Megan Morgan's Blog, page 57

Name that character.

Not too long ago, a friend asked me how I come up with names for characters. She doesn’t write, but she’s got a bunch of kids, so I told her “the same way you do,” but that apparently wasn’t the right answer. My awful sense of humor aside, I thought the subject would make a good idea for a blog post.

Sometimes, the hardest part of creating a character is what seems to the rest of the world like the easiest, even funnest part. You can spend weeks creating a character sketch, fleshing out their background, where they’re from, what their family is like, their hopes and dreams and fears, what their favorite color is, what flavor of ice cream they like, who they love, who they hate, what kind of clothes they wear–until you know them better than your own family members. You can map out their relationships with other characters. You can understand their path through the story and their motivations. These things may take a while to become fully formed, but they come to you, either before you start the story or within the context of it.

It seems like hammering out the background details and personality traits would be the hardest part of making a character, and sometimes it is. But sometimes, the much ‘simpler’ part is even harder than all that detail-wrangling–because sometimes, you have no idea what to name the person you just spent so much time beautifully crafting.

I like it best when a character comes prepackaged with their name. This only happens to me about fifty percent of the time, though. The other fifty percent I usually end up having conversations like this in my head:

ME: What is your name, new child of mine?

UNNAMED CHARACTER: Look at me! I have dark curly hair and deep blue eyes. And a smile that lights up the room!

ME: Great, yeah. I got that. But what’s your–

UC: Did I tell you my mother was a waitress in a diner when I was growing up? And I’d stop by everyday after school and have a piece of cake? That’s why I love to visit shabby diners and have a piece of cake when I’m out on the road as a travelling saleswoman.

ME: Yeah, that’s in your character sketch, but–

UC: Did I tell you I’m in love with this guy in our accounting office? I think he has feelings for me too, gosh he’s so dreamy…

ME: YES. THAT’S THE SUBPLOT OF THE STORY. But what the hell is your–

UC: Did you know I have a cat? His name is Whiskers!

ME: GREAT. WHAT’S YOUR NAME?

UC: …I dunno. Linda?

Sigh.

Ideally, I’m always trying to find a name that fits my character’s personality, and barring that, at least something that doesn’t sound too stupid. A few times I’ve actually finished a story and then went back and changed a character’s name, because their name didn’t sit well with me when I was writing. I’ve also had to change a character’s name in post-production, because my editor felt it sounded too much like another character’s name.

Is there a trick to naming a character? Sadly, no. A lot of writers keep baby naming books on hand and of course, the internet has plenty of sites devoted to the same thing, including sites to look up names from specific cultures and races. But really, most of the time I wait to hear or see a name that strikes me and would fit my character. Sometimes it happens fast. Sometimes I’m ready to ship the story off to an editor and I’m still screaming into the ether “What the hell is your NAME?”

The next character who tries to mess with me like this, I’m going to name him something silly out of spite, like Sir Chocolate Twiddlepants.

Filed under: Behind The Scenes Tagged: creativity, inspiration, writing

When do I get rich?

This post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop. The first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. The awesome co-hosts for the the July 1 posting of the IWSG will be S.A. Larsen, AJ, Tamara Narayan, Allison Gammons, and Tanya Miranda!

My biggest, loftiest goal in life is to be a career writer.

By ‘career writer’ I mean making enough money from writing to pay my bills and also eat, feed my cat, and maybe get a new pair of shoes now and then–while NOT also having a day job. In other words, I want to sit at home and write and get paid enough for it that I don’t have to do anything but that. That’s tier one of the goal, anyway. Tier two would be all those things plus also having enough money left over for a little fun and travel. I guess tier three would be a golden Porsche.

Not really, I can’t even drive a manual transmission.

Am I anywhere near this goal yet? Let’s just say, I’m not writing a resignation letter to my boss anytime soon.

I’ve studied the business of writing, I know what it takes to make a career out of writing. I have to write lots and lots of stuff, get it published, promote the hell out of it, and then, someday down the road, MAYBE I’ll get noticed enough to pull in a decent wage from my sales. Maybe. A lot of writers who are big and successful today will tell you it wasn’t their first book that got even a portion of the reading public to notice them, but the fifth, tenth, sixteenth…

But what if it never happens? What if I can never comfortably pay my bills with writing? What if I’m doomed to a life of toiling away at a ‘real’ job and working my writing in around it, like I’ve done for years and years and years…can I spend my life that way? Can I be happy with that?

I can, I hope. I love writing and I’d still do it even if I never got another dime for it. I just like to hope that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, even if the tunnel is beneath the English Channel and I’m still on the steps in Kent trying to get to France. Just knowing that France is over there gives me hope.

