Wednesday's Writer's Tip - Writing ABC - Characters #MFRWauthor #amwriting

Characters are one of the main elements of every story. There are layers to developing characters and strong ones are what the reader wants. There are a number of ways to bring chanacters to life and thus there will be more than one post about these intriguing people writers place in their book.

Names is one of the first. Finding other than Mary and John are a help to have the reader see a bit of the characters nature. Now some writers go a bit too far when naming their characters. Brick Roughstone is sort of a play on what they do. Now this kind of thing works in humor so choosing an outlandish name must fit the character. I've missnamed a character or two in my stories but the books are written and published. If I went back I might change their names. One thing to look at does the name fit the time period of the character. Choosing a name you like and discovering there never was a name like that in the time period you're writing. In contemporary fiction sometimes one will choose a name from the past to give the character a particular flavor. That is good but then the character's traits must fit the name chosen. Fantasy writers sometimes choose names that can't be pronounced. This can leave the reader scratching their head or sitting and stumbling over the name trying every pronounciation they can imagine. Not a good thing for the reader. Writing names so the pronounciation is easily scanned by the reader is good. I'm reading a fantasy right now that though  the spelling of the names looks strange when sounding them out the names make sense. Phonetically writing the names here really helps.

So names is the first order of business. Having a multitude of sources of names can help and this is something I've collected over the years. I'm not sure how many I have but there are a lot and I use them frequently. So remember names have power and names can gain a reader's attention. Also remember a name you may love could be one that turns a particular reader off. Choose your characters names with care no matter what genre you choose to write.

Tuesday's Inspiration - inspired by Anne Lamott - Bird By Bird #MFRWauthor #writing

I've come to the last essay in Bird by Bird and once again the journey has left me with new insights. Last Class has done this as well. One thing she says is to write about your childhood.

When I first read this I was puzzled since my stories vary from contemporary womances to the paranormal and the mystery. Then what hit me is that writing about your childhood meant other things than the specific incidents. For me it's capturing the emotions I once experienced. The other is to address fears. Not the ones like the monsters in the closet, well not in that way, but the monsters in my own closet of fears. So writing about my childhood takes me on many paths. One is through the imagination. As a child mine was a fertile one often triffered by the books I read and in spinning my own versions of these stories. So imagination, emotions and fears are about my childhood.

Writing out of vengeance may not be the way to go but vengeance can mean many things. Stories told that aren't about real people but bits and pieces of others. Avoiding libel is a way to go. Should you base a character on a real person, changing their habits and characteristics can prevent. Thus you have changed the real person and made them something or someone different. I've done this in several of my stories, both with characters who infuriated me or who I wanted to honor. The good thing is none of these people ever recognized themselves. They were changed and become characters of the mind.

So thank you, Anne Lamott for inspiring me yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #Poetry

Meander 1 - Poem - Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

Burn the palms of yesteryear.
Bring them to the altar.
Ashes of another life
And another being.
Secrets carried in the heart,
Little sins and big.
Pile them high upon the dish,
Scapegoat them away.
Build the pyre. Touch the flame.
Watch them burn and purify,
Secrets from the soul.
Hidden things you never knew
Lurked to startle you.
Given as a gift
To burn and cleanse the soul.
Wear them black upon your brow.
Show the world you know
What you were just yesterday
And hope to be no more.
Ashes of remembreance.
Ashes of your life.
Burn the palms of yesterday
And come to see yourself.

Meander 2 - I've been reading a lot of people having Bucket Lists and striving to visit, perform or realize before their lives end. Maybe I'm the strange one but I'm totally content with all I've done or seen or been in my life. Are there things I wish I could accomplish. There are but I'll not put them on a list. I'll do the things that occur and be happy without always looking for one more place to visit, one more goal to accomplish, or ome more achievement to realize. Looking back is nice. Looking forward is iffy. Living in the present is my goal.

