Roxy Wilson's Blog, page 17
August 22, 2013
Verb Tense, Flashbacks, and Fiction: The Past of the Past in Creative Writing
Reblogged from Creative Writing with the Crimson League:
Today, I want to explore one of the trickier aspects of writing mechanics: verb tense and the past, especially where flashback scenes are concerned. I was asked by one of the blog's followers to write this, and I thought it was a great idea!
Levels of Temporality
The first thing to keep in mind is that there are levels of temporality, or time, within your average text.
The Flashback Scene: A Necessary Literary Evil?
Reblogged from Creative Writing with the Crimson League:
Today's topic is the flashback. We all kind of hate the structure involved flashbacks, we all strive to avoid them, and we all find that sometimes an author's just gotta suck it up and write one, dang it.
I've discussed flashbacks once before. Specifically, I've talked about verbs and verb tense involved in flashbacks. Today, I wanted to start a conversation about the general structure and use of a flashback scene.
August 20, 2013
Like to Write an Article for SavvyBookWriters?
Reblogged from Savvy Writers & e-Books online:
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For the past two years I have written more than 880 blog posts for SavvybookWriters, which have been read by over 265.000 people. These post's URL's have been submitted regularly to many Social Media sites, such as Google+, Twitter, Pinterest, Chime.in, Tumblr, StumpleUpon, and to dozens of Google Communities as well as Goodreads. Many other bloggers re-blogged them too.
Author & Book Spotlight – Shara Azod (w/Marteeka Karland) – A Marine for Selah (Hero’s Crossing) Book 3
Shara Azod is one of the many authors who have inspired me to write romance stories, so you can just imagine how honored I feel that she’s taken time-out to visit me on my blog today. I’ve read many of her books, but I’m particularly enthralled by her Chevaliers of New Orleans series. Remy Goes to Therapy was my favorite of them all.
Today, Shara will tell us about the authors she’s collaborated with and what she wants her fans to gain from reading one of her books. And you’d be surprised by the worst pick-up she’s ever received and how it has impacted her life. It bothers me too, especially as I’m also a dark-skinned woman.
So let’s get started.
I’m delighted to have you here. Let’s begin by telling us, who is Shara Azod, and why did you decide to write?
I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. It has always been an escape for me. I can’t think back to a time when deep down I didn‘t want to write. Over the years many people have told me to hang it up, writers starve, etc. etc. but if you have something in you, like really in you, you should never let that go. I mean even if you really have it in you to be a singer and you can’t hold a tune, take lessons, get a voice box or auto-tune or whatever. If no one digs it, fine but live your dream. It is so much better than always wondering, What if?. As far as who I am, well that can be argued over after I’m gone. Life is a journey, who you are today may not be who you are tomorrow. I am still figuring it out.
Which authors have you collaborated with? Give us some insight into the dynamics of writing a story as a team.
I am currently collaborating with Nikki Winter, I have written with RaeLynn Blue, Eve Vaughn (who I am also currently collaborating with), Laura Guevara who is recovering from cancer so send up some prayers and always my road dawg Marteeka Karland. Writing with someone is a give and take. It can be hard especially if you have two distinct “voices”, but I truly believe I grow and learn when writing with others. It opens you to possibilities as long as you are careful not to be too stubborn or opinionated. Lord knows I can be both, but thankfully each one of those ladies can smack me down with love.
Do you write full-time?
I have a full time job, I write pretty much every day if I can and I publish.
How do you balance family life with your writing?
What is this thing you call balance? My kids are A type personalities. It is simply not possible to ignore them. They will always come first, so I make a way.
What’s the worst pick up line ever used on you? Have you ever incorporated it into any of your books?
I swear some guy actually told me I was pretty for a dark skinned girl. When I failed to reply (I was dumbfounded) he felt the need to explain dark skinned women were not usually attractive. I have never used that line because I found it insulting and I wouldn’t want to insult anyone else like that. I told him the third amendment gave me the right to categorically rebuke him (we were in a military club) and I walked away. Never forget it though. Him, I have forgotten, the words haunt me to this day.
