Tips and updates on writing, interviews, my writing progress, group blog and miscellaneous stuff.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019
Monday, December 2, 2019
Friday, November 22, 2019
Odd Characters in a Novel
Now this is an interesting topic. What is the oddest character you have
ever dreamed up, and how did they fit into a story?
First, I had to figure out what made a character odd? Their appearance,
their occupation, their hobby, did they come from space? I write contemporary
but with a touch of paranormal. My WIP has a dog that may have a paranormal
element. My Hawkins Ranch series has a grove of trees where the spirits of
Native Americans reside and talk to the owners of the ranch. I decided on
Lillian Abernathy from A Cruise to Remember. She’s a widow in her sixties with
Alzheimer’s and a touch of kleptomania. She wants to repeat a cruise she and
her deceased husband had taken, to bring back memories, while she still can.
She’s takes Hallie, the heroine with amnesia, on the cruise as her companion.
They travel through the Caribbean where they are considered potential jewel
thieves.
Lillian is a strong secondary companion who helps the story progress
with both the plot development and the growth and development of the heroine. She
plays matchmaker, and also brings a little of her own romance into the
story.
I’m looking
forward to reading about other authors odd characters. Join me in checking them
out.
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1LT
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1LT
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Rhobin L Courtright www.rhobincourtright.com
I’d
also love to hear from people about the oddest character they’ve read about.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
M.S. Spencer and Orion's Foot
Ms.
Spencer has published thirteen romantic suspense or murder mystery novels, with
two more on the way. She has two fabulous grown children and an incredible
granddaughter. She divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a
tiny village in Maine.
Beverley: Which
genre or genres do you write or prefer to write? And why?
M.S.: I
write cozy murder mystery, romantic suspense, and some
action/adventure/romance. By “cozy” I do not mean my heroine runs a bakery or
keeps a cat or lives in the English countryside. It refers to an amateur sleuth
who must deal with a puzzle, for example, a corpse in a locked room. I love
creating a complicated path to the solution with lots of red herrings and
twists and turns.
Beverley: Who
influenced you the most in deciding to become a writer?
M.S.: I
always wanted to be a writer. I think if you’re as voracious a reader as I was,
you eventually find yourself needing to make that leap into creating your own
story, putting your own words on the paper.
Beverley: What gets your creative juices flowing?
M.S.: Often when I’m surfing the internet I’ll come
across an intriguing or crazy item & it triggers a story line. I learned of
the “Ghost Hotel” that way. The Pit & the Passion: Murder at the Ghost
Hotel, takes place on Longboat Key, Florida, where in fact there stood the hulk
of an unfinished Ritz-Carlton for decades. Begun by John Ringling of circus
fame, it languished from 1926 to 1964. So…what would you find at a ghost hotel?
Anyone?
Beverley: Do you have a favorite cartoon character? Why?
M.S.: Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes. He’s both adorable and
horrible, and his imagination soars higher and wider than anyone in the world.
I love Pogo too, of course.
Beverley: Who would you love most to meet 'in person' and
why?
M.S.: I have been a widow for 10 years now, and although
I’ve tried various methods of finding a new fella, I have been unsuccessful.
So, rather than choose some celebrity or writer or professor, the man I’d most
like to meet is the one of my dreams.
Beverley: If you had an unexpected free day what would you do
with it?
M.S.: Well, I used to go exploring—find a nature trail or
historic site. Florida is chock full of fascinating places. I’d like to go to
Weeki Wachee Springs and see the mermaids, or to Tarpon Springs to see the
sponge divers. Then eat a lovely, looong Greek lunch. But I’d probably seize
the day by sitting at my laptop and writing.
Beverley: What are you working on now?
M.S.: I’m working on a story now set in Maine—in the same
town as The Penhallow Train Incident. I am not much into series, but I love the
denizens of Penhallow and Amity Landing so much I had to let them live on in a
new story.
The working title is Mrs.
Spinney’s Secret. The story opens with Cassidy Jane Beauvoir, proprietor of
Mindful Books and chairman of the Board of Overseers of Amity Landing,
confronted with a Hollywood cabal that wants to make a movie in her tiny
village. Her objections are overridden by the townspeople, and her initial
misgivings must vie with a growing attraction to the film’s director Jasper
MacEwan. Unfortunately, both the movie and their romance are hindered by a
series of incidents—some fatal, some simply painful. The two must set aside
both their differences and their romance to search for answers not only to the
mystery, but to the whereabouts of a long lost hoard of English gold.
Monsters and mystery lurk
deep in the Amazon—a tale of passion and obsession.
Orion—along
with Ursa Major and Ursa Minor—is one of the most recognizable constellations
in the sky. Most people zero in on the three stars that make up his belt, but
the brightest star in the constellation is Rigel—his left knee or foot.
