I'm Thankful for FF&P--My Last Day as Co-Blog Mistress by Rebecca Zanetti

Hi all!  Happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the USA, and Happy end of November to members living elsewhere.  I hope this week finds you happy, healthy, and surrounded by friends and family.  (And I hope those voices in your head keep talking & giving you ideas for stories!)

This is my last blog as co-blog mistress for FF&P, but I hope to guest blog in the future.  I just need a little break to take some time and relax a little bit.  With a hubby, two kids, three animals, multiple family members, three publishers, six book releases this year and six slated for next year…I need to breathe.  J

FF&P was the first chapter I joined and became really involved with…back in 2009.  I met some of my first writing friends here, and I learned a lot from both the Mudpuddle and from taking numerous workshops.  I also believe very strongly that my first book came out with good sales because of the friends I made at FF&P.  We’ve always helped each other, and we’ve always cheered each other on.

If you’ve been here a while, you know exactly what I mean.  If you’re new, you’re going to love it.  Make sure you jump in and get involved as soon as you’re ready…because you won’t regret it.

Make friends and not connections. 

Friends are what count…and this business is tough.  It’s a roller coaster ride of requests & rejections, good sales & oops sales, great reviews & holy crap reviews…and it’s no fun being on a roller coaster alone.  Sometimes you want to hold someone’s hand when you’re upside down, and other times you want to encourage your buddy to lift her hands in the air as you swoosh down toward the earth.

I may have gone a bit too far with the analogy there…but hey, this is the place to do it.  We all hear voices and secretly think vampires might exist. J

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as co-blog mistress for this amazing chapter, and I’ll see you on the loop!  ~ RAZ

USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner - only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She writes the Dark Protector vampire series for Kensington, the Maverick Montana cowboy series for Entangled, and the Sin Brothers romantic-suspense series for Grand Central.  Sweet Revenge releases on December 3^rd from Grand Central.  Visit Rebecca at: http://www.rebeccazanetti.com/

Care and Feeding of Your Muse during the Holidays by JC Hay

Image: Melpomene, The Muse of Tragedy; Elizabeth Sirani

November is drawing to a close, and writers all over are scribbling like mad to hit their word-counts for NaNoWriMo before the month ends. Likewise, those with a wintery bent turn their thoughts to what can be accomplished in what remains of the year. With holidays for many, and gatherings both sacred and secular, it’s a season of hassles, travels, and travails, and it’s too easy to lose the muse in the rush of confusion and crazy. Here then are some ideas I like to use to keep my muse well cared-for.

1)   Keep a notebook with you – if you’re like me, you’re going to spend the holidays around people who are likely to say or do something ridiculous. While I would never insert my family directly into a story, I do like to jot down inspirations and events that I can re-interpret once I’m back in front of the keyboard. Be prepared to grab ideas from all around you, and think about how your characters might respond in a similar situation. The little notes and jots can be a source for scenes, quirks and future stories; just the sort of building blocks with which the muse likes to play.

2)      Feed your Muse – The muse consumes other media as part of her diet, and in the hustle and bustle, it’s easy to forget to feed her. Read every day, or take in a movie, or engage in some other, non-writing creativity. Graphic novels, audiobooks, theatre and film let you look at story without thinking about the words themselves – it can be a good way to help you find new ways into your story. The point is to let the muse kick back and relax, and feel like she’s having fun without boring her. She’ll be fired up and ready to help you when you sit down at the keyboard. Which brings us to the most obvious thing…

3)      Make time to write – Creativity is a muscle like any other, and if you don’t use it, it starts to atrophy. Set aside 30 minutes or more each day, away from the hubbub and craziness, and just write. If you don’t have a laptop, write longhand (the change in process might even fire your muse up more). If you’re not working on a current WiP, then break out a list of writing prompts and write about one of those. Make the time, and make sure your family and friends respect your writing time (lockable doors and hotel rooms help with that).

That’s the things I try to do to keep the fires of creativity burning in the winter. What are your favorite ways to keep the muse engaged through the long dark months?

About JC Hay

JC Hay writes romantic science fiction and space opera, because the coolest gadgets in the world are useless without someone to share them. In addition to Romance Writers of America, he is also a proud member of the SFR Brigade (for Science Fiction Romance), and the Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Romance chapter of RWA. His newest space opera, His Lowborn Heart, is coming in December from Lyrical Press. JC Hay is on Twitter, Facebook, and sometimes even http://jchay.com.

How I Use Pinterest in My Writing by Mina Kahn

Hello from W. TX! I’m proud to be a FF&P member and it’s wonderful to be here today, sharing a slice of my writing world. I hope you enjoy the read!

