Carrie Elks's Blog, page 13
August 20, 2015
Thought for Thursday – Demons: Real or Fantasy?
A.S. Fenichel here! I’m excited because it’s my day on Romance Writers Blog and I’ve got some great stuff for you.
Being an author who constantly delves into the paranormal world, you can imagine I have spent a good amount of time searching for the answer to this question. Are demons real? In The Demon Hunter series, demons are the spawn of hell and they are trying to take over the world and make it their own. A war wages on, not that different from any other war where each side finds the other hideous and wrong.
In the End of Days Trilogy, the Lord of the Dead has used the apocalypse to invade while humanity is at its weakest point. He turns humans who are weak and faithless into his personal army and brings demons from the underworld to destroy the good that remains in the world. Rulers have been praying on the weak from the beginning of time. You could make the argument that demons are all around us.
I thought we might look at a few mythological demons and maybe that would bring us closer to an answer.
Abyzou
Origin: Jewish mythology
This female demon responsible for miscarriages, still-births, and infant mortality. Abyzou was infertile, so these heinous acts were likely derived from her jealousy. She is often depicted a bit like a snake.
So this demon is a scapegoat for tragedy. Something to blame at the worst possible time and she is described as a snake, a creature that most people fear to begin with. Interesting?
Agares
Origin: Christian demonology
This male demon makes “those who run stand still”. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had that dream a hundred times. Also, I imagine it’s pretty hard to run during a tornado, hurricane or earthquake. Agares creates natural disasters and then makes it impossible to escape. This demon uses and teaches a lot of profanities. (Hmmm. I was wondering where I got those from.) Oh and he’s the ruler of the eastern region of Hell. All that said, he’s an old man riding a crocodile and carrying a hawk.
Pretty strange image for a devastating demon. Perhaps a way of saying that evil can come in any package.
Asag
Origin: Sumerian mythology
Asag is one of the many demons who causes sickness. He also had sex with all the mountains in the world, and had gave birth to rock-demons, that defends him in any battle. Asag is so ugly his presence causes fish to be boiled alive in rivers and lakes within viewing-distance! Man, that’s ugly.
Not sure about this one, but I thought it was pretty fun, what with the mountain sex and all!
Jikininki
Origin: Japanese Buddhist mythology
Jikininki are the spirits of selfish, greedy, or ungodly people. They are cursed to eat the flesh of corpses and steal valuables from the corpses. Sounds like a grave robber to me. I might think of those horrible people as demons, what about you? Jikininki can take the form of normal human beings and are self-haters. Hmmm…
I’m going with my grave robber theory on this one. Very creative though.
Lady Midday
Origin: Slavic Mythology
I love this one! She is a female demon who converses with field laborers during the hottest part of the day. If she’s not
The war against evil
Unsatisfied with what they say, she might decapitate them with a scythe, cause insanity or heat-sickness.
Sure, blame a woman for a an accident at work. Isn’t that always the way. She appears as an old woman, girl of about twelve or a beautiful woman. This is a good one.
There are thousands more, but I can’t leave without talking about The Devil.
Lucifer
Origin: Judeo-Christian Mythology
In Christianity, the title Satan (Hebrew: הַשָּׂטָן ha-Satan), “the opposer”, is a title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Jewish Bible. Satan is what we think of as all forms of evil. Christians often believe that God sent Satan to test our faith. He authors lies and promotes evil.
His first appearance, as the serpent in the Garden of Eden.
So are demons real? I think so. I haven’t seen any of the creatures that traverse the pages of my books, but I have certainly been in contact with some of their human counterparts.
Some demons are from our imagination, created to take the blame for the horrors in our life. Does that make them any less real? We each carry our own demons. We live with them and we struggle to keep them at bay. Are they real?
What do you think?
August 18, 2015
Kill Your Darlings- Romance Weekly #LoveChatWrite Blog Hop -18th August 2015
This week I got to set the question (yay!):
Stephen King famously said that it’s necessary to ‘kill your darlings’ when editing your work. Do you have anything you had to remove from a book that you’re still proud of? Or something that embarrasses you so much it will never again see the light of day? If you’re feeling really brave, share some of it with us!
