Writing for Different Persuasions

Today's guest blog, which offers fabulous tips and tricks on writing menages, both from the sexual and romance perspective, comes from author D. Renee Bagby (http://dreneebagby.com), who also writes under the name Zenobia Renquist (http://zenobiarenquist.com). Her book, Eris (Eternal Truths Series, book 1) is available in print and ebook on Amazon, Bookstrand and Barnes & Noble. Please show your appreciation by leaving a comment and/or question for the author below... Thanks!

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Book Blurb

Time is on their side and they can be together, assuming the truth doesn't ruin everything first.

Immortals born in the thirteenth century, Lucien Riordan and Ranulf Styr have waited centuries to be reunited with their love. Want for her cemented their friendship through time even as it tore it apart. She changed their lives, made them want better, and they plan to show her that. There’s only one catch—she’s never met them before.

Eris Brue is flattered by Lucien and Ranulf’s attention but they are her bosses. She doesn’t want to get tangled up in an office romance, especially not with two men. Their joint seduction overcomes her resolve and she gives in even though she knows they are keeping secrets that could doom their relationship.

Centuries of planning have finally come to fruition. Lucien and Ranulf have a short amount of time to make Eris love them, because once time has her, everything could come to an end.

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Guest Blog

I've written MF, MMF, and MFM. I plan to write FFM and MM as well. Menages can be fun to read and to write. The age old question of "Which will she choose?" becomes "Why not have both?" when writing a menage story. That's what I like about it. From an MFM stand point, the heroine no longer has to decide between the two guys whom she loves. The question then becomes will the heroes share and/or how will they react when asked?

When writing a menage, no matter what flavor, it's important to establish the love between all three main characters. Sticking with the MFM example, the heroes aren't together in a sexual relationship, but the story is going to end with them living together along with the heroine. That can't happen if the heroes hate each other. A deep bond of friendship prior to the start of the threesome relationship or even the familial bond of brothers/cousins is the easiest way to show the emotion between two heroes who won't be physical with each other.

However, having a story with two men who don't know each other until the heroine brings them together does create more conflict. It's just a matter of making sure that conflict doesn't escalate to the point where the relationship can't work. The heroes won't be sharing the heroine in bed if they can't get along. And the threesome sex scene is one reason readers love menages.

Threesome sex can be tricky. You now have two people in bed who are the same gender (authors who write MM and FF have this same issue, of course). Anytime the heroine is interacting with both men at the same time means there are more chances of pronoun confusion. The author is forced to use names throughout the scene so the reader can keep everyone straight.

On top of using everyone's names continuously, there's also the matter of making sure everyone is feeling good and gets off. Even if you keep the sex scene in the heroine's POV and she's on the receiving end (excuse the pun :P), she still has to describe for the reader the actions of two men and how those actions make her feel. I usually establish one man's movements first and then hop over to the second man to show what he's doing. To get the choreography of the scene and positioning of bodies right, I go searching for porn clips. Three people can get into more positions than some people think. Having a visual aid helps to describe those positions.

But menages aren't all about sex. The genre is Romance and readers expect to see that. The heroes are getting along with each other and the author has to present a heroine with deep love for both men. One-on-one time is a great way to do this -- both in bed and interacting in normal circumstances. For an MF author trying MFM for the first time, one on one will be familiar territory. But it's important to give each hero equal time.

If the author favors one hero over the other, then that will show in the writing and thus the heroine will seem to as well. The reader is left feeling like the menage relationship is forced and unfair to one hero. That's when readers start asking if the second hero will get a book of his own. You want to avoid that. One of the reasons I find writing MFM so fun is to introduce two different types of heroes that I find attractive. The heroine can have tall, dark and handsome with an attitude AND she can have the lovable light-haired joker who doesn't take anything seriously. Or maybe the heroes have similar personalities but different appearances. Or similar appearances and different personalities. What the heroes have in common is an indication of the heroine's type when it comes to choosing men. Having the heroes realize that fact can be fun.

Another fun thing about menages is the on-hand mediator. There's no need to bring in a secondary character who helps solve the issues in the relationship. If the heroine is mad at one hero, the second hero can be the one who helps smooth it out. If the heroes are fighting, the heroine is the one who gets them to make up. Secondary characters in menage stories usually have one of two settings -- they are either happy all three are together and want to see it work, OR they want the heroine to stop being greedy and choose. One can help the relationship come together. The other can put a strain on it. Both can be a recipe for more conflict to up the word count.

