Michelle Garren Flye's Blog, page 92

A Rose is a Rose?: Lori Green

Welcome Lori Green, author of contemporary romance SUGAR B's BACK IN TOWN, available from Lyrical Press at 30% off during the Christmas Bash!

BREATHE: Do you feel your character names are influenced by the theme of your story? Why or why not?

LORI: In Sugar B's Back in Town, the story existed because the name Sugar B. Johnson popped in my mind and wouldn't leave. I played with a lot of ideas but then one day she was there: an adult movie actress returning home to a small Southern town and falling in love.

BREATHE: If you wrote in another genre, would it affect the names you picked for your characters? Why do you think this is?

LORI: I'm completely inspired either by a character name or a title. If I don't have one of those two firmly entrenched in my mind then I can't write.

In fact, I had a title come to mind: Captain Caboodle's Oodles of Noodles and it completely said space opera to me. Now I need to make the rest of it as clear.

BREATHE: What is your favorite character name—either your own or somebody else's? Why do you like this name?

LORI: My favorite character name was Lucy. She was in the first completed novel I wrote and she just delighted me. I've wanted to use the name again but every time I try… well, I can't.

BREATHE: Do you feel a character's name affects the way you write him or her?

LORI: I use a lot of friends' and family's names when I write. It allows me to assign certain characteristics to the character that frees me as a writer to use and evolve.

In Sugar, the mean girl's name is Hamdi and that was taken from a beautiful woman I know with a beautiful soul and gentle demeanor. I told her I was going to make her the bad girl since she's such a good girl in real life.

BREATHE: Are there any names you absolutely will not use for a character?

LORI: I won't use my parents' or siblings' names. I don't have a reason why, I just can't.

"There's a Chinese restaurant in Jones that ain't bad. Maybe we could go there some Sunday?"

Like a date. The words hung in the air in front of me and I felt like I could examine them from any angle and they'd still be there, looking just the same. A date. A man and a woman who like each other going out as a couple and sharing a meal. Or maybe a man inviting a woman to a small apartment and making her a meal.

"I've never had a man make me dinner before."

"They too busy buying you diamond rings?"

I knew he was teasing but there was something inside me that felt stuck. "Jerusalem, there's some things–"

"You got a past, Sugar." He laid a hand on top of mine and I saw softness in his expression that made me quiet, deep inside. "I don't know everything about you but I know you got a mouth on you when you're cussing out chickens and a crazy side that likes a bowl full of fish eyeballs. That's all I care about."

"I think I might be pretty broken." It was the greatest truth I could share with him.

"I don't know anyone that ain't," he answered, "and quite a few that just don't care anyway."

http://twooldfartstalkingromance.blogspot.com/

Winter Solstice E-reader Giveaway Continues…

A quick note to remind you to leave a comment to let me know which e-reader you'd like to win. So far it's between the Nook and the Kindle. I'll draw a name from the hat on December 22, so enter before then.

Also, a reminder that author Lori Green will join me tomorrow for the continuation of A Rose is a Rose?…

Not taking many breathing moments these days, although I did take one the other day to watch the full moon reflecting on the creek. Lovely.

A Rose is a Rose?: L.K. Below

Today I am thrilled to be joined by fellow Lyrical Press author L.K. Below, author of urban fantasy novella STALKING SHADE, as my quest for the perfect character naming process continues.

BREATHE: Do you feel your character names are influenced by the theme of your story? Why or why not?

LK: My character names are often influenced by the theme of my story. In Stalking Shade, I spent a lot of time choosing Lori's name. I wanted something simple but that fit her prickly goth exterior. Something like "Scissors" such as one of her friends, just didn't fit. I wanted something accessible, that her parents might have named her, but at the same time something curt. "Lori" was just close enough to my given name of "Lindsay" that it was on my list of names that I wanted to use. Not to mention it fit Lori's character completely.

The love interest, Terrence, I chose by chance. When I first started writing the book, I didn't think he would play as big of a role as he ended up playing. So when I stuck him in the novel to annoy Lori, I didn't take nearly as much time in choosing his name. But it stuck… and so did he.

The names which perhaps held the most meaning were the code names of those in The Order. For instance, Lori's code name is Shade. It reflects her gothic nature, the mystery of the book, and plays a heavy role in the titles I chose for the trilogy. (Book 1: Stalking Shade, book 2: Out of the Shadows, coming April 2012, book 3: This Blackened Night, coming soon).

BREATHE: If you wrote in another genre, would it affect the names you picked for your characters? Why do you think this is?

