The Great Escape!

That's what my sister and I decided to call our vacation in China. We both write, although in different genres, and we seem to feel the need to assign titles to things.

My sister has lived in China for the last seven years, and at some point during the past, less than stellar year, we decided it was time for us to go have some fun together. Sort of like a girl's night out, only for three weeks. (Her husband promised to come bail us out if we needed it, LOL)

We started in Hong Kong, which is an amazing city, full of markets and back alley stores, one very large Buddha, and an entertaining trolley ride to the top of city. After Hong Kong, we went to Macau, a lovely island that is billed as the Los Vegas of Asia. If you ever go to Macau, ask to be taken to a restaurant called Fernando’s. It looks very rustic and the food is incredible. For entertainment, you can watch the cats that nap on the roof. (We were sitting on the outdoor patio) After three days of exploring that charming city, we took a ferry to the mainland China, and spent a day in Shenzhen, with it’s five story market that contains just about everything you can imagine. The sheer volume of goods and people is mind-boggling.

From there, we moved on to Beijing. Did you know that it used to be called Peking? I learned alot on this trip. The Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, my very first Peking Duck dinner; I fell in love with Beijing, and could have spent the rest of my time there. My sister and I were constantly mistaken for twins ( which are good supposed to bring good luck), and we got used to people pointing at us and giggling. They called us twin white ghosts, only in Mandarin. People kept snapping our picture, or asking to have our picture taken with them. After awhile, we stopped trying to correct them and just nodded and smiled. I’ve never been a celebrity before. We decided I must be three years younger, since she didn’t want to be three years older. LOL

After Beijing, we flew to Xian (pronounced She-on) to see the Terra Cotta Warriors. I have to say, they were the most amazing site I’ve ever seen. You couldn’t help being overwhelmed at the sheer size and amazing attention to detail that went in to building this army. I was struck by the sense of history and tradition. We hired one of the government guides to show us around, and she explained how the site was chosen (for its good feng shui) and all about the emperor who built it. His tomb is close by, but had not been opened to the public yet. The Chinese government is being very careful to protect the artifacts and make sure they are properly preserved. If you ever get a chance, Xian is a must see.

After Beijing, we spent a week at her place in Dongguan city. It’s considered small, with a population of a mere 13.5 million people, many of whom live in dormitories at the factories where they work. Although it is an industrial town, with lots of factories, I found it to be a very nice place, with lots of beautiful parks and well tended roads and pulic squares.

I can’t begin to describe how much fun I had and how wonderfully friendly everyone was. They were all willing to go out of their way to help me when I looked confused, or when I tried out the few phrases I’d learned in Mandarin. All in all, I had a great time, and we promised each other we’d make joint vacations a more regular event. Next it’s her turn to come visit me and tour the Rockies!

With a View to Reviews...

WITH A VIEW TO REVIEWS by Maree Anderson (For Writers Gone Wild)

Hi y'all,

Sorry I'm so late in posting this. I've been scrambling all week to meet deadlines--self-imposed and otherwise. And just when I'd successfully killed off someone who sooo needed killing in Scent Of A Man, and put everyone the poor beleaguered hero cared about in jeopardy, and was reeeeeally close to sending off the revisions with the new-and-hopefully-improved ending, what popped up in my in-box? Galley proofs for From The Ashes. Can we say, AAAARGH? (Better that than what I actually said, LOL)

Hence I was rather snowed yesterday--figuratively speaking, of course, because it doesn't snow in Auckland. What I mean is that Thursdays are busy days at the best of times and I had to choose between posting a blog here or emailing off the corrected galley proofs for From The Ashes. The galley proofs won because the book is being released in December (December!!! Yikes) and they were more than just somewhat urgent.

Mind you, the revisions were somewhat urgent, too, because I wanted my editor to have plenty of time to review them before we smacked up against my contract deadline. So it's been a horrendous week. Hell, I even sent DH and daughter off to the Armageddon Expo without me, so I could work the long weekend. Wahhhhh!

Anyway, it all got done. And as a bonus, my editor emailed me to say she was happy with my hopefully-new-and-improved ending, and had emailed the manuscript off to the publisher. Yay! Panic over. *Heaves a huge sigh and mutters TGIF!*

OK, so next step in the process for From The Ashes is to get the final proof and send it out to reviewers. This used to be done for us, but it's now our responsibility. And you know what? I'm not particularly thrilled by the prospect. I accept that reviews are a necessary part of the process. But when someone else was sending my stories out for reviews, I could kind of distance myself from the process. A good review was like a beautiful, unexpected gift, and you never knew when one was going to pop up and make your day. A not-so-good review.... Well, let's not go there ;-). But suffice it to say, the review process was all happening despite me--like I was incidental--so I could run with the punches.

But now I'm faced with having to send my own book out and ask for a review. And then I'm faced with sitting back and gnawing my fingernails and checking my emails with increasing trepidation as I wonder what reviewers will think. I'm going to be intimately involved with the process because I have to choose who to ask to review my book.

Frankly? I hate the mere thought of having to do this. It makes me feel ill. I would love to be able to just see the darn book published and let those who wish to read it and review it, do so. No pressure. No harm, no foul. I mean, reviewers must be sick to death of people like me sending their latest opus in and expecting them to read it and analyze it and form an opinion about it. Must suck all the pleasure out of reading, I reckon.

