E.J. Wesley's Blog, page 3
May 22, 2014
How I Found The Write Path
Hey, gang! What if we could write a letter to our past selves and share the wisdom we've learned along the long, bumpy writer's road?
Or, like in my case, just say:
"Never attempt a story in second person omniscient with multiple POVs and a sentient, singing goat...
SERIOUSLY, PAST E.J., FOR THE LOVE OF BETA READERS EVERYWHERE, NEVER DO THAT! IF YOU DO, I'LL FUTURE-SLAP YOUR ASS BACK TO THE WOMB AND HOPE OUR EAR CANALS--AND SOME SELF-PRESERVATION INSTINCT--ACTUALLY DEVELOP THIS TIME!"
Just kidding, I've never tried that. (Although, the goat isn't a bad idea...) But I've certainly done my share of stupid things as I've crawled along one writing path after another. So naturally, the How I Found The Write Path blogfest was too good for me to pass up.
Here's the mission:
Please write a letter/note to yourself when you first started writing toward publication. The only thing I ask is that you keep it under 800 words, including as many (or as few) of these elements as you like:
- A lesson you learned the hard way
- Something you didn’t expect about the industry (positive/negative)
- A writing-related resource you could never do without now
- One thing you’d change about your journey
- One thing you’re glad you did
- Your number one tip for pursuing publication
- Anything else you feel is worth passing on
The blogfest is the brain child of Carrie Butler & P.K. Hrezo, and they plan on compiling all of this wisdom into a free eBook resource for growing writers.
Since this is for a good cause, AND it might actually see print, I'll try not to screw past me up too much. But I'm definitely going to give me a hard time, because I know I'll appreciate that. :)
HOW I FOUND THE WRITE PATH
TO: Past E.J. Wesley, Future author of the Moonsongs series
FROM: Future E.J. Wesley, Author of the Moonsongs series
CC: All of writerdom
Dear Past E.J.,
You're probably tripping out right now, but yes, you will actually publish something. Oh, and there'll be technology that will allow me to communicate with you and share wisdom and warnings from the future!
Whatever you do, do NOT take the bus on April 24, 2004. You'll get the last seat, forcing another man to wait for the next bus. He's a scientist, and you just caused him to miss a very important meeting. Furious, he'll set off a chain of events eventually leading to the melting of the polar icecap and the end of the world!
*waits for mind to explode and reassemble*
Calm down, I'm messing with you.
God, were we really that uptight and gullible?
I'm only here long enough to offer you a few words of writerly wisdom. Other than that, you're basically on your own.
Well, not completely alone. You're going to bump into a lot of writers along the way to that first publication. They're determined, vulnerable, creative, fun--basically, they're everything you're going to need to be to reach your goals.
These writing friends will carry you when you think you can't move forward, push you when you're too afraid to make the next jump, and be the first to cheer when you do cross the finish line. Get to know as many of them as you can, and always be willing to help them along in return.
You're just getting started. I know it's hard to see anything beyond the mountain you're staring up at, but there's karma involved in this writing business. The energy you put in, both positive and negative, always come back to you. So strive to be a force of positive energy in the writing community.
In fact, we'll call that one of Future E.J.'s writing proverbs. Let me share a few more with you:
You'll never be as talented of a writer as you want to be. That's a good thing.Quit worrying and write.Quit researching agents and write.Quit blogging so much and write.Quit eating so much red meat (seriously, you don't want to know what our cholesterol is going to look like at 32) and write.(You're getting the idea by now--just write.)
Throw away word counts and tell the story.Slow, fast, pantser, plotter--who cares, tell the story.Finding your voice requires listening to feedback. Focus on what your critique partners are saying you're doing right instead of fretting over things you're doing wrong.Fixing mistakes isn't nearly as important to your writing development as accentuating what you do well.Using first person POV is a good way to let your personality shine through your writing. If you get stuck trying to write like J.K. Rowling or Stephen King, give it a shot. (PRO TIP: You're never going to be J.K. Rowling or Stephen King ... also a good thing.)Until you've identified what's right and wrong with a story, it--and you--will never be as good as they can be. So embrace feedback, don't fear it.The real work of writing is in revisions. It's also the dividing line between authors and writers. You won't crossover until you learn to put just as much (or more) effort into perfecting the story as you did creating it.Stories aren't babies. They don't come out of your brain fully developed and beautiful, and you aren't obligated to love them just as they are. If you insist on calling a story your baby, then be a cruel parent. Judge them harshly, discipline them regularly, and never let them cut corners.The first thing you write that makes you wonder if others will think you're insane, evil, or suicidal for coming up with will likely be the best thing you've written. Do it again and again.If your rational brain thinks something you've written is funny, sexy, scary, or intense you're likely not going deep enough. When you start coming up with things you couldn't even imagine, you're onto something.Nothing is a waste of your time so long as you turn it into fuel for your writing. And in writing, everything can be used for fuel.Writer's block is just another expression for procrastination. Simply choose not to do it. (And--you guessed it--keep writing.)
The only truly unworthy story is the one that goes unwritten. So write them all. Once the words are out of your head, you've succeeded in furthering your craft and ability if nothing else.A writing career isn't what you think it is. It's better. All of the limitations you think you have, all of the barriers you imagine in front of you, and all of the failures you believe you've had will be stepping stones on a journey to always greater things. You'll only fail if you quit going.Well, that should be enough to get you started. There are plenty of non-writing lessons you'll learn along the way, like understanding that nothing in the publishing industry is certain. And to never trust anyone who says there's only one way to do something.
Those things, however, are always secondary to the writing. The words must always come first, and so long as you remember that you're going to be very proud of me ... I mean you. Us. We? Oh hell, just keep writing.
Sincerely,
Future E.J.
---------
Credit:
E.J. Wesley, author of the Moonsongs serieshttp://www.ejwesley.com
"I give permission for my entry to be included in the e-book compilation without royalties and/or separate compensation."
-----------
ONE NON-BLOGFEST THING OF NOTE: We're having Susan K. Quinn on New Adult Lit Chat tonight (Thursday, 9 PM E) if you'd care to listen in to what Sue has to say about jumpstarting your writing career, you can tune in here. Also, if you'd like to submit a question for Susan to answer on air, and enter for a chance to win a copy of her book 'The Indie Author Survival Guide' or a free consultation with her, fill out this form:
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Or, like in my case, just say:
"Never attempt a story in second person omniscient with multiple POVs and a sentient, singing goat...
SERIOUSLY, PAST E.J., FOR THE LOVE OF BETA READERS EVERYWHERE, NEVER DO THAT! IF YOU DO, I'LL FUTURE-SLAP YOUR ASS BACK TO THE WOMB AND HOPE OUR EAR CANALS--AND SOME SELF-PRESERVATION INSTINCT--ACTUALLY DEVELOP THIS TIME!"
Just kidding, I've never tried that. (Although, the goat isn't a bad idea...) But I've certainly done my share of stupid things as I've crawled along one writing path after another. So naturally, the How I Found The Write Path blogfest was too good for me to pass up.
Here's the mission:
Please write a letter/note to yourself when you first started writing toward publication. The only thing I ask is that you keep it under 800 words, including as many (or as few) of these elements as you like:
- A lesson you learned the hard way
- Something you didn’t expect about the industry (positive/negative)
- A writing-related resource you could never do without now
- One thing you’d change about your journey
- One thing you’re glad you did
- Your number one tip for pursuing publication
- Anything else you feel is worth passing on
The blogfest is the brain child of Carrie Butler & P.K. Hrezo, and they plan on compiling all of this wisdom into a free eBook resource for growing writers.
