Carrie Olguin's Publishing Odyssey

The Mythical Hymen Revealed

2012-01-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

As a romance author, I read romance novels, with aparticular fondness for the historical sub-genre. But one of those roll-my-eyesmoments is when the Hero breaches the mythical maidenhead in a mythical way.

Correct location of the hymen:

At the entrance to the vagina, between the labia minora. You can see it with a mirror by parting the labia majora.
It is not located deep inside or near the cervix. If anything way up there rips and bleeds during sex, please see your doctor immediately!

Shape of the *mature* hymen:

The most common shape is a crescent located toward the anus, and not a complete barrier across the opening. It is not like the seal over a new aspirin bottle!
Even if the membrane covers the entire opening, there are one or more irregular shaped holes for menstrual drainage.
Some women are born without a hymen - about .03%.
On rarer occasions, the hymen is a solid barrier without these necessary perforations and may require minor surgery to create them.

For those interested in illustrations of normal and rarehymen shapes, visit Healthy Strokes:
http://www.healthystrokes.com/hymengallery.html

Changes with age:

From infancy through up to ages two to four, the hymen is thick, pale pink and redundant (sleeve-like, folding over on itself and my protrude).
Once a girl reaches puberty, the membrane becomes thin, smooth, nearly translucent and elastic (about the thickness of plastic wrap) and can be sensitive to the touch.

Strength of a woman's hymen:

Varies depending upon the thickness and elasticity of this piece of female anatomy. Some women are born with durable hymens that remain even until childbirth. After childbirth, small pieces of the hymen can still remain attached.
Yes, though extremely rare, a "virginal" birth is possible -- if people equate purity with the presence of a hymen.
The membrane can be eroded (stretched, damaged, or torn) by normal daily activities such as running, walking, horseback riding (astride), bike riding,wiping deeply, and tampon use. In an historical context, this might help explain why a noble woman's accomplishments were sedentary (thighs-together type activities) and why they rode sidesaddle.
Masturbation, finger or tongue penetration can also stretch or damage the membrane.

When the fictional Hero assures he can provide theHeroine pleasure without damaging her maidenhead, then he inserts his tongue ora finger or two, he's either ignorant or he's lying.

First penetration bloodletting:

For tips on how to avoid the first time pain and bleeding,visit:
http://www.vaginismus-awareness-network.org/hymen.html

Historically, virginal bloodletting was proof of a woman's worthiness as a wife and the marriage bed sheet was put on display.
Today, 43% of woman report they did not experience bleeding their first time.
There aren't any reliable historical statistics that I could find. But considering that in many cultures this ritual sheet stain could mean life or death for the woman (if she didn't prove to be untouched, she could be cast out, disowned, sold as a slave, or killed), I suspect very close to 100% of the "virginal" brides found a way to bleed on their wedding night.

Did historical mothers pass along secret tips to theirdaughters to make certain she produced the required sheet stain to save herlife?

Did a virginal bride secretly cut herself or have a smallcontainer nearby in case if she didn't bleed the required way?

Did she inserted a small device (like a piece of saturatedsponge) for her new husband to breach? Is this where the myth of the deepmaidenhead came from?

I wonder… Further research is required unless someone out there knows a few sources.

I know women don't want too much reality in their fantasy,but we should at least understand female anatomy. My favorite authors "write this wrong" including Moning and Boyle! But I forgive them.

I'll keep you posted

Dreamsayer Print Book Giveaway on Goodreads

2011-12-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Dreamsayer

by Carrie Olguin

Giveaway ends January 14, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Dreamsayer - Released Today!

2011-12-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Available on Amazon, "Dreamsayer" The Five Worlds series. "On the Five Worlds, Jewel and Wolfe fight for love and survival as pawns in a political game."
"In protected isolation in a castle on planet Damal, Jewel dreamed her own ending with the same gift she uses to save the lives of the people of the Five Worlds. With a choice between burning or continuing in desperate loneliness, she chooses to burn.

Married when she was five, to form a political alliance, she was widowed before the Unification at age fourteen. Five years later and she's destined to live her 300 year lifespan as the pure and chaste Dreamsayer. No other living man is deemed suitable as her mate.

Wolfe, born of Jorandal heritage on the planet Majien, has the tiger stripes and eyes of a forest hunter. He sees Jewel crying in solitude and decides he must save her. Make her his own. He has the right. She's his wife. Everyone thinks he is dead.

