Writing Fantasy And The Little Man Behind The Curtain

My guest is Urban Fantasy author, Allison Pang. I'm fascinated by how different authors write in their genre. I asked Allison to tell us a bit about writing fantasy.

I'm so proud of her and getting her book published. We're showing the cover and excerpt here but we aren't yet allowed to share an excerpt.

Allison's a special friend, in many ways, because we both started out our blogs about the same time. We were both learning the ropes of the blogophere, while writing our stories, juggling life as wives, mothers, working for a living, and somewhere in there breathing (housework? There's housework?).

Oh, and lets not forget the fact we both probably pay the paychecks of several chocolate factory workers.

Hey, Sia – thanks so much for having me on your blog! Sia was one of my first blog followers when I first started this foray into publishing over two years ago. It’s an honor to finally be able to post here, and posting about one of my favorite topics – Writing fantasy!

Familiarity breeds contempt.

It’s an old adage, but when I think about writing or reading fantasy, I suspect that a great deal of the reason I enjoy it is because of that very sentiment. Most of us read books to escape – whether it’s romance or mystery, high fantasy or even contemporary –we want to get involved in a story that isn’t tied down to our own mundane day-to-day slog.

For the most part, people want to believe that their lives have meaning, and fantasy stories in particular tend to fill that void. After all, the trope of the plainly raised peasant lad (or lass) rising above his means, complete with wondrous powers or blistering sword skills to become king/slay the dragon/get the girl/save the world can be pretty appealing. Why else do we see that same story told again and again in movies and books? Everything from Harry Potter to Robin Hood retains an inner sense to that ideal, even though the details may vary wildly.

As stories go, fantasy is certainly more appealing than sitting in traffic or suffering through boring meetings to pay the mortgage, anyway. And of course, everyone’s concept of fantasy is a little different. Whether it’s elves or police officers or Scottish Highlanders, fantasy is whatever transports you to that other world and makes you happy. (And really, why not combine the best of both worlds and have elven police officers? Wearing kilts?)

The key to writing good fantasy is world-building, particularly if you’re writing high fantasy (which is the typical Tolkien-esque type story, set in a mythical land and full of strange gods, peoples, climates, etc). In some ways, building your own world with its own rules can be pretty freeing. Research may not be involved at all, at least as far as accuracy goes. As a writer, I can borrow from whatever bits of fairy tales or mythological cycles as I like and make up the rest. I don’t have to worry about people calling me on it like I might if I were writing a Regency or Historical romance. In a sense, I become a goddess over my very own world - one that is subject to my whims and desires.

At least until after the first book is written.

Once people become familiar with your world, you have to stick with the rules you come up with or readers may become disillusioned. If you can’t keep things straight, then readers have no reason to believe in your words or your story.

My first book, A Brush of Darkness (February 2011, Pocket), is what’s known as an urban fantasy – which is fantasy that is mostly set in a contemporary setting. In some ways, I find it much harder to write than the “pure” fantasy. I have to balance the realism of everyday life in a city with the incorporation of fantasy elements – unicorns who live in underwear drawers, urban elves, pixies, succubi and incubi and yes, vampires (but only mentioned in passing.) I borrow very loosely from Scottish and Celtic mythology for my world mythos, but I don’t limit myself to just that. If I run across something interesting, I have no qualms about trying to fit it in, as long as my rules don’t get broken – and as long as people buy what I’m selling.

On the other hand, I’m restricted by every day facts that I can’t break. If I declare that Abby, my main character, can’t go to Best Buy at 6 PM on a Saturday night because they’re closed, I’m going to get called out on that. (And rightfully so.) And that’s an obvious example, but it still applies to things that people do or see everyday – as a result I find myself having to research more common details than fantastical ones.

Since I’m a pantster, much of my world unfolds as I write it. There are times I’ve written myself into a corner – particularly with the second book (which I’m finishing up now.) For example, one of the characters (Melanie) has a magic violin that allows her to open Doors to the otherworld (known as the CrossRoads). I set it up so that she had certain limitations that had to be met and as a result there was a scene I wanted to do in Book 2 and I can’t. Or at least, I can’t do it the way I wanted to initially. So that requires a little more work on my part (and sometimes a large amount of chocolate), but eventually I managed to make it happen. I tend to wing it more than I probably should, but that’s just my style.