There was a reason for asking this question. That reason is I’m currently neck-deep in ‘editing hell’, or what I like to call ‘DID I REALLY WRITE THAT?’ I’m the type of writer who doesn’t edit as they type, which means in my first read through I usually have a lot of surprises awaiting me. So when Stephen King tells me to ‘kill your darlings’ I find I’m not only following his advice, but I’m also kicking their sad, dead souls for weeks afterwards.
So what are my darlings? It depends on the book. In Fix You I had a lot of ‘lip biting’ I had to stamp out (thanks Ana and Mr Grey), and in Coming Down I found that every other sentence had something ‘curling’ in it. There was hair, hands, even the air curling around them. It made my manuscript one frizzy mess, I can tell you!
Broken Chords had some trouble with breathing. It got short as the characters became excited, it became a sexy alternative for ‘said’ (as in “Do you want some tea?” she breathed… – sexy, right?) It’s almost ironic because in the story there really is an issue with breathing, but it’s a medical problem, not one related to word over-usage.
Joking aside, there’s something almost depressing about having to cut out hundreds or thousands of words that you’ve slaved over for days or weeks. That’s where having a good editor helps. They can cut through your heartbreak and show you how a simple line makes for a better sentence. To quote Hemingway (who always said the best things about writing) – “Write one true sentence.”
DELETED SCENES
The second part of my challenge (what was I thinking?) was to give you a little look at a deleted scene. So below is a scene from my book Fix You which never made the final cut. It joins many thousands of other words I’ve deleted over the years. They’re currently buried deep below my river of tears!
This scene comes in between chapters 6 and 7 of the book. It’s one of my favourites because it shows the lighter side of the Larsen family before things start to get heavy for them in the following chapters. In spite of my enjoyment of this family portrait, it wasn’t necessary for a few reasons, the most important of which – it didn’t move the story on. So it had to go, but here, for one day only, is your brief glimpse of the Larsen family gathering!
After dinner, the Larsen family gathered in the cozy den Claire had created in the basement of their elegant townhouse. Richard sat back on the sofa, watching Nathan getting beaten by Ruby on the PlayStation. His father sat next to him, talking of California.
“Claire and I hope to visit you in November, if you’ll have us?”
“That would be great. I’m not sure if we’ll have a lot of room in the apartment, but there are a couple of hotels nearby.”
Richard looked at his father. The two of them had always maintained a solid relationship, despite the upheavals of divorce, remarriage, and overseas living. It was only as Richard got older that he realized just how much effort Steven must have put into seeing his son, and making sure that Richard always realized he was loved.
“Will you bring Ruby?”
“I hope so, as long as she doesn’t miss too much school. Otherwise Nathan has volunteered to stay and look after her.”
Richard looked at his dad and burst out laughing at the thought of leaving Nathan in charge of a twelve year old child. This was the guy that had lost his passport, wallet and ID somewhere in the Andes, and didn’t realize until he tried to board a plane. It was highly likely that he would forget to pick Ruby up from school, or wander off on a whim, leaving her home alone, like a female version of Macaulay Culkin.
“How was Hanna? Did the two of you have a good time today?” Claire asked, walking over to join them. She was carrying a small glass of white wine in her right hand. Sitting down on the easy chair opposite, she leaned towards him, her face animated.
“She was good, she seems very happy,” Richard answered.
“That’s what I thought too. Josh seems to have brought out the best in her.”
Richard looked at his step-mother, as he put his bottle of beer to his lips and swallowed a mouthful. He knew that his family was completely oblivious to anything that had gone on between Hanna and him in New York, but Claire’s easy acceptance of Josh rankled.
“Do you like him?” He knew he was asking a leading question, but a part of him wanted to hear something negative about the guy.
“He seems very nice. A little wary of us, I guess, but friendly over all.”
“Why is he wary?” Richard’s brows knit in confusion. Why would anybody be wary of the Larsens?
“I think the location of our house might have something to do with it. From what I’ve gathered from Hanna, he’s not that keen on people with a lot of wealth. I’m not sure whether we intimidate or infuriate him.” Claire smiled gently.
“Does he treat her well?”
“I think so, darling. I haven’t heard any different. I’ve only met him once, when Hanna first came back to London in July. She brought him over to meet Ruby. And by the way, Ruby isn’t keen on him.”
