Guest Post: Clarissa Yip

Have You Met My Sun-addicted Muse?

It's November! Yes, I'm sure most of you are working on NaNo and ready to churn out a best seller! But does your muse want to play? Is he/she rooting for you to pull those 50k words out with no problem? Maybe my muse is the fickle one driving me insane…

I sit down. Flick the switch. The screen turns on. I'm ready to crank out 5k words in one day, write a best seller that is going to leave readers breathless and wanting more. A blank document sits in front of me. Hands posed over the keyboard and…now what? Then my ADD comes along and I find a million excuses not to write and a million other things that seem to need my attention. Does that sound like you?

My muse has a tendency to go on vacation whenever she wants since I do live in one of the most tropical places in this world. Hawaii. I'm surrounded by beaches, lagoons, lots of awesome food, and of course, sun, sun, sun. Jealous? Don't be. I'm too busy hiding in the dark in my bat cave while my muse is out tanning. She'll run across the street to the golf course and to the lagoons to watch the sunsets, while I'm sitting here posed over the computer with a blank doc open, waiting for her to return. It's quite pathetic really. But once I start writing and the flow starts to work, I wouldn't care where she goes as long as she comes back and helps me draw my characters out of their hiding spots. (And I hope she remembers to wear sunscreen!)

But I'll admit, I fight with my muse a lot. (Yes, writers are crazy people.) I could be sitting there having a conversation with myself, and it's actually with my muse and people will stare. (I don't do it that often, but if I did, I may start to question my sanity.) She hasn't let me down yet, but at times I struggle with conflict, with plot, characters, and ideas. When I needed her the most, she has pulled through for me.

[image error]My new coming-soon-to Decadent Publishing holiday release, Snowy Encounters, was definitely a challenge. The first anthology I've done with my wonderful critique partners at Passionate Critters (http://www.passionatecritters.org), I've put my muse on the spot. She'd struggled along side with me. Snowy Encounters, a contemporary romance based around the town of Five Oaks, as the other stories in the anthology, has a carefully plotted integration of characters that had kept my muse in high tantrum mode. (All right, I was ready to throw one and my muse had come through to comfort me, because she and my CP's are awesome.) And it definitely didn't help when I was trying to write about snow and avalanches while my muse was too busy dancing under the sun and sipping her umbrella drinks! But she did it. She came back and made the story work.

[image error]Definitely check out this magical holiday anthology, A Passionate Christmas Series, coming to Decadent Publishing. From contemporary to paranormal romance, this anthology has a taste of everything for every reader. We have a great mix of characters, from On-probation Angels, Assassin Witches, Paranormal Investigators, and even the normal city girl on the run. (?My muse only likes contemporary so far, if you haven't noticed.) Check it out and see what our muses had forced us to do! Evil beings…

Is your muse as crazy as mine? Do share. I'm sure my muse would love to make new friends…

Blurb:

In the town of Five Oaks, where mysterious happenings occur, one will never know what they'll find….

Successful Event Planner, Maddy Glover, dreads returning to her hometown for the holidays ever since her divorce. First time in three years, Maddy finds herself caught at the end of an avalanche, only to have her ex-husband come to her rescue like a white knight in rugged wheels.

Ambitious and desirable bachelor, Cole Harmon lives to rebuild the town, more so to forget the woman who didn't believe he had enough to offer. Until Maddy shows up in her cute city-slicker attire, not appropriate for their little town. In need of a decorator for the holidays, Cole hires his ex-wife to help, only to be thrown into dark memories and snowy encounters that will melt the cold between them. Will their love resurface or will Maddy walk away once again?

Clarissa Yip

http://clarissayip.com

Snowy Encounters coming to Decadent Publishing, December 2010

One Unexpected Night coming to Cobblestone Press, December 2010

The Bachelor's Return coming to Lyrical Press, April 2011

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