11 questions and a Writers Platform Campaign

I was intrigued by the Writers Platform Building Campaign and after reading the information posted there, I immediately signed up. I was thrilled today to be tagged by Jennifer Fishetto in an eleven questions posts. The challenge is to answer eleven questions and in return ask eleven questions to eleven other bloggers.

Jennifer’s questions were:

1. What is the one thing you wish you knew how to do but don't? Fix the carburetor on my motorcycle.

2. If you could instantly know a foreign language (one you don't already know), which would it be?

This is a tough one as French and Italian sound so lovely to me but for practicality reasons, I think Russian would be beneficial.

3. What is your first birthday memory? Opening a lovely box sent to me in the mail. My first ever package and inside was a real Malibu Barbie.  My daughter played with her as a child and we still have her tucked away to this day.

4. If you could go back to age 21 (assuming you're legal, lol), knowing what you know now, would you?

I think there would be some sort of catch-22 to this scenario.  I fully believe there would be an irony; I would know exactly what I need to do in a situation but a karmic curveball would come out of left field. However, that could make for a very interesting story.

5. If you went to your prom, was it everything you hoped? And if you didn't, do you regret it? My senior prom was not fun for me at all.  I had been very ill most of that year and the effect did not leave me with a ravishing appearance. 

6. Would you rather: perfect health, complete wealth, or never aging?  All of these are very tempting but once again my practical and analytical nature prompts me to consider the pros and cons of each choice. The Picture of Dorian Grey immediately flashed into my mind as I considered never ageing and we all know what happened to him. If you don’t, I recommend the old movie with Hurd Hatfield and George Sanders. Complete wealth actually scares me. I have been blessed with improved health as I got older, (I am hoping that includes being lean and fit), so I will choose health.

7. What is your favorite TV show from childhood?

I grew up with 3 channels and we watched what my parents chose.  I was also to busy Doing Stuff to watch much tv, but I did enjoy the Little Rascal reruns which came on when I returned home from school.  I was allowed to watch Charlie’s Angels and Chips occasionally as well. The afterschool specials series were helpful with the messages they portrayed in pretty much making me believe I would never live to adulthood if I did some of those things.

8. Which is the best book you've read in the past year?

Madame Tussaud by:  Michelle Moran , is one of my favorites from last year but I have read  to many to list.

9. Which is your favorite book of all time? Again, this is a hard one. I have so many favorites that it would be hard to choose.  So, I’ll just choose the Complete Works of Anna Katherine Green.  She was the precursor to Agatha Christie.  Her books are public domain by the way, and available on Project Gutenberg.

10. Which kitchen appliance could you not live without (not including the basics, fridge, stove, and sink)?

The microwave is naturally my choice. I don’t think I actually need a stove at this point, except for my son to sit his dirty dishes on.

11. If you had to choose, would you rather use an outhouse or have no electricity, forever? This could all be solved with the use of a generator but since that was not an option, I guess the outhouse. I am used to rustic camping and I don’t live where there would be snow to battle to open the door.

Now here are my eleven questions:

1.            If you could live the life of any historical character or person from 1900 or earlier, who would that be?

2.            Why did you choose that person?

3.            What is the one thing in life you want to accomplish?

4.            What tv show do you wish would be remade or produced?

5.            What was the last book you read?

6.            What is your favorite old (black and white) movie?

7.            If you could invent one thing to benefit humanity, what would that be?

8.            If you could grant someone you know a wish right now, what would that be?

9.            What classroom memory do you have from elementary school?

10.          Describe your favorite fruit without naming it.

11.          Name a song that makes you feel happy whenever you hear it.

And I am tagging the following 11 bloggers:

1.  Lesann Berry 

2.  J.C. Martin

3.  Run, Gwen, Run

4.  Mary Howe at Creation and Compassion

5. Claire at The View From My Garrett

6. Mariekye at Six Impossible Things

7.  Jess at Write,Skate, Dream (Love the Skating Reference!)

8.  Jay at White Castles in the Sky

9. Michael Haynes at Writing Blog

10. Christy Farmer at Magnolias, Music and Mayhem

11. James Lackey

Welcome to Writer Wednesday Blog Hop!

This time we have things a little different...we have three hosts for the blog hop today, so that means more the awesome-ness for you writers out there. And we have Bugs Bunny (my favorite!) hopping with us today...

Animations provided by MySpaceAnimations.com

And make sure you grab a button (no html code for it yet, just save it as an image and you should be able to upload it to your blog that way).

Here's the rules!

