Friday's How She Does It With Shirley Hailstock

I've known Shirley for a long time. Met her at a Region One Retreat when she hadn't been published yet. Though our friendship is more on the acquaintance level I've enjoyed talking to her a number of times.

1. How do you create your characters? Do you have a specific process?






I create the plot first. Then I have to decide what characters are needed to fulfill the story.





2. Do your characters come before the plot? Do you sketch out your plot or do you let the characters develop the route to the end?



The plot usually comes first. If I get a character in my head, he or she usually does not have a book. It might take a while to find a book that suits that character. I have one book where the character came first. It was the hero. He sat on a mountain in Maryland for three years before I came upon a plot/story for him. The book was LEGACY.



As to sketching out characters, yes I do character sketches. Usually they are not photos I've found in magazines, but is a characterization worksheet where I record everything I know about that character, his/her background, family, socio-economic background, like, dislikes, description, conflicts, etc.





3. Do you know how the story will end before you begin? In a general way or a specific one?



All my books have been romances, so I know there will be a happily ever after. As to the external plot, I have plotted out the entire books, so I know the villain and the resolution. During the writing process, that might change. In one book I had worked out the villain, but when I got to the point of unmasking that character, I could have chosen several of that cast as the villain. I finally decided on the one from the original plot outline.





4. Do you choose settings you know or do you have books of settings and plans of houses sitting around?



Yes to all of the above. I'm lucky to have lived or visited a lot of places in the United States and Europe. I've also been to several Caribbean Islands and Hawaii. Some of my romantic suspenses are set in Washington, DC where I lived for many years. I wrote a book set in Newport, RI while I was vacationing there. I also wrote three books set in Montana where I have never been. In the case of Montana, the romance community is extremely helpful. People I met at Romance Writers of America conferences who live in Montana have helped. Google Earth allows me to "see" the landscape. And as a child of television, I watched every movie I could find that was made in Montana. Not set in Montana, but actually filmed there.





5. Where do you do your research? On line or from books?



Again both. I love research. I still spend time in the library, both most research is done online. The ability to search and hone in on the information I need keeps me focused. When reading a book, I can get sidetracked in the search or finding something interesting that has nothing to do with the current work-in-progress. But it's interesting and my focus could be taken by something that I can't used at the moment.





6. Are you a draft writer or do you revise as you go along and why?



I revise as I go, but then I don't. When I was learning to write (not that you ever stop learning), I was told that I should keep going until I get to the end. Then go back and fill in any scenes that need more depth or write scenes that are needed to keep the story moving forward. As I write, things come to me that I didn't know when I began. During the initial writing, I make notes and keep going until I get to the end. Then I go back and work in those details that came to me during the initial process.



The reason for this that works for me, is that I don't just get one new things that creeps into my mind and needs to be in the story. If I went back each time this happened, I might not get to the end for a couple of years.





Shirley

http://www.shirleyhailstock.net

Thursday - What Janet Lane Walters is reading #amreading

Once again it's been contest, contest, contest but I am done and I do have time to finish reading some things.

James Rollins Sigma series has been re-read, all but the new one but I'm not a hardback book reader. I do find them hard to hold given the convenience of my ereader. So I will wait for a time until the book either comes out in paper or the price of the ebook comes down to a low level.

Am now reading Free Spirit by Jenna Kay Francis. This is a fantasy that I'm enjoying. I have others of her books on one or the other of my readers. Unfortunately they are all obsolete and there's no way for me to get into the old files.

Can't wait until Christmas when I have an infuion of cash into my account so I can buy maybe a dozen books all at once and then find more wonderful ones to read. One thing I know is being a writer means one must read as well, not that you're copying other people's stories or even the ideas. While reading you also learn to write.

Wednesday's Writer's Tip - Learning from mysteries #amwriting

Once again I've been gleaning from How To Write Mysteries by Shannon O'Cork. This time it's looking at Motives, Means and Opportunity. How do they apply to other genres, not only mysteries.

Motives are important to what every genre you're writing. Motives are what drives a character to act. Without having a reason to reach a goal, there is no reason for the character or the story. So no matter what you write motive is important. In mysteries, it's the reason someone decides to kill, strsl, cheat or lie. In other genres it's  same because it's the driving factor behind what a character decides and how he goes after his goal.

Means works great in mysteries. This is about developing the plot and sometimes a writer has an idea that brings the factors into play. This idea forms the basis of the means. Means is the plan a person develops for reaching a goal.

