Mystic Monday

This is the second week of my return to regular posting. Woohoo!

I've been working on my latest story for quite awhile now, but it keeps changing on me which seems to making harder giving it some flesh. Just when I think I've got a handle on where it's going and what's going to happen, it changes.

So, I'm kind of in shock mode right now because there were some changes that just came out of nowhere and I'm not entirely sure how to handle them.

Hahahaha! Yeah, them! About a faction of new characters, lol!

That's the biggest problem! I've got a group of new characters that are decidedly villains and they've decided to absorb one of my secondary characters! I don't know what to do or how to handle this latest change. I really don't. I don't even know how the characters are going to handle this latest change.

Now, I have to figure out a whole new set of character dynamics - something I thought I'd had solid. This is turning out to one beast of a story!

That's not even the interesting part, either. It turns out the main hero of this story is really the main hero from two other stories I've been working on. I can tell you, I sure didn't see that one coming!

I like surprises while reading, but I'm not so sure how I feel about them as an author. These surprises - and the physical illness I've been fighting - are making it difficult to get this story on track!

I will continue to work on the story and I will just go with the flow... I should be used to that, but the fact I started working on this one with an outline first and have been so organized before now seems to be throwing me. That outline has since been tossed out the window.

I find myself treading in the sea of chaos and heading toward the straits of mayhem! 

I will do what all great writers have done before me - persevere!

Mystic Monday

Classic Novels, Today's Writing Style and
the Modern Novel - Part Two

Happy Monday Everyone!

*ducks as coffee cups and other miscellaneous things are tossed*

Yeah, yeah, I know it's Monday and I'm just too damned chipper for you, huh?

Well, I have a right to be. For the first time in 2 months, I have gone almost 24 whole hours without a migraine! This is an accomplishment so far as it's 4am. I've been plagued with them for so long, it's great to finally not feel in pain. However, I am realistic and I know that if I'm not careful with my health right now, I could set my recovery back, so I have remained home bound (except for Thursdays when I visit my parents) and will for at least another week. I have basketball games to go to, but attending depends upon how I feel. Not all of my symptoms have gone, just the migraines, so I know I'm still in the healing process.

Moving on...

I've been talking about how you need to read the classics and analyze them to find out what makes them great literary works, and the same can be said for almost any book or story.

While not every reader can tell you exactly why they like a book, story or author as much as they do, anyone in the book publishing author usually can. If not, he or she should be able to identify why they do or don't like a story.

Why?

Here's my answer: How can you expect to write a decent story if you don't understand what makes a good story good and bad story bad?

There's a big difference between not liking a story because something about it is poorly written, and quite another to not like a story because you don't like a storyline, a character, an ending.

What's the difference?

The difference is, if you don't like a story because of the ending, character or storyline, it isn't bad writing because it got you invested enough to read in the first place. If something's just written poorly, it won't engage you.

That being said, there's more to it than being engaged or not being engaged. This is where good analysis skills come into play. To succeed in writing your own stories well, you need to be able to identify what works and what doesn't work in a story. You need to be able to identify what engages you in a story written by someone else so you can engage others with your writing.

I don't care if you're writing historical, contemporary or futuristic - whatever genre or type - you need to build your world well, flesh out your characters, develop your storyline in an appropriate time frame, make the characters' actions believable and relative to their personalities.

How can you do all this properly if you can't pinpoint specifics about someone else's story? Truth - you can't.

There might be some of you that disagree with me, but I'm standing my ground on this. It's one of the reasons I haven't begun to publish yet. I'm busy trying to build my world, flesh out the characters, establish personalities, and determine the time frame in which things need to happen for the story itself to be believable or acceptable.

The only real way I'll accomplish this is by studying other people's writing. For example, I'm currently reading The Evil Within by Nancy Holder, book 2 in the Possessions series, and I find myself utterly transfixed with the story.

When I thought about why this story works, this is what I get:

1. The characters, setting and events are so credible that it makes the "paranormal" parts of the story believable. It's not a highly paranormal book, but there are ghosts involved. I found these two stories to more believable than The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity put together.

Why are these stories that much better?

A lot of different things - from simple things like people sitting down to play games, eat dinner and use the bathroom to grasping what the character feels as she's feeling it. That's one major point about these stories, they're from the POV of only one character and maintains that same character throughout - First Person Limited.

Holder has done such an excellent job of using realistic devices (cars, phones, material items, emotions) to put the reader into the mind of the main character. You see the story unfold through the eyes of the Lindsay Anne Cavanaugh. You experience every thought and feeling as she experiences them. It starts with the page listing her possessions versus the "them" of the Marlwood Academy clique, the clothes Lindsay wears and why she wears them, how she views the sights of Marlwood and the people she knows and culminates with how Lindsay suspects other people view her and her emotions.

The story also moves along. There is enough detail to set the scene, but not so much that it drags the story to a standstill.

Because I want to be able to do these things with my stories, I need to continue to read books and analyze what it is that makes the story a success. All of my notes are going into a database.

My notes aren't coming from just one source, but many. There are great authors that tell a great tale, but then there are other great authors whose stories tend to blend together after awhile - something I wish to avoid - but they continue to get printed because they are who they are and the stories will sell because they have loyal followers.

