We all have days when time seems to rush away on hurricane wings. Not that the holiday season is on the way it will be more so. Last week was mine. There were two days when little writing was done. For most people this wouldn't mean much but I have self-imposed deadlines that are more stringent than those set by editors. The last time I sold a book before it was completed, I had a deadline of January 51st. I sent the completed book to the editor before Thanksgiving. That was on my time schedule.
How are you at setting deadlines for yourself? Often that seems to be many writer's problems. They can't pace themselves and allow someone else to set limits. Which kind of writer are you. A self pusher or another person pusher?
Back to my week. Did have a meeting with two writer friends and we set up what we hope will be some speaking engagements at libraries or other places where people like to listen to writers talk. One will see what happens. There's also something else in the works with this group and we'll see what happens in the future.
Saturday at HVRWA we had a guest speaker, a knowledgeable editor for Wild Rose Press. She talked about writing and editing and gave some very good tips to those
attending. Since I'm in a fantasy mode these days, this isn't the place for me but who knows what will happen when I finish the multitude of works I have outlined and will finish the clusters of stories I started.
Now to my current work in progress -- Confrontations. I am now 2 fifths done with thestory but it took an extra day to reach that goal. Wanted to finish this before the first of the year, but feel it will be the end of January before I come up and can start a new project. Not sure how other writers feel, but I'm always heading to the new work but know the old must be finished before I can move on. I think the pull is because the hero of the next book has finally accepted a heroine. I have presented him with three and the story stopped after the opening scene. He did not like the woman he met. I believe he will like the fourth since she has a good reason not to like him.
Showing posts with label HVRWA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HVRWA. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Interview -- Jenna Kernan
I have known Jenna since she arrived at HVRWA to join this group of writers both published and unpublished. She writes some neat historicals but my favorites oh her stories are the paranormal romances.
1. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?
I was first published in Western historical romance for Harlequin in 2003 and have nine books set in unusual settings. My heroes tend to be trappers, trackers and explorers, rather than cowboys. More recently I sold a trilogy, based on Native American Mythology, to Silhouette Nocturne and now also write paranormal romance.
2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
I enjoy writing what I most enjoy reading. I’ve always loved Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance and Time Travel. I also have a weak spot for Fantasy and Science Fiction.
3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?
I’d love to write a time travel and look forward to their return to popularity. Thrillers and women’s fiction aren’t my favorite, though I have read some of those as well.
4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?
I’m currently gobbling up paranormals and wandering through historical romances. I love Vikings, Pirates, Highway Men, Highlanders and Native American Heroes. Shapeshifters are cool, because they retell one of my all-time favorite fairytales: Beauty and the Beast
5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,
I’ve been writing fiction for nearly two decades and have been published for eight years. I didn’t sell at first because I had to do a lot of on-the-job training, kind of like picking up a violin and telling yourself that you’re going to try out for First Violin in the community orchestra. It’s a nice goal, but also requires work, patience and luck. Now I’m writing about three books a year.
I keep my website updated and there is some more information about me. The address is: www.jennakernan.com
6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Oh, I’d have to say I’m in love with whichever hero I’m writing at the time. But I do have a special place in my heart for my first hero, Thomas Nash, WINTER WOMAN, 2003 and also for my first shapeshifter hero, Sebastian, DREAM STALKER, 2009.
7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
My first romances used nature as the villain. Nature can be very cruel and completely unforgiving of mistakes. My first heroine survived a winter alone in a wagon in the Rocky Mountains (WINTER WOMAN, 2003), a feat I would say was impossible if it were not based on historical fact.
My paranormal trilogy (DREAM STALKER, 2009) has a wonderful villain, who is the ruler of ghosts and responsible for collecting the evil ones from the living world. This story recently won The Book Buyers Best Award in the Paranormal category and is the first of there. I’m expecting the next release in May of 2011. There are excerpts of DREAM STALKER up at my website: www.jennakernan.com
8. What are you working on now?
I just finished copy edits on my September release, HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE and a Christmas novella out in October in the anthology collection titled: WESTERN WINTER WEDDING BELLES. I’m about done with my first draft of the next historical with a working title, PARTNERING LILY. This one is set in Alaska.
