Wednesday's Writer's Tip - more From First Draft To Finished Novel #MFRWauthor

Weaving together all the elements you've outlined, "Remember ":Everything that occurs in the opening segment of your story must be linked to something that happens later in the story."

Karen Wiesner uses an approach like this Character leads to Event leads to Conflict leads to Backstory leads to Goals leads to Motivation leads to Choice leads to Resolution..

Doin this with the main characters will form a pattern for the story. The characters must belong in the setting. The plot becomes an element that drives the story as the characters drive the plot. Having all your elements work cohesively is what makes a story the reader won't put down. The story can become one that is read and reread with the reader learning something new every time the book is read.

Tuesday's Inspiration - The Sixth Sense - ESP #MFRWauthor

I've used the five ordinary senses to show how they can help a story, characters and setting become more vivid and alive. Those of us who write paranormal stories often use the sixth sense which is a number of things gathered under the term ESP or Extrasensory perception. There are times when a touch of this sense helps me when I'm writing a non-paranormal story.

Some people might call this an aha moment but for me it seems like the idea is pulled from the air. Could I be sensing someone's spoken words or is this because a scent or a touch triggers something that is known deep inside us.

Tapping into the sixth sense can be eerie. There have been times when a dream has led me to a story that has no reality bu the dream seems real. Perhaps there are no thought readers or people who can tell the history of an object just by touch. But sometimes when writing and digging into our unconscious there really seems to be a sixth sense out there. Writers often seem to work in a trance and are so deep in their story when they are called into this world they feel as if they've been awakened.

So sixth sense or not there are moments when the writer just knows something and that knowledge is translated into words. So delve into your unconscious mind and find those nuggets that seem to appear from the air.

Meandering on Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor

 Meander 1 - Thus week I'll have two books on Sale

 for a limited time Heart Throb is Free spicy medical romance

Heart Throb

Magda Malone likes men and has no desire to marry. She’s been there, done that and got burned. She’s happy with her position as coordinator of the cardiac unit at the hospital. A new neighbor promises many nights of steamy sex. Damon also...

amazon.

Last Chance to buy Pursuing Michael West MD. On Sale for $0.99 at Amazon

Meander 2 - This blog has managed to reach a milestone for me. 10,000 plus hits for the month of December. From the start when the first numbers were usually below 1000 a month and sometimes way below that mark. Now I do wish there were more people commenting. I know the blog is being shared by people but I'm not sure if people are learning from some of the posts.

Meander 3 WIP is progressing though not as fast as I would like. I am now into the second draft and will have to do at least 2 or 3 more to reach the end. Due to a fragmented life, I have to do this by bits and starts. The weekend has been the best writing I've had.

Sunday - Talking About My Books - Shattered Dreams #MFRWauthor

When I began the Dream series I decided each of the heroines would be born under the sign of Cancer and I would choose a hero from one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. In this case, the heroine Manon is a doctor and the hero Rafe is a nurse. Another thing I decided is there should be some kind of a connection between the hero and heroine so they had some kind of a past. The past might be a hazy one but not always.

In the case of Manon and Rafe, their connection is one from school. The opposition was parental on her part. Manon's father wanted her to be a concert pianist and to use her to revive his career. Manon had no desire to follow a musical career. Her father manages to break the couple up with the help of a young man who wanted Manon. He causes an accident where Rafe is injured. During this time Rafe suffers from amnesia.

The story in the present takes place after Manon's father dies and she returns to Fern Lake the setting for the 12 stories. She is now a family practitioner. Rafe has healed from his many injuries and has recovered almost all of his memories. He is also a Cancer so some of his goals and interests in life are the same as Manon's.

Knowing what I do about Astrology and since I also use Moon signs and Rising signs, the chracters have similar and yet different qualities allowing them to seem like people at odds and yet similar.
The story was a fun one to write but if I hadn't rushed I might have made it longer and spreaqd some of the discoveries further apart,

Saturday's Blurbs - Books by Diana Cosby #MFRWauthor

An Oath Trilogy - book #1
An Oath Taken:

As the new castellan, Sir Nicholas Beringar has the daunting task of
rebuilding Ravenmoor Castle on the Scottish borderlands and gaining the 
trust of the locals—one of whom wastes no time in trying to rob him. But 
instead of punishing the boy, Nicholas decides to make him his squire. 
Little does he know the thieving young lad is really…a lady.


http://www.dianacosby.com/anoathtaken.html#buy


The MacGruder Brothers Series
His Captive - book #1:

Alexander’s goal is to avenge his father’s murder, not to become 
entangled with the enemy. But his desire to keep Nichola with him, in 
his home—in his bed—unwittingly make her a target for those who have no 
qualms about shedding English blood.

http://www.dianacosby.com/hiscaptiveexcerpt.html#buy


His Woman - book #2:

Lady Isabel Adair is the last woman Sir Duncan MacGruder wants to see 
again, much less be obliged to save. Three years ago, Isabel broke their 
engagement to become the Earl of Frasyer’s mistress, shattering Duncan’s 
heart and hopes in one painful blow. But Duncan’s promise to Isabel’s 
dying brother compels him to rescue her from those determined to bring 
down Scottish rebel Sir William Wallace.

http://www.dianacosby.com/hiswomanexcerpt.html#buy


His Conquest - book #3:

Seathan MacGruder, Earl of Grey, is not unused to cheating death.  But 
even this legendary Scottish warrior is surprised when a beautiful 
Englishwoman creeps to his cell and offers him his freedom.  What Linet 
wants in exchange, though—safe passage to the Highlands—is a steep price 
to pay.  For the only thing more dangerous than the journey through 
embattled Scotland is the desire that smolders between these two 
fugitives the first time they touch . . .

http://www.dianacosby.com/hisconquest.html#buy


His Destiny - book #4:

As one of England's most capable mercenaries, Emma Astyn can charm an 
enemy and brandish a knife with unmatched finesse. Assigned to befriend 
Dubh Duer, an infamous Scottish rebel, she assumes the guise of innocent 
damsel Christina Moffat to intercept the writ he’s carrying to a 
traitorous bishop. But as she gains the dark hero’s confidence and 
realizes they share a tattered past, compassion—and passion—distract her 
from the task at hand…

http://www.dianacosby.com/hisdestiny.html#buy


His Seduction - book #5
http://www.dianacosby.com/hisseduction.html#buy

His Enchantment - book #6
http://www.dianacosby.com/hisenchantment.html#buy

Friday's Guest - Diana Cosby Talking About Heroes, Heroines and Villains #MFRWauthor

1. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys 
creating tales in many forms? Does your reading choices reflect your 
writing choices? Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

~Though I love reading many genres, my favorite story is a Scottish 
medieval romantic suspense, which is my favorite type of book to write 
as well.  I plan on remaining in the medieval time frame for the 
foreseeable future.  As far as genres that I wouldn't attempt, I enjoy 
writing a bit of comedy in my stories, so I would avoid writing horror.



