WHEN THEY SAY YOU NEED TOUGH SKIN...

My guest, romance author, Karen Kelley, says she was an ignorant farm girl when she started her writing journey. I have to say, I've rarely found farm/ranch girls stupid. A bit naive, as are many new writers, in the corporate world of publishing but that only means conquering a learning curve. 

Karen says, “Publishing can be a rocky road with lots of highs and lows but, oh, what a fun trip!” 

To enjoy the trip one does have to develop self confidence and a thick skin but, I’ll Karen tell you more about that.

When I first started writing I was told you need a tough skin. At the time, all I could think about was getting published, always reaching toward that one goal. I figured I already had a pretty tough skin just from growing up—I was wrong.

If you keep getting rejection after rejection you'll either end up with an alligator hide or you'll give up. After six very long years I finally reached my goal. It happened really fast. I mailed off the manuscript and I got an offer by the end of the week. I'd hoped and prayed I would get "the call", but I don't think I really expected it to happen. You know how it is when you want something so bad you can almost taste it? Whether it's a new job or a dream vacation. I learned that to reach a goal you not only need a plan of action, but you also have to stop dreaming at some point and start doing. If I want to lose 10 pounds I have to eat right and exercise. There are no shortcuts. Have surgery? I've seen people gain the weight right back. But isn't the journey part of the package? For all the nicks I've gotten I've also grown and matured. I've learned to look at life from a different prospective.

Getting published did happen, though. Editor Hilary Sares at Kensington called in the middle of the afternoon and I quickly became a babbling fool without a brain. I'm surprised she didn't retract the offer. After we hung up I think I just sat on the sofa and cried. My dream had come true. I had it made.

Well, not exactly.

The line I sold to went under. I floundered until finally signing with an agent. The agent had me tearing apart manuscripts and I blindly followed where she led. She was an agent. I was still just an ignorant farm girl. Big mistake. HUGE mistake. I eventually learned most of my ignorance came from not believing in myself. How many doubts have you had in the course of your lifetime? Did they cripple you?

One day I entered a contest author Lori Foster sponsored. I didn't win but she enjoyed my writing so much she sent it to her editor, Kate Duffy. Kate Duffy offered me a contract—a really nice one J In six months I quit my job nursing and wrote full-time  For the next 4 years, I was lived my dream going to conferences, speaking to writers groups.... Kate always said as long as she was an editor, I'd have a contract.

I put all my eggs in her basket. Neither one of us could predict she would get cancer. I became a better writer and a better person because of her. She was funny, she was a friend, and a lot of the time she scared the hell out of me. Kate could be a little gruff. I went back into nursing when Kensington dropped me right after Kate passed.

Wikimedia Commons

Did I mention the tough hide, alligator skin???

Yeah, I thought so.

Sometimes it's a hell of a lot easier to walk away from writing. But I couldn't. After a year or so my agent (a different one) got me a contract with Sourcebooks. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough money to let me go back to writing full-time  but my books would be out there. I felt like a writer again. Stupid, I know. I don't need validation from anyone to tell me I'm a writer. I only need to write. 

Kate once told me, "Don't worry about the technical stuff so much, Karen, just have fun writing the story." She was right. I've won more awards from books where 'I just had fun' writing them. I really miss hearing her voice. She was a very special editor. 

My 23rd book, Smoking Hot, came out this month. It's a sexy, steamy paranormal. And after that? Well, I don't have an agent anymore, and I don't want one at this point in my career. I've decided to go independent the end of August. I think I'll just have fun writing. 

Source Books will be giving away a copy of Smoking Hot.  For a chance to win just leave a comment.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

BUY: AMAZON, B&N, BAM, INDIEBOUND
POWELLS

SMOKING HOT

Karen Kelley

Everything She Wants...

Working the night shift at the sheriff's office has given deputy Raine McCandless more than enough time to fantasize about the kind of man she'd like to take prisoner, so when she arrives home to find a sexy intruder waiting for her, she's pretty sure she must be dreaming.

...Can and Will Be Held Against Her

But Dillon Taylor, with his stunning blue eyes and killer tan, is 100% real, just not 100% human. Half-man, half-angel, he'd love to answer every naughty prayer Raine has ever had. But Raine is in serious danger. And Dillon can only fulfill her every fantasy if he can keep her alive.

