Rosanne Bittner's Blog, page 38
August 15, 2016
A Blog About “Finishing The Book”
Have you ever felt like someone just ran over you with a semi, then pulled your brains out through your ears? That’s how it feels after a two-month marathon of writing and finishing a 622-page historical novel. You’ve heard those stories about people who, in matters of emergency and desperation, get a surge of adrenaline that helps them pick up a whole car to get someone out from under it. I think that’s what happens to a writer when she has a short deadline but a long book to write to meet that deadline.
I just finished my fourth Outlaw story, THE LAST OUTLAW . It’s 622 pages and about 135,000 words. Because of their publishing schedule, Sourcebooks needed my manuscript by October 1st in order to be sure it could be published in 2017. I did NOT want that book to move into 2018, so I agreed to meet their deadline. That was in May. I knew the book had to be done by at least September 1st because when you finish a story, you aren’t really “done.” You have to print the thing out and sit down and read and edit and read and edit – and they you have to go back into the computer and make all the changes. The whole process can take at least another month.
At the moment I still have that ahead of me, but I did “finish the book” just a couple of days ago, and it’s been days, nights, weekends, no TV, and making my husband live like a widower and eat leftovers. Most of the time I slept maybe 3-5 hours a night. It meant long hours in a chair at the computer and being completely lost in the world of Jake Harkner (that part I really didn’t mind!). I would fall asleep at 8:00 pm, wake up at 10:00 pm and write for 2-3 hours – go walk my 1 – 2 miles at night – then go to bed at 1:00 or 2:00 am and get up at 6:00 am for my normal daily routine of helping at the family business, running errands, working on publicity, answering e-mail and Facebook messages, and yes, daytime writing, plus trying to spend time on my garden, time with my grandsons, shopping and all the other things that need a woman’s attention. I also volunteer for a local charity organization which is a very busy group, and this year I am their President.
When you have so much to write in such a short time, the “writing adrenaline” kicks in and you don’t realize what a number you are doing on your back, your legs, your shoulders, your brain, your “everything,” until you are finished. I’m 71 years old, so all of the physical part of so much sitting and writing begins to catch up with me. I ended up with a hip problem that will require physical therapy, but (thank God) it is NOT arthritis and is completely treatable. So far I have no arthritis or any other of the common maladies of old age, so I feel blessed in that respect, and I have a lot of energy (liquid B-12 helps!), but this much writing does take its toll. THE LAST OUTLAW is actually the SECOND book I’ve written this year. I also finished a new Indian romance the first part of the year that was about 450 pages long, so my poor old body took a beating between January and August!
The mental stress is also hard, but hey, they say keeping your brain active helps ward off Alzheimer’s and other “old brain” problems. Ha! Still, I find myself reading PEOPLE magazine and stupid stuff like the ENQUIRER. I do love WOMAN’S WORLD and always do the crossword puzzle. Sometime I color – yes, color – those new detailed coloring tablets they publish now that you use colored inks or felt pens to fill in. I need the relief of not “using” my brain for anything important.
The biggest challenge when finishing such a big book, especially when it’s the end of a series that meant working with the same characters for years, is the EMOTIONAL toll. I literally “crash” emotionally when I finish a book like this one. I absolutely hate the thought of not working with these characters again, especially my beloved Jake. I covered 32 years with these people. They are “my” family. Jake is “my” husband and his children are “my” children, his grandchildren “my” grandchildren. It was the same when I wrote my seven SAVAGE DESTINY books. I “lived” with that family for 45 years. I truly mourned Zeke Monroe’s death. I’d lost “my” beloved husband.
This emotional roller coaster leaves me truly depressed for a couple weeks after I finish a book like this one. Literally. It takes me a while to get out of my “funk.” Sometimes, emotionally, my own husband can’t “reach” me. He totally understands. Not many men would put up with their wife’s emotional absence the way mine does when I’m in the middle of writing a big book. The poor guy lives like a widower when I’m that immersed in my writing.
So … THE LAST OUTLAW is technically finished. I actually look forward to editing and re-writes plus the editing and re-writes my editor at Sourcebooks is bound to come up with over the next few months, so at least I get to keep revisiting Jake and the family and this story for several months yet before the book is finalized and actually is printed and on book shelves next September 2017. Meantime, I already have an idea for a fifth book, but I doubt Sourcebooks will want another one in the continuing series. If not, I have high hopes they WILL want the story I would like to write about Jake’s grandson Little Jake, all grown up and, of course, drop-dead gorgeous! He would be just the right age to get involved in WWI – and of course he would be a sharp-shooter/sniper. What else would the grandson of Jake Harkner do in the army? And there could be a young woman waiting for him back in Colorado – maybe one whom a rival lover tries to steal away while Little Jake is overseas – and maybe some kind of feud involving ownership of the J&L. The prospects for plot are endless!
I have to add – honestly – I think THE LAST OUTLAW is no-holds-barred the best book of all four. It’s a wild ride from start to finish. I didn’t come across one boring part or one period where I didn’t know which way to turn with the story. It just poured out of me, event after event, and through all these books I have shown Jake’s emotional “growth” from a very, very troubled outlaw/wanted man who knew nothing about love and who lived with deep hatreds and deep regrets – into a strong, mature man who in Book #4 realizes he can’t keep living the “old way” any more – i.e. dealing out his own form of “justice.” There are laws now, and Jake has to abide by them, not an easy thing for Jake Harkner. And in #4 Jake has to be emotionally strong for Randy because of something that happens in LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE (#3).
In the first three books it was usually the other way around because Jake walks a fine line between sanity and insanity because of his incredibly cruel childhood and witnessing his drunken father murder his beloved mother when Jake was only 8 years old and not strong enough to defend his mother. At 15 Jake killed his own father (for good reason) but he lives with that guilt his whole life. Now in Book #4 it’s Jake who has to deal with his wife’s mental stability. He is incredibly strong and understanding and kind and patient with his beloved Randy, which shows tremendous growth on Jake’s part. Normally he rides off for a few days when faced with something like what happened to Randy, finding it difficult to face without breaking into an uncontrollable rage. This time he handles it beautifully, making the first part of this story unforgettably romantic and touching.
This past weekend I had a signing for Jake #3, LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE , a September 2016 book, so I continue to be immersed in this wonderful family and this incredible hero for a while yet, and I don’t mind at all. But at least now I can go to bed at a decent hour and maybe get some “real” sleep. This old body and brain need some “down time!” Meantime, I CAN’T WAIT to see what the fabulous Jon Paul does with a cover for THE LAST OUTLAW , and I am so, so anxious for all of my wonderful readers out there to read this amazing story!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBook
I just finished my fourth Outlaw story, THE LAST OUTLAW . It’s 622 pages and about 135,000 words. Because of their publishing schedule, Sourcebooks needed my manuscript by October 1st in order to be sure it could be published in 2017. I did NOT want that book to move into 2018, so I agreed to meet their deadline. That was in May. I knew the book had to be done by at least September 1st because when you finish a story, you aren’t really “done.” You have to print the thing out and sit down and read and edit and read and edit – and they you have to go back into the computer and make all the changes. The whole process can take at least another month.
At the moment I still have that ahead of me, but I did “finish the book” just a couple of days ago, and it’s been days, nights, weekends, no TV, and making my husband live like a widower and eat leftovers. Most of the time I slept maybe 3-5 hours a night. It meant long hours in a chair at the computer and being completely lost in the world of Jake Harkner (that part I really didn’t mind!). I would fall asleep at 8:00 pm, wake up at 10:00 pm and write for 2-3 hours – go walk my 1 – 2 miles at night – then go to bed at 1:00 or 2:00 am and get up at 6:00 am for my normal daily routine of helping at the family business, running errands, working on publicity, answering e-mail and Facebook messages, and yes, daytime writing, plus trying to spend time on my garden, time with my grandsons, shopping and all the other things that need a woman’s attention. I also volunteer for a local charity organization which is a very busy group, and this year I am their President.When you have so much to write in such a short time, the “writing adrenaline” kicks in and you don’t realize what a number you are doing on your back, your legs, your shoulders, your brain, your “everything,” until you are finished. I’m 71 years old, so all of the physical part of so much sitting and writing begins to catch up with me. I ended up with a hip problem that will require physical therapy, but (thank God) it is NOT arthritis and is completely treatable. So far I have no arthritis or any other of the common maladies of old age, so I feel blessed in that respect, and I have a lot of energy (liquid B-12 helps!), but this much writing does take its toll. THE LAST OUTLAW is actually the SECOND book I’ve written this year. I also finished a new Indian romance the first part of the year that was about 450 pages long, so my poor old body took a beating between January and August!
