Mishmash of Inspiration

Inspiration comes in so many packages. It can be a book that sparks a "what if" idea or a song with lyrics that speak to you. It can be a movie or a person that touched your life. Really, inspiration can be and can come from anything.

When you consider how many books use song titles as titles...yeah. It's easy to see how much music feeds creativity.

While I was writing Evermine, one of my critique partners emailed me a link to a song and said--this is Emma. I gave it a listen, and it is. I got chills listening to it. I still do. I'd like to share that song with you.

I guess I have Emma on the brain lately, since I'm working on second round edits on that book. She was the voice I heard while writing Everlong. Her story, and Harper's, I sometimes think is the reason I wrote the first book. (Let's not tell their siblings that, shall we?)

Once I wrap up Evermine, I still have Frost edits ahead of me. Once those are finished, I'm looking for a way to reconnect with Dillon and Isabeau as I write Eversworn. Music seems like the logical choice, and I have a song in mind...

Yep. I'm smiling as I write this. That song speaks to me on so many levels, and I think it's a good connection between Dillon and me. Of course, while I was song shopping, I found one for Vaughn (from the next Araneae Nation novel), but I think I'll keep that under my hat for now.

How about y'all? Any songs you listen to over and over to connect with a character or to get in the mood to write certain scenes?

April Fifer and Danielle Hylton: Flesh and Feathers….

On a cigarette break one afternoon, Danielle and I were sitting in my car. I looked over at her and said, “Don’t laugh, but I started writing a book.” Thankfully, she didn’t laugh. In turn, she said that it was so strange because she had always wanted to write a book too. We had been friends for five years and had no idea that either of us had the same dream. Together we pulled out my pitiful twenty two page manuscript, carefully read it, and then threw it in the trash. It was horrible. The entire thing revolved around a Christmas party. We still laugh about it to this day. However, what came from those twenty two pages was a new, genuine bond between me and my friend. After that, we learned that each of us had strengths in areas the other did not. Descriptions and visuals became my obsession, while Danielle’s detail to the characters and their interactions gave them a life of their own.

Looking at the characters, Azaleigh, is our best friend. She is the person who, no matter what happens, will always be there for you. The more we wrote about her, the more we fell in love with her. She became so real to us, we actually began asking ourselves, “What would Az do,” in our everyday lives. As for the two men in Azaleigh’s life, Kale and Gage, we hope that everyone loves them as much as we did. Danielle and I had to pick a side; I was the Gage fan and Danielle was the Kale fan. We wanted the readers to struggle with who they would choose, because it was surely a struggle for us. Kale was the mysterious, sexy one. While Gage was the confident, outgoing one.

Flesh and Feathers is the first book of our series. We are currently working on Flesh and Flames, book two, and we are already obsessed with the new plot. In this book the reader gets more insight into each of the characters lives; past, present, and future. Things also start to heat up between the characters, hopefully making it harder for the reader to decide who they will root for. Then there is Anna. You will finally get to meet her and learn how truly important she is to the story.

We have been so blessed on this journey with the help of a really great friend. (You know who you are.) Thanks for all the support.

April Fifer and Danielle Hylton

Excerpt:

All he did was watch me. Looking at him only made the pain rise to the surface, and for once the true me came out. “I always knew I liked you more than you liked me. You never proved me wrong. I wanted you in every way a person could want someone. All I wanted was you. So I guess I’m the one to blame, for believing that you could feel the same in return.”

I couldn’t look at him another minute. I was crushed and didn’t want to show him how badly, even though I am sure it was a little late for that. I pushed past him and ran out the back door where our cook, Jackson, would normally sneak off to take his smoke breaks. I could feel the tears welling up, weighing heavy on my eyelids and ready to break free at any second. I had to clear my head and didn’t want an audience during my nervous breakdown.

The back door spilled out into an alleyway that ran beside the diner. I stood outside pacing back and forth, trying to calm myself. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to scream and cry or find a baseball bat and start swinging.