In the end, it's all about the love the characters feel for each other and how that love will build their relationship so it'll last. I didn't set out to write my first menage. As the story progressed, I couldn't see it any other way. The heroine loved both heroes and I had fun giving them both to her.

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About D. Renee Bagby

Whether as D. Reneé Bagby or Zenobia Renquist, Reneé lives in her imagination. When not traveling through her fantasy worlds, she can be found in Hawaii living with her husband and two cats.

She is an Air Force brat turned Air Force wife, which means she’s accustomed to travel and does it whenever possible (so long as she doesn’t have to fly). Her favorite pastime is torturing her characters on their way to happily-ever-after for the enjoyment of her readers.

On the few occasions her muse flees the scene of the crime, Reneé likes to read (comics, manga, and romance), go to the movies, play a few levels of whichever puzzle game has hijacked her interest or experiment with a new chain maille weave.

Learn to Separate Your Inner Author from Editor & Win $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Come learn how to separate your inner Author Angel from your inner Editor Devil in my guest blog/interview at Romance Author Hotspot .

Feeling lucky? Leave a comment on their site (http://wp.me/p15z8j-v9) and you could WIN A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD plus free books (my Editor Devil Guides & my new Romantic Suspense). The giveway ends Monday night, so hurry!!!

 

Better yet, ALL READERS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR A FREE EDITOR DEVIL GUIDE. Just leave a comment and let me know which guide, Characters or Dialogue, you want and give me your email address and I'll send you the ebook!

 

Do you have a blog giveaway or interview you want to share? Leave a comment here and let us know where to find you and the goodies!

 

And if you are feeling generous, please spread the word about the giveway. You can use this message for Twitter:

 

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Hope you are all having a great summer :)

 

Cheers!

Your Editor Devil

Lessons from Self Publishing My Novel

If you wonder why I've been so inactive with blogging lately, then that makes two of us. I knew WRITING a book was intense. I knew CRITIQUING, EDITING and PROOFING a book was intense. But running that final leg of the race right to publish your debut novel, well... that part was new to me. Let's just say I'm glad to come up for air. My husband is also glad I'm cooking dinners again.

So, you guessed it, An Eye For Danger, the first book in my romantic suspense series is up on Kindle. But my eBook isn't what I want to talk about. Here are a couple lessons I learned from self publishing that might help you on your journey:

1) IT'S NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME TO BE AN AUTHOR.

Authors all have this dream of "making it" with a novel and being able to actually make a living doing what they love. I also dream of winning the lottery. But with the advancements in self-publishing and eBooks, that dream has never been more possible to achieve.

Better yet, you don't have to wait to be "chosen" by traditional publishing, which is not only backlogged on reading manuscripts, but takes up to 2 years to produce a book. The print version. The eBook doesn't come out till several months after the print book. No business in their right mind would delay product to market or stilt their sales this way.

Then there's the size issue. In traditional publishing, smaller is often better. (Ladies, please, please roll your eyes!). Like most authors, I feel that pride and joy that I birthed this puppy. And it's a big puppy--152k words of good guys battling corruption with a little smooching in between. Traditional publishing wouldn't take a book that long due to shelf space, packing limitations and the fact that this is debut novel from an unknown author. Only an established author gets that kind of allowance.

 A few brave agents and editors actually told me I'd be a fool to wait. So, long story short...  I went solo. And I've never been happier with my decision. I wrote the story I wanted to read without all the arbitrary limitations and with a more robust, complicated story line. Statistics show that readers of eBooks want longer stories, not quickies. Including more complicated plots and a family of characters they can roll with for several books in a series. So I hope I deliver on all these fronts.

Price point is also a differentiator. I can keep my eBook affordable at $4.99 so it's easier for readers to take a chance on me. What I've learned over the last year is that eBooks under $5.99 were more approachable for readers. Books over $6 are perceived as traditional publishing range for a name brand author. Books under $3 can be considered lower quality (not always true, but we're talking about reader perceptions here). So there is a magic range that says your book is quality but not overpriced for an unfamiliar/new brand.

Again, because I'm running this show, I control such decisions. And I can be flexible and run free or discount programs to meet market timing. I truly own my destiny.

2)  FEAR IS HARDER TO SWALLOW THAN FAILURE.

