Writing Wisdom from Neil Gaiman

Writing Wisdom from Stephen King

I needed this reminder because you always hit a point in the writing of any story that leaves you flummoxed and frustrated. It's easy to walk away and open a new document, play with a shiny new idea that seems to be brimming with possibilities.

But unfinished stories, like ghosts, exist in the shadows and haunt you. They demand completion. They deserve completion. I'm sharing this in case anyone else needed these words as much as me.

Writing Wisdom from Stephen King

I pulled this quote from a very interesting article in The Atlantic about why Stephen King spends months, even years, writing opening sentences. If asked, I'd have said because SK is a writing genius...but Mr. King gives a much better explanation :) 

Celebrate Your Writing

"Remember writing is a gift and a privilege. Just the fact that you write means that you are literate, you have a computer, and you have something to say. Celebrate that!" ~ Rachelle Gardner, literary agent.

This bit of wisdom comes from Ms. Gardner's wonderful post:

 8 Ways to be a Happy Author.

Author Naima Simone'S Writing Foundation

Some people are pure sunshine. I met author Naima Simone online and enjoyed getting to know her. She was nice and positive, pleasant...yeah, I wasn't prepared for our in-person meeting at all.

It happened last year, during my first visit to the great state of Alabama at the fabulous Southern Magician Romance Readers' Luncheon. Even though I knew a lot of the people there --had met quite a few face to face, others I knew online -- I was nervous. I figured I'd be the only Texan there (nope! Met quite a few, woot!) and everyone was super-nice. On top of that, I encountered Naima -- she hugged, twinkled, giggled and made me giggle. She remembered my book, A Tale of Two Djinns. And then she made me giggle some more. Lol! Yeah, she laughed my nerves away, literally.

So it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to Naima....

My Jordan

 "In the book of Joshua, the Israelites emerged from the wilderness, prepared to enter into the land God promised them. They encountered a swollen, rushing Jordan River, too swift and deep to cross. Before their eyes, God piled the waters of the river back upon one another and the people crossed over dry land to the other side. In the midst, God instructed Joshua to have twelve men carry stones to their camp at Gilgal, saying, “The stones will serve as a reminder to you. In days to come, your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ Tell them that the LORD cut off the flow of water in the Jordan River. Tell them its water stopped flowing when the ark of the covenant of the LORD went across. The stones will always remind the Israelites of what happened there.” (Joshua 4:6-7)

The stones were a monument for the Israelites and their descendents so when they looked back they would have a reminder of what God had done for them.

When I received my first request for a full manuscript four years ago, my father told me to go out in my yard, find a stone and place it on my mantel—so I wouldn’t forget that moment of victory. He understood what I’d already discovered and would assuredly experience again during my journey as a writer.

We all face disappointments, rejection and failures. Sometimes they are enough to discourage us to the point we ask ourselves why do we continue to chase a dream, to pursue a path littered with stumbling blocks? Why don’t we just…quit? But among those disappointments are sweet moments of joy and triumph. Like when we receive the first win in a contest. Or when we receive The Call. Or when a reader emails and says how our stories touched their hearts and provided moments of escape. It’s during those times we need to collect our stones…collect our stones to serve as reminders that for every rejection there’s an acceptance. For every bad review there are three readers who post on FaceBook appreciation and love for what we do. For every “no thank you” there’s an “I want to see more of what you have”.

Our stones remind us that God is faithful. And the only way we stop picking up more and more stones is to quit. As long as we fight this good fight of creating and giving of ourselves, we will have a monument dedicated to joy, success and prosperity we and our children can look back to and say, I crossed my Jordan."


 Naima Simone is a multi-published author in contemporary and erotic romance. She’s a member of RWA’s Southern Magic chapter, mother of the Dynamic Duo, lover of everything Vin Diesel and wife to the fabulous husband who tolerates this affair. And, ahem, check out her latest cover:

Under His Wings is coming out Jan. 23, 2013! Show Naima some bloggity-blog hospitality with some comments, y'all!

Projects & Resolutions for 2013 Game Plan

Have you ever made resolutions, only to feel guilty about them later because they totally got abandoned? Been there & done that. But I started planning early (hey, before Dec. 31st is early)and did some research to come up with a game plan that will help me achieve my 2013 goals.

