The Craft of Writing and Master Lists for Writers

With NaNoWriMo behind me and a manuscript far from finished, it's a good time before the worst of the holiday craziness hits, to check out a few writing craft books and polish up my prose. Writing craft books also make wonderful gifts for the writer in your life. :hint hint: lol

Today I'm sharing the latest craft book from my good friend Bryn Donovan.

Master Lists for Writers: Thesauruses, Plots, Character Traits, Names, and More


Write faster...write more! Master Lists for Writers makes “show, don’t tell” a lot easier and helps you figure out your story more quickly. In this book, you’ll find:

• lists of phrases for describing facial expressions, body language, gestures, physical appearance, and emotions

• 175 master plot ideas, including romance, high-stakes, family, and workplace stories

• lists of words for writing action scenes and love scenes

• inspiration for figuring out character traits and quirks, backstories, occupations, motivations, and goals

• lists for describing settings and writing dialogue

• lists of good character names for contemporary stories...plus medieval England, Regency England, Wild West, and WWII settings

• and more!

Whether you’re writing novels or short fiction, screenwriting, or any other kind of storytelling, Master Lists for Writers is a rich source of inspiration you’ll turn to again and again. This book contains adult language.

Grab your copy here:

AMZ: http://amzn.to/1RxjKGz

BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/master-lists-for-writers-bryn-donovan/1122835940

NaNoWriMo I Can't Quit You.

Every time I participate, I tell myself I will finish NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and every year I fall short. Something always comes up without fail, to derail me. This year I set a goal once more and told myself it was my year, my time to win the dang thing by finishing my project. And while I feel I got off to a good start, I've had events happen outside my control and have missed the last 3 timed writing sessions I planned to attend.

I may still finish, but with the holidays looming, I'm less than sure it'll actually happen. November is a horrible month to pick for a month long project. I kind of think it should be changed to January or February or even March. Because there are just too many holidays toward the end of the year and most of us are simply too busy and distracted to focus.

What do you think? If you had a say, would you change NaNoWriMo to a different month, and which month would you pick?

A Day In The Life: Jennifer Haymore and Sandy Raven

On this special edition of A Day In The Life (Of An Author) I'm privileged to welcome two talented and amazing writers, Jennifer Haymore and Sandy Raven.

Hi, Jennifer. Can you tell us what your typical writing day looks like?

I have three kids, I edit for a day job, and I write books. Because those three things are my priorities, I tend to let other things fall by the wayside. Like…er…housework. And…well, cooking dinner (we eat out A LOT). And much to my son’s dismay when he had a friend over a few days ago, keeping the refrigerator stocked (expired milk, anyone?).

So my days are jam-packed with my three passions. I usually wake up early in time to help my kids get ready for school. Thank goodness they’re old enough now to make their own breakfast, but sometimes when I’m feeling particularly ambitious, I’ll whip up an omelet or something (when did my family grow big enough to consume a dozen eggs in one sitting?!).

When the kids are off to school, work begins, usually with emails. I answer requests and perform necessary smaller tasks either for my writing or editing for as long as it takes. Sometimes…unfortunately…it takes all day. For example, the other day, I needed to, (1) write a new bio and send it to my agent, (2) write a one-paragraph overview of my current project (harder to do than it sounds!), (3) answer the questions to an online interview, (4) contact my webmistress for a website update (since I got a new UK cover—yay!), (5) contact the winners of my website contest…

Sometimes these tasks seem never-ending! If I’m lucky, after all that, I’ll have some extra time for editing. I’ll open the file and sink into whatever book I’m working on at the time.

Before I know it, 3:00 rolls around, and the bus is dropping off the kids! Time to scurry! They need snacks, they need help with homework, they need rides to ballet, baseball, taekwondo, football… We do all these things, and somehow squeeze dinner in.

Finally, at around seven, I tell my husband (who’s recently arrived home from his own job), “Okay, the kids are yours.” And I lock myself in my office and close the door as he tells my children, “Mom’s not here, okay?”

