Karina Bliss's Blog - Posts Tagged "karina-bliss"
Check out the giveaway page for a chance to win one of two copies of my new release, Stand-In Wife, out August 2.
It's a fun take of the twin swap trope.
If you'd like to read an excerpt visit www.karinabliss.com
It's a fun take of the twin swap trope.
If you'd like to read an excerpt visit www.karinabliss.com
I'm working to a tight deadline on the next book so thought I'd add a couple of links to some blog posts on Stand-In Wife, my most recent release.
The first is Pets in Fiction. Here's the link:
http://www.superauthors.com/2011/08/p...
And the second is: Twin Stories, love 'em or hate 'em.
Here's the link:
http://www.superauthors.com/2011/05/k...
The first is Pets in Fiction. Here's the link:
http://www.superauthors.com/2011/08/p...
And the second is: Twin Stories, love 'em or hate 'em.
Here's the link:
http://www.superauthors.com/2011/05/k...
Just sent off revisions on the third book in my Special Forces series - BRING HIM HOME. Good news is it's been brought forward in the publication schedule and will be out June with Harlequin Superromance.
Already out: Book 1: HERE COMES THE GROOM. Book 2: STAND-IN WIFE. Excerpts on my website - www.karinabliss.com
I come back with a resolution. To blog here weekly. Just chatty stuff, insights into the book I'm planning, writing or revising.
Already out: Book 1: HERE COMES THE GROOM. Book 2: STAND-IN WIFE. Excerpts on my website - www.karinabliss.com
I come back with a resolution. To blog here weekly. Just chatty stuff, insights into the book I'm planning, writing or revising.
Here's an informal synopsis of the book.
A roadside bomb in Afghanistan trapped Nathan Wyatt’s commanding officer in their vehicle. Nate had a terrible choice – die with his best friend or follow his directive and try and save a wounded comrade.
Two years on, that secret is still tearing him apart. He’s in Hollywood prostituting his war medal for work as a bodyguard to the stars when his best friend’s widow drags him home to fulfill his neglected responsibilities to her family trust.
Claire has recently removed her thirteen year old son from the bad influence of his friends by moving to a tiny seaside community where she’s working on restoring an old fishing vessel she and Nate bought as a do-up years earlier.
Her goal: to start a fishing charter business. Nate’s goal: to make sure she’s not taking too big a financial risk before he authorizes the money as co-trustee.
When he discovers Claire can’t forgive her late husband for breaking a crucial promise – Steve was never meant to go on that last tour of duty - Nate sees his path to salvation. He’ll be his buddy’s advocate, secure Steve’s place in his wife’s memory by telling her stories of their time together in the Special Forces.
The last thing he intends is to find himself in love triangle with his dead best friend but as he works with Claire on the boat’s restoration, their longstanding friendship becomes so much more.
Will telling her the truth about Steve’s death set him free, or alienate the woman he’s come to passionately love?
Gee, is it Tuesday already? My resolution to try and do a short weekly blog on Goodreads sure has come around quick.
I'm writing the first three chapters of a new book, the fourth in my SAS series and trying out a new writing program, Scrivener for Windows, which so far is working really well in terms of grouping research, character studies, setting and possible scenes.
I always find with a new book that I agonize over the first three chapters...overwork them probably. But it's all about finding the voice of the characters, or at least a reason why you the reader might want to spend a book with them. And me too, for that matter. I'm opening in the heroine's point of view. She's having sex and it's not with the hero who has been presumed dead for two years. I figured it would mess things up nicely for them further down the track.
I've posted a blog on the Super authors site, here's the link: http://www.superauthors.com/2011/11/s...
I'm writing the first three chapters of a new book, the fourth in my SAS series and trying out a new writing program, Scrivener for Windows, which so far is working really well in terms of grouping research, character studies, setting and possible scenes.
I always find with a new book that I agonize over the first three chapters...overwork them probably. But it's all about finding the voice of the characters, or at least a reason why you the reader might want to spend a book with them. And me too, for that matter. I'm opening in the heroine's point of view. She's having sex and it's not with the hero who has been presumed dead for two years. I figured it would mess things up nicely for them further down the track.
I've posted a blog on the Super authors site, here's the link: http://www.superauthors.com/2011/11/s...