Thanks to two different blog posts: From the first, I learned that it's wise to choose bite-sized or manageable goals. From the second, I learned that goals must be revisited, re-evaluated and re-affirmed (or redefined) on a regular basis throughout the year. Also, whenever I feel myself flagging I'm going to read Marc & Angel's wisdom about resolutions & life because I just love their positive and thoughtful take on life.

My Dad died soon after the year changed to 2012 and that made me realize that life can quit anytime and without any advance warning. However, he lived a good life, one he embraced with a generous & adventurous spirit. So to honor my Dad and to apply what I have learned from him, I'm going to live life the fullest, the best I can.

 Being a mom, writer, person with aging parent figures in my life, & a community volunteer, I find my days are unpredictable. So instead of setting myself a daily word count, I'm committing to keep daily log. Whether I write 2K a day or 0, I'm going to write it down. Along with a short description of the day. I'm going to do this for all of January and see where I end up at the end of the month. Then I'll reevaluate and refocus for the next month.

 Another bookish goal I have for 2013 is to start the year by reading poetry. I started out exploring creative expression by writing poems as a child and, well, this is a sort of getting in touch with my roots. Plus, poems use language in a special way, with rhythm and economy and I miss reading and writing in the form. The book I have chosen for my January reading is:

The Hungry Ear: Poems of Food and Drink

And, I'm going to do yoga at least 4 times a week and strive for a healthy balance. Great stretches & stress release :)

 Now, a project that is definitely coming in 2013, that I'm so-gosh-darn excited about is my next djinn story -- The Djinn in the Mirror. Since I was tagged by one my author pals, Laura Bickle in her Next Big Thing Hop, I'll answer a few questions about my new story:

 What is the working title of your book?
 The Djinn in the Mirror

 What genre does your book fall under?
 Paranormal Romance

 Which actors would you choose to play your hero/heroine?

 Dahlia, the heroine, is from a long line of earth witches, but has been raised by her domineering step-father.She is young & a virgin, but with a quiet inner strength and untapped powers. Think of Drew Barrymore in Ever After: A Cinderella Story

Ashmael (Ash) is a 1200-year-old djinn who has spent 800 years trapped in a mirror. His experience has left him bitter and distrustful of women. My inspiration for Ash is Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan...who happens to be HAWT!!!

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? A paranormal Cindrella story with a young witch heroine & a wicked sexy djinn playing fairy godmother (though he's neither a fairy nor very motherly....)

Is it a standalone or part of a series? The Djinn in the Mirror can be read as a standalone, but this is the third story set in my djinn world. I take the opportunity to explore more about the djinns in every story.

Who or what inspired you to write this book? Um, a strange dream made me start wondering what if Cinderella had ended up with genie instead of a fairy godmother...what would be different? Obviously, she'd ditch Prince Charming for the wickedly sexy djinn  : D

So what do you think? What goals are you going for? Do you have a game plan?

What Inspires Author Nadia Lee as a Person and a Writer?

If you like retellings of fairy tales as much as I do, you should check author Nadia Lee out ....

Trying to be upbeat and give my best to everything isn't easy when I'm overwhelmed and frazzled. There are times I want to do "just enough" because I don't want to bother anymore. But whenever I feel that way, these days I think of my baby son to inspire me as a writer and person.

I not only want to set good examples, but I want him to be proud of me for doing my best at all times. He is only 17 months old, but he's already trying to be a good, helpful baby the best he can. For example, after each meal, he throws away dirty napkins, brings his dirty plates and drops them off in the sink and wipes his tray and floor with a wet wipe, instead of running off to play with his toys. (He's been doing this for several months actually.) 

Given this, there's no way I can let the momentary distractions and so on get in the way of doing my very best in all I do.


So what does Nadia do? She writes some awesome fairytale-inspired fantasies....

Nadia's Latest Release:

Ever After Bundle: Books 1 & 2

Save 33% compared to purchasing each separately!

A Happily Ever After of Her Own
Melinda Lightfoot, a preschool teacher with an unusual ability to flit in and out of fairy tales, never thought she would get into trouble...

