Liv Rancourt's Blog, page 50

What genre is it, anyway?

This week's guest blogger is the wonderful Ryder Islington. I took an on-line class with Ryder last year and  I have to confess that when I read her book, Ultimate Justice, I kept thinking about a really powerful scene she'd submitted for the class, and stressing over when this awful thing was going to happen to the characters. I shouldn't have worried. The scene  was from her next book. Meanwhile, I hope you'll all check out her post here, and click the link to the right to check out Ultimate Justice. It's an atmospheric, character-driven mystery that I know you'll enjoy.
Peace,
Liv

I can't tell you how many times I've heard a writer ask thisquestion. "I've written this book, and it has suspense and romance and comedyin it. What genre is it?" And so many times I've heard this response: "Justwrite the book you want to write and then figure out what to call it. It'sprobably the same kind of book you like to read."
We do have to write the books that are in us. But honing thegenre is important when it comes time to send out prepare a synopsis, send outqueries and actually sell your story. Agents and editors represent certaingenres, bookstores shelve according to genre, and readers choose booksaccording to genre. There are blended genres, like historical romance, romanticmystery, romantic cozy, or women's historical fiction.
Sometimes a new writer deliberately tries to create newcombinations, to be unique, and sometimes it just turns out that when the firstdraft is completed, it has elements of mystery, romance and drama, or someother combination. Or it doesn't seem to fit into any genre. I tried reallyhard to write an historical romance and ended up with a western. The subject ofgenre can be confusing even for experienced writers.
So how do we solve the problem of how to fit our wonderfulstories into some category seemingly created to make our lives harder?
When I started writing my debut novel, Ultimate Justice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery, the plan was for it tobe a thriller. Then it took a turn as an element of romance was introduced. Butwait, wasn't it really about the main character, Trey Fontaine, the FBI agent,and two homicide cops, which would make it a police procedural. After twenty orso revisions, I realized that the most important element of this story was themystery.  The mystery affects everycharacter in the book.
I am now of the opinion that while we are writing our firstdraft, we need to just write the story that is in us. And then when that firstcreative burst is over and it has been stashed away for a week or two, it'stime to read it fresh, bearing in mind that if it is to be sold in the currentmarket, it has to have a main category. What is the major plot about? Who is the main character and what makesthat character change throughout the story? What is the strongest element inthe story?  Chances are that if you writefiction, you read fiction, so you know about genres.
Go to the bookstore, or to Amazon.com, (or in my case, tothe five hundred or so books scattered about my home) and look at somecategories. Are there any authors whose work reminds you of your own? Don'tfall into the trap of comparing your skill with another writers'. The questionis not about the skill, but about the style, theme, pace, etc. Read some booksin the genres you think your story fits into, and analyze it. Who is the majorcharacter, and what happens to him/her? What do you see as the most importantpart of the plot?
Read books by authors whose work feels like yours and justsee if maybe your book fits into that genre. For me, the best example is GregIles. What feels similar between his writing and mine is the characterdevelopment. We both like to delve into characters.  And we both write at a medium pace. Turns outhe writes more in the thriller genre, but with a mystery. Whereas my book is amystery, with a little thriller genre thrown in. Don't get me wrong—I'm notprofessing to write as well as Greg Iles. But as I compared my story to thestories of my favorite authors, I found a familiar feel in his work.
So when writers ask me how to place their stories intogenres, I try to give them some direction that actually helps solve the issue.What genre is it? That's an important question for every writer. I found a wayto answer the question for myself. I hope my methods help others too.


UltimateJustice, A Trey Fontaine Mystery is receiving rave reviews from readers. http://www.ll-publications.com/ultimatejustice.html
The small townof Raven Bayou,Louisianaexplodes as old money meets racial tension, and tortured children turn thetable on abusive men. FBI Special Agent Trey Fontaine returns home to find thetown turned upside down with mutilated bodies. Working with local homicidedetectives, Trey is determined to get to the truth. A believer in empirical evidence, Trey ignores his instinctsuntil he stares into the face of the impossible, and has to choose between whathe wants to believe and the ugly truth.


A graduate of the University of Californiaand former officer for a large sheriff's department, RYDER ISLINGTON is now retired and doing what she loves: reading,writing, and gardening. She lives in Louisianawith her family, including a very large English Chocolate Lab, a very smallChinese pug, and a houseful of demanding cats. She can be contacted at RyderIslington@yahoo.com or visither blog at http://ryderislington.wordpress.com

The Versatile Blogger Award!

I have been nominated by Charity Parkerson for the Versatile Blogger Award!  I'm thrilled that people are having fun reading my blog, and I hope that I can continue to make it an entertaining place to visit.


