Mayhem with Sylvie Kurtz

Today we will be having some mayhem with Sylvie Kurtz. Unfortunately, she's off creating some mayhem of her own in the woods somewhere with her husband (okay, that probably gives away exactly what kind of mayhem...), so she's here with us via satellite.

If you aren't familiar with Sylvie, you can find her bio in every one of her books, at least as far as I've noted. It's pretty interesting if you ask me. Some people might think she's crazy for turning away from her pilot's license in favor of a keyboard and the voices in her head, but as every author knows, you have to stop and listen to those voices if you want to be sane. So, that's what she did. Here's her bio as you'd find on her website and in her books: "Flying an eight hour solo cross-country in a Piper Arrow with only the airplane's crackling radio and a large bag of M & Ms for company, Sylvie Kurtz realized a pilot's life wasn't for her. The stories zooming in and out of her head proved more entertaining than the flight itself. Not a quitter, she finished her pilot's course, earning her commercial license and instrument rating.

Since then, she's traded in her pilot's license for a keyboard, where she lets her imagination soar to create fictional adventures that explore the power of love and the thrill of suspense.

When not writing, she enjoys the outdoors with her family, quilt-making, photography, and reading whatever catches her interest."

After reading A Rose at Midnight and Spirit of a Hunter, I felt I needed to bring Sylvie here and introduce the rest of you to her. She is a phenomenal writer and has a gift for suspense and well, intrigue. I'm currently reading Under Lock and Key and finding it hard to put down and hard to pick back up because I know if I pick it up, I won't be able to do anything else until I've finished reading it! Then I will be on to

Mask of a Hunter and Pull of the Moon
Follow us on Goodreads to see my progress and my reviews of these and other books.

By the time I finished the books and read her website, I was filled with questions. Now, I could ask all of them, didn't want to scare the girl off, so kept my list of questions to the ones I wanted to know now.

[I started with some questions specifically about Sylvie herself]

ME: What drew you to the Intrigue Line?

SYLVIE: The combination of romance and suspense. I love both genres, so finding both in one story seemed like the perfect marriage.

ME: What influenced your life that you find enjoyment in the darker and gothic romances as well as suspense?

SYLVIE: Um, that's a loaded question J [supposed to be a smiley face but you can't see it!]. I'm not really sure why darker stories appeal to me. Maybe it's because Joe and Jane Average win in the end, no matter how bad, strong, rich the opponent is. This so rarely happens in real life, where Joe and Jane more often than not find themselves squished. Plus New England scenery, with its thick trees, granite, and weather, lends itself perfectly to that dark atmosphere.

ME: Was there any one author that influenced you and your writing more than any other?

SYLVIE: When I was a kid, what got my attention was a book cover with a horse on it. When I ran out of kids' books, I turned to the adult section and found Dick Francis racing books and Mary Stewart's Airs Above The Ground. I loved that book so much, I went back and read every book by Mary Stewart I could find. That got me hooked on the Gothic genre. Once I decided to write, I devoured both romance and suspense novels, not so much with a reader's eye now, but with an eye to learn how to make the genres work. I learned sexual tension from Jayne Ann Krentz, emotions from Nora Roberts, atmosphere and the sheer joy of word usage from Dean Koontz. When I first started writing for Intrigue, Tess Gerritsen still wrote for them, and I learned the pacing of an Intrigue from taking apart her books. I try to learn something from every book I read, which sometimes ruins the fun of reading J. Volunteering at the library has helped me find many new authors, making my list of favorites long and my to-be-read piles a health hazard [Isn't everyone's TBR a mountain range? I know mine is!].

[Sylvie touches on a very important point that I don't think can be stated enough for anyone wanting to improve their writing. Read, read and read some more! You need to read good and bad writing to teach yourself what to do and what not to do. She has an impressive list of teachers there! Okay, back to the interview.]

ME: Okay, we all know that the Intrigue line is a limited release and doesn’t get into reprints. Is there a possibility of your books, your seeker series at least, being release as eBooks through eHarlequin?

SYLVIE: I haven't heard anything about that yet, but Harlequin is always looking to maximize sales, so I don't see why they wouldn't end up on their e-list eventually.

ME: There’s a different recipe before each of your Intrigue novels, is that something you did or was that a Harlequin addition? Why were those recipes added?

SYLVIE: My first agent once commented that my books made her hungry because food appeared in so many scenes. Most of my good childhood memories revolve around food--Christmas dinners, Easter pastries, summer picnics, Thanksgiving turkey, and one special high tea at the Ritz with my grandmother. Because food became an unconscious layer in all of my books, I asked if I could include a recipe and it stuck. Even when I couldn't have it in the front pages anymore, it ended up at the end of the book.

[Here's where I finally start asking questions about her books.]

ME: Spirit of the Hunter is book 5 in The Seekers . Do you plan on writing any more of The Seekers, or do you feel it sort of wrapped itself up?

SYLVIE: I have an idea for Gray's sister, and one for Harper, but I don't know if I'll get to write them.

ME: What gave you the inspiration for The Seekers? Was it something from your own life?

SYLVIE: Mostly frustration at not being able to get local law enforcement to answer questions. Then in a book on law enforcement of the future, I read about the idea of private policing and used that as the basis for The Seekers.

ME: Did you have any specific men in mind when you wrote the different heroes of The Seekers? If so, who?

SYLVIE: Not really. They all kind of appeared with their own personalities. Sebastian first, then his crew as he needed them. I love how they were all so different, yet shared the same basic values.

ME: Which Seeker hero was your favorite?

SYLVIE: I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, and I know readers like alpha heroes, but my two favorites are the more beta heroes, Dominic and Noah.

[Interesting concept, a beta hero!]

ME: In A Rose at Midnight, the main premise swirls around a New Orleans Myth. Is that myth the real thing, or something you made up?

[I love, love, love this cover!]

SYLVIE: It's actually a French Canadian tales I grew up with. I can still remember a particular television show called Franfreluche, where the main character reenacted the tale--her getting caught up with the stranger, the horns appearing on the devil's head, the smoke around their dancing feet, her inability to get away from him, and the sound of the grandfather clock bonging midnight in the background. I couldn't have been more than seven, but the images are still clear. I always wanted to use that tale somehow and got to in A Rose at Midnight.

ME: How long did it take you to research myths and legends?

SYLVIE: I got a couple of books of Canadian tales to refresh myself on the details. I ended up finding several versions and kind of molded them all into the one I used in the book. I used Quebec City as the setting, because my grandmother had lived there and the old part of Quebec City is so ripe for that Gothic atmosphere.

ME: What kind of research did you do, or was it mostly online (what resources did you find the most helpful)?

SYLVIE: Online research is fast, but I still like hands-on research. If I can try something my characters will do, then I like to have the experience--like shooting a handgun or a rifle, kayaking, hiking the White Mountains, etc. I like that I can tap into my own emotions as I was in the midst of the experience for my characters.

[Okay, how can I do this? I don't think my husband will buy the, "Honey, I need to do research for a book I want to write, so I'm booking a trip for us to..." Um, no, won't work. Oh, darn!]

ME: I recently started reading Under Lock and Key. A castle complete with moat is an interesting idea for a contemporary novel, but what made you decide to put one in Northern Texas?

SYLVIE: Because a similar one does exist, although I'm not sure about the moat part. I forget where now, because it's been so long since I've lived in Texas, but I remember reading an article in the newspaper about how a man had had a castle transported stone by stone and rebuilt it. I cut the article out and placed it in my idea file until the opportunity to use such an element came up. I didn't use the actual Texas castle, but created one just for Melissa based on an English castle. [click image at right to go to castle's website]

ME: Why did you make the main character a journalist over some other career choice?

SYLVIE: You're asking me to dig back far! I had to find someone who had a good reason to contact Melissa and someone who would most press Melissa's conflict buttons. A too-gorgeous guy, who she thought wanted to expose her "ugliness" seemed like the perfect fit.

[Here are some questions about future publications:]

ME: Are you currently working on any projects?

SYLVIE: I'm currently dabbling in several things.

ME: If so, what are their titles?