The mental stress is also hard, but hey, they say keeping your brain active helps ward off Alzheimer’s and other “old brain” problems. Ha! Still, I find myself reading PEOPLE magazine and stupid stuff like the ENQUIRER. I do love WOMAN’S WORLD and always do the crossword puzzle. Sometime I color – yes, color – those new detailed coloring tablets they publish now that you use colored inks or felt pens to fill in. I need the relief of not “using” my brain for anything important.
The biggest challenge when finishing such a big book, especially when it’s the end of a series that meant working with the same characters for years, is the EMOTIONAL toll. I literally “crash” emotionally when I finish a book like this one. I absolutely hate the thought of not working with these characters again, especially my beloved Jake. I covered 32 years with these people. They are “my” family. Jake is “my” husband and his children are “my” children, his grandchildren “my” grandchildren. It was the same when I wrote my seven SAVAGE DESTINY books. I “lived” with that family for 45 years. I truly mourned Zeke Monroe’s death. I’d lost “my” beloved husband.
This emotional roller coaster leaves me truly depressed for a couple weeks after I finish a book like this one. Literally. It takes me a while to get out of my “funk.” Sometimes, emotionally, my own husband can’t “reach” me. He totally understands. Not many men would put up with their wife’s emotional absence the way mine does when I’m in the middle of writing a big book. The poor guy lives like a widower when I’m that immersed in my writing.
So … THE LAST OUTLAW is technically finished. I actually look forward to editing and re-writes plus the editing and re-writes my editor at Sourcebooks is bound to come up with over the next few months, so at least I get to keep revisiting Jake and the family and this story for several months yet before the book is finalized and actually is printed and on book shelves next September 2017. Meantime, I already have an idea for a fifth book, but I doubt Sourcebooks will want another one in the continuing series. If not, I have high hopes they WILL want the story I would like to write about Jake’s grandson Little Jake, all grown up and, of course, drop-dead gorgeous! He would be just the right age to get involved in WWI – and of course he would be a sharp-shooter/sniper. What else would the grandson of Jake Harkner do in the army? And there could be a young woman waiting for him back in Colorado – maybe one whom a rival lover tries to steal away while Little Jake is overseas – and maybe some kind of feud involving ownership of the J&L. The prospects for plot are endless!
I have to add – honestly – I think THE LAST OUTLAW is no-holds-barred the best book of all four. It’s a wild ride from start to finish. I didn’t come across one boring part or one period where I didn’t know which way to turn with the story. It just poured out of me, event after event, and through all these books I have shown Jake’s emotional “growth” from a very, very troubled outlaw/wanted man who knew nothing about love and who lived with deep hatreds and deep regrets – into a strong, mature man who in Book #4 realizes he can’t keep living the “old way” any more – i.e. dealing out his own form of “justice.” There are laws now, and Jake has to abide by them, not an easy thing for Jake Harkner. And in #4 Jake has to be emotionally strong for Randy because of something that happens in LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE (#3).
In the first three books it was usually the other way around because Jake walks a fine line between sanity and insanity because of his incredibly cruel childhood and witnessing his drunken father murder his beloved mother when Jake was only 8 years old and not strong enough to defend his mother. At 15 Jake killed his own father (for good reason) but he lives with that guilt his whole life. Now in Book #4 it’s Jake who has to deal with his wife’s mental stability. He is incredibly strong and understanding and kind and patient with his beloved Randy, which shows tremendous growth on Jake’s part. Normally he rides off for a few days when faced with something like what happened to Randy, finding it difficult to face without breaking into an uncontrollable rage. This time he handles it beautifully, making the first part of this story unforgettably romantic and touching.
This past weekend I had a signing for Jake #3, LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE , a September 2016 book, so I continue to be immersed in this wonderful family and this incredible hero for a while yet, and I don’t mind at all. But at least now I can go to bed at a decent hour and maybe get some “real” sleep. This old body and brain need some “down time!” Meantime, I CAN’T WAIT to see what the fabulous Jon Paul does with a cover for THE LAST OUTLAW , and I am so, so anxious for all of my wonderful readers out there to read this amazing story!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBook
July 18, 2016
The Joys And Perils of Writing Series-Type Stories
See all Buy Links on my WEBSITE
Sorry I don’t blog more often, but I am currently writing book #4 to my OUTLAW series and I have a tight deadline, so I’m really busy writing. The book is called THE LAST OUTLAW and will be my last book involving Jake and Randy Harkner and the Harkner clan, which makes me cry every time I think about it. I will probably write another story involving the Harkners, but it will be about Jake’s grandsons, which means Jake is no longer in their lives, at least not physically. It will take me a long time to be able to write it because I can’t bear the thought of Jake Harkner no longer living. It’s just too hard to consider right now because I have fallen head over heels for this man and I absolutely adore writing about him.
All of this brought me to think about the joys and perils of writing a series. The joy comes mainly from being able to stay with the characters and their family for three, maybe even six or seven books. And that means “living” with them for up to three, maybe even five years or longer, because each book takes a good six months to write, and when it’s finished it’s usually another six months (at least) before it gets published. When you are totally in love with these people, they live in your mind and heart constantly, and you hate leaving them, so you get to pick up their story with the next book and continue being a part of their lives. In the case of my Outlaw books, I have actually lived with this family for about 25 years, because the first book, OUTLAW HEARTS , was published way back in 1993 and it took me over a year to write it. I always wanted to write a sequel, and so it danced around in my mind and heart all those years until around 2014, when I finally found a publisher for a sequel. Once I finished #2, I knew my story wasn’t finished.
The second great thing about a series is that each book is somewhat easier to write than writing a brand new story, because you already know your characters and their background, and that is what you build on. You can just “pick up where you left off” and continue their story. Of course you need to come up with a new plot line and try not to be repetitive in your events, but all in all, because you are continuing a family story and already know your setting and what makes these people “tick,” each next book will pretty much pour out of you and you won’t have to do as much research regarding your setting and descriptions.
The third great thing about a series is you build your name, or brand, in the industry. If you do a good job with the first book, you will leave your readers wanting more. By the second book (if you are still doing a good job) readers will be hooked and will want even more. I get so many remarks about how happy my readers are that I wrote a third OUTLAW series book, and when they find out it’s not a trilogy – that there will be a fourth book – they are ecstatic. I already have some readers who want a fifth book, but I really think I should stop with four. In THE LAST OUTLAW Jake will find closure for himself regarding the one thing that has haunted him and brought him heartache through all four books –the fact that he killed his own father (who deserved it but that’s beside the point when it comes to how others see it). It is constantly thrown in his face and the reason he can’t see his own worth. He has never forgiven himself. Something happens in #4 that finally helps him live with what he did. It is such a beautiful story and a perfect way to end this series, which spans about 32 years from Book #1 through #4.
Now comes the perils of writing a series. For one thing, although you do build your name, there will always be those who won’t buy Book #4 if they can’t find #1 and #2 and so forth. You want to be sure you have a publisher who will continue making ALL the books available. The first books, of course, won’t be in stores, but they have to at least be available from the publisher or through Amazon. There are even some readers who won’t read #3 or #4 just because they think they “have” to read the first two to enjoy the next ones, and maybe they feel they can’t afford all 3 or 4 books, or that they don’t have the time to start from scratch, which brings us to the second peril.
The second peril is that you have to design each new book in a way that it is enjoyable all on its own as a single story, in case the reader ends up reading #3 or #4 first. You NEVER want to boringly tell back story through a narrative of “this is what has happened so far.” NEVER. Back story should come through as the characters continue their lives – through conversations and/or thoughts that hint at something that has happened in the past. This can also be done through secondary characters. In my second OUTLAW series book, a newspaper reporter comes into the lives of the Harkners, wanting to write a book about Jake. In doing so he becomes uniquely and closely involved with the Harkners, as does a lawyer in town who has become acquainted with Jake’s wife and has fallen in love with her. This man ends up helping Jake with legal problems and he, too, becomes a good friend.
In book #3 both the reporter and the lawyer live in Chicago and have stayed in touch – so when some headlines hit the Chicago papers about a major dramatic event in Denver involving Jake (he is in BIG legal trouble), the reporter visits the lawyer and they decide they’d better go to Denver because Jake might need help from both of them. My point here is that when these two sit down and talk about Jake, they discuss some of the things that happened in the second book, so through their conversation the readers pick up on a lot of those events, as well as seeing that both the reporter and the lawyer are still heavily invested in the Harkner family. This is an ACTIVE way of getting in some back story without a boring narrative.
One good thing about back story “hints” is that very often a reader will read that third or fourth book and want very much to find out more about how your hero and heroine met in the first place and what happened leading up to the book they just read. I often hint at the fact that when they first met, Randy shot Jake because she was terrified of him. That alone would make a reader want to read more about such a tragic yet a bit humorous event, because they are so much in love so it’s hard to believe Randy actually shot Jake in the beginning.
