Today, I’ve got a guest post from Joanne DeMaio, author of Whole Latte Life . She decided to write a little bit about the journey to a creative life and enclosed a photo that inspired her…

The journey to a creative life isn’t always readily available.  As we try to carve out time in our days to write, paint, sketch, it sometimes takes innovative effort to get to that creative place.  To bridge creativity to our families, homes, responsibilities.

This boardwalk bridges worlds.  It bridges the little boat marina behind it to the sandy beach before it.  But there’s more.  It bridges the reality of my everyday life to a summer escape.  Sitting there looking out at the sea, responsibilities of home lift away in the sea breeze.  I’m free of chores and bills and cooking and appointments, while I sit on this summer “bridge.”  Here, I’m part of the vast sea, the horizon and the sky.

The same happens with our craft.  It must, in some way, bridge to our home life.  Even though they are two different worlds, creative space and family space are both part of our days.

So there is some journey we take to get from one to the other.  As I was writing my novel Whole Latte Life, one of the bridges I found was walking.  Taking a walk helped to clear the way for the muse before I sat down at the keyboard.  It was the perfect bridge between family and writing.

There are so many bridges you can cross to get to our creativity.  You just have to find one that works for you.  Check in with your blog pals, maybe?  Do you observe nature before putting your paintbrush on the canvas?  Craft a to-do list?

Creating becomes easier if you first find your bridge from home life to creative life.  What’s your boardwalk, so to speak?

~Joanne

For more on Joanne and Whole Latte Life, check out her website.

It’s Friday, so I’m taking it easy and letting someone else do the writing! I’ve got a great guest post for you today from Brian Holers, author of Doxology. When I read the synopsis, I was struck by how important the location seemed to the story. You know how sometimes the setting seems to be as much a part of the story as the characters, and I wondered, just how important is the setting? Can you move a story around and have it be the same story?

Can this story be relocated?

How important is setting to story? Can the same tale be told as well in one place as in another? Can human conflicts and struggles transfer readily from an Indonesian village to the heart of New York City? The answer depends on what the reader is looking for.

A story presented in fictional form can thrive in a multitude of settings. If one were to gather all the stories read and heard and repeated over a lifetime, and reduce them to essentials, there would only be a few.  Themes of love, loss, birth, death and revenge abound. In this way, fiction presents nearly infinite options for telling a story as there are no facts to consider, while opportunities to expand detail or backstory are everywhere. When we read books and see movies and shows, we experience the same few stories, told in different costumes and different eras with different characters exploring different parts of their experience, over and over again.  The particular time, location and setting detail in which a story is told provide anchors, hold it in place in the real world, allow the reader to relate to it. These facets draw the reader in, either with familiarity or by contrast with the reader’s own experience.

Every detail in a book affects all its other details, as well as its transportability. For instance, a story told indoors is more easily transplanted into another location. As more of the events in a book take place outside, location becomes more important. Two characters working things out over drinks in a hotel bar can take place in New York as easily as New Orleans; when they step into the air, everything changes.

We are often advised to write what we know. My novel, Doxology, follows two stories; Vernon Davidson comes to terms with loss while his nephew Jody goes on a journey of discovery. As a writer, and a storyteller, I am most familiar and most at home with Southern, charismatic people who speak in laden expressions and who are steeped, whether they like it or not, in the Gospel and in Christian experience. Doxology tells of drives in the country, fishing in ponds, characters pulling trucks to the side of the road to take little walks in the woods. The telling of this story requires it be set in a rural area, and the colorful language anchors it in the rural South.

A novel is all details. A generic story of acceptance and rediscovery and salvation can be  fleshed out and fitted to work in any of a number of locations. But the particular setting, and the characters and details that are part of that setting, must be genuine enough and work together well enough to draw us into the story, and give us a reason to care. Doxology, like many good stories, could be transplanted to a different time and a different place, with different characters.  But they would have to be taken apart, undressed and reconfigured in the new setting. And then we would have a completely different story.

More on Brian Holers…

Blog: http://brianholers.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianholerswriter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BrianHolers

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5270173.Brian_Holers

Today, I’ve got a great interview with author John J. Smith about his newest novel, Finding Katie. It’s a comedy, a bit of a departure from his earlier work, and I got a chance to ask him a few questions about his writing, his books and living the author’s life…

How hard is it to balance working full time and writing? I know how hard it is for me to find a little time for writing, and I’m not cranking out novels!

