Rachael Johns's Blog, page 14

Theory on Thursday with Mandy Magro

Today I have DELIGHTFUL rural romance author, Mandy Magro, visiting for Theory on Thursday. Mandy’s new book Jacaranda will land in a shop near you VERY soon. Mandy is talking about her writing process – I LOVE hearing about how other authors craft a novel, don’t you?

Welcome Mandy…

Thanks for inviting me onto your fabulous blog, Rachael. I’m thrilled to be here.

 Ever since you so thoughtfully asked me to be your guest today, I’ve been wracking my brain, trying to come up with a technical issue I could touch base on. One that would make me seem so savvy minded, so organised, so professional….and so worthy of the title of “Published Author”. And then it hit me, why not lay all my cards on the table and admit I am…wait for it…a pantser! And I love it!

 In my day to day life I’m an obsessively organised person with lists for lists for lists…you get the picture  I’m a firm believer in the saying that everything has its place, and that’s where it should be! So, in my writing life, where I can escape from the clutches of the daily grind, I love the freedom of being a pantser. It’s like I take on an entire new persona where my world can be as it will. It’s extremely liberating!

 Yes, I have read plenty of books that have explained all the ins and outs of plotting, and sometimes I use these proven techniques, but then other times, most of the time to be honest, I fly off the seat of my pants. Allowing my characters to take control of the writing reins and take me where they will on their adventures. I feel, for me, it provides maximum creative expression and frees me of the chains of serious plotting. Sometimes I even surprise myself with where the plot is heading and can’t type fast enough to keep up with the characters. It’s a fabulously euphoric feeling and I believe that this then passes onto the page and in turn entices the readers deeper into the storyline.

 Don’t get me wrong, though, as there are a few major points you need to get straight before sitting down to begin the very first chapter. Plotting can be a very useful tool at this time. Otherwise, you might find yourself drowning in redrafts and unnecessary edits-a writer’s worst nightmare!

 P.O.V is one of the biggest and you must decide before the very first word which way you are going to go with this. Too many P.O.Vs can confuse the reader and lose the strong emotional bond they attain with the main character unless it is done with immense skill. For me, I tend to stick to using P.O.V for the heroine and the man she is falling in love with. It helps me to obtain maximum sexual chemistry. And for those of you that have read Rosalee Station, you’ll know that I adore writing about sexual chemistry-leaving the bedroom door wide open for the readers.

 The other points I take into consideration are:

 1. Wants…what do your characters want most in life?  What drives them to do what they do? What are their dreams, hopes and aspirations?

 2. Conflict…what is stopping them in their tracks? What walls do they have to climb or battles do they have to face to achieve their wants, their desires?

 3. Action…what action will they take to get past the conflicts, to achieve the seemingly unachievable?

 4. Resolution…How do all these points above, wants conflicts and actions, round up in the ending. How are they resolved?

5. ESP…get inside your characters’ minds, express in detail their worries, fears and dreams. It makes them three dimensional. 

 So, with all this in mind before you begin your manuscript, pantsing can be outrageously fun, emotionally charging and absolutely thrilling. It doesn’t set you up for unforseen challenges-like if you get a decent way into your manuscript then discover that a character refuses to do what you have plotted them to do-instead it gives them free will to show you what they want to do next, not what may be expected of them because you have plotted it so, right back at the beginning. Pantsing can create the pathway for very exciting threads throughout the book, and very adventurous characters.

 As with everything in this world, what suits some may not suit others. For me, pantsing is the way to go while for others plotting may be their hard and fast rule. My best advice is to go with your gut instinct, do what makes you comfortable so you can be taken away on a mind-blowing adventure while tapping away at the keyboard.

 Thanks, again, for having me. It’s been an absolute pleasure!  

Right back at you Mandy, I think you’ve pretty much just described my plotting process too ! 