1) Follow your blog hosts: World of My Imagination , A Writer Weaves a Tale..., and A Writer's Muses

2) Follow at least three other blogs (if you post your link early, make sure you come back and check out the other blogs)

3) Let the person you followed know that you are following their blog

4) (Optional...sort of): Tweet about the blog hop! (Use hashtag #WWBH and #WW when you do!) - Thank you to all of you who have featured this hop on your site!! I really appreciate it!

And all you do is link up below! You can link up your writing site, your blog, your twitter account, or your facebook page. We're flexible, and I know my other awesome hoppers are too. We're a cool bunch. 

Character Creation Part 1

     The most logical, but often times over looked step in creating a character is the knowledge of their biography. I read somewhere once that J.K. Rowling had boxes of notes regarding the Harry Potter books. I am sure she must have felt like Harry and others were  members of her family by the end of the series.

     Is your character right handed, do they have allergies, or do they have a secret phobia? There is not a perfect person in the world to my knowledge, so why would we want to read about perfect characters?  One of my first stories revolved around two sisters in their 40’s. They had no problems. No. Problems. Both had wonderful husbands, nice cars, careers they loved, children with no problems, and I loved them!

     I loved them for a very short while. They were far too perfect. Neither would be caught taking the trash out in a printed tshirt unless it was for a local college sports team with perfect makeup and hair. I do not know a soul like this.  I suppose I could have made that drive for perfection a flaw but frankly, perfection was too hard to write.  Once I dug into their biographies though, interesting details began to emerge and the story became much more interesting. I will just say it turned out one had a penchant for renaissance fairs and costumes, only she began to prefer to dress that way everyday. Some women do love a wimple. 

      My goal as a writer is to provide my readers with a world in which to escape, whether it is a small southern town in 1935 or with reluctant soldier in the civil war.   As a reader, my favorite books involve characters that invoke a sense of kinship, amazement or wonder.  Two characters that have stood out in my mind over the years are two southern sisters, Mary Alice and Patricia Ann written by the late Anne George.

      There are 8 books in this series and reading each one made me feel as if I was visiting the fun side of my family.  Though these are cozy mysteries, they have moments of humor and  Anne George had a masterful way of “showing" the reader the characters details.

This is a literal interpretation from a part of one scene.

       Patricia Ann has just removed cookies from the oven and is slightly smarting over Mary Alice’s  previous remark regarding the state of her hair. Mary Alice is eating a hot cookie and she happens to be wearing a garish tshirt with a pelican on it.

This interpretation does not interest me as a reader. The only emotion evoked is the stated emotion of “still smarting” .  

  This is the scene from the actual book:

I scooped up a hot cookie and handed it to her. Burn, baby,burn.

Mary Alice blew on the cookie. A couple of crumbs fell on her turquoise T-shirt, which declared “Tough Old Bird” and which had a pelican with a yellow beak peeking around the words. Given the expanse and jiggle of Mary Alice’s chest, that bird was having a rough flight. 

Anne George: Murder on a Girl's Night Out 

That one paragraph stands out in that chapter to me. I highly recommend these books to read if you love descriptive characters and laughing out loud! 

I am posting links to some sites that I have found helpful.  Mix and Match them and ask some of your own questions. People watching will also be helpful to add mannerisms and quirks in a descriptive manner.  Character worksheets are must for me. In 2011, I completed NaNoWriMo and had a character named Alma. Well, sometimes she was Alma and sometimes Anna. I had not done worksheet on her so you can only imagine how interesting she was, especially if I her creator could not remember her name!

Jenny Meyer Hoff: Character Worksheets Tara K. Harper's Writer's Workshop and different worksheet sets from The Writer's Craft. 

I also recommend the inspiring and insightful Characterization series written by Larry Brooks at Storyfix.com.

In the next post I will share with you some of the things I discover about the main character from my current WIP.  What is a trait o that emerged from one of your character's biographies? 

Interview with Romance Author Anna James!

This has to be the most exciting day for me as a blogger. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do an interview with Contemporary Romance Novelist Anna James. I am currently reading her latest release, "To Love and Trust Again" and I must say I loved the character of Molly before I even finished Chapter 1.  This novel was recently awarded a review of 4 stars over at Romance Novel Junkies!

This is the first interview I have done with an author and I hope I have done justice to her book and her talents. She graciously answered questions for me and I can't wait to share the answers with other novelists in training.

Please, tell us more about your latest release!

             AJ: My New Book, entitled To Love and Trust Again, is the Story of Molly Quin, Dan Berringer and Max McDermott.

Three years ago Molly Quin walked out of Dan Berringer’s apartment and told him that she wanted nothing to do with him ever again. Now, after accepting a position with Bennett Engineering, she will have to see Dan every day. Fate could be so cruel! Seeing him again so unexpectedly, she discovered to her chagrin, has brought back feelings she thought she’d dealt with a long time ago. 