9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?
His Dakota Captive, Harlequin Historicals, September 2010
Western Winter Wedding Belles, October 2010
And then a Silhouette Nocturne in May of 2011.
10. How does your latest release begin? Give us an excerpt 400 - 500 words.
HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE, Harlequin Historicals, September 2010, by Jenna Kernan
Lucie West eyed the unusual man tying his horse at the hitching post before the blacksmith’s shop. His bearing struck her first because it seemed familiar in its supple grace. He did not stand or move like a soldier as he flipped the stirrup over the saddle and loosened the girth. She ran the length of him trying to understand why the sight of this stranger should stop her in her tracks. He was taller than most and broad…what?
Where was his hat? No white man rode in or out without one. Yet, here he stood bareheaded. His shaggy, shoulder-length hair was streaked with gold, bleached by the sun. His face was deeply tanned, but his light hair marked him as white. Perhaps he was one of the many born of both races.
His bare forearm flexed as he untied his saddlebags and effortlessly flipped the heavy sacks over one wide shoulder. Her gaze caressed his back and powerful legs, the menacing gun belt at his hip and then halted abruptly at his high moccasins. She recognized the style instantly having once labored to make similar ones, but never with such skill. Was that why she felt the vague sense of familiarity?
They could be a war trophy or trade goods, she told herself. Her objection did not sooth her growing anxiety.
Mrs. Fetterer, who was also a matron at the Sage River School for Indians, noticed Lucie had stopped and followed the direction of her gaze. The woman stood stiff as a starched collar and wide as the paddlewheelers on the Missouri River. Her frizzy hair was tamed in a conservative knot which made her head seem tiny by comparison.
“Ah,” she said. “The horse trader. I see he sold the lot.”
Lucie kept her eyes on the man. He straightened, his body now tense as if recognizing someone watched him. He turned in a slow circle until he found her and froze with one hand on the saddle pommel. He stared at her with piercing blue eyes, the color of the clear summer sky. Men often stared at her now, but this stare was different. Her breath caught at the connection and then she broke free, looking at the ground that separated them.
The tingling awareness lifted gooseflesh on her skin as she recognized that he was now studying her.
Mrs. Fetterer clasped Lucie’s arm and set them in motion.
“Look at the way he gawks at you. No manners at all and wild as the horses he chases.” She steered them across the yard. Lucie put one foot before the other, resisting the urge to turn-tail and run, which she would most certainly have done if her companion were not compelling her forward. Something about this man screamed a warning. The last time she felt this breathless with uncertainty she had been hiding from the attacking Sioux.
Mrs. Fetterer whispered as they passed the hitching posts before the blacksmiths. “He is a most dreadful man. My husband tells me that he barely utters a word to him, but will jabber in that gibberish to any Indian who wanders in.”
Lucie’s step faltered. If he spoke Sioux, it was a reasonable assumption that he understood the meaning of the marks on her chin.
COPYRIGHT: All content on jennakernan.com is copyrighted © by Jenna Kernan. Reproduction of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Harlequin Historical is a registered trademark of Harlequin Enterprises Limited. As such all cover art and excerpts are copyrighted © by said publisher, and all rights are reserved by the publisher.
1. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?
I was first published in Western historical romance for Harlequin in 2003 and have nine books set in unusual settings. My heroes tend to be trappers, trackers and explorers, rather than cowboys. More recently I sold a trilogy, based on Native American Mythology, to Silhouette Nocturne and now also write paranormal romance.
2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
I enjoy writing what I most enjoy reading. I’ve always loved Historical Romance, Paranormal Romance and Time Travel. I also have a weak spot for Fantasy and Science Fiction.
3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?
I’d love to write a time travel and look forward to their return to popularity. Thrillers and women’s fiction aren’t my favorite, though I have read some of those as well.
4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?