In fact, there is another book that I'm in the middle of reading, and I won't mention it (I haven't mentioned it either), that I had to set it aside because the characters just couldn't engage me, and the storyline felt...well...boring. I was shocked because that's just never really happened to me before with this author. I set it down and picked it up twice. So now, I've decided to give it some time before I get back to her works because I figure maybe I'm over-saturated with her work, I wasn't in the mood for the story, or I just don't like it. However, as with all authors and stories, I like to give everyone a fair shake, so I will put books down and come back to them more than once to make sure that my own personal biases of the moment are not getting in the way.

Now it's your turn!

Think of one of the best stories you've ever read - what makes it so special? What about it captured your attention? What makes it tick and succeed as a story? If it was one of the first books you ever fell in love with, have you ever gone back and reread it to figure out why you might have liked it so much? Where did it fail or fall short, if it did? 

Mystic Monday

Ooops!

Here it is almost 4 in the afternoon when I realized that I forgot I had a blog to post! It's been a long weekend, please forgive me!

Okay, here's the deal. I've been distracted by many this past weekend, the biggest of which was the injury that happened to Milwaukee Bucks center, Andrew Bogut. I blogged about it on my personal blog site, complete with footage. Click here to check it out.

The girls here have been nudging me to work on my writing so I could get something submitted. I haven't felt they were ready because they lacked something, but I couldn't quite figure out what. This weekend, I decided to consider those stories and "judge" them as if they were entered them into a contest by someone else.

I'm glad I did this because I realized that they were missing a few elements that could really help fix some of the problems I was having:

- characters' thoughts were absent and as a result, it's difficult for the reader to really be in the heads of the characters.

- not enough emotion was present to help the reader "feel" what the characters were going through.

- back-story heavy. While I know some back-story is good, too much in the beginning can really slow the story down. Some of it, I can give through dialogue.

- while there is dialogue, there needs to be more, to help break down and offset the chunks of text that create and explain the setting of the story.

- the world isn't quite done, and some of the stuff needs to be changed so it all works together fluidly. This is a complex world with all kinds of nuances I must fully understand before I can help the reader to understand them.

Beyond that:

- I think some of the stories have some strong characters while others are flat or lack personality, even if they seem complex or mysterious.

- I like the storylines, or where they seem to be going, but they're not finished yet. It's as if I've just scratched the surface.

What does all this tell me?

I need to keep digging, I need more face time with my characters and I need to go on an all-inclusive trip around my planet and see what else it has to show me! Lol! Meaning, I need more details.

What about you, what kind of details do you need when it comes to making a setting "feel" real?

Beverages: Do you need to feel the bubbles on your face or is it good enough to know it's a soda? Does flavor or brand matter? If it's an alcoholic beverage, do you need to know more than the fact that it's a cheap wine or beer?

Surroundings: Do you need to know what kind of trees they are and the color of their leaves to be in your setting, or is it good enough to know that there are trees and that they've turned for fall? Do street signs, bridge names, highway numbers matter? Can you just accept it if you're told your in a particular state but don't need to know exactly where?

Clothing: How important are clothing details to you? Do you need to know brand names? Colors? Material types? How important are the details of what characters are wearing? Do you need to know that she's color coordinated or dresses in contrasting colors?

How much do the details matter? Think of the books that made the biggest impression on you. What kind of details did it offer?

Interview With a Centurion

Hi Everyone!

I thought that, since I have been teasing you with hints and mentions of my world and I don't have anything formal published, I would give you a taste with a sort-of interview done for the Regent Park Illustrator. The RPI is the local newspaper for Regent Park Isle and a major one for the two isles protected and governed by Regent Park Isle - Freedom City and Fantasy Isles:

********
I was sitting here waiting, believing I was stood up and am about to leave when a tall man with golden blonde hair and dark amethyst eyes, wearing a black tux strides in, followed by a very harried, but shorter man with dark hair, teal eyes and a similar suit. It is somewhat obvious that the shorter man is somewhat used to running to keep strides with the taller man. When I say tall, I mean tall! He’s at least seven feet tall, if not taller. The man at his side is no less than six feet tall!

I establish eye contact with the tuxedoed man striding towards me and find I cannot stop looking at him. His eyes are the amethyst purple you’ll find in a prismatic sunset and they look as if they’re on fire! I’m so riveted I keep staring and watching as he walks up to me. He’s so careful, no, careful isn’t the word. All I know is that he bends down closer to me, never breaking eye contact as he takes my right hand in his right hand, lifts it to his lips while saying, “I’m Brandelbuck. Brandon Brandelbuck,” as he places a caressingly soft kiss that makes my knees so weak I instinctively reach out with my left hand and grab his right arm to balance myself. If he hadn’t bent down, I would have had strained my neck muscles from looking up at him.

His arm is deceptively muscular, making me forget my manners, my name and the reason I’m here. Heat and desire radiate from, somewhere. I’m not sure if it’s just from me or if it’s from both of us until he, in one swift move, releases my right hand and places his right hand on my waist, taking my left hand with him. If it is an effort to steady me, it doesn’t quite work because I stumble even closer to him. Before I can stop him, his soft lips are caressing mine and I feel his arms encircle me, drawing me even closer to him, deepening the kiss.

A moan radiates from deep within me and the electricity flowing between us feels strong enough to power the entire planet of Centurion 54! Just as I am about to surrender to the awesome power of this mutual desire, his lips release mine, breaking the trance, to say in a voice that can only be described as predatory, “You must be Lily.”

