Liv Rancourt's Blog, page 19

A Plotter's Delight

This is me, plotting...
So last week I sent Aqua Follies off to my agent, who will hopefully read it and love it and offer me tons of helpful comments to improve it.

And then she'll sell the hell out of it.
That's the plan.
I love it, and have high hopes for my little story about the coach of a synchronized swimming team who falls in love with a handsome trumpet player. The thing I liked best about working on it was digging into the 1950s. Once I got beyond the "Happy Days" clichés, I learned a lot of really cool stuff.
But that's not what this post is about. This is about what happens next. I set a goal of writing two novels this year, and a couple of novellas, and when I finished Aqua Follies I was really, really, really eager to put down my editing toolkit and just plain write.
Eager, but uncertain. I wasn't sure what direction to head. I blogged about that uncertainty HERE in my Spellbound Scribes post this month. I knew I wanted to work on something that reflected the diversity I see in real life, and I suspected it would have another historical setting. I also wanted to do another m/m romance. 
I'm so excited about the idea I came up with I can barely stand it. It's a two novel set, and the working titles are The Lyric Assassin & The Clockwork Monk. The first book is about Emma who's, well, a lyric soprano, and also a spy. She idolizes her older brother Trevor, and he plays a key role in this story. In the sequel, their roles will reverse. He'll be the POV character, and she'll be a main player. 


As soon as I finished dancing with glee for having come up with this concept, a funny thing happened. I wrote a few pages, just letting Emma speak, but I couldn't go any further until I had a better handle on the plot. Part of the reason may be that since the threads are going to wind from one book to the next, I needed to lay as much out as possible before I could really get started.

I spent the end of last week and all weekend brainstorming, and by Sunday afternoon - while the Seahawks were driving us all crazy - I'd hammered out a beat sheet for Emma's book. Even better, by using the template in Blake Snyder's Save the Cat, I'd been able to figure out how many pages, scenes, and word count each section should have.

Like, I know where I'm going. I'm not crazy like a cat behind the wheel of a car.

This will be my fifth full-length novel, and maybe that has something to do with it. Like many writers I tend to struggle with the middle. The set up is easy, and I know how I want it to end, but figuring out how to get from A to B can be a crap shoot. The coolest thing about developing the beat sheet was making a list of all kinds of possibilities for how to cover the big middle sections. I know I'm going to need X number of scenes, which will take X number of words, and the hero and the heroine have to buzz around each other while her brother's causing trouble and bombs are going off.

Oh hell yeah. It's gonna be fun.

Now I now some of you make THIS face when people talk about plotting...



But I'll tell you what. This is the best I've felt at the start of a project. Things may still turn to worms, and for sure some of my brilliant inspiration will end up in the discard pile, For now, though, I am ready to write.
So where do you fall on the plotter-to-pantser spectrum? Would a beat sheet give you hives, or do you write a synopsis of every chapter before you start?
Inquiring minds & all...Peace,Liv

Home Town Pride and the Perfect Cup of Coffee

See? It doesn't rain all the time.

So this post has no agenda. I'm not going to tell you about business plans or writing craft or some book you really ought to read. For just a few hundred words here, I'm going to squee! Because I live in a pretty cool place - and that's not just because a certain football team pulled a miracle out of their collective asses on a recent Sunday afternoon.

Don't even ask me how many times I listened to Macklemore's Can't Hold Us yesterday.

A couple months ago, my agent Margaret hit Seattle for a brief layover on her way to a conference. I picked her up at the airport and we drove into town to meet one of her other clients for lunch. Tracy writes mysteries based around a yoga studio - her newest, A Killer Retreat, just released - and as the three of us explored the city, both Tracy & I pointed out locations from our books.

That's right. It wasn't, "Oh Margaret, look over there. It's the Space Needle."

We were all, "Hey, right there is where so-and-so got killed," or "Up that block is where Ryan's parents' live."

(psst...Ryan's parents live only in my mind, and in the pages of a book...)

When you think of Seattle, what comes to mind? Rain? Coffee? Flannel shirts and hiking books? My Seattle has all that, along with really smart people who like to read books and watch movies. There's an ocean, a Sound, islands, two mountain ranges, and a whole bunch of lakes that regularly blow my mind with their beauty. There's a culture of politely independent thinking that some call the Seattle Freeze, but I tend to think of as doing my thing without getting in anyone else's way.

There's a mosque a couple blocks from my house, and there's a country band that rehearses in my basement. (The Fentons...They're awesome.) There's a surprising history of police corruption I learned about in my research for my novel Aqua Follies, and there's a stronger history and tradition of good jazz music that I hope to explore in an upcoming project. Our basketball team was stolen - I still can't watch an NBA game without getting pissed off - and our football team's gonna play for the Super Bowl again this year.