Anyway, I'm putting on my big-girl panties and getting ready to send it out. But here's the thing. I'm insatiably curious so.....

Would you buy a book that had no reviews?

Would you still buy a book that'd had a less-than-stellar review?

Do reviews even matter to you as a reader?

I have my own views on reviews, but I'm interested in your take. So have it.

Cheers!

Maree

Karlene Blakemore-Mowle: Operation Summer Storm

Please welcome fabulous Aussie author Karly Blakemore-Mowle to WGW, here to talk about her brand new military romantic suspense, Operation Summer Storm. Karly's giving away a digital version, so please leave a comment to enter the contest and the winner will be announced Friday October 29th (official release day).

Blurb:
Tate Maddox is a wanted man, accused of a crime he didn’t commit.

Summer Sheldon holds the key to his freedom—for a price.

Her demands are simple–rescue her journalist sister from a rebel hostage camp and she’ll hand over the evidence to clear his name. There’s just one small catch. He has to take her with him. From the depths of a Cambodian jungle to the tropical paradise of the Philippines, two unlikely allies are forced to learn how to coexist or lose everything each holds dear, as exposing the truth leaves them both vulnerable to the ruthless killer behind Tate’s nightmare.

Murder, blackmail, and injustice brought them together. Will Tate and Summer save Willow and restore Tate’s reputation in time, or will they pay the ultimate price for honour?

Excerpt:

He wanted her to what?

She’d seen enough TV reports on tandem sky jumping to know just how close the two jumpers got. She didn’t have time to give it more than a brief thought though, because all of a sudden it was time to do it.

A large door opened and the noise she’d thought couldn’t get any louder did. The others were busy throwing the equipment through the doorway when Tate leant close to her ear so she could hear him.

“Usually this would be a half-hour run through before your jump—but we don’t have time—so here’s the condensed version. When I tap your shoulder, spread out your arms and legs, and when I tap again to land, bring them in again. Okay?”

Summer stared back at him in disbelief, her thoughts bordering on hysteria. He expected her to jump out of a plane with thirty seconds of training?

They moved closer to the doorway and she panicked. She now stood in the open doorway of a moving aircraft. Her brain registered the fact as her body instinctively tried to back away from the danger.

Tate put his arms around her and coaxed her frozen fingers from the side of the doorframe. “Just relax. I’ll take care of you,” his deep voice promised as he shouted over the thundering noise around them into her ear.

She could feel his big body pressed tightly against her back. “You better not be doing this for some kind of cheap thrill, buddy, because I swear if we make it down there alive you’ll live to regret every moment,” she shouted back at him.

“Darlin’, there ain’t nothing cheap about the thrill I’m getting at the moment,” he assured her. “And if we don’t make it,” he added with a deep drawl, “just know I’ve died a happy man.”
*End of excerpt*

KC: Hi Karly! Great excerpt, and we're glad to have you back here with us at WGW. This new book features another sexy military hero of yours. What branch does he serve in?



It actually features four sexy military hero's, but the main character is Tate Maddox and he and his men are in Recon, with is the reconnaissance branch of the US Marines.

Ooh, Force Recon. The guys with the mako shark tats. See? I'm a font of useless military knowledge. So...I'm obsessed with the U.S. military because I'm odd. What's your excuse?


Well, since we seem to have so many similarities—I'd prefer to call it…unique! Besides, I can never work out why everyone else doesn't have a thing for the military!

What's not to love about a military man? They're disciplined, they stand for honour and bravery and they put their lives on the line for all of us, so that we don't have to…they're like our very own guardian angels.

Unique. Yeah, let's go with that! All right, so when you were plotting out the book, which character came first to you, the hero or the heroine?

Oh, I just love your optimism, ha! Me and plotting have just never seemed to see eye to eye! However, Summer came to me first, or rather the situation she finds herself in, from there I needed to find two characters who would be complete opposites.

*rubs chin* I actually think that sounds like a cool technique. What research did you have to do for the book?

I had to research Marines (which was a terrible hardship…. NOT!) being Australian, I had no idea how the US military system worked. It was a huge stroke of luck or maybe it was some kind of premonition, but at the time I began the process of writing and rewriting this book, we actually had two US naval ships dock at Townsville up where I lived, near the Great Barrier Reef. Thousands of US navy and along with them, Marines, invaded our town- I can honestly say—I thought I was in heaven!

My heart bleeds for you (in case you can't tell, that's dripping with sarcasm, folks). I hear you have some other exciting publishing news going on Down Under. Can you tell us a bit about that?

I do. I've been picked up by a large Australian Publisher here, Allen & Unwin, and they're going to publish the first of my new rural fiction books, which are books set in small rural communities here in Australia. No helicopters or Marines in these ones—but they do have a hunky policeman and a really nice sense of the Australian outback!

Kudos to you, my friend! Are you working on a sequel for OSS?

I have a completed sequel, although it could be a stand alone title. It's titled Operation Willow Quest, and is Del and Willow's story. Willow is Summer's sister and Del is another of the four Marines. It hasn't been contracted yet, so may not eventuate, we'll just have to wait and see.

I know it will get published. Can you give us some of your best tricks and tips for writing action scenes?