Believe it or not, it is nearly impossible. I have a high demanding job that demands around 60 hours a week, I’m on call once a month that requires a fifteen minute response, which means I cannot leave the house, and finally I work nearly every weekend. There are times when I walk away from my desk and all I want to do is sleep. But! I love to write so I try to write at least a half hour every night before I call it a night. Therefore, my schedule is at least the half hour and I go as long as I can keep eyes open. I feel totally disoriented if I don’t get to at least open my novel and do something.

Outside of actually writing I do jot down notes and thoughts throughout the day, especially when it comes to that hard to nail down scene or paragraph, and I think that is one of the things that keeps me driven. I see those notes calling out to me.

Do your co-workers know about your secret life as an author? How have they reacted to it?

Yes, several do, and the reaction goes from a “eh, who cares” to a lot of support. I have one friend/co-worker who actually has my links in the closing of his personal email. Now that’s cool. There are also two co-workers who have purchased all of my novels and short story collection. They don’t treat me any differently than they do the other associates but I absolutely love the support.

Technical writing is tough (I do a lot of that in my job). Does writing fiction help alleviate some of the tedium of it? Do you find your fiction seeping over into your documentation?

I have to laugh at this one, sorry, but I also do a lot of technical writing which is very different from writing fiction. They’re not even remotely close. So yes, writing fiction definitely takes the tedium out of writing non-fiction. Although I like technical writing and putting together presentations, it pales in comparison when it comes to writing fiction. I love the idea of creating a character, especially when I can focus on some little molehill and make it a mountain. That’s thrilling and I never get that feeling from a power point.

With Finding Katie, you’ve said you wanted to write a comedy. How do you set out to be funny? Is it a different process for you than writing your other novels, some of which have pretty dark themes?

Finding Katie was the most difficult novel I’ve written, mainly because I was writing with humor in mind. I had this fear of what might be funny to me would not be funny to you. So, needless to say, I wrote and rewrote several scenes and paragraphs until I was bone dry with that idea. The scene with Preston coming back from the townhouse that just burned down and Melosa wanting him to take a shower and how it ended (surely I’m not giving the ending away) took several iterations before I settled for that ending. I have a tremendous amount of respect for writers, who can sit down, bang out a sitcom week after week, and never lose their audience. However, in the end I did enjoy writing Finding Katie and have a part two in mind for Preston and a couple of his new friends, which I hope to start next year.

What (or where) is your favorite place to write? Do you find that some places are more inspirational than others? Do you find that your setting influences the story?

I have three places: my desk when I am not working, my kitchen table (believe it or not), and finally the sofa with my two Shitz Zu’s. One on each side. When I first started writing fiction I traveled a lot and would write at night at the hotel room desk, or maybe just lying across the bed (you have to love laptops), so I got used to writing just about anywhere. The most difficult for me was actually on an airplane and rarely do. I suspect that was due to the close quarters, so to speak. But, I have come up with some really good ideas while at an airport. Delayed Flight was one. That idea came when I was eavesdropping on a couple that ran into each other. There must have been something there at one time, the expressions were telling me how to write the story.

What inspires you to keep writing?

That’s simple, I love writing. I absolutely love writing. I cannot imagine not writing. I think about it from the moment I get up and it’s usually the last thing I think about when I doze off. I have more ideas than I have time to write and am usually writing down ideas while I’m working on a story. I wish I had more time than I have to get those ideas down on paper. I have a folder full of bad ideas and half finished novels, I suspect most writers do, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to jot down a new idea and then get it on paper. Did I say I love writing? This sounds crazy but writing inspires me to write.

**********

To me, that doesn’t sound crazy at all! I love to write (and I keep telling myself that someday I will organize all of these half-written chapters and story tidbits into something more cohesive) and just the act of writing is satisfying, all on its own. I write every single day, and even if I just make myself sit down for 15 minutes and write about my day at work, or about some crazy story idea, or my musings on reality tv, it’s still writing and it’s still very fulfilling — even if no one but me ever reads it!

I want to thank John J. Smith for taking the time to answer a couple of questions. For more on his works, check out his website.