He steals her away from her castle prison without telling her who he is. They must hide from the powerful forces that tried to kill him before their Unification. Those same unknown persons seek to use Jewel's gift for their own political gain.

War is brewing between the Five Worlds. Can the Dreamsayer stop the conflict in time?"

Heat rating 2, 58K words

Available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006JPNE8A

The Ultimate Alpha Female

2011-10-24T23:17:00.000-07:00

When the Alpha Female meets her Alpha Male, the sparks fly. In fiction, she is the kick-ass female, the one who gets things done.

Alpha Females exist in real life, but historically society has forced women to hide their Alpha tendencies. All women have some alpha female characteristics, but not all and not to the extreme.

The Alpha Female is physically different. For most women, the ring and index fingers will be the same length. On about 10% of women – those exposed to higher levels of testosterone during pre-natal development – have longer ring fingers. Although heterosexual, the brains of these women are neurologically wired to think like men – but they do so with feminine flare.

How is she different from the other women?

Task focused. Single minded.
Athletic, more physical than other women.
She is determined, bold, and a competitive high achiever.
Career is part of their identity.
Does not want to be tied down to family. She is not primarily interested in children and may not want children.
Higher sexual libido. Can enjoy one-night-stands with no regrets.
Emotionally self sufficient.
More aggressive. Actively pursues power and status. A risk taker.
Enjoys recognition but doesn’t need approval from peers.
Gets straight to the point without social chat (a trait expected in Alpha Males, but makes the Alpha female seem rude, abrupt, aggressive, arrogant, a bitch).
Closer relationship to father than mother.
Tend to be left handed.
Fiercely independent – not looking for a man to take care of her, she takes care of herself.
She may outright reject social conventions like marriage, religion, and government.

Traits She Shares with Alpha Males

Self-confidence - comfortable in her skin, loves her body, takes car of herself, works out and eats right.
Always dresses to impress. She is properly groomed, clean and smells sexy.
Doesn't spend time in front of a mirror. Not vain. Knows she looks good.
Her eyes speak for her. If she wants you to know what she is thinking or feeling, she will show with her eyes - but also won’t hesitate to tell you in words.
She leads and expects everyone to follow.
She doesn't care what people think of her.
Gives her opinions - doesn't wait to be asked.
Intelligent, well informed, resourceful.
Not afraid of the unexpected or unknown - she knows she can handle any situation. Fights for what is hers.
Honor, integrity, and loyalty - demands the same qualities in those she considers her friends/allies.
She's busy, has a full life, enjoys a variety of activities (many considered male), finds pleasure in everything she does.
Recognizes others - she remembers the people she's met, laughs at their jokes, acknowledges their ideas, makes them feel important.
Self-focused but not selfish.
Well-developed sense of humor - laughs at herself and the rest of the world, makes others laugh.
Sucks people into her world; she's interesting, charismatic, makes people feel comfortable and welcome.

The Protector of Pack and Home

Tend to “run in packs” with other Alpha females.
Fiercely protective of herself, her family and everyone she loves.
Nature created her to lead her family and community.
She is selective about who she invites into her private life.
She is well prepared for her own survival and for those she loves.
Cares about others and all her relationships. Enjoys the comfort of close friends
Looks for the best for others.
She won’t allow others take advantage of her or those she loves
The leader in the workplace and in her community.
Prevents others from trying to take advantage of her, her family and her friends. If anyone should try, the alpha female will shun them, leave them, find ways to eliminated or hurt them. She will hurt those who mess with her and her pack.

Other Alpha Female Characteristics

Good at persuasion. She asserts herself. Can use intimidation elegantly until others agree or close their mouths.
Charisma; charms others into getting her way and accomplishing her goals. Pleasing personality; warm, friendly, and emotionally strong. She knows how and when to move from charisma to intimidation.
Tough and ready for whatever threats may come. Uses her personal power.
Intelligent, blessed with wisdom. Doesn’t neglect her common-sense.
Knows she is unique; she is sure of herself.
Feels she deserves the best in everything.
Strong and brave in all she does. She is fearless. Oozes self-confidence.
Knows when to be a lady.
She has her own style, uniquely herself and guided by her own values.
Her ideas are most important; she’s at the top of the food chain.
She can hold her own in the boardroom, bedroom, or on the street. She commands respect.
She is dynamic, has presence and doesn’t blend in with the crowd. She’s charismatic and can work a room.
She knows what she wants/feels/needs and expresses her desires.
She’s easy-going and doesn’t throw tantrums, whine, bitch or nag. Doesn’t act like a child. She isn’t needy.
She is comfortable with herself. She has a sense of humor and smiles and laughs, even at herself when appropriate. She enjoys life. Knows when to admit her weaknesses.
She is a good conversationalist, not about gossip or daytime TV. She has opinions, interests and passions.
Actively purses dreams or goals; building her own empire to rule.
Solitude nourishes her.
She gets what she wants, when she wants it.
She follows her feelings and reasons for those feelings.
She was the childhood buddy that went on adventures with boys who morphed into the vixen who gives a man adventures in the bedroom.
Has a hint of masculinity, i.e. likes sports, sex, politics, intellectual interests.
Revels in her femininity.

