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Congrats. Also thanks for the info on smash words.
That is great news!
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Wow, that sounds great, Rebecca! That is right up my alley and when I have a bit more time, I'll head over to Smashwords and check it out! Do you need an ebook to view it?I just finished a YA novella loosely based on Little Red Riding Hood. Main characters include: Ruby Hood, Dylan Hunter and Kent Wolf. I enjoyed writing it and coming up with creative ways to add twists and adapt the story! Now, I'm on the hunt for an agent to get the sucker published!
Best of luck with Premonition!
Congratulations Rebecca & Stephanie!I'm approaching what I hope will be the final polish my ghost story, The Guy Upstairs. It is my homage to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and I plan to release it on the world in October 2012. The only thing I hate about it is that once I finish it, I won't be playing in that world anymore!
Do you ever miss the story you're working on and the characters when you finish? I do with each book!
Best,
Mary
www.marycastillo.com
Hello everyone. I'm currently working on the sequel for my Jazz Nemesis series. The first book published earlier this year (info below) and the second book is starting to really change my perspective on the entire series.Mary, to answer your question I find that writing a series really helps with the loss that comes from finishing. When I finished my first book, Dhampiri, I tried to tie it up neatly with a bow so that it would be a single novel but ever since I published it I've had frequent mental visits from the characters suggesting ideas for a sequel. By that time, however, I had already started work on The Citizens and knew that it was going to be a series so I've had to politely place the characters from Dhampiri on the back burner so that I could move forward with the Jazz Nemesis novels.
I did, however, have some separation anxiety from a town that I created in The Citizens (the first book of the series). I knew when I started that the characters would have to find their way out of Kolob eventually but when it finally started to happen I realized that I was going to miss the place a lot. I've also been entertaining the idea of killing one of my main characters from the first book in the second book and that has been kind of hard for me. I know that he/she has to die but, at the same time, the character provides so much animosity to the story that killing him/her is going to be bittersweet for everyone - including the other characters.
*sigh* I should be working on the second book now instead of spending so much time here but two of the characters are at war over something and I am forced to sit back and wait until they come to some sort of an agreement before I can start writing again.
It sucks to have tiny, imaginary people fighting inside my head - they give me such a headache sometimes. lol
Mary wrote: "Do you ever miss the story you're working on and the characters when you finish? I do with each book!"Oh, definitely! One of my characters in Thoroughly Modern Monsters is getting his own novella because I just can't stand to part with him yet!
Congrats to all the authors here on all of their successes! I'm currently working on the sequel to my first novel, These Hellish Happenings, which is called When Hell Freezes Over. It's nice to revisit those characters, too. They live in a very creepy, almost Huxley-esque version of Hell that's fun to write about.
I'm also working on editing Green-Eyed, the first novel in a series about paranormal investigators who end up facing a little more than your standard Ghost Hunters-style problems. The second book in the series has been drafted and a bit's been written for the third, too.
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I'm approaching what I hope will be the final polish my ghost story, The Guy Upstairs. It is my homage to The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and I plan to release it on t..."
Sometimes I do Mary, some characters are near and dear to me and most often they are the ones who get sequels but others are quickly forgotten. I guess I am a little bit of a work alcoholic. I am always writing more then once story. It means that my characters really have to fight to keep my attention. Premonition Characters Magnus, Gwendolyn and Alcott did just that but other like Uziel and Adele not so much.
I have finished and submitted 2 novellas so far to my publisher with another 2 stories to work on. Right now I am doing a Romance story because I need to get away from the paranormal for a but and then shortly I have to pick back up the sequel to my novel Death Lilli. In the meantime I still write short stories for anthologies because they're easy and fun.
I am really happy to see so many up and coming new athors in this group as well as established ones. I do often check out the books of group members for new stuff to read. As a matter of fact I actually have the book
on my kindle :)
Rebecca wrote: "As a matter of fact I actually have the bookDhampiri on my kindle :) "
Ooooh how exciting for me! :) I hope that you like it! I always get all nervous when I know someone is reading or is about to read one of my books. lol
I am currently writing a short story called 'Children of Alder' that compliments my novel Solstice Night. I hope to release it as a free read early next month. My stories are about Vampires, Wolves and other supernatural creatures of my own invention. Writing the short story has given me the opportunity to provide some background info. that I didn't get to include in the original novel. It's nice to write about things I thought about during the first book, but never had a chance to include.
B.C. wrote: "It's nice to write about things I thought about during the first book, but never had a chance to include."Agreed. I'm a really thorough writer; I want to explore in depth every little detail of the world about which I'm writing, and there's just not enough room to do it all in one piece! I wish all the best with your short, though, and congrats on Solstice Night! It looks like it's getting some good reviews. :)
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Now, back to your characters... see, my main problem is like yours. Once I add them, I don't know what to do with them. Hence, why I don't do original fiction. At least with fanfiction, I know what they're capable of and therefore I know what I can and can't get them to do. Like I said, it's the lazy person's writing! LOL
That comes with time though. Knowing what characters to use and when, and which ones to ditch, is something you just learn. It's also one of the least pleasant parts of writing, especially when you ditch a character you've come to love.
