I had an epiphany the other day. Not sure where it came from, or why so sudden--I've been reading for a lot of years. But I think it's Kindle-related. And writing-related, of course.
Since I got my Kindle at Christmas, I've read a lot of books. I mean like 3-5 a week lot. I've never been the kind to put a book down--even the bad ones. Though, since I began writing, I've gotten a lot more choosy, and picky while I read. Lately, though, I've put a bunch of books "down." Last night, I was skimming through my books on the Kindle and noticed at least 10 on the first few pages that were partially read. (I'm not going to get into the self-pubbing aspect/debate of this, but yes the unfinished were all self-pubbed, except one. BUT, a good amount of the books I've read/finished/loved on my Kindle have been self-pubbed, too.)
Yet, there was one I read recently that I would have sworn I'd put down. But I didn't.
I'm highly character driven, and the characters were meh. They lacked chemistry and the heroine was wishy-washy. The writing was far to "telling" (big part of the characters lacking chemistry), which bogged the pace considerably. Still, I trudged on. Once finished, I debated why I'd stuck with it. I came to the conclusion that it was the strong plot. The characters were just enough that I vaguely rooted for them instead of not caring at all, but had it not been for that strong plot I would have put it down pretty early on, I think. The plot held together throughout and was done well enough that I stuck it out for the complete outcome (not just to see if the h/H would make it--it's a romance, I know what's gonna happen ;) ). Nothing felt forced and contrived just to get them where they needed to be and it flowed neatly.
Who knew this massively character-driven girl would forgo voice for plot oneday? Learn something new ...
Monday
Yeah, but what's it About?
Recently I've noticed a lot of books on amazon seem to be missing something. Like a blurb. I'm sure there are some people who judge a book by its cover. Not I. Maybe some people see great reviews, high rankings, or a snazzy title and snatch the read. Not I.
I want to know what the book is actually about before I plunk down some change for it--no matter the cost. Even freebies, 'cause time is money. (Okay, that was just my drama queen peeking out to say hi. But still, I don't want to waste my time.)
And I know blurbs are soul-sucking. I get that. But I want to know what I'm buying. Give me something to go on. Please?
I want to know what the book is actually about before I plunk down some change for it--no matter the cost. Even freebies, 'cause time is money. (Okay, that was just my drama queen peeking out to say hi. But still, I don't want to waste my time.)
And I know blurbs are soul-sucking. I get that. But I want to know what I'm buying. Give me something to go on. Please?
Tuesday
Crash Course
With my latest novella I decided to try something very purposefully that I'd never done before. I took the basic (very, very basic, and fairly common/popular right now) concepts from two different books (which won't be named), twisted them around and made them my own.* It was a spur of the moment decision, partially just because I wanted to see what I could do with it, how I could make it mine. I wasn't sure if I'd quit, toss it once finished, or love it. In the end, I felt like not only did I fix the thing that bothered me most about one of the books (along with accomplishing my other goals), but also turned out a book I am pretty proud of. It may have started with those two books vaguely in mind, but it's solely my own as written.
Usually my writing comes from a dream - I'd say 90% of it. And as a total linear panster, I've never before sat and written anything intentionally, or with a specific purpose. It was a fun little side project that may turn out to be my first venture into self publishing.
Anyone out there done anything similar? Or do you usually have an idea of what you want your story to be before you write it?
*Let me assure everyone - there is nothing "stolen" about these ideas; they are concepts used over and over and over in books. Ie., one idea happens to be (sort of) the non-romance that still has major character chemistry concept, written into an erotica.
Usually my writing comes from a dream - I'd say 90% of it. And as a total linear panster, I've never before sat and written anything intentionally, or with a specific purpose. It was a fun little side project that may turn out to be my first venture into self publishing.
Anyone out there done anything similar? Or do you usually have an idea of what you want your story to be before you write it?
*Let me assure everyone - there is nothing "stolen" about these ideas; they are concepts used over and over and over in books. Ie., one idea happens to be (sort of) the non-romance that still has major character chemistry concept, written into an erotica.
Mormon Diaries
Brought up in a religious home, Sophia believes the only way to have a forever family is by following church leaders and obediently choosing the right. She goes to the right school, marries the right man in the right place, and does the right thing by staying home to raise her children. But when she starts asking questions about grace, love, and the nature of God, she realizes her spiritual struggles could rip her family apart.