Tell us something interesting about you not many people know.
I am really not all that interesting. I am boring. Except I collect knives, which is kinda weird I guess. And I obsess over great military battles. Especially Napoleon’s.
Have you ever based your characters on real people?
There are some characters in the whole Chevalier series that are based on real people. Not saying who because they might kill me. Oh and Georgie’s Beau was based on real people. Stories I heard as a child mixed with crazy scenarios my cousins and I would make up to fill in the gaps. I figured why not flip the script and give these people a happy ending?
What do you want your readers to gain from reading one of your books?
I consider books a work of art, like a painting. I am NOT a great artist by any means, so let’s not get that twisted. But I never want to preach. I try to stay as true as possible to a fictional story. Just do not expect it to be too real because in the end it is fiction, how we wish life can be. But each person will take what they want from it, or be unintentionally touched. That, I think, is the best; to be shocked by a new understanding or see things in a different point of view.
Do you listen to music while you write? Are there any other rituals you do?
This is weird but I love to have the news on in the background when I write. Truth is often stranger than fiction, you would not believe the ideas that comes from 24 hour cable news. Never a certain network, but CNN or MSNBC or even Current and sometimes BBC. People are really weird. I sometimes make soundtracks. I used to have contests to give them away but participation has dwindled so much so I stopped.
What advice would you give to new or aspiring authors?
Just write. Use your own voice, never try to imitate anyone. Write from the gut. Haters you will have always. So stay true to you. And most of all there is no such thing as taboo in fiction. Give fair warning if you are going to go there, up front and in bold, but if it is in you write it. The biggest mistake I have ever made is listening to others who would have me write what THEY want me to, not what is inside me. That kills creativity.
What can readers expect from you for the rest of 2013?
I am going back to my roots. I will be writing more Chevalier kids but only when they speak to me. I think the rest of the year I will concentrate on military and ménage stories because that is where my heart is really and I have neglected that. I want to explore my borderline stalkerish military heroes.
Now on to A Marine for Selah (w/Marteeka Karland).
Blurb:
Selah Gooding has devoted her life to being the consummate good girl, never willing to disappoint her mother or send the tongues residing in their small Oklahoma town wagging. Her mother’s diner, church meetings, and a very unsociable lifestyle have all become the things that make up Selah’s day to day routine. At least until she finds herself ensnared in the magnetic pull of one extremely charming, extremely gorgeous Marine. Now Selah has to make a choice. Continue to be a consummate good girl…or admit that every now and again it’s okay to be bad. Particularly when you have the soldier of your dreams backing that decision…
Excerpt:
Once inside, the door securely locked, Justice rested his head on the cool wood, trying to get a handle on his raging libido. Maybe prolonging the anticipation hadn’t been the best idea he’d ever had. The entirety of his body hurt with wanting her. But he knew he had to take this slow.
“Justice?” The soft, sweet music of Selah’s voice called to him, wrapped around his heart and squeezed. “Is everything all right?”
“Perfect, Selah.” He faced her, unable to stop his gaze from devouring the sight of her. “Absolutely perfect.”
With deliberate slowness, she moved toward him, her hips swaying with every step. “I wanted to be cool about this, but I’m not a very good seductress. You’re going to have to help me a little.”
Swallowing, Justice sagged against the door. He was so fucked. “Tell me what you need, Selah,” he whispered. “I’ll give you anything.”
She reached him, placing her hands on his chest and running her palms over the wide expanse, her gaze following her hands. “I need you to make love to me. I want to know what it’s like to have a man like you, even if it’s only for this one night.” She met his gaze then, uncertainty in her eyes. Justice knew it wasn’t uncertainty about the act, but about how he’d take her request.
“You know you can do better than me, right?”
She blinked rapidly several times before answering. “I don’t want to do better than you. I just…” She swallowed. “I just want you.”
