They start out as just a name—someone with a particular hair and eye color. Sometimes they have an extensive history and, sometimes, they have little more than a particular job or an odd quirk or two to help define them. But as you begin to write, as you begin to create the world around them, as you begin to make them interact with other names, something magical begins to happen… They become real. Welcome to my favorite part of the writing process. Creating characters in a series is like unwrapping a fairly innocuous gift and finding the most extraordinary present inside. And the best part of all? The present keeps getting better every single time you reach inside the box. When I started writing the Southern Sewing Circle mystery series, I knew my main character—Tori Sincliar—was a librarian. I knew her age, her general appearance, her basic personality. The same was true for the rest of the women in the Sweet Briar Ladies Society Sewing Circle—Leona, Margaret Louise, Dixie, Beatrice, Debbie, Melissa, and Rose. But as I continued to write, each and every one of them came to life to the point where they began to feel like true friends—friends…
When I sat down to begin the fifth installment in my Lady Emily series, I thought very seriously about where to set the book. Location is an essential tool when writing about continuing characters, not only because it provides the opportunity to introduce readers to another place, but also because it gives the author a chance to drop her creations into a new environment, one that exposes them to a broader, different world. A world that can be difficult, but one that in the end allows them to grow. Because in Dangerous to Know, Emily is recovering from the ghastly wounds inflicted upon her at the end of Tears of Pearl, I wanted to send her somewhere idyllic and beautiful. But I also wanted it to be a place where terrible secrets could be hidden. Normandy proved the perfect choice. Its sweeping landscapes look straight out of an Impressionist painting, and dotted throughout I found the ruins of châteaux, crumbling medieval abbeys, and rambling houses that screamed for ghosts. I spent a good portion of last summer researching and writing there, getting to know the area, the people, and the food. It was Author Heaven (especially if, like me, you’re…
Independent business owner. I’m eleven books and three novellas into the publishing business and the wise advice of a fellow author still remains in my head. &mquotYou are now an independent business owner. Treat writing that way.&mquot When I signed my first contract and months later turned in my completed manuscript, I believed my work was done and that I had fulfilled the terms of my contract. I was wrong. I had no idea about what laid ahead. There were so many additional aspects to becoming a published author that went beyond finishing the book. Writing a book is only the beginning. Here are a few items to consider: 1.Editing, Your masterpiece will come back and you will have to make some changes to it before it becomes a final product. 2. Promotions. Do you have a plan? Ideas for getting your novel to the reading population? Trust me, booksignings are not the answer; and 3. Keep writing. An author must keep writing. You must work on the next novel while doing all of the above and more. Authors don’t sit behind a desk and let the money roll in. We promote our work and invest our time in all…
“You work at home? You must have so much self-discipline!” Whenever I mention that I’m a writer and that I work at home, somebody in the crowd is amazed by my ability to be productive. A lot of people seem convinced that without a boss peering over the wall of their cubicle, they’d wile away the day shopping on-line, sneaking down to the kitchen, and tuning into Oprah. While I’ve never missed a deadline, most people would probably be surprised if they ever turned into that proverbial fly on the wall and watched me work. Even though I’ve never had a problem getting any of my books written on time, I’m hardly a nose-to-the-grindstone type. Whenever I’m sitting at my computer, I’m on alert for any distraction, any possible excuse to get up and do something else. Over the years, I’ve developed a few tricks to help keep me in my chair. The main one is keeping all the things I could use as an excuse to wander around the house nearby. Hand lotion, a nail file, and lip balm are always just inches away, as are my cell phone and my landline. So are tissues, a glass of water,…
In January I was a guest on Fresh Fiction for the release of my third novel, My Dearest Mr. Darcy, and I wrote about birthing babies. That blog can be read here and I chose the topic because in that novel Mr. Darcy and his wife Elizabeth welcome their first child, a son named Alexander. For me this was an easy subject to write since my professional expertise is in the maternal child health field. I have witnessed many, many deliveries! Since my vision of the Darcys is a continuing saga my next book, In The Arms of Mr. Darcy, began shortly after Alexander’s arrival and covered the first year of his life. One might think that since he is a baby his interactions would be rare and not very exciting. Oh contraire! I can assure as a mother of two and an RN with 25-years working with babies, infants have distinct personalities from the get-go! Even premature infants who are very early and very small will subtly show their character, holding true to those traits as they mature. It is quite phenomenal. My approach in writing Alexander was to establish his unique personality as well as convey how Darcy…
The old adage write what you know never made sense to me. I like to write books about Regency England, England in the early nineteenth century. I love to describe ladies dripping with jewels and garbed in satin gowns with embellished slippers, gentlemen in cravats and tail coats, and the sound of a coach and four as it clops and jingles past couples strolling along Picadilly. I’ve never been to Regency England, and even if they invented a time machine, I’m not sure I would go. I do have a fondness for indoor plumbing! I’ve never worn a ball gown or met a man in a cravat and Wellington boots (although I’d like to!). Obviously, I don’t know Regency England, not first-hand anyway. But I do know something about falling in love. I’ve been married for four and a half years to a wonderful man (even if he doesn’t wear a cravat). And I know something about being nervous before entering a party, losing someone I love, and having to start over. My heroine, Felicity Bennett, has all of these experiences. Felicity and I share something else as well—a love of music. I started taking piano lessons in first grade….