2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write? Does 
one of these come easy and why?

~I love writing all three and find each book will come with a character 
who is clearer in my mind than the others.  As to which character that 
will be, each book is different.




3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain 
imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come 
before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

~There is no set way for how a hero appears to me.  At times, I see a 
photo and 'know' this will be a future hero, or while plotting a new 
book, the hero will appear.  Other times, like my hero Alexander 
MacGruder, he pesters me and wakes me up at night to write his story.



4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination 
create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before 
the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

~My heroines arrive the same way as my heroes.  I've long given up on 
trying to get my characters to cooperate.  I let them evolve as they 
choose.  They all tend to be stubborn.  :)



5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always 
have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the 
hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do 
you make them human?

~For me, the 'threat' of the story, if it is indeed a person, is ALWAYS 
a human first.  In the villain's mind, they are never evil, but are 
driven, have a clear agenda, and are innovative in achieving their 
goals.



6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the 
villain?

~My latest release, the first book The Oath Trilogy, is "An Oath Taken." 
  My hero is Sir Nicholas Beringar an English knight, the heroine is Lady 
Elizabet Armstrong a Scottish noble, and the villain is the Scottish 
Earl of Dunsten.



7. What are you working on now?

~I finished copy edits this past week on book #2, An Oath Broken, which 
will be released on 22 June 2015, and I'm currently working on edits for 
book #3 An Oath Sworn, which will be released on December 23rd of 2015.

8. How can people find you?
Website:  http://www.dianacosby.com/
Facebook:  
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diana-Cosby-Romance-Author/150109024636?ref=ts

Thursday's Heroine - Susan from Code Blue #MFRWauthor

Home at last. Susan Randall moved her shoulders in slow circles to ease the tension raised by the series of delays she had experienced during the morning's journey from Florida. An hour's delay in the departure of the flight. Traffic snarls due to construction. She had hoped to be home long before noon. She looked at her watch. Nearly one o'clock.

The limousine driver dropped her bags on the porch. After paying the man, she waited for him to leave. Then she fished the house key from the jumble in her purse and opened the front door. Why hadn't she stuck to her original plan and left last night? Instead, she had allowed her parents to persuade her to stay until this morning. Another failure in assertiveness, she thought.

The two weeks in Florida had exhausted her. With a sigh, she opened the front door and lifted the suitcases. Worry over the outcome of her father's abdominal surgery and coping with her mother's fears had drained her. Her father's uncomplicated recovery had given her parents time to offer advice on how she should live her life.

It's been nearly a year and a half since Jim's death. How long are you going to grieve? You're thirty-five. Isn't it time to let him go and build a new life?

Variations on the theme had been endless. The unsolicited advice and opinions had only increased her inner restlessness.

Susan dropped the suitcases beside the brown and white couch. How could she admit to her parents that fear of losing her identity again and not grief had governed her choices? Until the restraints had vanished, she hadn't realized she had been wrapped in a cocoon. If Jim hadn't died, her contentment with her life would have lasted. He would have continued to make decisions for every moment of their life and she wouldn't have protested. He had bound her so tightly, there had been little need for family, friends or children. During the past eighteen months, making decisions for the slightest change had been difficult, but she had learned. She had no intention of ceding her newfound independence.

Why would she want to find another man and plunge into the same kind of dependency? The odds of settling into a similar relationship were high. How many of her friends had she watched leave one man and find another with the same traits? She couldn't take the chance‑‑not until she gained confidence in herself. Besides, her life would remain serene as long as her emotions remained in a coma.

The wall clock chimed. Startled, she looked up. One forty-five. How long had she drifted in thought? She'd better move before she arrived late for work, an act she hadn't committed in her thirteen years at Bradley Memorial Hospital.

When she took off her coat, she saw the basket of gold and rust-colored chrysanthemums on the coffee table. She reached for the card.

"Welcome home. Talk to you soon. Patrick."

Warmth infused her. She touched one of the feathery blooms. This wasn't the first time one of his unexpected presents had raised her spirits.

As she ran upstairs, she pushed aside questions about his intentions. Patrick was her friend and tenant. He had been Jim's friend, too. She refused to believe there was more, and yet, she remembered a night when there had been. She shook her head. She needed a friend, not a lover.

Moments later, she stood in the shower. Warm water washed away the sour smell of nervous perspiration. Though the tension caused by the multitude of delays eased, she sensed it lurking like the remnants of a nightmare. She stepped from the shower, dried and dressed in a white uniform. If traffic cooperated and the line at the deli was short, she would reach the hospital in time to step into her role as a nurse. That Susan was completely different from the shadow woman Jim had created. At the hospital, she was confident, decisive and in control.

At twenty minutes to three, Susan entered the locker room on Five Orthopedics. She changed from boots to shoes, punched her time card and draped a Sprague-Rappaport stethoscope around her neck. Then she stepped into the hall.

As she approached the nurses' lounge, her pace slowed. She inhaled a deep breath. Why the sudden reluctance? For the past year and a half, being at the hospital five evenings a week had been her escape from loneliness. What had changed? While searching for an answer, she opened the lounge door.

"Do you really think I'll tell you?" Barbara Denton's strident voice rasped against Susan's nerve endings. "Believe me, when I say it's dynamite. Someone isn't going to like what I've learned. And let me tell you, this time, I have all the facts."

The practical nurse's harsh laughter and the veiled threat in her voice added to Susan's uneasiness. 

Whom had Barbara targeted this time? Her stories always contained a dram of truth but little more. 

Susan halted in the doorway and waited to hear further hints of scandal. When the practical remained silent, Susan stepped into the room and closed the door.

The hospital's gossip queen sprawled on the bright green loveseat facing the door. She stabbed a cigarette toward the round table that was partly hidden by the jutting powder room wall. A gold bracelet glittered on her arm and slid up and down as she used the cigarette to emphasize the importance of the tidbit she dangled.

Susan shook her head. Had anyone reminded Barbara that smoking in the hospital was illegal? Would it matter? The practical had chosen to break the rule, but so did the unit's nurse manager.

"Don't tease," Susan said. "We know you're dying to tell all."

One of the two nurses seated at the round table jumped up. "Welcome back," Julie Gilbert said. "How was your trip? You look terrific."

"The trip was nice." Susan smiled. A year ago, during Julie's first three months on the unit, Susan had been the younger nurse's mentor. They had become friends.

Barbara flicked a long ash from her cigarette. "Would you look at the tan? Bet you didn't spend your entire two weeks playing private duty nurse. Sure wish I could afford two weeks in the sun."

"The rent was free." Susan crossed to the credenza and reached for the coffeepot.

"As if you have to worry." Barbara's words flowed on a stream of smoke. "Bet your husband left you tons of insurance money. All I ever got from mine was a stack of unpaid bills."

