Showing posts with label novels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novels. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

A Lit Interrogation of My Co-Author by Vanessa C. Hawkins

 

 

 Vanessa Hawkins Author Page


      My bad. I forgot to post last month. But I have good news! I've finally gotten around to interviewing my co-author: Tara Woodworth! You know... that *other* name on a few of my book covers? She's real! And after a few libations, what started as an interrogation ended in a character development and shenanigans that somehow mapped out book 3...


Are you curious? Of course you are! So without further ado, here is our interview, which she may or may not remember having... 


 1. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer, Tara? (This is a boring arse question, I know, but bear with me, it gets better)!

Tara: When my friend Vanessa sent me a text message saying that we should write a book. 

*interviewers footnote* We used to write together back and forth. Some call it RP. Some of it was crap. The bulk of Shad and Scarlet was pretty good.


2. How long does it take you to write a book?

Tara: *she blinks and tries to ask me the same question. I tell her it is not I who is being interviewed* About a year depending on how often we write, which is about two or three days a week for a few hours per session. Right?

*interviewers footnote* This is correct.


3. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk? 

Tara: Sometimes I lay awake at night thinking about a conversation between characters or how a scene will play out until I fall asleep. 


4. What does your family think of your writing? 

Tara: They think it's great, but they also don't think of me as a real writer because I'm writing fiction/fantasy

*interviewers footnote* Cries** So true...


5. Do you have plans to ever write a book on your own or with another author besides me?

Tara: *She is of course thinking: No way! Vanessa is the best there is! How could I possibly think of writing with anyone other than this amazing genius of fiction and fantasy?* 

What she says: I mi-i-i-ight write a book on my own eventually, but I have no plans to write anything with any other authors. I won't talk about my idea though, or I'll lose my gumption to write on my own, so don't ask about it!


6. Hardest thing about writing with Vanessa C. Hawkins (if any :D) Did I ever frustrate you to no end?

Tara: Vanessa spells pajamas weird and uses weird colloquillisms that I edit out when she isn't looking...

*interviewers footnote* Yeah well, I edit all your adverbs out. Tara is an adverb queen. Also, it's spelled pyjamas. *sticks out tongue*   


7.If you could meet any character in Ballroom Riot which one would it be? 

Tara: Shad. Coz he's a dragon. 


8. Let's talk about Shad. If he could, for whatever reason, only keep one thing from his hoard, what would it be and why? 

Tara: Shad would be so heartbroken that I can't even picture how he would react. He probably has a dragon bug out bag that contains his most precious treasures. So... like, a necklace with the most expensive diamonds, or something with a giant gemstone. Whatever it was with the most monetary value. But if he is thinking of Scarlet as part of his hoard, then he'd take her...

*interviewers footnote* and probably whine about it later...


9. How would Shad break up with someone? 

Tara: He wouldn't. He'd always be the person who was broken up with. Maybe... maybe he would ghost a person... maybe... 


10. Would Shad think fart noises were funny?

Tara: What? Omg. No... if Scarlet tooted he wouldn't say anything, he'd probably just pretend it didn't happen. Scarlet probably would though... she's that kind of woman, and if Shad farted she'd tease him endlessly... if she wasn't blown away by noxious dragon gas.


11.  What would Shad think was the most annoying thing about Scarlet? 

Tara: When Scarlet gets mad at him, she walks too fast on purpose so he has to hobble to keep up. That's annoying... but also, despite being a graceful and loving person, she'll take out something with packaging, open it, use it, and leave the packaging wherever in the hell is convienent for her! She doesn't throw it out! Done using these clothes? Wham! Thrown on the back of the couch! Can't find an ashtray? Cigarette butt in the fruit bowl! 

*interviewers footnote* I think we've hit a nerve here...

Well, Tara, thank you for the interview! Before we end though, is there anything else you'd like to say?

Tara (who may or may not have actually said this): Book three is in the works! Hoping for a release of next year or so, but be sure to keep an eye out on the Books We Love webpage or Vanessa's blog for updates! We promise, it won't take ten years for us to write it... we aren't buttheads like... 

Till next time, folks!
 

