Karilyn Bentley's Blog, page 41

Elizabeth Essex: In Praise of Pinterest

One of the things I am asked most often as an author is, “Where do you get your inspiration for your stories?” And my answer is always the same: everywhere. I get them from other books that I’ve read, and photos that I have seen. From the music that I listen to, the stories that I hear, and experiences that I’ve had. I remember all these things. But I am a visual thinker. I think of my collected experiences as a series of live pictures—like
an endless personal movie running constantly in my head. And so, for inspiration, I like to surround myself with pictures of the things that help me visualize my story.
 My current book, SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT, is a story of love lost and found, set in pre-Raj India, and in the mid-19th century English countryside. To help visualize and write the story, I sought out photos that augmented or supported the images that the story had created in my head. And the place where I could most easily find them and collect them was Pinterest. Pinterest gives it’s users the ability to search through a vast store of varied visual images, on a variety of different topics of interest, at one centralized  “web location.” And better yet, it lets users manipulate, move and store the images in ways that are useful to the user.  On my Pinterest page, I made a “closed” board—think of a virtual bulletin board—where I could collect and pin those images. In fact, I made a board for each of my novels. I searched for and collected the images that inspired me—the images that helped me with descriptions in a particular scene, gave me a sense of the colors in my hero and heroine’s world, and let me go ‘shopping’ for their clothes. On each ‘pin’ I was also able to write down the associations I had for each picture, of where I thought it fit in my story.
 And when I had them all collected together, I opened the board and made it accessible to everyone else, so now you can see what I saw while I was writing. I have six boards up at present—one for each of my books. And more boards are in progress, being made as I write.:) Have a look for yourself, and see what you think (click here). You can also visit boards of other members of the PlottingPrincesses. Elizabeth Essex is the award-winning author of the critically-acclaimed Reckless Brides historical romances. Romance so good it’s scandalous ... Buy links for SCANDAL IN THE NIGHT:  Amazon | B & N | iTunes

What do you think of Pinterest? Do you like to see photographs that authors have chosen to represent the images in their heads, or would you prefer to keep your own mental images of the book instead? Or perhaps make Pinterest boards of your own for the stories you've enjoyed reading? Tell us what you think.

The Great Hunt for Readers

Some of the Plotting Princesses attended the RomCon Convention, and have been talking about what a great experience it was spending three days with readers. For those who don’t know, RomCon is a romance readers convention. A place where women who love romance novels get together for a weekend. There were silly games, contests, meeting authors and a book signing. Mainly there was just a lot of fun attending events.
As a writer, you want to interact with readers, but sometimes they’re hard to find. I’ve done book signings where there were a few readers lined up, and I’ve done them when I sat there all alone and smiled thinking I’m so uncomfortable, I just wish this hour would end. People will walk by gaze at you and think, oh my God, she wants me to purchase something from her. You can see the panic in their eyes, right before they run.
Look, I’m a writer, I tell stories, but I’m also a reader. We probably share some of the same favorite authors or books. Yes, I hope you will try my stories out, but if you don’t its okay. We still have a lot in common with our love for books and stories.
The reason RomCon worked for me was that we were able to interact without the sales pressure. We could just be friends who have met and are enjoying our love of reading. The games, the speed dating – oh my God, I loved the speed dating. For two minutes, we could sit and talk about books. Playing cover bingo at lunch, gambling (fake money) and the cocktail parties. We hung out together, talked books and had fun.
Sure there was a book signing, but I didn’t feel the pressure to sell, sell, sell. There were quite a few authors there for you to choose from and if you decided to purchase my book, I felt grateful.  I hope for a few hours I was able to entertain you with a great story. But if you didn’t purchase my book, it was okay. It’s hard to compete against Gemma Holiday, Darynda Jones, Allison Brennan, etc. (Though, I did sell every single book I took.)
Please remember, I get up every morning just like you and put my panties on, one leg at a time. I love what I do. I love writing stories, and I know that not everyone is going to appreciate my small-town family stories the way I do. But even if you think I can’t string together a coherent sentence and I haven’t met a comma since sixth grade English, we still have that common thread of loving books, of loving great stories, of loving reading. And it’s fun to hang out together and learn there are other areas in our life that we probably have in common.
So have you ever attended a reader’s conference? Contact me if you’d like a list of Readers events. I’m trying to compile a list for next year because I want to attend as many as I can.  If you’re looking for a girl’s weekend away, try one of these events. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Plotting Princesses: Guest Author is Anna Jeffrey & The Tycoon--cool!