I’m currently gobbling up paranormals and wandering through historical romances. I love Vikings, Pirates, Highway Men, Highlanders and Native American Heroes. Shapeshifters are cool, because they retell one of my all-time favorite fairytales: Beauty and the Beast
5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,
I’ve been writing fiction for nearly two decades and have been published for eight years. I didn’t sell at first because I had to do a lot of on-the-job training, kind of like picking up a violin and telling yourself that you’re going to try out for First Violin in the community orchestra. It’s a nice goal, but also requires work, patience and luck. Now I’m writing about three books a year.
I keep my website updated and there is some more information about me. The address is: www.jennakernan.com
6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
Oh, I’d have to say I’m in love with whichever hero I’m writing at the time. But I do have a special place in my heart for my first hero, Thomas Nash, WINTER WOMAN, 2003 and also for my first shapeshifter hero, Sebastian, DREAM STALKER, 2009.
7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
My first romances used nature as the villain. Nature can be very cruel and completely unforgiving of mistakes. My first heroine survived a winter alone in a wagon in the Rocky Mountains (WINTER WOMAN, 2003), a feat I would say was impossible if it were not based on historical fact.
My paranormal trilogy (DREAM STALKER, 2009) has a wonderful villain, who is the ruler of ghosts and responsible for collecting the evil ones from the living world. This story recently won The Book Buyers Best Award in the Paranormal category and is the first of there. I’m expecting the next release in May of 2011. There are excerpts of DREAM STALKER up at my website: www.jennakernan.com
8. What are you working on now?
I just finished copy edits on my September release, HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE and a Christmas novella out in October in the anthology collection titled: WESTERN WINTER WEDDING BELLES. I’m about done with my first draft of the next historical with a working title, PARTNERING LILY. This one is set in Alaska.
9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?
His Dakota Captive, Harlequin Historicals, September 2010
Western Winter Wedding Belles, October 2010
And then a Silhouette Nocturne in May of 2011.
10. How does your latest release begin? Give us an excerpt 400 - 500 words.
HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE, Harlequin Historicals, September 2010, by Jenna Kernan
Lucie West eyed the unusual man tying his horse at the hitching post before the blacksmith’s shop. His bearing struck her first because it seemed familiar in its supple grace. He did not stand or move like a soldier as he flipped the stirrup over the saddle and loosened the girth. She ran the length of him trying to understand why the sight of this stranger should stop her in her tracks. He was taller than most and broad…what?
Where was his hat? No white man rode in or out without one. Yet, here he stood bareheaded. His shaggy, shoulder-length hair was streaked with gold, bleached by the sun. His face was deeply tanned, but his light hair marked him as white. Perhaps he was one of the many born of both races.
His bare forearm flexed as he untied his saddlebags and effortlessly flipped the heavy sacks over one wide shoulder. Her gaze caressed his back and powerful legs, the menacing gun belt at his hip and then halted abruptly at his high moccasins. She recognized the style instantly having once labored to make similar ones, but never with such skill. Was that why she felt the vague sense of familiarity?
They could be a war trophy or trade goods, she told herself. Her objection did not sooth her growing anxiety.
Mrs. Fetterer, who was also a matron at the Sage River School for Indians, noticed Lucie had stopped and followed the direction of her gaze. The woman stood stiff as a starched collar and wide as the paddlewheelers on the Missouri River. Her frizzy hair was tamed in a conservative knot which made her head seem tiny by comparison.
“Ah,” she said. “The horse trader. I see he sold the lot.”
Lucie kept her eyes on the man. He straightened, his body now tense as if recognizing someone watched him. He turned in a slow circle until he found her and froze with one hand on the saddle pommel. He stared at her with piercing blue eyes, the color of the clear summer sky. Men often stared at her now, but this stare was different. Her breath caught at the connection and then she broke free, looking at the ground that separated them.
The tingling awareness lifted gooseflesh on her skin as she recognized that he was now studying her.
Mrs. Fetterer clasped Lucie’s arm and set them in motion.