I sit. I take a few hundred deep breaths. And then I put on my headphones and start to write.

And I write, uninterrupted (well, except to kiss my children goodnight), for hours. Sometimes it’s just a couple of hours, sometimes it’s until the wee hours of the morning. I start late, and I end later! But I’ve learned over the years that nighttime is when my mind is primed to do my most creative work.

Finally, exhausted, I close my laptop. I go to bed (usually trying not to look at the unwashed dishes in the sink or the unwashed laundry in the laundry room…) and a few hours later, I wake up and start the whole crazy process over again!

What gave you the inspiration to write A Highlander’s Heart?

Three things:
(1)  I wanted to start a crossover series, because readers have been asking for books about some of the characters from my House of Trent series.
(2)  But I also wanted to write a new series, with new conflicts and new characters.
(3)  I love Highlanders.

So I smashed those things together and came up with The Highland Knights, a group of soldiers who’ve returned home from Waterloo and are now working to protect the interests of the Crown (and are finding love along the way).

Tell me about your hero and heroine.

Hero: Sir Robert- He’s a Highlander, a major in the army who’s seen a lot of military action. He’s a solid man. A true leader. Stoic and calm in all kinds of high-stress situations. He’s madly in love with Claire, but he’s not the kind of man who’s very good at expressing how deeply he feels for someone!

Heroine: Lady Claire. She’s English, blonde, and very petite. She’s the kind of woman who hurtles headfirst into getting what she wants, and she doesn’t give up until she’s gotten it. She was called an “irrepressible hoyden” as a child, and she proves in this story that the nickname still applies.

How can readers reach you?

Website: www.jenniferhaymore.com
Facebook: facebook.com/jenniferhaymore-author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jenniferhaymore


Hi Sandy, welcome to When Midnight Comes. What is your average day like?

It would be a luxury to have two days in a row that were the same! I live on a farm with lots of animals, so they take precedence to any plans I attempt to make. I usually wake up around nine-ish, let my inside dog out with his breakfast, feed the inside cats their breakfast, check social media, email and the news while I eat *my* breakfast. I don't usually answer email at this time.

I read them and think about what I need to say (if I have to reply,) or I forward it off to Assistant Ashley. Then I go outside and tend the horses and outside cats and dogs. Many hours later I can come inside shower, eat early dinner and get to work. I check social media again, then reply to emails. After I do that, I move into my office and write or edit. The only exception to this is if the Voice is on. Anything else I might watch is TiVo'd. Needless to say, before I go to bed I check social media again. ;-)

Plants or Pets?

Duh... both! This is a farm, and I do have fruit trees that I TRY to tend. Really, I do. Sometimes the trees get a little neglected because the animals always come first and I only have so many hours in the day. Earlier this year I hired two guys to tend the farm, but they ran off to be extras in a vampire movie filming nearby. If they don't get bitten by the acting bug and move out west, they might come back.

Music. What's the last song you bought? Why?

Actually, I just ripped this from my daughter over the weekend: Gabrielle Aplin's Human. When I first heard it I started to see snippets/images of one of my heroes in the lyrics. Marcus is so scarred emotionally and his (yet unnamed) heroine will bring him out of his darkness.

Favorite vacay spot?

Any deserted beach, as long as I have plenty to drink, a good book, and the sound of the surf. (I'm not big on the crowd noises.)

Website:  SandyRaven.com
Amazon Author Page:  amazon.com/Sandy-Raven/e/B00AAJU4CK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1/191-1027993-8541430
Facebook: facebook.com/SandyRavenAuthor
Google Plus:  plus.google.com/+SandyRavenAuthor
Twitter:  twitter.com/@SandyRaven
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/6644477.Sandy_Raven
Newsletter:  http://sandyraven.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9ef1594fcf29bdd4d17fb8d5f&id=7a006ccc5a

Buy your boxed set of Scandalous Summer Nights at one of these ebook stores:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Scandalous-Summer-Nights-Sue-London-ebook/dp/B00LDEWTMY

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scandalous-summer-nights-jennifer-haymore/1119881387

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/scandalous-summer-nights/id890729781?ls=1&mt=11

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/scandalous-summer-nights

All Romance eBooks:  https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-scandaloussummernights-1559560-160.html


About the Authors:

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Haymore is the author of sexy historical and contemporary romance. You can find Jennifer in Southern California trying to talk her husband into yet another trip to England, helping her three children with homework while brainstorming a new five-minute dinner menu, or crouched in a corner of the local bookstore writing her next novel.
 