EXCERPT 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Currently Karen writes for Sourcebooks and the Brava Imprint with Kensington Publishing. Karen writes full-time, and collects junk which she fondly calls antiques. Her husband can still be talked into mailing her manuscripts and also helping with her publicity. She has two grown children, one son-in-law and four grandchildren and a very spoiled Pekinese. She loves sitting on the patio on a warm spring day and procrastinating about her approaching deadline. You can find Karen: Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and Website.

JEANNE ADAMS: The Dream Writing Space

It's my pleasure to have romantic suspense author, Jeanne Adams, visiting with us Over Coffee. You may have read her Deadly Little Secrets, nominated for Best Suspense of 2010 and today I'm featuring another RT Top Pick and the follow up, Deadly Little Lies. 


I was curious about her writing area where she creates these fun romances and you know me, if I'm curious, I ask.
Describe your writing space—what would be your DREAM writing space?




You know, Sia, when you asked me about writing spaces, I thought, “How can I answer that, I have a great writing space!?” 

But the more I thought about it, the more I decided it would be SUCH a fun topic.  I can talk about this topic for hours of course (and have, because I teach a class about it) and it got me thinking.  What would I want to have that I don’t already have?

I have a great room, all to myself.  It’s the size of a closet, but hey, it’s got a door that shuts, and bookcases, and a desk and chair.  I’m good.

I have a really big monitor that keeps me from straining my eyes – and what a god-send THAT is, let me tell you! 

There’s floor space enough for the dogs to hang out with me all day, which they usually do.  And two windows, which let in natural light, and which if I’m really bored or trying to think of something to do next, allow me to see the world passing by and get some ideas.

Granted, my ideas usually run to blowing things up – one of my favorite pastimes – so I’m not so sure the FedEx guy would appreciate knowing what I’ve contemplated doing to his truck.  Snork!  But it helps to have that visual distraction sometimes.

I’m very visual, so I have a lot of pictures and inspiration pieces around.  Clutter, according to my DH.  And I have toys.  Things to toss and play with, as I’m very kinesthetic as well. 

But a dream space….where would that be?  What would that look like?  Well, it would have to be bigger, maybe 12 by 20 feet.  BIG windows, looking out on the street. 

The street, you say?  Yep.  I know some people like the quiet pastoral view, but I’m an extrovert.  Seeing the people moving and driving and going and doing helps me concentrate.  Too much quiet makes me jumpy.  Which is why a dream workspace would also have to have a rockin’ sound system.  A Bose sound dock for my iPod would work, maybe some auxiliary speakers to that so the bass can really reverb.  Grins. 

That would mean soundproofing too, I guess, since I like to work late at night as well.  So good lighting too – lights in the ceiling (currently missing in my office) as well as task lighting on the desk.

A mini-fridge would be good...or maybe not.  As it is, I need to move around more, having a fridge in the room would be toooo convenient and contribute to writerly “spread” from so much sitting.  Ha!

Color.  It would have to have color.  I might paint a neutral and do pops of color that I could change.  Yeah, I think that would be it.  And have huge bulletin boards where I can collage stories and hang idea things, and then take it all down when I needed some peace.

More than anything else it would have to have bookcases.  Lots and lots of bookcases.  I have some now, but my research books spill out into other rooms, not to mention all the books from “keeper” authors.

And I think it’s time for a new chair.

That’s kind of the dream – big, spacious, well-lit, bookcase-lined, music-blasting, big-monitored space.  Room for the dogs, room for me, room to spread out the research and rock and roll the writing (and the music.)

• What about you?  Whatever work you do, where do you like to do it?  Do you need quiet, or can you concentrate better with a lot of noise around you?  (I like to work at a busy Starbucks)  Do you want to see a pastoral, quiet scene of nature, or the bustle of the city, or at least your street?

• And if you could change one thing about where you work now – even if it’s your boss – what would it be?

