Fridat's Guest - Tricia McGill 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?

My books are all romances but I have written across several sun-genres, including historical, time-travel, contemporary, futuristic, and mainstream. I especially love to read time-travels and historical romances, and have read a lot of contemporary romances, preferring a touch of humour. I hate horror and don't read mysteries, so would never write in those genres. I attempted a horror short story once and had nightmares over it. I'm the sort of person who can't watch anything creepy on the TV, especially before bedtime. Oh, and I just don't have what it takes to write erotica, more than likely because I don't care to read it. This is not to say I don't admire authors who excel at all these genres.

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

My heroes and heroines have always come easily to me, and I usually have their characteristics all worked out at the start of the book. I don't like super alpha males and prefer characters with faults. I've written a few villains into my stories but nothing too sinister. I deplore killing or savagery for the sake of it, but no story would be authentic without at least one nasty person to upset the smooth progress of things.

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 have always been based on a particular person as far as looks go. Often that person will be Matthew McConaughey. I know what they will be like as soon as I begin. My stories are character driven, so the hero and heroine are worked out from the start.
As for personality I think my father had the most influence on how I see men and how I rate them character-wise. Although I was only 12 when he passed away I wasn't so young I didn't perceive his strength, kindness and supportiveness. These are traits I have to instil in the main male of my stories.

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?

I don't picture the heroine as much at the start although I do end up with an idea of what she looks like. As with the hero I know each heroine quite well at the start of my stories, and the plot is usually based around her and her problems, frailties or situation.

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?

My antagonists are built into the plot and put there for a very good reason, to upset the proceedings and make life difficult for the hero, heroine or both.

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

My latest release is a time-travel, The Laird,  Book 1 in my Wild Heather series. My heroine is Liz, PA to Andrew the hero. They travel back in time together to Scotland of 1050. But, this one is slightly different as there are two heroes in this story, Andrew, and the Laird of the title who bears a striking resemblance to Andrew. They meet up with him back in time. His mother and his fiancée are the nasties here and do their best to make life as bad as they can for Liz, seeing her as an arch rival for the Laird's affections.

7. What are you working on now?

I'm currently working on Book 2 in my Beneath Southern Skies series, tentatively titled A Dream for Lani. The books in this series are all contemporary romances set in Australia. Lani is a woman who has been cosseted all her life, and although she has never been badly treated and is wealthy she's never really known what it is to be surrounded by a loving family. She finds what she is desperately seeking within the hero's family circle. But naturally there are snags to be overcome before the happy ending.

8. How can people find you?

            Website: www.triciamcgill.com

            Blog: http://triciamg.blogspot.com

                 Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/authorTriciaMcGill

Thursday's Heroine - Merin from Horu's Chosen #MFRWauthor

Early morning sunlight glinted on the sand and bounced off the rocks rising in erratic patterns from the ground. Merin gripped the saddle with one hand and the reins with the other. The swaying rhythm of the camel lulled her into a fugue state. Her eyes drifted shut and her thoughts wandered to the past. Once again she stood in the courtyard of the women’s court of the temple the priests of Aken Re had stolen from the priests of Toth.

The fat priest raised his hands. The strange words he chanted rose in pitch. Dark clouds gathered. Bast Ka, sacred cat of the goddess, grew larger and attacked. Merin screamed.

A soft meow and a rumbling purr pulled her from the scene that had haunted her for days. How much longer would she continue to see that incident on the day of her escape? That had been the moment she deserted Tira. Merin’s stomach lurched. She swallowed again and again to keep from spewing all she’d eaten and drunk during the long days of aimless flight.

Was Bast Ka an avatar of the goddess? With one hand she stroked the cat’s silky gray fur. With each touch she repeated the command she’d been given. “Go to the delta. Find the pharaoh-to-be.” Would finding him complete her task or was there more?

