My goals for the year

2016 is due to be extremely busy and exciting for me! I will have at least 4 releases this year, OMG! I also have other goals aside from writing.

But no weight loss or quitting smoking... not this year, not with 3 jobs.

First goal: Finish Scandals With Bite Book 4

Creating the cover was on my list as well, but I already finished it.

If things go well, it may even be up for preorder later this month. However, I am only 1/3rd done with it, so I really gotta suck it up and spend some serious time writing this month. I need to not be like George RR Martin, lol.

Then I gotta arrange for advanced reviewers and a blog tour.

 Get a sewing machine and learn how to use it. 

After getting back to family tradition of making quilts, I realized that I can no longer just paint squares and have mom (who's no longer with me) or Grandma sew them for me. Time to be a big girl.

Write Brides of Prophecy, Book 4

With this series starting to gain notice, it is imperative I give my readers the next installment. Especially since there are two plot threads, one from the end of Wrenching Fate, and one with Razvan's missing twin brother, that are going to be resolved. I am so excited for that one!

If I'm lucky this one may be a Late Summer or Early Fall release.

Write book for Secret NEW series my agent is pitching.

Even if my publisher doesn't pick that one up, it sounds too fun not to write and find a home for.

Start another book. 

Which series that will be for, all depends on how my current contracts go.

Make a few teaser images and a book trailer for existing series.

These look so fun. I want to try them myself.

Get a stable, do-able marketing strategy. 

I'm still relatively unknown, so I need to get the word out about my books. However, I also don't want to be spammy. Gotta stay classy. :D 

Go Fishing!

I haven't had the chance to do hardly any fishing for the last four years. This is bullshit. I LOVE fishing and my tummy is crying out for some rainbow trout or beer-battered bass.

Attend at least one convention.

I had SO much fun at the three I've been to so far and made a lot of friends, so I must attend another. However, flights anywhere from my state are 4-500 dollars alone, and my budget is tenuous. I will keep you posted about where I end up.

And finally:

Quit the Day Job by the end of the year.

With 4 more releases coming this year, it might actually be possible!

Book releases:

Hearts of Metal Book 2

Scandals With Bite Book 4

Hearts of Metal Book 3

Brides of Prophecy Book 4

What are your goals?

Holiday Craziness

Well, my writing is still behind, however, since I closed my editing business for the holidays, I'm catching up. I finally finished revising Hearts of Metal Book 3, and I hope to hit the 25% mark on Scandals with Bite, Book 4 by the end of the week.

Title and cover will be forthcoming next month!

I'm still waiting on my finalized cover and release date for my metal romance, book 2. Since that one's with a smaller press, it should be coming out fairly quick after edits.

I'm also busy making Christmas presents for a few special loved ones. Since my aunt's not online, I can show off the wolf I made her on scratch board:

I'm also doing a dragon for my son.

For my boyfriend, I'm finishing up one of the biggest, most ambitious projects of my life. Since he's not on Facebook, you can follow me there, or sign up for my newsletter to hear about it, or wait until after Christmas for my post about it, because oooh boy, I have tales to tell!!

If you're interested in doing scratch boards of your own, or buying them for an artist you know, I highly recommend the Ampersand boards. They're actually on sale right now:

And the scraping tools are cheap, but work great:

Anyway, I gotta get back to writing and working on presents, and drafting my letter to Santa to post on here this week!

I hope everyone's having a great holiday season!!

10 New Things I've Learned as an "Experienced" Author

After having written eight novels, multiple A-grade academic papers, and a couple award winning short stories, I feel I have the right to call myself "experienced."

However, I am still a newbie in the grand scheme and I have learned a ton of things in the last few years. Some are laughably simple, especially the ones involving formatting manuscripts. Please don't laugh at me, more technically inclined people.

After all, the first one and a half books I wrote by hand in large notebooks because I couldn't afford a computer. So of course when I finally got one, I had to learn how to use the thing along with Microsoft Word. And let me tell you, after nearly five years I am still learning Word. So about half the things on this list will deal with that. :)

Without further ado, here's a few things that have improved my job.

1.) Holy Crap there's a difference between "enter" and "tab?"

Apparently hitting tab instead of enter not only adds an extra space, but it also screws up the format. Paranormal Romance author, Terry Spear, directed me to the little paragraph symbol on my MS Word toolbar. Tabs are revealed as arrows and extra spaces....

2.) Whoa, a better way to find extra spaces without relying on eyesight alone?

That nifty paragraph thingie also reveals extra spaces as dots. When you have them before a paragraph break it looks like the paragraph symbol has a nipple and that makes me giggle. Then I sigh in gratitude that I don't have to rely on my eyes alone anymore.

3.) I will always need fresh perspectives on my work. 