“Look at the way he gawks at you. No manners at all and wild as the horses he chases.” She steered them across the yard. Lucie put one foot before the other, resisting the urge to turn-tail and run, which she would most certainly have done if her companion were not compelling her forward. Something about this man screamed a warning. The last time she felt this breathless with uncertainty she had been hiding from the attacking Sioux.
Mrs. Fetterer whispered as they passed the hitching posts before the blacksmiths. “He is a most dreadful man. My husband tells me that he barely utters a word to him, but will jabber in that gibberish to any Indian who wanders in.”
Lucie’s step faltered. If he spoke Sioux, it was a reasonable assumption that he understood the meaning of the marks on her chin.
COPYRIGHT: All content on jennakernan.com is copyrighted © by Jenna Kernan. Reproduction of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Harlequin Historical is a registered trademark of Harlequin Enterprises Limited. As such all cover art and excerpts are copyrighted © by said publisher, and all rights are reserved by the publisher.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Interview with Shoshana Evers
I met Shoshana at an HVRWA chapter meeting and heard her read from a work in progress. I was taken by her facility with words and knew she would soon be published. She recently sold her first story to Ellora's Cave. I'm pleased to interview our latest soon to be published author.
1. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?
I write erotic romances. I’ve tried my hand at other genres, but I
think this is my niche – at least for now.
2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
Hmmm. Well, my first stabs at writing erotic fiction were written
privately, meant for my husband’s eyes only. He suggested that I try
to get published. After a few of my less sensual romance novels were
rejected, I decided to see if anyone liked the super sexy stuff. And
that’s what sold. So I don’t know if I chose erotica or it chose me.
3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t like to try, but there’s probably
things that I shouldn’t try. I don’t have the patience for things that
require tons of historical research. So as much as I love to read
Regency romances, I probably won’t be writing one anytime soon. I
found out the hard way that historical knowledge does not seep into my
writing via osmosis from reading other novels.
4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?
I read a lot of erotica, specifically erotic romance, and even more
specifically BDSM flavored erotic romance. I also read memoirs and
thrillers and anything someone tells me is a good read. I find pretty
much all reading to be enjoyable. If I don’t have a book to read at
the breakfast table I will literally read the labels on food and read
junk mail just so I can be reading!
5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,
I just turned thirty, and I’ve been writing since I first learned how
to read and write. So, I was five. My first “books” were handwritten
and three pages long, but I would always write “Chapter One” at the
top of the first page, with the intention of writing a very long book.
Of course, one of the hardest things about writing a novel is
finishing it, so I had a lot of false starts until I was about twenty
years old, when I finally wrote a novel through to the end. It was
absolutely a piece of garbage, but at least it was complete. Since
then I wrote another three novels to completion, and it was the fourth
one that sold.
6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
I think I fall in love with each of the Heroes I write, and I relate
to the Heroines. Picking a favorite would be like picking a favorite
child, so I can’t.
7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
Sometimes I write villains, but if you asked them they would say that
they are the good guys. No villain thinks he’s the bad guy. Everyone
has to justify his behavior to sleep at night.
8. What are you working on now?
I’m working on two pieces right now. One is an erotic romance
tentatively titled “Hollywood Spank”, and the other is a short story
I’m hoping will work for Christmas. That one’s going to be less erotic
romance and more like erotic fetish fun.
9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?
“Punishing the Art Thief” will be released by Ellora’s Cave, hopefully
before October when Romanticon 2010 will be held. I don’t have an
exact release date. The idea for that book came when I was perusing an
FBI website (don’t ask) and learned that there are several famous
paintings - including Rembrandt’s only seascape - that were stolen in
an art heist in 1990 and they are all still missing. I started
wondering where that Rembrandt was… and that’s when the idea started
to come together.
10. How does your latest story start? Give us an excerpt of the
opening 400 to 500 words.
This is the as-of-yet unedited opening to “Punishing the Art Thief” by
Shoshanna Evers, to be released by Ellora’s Cave.
