Allie Boniface's Blog, page 51
October 28, 2011
Friday Fun Facts
Fun (?) Fact #1: It snowed here last night. Yes, really. Sigh...and it's only October. Wonder how long THIS winter is going to be?
Fun Fact #2: Hubby and I are going to be spending spring break at a race track in Salt Lake City, where he will get to drive a very fast car at very fast speeds and I will get to...watch. Hey, I'm thinking it will be good book material, right?
Fun Fact #3: I'm now more than halfway through my revision of Beacon of Love and seeing, maybe, a glimmer of the light at the end. Incidentally, I'll be looking for a couple of beta readers for the story when I'm through. If you're at all interested, shoot me an email at allieb@allieboniface.com and let me know.
Have a great weekend, and happy writing!
Fun Fact #2: Hubby and I are going to be spending spring break at a race track in Salt Lake City, where he will get to drive a very fast car at very fast speeds and I will get to...watch. Hey, I'm thinking it will be good book material, right?
Fun Fact #3: I'm now more than halfway through my revision of Beacon of Love and seeing, maybe, a glimmer of the light at the end. Incidentally, I'll be looking for a couple of beta readers for the story when I'm through. If you're at all interested, shoot me an email at allieb@allieboniface.com and let me know.
Have a great weekend, and happy writing!
October 26, 2011
Writers' Wednesday: It's a Guy Thing
I'm in the middle of revising my latest WIP, Beacon of Love, and I'm finding it interesting that my hero, Lucas, has really become the central character at this point in the novel. Don't get me wrong, the heroine, Sophie, is holding her own, but Lucas has somehow developed this complex backstory that (for me anyway) is enriching him as a character. I hope this doesn't turn off some readers; I know that usually in a romance the heroine is the one with the central conflict and journey. But this time, it seems as though it's going to be the guy.
Here's an excerpt from the chapter I revised last night, and even though it's told from Sophie's POV, it's still more about Lucas than about her:
*********************
"Hi there."
She stopped in her tracks, halfway between the kitchen and the parlor. "Damn, Walker. Looking good." The combination of dark blue button-down shirt and faded jeans suited him well.
He colored. "You ready?"
She nodded. He reached for her hand, and her fingers tingled as he tucked it into the crook of his elbow. Scratch that. Her whole damn arm – okay, the entire right side of her body, spreading fast to the left and all parts south and lonely – tingled. Could we maybe skip dinner and go right to dessert? she wanted to ask. Instead she just breathed in his cologne and led him lead her down the front steps.
"Hey, no hat!" she realized as they walked to his truck. To be fair, she'd only looked up a few seconds earlier. The parts of him on her level – broad back, wide shoulders, ass that filled out his jeans in just the right way – were more than tempting. But the rest of him up top was pretty nice too.
"No hat," he admitted.
"I like it. I can see your face."
He grinned but didn't say anything, just helped her into the cab of his truck and closed the door behind her.
"So what's the name of this place again?" she asked as they headed for the highway. He adjusted the radio to a jazz station.
"The Cove." At the cross out by the city limits – for Barbie Collins, Sophie remembered after a minute – Lucas slowed. For a minute she thought he was going to stop, maybe say something or get out and pay respects. But he didn't even glance at the cross, and then she wondered if the slowing was almost subconscious, a reflex that happened every time he went near one of the memorials without even realizing it.
How do you measure grief? Watching Lucas, Finn, the Walkers, even Shannon O'Brien, the answers were beginning to come to her: in little pieces, minute actions, the slightest change in the everyday ways people adjusted their lives after a loss.
****************
What do you think? Do you have a certain expectation when you read a romance novel that the heroine is going to be the focus? Do you want her story to be the focus? And, would you care if the hero had at least as central a role as the heroine?
Here's an excerpt from the chapter I revised last night, and even though it's told from Sophie's POV, it's still more about Lucas than about her:
*********************
"Hi there."
She stopped in her tracks, halfway between the kitchen and the parlor. "Damn, Walker. Looking good." The combination of dark blue button-down shirt and faded jeans suited him well.
He colored. "You ready?"
She nodded. He reached for her hand, and her fingers tingled as he tucked it into the crook of his elbow. Scratch that. Her whole damn arm – okay, the entire right side of her body, spreading fast to the left and all parts south and lonely – tingled. Could we maybe skip dinner and go right to dessert? she wanted to ask. Instead she just breathed in his cologne and led him lead her down the front steps.
"Hey, no hat!" she realized as they walked to his truck. To be fair, she'd only looked up a few seconds earlier. The parts of him on her level – broad back, wide shoulders, ass that filled out his jeans in just the right way – were more than tempting. But the rest of him up top was pretty nice too.
"No hat," he admitted.
"I like it. I can see your face."
He grinned but didn't say anything, just helped her into the cab of his truck and closed the door behind her.
