Lashing Out...Don't Do It!

Yesterday a writer buddy of mine sent me a link to someone's review blog and the comments that had gone "viral." I offer it not just for entertainment purposes -- because you really won't believe what was said -- but also as an example for all of us when we've felt that temptation to defend ourselves against a bad review. http://booksandpals.blogspot.com/2011/03/greek-seaman-jacqueline-howett.html?showComment=1301329758444#c5465159709172929981 is the link where you can watch the sad self-sabotage of a writer who reacted badly to Big Al's not-really-all-that-bad review. Even when he tried to save her, she ignored his offered hand and instead made it so much worse. If you don't care to read the comments, which, as of the morning of March 29th, numbered 307, I'll give you some of the highlights. In response to Big Al's criticism that this self-published book contained editorial and grammatical errors, the author insisted he read the wrong version. When he verified he read the new "improved" version she sent and still found errors, she accused him of being a snake, a rat and a liar, and demanded he remove the review. And when a few others jumped in to defend him, she twice posted, "F*** off."

We've all felt that stomach twist of a bad review, and how tempting it is to jump in to defend ourselves. Big Al's long list of comments would serve as a nice what-not-to-do set of instructions, a good reminder of what can happen even if you try to start out politely. There are a lot of people with nothing better to do than form an angry mob at the slightest provocation, and the last thing any writer wants is for something to spin out of control and go "viral."

If someone says something nasty, take a deep breath. Think instead of the great reviews and comments you've received, and fight that urge to tell the reader or reviewer where to go. It's not worth calling attention to yourself, and turning off any would-be readers.

Ashley J. Barnard is the author of the dark-fantasy novel Shadow Fox, whose sequel, Fox Rising, releases on April 4th, 2011 with Champagne Books. www.ashleyjbarnard.com

One of the Trials of a Young Army Wife

Oh dear, what to blog about this month. I agonized over a topic and decided to take a walk down memory lane. Though this post isn't about writing, it’s definitely fodder for a scene in a story.

My husband and I married in December of 1967. I had one month left of college, so for that month I lived in Commerce, Texas and he lived at Fort Hood Army Base. After I graduated we rented the cutest little furnished apartment in Killeen. Our rent was only $95.00 a month. Can you believe it? Of course, in a sense that was a lot of money. I think our car payment was also that much. Gas was 29 cents a gallon. Outrageous! Money was tight. We barely made it each month. As soon as possible, I started substitute teaching.

To save money, I’d make a pound of hamburger meat stretch through three meals. I washed, starched, and ironed Larry’s fatigues. Because they needed to be stiff enough to stand alone, I used a lot of starch. After they dried on the line outside, I sprinkled them down, rolled them up and stored them in the refrigerator in a large zipper plastic bag. Many a morning, I’d pull out the ironing board and iron fatigues before he left for work. A time or two, the iron grabbed the top of my nylon baby doll pajamas and burned a hole in them.

I don’t know why, but my starch/ironing job didn’t hold up well. By the end of the day, hubby’s fatigues were wrinkled and not worthy of another day of wearing. But, the real problem was the other GI’s teased Larry saying his fatigues were so shiny they could see their reflections. If you’ve used cold liquid starch, you’re familiar with this problem. If I'd boiled starch on the stove, the outcome might have been different. So, we decided to find the money to take the fatigues to the cleaners. They starched them so stiffly they did indeed stand, alone. It took five minutes to break through the stuck together legs and they looked great two days in a row. Hubby was happy and I was overjoyed to not have to do his uniforms any longer.

Oh, those memories of our early years are fun to look back on, many of them anyway. Thank goodness for the invention of permanent press. During the late sixties, polyester double knit was introduced. And THAT is a different story all together.

On our six month wedding anniversary, Larry got orders for Vietnam. He's pictured above on the right. I know girls, he's a hottie! The first time I looked into his blue eyes my heart did a somersault. Of course, I didn't iron those fatigues.

Thanks for Reading and Writing!

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/
http://www.lindalaroqueauthor.blogspot.com/

Location, Location: showing the rural South

Rather than an excerpt, a regular short-short story can be the best way to promote your latest or upcoming release. A short story, now referred to as Flash Fiction, is a complete story. Nothing is missing except heavy-duty description, prolonged dialogue and multiple scene changes. It’s a vignette that reads like a short story. "Show don’t tell" is more important in Flash Fiction than in any other genre with the possible exception of poetry.

My current WIP is about the American South and its pride and prejudice between 1957 and 1995. How the characters react to their realities is key, as shown in my story below. Think of it as a compact rather than a full sized sedan.

"The Doozy,"

by Julie Eberhart Painter

I’ve been duped before, but $200.00 for one little tire, now that was a doozy, Jobie Smote thought, as he skidded to a stop on the back country road and got out of his Chevy to inspect the damage. What! Two flat tires at once and only one spare! Perhaps he shouldn’t have made his pit stop so close to the main freeway in rural Georgia. Considering the dilemma, he decided that he might be able to limp to the next service station if he could find the air pump and the spare he’d just relegated to second class duty. He opened the trunk to get his tools and gazed in

"Where’s my tire?"

A black hole stared back at him from the bowels of his trunk. "I’m three tires short of a ride!" he cried, bursting into hysterical laughter.

A white tow truck pulled alongside him on the narrow country road. "Need a hand, Mister?"

"I need a couple tires. I’ve been robbed."

"Damn ain’t that just the way. You cain’t trust some of them tire places. Hop in. I’ll give you a lift."

"Thanks. Do you know a garage close by?"

"Sure. My brother-in-law’s daddy has a place he operates out of. Keeps tires for just these occasions."

Jobie stepped up into the truck and slammed the rusty door shut while his savior hitched up his car.

The man got back in rubbing his hands on an oily rag. "My name’s Bubba, but lot a folks call be Bub. My parents gave me a horrible first name. I had it changed onct I was legal. My ex-wife don’t even know what it was. So, how’d you get in this fix?"

"I’m new in south Georgia and I guess I picked the wrong Rubber Kingdom."

"Them places is ever’where. Ya gotta watch it here. They take care of their own first, know what I mean."

"I do now."

"What brings you to Georgia? You don’t sound like a Southern."

"I’m from Chagrin Falls?"

"Don’t know no Chagrin Falls."

"It’s in Ohio."

"You’re a long way from home. What’d you say your name was?"

"Jobie."

"Is that a Yankee name?"