For me, Pinterest was love at first try. I’m a very visual thinker and often imagine scenes in my head (almost like movies) before even penning the first word so it was a natural fit. How do I use Pinterest? Ah, let me count the ways…

1.    For Inspiration. I create a storyboard (or a Pinterest board) for every story I write. Here I collect pictures that trigger characters, place, story themes and ideas. As the board grows, so does my understanding of my story world.

For example, A Tale of Two Djinns is a Romeo & Juliet story pitting earth djinns (genies) against water djinns. My inspiration: nature. So I collected a lot of images of earth and water…as well hero and heroine inspirations. :)

2.    As an Ideas File. Anything that catches my interest, I add to my Cool Pictures board. Some of it has triggered stories or scenes, some are just fun to look at…but all of them sparked my interest and I wanted to save them.

3.     To Showcase my Stories. Once a story is done and is published (or close), I will take my inspirational board to the next level by adding covers and more details. With my newest release Wildfire, a paranormal mystery set in West Texas, I had a lot of fun adding pictures of landmarks that appear in the story. Later on I also added reviews and buy links.

*Note: The description space under each image gives you an opportunity to add key information to further interest viewers. Use it!

4.    For Research. I also create boards based on topics I need to research for different stories. For one story, I needed to know the different parts of a chair…and so there’s a board showing different parts of a chair. Another one is on old, interesting homes and gets quite a few visitors.

5.    To Relax. I love to read and cook when I’m not writing. So I have boards about food, books, writing as well as one about places I’d like to travel. When I need a break, I’ll go play on these boards. It works almost like daydreaming and lets my subconscious work out story problems.

6.    To Connect with Readers. Not only can visitors to my Pinterest boards learn more about my readers, but they also get a glimpse into what defines me as an author and a person. And, seriously, there’s no better way to connect with another person than over shared interests.

I’ll end with some caveats:

1.    There are some copyright issues involving pictures and you should be careful about using images because you could get into trouble. Agent Rachelle Gardner suggests you only post images that include a link back to the source; consider only posting images from websites that include a “Pin It” button; carefully consider whether to use the “Repin” button, and only do it if the pin links back to the original source.

2.     Don’t be spammy. A board with only pictures of your book covers is boring. Like on any other social media, hard sell rarely works.

3.    Only do Pinterest if you genuinely enjoy it. Again, there are so many social networks out there that you don’t want to spread yourself too thin or make half-hearted attempts.

So do you Pinterest? What are your tips, experience, thoughts regarding Pinterest?  If you’d like to check out my Pinterest boards:

http://www.pinterest.com/minakhan/boards/

Mina Khan is a Texas-based writer and food enthusiast. She writes about djinns (genies), dragons, hunks and whatever else sparks her fancy. She also writes a weekly food column for the San Angelo Standard-Times as Rashda Khan. Originally from Bangladesh, she is now a proud West Texan.

Her first published work, The Djinn's Dilemma, won the novella category of the 2012 Romance Through The Ages (published) contest. A Tale of Two Djinns won the 2013 Readers’ Crown for best paranormal romance.

For more information check out her:

• Blog: Stories by Mina Khan

• Facebook Author Page

• Twitter: @SpiceBites

Writing For a Cause - 5 things to consider by Jamie Leigh Hansen

Many of you know Childhood Cancer Awareness is near and dear to my heart. September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Another cause, genetically mine, is Friedreich’s Ataxia. International Friedreich’s Ataxia Day was September 25th.

 

I spent the first 28 years of my life ignoring my FA and barely aware of the devastation cancer can wreak on patients and their family. But the day after Thanksgiving 2003, our 8 year old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumor and a whole new, terrifying world came alive around us. But so did a world of caring and support. Both for her cancer and for my progressive disease.

 

In the past ten years, I have wanted to “Pay It Forward” somehow, some way. For Childhood Cancer Awareness, I wrote a story, Death Is Becoming, and I am offering it for free. More information about the book itself can be found on my website.

 

Here,I’d like to discuss the process of writing a book for charity. I have done this twice, for both diseases. The International Project to Fight Friedreich’s Ataxia is a group of 17 writers from around the world affected by FA. We have spent the last two and a half years crossing cultural and linguistic boundaries to create a novel, The Legend of Marie Schlau. During these books, I have developed a few conclusions.

 

1. If the book is put together with a group, have a clear guide on what the purpose is. Is it for literary value, personal accomplishment, raising awareness or raising funds? And yes, those last two are very different. This choice effects the writing itself, are you going for literary beauty or mass appeal that has literary beauty?