Since this is for a good cause, AND it might actually see print, I'll try not to screw past me up too much. But I'm definitely going to give me a hard time, because I know I'll appreciate that. :)
HOW I FOUND THE WRITE PATH
TO: Past E.J. Wesley, Future author of the Moonsongs series
FROM: Future E.J. Wesley, Author of the Moonsongs series
CC: All of writerdom
Dear Past E.J.,
You're probably tripping out right now, but yes, you will actually publish something. Oh, and there'll be technology that will allow me to communicate with you and share wisdom and warnings from the future!
Whatever you do, do NOT take the bus on April 24, 2004. You'll get the last seat, forcing another man to wait for the next bus. He's a scientist, and you just caused him to miss a very important meeting. Furious, he'll set off a chain of events eventually leading to the melting of the polar icecap and the end of the world!
*waits for mind to explode and reassemble*
Calm down, I'm messing with you.
God, were we really that uptight and gullible?
I'm only here long enough to offer you a few words of writerly wisdom. Other than that, you're basically on your own.
Well, not completely alone. You're going to bump into a lot of writers along the way to that first publication. They're determined, vulnerable, creative, fun--basically, they're everything you're going to need to be to reach your goals.
These writing friends will carry you when you think you can't move forward, push you when you're too afraid to make the next jump, and be the first to cheer when you do cross the finish line. Get to know as many of them as you can, and always be willing to help them along in return.
You're just getting started. I know it's hard to see anything beyond the mountain you're staring up at, but there's karma involved in this writing business. The energy you put in, both positive and negative, always come back to you. So strive to be a force of positive energy in the writing community.
In fact, we'll call that one of Future E.J.'s writing proverbs. Let me share a few more with you:
You'll never be as talented of a writer as you want to be. That's a good thing.Quit worrying and write.Quit researching agents and write.Quit blogging so much and write.Quit eating so much red meat (seriously, you don't want to know what our cholesterol is going to look like at 32) and write.(You're getting the idea by now--just write.)
Throw away word counts and tell the story.Slow, fast, pantser, plotter--who cares, tell the story.Finding your voice requires listening to feedback. Focus on what your critique partners are saying you're doing right instead of fretting over things you're doing wrong.Fixing mistakes isn't nearly as important to your writing development as accentuating what you do well.Using first person POV is a good way to let your personality shine through your writing. If you get stuck trying to write like J.K. Rowling or Stephen King, give it a shot. (PRO TIP: You're never going to be J.K. Rowling or Stephen King ... also a good thing.)Until you've identified what's right and wrong with a story, it--and you--will never be as good as they can be. So embrace feedback, don't fear it.The real work of writing is in revisions. It's also the dividing line between authors and writers. You won't crossover until you learn to put just as much (or more) effort into perfecting the story as you did creating it.Stories aren't babies. They don't come out of your brain fully developed and beautiful, and you aren't obligated to love them just as they are. If you insist on calling a story your baby, then be a cruel parent. Judge them harshly, discipline them regularly, and never let them cut corners.The first thing you write that makes you wonder if others will think you're insane, evil, or suicidal for coming up with will likely be the best thing you've written. Do it again and again.If your rational brain thinks something you've written is funny, sexy, scary, or intense you're likely not going deep enough. When you start coming up with things you couldn't even imagine, you're onto something.Nothing is a waste of your time so long as you turn it into fuel for your writing. And in writing, everything can be used for fuel.Writer's block is just another expression for procrastination. Simply choose not to do it. (And--you guessed it--keep writing.)
The only truly unworthy story is the one that goes unwritten. So write them all. Once the words are out of your head, you've succeeded in furthering your craft and ability if nothing else.A writing career isn't what you think it is. It's better. All of the limitations you think you have, all of the barriers you imagine in front of you, and all of the failures you believe you've had will be stepping stones on a journey to always greater things. You'll only fail if you quit going.Well, that should be enough to get you started. There are plenty of non-writing lessons you'll learn along the way, like understanding that nothing in the publishing industry is certain. And to never trust anyone who says there's only one way to do something.
Those things, however, are always secondary to the writing. The words must always come first, and so long as you remember that you're going to be very proud of me ... I mean you. Us. We? Oh hell, just keep writing.
Sincerely,
Future E.J.
---------
Credit:
E.J. Wesley, author of the Moonsongs serieshttp://www.ejwesley.com
"I give permission for my entry to be included in the e-book compilation without royalties and/or separate compensation."
-----------
ONE NON-BLOGFEST THING OF NOTE: We're having Susan K. Quinn on New Adult Lit Chat tonight (Thursday, 9 PM E) if you'd care to listen in to what Sue has to say about jumpstarting your writing career, you can tune in here. Also, if you'd like to submit a question for Susan to answer on air, and enter for a chance to win a copy of her book 'The Indie Author Survival Guide' or a free consultation with her, fill out this form:
Loading...
May 16, 2014
Not Dead Yet ... And Book Launch FYI
Hey, gang! Loooooonnnnnggggg time, no blog. :) So, I took most of A-Z month off, because--well, everyone was busy and I wasn't participating. Great time to disappear, right?
PLUS, I've got this novel I'm trying to get out in August. The final revisions are going great, just slowly. It'll be my first full-length novel, so I'm trying to really get it JUST right. (Cue the thieving blonde tramp and the hungry bears! Seriously, who steals food from bears anyway?!)
I'm also working on new Moonsongs stuff. (A spinoff short story for one of my characters, Marshal, is coming soon!) And I've also been busy over at New Adult Alley. We recently decided to divide an conquer, and I'm now working mostly on the website side of our operation You can sign up for our fantastic newsletter HERE if you're dying to have me show up in your inbox on occasion. :)
Then, there has been a lot of travel lately. We attended a wedding in South Carolina last week, and were away for a week prior to that for a vacation trip up the northern coast of California.
Here are some pics from those trips:
This guy was hanging out on the golf course near where we stayed in South Carolina!
I spotted him while riding a bicycle around the island.
This pooch had epic drool issues! LOL He was cursing around Charleston, SC.
Charleston scenery.
More Charleston scenery.
More Charleston scenery.
View from our No Cal hotel room!
There's a bird standing on top of the rock. :)
The seals had their pups out sunning with them. :)
My wife taking in the view on our bike ride. :)
We took a train ride through one of the redwood forests.
Sunlight through the trees.
At the feet of giants. :)
The trees were so tall I couldn't get far enough away to photo an entire one, so I improvised, and shot looking up from the base. :)
All together, I kind of just lost track of the blog. But I'm back now. :)
Speaking of blogs, I bumped into one of my favorite author-bloggers (Eve of The Desert Rocks & Intangible Hearts blogs) at our New Adult Lit Chat last night, and it made me realize how much I missed y'all!
So what's coming in this blog space? Details on great new releases and covers from my author friends, more of my thoughts on this writing adventure we're on, and I'll be incorporating a lot more of what we're doing over at NA Lit Chat (#NALitChat on the Twitters).
I've been remiss sharing all of my work over there, here. But so much of what we talk about can be applied to all kinds of writing and authors--not just New Adult--so I want to include y'all in that as much as possible from here on out.
Specifically, I wanted to pass along the transcripts from our chat last night. We had a couple of fantastic authors on as guests (Lynn Rush & Nazarea Andrews) to talk about book launches and share their tips & tactics.
Be sure to keep a pen and paper handy as you listen along (and read tweets), because there are a lot of useful things you'll want to stash away.
AUDIO
TWEETS
You can keep up with everything we've got cooking at the chats HERE.
Hope you've all been doing great, and I'm looking forward to reconnecting. Have a great weekend!
~EJW~
PLUS, I've got this novel I'm trying to get out in August. The final revisions are going great, just slowly. It'll be my first full-length novel, so I'm trying to really get it JUST right. (Cue the thieving blonde tramp and the hungry bears! Seriously, who steals food from bears anyway?!)
