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Tying a New Series w/an Old One @EmilyMimsAuthor #RLFblog #suspense
By Emily MimsWhen I wrote ‘Solomon’s Choice’
back in 2012, I had no idea that it would become the first book the nine book ‘Texas
Hill Country’ series, set around the fictional lake community of Heaven’s Point
of Verde County, Texas. I had a wonderful time with those stories. I drew
deeply from my own lake community and quaint charm of the Hill Country of
Texas. I used my own house in the story, and sent my heroes and heroines on the
same moonlit boat rides and eagle watching trips I had been on. I wrote about a
place and the people that I loved.At the same time, as a writer I
recognized that series have, or should have, a finite lifetime. As long as two
years ago I was already thinking about my next series and getting to know the
characters as they developed in my imagination. But at the same time, I didn’t
want to just drop the Hill Country series cold, leaving my readers wondering
what had happened to that series and those settings and characters. So I
decided to do something I’ve seen done a few times but not often enough in the
world of series romance. I decided to tie the two series together, by
introducing a couple of characters in the last book of the Hill Country series
that would travel to Tennessee. They would become two of my heroes in the ‘Smoky
Blue’ series, set in the folk and bluegrass music world of the Appalachian
Mountains. Hopefully, my readers would be eager to travel with these characters
and join them in their new setting.My readers have already met Ren
Navarro, the hero of ‘Mist’, in the last two books in the Hill Country series. He
and his friend Sawyer Ellison both find themselves in Appalachia, again
investigating drug dealing associated with a music club. Ren and Sawyer were
both mysterious characters in ‘Once, Again.’ Although Ren’s true nature and
Sawyer’s true mission are not revealed until the end of that book, I wrote both
characters with the subsequent series in mind, making sure Ren had the traits
and talents he would need as the hero of ‘Mist’ and laying the groundwork for
Sawyer’s continuing development as a character and his role as an eventual
hero. As cousin to the heroes of the last two Hill Country books and a part of
the family business, through Ren we will see Alex and Misty again, and the
series will continue to have ties to Texas and the characters we left behind
there.But not too many ties. The Smoky
Blue series has its own characters and stories. And it is set in a part of the
country that in many ways is very different from Texas. This time the story is
set not around a community, but around a bluegrass nightclub called Acoustics,
and the heroes and heroines are in some was associated with the club. Many of
the characters are musicians. This time, I’m drawing deeply from my experiences
as a musician and avid lover of mountain music. The jam sessions depicted are
modeled after those I’ve played in. My dulcimer-playing heroine, Kylie, plays
the same songs on her dulcimer that I do on mine. The ukulele-playing heroine
of the third book, ‘Evergreen’, plays the same music I play on my uke. The
festivals-I’ve been to every one of them. Even the dulcimer on the cover
belongs to me. These stories are coming from a very different
place than the others. They call for fresh characters in this new setting, with
new challenges to face as they find the man or woman of their dreams.About the Book
Title MistGenre Romance/romantic suspenseAuthor Emily MimsBook heat level (based on movie ratings): PG13Someone is distributing drugs out of the nightclub
Acoustics, and musician and undercover operative Reynolds Navarro has come to
Bristol, Tennessee to find out who. His prime suspect is the beautiful dulcimer
player Kylie Barstow Richards, whose drug-dealing husband was gunned down and
who has an unexplained source of money feeding into an offshore account. As
part of his investigation, Ren must gain her trust-and access to her home. What
better way to do that than to become her lover?Kylie hates liars-she has been lied to all her life and she
vows never to be lied to again, especially by the appealing Ren Campbell. But
with danger drawing nearer and everything Kylie’s ever wanted about to be lost
to her, can Kylie put her faith in the man she loves but knows she cannot
trust?Buy This Book
Publisher Boroughs PublishingAmazon https://www.amazon.com/Mist-Smokey-Blues-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01LZBLPWO/About the Author
Author of twenty-eight romance novels, Emily Mims combined
her writing career with a career in public education until leaving the
classroom to write full time. The mother of two sons and six grandsons, she and
her husband Charles live in central Texas but frequently visit grandchildren in
Tennessee and Georgia. For relaxation she plays the piano, organ, dulcimer and
ukulele. She says, “I love to write romances because I believe in them. Romance
happened to me and it can happen to any woman-if she’ll just let it.”Author Social Media