Talented! Awesome! Sweetiepie! Why that's Anna Jeffrey is our guest. So Girlfriend, let's get to the nitty gritty... How did you get from your day job to writing romance?  LOL. Actually, I haven’t made that transition yet. I still have a day job and always have. But I still write every day.  

What are your three favorite books of all time?  “Gone with the Wind,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch” are the ones that come to mind immediately. “Sophie’s Choice” isn’t a romance, but it is so powerful, so tragic and so well-written, it has stuck with me for years.

Morning, afternoon, or evening person?  Definitely morning. I can accomplish more the first hour or two in the morning than I accomplish the rest of the day.

Music--with or without? What kind? No music. It distracts me. However, I do love music. Maybe that’s why it distracts me.

First or third POV? Third. But I’m itching to write a first-person novel.

How's tricks? Do you juggle multiple projects?  Constantly. I learned to juggle at an early age. 

What's harder: beginning, middle, or the end?End. I have a tendency to go on and on…and on.

Revisions: Love 'em or hate 'em?  Don’t mind them a bit. However, sometimes maintaining the synergy is tricky.

How did you come up with that title?  Actually, until I started the self-publishing thing, I never had to worry about a title. None of the titles I chose pleased the publisher, so they always chose. Since I started self publishing, though, I just write down a long list, play with the words and try to come up with something that will get attention. Oh, and I try to come up with something related to the book. 

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you? I started out wanting to write mainstream. Someone told me that breaking into the mainstream market was too hard and I’d have better luck writing romance. I’ll never know if that was true, but it seemed like good advice. However, my romances have a mainstream flavor. 

What's your favorite dessert?  Most things chocolate. And I do also like Hummingbird Cake. (Vicki-my mom made this!)

Do you write at home or someplace else?  Home. I’m uncomfortable anywhere else and I like the privacy so I can think. I never have understood going to the coffeehouse to write.


What's your favorite type of hero/heroine and why?  Handsome alpha males and beautiful alpha women. An editor told me once that all romance novels are fantasies. So taking that to heart, all of my heroes are hunky alphas and my heroines are exquisite goddesses.  Of course they might have a few other flaws. 

Excerpt from The Tycoon:

And at that moment, glancing over the rim of her glass and across the room, as if the mob had parted just for her, a tall man some forty feet away caught Shannon’s eye. Her first thought was how different he looked from the others in the room, like a nineteenth century throwback who might walk outside, mount his horse and ride away.

Links :

Amazon    

Barnes and Noble

Website

Thanks, dear Anna, for being with us today and congratulations on The Tycoon!BTW, GORGEOUS cover. 
 

PP guest author is Marina Myles-Writing about irritable bowel syndrome or romances? Let's ask!

Writing about irritable bowel syndrome or romances?Let's ask Marina Myles. Welcome, Marina, to the PP. How did you get from your day job to writing romance?  When I sold my first two books to Kensington, I was ghost writing for medical websites and hospital newsletters. Needless to say, I’m having more fun creating hot romance heroes than writing about irritable bowel syndrome! What are your three favorite books of all time? Wuthering Heights, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Count of Monte Cristo. Morning, afternoon, or evening person? I’ve always been a morning person.