SYLVIE: No titles so far--those tend to grow out of the story and surprise me somewhere as I'm writing the story.

ME: Will they be suspense or intrigue?

SYLVIE: I'd like to do both!

ME: If not, what genre will they be?

SYLVIE: I started a psychological suspense and was having fun with my heroine, but then this guy started talking to me (this probably sounds normal only to other writers--I swear I'm not psychotic J) and his voice was so strong that I had to start writing down his story, which kind of goes back to my paranormal roots, because there's a ghost involved. I have no idea where that will end up.

The way the mind works has always fascinated me--why people do things, how they react, how they survive, hence my attraction to the psychological suspense genre.

We'll see what happens.

ME: What are you doing in the meantime, besides working on future books that is?

SYLVIE: I'm teaching two classes for the Long Ridge Writers Group--Breaking Into Print and a novel course, and volunteer at my local library one afternoon a week. I also present the occasional online workshop. The next one is for the NEORWA chapter (www.neorwa.com) from September 7-18th and it's on revising.

ME: Thanks for taking the time to interview with me and I look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

SYLVIE: No problem--it was fun!

[Any questions for Sylvie that you'd like to ask? Want to tell her how much you like her work, post it here for when she checks in later!]

Just Another Parody Monday

Hey all,

I scrapped my regular blog because I felt a parody coming on. Since the muse was calling, I had to listen!

This one has the tune of Mountain of Love by Charlie Pride (or Johnny Mathis - if he sang it).

Enjoy!

Mountains of Books

Standing on a ladder peering down at my stacks
And overwhelmed ‘cause they spill out my backpack
Zipper’s broke open along each side
Adventure, romance and
Sci-fi fantasy,
Books spill out onto the floor
But that’s what you get
When you have mountains of books

Chapter by chapter and right up to the end
Reading my nights away until dawn
Reading each word so I don’t miss any parts
Line by line it flows, as I follow the journey
There’s so many to choose
Too many to name
Among my mountains of books

Mountains of books
Mountains of books
You would be amazed
What used to be a small little pile
Now flows into the bay

My husband swears there's a half a million books
All through the house in every nook and cranny
There’s even a box I got from my great aunt Mary
In the closet and on the kitchen table
He’s so grouchy because
They’re everywhere
All from my mountains of books

Big tall mountains of books
Big tall mountains of books
Big tall mountains of books

Philippa Gregory Book Giveaway!

Happy Sunday Everyone!

On Tuesday, August 18th, 2009, Philippa Gregory's new book, The White Queen, hits store shelves. You can pre-order it through Amazon, B&N as well as Borders and many other places. But what you can't do, is win a free copy!

That's right, the contest you may have read about in our first newsletter is finally here! Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem has three copies of The White Queen that we are allowed to raffle off!

Why enter this contest? Why this book?

If you have to ask, then you haven't read her book, The Other Boleyn Girl, that was recently made into a movie. Both the book and movie were fantastic! I have also recently finished listening to The Boleyn Inheritance and loved it. The time of England's Kings and Queens are Philippa's element. She thrives here.

The depths to which Philippa does her research are astounding! I also genuinely appreciate how she always makes a point to tell you what in the book was fact, what was rumor and what she made up. What's mind blowing is that what she makes up is so believable that it leaves you feeling that things really could have happened the way she has described! She is that familiar with the ways of society back then, that you are left with not much of a choice but to believe her story as a possibility because she uses the facts of history as the skeleton and builds logical connections and suppositions with the rumors and records of life from that time.

She boggles your mind with the facts and blows it away with the suppositions. Of all the stories of a similar nature that I have read, not many are as brilliant as Philippa, which is why I am so pleased to announce this contest!

The contest starts today, Sunday, August 16th, 2009 and runs through Saturday, September 19th, 2009.

Starting today, you can enter your name by leaving a comment in this blog! (If you sign is as anonymous, you must sign with a name for your entry to be valid. Multiple entries will not increase your chances of winning, but we like it when readers praise authors who are generous enough to provide books for us to raffle off!)

For the last three Sundays of this contest, Gracen, Margay and I will post our reviews of Philippa's book as well as offer some other tidbits about Philippa and the book, so stay tuned!!!

We are so excited to see who will enter, and who will win!

Note: Due to the high costs of shipping over seas, we are restricting our winners to U.S. residents only. Thanks!

YA Author Spotlight Saturday Presents... Nancy Werlin!!!

Hello there!

I'm Nancy Werlin, and I'd like first to thank Carrie, Gracen, and Margay for their generous invitation to do a guest blog post. (And Margay is a Lowell of the Boston Lowells! I'm from Boston, too, though my family is, er, rather less distinguished than the Lowells. We're nice, mind you, but pure peasant.)

I write young adult fiction. My seventh novel, Impossible, was just released on August 11, 2009, in paperback from Penguin. Impossible is a genre-bending mix of contemporary, suspense, romance, and fantasy that was inspired by the song "Scarborough Fair."

Click here for a one-minute book trailer that introduces the book!

Although Impossible was originally released in hardcover as YA fiction, the paperback release will also be classified as adult, in part because the Publishers Weekly's Cuffie awards of 2008 called Impossible a "best novel for young readers that adults would love if they knew about it," and then Penguin, my publisher, said, "Hey! We think so too."

Click here to find out more about the book and here to find out more about why I desperately needed to write this particular book.

But now, I want to talk more about young adult fiction, because I think there's a great deal of it that adult readers would love if they only knew about it.

Often, adult readers who don't know much about YA fiction wonder why a writer would choose to work in this field. It usually turns out that they haven't read any YA fiction from the last 10 to 15 years and so are unaware of the astounding vibrancy of the genre. It's fair to say that fiction written for older teenagers nowadays is in a golden age. YA fiction can be and usually is as well-written and involving as fiction about adults, but it features a teenage protagonist. I can imagine no more interesting characters to work with than teens, and no more fascinating material than watching a teen transition -- under enormous pressure -- from child to adult, which is what happens in all of my books. When are your choices in life more important than when you're a teen?

Writing YA also enables a genre-bending writer like me to have all of my books shelved together at the bookstore, even though I write

mystery

The Killer's Cousin and Locked Inside
(Edgar award honorees),

science fiction crossed with contemporary

Double Helix,

suspense

Black Mirror,

and contemporary literary

The Rules of Survival
(National Book Award finalist),

as well as romance

Are You Alone on Purpose?

and fantasy.


(Impossible, of course, is both of these).


So whether or not you're interested in my books, I hope that you'll wander into the YA section of your library or bookstore soon and start browsing. It's not for nothing that books like the Harry Potter series, The Book Thief and Twilight are dominating bestseller numbers, but what you'll discover as you browse is that these are only the tip of the iceberg. The quality and range of American (not to mention British and Australian) YA fiction (and heck, nonfiction) is nothing short of extraordinary. I promise.

And frankly, I ought to know. This year, I'm chairing the National Book Award judging panel for our category, Young People's Literature. Our panel (Kathi Appelt, Coe Booth, Carolyn Coman, and Gene Luen Yang -- all of which we in children's books know are writer names to conjure with) is reading upwards of 250 books published in 2009. We can pick only five books for the short list of finalists. While I'm forbidden to talk about our reading in progress, I can tell you that it's going to be a tough, tough choice, and that I personally feel humbled and incredibly lucky to be writing books for young people right here, right now.

[Thanks to Nancy for joining us even though her schedule is soooo busy!]

Friday Spawned from the Pits of Hell!

My apologies for posting late. My internet has been shoddy all week, coming and going. My telephone line is completely out and not guaranteed to be back up and running until August 19th. *slams head against the wall* I had prepared a nice discussion about what makes a book great. Then my cat tripped me and I spilled coffee all over my laptop...bye bye work! All of it! My blog for today and the 20 pages worth of writing I did yesterday all poof! Gone in the blink of an eye. I want to curl up into a fetal position, cry myself silly and escape from the world right now. *cries*

I've had my meltdown of tears. First to my husband, then to my girlfriend's husband who is a self-proclaimed computer geek. My husband's idea of a pep talk was "Get a grip! No one's dead!" to which I disconnected the line and refused to answer his next call while I boohooed at his insensitivity and my loss...which by the way those 20 pages do feel like a death. My girlfriend's husband was a doll encouraging me not to panic, to calm down, it should be okay and we should be able to get it working again or at the very least remove all the data off of it. I don't deal well with "shoulds", so I didn't do well with his encouragement, but I handled it much better than my husband's insensitivity. He at least didn't send me into another fit of tears, but managed to calm me somewhat.