The worst peril about writing a series is your own heart, because you will fall desperately in love with the hero and his family. I love Jake, but I also love his son Lloyd, who is so soft-hearted and so devoted to his father – and I love Jake’s daughter, Evie, who is such a woman of faith – and I love his daughter’s husband, who is a physician and is so stalwart and quiet and puts up with so much being married to the daughter of an outlaw. And I love the grandchildren, especially “Little Jake,” who absolutely worships his grandfather and is a big-time independent little trouble-maker – a boy after a man’s heart. I will definitely write a book some day involving a grown-up “Little Jake” as the hero. He will, of course, be gorgeous!
The problem, though, with falling in love with these people is that it literally breaks your heart when you write the last page of that last book. It means leaving this family. OMG, I do NOT want to leave these people. Yes, I can re-join them, in a sense, if I write a story about Little Jake, but when I write it, it will mean that “Big” Jake is gone from this world, and I just can’t accept that yet. It will be a while before I can, and I know when I write about Little Jake I will cry when he talks about his grandfather. And I have to decide where Jake’s son Lloyd will fit into the picture. Should I write a book about him first – how he goes on without his father? The thought just shatters my heart.
So there are your joys and perils of writing a series. I personally tend to get too involved. My characters are so real to me that I laugh with them and I mourn with them. I never write from the outside looking in. I write as though I am sitting in Jake and Randy’s beautiful log home nestled into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and I “live” with these people. Most of the time I am Randy – and when writing the love scenes, that ain’t bad! There’s another “joy” for you!
June 23, 2016
COMMON “SCENTS”
I recently purchased a diffuser that sprays a soft cloud of scented water into the air, as well as one of those warmers that melts scented wax. Both are lovely and do a good job of filling my house with wonderful aromas. That got me thinking about how certain smells awaken memories and can even be used in our writing.
My favorite scents are Vanilla and Lavender. Those would be at the top of my list. Those scents put me in the mood for writing romance. They are romantic all on their own. They help my writing because they remind me of a different era, when women wore gloves and hats and beautiful dresses and men behaved like gentlemen and people had manners.
The scent of roses immediately brings me to my favorite, favorite aunt. She’s gone now and I still miss her. Her name was Laura and she was from Indiana, and as soon as I smell roses I am back at her simple frame home on Webster Street in Kokomo, Indiana. I remember the name of the street, even though it’s been a good fifty years or more since she and my Uncle Harold moved from there to a new home they built in the country. That home, nice as it was, was nothing like the little house on Webster Street. Aunt Laura’s bathroom there was always spotless, and it ALWAYS smelled like roses. I don’t know how she did it – maybe rose-scented soaps, because back then we didn’t have all the lovely sprays and waxes and oils and dispensers we have now.
I could write pages and pages of my favorite things about Aunt Laura, but she’s been gone about twenty-five years now, and even the country house is sold. But the memories of the house on Webster Street are so very vivid for me. When I smell roses, I am right back there again.
Lilacs and anything with a kind of spicy scent remind me of my maternal grandmother, who I mention in my web site because she was my second mother. (And that would be a tie with my Aunt Laura.) Again – vivid memories that will never leave me. Grandma Williams lived for a while in a converted shed with no electricity and no running water. I helped her carry water as a little girl, and she cooked with wood and kept things cool with an ice box. I slept on a feather mattress on a roll-away bed and all night I listened to a ticking clock and trains going by on a nearby track. When Grandma Williams got electricity, we listened to the radio and some of the very, very first radio episodes of GUNSMOKE – probably my first inspiration to want to write westerns. And you know what? The theme music for those old radio episodes remained exactly the same throughout the twenty-five years or so that GUNSMOKE ran on television.
GLADE makes a scent called Fall Hayride. That immediately takes me to the gorgeous fall seasons we have here in Michigan, with spectacular colors in the trees, crispy blue skies, the smell of apples and the joy of taking grandchildren to pumpkin patches. It also reminds me of how my Aunt Laura used to change the colors in her bathroom according to the seasons. Winter was usually deep red or purple, spring was blue and pink, summer was green and yellow, and fall was browns and oranges.
There are two “scents” of pine – one is Christmas pine, the kind you smell when you bring in a live tree or use live greens around your fireplace. Obviously, that brings memories of Christmases past. Then there is the scent of “woodsy” pine. That’s a little different, a little more pungent, and sometimes, if you’re actually out walking amid pine trees deep in the real woods, you catch the smell of rotting wood from fallen trees. That is one of the few smells of something rotting that is actually pleasant to smell.
All these scents can be used in writing. In my Outlaw books, Jake’s wife Randy loves roses, and she saves rose petals and finds ways to get the scent of their oil on pillows and sheets and towels and even on herself. She grows roses everyplace she lives (and with Jake on the run in book #1, they lived in several places) – and she picks the rose blooms and keeps them in vases in the house. I guess all that came from my memories of my Aunt Laura.
When I write about Indians, especially the eastern (forest) Indians, I can bring in the smells of pine and rotting wood, which can also be used when writing about the pine forests of the Rocky Mountains.
When I get into my new Jeep, the scent of the leather seats is very strong, and that takes me to the smell of leather in saddles and boots and tac and vests and “man.” My western heroes usually smell of leather and sage – oops! There’s another scent I left out that I love. Sage.
Sage takes me right smack out west and into the desert and the drier areas of the West.
I find it interesting how smells can immediately drum up vivid memories. And some smells, like lavender, can practically put us into euphoria. I breathe deeply of lavender to calm myself. It literally makes all my worries go away.
I remember when my husband first left on a bus for basic training in the army. I was such a mess you would have thought he’d died. And for the next six months I slept with his unwashed t-shirts because the smelled like Larry and it made me feel closer to him.
I wonder what some of your favorite smells are, and why. And I wrote this to remind other writers how important it is to mention certain smells when you are writing a book. Doing so is just another way to bring your story more alive.
The Outlaw Series
My favorite scents are Vanilla and Lavender. Those would be at the top of my list. Those scents put me in the mood for writing romance. They are romantic all on their own. They help my writing because they remind me of a different era, when women wore gloves and hats and beautiful dresses and men behaved like gentlemen and people had manners.
The scent of roses immediately brings me to my favorite, favorite aunt. She’s gone now and I still miss her. Her name was Laura and she was from Indiana, and as soon as I smell roses I am back at her simple frame home on Webster Street in Kokomo, Indiana. I remember the name of the street, even though it’s been a good fifty years or more since she and my Uncle Harold moved from there to a new home they built in the country. That home, nice as it was, was nothing like the little house on Webster Street. Aunt Laura’s bathroom there was always spotless, and it ALWAYS smelled like roses. I don’t know how she did it – maybe rose-scented soaps, because back then we didn’t have all the lovely sprays and waxes and oils and dispensers we have now.
I could write pages and pages of my favorite things about Aunt Laura, but she’s been gone about twenty-five years now, and even the country house is sold. But the memories of the house on Webster Street are so very vivid for me. When I smell roses, I am right back there again.
Lilacs and anything with a kind of spicy scent remind me of my maternal grandmother, who I mention in my web site because she was my second mother. (And that would be a tie with my Aunt Laura.) Again – vivid memories that will never leave me. Grandma Williams lived for a while in a converted shed with no electricity and no running water. I helped her carry water as a little girl, and she cooked with wood and kept things cool with an ice box. I slept on a feather mattress on a roll-away bed and all night I listened to a ticking clock and trains going by on a nearby track. When Grandma Williams got electricity, we listened to the radio and some of the very, very first radio episodes of GUNSMOKE – probably my first inspiration to want to write westerns. And you know what? The theme music for those old radio episodes remained exactly the same throughout the twenty-five years or so that GUNSMOKE ran on television.
GLADE makes a scent called Fall Hayride. That immediately takes me to the gorgeous fall seasons we have here in Michigan, with spectacular colors in the trees, crispy blue skies, the smell of apples and the joy of taking grandchildren to pumpkin patches. It also reminds me of how my Aunt Laura used to change the colors in her bathroom according to the seasons. Winter was usually deep red or purple, spring was blue and pink, summer was green and yellow, and fall was browns and oranges.
There are two “scents” of pine – one is Christmas pine, the kind you smell when you bring in a live tree or use live greens around your fireplace. Obviously, that brings memories of Christmases past. Then there is the scent of “woodsy” pine. That’s a little different, a little more pungent, and sometimes, if you’re actually out walking amid pine trees deep in the real woods, you catch the smell of rotting wood from fallen trees. That is one of the few smells of something rotting that is actually pleasant to smell.
All these scents can be used in writing. In my Outlaw books, Jake’s wife Randy loves roses, and she saves rose petals and finds ways to get the scent of their oil on pillows and sheets and towels and even on herself. She grows roses everyplace she lives (and with Jake on the run in book #1, they lived in several places) – and she picks the rose blooms and keeps them in vases in the house. I guess all that came from my memories of my Aunt Laura.