I tend to picture the scene as a movie, and try and figure out how I'd get out of a situation (if I weren't the worlds biggest scaredy cat and cry baby!) then make sure what I have the characters do is physically possible—can't stress that little bit of advice strongly enough, some writers can get away with their characters suddenly developing super hero powers and doing things the human body was not designed to do, but I think in particularly, romantic suspense, you need to have your characters action scenes at least believable. Having said that, if you can get hold of any book written by one of my favourite authors, Mathew Reilly—you'll see he's, in my opinion, one of the only people who can write unbelievable action scenes that somehow work! But I wouldn't try this at home folks! He's the exception! He also has US Marines as his heroes…just sayin…

Good call. How do you figure out the plotting and pacing of the book as you write?


When I start throwing things around, I know it's not working and I really should have taken the time to sit down and write out the damn plot in the beginning…however, I'm not known for my patience, and so I always end up rushing in writing like a mad woman…then having to go back and work out where it's supposed to go after I get to the middle! You would think I should have learnt my lesson by now…

What are you being for Halloween?

We don't actually have Halloween here in Australia—however, I did have one traumatic experience with Halloween when I visited the US a few years ago; it involved a corn field, a maze, and someone wearing a mask, chasing me with a chain saw…for the life of me, I can't work out Americans and their bizarre need to terrify themselves once a year! Crazy!

I never knew that! And I agree, because Halloween isn't my favorite holiday. But I'm trying hard to get into it for my kids. Hey, when are we finally going to meet in person?

The second I win the lotto, I'm booking a flight to Canada! Unless you come down under first! But where ever the event happens, all I can say to the locals is…LOOK OUT!

Yeah! Wait, what were we talking about? Oh, right. Being wild ;) Thanks for coming by, Karly.

Karly loves to hear from readers, so please drop by her website to see the trailer for Operation Summer Storm or drop her a line. But first, leave a comment so we can enter you into the contest for Friday's draw.

Happy reading!
Kaylea Cross :)

The Importance of Being Lusha

So, I actually finished a short last week. First thing I've finished since May, I was in a really nasty little mental box and the trip to Sanibel Island was just what the doctor would have ordered if he wasn't so busy wrestling with my HMO.

While on Sanibel, I had an entire week to pamper my muse, to shift my priorities back where they needed to be. Just like Maree's post last week, I was so miserable with the writing and my overall lack of progress, I was eyeballing the blue Wal-Mart vests. Hey if I'm going to be unhappy I might as well be compensated for it, right?

So during our Sanibel trip we decided to work on a group anthology, each contributor to write a twenty thousand word story that ties in. Seeing as how I literally hate all the open projects on my P.C. I figured I better start something I wanted to write, something I could finish before National Novel Writing Month starts in Nov.

Two chapters in, my fab critique partner sends me an email to the effect of "Who are you and what have you done with Jenn?" It wasn't that she didn't recognize my voice. I'd turned up the heat to OMG explicit levels.

Which is why I finally have an pen name, Lusha Lovelace. It hit me in the middle of the night like a freight train. She's more than just a pseudonym though, she's a way of life, an attitude with attitude. There is NOTHING Lusha won't do because Lusha is all about the moment, the inner hedonist.

Lusha doesn't fret about cleaning the house, scrubbing toilets, running the kids to every activity on he planet. Lusha doesn't edit, or worry about what will need to be edited when. Lusha creates, then sits in bubble baths with a giant bottle of Rosa Regale at the ready while someone else does the grunt work. She is the good-time girl, the anti Laundry Hag. No one would dare take Lusha for granted, they are lucky to be in the same room with her.

Lusha knocked that twenty K story out of the park in little less than two weeks. Then wrote another short two days later.

Essentially, Lusha is a talented, selfish bitch. And God help me, I love being Lusha.

Good thing she'll have me.

You can follow Lusha on twitter.

http://twitter.com/LushaLovelace


Oh and just FYI, my medieval times space opera, Stellar Timing, is a finalist in the On the Far Side contest!

How To Make An Author's Day!

How To Make An Author's Day! By Maree Anderson (for Writers Gone Wild)

Hi y'all,

Frankly, many of us writers aren't quite normal. It's sure not 'normal' to hear the voices of our characters telling us how they want to be written. Nor is it normal for these fictional characters (that we're supposed to be in control of!) to ruin a perfectly good solidly written outline because they have their own ideas about the story and refuse to let us compromise. I guess this is one of the reasons many writers are driven to write -- driven to get all those characters and plots and ideas running round in our heads out on the page before we explode.

And I guess this is why many of us often don't make a heckuva lot of sense when we're in the zone, living our stories as we write them. Heck, at times I'm so tongue-tied it's like I've forgotten how to speak. What I want to say is all up there in my head, but sometimes I can't voice it and make myself understood. Writing it down? No problems. Mounting a cohesive argument or carrying on a semi-decent conversation? Big fat fail!

And any of you who personally know a writer have probably realized by now that many of us are also precious little snowflakes, thin-skinned worrywarts who take things to heart. One minute we're on on top of the world, and the next, we're sobbing over our keyboards. We might appear to ride with the punches that go with this business and be all staunch and "who cares?" about it. We might appear to be able to shake off the disappointments. But really?

Really, sometimes we're wondering why the hell we're putting ourselves through this crap. Really, sometimes we're smiling on the outside, acting like everything's peachy-keen, but we're on the verge of giving up on our dreams.

