Get Out of Your Way by Terri Austin

First of all, a big thanks to Wendy for letting me hop on her blog and yak at all of you.    

I started writing when my kids were very young—both to escape mountains of laundry, but also to keep my sanity.  After all, there’s only so much Barney a person can take and remain unmedicated.  But there was one problem.  There were too many voices in my head.  And I don’t mean my characters’ voices, because that’s a good thing.  No, I heard my mother’s voice—I knew she’d disapprove of anything above a G rating, my pastor’s voice—he’d question my saggy morals, and even—gasp—what if my kids someday saw that Mommy wrote all kinds of naughty words and shook their little heads in disappointment?  I was my own worst enemy and I censored myself constantly.

Eventually, my kids started school and I was in full time Mom mode.  I told myself there was no time for writing.  I also had a couple of foot surgeries thrown in for fun.  But I always thought someday…someday I’d go back to it.  I jotted my ideas down in a journal and wished I had more time.

Now, my kids are pretty much grown—at least chronologically.  So I decided to take the NaNoWriMo challenge and start writing again.  For real this time.  No censoring voices, no holding back.  No fear.

It felt strange, this new freedom.  I used dirty words with abandon and chortled the whole time.  I wrote about sexy bad guys and missing potheads and a harajuku loli-inspired girl.  The self-imposed rules were out the window and I loved every liberating minute of it.  Occasionally, I would stop and ask myself, should I write that?  Then I would ignore myself and continue.  And if my book didn’t sell, at least I had written what I wanted.

But who was I kidding?  Of course I wanted it to sell.  I wanted everyone (except my mother and pastor) to read my book and laugh along with the kooky characters I’d let myself create.  And it turns out that my eighteen-year-old son—who wasn’t at all shocked by four-letter words and sizzling sexual tension—was my biggest cheerleader.

 

I guess if I had one piece of advice to offer it would be stay true to who you are as a writer.  Let the characters speak for themselves and don’t hold back because of what people might think.  Remember—no fear.    

I’m so glad I got out of my own way and freed myself to write the crazy that was in my head.  Turns out my editor loved my characters as much as I did.  Diners, Dives and Dead Ends is coming out July 17^th from HeneryPress.

Now I just have to break the news to my mom.

Balance across the page...

I started helping other authors with their novels in 2008 so I have seen many manuscripts. One of the biggest issues that stands out to me is the imbalance of the essential scene elements. For example: many writers will put a huge chunk of description and then follow that description with several lines of dialogue with no blocking. Such as the following from Midnight Secrets with parts deleted to use as an example:

The white letters spelling out “For Sale” glistened in the morning sunlight, causing Allison

to jerk the wheel quickly to avoid the corner stop sign. What the hell was going on? She pulled to

a stop into a parking spot and yanked her cell out of the center console. Why hadn’t anyone told

her the diner was going up for sale?

“Perry, why is there a for sale sign at the restaurant? Tell me it’s a practical joke,” she boomed

in the phone as soon as her boss answered.

“No joke, Allison. I can’t afford to run it anymore. It’s not bringing in enough income for

me to keep it open.”

“But I made some improvements. People bought stuff off the new menu to take home.” 

“It’s not enough. I’m sorry.”

“What the hell am I going to do? There aren’t any jobs here and working in the restaurant is

the only experience I have.” 

When we read the above passage without any description and actions to the scene, we are left with one big question: What is Allison doing? We don't get much insight on Allison based on this small exchange of dialogue she has with her boss. The problem with this kind of writing is that the readers can't "see" what is happening. They only know what is revealed through the dialogue. If I had left this scene this way the reader probably would've put the book down. To fix the scene it needs some of her internal dialogue and action.

Here is the actual scene:


The white letters spelling out “For Sale” glistened in the morning sunlight, causing Allison
to jerk the wheel quickly to avoid the corner stop sign. What the hell was going on? She pulled to
a stop into a parking spot and yanked her cell out of the center console. Why hadn’t anyone told
her the diner was going up for sale?


