The character is the heart of the story in my writing world. I figure out the characters long before I figure out the plot. Maybe because memorable characters are what I look for in books, movies, and shows I love. Maybe because I feel like who a character is will determine how they react to... Continue Reading →
Between deadlines, releases, running AOAD, my gig as a VPA, and momming, I've had several author friends ask how I do it. How do I keep on top of everything? First of all...I don't. I am not superwoman or a magician. Things fall through the cracks on a regular basis. Plans don't work out the... Continue Reading →
While I've been writing all my life, I got into self-publishing in the last decade and followed it with traditional publishing through a small press a few years later. Kind of like how you wish your older self could tell your high school self some tips (like don't bother with that guy), there are things... Continue Reading →
I know you're expected a show don't tell king of blog post here, but not today. 🙂 The other day I posted a question on social media. I wanted to know readers' favorite ways to show/read chemistry and build up of tension between the hero/heroin in a romance novel. I got some great answers, so... Continue Reading →
That's right! And I learned that it's all about choices and exercise. I know no one wants to hear that, but... Seems like each decade my "resting weight" goes up about 10 lbs. I was happy with where I was in my 20s and most of my 30s. But over the last 2 years of... Continue Reading →
Originally posted on Paranormal Romantics 5/20/2017 *** A frequent tip you'll hear in writing workshops, seminars, and blogs is to include the senses in your descriptions. One workshop I attended mentioned trying to include all 5 senses on every page. I took this to be a bit of an exaggeration, as that would be a... Continue Reading →
I write romance, which means I come across similar character archetypes regularly. The fun part of these as an author is taking something well-known and putting my own fun spin on it. The fun part of these as a reader is having my favorite archetypes to read. I'm drawn to certain archetypes more than others.... Continue Reading →
As romance readers and writers we can easily fall into the trap of perfect. This is, after all, fiction and involves a certain amount (some romance books more than others) of fantasy. If you could fantasize your perfect guy and put him on paper what characteristics would you include? Most, including me, would probably describe... Continue Reading →
I received comments back from a new beta reader for me the other day, and something she did really struck home. She asked questions! Lots of them. It occurred to me that this was a fabulous technique which filled a personal gap for me in terms of my writing. I am not naturally a questioner,... Continue Reading →
I consider myself to be a character driven writer. The tricky part with writing side characters is giving them a voice without letting them take over the page, but at the same time not letting them just be place holders or extras in the scene. Even harder, I find, is writing a cast of characters and... Continue Reading →