Now, all that excitement to self-publish aside, going solo can be scary. I own all successes, sure, but I also own all the failures.

Failure is easy. You just fail and try again. But I'd rather fall on my face, pick myself up, dust off my ego and go buy a Frappuccino for the effort rather than face my Fear about being on my own, money and marketing wise, and having gambled several years worth of work and my husband's patience on this venture.

I can honestly say the moment I pushed publish I wasn't excited, I was relieved. And exhausted and frustrated and afraid. I know I'll be creating new files, new Kindle builds for every glitch I find in the next few weeks/months--that I can handle.

But finally putting my book out there means I'm finally putting my neck onto the chopping block for all readers and reviewers and, ug!, family and friends to judge. And I'm not talking about my writing style or ability to tell a story. I'm okay if they don't like that. But I write about tough, even personal subjects. Sex, addiction, abuse. Did I mention sex?

What if my mother reads this. Or worse, my dad. Dear God, not my dad! I'd rather accidentally find myself naked and back in high school during finals that I didn't study for. (You know the nightmare I'm talking about.)

Anyway, it's done. The book is loose and will have a life of its own now. And I'm thrilled to see it live. I'm also happy to be making my own dreams come true!

My kind fellow authors, Anne K. Albert (http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com/2012/07/christine-m-fairchild-author-of-eye-for.html) and Mariposa Cruz (http://mariposacruz.blogspot.com/2012/07/author-interview-christine-m-fairchild.html) interviewed me on the subject of my debut romantic suspense, the abuse that influenced me to write stories of betrayal, why I believe Resilience not stamina is critical as an author, and why Rochester and Jane are my favorite romantic couple in literature.  Please support them by visiting their blogs for fun info on other books and writing tips/tricks.

Good luck to you!

Your Editor Devil

Writing Through Crisis

Today's GUEST BLOG comes from Susan Winters, who works, writes and dances salsa in Reno, Nevada. She gives great coaching and writing advice, so feel free to ask questions here or visit her blog.
Susan's novella, Mixed Blessings is now available from Amazon. For more musings and interviews check out her blog http://createontheside.wordpress.com/

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 A crisis often leaves us physically and emotionally drained making routine tasks seem impossible.  If you’ve taken time off from your regular job to handle the situation, you might be tempted to set aside writing endeavors until life returns to normal.  Bear in mind “normal” may not be on your bus route for a long time.

 When you’re broadsided by the unexpected, change gears, reduce speed, but don’t completely slam on the brakes.  Even with a reduced writing schedule you maintain a link to the world beyond the crisis.  That does not mean going to the other extreme abandoning your loved ones to the whims of fate, while you flirt with your muse.

 Focus on smaller scale projects you can complete in a reasonable timeframe.  Think minipiece instead of masterpiece.  To have control over a single thing during a time of tumultuous uncertainty is empowering.  Consider experimenting with a different styles or genre—only if the variety inspires you.  If the thought of breaking into poetic verse makes you anxious-don’t do it.

     Other activities to do while you wait for the storm to pass:

·         Research potential markets for your work.

·         Reacquaint yourself with writers who inspire you.  How did they handle the challenges in their lives?

·         Organize your work space, sort through working files.

·         Review the fundamentals of your craft.

·         Update your on-line networks.

     What strategies have worked best for you while in crisis mode?

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Thanks, Susan, for a great blog post!

I know personally that writing kept my sanity when I was providing eldercare for my MIL, who has dementia. That was a challenging time, with a lot of anxiety attacks. But whenever I was down, I put my head into a story. In fact, I produced a book (An Eye For Danger) which got me into a new genre, romantic suspense, and I'm publishing the book to Kindle in July. So good things can come out of tough experiences.

Moreover, during that time and when my dog, Bo, died early this year, my novel critique group helped me focus my energies. So I also see how our community of writers empower us to handle to rough times, whether they give a shoulder to cry on, or assign tasks to keep you busy and forward your career. We have to all stick together in this business, personally and professionally!

Cheers,
The Editor Devil

3 Rules of Scene Building

[Excerpted from my Sensational Scenes class]

Nobody likes to be bound by rules. As The Editor Devil, I especially hate rules. But the rules of scene building help you better meet the goals of storytelling. Here are a few that will keep you moving the story forward not backward, show not tell, and entertain not bore your reader.