No matter how many tips I've received from other writers or how much I think I've improved, there are still times when I think I've written my best work ever and have others reinforce that belief...and I still need to be struck down by those who know better. Because one's work can and should ALWAYS be improved.

4.) More in depth outlines really help me.

I'm like a hybrid between a "plotter" and a "pantser." I always have the characters and at least a scene or two in mind before I start a project. Then I slowly make placeholder notes of scenes between whatever I'm writing.

However, once you're contracted with a publisher you need to have the synopsis and other plot details figured out often BEFORE you write the first sentence. As daunting as it is, I've noticed that doing so makes writing the book go a whole lot easier as it clears a path away from too many rabbit holes.

5.) Habit words will never cease to haunt me.

Like a persistent and constantly mutating virus, habit words infect EVERY manuscript. Most recent ones have been "Was," "That," "And," "But," and "Now." Critique partners and beta readers are priceless for spotting these buggers. The "Find" feature in Word really helps too.

6.) You can set your preferred font.

I don't know how many times I reopened word to have it automatically reset itself to Calibri 11 and exploded into screaming expletives. I mean, who the hell uses that stupid font? I think I manually reset it and shrieked, "Times New Roman 12, bitch!" for over two years before someone, not even a writer, pointed out, "Hey, you can go to 'set default font' y'know."

It was too much of a happy day for me to kick myself for being a moron. Speaking of which...

7.) Inserting page breaks REALLY helps!

Seriously, I spent 8 manuscripts and countless revisions scrolling up and down entire documents and manually tweaking stuff so each chapter is neatly centered on the top of a new page. Then someone's all "Insert Page Break is a lot easier, y'know." This is another D'oh! moment.

8.) How to center stuff like chapters and scene breaks.

I am so grateful for the times I brought by laptop to the bar. Especially the time my drinking buddy leaned over and said, "Control E."

9.) Other authors are incredibly supportive!

Seriously with everything from promo help, advice, and a shoulder to cry on, other authors have been there for me in ways that have me overcome with gratitude. I hope to repay the favor whenever I can.

10.) How to be assertive about my "I need to work" time.

Being a writer is a work at home job for the most part. Some are lucky to have an office to lock themselves in. I am not. My writing area is the couch with my laptop sitting on a TV dinner table. Couple that with 3 kids, a husband, 3 cats, a dog, and surprise guests and it's damn near impossible to get anything done.

Over the years I've had to learn how to make it clear to others that writing is my job and when I'm on my laptop, I am AT WORK!!! Sometimes it gets through their heads. And sometimes I need to have the feline overlords guard me.

Intimidated!

Book one is soon approaching copy edits. Book 2 is with my beta readers. I have just begun book 3 and I am scared sh*tless.... but also really excited. The hero is introduced in book one and I got to know him better in book 2. He is very, very damaged. Seriously, I haven't worked with a hero this damaged EVER.

I got chapter one finished with relative ease, and let me tell you, it really begins with a bang. But now the worries seep in. Can I live up to such a big promise? Can I convincingly redeem this hero? Can I give him a HEA worthy of his suffering? Can I keep the reader turning the pages?

I think of many books I'd anticipated that did not live up to my expectations...and I pray this will not be one of them.

However, despite my trepidation, I truly AM excited about this book and thrilled to be writing again. I love editing, but I miss the magic of creating a new world and story.       

When did I become a workaholic?

Yesterday I finished revising the first in my Urban Fantasy series and prepared the query. Before that I finished the rough draft of my 2nd Regency Paranormal. Before that I finished revising BITE ME, YOUR GRACE (well, until my editor gets through with it, lol.)

I figured I'd take a few days off. Last night went okay thanks to a mini Big Bang Theory Marathon, but today I'm all anxious to be working on something. My fingers are literally itching to be writing again. I have two projects that I want to tackle, there's my long-neglected roadie story I want to enter in the IWL contest, and of course, there's book 3 in my regency paranormal series.

So, though I'm going to try to take it easy this weekend, I might just tinker a little bit on the keyboard. :)

Holy Crap, I think I'm a Plotter!

My suspicion started when I realized 2 things: 

1.) I tend to jot down quick notes of upcoming scenes in whatever project I'm working on. 

2.) I'm pretty damn good at the dreaded synopsis.

My theory that I may be a plotter was confirmed when I landed my 3 book deal for my regency paranormal romance series. The editor asked for concepts for the next two books...ones I had not written, much less visualized. It was scary, but I pulled it off. And you know what? Not only was book 2 the smoothest book I've ever written, but my CPs say it's even better than the first. 

Now a friend of mine wants me to critique his entry for the annual Idaho Writer's League contest. "Are you going to enter?" he asked. "Or are you too much of a hot shot now?" 

I laughed and replied, "No, I just can't afford the entry fee."

"Well I'll pay it if you critique my entry," he offered.

