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Friday, July 30, 2010 ** NEW **Peeling Away The Layers
As I've been working my way through the WIP (hit the black moment this week and the end is in sight!) I've been thinking about lot about my secondary characters. Why? They haven't felt 'right'. I love my hero and heroine, issues and all, but the secondaries I've wanted to like and haven't been able to.
So, I did character interviews with each of them, trying to figure out what was wrong. Question after question I asked and they still felt stiff. Like they were holding back (this is where being a writer makes you seen insane to non-writers!). But I kept pushing and prodding, trying to get to the bottom of it. I was still stuck, but I felt like I was beginning to move forward.
Started cooking dinner (spaghetti bolognese) and as I was peeling away layer after layer of onion, chopping and sauteeing I realized that I was approaching the problem to linearly. Instead of getting curious about the characters, I was asking questions that I (sort of) already knew the answers to. Not a great thing to do.
Instead, I needed to be peeling away the layers that make them tick. So, on my to-do list today: peel back the layers of those secondary characters. And then, starting at the beginning, add some bits and pieces of the layers to the WIP.
And before I sign of: it's fri-fri-fri-fridaaaaaay! That means free books over at Harlequin! This Week's Freebie Friday: Buy 2 or more books, get the Harlequin Superromance, Match Made in Court, absolutely FREE! Just click below to take advantage of the offer:
FREEBIE Fridays. We guarantee something FREE every Friday. It could be FREE Shipping, a FREE print book or a coupon for a free eBook!
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010Book Review: Word Gets Around by Lisa Wingate
It's kind of a push-pull, isn't it? We all love those books we can't put down, but at 4 in the morning the eyes get heavy and we start thinking about the next day at work....and eventually, you just have to put it down. Unless you only have about 20 pages left. In that case, always keep reading. Ha!!
I'm in the middle of one of these books now. Word Gets Around by Lisa Wingate. I became a fan of Lisa's with Texas Cooking, and this book doesn't disappoint, either. I like the quiet spirituality of the book, I love the tension between the hero and heroine and I love the setting - Texas, horse ranch/movie set.
The book came out a couple of years ago, and it's been languishing in my TBR pile, but if you can find a copy definitely pick it up. While you're doing that, pick up the other two books in the series.
I like that Lisa has given both the hero and heroine some very deep-seated issues to work through and they are doing it, not just paying lip service to what has happened to them. Here's one paragraph:
All these years, I'd been battering the same barriers over and over and over, thinking that the answer lay in breaking through and leaving the past behind. I'd looked for the answer somewhere outside - my work, my house, my car, my name in the credits...But every time I came up empty. The answer wasn't there. One the way back to the hotel, it dawned on me: Maybe the answer isn't in getting beyond where you come from but in learning to accept the things that went into your making.
I like that paragraph. I like the emotion, I like the idea of moving forward because of the past. I just really like it, as a person and as a writer.
As a writer, I want to dig this deep and bring the reader thisclose to the characters...isn't that what we all want? A little direction now and then, even in the form of fiction?
What are you reading now? How is it affecting your sleep (or lack of sleep)? Are the books you can't put down the books you keep?
Posted By: Kristina Knight @ 12:20:04 AMTop
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Monday, July 26, 2010Swimming Up Stream...
Early this spring, we started bebe in swimming lessons. She is 2 and did really well in the classes, but what they focus on mostly at this age is comfort in the water. She was already comfortable, being a water baby from birth and all. So this summer we've continued swimming lessons in our pool - with life jacket or water wings, whichever she's in the mood for - and wow, is she progressing. Kicking those legs and 'digging' with her hands, keeping her body in the float position and spitting out water and holding her breath. All. Over. The. Pool. She gets in and she's one side to the other over and over for 5 or 10 minutes. The she plays with her noodle to rest and is right back, 'swimming laps'. Try to put her in a tube and she yells, "No! I need siiiiiiiim, please!" It's really just too cute. One of our 'exercises' entails flipping her onto her back and pulling her around by her ankles, allowing the life jacket to support her head. We're starting to teach her some arm movements for back-stroking. But mostly she kicks her legs. She thinks it's hilarious when I stop pulling and she keeps floating along with the current created in the pool.