Opportunity works for nearly all genres. Being in the right place at the right time. The heroine discovers a way to meet the hero. Some of these can become cliched but finding the right one works. In a mystery when the opportunity occurs, the killer or the detective acts.

So if you look at each of these items with your characters in mind, you can construct a plot or a map that will carry them to the end.

Tuesday's Inspiration ala Flannery O'Connor - More on limitations #amwriting

Once again, this is about limitations. "There is only one answer....and that is one writes what one can." Flannery O'Connor.

When I read this I wondered what it meant and the answer I found for me was that's exactly what I do. There are some books I won't write. Horror stories, science fiction unless it might deal with ESP, highly technical action adventure. That's because my mind doesn't work in that direction. I do read most of these types except horror.

Another way this limitation works for me is that I'm most comfortable in the 50,000 to 80,000 word length. I can and have written shorter stories but they're harder to write. Longer stories, perhaps once and that's because it's a trilogy all in a single book.

The third way this limitation works for me is that I don't like dismal endings. This means that I write genre novels that can have a positive ending.

How about you, do you see your limitations as holding you back or are they for you the canvas upon which you write your stories?

meandering on Monday with Janet Lane Walters

Today's meander begins with a question. How much backstory does a reader need to know and when and how should this backstory be given? Been reading some contest entries recently and found the greatest problem with some, both published and unpublished was the amount of backstory given in the opening few pages. This rather annoyed me and made me want to skip those pages. Not a good idea when a contest is being judges. Often the offered backstory is something the writer needs to know. The blocks of  paragraphs, sometimes interesting to read, and other times not, are usually about events the writer needs to know to develop both the characters and the plots. But to find line after line regaling the reader with what happened to the hero or heroine in the past slows the pace of the story, can confuse the reader.

How these paragraphs of backstory are done can vary. Sometimes the writer uses a prologue. This can be effective if kept short and really have had an effect on the character. Otherwise the reader may get the wrong idea of what the story is really about. Then there are the stories that start out with a bang of a paragraph or two of action and then stop to give what happened to the hero or heroine in the past and this goes on for pages.

Some beginnings give a bit of backstory that is just enough. A clue, a hint of what happened in the character's past to make them what they are today.

How about you? Do lengthy backstories in the beginning of the book annoy you?

My own writing continues with work on The Goddesses or Er and on finishing the corrections on Lines of Fire so I can submit it to one of my publishers.

3 blog visit Sunday with Janet Lane Walters

http://www.petitfoursandhottamales.com/2012/11/23/historic-sites-of-philadelphia/ A bit of research?

http://bwlpp.blogspot.com/2012/11/get-ready-to-comment-and-win.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BooksYoullLoveFromBooksWeLove+%28Books+You%27ll+Love+from+Books+We+Love%29

http://bwlpp.blogspot.com/2012/11/mountain-moonlight-by-jane-toombs.html

Saturday - More blurbs of books by Janet Lane Walters

I believe I now have covered all my publishers with a blurb,

Moon Pool Janet Lane Walters and Jane Toombs - In the center of the maze at an Adirondack resort lies a spring-fed pool. Legend says that if you look into the serene depths under a full moon, you’ll see the face of your true love. In this collection of four novellas, the magic of the Moon Pool touches the lives of eight people for whom love seems to be a dream that can never be reality:


Thea — who lost her one true love because she couldn’t bear the scorn of others.

Faith — who has given up on love in the face of responsibility.

Lynn— who settled for practicality when she yearned for poetry.

and

Cynthia — whose reputation for selfishness was no match for love.


Shortcut To Love - Zelda has loved Michael for most of her life, but he seems to be working through the alphabet in his search for a wife. She's a Z and it will be years before he reaches her. Besides, when they're together, strange things happen, usually to him. How can this nurse show the doctor, she's what he ordered to make him complete? The author calls this a "doctor nurse spoof" and we think you'll really enjoy it!