Now don't get me wrong, most of us are lucky to have supporters such as wonderful, understanding, patient family members who believe we'll make it in this business. But sometimes, what we really need is someone other than our nearests and dearests to tell us that we don't suck. Because, yanno, our friends and family kinda have to say nice things, don't they?

If we're lucky, we'll hear something positive from an an editor or agent or an author that we look up to, that will perk us right up and get us enthused to soldier on. But that doesn't always happen.

And the point of the post is that if you've read a book you really liked and you've got a spare moment, consider emailing the author of that book to tell him or her. (I've done that and been told I really made the author's week. I was rapt and so was she *VBG*).

And if you personally know an as-yet-unpublished writer or an author, and she seems a bit brittle and not her usual self, then perhaps find something positive and encouraging to say to her. It may seem a very small gesture to you, but over on the other side of the fence, it means more than I -- I mean, we! -- can say.

:-)

Maree

SOS America

Another huge congratulations to our very own Saranna on her amazing news! We're so proud of you! *sniff*

Other than that, I just wanted to post a quick note to let you know about the Support Our Soldiers America promo that's going on this month. Kim Adams of SOS Aloha is hosting The Wild Rose Press and its authors this month, and doing book giveaways.

Please stop by for a chance to win books, and to join the cause of providing every overseas member of the armed forces with a holiday card. It's a great cause, so get involved!

Got Demon?

Got Demon?


Kensington Brava does! They've got demon, warlock and angel all in one nifty package. How you may ask? Well, I'll share the news that has me happy dancing up and down all over the place.

HOW TO LOSE A DEMON IN 10 DAYS, HOW TO MARRY A WARLOCK IN 10 DAYS and HOW TO SEDUCE AN ANGEL IN 10 DAYS have all been contracted for Kensington's Brava line. Pop open a bottle of Rosa Regale and happy dance with me!

To celebrate, I'm giving away a GOT DEMON? bumper sticker. Just leave a comment with your email and we'll throw your name in the hat.

Going Back To Basics

GOING BACK TO BASICS by Maree Anderson (for Writers Gone Wild)

Hi y'all,

Some of you might know I do karate. I'm not particularly good at it or anything, but I try my best and when I stuff up, I usually smile and have another go.

In the next month or so, I'll be going for my 6th kyu green belt grading. And I'm not looking forward to it for the obvious reasons: I'm still carrying an ankle injury and it's hard enough getting through an hour long class let alone a longer, far more intense grading class. But the main reason is that I'm beginning to believe I'm getting too old for this. Seriously. The old brain is not is not what it was and I find it much much harder to learn stuff and remember it. I can remember the individual moves -- most of the time -- but the combinations do my head in. And as for learning the kata (a detailed choregraphed pattern of movement designed to show progress in technique and strength) for each grading.... Nightmare.

The kata we have to learn for green belt is called saifa. We can only fit one class a week into our busy lives at the moment, so it probably took me a good six months to feel reasonably confident about this pattern. On top of that, there's a bundle of new strikes, kicks, blocks and stances to learn for green belt, too.

I thought I pretty much had them memorised, but last week, my confidence took a huge nose dive. I got to class and boy, did I screw up. Big time. I found I either couldn't remember a basic technique at all, or if I did, I was all over the place with it. Worse, toward the end of the class we all had to get up and perform all the katas. After each group performed their next grading kata, they got to sit down. Being an orange belt meant that I had to perform 1st, 2nd and 3rd kata. And yanno what? I stuffed up a turn in 1st kata. First kata! Which threw me so much that I did a similar thing in 2nd, and then, with all the white and yellow belts looking on, I blanked in the middle of 3rd kata, too.

Boy, did I feel like crap. Especially when our sensei confirmed I wouldn't be grading this month -- he'd give me another month. Which, because he wants to grade our whole family together, meant that I was holding back DH, son and daughter. All of them professed relief that they'd have another few weeks to practice, but I still feel bad about it. I still feel that they're ready for grading now, and I'm holding them back.

So what happened? Why could I suddenly not recall basic moves and techniques I've been practicing for a couple of years now?

I suspect it's because I've been concentrating so much on learning the new stuff, that I've neglected to practice the old stuff. But those 'basics' are important. If you don't practice the basics, you haven't got a good foundation to help you achieve the hard stuff. And I should have remembered that even with something you think you know very well, it's still possible to have an 'aha!' moment -- that perfect moment of clarity when something clicks in your mind and you suddenly "see" how you could do it better, make it better, improve it so that it's just that bit nearer perfection. That's why it's important to keep practicing the basics.

Writing's like that, too, in a way.

You research your craft. You read widely. You practice your craft. You write and write and write. You learn about grammar and punctuation, and showing rather than telling. You learn about Goal, Motivation, Conflict. You learn the rules. You learn how to break the rules in some new and wonderful way. You enter contests, show your work to critique partners, bravely put your work out in the public domain. You learn to take criticism and apply it. You learn when to ignore criticism in favor of being true to your vision and believing in yourself.

And then, if you're talented and persistent and lucky enough to sub the right story at the right time to the right person, you get published -- multi-published, even. And you start to believe that you might not actually suck at this writing business, and you might actually know how to pen a great, readable story.

Until, right in the middle of your current manuscript, you realize something's not working. Or it might even be that you've completed a manuscript and something's not working. And sometimes, the only way to fix it is to pull that sucker apart and get back to basics.

