Magical Musings

We recently inherited a 17-year-old beagle. Some of you have already heard me talk about Rosie. She’s fat (though losing weight fast), snores, is flatulent, and has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

We’ve had her for only two weeks and three days . . . and we adore her. She’s a small dog with a BIG personality. I already have stories about her. One day I sent my son three different emails about things she’d done. The third time he emailed back, “You have to put her in a book.”

I immediately thought “Of course.” The little bit of my next book that I know about, she would fit right in. She’s so eager to love and be loved. The need vibrates off her. She’ll make readers laugh and will tug at their hearts. The book will be women’s fiction, and I want all my main characters to tug at hearts.

As a bonus, I’ll get to have a dog on the book cover. When I’m in a bookstore, the cover I can’t resist is one with a cute dog on it. I have to pick it up and look at the blurb. I may not buy it, but I’ll read the back cover copy. If I like it, I’ll read the first page. If I like that, then I buy it. But the cover is the first step. So the thought of a cover with a cute beagle makes me happy.

I actually remember covers with dogs, and posted a few. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they’ve all done well — and some very well. Sure, it’s the writing. But it’s also the cute dog. Look at Marley & Me. They didn’t use the “old dog” shot. They used the “puppy” shot.

At Magical Musings, we tend to use photos of cats for our blogs. When I see cats on book covers, they are often older and not as cute. The art department is going for attitude instead of cuteness. I think they’re missing out. Yesterday afternoon I was busy in the kitchen and turned on the TV. Ellen DeGeneres had a rerun of a show from November with Oscar winner Sandra Bullock. In addition to the movie The Blind Side, Ellen talked about Sandra’s Chihuahuas. Sandra and her husband adopted one with only two legs, and another missing one leg. Ellen showed photos of the dogs, and I could head the audience going “Aww.” I was going “Aww” with them.

See? Heart tuggers.

What about you? Would a dog cover tempt you to pick it up? What about a cover with a cute cat?

What kind of book cover tugs at your heart? What can’t you resist?

I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of months now. I’ve mentioned previously that I was so pleased to find several new authors in the urban fantasy genre. As a result, I would try ‘em out, and if I liked their voice and/or series, I’d purchase everything by that author. Which of course, would lead to a reading frenzy.

What I didn’t anticipate was the fact that you can get burned out on one author if you overdo it. This happened to me with a couple of authors. Unfortunately, one of them was Lilith St. Crowe and another, Jeanne Ready-Smith. I think that’s the correct spelling. Both are excellent writers. Their characters are interesting, world building is tight, and the stories are compelling. What happened is that I overdosed on them. I think I read something like five of Lilith’s books in a row and read four of Jeanne’s. It got to the point where I lost interest. Which is something you don’t want happening … be you the reader or the author.

It took me a little while to figure out why I was reluctant to either finish the book I’d been reading or starting the next one in the series. Burn out … plain and simple.

So now, I’m a little more careful. When I find an author I like, I break it up. I just got done reading “Greywalker” and “Poltergeist” by Kat Richardson and have just started “Divine Misdemeanor” by Laurell K. Hamilton. Before that I read “First Drop of Crimson” by Jeaniene Frost; plus books by Barb Hendee and Chloe Neill. All of these authors have several books out and are part of very different series. I’m just trying to break them up enough so that when I read the next book in the series, it will feel fresh and exciting again. Does that make sense?

The only problem with this method is trying to keep track of the various series. Sometimes I have to find the previous book to refresh my memory of what was happening in the story. I’m finding that out in the Merry Gentry series by LKH. Story threads referred to in the latest book tend to be a little confusing unless you have a hellava good memory.

I have no doubt that I’ll go back and finish those authors I lost interest in. I just gotta put a little bit of distance between us first. I’m curious, though. Is this something that’s unique to urban fantasy series, or does anyone else find this happening to them in other genres?

Award winning author, Marie Force, will be our guest at Magical Musings this Thursday. Marie hails from Rhode Island, and has a communications background previously working as a reporter, editor, and writer for the last 20 years. Most recently, she serves as the communications director for a national membership organization.