Melissa Dwyer had never actually seen the dark stone mansion before
because it was set so far back off the road. The party guests arrived
for the fundraiser via a long, winding private drive and left their
Mercedes and Porches for the hired valets. She knew that Westchester
County, a half hour north of Manhattan, had a lot of rich folks.
Melissa had just never been invited to mingle with them before.
And she wasn’t invited now, either. She wore the same long, sea green
satin gown that she wore whenever she crashed a black tie affair. Her
curly brown hair was swept neatly off her lightly made up face. She
looked like she belonged. As far as Melissa was concerned, she did.
She probably loved art a whole lot more than any of these other posers
who were just there for the hors d’oeuvres. Why shouldn’t she go to
the grand unveiling of Mr. Hamilton’s new addition to his personal art
gallery? Just because she wasn’t able to pay a thousand dollars a
head, even if it were for Hamilton’s charity du jour, didn’t mean she
couldn’t appreciate the artistic beauty of a good painting.
Mr. Hamilton may have been old, but he had excellent taste in art. The
walls of his estate were adorned with a tasteful mix of classic
works—originals, Melissa had no doubt—and talented new artists.
There were several men milling about wearing sunglasses and dark
suits, talking into radios in hushed tones. Mr. Hamilton had spared no
expense to protect his private collection. One of the security guards
kept looking over at her. Did she really stick out so clearly as
someone who wasn’t supposed to be there? Melissa turned away and tried
to blend with the throng of guests heading for the main hall.
But the security guard tapped her shoulder. Melissa nearly jumped out
of her skin before arranging an aloof smile on her face and turning to
him. Her heart sank as she realized that she was busted. The worst
part was that she had really been looking forward to seeing Mr.
Hamilton’s new pieces. “Yes?”
The security guard smiled. She wasn’t expecting that and the sight of
his grin made the fake snobby society smile she had put on turn into a
genuine smile. This guy was an intensely good looking man. He had
dark, closely cropped short hair and olive colored skin. He looked
like he was about her age—mid thirties, maybe? “Sorry,” he said. He
lowered his sunglasses and looked at her with intense green eyes. “For
some reason I thought you looked familiar.” The glasses went back up.
She could feel him assessing her beneath his dark glasses, and she was
suddenly very aware of the fact that he was a man. Beneath his gaze
she felt almost like prey, waiting to be eaten up. A vision of those
strong, powerful arms holding her thighs apart as he licked her slowly
filled her mind and she had to turn away before she blushed. She
didn’t even know his name. She’d have to find out.
“I’m pretty sure I would have remembered you,” she said.
*****
1. What's your genre or do you write in more than one?
I write erotic romances. I’ve tried my hand at other genres, but I
think this is my niche – at least for now.
2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?
Hmmm. Well, my first stabs at writing erotic fiction were written
privately, meant for my husband’s eyes only. He suggested that I try
to get published. After a few of my less sensual romance novels were
rejected, I decided to see if anyone liked the super sexy stuff. And
that’s what sold. So I don’t know if I chose erotica or it chose me.
3. Is there any genre you'd like to try? Or is there one you wouldn't?
There’s nothing that I wouldn’t like to try, but there’s probably
things that I shouldn’t try. I don’t have the patience for things that
require tons of historical research. So as much as I love to read
Regency romances, I probably won’t be writing one anytime soon. I
found out the hard way that historical knowledge does not seep into my
writing via osmosis from reading other novels.
4. What fiction do you read for pleasure?
I read a lot of erotica, specifically erotic romance, and even more
specifically BDSM flavored erotic romance. I also read memoirs and
thrillers and anything someone tells me is a good read. I find pretty
much all reading to be enjoyable. If I don’t have a book to read at
the breakfast table I will literally read the labels on food and read
junk mail just so I can be reading!
5. Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,
I just turned thirty, and I’ve been writing since I first learned how
to read and write. So, I was five. My first “books” were handwritten
and three pages long, but I would always write “Chapter One” at the
top of the first page, with the intention of writing a very long book.
