Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 100

2022 Review: Just reminding you… (Contest)

Last year wasn’t my most prolific writing year—that’s for sure. However, I did have several releases. Some were re-edited, re-released titles (the Dark Realm stories), but most were new series books, including two Brotherhood Protectors books! Today, I just wanted to provide the list and release dates of the titles in case you missed one. If you’re interested in one of the stories, click on the covers to check them out!

01/07/22 – AFTER DARK, Dark Realm series, short story01/25/22 – ELI, Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT series02/15/22 – HUNK OF BURNING LOVE, Cowboys on the Edge, short story03/22/22 – NO TENDER MERCY, Texas Vampires series04/26/22 – DARK SEDUCTION, Dark Realm series06/21/22 – VICTORIA’S SIX, Brotherhood Protectors: Colorado series07/26/22 – GABRIEL, Montana Bounty Hunters: Dead Horse, MT series 08/12/22 – WHAT A WOLF WANTS, Dark Realm series, short story, 10/11/22 – GUARDING HANNAH, Brotherhood Protectors: Team Wolf series2022 Novels/Novellas

 

2022 Short Stories

Contest

For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell whether you’ve read any of these stories or which titles might interest you now! Easy, right?

The post 2022 Review: Just reminding you… (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

Breaking Bad Habits (Contest)

I have lots of bad habits. I’m sure you do, too. The one that causes me the most stress is the one where I think I have to conquer one mountain at a time. By that, I mean if I have a huge edit job, I have to work through it to the exclusion of writing. Which causes me to go down to the wire when it comes to finishing a book. I wrote Guarding Hannah in a ridiculously short time. Yeah, I’m really happy with the story. In fact, I think it’s one of the best I’ve ever written, but that isn’t the point. I need to destress, not run on adrenaline.

That’s my big goal this year. Destress the work. Get little bites done in an orderly fashion as I march toward completion. I know how to do this. I was a program manager in a past life. I used to work on multiple story projects at one time using some advanced planning techniques, but I’m not going for that now. I don’t want to write MORE. I want to write in such a way that I have time to devote to something that gives me greater joy—like painting.

Yes, doodling things like these makes me happy.

I want more time to sit with paint and paper. I want more time to take some classes and learn how to do it well. I feel like I did when I started writing—I want to know everything, try everything, right now! Not that I’m looking to make it another gig for money. I just want to explore an artistic path for passion’s sake.

But to get there, I have to rope in my chaotic work habits. I’ve begun this year anew. So far, so good. I’m making progress on my new story, Mica, and I’m working on a set of edits I’ll finish this week. In the meantime, I’ve been painting in the evenings and organizing my studio space (does that ever end?). I’ll get there…in incremental steps rather than putting all my energy into fits of activity. That’s so exhausting, isn’t it?

So, I’d love to give away one of these postcards. Winner’s choice. Tell me what bad habit you’d like to tackle this year.

The post Breaking Bad Habits (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

D’Arcy Arden: The Fourth State of Matter

When I first get an idea for a story, it usually starts with a single scene. For example, when I came up with the idea for The Fourth State of Matter, I had a scene in my head of a spaceship crashing while two characters are having sex in the control chair, seemingly unconcerned by the chaos happening around them. At this point, the characters didn’t have names or descriptions. I didn’t even know if they were human or alien. In my mind, they were just “male 1” and “male 2”. So, I started by freewriting this scene, giving it as much life as I could without any background information or details. The characters managed to land on a populated asteroid before I had to stop. Then, I stepped back and carefully read over what I had written.

Sometimes, this is where a story’s life ends. If I decide there isn’t enough potential, or if reading over what I’ve written doesn’t spark any more creativity, then I’ll set it aside and move on to a new idea. With The Fourth State of Matter, however, reading over that initial freewriting scene gave me a lot of ideas for how to flesh-out the world and the characters. A whole novel slowly unfolded in my mind just from this opening scene, so I started outlining the story from scratch.

My first step for planning out a full novel is to draw the characters. I’ve found that I can’t write about a character until I’m able to draw them. Not only does this give me an image to work with, but it can have a profound impact on the story itself.

With The Fourth State of Matter, my original plan for the trio was for them to only be a duo. I wanted to write a story about a human character that gets into a relationship with two aliens. However, this changed when I was trying to draw the aliens. Brog’s design came easily, and I could immediately see a backstory for the character on the page. I had an idea to create alien characters that were partially inspired by fantasy creatures. This would give them a sense of mystery and make them seem “larger than life”. Brog is my version of a reimagined mermaid, only instead of a delicate fish-girl, he’s a powerful shark-man.

Then I created a second alien that was a counterpoint to Brog. So, I drew Xavis, whose design is partially inspired by a phoenix. I liked the contrast between an aquatic species and a winged, bird-like species. Yet, it didn’t quite look right. Something felt off. So, I set Xavis aside and tried something new. This time I used a dragon as inspiration and came up with Desmodian. This also provided a good contrast alongside Brog, with a sort of “land and sea” vibe, yet it still didn’t look right.