Richard tried to resist the grin that was threatening to creep across his face.
Hearing her name, Ruby’s head whipped around. Her momentary lapse of concentration allowed Nathan to crush his on-screen opponent, and he let out a whoop as her character died. Having the innate ability of a twelve year old girl to do three things at once, Ruby pressed restart, hit her brother’s leg, and demanded of her mother, “Ruby isn’t keen on what?”
Claire and Richard replied at the same time.
“Nothing, darling.”
“Hanna’s boyfriend.”
Ruby’s nose screwed up, as she hit the pause button, ignoring Nathan’s cries of frustration. She put down her controller and moved closer to Richard and Claire.
“I don’t like him at all. When they came over he treated me like a kid, and every time Hanna tried to tell me something, he just kept on interrupting.” Ruby crossed her arms firmly in front of her chest. “And then he started to kiss her neck as she was trying to play Monopoly with me, even though she kept telling him not to. He was all grabby and horrible.”
Richard’s good mood only lasted a moment. He wanted to grab hold of Josh Chambers’ grabby hands and twist them until they hurt. Maybe until he could hear a crack.
The violence of his own reaction surprised him.
“Why can’t you be Hanna’s boyfriend, Richard?” Ruby continued with her complaints, her face turning to look at him plaintively.
“Yeah, Rich, why can’t you be Hanna’s boyfriend? I noticed the two of you getting cozy on the underground.” Nathan laughed as he poked fun at his step-brother, ignoring Ruby’s dirty look.
“Leave your brother alone, you two,” Claire interceded, placing a gentle arm on Richard’s shoulder as she leaned towards him. “We all know that Richard and Hanna are good friends. And Richard is moving to California next week, do you really think he could have a relationship with somebody so far away?”
“He has a relationship with me, and I’m this far away.” Ruby piped up.
Fair point, Richard thought, interested to see how Claire would respond to her daughter.
“But being a brother and sister is different to having a boyfriend or girlfriend. You two are family; you’ll always have a bond, no matter where in the world you are.”
“Hanna’s family, too. You said so.” Ruby was starting to look confused, and Claire was definitely looking perturbed. Richard played with the label on his beer bottle, trying to keep the amusement from his face.
“I know she is darling, I know.” Claire downed a huge gulp of white wine. Putting her glass on the table, she glanced over at Richard with her eyebrows raised, as if she was asking him for some help.
Richard could feel his father shaking in amusement at Claire’s discomfort. Claire turned to look at Steven, her lips pursed and her eyebrows lowered in response to his laughter.
“Perhaps your father would like to explain it, Ruby.”
“Hey, you’re on your own with this one, Claire. I can’t wait to find out how Hanna is different to Ruby.” Steven winked at his wife.
“Yeah, Mom, how is Hanna different to me?”
Nathan muttered something below his breath. Though his words were inaudible, Richard could hazard a good guess at what he was saying. It almost certainly had something to do with tits and ass.
“Well, put it this way, Ruby. We wouldn’t be having this conversation at all if Hanna were really Richard’s sister, would we? Then they wouldn’t be able to be boyfriend and girlfriend.” With that, Claire stood up and wandered over to Nathan, cuffing the top of his head with her palm. “And don’t think I don’t know what you just said, because I do. And it was rude.”
“Aw, Mom!” Nathan rubbed his hair with his right hand, his bottom lip pouting as he complained. “That hurt.”
“You deserved worse. Now entertain your sister before she asks me any more questions.” Claire hissed, glancing behind her briefly before leaving the room, her skirt whipping out behind her as she beat her hasty retreat.
Finishing his bottle of beer, Richard leaned back and looked at his family, enjoying the warm, happy feeling that suffused his body. They may have been a little weird, and they were definitely annoying, but they were all his.
And he was going to miss them.
That was a blast from the past! Now let’s hop over to Sarah Hegger’s blog and see what she has to say.
August 14, 2015
Cover Reveal – Remembering Tate by Sarah Elizabeth
If you haven’t given Sarah Elizabeth a try before, hop over to her Amazon page.
Remembering Tate
by Sarah Elizabeth
Date of Publication: September 2015
Synopsis
He watches me from across the room, with want, with need, desire, with love.