I turned when I heard the back door open again. Kale stood a few feet away, trying to keep a safe distance. “Azaleigh, if you would let me explain.”

“Go to hell!” I shouted as I began walking hard steps down the alley that would lead to the city sidewalk.

“Azaleigh!” he shouted, grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face him.

My only reaction was to slap him hard across his face. The loud sound of my hand making contact with his cheek shocked me, but I was too angry to care. “No! You don’t understand! You don’t ever get to touch me again!”

I shrugged harshly out of his grip. Just then, a heavy gust blew, ruffling my hair and blinding me as I turned to walk away, followed by a loud thud. Taking a step forward, I brushed my hair from my face, but then stopped suddenly. A man wearing a white hooded cloak stood in front of me. At first I stopped because I was astonished by what he was wearing, but as I studied him, I noticed the slender sword-like object that he gradually pulled from his side. My body began to tremble with fear.

“Azaleigh, get behind me!” Kale demanded, in a firm voice.

Settings for Vampire Tales by guest blogger India Masters

In thinking about vampire paranormals for this blog post, one of the first things that popped into my mind was setting. Now, a vampire story can be set anywhere but think about the settings you remember. What made them stand out?

Interview With A Vampire by Ann Rice was set in New Orleans. Lestat the hedonistic vampire who revels in his immortality and Louie who despises it. And the story is set against the backdrop of plantation life. Louis is the wealthy master with his frightened slaves who know exactly what he’s become. Blood and sex and magic. If that’s not New Orleans I don’t know what is.

This is where I choose to set my vampire stories. There’s just something about the history of New Orleans that lends itself to a good vampire novel. The decay appeals to me. As does the way New Orleanians revel in it. Patch the crumbling plaster? Heck no, let the brick show through. The city becomes a character in the story because it’s one of the oldest and most eclectic cities in the United States. Founded in 1718, the Crescent City is old enough that it’s not impossible to believe any number of strange goings on may have occurred there—everything from voodoo to witchcraft to vampires and werewolves. I mean, they call their cemeteries cities of the dead. What better setting for a paranormal than New Orleans?

Let’s not forget the original vampire, Count Dracula. Bram Stoker published that book back in 1897. The setting was a crumbling castle in the Carpathian Mountains somewhere on the border of Transylvania. Another ancient, historical setting if there ever was one. I never got into any of the Dracula movies until 1979 when Frank Langella portrayed the seductive Count. There hasn’t been a serious challenger since then, IMHO.

Of course, we can’t forget the Twilight movies and another really great setting for vampires. A small sparsely populated town in the Pacific Northwest where it’s almost always overcast if it’s not raining. The town is surrounded by mountains and there are any number of national and state parks around to provide the seclusion one needs to hunt. Whatever one hunts.

Other mentions, of course, are the Underworld movies and the Sookie Stackhouse Southern vampire series. Again, Louisiana comes into play with the southern vampire books. If you’ve spent any time in the beautiful state of Louisiana, you can’t deny there’s a certain mystery to the place—especially if you’ve ever ventured into bayou country. It’s beautiful and enigmatic, and a little creepy with the Spanish moss, the gators, all manner of snakes, and the nutria screaming in the night. A person could easily get lost in the bayous and never be seen again. Seems like a good vampire or werewolf setting to me.

If anyone asked me what was the most important aspect of an romantic erotic vamp story, I’d have to say—after the romance itself—it’s setting. As is true of my previous comment about New Orleans being a character in my stories, the setting of a vampire novel should, in my opinion, have some aspect of threat to it. New Orleans has that reputation of “be careful where you go.” I’ll add the caveat that all major cities contain that aspect of threat, which is why they can almost seem like characters in and of themselves. It doesn’t matter if your vampire lives in a crumbling castle in Transylvania or a luxury loft Belltown. Each lair can hold that air of threat. Anything could be lurking in that crumbling castle but the luxury loft can be just as frightening simply because of what isn’t there. Perhaps it’s cold, sterile, with no sense of human warmth, no hint that anyone remotely human lives there. But a monster could live there just as easily as in the ancient castle high in the Carpathian Mountains.