So I was all, "Oh crap! What do I enter?" 

I don't want to enter my urban fantasy or paranormal stuff because it never seems to go well with the judges. They seem to gravitate toward the normal. So I really want to enter one of my rock star novellas, namely HIS ROADIE because it opens with a bang.  But as you can see from my progress bar, I'm not too far along with it. The entry will consist of the 1st 3500 words, which is fine, but I also need to include a synopsis. 

At first I was all, "Damn it!" but then I remembered how well my 2nd regency paranormal went when I wrote the synopsis in advance. I have a feeling that after I write the synopsis for HIS ROADIE, my progress will increase.

So, HOLY CRAP, I think I'm a plotter! 

Help me find a title!

Well, I'm coming up on the finish line of the rough draft of the second novel in my regency paranormal romance series and I STILL don't have a title. I have a few ideas, but nothing has quite clicked yet. Luckily my editor wants a list of lots of ideas, so I am appealing to you awesome people to help me choose and/ or add to it.

Here's the basic setup of the story:

Vincent Tremayne, Earl of Deveril and Lord Vampire of Cornwall is approached by the Dowager Countess of Morley because of an ancient alliance between their families. Her son, the earl, has died twenty years after marrying a chambermaid and moving to America. He left a daughter and the Countess fears the “uncouth American” will ruin her other granddaughter’s debut. She prevails upon the old alliance and asks Vincent to become Lydia Price’s guardian.

 Due to the countess’s utter biliousness, Vincent agrees. He plans to not only get her married off quickly and thus off his hands, but to ensure that the heroine outshines her cousin just to spite the countess.

But when Lydia arrives in Cornwall, Vincent has a problem: he wants her for himself. But the Lord Vampire of London urges Vincent to follow his original plan- or face dire consequences. 

Since the first book is called "BITE ME, YOUR GRACE," I'm trying to include the word "Bite" in all of the titles, but if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

So here are my ideas so far. Forgive me if a few are bland. 

1.) HER GUARDIAN VAMPIRE

2.) BITE OF A GENTLEMAN

3.) A GENTLEMAN'S BITE

4.) GUARDIAN'S BITE

5.) HER GUARDIAN BITES

6.) BITE OF AN EARL

7.) AN EARL'S BITE

And just to help us with inspiration, here's a hot pic of Wentworth Miller:

Give him long hair and Regency clothing and he could be my cover model! 

Attack of the Plot-Moppets: 5 Reasons I Don't Have Children in my Romances

Nope, don't want em at all.

The lovely ladies at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books have a hilarious glossary which features nifty terms for common things found in romance novels.


Today I wanted to discuss the "Plot Moppet: a small child who has no purpose or development except to drive the plot forward. (Coined and defined by Red Headed Girl)."


And this is one of the reasons I don't care to read about such characters, much less write them. But here are my other reasons:


1.) I read romance to take a vacation from children. I'm a mother of three and although parenting is rewarding, it can be very stressful. Enjoying a three hundred page break from them is a dearly needed breather.


2.) Kids are messy and bratty in real life. But many romance novels seem to pretend they're perfect angels. I can only suspend my disbelief so much. And I try to be realistic in my writing, so why would I want to write about kids destroying the heroines favorite things and giving her a headache with their squabbling?

And sometimes, they're pure EVIL!

3.) Kids are a buzz-kill on the "mood." Yeah, I know where babies come from, but that doesn't mean it's hot when the tot gets in the way during "sexy-times." Of course most of the books I read handle this with the kid conveniently going to bed without protest or being hauled away by a nanny. Which again brings me to frustrated disbelief.


4.) Most of my heroes are vampires and my vampires are sterile. So I don't have to worry about it for most of my books....until my Urban Fantasy series in which there are some disturbing scientific breakthroughs in vampire reproduction. But I'll handle that when it happens.


5.) Most romances feature heroines who want to become mothers and I want to write for those who do not. I believe the genre sometimes neglects these women. I believe there should be moppet-free stories for them too.         

You've Come A Long Way Baby (a post on adding word count)

This ad is so ridiculously funny on so many levels that I couldn't resist. Which is more superior to men? Women? Or the cigarettes?  Anyway, back to the post.

As you can see from my progress bar, I completed the layering operation for BITE ME, YOUR GRACE. W000T! I didn't quite get it up to the 90K I was aiming for, but considering that the very, very first draft was only 55 K, I think I did okay...and I learned a lot about adding necessary word count.

By the time I got the deal with Sourcebooks, the manuscript was at 78K, but they wanted 10K more. "No problem," I thought. I already had a bunch of ideas. 

But then I went through the book and immediately saw some of my amateur attempts to plump up the book: Clunky descriptions, redundant dialogue tags, you name it. During the latest overhaul, I had to cut almost as many words than I added. 