He looks at me with adoration, with hesitation, desperation, and guilt.
He tells me he loves me. He tells me he’s sorry. He assures me that everything will be okay and back to normal with time.
Only, I don’t know what normal is.
I don’t know who he is.
I don’t even know who I am.
Why is he watching me?
Why is he sorry?
Why can’t I remember?
About the Author
Sarah Elizabeth is a British author and writes in the Romantic Suspense, New Adult, and Contemporary Romance genres. She lives and breathes for all things books, be it writing them, reading them, and sometimes even stroking them! Her main influences are Rachael Wade, Jennifer Probst and Tina Reber. She is a major fan of music with very eclectic tastes, listening to Delta Goodrem through to Fightstar, Dvicio through to 3 Doors Down. Sarah thrives to add mystery to the romance in all of her projects, spending many evenings and late nights when her four young children are tucked up in bed to let the words pour onto the pages and the characters inside her mind completely take over.
Connect with Sarah Elizabeth
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest
August 13, 2015
Blog Tour – WonderLust by B.L. Wilde
Carrie xx
BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – Wonderlust
SERIES – Steel Roses
AUTHOR – B.L.Wilde
GENRE – Erotic romance
PUBLICATION DATE – 1st August
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 70K
PUBLISHER – Author
COVER ARTIST – Laurynne Gouws
BOOK SYNOPSISNatasha White has always been unlucky in love. The men she falls for only want one thing from her, and it isn’t commitment. When her boss and on/off fling announces his engagement to another woman, she finds herself running from her feelings for him by taking a job as a personal assistant to the legendary rock god, Alex Harbour – half a world away. Her new boss is sexy, damaged, and insatiable, but Natasha has been a fan since she was a young girl. Conflicted by her emotions, she begins a love/hate relationship with the egotistical rock star. Alex’s intentions toward her are clear from the moment they meet, but Natasha isn’t about to run from one emotionless connection to another. She is determined to keep her distance from her childhood crush, by any means necessary. When lust begins to cloud her mind, however, she becomes hell bent on protecting her heart. What good could ever come out of falling for a rock star, anyway?
BUY & TBR LINKS
AMAZON KINDLE US – AMAZON PAPERBACK
EXCERPT
“You’re pretty good at handling the media,” Alex mused once we’d taken our seats inside the cinema. “You sure know how to put them in their place. I think that was the most effortless set of interviews I’ve ever had.”
“I have a love, hate relationship with them. I don’t mind being abrupt when they overstep their mark.”
“That’s a little like us.” I had to giggle at that. “You look really beautiful tonight, Nat.”
“Maybe you should keep your eyes on the stage instead of on me.” I smirked, brushing off his comment while we watched the director and main leads take the stage. I tried to collect my thoughts, but Alex Harbour had just called me beautiful.
So many people acknowledged Alex as they wandered past us. Some stopped to congratulate him on the song for the soundtrack. I, myself, was disappointed with the song. It had a more pop feel than rock. To me, it was like he’d sold out on this track. It wasn’t the real him.
My mouth fell open when Adam Rider came over and had a quick chat with us. He was ‘the’ Hollywood actor at the moment, and gazing up at him, I could see why. The man was almost as sexy as Alex, with his dark, almost black hair, deep chocolate eyes and sexy irish accent. He wore a tux just as well, too.
“When are you going to take that jump into the film industry, Alex?” he asked, darting his eyes toward me.
“That’s never going to happen, Adam. Music is my love. We’ve had this conversation before.”
“And who is this? I don’t think we’ve been introduced.” Adam held my gaze, the same way Alex did the first time I met him. Celebrities of their caliber always had that effect on me, knocking me breathless with their beauty. It was a surreal moment to realize they were real people, not just a perfect face in a magazine or on TV.
“I…I…I’m Natasha White,” I stuttered, taking his hand when he offered it to me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Natasha,” he cooed, kissing the back of my hand. Hollywood actors…were they all this smooth? “I’m not used to seeing Alex with such a sophisticated woman.” Now I was blushing.
“Natasha is my new personal assistant.” Alex’s tone was sharp as he shot daggers at Adam. “You better take your seat, Adam. It looks like they’re going to start.”