"Three times." When Julie turned to look at the practical, sunlight glinted on the silver clip that held her long hair at her nape. "You sure know how to pick them." Her grin was as saucy as her voice.

"About as good as you." Barbara's hand hovered over a Styrofoam cup. "If you think you're going anywhere with De Witt, think again."

Julie made a face. "You'll soon see how wrong you are."

"Sure I will," Barbara drawled. "Ask Trish about him. After all, she followed him here. Hey, Trish, was it love or another reason?"

What did Barbara mean? Susan glanced at Trish Fallon. Her bony shoulders hunched and her lower lip trembled. Trish and De Witt? The unlikely combination made Susan want to laugh. She stepped toward the table until a flash of anger in the thin nurse's pale eyes halted her in mid stride. Why the attempt to provoke a quarrel between Julie and Trish?

Julie walked around Susan. "It's really great to have you back. Like the new hairstyle. How much weight did you lose?" She grinned. "Is there something you're not telling us? Who is he?"

Susan added milk to the coffee she had poured. "I have no secrets."

"Ain't that the truth," Barbara said. "And believe me, I've searched." She stubbed her cigarette. "Let me tell you what happened to me while you were gone. You saved my life."

Trish rose. Julie groaned.

Wednesday's Writer's Tip - More of From First Draft to Finished Novel - Karen Wiesner #MFRWA

There are two parts of the moving from the planning phase to the rough draft phase. One is what Karen calls the High-Concept Blurb. I use a version of this that's a little different from what she talks about. Essentially the one I use and I do this for both main characters and sometimes the villain consists of a statement followed by a question. I've even sold an editor on a book using just this method.

We'll look at Karen Wiesner's version that's little different from mine but may be longer than 2 sentences. What it boils down to is the character has a goal because he's motivated but he faces conflict. The who, what, why and why not are filled into the blanks.

My version varies and I'll give an example. Returning home after a 12 year absence, Andi Sherman now a nurse practitioner comes upon an accident and rescues a baby and follows to the hospital where she receives a shock. Can she and the man who hurt her learn to love the child related to each of them and find love again?  This would be done for the hero also since this is a romance.

Karen also talks about what she calls Story Sparks. She says this is an intriguing something that sparks a stor scenario and pushes the story forward. This is the Aha moment. I really don't understand this but perhaps there will be more later in the book. I'd recommend reading FromFirst Draft To Finished Novel by Karen Wiesner. Perhaps you'll understand.

Tuesday's Inspiration - Looking at the Senses - Taste #MFRWauthor

For me describing taste is probably the hardest one to do. Some of the reason for this is because I write some fantasy. There are stock words to use such as sour, salty, sweet, bitter but how does one describe chocolate or coffee when the world one is writing about isn't the world we know. There is one trick I've found and that's to make the name of the taste one is trying to describe as close to the substance one is describing.

I've used variations on coffee like cafene and then went on to describe the aromatic bitterness of what the person was drinking.

Chocla. sweet and smooth or smooth and bitter are other ways to make the reader think of chocolate and once they have this image describing how the character's taste buds react to the item becomes more evident to the reader.

But using taste is one of the ways of bringing the reader into the story. So when describing something don't forget this fifth of the senses. You can enrich your story and bring the reader's responses into what you're writing.

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor

Meander 1 - The holidays are closer and closer. My life has been hectic lately but I have managed to decorate the tree with the help of my granddaughter. The tree is a new one and is  artificial since watering a fresh cut tree is too much for the old folks. Putting on the ornaments is a lot of fun and brings back memories. One ornament is from the tree my parents put up. Amazingly the green yarn string has survived. There's also an ornament from the first tree my husband and I erected. A very small tree since we had a very small apartment. So I put ornaments and think of the many memories. I also managed to put the crystal figures on a table. They usually go on the mantle but there is now a television on the mantle but they look beautiful on the coffee table with the lights fixed so they show through the crystal.

Meander 1
2 - Since Christmas is almost here so is New Years. I don't make resolutions. Many people do but I know I will find a way to break them. No resolutions.

Meander 3 - Working on Divided Dreams and am discovering new things about the plot every time I sit down to write the story. Have finished the rough draft and am now putting in the new things I discovered. Stories are often like balls of tangled yarn. There can be many ends and it takes patience to find where each end leads. That's what I'm doing now and it's fun to discover all the twists and turns of the plot and of the characters. The hero and heroine have a past that was hurtful to her and in some ways to him. They now have a present that is forcing them to confront the past. I'm hoping they will have the future I've envisioned. That takes finding the right string in the tangle.

Sunday - Talking About My Books #MFRWauthor

Today, I'll say a bit about Lines of Fire and how the story began. With a fragmented dream that woke me with a vision of a man with thin red lines over his body. They were lines of fire. I sat down and jotted all the fragments I could remember. I knew somehow he was in danger and that he needed to find a mate or the members of some kind of guardian group would remove his ability to sue the lines.

Questions followed. What did the lines mean? How were they used? Why could some of the members of the group sense and read these lines and some were oblivious? Was there something magical about these groups?

Somehow while just tossing the ideas around, I found there were other groups affiliated with the guardians. Some were Healers and some were Artisans. Just what did they have to do with the hero.  One day I began to put all this together and it looked like a ball of yarn that had a dozen ends. I continued messing with this strange new world as I worked on other stories.

Then came the day when suddenly all the ends led to a number of paths and I knew which ones to take. Alric became the hero and I saw him with his father who had been driven out and his powers removed. He was dying and sent his son to be tested and to unravel the mystery of the lines of fire. I also learned he had a younger brother and sister who had vanished from the Guild House? One day their stories will be told. I know the title for the second book Tainted Lines and features the heroine of this book's brother and Alric's sister. His lines have been magically tainted by an unknown enemy who has tainted members of the guild before.

Saturday's Blurbs - Books by Margaret Tanner #MFRWauthor

BLURBS

FALSELY ACCUSED:

1820’s England. Visiting from America, Jake Smith is betrayed by a member of the aristocracy.  He is exiled to the penal colony of Australia. Jake carries a dark secret that will send him to the gallows if it ever comes out.

On board the convict ship he meets and falls in love with Maryanne Watson.   

Escaping their captors in Australia, the lovers set up home in a hidden valley and Maryanne falls pregnant.  With a price on his head, will Jake come out of hiding to protect his fledgling family? And how can love triumph over such crushing odds?

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LEXEVES

SAVAGE POSSESSION:

A sweeping tale of love's triumph over tragedy and treachery in frontier Australia.

A mistaken identity opens the door for Martin Mulvaney to take his revenge on the granddaughter of his mortal enemy.

An old Scottish feud, a love that should never have happened, and a series of extraordinary coincidences trap two lovers in a family vendetta that threatens to destroy their love, if not their lives.

http://amzn.com/B008EL0FTI

FIERY POSSESSION

American Wild West versus Australian Frontier. Jo Saunders, a fiery American beauty, arrives in frontier Australia to save her debt- ridden brother’s farm. She clashes with her wealthy neighbor, Luke Campton, but neither of them can deny the attraction sizzling between them.