Rule #1: Each scene in your manuscript should move a story forward, even if it’s moving your characters backwards in order to give them some new hurdle to overcome. Let me repeat that: Every scene must move a story forward. As scenes progress, the interplay of characters and events and landscape must change. And the plot must advance. This change from scene to scene is what creates a story arc. All scenes must progress the reader toward the final showdown and resolution, the final actions between the main characters and the final character epiphanies. One way to gauge whether your scene is advancing the story is to ask yourself, “What is the payoff of this scene and could the story live without it?”

Rule #2: Every scene must include tension and relief. That means you must have story conflict on a larger level, and scene conflict on a moment by moment level. Harmony is for love scenes and Hallmark cards. So get characters butting heads.

Typically scenes will ebb and flow with tension. Too much tension all the time and the reader will become numb. Too little, and they will feel disinterested. A scene/situation should never be repeated (unless your story is “Groundhog Day” which had a reason to literally repeat scenes as part of advancing the storyline), so look for “repeating” situations in your story and edit them. Making every scene unique helps keep the tension feeling fresh to the reader.

Rule #3: Every scene must involve the goal and motivation of a main character. Whether it’s your hero, heroine, or villain, their goals and motivations drive the story.

One way to look at it is “how does this scene/situation enable the character to change (for better or for worse)?” Yes, you can have goals and motivations for minor characters. These are called subplots, but they don’t drive the story overall and can’t hold up scenes on their own. Writers often want two create scenes with minor characters. I don’t recommend doing this, but if you do, these minor characters must be advancing or affecting the goal and motivation of a main character, even when they are working on their own subplot.

Hope these rules give you guidance on stronger scene development, whether you are writing or editing...

Happy storytelling!
Your Adoring Editor Devil

ENCORE POST: Create Characterization through Dialogue

[Here is an encore post, based on an excerpt from my Editor Devil's Guide to Dialogue book...]

Characterization is the painting of a character in a story through narrative, dialogue and action. Done well, the character will come to life on the page as if they are a real person.

Done poorly, and the author has succeeded in creating cardboard. And the reader will never forget it.

As Noah Lukeman puts it in his book, The Plot Thickens, "...character is the basis for all further talk of journey, conflict, suspense—and is the cornerstone of plot..."

Characterization is achieved by the author through the careful delivery of external (descriptions of how the character looks, walks, drinks their coffee) and internal information (how they act in any given situation, who they interact with, the decisions they make, the decisions they don’t make). Note that these do not break down the same as internal and external dialogue.

Nouns and verbs chosen for dialogue directly affect the intensity of tone and the reader's perception of the character. These words can reveal whether the character is dominant or submissive, passionate or dispassionate.

Also, the choppiness of dialogue sentences and whether the character speaks complete sentences may tell the character’s attitude or even education level. Consider how terse dialogue is spoken by a character who is combative, how sensitive phrases might be used by a care-taking character. Doing the reverse can be even more interesting. Consider how jokes from a bank robber make his/her character more interesting.

Remember: In fiction, what a character says IS who they are. Even and especially when the character is lying.

Delineate Characters through Dialogue

Excerpt from "The Editor Devil's Guide to Dialogue"...

How a character speaks tells us who they are. Hence, no two characters should sound alike in your story.

Dialogue is the writer’s chance to give the character a unique voice, so it’s imperative that the characters speak uniquely. This means the tone of the words (think the temperament of the character—angry people would sound crisp while gentle people would use kind words), and the style (such as gang slang versus Wall Street uptight) and the pacing (fast or slow, choppy or elaborate) should feel one-of-a-kind.

Maybe the hero has a drawl so he cuts ‘ings’ off verbs and speaks in short sentences, often using idioms (such as “Clothes don’t make the man” or “Waste not want not”). While the antagonist speaks using British English phrases and long, proper sentences that sound stiff.

Even when there is no dialogue tag or narrative introduction of the characters, we should be able to distinguish the characters by their dialogue alone. That’s good characterization through dialogue.

Consider Context to Build Characterization

Consider these examples of how the context of a character’s life (authors should list these for each character) also affects a character’s dialogue, both in style and tone, and thus build characterization:

Career: A detective character will not choose the same words as a farmer.

Relationship: A mother doesn’t speak the same as a daughter when they are together.

Situational: A perp doesn’t speak the same as a victim, together or not.