Meader 3 - Writing is going slowly these days but I'm sure the pace will pick up soon,

Sunday's Book - A Marriage Takes Two - Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #medical romance

” This is medieval.” That’s Carrie’s response to the reading of her grandfather’s will. The money will allow her to provide for her ill mother and give her the chance to give up one of her full time jobs as a nurse. The money won’t be hers until she marries. This creates a dilemma. She has no time for dating and doesn’t know who would marry her until she thinks of her former best friend, Tony. But can she ask him? Two months later time is running out and she decides to take the plunge.

Three years ago, Tony and his wife divorced. Last year he obtained custody or their child. When Carrie asks him to marry her he decides since this won’t be a real marriage, he can accept. Years ago, he loved Carrie but never said anything to her. Now burned, he doesn’t believe in love. To help her uncomplicate her life he agrees.

Can Tony and Carrie get past the reason for the marriage and find love and make a home for his son? 

Saturday's Blurb features a book by Elf Ahearn #MFRWauthor #regencyromance

TAGLINE: Regency romance with a Gothic twist.

A Rogue in Sheep’s Clothing is available at Amazon.com at the reduced price of $1.99! Yipee!! Just click here: https://goo.gl/NCZzDh

BLURB: In Lord Hugh Davenport’s opinion, women of the ton perpetually hide behind a mask of deception. That’s hard for Ellie Albright, the daughter of an earl, to swallow—especially since she’s disguised herself as a stable hand to get back the prized stallion her father sold to Hugh to pay a debt. If Hugh learns her true identity she’ll lose the horse and her family will go bankrupt. Somehow, though, losing Hugh’s affection is beginning to seem even worse.

Already only a step away from being snagged in her own web of lies, Ellie’s deceit threatens to spin out of control when Hugh’s mother invites Ellie and her sisters to a house party. Now Ellie has to scramble to keep Hugh from knowing she’s the stable girl he wants to marry, while simultaneously trying to win his trust as herself. Can she keep her costumes straight long enough to save her family? And even if she does, will it be worth losing his love?https://goo.gl/NCZzDh

Friday's Interview with Elf Ahearn #MFRWauthor #Regency

What's your genre or do you write in more than one?

My genre is exclusively Regency romance, but I do it with a dark twist that can kinda freak some readers out. Most of those books are light, parlor novels where folks get miffed at each other over misunderstandings. In A Rogue in Sheep’s Clothing, the heroine despises the hero for buying her prized stallion, and the hero feels betrayed because she pretended to be a lowly stable hand that he fell in love with.

2. Did you choose your genre or did it choose you?

Neither. My sister chose it for me. I was out of a job, and she said I should write Regency romances because that’s what she liked to read. As a reporter, I’d met Jim and Nikoo McGoldrick, who are New York Times Bestselling authors, and they seemed to have a good life, so I thought I’d give it a try. Bless my cotton-picking heart, I love writing romance!

3.  Is there any genre you'd like to try?  Or is there one you wouldn't?

I’ve got this great idea for a story that takes place in the 1920s. Not sure anyone would publish it though, cause it’s kind of an awkward age.

4.  What fiction do you read for pleasure?

I read everything—romance, literary fiction, magazines, newspapers, the crawl at the bottom of the TV screen, and the back of cereal boxes. You name it, I’ll read it.

5.  Tell me a bit about yourself and how long you've been writing,
Well, I wanted to be a writer, but I’m dyslexic, so if PCs hadn’t been invented the whole experiment would have gone bust. During a typing test I took once, I blasted out 60 words a minute, but with so many errors the score was actually -5 words per minute. That’s a handicap for a writer.

Plus, I’m a social creature. The idea of sitting alone in a garret counting rejection slips held little appeal, so instead I became an actress. After about 20 years of trodding the boards, I got a job as a journalist, then as a corporate communicator, then as an unemployed person. That’s when my sister came to the rescue with the idea of writing romance. It just so happens that romance writers are really great people, and they like to get together too, so it’s kind of been the perfect fit for me.

