needs time to regroup. A trip to Florida for a state-of-the-art prosthesis and to visit her best friend Linda seems ideal. But the trip turns traumatic when Brooke witnesses Linda’s boat disintegrating in a fiery explosion.

Police officer Garrett Ciavello believes the blast was intentionally set to hide something Linda found on a dive. When Brooke offers her expertise in underwater archeology, Garrett accepts her help with the investigation. But since his fiancée’s death years ago, Garrett has become overprotective, and as they are drawn to each other, Garrett realizes he will risk anything to keep Brooke safe.

Brooke is fiercely independent. Garrett is fiercely protective. Will they heal each other’s wound and find a killer…before it’s too late?

From the novel:
For the first time since the accident, Brooke forgot about her leg. Forgot about all she’d lost and focused on the way Garrett made her feel.
She knew she needed to stop him. She should find a way to resist the temptation to be with him. But for a few minutes, she could enjoy the taste of him, the feel of him, couldn’t she?
He dropped his hands to her waist and softened the kiss before trailing a line of kisses down her neck. A weak cry slipped from her mouth. “Garrett,” she whispered.
She should stop this now before it got any more intense.
He lifted her chin and forced her to meet his brown eyes, smoky with desire. Heat spiraled to her middle and she caught a whiff of his sawdust scent.
“I…I can walk you back to your own room before I head to mine.” His voice broke as he whispered.
She swallowed hard. She couldn’t do this right now with him. Too many obstacles stood in their way. But as she looked in his somber eyes, she realized none of those complications were bigger than her need for Garrett.
“Let’s go to your room,” she said, her voice shaking. She moved her hands inside his shirt and ran them over his tight abs and chest. Heat soared through her body at the feel of him. “Together…”

K is for Kissing

2012-01-26T02:52:00.000-08:00

Kissing plays a big part in a romance novel. Whether it's the first kiss, a kiss leading to lovemaking, or the final kiss which seals the hero and heroine's happily every after, each is special. Each has its own feel and purpose. Each is different...even within the same story.

Kisses can be...
Sweet. Tender. Sensual. Erotic. Carnal. Passionate.

They can...
Comfort. Entice. Arouse. Elicit.

They say...
Hello. Good-bye. I miss you. I love you. You're the only one for me.

Sometimes the build up to the kiss can be as exciting as the kiss itself.

Most of the excerpts I post as teasers for my books are kissing scenes. Sometimes it's a first kiss, sometimes not. A kissing scene reveals the chemistry between the hero and heroine. It is both emotional and sensory.

Kissing scenes aren't just thrown into stories for the heck of it. They have a purpose. A meaning. They move the story along and are part of the plot. They show the growing physical and emotional relationship between the hero and heroine. They can even show goal, motivation, or conflict.

They are some of the very best reasons to read and write romance.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Keeping your Readers Reading

2012-01-25T01:11:00.000-08:00

We all know how important it is to have a good opening to draw the reader into your story. The main advice about this can be summed up as:

Open with one of your protagonists.
Open at a pivotal point in the story.
Open with a hook – maybe a question or the first suggestion of a conflict.

My first two lines of ‘Fragrance with Violets’ are:

“Jack Tremayne’s back at Fir Garth,” Mrs Garside said.

The delicate china figurine of Peter Rabbit slipped out of Abbey Seton’s hand, and fell to the floor, shattering with a tinkling sound.

Okay, so I think I covered those points. Maybe Mrs Garside isn’t a protagonist, but Jack is, and his return is pivotal. These two lines also provide the hook and the question: Why is Abbey so startled about Jack’s return that she drops the figurine?

On Six Sentence Sunday, I’ve used two more excerpts following these first sentences and had a lot of comments to the effect of ‘want to know who Jack is’, ‘want to find out what their story is’, ‘why is she reacting like this’ and, one of the most recent ones (following an excerpt which comes at the top of the second page in the actual book): ‘Intriguing. Now I’m really curious.’

So hopefully I have my readers hooked and asking questions in the first two pages.

Now, how do I keep them reading?

Here’s what I think (in no particular order, just my take on what keeps ME reading a book!)

If you answer some of their initial questions, give them other things to wonder about.

Don’t dump all the backstory in one lump, tease your readers with part-revelations, not obscure enough to frustrate, but intriguing enough to make them want to find out more.

Don’t introduce too many characters too quickly – readers can get confused (and annoyed!) when they can’t work out who’s who and /or whether they are important characters or not. .

Move the story along. Don’t meander into irrelevant events or conversations.

Make your characters ones they can care about, empathise with, feel their emotions, cry when they cry, smile when they’re happy.

Make sure your plot is realistic and not contrived.

Don’t go into excessive description – readers tend to skip it.

Provide cliff-hangers i.e. page-turners. Your readers should want to know what happens next (so that they think , maybe late at night, ‘Just one more chapter’). Some of my reviewers have said they ‘couldn’t put it down’ which, to me, is one of the best things people have said about my first book.

Keep them wondering how the hero and heroine can ever get together for their ‘happy ending’. They know this is going to happen but they need to be curious about how it will happen, when all seems lost.

And finally, don’t hand a solution on a plate to your hero and heroine through some contrivance or coincidence. The reader needs to know they’ve struggled against the odds, overcome their problems, and, most satisfying of all, learnt something about themselves and each other in the process.

But please don’t have the hero and heroine hating each other all the way through the story until the final chapter when they suddenly realise they love each other!

And here am I, with my Kindle and a story I had to keep on reading, even while I was waiting for my daughter and partner to finish their shopping at Disneyworld!

K is for Knowledge

2012-01-24T05:59:00.000-08:00

The idea that knowledge is power is as true for writers asit is for politicians. Writers need to know their characters, their charactermotivation, the conflict and the resolution. They need to know their books andthe people who populate them as well as they know themselves; sometimes evenbetter. If we don’t know our characters and why they do what they do, we can’twrite our stories. Well, we can, but the stories won’t make sense, they won’tgo anywhere and readers will immediately see the holes.

We all know this. Every class, every how-to book, everyother writer tells us this. Why then, is it so hard to describe our book,especially when we have to boil it down to a “30-second elevator pitch” or a 75-wordback cover blurb? Maybe it’s just me, but I can have an entire 50,000+manuscript in my head, know what every character looks like and sounds like andbe practically living the plot, but if someone asks me, “What’s your bookabout?” I stare at them blankly as I scramble to come up with something.

We’re told to try to relate our stories to a “big picturetheme,” like Beauty and the Beast or Romeo and Juliet, and then to try to showhow it’s different. Classic literary or romance themes are fairly easy for me,and I know why and how my book differs. But there’s always more I want to say.

For example, my current WIP is a contemporary romance withJewish characters. It’s based on the holiday of Purim and involves hiding one’sidentity. Sure, that description is short and sweet, but it really doesn’t tellanyone very much. It doesn’t provide any character flavor—“Jewish” is not aflavor (ask Baskin Robbins) and certainly doesn’t sound enticing enough foreven me to read, much less someone else!

I want to describe klutzy Samara with the beautiful voicewho drops or spills something every time she’s near the hero; noble Nathanielwho’s a single dad and who hates being the center of attention; perfect, butflawed Josh, who’s so busy trying to “save” Samara from herself that he ends upalmost ruining everything. But that would take too many words. And describingthe hilarious and tragic holiday of Purim, which provides the backbone to thestory? Well, that’s an entire book in Judaism, and I don’t have enough time inan elevator or space on the back of the book to do that.

So for now, until I can whittle all this knowledge down into30 seconds or 75 words, I’m going to be stuck. Hopefully not for long though!

K is for Kazakhstan

2012-01-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

I have never been to Kazakhstan. Or Kentucky.
If I wanted to set a romance in either place, I’d need some self-education. The ideal method would be move there, fulfilling my if-only-I-could dream of becoming a purposeful nomad. Second best, I could travel there on a vacation.
But neither of these are realistically within my grasp, so let’s brainstorm on how I could prepare to write an historical romance set in the Bluegrass State.

1. I could talk with someone who lived there, either in person or online.
2. A Writers Digest book called “Writer’s Guide to Places” lists interesting facts about US states and their major cities. For example, “Kentucky never chose sides in the Civil War, and a Henderson teacher named Mary Wilson came up with the idea for Mother’s Day in 1887.” The book also lists books and websites for further research.
3. I inherited a 1965 World Book Encyclopedia set. The history and terrain sections are still valid.
4. I could check out books from the library. Especially nice are children’s books.
5. Use Google maps and other Google features for correct street alignment.

What sources do you use for setting research?

Welcome Carol Wyatt w/a Morgan K. Wyatt

2012-01-20T05:16:00.000-08:00

Please welcome Carol Wyatt, writing as Morgan K. Wyatt. She penned the following:

Laughter in the Bedroom
Recently I was at a romance writer’s retreat where we read our love scenes aloud to each other. One writer chuckled to herself as she confessed she tells her husband that he’s her inspiration for all her love scenes. The other women tittered as if this were a great joke. The idea that we might use real life situations for the steamy scenes seemed amusing, but why should it?
Admittedly, most of us are not paired with some George Clooney clone, although we love our honeys dearly. I bet even George has a few moments when he approaches his latest love and stabs his foot on her abandoned stiletto heel, maybe even her stiletto knife depending on the woman. Sure, we female readers do want a hot scene, but we want it real too.
Authentic includes conflict. A heroine with a difficult name can have her sweetheart mispronounce her name at an inopportune moment making her wonder at his devotion or even causing her to kick him out of bed. I read in a blog by a thrice-married man that he always calls his wife honey because he’s afraid he might call her by an ex-wife’s name.
Think of some of your more memorable encounters, many times there may have been a fumble, but the two of you managed to smooth it over. Old style romances featured a virgin who immediately responds to her experienced lover by having an orgasm her very first time out the gate. Really? How many of us raised on this diet were disappointed by our first time?
A fellow writer planned a romantic picnic complete with wine and music. Her husband didn’t get it and groused about having to eat on the floor. Maybe the guy doesn’t quite understand a romantic setting we’ve created, but when it is explained to him then he is more than ready to participate. The reader can laugh with the couple because she has experienced something similar in her life. You can play with what can go wrong from the woman tripping in her too high heels to the bed breaking.
In the movie, HITCH, Will Smith explains to the woman he tries to impress that he’d imagined things playing out differently in his head. Same thing happens with Ashlee in my first novella RELUCTANT COUGAR by Secret Cravings Publishing when she tries to work up the courage to kiss her date.
They walked in silence for a few minutes as Ashlee debated about the wisdom of kissing him. Glancing around discreetly, she checked for walkers. Finding none, she turned toward Nick. He immediately stopped and held perfectly still, but his eyes were alert as he watched her. No easy way to steal a kiss from a tall man. Ashlee braced her hands on his shoulders as she stretched to meet his lips. Once her lips touched his, his arms went around her and snuggled her close.
His lips managed to be soft and firm at the same time. For a moment, she rested her lips on his, taking in the feel of his arms embracing her. His scent, a combination of some high-end cologne, sweat, and dryer sheet fragrance jumpstarted her libido into coming out of hibernation from the moment he touched her. Months had passed since she last had a man’s arms around her. How did she forget how wonderful it could be? Did having a firm, younger body next to hers make it better? Finding out sounded like a discovery mission to her.
Moving her lips on his, she intensified the kiss. Ashlee’s tongue slipped out, teasing the corners of his mouth and tracing the seam of his lips. Nick’s arms tightened around her as he murmured encouraging sounds, opening his lips slightly. Amazingly, for once in her life, she was the romantic aggressor. Sliding her tongue past his parted lips, she ran it across his teeth before tangling with his tongue, giving Ashlee a sense of power. Nick’s hands dropped to her ass pulling her hips even closer and talk about strong attraction. His stretched long and hard against her belly.
“Nice day we’re having, isn’t it?” a male voice called out.
It couldn’t be Nick; his mouth covered hers. Nick’s hands pivoted her to hide the front of his body from a grinning gardener complete with hedge clippers in his hands.
“Excellent day,” Nick answered.
Why hadn’t she seen the gardener? Cut branch limbs littered the ground indicating he’d obviously been working away for some time. All her thoughts centered on Nick and kissing him to the extent, she missed seeing the man.
“Lots of folks out on a day like this,” the gardener continued, making such broad hints that even a lust-dazed mind could comprehend.
“You’re right,” Nick agreed, touching her elbow to turn Ashlee in the direction of the path.
The gardener’s eyes twinkled a little as he called out, “Enjoy the rest of your day.” Then he laughed as they turned to walk away. Nick assured him they would enjoy the rest of their day, drawing another laugh.
“I think he was spying on us,” Ashlee whispered in case the gardener might hear.
Nick shrugged his shoulders, making a point of taking her hand and interweaving fingers. “What if he was? It may have reminded him of a time when he had a beautiful woman in his arms.” (Find out how to read more and enter my Godiva and Pearls Contest at: www.morgankwyatt.com)

Women when questioned about what would make them look twice at a man or give him their number shocked interviewers by stating overwhelmingly a man who could make them laugh would do it. A man who can make a woman laugh and can laugh at himself relaxes a woman. Dating is hard enough we can use a stress breaker. He also represents the happy feeling, which accompanies laughter.
In the movie, SHIRLEY VALENTINE, Shirley hears a full orchestra while she and her newfound man are making love on the boat. Your character could hear some amazing piano music building to a crescendo when she is with her guy only to remember her next door neighbor is a classical pianist, or it could be a ringtone.
Comic misunderstandings usually merit a laugh. One cell phone service did an ad series about people not hearing clearly. Maybe your heroine thinks her hero wants her to dress up as a nursery rhyme character and she is waiting in costume complete with shepherd’s crook when he arrives home with his old college roommate, Beau Fleet.
Of course, a woman breaking out in laughter at the wrong time can kill a man’s libido just as much as tears. It might help if the woman explains she laughs when she is totally happy, then that makes laughter the absolute right thing to have in the bedroom. Now, I realize this is my opinion and some readers will disagree. They want their scenes without fumbles, confusion, or laughter, but that just isn’t reality.

Morgan will be giving away a free ebook copy of Reluctant Cougar to one lucky commenter today.

Find out more about Carole Wyatt w/a Morgan K Wyatt at:
www.morgankwyatt.com www.datingafterfortyeight.blogspot.com
11/11 Reluctant Cougar-Secret Cravings Publishing
12/11 Christmas Warmth-XOXO Publishing
1/12 Cub in Blue-Secret Cravings Publishing
2/12 Puppy Love-Secret Cravings Publishing

Thanks for being here today, Carol!

J is for Jobs

2012-01-19T05:27:00.001-08:00

It's important for your hero and heroine to have a job. Giving them this realistic, everyday attribute can make them seem more human to our readers. A charcter's choice of occupation can also give us a deeper insight into him or her. In real life, many people choose careers based on their personality. This can work for fictional characters as well. Most of my characters' jobs are average, ordinary jobs. (Although I do have one Secret Service agent.) This adds a touch of the familiar and makes them seem like real people.

In my books, I tend to use my characters' jobs as part of the plot, which often leads to or forms part of the conflict.

In This Time for Always, Sharlie works as the manager of a bar. Logan comes back to town to buy that bar. This sets up the external conflict for the former high school sweethearts.

In Wild Wedding Weekend, Noah's carefree job as a freelance photographer proves to Abby how wrong he is for her. She wants someone to settle down with, not someone who travels around the world and is never home.

In This Can't Be Love Zach's disinterest in getting a 'real' job causes friction between the hero and heroine. He's a bouncer...in Jessica's view - based mostly on past experience...this tells her he has no ambition in life.

In A Christmas to Remember, it's Sam's secrecy about his job that first intrigues Heather and adds to the mystery surrounding him. But it's also the thing that could keep them apart and prevent them from living happily ever after.

In my WIP "An Unexpected Blessing", Joe's returned home to his small hometown after a stint in jail and has taken a job with Katy's parents as their handyman. Katy also happens to be back in town because she lost her job and couldn't afford to live on her own. This puts my hero and heroine in close proximity.

In another WIP "This Feels Like Home", Jake is a bull rider, and the danger it poses makes Amber want to keep her distance, even as her feelings for him begin to grow.

What kind of jobs do you give your characters? Are they integral to the plot of your story, or just there for background information?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Friday Friend Carol Wyatt, w/a Morgan K Wyatt

2012-01-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

Jerk, Jolt and Jump?

2012-01-18T01:07:00.000-08:00

My heroine’s heart does all that, and more. My hero’s heart does the same too.

But, while hearts can (and do) thump, pound, and thud with shock and tension (not to mention sexual pursuits), do they actually jerk, jolt or jump?

We use the expressions (or at least I do), but in fact those J’s actually come from elsewhere in the body, and not the heart.

I’ve learnt to be more circumspect about my characters’ hearts after discovering (while editing one novel) that my heroine’s heart had done the 3 J’s a few times, plus thumped , pounded, thudded, and leapt, and her heartbeat had accelerated, quickened, raced, skipped, missed a beat and done so many different things that she was in danger of an imminent heart attack.

What about ‘heartache’ and ‘heartbreak’? Does the heart really ache? Can it actually break? The answer is probably no, but poetry and literature have concentrated on the heart as the centre of emotion.

In the culture of all ages, the heart is everywhere, from the Roman poet Catullus with his heart ‘hardened’ (problem with his arteries?) to J.K.Rowling’s ‘The Warlock’s Hairy Heart’ (what??)

The heart has dominated emotional response and love - think Valentine’s Day and ‘I (heart) - whatever’.

However, our emotions, feelings, reactions come mainly from our minds, and from elsewhere in our bodies too, not to mention from adrenalin which originates in the kidney. Not very romantic, huh?

So, in romance novels anyway, the heart will continue to jerk, jolt and jump.

The Journey

2012-01-17T04:17:00.000-08:00

As a writer, my journey to publication has been long andwinding, with several rest stops along the way. When I first started writing, Iwrote mainly at night while my kids slept. I’d crank out pages during the twohours between the time I put them to bed and me to bed. It was a secretivetime, with no one allowed to know about it, much less read what I wrote. Kindof like driving aimlessly on a winding, dark country road, where the only thingyou see is what’s illuminated by your headlights.

Once I’d written my first draft, I realized how much Ididn’t know about writing. I joined RWA, took on-line classes and entered a fewcontests. I still didn’t want anyone to see what I’d written, but I knew Ineeded feedback other than my own. My journey had moved off the single-lanecountry roads and onto slightly wider, more-trafficked back roads. Thevisibility was better, but there were more cars to avoid and I needed to have adestination; otherwise, frustrated drivers would honk their horns as they hurriedpast me.

I got a little braver and attended conferences, where Iactually identified myself as a romance writer. I met with agents and editorsand pitched my story. I submitted queries and partials to them and waitedeagerly for their feedback. Publication was a distant dream; I was in it morefor the experience and kernels of wisdom that a few friendly industry expertsmight wish to give me. I’d graduated to city driving. My reflexes were fasterand I could avoid the slower drivers by changing lanes.

I continued submitting my first story to other editors andagents. Positive feedback coupled with eventual rejections encouraged anddiscouraged me, but I kept at it. There were potholes and construction delayson the highway ramp; I screamed uselessly from the privacy of my own car, butrefrained from leaning on the horn. I began writing my second story.

I was wiser and braver now. I found a critique partner formy second story and actually let her see my writing, cringing every time shesent back her response via email, and then smacking my head over all the thingsshe saw—good and bad—that I could not. I creeped out onto the highway, stayingin the right lane the whole time

My critique partner alternately boosts me up and smacks meback into reality, depending on what I needed that day. I was braver aboutsubmitting, taking chances. I still don’t talk about it, but I was makingprogress. I’d moved out of the right lane into the center, with an occasionalforay into the passing lane (shutting one eye and screaming the whole way).

The day I received my first contract, I announced toeveryone what I’d spent the past six years doing. I saw that talking about itdidn’t have to destroy my dream and that encouragement and pride from othersmade me feel good about myself. I could pass even the semi-trucks and as longas I left them plenty of room, I didn’t get run over. I was still on thejourney, but had a lot more confidence. And somewhere along the way, I foundthat it was fun!

Jump Cuts

2012-01-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Many of us were taught by well-meaning English teachers to notify the reader of a transition of time or place. We worked to perfect transition sentences and to use what "Hooked" author Les Edgerton calls various transition techniques to transport the reader hither and yon: flashbacks and flashforwards and location changes, or focusing on another character, as the story required."

Edgerton explains how literature influenced silent films. "MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH" lingered on an otherwise blank screen. When movies first incorporated sound, a voice-over, or a voice over and text pronouncement, delivered notice of every time or setting transition.

The first film to use a jump cut--a transition where the narrative simply jumps to the next scene without forewarning the viewer--was Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless." Godard had shot 8,000 meters of film, and the producers had a maximum limit of 5,000 meters. Godard had to cut the film down or it would be unsellable. According to Godard, he and his editor flipped a coin at each scene in a sequence and let fate determine which footage to cut. Necessity invented the jump cut.

Some critics hated this new storytelling technique, but others loved it, and "eventually, the new kids on the block ruled." Now screenwriters just write the next scene without any labeling, regardless of its placement in the narrative, chronological or not.

Edgerton says film and television are doing the most in training readers these days. "The astute writer will realize that and write accordingly."

I've received critiques that faulted me for not demarking transitions in character POV, or time and place. In many places, a clarification was needed. At others, though, the flow for the reader seems uninterrupted. Then I debate: do I add words to for a more detailed transition? Or will the reader appreciate the lack of a pause in the action or emotion?

I feel transitions should be long jumps. Maybe triple jumps. But not sack races.

Friday Friend Calisa Rhose

2012-01-13T02:38:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I had the privilege of guesting on Calisa Rhose's blog. Today I get the pleasure of introducing her to you here.

Small-town country girl Calisa Rhose lives in a semi-remote area of Oklahoma with her husband, five dogs and one horse. All of her three daughters and their families live within throwing distance. She’s a member of RWA and the local chapter OKRWA. She intends to nurture and continue to grow as an author with the help of her family and supporters.

Calisa, welcome to Heroines with Hearts!
Tell us about yourself.
I began writing, weaving stories as a teen and it never went away. With encouragement from family I finally wrote and began to submit. I’m published with The Wild Rose Press as of Dec 2011—three weeks ago!

Tell us about Home.
My story is one of several books created by Oklahoma authors to hi-light the awesome talent we Okies have in our little fingers (and the rest of our bodies, too) that tells of the travels through time of a cursed scrimshaw doll. HOME is about finding a place to belong when the one place my hero Sam Callahan had always thought would be there wasn’t any longer. War had changed everything for him. My heroine, Poppy Tippen becomes that place of comfort and peace for him just when he thinks all is lost. For Poppy HOME has always been where love is so when she saw the chance to have the man she’s always loved she fights for him and her own place to belong.

How does it fit into the Scrimshaw Doll series?
Poppy is a descendant of the original creator of the curse. But being a modern woman of the sixties she doesn’t hold to wives tales so she chooses to ignore the curse that only true love can break. Is it real? You’ll have to read to find out. HOME is the turning point book in the series as the final historical.

What got you interested in writing?
I don’t even know. I started out with poetry in middle school and it snowballed from there over the years.

What comes first, plot or characters?
Characters usually, but with HOME I think plot created the characters.

What have you learned from being a published author that you wish you knew before you were published?
It takes a lot of patience! And the world of authors is so supportive I was amazed at how quickly I was accepted as one of ‘them’ by all authors I met with my publisher!