"So what's the name of this place again?" she asked as they headed for the highway. He adjusted the radio to a jazz station.
"The Cove." At the cross out by the city limits – for Barbie Collins, Sophie remembered after a minute – Lucas slowed. For a minute she thought he was going to stop, maybe say something or get out and pay respects. But he didn't even glance at the cross, and then she wondered if the slowing was almost subconscious, a reflex that happened every time he went near one of the memorials without even realizing it.
How do you measure grief? Watching Lucas, Finn, the Walkers, even Shannon O'Brien, the answers were beginning to come to her: in little pieces, minute actions, the slightest change in the everyday ways people adjusted their lives after a loss.
****************
What do you think? Do you have a certain expectation when you read a romance novel that the heroine is going to be the focus? Do you want her story to be the focus? And, would you care if the hero had at least as central a role as the heroine?
October 24, 2011
Monday Mentionables: Don't Forget About Audio Books
Opened my email to a pleasant surprise this week: my royalty statement from AudioLark, where 2 of my books are available as audio books. I released them in that format over a year ago, more interested in the process than thinking that the additional format would bump my royalties. And for the most part, the payback has been very, very small.
However, most of AudioLark's titles are now available on Audible, the biggest audio book website out there, and what a surprise to find that my sales of One Night in Memphis saw a terrific boost over the last quarter! In fact, it was a nice reminder to me not to forget that I should be marketing those books as well (hint hint...the holidays are coming). I clicked on over to my page at Audible and found a listener rating of 3/5 - not great, but I was more pleased by the fact that the average was based on 22 ratings. Not too shabby!
So...if you're a reader/listener, consider purchasing an audio book or two, either for yourself or for a friend. Remember they're great for riding in the car, listening to while you're doing housework, etc. And if you're a writer, consider putting your work into audio book format (provided you have the audio rights, if you're previously published). You never know how many additional fans you might get!
However, most of AudioLark's titles are now available on Audible, the biggest audio book website out there, and what a surprise to find that my sales of One Night in Memphis saw a terrific boost over the last quarter! In fact, it was a nice reminder to me not to forget that I should be marketing those books as well (hint hint...the holidays are coming). I clicked on over to my page at Audible and found a listener rating of 3/5 - not great, but I was more pleased by the fact that the average was based on 22 ratings. Not too shabby!
So...if you're a reader/listener, consider purchasing an audio book or two, either for yourself or for a friend. Remember they're great for riding in the car, listening to while you're doing housework, etc. And if you're a writer, consider putting your work into audio book format (provided you have the audio rights, if you're previously published). You never know how many additional fans you might get!
October 21, 2011
Friday Fun Facts: Words and More Words...
Funny story for the week:
One of my students wrote a recent essay about the causes of the rise in teenage pregnancy. A primary cause she cited was sex education programs in schools, especially those that only teach absence. Uh huh. Absence. At first I wanted to correct her spelling - then I realized I really couldn't. Then I wanted to correct her word usage. Then I thought that maybe, just maybe, she was onto something. Maybe "absence" is actually a better form of birth control to teach than "abstinence." I mean, if you aren't even there, you can't commit the act, right?
Gotta love when people mix up words :) Maybe not in the books we read, but in student writing? Yes, it makes me smile.
(A close post-script to this essay was the one that also cited school sex ed programs for the rise in teen pregnancies, though this one said that students were more at fault, specifically those students who don't care, don't pay attention, and thus don't really know how to use a condom and just "slap it on." Uh huh. Really, I don't make these things up.)
Have a wonderful weekend!
One of my students wrote a recent essay about the causes of the rise in teenage pregnancy. A primary cause she cited was sex education programs in schools, especially those that only teach absence. Uh huh. Absence. At first I wanted to correct her spelling - then I realized I really couldn't. Then I wanted to correct her word usage. Then I thought that maybe, just maybe, she was onto something. Maybe "absence" is actually a better form of birth control to teach than "abstinence." I mean, if you aren't even there, you can't commit the act, right?
Gotta love when people mix up words :) Maybe not in the books we read, but in student writing? Yes, it makes me smile.
(A close post-script to this essay was the one that also cited school sex ed programs for the rise in teen pregnancies, though this one said that students were more at fault, specifically those students who don't care, don't pay attention, and thus don't really know how to use a condom and just "slap it on." Uh huh. Really, I don't make these things up.)
Have a wonderful weekend!
October 19, 2011
Writers' Wednesday: Blogging at Samhain Publishing
Hi everyone! Today I'm blogging over at Samhain Publishing, about why I'll never quit my day job (yes, even once I get that million-dollar advance...). Please join me there!
