Tuesday, February 26, 2013

LET YOUR CHARACTERS WRITE YOUR LOVE SCENES/PART SIX



Revised and updated from a workshop I did several years ago, this post is all about using your characters to make your love scenes unique and intricate to your story. It has been posted in several parts over the last few months. If you’re a writer, this may help inspire you to write some of the most difficult scenes in your book: your sensual encounters. If you’re a reader, you will get lots of sneak peeks into the Relics of Merlin series, which is being re-released by Sourcebooks over the next few years.

The Relics of Merlin series of books are whimsical romances set in a magical Victorian London of sexy shape-shifters, enchanted tea, wicked spells and loose corsets. Since I’ll be using excerpts from several of the books in the series, I thought it might be helpful to have a quick overview of each:

Enchanting the Lady:  In a world where magic rules everything, two misfits--Felicity Seymore, a Victorian beauty unable to perform even the simplest spell, and Sir Terence Blackwell, a were-lion searching for Merlin's relics--form a passionate alliance.

Double Enchantment:  When Lady Jasmina accidentally creates a double of herself using a relic, the mix-up brings her real self into a compromising position with sexy were-stallion, Sir Sterling Thorn.

Enchanting the Beast: In the third book of the Relics of Merlin series, ghost-hunter Philomena Radcliff comes to Grimspell castle to rid the residence of spirits, but she finds most haunting of all a reclusive were-wolf suspected of murder.

Everlasting Enchantment: In this brand-new fourth book, Sir Gareth Solimere has been trapped inside of one of Merlin’s relics for centuries, and only true love will set him free. But when were-panther Lady Millicent Pantere steals the relic, will she be his salvation or his doom?

So why am I doing a post on (gasp) sex scenes? Because several friends of mine said it was the hardest thing for them to write. Since they are my favorite part of the book to write, I thought I’d share how I do it and hopefully it will be helpful to others. Since I always seem to learn better by example, I’ll be giving examples from all my books to show how my love scenes are a development of my characters, plot and setting. I’m sure there are many other ways to develop a love scene, so let this be an inspiration and not a rule. If you’ve read any of my other posts on writing, you know my favorite motto is: there are no rules in writing, just guidelines.

(Read my previous posts on this subject by searching for the title in the LABELS or CATEGORIES in the far right sidebar.)


SIX: USING SETTING

Put your characters into a setting and allow their reactions to their environment write and shape the scene for you.  I used that shamelessly in my first novel, and in Enchanting the Beast:

   A pool of clear water sat in the middle of the glade, fed by several springs that appeared to flow from the top of an enormous crystal boulder that jutted out over the surface of the pond.  White falls of water hid the cavern beneath the boulder and Phil imagined that the crystal surface would fairly sparkle in the sunshine.
   The overcast day only appeared to make it glow.
   Not that she could see much of the sky above.  Gorchids grew to enormous proportions all around the edges of the pool, their stems so heavily laden with blooms that she could barely see the green of their leaves.  Pale lavender flowers with ruffled edges vied with star-shaped sepals enclosing frilly white petals.  Clusters of deeply pink flowers with burgundy insides grew next to vibrantly blue-spotted petals with tiger-striped tops.  Phil took a few steps out onto the mossy bank and breathed deeply.  The combined perfumes made her feel almost drunk with delight.
   A gust of wind curled through the glade and the flowers danced, the sound of their petals rubbing together like a delicate symphony.  Phil had never heard the like.  Some loose petals floated into the pond, creating a soft carpet of color on the rippling surface.
   She reached down and trailed her fingers in the crystal water.  It felt surprisingly warm.  Phil crouched and scooped up the liquid and bathed her face, removing the last vestiges of sorrow from her encounter with an illusory Tup.  She sat back on the spongy moss and closed her eyes, allowing the peace of the glade to soothe her.
   “What an enchanting place,” she murmured.
   “I knew you’d like it,” said Nico.  “Come on, let’s go for a swim.  It was hot beneath the willows.”
   Phil glanced over her shoulder and gaped.  “What on earth do you think you’re doing?”
   Nico’s chest was bare, all that golden brown skin gleaming even in the cloudy daylight.  His boots and shirt already lay on the carpet of moss and he’d started to undo the buttons of his trousers.  “I always swim in just my skin.  Don’t you?”