Music--with or without? What kind? I’m more productive in a quiet setting without music.
First or third POV?  The books in my Cursed Princes series are written in third POV. However, I’m working on a suspense novel with romantic elements written in first person. It’s fun to mix things up.
How's tricks? Do you juggle multiple projects?  I’m a bit scattered that way. If I have an idea for a story, I’ll open a file on the computer. Then, when I have time, I’ll go back to it. It’s kind of a miracle that the stories get finished!
What's harder: beginning, middle, or the end?  The middle is the hardest. I envision the beginning pretty clearly and I usually know how the story is going to end. But the middle is sometimes a hazy part that needs filling in.
Revisions: Love 'em or hate 'em?  I don’t mind them too much. My editor is really talented and his suggestions improve the story more often than not.
How did you come up with that title?  Best advice anybody every gave you?  Oh my gosh! You should see all the titles Beauty and the Wolf had! From Draven’s Curseto The Dark Side of the Moon to Moonlit Sins, my critique partners rolled their eyes for several months. Fortunately, the story evolved into a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and the actual title was born.
The best advice anyone gave me came from romance author, Jennifer Ashley. During a talk at our local RWA chapter, she said: write what you love and your work will find its way to the appropriate publishing venue. It was invaluable advice because there are so many directions for authors today. Should we self-publish, go the e-book route, or try and get our work into print? It’s mind-boggling for a beginning writer. What Jennifer meant was that it’s no good to write something just to fit into those goals. Writing has to come from the heart. It’s the way talent shines through.  
Fill in this blank: My ideal fictional hero would think me gorgeous no matter….if I couldn’t shave my legs, clean the house, or buy the latest-and-greatest clothes. I guess I just described my wonderful husband!
What's your favorite dessert?  Warm apple cobbler with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel.
Do you write at home or someplace else? I usually write from home. Occasionally I’ll take my laptop to Barnes and Noble and hang out in the coffee shop section.
What's your favorite type of hero/heroine and why? I love a hero who makes a transformation during a story. My favorite heroine is one who encourages that transformation through her intense passion for the man she loves.

This is such cool stuff, Marina. Now on to an excerpt from your book, Beauty and the Wolf:
The jab of Draven’s knee between her thighs snapped her back to reality. Chiding herself for reacting to him with such passion, she composed herself. 
             “Forgive me,” she said. “I’ve heard that creating a child can be a wondrous experience.
It’s just that—”
She blinked against a bright light. Shifting her gaze to the window, she saw that a full moon had emerged through a pair of parted clouds. As the ivory cast spilled across Draven’s face, he pulled away from her with eyes that flashed a profound fear. “I must inform you that I have no intention of fathering any offspring,” he said.
The admission couldn’t have knocked Isabella more off balance. “I…I don’t understand.”
Draven bolted out of bed. His entire body began to shake. “I have personal reasons for not wanting a child. But what you need to know is that we will use a modern form of prevention.”
She pulled herself to a sitting position. “You choose this moment, our wedding night, to inform me of this? Didn’t you think I should have a say in the matter?”
As the veins in his temples bulged and pounded, she recoiled against the headboard.
“Something is happening to me,” he said, spinning away from her. All at once, his shirt
split up the middle of his back and fell to the floor. Then, with his face hidden from view, he
picked up a chair and hurled it through the window.
Isabella whipped back the bedsheet, her hand pressed to her mouth in horror.
What is happening?
Fearing for her safety, she rushed inside the dressing room and locked the door. Through
her sobs, she heard a loud cry then more breaking glass. A minute later, all was quiet.
She grabbed Draven’s wool coat and draped it on over her negligee. Turning the doorknob over with a quaking hand, she forced herself to peer into the bedchamber. Wind whistled into the room through the shattered window and the fire in the hearth had all but died out. But Draven was nowhere to be found.     
Seizing the chance to flee the room, Isabella escaped into the corridor and raced downstairs. She’d known this loveless marriage was a bad idea, but now she was truly frightened. Refusing to stay at Thorncliff Towers a moment longer, she ran for the stables. And with every step she took, she vowed never to return. 
Thank you so much!! I read your blog and I love it, so it’s been an honor being your guest!
 
Find Marina at:Website: http://www.marinamyles.com/
Find Marina's books at:Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Wolf-Cursed-Princes-ebook/dp/B00B86NOEY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371662055&sr=8-1&keywords=beauty+and+the+wolf+marina+myles
BarnesandNoble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beauty-and-the-wolf-marina-myles/1114307514?ean=9781601830999
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/beauty-and-the-wolf/id598294049?mt=11
Kobo: http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Beauty-and-the-Wolf/book-2odVdqhjBketNUKpxBYdLg/page1.html?s=ckA95pS4i02zY47743D-0g&r=5
 

Michelle Miles: the Princesses Debut at RomCon 2013

This past week, the princesses had the pleasure of attending RomCon. For all of us, this was a first-time experience. And it was so much fun!

I got to experience a high—meeting my favorite author on the face of the planet. Here’s a picture of me with Gena Showalter. She is one of the nicest people I’ve met. Very gracious and lovely in person.