...until the Fairy Tale Police arrest her while she is in Beauty and the Beast. They offer her a deal: Find Beauty, who left the story when Melinda trespassed into it, or be charged with the ultimate crime -- Fairy Tale Killer. If that's not bad enough the Beast tags along in search of his true love, and Melinda starts falling for the fairy tale prince. She must choose between doing the right thing and having her own happily ever after.

One Kiss

He is a legend...

Robert is a royal prince cursed into his current predicament: remain a frog until he can get someone to kiss him...willingly. After years of searching, he finally finds a suitable royal princess.

She is but a humble maid...

Practical maid to the royal princess, Molly promises to help Robert in return for gold enough to fund her retirement. She doesn't want to waste her youth waiting on someone as capricious and shallow as the princess, instead of living her life.

But love knows no boundaries...

Unexpected problems unravel Robert's plan. The princess thinks frogs are disgusting, and his evil cousin shows up to steal both the princess and the throne that rightfully belongs to Robert. To compound matters, all he can think about is the quick-witted Molly.

But to undo the curse and inherit the throne, Robert must have a kiss from a royal princess and marry her.

What's a cursed prince to do?

Want to know more about Nadia?

Bilingual former management consultant Nadia Lee has lived in four different countries and enjoyed adventures and excellent food around the globe. In the last eight years, she has kissed stingrays, been bitten by a shark, ridden an elephant and petted tigers.

She shares an apartment overlooking a river and palm trees in Japan with her husband, baby boy, winter white hamsters and an ever-widening pile of books. When she's not writing, she can be found digging through old Asian historical texts or planning another trip.

Sign up for Nadia's Newsletter to be the first to know when she has a new book out! http://www.nadialee.net/newsletter/

You can also follow Nadia on Twitterhttp://www.twitter.com/nadialee/ or like her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/nadialeewrites/ 

Crushes: The Secret Inspiration for Romance?

I met Suleikha Snyder on twitter and instantly bonded over books, Bollywood and Bengali food...as well as random exchanges. She's got a bubbly personality that just makes you take notice & smile. She's also directed me to some excellent multicultural reads, so when her second multicultural romance, SPICE AND SECRETS, featuring passionate characters from exotic Bollywood released...well, I had to introduce you to Suleikha :) Enjoy!

Here's Suleikha!

What inspires me? What kick-starts the ol’ writerly engine in the dead of winter? This is going to sound completely cheesy, but there is nothing like a good crush — or a bad crush — to fuel my creative process. To fuel *me*, in general. I know, how Taylor Swift of me, right? But here’s the thing: Falling in love involves a ton of passionate emotion, and when there’s nowhere for it to go, I channel it all into my stories.

 

The saying goes, “write what you know,” and I might not know the “happily ever after” part (yet!), but I tap into the emotions along the way when I experience them. The first blush of infatuation, the throes of a mad passion, the devastation of heartbreak…if you look back at what I’ve written over the past two years, it’s like a Da Vinci Code-esque map of my highs and lows, all spurred on by someone that caught my eye. That someone might be Jeremy Renner or Ryan Gosling or a person in my “real life,” but whoever it is, they wind up being my unwitting research assistant in matters of the heart.

 

 

Jeremy Renner

I love — and hate — all those big emotions, and I couldn’t do what I do without them.

 

My November release from Samhain, SPICE AND SECRETS, is all about overcoming the fear of taking chances, of putting yourself out there to be hurt. Do I know how that feels? You bet. Not in the same context, not with the same kinds of people — former ingénue Priya and brash talk show hostess Sunita are drawn to archetypes that I don’t rub elbows with on a daily basis — but I’ve let that doubt run through my veins, and I’ve worn that emotional armor.

 

I know, I know. Mystery writers don’t kill people, erotic romance writers don’t have kinky threesomes but, I gotta admit, for me, there’s just something to falling in love while I’m writing love…

 

I’m giving away one electronic copy of SPICE AND SECRETS in the format of your choice to a lucky commenter, so please share your thoughts! Am I a little crazy, or is this just my spin on LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE…putting my emotions into my writing, instead of my cooking?