“Perry, why is there a for sale sign at the restaurant? Tell me it’s a practical joke,” she boomed
in the phone as soon as her boss answered.


“No joke, Allison. I can’t afford to run it anymore. It’s not bringing in enough income for
me to keep it open.”


Allison crossed her fingers as if she’d turned into a kid and hoped for some good luck. She
took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Here it goes. “But I made some improvements. People
bought stuff off the new menu to take home.” Okay, so it had just been the Carsons, but did Perry
need to know that part of it?


“It’s not enough. I’m sorry.”


“What the hell am I going to do? There aren’t any jobs here and working in the restaurant is
the only experience I have.” She slammed her hands onto the steering wheel. She’d probably have
to move the kids out of Wilson, something she didn’t want to do. New schools, work, neighbors,
and life. It was out of the question. Not only did the kids love it here in Wilson, but she did as well.
Even if her childhood had been a bit rough.

See the difference? In the fake scene, you learned that Allison's job is in jeopardy because her boss needs to sell the place. In the real scene you learned that Allison lives in a small town, working at the restaurant is her only job experience, she is a mother, she'd most likely have to move if the restaurant is sold, and that she is really angry. A few paragraphs of the story paints an ugly picture of a serious situation for Allison.

So how can you tell if your page has all of the elements needed? I suggest printing off your manuscript. Yep, on real paper! Don't use the computer for this technique. You need 4 colors of highlighters. On each page highlight the different elements with a designated color. For example: all of the dialogue will be pink, all the description blue, all of the emotion green, and all of the action will be orange. Go through the page with your highlighters. Do you have mostly orange? You might want to throw in some dialogue or description to help balance out the page. Some scenes will have more colors than others, but you should try to have it as equal as possible.

Thanks for stopping by. Want to find out what happens with Allison in Midnight Secrets? You can find the kindle version at http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Secrets-ebook/dp/B004GHN46U/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_3

Happy Easter!

I'm just stopping by to wish all of you a Happy Easter. The kids and I am hanging out at home. They are each doing their own thing while I work on a client't manuscript.

What are your plans for the holiday?

Need an editor?

I edit manuscripts! I have 2 spots left for April. Want one? Here is my editing information:

I started my writing and editing career in January of 2008. Since the start of my career my passion for the craft has only grown stronger in that time. Not only do I have the drive to perfect my own books but to help other busy authors as well. I have several years of freelance editing experience, have recently attended advanced grammar classes in college, and extensively study the craft of writing. I'm also an award winning, multi-published author.

I succeed when my client succeeds. Editing should be a creative and as enjoyable as possible so my goal is to provide fast, friendly, and efficient service while working with my clients. No author is the same so I can tailor your editing plan for you.

The areas of editing I cover are:

Story Structure

• The flow of the story. 
• Plot strengths, weaknesses, and inconsistencies. 
• Point of view, tone, and voice flow.
• Character development. 
• Dialogue 

Line Editing 

• Line by line editing for typos and grammatical errors. 
• Page by page revision recommendations when applicable. 
• Phone, email, or online chat time for brainstorming your manuscript.
• A second read-through to go over "problem areas" of the manuscript with no extra charge.  

Rate: 

Editing services: $1.00 per page (double spaced). 

Email: creativemanuscripts@gmail.com 

Birthdays and win some prizes!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Carrie Ann Ryan! 


     Welcome to the blog hop for Carrie's birthday. I hope she has a fabulous day! My own birthday is on September 5th. Do you know what that means? It falls around Labor Day weekend. If you have a holiday birthday, you can relate. 


Birthday's were difficult for me when I was growing up. When I was a kid my mom always let me have a big party with lots of people invited. When I got to be the age to have slumber parties, I switched to those. So what was the problem? Since my birthday usually fell around the holiday, most of my friends were out of town. Nobody came to my party! Then at about age 10 my mom dropped a bomb on me. "We don't celebrate birthdays after you turn 13." Her reasoning was that birthday parties were for kids only. 
During my teen years my birthday dwindled down even more. I can't remember any birthday during those years except for my 16th when my parents took  me to the beach for the weekend. 