Today, I’ve got a special guest post from Rudy Mazzochi, author of Equity of Evil, a medical thriller. He is best known as a medical device and biotechnology entrepreneur, inventor, and angel investor, with a history of starting new technology ventures throughout the U.S. and Europe. He’s authored more than 50 patents, and has now turned his talents to fiction. Combining his experiences and opportunities with thousands of hours of travel and long evenings in hotel rooms, he found the initiative to start writing a collection of medical thrillers based on true events, the first of which is Equity of Evil.

EQUITY of EVIL – Don’t Believe Me?
By Rudy A. Mazzocchi

As a start-up entrepreneur in the medical device industry since the mid-80s, I’ve been privileged to have the opportunity to see the newest innovations in healthcare and work with some of the most brilliant researchers, scientists and physicians in the industry throughout the world. It’s allowed me to witness technologies that could easily be viewed as “science fiction”, ranging from controversial developments with embryonic stem cells to designing the first electronic, auto-focusing implantable lens for inside the eye; (for the Terminator or the Six Million Dollar Man – depending upon your generation)!

Logging in millions of miles on numerous airlines, while chasing new technologies and the proper funding to move them forward, provided me long hours to read hundreds of novels. It finally got to the point where the written stories were less exciting than the brutal and thrilling reality of what I was facing on a daily basis.

Don’t believe me? Here are a few true events behind the story of EQUITY of EVIL:

• The prologue is from my true experiences as an undergraduate pre-med student working in the Human Genetics Research Laboratory where I cultivated fetal organs from aborted fetuses obtained from the clinic the previous evening. We were eventually successful in growing fetal organs and tissues that included lung, heart, liver, kidney, and even brain.

• A somewhat wealthy acquaintance of mine needed a heart transplant after destroying his body with steroids and human growth hormones — no… actually, at the time, they were equine (horse) growth hormones —for the sake of competing in national bodybuilding contests. Since his other organs were also starting to fail him, he did not qualify to be included on the Organ Transplant Waiting List (now over 115,000 people in the U.S.). Within a year, he “allegedly” received a new heart in Italy after miraculously identifying a young 30 year old male donor who unexpectedly passed away while my friend just so happened to be traveling there on vacation.

• The various medical procedures, business models, and biotechnology processes identified throughout the story are all based on either existing technologies and/or proposed business plans that I’ve been involved with or have reviewed first-hand. The atrocities experienced or caused by the characters in the novel are all either based on true events or very feasible given the dark reality of the evil side of mankind.

All said, please keep in mind that I wrote this “medical thriller” for entertainment purposes. Yes, there’s a bit of a “shock and awe” component, but it’s meant to give the reader some insight as to what is actually feasible today while providing a glimpse into part of our world that many might deny even exists.

Blog: http://rudymazzocchi.wordpress.com/
Website: www.rudymazzocchi.com
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAYkQEQBnLk

Click below to read more about Equity of Evil… (more…)

I’m on the road and struggling to keep up this week, but I’ve got a special Friday treat. Today, I’ve got Nina Benneton, author of Compulsively Mr. Darcy, here to talk about her fictional fascination with her handsome leading character. And to make this even more special, I’ve got some giveaways for you! One electronic copy (international) and one print copy (US and Canada only). Check the link at the end of this post for the giveaway!

I could not resist asking Nina what I think is really the most important question of all, as far as Jane Austen fans are concerned…so read on to find her answers!

What is it about Mr. Darcy?  I am not a Jane Austen fan, but it’s clear that Mr. Darcy has captured the attention of generations of women. What is it about him? Are there any other literary men (other than may be Dracula) who have as much power to inspire women?

Giveaways:  Sourcebooks will offer 1 print copy  (ship to US & Canada only) and 1 ebook in a form that Sourcebooks’s offers (open worldwide). Click here to enter!

What is it about Mr. Darcy?

I would like to thank you to Lisa and Alive on the Shelves for inviting me here to talk about my favorite fictional guy.

What is it about Mr. Darcy?

Great question. Since my book’s release earlier this month, I have been asked that question—by my husband, by my mother, by other writers, and by retired old men forced to accompany their wives to a book signing at an event called ‘Chocolate and Romance.’

Trying to explain the appeal of Mr. Darcy to non-Jane-Austen fans is like trying to explain the coolness of Mr. Spock and his phaser to people who don’t get Star Trek.  (“His ears are weird,” my mother ruthlessly dismissed Mr. Spock’s sexiness with the same flick of her hand the way she dismissed Mr. Darcy).

