A.C. Arthur's Blog, page 11
June 15, 2012
When The Book Is Complete
I typed the words “The End” yesterday at 1:45 p.m. I don’t know how many times I’ve typed these words in my writing career, but I’ll tell you that each time is pure bliss! A huge weight is lifted from my shoulders and I close my eyes and sigh. I’d venture to say it’s like giving birth…but not. LOL Still, it’s pretty intense.
While writing a story I spend a lot of time with the characters, until just about all my daily thoughts are of them—what they would say if they saw what I saw, heard what I heard, did what I did. For instance, what would Roman Reynolds (Temptation Rising) do if he had to represent some of the defendants I see in court every day? What if one of those defendants was actually a rogue? Would he kill them right there in the courthouse? Probably not. But Nick Delgado (Seduction’s Shift, Sept 2012) would seriously consider it. As I listen to my mood music, I try to figure out what Lyra Anderson would say to Dion Donovan (Desire A Donovan) the night he proposed to her. Would she sing the lyrics to Monica’s Amazing? These characters simply become a part of me and when it’s time to send them out into the world there’s a little bit of nervousness. I always hope they’ll find a good home, in the hands of a reader who can relate to them on some level, who enjoys their journey, feels their pain and triumphs with their achievements. It’s a huge task for these characters to undertake and like any proud parent I can only sit back and pray they fly successfully.
Then it’s on to the next book.
I usually don’t have a huge break between books and thanks to the continued support of my readers and my agent and editor who believe in me, I don’t have a second to wait this time before starting the next book. For that I am truly grateful. I won’t visit with the characters from the previous book until it’s time for edits, so now I’ll search for more mood music, think about scenes, about eye color and hair color, favorite foods, biggest quirks and emotional battles. And I’ll get my piping hot green tea (never using artificial sweeteners with this again, yuck!) in my favorite Eeyore mug purchased on one of my trips to Disney World. Yes, I have a fetish for Disney mugs. I have a cabinet full of them, it’s crazy! I’ll look at pictures of people who resemble the new characters in my head, dream about how they talk, walk, cry and yell. And then…after all that, I’ll begin to write the next love story.
Happy Reading!
While writing a story I spend a lot of time with the characters, until just about all my daily thoughts are of them—what they would say if they saw what I saw, heard what I heard, did what I did. For instance, what would Roman Reynolds (Temptation Rising) do if he had to represent some of the defendants I see in court every day? What if one of those defendants was actually a rogue? Would he kill them right there in the courthouse? Probably not. But Nick Delgado (Seduction’s Shift, Sept 2012) would seriously consider it. As I listen to my mood music, I try to figure out what Lyra Anderson would say to Dion Donovan (Desire A Donovan) the night he proposed to her. Would she sing the lyrics to Monica’s Amazing? These characters simply become a part of me and when it’s time to send them out into the world there’s a little bit of nervousness. I always hope they’ll find a good home, in the hands of a reader who can relate to them on some level, who enjoys their journey, feels their pain and triumphs with their achievements. It’s a huge task for these characters to undertake and like any proud parent I can only sit back and pray they fly successfully.
Then it’s on to the next book.
I usually don’t have a huge break between books and thanks to the continued support of my readers and my agent and editor who believe in me, I don’t have a second to wait this time before starting the next book. For that I am truly grateful. I won’t visit with the characters from the previous book until it’s time for edits, so now I’ll search for more mood music, think about scenes, about eye color and hair color, favorite foods, biggest quirks and emotional battles. And I’ll get my piping hot green tea (never using artificial sweeteners with this again, yuck!) in my favorite Eeyore mug purchased on one of my trips to Disney World. Yes, I have a fetish for Disney mugs. I have a cabinet full of them, it’s crazy! I’ll look at pictures of people who resemble the new characters in my head, dream about how they talk, walk, cry and yell. And then…after all that, I’ll begin to write the next love story.
Happy Reading!
June 9, 2012
Be A Part of The Team!
CALLING ALL SERIOUS READERS! I need dedicated AC Arthur readers to join my team! This is very, very important. Find out how you can help @ http://www.acarthur.net/shadow-shifters/
EXCELLENT BENEFITS PACKAGE INCLUDED!!!
EXCELLENT BENEFITS PACKAGE INCLUDED!!!
April 29, 2012
Shadow Shifter Sunday
Okay, we’re officially declaring today Shadow Shifter Sunday!! And with that you know we’ve got to have a giveaway. So email me at acarthur22@yahoo.com with BE TEMPTED BY THE SHADOW SHIFTERS in the subject line and be registered to win a Shadow Shifter mug (hunky cover model on reverse side) to tempt everyone around you to buy this book!! 3 WINNERS Contest ends at midnight (EST)
March 25, 2012
Jumping Outside The Box
Jumping Outside the Box
For those familiar with my work you’ll know that this is not the first time I’ve strayed from the box some have labeled romance. I’ve dabbled in paranormal a time or two. In two days, my new paranormal romance series, THE SHADOW SHIFTERS, will begin. Squeee!! I am more than excited about these books, moreso these characters that I believe will have readers thinking twice about their co-workers or even people they see on the subway every day.