“I need to find my date anyway. Good talking with you, Alex. Natasha.” Gracefully, he disappeared into the crowd in search of his seat.
“Wow,” I gasped, holding my chest. “I just met Adam Rider.”
“Are you a fan of his?” Alex didn’t seem that interested in my answer. He was busy playing with the arm of his chair.
“Who isn’t a fan of his? I heard he turned down the lead role in this film we’re seeing tonight.”
“I wouldn’t know, but I’m not sure Westerns are his thing anyway.”
“Do you see him a lot? Are you good friends with him?”
“Straight Lace, do you have a crush on Mr. Hollywood? I do know him pretty well. We jam together from time to time.” He couldn’t hide his smirk. “Most actors are womanizers, though, and Adam is no different. I wouldn’t get mixed up with him.”
“I’ve heard that about rock stars, too,” I quipped. “And you definitely live up to that.”
“Maybe you need to find a more reliable source. You really don’t know me well enough to make that judgement yet.”
BOOK SOUNDTRACK
Rockstar – Nickelback
Hearts on fire – Passenger
Use Somebody – Kings Of Leon
I Want You – Bon Jovi
I’m A Mess – Ed Sheeran
Feel – Robbie Williams
Demons – Imagine Dragons
Give Into Me – Michael Jackson
Iris – The Goo Goo Dolls
I Was Made For Lovin You – Kiss
Rehab – Rihanna
Animals – Maroon 5
Come Undone – Robbie Williams
Bloodstream – Ed Sheeran
The Kill – Thirty Seconds to Mars
Broken – Seether
Wonderwall – Oasis
Give Me Love – Ed Sheeran
Stigmatized – The Calling
This Years Love – David Gray
I’d Come For You – Nickelback
Are You Going To Be My Girl – Jet
CHARACTER BIOSAlex Harbour – Adored by millions of women all over the world, Alex Harbour has the world at his feet and the ego to match. Once a front man to the legendary rock band, Steel Roses, he is now a solo artist. His lifestyle is sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. Fame has corrupted his soul. No one is strong enough to help him face the demons from his past. That is until a certain PA walks into his life.
Natasha White – All Nat wants is someone that will love her unconditionally, but she has a habit of falling for the wrong man. Maybe secretly she is scared of commitment. Half italian, she has a fiery temper and can stand up for herself. After falling for her boss she has no choice but to take a job to get some distance between them when she discovers he’s become engaged. Running away to LA to work for the rock star Alex Harbour might be the best decision she ever made, though.
AUTHOR BIOB.L. Wilde is a British author obsessed with many things, including heated love stories and sexy men.She can often be found at her desk working on her next project, or looking at eye candy online for research purposes. She is a sucker for happy endings, but will always make her characters work for it. If you enjoy romance, suspense and erotica, let your imagination run ‘Wilde’.
AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE – WEBSITE / BLOG – FACEBOOK
GIVEAWAY PRIZES
Paperback of Wonderlust
3 x Ebook by B L Wilde (Readers choice)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour has been organized by
Thought for Thursday – #LSTRAATR (Say what?)
Originally posted on Romance Writers Weekly:
Hello. S. C. Mitchell here, and today I am proud and happy to be a part of two firsts.
First first: Welcome to the first of a new series of blogs by the Romance Writers Weekly crew. Each week one of our authors will be by to share their Thought for Thursday. It should be a great way to slide into the weekend.
Second First: This blog is also the first in a series I plan to start on my own blog (https://scmitchell.wordpress.com/). I was going to call it: Love Songs That Really Aren’t All That Romantic. But that seemed like a long title. So, because everything today needs a hashtag, I’m calling it #LSTRAATR. (That probably isn’t any more rememberable, but what the heck.)
Anyway, today I’m kicking off the series with a classic hit from my era, The Night Has A Thousand Eyes by Bobby…
View original 227 more words
August 11, 2015
Body Image, Beaches and Bikinis
Then I had that horrible feeling that many women of a certain age get… what on earth am I going to wear on the beach? My body image has never been perfect, whose is? But it’s not helped by the plethora of adverts like the one below that have been hitting the magazines and billboards in the UK this summer. I could work hard for the next 40 years and still not be ‘beach ready’ by the standards of that ad.
