Robin Constantine's Blog, page 3

Introducing: Sweethearts of YA!!

Are you a fan of YA romance?  Always on the lookout for your next swoon? Do you find yourself impatient to get to the kissing parts?  Then Sweethearts of YA is for you!  Whether you read or write romance, there will be something for everyone. Posts, contests and lots of saaaw-woon.  Here is our introductory post.  Follow! Tweet! Subscribe!  #sweetheartsofYA 

Much thanks to Linda Budzinski for inviting me to be a part of this awesome group of authors!

#FlashbackFriday: That Time I Blogged about how Watching #TVD Helped my Writing

Tonight marks the end of The Vampire Diaries. 

First - No Fair!!  What a short season! Usually when the last episode of the season is on, we're at the cusp of summer!  Now there's snow in the forecast for Sunday. Boo!!  Too short, too rushed!! On the upside...The Originals is coming BACK!!

Second - Thank you.  Thank you for an amazing eight seasons. This show had everything: vampires, witches, werewolves, doppelgangers, sibling rivalry, fierce friendships, romance, bromance, mystery, intrigue, moral dilemmas, evil villains, life and death, Damon, Damon, Damon, Damon, Damon, Damon.  Did I mention, Damon?

I have loved watching this show and how the characters evolved through the series. And while I know most of my images are of the male characters - I've loved watching how Elena, Caroline and Bonnie's friendship has lasted through the seasons, and that the core of this show is LOVE.

So in honor of its last show ever. (no, no, NO!!) here's a piece I wrote seven years ago about how watching The Vampire Diaries helped my writing.  Enjoy!  

Mystic Falls, I will miss you, most ardently.

Writing Lessons from the TV Series “The Vampire Diaries”

(Originally posted on November 22, 2010, on The Paper Wait blog)

One of the first bits of advice we writers who wish to be more prolific receive is to cut waaaaaaaaay back on our TV watching. For the most part, I don’t have a problem. I’m not into soaps, haven’t seen an episode of Oprah in years, but at night I will admit to unwinding in front of the flat screen. I can take the high road and say I only watch NatGeo or TLC (which can be a pretty bizarre trip into voyeurism) but if you’re looking for me on a Thursday night at 8:00PM - I’m usually curled up in my favorite chair with a cup of something warm anxiously waiting to travel to the fictional town of Mystic Falls to watch the Salvatore brothers get themselves into more trouble.

Did I mention the Salvatore brothers are vampires?

If you’ve taken leave from the planet for awhile you might not be familiar with The Vampire Diaries. First a YA novel series written by L.J. Smith (published in 1991, btw) and now a television series developed (and often penned) by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. The Vampire Diaries on television follows the story of Stefan and Damon Salvatore, brothers from Mystic Falls, Virginia, who were ‘turned’ in the late 1800s by a vampire they both fell in love with named Katherine Pierce. Fast forward to modern day, Stefan returns to his home of Mystic Falls only to fall in love with Elena Gilbert, a young girl he saves from a car that had swerved off a bridge and into a river. Elena happens to be the spitting image of Katherine. Stefan enrolls in high school so he can get to know her. Elena is immediately intrigued by the smokin’ hot and brooding, Stefan. Soon after Stefan’s bad-boy brother Damon comes to town, with his own agenda, part of which is to make Stefan miserable and boom!– instant intrigue. My goal is not to summarize the series for you, but to point out some writing tips I’ve learned along the ride. And yes, this is an absolute justification to completely enjoy my guilty pleasure, but I’ve learned a lot.

Vibrant Characters – All of the main characters on the show are multi-dimensional, but for my purpose I’m going to focus on Damon Salvatore (played with sigh-worthy brilliance by ). Damon is described as the bad-boy. The pure evil boy might be more like it. One moment he will charm you, the next, rip out your heart. And I mean that…like…literally. And yet whenever the softer side of Damon is shown – you can’t help but fall in love with him. When he professes his love for Elena, even though he knows how many times he’s wronged her, it’s with genuine emotion, so that when he compels her to forget that he told her he loves her…you are just left heartbroken and rooting for him. Even ‘good boy’ Stefan isn’t all good, especially when he drinks human blood, which he’s sworn off of, even though it’s what makes him stronger. And it turns out innocent human Elena can pull a few deceitful tricks out from her sleeve in order to protect her man, um, er, vampire, as well. No one is either all good or all bad. It’s truly an awesome lesson in character development.

