Category: Writing

Observations on the writing life

Weird Stuff in My Laptop Bag

I’ve been on the road quite a bit since the end of July. As I was getting ready to pack my laptop case for yet another excursion, I realized I have some odd things in there.

  • Various sizes/colors of index cards containing such writerly advice as:
    • Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat beats
    • word count to page count conversion table
    • Christopher Vogler’s Writer’s Journey steps
    • Linda Howard’s “Twelve Steps of Intimacy”
    • Vorhaus’s The Comic Toolbox” story structure list
  • Pocket pack of tissue
  • blank index cards
  • lip balm
  • pens/highlighter
  • screen cleaning cloth
  • screen cleaning wipes
  • small notepad.

I keep meaning to buy an 3-prong-to-2-prong adapter to keep there.

It seems as if every time I pack up to go off and write, I think of something else I need to keep handy.

What do you keep in your laptop case?

 

 

Researching for Romance

A few months ago, at my very first booksigning, a woman kept hounding me about research. “Romance authors don’t do research,” she insisted.

I was offended. Such preconceived notions are part of why the romance genre continues to be disrespected.  I am here to tell you: Romance authors do research.

For my werewolf books: I researched country music performers, Toby Keith in particular. (The link will take you to the blog I wrote about part of that.) I also researched early American history and the country’s relationship with France during the French Revolution–it’s all the backstory of my werewolf pack.

For my baseball books: my husband and I had season tickets to the local Triple A baseball team for three seasons. We rarely missed a game. I followed player (and their wives!) blogs, interviewed players, and talked to the people running the stadium. I learned some of the rules of International League Baseball. I research what cities have teams. My husband and I researched cities that should have teams, based on certain criteria. My husband and I visit Cooperstown, NY (Baseball Hall of Fame) every summer.

For all my books: I research marriage laws in whatever state I’m writing about. I research floral, fauna, parks, highways, airports, etc. (The state of Montana is very generous with their free roadmaps.)

Early drafts of my books are filled with >>research this<< from times when I’m writing without Internet access.

Other author friends research such riveting topics as modern ranching, orchard husbandry, the Secret Service, how to be a chanteuse, professional bull riding, vineyards, and Scottish history. Books on my shelves include such fascinating titles as: Deadly Doses: a Writer’s Guide to Poisons; Practical Homicide Investigation; The Naming of America; two The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks; The History of Underwear; and 1001 Ways to Be Romantic.

I once had a contest judge suggested I rename the setting of my story because people might confuse it with the salad dressing. Except reality is Thousand Islands Dressing was invented and named for the Thousand Islands region of the New York/Canada border.

Another contest judge informed me I was wrong about laser ID numbers on diamonds–because diamonds are the hardest known substance. Except my former brother-in-law worked in the Diamond District of New York City and he’s the one who told me about laser identification of diamonds.

Research? Just because data isn’t info-dumped into the story doesn’t mean there the topic hasn’t been researched.

 

WIP Wednesday: Melissa Snark

Welcome back, Melissa Snark!

MelissaSnark author photo for book

MS: Hi MJ, Thank you for having me today, National Underwear Day. I’m excited to talk about my current work in progress, which is called Moon Snatcher. It is an urban fantasy/Norse folklore novel and Book #3 in Loki’s Wolves.

MJ: I just love that title! How did you choose the setting for your current WIP?

MS: Hunger Moon is set in the northern Sierras. My family and I love the Tahoe area because it’s so rugged and beautiful. As a kid, my parents often took family vacations up there during the summer. My husband and sons like to ski so we head up to South Shore every winter for a family vacation (when there’s snow). I started Hunger Moon, the first book in the Loki’s Wolves series, while we were up there several years ago. The mountains and forests seemed like an ideal place for wolves, so the Sierra Nevada became the natural setting for my story.

From his most ancient beginning, flight exemplified freedom within his heart and soul. As a hawk, Loki soared high above the suburban oasis carved from Arizona’s austere desert. He drifted upon a rising column of warm air, wings angled to induce enough drag so he didn’t outpace the child he followed.  Far beneath him, the figure of the six-year-old was only a dot, but enhanced avian senses permitted the Trickster to drink in every sight and sound.

The boy’s fleet feet splashed upon the wet pavement, running beside a small twig boat while the swift flowing gutter-steam swept the tiny craft along. Michael Allen Fraiser had light brown hair and an olive-toned complexion as well as a lean, athletic build designed for speed.