She glanced at the rising sun and knew midday would soon arrive. Shelter was needed. She scanned the horizon for a refuge from the sun’s hot rays. Did those distant rocks promise shelter? Were they really there or was this a vision caused by the bright light?

She touched the nearly empty water sack. What would she do if she couldn’t find a source of sweet water? Even with the water, her remaining food supply had dwindled and she had no coins to buy more. Once again she regretted the spooked flight,

She neared the jagged rocks and saw an order to their placement. Merin urged the camel forward. Bast Ka leaped to the ground and dashed away. When the camel reached the fallen stones she found a pool of clear water shaded by a rocky overhang. She tapped the camel and dismounted.

As she explored the rocks she realized this had once been a temple of Bast. Broken statues of the goddess and felines littered the ground. Who had done this? Had the priests of Aken Re and their guards murdered the women and men who served the goddess?

Before setting camp, Merin prowled the ruins. She found no bones of humans or sacred cats, only the shattered images. Though she wanted to blame the enemy for the destruction there was no proof. The temple could have been laid waste during the war that had occurred in the year of her birth. She would never know the answers.

She hobbled the camel in a patch of grass beneath a palm tree. This done she set her camp. Bast Ka brought a huge lizard. Merin skinned the creature. She seared some of the meat in a small fire and added the rest and the last of the lentils to water and set it to cook beneath the sun’s heated rays. With a sigh she curled on her blanket beneath the wide overhang. The cat lay beside her.

Merin’s thoughts churned with questions. Would she ever learn what had happened to her friends? Were Namose, Tira and Kashe safe? Had they delivered the symbols of the rule to a safe place? Why had Bast Ka deserted Tira? Not that Merin disliked the cat’s companionship. Did the avatar’s presence mean she was now the focus of the goddess’ power?

A shudder racked her body as images of the death of Pian and the fat priest surfaced. The screams had deafened her and sent her into panicked flight, only pausing long enough the grab the packs she had prepared. The arrival of a saddled camel driven from the animal pens by a jaglon had seemed welcome. She had planned to stop at the temple for the pharaoine’s jewelry, but the animal had bolted through an opening in the gates.

Merin wasn’t sure how many days had passed since the escape. She’d succumbed to the panic and days had flown past before she’d thought to count. She shifted position and finally slept.

Wednesday's Writer's Tip - More on Step 3 for Planning your Novel #MFRWauthor

Now you've collected all these pieces like characters, settings and incidents, what do you do with them. Combining them and establishing a time line for your story. I used to write this all down. I came upon an old plan for a story that may never been written where I had all these steps written down.

The characters were complete with physical descriptions and their goals. Why they wanted to reach the goal and what inside them might keep them from reaching that goal. I also had written how they reacted to each of the other major characters in the story,

There was a huge block of descriptions of the town, the various residences and the businesses. These descriptions included rooms I thought I might use, the gardens and for some reason the cars in each driveway or parking place.

There was a description of the time or year, month and what the days would be like. Though a month was mentioned, the descriptions were more of seasonal ones including the plants that might be seen.

From there I went to a chapter synopsis and this is how the various bits are collected together. Often when writing this, I would refer myself to one or other of the sketches I'd written. This chapter synopsis contained some dialogue. I'm not sure this would remain when the story was written but the words came to me so they went down.

I seldom do this much elaborate preparation these days but I've been at the game for a long time and often things are in my head and I go straight to the chapter synopsis. Something that can be changed when I'm writing the rough draft.

As a beginning writer, being this organized can be helpful. From First Draft to Finished Novel by Karen Wiesner is a good place to begin when you're putting your first steps on the road.

Tuesday's Inspiration Looking At The Senses - Sound MFRWauthor

 When characters speak to each other , yes, we are using sound but there are many more ways to use a description of sound to enhance fictional works.

Looking at characters. He says or she says but how do they say it. Is their voice terse, a growl a faint whisper. This is the way to use the sense of sound to make the character come alive. Of course there are other ways to show this but for now we're just looking at sound.