(Debra: TWRP really is a very supportive, extremely talented group of authors.)
Any advice for new writers?
Get a few critique partners, join a good and supportive, critique group and then use what feels right to you. Not everything a crit partner says is gold so be careful you chip the nuggets out and save them. Most of all, don’t give up. If writing is your dream—keep after it!

What’s next for you? What have you got in the works?
I have a paranormal series I’m writing and a contemporary cowboy story is in progress. I also have a couple of projects I set aside to work on the cowboy one that I can’t wait to get back to this new year.

(Debra: Oooh. I love cowboy stories!)
Where can we find you and your books?
Get your copy of HOME at The Wild Rose Press and on Amazon.
Find Calisa at her website/blog http://calisarhose.wordpress.com
On twitter @Calisa_Rhose and Facebook @Calisa Rhose
She loves to hear from readers so drop her a line at calisa.rhose@gmail.com

HOME blurb

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What could a gypsy and a Vietnam veteran have in common?
BLURB:

Silvertown’s outcast, Poppy Tippen, has loved football hero Sam “The Force” Callahan forever. But he never seemed to know she was alive. Now he’s home from the war and she suddenly finds herself comforting him from the demons of “that damn war.” Is his attention merely an escape from the haunting nightmares? Or does she hold the interest of the only man she’s ever truly loved?

Sam Callahan’s only solace from the war nightmares wrecking his life comes in the unlikely form of a gypsy girl with stigmas of her own. He’s known Poppy his entire life, but there’s something different about her now. Something special he desperately wants to hold on to. Can he convince her she’s the only thing he needs to put the past behind him?

I is for Indecision

2012-01-12T02:57:00.000-08:00

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to be a romance writer. About fifteen years ago I took my first step toward taking it 'seriously' by joining a local chapter of RWA. This was, and still is, a good decision for my career. I've learned a lot by attending meetings and programs and participating in critiquing sessions, both as a reader and a critiquer.

About ten years ago I took another 'serious' step and attended a writers' conference and pitched to an editor at Silhouette. She requested the full manuscript, but it was eventually rejected, although I did get a very nice, personal letter from her. A few years after that I submitted a query to another editor there, but that, too was rejected.

I was bummed, but not overly so, since rejection tends to be a part of this business. More than being bummed, though, I was stuck. I wrote what I termed 'series' romance, and with nothing new in the works at the time, I'd pretty much exhausted my options for where I could submit my work.

For a while I just let it lie. After all, I had other things going on in my life. Writing was a bit of a hobby.

Then about five years ago I decided if I ever had a chance to get a book published, I had to get 'serious' again. I asked a writer friend about her publisher, but as she was not too thrilled with her house, she recommended I check into The Wild Rose Press, a slightly new small press. So, I did, and it turned out to be another one of those good things for my career. With TWRP I've published three full-length novels, a short story, and a free read. I have another mss in a rewriting/revision stage for them, and am working on another short story to submit as well.

So, after that really long story, here's the indecision part. About a year ago, my editor at TWRP wrote me a really, really nice e-mail, saying she thought I was ready to move on to one of the 'bigger' publishers. To say the least, I was thrilled. While I really enjoy writing for TWRP, my dream had always been to see one of my books in the Harlequin/Silhouette rack at my local book store.

To that end, I'm in the process of polishing up another mss that I'll be pitching to an editor from Harlequin at a conference in April. But the thing is, I don't know if Harlequin/Silhouette is the right fit for me. Do I think it would be awesome to see my book in one of their displays? Yes, but I'm not sure if I'm a 'career' writer. I have a career that I love. Meeting deadlines is not easy for me, just from a time stand point. My first priority is, and has to be, my full time job. Writing on a deadline scares the beejeebies out of me.

And, I really, really love writing for TWRP. I've had nothing but good experiences with them: from the owners to the editors to the cover artists to the marketing department...everything has been wonderful. And with e-books becoming more and more popular, even my shorter stories not being in print isn't such a big deal anymore.

That doesn't mean I can't write for someplace else, too, but if I'm happy where I'm at, and it's working for me, why do I want to? TWRP is a good fit for me. And if I'm writing for more than one place, am I going to be stretching myself too thin? Will I be able to do a good job for both, or will one suffer?

But to have my name on a Harlequin book? That's something I've dreamed about since high school. And to have a dream come true is nothing to turn your nose up at.

See? Indecisive. (And long winded...)

And of course this all may be a moot point, if I pitch and at whatever point in the process get a rejection, all of this worry will be for naught. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Indie Publishing

2012-01-11T01:55:00.000-08:00

This could be controversial but here goes!

This week I am about to make a momentous decision – or, at least, I think I’m maybe half way there!

I’ve always balked against Indie publishing – for several reasons:
1) I’ve needed an editor’s approval/acceptance of my work
2) I know I don’t have the technical expertise to format my work
3) I wouldn’t have the first idea how to create a cover for my novel
4) (and I hate to admit to this one!) I’ve tended to think of ‘indie’ publishing as a kind of vanity publishing, putting one’s work online without any professional editorial acceptance or input.

So why am I changing my mind?

First, because over the last couple of years, I’ve finally gained some confidence in myself and my writing. It’s only taken me about 40 years to get to this point! So I’m thinking that maybe I don’t need an editor’s ‘approval’ anymore.

Why not? This takes me back to the sixties. At the time I was reading every romance novel I could find in the local library. I wrote my own romance novel, purely for myself, but then I started to think my novel was as good (if not better?) than a lot of the romances I was reading. To cut a long story short, I submitted it to one of the very few publishers of romance here in the UK (and also the biggest) and it was accepted. This should have given me confidence, but it didn’t, even though they accepted two more of my novels, and their American ‘partners’ published two of them, and one was serialised in a UK women’s magazine.
I’m digressing. The main point is that none of my novels has ever been ‘edited’ by a professional editor. The publisher who accepted my first 3 novels, and another publisher who accepted my 4th novel, published my stories as I’d written them, and more recently, the same has happened with my latest novels. This means I have produced 6 published novels so far without any detailed professional editing or editorial consultation. Conclusion – they must think my stories and my writing are okay!

Secondly, yes, I’m a wimp. I completely balk at formatting my work for publication or trying to work out how to produce a cover (‘artistic’ is the last word you could use to describe me!). I’ve also been aware of some of the problems other writers have had with formatting their work on the various sites there are out there.

However, I have discovered that there are ‘indie’ publishers who do all the formatting AND have artists to design the cover. In fact, they seem to do everything that 'traditional' publishers do regarding the actual publishing process (formatting, cover design etc). So that covers points 2 and 3 above.

Thirdly – vanity publishing? There are plenty of vanity publishers who charge thousands of pounds/dollars to produce someone’s book. I have no intention of approaching one of these. However, there are also the ‘indie’ publishers who don’t charge any advance fees, either for e-books or printed books. It seems there are very few differences between many ‘small’ traditional publishers and ‘indie’ publishers – although I’m sure someone will correct me if that’s wrong. The most significant differences I’ve seen is that the indie ones seem to get things done a lot faster, charge less for their e-books and print books (which hopefully means more sales) and give the author a larger percentage of royalties. The indie publishers don’t offer much in the way of editing (but then neither do some of the traditional ones) and, apart from some advertising on their websites, they don’t do any publicity – but I’m used to having to do that anyway!

For all these reasons, I may be going the ‘indie’ way. It’s actually quite a scary decision to make, but, as I said at the start, I’m half-way there.

I Is for Imagery

2012-01-10T03:37:00.001-08:00

Imagery is painting pictures with words in order to make thereading experience more vivid for readers. You want your readers to see whatyour characters see, hear what they hear and feel what they feel. It’s showingemotions in concrete ways.

According to the dictionary (Webster’s II New RiversideUniversity Dictionary), it’s “Mental pictures or images; the use of vividdescription or figures of speech in speaking or writing to produce mentalimages; A metaphoric representation, as in music, art, or drama; Representativeimages, especially statues or icons; The art of making such images.”

How we create imagery in our writing takes skill andpractice. Sometimes it involves showing, rather than telling. It’s the use, butnot the overuse, of adjectives and adverbs to draw our verbal pictures. Itrequires us to avoid clichés and trite phrases, and to create new ways ofdescribing mundane things.

Here’s an opening paragraph I created for mywork-in-progress. Tell me what you think of the imagery.

Rain poured onto the Manhattan sidewalk insilver satin sheets. Cars splashed water onto the ankles of passersby withenough force to soak through the pant legs of irritated men and puddle insidethe high-heeled shoes of unprepared women caught in the storm. Umbrellasprodded one another for space as people rushed from offices to subways, huddledin doorways and flagged down already full taxis in futile efforts to avoid therain. Muttered curses at the weather mingled with hoarse apologies as commutersbumped against one another in their hurry to get somewhere—anywhere—dry. Butthose sounds were muted by the shuck-shuck-shuck of windshield wipers and thesqueal of brakes on slippery streets.

I is for Internal Conflict

2012-01-08T15:48:00.001-08:00

Every good story has a lead character with internal conflict. In a good romance, the internal conflict revolves around the development of her relationship with the hero (or the hero’s developing relationship with the heroine).

Internal Conflict has been defined as, “An emotional resistance within a character which makes him or her hesitate or be unwilling to enter into, continue with, or commit to a romantic to sexual relationship.” (Evan Marshall)

A woman whose policeman husband was killed responding to a domestic fight call might never want to become involved with another cop. Her internal conflict is further complicated by her young son, who has suffered from nightmares since his father’s death. She fears he will be traumatized again if he becomes close with a father figure who has a dangerous job. Her justifiable concern for her son is her rationale for not loving again. Then she meets a nice man who turns out to be a firefighter. Her son likes him. He likes her son. But the woman is terrified by the possibility that he could be killed on the job. How she resolves her inner conflict is the interesting, inner subplot of the story.

A college student is abandoned by a callously unfaithful girlfriend. He grows up to be love ‘em and leave ‘em dater. One by one, his friends settle down and marry. He wants them to keep hanging out, watch Sunday football games in his man-cave, prowl bars on Friday nights for one-night stands. His refusal to let any woman get close enough to hurt him again leads to outer complications. At first, his friends try to play matchmaker because all Joe needs is a good woman. But he resists, and they grow apart. He tries to find younger friends, but eventually looks foolish. He gets a woman boss. His inner fear will be tested and trialed through the story as he lets women try to love him. Eventually he’ll find love, because this is a romance. (He could stay a playboy if the story is a tragedy.)

Without inner conflict, a story lacks emotional depth. Each of us has some deep-seated fear we have to overcome in life. This is part of why we come to earth, I believe. To progress, to heal, to grow stronger, braver, happier. To love.

Friday Friend Emma Lai

2012-01-06T02:59:00.000-08:00

It's our pleasure to welcome the very talented Emma Lai to Heroines with Hearts today. Emma has a great backshelf, a new release coming soon, and many other projects in the works as well. It's a delight to have her here today.

Tell us about yourself.
I like challenge, and there’s little I find more challenging than writing (with the main exception being the raising of my now two year old son). The characters demand their stories be told and nag me incessantly until I comply. The characters are very insistent about me remaining faithful to their adventures. As a result, I’ve crossed many genres, levels of heat and delved into areas I’d never thought to.

Tell us about your “Mates of the Guardians” series.
The Guardians are from a planet named Elysia, and their purpose is to protect the interests of their society, which takes them into not only our past, present and future timelines, but also those of other worlds...though none of those stories have been published yet. The Mates of the Guardians series presents short snapshots of how this set of amazing men and women met their significant others. However, a mystery presented itself in the first story that was never resolved, and while it’s barely touched upon in the second story, the third picks the thread up with a new twist added.

The third book in the series, His Capture, Her Rescue is due out soon. Are you planning any more in the series?
There’s at least one more story in the series, but I had originally envisioned five. There’s also a spin-off series that’s more involved in the works. I’ve completed the initial story, but I need to go back and revisit it in light of all that has occurred in the Mates and all that is yet to occur.

What made you decide to write a series?
I never really set out to start a series, but once the world was developed, a set of characters appeared to populate the world, and I felt each of them deserved a happily ever after. As a reader, I’ve often wondered about secondary characters, and in my worlds, if the secondary characters speak to me, I endeavor to tell their story.
I will admit I have a new series coming this year under the pen name L.J. Maisen that I intentionally set out to write as a serial. I’m hoping it will be well-received.

What got you interested in writing?
Since elementary school when I read 200+ books a year, I’ve always been an avid reader, and I’ve always loved writing. I love creating new worlds and the people to inhabit them. Aside from school projects and technical writing, I’d never thought to try my hand at fiction. (Let’s ignore the failed teen romance I attempted when I was ten, because what the heck did I know about romance?) Then I took a year off to finish up my master degree and was reading a lot. I told my husband I thought I could write, and he dared me to deliver. Now, here I am, three years later with multiple titles under my belt.

How long have you been writing?
I wrote my first book in fourth grade. It was titled Glartian the Martian. Then there was the failed romance in fifth grade. Between then and 2008, it was all poetry, school papers and technical documents for work. So, one could say either I’ve been writing for almost 30 years or 3 years. It all depends on how one measures.

What inspired you to write your first book?
My husband’s guilty pleasure is reading romance, the spicy ones preferably. He’s also a fan of science fiction. I write mainly for him though now that I have a wider readership, I try to satisfy their desires as well.

What comes first, plot or characters?
The opening scene comes first. I’m not a plotter. My stories almost one and all come from a dream sequence in which the characters act out the opening scene. They also deliver a rough outline, though the hardest stories to write are the ones where they just give me the opening. I have multiple works in progress because I’m still waiting for the characters to tell me the rest of their story.

How do you come up with the titles for your books?
I try to pick out the main idea of the story and play around with catchy words or phrases. A thesaurus comes in real handy. In some instances, I’ll go back into the story and work the title in or an obvious link to the title in one or two places.

What is the hardest part of writing?
Waiting. Waiting for the characters to tell me how to finish their stories. Waiting for critique partners to get me their feedback. (Sad because they all diligently respond in a week or less.) Waiting for response to the query. Waiting for edits. Can you tell I’m not the most patient of people?

Do you have an interesting writing quirk?
Aside from the voices in my head? Nope. Not that I can think of.

What have you learned from being a published author that you wish you knew before you were published?
I’ve honestly enjoyed the journey just as it has occurred. If I could go back, the only thing I might do differently is use a separate pen name for my erotica, but it’s too late for that. (I’ve already told the editor who first made the suggestion that I’d wished I listened to her.)

What’s the best writing advice you ever received/read?
Stay true to your story. If you don’t love it then you’ll hate it by the time it’s through edits. Edits take a lot of effort, and sometimes time. You read and reread a story until you’re sick of it. Writing what you love makes the journey more bearable.

Any advice for new writers?
Stay true to your story, but also remember once you’ve sold it, editors are trying to help you make it the best it can be for the target audience.

You seem to have a lot of ‘irons in the fire’ these days. Your blog shows you’re working on three manuscripts: including a rewrite of “Not His Usual Type” and a sequel to “Twice is Not Enough”. Plus you have a new release coming soon. How do you keep up with everything and keep everything straight?
I could say that I use the exceptional organization skills I developed as a project manager, that I have a lovely spreadsheet with due dates and timelines. But, I don’t. I take things one thing at a time. Whatever has the nearest due date is normally what gets worked on first. As for writing, I work on whatever interests me at the moment. This is why I have dozens of works in progress. One day, I might apply myself and get a little more organized, but that day is not today.

What is one question you wish an interviewer would ask you?
How’s it feel to be a NYT best-selling author? I think I’m a bit a way from that though.

Where can we find you and your books?
Website: http://www.emmalaiwrites.com
Blog: http://emmalaiwrites.blogspot.com
Facebook: AuthorEmmaLai
Twitter: @emmalaiwrites

Emma, thanks so much for joining us today! Good luck with all of your projects...I know I can't wait to see/read the fruition of them.

Seven Things About Debra

2012-01-05T02:54:00.000-08:00

1) I met my husband at a country bar. We learned to dance together and fell in love. The first dance at our wedding was the first song we ever slow danced to at the bar.

2) I think John Deere tractors are sexy.

3) I am fascinated by the Civil War, but am too afraid of the research to write a historical novel about it. Perhaps some day since I actually have an idea for the plot.

4) My husband and I converted and renovated a 1920s two-flat into a single family home: a lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into the process, but we can truly say the house is ours.

5) My 'list' (a la F.R.I.E.N.D.S.) includes - in no particular order: Jon Bon Jovi, Matthew McConaughey, Alexander Skarsgard, Ashton Kutcher, and Robert Pattinson.

6) I spent my 40th birthday at Disney World. I love Mickey!

7) If it's not country music, I won't listen to it. Brad, Kenny, Carrie, Toby, and Eric (Church) are my favorites.

Debra St. John
Sultry romance. Sexy heroes. Spunky heroines.
www.debrastjohnromance.com

7 Facts about Paula

2012-01-04T01:34:00.000-08:00

1. My earliest celebrity crush was – dare I admit it? – Pat Boone.

2. When I was 14, I wrote a play about Lady Jane Grey, the doomed 9-day Queen of England in the 16th century. We performed it with my Girl Guide company. My main error was having Lady Jane sipping a cup of tea when tea wasn’t introduced to England until about 100 years later. Hmm, hope my research is better now!

3. I’ve been to every battlefield of the 15th century Wars of the Roses in England – it took over a year to get to all 17 of them. Some are now built over, but others remain as they would have been at the time, and one was in the middle of a pig farm. We avoided the pigs but tramped through thick mud to reach and photograph the battlefield monument.

4. I’ve directed about 15 musicals with teenagers, ranging from the Wizard of Oz (my first effort) to Guys and Dolls. My favourite was Calamity Jane, but look back at my post on June 2010 to see some of the ‘calamities’ that happened during this show. http://heroineswithhearts.blogspot.com/2010/06/funny-moments_30.html

5. I have a great-great grandfather who was a sea-captain but was fired in 1860 for being drunk in charge of his ship (yes, it’s all there in the minutes of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company). According to family legend, he then ran the blockade during the American Civil War, bringing cotton from the Confederacy back to the cotton mills in England.

6. One line of my family tree led me to landed (and rich!) gentry in Yorkshire and Derbyshire, and from there back eventually to King Edward I of England – but the blue blood in my veins is now somewhat diluted (although William the Conqueror was my 35xgreat-grandfather!). Now, where’s my share of all that land my ancestors owned in the past??

7. In 1999, my ex-son-in-law (a computer engineer) brought me a modem to link my computer to the internet – and I said ‘Why do I need to be linked to the internet?’ Ha ha!

Seven Things About Jennifer

2012-01-03T04:36:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Katheryn Lane for our award! Seven things aboutme? I’ve been interviewed a lot lately, and to be honest, I’m a little sick ofmyself JSo, I’m going to try to come up with facts about me that haven’t been floatedaround ad nauseum.

I’man only child. Family lore says that my mom originally wanted six kids, butdecided against it after having me. I prefer to think that they realized theycouldn’t do any better; my parents have been suspiciously silent on thismatter. I also joke around with people and say that’s why I’m so terrible atsharing, but I think I’m actually pretty good at it—and hope my friends agree!
Iwas a ballet dancer for many years as a child and spent hours and hours anddays upon days in toe shoes. As a result, my toes are funny looking and myhusband loves to tease me about them. If he’d spent as much time as I diddancing on his toes a) he probably wouldn’t have been interested in marrying meand b) his toes would be funny-shaped too.
My favorite quote is from Winnie the Pooh:You must remember this: You're braver than you believe, andstronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
Getting to dessert is theonly reason I eat meals. If I could have dessert after breakfast, I’d neverforget to eat that meal again. At restaurants, I will often ask to see thedessert menu ahead of time so that I know how much room to save. Myfather-in-law is the only one who understands that.
WhenI was in college, I kept a package of plastic spoons in my car so that if myfriends and I (okay, mostly me) ever got a craving for ice cream, we wouldalways be prepared. And before you think I’m nuts, I went to college in St.Louis, where most places closed by 9 p.m., except for grocery stores. Why Icouldn’t purchase a package of spoons from the grocery store, along with theice cream, is beyond me.
Iused to ride, train and show horses. Of all the activities from my childhoodthat I’ve given up, I miss that one the most. It made me feel like I could fly.
Ireally, really, really want to learn how to boost a car. And by this, I mean dothat thing I see on TV where they find some wires underneath the steeringwheel, rub them together and the car starts. I don’t want to be a criminal; Ijust think it would be a cool thing to do.

That’s all folks!

More than 7 things you don’t know about me, but could find interesting. Or amusing.

2012-01-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

Katheryn Lane gave Heroines with Hearts a lovely award with the stipulation that each principal had to share seven interesting facts about herself. Here are mine:
1. My dad worked for the CIA.
2. I’ve fished in the Red Sea. (Didn’t catch anything.)
3. I went to an all-girl’s high school.
4. I’m an astrologer. (Swear by it.)
5. I went to college to be a physicist.
6. I became a vegetarian so I could cook proper meals for my baby daughter, who could not digest meat. (She’s still a vegetarian. I still like bacon.)
7. I live on a biodynamic farm with cows and chickens. (So much for being a physicist.)
8. I can, freeze, or dehydrate most of my family’s food.
9. I’ve seen gnomes two times, both unexpectedly. When I intellectualized what was happening, they vanished.
10. I’ve discovered that what scares me the most is what I’m supposed to do.

H is for Hazards

2011-12-22T03:25:00.000-08:00

Like Paula mentioned in her post yesterday, most romance readers expect a 'happily ever after' (or at least a happy ending) to their books. But before that occurs, all sorts of things can, and usually do, happen to the characters along the way, making the reader wonder how in the world the HEA can ever occur.

The big resolve, of course, is usually the emotional conflict. In a suspense, an external conflict must be solved as well. Something that often gets in the hero and heroine's ways are the hazards they face as the story progresses.

But suppose we turn those hazards around and use them as a way to get the hero and heroine together, rather than keep them apart?

Having the hero play the...well, for lack of a better word...hero, is one way to get the heroine to begin to trust him. If she can trust him with her life...sometimes that helps lead her to realize she can trust him with her heart as well.

I've used a 'hazard' in several of my books.

In one it was as simple as the heroine witnessing another character's injury, which brought to mind bad memories for her. It was in the hero's arms where she found comfort and rest from her fears, and reminders of the past love they'd once shared, just waiting to be rediscovered.

In another my heroine's canoe tips over and it is the hero who pulls her from the water, saving her life. This allows her to see she can trust him with her body, and get beyond intimacy issues she has, which eventually leads to her trusting him with her heart.

In another, my heroine twists her ankle, and it is the hero's care and comfort that allow her to see past the 'fun-loving' persona he puts on to the kind and compassionate man beneath: a man she can fall in love with.

Hazards befall our characters all the time. Using them can be one way to establish intimacy and trust between your hero and heroine.

Until next time,

Happy Reading and Merry Christmas!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Happy Ever After?

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

Most (all?) romance publishers insist that a romance must have a happy ending. Most romance readers read romance as a kind of escapism, knowing that all will end happily for the main characters, which sadly may not happen in ‘real’ life.

It’s interesting to note that ‘romance’ in the grand tradition, like Tristan and Isolde, Romeo & Juliet, Wuthering Heights, Gone With the Wind, Love Story, often didn’t have happy endings. It’s the tragedy in these stories which make them memorable.

However, women (and yes, it is usually women) pick up a paperback or download an e-book romance, and expect it to have a happy ending.

But is a happy ending the same as a ‘happy ever after’ ending?

Happy-ever-after conjures up an image of the hero and heroine living on Cloud Nine for the rest of their live, with a perfect marriage, a perfect house and perfect children. I don’t think romance readers necessarily want or visualise this.