LK: I do write in other genres, so I say absolutely. My choice of name depends on the character's nationality or species, the time period during which they were born, and many other factors. For instance, in an Irish-themed contemporary romance, I chose Seamus as the name for my hero and because my heroine is from an Irish-settled part of New York City, I named her Kelsey. The names I choose have to fit my characters. I give them identities based on the names I choose.

BREATHE: What is your favorite character name—either your own or somebody else's? Why do you like this name?

LK: My favorite character name happens to be the name of one of my first characters. Even though I'm still working on revising that particular book, I love the way the name rolls off the tongue. The Russian-flavored fantasy novel features a heroine by the name of Ekaterina Kataranovskia. It's elegant and regal and fits her station perfectly… even if her nickname of Katya fits her brazen character a bit better.

BREATHE: Do you feel a character's name affects the way you write him or her?

LK: Absolutely. As the character forms in my head, I come to associate him or her with that name. I will never be able to name another character Lori. Because when I think of Lori I think of the prickly goth I've taken along the journey in The Order trilogy. The name and the character are now inseparable to me.

BREATHE: Are there any names you absolutely will not use for a character?

LK: I try not to use names of people I know. Of course, this is not absolute. In one particular book, the sister of the main character has my sister's name, Samantha. But the name fit her. She refused to take another. Somehow, I've learned to separate that Sam from my Sam. But it took a little while to wrap my mind around it.

Excerpt from STALKING SHADE by L.K. Below:

"See?" the bartender was telling the taller man. "If you want a night with Lori, it won't be tonight. Wait and try some other time."

Wise advice.

"What if I'm interested in more than a night?"

Lori nearly spewed her coffee on a couple walking past. She would need to keep an eye out for this guy. He gave a whole new meaning to persistence, and he hadn't even approached her yet. She could only hope to scare him off by giving him the cold shoulder once he did.

Luckily, Ritchie came to her rescue. "Then you're definitely outta luck, my man. I've known Lori for four years and she's never had anything longer than a one night stand. She doesn't seem to be changing any time soon."

"I like a challenge."

Lori resisted the urge to bang her head against the counter. She needed to evacuate. Now. DEFCON One.

She smacked her cup on the counter as Scissors muttered to Ritchie, "Does this guy have a death wish?" Presumably he was already en route to intercept her.

Lori fumbled with her change, starting to sort out what she owed. Changing her mind, she left the cash on the counter and shoved the bus pass into her pocket.

"Leaving so soon?" A deep, masculine voice. She recognized it with an inner groan.

Too late.

She turned slowly, thinking to nip this in the bud. He stood an inch or two taller than she did in her heeled boots, which made him at least six-four. His hair was black, cut short, and he had the most brilliant blue eyes she had ever seen. His easy smile proudly displayed a set of fangs. She narrowed her eyes. A faux-vampire.

Freaking wonderful.

Find Stalking Shade on sale at http://bit.ly/StalkingShade. Visit L.K. Below online at lbelow.blogspot.com or on her website at www.lbelow.net.

Two Guest Blog Stints!

Check me out on Author Lori Green's blog: http://twooldfartstalkingromance.blogspot.com/2011/12/meet-michelle-flye-and-experience.html

…and Author Cristal Ryder's blog: http://cristalryder.blogspot.com/2011/12/winter-solstice.html?spref=tw.

I'm very excited to be featured on two fellow Lyrical Press author's sites on the same day! And don't forget to check out Lyrical Press's Christmas Bash here: http://www.lyricalpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=127.

Winter Solstice E-Reader Giveaway Continues: Nook vs. Kindle

Well, my giveaway continues, and it's become a contest between the Nook and Kindle. Sorry Kobo! Nobody's interested. Remember to leave a comment on my blog telling me which you prefer if you want to enter for your chance to win, but be sure to do it before December 22. The winter solstice is at 12:30 a.m. on December 22, so I plan to choose the winner from those who leave their entries before that time. Winner will be announced right here on December 22, so be sure to check it out.

My thanks to Autumn Piper for joining me yesterday for the return of my A Rose is a Rose? interview series. Be sure to check back tomorrow for fellow Lyrical Press author L.K. Below's take on character monikers.

And in the meantime, don't forget to visit Lyrical Press's Christmas Bash. My own WINTER SOLSTICE is one of the featured books.

A Rose is a Rose?: Autumn Piper

The big Christmas Bash just began over on Lyrical Press today! Check it out for some great reads at a great price. I've asked my fellow Christmas Bash authors to join me on my blog in honor of the event, and as you all know, I'm obsessed with character names. Creating characters is one of the biggest honors a writer has, almost like you're breathing life into a real person, so hitting on that perfect name for them is sometimes difficult. Check out how Autumn Piper, author of WAITING FOR REVENGE, feels about it below:

BREATHE: Do you feel your character names are influenced by the theme of your story? Why or why not?

