Authorsday: Meg Mims

1. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants?

I use a detailed outline. I used to be a “pant-ser” until I hit too many walls. I’ve learned that an outline keeps my plot on track, but it’s flexible enough to allow for unexpected detours. Unless they’re too far off, that is! But the key to a good plot is knowing your characters extensively, as I learned the hard way. So before I even start an outline, I do 5-10 page character backgrounds.

2. What was the best writing advice someone gave you?

“If you quit, you’ll never publish!” Very true. Another one: “It’s your baby, so trust your instincts. But consider any expert advice seriously.”

3. Why did you pick the publisher that ultimately published your book?

            Westerns have been on the “outs” for a while. Despite three different contest   wins, and multiple agent and editor rejections, I sent Double Crossing to     Astraea Press—knowing they preferred “clean” fiction. I was thrilled when      they contacted me less than a week later with an offer! I think DC is a great    “fit” for AP. I’m working on a sequel as well, Double or Nothing.

           

4. If you have a day job, what is it?

Freelance writing -- articles about the market and community events for a real estate company, plus book reviews and articles about lighthouses and lighthouse keepers for an on-line West Coast of Michigan tourism magazine, Lake Effect Living. I have an article coming out in the summer issue of The Chronicle, the member magazine of the Historical Society of Michigan as well. I’d like to send more articles out, but need to write more fiction!

5. What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?

I knew long ago that I had a knack for descriptive and vivid prose. I used to have tons of “narrative dumps” but learned to shave them down or incorporate them into the scene itself in subtle ways. I think “pearls dropped along the path” is the best way to handle vivid imagery.

6. What do you consider your weakness and what strategies do you use to overcome it?

My first drafts have always been plot-heavy and without the emotion necessary to connect with readers. When I attended Seton Hill University’s Writing Popular Fiction program, I focused on how to alter my own thinking and discover the “history” of my characters, which helped convey their emotions and balance out the scenes.

           

7. What authors do you admire?

            I always loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s writing, and read her books multiple      times as a child plus her biographies. I enjoyed J.R.R.Tolkien’s descriptive            style, and Ursula LeGuin’s deft way of portraying social customs and     culture. I also loved   Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie for their twisted      plots. I’m such an eclectic reader, and try to find something fresh in every             author’s book to admire.

           

8. What’s your favorite food?

            Cookies! Hands down. The crunchier and chocolate-ier, the better.

           

9. What do you do when you are not writing?

I love to paint watercolors (http://megmimsartist.wordpress.com/) but have little time now to indulge. I’ve also done acrylics. My house would love for me to clean it, but I try to ignore that nagging voice. Luckily my husband does too. ;-D

10. What is your favorite writing reference book and why?

            I love Rebecca McClanahan’s Word Painting. Being an artist, and having the             knack for taking words beyond the visual level, I still had to learn from this          book on how to control it – much like any discipline. So it’s a lovely read and very helpful.

           

Author Bio

Meg Mims may have been born in the wrong century. Her love of historical fiction started early, with visits to Michigan’s Greenfield Village and any museum at hand. From a young age, she had a taste for classics such as Jane Eyre, Gone With The Wind and Sherlock Holmes. Now Meg devours historical, cozy and PI mysteries. Her award-winning fiction always has a dead body or two, plus an independent-minded heroine and a sense of justice served in the end. She lives with her husband, a drooling black cat and a make-my-day Maltese-Poodle, and enjoys her Sweet Pea whenever she’s back home.

Book Blurb

A murder arranged as a suicide … a missing deed  … and a bereft daughter.

August, 1869: Lily Granville is stunned by her father’s murder. Only one other person knows about the California gold mine deed—both now missing. When Lily heads west on the transcontinental railroad to track the killer, she soon realizes she is no longer the hunter but the prey.

As things progress from bad to worse, Lily is uncertain who to trust—the China-bound missionary, or the wandering Texan who offers to protect her … for a price. Will Lily survive the journey and unexpected betrayal?

