Category: WIP Wednesday

Creating Characters

Creating believable characters takes a lot of work. There are so many resources to help a writer that choosing a method borders on a brain drain.

Still, I have to wonder: did Thomas Hardy know Tess of the D’Ubervilles’ astrological sign?

Did Charles Dickens plot Oliver Twist‘s archetype before he penned the novel?

I’m pretty sure Jane Austin didn’t read Elizabeth Bennet’s tarot cards before she wrote Pride and Prejudice.

And Charlotte Bronte certainly didn’t define Jane Eyre by her Enneagram type or her Myers-Briggs classification.

So why am I surrounded by books, decks of cards, and charts?

Work-In-Progress Wednesday: Julie Doherty

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Today I’m pleased to welcome author Julie Doherty.

MJ: The first full week of October is National Great Books Week. As a reader what do you consider three essential elements of a great book and why?

JD: Great books have the perfect balance of interesting characters, a fascinating plot, and superb writing. Great books also teach us something. They take us on a journey, let us slip into someone else’s skin, and allow us to lose ourselves in other realms when our real worlds are less than satisfying.

A book goes from great to sublime when it does all of this with lyrical sentences containing just enough detail for readers to envision the scene. Too much description spoils the journey for me. It’s a bit like someone sharing vacation photos. I’m interested at first, but the moment you start pointing out the details of every photo, I’m going to pray a fire alarm goes off.

MJ: If you didn’t write, what would be your creative outlet?

JD:  It definitely wouldn’t be dance. I have two left feet. I’ve been a singer, a calligrapher, and a canine artist.

MJ: Other than writing, what would be your dream job? Why?

JD: I experienced my dream job for exactly eight hours back in the nineties when the City of Harrisburg needed temporary help transcribing Civil War letters, some from a general to his wife. *fans self* I can’t describe how privileged I felt to touch those letters, let alone read their contents.

MJ: Describe your ideal/dream writing space.

JD:  A room with a locked door and no telephone within earshot.

MJ: What do you love most about your WIP hero?

JD: His determination to regain custody of his son. I also love that in spite of horrific emotional trauma, he has retained his sense of humor.

MJ: What do you least like about your WIP heroine?

JD: Her low self esteem. Who could blame her, though? I mean, her husband left her sitting in the fertility clinic while he was out impregnating a twenty-something airhead. It takes a while to recover from that.

MJ: What genre is your current WIP?

JD: Contemporary romance with elements of fantasy.

MJ: How did you come up with your hero and heroine’s names?

JD:  I chose names that fit their personalities.

MJ: How did you choose the setting for your current WIP?

JD:  Since my heroine (Ann McConnell) owns the farm where my second novel takes place (SCATTERED SEEDS, releasing today, woot!) I had to set my WIP in Pennsylvania. She unearths a gold torc there and embarks on a journey to Scotland to research its origins. Most of the story takes place on the Isle of Iona and around the Oban/Taynuilt area.

MJ: And can you share a bit of this WIP?

JD: I’m tentatively calling this one SCENT OF FOREVER.

With birds chattering in the trees above her, Ann stared at the footprint of her ancestors’ cabin. Time had reduced its log walls and roof to ruddy banks around a flagstone floor. Only the hearth and part of the chimney wall remained upright. The rest of it lay in a heap, just like the pieces of her life.

She would repair the chimney—starting today—but her dismantled world? That would take a different kind of mortar.

MJ: Love the title! I understand you have a book being released today.

JD: Yes, SCATTERED SEEDS is available through Amazon.

Scattered seeds Julie Doherty600x912

 

MJ: And how can readers stay current with you?

Social media links:

 

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Scent-Soul-Julie-Doherty-ebook/dp/B00SZ0SKUE

BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBuB3WC3FGU

GOODREADS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/532434.Julie_Doherty

TWITTER:  http://twitter.com/SquareSails

FACEBOOK:  http://www.facebook.com/juliedohertywrites

WEBSITE: http://www.juliedoherty.com

MJ: Thanks again for joining me today, and good luck!

Omega Moon Rising

Toke Lobo

The third book in my Toke Lobo & the Pack werewolf series has been picked up by Soul Mate Publishing.

For those of you who are familiar with the series, the hero of this book is Luke Omega–the band’s young drummer, resident computer geek, and errand boy who has a penchant for Internet porn.

Details to follow as they become available!

 

Organic vs. Organized

I have several manuscript in progress. I’ve been using Scrivener to plot the stories. I love the program. I find it easy to use. I adore the ability to color code my files. Everything about the program is designed to facilitate the writing experience.

If you’re an “organized” author.

I have yet to finish a project started in Scrivener. Not the program’s fault.

I started writing another book on June first. I even started writing it in Scrivener, but couldn’t be bothered with all the steps and plotting. The words didn’t just flow. They gushed. I didn’t have time to set up files or chapters or character profiles. I wrote on my Alphasmart and uploaded to Scrivener, thinking I would organize later. But since I wasn’t indulging in chapter breaks, only scene breaks, I decided to compile the files into a word document. I went back to my “old-fashioned” way of writing: Alphasmart to Word doc, then clean it up later.

First draft completed the last week of July. 56 days, start to finish. (This is while holding down a full-time Day Job.)

I finished the rewrite and revisions on September 7. Sent the manuscript off to my publisher.

There’s no help for it. I am clearly an organic author.

 

 

 

“I Finished The Book” Give-Away

I finished the next book in my Toke Lobo & the Pack werewolf series this week, and in celebration, I’m giving away 5 free downloads of my friend Emma Cane‘s book, Sleigh Bells in Valentine Valley.

You may be wondering why I’m giving away someone else’s book. The Toke Lobo & the Pack band makes a cameo appearance in this book. You can read the story of how that came about here. (Just the story of how it came about. The “Book That Band” contest is long over.)

All the details for the new giveway are on my Facebook Author page, but I’ll repeat them here for you:

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: I’m giving away 5 free downloads of Emma Cane’s SLEIGH BELLS IN VALENTINE VALLEY. My werewolf country music band, Toke Lobo & Pack, make a cameo appearance in the book. I will snail-mail the winners a postcard that has the directions for the download on it. This is *not* limited to USA readers! The free download offer is good through Oct 31, 2015. Facebook is not responsible in any way for this giveaway. Answer the question to qualify for a random drawing. I will post the winner’s names, who must send me their snail mail information via private message (or email).

GIVEAWAY QUESTION: Answer this question to qualify to win a free download of Emma Cane’s SLEIGH BELLS IN VALENTINE VALLEY.
Which ONE of the following items would you find in a werewolf mating starter kit?
A) CONDOM
B) VIAGRA
C) BLUEBERRY TEA BAGS
D) CHOCOLATE CANDY KISSES

All you need to do is go to my Facebook Author page and answer the question to be entered in the drawing. Five chances to win a free ebook!

DISCLAIMERS: Neither Facebook nor WordPress are involved in this giveaway in any way, shape, form, or manner.