Website http://emilymims.comTwitter: http://twitter.com/EmilyMimsAuthorFacebook http://facebook.com/EmilyMimsAuthorAmazon Author Page https://amazon.com/Emily-Mims/e/B00FQQ247K
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Awake: Wild Love Series @RedLJameson #RLFblog #romance
Who’s that Girl? Breaking Down the Romance Heroine
As a romance writer, generally we call our female protagonist a heroine. She’s usually spunky—that characteristic probably evolved from Austen’s incredible work; young-ish—although, there are some brave authors who are trying to write heroines who are in their forties or older; and she’s usually open to having a relationship or already wants one but hasn’t found the right guy; or she’s at some kind of disadvantage where a hero can save her. She, in turn, emotionally saves him. This has been the standard for—oh, maybe—thousands of years. At least since Austen, which makes it more than two hundred years of this kind of woman as the central figure in the romance genre.Nothing wrong with that. If that’s what you like, it’s what you like. And I’m the last person to judge because what I want in a heroine, I do get judged for, even being called subversive for it.I want heroines who are perhaps too shy to be spunky. Or not young. Or maybe she doesn’t want a relationship because she’s tried her fair share of online and regular dating and it really, really, really sucks. Or maybe she’s incredibly rich and doesn’t have any need to be saved from financial doom by a hotshot duke. Or maybe, just maybe she’s emotionally secure and healthy and doesn’t need saving from herself. Maybe she’s complete, as is.Or sometimes I want heroines who make big mistakes. Colossal. And I want to read how they turn themselves around and become better people.But this latter example is controversial. In the movie Trainwreck, the character Amy is a drinking, sexualized, snarky woman who has to learn how to overcome her dysfunctions to become vulnerable with a man who loves her. Amy has to conquer her fears. She has to work at becoming a better person. She has to pursue her love interest when she realizes she could lose him. This kind of role is usually reserved for the male protagonist or hero in a romance.It’s a simple switcharoo of gender roles. Or is it? Or is it a lot more complicated than that?In Kameron Hurley’s latest article, “In Defense of Unlikable Women,” she compares the two protagonists of the movies Sideways and Young Adult. Both protagonists drink too much, one steals to help a buddy cheat on his fiancé, while the other actually tries to have an affair with a married man. One protagonist is male. The other female. The female character is called “thoroughly unlikable,” “angst-driven,” and “controversial.” The male character was “critically applauded.” In Jami Gold’s blog post, “Why is ‘Unlikable’ Often a Deal Breaker for Readers?” she also notes the double standard for hero and heroine characters, asking, “The majority of [romance] fiction readers are female, and the majority of those giving pushback to ‘unlikable’ heroines are women. So the question becomes: Why are we so hard on ourselves?”Excellent question that I don’t feel qualified to answer, except for myself. I do want a variety of heroines. I want to read about a forty-year-old woman falling in love with a twenty-eight-year-old man. I want to read about a heroine who saves the hero from financial ruin. I want to read about a quiet girl who gets the guy. Or the overweight girl who falls for the hot hunk who falls for her without requiring her to lose weight or thinks anything derogatory about her body. I want to read about a woman overcoming great obstacles, some she might have created herself, to find not just love for someone else but for herself too.Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” So, I do. That’s why I write because I want to read about women, real women who make mistakes, who pursue love, who chase after life and happiness with reckless abandon. I want to read about women like me.Today’s featured book is Awake, Book 3 of the Wild Love Series by Red L. Jameson.About the BookTitle Awake, Book 3 of the Wild Love SeriesGenre Contemporary Erotic RomanceAuthor Red L. JamesonBook heat level (based on movie ratings): ROne, two, Secrets accrue; Three, four, Shame galore;Five, six, Add two men to the mix; Seven, eight, My life’s about to disintegrate…Off-limits. Forbidden.I shouldn’t have slept with him.Should never have fallen for him.But I did—Secret #1And I’m drawn to someone else.He wants me too. This time, I do have an ounce of willpower.An ounce.But it’s waning, deteriorating quickly—Secret #2Two secrets—secrets that are tearing me apart.And Secret #3 is the hardest to keep.I’m not the “good girl.”I’m not the “sweet one.”I hide behind a mask—a mask of lies.But something within me is clawing the mask off.Revealing the real me.And my secrets.Risking…everything.The Wild Love Series is set in Wyoming and Montana, where things are little more…wild, where love