Amy Corwin's Blog, page 20

Guest: Amie Louellen on Creative Ideas

Welcome to week two of the Valentine's Month Blog tour. Visit as many of the eleven blogs as you can, leave a comment, and you're automatically entered in a chance to win weekly prizes and a grand prize worth over $50.

The bloggers are listed at the bottom of this blog, so be sure to check them out and leave comments.

Now, here is Amie Louellen on the topic of Where Creative Ideas Come From...

What if…



Those are the most dangerous words in a writer's vocabulary. Or at least they are for this writer.


I can't say where ideas really come from, but the "what's ifs" are everywhere.


What if the van parked in the driveway at my neighbor's house is not really a plumber? What if the girl walking down the street is a runaway? What if the cashier at McDonalds is a billionaire?


It's where the writer takes it from the "what if" that truly makes it creative. I write funny, light-hearted romance. So…given the above what ifs…


The not-really-a-plumber is spying on her ex, the girl is a runaway bride, and the billionaire lost a bet.


And then I'd take it one step further.


Our "plumber" borrowed the van from a friend. Of course she knows nothing about plumbing and is about to be approached by the hero who needs advice on his pipes (no pun intended. Okay, okay, it was intended—shrug—what can I say?). The bride is about to be picked up by our cowboy hero who is unknowingly assisting a runaway Mafia bride. (Trust me, this would be hysterical!) And our billionaire bet his mousey—yet brilliant—executive assistant that he could hold down a "regular" job (again, too funny!).


Now, someone who writes horror would probably make the plumber a serial killer. A science fiction writer would make the runaway bride an alien, and the billionaire…uh…I got nothing but a mousey—yet brilliant—executive assistant. But I think you get the idea.


I believe writers are hardwired for their genre. That's not to say that an author can't change it up. My agent often times tells me, "you're a writer…write it." But the creative process remains the same. The idea comes, then the writer follows it where the muse leads.


And the idea comes from…


Well, Susan Elizabeth Phillips swears there's a warehouse in Tulsa where they're stored. But I've lived in Tulsa half my life, and I've never run across the place. (I mean, hey, this town ain't that big). So… I'm gonna have to go with thin air. But I'm not sure it matters as much where the idea comes from as what is done with it.


Now about that billionaire…



Addendum—Right after I completed this blog, Oklahoma was hit by a blizzard. We got almost 18 inches of the white stuff in my neighborhood. My family has been snowed in for days. I'm married—which means I have no control over the television. I have a 10 year old son—which means there is no peace and quiet…ever. And they both expect me to cook—really? So as I am wandering around the house, unable to write (I did mention the lack of peace and quiet, didn't I?) unable to read ("Mama, play a game with me." Did I mention said child was grounded from all electronics?) and unable to even clean (Outside dog is now inside and doesn't know what to do with himself indoors), the "what ifs…" set in. What if a couple is snowed in unexpectedly? What if their sigs are best friends? What if they are sworn enemies? What if…well, you get the idea. At least, no one can invade my mind…though I'm pretty sure the 10 year old has tried! Please send help…a 4-wheel drive and peace of mind <3 AL


Addendum to my addendum—Another 4 to 6 inches expected today. Seriously…send help—chocolate, coffee, and Xanax.

Amie Louellen--Brodie's BrideThe Wild Rose Press Valentine's Blog Tour:


Amie Louellen loves nothing more than a good book. Except for her family…and maybe homemade tacos…and shoes. But reading and writing are definitely high on the list. When she's not creating quirky characters and happy endings she enjoys going to little league baseball games and boy scout meetings. Born and bred in Mississippi, Amie is a transplanted Southern Belle who now lives in Oklahoma with her deputy husband, their genius son, a spoiled cat, and one very hyper beagle.

Brodie's Bride

Blurb
Waking up next to a beautiful golden-haired stranger isn't the worst thing that has ever happened to Brodie Harper, but staying in a fake marriage in order to gain a new construction contract could very well be.

Savanna Morgan just wanted a way out of an engagement to a man she didn't love. Marrying Brodie seemed liked the perfect answer at the time. Less perfect the next morning when she finds herself disowned by her father and flat broke. Now she must make it through the weekend. Monday they can get it all annulled and forget it ever happened.

The real problem may be keeping their hands off each other until then.

Excerpt

"Married," the official supplied with a happy nod.

For the first time since the blonde had screamed and set off the pounding in his head, Brodie noticed the band that circled the fourth finger of his left hand. Married. Images of a scarlet chapel and gold rings flitted through his mind. Lost in the fog of straight shots of tequila, the whole ordeal seemed liked a dream. But if what the man said was true...

Holy heaven. The last time Brodie had gotten drunk had been the day his grandfather died. Then, he'd only acquired a tattoo, but this time... Married? And to a hooker? A gorgeous hooker. An expensive hooker by the depleted state of his wallet, but a hooker none-the-less.

"Where's my dress?"

Brodie half-turned as his hooker-bride stumped down the stairs, her naked glory covered by the rumpled satin sheet. One red, high-rise pump was missing.

"I wouldn't know," he replied, his headache tripling.