 

2. A group of writers can be diplomatic throughout the entire process, but inevitably there will need to be one person “in charge” for a final say. Even while working for a common cause, there are different ideas for how to accomplish the end written product. That’s just how people are. We think differently, believe differently and have different live experiences informing our choices. Picture a group of writers who feel strongly about first or third person POV. Now get the opposing sides to write a book together. It’s painfully comical.

 

3. Creating a “fundraiser” for certain groups can be done. Such as with Give Kids the World. You create it and can have a page on their site to share, tweet and such. You can also get a widget to put on your blog. Make sure you allow plenty of time to communicate before publishing the book if you want it all posted about the same time. But sometimes it’s better to have the book easily available for download beforehand, so it’s a “depends” process. Either way, allow time.

 

4. On the “Donate” page, contact the fundraising coordinator and explain what you want to do. They will help in any way they can, from setting up links, to adding your book to their newsletter. Be prepared to offer copies for the coordinator to read, so he or she know more about what you are putting out to help their foundation. This person is your friend. You both have a common goal - fundraising and awareness. Working together will increase the success of your project. This seems obvious, until you both become hampered by various unexpected rules and hurdles that must be jumped. These aren’t arbitrary barriers, so try not to become too frustrated.

 

5. Money. Do you charge for the book? If so, how much? And what accounts are hooked up for the book’s payments? Is it your own account? I have heard from others this can create a nightmare of accounting. Personally, for Death Is Becoming, I chose to bypass this by making the book free and concentrating on awareness. There are links inside the book to Donate pages wherein the foundation can handle the necessary accounting.

 

However you choose to put it together, enjoy the process. You are doing a wonderful thing. :)

 

 

BIO: Jamie Leigh Hansen is a multi-published, paranormal romance author best known for dramatic, heartfelt stories with intense emotion and engaging, unforgettable characters.

Her newest work, Murder Tales, is a series of urban fantasy short stories set in Metalline Falls, WA that features Mary, the only human ever saved and raised by the Murder, vampires and werewolves who work together to police the rogues of their world. Currently available are The Murder King's Woman and The Murder King's Summons, with more planned.

Jamie is also currently involved with BabelFAmily, co-writing The Legacy of Marie Schlau with other writers around the world. They hope the International Literary Project to Fight Friedreich's Ataxia will raise funds for FA research.

She loves to hear from friends and fans at JLH@JamieLeighHansen.com. Updates on her projects and links to social media can be found on her website at www.JamieLeighHansen.com.

 

The Backstory Breakdown by Shelley Martin

Every character has a backstory. The problem is: how do we reveal their past without info dumping or other blunders? This is something all writers struggle with, including me. Here’s a breakdown of different forms backstory can take, and tips to make it work.

The Prologue. Prologues in the past were a common occurrence. But now they’ve fallen into the backstory category. Most often than not, the prologue is backstory. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when it can be woven into the story instead of floating on its own, then do it. Yes, it’s extra work, but it’s always better to start with immediate action right out the gate.

The Info Dump. This is where something happens to a character, and the author breaks into the story to tell why what’s happening is important. For example- “George the Gladiator lifted his new helmet in salute before sliding it on. Little did he know, the helmet had been the downfall of every gladiator who’d worn it before. Malley the Masculine died from a blade to the eye, while the helmet simply slid off the head of Homer the Hairless…” I could go on, but hopefully you see that we went from the story of George, to a list of a bunch of other guys we’ve never heard of, or care about. George is about to go into battle and the reader wants to know if he’s going to survive, not how Homer the Hairless died. George could find out the info of the helmet by reading it in a scroll after the battle, or hearing about it from a friend. There are many ways to get this info to George and the reader. Be creative!

The Dream. Here’s where the character slips into a dream, and relives a traumatizing past (or silly, or revealing, you get the picture). Unfortunately, this technique has been overused in the extreme. While it can still be used as a valuable way to explore the past, I urge you to use this method sparingly.

Old Friends Reminiscing. This is one of my favorite techniques. Introduce the crazy friend from the past, or snarky ex, and open those past wounds. Two buds can share a glass of wine and say “Remember when you cast that spell that made your mom sneeze fire?” In that one line we learned the character is good with fire magic, and has a mischievous side. However, I urge you to avoid starting with “As you know, Maude, the new T-75 laser model fires at a bandwidth of…” If Maude already knew what bandwidth the laser fired at, then there’s no reason to share that information. The “As you know…” starter has also been used in excess in the past and should be avoided.