That got me to thinking, though. Am I really so swayed by media expectations that I’m going to let them decide what I wear when I walk into the sea? Do I really believe that some bodies are better than others, and if my body isn’t then it’s my responsibility to keep it covered up? As the mother of a teenage girl, whose body image is amazing in spite of a disability, I feel it’s my duty to show her that our bodies are wonderful things, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of them.
Reader, I wore a bikini.
Yep, you heard it right. At 41 years old, it’s been at least 5 years since I donned the two-piece. But I’m proud of my body, it has kept me well, carried two beautiful babies, and allows me to live life to the fullest. If I hide it away, what am I saying to it?
Even better, I’ve decided to share that body with you. As you’ll see from the photo (credit to the husband) I’m almost certainly not ‘beach ready’ by Protein World standards. I have stretch marks and a softness in the middle that wasn’t there in my twenties, and yet I’m not going to let anybody, let alone some misguided ad company, decide what I can wear when I go on holiday.
The boost I got from finally being proud of the body I have, allowed me to be brave enough to try other new things too. I went down slides at the Aqua Park that a year ago I may have baulked at. I rode a giant inflatable pulled through the water by a speedboat, and I found myself wandering to the snack bar in only my bikini, not feeling worried about how I compared to other people standing there.
In short, I had a great time.
So that’s my post about how I conquered one of my fears this summer. Let me know what you’ve been doing, and whether you’ve been having as good a time as I have!
July 28, 2015
Pushing Through the Pain – Romance Weekly #LoveWriteChat Blog Hop -28th July 2015
This week the wonderful Tracey Gee has asked us the following question:
As we all know, authors put real people and situations into their books. Let’s look at the times we’ve pushed through the pain by putting bad experiences or relationships into our works whether for therapy, or just as a way to close the door.
As a child, I used to ‘escape’ into a book, using the printed words as a way to escape the problems of everyday life. I preferred to read about others’ troubles, able to diminish my own worries by comparing them to Frodo’s in Lord of the Rings, or rationalising them when I read Anne Frank’s diary by realising things could be so much worse.
I have no doubt that some of that escapism has spilled over into my writing life. There’s something so lovely about being able to put aside your own fears and thoughts for a while, letting the excitements of a fictional character take over, allowing them to act in a way that perhaps you wouldn’t in real life.
Somehow I’ve always found solving other people’s problems is so much easier than solving my own, and that feeling definitely extends to the characters in my books, too. There’s something quite satisfying about putting your heroine through the ringer, only to see her emerge victorious on the other side, having solved her problems, got her man and found a way to live happily ever after all in one foul swoop.
For example, when I was writing Broken Chords, I truly empathised with the character of Lara, a new mother suffering from Post-Natal depression following her return to work and her rock-star husband’s tour of America. Though I was fortunate enough not to suffer from PND myself, some of my very close friends were, and it was therapeutic being able to share their story, and also try to make the important point that suffering from depression is nothing to be ashamed of.As well as finding salvation in a story, there’s another therapeutic aspect to writing which I’ve been able to take advantage of. That’s finding pleasure in the craft, from learning new things and experimenting, and being able to sit down and see what you’ve achieved. At my darkest times–and yes, there have been a few–I’ve been lucky enough to gain some confidence from these achievements, to allow them to bolster me when otherwise I’d be very low. In addition to this the community feeling that being a writer can give you, and the support from other writers, readers and bloggers, can also bring a ray of light to bleaker times.
So all in all, I feel very lucky indeed to be a reader and a writer. Books may be inanimate objects–simply paper imprinted with ink–but they’re also responsible for so many good things in my life. For that I’m truly thankful.
Now let’s hop over to Fiona Riplee’s blog and see what she has to say.
July 14, 2015
What’s Your Tune? – Romance Weekly #LoveWriteChat Blog Hop -14th July 2015
This week the talented Susan has given us this challenge: A player’s walk-up song (aka Entrance Theme), whether he’s heading to the pitcher’s mound or the batter’s box, can tell a lot about him. What song would you choose for yours?