Well developed ensemble cast – The supporting characters are equally as intriguing and layered as the main triangle. There’s Bonnie, Elena’s best friend and yes, witch who helps her friend out of a myriad of tough situations in spite of having an intrinsic dislike for vampires. Jeremy, Elena’s brooding little brother (a character created for the television series) whose legacy is to be a vampire hunter and yet he can’t help befriending some of the bloodsuckers. And there's Caroline, Elena’s other BFF, often misunderstood and in Elena’s shadow, who becomes a vampire quite by accident. (yes, you read that right). I could go on and on, even with one-episode-only players, but I could fill the page. The lesson here is to make your supporting cast as interesting as your main cast so when they interact, your story is that much richer.

Triangles - There’s Stefan-Katherine-Damon, Stefan-Elena-Damon, Damon-Katherine-Mason, Elena-Bonnie-Caroline, Caroline-Damon-Caroline’s Mom (which is not as creepy as it sounds), Elena-Matt-Caroline, Bonnie-Jeremy-Luka, etc. etc. Having triangles – ever shifting and changing - keeps things interesting. Having trouble with a ho-hum relationship in your book? Throw another character into the mix, preferably one who will shake things up, and you’ll see sparks fly.

Keep upping the stakes – There’s barely a moment on Vampire Diaries that is NOT without life and death peril. And just when you think the story has slowed down or the characters are safe…another variable is brought in. How nice – Stefan and Elena are finally going to get some couple time, WAIT, in walks Katherine. Look - Elena has the moonstone in her grasp…oh no, watch out for those SNAKES! Whew –Damon staked the evil uber vampire Elijah…but wait, he’s not really dead, dead. He survived the staking and is now coming after Elena. Upping the stakes, and placing your characters in further peril equates to page turning plots.

All of this and more is why although I enjoy watching The Vampire Diaries, I consider it a master class in great story. Makes me feel a little less guilty enjoying my guilty pleasure. Kind of like knowing that dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants. A win-win situation!

 

 

Ten Things you might not know about The Secrets of Attraction

1.  My husband named Jesse’s band – about twenty years ago.  Yellow #5 was originally the name of a band in an unpublished novel of mine (titled Before Girl.)  I always loved that name so when I was trying to think of one for Jesse’s band, it was a no-brainer.

2.  My husband plays guitar, and some of the band stuff was inspired by real life. (Especially the egos and bickering, but shhh, don’t tell him I said that!)

3. Out of all the characters I have ever written, Madison is the one I have the least in common with, but I loved writing her! I envy her confidence and her no BS attitude.

4. Madison’s original last name was Parker. Apparently there is a porn star with the same name, so in one of the final edits I changed it to Pryce. I had to search through The Promise of Amazing to make sure I hadn’t mentioned her last name because she was always Parker to me. It’s weird how one small change can matter to a writer, but now I think of her as Madison Pryce.

5. Sacred Heart is based on my old high school, Holy Family Academy.

6. I actually took the trip Madison and Jesse take to Fallingwater in the book. It’s a FIVE HOUR DRIVE from where they are supposed to live. I rounded up my son and his friends to go on the trek with me and observed their reactions on the house tour, which helped make the scene come to life.  You’re not allowed to take pictures inside of Fallingwater so I had to take extensive notes. It’s a really cool place, off the beaten path but worth a trip if you are interested in architecture.

7. Although they certainly could have made the trip in a day even thought it's quite a ride, I thought it would be better for Madison and Jesse to stay over night – away from other distractions so they could really get to know each other. I was originally going to have them stay at a motel, instead of Jesse’s aunt’s house, but there were a lot of issues that came up with that- Would they lie in order to stay overnight? Would they stay in the same room? Could they even get a room at their age? How far did I want them to go if they did stay in a motel?   The “aunt in PA” was my solution.

8. I had the cover very early in the writing process so I incorporated the bracelets the boy is wearing into the story.  Jesse's infinity bracelet came to represent him holding onto the past.

9. Clair de Lune by Debussy is one of my favorite classical pieces.  I wanted Madison to see another side of Jesse as he played something classical on his guitar.  It’s such an intimate experience to see someone get caught up in playing music – I really love that scene!