 

 

 
Here's more about Suleikha: 

Editor, writer, American desi and lifelong geek, Suleikha Snyder published her first romantic short in Ravenous Romance's 2011 TOUCHDOWNS anthology. 2012 brought a bevy of releases, including Suleikha's first novella from Samhain Publishing, SPICE AND SMOKE, a Wild Rose Press short story called HEART MURMURS, and a short in Cleis Press' June SUITE ENCOUNTERS anthology. Suleikha lives in New York City, finding inspiration in Bollywood films, daytime and primetime soaps, and Hell's Kitchen wine bars.

 

Wishes, gifts & books: Cynthia Eden is in the house!

Woot! I have the great pleasure to introduce you to one of my favorite authors ever: CYNTHIA EDEN. 

She writes sexy, intelligent paranormal stories. It was love at first read as soon as I picked up my first Cynthia Eden story (HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT). 

Then when I got to know her as a sister author, I was floored. I'd been all set to be intimidated by this awesome author, but instead I met a friendly, generous person with a wacky sense of humor. She's Yoda in my writing world.

What We Wish For…

(Thanks so much to my incredible hostess for having me over today!)

It’s starting to become *that* time of the year. The time when we all seem to dream a little bit more. We hope a little bit more. We wish more.

When we were younger, the holidays were a time of magic. A time of glancing up at the stars to see if you could catch a magical sleigh sliding across the dark sky. 

Sadly, as we get older,  people often seem to lose that magic. They get lost in the hustle and the bustle, in the cooking and the crowds, and the wonder just fades away.

I don’t ever want to lose my wonder. 

I think that’s one of the reasons why I love my job so very much. Every day, I get to dream. I get to make up stories. I get to have magic and fantasy. 

In my upcoming release from Kensington Brava, ANGEL IN CHAINS (out 11/27/12—right after that wild Black Friday rush), my hero is a fallen angel—a creature of incredible power and magic. But, like any other man, there is one thing that he wants most of all. Even fallen angels have wishes…

In order to make some wishes come true, you have to be willing to sacrifice, to fight—and that is exactly what my hero will do. He will face the darkness around him—face any challenge that comes his way—if he can win the greatest gift…love.

So as the holiday season approaches, I’m curious…what are you wishing for?  And do you still feel the wonder at this time of the year?  Please leave me a comment. One person will be randomly selected to win a copy of ANGEL IN CHAINS.

And here’s the ANGEL IN CHAINS blurb (so the winner will know what he/she is getting!):

As a fallen Angel of Death, Azrael is cursed to walk the earth alone in search of redemption. One night, as he wanders the streets of New Orleans, he discovers a woman surrounded by panther shifters.  No longer able to contain the anger simmering within, Az summons his dark powers and attacks, determined to protect this innocent human from certain death.

Only Jade Pierce is no delicate flower.  She’s spent years learning to survive and fight the evil forces sent by her ex-lover who refuses to let her go. But after seeing Az in action, she figures she could use a little supernatural help. And so she plans a course of seduction guaranteed to arouse his interest and his angelic passions…

***

Thanks for checking out my post!

Cynthia Eden

www.cynthiaeden.com

ANGEL IN CHAINS—Available 11/27/12 from Kensington Brava

Some angels were meant to fall

***

Cynthia  also donated HOWL FOR IT

& it's part of the #DjinnsDilemma Birthday Bash giveaways. Don't forget to check it out before you leave!

Laura Bickle Shares her Inspiration Behind her Chilling YA (1 copy up for grabs)!

Being I'm an avid reader and that one of my favorite genres is urban fantasy, I discovered Laura Bickle and her alter ego Alayna Williams long before I started writing fiction. I devoured her books, loved her writing.

So when Laura found me on Twitter, my first reaction was to gush like a rabid fan-girl. SQUEEEE!!!! She handled it/me most graciously.

 And then, I found out she had a scary YA release, THE HALLOWED ONES, and invited her to the blog...so I could introduce y'all to a fabulous writer and her new story. In Publishers Marketplace The Hallowed Ones is described as “Witness” meets “28 Days Later” in which an Amish girl must protect her family from a violent contagion, even as fear and denial threaten to erode her community from within.

Wow, original and cool. Check out the cover!

I'm giving away a Kindle edition of THE HALLOWED ONES to one lucky blog reader...but, you'll have to read to the bottom of the post to find out how to enter. :D

 Thanks for being here Laura! What inspired you to write an Amish YA? 