You can find Mandy online at her website and on Facebook. Her latest book Jacaranda hits stores soon and the blurb is below:

JACARANDA BLURB:

At nineteen, Molly Jones has the world at her feet. Then one drunken night she falls into bed with Mark, a cowboy just passing through. By the time Molly realises she’s pregnant, Mark is long gone.

Now, at twenty-six, Molly’s life is almost perfect. She’s the devoted mother of Rose, and a renowned horse trainer. She lives amid the beauty of Jacaranda Farm, surrounded by family and friends – none closer than hunky stockman Heath. But she’s still looking for the love of her life, and a father for Rose. When Mark stumbles back into her world, as charming as ever, Molly begins to hope for a future she’d long ago relinquished. 

But how will Mark react when he learns he’s a father? And could the man of Molly’s dreams be closer to home than she thinks? 

From the author of Rosalee Station, this lively and passionate love story bursts with the colour and feel of Tropical North Queensland. 

An interview with my Alter-Ego

RJ - Today I’d like to welcome my alter-ego – non-fiction writer Rachael Blair, who’s just self-published her non-fiction book on Amazon Kindle. Welcome Rach!

RB – Thanks Rach, it’s fabulous to be here

RJ – Can you tell us a bit about BREASTFEEDERS ANONYMOUS?

RB – I wrote BREASTFEEDERS ANONYMOUS over five years ago now, during my first son’s daytime naps. I was lucky enough to have good help in hospital with breastfeeding and ended up feeding him for sixteen months (son 2 fed till he was 23 months, I had fears he’s still be feeding when he graduated high school). Although I had a good breastfeeding experience, I had many friends who desperately wanted to breastfeed during pregnancy but had to give up for one reason or another within weeks, sometimes days of birth. I thought there had to be a way to help these people who WANTED to breastfeed but COULDN’T. Thus I started talking to other mums (friends and people I met through online forums) about their experiences and I started researching, reading every book on the topic I could get my hands on.

I decided I wanted to write a book that was basically a mum’s book in a group, where lots of women could chats about their experiences of breastfeeding, the good, the bad and the downright horrible. But I wanted it to be more than anecdotal, so I contacted the Australian Breastfeeders Association, looking for a lactation consultant to work with me on the project. I found the Joy Anderson. I then researched and wrote a number of questions new mums might ask about breastfeeding and Joy answered these. In addition to my thoughts, and Joy’s knowledge, I collected photos, stories from mum’s and much much more. This resulted in a massive book but one I believe is the ideal resource for pregnant women and new mums.

RJ – What’s your favourite section in Breastfeeders Anonymous?

RB – Do I have to choose just one? Okay, I LOVE the photos – if you’re breastfeeding, make sure you take photos, they are just so precious. But I think one of my fave parts are the 28 Myths scattered throughout the book. These basically take a common myth and bust them. Some myths include – Breastfeeding Comes Naturally, Insufficient Milk Supply Is A Common Problem, Bottle-feeding Is Easier Than Breastfeeding.

RJ – I see there are four parts to Breastfeeders Anonymous, can you explain these?

RB – Part one: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – this includes stories from women in different situations (breastfeeding multiples, adopting, premmies, etc). Part Two: What they won’t teach you at breastfeeding school! – this mostly explores the emotional side of breastfeeding. Part Three: The Poli-tits of Breastfeeding – This includes things such as history, laws, debates regarding breastfeeding and feminism issues. Part Four: Breasts & Bolts – Further information and places to go.

RJ – WOW, I’ve finished having babies, but even I want to read this book.  Where can I get it?

RB – Funny you should ask… it’s currently FREE for FIVE DAYS only on Amazon and if you’d prefer a print copy, you can purchase online at www.breastfeedersanonymous.com 

RJ – Have you got any plans to write more non-fiction?

RB – Never say NEVER. I often make jokes about writing a book called ‘How To Raise The Perfect Man’ but we won’t know if I’m actually qualified for quite a few years yet

RJ – Thanks for stopping by and talking about something we don’t usually talk about around here.