My father once asked me, “How do you come up with this stuff?” I sort of shrugged—yeah I still do that with my parents, terrible habit—and I replied, “It just comes to me.” I tend to write what I like to read and I’ve accepted that not everything I write will be available for all to read, hence the stories have stored on a USB drive titled “Extras”. It may be hard to believe, but I am such an introverted person. This gives me more than enough time to imagine just about anything. LOL And that’s exactly how I work. I see things, hear things, watch movies, listen to music and become inspired. Then I sit and think. And think some more. An idea is formed and I think some more. It takes about a day or two before I actually write anything down. I figure if the idea is still on my mind by that time, then it’s worth writing.
I’ve always been a closet sci-fi junkie. But again, not the normal type—if I think about myself too long I’d probably figure out there’s not a lot that is “normal” about me. So, I love Star Wars, am almost fanatical about The Jedi and The Republic. On the other hand I’ll never be considered a Trekkie—Star Trek just never clicked for me. It’s sort of how I love yellow mustard but despise even the look of mayonnaise. But alternative worlds are interesting, especially when the one we’re living in can get you down on any given day. When I enter the paranormal realm I feel like anything is possible. My editor even told me, “If you think something is just totally outrageous, write it.” And so I did.
THE SHADOW SHIFTERS are rooted in a lot of very real elements—rainforests in Brazil, jaguars that are sleek and powerful, humans constantly judging one another based solely on what they see. I simply took them one step further. But really, when someone you see every day at work for instance, goes home at night, how do you know they don’t really shift into a big cat? SHADOW SHIFTERS look just like humans, they eat, sleep, work and love, just as the general population does. That’s how they’ve managed to keep their secret. Of course, as well all know, secrets have a way of eventually being revealed. I’m not the first author to introduce a species of shape shifting humans, and most likely will not be the last. Still, there’s something uniquely human about these shifters, some of their desires and goals correlate with what we human’s call “happily ever after”. How they get to that point is the intriguing part.
Am I still loyal to the romance genre? You bet I am! This is simply a different route to falling in love because really, not every couple shares the same blueprint to success. For the SHADOW SHIFTERS I not only stepped outside the box, I think I stood on it a couple of times, jumped up and down, then ran away from it and came sliding back. In the end, the guy still gets the girl or rather, the girl tackles the guy roars some sense into his thick skull then lures him into the forest where they…you guessed it, live happily ever after—or something like that.
For those familiar with my work you’ll know that this is not the first time I’ve strayed from the box some have labeled romance. I’ve dabbled in paranormal a time or two. In two days, my new paranormal romance series, THE SHADOW SHIFTERS, will begin. Squeee!! I am more than excited about these books, moreso these characters that I believe will have readers thinking twice about their co-workers or even people they see on the subway every day.
My father once asked me, “How do you come up with this stuff?” I sort of shrugged—yeah I still do that with my parents, terrible habit—and I replied, “It just comes to me.” I tend to write what I like to read and I’ve accepted that not everything I write will be available for all to read, hence the stories have stored on a USB drive titled “Extras”. It may be hard to believe, but I am such an introverted person. This gives me more than enough time to imagine just about anything. LOL And that’s exactly how I work. I see things, hear things, watch movies, listen to music and become inspired. Then I sit and think. And think some more. An idea is formed and I think some more. It takes about a day or two before I actually write anything down. I figure if the idea is still on my mind by that time, then it’s worth writing.
I’ve always been a closet sci-fi junkie. But again, not the normal type—if I think about myself too long I’d probably figure out there’s not a lot that is “normal” about me. So, I love Star Wars, am almost fanatical about The Jedi and The Republic. On the other hand I’ll never be considered a Trekkie—Star Trek just never clicked for me. It’s sort of how I love yellow mustard but despise even the look of mayonnaise. But alternative worlds are interesting, especially when the one we’re living in can get you down on any given day. When I enter the paranormal realm I feel like anything is possible. My editor even told me, “If you think something is just totally outrageous, write it.” And so I did.
THE SHADOW SHIFTERS are rooted in a lot of very real elements—rainforests in Brazil, jaguars that are sleek and powerful, humans constantly judging one another based solely on what they see. I simply took them one step further. But really, when someone you see every day at work for instance, goes home at night, how do you know they don’t really shift into a big cat? SHADOW SHIFTERS look just like humans, they eat, sleep, work and love, just as the general population does. That’s how they’ve managed to keep their secret. Of course, as well all know, secrets have a way of eventually being revealed. I’m not the first author to introduce a species of shape shifting humans, and most likely will not be the last. Still, there’s something uniquely human about these shifters, some of their desires and goals correlate with what we human’s call “happily ever after”. How they get to that point is the intriguing part.
Am I still loyal to the romance genre? You bet I am! This is simply a different route to falling in love because really, not every couple shares the same blueprint to success. For the SHADOW SHIFTERS I not only stepped outside the box, I think I stood on it a couple of times, jumped up and down, then ran away from it and came sliding back. In the end, the guy still gets the girl or rather, the girl tackles the guy roars some sense into his thick skull then lures him into the forest where they…you guessed it, live happily ever after—or something like that.