Paragraph Two. This is a pet peeve of mine. You’ve opened up with a great line, which turns into a fantastic opening paragraph. You’ve got me hooked. Then paragraph two starts with “Earlier that morning, as I ate my cereal and read the box, I would have never thought my day would have turned out like this. I brushed my teeth and chose my clothes, searching for my favorite shirt…” Anyone asleep, yet? It seems this most often occurs when authors start out with “I brushed my teeth and chose my clothes…” Then, someone tells them to liven it up. So they write this great paragraph of what’s going to happen at the end of the day, and stick it at the front to draw you in. That’s a no-no. Put in the elbow grease and rewrite the whole opener, please. I always walk away from stories like this, and they happen quite often, believe me.

Storytelling. What’s this? Using storytelling to tell a backstory? Yeppers! This works especially well in fantasy and paranormal tales. This is where one person relays a quick story of the whereabouts of a mythical sword, or the tragic life of a paranormal creature, etc.  It can be a bedtime story, a lesson, or a warning on a wall. The important thing is to remember to keep it short. One page is best (double spaced). If the story happens to be longer, then split it up. Have the storyteller get interrupted, then have the receiver of the story ask for more in the following chapter. These can also make great shorts if you want to release them in an extended version, separate from your story. Or it can be an added bonus at the end of a series.

Backstory is often seen as a villain, but it can be your friend, too. I hope these tips can help you beat that backstory into submission. And if it helps, write the backstory out on a completely separate page. Then break it up and weave it into your manuscript. Sometimes after you get it all out, you can trim the excess to make it quick, snappy, and to the point. And that’s usually what your reader wants: just enough to help them along, but not so much that it will yank them from the current story they are falling in love with.

BIO: 
Shelley Martin taught kindergarten and ran cattle; once upon a time.  She’s now an award winning author, mother and wife, and loves living in North Idaho.  Her imagination has always plagued her, the characters jumping into her head at some random song or thought.  She started writing when she was ten, finishing her first short story when she was eleven.  The paranormal has always fascinated her, and nothing draws her to the page more than the whisperings of fantastical creatures. Shelley loves to hear from her readers!  You can reach her at Shelleymartinfiction@gmail.com

My Life, the Directors Cut by Asa Maria Bradley

At a recent reading in my town, author Craig Johnson talked about how much he liked Robert Taylor’s audition for the role of Sheriff Walt Longmire in the A&E TV series based on Johnson’s Longmire novels (Viking). That is, he liked it until a breathy “Oh, my” escaped from his wife’s lips while she watched Taylor saunter across the screen. She quickly defended her reaction by describing Taylor as a taller and slightly better looking, “TV version” of her husband. (Nice save, Mrs. Johnson.)

This made me wonder what the TV/film version of me would be like. I pictured a polished version of me with better skin, thicker more lustrous hair, wearing expensive designer clothes and shoes. She would know how to walk in high heels, have an infectious tinkling laugh, and use a clever repertoire of insightful comments during conversations.

And she would look good in hats.

Later that night, I uploaded some pictures from the author event to social media and realized the edited version of my life already exists: Facebook.  

Here are some of the director choices I’ve made while presenting the Facebook version of my life:

Major Milestones:

My husband and friend arrange an amazing 40^th birthday party—show pictures of guests, especially cute children of friends playing with dog.

After 40 I now spend an alarming amount of time I spend in front of the make-up mirror with tweezers—CUT!

Traveling:

Ziplining in Costa Rica—post photos of posting with hubby in matching helmets, include video of me whizzing down a very high line at fast speeds. 

Spending hours on toilet purging from both ends due to Costa Rican amoeba entering gastrointestinal system—Are you crazy?! CUT!

College Instructor Day Job:

Interacting with smart/clever/funny students—share quotes of tongue-in-cheek test answers, mention star students’ Ivy League acceptance, scholarships, and prestigious internships.

Grading for hours, sitting in office at 10.30 pm, shoving Dove chocolate in my mouth while mainlining Mountain Dew—Nope. CUT!

The truth is, my life appears much more interesting and fun on Facebook than what I experience every day. I’m not fabricating anything, but I choose on which scenes to focus the lens to tell my story.

In writing, we do the same thing. We select only the parts of a character’s back story that informs our reader about their goals and motivation. We show only the scenes and dialogues that propels our plot forward.

If I was a character and my life was a novel, I may include the scene of grading tons of assignments late at night to create sympathy for my character. Although, I probably would have made the chocolate stash smaller than it is in real life.

The toilet scene may be included too—a heavily edited version with a way smaller grossness factor. But the moments in front of the make-up mirror with tweezers would probably bore even the most valiant of readers.