 Laura: I live not too far from a large Amish settlement. When I was a child, my parents would take me to visit, and I was fascinated by a world very different than the one I lived in. I’d see Amish girls my age over the fence and wonder what their lives were like.

 For THE HALLOWED ONES, I was thinking about doing a dystopian book. I was wondering who would be best-equipped to survive a large-scale disaster, and occurred to me that the Amish would be uniquely equipped to survive. They are incredibly self-sufficient and are not dependent upon things we take for granted in our world, things like electricity and cars.

As an adult, it was fun to go back there and see how my perceptions of that world changed and how they stayed the same.

So what's the story about?

Temptation happens to all of us, in large and small ways.

The heroine of THE HALLOWED ONES is Katie, a young woman who has grown up in a peaceful Amish settlement. She lives with her parents and sister in the house where she was born. Church services take place in members’ backyards. She knows every other person in the settlement and expects to marry the boy next door. Her home has been a safe nest, familiar and comforting.

Maybe just a bit too safe.

Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the Amish church. Katie has every intention of being baptized in her church and assuming her responsibilities as an adult Amish woman. She simply wants to see a bit of the world Outside before she makes her choice and commits to the Amish lifestyle forever. She looks forward to testing the rules -- going to the city to see movies, perhaps wearing jeans, experimenting with makeup.

 Before she can explore in earnest, Katie’s safe world starts to disintegrate. It begins with a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields near her house, followed by rumors of violence and the disappearance of large numbers of people Outside. Unsure why they haven’t been attacked and fearing contamination, the Amish Elders make a rule: No one goes outside their community, and no one is allowed in.

When Katie finds a gravely injured young man lying just outside the boundary of Amish land, she refuses to leave him to die. She defies the Elders’ decree, secretly bringing the stranger in to her community and hiding him. But what else is she bringing in with him?

Author Bio: Laura Bickle’s professional background is in criminal justice and library science, and when she’s not patrolling the stacks at the public library she’s dreaming up stories about the monsters under the stairs (she also writes contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams). Laura lives in Ohio with her husband and a herd of mostly-reformed feral cats. THE HALLOWED ONES is her first young adult novel. Get the latest updates on her work at www.laurabickle.com.

TO WIN LAURA'S BOOK: Share who is your favorite YA heroine and why in the comments section, and leave your email (so I can contact you if you win!).

Oh! Don't forget to check out my The #DjinnsDilemma Birthday Bash post for more fantabulous surPrizes!
Thanks for visiting!

Author Laura Kaye's Sources of Inspiration & Replenishment

Woot! I'm so glad to welcome Laura Kaye to the blog.

I met Laura two different ways: on a loop for Harlequin Nocturne authors (we were both relative newbies to the Cravings line) and also through book recommendations on twitter. So, she's not only a sister scribe, but also an author I really enjoy reading. Her stories are emotional, and her men are sooo delicious!

Another thing (out of many) that impressed me was Laura's so very prolific. She seems to always have a book coming out. Actually right now she's got two new stories available. Check out the covers:

So I asked what we all want to know: what keeps you going day after day? Here's her answer:

Thanks to Mina for hosting me here today to talk about what inspires me, keeps me going, and gets me excited about life and writing. Here’s what I came up with:

Time to myself. I find that I am replenished by having time to myself without anyone else’s needs, demands or expectations needing to be considered. I don’t mean this in a selfish way—I love my two girls (ages 8 and almost 6) and have tons of fun with them—but sometimes I just need to be me—not a mom, not a wife, not a professor—just me doing what I love on my schedule and according to my own whims. Maybe this need for a little quality alone time comes from being an only child and spending a lot of time by myself growing up (we were way poor, and my mom had to work two and three jobs to make ends meet—I admire her greatly for that, but I spent a lot of summer days and weeknights by myself).

Girl time. Time with my girl friends is also energizing and inspiring. First, because women just rock, and it’s easy to be inspired to be better by the other women in your life. Second, because your girl friends just get you, they understand and support you in a completely unconditional way. They act as a sounding board, let you vent, and cheer you on.