When I write about Indians, especially the eastern (forest) Indians, I can bring in the smells of pine and rotting wood, which can also be used when writing about the pine forests of the Rocky Mountains.
When I get into my new Jeep, the scent of the leather seats is very strong, and that takes me to the smell of leather in saddles and boots and tac and vests and “man.” My western heroes usually smell of leather and sage – oops! There’s another scent I left out that I love. Sage.
Sage takes me right smack out west and into the desert and the drier areas of the West.
I find it interesting how smells can immediately drum up vivid memories. And some smells, like lavender, can practically put us into euphoria. I breathe deeply of lavender to calm myself. It literally makes all my worries go away.
I remember when my husband first left on a bus for basic training in the army. I was such a mess you would have thought he’d died. And for the next six months I slept with his unwashed t-shirts because the smelled like Larry and it made me feel closer to him.
I wonder what some of your favorite smells are, and why. And I wrote this to remind other writers how important it is to mention certain smells when you are writing a book. Doing so is just another way to bring your story more alive.
The Outlaw Series
June 15, 2016
The Last Page
Previously I wrote about the love/hate relationship a writer has with “Page One.” Well, just as challenging is “The Last Page.” My Midi-Michigan Romance Writers group holds a contest every year called “I Will Write A Book.” Those who enter pay $5 to get into a drawing for all the money, and to qualify, the entrant must finish a book within that year by November. This year (2016) I’ve entered two books. Just finished the first one, a new Indian romance – and am now working on the second one, which is book #4 to my
Outlaw Series
. As proof of finishing the book, we have to send in “The Last Page.”
Just as with “Page One,” there are things to love and to hate about “The Last Page.” As far as catching a reader’s eye, I look at “The Last Page” with as much importance as “Page One.” That’s because, believe it or not, when I pick up a book and contemplate buying it, I read The Last Page as well as the first. For me, there is something about that last page that intrigues me. I can tell if the book was memorable, full of romance, if it ended happily, if there is a ring to it that makes me want to cry, even though I don’t know the whole story. I judge a book more by "The Last Page" than the first.
As a writer, what I hate about that last page is that I have to leave my characters. I have to walk out of their lives and re-enter the “real” world. I get very attached to my characters. I walk right into their lives when I am writing and I live with them. Usually I am the heroine. I never write from the outside looking in, but from the inside looking out. When I reach that last page, my characters must go on without me. That’s hard, because for many of my books I have been with those characters thirty years or more. They are my family. So writing that last page is like saying good-bye to my own family – forever. That just makes me cry, and it is the reason I’ve written so many sequels, trilogies and series-type stories. I get to keep going with those same people for years.
I also hate “The Last Page” for the same reason I hate “Page One.” It makes me nervous to know “The Last Page” has to be written in a way to hook my casual reader, because if that reader is like me, he or she will judge my book by “The Last Page,” so writing it can be as challenging as writing “Page One.”
And what do I love about “The Last Page?” It’s a huge relief! It means I’ve finished yet another book, and after 61 published books, another one just finished, and now starting number 63, that is true R-E-L-I-E-F. That last page, for me, is usually anywhere from page 400 to page 600, and in most cases I had to cut parts just to keep it to those 600 pages.
I love getting up from the chair my butt has been in for hundreds of hours, and sometimes I just stare at my computer and ask myself, “Can I do this again?” Can I sit down and write “Page One” again?
Writing books becomes a roller coaster of emotions and physical challenges. Good days and bad days. Some days the words just flow out like a waterfall, and some days a writer struggles to get two lousy pages written. But in the end, writing “The Last Page” is extremely satisfying. You just stare at it and heave a big sigh, maybe cry, and then you just know you will go on to “Page One” of another book.
Watch for book #3 of my Outlaw Series , LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE , coming in September. I finished that “Last Page” exactly one year ago and started “Page One” of my new Indian romance, for which I wrote “The Last Page” just last night. Now I’m ready to sit down and start “Page One” of Outlaw Series book #4, THE LAST OUTLAW . But contrary to the title, it won’t be my “last” book!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Their Passion Shaped a Nation
Over the years, Jake and Miranda Harkner have endured all the dangers a wild and brutal West could throw at them. Now, settled on their ranch in the beautiful Colorado hill country, they've finally found peace. But for a man like Jake Harkner, danger is always lurking, and the world may not be ready for an infamous outlaw-turned-lawman-turned-legend to hang up his guns.
Threatened by cruel men in search of revenge, the Harkner clan must be stronger than ever before. Yet nothing can stop the coming storm. With the Old West dying around them and the rules of this new world ever-changing, Jake vows to end the threat to his family no matter what it takes...
Even if it means sacrificing himself so his beloved Miranda may live.
Just as with “Page One,” there are things to love and to hate about “The Last Page.” As far as catching a reader’s eye, I look at “The Last Page” with as much importance as “Page One.” That’s because, believe it or not, when I pick up a book and contemplate buying it, I read The Last Page as well as the first. For me, there is something about that last page that intrigues me. I can tell if the book was memorable, full of romance, if it ended happily, if there is a ring to it that makes me want to cry, even though I don’t know the whole story. I judge a book more by "The Last Page" than the first.
As a writer, what I hate about that last page is that I have to leave my characters. I have to walk out of their lives and re-enter the “real” world. I get very attached to my characters. I walk right into their lives when I am writing and I live with them. Usually I am the heroine. I never write from the outside looking in, but from the inside looking out. When I reach that last page, my characters must go on without me. That’s hard, because for many of my books I have been with those characters thirty years or more. They are my family. So writing that last page is like saying good-bye to my own family – forever. That just makes me cry, and it is the reason I’ve written so many sequels, trilogies and series-type stories. I get to keep going with those same people for years.
I also hate “The Last Page” for the same reason I hate “Page One.” It makes me nervous to know “The Last Page” has to be written in a way to hook my casual reader, because if that reader is like me, he or she will judge my book by “The Last Page,” so writing it can be as challenging as writing “Page One.”
And what do I love about “The Last Page?” It’s a huge relief! It means I’ve finished yet another book, and after 61 published books, another one just finished, and now starting number 63, that is true R-E-L-I-E-F. That last page, for me, is usually anywhere from page 400 to page 600, and in most cases I had to cut parts just to keep it to those 600 pages.
I love getting up from the chair my butt has been in for hundreds of hours, and sometimes I just stare at my computer and ask myself, “Can I do this again?” Can I sit down and write “Page One” again?
Writing books becomes a roller coaster of emotions and physical challenges. Good days and bad days. Some days the words just flow out like a waterfall, and some days a writer struggles to get two lousy pages written. But in the end, writing “The Last Page” is extremely satisfying. You just stare at it and heave a big sigh, maybe cry, and then you just know you will go on to “Page One” of another book.
Watch for book #3 of my Outlaw Series , LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE , coming in September. I finished that “Last Page” exactly one year ago and started “Page One” of my new Indian romance, for which I wrote “The Last Page” just last night. Now I’m ready to sit down and start “Page One” of Outlaw Series book #4, THE LAST OUTLAW . But contrary to the title, it won’t be my “last” book!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Their Passion Shaped a Nation
Over the years, Jake and Miranda Harkner have endured all the dangers a wild and brutal West could throw at them. Now, settled on their ranch in the beautiful Colorado hill country, they've finally found peace. But for a man like Jake Harkner, danger is always lurking, and the world may not be ready for an infamous outlaw-turned-lawman-turned-legend to hang up his guns.
Threatened by cruel men in search of revenge, the Harkner clan must be stronger than ever before. Yet nothing can stop the coming storm. With the Old West dying around them and the rules of this new world ever-changing, Jake vows to end the threat to his family no matter what it takes...
Even if it means sacrificing himself so his beloved Miranda may live.
June 8, 2016
Page One
Horrors! When we write a book, we have no choice but to start with “Page One.” Yes, it’s that annoying, intimidating, proverbial Page One that can bring a writer to his or her knees. We sit and stare at that blank piece of paper (or the pretend piece of paper on our computer screen), and we realize that what we put on that very first page is what the reader will see when he or she takes a look at the book – that very first page that they use to decide if they want to buy the book – that very first page that either hooks a reader, or causes them to put the book back on the shelf – or to not “click” order the book on-line.
“Page One” can be frightening. I have to wonder how many other authors besides me have just sat and stared at that blank Page One and considered a thousand different ways to start their book.
There are things to love and to hate about “Page One.” The hate part is pretty obvious … oh, my gosh, will this make readers want to buy my book? Or oh, my gosh, I just finished a 500-page book and now I’m starting all over again. Or oh, my gosh, what have I gotten myself into by selling this idea and promising I could write a book about it? Maybe oh, my gosh, if I don’t do this right readers won’t buy the book. Or just plain oh, my gosh, my poor back isn’t ready to sit down and type “page one” all over again and turn it into 400 – 600 pages.