"You took it off. You find it." She punched him hard in the chest with one red lacquered fingernail.

"You want it. You find it," he countered.

"That dress was an Armani. And you—"

Brodie leaned away from the blonde and closer to the man behind the counter. "Are you sure we're married?"

"Quite certain."

"Married?" she squeaked.

"One hundred percent sure?" Brodie added.

"It was a lovely ceremony."

"Married?"

Damn, Brodie thought. He was too nice of a guy, but he couldn't stand the panic he heard in her voice. He faced her and took her left hand in his own, turning them both so she could see their identical rings. "Seems we tied the knot last night, sunshine."

http://www.amielouellen.com/


Congratulations to Marci who won the first week's prize of a $15 The Wild Rose Press gift certificate and a $5 Samhain gift card. But don't fret, there are more prizes each week plus a grand prize the last week of February.  Just leave a comment to be entered!LINDA KAGE - http://lindakage.blogspot.com/
AMIE LOUELLEN - http://amielouellen.wordpress.com/  
CAROLINE CLEMMONS - http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/
JENNIFER JAKES - http://authorjenniferjakes.blogspot.com/
AJ NEUST- http://www.ajbooks.blogspot.com/
LYNNE ROBERTS - http://lynneroberts.blogspot.com/ 
MAEVE GREYSON - http://maevegreyson.blogspot.com/ 
AMY CORWIN - http://amycorwin.blogspot.com/
JILL JAMES - http://www.jilljameswrites.com/
KAT DUNCAN - http://www.katduncan.net/writeabout
LILLY GAYLE - http://lillygayleromance.blogspot.com/ 


Thanks for joining us!Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Waxing Philosophical About Writing

At one time or another, everyone feels the need to justify their likes, dislikes, and opinions. In the past, I've explained that I dislike the new "wave" of storytelling in present tense. It's too "I spy with my little eye" for me. But I keep thinking about it and about why it irritates me as a reader so incredibly much. It feels so unnatural and sound so childish to my ears. And looking through my books, I've found that the ones written in present tense that I can tolerate or even like, often have descriptive passages that use past tense.


And that got me thinking again about why. Why do I dislike present tense for fiction so much? I love it in blogs. But blogs are short and conversational. I don't mind brief passages. I just can't read an entire work of fiction written that way.


So while I was walking the dogs today, I thought about it again. Why?


There really is a good reason why it feels so unnatural to me and why it feels like I've plunged into a mediocre role-playing game when I run into a book written that way.


We live in the past.


That's right. Think about it. Everything that comes in through your senses has already occurred. In some cases, a really, really long time ago.


Take vision for instance. You walk outside and look at the stars. Well, what you're seeing is the past. It's light that spun out through the universe years ago—in many cases, billions of years ago—and you're just now seeing it. If you're gazing at a planet, it may already have exploded and turned into cosmic dust a billion years ago. The further away the object is, the more "in the past" it is by the time you see it.


What you're hearing occurred in the past, as well. And since sound waves move slower than light, you will for example see the smoke and flash of gun powder exploding from a muzzle loader gun, well before you hear it, if the gun is sufficiently far away.


And who hasn't experienced that split second of "Hey, I think I'm okay!" after a fall, only to realize a second later that maybe you're not okay, after all. Maybe you broke a bone or two (as happened to me, boo, hoo) and it just took your nerves a second or two to catch up with the signals from your broken bones.


Our brains also have to process this input, so any results as far as feelings are also…about things that may already be over with.


All information coming into our bodies is about the past. It may be only milliseconds in the past, but it's still the past.


I feel better now. I can finally justify why I prefer books written in past tense.


Sure, it's more about my own psychological problems, but at least I can excuse them by saying: everything we see, feel, or hear is in the past, so it only makes sense to describe them that way when telling a story.


By the way—I see that my daffodils are getting ready to bloom!


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Guest Author - AJ Neust on the Significance of First Lines

Please help me welcome author AJ Neust who is going to talk about the significance of first lines in a novel.

Welcome!


Ahhh…that first line of any new story is like that first bite of chocolate, or maybe that first sip of wine. With it, an author can create mystery, sound, action, tone, setting, or even inspire the reader to think outside the box. The first line of any new story is a powerful tool. It needs to snag the reader, invite them into a world the author's created so they get lost in the story and finish that first chapter without even realizing how far they've come. Maybe that's why first lines are so hard to write. And why I so often get asked by aspiring writers, "Where do you start?"



My answer? Start in the middle. While this may sound contrary to everything you imagined about crafting a story, don't assume all great novels start at the beginning. In fact, most of them start somewhere way past the beginning. And some even start at the end.


In one of my earliest manuscripts, I clearly laid out all the details, describing with great care the scenery, now my characters were dressed and each expression they wore. I delved into character development, going off on tangents to show the reader the place each person stood in their lives. I spent hours laboring over the groundwork, when in reality, I was bogging down the manuscript with so much ennui, the story didn't actually begin until five or six pages into the first chapter.