"No it’s biblical. Until today it’s brought me luck."

"Didn’t do much for its original owner." Bub chuckled under his breath. "Here we are. Pop should be around."

A gnarled old man came out of his garage adjusting his suspenders. "What’s up?"

"This man’s needs tires so he can get wherever he’s going. Where was you going, son?"

"I was headed for Albany to a job interview tomorrow."

"What can we do for him, Pop?

"I might could come up with a couple tires, but it’ll cost ya. All the Kingdoms are closed now. I have an inventory in the back."

"Beggars can’t be choosers. Let’s have a look," Jobie said. They walked around to the back of the garage and began sifting through the pile of tires.

"These ones aughta fit. I can fix the slow leak. Let’s find a spare," Bub said.

An hour later, Jobie paid the men $500 and left.

Bub and Pop looked at each other and high-fived. "They’re all like that. Cain't tell one Kingdom from another. Pop, why did they name me Beelze Bub?"

Biblical, son, biblical.

Jobie made his way quickly past the exit to Albany and sought his way north. Maybe I don’t want to settle here in the Bible belt. How did they know about the slow leak, and how many tires I’d need? I’ve been duped before, but not like this; this was a doozy.

The End

In only 601 words, you know where you are. To see more stories presented in this style, visit

http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue366/doozy.html. Scroll to the end and click on my name. That will take you to the list for direct access to five others of my Flash Fiction stories. "The Scream" is one of my favorites.

　

Julie Eberhart Painter is the Champagne Books author of Mortal Coil, Tangled Web, and Kill Fee to be released in October.

See Julie’s Web site at www.books-jepainter.com

Also available are

The World, the Flesh and the Devil, American Castles and Tahitian Destiny. Check out Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Julie’s nonfiction e-book, From the Inside Out, a volunteer looks at staying motivated,

is considered a best seller on the Net.

No experience is ever wasted.

I've never made outstanding royalties on my books, but my writing did lead to a community college position teaching writing. It was a bit of a leap, but isn't it a funny where each experience might take us? I write fiction, but teach formal English and how to write a short college essay. What amazed me was how much teaching non-fiction helped my fiction writing. I also discovered a new love for writing short non-fiction. With all the opportunities for short non-fiction on the web, this has turned into a true gift. Doesn't it seem like everything you do eventually reflects in your writing?

When I first started writing, I read many grammar and writing books always trying to improve my writing. Eventually I learned reading about rules can only go so far. Ultimately it is the content of the story that must dominate and prevail to make a read-worthy title, and that can only be determined by the author's vision.

Once I'd gone through my first editing process, I learned how far from perfect my writing was. I went back to reading and learning. Soon I discovered it affected my reading of everything. Now I constantly track plot situations, character development and all the minutia of making a good story. It is the same with teaching grammar. Knowing the rules doesn't make my writing perfect, but it makes me more aware. The mind-eye connection most often prevents any author from perfect prose--the mind tells the eyes what it wrote, and that is what the eyes sees, not what is really written.

Writing non-fiction isn't that much different from fiction. Essay writing falls into different categories, and teaching the basic tools and strategies certainly helped me, but vision is just as important in this genre. It is important to begin with a purpose and then follow through with convincing support to illustrate the information or argument presented. Logic, organization and revision all come into making the final draft, but the writing is still based on experience or research. Certainly teaching reinforces my ideas on all the qualities of good writing. So writing lead to teaching, which lead right back to writing.

As authors, we all write from our life experiences, from our world view point, and from whatever it is that makes us an individual. Writing clarifies our thoughts, and as long as our eyes see, our mind reacts. Many of us are driven to write as close to perfection as we can. Can a writer reach perfection? Maybe; yet, perhaps it is when we think we can't learn anything more that we need to stop writing.

From Champagne Books

Generations

Michael W. Davis

Davisstories.com

Unless you’re a wacko person, all children hold a unique corner of their parent’s heart no matter how old they are. Yet, the emotions of a grand parent are so special, so enlightening, I am continually touched by the joy that warms my insides each time I’m with my grand daughter, Emma. Now, I’ll be the first to admit, she is my only grand child and as the father of two boys who prayed both nights they were born for the special gift of a little girl, I’m sure I don’t need to offer words to describe her importance to her papa.

It's not just her face (she is an angel) or her remarkable insight for a child only four years old, there’s more, much more. The second time I saw Emma she was several months old. Most babies I’ve encountered at that age are randomly twisting their heads to the background noise and movements in the room. Not Emma. She penetrated me with those unbelievable deep eyes and stared into my soul. As I talked to her, she did not falter or redirect to other activities in the room but contacted on a level unusual for an infant. I was astonished. With each adult she grabbed onto their eyes, focused on their words and would not redirect her attention. Everyone noted this peculiar behavior and she has continued to amaze me in terms of her ability to contact with humans.

I’ll provide two “examples” (her word for stories about people. She bugs me constantly, “Papa, give me examples”, which means she wants a story about when her Dad or uncle were young boys, or when her mama and papa were falling in love). So here’s my two “examples”.

1. Last month I saw her for the first time since I’d under gone treatment for the demon beast (cancer). When I walked in the door she demanded, “Papa, chase me.” (yeah, she’s all bossy female, just like her mama). I’m suppose to get down on the floor and crawl around like a bear or dog or, I don’t know what I’m suppose to be, just that I follow and pretend to get her). The conversation proceeded something like this:

- “I can’t Sweetpea, I still have a tube in my belly.”
- “Why?”
- “It was part of being healed when papa was sick.”
- “Oh.” She paused for several seconds then again, “Can I see it?”
- I though for a moment, and considered there was more good than bad to come from it so I raised my shirt. Emma walked over, looked at the plastic tube coiled on my belly and entering my stomach, then glanced up into my eyes and back at my stomach.
- A strange visage crept onto her face. Not sadness, more a blend between compassion and understanding. Finally she patted the tube, leaned against my leg, laid her head on my arm and noted, “I love you, Papa.”
- And of course you know what I said.