~*~*~

Caught In A Game

Secrets are what drive billionaire security expert Davros Gianakopulos to succeed. And no one intrigues him more than striking art gallery owner Carrie McCray. But when a vengeful enemy traps Dav and Carrie in a ruthless battle of wits, the only thing he can trust is desire…

Carrie has faced down trouble before—betrayal taught her how. But staying one step ahead of those hunting her and Dav is as dangerous as her urgent feelings for him. Each move brings them closer to disaster, just as Dav’s every searching kiss challenges Carrie’s hard-won reserve. And he’ll do whatever it takes to protect her…even putting their last chance at love on the line…Excerpt

Buy: AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, BOOKS A MILLION

Jeanne Adams lives near Washington, D.C., with her handsome husband, two charming sons, and her Dalmatians. Formerly in the dark and dangerous world of business marketing, she's also worked in bookstores, for a cemetery, and several funeral homes. A member and frequent speaker for Romance Writers of America and its various chapters and a proud member of Washington Romance Writers. Jeanne loves to connect with readers and other writers. 

twitter.com/JeanneAdams 
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JeanneAdams8 
Blog: www.RomanceBandits.blogspot.com
Website: www.JeanneAdams.com

World Building With Jennifer Estep

My guest today is Jennifer Estep. She's a USA Today bestselling author of the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series, and the Bigtime paranormal romance series.


I'd say she might know a bit about successful world building in a story. I had a chance to pick her brain a bit about world building in her Mythos Academy series.

Most of us associate world building to paranormal and Sci-Fi. How important is world building to a story? 

JE: World building is always important in a story, no matter what genre you’re writing in. You always want to transport readers to another place, whether it’s a small town, an alien planet, or a medieval castle. You want to make folks feel like they are right there in the story with your characters, having a burger and fries at the local diner; or exploring a hot, muggy, tropical rainforest; or even feeling their toes go numb as they trudge through a mountain blizzard. You want people to connect with your characters, and bringing your world to life is one way to help do that.

However, I would say that world building is a little more important when you’re writing a fantasy/sci-fi book. Readers who enjoy those genres expect to see a lot of magic, sorcery, science, technology, etc. You have to create a world where those things are possible, and then make readers feel like they are in the middle of your world, whatever and wherever it is.

While you were writing Touch of Frost, did you already have an idea in mind for a setting/location for Mythos Academy or did you have to do some research for it?

JE: The great thing about writing fantasy is that you get to create your own world. I didn’t really do any research about the setting/location. I knew that I wanted Mythos Academy to be a private/boarding type of school with a Southern, mountainous setting, so I came up with Cypress Mountain, my fictional suburb that’s supposedly near Asheville, North Carolina.

After that, it was just a matter of deciding what sort of buildings the academy needed and how I could use the buildings and their descriptions to give the whole campus a dark, creepy, mythological feel.

Is Mythos Academy patterned or inspired by any building/structure you've visited or come across?

JE: No, the academy isn’t really patterned on any specific building. But several years ago, I visited the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee, which I thought had some really cool architecture. Visiting the Parthenon reminded me how much I’ve always liked mythology and made me think that it would be fun to write a mythology-based story someday. And now, I have.

How do you decide what to include in your description of Mythos Academy (buildings, etc)? Was it difficult to write Mythos Academy at all?

JE: It wasn’t too hard for me to dream up the academy. Since it’s a school setting, I knew that there needed to be some school-type buildings, so I designed an upper quad where students spend most of their time. The quad features five buildings – the Library of Antiquities, the dining hall, the gym, the math-science building, and the English-history building.

Basically, these buildings tie in with everything that students would normally do, as well as some things that only the Mythos kids do. These buildings give students a place to eat (the dining hall); a place to go to classes (English-history and math-science); a place to train with weapons (the gym); and a place to study and socialize after classes (the library). There are also student dorms on campus, along with some other outbuildings.

I decided to use these buildings because I thought I could stage a lot of different scenes in and around the various buildings – everything from Gwen doing weapons training with the other students in the gym to her wandering through the library to her walking across campus late at night.

Complete this: Mythos Academy would cease to exist if _____ is missing. (Can be a person, place, an object, etc.)