Shaking my head and gathering my thoughts while I disentangle myself from him, I respond, “Yes. I’m Lily Straygon, Regent Park Illustrator Correspondent.”

“The camera doesn’t do you justice, Miss Straygon.” The knowing sparkle in his eyes is enough to start the energy flow again.

Blushing as the electricity reaches places I never knew existed, I inquire, “It doesn’t?”

“Definitely not,” he replies with the look of pure predator in his eyes, eyes that sweep over my body as if they could devour me whole, right here and now.

I look down then and am so grateful I had taken the time to set out the note cards with the intended questions on them. If they weren’t there, I don’t think this interview would have continued. “Well, they do say that the camera can add ten pounds and this newer type of viewer screen makes flaws much more visible.”

“You have flaws,” he asks with his eyebrows raised and a dreamy smirk on his face, “I wasn’t aware you had any. I guess I’ll have to conduct my own interview then.”

“Huh,” I blurt out, completely off my guard now.

“Later, much later. I’ll let you ask your questions now.”

Questions, right, questions. Okay. Let’s see, what’s first…. “Do you mind if I record the interview, to make sure that I do not misquote you?”

“No, record away!”

“Okay, great,” I say as I press the button to turn on the voice recording device, “let’s start with an easy one. There are rumors floating around that your bloodline reaches back as far as the original founding families. Is that truth or merely speculation because of those purple eyes of yours? They are real aren’t they?”

With a laugh he replies, “Yes, my eyes are the genuine article. No contacts or transplants here. Yes, my family tree extends all the way back to one of the original founding families.”

“So, which one is it? Come on, we’re all dying to know where our new leader comes from!”

“Well, since this position is usually handed down from father to son, you would know that already, but that’s not the case with me, is it?”

“Definitely not, which is why there’s all this buzz around you! The people want to know who’s leading them and what makes him worthy. So, which founding family member are you related to?”

“Do I have to?”

“Please, Mr. Brandelbuck, we’re all dying to know, so yes, you have to tell!”

“Only on one condition.”

“What condition is that?”

“You stop calling me Mr. Brandelbuck. Mr. Brandelbuck is my father. I’m Brandon.”

“Okay… Brandon, tell me what founder you come from.”

“This is going to be as much a shock to you as it is to my family because I just don’t fit the mold for this line.”

Oooh, juicy scandal possibilities and he hands them to me! “Well, how much of a shock?”

“Well, you know that as far as founder blood goes, it’s the most dominant and usually everyone has the same abilities and tendencies. So, it follows that whatever the parent does, that’s what the children do.”

“But that’s not the case with you, though, is it?”

“No, it’s not.”

Okay, the suspense is killing me, but I need to draw it out for the story, so I continue this dance by probing this a bit more. “My sources tell me that both of your parents are highly ranking scientists with the FF. Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is.”

“What kind of scientists?”

“Marine biologists.”

“Wait a minute! That means you’re related to,” I can’t even finish the sentence I’m so shocked.

“Yep, I’m related to Chuck Jones, marine biologist. According to records, he didn’t marry until after he arrived on Centurion 54. He married Selena Arcononi and they had a daughter. That daughter became a marine biologist and married a marine biologist and it has been that way in my family line with every branch, except me.”

“Where does your height come from? Chuck Jones was, what, five foot seven as the history books record it?”

“Yes, and no one else in this line was anywhere near this recorded height that I have been told.”

“That name, Selena Arcononi doesn’t sound familiar. She’s not listed in the history books that I recall. How did you come by that name?”

“No, I don’t expect it would be in any history books.”

“Why not?”

“Well, because, she was a native.”

“A native! Native to what?”

“She was a native of the dark twin planet.”

“Well, that’s not something we were expecting!”

“Well, I don’t think anyone was expecting the daughter they had either since everyone, including Selena herself, thought she was infertile.”

“Wow a miracle child!”

“Something like that, I guess.”

“Your family has managed to keep this a secret for centuries. Why tell us now and why to me?”

“True, my family has kept it hidden and I’m not sure why. Speculation has been that the noble bloodlines occurred because of the intermixing of the transplant human species with the dark twin species, but I don’t think that’s really the entire case because, even in his journal, he talks about things happening well before coming together with Selena.”

Jackpot! “His journal! Oh, would we love to get a sneak peek into that. While it’s a nice diversionary tactic, you still haven’t answered my question. Why tell me, Brandon, and why now? It’s not going to affect your status as Regent. You easily could have refused to tell and maintained the family secret.”

“True, Lily, it’s not going to affect my status as Regent, but it’s been long enough and it’s just time to get the truth out there, especially if I am to truly understand where I come from.”

“Can the public expect this kind of candor from you as Regent?”

“Yes, because I believe that truth solves more problems than it creates. Lies don’t help anyone.”

“Again, why tell me when you could just as easily have made a tri-isle wide announcement?”

“Because, I know you’ll treat this matter with respect and won’t sensationalize it.”

“Honey, I’m a reporter and it’s my job to sensationalize everything!”

“Yes, but you’ll do it with class!”

“Flattery will get you everywhere and a peek at that journal will get you everything!”

With a boyish grin that makes me quiver, he replies, “That’s what I was counting on!”