Family. There are a lot of ways my family inspires and motivates me. I want to be a good provider. I want to be a good role model for my children. I want to teach them they can follow their dreams, as I’m following mine as a writer. I want them to be proud of me.  All of these push me and make me want to do more, be more. The support of my family can also replenish my spirit when things aren’t going well or I hit roadblocks in my path.

Music. I have always been inspired and replenished by music. I have always felt I could lose myself in it, purge myself of feelings through it, and have my mood changed by it. A life without music would be a much less inspired place, for me.

How about for you? What inspires you, picks you up, and keeps you going?

Thanks for reading! ~Laura

To celebrate Laura's stories, I'm giving away book one of her Vampire Warrior Kings Series.

All you have to do is answer Laura's question and leave your E-Mail in the comments section so I can contact you if you win the giveaway!

Buy Laura's Books

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter SignUp

Want to know more about Laura?

About Laura Kaye:

Voted Breakout Author of the Year in the 2011 GraveTells Readers’ Choice Awards, Laura is the bestselling and award-winning author of over a half-dozen books in paranormal, contemporary and erotic romance. Hearts in Darkness is the EPIC eBook Award Winner for Best Novella and HOLT Medallion Award of Merit Winner for Best Romance Novella, Forever Freed is the NJRW Golden Leaf Winner for Best Paranormal of 2011 and is a finalist for two GDRWA Booksellers’ Best Awards, and North of Need, the first book in the Hearts of the Anemoi series, is a finalist for a FF&P PRISM award, was named GraveTells’ Best Book of 2011 and won their 5-STAR Gold Heart Award, and won Sizzling Hot Read of the Year at Sizzling Hot Books.

Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Fantasy Author Carol Berg Shares About Inspiration

Today I have the pleasure of hosting uber-talented fantasy authot Carol Berg. She's made me fall in love with stories, awed me with her writing...enough that I went to the Colorado Gold Conference just so I could meet her and hear her talk about stories. I left even more impressed than I'd arrived. So without further ado, here's Ms. Berg:

(Carol Berg and moi at the Colorado Gold 2011)

There is a set of standard questions that readers always ask authors. Where do you get your ideas? When did you start writing? How did you get published? How many hours a day do you write? Why are you so mean to your characters? We’ve answered them so many times, we don’t even have to think about them. 

So here it is holiday time and one is thinking about family dinners and travel and New Year’s celebrations, as well as January book releases, and Rashda in her most unique and clever way, comes up with a question I have to consider carefully. Where do I get my inspiration to write? Inspiration, not ideas. What makes me sit down and tear my brain to shreds to come up with these convoluted stories? What gets me back in the chair only a few weeks after finishing seven years of constant deadlines. As I sit here and close my eyes, the notions that come to mind are kind of odd.

Trees. Dense evergreens or multicolored oaks along a meadow or sparse across a desolate hillside. Or colored gold with autumn and sheltering a path. Green seams in the rocky face of a mountain. Weather: lowering clouds or driving snow or a thin autumn day after the leaves have blown and the haze says a change is coming. Sun sparkling on frost covered tree limbs. Moonlit nights so bright that trees and fences cast shadows. The way the dust rolls up in the desert air. Unanswered questions. The Etruscan artifacts in the Penn Archeology Museum, talking about a sophisticated people who were inundated by the Roman Empire. Phrases like the last lighthouse or you can’t go home again or who is on the other side of the mirror. What does that mean? The glimpse of Billy Elliot grown up (at the end of the film by the same name) leaping onto the stage…no, really it is the expression on his father’s face as he looks on a wonder we can’t see… Books, certainly. Oh yes, I’m getting close.

Each speaks of one thing…story. What’s happening, who’s out there just beyond the place I can see? What makes a hard-bitten miner’s face express such awe when he’s watching a ballet? So that’s it. There’s a story in there somewhere, and I want to know what happens!

###

Former software engineer Carol Berg never expected to become an award-winning author.  But her thirteen epic fantasy novels have won national and international awards, including multiple Colorado Book Awards and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. She’s taught writing in the US, Canada, Scotland, and Israel, and received reader mail from the slopes of Denali to beneath the Mediterranean.  All amazing for one who majored in math and computer science to avoid writing papers.  Her novels of the Collegia Magica have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, using words like compelling and superbly realized.