Thankfully, I noticed a major thing that was missing in the book: Emotion. It seemed that whenever I described how a character felt about a situation, it was all tell and no show. Besides the fact that this was only my 3rd manuscript and I was still honing my craft, I believe there are other reasons for this flaw in the story...but that will be another post. :) 

I wish I could post a magical formula of how to effectively layer a manuscript, but I don't feel anywhere near being an expert on it yet. My advice is sheer trial and error, learning what works and what doesn't. Also GET A CRITIQUE GROUP! Mine has been invaluable with this experience. 

On another note: Fellow Casablanca author, Shana Galen kinda laughed at me a bit when she heard of my plight. Apparently she has the opposite problem.

Which makes me wonder: How many of you are slim with your word counts and how many always seem to need to cut?

The Sibling Advantage: by author Grace Burrowes

I’m hard at work on the eighth volume in the Windham family series, a set of Regency romances about the children of the Duke of Moreland. Like many titled fellows of the day, His Grace’s children were not all born to his duchess, though—once he learned of his two pre-marital by-blows—all of his offspring were raised under the ducal roof.

The Moreland Miscellany consists of three sons and five daughters, though Their Graces also lost one son to the Napoleonic Wars, and another to consumption. A family this size and of this composition would be typical of the day (George III had fifteen children, William IV had at least ten (all illegitimate), and Victoria had nine), but that’s a minor reason for why I constructed my cast of characters this way.

The Windham Family Tree

The sibling relationship is seldom without intensity. Siblings generally know us longer and better than anybody else on the planet, including our parents. Siblings are often the first people about whom we feel protective (though as toddlers we can be possessive of our parents), and particularly for boys, sisters are often the first females for whom they feel responsible (Dad having Mom’s protection assigned to him). At the end of life, when our children are grown and gone, and our parents deceased, it’s often our siblings with whom we have the most in common. 

Siblings can use their proximity to make our lives hell, or they can be the people with whom we share the best, most cherished memories. In either case, the relationship has depth, intensity, and range. Even in a situation were siblings no longer speak to each other, the relationship has presence, though it’s a silent presence.

When I’m casting around for how to sustain a reader’s interest across eight books, the sibling relationship is one tool at my disposal. In addition to the romances arcing through each novel, I can develop themes among the sibling cast that will resonate from story to story. For example, in each book in the Windham series, the brothers who have been lost to death are grieved by their siblings differently. One sister, Sophie, has a hard time with Christmas, because her brother died of consumption near the holidays. Her brother, Valentine, misses the departed sibling who was closest to him age, because that brother was also the closest thing he had to a friend in the familiar household. The loss shapes how the siblings relate to each other as adults, and it brings them closer together.

Using a sibling cast also allows me to use each book as opportunity for “epilogue scenes.” In book five, we get to check in with the couples we fell in love with in books one through four—as if they were our siblings. While I still have to do some character development for the secondary siblings from book to book, the burden is lighter because I know them all so very, very well.   

And this is probably the primary reason I use siblings in such abundance in my books: I am one of seven children, and I’m on very good terms with my siblings. They know me better than anybody, in some senses, and they love me better, too. When I turned to writing novels, the sibling milieu was a place I felt at home.

And in celebration of the sibling bond, to one commenter, Brookyn Ann and I will giving away one signed set of the first four books in the Windham series: “The Heir,” “The Soldier,” “The Virtuoso,” and “Lady Sophie’s Christmas Wish.”

What’s your take on the sibling bond? Do you like to see it in your books, get tired of it, wish there were more sisters and fewer bros?

For more about Grace's books, click here: http://graceburrowes.com/books/main.php 

Grace Burrowes is a child welfare attorney living in western Maryland. She does not own a TV, and thus has plenty of time to correspond with readers, and also to write more books. You can reach her through her website, graceburrowes.com, on Facebook (Grace Burrowes Author), or twitter @graceburrowes

A Lesson on Priorities

Dio says, "Listen up!"

Last Saturday, I dragged by hungover ass to my 2nd RWA meeting. (It had been a month since I'd had a karaoke Friday and I'd desperately needed it.) Despite my queasy stomach and exhaustion, the meeting was well worth it. I learned so many things about goals and time management and I hope to share them all with you as well as how I do with implementing them. My husband says I have the organizational skills of a cement mixer and he's totally right.

One thing I want to discuss today is this: One author shared a story about another author who had been angry with someone. Later, she calculated the time she spent on being angry vs. the time she spent writing. Naturally, the results were unpleasant. The author sharing the story then gave us all handouts to fill in our goals for a day and a slot to fill in how much time we spent on them.

This really hit home with me. First because only a few days prior, one of my crit partners and I were doing a writing sprint...but then it dissolved into a conversation about an inconsequential matter. It was fun and much girl talk was exchanged, but we were supposed to be writing.