RB – Thanks for having me. It was a pleasure!

What a writer does when they’re not writing…

I’m between books. It’s WEIRD!! But I’m trying to ignore the weird feeling and go with the flow of the many, many things I can and should be doing between books.

So far… here’s what I’ve done since subbing Man Drought:

Started exercising again. Hopefully it’s fourth time lucky on the Couch to 5k running program. My persistent back injury keeps stopping my progress but I started again this morning and already I feel great.
Watch movies with my kids – something I rarely do, because when they have ”Quiet Time” I try to write, yes, I feel GUILTY about that. So yesterday was Lady and The Tramp and we haven’t yet decided what this arvo’s will be.
Mop the floor, and catch up on all the other household tasks that fall by the wayside when I’m in the final throws of a manuscript – let’s be honest, they fall by the wayside in the beginning and middle of a manuscript too.
Spend some time with hubby – read sit on the couch and attack my TBR pile while he annoyingly flicks the channels on the TV with the remote. Hey, at least I’m multi-tasking – reading and spending quality time with the man. Well, almost quality!
Write blog posts for my upcoming release – I’ve only just started but am going to do lots of this this week.
Read for my CPs – I’ve been a terrible crit partner of late, so am going to try and catch up, starting by reading some of Cathryn Hein’s and Becca J Heath’s wips.
Dream a LOT about what book I should write next and try to come up with a good plot, characters, etc.
Cook more – which means more cakes and desserts, not main meals, much to my hubby’s disgust.
Think about catching up on the photo scrapbooks I’ve started for the boys. High Maintenance’s first year is done (and beautiful), Trouble’s is about half a year complete, and His Lordship has an album but it is empty. Yes, I am HORRIBLY behind.
Oh and this week, I am spending a WHOLE day in Perth on my own (read – no kids) to get my hair done and shop! I can’t WAIT!!!

Have I missed anything? What do you do when you’re on a break from work?

x

Rach!

Theory on Thursday with Karly Lane

This week I’m welcoming all out lovely person and VERY talented author Karly Lane to the blog. I’ve read a couple of her books now and they always keep me eagerly turning pages. Morgan’s Law sounds so fabulous and I’m planning on nabbing a copy in Perth this afternoon. Guess what I’ll be doing tonight? Anyway, without further ado (or rather more ramblings from me), here’s the lady herself…

Welcome Karly!

Well Rachael has asked me to do a guest post on Theory on Thursday. Now anyone who knows me will be laughing themselves silly over the fact that I’m supposed to be talking about anything to do with theory and my editors are probably having a mini stroke at the thought!

I would have to be the last person qualified to give an opinion on anything to do with the mechanics of writing…so I guess going with that theory, it should give other writers who such at punctuation and have no idea what they’re doing—a confidence boost to realise you too can be published!!!

I don’t have any field of expertise but I thought I’d maybe discuss Point of View because that seems to be the only thing I don’t have too much trouble with!

When I stared writing- I had no idea what I was doing (even less than I do now!) I just decided one day that if I loved reading so much then I could write!  Ummm…not exactly. It took a further twelve years to actually get published, however the one thing I seemed to do without too much problem was write ok, POV.

I think because I started reading a lot of Mills and Boon I fell into the habit of writing in third person and using both hero/ heroine POV’s and it became comfortable to do so. It wasn’t until North Star when Allen & Unwin picked it up that they asked if I’d change it all into just the heroine’s POV. That was the first time I’d been faced with changing how I wrote POV.

Then for some unknown reason I decided to try writing fantasy and wrote the whole thing in first person. Lots of books are written in first person and I can read them, when they’re written well, without a problem…my attempt though, was not well written and I ended up going back and rewriting the entire manuscript into third person.