I'm working on line edits for Bring Him Home, my June 2012 release and trying to work out what the American term is for diesel.
I'm pretty sure it's not gasoline which I'm guessing refers to petroleum. Maybe I'll simply replace with 'fuel.'
Line edits are the nit-picking stage of the manuscript. I've written it, done revisions and this is a line by line edit to pick up work overuse, time line inconsistencies, and sometimes even plot holes.
My heroine's son, despite work, remains something of a plot moppet (a wonderful term I first saw used on www.dearauthor.com or smartbitchestrashybooks.com). A child there to do a plot job rather than be a real person. Normally I have no problem writing kids, but because my heroine/hero had BIG stuff to deal with I didn't want to make her son too troubled. (He was, but he's coming out of it through the story). I went too far the other way obviously and need to get the balance right.
I'm also working on the first three chapters and synopsis of a new book, tentatively titled HIS GOODBYE GIRL, a back from the dead story, which should be a fun end to the series.
More on that one later.
I'm conscious that very few are reading this blog...hopefully numbers will grow, but for the time being it's very freeing, writing stream of consciousness 'dear writing diary' stuff.
To the handful reading this...hey, how are you? Merry Xmas!
I'm pretty sure it's not gasoline which I'm guessing refers to petroleum. Maybe I'll simply replace with 'fuel.'
Line edits are the nit-picking stage of the manuscript. I've written it, done revisions and this is a line by line edit to pick up work overuse, time line inconsistencies, and sometimes even plot holes.
My heroine's son, despite work, remains something of a plot moppet (a wonderful term I first saw used on www.dearauthor.com or smartbitchestrashybooks.com). A child there to do a plot job rather than be a real person. Normally I have no problem writing kids, but because my heroine/hero had BIG stuff to deal with I didn't want to make her son too troubled. (He was, but he's coming out of it through the story). I went too far the other way obviously and need to get the balance right.
I'm also working on the first three chapters and synopsis of a new book, tentatively titled HIS GOODBYE GIRL, a back from the dead story, which should be a fun end to the series.
More on that one later.
I'm conscious that very few are reading this blog...hopefully numbers will grow, but for the time being it's very freeing, writing stream of consciousness 'dear writing diary' stuff.
To the handful reading this...hey, how are you? Merry Xmas!
I'm giving away a book today on the SuperAuthor blog, my Christmas novella published in 2010, KISS ME, SANTA.
Here's the link if you'd like to go in the draw:
http://www.superauthors.com/
Whenever I think about that book I smile - chiefly because I'd never written a novella before and had a lot of trouble plotting for a 24,000 word as opposed to a 75,000 word book.
My watershed moment came when I was talking to Nalini Singh (yes, I know her! She's a New Zealander and a longstanding member of Romance Writers of New Zealand) about my plot struggles. She started laughing when I told her I had a subplot and suggested I take it out and concentrate those few short pages on the romance. Well, duh, why hadn't I thought of that?
So I did and it worked way better. In fact, it's one of my favorite stories.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Karina
Here's the link if you'd like to go in the draw:
http://www.superauthors.com/
Whenever I think about that book I smile - chiefly because I'd never written a novella before and had a lot of trouble plotting for a 24,000 word as opposed to a 75,000 word book.
My watershed moment came when I was talking to Nalini Singh (yes, I know her! She's a New Zealander and a longstanding member of Romance Writers of New Zealand) about my plot struggles. She started laughing when I told her I had a subplot and suggested I take it out and concentrate those few short pages on the romance. Well, duh, why hadn't I thought of that?
So I did and it worked way better. In fact, it's one of my favorite stories.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Karina
Today I'm blogging on the SuperRomance authors loop about what makes a great ending to a romance. Come visit and go into the draw for one of my backlist.
Here's the link:
http://www.superauthors.com/2012/01/w...
Here's the link:
http://www.superauthors.com/2012/01/w...
I'm back in work mode after the Christmas break. Just finished final corrections on my June release, BRING HIM HOME, and writing Chapter Four of a new book, the fourth in my SAS series, working title, HIS GOODBYE GIRL.
I re-read BRING HIM HOME last night and said to my husband, 'Either this is really really good or a piece of melodramatic drivel.'
It's a high-stakes, high-drama novel which means it's even tougher to dance the line between pathos and sentimentality.