I'm also working on new Moonsongs stuff. (A spinoff short story for one of my characters, Marshal, is coming soon!) And I've also been busy over at New Adult Alley. We recently decided to divide an conquer, and I'm now working mostly on the website side of our operation You can sign up for our fantastic newsletter HERE if you're dying to have me show up in your inbox on occasion. :)
Then, there has been a lot of travel lately. We attended a wedding in South Carolina last week, and were away for a week prior to that for a vacation trip up the northern coast of California.
Here are some pics from those trips:
This guy was hanging out on the golf course near where we stayed in South Carolina!
I spotted him while riding a bicycle around the island.
This pooch had epic drool issues! LOL He was cursing around Charleston, SC.
Charleston scenery.
More Charleston scenery.
More Charleston scenery.
View from our No Cal hotel room!
There's a bird standing on top of the rock. :)
The seals had their pups out sunning with them. :)
My wife taking in the view on our bike ride. :)
We took a train ride through one of the redwood forests.
Sunlight through the trees.
At the feet of giants. :)
The trees were so tall I couldn't get far enough away to photo an entire one, so I improvised, and shot looking up from the base. :)All together, I kind of just lost track of the blog. But I'm back now. :)
Speaking of blogs, I bumped into one of my favorite author-bloggers (Eve of The Desert Rocks & Intangible Hearts blogs) at our New Adult Lit Chat last night, and it made me realize how much I missed y'all!
So what's coming in this blog space? Details on great new releases and covers from my author friends, more of my thoughts on this writing adventure we're on, and I'll be incorporating a lot more of what we're doing over at NA Lit Chat (#NALitChat on the Twitters).
I've been remiss sharing all of my work over there, here. But so much of what we talk about can be applied to all kinds of writing and authors--not just New Adult--so I want to include y'all in that as much as possible from here on out.
Specifically, I wanted to pass along the transcripts from our chat last night. We had a couple of fantastic authors on as guests (Lynn Rush & Nazarea Andrews) to talk about book launches and share their tips & tactics.
Be sure to keep a pen and paper handy as you listen along (and read tweets), because there are a lot of useful things you'll want to stash away.
AUDIO
TWEETS
You can keep up with everything we've got cooking at the chats HERE.
Hope you've all been doing great, and I'm looking forward to reconnecting. Have a great weekend!
~EJW~
April 15, 2014
Great Odin's Raven! Check These Sweet New Covers
Hey, gang! It's mid-April and tax day here in the US, so I'd imagine some of you could use a drink. *hands mead to all the A-Z-ers and the tax-poor* :)
Today, I'm sharing TWO fantastic new covers for a dear writer friend of mine. The talented (and cool!) S.T. Bende is re-releasing Elsker, the first book in her Elsker Saga with a shiny new coat of paint, AND she's giving us a prequel story, Tur.
These upcoming releases will lead up to a brand new book in the series (coming soon, I'm told ;). If you're fans of adventure, romance, and Norse mythology you definitely can't miss with these stories!
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for a giveaway opportunity.
~EJ
Elsker - The Elsker Saga #1
You don’t win the heart of an immortal assassin without making a few enemies along the way.
Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn’t exactly what she was expecting. He’s an honest to goodness Norse God - an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia’s crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms. Her orderly life just got very messy.
Tur - The Elsker Saga #0.5
Inga Andersson is the envy of every girl in Asgard. On the surface she has it all -- great friends, a job as Odin’s personal fight choreographer, and a happy ever after with her realm’s hottest assassin. But when evil invades Asgard, her perfect world comes crashing down. Someone is planning to kill off the gods, and Inga’s best friend Ull is first on their list. With the Norse apocalypse a nanosecond away, Inga has to decide how she’ll spend her final moments of freedom. Because from the moment this battle begins, Inga’s happily ever after will be nothing more than a memory.
Some things are worth fighting for.
S.T. Bende
Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of the musical Cats. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the ELSKER series. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day pastries will be considered a health food.
You can follow ST Bende on Twitter @stbende, or send an e-mail to stbende@gmail.com.
Connect with ST for all the latest news on the Elsker Saga!
BLOGFACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS
AND be sure to enter the cover reveal giveaway for a chance at scoring some goodies! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Today, I'm sharing TWO fantastic new covers for a dear writer friend of mine. The talented (and cool!) S.T. Bende is re-releasing Elsker, the first book in her Elsker Saga with a shiny new coat of paint, AND she's giving us a prequel story, Tur.
These upcoming releases will lead up to a brand new book in the series (coming soon, I'm told ;). If you're fans of adventure, romance, and Norse mythology you definitely can't miss with these stories!
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for a giveaway opportunity.
~EJ
Elsker - The Elsker Saga #1
You don’t win the heart of an immortal assassin without making a few enemies along the way.
Kristia Tostenson prefers Earl Grey to Grey Goose and book clubs to nightclubs, but when she transfers from her one-stoplight town to Cardiff University in Wales she falls in love with Ull Myhr. Her new boyfriend isn’t exactly what she was expecting. He’s an honest to goodness Norse God - an immortal assassin fated to die at Ragnarok, the battle destined to destroy Asgard and Earth. Kristia’s crazy visions are the only thing that can save their realms. Her orderly life just got very messy.
Tur - The Elsker Saga #0.5
Inga Andersson is the envy of every girl in Asgard. On the surface she has it all -- great friends, a job as Odin’s personal fight choreographer, and a happy ever after with her realm’s hottest assassin. But when evil invades Asgard, her perfect world comes crashing down. Someone is planning to kill off the gods, and Inga’s best friend Ull is first on their list. With the Norse apocalypse a nanosecond away, Inga has to decide how she’ll spend her final moments of freedom. Because from the moment this battle begins, Inga’s happily ever after will be nothing more than a memory.
Some things are worth fighting for.
S.T. Bende
Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, ST Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (became overly fond of Peet’s Coffee) and Europe… where she became overly fond of the musical Cats. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired the ELSKER series. She hopes her characters make you smile and that one day pastries will be considered a health food.
You can follow ST Bende on Twitter @stbende, or send an e-mail to stbende@gmail.com.
Connect with ST for all the latest news on the Elsker Saga!
BLOGFACEBOOK
GOODREADS
AND be sure to enter the cover reveal giveaway for a chance at scoring some goodies! :)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
April 3, 2014
Bringing the Texas Heat - Come Back Cover Reveal
Hey, gang! I'm sharing the cover of Come Back today. It's the debut novel of one of my FAVORITE people, Melissa Maygrove. She's a real-life Texan, and a gifted writer. I was privileged to be able to beta read Come Back, and I can tell you the heat doesn't stop with the sexy cover. :)
I'll have Melissa back in a few weeks for an interview, but for now enjoy the eye candy!
Hope all of you A to Z maniacs have started with a bang, and I look forward to checking out your themes over the course of the month.
~EJW~
Come Back
Cover design by Carrie Butler, Forward Authority Design ServicesSometimes a single choice alters the course of a person's life forever.
Left behind by everyone she loves...
Rebecca Garvey had the promise of a California future dreams are made of, until the wagon train her family was traveling with left her behind. Now she’s slowly dying in the wilderness, abandoned and stripped of her self-worth. Once the shock of her desertion turns to embittered despair, she doesn’t want to be found. Then a handsome stranger challenges her convictions and changes her mind.
Headed for Texas, chased by the demons of his past...
Seth Emerson knows exactly what he wants. Working to save for a cattle ranch of his own keeps him busy and keeps his pain buried. Rescuing a stubborn woman from the hills of New Mexico Territory isn’t part of his plan—but she’s exactly what he needs.
Making greater sacrifices than either of them could foresee...
Seth and Rebecca set off on a risky journey and a quest for truth, each healing the other’s love-starved soul along the way. Will they give in to their growing attraction? Or will they honor their commitments when Seth returns Rebecca to civilization... and her betrothed?
