Votes are in and I am proudly putting this on my site for my 3rd place finish!
Category Archives: MacQuire Women
A cold day and I’m doing…
Nothing. I’m sitting here at almost 9 am in my nightgown, sipping Diet Mountain Dew, staring out my home office window and the 20 mile an hour winds with the drifting snow flying off the trees.
And I’m trying to write…something…anything!
Ahhh…the life of a solitary writer.
2015 in review
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 5,700 times in 2015. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.
A picture is worth….?
What my characters look like is important to me. I’m one of the most visual people you will ever meet. Yes, I’m nosy, and will ask 1 million questions when I meet you, but…
I will also be looking you over from head to toe. Not blatantly; not rudely; but very, very intensely. The color of your hair, eyes, the way you carry yourself, the clothes you wear, if you wear flats or high heels… all those things are important to me. And the reason they are is because when I think about you, the person, I get a mental picture of what you actually look like. One of the greatest things about smart phones is when you’re receiving a call from somebody now you can actually have their picture show up on the display as the phone is ringing so you know exactly who it is calling. Love that.
But I digress.
Whenever I start a new book and I get to meet my characters, I always look for pictures online or in magazines of people I think they will resemble. For instance, in my most recent novel, First Impressions, Clarissa Rogers in my mind was a young looking Julia Roberts. Think Steel Magnolias. Mid back length curly cinnamon colored hair, flashing chocolate colored eyes. Padrick Cleary is a dead ringer for Matt Bomer. A simply gorgeous, delicious man.
When I was writing the book and creating dialogue between the two I actually had their pictures on my desk so that I could refer to them while I was writing dialogue tags and visceral descriptions. I do this with all my stories. I need to know what my people look like when they are smiling, frowning, crying, and even eating. It shouldn’t surprise you to discover you can find pictures of just about anyone well known doing anything from sleeping to running, online. And yes I will admit, I feel a little voyeuristic when I do this, but for the creative processes of description and narration it really is beneficial for me to have an actual photograph of what I think my character looks like.
We live in a very visual society. How we look to others is way more important than it should be, but is a very telling fact. When someone reads my novels I really want them to get a feel for what the characters look like. I do this when I read other people’s books. I have a picture in my mind based on the author’s description of the character and I try to liken it to someone well known to me, be it an actress, actor or even a personal friend. This really gets me invested in the story. I simply love knowing what people look like, characters as well. I’ve read some stories that will describe the character as, “a young Julie Andrews” or “Marlon Brando –ish.” That’s all well and good and it does bring a picture of what the character looks like to your mind. But for my purposes I would rather describe the young Julie Andrews, denoting her short cropped golden blonde hair and centered, angular chin to my reader than to let them fill in the blanks. This may have something to do with my sense of wanting to be in control of what the reader thinks when they read my words. I’ll have to ponder on that and get back to you…
So, when you write your character descriptions, do you have someone in mind they resemble? Do you, like I do, go online or research through magazines looking for someone who can depict your character to perfection? And if you don’t, then how do you come up with a description? Does it come out of your head? Do you base it on someone you’ve seen on a corner? In the Mall? How does this person jump to life for you so you can make the character jump to life for me?
You knew this was coming… Let’s discuss…
Coming soon:: 3 Wishes, A Candy Hearts Story 2/8/16 from The Wild Rose Press. Buy Links available soon
Buy Links for First Impressions:
Amazon Wild Rose Press Nook
The little book that could…
It is no secret to anyone who knows me or has ever read an interview I’ve done, THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD is hands down my favorite book of all time. Even at the age I am now ( 21++++,etc) I still feel the message in that children’s book is the most empowering one I’ve ever read. The entire book screams with the treatise of self-motivation and dedication to a goal. That little engine thought he could get over that mountain, and because he had confidence in himself and self-will and determination, he did.
I’ve started writing a new series of books about another family ( of course!). My MacQuire Women series is almost complete, so when the idea for this new family burst in my brain, I went with it. The reason I’m telling you this is because the first thing I do after the idea pops up is to discover my characters and their motivations. Why a character acts the way she does, does the things she does, and says what she says is very important for me to know ahead of the writing. I’ve said before that using Deb Dixon’s book Goal, Motivation and Conflict (GMC) has been instrumental in helping me get inside the heads of my peeps and knowing what’s what with them. The book makes you dig deep into your characters to find out what their internal and external goals are, what’s behind their motivations for each, and then asks you to detail the conflicts that will make attaining their goals difficult.
I usually devise one wipe board per book with my major characters on it, listing the GMC’s. Here’s the current one for the new series. This is book one, as of yet untitled. You can’t really tell from this shot, but I’ve got my heroine, hero and the “villain” all plotted out here. What they want, how they can get it and what will keep them from achieving their goals.