I’ve written two vampire novels thus far, with a sequel to one planned and another one I’d considered setting in Seattle. Maybe. No matter where I think I want to set a paranormal, New Orleans always seems to call my name. And why shouldn’t she? She’s beautiful and bawdy and steeped in a history that leads visitors to think anything goes. Sometimes it does. And isn’t that pretty much the erotic essence of a vampire?

Blurb for Eternal Soulmate:

When Olivia Sheppard left the service, she had no idea what to do with her life. She never thought she’d wind up as head of security, and so much more, for trendy club owner and international mystery man Noah Lazarus. Breaking her rule of non-fraternization with the boss, Olivia and Noah begin a torrid affair.

Steamy sex isn’t enough to win a woman like Olivia, and Noah knows it. But he’s compelled to win her. Unfortunately, he has a secret, one that may cost Olivia her life. What he doesn’t know is whether Olivia can love and accept him for who he is. Or whether he can keep her alive long enough to prove that love can last for all eternity.

Author bio:

India Masters

India Masters was born and raised in a small coastal town in Florida, where she learned to love surf fishing, boating, and anything to do with the outdoors and water. She has been happily single since the mid-’90s with no plans to rectify the situation. She has a twenty-two-year-old daughter whom she refers to as the coolest person currently breathing on Earth.

 

India is a multi-published author and recently finaled third in the Great Expectations writing contest in the erotica category. She is a retired social worker who has worked in community mental health, corrections, addictions and child welfare. She has an undergrad degree in Forensic Pathology and recently earned her Master’s of Science in Psychology.

 Giveaway! India Masters will pick a lucky commenter to win a copy of her book. DON'T forget your e-mail address so we can contact you. Winner will be chosen tomorrow.

Please show Deborah Cooke some love!!

Do You Believe in Magic?
By Deborah Cooke
Also writing as Claire Delacroix

I’ve always believed in magic. There are so many things in the world that simply can’t be explained satisfactorily by science, at least not to me. Why do flowers bloom in the spring? Why do the birds migrate and how do they know when to do it and where to go? What really makes the world go around?

And here’s the biggest test of magic of all - how is it that two people can fall in love, even when they seem to be completely at odds?

I think that romantic love is the greatest sign of magic of all, so it probably makes sense that I’m a romance writer. It probably also makes sense that I tend to write romances that have paranormal elements.

A little bit of magic in the air heightens the romance, to me, and increases the reader’s sense that something truly special is happening for the characters. Falling in love is always special and magical, a time out of time, and I like to play with story elements that highlight that. It could be that the characters only can meet because one has traveled through time to the other (ONCE UPON A KISS and THE MOONSTONE). In those cases, I think that love was stronger than the constraints of time and space – pretty potent stuff! Or there can be sympathetic elements in the world around the characters who are falling in love – like Lilith’s tarot cards in LOVE POTION #9, which take on a life of their own in guiding her to make a match that lasts forever.

I also like to write stories of destined lovers, particularly of those who have a second chance to get it right. Sometimes, the reason they parted is mundane (THE ROGUE) and earthly; sometimes they need a second life, a reincarnation, in order to have the chance to make their union last forever (THE WARRIOR).

Although I have a tendency to make my heroes be the ones with paranormal powers, I sometimes play with the secondary characters. My Jewels of Kinfairlie medieval trilogy (THE BEAUTY BRIDE is book #1) (http://www.delacroix.net/jewelsl.html) features a naughty fairy named Darg who makes trouble for all the family with her thieving and drinking. Only Elizabeth can see her and try to control her, although that tends to be troublesome. I like Darg, I like that she speaks in rhymes and that she loves ale enough to not mind drowning in it.