AUTUMN: I do feel character names are (or should be) influenced by a story's theme, and likewise, the mood of the story is influenced by the names of characters involved. Sometimes I research a character name and find out what the name's origins are, and what it means in different countries. (I did this for my pen names also, by the way) In Waiting for Revenge, I named my main character Mandy, short for Amanda—worthy of love—which sounded to me like the name of an affable, approachable, forgiving person. And Mandy has indeed been pretty affable, up til when her husband decided to get it on with the town ho during a pre-Thanksgiving celebration with friends the night before the story opened. Everybody figures Mandy is such a pushover that she'll forgive her husband for cheating and move on. All except for one other character (and she doesn't call her Mandy, she calls her Amanda, not just because she's a no-nonsense old lady who gives out salt-of-the-Earth advice, like telling Amanda to "take a page from the Black Widow Spider"), who demands Mandy hold her husband accountable and set an example for her kids, rather than try to save the marriage for the kids, like so many people would recommend.

BREATHE: If you wrote in another genre, would it affect the names you picked for your characters? Why do you think this is?

AUTUMN: Yes, character names should be genre-specific. A butt-kicking heroine in an action-packed suspense story should have a suitably tough name, whereas a demure heroine in a historical romance will probably have a more girly name. My characters have contemporary names because I write contemporary romance. But if I wrote futuristic, or historical, I'd need to give them entirely different names.

BREATHE: What is your favorite character name—either your own or somebody else's? Why do you like this name?

AUTUMN: I think my favorite character name so far is Cleveland Howell—he's the son of a Texas cattle mogul in my western contemporary, Lone Star Trouble. (My husband and son love to tease me about this name, but I love it anyway. It just feels as pretentious as Cleve's dad seems to his Colorado nemesis, Kiersten.) Another of my faves is "Drew", which is the name my heroine in Trouble Under Venus assumes. The FBI guy she can't seem to get away from calls her Nancy Drew because she keeps snooping into his business, so once she succeeds in her time-travel mission to 1980 Miami, she adopts Drew–the first name she can think of.

A crit partner once pointed out I've made 2 of my heroines' ex/dead husbands "Luke". Both guys were ne'er-do-wells, but I've honestly never known a Luke I didn't like. So… who knows where that comes from, but Luke appears to be my favorite bad guy name.

BREATHE: Do you feel a character's name affects the way you write him or her?

AUTUMN: No, I'd say the reverse–I name a character based on who I plan to write her/him to be in the story. For example, the marriage counselor in Waiting for Revenge is a real fruit loop, so I made him an Aspen cast-off who goes by only one name—Baldwin (could've formerly been either his first name or surname, nobody knows, and Baldwin is just loopy and conceited enough he'll never tell). His new-age, organic approach to therapy and this one-name bit with no "Dr." included helps the reader identify with Mandy when she completely rejects everything Baldwin advises. How can such a doofus give useful advice, right?

BREATHE: Are there any names you absolutely will not use for a character?

AUTUMN: I don't think I'd ever use Damien, unless I wrote a story about demons, which I don't see happening, and I'm not wild about Steve or Stephen (as names, anyway. I've got a cousin with the name, who I like a lot, LOL).

Excerpt from WAITING FOR REVENGE:

I believe we're the only couple we know from our generation still together. That's very sad. Lasting marriages seem to have gone the way of console TVs and AM radio. They're still out there, but you don't hear much about them anymore. And, like many marriages, a lot of those TVs aren't working, but folks can't bring themselves to abandon them.

This counselor just joined a local practice of several mental health specialists, located in a new Roman-looking office building full of other everyday professionals. Nice. The accountants can look out their windows past the faux-stone pillars and watch the crazies and folks with their marriages on the rocks come and go.

What Will People Think Phobia makes me deeply fearful someone we know will see us, but there's no way around it. Sooner or later, all the fools I graduated with who looked at me with envy at our ten-year reunion for my sexy, successful, doting husband will know I couldn't keep him. I could keep him if I want to, I guess, but they'll think I couldn't.

With a courage-faking breath, I follow the other half of my failed marriage into the office, where he tells the receptionist we're here to see "Baldwin".

"Baldwin?" I repeat in a whisper, when we are seated in a corner. "Not Dr. Baldwin?"