Title: Come BackAuthor: Melissa Maygrove
Genre: Western Historical RomanceCategory: Adult / New AdultPublisher: Truelove PressExpected release: May 12, 2014
ADD COME BACK ON GOODREADS!
Native Texan Melissa Maygrove is a wife, mother, nurse, freelance editor, and romance writer. When she's not busy caring for her tiny nursery patients or shuttling teenagers back and forth to after-school activities, she's hunched over her laptop, complicating the lives of her imaginary friends and playing matchmaker. Melissa loves books with unpretentious characters and unforgettable romance, and she strives to create those same kinds of stories for her readers.
FOLLOW MELISSA'S BLOG FOR ALL THE RELEASE DETAILS!
I'll have Melissa back in a few weeks for an interview, but for now enjoy the eye candy!
Hope all of you A to Z maniacs have started with a bang, and I look forward to checking out your themes over the course of the month.
~EJW~
Come Back
Cover design by Carrie Butler, Forward Authority Design ServicesSometimes a single choice alters the course of a person's life forever.Left behind by everyone she loves...
Rebecca Garvey had the promise of a California future dreams are made of, until the wagon train her family was traveling with left her behind. Now she’s slowly dying in the wilderness, abandoned and stripped of her self-worth. Once the shock of her desertion turns to embittered despair, she doesn’t want to be found. Then a handsome stranger challenges her convictions and changes her mind.
Headed for Texas, chased by the demons of his past...
Seth Emerson knows exactly what he wants. Working to save for a cattle ranch of his own keeps him busy and keeps his pain buried. Rescuing a stubborn woman from the hills of New Mexico Territory isn’t part of his plan—but she’s exactly what he needs.
Making greater sacrifices than either of them could foresee...
Seth and Rebecca set off on a risky journey and a quest for truth, each healing the other’s love-starved soul along the way. Will they give in to their growing attraction? Or will they honor their commitments when Seth returns Rebecca to civilization... and her betrothed?
Title: Come BackAuthor: Melissa Maygrove
Genre: Western Historical RomanceCategory: Adult / New AdultPublisher: Truelove PressExpected release: May 12, 2014
ADD COME BACK ON GOODREADS!
Native Texan Melissa Maygrove is a wife, mother, nurse, freelance editor, and romance writer. When she's not busy caring for her tiny nursery patients or shuttling teenagers back and forth to after-school activities, she's hunched over her laptop, complicating the lives of her imaginary friends and playing matchmaker. Melissa loves books with unpretentious characters and unforgettable romance, and she strives to create those same kinds of stories for her readers.FOLLOW MELISSA'S BLOG FOR ALL THE RELEASE DETAILS!
March 29, 2014
Children of Shadows Author Interview
Hey, gang! Very pleased to be bringing you today's interview with author Joleene Naylor. Jo is a friend and a very talented lady to boot. She runs a cover design business as well as being a fantastic author, and she does a lot of her own artwork for her promotional items.
Here are some trading cards she designed for her series--
Super cool, right?! Jo is giving away a set of these as a prize in her blog tour contest, so be sure to sign up at the end of the interview!I recently caught up with her to talk about the latest book in her Amaranthine vampire saga, Children of Shadows. Here's what she had to say!
EJ - Okay, true confession time: I JUST watched Interview With A Vampire for the first time (literally last weekend). Loved the dark, sophisticated, sexy, and gritty way it portrayed vampires, and it made me realize just how much modern pop culture has influenced those stories (not necessarily in a cool way--looking at you sparkly, emo fangers smh). ANYWAY, your Amaranthine series definitely seems like a throwback to a darker type of vampire story, and it had me wondering:
What were your vampire influences, and are you treading any new ground? Or is this series a serious throwback to our favorite night stalkers of yore?
Jo - I’m afraid my vampires have very little in common with the Edward Cullen’s of the world. They don’t go in the sunlight. (This is one of the few “cons” to being a vampire, and I think taking it away just makes vampires too strong – like writing an all powerful character that has no weakness.) They don’t go to high school, they fight, they kill, and even the heroes have been caught drinking human blood. They’re brutal and for the most part unapologetic for it. I’ve actually gotten complaints about it. If I had to pick something to compare it to, the movie version of Interview with the Vampire would actually be the closest. (I think the movie has a much darker tone than the book does.)
At the same time, my vampires are inhabiting the human world – our world – and sometimes they have to play by our rules. In Children of Shadows they travel across Europe, but they have to find ways around customs. They have to deal with police officers. There are consequences for their actions, especially for Katelina, the resident human. In the early books when she first leaves with Jorick she loses her job. She loses her apartment. Her mother reports her missing to the police. There’s no fairytale sunset where all their problems just go away. And nobody flies.
EJ - Children of Shadows is the sixth (!) book in the Amaranthine series--which is HUGE. I'm nearing the sixth story in my Moonsongs series, and they are short, so I've had a small taste of how difficult it can be to keep creating within the same universe. At this point (and probably after just the third story), for me it is purely love for the characters that keeps me writing that series.
What keeps pulling you back into Amaranthine? Do you have an endgame in mind, or is this going to be a series that grows until you no longer have anything to say?
Jo - I rarely know what’s going to happen. Children of Shadows was almost as surprising to me as to the readers, so I don’t really have a specific goal in mind, other than to write them until I run out of anything to do with them, or am so sick of them I want them to die. And even then I have so many interesting side characters and back stories that I could drop Katelina and Jorick and concentrate on those for years.
Part of my thinking comes from my own reading habits. I used to read Anne Rice’s vampire books – but only her vampire books. I never bothered with anything else she did. And when she came out with the non-Lestat vampire series, I skipped that, too. I liked the original core characters and their universe – they were why I read her books. Not for her prose, or her imagination, or for her, but for Lestat. It’s the same with JK Rowling. I loved the Harry Potter universe, but I haven’t read any of her other work. Tolkien had it right, I think. Almost everything he wrote, no matter how vastly different, fit into one universe, and so for a fan of the universe, you want to have them all. There’s a certain satisfaction in connecting the dots from one story to another, in seeing how an event on one story inadvertently shaped an event in someone else’s story.
EJ - Do you think vampire stories simply lend themselves to a long series? (They kind of go on un-living forever! LOL) And tell us a little bit about how you've fleshed out these eternal characters and their universe. (I know you've created spinoffs, trading cards, etc.)
Jo - Vampires are actually a branch of the fantasy genre, whether fantasy fans want to own up to that or not, and I think anything under that umbrella calls for at least a few books. Aside from the novels, there are a couple of free supplements. There is a mini prologue collection which goes along with Heart of the Raven, and then Tales from the Island is six short stories that fill in the gap between Heart of the Raven and Children of Shadows. I mentioned side characters in the last question, and I’ve done quite a bit with those as well. I have a short story collection called Vampire Morsels that’s made of seventeen short stories, each about different side characters from the first two books, and I’ve started Tales of the Executioners (The first story, Aine, is free right now on Smashwords, etc.) which will be a collection of short stories about the Executioners, the vampire’s elite police force. The trading cards are actually of the Executioners. I made them for the Ashes of Deceit (book four) release and found an extra set hiding out when we moved this summer, so it seemed a good time to dust them off and throw them in the Children of Shadows giveaway.
EJ - Most folks who follow my blog are other writers, do you have any tips or tools you could share for helping keep things straight when writing a series? I can't imagine the character timelines you've established over six books alone! :)
Jo - Yeah, there is a lot to keep track of. I’m sure I could use some really awesome software, but instead I just have a word document that is about 200 pages long and organized like an encyclopedia with alphabetized entries. Everything from individual vampires, to place descriptions, timelines, the rules of my universe, and more. So if I want to look up what Adam looked like, or who used to belong to Oren’s coven, or just when Jorick got arrested for kidnapping, I can scroll through my “navigation pane” and click on the appropriate heading. I’m actually considering making an Amaranthine Encyclopedia one of these days.