Author Sandy Raven grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast with sand between her toes and perpetually frizzy hair. Which is why she now lives in the middle-of-nowhere Virginia, in a place with minimal to moderate humidity (for perfect, non-frizzy curls,) rolling hills and farmed forests. Home is a small, renovated farmhouse she shares with her hero husband, and more cats, dogs and horses than she cares to admit to having. Second to writing is her love for her animals. She practices natural horsemanship, and loves to ride her barefoot Tennessee Walkers on the wooded trails around her home.

A Day In The Life (Of A Writer): Shelley Munro

My guest today is friend and author Shelley Munro. Her latest book, Captured & Seduced, was just released.

Being a fan of SFR and race horses, the combination had me squeeing with joy. And the hawt hunk on her cover sure captured my attention.

I sat down with Shelley to talk about her writing process, her latest book, and her seductive feline shapeshifting hero, Ryman. ::purrs::

So Shelley, what is your typical day like? Do you try to keep to a writing schedule?

My typical day is fairly boring, especially at the moment because I’m pushing to get a new book done before hubby and I head off on holiday. I usually crawl out of bed at the same time as hubby and we walk our dog together. It’s a nice way to start the day. If I want to write a lot and fast, I’ll work at one of my favorite cafes and write for the morning. Afternoons are full of administration stuff, edits and more writing if I don’t complete my word count during the morning.

I function better if I exercise, so depending on the weather, I go for a bike ride or take our dog for a long walk in the afternoon too.

Evenings are taken up with more promo and keeping up with loops, blogs and social media. Life as a full-time writer takes more hours than I ever used to work at my administration job.

What sparked your imagination and made you write this particular book?

I wrote this book several years ago with an eye to getting an agent, but no one was ready for sci-fi romance with alien race horses. My prospective agent wasn’t interested. I have always loved sci-fi romance, and I found a home for this book. When an opportunity came to regain the rights, I jumped at the chance since I’ve always wanted to make this book into a series.

During the writing of this book I chucked in all the elements I like—shapeshifters, aliens, space ships. My husband used to have an interest in race horses, so I tossed in a form of alien horses and the book practically wrote itself.

I’m working on book two—Claimed & Seduced—right now and having a ball. I love making stuff up.

Can you tell us a little about the chemistry between your hero and heroine?

Ryman Coppersmith, my hero, was adopted and knows nothing of his background. The fact that he’s a feline shapeshifter comes as a huge shock, and he’s dealing with the strange facets of his heritage as they surface. He takes one look at Camryn and his feline nature goes berserk. At the start of the book they’re both confused about their attraction to one another. Camryn panics and tries to push him away, while Ry can’t seem to give her space. He needs her to train their hell-horse, and he craves her presence in his life. It’s fun watching the two circle each other and give into their desire.

Ooh, this book sounds too good to pass up. My Nook will be happy. :)
Feed your e-reader and make it happy:

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KQ2DC1Q

All Romance ebooks https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-capturedseduced-1527736-340.html

Kobo http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/captured-seduced

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Shelley_Munro_Captured_Seduced?id=rou0AwAAQBAJ

About the author:
Shelley Munro is tall and curvaceous with blue eyes and a smile that turns masculine heads everywhere she goes. She’s a university tutor and an explorer/treasure hunter during her vacations. Skilled with weapons and combat, she is currently in talks with a producer about a television series based on her world adventures.

