Friday, November 29, 2013

Reprint: M.C. Rayne Blog Guest Post

Here's another "reissued" guest blog post while I'm tied up with editing. This particular entry was originally posted on August 4, 2013, on M.C. Rayne's blog in support of my newest release, Wishing Cotton. I was very appreciative of the opportunity and am grateful to M.C. Rayne for hosting me. I'm providing the link to the original posting below; I encourage you to check out his blog!



Simple Storytelling


               A short story is often difficult to talk about in-depth simply due to its brevity, and so readers may wonder why an author would choose not to expand a tale into a full-length novel. As writers of flash fiction will tell you, it is possible to create a whole, breathing, vibrant world in very few words, and short stories are often more complex than their lengthier counterparts. My previous short story, My Apple Tree, actually told two separate stories that covered a great deal of time and incorporated several different characters. However, I have elected to keep my new short story, Wishing Cotton, very simple and uncomplicated.

                In my experience, it is the little moments in a story that resonate the strongest with readers rather than the entire plot as a whole. Readers want, of course, to be engaged throughout the full length of the tale, whether it be a novel or a short story. However, a story’s success often hinges on just a paragraph or two – sometimes only one sentence. I’m not pretending to have a powerful, magical moment like that, but it does support the theory that a story does not need to be complicated to be enjoyable.

                Wishing Cotton is by far the simplest story I’ve ever written (as an adult, anyway). On its face, it introduces us to three characters: Olive Alexander, her friend Blair Adams, and Peter Keyes. Olive and Blair are vacationing together in a cabin by the beach, and Peter has likewise rented one of his own. All three characters are at a moment in their lives when they must make some decision about where they will go from here. Olive is adjusting after the end of a long-term relationship, Blair is struggling against her need for financial security, and Peter is living under the shadow of a professional failure. While each of them responds in their unique way to their challenges, none of these scenarios are unusual. We can understand the emotions behind their situations because each is something that almost everyone has experienced in their lives. By not focusing on the particulars of the back story, we are able to see the commonalities that resonate with our own experiences.

                Likewise, it is the simplicity of this story that allows the reader to see the true lessons that can be taken from each small development in the plot. In order to move forward, the characters must be honest with themselves and identify what is most important to each of them. Until they do this, each of them is trapped in a moment of indecision. If the overarching story were more complex, this essential detail would be lost, but without anything to distract from it, the reader is fully aware of the truth behind each character’s ultimate wish.

                I will admit that it is somewhat daunting to present such a basic, straightforward plot. The modern trend favors more dramatic and tempestuous story lines. However, as with any other manuscript I’ve worked on, the central idea and the characters engaged and intrigued me, and I felt that their experiences, however simple, deserved to be brought to life. Authors – like any creative professionals – need to continually stretch and develop their skill, and I have found that writing a simple story is far more challenging than I would have anticipated.

Wishing Cotton is being released on July 23, 2013, by Renaissance Romance Publishing. I hope that readers will enjoy my effort at simple storytelling!
  

M.C. Rayne 8/4/13 Guest Blog

Friday, November 22, 2013

Reprint: Mich's Book Reviews Blog Guest Post

Here's another "reissued" guest blog post while I'm tied up with editing. This particular entry was originally posted on July 29, 2013, on Mich's Book Reviews blog in support of my newest release, Wishing Cotton. I was very appreciative of the opportunity and am grateful to Mich for hosting me. I'm providing the link to the original posting below; I encourage you to check out her blog!





How important is the setting of your story to the journey taken by your main characters?



         In general, setting always has some sort of impact on a story. Characters are bound by the setting, interact with it, and are influenced by it in much the same way that a real life person might be inspired in a cathedral and depressed while sitting in an office cubicle. In Wishing Cotton, the setting is in many ways responsible for the events that influence the characters’ choices and behaviors. 


The three main characters – Olive, Blair, and Peter – are all on vacation, staying in separate beachfront cabins. Given the time to relax and reflect, each character comes to identify what one thing he or she feels is missing. It is while lounging in the sun that Olive first begins to ponder the nature of wishes, following a train of thought she would not have pursued if they were visiting a more active location. The setting provides her with the opportunity to exercise her imagination. Likewise, normally-practical Blair unwinds enough to agree to help with her friend’s fanciful experiment, even though it seems silly to her. Her surroundings have mellowed her so that she can have this experience as well.