EJ - Last one! Why do we need to dive (bite?) into the Amaranthine universe, and what makes Children of Shadows the best yet in the series? Also, how can we find you and your books? (This is where I'll insert all of the bio info, links, etc you sent.)
Jo - Sharon Stogner, reviewer for I Smell Sheep, hit the nail on the head with what I was trying for with the series when she said, “It is a different look at what it would be like to be in love with a vampire. More realistic.” Children of Shadows is another dose of reality tinted, action packed excitement that sees the continuation of an evil master’s plans and the resurfacing of an extinct vampire cult that wants to wipe out the world.
The sixth installment of the Amaranthine series pulsates with the dark blood of vampire lore.
The Children of Shadows, a vampire cult not seen for hundreds of years, resurfaces to wage war on the vampire guilds. Led by a familiar face, the cult wreaks havoc while Katelina and Jorick are trapped in Munich. Ume, a mysterious vampiress, claims to know Verchiel and offers the help of her secret organization. But can they trust her?
As mysteries are solved, new ones appear. Why have the Children of Shadows returned, and is it really a former ally that leads them, or a look-alike? Legends rise and secrets are revealed in a world where vampires walk, drenched in blood and shadows. Though it is part of a series, each book is written so that you can pick the series up at any time and dive – or bite – right in.
An independent author, freelance artist, and photographer for fun who loves anime, music, and writing. Check out my vampire series Amaranthine at http://JoleeneNaylor.com or drop me a line at Joleene@JoleeneNaylor.com
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March 17, 2014
Spring Re-Freshening - Are Your Books Do for a Makeover?
Hey, gang! Hope all of you have had a great weekend and enjoy an even better week ahead. AND...
I've been busy overhauling the aesthetics of my Moonsongs series recently, and it has brought to mind a dilemma that indie authors (specifically) face:
When should we slap a new coat of paint on our catalogues? How often? Or better still, should we at all?
Here's my reasoning for making a change, and you can tell me if it makes sense to you:
- My stories are all in the same series and universe, yet I'm not sure my current covers would give much indication of that other than the words on the front.
- I'm thrilled when even one person reads my stories, but I'd always love more people to read them. I'm not breaking any sales records, so maybe a change of cover and labeling will help. (I've heard others say it can make a big difference.)
- My first story (Blood Fugue) has been out for well over a year, and I'll be releasing the 6th story soon-ish. This is a logical time to rebrand things and build momentum for the home stretch. (The series will end with #12--to hopefully be published by the end of this year or early next.)
- My current covers are very polarizing. Some people really like them, other people seem to literally hate them. I'm gambling that a more stylistically neutral cover will encourage those sitting on the fence to give them a shot.
- I've never been satisfied with calling these stories "books" because they're technically novelettes. (Moonsongs "books" just fit the series mechanics, and no one knows what a novelette is. LOL) I've seen other authors using television terms like 'episodes' and 'seasons' to label their serialized stories, and I think it's incredibly simple and easy to understand.
- One major tool indie authors have at their disposal is the ability to re-brand and market their work differently whenever they choose. It's a great way to keep your product fresh and visible. (Something businesses do in every industry.) I'm exercising my right. :)
My plan is to refresh the covers, update the electronic files (making sure my author bio matches my current public one, correct a couple of typos that snuck into final versions, make sure I've got my entire catalogue linked in each story, etc.), and evaluating/tweaking my product descriptions.
Here's a sneak peek at my cover overhaul (click the image to compare to the old covers):
I've still got a few tweaks to make, but I'm hoping the consistency (and toning down) in style will yield positive outcomes.
What about you? Have you thought about changing things up? Assuming you're not already a bestseller, do you think these types of changes can bring you more readers?
AND SPEAKING OF CHANGES...
Most of you know that I'm a contributor over at the New Adult Alley, and I wanted to share news on that front. Beginning in April, the Alley will be doing more than ever to bring all of the important information, fun, and insight on all things in New Adult literature right to your fingertips.
We have a new forum, newsletter, and more. For more details, click HERE.
~EJW~
I've been busy overhauling the aesthetics of my Moonsongs series recently, and it has brought to mind a dilemma that indie authors (specifically) face:
When should we slap a new coat of paint on our catalogues? How often? Or better still, should we at all?
Here's my reasoning for making a change, and you can tell me if it makes sense to you:
- My stories are all in the same series and universe, yet I'm not sure my current covers would give much indication of that other than the words on the front.
- I'm thrilled when even one person reads my stories, but I'd always love more people to read them. I'm not breaking any sales records, so maybe a change of cover and labeling will help. (I've heard others say it can make a big difference.)
- My first story (Blood Fugue) has been out for well over a year, and I'll be releasing the 6th story soon-ish. This is a logical time to rebrand things and build momentum for the home stretch. (The series will end with #12--to hopefully be published by the end of this year or early next.)
- My current covers are very polarizing. Some people really like them, other people seem to literally hate them. I'm gambling that a more stylistically neutral cover will encourage those sitting on the fence to give them a shot.
- I've never been satisfied with calling these stories "books" because they're technically novelettes. (Moonsongs "books" just fit the series mechanics, and no one knows what a novelette is. LOL) I've seen other authors using television terms like 'episodes' and 'seasons' to label their serialized stories, and I think it's incredibly simple and easy to understand.
- One major tool indie authors have at their disposal is the ability to re-brand and market their work differently whenever they choose. It's a great way to keep your product fresh and visible. (Something businesses do in every industry.) I'm exercising my right. :)
My plan is to refresh the covers, update the electronic files (making sure my author bio matches my current public one, correct a couple of typos that snuck into final versions, make sure I've got my entire catalogue linked in each story, etc.), and evaluating/tweaking my product descriptions.
Here's a sneak peek at my cover overhaul (click the image to compare to the old covers):
I've still got a few tweaks to make, but I'm hoping the consistency (and toning down) in style will yield positive outcomes.
What about you? Have you thought about changing things up? Assuming you're not already a bestseller, do you think these types of changes can bring you more readers?
AND SPEAKING OF CHANGES...
Most of you know that I'm a contributor over at the New Adult Alley, and I wanted to share news on that front. Beginning in April, the Alley will be doing more than ever to bring all of the important information, fun, and insight on all things in New Adult literature right to your fingertips.
We have a new forum, newsletter, and more. For more details, click HERE.
~EJW~
March 5, 2014
IWSG - Modern Author Problems
Hey, gang! It's time yet again for another round of Insecure Writer's Support Group goodness. What is the IWSG? It's a band of merry scribes who gather once monthly to share worries, encouragement, and perspectives on the creativity-enduced madness we call writing.
Sound like a good time? Click the pic below for more info, a list of bloggers who participate, and details on how to sign up!
Modern Author Problems
Like certain types of sharks, it seems the modern author has a motion problem. Well, a lack of motion problem anyway. If we aren't moving, we die.
Well, maybe more just sink to the bottom of the Internet ocean to settle on the bottom with all the other scuttled things. Which is troubling to folks who want their words to stand out, or at least float enough to be snagged in a reader's net on occasion.
This has been on my mind of late after I read THIS fantastic post by the inimitable Anne R. Allen. In the article, Anne confronts the popular notion that, for indie authors specifically, you have to write quickly to survive. That if you're not constantly bolstering your catalogue, the tide will surely sweep you away.
I loved this little bit of wisdom she shared:
"Because a writing career is not a race or a contest.
It has to be a source of joy. It doesn't pay well enough to be anything else."
She cited one of our dear blogging-writing friends (and the dude behind this IWSG thing), Alex J. Cavanaugh, as proof of this concept.
Alex is an admittedly slow writer. He works full time outside of writing, he plays in a band, and is an insane blogger. But he's also a bestselling author, even though he's only putting out a book (or less) every year.