No doubt readers will tell me if I've got the balance right!
Meanwhile on Chapter Four of HIS GOODBYE GIRL I'm obsessively reworking the first scene between my four heroes, three of whom have already had their book.
I love returning characters because they're easy to write. I know how they'll react to situations, and to each other.
It's the new hero I have to feel my way with (what a fun job!). I thought I had his measure in the first scene but he's changing on me. That's good...we're all different people depending on who we're with. I'm hoping these new facets of his personality will add dimension to his character.
And in my leisure I've been reading Cecilia Grant's debut A Lady Awakened and Sarah Mayberry's latest, All They Need. Both wonderful books.
Good reads (another pun, I'm on fire!) always inspire me to try harder in my own writing.
I re-read BRING HIM HOME last night and said to my husband, 'Either this is really really good or a piece of melodramatic drivel.'
It's a high-stakes, high-drama novel which means it's even tougher to dance the line between pathos and sentimentality.
No doubt readers will tell me if I've got the balance right!
Meanwhile on Chapter Four of HIS GOODBYE GIRL I'm obsessively reworking the first scene between my four heroes, three of whom have already had their book.
I love returning characters because they're easy to write. I know how they'll react to situations, and to each other.
It's the new hero I have to feel my way with (what a fun job!). I thought I had his measure in the first scene but he's changing on me. That's good...we're all different people depending on who we're with. I'm hoping these new facets of his personality will add dimension to his character.
And in my leisure I've been reading Cecilia Grant's debut A Lady Awakened and Sarah Mayberry's latest, All They Need. Both wonderful books.
Good reads (another pun, I'm on fire!) always inspire me to try harder in my own writing.
Stand-In Wife wasn't my best cover, there's no getting around it. I've always wanted a half-naked man on one of my covers, the irony fairy gave me a naked half-man.
One of my best covers was What The Librarian Did, without a doubt. People bought the book solely for that cover.
www.smartbitcheslovetrashybooks spoofed it brilliantly here.
http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/bl...
Now Stand-In Wife has been cleverly lampooned here.
http://covers.unclewaltersrants.com/2...
Love it, just love it.
One of my best covers was What The Librarian Did, without a doubt. People bought the book solely for that cover.
www.smartbitcheslovetrashybooks spoofed it brilliantly here.
http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/bl...
Now Stand-In Wife has been cleverly lampooned here.
http://covers.unclewaltersrants.com/2...
Love it, just love it.
I was reading 'Reinventing Fabulous' a three friends blog by Jenny Crusie, Lani Diane Rich and Anne Stuart (Krissie) which is funny and irreverent and all about female friendship. Here's the link:
http://reinventingfabulous.com/
It got me thinking about a friend who passed away last year and the different ways of missing people. And the ones that you laugh with hit the top of my list. A shared sense of humour is the best glue in any relationship and I love books where the hero and heroine - no matter what - have the same sly humour, the ability to glance at each other and share a private joke.
Some books that do that really well are: Georgette Heyer's "Venetia" and Susan Elizabeth Phillips "Nobody's Baby But Mine" and "Heaven, Texas." I do love a man with a sense of humor, preferably as dry as James Bond's martini.
If you have books that fit that criteria, I'd love to hear about them.
As for the book I'm writing, "His Goodbye Girl" - little humour yet but it's coming...oh yes, it's coming. One of the best things about being a writer is that unlike real life you get do-overs until the joke works. Boom Boom.
http://reinventingfabulous.com/
It got me thinking about a friend who passed away last year and the different ways of missing people. And the ones that you laugh with hit the top of my list. A shared sense of humour is the best glue in any relationship and I love books where the hero and heroine - no matter what - have the same sly humour, the ability to glance at each other and share a private joke.
Some books that do that really well are: Georgette Heyer's "Venetia" and Susan Elizabeth Phillips "Nobody's Baby But Mine" and "Heaven, Texas." I do love a man with a sense of humor, preferably as dry as James Bond's martini.
If you have books that fit that criteria, I'd love to hear about them.
As for the book I'm writing, "His Goodbye Girl" - little humour yet but it's coming...oh yes, it's coming. One of the best things about being a writer is that unlike real life you get do-overs until the joke works. Boom Boom.