Orion
was the son of Poseidon, who gave him the power to walk on water. He was a
great hunter. In the excerpt below, Petra tells Emory why she wishes on Orion’s
foot, and he in turn warns her to be careful of him.
Oddly enough, I came up with the title for Orion’s
Foot: Myth, Mystery, & Romance in the Amazon, separately from the
actual inspiration for the book. I was sitting outside on a beautiful night and
saw Orion—I’m sorry to say one of the few constellations I can identify. I
thought, what a neat title for a book. There you have it.
Petra Steele is wallowing in self-pity after being dumped at the
altar, when her brother Nick invites her to come to the Peruvian Amazon. Before
she even sets her suitcase down, she's confronted with a murder victim. In a
research station peopled with a quirky assortment of scientists, she is drawn
to Emory Andrews, a gruff, big man with a secret past. That is, until his
beautiful ex-wife shows up. More murders, more secrets, more mysteries ensue,
all in the deeply romantic, sizzling jungle.
Excerpt from Orion’s Foot
After
supper, she sought the hammock room,
hoping to see the capybaras again, but the lawn was empty. For once, the sky was clear, and she
wandered out and down to the dock to
enjoy the stars. Ah, there’s Orion.
Usually people chose Venus or Polaris, but Petra always wished on Orion’s left foot. Nick had
once asked her why. “Because it’s his foot that takes the first stride across space.”
“So what does that have to do with your
wishes?”
“Whenever I’m faced with a scary decision,
Orion gives me the courage to take the
first step.”
Nick had laughed at her.
As she closed her eyes and pondered her
request, a rustle sounded behind her.
“Don’t fall in.”
Petra
sprang forward and nearly did fall in, but a strong hand caught her around her
waist and pulled her back. She felt warm breath in her ear. “Emory!”
He
let go. “What are you doing anyway? You had one leg hovering over the water.”
“I
guess the stars distracted me.” She glanced at him shyly. “I was wishing on
Orion. Or rather, on his foot.” She pointed at the star twinkling below the
famous belt.
“Why
Orion?”
No need
to let on how weird I am just yet. “It’s…uh…the
only constellation I recognize?”
“It’s
probably the only constellation most
people recognize.” He looked down at her. “Okay, do you have a foot fetish, or
what? Why wish on the foot?”
Just
because Nick made fun of me doesn’t mean Emory will. “It
brings me luck.”
“Like
a rabbit’s foot, only better?”
She
didn’t answer. The thing that had been simmering in the back of her mind for
the last two days, obscured by the chaos of events, had made itself known. She
knew what she wanted to wish for.
“Petra?
Did you hear my question?”
Petra
lowered her eyes to Emory. “I don’t know about better—but it serves the same
function. See, everyone zeroes in on Orion’s belt, or his dog, or his manly
physique, but his left foot—Rigel—is actually the brightest star in the
constellation.”
He
inspected the night sky. “True. And?”
“Well,
it reminds me that when you have to take that first step into the unknown
you…um…put your best foot forward. I look at Orion striding across the cosmos,
and he helps me believe I can meet any challenge.”
Emory
was silent for a minute. Petra was about to take her leave when he said, “Did
you know that Orion claimed he was the greatest hunter of all time? Gaia sent a
scorpion to kill him.”
“Huh.
Who is Gaia?”
“Gaia
means Earth—she’s the goddess the Greeks called the mother of all life—the
primordial deity. The cool New Age kids all worship her. Don’t tell me you
aren’t into crystals and yoga?”
“No.
So why did Gaia want to kill Orion?”
“Because,
to prove his prowess, he announced he was going to hunt down and kill all the
animals in the world. Since Gaia is the guardian of every living thing, you
might say his threat kinda ruffled her feathers.”
“I’ll
bet. So she decided to kill him before he massacred her subjects. Did she
succeed?”
“No.
Another god—I forget his name—gave Orion the antidote. That’s why you never see
both Orion and Scorpio in the sky at the same time.”
“Hmm.”
“So,”
he said softly, “Orion is hardly the hero you want to set your heart on. All
the stories of him involve power, lust, and murder.”
Buy
Links for Orion’s Foot:
Social
Media Links:
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Christmas with Barbara White Daille
Barbara White Daille lives with her husband in the sunny Southwest.
Though they love the warm winters and the lizards in their front yard, they
haven’t gotten used to the scorpions in the bathroom. Barbara also loves
writing, reading, and chocolate. Come to think of it, she enjoys writing about
those subjects, too!
Barbara wrote her first short story at the age of nine, then typed
"The End" to her first novel many years later...in the eighth grade.