What are some of the scenes you’ve cut from the Facebook version of your life that would work in a novel?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Asa Maria Bradley is working on a paranormal series featuring Vikings and Valkyries and their struggle to prevent Ragnarök—the god’s final battle and the end of the world. She grew up in Sweden, surrounded by Norse mythology and history apparent in archeological sites and buildings. Her essays and articles have appeared in a variety of magazines and the anthology FEMALE NOMAD AND FRIENDS: TALES OF BREAKING FREE AND BREAKING BREAD AROUND THE WORLD (Three River Press, Randomhouse). She lives in Washington State with her British husband and a used dog of indeterminate breed. Visit her at www.AsaMariaBradley.com.

The Klutz Protecting the Laptop by Rebecca Zanetti

Hi all!  Our guest blogger today ran into a snag, so you're stuck with me.  I wrote a fun blog about being a klutz a while ago, and I thought I'd post it here today.  This one is for those of you who are a bit, um, clumsy.

A while back I sprained my ankle.  For the first time ever, and I have to say, it really hurt.  I had no clue.  Once my husband picked me up and tucked me into a chair with a pillow under my foot, he said something that really gave me pause.  After learning it was my first sprain, he scratched his head, and said, “That’s really surprising.  I mean, since you’re such a klutz.”

He said it thoughtfully, and I couldn’t take offense.  You know why?  It is really surprising because I am a klutz.  Nearly every pair of sweats, jeans, and nylons I own have an identical rip right above my left knee because I always get caught on this edge of a table nobody else gets caught on.  I’ve fallen down (and up) our stairs more times than I can count.  I trip over everything…and nothing.  Honest.

My mom, who really loves me, says that I could stand in the center of a round room and hit a corner. 

When our kid hits the floor during a basketball game, my husband always gives me the look that says, “That’s from you.”

When it starts to snow, he always gets out my strongest, best traction boots right away.  And I always end up slipping on the ice.  Every day.

You know that person that knocks over the pyramid of cans of corn at the grocery store?  Yeah, that’s me.

My mother in law gets a panicked look on her face when I touch her dishes.  And I can’t blame her.  I’ve taken out an entire saucer and cup display before.  Well, I did it three times. 

But the other day when I missed the bottom step, I sprained my ankle.  I had a diet coke (open) in one hand and my laptop in the other.  And I protected the laptop.  There’s something about being an author that instinctively had me clutching the laptop, even as my foot folded over into something unnatural. And when I hit the ground, yelping, I clutched that computer to me with both hands.

On the laptop was the next book in the Dark Protector series.  I hadn’t sent it to my editor yet.  In fact, I was on my way to do just that.  After a lifetime of falling, slipping, and tripping, I finally became injured.  From writing.

So when they tell you that writing is blood, sweat, and tears, there’s some truth to it.  As well as a whole bunch of spraying, spilled diet coke.  But you know what?  If I took that fall again, I’d protect that laptop.  J 

BIO:

USA Today Bestselling Author Rebecca Zanetti's current series include the Maverick Montana cowboy series, the Dark Protector vampire series, and the Sin Brothers romantic-suspense series.  FATED, Book 1 in the Dark Protectors, is on sale for .99c for a short time.  Please visit Rebecca at: http://www.rebeccazanetti.com/

 

No one ever told me I’d NEVER READ again! -- By Debra Elise

As you can tell by my title, I’m a little beside myself at the moment and I must confess, I’ve been lurking on the FF&P loop for the past couple months, so uh, Hi!

My current wip, and only, is a futuristic paranormal and I’m having a great time writing it, mostly. You see it has become increasingly clear that now that I’m writing seriously, as opposed to casually, I’ve become unable to read my beloved authors without having their voice throw me off my game.  Now I will confess I’ve made one exception.  I managed to finish one of Rebecca Z’s latest, but full disclosure I am a huge fan girl, plus she’s a member of our local RWA chapter (score!) and I think it’s in our by-laws or something *grin*. But I digress. My point, and I do have one, is that this has been a huge adjustment for me. Because… I’m an addict, a book addict.  Always have been, always will be.

 “Hi, my name is Deb and it’s been 53 days since my last book. I’m doing well, but some days, well let’s just say, it’s not pretty. Even the dog leaves me alone.”

In the good old days, about four months ago, as soon as I had finished one novel, I’m on to the next and the next. It was a feeding frenzy. And if I found a new author and she had any type of backlist, watch out.  My family ends up eating pizza and frozen dinners for days and the laundry piles up. Kinda like now, only different. But that’s how it is with me. Or was. I couldn’t stop reading.  Not until I decided to finally listen to the inner voice which said, “Yes you can.” Now I’ve had to rewire my brain, training myself to be patient and delay that need for instant gratification *wink* when a new Kresley Cole novel comes out.