It’s good to experiment with different styles of POV, but I suggest only writing a chapter or two and putting it aside before you write an entire manuscript…if when you come back to it – it feels right then by all means continue… but I can tell you now it’s a lot easier to rewrite a few chapters than a whole manuscript!

Wise advice about having a play with writing and seeing what works for you, Karly! I think this can work for genre and length as well

You can find Karly at her website, on Facebook and on Twitter. Check out the blurb of her latest release Morga n’s Law below.

Blurb – Morgan’s Law

When Sarah Murphy returns to Australia she desperately needs a break from her high-powered London life. And though mystified by her grandmother’s dying wish for her ashes to be scattered under ‘the wishing tree’ on the banks of the Negallan River, she sets out to do just that.


While searching for the wishing tree, Sarah stays in the small township of Negallan. It’s there that she finally has some time to relax and unwind, there that she finds herself drawn to a handsome local farmer, and there that she discovers her enquiries about her grandmother are causing disquiet within the powerful local Morgan family.


Will the Morgans prevent Sarah from discovering the truth about her grandmother? And should she risk her glittering career in the UK for a simpler existence in the country, and the possibility of true love?


By the bestselling author of North Star, Morgan’s Law takes you on a compelling journey into a young woman’s hopes and dreams.

 

The End and some reviews!

I’m a wee bit happy and bouncy today because I just finished the first draft of the book I’ve been rabbitting on about since the end of last year. My wip – currently known as ”Man Drought” is a contemporary rural ROMANCE set in a country pub with a whole bunch of characters I’ve fallen in love with. I really hope you’ll get the chance to fall in love with them too.

Somehow while I’ve been plodding on with Imogen and Gibson’s story (don’t you just LOVE those names?), I’ve managed to read a few books. Having read the lovely Jenn McLeod’s blog this morning, I was ashamed to realise I’ve kind of forgotten to blog about the fabulous Aussie books I’ve been reading for the Australian Women Writers challenge. So I’m about to remedy that and share with you, my two latest Aussie reads – WATTLE CREEK by Fiona McCallum and PURPLE ROADS by Fleur McDonald.

WATTLE CREEK is about farmer Damien and psychologist Jacqueline. It’s in essence the romance of how these two characters overcome personal difficulties to find love and strength in each other. Fiona deals with issues such as depression and male suicide, which are very much a problem in rural Australia where she sets her novels. Fiona’s style and story were easy to read and I found myself turning the pages quickly and rooting for her characters. The only thing that made this story slightly hard to believe in my opinion was the fact Jacqueline allowed herself to become personally involved with a patient. Getting past this, I still really enjoyed the story and loved the secondary characters almost as much as that spunk Damien!!

PURPLE ROADS although also rural set was very different to WATTLE CREEK. The protagonists in this book are already married, so it’s not a romance so to speak. Saying that, it’s a love story that shows two young people deal with personal tragedy, suffer and almost lose their relationship, to finally come back together stronger than ever. PURPLE ROADS is a great suspense book and its the passion of the hero to find answers and justice that causes tension with his wife and also makes you desperate to know who the culprit of the crimes are. Again, this is an easy to read story – so easy in fact, it kept me awake to the early hours of last night.

All in all, two great Aussie novels, by two lovely authors. Now that I’ve finished the first draft of MAN DROUGHT I’m taking a little break to let it rest before taking it over the coals again. In that time, I plan to do lots of reading. I have some critting to catch up on and also a TBR pile in huge need of attention, so hopefully I’ll have more book write ups for you soon.

Spotlight on my CP – Cathryn Hein

This week my coveted Theory on Thursday spot was available for the first and last time in a while (but if you’re an author and would like to book a ToT slot, please email me as I have a few in June onwards). Anyway… I decided I would take today’s slot and talk about something I discovered midway through my writing journey.

