Bev Pettersen's Blog, page 47
June 19, 2017
Meet 2017 Golden Heart Finalist Christina Britton!!
Christina Britton developed a passion for writing romance novels shortly after buying her first at the tender age of thirteen. Though for several years she turned to art and put brush to paper instead of pen, she has returned to her first love and is now writ...
June 18, 2017
How Do You Find Your Characters
Many years ago, I was like a shaky legged fawn stepping into the world of writing. I had written before, for myself and for my school newspapers, but this new world was totally different and scary as hell. I knew if I was going to survive I would need a strong man by my side so I began my search for the man I knew whose name was Hudson Alan Mitchel.
I searched every store, every street corner, and every office I entered, but I was always disappointed. Yes, there were plenty of men in all thos...
June 14, 2017
Meet 2017 Golden Heart Finalist Heather Leonard!!
Heather Leonard is a civil rights employment lawyer/mediator who writes paranormal romance and urban fantasy in her ever so sparse free time. If she were a super-hero (and she wants to be because capes are this year’s must have fashion accessory), her superpowers would be the ability to find...
June 13, 2017
Diversity & Working with a Sensitivity Reader
We live in a diverse world. If you’re writing romance novels that take place in modern times, the odds are good that your entire cast of characters aren’t going to be carbon copies of one another when it comes to ethnicity and socio-economic background. Which means as a writer you are going to be writing about characters whose backgrounds differ from your own. That’s awesome because it can make your stories richer and more authentic, but it also presents a challenge because you need to writ...
June 12, 2017
Meet 2017 Golden Heart Finalist Scarlett Peckham!!
Scarlett Peckham came to romance as a child upon finding her grandmother hiding on a porch, giggling over a beat-up copy of Whitney, My Love. She quickly stole it, and has never looked back.
She studied English at Columbia University and built a career in public relations, but in her free time always returned to her earliest obsession: those delici...
June 8, 2017
Perfect Pitch
With the RWA National conference just down the road, some of you may be quaking at the idea of pitching your manuscripts to agents or editors. But I say, no worries. Just follow the method I successfully used at over twenty national and regional conferences. With a nod of acknowledgement to the great Deb Dixon’s Goal, Motivation, and Conflict, here’s my advice on creating a perfect ten sentence (or less) pitch.
First, relax. If agents and editors are taking appointments at a national conferen...
June 7, 2017
Meet 2017 Golden Heart Finalist Janet Halpin!!
Janet Halpin identifies as a “kidder, complainer, tea-drinker, mom, reader, teller of hilarious and sometimes totally true tales, sock-folder, and author.” Inspired by the genre fiction that enthralled her as a kid, Janet writes YA, mystery, light Sci-Fi, and WWII-set paranormal and time travel, all with a dash of humor and romance. Sh...
June 6, 2017
I love revisions, part 2
I’ve always enjoyed editing second drafts (and third and fourth) more than I’ve liked writing the first. Once round one is behind me, I’m eager to dive into analyzing and improving the mess I made.
Two weeks ago, in the I love revisions (part 1) post, I shared 3 of my favorite revision techniques.
Rediscover the heart of your story Witness scenes from all perspectives Give all relationships an arcToday, I’m sharing 3 more techniques, with exercises to try for each tip, plus examples from...
June 5, 2017
Meet 2017 Golden Heart Finalist Jo Anne Banker!!
This is Jo Anne’s third Golden Heart® final. She won the Short Contemporary category in 2011 with LOST AND FOUND, and finaled again in Contemporary Romance in 2015 with HOMECOMING. She writes about the secrets that families guard and the love that heals them.
She’s owned a bookkeeping service for years, and finds balance in the creativity o...
June 1, 2017
Stretch Your Wings: Top Ten Tips for Introverts at Conferences
Before I began attending writers’ conferences, I thought of myself as an extrovert.
Dressed for battle in gray wool and white silk, I fearlessly strode into my first conference ready to conquer the romance-writing world. I’d thought of writing as a profession, and by that time, I was awfully good at being professional. I was ready to kick ass and take names on my way to the top.
But instead of businesspeople giving each other firm handshakes and exchanging business cards, I saw women running...