It was only when I had all three characters on the page, trying to decide which to use, that I realized they looked best altogether. So, the duo became a trio, and the story was altered to fit this change.

Of course, characters are defined by more than just the way they look. It’s also about their personalities. Since the trio already hand a “land, sea, and air” theme going on, I took the symbolism a step further and based their personalities on the first three states of matter. Desmodian is the solid foundation that the group is built on. Silently stubborn and unmovable, he doesn’t react much with the world around him. He puts himself where he wants to be, both literally and metaphorically, and stays there no matter what. Brog embodies a liquid state in the sense that he is more adaptable than Desmodian but still maintains his own boundaries. He’s very reactive to even small disturbances, like a ripple effect, and while he is capable of standing still, he can also become an unstoppable tidal wave when he gets emotional. Lastly, Xavis’s personality resembles a gaseous state because he is the most wild and untamed. He sometimes seems to “have his head in the clouds” like he isn’t entirely grounded. This allows him to be the most creative and versatile member of the trio, but also makes him reliant on the others to keep him on track.

Once I established the characteristics of the trio, and their connection to the first three states of matter, it was a natural conclusion to base Pet on plasma, the fourth state of matter. This is what gave rise to the overall message and theme of the story. Pet’s journey into discovering himself as a person is the primary focus of the story, so I don’t want to spoil anything by explaining too much about how Pet’s character is inspired by plasma. Just know that it is a step-be-step journey that he’s still undergoing. After two books, he’s already come a long way in his personal discovery, but there’s still a much longer journey ahead of him.

The post D’Arcy Arden: The Fourth State of Matter first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

Happy National Science Fiction Day! (Contest)

Yes, it’s a holiday! Obscure, for sure—but not to us Sci-Fi nerds!

My love of science fiction began with Lost in Space and Star Trek. Of course. My parents had just bought our first color TV when Star Trek began, and we watched the change from black and white to color with Lost in Space.

When COVID started I began bingeing the Star Trek series. I made it a mission to get through all the classic series after the original because I’ve seen every episode of that series multiple times.

So far, I’ve made it through Star Trek: Next Generation (Picard), Deep Space Nine (Sisko), and Voyager (Janeway). I’m currently watching Enterprise (Archer). I have to admit, Enterprise is daunting and hard to get into—mostly because I haven’t found that one character I love so much. Or that one enemy I find so compelling (Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians).

For Next Generation, that character was the handsome Worf. YES. I do find him wonderfully sexy and funny. And the good news was, he carried over into Deep Space Nine!

Deep Space Nine also had the wonderfully awful Quark. I found his pursuit of wealth and his Ferengi “Rules of Acquisition” a hoot. I wasn’t sure I’d love Deep Space because the show wasn’t about exploration. It was set on a space station at the mouth of a wormhole, but the cast had plenty of adventures.

Voyager‘s premise was the most fun, I think. A space ship stranded in a part of the galaxy far from home. They spent seven seasons trying to get home. Janeway, the captain, annoyed me for the first couple of seasons—until the episode when she went Rambo to save her crew. Awesome episode. But the characters I loved the most were The Doctor and Seven of Nine.

The doctor was a hologram who started out without much personality but who grew to be the most human of anyone on board. He was funny and sad. His love for Seven of Nine was shown through all the ways he tried to help her become more human. And oh, all the ways he explored his artistic soul… Just a wonderful character arc.

Then there was Seven of Nine, a former Borg drone. She was the sexiest character since Worf while still being a bit robot-stiff. Her arc was remarkable, too.

So, that’s my homage to my favorite Sci-Fi world. Let’s not talk about the movies. I ADORE Chris Pine as Kirk and wish like hell they’d hurry up and make more of them before he ages out! But the movies are only a couple of hours of entertainment, while I can wallow for weeks in a series.

So, there is a contest in here somewhere. I’ve rambled enough.  For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, tell me what Sci-Fi series or movies made you lifelong fans. Are you more of a Star Wars fan or a Trekkie? Do you have favorite Sci-Fi movies?

The post Happy National Science Fiction Day! (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

Happy New Year 2023!

It’s just me, wishing you the best for the new year!
May you be healthy and prosper and find those happy moments, large and small, that make life so worthwhile!

The post Happy New Year 2023! first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

Saturday’s Puzzle Contest! It’s New Year’s Eve!

Enjoy the puzzle! Then tell me how you plan to spend your New Year’s Eve for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Let’s ring the new year in right!

The post Saturday’s Puzzle Contest! It’s New Year’s Eve! first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

New Year Promises and Your Input! (Contest)

I’m still working on the big plan, but I’m pretty sure about the stories I’m aiming to release this next year.

A few you already know about:

From Montana Bounty Hunters, Mica, which is set to release on February 28 and Jackson on June 16.

 

Then there are also a couple I’ll write for a new connected series, We are Dead Horse, MT: Hard Knox, which I hope to release in March, and Cold Hard Cash, set to release April 25.

