Blistering Heat and Guys Hotter than Hades

Blistering Heat and Guys Hotter than Hades

Its not unusual for people to ask me why I spent twelve years abroad teaching in Egypt and the Middle East. Lately, I've decided to pull out the pictures on my phone and so them why...  The answer is really simple and sometimes a picture is worth a thousand or more words.

Although the temperatures in places like Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait and even some parts of Egypt are well above the normal for most of North America, the guys who hang out in these regions are just plain hot. Nothing melts this gals insides like a well tanned hunk with penetrating eyes.  It's even better when its so hot their thin silk white dhisha sticks to their skin showing off their muscles and other body parts. (I didn't just say that, did I?)

I loved Qatar, the second country I was able to work in. Doha in particular has just about everyone thing one could hope for in large, water front city. Hugh malls, a walkable Cornish, sports events are just some of the fun things one can do while visiting there.

 

(indoor events - who knows what one hides under those white robes.)

 (outdoor walking)

Here are some other shots I took and collected along my many travels. Enjoy the show.

Did I happen to mention my camera tended to get distracted, the lens heading straight for the hottest guy around walking around the Cornish or hanging out on the beach? Of course, that's not always true - I did take the normal shots of building and monuments. I even took ones of my students. This bunch of guys below was actually some of my students - Oh yeah, forgot to mention in Doha, I instructed adult men. Lucky me.<grin> I had the nation's national basketball coach, half the Doha police force and the royals in my classes.

My class of bad boys. Yes, that's me in the black.

Now on to site seeing pictures.

I hope you enjoyed the show and will consider going over seas on your next vacation or adventure. There's plenty to see if you can stand the heat.
Always, V



New Release & Give-Away - ETERNAL TUAT

Eternal Tuat – Sekhmet’s Guardians – Book Four

V.S. Nelson

ISBN-13:978-1499185461

Available in print, large print and Kindle format through

Amazon and other fine outlets

 

Unlike the other three novels in Sekhmet’s Guardians, this first person, stand-alone historical takes the reader back in time 6,000 years, back to the land of New Tuat and to ancient Egypt. The question, how could two identical twin brothers turn out so differently are answered by Bagsu in this epic tale of family, growth, loss, betrayal and brotherhood.

 Back cover blurb:

Bagsu, his name alone strikes fear in the Guardian Nation.

What can cause one twin, destined to take his father’s place as a priest turn evil and lead a crusade to dominate the human race while the other fights to save mankind?
Finally, secrets are revealed when Bagsu leads us back in time to the land of New Tuat. Experience first hand what really happened to Bagsu and Gabriel long before they became immortal, when twin brothers were the best of friends.

 Excerpt:

The king’s brother, Set, thanks Sekhmet’s guards for their service then dismisses them. After bowing they return to their post, leaving us alone with an open door and the two prisoners.

Menefta and Unab stand guard outside the cell. Requt, Set and I enter. The scum inside instantly recognize Set’s ebony face and go to their knees.

“Tell him.” Set’s lips do not move but his voice is heard by all.

They begin their squabbling, blaming the one who is not imprisoned for their deeds then beg for mercy.

“Where is he?”

“We do not know.”

Set nods at Requt who grabs and lifts the first one up with one hand. “Where is he?” He slams him against the brick wall.

“I swear to you, I do not know.”

“Speak now or die by my hand.”

“I swear to you my Lord, I do not know.”

Requt draws his blade across the assailant’s throat before I know what he is doing. He drops the man in a pool of blood. I’m happy he’s dead, but I wish it would have been by my hand.  Without thinking, I grab the other.

“Where is he?” I throw the man who stole Ebony, my horse, against the wall.

Set steps forward, places a hand on my shoulder and glares at the prisoner. I release him. He resumes his position on his knees.

“I believe he asked you a question.” Set’s voice is firm and direct. His eyes burn crimson.

“Sire, he will kill me!”

“And you don’t think I will.”

“Please, you must protect me.”

Set smiles. His eyes return to normal. “Of course; we merely wish to find your leader.”

Ebony’s thief tells us the third man, Nefer’s murderer, is held up in their hangout, a cave not far from town.

“Kill him.” Set turns and steps into the hallway.

Requt instructs me to leave. I tell him the responsibility is mine. He hands me his blade and steps aside. The prisoner stands, begging for mercy.

“Did any of you show mercy to me or to my wife?”

Again and again, the blade, as if it has a mind of its own, is buried in his stomach until a pool of blood encompasses the dirt floor. I release the man--he falls backward. My hands, arms and clothing are covered in blood.