And yeah, you can get some pretty good coffee in this town.

Writing forces me to learn a city in ways I otherwise wouldn't, and on one level, the stories I set in Seattle are more like love letters. This is a cool place, and I want to share bits of it people otherwise wouldn't see.

Go Hawks!
Liv

If you've got a favorite city, or have set a book in your home town, tell us about it in the comments. Or if, you know, you just like coffee...

Cool photo of a not-so-attractive building.

Let Me Love You by Iris Blobel

You guys know how I'm infatuated with all things Australian, right? My sister married an Aussie 20-some years ago and has lived in Melbourne for just about as long. I haven't spent nearly enough time there, but it's really one of my favorite places on earth. At any rate, when I saw the chance for a promo post from author Iris Blobel, I was like, let's do this!

Iris lives in Melbourne, and her story is set there. Even better, it's about baseball! I do like stories about baseball players getting naughty. Clearly this book hits all kinds of sweet spots for me, so while I head over to Amazon, you keep reading, okay?


Blurb:

Oliver Dempsey, pitcher for a Melbourne baseball club, loves the women, and they love him…

But he keeps them at an arm’s length, and when he meets Tamara, he’s unprepared for the attraction he feels for her.  Told by his coach that she’s off limits, only draws him in more.

Tamara Amis moved to Melbourne to find some distance between her past and herself…

With the help of her uncle, the coach of a Melbourne baseball club, she quickly finds a job, and a place to live. Yet, one meeting with the handsome pitcher stirs unexpected emotions that threaten to overwhelm her.

It’s Oliver’s injury that brings them together, but as they find out about each other’s pasts, how can they be ready to share a future?

Buy Links: Publisher: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/product/let-me-love-you/Amazon Australia: http://bit.ly/1Aq2J7rAmazon US: http://amzn.to/1AzCCfBKobo Books: (tba)Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1u9xtVE


Author: Iris Blobel was born and raised in Germany and only immigrated to Australia in the late 1990s. Having had the travel bug most of her life, Iris spent some time living in Scotland, London, as well as Canada where she met her husband. Her love for putting her stories onto paper only emerged a few years back, but now her laptop is a constant companion. Iris resides west of Melbourne with her husband and her beautiful two daughters as well as their dog. Next to her job at a private school, she also presents a German Program at the local Community Radio.
Where to Find Me: My Blog: www.iris-b.blogspot.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/irisblobelGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4067254.Iris_BlobelTwitter: @_iris_bPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/iblobel/ Google+:  https://plus.google.com/107759085454255573026/posts
Excerpt:
Sweat ran down Oliver’s back, soaking his shirt. He’d been on the field for a couple of hours, but frustration grew in him with every ball he missed. He placed his hands on his knees and took a deep breath, fixing his stare at the ground. For Pete’s sake, he was a pitcher, not a hitter, and well known for his fastballs as well as his perfect curveballs. Alas, he had neglected his hitting. Today, his swing was below average, and, unable to focus, he walked over to the bench where he spotted Coach Becker shaking his head towards him.
Pointing his finger back towards the field, the coach said, “Head right back out there, Oliver. You need to improve your hand-eye coordination. I want to see more, and better.”
Oliver cursed under his breath. “It’s not going to happen. My shoulder’s killing me. It’s been a long day.”
Coach Erik Becker rubbed his face.
“It’s not gonna happen today,” Oliver persisted.
With a grimace on his face, his coach nodded.
"Righteo, call it a day. But I want you back out there again in the morning, though.”
Oliver eased off his gloves and shoved them into his back pocket, before removing his helmet. The coach gave him a gentle slap on his back. “I need you to concentrate more tomorrow. Remember what I told you. You need to focus on your proper stance as well as swinging the bat. Keep your eye on the ball as it comes towards you. Try to connect the bat with the ball, preferably at the fat of the bat. We have a game coming up soon. Go and deal with the shoulder issue. Check in for a massage.” Oliver wiped his forehead with his arm when he noticed a woman standing in the coach’s shadow. Raising his eyebrows, he nodded towards her as to ask who she was.
Erik turned slightly. “Oliver, this is my niece, Tamara. She’s moved here from Perth. Tamara, this is Oliver.”
Oliver extended his hand towards her. “Nice meeting you.”
She ignored his hand and took a step back. Taken aback by her reaction, Oliver instinctively checked his hand for dirt or sweat. Questioningly, he looked at his coach.
Erik ignored the situation and simply said, “Have your shower and see me before you head off to discuss your training schedule.”
Nodding, Oliver took another quick look at Tamara. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and he was puzzled by her expression. It seemed as if her intense blue eyes were trying to hide something. The distant look in them was almost mysterious, and combined with her body language, he couldn’t help but get the impression something was wrong. She was very guarded.
With one last look towards Tamara, Oliver turned and left.
As soon as he got to the locker room, he peeled off his t-shirt. Pain shot through him the instant he lifted his right shoulder. He’d been ignoring the twinge during the training session, but knew he had to have it looked at. The fucking skateboard rider had nearly knocked him over the previous day when he came out of nowhere. Oliver hadn’t had a chance to move out of the way fast enough and slammed his shoulder into a post.
He slowly stripped out of his track pants before grabbing a can of Coke out of his bag. Leaning against the wall, he chugged half of the drink while enjoying the quietness around him. Everyone else was still out on the field trying to please Coach Becker. He choked a laugh, hoping his mates would put Erik in a better mood than he had. They had a few important games over the next few weeks before the season ended, and for the first time in years, the club was doing well.
As he walked to the showers, he thought about his training session and wondered whether his shoulder was to blame for the bad hits, or his lack of training. But who was he kidding, he always liked to throw everything he had at people, yet was hopeless in receiving anything thrown at him. That applied in baseball and in life. When he’d been to see his first baseball game as a kid in Los Angeles, he’d known he was born to pitch.