Then there are stalwarts like George R. R. Martin, who puts out another volume in his popular Song of Ice & Fire (Game of Thrones) series whenever he damn well feels like it.
Ultimately, I definitely agree with Anne when it comes to the actual writing, and I sure hope we're right. Because some of us struggle to do it any other way.
Sometimes the words flow well for me and I can crank out a few thousand words in a sitting. Other times, I'll labor over a single scene for hours. But there's definitely no consistency to what I do.
However, when it comes to a successful writing career, there's unfortunately just more to it than the writing nowadays. (Which Anne is definitely aware of, by the way--I don't want to suggest that she isn't.)
Alex is one of the most prolific bloggers in existence. He's everywhere, so much so that there've been entire blogfests devoted to trying to uncover his ninja-like methods. :) That guy is moving.
Anne mentions that she is a 'slow blogger', meaning she doesn't post every day. She, along with her co-blogger Ruth Harris, has defied popular logic that content generation is key by winning bunches of awards and amassing a large following.
Well let me tell you, that lady is a mover too! Her Twitter account is a must-follow, her G+ account the only one you really need in your feed if you're a writer, and her blog posts are like going to school.
And Martin has an unbelievably popular television franchise keeping us well aware of his universe even when there's nothing new to read. Not to mention, he's been in the writing game a LONG time.
I have to think those things play a part in their publishing success as well. And it has led me to this conclusion: We, the authors building our careers right now, will be successful to the extent we are active.
If we aren't writing, we need to be blogging, tweeting, pinning, or reading (and sharing what we think about our reading). There needs to be an almost constant awareness of what we're up to or we're essentially perceived to be up to nothing.
And that's where I get all sweaty and gross, because being perpetually engaged is tiring and sometimes just downright unpleasant for me.
I call it a modern author problem, because I don't think authors of yore faced this dilemma. It was expected that you wouldn't hear from an author until their next greatest book was ready to be read. Maybe they'd do the occasional interview on TV if they were really famous, but that's about it. The book WAS the author in that way.
Now, we can (and are) identified by so many other things besides our actual writing that we are forced into a tireless loop of performing if only for the sake of not vanishing completely.
And I don't know about y'all, but it puts me in an ongoing state of inadequacy when it comes to my writing aspirations. There's always something more I could be doing, or doing better, it seems.
What about you? Do you feel any pressure to constantly be present? Are you a slow writer, blogger, etc.? What's your impression of the successful authors out there? Are they pumping out new work at a breathless rate?
~EJW~
Sound like a good time? Click the pic below for more info, a list of bloggers who participate, and details on how to sign up!
Modern Author Problems
Like certain types of sharks, it seems the modern author has a motion problem. Well, a lack of motion problem anyway. If we aren't moving, we die.
Well, maybe more just sink to the bottom of the Internet ocean to settle on the bottom with all the other scuttled things. Which is troubling to folks who want their words to stand out, or at least float enough to be snagged in a reader's net on occasion.
This has been on my mind of late after I read THIS fantastic post by the inimitable Anne R. Allen. In the article, Anne confronts the popular notion that, for indie authors specifically, you have to write quickly to survive. That if you're not constantly bolstering your catalogue, the tide will surely sweep you away.
I loved this little bit of wisdom she shared:
"Because a writing career is not a race or a contest.
It has to be a source of joy. It doesn't pay well enough to be anything else."
She cited one of our dear blogging-writing friends (and the dude behind this IWSG thing), Alex J. Cavanaugh, as proof of this concept.
Alex is an admittedly slow writer. He works full time outside of writing, he plays in a band, and is an insane blogger. But he's also a bestselling author, even though he's only putting out a book (or less) every year.
Then there are stalwarts like George R. R. Martin, who puts out another volume in his popular Song of Ice & Fire (Game of Thrones) series whenever he damn well feels like it.
Ultimately, I definitely agree with Anne when it comes to the actual writing, and I sure hope we're right. Because some of us struggle to do it any other way.
Sometimes the words flow well for me and I can crank out a few thousand words in a sitting. Other times, I'll labor over a single scene for hours. But there's definitely no consistency to what I do.
However, when it comes to a successful writing career, there's unfortunately just more to it than the writing nowadays. (Which Anne is definitely aware of, by the way--I don't want to suggest that she isn't.)
Alex is one of the most prolific bloggers in existence. He's everywhere, so much so that there've been entire blogfests devoted to trying to uncover his ninja-like methods. :) That guy is moving.
Anne mentions that she is a 'slow blogger', meaning she doesn't post every day. She, along with her co-blogger Ruth Harris, has defied popular logic that content generation is key by winning bunches of awards and amassing a large following.
Well let me tell you, that lady is a mover too! Her Twitter account is a must-follow, her G+ account the only one you really need in your feed if you're a writer, and her blog posts are like going to school.
And Martin has an unbelievably popular television franchise keeping us well aware of his universe even when there's nothing new to read. Not to mention, he's been in the writing game a LONG time.
I have to think those things play a part in their publishing success as well. And it has led me to this conclusion: We, the authors building our careers right now, will be successful to the extent we are active.
If we aren't writing, we need to be blogging, tweeting, pinning, or reading (and sharing what we think about our reading). There needs to be an almost constant awareness of what we're up to or we're essentially perceived to be up to nothing.
And that's where I get all sweaty and gross, because being perpetually engaged is tiring and sometimes just downright unpleasant for me.
I call it a modern author problem, because I don't think authors of yore faced this dilemma. It was expected that you wouldn't hear from an author until their next greatest book was ready to be read. Maybe they'd do the occasional interview on TV if they were really famous, but that's about it. The book WAS the author in that way.
Now, we can (and are) identified by so many other things besides our actual writing that we are forced into a tireless loop of performing if only for the sake of not vanishing completely.
And I don't know about y'all, but it puts me in an ongoing state of inadequacy when it comes to my writing aspirations. There's always something more I could be doing, or doing better, it seems.
What about you? Do you feel any pressure to constantly be present? Are you a slow writer, blogger, etc.? What's your impression of the successful authors out there? Are they pumping out new work at a breathless rate?
~EJW~
February 27, 2014
Shadow Town Q&A With Author Robyn Jones
Hey, gang! It's my real pleasure to share a quick interview I did recently with author Robyn Jones. Not only is Robyn a good friend, but she's a talented writer to boot. Her newest release, Shadow Town: Maggie Lane Chronicles #1 is full of supernatural goodness, and it's also New Adult--which you KNOW I'm a fan of.
Plus, we both have fantastic interview initials. Seriously, just say, "EJ, RJ, EJ, RJ... over and over. It's catchy. :)
Let's see what Robyn has to say!
5 Questions for Author Robyn Jones:
EJ: Shadow Town features a protagonist caught up in two seemingly opposed worlds: She works as a property manager for a ritzy development during the day and a waitress at a dive bar by night. As the author, why'd you make those choices? How did it shape the storytelling?
RJ: When Maggie’s character first perched on my shoulder, I lived in the weirdest neighborhood. I had car choppers to my left with an alcoholic patriarch who went on monthly benders. I had the year round Christmas decoration people to my right. We had drug dealers, a kid who sifted through people’s cars when they weren’t smart enough to lock the doors, and a guy who worked on his tiny yellow sports car for three years and it never left his front lawn. I thought about what Maggie would do if she managed that colorful cul-de-sac. She’d need a night job to balance all the crazies, that’s for sure.
EJ: Shadow Town is described as a New Adult Paranormal Romance. But there seem to be elements of sleuthing and adventure in there as well. Any specific inspiration for telling this kind of story? Is it truly a mashup, or does it strictly adhere to the pararom formula?
RJ: My childhood revolved around way too much 80’s television with awesome sleuthing women, that and my mom always said in her other life she was Kinsey Millhone from the Sue Grafton mystery series. So mystery appeals to me, but I’m head over heels for all things paranormal. I’m plain giddy when I’m daydreaming in the land of fang and magic.