I loooove birthdays and have celebrated my birthday every year since I turned 18. Last year I had people doing stuff in honor of my birthday for the entire month of September. It was fabulous. People at work made me cards, brought me cupcakes, my friends took me out to several lunches and dinners... the list goes on. My favorite part of all of that was that I got to see friends who I don't visit with often. I was truly spoiled for the last one and I loved every moment of it.  I joked about seeing if I can stretch it out for two this year... hehe, I was only kidding though. 


I celebrate my son and daughter's birthdays with the same energy. My son never has a large group of friends so I usually ask him what he wants to do or where he wants to go. We usually end up at the water park for the day. My daughter is a social butterfly so she enjoys parties. BIG PARTIES! One year she had a carnival themed birthday. While she was asleep, I rented a helium tank and filled our entire house with balloons. She had about 50 kids attend and half the number of parents. Our house had carnival-type games set up all over, they won carnival prizes, and the kids wore clown hats. Another year she had a Hawaiian pool party. The kids had grass skirts and I made beautiful leis for each attendee. 


Birthdays should be a fun day to celebrate you. So on your next one, make it a blast! 


Thanks for stopping by! How do you win my surprise gift bag? It'll have something to read, something to wear, and whatever else I decide to add before I mail it off. Leave a comment with your email for one chance to win or follow my blog to be entered twice! 


The main prizes for the blog hop are: 


1. A Kindle Touch 
2. A $60 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card

H.D. Thomson interviews her hero today!

Readers, I have H.D. Thomson interviewing her hero on my blog today. How fun is that?! Character interviews are so surprising for the author because we always learn something new about the character. And H.D. brought a surprise for one of you! She giving away 1 ebook so leave a comment or ask a question of your own to be entered to win.

**

Hi, Wendy. Thanks for having me over at your blog today! I brought Jake Preston, the hero from Shrouded in Darkness, with me today. I thought I’d interview him for fun. I was a little surprised at some of his answers!

Hi, Jake. The first question I have for you is about Margot. What did you think of Margot when you first met her?

A hot mess. But then who am I to talk? My own life is a complete disaster.

So you were attracted to her from the beginning?

Yeah, but it bothered me thinking of her that way. This was John’s sister after all. He’d talked a lot about her over the course of our working relationship, but nothing about what she actually looked like. So when I eventually met her, I was shocked at just how attractive she was.

But there’s much more to Margot than her looks. There’s a vulnerability she tries so hard to hide. She cares about her friends, and the bond she had with her brother is something anyone would envy. Also, from the beginning, I felt this connection with her. Life’s hit both of us pretty hard. I was also a little surprised that our parents are very similar.

I know Margot found you equally sexy. Is it because you have a six-pack?

Definitely not! But I don’t have a gut either. I’ve been on the run for a while, so it’s forced me to get in top physical form. I think of myself as above average. At least that’s what I’ve been told from women.

So how do you keep in shape?

Before my life went down the toilet, I used to go to the gym and run. I’ve never done a marathon but maybe one day I’ll try it out. That is, if I live through this situation. I’m realizing just how much I’ve put off for the sake of science.

What do you see in the future?

I don’t know. My life has gone down a path I never thought it would ever take. I’m keeping away from any pharmaceutical company, I can tell you that much!

Have you learned anything during these last couple of months?

That life is very fragile and it can be taken away in an instant. To live each moment and never take anyone or anything for granted.

Thanks Jake!

Blurb: Jake Preston is on borrowed time.  If he doesn’t stumble upon a miracle and soon, he’ll end up dead.  And even if he does, he still might end up dead with a clever killer hounding his heels.  He believes the one miracle and antidote to save him is in Margot Davenport’s house, across the country and miles away from Boston.  Somewhere locked in her home is the key to reversing an experiment that is killing him with each breath he takes.