The setting can also be said to be responsible for bringing the romantic element to life. It is because of the very peacefulness of their hideaways that all three must seek out more stimulating surroundings. The women and Peter would not encounter each other if the local carnival was not the sole option for activity in that area. For Peter, the carnival is an opportunity to observe human nature and seek inspiration. For Olive and Blair, it offers the prospect of fun and entertainment. Three people looking for such different things would not encounter each other if they were in a different setting that offered more options. 

The setting affects the overall tone of the story, as well. It supports the light-hearted feel of the characters’ interactions. What would be difficult to imagine in a more day-to-day setting becomes believable in the context of summer vacation. It evokes memories of childhood games and having the freedom to choose any future you want. Even when dealing with the unpleasantness of reality, the characters are given the chance to process their feelings through a filter. They can contemplate the unpleasantness in their lives without feeling it too much, because for their immediate future, they are in an environment in which there are few potential problems they must confront. Their lives are on hold, so they can stop and live in the moment. This is a phenomenon that would not occur had they selected a different setting for their getaway time.

The importance of setting to the story may be subtle in Wishing Cotton, but it is nonetheless a major influence on the characters. A visit to New York City or a ski trip would not have provided the circumstances necessary for the characters to think, react, and interrelate as they do at their beachside hideaway. I tried to bring that setting and the atmosphere it creates to life for the reader, as well, and I hope that I was successful. Wishing Cotton is being released July 23, 2013, by Renaissance Romance Publishing, and I hope readers will enjoy visiting the setting I’ve created for my characters.
 


Mich's Book Reviews 7/29/2013 Guest Blog

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Reprint: From the desk of... R.E. Hargrave Blog Guest Post

Here's another "reissued" guest blog post while I'm tied up with editing. This particular entry was originally posted on July 30, 2013, on the From the Desk of... R.E. Hargrave blog in support of my newest release, Wishing Cotton. I was very appreciative of the opportunity and am grateful to R.E. Hargrave for hosting me. I'm providing the link to the original posting below; I encourage you to check out her blog!



Discuss three things that readers would be surprised to know about you.



I’m not sure that there is anything genuinely surprising about me, but I’ll give it a shot. To be honest, I have a tendency to over-share that makes keeping things hidden rather difficult. One must also consider what sorts of things would be surprising: my writing life or my “real” life. Let’s see what I come up with.



Back when I knew nothing about the publishing world or the reality of a writer’s life, I used to envision published authors as boldly striding towers of self-confidence. To be fair, it’s difficult to picture Shakespeare or Tolstoy or Byron or whomever having fits of insecurity. But they must have done. Every writer I have spoken to has said the same thing. Seeing your words in print is exciting, of course, but it also feels like you have left the house in your unmentionables and not much else. It exposes you in a way that is unique to the creative world. Many people have been surprised that I experience this as well. Since I serve as lead editor for Renaissance Romance Publishing, there is an expectation of self-confidence that goes along with the job. Sure, I am confident when I’m slicing into someone else’s baby. My own stories, on the other hand… Even a cover reveal or an announcement of an upcoming release fills my soul with dread. There are moments when I want to take it back and tell the publisher I was just kidding. It’s pitiful. Still, I do manage to control those insecure impulses and carry on with my work.

Another thing about me that might surprise people is that I am not an especially emotional person. Romance novels, by definition, deal with deep and often turbulent emotions, and the characters need to reveal their feelings through their words and actions. In real life, I am much more buttoned down. Both sides of my family shy away from emotional displays, so I suppose I just grew up in a less demonstrative environment. It seems strange to some people who know me in real life that a person like me would find romance an appealing genre, but it’s a mistake to equate lack of public expression with lack of comprehension. I do feel things very deeply, and I understand human emotion. All the same, it can be difficult to reconcile the real-life persona with the written word, and I think people who know me through my writing are surprised when they actually speak to me and find out I’m a much different person than the characters in my books.