10.  The Mexican hot chocolate that Jesse makes Mads was inspired by the Oaxaca sipping chocolate drink at The Chocolate Lounge in Asheville, NC.   I’ve also found a great at-home version from Lake Champlain chocolates – Spicy Aztec hot chocolate. Or you know, I guess you could sprinkle cayenne and cinnamon into your Swiss Miss ;) or try this recipe from Food Network.

 

Don’t forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway for The Secrets of Attraction!!  Ending on Monday, February 27th! Good luck!! 

Goodreads Giveaway for THE SECRETS OF ATTRACTION

Goodreads Book Giveaway








The Secrets of Attraction


by Robin Constantine

Giveaway ends February 27, 2017.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

It's been a while since I've done a giveaway and to combat the mid-winter blues I thought, why not give away some paperbacks of The Secrets of Attraction?  The dance scene in The Secrets of Attraction is one of my favorite scenes in any of my books. It's the first time that Madison and Jesse really interact with each other. Even though though Jesse has snuck in to see the band and Madison is there with someone else, the sparks between them fly.  Here's a taste from Jesse's POV:

JESSE

I stepped in the hall. The sound of the band - Kenny Ashe's muffled voice screaming out a song I couldn't decipher- echoed through the empty corridor. Farther down, people milled around in front of two open doors. Cafeteria, maybe? I hugged the wall as I moved toward the action. As I got closer, I noticed a leggy silhouette turn the corner at the end of the hallway. The girl from the front who shut me down. My heart shot into my throat. No way was I getting kicked out after this. I ducked into the cafeteria, crouching a bit to get lost in a throng of kids. 

I worked my way over to a vending machine and studied it as if my life depended on finding a healthy snack. In the reflection of the glass I could see that I was unnoticed, at least at the moment. I peered over my shoulder, scanning the room for Tanner. My eyes landed on a familiar-looking girl in a black dress standing behind a long table covered in water bottles and several trays of cupcakes. Where did I know her from?

"Jesse?"

Someone tugged at my jacket. I flinched and turned toward the voice.

There was a girl next to me. The short-haired one from yoga.

"Madison." I could not hide my surprise as I checked her out. There wasn't a word to describe how she looked. Only sounds, syllables. She was cute after class but damn.

"Wow." Smooth, Jess, why don't you just grunt.

She lowered her eyes and smiled.

"Thanks," she said. "Who are you here with?"

 

WANT MORE?  Enter the GIVEAWAY!!  Good luck! 

(excerpt from page 97-98, The Secrets of Attraction, Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins 2015)

2017: A New Leaf and All That

So something I swore I wouldn’t do when I started a blog on my website was let it go to seed. Guess what? Guilty. While the title of my last post was See You on the Other Side of the Summer…I didn’t think that would mean February. Welp, here I am, drinking a Molten Chocolate latte on Valentine’s Day and wondering when I’ll get back to some sort of normal routine after the maelstrom that was the holidays.  There’s only so many times you can say “I’ll start that clean slate thing next Monday” before you realize it’s the middle of February and you are nowhere nearer to starting anything. So here's the skinny on what I've been up to:

Why so quiet on social media? I’ve been working on my next book!  This one has been a little tricky for me for a lot of reasons, but at the moment I’m working on a complete overhaul of my first draft.  So yes, this will be like my second first draft. Not much to tell you at this point except – there will be kissing.  Send me good writing vibes and virtual chocolate! 

Who will survive in this first draft? Mwahahahahahaha

RIP Robin's Tumblr.  I also plan to continue to keep fairly quiet on social media. I’ve found I’m much more productive and chill that way and I need to be productive. (and chill) I will pop onto Twitter from time to time, but Instagram is pretty much my favorite because it’s a) FUN! and b)easy to post on Twitter and FB if I’m so inclined. If you ever followed me on Tumblr – please note that I deleted my account after way too many months of realizing it was just sitting there collecting dust.  It’s such a great platform, but I really didn’t take advantage of it, so I had to Kondo-it out of my life. At least for now.

CHRISTMAS IN FEBRUARY! I know the holiday season is o-v-e-r, but I participated in this fun Secret Santa Exchange with some amazing authors. Thanks to Rachel Silberman for coordinating this!  Check out her YouTube channel for some awesome bookish videos. If you want to see who my Secret Santa was, check out the video below! (I am a LUCKY author!!) 