ExcerpTuesday: Jennifer Jakes

He rode into town to buy supplies, not a woman.

For hunted recluse Rafe McBride, the raven-haired beauty on the auction block is exactly what he doesn't need. A dependent woman will be another clue his vengeful stepbrother can use to find and kill him. But Rafe's conscience won't let him leave another innocent's virginity to the riff-raff bidding. He buys her, promising to return her to St. Louis untouched. He only prays the impending blizzard holds off before her sultry beauty breaks his willpower.

She wanted freedom, not a lover.
Whisked to the auction block by her devious, gambling cousin, and then sold into the arms of a gorgeous stranger, outspoken artist Maggie Monroe isn't about to go meekly. Especially when the rugged mountain man looks like sin and danger rolled into one. But a blizzard and temptation thrust them together, and Maggie yearns to explore her smoldering passion for Rafe.

But when the snow clears, will the danger and secrets that surround Rafe and Maggie tear them apart?

***

Maggie wanted freedom, not a lover…


Oh, Lord. He was going to kiss her. She shouldn’t want this. She was confused enough.

Respectable women didn’t kiss men they barely knew, certainly not men who made them have wild,

exotic dreams.


It was crazy. He was making her want crazy things. Making her not give a damn about her reputation

or her virginity. Or her long-awaited freedom. All she could think about was that dream, and the way

his sinful mouth had felt. The table was only a step away, and honey was just as sweet as peach juice…

She swallowed hard and looked up into his hooded eyes.

“Maggie,” he groaned. “Don’t be scared. I’d never hurt you.”

Her mouth parted to object, but firm lips covered hers, hungry, demanding. She gasped, shocked at his

hunger, but even more at the illicit response coursing through her. An aching heat unfurled low in her

stomach, pulsed between her legs. Oh, yes. It started just like in the dream.

He deepened the kiss, coaxed her lips with his warm tongue. Long, languid strokes teased the inside of

her mouth, encouraging, tempting before he pulled back to nibble the corners of her lips.

Oh, God. Is this what all kisses felt like? Hot, lethargic? Melting her like molasses over warm bread?

“Kiss me, Maggie,” he breathed.

Authorsday - Diane Scott Lewis

Today I welcome Diane Scott Lewis.

1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer? As soon as I put pencil to paper as a child, I knew I loved to write stories. I also loved to read, which inspired my imagination. I’d create scenarios in my mind, adventures in ancient Rome, time-travel, and pen little stories around them.



2. How did you pick the genre you write in? I always enjoyed historical movies as a child, being transported into the past, an exotic island or a different country and time. That’s why I love historical fiction, reading and writing in the genre. I don’t like to follow a formula, so Romance was out. Writing mainstream Historical Fiction with Romantic Elements fits me perfectly. (see my novel blurb below)

3. Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants? I’m definitely a “pantzer”, which can be a liability. When I first wrote The False Light, the plot wandered all over the place with no outline to follow. The first judge who looked at TFL said I had enough story elements for several novels. I worked hard to narrow the focus of the story. I’m still a pantzer, but a more disciplined one.

4. What drew you to the subject of The False Light? I like to write “fish out of water” stories, that is putting a person into a strange place they’ve never lived in before and watching them struggle and thrive. I knew I wanted the story to take place on the wild coast of Cornwall, England. Everyone was writing Victorian or Regency, so I chose the earlier time-period, the late 18th century. Since it was the time of The French Revolution, my perfect heroine was a noble French girl thrown into the lower classes of England. The story grew from there.

5. Did you encounter any obstacles in researching it? Yes, most of the books I found locally focused on the Victorian era. I had to travel to the Library of Congress for in-depth research on the 18th century. What a fantastic resource!

6. How many rejections have you received? With this novel, over a hundred. That was from my query letter for the most part. I must write the worst query ever!