From the get-go Sophia Stone's stellar writing drew me right in. (Truly, I think she could have been writing about a dog taking a walk and I would have been riveted by her writing.) The honesty and her underlying pain kept me glued to the pages. I read it straight through in one afternoon.
I won't get into my personal stance on religion in general, but I am fascinated by how and why others follow their chosen/given religions. The remarkable journey Sophia takes through this story, from childhood to married to parent, opened my eyes to a religion I knew very little about. The matter-of-fact writing keeps the story clean and gives the reader an in depth look at someone's true feelings in a way that is not preachy or slanted.
I seriously cannot recommend this one highly enough.
Amazon - Kindle
B&N
Amazon - paper
The Truth About Faking
Hi guys! I'm back again. Wow, twice in 2 weeks. My goal is to post every Tuesday. I had one all set up for today (and two others set for other dates) with clever words and snarky asides, but blogger decided it was angry at me for my too-long sabbatical and deleted all three posts. Actually, so much has changed, I'll admit there's a teeny-tiny chance it could have been user-error. Maybe.
Without anymore blah, blah, blah... I will redo today's post, although the wit and cleverness (both of which were likely a figment of my imagination in the first place) will be absent since I am now sick and going on 5 hours of sleep between the last two nights. Also, I may or may not be hopped up on DayQuil.
I was perusing Twitter not long ago and saw a book rec by Leigh Talbert Moore. I'm sure most of you know & trust her, as do I. I thought I'd buy it, and ended up reading her blurb and buying hers instead. I don't read too much YA, but it sounded great, & it was.
The Truth About Faking (TTAF) is fun, light and heartwarming, and a romance. *raises hand* Me, me, me!.
I even wrote a review on Amazon:
The Truth About Faking gave me what I love best in a book - great, believable characters and sparkling dialogue. The cherry was the fantastic story.
The fake dating was fun, and flirty with the blossoming attraction between Harley and Jason, who were both independent and strongly written characters that meshed well. The secondary characters were just as great.
I'm a huge HEA gal, and my favorite part of this story was all the HEAs. Nobody ends up getting walked on, tossed out or crushed. Harley is so likable for her consideration. Better yet, it all played out with nothing feeling contrived or forced.
Here is a teaser for the book:
Jason pauses a moment. “I really like you. And I think you really like me, too.”
I can’t answer. I do like him, but he has to understand. “That’s really beside the point right now.”
“How?” His eyebrows pull together.
I look back at our hands, fingers laced on the table, and try to be firm, to reason with us both.
“You showed up here two weeks ago, and hit me with your car. And now you just expect me to drop everything I was doing and pick up with you.”
“But you want to,” he says softly.
Isn't that sweet?
You can find the book at Amazon, B&N, Smashwords & Kobo.
You can find Leigh at her blog, That's Write, Facebook & Goodreads.
Without anymore blah, blah, blah... I will redo today's post, although the wit and cleverness (both of which were likely a figment of my imagination in the first place) will be absent since I am now sick and going on 5 hours of sleep between the last two nights. Also, I may or may not be hopped up on DayQuil.
I was perusing Twitter not long ago and saw a book rec by Leigh Talbert Moore. I'm sure most of you know & trust her, as do I. I thought I'd buy it, and ended up reading her blurb and buying hers instead. I don't read too much YA, but it sounded great, & it was.
The Truth About Faking (TTAF) is fun, light and heartwarming, and a romance. *raises hand* Me, me, me!.
I even wrote a review on Amazon:
The Truth About Faking gave me what I love best in a book - great, believable characters and sparkling dialogue. The cherry was the fantastic story.
The fake dating was fun, and flirty with the blossoming attraction between Harley and Jason, who were both independent and strongly written characters that meshed well. The secondary characters were just as great.
I'm a huge HEA gal, and my favorite part of this story was all the HEAs. Nobody ends up getting walked on, tossed out or crushed. Harley is so likable for her consideration. Better yet, it all played out with nothing feeling contrived or forced.
Here is a teaser for the book:
Jason pauses a moment. “I really like you. And I think you really like me, too.”