 

I did some sightseeing in NYC!  I lived in the NY/NJ Metro area the majority of my life and it’s funny how rare you venture out to see sights that people come from all over the world to see.  I used to work in the financial district, so it was fun exploring it as a tourist. Also prepping for when I finally get to see Hamilton in 2017!

Had so much fun exploring Hamilton's lower Manhattan! The hot cider at Fraunce's Tavern was AMAZING on a freezing winter's day!

Do you like fun, unique jewelry that will put a smile on your face? You should check out HillsPeculiarities on Etsy. Below are the FAB Writer’s Tears earrings that I purchased recently.  There are some really cool charms and sets and Hill and Becky are always adding new stuff. (Oh, and Hill is a helluva writer too, in case you didn’t already know that!!)

The 'tear' beads on these are iridescent!  She also makes ones with writer's blood!! 

Coming Soon!!  A GIVEAWAY!!  I’m giving away three signed paperback copies of my second book The Secrets of Attraction on Goodreads at the end of the week. Why? There's a Sadie Hawkin's dance featured in the book, and it's Sadie Hawkins SEASON!! It should be listed on Goodreads by the weekend! I’m also considering opening up the Q&A at the same time, so if you have any burning questions, now’s the time!

A regular feature, perhaps?  I know, I know, the blog is dead, right? Well, I'm not dedicated enough to do a newsletter, and since I'm being quiet on social media...I should have an outlet where readers and potential readers can pop by and find out about my books and me! I've been toying with weekly post ideas, I know it would have to be fun and easy because blog posts take a while, my friends, and I need to FOCUS on my novel - but keep an eye out, because I may just surprise you.  Also - I've disabled the comments due to spam, which is a drag, I know. So if you need to contact me, please do it through the form on the website!   Thank you! 

See You on the Other Side of the Summer!

Last month I had the opportunity, along with my friend (and amazing author!) Amber Smith to visit a classroom at UNC Chapel Hill to talk to high school students who were attending writing camp.  It was last minute and casual – the young woman who was running the workshop had seen we would be in the area for a book signing and asked if we could stop by to chat about that week’s topic - revision. We both agreed it sounded fun, so we rearranged our travel plans to accommodate the visit.  We arrived on campus and after stopping two different sets of people to help us find the building where the workshop was being held, arrived sweaty, apologetic and…stunned.

In my head I envisioned a small, stuffy classroom, maybe ten or so desks in a circle. Amber and I exchanged a quick glance that made me realize that she must have had a similar vision.

The classroom had stadium seating.

Air conditioning. (Yassss!!)

And about thirty kids. Maybe more.

Confession: My first thought as we walked down the steep staircase to the front of the classroom was I’m going to need a drink after this. (okay, third thought after don’t trip and wow I feel unprepared) I know, mature, role model thinking. Our faces, along with our book covers, had been projected onto a screen above the classroom. I realized how much I did not look like my author picture at that moment, as the sweat from scurrying across campus in the ninety- degree- plus heat, trickled from my temples.   We sat at a small desk in front, and then, well, winged it. 

My turn to speak came and I froze a bit. The last time I’d projected my voice was when I played Shelby in a community theater production of Steel Magnolias, so I was a bit rusty.  I spoke about how I became a writer, and at one point my mouth and brain seemed to be working on two different tracks. Words came out of my mouth in hopefully coherent sentences but my brain was taking in this room full of teenagers, our target audience, and realizing we were losing them. We figured out pretty quickly if we didn't do something, it would be a snorefest, so we started asking them questions.  And then they asked us questions. Good, thoughtful questions. We weren’t just lecturing but exchanging information about the writing process and publishing and how to create characters. There was laughter. We were conversing. Time flew and suddenly the camp day ended.

When I walked into that classroom I’d been worried about how we were going to fill the time, by the end I wondered Where had the time gone?

I felt energized.  Giddy.  And I couldn’t wait to get back to my computer to write.

Being on the internet has rarely, if ever, made me feel like that. 

More often than not, I end up feeling like this:

and this...

and this...

So…you get where this is going, right?

I’m taking a social media break for the rest of the summer.

(Wait, does that make me Homer Simpson in this scenario?!)

Let's try this...

Ah, yes...better!