7. What was the best writing advice someone gave you? A well-published author told me to never stop improving my work, and never give up trying to sell it.

8. What was the worst? Did you know it at the time? “Write what you know” is the worst advice for an historical author. I did know it at the time. We must dig deep into the past and investigate places we’ve never been or know little about. Meticulous research is the key.

9. Why did you pick the publisher that ultimately published your book? I’d rewritten and polished this novel for over ten years. Tired of rejection, I spoke with a good friend of mine, wonderful western writer, Ginger Simpson, and she recommended her publisher, Eternal Press. They loved my prose and offered a contract. I’ve received excellent reviews and readers have loved my story.

10. What would you like to tell potential readers? Since my publisher is primarily an e-press—though the book is also out in paperback—readers and bookstore owners tend to narrow their eyes and wonder if my novel is any good. There are so many excellent writers published by e-presses today. Even the so-called big publishing houses are now slipping into e-press venues. Don’t judge the novel on the type of publisher, but on its own merit. The False Light has received excellent reviews at The Historical Novel Society Blog, Examiner.com and won a CTRR award from Coffee Time Romance. The e-book is available at www.eternalpress.biz; and the paperback at www.amazon.com. For more info, please visit my website: http://www.dianescottlewis.com







Author Bio:



Diane Parkinson grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, joined the Navy at nineteen and has written and edited free-lance since high school. She married in Greece and raised two sons in Puerto Rico, California, Guam and Virginia. She writes book reviews for the Historical Novels Review and has worked as an on-line book editor. Diane served as president of the Riverside Writers in 2007-2008. She published her first historical novel, The False Light, with Eternal Press in April 2010. She writes as Diane Scott Lewis and lives with her husband and dachshund in Locust Grove, VA







Book Blurb:



Forced from France by her devious guardian on the eve of the French Revolution, Countess Bettina Jonquiere must deliver an important package to further the royalist cause. In England, she discovers the package is full of blank papers, the address false and she’s penniless. Stranded in a Cornish village, Bettina toils in a bawdy tavern and falls in love with a man who may have murdered his unfaithful wife. Tracked by ruthless revolutionaries, she must uncover the truth about her father’s murder—and her lover’s guilt—while her life is threatened.

ExcerpTuesday - Margaret Tanner

Margaret Tanner is an award winning multi-published Australian author. She loves delving into the pages of history as she carries out research for her historical romance novels, and prides herself on being historically correct.  Her publishers are Whiskey Creek Press and The Wild Rose Press.

Margaret is a member of the Romance Writers of Australia, the Melbourne Romance Writers Group (MRWG) and EPIC.  Her novel The Trouble With Playboys came 3^rd in the historical romance section of this years Preditors & Editors poll.

Margaret is married and has three grown up sons, and a gorgeous little granddaughter.

Outside of her family and friends, writing is her passion.

http://www.margarettanner.com/

FRONTIER WIFE

BLURB: Only in the new world can a highborn young Englishwoman and a tough frontier man, ignite the passion that will fulfil their hopes and dreams in ways they never imagined possible.

Tommy Lindsay arrives in colonial Australia to claim the rundown farm she and her brothers have inherited.

Hidden behind her fragile English rose beauty, beats the heart of a courageous young woman. She will need all this strength to survive the unforgiving heat, and the dangers lurking around every corner.  Lost in the bush, capture by a feral mountain family, raging bushfires are nothing, compared to the danger she faces if she gives her heart to Adam Munro.

Adam Munro, a rugged frontier man, has no room in his heart to love a woman.  All he ever wanted was a presentable wife who would provide him with heirs.   He didn’t need passion in his life, not until he met the beautiful English rose living next door to him.

EXCERPT:

“North Eastern Victoria, Australia - 1879

Tommy Lindsay wiped her damp forehead with a lace handkerchief. Perspiration ran in rivulets between her breasts, pooling at the waistband of her gown and leaving a damp patch. She coughed a couple of times to clear the dust clogging up her throat.