Even if you’re not writing fantasy, consider how putting your characters into different settings can make their love scenes unique.  What about silk sheets on a bed?  Making love in a park, a forest?  Even an alley or bathroom nightclub can contribute to a different reaction from your characters and pull in different sensations. And consider the weather.  Are they sitting in front of a cozy fire while it’s snowing outside?  Is it a brilliant sunny day?  Or is it raining, as shown in the following excerpt from Enchanting the Beast?

Nico lifted her and lowered her onto his shaft with a swiftness that took her breath away.  Then his firm hands squeezed her bottom and he lifted her up.  The rain came down in earnest then, pelting their heads and faces, and Nico copied the rhythm of the storm.  Phil held on for dear life, the sky pounding her from above and Nico pounding her below.  The force of her body shattering with pleasure took her by surprise and she screamed his name, the wind drowning her cry and carrying it away.

Think of the setting your characters are in, then allow them to react to that setting. And let’s not forget to incorporate other elements, like the weather, to add to the intensity of your love scene.  This is where you can really take advantage of your five senses to not only craft your scene, but to make it come alive for your reader. Consider what your characters are feeling, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting.

This is my last installment of LET YOUR CHARACTERS WRITE YOUR LOVE SCENES. If you’re a writer, I hope you found this look into my writing process helpful and inspiring. If you’re a reader, I do hope you enjoyed a peek into some of the intimate moments of my heroes and heroines in the RELICS OF MERLIN series.

With All My Magical Best,
Kathryne

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Keeping Romance Alive




I guess you could say I wanted to keep the romance of Valentine's alive. My husband and I walked along a street fair last night. On the way to the car, I decided to step into the street where it had been blocked off, yards away from the enclosed fair, and slow dance to the music. It reminded us of the night we danced on the porch of a restaurant when we were the only customers outside. Those romantic moments create memories we will always cherish. As romance writers, we need to include those moments in our novels, but we also need to include them in our daily lives.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Author Spotlight on Marie Patrick

A Scandalous Woman 

Jovanna Darling knows exactly what she wants from life--excitement and adventure. With her flair for accents and disguises, she hoodwinks her brother, who runs the Darling Security Agency in Galveston, into letting her become one of his agents. Against his better judgment, and behind their father’s back, she becomes one of his best operatives.

After his newly purchased and renovated railroad is robbed four times in two months, Braeden MacAllister thinks someone may be out to ruin him financially. The morning he decides to hire Darling Security, he is almost run down in the street by an out of control wagon. Now he thinks someone may want him dead.

When Braeden meets the charming Jovanna Darling, he has no idea she will be the woman who not only solves the mysteries, but changes his whole idea about love.


A SCANDALOUS WOMAN by Marie Patrick
Genre: Romance Historical
SubGenre: Suspense Mystery
EBook formats ISBN: 978-1-61160-383-5
Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-61160-557-0
 


http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=55&products_id=1081 

www.mariepatrick.com. 

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Writer U March Classes

I.P. TRACK: Before You Indie-Publish
by Frankie Robertson
March 4-29, 2013
$40 ($35 by check) at www.WriterUniv.com

Are you thinking about self-publishing, but not sure it's the right path for you? Have you wondered if "going indie" is worth it? Can it work for "real" people? Frankie Robertson wondered the same thing before plunging into the ever-changing world of indie publishing. She shares her discoveries regarding what to do and how to do it, and gives you guidelines on how to navigate your way through the shifting sands to your goal -- selling lots of books. Through a blend of lectures and optional homework assignments, you'll learn about:

* Why self-publishing makes sense today
* Coping with the shift from traditional to indie publishing
* How to wear two hats: author and publisher
* One exclusive distribution platform vs. many
* Covers, editing and formatting: outsourcing vs. doing it yourself
* Finding a good vendor and how long it all takes
* What really works to get the word out
* Money, personal goals, and measuring success