can never tamed. Each book within the series can be read as a standalone and intended for a mature and adventurous reader. Enjoy and fall in love!Buy This BookAmazon http://amzn.to/1XN6IHWBarnes and Noble http://bit.ly/28Y4epqARe http://bit.ly/22w95Q2Kobo http://bit.ly/28ZBGglSmashwords http://bit.ly/28Y4yV5About the AuthorRed L. Jameson is an award-winning and multi-published author. She writes in many genres. Her pen name, L. B. Joramo, includes the odd combination of historical and paranormal for the Immortal American Series. However, it is under her “Red” name, her nickname too, where all her stories are strongly laced with love, including contemporary, historical, time-travel, paranormal, and erotic romance. Red lives in the wilds of Montana with her family and a few too many animals, and is currently working on her next novel that she hopes will make her readers laugh, cry, think, and fall in love.Author Social MediaWebsite http://www.redljameson.comTwitter https://twitter.com/RedLJamesonPinterest www.pinterest.com/redljameson/Goodreads http://bit.ly/1Gvpo5OAmazon Author Page http://goo.gl/Gvd2vq -
But, Do I Have To… @olivianightreads #RLFblog #RomanticSuspense
But do I have to? Making research less painful.by Olivia NightWhen I started my first novel, I knew immediately that I was
going to need to do some a significant research. I knew nothing about the arms business,
Sierra Leone or it’s vibrant customs and culture. Research was not something I had
considered a necessity before I got serious about writing novels. But now it’s one
of my favorite parts! (Dork Alert!)My second novel required even more research. As a Type A person
I had to be sure to that what I was writing was accurate. One research topic I was
not quite prepared for was delving into the psychology of victims of abuse. The
heroine in Seduction in Seville, Madison Lockwood, survived a horrific situation
and it was important to me that I tell her story correctly. It felt like a balancing
act at times when writing her and her growth through the novel.Poorly researched novels stick out like sore thumbs and can sometimes
communicate to the reader that the author just really didn’t care all that much
to get things right, even if that isn’t the case.Research can a dreaded task when writing, so I compiled list
of research tips that I swear by. Enjoy!Tip #1 – It is totally okay to type “(need information here)” in your manuscript as you are write instead of stopping at that moment and finding the answer you need. I do this quite frequently, especially if I am on a roll – so to speak. This leads naturally to the next tip.Tip # 2 – Commit and then sit down and do the research. It’s much harder to get a clear picture of political environment of say, Tunisia, if you research five minutes here and ten minutes there. Tell yourself you are going to research the hierarchy of wolf dens for thirty minutes and research not only what you need but as much as you can.Tip # 3 – Notes, notes, notes. Just doing a copy/paste into a new document isn’t going to actually give you the knowledge that you need to write. Or write well. Of course you want the information on hand when you need it but, you need to understand the information as well. At this point in our lives we are all pretty aware of how we best learn. Do that. Because it’s important to…Tip # 4 – Do more than regurgitate information. It is pretty easy to spot information within a novel that is simply reworded or paraphrased from somewhere else. As the author of your book or series it’s important to have a real understanding of what you are writing about.Tip # 5 – Google Earth! I have spent sooooo much time on Google Earth. I want to get even the smallest details correct. This includes street names, landmarks and restaurants. Recently I used it to chart my hero and heroine’s trip from Hungary to Scotland. I wanted to use the correct routes, with accurate time traveled as well as places they could stay that were off the beaten path (because people on the run need to be off the beaten path).Tip # 6 – Ask questions. When I was researching human trafficking laws within the European Union tons of questions came to mind. I spent the time and researched to find those answers. Then when I was writing about the human trafficking ring in my novel the words just flew off the tips of my fingers. Of course, a lot of what I learned was not included, but that didn’t matter. I felt confident in my knowledge as opposed to nervous that I may be getting something wrong.Research may not be the most favorite pastime for authors, but it’s a necessary evil to create a well written book. Plus, when you spend time on google earth tell the kids and hubby or wife to leave the room and you can pretend you’re taking a mini vacation!In a hospital in Seville, Spain, Patrick Kane lies in a coma. Ambushed and shot while protecting a friend, he fights to survive.She never thought she would see him again. Patrick, the man who’d brought her back.Eight years ago, Patrick Kane, a joint partner in Fairlane Trade