HIGHLAND REBEL Contest Continues . . .

What Romantic Times Book Reviews says about HIGHLAND REBEL by Tess Mallory —

“. . . Adventurous, romantic, fast-moving . . . 4 Stars!“

Hi Peeps! Welcome to the Wild World of Time Travel Romance! If you’re a stranger to this genre, let me assure you that while my books are jam-packed with the adventurous side of traveling through the space/time continuum, they also center around the blossoming relationship between a woman and a man!

In HIGHLAND REBEL, my latest book from BERKLEY SENSATIONS, the woman happens to be Ellie Graham, the Goth-influenced band manager of Celtic rock and roll star, Ian MacGregor. You guessed it - Ian is the man in this romantic adventure, and is he ever a hunky hunk. (I really think I outdid myself this time. Let me know what you think!)

Ellie is unaware that Ian is a time traveler who journeyed to the future with the help her sister, Maggie. All she knows is that she is head over heels in love with the Scottish bad boy, and since Ellie has had a fear of loving anyone ever since her parents died, she does what she always does — she runs. But this time her panicked flight sends her to an ancient cairn, where the tri-spiral (or triskele) carved into the floor takes her back to the year 1734. Ian follows, and there he learns that the brothers and father he left behind have become part of the dreaded Black Watch! It is up to him to save his family, his country, and the woman he loves . . . he is the HIGHLAND REBEL!!

Woo! How’s that grab you? ) In a good way, I hope. Speaking of good things — I’m having a contest, and rather than repeat a bunch of stuff here, please go to my blog on myspace at www.myspace.com/tessmallory or the blog on my fanspace at www.myspace.com/tessmalloryfanspace to find out how to win a free book, a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble, and a Celtic necklace just by talking up my books on message boards!!

I love to hear from my readers — write me at tessmallory@yahoo.com

Remember . . . Love is Timeless! Keep Reading! Keep Writing! Keep Loving!

HOW TO CRACK YOUR WRITER'S BLOCK

Hi Fierce Friends!

I’ve been teaching writing workshops since I was first published in 1993 and many of my students have asked me about having Writer's Block. I didn't even believe in Writer's Block until a couple of years ago, but boy am I a believer now! Now I know that even seasoned writers butt their heads against a wall from time to time, and I’ve sure had my share of days like that. After my father passed away in 2006, I had a really hard time focusing on getting out my next book. I had never experienced real Writer’s Block before in my life, and when it hit me, it was pretty devastating. What to do, what to do?

Well I moaned and groaned a lot. Whined a great deal. But finally I came up with a way to get myself jump-started and believe it or not, it really helped me on days when all I could seem to do was stare at my computer in despair. So for any of you who are struggling out there, here it is, in a nutshell. It’s not a magic wand to wave and isn’t good for the long haul, but is a realistic way to get started when you feel stymied by fatigue, stress, the lack of a muse, indigestion, unpaid bills or crying children.

HOW TO CRACK YOUR WRITER'S BLOCK
copyright Tess Mallory 2008

1. Choose a scene you have already planned. Write the dialogue first. No descriptions, no action, just words in quotes and ‘he said, she said’ or in this case, ‘George said, Elaine said’.

Example:
“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said.
“We’ve searched the entire yard,” Elaine reminded him.

(Note: Try to write an entire page of dialogue before moving on to the next step. )

2. Next insert brief character actions and revise.

Example:
“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said as he stared down at the ground.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire yard,” she reminded him.

(Note to New Writers: A person ‘looking’ or ‘gazing’ is an action. Notice how I rewrote the second sentence, putting Elaine’s action at the beginning and changed ‘Elaine’ to ‘she’.)

3. Now, insert a brief description of setting.

EX:
“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said as he stared down at the ground. Fido’s favorite squeaky toy lay at his feet, just a few inches from the red and blue doghouse in their backyard.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire yard,” she reminded him.

(Note to New Writers: Little details like the squeaky toy I put in make the characters seem real, as well as the setting.)

4. Insert brief description of people from ONE POV.

EX:
“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said as he stared down at the ground. Fido’s favorite squeaky toy lay at his feet, just a few inches from the red and blue doghouse in their backyard.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire yard,” she reminded him. With a sigh, she turned toward her husband. His dark brows were knit together in concern and he dragged one hand through his too-long brown hair.

(Note to New Writers: Once you start a POV in a scene, this is the POV you should stick to. You would not, after this last sentence, write a sentence from George’s POV giving a description of Elaine. What did I change in this version? Why? )

5. Insert character emotion into the scene.

EX:

“I know that dog is around here somewhere,” George said. He stared down at Fido’s favorite squeaky toy lying near his feet, just a few inches from the red and blue doghouse in their backyard. His thin lips pressed together as he kicked the ground with the toe of his work boot.

Elaine shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire yard,” she said. With a sigh, she turned toward her husband, hands on her hips. His dark brows were knit together in despair. He dragged one hand through his too-long brown hair in dramatic concern and she closed her eyes.

“If anything’s happened to that dog—“ he began, then broke off, almost sobbing.

Typical. He was the one who had left the gate open, but she’d be the one left picking up the pieces.

(Note to New Writers: Notice the rewriting that has happened in the this scene. Why did I change the things I did? How did I add emotion?)

Until next time -- Keep Writing!!