If you like to read romance novels and would you like to meet new authors, join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all...about our writing, of course! Every week we'll answer the same questions. Once you've read my blog, the link below will direct you to another. Tell your friends and feel free to ask questions or make comments. Those of you who have linked here from J.J. Devine, welcome! Here are my answers: What ages are your characters? The main characters in my first three manuscripts are in their twenties, although in my current work-in-progress my heroine is 33 and my hero 29 (gasp! I know!). While I don't think twenty-something heroes and heroines are a requirement of a good romance, the one advantage they do have is that discovering their first “real” love, without the benefit of experience and maturity, presents myriad possible plot disasters. Characters who are older, and perhaps falling in love for the second time, can be very interesting, but their stories are perforce going to be different in attitude and energy. I am, however, intrigued with the idea of writing a “falling in love with your spouse for the second/third/fourth time” novel. Successfully married couples know how important it is to keep romance alive with each other, and that could be a very interesting theme to explore. What special things or places inspire you to write? Long road trips always set me dreaming about plots and characters. It's really too bad I get car sick, or I think those would be some of my most fruitful writing times! I heard of a writer's retreat that Amtrack offers – you ride back and forth on the train as you work. I wonder if VIA Rail here in Canada offers the same! I suppose the question could also be asking which places inspire me to write about them. I love reading books that are set in locations where I've traveled – New York, London, Vancouver. That's partly why I set my third manuscript in the Azores. My husband's parents emigrated to Canada from these tiny Portuguese islands in the middle of the Atlantic, and last summer we were lucky enough to visit there. I'd never read a book set on those islands, so figured I'd have to do it myself! What is the one message you hope women will receive when they read your stories? I truly believe there is someone for everyone. We've all seen them – those couples that seem, to an outsider, the most unlikely, mismatched pairing, and yet they have long and lasting relationships. We cannot see what makes some relationships work – but they do. If a woman reading one of my novels can see that and take heart from it, I would be more than pleased. Now it's time to visit Victoria Barbour, author of the Heart's Ease series, set in beautiful Newfoundland and Labrador. Enjoy!
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We seem to be having a bit of a technical issue today. If you'd like to keep on hopping through the Romance Weekly blogs, you can get back on track with Gemma Brocato!
Do you like to read romance novels? Would you like to meet new authors, and learn more about your favorites? Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all...about our writing of course! Every week we'll answer the same questions. Once you've read my blog, the link below will direct you to another. Enjoy your trip around our blogs.
If you've arrived here from Kim Handysides blog, welcome! Now let's get straight to the questions. Who is your favorite character you've written and why? As I've only written four heroes and heroines, you'd think this wouldn't be too hard a question, but it is! I like all of my characters for different reasons, so it is tough to pick only one. But I do have to say Jemma Hedge, from my upcoming release, CHEF D'AMOUR, was a lot of fun to write. She is very prickly and persnickety and doesn't take crap from anyone. She is not prepared to fall in love, and only gets angrier when she does. All this angst is offset by her deep and tender loyalty to her Gramma. She was the most complex character I'd written, and it was very enjoyable getting to know her. Do you prefer to write your Hero or Heroine? I love writing my heroes. I went to a writing workshop led by romance author Jane Porter. The discussion was about the differences in how men and women communicate. Like women, men can have very strong feelings of love and commitment (of course they can!), but unlike women, they tend to show those feelings through actions and deeds, not with words. It's so fun to write scenes that show heroes expressing their love in concrete ways. I also like watching my heroines baffle and bemuse my heroes – those poor souls have no idea what hit them! What are the three things you can't write without? When it comes to physical things around me, I'm not that picky. It's not like I have a favourite coffee mug or a special pen. While I tend to write in the same spot (corner of the couch in my living room, as I don't have an office) I like to mix that up once in a while, especially in the summer when I love to write outside. I do write better with a few specific tools on hand, however. The Internet is a wonderful resource. Have a question—about ANYTHING? Mr. Google can answer it in an instant! I also have a thesaurus available at all time (usually an online one). But one of the most helpful writing tools I've discovered is the Emotion Thesaurus. It is a comprehensive list of emotions, with descriptions of the physical sensations and actions a person experiences and expresses while in the grip of that emotion. I tell you—my characters grew greatly once I realized there were many more ways to describe fear than a pounding heart! Now head on over to EJ Towler and see what she has to say about this week's questions! Today is National Scrabble Day. I don't know what nation (I assume the US), but what to does it matter? Who wouldn't want to celebrate the best word game ever? It's chess for word geeks. How to make the best score without leaving your opponent an opportunity to hit a Triple Word – laying down a word of single point letters and yet achieving a high score because of the two and three letter words you also create – adding suffixes to words already on the board to take advantage of every letter. What's not to love? I also enjoy Text Twist. You're given six or seven letters and need to create as many words using those letters as you can. Get the word that uses all the letters and move on to the next round. Oh, the lunch hours I spent teasing myself with that! It's a proven fact that games keep your brain sharp, active and learning. So enjoy a quick game of Solitaire or a few minutes with Sudoku – then get back to whatever it is you should be doing! Do you like to read romance novels? Would you like to meet new authors, and learn more about your favorites? Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all...about our writing, of course! Every week we'll answer the same questions. Once you've read my blog, the link below will direct you to another. Feel free to ask more questions or make comments as you travel the rounds. as yo