So...because of the computer fiasco and my cat's unforseen continued survival--kidding! well, mostly since I can't look at her without bitching up a storm and threatening to kill her--I'll post my scheduled blog next Friday. My apologies with the delay in my blog today and for not bringing you a more appropriate blog.

Make sure to check back this coming Sunday for your chance to win a hardback copy of Philippa Gregory's new book, The White Queen! Good luck to all those that enter and I hope everyone has an awesome weekend.

Making Mayhem with A. F. Stewart

First, I must apologize to A. F. For some reason, this disappeared off of the website and I didn't realize it until now.

Thank you for taking the time to interview with us! A. F. Stewart’s newest release is Chronicles of the Undead. Her full-length horror novella became available in paperback and e-book in January of 2009!

Author Website: http://afallon.bravehost.com/
Book websites:
Chronicles of the Undead- http://www.squidoo.com/undeadchronicles
Inside Realms- http://www.squidoo.com/fantasycollection
The Elite of the Blood- http://www.squidoo.com/eliteblood

Author’s Blog: http://afstewartblog.blogspot.com/
Lulu Storefront: http://stores.lulu.com/MaeveErin

When/how did you know you wanted to write?

I have written poetry and short stories since I learned to write, and that eventually evolved into writing books. I’ve always had ideas rattling around in my brain clamoring to get out.

Do you use a pseudonym? More than one? Why?

I use my initials instead of my given names, for two reasons. Here in Canada, there is another writer (of cookbooks) with my given name, Anita Stewart and I wanted to avoid any confusion. I also wanted to avoid any possible preconceptions about a woman who writes in the fantasy genre; I write darker fantasy stories and generally stay away from the paranormal romance genre.

What I didn’t anticipate was that people would automatically assume I was a man. I guess it’s a case of be careful what you wish for.

What advice do you give to those who are just starting out or trying to become published?

Always look to improve your writing skills, have patience and don’t take rejections personally. You should also do your research before you decide what publishing route is best for you. There are many options these days: The big traditional houses, the small press publishers, e-book publishing and self-publishing. They all have their pros and cons.

Where do your story ideas come from? Do you use people you know as characters sometimes or even sometimes a certain event from real life happenings?

Ideas just pop into my head. Something strikes me as odd or I ask myself “What if something was this way?” My vampire book started with the thought: “What if you weren’t horrified that your neighbors were vampires?”

I may subconsciously use people I know in my books, but I don’t do it intentionally. If anything, I put parts of my own personality into my characters. I sometimes use real life as starting points for events in my stories and I often put historic events in my writing.

How long does it usually take for you to research a book? Write the book?

It usually takes as long or longer to research the book as it does to write it, since I do a great deal of historical research for my books. I take several months to do preliminary research and sketch out a loose book outline before I start on the first draft. That first draft can take another few months to write (or longer if my muse is being persnickety); I also research as I write to get added details correct. The final edits are the easiest to finish because I know where the book is going at that point and what isn’t working. It is also the point where I do any final research on changes or new plot points to ensure accuracy.

Some authors start out with a plot in mind, others with characters whom they’ll follow to reveal the theme. What works best for you and why?

I usually start out with a plot idea that evolves into a first sentence or paragraph. From there I figure out the main character and the ending; the tough part is writing what goes in-between. I need to know where the story starts and where it ends, in order to write the journey.

When and where can we purchase your books?

I currently have four published books and they can all be purchased at Lulu.com, in both print and ebook form. Inside Realm, my fantasy short story collection, is available on Amazon.com and Chronicles of the Undead is available at Amazon worldwide, as well as Barnes and Noble.com.

What are you reading right now?

The fantasy books, Rise of the Ancients- Annuna by JC De La Torre and The Long-Timers by Matt Lupo, a great crime/mystery, The Wonderful Demise of Benjamin Arnold Guppy by Gina Collia-Suzuki, and an excellent book, Nora’s Soul by Margay Leah Justice.

(Okay, I am officially blushing now. Thanks, A.F.!)

I also have a very long list of to-read books.

Are there any authors (living or dead) that you would name as influences?

Ray Bradbury, he is the first author who showed me that writing could be both entertaining and have an emotional impact on a writer, and Neil Gaiman who led me down the path to the dark side.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

I like all kinds of books: mysteries, fantasy, sci-fi, non-fiction; I’ve even been known to read a historical romance or two. My favourite author is a toss-up between Guy Gavriel Kay and Neil Gaiman.

What do you do to unwind in your free time?

I read of course, and I like to watch DVD’s (I’m partial to action movies). I also dabble in drawing and oil painting.

If you had a book club, what would it be reading — and why?

Good old-fashioned genres like sci-fi, fantasy and mystery. The last book club I belonged to favoured chick-lit books and that is just not what I generally read.

Give us three "Good to Know" facts about you.

1- I’m a total geek. I own numerous movie collectibles, collect sword replicas, can quote Star Wars, and can tell you why the Terminator movie plotline is actually a time paradox. 2-I have some artistic talent in drawing and painting, but I am extremely untalented when it comes to crafts such as sewing, crocheting, embroidery, etc.; I can however knit simple things like baby blankets given a year or two. 3- I can write any poem in thirty minutes or less, if inspired, in fifteen minutes or less.

Many writers have had success writing in different genres. Do you think it is difficult to switch over to another genre?

I think it is a matter of being comfortable with the genre. I have no problem writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry or certain types of non-fiction and I’ve dabbled a bit writing mysteries. However, when I try my hand at romance I always feel awkward and I can’t see myself writing an old-fashioned western.

Do you write more than one kind of book? Do you have a preference? Is one type of book easier to write than another?

My preference is to write fantasy books, although my latest, Chronicles of the Undead crosses over into horror. I have written a volume of free-verse poetry and a small non-fiction book about action movies. I find poetry the easiest to write, probably because it takes the least effort for me to write; poetry has always been second nature for me.

Why did you choose your genre?

It was more that it chose me. As I said, I tried my hand at writing in a few other genres, but it’s always the fantasy stories that keep coming to the forefront of my brain. I probably read too many fairy tales as a child.

What's your next project?

I was working on my non-fiction book, the Incomplete Guide to Action Movies, but I hit a few snags and I decided I needed more time to write a better book. My next book will be my second book of poetry, Shadows of Poetry. I’m also writing a vampire novel, The Elite of the Blood, online.

Thank you so much for joining us today, A.F.! ~ The Moonlighters

To Plot Or Not To Plot, That Is The Question

There is a great debate among writers and if you pay close enough attention to websites where authors share their process, you will run across it from time to time. I'm talking about plotting. Or not plotting, as the case may be. There are two factions of writers out there - those who do and those who don't plot - and nary shall the twain meet. It is part of their ritual, part of their identities as writers; the key element to the "how" of their writing. Some writers are more comfortable diagramming their stories ahead of time, mapping out every key element, every rise and fall of action, every little nuance of silent communication between their main characters. And then there are others who just wing it. They sit down at the computer with a vague idea of what they are going to write about and then just let the words flow. They are affectionately known as the "pantsers" because they tend to create their stories by the seat of their pants.

It is no secret that I fall into the first group; I've written about my process in various venues, whether as a post or a response in an online discussion. I even joke that my outlines are so detailed that I often refer to them as my first draft. Not only do they contain descriptions of scenes, but they often include the actual dialogue and notes to myself of things to remember when I sit down to actually write the story. I have tried a few different methods for outlining, such as the bulleted list in a notebook, but the system that seems to work best for me is to block out scenes on index cards. So instead of chapters, I have numbered scenes. Believe it or not, this method actually moves along faster for me than the notebook method even though my index cards are far more detailed than my notebook pages. Why this is so is a mystery to me.