Then, today I had my weekly session with my therapist. Yet another thing had happened which could potentially affect my writing and a bunch of other stuff. My therapist said, "Come on, I know you are dedicated to your writing career. If this does happen, you'll move things around, but you WILL get the writing done. Sometimes it may not be easy, but you will do it. I KNOW you will. Worrying about it will only waste more time."

Then I remembered the lesson of the RWA meeting and I'm all, "Oh yeah, duh."

Moral of the story: STOP letting inconsequential matters get in the way of what you need to do. STOP worrying. Worrying wastes time you could be spending on more productive or pleasant things.

My 2012 Goals

Besides petting kitties and ogling topless guys, of course.

Since my career as an author has reached a new level, most of my goals will be focused on writing. And... this year I'm not even going to bother anything about keeping the house clean. I'm just going to have to accept my limits.

1.) Make all my writing/editing deadlines in time for my editor: This is the most important one. I need to prove I've got what it takes to be a professional author. Since I'm crazy obsessed with punctuality, I feel optimistic about this one.

2.) Finish book 2 of my regency paranormal romance series: With my awesome crit group on my butt about getting pages to them in time, I KNOW I'm going to make this one. Hell, I even have hope I can...

3.) Finish at least the rough draft of book 3. I already have the hero fleshed out in my mind and I can't wait to tell his story.

4.) Finish revisions on WRENCHING FATE: I'm already getting good critiques back on it. The good thing is that everyone loves the story and characters so I just have some technical issues to sort out.


5.) Find a home for WRENCHING FATE/ the UF series. I already have a few ideas, but my regencies need to come first for now.

6.) Keep track of all writing expenses so I survive tax season next year. My husband says I have the organizational skills of a cement mixer...I better do something about that.

7.) Maintain a strong online presence and continue to build my platform. I love my online community!  

8.) Form and follow a plan of preparations for the release of my debut novel (Spring of 2013) Besides the edits, I know there's a ton of other stuff involved. And I still haven't figured out where I'm going to hold my release party...which is fine now, but as that date comes closer....EEK!

9.) Not go insane as my release date creeps closer. OMG OMG, I'm already on my way. I need to keep remembering to do that thing....what's it called again? Oh yeah, breathing.

10.) Maintain good relationships with my friends and family. I would not have succeeded if it weren't for their love and support.

11.) Quit Smoking on August 13. Yeah, you heard me.

12.) Lose twenty pounds. But I'd be happy with fifteen.

The Holiday Craziness

The holidays are an explosion of insanity for anyone, but for writers, it's even worse. Between the rush and pressure to finish the Christmas shopping and subsequent wrapping of gifts, there's always holiday events and parties to attend, the regular day job...and cold and flu season to contend with.

But the writer still has work to do. Projects still have deadlines, whether real or self-imposed. The self-imposed ones are the hardest. I believe that for the aspiring writer, the holidays are a dangerous time. With all the chaos, it is tempting to put a project away with a tentative promise to oneself to dig it back out in January. Or even worse, it can be tempting to just give up. Contracted authors have it a little easier, in that they have no choice but to push on.

And push on I will, daunting as it is. Despite the holiday craziness, I will keep writing. I have 3 projects, but will expend the most effort on the one which has a home. I will also do my best to keep up with my critique of a friend's novel. ...and I'm making a quilt for my oldest stepdaughter. It won't be done by Christmas, but I hope make progress on it. And if my house has to look like it threw up for the next few weeks, so be it.

How are you managing the holiday craziness? What do you do to keep your sanity?  

NaNo Recap: Triumph or Fail?

As I mentioned in this post, I decided to try my hand at NaNo at the last minute. It was completely unofficial. I didn't sign in to the NaNoWrimo site. Hell, I didn't even put up a progress bar. I did it unofficially because I anticipated being pulled away to work on something else at any moment....but I still wanted to write. I needed to write.

I got about 5K into another rock star romance novella before, sure enough, I remembered a friend's birthday was coming up, so I had to work on a portrait of his favorite IRON MAIDEN album cover.

I'd lost my 6B pencil, but I found it so I gotta shade it in more.

And of course since it's November, I ended up with a terrible cold that lasted nearly 2 weeks...while I was working on the portrait. 

After I finished it, I lost grasp on the former project. But I still wanted to write. So I decided to be evil and write the opening of the 4th book in my urban fantasy series that one of my betas had been begging for. I sent her the first few paragraphs. Yeah, she wants more. And I would have given it to her.

But then my editor asked for the concepts of my next 2 books. I've never written a synopsis for a book I hadn't written, and now I had to do 2. EEEEK! 

After much stressing, I pulled it off, and it was fun! I like these stories and can't wait to write them! Hell, I already got started before I heard back.