The taste of revenge is sweet, but not sweet enough. I want more. I stagger toward Requt, blade in hand. He takes his knife from me and after wiping it clean returns it’s to his chest sheath. He doesn’t ask, but I can see the question in his eyes. Has the taking of a life given me the satisfaction I have hungered for?

About the Author:

 With a love for history, Native American author V.S. Nelson, instructed elementary, high school and college in the U.S. and abroad before launching her second writing career.

V has been a story-teller all her life, always creating stories about people discovering the courage to make a difference. This drove her into writing her paranormal series centering on strong relationships and led her to coin the term: Ancient Legends, New Worlds.
She is well known for her “time management and sprint style writing,” producing well over five thousand words daily - consecutively. Ms. Nelson is available for speaking engagements, appearances and is more than willing to share her methodology with others in a variety of workshops.
A member of three RWA chapters she sits on several committees, judges writing contests across the states and serves on her local chapter’s board.
In Jan, 2013, Eternal Lovers, the first book in her eleven book paranormal series, Sekhmet’s Guardians launched with a fury. Being a series reader herself, she has held true to her promise by releasing no less than two books in the series per year in addition to her other work. Since that time, Sekhmet’s Guardians was proclaimed Top New Series for 2013 and more recently been defined by reviewers as a modern day Game of Thrones.
Ms. Nelson enjoys hearing from readers, fans and people with similar interests. They are more than welcome to contact her through her website http://www.authorvsnelson.com

Purchase links
KINDLE: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K34GXMC
Print and Large Print coming soon.

 

 

 

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Which POV? by V.S. Nelson

OMG...  Where to start? What POV should I write my short story from?

Have you ever wondered why one author writes from 1st person while another one writes from 3rd?

I’m not going to bore you to tears or attempt to take you back to your high school creative writing class. The purpose of this article to discuss how you can avoid complications and/or rejections by making sure you write your next manuscript in the correct POV or Point of View.

To simply things, let’s begin where every writer begins, making the decision -- which POV-- First or third?

In first person narration, the narrator; the one who says I all the time is in control of your story. Written much like an autobiography the story is told from one person’s POV only. In every scene he is the one who uses his senses (sees, touch, smell, taste, etc.) which guides the reader through your story. Remember, if he cannot see it, neither can you or the reader.

I’ve read multiple stories where the author will switch back and forth from one character to another in first person narrative, usually the hero and the heroine. This allows the reader to become involved in the story from the other person’s perspective (think heroine) even if your hero is not in the same room. The key to doing this successfully is to remain in that characters 1^st person POV. I’ve also know authors, including myself, who deliberately left out the identity of a character you are talking from. This tends to be a very useful technique when an author is writing mysteries or thrillers and you are writing from the killer’s or antagonist’s POV.

One of the most unusual novels I read this past year, which you do not see that often, actually switched from 1^st to 3^rd person every other chapter. I will admit I was surprised how well the author pulled it off. It was an amazing tale of a suicidal has-been rock star primarily told from the 1^st person. On alternating chapters the author would fill in the blanks of his story in 3^rd.  

In third-person narration, whether limited, omniscient or deep, the author has the freedom to guide the reader down the story brick road to see what everyone sees, hears and feels, but remember, too many view points can take away from your story just as much as it can enhance it. You definitely wouldn’t want to describe a party scene from everyone that was in attendance, would you?  It is said that every time you jump from one character to another in the same scene you actually separate the reader from the 1^st person’s experiences. Sometimes, this can leave the reader empty, rather than doing what the author hoped for; giving more exposure to the scene.

Personally, I think there is one major exception to this and that would be the intimate love scenes. Quite often in romance novels, you will see both couples in bed. The author will focus on the hero’s actions, writing what he feels, sees, etc. then a paragraph or so down the page the author will switch to the heroine. The author may do this several times until all actions and feelings are expressed though each POV. Nora Roberts has become a master at this as well as many others.

Although it is not recommended to describe every scene from both heroine and hero it may become necessary to show both viewpoints of the same scene, particularly if that scene is one where the heroine and hero are at odds, each seeing things differently. A few years ago, I set two chapters aside in my manuscript to do this. It was their official meeting and they were in total opposition on what each experienced. To help the reader have a better understanding I felt it necessary to write the same scene from their individual deep POVs. It seemed to work out for me, for them and for the book. In case you are wondering that scene is the initial meeting between Gabriel and Jennifer in Eternal Lovers. Gabriel is overcome with emotion, traveling back in the past to a time when he first feel in love with an Egyptian priestess while Jennifer, on the other hand is extremely afraid of Gabriel's size and mannerisms.