Gender: Men do not speak the same as women, especially when together. Overall, women use more pronouns (I) and articles (it, them), while men use yes/no more often and name people, places and things directly.

Religion: Buddhists monks don’t speak the same as Christian priests. Unless it’s a bad limerick.

Race, creed, nationality, or color: An African American does not speak the same as a black African. Please avoid misspelling or abbreviating words to show ethnicity, as it often backfires or is inappropriate.

Historical: A medieval knight will not speak the same as a modern English Baron, despite being raised in the same country or even county of origin.

Medical: Grandparents with cancer do not speak the same about their disease as children with cancer.

Perspective: A depressed character will not see the same tree like a jovial character. This aspect is key to revealing the heart and mental state of a character.

Mix & Match Context According to Genre

There are so many more potential contexts, too many to be listed here. The point is to consider what makes each character unique, and apply these differences to their speech via word choice, phrasing, tempo, structure, tone and style.

For example: Especially in YA or where young characters are represented, consider hopes and dreams and expectations. Basically, think of who the character “expects” to be when they grow up as equally important to their current background. Adults look at where they’ve been to self-define. Young people self-define themselves based on how they WILL surpass their parents (or at least not repeat their parents’ mistakes). It’s this hopefulness, and often haughtiness, that elevates their sense of promise and self. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if that’s a good or bad characteristic.

The same could be used for any character experiencing dramatic shifts in personality or situation. With the shift to another creature, such as a shape-shifter, typically comes emotional resistance. The vampire hero who refuses to feed off humans. The werewolf heroine who won’t hunt. Why not mix it up? A vampire or werewolf who loves to be a predator might be a refreshing change."

So go forth and forge individuals in your story, my little author angels, not carbon copies of each other. Otherwise, you might as well say "ditto" in dialogue instead of anything interesting.

Yours truly,
The Editor Devil

Let Characters Charm Your Readers

One trick to making your characters pop off the page is to charm the reader. This doesn't mean your male hero speaks like a stereotypical Romeo. Or your heroine acts like a helpless dame looking for her prince in shining armor.

Charming the reader is more down to earth, more home-grown than this. Most of us love complicated heroes/heroines who've had a dark past, or at least been through a little pain in life. Untroubled people on the page are boring (in real life, they are just lucky! and only slightly boring). But adding pain points to your character won't necessarily charm readers either. Pity is not charming, frankly.

So, what charms you about the average Joe? For one, I love to know what makes people smile automatically and thus break through their walls. Puppies are perfect examples.

As most of you know, I have a chocolate Lab puppy named Tucker, and he's a force to be reckoned with. Whenever we approach men, especially the groups of business suits or construction workers, their air of machismo drops. Guys drop to their knees, coo over how cute the puppy is, then look uncomfortably at one another and stand up straight again. Fascinating!

Recently, I brought up this issue with the 5-man crew of State Patrolmen sitting outside my local Starbucks. I explained that watching men react to Tucker was an exercise in psychology. They laughed and agreed that they had all fallen into their 10-yr-old selves the minute Tucker headed for them with his wiggling butt routine.

Now these guys were big, with their bullet proof vests on, sitting tall and telling stories about arresting tough guys. That they could laugh at themselves, IN FRONT OF EACH OTHER, was very charming.

The point is this: when and where people break out of their straight faces, drop their veneers, and act human is usually when we find them more vulnerable and thus interesting. That's a trick you can pull on the page to make your character not only charming, but more real.

How a character responds to a puppy--or a baby or elderly person--may feel cliché to you. So change it up. How about an ugly, ratty dog, or the bratty bully, or the cranky old maid down the street. If the character can still smile/laugh in these encounters, you can bet your readers will too.

  

Yours,

The Editor Devil

NEW Character Developement Book Now On Amazon

Please bear with me as I squirm and giggle. I'm so excited to announce that my new book "The EditorDevil's Guide to CHARACTERS" (http://amzn.com/B007PTQKXA) is finally up and available on Amazon for Kindle.

This book is geared toward fiction writers who want to create fascinating characters—characters readers want to take home for dinner. Whether you want to create the next James Bond or Ethan Frome, the next Indiana Jones or Bridget Jones... this book will help you break the mold on character development.