Yes, we have plans to wean her off the life jacket, but for now the life jacket stays. Because, living on a lake and with her curiosity, life jackets are a must. Back to my point.
I love that she loves swimming so much. I hope that love stays with her. I've always loved swimming. Have never been especially good at it, but I love cutting through the water, pushing my body and playing around.
I feel the same way about writing. I love cutting through the dark places before I begin a book to figure out goals, motivations and conflicts. I love pushing my brain to work hard at upping the stakes throughout the books. And I love that I can experience everything from sky-diving to deep sea fishing through my characters. When I'm really brave I experience them personally, too. But I'm not often a daredevil.
So this summer while I've been teaching bebe to swim, I've been renewing my interest and love in swimming, too. And finding parallels for that love throughout my life. I love writing. Couldn't give it up if I tried. Even on days when I feel like I have ten pound weights at my ankles and I'm swimming against the current, I want to keep pushing. Keep sending queries to agents and editors. Keep working on that story that calls to my heart.
Because sooner or later that current is going to change and instead of swimming agianst the current, that current is going to carry me to a new place just like the pool current carries bebe around.
That place is my name on the cover of a book. Until I get there, I'll just keep swimming along. How about you?
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Friday, July 23, 2010Book Review & A Freebie Friday!
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I'd received my copy of Mira Lyn Kelly's new - debut! - book with Harlequin Presents "Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring". Well, the time has come for a book review. I'll keep it short, as I'm not a professional reviewer, and stick with the likes/dislikes and overall thoughts.
First, the Likes:
* I loved the feel of the book. I've visited Chicago a few times and Mira Lyn did a fantabulous job of setting the city. She mentioned local favorites, flavors but yet didn't make the book read like a Visit Chicago brochure. I could feel her love for the city within the pages, which was very cool. Much like when I read a book set in Oz, I felt like I'd actually been to the places mentioned in her books. Love that feeling!
* The heroine. Although it took me a little while to really get into Cali's character, once I was there I really was 'there'. I felt like I knew her heartache and that I travelled the road along with her.
* The hero. I never got the same warm-and-fuzzy feeling from Jake, the hero of the book, that I did from Cali. But I did connect with him.
Next for the Dislikes:
* One secondary character felt a little like a plot-device to me. This is where being a writer as well as a reader comes into play. If I were only a reader, I probably wouldn't have noticed, but as a writer, too, this character seemed to come into the picture when something with the plot needed to change or when the characters needed to do something new. It was a little disrupting, at least for me.
Overall Grade: This was a good debut novel. If you love the city of Chicago, like sassy heroines, hot men and a feel-good, happily ever after, you'll love the book. Despite my disconnect with the characters in the beginning I did enjoy Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring. I'd give this a B rating (Reader Kristi gives it a B+, Writer Kristi a C+ because she kept getting drawn out of the story. What can I say? Sometimes being a reader and a writer isn't a good thing!) I'm excited to have found a new Harlequin author and I look forward to her next release.
P.S. If you're in the market for a good book or three (including Mira Lyn's book!) check out the latest Freebie Friday from Harlequin:
This Week's Freebie Friday
Buy 2 or more books, get the Harlequin Historical, Fugitive Countess, absolutely FREE!* Just click the link below to take advantage of the deal: FREEBIE Fridays. We guarantee something FREE every Friday. It could be FREE Shipping, a FREE print book or a coupon for a free eBook!
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Tuesday, July 20, 2010Goals and An Ah-Ha Moment
Posting my goals this week with a little incentive from the BIC crew (Maumee Valley RWA Members). I'm hitting fiction hard this week - want to get 1,000 words each day. The Saint is coming together very nicely, even with my 3 week break from everything because of health issues..and I think I may, just may, finish the entire book by mid-next week. Ahead of my schedule!!
And now for the 'ah-ha' moment I've head: E-books, even from the big authors and publishing houses must be soooooo muuuuuch bettttttteeeeeeerrrr than physical books. How did I reach my conclusion?