Okay I promise I won’t fan girl on that much but she gave me her email address so like I’m totally in. *grin*

Anyhoo. We started off at the author orientation then had dinner together at the restaurant by the hotel. We didn’t stay in the conference hotel so we drove back and forth. Normally this is a pain but I think the location and the fact that it’s not a huge convention like RWA Nationals made it totally painless. Plus we were only 5 minutes away.

Friday we had Speed Dating with readers. Total blast. In case you don’t know what this is, authors have 2 minutes with readers to sit down and chat about books and anything else in general. I handed out a few goodie bags and some swag.

That morning, Elizabeth Essex was on the historical chat panel with Melissa Mayhue, Pamela Clare and Rachel van Dyken. Here is Ms. Essex on her panel:


She also ran the dice game in the Historical Hijinks where we learned how to play Crown and Anchor (the precursor to Craps). This was a bawdry good time. Here we are on the floor throwing the dice and placing bets.
 

After that it was author signing time! Karilyn Bentley, Elizabeth Essex, Vicki Batman and Kathy Ivan all signed books and swag on Friday. A good time was had by all.



 

Then Saturday was the Slayers game for me and Karilyn. I have no photographic evidence for that. Suffice to say that it was a lot of fun, even if I did screw it up the first time around. ;) That afternoon was signing time for Liese Sherwood-Fabre, me and Sylvia McDaniel.




In between all this fun stuff were workshops and talking with readers and getting to know them. It was a wildly great time. And hey - we even gave out tiaras and wands to readers. Here's a few who were running around the signing wearing them.


Sunday morning was the final event with the awards and brunch. Here’s a picture of all of us by the book cover contest sign.



After brunch, the reader’s choice awards were announced. Guess who won the historical category? Our lovely and talented Elizabeth Essex for A BREATH OF SCANDAL! We’re so very proud and happy for her.


And then we all boarded a plane and went home. Sadly. The good time was over.

But we really hope we’ll see you there next year! Be sure you come by and find one of us to say hi. You’ll know us when you see us – we’re the ones wearing the tiaras!

By the way... how many princesses does it take to load a car? Four, apparently!

 

Plotting Princesses' June Newsletter for your reading pleasure

Extra! Extra!
The PP June Newsletter…
 
 
Is out! Catch up on what's happening with the Plotting Princesses. We have links to great articles written by PPs Liese, Kathy, Vicki, and an extra special one about the PP at RomCon written by Michelle. There's breaking news and sneak peeks at great covers.
 
Go to: http://ymlp.com/zJJ72d
 
 
Thank you for your support!

LITTLE BLACK FLIP-FLOPS

Okay, while half the Plotting Princesses are having fun at RomCon this week, I’ll woman up.  I’m not a purse gal. If I were to select handbags as a blog topic, it’d be short and sweet with one picture.  A cyan red Fossil bag that I’ve carried for two years and will probably not retire until it’s too worn out to even donate. I’m not even a typical shoe gal.  There isn’t a single pair of high heels in my closet and very few dress pumps.  In the winter, my main article of footwear is a comfy pair of socks. Boots if I actually have to go outside. That’s how blessedly casual my life has become.








But oh man do I love summer and flip-flop weather. Add a cool color of nail polish and I'm set for any adventure. Here's a small sample from my closet.












Everyday little black flip-flops. I even have two identical pair in case one gets wet. A girl has to be prepared, right?




But before everybody writes me out of the girly club entirely, I do have 'dressy' black flip-flops.  That's about as close to sandals as it gets around here.

 
  Anybody else have a flip-flop fetish? Or any other quirky taste so I know I’m not the only nut?
 

Michelle Miles: A Bit of Nostaglia

I grew up with two movie-buff parents. In fact, my parents met at the drive-in theater back in the 1950s. My dad ran the projector and my mom worked the concession stand. Doesn’t that sound like something right out of a 1950s black-and-white romance? They were married in 1955. From what I hear, that was a very good year.

So I guess it should come as no surprise to anyone that I’m a huge movie fan. I love movies. From the old to the new, classics to current blockbusters. Musicals, dramas, romantic comedies, chick flicks, kid’s movies, science fiction. You name it.

My childhood consisted of John Wayne’s westerns and war movies (Big Jake, The Fighting Seabees) because that’s what Dad liked. But it also consisted of those classic dramas (Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, Gone With The Wind, Random Harvest) as well as musicals (The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, On The Town, Royal Wedding, oh I could go on!) because that’s what Mom liked.