Romance authors don’t write ‘fairy-tales’. They don’t wave a magic wand so that Cinderella and Prince Charming, after just one evening at a Palace Ball, are reunited and live ‘happily-ever-after’. I never did hold out much hope for that couple’s future together anyway!

Instead, readers of romance want the hero and heroine to work through their problems and conflicts and in the process learn more about themselves and about each other. They want a convincing and satisfying resolution of all those problems, because they feel the hero and heroine have worked hard to deserve it.

Maybe the romance author's job is to bring the hero and heroine to a place where the potential for happiness is restored. This is the happy ending.

They are on their way to creating a life together in which their new understanding of each other will help them resolve future problems. They’re not going to live ‘happily-ever-after’ (i.e. have perfect, easy lives from now on), but, at the ‘happy ending’ of the story, they are better equipped to develop a lasting and mutually satisfying relationship because of the struggles they've won and the life lessons they've learned.

PS I shall be away waving to Mickey Mouse in Florida when you read this, so apologies in advance for not being able to reply to any comments.

I wish a very Merry Christmas to all who celebrate this festival, and a Happy Holiday to all who don’t. See you all again in the New Year!

Heroes and the Writers Who Create Them

2011-12-20T09:56:00.001-08:00

What is your idea of the perfect man? Is he the strong,silent type, like John Wayne? Is he tuned into his emotions? Is he tall, short,fat, thin? Well-built or well-intentioned? What does he do for a living? Whatdoes he do for fun? How organized is he? What does he look like? Is he anarm-chair sports enthusiast or an athlete? What music does he listen to? Whatare his religious and political views? What’s his relationship with his mother?

If this sounds like a questionnaire on a dating website,it’s not. But it should. Because just as it’s important for someone to knoweverything about the man they’re interested in, it’s equally important for thewriter to know everything about her hero. And as a female writer, that knowledgeis essential, because we can’t walk in their shoes.

Most romance writers are women. We can easily relate to ourheroines. Sometimes we create them in our own image; other times in the imageof a friend or family member. Even if we create them out of the blue, I thinkwomen are easy for women to write. Men, less so. We can create them based onour favorite movie star, or our boyfriends, husbands, fathers or sons. Butwe’re not them. And therefore it’s harder to make them as realistic as our heroines.

In order to make them real, we have to know everything aboutthem. That’s why the questions at the start of this post sound like somethingwe’d ask on a first or second date. The more information we have about ourheroes, the more well-rounded they are and the better our readers can relate tothem.

Those 3-D heroes also make writing our stories easier. Wedon’t have to wonder what they’d do next or why they behaved as they did? Wedon’t have to wonder what they’d think of something (although our heroinemight). We know them well enough to have all the answers. So the next time yourstory flounders and you don’t know what to do next, interview your hero. Seewhere his story takes you.

Ho Ho Hopelessness

2011-12-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

This week I'm celebrating hopelessness. You know--the paragraphs in a story when the heroine loses everything she's worked for. The precise point where she believes she's a complete failure. This is the black moment, when all hope is lost.
Without this critical plot point, there can be no redemption, no summoning of strength as the main character regroups and overcomes, no happy ending. This is when the reader KNOWS the time invested in your story has been worth it.
The word count devoted to the point of hopelessness varies on the story. If the hero is clinging to a scraggly root protruding from the side of a cliff, and the bad-guy sheriff repeatedly whacks the hero's hand with a 2X4, the hero has a few seconds to prepare to die. Then the sheriff stops to savor his impending triumph. He bends down with the 2X4 extended and gloats. The hero summons his strength, yanks on the board, and pulls the sheriff over for a justice-prevails swan dive.
In a contemporary romance, the heroine has lost her job. (She's already lost her man.) She reflects as she packs her belongings into her beat-up pickup--she was a fool to think the cash-strapped city would grant a permanent home to her non-profit community garden when the mega-corporation was willing to pay millions of do-good dollars for the site. Her charity boss knows she slept with the mayor and believes she'll violate any ethics rule to get what she wants. What they don't know is how much she loves Mr. Mayor, despite the insults she hurled at the showdown city council meeting.
She did things wrong. She'll move to another big city, find another rundown neighborhood and start a new garden project. Start by picking up broken bottles and used needles. She's rebounding from defeat and is ready to try again, and her inner manifesto on how to be stronger and wiser.
She goes back into her apartment for the last box. As she drives past the verdant garden, people of all ages from the neighborhood are blocking the street brandishing homemade 'Save our Garden,' and 'We have the Vote' signs. TV news crews are everywhere. Someone recognizes her and urges her out of her truck. The mayor (who is up for re-election) is in a stand-off with the community. She's pushed to the fore.

The music can't swell in a paperback. Words have to convey abject loss so we can get to the triumph. The HEA needs hopelessness.

Welcome Deborah Riley-Magnus

2011-12-15T17:23:00.000-08:00

Please welcome Deborah Riley-Magus! I'm impressed with the depth of her practical knowledge about marketing. Read on....

A LOVE AFFAIR WITH … PUBLICITY!

Ahhhh romance! How wonderful! There’s nothing like a beautifully written love story brought to life in words only an author can conjure. The muse sings, the characters crackle on the page and the magic is palpable. Nothing can ruin such a story, right?

Well, yes, something can … the lack of sales can destroy not only the story but the writer. If no one buys your book, what’s the point of writing another? *sigh*

Hi, I’m Deb Riley-Magnus and I’m thrilled to be here at Heroines with Hearts blog. Ana asked me to answer the standard questions – where my ideas and insights come from, what a reader will gain from my book, and where to get it. I’ll be happy to answer those questions … but I’m even more excited about passing on a few useable tips for authors looking for ways to improve their book sales.

First, I should explain that my book, Finding Author Success: Discovering and Uncovering the Marketing Power Within Your Manuscript is obviously a non-ficton, but I’m really a fiction writer. Well … a fiction writer with over twenty years of background in marketing, promotions and publicity. It was my first career (I had another one in there as a culinary chef – long, yummy story), and throughout my life and professional experiences, marketing promotions and publicity have been my most powerful tools for success.

When I began the process of writing and seeking publication, I did what all writers do, got myself a twitter and facebook account, began blogging and watched what the writing world was doing. I was shocked at how minimal a majority of the marketing strategies were among the authors chit-chattering there. What to me was second nature, seemed foreign to authors, and as I blogged, loading my entries with as much value added information as I could, I found myself becoming The Author Success Coach. Clients and random authors asked questions that led me to teaching online and live workshops and eventually writing Finding Author Success.

Marketing, promotions and publicity are very basic techniques but what really got me excited was how important it was to carefully tweak these skills to serve all the various directions an author can go with their book. The publishing industry has been changing so much and so quickly, authors needed to understand that their sales success is solidly in their own hands. Big publishing houses no longer do the major marketing and promotion for their authors, and small independents simply can’t afford it. Authors? Well, most of us are pretty poor, so what can an author do with simple marketing, promotions and publicity skills to shift the world in their favor? BE CREATIVE!

In the book I explain the simple techniques, then take things a lot further, helping an author understand that no matter how these cut backs in support from publishers might affect you, no matter how your published or self-published, no matter your genre or target audience, there is a fantastic creative way to approach the market that WILL help you and your book stand apart! We’re not talking about paying professionals to do things for you either, we’re talking about easy to implement, inventive ways to burst onto the market.

Okay, so that’s my background. I love taking super inventive approaches to everything, (maybe someday I’ll be invited to come back and talk about my fiction). Now, I’d like to talk about a powerful way to take your book from just another romance, to THAT ROMANCE everyone’s talking about. It has to do with not only reaching out and talking to additional prospective reader audiences … but connecting with them in ways other authors may not be exploring.

Publicity. Publicity is the act or device designed to attract public interest, specifically information with news value as a means of gaining public attention or support.

Well, obviously there’s little newsworthy about another romance on the shelves, but is there something newsworthy inside your book that can spark the interest of a few more book buyers you haven’t approached yet? Let’s explore …

Let’s imagine that your book is a historic romance about a woman who falls in love with a sea captain. Let’s imagine that her father is the lighthouse keeper and the lighthouse is elemental to the story – perhaps she watched for him there during the day, maybe she watches the sea at night from the rocky shores, following the lighthouse beam as it crosses the water.

Okay. How would you take a publicity direction with this book? A few suggestions include:

• Offering a portion of the proceeds from the book sales to a lighthouse organization that refurbishes the historic structures
• Organizing a lighthouse walking tour of a seaside city, reading a small excerpt at each location, all proceeds to support lighthouse maintenance in that city
• Creating a charity for some needy group (homeless shelters, military wives and children support, organizations to protect dunes or seaside wildlife) and give it a lighthouse title or logo

Alright, let’s say your romance is of the paranormal nature. Perhaps you have a handsome werewolf somewhere in there. You could:
• Offer a portion of your book sales to wolf or wildlife protection organizations
• The ASPCA
• Sponsor a contest, “submit your dog’s picture and tell us about his personality and the one that most inspires the next werewolf character for my book will win you fill in the blank”

When planning your publicity approach to the market, think it through carefully. Make sure it connects with your book, make sure you let the charity know you’re supporting them, and make sure EVERYONE knows that you’re supporting a cause. Announce it on your website, your facebook page, on twitter and if possible, make sure it’s printed on the back cover of your book! E-books? No problem, place your charity support information right up front on the first few pages. Send out press releases to your local papers, online papers and newsletters related to the charity.

Keep this simple and just dig deep into your book. Is there a cancer survivor there? Does your story address a relevant issue, like child abuse? Is your heroine a teacher? Support school program funding. Is she a dentist or dental assistant? Support dental care for homeless children. Uncover the connections and you will uncover a larger audience because trust me … if someone supports a charity and they discover that your book also supports that charity, it’s a win/win!

Oh, and by the way …
A portion of “Finding Author Success” sales is donated to the American Literacy Council. The American Literacy Council’s main purpose is to convey information on new solutions, innovative technologies, and tools for engaging more boldly in the battle for literacy.

Questions? Ideas? I’m here to share! And HEY EVERYONE … I’d like to offer a FREE 10 Tools for Author Success downloadable handbook to all blog guests! Just go to http://theauthorsuccesscoach.com/ and hit the button for your FREE downloadable PDF!

If you’d like to win a copy of Finding Author Success, just comment here at the blog, ask questions or just say you’re interested and Ana will have a drawing for the winner.

ABOUT THE BOOK
Finding Author Success: Discovering and Uncovering the Marketing Power Within Your Manuscript.

Even the odds for authors with this one-of-a-kind guide to marketing success! Deborah Riley-Magnus takes tried and true marketing, publicity and promotional strategies and tailors them for the unique needs of today’s author. Every element is outlined and explained for easy implementation. You will learn:

• How to develop a functional and strong book business plan
• The power of developing effective, targeted platforms
• The basics of publicity, marketing and promotion
• How cross marketing works and why it’s magic for an author
• How to personalize it all to your book

Finding Author Success will take away the mystery about gaining sales and increasing exposure for your book and you as a professional author.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah Riley-Magnus is an author and an Author Success Coach. She has a twenty-seven year professional background in marketing, advertising and public relations as a writer for print, television and radio. She writes fiction in several genres as well as non-fiction. She’s lived on both the east and west coast of the United States and has traveled the country widely. She is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and just returned after living in Los Angeles, California for several years.

WHERE DEBORAH RILEY-MAGNUS CAN BE FOUND
I blog - http://rileymagnus.wordpress.com/
I teach - http://theauthorsuccesscoach.com/
I fiction – http://coldincalifornia.com
I write - http://deborahriley-magnus.com/
I suck - http://vampireexplored.wordpress.com/
I play - http://whispersofthemuse.org/
I tweet – http://twitter.com/rileymagnus
I facebook - http://www.facebook.com/deborah.rileymagnus
I should be sooo tired!

BOOK PURCHASE LINKS
Finding Author Success:
Discovering and Uncovering the Marketing Power Within Your Manuscript.
Amazon Kindle
http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Author-Success-Discovering-ebook/dp/B0061NW5BC/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320173201&sr=1-3

Amazon Paper
http://www.amazon.com/Finding-Author-Success-Deborah-Riley-Magnus/dp/1926760662/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320173201&sr=1-4

B&N Paper and ebook
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/finding-author-success-deborah-riley-magnus/1106661344?ean=9781926760667&itm=1&usri=finding%2bauthors%2bsuccess

APPLE
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/finding-author-success/id473774819?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

SONY
http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/deborah-riley-magnus/finding-author-success/_/R-400000000000000525040

G is for GMC

2011-12-15T03:14:00.000-08:00

When I first started writing romance, (My first VERY lame attempts were in High School...I still shudder.) I had no idea there was somewhat of a formula to it. Readers expect certain things from a romance. For example, the happily ever after is absolutely required.

However, getting your hero and heroine there isn't just all sunshine, happiness, romance, and love. Your characters have to have goals. More so, they have to have goals that are in conflict with each other's. And they have to have a reasonable and not contrived motivation for those goals.

Yeesh. Who knew?

In a nutshell; Goal is what your character wants. Motivation is why he/she wants it. And the conflict is why it's going to be a problem in conjunction with the other character(s).

Most writers are probably familiar with Debra Dixon's GMC: Goal, Motivation and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction . (If you're not, you should be!) It's definitely a must for any beginning writer.

Even though I'm not much of a plotter (usually), I always do a simple GMC chart for my hero and heroine before I start a book. It really helps me get some insight into them and figure out where her story, his story, and their story is heading. I tend to figure out the happily ever after part even before writing chapter one, but it's nailing down what happens in the middle where thinking in terms of GMC comes in handy.

If you Google GMC (or Goal Motivation Conflict) you'll get a plethora of worksheets to download or use to help you walk through the steps of giving your characters the goals, motivation, and conflict that will bring your story to life.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
Now available: A Christmas to Remember

Goals

2011-12-14T01:21:00.000-08:00

‘They’ tell you that writers should set goals but I’ll start by saying that I don’t usually set specific goals for myself.

I’m aware that many writers decide on word-count or page-count goals - it might be 500 or it might be 5,000 words a day, or it might be a certain number of pages.

What, I wonder, happens when they don’t achieve their goal? Do they feel guilty or frustrated? Do they feel pressured to achieve that magic number of words or pages? Is their writing dictated by the goal rather than by what they’re actually writing? In other words, does the goal become more important than the story? And, maybe the most important point, are they concentrating more on quantity than on quality?

Writing 5,000 words a day means you could complete a 75,000 word novel in 15 days. Even 1,000 words a day would complete it in just over a couple of months. Nice idea! But I can’t work like that. Although I took part in NaNo and completed the ‘goal’ of 50,000 words in a month, I was very aware of how the quality of my writing deteriorated. That story will need a complete re-write.

My ‘goal’ is simply to write the best story I can. Okay, maybe that’s not a ‘measurable’ goal as such - except that I think I CAN measure it. I know when I’ve achieved what I want to achieve, whether it's an emotional experience, a build-up of suspense/tension, or simply a word picture of a scene. I know, too, when something doesn’t ring true and then I work at it until I’m satisfied with it. Sometimes I can write 1,000 words in a day; sometimes I’ll agonise over just 50 words. I once read: For a writer, ‘that’ll do’ is not an option. Maybe my goal is never to say ‘That’ll do.’

I’ll be interested to hear whether you set goals and, if so, what kind of goals?

G is For Gender

2011-12-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

I’m going to add to Ana’s post from yesterday, but I’m goingto take it in a slightly different direction. While she focused on paring downher use of gestures—and it’s definitely something writers should do as they’reediting—I’m going to focus on body language to represent (or misrepresent)gender.

First discussed in the 60s (by my great-uncle, by the way),body language is familiar to everyone. Turn on any police drama and you canusually hear some detective talking about body language, micro-facialexpressions, or some non-verbal cue that gives away an emotion. As writers,those non-verbal cues are a great way for us to show our characters emotions.It’s much more powerful to see our heroine cry than to be told that she’s sad.

But what about using gestures to show the gender of thecharacter? The gestures we, as writers, use for our characters can emphasizetheir masculinity or femininity. For example, the following gestures, are traditionally “masculine”:

· Tense jaw

· Clenched jaw

· Hitting something with one’s fists

· A bobbing Adam’s apple

· Swagger

These gestures are traditionally “female”:

· Pout

· Wrinkled nose

· Wide eyes

· A tongue pressed between one’s lips

· Breathiness

But what if you want to make a point or emphasize aparticular character trait that is outside of the traditional gender role? Cana female character make a “masculine” gesture and still remain true to hercharacter? For example, maybe you have a female character with a very physicaljob, such as working on a farm, or a soldier. In that case, I could easily seeher hitting something with her fists. For a female character that is extremelyfeminine, there might be a psychological reason for her to react in a“masculine” way. The same goes for male characters. You might want to emphasizetheir vulnerability or their “beta” status by giving them a typically “female”gesture.

What do you think?

G is for gestures

2011-12-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

I've been ruthlessly trimming body language from my WIP. This, along with excising the word 'that,' are two good ways to trim a too-high word count.
With the best of intentions, I wrote gestures and mannerisms. My characters grinned, shrugged, grimaced, nodded, and sighed. They eyed or raised their eyebrows, or both. They shook their heads, clenched their fists, balled their fists. Their hearts palpitated before sinking into the pits of their stomachs, a physical impossibility unless they'd just been gored by a berserk rhinoceros.
I realized my body language descriptions often echoed the dialogue: She shook her head. "No."
I'm now adding a few back in. Dialogue usually takes precedence over body language, but a well described gesture can serve a valuable function.
It can serve as a pause for introducing a new train of thought.
It can heighten tension by describing viscerally how love / pain / indecision / fear / agony / waiting / suspecting feels.
It adds drama when one character reads the body language of another and seeing a lie. Or the truth.
Gestures. I'm learning to use them wisely.

F is for Future

2011-12-08T02:46:00.000-08:00

One of the biggest perks about writing/reading romance is the Happily Ever After ending. No matter how much angst our characters go through, we know in the end, even when it seems impossible, everything will be overcome and true love will win out. Our hero and heroine get to walk into the sunset and begin their life together.

After the book closes, however, I kind of want to know more. Oh, I don't want to know if the hero and heroine face any more trials and tribulations, I just want a peek into their lives after the HEA. I want to check in to make sure they're still happy as life goes on. I want to see into the future.

This is where a series comes in handy. In fact, this was part of my motivation for writing one. When I wrote my first book (This Time for Always), I included a secondary cast of characters to be used later on in books of their own. Zach got his story in This Can't Be Love, and I'm in the process of revising Jake's story: "This Feels Like Home".

And while it was definitely fun giving Zach and Jake their own stories, it was just as much fun to peek into my earlier characters' lives in each subsequent story. In Always, (spoilers here!) Logan and Sharlie are unable to have children, but they mention possibly adopting. In Love, I was able to show them in the future with their first adopted child. In Love, Jessica declares her love for Zach, but isn't quite ready to get married. In "Home", I included Zach and Jessica's wedding in one scene. (And we also see Logan and Sharlie with a second child.)

In real life, I don't want to know what the future holds, but for my characters, it's fun to get to peek and see where they wind up after the Happily Ever After.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
A Christmas to Remember - available now.

Forgiveness

2011-12-07T00:12:00.000-08:00

I had something else planned for the ‘F’ word today, but last night I received the final version of the cover of my February release from Whiskey Creek Press, 'Fragrance of Violets'. So I thought I'd let you have the first view of it.

I'm thrilled to bits with it. I think it's fantastic and fabulous!

The title comes from a quotation by Mark Twain: Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

‘Fragrance of Violets’ is a story of two people who need to forgive each other and deal with other issues in their lives where forgiveness is also necessary.

Abbey Seton distrusts men, especially Jack Tremayne who destroyed their friendship when they were teenagers. Ten years later, they meet again. Can they put the past behind them?

Abbey has to forgive not only Jack, but also her father who deserted his family when she was young. Jack holds himself responsible for his fiancée’s death. He’s also hiding another secret which threatens the fragile resumption of his relationship with Abbey.

Will Abbey ever forgive him when she finds out the truth?

It occurs to me that the theme of forgiveness, in one form or other, appears frequently in romance novels. So often our characters hurt (deliberately or unwittingly), misjudge, distrust or believe badly of each other. They then have to learn how to put things right, forgive each other, and in the process learn more about themselves and their faults and foibles, so that they don’t make the same mistakes again.

I wonder just how many romances have the words ‘I’m sorry, I was wrong’ somewhere in them? And, because all romances ended happily ever after, of course, all is eventually forgiven and forgotten.

Frequency, Frequency, Frequency

2011-12-06T04:13:00.001-08:00

Last week, for our “E” entries, Paula talked about editing.One of the things to look for in your manuscript when editing is the frequencywith which you use, or overuse words. My critique partner is great at noticingwhen I use the same word several times in the same series of paragraphs orwithin the same scene. For a creative person, I really should remember to usemy thesaurus more! Overusing words is boring, both for the reader and thewriter. The more varied your vocabulary, the more interesting and specific isyour writing, and the better able the reader is to disappear into your story.

But using a thesaurus is not the only thing you need to varyyour vocabulary. Several years ago, I submitted my manuscript to an editor whowas extremely helpful in her response. She rejected my manuscript, but notbefore providing me a long email with suggestions of how to improve my writingand examples of words to avoid, types of writing to change and resources that Imight find helpful. While her opinion is subjective, her advice was so helpful,and so appreciated, that I use it as a “final check” before sending my work offto editors now.

Frequent use of the words “then,” “that,” “nearly.” “seem”and “which” makes writing sound passive. After I finish writing and editing, Ido a search for those words and try to get rid of them to make the writingactive. The use of adverbs or adjectives ending in “-ly” or “-ing” is also apassive way of writing. Again, I do a search and try to switch them to “-ed.”

Using the same type of phrase too often slows down thepacing of your story. I often do this in dialogue. For example:

"The kids seem tobe having fun together.It’s always so awkward when the parents like each other and the kids can’tstand to be in the same room together."

Lily laughed."Yeah, play dates can be tough. They’re almost as bad as dating. It’sembarrassing when you have to ask some strange mom if their kid wants to playwith yours." She watched as Ally paused in her running to wait for Adam tocatch up. "Ally loves having a little boy to take care of. She’s in lovewith babies and little kids."

"I noticed.Usually when Emily has a play date, I have to keep Adam entertained and out ofher hair, but the three of them seem to really be having fun together." Kim looked at Lily,deciding whether or not to ask her something. Her blue eyes narrowed and takinga deep breath, she resolutely plunged ahead. "So, you mentioned dating.Are you?"

Try to vary how people speak. Although in real life we maysay similar types of things, we shouldn’t do it in writing—be creative!

Ultimately, that manuscript was published, by a differentpublishing house. But A Heart of Little Faith and Skin Deep, and any othermanuscripts that I write are, and will be, stronger due to the advice that thisvery nice and helpful editor provided.

F is for Flashback

2011-12-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

One way to reveal a character's past is through flashbacks. Flashbacks do interrupt the flow of a story, sometimes testing the patience of an editor or reader. Good writers use flashbacks wisely.
Donald Maas says to write the flashback "in dynamic form: Structure it as an action section, complete with failure." In other words, show the encounter exactly as it took place in the past.
Here's how he recommends writing flashbacks: A present-time story cue sets up the flashback. For example, the heroine sees someone who reminds her of a past encounter. She notices his eyes, or hears a voice she'd hoped never to hear again.
Maas recommends writing two 'had' sentences to take the reader into the past. Then write the flashback in simple past tense terms. Use two 'had' sentences to signal the end of the flashback sequence and pick up the present story.
"Keep flashbacks as brief as possible; trim it to its most pertinent action. If it must run on for more than a couple of pages, split it into two or more flashbacks, bringing us back to the present story in between."
Most importantly, insert the flashback in a relatively quiet moment of the story. Interrupting a dramatic or high action scene with a flashback is not advisable.

