T.L. Schaefer's Blog, page 10

Thursday 13: Thirteen books on my TBR shelf (physical)

This week I'm just gonna roll out the stuff on my actual shelf, rather than on my e-reader (next week)…  Interestingly enough, I only have 13 of them on the shelf…weird, yes?

Razor's Edge, Shannon Butcher
Duke of Shadows, Meredith Duran
Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King
Geist, Philippa Ballantine
Wrong Side of Dead, Kelly Meding
True Vision, Joyce Lamb
Pride Mates, Jennifer Ashley
The Drowning City, Amanda Downum
Don of the Dead, Casey Daniels
All Through the Night, Connie Brockway
Good Girl's Don't, Victoria Dahl
If You See Her, Shiloh Walker
By a Thread, Jennifer Estep

Do we share any books???

Facing the blank page…

Wanna know more?  Check it out at http://melissaschroeder.blogspot.com/2012/03/guest-author-terri-schaefer.html!!!

TABT–When do you say, “I quit?”

This weekend I discovered that I can say “I quit” about a book even when I’m 3/4 of the way through it.  Normally I’ve invested so much time/effort into a book that I’ll slog through it, just in case I’m wrong, or the author is going to amaze me.

Not so in this case.  Why?  The writing itself was very good. The heroine was interesting, and the urban fantasy world well developed.  But the “hero” (maybe, this being an urban fantasy and all, one can never be sure) was a complete and utter asshat.  To the point where there was no way in hell the author was going to be able to redeem him.  And since the heroine let him walk all over her, with little more than a whimper, even though she’s supposed to be some kick-ass babe, I put the book down.

Then this morning I got up and considered re-reading the chapter that so inflamed me, decided I was still pissed off, and gave it away.

So what and where are the breaking points for you?

TABT–When do you say, "I quit?"

This weekend I discovered that I can say "I quit" about a book even when I'm 3/4 of the way through it.  Normally I've invested so much time/effort into a book that I'll slog through it, just in case I'm wrong, or the author is going to amaze me.

Not so in this case.  Why?  The writing itself was very good. The heroine was interesting, and the urban fantasy world well developed.  But the "hero" (maybe, this being an urban fantasy and all, one can never be sure) was a complete and utter asshat.  To the point where there was no way in hell the author was going to be able to redeem him.  And since the heroine let him walk all over her, with little more than a whimper, even though she's supposed to be some kick-ass babe, I put the book down.

Then this morning I got up and considered re-reading the chapter that so inflamed me, decided I was still pissed off, and gave it away.

So what and where are the breaking points for you?

Writerly update…

Just a quick pop in to say … I've actually been writing!  Almost finished with the revisons for my "aha" moment last week, and as soon as I've got those worked in (by the weekend at the latest), I'll write the last two chapters with confidence.  Crossed fingers, first draft to my beta readers by 31 March!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming, while I write!  LOL…

Media Monday–El Camino by The Black Keys

Y0u know, I didn't realize I'd been listening to the Black Keys for years, probably because their style (if something so unique can be called a style) is a mish-mash of my favorite types of music.  Seriously, you've got the blues, punk, good clean rock and roll and a bit of grunge thrown in.  Huh.  I heard Lonely Boy on the radio with about a gazillion other folks and was immediately drawn in by it, so I popped on iTunes to see what else they had to offer.  Imagine my surprise when I knew a bunch of their songs (probably from our satellite radio on the tube).  So I downloaded El Camino, and if anything, the rest of the album is better than the singles everyone is hearing (Lonely Boy and  Gold on the Ceiling).  In particular, I loved the retro sixties sound of Stop Stop; the rocking second half of Little Black Submarines was a happy surprise; and the almost beachy beat of Money Maker just makes me smile.

This album is well worth the $10.99 iTunes is charging…it'll give you hours of enjoyment.

(and if you haven't seen the video for Lonely Boy, check it out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_426RiwST8  Bet you can't hold back a grin!!)

Six Sentence Sunday–Bill’s first look at Arden in The Summerland

This is from my first book, waaaaaaay back in the day, and is where the hero first sees the heroine.  Hope you enjoy!

He took his first look at Arden Jones and knew he was in a heap of trouble. She was striking–not beautiful in any conventional sense, but she had a presence about her that you recognized from the get-go and wore like a shield. Her long, lean body fairly screamed tension, and he could almost feel it radiating off her in waves. Ash blonde hair was swept up in a ruthless military-style twist, and even though she wasn’t in uniform, Bill doubted anyone would mistake her for anything but a take-charge person. What makeup she did have on was tasteful and discreet and the navy blue suit she wore radiated quiet authority and a no-shit attitude. The only thing that saved her from looking like a full-on bitch was the genuine distress in and around her changeable hazel eyes and full, bottom-heavy mouth.

Six Sentence Sunday–Bill's first look at Arden in The Summerland

This is from my first book, waaaaaaay back in the day, and is where the hero first sees the heroine.  Hope you enjoy!

He took his first look at Arden Jones and knew he was in a heap of trouble. She was striking–not beautiful in any conventional sense, but she had a presence about her that you recognized from the get-go and wore like a shield. Her long, lean body fairly screamed tension, and he could almost feel it radiating off her in waves. Ash blonde hair was swept up in a ruthless military-style twist, and even though she wasn't in uniform, Bill doubted anyone would mistake her for anything but a take-charge person. What makeup she did have on was tasteful and discreet and the navy blue suit she wore radiated quiet authority and a no-shit attitude. The only thing that saved her from looking like a full-on bitch was the genuine distress in and around her changeable hazel eyes and full, bottom-heavy mouth.

Read an e-book week…

            

In case you haven't heard  , this week is Read an E-Book Week!  Soooo, if you wanna read a sexy romantic suspense, then check out Behind Blue Eyes for $4.24 OR check out my alter-ego, Keira's FREE award-winning novella, both available on Amazon.  (pics are linked!)

 

Happy Friday & writing goodness!

Happy Friday, peeps!  So I had one of those "aha" moments last evening as I was staring blankly at my whiteboard, trying to figure out why the hero in Shoot to Thrill seemed kinda one-dimensional to me.  Background?  It's told in first person from the heroine's point of view, so we never get to see inside Jonah's head, just get to know him by his actions.

So as I'm looking at the whiteboard that's chock full of Arin's details, I realized I really, really needed to get to know Jonah.  You might think this is basic math, but again, we're in her POV, not his, so those things that would flow naturally when writing in multiple POVs gets stretched out a bit here.  I mean, I know the basics and a lot of background info on the guy, but i didn't know what the worst thing that had ever happened to him was.  Nor did I know what gave him nightmares.  See what I mean?

This is where I'm kind of a freak about my process… To me plot and character are interwoven so tightly that I can't just plot the book out, because I don't yet know how the character, as he or she develops, will change that plot.  Case in point, I found out something absolutely horrible about both my hero and heroine yesterday.  I made them tell me the worst thing they had ever done.  And you know what?  It was a common theme for both of them–they were ashamed they'd used their power and/or influence to hurt someone, even if the person in question deserved it.  And then that led me to the theme that has been dancing in the back of my head since I started writing this book… vengeance.

Right now I have two more chapters to write–finish up a fight scene, and then the finale.  But until yesterday, and my white board moment, I just couldn't go there, because both of my characters had to give up something BIG in order for those last two chapters to drag the reader (and me) right along with them.

And this is why authors are nuts.  LOL!!  Have a GREAT weekend!!