Of course, one of the hardest things about writing a novel is
finishing it, so I had a lot of false starts until I was about twenty
years old, when I finally wrote a novel through to the end. It was
absolutely a piece of garbage, but at least it was complete. Since
then I wrote another three novels to completion, and it was the fourth
one that sold.
6. Which of your characters is your favorite?
I think I fall in love with each of the Heroes I write, and I relate
to the Heroines. Picking a favorite would be like picking a favorite
child, so I can’t.
7. Are there villains in your books and how were they created?
Sometimes I write villains, but if you asked them they would say that
they are the good guys. No villain thinks he’s the bad guy. Everyone
has to justify his behavior to sleep at night.
8. What are you working on now?
I’m working on two pieces right now. One is an erotic romance
tentatively titled “Hollywood Spank”, and the other is a short story
I’m hoping will work for Christmas. That one’s going to be less erotic
romance and more like erotic fetish fun.
9. What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?
“Punishing the Art Thief” will be released by Ellora’s Cave, hopefully
before October when Romanticon 2010 will be held. I don’t have an
exact release date. The idea for that book came when I was perusing an
FBI website (don’t ask) and learned that there are several famous
paintings - including Rembrandt’s only seascape - that were stolen in
an art heist in 1990 and they are all still missing. I started
wondering where that Rembrandt was… and that’s when the idea started
to come together.
10. How does your latest story start? Give us an excerpt of the
opening 400 to 500 words.
This is the as-of-yet unedited opening to “Punishing the Art Thief” by
Shoshanna Evers, to be released by Ellora’s Cave.
Melissa Dwyer had never actually seen the dark stone mansion before
because it was set so far back off the road. The party guests arrived
for the fundraiser via a long, winding private drive and left their
Mercedes and Porches for the hired valets. She knew that Westchester
County, a half hour north of Manhattan, had a lot of rich folks.
Melissa had just never been invited to mingle with them before.
And she wasn’t invited now, either. She wore the same long, sea green
satin gown that she wore whenever she crashed a black tie affair. Her
curly brown hair was swept neatly off her lightly made up face. She
looked like she belonged. As far as Melissa was concerned, she did.
She probably loved art a whole lot more than any of these other posers
who were just there for the hors d’oeuvres. Why shouldn’t she go to
the grand unveiling of Mr. Hamilton’s new addition to his personal art
gallery? Just because she wasn’t able to pay a thousand dollars a
head, even if it were for Hamilton’s charity du jour, didn’t mean she
couldn’t appreciate the artistic beauty of a good painting.
Mr. Hamilton may have been old, but he had excellent taste in art. The
walls of his estate were adorned with a tasteful mix of classic
works—originals, Melissa had no doubt—and talented new artists.
There were several men milling about wearing sunglasses and dark
suits, talking into radios in hushed tones. Mr. Hamilton had spared no
expense to protect his private collection. One of the security guards
kept looking over at her. Did she really stick out so clearly as
someone who wasn’t supposed to be there? Melissa turned away and tried
to blend with the throng of guests heading for the main hall.
But the security guard tapped her shoulder. Melissa nearly jumped out
of her skin before arranging an aloof smile on her face and turning to
him. Her heart sank as she realized that she was busted. The worst
part was that she had really been looking forward to seeing Mr.
Hamilton’s new pieces. “Yes?”
The security guard smiled. She wasn’t expecting that and the sight of
his grin made the fake snobby society smile she had put on turn into a
genuine smile. This guy was an intensely good looking man. He had
dark, closely cropped short hair and olive colored skin. He looked
like he was about her age—mid thirties, maybe? “Sorry,” he said. He
lowered his sunglasses and looked at her with intense green eyes. “For
some reason I thought you looked familiar.” The glasses went back up.
She could feel him assessing her beneath his dark glasses, and she was
suddenly very aware of the fact that he was a man. Beneath his gaze
she felt almost like prey, waiting to be eaten up. A vision of those
strong, powerful arms holding her thighs apart as he licked her slowly
filled her mind and she had to turn away before she blushed. She
didn’t even know his name. She’d have to find out.
“I’m pretty sure I would have remembered you,” she said.
*****
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