When Jo is involved in his brother’s death, Luke seeks revenge by forcing her to become his mistress. Branded a rich man’s whore and ostracized by the townsfolk, pride is the only thing between Jo and total degradation.

Hate, lust and murder. How can Jo and Luke overcome these obstacles and allow love to flourish?

http://amzn.com/B00C2JOK6M

A MORTAL SIN:

Parts of this story are an oral history of the era.

As the world teeters on the brink of World War 2, Paul Ashfield travels to Australia in search of the mother who deserted him. He meets Daphne Clarke, and after nights of passionate love-making, they decide to marry, but Paul discovers a shocking family secret that has the power to destroy them.

 He and Daphne share the same mother. Devastated, he quickly departs the scene.

In Singapore, they meet again, and Daphne tells him she is not his sister. They marry just prior to Singapore being invaded by the Japanese. In the chaotic aftermath, each believe the other has died during the bombing.  When they finally see each other again, it is in an English church, where  Paul is about to enter into an arranged marriage.

http://amzn.com/B0087AZP82

THE LOVES WE LEFT BEHIND – SPECIAL WORLD WAR 1 CENTENARY

Special Centenary Edition containing three novels depicting the lives of three different women.

A hundred years ago, from the far flung corners of the British Empire, young men rushed to fight for Mother England. They left their wives and sweethearts behind. Many of these brave women waited in vain for their men folk to return. How did they cope with the loss and heartache? Could they ever hope to find happiness with another man?

Three full novels, each telling a brave young woman’s story of triumph over tragedy and adversity. Allison’s War, Daring Masquerade and Lauren’s Dilemma.

 http://amzn.com/B00MASTCHM

Friday's Guest - Margaret Tanner - Talking About Heroes, Heroines and Villains

1.      Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms? Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices? Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?

A.  I write historical, fiction with romantic elements. Because I like reading historical romance, I think that is why I write it. I have written one contemporary romance. I don’t think I could write in any other genre. 

2.      Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write? Does one of these come easy and why?

A.     I love writing villains because you can get so much mileage out of their dastardly deeds.

3.      Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

A.    I usually just conjure them up in my mind, often before the plot.  I have to confess I like to write strong, ruthless, bad boy heroes. Think Heathcliffe in Wuthering Heights.

4.      Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

A.  All of the above. It just depends on the story. I like sweet, frail looking heroines, but they have to be brave and tenacious also. I can’t stand wimpy heroines.

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?

A.    My villains are always bad, with few redeeming features. Most times I don’t even try to make them appealing in any way. They are there to be hated, but that said, they are always crucial to the story.

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain?

A.    My latest release is Falsely Accused. The hero is Jake Smith, a man who is transported aboard a convict ship to the penal colony of Australia. He was betrayed by an English aristocrat. The heroine is Maryanne Watson, sentenced to transportation also, for a crime she did not commit. She meets Jake on the convict ship.

7. What are you working on now?

A.  The sequel to Maryanne and Jake's story.

8. How can people find you?

            Website: http://www.margarettanner.com/

            Blog http://wattleglen-margarettannersblog.blogspot.com.au/

            Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/margaret.tanner.399

Books We Love: http://www.bookswelove.net/tanner.php

Thursday's Heroine -- Nora From The Doctor's Dilemma

Streams of people eddied around Nora Harte, the pile of luggage and the double stroller.  She scanned the faces of the crowd.  A babble of voices filled the air.

      Where was he?

      He knew the flight number and the time of arrival.  The plane had landed on time.  Since Thursdays were almost a universal doctor's day off, the trip had been scheduled for today.

      She groaned.  This simple baby run had become anything but easy.

      The loudspeaker crackled.  "Would passenger Nora Harte pick up one of the courtesy phones?"  She looked around.

      The second time the words blared, with a start, Nora realized the message was for her.  "Yeah, right."  She stared at the four suitcases, two diaper bags, and the pair of car seats.  She'd need a multitude of New York minutes and the arms of an octopus to fulfill the request.  What had kept Dr. McKay from the meet?

      One of the twins puckered his mouth and added his screams to the cacophony in the baggage claim area of the Dallas airport.  Nora crouched and stroked the baby's cheek.  "We'll be out of here soon, honey."  At least, she thought they would.  "It's just a short delay."

      The strident voice issued the command again.  "How?"  she asked.  The logistics of the move defeated her.  She couldn't abandon the twins and the luggage to search for a phone.  She'd been deputized to deliver Molly and Tod Jamison to their guardian and she took this duty seriously.

      The sight of a man in a gray uniform pushing an empty baggage cart solved the problem.  "Sky cap, over here."  She used the voice that had parted crowds on busy New York sidewalks.  The one she hadn't used since she had moved upstate.  "Take these bags and the infants."

      "Don't load babies on the cart, ma'am."

      "I know that.  I meant the infant seats.  I have to answer the phone."

      "Excuse me."  He stared and his expression projected the idea he thought she'd flipped.

      Maybe she had.  "The page.  Nora Harte.  That's me."

      He nodded and pointed to the far wall.  "It's over there.  The blue phone."

      "Thanks."  Nora gripped the stroller handle.  She pushed through the crowd like a subway rider aiming for the last seat.  The noise level made her wonder if she'd be able to hear the message.

      An easy trip, she thought.  A way to add to her dream house account.  Just fly to Dallas and deliver the babies to their guardian.

      So far nothing about the trip had been a snap.  Why had she thought her experience as a nurse would make the mission a breeze?  A three month tour of duty in a busy city hospital nursery hadn't prepared her for the reality of caring for twins.

      She hadn't counted on the surround-sound screams the twins had raised in protest of being airborne.  Or of juggling two infants in the compact airplane bathroom.  Not finding their guardian at the airport had been the final episode in her nightmare of the week.

      She lifted the courtesy phone receiver.  "Nora Harte speaking.  I believe you have a message for me."

      The voice on the other end of the line explained that Dr. McKay had been unavoidably detained.  Nora was to proceed to the car rental desk to pick up a car and the directions to the doctor's house in Prairie, Texas.

      She gritted her teeth.  The deviation from her agenda added another problem she should have expected.  Why had she believed anything about this trip would work?

      A touch of anger rose.  If Dr. McKay had attended his foster sister's funeral, this disaster would have been avoided.  He could have taken custody and faced the journey from hell on his own.

      She waved to the sky cap.  "Where's the car rental desk?"

      "This way, ma'am."

      He pushed the cart with the finesse of an obstacle course champion.  Nora threaded the stroller through the gaps he opened.  Tod's cries changed to gurgles.  Molly's began.

      Nora patted the infant.  "Please, honey, no more tears."