Now I start in the middle and let the story unfold. I weave history in where appropriate, describing only those details needed to move the story along, giving hints about the past and future, while leaving the rest for subsequent chapters. While I realize this sounds a lot easier said than done, the most important thing to remember is your characters already know who they are. They're already IN the scene, and have lived up to the point where you START the story. If a good author is truly each of their characters, then those characters wouldn't waste page after page telling themselves what they already know. They wouldn't tell themselves why they are taking a certain action or what they're wearing, because to the character, these story elements are already in place.


Instead, (and here's where things get tricky) their story would be told by the comments other characters give them, the reactions displayed, the scenery and emotions these elements inspire. This is the key to create a great first line, scene and chapter.


One of the best comments I get from a critique partner is a QUESTION. "Wait, what happened before this happened? Why is she acting so weird?" AHA! Then I know the reader will flip the page to find out what happens next (or in some cases, what happened previously). Even if the element I've introduced doesn't yet make sense, I've sparked the reader's curiosity enough to keep turning pages. That being said, a fine line exists between creating enough intrigue to snare the reader's interest, and leaving the reader frustrated. Any good author has the ability to "divine" this mysterious line. Don't be so vague, the reader can't follow the story.


Start in the middle, at a key point in the story. Being with a bang–the moment your hero and heroine meet, the fleeting second your heroine has an epiphany or sees another character do something that could potentially change her life. Become you're characters, and undoubtedly, the first line will write itself.


Answer this question to enter AJ's blog drawing:


What author penned this famous first line? "Who is John Galt?"


Visit our February Valentine's Blog Tour and leave a comment to win a prize. The more blogs you visit with comments, the better your chances of winning. Prizes begin valued at $20, increasing each week to a Grand Prize of over $50!


Other blogs to visit include:

http://www.ajbooks.blogspot.com/

http://amielouellen.wordpress.com/

http://carolineclemmons.blogspot.com/

http://www.authorjenniferjakes.blogspot.com/

http://www.jilljameswrites.com/

http://www.katduncan.net/writeabout

http://www.lillygayleromance.blogspot.com/

http://lindakage.blogspot.com/

http://lynneroberts.blogspot.com/

http://maevegreyson.blogspot.com/


Bio -

Author AJ Nuest lives in a small farming community in Northwest Indiana with her loving husband and two beautiful children. She is the author of two contemporary romance novels.


Contact Information her on the web:

Website: http://www.ajnuest.com/

Blog: http://www.ajbooks.blogspot.com/

Email: ajnuest@yahoo.com




Jezebel's Wish Blurb:


Haunted by nightmares, tormented by guilt, Jezebel came to Redemption Ranch to escape the past—except now she's stuck in the middle of nowhere with no redemption in sight. When her mother pushes her into riding lessons with local veterinarian Matthias Saunders, Jezebel balks. Sure, the doctor is gorgeous, but he's completely obnoxious and knows how to push every one of her buttons.



Only her deep connection with The Reverend, a gentle stallion who guards her darkest secrets, has her agreeing to spend any more time with Dr. Saunders. Caring for the stallion is the first bright spot in her life in months, and if being around the horse means she has to deal with Matthias Saunders, then so be it. Surely a city girl like her can handle one country vet—even one with disturbing blue eyes. Can't she?


Jezebel's Wish Excerpt:


Jezzy stopped. "I thought I was having a riding lesson."


"You are." He nodded toward the empty paddock. "Go in."


"Go in?" Jezzy propped a hand on her hip. "You sure you know what you're doing? Because it was my understanding that an actual horse is needed for a riding lesson."


"Don't you think it would be wise at this juncture to leave the understanding up to the professionals?"


Jezzy rolled her eyes. "You're making this way too easy. Professionals? Please. Don't get me started."


"Why not? Getting you started is exactly what I'm here for."


Jezzy's jaw dropped. She didn't quite know how to interpret that remark.


He held out the rope. "Now go in. And take this lead line with you." Steely blue determination glinted in his eyes. There was no way he was going to give in.


Jezzy snatched the lead line from his hand and stormed through the gate, then turned when he closed it behind her.


He put a foot on the bottom railing and rested against the gate, facing the horizon. "Take the chair to the center of the paddock and sit down."


"And just exactly how is that supposed to teach me to ride?"


He cocked an eyebrow. "You want out of the deal?"


Jezzy's fist clenched tight around the lead line. What she wanted was to march back to the fence and smack his face.






Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

The meaning behind Chiczofrenia?

I am pleased to host Dr. Laina Turner, author of "Chiczofrenia, Crazy is an Art Form", today. Thank you so much for joining us!

As I have stated in my book, Chiczofrenia is a play on words. I have grown to love the term and feel empowered when I use it. Why? Because we all have a little crazy in us and that's not a bad thing. It may manifest in many different ways and may not be readily apparent to others but we know deep inside what it is. I feel now, though I haven't always, that this aspect of me is what makes me…well…me.



I firmly believe we can have it all. A great relationship, marriage, be a great friend, a great mom, keep a good house (if that's important to you, it's not one of my top five), be a career woman, follow our dreams, work out, eat right, and many other things. However, somewhere while trying to accomplish all this, we can tend to go a little nuts. Some more than others, and some longer than others. I used to think I was normal. HA! What a reality check I've had. Normal is relative. I'm sure Howard Hughes and Andy Warhol thought they were normal.