And I love to write books in which either the hero or the heroine has magical powers. My Dragonfire series features heroes who are dragon shape shifters – how sexy is that? Each hero becomes a massive, powerful, loyal, ferocious and *hot* dragon, determined to defend the woman he loves. I’ve written a wolf shifter hero (ENCHANTED) and a panther shifter hero (A MAGICIAN’S QUEST) and even a vampire hero (“Coven of Mercy”). What these heroes all have in common – besides being more sexy than should be legal – is that they have a power to win the heroine’s heart forevermore, partly thanks to their magical abilities.
Recently, I switched things around and wrote about a heroine with magical powers – my Dragon Diaries YA paranormal series is a spin-off from Dragonfire, in which Zoë comes into her powers as the only female dragon shifter of her kind. That’s supposed to mean that she gets extra powers, but she’s not entirely sure what they are or how she should master them – and there’s no one to ask.


So, what do you think? Do you believe in magic? Do you believe that love is a magical force? And do you think that paranormal elements in a romance add a little kick to the mix?

Thirteen Things D L Jackson finds incredibly sexy—in no particular order.

1. Men in uniforms, any uniform.

2. Said man in uniform stripping it off, while maintaining eye contact with you the whole time.

3. A man that will climb into the tub and wash your back.

4. A man that blushes when you catch him looking at you. No innocent thoughts there.

5. When a man comes up behind you in a very public setting and tugs your hair, leaning in to whisper something very naughty into your ear, starting a game of “How hot can I make you before I get you home.”

6. When he peels your panties off with his teeth.

7. Fixing things around the house. When I see a wrench in his hand, I want to jump him.

8. Seeing him play with his children.

9. Hearing him laugh.

10. A phone call at work that would put a phone sex operator to shame.

11. Getting pinned to a wall and kissed like there’s no tomorrow.

12. Watching him do yard work and then take the hose and cool off. Wet t-shirts aren’t just for men to enjoy, ladies.

13. Cowboys.

So, what things would you add to the list?

It's Friday

...and a wonderful day to go to the movies. Early afternoon showtime beats the noisier crowds of youngsters.


No long line at the concession stand, so I quickly grab a soda and a big tub of popcorn. Moving down the counter I spy what I need--liquid gold--the buttah. I slather it over the top of the puffed kernels of corn, and I'm on my way. Goosebumps race up my arms when I open the door and step into the darkened space. Making my way slowly down the dimly lit aisle, squinting to see, praying silently, I spot it... and it's empty! My fav place to sit, located ten rows from the screen, dead center. I sit down, but it doesn't work for me. The size of the theater varies this spot a little, and I need to be dead center. I move left one seat. Nice!  Settling in, I wait for the lights to go down, and a hush to fill the darkness.

Watching the trailers, I see something 'coming soon' to a theater near me ( there's only one near where I live) and make a mental note to remember the date. I'm munching away on my popcorn, sipping the large cola I paid an arm and leg for, which is partly why I had to be careful and move slowly through the dimly lit aisle... *laughing* that's another story!! Anyway, I'm ready for the feature presentation and, damn, I hope there's nothing louder playing on either side of my theater. Bugs me when I'm immersed in my movie to hear a sudden burst of gun shot or something next door.


Ahhh, give me the good old days when one movie at a time played and there was a balcony! *Sigh*

It's finally here!

Growl and roar-it's okay to let the beast out.-© J. Hali Steele

Please give a warm welcome to Karen McCullough!

Being Different in Paranormal

You wouldn’t think it would be hard to be different when writing paranormal stories, would you? After all, it’s a genre that theoretically lets you go anywhere and do anything your imagination can conjure.

Yet you look around, and it seems like every story you see has vampires and werewolves, with a dash of demons occasionally intruding. I love writing paranormal stories, but I’m not a big fan of vampires, werewolves, or demons as heroes (or heroines), though it seems like the public has an almost endless hunger for them.

Confession time: I have written one vampire novel, A VAMPIRE’S CHRISTMAS CAROL, which is currently being sold a part of the BENEATH A CHRISTMAS MOON anthology from Ellora’s Cave. It will be going out of print from them shortly and I’ll be releasing it myself as a stand-alone novella.