Business Plan: Next Steps

Created as an exercise in the GIMP class I'm taking.
Last week I blogged about developing a business plan (here) using some of the ideas found in The 7 Step Business Plan For Writers, These seven steps cover the basics of planning - brainstorming goals, identifying themes, grouping and prioritizing, and detailing the specific tasks needed to accomplish your goals. For my own plan, I added two additional steps: checking my progress, and modifying my activities if things aren't working.

Remember: Plan - Do - Check - Act.

I'm not putting this out there because I'm some kind of business expert, or because I'm raking in the big bucks selling books. Quite the opposite, in fact, which is why I feel the need to take steps to regroup and refocus. There are no guarantees, though I'm optimistic that by both applying structure to my writing life and by taking it more seriously, I'll be able to accomplish more.

And I put it all in a blog post so people can learn along with me.

In my last post, I came up with several goals so I could create an example of a business plan. Over the weekend, I took another look at those goals and refined them. The thing to remember when you create goals is they should be within your control. Researching agents to query is within your control. Getting an offer from an agent isn't. Keep it concrete and do-able, and you'll increase your chances for success.

I looked at my new list of goals and came up with three themes. My next steps were to lay things out over the year, so I don't feel the pressure to do everything at once. For example, my project for January is to come up with a weekly schedule template, so that I have a set number of hours dedicated to writing, and I have a general idea of what I want to accomplish on any given day. My hope is that I'll be able to get more done in less time, because I won't be fooling around on Facebook during hours I know I should be writing. (Many of you probably already do this because it's common sense. Apparently I need special help.)

Here's what the time management goal looks like on my business plan:

Theme Goals Timing Action Items Evaluation Modification Increase Productivity Improve time management with a weekly schedule template January 1. Track activities for one week.2. Use data to create a weekly template that takes into account whether or not I’m working.3. Apply template to organize work. Use template for three months, then take a week to track activities


The Modification box is empty, but I'll fill it in this spring with my response to what I learn in the evaluation step. While I mostly work night shifts on the weekends, my work schedule can be variable, so coming up with a template might not be realistic. Even so, I think the exercise will be useful in helping me see how I'm really spending my time.
Another example of how I took timing into consideration is this goal from my second theme, Increase Visibility.
Theme Goals Timing Action Items Evaluation Modification Increase Visibility Develop one writing-related class. Summer 1. Brainstorm topics.2. Talk to Rhay about what makes a good e-class.3. Generate a list of possible teaching opportunities.4. Apply for teaching opportunities After I present a class, track how much fun I had and if I sold any books as a result.

I like to teach, and I've learned a lot in the last five years. Hopefully I'll be able to turn that knowledge around and share it with others. Which is all very worthy, but if I had to deal with this at the same time I'm coming up with a schedule template and blogging and keeping up the (crazy high) word count goal I set myself, I'd implode. So I set this project aside for next summer. If an opportunity slaps me in the face between now and then, I'll take action, but for the most part this is something I'll set aside for now.

The plan I created is pretty comprehensive, but it doesn't cover every possible action I could take to develop myself as a writer. For example, I haven't made enter (x-number) contests a goal. I know contests are a great way of getting your name out, but they're not something I get all excited about. With my plan in mind, the next time someone suggests I enter a contest, I can smile and nod, knowing it's not on my list of goal/action items so I don't have to feel guilty for saying no. Now, if in six months or a year I haven't seen much progress, I can go to my evaluation/modification columns and add enter contests to my bullet points, if I think that'll move me ahead faster.