Frankie Robertson writes paranormal romance and romantic fantasy. She is the author of five titles, four of which are indie-published. In addition to sharing with writing groups the numerous advantages and disadvantages of indie publishing, she's currently developing a non-fiction book about her journey. You can learn more about Frankie and her books at www.frankierobertson.com.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

A New Thought On Valentine's Day




As romance writers you could call Valentine's Day our holiday. It's all about love. At least it should be. Some could argue it's about chocolates and flowers. For some, it is about one partner proving to the other how much they are loved. I have to admit, when I was in my twenties I was a member of that club. I was married to a macho Alpha male and I hoped on holidays he would take a moment to divert his attention away from ridding the world of crime to proving his love. Whether he did or didn't isn't the issue. I was expecting a lot because of commercials, societal expectations, and because I wasn't fulfilled as a person.

As we get older, some of us become more philosophical. Thirty years later, I am married to a wonderful man who asks me over and over what I want for holidays. He even picked up a gorgeous bouquet of carnations at the store a week before Valentine's while waiting for my answer. Sure, I could always come up with something if I gave it some thought, but the truth is, I have a new outlook on Valentine's and anniversaries. To me, they should be a celebration of your love as a couple and therefore, about you as a couple. My goal this Valentine's was to find a way to celebrate us by doing something romantic.

The Valley of the Sun Romance Writers hosts a huge booksigning every February at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire. They have chocolate-covered-everything. This year I picked up two chocolate-covered cheesecake slices and froze them. I spent the next few days trying to decide what to do about dinner. I knew restaurants would be crowded and I wasn't in the mood to spend half the evening waiting in line to get inside. On Monday, I attended a working dinner at Claim Jumper and decided to order an extra pasta dish to take home. They make an excellent pasta with artichoke hearts.

On Valentine's morning, my husband and I both hid to sign our cards. We met in the dining room, both grinning, holding up our cards at the same time. It was a touching moment that still makes me smile. When I came home from work, I turned off the lights and turned on the flame-less candles. Our evening was romantic and peaceful. I felt triumphant in the fact I had found a simple way to celebrate our love and it was perfect.





Friday, February 15, 2013

Introducing Anna Questerly

It is my pleasure to introduce a writing friend of mine, Anna Questerly. Her books are for kids ten and older. Enjoy original fairy tales wrapped inside a story, as minstrel, Amos Questerly makes his way from France to England to rescue a young boy from certain death. A boy who unbeknownst to Amos is heir to the throne of England, the most powerful country in the world in 1376. You can learn more about Anna at

Her books are available at Dog-Eared Pages in Phoenix, AZ and on Amazon in print and for the Kindle.



Thursday, February 14, 2013

New Release!

I am thrilled to announce my new Valentine's Day paranormal romance is now available.


How's a girl supposed to stay single with the entire town wants her married? Alessa Lombard has a plan to avoid the marriage trap. It's not that she's opposed to marriage. Wedded bliss if fine for other people. Now all she needs is the help of the town's newest bachelor to help pull off a fake romance.

Determined to fall in love, Sloan Dugan immigrates to the magical town of Amores.  Surely in the town devoted to love, he'll find a woman who doesn't use trickery and deceit.

But Cupid has other plans. Soon Alessa and Sloan will find themselves playing the game of love. Will winner take all?

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Write Path Seminar February 23rd

TWELVE SECRETS TO WRITE
A PAGE TURNER
WRITE PATH SEMINAR
Saturday, February 23, 2013
8:30 am to 4:30 pm - Breakfast and lunch included
In the Northwest Phoenix Valley, at Union Hills and 47th Avenue
(exact address and directions given upon registration)
More information at: http://www.vijayaschartz.com/seminar.html
Registration form http://www.vijayaschartz.com/register.html
How often have you started a book and couldn't close it until the last page? How often did you close a book after the first chapter, never to open it again? Keeping the reader's attention is an essential part of the writing craft. Have you mastered it yet? Register to learn the techniques that will keep the reader turning the pages.
This is a small group seminar, seating is limited, so hurry.
All participants receive full personal attention. 
Cost is $70 and includes comprehensive handouts, breakfast and lunch, water, coffee etc.
All cards accepted through PayPal, direct link on the registration form
Checks accepted by mail (send with printed registration form)
(exact address and directions given upon registration)
Registration form HERE
For more information, email vijayaschartz@cox.net
Instructor:
Vijaya Schartz: Award-winning novelist, book doctor, book reviewer,
former President of the Arizona Authors Association
Former talk show host of Authors Secrets Radio

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Last Day for Chocolate Affaire Booksigning




Today is the last day to meet local romance novelists and purchase an autographed book at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire. Bring your camera or cell phone to take a picture with our fake novel cover. It has been a huge hit! You might even catch a glimpse of the mayor handing out chocolate-covered strawberries to the authors again.