Needless to say, I like my method for creating my stories. It works well for me, it's satisfying, and I don't have that blank page syndrome when I sit down at the computer to write. But sometimes I like to shake things up, stir the creative pot, try something new. So, in that spirit, I've crossed over to the other side...well, for at least one project (among the many stewing in my head!) that is currently in progress. As many of you might be aware if you read my post this past Sunday, I started a new novel on Textnovel.com. I won't re-hash the reasons here, so if you want to refresh your memory, you can jump to the post called America's Next Best Celler Contest - And Me! But for the purpose of this article, I mention it only to show how I deviated from my usual process.

Rather than write this new story armed with a box of scenes on index cards and pages of biographical information on my characters, I am writing it as it comes to me. I am letting the story flow from me to the page in an organic sort of manner, growing from the little seed in my imagination to the fertile garden of a full story. At least I hope so. Here are the two things I have learned about this process: It is at once creatively stimulating and absolutely terrifying. And both for the same reason. You see, when I first decided to take this on, I made a condition with myself that I am trying desperately to keep. That condition is that I must add to the story every day. This is the only way I can see that I will keep the momentum going until the story is done. So far, this is working for me. I just started the story over the weekend and already, I have posted five chapters of the story. Not that this has been easy. The first three chapters came easily enough, but then I stumbled a little with the fourth and nearly gave up on my self-imposed condition of adding to it every day with the fifth. But I am nothing if not stubborn and I muscled my way through it and managed to meet my goal of posting every day in both cases. I had to stay up until one-thirty in the morning working on chapter five to do it, but I'm happy to say that I succeeded! You see, this is where that stubbornness worked out for me.

You might be wondering at this point why I would put myself through this and if the end result is worth the cost. Isn't it stressful? Yes, it can be. Is it a crazy idea? Maybe. Is it worth it? Yes. Because every time we try someting new, step away from the familiar to embrace the unfamiliar, we expand ourselves not just in a creative manner, but in a personal one, as well. If we always do what is comfortable, stay in a protected zone, and never venture out beyond it, then we are doing ourselves a disservice. Not only are we limiting our knowledge and experience, but we are cheating ourselves out of things we can then write about. Take this article, for example. If I didn't step out of my comfort zone to try a new way of writing, then I woudn't have had a topic for today's blog post. Isn't it amazing how things work out sometimes?

So what do you think? Where do you stand on the plotter/pantser debate? I would love to read your thoughts on the process, reasons why you would - or wouldn't - try a different method for creating your stories, whatever you like. Feel free to pick my brain on this whole process - I love to talk shop! And if you're curious to know how the Textnovel.com experience is going for me, feel free to check my story out, leave a question or comment there on whatever strikes you about the story. I welcome all feedback. And if you've taken the plunge and written something for Textnovel.com yourself, let me know about that, too. Give yourself a little plug! Writing is hard work; putting it out there for everyone to see is frightening. So I like to show my respect for everyone who takes the step to venture into this mystical, magical world we call writing. ~ Margay

The Jane Austen Society Pages

Mayhem-Making With Janet Mullany, A Most Lamentable Comedy

I am so excited to welcome as my guest today the talented Janet Mullany, author of The Rules of Gentility and the new book, A Most Lamentable Comedy. I had the extreme pleasure and honor of interviewing Ms. Mullany for Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem, and of reading her newest book. Below, I offer a review, but I promise to keep it brief so we can get right to the interview!





A Most Lamentable Comedy: My Review

Just one look at the cover to this book is enough to tell you that you are in for something different. A simple brown cover with baby blue lettering harkens back to a day when things were less flashy and stories did not rely upon shock factors to set themselves apart from the rest. But do not let the simplicity of the cover fool you; this book is anything but simple. It is a complex, intriguing tale of two people scheming to out-do the other in their desperate bid to achieve financial gain before their pasts - and creditors! - catch up with them. Throw in a cast of characters worthy of the masters and you have one rollicking tale of missteps and deliberate miscommunications on the path to Happily Ever After.

A Most Lamentable Comedy tells the tale of Lady Caroline Elmhurst, who has had her share of questionable relationsips on her quest to find financial sustenance, and who is fleeing from her ever-expanding list of creditors as fast as her scheming can take her. It also tells the story of Mr. Nicholas Congrevance, a man living off of his good charm and other assets, who finds himself in desperate need of a financial infusion and so is on the hunt for a well-endowed mark whom he can separate from her fortune with said charm. And in a twist worthy of her forefathers and foremothers of fiction, Ms. Mullany sets these two upon each other with what one can only call a devilish delight. Throw in a house party, a rendering of a Shakespearean play, and a congregation of quirky characters, all scheming for their own benefits, and you have a tale that will delight you long after the last page is read. If Shakespeare and Austen had a literary child, her nname would be Janet Mullany.

And now, without further ado, here's my interview with Janet:


1. Janet, can you give us a little background on yourself and your writing?

I was brought up in England and had a varied career as an archeologist, draftsperson, classical musical radio announcer, arts administrator and editor/proofreader for a small press. I now live in the US near Washington, DC. I’m a late bloomer. I think one of the smartest or luckiest things about my writing career was that I waited until later in life when I’d read very widely and then started to write fiction when I had few outside commitments—my daughter was old enough to handle burned dinners, for instance. I’d always written but it was generally work-related.


2. Why did you choose the genre that you write in? Do you have plans to write in any other genre? If so, what one?

I call my current genre Regency chicklit, because I think that best defines it in a few words, and it has some of the technical aspects of chicklit (first person, present tense narration). I started writing it to entertain myself and first Harper Collins (who published The Rules of Gentility in 2007) and the UK publisher Little Black Dress became interested. I'm Little Black Dress's only historical writer and I have another book coming out next year and then a third to write (I have no idea what that will be)! I’m also contracted to write two paranormals starring Jane Austen for HarperCollins (speculative historical fiction with a bit of romance thrown in) and also erotic contemporaries for Harlequin Spice under the name of Liz Diamond.


3. Can you give us a blurb about your latest book, A Most Lamentable Comedy?

The heroine is a Bad Girl—she’s on the run from creditors and meets up with the hero, who’s looking for his next victim, preferably a pretty, rich, gullible widow. They successfully persuade each other they’re rich, but are then confounded by falling in love. They do end up with each other, but their HEA is equally dependent on finding friendship and community as well as love. And it’s funny!


4. The title sounds very Shakespearean. Was that deliberate? What do you think is the significance of that title?

Yes, it’s from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, taken from the full title of the play Bottom’s troupe performs—The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe. The first half of the book revolves around an amateur performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and toward the end there is actually a scene where Caroline and Nicholas (h/h) become lost in a wood that assumes an identity of its own.


5. You chose to write A Most Lamentable Comedy in first person point of view, from the heroine and the hero's perspective. What were the challenges of getting into the mind of Nicholas and making his character ring true?

He was fun to write but I thought I’d created a sex-machine monster! I had to work at making him more likeable and giving him other attributes—he’s nice to kids, for instance, and is good with his hands (in the sense of being able to fix things!).


6. Is it fair to say that this book is a comedy of manners in the tradition of Shakespeare and Austen?

I don’t know if it’s fair but I’m certainly flattered! I’m influenced by Austen, as is everyone who writes romance, and Shakespeare seems to creep into my writing quite often.


7. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?

A guilt-free good time and the urge to tell their friends about it!


8. What are you working on now?

I’m working on my first book for Immortal Jane Austen (HarperCollins) which is scheduled for release for next summer. We don’t have a title yet although my editor has already turned down my suggestion of Blood Bath--it's set in the city of Bath--and my brother’s suggestion of Austen Powers!


Thanks for having me visit, Margay, it's been fun!

Janet, it has been an absolute joy to have you with us today! I can't thank you enough for spending the time with us and giving us such a wonderful insight into your world of writing.