Mike shakes his head. "He's from Aspen, and he only has one name, not a last one, or first one, whichever. Just one name, and he doesn't use 'Doctor'. He wants to be on a level with his clients. That's what they told me when I made the appointment."

I'm laughing inside. Our therapist is a nut job! Mike has commissioned a totally off-the-wall counselor to try to mend a marriage I refuse to see fixed. My life has become a twisted comedy, funny to an onlooker, but soul-rending to me.

Baldwin emerges and ushers us into an office with several tiny fountains tinkling, incense burning, and zen music playing. I roll my eyes at Mike, and he tries to conceal his amusement. This is the kind of joke we would get off on. In the past, that is.

We're both smiling entirely too much when Baldwin faces us on the loveseat, seated in an armchair across from us. He's in his late twenties, with long straw-like hair, and bangs in dire need of trimming—bangs! Although he's dressed in a suit, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he wore Birkenstocks with it.

Our hippie therapist proceeds to take a rough history of our marriage, ages, and frequency of lovemaking. The last seems odd to me, especially when he dwells on how much enjoyment we each derive from our love life, on a scale of one to ten.

Mike lies like a rug, and says it's always been a nine or ten for him, up until this last week when I started holding out on him. Does he want me to tell this guy what he did?

I tell Baldwin it's been anywhere from a six or seven to a ten, up until I saw Mike boning our friend's girlfriend the night before Thanksgiving.

Mike's selectively honest mouth drops wide open. Apparently, he didn't expect his sin to be disclosed in the therapeutic process.

Buy WAITING FOR REVENGE now!

Autumn Piper—Got Romance?

Who has time to breathe in December? A Rose is a Rose returns, and let's not forget my E-Reader Giveaway!

Does it ever seem like you blink and you're halfway through the month? I know we're not halfway through December, but we might as well be. I just now got myself organized for this month's blog entries, and I'm really excited about it. In December, Lyrical Press is running a special promotion for some great romances. They're calling it the Christmas Bash, and WINTER SOLSTICE is one of the featured books. You can find all the featured books here: Lyrical Press's Christmas Bash. The bash features fourteen different authors and titles spanning all aspects of romance from contemporary to erotica.

I'm really excited to announce that I'll be bringing back my A Rose is a Rose? interview series featuring some of my fellow Lyrical Press Christmas Bash authors starting December 10th. I hope you'll join me as I interview Autumn Piper, L.K. Below, Lori Green, Stephanie Beck, Diane Escalera, Cristal Ryder and Rebecca Rose about the all important Character Name.

And please don't forget about my Winter Solstice E-Reader Giveaway! I've gotten several entries already, and I'm hoping for more. Remember, all you have to do is drop me a comment and tell me what your favorite e-reader ($100 or less) is. If you win, I'll order the e-reader and send it to you. You might even get it in time for Christmas!

Day 3 of My Second Annual E-Reader Giveaway: Why I Won't Finish NANOWRIMO This Year and I'm Not Even Sorry

First off, a reminder that if you'd like to register for my e-reader giveaway, all you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what type ($100 or less) you like best. I'll throw your name in the hat and when I draw the winner, I'll order it and have it sent directly to you. There truly is no catch on this! I write e-books, I love reading e-books and I want to share that love with others. The more people with e-readers in the world, the more chance I have of selling a book, right?

Now, on to the news. I'm not sure I would even call it bad news. Well, maybe a little. I got up to 46,000+ words done on my NaNo novel and realized it was crap. For one very simple reason. I had a character alive in it who should have been dead from the start. I couldn't even kill her off partway through the novel. It just didn't make sense. So I started over.

It's quite an experience throwing away almost 46,000 words. I can't actually say I mourned them. I knew they were crap and becoming crappier with each word written. I also knew I was going against the entire NaNo philosophy: Write until you hit 50,000 even if it is crap, then fix it later. I just couldn't do it. I knew how to fix it and I was eager to get started. So I went back to the beginning, axed the troublemaking character and am now working my way back through the novel, salvaging what I can. I'm up to 7,000 words. Some of them are even good words. Here's a teeny-tiny sneak peak:

"You can't sell this place to a developer. Your grandmother would never have wanted that."

"What do you want from me? I can't keep the place. It's not like it's a real productive farm like it used to be. It's a few acres and some horses. My life is in Raleigh, Colin, and I plan to get back to it." Silence fell and she raised her eyebrows. "If you love this place so much, why don't you buy it?"

"I'd love to, but I'm not the rich developer type, in spite of my appearance." His mouth twisted with sarcasm as he indicated his worn work shirt and jeans.