Before I know what his immediate intentions are, he turns off the recorder, places it in his pocket and latches on to my right hand with his left. Damn, his hand is so large that I can barely see my fingers. I feel like a child being pulled along by a parent. What’s worse, I begin to wonder what wondrous things those hands could do to me as we entered the elevator with doors that seemed to open on cue, just for him! I soon realize I didn’t even have enough wits to collect my belongings, when I notice that the harried man I saw earlier following Brandon around, was still with him, my things in tow.

He pushes the button for the Dragon Suite! It shouldn’t really be a surprise to me that he is staying in the best room of the hotel, but I can’t quite help it. I really hope that I’ll get to see that journal!

********
To be continued at a later date!

Okay, while this happens to be the first piece I am putting out there, copying is strictly prohibited without express written consent of the author, Carrie Hinkel-Gill

Moonlight and Mayhem with Kate Douglas!!!!

Toasty Thursday Everyone!

Like many of you, I have followed author blogs for some time, commented regularly and take time to learn about the different authors I read. Now, this is a switch for me. Kate Douglas is a top author of erotica novels, and to date I haven't read her work yet, but I plan to. Yes, I hang my head in shame on that one. I have thus far made a point to read at least one book before an author makes a guest spot on our blog.

However, I think that you may forgive me once you've had a chance to meet Kate. She is so cool and, from what I've read from her blogs, website and some of the email conversations we've had, we seem to be cut from a similar cloth and she is definitely someone I want to meet in the future. Because you can read her bio (and I hope you do) on her website, katedouglas.com, I'm only going to give you a brief background.

Kate is the author of Wolf Tales I to VIII as well as one of the regular contributors to the Sexy Beast I to VI anthologies. She has also written four other Romance novels, Last of the O'Rourkes, Cowboy in My Pocket, On Wings of Love and Honeysuckle Rose.

Since most people probably won't find Kate Douglas in their local library, and I was curious to gain an understanding of all these characters that I've heard readers rave about for the past year, I asked Kate to tell us more about them and their relationship.

First of all, thank you to Carrie for her invitation to guest blog here at Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem—love that name, by the way! Conjures up all sorts of images. This is a pretty exciting week for me—Wolf Tales VIII, which is actually the fifteenth story in my erotic paranormal series, releases this week. I’m currently writing the nineteenth and am contracted to twenty-one...for now. When I first began writing these stories as an online serial back in 2004, I never dreamed they would be my key to a fantastic career as an author writing for a New York publisher. Sometimes, though things work in mysterious ways, but who am I to question fate?

When my good friend Margaret Riley started Changeling Press, she asked me to write something really “over the top” that was short and hot and ongoing. I wrote Stefan without knowing, in the beginning, what my main character, trapped in a beast’s body, was even going to turn into. I did some research, discovered a species of wolf native to the Himalayan steppes called Chanku (spelled Changu), and the premise for my series was born. Of course, my Chanku live as humans but have the ability to shift into wolves—an ability they’ve lost after migrating away from their homeland.

As I wrote more stories, with a new one releasing about every six weeks, my Chanku began to evolve and I discovered more about them with each chapter I wrote. They were still discovering their heritage, the fact that they needed certain types of grasses native to their homeland to enable their genetic gift as shapeshifters. They’re a matriarchal society. The women have complete reproductive control, but once they become shapeshifters, they can only conceive in their wolven form, and then only when they consciously release an egg for fertilization. They’re telepathic, with the ability to block others from hearing their thoughts, but if a pair mates as wolves, they create an unbreakable pair bond, a link so powerful that they can have no secrets from one another.

The one thing that sets my Chanku shapeshifters (and note I do NOT call them werewolves—as my über alpha, Anton Cheval says, “Chanku are not werewolves dependant upon the phases of the moon. We are not creatures of legend. We are shapeshifters, and we exist.”), apart from other stories is that mine are ruled by a powerful libido. Sex is as important to them as breathing, and after a run as wolves, they’re so aroused they must find release. This leads to open sexuality among the various packmates without jealousy...their sensual natures are a fact of life for them. In fact, quite often if two unmated Chanku are making love, they maintain a link with their mates so that they can join in through the mental connection. It leads to all kinds of interesting situations, to say the least!

Unmated Chanku never have sex with one another in their wolven forms, though they often switch with one human and the other wolf. When the series first came out, I was accused of promoting bestiality in my stories, but far from it. When Chanku are wolves, they still have the minds and thoughts they would have in their human form. Granted, if they are hunting and bloodlust has them wound up, they might be more feral than human, but the sex scenes I write, while definitely kinky, are not between an animal and a human. They’re between packmates who merely choose a different shape for variety, and that’s something you’ll always find in my stories—lots of variety. I work hard at keeping the relationships fresh, the stories exciting, and the characters as compelling as possible. I firmly believe that if I can’t create an emotional connection between my readers and my characters, then the story won’t work, so when I hear from readers telling me they had to pull out the tissues to get through a book, or that it made them laugh so hard they snorted a latte, I know I’ve done my job.

I’ll be around all day, so if you have any questions at all about the series, the characters or where the story line is going, feel free to ask. I have first chapter excerpts of all my books posted at www.katedouglas.com/eroticromance in case you haven’t read any of the stories before. Those excerpts will give you a good idea of the level of sexuality in the series—but please, only enter the site if you are over eighteen.