I know – in the grand scheme of things, who cares, right?  I think I’m writing this post more for me – to hold myself accountable. I’m always wary when the latest celebrity goes on a talk show to announce they are ducking out of the spotlight for a while.

Seriously, just duck out – who cares, we will KNOW when you get back! 

Now maybe I understand it a little. 

Just to be clear – I know I’m not a celebrity. Not even a little bit, but part of being an Author™ though, is being accessible. It’s sharing what’s in your heart and mind with readers and colleagues.  It’s being equal parts excited and terrified when you see someone is reading your book.  It's keeping up with industry gossip. It’s being happy when you see a friend sharing an incredible bit of news or success.  It’s dodging trolls, and not losing your shit when you’re tagged in an unfavorable review.  It’s promoting your work without looking like you’re promoting it.  And lately, for me, it’s been mentally exhausting. 

I’ve been promoting my new book, The Season of You & Me for the past three months – online and in person. I’ve loved it, because I have mad love for this book and the characters. It’s always fun for me to meet readers, bloggers and booksellers, and hang out with other author pals but -- my brain is zapped. Fried. So much so, that I’m having trouble tuning into that magical voice in my head that helps me get words down on the page. My muse has gone missing.

That scares, no, wait - TERRIFIES me.

I need to cultivate the positive feeling I had after that classroom visit. To rekindle the desire to create.  To discover characters and not be afraid to put them into situations that may suck for a while. I need to be a writer, not an Author™ until I find my creative sea legs again.  I’m already going through withdrawal, already reconciling the overwhelming FOMO. I hope you understand.  I need this.  My mind and heart need this.  See you on the other side of the summer. Peace.

 

Here Ye, Here Ye!!!

My name is Samuel Sea---

Sorry. I have HAMILTON on the brain. Do you? If not, you have no clue what I was just going for there so, um, anyway - I wanted to give you a little shout out on stuff.  You know, the news without a newsletter...

LOOKING FOR SIGNED COPIES OF MY BOOKS?

You're in luck!! Here's where you can find some:

New Jersey

Booktowne - Manasquan, NJ (Grab it on the way to the BEACH!!)

Barnes & Noble - Livingston Mall

North Carolina

Malaprop's Bookstore - Asheville, NC (Please go to The Chocolate Lounge while you're there!)

Park Road Books - Charlotte, NC

Flyleaf Books - Chapel Hill, NC

Barnes & Noble (Arboretum and Carolina Place Mall) Charlotte, NC

Georgia

Avid Bookshop - Athens, GA

(hope to add more soon!!)

 

DRAT! I ALREADY OWN A COPY, BUT IT SURE WOULD BE NIFTY TO HAVE IT SIGNED.

Don't fret!  I have BOOKPLATES!!  If you've purchased a copy of THE SEASON OF YOU & ME and want it signed, I have bookplates with the Sip N' Freeze logo on them!  That's the ice cream place Bryan and Cassidy frequent in the book!  Drop me a line through the form in the contact section FROM NOW UNTIL THE END OF AUGUST (2016) and request a signed bookplate and I will send it to you, along with some book related swag! Here's what it looks like:

 

Design: Me, My Shelf and I Designs

I know, I'm biased, but I think it's adorable. But Robin, I don't own a copy of THE SEASON OF YOU AND ME. I know, I know - I'm not sure why I went with a book specific design, but when Amber of MMSAI Designs came up with this I couldn't resist - totally adorable, right?(And **shameless plug alert** incentive to buy the book, don't you think?) I will be getting non-specific bookplates in the future, so stay tuned! 

 

ARE YOU AN ASPIRING TEEN WRITER?  LIVE IN THE ASHEVILLE, NC AREA? FREE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 12TH FROM 6:00PM - 7:30PM?

If you answered yes to all three questions...well then, have I got a workshop for you!!  I'm giving a session on writing dialogue at Spellbound Children's Bookshop in Asheville, on Friday, August 12th! What will be covered, you ask?

*Get tips on how to create engaging dialogue.

* Learn dialogue pitfalls to avoid.

*Practice with an exercise to spark your creativity.

*Leave with inspiration, handouts & book related swag!

ALSO - all attendees will be entered for a chance to win ONE free critique from yours truly, of twenty pages of your completed manuscript or work in progress!  Find out the details on Spellbound's website!