Bottom line: I've prioritized certain goals that I believe play to my strengths, and by limiting the number of those goals (2-4 for each of my three themes) I'll be able to hone in on these areas with less distraction.

One final thought about the evaluation step...I tried to keep things as discretely measurable as possible. One of my goals is to blog regularly, and the measure for that is to track blog hits. I'll also be looking at whether blogging interferes with my word count goals, which is a little more nebulous, but I want hard data wherever possible. Another goal is to publish two more of my short stories over the next six months, and for those I'll track Amazon sales rank and (if I can figure out how) author rank.

So, here are the bullet points for my writer's business plan:
Plan - do - check - actKeep goals within my controlConsider timing - I don't have to do it all at onceSpecific and focused but flexibleMeasurable outcomesWhen I started the post last week, I thought I'd need a few posts to cover everything, but this pretty much sums it up. The next time I blog about my business plan will be in a couple months, to take a look at how it's going - unless something relevant happens between now and then. Meantime, I hope you find something useful here. 
Cheers!Liv

Do you have a business plan or have you thought about developing one? Why or why not?

Love Undercover Blog Tour

Love Undercover by +Nana Prah Genre: Contemporary Romance, Women’s Fiction (Sweet, Multicultural)Publisher: Black Opal Books
Today I'm thrilled and excited to feature my friend Nana Prah. Nana lives in Ghana, so I've only ever met her on-line, but she's a lovely person. She's a nurse, as well as a writer, which makes us almost sisters, you know? I had the chance to read Love Undercover, and it's a fantastic book. My review is down below, but before you get to it, check out Nana's Top Ten list - it'll give you some hints as to why the book is so good.

~~~

Top 10 real life experiences in Love Undercover
One thing that many people don’t know is that Love Undercover is a romance based on an experience I had. Not the romance part, but the jail aspect. Without further delay I’d like to present 10 things that happen in Love Undercover that actually happened to me. My first cellmate was awesome. We would laugh all the freaking time. We had similar personalities and loved to have fun. She was a bisexual, but didn’t fancy me. I’m a heterosexual, but I was like why not? Still laughing about that. I butchered my eyebrows by attempting to shape them with thread. It was hilarious- even to meI was strip searched after having a visit (It was not fun in the least)There were some hot guards in that prison. But unfortunately I had no romantic liaisons with any of them (damn). Many of the detainees stories in the book are true. I’ve dramatized them just a tad.Most of what happened to one of the characters in the novel is what I went through, only I’ve never had a boob job (darn it).Sarita and I had the same second cellmate, only there was no fight in real life. The devil part is true, though- very scary.The library was awesome. No covert operations for me, even though it does happen in the system.We baked a cake. To this day I still find it weird, but it’s true.To the best of my knowledge there was no blind spot at the prison I was detained at. That came from my imagination so I could get some intimate scenes in there for Sarita and Matt.So there you have it. If you have any questions on what else is true in Love Undercover once you read it, just contact me and I’ll let you know.
  And you really must read this one, to see how these events unfold in the story...here's my review...

Love Undercover is the story of a government agent who is sent to a medium security prison to act as a body guard for the daughter of the South Korean President. The thing is, she has to show up a couple days before her target, to make things look realistic.

The other thing is, prison guard Mathew Carter rocks her world.

The romance was a lovely story thread, appropriately hot and awkward and satisfying. The story of the women in the prison, though - detainees from all over the world - would have fascinated and entertained me all on it's own. Every woman in the prison has her own adventure to tell, but they all share two things: they want to stay in the US, and they are being sent home. Ms. Prah does such an amazing job with the details, and this was one of the only prison stories where I believed that the setting was close to the real thing. The romance between Sarita and Mathew is the happy sugar frosting on a wonderful story cake, and one I can highly recommend.



Blurb
The last thing she expects is to fall in love with a prison guard…
Hotshot Secret Service Agent, Sarita Cerez is thrown into a medium security prison—for work. Her job is to protect the daughter of the president of South Korea. She never envisioned making friends with illegal immigrants or falling head over heels for one of the guards. Now the clandestine activity, which is integral to protecting her charge, may destroy her only chance at love.

He's never fraternized with the inmates—until he met her…
Matthew Carter always plays by the rules, which includes maintaining a strictly professional relationship with the inmates in his charge. But when Sarita saunters onto the unit, all bets are off. Her status as a deportee with a permanent ticket to Columbia means they can never be together, but try as he might, this doesn’t stop him from risking his career for her.