Music has always held a special place in my life. It can trigger memories, of times gone by–happy times such as when I first fell in love (Meatloaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light anybody?), and sad times such as when my beloved Grandma died. When I’m writing a book I like to create an atmospheric playlist–the type of music that the protagonists would listen to–and this aids me in setting the scene.
So it comes as no surprise that when I read Susan Scott Shelley’s question I knew I had to answer it. So many songs sprang to mind, and the hardest thing was to narrow my choices down to one. However, that’s what I’ve managed to do!
Who doesn’t love a bit of Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes? I chose this song for a few reasons. The first is that it takes me back to my teenage years, when I first watched Dirty Dancing and fell in love with falling in love! It reminds me of the essence of a love story–that perfect moment when the boy from the wrong side of the tracks falls for the girl who is out of his reach.
But the main reason I chose this song is that I’m so grateful for the opportunity to write and share my words with others, and I really am having the time of my life doing so. It’s not every day that you get to achieve your dreams and have your stories published, and I for one am loving every minute!
But that’s enough about me. Now let’s hop over to Fiona Riplee’s blog and see what she has to say.
June 30, 2015
A Creative Life – Romance Weekly #LoveWriteChat Blog Hop – 30th June 2015
This week the multi-talented Xio Axelrod has asked us the following question: If you weren’t a writer, what other creative career would you most want to try?
It’s funny, but I’ve never really seen myself as a creative person. From the youngest age, I always had a story in my head, one that I would escape into, day dreaming the hours away while other kids were playing in the street.
I was the child whose singing voice made everybody wince. The kid whose attempts at painting resulted in a terrifying rorschach test rather than the pretty house she’d planned. But in my mind–in my imagination–I was queen!
That’s not to say there aren’t creative endeavours I enjoy. I like sewing, though I’m not great at it, and I’ve even managed to knit a scarf or two in my time. I can whip up a meal from the scantiest of ingredients, often resulting in something my family ask me to cook again.
But all the while that I’m doing these things, I’m still thinking of characters and making up stories in my mind. I find that keeping busy with my hands allows my mind to wander in interesting directions, and I’ve often managed to solve a problem in my plot while distracting my logical mind with another task.
I realise none of this really answers the question, apart from to say I can’t imagine being anything but a writer. And if I couldn’t write, I’d tell those stories orally, and if I couldn’t speak, I’d live them in my mind!
But that’s enough about me. Now let’s hop over to Leslie Hachtel’s blog and see what she has to say.
June 23, 2015
I’d Like to Thank my Agents… – Romance Weekly #LoveWriteChat Blog Hop – 23rd June 2015
This week A.S. Fenichel has asked us the following question: What person living, dead, realative or stranger had the biggest influence on your life/writing career? Tell us what he/she was like or how they shaped you.
Answering this has been tough, not because I don’t have an answer, but because I owe so much to so many people. From my beta readers and editors to my publishers and family, not to mention my hugely supportive friends. But if I had to single out somebody (and I’m cheating a bit) to thank for where I have got to today, it would have to be my amazing Agents at the Bookcase Agency.
Back in 2013, my agent, Meire Dias, contacted me to see if I’d be interested in being represented for my book, Fix You. She worked for the Bookcase Agency, which she had recently set up with Flavia Viotti, and the two of them were just starting on their journey. Having spoken with both Meire and Flavia a number of times, I knew they were going to be amazing. They had commitment, drive, and most of all a love of books, and I jumped at the chance to be represented by them.
Fast forward six months, and they sold the Portuguese rights for my book to Brazil. Sempre Foi Voce (It Was Always You) was released in October 2014, and we really haven’t looked back!
Fix You was released in the UK in December 2014, by the amazing folk at Corvus Books, and the rights have now been sold to Italy, Turkey and Germany, with publication coming soon. On top of that, they’ve recently sold the Portuguese rights for my Love in London books to Universe Dos Livros.
Without these two ladies I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today. Their unstinting support, their commitment to their jobs, and their unending enthusiasm really make me want to write more stories, just so we can keep working together.
So that’s my rags to riches — or in this case online to published — story, and one I’m very grateful for.
I’m so glad I got a chance to share how much these ladies have done for me, I really do owe them a lot! Now let’s hop over to Leslie Hachtel’s blog and see what she has to say.