2. Few nights ago I was talking to my son on the phone and I heard Emma chatting in the background. I inquired:

- “Who is she talking to, Son?”
- He replied, “I don’t know, let me check.”
- A few seconds went by before, “Emma’s talking to herself.”
- “Herself?”
- “Yeah, she make’s up stories in her head then resides them to her animals. Want to take to her?”
- “Sure.”
- "Hey, Emma. Want to talk to Papa?”
- To which I heard her answer, “I want a potato chip.”
- “I didn’t ask you that, I said do you want to talk to Papa.”
- “I said I want a chip.” (like I said, she’s all girl)
- I yelled in a jesting tone, “You tell her to get on the phone right now.”
- Few seconds go by, “Hi Papa.”
- “Girl, are you telling me you want a chip more than to talk to your Papa? Why Emma, you broke my heart.”
- There was a pause on the phone and then (and I’m not making this up), “Ha ha ha. You are so funny, you just crack me up.”
- I laughed so hard, I almost wet my pants. What a pistol, just like her Papa.

Am I a lucky guy or what? Later.

Michael Davis, Author of the year (2008 and 2009)

Small Efforts Over Time

I'm back to working the evil day job from 9 to 5 with a four hour a day commute. That doesn't leave big chunks of time for writing. I can't sit down and write 5,000 words in one day.

Instead, I write 1,000 fresh words every single morning. I wake up an hour early and I do it, rain or shine, sleepy or rested. Some days, I write total mess, scenes that would make an editor run away screaming 'Why me, lord? Why me?'. Some days, it is brutally hard, but some days, writing is brutally hard, period.

Now, you may be thinking that 1,000 words a day isn't much. You're right. It isn't much… by its sweet lonesome. You write 1,000 fresh words a day for a year, however, and you'll have 365,000 words. That's almost 7 Billionaire's Secret Baby stories written in just one year (I LOVE reading Harlequin Presents so I kid with good humor).

Regardless of what you write, any writer would be thrilled with 7 full length stories written a year. I know I sure would.

So can YOU find time to write 1,000 words a day? I'm thinking you can.

$



Kimber Chin writes sexy contemporary romances. To read about her stories, including some short freebies, head over to http://businessromance.com/

MORNING

I'm running late--and out the door as I post this. I took trip out of town to visit home--the BEAUTIFUL Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. The blooming to life of hte trees and wildflowers coupled with slight breeze on an 80 degree day and it was heaven. I spent most of Sunday parked under a tree, reclining on the ATV, Katie, the Golden Retriever lying nearby under the shade--when she wasnt off diving into the pond to quench her thirst and cool off from the exhertion of running alongside as I rode down the graveled Hound Dog Lane.

Now I sit in a hotel in the capitol of Jefferson City. It's not the paradise I have just left, its a sprawling metropolis with busy workers buzzing from point A to point B.

The only positives about being here are spending time with mom, seeing DH, Internet connectivitiy, an indoor pool and a Jacuzzi--both of which I plan to hit in very short order.

While I was gone resting, I was reminded of a story that just SCREAMS for me to turn it into a novel. Its a sad tale of murder, revengge, and retribution. And it just DEMANDS I write it. Of course, how could I refuse? I've made a notebook filled with notes for references and research. Its going to be GREAT fun to write.

Its going to be filled with intrigue, guilt, suspicion, anger and revenge....hehehehe I can't WAIT until I can get started on it. After I finish the current projects that must have my attention.

One of these projects is my soon to be release Death Rides A Pale Harley, coming May 2011. I recived the ARC and will be starting on the erratas as soon as I can. I DOUBT I can get to them before I return home as I have to be in and out of the hotel all day long running errands, taking mom to conferences, grabbing tours and etc.

Well, guess I better run-I'm already late for an important date! See y'all soon!

Huggles
Donica

Too Many Ideas and Laziness

Dangerous Deceit
May 2011

Last month I blogged about procrastination, which many of us tend to practise. Today, it’s a related subject that got me thinking. A recent UK writing magazine article examined two different types of writers: those who have only one idea at a time, and those who have lots of ideas. At first, I thought it was going to be similar to articles I’ve read many times before.

But this one brought me up short. I’m the second kind of writer, who has almost too many ideas. I write some of them down in the hope of developing them into short stories, and I have an A5 book filled with anything from a single line to a first paragraph, sometimes more. I thought this was a good thing, especially since I’m a short story writer first (and have sold many to magazines).

However, the article suggested that having too many ideas was a disadvantage. That got my attention! As I read on, I was nodding my head in agreement. You see, few of these ‘great ideas’ ever get finished. Worse, the writer of the article suggested this was because of laziness. Lazy? Me? I’ve had lots of stories and articles published over the years!

But she was quite right. The more I thought of the number of novels in particular that I’ve started and never completed, the more convinced I became she was talking sense. She talked about abandoning one idea in favour of the next, then nothing gets finished. Oh, dear, that sounds familiar! The telling phrase was along the lines of: ‘you’re being lazy, not creative, playing around with a new idea rather than getting down to the hard graft of writing the story’. That hit a nerve!

I’ll try to go through and finish as many short stories as possible before writing down any more ideas. But what about all those partly written then abandoned novels in different genres? It’s going to be a very productive few years if I actually get down to the hard graft of finishing each one. This butterfly writer needs pinning down!



I love that little bird

No, not Angry Birds. I love the Twitter Machine.

While on Staycation last week I came across a tweet from Wanda, a book-loving blogger affiliated with a popular site here in the Toronto area. It was a contest to win a free ticket to Jodi Picoult's book event. I thought, what the heck, and participated.

Imagine my surprise when Wanda messaged me to say I'd won. Not only a seat at the reading, but a free copy of Jodi's latest book, Sing You Home. 

I drove to Toronto on a rainy Thursday night and joined the throng of enthusiastic fans. A sweet little couple in front of me in line had driven 4 1/2 hours from Sudbury to be part of the event. They looked like sisters, with baseball caps and sneakers. One of them lamented missing the Leaf game, and the other thanked her for making such a big sacrifice. :)

Apparently, I amused Jodi somehow

Jodi's reading had me hooked right away, but the thing that set this one apart was the music. Sing You Home comes with a CD with lyrics written by Ms. Picoult, and music by her long-time friend Ellen Wilber. Ellen performed three songs live, songs written to accompany specific chapters in the book.

After the performance, Jodi answered questions. Some were typical - who were your favourite characters and such, but one sweet girl stood out. She piped up in her childlike voice, "Hi, I'm thirteen and I really love you. All my friends at school talk about Justin Bieber, but I just talk about you."

As the book signing portion approached, I began to worry because I didn't know where I was going to get my free book. The organizer told me Wanda had the books, but we couldn't locate her. As my row of seats took their places in line, the representative tracked down a book for me from the green room. She didn't have to do that, and I'm forever grateful for her kindness.