Then of course there are things to love about it. After all, “page one” usually means I’ve sold another book. “Page one” is the beginning of another whole new adventure. “Page one” presents a new writing challenge, fun ways of figuring out how to hook the reader yet again into wanting to buy the book. “Page one” is like writing that first book all over again. Every book is a brand new experience, and sometimes it’s as though none of the other books exist. Each and every new book is its own animal, and when I think I’ve written my “favorite” story, here comes a new one that becomes my “new favorite.”
Watch this blog site for another article related to “Page One.” I want to talk about the complete opposite to “Page One,” which is “The Last Page” and what it means to a writer. In the meantime, enjoy “Page One” of my next new book, LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE , coming in September!
At the moment I am starting my Outlaw book #4 – THE LAST OUTLAW – and I am still staring at a blank “page one!”
“Page One” can be frightening. I have to wonder how many other authors besides me have just sat and stared at that blank Page One and considered a thousand different ways to start their book.
There are things to love and to hate about “Page One.” The hate part is pretty obvious … oh, my gosh, will this make readers want to buy my book? Or oh, my gosh, I just finished a 500-page book and now I’m starting all over again. Or oh, my gosh, what have I gotten myself into by selling this idea and promising I could write a book about it? Maybe oh, my gosh, if I don’t do this right readers won’t buy the book. Or just plain oh, my gosh, my poor back isn’t ready to sit down and type “page one” all over again and turn it into 400 – 600 pages.
Then of course there are things to love about it. After all, “page one” usually means I’ve sold another book. “Page one” is the beginning of another whole new adventure. “Page one” presents a new writing challenge, fun ways of figuring out how to hook the reader yet again into wanting to buy the book. “Page one” is like writing that first book all over again. Every book is a brand new experience, and sometimes it’s as though none of the other books exist. Each and every new book is its own animal, and when I think I’ve written my “favorite” story, here comes a new one that becomes my “new favorite.”
Watch this blog site for another article related to “Page One.” I want to talk about the complete opposite to “Page One,” which is “The Last Page” and what it means to a writer. In the meantime, enjoy “Page One” of my next new book, LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE , coming in September!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Their Passion Shaped a Nation
Over the years, Jake and Miranda Harkner have endured all the dangers a wild and brutal West could throw at them. Now, settled on their ranch in the beautiful Colorado hill country, they've finally found peace. But for a man like Jake Harkner, danger is always lurking, and the world may not be ready for an infamous outlaw-turned-lawman-turned-legend to hang up his guns.
Threatened by cruel men in search of revenge, the Harkner clan must be stronger than ever before. Yet nothing can stop the coming storm. With the Old West dying around them and the rules of this new world ever-changing, Jake vows to end the threat to his family no matter what it takes...
Even if it means sacrificing himself so his beloved Miranda may live.
At the moment I am starting my Outlaw book #4 – THE LAST OUTLAW – and I am still staring at a blank “page one!”
June 3, 2016
What Goes Around, Comes Around
The Beauty of a Back List
I've been writing for 35 years, so I’m pretty old-school when it comes to the publishing world. When e-books were first introduced, I couldn’t believe they would ever be successful. After all, who would rather read a book on some kind of device as opposed to having the real thing in their hands?
In the beginning, readers felt the same way until they began to realize the cost savings and convenience of e-books. Personally, I hated the idea of my books being published as paperless reading, and ignored the internet other than maintaining a website (an active, informative website is a MUST for all writers). Finally, disavowing the social revolution taking place became impossible. Both social networking and e-reading became too popular, and I realized they were useful tools for people like me,who needed an avenue for finding new readers — even though I had 60 books under my belt.
Today, I can’t imagine NOT having my books available as ebooks, and the best part is that doing it has completely revitalized my backlist and my writing career! Additionally, as a result of these advances, we get to discover writers whose talents we might never have enjoyed otherwise. Because I’ve had so many books traditionally published, I’d never needed to find any other way to publish my work. However,I don’t know that I wouldn’t have been an indie author if such an avenue had been available when I started writing in the early ‘80s. Back then, I had no choice but to go the standard route,and print publishers have been good to me. So many are publishing their own books online today, and hundreds of thousands of readers are searching the internet for those independently published books. And you know what? They’re also finding MY books, so indie publishing is good for EVERYBODY! It’s a great marriage — independently published books combined with standard print publishing. All this attention has brought many of my titles back to life through reissues, both in print and as e-books. For nine years, between 2004–2013, I went without a sale; now I’m finding new readers all over the world. The most satisfying aspect is that my Savage Destiny books — the first books I ever wrote, which are now more than 30 years old — are selling in as good or better numbers than when they were first printed by Kensington Books all those years ago! My agent arranged to have them reissued by Amazon, and now new readers are picking them up! You can’t imagine how good it feels to have those first books still selling, and selling well, after all these years.
Another publisher, Diversion Books, bought 18 older titles and has already reissued five of them. In February, another six went online! Because of all of this, my writing career has soared again, both in print and online. I haven’t sold in such big numbers in years! For those indie writers who think they don’t need an agent, THINK AGAIN! An agent can find ways to get you much better exposure than you canon your own. They save you time, too. Just keeping up with internet sales can take hours and hours of personal writing time. Through my agent I receive statements every month that show royalties from all sources (Amazon, Diversion Books, B&N, foreign sales, and my standard print publisher, Sourcebooks). It’s nice, steady income, but also can be very confusing. At the end of the year I get a 1099 from my agent, and all that work of keeping track of income is done for me. When I see those pages and pages of sales broken down book by book, and all those different types of royalties (everywhere from 8 to 60 percent depending on the publisher and the title) I know I could never keep track of all that on my own, let alone read and understand all those contracts.
E-books and the internet have worked wonders for my career. But I have to say that through my 30-plus years of writing, sometimes the biggest help in getting the word out, especially before social networking came along, has been the ever-faithful Kathryn Falk and Romantic Times Magazine . I still have one of the first issues. What a long way we’ve all come! Thank, you, Kathryn! I’m really looking forward to April in Vegas!
I've been writing for 35 years, so I’m pretty old-school when it comes to the publishing world. When e-books were first introduced, I couldn’t believe they would ever be successful. After all, who would rather read a book on some kind of device as opposed to having the real thing in their hands?
In the beginning, readers felt the same way until they began to realize the cost savings and convenience of e-books. Personally, I hated the idea of my books being published as paperless reading, and ignored the internet other than maintaining a website (an active, informative website is a MUST for all writers). Finally, disavowing the social revolution taking place became impossible. Both social networking and e-reading became too popular, and I realized they were useful tools for people like me,who needed an avenue for finding new readers — even though I had 60 books under my belt.
Today, I can’t imagine NOT having my books available as ebooks, and the best part is that doing it has completely revitalized my backlist and my writing career! Additionally, as a result of these advances, we get to discover writers whose talents we might never have enjoyed otherwise. Because I’ve had so many books traditionally published, I’d never needed to find any other way to publish my work. However,I don’t know that I wouldn’t have been an indie author if such an avenue had been available when I started writing in the early ‘80s. Back then, I had no choice but to go the standard route,and print publishers have been good to me. So many are publishing their own books online today, and hundreds of thousands of readers are searching the internet for those independently published books. And you know what? They’re also finding MY books, so indie publishing is good for EVERYBODY! It’s a great marriage — independently published books combined with standard print publishing. All this attention has brought many of my titles back to life through reissues, both in print and as e-books. For nine years, between 2004–2013, I went without a sale; now I’m finding new readers all over the world. The most satisfying aspect is that my Savage Destiny books — the first books I ever wrote, which are now more than 30 years old — are selling in as good or better numbers than when they were first printed by Kensington Books all those years ago! My agent arranged to have them reissued by Amazon, and now new readers are picking them up! You can’t imagine how good it feels to have those first books still selling, and selling well, after all these years.
Another publisher, Diversion Books, bought 18 older titles and has already reissued five of them. In February, another six went online! Because of all of this, my writing career has soared again, both in print and online. I haven’t sold in such big numbers in years! For those indie writers who think they don’t need an agent, THINK AGAIN! An agent can find ways to get you much better exposure than you canon your own. They save you time, too. Just keeping up with internet sales can take hours and hours of personal writing time. Through my agent I receive statements every month that show royalties from all sources (Amazon, Diversion Books, B&N, foreign sales, and my standard print publisher, Sourcebooks). It’s nice, steady income, but also can be very confusing. At the end of the year I get a 1099 from my agent, and all that work of keeping track of income is done for me. When I see those pages and pages of sales broken down book by book, and all those different types of royalties (everywhere from 8 to 60 percent depending on the publisher and the title) I know I could never keep track of all that on my own, let alone read and understand all those contracts.