One of my critique partners nailed a passage for me. What I'd written was He strode across the concrete." She asked me to describe the sound, especially since this was a suspenseful moment. I went back and wrote. His shoes scuffed across the concrete. The sound alerted her and she tensed. That was better. It brings the characters more to life.

The baby cried. But the pitiful sound of a weeping baby brought her to her feet. So sound not only gives you a picture of the baby but also of a character's reaction to the cries.

When using setting, think of how a house sounds. New house, old house, a house in a romance, a house in a mystery. Making use of sound in these descriptions can enhance the story. Wind whistled through the cracked window is different than rain pounded against the glass barrier to the chaos outside.

So look at sound and when you come to one of those she cried. he said. the house was old. The house was spooky. Take those bits and give the sounds a chance to show more than what the simple statement.

I remind myself about this every time I'm doing a revision. Make sure the sounds of the world invade your story and give a picture to draw people in.

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters

Meander 1 _ Touched a bit on this last week but I'll do a bit more about novellas and the rushed ends. I'm of the theory that a  book should be as long as it needs to be. I'm guilty of rushing the ending of a story since I want it to fit into a shorter length. I've read many that really need more and I've felt let down when the end rolls around and the end doesn't seen to fit the pace of the rest of the book or there are things that should have been explored that were skimmed over. Spoke about this to some of my writing buddies and they agreed. Sometimes the publisher draws a line and says this is the length a novella should be. They also mentioned coming to the end and having to capsulate the action. Others have set themselves a word goal. That's what I've tried to do. Sometimes this works and other times it doesn't and though the story is there, there are places where the story could have been expanded. I'm working on a story now that was planned as a novella but it's going to be longer than the 25,000 to 35,000 words my publisher says is a novella length. But at least I'll be allowed to write the story and the words won't count against me. This is one novella that may be a short novel and hopefully I'll be happy with the end.

Meander 2 - What do you do when life gets in the way? For me it's to live life in double time and try to do both jobs as best as I can. Though being a bit impatient sometimes I get rather tense and want to scream. I'm playing nurse to my husband who is feeling his age and his physical problems. I'm giving up my study so he can move to the first floor. The writing may suffer a bit but I will accomplish all I'm trying to do.

Meander 3 - My WIP is going well and I've finally reached the point where I can sketch out the last third or half of the book so I know where I'm going. Called Divided Dreams and part of the Moon Child series. He's a doctor who doesn't like the choice he made on many levels. He's always wanted to be a writer and now he has a three book contract. She's returning home after twelve years and thinks he's not around. She is one of the choices he made under duress. She hasn't been able to forget. A car accident where his sister dies and he ends up with the baby and some other problems along the line. She's a Pediatric nurse practitioner. The thing facing them is the past. While they can handle the today, can they think about a tomorrow?

Sunday's Talking About My Books - Bast's Warrior #MFRWauthor

Though the third of this trilogy, Toth's Priest has just come out, I'll talk about Bast's Warrior, the story that began it all. Here's the blurb.

Tira flees a threat to her life and encounters two elderly women who offer her the chance to be sent to an alternate ancient Egypt with no thought of return. She has had a fascination with Egypt and can even read hieroglyphics. Once there she will be given a task. Failure could mean death. Dare she take the chance and can she find the lost symbols of the rule before an enemy finds them?

Kashe, son of the nomarch of Mero is in rebellion. His father desires him to join the priesthood of Aken Re, a foreign god. He feels he belongs to Horu, god of warriors and justice. He decides to leave home, meets Tira and joins her in the search for the symbols of the rule. Will his aid bring good fortune and will their growing love keep them from making a fatal mistake?