Buy Links:
Contact Information:
Author Bio:
Shara is the first one to admit she is a little off. Her favorite movies are Steel Magnolias and Apocalypse Now, with a little Godfather and Animal House thrown in for fun. When not planning to take over the world, she can usually be found having deep and meaningful conversations with her kids about the meaning of life or trying to talk her husband into buying her weapons — just in case of Armageddon.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: African American romance, contemporary romance, interracial romance, Marteeka Karland, military romance, Shara Azod
August 19, 2013
Creative Writing Tip: Point of View and Character Description Go Hand in Hand
Reblogged from Creative Writing with the Crimson League:
Welcome, fellow authors! Today, continuing my series on character description, I wanted to discuss point of view and how it affects the picture a reader receives of any given character.
The idea to keep this series of posts going came to me thanks to Michael Eidson, a fellow fantasy writer who commented yesterday on how POV affects description.
Who your narrator is, and what limits you impose on him or her, definitely impacts how he or she describes people.
AUTHORS: A Quick Guide to Character Description
Reblogged from Creative Writing with the Crimson League:
Yesterday we discussed how important a character's physical appearance is or isn't. Today I want to continue that discussion and take it to a final conclusion: that sometimes you have to stop thinking about what you're writing and how you're writing and just let yourself WRITE.
To start off, I think to say, "let's talk about a character's appearance" can be misleading.
5 Tips for Cheeseless Dialogue
Reblogged from Writers In The Storm Blog:
Today we welcome Lori Freeland to WITS for the first time! Welcome Lori!
I’d Like My Dialogue Cheeseless. Please.
Like a Lactose Intolerant prefers his pizza minus the gut-churning cheese, I want my dialogue devoid of dairy.
Have you ever heard agents or editors say they flip to the first section of dialogue and if it’s cheesy, they don’t bother with the read?
A very helpful article!
Author & Book Spotlight – Aubrey Rose – Me, Cinderella?
Join me in welcoming author Aubrey Rose to my blog. I first knew about her when I read an article, Erotic romance author turned down Amazon publishing deal. Today you’ll get the opportunity to find out even more about her, like how she balances her family life with her writing, what she wants readers to gain from reading one of her books, and which author she considers her greatest influence. Of course, she’ll tell us exactly what happened when Amazon approached her and the rationale behind her decision.
So, let’s get started.
I’m delighted to have you here. Let’s start by telling us, who is Aubrey Rose, and why did you decide to write?
I’m a thirty-year old woman from San Diego who loves reading, dancing, and carrot juice. I decided to write because I had a lot of stories floating around in my head, and because I have always worked in math-heavy fields. I wanted to challenge myself and do something out of my comfort zone.
Do you write full-time?
Nope – writing is just a part-time hobby. My day job is managing a small company, and I also do cover designs for fellow self-published authors.
How do you balance family life with your writing?
My boyfriend is very supportive, and after a few months of living together he quit his job to help me with editing and marketing. My mom thinks it’s hilarious that I write romance books.
What’s the funniest/best/worst pick up line ever used on you? Have you ever incorporated it into any of your books?
I met my boyfriend at a showing of the movie Labyrinth, and the first thing he said to me was “David Bowie’s codpiece is really the star of this movie.” We told jokes and laughed for two hours and the rest is history. I don’t think there’s a way I could incorporate that into a book, though!
Tell us something interesting about you not many people know.
When I was a kid, I lived for a year on a tiny island in the South Pacific near Tahiti. We had no electricity or running water, and I had to take a boat to school every single day.
Have ever written a character that was bits and pieces of you? Who was it?
Every character has a little bit of me in it, even the villains! I would say that Brynn is the character most like me, though – a math major, quite insecure about relationships. She wants to visit her mom’s grave, which is something I struggled with personally in the years after my dad died – we left that country and I’ve never been able to go back and visit his grave.
Which of your books would you like to be made into a movie?
I think Me, Cinderella? would make a great movie.
If you could date any character from any book you’ve written, who would it be? Why?
My upcoming book about Trixie and Asher (the drummer from the band Wilder Side in my rock star romance series) introduces Asher more deeply. He’s heavily modeled after my boyfriend – a tall, lanky skater who is kind and sincere, loves music, and has a big dick. I am lucky to be dating him in real life, haha!
Briefly tell us about what happened when Amazon approached you. What was your final decision? Why?