E-books and the internet have worked wonders for my career. But I have to say that through my 30-plus years of writing, sometimes the biggest help in getting the word out, especially before social networking came along, has been the ever-faithful Kathryn Falk and Romantic Times Magazine . I still have one of the first issues. What a long way we’ve all come! Thank, you, Kathryn! I’m really looking forward to April in Vegas!
April 4, 2016
The Long Haul
I'm sure you've heard the trucking term “long haul,” or the phrase “I’m in it for the long haul.” Maybe “It’s been a long haul.” For anyone who writes, “the long haul” perfectly fits your chosen profession – or even as a hobby, if you see it that way. You’d better be in it for “the long haul,” because that’s what it will be if your goal is a long-term career in writing.
When I look back over my 35 years of writing, I can hardly believe how or when I managed to write so many books. Writing has to be a true passion if you want it to be your career, because sitting down to write that first line to a new book – a big book of 400 – 600 pages – over and over again (in my case almost 70 times) can be daunting if you look at the figures. Sixty-one books published – almost 31,000 pages, 9,150,000 words – and that’s just first drafts. Every single book gets heavy editing and a re-write – more editing before sending it in – and even more editing at the publishing house. And that doesn’t include the 8 other books I wrote that never sold, tons of poetry and many, many magazine articles, blogs and speeches. All of that would probably come closer to 35,000 pages and almost 12,000,000 words.
It’s been a “long haul.” I can’t even explain why the love for my genre is so intense, or when I found the time to do all that writing, let alone the thousands of hours of reading for research. I have file drawers filled with hand-written notes and hundreds of magazine articles torn from western/history magazines that I saved for future ideas. I’ve reached the point where I don’t even need to dream up ideas any more, or search through my resources. Stories and ideas just come to me, and sometimes I swear I am being visited by real characters from the past who want me to tell their story, which perhaps is why my readers’ most used comment about my writing is that “the characters are so real.” I never experience sagging middles or writers block any more. I never worry about coming up with yet another new book. What I worry about is living long enough to write all the books I want to write.
I remember wondering, when Louis L’Amour died, and more recently Janet Daily, how many stories died with them – books they might have written if they’d lived longer. I find that very sad.
Some of my own years of writing are a complete blank. I went through so much working full time, raising two active little boys, having two major surgeries (including brain surgery), two broken wrists (at the same time), all the daily chores of any woman working and keeping a home and trying to be a good wife – and somewhere amid all of that I wrote books – sometimes 2-4 books a year! And they were big, historical novels filled with real history, real events and locations. History was told through the lives of my fictitious characters. I read some of these books now and I am astounded at how much history and research is involved. I scratch my head and wonder when I did all of that. My only memory of managing to work and write so many books is that I seldom slept more than 3-5 hours a night. I remember falling asleep at the typewriter (yes, I started out with a typewriter, which makes writing all those books even more mind-boggling). The boys would be asleep. My husband would be snoring away – the house quiet – and even the dog would be sleeping. I was the only one awake and working.
I used to “sneak-write” at my secretarial job – and when most others got together or went out to lunch, I stayed at my desk and read my research books or proofed something I had already written. I even used to make carbon copies of my earlier books because I didn’t own a copy machine, and there was no such thing as hooking a printer up to a typewriter. I would take my typed chapters to work and sneak copies there on the company copy machine.
I still work outside my writing life. We are heavily invested in a family business and I do most of the bookkeeping, so I put in three to eight hours a day there, where I have a wonderful, huge office upstairs. The office is my pay. I don’t get a paycheck. My income is my writing. Be that as it may, I am still working another job while I write books, so my days are still long even though I am well beyond the normal retirement age. I will never retire because I would hate sitting around with nothing to do but pursue hobbies (of which I have none – writing is both my hobby and my primary profession) – or traveling all the time (that gets old and I would miss my grandsons). I have to work - and I have to write - the same as I have to breathe.
I have said this before and I’ll say it again – if you want a career in writing, you had better love the art and love your genre and never look at writing as work or even as a way to make money. For one thing, there isn’t a lot of money in it unless and until you have been in it for years and have several books on the market. I didn’t start making decent money until I had about 25 books on the market. Even then, there will be good years and bad years and even some years when you sell nothing. Now, with the help of reaching the world through my web site and through Facebook and blogs and Goodreads and any number of other internet access points, my writing has taken a very successful turn – and what is most fulfilling is that many of the books I wrote over 30 years ago are being reissued and becoming best-sellers!
If you are in this for the long haul, writing should be the driving force in your life. You should never have a problem finding time to write but rather, finding time to do everything else. You will lose sleep, sometimes miss parties or a night out. House work will often fall by the wayside, and you’d better have an understanding and supportive husband, because he will spend a lot of time alone watching TV while you are at the computer back in your office or your bedroom.
Writing can save you when you’re down. It can be a catharsis for your troubles. It can help you get well after surgery, and it can even energize your sex life with your husband. After all, you have to take out those love scenes on someone! I write gritty westerns with pretty hot sex, so when my husband walks in on me while I’m writing, he teasingly asks if I want to shoot him, or if he should get out the Viagra!
Do you want a career in writing? You’d better be in it for the long haul. I could probably write a book with all the details of my writing career. There are so many things I haven’t mentioned here – some events in my life that could have stalled or ended my writing career – but it was writing that actually got me through those trying times.
The stories keep coming. Since I can’t shut off my brain there is nothing I can do to stop the flow. And as long as the stories and ideas keep coming, I will keep writing and pray I stay healthy enough to continue. I am definitely in this for the “long haul.”
When I look back over my 35 years of writing, I can hardly believe how or when I managed to write so many books. Writing has to be a true passion if you want it to be your career, because sitting down to write that first line to a new book – a big book of 400 – 600 pages – over and over again (in my case almost 70 times) can be daunting if you look at the figures. Sixty-one books published – almost 31,000 pages, 9,150,000 words – and that’s just first drafts. Every single book gets heavy editing and a re-write – more editing before sending it in – and even more editing at the publishing house. And that doesn’t include the 8 other books I wrote that never sold, tons of poetry and many, many magazine articles, blogs and speeches. All of that would probably come closer to 35,000 pages and almost 12,000,000 words.
It’s been a “long haul.” I can’t even explain why the love for my genre is so intense, or when I found the time to do all that writing, let alone the thousands of hours of reading for research. I have file drawers filled with hand-written notes and hundreds of magazine articles torn from western/history magazines that I saved for future ideas. I’ve reached the point where I don’t even need to dream up ideas any more, or search through my resources. Stories and ideas just come to me, and sometimes I swear I am being visited by real characters from the past who want me to tell their story, which perhaps is why my readers’ most used comment about my writing is that “the characters are so real.” I never experience sagging middles or writers block any more. I never worry about coming up with yet another new book. What I worry about is living long enough to write all the books I want to write.
I remember wondering, when Louis L’Amour died, and more recently Janet Daily, how many stories died with them – books they might have written if they’d lived longer. I find that very sad.
Some of my own years of writing are a complete blank. I went through so much working full time, raising two active little boys, having two major surgeries (including brain surgery), two broken wrists (at the same time), all the daily chores of any woman working and keeping a home and trying to be a good wife – and somewhere amid all of that I wrote books – sometimes 2-4 books a year! And they were big, historical novels filled with real history, real events and locations. History was told through the lives of my fictitious characters. I read some of these books now and I am astounded at how much history and research is involved. I scratch my head and wonder when I did all of that. My only memory of managing to work and write so many books is that I seldom slept more than 3-5 hours a night. I remember falling asleep at the typewriter (yes, I started out with a typewriter, which makes writing all those books even more mind-boggling). The boys would be asleep. My husband would be snoring away – the house quiet – and even the dog would be sleeping. I was the only one awake and working.
I used to “sneak-write” at my secretarial job – and when most others got together or went out to lunch, I stayed at my desk and read my research books or proofed something I had already written. I even used to make carbon copies of my earlier books because I didn’t own a copy machine, and there was no such thing as hooking a printer up to a typewriter. I would take my typed chapters to work and sneak copies there on the company copy machine.
I still work outside my writing life. We are heavily invested in a family business and I do most of the bookkeeping, so I put in three to eight hours a day there, where I have a wonderful, huge office upstairs. The office is my pay. I don’t get a paycheck. My income is my writing. Be that as it may, I am still working another job while I write books, so my days are still long even though I am well beyond the normal retirement age. I will never retire because I would hate sitting around with nothing to do but pursue hobbies (of which I have none – writing is both my hobby and my primary profession) – or traveling all the time (that gets old and I would miss my grandsons). I have to work - and I have to write - the same as I have to breathe.