I'm here.I don't know if fanfiction is 'lazy'. It's a different type of challenge to re-interrupt someone else's world.
I decided to set my story in present day Detroit, so the same rules of reality exist, but my Supes can bend those rules.
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Gimme my Buffy/Terminator stuff anytime!
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I think, so long as you're happy with what you're writing, then it doesn't matter if it's an original novel or fan fic.
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How about writing a Terminator Buffy?Writing is suppose to be fun so I say write what you enjoy (and screw the rest)
My husband read my first book and he said the reason he thought it was so good was I wrote it with no intention of anyone else reading it. I wasn't trying to play to an audience.
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Im writing several books right now. Each of them are different genre. The first is YA. Second is paranormal. Third is crime. Last is another YA.
Steve wrote: "I think, so long as you're happy with what you're writing, then it doesn't matter if it's an original novel or fan fic."Hear hear! I cut my writing teeth on fanfiction, and continued to write until very recently when my original projects started taking up all my time. I certainly still read fanfiction, too! It's its own kind of writing with its own kind of challenges.
Raebeth wrote: "Im writing several books right now. Each of them are different genre. The first is YA. Second is paranormal. Third is crime. Last is another YA."
Very cool, Raebeth! Does it ever get confusing jumping between genres?
I have several WIPs in various stages right now, but the one I am focused, The Unnamed, is a dark urban fantasy. Though the actual excerpts seem more intriguing to me, here's the blurb I have so far: Haedyn’s rare features give her the ability to slip in and out of the human world at will. Humans believe she has a genetic disorder and keep their distance, as is their nature towards things of which they have a limited understanding. But in the preternatural world, that lay hidden among the outer societies, she is known as an “Unnamed.”
One of the last of her kind, Haedyn has survived by doing the only thing she knows: killing. Forced to protect a human who is trying to expose the supernatural realm, she learns the secrets of her own species’ origin and finds herself in the middle of an ancient battle between good and evil.
And it’s time for Haedyn to choose a side.
I am working on my story outline for the anthology again today and I just have to say ... I've had ideas for writing intimate scenes before but neither of my existing stories are to the point, yet, where an intimate scene between some of the characters would be realistic for their personalities so this was the first opportunity that I've had to actually write something really racy.I had no idea that I could actually need a cigarette and a cold shower JUST from writing. Whoa boy!
Hi I am writing my first novel. I'm trying to write kind of a mixture between Bridget Jones Diary and Sookie stackhouse mysteries. Paranormal yet with a bit of humour. I know Im going to publish it myself, not even attempting going through the traditional routine because I have never been to university or writen anything before. I have to say I have never been so exited about a project before.
It's very funny what L.M said, I was writing a saucy moment in the same room my children were watching spongebob squarepants and had to leave the room because it just didn't seem right.
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I can't even start! LOL I can imagine it for the characters... but I have no idea how to write it. So you're at least a step ahead of me there!!
Hi Eva,I am an indi-pubber so I will be the last person to dissuade someone from it but you should know that writers get published without "going to a university" or feeling like they've ever written anything before so if you WANT to traditionally pub ... don't let your own self-doubt keep you from trying.
I recently attended a fascinating lecture about getting published. It was hosted by the Las Vegas Writer's club which is for Vegas locals only but the speaker was LeeAnne Krusemark and she really surprised a lot of the people in the room with some of the information that she presented about "what publishers are looking for". Most notably shocking was her list of "things that count as writing credits" or basically, things that you can include in a query letter that establish you to publishers as a credible author.
When she started the lecture she asked "how many of you are published authors" and about 10 of us raised our hands. By the end of her lecture she asked the same question again and the entire room of over 75 people raise their hands. You may have a lot more writing credit than you realize - I know I did.
She had some very helpful little booklets on sale for $5 at the lecture, there are a few inexpensive publications by her on Amazon.com, and she has a full online course but it's kind a pricy. Still, I'm not necessarily saying that you have to go out and buy her publications or anything.
I'm just saying, don't sell yourself short. You would be surprised what just might "count" in your cover letter and if you can write a great cover letter and an even better page 1 of your manuscript - the rest can be negotiable.
The most memorable thing that LeeAnne said in her lecture was this "If you write a boring page 32 ... the publisher can and will fix page 32. But if you write a boring page 1, the publisher will never make it to page 32." And the other thing she said that I remember clearly was "Every single writer on the planet WILL be rejected by at least one publisher who never even read their work. That's life, don't take it personal. Get over it, accept it and move on to the next one."
Again, I'm an indie-pub so I am not, in any way, discouraging you from it (I indie pubbed because my book was centered around December 21, 2012 and I knew that there was NO WAY it would make to shelves in time if I tried submitting it to pubbers), but if you really want to traditionally pub and have decided not to even try because you've never been to college ... you owe it to yourself to follow your dream.
And yes, you will get rejections but know that the majority of those rejections won't be because your book is bad (unless the letters specifically say "this is a great concept but...etc.), they'll be because the publisher never bothered to read them because he or she was too busy and your manuscript just so happened to cross her desk on the same day as another manuscript from a known author. It won't always be that way, the right publisher will pick it up eventually and look at it (Rowling was rejected 17 times!). Sometimes it's like playing the lottery.