Marie’s upcoming novel, Fatal Affair, will be a Carina Press June 2010 release. And, Everyone Loves A Hero, is slated for spring 2011 from Sourcebooks. Marie’s lastest, Love At First Flight, was voted best book by Long and Short Reviews.

Marie celebrated her debut book at Magical in 2008, and it’s been fun watching her career unfold. She has a fabulous website, and I encourage all of you to visit. I read her biography and thought, what an amazing woman! You can also read about her upcoming books, and numerous reviews there.

First Drop of Crimson
By: Jeaniene Frost
ISBN: 978-0-06-158322-3

After the grisly death of her husband, Denise MacGregor, best friend to Cat Crawfield of Frost’s Night Huntress Series, wants nothing to do with the paranormal world. She cuts all ties with anything remotely paranormal, including all contact with her friend and Cat’s husband, Bones.

That is, until a demon lands on her doorstep. Raun is a particularly nasty demon who wants the freedom promised him in a summoning by one of Denise’s ancestors, Nathanial, and he’ll kill her family one by one until she produces him. Unfortunately for Denise, the only place Nathaniel could be so effective hidden is in the vampire community.

Unable to contact either Cat or Bones, Denise feels she has little choice but to get in touch with Bones’ best friend, Spade. By this time, she is ‘demon touched’ … marked in such a way that Raun is able to locate her at any time. Spade is able to locate a couple of vampire demonologists who are able to cover the brands on her hands and wrists with mystic tattoos that blunt the demon’s access to Denise.

Spade carries his own personal demons when it comes to dealing with humans. After the tragic end of a love affair centuries ago, he generally avoids all intimate contact with them. However, Denise MacGregor had always left a sensuous impression upon him. One he was determined to fight even though he’s willing to help her.

The sparks fly immediately between Denise and Spade, but their attraction proves dangerous when they discover that Denise’s blood was infected by the demon marks and produces a drug called Red Dragon … a drug highly prized by vampires and one (with a live source) that many vampires will stop at nothing to obtain. The fact that the source is female makes Denise irresistible to the low lifes of the vampire drug dealers.

Locating Nathanial proves to be comparatively easy. He had been a source of the Red Dragon drug for decades. What is difficult is finding a way to destroy a demon.

I’ll admit that initially I was disappointed that this wasn’t another book in the Night Huntress series, but Jeaniene Frost quickly put that disappointed to rest as I read “First Drop of Crimson”. This is a WOW book with enough action (both dangerous and sensuous) to satisfy any fan of the Night Huntress series. Jeaniene did a great job keeping me on the edge of my seat and I think I polished off this book in something like less than two days. Would have been sooner but the day job kept getting in the way. I’d definitely recommend this new series. I know I’m looking forward to the next installment.

I recently read a article about aging. Since elderly characters keep showing up in my work, I’m fascinated and inspired with the process. And too, I like plugging in once in awhile to see how the journey is working for me. I’m happy to report I have no complaints, especially considering what the other option is. No, I think I’ll hang around and discover pearls along the way.

A recent survey shows that 45% of the participants said life turned out better than they imagined. Aging gave them an opportunity for a calmer and kinder life. 5% said it was worse. Not sure, but I imagine that 5% didn’t have many nice things to say about their youth either; not even when they were smack dab in the middle of those glorious years.

I believe there’s great beauty in growing old gracefully. The little lines that deepen around a smile, the light in someone’s eyes that reflect an understanding of life. A scene in a movie kept cropping up as I wrote this blog. An elderly woman sits on a bench, and is in the last stages of life. She says something like, “You only see things properly when you’re about to leave, and then everything seems to shine.” I love that, and I strongly suspect it’s very true.

As writers, we’re lucky. I’ve discovered that my characters are constantly teaching me. Through them, I can see things in a different light; their light. Where else can we travel back through history, live in the now, or romp into the future through another’s eyes? Writing is an extraordinary world, and in it we can become children again, or navigate story through an elders eyes and learn the wisdom of our characters; no matter the age.

Life really does get better and better. How’s the journey where you are?

Since this is Magical Musings, I thought it only appropriate to blog about something completely Magical! It just so happens that my current release, Her Lone Cowboy, is that something.