I've been fascinated with Egypt for as long as I can remember. Probably happened when I read some children't book that I really can't remember. I have books and books about Egypt, even some that are translations of letters and other writings from several eras. What fascinated me were the days around the invasion of the Hyksos a mysterious group. At this time there were many men vieing to become pharaoh and the land was in turmoil. This was the period I decided to base the series.

After finishing the rough draft of the story that I thought was a time travel, I was flipping channels and saw something about camels. Since I wanted camels in the story I paused. Then the words came that said there were no camels in Egypt during the period I had chosen to fit my story. I got a little upset and then re-thought several things. First the people from the present would be traveling to an alternate sphere where the Egypt of the history had some changed, including camels. This necessitated other changes and among them was a slight change in the names of the towns. Also I decided instead of a multitude of gods my created Egypt would have only three Bast, Horu and Toth.

Bast's Warrior (An Alternate Egypt Book 1) by Janet Lane Walters   Learn more

Saturday's Blurbs - Books by Joan Curtis MFRWauthor

Blurb for The Clock Strikes Midnight:

Releasing 11/25

The Clock Strikes Midnight is a race against time in a quest for revenge and atonement. This is a story about hate, love, betrayal and forgiveness.

If you found out you had only 3 months to live, what would you do? That’s the question Janie Knox faces in this fast-paced mystery full of uncertainty and tension that will surprise you until the very last page.

Hiding behind the façade of a normal life, Janie keeps her family secrets tucked inside a broken heart. Everything changes on the day she learns she’s going to die. With the clock ticking and her time running out, she rushes to finish what she couldn’t do when she was 17—destroy her mother’s killer. But she can’t do it alone.

Janie returns to her childhood home to elicit help from her sister. She faces more than she bargained for when she discovers her sister’s life in shambles. Meanwhile her mother’s convicted killer, her stepfather, recently released from prison, blackmails the sisters and plots to extract millions from the state in retribution. New revelations challenge Janie’s resolve, but she refuses to allow either time or her enemies to her stop her from uncovering the truth she’s held captive for over 20 years.

Blurb for The e-Murderer

Releasing Spring 2015

THE E-MURDERER is a race to find a psychotic killer before he kills again.

On this anything but typical Monday morning Jenna Scali, who works part-time for a shrink, opens an email that depicts the brutal death of a young girl. On that same day the police uncover a dead coed two blocks from Jenna’s house. The e-murderer’s description creepily echoes the death described in the newspapers.

When Jenna receives other emails, she takes what she knows to the police and thus begins her journey in the path of the e-murderer. Her curious nature impels her from e-messages to dead coeds to a ring of prostitutes. With the help of her quirky friends, Jenna learns that she’s more than a conduit for the killer. She’s his target. New secrets unfold, and finally her love life takes a tumble when the true killer emerges.

           

Friday with Joan Curtis 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?

As for fiction, I write mysteries. The Clock Strikes Midnight did not start out as a mystery, but it became one. That tells me that mysteries are my natural genre for fiction. That said, I’ve published four business books and several memoir stories. So, I have written in different genre, but I’m certainly not as eclectic as you are!

As for my reading choices, that’s where I’m more eclectic. I read mystery, literary fiction, biography, woman’s fiction, memoirs and some YA (The Book Thief). In essence, I love to read character-driven books.

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

I love to write the villain roles or at least add a little flaw or two to my characters. When the character is too sappy, I get bored with them. That means even my protagonists are not too “hero-like.” For example, in The Clock Strikes Midnight, the reader knows right off the bat that Janie, our heroine, has done some bad things in her life. Her sister is nicer, but flawed. I suppose I enjoyed writing the Janie character more because of her darker side.

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?

You say, the man I want readers to love. Peter is the heartthrob man in The Clock Strikes Midnight. I’d say he’s a mixture of several of the men in my life. I must say he was not a planned character, but once I created him I really liked him and enjoyed writing his history. In an earlier version of the book, there was much more time spent developing Peter’s character (he had a more prominent role). But many edits later that changed. Nonetheless the earlier version enabled me to have a good understanding of Peter and his motivations.