There are several things that are frowned upon within our industry with the first one on my list being too many Points of Views within the same novel or within the same scene. With the increase of soap operas and night-time addicting series, television has spurred on a wide range of new thinking when it comes to POV shifts. Take a look at some of the award winning HBO and SHOWTIME series and you’ll see what I’m about to talk about. Game of Thrones is gearing up for it’s forth season; a multi-plotted adventure with a complete cast of characters where the audience visits a vast array of scenes. My PNR series is written much like a night-time soap/series in the 3^rd person POV. Even though I have a specified hero and heroine per book there is a cast of characters a mile long in that series. I gambled, broke a few rules and wrote this series in multiple POVs. I even had one review say, "Jesus, even the butler has a POV, but, this author has pulled it off effectively allowing the reader to get a real insight into her massive character's roles.

To avoid un-necessary complications, I ask myself the following questions before I ever sit down to write out the scene then hopefully I will have my answer on whose POV should I write it from.

(1)   What is this scene about and does it move the story forward?

(2)   Who has the most to loose or gain from the scene?

(3)   Who is able to see everything in the scene?

As I previously mentioned, switching POVs mid-stream in a scene is not recommended, unless it can be avoided. The third question above I added while writing the first book in my PNR series. I’ll explain below and hope you will see why I did what I did.

Saying this particular scene was very difficult for me to write is an understatement. At first, I wanted to write the scene from the heroine’s POV. She opens the hotel door, sees her husband in the arms of another, screams and within moments is shoved out the door to the hallway for her protection and is  a catatonic state when the hero arrives.

Did I forgot to mention  I also tend to be a rule breaker? Oh yeah, I did. I started a romance story with a married heroine... another big no-no in the industry. To save my heroine’s face and get her out of a marriage I needed to create a situation no one could ever blame her for leaving, which would indirectly set her free to be with the hero of the story.

Back to the drawing board… I tried writing it from the hero’s POV. Sadly, he enters the scene too late for the reader to know what happened before she became catatonic. I knew I needed to guide the reader into the room and to have someone who was in that room the entire time who could describe in detail what took place before and after the main event.

I also knew I was gambling with this scene even though it was essential to the story. You see my heroine’s husband wasn’t with his girlfriend; he was in the arms of another man. Not wanting to give my readers a bad impression towards gays, I also had to tread lightly where the male couple was concerned. I finally made the decision to try something new. Even though the husband’s lover was not previously mentioned in the manuscript (except for this scene), deep in my heart, I knew he was the only one I could write the scene from and be able to pull it off correctly so that everyone would be happy, especially the reader. After everyone else leaves the hotel suite, it is the lover who embraces the husband and tells him everything will be alright. It was a win-win situation. Hero eventually gets the heroine and my two male lovers go off on their new adventure. They are not involved in the rest of the story, but I suspect in the near future those two guys will reappear later in the series.

Please forgive me as I got a little side tracked in this article. My main purpose was to expose you to an alternative when selecting whose POV to write from. My only other two choices would have been (1) scratching the scene all together which wouldn’t have given my heroine an out or (2) write the scene from multi POVs. I still feel my decision was the best for this particular scene. And after asking several readers what they felt about the scene they agreed whole heartedly with me, I had written from the correct person’s POV even though he was a secondary character.

I’ve included some more things to consider when making the decision on what and who’s POV to write from.

The viewpoint character is the guide through a scene.

The viewpoint character often is, but does not have to be, the protagonist.

If the viewpoint character can’t hear, see, touch or feel it – neither can the reader.

Who will make the best presenter of the information you wish to covey.

Before making your final decision, look at your scene and look inside all those present – get into their heads and see who can relay it the best.

Experiment and if you’re having trouble, write the scene from another person’s POV – you will be surprised what you might come up with.

Historically genre has often dictated what POV we are to write in. Don’t be afraid to try something new or break a rule. Remember, there was a time all romances were written entirely from there heroines POV. I'm happy to say this isn't the case anymore.
I hope you enjoyed today's insight into POV and wish you all the best in your writing.
Sincerely,
V.S.Nelson

Is There A Difference Between Beta Readers and Critique Partners?