JE: The Library of Antiquities. The library is a seven-story tall building with towers, parapets, and balconies. Gwen says it looks like something out of an old, Gothic horror movie. The library is also covered with statues of mythological creatures like gryphons, gargoyles, dragons, chimeras, and more, which adds to the creepiness factor. Inside, the library features hundreds of thousands of books, along with glass cases that contain artifacts that have been used by various gods, goddesses, heroes, and more – things like armor, weapons, jewelry, etc. There are also marble statues of gods and goddesses on the second floor balcony of the library.

The Library of Antiquities definitely the centerpiece of the academy and where a lot of the action in all the books in the series takes place. It’s also a place where the kids can Hang Out and Be Seen, as Gwen puts it.

Any advice for writers on how to effectively build worlds for their books?

JE: I think you just have to think about your story, your characters, and go with your instincts. What do you want your setting to be? How will it impact your characters and the overall story? Where are the places that your characters are likely to interact? What can you do to make these places special, interesting, unique, and memorable? How can you give a house or restaurant or graveyard a distinct look, feel, and personality of its own and make it almost become another character in your story?

Those are some of the things that folks might think about when it comes to world building. Also, you don’t have to go overboard on the description of a house, restaurant, etc. Small, subtle touches here and there can really add up and give your world/book a lot of atmosphere and personality. 

Jennifer, thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to be here and share your thoughts on the importance of building a believable world regardless of the genre we write.

Touch of Frost Available July 26th

Gwen Frost is an outsider at Mythos Academy, a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword. Gwen is an outsider both to the students of the Academy and the rest of the world. But when her gift of psychometry - the ability to know an object's history just by touching it reveals dark undercurrents and danger afoot, she has no choice but to get involved. EXCERPT

BUY: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, Borders

Available in both print and e-format. You can also read the prequel, First Frost for 99 cents from the above on-line stores in e-format..

~*~*~

Jennifer Estep is a Southern gal through and through. Sassy, sarcastic, and just a tad crazy.  She happens to think the greatest thing ever created was a library. Indoor plumbing is a close second, though. She has a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism, and a master’s degree in professional communications. Currently, I’m an award-winning features page designer for a daily newspaper.

Jennifer has worked as a features writer and page designer for a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper and has more than 10 years of journalism experience. She’s a member of Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and other writing groups.

.

Jennifer’s books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, and a variety of other publications. You can follow her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter.

AT THE MOVIES

It's my pleasure to welcome award winning romantic suspense author, Patricia Sargeant. I had the opportunity to meet this delightful author last September. I'm please she was willing to stop by and visit us.

I've heard of others mention learning about writing characterizations and plot from watching how movies are put together. Patricia's topic takes this a step further and she discusses three movies and what she learned from them.

Before I get started, I’d like to thank Sia for inviting me over for coffee. I’m excited to be here.

I love watching movies. A really good movie can take you out of the theatre in the same manner that a really good book can pull you off the sofa. You also can learn creative writing tips from a well-written script. That’s what I’d like to explore with you today. What movies can you return to and enjoy time and again? What creative writing tips – if any – have you learned from those movies?

Would you like to start with three movies from my list? Great! But first, a disclaimer; these are old movies. If you haven’t seen them yet, you probably won’t. In any event, this is your first and only spoiler alert. Now pass the popcorn and sit back.

• Speed: Talk to me
• 
  Speed, starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, taught me the value of dialogue for characterization. Who else has seen this movie? I see very few hands going up. Seriously, check your library to see whether they have a Speed DVD you could borrow.
  
  Anyway, Reeves’s character, Jack, is the strong, silent type. He’s a man of action and very few words. An example of his characterization through dialogue – or lack thereof – comes in the scene in which one of the passengers on the bus turns to Jack in fear of the action they’re about to take. Desperate for reassurance, the young man asks, “Is this really going to work?” Jack stares at him without responding. Strong, silent type.
  
  Bullock’s character, Annie, is a nurturer. She cares a great deal for the welfare of the other passengers on the bus – and that is shown through dialogue. Annie is driving the bus. (It’s a long story; rent the DVD.) She miraculously (It’s Hollywood.) completes the dangerous action that the young man was worried about. The first words out of her mouth are, “Is everyone all right?” Nurturer.