6.  Which of your characters is your favorite?

I could say Manifesto, the horse in A Rogue in Sheep’s Clothing, but I shouldn’t, I really shouldn’t. Except he’s a dapple gray (my favorite color), he’s super fast, and he can jump—so I can’t resist.

7.  Are there villains in your books and how were they created?

Villains are my absolute favorite characters to write. Baron Wadsworth is this horrible guy who has spasms, and he likes to twitch just as someone is shaking his hand. It’s gross. He passed valuable information to the British that helped the crown win at Waterloo, so he’s got an in with the Prince Regent. As a result, he can get away with all kinds of misdeeds scot free. It makes him even more dangerous.

8.  What are you working on now?

A Rogue in Sheep’s Clothing is the first book in a series of four. The second book was published, but it had so many problems I yanked it from the market. Right now, I’m rewriting the novel, and it’s got a very vexing villainess. Very vexing, who makes it quite an exciting read.

The first draft of the third novel is done, so now it’s up for rewrites, and I’ve started the fourth book in the series. Yikes—so much work to do!

9.  What's your latest release and how did the idea arrive?

Amazon Encore bought A Rogue in Sheep’s Clothing, and though they may be considered by some as the Darth Vader of publishing companies, they’ve done an awesome job of promoting the book. This is the third time they’ve selected it for special attention, so I’ve got nothing but praise for those guys. Jeff Bezos, you’re starting to seem heroic.

Thursday's Opening Scene - Toth's Priest #MFRwauthor #Alternate world #Fantasy romance

Chapter 1

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 lire 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

Was it possible? Did she have a choice other than to explore this option? If she didn’t call her life would change in a manner she feared. She had to reach the street, make the call and find this place. She scurried across the roof. The next building was close enough to jump.

She drew on the lesson of the day. She backed several yards, ran and used the edge of the wall to propel herself across the three foot gap. Curling into a ball, she twisted and landed lightly. A laugh burst free. Three more times she leaped gaps between the buildings until she reached one where an alley intervened. She walked to the edge looking for a way to the street. A rusty fire escape gave her hope. She opened the phone and made the call.

“How can I help you?” a woman asked.

Amara drew a deep breath. “I need an escape. The answer lies in my stars.”

“You’ve reached the right place. Come and we’ll help you. This is our address.”

Amara repeated the street and number. “Which bus comes closest to you?” She listened carefully. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

With caution she crept down the metal ladder. Half-way down, one of the rusted rungs broke and a piece of metal clattered to the ground. She clung to the stairs until she felt sure no one had heard. She reached the ground and dashed to the street.

Seeing a bus approaching she raced to the stop, climbed aboard, paid and requested a transfer. She slumped on a seat and cautiously studied the other riders. Was anyone watching her? Were any of the riders connected to Ramos?

Her rapidly beating heart steadied. She left the bus, studied the map at the stop and waited for a second bus, one to take her near the destination. After a short ride, she stepped to the sidewalk. During the ride, the adrenalin rush had faded. Her posture slumped with exhaustion. When she reached the house, she walked up the steps and rang the bell twice.

An elderly woman with iron gray hair and twinkling brown eyes opened the door. “How can I help you?”

Amara sucked in a breath. Fear warred with the desire for safety. “I need an escape. The answer is in my stars.”

“Come in.” The woman moved aside.

Amara slipped into the foyer. Tension oozed from her muscles. She braced herself with a hand pressed against the wall. She was safe. She had to believe this was so.

After regaining her balance she followed her elderly escort down the hall. Framed photographs caught her eye. She paused to study one showing a dog lying beside a pool of clear water with rows of gray pillars in the distance.

“So that’s the one to interest you,” the woman said. “Why?”

Amara shrugged. “I don’t know but the scene makes me feel safe.”

“Are your troubles desperate?”

She nodded. More than she cared to admit to a stranger.

“I see.” The woman beckoned. “Come and share a meal with my sister and me. Then we’ll talk.”

Amara’s stomach growled. “Thank you.”

“While we eat, you can tell us about yourself.”