Dan Berringer made a mistake. He’d hurt Molly badly. He wants her back now and will stop at nothing to win her including letting Max McDermott get in his way.

Max McDermott wants Molly Quin. She’s smart, funny and sexy as hell, but he is reluctant to pursue her. He knows Molly is attracted to him too but what about her relationship with Dan Berringer? And is he willing to become involved with someone he works with again?

Follow Molly on her journey as she deals with hurts from the past and her feelings in the present and learns how to love and trust again.

As I said before, I really like the character of Molly in this book. As I have made February the month to talk 

about characters on my blog, I am curious to know more about your favorite character to write in this book                
           AJ:.Although I loved creating all of the characters in this book, I especially liked creating Molly Quin, my heroine. I believe a good story starts with the characters, specifically with the heroine –after all, it’s her story. As a reader as well as a writer, I need to feel a connection to the heroine. She has to be real to me; someone who I can relate to and someone who lingers long after I’ve finished reading (or writing) her story.Molly is a smart confident young woman who is passionate about life. She is persistent and won't give up when the going gets tough.

Molly's confidence and persistence must be why I like her so much! I am sure new writers would also be interested in how you went about formulating the plot and characters of this book.

         AJ: I didn't want this to be like other romance novels where hero and heroine have a past relationship and now they are forced back together again, they work through their differences and live happily ever after. I wanted a little more excitement so I asked myself what would happen if my heroine, who has finally landed her dream job, suddenly finds out that her old flame (who hurt her badly) also works at the same company and she will have to deal with him on a daily basis. Then I asked myself what would happen if she suddenly realizes she may still have feelings for him and he definitely wants her back?Now I know you're thinking "what's so different about that scenario?" I thought the same so I decided to see what would happen if I added another love interest for my heroine.How does it all turn out, you ask....Pick up a copy of To Love and Trust Again from Melange Books (http://www.melange-books.com/authors/annajames/toloveandtrustagain.html)

I know this question is often asked, but do you have a process for writing or follow a routine? As an outliner myself, I am always curious if other writers use an outline and how it works for them.

          AJ: I don't do any formal outline but I do plot the story out in my head. When I get stuck with certain parts I usually move on to another part of the story. I have any set routine and write whenever time permits.

What do you think are the most important elements for writing a successful romance novel? 

          AJ: Many things go into creating a good romance novel. Here are some of the things that resonate for me:

The plot– The story should start in a place that captures the reader’s attention, then, as you move through it the characters must meet, fall in love with each other and end up overcoming the problems that are keeping them apart. Key elements of a good plot, as far as I’m concerned, include strong emotional conflict, passion and sexual tension.

The Characters - Romance novel characters should be interesting, complex and real enough to linger long after you have finished the story.

The heroines must be independent, strong women with determination, persistence and spirit. They must be willing to fight to overcome adversity, should be a romantic at heart and believe that love triumphs over all odds.

The heroes must be sensual, charismatic, successful and strong. They must be passionate about the heroine (although may not show it right away) and about life.

 Physical Attraction – The hero and heroine must be physically attracted to one another. As with anything else how physical attraction is portrayed in a romance novel can vary. It can be shown with tender caresses and gentle, loving kisses; in hot and steamy scenes with graphic sex or anywhere in between. I personally like a romance novel that has a high level of sexual tension. It adds to the excitement of the story. But as far as I’m concerned, when the sexual tension results in a love making scene, it must be emotionally driven. The characters can’t just be in it for the sex. Regardless of how the attraction is portrayed the important thing is to make sure the spark is there and evident to the reader. 

Romance Wrap-up - This is where all the important issues are resolved, all the unanswered questions are answered and the story is brought to a satisfying conclusion.

I am sure this question is asked of every author, but it is a question most people sincerely want to know.  What book(s) and /or author(s) have influenced your writing?


AJ: I like the type of books written by Nora Roberts, Jane Ann Krentz and JK Rowling just to name a few. I love the way these authors tell a story. They are full of passion and drama and romance (even Harry Potter has just a touch of romance) 

You can follow Anna's blog and read about her many books at the places below. I plan on reading "Christmas Collectibles" next because I love Christmas themed stories of any genre.Thank you so much Anna for answering my questions!

My blog: www.annajamesromance.com
My facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-James-Author-of-Contemporary-Romance-Novels/129394040447020
My Goodreads page: http://www.goodreads.com/annajames
Twitter: @authorannajames

The Character Blogfest and a Guest Author!

