That old life was as unreal as the new one right now.
Like it was forever ago. Someone else’s lifetime.
1 Line Wednesday
Topic: New
Category Uncategorized
Writing Tip: Use What You’re Living
I had an enormous fight with my daughter at 1:30 a.m. this morning.
I’d been badgering her to get to bed since 10:30, when she informed me she had just a little bit more of her break-assigned homework to finish. Then she started lollygagging, I sent her to her room and she stalled some more, and finally the last straw came when she insisted on putting on a face mask as I was finally coming up to bed – only to wipe it off and try another type of mask. I yelled the house down (in all fairness, she yelled first. I’m not normally a “yeller”) and doors slammed and that was that.
Except it wasn’t.
I was so freaking pissed off, I couldn’t sleep. So I figured I might as well get up and write. I missed my word count for the day (well, the previous day) so what the hell.
My Year In Review – And A Look At What’s Ahead!
Wow! It’s been one helluva year.
I started self-publishing my romance novels via Amazon in December of 2014, putting out the first two Sci Fi romances I’d written in the same month, Sky Woman and Rain In The Moonlight (Books 1 & 2 of the Seeder Saga). I originally put them out on Smashwords, then tried Amazon, expecting that Amazon would email me every time someone purchased a book, like Smashwords did.
They didn’t.
Consequently, I thought my books weren’t selling. I reasoned that my readers probably only came from my fanfic following, and they’d already purchased through Smashwords, so that was that.
I finally figured out how to use the reports function on Amazon in January of this year and found to my delighted surprise that I’d sold books. A lot of books! (Well, a lot to me, anyway…). I also had some good reviews, and some solid ratings on Goodreads. Continue reading
FanFic Friday: Killian Has A Swordfight With An Unexpected Opponent
In my Once Upon A Time fanfic, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, an alternate timeline is created when the Jones family flaunts a generational curse leveled by Triton, and he meddles with time, creating a whole new reality for Emma and Killian. Their daughter, Meriel and her magical companion, Kai have to travel back to this altered past, then get her parents to meet and fall in love in order to restore the timeline.
In this scene, young Meriel is good and mad at Daddy, after he runs out on Emma to seek his own fortunes. She decides to take matters in her own hands and get him back on track. Continue reading
Resource Thursday: The Mary Sue Test
If you’re a writer – particularly a romance or YA writer – you need to be familiar with the term “Mary Sue.”
A “Mary Sue” is a convenient character trope leaned upon (a lot) by beginning writers (and sadly, some not-so-beginning writers). I hate to feel like I’m throwing Stephenie Meyer under a bus here, but Bella Swan in the epitome of a “Mary Sue.” And the difference between Bella Swan and the protagonist of Stephenie’s next book after the Twilight series is night and day. In The Host, the character of Wanderer is so much more fleshed out and so much more interesting for it.
There’s a really good definition of a “Mary Sue” here, if you’d like to read all the tired, hackneyed character traits. If you recognize a majority of these in your story, you may want to check out The Writer’s Mary Sue Test.
I’m pleased to say my overall score was in the mid-twenties and my character was pronounced “healthy” and able to stand on her own.
Your mileage may vary, of course, and this test is not definitive by any means. It is a helpful tool though, to keep you from turning a blind eye to your own weaknesses.
So tell me – which “Mary Sue” ruined a book for you?
They’d been friends for a lifetime.
Seeing him die should be difficult.
Instead it was blessed relief.
1 Line Wednesday
Topic: Friendship
Seasinger Will Be Making A Splash Soon…
Kai Vand isn’t your normal multi-millionaire business tycoon – he’s a Twixter. Twixters are the children of humans and Elementals, an ancient, magical race who are able to harness the powers of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
Kai’s twixter abilities give him powers over water, but in addition, he’s got an extra gift – he’s a seasinger, meaning he hears the voices of all those who’ve died at sea.
When one voice gives him a very special message to deliver he finds himself embroiled in a mystery that affects both sides of his heritage. He also finds himself strangely drawn to Shira, the human woman he was charged to deliver the message to.
It’s going to take all their skills to face a looming threat – and all Kai’s self-control to keep his hands off Shira.
Seasinger will be out in January 2016!
I Write Boring Beginnings. Dammit.
Time for my deep, dark confession people: I suck at beginnings.
Every blessed one of my first drafts has the same damn problem: Sloooooow. Draggy. Too much exposition and not enough action.
One key writer thing you should always do is drop your reader into a story in progress and introduce the backstory in bits and important pieces. Continue reading
“I won’t be alone,” Olivia said.
“I have a date with Mr. Hitachi.”
Jill rolled her eyes. “Well, I guess that qualifies as Christmas cheer – as long as the batteries last.”
1 Line Wednesday
Topic: Christmas
Book Excerpt: Auld Lang Sin
In my latest novella, Auld Lang Sin, Lauren is an office worker who keeps to one hard and fast rule: Never date someone you work with.
Ross is determined to blur those lines, and he knows exactly how to make Lauren forget all those carefully crafted guidelines.
In this excerpt, set after their first steamy almost-went-there encounter, Ross is getting some digs in during a meeting… Continue reading
Britt DeLaney 