Nevertheless, I’m going to try to sell you Mr. Darcy.  I’m going to give you Benneton’s top-ten list of why Jane Austen’s most popular iconic literary hero has captured the attention of generations of women (ignore my mother!) and why we want to marry him.

Number 10:  Teeth.  Unlike Dracula, the other iconic literary man who’s captured generations of women’s attention, Mr. Darcy’s canine teeth are harmless. One could safely sleep beside Mr. Darcy from sundown to sunup and have no fear of being struck by immortality and forever scaring little children. Plus, think of the household money you’d save on teeth-whitening products.

Number 9:  Duds. Mr. Darcy’s got some cool duds. Okay, I admit the Seinfeld-poofy-white-shirt, and the frilly, snowy neckclothes are a tad overdone, but how could any woman resist a man in gleaming Hessians, exquisitely fitted topcoat, and a pair of buff-colored buckskin breeches?

So much better than hiding a package under a black cape, don’t you think?

Number 8: Connections.  Mr. Darcy’s got some great connections. He’s the grandson and nephew of an earl. Yet, he’s untitled, which makes it even so much better. You get the benefits of being in high society—without having to call your husband ‘my lord.’

Number 7: Mother-in-law. He’s an orphan. No mother-in-law to worry about. You’ll always get to be the queen bee on Mother’s Day.

Number 6: Friends. He has loyal friends who’ll let him be the alpha dog. Darcy’s best friend Charles Bingley and cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam will always be less confident and poorer than Darcy.  Trust me, the cavewomen were right: you always want your man to be the alpha dog.

Number 5: Other women. Junior high girls have it figured out. A boy’s attractiveness increases proportionally depending on how many other bitchy girls ‘really, really like’ him.  Mr. Darcy has other women—bitchy, rich, skinny women like Caroline Bingley—lusting after him. And he didn’t succumb. Didn’t even cast them a pity glance. You’ll always be his dearest, loveliest… even if your figure’s a bit asymmetrical.

Number 4: Children. Mr. Darcy’s a proven, tested father-figure material. He’s been a guardian to his young orphaned sister for years now. And he had a near-miss when his sister almost eloped with a cad, so not only will our Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy forever be a vigilant father tending to the flock, he’s quite humbled at how hard parenting is.

Number 3: Servants. Elizabeth Bennet may have fallen in love with Mr. Darcy when she saw the grounds of Pemberley, but the cold fact is women fall in love with Mr. Darcy because of his housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds.  Besides that it speaks very well of a man when his servants adore him, what woman wouldn’t want to be mistress to a house with a built-in, motherly housekeeper? She’ll direct the other servants to do the tedious, hard work while all you have to do is to approve of menus.

And you know kind Mrs. Reynolds would tell you if there’s a mad wife in the attic!

Number 2: Accent. So cool, so concise, so clipped. That British accent (so much better than a Transvylvania or even a Vulcan accent) sends shivers down a gal’s spine. That accent tells you he’s got what’s known as British phlegm—that famous British reserve of stubborn endurance.  And you want a man who can stubbornly endure anything… especially if your mother is anything like Mrs. Bennet.

Number 1: Transformation.  Unlike Dracula and his descendants, who will sparkle and transform you, Mr. Darcy’s willing to transform himself. To a better, more improved version. All before marriage.

Bliss!

A man who’s willing to admit he’s been a selfish-being all his life…until you showed him how insufficient were all his pretensions to please a woman worthy of being pleased. (Chapter 16, Pride and Prejudice).

You know this man has learned the valuable lesson of what’s important in life.

He’s already gone through his navel-contemplation period (before the wedding!). So that middle-age-crisis all sexy, repressed Regency males go through?

Not going to happen.

No third trophy-wife in his future. No impulse-purchase of an arrest-me-red high phaeton at fifty. No growing his hair a la Georgian mullet to hide his bald spot.

With all the reasons I’ve eloquently shared, how could you resist Mr. Darcy?