Check here for the latest Part 2 post of the character blog fest. I am also very excited to have Romance Author Anna James as a guest on Thursday to tell us about her latest book, "To Love and Trust Again."  She has written many contemporary romance novels and has also lectured at writing workshops. I hope you will stop by and wish her well!

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Character Blogfest!

Just added! The Fourth Writer's Platform Building Campaign is getting started over at Rach Writes! Stop by and check it out!

In preparation of the upcoming 5 part series on characters, I am participating in the “I’m Hearing Voices- Blogfest” over at Live to  Write… Edit When Necessary.  Be sure to return here on Friday for the first post in the Writing Characters Series.

Part 2

Have two characters introduce each other using only dialogue—no backstory, no internalization, just dialogue between the two. Max 250 words.
This dialogue is from my current WIP set in a small southern town in 1935. 

“Tillie! How did you get into town?”

“I had Charlie get the old model T out of the barn, of course.”

“You don’t even have a driver’s license!”

“Well, neither does Charlie and he is the one that drove us into town.”

“Tillie, I don’t care if you are my grandmother, if you have got to stop these shenanigans!  You are going to end up in serious trouble and you’re going to take that poor kid Charlie with you, he would probably jump of a bridge if you asked him to.”

“So, are you planning on throwing me into the old folk’s home?”

“I am not going to have to. The judge told you after the incident with the still, one more time in his courtroom and he will put both of y’all on probation.”

“Well, grown or not, when my granddaughter is involved in a murder, I am finding a way to get to you.”

“I am sorry for losing my temper, Tillie. I know we are all each other have and you panicked, but you’re going to end up on a chain gang and Charlie won’t graduate the eighth grade much less go to college, if you don’t stop dragging him into your schemes!  His grandmother is giving him what for over there in the corner now and  I’ll bet you a nickel, she give it to you next.”

Part 1  

Josephine Tallmadge (Joey as she is known) from my current work in progress is going to “answering questions” during this blog fest.

  My biggest vulnerability is my fear of failure, but I do not think anyone around me knows this. I am entirely capable of doing any job put forth to me and able to function calmly in crisis situations.  I believe my grandmother suspects that occasionally the weight of the world seems to wear me down.  She does not protest my occasional trips or my secret career, because she realizes her frequent escapades add to my worries.   

  Though I am able to hide my fear of failure, the one thing everyone in town does know about me is that I broke my engagement with Bart Ellis. Hardly anyone knows the truth behind the broken engagement and I will continue to try to save both of our reputations.  Most chalk it up to hurt feelings and believe I hold a silly grudge.

  My best friend does know my reason for breaking the engagement and believes my two of my strongest qualities are at war within me. I will stand beside a friend through the thickest battle or most trying of times, but if I am wronged, I do not resume relationships easily.  Forgiving is one thing but forgetting does not seem to be part of my nature.

  The engagement to Bart is irrevocably broken, no matter what anyone wishes, but I do want to marry someday.  I will not lower my standards and cannot imagine becoming the wife of any man that does not possess intelligence, compassion and the ability to demonstrate an understanding of equality. 

Creating Characters: A Five Part Series

Photopin: M Harrsch

I am starting a  5 part series dedicated to Characters and what we love about them.  I hope to offer some assistance to writers who are devoting time to the mechanics of their writing.  Think about the last book or story you read. What made that character memorable to you? As an aspiring historical fiction novelist and avid reader of the genre, the writing of the character is what differentiates a world I can become absorbed in versus a plain historical textbook.  

I completed NaNoWriMo in 2011 with no guide other than the few wonderful blogs I follow and of course Larry Brooks and his awe inspiring website,  StoryFix.com.  Larry’s website and a supportive NaNo  group kept me going through that long November.   After reading the unstructured mess that had spilled into the writing program I endeavored to master, I knew I clearly had more work to do to ever come close to producing a cohesive story which a reader could enjoy.  My verbal stories have followed me for several years and along the way were pleas from friends of “You must write this story. I really want to know what happens to these people!” For these patient friends, I am determined to tell the stories of a civil war soldier, a depression era waitress and a forlorn prince in a foreign country. Three different books, three very different characters and I am determined to convey each one onto paper.

The reference books I will be using for this series are:

Writing the Breakout Novel by  Donald Maas

Growing Great Characters from The Ground up by Martha Engber

Characters, Emotons and Viewpoints by Nancy Kress

The Dramatic Writer’s Companion by Will Dunne

Crafting Unforgettable Charafters by K.M. Weiland (sign up for her newsletter and get this nifty booklet for FREE)

and of course, the great seven part series by Larry Brooks.  I can’t wait to introduce you, the faithful blog reader to not only my characters, but those of some of my favorite writers.

Tell me, dear writers and readers, who is your favorite character and name the traits that endeared them to you!