Ahem… That one novella aside, I don’t write stories with vampires or werewolves, but I have written a number of novels and novellas with paranormal elements. My earlier paranormal novels were romantic fantasy and the fantasy is pretty much classical type fantasy. Both of those novels are still available from ImaJinn books.

Recently, though, I’ve been trying to do some different things, trying out some lesser traveled paranormal paths.

My recently published novella, HEART OF THE NIGHT, which is part of the SHADOWED HEARTS series of Gothic romances, sponsored by the Gothic Romance Writers chapter (gothrom.net) and published by Red Rose Publishing, features a hero who is anything but a normal person. What he is would constitute a spoiler, but you could call him a sort of guardian from the past.

And a novel I’ll be releasing myself soon features a pair of wizards in a contemporary setting… Sort of an American Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, grown up, with college degrees well beyond what Hogwarts would confer (and, yes, that fact figures largely in the story).

My current work in progress features a witch and a gargoyle as detectives trying to solve the brutal murder of a group of younger gargoyles. I know there are a few gargoyle stories out there, but I don’t think it’s been done to death like vampires have.

What other paranormal creatures or situations haven’t been driven into the ground?



Coping with her father’s declining health isn’t the only challenge Jess O’Rourke faces as head of a small-town library. An old collection of books moldering in the basement may hold the secret to returning a demon to his own world. But that demon likes being where he is, and he’s recently learned the book’s location. He plans to retrieve it or destroy it, by whatever means necessary.
An enigmatic but attractive man who’s begun hanging around the library warns Jess about the book and the demon coming to get it. She’s dubious about the whole thing, but begins to search for the book. As the demon’s efforts to retrieve it escalate, Jess comes to realize that laying the demon may cost her more than just time and effort. It could claim everything she holds dear, even her own life.

Order it from Amazon.

Order from Red Rose Publishing.


Karen McCullough is the author of ten published novels in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres and has won numerous awards, including an Eppie Award for fantasy. She’s also been a four-time Eppie finalist, and a finalist in the Prism, Dream Realm, Rising Star, Lories, Scarlett Letter, and Vixen Awards contests. Her short fiction has appeared in several anthologies and numerous small press publications in the fantasy, science fiction, and romance genres. Her most recent release is a cozy mystery, A GIFT FOR MURDER, published in hardcover by Five Star/Gale Group Mysteries. She invites visitors to check out her home on the web at http://www.kmccullough.com.

I Can't Tell What You're Thinking

I read a book not too long ago that absolutely did not work for me. The reasons were many and varied, but one of them was the fact the book was written in third person. Only, in some parts, you sure could have fooled me.

Example:

Her scent filled his nose, made his lungs ache with every inhale. He shouldn't be here. I knew better than to come. Yet here I am. Crossing the room, he paused beside her chair.

I wouldn't have had an issue if the above snippet was presented this way:

Her scent filled his nose, made his lungs ache with every inhale. He shouldn't be here. I knew better than to come. Yet here I am. Crossing the room, he paused beside her chair.

By placing the thoughts in italics, you can plainly see where our hero stops acting and starts thinking. We've been conditioned to accept that is the norm for thought delivery. We see italics, and we know we're dealing with a series of thoughts.

Without them, you have a jumble of third and first that makes me grind my teeth. I realize it's possible this could be a house style issue, which would be sad, but it doesn't change the fact I'd never seen it before reading that book. I was jarred from the story the first time it happened, and I don't think I ever recovered.

While I've seen the argument that an informed reader should hit those patches and keep sailing, knowing what they are, that's not my issue exactly. I knew what they were, but those sections ripped me from the story and became such an annoyance I almost actively searched for the next slip up.

(Which means the author had lost me. My attention was not on the story.)

As writers, that's the opposite of our job. We're supposed to become invisible. Readers are supposed to enjoy every word on the page without a hitch. When you make someone stop and think, the spell your words had cast is broken. It reminds me of the Wizard of Oz in the sense readers should "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain".