I had the book signed to my sister while explaining to Jodi how her MC's story was so similar to my sister's. I plan to give it to Sis for her birthday, so don't tell her, okay?

As I was preparing to leave, Wanda finally spotted me and we embraced. I told her I received a copy, and she promptly gave me another one. I joined the line again, so now I have a book signed for me!

I love meeting people in person after interacting on Twitter. This morning I finally met a local independent grocer who is like a rock star in these parts LOL.

Sandra Cormier is the author of Bad Ice, a hockey romantic suspense.

Never Waste a Moment

Well, this month's posting date snuck up on me, and combined with some recent issues surrounding the health care industry and my family, I didn't originally have a post ready. However, while I was sitting around the hospital for an entire weekend, I was able to get over half of my edits completed for my latest in-work Aston novel, Death Brings the Victory. I'd say that backs up my frequent observation about writing: Write whenever and wherever you can, and never waste a free moment.

Myself, I work a full-time day job. This leaves me evenings and weekends (less so during the approaching summer months when yardwork and such will be required) for writing and writing-related tasks. So, there isn't a lot of time to get it done. Quite often, one will find me with my netbook in hand, writing or editing. This past year, I had one novel published, a novella published, finished the final draft of another novel, and the first draft of yet another. Add on top of that the numerous short stories I completed and sent out. Some might call that obsessive, but the alternative is never finishing a novel or short story. I choose the path that gets me to the finish line, and that means never wasting a free moment when I could be writing.

So, if you're a writer with minimal free time, I encourage you to carry the banner and start utilizing all your free moments. You'll be surprised what sort of results you receive.

Good writing!

T. M. Hunter

Lightning strikes in my hometown

　

While my fellow Champagne authors are applying hot water bottles to their toes and huddling in quilts, I’m watching out for a different kind of weather here in Central Florida, the lightning capital of the world.

On perfectly clear days, golfers are hit with bolts from the blue. This is not the muse we all covet. Advice:

1- The ball you save may be your last.

2- Don’t stand in the water hazard.

I’m talking about Florida where fire and brimstone, a.k.a politics and lightning are constant concerns. Although I don’t respect many politicians, I respect lightning. Yet, we the people don’t have a lot of clout with the either one, even if we vote "well and often" as Will Rogers suggested.

So what should we do?

You have to pick your battles. I decided I’d give up outdoor activities and concentrate on my writing. To circumvent the over zealous politicians, I never use key words on the Internet: words like terror and Anthrax, loaded phrases that could land me in Quantico, a writer without a country.

I’d never heard of a writer being struck down while contemplating his or her navel with a wooden pencil in hand. But when I switched to technology I discovered the elements are at war with computers!

In Florida the elements are winning. So are the politicians—and the computer stores. Reputations exploited, computers crashing, pens going dry…it’s a financial heaven for the media as well as the geeks.

So as not to line anybody’s pockets I take precautions. I don’t just unplug my computer when I leave the house, I secure it and all the precious ideas thereon, on -- you should excuse the expression -- flash drives: gems for eternity.

So far this is working. Neither my computer nor I have crashed. But if my computer were to crash, the Girl Scout in me is prepared. I have a trifecta of flash drives loaded with my current material—mostly about politicians—maybe not. I update and rotate the flash drives from venue to venue. One is on high ground and one is squirreled away in a different vault near the beach.

Neither fire nor flood… The third one I carry in my pocket. If the ultimate happens, I’m taking it with me.

Julie Eberhart Painter is the Champagne Books author of Mortal Coil, Tangled Web, and Kill Fee to be released in October.

See Julie’s Web site at www.books-jepainter.com

Also available are

The World, the Flesh and the Devil, American Castles and Tahitian Destiny. Check out Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Julie’s nonfiction e-book, From the Inside Out, a volunteer looks at staying motivated,

is considered a best seller on the Net.

I Watch People...There, I Said It.

All parents tell you it’s not polite to stare.  But as kids, that directive pretty much falls on deaf ears and we stare blatantly at people and things regardless.  As we grow older and master the art social skills, our staring becomes more refined.  Some people still haven’t quite mastered it.  But some people manage to stare at you with super ninja skills that you don’t even realize it, however, you can sense some stealthy little pricks at the back of your neck as your Spidey senses tickle.  I’m hoping my skills have been honed enough via my genetic make up to be considered ninja worthy.

For me, I’ve learned the covert act of people-watching from quite early.  Being an oddball growing up in Barbados, you can’t help but draw attention (whether you want it or not) towards yourself.  From age dot, I got stared at because I didn’t quite fit into the Caribbean flair — what with my Asian disposition and all.  No matter, I returned the favour and have therefore gotten quite good at it.  Pro Ninja-Level here I come.  Haven’t quite mastered it since it can get really tiring being a spy.

Through my people-watching engagements, I’ve not only come to anticipate people’s behaviours and attitudes, but also see some truly enlightening things.  Strip the refined manners and social skills away, and you find just a plain old human being.  Not that I’m comparing, but a dog in the end, no matter the obedience training, will still turn around and lick it’s hoo-ha.  You get my meaning.  People, as human beings, I find, still revert back to our basic core identity that can be grouped together from 'needs' and 'wants' to 'loves' and 'hates,' 'joys' and 'fears' and so on.  Twist all these wonderful human natures around and you can come up with some seriously exciting stuff.  Like, say, a story…

For a writer (and artist), you can’t avoid being slightly nosy (that’s one of my core natures being exposed, but let’s not spread that around too much).  This is a bad habit I’ve learned being an artist for nearly all my life, watching people so I could better translate their personality into the visual arts.  Only recently have I discovered that it has extended into the writer’s realm.  You start to see things, people, instances, moments, everything in a different sort of focus.  I never knew this before, but now I do — or have come to realize — that the dimension is the writer's dimension.  You take one step back, retract your eyes inwards and into that ‘place’ where you simply observe, process, calculate, project...  It's like going undercover in plain sight.  You see simple actions (she twiddles her toes while talking because she's slightly nervous), phrases (he ends sentences with a click of the tongue cause he's slightly arrogant and thinks a lot of himself, maybe likes to draw attention to his face), and moments (what if the glass didn't break, then he wouldn't have cut his finger, and she wouldn't have screeched and woken the neighbours...) in a different light.  While you observe, your mind injects varying scenarios as to what would happen should one thing be out of place, if one action were done differently.  If you shifted your viewpoint, your thoughts, your actions...how would that alter things?  Before you know it, you've created a whole scene, one that could be used, exploited and enhanced, and used in any way you see fit.  You start to join that scene with another, then another...and the rollercoaster begins.