I don’t know if this counts as “surprising,” but I have background knowledge in a very hodgepodge collection of subjects. Over the years, I have received at least rudimentary training in ballet, violin, piano, voice, drawing, Egyptian funereal art, theater, British literature, art history, business management, various areas of law, gothic architecture, Catholicism, Judaism, Methodism, Norse mythology, middle English verse, pottery, literary theory, American and British history, archeoastronomy, etymology, and Native American spirituality. All of this means that at any given moment, I may spit out a completely random fact on an obscure subject. My husband treats me like a walking Encyclopedia Britannica. To balance this out, I am completely useless at the most basic tasks like cooking, cleaning, and shopping. Friends have commented from time to time that I know more than they do, but I still envy all of them their ability to boil an egg without setting their homes on fire.

So that’s it – the three most surprising things about me I can think of! Thank you for reading, and I hope you’ll also read and enjoy my story “Wishing Cotton,” which is being released July 23, 2013, as part of the Heat Wave anthology from Renaissance Romance Publishing.
  

R.E. Hargrave Guest Post 7/30/2013

Friday, November 1, 2013

Reprint: N. Wood Blog Guest Post

Here's another "reissued" guest blog post while I'm tied up with editing. This particular entry was originally posted on July 23, 2013, on the Romance Stories by N. Wood blog in support of my newest release, Wishing Cotton. I was very appreciative of the opportunity and am grateful to N. Wood for hosting me. I'm providing the link to the original posting below; I encourage you to check out her blog!



The Use of Comedy in the Romance Genre



Aficionados of the romance genre are well aware that influences from other genres have a tendency to sneak in. There are paranormal romances, historical romances, mystery romances, science fiction romances, and maybe even steampunk dystopian voodoo monkey romances (I did say “maybe” there). I love these kinds of blended stories, because it makes for a richer reading experience. Let’s face it: when you pick up a contemporary romance, there won’t be a lot of surprises inside. You may have a wonderful romantic tale of love, betrayal, and forgiveness, but at its heart, you know you are reading a story that will end with the lovers united and possibly some celebratory hanky-panky. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I’ve read some really well-written and gripping contemporary romances that didn’t have as much as a whiff of genre comingling.


That being said, I have to admit that I have a special place in my heart for romances that incorporate elements of other genres. It’s like finding out that your steak comes with mashed potatoes and gravy. It’s the moment when the manager sends you a free desert on the house, and it happens to be something awash in chocolate sauce and maybe a little vanilla ice cream.

I really should have had dinner before I wrote this.

Getting back to my ever-elusive point, one element that can be fun to incorporate into a romance novel is comedy. Anyone who has seen The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy will appreciate how wonderfully comedy can be used to offset more serious, dramatic moments. If anything, I believe the contrast comedy provides can allow you to make the dark scenes even darker. Comedy gives the author a way to continually dangle the reader over a dramatic cliff, not letting go until the moment the reader least expects. It makes the fall so much more thrilling. It’s the difference between going to a Broadway show (a perfectly pleasant experience) and having a stranger walk up to you at 3:00 on a Tuesday afternoon to drag you into Phantom of the Opera-themed flashmob (something you will never forget and will recount at cocktail parties for years to come).

Laughter shared between fictional characters also makes the romantic aspect more believable. If a hero and heroine are content to cling to each other and weep tears of longing at each other, their emotional connection will lack plausibility. Of course, as Wuthering Heights has shown us, two absolutely miserable and unlikeable characters can communicate believable, even overpowering, love and passion. But Wuthering Heights isn’t really a “feel good” novel, so I’m going to callously ignore it. My literature professors don’t know where I live anymore, so I think I’ll get away with it.

My story Wishing Cotton is being released on July 23, 2013, by Renaissance Romance Publishing. People who read my last release My Apple Tree may be surprised at the difference in tone between the two stories. Wishing Cotton is intended to be the sort of light-hearted story that you might enjoy while lounging by the pool on a warm summer day, and I’ve incorporated many comedic elements into my storytelling. I hope that readers will enjoy a few chuckles while my characters try to find love.
  

Guest Post on Romance Stories by N. Wood Blog