Yep. I killed off the grandmother. And I introduced another character (the developer) earlier in the story. Everybody seems to have a much clearer idea of how they're supposed to act. So I'm not sorry I didn't finish NaNo this year. I think it still worked for me.

Now I have to go wade through some more of my ultimate revision. Congrats to the NaNo'ers who finished and those who attempted it!

New Giveaway Begins! Plus: Five Romantic Gifts for Your Spouse (and some of them are surprisingly practical!)

Black Friday is done and now we have cyber Monday coming up. Tis the season. By the way, if you actually went out into the maelstrom of Black Friday, let me know. I'd love to hear about it. It occurred to me that many of you, however, might not have any good ideas for that special someone in your life. It's tough being romantic, isn't it? Jewelry, flowers, etc. get tiresome. Anyway, here are a few gifts I've either given to or received from my wonderful husband over the years that at first sight might not seem romantic but really are:

5. K-cup Coffeemaker. Yep. This one may have saved our marriage. Seriously. He likes lighter tasting coffee. I like really bold, dark coffee that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The joy of compromise with a plug!

4. Personal Grocery Shopping! This may actually be one of my favorite "gifts" ever. For a fee, I go online, place my order for groceries from my favorite grocery store and my personal shopper does all the work. Then I swing by with my carload of kids and pick them up. In some cases, you can prepay the fee for your significant other so she/he won't feel weird about using the service.

3. Piano/Dance/Horseback riding lessons. What has your partner always dreamed of doing but never had the chance? The important thing here is not to just give him or her the certificate for lessons. Make sure you give them the time to do it, too! And if it's piano or something else that makes noise, prepare yourself for some hours of not so great musical entertainment.

2. Gift certificates. What? Did I just say that? You'd be surprised how romantic this one can be, though. You see, I love almost everything in the Sundance Catalog that I get every month. Jewelry, clothes, boots, etc. If I were skinny enough to be one of their models, I would be a happy woman. My husband knows how I feel about Sundance, and he could easily just pick something from the catalog. However, he also knows that often something in particular will catch my eye and since (as he has often told me), he is not a mind reader, a gift certificate for my favorite non-essential catalog is often a better choice.

1. E-Reader. Yup. You got it. You knew this one was coming. But did you know THIS was?

ANNOUNCING! MY SECOND ANNUAL E-READER GIVEAWAY!

In honor of the gift-giving season and my recent good news about Carina Press and the release of my second book WINTER SOLSTICE, I'm giving away an e-reader. How do you enter the giveaway? Leave me a comment telling me what kind of e-reader you'd like me to give away. I wish I could tell you I would give away a Kindle Fire or an iPad, but for the purposes of this giveaway, I'm limiting it to e-readers that cost $100 or less. You can get some pretty good e-readers for $100. The Nook and the Kobo start at $99, the Kindle at $79.

You have until December 21 at midnight to throw your name into the hat. I'll make the announcement on December 22. In case any of you don't know the significance of the date, it's the winter solstice!

Making a Joyful Noise…Good News!

I got some great news today.

Carina Press, the digital-first imprint of Harlequin (!!!!), has accepted my book THE SIXTH FOLD (don't get attached to the title, because it'll probably change). I am thrilled, to say the very least

It's on days like this that I think of my favorite Bible verse: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord…" Well, you probably know it. Not that I'm a Bible thumper or even a dedicated reader of the Bible (you wouldn't have guessed that from my Sunday School choice of verses would you?). In fact, I tend to think of the Bible as a guidebook to be referred to when I'm feeling lost. It's always there to help me out.

Anyway, whenever I read that particular Psalm of David's I think of him on top of a green mountain, probably surrounded by sheep, yelling a hymn at the heavens. I think he'd probably just received some good news, because that's how I always feel when I get good news.

The news about Carina Press is that kind of news to me. The kind that takes your breath away, makes you want to jump up and down and then quiets into a breathing moment, sort of like a stone being thrown into a pond. I'm breathing now and reflecting on my good fortune. It has to do with my career and how I now believe I'm on the right track. I'm not just whistling the day away when I steal three hours away to write.

I'm enjoying it.

HONEOWP Update: I got a nice bump in sales from WINTER SOLSTICE last month, so Rainbows International got a little donation. This month's HONEOWP charity is one of my favorites. Toys for Tots never fails to bring tears to my eyes. The thought of real heroes playing Santa for children who wouldn't otherwise have a Christmas…well, the romantic in me responds well to such things. You can donate directly by clicking on the link (above and under HONEOWP Charities to the left) or by purchasing one of my books. All my royalties for November will be donated to Toys for Tots.