If you would like to learn more about Janet and her books, here are some links:

www.janetmullany.com

excerpt-- http://www.janetmullany.com/a-most-lamentable-comedy-excerpt/

where I blog (Thursday, usually) http://riskyregencies.blogspot.com/

Link to buy Comedy with free shipping worldwide (the book doesn't have US distribution)--http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/browse/book/isbn/9780755347797

Note: There is a possibility that Janet will be giving away a copy of A Most Lamentable Comedy today to one lucky reader, so be sure and leave a comment for her. Believe me, you will be glad that you did; this is one entertaining book! I'll keep you updated.

Late and Distracted

Hi Everyone!

Between my fridge acting up (Of course, it also distracted me so much that I almost forgot that it was my blog day!), preparing for a couple days of down time, website maintenance and all the guest blog stuff, I am surprised I have time to breathe, let alone write, but it finds a way. Sure, I may not be writing much, and it may still be in my head, but the ideas are ever forthcoming and inspiration is always there in the form of tiny details.

Who cares about tiny details when you have to come up with thousands of words?

Well, it's those tiny details that come now, that will allow for lots of words, situations, characters and their dialogue later that you never would have considered if it wasn't for one tiny detail.

What's nice about tiny details is that they can stay tiny or they can become huge to a subplot or the main plot.

For example, a detail about a secondary person could be that they craft glass flowers. This detail can remain minor in the sense that it was how they came in contact with the main character (much the same way as buying a horse or a book can be minor) or it could turn into a huge facet of the plot.

In this instance, the focus of the plot could be some majorly antique and priceless crystal artifact that someone is looking for. You could go through the entire plot twist to find that the item in question gets destroyed or lost at sea.

The kicker?

Well, the item that everyone was chasing is a complete fake (or hoax even) and it is later discovered that the artist in question (who had very little to do with the rest of the story), is the creator of the fake artifact, but knows where the real one is and who has it, leading up to what could be the biggest action of the book or a great opening for the next in the series.

If any of you have read Ice Blue by Anne Stuart, you see a similarity here, only in this book, her tiny detail was that the item in question was a ceramic bowl. If you haven't read it, I'm not going to spoil it for you. It was a RITA Award-winning novel and I thought it was darn good and well worth a read!

So, the next time you're frustrated about just getting tiny details, show your muse you appreciate them too, and eventually, the rest will happen.

Happy Reading and Writing! Always use a bookmark and never dog ear the pages.

Don't own any bookmarks? Well, besides all the ones you can print on paper for free, you can always contact authors (like Heidi Betts and Lori Foster) and get free ones.

Know any authors besides Heidi that offer free bookmarks? Let us know and we'll start compiling a list of where you can find free stuff from authors.

America's Next Best Celler Contest - and Me!

Hello everyone!

This Saturday, I finally (contest started back in June) took the plunge and entered the America’s Next Best Celler Contest, sponsored by Dorchester Publishing and Textnovel.com. The purpose of the contest is to find “the next new voice in romance,” according to Dorchester’s site.

The contest will run until November 1, 2009. By then all entrants should have posted twenty chapters of their novel or a total of 6,000 words and the top 20 semifinalists will be chosen. On November 15, 2009, the top 10 finalists will be chosen. Finally, on January 31, 2010, the overall winner of the contest will be announced.

And the prize?

A guaranteed contract with Dorchester Publishing and a $2,000 prize. Not too bad a deal. And with the success of other voting-based contests, such as Gather.com’s First Chapters contests and Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel awards, it is certainly a positive step in the path toward publication for aspiring novelists. If nothing else, the contest will serve as a barometer for how viable a story is and will help the author build a following and readership.

What is my entry?

Here's the short description I wrote for the introduction on Textnovel:

Athena Willoughby is a cynical gossip columnist with a passion for Jane Austen novels. So what happens when she wakes up one morning in Regency England, in a scene that could have come straight from one of her idol's books? She learns how gossip was spread in a time without the internet, of course!

So how did I come up with that particular idea?

Like many of my ideas, it was inspired by a simple phrase I read on Twitter, “What would Perez Hilton think of Catherine?” The question was followed by a link that to the site for a new book about Catherine de Medici. Well, of course, that phrase inspired the inevitable “what if” questions in me and it wasn’t long before an idea began to formulate.

What would happen if a modern day gossip blogger found herself in a time before the Internet, or even the television and radio? How would she get her gossip and, more important, how would she report it?

Now, with idea in mind, I had to decide on a time to send her back to and since my favorite historical time period is the Regency, it was only natural that I would send her there. Why did I choose Jane Austen for the theme and Athena's inspiration? One, I've always been fascinated by Jane Austen and have seen each of her stories interpreted on film, some with more than one rendition; and Two, nobody else wrote so keenly of their world and society as did Jane. Plus, I am participating in a Jane Austen reading challenge, so it all sort of fell into place. The Jane Austen Society Pages was born. Whether or not Athena actually meets Jane...well, you're just going to have to read it to find out!

So, if you’d like to become a part of Athena’s misadventures in Austen’s world and follow me on my journey through the process, please check out my story and let me know how I’m doing. I would love to hear from you. For more on my reasons for entering the contest, you can read my post on Serializing the Novel. ~ Margay

YA Author Spotlight Saturday Presents... Christine Hart!!!

Hello Everyone!

As I've said before, we’ve had a lot of fun shining our spotlight on some very fine young adult authors so far. In fact, I will continue with this list until I feel it is utterly too long (maybe renew it every six months). We've brought Linda Dawda, Brian S. Pratt, Sara Zarr, Jaime Adoff and Susan Beth Pfeffers (but on a Monday), into our spotlight we affectionately call the moon and stars, and today is no different!

Today our starry-moon spotlight shines on author Christine Hart.

When you read her bio, you'll find that she is based in Victoria, British Columbia, that she writes ya and speculative fiction, that she "crafts jewelery, takes pictures, draws, and paints" when she's not in the woods or on the beach.

While you do see some interesting groups that she belongs to, as well as images of her beautiful and interesting crafts, you are left with a feeling of wanting to know more about the author, because it just doesn't feel like enough. So, my first round of questions are targeted to learn more about Christine Hart, the person.

Me: I looked on your website to get more info about you, but there wasn’t much there, so I’ll start with some questions about you:

Q. You graduated from the University of Victoria and are currently based in Victoria. Have you lived anywhere else other than Victoria? If so, where and for what time periods?

A. I’m originally from Edmonton, Alberta – and lived briefly in Calgary - but I grew up mostly in Vernon, BC, having moved there at age 7.

I lived in Vernon until age 17. Almost immediately after I graduated from Clarence Fulton Secondary, I moved to Victoria to pursue my degree at UVic.

Q. Have you always wanted to write creative fiction?

A. Despite the fact that my favourite subjects in school were consistently art and literature, I had always planned on becoming a lawyer. I chose UVic because their law school was very well esteemed. However, I had a first year English teacher who mercifully took an interest in me and urged me to pursue writing.

I loved to write, but I still felt I had to be sensible, so I took a minor in professional writing, primarily training me for journalism and communications. I also took courses in technical writing, web design, and creative non-fiction – the latter being my favourite by far.

[Now, that story sounds a little familiar, nudge, nudge, wink, wink... see my blogger profile...lol...]

Q. What made you choose young adults as your target audience?

A. Finding young adults as an audience was about as straight a path as finding fiction to begin with. I’d been working with youths as an employment counselor, writing freelance career articles for that age group when I decided to start dabbling in picture books. I was trying to embrace my abandoned love of visual art and create both the illustrations and story.

After I’d written two picture books, I realized two things. I’m a better writer than I am an illustrator. Sad, but there it was. And I also had a difficult time connecting to the age group. I decided to set picture books aside until I had children of my own and could better understand my audience. It was a small step from there to start writing for an audience I already worked with every day.

Me: Here come the harder questions
Q. Are you married? – How long and to whom? – If not, why not?

A. I’m married to my not-quite-high-school-sweetheart, Jeff. We started dating after my first year of university and were married last August. We’re almost at our first anniversary, but we’ve been together for over 12 years now.

[Congratulations on your first anniversary! BTW, now I don't feel so bad, my husband and I were together for 9.5 years before making it official. We just celebrated our 6th anniversary.]