For something like high fantasy, world-building becomes a great deal more complicated. For the epic novel I’m working on (in my spare time), I actually do keep notes – tribes of people, religious affiliations, customs, maps, political alliances, wars, trade routes, flora, fauna, cities – all of the details that might come into play - and that’s not even taking into account things of a more magical nature that “break” contemporary rules. I don’t suspect I’ll even reference many of these things directly, but knowing my world as intimately as I can allows me to “flavor” it with a sense of realism that will hopefully allow a reader to become completely immersed.

As books go, urban fantasy and high fantasy are two different sorts of animals, but the mechanics are still very much the same. As a writer, I’m attempting to make the reader suspend disbelief and to take my words as accurate portrayals of the world the story takes place in.

As a reader, I’ve come to realize that for every Great and Powerful Oz on display, it really boils down to the little man behind the curtain pulling the strings. Hopefully he’ll put on a good enough show that I’ll ignore him utterly.

• How do you keep your world straight?

 

A Brush Of Darkness Blurg:

I had a naked incubus in my bedroom. With a frying pan of half-cooked bacon and a hard-on. And a unicorn bite on his ass. Christ, this was turning out to be a weird morning.


Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and as sexy as sin incubus who shows up searching for his sister—and is convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts..

Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invading her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As Abby is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, she realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her. 

Stay tuned for January when I can share the excerpt with you here OVER COFFEE. If you love urban fantasy, you're going to love Allison's writing style and story. 

PREORDER: Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  Borders

~ * ~ * ~ 

A marine biologist in a former life, Allison Pang turned to a life of crime to finance her wild spending habits and need to collect Faberge eggs. A cat thief of notable repute, she spends her days sleeping and nights scaling walls and wooing dancing boys….Well, at least the marine biology part is true. But she was taloned by a hawk once. She also loves Hello Kitty, sparkly shoes, and gorgeous violinists.

She spends her days in Northern Virginia working as a cube grunt and her nights waiting on her kids and cats, punctuated by the occasional husbandly serenade. Sometimes she even manages to write. Mostly she just makes it up as she goes.

  

You can find Allison: Facebook, Borrowing Heaven, Subletting Hell Blog, Website

Maintaining Sanity

“...When the dog bites,

when the bee stings,
when I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite things,
and then I don't feel so bad.”

Life for the majority today is hectic. We're balancing family, jobs, and school. The emotional baggage of new relationships and old relationships. In between, we try to fit in our writing and deal with deadlines, major revisions from our editor, or rejections and yet continue to find the inspiration to create stories. Or simply find a way to recharge, to maintain our sanity and refresh our souls. Not an easy thing to do.

For me, it depends on mood. What works one time may not do for another time. Listening to music or reading a book. There are times meeting a couple of friends for lunch, visiting my sister and sitting on the front porch drink coffee and giggle over silly things. Other times I want to be somewhere boisterous, with lots of laughter and fun.

There are times I am able to recharge and feel refreshed by visiting with my writing group, The WritingWombats. On the Wombat threads I find laughter, teasing, and fun, interspersed with strong support and practical knowledge on how to make something work, especially when I've hit a wall in my writing. We have aspiring and published authors. I listen and watch them deal with proposals, juggling life and deadlines, not to mention the proverbial pulling out of the hair in frustration.

Sometimes I want to go someplace quiet but away from home. Those times, especially if I want to get my equilibrium, I head for the water—ocean, river, lake, my pond on the lower 40. Sometimes it's heading to the family compound and having a cook-out and tall tales around the bonfire.

Or go over to my brother's pool house and bar, and be silly. Sometimes taking in a little league football game. Sometimes hanging out with my dogs. As the song goes, “...theses are a few of my favorite things.”

What refreshes your soul and spirit. What do you do to recharge? What helps you maintain your sanity and save you from being a Axe murderer and serving life without parole?