Welcome Friday Friend Kellie Kamryn

2011-12-02T02:00:00.000-08:00

We're so thrilled to have the multi-talented Kellie Kamryn with us here today. So, without further ado...

Tell us about yourself.
Where do I even begin? I was a gymnastics instructor for 25 years, but have always written for myself. I self-published a collection of poetry a few years ago, and decided to tackle my dream of writing a romance novel. I did, but it sucked! Thankfully, I’ve gotten better since then as evidenced by my 3 releases this past fall.

Tell us about Pleasure Island.
Pleasure Island was the first new piece I wrote after I separated from my husband. It’s about a woman finding herself again after divorce. She goes on vacation and ends up not where she thought she’d be! However, she ends up finding so much more and it’s my wish for those who have lost love to have faith that they will find it again.

What got you interested in writing?
I’ve always kept journals as a kid with short stories, poetry and life observations. My mom always read to us as kids so books have always been a big part of my life. They still are! My kids have hundreds of books, we love visiting the book store and library, and of course I have my own private collection – book shelf and on my ereader!

How long have you been writing?
To be published, I’d say the last five years or so I’ve taken it very seriously. I figured it’s now or never! I don’t want to have any regrets that I didn’t try. So far, so good!

What inspired you to write your first book?
A “what if” idea. That’s where all my stories come from – just this question what if this happened and there was this person… and a story just kind of blossoms from there.

What comes first, plot or characters?
HA! I am definitely not a plotter! I’ve tried that but it frustrated me to no end because as I wrote the story, I never stuck to it. My characters would come alive and give me something totally different and usually better than what I originally came up with. I tend to develop characters and dialogue between them. I love human interaction, so that’s kind of where my stories start and then I create the scenario around that.

How do you come up with the titles for your books?
My titles on the first try are always lame! LOL But I’m kind of weird that I can’t not have a title when I start. At some point before I write “The End” something about the story makes me say, “Yeah – that’s it!” So far none of my publishers have changed any of my titles. One of my erotic pieces (a comedy actually) Monkeys, Sex and Other Birthday Surprises had a lame title. I changed it to that one, and at first the publisher suggested we change it because it was kind of long and the whole monkey thing might make people think sex with animals, LOL. I would have changed it, but a few other people thought the title was different and catchy, and that it made them laugh. That’s what I wanted. So far, readers have said that the title made them curious enough to buy it. Even better are the rave reviews I’m getting on that quirky piece.

What is the hardest part of writing?
Not really the writing itself, but find the TIME to write. I’m a busy mom to 4 kids and the promotion for books (plus having 3 released within a month) is more than I thought it would be. I have so many stories that want to come out, but finding time to write them all, plus edit, etc. is a struggle. I just try to take a breather and remember there is more to my life. When I’m meant to tell another story, I will. (Doesn’t mean I don’t have notebooks full of notes on stories I want to write!)

Do you have an interesting writing quirk?
Probably that I have to have a title to begin a story. I hate seeing “Document” at the top of my screen. Even if it’s lame, I feel like I’ve got the beginning of something. I know – I’m weird…

What have you learned from being a published author that you wish you knew before you were published?
How much you have to promote your own work! I’m not complaining, because I have the opportunity to live my dream and I’m loving that people are buying my books. But it was a bit of a shock to realize how much time it could take up. It’s a good thing I love talking to people! (As you can see from some of my long-winded answers, I never shut up, LOL)

What’s the best writing advice you ever received/read?
A few years ago, and I tell this story all the time, I picked up one of Eloisa James’ books at the library. Absolutely loved it. It was at a time when I’d written my 1st book but wasn’t getting anywhere in the industry because I didn’t know much about it. I emailed her, gushed about her books and then dared to ask her if she had any advice for newbie writers. She wrote back and told me about Romance Writers of America, how I shouldn’t give up because romance is the biggest selling genre in the world, etc. I was in awe that she’d take the time to give me that small piece of advice and encouragement. Recently, I met her again and had the opportunity to tell her this story and how much it’s helped me. Well, voila – 3 books out so far and more in the future!

Any advice for new writers?
I say this all the time – DON’T GIVE UP. KEEP LEARNING. If you want to do this bad enough, find a way.

Coming early next year are the first books in your “Love and Balance” series. I love the concept of involving gymnastics (a big part of your life) into the stories. Can you tell us a little about that?
I haven’t read any gymnastics romances and I wanted to tap into something that would be different, so I created a series around the sport I’ve been involved in for most of my life. Tom Welling of Smallville fame, came to me in a dream and whispered the story idea to me. Jensen Ackles also visited while I slept and whispered another idea to me. They both sort of star in books 1 & 3, LOL Book 2’s hero was inspired by someone I saw at a school assembly and I went, “Who is that?” And then his character was born, albeit with a different personality and profession.
Book 1 – Rebound – An award-winning choreographer must face the only man she’s ever loved then lost when they are teamed up to work together at a gymnastics camp for Olympic hopefuls.
Book 2 – The Perfect Score - The new head coach has barely gotten her beams in alignment when she’s threatened with a lawsuit by a father for refusing to train his brat of a daughter.
These books are different than my erotic novellas. I mean, there is “gymnast sex”, so if you want to know if gymnasts make better lovers, you’ll have to read them to find out! But I’d label them more contemporary romance, rather than erotic. Who knows? My editor might want me to change that!

What made you decide to write a series?
I wrote all 3 books within about six months. As I wrote the first one, the idea came to me for the second, and when I wrote the second, the idea came for the third. I have plans for a fourth, but that’ll be a while. All books are stand alone, but I took a character from the previous one and created their own unique story based on issues that could come up in a gymnastics setting.

What is one question you wish an interviewer would ask you?
I don’t know! How tall are you? LOL People hear my voice and think I’m so much taller than I am, but I’m quite tiny. I’m small but tough!

Where can we find you and your books?
www.kelliekamryn.com for latest releases and buy links. On the site are links for Twitter and Facebook!
www.romancedivine.com for GOING FOR GOLD – erotic novella involving a cheerleader coach and a gymnastics coach after a staff Christmas party.
www.secretcravingspublishing.com for MONKEYS, SEX AND OTHER BIRTHDAY SURPRISES - an erotic comedy
PLEASURE ISLAND http://www.wilderroses.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=848

Kellie, it's been so great having you here today! Thanks for answering all of our questions so we could get to know you a little bit better! (And can I say I love the title: "Monkeys, Sex and Other Birthday Surprises"? I'm so glad that one was a keeper!)

E is for Euphemisms and Emotion

2011-12-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Okay...I'm cheating a little here and taking two E words at once. However, since I'm the last poster of the week, I won't be taking a word away from anyone else, and the two words are related...at least in the case of this post.

Let's start with euphemisms.

It's no secret that I'm a 'spicy' writer. I prefer to read books where the bedroom door is left wide open, so naturally I write books with the bedroom door wide open. Sometimes there's not even a door: my hero and heroine might be out by the creek, or in the back of a truck, or on a beach. I like detailed love scenes. However, I don't like my love scene to be a science anatomy lesson. This pulls me right out of the moment. Thus, the euphemism. It's amazing how many ways there are to refer to a man's "stuff" without using a technical term. I think the most technical I've ever gotten is using "erection" (Hey, another E word!), and even that I wasn't sure about, but it wound up working okay in the context of the scene. Euphemisms can be used with women, too. Sometimes it's definitely an exercise in creativity to come up with ones I haven't used before, because, believe me, the thesaurus is no use in this department!

So, all in all, I have this part of the love scene down.

What seems to be trickier for me is getting the emotional aspect. (See? I told you the words tied together.) We had 'hot night' at my RWA meeting the other night (A night specifically set aside for critiquing love scenes.) and one of the comments made about the scene I brought was there was a lot of stage direction, but the feelings needed to be deeper. I really am aware of this, but I'm not sure how to fix it.

For me, it's much easier to come up with the euphemism words and phrases than it is to come up with the emotional phrases during a love scene. Because after all, there's that whole, 'show don't tell' thing to deal with, too.

Anybody willing to share any phrases they've used to show emotion in their stories? 'Cause to be honest, I'm stumped.

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Editing

2011-11-30T00:46:00.000-08:00

Last week I wrote about the first draft of a novel, and the work you then need to do before submitting it.

One good piece of advice I’ve read is to do nothing for a week or so. Catch up on all the housework you’ve been ignoring, go pull up some weeds from the garden, treat yourself to a lunch or dinner with friends – whatever will keep you away from your novel for a while. You’re never going to be completely objective about it, but after a break from the intensity of creating it, you can come back to it with fresh eyes.

What Next? You may already know where there are weaknesses in structure or characterisation, so the first thing is to get these right. Sometimes you need to incorporate an extra scene, or change one you’ve already written. I’ve also had to layer in (naturally and unobtrusively!) more details about a secondary character who ended up playing a larger part in the story than I’d first anticipated.

Another good piece of advice is to print it out, chapter by chapter, since the ‘technical’ errors (punctuation and spacing etc) and typos are often easier to spot on a printed page, rather than on your computer screen. Read it out loud too. This can often highlight awkward sentences and show where your word flow can be improved.

Watch out for inconsistencies and continuity errors. Have the hero’s eyes changed from blue to brown? Did the heroine arrive at work in the morning and half an hour later go off for dinner with the hero? In my current WIP, I know I’m going to have to double-check whether I’ve put the heroine’s ‘office’ at college on the first or second floor as I think I’ve changed its location half way through.

It’s so easy to miss very obvious errors. Here’s a paragraph from a best-selling author, (who shan’t be named but you may be able to guess!):

A voice spoke, chillingly close. "Do not move." On his hands and knees, the curator froze, turning his head slowly. Only fifteen feet away, outside the sealed gate, the mountainous silhouette of his attacker stared through the iron bars.
Spot the errors? Fifteen feet away is chillingly close? Can you freeze and turn your head slowly at the same time? How can a mountainous silhouette stare? These are the kinds of thing that ought to jump out at you as you re-read your work.

The next step is to look at your style. Check for clichés and find a different way to express them. Look at your spelling and sentence structure. Do you have a series of sentences starting with ‘She’ or ‘He’? Re-write them and vary the start of each sentence.

Delete unnecessary dialogue tags and/or too many synonyms for ‘said’. The word ‘said’ is hardly noticed by a reader, whereas a plethora of synonyms like retorted, exclaimed, gasped, muttered, ordered etc etc can distract reader from what the characters are actually saying. Find action verbs instead of using adverbs. ‘She said nervously’ can be replaced with an action like lacing and unlacing her fingers. Look for the times when you can show, not tell.

Get rid of redundant actions too. You know the kind of thing (Ana wrote about this on Monday). I just took my own advice and changed: Her phone rang again and she picked it up, then pursed her lips when she saw the name on the screen. Of course she had to pick it up to see the name. So and she picked it up has been deleted.

Be aware of over-used words and phrases. You probably already know the ones you use too much. In Word you can use ‘edit’ and then ‘find’ to hunt for them and change them.

The editing process can be time-consuming, but it’s worth the effort. There is plenty of other advice in books and on websites about editing, so I’ll end with one last point. Don’t over-edit! Know when to stop ‘tweaking’ otherwise you’ll never have that final manuscript ready for submission.

Endings—It’s More Than “The End”

2011-11-29T05:43:00.001-08:00

For me, one of the most difficult things to write is theending. There are so many endings within a story—there’s the ending of a scene;the ending of the chapter and the ending of the book itself. Figuring out howto strike just the right tone and satisfy everyone can be tricky.

In my head, I often think in scenes, which is great as faras adding to what the characters are going to do or say. It’s also great to beable to sit down and bang out a scene, rather than a few sentences at a time.But sometimes it can be difficult when it comes to moving the reader along. Abeach scene will pop into my head, so I’ll scurry off to my computer and get itdown. I can get my characters to the beach, show what they’re doing there, revealwhat they’re thinking. Are they at the beach to swim or is this a chance toshow their attraction to each other—come on, there are probably women inbikinis, attraction shouldn’t be difficult! Is it a sweet family scene, withkids building sandcastles or a couple having sex behind the dunes? Regardlessof what’s going on, I can see it in my head, so I can basically get it onpaper. My problem, however, becomes how to end the scene. Quite often, theending that I have in my head is not the kind of hook that I’m told we need tohave to keep the reader interested. Sometimes, a pacing requirement means thatI can’t end every scene with an “OMG” kind of ending—there has to be time tobreathe. Other times, there has to be a smooth transition between scenes, so thatthe story doesn’t look like a bunch of taped together moments.

I run into the same difficulty when it comes to chapterendings. My critique partner always marks up my manuscript if I end a chapterwith a character going to sleep. Okay, I get her point, sleeping is not thatinteresting. It probably doesn’t move the story along (although it’s quiteuseful to show time passing) and it might make the reader decide to go to sleepherself, rather than turning the page to continue reading. But sometimes, thechapter just has to end and finding an interesting way of doing that can betough.

When it comes to ending the story, my idea of where to endthe story is often different from my characters’ ideas. I’m a pantser, so Iwrite as the ideas hit me. I start to put my ideas to paper, and then mycharacters laugh at me and point me in the direction that they want to go.Quite often, the ending I planned at the beginning of the story is not theending that I end up with. Sometimes, it’s even better than what I expected.Other times, it shows me that I’m not there yet, and I have to keep writinguntil I write an ending that satisfies both my characters and me (andhopefully, my readers!).

Ellipses

2011-11-27T09:50:00.000-08:00

Webster’s II New College Dictionary defines ‘Ellipsis’ as:
a) the omission of a word or phrase required for a complete syntactical construction but not necessarily for understanding.
b) a mark or series of marks [eg. …or ***] used in writing or printing for indicating an omission, esp. of letters or words.

In their book Self-Editing for Writers, Renni Browne and Dave King discuss a syndrome I have. Namely, feeling the need to describe every move a character makes. Every step she takes.

‘The phone rang. Geraldine walked across the room and picked it up. “Hello,” she said.’

Browne and King suggest editing this to: The phone rang. “Hello,” said Geraldine. Why? Because the reader knows we (used to) have to walk to a phone to answer it.

“When you fill in all the details and leave nothing to your readers’ imaginations, you’re patronizing them. It’s the influence of movies and television again—readers are used to jump-cuts from scene to scene rather than long traditional shots.”

I'm editing my WIP with this, and many other, craft caveats. So many swirling in my head. But step-by-step descriptions of mundane actions have become boring to read, and tedious to write. I'm happy to let ellipses do some of my work.

Friday Friend - Anna James

2011-11-25T07:06:00.000-08:00

Please welcome Anna James. The second book in her Bradford Sisters trilogy has just been published by Sugar and Spice Press. Shattered Dreams is a contemporary novella about a newly wed, and newly pregnant, couple.

I posed the following questions to Anna, and here are her responses.

1. What sort of schedule do you follow for writing? I try to dedicate at least 30 minutes to 1 hour per day to promoting my books and at least two hours to writing.

2. What tends to get in the way and how do you overcome it? My job gets in the way, family obligations, life in general. The way I look at it is there will always be something that takes away from the time when I could be writing so I do my best to write as often as I can. If I miss a day I don’t beat myself up about it but I do try to write for a longer period of time the next day.

3. Did you plot or pantser your new release? Usually I am a pastser when it comes to writing. I don’t write sequential scenes and I let my characters dictate where I go with the story. In the case of Shattered Dreams – Book 2 Bradford Sisters Trilogy, I actually did some plotting.

4. Did you use any maps or sheets? Why or why not? I used a story outline. I’m not sure why I deviated from my norm. I just found it easier to write this story with an outline versus not having one.

5. Did you slip a real, personal experience into your new release? Not in this particular case although I have used personal experiences in past books.

6. Can you tell us what that was and how you changed it? In my book Isabella’s Dilemma, the hero and heroine, Jake McAllistar and Isabella Sheridan, go to San Francisco for a business trip. While they are there they go site-seeing. They see all the places I saw when I went with my family to San Francisco. I even use an incident that took place on my trip in the book. In another story, To Love and Trust Again (Melange Book Available January 2012 www.melang-books.com) the heroine lives in Buffalo, NY which is where I grew up.

7. Do you have a favorite food or drink while you write, or as a reward for so many completed pages? My favorite sweet is chocolate and sometimes I reward myself with some if I get really inspired and get a lot of writing done.

8. How do you approach editing and revising? I usually incorporate the changes the editor requests. In my experience the changes they request usually make the story better.

9. Do you have critique partners or beta readers? I use my mother as a beta reader and a friend as well. My mother loves romance novels and writes as well so she is a good judge from that perspective. My friend is not into romance novels so if I engage her I believe I’m on the right path.

10. How long between submission to your publisher and acceptance? That can vary from publisher to publisher. I had one story (a short) that was accepted within 24 hours of being submitted and another (a short novel) that took over twelve weeks to be accepted. The novel took longer because the publisher wanted only the first three chapters with the initial submittal. I had to wait and see if they would request more. Luckily they did. But multiple submittals take time. Other things that can influence the amount of time it takes to hear from a publisher include the number of submissions they are currently reviewing. If a publisher is overwhelmed with submissions at the time when you decide to send a story in it usually takes longer for a reply.

11. Please tell our followers something about how they worked with you. Different publishers have different levels of involvement with the author. I have been fortunate in that my experiences with the two publishers I have worked with to date have been very positive. In each case the editors assigned to my stories worked with me to make my stories better – they were more polished. I also worked with the various cover artists to create covers for my books.

12. If you could spend an afternoon with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you do together? Sigmund Freud. I would love to pick his brain on male / female relationships.

Book Excerpt:
Reed walked into the house and found Natalie asleep on the couch. She is so beautiful; he thought and leaned down to lightly brush a strand of hair away from her face. It was pale. That meant she’d been sick again. He bent over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled. “Hi, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Natalie stretched and sat up. “What time is it?”
Reed glanced at his watch.
“It’s a little after five.”
“Oh no, we’re supposed to be at the house for the barbecue in less than an hour. Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked and stood up. “Oh, God.” She groaned and swayed then dropped back down.
“Honey, are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m just a little dizzy.”
“Don’t move. I’m going to call Max and tell him we’ll have to reschedule,” he said as he pulled his cell phone from its holder.
Natalie put her hand on his arm. “No, don’t do that. I’ll be fine in just a minute. I just stood up too fast, that’s all.”
“Nat, I’m worried about you.”
She smiled wearily. “I’m fine. Maybe if I eat a little something I’ll feel better. Can you get me some saltine crackers, please?”
“Are you feeling nauseous?”
“No, but I didn’t eat anything for lunch—”
“I thought you were meeting your sisters?”
“I did but they ordered fish and I got one whiff of it and had to run for the bathroom.”
“Were they surprised why you told them you were pregnant?” Reed asked and smiled.
“I didn’t tell them.”
He frowned. “Didn’t they wonder why you were suddenly sick?”
“I didn’t give them the opportunity to ask.”
“I thought you would have told them.”
“Why? You know I don’t want to tell anyone right now.”
Reed dragged his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I told Max this afternoon.”
“Damn it, Reed. We agreed to wait.”
“I know, I know but I really thought you’d say something and… Oh, Nat please don’t cry.”
“I can’t help it. I didn’t want to say anything. Not yet and we agreed. Why did you tell him? You know he’ll say something to Nicole and… Oh God,” she sobbed even
harder then turned and ran from the room.

Author Bio:
Hello, I, Anna James, am a romance novel junkie! In addition to reading romance novels, and I have read well over 1000 in my adult life, I love to write them. Specifically, I love to write stories that allow you take a break from everyday life and get lost in a world filled passion, drama and, of course, romance!

My first story was published in July 2010 and I five more published since that date.

Current titles available include:
from Sugar and Spice Press
Isabella's Dilemma
Guilty As Charged - Bradford Sisters #1
Shattered Dreams - Bradford Sisters Trilogy #2 Visions, a paranormal romance

from Melange-Books
Coming Home Christmas Collectibles - A Picture Perfect Christmas (anthology)
Coming January 2012 To Love and Trust Again

To read more about Anna, visit her website: www.annajamesromance.com
or Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-James-Author-of-Contemporary-Romance-Novels/

Thanks for being here today, Anna.

D is for Dinner

2011-11-24T05:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so obviously I have turkey on the brain today. Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. It has all the best things in life...family, friends, and food! I for one can't wait to dive into tender, juicy turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, sweet, crisp corn, and spicy pumpkin pie.

But I digress...

Dinner, or any other meal, in a book can really add some depth to your characters and your story. Not to mention that it's a great way to include those five senses that are oh-so-important in writing. It's a great time to add meaningful conversation as your characters get to know one another. It's also such a normal thing to do it can make our characters come to life in a very real way.

The main thing to remember, though, is once dinner is in front of your characters, don't just leave it there. Make sure your characters are interacting with the food. Eating it is an obvious thing, (sipping the wine, biting into crispy, juicy fried chicken, savoring the last spoonful of ice cream from the bottom of the carton...) but there are other things that happen during a dinner scene that can be very telling.

Maybe the heroine is nervous, and no matter how good the food looks, she can't eat a bite.

Maybe she can't wait for dinner to be over (You know, so she and the hero can move on to, um (wink) dessert.) so she fiddles with her food instead of eating it.

Maybe the hero cooks dinner for the heroine. Or she cooks for him. What would they make for each other? Even preparing food can give your characters something to do; some action to counteract all of those dialogue tags.

And of course, food can be sensual...I wrote a scene once where chocolate figured prominently. One of my favorite lines from the whole book sums it up: Zach raised a disbelieving eyebrow. “Jess, I have you naked and covered in chocolate. Do you really think I care about the damn bedspread?”

Dinner can be elegant, casual, at home, in a restaurant, or on the go. Where you have your characters dine and what they eat can be an important part of the story. Have some fun with it. Just make sure it's part of the story, there for a purpose.

Until next time,

Happy Reading and Happy Thanksgiving!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
Available now: A Christmas to Remember

Drafts

2011-11-23T01:17:00.000-08:00

Phew, you got there! Hero and heroine have overcome all the obstacles you threw at them and they’ve reached their ‘Happy Ever After’ ending. Triumphantly you write (or type) ‘The End’ and get ready to send off your ms. to the publisher of your choice.

Whoa, hold on a minute! This is the First Draft – and there’s still a lot of work to do.

In this month’s UK ‘Writing’ magazine, one publisher says that most aspiring writers make their first error by submitting far too soon without realising how much re-writing needs to be done. He lists a ‘10-draft’ process: typing out a rough draft, tightening the structure, developing the characters, improving the dialogue, working on the language, restructuring some parts, adding layers of conflict, improving crucial opening pages, more work on character development and finally proof-reading for mistakes.

A pretty scary list, right? I’m not sure it would actually take 10 drafts, since some could be combined. But the important point is that a first draft is very much a ‘first’ and can’t be considered as a manuscript which is ready for submission.

Normally, even in my first drafts, I tend to agonise over language and dialogue, trying to get it right the first time. However, having just taken part in NaNowriMo, with the aim of 50K words during November, I’ve surprised myself by being able to abandon my ‘inner editor’ as I sprint-wrote the whole story (57,380 words) in 21 days.