“I don’t like it here.” Her little brother, Jamie, kicked one of the leather sea trunks and she was tempted to join him. “Why doesn’t someone come?”

A few boxes and trunks stacked on the hotel verandah held all her possessions and those of her two brothers. Just thinking about how the once proud Lindsay family had been reduced to such pernicious circumstances caused tears to build up at the back of her eyes. She wouldn’t cry. She couldn’t afford such a luxury, not with a young brother and a sick older brother to worry about. She had to be strong, resolute.

Warrior, a thoroughbred black stallion, stomped and snorted restlessly.

“Easy, boy.” David patted the stallion's glistening neck. “How much longer do we have to hang around, Tommy?”

“I don't know.” Her voice trembled even though she fought to control it. “Uncle Henry’s lawyer said someone would take us to the farm. Do you think he might have forgotten? Maybe he got the days mixed up?”

Sick dread washed over her. Oh, God, what if this desperate undertaking of theirs failed? It was sheer madness sailing thousands of miles across the sea to start a new life in an alien, hostile country, but what other choice did they have?

“Sorry for being so grouchy but my leg is aching, makes me irritable.” David grimaced as he rubbed his thigh.

His skin looked even more ashen than usual. Perspiration beaded his upper lip, not entirely caused by the fierce Australian sun searing them from a cobalt blue sky.

One glance at them and anyone who wasn’t blind would pick them out as newly arrived immigrants. Their skin was pale, not just because they were blue-eyed blondes, but they came from England’s gentle, temperate climate. David once felt the burning South African sun, but his tan had long since faded beneath the pallor of prolonged illness.

“I'm hungry.” Jamie’s bottom lip quivered.

“Someone will come soon,” Tommy reassured him.

“Why don't they hurry up?” He scuffed his boot across the verandah boards and tugged at the swathe of corn-colored hair flopping across his forehead.

A tall, slim young man sauntered up to them. “Are you the Lindsays?”

Frontier Wife is published by The Wild Rose Press

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/frontier-wife-p-4099.html

Authorsday - Phyllis Campbell

Today I put Phyllis Campbell under the microscope. Check out how well she holds up.


When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I have been an avid reader of romance for several years…since 1987. I didn’t know I wanted to write until I started having movie-like dreams about romance. Then one day I decided to try. That’s all it took and now my muse won’t shut up. lol

How did you pick the genre you write in?

When I first started writing, it was modern-day stories, but I loved to read historicals. Kathleen Woodiwiss and Judith McNaught were my favorite authors, and because of their great stories, I learned all I could to write historical.

What drew you to the subject of Spanish Eyes?

A few years ago, I was an obsessed fan of Antonio Banderas. I would meet at my friend’s house every Wednesday to watch one of his movies. I realized I needed to write a story with him as my hero. That’s when I created Anton Carerra…my Spanish Hunk! Once I figured out his goals / motivation / conflict, I found the perfect heroine for him. The story took off and because of the adventure in the plot, I couldn’t stop writing.

Describe your book.
Not even disguises can deceive the heart.
In a world when women must fight for every right, Rebecca Wakefield is determined to become a Pinkerton Detective. Her plan? Capturing the notorious thief, Anton Carerra; a man known as much for his womanizing as he is for his brilliant criminal mind. Will he steal her heart, too?
Lady’s man, Anton Carrera is smitten with Rebecca from the very beginning. He wants nothing more than to seduce the stiff Miss Wakefield, until he learns she is investigating him for a crime he didn’t commit. She is innocent and naïve; convinced he is the villain her superiors have painted him. But her over-zealous determination places both of them in danger and he is forced to play the honorable rogue.
Sweeping her away to Padre Island off the coast of Spain seemed like a clever idea at the time. But how can he protect them both from his own uncle’s murderous games when Anton’s heart falls victim to a woman as full of independence as she is desire…

Also – check out the awesome book trailer! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUvcspphTjA


Did you encounter any obstacles in researching it?