What are a few of your 'favorite things'?

All pictures here were either taken by me or for me.


Top, my Great Dane, Gidget and Callie Kitten,
Cappucino coaster set, Bodega Head, Bodega, CA
Sia and my brother Rob, at his bar St. Patricks.

The Ghosts of Contests Past

 Romance is not dead.com
 

Click on the picture above to go to Mills & Boon



My guest is romance writer Jill Lynn Anderson. Jill and I originally met through a contest and have remained friends and are both of us are part of a large and very close writing group, The Writing Wombats.

 When Jill mentioned she had not only entered Mills and Boon New Voices Contest (she never said a word about entering) with her novel, WINDSONG, but was in the top ten finalists, I was over the moon! Why? Not only because she was a friend with great storytelling ability, but because she had at one time considered giving up writing.


I’ll let Jill tell you about that.



Thank you so much for inviting me to talk about being one of ten finalists in Mills & Boon New Voices contest, Sia.

I am one of the least competitive people you'll ever find, yet I've lost count of the number of writing contests I've entered over the years. My first "win" came from a silly entry into a contest an America Online writing group held for Mike Tyson recipes---this was soon after Mike Tyson bit off Evander Holyfield's ear in their infamous match. As some of your blog followers are probably too young to even know about this, that gives an indication of how long ago this was. (Also shows my age LOL) My prize was a cookbook. A used one. Yet I was thrilled to win.

Once my writing took a more serious turn, I had two finished novels under my belt when I entered the first novel-writing contest at Gather. I was certain I would win. My novel is brilliant! Readers will recognize it as the masterpiece it is! Imagine my surprise when I was out on the first round.

I then entered my other novel into Gather's next novel contest--this one for romances--thinking I "might" win. Again, out on the first round.

Then came the first Amazon Break-Through Novel Award. I submitted the same novel I'd entered in the first Gather contest. Ah ha! I thought. New audience. They'll see this novel's brilliance! Entered. Out.

Second Amazon Break-Through Novel Award. I'd written another novel at this point, and worked hard to fine-tune my pitch, asked for feedback from all the Writing Wombats--whom I was fortunate to find during all those Gather writing contest--and polished, polished, polished. I just KNEW this was it. Entered. Out.

Although you'd think I'd be used to being out on the first round, I was devastated this time. To the point that I'd decided to give up. Not just give up on contests, but on writing completely. I'm not an, ‘I have to write' type writer anyway, and decided there were other, less time-consuming outlets for my creativity. For me, the satisfaction I get out of writing isn't complete without also having readers at the other end. Between the rejections I was receiving from literary agents and the contest losses, my disillusionment was complete. Four novels no one was ever going to read were enough.

But then...

I took two stories I'd written for the fun contests we Writing Wombats have a couple times of year and submitted them to publishers. One was a dark humor piece I'd written for our Phantasmorgia contest at Halloween time (mind you, I didn't win our contest), and it became my first publishing credit when it was published in an anthology "Night Bird Singing in the Dead of Night." My second publishing credit came when I submitted what I'd written for our Valentine's Day contest to Woman's World magazine. Peach- Flavored Kisses was published in their final issue of 2009.

So, I figured though I wasn't winning contests, good did come out of them. Still, when someone mentioned the New Voices contest, I was reluctant to enter. I'd just started writing again after the five-month hiatus that followed my devastation from the Amazon contest. Did I really want to put myself there again? Besides, my category romance was in first person, which Mills & Boon rarely publishes, AND I don't introduce my hero until chapter two. I'd already broken two romance book "rules", but entered a couple days before deadline with a what-the-heck attitude. I KNEW I'd never get past the first round.

Imagine my surprise...

• I'm not surprised, it's a good story, Jill. How do we go about casting a vote for you? Will I have to do anything special to gain access to your first two chapters? Can I comment on the story if I want to?  

Thanks for asking, Sia. Voting is a bit tricky. Readers clicked one to five roses to rate our first chapters, and they still show up on our pages, but aren't clickable in this round of the competition.