      She groaned.  Now she sounded like a commercial, but life had no easy solutions like the ones found in an ad campaign.

      The sky cap halted in front of a counter.  "Want me to wait?"

      Nora nodded.  "Until I learn where to find the car."

      He grinned.  "You sure have cute babies and they sure favor you, what with that yellow hair and them big blue eyes.  Their daddy sure must be proud of them.  Bet he can't wait to see you all."

      Right, Nora thought.  "They're not -- I'm not --"  She closed her mouth.  She was only a courier on this baby run but there was no need to explain this to a stranger.

      She stooped and wiped Molly's tears.  In coloring, the babies did resemble her.  What if -- An ache of longing filled her chest.  She shook her head.  Not these babies.  Someday, she'd find a man who wanted the same things she did -- a family, a home, roots.  As yet, she hadn't found a man who made her heart rate accelerate or one who brought dreams of forever.

      She gave her name, driver's license and credit card to the clerk behind the counter and received the keys to a four door sedan and a detailed set of directions.  Prairie, here we come.  Dr. McKay had better be waiting.  Her plans called for her to be in Santa Fe by tomorrow.

      The sky cap pushed the baggage cart outside.  Nora and the twins followed.  A breath of hot air seared her lungs.  In New York, the temperature had been in the seventies.  Here, it must be near ninety.

      Once the luggage had been stowed in the trunk and the car seats in place, Nora looked at her watch.  Before starting the trip, the twins needed to be changed and fed.  She pushed the stroller inside and found the nearest rest room.

      She picked up Molly, changed and cradled the little girl.  Then she did the same with Tod.

      Adorable, sweet, loveable.  She sighed.  She couldn't let these babies steal her heart.  In two hours, she'd be in Prairie and on her way out of their lives.  She pushed them to the door.

      Thirty minutes later, Nora strapped the twins in their seats.  She studied the map.  Seems like a straight shot south and west, she thought.  Maybe something about this trip would go right.  She backed out of the parking space.  "Babies, we're on our way."

Wednesday's Writer's Tip - A Story Plan Check List Part 1 #MFRWauthor

When I was reading Karen Wiesner's From First Draft to Finished Novel and came upon this part, I nodded. When I first began writing I used a version of a story plan. Perhaps a different one than what she uses but the idea is the same. She calls hers a check list, mine was a plan. Different words for a similar plan. So let's look at what is involved.

Title - I must have a title before I can begin the story. Doesn't mean that will be the ending title. Thiw can change as the story grows or the title can be changed by a publisher. I remember a story I called Carpe Noctum for the entire time. The hero's name was Knight and this was a romance for older women. The publisher changed it. These days it doesn't happen often and now when I publish old stories I can change the titles back.

Genre or genres - That's the next thing I need to decide. Each type of story has a beat. A suspense story needs to have that beat of urgency beneath the prose. A fantasy, science fiction, mystery or romance has a special flow to the language. In these days of mixing genres, it's important to know if you're writing a romance with a touch of mystery or a mystery with a touch of romance.

Length - This is always an estimate and is something to shoot for. A novella has a different pace than a short story or a novel. I try to do this when writing. Doesn't always work but I try.

There's also POV who will be telling the story. Sometimes you can choose first person or third person are the most common. But how many heads are you going to enter when writing the story. And remember no matter how many you choose, you must remain true and if you're in Mary's head what she sees and observes if important but she can't read minds. She can read body language and make inferences.

Tuesday's Inspiration -- The Senses - Touch #MFRWauthor

Touch is the fourth of the senses and to me one of the easiest yet the hardest of the senses to incorporate into a story. To do this one has to really find words to describe a sensation that triggers a reader's memories. That's what one does or tries to do when using the senses to draw a reader into a story.

So what are some ways to use Touch in a story. Think about the times you're touched something or some one. Have you ever had a butterfly land on your hand. Probably not since you're not a flower. What you need to do is imagine. Think of the things that are soft. A baby's skin, a kitten's fur, the feel of silk against your skin. These are some of the ways to invoke touch into a storu.

But touches aren't always soft and gentle. They can be hard Like taut leather or rough like rough stone or cement. So hard or soft, rough or smooth try using touch on many pages of your story to evoke how the hero or heroine experiences the things they touch and what they touch.

In setting using all the senses makes a story come to life. The rough wood. the feel of brick beneath the fingers. If you can't remember how something you've touched find that object and touch it until you can find words to describe the sensation and give this sense in words for your reader.

When writing love scenes, remember how you felt to be touched and what you felt when you touched your lover. Bring touch to the palate and show the readers in words that will trigger their memories and draw them into the world you're creating.

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthorMeandering On Monday, Janet Lane Walters

Meander 1 - Saw a local performance of the Nutcracker. Love the music and I often play it again and again while I'm writing. Most of the performers were amatures from second grade through high school. The male leads were all professional. I have seen performances by professional companies and this one was as good and for me even better since 2 of my grandchildren were performing. This was the grandson's first time and he's ready to do it next year. The oldest granddaughter was graceful and looked like she was having fun. Now there was another treat. Male ballet dancers have great bodies and they aren't bad looking either. Maybe I've found a hero for a book. One never knows.

Meander 2 - Been running like crazy and I'm plain exhausted.This will pass hopefully soon but I feel as if I'm running miles behind. I will catch myself one day soon.

Meander 3 - Writing. We'll I'm doing my 17 words every day though I've been doing a bit more. Maybe 500 words a day and that's a lot less than the 2000 plus usually. The new story is going well but is being written oddly. The first half of the book is into the second draft but the last half will be going into rough draft. That's because while doing the rough draft of the first 7 chapters many things popped in there I hadn't planned on and that made me need to re-think the last 6 chapters. But I'm on track though slower than I wanted to be. Once again I'm chasing myself.

Talking About My Books - Toth's Priest #MFRWauthor

Toth's Priest is the final book in the trilogy of Ancient Alternate Egypt. In the first book Namose the hero of this book is kidnapped by the evil priest of Aken Re. Since he has some slight knowledge of the ancient language of the Two Lands, the priest believes Namose can give him the powers possessed by some of the priests of Toth. Some of the priests are merely scribes but others have talents to use the elements. The evil priest has stolen scrolls that define these powers. Namose is under threat of death and he does give the man some of the powers. Some he has mistranslated not on purpose but because he doesn't know the words.

Amara is from out world and she must escape the nephew of the drug lord who murdered Tira sister and who would have killed Seth. Seth has given her the notice that will help her escape. Her abilities to use unarmed combat allows her to escape and meet the elderly women. She arrives in the Two Lands at the main temple of the priests of Toth and undergoes training. She has the ability to use some of the powers but only two, earth and water.

Her quest is to find Namose and to help him escape along with the scrolls. Their uniting allows they to return to the temple for more training but the adventure isn't over. All builds until they realize they must confront the evil priest. The book is filled with magic and action. This story was fun to write and brings the characters from the other two books together.