Author Bio:  As a child, Nina Benneton promised the French Catholic nuns who taught her in Asia that she would grow up and find the cure for cancer, effect world peace, and win a Nobel Prize for something, anything.  Alas, her own Mr. Darcy/Mr. Spock and the requisite number of beautiful children interrupted her plans. Tired of alphabetizing her spices and searching for stray Barbie shoes, she turned to writing.

Her debut novel, Compulsively Mr. Darcy, earned a Best Book review and the Reader’s Poll Book of the Month February 2012  from Long and Short Review, ‘Hands down…a must read for lovers and fans of classic romance.’  Fresh Fiction Review called it a ‘tenderly written novel.’  Savvy Verse and Wit described it as ‘ ‘More than a love story, Compulsively Mr. Darcy is about loving someone faults and all, accepting and not changing who they are, and growing together in love.  Steamy, sexy, and fun, it will have readers giggling and blushing at the same time.’ Publishers Weekly wrote,  ‘Die-hard fans of everything Austen will enjoy this update of her classic tale.’

Find her on her website/blog:  www.NinaBenneton.com
Find her on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nina-Benneton/273543669356518
Find her on Twitter: @NinaBenneton
Find her on her groupblog: www.AustenAuthors.com

She is tickled that her book can be purchased through The National Trust of UK (Mr. Darcy would have approved), though she hopes you can find her book everywhere books are sold.

Today, I’ve got a great guest post for you from a proudly self-published author, Aaron Wise. His novel, Deadlocked is available on Amazon (I’ve downloaded it and hope to have a review up in the next few weeks; sadly, my eyes are often bigger than my available reading time), but the story I found really interesting is how he came to write the novel and why he chose to self-publish it. I think you’ll be interested, too!

A Self-Published Author’s Passion

My name is Aaron Wise, and I’m a writer. That declaration might seem simple, but I have never written anything that has stirred my soul more. Let me explain why.

I am not a traditionally published author, but we’re coming to a time when that distinction doesn’t matter anymore. Certainly, seeing your book in print from a major publisher is a soul-satisfying experience, but it’s not as wallet enriching as people might think. In fact, in these days, new authors have the opportunity to make more by selling through digital distribution rather than going through a publisher. This has created a schism in the publishing world between authors that cling to the old ways, and those that embrace the new movement.

I passionately fall on the side of the self-publisher, and there are a lot of successful authors out there that can attest to the extremely profitable nature of the business. Ebooks haven’t merely shaken things up or created a few new opportunities, they have irrevocably changed the game. And the people profiting from this change are the artists themselves.

I could easily write an article detailing the financial benefits that a new author should consider when deciding if they should self-publish. I could also explain how even the most strident opponents of self-published work are beginning to change the way they look at it. All of this would make a valuable, inspirational, and informative post for any new author (or for veteran authors that have regained the rights to their out of print works) to read. However, I’ve decided to take this opportunity to tell a very personal story that will give you a better idea of why I am so passionate about the world of ebooks. And, if I’m successful, might change a few minds about the value of self-publishing.

In October of 2011, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. As would be expected, the news came like a punch in the gut. She lives in Indiana and I live in Colorado, 1000 long miles away. When someone you love (perhaps cherish is the better term) is stricken with cancer, you experience a sense of helplessness that is hard to overcome. Couple that feeling with a physical separation of 1000 miles and suddenly your sanity begins to fray.

The first sentence of my first novella was written on the day I found out she had cancer. One of the reasons I started writing was to get my mind off the disease, but there was another that took me much longer to understand. Actually, today was the first day I admitted it to myself: I needed to become an author to make my mother proud. (more…)

I have a GREAT interview for you today. Asking a stranger random questions about their work can be a gamble — sometimes you get great answers, sometimes not. This time? Great answers.

First, a little about the book, Heidegger’s Glasses:

Heidegger’s Glasses opens during the end of World War II in a failing Germany coming apart at the seams. The Third Reich’s strong reliance on the occult and its obsession with the astral plane has led to the formation of an underground compound of scribes—translators responsible for answering letters written to those eventually killed in the concentration camps. Into this covert compound comes a letter written by eminent philosopher Martin Heidegger to his optometrist, who is now lost in the dying thralls of Auschwitz. How will the scribes answer this letter? The presence of Heidegger’s words—one simple letter in a place filled with letters—sparks a series of events that will ultimately threaten the safety and well-being of the entire compound.