Know it's ok to feel overwhelmed with all you have to do to have it all. Life isn't easy. However, we all deserve to have what we want. Women seem to have the knack of how to manage it all and not go too crazy. Women seem to always take on more and more…and we're successful at it.


Being a woman is difficult and a constant evolution of self-discovery. It's not an easy journey and through the process you realize every woman has her own issues, her own brand of crazy, which is my favorite kind of normal. Crazy is fine. Embrace it.


I want women to embrace what it is they truly want - without caring what anyone thinks. Learn to laugh at your own craziness and be cool at the same time. Be the strong individuals we all want to be while looking like a million bucks.


Chiczofrenia – crazy is an art form – released January 2011.



Chiczofrenic is the term for the woman who is purposeful and intentional in how crazy her life may be. The goal with this book is to recognize many women drive themselves crazy, intentionally, by trying to be all they can. I firmly believe we can have it all. A great relationship, being a great mom, keeping a good house (if that's important to you), being a career woman, following your dreams, working out, eating right, and many more. Women seem to have the knack for how to manage it all and not go crazy. Women seem to always take on more and more…and are successful at it.


Women have tried forever to pretend they fit in the norm even when the norm wasn't what they wanted. I want women to embrace that more - without caring what anyone thinks. Learn to laugh at your own craziness and be cool at the same time. Be the strong individual you want to be while looking like a million bucks.


Being a woman is difficult and is a constant evolution and journey of self discovery. It's not always an easy journey and through the process you realize everyone has her own issues. Her own brand of crazy, which is my own kind of normal. Crazy but embracing it.


ISBN: 978-0-578-07034-6Book: $14.95 Available on http://www.lainaturner.com/E-Book: $9.95 Available on Kindle and Smashwords


Excerpt from Chiczofrenia, Crazy is an Art Form

Who the hell am I?

I really had no idea who I was for a long time. Do you? I used to think I had somewhat of an idea. Ok, you caught me. I really thought I knew. I thought from a very early age I was destined to be a ball busting businesswomen superbitch. I probably read too many Jackie Collins books where there were beautiful, strong kick-ass women. Does that make me sound bad? It probably should. The entire time I was thinking it, living it, it sounded just dandy to me. I mean who wouldn't want to be a ball busting superbitch? (Now all I needed was a cape!)

It took me a long time to realize that being a ball busting superbitch wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Then it took me even longer to figure out what it is I wanted to be, and I'm still not sure. What I did figure out is that what I was doing what I thought was expected of me. It was this other persona, an alter ego if you will. How the hell did I ever conjure up this "person" I thought I was supposed to be, to portray? I have absolutely no idea.

I just know that I started down the ball busting superbitch path and kept going like the energizer bunny and never once stopped to think about what I was doing and if it was what I wanted or what made me happy. Until that one day I woke up and thought WTF? Why am I doing this? How did I get to this place where I was doing so much for so many others, trying to live up to their expectations, and in the midst of it all forgetting who I was?Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Guest Author: Caridad Pineiro on Writing Paranormals and Suspense

I'm so pleased to have Caridad Pineiro here because she's talking about one of my favorite subjects: the pyramids in Mexico and how they gave her the inspiration for her book, Aztec Gold.
Welcome Caridad!
People wonder why I write paranormals and romantic suspense stories and I guess the answer is that I like action, adventure, traveling and history. Writing paranormals and romantic suspense lets me combine all those different elements.

How do I do that? Let's start with the history part. Whether it's vampires like in THE CALLING series or the demon in AZTEC GOLD, these creatures have been around for a long time. When thinking about the stories that I'm going to write for them, they bring that history with them to the future and it has shaped what they are. For example, in FURY CALLS the vampire, Blake Richards, was born to a poor Welsh coal mining family. His experiences in watching his father go down into the mines as well as his father's death led Blake to sacrifice himself in order to save his family. I loved showing that history in the novel because it shaped the man (vampire) that Blake has become.

The history in AZTEC GOLD is a little different because in that novella the past affects everything in the present from the moment that the heroine, Cynthia, is given ancient journals and maps to authenticate. The papers are a connection not only to the past, but to her ex-lover who went missing while in search of a previously undiscovered temple in the Mexican jungle. The temple is centuries old as is the demon within its walls. The temple and demon were based on Aztec history and the setting was based on another of the things I like – travel.

I was lucky to be able to visit some Mexican pyramids many years ago and as I walked along the streets of the city surrounding the temple and climbed one of the pyramids, the ideas came to me for stories set in a similar locale. It was absolutely fascinating to be able to explore areas inhabited by a different people who had mysteriously disappeared.


The disappearance of so many people sparked the idea that maybe they had vanished due to the existence of a violent and nasty demon. A demon that may still be in existence, terrorizing the people living close to the pyramids.