Thankfully, she LOVED them! 

So, I wrote approximately 11K for NaNoWriMo...not only did I fail to get the requisite 50K, but it was on 4 different projects.

But I think I still WON because I was WRITING. And I have the beginnings of many pleasant journeys before me.

What do you think. Did you do NaNo? How did it turn out for you this year?

Transporting the Reader.

So I just finished reading HEARTS IN ATLANTIS by my hero, Stephen King. This guy has got to be the most misunderstood author ever. Both my mother in law and Grandmother shudder when they hear his name, though I'd bet a fortune neither have read so much as a paragraph of one of his novels. And the looks on the faces of some people when they're informed it was Stephen King who wrote THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION & STAND BY ME? Priceless.

They think he's just a horror author, good for gore and cheap thrills. They don't realize that not only does he write other things than horror, he is a master story-teller. He captures people's hopes, dreams, and fears and places them on the page for the reader. He builds worlds with such clarity that one can smell the air, spot the landmarks...and even draw a map. (Hey fellow SK fans...I'll meetcha in the Barrens in a few...we have a monster to kill.)  Okay, though I'm tempted to use IT as an example, I'm going to stick with HEARTS IN ATLANTIS.

The blurb on the back says it "...will take some readers to a place have never been...and others to a place they have never been able to leave completely."

Wow. I've never seen a blurb deliver exactly what it promises.

HEARTS IN ATLANTIS (the book, not the movie) was four stories and an epilogue in which the characters all intertwine in some way. And all were about the 60's and the effect it had on those people.

I wasn't born until '82 so it was definitely a whole new world to me. I love my historical novels for the same reason...but this was different. This was deeper, because though I'd never been in the 60's, I have friends who have, a lot of them Vietnam Veterans. They rarely ever speak of the war, especially to me...unless they are very drunk. To them, I'm still just a kid...and a girl at that. How could I ever understand? I was never there, of course I can't understand. I was never offended.

There are things people experience that many will never understand. I think of a crazy New Year's Eve when I was 13...the madness of that night is still too much to talk about except for a vivid memory of my mom shoving me into my room and screaming at me to barricade the door with my dresser. It was a huge dresser, I have no idea how I managed, but I did what she said...then I remember collapsing in tears and praying she'd be alive in the morning....and then nothing.

Anyway, after reading HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, I still don't really know what my drinking buddies have been through, but I think I may have a glimmer of understanding.

King didn't elaborate too much about the actual war, but more on the effects it had on people....still, since he was there in that era, I bet his drinking buddies were less reluctant to talk about it.  He didn't fight in 'Nam, but he'd wanted to. "Don't be an idiot, Stephen," his mother told him. "With your eyes, you'd be the first one to get shot. You can't write if you're dead." That was in ON WRITING and thank God for the wisdom of moms. But I now learned there was more to it than that.

Apparently back then, men in college had to keep a certain grade point average or else they'd get drafted. It was literally: STUDY OR DIE. My mind is still blown by that concept. I asked a few people if it was true and they just shrugged calmly. "Yup."

I think of the scene where the mother tells her son to work hard at his studies because boys who don't have been dying....and tears come to my eyes. Then King goes on to describe how the "peace sign" became the symbol of the war protests and so much more. To people of my generation it was just a cutesy retro design. But for a generation it actually MEANT something.

I'm not going to say anything good or bad about Vietnam or the protests or the government or anything like that....and for the record, I don't think Sai King really did either. He gave the reader an unbiased panorama of all sides. I wasn't there, I have no room to talk. But....while reading HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, I felt like I was for a minute.

And THAT'S the point of this post. I want to transport the reader to different worlds and perspectives. I want them to feel like they've REALLY been to the places I put on on a page. As writers we ALL should feel that way.

P.S. To the lazy-nicks out there: the movie only featured the 1st story...and they totally ruined it. But, Anthony Hopkins kicks ass and it's still worth watching. But to get what I'm talking about in this post, READ THE BOOK!

Why I'm doing NaNo this year....sorta.

In the last few weeks I've discovered a small (thankfully temporary) downside to getting a book deal: the "not writing" part. While waiting to begin edits on my novel, I occupied myself with research and notes for subsequent books in the series...but I don't want to go too far and fall in love with an idea only to have my editor not like it. I've also been working at keeping up with my social networking, which thanks to all you awesome people, doesn't really feel like work. But...I MISS writing! I miss bringing characters and adventures to life on the page.

So...mere hours before it started, I've decided to unofficially do NaNoWrimo. I'm doing another novella in my rock star series. Like my last one, it's a pure guilty pleasure project. I've had the premise and some fun scenes floating in my head for months and NaNo gave me the perfect excuse to indulge myself.