Mulan: What will happen?

Has anyone else seen Mulan? Oh, now that’s just sad. Your library basket is filling up.

This time, we’re going to talk about foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is like story seasoning. Sometimes, you can identify the spices and sometimes, they surprise you. Hopefully, it’s a good surprise.

Mulan is peppered with foreshadowing. Right at the beginning, the Emperor tells the General he wants to draft civilians because, “A single grain of rice can turn the tide.” Then they cut to the scene introducing Mulan. In this scene, Mulan is rigging a device that enables her dog to feed the hens while she does other chores. The scene demonstrates Mulan’s creative intellect. It foreshadows her relying on her mind rather than her muscle to be victorious in battle.

• Frequency: Larger-than-life heroes
• 
  Years ago, a multi-published author gave a presentation on larger-than-life heroes. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then I watched Frequency, starring Dennis Quaid and James Caviezel, for a second time. Tell me you’ve seen this movie. No? OK. Add it to your library list.)
  
  In brief, Quaid’s character, Frank, is a New York City firefighter who’s desperate to save his wife from a serial killer. The opening scene of the movie establishes Frank as a caring risk taker. Therefore, his actions later in the movie are believable. However, they are the actions of a larger-than-life hero. The writers took Frank way out of his comfort zone and put his life at risk. Each time, Frank stood up to the challenge and delivered.

Those are my three movies.

What are some of your favorite movies, and did you get any writing tips from them that you can share with the rest of the us?

• Heated Rivalry (A Kensington Publishing mass market paperback)

She Wants What He's Got

Valerie Parker is desperate to win the affection of her emotionally distant father and land a promotion at his advertising firm. Her biggest obstacle is junior partner Steven Crennell, a dazzling former NBA star who scores all the big accounts. But Valerie's attempt to outshine her charismatic rival unexpectedly leads her straight into his arms.

And She's Everything He Needs

Steven hopes to dispel the playboy stereotype left in the wake of his NBA career. Between battling his ex-fiancée and focusing on his work, finding his soul mate isn't on the agenda...until he meets his match in Valerie. And when competition leads to explosive passion, he learns that the game of life-and love involve a very different set of rules.

Read an Excerpt from Heated Rivalry

Buy: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Borders

Patricia will be offering a copy of Tails of Love, to a commentor today. Be sure to leave me a way to contact you if you're the winner.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Award-winning author Patricia Sargeant writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance.

Patricia’s romantic suspense novel, You Belong to Me, earned third place in the 2006 Reviewers International Organization’s award of Excellence in the Favorite Debut Novel Category.

A voracious reader, Patricia first realized she wanted to be a published author at the age of nine. She was drawn to write romances because she loves happy endings. Her romantic suspense novels feature ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Her contemporary romances reveal characters struggling to overcome their inner demons.

In addition to reading, Patricia’s hobbies include music, jogging and hiking. She loves movies and she’s addicted to Law & Order and TruTV.

Raised in New York City, Patricia now lives in Ohio with her husband.

Patricia loves to hear from readers. Her e-mail address is: BooksByPatricia@yahoo.com.

What I love About Coffee Get-Togethers

My guest Over Coffee is debut author, Marilyn Brant. Winner of the 2007 Golden Heart Award for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements.

• Marilyn tags herself as an introvert, a Mom with an unhealthy attachment to Carbs, requires excellent cookies, likes dangerous things like chocolate martinis, neighborhood relationship intrigues and '80s Music. Best of all, she won my heart, when she told me she loves chatting over coffee with friends.
  

Thank you, Sia, for inviting me here! It’s a pleasure to be a guest on Over Coffee today. :-)

It’s particularly exciting to get to take part in a coffee-talk gathering online because, in real life, this is one of my very favorite things to do. I have a few friends I love to meet for coffee. Some I’m able to get together with frequently, others only once in a while, but in all cases I usually leave our morning coffee dates feeling buoyant and primed to tackle my infinite writing projects at home.