Okay, so it was pre-plotted (unlike my normal pantser method) as I was trying a rewrite/updating of a novel I wrote in the 1970’s. It did require some serious updating, especially my style, and also some of the content, since the world has changed since the 1970’s. Cell phones and email probably present the trickiest problem in updating because it’s so much easier now for characters to contact each other.

Even so, I’ve been aware that it was what I call ‘lazy’ writing. I ignored my usual careful honing of words to convey the exact meaning I wanted, I let adverbs and speech tags slip by, I repeated my favourite words and phrases (probably ad nauseam), my heroine’s heart did so many jumps and jerks, she’s in danger of an imminent heart attack. I also ignored the detailed research which can often hold me up for a long time. My mantra became ‘I’ll fix that later.’

But, at the end of 21 days, I have a first draft. The hero and heroine finally got to their happy ever after ending. However, I know I’m nowhere near that ending.

Could I submit this as it is now? No way. It’s the first time I’ve ever written a real ‘rough draft’ and, believe me, it IS rough! I know I still have a HUGE amount of work to do. 10 drafts? Maybe that’s what it will need.

How many drafts do you write, and what do you concentrate on improving with each draft?

(Character) Development--It's All His Fault!

2011-11-22T05:53:00.001-08:00

This counts as “D, ” right? ;) I was actually going to writeabout deadlines, but as I started thinking about deadlines, I started thinkingabout the pressure of meeting them and the paralysis it sometimes causes. I’vegot a self-imposed deadline for editing my current WIP and I realize that oneof the problems I’m having with meeting that deadline is not actually thepressure of that deadline, because really, self-imposed means I can change it(who’s gonna tell?), but rather the development of my character. In otherwords, it’s not my fault, it’s HIS!

I’ve got a hero who would be wonderful, if only I’d paidattention to that one detail, character development (for the purposes of thisblog, this week, it will be referred to from here on in as “development”). Likea lot of my characters, this one is based, very loosely, on an actor I saw onTV. I liked the actor’s looks—not too perfect, but still good looking;approachable; great eyes; and based on the character he portrays on TV, a nicepersonality. The problem is, he’s pretty bland, especially if that’s all I’vegot.

I hear the mantra, “know your characters” all the time, butwhen it came time to actually developing him (his name is Nathaniel, by theway), I think I may have skimped a bit. Sure, I have character traits on myoutline—I know he’s a single dad, he’s new to congregation (the story is aromance with a Jewish theme), he’s divorced, he likes Sam Adams beer and theauthor Dan Brown, he has slate-blue eyes, he’s a lawyer and he lives on theUpper East Side of New York. But that’s not enough.

I need to know why he does what he does. He doesn’t likebeing the object of gossip—why not? He doesn’t confide in people easily—whynot? What are his hopes and dreams? What are his desires for his daughter? Doeshe like being a lawyer? Why did he get divorced? What attracted him to hisfirst wife originally? What attracts him to the heroine now?

Without knowing those things, and more, I can’t possiblydevelop him into a fully rounded, three dimensional character that readers canrespond to, relate to and about whom they can care. And without knowing myhero, I can’t possibly make my heroine someone he’d want to be with and givethem the happily ever after they deserve, and readers want. Without developinghim further, I can’t move the action along because I don’t truly understand howhe’d react or, for that matter, what actions he’d cause.

So, instead of looking at my word count and going, “Uh oh,what other scenes can I add?”, I need to sit down and have a conversation withNathaniel. Maybe invite him to Thanksgiving dinner to get to know him better.As long as he doesn’t eat the apple pie—I’m NOT sharing!

I'll have one Dialogue, please

2011-11-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

How does the following paragraph read to you? Is the order logical? Smooth? Does it feel polished?

"I'm sorry," Amy said. "I'm just not ready."
Her hand trembled as she stared down at the small, black jeweler's box.
Her mind raced through her now-familiar list of marriage pros and cons.

There are guidelines to follow when writing action - reaction so sequences are logical and smooth. Evan Marshall simplifies it to F-A-D = feelings/thoughts, action, dialogue.

A heroine's feelings or thoughts come first. This may need a paragraph or a page, or she may have a split second flash.

Then she reacts to what she has felt (or thought) with a physical action. She freezes. She smiles. She looks around frantically. She throws her arms around her lover's neck. The action is justified by her just-stated inner state.

Then she speaks. What she says will advance the story because it will invite a response reaction from whoever is in the scene with her.

Based on F-A-D, the opening pararaph would read:

As she stared down at the small, black jeweler's box, Amy's mind raced through her now-familiar list of pros and cons. Her hand trembled. "I'm sorry. I'm just not ready."

Friday Friend - Rosemary Gemmell

2011-11-18T01:32:00.000-08:00

Romy Gemmell’s first historical novel, Dangerous Deceit, set in Regency England, was published by Champagne Books in Canada in May 2011. Her first tween novel, Summer of the Eagles, which is set in Scotland, is being published by MuseItUp Publishing in Canada in March 2012 (as Ros).

Her short stories and articles are published in UK magazines, in the US, and Online, under her full name, Rosemary, and her children’s stories are in three different anthologies. One of her short stories was included in the fundraising book, ‘100 Stories for Haiti’ in 2010. A historical short story was published in ‘The Waterloo Collection’, launched by the late professor Richard Holmes in April 2011. She has won a few competitions and will be a short story adjudicator at the annual Scottish Association of Writers’ Conference in March 2012.

Romancing History

Thank you very much for having me on the lovely Heroines with Hearts Blog – love the name!

A while ago, I changed my Regency blog to the title of Romancing History as I thought it a better indication of its contents since I’m not sticking to Regency fiction, either as a reader or writer. The other reason was because I write historical romance (sometimes) and not serious history books. Does that mean the historical facts don’t matter? Of course not, but perhaps we are allowed to romanticise them a little in using our creative imagination.

We can never truly know what it was like to live in any particular era apart from our own, as “the past is a foreign country” according to L.P. Hartley. So we thoroughly research our period and try to depict the setting, background and everyday life as accurately as possible. But, wait, we’re writing romantic fiction, therefore surely the characters and their stories are far more important than anything else? Absolutely, but if that were the only consideration, then the story might be transferable to any period of history and still make sense.

So it follows that one of the most important aspects of historical fiction is making sure a particular story and characters could only work within the bounds of their own time. It means grounding the novel in the culture and history of its era, checking that real events actually fit into the time span of the story, and making sure the language is appropriate for the period. That means being very careful to check for anachronisms – words and phrases that would not be in existence at the time. Nothing throws a reader out of a story quicker than reading a 20^th century expression in a novel written about a previous era. It’s easy enough to Google a linguistic question, as long as you check the answer with at least two sources.

I love to mention real historical figures if possible when writing about the past, as it is another way of grounding the story in reality. Again we can research historical figures and find out lots of facts about them fairly easily. But part of the fun is taking those bare facts and bringing the character to life through the dialogue we give them when interacting with the fictional characters. For instance, I’ve given words to Lord Byron and Robert Burns in two different novels, and the Duke of Wellington in a short story, while trying to remain true to what is known about them.

One of the pleasures of historical fiction is being transported to another time and place, exploring the lives and loves of particular characters. Hopefully, we might learn a little history on the way, even if it is a romanticised version of the past!

Thanks so much for this, Rosemary. As a former history teacher, I can endorse everything you say!

You can find out more about Rosemary/Romy/Ros at

Website: www.rosemarygemmell.com

General writing/information blog: http://ros-readingandwriting.blogspot.com

Historical writing blog: http://romygemmell.blogspot.com

Children’s writing blog: http://rosgemmell.blogspot.com

Twitter: @rosemarygemmell

Dangerous Deceit is published by http://champagnebooks.com

C is for Country Music

2011-11-17T03:21:00.000-08:00

It might sound overly dramatic to say Country Music defined my life, but in a sense it's true.

Growing up, my folks listened to country music. I hated it. Although, my first concert-going experience was to a Kenny Rogers concert. We all got dressed up and the whole family went.

Inevitably, almost as a sign of rebellion, I found a different outlet for my musical taste. In junior high it was Rick Springfield and then in high school the advent of the 80s hair bands had my sister and I going to a different 'metal' concert almost every month. We had a blast. I was definitely an 80s head-banger. It even continued into college where, much to my roommate's chagrin, I had a life-sized poster of Jon Bon Jovi on my closet door. (Jon Bon Jovi still does it for me!)

After I graduated from college, I happened to take a trip to Texas to visit a high school friend who was going to school down there. It was then that country music came back into my life. And there it stayed.

From then on I was hooked, and it led to so many other things, which really did lead me down a certain path in life:

I met my husband at a country bar. We learned to dance together. And fell in love. He's my best friend in the whole world and I owe it all to the music I listen to. (The bar eventually became the setting for my first novel: This Time for Always.) We made friends at the bar (which sadly is closed now) that we still keep in contact with today. Some were even in our wedding. Some of our most memorable moments while dating came while at "Country Thunder", a multi-day outdoor concert/camping experience.

I really do think John Deere tractors are sexy thanks to Kenny Chesney.

Most of my books have somewhat of a country feel. Their corresponding soundtracks are always country. If my hero isn't a cowboy, or something else close to it, he at the very least drives a pick-up truck or wears boots. Certain country songs have sparked ideas which have turned into complete stories.

I even work out to country music most of the time: Toby Keith and Eric Church can rock with the best of them.

And I've learned to love all of those old country classics my parents used to listen to.

There are many folks out there who don't care for country music, but as for me, without it, I wouldn't be who I am today.

Until next time,

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Critique Partners

2011-11-16T02:30:00.000-08:00

For NaNoWriMo (the annual National Novel Writing Month) I’ve been rewriting a novel which I first wrote in the 1970’s. In those pre-internet days, I’d never heard of critique partners. I did have what is now called a beta-reader but she was a non-writer friend who read my chapters and helped me brainstorm ideas for the development of the story.

I hadn’t even looked at this particular novel for years; now, having read it again, I’ve realised how much it needed the help of a critique partner. Okay, it was published exactly as I wrote it (without any editorial input), so maybe the style of my writing was ‘normal’ at that time. Now it simply makes me cringe!

I started writing romance again about five years ago and know I was still writing in my ‘old’ style to start with. I only have to look at my first ‘fan-fiction’ stories and the first novel I wrote to realise that. Then I started to change my style.

Why? Because I found two great critique partners. I've never met them - I'm in the UK and they're in the USA, but during the last couple of years, we’ve worked together (and become friends too).

Writing, as I know from when I was writing my early novels and knowing no other writers at the time, can be a lonely job, and it’s good to have a friend who is prepared to read your work and give you his/her honest opinion. The word honest is important. I don’t want just positive feedback with a few ‘nice’ comments, although a comment of ‘Great, this really worked well’ does wonders for one’s confidence. But at the same time, I want a genuine opinion and, if necessary, hard-hitting comments.

A good CP can help you to improve both your storyline and your writing style. They can highlight your word or phrase repetition, overuse of passive verbs and adverbs, and telling rather than showing. I was guilty of all of these but didn’t actually realise it until my CPs told me. I’m sure they could list plenty of other errors too!

Sometimes (often?) we can get too close to our own story and characters. A critique partner comes to it with fresh eyes and can point out the things that you may have overlooked. They can look at the big picture and tell you what is working and what isn’t, where the plot holes or anomalies are and whether the pace of the story is too slow or too fast. They can also help you to brainstorm when your story runs into a sticky patch.

It works both ways, too. Critiquing someone else’s work has the double bonus of helping yourself as well as (hopefully) helping them. I have learnt a lot about what works and what doesn’t from critiquing.

Now I’m going through the process of critquing my own 1970’s novel, and the errors I made in the original are jumping out at me. Before I worked with my CPs, I doubt I would have noticed any of those errors.

So this is a tribute to my critique partners – with a million thanks to them both for their help, support, encouragement and friendship!

Characters—Who’s Driving the Story?

2011-11-15T04:16:00.001-08:00

There are all different ways to drive your story, but forme, it’s the characters. I love character-driven stories. They have charactersthat are three dimensional and memorable. They make the story “why” based,rather than “how” based.

Martha Alderson, an international plot consultant and the founder ofBlockbuster Plots for Writers., describes it this way:

Broadlyspeaking, writers who prefer writing action-driven stories focus on logicalthinking, rational analysis, and accuracy. Action-driven writers tend to relymore on the left side of their brain. These writers approach writing as alinear function and see the story in its parts. Action-driven writers likestructure. They usually pre-plot or create an outline before writing.Action-driven writers have little trouble expressing themselves in words.

Onthe other hand, writers who write character-driven stories tend to focus onaesthetics and feelings, creativity and imagination. These writers access theright side of their brains and enjoy playing with the beauty of language. Theyare more intuitive, and like to work things out on the page. Character-drivenwriters are holistic and subjective. They can synthesize new information, butare somewhat (or more) disorganized and random. They see the story as thewhole. Right brain writers may know what they mean, but often have troublefinding the right words.

While I don’t think I’m disorganized or random, I do agreein general with what Alderson says. My stories start out with thecharacters—who are they, what do they do and think, why do they do and thinkthat, what would happen to them if I did this? I tend to develop scenes arounda particular thought or emotion given by that character and then string thosescenes together to make a story. Sometimes it works, and I end up with acomplete manuscript. Other times, I have a great scene, but that’s about all.

I like to delve into the psychological reactions and reasonsfor what my characters do. What are the obstacles that are preventing the heroand heroine from getting together? For me, those obstacles are usually not tangible,external conflicts, but rather emotional or internal conflicts. I enjoyfiguring out what they are and how to solve them—and it’s so much easier solvinga fictional character’s neurosis than my own! J

Shhh. It's Confidential.

2011-11-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

A main character's confidant can be a best friend, kindly neighbor, grandparent, or business partner. This character listens to the hero as he ticks off reasons why he has to shoulder the blame and go on alone. The confident can supply information or try (unsuccessfully) to stop the headstrong hero.

A confidant offers advice even when it's not wanted. When the heroine proclaims she could never love that awful hero, the confidant helps the her talk though her feelings. The confidant always helps the heroine achieve her goal.

For a writer, a confidant is an ideal tool. With the interaction between a lead and his or her confidant, active dialogue replaces what otherwise could be long passages of introspection.

Donald Maas says, "The best kind of confidant is a character who is already part of the lead's life and would naturally play [the role of sounding board,] but who has reason to exist in her own right."

Friday Friend - Jane Richardson

2011-11-11T01:33:00.000-08:00

Please welcome today's Friday Friend, Jane Richardson.

Scots-born Jane Richardson now lives on the coast in the south of England. After a couple of fantastic careers, the last of which was her dream job as a DSM in professional theatre and opera – where she met her husband - she’s now a home-educating Mum to two gorgeous kids. When she gets the chance, she loves to write, read, listen to music, walk in the sunshine and the breeze, paddle at the edge of the sea, and cook and share food, chat and good times with family and friends. She’s also fond of lemurs!

Read Right – Write Right!

Thanks Paula and everyone at Heroines With Hearts for having me here!

I’ve been thinking about something I heard a writer say the other day – how she often found it very difficult just to read for fun, now that she spends so much time writing. She found it hard to suspend her judgement, or take off her ‘critique hat.’ The things that were ‘wrong’ with a piece of writing tended to jump out at her more than things that were ‘right,’ and this was spoiling her reading pleasure.

Hmm. Well, I sort of know what she means, and I bet there are lots of writers who’ll say the same thing – how they find it hard to enjoy books that don’t meet up to their ‘high writing standards.’ Is it really the case that when we become writers, our ‘reading standards’ suddenly change? Perhaps up to a point they do, though I’m afraid I’ve never ever really been one to give a book more than a couple of chances anyway. So many times I've started a book with high hopes only to drop it in disappointment before end of first chapter.

Call me impetuous, but I’m afraid I tend not to keep reading in the hope that the book will improve – it invariably doesn’t, and it gets quietly dropped to one side while I go to the next one in the TBR pile. Too many books, too little time!

But you know that old thing about making lemonade out of lemons? Well, you can use that here. Use your reading time as a valuable learning resource. We can use identify what works or doesn’t work in a story, and why, and incorporate the positive things into our own writing. This doesn't mean copying a style or another author's voice, not at all – it means sorting the good stuff from the less good, and using that experience to focus in a positive and honest way in your own work, and change what needs changing.

Very often, and most telling of all, a lot of these things can be spotted in the first few pages. As writers, we need to take note of that - after all, if I’m prepared to stop reading a book in the first chapter, I have to accept readers might do the same with my writing, unless I work very hard to make absolutely sure they want to keep reading!

So what is it that keeps us reading, and stops us from hurling a book aside with great force to ricochet off the wall and land face-down in the nearest bin? I’ve picked out just a few of my likes and dislikes to illustrate what I mean, and called them Dodgy Moments and Learning Curves. I’m sure you have lots of your own, so please do feel free to add your suggestions in the comments section!

Dodgy Moment 1 – Does the writer open the story by setting the scene quickly and launching me on a forward journey from the get-go? How many times have you read on to a second or third paragraph where the writer has felt the need to start explaining the story, when all a reader wants to do is read the story?
Learning Curve 1 – opening with explanation or backstory can deal a killer bow to you story. You rarely need it, and it’s certainly not appropriate in the opening sections of a book. Trust your reader to fall in step with you as you move forward – you’re taking them on a wonderful journey, and if they trust you, they’ll go willingly. If you feel your story simply won’t stand up without some backstory, then you might want to consider if you’ve started the story in the right place.

Dodgy Moment 2 – now that the story’s moving, does it keep moving? Or did I have to go back and re-read sections again, before I understood what the writer meant?
Learning Curve 2 - a story has to flow. A reader might be prepared to re-read a section once, but twice is pushing a writer’s luck, and three times is way too much to keep a reader interested. This is where good, honest feedback is invaluable to a writer in the early stages of a manuscript. A good critique partner should be able to spot this for you, and when they do, get rid of it.

Dodgy Moment 3 - ‘It was a dark and stormy night…. I’m talking about those dreaded clichés. Has the drowning writer grabbed the cliché straw with yet another ‘ruby liquid’ or a ‘defiant chin?’

Learning Curve 3 - one cliché is one too many. Use all the clichés you like in your first draft, especially if it gets you out of a hole at the time, but you absolutely must go back and get rid of them before you put your story in front of a paying reader. If they feel they’ve read it all before, why on earth would they want to keep reading?

Dodgy Moment 4 – can you tell the characters apart from the way they speak, or do they all sound the same? Do they all use perfectly constructed, grammatically correct sentences? Into the same category comes accents and dialogue – are you being asked to read an awful of of words you just don’t understand, or work out what a character is trying to say by trying to make sense of a bagload of peculiar spellings?

Learning Curve 4 – think about each character’s individual speech pattern. The rhythm of a person’s speech, as well as the words they choose to use, is far more effective than worrying about whether or not their grammar and syntax is correct, or whether you’ve ‘written out’ an accent phonetically. Rhythm and word choice is also a very effective way of highlighting your characters’ individuality, especially when you have a lot of characters in the same scene or chapter - use their individual assets to make them shine.

Dodgy Moment 5 - when we’re first introduced to the characters, are they too good to be true? Too nasty to be true?

Learning Curve 5 – think about just how realistic your character’s behaviour is, especially if you’re trying to portray someone initially as less-than-perfect. In contemporary times in particular, women are less likely to give arrogance a second chance, but will either respond to it or not bother with the guy again. Even if you’re aiming for a misunderstanding between characters or a mistaken impression that will be corrected later, a baddie with roots in Victorian melodrama belongs in Victorian melodrama and nowhere else!

Those are just a few of my thoughts – I’d love to hear yours!

Thanks, Jane, for such a lot of interesting points to think about!

Jane’s latest release is a short story called Edinburgh Fog, published by MuseItUp Publishing.

http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=193&category_id=18&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1

You can read more about Jane and her future projects at her blog Home Is Where The Heart Is - http://janerichardsonhome.blogspot.com/

B is for Bull Riders

2011-11-10T04:29:00.000-08:00

...my absolute favorite kind of cowboy!

I'm not sure what I like best. How his Wranglers accentuate the swagger in his step. The well worn boots. The Stetson pulled low to shade his brooding eyes. The chaps that outline his perfect butt. Or just the fact that he's willing to face off against a 2,000 pound beast and finds the danger exciting and exhilarating. He's the sexiest bad boy around, but he's always the perfect gentleman, which is why the ladies can't resist him.

That being said, there was no doubt in my mind that one day I'd write a book with a bull rider as the hero. I've been working on it for a while, and this summer I polished it up, sent it to my editor at Wild Rose, and waited.

Yesterday I heard back...ahead of schedule (the editor had promised to get back to me by December).

At first I was bummed. She felt the story needs some tweaking before it's ready to be published. Now don't get me wrong...I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing and make it better, but when someone tells you your baby isn't good enough...it's a little heart-breaking.

But the more I thought about it, the better I felt. This will give me the opportunity to make this book the best it can be.

I'm confident that someday, Jake's story will be out there. It might not be as soon as I'd hoped, but it'll get there.

Plus, in the meantime, this gives me the prefect excuse to watch more bull riding on TV in the name of research. Or maybe catch some local rodeos live and in person at county fairs. (Which is where I took these pictures.) What more could a girl ask for?

Until next time,

Happy Reading!

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com
Now available: A Christmas to Remember (from TWRP)

Books - real or digital?

2011-11-09T07:09:00.000-08:00

Last April I wrote a blog, as part of the A-Z Challenge, about real books versus e-books. I declared very firmly:

“I’ve been firmly in the ‘real books’ camp for a long time. I love books. All the shelves in my home bear witness to that. I haven’t counted, but there must be several hundred.

Most of them I’ll never read again, but I hate parting with them. If I take a bag of books to the local charity shop (simply to make some room on the shelves), I agonise over which to put into the bag.

I like a real book in my hands. I like the look, feel and smell of it. I love browsing in bookshops, both new and used, studying titles and authors, reading the blurb, sometimes dipping into a few pages.

I was convinced I wouldn’t succumb to an electronic book reader. Quite apart from my love of real books, I don’t particularly enjoy learning how to cope with ‘new’ technology.

But then my daughter showed me her ‘Kindle’ and demonstrated how easy it was to download e-books. My interest was kindled (pardon the pun!)

I started thinking of the almost-two-inch thick tome I put in my suitcase for holiday reading last year. How much easier to take a slim e-reader instead.

I started thinking about the American-published books by many of my internet friends. How much easier to download these instead of waiting for them to be mailed (and paying extra for postage and packing).

I started thinking of no longer having to clear some room on my shelves to make room for new books.

My daughter then bought me a Kindle for my birthday last August, and I have to say I am totally hooked! Not just for holiday reading (although I did take it with me on my recent trip to Italy), but for other times too. Times when I probably wouldn’t have taken a book with me, such as when I was meeting up with a friend – and managed to read a few pages while I was waiting for her, the time I was waiting at the doctor’s for my flu-shot, and the time I sat in the supermarket’s coffee shop while my daughter went off to do some shopping.

Any ‘waiting’ time has now become reading time for me. Another bonus is that I’ve been able to read books I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to obtain here in the UK, and also books which are only available as e-books.

Having said that, I still like ‘real’ books, especially my own. There is nothing to beat holding your own book, with your own name on the cover, in your own hands!

Books, Books, Books!

2011-11-08T06:17:00.000-08:00

What books have inspired your reading or your writing? I’mnot talking about writer’s craft books, although those are important and everywriter needs a library of them. No, I’m talking about authors and books youlove to read.

I read a lot (although sometimes sporadically, and currentlyobsessively) so narrowing my list down could be difficult. But everyone hasbooks that speak to them. If you’re areader, there are certain books that you can’t do without. Think “stuck on adesert island” kind of books, the ones that no matter what happens, you’regoing to buy those books, read and re-read them and nothing is going to makeyou get rid of them.