That's where the action and adventure arise in AZTEC GOLD as the heroine travels to Mexico to find out what happened to her ex-lover and discovers that Rafael is not only alive, but claims that the members of his expedition were either killed or taken by a demon that lives in the nearby Aztec temple. I just loved showing how Cynthia and Rafe make their way into the temple and battle the demon. I also love writing the fight scenes and having readers sit on the edge of their seats as Cynthia and Rafe try to find a way to stop the demon and find their missing friends. But it's sometimes hard picturing in my head the movements of everyone in the fight scene. Sometimes I even act them out or even ask a friend to help me walk through the steps in the fight to make sure they're accurate.


I also take the time to make sure that the weapons and other items used in the stories are portrayed properly and fit the characters, especially the kick-butt women. I have several books at home on weapons and also do research on the Internet to make sure the details bring to life the items for readers. I also reach out to law enforcement friends to make sure I've got it right.


It's a lot of work sometimes, but I love it! I couldn't imagine not writing or creating stories for you guys to read. I hope you like the blend of all the different elements that I bring into the stories. If you want to see some behind the scenes photos, etc. for my various novels, you can visit my website at www.caridad.com.


Thanks, Amy for having me here and thanks to all of you for dropping by.
Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Special Guest Author: Paty Jager

I'm so pleased to have author Paty Jager here as my guest. She's a terrific writer and has a fascinating paranormal trilogy to talk about. So here she is!


Amy, Thank you for having me here today.


I'm excited to talk to you about a little bit of what I've learned while writing my paranormal historical trilogy, Spirit of the Mountain, Spirit of the Lake, and Spirit of the Sky. These books are about a trio of siblings the Creator made spirits to oversee the Lake Nimiipuu or the band of Nez Perce who lived in the NE corner of Oregon in the Wallowa country.



The second book of a trilogy has a pregnant heroine, which led me to devote hours reading books about the Nez Perce customs and social living aspects to learn all I could about pregnancy and child birth.



The Nez Perce women had specific jobs. They gathered roots, berries and herbs as well as the firewood. It was their job to keep the fire going all night during the winter months. They were the cooks, the ones who dried and stored the meat, fish, berries and roots. Tanned the hides, made the clothing, wove baskets and constructed the dwellings. They did everything needed to sustain a family other than hunt, prepare weapons, and fight. If need be, they could hunt for smaller animals, fight, and take care of weapons though it was not one of their jobs.



During battles women provided fresh horses, food, and water for the warriors, tended the wounded, warned others of danger, directed children and the old people where to hide and how to leave when their encampments were attacked. If a husband was shot they could pick up his gun and fight. They also cooked and gathered wood during attacks, keeping the children, old people, and warriors fed during the attacks and battles.



Pregnant women still did most of the chores right up until the moment they started labor. Some would have miscarriages from long periods of riding horses in the last months of pregnancy. Usually during campaigns of fighting.



If a woman was pregnant they believed their man would have bad luck hunting. She was also not allowed to see any part of a kill—blood, skinning. They feared her child would be born deformed. They also didn't touch, view, or ridicule any deformed animals or humans, fearing it would cause their child the same misfortune. They didn't tie knots or do things symbolic of obstructing the birth.



A wide strip of buckskin was tied around their bellies. This was believed to protect the child. After the birth, this strip was burned or buried, giving the child a healthy, strong body. They did everything to keep the baby safe. The Nez Perce wanted to build a large strong tribe.



When a woman started labor she was isolated in a small dwelling with either an older family member or a mid-wife. If there were complications the Ti-wet (medicine man) was called in. The dwelling had a hole dug in the middle of the structure. The blood and after birth were put in this hole and buried. The umbilical cord was kept in a small leather pouch attached to the cradleboard. It is believed to be bad luck to destroy such an intimate part of the baby.



The cradle board is made by a relative. The baby is transported and tended in the board until he is ready to walk. Children were breast fed for several years. This was one of their ways to contribute to birth control. Other ways were with herbs.



This information was incorporated into Spirit of the Lake the second book of the trilogy which will release in May.



Blurb for Spirit of the Mountain


Wren, the daughter of a Nimiipuu chief, has been fated to save her people ever since her vision quest. When a warrior from the enemy Blackleg tribe asks for her hand in marriage to bring peace between the tribes, her world is torn apart.



Himiin is the spirit of the mountain, custodian to all creatures including the Nimiipuu. As a white wolf he listens to Wren's secret fears and loses his heart to the mortal maiden. Respecting her people's beliefs, he cannot prevent her leaving the mountain with the Blackleg warrior.



When an evil spirit threatens Wren's life, Himiin must leave the mountain to save her. But to leave the mountain means he'll turn to smoke…



Excerpt


Wren's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "My gift is to save The People. The weyekin who came to me in my vision quest said this." She wrapped her arms around herself as if staving off a cold breeze.


Himiin hated that they argued when they should relish their time together. He moved to her, drawing her against his chest, embracing her. The shape of her body molded to his. Her curves pressed against him. Holding her this way flamed the need he'd tried to suppress.


He placed a hand under her chin, raising her face to his. The sorrow in her eyes tugged at his conscience. To make her leaving any harder was wrong. But having experienced her in his arms, he was grieved to let her go. Even for the sake of their people.