We are located in the street on the east side of Murphy Park near 59th Ave. and Glendale Ave. from noon to 5:00 PM. For more information go to http://www.glendaleaz.com/events/

See you there!
Tina Swayzee McCright

Friday, February 8, 2013

Guest Post: Eve Paludan

Eve Paludan is an old friend of my mine from our early days in RWA as new authors. Eve had just published the Romance Writers Pink Pages and I had just sold my first Harlequin.  When Eve later moved away we lost touch until Facebook and Twitter got us connected again. Now, years later, Eve and I are working together again as she guest blogs for Much Cheaper Than Therapy. So grab your chocolate and java and find out what Eve has to say.

Thank you, Connie Flynn, for inviting me to do a guest blog at your wonderful group author blog site. I've enjoyed reading the interesting, diverse blogs at Much Cheaper Than Therapy. I'm especially enjoying your multi-part series: Is There Gold in Them There Hills? It is very important for Kindle authors to be able to give away free books. This type of promotion helps readers to discover new authors. The authors' hope is that the free books will whet the appetite of new readers and bring them back to read more of our books. I appreciate all of my readers and I strive to make every book better than the last one. I think that if the writing process gets tougher instead of easier, you're probably doing it right.

I've been writing stories since I was in the second grade. My first novella was written in the summer between fifth and sixth grade with my best friend, Mary. We sat under apple trees in my parents' back yard and wrote it on notebook paper. I wish I had a copy of that middle-grade novella, A Summer Without Boys. There were no copy machines in those days, and when I moved away, a year later, I left the book with her. So, at the beginning of the story, two best friends in junior high have a falling out on the last day of school; it's a jealous rivalry over the same boy, who is the smartest boy in the school. They both like him, but they decide that they are going to save their friendship over the summer, instead of chasing boys, or even just that one boy. A most remarkable summer ensued, one that mirrored our own summer in which we cemented our friendship with grandiose projects, piles of Narnia books from the library, dozens of notebooks and Bic pens, eating fruit off the trees and exploring the other side of the creek that divided our suburban neighborhood from a mysterious rural area. I think it was just dumb luck that we started that novella with the girls fighting over a boy, and that they realized the one incident would change them both forever. I'd say we did a good job of starting that novel with the characters on the cusp of great change.

And now, related to this, I will answer your signature question:
What question have you never been asked but wish someone would?
This topic is near and dear to my heart: Where do I start my novel or story?
Years ago, Connie, when I took your romance novel writing class at Mesa Community College, I remember that one of the first things you taught us was that at the outset of the novel/story, your heroine should be in "terrible trouble." Over the years, that advice for story crafting has stuck with me and has taken on a life of its own. I have, over time, modified that advice in my mind to something that works well for me. The opening of a story should pose the heroine or the hero on the cusp of great change in their lives. There should be a problem, a conflict, an event, or all of these. The line should be short and snappy.

There shouldn't be a big back-story dump (narrative that overexplains the current situation). I suppose I have done that in the past, but I try to avoid it these days. In old-school romance novels, there was often a lot of narrative that had the heroine looking out a window or into a mirror and thinking about her life and describing how she looks. No, no, don't do that these days! Some books describe the setting as an opening. If you've ever read Pat Conroy's South of Broad novel, you know what I'm talking about. He writes beautifully, but it takes some patience to get to the point where something exciting happens. I often re-write the beginnings of my novels at least five times, sometimes trying out several very different beginnings to see which one works the best.

If at all possible, action and dialogue should lead off the present story. Something interesting should be happening. Short sentences are best, though I have broken my own rule.