Sometimes you hear authors say that a particular story was blessed with a bit of fairy dust. If that’s true, then this book was one. The months leading up to writing it, I’d had one story that was a huge challenge from start to finish, and then writing the Cowboys and Confetti duet meant very tight deadlines. Suddenly the ten weeks I had to write Her Lone Cowboy became eight. And then revisions and proofs on One Dance With The Cowboy made it six. But I was determined to meet my deadline, so I set a daily word count goal, rolled up my sleeves and dug in.

It all sounds very logical and doable, right? So many words a day for so many days and at the end of it you have a book. The problem is when the words don’t flow right, or there’s something wrong that you have to fix, and making word count does NOT guarantee a good story. And six weeks is not a lot of time. This is where the magic comes in. Maybe it was good karma; after two more difficult stories I was due for one that went a bit more smoothly. Maybe it really was fairy dust. But I think it was a bit of magic, and that magic was Noah Laramie and Lily Germaine.

Noah is the very first physically disabled character I’ve written. He’s a fairly recent amputee and his life has changed drastically. But I also knew he couldn’t feel sorry for himself. Heroes lead, they don’t wallow in their misfortunes. Even if it means a bit of denial, they’re proactive. What that meant for Noah was wanting to heal faster than he was, getting frustrated with not being able to do things, being reluctant to ask for help because he’s very independent…and at the same time, having him very, very vulnerable on the inside. Magic. For me, Noah was complete magic. I fell in love with him in Chapter One and I don’t think I ever stopped. He even broke my heart a few times in the course of the book when he let the heroine see that vulnerable side.

Then there’s Lily. Lily was a bit of magic too. I tried to put myself in Lily’s shoes. How awkward would she feel meeting Noah? Should she look at his stump or ignore it? Should she mention it or keep quiet? Should she sympathize with him? Then I realized that Noah was still a man, and a man who would hate to be pitied. So she meets him head on, very practical, little fuss, and just THERE for him. Lily’s got her own baggage, but she was exactly what Noah needed. She totally looks beyond the injury to the man beneath and finds him very sexy (as did I, swoon!) Putting the two of them together, seeing them butt heads but also confide in each other and become friends was so rewarding. Together they had the best kind of magic – love and respect and compassion.

I’d like to say the book wrote itself, but it didn’t. There were blips that needed smoothing out, times I struggled, but on the whole it was one of those books that was an absolute joy to write.

Oh yeah – and I made my deadline.

Her Lone Cowboy is out this month in North America and next month in the UK in a 2-in-1 with Diana Palmer. You can check out the cover, blurb and an excerpt on my webpage at www.donnaalward.com or at eharlequin.

Best wishes,

Donna

http://www.donnaalward.com/

I’m halfway through my wip. And just a little before the halfway mark, a LOT happens. Actually, what happens is what I thought was going to happen about 75% to 80% of the way through the book. A high moment that made an earlier-than-scheduled appearance.

I stopped writing, even though I hadn’t made my pages for the day, and spent the rest of the day mulling this over. Then I carried on for a few more pages, drawing the plot along to the next logical step, but I was a little afraid. I had peaked way, way too early, hadn’t I?

And yet, the moment had felt right. It was a high moment – yes – it was big. But keeping it back would have killed the middle of the book. I’d have been marking time. So I went out and bought groceries, made banana bread, cleaned a little, did the laundry. And mulled. And then I didn’t even mull, I read a fantasy novel that was nothing like my own work, gave my sub-conscious a little kiss and wished it God-speed, and today, I know what happens next. Sort of. I’ll still mulling, but I’m excited. There is a Plan. With a capital P.

So now I’m reading another book, again, completely unlike my own, and hoping that darling little subconscious is slaving away for me a bit more. And I feel good. Because I trusted myself to come up with something even bigger than the high moment I just wrote. From the outset of writing this book, I had this moment pegged at the end, but hey, who am I to look a gift-high moment in the mouth?

Do you ever feel you’re peaking too soon, and do you hold back, or do you say what the heck, write it anyway, and come up with an even bigger moment later on?

On Sunday I finished the second revision of my current book. As I was going through my ms., I found a section where my heroine kept repeating the same thing. This was after the first sex scene, about halfway through the book. Sex scenes–like any other scene–should change the characters. It did change the hero. That was my plan, that he would know first that she was the one for him, and it would take her longer to know. So even though I knew it changed the heroine, my vision was that she wouldn’t admit to feeling different. To her it was life as usual.