EJ: New Adult, I'm a fan. Why'd you decide to dive in? What makes Shadow Town a good fit for the New Adult category?
RJ: Shadow Town floated between YA and Adult until I read my first NA book. NA offers a glimpse into the direct aftermath of childhood. Everything feels so huge, dreams, love, pain. In New Adult, I found a home for my mouthy 19 year-old MC.
EJ: Maggie, the heroine of Shadow Town, seems like a real tough chick. What makes her so? Any challenges tackling the romance aspects with such a strong female lead?
RJ: Maggie is life-hardened. Abuse has done a number on her, but there is no way she’ll let it break her. I loved writing the romance in Shadow Town because Maggie was determined to close herself off. The push/pull had me clicking away and cracking up because the girl is funny.
EJ: Last one! Tell us why Shadow Town should be bumped to the top of our TBR piles, and where we can find it. (And you!)
RJ: If you told Maggie her story was about self-discovery she’d flip you off. Mention falling in love or healing and she’d knuckle punch you somewhere tender. She’s lovable like that. Maggie pulls you into her snark and her pain, and leaves you cheering and waiting for more.
You can find Shadow Town and my other books, Soul Walker and Soul Bender on Amazon and Smashwords.
I’m never too far from cyberspace. Stop by. I’m a chatty girl.
Goodreads
robgirlbooks.blogspot.com
@robgirlbooks
EJ: And while you're checking her blog, be sure to scope the Shadow Town tour page for a chance to win some Amazon $$$! (Click the banner below... click it! ;)
Plus, we both have fantastic interview initials. Seriously, just say, "EJ, RJ, EJ, RJ... over and over. It's catchy. :)
Let's see what Robyn has to say!
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5 Questions for Author Robyn Jones:
EJ: Shadow Town features a protagonist caught up in two seemingly opposed worlds: She works as a property manager for a ritzy development during the day and a waitress at a dive bar by night. As the author, why'd you make those choices? How did it shape the storytelling?
RJ: When Maggie’s character first perched on my shoulder, I lived in the weirdest neighborhood. I had car choppers to my left with an alcoholic patriarch who went on monthly benders. I had the year round Christmas decoration people to my right. We had drug dealers, a kid who sifted through people’s cars when they weren’t smart enough to lock the doors, and a guy who worked on his tiny yellow sports car for three years and it never left his front lawn. I thought about what Maggie would do if she managed that colorful cul-de-sac. She’d need a night job to balance all the crazies, that’s for sure.
EJ: Shadow Town is described as a New Adult Paranormal Romance. But there seem to be elements of sleuthing and adventure in there as well. Any specific inspiration for telling this kind of story? Is it truly a mashup, or does it strictly adhere to the pararom formula?
RJ: My childhood revolved around way too much 80’s television with awesome sleuthing women, that and my mom always said in her other life she was Kinsey Millhone from the Sue Grafton mystery series. So mystery appeals to me, but I’m head over heels for all things paranormal. I’m plain giddy when I’m daydreaming in the land of fang and magic.
EJ: New Adult, I'm a fan. Why'd you decide to dive in? What makes Shadow Town a good fit for the New Adult category?
RJ: Shadow Town floated between YA and Adult until I read my first NA book. NA offers a glimpse into the direct aftermath of childhood. Everything feels so huge, dreams, love, pain. In New Adult, I found a home for my mouthy 19 year-old MC.
EJ: Maggie, the heroine of Shadow Town, seems like a real tough chick. What makes her so? Any challenges tackling the romance aspects with such a strong female lead?
RJ: Maggie is life-hardened. Abuse has done a number on her, but there is no way she’ll let it break her. I loved writing the romance in Shadow Town because Maggie was determined to close herself off. The push/pull had me clicking away and cracking up because the girl is funny.
EJ: Last one! Tell us why Shadow Town should be bumped to the top of our TBR piles, and where we can find it. (And you!)
RJ: If you told Maggie her story was about self-discovery she’d flip you off. Mention falling in love or healing and she’d knuckle punch you somewhere tender. She’s lovable like that. Maggie pulls you into her snark and her pain, and leaves you cheering and waiting for more.
You can find Shadow Town and my other books, Soul Walker and Soul Bender on Amazon and Smashwords.
I’m never too far from cyberspace. Stop by. I’m a chatty girl.
Goodreads
robgirlbooks.blogspot.com
@robgirlbooks
EJ: And while you're checking her blog, be sure to scope the Shadow Town tour page for a chance to win some Amazon $$$! (Click the banner below... click it! ;)
February 25, 2014
Should We Aim to Write Above the Reading Standard?
Hey, gang! Since we last met here I finished up a novel I've been working on for a while. *throws ALL the confetti* Well, I say "finished", but it actually just got shipped off to the editor. (We all know the real work comes once she takes the scalpel to it. :)
It's such a weird mixture of relief and angst when it's out of my hands. But the positive is that I'm now able to reclaim the parts of my life I've been neglecting in order to make my deadline. Like blogging!
(Thank you all for the comments on my last post btw. My wife was duly humbled by your kind words, and I'm slowly working my way around repay each of you with a comment in kind.)
Should We Aim to Write Above the Reading Standard?
I posted a couple of weeks ago about the somewhat fallible notion of "good writing". I related it to the subjective line between a good house and a good home, saying, "The worth of a house is based upon function, form, location, etc. The worth of a home is based upon memories and feelings. Your house might be worth $150,000, but your home might very well be priceless. "
(Note: I don't quote myself out of hubris. It had just been so long ago since I'd posted that I had to go look it up to remember what I said. LOL)
Anyway, in that post I made a couple of offhanded references about the basic mechanics of "good writing", specifically calling out adverb spamming as a common stumbling block.
Well, you fine people took me to task in the comments (and in e-mails), pointing out that the presence of an adverb will not destroy a story. I actually agreed with you in the post, but didn't articulate it very well.
So I'm afraid I gave the wrong impression. To the extent they aren't related to style, I view things like adverbs, passive phrasing, repetitive word choices, etc. like mosquitos in our writing: They are inevitable, but we should kill as many of them as we can because they are at best a nuisance, and at worst a disease spreading menace.
Purely from a fundamentals standpoint, I've never read a perfect novel and I doubt I ever will. (God knows I'll never write one...) Furthermore, I can guarantee that a grammatically pristine read does not universally translate to a "good read".
But all of that being said, I had more than one person let me know of various bestselling books they've read recently that are riddled with things deemed to be mistakes or sloppy writing. They use adverbs in every other line, begin every third sentence with 'it', etc.
I've read them, too. And it's true that many of the foibles we fuss over in our critique circles the average reader could care less about. At least there's plenty of evidence to suggest that's the case.
But does that mean we shouldn't worry over them, either?
Not unlike other artists, I believe most writers hold their work to a higher standard than the general expectation. For most, there is a reading standard and a writing standard. Even though an average reader might not demand a certain level of word wielding acumen , we're going to try to achieve that anyway.
Claude Monet, the great French impressionist, once destroyed dozens of his (what would now be considered near-priceless) paintings because he didn't think they were fit for public viewing. Granted, he was going blind and severely depressed at the time, but there was clearly some level of motivation in him to achieve a standard that most people wouldn't even be able to discern.
Similarly, when I read Hugely Popular Novel X, and it isn't the most polished, it doesn't make me relax. I don't suddenly think, "Well, I don't have to worry about getting any better, because I'm already better than that guy, and the readers love him!"
It keeps me up at night. I worry about falling into a sense of complacency with my craft. My insides fester with the notion that yes, I'm getting some good reviews, but is my work really living up to my own standards?
That's not to say my writing sets some crazy high bar for writers everywhere. (ha) But I do work at trying to get better each time.