The Alpha Female and Male Relationships

Alpha females step over non-Alpha men if they let her.
May select men who are at her beck and call.
She doesn't doubt she has the ability to get any man she wants.
She draws the attention of the available men in the room.
She isn't always the most beautiful or the one with the best personality. She is mysterious, interesting, a challenge.
Pays close attention to the signals of males around her. Yet she knows how to put them off if she isn't interested in them.
She will not beg for expensive gifts.
This woman likes to have fun, especially with men.
She wears the things that make her look pretty.
She moves her body in ways that make men think of sex.
She openly flirts with men.
She may anticipate a future in which she dies alone, without a partner or children.
She may not realize that the characteristics that bring her success in the outside world may undermine her romantic relationships.

How Men See Alpha Females

Men find Alpha females intriguing – women tend to hate them.
Men find them a challenge and love the thrill from the competition to gain her attention.
Men want to capture, tame and dominate her. She knows and won’t let them.
Chasing an alpha female is intriguing but also exhausting for most men.
She can be seen as an Ice Queen.

The Dating Game for Alpha Females

She dates more than one man at a time.
She sets up the dates and will often be busy when HE asks.
She pays for the movie tickets, to get into clubs, and for food.
She won’t put herself in a position where she owes a man.
Men have to use more than charm, smile, or her flowers to appeal to an alpha female; they need to be creative.

When She Finds “The One”

Sparks fly when they meet and learn about each other. “The immovable object (him) meets the irresistible force (her).”
They constantly fight (with great make-up sex) in their struggle to find a compromise.
Her Alpha Male has the courage to take the lead in the relationship.
He will NOT be someone she needs to mother.
Her femininity makes a man feel like a man.
He appreciates her for who she is, doesn't attempt to change her.
She may choose to submit to his dominance (for the most part) because he allows her to be herself.

Body Language

Smiles with her eyes and her lips.
Radiates the goddess within.
Enjoys her body and the way it moves.
Stands tall, head up, shoulders back.
Deliberate movement with grace and elegance.
Walks with confidence, accentuates hip sway.
Doesn't scan the room. Knows she is the center of attention.
Maintains a comfortable stance, doesn't shift positions.
Stance accentuates curve of the waist and/or lower back
Hand gestures are slow, deliberate, and animated.

In fiction, Ultimate Alpha Females are often used as antagonist, blocking character or fem fatal due to their aggressive (not seen as feminine) behavior and thought patterns.

But the Alpha Female has become the heroine of choice in paranormal/fantasy stories. She is the kick-ass vampire hunter and the ardent adventurer.

Written with the correct mix of female charm, charisma, and athletic ability, the Alpha Female makes for a complex heroine, one who is as intelligent, strong, and determined enough to safe herself from the villain and earn the everlasting love of the Ultimate Alpha Male.

Characterization: Age Five Philosophy

2011-10-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

I'm rewriting a my very first WIP, an urban fantasy, working title for the series The Nuhu Saga.

Today, I'm working on character development with The Age Five Philosophy, which helps define and set the unconsious behavior of the characters.

According to psychologists, every person makes a decision about life based on what they experienced in the first five years. This philosophy (not a conscious one), colors every decision and action a person makes.

Age 5 philosophy: “Life is a place where ______ and the way I can best fit into it is _______.”

