Month: August 2013

Today Writer Wednesday is privileged to welcome Barbara Bettis. Barbara’s debut novel is Silverhawk, currently an exclusive on Amazon.

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Recently, several members of one of my writing groups were talking about how we came up with ideas for our stories. Almost everyone had different methods or at least variations on different methods. Characters came first to some, plots to others. A few envisioned scenes that spun into story lines later.

When I tried to isolate how the idea for my debut novel came along, I realized Giles and Emelin’s story combined a couple of those ways. But it all began in research.

I’d been gathering information about King Richard I (the Lionheart) because my first book began with his return to England after his release from captivity in February 1194. The name of Mercadier kept popping up as a sort of right hand man to Richard in his wars. Mercadier was a mercenary.

A mercenary usually was a knight who didn’t have land and who had to find a way to, in simple terms, make a living. He usually fought in the hope of winning land and riches and even a wife. Later in the Middle Ages, some might follow the tournament circuit in hopes of accumulating enough coin to buy property. Either way, they led hard, sometimes brutal, lives.

The ones who hired themselves out as private soldiers, so to speak, were fiercesome warriors because they had to be or they’d die. Mercenaries weren’t particularly popular men, according to many sources. There are accounts of bands of these knights that were basically outlaws—thieving, raping and murdering. Not all were like that, however. Many more were simply soldiers in an army.

When I thought about what kind of lives they led, I began to wonder: What would it be like for one who wasn’t one of the renegades? It must be a lonely life at times, avoided by regular people out of fear or mistrust.

I “saw” in my mind the figure of a mercenary knight mounted on his horse, sitting in the middle of an empty circle in at the edge of a village, while on-lookers threw him suspicious, fearful, even threatening glares, but who would have nothing to do with him.

I felt so sorry for him. He wanted to be accepted, he wanted to be loved, but because of his profession, because of his past, he knew he never would.

Sir Giles evolved from there. I made him a trusted friend and captain of Mercadier’s, and as such, trusted by the king. But then, he needed a mission—a goal, a motivation. He needed a woman who would love him and that he could love. But their romance couldn’t be too easy.

I really enjoyed working out their combined paths.

How do your story ideas come to you?

(*Caveat: The discussion here is summarized and simplified and not meant to be an exhaustive, academic study of mercenaries. By the way, according to the website etomology.com, our term ‘freelance’ came from Sir Walter Scott’s use of it to refer to medieval mercenaries in his book IVANHOE (1820).)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Silverhawk:

He’s everything a proper lady should never want; she’s everything a bastard mercenary can never have.

Sir Giles has come to England to kill his father, who seduced and betrayed his mother. First, however, he’ll seek sweet revenge—kidnap the old lord’s new betrothed. But when Giles uncovers a plot against King Richard, he faces a dilemma: take the lady or track the traitors. What’s a good mercenary to do? Both, of course.

Lady Emelin has had enough. Abandoned in a convent by her brother, she finally has a chance for home and family. Yet now she’s been abducted. Her kidnapper may be the image of her dream knight, but she won’t allow him to spoil this betrothal. Her only solution: escape

Rescuing the intrepid lady—while hunting traitors—is a challenge Giles couldn’t anticipate.  But the greatest challenge to Giles and Emelin is the fire blazing between them. For he’s everything a proper lady should never want, and she’s everything a bastard mercenary can never have.

www.barbarabettis.com

www.barbarbettis.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraBettisAuthor

www.twitter.com/BarbaraBettis

The buy link for Amazon:  http://amzn.to/1bQX3td

The book will be in wide release in November.

 

 

Today we welcome Michelle Sharp to Writer Wednesday. Michelle is a new voice in romantic suspense. Today she presents her thoughts about writing conferences. Note: begin saving pennies now.

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Can I really afford to go to the RWA National Convention? Being relatively new on the romance writing scene, you can bet I’ve asked myself this very question.

Let’s face it, money is tight these days and how a writer chooses to invest in their journey is a very personal decision, but I can give you a few of my thoughts as to why I went to the national convention this year, and why I’m so glad that I did.

Atlanta 2013 was my second National Convention. I’ve been a member of RWA and MORWA (Missouri Romance Writers of America) for a few years. I consider my writing career as a business I’m trying to launch. I also have a son going to college in a couple years, so yes, money matters. I think any good business owner would tell you, in order to be successful, you must invest a bit on the front end. Although not cheap, I think the RWA National Convention is a good investment for anyone seriously pursuing romance publication. Here’s why:

Number 1.  Workshops . . .workshops . . . and more workshops. Okay I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to writing classes and workshops. I love learning anything and everything about writing, but even if I didn’t love it, I’d still go.

Why? Because we all have that first manuscript sitting around, don’t we? The disastrous one where you head hopped so much even you became confused. The nightmare where she said ended every line of dialogue. The sex scene so mechanical—insert body part A into slot B—you’d die if your critique partners got a hold of it. Okay, maybe those issues were mostly just mine, but the point is, my writing is a galaxy away from where it started. This is mostly due to workshops and classes I’ve taken through RWA.