Affinities - Escape - In Affinities, Escape, a Books We Love Young Adult Fantasy, two sets of halfling twins, Ashlea, Brandien, Jaydren and Kylandra sent away from their home by their parents to protect them from trouble, search for mentors to teach them how to use their affinities. Each of these young teens has an affinity for one of the elements. Ash for Air, Bran for Water, Jay for Earth and Ky for Fire. During the escape, they face many problems forcing them to use their affinities by trial and error. They also meet Alizand, the son of the ruling prince of Wesren. Zand has an affinity for Fire and this will keep him from gaining the rule. Dom Senet, an advisor to his father, and once a friend of the quartet’s parents suspects Zand’s affinity. He wishes to corrupt the teen and use him to gain control of the four princedoms of the land and of the highlands. The evil dom has all four affinities. The four must reach a secret place and find teachers before the evil man discovers them


Jewels of the Quill - Anthology VI - Chose this one since it has a favorite of mine The Amber Dragon -

Seven Jewels of the Quill authors offer new, short, exciting Tales from the Treasure Trove! The Amber Dragon (The Amber Chronicles, Book 3) {a love story} by Janet Lane Walters (Dame Amber): Enter the world of the amber orb and learn the fate of the first prince to face the witch’s curse and be cursed to live out his existence inside the orb. When she learns her challenger is a prince who does not know her history, can she entice him to kiss her? If he does, will she learn her lesson? Jordana’s Chair (Kaleidoscope Series, Book 4) {romantic suspense} by Karen Wiesner (Dame Amethyst): Kaleidoscope Office Building provides employment to nine hot, young singles—all about to make a love connection. Working 9 to 5 has never been so complicated…or so much fun! The Nonesuch Curse (North of Nonesuch Series, Book 8) {gothic historical romance} by Jane Toombs (Dame Turquoise): “My name is Falana, I am a fae, and Ruthven blood I curse this day...” For five generations, the wood witch’s curse has killed all Ruthven males on their thirtieth birthday. When Trilla Pasanen falls in love with Rom Ruthven, she discovers that the only way to save him is to believe in the power she hasn’t been able to accept as her own. If she fails, Rom will die at thirty just as every Ruthven male has since Falana pronounced her evil curse. Choices (Aquamarine Series, Book 3) {romantic suspense} by Dee Lloyd (Dame Aquamarine): In the midst of the laughter and dancing at the Jameson/Donatelli stag and doe party, life-changing choices are made. One choice could lead to lasting love, another to violent death... The Incomparable Miss Scarlet {Victorian romance} by Nancy Pirri (Dame Sapphire): In 1851 London, Scarlet Warden stumbles upon her brother-in-law making love to a woman who’s not her sister. But when Scarlet reveals the truth to Emma, her sister wants to turn a blind eye to the entire affair because divorce simply isn’t an option, since the laws of the land could leave her penniless and without custody of her children. Scarlet’s sleuthing leads to several other female acquaintances begging her to spy on their husbands and she gains governess positions in various households in her quest to prove their unfaithfulness. Garnet Hills {romantic suspense} by Liz Hunter (Dame Garnet): It’s a dream come true when Julianne Harrison inherits a horse farm from her estranged father. But is she strong enough to handle the problems...and dangers...that come with the property, especially when one of them comes in the package of one gorgeous cowboy? The Topaz Guard {swashbuckling romance} by Carrie S. Masek (Dame Topaz): Set in Orléans, France, 1585, in an era when Catholic and Protestant vie for control of France, eighteen-year old Lisette Mercer is on the brink of her lifelong goal—acceptance into the Abbey of Paraclete and a life of monastic study—when a young nobleman, Charles de Verney, crashes into her life. Charles is handsome and charming—and a member of the Topaz Guard, the same guard that murdered Lisette’s parents during the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre thirteen years earlier. Genre: Romance /Anthology

Friday - Some blurbs of books by Janet Lane Walters

Since I was out of computer reach most of yesterday and today, I didn't ask anyone to do a 2 day sting here so I thought I'd share some blurbs of books that are mine. I'll do the same tomorrow.

Murder and Mint Tea Katherine Miller has retired from two careers, one as a nurse and the other as a church organist. Though she has no desire for a third career, she may be forced to become a detective. Her latest tenant has brought trouble to the neighborhood. When Rachel's body is found in Katherine's garden she recognizes the murder weapon and knows any of her near and dear could be the killer. She refuses to accept that a friend or relative could be a killer and seeks to find the culprit.

Code Blue - the medical suspense Code Blue by Janet Lane Walters, published by Books We Love and previously published as Obsessions, nurse Susan finds the body of the hospital’s “gossip queen” in the orthopedic storage room. She doesn’t realize this is the first of a series of murders involving her colleagues or that her life is in danger. She is a widow and is exploring a new romantic relationship that promises love but she fears the man she is falling for is as controlling as her dead husband. The arrival of courtship gifts, at first, seen as innocuous soon takes on a sinister note.