Y'all know I bought a Kindle a year or so ago. You know I love books. Well, during my health-hiatus I read. A lot, mostly e-books. I read some favorites, I read some new authors and I found a few keepers. I also learned a little something: If I don't like a book, an e-reader puts one more wall between myself and the book - even books written by bestselling authors. With a physical book, I can usually 'comfort' my way through, even if the characters don't 'talk' to me or the writing doesn't 'sing'.
What I learned over the past 3 weeks is that the e-reader actually puts a wall between me and the books I read. It isn't as comfortable for me. My favorite thing is to curl into a corner of my favorite couch, grab a light blanket for my feet (even in 90-degree weather!) and settle in to read. I lose myself in the pages within a few minutes when I have a physical book, even a not-great physical book.
Using my Kindle, that doesn't happen. Of the 10 or so books I read on my Kindle, three were bad. Just. Bad. And no matter how much I tried to like them, to find a comfortable position, to find the good I couldn't do it. It was torture. So I stopped reading those books and moved on. 5 minutes into the next book, even those that didn't become keepters, I was happy. Comfortable and lost again. It happened over and over.
I'm not sure what that means, ultimately, but it's something to think about as I move forward with my own publishing career. Building books for e-readers is a different thing than building books for the general, non-e-reader public. For me, an e-book - even those from the big NY authors - has to be overwhelming, enveloping and charismatic. Because I'm not holding soft, worn pages in my hands. I'm holding a machine that is cold and awkward and distant.
What about you guys? Do you love ebooks, all ebooks? Or do you find youself distanced from the e-versions of books - even books by your favorite authors?
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Friday, July 16, 2010Wow! It's Been Three Weeks!
I can't believe I'm not following my own advice - and not regularly updating my blog and website, my Facebook and Twitter feeds...I've even been avoiding email. Nope, I'm not mad at anyone. Nope, not on a deadline. I've been dealing with a health issue (fibroid tumors in my uterus and anemia) which has left me wiped out. No energy. Bleh!
So what have I been doing? Making notes on the WIP, keeping my non-fiction deadlines (those took way more energy than I had every day!) and reading. A lot of reading! I've managed to stay up to date with my blog reading, did a bit of research for the Great Agent Hunt, made even more notes on the WIP...and read a little bit more.
I read the new Janet Evanovich (Sizzling Sixteen, another Stephanie Plum book). What did I think? Mweh. The Plum books are always good for a laugh, but when is Stephanie going to grow, even just a little bit? I'm tired of her being a scared-of-guns, inept bounty hunter in on-again, off-again relationships with 2 guys. Sixteen books is long enough for that character. I'd like to see her grow a little.
I caught up on several Harlequin Presents from my Kindle. My fave? "The Master Player" by Emma Darcy. Loved, loved, loved it.
I just had time to start Mira Lyn Kelly's book "Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring" last night. Will report on that in a few days.
Speaking of Harlequin romances, it's a Freebie Friday over there! This Friday's deal: Buy 2 or more books, get a romantica Harlequin Blaze title: Knowing the Score absolutely FREE! Just click below to take advantage of the deal...
FREEBIE Fridays. We guarantee something FREE every Friday. It could be FREE Shipping, a FREE print book or a coupon for a free eBook!
Posted By: Kristina Knight @ 4:02:21 PMTop
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Friday, July 02, 2010It's Another Freebie Friday...
over at eHarlequin. What better way to start off a holiday weekend than with free books right?!? :)
FREEBIE Fridays. We guarantee something FREE every Friday. It could be FREE Shipping, a FREE print book or a coupon for a free eBook!
Holiday weekends are funny things - no matter how much I plan to just relax and not work, I always wind up doing something with the books. So this 4th of July weekend, I'm embracing my madness. I vow to relax and read and spend time with the family, but I'm also going to try to work my way to the Black Moment in one WIP (I'm about 3 chapters from it) and delete a little of the progress I made yesterday because when I woke up and re-read it today, it just doesn't work. I'll keep the deleted stuff in a file, though, just in case!