International, descended into a basement of horrors. That horrible day he rescued many women, but one he would always remember. Her beautiful doe eyes filled his dreams and haunted his nightmares.Madison Lockwood, a nurse, has struggled to put her past behind her, trying to forget the time she spent in captivity. But she recognizes the man who rescued her and brought her out of that terrifying reality. She owes him her life. Patrick is gravely injured, and Madison vows to see him through.When Patrick opens his eyes, he instantly knows that he made a mistake leaving Madison after freeing her from the clutches of a human trafficking ring. She is meant to be his. As Patrick tries to win over a wary Madison, the past they both thought was gone for good comes back with a vengeance. One by one, the survivors of the horrific ordeal are being murdered. Patrick knows that Madison will be next if he doesn’t protect her.Together they must fight for their survival. Seduction In Seville, book two in the Men of FTI series, is a tale of redemption, murder, new beginnings, and love that takes the reader on a wild, exotic ride.Title: Seduction in Seville, The Men of FTI Book TwoGenre: Romantic SuspenseAuthor: Olivia NightBook heat level (based on movie ratings): RBuy This Book
Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seduction-in-sierra-leone-olivia-night/1122341426About the Book
Title: Seduction in Sierra Leone, The Men of FTI Book 1
Genre: Contemporary, Romantic SuspenseBook heat level (based on movie ratings): RIn the mangroves of Sierra Leone, two strangers raised a world apart find themselves inextricably connected. Seduction in Sierra Leone, the first in a series of three novels, is a fast-paced tale of murder, lust, and love that transports the reader to a foreign and mysterious world of danger.Aislinn Salameh, an American relief worker, is searching for purpose in her self- imposed lonely world. The stranger who enters her village on a blistering hot day seems more animal than human. She knows she should stay far away but can’t stop herself from being drawn to the mysterious man.Brandt Fairlane is haunted by the sins of his past. Detached from others, Brandt has spent his life alone. His line of work is too dangerous for the luxuries of love and family.When Brandt sees Aislinn and her haunting eyes, he knows he must possess her. But when Brandt’s past comes back from the dead and Aislinn is caught in the crossfire, it is up to him to keep her safe. In order to survive, they must learn to rely on one another. As they run for their lives, the heat between them becomes undeniable. Now, Brandt must not only protect Aislinn from a madman committed to stealing her away, but he also must protect her from himself. Because if Brandt steals her body and her heart, he’ll never let her go.Buy This Book
Publisher Liquid Silver Books- http://lsbooks.com/seduction-in-sierra-leone-p1043.php
(ebook and paperback available)Barnes and Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seduction-in-sierra-leone-olivia-night/1122341426?ean=9781622102426Kobo https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/seduction-in-sierra-leoneiBooks https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/seduction-in-sierra-leone/id1020494392?mt=11
CreateSpace https://www.createspace.com/5907892About the Author
Olivia Night, a fictional character herself, has always been an avid reader and writer. She found the romance genre in college and has never been able to get enough. One sleepless night, the main characters of Book One in her Men of FTI series sprang from her head fully formed. They demanded she tell their story; so she did. As they revealed themselves, so did two other intriguing characters. Those characters convinced her to give them their own books because their stories were worth telling too. And so Olivia suddenly became a romance author. When Olivia is not writing, she has the best job in the world, which, too, will remain a secret. In her free time, she reads, write, drinks wine, or is, most likely, out emulating Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Olivia lives in one of the most diverse and vibrant cities in the U.S. — Baltimore. She lives with her cat, which she is convinced was a gladiator in his past life. Olivia plans to continue being awesome at this thing called life. Really, that’s her only goal.Author Social Media
Website http://olivianight.weebly.comAmazon Author Page http://www.amazon.com/Olivia-Night/e/B017I1WULU/ -
Where Book Buyers Live @JackieWeger #Amazon #RLFblog
The Reluctant Hero Blogs about Amazon abound… Amazon is an 800 lb. Gorilla. Amazon
is a monopoly. One author reported in a Facebook page, he was only earning two cents
per book in Amazon’s new royalty structure on borrows (KENP). He is not a happy
camper. As indie authors, we don’t need to get caught up in the rhetoric on the
Web. There is always a hidden agenda and facts not shared. Here is a F.A.C.T. Most
indie authors have not explored Amazon. Some have never read Amazon Terms of Service.