I got an email from Amazon offering to buy the rights to my book and spoke with one of their editors on the phone. She was very nice and encouraging, and I really wanted to work with Montlake. However, the math just didn’t work out unless Amazon would have promoted me heavily, and they made no promises about the marketing they would do. I think I can become a bestselling author myself just by relying on the power of my fans, though!
What advice would you give to new or aspiring authors who are thinking about self publishing?
Do it! The most important thing to sell copies initially is a good cover and blurb. The most important thing to keep selling copies is a good book. If you have both, you just need a little bit of marketing at the beginning to give you a push.
What’s your favorite book you’ve written?
Me, Cinderella? is the first full-length novel I’ve written, and I’m proud that I had the determination to finish it. I never thought I would become a published novelist, and I’m so happy that readers enjoy my work.
Have you ever based your characters on real people?
My boyfriend is super romantic, so sometimes I steal his sweet talk for my heroes.
What do you want your readers to gain from reading one of your books?
Mostly, I want them to have fun reading. If I can create a world that they fall into and enjoy, that to me is a successful story.
Which author would you consider your greatest influence? Why?
Jasinda Wilder has always been a role model for me. She’s first and foremost a great writer, and she’s also a savvy marketer. I also love that she writes strong, beautiful women.
Tell us about your latest book.
My latest book is the Big Girl boxed set, which is a collection of rock star romance stories that follow one couple (Shannon and Julian) on a tour from California to Europe. I really enjoyed writing it, and my next novella will be part of the same story universe.
What can readers expect from you for the rest of 2013?
Right now, I am working on the sequel to Me, Cinderella? as well as a romantic comedy called Jenny Rockfort: Secret Undercover Stripper. I hope it does well, because I am having a ton of fun writing this story!
Blurb:
One kind deed can change your life forever…
Brynn Tomlin could never afford to follow her heart. But when she sees a stranger shivering in the snow outside of the college library, an inexplicable urge leads her to buy him a hot cup of coffee. It’s just a small act of kindness, a few words of conversation. Brynn should be focusing on her finals, after all, not on the man who looked up at her gratefully with piercing blue eyes.
He could have been anyone – a janitor on break, a graduate student, a bum. But the man standing outside in the cold turns out to be Dr. Eliot Herceg, one of the most brilliant minds in mathematics and heir to a fortune. After years of reclusive isolation, he now finds his heart awakening to the kind girl whose name he does not know.
Brynn has spent her life trying to forget her desires, and Eliot’s deep wounds have taken nearly a decade to heal. After so much hurt, will either of them be able to open their hearts again?
Excerpt:
Before my mother died, she told me stories. I sat on her lap and listened to her spin golden fairy tales through the air. We never had much, but I didn’t notice the cracks in our plaster walls when she talked about Cinderella putting on her crystal slippers and waltzing all night with Prince Charming.
“Once upon a time”…the stories always begin the same way, but from these beginnings my mother wove new tales that danced in all directions of the compass. She told me stories of castles and dragons, stories of men who flew above the clouds to reach the sun and gods who rained jealous fury upon their rivals. Stories of lovers whose passion rose above earthly desire and changed their fate to a different end than the world had meant for them. Stories of hope and of death.
None of those stories were true, but mine is.
Buy Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Backlist:
Big Girl Backstage Pass – Book One in the Big Girl series
Big Girl Going On Tour – Book Two in the Big Girl series
Big Girl Rocking in the Sunshine – Book Three in the Big Girl series
Big Girl Playing in Paris – Book Four in the Big Girl series
Big Girl Proposal in Paris – Book Five in the Big Girl series
Contact Information:
Twitter
blog
website
Goodreads
Facebook
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Amazon, Aubrey Rose, BBW, Big Beautiful Women, contemporary romance, erotic romance, self published writer
August 17, 2013
#MySexySaturday – He’s So Into You (Healing Hearts) – Part 5
It’s that time of the week once again. My Sexy Saturday Blog Hop. It’s when I get a chance to tell you what sexy means to me. Did you get to check last week’s definition? Click here if you didn’t.