In 2006, I joined Romance Writers of Australia (if you’re a writer – any genre – and living in Australia, I seriously recommend you join) and in 2007, I was lucky enough to attend my first romance writing conference. WOW – had I been missing out all these years!! At this first conference, not only did I attend fabulous workshops (in which I discovered things like voice and conflict), stay at a beautiful hotel, talk writing for three days non-stop, meet published authors and editors and learn what was happening in the industry… I also met some fabulous friends – including my now critique partner, the delightful and gorgeous Cathryn Hein.

(Cathryn and I at the RWAus conf in 2011 – we both look better in read life!)

Now Cathryn has a brand new book out today and before I tell you a bit about its glory, I thought I’d share how our friendship begun…

We were both attending a workshop by Valerie Parv. I can’t remember the exact topic after all these years, but we had to work in pairs and come up with a plot/opening of a novel. If my memory serves me right Cathryn and I had to do a paranormal Cinderella, so we plotted/wrote the beginning of a story that was set in a funeral parlour in which Cinderella and her sisters were woo’d by dead people. We had a ball and best of all, we swapped emails. Who would have known then that Cathryn would become one of my best writing buddies and become so helpful and influential in my own writing. 

Cathryn and I run ideas by each other and read each other’s work in progresses (or as much as we can) and I value Cathryn’s opinion immensely. I was so happy when Cathryn sold her first full-length novel, PROMISES, to PENGUIN but not at all surprised. When critting her work I continually have to remind myself I’m not supposed to be reading for pleasure. One of my favourite things about Cathryn is the way she brings animals (oh I love her horses and another particular animal in the book she’s writing now) and setting to life. I think this talent makes Cathryn perfect for rural romance. 

Today is a very special day because Cathryn’s second novel HEART OF THE VALLEY releases.

HEART OF THE VALLEY – Blurb

Brooke Kingston is smart, capable and strongwilled ­ some might even say stubborn ­ and

lives in the beautiful Hunter Valley on her family property. More at home on horseback than

in heels, her life revolves around her beloved ‘boys’ ­ showjumpers Poddy, Oddy and Sod.

Then a tragic accident leaves Brooke a mess. Newcomer Lachie Cambridge is hired to

manage the farm, and Brooke finds herself out of a job and out of luck. But she won¹t go

without a fight.

What she doesn’t expect is Lachie himself ­ a handsome, gentle giant with a will to match

her own. But with every day that Lachie stays, Brooke’s future on the farm is more uncertain.

Will she be forced to choose between her home and the man she’s falling for?

A vivid, moving and passionate story of love and redemption from the author of Promises.

If that has whet your appetite and I’m sure it has, you can read the WHOLE first chapter here or better still, buy it.  HEART OF THE VALLEY is in the BIG W catalogue and also available in other good bookshops and online at Amazon. 

So what do you reckon? Who thinks Cathryn and I should finish that Cinderella in the funeral parlour story?

Theory on Thursday with Lynne Marshall

Today I have romance author Lynne Marshall, talking about something that feels particularly close to home at the moment. As I zoom towards the end of my wip, I’m hoping that I’ve given the reader everything they want in a romance and will be using Lynne’s handy check-list. 

Welcome and take it away Lynne…

WHEN ALL SEEMS LOST

 For those who read and love the Romance genre—though contrary to popular belief that they are formulaic, which they’re not—there is an expected sequence of events in each book. This sequence can be compared to similar expectations for readers of the murder mystery genre.  There, by the end of the book, the murder must be solved.  In Romance, the couple must fall in love and commit to each other. How each genre achieves that ending is as creative as the author who pens it.  The story structure for Romance is like other fiction literature, with the addition of a few genre-specific traits.

General Five-Stage story structure for fiction:

The character has a problem
Complications make the problem worse
Conflict, complications, and crises result in a climax
Problems get resolved
The characters learn something about themselves and/or life

In Romance, step #3 is termed the Black Moment – when all seems lost between the hero and heroine.  Done right, the author makes the reader believe there is no way this couple will ever be together again.  All is lost.