We live in an age--a beautiful age in my opinion--where authors are able to make their own decisions about when a work is fit for public consumption. But that freedom also comes with the burden of self-restraint.
We are truly the stewards of our craft, or at least more so than any generation of writers that has come before, and I believe we ought to struggle with that.
What about you? Are your reading and writing standards different? Have you read a successful novel that wouldn't live up to your own writing standards? How did it make you feel?
~EJW~
It's such a weird mixture of relief and angst when it's out of my hands. But the positive is that I'm now able to reclaim the parts of my life I've been neglecting in order to make my deadline. Like blogging!
(Thank you all for the comments on my last post btw. My wife was duly humbled by your kind words, and I'm slowly working my way around repay each of you with a comment in kind.)
Should We Aim to Write Above the Reading Standard?
I posted a couple of weeks ago about the somewhat fallible notion of "good writing". I related it to the subjective line between a good house and a good home, saying, "The worth of a house is based upon function, form, location, etc. The worth of a home is based upon memories and feelings. Your house might be worth $150,000, but your home might very well be priceless. "
(Note: I don't quote myself out of hubris. It had just been so long ago since I'd posted that I had to go look it up to remember what I said. LOL)
Anyway, in that post I made a couple of offhanded references about the basic mechanics of "good writing", specifically calling out adverb spamming as a common stumbling block.
Well, you fine people took me to task in the comments (and in e-mails), pointing out that the presence of an adverb will not destroy a story. I actually agreed with you in the post, but didn't articulate it very well.
So I'm afraid I gave the wrong impression. To the extent they aren't related to style, I view things like adverbs, passive phrasing, repetitive word choices, etc. like mosquitos in our writing: They are inevitable, but we should kill as many of them as we can because they are at best a nuisance, and at worst a disease spreading menace.
Purely from a fundamentals standpoint, I've never read a perfect novel and I doubt I ever will. (God knows I'll never write one...) Furthermore, I can guarantee that a grammatically pristine read does not universally translate to a "good read".
But all of that being said, I had more than one person let me know of various bestselling books they've read recently that are riddled with things deemed to be mistakes or sloppy writing. They use adverbs in every other line, begin every third sentence with 'it', etc.
I've read them, too. And it's true that many of the foibles we fuss over in our critique circles the average reader could care less about. At least there's plenty of evidence to suggest that's the case.
But does that mean we shouldn't worry over them, either?
Not unlike other artists, I believe most writers hold their work to a higher standard than the general expectation. For most, there is a reading standard and a writing standard. Even though an average reader might not demand a certain level of word wielding acumen , we're going to try to achieve that anyway.
Claude Monet, the great French impressionist, once destroyed dozens of his (what would now be considered near-priceless) paintings because he didn't think they were fit for public viewing. Granted, he was going blind and severely depressed at the time, but there was clearly some level of motivation in him to achieve a standard that most people wouldn't even be able to discern.
Similarly, when I read Hugely Popular Novel X, and it isn't the most polished, it doesn't make me relax. I don't suddenly think, "Well, I don't have to worry about getting any better, because I'm already better than that guy, and the readers love him!"
It keeps me up at night. I worry about falling into a sense of complacency with my craft. My insides fester with the notion that yes, I'm getting some good reviews, but is my work really living up to my own standards?
That's not to say my writing sets some crazy high bar for writers everywhere. (ha) But I do work at trying to get better each time.
We live in an age--a beautiful age in my opinion--where authors are able to make their own decisions about when a work is fit for public consumption. But that freedom also comes with the burden of self-restraint.
We are truly the stewards of our craft, or at least more so than any generation of writers that has come before, and I believe we ought to struggle with that.
What about you? Are your reading and writing standards different? Have you read a successful novel that wouldn't live up to your own writing standards? How did it make you feel?
~EJW~
February 10, 2014
Matchmaker! Matchmaker!
Hey, gang! Very excited to be taking part in my homie Crystal Collier's Moonless blogfest this week! As part of the fun, I get to pick who I'd want my parents to set me up with if arranged marriages were part of my culture.
(Which means there'd be no chance of it happening, because my parents would undoubtedly set me up with the exact opposite to teach me some morbid lessen about true love... I digress. :)
All this matchmaking seems entirely appropriate, this being Valentine's week and all. And for some additional goodness, I'm over at Brinda Berry's blog as well this week to share in her "Month of Love".
Basically, each day a bunch of us author types are sharing our thoughts on the best places for first dates, most romantic songs of all time, and more. So you can learn even more about me than you want to know. ;)
Loads of fun, and B is doing a big giveaway so be sure to check it out if you get the chance. (I believe my day will be on the 12th...)
AND speaking of giveaways, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter for the Moonless release that follows the post.
In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.
Her nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless.
BUY IT HERE
And here's a special coupon code for $2 off via CreateSpace:
Book link: https://www.createspace.com/4550104Coupon code: LQJM3F84
So here's the question: If you lived in a society where arranged marriages were a la mode, whom would you beg your parents to set you up with? Why? (Literary characters and celebrities welcomed.)
So who would ol' E.J. want shacked up with? SOOO many possibilities here. Kate Beckinsale, those eyes... Scarlett Johansson, those lips... Olivia Wilde, those--EVERYTHING!
And if I went fictional, it'd be hard to pass up Olivia Dunham from Fringe (so tough!), Jean Gray (so smart!) from the X Men, or Lara Croft/Tomb Raider (so adventurous!).
But the sappy truth is that I could never find a better mate than the one I actually have. She's got the smarts and determination of Hermione Granger, the natural beauty of one of the Granthom girls from Downton Abbey, and the genuine, unassuming goodheartedness of Jess from the TV series New Girl.
So just give me another round of what I have, please! :)
My wife and her Grandpa Bob (he passed last month). Told you I married up! :)What about you? If you could be fixed up with anyone, who would you choose?
~EJW~
Find the rest of the hop below!
And while you're at it, enter to win one of these great prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
(Which means there'd be no chance of it happening, because my parents would undoubtedly set me up with the exact opposite to teach me some morbid lessen about true love... I digress. :)
All this matchmaking seems entirely appropriate, this being Valentine's week and all. And for some additional goodness, I'm over at Brinda Berry's blog as well this week to share in her "Month of Love".
Basically, each day a bunch of us author types are sharing our thoughts on the best places for first dates, most romantic songs of all time, and more. So you can learn even more about me than you want to know. ;)
Loads of fun, and B is doing a big giveaway so be sure to check it out if you get the chance. (I believe my day will be on the 12th...)
AND speaking of giveaways, be sure to enter the Rafflecopter for the Moonless release that follows the post.
In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.
Her nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless.
BUY IT HERE
And here's a special coupon code for $2 off via CreateSpace:
Book link: https://www.createspace.com/4550104Coupon code: LQJM3F84
So here's the question: If you lived in a society where arranged marriages were a la mode, whom would you beg your parents to set you up with? Why? (Literary characters and celebrities welcomed.)
So who would ol' E.J. want shacked up with? SOOO many possibilities here. Kate Beckinsale, those eyes... Scarlett Johansson, those lips... Olivia Wilde, those--EVERYTHING!
And if I went fictional, it'd be hard to pass up Olivia Dunham from Fringe (so tough!), Jean Gray (so smart!) from the X Men, or Lara Croft/Tomb Raider (so adventurous!).
But the sappy truth is that I could never find a better mate than the one I actually have. She's got the smarts and determination of Hermione Granger, the natural beauty of one of the Granthom girls from Downton Abbey, and the genuine, unassuming goodheartedness of Jess from the TV series New Girl.
So just give me another round of what I have, please! :)
My wife and her Grandpa Bob (he passed last month). Told you I married up! :)What about you? If you could be fixed up with anyone, who would you choose?
~EJW~
Find the rest of the hop below!
And while you're at it, enter to win one of these great prizes!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