No obstacles at all. I had to do some research on Spain and the towns surrounding their ports. I also had to look at pictures those towns in order to describe the places where my hero and heroine journeyed. It was fun!


How many rejections have you received?

Too many to count. Actually, I had counted them a few years ago, but then stopped once my three-inch binder became full. Keep in mind, I had more than one story being sent out at a time, which is another reason the binder is so full.

What was the best writing advice someone gave you?

To write what I love…and don’t give up. If it’s something I love doing, then keep at it until I’ve reached my dream. Every time I want to throw my hands in the air and say the hell with it…I remember this advice. Writing historicals is what I love…so I will keep trying to reach my dream.


What was the worst? Did you know it at the time?

Oh…I’ll never forget this one. I actually had a critique partner (who was part of a group I was with) tell me to stick to my contemporary stories…because I just didn’t have a historical voice. Funny thing is, when my first three historicals were published, all three were best sellers for several months in a row. PLUS review sites gave them all 5-stars and Recommended Reads. I’m soooo glad I didn’t follow this lady’s advice. Heehee


9. What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing?

I happen to think I’m pretty good at writing emotion…and sexual tension. One reviewer labeled me Queen Of Sexual Tension. Then another reviewer picked up on it, then another…and now I use that as my signature line. I also think I’m pretty good at writing suspense since most of my stories have enough of it to keep the reader turning the pages.

10. What’s your favorite quote?

“Success is a finished book, a stack of pages each of which is filled with words. If you reach that point, you have won a victory over yourself no less impressive than sailing single-handed around the world.” ~~ Tom Clancy



Author Bio:

Phyllis Campbell is an award-winning, multi-published, and best-selling author with Champagne Books, The Wild Rose Press, and Bookstrand Publishing. Most of her reviewers have given her the title of “Queen Of Sexual Tension”. Married with kids (and three grandchildren), Phyllis has lived in Utah all of her life and enjoys family activities when she’s not writing her next sensual story. Visit her website at http://www.phyllismariecampbell.com/


Book Blurb:
Rebecca Wakefield is determined to become a Pinkerton Detective. She must capture the notorious thief, Anton Carerra; a man known as much for his womanizing as he is for his brilliant criminal mind. Will he steal her heart, too?
Lady’s man, Anton Carrera is smitten with Rebecca from the very beginning. He wants nothing more than to seduce the stiff Miss Wakefield, until he learns she is investigating him for a crime he didn’t commit. She is innocent and naïve, but her over-zealous determination places both of them in danger and he is forced to play the honorable rogue.
To purchase –
http://www.bookstrand.com/product-spanisheyes-15658-330.html

Or at Amazon’s Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Eyes-BookStrand-Publishing-ebook/dp/B002YLUXMS/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262464837&sr=1-7

Authorsday - Rhobin L. Courtright

Today Robin Lee visits and answers some pointed questions. Ouch!