This didn’t work well. Since I write in deep POV and the character wasn’t admitting the changes to herself, how was the reader supposed to know this changed her? In any case, I don’t want to repeat the same thing over and over. It’s only about 20 pages, so I’ll go over them, cut the redundancies and put in new revelations. I’ll show the changes. She won’t admit that he’s the one, but she’ll soften. Like butter that’s been left out for an hour before making cookies, versus butter that’s been melted.

On one of my loops, writers are talking about storyboards, tri-fold-outs, post-its and different colored cards. Two of the writers mark on their story tool what the pov character feels in the beginning of each scene and what she/he feels in the end. I don’t use any of that. I know without using a story tool that during the scene something has to change. My ideal is to start with tension, maybe ease it during the scene–or not–then end with even more tension. Do something to raise the stakes. So I make sure I have changes for the external story. It’s just in that 20-page or so section, I ignored my heroine’s internal changes.

Do you make sure your characters’ emotions change in your scenes? Internally and externally? Or is this something you do unconsciously? And do you use a story tool?

There was an interesting discussion the other day on one of my loops about unusual places a writer might write in order to get anything done. Me? I’m perfectly happy with writing at home … so long at its about 4:30 in the morning and no one else is around. I get a lot of work done at that insane hour. During the summer I’ve been known to take the laptop outside and work on the patio once it gets a little dark. That doesn’t last long since the mosquitos tend to get vicious when the sun goes down. Still, it’s a nice change of scenery.

Some of the comments involved writing at any given kid’s extracurricular activity such as dance class, swim meets, gymnastics, basketball games … whatever. Another mentioned how she did copy edits while at the hospital waiting for the birth of her grandchild while another mentioned writing at the hospital while her son slept following knee surgery.

There are more drastic places such as sitting in a hotel while the family enjoyed Disney World, or enduring the painful atmosphere of Chuck E. Cheese. Then there’s the pre-requisite planes, trains and automobiles. Planes are actually a pretty good place to work … if you don’t mind the person next to you trying to read what you’re writing. That’s happened to me. I’m told that trains are difficult because the constant motion tends to encourage headaches and I’ve spoken with numerous authors who are able to write while on long road trips. No — not while they’re driving.

One person commented that she proofed galleys at the Coliseum during a Rose Bowl game and have even done some writing on a legal pad while sitting on the sidewalk waiting for the Fiesta Bowl Parade to begin.

One thing in common seems to be a preference to get out of the house. Hitting the local Starbucks, cafe or a nearby bar seems to be high on the list. I’ve been known to head to the local Panera Bread Shop with my laptop and park myself for a bit. Also, it seems that a lot of people get a ton of work done at conferences. Must be all that energy focused in one area that encourages creativity.

So what is your story? Where are you most comfortable writing, editing or revising?

We’re delighted to welcome Donna Alward to Magical Musings this coming Thursday, March 4th. A busy wife and mother of three (2 daughters and the family dog), Donna believes hers is the best job in the world; a combination of stay-at-home mom and romance novelist.

An avid reader since childhood, Donna always made up her own stories. She completed her Arts Degree in English Literature in 1994, but it wasn’t until 2001 that she penned her first full-length novel, and found herself hooked on writing romance. In 2006 she sold her first manuscript, and is now an award-winning author of more than a dozen romances.

From her home office in Nova Scotia, Canada, Donna loves being back on the East Coast after nearly 12 years in Alberta where her career began.

Donna recently sold her tenth book to Harlequin! Her Harlequin Romance, HER LONE COWBOY, has a release date of March 16th in North America and will be out in April in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Her Samhain book, SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER, will be available on April 13.

Enjoy the blurb for HER LONE COWBOY:

Noah Laramie has come back home to run Lazy L Ranch. Injured and now out of the army, he wants to shut himself off from the world.

Lily Germaine is just there to help him, but loner Noah is the most stubborn-as-a-mule man she’s ever met. Losing an arm doesn’t mean he has to lose sight of who he is. His courage, strength and loyalty make him one in a million. She just needs to convince him of that….

You can read the excerpt here.