For those who I’ve managed to surprise in the last couple of years by announcing that I am a writer, some have gotten to know me a little bit more (eeeee!).  Mostly from my blog ramblings and interviews I participated in (that is, if they've been reading them as they proclaimed to have...no wonder their eyes wandered across the skies for inspiration to a suitable excuse).  So now my secret skills are out.  I watch people.  And I’m good at it!  However, don’t expect me to stop any time soon.  People watching is one of life’s little pleasures that can entertain a questing mind to no end.  We all do it, tending to our basic nature of wanting to know what other people think of you.  I like to do it because I can’t help it.  So, with this fair warning of my nasty habits, bye for now.  And I’ll be watching you!

Editor, a Curse and a Blessing

Having an editor can be a curse and a blessing. They send you little e-mails that say. You used muscular shoulders 187 times in your manuscript. I get it already, he’s muscular. If I have to read that Jack has muscular shoulders one more time, I’m going to fly to Wisconsin and choke you myself.

Okay, I exaggerate a little bit. But, I’m a writer and that’s my job. The blessing is that an editor will catch phrases like; running through the yard the rake hit me in the face. Really? The rake was running through the yard? I think a Champagne editor should have helped out on some of the following news headlines.

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter

Wow! That’s a tough one to pull off.

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

I’m wondering who arrests the police for hit and run?

If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile

That clears it up for me.

Local High School Dropouts Cut in Half

Sounds more like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel.

Although an editor’s comments feel like you’re being rapped on the knuckles by a nun, their insight is priceless and can save a writer a lot of embarrassment. This little article has not gone through the eagle eyes of an editor, so I’ll appreciate it if you don’t critique it. But, if you’re aware of a funny headline I’d love to have you post it.

Victoria Roder lives in Wisconsin and is the author of the action thriller, Bolt Action. Please stop by her website to view the video trailer for Bolt Action. http://www.victoriaroder.com/

HERO IS AS HERO DOES

By
Angelica Hart and Zi

We are Angelica Hart and Zi and work full time as authors. The mundane and monotony are held at bay by one very practical quality. Whereas, we take our writing serious, we seldom take ourselves so. Back when we were going through the idiosyncratic process of creating the tone and texture of SNAKE DANCE, a fantasy piece, there were days that boredumb bit not out of any other reason but self-defense of our sanity. The genres we’ve chosen would include, contemporary romantic thrillers and romantic fantasy. Furthermore, we believe we do have a propensity for humor and have works that are specific to that.

On a serious note I’d like to share something you don’t know about Zi. He will KILLER DOLLS me, shameless reference to our most recent release, if he knew I was writing this. So, shhhh, don’t tell him. That means you! And we both know the you that I mean.

We do a lot of field research where we go places to absorb the milieu and believe this makes more genuine our writing. This one day we agreed to meet at the park near his home. The plan was to be there early before anyone arrived. We were looking for the surreal temperament of that loneliness. I got there before Zi, sat on a bench out of view. Saw him enter from the southeast entrance, he stopped, turned around and retreated back toward his home. I suspected he had forgotten something.

Minutes later he returned with a dustpan and broom. Mind you, I had that look of what’s this all about, skewed up nose and all. Then he did something that put the oh my in my whisper. He swept up the broken glass bottles that had been arrogantly discarded by someone. He knew that this place was frequented by pets and children, and considered the possibilities of hurt. Once cleaned he tucked the broom and pan behind a bush, I guessed to be retrieved later. Then he joined me.

He had inadvertently cut himself and I asked how that happened, fully expecting a capsulation of what he had done. Instead, Zi replied he had no idea, licked the blood, swabbed it on his shorts and moved on to what we were doing. I waited for him to bring up the broken glass. He did not.

There it was, this man just did the right thing when no one was watching. It didn’t really amaze me. Over the years we spent writing, I’ve gotten to know a bit of the inner man. This humorous, kind man who dogs everyone endlessly with his comedic banter, who teaches by example, who is the first to give of himself without ever considering if it would disadvantage him, who is strong when strong is needed, yet gentle when it is called upon. Yes, I’ve seen this side of him, and more, when he thought I wasn’t noticing. But I did. And, I know he hopes that I didn’t, that no one understands or recognizes the truth of him. For I recalled him once saying, when we were talking about heroes, that it is easy for someone to do the right thing when they are being watched, but real champions do it when no one is watching.

We write of heroes and heroines, struggle to make them likeable, honest, admirable, and I believe our books have been privileged by Zi’s intimacy with heroism. I am touched and awed that in this day of self, that he lives his life as if he is a role model. Wanting, actually avoiding, no fanfare or kudos. And to the children and pets of that park on that day he was a silent champion.

This message will self-destruct in five seconds. You are all sworn to an oath of secrecy.


We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at angeliahartandzi@yahoo.com and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a gift and add you to any future mailings.

Angelica Hart and Zi
KILLER DOLLS ~ SNAKE DANCE ~ CHASING YESTERDAY
Champagne Books can be purchased at http://www.champagnebooks.com

THE FABLE OF SIN-SIN-CINDERELLA SERIES
Books can be purchased at angelicahartandzi.com

When 1+1 = 3

I know. You're thinking 1+1 will never equal three and based on our math, you're right. But one of the hardest math classes I ever took was an abstract geometry class whereby we were asked to establish our own set of postulates. We could claim that in our new math 1+1 does indeed equal 3 if we wanted. And - I believe we did just that, though it made proving theorems rather interesting.

So, what does this have to do with the price of beans in China as my dad would say? Well, writing fantasy and sci-fi is a lot like creating abstract geometry. Fantasy more so than sci-fi because with fantasy, the author can establish a set of rules for a new world.  Once the basics have been established, then the characters must act and react accordingly. With fantasy, if I establish that the sky is orange, then the sky is orange and I don't have to provide a reason why. With sci-fi,  an orange sky might prompt the reader to ask what atmospheric condition or gases created such a color.

That's why I love working with fantasy. I control the setting. The challenge is then to have the characters work within the given setting. At that point, the characters tend to control things, but I'm fine with that. I think my upcoming sci-fi futuristic crosses into the fantatsy genre more than my other two. But then, it's my abstract geometry, my postulates and I absolutely love the possibilities.