If you’re a writer, there are books whose style or imageryor characterization or POV you appreciate. The ones you dog ear or underline sothat you can go back to them later and remind yourself of the best way to writesomething (no, I’m not talking plagiarism).

For me, there are several books that have inspired me tobecome a writer. Julia Quinn is an expert at dialogue and changing POV midscene. She teaches workshops about these topics and if you’re ever able to takeone, I highly recommend it. When I first started writing, I couldn’t writedialogue without it sounding stilted. By reading authors who are experts atthis, Quinn included, I’ve been able to practice that skill and make characterssound like real people in their conversations.

Lynn Kurland writes wonderful time travel and historicalbooks. I love them as a reader, but as a writer, I love to study how shecreates her characters. Her conflicts are agonizingly believable and she pullsemotion from you like no one else can. I dog-ear her books and when I’m tryingto get just the right amount of emotion from my character, I often find thatgoing back to her books and seeing how she does it helps me to do it better.

Robyn Carr creates a small town that I’d give my eye teethto live in, but she also shows how to write a series using existing characterswho populate that town. The structure is great and if you’re planning a series,check out her early Virgin River books.

Although I write contemporary romance, I don’t exclusivelyread that. The Beach Trees by Karen White is a wonderful book for readers andwriters. Chapters switch between two female characters, and even without thesubheads telling you which character is speaking, you know by how welldeveloped both Julie and Aimee are.

We all have skills we’re good at and skills that need morework, and we can learn so much from each other and from other writers. Whatbooks are on your “must have” list?

B is for BACKSTORY

2011-11-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

While I was writing the first and second drafts of my WIP, I was sure I needed to open with a prologue scene that showed my heroine’s childhood. I felt the reader needed this information to empathize with her present situation. But I’ve been learning some rules:

Backstory belongs only where it explains what’s important for the reader to know at that moment. In other words, sparingly and so it doesn’t interrupt the pace of the story.
The longer essential information is withheld, the better. It’s best to reveal backstory before the midpoint. Never insert at the end; your ending will seem contrived.
Don’t repeat backstory information. Readers have good memories.
Backstory can be presented as action. It can be incorporated as dialogue, or revealed through short inner thoughts. Or a combination of these.
If you need a flashback, write it as a blow-by-blow action sequence that ends in disaster for your main character.

I have deleted my opening chapter and the first half of chapter 2. As I edit, I’m watching for repetitious backstory information.
I have three backstory passages. One is part of an action scene. The second is a short, essential nightmare. The third is draft 2’s version of my original prologue. I love this scene—it is where I defined my heroine, but I’m now sure it doesn’t serve the story.

Friday Friend: Linda Rettstatt

2011-11-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

Please join us in welcoming Linda Rettstatt, our latest Friday Friend. LindaRettstatt likes to know what makes people tick, and she loves a good story. Thecombination sparked her interest in creating stories and characters that seemreal and engaging. Her books have finaled four times for EPIC eBook Awards. APennsylvania Yankee, Linda now resides in Mississippi where she is permitted to sharean apartment with her cat, Binky, (as long as she continues to bring home theFancy Feast.) Her work is published with Wings ePress, Class Act Books, andChampagne Books.

Write from the Heart

“Sometimes you justhave to lose your mind…and follow your heart.”

~ Beth Rutledge in The Year I Lost My Mind

When I wrote these words for the character of Beth Rutledge,I didn’t realize how much they meant to me. But these words capture for me theprocess of writing fiction. As an author, my goal is twofold: to createcharacters that are engaging, regardless of whether they are ‘good’ or ‘evil’,and to tell a story that resonates on an emotional level with my readers. Ifirmly believe good fiction comes from the heart more than from the head.

Sure, we have to know the basics, the technical aspects ofwriting, and the rules for story construction. I liken the process to buildinga house. I’ve been in houses, and then I’ve been in homes. Houses are carefullyconstructed, functional, and provide shelter. But a home has warmth beyond itsfunctionality. That’s the way I view writing. I want my books to do more thanentertain. I want the characters to come to life and make my readers care aboutthem. I want to tell a story with which the reader can identify, in which shecan find some element of herself and her own story. I want my book to be morethan a house. I want it to be a home.

Most authors will tell you they have a file somewhere loadedwith potential book ideas. Now, I’ve learned that not every idea makes a goodbook. An idea for a book generally comes to me in the form of a ‘what if’question in my head. As I explore that what if, I’ll know if there is a storyto be told that will be worth reading. How? Because that story will make myheart pound. It’ll make me breathe faster. It’s like falling in love. You wantto be with that ‘other’ constantly, without distraction.

I’ve heard other writers suggest, “Write the book of yourheart,” as if there is only one. My problem—they’re all books of my heart. Idon’t know any other way to write and, if I try to take an idea and force itinto a story, I’m doomed to fail. I will run out of steam and lose interest.The writing will be stiff and emotionless. As a reader, I can tell thedifference between books that are written perfunctorily and books that flowfrom the writer’s heart. Those are the books I have a hard time putting down.

And, so, when I sit down to start a new project, I take Beth’sadvice. I lose my mind…and follow my heart.

Linda Rettstatt

www.lindarettstatt.com

www.onewomanswrite.blogspot.com

Back cover blurb:

M.J. Rich is about to breakup with her boyfriend and seeksthe comfort of her family’s familiar traditions for Christmas in Pittsburgh. Brady Cameronplans to spend the holiday alone at a Pennsylvaniaski resort, drowning his sorrows. They meet while stranded by a winter storm inthe Philadelphia Airport and agree to share the lastrental car available, since they are both heading west. But a blizzard forcesthem off the highway, and Christmas turns out to be nothing either of themexpects.

Excerpt:

M.J. elbowed her way to the departures board where flightafter flight flashed a bright red Canceled. She turned her attention to one ofthe overhead TV screens to see a news alert: a winter storm had swept in fromthe northwest, dumping several inches of snow in its wake. Currently, Cleveland experienced blizzard conditions, Chicago had already been crippled with more than a foot ofsnow, and the storm was bearing down on the Pittsburgh area. “Oh, no.” M.J. let hershoulders drop in defeat and her purse slid down her arm to loop over thehandle of the laptop bag.

From overhead speakers, Burl Ives sang, “Have a holly, jollyChristmas…”

“If you’re headed west, you may want to get to the carrental counter as soon as possible,” a male voice whispered in her ear.

Startled, she turned and looked up. “Excuse me?”

“There’s going to be a rush on car rentals. You may want toconsider the option.”

“Oh. Where is the…”

He pressed a finger to his lips. “Follow me. Casually, butquickly, before everyone else gets the same idea.”

She smiled and fell into step behind him. Sandy brown hairtapered neatly at his collar. Below the leather bomber jacket, worn jeanshugged a very nice backside. She redirected her eyes to his back. He turnedleft and she followed, noting the signs indicating the Car Rental. A line hadbegun to build at each of the rental counters. Her rescuer motioned toward theshortest line and picked up his pace.

As they inched forward at the rental counter, he turnedtoward her. “You look familiar. How would I know you?”

“I’m on TV in Charleston, South Carolina.”

“Really? What show?”

“The news on WCL.”

“WCL, huh?”

“You know the station?”

He hesitated. “I must have seen it when I was in Charleston on business atone time or another. I’m Brady Cameron. And you are?”

“M.J. Rich.” Well, at least he remembered her face, if nother name.

“Are you headed home for the holidays?”

M.J. nodded. “My family is in Pittsburgh. You?”

“Seven Springs Resort. Holiday skiing.” He glanced towardthe windows. “Too bad I don’t have my skis with me now. Looks like they mightcome in handy.”

She gazed out at the steadily falling flakes and her heartsank. “Oh, no. I have to get to Pittsburghtonight. If the storm’s coming from the west…”

Brady grabbed her hand and tugged her up to the counter. “Weneed cars,” he said to the clerk.

“You each need a car?”

“Yes.”

The haggard-faced man shook his head. “I’ve got one left.”

“We’ll take it.”

“What?” M.J. asked. “What ‘we’?”

Reinventing Christmas – a sweet contemporary romance

Coming December, 2011 from ChampagneBooks

www.champagnebooks.com

Adjectives

2011-11-02T01:30:00.000-07:00

When I was at school (a long time ago!), my English teachers insisted we used lots of adjectives to make our writing more descriptive. In contrast, writers are warned against the overuse of adjectives.

Various reasons are given for this: too many adjectives give your novel a ‘purple prose’ tint, or clutter the text with unnecessary modifiers, or give the impression that the writer cannot quite find the right word.

Mark Twain said: "As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out."

The question is – which adjectives should you strike out?

First there are the redundant adjectives – the tiny kitten (aren’t all/most kittens tiny?), the large mountain (ever seen a small mountain?), the narrow alley (an alley IS a narrow passage), the cold snow (if snow wasn’t cold, it would be water!). Omit the adjective if the noun is self-explanatory.

Secondly, there are the adjectives which, with their nouns, can be replaced with a much more descriptive word e.g. ‘a downpour flooded the streets’ instead of ‘heavy rain flooded the streets’, or ‘the witch cackled’ instead of ‘the witch gave an evil, sharp laugh’.

There are also some adjectives which have become almost meaningless and should be avoided (except in dialogue), including wonderful, lovely, pretty, stupid, foolish, pleasant, comely, horrid – and the obvious one, nice.

However, a story without any adjectives could end up as very clinical and dry. As with most things, moderation is the key. We are not advised to avoid adjectives altogether, but to avoid overusing them.

Eliminating all adjectives would be as big a mistake as overusing them. Adjectives can clarify meaning and add colour to our writing, and can be used to convey the precise shade of meaning we want to achieve. We should save them for the moments when we really need them and then use them selectively – and sparsely. Too often we feel the need to beef up our nouns in an effort to get our point across.

Compare: The dark, dreary house had an empty, suspicious feel to it, the thick air stale and sour with undefined, scary kitchen odors. Are all these adjectives necessary?

A tighter, more dramatic description would be: The house had an empty feeling to it, the air stale with undefined kitchen odors.

Use adjectives only to highlight something the noun can’t highlight. We’ve already seen that the ‘narrow alley’ has a redundant adjective, but what about the ‘dark alley’ or the ‘filthy alley’? Not all alleys are dark or filthy so in these examples, the adjectives are adding something that isn't already shown by the noun. This is the main reason for using an adjective.

And now I’m off to take my own advice, and look through my ms. for redundant adjectives!

Arcs

2011-11-01T06:01:00.001-07:00

“A my name is Abby and my husband’s name is Adam. We live in Alabama and we sell apples.”

This popular children’s rhyme/jump rope song tells the simplest of stories. It identifies the characters, tells where they live and what they do. But it doesn’t provide any action or character development.

As writers, we need to illustrate a story arc. Our plot has to go from point A to point B. We can’t just write about “nothing.” In contemporary, mainstream romance, that story arc is usually girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love, girl and boy face some conflict that separates them for a while and finally, girl and boy solve the conflict and live happily ever after.

In addition to story arcs, there are character arc. Our characters have to progress, to change, to develop. Similar to the way our children develop, but in warp speed. Is our heroine selfish? Why? What made her that way and how can we show her to become more selfless, less selfish by the time the story ends so that she and her hero can end up together? Is our hero commitment-phobic? Why? What made him that way and how can we show him change his attitude in a believable way so that he and the heroine end up together?

In order to have an arc, we have to know the “why.” What makes our heroes and heroines tick? What motivates them to become better people? What was in their background that makes them who they are? There has to be a reason for our plot as well. As real people, we may plod along in our lives, but no one wants to read about that. Readers want our plots to move forward so that they can be entertained.

By combining our character motivation with our plots we can hopefully tell a compelling story. By making sure our characters progress, that they identify and solve a problem, we keep our readers engaged. That’s what makes a good story.

A stands for Appearance

2011-10-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

We’ve set up a new challenge for ourselves on HWH. Posts will follow the alphabet. All posts this week will be on topics starting with the letter A. Next week, the letter B. And so forth.

I want to talk about defining a lead character’s APPEARANCE. When I first get a fix on a story line, that usually comes with a solid gender and age for my heroine. Since I write historicals and timetravels, she is usually in her 20’s or early 30’s, pretty to beautiful, and, by personal preference, capable in her everyday world.

If I were writing YA, she’d be in her teens. Contemporaries could have an older heroine, needing to start a fresh chapter in life. Suspense seems to call for a heroine who is energetic and well-established in a career. There are many potential variations, though, and writing the unexpected may lift a novel above the pack.

In the first community ed novel writing class I attended, the instructor taped people pictures on the whiteboard. She told us to each pick a picture to craft a story around. I asked if I could pick two, since I knew I wanted to write a romance. (I was surprised I was the only romance enthusiast. I had so much to learn.)

I claimed two pictures, and started inventing descriptions of my new characters’ personalities. By the end of the class, I was able to pitch a credible basic plot. I was hooked!

Since then, I’ve not focused on the picture method, mainly because my magazine subscriptions are for news or farming. I might glance at Sunset and People in the dentist’s office, but feel guilty about ripping out a page or two.

I know my WIP characters very well after five years of writing. But when I start my next story, I plan to make a collage of my hero, heroine, and villain, and maybe my main secondary characters.

Essential details of appearance are:

Height
Body type
Face
Color of hair, skin and eyes
How the eyes react to various situations: open wide? Narrow? Dart here and there? Avoid?
Same with the speech. Is she verbose or reticent? Use big words or stammer? Curse, repeat, yes sir a lot? Repeated phrases? Honey, sugar, or baby doll said affectionately or insultingly?
Any scars, moles, dimples, weird eyebrows, big earlobes?
Size and shape of hands and feet
Breasts / chest, hips
Length and size of arms and legs
Choice of clothing
How he walks
Posture
Personal hygiene
What s/he does while waiting in a line.

Donald Maas says a lead character should have:
1. courage
2. virtue
3. likeability
4. competence

Body type and appearance can impact these four qualities.
Let the cutting and pasting begin!

Friday Friend - Katheryn Lane

2011-10-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

Please welcome today's Friday Friend, Katheryn Lane.

Katheryn has lived and worked all over the world, including the USA, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. As a result she has no clear idea of where she is really from! She is currently working full-time as a teacher, mother and a wife, but somehow she also finds time to be a part-time writer as well. ‘The Royal Sheikh’ is her first book, a contemporary romance inspired by her experience of living in the Middle East. In her free time (on the rare occasion that she has any!) she loves to lose herself in a good book.

Happy Endings

‘ . . . and they lived happily ever after’ is the classic ending of any good fairytale. It is also the classic ending to any romance novel and though it is phrased in more varied language, the meaning is the same: the boy gets the girl (or nowadays, the girl gets the boy) and they are united together in their love for each other after having overcome many tests and challenges. But why is this? Why do romances always have that happily ever after ending?

Firstly, romance stories are types of fairy tales in which good overcomes evil and love conquers all. Both fairytales and romances have an enduring appeal because of this as they reinforce our hope that love will win the day and that despite all the hardships that are suffered, life is essentially good and fair. Like fairytales, romances show us that despite the many trials and tribulations that are thrown our way (whether it’s the big bad wolf, or a simple misunderstanding between two people), the power of love will find a way to overcome these obstacles, beat the odds and enable us to find happiness.

Secondly, even though we know that life is often not fair, the guaranteed happy ending in romances gives us a bit of escapism. In real life there are too many unhappy endings due to illness, death and divorce, not to mention infidelity, unrequited love and forced separation. Reading a good romance provides us with a bit of fantasy and a pleasurable escape. Even when we aren’t confronted with the bigger problems in life, romances give us an easy way to get away from some of the more miserable aspects of our existence such as the weather, having to get up at 5.00am for work (in my case!) and the price of the weekly shopping bill. Romances have the power to bring some joy into our lives. Without the happy ever after ending, a romance novel would turn into a tragedy and if that is what we wanted to read, we would pick up a copy of ‘Wuthering Heights’ or ‘The English Patient’ instead.

Thirdly, as we read a romance we become attached to the central characters and there is nothing like the satisfaction of seeing them, like good friends, coming together at last and finding true happiness. Personally as a writer, I want my characters to be happy by the time I leave them at the end of the story and I would feel guilty if I didn’t. If I left them apart at the close of the final chapter I would feel that my story was unfinished and I am sure that my readers would feel cheated. In the same way, readers of an Agatha Christie mystery would feel cheated if Miss Marple failed to solve the crime by the end of the book and the mystery finished with her saying that she has absolutely no idea who did it.

I am sure that there are many more reasons why romances have that happily ever after ending, but for me these are the main ones and they are why I love reading and writing romance.

Katheryn, thank you so much for being with us today. Having read and enjoyed 'The Royal Sheikh' while I was holiday last week, I don't think I'm giving too much of a spoiler by saying that of course it has a happy and satisfying ending!

‘The Royal Sheikh’ is available from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052ZIQEK/ref=cm_sw_r_fa_alp_yp66nb1E1F8RJ

and Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/72684

Follow Katheryn online at Twitter: http://twitter.com/KatherynLane

Like her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/KatherynLane.Author

Read what she’s up to at the moment: http://katheryn-lane.blogspot.com

Kinesics - Using Body Language in your Novels

2011-10-24T01:31:00.000-07:00

Kinesics is the interpretation of body language i.e. the movement of the body as a whole or any part of the body. The term was first used in 1952 by Ray Birdwhistell, an anthropologist, who argued that all movements of the body have meaning and that these non-verbal forms of language can be analysed.

Of course we’re all aware of how different facial expressions can reveal a person’s feelings. There are seven universally recognized emotions shown through facial expressions: fear, anger, surprise, contempt, disgust, happiness, and sadness. I would suggest there are many more – concentration, desire, joy, frustration and confusion are just a few that come to mind. As writers, it’s our job to show our characters’ feelings – not by statements such as ‘She felt confused’ but by showing her confusion as in ‘Her nose wrinkled and the crease between her brows deepened as she looked from Sam to John and then back again.’

Eyes and mouth probably play the largest part in showing feelings – contrast the widening eyes of interest with the rolling eyes of frustration, and the tight-lipped smile with the pursed lips. Eye-contact (or lack of it) can also reveal a whole range of different feelings.

The movement of the head as a whole is important too. Nodding signifies agreement, slow head nodding shows attentiveness, fast head nodding can show impatience, and there’s a world of difference between the head held high and the head down.

The position of the arms can signify different things, and of course the hands have their own language, whether it’s clenched fists, cracking knuckles or fidgeting with a pen or wineglass.

Leg positions can sometimes be influenced by gender. Men and women do tend to sit differently. Partly due to clothing, partly due to sexual differences, men naturally exhibit more open leg positions than women, but there are still accepted interpretations of leg position. The figure-4 leg cross with the supporting leg being crossed just above the knee by the ankle of the or lower calf of the crossing leg signifies independence. With a hand clamped over the ankle of the crossing leg, it can reveal stubbornness since the hand produces a locked position, reflecting the mood of the person.

Even the position of people in relation to each other can be interesting. Sitting opposite another person can create a feeling of confrontation, which is intensified if there is a table of desk between you and the other person. Of course, sitting opposite across a table can be fine for lovers who gaze into each other’s eyes!

Studying kinesics can help us to use the right expressions, gestures, movement or body positions to reveal the emotions of our characters.

One the best articles I have read on the subject can be found at http://www.businessballs.com/body-language.htm This gives lots of examples, but also points out that body-language is not an exact science, and that a single body language signal cannot be considered a reliable indicator.

Welcome to Ann Gimpel

2011-10-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

Please welcome our latest Friday Friend, Ann Gimpel. Ann is a clinical psychologist with a Jungian bent who practices in a very isolated area high in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. Avocations include mountaineering, skiing, wilderness photography, and, of course, writing. A lifelong aficionado of the unusual, she began writing speculative fiction a few years ago. Her short stories have appeared in The Absent Willow Review, The Aurora Wolf Literary Journal, Aurora of the Dawn (anthology), Title Goes Here, America the Horrific (anthology due out in October 2011) and Cover of Darkness (anthology due out in November 2011). Her debut novel, Psyche’s Prophecy was released in March of 2011 by Gypsy Shadow Publishing, a small press. Psyche’s Search, book two of the series, is slated for release in October or November 2011.

Why I Don’t Want to Grow Up—Not Ever

Do you remember back to when you were really young? When the boogeyman lived under the bed, or in the back of the closet? And your mom told you he’d get you if you didn’t finish your peas. There was that little frisson of fear that would scuttle down your spine. Part of you knew things like boogeymen didn’t really exist—or did they? The possibility that they might added an edgy, exciting dimension to things.

I sometimes wonder if the box age (you know, the one that started with television and ended with computers and smartphones) hasn’t shifted that sense of wonder we who grew up in the fifties and sixties used to have. There were mysteries when I was a kid and no internet to race to in a hunt for answers. So, some mysteries remained just that. And that was fine. It was all right that some things had no answers; that you just sort of took it on faith that there were at least a few things that couldn’t be dissected into their component parts.

So, what does all this have to do with writing? Authors, really good ones, are able to transport you to another world. It doesn’t have to be a far-fetched science fiction or fantasy world like the ones I frequently write about, but it does have to have enough in the way of world-building to anchor you in the writer’s imaginal process. Reading is an escape and if the world inside the book isn’t sufficiently enticing, you’ll put it down and move on to something that captivates you.

As a sidebar, I’d like to say a couple of things about the imaginal world. Like, for example, what it is. On its simplest level, it’s where we go in our imaginations. For many artists though, this place can turn into a multi-faceted experience. Once they asked Nijinsky what was in his head as he danced. His response was, “I am sitting in the front row watching myself.”

What I think he meant by that was he was able to split his conscious mind into two parts: the part keeping his agile body balanced through the amazing, gravity-defying twirls and jumps he did on stage, and a more cognitive part choreographing his next moves. Because what he did had a physical element, the marriage of his physical and intellectual selves was his link to the imaginal world and the basis for his genius.

How does the imaginal world pan out for writers since it’s a far less physically demanding artistic pursuit? I can only speak for myself, but when I’m deep into a story, my head is so full it’s difficult to stop writing to come down to start dinner. And when I do, God help the poor, hapless family member who actually tries to talk to me because I’m not living in twenty-first century America at that moment. Nope, I’m running alongside my characters as they sketch out their next moves in a sort of parallel universe. Terry Brooks once said something like, “In this business, if you tell your muse to go away, you never know when you’ll see her again. Or if.”

I’ve been writing long enough now that I trust the muse will return. It’s simply a matter of when. Problem is, if I skitter out of the imaginal world back to the other one, I get grumpy because it’s not where I want to be. I suppose I’m happiest when the story just keeps on unfolding and I find myself letting pretty much everything else go to hell as I spend hours and days at the keyboard before coming up for air. I’ve always been grateful for my tolerant family. They’re my first beta readers, my biggest critics and my greatest advocates. Long hours on the trail in the backcountry help too. I’ve written lots of short stories in my head on those journeys and gotten the underpinnings for a novel as well. Solitude is my key. It stokes my imagination. Doesn’t take much to bring me back to being a five or six year old kid wondering if tonight is the night the monster will spin out of the closet.

Which circles back to the title of this blog post. Children are born with wonderful imaginations that we set about drumming out of them practically from the time they can talk. There’s nothing wrong with something hiding in the closet, or a magical staircase rising up just there next to the window.