To vote in this second-chapter round, readers register at http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/, and receive an e-mail with a link to click (to verify they're not robots LOL). Once logged in, a "Cast your Vote" button is on the left side of the site's main page. Clicking on that brings up the top ten. Once there, readers can read first chapters, second chapters, leave comments, and vote.

In this round of the competition, the four entries with the highest scores go onto the final round and will post a pivotal scene for readers to judge. The grand-prize winner is announced on November 1st.

Oh, mine is WINDSONG! See? I told you I'm not very good at the competing part.

• Jill, I'm wishing you the best on this contest. Anything you'd like to add or ask readers?

Thank you, again, Sia. Instead of ending with a question, I'll just ask that everyone instead wish YOU a happy birthday. You, birthday girl, are a winner in all of our books!

Aww, Jill. Thank you sweetie.

Here's Windsong's Summary:

Journalist Lexie Gray enters the Witness Security Program and plans to write a tell-all about the secretive program. But, when she falls in love with the U.S. Marshal protecting her, her hard-hitting exposé softens into a romantic memoir. Chapter One Excerpt

~ * ~ * ~

Jill Lynn Anderson has published several short stories. Jill writes mainstream and romance fiction in a little office in her petite home located in an itsy-bitsy Pennsylvania town. To compensate for all the smallness, she thinks and dreams BIG.

Go Jill Go!

Balancing The Unknown With The Familiar

It’s my pleasure to have Sci-Fi adventure debut author, Alex J. Cavanaugh, as my guest.

My first contact with Alex was seeing this really cool trailer of his book a blogger friend had on her blog (Helen Ginger, Straight From Hel). I asked her to pass on my compliments to Alex. I *met* Alex a bit later, read his blog when I had the chance and then read the preview of his book and being a Sci-Fi fan, I knew I wanted him to be a guest on Over Coffee. I was curious, you see, how he handled promoting a debut book and juggled life. Especially so when I found out that before he had a book out he had no internet presence. I don’t hear that very often. So Alex agreed to visit and tell us how all of this came about.   

Sia, thanks again for allowing me to visit and amuse your readers. I have to confess, I don’t drink coffee, but a Dr. Pepper would be great! Now, where to begin…

I’m the type of person who enjoys normalcy and a daily routine, but writing forced me out of my comfort zone and into a new world of blogging, promoting, and other opportunities. Forcing those two worlds to co-exist is like blending oil and vinegar. Not impossible (keep shaking) but it’s a big challenge for me.

Most people know I’m a private person who relishes stability. I don’t like disruptions in my world. My wife moves a piece of furniture and I’m instantly annoyed. I had to accept changes would occur, though. Life as I knew it would be turned upside down.

I never intended for writing to replace my day job. I certainly never anticipated a sequel! (I’m working on one right now, but progress is slow. Maybe after CassaStar’s release I’ll have time to complete it.) I just decided to tackle a story I’d begun as a teen and see what happened. Little did I know that I would be on this author path, doing my best to promote my book.

Unlike most writers, I had no web presence until after signing the contract for my book. Again, I just never expected it to happen! I envy writers who already blog and socialize. I had to hit the ground running hard.

I started blogging first, and it was such a new experience. I had no idea what I was doing and floundered through the first few months. By some miracle, I started to pick up followers, and through the course of a few challenges and blogfests, I gained a lot of followers. My time online went from fifteen minutes to two-three hours a day. I’m fortunate that I can blog from work, (multiple computers on my desk are a blessing), but it still takes time – time from my family and my writing.

Of course, it’s had incredible benefits. I used to think it was silly – how could I be friends with someone I’ve never met? But, I’ve made some really great friends online. Bloggers are so supportive of each other – it’s just amazing. They keep me going, especially on days when I’m dragging.

Yeah, I won’t lie to anyone. Promoting a book is time-consuming and stressful. There are days when I think back to my life before all this and wonder… what the heck was I thinking?

It all comes back to balancing those two worlds.

Free moments are rare now. There’s always some detail or promotional item that requires my attention. However, I’ve learned when to just shut it down and take some time for me.