What about you? Do you make your living, or even part of it, from writing? Do you want to?

In that same vein, right now my novel The Wicked City has been marked down to 99 cents by my publisher to give it a sales boost. If you like urban fantasy, suspense, and paranormal political intrigue, you can get it cheap (scroll down to the bottom of the linked page, it’s 99 cents at all those retailers). For every copy sold, 49 cents goes to me…that will get me on my way to wealth, right?

Filed under: IWSG Tagged: blog hop, me, writing

Monday Funday

In the spirit of trying to get my lazy butt blogging more, I’ve decided to start a new thing here, which I will oh-so-creatively dub ‘Monday Funday.’ Cause it rhymes, get it? Ha!

Here’s the objective of Monday Funday: to share some fun stuff and get your week started off right. A lot of people hate Mondays, so I’m hoping to provide some distraction. Also, this is interactive. So, I’ll share MY fun things, and you can share YOUR fun things in the comments! And then we’ll all have some fun. Easy? Easy!

What sort of things can you share on Monday Funday?

– Links to fun/interesting/cool websites that you think others would enjoy.

– Links to articles and blog posts that you think are awesome.

– Pictures (nothing pornographic, violent, or depicting anything illegal or inciting, though)

– Stories: tell us something good! Personal stories, anecdotes, flash fiction, whatever you’d like to share.

– Anything else that might be fun: jokes, contests, time wasters, pictures of cats, whatever you think others would enjoy.

There’s just a few rules:

– This is NOT for self-promotion. Please don’t promote your own work, website, or social media accounts. I don’t want this to become just a promotions post. I want it to be for sharing fun and interesting things (not that your work isn’t fun and interesting, but if we have enough requests for it, maybe I’ll start a pimp-your-work day on the blog too).

– This is my blog and I reserve the right to remove anything offensive, harmful, or not within the spirit of the theme.

I’m hoping this will catch on. I’ll get this inaugural Monday Funday started. Here’s some fun places where I waste time on the web:

Writing Quotes – So many awesome and inspiring quotes.

Cats Are A**holes – What it says on the tin.

SlushPile Hell – One anonymous agent sharing the hilariously bad queries they get (usually from people claiming God told them to write a book). It hasn’t been updated in a while, but there’s a huge archive of posts. A great guide to what NOT to put in your query letter.

Cash Cats – Literally just pictures of cats with piles and piles of cash (and sometimes other questionable objects). Make sure you follow their Instagram for updates! (You can submit your own pictures if you’re rich and have a cat.)

The Romance Reviews – So many romances! Reviews, contests, giveaways, sales…one stop shopping for romance enthusiasts.

RoomPorn on Reddit – (NOT actually porn) Tons and tons of beautiful pictures of amazing rooms. If you’re an interior decorating freak like me, you’ll have a joygasm.

And to finish off, here’s a picture of me having a conversation with my friend’s parrot. We’re twins!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now it’s time to share your fun stuff in the comments! Happy Monday Funday!

Filed under: Monday Funday

Camp NaNoWriMo anyone?

Most people (especially writers) are probably aware what NaNoWriMo is. But do you know that Camp NaNoWriMo is also a thing, which takes place in April and July of each year? It’s a smaller month-long event with the same objective in mind. Whereas the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word novel in one month, Camp NaNoWriMo’s goal is only 10,000 words–though you can set your own word count goal higher than that. I would call Camp NaNoWriMo National Novella Writing Month.

I did NaNoWriMo last year, mostly as an impetus to get a contracted novel finished–it helped me stay focused and on track so I could meet my deadline (which is July of this year). I didn’t finish the entire novel that month, but I did get 50,000 words into it, which was a big start (I eventually ended up at 120,000 words and edited it down to 90,000).

I did Camp NaNoWriMo last year in July, too. The novella I wrote then–after many edits, rewrites, and title changes–became One Night In Cleveland, which will be published later this year by Tirgearr Publishing. So I think I’ve got a pretty good track record with NaNoWriMo.

That being said…

I’m thinking about jumping in the water next month and doing Camp NaNoWriMo again. I want to write a very specific novella for a specific publisher and this would give me the focus and drive to do it. Not that I don’t have a million other writing-related things to do in July but hey, why not drive myself crazy?!

I know time is swiftly running out and if I’m going to leap I need to leap–and get my creative thoughts in order and ready to go. Is anyone else doing Camp NaNoWriMo? Have you done it or NaNoWriMo before?

If you want to buddy up, here’s my camper profile.

Filed under: Camp NaNoWriMo Tagged: creativity, writing

My happy news this week.