Here is one of the terms. If you put your books in Select, they may not be published
on any other sales venues, i.e. iTunes, Google Play, Barnes and Noble and Kobo.
One author ignored those terms and raised a ruckus because Amazon pulled all of
the author’s books and banned the author from publishing on Amazon for a year. The
author did not mention in the rant that Amazon gives the author a five day notice
to get books removed from other venues. The author ignored those notices. Oops.What can an indie author do to master Amazon?
Amazon provides a raft of tools and guides for indie authors.
When composing our bios inside Amazon Central, it offers ehow examples. Most don’t
tick that and compose a resume–as if looking for job…instead of creating a bio
that will interest a reader. Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer, Julie Whiteley reminds
authors that readers don’t take an author ego out of her purse while waiting in
dentist office. Readers take out their Kindles. Inside Author Central an author
can add up to five RSS feeds…your blogs stream live across your Amazon Author
page, as well as your Tweets.On your author page you will see this beneath your photo:
That Follow button is powerful. Encourage your fans and readers
to follow you on Amazon. When you have a new release, Amazon sends out a dedicated
email announcing the new book to the follower. Every author can do this. We are
told time and again to build a platform. I’m not certain what that is…but Amazon
has given us a way to gather followers…yes it has…scroll down to the bottom
of your print edition book page, below the first page of reviews and you will see
this:
Wow! Amazon does all of the work. You can give away a single
print book or five. Up to the author’s budget. You can have entrants follow you
on Amazon, follow you on Twitter or watch a video on YouTube. But by far, following
you on Amazon is more useful. Amazon is where book buyers live and driving a reader
to Amazon is smart.Inside Your KDP Account you may also tick Promote and Advertise
next to any of your ebook titles and this will come up:
Amazon is getting better at showing those sponsored ads on book
pages where it often shows “Also Bought.” These ads are great for exposure.
I don’t look for sales—yet.Amazon has sites in thirteen countries. Have you checked your
book on all thirteen sites? Bet not. Ten amazon venues offer Kindle Unlimited subscriptions.
Go HERE for a list. Guess what you can do? Visit all ten Amazon
venues, navigate to your book page…just put in your author name or the title to
your book and the book page comes up…You can Tweet/Facebook and Pin your book
on Pinterest. On the far right and down a bit you will see the icons below. Use
them. See the little envelop. Click it. Up comes a nice short link to your book
to copy & paste on Facebook. You can also edit the Tweet that comes up. I do.
I add #KindleFic and perhaps another hashtag. If the book is FREE or 99c, I add
that. For non-English language sites, I also use Google to translate Read FREE w/Kindle
Unlimited or Special Sale or discounted. You will have to remove some text…I take
out my name. Or if the book is the first in a series…take out the title of the
series. Do the same with your print editions. German and India natives prefer print
editions. Pump your book in those languages. Play with Amazon. You can’t kill it.
And how nice is it to have a readymade tweet from each country?
Every author can build an author page inside Author Central, revise
bios, book descriptions, claim and add books and see the total number of reviews
on your books on amazon.com. Amazon lists all of your reviews inside Author Central…so
easy to grab quotes from reviews for blogs and Tweets. You can also check your author
rank. You want to do that during and after a book promotion. During one book promotion
my author rank was 37. That told me only 37 other authors were out selling my book
in Literary Fiction–which is the category I placed one of my books.All of the above is just a short list of what I have explored
and used on Amazon. There is much more on the sidebar inside Amazon KDP. When you
want to know how Amazon works, ASK AMAZON, not your colleagues who may give you
misinformation picked up elsewhere. Want to talk to a live person? Say so in ‘contact’.
Amazon will call you within five minutes.Finally. Yes, there are many indie authors unhappy with Amazon.