Sometimes I’ll chill with a movie or TV show. Those who follow my blog know I’m a NetFlix and Hulu junkie. It’s my chance to escape. I often listen to music, too. And play music! I own three guitars and practice every single night. Nothing relaxes me more than thirty minutes strumming some tunes. (Well. almost nothing!)

And that reminds me of the one person I didn’t want my author status to affect – my wife. Some days it really sucks, too. I know she’s sacrificed so much. With little or no complaint, I might add. Makes me feel like a schmuck. But if it weren’t for her encouragement, I wouldn’t be on this path. I wouldn’t have written this story or pursued it past my own satisfaction.

Balancing the unknown with the familiar? It’s tough some days. But, I think if writers keep it in perspective and understand that things will be out of balance for a while, it’ll be all right.

After all, we didn’t get into this to drive ourselves insane, did we?

We started writing because we had a story to tell!

CassStar Blurb:

To pilot the fleet’s finest ship…

Few options remain for Byron. A talented but stubborn young man with a troubled past and rebellious attitude, his cockpit skills are his only hope. Slated to train as a Cosbolt fighter pilot, Byron is determined to prove his worth and begin a new life as he sets off for the moon base of Guaard.

Much to Byron’s chagrin, the toughest instructor in the fleet takes notice of the young pilot. Haunted by a past tragedy, Bassa eventually sees through Byron's tough exterior and insolence. When a secret talent is revealed during training, Bassa feels compelled to help Byron achieve his full potential.


As war brews on the edge of space, time is running short. Byron requires a navigator of exceptional quality to survive, and Bassa must make a decision that could well decide the fate of both men. Will their skills be enough as they embark on a mission that may stretch their abilities to the limit? Trailer Excerpt

“…calls to mind the youthful focus of Robert Heinlein’s early military sf, as well as the excitement of space opera epitomized by the many Star Wars novels. Fast-paced military action and a youthful protagonist make this a good choice for both young adult and adult fans of space wars.” - Library Journal



Buy: Amazon, BARNES & NOBLE,  Books A Million.  Also available in eBook format for iPad, Nook, and others

~ * ~ * ~

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He’s experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Currently he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

REVIEWS—New Holiday Story Releases

I recently read two Advance Reader Copies of two quintessential holiday reads. I hadn't read either author prior to this but these won't be the last books from these authors I'll read.

I thought I'd share them with you here. I also ask you to bear with me for invoking Christmas in mid-October. Me and the stores, huh? Can't escape it, can you?

The first story is written by Sheila Roberts and she will be my guest on October 29^th. 

The Snow Globe

Author: Sheila Roberts

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Format: Hardcover, 176 pages

On Sale: October 26, 2010

Price: $10. 80

Rating: 4 stars

Back Cover Blurb:


On a blustery afternoon, Kiley Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys a beautiful snow globe.


“There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her, and explains that the original owner lost his wife and son right before Christmas. When he received the handcrafted snow globe as a Christmas present, the grieving widower saw the image of a beautiful woman beneath the glass—a woman who would eventually come into his life, mend his broken heart and bring him back to the world of the living. For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle.


When Kiley shares the story with her best friends—two women with troubles of their own—they don’t believe it. But they’re about to discover that at Christmastime, sometimes the impossible becomes possible and miracles really do come true.


My thoughts:


The whole season of Christmas is based on miracles but in our day and age, few believe in the phenomenon.


Ms. Roberts tells a lighthearted and fun tale of three women who, despite diverging lifestyles, have remained friends through thick and thin, good times and bad. Each is facing a crisis in their personal lives. All three are dreading Christmas for differing reasons. They don’t know it, but each is in need of a bit of Christmas magic.


Kiley has lost a job and a fiancé—to her sister no less. Heart sore and depressed she allows her two best friends to take her for a weekend get away. While window shopping Kiley feels drawn to antique store and goes in and sees an old-fashioned snow globe, which she buys. When she relays the story the shopkeeper told her to her friends they don’t believe it. But Kiley believes.