 The Problem:

Often in Romance, the writer has not set up strong enough conflict to ensure a dramatic, all or nothing, black moment. Editors sometimes complain about the hero and heroine “skipping through the tulips” instead of emotionally battling each other.  Notice I said emotionally battling, not bickering.  Big difference.

Conflict is the key. The most engaging books take the reader on a rollercoaster ride through emotion and drama, forcing their characters to walk through hell before finding and accepting the gift of happily-ever-after.  Without solid conflict for both of the characters (hero and heroine) this cannot be achieved.

What Makes a Good Black Moment?

One ingredient cannot be overlooked when creating the characters for a romance.  There must be a relationship barrier.  The RB is what keeps the character from moving closer to their love interest.  It isn’t something external that prevents the couple from physically getting together.  No, the RB is internal and should keep this particular character from engaging in a love relationship with ANY other person.  For the purposes of our Romance books, the RB prevents our hunky hero or spunky heroine from crossing over the border of physical lust into true love.

  No Wimpy Characters

We don’t write about wimpy characters in Romance.  We like to read about people willing to overcome their shortcomings in order to attain the love of their life.  When our characters are hit with the black moment – that moment when their worst fears are fully recognized – they do something many people forget to do these days—they GROW.  They may not do that immediately in the book—the author may torture the reader with the possibility of the whole relationship falling through—but we sense that change is coming.  It keeps us turning the pages.

  The Goal of the Black Moment

…is to magnify the relationship barrier along with the character’s major personality flaw when the plot forces the character to face their worst fear…to either change or lose out.

Yes, the characters have an epiphany and realize they must change or give up, or let go of that long-held baggage that has been holding them back in life. The hero is the catalyst that gives the heroine the courage to let go and try for a better future, and vice versa. Each wants to change in order to experience true love.

The HEA – Ah

When everything falls into place in a Romance book, the reader closes the cover with a sigh and a solid sense of “all is right with the world.” The characters we’ve invested in for however many pages, are giving themselves permission to crawl out of the chains of the black moment and FINALLY fall in love.

Question for readers:  What is your favorite part about the Romance genre?

Ooh great question Lynne, looking forward to some great answers.

You can find Lynne online at her website and on Facebook.

Lynne’s latest release is Courting His Favourite Nurse:

Blurb

 Anne Grady knew better than anyone that love was complicated. When she’d left her hometown, she thought she was leaving her past heartbreak behind for good, as well. But practically the moment she returned to care for her injured parents, she stumbled headlong into their confidant—her first love, Jack Lightfoot.

 Jack had been unable to deny his feelings for Annie when he was a teenager dating her best friend, and he certainly couldn’t muffle the spark twisting between them now—even if memories of the past kept threatening to push them apart. This time Jack wasn’t going to let history repeat itself—he was going to show Annie that the two of them were meant to be much more than best friends!

You can purchase Courting His Favourite Nurse from Harlequin, Amazon, Book Depository and other good bookshops!

Two exciting things!

Number One – There’s a JILTED giveaway happening right now on Goodreads.

Goodreads Book Giveaway


Jilted
by Rachael Johns

Giveaway ends May 15, 2012.

See the giveaway details

at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Number Two – I’m signed up for the Australian Romance Readers Association book signing event on the 17th of August on the Gold Coast. More details and the full list of signing authors can be found here.

The Children Of The Titanic

One historical event that has been retold through story and film for a long time is the sinking of the RMS Titanic, 100 years ago today – you’d have to have been living in a bubble this past week to have avoided all the hype about the anniversary. My good writing buddy Veronica Scott has recently published a story, from which she took her inspiration from the Titanic and she’s going to talk to us a bit about this today.

Here’s the blurb for WRECK OF THE NEBULA DREAM - it sounds fabulous and I can’t wait to read my copy!

A reimagining of the Titanic disaster set in the far future among the stars…

Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he’ll gamble at the casino, take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.