Q. Do you have children? – How many, ages and boys and/or girls? – If none, why?

As above, no children yet, but it’s probably just a matter of time. I’ve always planned for it, but I seem to keep planning for more adventures in the meantime. Another trip. Another book. But I know life will slow down enough at some point.

[Life doesn't have to slow done. We haven't stopped, but we also don't feel that kids are in our future, what with 13 nieces and nephews... If you feel like us, that's okay. It doesn't make you selfish, no matter what some might say. There's nothing wrong with feeling complete with just two people after all.]

Q. Do you have any pets? – Number, type, etc.? – If none, why not have a pet?

A. We have two male cats:

Spike - our temperamental tuxedo cat was a 20th birthday present from Jeff

and
Sam - our very large long hair white & ginger cat was a spontaneous decision and ... well, he looked smaller in the window. [don't they always, small and cute...]



Me: Now on to book related questions:

I just finished reading Watching July, which I gave 5/5 stars to on Shelfari and Goodreads by the way, and I have a few questions:

Q. People usually take inspiration from what they know and love, so what from your life inspired you to write this suspense, mild paranormal, abusive teen relationship that you did in Watching July?

A. I did have a somewhat abusive relationship as a teenager myself. I’ve had other relationships that were also less than positive. So I drew on personal experience for the relationship aspect of the novel. For the supernatural, it’s more of a deep and dividing fascination.


Q. Were any of the characters in the novel based on people you’ve known, met or read about?

A. I don’t have any characters that reflect specific people; they’re more generally influenced by archetypes that stood out from my younger years.

Q. The dialogue for the book seemed pretty realistic, how much research did you have to do? Did you have to talk to a lot kids to figure out what they would have done or where they would have hung out?

A. I think the dialogue comes from my own memory and having worked with youth for several years prior to writing it. I was 26 when I started writing July and 29 when it was released, so hopefully I was still relatively in touch with the teen mindset. That and I have always resisted assimilating myself into the professional and corporate worlds my jobs exposed me to.

Q. The parental figures in your book are lesbians. Did you choose that just to add another dimension to the story or was it influenced from your own life (please elaborate on your answer, thanks!)?

A. I’ve had this question a few times and I’m still not sure I have a satisfactory answer. I don’t have any gay family members, but through friendships and personal beliefs in equality, I think it’s something we need to work towards normalizing. It seemed to me that weaving alternative lifestyles into our social fabric, bit by bit, is the best way to help cultivate an atmosphere of acceptance for youth to carry forward. But I didn’t intend it to be really that loaded – it’s much more of a side-plot.

Q. Can you give us a little bit more on the Miss Pine Valley Pageant? Is that based on fact or something you just made up?

A. In Vernon, we did have a pageant for local girls. The community had started referring to it as a “scholarship program” by the time my friends were old enough to enter – and several of them did. I remember watching Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants on television as a child and genuinely loving it. I don’t recall an exact turning point, but by my late teens, I’d become totally disillusioned by that world as I began to fully understand words like “objectification” and “self-esteem”. I felt it would help develop July’s character to see her react to being nudged into the pageant world.

Q. Any plans on writing a second novel to Watching July? In other words, could Ryan possibly return to July’s life?

A. My original ending wouldn’t have allowed for a sequel, so I hadn’t planned for it in the beginning. I’ve since thought about the opening for July’s story to go a bit farther, but I haven’t had the right inspiration just yet.


Me: I see that you have a new book called Best Laid Plans set to come out in October of this year.

Q. Why the new publisher?

A. That’s an interesting story. I had actually started Best Laid Plans before Watching July, but abandoned the project after sending out a few sample chapters.

Towards the end of completing the first draft of Watching July, an editor from my first round of queries followed up on Best Laid Plans and asked to see a completed manuscript. I rushed to complete the previously abandoned story, but sadly, the finished product wasn’t accepted for publication.

After Watching July came out, a new publisher contacted me and asked if I had any other young adult novels available - and it just so happened I did.

Q. What can you tell us about Robyn Earle that isn’t on your website? How old is she? What does she look like? Where does she go to school? What’s her personality like?

A. Let’s see … Robyn is 18, she has sandy-coloured hair, average height, a slender figure, but not athletic. She goes to Lakeside Secondary, which isn’t a real school, although her hometown of Coldstream is a municipality adjacent to Vernon, where I grew up.

She has a very strong work ethic and academic devotion, which is completely at odds with her parents’ lifestyle. Robyn’s driving force is her sense of urgency to cultivate a path that takes her away from the poverty she’s known all her life.

Q. Again, how much of this story is taken from real-life influences?

A. Robyn’s story is much closer to the people and places I grew up with myself. I come from a fairly normal middle class home, and although in my family we had our share of struggles, I saw a lot of hardship in my friends’ lives. We were all part of a rural community, dependent on tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Q. Why choose to have an affluent aunt in the family rather than focus on a climb from poverty?

A. Like many extended families, Robyn has relatives both better and worse off than her own. In the case of her aunt’s home, I wanted to illustrate that complexity and give the reader more contrast between Robyn’s home and the lifestyles she sees her peers living.


Q. Where can we get an excerpt?

A. Go to www.chapters.indigo.ca

Me: Now let's get back to you:

Q. Any other books in the works yet? What can you tell us about it (or them)?

A. I’m currently working on a collection of short stories and a trilogy – all falling under the category of speculative fiction. I enjoyed the supernatural element of July’s story so much that I’ve taken every opportunity to explore that world further.


Q. Tell us about your jewelry. Tell us about your pieces, what drives you, why Steampunk, Cyberpunk and Trashion and Wire? Give us the stories behind your creations. For those of us not in the know, can you please offer an explanation of the different types? Thanks!

A. Ah, yes, the jewellery. That is a bit of a wild card in my life and I’m still not totally sure where I’m going with it. Like writing, I’d been doing it for longer than I’d even realized by the time it became something serious. But developing jewellery-crafting skills came more out of filling a practical personal need. I’m very petite and the only way to get a bracelet, ring (size 3 for my ring finger), or choker sized just right was to make it myself. (I also wear children’s size shoes, but I hope I don’t get started on footwear.)

A friend turned me on to the world of Steampunk (think Wild Wild West or The Time Machine) last fall and I haven’t looked back. The aesthetic seemed a natural fit for some of the imagery I saw in my writing in-progress. Online research quickly led to Cyberpunk (think Borg drones from the Star Trek world), which in turn led to Trashion (fashion from trash).

Most of those themes are generally defined by their aesthetic, but all have a philosophy behind them. Definitions vary, but I like Wikipedia’s version of all three. For my own interpretations, the common theme is re-using and recycling mostly old watches and computer parts. I try to use as little new material as possible, which does tend to give my designs a distinctive look alongside traditional accessories.

The necklace and earrings photo I’m enclosing represents a favourite commission from earlier this year. My first retail experience was with a wonderful lady who owned a funky boutique in downtown Victoria. One day she gave me a beloved silver bracelet that didn’t really work for her as it was. She asked if I could, “turn it into something else” and I decided to make it a necklace and earring set, adding a few other spare parts along the way.

Thanks Christine for joining us today and providing such fabulous answers! Please feel free to ask Christine questions or leave her some comments as she'll stop by from time to time throughout the day!

By the time Christine and I finished our interview, Spike and Sam - well, see for yourselves!

Lost Muse...Reward!

Again, I’m sitting here thinking what to write about. I cannot seem to get my head off the things that I need to get done for my son’s spend the night birthday party tomorrow, or football practice or karate testing….all of that is taking up the space in my brain and hindering my creativity.

How do you free your mind of the crazies of daily life to find that inner muse? Because I’m finding that even when everyone and everything is silent in the house, I still am unable to wind down enough to tap into that muse zone. *sniffles back tears* I’m the type of person that writing is like my exercise. When I am writing, it puts me in a better mood, makes me feel better, alive, more jubilant. When I’m not writing, especially for long periods of time, watch out!