Also, if you have any questions about my new mass-market series, Demon Slayers, coming out next March from Kensington Publishing, feel free to ask. The first book, DemonFire, is with my editor now, and I’m getting really anxious to see what the cover will look like!

Links to find more about Kate and her books:
Facebook
MySpace
Newsletter

Note: Kate is from California, so it may take her a little longer to respond, but please be patient, because she will respond!

Lace and Laughs with Cathie Linz!

I look back and I have to laugh at myself because I started out my academic career studying computer science, but I soon learned that it wasn't for me because, even though I did like writing and debugging programs, I always had a fear that I was going to screw up the machine some how due to an overall fear of the unknown. That fear kept me from embracing the Internet for some number of years. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that I even thought of searching for an author online and then it was only two authors, Jayne Ann Krentz and R.A. Salvatore. However, it wasn't until I got the laptop that I dove into the cyber sea with both feet. Then, about six or so months ago, I got the brilliant idea to search for writing communities online and reading author blogs. What a novel idea!

To think, if I still had that fear, I might have missed some of the great authors I have discovered through blogs like Running With Quills (RWQ), Plot Monkeys, Deadly Vixens and Heidi Betts' Wips and Chains and Must Love Yarn Blogs. Speaking of RWQ, that's where I first discovered Cathie Linz. I had never heard of her before, so it was a treat to read her blog about Smart Girls Think Twice. Through Cathie's guest blog on RWQ, I realized that I like her personality and voice and when she accepted my invitation to blog here on Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem, I did a happy dance!

It is with pride that I bring you award-winning author Cathie Linz! If you haven't done so yet, be sure to check out Smart Girls Think Twice, ,you won't regret it!

Thanks Carrie for inviting me to blog on your site.

I write contemporary romances that touch your heart as well as your funny bone. They make you laugh and cry. My characters are very real to me and I’ve often said if I could only teach them how to type, I’d be in great shape. When I’m writing and it’s going well it’s as if I’m taking dictation as I hear my characters speaking. As a writer, I’m just trying to keep up with what they are going to do next. This is what keeps it exciting for me, even after writing over 50 books. I want to find out what happens next and I have to keep writing in order to do that.

Some of you interested in writing may have heard the term “pantster” – referring to someone who writes by the seat of their pants [Aside from Carrie - this is so me!] as opposed to having everything carefully plotted out. Both formats are fine – as a writer you just need to find the one that works for your process. There is no single way to write. Instead there are a million ways. My way may not be your way and that’s fine.

I’ve just completed writing my 55th published romance novel Mad, Bad and Blond (out in early 2010) and there were scenes that I didn’t know would appear. The same thing happened in my book Smart Girls Think Twice. I didn’t know the character of Oliver was going to show up, for example. But I was delighted when he did!
[Aside from Carrie - I don't know about the rest of you, but I loved Oliver and Lulu!]

I tend to like writing bad boy heroes like Jake (Smart Girls Think Twice) and Caine (Mad, Bad and Blond). My heroines usually present them with a challenge they can’t resist. I write a lot of fast-paced dialog (that refers back to my hearing my characters talking to each other).
[Aside from Carrie - she may call it fast-paced dialog, but I call it can't put it down, page-turning excitement!]
I also like the family dynamics between mothers and daughters and sisters and the sense of community that we build in our lives.

As well as being a writer, I’m an avid reader. My fave authors include Jayne Ann Krentz and Susan Elizabeth Phillips among many others. I just finished reading Some Like it Wild by Teresa Medeiros, which I thought was a joyful read.

Recently, given all the bad economic news, reporters have started noticing the romance genre and the fact that when times are bad, readers look for a book that has a happy ending. We all have enough hardships and stress in our lives – who needs to read about more?

What about you? Are you reading more romance these days?

I hope you’ll stop by my Facebook page and my website www.cathielinz.com where you can enter my contest to win a free book.

Cher Gorman Prefers Lace with a Side of Mayhem!

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Today I have the opportunity to bring you a friend who I met while swinging in the trees over at Plot Monkeys,

Cher Gorman.

Cher, like me, may not be a Plot Monkey herself, but loves swinging with the pack and soaking up what they have to share.

While I am not new to writing, I am to the online writing environments and many of the communities that exist here in the wide sea we call the Internet. I am even less familiar with the ePublishing world. I know how to do research, but imagine my surprise when I found out that Cher has had some of her work published! Why didn't I know? Well, I guess she didn't know if she should have them listed since they are no longer available for purchase.

**Aside: Here's a question for those in the know - Should a published writer continue to have eBooks listed on their site even if they are no longer in print? Should we new writers consider these eBooks that may only be available for a year or two with an ePublisher as part of a larger resume?**

So, I asked for the titles, genres, publishers, release dates and formats. Here's her list:
Title: Wolf Island
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Loose Id
Released: September 2005
Format: E-book only

Seductive Reasoning
Sexy Contemporary
New Concepts Publishing
June 2006
E-book only

Cursed, with Love - referred to as The Dove on The Writing Show
Romantic Suspense
Loose Id
November 2006
E-book only

Sheriff in her Stocking
Sexy Contemporary
Loose Id
December 2006
E-book only

The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch
Sweet Contemporary
Wings EPress
February 2007
E-book and POD

What's The Writing Show? Glad you asked! Cher was interviewed back in 2006 by Paula B. with respect to characters and sexual tension. Very interesting and education interview! Click here to listen. [Please be patient for loading time may be slightly slow. To listen to this interview while reading this one, pause the audio briefly to let it build some buffer space or it will cut out on you.]