Setting: Don't start your story without it!

One of my wonderful, amazing critique partners, Jackie Bannon,wrote an article on World Building a couple years back (Article link : http://www.jackiebannon.com/WorldBuilding101.html). It was so amazing and thought-provoking, I found myself still thinking about it the next morning.

In her piece about sci fi world building, she definitely broadened my horizons (yes, sorry, corny pun intended there) to make me realize there was so much more to think about when creating a galactic world than naming a few planets and sticking a couple of strange new creatures on them. Fictional or not, it was downright daunting. Upon reading the article, I threw my hands in the air, defeated, and said, “That’s it. I will never ever attempt to do something as in-depth and complex as that. I’ll just stay on my simple planet earth, thank you very much.” But the more I thought about it, the more I realized… it didn’t matter where my story took place, I still need to consider its world, the environment around my characters...the SETTING (cue the dooming dun-dun-DUN music here please!). I need to know about the place I put my characters, even in a mere earthling story.

Gravity, climate, atmosphere, time zone. Good Lord, I realized with a certain about of panic, the setting of my story could change the plot, the characters… my ENTIRE manuscript.

I remembered a Nora Roberts book I read long ago (Sorry, can’t even remember the title now). There was a flashy, big-city-girl-type character that found her way down to Louisiana or some such swampy locale. She was upset because the damp climate shot her expensive hair-do all out of sorts and made it frizz.

I could completely sympathize with this poor woman. Having naturally curly hair myself, I spend an unmentionable amount of time each morning in front of the mirror with blow dryer in hand, trying to manage my bangs to look how I want them, not just how nature thinks they should look (which is a frizzy, whacked-out mess). It’s a control issue. Control my hair, control my life. But as soon as I go on vacation with my husband to beautiful Branson, Missouri, I might as well throw my dad-gum blow dryer out the window. It’s useless.

There’s just something about the climate in that town that makes my hair break free and do whatever it wants. There I stand, in front of the Showboat Branson Belle, and I just want to get a cutsie picture taken with my sweetie on the deck in front of the sunset. But I can’t because I refuse to immortalize myself looking like Cousin It’s ugly step sister in some cheap cardboard-framed photo that’ll cost me thirty bucks or more to buy. It makes me feel so frustrated, and helpless, and scared that I’ve lost that small piece of control on my life. I can’t understand why, why, why this has to happen to me.

But as Jackie says in her article, it’s all about the solar system and the position of the earth, causing gravity’s pull to form mountains and valleys in their respective places, directing the flow of water and precipitation and making climates and atmospheres, causing damp air, and ruining my do all to hell. Everything really does affect everything else. There’s this huge world out there, and I’m just a small little cog. A nothing.

So, now I have a completely new appreciation for setting. It’s a lot bigger than I’ll ever even begin to imagine. But never fear. It can be used as one of the most handy tools in a storyteller’s arsenal and it doesn’t have to be complex or scary. Nora Roberts was able to use it with one tiny detail like a bad hair day to reach out and connect with a reader—me—so I could bond with her character and feel a part of what she felt. After reading about another woman—even a mere fictional woman—experiencing something I’ve experienced and feeling what I’ve felt, I wasn’t so alone in my situation. There are others out there just like me, doomed to suffer through bad hair days because of no fault of their own making. I’m not such a nothing after all.

What a liberating experience. And I had it all because Nora Roberts thought to consider the alignment of the solar system and gravity’s pull on earth, causing… well, maybe she didn’t go that deep into it, but she did have a very real sense of setting and climate...of world building.

Put that way, it sounds easy to do and makes me eager to try something like it in one of my tales. Now, I just hope I remember I said that when I start my next story. (Egads!)

Location, Location, Location. It really does affect your plot and characters and makes a difference in your story. If you don’t believe me...Just talk to Jackie!

Mardi Gras and the King Cake

Today is Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. All over the coast, from Louisiana to Florida, we have parades, people dressed in feathers, beads and bangles, eating and drinking too much. for tomorrow begins the Lenten season and this part of the south celebrates the last day before traditionally you were supposed to fast for the next forty days (and nights).

People are always surprised to hear that Mardi Gras celebrations didn't start in New Orleans, although they became famous for the month long eating and parade fest. The first Mardi Gras parade took place in Mobile, AL long before the War between the States, here in the United States. They were French and they brought with them the custom of King Cake along with the traditional colors of Mardi Gras, green, gold and purple.

This is what a King Cake looks like. Hidden in the Cake was originally a coin, but today we hide the plastic figure of a baby. Getting the piece with the coin or the baby means a whole year of good luck. Today, I want to share with you the recipe for the King Cake. They are rich but oh so good, and if you celebrate Mardi Gras, you might want to give it a try. It's a big cake and believe it or not, there are bakeries here in the south that ship King Cakes all over the country.

A King Cake Recipe which makes 1 large coffeecake-sized ring

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk (105 to 115 degrees F)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs

Cinnamon Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 small plastic baby figurine
(I know people who also use 1/2 cup chopped pecans in the filling, some are filled with cream cheese or a fruit filling, but the traditional cake is Cinnamon with or without the pecans)

Frosting
1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Purple, green, and yellow paste food coloring

For the dough: Pour the warm water into a large warmed bowl. Sprinkle in the yeast and stir until it dissolves. Stir in the warm milk, butter, sugar, nutmeg, and salt. Add 1 cup of the flour and blend well. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.

Lightly flour a flat work surface, and turn out the dough. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding more flour if the dough sticks
Put in a large greased bowl, and turn to grease the top of the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

For the filling: Punch the dough down. Transfer to the lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll into a 30-by-9-inch rectangle. Brush with the melted butter. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Beginning at the long end, roll up tightly, as for a jelly roll. Pinch the seam to seal. (The baby charm will go in after baking.) Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 20 to 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove the cake from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack. Push the plastic baby figurine into the underside of the cake.
(You can substitute a coin or a bean which you place in the filling before you bake the cake.)

For the frosting: In a small bowl mix together the sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Divide among three smaller bowls. Tint one mixture purple, the second one green, and the third one gold, mixing each one well. Frost as shown, alternating the colors.

Let's Hear it for Diversity (in Grammar)!!!