"Actually, Kiley was a big believer, period. She’d been sure Santa was real until she was ten and even after waking up on Christmas Eve to discover her father hanging her filled stocking on the mantel, she kept pretending for another two years. She’d believed in Prince Charming and Mr. Right clear through college. She’d even believed in happy endings until just this past October when her boyfriend, Jeremy Horne, dumped her at her own Halloween party (how was that for tacky?) announcing that he couldn’t fight his attraction for her sister any longer."

When Kiley’s vision comes true she decides to pass the snow globe and it’s magical gift to each of her best friends. What ensues is a heartwarming, fun story about the power of miracles.


I love stories that combine the magic of Christmas and a touch of the supernatural. This one is a real winner and a perfect read for the holidays!

 Book Two:

An Amish Christmas
Author: Cynthia Keller
Format: Hardcover, 256 pages
On Sale: October 26, 2010
Price: $16.00
Rating:  4 stars


Back Cover Blurb:


Meg Hobart has everything: a happy marriage to a handsome, successful husband, a beautiful home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and three wonderful children. But it all comes crashing down around her the day she learns that her husband, James, has been living a lie—and has brought the family to financial ruin. Penniless and homeless, the Hobarts pack up what little they still possess and leave behind their golden life for good. But it’s not the material things Meg finds herself mourning. Instead, she misses the certainty that she should remain married to James, who has betrayed her trust so thoughtlessly. Worse, she is suddenly very aware of just how spoiled her children have become. Meg wonders what her family has really sacrificed in their pursuit of the American dream.


A frightening twist of fate forces the Hobarts to take refuge with a kind Amish family in Pennsylvania, where they find themselves in a home with no computers, no cell phones, nothing the children consider fashionable or fun. Her uncooperative brood confined to the Amish world of hard work and tradition, their futures entirely uncertain, Meg fears she can never make her family whole again.


Celebrating life’s simplest but most essential values, packed with laughter and tears, this is a story of forgiveness and the power of love. You will never forget the special moment in time that is An Amish Christmas.

My thoughts:


A family is supposed to be one of our greatest joys and the bedrock of our society. The sad fact is, for the most part, we’ve lost the concept of working together as a unit for the benefit of the family. In today’s world there are so many conflicts, financial problems, and so many gadgets to distract us from what a family is all about. A person’s worth is defined by their financial standing which seems to give the whole family, and children especially, a false sense of entitlement. It also creates spoiled, disrespectful children who have, along with the parents, lost sight of the qualities of love, mutual respect, the value of spending time as a family. These are some to the common issues Cynthia Keller deals with in An Amish Christmas.


It truly is a heartwarming story of a family reconnecting and learning what truly is important is each other and not what they have or don’t have. Important lessons of forgiveness and love and there is a scene in the book that really brings that message home to the Hobarts.


Just before Christmas, the Hobart and Lutz teens are trusted to take homemade goods to a town store where they are sold. The buggy belongs Jonathan, one of the oldest Lutz siblings, and is special but he trusts his brother to drive it into town. Young Will Hobart tries driving the buggy—he’s not supposed to, and an accident occurs. Amanda Lutz is injured when the buggy overturns, the buggy and baked goods are destroyed, and a trip to the hospital is necessary. This is a scenario that could cause all sorts of blame, anger, and division. Meg and James Hobart are absolutely appalled by their son’s carelessness in the face of such open generosity of the Lutz family. The Amish family assigns no blame and totally refrains from putting the Hobart teens in a defensive stance. The next morning, James and Meg are sick at heart and have no idea what to expect; Lizzie and Will were “pale and practically shaking with guilt.” Both families step up to replace the destroyed goods to meet their obligation to the store. The huge Lutz family warmly welcomes the Hobart women into the kitchen to help. The men welcome James and Will to repair the buggy. What’s done is done and forgiveness extended, but now there are things that must be fixed.

The stalwart sense of values the Amish family has touches the whole Hobart clan and gives them a better set of lenses to look at both the world around them and themselves.


An Amish Christmas is well paced, has strong, well-defined characters and emotional impact. It was a story I truly enjoyed reading.