This one is definitely on my TBR list, but until then, I got a chance to ask author Thaisa Frank some questions about here work…

AotS: I am always fascinated by a writer’s process – how and when and where they write. Do you have any rituals around your writing? Particular places or times of the day that your write, music that you listen to or a schedule that you keep?

TF: About process:    I tend to be a sprinter–that is, I mull over the story for a long time and collect fragments that have resonance until they’ve arranged themselves into a pattern and suggest the sequence and shape of the story. There are blank days in this process, during which I assure myself that the story is gestating and that I’m not just wasting time. (I’m never sure until the story manifests!)

Flaubert said: It’s not the pearls, it’s the way they’re strung together and I guess you might say that I collect the pearls very slowly and then work intensively until they’re strung into a viable necklace.

Rules and rituals: I generally have one writing rule that I stick to:  I don’t take a break until 4:30 on weekdays. This means that I don’t meet people for lunch or schedule writing consultations with clients and I stay at my desk, or in a café with my computer, even if all I’m doing is staring. It’s kind of like being a shopkeeper. I may not have any customers that day but if I don’t show up, I won’t sell anything.

Places: In the mulling-over phase I can work in cafes. I like the ambient noise, the music in the background and the friends who stop to talk. But in the printing phase, I work in my studio–a quiet place with a lot of papers.  I’m compulsive about the music and rhythm in my work, so I sometimes will print a page many times, just to see whether one comma should be taken out.  I turn into a crazed type A maniac when I print and I wouldn’t want anyone to see me!

AotS: Do you generally plot the story in your head and know what you want to write when you sit down? Or do you just pick up a pen (or boot up the laptop) and let fly? Do you know when you begin how the story will end?

TF: I don’t know the plot when I begin a story.  I start with a phrase, an image, a situation, and often a title.  Sometimes I know the last phrases of a story without knowing what the story is about. I often start my stories in longhand and at some point work switch to my laptop.  There’s always an exciting point in this process—the point at which the story seems to be an independent entity, outside my imagination. And then it begins to tell me what to do with it—what to take out, what to emphasize. It’s like catching on to a math problem or a puzzle.  For me, this is on one of the most exciting parts of writing fiction.

AotS: You’ve published two previous books of short stories. How is it different, writing a full length novel? Do you think about the story differently?

TF: I start a novel the same way I start a story.  That is, with an  an image, a title, a sense of place, or  a slightly surreal situation. For example: One element in Heidegger’s Glasses was a vision of a cobblestone street with gas lamps in an abandoned mine. There was a large room in this mine where people were writing letters to the dead. This image was on my mind when I started the novel. The room and the mine became populated with people. As did the title Heidegger’s Glasses.  But a third of the way through, I had to begin to see how these strands related to a larger narrative arc that would carry the story through to the end. So this leds me to thinking about the plot. Short stories seem to resolve themselves on an intuitive level.  In a short story, the pearls turn into something light, something that can be thrown in the air and land in a pattern.   In a novel, two-thirds of the way through, I really have to think about “what comes next.” (more…)

Today I’ve got a special guest post from Alexia Fraser, author of Memories of Mom, the story of caring for her aging mother. The book has gotten great reviews around the web, and I am pleased to be able to share with you her post…

Every Child Has A Mother

“Every child has a mother” was what my mom would always say.  Mom was a strong, dynamic and loving mother.  What a mother she was indeed!

As a child so many things about Mom resonated with me.  One memory that stood out in particular was when handyman Alan stopped by our house to see if Mom had any chores for him to do.  Alan would stop by every now and then to see what work was needed to be done around the yard.  Alan was a very hard worker and Mom respected him for his strong work ethic.  Actually, Mom was a very hard worker herself she greatly respected that trait in others.

Mom was a very good cook.  I would sit in the kitchen and watch her as she prepared our meals. On the day in question, Alan was busy doing his usual handyman chores around the yard.  Mom, likewise, was busy in the kitchen preparing a delicious lunch for my siblings and me.  When lunch was almost ready, Mom turned to me and said “Ali, please set the table.” I replied, “sure Mom.”   As usual, I set the table for my siblings, Mom and myself.  Dad was not at home.  Being a musician, he was many times out on the road touring with his band members, as he was on this occasion.