October 17, 2011
Monday Mentionables: Finding Time
Just finished reading a great article in the October 2011 Romance Writers Report that talked about finding time to write (because we can all find time to put it off, right?!). One of the things I realized after a hectic start to the school year, and then taking a few days off to visit Iceland, was that even a week or two away from my WIP makes it that much harder to get back into the swing of things. I forget where the plotline is, I forget the subtleties of my character development, I have to spend time reading backwards instead of time moving forward.
So....write! Every day! Yes, every day, even if it's only for a few minutes. Some tips from the RWR article, which I whole-heartedly agree with:
~Find "hidden pockets" of time. You don't need a stretch of a few hours to accomplish something on your WIP. Believe me, you don't. Even if it's only 10 minutes, 30 minutes, whatever, there are still pockets of time in your day you can take advantage of. Figure out your best "natural" time to write (are you a morning person? or do you function better late at night?) and then carve out time when you don't have to be devoted to 5 other things then, and use that time to write.
~Focus/minimize other distractions. This means (as I tell my students in English class) don't have your Internet browser open, turn off your email notifications, turn your phone to silent. You'll be amazed at how those simple things can give you more time and attention to your WRITING.
~Just write. This is the age-old "Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard" mantra. Don't worry whether it's any good. Don't edit and re-edit as you go along. Just write. When you go back the next day, you'll find that it isn't nearly as "awful" as you might have originally imagined. Better yet, you'll have something to work with - and something is always better than a blank page of nothing.
~Turn waiting time into writing time. If you know you'll be sitting in a waiting room, or standing in line somewhere for a while, see if you can use that precious time to your advantage. Even if you can't type, can you use pen and paper to jot down thoughts for a next scene? Or a new project? Creative juices can flow anywhere, if you let them :)
~Schedule time drains. Are you a Facebook or Twitter junkie? Find it impossible to stay away from the latest season of "Dancing with the Stars"? Figure out which of those activities you must have in your life, and then schedule around them. Again, as I tell my students in English class, you don't need to spend 30 minutes at a time updating your Facebook status or commenting on your friends' 67 pictures from their trip to Disney. Give yourself 10 minutes and move on. Do you really, really, need to get sucked into watching a brand new sitcom (I know, there are a few tempting ones on TV this fall)? Or would that half-hour at the end of the day be better served to writing a page or two?
~Keep track of, and celebrate, your successes. It's hard work to write a novel! (or a novella or even a short story) Lots of people talk about doing it - far fewer succeed. So definitely give yourself credit for the milestones you reach. Your first draft of a 20K-word story?Awesome! The mid-way point of your first full-length novel? Awesome again. Finally getting through that first kiss scene and liking the way it turns out? Hooray!
Yes, writing is tough work. But you can do it - and I hope some of these tips inspired you the way they inspired me. Now I'm off to write~
So....write! Every day! Yes, every day, even if it's only for a few minutes. Some tips from the RWR article, which I whole-heartedly agree with:
~Find "hidden pockets" of time. You don't need a stretch of a few hours to accomplish something on your WIP. Believe me, you don't. Even if it's only 10 minutes, 30 minutes, whatever, there are still pockets of time in your day you can take advantage of. Figure out your best "natural" time to write (are you a morning person? or do you function better late at night?) and then carve out time when you don't have to be devoted to 5 other things then, and use that time to write.
~Focus/minimize other distractions. This means (as I tell my students in English class) don't have your Internet browser open, turn off your email notifications, turn your phone to silent. You'll be amazed at how those simple things can give you more time and attention to your WRITING.
~Just write. This is the age-old "Butt in Chair, Hands on Keyboard" mantra. Don't worry whether it's any good. Don't edit and re-edit as you go along. Just write. When you go back the next day, you'll find that it isn't nearly as "awful" as you might have originally imagined. Better yet, you'll have something to work with - and something is always better than a blank page of nothing.
~Turn waiting time into writing time. If you know you'll be sitting in a waiting room, or standing in line somewhere for a while, see if you can use that precious time to your advantage. Even if you can't type, can you use pen and paper to jot down thoughts for a next scene? Or a new project? Creative juices can flow anywhere, if you let them :)
~Schedule time drains. Are you a Facebook or Twitter junkie? Find it impossible to stay away from the latest season of "Dancing with the Stars"? Figure out which of those activities you must have in your life, and then schedule around them. Again, as I tell my students in English class, you don't need to spend 30 minutes at a time updating your Facebook status or commenting on your friends' 67 pictures from their trip to Disney. Give yourself 10 minutes and move on. Do you really, really, need to get sucked into watching a brand new sitcom (I know, there are a few tempting ones on TV this fall)? Or would that half-hour at the end of the day be better served to writing a page or two?
~Keep track of, and celebrate, your successes. It's hard work to write a novel! (or a novella or even a short story) Lots of people talk about doing it - far fewer succeed. So definitely give yourself credit for the milestones you reach. Your first draft of a 20K-word story?Awesome! The mid-way point of your first full-length novel? Awesome again. Finally getting through that first kiss scene and liking the way it turns out? Hooray!