Charity is a clever girl and multipublished author from Tennessee who created the Sinners Series. Yum!  You can check her out at charity-thesinners.blogspot.com/


Rules1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers for The Versatile Blogger Award
2. Add an image of the Versatile Blogger Award
3. In the same post, thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link back to their blog
4. In the same post, share 7 completely random pieces of information about yourself
5. In the same post, include this set of rules
6. Inform each nominated blogger of their nomination by posting a comment on each of their blogs

SEVEN RANDOM THINGYS

1] I've lived on four different islands (Chincoteague, VA, Mercer Island, WA, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Honolulu, Hawaii).
2] I hate fig newtons.
3] I am the Queen of Clutter (okay, if you've ever seen my house, you knew that).
4] I would much rather read the book than watch the movie.
5] The best thing about my house is the view of the sky.
6] My sister Liza did the cover art for my book.
7] My three closest friends are the same ages as my three sisters, who all live far away. Is it luck, or did I deliberately try to recreate my family?



15 NOMINEES1. Amanda Byrne at The Rubber Duck Brigade2. W.Lynn Chantale at Decadent Decisions3. Shannon O'Brien at Shannon O'Brien, Author4. Jillian Chantal at Jillian Chantal5. Empi Baryeh at Empi Baryeh's Blog6. Liberty Blake at Liberty's Spells7. K.H. LeMoyne at K.H. LeMoyne8. Zrinka Jelic at Zrinka Jelic - Romance Powered By History9. Darlene Fredette at Finding the Write Words10. Rabia Gale at Rabia Gale / writer at play11. Tami Clayton at Tami Clayton12. Ann Foweraker at Ann Foweraker13. Helen McMullin at Foofaraws from Helen14. Cora Ramos at Cora Ramos Blog15. Diana Lesire Brandmeyer at Diana Lesire Brandmeyer, pencildancer

Plans

I want to thank the patient people who've been following the evolution of this blog. Every time I check in to see if I've had any visitors, I get a little thrill when the answer is yes! And because I want to make it interesting and worth your reading minutes, I'm going to be making a few minor tweaks.


I'm going to be creating three blog posts a week. At least one will be from me, talking about life or writing or good books that I've read or whatever. Once a week I hope to host a guest, giving other writers a chance to talk about their work and you a chance to see what's hot off the e-press. And then the third post will be a random collection of amusement, maybe videos, maybe goofy photos, whatever. Well, I hope it'll be amusing, anyway.


So thanks for checking out what's going on here. True confession: I originally planned to post a video this morning, the one that shows how tough Seattle drivers have it in the snow. But then I thought, nah, we've had a tough enough week. The whole damned country is laughing at Seattle for shutting down over a little snowstorm. I don't want to jump in the pigpile. Heh.
Peace,
Liv

High School Applications

One morning last week after getting the kids off to school, I took mydaughter's completed high school applications to the two private schools she'sconsidering for next year. Naturally, one is her first choice and the other isa back-up. She had to write an essay for each, describing why she wanted tostart her freshman year in their hallowed halls. She wrote beautiful essays –if I do say so myself – and I believe she'd be an excellent candidate foreither school.
But she might end up with a rejection letter. Or two.
My heart breaks a little at the possibility. I've had almostfifty years to build up a hide that's tough enough to deal with rejection. I'vegotten turned down for jobs and for schools. I've auditioned for rock bandsthat didn't hire me. Heck, for the last few years I've called myself a writer.If that doesn't teach you about rejection, nothing will. I know that when ithappens, I'm going to feel sad for a couple minutes or a couple hours or acouple days, and then life will go on.
My daughter turns fourteen in just about a month. She'splayed for no-cut sports teams and sung with audition-free choirs. Other thanthe bumps and bruises that go along with being a middle school girl, she has very little experience with getting turneddown for something she really wants. I just hope she doesn't have to learn thislesson till she's a little older.
I might be more nervous than she is, because I KNOW whatdisappointment feels like. It sucks, but it makes you stronger. She should hearfrom both schools about the same time as her birthday. We've got a back-up tothe back-up plan if the worst happens, but at her party I want to hear anexcited bunch of girls talking about how they all got into the schoolsthey wanted, my daughter included. And if you've got a minute, send somepositive energy our way.Peace,Liv

Sophie's Snow Day

"A snowstorm can be a life changing event. Just ask Sophie."
I'm very happy to welcome another one of the authors from the "Snowbound Hearts" anthology, Ms. Jillian Chantal. Jillian's story, Sophie's Snow Day, takes the anthology's theme in an unexpected direction, and will warm you up better than a fire in the fireplace.  I won't say any more, because I don't want to give anything away. The picture to the right of this post hides a link to the SMP site, so you can check it out for yourself. Thanks so much, Jillian! Maybe next time I can come visit you for reals on a beach in sunny Florida.Peace,Liv