Sunday, July 21, 2019

A Greek Adventure and Research by Diane Scott Lewis

Recently we took a trip to Greece, where I met my husband many years ago while stationed at a navy base (closed in 1990).  We attended a reunion of former navy personnel stationed at the base in the waterfront town of Nea Makri. The famous town of Marathon is a few miles to the north.
Author and Husband, navy base front gate

Before we left the U. S. I had an epiphany to write a novel set in Greece, ala Mary Stewart. She wrote so many wonderful romantic suspense novels set in Greece, including my favorite The Moon Spinners. My story, A Spark to the Ashes, takes place in 1955. A running away (from whom?) American woman with a small child seeks employment with a burned-out Englishman, to research ancient Greek pottery. She needs shelter yet desires freedom, he dislikes children and had expected a 'male' assistant. He's scarred from his experience in WWII. Both their pasts will haunt them and put their lives in peril.

I scoured the countryside to get my geography correct, now much research on the era remains.


Cape Sounio, Greece


It was sad to see the neglect of the base (where I married my husband at the base chapel), but wonderful to connect to former Nea Makri buddies, and meet new ones.
Former navy base, Nea Makri, Greece

Greece has a poor economy, but it's a beautiful country with much to offer. The restaurants in Nea Makri are fantastic, with fresh seafood and views of the gulf that flows into the Aegean Sea. The people are friendly, and most speak enough English to make you comfortable.

But to speak of writing--soon my Revolutionary War novel, Her Vanquished Land, will be available from BWL (September), then I dive into the Greece of 1955. Good thing I love research!

To purchase my novels at Amazon or All Markets: Click HERE 
 


 

 
Just a sampling of my novels, mystery, suspense, romance, adventure, with strong female heroines, mostly set in the later eighteenth century.
 

For further information on me and my books, please visit my website: www.dianescottlewis.org

 Diane Scott Lewis grew up in California, traveled the world with the navy, edited for magazines and an on-line publisher. She lives with her husband in Pennsylvania.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Oh, The Changes I've Seen - Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #BooksWeLoveLTD #writing #Publishing #Novels #Shortstories


Murder and Mint Tea (Mrs. Miller Mysteries Book 1) Bast's Warrior (An Alternate Egypt Book 1) The Leo-Aquarius Connection (Opposites in Love Book 5)

Oh, The Changes I’ve Seen

 

When I was first published in 1968, publishing was a thriving business. The thriving remains the same but the changes astound me. I didn’t realize how many there were until I began to look at this. Now I was seriously writing long before I was published. I spent several years studying the short story before I put down much more than ideas. I’d been a reader all my life and writing seemed to be the next extension. I’ve seen many changes in the publishing of fiction. I no longer write short stories, though I do some novellas. Most of my writing is in genre fiction. So settle back and let’s look at some of the changes I’ve seen.

The Writing

Not only has my writing changed but so has that of other writers. When I began this adventure, I realized I was a minimalist. But more on that later. Here are some of the things I’ve noticed.

 

Books became shorter. When I first began with a novel most books ran at least 80,000 to 120,000 words. For a time that prevailed and those lengthy descriptions of people, places and things went on for paragraphs and sometimes pages. Now we try to make a few words do the work of many.

The passive voice wasn’t frowned on. When I look at my first short stories and saw the amount a passive voice, I wanted to go back and rewrite them. Now the active voice is the way to go and we’re not telling stories, we’re showing them.

Now the next big change I’ve noticed is with dialogue tags. “said she,” used to be the way dialogue was tagged. Asked John. Rather that she said or Jon asked. Then there was this tag. “said she while she walked across the room to close the window and cut the draft.” We now shorten these kind of phrases and clauses a lot.

 

Content

 In the past 50 years, the content of stories has changed, especially in the romance field where most of my books are set.

In 1972 when my first romance novel sold, there were romances out there but the content has changed with time. Romance was often entwined with a mystery or an inspirational message. Books we might have considered romances today were more in the main stream manner. Nurse-doctor romances were there and that’s where I began. Being a nurse gave me an insight into the medical world. There were many differences from the romances written today.

The internal conflict was more important than the romance. Body parts were avoided, except for lips and mouth. Romance seemed to focus from the neck up. Anything else was taboo. One of my published romances out in 1983 had all mention to breasts removed. But times were changing. Sex was perhaps hinted at but the couple seldom reached the bedroom door. The proposal and the kiss came near the end of the book. There was usually a triangle with either the nasty sexy female opponent or the heroine having to choose between two men who were either both great guys or ones not so great. Macho men came a bit later.