Amara swallowed. Could she reveal her troubles to a stranger? For a time she’d escaped Miguel and Ramos. Though the woman and the house soothed her fears, could she trust the change in her emotions? She wondered how long the calm would last.

They entered a large room. Amara noticed a table with six chairs. On the wall, a huge horoscope wheel bigger than any she’d seen in the New Age shop around the corner from the apartment caught her attention. Was she here to have her horoscope read?

A second woman whose hair was as white as new cotton balls and just as fluffy carried a tray with several covered dishes to the table. Delicious aromas of spices reached Amara.

“Help yourself.” The gray-haired woman poured steaming cups of tea.

Amara dished rice into a bowl and spooned a mixture of meat and vegetables over the rice. She tasted and sighed. ”Delicious.”

“Now tell us about yourself,” the white-haired woman said.

Amara began her story. When she spoke about her father’s death, tears spilled down her cheeks. “He was my best friend and teacher.”

The oldest of the women patted her hand. “Tears are good.”

Amara wiped her eyes on the napkin. “My mother couldn’t live without him and took her own life. I went to live with her brother. He didn’t like my father and tolerated me because of the money. He would have given me to the drug lord, Ramos, to buy safety for his family.” She sighed. “Though I don’t like them I don’t want him or his family to suffer when they learn I’m gone.”

The gray-haired woman patted her hand. “People will search and not find you. You’ll be declared dead.”

“I had a friend. He gave me your number. He was an undercover cop. He vanished. Did Seth come here?”

“He did.” The oldest woman smiled. “He was sent to a place where he was needed.”

“Is there a place for me?”

“Perhaps.” The iron-gray haired woman filled a glass with a ruby liquid and set it at Amara’s place. “Do you know the day and the time of your birth?”

Those words brought a warm memory of the day before her father’s last deployment. He’d shown her the combination to the lockbox and her birth record. “December fourth at two twenty AM.”

“You are a Sagittarian. You have a gift for handling animals, a need to see justice and to quest for the spiritual and knowledge.”

The women rose and walked to the double wheel. They began placing colored balls on segments of the inner wheel.

“What are you doing?” Amara asked.

The older woman turned. “Creating a picture of the heavens at the moment of your birth.”

The other turned. “You face a choice. You can remain in this house for several days and return to find another way to solve your problems. Or you can go to a land where your skills and potential are needed. You can bring justice to the people in this other place. Will you go?”

“What do you mean? How would I travel?”

The older woman turned. “As to the means of travel, you wouldn’t understand. If you accept we will send you.”

“You will be given a task to perform to earn your right to be in this world,” the younger woman said.

“What if I fail?”

“Failure could mean your death.”

Amara drew a deep breath. Did death beckon everywhere she went? She faced that sentence here. To become Miguel’s possession and to suffer living with him would mean the end of who she was. All she wanted was to be loved and to belong. “And if I choose to go?”

“You will be transported to an ancient Egypt. Not the one of this world but on a different continuum. Once there you will learn what you must do.”

"What kind of task?” Did they really mean she would be sent to an alternate world?

“We don’t know what will be asked of you. If you accept you can never return. You cannot speak of anything of this world that doesn’t fit the time, place or the culture of your destination.”

Amara grasped the cup she’d been given. Could she do what was needed? She would be alone in a foreign land. Here, after her parent’s death, even among relatives she’d been alone. Facing the unknown seemed a better choice than living with what could happen to her here.

“What if I succeed?”

“You will find what you seek.”

A home and love had been her desire since her parents’ death. A wish and a prayer filled her thoughts. Her grip on the cup tightened. She was afraid but she’d lived with fear since the news of her father’s death had been delivered.

“Will you go?” Two voices spoke as one.

Amara met their gaze. “Yes.”

“Then drain the cup.”

As she finished the last drop of the spicy liquid, the giant horoscope wheel spun. Her vision blurred. Darkness claimed her.