All his plans vaporize when the ship suffers a wreck of Titanic proportions. Captain and crew abandon ship, leaving the 8000 passengers stranded without enough lifeboats and drifting unarmed in enemy territory. Aided by Mara, Nick must find a way off the doomed ship for himself and several other innocent people before deadly enemy forces reach them or the ship’s malfunctioning engines finish ticking down to self destruction.

But can Nick conquer the demons from his past that tell him he’ll fail these innocent people just as he failed to save his Special Forces team? Will he outpace his own doubts to win this vital race against time?

Now over to Veronica to share a bit about why she included children in her story. Welcome Veronica…

There are so many individual true stories connected to the sinking of the Titanic 100 years ago, most very tragic, a small number with happy endings. Particularly heart rending is the long list of children who perished, despite the well known fact that it was “women and children first” on the lifeboats. There were 112 children on board Titanic when she sailed and of that number, half survived and half did not. In First Class, six survived and one little girl perished (more on her in a minute). All 25 Second Class children survived and 25 of the 80 Third Class children survived.

  I can’t even imagine being a mother standing on the deck of the Titanic that freezing night, trying to decide what’s best for my children, can you? Get in a lifeboat? Stay on board the big ship (which must have seemed safer for at least a while, as the lifeboats were launched)?

 The youngest passenger on board was nine week old Milvina Dean. Although she obviously didn’t have her own memories of the sinking, her mother and brother shared their stories with her many times as she grew up. Lowered to the lifeboat in a canvas mail sack, she was one of the lucky steerage children who did survive, although her father sadly did not. She was the last survivor of the Titanic disaster to die, at age 97. Her brother, who also survived the sinking, passed away at the age of 80, on the anniversary of the day the Titanic struck the ice berg.

 My grandfather said he had a distant relative on Titanic who was a Second Class passenger, got off in a lifeboat and saved the life of a steerage baby that was placed in her arms as the boat lowered away. (Not Ms. Dean!) This relative kept the baby warm through the freezing night and even made plans to adopt the child until the mother, who also survived, located them on board the Carpathia. So that was a happy ending for one mother and child!

 Poor two year old little Lorraine Allison in First Class and her entire family except for her baby brother went down with the ship. The family’s nurse had taken the baby, who was her responsibility, and boarded a lifeboat early on, unbeknownst to the parents. It’s well documented that Mrs. Allison refused to leave the Titanic until the baby was located. Apparently no one knows why the nurse took the baby and left the ship without telling the parents but the outcome was certainly tragic, even if the young boy survived.

 As for the Steerage children, the crew did put out a call for Third Class women and children to come on deck and get into lifeboats fairly late in the sequence of events. By then there weren’t enough boats left, or enough time, to get them all safely off. Additionally, the confusion and panic must have been intense by that point, compounded by language difficulties. The Third Class passengers on Titanic hailed from many different countries including Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Argentina, Bulgaria and Lebanon.

 There were also three bellboys and one page boy on Titanic, ranging in age from about  14 to 17, who went down with the ship. Since they were crew, no one seems to have worried about trying to get them into lifeboats. The 1958 movie A Night to Remember shows them rebelliously smoking, lounging around in the salon, and waiting for orders that never came.

 When I decided to write Wreck of the Nebula Dream, my science fiction re-imagining of theTitanic, set in the far future, out among the stars, I knew I wanted to include some children. In order to portray the full scope of the tragedy my little group of struggling survivors includes Paolo, age 8, and his sister Gianna, age 3.

 Here’s a summary of the story I ended up writing:

Traveling unexpectedly aboard the luxury liner Nebula Dream on its maiden voyage across the galaxy, Sectors Special Forces Captain Nick Jameson is ready for ten relaxing days, and hoping to forget his last disastrous mission behind enemy lines. He figures he’ll gamble at the casino, take in the shows, maybe even have a shipboard fling with Mara Lyrae, the beautiful but reserved businesswoman he meets.