I understand you may not be able to fix a manuscript in a one hour workshop, but you will be exposed to a huge variety of learning opportunities. If one of those opportunities happens to touch off an “ah-ha” moment on how to improve your book, (which did happen for me) then the price of the trip feels a little more palatable. Plus, if you love a presenter’s teaching style, take Margie Lawson or Michael Hague for example, often they will offer on-line classes or workshops where you can focus more deeply on a particular aspect of writing.

Number 2.  Editor and agent appointments. If you’ve completed a manuscript, maybe even finaled in some contests, and you’re ready to send your baby out into the real world, the RWA National convention is a good place to jump in. There are huge numbers of editors and agents looking for new talent. While RWA only allows an attendee to make an advanced appointment for one editor and one agent, you can often pick up more appointments by being diligent and patiently waiting for more appointments to become available. Or, you can give all the other vultures in the room the stink eye and make sure you pounce first on the poor volunteer unfortunate enough to be assigned to the editor/agent room. Either road you take, your chances of getting more appointments are good. My critique partners walked away with several requests for partials and fulls this year from a variety of agent and editors.

Number 3.  Support and inspiration. I’m not sure if the inspiration factor is as huge for everyone as it is for me, but I often weigh my need to write against the hardships it puts on my family. Spend your time working a real job with a steady paycheck, says the devil on my shoulder. Your minivan is approaching 100,000 miles… Your son is going to college in a couple years…

Many, many of us have families and financial obligations. I’m probably not the only one who hears the whisper of doubt. But for me, the national convention is like coming home after a long stay on a foreign planet. Nothing recharges my batteries or refocuses my writing goals like being surrounded by a couple thousand other writers. I’m blown away by the extraordinary group of people that come together to genuinely support each other.

I’ve always felt this support within my local MORWA chapter. We have a crazy talented and generous group of writers here in the Midwest—just sayin. But this year at nationals, inspiration was everywhere. And I’m not talking about a group of unpublished authors cheering each other on as we go for the brass ring. I’m talking about the rock stars of our industry who show up and keep encouraging those of us still trying to make it. In what other industry do you find that kind of support?

In Cathy Maxwell’s keynote speech she reminded us how important it is to have faith in ourselves, that we must believe we are good enough. At the Golden Heart and Rita Awards, Christie Craig joked about all the different types of rejection letters she has received over the years, but her message was clear: Even the best writers in our industry have wrestled with rejection—you must be persistent to persevere.

I laughed and then cried with 2,000 other writers as Kristan Higgins spoke about her journey as a writer. Her speech was just as dynamic and touching as her books. She drove home for me an important truth that I sometimes lose track of in the midst of all the workshops and critiques and rejections. People love romance stories. I love romance stories.

Perhaps our books have little impact in the grand scheme, but sometimes our stories hold an escape or an inspiration for someone in a bad place. I like the idea of entertaining, but I love the possibility of my stories helping someone.

Can you benefit from the convention without actually going? Sure. If you’re a member of RWA, log in and look through the selection of workshop recordings available. It doesn’t get any better than attending a workshop while lounging on your couch wearing your jammies.

So next year when I’m asking myself if I can really afford to go to nationals, the better question might be, can I really afford not to?

Michelle Sharp is a member of  RWA, MORWA (Missouri Romance Writers of America), and Kiss of Death Chapters. She writes romantic suspense, and recently received her first contract offer for the The Dreamer Series. For more information or to contact her, check out her website at www.michellesharpbooks.com

Today we welcome Chris Cannon to Writer Wednesday.  Sit down with your favorite beverage and enjoy her comparison of teaching and writing.

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For most Americans, August means back to school time.

I love the start of a new school year, because it’s a new beginning, a chance to improve on what you taught the year before. All summer long, teachers hit garage sales and craft stores picking up new treasures to share with their kids. They are sure these new or gently used toys, games, and science projects will motivate all the kids and keep them on task. And it will work, until about October when candy season kicks in which is followed by turkey coma season and culminates in Christmas cookie eating and present opening extravaganza.

Then it’s January. The no man’s land of teaching. The kids are back, but they are mourning Christmas break (and the teachers are too) and there isn’t another respite until spring. And then the gift of all gifts occurs: a snow day. Teachers and students rejoice in the day of unexpected freedom. If you are a teacher, this is a day where you stay in your pajamas, drink hot cocoa and read a good book. And you might also call your friends who chose professions that are held in higher regard and pay much more money than teaching so you can tell them how you’re spending your day.

Once winter passes, kids and teachers hold out for Spring break when they can enjoy the warm weather. Once the break is over, the marathon run until summer begins. The nicer the weather is, the harder it is for students to pay attention. Not that it’s there fault. People seem to be biologically wired to crave sunshine and fresh air.

Once May hits, the count down to freedom begins. There isn’t a teachers’ lounge across the land that doesn’t have a countdown calendar, which all the teachers stare at longingly on their lunch breaks.  When the last day hits, everyone rejoices, because it’s the culmination of a lot of hard work for both the teachers and the students.

The school year is kind of like writing a book. You start out with plans (a plot) and a grand idea of how things will turn out (the end).  Then you start working with characters and coaxing them toward a goal. Sometimes the words come easy and sometimes you have to bribe your muse with chocolate and sparkly notebooks. If you stick with it, and reach the end of the book, there is a great sense of accomplishment.

Chris Cannon’s young adult paranormal novel, Going Down In Flames comes out in January 2014. You can check out her blog at www.chriscannonauthor.com