Saturday's Blurbs - Featuring books by Diane Bator #MFRWauthor

Book 1: The Bookstore Lady

Danny Walker is tracking Paulina Chourney who fell deep into the dark side of life and is lucky to get out before her boyfriend Maddox kills her. She escapes Maddox and arrives in a small town, which she sees as a blessing in disguise since the men she worked for would never think to look for her in a lazy, backwater place like Packham. She changes her name to Katie Mullins, makes a deal on a little bookstore and joins a local writing group then successfully fades into anonymity. Until Danny Walker shows up to visit family and figures out who she is.

When Paulina catches her 80-year-old landlady sneaking out in the middle of the night, the bad guys catch up to her and Danny disappears, she has to choose between spending her life on the run or standing up to face her past. Hopefully before the quirky townsfolk turn her death into a spectacle.

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Bookstore-Lady-Wild-Blue-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00DWKNGPQ/ref=asap_B009CGCPRE_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416535765&sr=1-2

Book 2: The Mystery Lady

Danny Walker used to enjoy chasing criminals, but after being kidnapped and nearly killed, he longs to close the Wild Blue Detective Agency and live a simpler life. Forced to take leave from the police force, he has a long way to go to convince the shrink he's even close to sane, especially when he helps his former partner solve a series of murders, which endangers the woman he's tailing.

Wanna-be writer Lucy Stephen never wrote about murder until her husband moved out and thinks some man in a blue car is stalking her. When her husband and his girlfriend take her kids on vacation, Lucy discovers a hidden package of jewelry her husband desperately wants. The more she learns about the assorted pieces, the more Lucy realizes she may never see her kids again and needs to fight back with the help of the man who stalks her.

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Lady-Wild-Blue-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00J456WK4/ref=asap_B009CGCPRE_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416535765&sr=1-4

Book 3: The Bakery Lady

From the moment Leo Blue meets the tattoo artist's sister Christina, he's drawn into a web of bread dough and lies. Christina Davidson has returned to Packham with a duffle bag full of secrets. Leo soon discovers her biggest secret is Christina's alter ego and her husband who stands accused of murdering an up-and-coming artist. He promises to help set things straight and plans to bring husband and wife together for Christmas—even if it costs him his sanity and the love of his life.

Buy Link:  http://www.amazon.com/Bakery-Lady-Wild-Blue-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B00NEO2I2M/ref=asap_B009CGCPRE_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416535765&sr=1-3

Friday's Guest - Diane Bator Talking About Heroes, Heroines and Villains #MFRWauthor

Day 1

1. Do you write a single genre or do your fingers flow over the keys creating tales in many forms? Does your reading choices reflect your writing choices? Are there genres you wouldn’t attempt?  Right now I'm writing murder mysteries, but have also written some YA stories that I will have published one day. While I do enjoy a good mystery, I do enjoy a variety of novels and short stories. I've even started to read some romance novels written by friends. The one genre I can't see myself attempting is Erotica, it's just not something I'm interested in writing or reading.

2. Heroes, Heroines, Villains. Which are your favorite to write? Does one of these come easy and why?  I love a good hero! They seem to come to me far easier than heroines or even villains, of course that can vary from story to story. They are far from perfect, but are always there to try to save the day.

3. Heroes. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or plain imagination create the man you want every reader to love? Do they come before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?

My heroes tend to blindside me. Just when I think I have a good story, a hero will appear out of the page and try to control the way I think the story should go. In my Wild Blue Mysteries, Leo Blue was a background character in The Bookstore Lady and by The Bakery Lady, he'd taken over as a leading man!

4. Heroines. How do you find them? Do pictures, real life or imagination create the woman you want the reader to root for? Do they appear before the plot or after you have the idea for the story?  My heroines are all around me. All my characters are composites of people I know, people I hear about in the news, and people I hear about from other people. I never base one character on any one person. I am blessed to have many strong women in my life who have had to overcome adversity. I love writing about both their strengths and weaknesses.

5. Villains or villainesses or an antagonist, since they don’t always have to be the bad guy or girl. They can be a person opposed to the hero’s or heroine’s obtaining their goal. How do you choose one? How do you make them human?  In writing mysteries, there can appear to be more than one antagonist. They are all people with their own agendas, but the one who ends up being the villain is usually the person who won't let anyone stand in their way without making them an obvious villain. Just as a protagonist isn't perfect, a good antagonist needs a blend of good and bad and can even win over a reader until their true colors shine through.

6. What is your latest release? Who is the hero, heroine and or the villain? My latest release from Books We Love Ltd. is called The Bakery Lady. The hero is Leo Blue who tries to win over the new bakery lady, Christina Davidson. I can't tell you who the villain is. You'll have to read the mystery!

7. What are you working on now?  Right now I am working on a fourth book in the Wild Blue Mysteries series called The Painted Lady for 2015 as well as a second book in another mystery series.

8. How can people find you?

            Website  http://penspaintsandpaper.com

            Blog   http://dbator.blogspot.ca/

            Twitter  https://twitter.com/dibator

            Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Diane-Bator-Author/263599617046736?ref=hl

            Amazon Author Page  http://www.amazon.com/Diane-Bator/e/B009CGCPRE/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1373146510&sr=1-2-ent

Thursday's Heroine - Tira from Bast's Warrior #MFRWauthor

Tira wanted three things in life and she had little chance of gaining any of them. She wanted to be financially independent. She wanted to go to Egypt and study the ancient ruins. And she wanted her sister to stop using drugs.

The last desire brought memories of this morning’s quarrel.  The money squirreled away to see them through the rest of the month was gone. “Luci, why?”

“You don’t understand,” Luci screamed.

True. She didn’t understand why her sister needed to escape into a drugged stupor instead of studying and working to step onto the road leading from the slums. Tira’s hands stung with the memory of slapping her sister. And the words she’d shouted as she slammed out of the apartment echoed in her thoughts. “I hate you. I wish you were dead.” A shudder rumbled through her body. She hadn’t meant those words. As soon as she reached the apartment she would tell Luci.

With a sigh she turned back to the museum display. The Egyptian artifacts awed her. For a short time she allowed the beauty of the objects to carry her into dreams of pyramids and temples, of gods and pharaohs and of digging in the earth to uncover treasures of the past.

The dream hovered beyond her grasp. Her chances of gaining a position on a dig in Egypt were slim. Positions were avidly sought by students who had chosen the right colleges and the right professors. Those choices had been beyond her financially. She sucked in a breath. Instead of adventure, when the summer ended, she would take her place in front of a classroom teaching history at an inner city high school.

A glance at her watch said dreamtime was over. She had to reach the apartment in time to change for her evening shift at a restaurant several blocks from the cramped fifth floor efficiency she shared with her older sister. Once again, flash moments from the morning’s quarrel exploded in Tira’s thoughts. She’d been so upset she’d missed her morning martial arts session at the local center.