Have a great weekend, everyone! To my readers in the US: Eat lots of hot dogs, watch the beautiful fireworks and - most of all - take a few minutes for yourself each and every day. Okay?
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Thursday, July 01, 2010One Seriously Happy Camper...
I am one seriously happy camper this afternoon. Not only is all of the nonfiction off my plate heading into the holiday weekend - which means lots of fiction writing time!! - but I just received my copy of Mira Lyn Kelly's debut Modern Heat "Wild Fling or a Wedding Ring". Yippeeeeeee!!! I won a copy of the book during a blog contest over at Maisey's a few days ago. Can't wait to get started.
And of course, now the deals with myself begin...what will I give up to sink my mental teeth into this book? Writing time? Television? Playing with the bebe? Nope...I'll just work around everything. Well, okay, maybe I'll DVR a couple things and skip actual TV, but other than that I'll be strong. I'll still hit my wordcount goals. I'll be focused and in sync with bebe. I'll spend time with the husband.
And once everyone is asleep tonight I'll rip open that cover and enjoy. Will be back in a few days with a review.
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Tuesday, June 29, 2010Jack and the Draw of the Beta Hero
I've been struggling with a Beta male lately and it's making me crazy. Because he used to be Alpha. Used to be as in before this book starts...and something happened to turn him Beta. Kind of like turning a normal guy into a super-vampire-hunter dude. If only I wrote paranormal!
Don't get me wrong, I love a good Beta-guy. Jack Black springs to mind, probably because he guest-starred on bebe's favorite show the other day...Gotta love a guy willing to wear a super-hero outfit and sing along with fluffy monsters. Back to the subject. I love Jack Black - I find him incredibly charming and funny and I like rooting for him. But he definitely doesn't fit the Alpha-hero prototype. I just don't see him as a laying down the law guy...as a make fun of the law guy, yeah...as a running from the law guy, uh-huh. But I just can't make him fit that I'm-Right-And-That's-It way that Alpha heros seem to talk. Which brings me to the hero in question from the WIP. I've Alphaed him out, but he's not as charming as an all-out Alpha...and he needs to be charming. He works as a charmer. As a ruler...not so much.
The problem may be with me. I like that my beta-hero is open to change. I like that he still has a few secrets, but isn't so rigid that he can't share them - eventually. And I like the moments when he goes full-on alpha - which does happen quite a lot. When he's not in full-on alpha mode, though, he's laid back. Way, way laid back.
So, I'm at a loss. I really don't know what to do with this hero. I like the story, I like what the hero stands for. I love that the heroine has no clue what to do with him but can't let him go.
My question to you: are beta heroes a deadend? Do I give up on him and the story? Or should I keep going with Beta-man-with-Alpha-moments and see where it leads?
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Friday, June 25, 2010Isn't It Funny...
how the most mundane things can get you in a writing mood? Actually, I'll rephrase that (because we don't wait to write until we're 'in the mood' right?). Isn't it funny how the most mundane things can turn on the lightbulb and push you into a revelation about a character?
I've been struggling my heroine's motivation in Chapter 1 of the wip. I knew what I needed her to do to get the story going, I knew what her overall motivation was and I knew her character arc. However, getting her to Point A of the story was killing me. She was just there. Yeah, it was a decent opening chapter, but there was no real emotional risk to why she decided to go to the hero's office in the way she did. I needed that emotional connection because the chapter was falling a bit flat.
And then I did the most mundane thing - I tried a new candy bar. I know, what?!? Hershey's has a new candy bar out called the Thingamajig, very similar to their sister candy bar the Watchamacallit. Yuuuummmmmmyyyy. Anywho, as I was munching and thinking, thinking and munching I realized that her emotional pull into the hero's office was to show him that even though she needs him to come with her on this adventure in the most desperate way, she wants him to know that she oh-so-does-not need him in any other way. Not even a little bit.
So, I'm off to switch things around a little bit - she'll begin the wip in a different place than the hero's office...but she'll find up there all the same.
Today's Deal: Buy 2 or more books and get Impetuous, a Harlequin Special Release by Lori Foster absolutely FREE!* Pick up the link below and take advantage of Freebie Friday!
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