Now she's writing contemporary romance on a daily basis. Sign up for her
newsletter to keep up with the latest in her writing life: https://barbarawhitedaille.com/newsletter.
Thanks
to Beverley for inviting me back to the blog!
As
we’re approaching the winter holidays, I’m sharing a bit about One
Week to Win Her Boss. The book is a sweet romance set in Snowflake
Valley, which—as you’ll see below—is a tiny tourist town dedicated to
celebrating Christmas.
Book Blurb from One Week to Win Her Boss:
Single mom Amber Barnett loves family, kids, Christmas…and
unfortunately, her boss, confirmed bachelor Michael DeFranco. It's a crush
she really needs to get over. Except, when she’s temporarily
forced from her apartment, her only option is to stay at Michael’s private ski
lodge, where she's the housekeeper. No problem. Her handsome boss rarely visits
Snowflake Valley unexpectedly, plus he’s spending the holidays with his family.
Or so she thinks…
A stormy Christmas Eve reunion leaves Michael seeking the solitude of
his lodge, where he finds Amber in residence—and in trouble. Attempting to save
her from her matchmaking family, he announces they’re a couple. His good deed
backfires when they’re instantly included in each and every holiday event in
town. So much for solitude.
Only the more time he spends with the beautiful, cheery brunette, the
more he yearns to make things real between them. But he and Amber want
different things, and Michael could never be the family man she's looking
for.
From
the book:
Amber stared down at her coffee. “I was sorry you had to back out at the
last minute. You would have made a great Santa yourself.”
“Santa? Me?” Michael laughed. “Bah, humbug.”
His mocking tone surprised her. “You are a Scrooge, aren’t you?
That’s so sad. Christmas is my favorite holiday.”
“Good thing for you, since there’s no getting away from it around here.”
She smiled wryly. “I can’t argue with that. Not when I live and work in
a town called Snowflake Valley. As Mayor Corrigan would tell you”—she attempted
to mimic his deep voice—“‘three-hundred-and-sixty-five days a year, we cater to
tourists celebrating the season.’ But you have to admit Christmas is a magical
time. And I’m glad that magic brought Santa and Miss Elf their
happy-ever-after.” The fact that Miss Elf was her sister made the good news
even more special.
When he frowned, obviously puzzled, she smiled. “I forgot. You wouldn’t
have heard the news yet. Lyssa and Nick are engaged.”
Michael snorted a laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“Just reacting to the idea of Nick getting married.”
“Because you never thought he’d find the right girl?”
“No. Because I thought he was smart enough to know marriage isn’t a
winning proposition.”
Her heart thumped. She set her mug on the tray and sat back again,
tucking her suddenly cold hands beneath the edge of the afghan.
Yes, she wanted to be independent and in control as a single mom…but she
didn’t want to be a single mom forever. She’d realized that truth the day she
had met Michael. And even after last night’s conversation and this morning’s
warnings to herself, she hadn’t given up on him.
Until this minute.
Until his one flat statement shattered all her hopes and dreams.
Where were Callie and Lyssa to save their little sister now? She could
see them shaking their heads in disbelief at hearing this news. She
could hear them, too.
Isn’t that just like poor Amber to mess
things up?
Even as a four-year-old, she was always
the mommy when she played house.
And now she’s crushing on a man who
probably runs at the first mention of marriage.
And they would be right. Michael’s conviction was a chilling reminder
she couldn’t trust her instincts about men.
Still, couldn’t she expect just one tiny Christmas miracle?
Find One Week to Win Her Boss
(sale-priced at 99 cents through November 18th):
Entangled: http://bit.ly/owep2l85mN
- includes links to various booksellers
Amazon: http://bit.ly/ow2l9Detp
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daillehttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/529361.Barbara_White_Daille
Harlequin
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/authors/23759_barbara-white-daille.html
Entangled http://entangledpublishing.com/category/barbara-white-daille/
Entangled http://entangledpublishing.com/category/barbara-white-daille/
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Check Out Alice Renaud and Music for a Merman
I'm back finally with a great interview with Alice Renaud. (And I'll explain the last week in my next post)
Alice Renaud lives in London, UK, with her husband and son. By day she's
a compliance manager for a pharmaceutical company. By night she writes fantasy
romance about shape shifting mermen, water monsters and time-travelling
witches. Her first book, “A Merman’s Choice,” was published in January 2019 by
Black Velvet Seductions. It is the first book in a fantasy romance trilogy
inspired by the landscapes and legends of Brittany and Wales. The second book,
“Music for a Merman,” is out now. Alice has also written a short story, “The
Sweetest Magic of All,” included in the BVS “Mystic Desire” anthology, out now.