Here are a few examples from characters in "Shadow Need" part one of the Nuhu Saga:

Emily Shadow (Heroine) "Life is a place where powerful people make up the rules and the way I can best fit into it is to pretend to be human, watch, learn, and wait until I can take away their control."
Brent Cambers (Hero) “Life is a place where the people you love hurt you and the way I can best fit into it is to never love anyone.”
Chaos (Antagonist) “Life is a place where I am the most superior being to ever exist and the way I can best fit into it is to force people to worship my greatness and punish those who refuse.”
Mr Red (blocking character) “Life is a place where grief is the only real emotion and the way I can best fit into it is to rage against those who cause me grief.”
Filo (sidekick) “Life is a place where I can experience exciting adventures and the way I can best fit into it is to seize the moment and live life on the edge.”

When I first started writing, I was panzer all of the way. But the more writing tools I discover, the more of a structuralist I become, especially for complex works like this one.

I'll keep you posted.

Carrie Olguin

Dreamsayer, Cover Art

2011-09-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Fantastic design by Dawné Dominique for the next Five Worlds novel currently in production.

Book Blurb: (Word count aprox 57K – ebook or print, heat rating 2 of 5)

“In protected isolation in a castle on planet Damal, Jewel dreamed her own ending with the same gift she uses to save the lives of the people of the Five Worlds. With a choice between burning or continuing in desperate loneliness, she chooses to burn.

Married when she was five, to form a political alliance, she was widowed before the Unification at age fourteen. Five years later and she’s destined to live her 300 year lifespan as the pure and chaste Dreamsayer. No other living man deemed suitable as her mate.

Wolfe, born of Jorandal heritage on the planet Majien, has the tiger stripes and eyes of a forest hunter. He sees Jewel crying in solitude and decides he must save her. Make her his own. He has the right. She’s his wife. Everyone thinks he is dead.

He steals her away from her castle prison without telling her who he is. They both must hide from the powerful forces that tried to kill him before their Unification. Those same unknown persons seek to use Jewel’s gift for their own political gain.

War is brewing between the Five Worlds. Can the Dreamsayer stop the conflict in time?”

Release Date To be announced.

I'll keep you posted.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

2011-09-23T09:56:00.000-07:00

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Fire and Ice, Five Worlds Series

by Carrie Olguin

Giveaway ends October 05, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Goodreads is an excellent place to meet people who like to read. To celebrate the print release of "Fire and Ice" I am giving away two copies. Click the above link for more information.

Edin Road Podcast Link Available Here

2011-09-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you who couldn't make the live Edin Road broadcast, there's a direct link to the show on the right hand side of the screen.

What a wonderful experience.

Ms. Jesse V Coffey is an excellent hostess. She knows how to keep the show moving. I was rushed by nerves in the beginning. Her friendly voice helped me relaxe, after a little while.

In preparation for the reading, I scripted my excerpt from "Fire and Ice" so it flowed more like free form poetry and then rehearsed for time (about 15 minutes). I understand by experience the suggestion for writers read their prose aloud. I admit, I read some of my work aloud before submitting for publication. It's time consuming when in the writing process. From now on, I will make the time so I can experience underlying the beat and flow of the prose and make adjustments before publication.

After this experience, I wouldn't be opposed to doing a live reading at a library, school, or bookstore. No, I won't be pursuing a career doing vocals.

Instead of a book trailer, I have the podcast on my web sites with a reading and discussion of the series. An awesome tool.

Yes, I will do this again.

I'll keep you posted.

Carrie O.

Edin Road Podcast 7/21/2011 @ 6:30PM EST

2011-09-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

Join Carrie Olguin on Tuesday 7/20/2011 at 6:30PM EST (3:30PM PST) on Edin Road Radio with host Ms. Jesse V Coffey.

The topic is The Five Worlds series, specifically “Fire and Ice.” The recorded show will be available at iTunes and on the Edin Road web site.

Click this link for information about Edin Road Radio and scheduling information. http://www.edinroad.com/radio.html

I've got flutter-moths in my tummy, I'm so excited!

I'll keep you posted.

Carrie O.

The Ultimate Alpha Male

2011-08-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

The alpha male is charismatic, dangerous, and mysterious - the bad boy to tame and possess. Romance novels reveal the alpha, pealing away his layers, exposing his inner core, giving women insight into the ultimate male.

What makes this type of man the way he is? What is it that makes up his undeniable charisma? To create an ultimate alpha male character, a writer has to understand his reality.