We live in an age that is antithetical to mystery, and because we want everything explained to within an inch of its life; it is also an age that is antithetical to imagination. Without imagination, it becomes progressively harder to lose oneself in books or anything else. I think the fix is to read more, especially to children. Teach them to love books. Let them regale you with fantastic tales about dragons and wizards. Read them The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Pull out the Narnia Chronicles. There’s something irresistible about a magic door in the back of a wardrobe leading to a whole other world. I just finished Lev Grossman’s Magician Kings and it has a definite C.S. Lewis feel about it. Probably why it was a best seller. They don’t access Fillory from a wardrobe, but one of the many routes into that magical land is through a grandfather clock.

This is getting too long, so I’ll wrap up. Find the Alice in Wonderland door in your own mind. Revel in the unexplained. Grab onto a dream and make it real for yourself. Take a couple of really deep breaths and tell your best friend how much you love them. Read to your kids and grandkids. And never lose your sense of wonder.

Cover Blurb: Psyche’s Prophecy

What if your psychotherapist could really see into your soul? Picture all those secrets lying hidden, perhaps squirming a bit, just out of view. Would you invite your analyst to take a peek behind that gossamer curtain? Read your aura? Scry your future…?

Classically trained at the Jung Institute in Zurich, Doctor Lara McInnis has a special gift that helps her with her patients. Born with “the sight” she can read auras, while flirting with a somewhat elusive ability to foretell the future. Lara becomes alarmed when several of her patients—and a student or two—tell her about the same cataclysmic dream. Reaching out to the Institute for answers, Lara’s paranormal ability sounds a sharp warning and she runs up hard against a dead end. Her search for assistance leads her to a Sidhe and ancient Celtic rituals blaze their way into her life. Complicating the picture is a deranged patient who’s been hell bent on destroying Lara ever since she tried to help his abused wife, a boyfriend with a long-buried secret and a society that’s crumbling to dust as shortages of everything from electricity to food escalate.

Excerpt from Psyche’s Prophecy:

Chapter One
Lara McInnis fidgeted in the ginger-colored overstuffed chair taking up most of one corner of her cozy psychotherapy office. Schooling her face to neutrality, she tried to gin up some energy to support her quarreling clients. Bethany Beauchamp wasn’t saying all that much, though; and her husband was cataloging her faults, clicking them off one by one on his fat fingers. Wonder why they really wanted to come here? Lara asked herself, searching for an opportunity to intervene. Aha, there it was.
“Mister Beauchamp,” she murmured, voice pitched purposefully low so he’d have to stop talking in order to hear her.
“Yes, what?” He sounded irritated, voice scratchy from too many cigarettes. “You interrupted me.”
“Yes, I know. But I was interested in what you were saying and I didn’t quite catch that last part before I, um, interrupted. Might you be so kind as to repeat it for me?” Oh-oh. Watch the sarcasm.
Ken Beauchamp straightened self-importantly in his chair, carefully slicking back a couple of mouse-brown hairs that had fallen out of place in his too-careful comb over. Uncrossing short, chubby legs encased in expensive suiting, he turned so he could look right at her with close-set blue eyes. Broken blood vessels along the sides of his nose suggested a far-too-intimate relationship with alcoholic beverages.
“We pay you quite well. The least you could do is be attentive,” he complained, an unpleasant whiny note in his voice.
She nodded, offering a silent invitation to speak to her rather than to his wife who looked exhausted. Bethany’s eight-month pregnancy dragged at her tall, slender frame and dark smudges under her hazel eyes detracted from her showgirl beauty. Light auburn hair fell in limp curls to her shoulders. Though only in her early thirties, today she looked ten years older.
After an imperceptible pause Ken took the bait and, rather than repeating his last statement as requested, he started in on Lara. “Well, Doctor, you’ve been late for our appointments twice out of the ten we’ve scheduled. None of the things you’ve suggested work and our marriage isn’t any better than it was the day we walked in here.” He sat back in his chair, a smug smile on his florid face.
“Which things have you tried?” It was difficult to keep her features pleasant. She was coming to detest Ken Beauchamp and suspected his wife felt much the same. Stealing a glance at her other patient, Lara noticed Bethany seemed to be trying not to cry. Reaching over, Lara handed her the box of Kleenex she always kept next to her chair. “Mister Beauchamp?” she urged. “What things have you tried? I need to know so I can work with you to figure out what might be more effective.” Or, so I can find an excuse to refer you to another therapist.
Ken’s face reddened even more. “I’m sure we’ve tried some of them,” he said defensively. Shifting his bulky body around in his chair, he shot his uncomfortable wife an intimidating look. “Beth, the good doctor here is asking what we’ve tried.”
Withering under her husband’s knife-like stare, Bethany burst into tears, choking on the word, “N-nothing,” as she buried her face in her hands. Outside of her soft sobbing, the corner office, morning sun streaming through leaded-glass window panes, was absolutely silent.
Lara leaned forward, her dark luminous eyes moving from Ken to Bethany. “It’s like I told both of you when you first came here, I can’t fix your marriage. Only you can do that. But, for there to be any improvement, you have to be willing to listen to one another. We’re nearly at the end of today’s hour, but frankly there’s not much reason for you to spend your money coming here week after week just so I can listen to you argue and try to referee. Go home and have an honest discussion this morning while everything’s still fresh. Figure out if you really want to continue seeing me. If the answer is ‘yes’, call me and come on back next week. If the answer is ‘no’, well . . .” She let her last words hang in the air, realizing she was hoping to never have to see Mister Beauchamp again.
“Uh, here.” Ken rustled around in an inner jacket pocket coming up with a well-creased piece of paper. “Sign this.”
Taking the paper from him, she flipped it open. Damn the man. He’d been court-ordered to attend marriage counseling and he hadn’t told her. In fact, neither of them had. Fuming, she hastily checked the box verifying attendance at ten sessions, signed the document and handed it back to him. “You should have told me, Mister Beauchamp. We might have done things a bit differently.” We sure would have, since I never accept court-referred clients. He just looked at her as he snatched up the paper, a feral smile adding a malevolent note to his already-unattractive face.
“Thank you, Doctor McInnis.” Bethany’s voice was still clotted with tears as she planted her feet beneath her ample belly, then struggled to her feet. Standing, Lara held out her hand and Bethany latched onto it like a lifeline. The two women looked down at Ken who hadn’t made the slightest effort to leave his chair. He was chewing on his lower lip, his face the color of a boiled lobster.
Acting on impulse, Lara let go of Bethany’s hand and gestured to her. “I’ll just walk your wife down to the ladies’ room, Mister Beauchamp, so she can put some cold water on her face. She’ll meet you at the car.”
Pulling the office door open, she exchanged a meaningful glance with her receptionist. “Arabel, could you please see Mister Beauchamp out?”
Without waiting for a reply, she took Bethany’s elbow, pushing her out into the hallway. As soon as they were safely out of the office, Lara turned to Bethany. “He hurts you, doesn’t he?” Her voice was the barest of whispers as she remembered the little she’d been able to drag out of Ken about his obscenely violent childhood.
A single tear leaked from one of Bethany’s eyes as she mumbled, “I, uh, can’t, um, shouldn’t . . .” They had reached the bathroom and were both inside the tiny enclosure. Lara waited, regarding her patient intently with well-honed inner senses. But Bethany maintained an edgy silence, the ragged, darkened edges of her aura radiating a gloomy melancholy. Probing with her psychic side, Lara suddenly knew much of what the woman was unwilling to divulge. And then—as was often the case when she used her gift—she wished she’d left well enough alone.
Reaching into a pocket of her plaid wool skirt, Lara pulled out a pen and one of her cards, scribbling a number on the back. “If things get bad, make an excuse, any excuse. Tell him you’re going out for a walk. Bring your cell phone and call this number. They help women like you.”
Bethany’s hand snaked out and she took the card; then a frantic look washed over her. “But what if he finds the number?” she whimpered.
“It doesn’t matter. They won’t talk to him.” Lara laid a hand on Bethany’s arm. “You probably need to get down to your car. Maybe you could come in and talk to me by yourself.”
“He’d never let me.” Dull voice matching her dead eyes, Bethany let herself out into the corridor and began walking, with the awkward gait of the very-pregnant, towards the stairs.
Back in her office, Lara stopped at Arabel’s desk. “Who else do I have today?”
Hooking her thumb out the door, Arabel asked, “What’s up with them? The mister, he seemed pretty put out. For a minute there I didn’t think I was gonna git him out of the office.”
“You know I can’t discuss patients with you, dear. Or, at least we have to pretend we don’t talk about them.” Lara smiled fondly at the elderly Black woman who had been her sole office help for over twenty years. Arabel was dressed in her usual white blouse, navy gabardine skirt and black flats. An ancient maroon sweater hung over the back of her secretarial chair. Hair in a modified mostly-gray afro, she had a piquant sense of humor and a quick temper that was sparking from her nearly-black eyes.
“Hmmmmph . . .” Arabel bristled, mouth twisted into a frown. “You know I got nobody I’d be tellin’ anything to. Never have.”
“Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to your feelings.” Lara held out a conciliatory hand. “Truce?”
Arabel cocked her head to one side, the corners of her mouth twitching as she reached up to shake hands. “Truce. Never could stay mad at you. Not for long, anyways.” Turning back to the computer, she brought up the day’s schedule on the monitor. “David Roth cancelled, so you’re free till one thirty. Then you got folk packed in here till close to eight.”
Lara walked around the desk so she could look at the screen. Groaning audibly, she glanced at her watch. “Okay, I’m going to swing by the gym and then grab some lunch. Call me if anything comes up.”
“You got it.” Arabel’s voice followed Lara into her office where she grabbed her purse and her BlackBerry, locked her client file drawers and let herself out the back door.
Lara’s office was in an old, pale blue Victorian on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. She’d bought the building for a song about ten years before because someone had thought there were problems with the foundation. There had been some structural deficiencies, but they’d proven relatively trivial to fix. Split into four offices, her building was home to an architect and a CPA on the first floor, and herself and a psychiatrist on the second. Walking through a carpet of leaves that had fallen off the Madrona trees thickly lining East Avenue, Lara hit the clicker and heard the answering chirp from her nearby BMW.
As she drove, Lara thought about the Beauchamps. She’d spent an unusually long time—at least the first five sessions—gathering a history from them. One problem had been Ken’s reticence to disclose much of anything. Persistence and caginess had paid off, though, and he’d told her far more than he’d meant to about the French-Irish gang-affiliated father who’d turned him out as a child prostitute at the age of eight. His mother had abandoned the family when he was so young he had no memories of her at all, just oodles of anger Lara suspected he generalized to all women . . . including her. By contrast, Bethany’s meager life story had tumbled out with very little prodding. Not that hers read much better than her husband’s.
Fears for Bethany nagged at her. “What if they want to come back?” she asked herself softly. “Should I see them?” Pulling into the parking lot for her fitness center, Lara knew she’d turn that question over in her mind as she moved through her workout. Once she lost her objectivity—and any empathy she’d tried to develop for Ken had long since evaporated—it became progressively more difficult to work with clients. She’d learned some hard lessons over the years, including that it was usually better to cut the cord sooner rather than later.
“Hi Tony!” Dropping her membership card onto the glass countertop, she snagged the proffered key and towel from the tall well-sculpted front desk attendant and headed down the lushly carpeted stairs.
“Have a good workout, Doc! Power’s on today so all the machines are available,” Tony’s throaty voice trailed after her.
Pulling her longish coppery hair into a snug ponytail, she was just pocketing her locker key when she heard her phone trilling its Bach Etude. Wrinkling her forehead in irritation, she stuffed the key back into its hole, retrieved the phone and barked, “Doctor McInnis,” without bothering to look at the screen.
“Hey there, Lara. It’s me.” The clipped British accent of Trevor, her long time, live-in lover, came through the tinny cellular system. “Sorry to bother you, love, but the power’s off again . . . at least on Queen Anne Hill.” He paused. “Thought you’d want to know.”
She found she was gripping the plastic of her BlackBerry. “Again? But that’s the third time since, let’s see, last Wednesday. How long did they say this time? Or did they? Or did you even call? What about the food in the freezer?” She stopped abruptly, realizing her voice had become unnecessarily shrill. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m just worried, that’s all.”
“I know, I know. That’s why I called you.” There was a hesitation. “Guess I’m worried too, and I just wanted someone to talk to.”
She closed her eyes, summoning an image of him with his Nordic features and summer-blue eyes. He was a flight attendant for KLM airlines, which meant he only worked about fifteen days each month. She’d met him ages ago on a return flight from Europe where she’d been completing the last leg of her analytic training at the Jung Institute in Zurich. Exhausted from a grueling six weeks of seeing patients, she’d been half-asleep in her narrow airline seat and he’d solicitously brought her tea and cookies. Lara wasn’t quite sure how it had happened, but he’d come home with her that night and they’d been together ever since. Those first few years had been more than a bit rocky. In fact, she’d run screaming from their home a time or two, so she wouldn’t kill him on the spot. But something indefinable—in fact she still didn’t truly understand what it was—had always drawn her back.
Sinking into one of the wicker chairs in a corner of the locker room, she felt a less-than-vague sense of unease tugging at her. “What do you think it means? Have you any idea?” There was a very long silence, so long she finally said, “Trev, you still there?”
“Yes, Lara, I am.” His accent was more pronounced, so she knew he was debating whether or not to give voice to his thoughts. Finally, he blurted, “I think we’re really running out of oil this time. Not like all those other times when the government stock-piled it and then released it after the price sky-rocketed. You wouldn’t know about this, since you’re such a news-phobe and I gas up the cars, but it was really hard to find petrol last month. Damned near impossible, actually.
“If what I suspect is true, everything that takes oil to run will eventually go tits-up.” He paused to draw what sounded like a frazzled breath before adding, “We might have been all right here in the northwest with all our hydroelectric power, except the rest of the country’s been draining power off our grid to compensate for their shortages. That’s been in all the papers since our state lawmakers have been kicking up a fuss in D.C. Anyway,” his voice was brusque, “I’m cooking up what I can from the freezer. We can talk more about this when you come home. If you get any breaks today, think about how you’d feel if we had to leave the city. Whoops, my cell’s ringing. See you tonight.”
Slipping her phone back into her locker, Lara walked towards the aerobics room and jumped on one of the elliptical trainers. She wanted to come to some decision about Bethany and her husband, but the conversation with Trevor kept intruding. Damn it, she thought irritably. He hung up before I could even react to that whole doomsday scenario he laid out. Hmmmmph! Probably didn’t want to give me a chance to talk him out of it. Meantime, I’m supposed to think about leaving the city? Where the hell would we go?
Mopping at sweat that was trickling down her face, Lara glanced at her reflection in the mirrors covering almost every wall. Staring back at her was a tall, too-thin redhead with freckles covering every inch of exposed skin. Her angular face, with its prominent nose and chin, glistened in the reflected light. Moving to the treadmill, she set it for six-and-a-half miles an hour and ran hard for ten minutes. Gasping, she slowly backed off on the speed, while increasing the angle. Ten minutes after that, she sucked down what felt like a quart of water from the drinking fountain and stopped by the squat rack to do three sets. Finishing with twenty pull-ups, she headed for the locker room and the showers.
Briskly toweling off, she felt animated and dynamic, the problems with power outages and the Ken Beauchamps of the world temporarily pushed to a back burner. Nothing like a few endorphins, she told herself, inhaling deeply. Making plans to get a smoothie-to-go with extra protein powder from the small on-site restaurant, she contemplated the afternoon’s lineup of patients.
Out of the six scheduled, there was one analytic client, two angry teenagers: a cutter and a bulimic, another couple and two lonely, middle-aged women, one depressed, the other anxious. Too bad it’s unethical to introduce patients to one another . . . outside of a therapy group that is. Lara chuckled softly to herself. She loved doing analytic work, but there weren’t many who really wanted to delve that deeply into themselves. Not to mention the cost. For analysis to be truly effective, patients needed to come three, or even four, times a week. “Magic theater, not for everyone,” she mumbled as she picked up her smoothie, a tofu bar and some green tea before heading for her car. The sun, an elusive phenomenon in Seattle, was nowhere in sight and it was raining lightly. While not cold, the day held some of the crispness typical of mid-October. Her phone chimed again but she ignored it, figuring she’d be back at her office in less than five minutes.
* * *
“Can you tell me what goes on inside you before you start cutting?” Lara took in the overweight seventeen-year-old, sitting catty-corner from her, arms and legs covered with a network of fine white scars from years of self-mutilation. Caren would have been attractive, with her silky black hair and porcelain skin, were it not for the miasma of absolute misery emanating outwards from her like a spider’s web set to trap the unwary. The girl had been coming to therapy for a month, but had been steadfastly unwilling to divulge anything.
“I suppose I could tell you, but I don’t really want to,” the teenager spat. “You don’t care about me. You see me because my stepmother pays you. This is nothing but a fucking waste of time.” Folding her arms across her chest, she stared defiantly at Lara.
Lara watched her patient intently. Caren squirmed in her chair, eyes glued to the floor. “Caren, would you look at me, please?”
“Why?” The girl sounded sullen.
“Because I want you to see I’m telling you the truth when I say I do care about you. You’ve had a perfectly rotten life and you have every right not to trust anybody.”
Caren risked a sidelong glance at her. “How do you know anything about my life? I haven’t told you very much.”
Lara was silent for several seconds. Even without her ability to read auras, she’d have been able to figure out a likely script for Caren’s early life: molested, physically abused and emotionally neglected. “What we really need to talk about is a plan so you have something to do besides carving on yourself when you feel bad. Once we can come up with that, we can talk about anything you’d like.”
“Can I take a bathroom break?”
Lara nodded. “Second door on the left outside of my office.” Watching the teenager leave, she wondered if she’d made a mistake. What if she has razors with her and cuts herself in my bathroom? How do I explain that to her parents? Making a conscientious effort to breathe, Lara glanced at her watch deciding to give Caren five minutes before going after her. Trying to summon her elusive ability to predict future events, she came up dry while wishing fervently there was a shaman somewhere who could teach her about her psychic abilities. “Yes, but first you have to be willing to tell people you can do those things,” she muttered. “You’ve always been afraid they’d cart you off to the loony bin.”
With just ten seconds to spare, Caren sidled back through the door. She had a mulish look on her face and Lara knew her young patient would bolt if given the slightest excuse.
“Thanks for coming back,” Lara offered, attempting to soothe the alienated girl.
“Thanks for trusting me to leave.” Caren resettled herself in one of the comfortable chairs across from Lara. The barest of smiles ghosted across her face and she took a deep breath. “This is really hard to talk about . . .”
“Yes, I know. But nothing you say leaves here.”
“That’s almost not the point,” the teenager mumbled, twisting in her chair. “Talking makes it hurt more.”
Lara nodded and, as she looked at Caren, scenes flashed quickly, one after the other: a woman holding a small screaming girl down then doing unspeakable things, brutal beatings, cigarettes pressed into tender flesh. Lara closed her eyes, sucking down a surreptitious ragged breath. “Yes, it does hurt to talk about it,” she agreed. “But that’s the only way out. If you keep everything bottled up inside, you’ll just keep cutting . . . The first part is always hardest. After that it won’t be quite so bad.”
“How can you know that?” Caren risked a sideways glance at her.
“’Cause I’ve done this for a long time.” Lara paused. “And I’ve got no reason to lie to you.”
Caren raised crystalline-blue eyes and Lara saw a scared little girl, living behind teenaged bravado, desperately wanting to trust someone . . . anyone, but frightened half out of her mind at taking that first small step. After a very long time, Caren began hesitantly, in a voice so low Lara had to strain to hear her. “It feels like I have to cut or something terrible will happen. I try to fight it, but I always lose . . .”
“What do the voices that live in your head tell you?”
“How do you know about them?” Caren sounded rattled. Fear flitted across her face; and she folded her arms protectively across her chest. “I didn’t tell you . . .”
“Because everybody who cuts has voices that tell them things, before they tell them to cut. It’s okay to talk to me about them. The voices don’t mean you’re crazy.”
Caren’s eyes closed. Her head dropped back against the chair. As Lara watched, one tear escaped, rolling down the girl’s pale face. Time passed. Lara knew it was impossible to force anyone to reveal their secrets. Clients had to come to an inner juncture where they believed the pain of disclosure would be worth the risk. Fleetingly, she thought about how lonely and isolated the teenager must be. Just like I was . . .
“Doctor McInnis?” Caren’s voice was thready, almost not there at all.
“Yes, dear.”
“You said everybody who cuts has voices telling them things. Have you helped other people like me?”
Lara nodded, then realized Caren couldn’t see her because her eyes were still closed. “Yes,” she said simply. “I have.”
“Did they stop cutting?”
“Some of them did.”
The girl seemed to consider this. She opened her eyes, shiny with unshed tears, and looked pleadingly at Lara. “You must be telling me the truth,” she said in a choked voice.
“How can you tell?” Lara smiled gently and, she hoped, encouragingly.
“Otherwise you would have told me all your other stupid, fucked-up cutter patients got well.”
“You’re not stupid, or fucked-up.”
“Yes, I am. And fat and ugly too.” Caren was struggling not to cry.
“That’s what the voices tell you, isn’t it?”
Caren nodded miserably, giving in to a flood of emotion.
“It’s all right,” Lara murmured. “Cry. This is a good place for your tears. Here’s more Kleenex. I think you’re courageous. Maybe we can re-program those voices to say good things.”
Caren shook her head vehemently. “Nothing good . . . never.” The words choked out between sobs.
“I want you to take a few deep breaths,” Lara urged, waiting for the girl’s emotional storm to subside. “Now I want you to listen, just listen. None of what happened to you was your fault. And it doesn’t matter how I know.” Lara held up a hand to still Caren’s protests. “You were a child. None of those things happened because you were fat or ugly or stupid. They happened because your caregivers were sadly damaged . . .”

Cover Blurb: Psyche’s Search

Born with the sight, Laura McInnis is ambivalent about her paranormal ability. Oh it’s useful enough some of the time with her psychotherapy patients. But mostly it’s an embarrassment and an inconvenience—especially when her visions drag her to other worlds. Or into Goblin dens. In spite of escalating violence, incipient food shortages and frequent power blackouts, Lara is still far too attached to the comfortable life she shares with her boyfriend, Trevor, a flight attendant who lost his job when aviation fuel got so expensive—and so scarce—his airline went out of business. Forced to seek assistance to hone her unusual abilities in Psyche’s Prophecy, Book I of this series, Lara is still quite the neophyte in terms of either summoning or bending her magic to do much of anything.

Reluctantly roped into channeling her unpredictable psychic talents to help a detective who saved her from a psychopathic killer, Lara soon finds herself stranded in the murky underbelly of a world inhabited by demons. The Sidhe offer hope, but they are so high-handed Lara stubbornly resists their suggestions. Riots, death on all sides, a mysterious accident and one particular demon targeting her, push Lara to make some hard decisions. When all seems lost, the Dreaming, nestled in the heart of Celtic magic, calls out to her. Heeding its summons brings sorrow, while opening the gates to a new life.

Ann can be reached at the following:

Website: www.anngimpel.com

Blog: http://anngimpel.blogspot.com

FB: www.facebook.com/anngimpel.author

Twitter: @AnnGimpel

Autobiographical? Not!

2011-10-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

One of the questions I get asked a lot by readers is whether there is anything from my own life in my books. I’m not sure if it’s because I write romance and they’re trying to figure out if I’m writing about my own sex life, or if they’re wondering whether they should be picturing me as the heroine or what. Perhaps every author gets asked this question, although the question is a lot less voyeuristic if the author writes some other genre. However, I’m going to choose the high road and assume they’re just curious about how I come up with the things in my stories.