I am NOT one of them. My best advice to authors is: Think for Yourself. Make the
best decision you can for your book. We are not entitled to sales and we are not
entitled to reviews. We must work for those. I never like to sign off a blog without
telling you the easiest path to reviews. Put this gentle gem of a plea right after
THE END in your book.Thank you for taking the
time to read [title]. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or
posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
Thank you. [author name].Does it work? Yes it does. In my two years as an indie author
readers have posted above 1700 organic reviews on my titles. Good luck with your
books in 2016.For more good advice from Jackie WegerAbout the Book
The Reluctant HeroThere are a few things Parnell Stillman is dead certain he will
never do:
He’d never fall in love.
He’d never have kids.
He’d never be a hero.Rebecca Hollis is about to change his mind.Buy This Book
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FJFV6AY/
Available FREE on Kindle UnlimitedAbout the Author
Jackie Weger is a traveler of the good earth by foot, boat, bus,
train, plane and pickup. After family and writing, destination travel is always
on her wish list. She hoards her friends and fans and is often humbled by their
kindness. If you asked her what she wants most in life, she says: “A writing
cave, a candle and a good book.”Website http://jackieweger.com/
Blog http://enovelauthorsatwork.com/
Twitter https://twitter.com/JackieWeger
Also Twitter https://twitter.com/eNovelAuthors -
Reviewing Books, Yay or Nay? @mizging #Reviews #RLFblog
Dancing Fawn Author Ginger Simpson shares an opinion piece about reviewing books.
Sometimes I wonder if as an author
I should review the work of others. Before I was published, I read for the sheer
enjoyment, but now, after going through so many editing sessions and being whipped
into an actual author, I cannot read without my internal editor whispering in my
ear. I read with an eye for pitfalls I’ve been advised to avoid rather than losing
myself in the story as I once was able to do. Heck, before my debut novel, I hadn’t
even heard half the terms I hear now–headhopping, passive voice, transitions, etc..
Now the simplest mistakes keep me from really connecting with the characters. It
could be that the books I read all those years had been finely edited so assuming
a place in the heroine’s shoes came naturally.Don’t get me wrong. I think editors
are an essential part of the process, and now when I read, I can definitely tell
the novices from the professionals. Is it fair to report to readers that I’ve found
areas in a story that should have been caught by an editor and the reader advised
to fix? I’m not sure. Does it make me come across as a “know it all?”
Trust me, I don’t. I learn a new rule every day, and the scary thing is that I’m
never sure that the rule is hard and fast.It’s a fact that the majority of editors
working in small press are authors as well, and possibly some that haven’t been
writing very long themselves. Could it be they are just passing along what they’ve
learned? I’ve found that some of what I’ve been told isn’t exactly true, but I think
some of the examples I can share with you today make sense. For example: Overusing
He/She if you’ve made it clear whose POV your in at the moment. Read these two paragraphs
and see which sounds more polished.John smelled Joan’s perfume as she
twirled by him on the dance floor. He envied the man who held her in his arms. He
believed she was the most beautiful woman in the room, and he vowed to ask her to
dance the next time the orchestra played a slow song. He intended to be the one
to take her home tonight.John inhaled the sweet smell of Joan’s
perfume as she twirled by him on the dance floor. The man who held her in his arms
was one lucky guy. Before the evening ended, John intended to share a slow dance
with her, and if his prayers were answered, he’d be the one to take her home.See, you don’t need he envied, he
believed, he intended. You’ve let the reader know by John enjoying the aroma of
Joan’s perfume that we’re in his POV, so anything you type should be interpreted
as his perspective.Another pet peeve are needless tags.
It’s always best to use an action tag in place of he said, she said, but if you
end the dialogue with a question mark, do you really need to say, she asked? I think
the punctuation is a big hint. *smile* When only two people are in the room, using
the character’s names over and over becomes redundant. The reader is usually smart
enough to determine who is talking, and if you need to clarify, you can say something
like: “Are you crazy?” John’s eyes widened beneath a furrowed brow.Editors become very important in keeping
the redundancy out of the story line. Authors don’t usually write an entire book
in one setting, so it’s very hard to remember everything you’ve already written.