Now like many of you, I’m guessing here, but think I’m pretty close to the mark. I think many of you, ok me, wants to be like Nora. Prolific, successful and so damn good! Isn’t she like the demi-goddess of art and literature? No? Well she should be. But as I’m now a self-proclaimed ‘serious’ writer, I must follow my heart and my muse. Nora’s latest releases are as we speak languishing in the nether world otherwise known as eBook purgatory. Sssh, don’t tell her. I think by now I must have 20, okay closer to 30, books waiting to be accessed nightly on my Kindle only to be forsaken for my wip.  Don’t get me wrong though, I am loving this new journey I’ve chosen. My people, I’ve found my people! However, no one warned me about the downside. I’ve been jonesing for a while now and get my thrills by reading book descriptions at Amazon and Goodreads. It’s been dangerous though. By feeding my addiction in this roundabout way, I’ve found a whole new group of authors and great books. Little gems twinkling brightly at me “read me, read me.” Some days I feel like a Valkyrie (or is it a Harpy?) entranced by the winking glare of yet another book diamond. Am I being a bit melodramatic here? Maybe. But as much as I experience great satisfaction (so cool) from writing a scene or two, or three, I miss my book boyfriends! Doesn’t matter that it’s a self-imposed hiatus either, I’m just--sad.

So I’ve decided on a new incentive program. This may work for you or maybe everyone else has already figured it out, and I’m just late to dinner. If so, I’ll bring the wine next time. 

MY SOLUTION: Alright, here it is – write 20k, read a book, but just one. Write another 20k, read one book, etc. I promise. Also, I must do it without guilt or worry that it’s going to affect my voice. Solution found, right?  But that leads to an even bigger problem—WHICH ONE? Will it be Nora, or Rebecca? Gena or Cherry? Kresley or Larissa? J.T. or J.R or ahhh. Whom I kidding? How do I chose between all my favorites?  In the old days, I’d just read them in the order the books were released. But now I have a backlog. I’m hoping my proposed solution could be just one more incentive for me to finish my book, right? You know besides getting an agent or a contract.

Okay, so maybe my solution is not realistic. After all who am I kidding? I start reading one and that will lead to “just one more” and BAM! I’m back on the sauce. Better that I have a book orgy when my first draft is done and call it good. Hmm, I like that idea, less of a chance for cheating. But what do I know, I’m just a newbie. Wait, does a novella count?

Which of your favorite authors do you think you could hold off reading when they release a new book, say for a week? Or, “No way Deb, you’re crazy!”

Thanks for reading.  I’d love to hear your comments!

BIO: I am a stay at home wife and mother, married to the super supportive Master Chief and momma to the Rooster and BubbaBoy. Two monkeys who keep me on my toes--hourly. We have a chocolate lab named Bell who follows me around the house begging for treats. In my previous life, in no particular order, I was a telephone operator, optometrist assistant, receptionist, executive assistant, ice cream scooper and bar maid (not a waitress, but an actual maid who cleaned a bar - very glam). I love coffee and reality TV. The latter reinforces how good a life I do have.

You can find me on:

• Facebook: www.facebook/debraeliseauthor

• Twitter: Debra_Elise

• Website: Debraelise.com

• Goodreads: Debra Elise

Sinking Our Teeth into Urban Fantasy Romance by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

Question: What do you get when you stretch the boundaries of Paranormal Romance?

Answer: Urban Fantasy . . . romance.

Question: What the heck is that?

Answer: Unusual stories with a romantic core that don’t have to necessarily trend or end the way romance readers expect them to.

How much fun is that for an author?  Sheer creative bliss. And that’s exactly what lured me to write a new series of urban fantasy romance novels and novellas alongside my paranormal romance books for Nocturne. Pushing the boundaries just a little bit was the key to my love of the urban fantasy genre.

Hello to everyone. *waving* I’m Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, here to briefly discuss ways to stretch your imagination while still keeping the emotion, relationships, and inner turmoil of  the paranormal romance genre intact. Hence, my use of the word romance.

In a romance novel, it’s understood (and taken for granted) that there will be the development of a relationship between two people. The majority of the book deals with how those people meet and how the relationship escalates and expands through trials and a certain amount of angst. The culmination of a romance novel, paranormal or otherwise, is a satisfactory ending in which the reader will either know for sure, or assume that the two star characters will be headed down the aisle – or whatever their equivalent of that might be. Happy ending. HEA.

In a straight urban fantasy novel, there doesn’t have to be a viable relationship at all. The heroine can kill off the hero if she so chooses, or vice versa if the books stars him. It’s usually more about one character and their trials through a series of hardships. No HEA required, or even necessarily in sight.