Her eyelids fluttered closed. Her pulse quickened under his fingers. Shrugging off the consequences, he lowered his lips to hers. They were softer than he imagined. Her breath hitched as he touched her intimately. Parting his lips, he touched her with his tongue, wanting to see if she tasted as sweet as she smelled.


Honey.


She tasted of sweet honey straight from the bosom of a bee tree.


One taste was not enough. He pulled her closer, moving his lips across hers, tasting and savoring the feel of them.


Her mouth opened and she sighed.


His body came to life. The sensations transcended anything he'd experienced before. How could one woman make him feel powerful and vulnerable at the same time? Why did he wish to crush her to him and never let go and yet feel compelled to treat her with the tenderness


one would give the tiniest of creatures? He couldn't continue this way.


To hold her, to touch her soft skin. He would never be able to let her go.


He must.




Buy link: http://thewildrosepress.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=89_126&products_id=4170

Website: http://www.patyjager.net/
Blog: http://www.patyjager.blogspot.com/

Sources: Nez Perce Women in Transition, 1877-1990- Caroline James; NeeMePoo – Allen P. Slickpoo Sr. and Deward E. Walker Jr.
* * * *

Thank you so much, Paty!





Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Make Me Buy Your Book: Ghost Stories

Make Me Buy Your Book!



This is an opportunity for me to find the kinds of e-books that I love to read, but which can be hard to find sometimes. And it's an opportunity for published authors to share information about their books and find new readers. Win-Win.


On the 20th of each month, I'm going to post a blog detailing the specifics of a genre or type of book I'd love to know about (and hopefully buy).


This month, I'm looking for Ghost stories! Some might call these horror or perhaps mysteries with a paranormal element. Either of those descriptions works. But I'm looking for the atmospheric, delicate horror of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Barbara Michaels's Ammie Come Home. Or Stephen King's Dumas Key (which is excellent, by the way). I want stories where ghosts are something to be feared, not the object of love and desire.


Creepy. Understated. Moody. Gothic. If any of those adjectives describes your book, let me know about it! I also have a morbid and fairly wicked sense of humor, so black humor or even just sarcastic wit is also very much appreciated. Actually, I'm pretty much a sucker for any kind of humor.


I'm not interested in gore-fests, sexually explicit, or erotica material. I'm sorry, but them's the rules.


How it Works


Here's how this works—you can post a comment, up to 250 words long, containing a blurb about your book.


Please be sure to include a link to your website or other location that has additional information and buy links.


And again, please make the blurb something suitable for general audiences.


Now go forth and make me…buy your book!


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

School of Hard Knocks: Pick a Genre

Know what you want to write



Today I'm starting a new series of articles on writing. You could call it the Blog of Hard Knocks, if you'd like. And while you may sigh and wonder why there is yet another blog with information about becoming an author (geared toward writing fiction) I can only say that I've learned a few things over the years that I haven't seen talked about much. And these things were helpful to me. Eventually.


Of course, the pearls I'm going to throw out there are really nothing new. They are things other writers told me. But these bits of advice were more like a pebble in my shoe than pearls I immediately picked up and treasured. I listened and was aware of these pebbles of knowledge, but I didn't really understand until my foot was bleeding copiously.


Maybe other newbie writers (or even established writers) and those curious about the writing process will pay more attention to these pebbles earlier instead of having to sit down and pour the blood out of their shoe because they just "didn't feel it enough" to act sooner.


So here goes.


First Pearl of Writer Wisdom


Know what the heck you're going to write.


Sounds simple enough. But it's more complicated than it sounds. The biggest mistake a lot of folks make when they sit down to stare at a blank screen for the first time is they have only the vaguest idea of what they want to write. We're talking genre. You might think, "Oh, I'm writing a romance—with bits of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Paranormal, Mystery, and Crime/Thriller thrown in. And it might be young adult. I'm not sure yet."


Right there, you have a problem—if you actually intend to try to have your book published. Even if you want to self-publish through CreateSpace/Kindle or one of the other burgeoning eBook publishing channels. Because…your book has to be marketable. People have to understand what it is before they will buy it.


Even more important, if you can't clearly state the essence of your book, clearly and cleanly, you'll probably write such a confusing mish-mash that even you will have a hard time reading and understanding it.


Think: Clarity .


Pick a genre. Each genre has very specific rules and if you want to be a successful author, you need to be aware of those rules. Study them. For your first manuscript, make it as typical of your chosen genre as possible—it will help you write a quality book.


Here's an example.


So…let's say you sat down and you wrote a book about a young guy who has magical powers. And he goes to a school for wizards and makes friends. And discovers he has enemies. Stuff happens. Whatever.


Then everyone dies.


Now, clearly, if you're writing a fantasy book for young adults, having all your characters die horribly and gruesomely at the end is probably not the way to go. It violates one of the basic rules of the YA Fantasy genre—at least one character must survive until the end. Even better, there's a happy ending (more than one person lives and he/she is happy about it).


Of course, if you're writing bad horror, then killing everyone off at the end is an option although I do classify that as bad horror. Even Stephen King allows at least one character to survive—which is what makes his stuff good horror and very saleable. And shows that even the horror genre has rules…but I digress.