A Surprising Seduction - Tony Carlin learns what making an assumption makes him. Lauren Grant has made her own assumptions. The deaths of his brother and her sister bring them together to become guardians to 10 month old Jamie. He bases his view of her on their first and only meeting 4 years ago. Lauren was a teenage runaway who traveled across the country to find her sister. Back then she had nose and lip rings, streaks of green and blue in her blonde hair, and her skirts left little to the imagination. Tony knew what she was. Lauren knew he was a lawyer and a playboy with eyes for every woman but her. The attraction ignored in the past flares to life in the present and turns their worlds spinning out of control. Lauren has a plan. She will finish her BS/Master's degree in Occupational Therapy and find a job. Until then she has no time for a man in her life. Tony likes women and multiple is his choice. His father showed him love was false so he had no desire for a relationship that lasts longer than a night or two. What happens when there's an infant in the mix, especially since his promise to his brother is one Tony refuses to give up. The attraction between them sizzles and draws them into bed. She says no more though the times have been wonderful. Tony realizes he has fallen in love and needs a way to show her he won't derail her plans for her future.

The Warrior of Bast - Circumstances and finances have kept Tira from becoming an archeologist, and her future is shattered by her older sister, Luci’s, murder by a drug dealer. A crumpled flyer offers an escape…The answer is in your stars.




Tira flees her pursuers where she is offered refuge, but must undertake a dangerous quest. She will be unable to speak of her world, or anything alien to the culture she enters and… she will remain there forever.



Kashe is the unloved middle son of the nomarch of Mero. Though Kashe wants to become a warrior of Horu, his father has other plans. To see his eldest son, Pian, as pharaoh, the nomarch plots with the priests of Aken Re.



The pair sets out on the quest for the symbols which will save the Two Lands; the flail, the crook and the double crown. Tira learns this Egypt has many differences from the Egypt she has studied. They must face nearly insurmountable challenges as they pursue their sacred quest.

Thursday - What I've been reading - J L Walters #amreading

This past week has been an interesting one for reading. Usually I do three ore books but this week I did two, sort of.

The first was The Micro-manager Murder by myself and the reason is I had to write the blurb and it's been two or so books since I finished it. So back to reading bits and pieces so I could come up with a decent blurb. The book will be our in March and is Katherine Miller's 5th brush with murder.

Then there were the contest entries I had to read for a contest. Not a lot of reading. The entries are sort but one has to write a critique honing in on what's wonderful and what's not with each of the 12. I'll be doing that next week as well since I'm expecting about the same number.

Now the book I did read. Call of the Herald by Brian Rathbone Reviews I really enjoyed this book and will look for the others in the trilogy. Catrin was an interesting character


Book

One of The Dawning of Power trilogy. Echoes of the ancients' power are

distant memories, tattered and faded by the passage of eons, but that is

about to change. A new dawn has arrived. Latent abilities, harbored in

mankind's deepest fibers, wait to be unleashed. Ancient evils awaken,

and old fears ignite the fires of war.

Wednesday's Writer's Tip -#mysteries taken from How To Write Mysteries by Shannon OCork - Plot

What I found of interest here appeals to me since I am a plotter, sort of. There's always a situation that triggers my thoughts on a story. I'll talk here about what triggered The Micro-manager Murder due out in March 2013 from DiskUs Publishing. I knew the older heroine Katherine was marrying Lars who has made appearances in the other stories. But the scene of her leaving her wedding to go to the rescue of a friend who has been accused of murderrted the story rolling. That scene didn't start the book only my creative juices.

Situations often pop into a writer;s head and b twists and turns this situation could become a romance, a mystery or any other genre, but the situation isn't the plot. It's only a starting point in creating a story.

"A plot is a situation carried through to a fitting conclusion." Shannon OCork from How To Write Mysteries.
The plot is the story but therore to a story than plot.

All stories neand this is what a plot is. That doesn't mean you need to follow this outline slavishly. Changes happen. Characters make different decisions. Research sends you in new directions. The setting adds a bit of difference. The plot takes the situation and adds goals and motives of the characters, or their reasons for reaching the goal.

So don't just sit down and write thousands of words without having a goal. In the beginning you need a map, Once you've written a lot of stories, the plotting can be done in your head. When I wrote my first story years ago, I didn't know about plot and that story was written and re-written over and over again. It wasn't a mystery though there was an element of mystery in the story. That was the trigger sending the heroine to leave her home and find love elsewhere. My first mystery was better planned and the writing went much faster because I had a map to guide me along the way. The same for the first paranormal I wrote. For me having a map, even if it wa only in my head helped.

How about you? Do you plan your story ahead of time, either in your head or on paper?