But if we want an urban fantasy romance . . . we need two to tango. We also need a relatively decent culmination that I call the ITHEA, which stands for : Imagine Their HEA. Though I, as author, may not supply a happy ending in concrete terms, in writing, at the end of the story, I do always bring the story to that point, and allude to the possibilityof an eventual HEA. Although I might not take readers to the end game, I pave the way for satisfaction of two souls getting together.

So, in an urban fantasy romance, some rules of the romance genre would still apply. Two people (don’t have to meet up at the start/ we can drop into their lives) moving through the gyrations of a relationship, however flawed, but not necessarily tracked from beginning to end, with more of a fantasy plot mixed in to liven things up and take the headline . . . and an ITHEA at the end. Voila!

I’ve started a new series based on this premise, and here’s the blurb for the first one, releasing this September. Notice the key words defining this as a romance.

“Trapped In Stone”  The forces of Dark and Light are vying for the soul of one man op top of Notre Dame Cathedral, and the woman who loves him has vowed to change his fate.

Says it all, right, about the possibility of romance being an integral part of the story?

If you’d like to see more about this book and other ways I’ve twisted PNR into urban fantasy romance, visit my website: http://www.lindathomas-sundstrom.com  and look under the COMING SOON tab. Visit me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LindaThomasSundstrom

 

My short bio: Books published by Kensington Brava, Dorchester, Amazon Montlake, and I’m completing my 15^th  book/ novella for Harlequin Nocturne.

 

Questions of your own? Ask away. Please do wave and leave a comment here. I’ll look forward to hearing from all my loop-mates. I’m really excited to be here, guest posting.

Cheers-

Linda

 

 

Murder, She Writes—Kill Those Characters by Suzanne Johnson

Every author, early in his or her career, hears the old adage to “murder your darlings.” Generally, it means being willing to kill off favorite scenes when they don’t serve to advance the plot of one’s story.

It also should mean to be willing to take risks in plot and character. Burn it down. Kill them off. It’s like reader crack, addictive and water-cooler discussion-worthy. You think people are nuts over George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series and its TV spinoff “Game of Thrones” because characters look good in medieval wear?

No, it’s to see which character gets slaughtered next.

(Well, okay, it’s awesome storytelling, but GMMR is NOT afraid to murder his darlings—or ours.)

I always like to say that the only person in your novel you can’t kill is your point-of-view character, because then there’s no one to tell the story. In a romance, it’s your hero and heroine, even if you have other POV characters. And technically, since we write fantasy, futuristic and paranormal fiction, we can even kill off our hero or heroine as long as we still figure out a way to get the happily-for-now in there. (Vishous and Doc Jane, anyone? Although I still say he was robbed.)

Here are some places to consider killing off someone you love:

The climactic, epic turning point. This is the most common POD (point of death) in novels. Your main character has had that inevitable black moment—an epic battle when it looks as if all is lost, an ultimate betrayal, a final ramping up of emotion that will be turned around by the final, climactic turning point. It’s a really good time for someone to bite the big one—usually the villain or the person standing in the way of your happily-for-now. But if someone else gets taken down in the process, the stakes get ramped up even more.

The great swampy middle. You know…that eighty thousand words between your opening scene and your ending, what novelist Jim Butcher calls “the great swampy middle.” It needs a few turning points to get your plot from beginning to end; killing off a character is a great way to make story turns. And it shouldn’t be just any random character (that is true for all these examples—you’re killing darlings, remember, not nameless bit players). It needs to be someone the reader is invested in to some degree. I went on a corpse-count through my published novels, and in seven books, I killed nineteen characters. Two of them were strangers we got to know posthumously. Several were major characters. Two of them kinda got resurrected. There were about eight unnamed dead folks I didn’t count.

The red herring. If there’s a mystery involved in your story, as there are in many novels of all genres, you want to set up some false leads along the way. One way to turn your plot around (as well as your reader’s brain) is to kill off one of your chief suspects, preferably the one you’ve set up as the biggest red herring. The reader gasps, certain that Mr. Zippo was the murderer—but Mr. Zippo has suddenly gotten whacked in chapter fifteen. It’s why murder mysteries are so addictive. Readers love to try and solve whodunit, so kill off someone to keep them on their mental toes.

The inciting incident. I mentioned those two dead people in one of my books that the readers got to know posthumously. Their deaths set up the action for the rest of the book as the heroine tries to figure out why they were killed and what killed them (because she could tell it wasn’t human). And the part of the Mississippi River where they were found had been poisoned. And they were both wizards. And the mermen were involved. Lots of problems to solve, beginning with those two deaths.