I was raised in the Deep South, by very conservative, traditional parents. I say this to let you know that I understand how hard overcoming one’s prejudices can be. I was taught very young that certain things, certain practices, even certain people, were not acceptable. As I’ve grown up – and as the South has changed (Thank God!) – I’ve had to search my soul and confront old attitudes and ideas that don’t serve any good purpose. It ain’t easy to re-educate yourself, and clinging to the old rules sure can be comfortable.

But the reward when you let go of old prejudices and learn new, better ways of approaching the world are well worth the effort. I’m glad to see my teenage daughters living in a world where, to a greater extent than ever before, we are judged, as a great man once said, “by the content of our character.”

I guess my experiences as a citizen of the “New South” have made me sensitive to rules that exist because they have always existed. You tell me “you just have to do it that way – that’s the rule,” and I will going haring off in every direction, trying any other way I can imagine of doing whatever it is. Artificial rules, ones which reflect only our biases and imperfect understanding, don’t foster growth, and they make me angry.

And that is something that I see all too often in writing. I don’t like contests or crit groups much, because so many writers have learned one or two of “da roolz” and repeat them over and over, like a parrot asking for a cracker.

For example: You can’t use because editors/agents/readers don’t like them. Adverbs, gerunds, italics, prologues, contractions, lack of contractions, whatever – there is someone out there who will tell you that you must never, ever use a certain part of speech or literary device because it violates a rule. Deep in their subconscious memory of 10th grade English, they know that the teacher told them “ly” words are weak, or an anonymous contest judge said “ing” verbs are poor writing. And that rule becomes a law which cannot be broken.

But sometimes rules don’t make any sense when you stop and look at them. I have a friend who entered a writing contest. (No, this is not one of those ‘I have a friend’ stories about myself. I’ll call her Beth.) She wrote a really good story, about a cop named Kelly who investigated a shooting. Good Irish cop name, logical incident for the character to be involved in. So all was well, right? Um, not so much.

Seems one judge knew that there is a rule that one never, ever uses ‘ing’ words (aka gerunds) or ‘ly’ words (adverbs). So said judge went through Beth’s manuscript and highlighted every –ly and –ing in bright yellow, with a note that she couldn’t read it because of all the ways Beth violated this basic rule. Excuse me, there was not a gerund or an adverb in sight. The judge thought she knew the rule, but she didn’t really understand what it meant. She just had an unreasonable bias against two perfectly innocuous letter combinations.

I’ve been told that I should never use a prologue or epilogue. I suggest you check out any number of successful romance writers who would disagree. I’ve been told that “head-hopping” is death to your manuscript. Go get a copy of Lonesome Dove and see McMurtry break the landspeed record for hopping; I counted four different POV’s in a single paragraph! But his publisher hasn’t been heard to complain about how many copies of Lonesome Dove they sold.

The fact is, as my dear friend Jillian Chantal always reminds me, parts of speech exist because they serve a function. For example, s gerund can make a verb into a noun, a handy little piece of magic (the verb “to sing” can become “The choir’s singing”) or show present action (“to sing” becomes “She came in the room singing.”) Those are useful, and the choice of a gerund for those reasons is not bad writing.

Bad writing, IMHO, is when you blindly follow rules because they are rules, rather than paying attention and carefully choosing each word. You can write without any adverbs, of course, but you will either leave out a lot of fine descriptions or you will write in awkward. Byzantine constructions to avoid them. That weakens your writing far more than throwing in the occasional “ly” would ever do.

So let’s hear it for diversity in our writing. Cast off your old prejudices and accept each and every type of word and every literary element on its own terms. Learn what functions they serve and by God, when you need ‘em, use ‘em. Don’t limit yourself to only the practices you are comfortable with. (If I was following the rules, I’d have said “with which you are comfortable” which is convoluted and unnecessary.)

Enjoy your writing, and love your words – even the “second class citizens” amongst them!!!

To Join or Not to Join, That is the Question:

 A couple of weeks ago, fellow Champagne Author Carol Costa and I were part of a five-author team presenting a workshop for beginning writers. One of the questions that came up was,  "Do you recommend joining a writing group?"

I wasn't certain how to answer truthfully.  Logically, I can see the merits of being involved with a small group to be your beta readers and help point out places you need to tighten, but... I have never been a memeber of a small critiquing group, hesitant to join for all the horror stories I'd heard about members rewriting the same four paragraphs for months and /or critiques that became personal and ruthless. But I've also heard some people relate well and have wonderful experiences in such a group.

For me, I find solitude is the best company while I'm in the midst of scribing. Locked away in an attic (well, I don't have one of those, this being La Tierra de Mucho Calor - and heat rises) behind an interruption-proof door would be ideal. 

But then the question changed to, "What about Writers' Organizations?" By and large, I highly recommend those, especially national ones. Romance Writers of America has the largest networking system I've ever heard of, and what they provide in the way of knowledge, classes, and opportunities for their members is astounding.  I've belonged to the Historical Novel Society, (have to check my dues status for this year, I think  I sent a check...) which has its headquarters in Britain and alternates between the U.S. and Britain for its yearly convention. I love their quarterly reviews for historical novels, organized by era and timeline of the stories. And they offer online reviews for independently published authors, often a rarity for indies.

So what are our other authors' experiences?

To join, or not to join: That is the question.
 Whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of slogging away in trite cliché
Or by joining, end them. To scribe, to create -
And by create we mean construct whole new worlds of contemplation.
'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. To focus, perchance to dream -
Ay, there's the rub. For who knows what sci-fi dreams of blasters and peanuts
may come to give us pause, and others cause to criticize harshly?

With a wink and nod to Mr. Shakespeare...

Jude

Jude's historical western Dragon & Hawk is scheduled for release in April 2011.
http://jude-johnson.com
 

 

My New Marketing Plan

As writers, we often hear the phrase, “Write what you know.” While I don’t want to be boxed in by only ‘what I know’, I do recognize that using my own knowledge base and experience makes writing easier.


I got to thinking about how this could apply when it comes to marketing. My goal this year is to better identify and connect with my target readership: women, in particular women between the ages of 40 and 65 . These are the women whom I believe will best identify with the heroines in my books. And I fall somewhere in the middle of that range. (Okay, closer to one end than the other, but let’s not split hairs.) The question becomes, where do I find these women?