How about y'all? Any recent style changes or other shifts driving you batty?

Love in Young Adult Books---Tasarla Romaney

So...finally, I bring you what was supposed to be posted last week. LOL. Fortunately, my friend Tasarla Romaney was very patient with me. Please join me in welcoming her. She's stopped by to tell us about her Young Adult series and writing love in a fantasy story.

************************************************************************************

I read just about everything and for different reasons. Actually, a lot of my selections revolve around the seasons. A blowing snow storm seems to demand I read a murder mystery. Spring, of course, is prime romance reading time.

In my hi-fantasy young adult series, The Night of the Gryphon, I took my love for romance and wove it into the very fabric of the quest story giving everyone of love. This is a romance reader dream - five independent loves story in the same book! Each romance is unique and the couples deal with their own ‘issues.’

Today, I’m going to offer a ‘snapshot’ of three of them. My favorite couple to write is Ovezara and Jur. She’s my dark heroine who has no experience in love. It is so much fun to take someone who has only known ugliness and show her the power of love. Jur is a king to a race many feel are less than human. Yet, their love is true…from Warrior Queen…

Ovezara looked into the Jur’s face. “I would not expect you to pay any form of ransom nor would I use my magic against you.”

Jur snorted. “You are my queen. I as I said earlier, I will not let harm come you and all will suffer who try.”

Repeatedly, he tells Ovezara that he will not allow anything to hurt her and tells her he will avenge the person who abused her throughout her childhood. Ovezara doesn’t understand Jur’s feelings but finds herself counting him and he comes through again and again.

Taraly, my other heroine also struggles with her feelings but in a different way. Cherished by her father, her childhood was filled with love. As a young girl, her dreams were filled by a handsome prince who took her on wonderful adventures. Taraly soon learns dreams and reality rarely are the same…from the Warrior Queen…

As a girl growing up her nightly dreams had been filled with a handsome king from a distant land who came and swept her away on flights adventures filled with romance and excitement. The Prince of the Shadow Lands standing beside her with his long black hair, starling royal blue eyes, and cleft in his chin walked out of her dreams. Looking down at her damp, mud covered dress, she snorted. Their first adventure was far from wonderful.

Sancha and Jalie’s romance is a case of a good guy falling for the bad girl. Jalie comes in Sancha’s life when he is dealing with the brutal death of his father. He loves her knowing her faults….

“She hides things.”

Sancha nodded. “She also lies.”

When faced with the reality of their relationship…from The Hollow King

"Love and lies do not mix. Our love is a like rabbit. Your lies are the wolf pack. The rabbit will be torn to pieces."

"Never again will I lie. But you must understand there will be times I can't tell you the truth."

"Then you say that."

She smiled up at him as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Agreed."

Because he could no longer resist, he pulled Jalie to him. Her sweet lips greeting his.

So as you can see young adult doesn’t mean less romance. My series combines the excitement of the quest with a lot of emotional romance.

Find more about this amazing author here.

So Close and Yet So Far

                            me                                                    finishing

- Making fist

- Wringing hands

- Shouting, yelling, ranting

- Shaking head

- Pacing short distances, erratic stride

- Throwing hands up

- Storming from a room

All descriptive ways for me to admit I'm frustrated.

January of 2011 I embarked on a journey of discovering my inner writer. Up until then I have been creating stories by the seat of my pants and using my instincts as a long time reader. I've been writing in my comfort zone of first pov (point of view) or not-so-deep third pov with only two characters. I stepped out of that comfortable area and am trying a 3rd pov very deep with four characters. I took classes, read articles, and found a mentor.   

And I've been writing this book for seven months. God help me, I'm tired.

I'm sooooo close to finishing however I've been considering just putting it away. This sounds so easy. I've done it before with a difficult project. Ask me if ever picked it up again?

Frustration: The state a writer gets into when things don't go her way.

Rant over.