HAVE YOU READ THE SEASON OF YOU & ME?  PLEASE CONSIDER LEAVING A REVIEW!!

First, thank you for reading my book!!  Do you know whenever someone leaves a review a writer's word count immediately goes up?!  AND it makes you, the reviewer, look TEN YEARS YOUNGER! Okay, so...maybe I'm stretching it a bit, but reviews really do help an author. How? Let's look at this infographic meme, shall we?

I did not create this.  Found it on Pinterest!!  But YES!! to all of the above. And thank you to whoever created it. 

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUMMER! 

This afternoon I spent a long time crafting a very heartfelt blog post about why I need to take a social media break.  It's scheduled for next week.  I might delete it because what I'm pretty much saying is "DON'T YOU, FORGET ABOUT ME!"

Could not let the chance to post a John Bender .gif go by...

and there's something I kind of hate about the pretentiousness of that but...part of being an AUTHOR™ is having an online platform/presence. so I feel like I have to say something if I'm going to back off.  Just feeling burnt out, on lots of fronts lately. So I need less of this...

From the Oscar winning short Paperman (Walt Disney Animation Studios) .  Have you seen it? It's AMAZING.

And more of this....

and a whole lot more of this...

...the man is Non-Stop!

I will probably still pop onto Instagram, because it's the least taxing form of social media for me, and I love taking pictures of my food, my dog and the sunset, but for the most part, I won't be doing a daily check in, so if I let something lapse, or don't favorite something - please know I'm not ignoring you!  I'm writing, or reading, or eating ice cream, or performing some Hamilton car karaoke. Hope your summer is full of all the things you love too!!!   See you other side of the summer!!

THE SEASON OF YOU & ME IS OUT TODAY!!

So happy to announce that my third book, The Season of You & Me, hits the shelves today!  This is a book that is close to my heart for so many reasons. I love Cassidy and Bryan. I adore the setting and the cast, and had so much fun imagining all their shenanigans. I’m digging the fuchsia on the book cover, so much so that I purchased nail polish that matches it. Release is a time for me to celebrate.

The Season of You & Me began its journey titled Landscape of Little Dramas in 2008.  I’d toiled over it for two years, bringing it to my critique group again, and again, and again.  When it was finally ready to be out there – I queried my dream agent. They requested a partial. I was sure THIS was my time.

They passed on it.

I was devastated.

During this same time, I entered the manuscript in a contest. I won’t go into details (but if you want the full story go here) except to say, that I won! And not only that, but the agent who had judged my category requested a full!  When she read the full, she made me an offer of representation. I politely accepted (aka internally screamed my head off) and all these years later, she is still a champion of my work.

Landscape of Little Dramas went out on sub.

It was rejected.

Again.

And again.

And again.

I worked on another manuscript, which turned out to be The Promise of Amazing.  I remember standing in front of Bath and Body Works (I was Christmas shopping at the time.) when the deal went through, I was on the phone, trying to hold it together in public since all I wanted to do was dance down the street – before my agent hung up she said she still loved my first manuscript. I said I did too. That feeling never went away. That conversation stuck with me.

When the time came for my option book, I wrote a proposal for a paranormal mystery. My editor didn’t connect with it, but said she’d love to see me write another contemporary romance. We talked about characters and scenarios, and she wondered whether I would consider writing a character like Jason Street.

I’d never heard of him.

That changed.  (Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose.)

I considered it, and thought of Landscape of Little Dramas and how it could work.

I went back and forth with the idea a lot, but finally came up with a proposal and it sold. And the rest, as they say, is history – or at least it’s the book that hits the shelves today.

The Season of You & Me is a far better book than my original manuscript. I say this because I know there are writers out there, toiling away with a story they love but for whatever reason, it isn’t selling.  I know a lot of books fall by the wayside on the road to publication. Dropped ideas. Unfinished manuscripts. Finished books that you can’t quite figure out how to fix. It’s frustrating. I feel you. I see you.  Keep the faith.  Just because something doesn’t sell today, doesn’t mean it won’t sell tomorrow.  And maybe, just maybe – it needs time.

Time to simmer.

Time for you to distance yourself from it so you can see it in a completely different way.  

Time to be a book you never realized you could write.

I know not every shelved work gets a happily ever after.

…but sometimes, they do.