I have a degree in both theology and social work, and my professional background is in social work and clinical counseling. Around the time I wrote my first book, I had been conducting an eight-week psycho-educational group for women to explore mid-life issues and the many changes that impact women 40+. Through my work and my own life experience, this is something I know. In my books, my youngest heroine is twenty-three, but most of my main characters are in the forty to fifty-five age range. They are women who are experiencing life changes that are typical with aging and the life-challenges we experience over time. I had a co-worker (a Catholic nun) recently tell me that my books hold a strong spiritual element—not religious, but spiritual in the sense of the characters finding hope, forgiveness, reconciliation, unity, joy, and self-realization.

Well… Hmmm. I don’t write what would be classified as ‘Christian’ fiction. It wasn’t something I was consciously going for in my writing, but I’m glad to know that these elements come through in my stories and my characters. I started to consider how I can use my education, my professional skills as a clinician, my personal experience in pursuing my own passion for writing later in life, and the journeys of my characters, all rolled together into a marketing plan.

I personally believe that the creative process is a spiritual process. (Again, this has nothing to do with religion or a particular religious persuasion. It has to do with the human spirit and the ways that creativity energizes and fulfills us as persons.) My plan is to offer women’s retreat evenings where I can reach my target readership of women of a ‘certain age’, using my own experience of finding my true passion in life at a later age and how following that passion has brought me joy, fulfillment, and peace. Of course, using my characters and their stories as examples of the journey won’t hurt and may draw more women to read my books.

I’ve also just finished putting all of my books, including covers, blurbs, an excerpt, and buy links on CDs to hand out for promotions at book events. The CDs have clickable links back to the publishers for purchase.

I’ll let you know how all of this turns out. At the very least, I’ll meet some incredible women who are sharing this journey of life with me. I may make a few friends along the way. And I just might reach new readers who will identify with my characters and their stories.

~ * ~


Linda Rettstatt is a multi-published author of women's fiction and contemporary romance. Her novel, Next Time I'm Gonna Dance, has finaled for a 2011 EPIC e-Book Award. In addition, Linda is one of six authors who have been nominated for Author of the Year for 2010 at Champagne Books. Read excerpts and reviews at http://www.lindarettstatt.com/

Family Support (or Not)

After a long discussion on the Champagne author loop about family support, particularly regarding spouses, I wanted to jump in an add my two cents. My two cents was turning out to be longer than that (more like 75 cents), so I decided to blog about it instead.

For those who weren't privy to the conversation, we were discussing our spouses' reactions to and support of our writing. I was dismayed to see how many of our female writers' husbands, including my own, don't care to read their wives' books. It got me thinking about how much stock most writers probably put into the opinions of their loved ones, especially when they are first published. After all, shouldn't spouses, parents, siblings, etc be among the first readers? Ought they not to be our biggest cheerleaders? My instinctual reaction to this question is an emphatic yes. But that is often not the case. And regardless, really, of whether or not they are supportive, there is really only one person whose admiration matters. The writer himself.

A couple of years ago I participated in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest, and was mortified to learn that one of the writers was hiding his book from his wife. He claimed she would become unhinged if she found out he had written a book; apparently he needed to be focused on his "real job." I had a similar encounter with another mom at my daughter's school. She refused to read her husband's manuscript until he was a successful lawyer; he too had written a novel against his wife's wishes. While my husband has only read one and a half of my seven novels, he at least has always been encouraging and supportive of my writing. To discover there are authors out there whose spouses "refuse" to allow them to write was, to me, appalling. At least, ultimately, these people wrote anyway. But how many more are there out there who aren't writing because someone close to them told them they couldn't -- or shouldn't?

My mom, bless her heart, who is very supportive, nevertheless told me to cut the first 300 pages of a 900-page manuscript several years ago. I never recovered. Years later, I rewrote the book, turning it into a trilogy with an average of 300 pages apiece. For the most part, the pages she wanted gone stayed intact, albeit much improved. When it was published, I thought, now she'll see. She'll understand there were people out there who actually liked those 300 pages. But I didn't hear from her for several days while she was reading it, and when I finally did, it was to hear that she didn't get hooked until the final third of the novel. And something about the way she said it sounded more like a universal truth than her opinion. It took several days for me to let this go and pick up our relationship where it left off, which is wonderful in spite of this. Along these same lines, I left a paperback copy of SHADOW FOX in the living room for two weeks, waiting for my husband to pick it up. I finally put it away in the bookshelf.

I don't think it's possible to let go entirely when the people closest to us don't dig our books. I think it's always going to sting. The important thing is that we shrug it off as quickly as possible, and get back in the groove. Yes, there are going to be bad reviews, perhaps poor sales, and we may never hear back from that far-off cousin who called one day to say, "I bought your book!" Further, we shouldn't ever try to write for anyone else. Books should come from the heart, from the soul, not what's hot in the market or what our mothers would prefer. If you can't love your own books, then what's the point? Since it's impossible to please everyone, then just worry about pleasing yourself. If you love what you write, and keep at it, others will too. They may not be your spouse or your parents, but even their admiration can be won...so long as you prove that nothing can stop you.

Ideas for Future Stories

Lately I've been brainstorming ideas for future stories. I love to write time travel/historicals, especially those set in the old west but find myself also drawn to the early nineteen hundreds.  My latest release touches on the stock market crash and is set in the 1930s oil fields of Texas.

Last night my mind wandered through historical events in our history searching for a setting. I

 thought about about the California gold rush, wagon trains traveling west, the Revolutionary and Civil Wars as well as WWI and WWII. All events a story could be woven around.

My husband and I enjoy watching the PBS and History Channels on television. Tonight we watched a documentary about The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York on March 25, 1911. The majority of the workers were women and teen girls, the youngest was ten.  The previous year workers had gone on strike for better working conditions inside the sewing factories, shorter days, and better pay. Factory owners paid prostitutes, pimps, and police to harass and beat the women in hopes they'd give up.

The picture above shows one of the twisted fire escape ladders. To the left is a picture of the fractured pavement caused by the impact of falling bodies.One-hundred-forty-six women lost their lives in the fire, over fifty of those jumped to their deaths. The fire escape ladders failed and the fire truck's ladders could only reach the sixth floor. The women were on floors eight through ten. The catastrophe led to an uprising of more than 20,000 citizens seeking safer working conditions.

I could go on, but if you're interested, you can google and read on.

My point is, history is loaded with ideas for us. When you're bored, watch a little television for inspiration. Oh, I also watched a program on time travel yesterday. Very interesting.

Happy reading and writing!

Linda
http://www.lindalaroque.com/
http://www.lindalaroqueauthor.blogspot.com/