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?

All my books start with a heroine. Marlene was the heroine in The Clock Strikes Midnight when I began the book. Janie (who later became the heroine) was not even around. She showed up later. I’m sure both characters are a mixture of me and my sister but they really do not resemble either of us. As for pictures, I really do not see the character. I tend to feel them, get in their heads and explore the world through their eyes.

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?

I’m not sure I choose a villain. They seem to jump into the story. I must say with Ralph in The Clock Strikes Midnight as soon as the “stepfather” walked on the stage, he became a villain. That’s very odd because I have a wonderful stepfather. So, go figure.  Nonetheless there are some endearing features about Ralph and I do hope some of my readers will pity him rather than hate him.

In the mystery series I’m currently writing, there is a killer (of course) but the killer isn’t necessarily a villain. Not to give too much away, but the villain in my current WIP was the one actually murdered.  That means that whomever did him in could be considered a hero J

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

 My latest release is The Clock Strikes Midnight. As I said earlier, Janie is the “heroine” and Ralph the “villain.”

7. What are you working on now?

 In the Spring of 2015, The e-Murderer will be released. That is the first in a series starring, amateur sleuth, Jenna Scali. Right now I’m working on the second book in that series titled, Murder on Moonshine Hill.

8. How can people find you?

            Website http://www.joanccurtis.com

            Blog http://www.joanccurtis.com/blog

            Twitter http://www.twitter.com/joancurtis

            Facebook http://www.facebook.com/joanccurtisauthor

People can also find me on my Amazon Author page (http://www.amazon.com/Joan-C.-Curtis/e/B0024JEG6E/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1411586310&sr=8-1)  and on my publisher’s website. http://www.museituppublishing.com  MuseItUp has a great site which includes the book trailer to The Clock Strikes Midnight and all my author information.

Thursday's Heroine - Amara from Toth's Priest by Janet Lane Walters Pub. by Books We Love LTD #MFRWauthor

A chill walked Amara’s spine and broke her concentration on the movements of the martial arts exercise. As she hit the wall to propel herself into the air, she slipped and landed in a heap on the matted gym floor of the church run community center. She peered toward the door. The local drug lord and his nephew paused in the doorway. Ramos was probably headed to Father Joe’s office for his weekly visit. Her hands coiled into fists.

Ramos moved away but Miguel sauntered to her side.  He stroked her cheek with a finger. Her body shook. Every day he grew bolder.

Miguel leaned closer. “Gonna own you, babe. Make you mine.”

She shook her head. “No.”

He leered. “Once I take you hard, I’ll own you body and soul ‘til I tire of you. Then my boys will have a taste.”

Words of defiance froze on her tongue. His hooded gaze stripped her naked. He squeezed her breast. “See you soon.”

She rose and completed the final exercise of today’s martial arts training session. A quick glance at the door showed he was gone. She should have felt relief but her hands shook and the sour smell of fear remained.

“Ready for a match?” another of the students asked.

Amara shook her head. “I have to leave.”

The teenager stepped closer. “Wonder what Ramos wants?”

“Father Joe will know but I don’t intend to ask.” With shaking hands she pulled on her jeans and tee shirt and tied her sneakers. In a half-run, she hurried to the door and left the community center.

Outside, aromas reached her. Cooking food, exhaust from cars and busses. Her own fear-laced sweat. Noises penetrated. Music, horns, people’s voices. Her head darted from side to side. Was anyone watching her?

What could she do?  Each time she’d encountered Ramos’s nephew her fear strengthened. Each time his words carried the same threat.

“Gonna plow you good, babe. You’ll sing for me real sweet.”

She had no one to guard her back. Hadn’t had anyone since her father’s death. She sighed. She’d almost had a friend. An undercover cop had saved her. Then Ramos had discovered the man’s identity. Seth had vanished. Was he dead?