He's a man who values honesty above all else, and she lies for a living. Can two people from such different worlds find any common ground?


As they walked down the first flight of stairs, Sarita’s breath caught when she glanced at him. She missed her footing and would have gone head-over-ass down the steps if he hadn’t grabbed her.
The heat emanating from Matt’s body seeped into her. “Thanks. You saved me from a nasty fall.”
“You are so beautiful, Sarita.” His whispered words feathered over her cheek.
She moved forward as his lips came down on hers in a crushing kiss. The impact brought tears to her eyes and a whimper to her throat. He eased the pressure. She took the light pecks as his apology.
She desired his passion over such teasing gentleness. Her hand moved to the back of his head and held him against her mouth, opening for him as his tongue thrust in. She hung onto him for fear of tumbling down the stairs.
Swinging her around, he lifted her onto the railing, wrapping her legs around him. His hardness met the juncture of her thighs. The need to feel more of him suffused her. She rocked her hips and squeezed him closer when he moaned.
The sound of whistling broke through the haze. She eased her feet to the steps and they continued down the stairs as if she hadn’t been about to rip off his shirt.
She held onto the railing so her wobbly legs wouldn’t slide out from under her. She chanced a glance up and saw the camera. How could she have forgotten where they were?
He looked back at the space they’d just vacated and raised an eyebrow. “Blind spot,” he whispered. “Didn’t you know?”


Buy linksAmazon / Smashwords / Barnes and Noble/ ARe / Kobo


About the authorNana Prah is a multi-published author of contemporary, multicultural romance. Her books are sweet with a touch of spice. When she’s not writing she’s reading, indulging in chocolate, and enjoying life with friends and family.
Contact detailsBlog : www.nanaprah.blogspot.comTwitter: @NanaPrahFacebook: Nana Prah, AuthorGoodreads: Nana PrahGoogle + :  Nana Prah   Tsu: https://www.tsu.co/NanaPrah


Nana is giving away a $44 Amazon or Smashwords Gift Card
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Developing A Business Plan - Step One

I can do this. Yes I can.
So here's the thing. I started getting serious about writing the year I blew out the disk in my back. Up until that point in my life, my main hobby was needlework - very fancy embroidery in all different styles. The back injury made sitting for long periods a real problem, which made needlework a real problem. I couldn't stitch, but - laying on my belly with a pencil and paper - I could write.

And while I was laying on my belly, attempting to write fiction for the first time since college, I realized I was almost 50 years old, and if I didn't get to it, my lifelong dream of Being A Writer wasn't going to happen. I put my focus on writing, learning what I could about craft and technique, but most of all DOING it, and five years later, here I am,

Being A Writer.

More or less.

After five years, it's time to take stock and to organize my thoughts on how to proceed. By the end of 2014, I felt like I was spending a lot of time flailing, without getting a whole lot accomplished. In order to increase my productivity and to move my writing to the next level (= sell more books), I've decided it's time to develop a business plan. I'm willing to work at this writing thing, to give it my time and energy and passion, but want to work smarter.

I want to get more done.

Back in the day, I survived a short stint in management, and in addition to learning I didn't like managing people, I picked up a few ideas about putting together a strategic plan. Then, in getting ready for this blog entry, I did a quick google search and found a wonderful post by Angela Ackerman, who co-wrote The Emotion Thesaurus. Her post, The 7 Step Business Plan for Writers, does an excellent job of explaining the steps involved in coming up with a business plan.

The basic steps in Ms. Ackerman's post involve brainstorming your goals, identifying themes, grouping and prioritizing, identifying areas for focus & the steps it'll take to meet your goals, and putting it all on one page. I would add that it's important to build in a way of evaluating your progress and reconfiguring things as needed. I mean, there's no point in doing something that's not working in June just because you thought it'd be a good idea in January, right?

I totally stole this from the interwebs, but you get the idea.

The seven steps in Ms. Ackerman's blog post are the planning and the doing, and to that I'd add a way of checking on my progress, then acting, or adjusting my activities to better accomplish my goals. One of the key ideas when you're brainstorming your goals (the planning phase) is to make sure they're within your control. Getting a book contract from Publisher Z may be your secret - or not so secret - desire, but ultimately you don't control the outcome. Writing a sequel or making a list of publishers to submit to are concrete, measurable, and in your control.

Those are the goals you should focus on.

Over the next couple weeks, I'll be developing my business plan and blogging about it, then periodically check back in to see how it's going. For example, here's a quick list of goals that might make it into my final plan.