As for my disastrous karate lesson last week? It's back to the Karate Basics DVD for me. I need to get back to basics. If nothing else, I'll have built a damn good foundation for tackling the more advanced techniques and (hopefully) being able to remember them all.

Now all I need is a brain transplant, and for my ankle will make a miraculous recovery before next month's grading. I live in hope.

Cheers,

Maree

What To Do When You Get Stuck On A WIP

Unlike so many of my fellow Wild Writers here, I don't have any big news to report. No, currently I'm stuck in mid-point hell on my current WIP. The first draft is my least favorite part of writing, and the halfway point usually marks the place when I start spinning my wheels and sometimes even grind to a halt.

I'm not a pantser, try as I might to let my muse have its way with me and the storyline. I always get better results when I do up a scene outline before I begin drafting, so I can see how the pacing flows and if there's enough conflict to get me to The End.

An Excel spreadsheet seems to do the trick, but I thought I'd poll all you authors out there to see if you've come up with something better. What tricks do you use to get you over a stubborn lull in a story? Usually I blow something up or have someone killed, but it's easy to do in military romantic suspense :) This book I'm currently wrestling into submission is a paranormal romance, so I've got a bit more latitude in terms of world building, etc.

How about brainstorming tips? If you've got something fabulous that works for you, tell us about it. It's so interesting to see how different authors work, and I always pick up something useful when I talk to them about the craft of writing.

I'm right at the halfway mark in my first draft, AKA the ugly duckling period, but once I get over this hump I know the rest of the story will come out much smoother.

New Release Redeeming Characters

It's here! It's here! It's finally friggin HERE!!! This book was a labor of love and pain every bloody step of the way. But it's out there now and already making me proud.

Blurb:
Animals may bite, but people always suck. It’s Drue's motto. His only goal is to disappear into the wild with nary a nitwit to be seen. Yet, when he discovers an old friend has published the book he helped create, a new plan surfaces. Revenge.

Romance author Dakota Whitmore is in a slump. Maybe what she needs is a little help, a beta reader who will tell her that her work hasn't turned into a steaming cow pie. Enter uber sexy Drue, the man who helped her pen her first-and only-bestseller. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Right?

"Read this book and you will remember what it felt like to fall in love"
--The Reading Reviewer

Excerpt time: I decided on something a little spicier for my good pals here at WGW, nosy relatives get what they deserve...

Drue kissed her. It started as a soft, gentle melding of mouths, probably his way of yanking her off the ledge of panic DEFCON 1. She kicked it up a notch, shoving her body into his, rubbing shamelessly against his erection. He groaned as she reached down to cup him through his track pants.

He broke the kiss and tried to pull out of her grasp.

“Dakota,” he groaned when she moved with him.

“Make me forget,” she whispered, working his shaft in her steady hand. “For tonight please, I want to stop thinking.”

“Don’t do this to me,” he pleaded even as he shoved her shirt aside to stroke her breast.

“Why not? Isn’t this what you wanted?” She kissed his bare chest, working her hand underneath the waistband of his pants.

“Yesss,” he hissed as her thumb brushed the tip of him. His hips rolled up to her, seeking fingers, begging for more of her touch.

Watching his body arch while she massaged him intimately, she smiled at the magnificence of him, and the power she commanded with a simple touch. Straddling his hips, effectively trapping him beneath her, she nuzzled along his neck, enjoying the raspy stubble scraping against her skin. He was hard and rugged just like the mountains he climbed, yet he smelled clean with his own subtle hint of sage spice.

Increasing her pace, Dakota licked her way across his scarred chest, meeting his burning gaze for a moment, so he would read her intent. She craved the supremacy she had over his body and wanted to see how far she could take it. His expression had been torn between need and reluctance. He could overpower her in a nanosecond—she couldn’t match him with physical strength— but he didn’t try to take control, just begged her with his eyes. He didn’t want to hurt her, of course. A flare of guilt made her pause.

“Do you want me to stop?” she asked him quietly, her fingers poised on the elastic band around his midsection.

He blinked, as if surprised she’d asked. “I don’t know….”

And because I'm a viscous trollop, that's where we're ending Bwhahahaha!

Now available in ebook from Passion in Print Press and Amazon kindle!

Read something delicious today!

The Great Escape!

That is what I have decided to call this trip. It has not been the best year for me personally for a number of reasons that I do not want to go into, so at some point I decided to do one of those things that I always said I would do One Day. You know, the kind of thing that you want to do but keep putting off because it costs too much, or you are too busy, or the kids need you, or you donèt want to take the time off work....

So, on Thursday, after an eighteen hour trip by air, I landed in Hong Kong. You see, I have a sister who lives on mainland China and I always said that one day I would go visit her. I kept putting it off, after all it is not like driving across town. It is a loooonnnng way from home!

I am so glad I came! We spent a couple of days exploring Hong Kong and catching up on all the news and now we are spending the weekend in exotic Macau. After this, we plan to visit Bejing, see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, the Terra Cotta Warriors, and lots of other places. It is truly a Great Adventure, and one I am sure I will always be able to look back on fondly. My sister and I have not spent much time together since we both left home to get married and start our families way back in the seventies, so this is a chance to reconnect.