It all carried over into my adulthood. I can

remember movie lines without thinking. I’ve learned the fine art of using them in everyday conversation. People who know me well and are paying attention will realize this. It’s an art. ;) I can rattle off actors names and what movies they were in. But in my old age, this is becoming more difficult. So my secret weapon is IMDB, either online or the app.

I discovered not long ago my local library has quite a large DVD collection. Imagine my surprise! I found several Alfred Hitchcock movies on the shelf and checked them out. The best part was it was for free! Can’t beat that with a stick. I carried home Rear Window and North by Northwest. Husband hadn’t seen either.

These are not like the movies made today. They’re not “in your face” with explosions and people shooting each other every ten seconds or throwing f-bombs around. These are “thinking” movies. Suspenseful thrillers that make you pay attention. Kind of like Sixth Sense with an ending I never saw coming.

I think he enjoyed the movies. At least he seemed to. When I can get back to the library, I intend to look for Vertigo and The Man Who Knew Too Much. I think he’ll like these too.

Some of my other favorite (old) movies include Gone With The Wind, The Quiet Man, Ben Hur (actually, anything with Charleton Heston is a winner in my book!). What about you? Are you an “old movie buff” and what are some of your faves?

Where in the world are the Plotting Princesses? Going to Romcon!

Hello, beautiful readers!

The Plotting Princesses are making an appearance! This month, some of us will be venturing to Colorado Springs to attend RomCon from Friday, June 21 to Sunday, June 23.

We’ll be there to chat with readers, hand out swag and participate in games with giveaways! I will be participating in the Slayer game and you can win some fabulous prizes from me which include signed books as well as gift cards.

Here’s a list of the PP gals attending the conference and what we’re up to:

Vicki Batman: First Kiss, Bingo, book signingKarilyn Bentley: Slayer gameElizabeth Essex: Book signingKathy Ivan: Book signingSylvia McDaniel: First Kiss, Bingo, book signingMichelle Miles: Slayer Game, book signingLiese Sherwood-Fabre: book signing
We hope you can join us for the fun! Tickets are still available for the event if you can make it out to see us. We would love to see as many friendly reader faces as possible. Click here for more information about the event.

Hope to see you there!

Vicki Batman: When I Fell in Love

When I Fell in Love
 
NO!not with Handsome. I'll save that story for another day. This is about when I fell in lovewith romance books.
Around age fourteen, I was totally bored. School was out. Didn't have anything special going on. I'd read everything I'd wanted to read.
My mom noticed and asked what was up. When I told her, she said, "Go read something." "But what?" I whined. She fastened on me a long stare and then reached for a small paperback on the shelf where she stashed her handbag. "Try this."
   This turned out to be a romance by Emilie Loring. Bantam Books had reissued them and my aunt shared them with my mom. Most took place from the forties to the fifties. They tended to be sweet (no sex) and focused on honor and integrity. The couple met and overcame whatever the villain had planned.
Here's Emilie's bio from Wikipedia and odds and ends from Amazon:
Emilie Loring was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1864 to George M. Baker and Emily Frances (Boles) Baker. Her father was a playwright and publisher and her mother was a homemaker. Loring married Victor J. Loring, who was a lawyer. She began writing in 1914 at the age of 50 and continued until her death after a long illness in 1951. At the time of her death, Loring had sold more than a million copies of her first thirty books.
Her work features several repeating motifs. Among them are a girl who is twenty-three with red hair, a dark-haired lawyer or aspiring politician for a hero, a secondary character predisposed toward speaking in quotations, a fan back chair, a Mandarin coat, a Chinese lacquer screen (room divider), New England as a setting or character trait (“New England granite”), and a black-and-white spotted dog. Her earlier books, published from 1922 to 1937, were originally published in hardcover.
I read voraciously. And since, these books hold a special place in my heart. Throughout the years, I'd buy paperback ones. Then a few years ago, I told Handsome I'd like hardbacks. I have almost all in hardback now, thanks to him. (Isn't he swell?)
So confess (lol), what age and what book turned you on to romance? (And to those who leave a comment with their email address, we'll have two drawings for two sets of three of her books.)
 
 
Vicki Batman regularly imbibes a diet Coke and writes funny stuff most days. Find her at: http://vickibatman.blogspot.com Or at: http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.com. Find her work at: Amazon, MuseItUp Publishing, B&N, Smashwords.