When did you know you wanted to be a writer? At one point when my husband was living in Missouri for a new job, while I was stuck in Colorado Springs with children while the lease on the house ran out and the kids finished the school year. Long evenings led to some horrible stories that gradually led to a desire to write.
How long have you been writing? About fifteen years. I was slow starting, as I had to learn the story telling process, relearn grammar, and learn to keep a schedule. I’m still not very good at the last item.
How did you pick the genre you write in? I loved reading all genres, but scifi and fantasy drew me when I started to write.
Do you plot or do you write by the seat of your pants? No seat of the pants for me, I’m a dedicated plotter, although strange unexpected things take place during the actual writing.
What drew you to the subject of Stone House Farm? I wanted to try a different genre and I wanted to write about places I knew and loved.
Did you encounter any obstacles in researching it? All the time. Some things I want to know are just not written down anywhere, or not in an easily understood format.
What was the name of the first novel you wrote? Did you try to publish it? My first novel was Rogue’s Rules but it developed out of a combination of ideas that are now part of the whole trilogy, which includes Loser’s Game and Devil’s Due.
What do you know now that you are published that you didn’t know pre-published that you wish you knew? Editing is never done, but sometimes you have to let it go or you’ll never finish.
How many rejections have you received? Lots, but I’ve never kept count, I suspect because my heroines and heroes don’t follow the prescribed rules for each genre, many publishers aren’t interested.
What was the best writing advice someone gave you? Hmm. I do not think anyone has ever given me good advice, strange sympathetic looks, yes, but no good advice.
What was the worst? Did you know it at the time? It was not advice, but a comment. If you are not published in print, you aren’t really published. I learned how wrong this belittling comment was.
Why did you pick the publisher that ultimately published your book? I hadn’t submitted anywhere in a long time and saw an e-publisher was looking for science fiction and fantasy submissions.
If you could ask your readers one question, what would it be? Did you enjoy the story?
Tell me one thing about yourself that very few people know? Hmm… my life is such an open book so this is a hard question. I suppose that my beliefs are not necessarily traditional, but very strong.
If you have a day job, what is it? My writing led directly to a job teaching writing at a local community college.
Describe your book. Amanda is a woman beleaguered by the effects of a bad marriage, a woman who loves her home, her family, and her heritage, all which are threatened by unscrupulous people.
What do you consider your strengths in terms of your writing? I’ve been told I’m very good at world building, which covers setting, but I think my characters are my best strengths: strong people, both good and bad… or else crazy.
What do you consider your weakness and what strategies do you use to overcome it? Keeping the plot moving and aggressive is my weakness. Plotting helps overcome my tendency to want to dawdle in certain scenes.
What’s your writing schedule? I try to write at least 500 words a day whenever I find a few free minutes. That’s besides marketing and promotion efforts.
What’s your favorite quote? Only the educated are free ~ Epictetus, a Greek philosopher, AD 55–AD 135
What authors do you admire? Dorothy Dunnet, she wrote some brilliant, elaborate and accurate historical novels set in the Renaissance world post Henry VIII.
What three things would you want with you on a desert island? Food, electricity, and an Internet connection.
What is your favorite word? Try.
What place that you haven’t visited would you like to go? The Louvre.
What other time period besides your own would you like to experience? I know too much about history and how people actually lived to want to live in any other time except my own.
What’s your favorite food? Homemade bread.
What’s your favorite thing about your book? Can’t answer that because I like the characters, the setting and the action; all of it!
What do you do when you are not writing? Garden, read, teach, paint, putts around, walk, marathon cook and occasionally clean house.
Who is your greatest cheerleader? My sister and my partner.
What would you like to learn to do that you haven’t? Speak Russian.
What is your favorite writing reference book and why? The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. It helps define the hero’s journey, which is one method I use in writing.
What is the one thing your hero would do that you wouldn’t?
What did you enjoy most about writing this book? Amanda’s house.
Who is your favorite character in your book? Amanda and Buck, the dog.
Where do you write? My desk. No one else should sit in that chair.
What was the hardest scene to write? The house fire scene and the one at the casino.
What was your favorite scene to write? The visit to the barn while the stars were shinning.

You are welcome to make up your own questions if you like also. Anything you think will illuminate what you want your readers to know.

Author Bio: Rhobin always enjoyed reading, especially science fiction and fantasy, but the last thing she thought about was writing a novel until characters and situations started evolving in her mind. Finishing a story always amazes her. A native of Michigan, she left home and lived in Colorado and Missouri before returning to settle in a small Northern Michigan community. Snowy winters permit plenty of writing time. Besides writing she draws, paints and gardens in the summer. She tries to share her passions with anyone willing to listen.


Book Blurb:
When everything you have is at stake, how can you afford love?