In summary, this project is pure playtime in which I give myself full permission to write junk and have fun with obvious and not so obvious references to both fiction and the heavy metal subculture. I.E. In the real world, there's a "Big Six" in publishing and the "Big Four" in Thrash metal. In my fictional world, I have a "Big Six" in thrash metal, LOL. I also named the band in this project, Vishӧus. ;)

Taking great hair and great music to the next level? How can I resist?

But as I have no idea where and if this series would fit in the market, I am not that emotionally invested in it. When the time comes to get back to work on BITE ME, YOUR GRACE, I can close this document without regret.

Because I now realize what NaNoWrimo is all about. Getting writers doing what they do best: WRITING.

Subplots are Tricky: Guest Post by Kinley Baker

Thank you, Brooklyn Ann, for inviting me to Supernatural Smut!

I’m excited to be here and talk about one of my favorite things: subplots. I like to construct stories with a lot of subplots mainly because I like to write in multiple POVs (point-of-views). Like in Ruined, I wrote from the perspective of not just the hero and heroine, but also the villain, the mentor, the seductress and the Book Two hero. Since this was my first novel, I learned a lot about subplots during the editing process. The number one thing I learned is that the subplots must relate to the overall story.

The reason why subplots are tricky is because it’s hard to find a good balance. I personally like when a lot is going on in a novel as long as I can follow along. But my favorite scenes in books are always going to be between the hero and heroine. I love the scenes where the hero and heroine fight, where they make up, where they have those soft moments right before something throws them for a loop. So while I like a lot going on in the story, I always want the focus to be on the couple. This is a little different for fantasy compared to paranormal romance. I think you might find more context and characters beyond the world of the hero and heroine in fantasy novels. But since I’m a fan of both, I try to trend more toward the paranormal romance philosophy where everything should relate back to the couple.

Since Ruined is my debut, I’m still learning how to juggle subplots. I think each book I write makes it easier to discern which storylines belong and which should be taken out. I’m especially excited about Book Two in the Ruined trilogy because I love how one of the side stories ends up impacting the major plot.

I automatically associate subplots with POVs. If I reveal a character in a story, that character should have a compelling reason for being there. I constantly have to remind myself of this. It’s also good to understand the goal, motivation and conflict for the characters involved in subplots, whether or not you show their view point.

Questions I learned to ask during the editing process:

Why is this subplot included?

How does this storyline relate to the overarching theme?

What makes this character view point important to the story?

What would be different about this story if this character and their experiences weren’t in it?

If I took this subplot out, will the main story be impacted? (On this one, if the answer is no, it can be taken out.)

Here are a few Pros and Cons of Subplots:

PROs of Subplots

Incorporating storylines for minor characters can encourage an author to make the smaller characters more interesting. It gives an opportunity for the author to ask, what makes this character tick? What does this character want from this story? It can take a villain who we may see as “bad” and give him motivation so we can understand why he’s bad.

Multiple storylines can help in series. Sometimes including storylines for smaller characters can leave the reader wondering . . . whatever happened to (insert name). . . which means they want to know more about the world you built in Book One.

CONs of Subplots

They can be confusing for readers to follow. If there’s too many things going on, readers may find themselves asking why they should care. This also depends on the reader. Some readers have zero tolerance for subplots. Some really like them.

Readers may wonder about the relation between the minor side stories and the main love story. If they can’t figure it out, they may skip past the sections that don’t involve the hero and heroine.

This is what I’ve learned so far. I think this is a constantly changing thing and heavily depends on the individual story. Fantasy usually involves more subplots. I recently finished a futuristic novella where I just show the hero and heroine, which was very challenging for me. I think it’s a good exercise to step out of our comfort zones and do the things that make us nervous.

Subplots can pull readers into the fictional world or they can distract readers. As long as we’re consciously analyzing which subplot is moving the story forward and which are holding it back, I think we’re on the right track.

What’s your reader preference? Lots of subplots, the fewer the better or somewhere in-between?

Thank you so much, Brooklyn Ann! I enjoyed hanging out today.

BIO

Kinley Baker read her first romance novel at the age of thirteen and immediately fell in love with the hero and the genre. She is the author of the fantasy romance, Ruined, recently released from Crescent Moon Press. As a firm supporter of all supernatural lifestyles, she writes fantasy romance, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy. She lives with her husband and her dog, Joker, in the Pacific Northwest. You can find Kinley at www.kinleybaker.com.

Stand-Alones With Series Potential

I've been thinking a lot about my regency paranormal romance, BITE ME, YOUR GRACE. While I had an agent, I did my best to pretend it didn't exist while it was supposedly being shopped. Instead I focused on the first two in my BRIDES OF PROPHECY series and getting them ready for a professional eye. That, I still believe is a good thing since one of the golden rules of being on submission is to concentrate on other work.