Yes, writing is tough work. But you can do it - and I hope some of these tips inspired you the way they inspired me. Now I'm off to write~
October 12, 2011
Writers' Wednesday: The Debut of Liz Matis & Love by Design
Exciting news!!! My very good friend and fellow writer Liz Matis has announced the indie publication of her debut novel, Love by Design! And check out the yummy cover...isn't it to die for?
The hot prime time TV show, Design Intervention, starts the second season with its own surprise makeover. Interior designer Victoria Bryce must break in her temporary co-host, Aussie Russ Rowland.
Victoria, former socialite wild child hopes the reality show will give her the clout to launch her own design line without her family connections. Russ, former bad boy Australian TV star is using the show to launch his acting career in the States.
Sparks fly on camera as they argue over paint colors and measurement mishaps leading to passions igniting behind the scenes. But when their pasts collide with the present will the foundation they built withstand the final reveal?
You can find it on Amazon right here, for the very low price of just $2.99. So support a newly published author, and raise your glass to cheer her accomplishments!
Congrats Liz!!
October 10, 2011
Monday Mentionables: A Contest Worth Entering
Calling all writers! The Hudson Valley RWA's Hook Line adn Sinker Contest is going on right now and is a terrific way to get feedback on the opening pages of your story for a minimal entry fee. Official info:
Hone your skills in hooking an editor or agent by entering Hudson Valley RWA's Hook, Line & Sinker Contest. Three HVRWA members, at least one published, will critique the first three pages of your manuscript. The five entries with the highest scores will be ranked by Harlequin editor BRENDA CHIN! Entries must be received by November 1. Only $10 to enter. Click here to find out more.
And if you're not sure whether it's worth it to send just your first 3 pages, chapter member and multi-published author Shoshanna Evers blogs about the value of hooking a reader here.
Happy Writing!
Hone your skills in hooking an editor or agent by entering Hudson Valley RWA's Hook, Line & Sinker Contest. Three HVRWA members, at least one published, will critique the first three pages of your manuscript. The five entries with the highest scores will be ranked by Harlequin editor BRENDA CHIN! Entries must be received by November 1. Only $10 to enter. Click here to find out more.
And if you're not sure whether it's worth it to send just your first 3 pages, chapter member and multi-published author Shoshanna Evers blogs about the value of hooking a reader here.
Happy Writing!
October 7, 2011
Friday Fun Facts: A Fun Vacation in an Unexpected Place
OK, so last weekend I was in Iceland with my mom, celebrating an early birthday for her! I know what you're thinking: Iceland? Really?
Yes, really. It's only about a 5-hour flight from New York, and we got a great deal on TravelZoo (I recommend subscribing to their "Top 20" email list which comes out every Wednesday with the best travel deals around the world, of all kinds). Anyway, we decided to give it a try. What a great trip! Iceland is beautiful, it's charming, it's small and laidback and easy to get around. They have geysers and glaciers and waterfalls, all within about an hour's drive of each. We even tried out a steam bath (outdoors, of course!) in the middle of a gray, rainy day! And if you want a little European culture, the capital, Reykjavik, can be walked in ab out 15 minutes. We just loved it.
So yes, I recommend going there if you ever have the chance. One caution: save up your $$! This place is super-expensive, especially its food and drink. But well worth it!
Yes, really. It's only about a 5-hour flight from New York, and we got a great deal on TravelZoo (I recommend subscribing to their "Top 20" email list which comes out every Wednesday with the best travel deals around the world, of all kinds). Anyway, we decided to give it a try. What a great trip! Iceland is beautiful, it's charming, it's small and laidback and easy to get around. They have geysers and glaciers and waterfalls, all within about an hour's drive of each. We even tried out a steam bath (outdoors, of course!) in the middle of a gray, rainy day! And if you want a little European culture, the capital, Reykjavik, can be walked in ab out 15 minutes. We just loved it.
So yes, I recommend going there if you ever have the chance. One caution: save up your $$! This place is super-expensive, especially its food and drink. But well worth it!
October 5, 2011
Writers' Wednesday: The 50/50 Project
Hi everyone! Just a quick one today, since it's a busy, busy week for me:
Reminder that the WRITERS WHO CARE 50/50 project is now up and running! For a $50.00 donation, you can receive a critique of 50 manuscript pages from a published author...AND contribute to a wonderful cause, raising funds to aid Somali refugees. Here's the official link.
Happy Wednesday!
Reminder that the WRITERS WHO CARE 50/50 project is now up and running! For a $50.00 donation, you can receive a critique of 50 manuscript pages from a published author...AND contribute to a wonderful cause, raising funds to aid Somali refugees. Here's the official link.
Happy Wednesday!