But you do see what I mean, right? Every genre has things it will allow and won't allow, and the more familiar you are with the various genre frameworks, the better armed you will be to write a manuscript that will be saleable. And after publishing—it will be marketable. You'll be able to define who your audience is, and identify which general fiction category it falls under so readers can find your book, and you can target your promotional efforts to folks who may actually buy your book. It's no use writing a young adult book about a young girls adventures in her flower garden and then pitching it to a bunch of 18-year old guys, unless you just like to see young guys laughing.


I know this is probably disappointing to some authors who are dying to write a Mystery-Time Travel-Sci Fi-Paranormal-Regency-Romance-Crime Thriller, but the reality is, you're better off focusing on a more well-defined framework and genre. You'll thank me later when you actually have to sell the beast you've written.


That's it—now go forth and write that book!


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Bogus News from the Future

My previous blog predicting the course of the publishing industry over the next few years was so successful that I'm adding future predictions to my repertoire of blog topics. In fact, here is my next installment and the first of my Mostly Bogus news from the world of electronics and publishing.



The latest Mostly Bogus News from the Disinformation News Network…


Dateline: Jan 11, 2021


HIC Apps


Google and Amazon announced today two new apps for the increasingly popular human identity chips (HIC). As most of our readers know, HIC were invented ten years ago and last year were included in an Identity Assurance law that legislates such chips will be embedded in the forearm of babies shortly after birth, to assist in locating lost or missing children. While such chips have previously been passive devices, the newest generation uses the minute electrical impulses generated by the surrounding muscle tissue to make the chips active. This has allowed small apps to run, including the latest two from industry giants Google and Amazon.

The Google HIC-app, known as G-Loc, will allow parents to view the location of their children on Google maps. This is expected to be a boon for both parents and law enforcement personnel in locating children who may have wandered off or become lost or even kidnapped. However, civil rights activists have already raised alarms about this service, pointing out that the same apps could be used by spouses to track the location of their errant significant others, not to mention the effect this technology may have on the ability of students to evoke their right to play truant. It remains to be seen what limitations lawmakers may set on this new breakthrough technology.


Amazon also announced today that their HIC-app, dubbed KHIC, will allow readers to download e-books to their HIC. These books can then be read via any available display using a Bluetooth technology, including the increasingly popular, new wave reading glasses and contact lenses. This technology frees the reader from carrying any type of e-reader as content is delivered on demand to the HIC and from there can be displayed on any nearby display device.

For those readers who prefer audio books, KHIC will stream the audio version of the book directly to any Bluetooth-equipped hearing aid or headsets. It is reported to work very well with auditory implants surgically implanted to correct deafness, although there are rumors that listening to too many audio books in one sitting may lead to distraction, impatience, and a general inability to listen when other people are talking.


However, since most conversations take place via tweets and instant messaging, this is not seen as a real issue for audiophiles, most of whom scoffed at the notion that their social skills might suffer if they preferred to listen to the voices in their head over those of their significant others. One audiophile was quoted as saying, "What? Wait a minute, this is the really good part..."


Late Breaking Update


Jan 12, 2012 - A wife took an axe to her husband today after discovering him in flagrante delecto with a pair of co-eds claiming to be from the University of Boston. The wife, identified as I. M. Cummins, was a member of the Boston police department and had purportedly been working on a case involving a pair of missing teenaged girls. She was issued a search warrant based upon geographic information obtained through Google's newest G-Loc app and tracked the girls to room 313 in the local Ho-Down hotel and convention center. Detective Cummins discovered the girls doing unspeakable things to her husband who was inconveniently handcuffed to the bed at the time. His bonds prevented his expeditious escape, allowing his wife time to find the hotel's fire axe and use it to free her husband from his restraints by relieving him of most of his limbs and head.


The girls returned unharmed and in excellent spirits to their parents.


The hotel maids, however, subsequently filed a complaint concerning their unsavory working conditions due to the occasional unpleasant surprise found in and around the bed in room 313.


More Related News


After a group of innovative students used KHIC to download and view the answers to their final exam in Moral Philosophy at Yale, Amazon is considering the addition of a Professor-Control add-on to KHIC. The add-on will allow teachers and other officials to shut down any KHIC running within 50 yards of their KHIC. Civil Rights groups are monitoring this to ensure it's not used to prevent readers from accessing and enjoying e-books whenever and wherever they wish, including books previously listed as banned or just plain stupid (JPS).


While the three students involved were expelled from Yale, MIT offered them a scholarship to work on a project involving the development of additional HIC-apps for the Department of Defense. Details concerning such a project, or even confirmation that such a project exists, were unavailable at this time.


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities

Predictions for Publishing

Publishing—What the heck is going on?



Everyone has their own opinion about the publishing industry and where it's headed. Heck, read J. A. Konrath's blog http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/ for a fascinating look at book publishing and the growth of e-publishing. Is traditional, NY-based, Big House publishing in trouble? Morphing into something else?


Who knows?


It's all speculation. Me? I just thought it might be fun at the start of 2011 to take a look at publishing. Perhaps it's just all that Science Fiction I read in my younger years that's compelling me to do this. Perhaps my family is right and it's deep-seated, intensely morbid insanity.