Here's a list of ultimate alpha male characteristics I complied from various sources:

Self-confidence - comfortable in his skin, loves his body, his skin is his favorite outfit.
Always dresses his best - his body was designed for worship. He is properly groomed, clean and physically fit. He looks good in any type of clothes from formal to casual to naked.
Doesn't spend time in front of a mirror. He knows he's the best looking man in the world.
His eyes speak for him - he has a range of "Looks" that speak volumes. If he wants you to know what he is thinking or feeling, it's in his eyes.
When he walks in, the room seems to shrink - no space is large enough to contain him
He leads - expects everyone to follow
People look to him to make decisions
Doesn't care what people think of him
Either he doesn’t answer questions or gives basic responses. The alpha is in control of the game and keeps his strategy to himself. This forces others to guess what he's thinking - usually guessing wrong, which helps the Alpha maintain control of the game.
Gives his opinion - doesn't wait to be asked
Happy in any situation - aloof, untouchable
His ego is never a problem - only insecure men need to protect their ego
Always ahead of the game - intelligent, well informed, resourceful
A man of action - takes control of the situation, acts first, thinks later
Lives by his rules - when his moral code and the law overlap, it is merely a coincidence
Exudes an air of danger and unpredictability - you want him as a friend not enemy - he destroys his enemies and runs over anyone in his way
Not afraid of the unexpected or unknown - he knows he can handle any situation
Fights for what is his
Gives the impression that he is a predator always stalking potential prey.
Takes what he wants - the world and everything in it belongs to him.
Hangs out with Alpha - has no use for the weak. When with other alpha males, there is a pecking order. Never know when a fight for dominance will break out, even if the alphas are best friends. The Ultimate Alpha's level of dominance forces other Alphas to be submissive to his authority.
Enjoys the challenge of maintaining his dominance over everyone - not threatened by the presence of strong personalities. He knows he can put them in their place.
Honor, integrity, and loyalty - demands the same qualities in those he considers his friends/allies
He's busy, has a full life, enjoys a variety of activities, finds pleasure in everything he does.
Recognizes others - he remembers the people he's met, laughs at their jokes, acknowledges their ideas, makes them feel important.
Self-focused - he is superior to everyone, the world revolves around him, people exist to entertain him.
Takes the glory - will tweak the ideas, jokes and opinions of others and present them as his own without giving recognition to the original author.
Can be a genuine nice guy at times - because he doesn't care what people think. If being nice, down to earth, and caring helps him obtain his objective, he will do so.
Well-developed sense of humor, sharp wit - laughs at himself and the rest of the world, makes others laugh. His humor can he sarcastic and twisted.
Sucks people into his reality like a black hole, he's interesting, makes people feel comfortable and welcome in his world.

A list of nevers:

Never apologizes - unless jesting
Never explains his actions
Never boasts or brags about his accomplishments - knows others will do that for him in their effort to gain his attention, respect, and affection.
Never does anything to bring attention to himself - all he has to do is walk into a room for that to happen
Never nervous or fidgety
Never stresses over a situation
Never asks others to do something - he tells them
Never acts surprised by what happens around him - calm, composed, focused
Never admits to failure - to him, a failure is a learning experience, one more step toward his goals
Never admits he is wrong
Never lavishes his attention on anyone. He is the only one who deserves such treatment.

His attitude toward women (in romance novels, the Heroine is the only possible exception - symptoms of the love disease):

Not possessive
Not needy
Not the jealous type
A woman is lucky to gain his attention
Does not use gifts or flowers or favors of any kind to impress a woman.
Women are a secondary life goal.
Sex is important but not the focus of his life, women are an activity to be enjoyed.
Knows women benefit from his attentions
Rejection doesn't hurt - a woman is lucky to come to his attention. Her refusal is her loss.
He doesn't smother women when in a relationship
Doesn't put women on pedestals
Tears do not sway him - he walks away

Body Language

Doesn't scan the room - not concerned what others are doing, knows he is the center of attention, everyone is looking at him, that is why he exists.
Uses his peripheral vision to take in a scene
Positions himself so that everyone has to see him, becomes the focus
His body stance takes up space - elbows slightly out, legs apart, head held high
He looks down on others - even if they are taller than him
Maintains a comfortable stance, doesn't shift positions often.
Hand gestures are slow and deliberate.
Breathes slowly from deep in his chest
Controls the pace of a conversation with thoughtful pauses or well-timed interruptions
Moves at his own speed - expects others to match his
Speaks slowly - uses fewest words necessary.
His forward motion is smooth and purposeful at any speed.

All men have alpha tendencies, but only the rare few are Ultimate alpha males. Thank heaven for that or there'd never be a moment's peace anywhere in the world! A man with all of these tendencies can also be classified as a sociopath.