Muse wrote: "Eva wrote: "It's very funny what L.M said, I was writing a saucy moment in the same room my children were watching spongebob squarepants and had to leave the room because it just didn't seem right...."I made notes in my head from other writers, how they phrased it...and hem i just imagined the moment and wrote it down. i have to say I am pretty impressed with myself... Tell me what do you think.
Ps can you write things like that here?
L.M. wrote: "Hi Eva,I am an indi-pubber so I will be the last person to dissuade someone from it but you should know that writers get published without "going to a university" or feeling like they've ever wri..."
Thank you! I have to say that you have made my day. I look forward to seeing a book with my name on it.
Muse wrote: "I can't even start! LOL I can imagine it for the characters... but I have no idea how to write it. So you're at least a step ahead of me there!! "My top rules include:
1) Never, ever, ever use words/terms like "his sex" or "pleasure rod" to describe elements of the male anatomy. Firstly, they're over used. Secondly, no one talks like that in real life! Third, if you're going to have the juevos to write a love scene, you'd better make sure they're big enough to use grown-up words. lol
2) Very few men read love scenes - that's why they call romance novels "chick porn" so don't write the female (assuming there is one) doing and enjoying things that women don't really like to do and only pretend to enjoy (some women pretend, I'm not that nice) to make their men happy. Write for your audience.
3) Keep it interesting and don't be afraid to defy the laws of physics just a teenie tiny bit. Lots of women fantasize about positions and experiences that would probably be just a little bit awkward or even barely impossible in the real world - who cares! Write it for them anyway! If they liked the world as it really is they wouldn't read books!
4) If you ARE going to use a normal position like "missionary" ... there had better be some damn good foreplay.
and last on the top 5
5) Write what you know. I don't mean write your own love life because it may or may not be interesting enough for the rest of us but, first and foremost, virgins should never write a love scene (case-in-point: Stephanie Meyers. Loved the series and I realize she's Mormon, I was too once upon a time, but the words serious let-down come to mind for me). Similarly, I just don't see how a woman could write a convincing and exciting guy-on-guy love scene if she's never seen one in person (movies don't count).
If it makes you happy, write it. If it sucks, so what it made you happy at the time!!!! Keep trying and you'll get better!
Eva wrote: "Tell me what do you think.Ps can you write things like that here? "
We have a spoilers thread in this group where several of us have posted some racy moments but we've pretty much kept most of it somewhere between PG13 and R. If it's in the realm of a solid R or an X I would probably avoid posting it on the boards just because I'm pretty sure this group is open to all ages. I'm actually even a little worried about my last post on this thread going a bit too far in some of the words I used while replying to Muse.
You should check out the spoilers thread though, and feel free to post one of your own if you'd like. :)
L.M. wrote: "Eva wrote: "Tell me what do you think.Ps can you write things like that here? "
We have a spoilers thread in this group where several of us have posted some racy moments but we've pretty much kep..."
L.M. wrote: "Eva wrote: "Tell me what do you think.
Ps can you write things like that here? "
We have a spoilers thread in this group where several of us have posted some racy moments but we've pretty much kep..."
Hey I've done it and wrote for over 18's. Would love to know what you think
L.M. wrote: "1) Never, ever, ever use words/terms like "his sex" or "pleasure rod" to describe elements of the male anatomy. Firstly, they're over used. Secondly, no one talks like that in real life! Third, if you're going to have the juevos to write a love scene, you'd better make sure they're big enough to use grown-up words. lol"This. There is no quicker way to pull me as a reader out of a sex scene! LOL! There should be no "freeing his pleasure rod from its denim prison."
Honestly, pleasure rod annoys me only slightly less than "she could feel his sex behind his zipper" and even worse is the fact that the word (a verb, is it not?) is used for both male and female anatomy and I can't help but wanting to shake the author and shout "That makes no sense! It's not a noun!"
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I know what you mean L.M. I have an adverse reaction to the word suckling...ugh. It does nothing for me when they talk about wanted to suckle or having a guy suckling at her breast...maybe having 3 kids has killed it for me lol, but i just don't find it sexy.
I am writing now, three stories...one is a romance (keeping my publisher happy hehe) the other is book 2 of my first series, book one is due out end of the year and lastly is the short story for our group anthology! i am so excited. Now if all i could do was focus more haha. I wish I could share some of the stuff from book two but it would spoil book one. Right from the prologue there are hints as to what happened so i have to keep it all in...argh!
Paranormal and Horror Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
Solstice Night (other topics)Dhampiri (other topics)
Thoroughly Modern Monsters (other topics)
These Hellish Happenings (other topics)
Dhampiri (other topics)
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He is also very seductive and just a little bit naughty lol. I also love Alcott (my werewolf) he is so arrogant and yet so sweet. I posted the first 6 chapters on smashwords to gain a little interest in the story and so far it is going well. I cant wait until the end of the month when it is complete and I will be able to share it with the world :D