I can’t answer. I do like him, but he has to understand. “That’s really beside the point right now.”
“How?” His eyebrows pull together.
I look back at our hands, fingers laced on the table, and try to be firm, to reason with us both.
“You showed up here two weeks ago, and hit me with your car. And now you just expect me to drop everything I was doing and pick up with you.”
“But you want to,” he says softly.
Isn't that sweet?
You can find the book at Amazon, B&N, Smashwords & Kobo.
You can find Leigh at her blog, That's Write, Facebook & Goodreads.
Monday
It's Been A While
Hello there world. I have been absent from Blogger for a long, long time. There are a few reasons for this, but know I've missed all my friends. (Even though I kept up with most of you on FB & Twitter & Twitter. (As you can see, I've added more to my writerly plate - because 8 WiPs weren't enough apparently.)
Anyway, my main reason for the sudden abandonment: sometimes you gotta prioritize. Last year, around this time, there came a point when I realized I was spending two+ hours a day trying to keep up with blogs. Now, I have a husband, 2 ten year olds, 2 dogs, 5 chickens, 2 kittens (yeah, I am turning into Crazy Animal Lady), a large house (see mention of 2 kids and use your imagination as to what the house looks like at most times), a massive garden and a job. Where did I get those 2 hours to blog, you ask? Well, thing is, I stole from all those things. And those things are important to me. More important than anything else - especially the kid-things.
I also stole from my writing. All the time spent blogging and reading and commenting, and commenting on comments (phew! I'm tired just from reading that!), left me little time to concentrate on the voices in my head. (And y'all know how demanding those voices are.) Lo & behold, the less time I spent on Blogger, the more voices jumped from my head and landed into an actual Word doc. The more the voices splattered themselves into Times Roman New, the less I blogged. And it felt perty dag-gone good to free them.
All said, I hope to return slightly more often and catch up with old friends.One of whom dragged me out of the woodwork to ask for help with a blog tour. I was on the fence about it, for multiple reasons. We talked it out (and I was honest about my reasons) then something else happened. Said friend gave me her MS to read. And I was kinda blown away. In a really, really good way. I will be sharing more about this and about the MS in an upcoming post in October (I think that's when we set things for...). I can't wait.
With that, I'm off! BUT...
None of you had any misconception that my favorite boys wouldn't be appearing in this post, right? C'mon now. I have to include my Inculove. 'Cause, you know, If Not Now, When? So, I need you to know that I care and I Miss You.
Anyway, my main reason for the sudden abandonment: sometimes you gotta prioritize. Last year, around this time, there came a point when I realized I was spending two+ hours a day trying to keep up with blogs. Now, I have a husband, 2 ten year olds, 2 dogs, 5 chickens, 2 kittens (yeah, I am turning into Crazy Animal Lady), a large house (see mention of 2 kids and use your imagination as to what the house looks like at most times), a massive garden and a job. Where did I get those 2 hours to blog, you ask? Well, thing is, I stole from all those things. And those things are important to me. More important than anything else - especially the kid-things.
I also stole from my writing. All the time spent blogging and reading and commenting, and commenting on comments (phew! I'm tired just from reading that!), left me little time to concentrate on the voices in my head. (And y'all know how demanding those voices are.) Lo & behold, the less time I spent on Blogger, the more voices jumped from my head and landed into an actual Word doc. The more the voices splattered themselves into Times Roman New, the less I blogged. And it felt perty dag-gone good to free them.
All said, I hope to return slightly more often and catch up with old friends.One of whom dragged me out of the woodwork to ask for help with a blog tour. I was on the fence about it, for multiple reasons. We talked it out (and I was honest about my reasons) then something else happened. Said friend gave me her MS to read. And I was kinda blown away. In a really, really good way. I will be sharing more about this and about the MS in an upcoming post in October (I think that's when we set things for...). I can't wait.
With that, I'm off! BUT...
None of you had any misconception that my favorite boys wouldn't be appearing in this post, right? C'mon now. I have to include my Inculove. 'Cause, you know, If Not Now, When? So, I need you to know that I care and I Miss You.