Trivia likes to lodge itself in my brain and never leave. I can remember the most obscure facts and anecdotes. Whenever my friends and family play Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy I’m suddenly popular, but if you’re ever stranded in Phoenix, Arizona, and happen to ask me for simple directions to a grocery store or gas station, I will most assuredly disappoint you with a blank stare. I forget where I was when I learned about the Hohokam Indians but I most definitely remembered the history behind Phoenix’s original inhabitants. It stuck in my brain like a seed. And it’s also what inspired my historical romance novel, CAPTIVE SPIRIT. You see, around 300 BC, people from the ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures traveled north to settle in the desert valleys formed by the slow moving Gila and Salt Rivers in what is now known as Arizona. They existed peacefully as farmers and master canal builders until around 1500 AD when their population vanished for reasons unknown. The Pima Indians called these people Hohokam, "Those Who Have Gone." How cool is that?! There are about a million stories woven into that fact alone begging to be written. Why would a thriving population…
The first time I encountered Death, I hurled my mother’s medical chart at him. As far as impressions went, I blew it, but I was five at the time, so he eventually forgave me. Some days I wished he hadn’t—particularly when we crossed paths on the job. When you think of Death personified, what image do you see? Many probably conjure images of skeletons in black robes carrying long, deadly scythes and intent on reaping souls. At one point, that might have been my first image as well. Not so much anymore. Now when I picture a personified Death, the image in my mind is of a much more relaxed figure in a black tee-shirt and faded jeans. He leans against a wall, arms crossed over a wide chest and his dark hair falling around his face as he watches with a smirk. Not a traditional image, that’s for sure, but that’s what he looked like when he first walked into a scene and became a leading character in my newest book, GRAVE WITCH. Angel of Death, Soul Collector, Grim Reaper—whatever you called him, most people saw him only once. A popular question has been why I decided to cast…
Writing is a tough profession. The competition in today’s publishing world makes the strongest writers think twice about their commitment to excellence. But those of us who are lured by the magnificence of story are committed to creating a world where our readers slip into the shoes of our characters and are whisked away to an amazing thrill filled with uncertainty. A writer has a gauge by which she measures her stories, the one she is currently writing and the future projects that are being shopped at publishing houses. My personal barometer is for each reader to Expect an Adventure. This aspiration is a two-way street. If I don’t have the adventure of a lifetime while I’m writing the story, then how can I expect a reader to feel the same exhilaration? When I laugh, cry, hate, love, argue, discover, run for my life and leap high mountains, I expect my readers to take the same plunge. Oh, the span of emotions that expands the human heart. What is my criteria? Simply stated, each book has to have deeper characterization than the previous novel, a more intricate plot, and a setting that challenges the storyline. No pressure there! My quest…
In attending various writing workshops, I’ve picked up the following tips for creating villains: 1. Give the villain his own GMC, i.e. goal, motivation, & conflict. 2. Allow him to care about something to show his humanity. 3. Have a “good” villain as well as a “bad” villain, i.e. an official who obstructs the hero’s efforts. 4. The stronger the villain, the more stalwart the hero must be to defeat him. 5. The villain may have a twisted view of the universe. In other words, he doesn’t see himself as being evil. Here are some handy motives for your bad guy: 1. Protection of a Loved One 2. Fear of Discovery 3. Jealousy 4. Envy 5. Savior, i.e. it’s his calling to punish the sinners or save his species from annihilation 6. Greed 7. Power 8. Revenge Sometimes we can mix and match these negative motivators. In my current paranormal WIP, I have a female villain who justifies her actions in torturing humans because the survival of her species is at stake. However, she’s ambitious and resentful that women don’t have authoritative roles in her society. So she stoops to murder to climb to a position of power. The worse…