Self-publish at least two more of the short stories from Still Moments Publishing.Work with Margaret to get Aqua Follies edited and ready for submission.Dedicate two hours a day to WRITING, with the internet turned OFF.Identify my next project, whether it's a sequel to something I've already got or a completely new idea.Take at least three craft-related classes in 2015.Develop blog posts suitable for guest shots on higher profile blogs.Develop the skills to create my own cover art and promotional materials.Now, while I was brainstorming I noticed a couple things. These are all concrete tasks that are within my ability to complete. However, they're steps, small elements that make up a couple bigger pictures. As it said in the 7 Steps blog post, once you come up with your list of goals, you group them according to theme. Given what I've got on my quick brainstorm list, I'd say my three themes are:Increase productivity.Refine My skills.Further develop my author's platform.If those are my themes, then the first two steps of my business plan might look like this:
Themes Goals Increase Productivity Work with Margaret to get Aqua Follies edited and ready for submission.Dedicate two hours a day to WRITING, with the internet turned OFF.Identify my next project, whether it's a sequel to something I've already got or a completely new idea. Refine My Skills Take at least three craft-related classes in 2015.Develop the skills to create my own cover art and promotional materials. Develop Author’s Platform Self-publish at least two more of the short stories from Still Moments Publishing.Develop blog posts suitable for guest shots on higher-profile blogs.


I hope this gives you an idea about the first couple steps in the process. While I suspect the three themes are pretty solid, the actual goals may get some tweaking before I hit print on my final plan. I'll be back some time next week with another post on the next couple steps in my plan. Meanwhile, you should be writing. Me too. Write on!
Peace,
Liv

BTW, are you developing a business plan? Have you gone through these steps before? What worked for you?

Eradicating Thats, or, Pet Words & Why We Love Them

Scene from the Aqua Follies, part of Seattle's 1950s Seafair celebration.
For the last two days, I've been working on lowering the number of times the word "that" appears in my current WIP, Aqua Follies. I started at just under 360. I'm at 136 now, and my goal is to get it down to around 50. 

Yep, my WIP is on a that diet.

And when I'm done with that (heh), I'm going to move on to the next word on my Pet Word List.

Was.

Now, was is a fairly useful word. I mean, states of being are ubiquitous, unless the story is happening in a vacuum. (Momentary existential tangent!) On my was pass, I'll look for examples of passive voice construction - and the reasons for avoiding passive voice make a whole 'nother blog post. (Though you can jump HERE for some examples of the difference between passive and active voice.)

Pet words are a problem for a number of reasons, but the most important one is they make your work boring. With all the words in the English language, you're going to make me read just 400 times in your novel? Seriously? Or then there was the NYT bestselling author who started three sentences in the same paragraph with the word meanwhile. Monotonous, careless, and actually kind of funny, in a not-terribly-amusing way.

I find if I repeat a word too often, I'm writing lazy. When I do a pet word search to clean up the frequent flyers, I almost always improve clarity, and often manage to communicate my meaning in fewer words. Consider the next couple sentences...

Jack Dodson was slender, with a receding hairline and a gaze that said just get to the point.

OR

Jack Dodson was slender, with a receding hairline and a just-get-to-the-point gaze.

IMHO (and you're welcome to disagree) the edited version is cleaner and  tighter. It gets rid of the micro-conflict created by "gaze...said", which could be kind of fun, but could also be tiresome if it bumps the reader either because gazes don't speak or because it's heading toward clicheville.

Clicheville. The place you never, ever want to go.

Here's another example of how getting rid of a pet word like that can improve your language. This edit has the added bonus of getting rid of a was, too.

The other verdict Russell reached was that regardless of how things worked out with Skip, he wanted to stay in Seattle, where he could smell the salty ocean air from just about everywhere, and where he could walk into a bar with other men who thought like he did.

OR

His moment of insight brought him to a second conclusion. Regardless of how things worked out with Skip, Russell wanted to stay in Seattle...

They both deliver the same information, but I think the second version is a little more polished, which fits better with the upper middle-class, college educated POV character.

So pet words make your work boring, and fixing them will make your writing stronger. Sounds simple, right? Except for the fact that I've spent the last two days eradicating thats, and I've got about 20 other words on my list. 

This might take a while.

The subject of pet words has come up on a couple different Facebook groups I'm on, and minimizing pet words is the kind of thing that'll impress a prospective agent or editor. My observation has been that my pet words change, depending on the project I'm working on, which is why I keep a running list. Writing teacher Rayne Hall will say that a word shouldn't appear more than one time in 1000 words, so I use that as my general rule of thumb.


What about you? Do you have pet words that turn up again and again in your manuscript? If you're not sure, jump HERE to a pretty good blog post that includes a list of common pet words. Check it out, then see how many times you use some of these in your work. (And you'll get bonus points if you leave your top three pet words in the comments!)