My goal with this book, as with my classes, is to help you create 3-dimensional characters everyone talks about. We'll examine different profiling modes, including The Hero's Journey, epic-literature archetypes, psychology models, and even spiritual archetypes. Emphasis is placed on building stand-out heroes, heroines and villains. Depending on your genre, you'll also learn the appropriate type of relationships to create between characters, both primary and secondary.

With this book you'll also learn to:

1. Answer 3 key questions about your main characters.

2. Apply the 5 “musts” for character introductions/entrances to the story.
3. Layer action effectively (internal & external, public & private) to “show, not tell”.
4. Build character development arcs (primary vs. secondary characters) more easily.
5. Leverage dialogue between characters (primary and secondary).
6. Understand how heroes/heroines/villains should interact for greater effect.
7. Know when heroes/villains should win or lose and why.
8. Make plotting easier through character-driven storytelling.
9. Choose the right POV character for the story.

Best of luck to my fellow authors and editors!

Your Editor Devil

Use Foreshadowing in Dialogue to Establish Believability

Here's an excerpt from my recent book, "The Editor Devil's Guide to DIALOGUE":

Foreshadowing is a great tool in dialogue to establish believability.

The reader sometimes needs help to swallow whatever truth is coming. By dosing information in small amounts along the way, such as through foreshadowing dialogue, the reader can “work up to” the truth.

For example: An old lady who kills her only son. Maybe’s a petty thief, but it’s still hard to swallow that she’d kill him. But easier to swallow if the reader sees the slow degradation of their relationship in dialogue.

You can move from friendly “Love you, ma” to more tense “Why are you always sweating me, ma” to threatening “Remember what happened the last time you took that tone with me, ma.” Maybe even to a conversation hinting at the abuse he experienced while she turned a blind eye.

Now we’re foreshadowing two plot elements that could come to pass: he’s going to explode, or she has to stop him before he does. That's good drama and great tension!

So think of it this way: any element of your story that would be “too large to swallow” in the opening should be foreshadowed and layered until it’s revealed. By then, the reader will expect and accept it.

But be careful: too much foreshadowing and the reader will feel they’ve already read the whole book.

Yours Truly,

The Editor Devil

My Dialogue Book Now on Kindle!

Last week I published "The Editor Devil's Guide to Dialogue: top tips and tricks for fiction writers" as an eBook on Kindle. This is a compilation of the dialogue class I taught online, so all my top advice is packed into this eBook.

"Likes" and "tags" on the book's Amazon page are appreciated! Just click the Like button next to the book title, or scroll down and select the tags that best fit the category for this book (or fill in your own suggestions). These help my book ranking and placement on Amazon.

I hope this book reaches lots of authors and editors looking to make their fiction dialogue irresistible. Moreover, I hope it inspires folks to push their limits with writing dialogue and not settle for the same old same old. Imagination runs deeper than you think, so pushing yourself can produce your best work!

An excerpt of the book can be found in my blog entry for Savvy Authors, "3 Do's& Don'ts of Dialogue". I'll be teaching my class Sensational Scenes for Savvy Authors May 14-27, so come join me live. This is currently the only class I'm scheduled to teach in the next few months.

For now, here's one of my Dialogue Do's & Don'ts from the eBook:

#15 Create Undercurrents & Ripples

DON’T… Use blatant, safe words all the time.

DO… Use loaded words. Getting “blamed” is not the same as getting “accused” or getting “charged” for something. Simple words are often best, especially in contrast to complex situations, but using words that have undercurrent creates more interest.

DON’T… Speak without color or flavor or sound or feeling or... Forgetting the senses in narrative is a no-no. So too in dialogue.

DO… Use visceral language. Don’t forget to employ the senses (sight, sound, feel, smell, taste) in speech to reveal colors, textures, odors, patterns, or even sixth sense perceptions. And let characters occasionally speak in rich imagery, similes and metaphors. This makes dialogue more sensual, more sexy overall.

Yours truly,

The Editor Devil

My First Book On Kindle

I'm thrilled to announce I published my first book to Kindle. No, it was not my romantic suspense but my book honoring my working dog, Bo, who died of cancer over Christmas (see "Bo Doesn't Know" http://www.amazon.com/Bo-Doesnt-Know-ebook/dp/B007A53PKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329712144&sr=8-1).

This book was a total work of love, a photo story about his time living with cancer and the silly changes we made as humans to help him. Your tags/likes on the Amazon page are much appreciated, as well are reviews!