In case you don’t follow me on social media and haven’t already seen, my big announcement is that I’ve just signed a contract for One Night In Cleveland, a novella that will be part of Tirgearr Publishing’s City Nights series! I’m already part of the City Nights series with One Night In Chicago. The series is a lot of fun to write for and I’m very pleased to get another spot on the list.

If you’re interested in digging into the City Nights series, it’s important to note that all the books in the series are stand-alone, so you don’t have to start with any specific one. The characters and plots are different in each book–their only connection is that they all follow the common theme of taking place during a 24 hour period in a city. All the stories are contemporary erotic romance, too.

So what will One Night In Cleveland be about? Here’s the blurb:

Chef Matt Fattore lives a clean and lawful life—so he doesn’t expect to meet the woman of his wet dreams by being arrested by her. When Lieutenant Caylee Benton of the Cleveland PD mistakes him for a wanted burglar, Matt finds out fantasies sometimes land right in your lap—and frisk you.

Sparks fly despite the misunderstanding and Matt decides to take a chance and take her out—and maybe, take her to bed. But Caylee is more than just a beautiful woman with a badge and a gun. While Matt is falling in lust with her, she’ll become his hero, too.

Matt is about to spend the wildest 24 hours of his life in Cleveland, and if he’s lucky, be in handcuffs by the end of the night.

The release date will tentatively be toward the end of this year, but that’s no way set in stone yet. I’ll keep everyone posted! In the meantime, you can enjoy the other books in the series. Maybe start with Chicago? ;)

And yes, I do live in Cleveland! I thought it was time to write about my fair city by the lake and all the naughty shenanigans one might get up to here…

Filed under: City Nights, One Night In Chicago, Publications, Works Tagged: contract, romance, tirgearr publishing

Where has the writer been?

I’ve been woefully absent from this blog lately. It’s like the A-Z Challenge didn’t teach me a thing! But for once I can actually say it’s not because I’m being lazy but because I’ve been doing SO much work writing-wise. Currently I’m:

– Trying to finish editing a book I have to turn in to my editor by July 1st. Only a few more chapters! I finished the intense editing/rewriting in April but I wanted to let it sit for a month so I could look at it with fresh eyes and comb through it again during June. I should finally be through it this weekend.

– Writing a book. A completely different book in a different series–yes, at the same time!

– Keeping up with promotional stuff for all the works I already have out.

On top of this, I actually have a day job (and I TRY to have a social life). I’m going to Las Vegas for my 40th birthday in July so I’m trying to be a good little worker bee until then–so I won’t feel guilty about doing nothing for an entire weekend.

But hard work does pay off. This morning I got an email offering me a contract for a novella! I’ll give more details as soon as the ink is on paper.

So that’s why I’m a neglectful blog writer. How is your writing life?

You spelled this word wrong. We’re gonna have to rewrite the whole thing.

Filed under: Behind The Scenes Tagged: contract, creativity, me, personal life, updates, writing

Paranormal Love Wednesday

Today I’m participating in the Paranormal Love Wednesdays blog hop! This weekly blog hop features paranormal stories and is open to authors and writers whose work is published or unpublished. Participants can post an excerpt of a paranormal romance, including any blurbs and buy links to promote the work.

Visit the other authors on the hop.

 

My offering is from my erotic paranormal romance, Her Darkest Secret, published by Muse It HOT! publishing. Check out the end of the post for more information and buy links.

~***~

Two men stood on the threadbare rug in front of the hearth. They both wore rifles strapped across their backs, but Eliza wasn’t afraid.

One was a stocky, solidly built man with dark, greasy hair to his collar, streaked with gray. His face was hard and lined, his eyes dark. He leered at them as they stepped in, and Eliza’s skin crawled. She had never seen him before, though she knew many of the men from the logging camp at the base of the mountain.

The other man, however—he was breathtaking, a sight to behold. Tall, so tall he could have reached up and gripped the bare beams of the ceiling. He was gloriously masculine, hewn from muscle and raw power, with the arms of a man who chopped wood all day and the lithe, powerful body of a hunter and mountain man. He had a thick, dark beard, short and neatly trimmed. His intense eyes glimmered in the firelight. A knit cap hid his hair, but his face was proud and majestic. He wore a red flannel shirt and suspenders, and leather boots to his knee.

He reminded her of the stories her mother told her as a child, about the spirits of the mountain—men, turned into tall, impossibly strong warriors in death, left there to protect the people on the mountain from harm.

Eliza stepped forward, forcing authority into her voice. “What do you want? Why are you here?”

~***~

Tantalized? Find out more!

Only one man can tame the beast inside her…

Eliza Duncan has a secret only a wild mountain and a powerful man can keep. Left alone in the Tennessee mountains with her sickly younger sister Mary, she depends on Lucien Grey to protect her from danger…and from her own dark urges.