Now, in honor of underwear, I’d like to discuss the undies preference of three of my main characters.

Victoria Storm

Victoria Storm is a kick ass heroine with a take charge attitude. She is both a priestess of Freya and a Valkyrie to Odin. She’s definitely got a feminine side but she’s more tomboy than girly-girl. I think this set of athletic dance undies would appeal to her since she trained as a ballerina in her youth. It’s cute but practical.

victoria

Jake Barrett

Jake Barrett is the Hunter King. Master of the Hunt. He has many nicknames, not all of them polite. Rumors purport him to be invincible. He suffers fatal injuries but doesn’t die. Men pledge their undying loyalty to him. Monsters fear him. To underestimate him means certain death.

Jake is older, old-fashioned, and no nonsense. He wouldn’t wear anything other than plain old cotton boxers. No thrills, no frills. You’d be surprised how difficult it is to find images of those nowadays.

Jake

Sawyer Barrett

Sawyer is Jake’s son. He’s something of a rebel and an accomplished hunter in his own right. He prefers underwear that breathes while providing support for his active lifestyle. Boxer briefs would be right up his alley and he’d be more likely to buy name brand undies than Hanes.

Sawyer

MJ: You really know your characters! Here are the details of Melissa’s current release, Valkyrie’s Vengeance:

Valkyrie's Vengeance 750

Genre: Urban fantasy/Norse folklore

Publisher: Nordic Lights Press

Published:  Jan. 23, 2015

A thirty-year alliance that aligned wolves and hunters has shattered. Victoria Storm leads a few surviving members of her pack in a desperate flight. As the only surviving child of their leaders, the she-wolf inherited the role of Alpha. The violent deaths of her parents and the man she loved left her devastated, and the lives of her followers depend on her decisions. Simple survival often conflicts with the demands of preserving her Norse heritage, so she must struggle to balance her duties as Freya’s priestess and Odin’s Valkyrie. When innocent children are abducted, she must set aside her differences and work with her worst enemy to rescue them.

Available for free download:

Amazon: http://goo.gl/gLd386

Barnes & Noble: http://goo.gl/EQp6Wi

ARE: http://goo.gl/Gb1kMz

Kobo: http://goo.gl/SCC5ws

iBooks: http://goo.gl/HZiicW

Google Play: http://goo.gl/6d292A

Newsletter: http://goo.gl/I6J5NU

Author Melissa Snark lives in the San Francisco bay area with her husband, three children, and a glaring of litigious felines. She reads and writes fantasy and romance, and is published with The Wild Rose Press & Nordic Lights Press. She is a coffeeoholic, chocoholic, and a serious geek girl. Her Loki’s Wolves series stems from her fascination with wolves and mythology.

Office Reclamation

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It was nearly a year ago when I started my office reclamation project. And while it has been on hiatus for a while, at least I’ve managed to keep the clutter at bay.

While going through some papers earlier this spring, I came across print-outs of my novels. Now I’m wondering why I need to keep them? All of my books are stored on the cloud. Several are published. I also e-mail the final manuscripts to a special e-mail account I have just for that purpose.

I think that before the county has its next Shred-a-thon/Shred-O-Rama, I’m going to revisit those files and purge them.

Unless you can think of a reason I should keep them.

 

 

Laughter and Romance Writers

I belong to my local chapter of Romance Writers of America. We meet monthly at a local library. Sometimes, the “big” room isn’t available for our day-long meeting, so our sessions are split–mornings in a smaller meeting room, afternoons in the big room.

This happened a few months ago. As we were leaving the smaller room, I noticed a group of women sitting at a table outside the smaller room. “Are you ladies waiting to get into this room?” I asked.

“Yes,” several of them replied.

I stuck my head in the door and told the stragglers the next group was waiting to get in there.

“What group are you?” one of the ladies asked.

“We’re the Central New York Romance Writers,” I replied.

“You certainly laugh a lot. What was so funny?”

“Love is funny. Life is funny. Romance goes for the happy ending!” I replied.

According to RWA (and we are the last word in romance fiction) a novel must have two elements to be considered a romance: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.

I read an article in Publisher’s Weekly  not too long ago:  “When did happiness fall out of fashion?” The author of the article concluded with, “Books with happy endings are a gift of hope.”

Isn’t that a wonderful thing?

Happiness Happens month starts on August 1. I’m going to start my list a little early: Happiness Happens when one of the books I write gives someone hope.