Peace,
Liv

Call Sign Karma - Release Day Event (#CALLSIGNKARMA)

 
Today we are celebrating the release of CALL SIGN KARMA, a contemporary romance title by debut author Jamie Rae. Be sure to check out the teasers and contest below! 
 
CALL SIGN KARMA Synopsis: 
Love in the no-fly zone…Distraught over the loss of her brother in a fighter jet accident, Tinklee Pinkerton decides to follow in his footsteps and prove the tragedy wasn’t his fault. But when she’s chosen as the first woman to fly the Air Force’s F-35, her plan for a life that revolves around work is thrown off course by a handsome, mysterious stranger…Thanks to Locke’s seductive British accent, sweet nature, and one too many beers, Tink is soon inspired to throw caution to the wind and herself into his arms. She thinks maybe love can heal after all—until she discovers Locke is her superior officer. Tink has no problem risking her life in the air, but with everything on the line, is she brave enough to risk her heart on the ground?
 



BUY LINKS:Amazon: http://amzn.to/1DiR2jSB&N - http://bit.ly/1BvGf4WiTunes: http://bit.ly/1F3djqoKobo: http://bit.ly/14m1I5E 
a Rafflecopter giveawayAUTHOR INFORMATION: JAMIE RAE is a New Adult and Young Adult author. She writes with one goal in mind--create stories with a positive message that will stay with the reader long after they've finished reading. Jamie is an avid reader and loves discovering stories with a great hook, though she will not eat, sleep, or speak until she reaches the end. The Harry Potter years weren't pretty!! Convinced that her Hogwarts letter was lost in the mail, she keeps a watchful eye for owls hoping her children will have better luck! In her other life, Jamie Rae is an orthodontist, and literary agent. She keeps her heart overflowing with love as a mother of three and has perfected the art of nomadic living as a military spouse and Air Force veteran. Jamie has a passion for critters of all shapes and sizes and you can often find her sneaking them into her own home or volunteering for rescues. Website: https://www.jamieraewrites.com/ Facebook Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/JamieRaeAuthorTwitter: https://twitter.com/JamieRaeWritesGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8295257.Jamie_Rae  

No Kissing Allowed!! (#NoKissBlogfest)

Not....quite....kissing...
The point of this little exercise, my darlings, is to tease you, to draw you into a character's mind, to take you to the very edge where you can feel their warmth and sweet breath.

But NO KISSING.

Nope. None.

And after you read my snippet, you'll click the link below to see a listing of all the blogs participating in this little blogfest, so you can do it (or NOT, because NO KISSING) again and again and again. There are some truly fantastic writers participating here - and I want to give a shout-out to Amanda for organizing us. You should totally check out all the posts, and see all the creative ways they torment their characters.

Because NO KISSING, remember?

The snippet below is from my current WIP. The story is set in 1955, and Russell's the assistant coach for a synchronized swimming team who travels to Seattle to perform in the annual Seafair event, the Aqua Follies. He meets Skip, a trumpet player in the show's band, and despite Russell's best intentions, he finds himself falling for another man. Right here they're on a hike through the woods, up by Deception Pass...

“Russ.” Skip’s voice chased him. “Russell. Come on. I’m sorry.” Braced against a tree by his forearm, Skip’s chest heaved as he fought for breath. “I’m an ass.” He doubled over coughing. Russell jogged back in Skip’s direction, chagrined at himself for the drama. “Naw.” He focused on the fabric of the other man’s shirt to avoid the deep water intensity of his gaze.“Yeah I am.” Skip somehow gave the benign statement a seductive edge.Russell memorized the small fray in Skip’s right cuff, the worn patches on the knees of his dungarees, the shadow of a beard under his lower lip. Anything but his eyes, his smile. “Let’s hike some more.”“Now you’re trying to kill me.” Skip scuffed through the fallen, crumbled leaves, coming close enough to clasp Russell’s shoulder.Russell froze, caught on the edge of a blade. “What?” His voice was raspy and raw. Skip’s spicy scent made Russell want him closer still. “I like strong men, smart men,” Skip whispered. “Always have.”Russell closed his eyes, paralyzed by competing urges: to put his fist in Skip’s face or to run away fast. Or to turn around and kiss him.“Come out with me tonight, after the show.”Balanced on a high wire between wanting and fear, Russell couldn’t find it in himself to respond.
Susie ran up through the trees, Ryker right behind her. “Your aunt’s blowing her whistle, Russ. We’ve got to get back.”

By now, Russell's resistance to Skip has almost completely worn away, but they've still got a ways to go before they find their HEA. But for you fine souls, click HERE to carry on with the blogfest. You'll find the master list of participating blogs, and there'll be all kinds of heat, but NO KISSING.

Have fun!
Liv

My Favorite Books in 2014

This year I did something new. I started a Pinterest board to keep track of all the books I've read. Last January, I didn't truly expect to be pinning to the board in December, but here I am, still at it. (Jump HERE to take a look at my board.) There are 117 pins, and while last summer I didn't think I'd ever be able to come up with a list of ten favorites, it seems that having a little time and distance from the stories made it possible.