What makes it even more special is that I’m a true introvert. Unlike my VERY extraverted mother (!!), I’m not typically energized by social gatherings. (And, oh, I have stories I could tell about the endless stream of social events I was dragged to as a kid…wanna hear about wild double weddings, anyone?) Parties and conferences and things like that take a lot of concentration for me, largely because I can’t stop my writer self from collecting details and feeling a bit pummeled by observations. This was true before I ever actually became a novelist, by the way. Once I started writing, I was relieved to finally have a place to put all of those observations I’d been accumulating for years and tucking into my mental anthology of human behaviors--LOL!


So, what I love about the coffee get-togethers with my friends is that I actually feel like an extravert for those precious few hours. Because we know each other well, we dispense with small talk rather quickly. We’re then able to delve right into some very meaty conversations and get to the heart of a deep philosophical and/or emotional discussion after little more than half a cup of hazelnut mocha and a few bites of a chocolate-chip cookie. (We go to a shop with EXCELLENT cookies. I consider this a requirement.) And I’ve come to rely on these meetings as a helpful—perhaps even essential—part of my writing process.

• Here’s why: I write women’s fiction. I’m passionately interested in women’s stories and our shared experiences. When my friends are telling me about their in-laws, their children, their wacky adult siblings…or they’re recollecting tales of old boyfriends or the qualities they love best in their husbands…I’m listening. I’m checking their stories with my own. Comparing them in the sense of discovering the emotions and reactions we have in common. They know this and, because they’re absolutely awesome, they enthusiastically help me make those connections.
  

Recently, one friend said, “So, okay, you’re a writer. Have you ever read any novels about a woman who’d lied to her entire family about having to go out of town at the end of November just so she wouldn’t have to suffer through another Thanksgiving dinner of being asked why she was still single?”

I said, “Got a call from your mother yesterday, huh?”

“Oh, my, God, yes!” she shot back. “I love her, but if she asks me about dating one more time—argh!!”

And so it begins, the fun and frequently funny back and forth banter between friends. The commiserations we share when we've had a crazy work week, an eye-rolling sibling moment or a feverish child. The innate understanding that each of us will pull together whatever knowledge, resources or background we can to help each other gain perspective on whatever might be perplexing one of us. It’s become such a powerful form of preventive medicine in my life that I look forward to it for my own mental health and, also, as a way to keep the pulse of my characters strong and true.

More than once, I’ve been the one to open our coffee conversation with something like:

• “Okay, I’ve got this one character. She’s 43. Divorced. Ambivalent about relationships. But then she meets a younger guy and, strangely, they hit it off. What are her hopes? Her fears?”

And a friend will say, “She’ll worry about needing a boob job.”

“Or a tummy tuck,” another friend will chime in.

“But mostly she’ll be concerned about her teenage son and his reaction to the new relationship…”

And, with that, they’ll set me on the road to making sure I create a character who feels real to them. One who’s almost as multifaceted and three-dimensional as they are. I’m so grateful to them for that. Not only do their insights improve my writing, but they enrich my life and my understanding of the people in it. I’d give up my computer before I’d give up my coffee dates!

• What about all of you? When you get together with your friends—over coffee, dinner, dessert or drinks—what do you tend to talk about? Work-related stuff? Kids and spouses? Sports, hobbies or pop culture?

• Have these discussions ever made you think about your writing, job, or your family any differently? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! :-)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Marilyn Brant has been a classroom teacher, a library staff member, a freelance writer and a national book reviewer. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and son, surrounded by towers of books that often threaten to topple over and crush her. A proud member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, Marilyn’s debut novel featuring "Jane" won the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart® Award. When not working on her next book, she enjoys traveling, listening to music and finding new desserts to taste test.
Readers can visit her website at http://www.marilynbrant.com/

In Marilyn Brant’s smart, wildly inventive debut, one woman in search of herself receives advice from the ultimate expert in matters of the heart…

It begins one day in sophomore English class, just as Ellie Barnett’s teacher is assigning Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. From nowhere comes a quiet “tsk” of displeasure. The target: Sam Blaine, the cute bad boy who’s teasing Ellie mercilessly, just as he has since kindergarten. Entirely unbidden, as Jane might say, the author’s ghost has taken up residence in Ellie’s mind, and seems determined to stay there.