Friday
Getting To Know You Blogfest
JL Campbell coordinated the fantastic Getting to Know You Blogfest for the romantic suspense group from Rachael Harrie's Platform-Building Crusade. Wow, that was a mouthful. (For some reason my blog hasn't been wanting me to post badges/photos on the sidebar. It took a week of continual trying to get the last one up.)
Since it's in the middle of NaNo, J.L. kept it short - but maybe not so sweet, since, yanno, it's romantic suspense. Or maybe the romantic part makes it sweet. You decide.
Thanks again, for heading this up J.L. It's much appreciated!
1. Name two romantic suspense authors who inspire you.
I'm not sure Nora Roberts wouldn't be in many romantic suspense readers'/writers' top five at least? She's definitely in my top 2. But, the author who most inspired me--I'm not sure his work was ever put under a genre umbrella? Sydney Sheldon. I read my first Sheldon novel (Rage of Angels) around 13 and I promptly devoured the rest (starting in order).
2. How did you start writing in your genre?
This is kinda a hard one for me. I don't know. I sat down and it came out. I do actually write in multiple genres, but they all lean heavily towards romance. The two I've consciously gone into trying to avoid romance still turned out as romance. It was meant to be, how romantic (sorry).
3. You've landed a meeting with your dream agent. Write a one-paragraph pitch to sell your novel to him/her.
Brainy Kasia Taylor is determined to focus on college, not guys, in order to get into the FBI and track down her long-missing parents. When up-and-coming rocker Jake won't take no for an answer, and Kasia can't help but fall for his intelligence and easy-going nature, she learns he has family secrets that link to her murky past and the human trafficking trade. Secrets that lead her straight into the hands of the man who may have murdered her parents.
4. Sabotage or accident - which would you put your female lead through, and why?
I guess I'm an extra special kind of mean. I put her through both. An accident in the first book, sabotage in the sequel. Why? I like to see how much I can make my characters suffer, but still manage to come back from. I heart tension.
5. Plotter or panster - who are you?
Panster. I write purely linearly and have found out the hard way (twice now) that trying to plot screws everything up in a big way for me, and writing chunks then trying to bridge them together, is even worse. So I get the idea for a story in my head and I sit down and let the characters dictate where we go from there - but we always go from front to back.
Make sure to click the link above and check out the others! Thank you. :)
Since it's in the middle of NaNo, J.L. kept it short - but maybe not so sweet, since, yanno, it's romantic suspense. Or maybe the romantic part makes it sweet. You decide.
Thanks again, for heading this up J.L. It's much appreciated!
1. Name two romantic suspense authors who inspire you.
I'm not sure Nora Roberts wouldn't be in many romantic suspense readers'/writers' top five at least? She's definitely in my top 2. But, the author who most inspired me--I'm not sure his work was ever put under a genre umbrella? Sydney Sheldon. I read my first Sheldon novel (Rage of Angels) around 13 and I promptly devoured the rest (starting in order).
2. How did you start writing in your genre?
This is kinda a hard one for me. I don't know. I sat down and it came out. I do actually write in multiple genres, but they all lean heavily towards romance. The two I've consciously gone into trying to avoid romance still turned out as romance. It was meant to be, how romantic (sorry).
3. You've landed a meeting with your dream agent. Write a one-paragraph pitch to sell your novel to him/her.
Brainy Kasia Taylor is determined to focus on college, not guys, in order to get into the FBI and track down her long-missing parents. When up-and-coming rocker Jake won't take no for an answer, and Kasia can't help but fall for his intelligence and easy-going nature, she learns he has family secrets that link to her murky past and the human trafficking trade. Secrets that lead her straight into the hands of the man who may have murdered her parents.
4. Sabotage or accident - which would you put your female lead through, and why?
I guess I'm an extra special kind of mean. I put her through both. An accident in the first book, sabotage in the sequel. Why? I like to see how much I can make my characters suffer, but still manage to come back from. I heart tension.
5. Plotter or panster - who are you?
Panster. I write purely linearly and have found out the hard way (twice now) that trying to plot screws everything up in a big way for me, and writing chunks then trying to bridge them together, is even worse. So I get the idea for a story in my head and I sit down and let the characters dictate where we go from there - but we always go from front to back.
Make sure to click the link above and check out the others! Thank you. :)
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