I believe sexy is when a man acknowledges to the woman he desires that he wants to make love to her. And this is illustrated in the following 7 sentences of my debut novella, He’s So Into You, when Jordan tells Raina he wants her. Right. Now.
My Sexy Excerpt:
Home. Being in her arms felt like home. Jordan could feel her heart beating rapidly just below his chest. Okay, so his body shouldn’t be reacting like this, not after the night he and Raina had shared. But, damn if his body wasn’t hardening. Her bosom was cushioned against him, the intoxicating scent of her perfume, his musky cologne and sex clung to her skin. “I’ve got a hankering for you now, baby.”
Would you like a sexy read this weekend? Then you may purchase He’s So Into You.
Buy Links:
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Click here to check out this week’s Sexy Saturday authors who are pleased to share 7 words, 7 sentences or 7 paragraphs – snippets from their latest works…
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: contemporary romance, erotic romance, interracial romance, My Sexy Saturday Week #12, Roxy Wilson, Secret Cravings Publising, weekly blog hop
Guest Post – Author Christina Cole – Summertime
Summer is quickly coming to a close. Already we’re in the latter part of August. Children are heading back to school, and maybe a few mothers are breathing sighs of relief. It’s good to have a little grown-up quiet time each day…time to sit down with a cup of tea or coffee, time for a long, leisurely soak in the tub, and best of all, time to curl up with a good book.
No matter what your reading tastes, today’s romance writers are there to provide hours of pleasure with stories ranging from sweet to sassy, to sexy and beyond. If you’re the adventurous sort, you’ll find lots of romantic mysteries and suspense. Like something a bit more fantastic? Paranormals and fantasy romances, as well as time-travels, offer up whole new worlds to explore. The futuristic-minded can find love among the stars with sci-fi romances. There are contemporary westerns, military romances, steampunk, and dystopian romances.
Romance is no longer bound by traditional rules that say love must be between one man and one woman. Today’s bookshelves hold stories reflecting love in many shapes, sizes, and colors. You’ll find inter-racial romances, GLBT romances, and risqué ménage stories.
Folks used to say that love made the world go around. Others now contend that love doesn’t necessarily cause the world to spin, but it sure makes the ride more enjoyable. One thing is for certain, love, in all its many guises, keeps readers turning pages.
So, in this ever-spinning, fast-paced world, is there still a place for old-fashioned love stories? I believe there is. I believe that true love is timeless, and I enjoy stepping back into the past, taking readers with me to bygone days — and nights — when life wasn’t quite so hectic, when instead of a frantic, Friday night “hook-up”, romance meant courtship, gentle flirtations, and slow, sensual explorations.
Love should not be rushed. Falling in love deserves long walks in the moonlight, quiet evenings sitting together on the porch and watching the sun slip over the horizon. Lovers need time to hold hands, to gaze into one another’s eyes, and to listen to what their heart is saying.
I invite you now to come back with me a hundred years in the past. Back to 1914, to the little rural town of Brookfield, Kansas. It’s summertime, and things are heating up.
Blurb for Christina Cole’s Summertime:
Linn Sparks wanted all life had to offer. Fame, fortune, glamour and excitement. She found it as a star of the stage at the Crown Theater in San Francisco.
For Ed Ferguson, life was far less complicated. All he wanted was Linnie Mae, but she’d left him standing alone at the altar seven years before when she’d run off to pursue her dreams.
Now, Linn Sparks has come home to Brookfield, Kansas.
But coming back means facing a lot of unpleasant realities: a strained relationship with a father who never wanted her, a mother whose grasp on sanity is slipping away, and the feelings she still has for the love she left behind.
He still wants Linnie Mae, but he knows she won’t stay. How can he spend the summer being near her and not get his heart broken again?
Between them, passions flare in the heat of SUMMERTIME.
~ ~ ~ ~
Summertime is now available through Secret Cravings Publishing and will also be available next week at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance Ebooks, and Bookstrand.
Please visit Christina online at Christina Cole’s Love Notes.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: Christina Cole, historical romance, Kansas, Secret Cravings Publishing, summer