For example: If you’ve pointed out to the reader that the heroine broke her leg
by falling off a horse, it isn’t necessary to repeat that information again in dialogue
with someone and then add it in a descriptive paragraph pages later. Readers, me
included, roll their eyes and say, “enough already…I know, I know.”Since I don’t plot my stories and
find my memory isn’t what it used to be, I’ve taken to making notes about the physical
attributes of my characters. It’s quite easy to describe sky blue eyes in one chapter
and chocolate brown in another further down the line. Unless you’re writing from
the perspective of an Australian Shepherd, both eyes should be the same color and
remain that way throughout the story.As an historical author, I learned
long ago, and I’m still learning, that you really need to be on guard to assure
your language is appropriate for the period about which you write. I’ve read some
love scenes lately that left me shaking my head because of the present day terminology
used for body parts. It’s really not believable that an Indian brave would bust
out with the word “clitoris.”I’ve found the online Etymology dictionary
most helpful in determining the origin of most words, but judgement helps too. Think
about your story’s time period and how people spoke. While you might find word origins
described from the 1500s, that doesn’t mean they were used all over the globe. Example:
Ma/Maw/Momma is how a child addressed their female parent rather than just Mom in
1840. Although “kid” has been a word for a long time, the manner in which
it was used in the 1800s most often referred to a baby goat. Children were not kids,
but you could kid with them (tease). Historical credibility is all a matter of knowing
your time period and doing your research. Trust me, if you make a mistake, someone
will notice and let you know.My most recent editor pointed out
her amazement that my heroine still had a bottom lip as she constantly chewed on
it. *lol* It’s so easy to utilize the same action without realizing you’ve overdone
it. Here again, that’s because we don’t write books in one sitting nor do we usually
go back and re-read the previous chapters. Thank God for those who devote their
time and talents to making us stop and think about our writing habits. What would
we do without our editors…internal and external?Reviewing Books, Yay or Nay? by Ginger Simpson was first blogged here and is used with permission.
Buy This Book
Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Fawn-Ginger-Simpson-ebook/dp/B0153LGPYK/About the Author
Ginger Simpson — Writing with a dream for bigger and better
things.Website http://mizging.blogspot.com/Twitter https://twitter.com/mizgingFacebook https://www.facebook.com/Mizging?fref=ts
Amazon Author page http://www.amazon.com/Ginger-Simpson/e/B002I7JX38 -
What’s New Pussycat? #RLFblog Blog Opportunities for #Authors
RLF Blog Thank you for a great 2015! The Romance Lives Forever blog grew,
and some wonderful features were added. For the year, there were 351 posts.Social Media
The link between the blog and Paper.li helped get out the word about blog posts.
The paper is an online daily ezine, and this one posts to Twitter. The blog uses
the hashtag #RLFblog, and you can click on Twubs
to check its reach.Triberr did a great
job of sharing the news as well. Because of my followers, the tribemates I associate
with, and their followers, RLF has a reach of over 3.5 million. The program works
because it brings new readers, and reminds current ones of new material. It provides
an average of 45 – 50 mentions on Twitter every day, and since each post has the
guest author’s Twitter handle in the title, that means the guest gets mentioned
too.Networked Blogs helped by posting automatically to Facebook.
The blog goes to several pages, and is often shared. Did you know the blog has its
own Facebook page? Come over and like the page, and then share the day’s post, especially
if you’re one of the guests.Share your book cover on Romance Lives Forever
Limited spots to share book covers are available. Cost is $5
per month, with a 20% discount for one quarter and up to one year. Covers can be
changed monthly.
RLF Gem Award Sign Up!
Request a date by clicking the Request a Date tab. Fill in the
info, pick two dates, and I’ll do my best to get you one of them.RLF Gems
This popular feature happens on the first of each month. I post
a listing of the top bloggers,
and send the top five a graphic to post on their
websites or blogs. It’s almost always the most visited page of the month, although
I don’t count it when listing which posts are the most popular. I want the credit
to go to my wonderful guests. The top blogger each month gets a month of free ad
space on the blog. The top blogger for the year gets a full year of ad space. The
winner for December, and for 2015 will be announced Jan 1, 2016.Thank you…
The blog has grown and changed in response to your requests,
and I hope you’ve found it helpful. If there is something you’d like me to add or
change, please let me know. Thank you for your support. It’s been a pleasure getting to know
you, and I hope to see you back soon.Kayelle Allen