Shelley is also a writer blessed with a VERY vivid imagination and lives with her own hero in New Zealand. She writes mainly erotic romance in the contemporary, paranormal and historical genres for publishers Carina Press, Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing and has also self-published several titles. You can learn more about Shelley and her books at her website and you might even find her lurking at Facebook or Twitter. 

Find Shelley Munro online:

WEBSITE: http://www.shelleymunro.com
BLOG: http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ShelleyMunroAuthor
GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/ShelleyMunro 
PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/ShelleyMunro
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/ShelleyMunro
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/Shelley-Munro/e/B001JOWGNK
NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/A2xfH

Writer's Corner: Writing With Chronic Health Issues

Like many people, I have chronic health issues. For me, writing has always been a way to escape the worry and pain, the never ending cycle of doctor visits, testing, and hospital stays.

Writing has always been my chosen drug.

But what happens when your passion and art becomes part or all of your livelihood? When all the excitement of having your work accepted has waned a little, and now you have responsibilities and deadlines staring you in the face? Whether self-imposed or contractual, finishing the book means money in your pocket and others are depending on you.

So you push yourself and of course, the cycle begins anew, irregardless of any agreements you made to your publisher/agent/readers. The chronic illness that seemed to go away comes back with a vengeance.

I think there is a tendency to get really mad at yourself. Or maybe that's me.

I'm just not fast enough at my own pace, and with my health issues, to keep up with all my writing friends, and that depresses me a little. Because my book wasn't ready, I lost out on an opportunity. Not their fault, not really mine. Just the way it is.  I know beating up on myself isn't going to help me edit or write faster. It's at this point that the writing panacea no longer works.

I know there are others like me, writing and editing and struggling—all the while dealing with chronic illness. So I wanted to say a few things I recently had to remind myself.

1. Allow yourself the time to heal - If it takes a month or a year, the world isn't going to go away and writing can wait for you until you're ready for it.

2. Stop judging yourself by other people's standards. Just because one friend can write eight books a year doesn't mean you're less of a writer. It just means you are an individual with your own pace and your own obstacles to overcome.

3. Make allowances for your disability, but not excuses. If you suffer from chronic health issues, build in extra time to complete a project, so you still can work toward an achievable goal. But if you still miss deadline, it's better to finish than give up and not finish at all.

4. Money flows where love goes. If you love what you're doing, it will pay off if you give it time. You may never make as much as Nora Roberts, but go back and read #2 and realize there is only one LaNora. Likewise, there is only one you. Tell your story the best you can, and let it go.

5. Always remember you are not alone. Somewhere, someone else is battling similar problems. By sharing and finding solutions, maybe you can help each other. It's worth a try and you have nothing to lose.

6. Forgive yourself. Often we place erroneous blame on ourselves for our illness. Instead, look at the illness as a challenge to overcome, an opportunity to achieve something special—self acceptance.

And finally...

7. Nothing done is ever wasted. Make sure whatever you do, you learn from it and carry that knowledge onto the next project.

Life is what you make of it, despite setbacks and hardships. It is through the difficulties we face that character is built. Now go be your own character and WRITE!


About the author: Cassandra Curtis is a former EPPIE award finalist, bestselling author, and cancer survivor. She also battles with COPD, sarcoidosis, epilepsy, diabetes, congestive heart failure, degenerative disc disease, neuropathy, and other chronic illnesses. While health issues may slow her down, she refuses to let them keep her down.

The Ghoul Of Your Dreams

Even though the past two weeks have been rough, battling a kidney infection and running a high fever, I've managed to escape somewhat unscathed. Of course, today was the day I'd planned to do a "soft" release of my ebook, Sebastian's Spell, but the edits never were completed due to the aforementioned bout of ick. So instead I'll have to settle for telling ya'll about one of my more feverish dreams, one that will never make it into a romance, but might one day be a short story Sci-Fi or horror notation under a pen name. lol.  I call it, The Ghoul Of Your Dreams.