Alpha tendencies are what women both love and hate about men in general. We hate that they are stubborn, egocentric, insensitive, chauvinistic and unbendable. But we love that they are loyal, funny, sexy, protective, and unbreakable.

Did I miss anything? Please let me know.

I'll keep you posted.

"Highland Rebel" by Judith James

2011-07-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Highland Rebel: A Tale of a Rebellious Lady and a Traitorous Lord by Judith James

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jamie and Catherine are not standard H/H romance characters and the story (with HEA) isn't typical fair either. What does that mean? Refreshing! Let go your expectations and enjoy the ride. The characters feel like real people. Not the pretty people but beautiful in their own way.

Jamie's wit made me laugh out loud. Loved his dialogue. He knows who he is and jokes about himself. Self-confidence is so sexy.

Cat is a one of the rare “warrior woman” and leader of her clan, she’s smart, mature, and well educated, which according to James is correct for a woman of this time frame. Since all I know about this time period I’ve learned from reading Romance novels, I’ll take her word for it.

The novel is full of historical details, facts, and people from the past woven in. If you prefer fantasy to history, there may be too much. But the facts made the events come alive. Especially life in London with all the politics and gossip, how easily one person can use words to destroy another person. The character’s trips into London brought alive, parts I never knew existed and made me wonder what the modern equivalent of “Penny Universities” are – and it’s not the Internet!

I was left fascinated with the past she wrote about. After finishing the story, I was tempted to find the history books she talks about in the back of the book. Okay, so that passed and I’ll continue to collect my history from my favorite format – romance novels.

Bravo, James. Outstanding job!

View all my reviews

Vacation and the Muse

2011-07-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

We returned from a much-needed nine-day vacation. It's so good to be home. While we toured five states (Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho), I took landscape pictures. Yummy fodder for my Five Worlds.

The Tetons with snow on the mountains and wildflowers in bloom below.

Yellowstone is like visiting another planet. The geysers, waterfalls, canyons, paint pots and hot springs are unique and colorful, giving my muse much to chew on for my out of this world WIPs. Walking around on a sleeping volcano was so cool!

Yellowstone's Grand Canyon.

Artist's Paint Pots 1

Artist's Paint Pots 2

Geyser Basin

Western Thumb - Hot Spring

Western Thumb - Elk

Yellowstone Waterfall

White Wolf Fishing

(Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, Montana)

Hard to believe I took these pictures with my cell phone camera. Oh, how technology has progressed!

I'll keep you posted.

Show and Tell, Revisited

2011-05-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

At my kidlet's school, there is a poster of the school mascot, which upon closer inspection is made up of little pictures of all the kids enrolled there that year.

That montage concept can be applied to fiction as a bunch of little “snapshots” that when joined create a larger impression. Authors do this using both the “show and the “tell.”

A “show” requires more words than “tell” because it draws a mental image. By combining the show with tells, a writer sends a clearer message. Here are some examples from my experience.

Descriptions:
Sometimes you have to share boring information to the reader quickly. There are ways of hiding exposition and foreshadowing inside a scene. In Fire and Ice, which takes place on another planet, I have to explain the alien technology, economy and political system.

Here is Sarica's POV for a piece of technology, description mixed in with actions and her emotional response:

Jolted awake, she examined the brown metal {bracelet} with the small blue flashing light. Proximity sensors of different styles—wrist, ankle and collar—were designed to keep a servant from running away from their master. If the servant moved too far away, the servant received a large dose of ouch. The same pulse could also be used to send a pain wave for punishment. He snapped the control bracelet onto his left wrist.

Shows (motion and emotion): “Jolted awake, she examined...” “...flashing light.” “If the servant moved...running away.” “...dose of ouch.” “...pain wave.” “He snapped the control bracelet onto his left wrist.”
Tells (description, exposition): “Proximity sensors of different styles—wrist, ankle and collar—were designed to keep a servant...” “The same pulse could also be used...for punishment.”
Big picture: He is the master and she is the servant.
Foreshadowing: “The same pulse could also be used to send a pain wave for punishment.”

By mixing the show and tells together, information is passed onto the reader through motion, sensory information and the POV character's emotional response.

Emotions:
Search and find “telling” type words in the MS. The easiest to find are emotion nouns. Also look for the words “felt” or “feel.” Here is an example from Fire and Ice.