If there is something that you have always wanted to do, but put off for whatever reason, I highly recommend rethinking that and planning your own Great Escape. There is no better time than the present!

When You Can't See The Wood For The Trees

WHEN YOU CAN'T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES by Maree Anderson (for Writers Gone Wild)

Hi y'all,

I think I can finally see the light at the tunnel after this latest round of revisions. The fantasy world I'd set up and the history of that world didn't fit into the new genre requirements. Using four characters as point-of-view characters wasn't going to be acceptable either. Among other things, I was going to need to drastically simplify a very complicated story.

And the worst thing about this whole process? Deciding what to leave out.

There were large portions where my editor had commented, "O0h, I love where this scene is going!" or praised the writing. And I found myself getting too caught up in trying to make these scenes "fit" the new shape of the overall story. I mean, if your editor loves the scenes, how can you cut them? But regardless of how well-written or compelling those scenes might have been, for me, the last third of the story just wasn't working as a whole.

Within the allowed word count, within the contraints of the story as I'd written it all those years ago, there was no way the two main characters were going to develop and grow emotionally as they should. They were spending far too much time apart dealing with various plot crises I'd thrown at them. I'd fallen into my old "action-woman" comfort zone. Too much action, not enough emotion. I was at the stage where I couldn't see the wood for the trees -- couldn't see my way clear as to what needed to go and what needed to stay.

So, with a contract deadline looming, I had to take this story I'd written years ago and already revised drastically -- or so I thought -- and take, well, drastic action.

I cut the last third of the book and saved it to a Deleted Scenes file. Then I outlined the last third of the book. And only those cut scenes that exactly fit the new outline were pasted back into the original manuscript file. It ripped my heart out to see some of those scenes languishing in a Deleted Scenes file--especially ones my editor had liked. But hey, a writer with a looming contract has gotta do what she's gotta do!

So where did that leave me?

Well, it left me writing to fill the gaps between various scenes. It left me hoping that when I'd finished, I'd have a plot that made sense, characters whose emotional development made sense, and a story that fit the word count. In other words, I'd have finally succeeded in turning a 100,000 word fantasy into a 70-75,000 word erotic romance. And to make it even more interesting, I wanted to get it pretty much done before I went away on holiday. Because, yanno? I just didn't relish the thought of spending our family holiday glued to my laptop. (And as it happened, I wouldn't have gotten any writing done anyway. But that's a whole 'nother story!)

Did I do it? Yep. Pretty much. If you don't count the two "Insert hot sex scene here" notations -- seems I just wasn't in the mood for writing "those" kind of scenes at the time. Wonder why? Might have been because it was 11pm the day before we were going away and I still hadn't packed, LOL.

So now that I'm back from holiday, I've inserted the two hot sex scenes -- sheesh, that sounds really rude, huh? *blushes* And I've just printed the manuscript out to do a final read through. I like to do that so I can turn off writer/editor mode and read the story as a reader, and catch anything that doesn't fit or pulls me from the story. And, even after multiple read-throughs, it's amazing what I'm finding. Yep, that would be scary-amazing, not yeeha-amazing. Seems you can miss a heap of stuff when you've been staring at your monitor so long your eyeballs are bleeding.

Then, hopefully this weekend, it's off to my editor. I'm pretty happy with my story now, but fingers crossed that this cut and slash method has worked for her as well as me!

Wish me luck.

Cheers,

Maree

Interview With the Amazing Vivi Dumas

Today we have Vivi Dumas strapped to the rack for our interviewing pleasure. I’m so happy to have her here at Writers Gone Wild. She’s definitely a wild one. In fact, I think I need some more… intense tools for her questioning.

While I’m searching through the Bag O’ Doom, how about we start off with a couple of easy ones? *rubs hands together in evil genius fashion* I'm in black, Vivi is in purple. 

Vivi, you recently made your first sale to Decadent Publishing. Can you tell us some more about the book and how you felt when you found out you’d sold?

My first sale is Soul Catcher. Soul Catcher is a paranormal romance set in New Orleans. My heroine, Angel, is an ex-supermodel who lost her beauty in a car accident. She seeks out the Devil to get her beauty back. As a part of the deal, she has to hunt and capture supernatural creatures and return them back to Hell. During her training in Hades, Angel meets and falls for a hot demon.

My first sale like all first sales was exciting. When I first started subbing the novel, I sent it to several agents and traditional publishers. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go the e-pub route. Then all the chaos in the industry came about when some major publishers made some big announcements. At that point, I started researching e-publishers.

I will say I appreciate what Decadent did for me. As a new writer, I still have a lot of room to grow. My novel was missing some things. Instead of just throwing it aside, Decadent told me what it needed and gave me the opportunity to fix it. They took a chance on me. Now as I go through the editing process, I’m learning more and more on how to better my writing.

It’s frustrating when people tell you that you’re not what they are looking for but won’t tell you why. Or getting feedback like they couldn’t connect with your characters, but no reasoning as to what put them off. I understand agents and editors are busy. Truly, I get that. It’s just nice when you finally get one who take the time to help you better yourself.

I was cyberstalk—reading your blog and I saw you’ve also got a second release in the works. Tell us about that one too.