WHEN THE WORDS WON'T COME

“There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.”

My guest is women's fiction author, Leanna Ellis. Her forte is handling subjects and emotion with humor.

We all hit different forms of writer's block. I think it comes with the territory. How we deal with it is also individualist. I'm a firm believer that God never allows us to face an obstacle alone. He always makes the way out for us. The secret is to see the path provided and then have enough trust to follow it, especially given the fact that humans tend to have *eye* problems. You know what I mean;  I think, I feel, I want?

I love Leanna's article of running out of words, dealing with grief and grayness of spirit. It resonated with me as I have faced similar issues this year. Leanna was provided an unlikely hero, Hilo. But I'll let her tell you all about that.


What happens when you run out of words? Recently I came back from a writer’s conference, and I was frankly all talked out. Usually I sit in the quiet (or near quiet, except for my barking dogs, meowing cat and children coming and going, okay not-so-quiet) of my house and write my books. But what happens when an author runs out of words?


This happened to me not too long ago. Right when I was supposed to begin writing my book, FACELIFT. No words. They just wouldn’t come. You see, my father had just passed away. To make matters worse, I write books with a big dose of humor and I frankly didn’t feel very humorous. Erma Bombeck once said, “There is a thin line that separates laughter and pain, comedy and tragedy, humor and hurt.” Those words are so true, and actually describe my writing pretty well. I write about deep subjects, difficult subjects, deep in the heart subjects, and package it all up in humor. But after my father died, humor was hard to come by. And the well of words I’d been drawing from for almost twenty years was dry.

What’s an author to do? First of all, I tried to be patient with myself. When I could only write ‘Chapter Five’ one day, not the chapter, just those two words: chapter five, I breathed deeply, tried not to panic, and said, “Maybe tomorrow.” Cue in the music from Annie here, right?

The words still didn’t come. Day after day I had no words to put on the page. But I was busy helping my children through their grief and as they finished up the school year. There were lots of activities to keep us busy and kept me moving even when there were days that I didn’t want to get out of bed.

But the one thing that really got me moving was my crazy labradoodle, Hilo, named after our favorite vacation spot on the big island of Hawaii. She was a puppy, not quite one year old, and she had more energy than all of my other animals and children combined. I’d raised several animals in my time but never had I experienced a dog like this. Think Marley and Me…but worse! She could jump in one bound onto my dining room table. And she did regularly. She also ate everything in sight, including ten pairs of eyeglasses. She ate half a turkey, a pound of butter, a bunch of grapes, nine spicy chicken wings (bones included), numerous boxes of tissues, rolls of toilet paper, shoes and who knows what else. So to start each day, in my pathetic effort to wear her out (at least for a while) I would take her for a walk. But I soon realized that the blue sky, sun, and soft breeze blew away the gloom I often woke with in the mornings. Now, walking wasn’t an easy task, Hilo liked to bark and lunge at anyone and any dog or cat she saw. She reminded me a bit of Tramp in Lady and the Tramp, the way Tramp could stir up those chickens was the way Hilo liked to stir up the neighborhood. She also loved to go after cars and school buses. But those exhausting walks (more so for me than her) took my mind off my sorrow for a few minutes at least.

I began writing about Hilo’s antics on my Facebook page (still do!). Then one day, I thought maybe I would write her into a scene in my novel, Facelift, just for the fun of it. Of course, I had to change her name to protect the not-so-innocent. So she became Cousin It. And soon words were flowing more easily. Suddenly scenes were coming together for me.

Through the humor of Hilo, I was able to face the heartache in my own heart but also in my characters’. I don’t think it was a coincidence that FACELIFT was about finding hope and joy in spite of painful circumstances and situations.

FACELIFT Blurb:


A ‘can do’ kind of woman runs her own business, raises her teenage daughter, and takes care of her ex-mother-in-law after a botched facelift. But Kaye learns a facelift is more than skin deep. Joy is more than tacking on a happy face. It's relying on her sovereign God who has a plan for her life. Download first chapter excerpt. Trailer

BUY:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books a Million, Borders, IndieBound 

• In Facelift, Kaye feels like her life is out of control. Have you ever felt that way?