Wednesday's Writer's Tip -Writing ABC - Opening Scenes or chapters #MFRWauthor #amwriting

Now we come to what I was going to write about when I began this series. I judge a contest every year that looks at the first three pages of a manuscript and there are some things that need to be in the story's opening to entice a reader to read beyond the first paragraph. I've really expanded this to mean the opening scene and even the first chapter. If certain things aren't found the reader will turn away. This will take me several weeks but learning bit by bit is important.

The contest in question has a number of areas focused on and if by the end of the chapter they aren't there the story will fall flat. So let's look at them one by one starting today with the appearanceof the manuscript.

Here we find not only matters like spacing. I've seen pages where this is hard. Once there was one sent single spaced with no breaks for paragraphs. Just long pages of material. Not pleasant to the eye or to being able to read. Sometimes people send me excerpts for my blog where this occurs and I must go through and make the changes before the material goes up on my blog.

Next comes spelling. Remember this rule. The Spell Check doesn't always find the mispellings. For example. Lion and Loin. I've seen this mistake in my own mss and had to beat myself. He captured her hand like the loin captures its prey. Possible but producing a laugh. There are other words that are words that find themselves threaded into a mss. This needs to be checked as carefully as possible. There are times when the wrong word goes through a mss, like flare and flair. She had a flare for drams. Should be flair for drama. So look for these kind of mistakes.

Punctuation is another thing that turns readers off. Now there are commas and commas and there's a lot of talk about what is the right way to use them. I know I often suffer from the missing ?. I try very hard to put in the ones that are needed.

So ends the first part of showing the reader a book they would like to read.

Tuesday's Inspiration - Publication - triggered by Anne Lamott #MFRWauthor

Reading the essay by Anne Lamott about Publication brought back memories of those days long ago when I first began writing. Story sent to an editor of a publication. In those days there was no email for instant sending and a quick turn around. You mailed via snail mail and then you waited and waited and waited for a response. You checked the mail every day and your career seemed to be on a standstill. Took me the time spent sending the first mss out a number of times before I realized I could not afford to sit and wait for the mail.

The same holds true for today. After the mss or query lettter is sent out, sitting and waiting for a response does nothing ot further a career. What one must do is sit down and start something new. Remember if they love story one they'll want to see story two in a short time. This also helps if the answer is a rejection.

Part of this inspiration is what happens after the story is accepted. Does it go up right away. Probably not. There are editors and other people to please before the mss hits the world. So don't sit and wait for that exhillerating day. Sit down and work on the next story. This also makes the waiting time less.

Meandering On Monday with Janet Lane Walters #MFRWauthor #poetry

Meander 1 _ Poem - Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday

The soul rides in celebration.
Hosannas ring within
Holding back the shadow
That lurk and slink about.
Reach for jubilation.
Cry osanna! Cry in joy.
Cry triumphantly!
The cheering voices flood
The wounded battered soul.
Today is exultation,
Forgetting day, forgotten grief
Hidden beneath a veil.
Come waving palms and tossing them
In carpets on the ground
Cushioning the soul
From trampling heavy feet.
Feel the loud hosannas
Throbbing in your heart Singing songs of love
Expectantly and free.
Forget for just today
The pain that lies ahead
When triumphant Jubilation
Becomes a crown of thorns.

Meander 2 - Grandchildren are a blessing. I do enjoy hearing what the grandchildren are doing. This year there are those finishing their college degrees and one graduating from high school. Amazing how the time has gone. There are grandchildren who are having their First Communion and those who will be dancing in a recital. So I look as each of them reaches a threshold and smile.

Mender 3 - Writing moves slowly and maybe fast. Not sure. Am busy writing a story for a friend that I hope to have finished soon - well a month or two. I'm typing in the last of six in a series and then will have only one right's back book to conquer before I decide what to do about the other ones with another publisher so I can gather them all into one publisher. There are but two that can't be taken from a publisher who neither gives any feed back and that's because they're written with another author. Haven't had a bit of money from them. Not even sure they're selling. Not sure what to do but I'll worry about that at another time.