I have said this before and I’ll say it again – if you want a career in writing, you had better love the art and love your genre and never look at writing as work or even as a way to make money. For one thing, there isn’t a lot of money in it unless and until you have been in it for years and have several books on the market. I didn’t start making decent money until I had about 25 books on the market. Even then, there will be good years and bad years and even some years when you sell nothing. Now, with the help of reaching the world through my web site and through Facebook and blogs and Goodreads and any number of other internet access points, my writing has taken a very successful turn – and what is most fulfilling is that many of the books I wrote over 30 years ago are being reissued and becoming best-sellers!
If you are in this for the long haul, writing should be the driving force in your life. You should never have a problem finding time to write but rather, finding time to do everything else. You will lose sleep, sometimes miss parties or a night out. House work will often fall by the wayside, and you’d better have an understanding and supportive husband, because he will spend a lot of time alone watching TV while you are at the computer back in your office or your bedroom.
Writing can save you when you’re down. It can be a catharsis for your troubles. It can help you get well after surgery, and it can even energize your sex life with your husband. After all, you have to take out those love scenes on someone! I write gritty westerns with pretty hot sex, so when my husband walks in on me while I’m writing, he teasingly asks if I want to shoot him, or if he should get out the Viagra!
Do you want a career in writing? You’d better be in it for the long haul. I could probably write a book with all the details of my writing career. There are so many things I haven’t mentioned here – some events in my life that could have stalled or ended my writing career – but it was writing that actually got me through those trying times.
The stories keep coming. Since I can’t shut off my brain there is nothing I can do to stop the flow. And as long as the stories and ideas keep coming, I will keep writing and pray I stay healthy enough to continue. I am definitely in this for the “long haul.”
March 10, 2016
When Fiction Becomes Our Reality
In the Shadow of the MountainsAmazon | Barnes & Noble | iBook | Kobo BooksGenre: Historical Western Romance
Release January 19, 2016
Published by: Diversion Books
Length: 673 Pages
Bold, headstrong, and passionate, the indomitable Kirklands struggled to survive in a treacherous, hostile land. From penniless settlers to wealthy mine owners to Denver's regal first family, together—and separately—they pursued their dazzling dreams of love and glory. From the era of the covered wagon to the rise of the western railroad, from the gold rush years through the golden age of the American West, IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAINS is the breathtaking saga of a remarkable family who endured tragedy and hardship to build a glorious mountain empire.
In my book
IN THE SHADOW OF THE MOUNTAINS
, about the birth and first 25 years or so of the growth of Denver, Colorado, I had my heroine build a monument to her father toward the end of the story. Her father was one of the (fictitious) founding fathers of Denver, and the monument was (in my story) in the foothills of the Rockies. After reading the book, one fan wrote me wanting to know where they could find that monument because she wanted to go see it. I had to explain to her that it doesn’t really exist. It was just part of the ending of my fictitious story. But that letter showed me just how real my characters become to my readers, and nothing warms my heart more.Absolutely the most comments I get from readers are about how real my characters seem – so real that I have often been asked if my story was true or if this or that character really lived. Well, some of them did – when I throw in actual people from American history just to make the story more realistic and alive. But I never allow real historical figures to become an integral, active part of the story. After all, they really did live, so I can’t make up something about them because of that. However, by bringing these people into the story I make the readers wonder if my own (fictitious) characters were also real.
The other comment I often receive is how much real history my readers learn from my books, more than they ever learned in school. I am very proud of that. I try especially hard when writing about Native Americans, because so little of their true history is told, and young people think they just happily trotted off to reservations and were perfectly content to stay there. But think about it – how would you feel if ISIS came to your door and ordered you out of your own house because they were taking over. Wouldn’t you fight back? That’s all our Native Americans did. They fought back, but our government and the media at the time led people to believe all Indians were bad and vicious rapists and murders. That was so far from the truth, but people wanted to believe the worst, so we tamed down our original natives through disease, attacks, displacement and starvation, to the point that they didn’t have the strength or resources to make any more trouble for anyone.
I am glad my readers feel as though my characters really lived, because as far as I’m concerned they DID live. They are all alive in my mind and heart almost constantly. I wouldn’t be able to write these characters into realistic circumstances and feelings and situations if I couldn’t picture them truly alive myself. And when they come alive for me, I could write books and books about each one of them. That’s why I’ve written several trilogies and series-type stories – because the characters were so real that I didn’t want to leave them. When I finish a book I miss them.
I recently posted a message on Facebook that I was in “Jake” mode. I’ve been working on the edits to my third “Outlaw” book – LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE (Sourcebooks/September 2016). When I write these stories about Jake Harkner I tend to take on his personality – his – not his wife Miranda’s. I don’t know why, but I identify with the hero more than the heroine when I write. I can’t explain that because in real life I’m a glitzy girly-girl and most definitely a woman who loves her husband and loves being the “heroine” when it comes to love scenes in my stories. But when I write my very alpha heroes, I find myself feeling a bit empowered and wanting to strut around wearing six guns and daring people to cross me. I state my opinion about things whether others like that opinion or not. I don’t care if they like me or not or if they agree with me. I love carrying my own .38. And when Jake and Randy make love, I want to make love with my husband. We have a running joke between us – “Honey, get ready, because I’ll be working on a love scene.”
Yes, I’m weird. Most writers are a little bit crazy, I suppose, and our imaginations run rampant. But if you don’t have a wild imagination, and if you can’t “walk in the shoes” of your characters and feel their personalities, their thoughts, their emotions, and if you don’t fully understand their background and why they are the way they are, you can’t bring them to life in the pages of a book. I am so convinced that some of my characters really lived that I expect to see them waiting for me when I die and (hopefully) go to heaven. Zeke and Abbie Monroe from SAVAGE DESTINY will be there, as well as Wolf’s Blood and Swift Arrow – Caleb Sax from my Blue Hawk books will be there – all the characters from my Wilderness trilogy will be there – the Native American hero and heroine from my Mystic Indian trilogy will be there – and Jake and Randy Harkner will definitely be there!
I decided in LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE to start mingling characters from totally different books of mine into some of my new stories – i.e. – if a major character from one of my other books lived in the same area and same time period as the book I am currently working on, then why can’t he or she make a cameo appearance in my new book? I decided it was a great idea, and I incorporated it into LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE . I’m not telling how, or who this person is, but I felt I just had to mention this person because if they were vibrant and well-known and crucial to another book I wrote, it just seems to me they really lived and should logically be a part of my new book, just to make those older characters completely alive again and even more realistic – something to again make readers wonder if that person really lived. My editor liked the idea, and my readers can’t wait to find out who the “mystery character” is in LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE . I will try to do this more and more as things unfold. And, of course, bringing in a character from another book only urges readers to look for that book (if they haven’t already read it) and read that one also.
In the meantime – yes, we crazy writers tend to become so attached to our characters (especially when writing a series of books) that it seems they really lived. When I finish a book I am usually depressed for a while because I hate leaving these people who have become so real to me. And my advice to new writers is to find that “key” to bringing your characters so alive that they not only live in your heart forever, but also in the hearts of your readers! It will only make readers go and look for more of your books!
February 18, 2016
Are Our Books Ever Good Enough?
I just finished the edits to my September book
LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE
. One thing I advise other writers is that before sending a book in to your publisher, if there is anything about it that bothers you, fix it first. Ninety-nine per cent of the time it’s that very part of the book that bothers you that will come back to you with editor comments and/or requests for changes. It’s usually nothing major, but you still want to kick yourself in the butt for not addressing your concern before letting your editor read the book. Well, I didn’t follow my own rule, and a couple of places in the book that nudged at me as not quite right are exactly the places where my editor made comments and requests for a few changes.
The main reason I say you should address these things first is because if you get the book back with requests for changes, it’s hard on the writer’s ego. We writers are very delicate when it comes to our feelings getting hurt, because having your book criticized is like someone telling you your baby is ugly. “She’s so bald!” “Maybe you should have that little mole removed.” “Will his eyes always look crossed like that?” “She’s certainly a fat baby.” By not addressing the problems with your book beforehand, you’re asking for hurt feelings and worry and loss of sleep.
Don’t get me wrong. My editor loved the story and said it was very strong. That word “strong” is very important. “A page-turner” is also music to a writer’s ears. In this case, my editor thought the writing was terrific; but as sometimes happens with my writing, my biggest problem was being almost too realistic. I’ve been called “gritty,” and in this case I guess I was a bit too gritty. I had to tone down a few scenes. We are, after all, talking about Jake Harkner, and Jake Harkner can be quite ruthless when it comes to defending those he loves. He tends to “shoot first” and ask questions later, only sometimes it’s worse than shooting someone.