The Ghoul Of Your Dreams
by Cass Curtis
©2014

I'm an inspector for the transit authority. I like my job because it's pretty idiot proof, so it's easy. Since all the rails in the States changed to maglift technology, it's been smooth. The system has a redundant  fail safe and everything is run by computers and small robots no bigger than a human finger. But the public likes knowing there is a human inspecting the operations and making sure the robots don't suddenly become self aware or some other weirdness.

Today I'm cruising the lanes on the flagship, MagRunner Conglom's DreamSpinner. Travels from Vancouver to Montreal, then on to New York City and points south, before heading west and completing the circuit.

I got on in Atlanta and had planned to go only as far as Miami, since I'd been on meds the last week, battling the flu, but when I heard that the entire DreamSpinner was booked from Dallas to Los Angeles for the CEO's birthday party, I knew I had to stay.

I'd seen digitals of the celebration in years past and no way did I plan to miss out on having one of the wildest times of my adult life. The theme was Steampunk revival and though I hadn't come prepared, I suspected the organizers would have extra clothing and gear for unexpected guests—even party crashers like me.

I used my clout and got an extended pass to L.A., counting the hours until we hit Dallas. My mouth was sudden dry so I ordered my usual scotch and soda and sat back, taking sips in between looking out at the blur of palm trees soon become oaks then eventually Texas pine.

Sweat beaded my forehead and upper lip, heart beating faster than usual, and my mouth cottony again, I punched in my keycode and ordered another drink. Lines of travelers disembarked the maglift bullet, but I only saw a handful come aboard. Surely that can't be it? My drink dispensed from the mini door of the beverage and food cycler and I grabbed it in appreciation, letting the cold heat of alcohol burn down my throat.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because I woke to the sound of high octane partying coming from the mag bullet ahead of mine. I got up to check it out. About fifteen men and women all dressed in Steampunk, dancing and laughing. Someone pulled me to the side and told me to go into the next bullet and change clothes. I did as I was told. Within twenty minutes I was a bustle and corset wearing lady adventurer complete with a frilly little fascinator on top of my red gold curls.

The costume made me sweat, and before long, my legs were shaky, and my mind went for a swim. The first thing that hit me when I sat up was I'd been lying on the floor. On the heels of that realization, was—what was that sickening smell? The room was empty. Where had everyone gone?

A thick red string slid down from the ceiling to plop onto the floor beside me. I glanced around, seeing the same stuff on all the walls, too. What the hell? I got to my feet amid the slippery, sticky yuck and walked to the adjoining bullet. Had some type of mold or fungus gotten into the ventilator systems?

Whatever it was, it covered my costume. I stripped off the bulky material, all the way down to pantaloons and chemise, before going any further. The bullet lurched, tossing me against the forward door. With a press of my hand, it opened and I saw the CEO of the conglom, staggering, a look of abject fear and horror on his handsome face. I followed his eyes and saw a nightmare vision leaning back in one of the luxury seats, a woman covered in strips of red and goo, a bony hand reaching toward him, her lips gone, revealing teeth gnashing, sliding back and forth, taunting him.

"Holy shite," I gasp, unintentionaly drawing her gaze.

The man takes that precious opportunity to rip one of the emergency panels from the wall and grab the heavy flash mag from the recessed box. What's he going to do? Shine the light in the thing's eyes and blind her? But no, he uses the flash as a weapon, bashing it's head in. He opens the door to the next bullet and waves me on.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask, hoping he knows more than I do.

"No clue, but I'm hoping I'm still sick in bed and dreaming this. I just killed my date to my own birthday party, with a flashlight."

"Maybe we are. Sick in bed I mean. I've been ill the last week or so and on meds, but thought I was well enough to go back to work. Sorry about your date."

"Thanks."

It happened in the blink of an eye, but my senses went into slo-motion. The lumbering thing behind me, reaching out with skeletal fingers, jagged teeth taking a huge chunk outta my neck like some ghoul. I could see the open mouth, the wide eyed shock on the man in front of me, but no sound, no screams, not even my own. I faded, my consciousness leaving on angel wings only to wake in my bed. I touched my neck, feeling for a raw gouge and lay back in relief.