All his plans vaporize when the ship suffers a wreck of Titanic proportions. Captain and crew abandon ship, leaving the 8000 passengers stranded without enough lifeboats and drifting unarmed in enemy territory. Aided by Mara, Nick must find a way off the doomed ship for himself and several other innocent people before deadly enemy forces reach them or the ship’s malfunctioning engines finish ticking down to self destruction.

But can Nick conquer the demons from his past that tell him he’ll fail these innocent people just as he failed to save his Special Forces team? Will he outpace his own doubts to win this vital race against time?

And here’s a short excerpt from the scene where Nick and Mara attempt to rescue the children, who are trapped in part of their cabin by tons of debris. Khevan,  a member of an order of assassins/bodyguards, has joined forces with Nick earlier:

Nick and Khevan managed to move some of the lightweight panels out of the way, only to be faced with a tangled pile of circuitry, luggage, clothes, and finally, when they dug far enough, the door to the bathroom, which had been blown inward and warped to block the entrance to the children’s room.

“Paolo, are you okay?” Mara called, as Nick and Khevan took a break to assess the best way to proceed.

“Yes.” There was a pause. “But Mommy’s not awake yet. Gianna’s frightened.”

“Well, she’s a very little girl,” Mara reminded the boy soothingly, exchanging glances with Nick and Khevan. “She’s lucky to have a big brother like you.”

“Did you- did you see my Dad anywhere?”

Mara sighed. Taking a deep breath, she answered cheerful­ly, even while making a sad faced grimace to Nick. “No, sweetheart, I didn’t find him, but I’ve got the next best thing out here- a Special Forces captain and a D’nvannae Brother. Exactly like in an adventure holo, you know? They came for you and Gianna.”

“And Mommy.” The boy’s voice wavered.

Hand to her mouth, Mara nodded. “Yes, they’re here to help your mother, too.”

Nick dusted off his hands and rolled his shoulders, wincing with pain…. “I’m going to crawl under and see if I can’t force the bedroom door to open wider. Then the kids can make their way to me or I’ll work my way back to where they are. Either way, I’ll get them out….”

Wreck of the Nebula Dream  is available from Amazon  and Barnes & Noble  NOW at a special 99 cent  price.

You can find her at my blog or on Twitter!

Author Talks

I had the HUGE pleasure of going to hear my friend Fiona Palmer speak at Ballajura Library (in WA) last Wednesday night. She drew a fabulous crowd and was an absolute delight to listen to.

(Fiona Palmer (looking MUCH more glamorous than me) on the left and me on the right)

One of the reasons (aside from catching up, which we rarely get to do) was to see how one author handles a library talk. I’ve already been asked to go to two libraries and speak, which is kind of hard to believe for me. I can’t believe people might actually want to hear me rabbit on about my books. So I decided, that this was a good excuse to see Fiona and do a little research on the promotional and business side of writing.

Fiona spoke about how she started writing – her schooling background, life experiences, etc and how they led her to write the book that had been buzzing about in her head for years. She spoke freely and honestly about how she’s grown as a writer over the last seven years and then took questions from the audience about reading, writing and the business side of publishing. She handled all this fabulously and I now feel a lot more confident about getting up and doing a similar talk myself. Fiona also gave each attendee a bookmark and was available to sign books at chat at the end of the session.

I’ve asked a couple of other writer friends how they handle such talks and here’s a couple of other things that some authors do:

* Read from their current release

* Offer a prize for one attendee

*Leave swag (booksmarks and other promo things) on each seat – sometimes cross-promotional offering friends’ promo items (eg. bookmarks) as well

I’d love to hear from both readers and other authors about their experiences with author talks and what they like to do/get out of such an event.

Readers – what would you like authors to offer if you went to hear them talk?

Authors – what do you do when you speak at a library or other community event?