I'm not going to write full-on reviews here - just record a couple thoughts about why I liked the books. As you read through my choices, you'll likely notice a couple things. I'm not much into the literary fiction, and none of my favorites fell very far from the romance tree. Most of them are from the m/m (queer/lgbt) romance subgenre, and while the interwebs are full of opinions about middle aged straight women who read and write about gay men, it's what's working for me right now.

So here's my top ten list for 2014 - all books I loved, most of them I read at least a couple times, and all books I'd recommend in a heartbeat.



10. The Great Sex Olympics of 221B by Eli Easton.
This was a bit of a departure for me - first time reading Eli Easton and first time reading fanfic. It's about Sherlock & Watson, specifically the version of the characters created by the BBC, and lordy was it entertaining. This one was a free download, but I've got a couple other things by Ms. Easton on the kindle now.









9. This Rough Magic by Josh Lanyon
I love a good historical, and this one pretty much nailed it. It's a mystery with a sidecar of romance, and Mr. Lanyon totally sold me on the early 20th century San Francisco setting.












8. Glitterland by Alexis Hall
I think Alexis Hall is doing some of the most imaginative work of any writer, any genre, anywhere. He made me like Ash, who's really kind of a jerk. ;) Here's a link to my review from last February.










7. Love Hacked by Penny Reid
So...mea culpa...when I reviewed this book last April (HERE), I said I liked it, but it wouldn't make my top ten list.
Yeah.
Wrong about that.
Smart and funny and sexy, this one stayed with me. It's hard to do contemporary romance well - I mean, come on, how many reasons can you come up with that a couple of healthy heterosexuals WOULDN'T get together? - but the conflict felt real and the characters rang true.






6. The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles
I don't even know where to begin with this one. It's the first in a trilogy. It's romantic fantasy, the kind of re-imagined history I eat up with a spoon. It's a heckuva lot of fun, and I hope you skip on over to the ebook retailer of your choice and grab a copy!











5. Hold on Tight by Serena Bell
I'm not one for the angst, but a friend (ahem, Amanda) INSISTED I read this one, and I'm so glad she did. The raw honesty in this story of what happens when life tears a couple apart, then throws them back together made for a "stay up way late after a night shift because I can't put the book down" kind of read.










4. Hainted by Jordan L. Hawk
Ms. Hawk has a couple other very popular series, and while I've read parts of them (and liked them a lot), this is the book that grabbed me. I love the combination of mythology and setting and characters (Dan! and Leif!). I can't even tell you how many times I've re-read this one, and every time, I like it even more.









3. Enlightenment (trilogy) by Joanna Chambers
I'm counting these three (Provoked, Beguiled, and Enlightened) as a single entry because the endings of the first two are sort of cliffhangerish, or at least unresolved, so they really can be read as one. The sample of the first book absolutely gutted me, and I knew I had to read the rest. When I think of Ms. Chambers' writing, words like elegant and restrained come to mind (although her naughty bits are fun, too), and I'm absolutely in love with the way she handled the historical setting. Brilliant!






2. Prosperity by Alexis Hall
Yeah, Mr. Hall made my list twice, because he's really that good. HERE's my review of Prosperity, but just to recap, this is one of the boldest, most imaginative books I've read all year. It's a demanding book - all in dialect - but SO worth the effort. Even better, there are a bunch of stories set in the same world that'll be coming out soon!






1. Think of England by KJ Charles
The thing that set this book apart for me was the subtle, unapologetic understanding of it's period, as well as the connection to it's heritage. And yeah, since that heritage is Victorian pulp fiction, specifically King Solomon's Mines, you know you're in for a good time. In the interest of saving us both from embarrassment, I'm going to spare you the fangirl squeeing. Just read it. It's really, really good.
(Here's a link to my Goodreads review.)





Best Anthology - I read a number of anthologies this year - a couple of great holiday sets from Carina, another rather unfortunately called Butt Ninjas from Hell that was way better than it's title, but it was Another Place In Time that resonated most with me. The stories are consistently good, and confirmed my love of historical fiction, especially the m/m variety.









Apparently the only way I could come up with a top-ten list was to let myself go wild with the honorable mentions. Here they are (in no discernible order)...
Hot Head, The Quick, Special Delivery, Liesmith, Circus of the Damned, The Theory of Attraction, Dangerously Happy, Catch A Ghost/ Long Time Gone/ Daylight Again, Snowball in Hell, The Haunting of Maddie Clare, Bad Boys Do, A Companion to Wolves, Cold Copper

Thanks so much for hanging out with me this year, whether on Facebook or twitter, over here on blogspot or on my website blog. It's been an adventure, one I'm happy to have shared with you. Happy New Year!
Liv