Just a dream. I suddenly wondered if somewhere, maybe in Dallas, there was another person, a man waking from a nightmare, a flashlight clutched in his hand.

The End.

Monday: A Day In The Life (Of An Author) JoAnne Myers

Welcome readers! A Day In The Life (Of An Author) allows book fans a special peek behind the scenes and into the mind of an author. We fully admit we aren't exactly normal, from the way we approach our research to the way we squirrel away and save bits of time so we can write. It takes a special kind of crazy to invent people and worlds, coloring them with a variety of perceptions, experiences, and imagination. But we wouldn't have it any other way.

Today's guest is indie author, JoAnne Myers.

Writing Paranormal
by JoAnne Myers

When it comes to fiction writing, almost anything goes. That is why I love writing paranormal and fantasy stories. The author can go completely over the edge and make something unbelievable seem believable

For my ghost stories, I get a lot of my inspiration from real life experiences. Not necessarily my own, either. I watch television programs with the supernatural and paranormal flare; documentaries from ordinary people who claim they experienced either an afterlife experience, or a haunting.

Some of the stories from my anthology, Wicked Intentions, are based on actual hauntings. In The Legend of Lake Manor, I placed my young psychic, Cassandra Lopez, in a haunted mansion I fashioned on my knowledge of a three-story mansion in my hometown and information from television about a restaurant/bar in Ohio, supposedly ruled by demons so violent that the local police are constantly closing it down.

A television documentary about a young mother plagued by ghost sightings since childhood, inspired The Haunting of Barb Marie and her gift/curse.

And The Apartment, in which my newlyweds, Bill and Gayle, are plagued by sightings of evil ghosts that threaten their marriage and theirs lives, originated from a real apartment haunted by the ghosts of two homosexual lovers who died violently. The legend says no tenant is able to stay there until the spirits are chased off by a paranormal investigation team.

On the Discovery Channel, I learned of the colonial explorer Jonathon Carver who lived during the 1700s and whose ghost is believed to be haunting the Summerwind estate, built in the early 20th century. Carver’s ghost is, supposedly, searching the house’s foundations for deeds to a vast tract of land (10,000 square miles) given to him by Sioux Indian chiefs as a reward for the peace treaty he created between two warring tribes. In my Summer Wind, 29 year-old Ginger is mysteriously drawn to the old mansion, and like the many owners of the real mansion, the haunting had a negative and profound effect on Ginger and her family.

Another investigative program concerned one sister’s psychic premonitions about her twin’s murder. This led to my story, Blood Ties, and my heroine, Audra Roper’s dark, disturbing visions of her sister’s disappearance and the roller coaster of risks, heartbreak, and intrigue that followed.

Dark Visions came from reading a newspaper story while sitting in a diner. A young woman began having visions of her father's disappearance that was actually his murder from years earlier. So, my Carrie Reynolds starts having nightmares on her twenty-sixth birthday and believes these ‘dark visions’ can solve the twenty year disappearance of her father.

I set my murder mystery, Truth Behind the Lies, on Norfolk Island after following a three year long murder investigation on that island from 2003. In my story, Federal Police Inspector Ian Christian faces attacks, more murders and ghostly occurrences, and the killer is closer than anyone realizes.

Respectfully yours, JoAnne Myers-Author of Murder Most Foul, Flagitious, Loves, Myths, and Monsters, The Crime of the Century, Poems About Life, Love, and Everything in Between, Twisted Love, Wicked Intentions.

Wicked Intentions - 7 bone chilling paranormal tales
by JoAnne Myers

http://www.melange-books.com/authors/joannemyers/WickedIntentions.html

Paperback:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=wicked+intentions&categoryId=100501

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Intentions-JoAnne-Myers-ebook/dp/B00GNRUF40/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384531716&sr=1-1&keywords=wicked+intentions+myers