“Salvation” is a vampire short story coming out from Decadent. It is a hot and spicy erotic romance. It’s a lot darker than Soul Catcher. The story opens with my hero, Darius, sitting on the Steeple of St. Patrick’s waiting to meet the sun. The day he decided to end his life, he finds his mate, but she lies dying in a park. This causes Darius to make a lot of hard decisions.

“Salvation” is my first attempt at erotica and dip into the world of BDSM (just a toe in the water). I can't wait to read this one too! Looks tasty.

Now, like a lot of the authors we know and love here on Writers Gone Wild, we met over at Textnovel. What was the Textnovel Experience like for you? Do you feel your writing and networking benefited from the experience?

I appreciate Textnovel because I met a lot of great people on the site. I would’ve never meet the wonderful divas of WGW if it wasn’t for Textnovel. It was wonderful to have people reading and liking my story. But I had to take a step back and really evaluate what the site was about and what I should use from it.

For me personally, I took my story out of the contest because when I researched the agency which would represent the winner, they didn’t seem to be a good fit for me. I also realized that the feedback you get on Textnovel is mainly positive. No one wants to put negative comments on someone’s work in public, except assholes like me. J (I knew there was a reason I love you so much. Hehehe.)You have to be able to find others who will give you honest critique about your work and be willing to listen in order to improve your writing. I think sometimes sites like Textnovel can make us a little jaded about our writing and help us to lie to ourselves about the flaws.

Like myself and Liane Gentry Skye, you were a caregiver to a family member through an extended illness. How did that affect you as a writer?

Wow. That’s a hard question to answer but I’ll start with the easy part. I apologize in the beginning if this gets a little long. I met the love of my life and three years later he was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (kidney failure in layman’s terms). It’s a hard pill to swallow when you’re 24 yrs old. If you don’t know if you love someone, illness can test your fortitude and give you the answer. Ever since then, we’ve been on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs, sickness, and sacrifices. 2 transplants, 1 open heart surgery, 3 bouts of dialysis, need 2 hip replacements, calcium deficiency, anemia, and the list goes on. Now we’re 36.

You can’t be in this kind of a relationship without it affecting you. But I guess you asked about how it affected my writing. First and foremost, I started my first novel while we were doing dialysis at home. Every day we did treatment and I had three hours on my hands to do something but it had to be something I could do and still maintain the dialysis machine and watch over hubby. So I decided to start a novel I had been wanting to write since high school. Every night while we did dialysis I wrote.

Being a caregiver also affects the way I write my heroines and how I think about romance. Love is not easy or pretty some time. It’s messy, takes work, and the happy ending might not be what you thought it would be, but it’s what you need. That’s my fairy tale. I would’ve never pictured myself in this relationship But it’s what I needed and it made me a better person. We, my hubby and I, needed each other to survive. Although some days I want to run away or disappear, I know in my heart I could never be away from this man. I think my heroines tend to have this same attraction to their men. (Okay. You have brought the tears. Divas aren’t suppose to cry during interviews. Lol.)

You can totally sniff here, you're with the Divas. It's all good. Your story is beautiful and teaches us that Happily Ever After does exist, we just have to remember that it happens one day at a time and in the good stories, the ones that move us, it is never without sacrifice. Damn it, I'm sniffing now too. :)

Do you have to fall in love with your heroes to write a good book?

I’m not sure if it’s love, but I have to have a passion about them. Jacque, my hero in Soul Catcher, snuck up on me. I did fall head-over-heels for him. So much so, that he was actually supposed to be a secondary character and ended up being the hero.

My hero in my next book is someone you love to hate. Right now, I could run him through myself, but I know we’ll eventually get there. My heroine in book two is also someone you want to hate. She’s Isabella from Soul Catcher. I’ve had many people tell me they wish they could just smack her. Hahaha. These characters have traits that make them hard to love, but if you’re able to push past the ugliness and find redemption it make the love so much better. You appreciate something more if you have to work for it.

I really liked Isabella. She's a strong character with room for redemption. 

What’s your most embarrassing moment? (Come on. Tell us. We’ll only laugh and point a little bit.)

Hmm… I was going to a Homecoming dance. As I walked into the dance, my heel caught in a grate and I fell face first. Everyone in the whole school witnessed my awkward attempt to wear high heels. Now you can’t get me out of my stilettos.

Aww... 

Favorite place for characters to get it on?

I don’t have a favorite place, but I do have a favorite time. I think sex after battle is fierce, hot and sexy. The combination of all the emotions you experience during a fight for your life, fear, anger, and power are the same as the ones you experience during sex. The passion mixed with the aggression after a good fight is exciting. It’s rough, spontaneous and explosive. I like it a little rough some time. *wicked grin*

Adrenaline sex is as good as grudge sex. *grin*

Do your heroines put out on the first date?

Depends on the heroine. I tend to have very sexually expressive heroines. They aren’t afraid of their sexuality. Actually, most will embrace it, even leverage it.

I like that a lot. I think it's important that our modern heroines have "modern ideas". That they not be afraid or ashamed of their sexuality. 

Angel, in Soul Catcher, actually sleeps with Jacque before even dating him. She had an itch she needed scratching. *wink* Gisele in “Salvation” puts out on the first day, but to be fair to her, the whole story takes place in one night. Also, you have that whole erotic turning thing and the bloodlust. She never had a chance.

Favorite shinies?

Shoes. My preeeecious *eyes wide and wrings hands*

Coffee or tea?

