Callie Hutton's Blog, page 12

Monday Magic Presents Synithia Williams!!

Please help me welcome Synitia Williams, who tells us a little bit about herself and her wonderful new book, You Can’t Plan Love.

Synithia Williams has loved romance novels since reading her first one at the age of 13. It was only natural that she would begin penning her own romances soon after. It wasn’t until 2010 that she began to actively pursue her dream of becoming a published author. Her first novel, You Can’t Plan Love, was released August 20, 2012 from Crimson Romance. When she isn’t writing, this Green Queen, as dubbed by the State Newspaper, works to improve air and water quality, while balancing the needs of her husband and two sons. You can learn more about Synithia, and her novel, by visiting her website, www.synithiawilliams.com, where she blogs about writing, life and relationships.

Callie: Now let’s throw a few questions at this talented author. Do you prefer redeemable villains, or like them nasty through and through?

Synithia: Make them nasty, but have a reason why. I don’t like a villain that’s evil with no reason behind it. I’d gone in depth with the villain in my book, but had to cut some of it during revisions. That’s one thing I wish could have stayed.

Callie: So you like a Rebel With A Cause?? How do you pick the names of your characters?

Synithia: Sometimes character names come easily, other times I’m struggling half way through the book. In You Can’t Plan Love, I struggled with the hero’s name before finally settling on Malcolm. I will skim through a baby name book just to see if something jumps out at me.

Callie: That’s a good method. Is finding the right title easy or hard?

Synithia: Hard! I am not good a naming books.

Callie:  Neither am I. A real challenge for me. What did you do immediately after receiving your first ‘call?’

Synithia: I got an email instead of a call. I read it quickly before jumping up and hopping around my house while chanting “They want my book!”

Callie:  That seems like a normal reaction, lol. Now for a few fun things:

Mountain home or beach house?

Why do I have to choose? Both! I love beaches in the summer and mountains in the fall.

Coffee or tea?

Once again, I gotta say both. I collect tea pots and make tea in the afternoons or evenings. But, I can’t get through a work day without having coffee first thing in the morning.

Jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers, or pencil skirt, silk blouse, and killer heels?

You’re gonna get sick of me I know. But I’m saying the first when I’m at home on the weekend and the latter while working. There’s nothing like seeing your calves accented by a pair of heels and a pencil skirt!

Carrie Underwood or Lady Gaga?

Katy Perry J

Now, about Synithia’s book. Here’s the blurb:

After several bad relationships, Kenyatta Copeland decides to control her love life with the same discernment she uses in her professional life.

Knowing firsthand the heartbreak that comes when desire and emotion rule a relationship, Kenyatta assumes marrying Brad Johnson will lead to a stable life. But as much as she believes she can plan her future, it’s hard to ignore the way her boss, Malcolm Patterson, ignites her passions with just one look. After Malcolm learns of her engagement, he makes a play for her heart and reminds her that passion between a man and a woman has its perks … but also its costs. When Brad suspects there’s more than work between Kenyatta and Malcolm, he works harder to keep Kenyatta by his side. Torn between her promise to marry Brad and her irrepressible longing for Malcolm, Kenyatta must decide if she can live her life in a passionless marriage of convenience or once again trust her heart. Yet Brad isn’t as perfect as he seems, and by the time Kenyatta realizes this it may be too late.

Thanks, Callie for having me on your blog!

Let’s show Synithia a little love. She’d be very happy to hear what you think of You Can’t Plan Love.

When Life Hands You Lemons...Write a Book!

When Life Hands You Lemons−Write a Book!
By: Callie Hutton

When I left my last full time job, I decided to work as a substitute teacher until I decided what to do next. When the school year ended, and I found I had a lot of time on my hands, I came up with an idea to keep myself busy.

Over the years, I’d done a lot of writing. I had a job where I did interviews and wrote stories for the company newsletter. I also wrote stories and articles that were published in magazines. But never anything more extensive than that.

I put together a very short story, and paper in hand, entered the local newspaper office in my town and asked for the senior editor. He was pleasant man and listened as I gave him a brief outline of my writing history, and offered him the sample of my writing I’d brought with me. Then I asked if he would consider giving me an assignment or two−not necessarily for pay.

He indicated they had a current opening, and would read over my sample and get back with me. The next day he called, and offered me the job, and told me to come the next morning for my first assignment. For pay!

My appointment was at 10:30, and at 10:00 he called to say his boss wanted to interview other people, and he would get back with me. Hmm. I wasn’t exactly crushed, but seriously annoyed.

I chewed on it for a bit, and decided to do what I’d always promised myself. I would write that romance novel! So I sat down at the computer and wrote a Historical romance. Then I wrote another one, and another one after that. I was having a ball. Friends and relatives read them and unless they were very good liars, really enjoyed them.

I started submitting one or two of them to publishers. Lots of rejections, but a few took the time to comment on what was wrong. I wrote two more. Re-wrote a lot. Entered contests and got more good advice. Finally, I joined a critique group and met the greatest ladies in the world, who reviewed, criticized, and in some cases, tore apart, the book I felt had the most potential, A Run For Love. I re-wrote some more.

One year and three months after I wrote the first word of that first book, I was offered a contract. I continued to write and re-write and submit. Two months after the first contract, I got contracts on two different books in one weekend.

Now I have the pleasure of visiting my local newspaper office to present them with a press release about the release of A Run For Love, now available from Soul Mate Publishing, and its sequel, A Wife By Christmas, also available at Soul Mate Publishing. I may also mention the third book, Annie’s Attic, from The Wild Rose Press, coming out in 2012.

Yes, I’m smiling.