I’ve actually given this a lot of thought. No, my stories are not autobiographical, but there are definitely parts of me in them. For example, in my book, A Heart of Little Faith, the heroine describes a scene from her childhood, when she used to pretend her dad’s back was a pizza pie. She’d roll out the dough, sprinkle on the cheese, pat on the toppings, swish on the sauce and her dad would get a great back rub in the process. It’s a cute scene and something I took from my own experience when I was about three years old.

In my upcoming book, Skin Deep, the hero and heroine go to the racetrack with the heroine’s family on Thanksgiving weekend. That scene is pulled directly from my childhood, including the mom’s betting strategy (borrowed from my great-grandmother)—you’ll have to read it to find out what that is—which is the most successful of everyone’s!

What about the heroine? Is she me? No, she’s not. None of my heroines are me. They might have qualities that I wish I had; sometimes they’re a mixture of a number of people. Sometimes they’re reflections of who I wish I could be. But they’re not me.

And the hero? Nope, not my husband either. Not that I’m saying my husband is less than perfect. But he’s mine. I don’t want the hero to be him. I want the hero to be different. Occasionally the hero is a combination of a number of actors I see on TV (George Clooney’s smile, for example). My romances are escapist. While I might ask my husband about a male perspective on something so that I can be sure to get a conversation right or a characterization accurate, my heroes are not my husband.

One of my favorite authors, Lynn Kurland, has said that her villains are a mixture of her ex-boyfriends. I love that! So what about you? What’s the inspiration for your stories?

Welcome to Friday Friend Sarah Grimm

2011-10-07T03:11:00.000-07:00

We are so delighted to have award winning author Sarah Grimm with us today as part of her extensive After Midnight tour. Sarah will be giving away a PDF copy of her new release to one lucky commenter, so be sure to leave your contact information for a chance to win.

Sarah, welcome to Heroines with Hearts!

Tell us about yourself.
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I have notebooks filled with poems, story ideas, and partial chapters from as far back as age five. As a young girl, I always told stories. Sometimes they were funny, other times scary, but they always ended, and I mean always, happily-ever-after.

I live in West Michigan, along the shores of Lake Michigan, with my husband of 19 years, two teenage sons, three miniature schnauzers and a guinea pig. Oh, and until I find it a new home, a kitten I rescued from the side of the highway. I write sizzling, dangerously sexy contemporary romance and romantic suspense—no intimacy hidden “behind closed doors” in my books. With me you get detailed, explicit love scenes. You’ve been warned.
(I say bring them on...no warning needed!)

Tell us about After Midnight.
After Midnight is a contemporary romance now available from The Wild Rose Press. It’s a tortured heroine story—yes, heroine. The tale of piano phenom turned bar owner Isabeau Montgomery, and how one night, after midnight, her entire world changed.
Here’s the official blurb:
Thirteen years—that's how long Isabeau Montgomery has been living a lie. After an automobile accident took her mother's life, Izzy hid herself away, surviving the only way she knew how. Now she is happy in her carefully reconstructed life. That is until he walks through the door of her bar...

Black Phoenix singer/front man Noah Clark came to Long Island City with a goal--one that doesn't include an instant, electric attraction to the dark-haired beauty behind the bar. Coaxing her into his bed won't be easy, but he can't get her pale, haunted eyes nor her skill on the piano out of his head.

Can Noah help Isabeau overcome the past? Or will her need to protect her secret force her back into hiding and destroy their chance at happiness?

You have quite a lengthy tour put together for this release. How did that come about?
I think I suffered a mental lapse the day I decided to put this blog tour together. LOL Seriously, though, I’ve hosted a few tours on my own site and it seemed like a fun way to spread the word about a new release. I chose to do it myself instead of signing on with a promotions coordinator—and boy, did I underestimate just how much work was entailed! Thank God I have great friends who were willing to pull me back to earth during those panicky moments before I got everything together.
If you want to see just how large an undertaking I’m tackling, all of my tour stops are listed here:
http://authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/p/after-midnight-blog-tour_23.html

What got you interested in writing?
My overactive imagination? The voices in my head? Honestly, I’m not certain I can pin down exactly what got me interested in writing, as it seems like I’ve been writing since I was in utero. Okay, so maybe that’s a stretch, but I know I’ve been reading and writing since the age of five, when my older sister taught me to read and write.
If I were to hazard a guess, I would have to say my love of reading is what got me interested in writing. I’ve never been able to read a book without picking out parts that I would have written differently, or without rewriting the ending in my head.

What comes first, plot or characters?
A lot of writers begin a story idea with plot, into which they insert characters. I’m the opposite. Characters have always come first for me. One day the hero (usually the hero) will stroll into my head, take a seat and begin talking. My job is to scribble down what he says, and then weave that conversation into a tale of happily-ever-after.

What is the hardest part of writing?
Finding the time. Between my day job, the part time work I do for my husband’s business, being a mom of two teenage sons and three dogs…sometimes days go by where I’ve barely had enough to time sit down and unwind, let alone become engrossed in the world of my characters. Spring and Summer are the busiest times of the year for me, though, so things are slowing down and my need to get back to the keyboard grows stronger every day.

Any advice for new writers?
Never let anyone or anything stand in the way of your dreams. When someone says you can’t do something, go out and do it anyway. Prove them wrong! Criticism hurts, and no matter who you are or the amount of talent you may have, at some point we all receive criticism. It’s inevitable. The only thing you can do is hold your head high and keep moving forward. Do. Not. Give. Up. Whatever your dream, go out and grab it!

On your web-site you mention “Midnight Heat”, second in your Midnight series. Can you tell us a little about that? What made you decide to write a series?
I didn’t have a choice. While writing After Midnight, Black Phoenix bassist Dominic Price, kept nagging me to tell his story. I have a soft spot for him, so I decided to give it a go. Since making that decision and sending out ARCs of After Midnight, I’ve had a few people ask about Dominic, so I know I’m not the only one who fell for him. LOL
"Midnight Heat" is a reunion romance that begins about seven months following the conclusion of After Midnight.

What is one question you wish an interviewer would ask you?
How did it feel when you learned you’d made the NYT bestseller’s list?
*grin* I always say if you’re going to dream, dream big!
(I couldn't agree more!)

Where can we find you and your books?
Website: http://www.sarahgrimm.com
Blog: http://www.authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com
Group Blog: http://www.smutwriterssoapbox.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SarahGrimm.Author
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SGrimmAuthor

Sarah’s Spread the Word Contest Featuring 3 Prize Packages:
http://authorsarahgrimm.blogspot.com/p/contest.html

Buy After Midnight here:
The Wild Rose Press (http://bit.ly/o2Lkwi)
Amazon (http://amzn.to/p1SG3s)

Wow, Sarah, you are really out there all over the place! It's nice to have so many outlets for your many fans to find you!

Thanks again for joining us today!

Music

2011-10-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Music is a huge part of my life. Which is ironic, since I can't carry a tune in a bucket. But that doesn't stop me from singing in church or belting out a tune in the car along with the radio.

I listen to music all the time. It's the best pick-me-up there is. If I'm feeling tired or down or sad, I pop in a CD and it helps me to feel better. My genre of choice is country, and the artist of choice these days around our house is Eric Church. We don't go anywhere without one of his CDs or his songs loaded on the iPhone.

I'm not necessarily a morning person, but if I turn on music while I'm getting ready for school, it helps get me going. Yesterday while cleaning the house, we had music playing upstairs and down. Music is a must for working out. This is one place where country works, but something a little edgier is motivating, too.

I was a hair band addict in high school: Bon Jovi, Skid Row, Motley Crue. My sister and I spent more money on concert tickets than anything else during our teen years. (Jon Bon Jovi still does it for me even though he's shorn his locks.)

Now, when I write, I generally don't listen to music, unless it's classical...something without words. Scores from movies work well, too. (Pirates, Star Wars, Twilight) Something to have in the background to drown out noise from other parts of the house. Music with words is too distracting when I'm trying to come up with my own words to tell a story.

But even though I don't listen to music with lyrics while I write, music inspires me to write. The idea for my free read from Wild Rose, Mistletoe and Folly came to me while I was listening to a Toby Keith Christmas song. A crooning by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton inspired my upcoming A Christmas to Remember. I even did a blog post about my music muse at Morgan Mandel's site a while back.

I try to include music in my writing. Not necessarily making my characters singers (Although I do have a few ideas floating around for that, too!), but to give them depth and personality. My hero may whistle a favorite Conway Twitty song. Or my heroine might sing along with George Jones on the radio. Or she may scope the hero's CD collection to see what he likes.

I can't imagine life without music.

How about you?

Until next time,

Debra
www.debrastjohnromance.com

Friday Friend - Karen Wiesner

2011-09-30T01:59:00.000-07:00

Please give a warm welcome to Karen Wiesner, today's Friday Friend.

Karen is an accomplished author with 85 books published in the past 13 years, which have been nominated for and/or won 114 awards, and has 13 more titles under contract. Karen's books cover such genres as women's fiction, romance, mystery/police procedural/cozy, suspense, paranormal, futuristic, gothic, inspirational, thriller, horror, chick-lit, and action/adventure. She also writes children's books, poetry, and writing reference titles such as her bestsellers, First Draft in 30 Days and From First Draft to Finished Novel {A Writer's Guide to Cohesive Story Building}, available from Writer's Digest Books.

Her previous writing reference titles focused on non-subsidy, royalty-paying electronic publishing, author promotion, and setting up a promotional group like her own, the award-winning Jewels of the Quill, which she founded in 2003. Jewels of the Quill produced two award-winning group anthologies per year published by Whiskey Creek Press from 2005-2011. All were edited by Karen and others.

Additionally, Karen is a member of Infinite Worlds of Fantasy Authors and World Romance Writers. Along with her writing, Karen enjoys designing Web sites, graphics, and cover art.

Congratulations on the publication of the fifth book in your inspirational romance Family Heirlooms Series! Please tell us about your featured release, Shards of Ashley.

In order to reconcile her past, she must face the terrible truth she buried long ago...and, in doing so, she gambles with her heart and the salvation of her own soul.

Ashley Savage grew up in a troubled home with a competitive, pampered sister and an abusive, ridiculing mother who played at being a Christian when she needed to...and led Ashley to more addictions than one child could handle. As an adult, Ashley tells herself she's put the extreme fears of the past behind her, but she spends most of her time repairing the crumbling wall holding back the horrors she's not willing to face ever again. She's become a woman against the world.

The one man who has the annoying habit of getting through her defenses is Jay Samuels, a military chaplain and soon-to-be pastor. Much as Ashley wants to leave him behind like she believes she has the rest of her past, Jay is ambitious to a fault where she's concerned. He hears only what he wants to hear--and he doesn't want to hear that she doesn't love him as much as he loves her.

But even Jay doesn't realize the extent of all she's buried deep inside her own subconscious...and what keeps her from giving herself willingly to the God she knows is drawing her inexorably to Himself, to the one place she can't run, where she can no longer hide...

What's next in the Family Heirlooms Series? Could you give us a peek?

Worlds Collide, Book 6, will round out the series with medical missionaries Marcus Samuels and Keiko Oichi. But I fell in love with so many of the secondary characters in my Family Heirlooms Series that I came up with book ideas for two of those characters from Glass Angels, sold them as non-series novels, but then realized I had a lot more tales to tell that connected with but didn't really fit in as part of the first series. The Friendship Heirlooms Series was born. Here's some more information:

Return to the quaint little town of Peaceful, Wisconsin, from Karen Wiesner's award-winning Family Heirlooms Series, where you first met and fell in love with these colorful, lovable friends. Now you can read the stories of those secondary characters in an all-new spin-off series. Nuggets of faith can be passed down as heirlooms from friend to friend, heart to heart, soul-mate to soul-mate.

Clumsy Girl's Guide to Falling in Love, Book 1 of the Friendship Heirlooms Series

Coming December 2012 (with clumsy girl Zoë Rossdale from Glass Angels, Book 4 of the Family Heirlooms Series)

Michael's Angel, Book 2 of the Friendship Heirlooms Series

Coming July 2013 (with LeeAnn Wagner from Glass Angels and Shards of Ashley and Michael Fremont also from Shards of Ashley)

Four more books will follow with secondary characters from the Family Heirlooms Series. Check out this upcoming series (including back blurbs, cover art, and details) here: http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/fiction9a.html.

Karen's websites:

http://www.karenwiesner.com
http://www.falconsbend.com
http://www.firstdraftin30days.com
http://www.JewelsoftheQuill.com

If you would like to receive Karen's free e-mail newsletter, Karen's Quill, and become eligible to win her monthly book giveaways, send a blank e-mail to
KarensQuill-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

An excerpt from Shards of Ashley:

Chapter 1

Jay Samuels knew exactly where to find his girlfriend. Not in the waiting area, eager to throw herself in his arms the minute he deboarded the plane and appeared. No, Ashley would be in the gift shop, trying to convey blaringly that picking him up was an afterthought. She'd act like coming to get him from the airport (twice a year or so) was a major inconvenience to her. Maybe it was. Maybe he'd prefer to have her tackle him with enthusiastic love. But he'd always delighted in Ashley's mystery, her unfathomability.

He smiled eagerly, making his way around other passengers in the tiny La Crosse airport. Even knowing he and Ashley would spend the entire week he was on leave butting heads, he couldn't wait to see her. Since she'd moved to La Crosse when she was seventeen, he'd had to take charge to get what he wanted. She never made it easy, never fell in line with his plans, without a good argument. He had a big one on his hands tonight, but he was up for it. He was spoiling for it.

Still grinning, he entered the gift shop and saw her immediately. A woman as elegant and breathtakingly gorgeous as Ashley Savage was hard to miss. She wore an utterly feminine, utterly sophisticated, expensive business suit that she couldn't have imagined even touching a decade ago. The suit she wore today was in shades of pink, a floral print, with a form-fitting jacket that followed her exquisite curves and a little skirt. Three inch pumps showed off deeply tanned, mile-long legs. She was five-ten, only a few inches shorter than him, but taller than most women, especially in the heels. As usual, she wore her waist-length, champagne blond hair in a twist at the back of her head. Wisps hung around her delicate face. He had the feeling she thought tying up her hair the way she did made her unapproachable and unattractive to men. She couldn't have been more wrong. While she didn't need the make-up she wore, he had to admit she applied it with an expert hand. She looked completely natural, as if she wore no cosmetics at all. He wondered if she had any idea how beautiful…and intimidating…she was to men. Heck, she probably intimidated women just as easily. But he expected that was her goal. She didn't allow anyone or anything to get to her.

An ache started inside him that he knew would only get stronger with every minute they spent together in this short time. Does she have any idea what she does to me? For him, no other woman could come close to her. That had never been what she intended, of course, and he'd well known it after they graduated high school and started independent lives. She'd purposed for them to become separate from each other in every conceivable way.

She'd met rich-from-birth humanitarian Amanda Grant, who'd hired Ashley at her interior design company and taught her the ropes. In a very short time, Ashley had obviously learned a lot from her mentor--she'd mastered how to dress and talk properly, but she'd also designed her own style and it was worth gold. Amanda's clients had fallen for Ashley left and right, and she'd become a success in every sense of the word.

Since then, Jay had to concede that what they'd shared no longer fit--she'd been right about that, in not so many words. He'd ceased to harbor any more illusions about befriending someone who'd seen so much pain. Plain and simple, friendship could no longer satisfy him. Not when he'd seen her strength, the way she'd picked up the pieces of her shattered life and rebuilt herself from scratch. Wanting their relationship to move into something more romantic had become a priority to him, but she hadn't made it easy for him. To this day, getting anything from her was a never-ending battle, but a worthwhile one that he hadn't and wouldn't tire of, not when she allowed him to be with her despite “the inconvenience.” I never made it easy for her either. Just the opposite. I was hell on her when we were younger--just because I enjoyed our sparring so much. Unfortunately, he couldn't deny that he still derived pleasure from that. But sparring wasn't all he desired anymore.

Jay's hands clenched. He loved her, wanted her. While that desire felt old and familiar, the torture in his longing was new and nearly unbearable. The feelings between them used to be so light and fun. The last time he'd come home… Being with her constantly wasn't enough. Having her next to me, allow me to touch her…the ache to kiss and hold her won't be satisfied until she belongs to me wholly. At the time, he hadn't been sure how to make that happen. He'd wondered countless times what she would do if he told her the only future he could envision beyond being a chaplain and a minister outside the military was all about her. If his life didn't include her forever, he wasn't interested. This time, he'd discover one way or another what she would do when she learned he'd already taken a step into a permanent life with her. He planned to ask her to take a step of her own.

Looking at her guarded face now, he already knew the answer to that. She saw him standing here, aware he was watching her, but she wouldn't admit it a moment sooner than she willed. She wanted to make him wait for her. That was all right with him. Her control issues had given him a chance to look at all he'd missed for months on end.

In a calculated move, she glanced up from the magazine she was perusing, pretended she'd just now realized he'd arrived, and murmured, “Oh, you're here. Let me pay for these, then I'll take you home.”

She dropped another fashion magazine into the basket she carried. Jay followed her to the checkout counter, stepping right in front of her just before she got there. Her expression was irritated, just as guarded as before, and it should have reminded him of something hard as ice or stone. Ashley's intentions to keep everyone away no longer worked on him. Everything about her spoke of soft femininity to him.

“Not exactly the hello I was hoping for,” he said under his breath. He pressed up against her, and she glared at him.

“Can I help you?” the clerk called pleasantly.

Ashley stepped around him, effectively dodging his embrace to put the basket on the counter. Undeterred, Jay put his arms around her from the back. She stiffened defensively, but he held her a little tighter. He put his mouth right against the shell of her ear while the clerk went about the business of tallying her purchases. Breathing in her expensive, mesmerizing perfume, he murmured, “I'd rather not go to my parents' right away.”

“They miss you.”

“I miss you.”

Impossibly, she stiffened even more. He nuzzled her neck, becoming increasingly intoxicated by the scent and feel of her so close. He wanted to get out of here. Now. I need to be alone with her. This wasn't the time or place, but he couldn't get himself to back off. Instinctively, his counselor brain started to analyze both of their actions, but he shook off the need to do that with her. When he was home, he wanted to relax and enjoy his time with her.

She paid and took the bag the clerk handed her. Gently, she nudged him away, turning to ask, “Have you gotten your luggage?”

“Nah.” Seeing Ashley had been his first and last thought when the plane landed.

She led the way to the baggage return across the lobby from the gift shop. When they arrived and watched the bags coming through, she said, “I have to drop off this fabric sample book with a client and then go back to the office…”

He didn't care to hear the list of things she'd prepared to keep them apart. He slipped through her defenses and put his arms around her while she was still talking.

“Jay,” she started in alarm.

People milled around the airport. Others sat in the waiting areas. The two of them weren't the only ones embracing. Though he knew she hated displays of public affection, he didn't care if every person here was looking. Her gaze scolded him again, but he recognized she wouldn't stop him. When he took her face in his hands, he noticed that her eyes looked red. Crying? Ashley? Never. More like she isn't getting enough sleep, what with working fourteen plus hour days seven days a week.

Eyes the color of a dark forest shifted to his mouth skittishly, and Jay's pulse soared. She wants me to kiss her. He didn't hesitate. His lips covered her soft, full mouth, and, in that moment, he remembered what heaven tasted like. She didn't struggle despite an initial protest that faded away almost as if forgotten. He pulled her against him, molding her sides, bringing her yet closer as he deepened the kiss. This is how I know you feel the same, Ashley Savage. You need this physical connection as bad as I do. How did I survive so long without seeing you?

As much as it was possible for Ashley to soften, she did, fueling his hunger and hope. He had to have this. Her “errands” would keep them hopping until he made his aggressive bid to take her out to dinner. The reservations had already been made. He didn't dare admit that his baby sister, Samantha, and her fiancé would be dining with them tonight. Ashley wouldn't be able to argue once it was too late. Somehow he'd have to convince her to attend Sam's wedding on Saturday, too. But that was a battle best put off until the very last minute. Getting her to agree to dinner and spending time together at her condo after dinner were all the skirmishes he could handle tonight.

She broke the kiss abruptly, gasping for breath as she insisted a little desperately, “You're going to miss your luggage.”

“Miss you more.”

She looked up at him in confusion as he swooped in for another kiss. What was confusing? He loved her, wanted to immerse himself, body and soul, in her. When he delved his fingers into her silken hair, he felt her body responding to his. He'd concluded long ago that the warrior woman was a kitten under the surface, a kitty craving love and affection--but Ashley would never ask nor take what she really wanted from him. Sometimes I think she just goes along with all this because it's her way. To put up and shut up. To offer no resistance and hope it's over soon. Not because she wants it. Because I want it. If I didn't make contact…she would let it go. Let me go.

The thought was more than a little uncomfortable, but he'd never been able to shake it, not when the conclusion was borne from her unwillingness to let him past her defenses further than a grueling inch at a time.

The fact was, he was losing control. The anchor he'd had since he and Ashley's relationship became romantic hadn't been a bit reliable of late. Since the last time he came home, each encounter with her in his arms, he accepted that he was in danger of drowning in what he wanted with this woman.

He turned just enough to see his sea bag on the luggage return. He scooped it up as if he'd willed it into his hand. His arm still around her, he led her out to the parking lot right out the front door.

“Why do you do that?” she demanded. “In front of everyone.”

He could hear that her teeth were clenched around the mutinous, whispered words. Jay grinned, looking down at her. “Nothing I like better than driving you crazy, babe.”

Read more: http://www.angelfire.com/stars4/kswiesner/SOAexcerpt.pdf

Thanks so much for being our guest today, Karen - and we wish you continued success in all your endeavours!

Color me Green

2011-09-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

Each spring as the trees around my house break their long winter dormancy, I marvel at varying hues of green. I become jealous of photographers, who can record colors as the sun moves higher in the sky. I envy painters, who can add a dab of this or that, spin their brushes, and mimic Nature on a canvas. How can I, a simple lover of words, recreate for a reader what I see so vividly all around me?

I was gifted an old PMS ink selector by my local print shop. The colors, five up on a side, have numbers that are linked to the formula that creates each color. No silly names, like those in retail paint stores, but still, no names.

My Flip Dictionary lists seventy-two words under ‘Green.’ Spruce is accessible, although needles on the spruce trees in our farm’s windbreaks have more than one color. The new needles are pure baby spruce green. They’ve not baked in the summer sun or been covered with hoar-frost on a sub-zero winter morning. Older, weather-tested needles are thick and dark, true spruce green. Then there are the dying needles, yellowing slowly from base to tip, no longer useful to the only tree they’ve ever known.

Niagara Green. I think of Niagara as the falls. Billions of gallons of foaming white and blue water crashing down hundreds of feet. I don’t get green, except possibly from the economy-supporting money local restaurants and motels make off honeymooning tourists and the occasional over-the-falls-in-a-barrel daredevil.

Parrot has me stumped. I think of parrots as raucous, multi-colored birds perched on a one-eyed pirate’s shoulder.

Emerald is easier. So is olive, and lime. I can look up Myrtle in a plant identification book.

Leaf green: That’s ridiculous! There are so many shades of green just in the Brassicas in my garden. Broccoli green is different than cabbage green and cauliflower green, not to mention all the various kales and Brussels sprouts.

Dark green. That color in the crayon box.
Hunter green. The green in camouflage.
Bottle green. German beer bottles.

Clair de lune sounds like the greenish, witch-y, I-can-drive-without-headlights-at-midnight glow generated by a full moon at perigee.

Envy green. Not in the 64-ct crayon box.

Eau de Nile. Anybody know what color green this is?