 

 

Some of the real life inspiration behind THE SECRETS OF ATTRACTION

For #tbt, and to celebrate The Secrets of Attraction turning one, I thought I'd revisit a post I did on some of the inspiration behind the book!  The paperback edition of The Secrets of Attraction will be hitting the shelves on May 10th!  Enjoy!

The old standby “write what you know” can get a little tedious, but there are times, I can’t help but have real life creep into my fiction.  Putting in specific details can bring life to a story and make it more authentic.  Here are a few of the real life inspirations behind the food and places in The Secrets of Attraction.

Sacred Heart Academy

Sacred Heart is loosely based on my old, now defunct high school, Holy Family Academy.  It wasn’t intentional, but when I went back for a reunion and roamed the halls, I realized it is very much the high school in my head while I write. This is the hallway that Madison leads Jesse down to get to the gym during the Sadie Hawkins dance.

 

The Good Doughnuts

While I don’t name the particular bakery in my book, I definitely had a certain delectable treat in mind.  In Bayonne, Judicke’s sprinkled doughnuts are a staple at every school function and party.   You can order different colored sprinkles for any occasion!  The above picture was from my high school reunion and matched our school colors of purple and gold.

 

Mexican Hot Chocolate

There is a place in Asheville, NC named The Chocolate Lounge.  Think about that for a moment.  A lounge.  Devoted to chocolate.  Smiling yet? I was working on the first draft of Secrets when I tried their hot drink called Oaxaca – Mexican style hot chocolate with chocolate, almonds, cinnamon and milk. It was love at first sip. When I was thinking up an alternative to coffee for Madison to order, I drew upon this as inspiration.  Sweet with a little kick, kind of like Mads herself.

 

The Park

One of my favorite scenes in the book is when the Mads, Jazz and Wren scope out the St. Gabe’s lacrosse practice.  It’s just a fun, silly scene, where Mads and Wren are there for morale support as Jazz approaches a guy she wants to ask out.  We have a gorgeous park in our town that has a playground, jogging trails and lots of sports fields.  Good-natured stalking of a crush was definitely the kind of thing my friends and I did in high school!

 

Tortilla Espanola

The first time I had tortilla espanola was at a writer’s retreat, made by fellow writer Kip Wilson Rechea.  It’s a simple, yet satisfying meal.  Add a little crusty bread and your beverage of choice and instant comfort food.  Here’s the recipe!  You know a dish leaves a lasting impression on you when you want to include it in a book!   (And thanks Kip for letting me include it here!!)

 

 

Companions Along the Journey

For #TBT, I thought I'd share a post from my former writing group blog The Paper Wait.  Much of this still holds true for me today. (And Max was also featured on here, when Epic Reads did a post on authors and their animal companions!)

Let me introduce you to my writing partner:

Max has been a part of our family for close to fourteen years now.  He was a gift for my son on his fifth birthday, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. 

That was just a ruse. 

He’s mine.    The moment he bounced out of his travel crate and into my arms, he’s had me wrapped around his dewclaw.   (My son received a bunch of Pokemon stuff that year too, so we’re even.)  During the day when I write, Max is my constant companion.  Warming my feet, reminding me to get fresh air and exercise or letting me know, with a gentle nudge, when it’s time for lunch or a break.  He’s also a fabulous listener.  I’ve talked through many a plot twist with him as he sat patiently; wise brown eyes reminding me to kill my darlings. When I took the picture above, that was exactly how I found him.  Why he likes to have his paws on things, I don’t know, but I love his face – it’s like we’ve got some serious editing to do and you think it’s time for a snack?    Just this morning as I poured myself a cup of coffee, he paced around my feet, anxious to get to work.  Work for me being this writing thing, work for him sitting with me, curled up in a blanket and dozing to the sound of my tapping keyboard.  

Sometimes I wonder who has the better end of this deal.

I’m not alone.  Many writers through the years have had beloved animal companions. Charles Dickens had a pet raven named Grip.  Elizabeth Barrett Browning had a Cocker spaniel named Flush.  And Ernest Hemingway had so many cats there are still ancestors of them roaming around the grounds of his historic home in Key West, FL.

For me, Max is a reminder that even though this writing life can be a solitary one, I’m not alone.  And any time it all becomes a tiny bit frustrating or I get stuck – a brisk walk, nap time, or allowing myself time to play – is all it takes to make it better.