Alice loves reading and writing stories and sharing them with anyone
who’s interested!
Character
Interview with-Charlotte Fitzwilliam (Charlie)
Beverley: What’s your name?
Charlotte: Charlotte Fitzwilliam.
Everyone calls me Charlie – except my father, but we don’t talk very often.
Which I’m quite happy about. We have a very difficult relationship.
Beverley: Where did
you grow up?
Charlotte: Fitzwilliam Castle. A gloomy pile of stones, on my father’s estate.
Full of ghosts and bad memories.
Beverley: During what
time period does your story take place?
Charlotte: During a few sunny, magical summer days in St-Sulien, on the coast of
Wales, UK.
Beverley: What’s your
story/back story? Why would someone come up with a story about you?
Charlotte: I have a difficult relationship with my parents. They were always very
strict with me, and I think that they preferred my younger brother. I felt that
I would never be good enough for them. So I gave up trying. I was always a bit
of a rebel. I’ve always cared about nature and wild animals, so when I left
home (blessed relief) I became an environmental activist. An eco-warrior. That
brought me even more into conflict with my father, because he owns companies
that have no respect for the environment and do a lot of damage to beautiful
areas.
Beverley: What’s your goal in this story?
Charlotte: When the story starts, I’m in the village of St-Sulien, protesting
against a new development there that’s threatening the marine wildlife. I get
arrested by a young cop, Rob Regor. I try to convert him to my cause, but end
up feeling more and more attracted to him.
Beverley: What conflicts are you facing?
Beverley: What conflicts are you facing?
Charlotte: I’m only looking for a fling… Initially. Love ‘em and leave ‘em,
that’s always been my motto. That way I can’t get hurt. But Rob is different…
Very different in fact! He’s actually a shape shifting merman, but when I
discover that, it only makes me fall for him even more. Which is a problem, as
he is forbidden from having a relationship with a human woman… and his father
hates humans!
Beverley: Do you have a plan for resolving them?
Charlotte: There isn’t really any time to make a plan. Events take a strange
turn… And I am changed in ways I could not have imagined.
Beverley: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?
Beverley: Is there anything else you’d like us to know about you?
Charlotte: All my life I’ve yearned to be close to the ocean, I’m never happier
than when I’m near the sea, or better still, in it! I have this recurring dream
where I swim and sing with all the other marine creatures. Maybe that’s why I
can’t help being drawn to Rob, even though it puts us both in danger.
Blurb from Music for
a Merman
Rob Regor knew that humans were trouble. All
the shape shifting mermen of the Morvann Islands knew it. And human women were
double trouble... especially when they were lying on the road in front of a
digger.
Rob has
a mission. Go to the mainland. Work as a policeman. Spy on humans. Report back
to his father, the head of the Regor Merman Clan. It should be easy. Until he
has to arrest Charlie. Rob can’t fight his attraction to the sexy eco-warrior,
and it puts him on one hell of a collision course with his family and his Clan.
Will he break the rules – or break her heart, and his?
Love
‘em and leave ‘em, that was Charlie’s motto. It had served her well until now.
But Rob is different… Can
she open up her heart to Rob - when a secret buried in her past surfaces and
changes her completely?
Buy
Links
for Music for a Merman
Social Media Links:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AliceRenaudAuthorRomance/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/alicerauthor
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-renaud-author-4219b6166/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/alicerenaudauthor/
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18670218.Alice_Renaud
Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Alice-Renaud/e/B07L52P17B
Friday, October 18, 2019
Was Writing Your Story Hijacked?
What unique situations have occurred in the writing
process of any of your novels? Things where what you planned changed or the
direction you thought the story was on deviated or transmuted?
This is a challenging topic. So many of my stories
changed directions in the writing. Maybe the one that changed the most was Missing - Luke’s Story. Dr. Allie Parsons is a big city New York doctor with personal and
family challenges she preferred not to face. It started out she was going to make
a quick trip to a small town to make a doctor pay for his treatment of a
girlfriend. During the writing the story morphed. Allie found the small-town
doctor was kind, caring and never hurt anyone. The small town was friendly,
welcomed her and accepted her. The doctor and has family enveloped her into
their warm, normal family. Nothing like
the story I was going to write. Somehow the characters had their own version I
was supposed to tell.
Hunted, developed a grove of ancient trees on a ranch
where the spirits of Native American chiefs hung out and talked to the owner of
the ranch. I have no idea where that came from but it shows up in all the
Hawkins’ ranch series, now.
I’m looking forward to the unique situations other
authors have written about. Come with me and check them out.
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1JS
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.wordpress.com
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog
Dr. Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1JS
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Rhobin L Courtright http://www.rhobincourtright.com
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