Also, the ending of my story bothered me because my heroine, Jake’s wife Miranda, came off just a little too weak. This woman has been brave and strong through this entire series and has faced so many life challenges by living with a wanted man who then became a U.S. Marshal in a lawless Oklahoma – a very dangerous job. She even rode with Jake once on the Outlaw Trail when they hunted for their wayward son who was in a lot of trouble. Jake Harkner is definitely not an easy man to live with, so after all she’s been through, I couldn’t turn around and make Miranda look suddenly too weak. When my editor commented on that very issue, I completely changed the outcome of the scene involving all of this. As expected, my editor LOVED the change – so what does that tell me? It tells me I should have written the heroine stronger in the first place. I wouldn’t have had to do all that re-writing.
One piece of advice I can give is that you can always call and talk to your editor if you’re really indecisive about something. Sometimes she can help you work it out. I didn’t call mine in this case because I was so “into” this ending event (and so mad at the “bad guys”) that all I could think of was to let Jake “do his thing” in handling these guys. When Jake is mad, I’m mad, and even I act before I think! I thought I handled everything just fine. But once I sent in the book and calmed down, that’s when I started thinking maybe I should change a few things.
It all boils down to most writers never being sure their book is good enough. LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE is my 61st book after 35 years of writing, and I still worry about each and every new book. Do I still have what it takes? Was I too repetitive? Did I work out all the events in a way that makes sense? Were my characters strong enough? Too weak? Too ruthless? Too needy? Were they likeable? Will readers understand and empathize with them? Was there too much sex? Not enough? Any gratuitous sex? (I hate gratuitous sex)! Did I describe the characters in a way that readers can “see” them? Was I too dramatic? Not dramatic enough? Did I stick to the time period as far as clothing and weapons and utensils? Did I repeat myself too much? (That’s my biggest weakness, but my editor is great at catching that.) Did I keep everyone’s hair color and eye color the same? Did I accidentally change someone’s name or inadvertently give two characters the same name?
There is a long list of things that need to be checked over before sending in a book. Overall I have to feel really good about it, and I feel really good about LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE. My readers are all in love with Jake and Miranda and their beautiful devotion to each other. They are caught up in the entire Harkner family, and this book continues their exciting story as they settle onto a ranch in Colorado. But Jake’s past refuses to leave him alone, and there are a couple of vengeful men from DO NOT FORSAKE ME who are not through with Jake yet.
Overall I was happy with this book when I sent it in, but we writers are our own worst critics, so once it was on its way to my editor I started thinking all the worst things, especially when it took my editor longer than usual to get back to me. That was due to her own schedule and because I write very big books – a good 600 pages – so the editing takes time. But the longer it takes, the more various scenarios start haunting me – She hates it! She thinks the writing sucks! She thinks it’s too much like the second book! She thinks the characters haven’t grown enough! She’s trying to figure out how to tell me the book is awful and I have to re-write the whole thing!
Well, when I got it back, it took me only few days to address every one of her comments. Editing is not an easy job. There is a lot of cutting and pasting and crossing out and replacing and even completely re-writing some scenes and sometimes deleting whole chapters. But I got it done, and as usual, my very thorough and talented editor was right in every single comment and suggestion. She has a way of helping make my books as strong as they can be and as well-written as my readers expect. I am one of those “seat-of-the-pants” writers. I use no outline – no synopsis. I just sit down and start the story and away we go. I write very fast and when I’m done I have to go back and make sure I didn’t leave anything out or commit some of the mistakes I mention above. Even at that, when you first finish a book you can’t see the forest for the trees, so it takes a good editor to “see” all the places that could stand improvement or maybe just clarification or “tweaking.” I am very grateful that I have one of the best editors at Sourcebooks. Her name is Mary Altman, and she loves my writing, which is a huge plus when working with an editor.
I can’t wait till my readers get to delve into LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE in September! I already have a fourth book planned about the Harkner clan!
The main reason I say you should address these things first is because if you get the book back with requests for changes, it’s hard on the writer’s ego. We writers are very delicate when it comes to our feelings getting hurt, because having your book criticized is like someone telling you your baby is ugly. “She’s so bald!” “Maybe you should have that little mole removed.” “Will his eyes always look crossed like that?” “She’s certainly a fat baby.” By not addressing the problems with your book beforehand, you’re asking for hurt feelings and worry and loss of sleep.
Don’t get me wrong. My editor loved the story and said it was very strong. That word “strong” is very important. “A page-turner” is also music to a writer’s ears. In this case, my editor thought the writing was terrific; but as sometimes happens with my writing, my biggest problem was being almost too realistic. I’ve been called “gritty,” and in this case I guess I was a bit too gritty. I had to tone down a few scenes. We are, after all, talking about Jake Harkner, and Jake Harkner can be quite ruthless when it comes to defending those he loves. He tends to “shoot first” and ask questions later, only sometimes it’s worse than shooting someone.
Also, the ending of my story bothered me because my heroine, Jake’s wife Miranda, came off just a little too weak. This woman has been brave and strong through this entire series and has faced so many life challenges by living with a wanted man who then became a U.S. Marshal in a lawless Oklahoma – a very dangerous job. She even rode with Jake once on the Outlaw Trail when they hunted for their wayward son who was in a lot of trouble. Jake Harkner is definitely not an easy man to live with, so after all she’s been through, I couldn’t turn around and make Miranda look suddenly too weak. When my editor commented on that very issue, I completely changed the outcome of the scene involving all of this. As expected, my editor LOVED the change – so what does that tell me? It tells me I should have written the heroine stronger in the first place. I wouldn’t have had to do all that re-writing.
One piece of advice I can give is that you can always call and talk to your editor if you’re really indecisive about something. Sometimes she can help you work it out. I didn’t call mine in this case because I was so “into” this ending event (and so mad at the “bad guys”) that all I could think of was to let Jake “do his thing” in handling these guys. When Jake is mad, I’m mad, and even I act before I think! I thought I handled everything just fine. But once I sent in the book and calmed down, that’s when I started thinking maybe I should change a few things.
It all boils down to most writers never being sure their book is good enough. LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE is my 61st book after 35 years of writing, and I still worry about each and every new book. Do I still have what it takes? Was I too repetitive? Did I work out all the events in a way that makes sense? Were my characters strong enough? Too weak? Too ruthless? Too needy? Were they likeable? Will readers understand and empathize with them? Was there too much sex? Not enough? Any gratuitous sex? (I hate gratuitous sex)! Did I describe the characters in a way that readers can “see” them? Was I too dramatic? Not dramatic enough? Did I stick to the time period as far as clothing and weapons and utensils? Did I repeat myself too much? (That’s my biggest weakness, but my editor is great at catching that.) Did I keep everyone’s hair color and eye color the same? Did I accidentally change someone’s name or inadvertently give two characters the same name?
There is a long list of things that need to be checked over before sending in a book. Overall I have to feel really good about it, and I feel really good about LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE. My readers are all in love with Jake and Miranda and their beautiful devotion to each other. They are caught up in the entire Harkner family, and this book continues their exciting story as they settle onto a ranch in Colorado. But Jake’s past refuses to leave him alone, and there are a couple of vengeful men from DO NOT FORSAKE ME who are not through with Jake yet.
Overall I was happy with this book when I sent it in, but we writers are our own worst critics, so once it was on its way to my editor I started thinking all the worst things, especially when it took my editor longer than usual to get back to me. That was due to her own schedule and because I write very big books – a good 600 pages – so the editing takes time. But the longer it takes, the more various scenarios start haunting me – She hates it! She thinks the writing sucks! She thinks it’s too much like the second book! She thinks the characters haven’t grown enough! She’s trying to figure out how to tell me the book is awful and I have to re-write the whole thing!
Well, when I got it back, it took me only few days to address every one of her comments. Editing is not an easy job. There is a lot of cutting and pasting and crossing out and replacing and even completely re-writing some scenes and sometimes deleting whole chapters. But I got it done, and as usual, my very thorough and talented editor was right in every single comment and suggestion. She has a way of helping make my books as strong as they can be and as well-written as my readers expect. I am one of those “seat-of-the-pants” writers. I use no outline – no synopsis. I just sit down and start the story and away we go. I write very fast and when I’m done I have to go back and make sure I didn’t leave anything out or commit some of the mistakes I mention above. Even at that, when you first finish a book you can’t see the forest for the trees, so it takes a good editor to “see” all the places that could stand improvement or maybe just clarification or “tweaking.” I am very grateful that I have one of the best editors at Sourcebooks. Her name is Mary Altman, and she loves my writing, which is a huge plus when working with an editor.
I can’t wait till my readers get to delve into LOVE’S SWEET REVENGE in September! I already have a fourth book planned about the Harkner clan!
January 5, 2016
Hope everybody is signing up for free copies of OUTLAW HE...
Hope everybody is signing up for free copies of OUTLAW HEARTS, DO NOT FORSAKE ME, THUNDER ON THE PLAINS and WILDEST DREAMS!! Rosanne Bittner