These books may have only been in print for a year, but, as far as I'm concerned, it is an impressive list that demonstrates her growth by the fact that she reached beyond the romantic suspense genre and into others. It takes a certain level of comfort with your craft to try your hand at something new! But her list doesn't stop there. With fellow authors Sue Viders, Lucynda Storey and Becky Martinez, Cher Gorman helped to create a workbook that writers can use to learn how to build characters called, 10 Steps to Creating Memorable Characters.

This title made me curious, so I asked her about it.

Q. What brought about the creation of your book, 10 Steps to Creating Memorable Characters?

A. I was in a critique group with my three collaborators at one time. One of the authors, Sue Viders, has several non-fiction projects on the market and she suggested we write a book together.

Q. What parts were you specifically responsible for writing?

A. It’s hard to pinpoint specific areas because the book was a group effort. We all had input as to what went into the book and we didn’t always agree. *smiles*

Q. Are the exercises that you provide ones that you actually used yourself and do you still find helpful from time to time?

A. The exercises were provided for the beginning writer. I have a process that is mine alone but I build characters in much the same way as we built our three characters in the book. However, in collaboration on a book you have to mold your ideas to fit with the ideas of your partners otherwise nothing would make sense and nothing would get written. Clear as mud? *smiles*

Q. How long did it take you to collect all of the information you discuss in your book?

A. We had a LOT of meetings over a period of several months in which we discussed not only how we wanted to present the material but exactly what the material would be.

Q. Where did the information come from? Who and what were your sources?

A. We were our sources. We took what the four of us had learned through the years from writing, entering contests, submitting and making tons of mistakes. Our goal was to help the beginning writer not have to endure the mistakes that we made.

Q. What kind of feedback have you received from industry professionals regarding your information?

A. The Midwest Book Review had this to say:

"Writers serious about learning how to create and develop memorable characters will relish 10 Steps to Creating Memorable Characters: A Writer's Workbook. It packs in forms, checklists, and exercises to help both screen and fiction writers develop personalities, teaching the basics of building multi-layered protagonists and showing the foundation keys to possible success. It's a 'must' for any public library lending collection strong in writer's guides, as well as for many a high school or college-level collection catering to student creative writers."

I looked at the first couple of pages and decided to order one for myself because you never know what you'll learn, where you'll learn it or who you'll learn it from. I figure if I find myself stuck with a character, I'll have a tool to get myself "unstuck!"

But this wasn't the only book I had to discuss with Cher, because she's got two books that are, what we Moonlighters would call, "In the Works," and one WIP.

The first one I want to mention is as yet untitled but is for Harlequin Blaze. When I asked her, why she chose Blaze over the other possibles out there, this is what she had to say: "I want to write for Blaze because I love the line and I also want to write for Brenda Chin, editor extraordinaire. My other books are single titles, which I will be marketing to other publishers."

I don't know about you, but there are two questions that I would love to ask every author if I could:

Q. What did you like most about writing this novel?

A. My characters! I loved Raine and Kyle.

Q. What did you like least about writing this novel?

A. The hardest part was staying within the Blaze guidelines but I enjoyed the challenge.

Now for the skinny on this untitled story:

"Raine Carlisle has never been adventurous as far as her love life is concerned. Her life in general however was a different story. Her parents were hippies and she grew up living the classic flower child lifestyle.

Frequent moves forced Raine to think and react fast on her feet, adjust quickly to sudden changes, make quick but temporary friendships, since a move was always looming on the horizon. But she craved a real home, a regular routine and stability. She wanted somewhere to store her clothes besides a garbage bag. When she was seventeen, she’d had enough of moving and stayed in Denver while her father moved on. Saying goodbye to her beloved father ripped her heart in two, but she knew she had to take care of herself first.

She took a job waiting tables at a restaurant. She made everything run so efficiently at the restaurant that she decided to start her own organization business on the side. She was organized, determined and goal-oriented so naturally her business grew. Her future success depended on her present success, so she made it happen.

Inspired by a client who’d made a list of all the adventures she wanted to have before she got too old to enjoy them, as her 30th birthday approaches, Raine decides it’s time for her to escape her dull routine—in one certain area—her love life. Tired of the boring vanilla men she’d dated—the opposites of her wild-child father—and the boring vanilla sex she had with them, she makes her own list of men she wants in her immediate sexual future, the kinds of sex she wants to experience with these men and the sexual fantasies she wants to act out with them.

When Raine meets her new client, Kyle, he’s exactly the kind of bad boy stranger she had in mind for her first foray into her new sexual adventures. She plans to take charge, have sex, then move on to the next guy on her sexual to-do list. But Kyle has other ideas and she begins to doubt that she can fulfill her list of sexual plans with a variety of different men."

Here's where I wish I had some emoticons because the word HOT! just doesn't cover it! If that were written on paper, I might just burn my fingers, and let me tell you, I have a very high tolerance for heat!!

Okay, now that I got you all hot and bothered, I need to cool things off, just a bit. How about a nice dip in a private spring located in a cave on some Greek island in the Ionian Sea? Sounds good to you, doesn't it? Sounds exotic too? Don't get me wrong, but I'd take a look around you, and be careful. If you aren't, you might find that the spring, or The Morakeen, just might transport you to the magical world of the Naiads.