Here are some first lines from some of my novels and stories:

From Ghost Fire:
I blamed the overload of positive ions in the atmosphere for our next near-fatal misadventure.
From New York Minute:
“Stop the rehearsal!” blurted Liz London.
From The Man Who Fell from the Sky:
The killer pushed Cody’s headless body off the horse into the waterfalls.
From Finding Jessie:
The book’s the thing, whispered the invisible angel on his shoulder.
It always takes me hours to get the first line written. I might change it many times before I am satisfied. If you are writing a murder mystery, for example, I think that introducing your first victim, or someone close to him or her, is a good idea for a novel opening.

Here are some first lines from other authors. Connie, this was something we did in your class, looked at the first lines of novels and studied the power of the openings:

Temple of the Jaguar by J.R. Rain and Aiden James
I found the ceremonial blade in the unmarked grave of some poor sap who had seen better days.
Dhellia Has a Conscience by April M. Reign
The claws of Father's hellhounds clicked against the asphalt somewhere behind me.
One Love by H.T. Night
"I can't believe we're back in Mexico..."
Some interesting places to check out the best first lines of novels are:

The Amazon.com site, where potential buyers can read the beginnings of many books before buying. I love that feature of the site, as well as the free sample that you can send right to your Kindle.

Here's an interesting article on that topic.

http://www.examiner.com/article/top-ten-best-first-lines-from-today-s-romance-novels?cid=rss
I hope you have fun reading the openings of novels and figuring out why they work or don't work. And then, when you write the opening of your own novel, you can apply that same keen eye to your beginning and see if the hook works for your book.

Good luck writing your openings! I hope you will come by my Facebook page and Twitter, too, so we can get to know each other. If you wish, please tell me what you're writing and paste the first line of your work in the comments below. I'd love to see what you wrote.

Thanks for your time and attention. My books are exclusively on Amazon. If you add me to your Facebook friends, or to Twitter, you can stay updated with news of my freebie days for my books. It was a pleasure to contribute to this blog. I wish you very intriguing beginnings!

***

FINDING JESSIE: A Mystery Romance by Eve Paludan

Sam’s quiet life as a New England bookseller and occasional lawyer is turned upside down when a tussle over a vintage children’s book turns him into the rescuer of a much younger woman. Jessie is a mysterious beauty with dark secrets—much darker than his own.

FINDING JESSIE is an emotionally intense, heartbreaking modern gothic mystery romance about a woman’s lifetime quest for her sense of self and the man who is determined to discover the truth and save her…and their fragile relationship. If he cannot shatter the lies with facts and help her to overcome her history, she will disappear from his life.

FINDING JESSIE is about love, lies, truth, betrayal, redemption, greed, mercy, and the triumph of the human spirit. A small angelic presence convinces Sam to take one last chance on this May-December relationship. FINDING JESSIE is his most fervent hope.

A controversial real-life topic is handled with compassion and sensitivity: How far would you go to redeem your lover from a shocking, terrifying past?

This Kindle book will be free on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2013.

FINDING JESSIE is available on Amazon Kindle: 

 ***
LETTERS FROM DAVID In the tradition of novels driven by letters and in the debut novel of Eve Paludan, a Midwestern woman faces devastating changes in midlife, loses her home and the love of her life, moves near the ocean, finds a lover, and discovers the truths of life and love within the pages of letters.

"Claire Mead didn’t have her husband anymore, her children lived abroad, her income was shrinking and she hadn’t shaved her legs all winter. She hadn’t laughed, truly laughed, for months. She was going broke and still cried much too easily since David died, but suddenly, she realized she had something she had never once had before in her life -- her freedom."