After I was finished setting the table, Mom looked at the table and then looked at me.  Then she said, “Ali you did a very nice job but you’re missing a place setting.” I was puzzled.  I said to her, “What do you mean?” She replied, “you did not set a place for Alan.”   Although I was only a child, and children are generally not taken aback by kindness, I was for a moment surprised. Surprised because family helpers would normally be expected to sit away from the family, usually outside, where they would eat by themselves.  Questionably, I turned to Mom and asked, “Alan is sitting at the table with us?”  Mom firmly replied “Yes! Every child has a mother.  He has a mother too.” I finished up quickly by setting an extra place for Alan.

When lunch was served, Mom called out to Alan to take a break from his work and wash up for lunch.  Alan immediately stopped what he was doing, washed up, and came directly to the kitchen.  Upon entering the kitchen, he paused for a moment, seemingly a bit surprised.  Mom looked at him and said, “Alan, have a seat at the table.”  Alan was stunned.  He looked at my Mom and then he looked at us. Mom repeated, “Alan you may sit at the table.” He slowly sat down, and turning to face Mom, he said, “Ms. Spence, no one has ever treated me with this much kindness. Thank you.” Mom, replied, “You’re welcome.”

We all sat and had a sumptuous, loving, and enjoyable lunch together.  That’s my mom!

Looking back at this memory bring tears to my eyes. (more…)

Another week, another guest post! This week, I’ve got Larry Kahn, author of King of Paine, talking about his new work. There’s info on a big giveaway at the end of the post – a chance to win a new Kindle, just before Christmas! Be sure to read all the way to the end to check it out. While you’re there, check Larry’s website for other stops on this tour to find other guest posts and reviews of King of Paine.

And now….Larry Kahn!

When Eye Candy Fights Back: Adding Depth To a Love Interest

Frank Paine, the protagonist in King of Paine, is a former Hollywood stud who’s recently joined the FBI, a role that screams for a centerfold on his arm. As a former beauty queen and TV starlet, Jolynn Decker could easily fall into the “eye candy” stereotype, a conclusion not contradicted by our first look at her:

Time had faded his memory of Jolynn’s face, one that would drive a caricaturist mad for its lack of imperfections—fair skin, dainty nose, and mirthful, almond-shaped eyes. Her blond mane cascaded over a narrow-waisted, red winter coat like water flowing over a falls.

But as mentioned in previous posts, I rebel against stereotypes. As the story progresses, the feisty Atlantan alternates among suspect, tease, lover, sidekick, and victim, revealing more of her complex motives and nature with each new plot twist. I’m declaring this space a spoiler-free zone, so make assumptions about the order she takes on these roles at your own peril. My goal today is to share some of the techniques used to help Jolynn fight back against the eye candy stereotype.

I view “eye candy” as a character whose principal appeal is physical beauty, whether male or female, and these characters have their place in literature. Much of James Bond’s mojo derives from his legendary ability to snare the sexiest women with a wayward glance. Romance novels are rife with manly hunks with ripped abs and not much upstairs (so I hear). My own first novel, The Jinx, features several strong-willed and intelligent woman who tangle with my ordinary guy hero, but I couldn’t resist giving him one piece of sugar pie for dessert (call it a gift to ordinary guys everywhere).

In King of Paine, though, Frank Paine’s reformed womanizer needed a real femme fatale to tempt him, an attraction deeper than physical beauty, a chick who could drive him to play outside the FBI’s rules, maybe even sacrifice his life. So I gave Frank and Jolynn a passionate history, a true love affair that ended after a kinky Hollywood scandal destroyed her budding TV career but left him unscathed. Although Frank never stopped loving her, they haven’t spoken in three years when his new career in the FBI takes him to her native Atlanta.

Jolynn’s festering anger, the unknown depth of her emotional injuries, makes her reaction to Frank’s presence unpredictable. So when an anonymous online stalker threatens to reveal Frank’s kinky secrets shortly after he arrives in town, he’s forced to confront Jolynn. She expects (or pretends to expect?) an apology, so you can imagine the tension in that reunion when he accuses her of a crime. By building conflict into their history, I was able to magnify Jolynn’s emotional reaction to the accusation.