This brings me to Cher's urban fantasy called, The Morakeen.

Q. What made you decide to write an urban fantasy over a paranormal?

A. I didn’t. My friend, Jeanne Stein who writes the wonderful Anna Strong vampire series suggested this story was more of an urban fantasy than a paranormal and I think she’s right.

Q. Is it still a romance novel at heart?

A. You betcha!

Q. What did you enjoy most about writing this particular novel?

A. Exploring the very complex multiple characters in this book.

Q. What did you like least?

A. World building. It’s hard! [**Aside(as Spanky and Alfalfa would say): And How!**]

Q. Urban fantasy is really becoming big right now. What, in your opinion, sets your story off from others out there? What do you feel will make an editor take notice of your story?

A. My story is not about vampires, werewolves, demons or vampires or werewolves or demons or…*smiles* You get the picture. The market is flooded with those stories. I wanted to do something different and I hope that this will make my story stand out for an editor. My book is about Naiads, the keepers of rivers, springs, fountains, wells and brooks.

Q. What can you tell us about this novel?

A. The book is about two Naiad kingdoms, The Gendawns and the Drugonians. These kingdoms exist in a parallel universe along with the mortal world. At the harbor head of Ithaca on the Ionian Sea in the Greek Islands is a cave that is sacred to all Naiads because it contains the Morakeen, a spring that flows perpetually. The Morakeen is the gateway between the mortal and magical worlds.

Okay, I know I'm excited already! Darn, I wish we had an excerpt. Well, maybe later, closer to publishing time. What I can tell you, is that this book is the first in a series!

That's all I have for The Morakeen, but not all I have on Cher's projects. There's one more, her WIP. In a recent conversation with Cher, I discovered that she paid for plot help and told me that she didn’t regret it at all. I asked her to give us some idea of what went on, in case there are some other authors out there that maybe have the same problem and are not sure what to do. Here's what she had to say:

"The experience was phenomenal. I told her my story, sent her what I had so far. She read my notes then gave me some ideas, some possible directions. I took those ideas—which were fabulous by the way—and ran with them. As a result, I have a wonderful book. Her name is Andrea Raines Waggener. You can find her at www.novelwritingmadeeasy.com."

The title of this piece is, Something Old, Something New, Something Dead. Catchy title, huh?

I thought I'd continue with some general questions about the hardships she's faced as a writer and what advice she might have for other writers:

Q. In listening to your interview with Paula on The Writing Show, you talk about the difficulties you faced early on as a writer, one of which was that you didn’t really know of RWA’s existence. What, if anything, would you change about your writing path? Do you wish you had learned something sooner than you did?

A. Oh, heck yeah!! I wish first and foremost that Deb Dixon had written her GMC book sooner rather than later. I also wish that on-line workshops had been available at the time I started writing. I also wish that I had known other writers when I first started then I wouldn’t have felt so alone and isolated. They would have been a great boost when the rejections came pouring in.

Q. Do you feel that the market is still as hard to get into as you thought it was three (?) years ago on Paula’s show (Sept. 2006?)?

A. YES!! The market is like trying to break through a six foot thick lead wall with a nail file. An author’s work has to shine like a klieg light to get noticed. It’s definitely not for sissies.

Q. What kind of support network did you have when you first started writing?

A. My husband and my mother-in-law. They have supported me wholeheartedly from the beginning through the good, the bad and the ugly.

Q. What kind of support do you have now and how did you come by it?

A. I have a network of writer friends, both published and unpublished. I am a member of RWA, Colorado Romance Writers and Heart of Denver Romance Writers. I also connect with a friend through e-mail twice a week for support not critiquing. We encourage each other, give each other pats on the back and kicks in the butt when needed as well. Knowing I have to report to her twice a week keeps my fingers on the keyboard.

Q. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?

A. You need courage and perseverance. And without these two things the world of the working writer is a brutal, cold and unforgiving place. You need stamina and stick-to-it-no-matter-what-comes-down-the-pike perseverance or this business will crush you like a bug. And it nearly crushed me. I can't tell you how many times I thought about quitting but every time I saw my special needs daughter step on the ice and skate I knew I couldn't stop. I had to keep going. I had to keep trying. I had to keep looking forward.

Repeat after me: Publishing is about MONEY. Publishing is about MONEY… Don’t ever, ever forget that. Publishers are in the business to make money not to help authors get their words into print and not because they love to read. Keep this in mind when the rejections come fast and furious. Try and look at your work objectively. This is probably one of the hardest things an author has to learn to do but with practice you can do it. Publishers have to buy books they can market and sell. Period. I don’t care if your book is the greatest book every written. If a publisher doesn’t know how to market and sell that book THEY WON’T BUY IT!! Take on-line workshops that address your weakest writing problem. Turn that weak problem into a strength, a negative to a positive. Look at your writing problem as a challenge that you can and will overcome.

Don’t compare yourself to other writers and don’t let anyone, anywhere at anytime manipulate your voice. Your voice is your voice is your voice. It will be what sets you apart from the crowd.

Repeat after me, publishing is about MONEY!

If you enjoyed Paula B.'s interview style and voice, find more at The Writing Show.

To learn even more about Cher Gorman, visit her website www.chergorman.com.

Thank you for joining us today, but please don't forget to comment because I know Cher would love to hear from you!