Rosche, the hero says: “Whatever I need to surrender or sacrifice for your happiness, I will do so willingly.”
Sarica, the heroine has a reaction because she has been unwilling to do the same. In a tell: “His confession made her feel guilt and shame.”

This gets the point across, but the reader doesn't feel her emotions. I need words with texture, something to stimulate the reader's senses.

The Show: “His confession stung.”

The above works okay, but in this part of the story, her feelings of guilt and shame are an important turning point. All along the hero has been, well, I'll say selfish, and his confession proves to her he has changed, profoundly. She needs a bigger reaction, and I want to make certain the reader knows exactly what she is feeling. So, I combined the tell and with show imagery.

The Show and Tell: “ His confession stung – like an insect called guilt, which brought along a biting spider friend, called shame.”

Another example:
In her Fever series, Karen Mari Moning has an excellent “show” for rage. Her main character could have said: “I was very angry with him.” Notice the emotion word? That indicates a tell.

Instead she says: “I needed to hit something. Lots of things. Starting with him.”
Notice the lack of emotion words? And yet, the rage is clear.

Characterization:
For the opening of Fire and Ice the reader meets the hero first.
Here's the tell: Rosche is an arrogant, callous man who believes his wealth and power (which his thinks are his only real assets) give him the means and the right to obtain whatever he wants. He has the ability to generate intense heat from under his skin, fueled by emotions, which he struggles to control. He masks his despair and vulnerable core with arrogance. In the first chapter, he is on his way to meet Sarica, a woman who has the ability to generate intense cold from under her skin, whom he lusts for, but also has a crush on. He wants to “trade” Sarica as his wife for the credits to finance her father's expedition.

Rosche “shows” who he is with his thoughts and actions, by interacting with the world around him. Here he has a bouquet of flowers for Sarica in is hand (can you say, “awe, romance.”) and is on his way to meet her for the very first time:

     Sarica could save him from endless torture. Her gift of cold generation had calmed the beast. She embodied hope for the normalcy that his curse had prevented. He would know passion again, with her wrapped around him to chill his blood-boiling lust.
     The beastly heat surged through his skin. Damn. He dare not feel. He clamped down the emotional burst. The heat built, nearing combustion. Steam spiraled from the stems; the blossoms wilted, dried and then burst into flames. Holding the torch up, he spat curses. He dropped the bouquet and stamped out the fire.
     With a grunt, he tugged down the hem of his heat resistant shirt. His burnt hand complained. The healing itch began and he watched the red skin fade to tan. He lifted his chin, strutted up the steps of the building and glared at the grimy city dwelling students. They stopped and stared for a moment before scampering away like little rats.
     Stockley had suggested they meet in his office, where Sarica would be more open to his offer. Rosche had counted on flowers to soften her for the discussion. Instead, he must rely on the impressive benefits of the arrangement. Most importantly, if she married him, he would finance her father’s expedition.
     What woman didn’t dream of a man who provided protection from harsh reality and a simple life of domestic bliss? Rosche would spoil Sarica, give her the life of a princess, and remove her from the stench of the city. In his care, she would want for nothing and never come to harm. He was considered a worthy husband candidate and women all over the Five Worlds pursued him. If it wasn’t for lust flaring his gift—scorching the woman while they engaged in sex—he would have already settled for an alliance marriage with a Noble woman.
     Though as a city dweller, Sarica wasn’t Noble, and didn’t have a tribe to form an alliance with his, he could overlook her shortcomings in exchange for the use of her Anom gift. She could turn the intense heat of his passion into a large family. Women had to willingly say the public vows to gain the legal Blessing. Only children produced from a Blessed wedding were considered legal heirs. And he needed legal heirs to rebuild his Noble line. As an educated woman, Sarica would see the wisdom of his offer. He didn’t need flowers when he had wealth.

His arrogance: "What woman didn't dream of..." "He lifted his chin and strutted..." "...before scampering away like little rats." "...rely on the impressive benefits...""...he could overlook her shortcomings..." "He didnt' need flowers when he had wealth."
His despiration: "..save him from endless torture." "The beastly heat surged through his skin. Damn. He dare not feel." "Rosche had counted on flowers to soften her..."
The flowers bursting into flame foreshadows their meeting and the start of their relationship as well as to show the damage his Anom gift can do.

Do you see the montage working here? Do you get a sense of who he is, what he wants and his emotions, especially those that I don't use the word for in a tell?