As she scurried toward the apartment building where she lived with her uncle and his family, she fought to control the fear rocketing through her thoughts. Her breathing came in quick gasps. After her father’s death and her mother’s suicide, her uncle had reluctantly given her a home. Social Security benefits had been the reason but she would soon age out.

When she reached the building instead of stopping on the fourth floor she continued up the stairs toward the roof. She wasn’t ready to hear her uncle’s demands for her to quit school and find a job. She rubbed her arms. There was no one to help her.

The sound of feet on the stairs from below reached her. She crouched and peered through the railing. She sucked in a breath. Would her pounding heart shatter her ribs? Why was Ramos here? One of his bodyguards pounded on her uncle’s door.

When the men entered the apartment, she raced lightly up the rest of the stairs and opened the door to the roof. The heavy metal slab nearly slipped from her hands. She paused for a moment to use a piece of wood to block the handle. She ran across the roof. Once she reached the edge, she slipped over the low wall and placed her feet on the fire escape. Step by step she made her way down until she reached the fourth floor and the windows of her uncle’s living room. Had she missed anything of importance? The unseasonable heat of the autumn day meant open windows. She crouched where she could hear.

“Mr. Ramos, what do you want from me?” Her uncle’s voice vibrated with fear.

“I have come to offer safety for you, your wife and children. There will also be money allowing you to relocate.”

Ramos’ smooth voice sent chills darting over Amara’s skin. Her hands clenched.

“What do you want me to do?” her uncle asked.

“You have a beautiful niece. I have a handsome nephew who is my heir. Miguel wants the girl. Bring her to me and all will be as I promise.”

Would her uncle accept? Amara knew the answer. He had no love for her other than for the money she brought into the house. Her body tensed. The metal of the fire escape burned her hands.

“What if she won’t obey me? She holds herself apart from the family.”

Ramos laughed. “You will make her obey. Aren’t you the man of the house? Bring her to me. She was seen entering the building not long ago.”

When her uncle said nothing, Amara felt a moment of hope.

“I said now,” Ramos barked.

“But…” Her uncle rose. Would he tell the drug lord she hadn’t come home?

To keep from crying out, Amara bit her finger. Time to move. She had to escape but where could she go? When they didn’t find her in her room would her uncle remember how she often went to the roof? She eased to her feet. No time or way to reach her room and the stash of money she’d hidden. She needed a place to hide. With care she climbed to the roof and rolled over the wall.

After her breathing slowed, she searched her pockets. Phone. Twelve dollars, mostly singles and some change. The paper Seth had given her before he disappeared. If she ever needed an escape, today was the time. She read the words.

Life got you down? Have unsolved problems?

Looking for an escape? The answer is in your stars.

A counselor is available night and day.

Dial 1-800-555 ASTR

Wednesday's Writer's Tip Step 3 in Planning Your Novel "MFRWauthor

 Karen Wiesner in her book From First Draft To Finished Novel calls the third step Blueprint. In this step there are a number of levels. This becomes an outline and includes a number of features.

Character sketch begin the process for her. For me the first step is designing the plot in a very general way. Much depends on if you're a plot person or a character person.

Let's look at the character sketch. This means writing down everything you can think of about the character. For me I choose a character's Sun sigh, Moon and Ascendant. This gives me a number of character points. Some go together and some are in opposition giving the character questions about what they want and why they want it. I generally don't really know my characters until I finish a rough draft of the story.

Plot Sketch is her second point. As you saw I'm the reverse. The plot sketch depends on the type of story being written. A mystery has one kind of plot. A romance a different one and there are many variations. I decide on the beginning and the end. The middle will come as the rough draft is written.

Then there's the Setting sketch and this can be a minimal or as worked out as needed. This for me is world building and the world may be contemporary, historical or fantasy. Al;l the features here are included even the houses,

These three sketches form the blueprint of the plan of the story you;'re creating.