Carrie

What a Character

Have you ever had a character invade your mind? When you thought you were done with him, has he ever come back to haunt you, or to prove otherwise? It happened to me. When I began to write Nora’s Soul, the character of Dante was just a satellite character in my mind, a device to move the story forward. But he had other ideas and he just wouldn’t be silenced. He invaded my mind, took over my thoughts, and even tried to –

Dante: Stop, woman! You like to think you’re my creator, but we both know the truth of that, don’t we?
Margay: But I did create you.
Dante: Tell them how I came to you in a dream.
Margay: All right, so you came to me in a dream -
Dante: I love invading dreams. I don’t get to do it very often.
Margay: Can I tell the story?
Dante: Oh, yes. Please do.
Margay: Thank you. As I was about to say, it was one of the more vivid dreams I’d ever had, a fully realized scene of the two of us on the dance floor, dancing the night away.
Dante: I love dancing.
Margay: Dante, please.
Dante: Oh, sorry. Go on.
Margay: But you were something of a devil and that is how I first thought of you. But as the story came to develop, I realized that you were more of an angel, just a…misguided one. You’d lost your way somehow. You’ve been rather stingy on the details.
Dante: If I told you everything up front, what fun would that be?
Margay: Yes, I must admit it’s been more fun pulling the details out of you with a pair of tweezers. I just wish I didn’t have to go through Nora to get them.
Dante: Ah, yes, Nora. Sweet girl.
Margay: We’ve talked about this, Dante. You can’t have her. She’s not meant for you.
Dante: Can’t I have anyone? What kind of power do I have if I can’t take whomever I want?
Margay: Don’t forget free will. It’s all about free will. You see, they have to choose you. If they don’t choose you, you can’t have them.
Dante: I never did like free will. It’s always messing things up.
Margay: Dante, come on now. Maybe we should just talk about the book.
Dante: Yes, do that. Talk about the book.
Margay: At its core, Nora’s Soul is a story about one woman’s journey to rediscover her faith – in herself, in her beliefs, but along the way, she is challenged by two angels, one light and one dark. The light angel, Peter, wants to help her reconnect, but the dark angel, Dante, wants something entirely different. He wants her soul.
Dante: Nice summary.
Margay: Thanks.
Dante: I just hope you got the story right.
Margay: Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait until the release date to find out.
Dante: So you’re not even going to give me a little hint about how it turns out?
Margay: Nope. But if you go to my website http://margayleahjustice.com, you can read an excerpt.
Dante: And you thought I was the devil.
Margay: If you’re done, I’d like to regain some control over this article.
Dante: Oh. Sorry.
Margay: Right.

Well, there you have it. Character. You just never know when a character is going to invade your thoughts – or take them over completely and try to run your life. But what are we without the characters that populate our books, our movies, our lives?

If you would like a chance to get to know Dante better, read about the havoc he wreaks in Nora’s Soul. He is quite a character. Hope you enjoy him as much as I do.

Another Mayhemic Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I know I appreciated our first glimpse of warm weather we up here in Wisconsin had on Saturday. It was nice to be able to sit outside, grill and drink some good beer with friends. Before I get started, I'd like to offer a huge round of applause for Claire, the winner of our Saturday drawing! Be sure to email Gracen at gracen.miller@yahoo.com to claim your prize.

As a beginning writer, I started getting curious as to what the future story trends will be. I know that there are places on the Internet where I could find the answer, but I thought I would try a different route. As a longtime reader, I often wondered if the book market often works like the TV and movie markets. I'm not sure if you noticed, but there happens to be an awful lot of cop/law/crime related dramas and comedies out there, including the new ones. If it isn't crime related, it's medicine or a combination of both. If it isn't that kind you have home life (comedies and dramas) or some supposed "reality" TV show. [Note, I'm not including cable channels like DIY, Food Network or any of those specialty channels because not everyone gets those channels.]

Even though I like many of the shows out there, I feel like the markets are just over saturated with these types of shows and, while I might enjoy them, I find myself screaming for something new and different. I find that I am spending more time on the Internet or reading books and less time watching TV these days. I'm wondering if anyone feels that something similar is happening in the book world.

Since readers really determine what books will and won't sell, I decided to ask our audience to talk about their feelings of the types of books currently on the market. I would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to answer these questions in your responses. Feel free to add anything that I might have missed.

Do you feel that books and stories are getting too predictable? Do they feel too formulaic to you?

What about variety, is there enough to keep you happy or do you find yourself searching for something more? If so, what are you searching for? What need are you looking to satisfy?

Are you able to easily find a book to read or do you struggle to find something that strikes your fancy?

What does strike your fancy?

Is there any type of story that you feel is played out and boring or that the novelty of the type has worn off and you'd like to see something new?

Is there any type of story that you'd like to see more of or something you feel is missing? What would you like to see more of? What types of stories are missing?

What is your favorite kind of story, you know, the one you just can't get enough of no matter how many books you read?

How adventurous are you? In other words, do you stick with what you know or do you like to try new and different styles from time to time?

In general, as a reader, what type of story do you want to read and what do you want from the book you read?

Just for fun, do you get enough mayhem in your reading? If not, why not? What kind of mayhem do get in your reading?

I don't know about you, but I think that's enough questions for you today. Thanks for visiting and I look forward to hearing your thoughts! I'm curious to see what direction our discussion will take us.....