As much as I hate for my muse to go on vacation, it has been helpful this week. I finished up my synopsis, edits and cover letter on WytchBlood and managed to get it submitted. Now…*crossing my fingers*…the anxious waiting begins. The waiting drives me nuts. By nature, I’m not a patient person, but waiting to see how someone likes or dislikes my “baby” is even more nerve racking.

So, while it was productive for the muse to be on hiatus…I want her back…desperately. I’m starting to feel lost and out of sorts. Any suggestions on how to coerce her back?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Magic, Muskets, Immortality and an Editor

Hello everyone!

Today's guest author is Chris Evans. I didn't discover him the way I usually discover authors, I just stumbled upon him, blind luck really.

Sometime in early November, I was standing in line at the library with a tall stack of books in my hand when I saw this eye catching blue colored book jacket with a sword on the cover prominently displayed on a rack near the checkout counter. I picked it up, read the blurb on the back, saw that the main character was an elf with the last name of Swift Dragon [okay, so I put up an image of Legolas], and I knew the book was for me and added it to my stack. I've never heard of the author before, but I didn't think anything of it, because there are a lot of authors out there to be discovered.

I usually hear about fantasy authors from a friend, family member, or the guys at the gaming stores, but I've never just "happened" upon them, so this was a momentous occasion. That wasn't the only thing that made it momentous. See, I didn't read too close when I grabbed the book. When I realized that it was about Iron Elves and they used muskets because he was a historian by day, albeit a truly clever idea, I didn't see it that way at the time and became rather leery about the book altogether.

I thought, what is this guy doing? Well, I wanted to know so bad that I kept reading and by the time Konowa Swift Dragon and his wild creature-pet Jir come on the scene, I was hooked! I was blown away by the detail and the world he created, so much so that I sought out his website and set off to learn more about him and this new trilogy that has captivated me.

Chris wrote what he knew and made it work. When we created Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem, I just knew that I was going to ask him to guest blog with us because I felt people should know about his books. While they are fantasy, there are also paranormal and romantic elements to this tale.

Yes, there is a romantic aspect that exists between Konowa (an utter outcast living in the wilds) and Visyna Tekoy, a highborn daughter of an elfkynan governor. There is definitely a connection brewing between them, but their familial stations keep them apart as well as some of the choices that Konowa makes along the way.

Yes, at the end of the novel the relationship seems in tatters, yet there is a ray of hope. This is a relationship that will span at least through two novels, possibly three.

So, if the relationship doesn't really happen, why would I consider it romantic? Because, all the while I'm reading the passages with these two surrounded by war and death, I kept wanting the relationship to bloom and waiting for it to actually happen is excruciating and against the traditional "romance novel" idea of a romance, but quite in tune with a fantasy genre idea of romance.

Think about it, it's like watching a TV series where you can feel that sexual tension and you keep thinking, "Damn it, would you two kiss already!" That's the relationship of Konowa and Visyna in a "nut shell".

Okay, I've rattled on enough, so let's bring on the guest of honor, Chris Evans! Oh, did I mention that he's not only an author, but an editor too? And, he's going to have some hints for us, so stay tuned!!

Okay *drum roll please* Here's Chris Evans!

My name is Chris, and I lead a double life. By day I’m the editor of history, military history, current affairs and conflicts books for Stackpole Books. Being an editor means existing in a demi-deity/demi-dementia state, acting as gate-keeper and choosing whom to welcome into the realm of published author. It might seem that editors dash the hopes of many an aspiring author, but the unfortunate reality is that most writers present themselves already pre-dashed. This, however, doesn’t have to be the case. Before I was published, I was every bit the babe-in-the-woods myself, knowing little about how publishing worked and even less about how to crack the code. That leads to my other existence, author of the Iron Elves series, an epic fantasy of elves, dwarves, magic and muskets. Carrie’s graciously invited me to talk a bit about my new book, The Light of Burning Shadows, and share a few insights from inside the world of publishing, and I appreciate the opportunity.

Whenever I talk about writing I invariably start by talking about reading. It is simply the best fuel out there. Whether you’re an aspiring author or an aspiring human being, reading is good for you. If you’re reading Carrie’s blog then you already know this. Reading lubricates the brain and keeps it running and wet (which is good for a brain). TV, on the other hand, usually acts as an anesthetic.

If you’re new to the world of the Iron Elves I suppose proper introductions are in order. The series launched last year with A Darkness Forged in Fire. The world is one where magic and muskets coexist, so a time period roughly similar to the late 1700s/early 1800s. It chronicles the adventures of the Iron Elves, a regiment of soldiers cursed with immortality as they seek to overthrow the elf witch, the Shadow Monarch, and preserve the empire they are bound to serve. It’s certainly in the vein of traditional fantasy – something I’m not at all ashamed to say – but there are a few twists. Much of my inspiration is derived from areas that aren’t mined all that often in fantasy, coming from the works of authors and historians like Rudyard Kipling, Bernard Cornwell, Richard Holmes, Len Deighton, Michael Shaara, George MacDonald Fraser, Terry Copp, Barbara Tuchman, and T.E. Lawrence among others.

The Light of Burning Shadows picks up with the Iron Elves regiment continuing their fight against the, ever bolder, incursions of the Shadow Monarch. The regiment’s task is complicated by the growing restlessness among the colonies and protectorates of the Calahrian Empire. The native peoples see the impending war and the return of stars thought to contain magical powers as a chance to be rid of the Empire once and for all. With all out war looming and rebellion imminent, the regiment stumbles upon an ancient power that may hold the key to freeing the Iron Elves from the blood oath that binds them in service to the Empire and the Shadow Monarch in life and even death. In addition to propelling the story along, The Light of Burning Shadows has given me a chance to explore more of the effects of battle on characters like Major Swift Dragon, Private Alwyn Renwar, Visyna Tekoy, Rallie Synjyn, and Sergeant Yimt Arkhorn, and we see some very different responses. This was important to me as I work with many veterans and hear firsthand what it’s like to be in battle, from World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iron Elves series is allowing me to explore some of this within a fantasy context, and it’s my hope that in addition to telling an entertaining story, The Light of Burning Shadows does justice to the plight of the regular soldier.

Excerpt to The Light of Burning Shadows
Learn more about Chris and the inspiration behind his books

So now that you know a little bit about the Iron Elves, you might be thinking “Hey, I’ve got a story myself that I’d like to get published. What do I do?” Hmm, almost sounds like the beginning of an infomercial, doesn’t it? The good news is there’s no need to send money, but you will have to spend a lot of time and energy. Oh, and did I mention reading? The mantra is simply “read, read, read”…then repeat. And read outside of your comfort zone from time to time. Think of it like trying a new food. You never know what you might discover, and like.

Fine, you already know all of that, but what you’re really after are some of the inside secrets. How do you get inside? The short answer is, and you know this too, there is no quick and easy plan…well, unless you land a crippled airplane on the Hudson River or start dating either Jon or Kate. For the rest of us, it’s a long, long road. I became an author by first becoming an editor nine years ago. I was offered the chance to work for Random House in New York editing military history and science fiction and jumped at the opportunity. It let me learn the business from the inside. Basically, I spent several years of apprenticeship as an editor while using my free time – when I could make some – to improve my skills as a writer. So when I say long road, I really mean it.

Ok, becoming an editor might not be for everyone, so what else? I mentioned reading, right? Well, don’t just read for enjoyment. Read like you’re back in school and study what you read as well. I’m not suggesting you suck the fun out of reading, but if you’re going to be a writer you need to understand the mechanics of what good authors do. How does Stephen King scare the beejeebers out of me every time I read one of his books? How does Terry Pratchett make me laugh so hard I pull muscles? Think of a book as an engine. Take it apart and see what makes it work, or doesn’t, as the case may be.