This keeps me focused – something I have real trouble with – and will hopefully eliminate plot holes along the way. Sometimes I do discover something about the character I didn’t know in the beginning and it will be added to this board, with the concurrent problems and motivations added.
Character Motivation is important when writing, especially in writing romances because if we didn’t give our characters fully formed goals and obstacles, there wouldn’ be anything interesting to write about. It would simply be boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. The End.
Boring, no?
COMING SOON:: 3 Wishes, A Candy Hearts Story…check back soon for buy links! 2/8/16 release from The Wild Rose Press
NaNoWriMo-done-o! 11/30
It’s official: another November has come and gone and along with it NaNoWriMo.
By midnight tonite hundreds of thousands of writers around the globe who have been participating in what is charmingly called “NaNo Word Wars” will stop typing, lay down their pens, surrender their pencils and hit Save, then Submit and verify into the NaNo site to confirm they have at least written 50,000 words of a work in progress.
So, if you participated where did you wind up today? 50,000 words? More? Less? Were you able to write every day, at least a few words, or did you fall into plot holes, POV problems, or just plain writing inertia somewhere along the way? Or did your everyday life and the responsibilities and obligations that go along with it get in the way of your writing? Don’t be upset if you didn’t make the mark for whatever reason. The fact you tried and got something down makes you a winner in my book.
50,000 words is a lot. A. Lot. Figuring that most romance novels fall between 65,000 and 90,000, 50 K could be considered almost done with your next novel. And novellas can top off between 25 and 35,000.
I made my goal during the third week because I was on a role and have no other life but writing. No kids home to disturb me, and a husband who works 90+ hours per week, leaves me with a great deal of time to do this. And luckily, the book I was working on is the fifth in a series so I knew my characters and where I wanted to take them fairly well. Plus, I’m a plotter. Enough said.
Congratulations on the effort, the success, and the blood, sweat and tears for this year’s challenge. Onward to 2016. It’s only 365 days away!
My Sexy Saturday #119
Welcome to the 119th week of My Sexy Saturday. This week’s theme: Imagine Sexy Click on this link to see the slew of sexy writing authors on this blog hop. Who knows…you might find your next favorite author.
This week’s theme is Imagine Sexy. As writers of sexy books, we have all imagined sexy. Whether he comes riding in on a horse or in a space ship, we know sexy. We know how it looks, we know how it tastes and feels and the sounds associated with sexy. We can imagine each and every one of them. And this week we want you to share what you’ve imagined as an author about sexy. Readers can’t wait to read more about your sexy imagination.
Sexy can be anything, such as romantic moments like walks on the beach, a home cooked meal or even in another galaxy. It could be two lovers here on Earth dreaming about the day where they go on a magical vacation to another planet. Or staying right here at one of those wonderful places we can find in our own world.
Readers want to see those characters, the ones who can’t get enough of each other as well as ones who are fighting their way back to being part of the world once again. These are the types of characters they can’t forget, the one they want to take home and keep forever. Readers love the kisses, the looks or touch of each and every one of our characters.
Sexy has nothing to do with looks or status or even wealth. It doesn’t demand perfection and it isn’t pretentious but it does make us want to read those books.
We know that everyone has their own idea of sexy and we all love sexy!
Here’s a little sumthin sumthin’ from my newest release FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
From the doorway, he went unnoticed as his eyes scanned the room. His mother was at the stove, his father next to her, his arms crossed over his chest, listening intently to something Alastair was saying. Dennis Cleary, Pat’s other brother, home for the weekend from college, sat at the table in conversation with Quentin Stapleton. His brand new wife, Moira, Pat’s twin sister, stood next to him. Each sported a deep tan and Moira had one hand on her husband’s shoulder, her hip snuggled against him, as she spoke with Clarissa Rogers.
The good doctor’s attention was focused on his sister, a small smile dancing across her utterly desirable and kissable mouth. A mouth he’d almost kissed yesterday in the hallway of her clinic.
Pat remembered in graphic detail how the thought to take those lips with his had blossomed in his mind while they’d been speaking about his father. Her perfect mouth was plump and naturally pink, and all he could think about was what it would taste and feel like against his own.
Clarissa had mistaken his momentary lust-filled lapse for something else, and worry for him had quickly risen in her eyes. He’d pleaded a quick retreat to save himself further embarrassment, when in truth, he’d wanted nothing more than to stand there, all afternoon, and be with her.
As she stood so casually in his parent’s kitchen, Pat was struck with the notion she looked like she belonged there, with his family, as one of them.
Buy Links:
MFRW Book Hooks Wednesday
It’s Wednesday and besides being Prince Spaghetti day, it’s MFRW Book Hooks. Click on this link to see the other MFRW authors participating, read their blogs and maybe you’ll find your new favorite author.