(Check out the cover of her latest book, released this month)

Former software engineer Carol Berg never expected to become an award-winning author.  But her thirteen epic fantasy novels have won national and international awards, including multiple Colorado Book Awards and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. She’s taught writing in the US, Canada, Scotland, and Israel, and received reader mail from the slopes of Denali to beneath the Mediterranean.  All amazing for one who majored in math and computer science to avoid writing papers.  Her novels of the Collegia Magica have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, using words like compelling and superbly realized. To learn more, check out this web site.

Please feel free to leave questions and comments for Carol. I'm unfortunately dealing with a sad family sitution and will be scarce.

Writing to Right the Wrongs of this World

Hi y'all!

Holidays are festive times with lots of parties and get-togethers to attend. One recent evening, I was invited to three different shindigs! Well, I have found some of the merry making spills into the blogosphere.

So while I'm visiting my friend Caridad Pineiro's blog and talking about why a genie would make the perfect Christmas/Hannukah/New Year's/Just-Because gift. :)...here we are celebrating my wonderful friend and a precious beta-reader Joya Fields' sweet release of LOVE DELIVERED. Woot!

I have been fortunate enought to help critique some of her stories and, in her writings, her heroic characters take on some of the world's worst injustices and defeat the bad guys. She leaves me cheering. :D

I hope you're inspired reading about Joya's heart-warming approach to writing.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog today, Mina. I love talking about inspiration because it’s such a unique and individual concept. One of the reasons I love writing stories, especially happily-ever-after ones, is that I can right the wrongs I see happening in the world.

In the real world, at-risk teens might fall through the cracks if there isn’t a responsible, caring adult in their lives. I’ve seen it happen many times. In LOVE DELIVERED, my story that releases today, the hero, Pete, won’t let that happen to the kids in his community. He helps them find passion through golf.

 

When I write that type of story or hero, it makes me feel like it could really happen. Hopefully, it does happen. In the world of fiction, I can fix all sorts of things in the world—make them how I think they should be. Villains are always brought to justice. The serial killer meets his demise, the human traffickers are put away for life, and selfish people get what’s coming to them.

One particular newspaper story hit me hard a few years back. In a flash flood, a teenage boy risked his life to pull younger kids from a fast-rising stream. He saved them, but lost his own life. No! Good guys win. I still have that article tacked to my corkboard in my office. This kid was doing the right thing, helping others, not thinking about himself. And then he died. I feel a strong urge to rewrite that scene in some future book, and that boy will live. In fact, he will be the hero.

Maybe it’s my way of dealing with bad things that happen in our world, maybe it’s escapism. I see it all as inspiration. Thanks again for having me and I’d love to hear how others are affected by what they see in the world and how they make sense of it.

***

Joya Fields has had over 100 stories and articles published in local and national magazines and her debut novel, BENEATH THE SURFACE, a romantic suspense, will release January, 2012 from The Wild Rose Press. Her novella, LOVE DELIVERED, a romantic comedy, releases December 21, 2011.

Find Joya on the web at: http://joyafields.com/

As an exra treat, check out Joya's book trailer for LOVE DELIVERED 

Author Allison Brennan Shares About Writing & Inspiration

Hi, y'all! Today's guest is Allison Brennan, the New York Times and USAToday bestselling author of seventeen romantic thrillers and numerous short stories, including the most recent IF I SHOULD DIE. I'm fortunate to know her through my Kiss of Death RWA chapter and have taken some wonderful classes with her. Allison is a generous spirit who willingly shares insights and advice from her years of experience, and encourages younger writers. Thanks Allison for joining us!

I’m often asked where I get my ideas. This question always surprises me. Where don’t I get my ideas?

Ideas are everywhere. They come from the smallest snippet of a conversation overheard at Starbucks, to the most widespread news story of the day. My stories are a compilation of many different sparks that ignite my muse as it weaves together the possibilities.

I see a man in line dressed in a suit with a briefcase. Is he going to work? A job interview? Did he pretend to go to work so his family wouldn’t know he’d lost his job? What’s in the briefcase? Maybe he’s a divorce lawyer. Or a prosecutor. A defense lawyer with evidence of his client’s innocence locked in the metal case.