There are probably other trophes out there but most of the romances were sweet.

 

Publishers

When I published my first short story, there were many magazines for short stories. I’m sure I sent the first one I wrote to about twenty  or more magazines before someone bought the rights to publish. Then magazines began to disappear. Some were large magazines like The Saturday Evening Post and others were smaller. I even sold two stories to magazines that ended publication before the stories saw print. I was able to keep the money they paid. I used to buy The Writer’s Handbook every year for the listing on publishers. 1983 is the last one I remember buying, probably because I went back to work as a nurse for a few years.

What I’m going to give you a summary of the markets for each kind of story and then the publishers for that year.

 

Short Story Markets 1983

Science Fiction and Fantasy 13 magazines

Detective and Mystery 10 magazines

Romance and Confession 9 magazines

Fiction there were 6 pages of listings

Children 34 magazines

YA there were three pages of listings

Book Publishers

Hardcover Publishers there were 10 pages of listings

Paperback Publishers 2 pages of listings

Romance Publishers 14 Publishers

 

There were also self published manuscripts that were mostly chap books of poetry.

And there were always Vanity publishers

 

Changes Continue

From the 1980s through the 1990s publishers consolidated and merged leaving fewer places for an author to sell books to a publisher without an agent. These mergers are still happening.

Then came electronic publishing. I was early in publishing this way and the number of small publishers expanded and contracted daily. During those years, I sold well though at first the books arrived on floppy discs. Those were exciting and some unpleasant days. Being part of something new was fun. Having friends who were or were not published making snide and hurtful remarks wasn’t fun but I endured. I endured so well that many of my fellow romance authors who were the most vocal against me are now published electronically.

An ereader arrived and that boosted sales. Then Kindle and other devices that were slimmer and lighter came and selling ebooks became the thing.

Lately, audio books have taken off. Self-publishing is popular. Reading books on one’s phone is now a trend. Who knows what will come next and I hope I’m around to see the next great leap.

 

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Finding the truth buried in the legends

Find all the books of the Curse of the Lost Isle series and other books by Vijaya Schartz  from BWL HERE

Myths and legends are often cautionary tales, but each of them relates to specific events and periods of the faraway past, and contains a kernel of truth. Even these immortal ladies were modeled on existing heroines of old, who influenced society in times of turmoil.

Beside the persecution of Pagans during the dark ages, many important historical events punctuate the lives of these immortal ladies. The Viking invasions in Scotland are front and center in books one and two. Then the foundation of Luxembourg in books three and four. Feudal life and religious struggles in France come to life in book five. The greatest adventure of all times, the Crusades with their different facets are depicted in books six and seven, and the best known legend of Melusine the Fae in Aquitaine, the cradle of many royal lines, comes to light in book eight.

But who were these strong women who fought to survive against all odds, in a world ruled by men, in a violent society where life had little value?

They were Celtic and Pagan. They did not abide by the rules of the new religion Charlemagne had imposed by the sword. They believed in equality and refused to bow to the will of the men who would tame and control them. They practiced kindness toward all and worked for the common good. Early on, they symbolized hope and freedom for many, especially the oppressed.

The ruins of the castles they built still stand. Here, Melusine's tower in Vouvant, Aquitaine.

These ladies were smart and astute politicians and influenced the rulers and the historical events of their day. They had the welfare of their community at heart. They fought for what was right in a world where the powerful held sway with ruthless violence, and often with impunity.

These ladies were not perfect. Far from it. Each of them made grave mistakes in their youth, using their powers for purposes other than the common good. For these mistakes, they were cursed, and spent their entire lives dealing with horrible woes... all the time struggling to hide their Pagan origins and avoid discovery by the Church... which would lead to burning at the stake. They also sought redemption in the eyes of their Pagan Goddess.

Melusine in her cursed shape still graces the walls of the castle of Lusignan

 Even in today's society, these ladies of old stand as a shining example. I loved writing about them. Their names are rarely mentioned in the history books, although they appear in many legends. But their famous and infamous descendants blazed new trails throughout history.

I hope when you learn more about them, you will like them as much as I do.

Vijaya Schartz
Romance with a Kick
http://www.vijayaschartz.com
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