Margot doesn’t particularly care if she ends up dead.  She’s lost everything she’s ever cared for.  A divorce and the loss of her job as a corporate lawyer has left her with little faith in herself or in anyone else.  Most importantly, she’s lost the one person on this earth she’s looked up to and cherished–her brother, Johnny.  His death in a car accident has devastated her, and she can’t find the willpower to pull herself from the chasm she’s fallen into.  Her only solace is at the bottom of a wineglass.  Having moved back to the small town in northern Arizona where she was raised, she’s made a point of isolating herself both mentally and physically from everyone other than a few chosen friends.  Little does she know that her life is going to explode into chaos and the person behind Johnny’s accident is coming after her.

http://www.amazon.com/Shrouded-Darkness-Series-ebook/dp/B00698OPYY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333458615&sr=8-1

I’m not on holiday; I’m researching a book...by Michelle Holman

I write women’s contemporary romance set in New Zealand with a strong emphasis on humour. I’d like to be able to say I plan my books but the truth is they tend to plan themselves, however there are benefits to this. I had to (had to) research professional basketball for my fourth book Barefoot which meant I had to sit and watch a lot of very tall, very fit men pound around the basketball court. My eyes were worn out keeping track of them all.

I usually run my ideas for plots past my husband first who listens patiently and invariably says, ‘Sounds great. What do you know about that industry/situation/theme?’ To which I invariably answer, ‘Nothing, I’ll do some research.’

My second book, Divine, was about a woman named Tara whose husband leaves her to become a woman, and Tara stumbles into a job as a dominatrix telephone sex worker. My husband was thrilled when I announced I was going to research the dominatrix telephone sex industry and kept offering to play the caller if I needed to practice. Whenever I mention this at publicity events it’s amazing how the men in the audience sit up straighter. When I ask: ‘So how would you research the telephone sex industry?’ they crane their necks to see who answers, and get an awful shock if their wife puts up her hand.

So where did I go for help? The New Zealand Prostitutes Collective, of course.

They were fabulous. I met a woman named Sue who used to manage a telephone sex service, and a transgender woman named Hana. The information I got from them was pure gold. I’m a lapsed emergency room nurse (you never stop being a nurse, you just lapse). I think I’m fairly unshockable but my jaw was on the floor while I listened to them. I ran through my version of what a dominatrix would say over the telephone. Sue said I was pathetic. ‘You’re too nice. TOUGHEN UP!’

I get to travel when I do research. A couple of years ago, I went to the South Island of New Zealand (think Lord Of The Rings territory), to visit a cherry orchard. There are few things prettier than a cherry orchard. There’s something very sexy about blossoms, fruit, and men and women fighting each other and the elements at two o’clock on a frosty morning while helicopters fly overhead. While I was there I entered the annual cherry pit spitting competition and got beaten by a six-year-old who took her nana with her when she went to “spit” because she was so shy. The overall winner posted a distance of thirteen metres (about 42 feet). I spat down my chin, managed one metre and retired.

More recently, I’ve visited a vineyard in Marlborough which is the setting for the book I’m writing at the moment, and the second of my soldier books (the first, Hand Me Down, is set in the cherry orchard).  Wandering along rows of vines in brilliant sunshine and being encouraged to sample Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay/Merlot/Pinot Gris/Pinot Noir grapes is no hardship. The difference between me and the professionals is I don’t spit the grapes out, I eat them. At no point was I on holiday, I had a job to do, and my research is ongoing. If you could see my wine rack, you’d understand I’m telling the truth.

In three of my books the male character has been American: Dan Brogan in Bonkers is a paediatric surgeon who wears mismatched socks; his brother, Glenn Brogan is the smartarse ex-NBA star in Barefoot, and Ross Fabello is a very successful author with a bad case of writer’s block who butts heads with a New Zealand ED nurse called Danny in Knotted.

I’ll be making a start on the last book in the Bonkers trilogy soon, which means I’ll be revisiting Dan and Glenn and their wives and babies. It’s a perfect excuse to do some research in the USA.

I’ll have to suggest it to my husband.

To find out more about my books or drop me a line visit: www.michelleholman.com

or talk to me on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000015468861

To purchase any of my books visit:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Michelle+Holman&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3AMichelle+Holman&ajr=1