 

Then there are some I don’t have covers or titles for yet, but I know you’ll be there when I do get them up, two new group-related projects in my sister’s Brotherhood Protectors world to join my previous efforts:

   

Beyond these? I’m not sure. I have a romantic comedy I started years ago that I’d like to finish called Little Green Dreams, and it’s about, you guessed it, aliens. Maybe another Cowboys on the Edge series story. We’ll see how ambitious I get. This year I slowed way down so far as the number of titles I released. I may not have published a ton of stories, but I’m very happy with the ones I did, so there’s that.

I need to light a fire under my butt. Or have someone give it swift kick every now and then to “motivate” me.

As for other promises? I’ll try to figure out some more fun things to do here on this blog. More guests, more contests, more puzzles? More free reads? A serialized story? More behind the scenes of a writer’s life? You tell me what you’d like to see here and be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card!

Open ContestsThings on a Christmas Tree Word Search! (Contest) — This one ends soon! Win an Amazon gift card!Tell me a story… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!Elizabeth Andrews: Starting the Countdown (Giveaway) — Win a FREE book!New Year’s Day Word Search! (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!The post New Year Promises and Your Input! (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

New Year’s Day Word Search! (Contest)

I love celebrating a new year in big and small ways. Of course, there has to be a party, even if I can’t manage to stay up to watch the ball drop. We have food and sparking grape juice/wine/champagne. I prepare my new year’s work plan in the days leading up to the big day. I’m always optimistic about my plans. I may not accomplish everything I list, but I do fare better if I have a vision for the year. I know some of you treat the passing of the year as just another day. I get that. It really is. But I like celebrating…well, everything. Any excuse for a happy event. New Years? I’m there. The beginning of another season of Walking Dead? I’m there. The summer solstice? I’m there! Yeah. It’s why I list so many obscure holidays on this blog.

So, what do you have to do to win a $5 Amazon gift card? Easy. Tell me whether you’re planning to do anything to celebrate the passing of another year? Are you making up a resolutions list? Retiring your 2022 calendar? Big or small. List it in the comments and you’re entered to win! Enjoy the puzzle!

The post New Year’s Day Word Search! (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

Elizabeth Andrews: Starting the Countdown (Giveaway)

Hello, everyone! I want to start by thanking Delilah for letting me come play here with you all again. I always have a good time when I visit.

So, about that title…my countdown to the new year isn’t in hours or minutes yet, but I am counting down the days. I love looking forward to a new year, don’t you? It’s always so full of possibility and opportunity, and all kinds of good things we can’t even imagine yet. It’s almost like getting ready to start reading a new book by a favorite author or seeing a movie you’ve anticipated for months.

I don’t make ‘resolutions’ for the year. I quit that a long time ago, but I do work out goals for myself every year, personal things I want to get done, and writing goals (still working on the new goals as I write this). ‘Resolutions’ seem so…inflexible, I guess, like passing a new law or something. Too daunting that way.

If I call them goals instead, they become something I want to do, not have to do, and I can break each one down, and figure out the steps and time needed to accomplish them. For example, most authors have a general idea of how long it will take them to write a book, so they can break that time frame down—if it usually takes someone three months to write a 90,000-word story, they can figure out how many words they need to write each week, each day to make their three-month goal on time, and if there is an off-day, they can adjust to make up for the words they didn’t get done that day. That sort of goal-setting feels to me more achievable than simply writing a list of resolutions for the year—ie, for the next year, I have to lose X pounds, organize my life, look for a new career, etc.

Besides getting my goals finalized this week, we have a family dinner to start the new year, so while the basics of the meal are always the same, I do need to figure out dessert. Something else I will do to wave the old year goodbye is write down a few wishes for the new year, and then near midnight on New Year’s Eve, I’ll burn that list and send the wishes to the universe. If our weather forecast for this weekend is right, I may have to improvise to avoid the rain, but I have time to figure that out.

I would love to hear how you bring in the new year…do you set goals or make resolutions? What other traditions do you enjoy? Everyone who comments between now and the start of the new year will be entered into a drawing for an eBook copy of one of my three books, winner’s choice.

Happy New Year to you all, and may all your New Year wishes come true!

About Elizabeth

Lifelong book addict Elizabeth Andrews fell in love with romance novels at an early age and now writes her own, full of sexy heroes and strong heroines. Her stories range from paranormal to contemporary, to who knows what her imagination might come up with along the way, but happy endings are a guarantee!

She is a married mother of two who’s got a room overflowing with her book collection and a garden full of herbs and veggies that needs occasional attention between writing and reading binges.

You can find out more at ElizabethAndrewsWrites.com

The post Elizabeth Andrews: Starting the Countdown (Giveaway) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.

Tell me a story… (Contest)

I ran across this strange photo and thought…there’s a story! Bet you can figure out one to tell, too! So, for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card, study the photo then tell me a story! It doesn’t have to be long or even any good. Just have fun!

The post Tell me a story… (Contest) first appeared on Delilah Devlin.