LETTERS FROM DAVID is available on Amazon Kindle
VISIT ME ON FACEBOOK

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Free Mystery Writing Workshops

February 9, 2013 – 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.mCOMING UP SOON! MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

The SinC Desert Sleuths Chapter 3rd Annual Mystery Writers Workshop

NUTS & BOLTS: Fine-Tuning Your Mystery for Publication
Scottsdale Civic Center Library - 3839 North Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

Gain expertise in creating the can't-put-it-down mystery thriller! This is a FREE event sponsored by the Scottsdale Public Library and the Sisters in Crime Desert Sleuths Chapter, For more detailed information contact www.desertsleuths.com

Featuring workshops by Desert Sleuths members:

10:00-10:45  “Plots that Kill”          
Presenter:  Kate Herbert

11:00-11:45  “Writer’s Voice”          
Presenter:  Nancy McCurry

12:00-12:45   “Creating Memorable Characters”                      
Presenter:  Kris Neri

1:00-1:45   “Scene of the Crime”
Presenter: Connie Flynn

2:00-2:45   Getting Your Cop Facts Straight”          
Presenter:  Isabella Maldonado

3:00-3:45   “First Lines, Queries, and Synopses”
Presenters: Deborah Ledford and Pascal Marco

Tell Your Friends! Our speakers are published and the fee is $0.00. What better way for a writer to spend a Saturday? Doors Open at 9:30am.


Monday, February 4, 2013

Is There Gold in Them There Hills?

Part I

by Connie Flynn
This is the first in a series of two to four posts about how to 
succeed in independent publishing on Kindle.  

When it comes to promotion, one of the most powerful tools for an Independent eBook author is Amazon's (KDP) Select program. In case you've never heard of it, this is the programs where authors are allowed five free promotional days if they participate for a minimum of ninety days in Amazon's Kindle Select Library Lending Program.

Giving away books is a time-honored tradition.  When Diana Gabaldon's OUTLANDER was first released, the publisher flooded the Chicago, Illinois RWA conference with several thousand books. It paid off because OUTLANDER became a runaway bestseller.

But is that true of Kindle giveaways? When Kindle first introduced the "free book promo" days, authors were delighted. Downloads of free books often hit ten, twenty, even thirty thousand copies or more. When these e-books return to paid status, the sales generally remained brisk and lifted the sales of other titles (assuming they had them). This happened because high activity churned the free titles so that they appeared more often on random pages (you know, the recommendations that say that people who bought a particular book also bought yours).

Lately, though, authors have noticed a definite dip in the sales boost of the "free book promo" days. Rumors abound about why this might be. Maybe the novelty value of free books is decreasing. Maybe some of the books out there weren't worth reading even if the price was right. Maybe the goose that laid the golden egg has died. Maybe — and this appears to be a favorite —  Amazon has changed the formula (you may have heard it called algorithms) they use to churn the titles.

Nobody is actually sure. What they are sure of, though, is that the value of the sales boost has declined since the first "free promo book" days.

So why this little slice of KDP history? Because it's heralding a period of uncertainty. We don't have much information to explain why eBooks sales are fading or to know if it's simply a natural phase in the cycle of a new product world.  We simply don't know what the futre will bring. So we must plan our own strategy today, based on what we do know.

What do we know?  Well, first, we know what kind of writer we are. Are we solely self-published, previously traditionally published or still traditionally published while putting our out-of-print titles on Kindle?  Are we famous, or not so much? Do we have internet skills? Social networking skills? Book design skills? Computer skills? Are we good at planning, managing money, managing a schedule? Are we diligent about doing boring day to day tasks? Do we have a large production budget or are we chef, cook, bottle washer and server all in one?

If you're already established and earning a steady income on Kindle, then you can probably move onto another blog. But if you've had brisk sales that have dropped, or poor but steady sales, or have been on Kindle so long without action that you're collecting cobwebs, you probably want to keep on reading. And also write down the answers to the questions above because when you know the answers you'll know what to do next. What comes after that may still be unknown but you'll have made the step that begins the journey.  This post will quickly cover what you'll need to know to establish yourself on Kindle so I'm going to assume you're just stepping into the self-publishing experience or are moving forward from a small presence that you want to expand.

You will have a big advantage if you already have . . .
1.    A Kindle account
2.    Two or three finished novels or two novels and a novella.
3.    A working knowledge of how to set yourself up on Facebook, create a Twitter account, and design a simple blog or website.
4.    The funds to pay for book conversion and cover design or the know how to do it yourself.
5.    A willingness to learn whatever is needed.