But when a werewolf threatens their quiet life on the mountain, Eliza and Lucien realize they must fight it together. Then a mysterious man terrorizes Mary—could they be one and the same? Will Eliza’s secret remain safe, or will she become a victim once again?

Available at:

Muse it HOT | Amazon |  Barnes & Noble |  Kobo

 

Visit the other authors on the hop for more paranormal excerpts!
Filed under: Her Darkest Secret, Paranormal Love Wednesday, Publications Tagged: blog hop, muse it up, paranormal

Today is the last day of the One Night In Chicago blog tour!

You can visit any of these stops along my tour and still sign up to win a $10 Amazon gift card. Good luck!

June 1st – Guest blog at K D Grace
June 2nd – Interview with Mary Quast
June 3rd – Guest blog at Casey Sheridan
June 4th – Excerpt and review at V’s Reads
June 5th – Interview with LocGlin
Filed under: Contests, Giveaways, One Night In Chicago, Promotion Tagged: appearances, romance, tirgearr publishing

Pay attention to me.

This post is part of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog hop. The first Wednesday of every month is Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. The awesome co-hosts for the the June 3 posting of the IWSG will be M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!

One thing I’ve discovered being published (finally!) is that attention is awesome. Having positive attention focused on you for accomplishing something is heady and addictive. Every time a new release comes out, people are talking about and to me: tweets, Facebook posts, reviews, congratulations, acknowledgements. My heart soars every time someone retweets one of my tweets or talks about my book or gives me a review, be it on their blog or Amazon. Release day is the best day because that’s the day everyone is paying attention to you. Your publisher will chatter about you and all kinds of promotion and publicity is rolled out for you.

The problem with attention is that it’s fleeting. Release day will come, but it will end too. All the promotion both you and your publisher do will stop eventually. Reviews will drop off. People will stop tweeting about you and talking about you on Facebook. For one shining moment you’re the star, but that’s just it…it’s only a moment. Unless you have a new release coming out every single day, the herd will quickly move on to the next shiny thing.

When you enjoy attention, having it switched off can bring back all the insecurities and self-doubt that each pat on the back momentarily wiped out. All the sudden you’re left with just you and no one cheerleading. You have to sit down and write the next book so you can get more of that attention you crave. You have to create another reason to wave your arms and shout “hey, look at me!”

There are ways to fill in the gaps and get people to at least glance at you between the big important moments. You can do self-promotion, go on blog tours, write your own blog, enter contests, do giveaways, go to conferences, and talk to anybody who will interview you…not that yours truly would ever be THAT desperate, *ahem*. Anything to get just a little taste of that attention you get on release day. Sometimes I don’t even care if people buy my books, as long as they merely acknowledge them.

But in the end, I have to remember that I’m a writer, and as such I write to write, not to be a celebrity. Writing calms the anxiety. Writing makes me feel whole and it feels even better than the attention. Getting the words down and meeting my writing quota for the day feels better than a thousand retweets and reviews. Attention for your writing is like candy–it tastes good, but it doesn’t nourish you.

Do you crave attention? How do you deal with yourself when you’re not getting it?

(Completely apropos, I’m currently on a blog tour for One Night In Chicago, if you care to follow me around and give me attention.)

Filed under: IWSG Tagged: blog hop, insecure writer's support group, writing

It’s release day!

One Night In Chicago is available today! Stop by the Facebook party to win a copy of the book or a $25 Amazon gift card! I’ll also be on the radio later today talking about it with other City Nights authors–show starts at 4pm EST, I’ll be on around 5:30!

One Night In Chicago

Part of the City Nights series.

City Nights is a unique erotic romance series with authors contributing stand-alone stories to the collection. Each book title starts One Night in . . . and takes place within a 24 hour time frame in a city somewhere in the world.

Breaking up is hard to do, especially after four years together.

Taylor Middleton, a singer striving for her big break, and her boyfriend Malcolm Darling, a mover and shaker in the music business, have decided to call it quits. Taylor wants to take her onstage persona—Gracie M—to LA, where she hopes bright lights and big dreams await.

But before they break up, the two decide to spend one last night in Chicago, the city where they once shared a passionate, romantic weekend, in hopes of preserving some good memories. In Chicago, Taylor realizes she’s not so sure about taking her talents elsewhere, as Malcolm reminds her why she fell in love—and lust—with him. Taylor may soon discover the right man, like music, can set her free and make all her dreams come true.

Find out more and read an excerpt.

Available at:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Kobo | iTunes

Filed under: City Nights, Giveaways, One Night In Chicago, Promotion, Publications Tagged: radio show, release date, romance, tirgearr publishing