Tuesday, August 20, 2019

3T Writing Tidbit-The ONE WAY to write

The Writer's Journey, On Writing, The Elements of Style, Writing the Breakout Novel, Save the Cat, Swing the Bear...

Do you get confused reading all those titles promising you THE ONE AND ONLY WAY to craft a story that sells/wins awards/wins readers? Have you despaired figuring out the ONE WAY to write?

There is a refreshing post on story structure I wish I'd read before I started writing. The idea that one size does NOT fit all is life affirming (or at least writer-life affirming). The reasons why you want to do the One Way anyway are sound. The sarcasm is a bonus.

Here's the Three Act structure, explained by William P. Coleman in a way that works. Bonus, it uses Star Wars: A New Hope to explain.

Published since 2009, over the years I've accumulated various items of writing wisdom. The Third Tuesday Writing Tidbit showcases these items in no particular order. Click here to see all 3T Tidbits

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

2T Repeat Performance

In December 2016, the lovely Magical Musings crew decided it was time to close down their blogging shop. I had three wonderful years with them. This is another of those posts.

photo credit: FOR HUMANS ONLY via photopin (license)
More-than-Human Characters and Why I Love Them--Guest Author Roxy Mews--originally posted January 21, 2016.

Roxy has a great flow to her writing that I wish I could do. She makes even the most fantastic situations feel absolutely concrete through her natural, up-to-the-millisecond style. Today she's sharing a bit of how she makes that happen. Please welcome my friend Roxy Mews!
In fiction we play with extreme situations, because really, no one wants to read about the big strong hero folding laundry. (Although I would definitely pay to see that in real life.) And in playing with these extreme situations we want to have our characters react in fantastical ways.

In certain genres we have even more room to play. If we are writing about a vampire, we can show how he feels by the way he moves or the way his body reacts to another person. When my hero, Jake Meyers, is in deep thought his body ceases all movement, including breathing and blood flow.

My heroine in Coral-600, uses CPU’s to transmit reports to the lab she was created in, and certain bodily reactions cause very interesting data to be transmitted. This allowed me to give specific data to those in charge of her to prove her humanity in quantifiable ways.

And if we want something to happen for a story line, even if it’s not “believable” we can alter the world we are building to make it believable. We still have to follow lines of continuity and we still have to follow the rules we have laid out for our universe, but it’s our world to play with when we’re writing in Paranormal Romance, Fantasy, or SciFi.

Characters don’t always act the way I want them to. And there have been some instances where I have had to go back to the beginning of a manuscript and change major parts of the world, because the character I want wouldn’t exist otherwise.

When that happens I am usually in a corner rocking and hoping the editing fairy will visit me and fix the mess I wrote myself into. Turns out the editing fairy doesn’t exist and after a substantial glass of wine I get myself under control and fix it my darn self.

My books revolve around my characters, and creating worlds in which I can give them their happily ever afters. So when my character needs to be able to use mind control, I have to make him a vampire capable of compulsion. When my character needs to have the ability to smell someone from across the street, I make him a werewolf with heightened senses.

So far I’ve played with Vampires, Werewolves, Hybrids, Witches, and Robots. They all have had different stories to tell, but it was a blast letting them show me their worlds. I can’t wait to see where my characters take me next.

What is your favorite paranormal character to read or write about?

Roxy's latest in The DMA Files series, Interlocking Hearts, is available now!

AmazonBarnes and Noble iBooksGoogle Play | Samhain Publishing StoreKOBO

InterlockingHearts72lg (1)A human, an almost-human, and a more-than-human walk into a palace…

The DMA Files, Book 2

After her husband threw her out, Paisley Compton drew her sexuality around her like a shield. She finds solid ground as a palace maid until, during a formal dinner service, she trips onto the lap of a man who takes her breath away.

Ben has always known Jon is far more than property, and he jumps at the chance to get the android his certificate of humanity. Paisley—whose abilities far exceed her job title—is a welcome distraction from the bureaucracy.

Used and abused by his former owners, Jon trusts no one—particularly the smartass woman who’s caught Ben’s eye. He might not be certified human yet, but he has all the right parts to get to the bottom of this sexy mystery wrapped in a maid’s uniform.

Their attraction sparks unexpected new conduits among them, but when they realize Jon’s certificate comes with a terrible price, they must risk everything to foil an Anti-Mech plot—and hope they survive to lose themselves in each other’s arms.

Product Warnings

Overheating is likely. The mechanics in these pages require ample lubrication to perform at optimum levels. When possible, multiple system operators are recommended.

Roxy wrote her first story at age six on an electric typewriter. It was about a cat and a haunted house. Thankfully, her stories and technology have matured since then. Now Roxy spends her days fighting the evil day job in hopes of conquering the stories that run rampant in her head when she comes home at night. When she discovered Erotic Romance, Roxy fell in love. She can’t wait to share all her fun and sexy stories with everyone. To connect with Roxy Mews find her babbling on Twitter, friend her on Facebook, visit her Blog, or find all these links on RoxyRocksMe.com

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

1T Status Update-August

Three months to go! Night's Kiss is in edits this month, and I've got the first draft of the proposal package done for Night's Bliss, Elias's story. I'm seriously excited to finally bring this all together and get it in your hands!

This month:
  • Atlanta's Angel (Vampire Vignettes) releases
  • Reread of Assassin's Bite (Biting Love) Even the shadows fear him—how can any woman love him?
  • Classes start again (4 this semester, see you on the other side!)

Atlanta's Angel (Vampire Vignettes)

I’m Detective Leah Mackenzie, a human with the Atlanta PD. My partner and I are investigating the graveyard homicide of a young woman when arrogant master of the city Michael Obsidian stalks onto the scene.

Obsidian declares my case vampire business. Human hands off.

Tightly furious, I follow him to his lair to convince him he’s wrong. Yeah, I confront the strongest freaking vampire in the state, so what? My heart’s pounding in fear, too—bloodsuckers, even the lawful ones, are predators governed by deadly instincts born at the dawn of time. But Mom always said to do what was right, even if I had to go it alone. I need to get justice for the victim.

Then I get a lead on the killer that takes me straight into wild vampire territory, and going it alone threatens to turn me into the next homicide.


Special note to Biting Love fans—This isn't the Biting Love Universe. This is a short, first-meet story in a post-Unmasking universe. While there's sensual tension, it's meant for general audiences. There are vampires and snark, though. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


Vampire Vignettes. Short. Scintillating. First, exciting meets between an apex master vampire and the human woman who lights his life for the first time in centuries. Each story features a vampire master of the city and the woman who charms (or fights or snarks) her way into his life.

Universal link to see more here.