Jane’s wise and witty advice guides Ellie through the hell of adolescence and beyond, serving as the voice she trusts, usually far more than her own. Years and boyfriends come and go—sometimes a little too quickly, sometimes not nearly fast enough. But Jane’s counsel is constant, and on the subject of Sam, quite insistent. Stay away, Jane demands. He is your Mr. Wickham.

Still, everyone has something to learn about love—perhaps even Jane herself. And lately, the voice in Ellie’s head is being drowned out by another, urging her to look beyond everything she thought she knew and seek out her very own, very unexpected, happy ending...

"Marilyn Brant's debut novel is proof that Jane Austen never goes out of style. This is a warm, witty and charmingly original story of a modern woman coming of age and finding her own happy ending--with a little help from the ultimate authority--Jane Austen herself."~Susan Wiggs

When Lightning Strikes, Working With Your Muse

My guest today is award winning author, Delilah Devlin. She is the author of several series and has won Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for several of her books. Her current books are Darkness Burning Avon RED Tempted by a Cowboy Kensington Sexy Little Numbers 9/29 Black Lace.

Today she discusses how she works with her muse. Hang on because it's a wild ride.

I like the concept of chatting with you “over coffee”. Since I’m never without a pot brewing beside me while I work, it’s a comforting thought.

I’ve been on a tear lately, writing like a madwoman. Not much time to spend with friends or family. Not because I’m on an external deadline of some kind, but because I’m going through one of THOSE cycles. No, not menopause or PMS! I’m going through a creative cycle. Too many ideas bombarding me when I’m awake, although my dreams have been rich too. Just the other night, Temperance Brennan (from BONES) and I led a coup to take over the world. Can’t tell you how it ended though because when I drew the balaclava over my head, I woke up. Always happens before the big climax. Dammit.

Sia did say I could be myself.

In the past couple of months, I’ve written two shorts stories, two novellas, and I’ll wrap up a third novella this week. I’ve also been working on a proposal for a futuristic. I love it when the muse humors me with these creative spurts, and I take advantage of it, because when the current run peters out, the writing will become “work” again.

I like writing on several projects at once—planning one, plotting one, writing one, and editing one. It sounds insane, but it works for me. Every author has her own process; mine’s just manic at the moment. For a month there, April I think it was, I could hardly make myself sit at the computer to answer the email much less create, but I got a minimal amount of work done, enough I couldn’t claim writer’s block. When that happened, I hit the books—research books, that is—trying to refill the well with new ideas. I read Wicca books, Norse and British isle folklore, anything I could find on angels and demons, and lots of fetishist books. Plenty of inspiration there.

When the muse stirred, it exploded with several ideas all at once, some more formed than others, so I only made notes for the ones that were more mist than substance but tore into the full-bodied concepts. There’s enough material there to keep me going for the next year, which is to say there are many stories inside me now, because I believe in quantity—it works for me. The more I write, the better the writing is. When I slow down, I struggle for a word.

As I already said, every author has their own process, and I’d love to hear from you how you get past the doldrums, how you refill your well, and whether you work several projects in tandem or one at a time. For you readers, I’d love to hear whether you forgive authors for straying outside the lines of what you expect them to write.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Until recently, award-winning romance author Delilah Devlin lived in South Texas at the intersection of two dry creeks, surrounded by sexy cowboys in Wranglers. These days, she’s missing the wide-open skies and starry nights but loving her dark forest in Central Arkansas, with its eccentric characters and isolation—the better to feed her hungry muse!

For Delilah, the greatest sin is driving between the lines, because it’s comfortable and safe. Her personal journey has taken her through one war and many countries, cultures, jobs, and relationships to bring her to the place where she is now—writing sexy adventures that hold more than a kernel of autobiography and often share a common thread of self-discovery and transformation.

Delilah holds a MS in Systems Management and a BA in History & Spanish, minor in Military Science.

She says she’s a true geek at heart and loves travel and pouring over history and mythology books from around the world.

You can visit Delilah at her website: http://www.delilahdevlin.com/ to see what’s soon to be released, excerpts, and contests.

Also available in September:

The Hired Hand, featured in Lesbian Cowboys by Cleis Press (9/1/09)
http://www.delilahdevlin.com/books/the-hired-hand/