But now it's time to think about that regency. It is, by far the most fun book I have and the most fun to write. Also, it is in the best shape of my projects and has been read by more people than the others.

Almost all who have read it have asked: "Is there a series?" Or "Why don't you have any more historicals?"

Hmmmm....why don't I? Besides my former agent never bringing it up and my attachment to my "pet" projects, I have no excuse.

It's true that BITE ME, YOUR GRACE likely can't have a direct sequel as all loose ends were tied up....but....

Is Ian, my vampire duke, the only immortal blood drinker hiding in the ton? There could totally be more. Who was Ian's second in command? Whoever he is, he'd have to be quite alpha and studly. And what happens when Ian and his bride leave London for an extended honeymoon? Silas McNaught is his temporary replacement...and though my beta readers know what his story is centuries down the road, we don't know how his first stint as a Lord vampire went. How did London's vampires tolerate having a new master? And a Scot at that?

And let's leave London for a minute. Who are the Lords of Britain's other regions? I bet the Lord of Cornwall lives in a spooky castle. 

Oh, the ideas are spinning! Happy Friday, all!

Now That Summer's Over...

The kids are back in school and I hope to get my writing schedule back in shape. I'm on week 3 of wearing this stupid brace on my hand (that's why I haven't been as active online. Typing in this thing is a bitch). So I should be free of it by Monday. In the meantime I'd like to compile my fall/winter goals.

1.) Get back into a regular writing regime. My husband may actually help me get on board with this by taking my internet modem away and leaving me alone for 2 hours.

2.) Finish rough draft of Book 3 in my series by Christmas. Because Book 4 is really nagging me..so much that I may sneak in notes and rough scenes by then.

3.) Get books 1 & 2 polished up a little more before I commence the grand agent hunt. What's cool is that I just put them on my Kindle and WOW! Not only is it crazy to read my book as a book, it is also easier to spot errors. I found 3 typos in the 1st 3 chapters...and realized the hero from book 2 isn't smoking his pipe in book 1. For shame!

4.) Keep caught up with blog posts. I've been slacking again... But next week I have some awesome guest posts!

5.) Get caught up with the bills...so I can buy more books! I'm loving my Kindle...but hating my empty bank account. To solve this, I've begun my "Blood for Books" campaign. No, I'm not letting vampires bite me. ::wistful sigh:: I'm selling my plasma. My 1st appointment is today...and since I can't have alcohol within 24 hours of donating, this should help stave off "Hemmingway Syndrome."

Anyone else have plans for fall and winter?

5 WTF Moments in Fiction

We've all read novels where something happens to make us go, "WTF? " and I'm sure we've all written many. In reading and writing, I've come across enough to see that there seem to be different types.

1.) The "Contrived for Marketability" WTF: Maybe the editors wanted it, maybe the author guessed in advance that the editor would want it. Either way, there was a series I read in which I'm convinced the author put a love triangle in there just because love triangles have been popular in her genre. For one thing the "other guy" seemed to be just friends with the heroine until near the end of book one. For another, their few romantic incidents seemed forced. Finally, at the end, with no drama or fireworks, the character narrates that she picked the main guy, and other guy moved away to live happily ever after.I'm not a fan of love triangles but I don't mind them if they eventually have a point.

2.) The "Contrived to Please the Fans" WTF: When a series becomes really popular, there's online discussions everywhere speculating about which characters are going to do what and who next. One series I'm reading had many readers clamoring for 2 male characters to hook up. The problem was, only 1 was gay. So....all of a sudden, the straight guy turned gay. I'm sure plenty of fans are jumping for joy, but I'm just not buying it.

3.) The "Oh-Crap-I-Got-The-Characters-In-Too-Big-Of-A-Bind-And-Must-BS-My-Way-Out" WTF: We all know that action and tension is a main necessity in keeping the reader hooked, but it seems there are times where the author overdid it and had to manufacture a miracle so she may be free to move on to the next plot point...or worse, end the story. This is also known as Deus Ex Machina

4.) The "Why Did Nobody Think Of This?" WTF: Sometimes what's not there in a story is more baffling than what is. I read a novel in which a character became a political symbol and a catalyst for a revolution. The government seemed to do all they could to stop it from happening...except make the character ugly. With the people's obsession with image, it seemed an obvious solution...but then the bad guys would have won and there wouldn't be 3 books worth of awesomeness, so I'm prepared to forgive it.

5.) The Random WTF: Sometimes something happens in a story that comes out of nowhere...and I mean nowhere. Worse, it does nothing for the plot. Often those moments should be cut, but other times, they are teasers for future books. I have mixed feelings about these.

All of these WTFs have occurred at least once in books I've loved, so obviously they don't ruin the story...then again I've had some in my own writing that I know I'll have to fix.

What WTF moments have you written? In reading, which drive you closest to madness?