To add to her mystery, their story is told only from Frank’s point of view. Like Frank, you hear Jolynn’s words and gauge her actions, but her real-life erotic cat-and-mouse game with him eerily resembles the tactics employed by the stalker taunting the FBI. Her shrouded motives make her seem capable of both love and revenge, and she’s a clever enough actress to fool the Bureau–and maybe even you. Jolynn’s ever-changing role in Frank’s investigation and in his life places her at the heart of the story, not just on Frank’s arm and in his bed.

On tomorrow’s tour stop, The Enchanted Book will host my guest post “What Can You Expect From A 99-Cent E-Book?” My answer might surprise you. A library of bargain e-books could fit on your new Kindle Touch 3G, but even if you don’t win the grand prize in the King of Paine Kindle Giveaway Contest, you might still take home an Amazon gift card before Christmas. Enter today and improve your odds!

You all know that I love guest posts, right? I love reading what authors have to say about their writing and process and their inspirations. Today, I’ve got Greg Messel, author of The Illusion of Certainty. He answers a really interesting question: what is your book about? I know that several times I have requested a review copy and the book I got doesn’t seem to resemble the description I got. (I’ve also gotten to the end of a description and thought, “What is that all about?”, but that’s a different question.)

Now, be sure to read clear to the bottom — at the bottom of this post, you’ll find info about how you can get a free copy of Greg’s new book! Don’t miss out on that!

So, what is the book about? Read on to find out….

WHAT IS YOUR BOOK ABOUT?

That IS the question. It is a question that as an author you usually need to answer in less than 30 seconds.

I have watched potential customers and readers at bookstore signings and book festivals. I’ve observed their actions and their faces. They often pick up the book and look at the cover. Then they flip it over and read the summary on the back. I know I have just seconds to make the case which will convince them to not put the book back on the table.

As I watch them read the jacket or the back of a paperback copy of my book, I think of the time I’ve spent trying to craft a concise, yet interesting summary of my story.

I once had a boss who said you always need to have your “elevator speech” ready. An elevator speech is needed to quickly explain a quick concept. When I enter a elevator to ride to a higher floor, what would I say if someone said, “what is your book about?”

I now have less than a minute until me or the person asking the question, will get off of the elevator. There is no time to hesitate, no time to hum and haw to get your thoughts going. It’s the essence of your sales pitch. “Why should I buy your book?” they are asking.

You must find a happy medium between an extended, long-winded summary of the plot and a quick but uninformative answer such as “it’s a love story.” My three novels are “love stories” but they are much more. Why should a reader want to spend their time reading my book out of all of the choices there are out there? I’ve been to the LA Festival of Books and had signings at book stores where you feel that you are in the presence of people who love books.

However, I remember two book signings at Costco. It was then I really felt like a commodity. I was sitting at my table full of my books smiling and saying hello. A shopper comes by with a shopping cart full of toilet paper, bug spray for their rose bushes and a package of 48 frozen burritos. They stop and pick up my book. They look over the cover and then flip it over to read the summary.

To the author, this book is a piece of your soul. I’ve spent almost a year, carefully writing and re-writing this book. I’ve agonized over the title and cover design. I written more summaries of what this book is about then I can count.

It now comes down to this–the person looking at the book jacket is wondering, “why should I give you 14 bucks for this book?” Is there something about my book which is going to make it worth it or should they pick up another of the hundreds of books piled on shelves directly behind me? Or should they forget the book and just buy a new sweatshirt?

When I watch a potential reader or buyer carefully looking over the outside of my book, it makes me glad that I have a well-designed cover or a good summary on the back. The clock is ticking. What will they decide?

My second book, “Expiation” is set against the backdrop of the politics and turmoil of the 1970s. I have noticed a positive reaction when I add that tidbit of information. This grabs the interest of certain demographics such as Baby Boomers

A good quick summary of “Expiation” is contained in an ad in the New York Review of Books. It reads, “In this romance that spans 30 years from the turbulent 1970s in San Francisco, two former sweethearts reunite and try to reclaim their love.” Good elevator speech!

Now I’ve published my third book “The Illusion of Certainty.” What is it about?

The book has three parts. It takes place in Portland, Oregon, Seattle, London and Paris. It is about unexpected events which shape people’s lives and test their mettle. One overriding theme is the book is “the only certainty in life is uncertainty.” I have some twists and turns in the plot which I do not want to reveal in my summaries and “elevator speeches.” So what am I going to say? I can’t be uncertain about that. Hmmm.

I need to figure that out before you get off the elevator.