Or perhaps he’s a desperate man. His daughter’s been kidnapped and inside the case is the ransom money. He’s not buying coffee, but leaving the case to be picked up. Or there’s a bomb in the case, and he doesn’t know it. Or he does know it, and he has a vendetta.

So many possibilities.

I read books and articles about the multitude of people who risk their lives for others, and I want to celebrate them and their sacrifice. I greatly admire those people who serve others, particularly when they are fighting for justice. This is why most of my heroes and heroines are in some branch of law enforcement, though I’ve also written about ex-military, P.I.’s, and even a few not in public safety.

I’m also inspired by survivors. Victims who defeat all the odds to reclaim and rebuild their lives. I want to know how, and by writing survivors into my stories, I can learn how strength of character, family, and community can help victims not be victims forever.

Every-day heroes inspire me.

I also want to know why. In real life, too often justice is not served. In fiction, I can tip the balance of the scales on the side of justice, that the bad guys will be caught, that victims will get the help they need, that people will be saved. While a lot of bad things happen in my books, and sometimes to good people, in the end, the villain always gets what’s coming to him. My hero and heroine always get their happily-ever-after. Families always get answers, even if the answers aren’t what they want. In the end, there is resolution and peace.

Some authors are inspired by people. Some by music, and still others by the beauty around them. Take a moment to write down ten people you admire and why. Music you listen to while you write. Places you visit that calm you, where maybe your best ideas come to you. Once, a quote I heard gave me just the snippet of an idea, and that idea became the backbone of each character’s backstory. That quote? “Life if the sum of all your choices” by Camus.

Look at the world around you. You can’t help but be inspired.

***
 You can visit her on the web at allisonbrennan.com, follow her on Twitter
@allison_brennan, or check her out on facebook.

Tomorrow book three of her Lucy Kincaid series goes on sale! Check out the cool cover:

Allison is giving away a signed copy of the first book in the series, LOVE ME TO DEATH.  To win leave a comment about what inspires you + your email (for contact)!

 Good luck :D

Cynthia Eden Finds Inspiration in Many Places & Forms

Woot!  I have a special treat for you.  One of my favorite paranormal romance authors, Cynthia Eden, is here to share what inspires her & she is giving away a copy of her upcoming release ANGEL OF DARKNESS.  Cynthia writes sexy, intelligent and fast-paced stories with droolworthy heroes.  If you haven't read her Midnight series, get reading!  But first read this post :)

Hi, everyone! (And a big thanks to Mina for inviting me over!)

Today’s post is all about inspiration.  I’ve found, as a writer, that I can be inspired by just about anything. Songs, movies, scary sounds in the dark—I feel like my muse is always perching close by, waiting for something to strike a spark. 

And I’ve discovered that people can really inspire me, too.  When I was in college, I had an assignment for a non-verbal communication experiment. I was supposed to go to a crowded area (like a mall or a movie theater) and just watch people. After a while, I was supposed to write down the non-verbal communication techniques that I observed.  It was fascinating to see people display all sorts of feelings and emotions (anger, excitement, happiness, sadness) all without ever hearing a word that they said.

Since that experiment, I’ve learned to keep watching for those non-verbal cues (and I use them a lot in my books).  So when I see a girl with her hands clenched, marching rapidly away from her friends, I wonder…what stirred her anger? What’s her story? And my mind starts to plot and plan.

Of course, inspiration isn’t just something that strikes in the writing area. I think people are inspired in all aspects of life. For me, I get inspired on a personal level when I go star gazing with my son or when I take him to the beach and we play pirates.  Simple things like sunsets can inspire me and make me feel rejuvenated. Falling leaves make me smile. So do snowflakes—but down in Alabama, we don’t see those too often!

So those are a few things that inspire me…but what inspires you?  Share with me, and one commenter can an early copy of my upcoming release, ANGEL OF DARKNESS (Available 11/29/11) from Kensington Brava.

Have a great day! I hope you get inspired!

Best,

Cynthia Eden

www.cynthiaeden.com

ANGEL OF DARKNESS—Available 11/29/11 from Kensington Brava

When an angel falls, all hell breaks loose…