Assuming you have none of these, set up your Kindle account first. https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/help?topicId=A37Z49E2DDQPP3

Next, finish, revise, or polish your books. Take time to have several friends read, proofread and give you feedback.

Simultaneously, set up your social media (Facebook/Twitter/blog/website) and get comfortable in the environment.  Begin cultivating future reviewers and fans.

Scour the internet for sources to convert your books to eBook format or read up on how to do it yourself.

Okay, this is only the start. Next month I'll go into more detail on how to set up your blog, customize your Twitter page, get friends on Facebook and so on.

The books of Connie Flynn, a bestselling, award-winning author of ten novels and several short stories, are getting some positive attention from eBooks readers these days. She writes in several genres, including paranormal romance, romantic comedy and romantic action/adventure, contemporary fantasy, and mystery/suspense. Look for several new releases from her and her alter-ego K.C. Flynn during 2013.











Sunday, February 3, 2013

Free Writing Workshops at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire






The Valley of the Sun Romance Writers will be hosting free writing workshops at the Glendale Chocolate Affaire Saturday, February 8th and Sunday, February 9th in downtown Glendale. The event site is between 59th Avenue and 57th Drive, north of Glendale Avenue. Check with the romance author booth on the east side of Murphy Park for the exact location of the workshops. For more information on the Glendale Chocolate Affaire visit glendaleaz.com


List of Free Workshops:



SATURDAY
10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.                  
Kris Neri
BECOME A CLUE MASTER – HOW TO PLANT CLUES

11:00 a.m. to 11:50 a.m.
Tara Taylor Quinn
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE STORY

12:00 p.m to 12:50 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK

1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Kris Tualla, Morgan Kearns, Sandra Lee Smith
PROMOTION 101 FOR AUTHORS

2:40 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Don Kirchner
TURNING YOUR CREATIVE PASSION INTO CASH FLOW



SUNDAY

12:00 p.m. to 12:50 p.m.
Betty Webb
GETTING FIVE STORY IDEAS A DAY

1:00 p.m to 1:50 p.m.
Jennifer Ashley
HOW TO BECOME A BESTSELLING FICTION AUTHOR

2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.
Dr. Lois Roma-Deeley
FINDING THE POET IN YOU

3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
Laurie Schnebly Campbell
THE PERSONALITY LADDER

4:00 p.m. to 4:50 p,m.
Carol Webb
THE DO'S AND DON'TS OF E-BOOK PUBLISHING

Friday, February 1, 2013

Author Spotlight: Erin Kellison



Erin Kellison is the author of the dark fantasy romance Shadow, Shadow Touch, and Shadow Kissed series. Stories have always been a central part of Erin's life. She attempted her first book in sixth grade, a dark fantasy adventure, and she still has those early hand-written chapters. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English Language and Literature and went on for a masters in Cultural Anthropology, focusing on oral storytelling. When she had children, nothing scared her anymore, so her focus shifted to writing fiction.





FUN FACTS ABOUT ERIN:
     
  • Has had ongoing science fiction epic in her head since childhood
  • Is scared of the dark
  • Storyboards scenes already written, but not what is to come
  • Seventh of eight kids (lucky seven! must mean something)
  • Wanted to be the Empress in The Neverending Story so I could wear the pearl on my forehead
  • Decorates to the nines at Christmas
  • Is still waiting for super powers to kick in
  • Would be villain if ever written into a book

Erin's most recent book:  FIRE KISSED


Fae Fire

It is Kaye Brand's power to wield. But outcast from her kind, she's been selling herself to the highest bidder - money for her survival in exchange for a magic glimpse into the flames of the future.

Angel Ice

One of the angelic Order, Jack Bastian has no use for a female like Kaye, as provocative and unexpected as her blazing beauty. Yet he has no choice but to hire her to uncover the secrets of his sworn enemy and her former fiance, Ferrol Grey.

Magekind

War is inevitable between the defenders of the Order and the mage Houses who threaten to engulf the world in Shadow. For Jack, mage-born Kaye is off limits, no matter how hot the impossible attraction between them. But in the coming darkness, beset by danger and desire, everything is about to change...

To learn more about the fabulous ERIN KELLISON:  http://www.erinkellison.com/index.html