If you've linked here from Sarah Hegger, welcome! Let's get right to the questions. A Hollywood producer is interested in your book. Can you come up with an enticing logline (plot summary of 25 words or less)? Okay, I cheated a bit (it's 28 words) but here is the logline for my upcoming release CHEF D'AMOUR (date TBA). A production assistant on a romance reality program falls for the show's bachelor. But that behind-the-scenes love jeopardizes her job – and the security of her ailing grandmother. I use a modified version of the Snowflake Method to plot my books, and the first thing you do is come up with a sentence like the above to encapsulate your novel. It usually changes by the end of the process, but it is a great exercise to get to the nucleus of your story. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Going strictly by her face, I'd choose Keira Knightley to play my heroine. Jemma Hedge is described by my hero, Paul Almeida, as a wicked fairy. Keira Knightley's sharp cheekbones, dark eyes and pointed chin fit really well. Also, she looks fabulous with a short hair cut, and Jemma's signature look is short at the nape, with long bangs tipped in fuschia pink for a bit of pizzazz. As for Paul, that's harder for me. He's Portuguese, dark and handsome, with dimples that slash his cheeks when he smiles. Patrick Dempsey comes to mind, except he's not the right age. I'd have to study up on this. How horrible can it be, searching the 'net for good-looking guys? :) Does the storyline of your novel compare with any films out there? I'm not a huge movie watcher, so I'd have to say not that I know of. However, the novel takes place on the set of a television romance reality show called “Reservations for Two”. Think “Iron Chef” meets the “The Bachelor.” Thirteen women are given a cooking challenge. Then the Chef d'Amour, Paul, chooses the best and worst dish. He goes on a date with the woman who created the best dish, and then can either send her home (if he didn't enjoy the date) or eliminate the woman whose dish was the worst. So while it's not based on a movie, it certainly is based on the public's love of reality programming! Now skip on over to visit Josie Malone and see what she has to say about this week's questions! There are many, many amazing people in the world. Yesterday, I was in the presence of two of them. One you will have heard of, and not only because I've been squealing about him on Facebook. Colonel Chris Hadfield has reignited interest in space exploration like no one since the 1960's. As Commander of the International Space Station from March to May 2013 (and the first Canadian to hold that position) he and his son, Evan, used social media to connect with people around the globe. His photos showing the awesomeness of our world inspired our imaginations, and the experiments he shared blew our minds. His rendition of Space Oddity has been viewed more than 21 million times on Youtube. His speech last night, at a fundraising dinner for the Northern Medical Programs Trust, was humorous and humble, and an absolute joy to experience. The other amazing person who spoke at the dinner was the young woman who received the Rising Star Health Services Award. She is a Canadian National Champion in Judo, and had a very good chance to attend the Olympics. She is an extremely talented artist, and studied Industrial Design. Somewhere along the way, she developed cancer in her leg. The subsequent treatments were fierce and debilitating, and destroyed any chance she had of participating in the Olympics. During her experiences fighting cancer, she decided to switch her focus to medicine, and is now in her third year in the Northern Medical Program. She uses her industrial design expertise to create toys that doctors use to explain medical conditions to children, her artwork adorns the Paediatric wing of our local hospital, and she is exploring the link between art and health. In the face of such heroes, it can be easy to see my own achievements as petty and insignificant. But somehow both of these people used their successes to inspire everyone in the room. Listening to people capable of such perseverance and determination motivates me—and many others, I am sure—to dig deeper, try harder, and work doggedly at those goals that lie rooted within myself. Do you like to read romance novels? Would you like to meet new authors, and learn more about your favorites? Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all...about our writing of course! Every week we'll answer the same questions. Once you've read my blog, the link below will direct you to another. Feel free to ask more questions or make comments.
If you've linked here from Ronnie Allen's blog, welcome! How do you find the appropriate setting for the story, or does it find you? For my first novel, MOUNTAIN FIRE, I figured I'd have enough trouble with the mechanics of writing and plotting, and didn't want to add to my struggles by using an unfamiliar setting. So I plunked that novel right in my hometown and the surrounding area. CHEF D'AMOUR (contracted, release date TBA – whee!!!) takes place on the set of a reality show in Vancouver, BC. Again, I am familiar enough with Vancouver to be comfortable writing about it, and my television background made the behind-the-scenes fun. NO LIFE BUT THIS (completed, but lying fallow) takes place mainly in the Azores, a small group of Portuguese islands in the middle of the Atlantic. My husband's family is from there, and we were lucky enough to visit in July 2013. It seemed the perfect location to set a story about a young woman breaking out of her shell and learning to live adventurously. Manuscript #4 is once again set in my hometown. I guess what all that means is I prefer to write about settings that I know! What is your support system for your writing? Family, friends, other writers? All of the above! My husband is my greatest support. He is the one who bought my laptop so I would quit whining about writing and actually sit down and finish something. He has read all my manuscripts, and when he says he likes something I trust him, because we've worked together for more than 25 years and we have no problem telling each other the truth. My oldest daughter is also a writer, and she loves to help me plot, especially early in the process. My parents are so proud of what I've done, they tell any and all who ask about my books. It can be hard to meet other writers, especially in my relatively small town. But the Internet is a wonderful resource, and through that I've met all sorts of writers willing to provide support – including those of Romance Weekly! What is the worst writing advice you ever received and how did you deal with it? I really can't say I've had bad advice. Of course, maybe I just don't know it yet, because the results of the advice haven't come home to roost, but I don't think that's the case. All advice needs to be taken with a grain of salt. What worked for one writer isn't necessarily going to work for me. I love discussions and case studies and examples, and I think if you do enough research, learn enough craft, you'll be able to discern bad advice from the good. Thanks for joining me on Romance Weekly. I invite you to visit Dani Jace and see what she has to say this week! |