Tira cast her dreaming self aside and donned the role of practical sister. She hurried to the exit and stepped from the past into a steamy August day. Heat shimmered from the sidewalk. The air hung heavy and filled with the odors of the city and the noises of traffic. She strode along the crowded area taking advantage of every opening.

Ten days to dream. Ten days to walk the halls of the museum. Ten days to study the artifacts that had become her lodestones. She breathed the aromas of real time, spices of cooking foods, metallic scents of passing traffic and the odors of people, some pleasant and some not.

Several blocks from the apartment building the crowds thinned. In an alley she glimpsed furtive movements in the dark shadows. She hurried past. On the corner across the street a group of gang members gathered. She sucked in a breath and held her head high. For all her twenty three years she’d avoided the gangs. As she strode past she heard the usual crude remarks about her body and her attitude.

Get a life, she wanted to scream.

When she saw the ambulance and two cop cars in front of the building where she lived she halted so abruptly she stumbled. A hand caught her arm. Tira saw the gray-streaked beard of one of the winos who slept in the doorways or the alley. “Get your hands off me.”

“Don’t go home,” he whispered. “Lose yourself in the crowd and keep your head down.”

She saw a keen intelligence in the man’s dark eyes. Who was he? He wasn’t as old as she had imagined either. “Why?”

“Your sister’s dead. Cops’ll be looking for you. They heard about the fight.”

Tira’s stomach clenched. She blinked away a rush of tears. Though hearing about her sister’s death wasn’t unexpected another dream shattered. There would be no rehab for Luci. “Junkies O.D. every day,” she said.

“She was murdered.”

A chill slithered down Tira’s spine. A rush of acid burned her throat. What? Why? Who? Keeping her eyes on the ground she inched away from him.

“Murder. Murder.” The murmured word spread through the crowd gathered on the sidewalk and stung like attacking wasps.

The EMTs wheeled a gurney from the building. When Tira saw the body bag strapped to the frame her nails bit into her palms. Despite the heat of the day she felt chilled. A wave of guilt made her knees buckle. She stuffed her fist against her mouth to keep from crying aloud.

What now, she wondered. The apartment was a crime scene. Until the cops finished their investigation she wouldn’t be allowed inside. An officer stepped from the building. “More along, folks. There’s nothing to see here.” He stepped from the stoop. “Anyone seen her sister? We have some questions for her.”

“Most evenings you’ll find her waiting tables at Louie’s,” someone said.

Tira hunched her shoulders. As people dispersed she slunk away. All her life she’d avoided trouble. Even if she wasn’t a suspect she knew too much about Luci’s friends and suppliers to be safe. She needed to hide and think. Where could she go?’

As she retraced her steps she noticed the home boys had vanished from the corner. Show’s over or just about to begin, she thought. She feared she was destined to become the star in a life or death drama. She continued the slow amble away from the apartment building.

Every instinct urged her to run but that would attract the attention she didn’t want. As she passed the alley someone grabbed her arm and dragged her into the shadows. The man who held her arm and the other at his side were large and scary but not as menacing as the slender man who joined them.

Tira fought to control rising panic. She felt as though she would faint. Center. She had to escape. All she needed was an opening. Her muscles tensed in preparation. “What do you want?” Had her voice remained calm or had fear coated the edges?

“My drugs. My money.”

“I know nothing about either.”

The slender man laughed and the sound chilled her. “She was your sister. She told you everything.” His smile turned feral. “Her last words were, ‘Tira knows.’”

Anger flared and slashed the fear and grief holding her immobile. “And you believed her?”

“Why not?”

His silent companions edged closer. One held a knife. The other reached for her. She sucked in a breath. She whirled and kicked. The toe of her sneaker caught the knife holder’s arm. Her sudden movement pulled the second man off balance. She grabbed his arm and knocked him into the knife man. They landed in a tangle.

Tira ran. As she darted around the corner something whizzed past her. She didn’t stop to learn what. Where to go? Just ahead she saw the steps leading to the subway. She pulled her Metro card from her pocket and bounded down the steps. A shout sounded. She kept running. At the gate she swiped the card, ran onto the platform and into a waiting car. A bell dinged. The doors closed.

As she peered through the smudged glass she saw one of the thugs reach the platform. She breathed a sigh of relief. For the moment she had escaped. Where would the rattling car take her?

Was there a way to get the things she needed from the apartment? The drug dealer’s men would keep watch. Who could she ask? Not the cops, who either believed she had killed Luci, or wanted information she didn’t have. She barely knew the neighbors. She and Luci had moved into the building in June. Could she sneak into the building after the cops left? Doubtful. If she asked, her few friends from college wouldn’t be willing to enter the scene of a murder.

She sank on a seat. Once again tears threatened. Why had Luci lied? Tira swallowed convulsively. When she understood the reasons for the betrayal she could grieve. Now wasn’t the time.

For seconds or minutes Tira blocked the groping fingers of fear. At the moment she was safe but she couldn’t ride the subway forever. She considered her options. She had some change, her Metro card and the twenty she always kept for emergencies. Not enough to rent a room. Going to work at Louie’s was out. Until her first pay check from the teaching job arrived she was broke.

Think. Plan. Where was the nearest homeless shelter? Sure they could be dangerous but she could protect herself. She wiped her hands on her jeans. Even if she could hang out for ten days she couldn’t begin her first day as a teacher wearing dirty jeans and a sweat-stained tee shirt.

On the seat beside her she noticed a crumpled piece of paper. Curiosity stabbed. She smoothed the wrinkles and read the words twice.

Life got you down? Have unsolved problems?

Looking for escape? The answer is in your stars.

A counselor is available night and day.

Dial 1- 800 – 555 – ASTR

Tira frowned. She could answer yes to all the questions. Had the paper been left for her to find? She smiled at her magical thinking.

When the car stopped at the next station she grasped the paper and rose. She followed people to the street. Should she take a chance? Did she have a choice? Across the street she saw a coffee shop. She had to consider her options.

She jogged to the small restaurant and entered the dingy place with the paper clutched in her hand. A flutter of nervousness settled in her chest. What to do? Call or not call? Go to the cops? Find a shelter? She sat at the counter and ordered coffee. As she sipped the bitter brew her thoughts raced. The answer to the last two options was a definite no. She frowned. If the answer was in her stars they certainly hadn’t brought her a sliver of luck. Would making the call produce a change?

Tira swallowed the last of the coffee. She would make the call. If the paper was a hoax she would devise another plan. She stepped outside and opened her cell phone. In the fading light she read the number and dialed.

“Can I help you?” a woman asked.

“I can answer yes to all your questions.”

“Do you need help?”

“Yes.” She wasn’t sure what this woman could do. By accepting the offer she would be off the street and buy time to plan.