I love my coffee. If I do tea, it’s mainly Asian teas.

Tell us about your “sexy beast”. Who he is, what he does, and why he’s your sexy beast.

My sexy beast in real life is my hubby. I swear he is an immortal or a cat with 9 lives. Hahaha. We’ve had more than one occasion when the doctor has said I don’t know how he’s hanging on. But anyway… He has battles sickness for 12 years now. Even through his multiple health problems, this man works 2, yes I said 2, fulltime jobs. He spoils me and the kids rotten. We can talk for hours. He makes me laugh. And he make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world at times. This man has supported me through 2 degrees, working my way up the corporate ladder, leaving an excellent job to start my own real estate business, and now my writing. On top of all that, he has the most beautiful blue eyes that reminds me of swimming in the Caribbean. Who could ask for more?

I think you gave me a hot flash. That's a real man. He sounds like a wonderful husband. Mine works two full-time jobs too. If they ever had time, they'd have fun hanging out. :) 

As a (gorgeous) woman of color, what do you have to say about the trend of “whitewashing” characters on covers?

*deep sigh* Most of my heroes and heroines are or will be people of color. Why? Because that’s who I know and love. I hate not seeing people like myself on the covers of the books I love to read, namely paranormal romance. One of my objectives when I decided to write was to try to put more people of color on the covers of books, especially the heroes.

I hope in the future we’ll find more diversity in our characters. I’m picky about what my characters look like on my covers. So, I’ll continue to try to push my publishers to represent my characters as I see them.

I really liked your heroine on the cover of "Salvation". 

I think we talked about this before on your blog because one of my characters, Ghislaine Grisly is a woman of color. I'd been wary of writing her, but why? It's part of who she is, it's the character. I think there are other authors who worry about offending someone, but if you stay true to the character, and like you said before aren't working off a stereotype I don't think that's going to happen. 

Do you remember what book made you fall in love with the written word?

Wow. So hard to pin point one book. But I will say, I loved C.S. Lewis coming up. Those books painted vivid images in my mind and carried me off to fantasy land.

What made you start writing?

Really I started writing because I had a story from high school that I wanted to tell. I wanted to get it out for my kids. I also wanted to do it because I loved it when I was young. Always thought about trying to write. So I thought why not give it a stab. At least I can scratch it off the “what if” list. I hate regrets. I hate having to wonder what would’ve happened. Therefore, I tend to just go for it and jump in with both feet. Failure is only not being brave enough to try.

Favorite pair of shoes? (picture or link) *insert evil laughter* Yes, you have to pick ONE.

This one truly made me wander around my closet, put on shoes, and walk around. Luckily, I do this from time to time so DH didn’t think it weird when I was in the closet this morning. Heehee.

After a lot of thinking and process of elimination, I came up with one pair. My tomato colored, steel heeled, Donald J. Pliner booties. I love these shoes for a lot of reasons. One, who doesn’t love a shoe with a steel heel? Two, they’re red crocodile patent leather. Three, they were a gift from DH. I was eyeing them in the Nordstrom’s catalogue one day. I put them on my mental wishlist. That weekend, DH comes home with a Nordstrom’s bag and says, “Here. I hope these are the right ones.” Inside the bag was The Precious.

These are definitely The Precious. YUM.

Oh, I think I need those. A steel heel? They would totally hold my Amazon self. I love the red croc too. Sigh. I'm having shoe envy.

What do you think of authors who describe their own work with words like “heart-warming”?

I think some stories should be heart-warming. If you’re using those words to explain a paranormal romance, I’m going to think twice about reading it. If you’re talking about an inspirational or maybe literary fiction, even contemporary, I’m fine with it. I‘ll read any genre with a good story and strong characters. I even read a lot of non-fiction. But “heart-warming” is a no-no when you talk paranormal for me.

Do you have plans to attend any conferences this year?

Well. I do have hopes to attend several upcoming conferences, but most are next year. I say hope because in my world the word “plan” is a joke. I’ve planned 3 trips to Italy and gone on none. But if God willing and the creek don’t rise. J I hope to go to Romantic Times in LA and RWA in NYC. I have to check out what else is going on to see if I will add anything else to my calendar.

When are we going to do that Jell-O wrestling for charity?

You say the word, babe and I’m there.

Where can we get more Vivi? 

I will post the buy links as soon as we’re ready for release. Please check anyone of my social network sites for more information.

Blog

Website

Facebook

FB Fan Page

Twitter

Email - paranormalqueen (at) gmail (dot) com (Use the @ sign and the . when using her email addy. It was posted in this format to protect the Queen from Spambots.)

Wild Card Question: This is something new we started just last week and it’s a bit of fun. You have to think “wild” when you’re considering your response. Pick one of the three, or you may answer all three, if you choose.

*ahem*

1. How much is too much?

          It’s never enough. I have an insatiable appetite. *devilish smile*

2. Multiple or Single?

    Depends on the day and my mood.

3. Battery powered or electric?

           Battery of course. I like to be mobile.

Anything else you wish to share with our readers, Vivi?

I just want to thank all those who have already supported me and for those who will support me in the future. I hope you enjoy my stories and love the characters. I love to hear from you so always feel free to reach out and contact me.

Thanks for being here, Vivi. It was a pleasure to have you! WGW wishes you all the best with your new releases and we hope to have you back again soon.