Veronica sez: I enjoyed V.S.'s take on the subject of beta readers and critique partners so much, I asked her to post the discussion here for her December blog topic and she kindly obliged. So here's the answer from V. S. Nelson, to the rhetorical question she posed in the title line:

You bet there is! First, I’d like to define the terms beta readers and critique partners we so often use in the writing world. Simply put, a beta reader is someone who reads an author’s unpublished work.  He or she can be an author, but this isn’t a requirement. A critique partner is another author who you expect feedback from. They both serve a valuable service to the author.

Beta-Readers

Some authors use beta readers to read their work just before their story goes to print (or in this day and age, uploaded to a site like Amazon), while others, like myself; prefer to utilize two different types of beta readers. I call them pre and post. My pre-post-beta-reader reads my work prior to it being edited. I primarily use my pre-post-beta-readers to make sure I have a story long before I spend endless hours editing something that might end up in the trash. I use their advice to enhance story lines, character developments and numerous other things.

Once I have evaluated their advice I put it to good use by beginning my rewrites. When I am satisfied with my changes, I send the manuscript back out to them for another quick look. If no more suggestions are made, my work is then sent to my critique partners and then to my first (copy) editor.They, of course, makes a variety of suggestions and corrections, sends the work back to me for another round of rewrites.

When I have completed the rewrites (yes again) it goes back to my copy editor for a hard look. Confident the work is in primo shape; I send it to my line editor and am ready to share it with my post-beta-reader. I have them complete a form, much like a judge would use in a writing contest. The form allows me to see if there is anything else that might need to be tweaked before I consider it ready for publication.

I have, of course, promised a signed copy of the finalized version not available to the public for their services, other wise known as an ARC (Advanced Released Copy.) 

Critique Partners

As I previously mentioned, a critique partner is another author/writer who evaluates your work and in return you evaluate her/his during the writing process. Critique groups consist of 2 or more writers and can be as large as 20 or so members with the average being around 4 or 5. Typically, critique groups meet bi-weekly or monthly depending on the needs of the group. These groups evaluate or critique sections or chapters as the novel is being developed or written. 

A Good Critique Partner or group is not a fan club. You are not there to praise another’s work, but to help each other with the writing process. Do not expect praises from your critique partners. Be thrilled if you get them, and know you are on the right track, but be warned if you get them too often, you might have a fan, not a real CP. Something I learned a long time ago, other authors are the hardest to please, as they should be.

A Great Critique Partner is worth their weight in gold as they spend hours reading over and critiquing your work with a fine tooth comb -- sometimes nit picking the tiniest things you missed… all in all, they help develop your manuscript into a piece of art. 

Acquiring Beta-Readers

            First rule of thumb is not to ask a close relative, like your mother or husband, to read your story. They are too close to you to give you an unbiased opinion. You want someone who, above anything else, is HONEST and DIRECT. Hearing, “I couldn’t get into your story, or your hero lacks something.” is not what you want hear--but if it is the truth you need to hear it before you spend hours upon hours writing and rewriting a 400 page novel.

This is why I request my pre-post-beta readers to read the unedited version. CONTENT, FLOW, and CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT are essential to every great novel no matter what genre’ you are writing in. 

I’d like to give you ideas on who might make a really great beta-reader and give you some ideas where to find those beta readers.

(1)   Find someone who is well versed and reads you genre.

(2)   If you write from both male and female POVs; find someone of the opposite sex. These individuals can help you greatly with everything from romantic scenes to bloody battles.

(3)   If you are writing military romance or suspense; find a soldier, cop or someone who has expertise in that field.

Finding beta-readers is easier than you might expect. All one has to do is mention they are an author and they seem to come out of the wood work. But be careful and make sure you both understand the rules before you hand over your work to someone you really don’t know that well.

A beta reader who is tempted to share your work with every one of their friends is not for you. Remind them, you have selected them—and them only.

Another thing I will remind you of is having too many people read your work will give you too many outside ideas. Don’t ask everyone you know or meet. Trying to please the twenty people who read your book and commented on it will eventually drive you to creating some major mistakes. Remember you can’t please everyone and please, above all else stay true to your muse.

Joining a Critique Group

            The easiest place to find a critique group is through your local writing association. If you’re not a member of one, try visiting a local chapter of RWA (Romance Writers of American) or Sister’s in Crime. Newspapers often list local meetings. Check your bookstore bulletin board for locations for writing groups. Find someone or a group that fits your needs. As I mentioned they vary in size and what they are willing or not willing to do. If you join one and it works out for you, great! If not, find another.