I’ll be happy to provide a book for a giveaway. Please limit to the U.S. Thanks!

~ * ~ * ~

Winner of the National Readers Choice Award, Leanna Ellis writes women’s fiction and is known for her quirky characters and wacky plots as in her current novel, FACELIFT. But don’t let the quirkiness fool you, Ellis probes the heart and plucks at the heart strings. Next year will debut FORSAKEN, the first of an Amish/vampire series. Now that is wacky!

You can find Leanna: Website, Blog, Facebook 

A Glutton For Punishment

A chance to win a copy of Skating Around The Law.

My guest is comedic mystery author, Joelle Charbonneau. Joelle has worn several hats in her career; performer in a variety of Operas, Operettas and Musicals, teaching acting classes and private voice lessons, wife, mom, and now author. Joelle is still teaching voice lessons and sings for the occasional professional event.

Performing made her very familiar with rejections and how to handle them as well as learn lessons from them. She talks a bit about that with us.



I must be a glutton for punishment. That’s the only explanation for my career choices. I’m a professional singer and actress. I might even dance for you if you pay me enough. All are fields filled with rejection. So, of course, I decide to pursue the next obvious choice - an author.

What was I thinking? Well, to be honest I’m not sure I was thinking at all. Becoming an author was never one of my childhood dreams. I was a reader not a writer. Then one day, I sat down one day with an idea for an opening line for a novel in my head and I started writing for my own pleasure. To see if I could. To see what would happen next.

What happened next was that I learned I liked the challenge of filling a blank page. (Yep, there’s that ‘glutton for punishment’ theme again.) So, I decided to try to write a real book. Once that book was done I decided to start submitting it to editors and agents. That’s when the rejection started. I wrote another book. More rejections.

Funny, but my other professions made me ideally suited to the rejection that inevitably comes along with writing. Sure, there are some writers who get their first manuscripts published. (This was so not me. It took me five attempts to finally get the call.) But even those published-out-of-the-gate writers get rejections on later manuscripts or in the form of bad reviews. Rejection is something that comes with the territory. And I traveled lots of that not so happy territory.

I am not one to count or keep all my rejection letters, although the idea of creating a bonfire with them and roasting marshmallows to soothe my wounds was more than a little tempting. It is hard being told that your work isn’t what someone is looking for. In fact, it hurts. A lot.

Funny, but I’m really grateful for those rejections. (Go ahead and throw tomatoes. I’m good at ducking.) They made me a better writer. They also gave me time to figure out what kind of stories I really wanted to write. See, when I started writing, I decided I was going to write emotionally driven women’s fiction. Perhaps because some of my favorite books are ones that tug at my heart strings and make me cry. Well, I tried. I really did. I wanted to make people sigh and weep and feel as if the author was a close friend who understood their problems. Some of my best author friends are fabulous at making me read with a box of tissues close at hand. I wanted to be them when I grew up.

Instead, I wrote about a dead body in a roller rink toilet, an ex-circus camel that wears hats and a grandfather that is looking for love in all the wrong places. Yeah – so much for growing up into a hard-hitting women’s fiction writer. Trying to become one was like putting a triangular peg into a round hole. A miracle girdle hasn’t been invented yet that could squash me enough into the right shape and size. The agents and editors who read those attempts probably understood that.

Today, I sit behind my computer screen and write whatever off-the-wall thing pops into my head and I enjoy every minute of it. I am also proud of every rejection that I got along the way. They created the writer I am today.

• What's the best advice would you give an aspiring writer?

Write an entire book. That seems simplistic, but it isn't. It is the very first step in the process. If you have an idea for a story, write it. Get to the end. Then you can figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are. Many writers get so caught up in making their writing perfect that they never get to the end of a novel. They are too busy revising the beginning. Often, once the novel is written, the beginning changes or gets cut. You won't know if this is true for you until the book is written and you know where the story is going. Once you have the book finished, I recommend joining a professional writing group like RWA to help improve your writing and help you learn the business.