What-ever.


Some of these predictions are my own wish-list. Some are just fun. Some are fun, but also on my wish-list. I leave it to you to decide what might be real and what is just demonic possession.


Projections for the Publishing Industry


2011


Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the big 6 NY Publishers became the big 3. Several medium-sized publishers merge to become one of the 3 new, big 3 NY publishers.


Sales of e-books continued to skyrocket with reports from Amazon that they now sell three e-books for every paper/hardcover book sold. After this announcement, a Barnes and Noble spokesperson is reported as saying, "Hey, so are we! Wait—no! We're selling FOUR times as many e-book as paperbacks! Especially since we've closed 40% of our stores in less productive markets this year. No—wait. Don't report that last part. Just say we're selling four times as many e-books as paperbacks. Wait! Can I get a do-over on this interview?"


A standard format for e-books is under discussion to allow readers to more easily move their virtual libraries from one type of e-book reader to another. E-book virtual libraries are under discussion by leading technologists so readers can keep their stash of books "in the cloud" and permanently available regardless of the devices used for reading/storing the books.


In a surprise move, the Federal Government takes over management of the public library system in the U.S. due to issues with funding and the rate of closures. Feds claim they will examine hosting virtual libraries for readers, too, as part of the public library system and as a way to fund the remaining physical libraries.


2012


Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the big 3 NY Publishers became the Big One.


Universities and Colleges now require students to have an e-book reader and all text books used are e-books downloaded from Google.


Harvard accidentally grants an author a PHD in English Literature and a tenured professorship when the author is listed on the Times Bestsellers list before they realize the author is self-published. One of Harvard's non-tenured professors hangs himself in his office in response. Nobody finds the body for three months, leading to the accidental identification of the mummified remains as a medieval scholar who went missing from Cambridge and was widely believed to be brought to the New World as a curiosity to trade to the Native Americans for beaver pelts during the 17th century. The mistake isn't discovered until his suicide note is found, inexplicably left in an antique typewriter in his office.


A standard format for e-books is adopted. Readers are unsure, however, if they wish to pay the exorbitant fees to have the Feds maintain their virtual library for them in the public library cloud.


In December, in another surprise move after what is dubbed "The Fed Cloud Debacle", Starbucks strikes a deal with the Federal Government and takes over management of the public library system, incorporating them into their café system. The heavily caffeinated reading public starts consuming books at a faster rate, pumping some much needed energy into the print publishing industry.


2013


The Big One publisher initiates a new program to find authors by trolling e-book sites. After an outcry from prolific and very articulate writers, software vendors include the Big One in their SPAM filtering to cut down on the number of annoying e-mails writers receive, begging for authors to submit their work.


Three agents kill themselves when the last of their authors send them the now traditional "Bite Me" e-mails informing them they are now self-publishing, thank you, and raking in five times as much money as they earned as traditional authors.


Writer organizations such as Mystery Writers, Science Fiction Writers, and Romance Writers of America, open their doors to the self-published authors. They have so much money they don't know what to do with it, so they start buying management of literacy programs from the Feds, who are glad to get the money, even if they have to shut down and RIF 50% of the Department of Education.


After the Feds put pressure on them, Starbucks Café and Library system opens up a soup kitchen extension that offers "Soup and a Book" to support the homeless who want to read. After three months, one heavily caffeinated customer spills soup all over his e-book reader due to the "Starbucks Shakes" and he's electrocuted and dies. The soup kitchens are closed.


2014


Agents are forced to register in a central system so software vendors can include agents in their SPAM filtering to cut down on the number of annoying e-mails writers receive, begging for authors to submit their work. Impetus is added to this when agents bog down Internet traffic with their desperate, whiny e-mails begging authors to choose me!


Five well-known writers who clung to traditional publishing leap off the Empire State building holding hands as a final protest when the NY Times Bestsellers list is dominated by self-published writers writing the enormously popular Science Fiction Romance series: Werewolves are from Mars, Vampires are from Venus . The news article announcing this tragedy misspells all but one of the author's names and has to issue a retraction which no one reads. However, one lone blogger in Detroit sees the retraction and mistakenly believes all the authors—except one—survived. This leads to a revolutionary phenomenon in e-books purported to be from the four remaining authors about werewolves and vampires who fall in love during long space voyages. These e-books are widely believed to be written by the authors' ghosts. The e-books outsell all of the authors' previous works, combined.


Ghosthunters, International does a show where they prove the four authors' ghosts are writing from a castle in Scotland, using the ENIAC computer abandoned there in 1949, and a 300-BAUD modem to access an obscure bulletin board system with a connection to the Internet running in the pantry of one of Elton John's mansions in England.
 News agencies begin to predict the end of e-books because of general illiteracy and the fact that anyone who can complete a manuscript can be a published author. Obviously, only the illiterate can write a book nowadays given the current hostile publishing climate. And who has time for reading when everyone spends all their time on blogging, tweeting, social networking, and e-mailing?


So there you have it. A look at the next four years in publishing.


Fiction Writing and Other Oddities