Character growth. We do horrible things to our characters. I’ve burned mine with acid, impaled one through the shoulder with a sword, injected one in the stomach with poison, had another shot with poisoned-coated buckshot, burned down a town and forced all the characters to move underground, and branded a heroine—you know, like with a branding iron. (Now that I read this list, I’m thinking therapy might be called for.) Torture makes for good character growth. So does death. Losing someone a hero or heroine loves or feels responsible for is a great way to have a character make an emotional turn, whether it’s a sudden, unexpected loss, a slow, painful loss the character has to work through, or a guilt-inducing death caused by your protagonist.

As you write or revise your next book, think about death: how can it be used to help your characters grow? How can it advance your plot? Whose loss would really shake things up? Remember, no one but the hero and/or heroine are un-killable.

Everyone else is fair game to be a game-changer.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suzanne Johnson writes the Sentinels of New Orleans urban fantasy series for Tor Books; as Susannah Sandlin, she writes the award-winning Penton Vampire Legacy paranormal romance series for Montlake Romance. A longtime New Orleanian with a passion for gators and Garden District architecture, Suzanne currently lives in Auburn, Alabama, surrounded by cows (which are not nearly as interesting as gators). For imformation, please visit www.suzanne-johnson.com, find her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AuthorSuzanneJohnson, or on Twitter @Suzanne_Johnson. You can read the first chapter of her upcoming release Elysian Fields free at tor.com.

 

The Art of Self-Actualization by Tigris Eden

Self-actualization, according to theorist Kurt Goldstein, is the motive to realize one’s full potential. It could be in your quest for knowledge, spiritual enlightenment expressing one’s creativity, or the desire to give to society. You don’t have to obtain all to reach this stage in your life. A self-actualizer is a person who is living creatively and fully using his or her potentials. I think it’s very important to do what makes you happy. Every day, I strive to reach my full potential in whatever activity I’m currently pursuing. Self-actualization means to me is I have to be willing to take my goals and aspirations to their fullest potential.  Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

With that being said, I’m repeatedly working on honing my craft until it becomes second nature, habit. That was my moment of self-actualization. Seriously, the light bulb went off for me. I had to remind myself that I couldn’t be a part-time writer, but a full-time writer. (Write something every day) That’s not to say I don’t have a day job, because I do. Everyone has their own goals, each goal is different. Your goals will not be the same as mine. Full time for me, means different things. Example, every day for the past year and a half I’ve made it my mission to write something every day. That for me is fulltime. It’s my habit, it’s my way of meeting my goal to become the best writer I can be.

Writing is a creative process, it’s an art form. We blend, shape, and control the process and flow of words. If done the right way, we can elicit emotion in our readers

When I think back to the beginning of my journey, I’m reminded about all the times I stopped to reflect on what was important to me. Reflection is key, and I think that being brutally honest with one’s self is important to that process. Another fact is what I’ve come to learn is self-fulfilling prophecy. No, I’m not going biblical on you, but one’s conscience can make or break a person. Positive reinforcement is key when wanting to become the next best thing. I hear people tell me all the time how hard it is to get into this business and to stay there and be productive. To that I say, bring on the challenge. Is it hard work? Yes. Are you going to doubt yourself at some point in the process? Absolutely. We’re human. Emotions can be our worst enemy or our best friend. The thing to realize is you must constantly strive to break the mold on yourself. Set goals, reach them, and then set new ones.

Creativity is genius. Literally. We all have a fantastical story to tell. We’ve all had true life experiences that was can draw from. Apply what you know and be receptive to learn more. Rinse and repeat. Be self-aware, and above all have fun.

My art of self-actualization is simple. Create, create, create, and create some more. Our stories are our creations, we mold them from the ground up and make them beautiful. When I go to my day job, if the muse hits me, I oblige it and write it down. I talk to my writing buddies it’s good to stay connected. After work I drive home in Houston traffic and think of ways to improve what I’m currently working on. I try and set a mini-goal every day. It could be something simple as edit 10 pages or write 10 new pages. I try to think of positive things to reinforce in my life. Work-life balance is important to me, and because I have two jobs, the day job and the writing, sometimes I get lost in the story and have to explain myself to my family. For the most part they are pretty understanding, but we have our moments. I know you all can attest to that. My questions to you are when did you become self-actualized and what are you doing to meet your dreams?

Tigris Eden, described by Ty Langston, is beloved mother, friend, cook, accountant, author, wife and weaver of stories long and short. Family, writing, music, and movies are her life. She aspires to be the best at what she does, inside and outside her circle of crazy. You can find her stalking her author friends on Facebook and twitter. You can also find her on her website at www.authortigriseden.com .