For those who are going to ePub their own work to Kindle, if you need help with formatting problems, especially images (there are 20 in my book--so I experienced a lot of issues!), ping me. I learned so much the hard way with this book, even though I'd taken a class and read all the instructions. Let's just say there's a lot of kinks in the system!

Anyway, just wanted to celebrate publishing my first book...on to publishing my writing/editing classes and my romantic suspense next month. It’s such a new/exciting world for authors!

Much love to you all in the New Year!

Your Editor Devil,

Christine

Well, if you've wondered why I've been so silent, I can answer you in one word: PUPPY.

*One of us (obviously not you!) forgot that puppies are like babies for the first few weeks--up every 3 hours and ready to be entertained and fed. Needless to say, sleep deprivation has taken its toll. I'm doing dumb things like putting my keys in the silverware drawer. Hey, they're shiny and silver, right?

I'm writing in spurts on books, but don't trust myself with editing, let alone finalizing any business decisions. So I set aside the book release and I'm enjoying my days with Tucker (see that smiling face above) while he's still a puppy.

I promise to return in the next few weeks with new insights and tips for great editing and/or writing. In the meantime, check out my article in the RWR (RWA's monthly magazine) on the "5 Online Marketing Tools You've Never Heard Of".

And triple thanks to everyone who helped me by giving feedback on my book covers. The final version will be unveiled next month!

Regards,
Your Editor Devil

Vote for My Book Cover

I am putting my book covers to a vote. Here are two potential book covers for my romantic suspense.

NOTE: these are mockups, so the images have not been purchased yet and therefore have watermarks and quality issues. And I'll change out the guy image, so the gun is more evident. But the color/layout will be the same. Also, this is going to be a series, so the other book titles are "A Taste for Sin" and "An Ear for Lies". Whichever design I choose has to apply to all 3 books, though the coloring (like blue vs. orange) will change per book.

Give your vote in the comments section. I will send a $10 Starbucks card to one lucky commenter randomly picked (by my hubby) :)

Option 1:

Option 2:

Hope is A Puppy

Our first week without Bo was not easy. My eyes are tired. I've cried every day since his diagnosis, every night since his death. And my home feels empty, alone. Like love is missing. Because it is. A third of my family is gone.

Keeping myself busy isn't enough to fast-forward the grieving process. I've been finishing the book on Bo, working on photographs, prepping to teach my dialogue class to the YA chapter of RWA... Looking at puppies online has helped the most, however, because you can't feel sad when you look at their scrunchy faces.

So Sunday my husband pulls me out of bed, though I have a terrible head cold, and announces we are going on a road trip to Port Orchard to visit a litter of puppies. He's clearly tired of the gloom hanging over our home. I am too, so I drag myself to the shower. I know we have to move on eventually, but my plan was to rescue another dog from a shelter again. My hesitation builds. I know I need another dog in my life, yet it feels way too soon. Every dog I see is NOT Bo.

We drive and ferry it to Port Orchard, sit and play with puppies that all look alike to me and Rob, and we're a bit overwhelmed by having to chose among these little critters who haven't formed their personalities yet. When you chose an adult dog, such as from a shelter, you can distinguish their character.

Over the course of a half hour, however, one pup is making his moves more often than the others---he's tugging on Rob's pant leg, nipping on his shoe lace, and then attacking my coat. Rob remarks he likes the fiestiness (read dominance) in this puppy, but that the puppy's tail has a crick in the tip. I, on the other hand, adore that flaw. I don't care about pure-bred perfection or AKC papers. Rob wants more confidence in the dog's health, so breeder assurances as to lineage gives Rob his power back, makes him believe we can avoid the trauma of Bo's cancer in our future dog. Whatever gives him hope, I condone.

So we pick the imperfect puppy with the crooked tail. And in 2 weeks we pick him up. Enough time for me to clean up the house, get over my cold, work through more grief steps. I cry on the way home, I cry that night. Rob doesn't understand why I'm still sad. It's real now; we are having to replace Bo, my one and only. He's really gone.

Mostly I'm worried I won't bond with the puppy in the same way. I think crazy thoughts, like I won't love his smell or the feel of his coat or the depth of his bark the way I did with Bo. But we HAVE to move forward. Bo was all about progress, not paralysis. As Rob put it, a puppy cannot replace Bo, but he can eclipse Bo's death. We NEED hope to fill our home.

Hope is a puppy.