The really tough thing you have to do is to ask yourself what you want. Sounds simple, but it requires asking yourself tough questions. In my case, I know I want to be a successful writer, and so for me that means accepting the fact that I’m part of the entertainment industry. I freely admit that and am entirely okay with the concept that I write for my enjoyment, that of my fans, AND that I get paid to do it. It’s that last part that can get some people worked up. It leads to the false and rather pointless dichotomy of the “artist” versus the “hack”. The true auteur versus the commercial…hack. I saw the same bifurcation in academia, the scholar versus the “popular” historian, and it’s all a bit beside the point. I enjoy the high and the low, the humorous and the serious, the urbane and the broad equally, and for entirely different reasons. I don’t want to eat steak every day, or hamburger, nor do I just want to read only the most literate or only, the most bawdy. I like variety, and I suspect most readers are the same. I suppose all this boils down to one simple axiom - know yourself and what you want (and want to achieve,) and then be ok with it. When you can do that, you’ll be much happier, and closer to realizing your dream.

I know, I know, but what about the secrets? There has to be more than reading and writing, right? Ok, I’ll lift the curtain a bit and let you see inside. First, every agent and editor has a complete name. There is no one working in the publishing industry named Sir, Madam, To, Whom, It, May, or Concern. If you can’t find their name, you aren’t going to be taken seriously.

Finish what you start. No one is looking for a half-written manuscript. If you want to be treated as a professional then be one. Editors can spot authors who aren’t really ready from a mile away, and that’s a surefire way to get a rejection letter. The temptation to rush something out there is hard to resist, but you need to if you’re going to make the best first impression you can. There are so many great resources out there to help that there’s no reason you can’t be polished and prepared if you’re willing to make the effort. And when you do finish your manuscript, celebrate your accomplishment by starting a new novel. Oh, and don’t constantly revise and rewrite the same novel year after year. My first completed novel remains unpublished, but what I learned while writing it proved to be the stepping stone to the Iron Elves series which launched my career.

Don’t tell an editor or agent you’re better than King, Evanovich, Tolkien, or Brown. You may very well be, but let them discover that. Instead, tell them with specificity how an aspect of your writing is like one of these giants, and then tell them how it’s also different. You still get to name drop, but you don’t sound like you’re blowing your own horn, even though you are.

Know the difference between patience and patients, and then practice the former while doing your best not to become one of the latter…in an institution for aspiring writers who call, email, and write the editor or agent every day until the editor or agent finally rejects the manuscript just to gain some peace of mind. Publishing is slooooooooow. Glacial even, unless, as I mentioned before, you happen to land airplanes on water or date reality show stars.

Finally, enjoy what you do. Publishing is not easy (despite what the commercials for copy printers might suggest). If you love to write, need to write, and can’t imagine your life without writing, then you’ve already won.

Other Places to Find Chris:
His Website

His Blog [This may take some time to load. I noticed issues when trying to load it today, but they worked just fine yesterday, so please be patient and try again later if you wish to check out his blog - thanks!]

Delilah Marvelle's Save the Gallantry Series Campaign!

Hello everyone!

I was reading Kate Douglas’ newsletter and found a note about Delilah’s Save the Gallantry Series Campaign. Since part of running an author means supporting published and non-published authors alike, I thought that this was a cause worth taking up. While I cannot speak for the contest (it is solely your choice as a reader to enter), I can speak for the fact that series die all the time and it can be quite a sad thing. Clicking on the above image will take you directly to Delilah’s website.

The following is a reprint from her June 25th Blog:

When I was in high school, I had a dream. I was going to be the next Stephen King. Heh. Yeah. Stay with me. Please. I knew my ideas were fabulous and I knew all it would take is for an editor to look at it and they would offer me up the moon and the stars and best of all, a contract. I had my girlfriends read everything I wrote. And they kept telling me, “This is fabulous! It's SO funny! Hilarious!” Seeing it really wasn't supposed to BE funny, I immediately changed course realizing I actually had a better handle on being funny than scary. I also figured adding a romance into it would even make it better since that is what I loved to read.

I then entered college as an English major. I was going to be teacher and write during the summers. Even then I was a smart girl who knew I wasn't going to make jack and that I needed a job to support the “creative” one. Throughout all of college I wrote historical romances. One right after another. And kept submitting. And submitting. And submitting. And kept getting rejected and rejected and rejected. In the meantime, I got married. I had two kids. I joined RWA. I got critique partners. I did honed and honed and honed the crap out of my writing. And kept writing and getting rejected. I eventually racked up over 200 rejections and had written over 40 books in those 11 years of trying to get published.

When I finally sold my first historical romance, Mistress of Pleasure, and my second book, Lord of Pleasure, I was beside myself. It didn't feel real. To FINALLY arrive at a destination I had been traveling toward for 11 long years seemed like a mirage. Which fortunately, I quickly snapped out of. Because after all, most of my friends are all published and unpublished writers and the stories they all have told me throughout the years made me realize I had to fight with fists up for myself every step of the way. I knew publishers did little to no promotion for their authors, so I spearheaded my own promo, ready to be more than just an author. And even though I was budgeting very well and spending countless hours networking and promoting on websites and blogs, doing tons for free, I still ended up spending $7,000 on my first book. Which was way more than my advance. But hey, every business starts in the red. Right?

Then the reviews started coming in about my series set in 1830 London England about a school that educates men on the topic of love and seduction. People loved it! Wow. It got nominated for awards. Wow. Readers are e-mailing me raving. Wow. Readers from France, Austria, Poland, South Africa and from all over the U.S and the world. Wow. It just kept getting better and better. I was beginning to feel as if every penny I spent was all worth it (even though my family and I weren't going on any vacations and were eating out of cans). Because all that mattered was that my publisher loved me and my readers loved my series.

Come contract time, I'm ready for whatever they wanna throw at me. Or so I thought. Mistress of Pleasure, though completely sold out and unavailable anywhere (unless it's a used copy, some going for a ridiculous amount of $40.00), hadn't done as well as my publisher had hoped. So without waiting for the second book to come out to see if the series was even worth saving, I get a rejection from my own editor citing lack of sales.

I have to say this rejection felt more personal than any of the other two hundred and some rejections I'd received. Because it was no longer “Your book isn't good enough” it became “Your sales aren't good enough.” Since when is an author supposed to be a market guru AND a fabulous writer? Eck.

I love this series. The men in it make me laugh and it broke my heart to think that my readers will never get a chance to read about Lord Brayton, my glorious male virgin. The only alpha virgin I ever plan to write about. Then I realized something, why I am letting a publisher decide what is worth holding on to? Shouldn't that be a reader's job?

Ah. Herein lies the purpose of my post. I am challenging everyone, be they readers or writers to help me do something that's never been done before. Save a series from a death sentence given by a publisher. Can it be done? Who knows. But I eat challenges for breakfast and I hope you do to. Please join me in saving my series. Come August 4th, tell everyone you know (yes, even you're 72 year old grandfather) to buy the book, Lord of Pleasure. In doing so, you'll have a chance to win one of three $50 Visa Gift Cards. How? Check out my website for details at http://www.delilahmarvelle.com/

That said, thank you for all the support and love everyone has already shown me. Feel free to post and repost this to everyone under the moon and the stars. To all you readers out there, thank you for supporting us writers. To all you writers out there, don't ever give up on your writing. The moment you do, you give up on yourself. Which is why I'm not giving up on my series.

[Here’s what you’ll find on her website, if you click on the same image I have above:]
Despite being sold out of my first print run for my debut book, Mistress of Pleasure, my publisher will not be finishing the School of Gallantry series. As a result, I am looking to do one last push for the second book in the series, Lord of Pleasure, in the hopes that this series can be saved by another publisher who will see more promise in the series. Lord Caldwell, Lord Banfield and Lord Brayton (yes, the virgin) have yet to have their stories told.

I'm hoping everyone can help by blogging, pitching, sending out newsletters, telling their brothers and sisters, ANYONE to buy the book when it comes out August 4th. It is a simple way of announcing that this series does matter. I am working on a new series, which I hope to unveil soon, however, my heart still lies with the School of Gallantry.

SPECIAL CONTEST: From August 4 until August 28, anyone who e-mails me at Delilah@DelilahMarvelle.com with the School's quote from Lesson 27 found in the book Lord of Pleasure, will be entered to win one of three $50 Visa Cards. Winners will be contacted via e-mail by September 10th.

Cheers and much love,
Delilah Marvelle

Thanks so much to Margay who graciously gave me her blog day when I mentioned this campaign. Very cool Margay! You are a peach!