Thanks for having me here as a guest, Liv. I'm always happy to visit myfriends and chat a bit. I'm Jillian and I have a story in the SnowboundHearts anthology published by Still Moments Publishing. My story is called Sophie'sSnow Day. Since the anthology consists of stories of people caught in asnow storm or snowed in, I thought maybe most of the submissions would relateto the remote cabin in the woods type of snow-in, so even though I love theidea of that(and the cover photo makes me want to snuggle under blankets in acabin), I decided to make the setting of my story a city. Snow plows sometimestake their time clearing the roads and I thought that would be a different spinon the snowed-in theme.
I love a crackling fire and acold day. I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida now and we very rarely get snowbut I've lived and traveled to other places where it snows and always enjoyedit. As to driving in snow, not so much love there and I'm grateful thatI don't have to do that. When it snows in my town, the whole place shuts down.We don't have the equipment to deal with it since it's such a rarity. So, Iguess I can say I have been snowed in. Of course, 2 inches to you folksin the north is just a bit of precipitation just like to us down here inhurricane world, a tropical storm is merely a slight breeze. It's funny howperspectives are different across the globe. I love that.
I'm thrilled to be in thegreat company of the other writers in this anthology. I think all the storieswill be wonderful. If you read Sophie's Snow Day, I hope you like it asmuch as I enjoyed writing it. Sophie is a sassy girl and Tobias is, well,Tobias is just Tobias. I think you'll like him.
Thanks again for having mehere, Liv. I love to hear from readers. You can find me on the web at www.jillianchantal.comor Twitter at twitter.com/JillianChantal.
Bio: Jillian Chantal lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida, home of the sugar white sands and a little piece of paradise. She has a husband and two sons. In no particular order, she loves cats, travel, chocolate, theatre and boots. If she's not lounging by the pool or writing, she can usually be found shoe shopping.

And now, the time has come...

 It's finally here. Release day. My very first book, A Vampire's Deadly Delight, is available from Black Opal Books. You can see it on their website (www.blackopalbooks.com), or find it on Amazon (http://amzn.to/xXP99m) or Barnes and Noble (http://bit.ly/ygKs0l). I'm getting a little verklempt, typing in MY book title to those sites and seeing something pop up. 
And to celebrate, I'm going to....spend the morning up at Helene Madison pool, cheering on my little swimmer (okay, so in about 10 minute he'll be taller than his mother, but he'll always be my little boy). And at noon time we'll be at Ravenna gym, cheering for the Northgate Bulldogs. Go Dogs! And later, it'll be Mass as usual. 
Since I'm doing the no-grains diet thing, and Saturday is my sneaky beer night, I'll be making a toast tonight to the success of the book. Anyone who wants to join me, send me a text today, but if you're too far away, leave a suggestion in the comments as to what kind of beer I should drink. I'll only have one, so make it a good one! 
Peace,
Liv

Snowbanked

Returning home can hold the best surprises, especially whenlove's involved.
Hey gang, I've gotanother guest to welcome! Jennifer Daiker is the author of Snowbanked, a sweetand spicy little story found in the "Snowbound Hearts" anthology from Still MomentsPublishing. Parker's a small-town girl who left behind the man of her dreams tomove to California, and ends up torn between her love for sunny beaches andsomething much hotter that she finds on a trip back home. Check out thisinterview with Jennifer and after that, take a look over to your right to thelink to "Snowbound Hearts". Thanks Jennifer, for the visit, and for sharing this part of yourself. Peace,Liv
1. Snowbanked is such acool title. How did you come up with it?Myhusband did. Yup, I'm willing to admit that. He'd also want me to tell you thathe came up with my blog titled, Unedited. Apparently I'm not great with titles.It started off as Snow and an Ex, but I find this is much more fitting!
2. Which two or three authors wouldyou like to emulate?I want tostay me. Original, flirty, and fun. But if we're going on who I'd like to oneday be next too in a bookstore it'd be Talli Roland & Sophie Kinsella.
3. The small town/big city dynamicseems integral to the story. Do you have a preference for one or theother? I've comefrom a small town and hated it growing up. Moved to a big city and realized itwasn't all it's cracked up to be. I think home for the holidays resonatesbecause I get the warmth and welcome feeling I want to achieve, but the cityoffers plays, outdoor activities, the world at your fingertips. So a little ofboth!
4. Tell me about your writing. Doyou pretty much focus on romance, or are there other genres you work in? Why?I writechick lit, dystopian YA, and horrors. I like to mix it up. My moood depends onwhat path I'll take for the day. Normally it's what character is screaminglouder. Each of them have a story tell, and it's my job to make sure it comesacross as they'd like.
5. Are you a cat person or a dogperson? Why?Cats.They're independent and have personalities just like humans. I find them to befar more entertaining but I don't have to worry about leaving them for a roadtrip. They can fend for themselves.
6. What have been the keys to yoursuccess as a writer? Perserverence,patience, and support. Write when you don't feel like it, ask for advice whenyou need it, and allow yourself to act like a fool when writer's block hits.
Bio – Jennifer is a25 year old, Houston based writer, who can be found spending copious amounts oftime at her favorite bookshop, Blue Willow, eating far too many cupcakes, andwatching episodes of the Real Housewives. To be a part of the quirkiness,visit her blog: http://jenniferdaiker.blogspot.com).