Here’s a little snippet from my debut romance novel SKATER’S WALTZ.
When Tiffany declares her feelings for Cole, he’s anything but receptive…
Heat oozed from her body as she glowered at him. “And to think,” she said, glaring hard at his laughing face, her voice quiet and tight, “I fell hopelessly, endlessly in love with you that day. I should have known you’d turn out to be such a creep. What a waste my life has been, pining after you, waiting for you to notice me, longing after you with every breath. God, what a moron …”
Tiffany stopped. Mouth agape, eyes wide and clear, she stopped tugging on the towel and opened her hand in surrender.
Cole didn’t let go of her wrist. He couldn’t, not after what she’d just confessed. Her face had gone pale again, her lips turning to chalk. He dropped the ring back to its chain and saw it glinting in the light, lying over the small upsweep of her breasts made bare by their struggle. Breasts he suddenly felt an intense need to cup, kiss, and nuzzle.
He didn’t know how to respond. Her words were true; there was no doubt about it. No explanation necessary.
“Tiffany, I…don’t know what to say.”
With a jagged breath, she threw back her head. Choking on a sob, she told him, “You don’t have to say anything, Cole. Really.”
Buy Links:
My Sexy Saturday #118 – Their Sexy Gaze…
Welcome to the 118th week of My Sexy Saturday. Click here to visit other author websites participating in the MSS blog hop.
This week’s theme: Their Sexy Gaze
Have you ever seen a couple who look so adoringly at each other? Makes you wonder just what they are thinking about. Are they thinking about the last time they made love? Or how about the conversation they just had?
The point is that lovers have eyes only for each other. Sometimes the gaze is loving and sometimes not but you always know they are a couple destined to be together forever.
Sexy can be anything, such as romantic moments like walks on the beach, a home cooked meal or even in another galaxy. It could be two lovers here on Earth dreaming about the day where they go on a magical vacation to another planet. Or staying right here at one of those wonderful places we can find in our own world.
Sexy has nothing to do with looks or status or even wealth. It doesn’t demand perfection and it isn’t pretentious but it does make us want to read those books.
We know that everyone has their own idea of sexy and we all love sexy!
Here’s a little gaze action from my debut romance novel SKATER’S WALTZ.
Tiffany tried to pull back again, but Cole’s sturdy arms prevented her. “No. I want to feel you against me. This is a poor substitute for having you in bed, but it’ll have to do until we can beg off and leave. Which, I’m hoping, we can do soon. I can’t take much more of this. A few more minutes and I don’t know what I’ll do for relief.”
“Geez.” Tiffany shook her head against him. “A little sex and you get all super charged and demanding.”
This time Cole was the one to pull back. His eyes had turned hard and serious as he looked down at her. “Never say that again, Tiff. What we did together today, what we started, is more than just a little sex, and you know it as well as I do.”
Held prisoner by his stare, Tiffany swallowed the ball that had formed at the back of her throat.
Buy Links:
My Sexy Saturday #117 While you were sexy…
This week’s theme is a take on the movie, While You Were Sleeping, and can be fun, quirky or not. So many things can happen while you were sexy…things like falling in love with someone other than your boyfriend/girlfriend…or maybe taking a risk you wouldn’t normally take. That’s what the movie is all about…having a dream and risking for that dream…only to find it wasn’t what you really wanted or needed anyway. Our stories have lots of those type themes.
Love is a dream for some, a risk for others. Sometimes it’s fulfilled or sometimes it just isn’t what the characters imagined. Remember Scarlett O’Hara at the end of Gone With The Wind…she realized she never really loved Ashley to begin with…it was Rhett all along. We think you get the drift of what this week’s theme is. But we want more and we definitely want it hotter than ever before. So show us those sexy, hot characters in those sexy, hot stories.
Sexy can be anything, such as romantic moments like walks on the beach, a home cooked meal or even in another galaxy. It could be two lovers here on Earth dreaming about the day where they go on a magical vacation to another planet. Or staying right here at one of those wonderful places we can find in our own world.
Sexy has nothing to do with looks or status or even wealth. It doesn’t demand perfection and it isn’t pretentious but it does make us want to read those books.
click on this link to read the other authors in this weeks MSSBlogHop.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Here’s a little thought process from Pat Cleary. He’s beginning to realize Clarissa Rogers may just be what he’s needed in his hectic busy like.
He grabbed his cell phone from where it rested on his desk, and pressed the screen. He’d programmed one of the pictures he’d taken of him and Clarissa in the apple orchard as his screen display. He’d stared at it so many times since that day. Just seeing how happy and relaxed they both looked made him feel better no matter how busy or tiring his day was. He wanted to see her smile like that every day.
And at him.
Buy LInks:
Peggy Jaeger, Author 