Wednesday's Writer's Tip - Step 4 in Planning Your Novel #MFRWauthor

This step may be the hardest particularly since you have all this wonderful material gathered and you're ready to go. But if you can put aside your plans, your outline or however you have planned the material. A week is good but longer than that really helps.

I've done this many times just as Karen Wiesner suggests. This is hard. So I've a scheme to allow the material to coalesce. I do the planning session during the time when I;m refining my current WIP. I've found this short break from the extensive planning allows things to steep and when I start to write the rough draft, things occur that I didn't consider during the planning session or something pops into my thoughts that allows me to see the material as fresh and new.

Once the wait time is over, then I begin the rough draft. Sometimes this sounds smooth and seems flawless but working on the next draft, I find little things to expand the story and make it really come alive.

Letting the material you've gathered sit in a folder or a notebook or anywhere that the material isn't in eye view. Your unconscious will work on it while you're doing something on the story you've nearly finished. Taking a break can make the finished novel gel and make the writing much smoother.

Tuesday's Inspirations - Looking At The Senses -- Smell

How often do we neglect to put the sense of smell into our stories. Sure you might say she smelled like flowers. Numerous scents filled the air. What one must remember as a writer that the aroma of things often triggers memories in people. Smell can be used in so many ways.

To define character - The smell of alcohol on his breath was strong enough if someone lit a match he'd be a fire-breather.

Soft scent of lilac arose from the trunk as she pulled out the ancient wedding dress.

Tommy ran into the house. The aroma of chocolate and sugar made him grin. "Mom, you're making cookies.

Not only people but places. Think of the dank aromas of a swamp, the mustiness of an old house, the freshness of the air after rain. The smells of the forest, trees,leaves on the ground.

What about the sweet smell of a baby with the powder and lotion.

Writing is more than what you see and hear. Use senses that trigger your memories, good or bad and see what happens when you put these in a story and a reader relates and brings their own memories into the story.

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor

Meander 1 - The holiday season has crept up on me and is not like a boulder rolling down the mountainside. Having no car is part of the reason. Who can shop without a car? the second part is having my husband ill. So I'll work on what needs to be done especially if my car comes back tomorrow as promised. Was supposed to be on Friday but alas, not finished.

Meander 2 - Re-reading some Regency Romances and finding them much better written that some I've read that are newer. But the authors are really stars. Mary Jo Putney, Jo Beverly and Mary Balog. They seem to know the era more than some of the new writers. They also know how to hit the heart strings and that's also important.  I'll be re-visiting many of my favorites since I think I should soon rid myself of the hundreds of paper backs since I really like reading on the Kindle.

Meander 3 - Because of the upheavals going on around me, I'm not doing as much writing as I would like but I've been managing about 500 words a day instead of the 2000 to 3000 that I usually manage whether they may be new words or revisions of what's already done. Divided Dreams will be a much longer book that I anticipated and I'm discovering new things about the characters and their lives every day. That's what's always fun in the first few drafts. The Rough one just gets things lines up but in the next one or two you get to explore and discover all the sides of the characters and the influences on their lives.

Sunday - Talking About My Books - Horu's Chosen #MFRWauthor

Since I was firmly established in my alternate Egypt, when I came to write the second book, I knew the hero would be the one who would travel from the present world to the alternate one. Where would I find this hero. Then when reading over the first book, I found him. He was an undercover cop posing as a homeless man. He was the one to warn the heroine of the first book not to go home. When I wrote the first book, I needed someone to warn her and I chose this homeless man. But she saw something in his eyes. So Seth was born.

The second step was to decide why he wanted to escape his present life. He was alone. A foster kin but people who had turned him from an angry young man to a cop had died in an auto accident. So he had no ties, except a sort of friendship to the heroine of the third book. He felt like her older brother. The reason for Seth's decision to accept the old women's chance for life in another world took some thought. Then I realized he would be betrayed by his handler to the drug lord from the first book. This tied the stories together on another level.

The heroine of the second book, Merin, was the Daughter. While researching and reading a lot about ancient Egypt and the marriages that often occurred between half or even full siblings. I had the way to make her be in danger from the priests of Aken Re, especially the main villain. Whoever married Merin would become Pharaoh. Thus the adventure began with Seth being transported and being almost a slave though he was a man skilled in both armed and unarmed fighting. Merin has been taken by the bad guy and he has a husband for her. Her escape is necessary and so she and Seth come together for an adventure in the desert and have a quest they must fulfill.

Saturday's Blurbs featuring books by Tricia McGill #MFRWauthor

Tricia McGill Blurbs:

Mystic Mountains, Settlers Book 1:     http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFE5UL6

In the early 1800s the penal colony of Botany Bay was an unforgiving and harsh place. Isabella O'Shea is transported to New South Wales for wounding a member of the British aristocracy who raped her, so it is understandable that she loathes members of the upper class and the system that punished her; sentenced her to seven years transportation.

Tiger Carstairs is rich, ambitious and English-so is it any wonder she is determined to hate her new master. Tiger dreams of making a new life beyond the aptly named Blue Mountains, so called because of the perpetual haze of blue surrounding them.

Mystic Mountains is a story of courage and persistence-traits that were essential for the settlers who carved out a new life in a raw land where suffering and heartbreak were commonplace. Isabella and Tiger face tragedy and many hardships in their quest for a new life in this untamed land.

Distant Mountains, Settlers Book 2: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M28249I

Even in the prospering colony of New South Wales, it would be far-fetched to think a convicted man could consider marrying the daughter of a wealthy property owner.

But Remy has larger problems to contend with than Sara’s bigoted father. Forced to leave the woman he loves behind, Remy faces overwhelming odds and an ordeal that threatens to strip him of everything; his pride, his strength, his health—even his life.

Sara has many struggles of her own and when Remy finally thinks he has a future with Sara within his grasp, he is sent to a place where pain and suffering are everyday occurrences. Will the lovers ever find true happiness?

Remnants of Dreams: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IA1XZ94

Remnants of Dreams moves from the horrors of the 1914-1918 war to the 1990s, and paints an unforgettable picture of a changing world and of working class people in North London whose only riches are love and the knowledge that they did their best.

Alicia’s indomitable spirit sustains her and her large family through two wars, illness, death and loss. From her mother’s example Sara finds the courage to escape an intolerable situation and forge a new life in a new country.

Lonely Pride, Beneath Southern Skies Book 1 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NXKAXLK/

Sam fell in love with Mac at first sight when she was still a child and he a teenage boy, almost but not quite a man. A special bond formed between them, fuelled by their mutual love of animals—especially horses. As each matured, that bond threatened to move beyond the limits of friendship. By the time Sam reached her 17th birthday she was desperately in love with him, her shining hero. But one awful night Mac betrayed that love and Sam was unable to find it in her heart to forgive him. By the time the truth was revealed they had both moved on with their lives, and Sam’s pride prevented her from forgiving Mac; threatened to ensure her a lonely future.