Now contrast that with Sarica's impression of Rosche during a discussion with her father.
The Tell: She is intensely aware Fosche of and pretty much has him pegged, she just doesn't understand why he is who he is. She believes in coms gossip, and has never experienced lust. Sarica is a recent collage graduate without much life experience, due to her over-protective father, whom she adores. Sarica believes her father is the smartest, bravest man in the world – but Stockley is too “chicken sh*t” to tell his daughter about Roshe's offer, especially after this conversation:

     With an uplifted chin, Noble Rosche carried himself as if he judged the world based on a secret standard. He wore his rugged face like a mask; not even the twitch of a muscle betrayed his emotions.
     While she had stood stupefied at the sight of him, her normally well-behaved Anom gift had threatened to burst free. Some strange mixture of emotions triggered the problem, which she could not identify, having never felt it before. As with fear, primal and powerful, she had nearly lost control. She had to keep a tight hold on her emotions lest she ice someone. It had happened once; she’d not let it happen again.
     Intrigued by the man and her body’s dangerous reaction, she had researched him even before her father’s suggestion.
     Tilting his head, her father peered up with honest curiosity. “What do you think of the man?”
     She shrugged one shoulder with faked indifference. “Typical of a Noble, his personal life remains private. I can find nothing about his upbringing, tribal ties, or family. What I did find comes from the people who have stood before him in court. ‘Excellent judge. Impartial. Emotionless. Rule of law prevails. No mercy. No compassion. He easily makes the cold, hard decisions, even if all parties in the case suffer. Judge Rosche presses for a quick resolution.’ Do you know he once had a puppy cut in half to end a dispute?”
     Her assessment: he was dangerous, heartless, and cold as stone. Enjoy the view, but stay away from the edge.
     Her father asked, “No one you would want to spend an extended amount of time with?”
     With girlie pleasure, she could ogle Judge Rosche. Beyond that, they probably couldn’t even maintain a conversation. “Not at all. Why do you ask?”
     The wrinkles on his forehead deepened. With a tense sigh he leaned back in his chair. “No reason.”

"She shrugged one shoulder with faked indifference." shows her internal conflict that plagues her throughout the story: she lusts for Roshce but believes him to be completly unsuitable as a husband. That one shoulder shrug shows one side of her conflict. The shoulder that doesn't shrug shows the other side of her conflict.

Notice the subtext to the conversation. Stockley knows that Rosche is on his way to talk to Sarica and starts this conversation hoping his daughter will have a good report about Rosche. When she doesn't, he drops the subject. Coward. That's the show for him.

I'll keep you posted.

Carrie O.

Review: Intentions of the Earl by Rose Gordon

2011-05-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Intentions of the Earl by Rose Gordon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rose Gordon did good with this story. The three sisters, Liberty, Madison and Brooke (I'm assuming this trilogy is about them) are all different from each other (Americans in England seeking husbands).

Brooke is genuine and likeable. Andrew is a nice guy with bad intentions for (almost) the right reasons and he corrects the error of his behavior. Well, love does have that affect on people.

The plot is refreshing (doesn't rely completely on communication problems between the genders, a little bit but not much).

The description of the hideous parlor room will remain in my memory for a long time.

I'm going to read the other two books in the series, already available and on my e-reader.

View all my reviews

Ruth Langan "Highlanders Bundle" Review

2011-05-07T11:20:00.001-07:00

Ruth Langan "Highlanders" Bundle by Ruth Ryan Langan

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The copyright is 2006 for this bundle, which includes five stories (The Highlander, Highland Barbarian, Highland Heather, Highland Fire and a short Highland Christmas), all could use a serious facelift. The age is showing. When first released as individual works (I don’t know the years), these stories might have been the height of style for the sub-genre. But readers now have more sophisticated tastes and expect more from the characters.

If you like head-hopping every paragraph, an omnipotent POV that sometimes including the thoughts and feelings of an entire group in a single sentence, and lines of prose that are reused from book to book, then this is the series for you.

If you like physically perfect, beyond beautiful, teen-age, petite, virgin heroines who are good at everything from the domestic castle duties to the field of battle, who are the leaders of their clan, who make "roll your eyes" stupid decisions, who decide to give up everything for the man they love, without asking him to make any sacrifices, then you will love these stories.

If your like heroes with nicknames like Savage, Brute and Dark - who can't win a fight when their lives depend on it, who rise from near death and still recovering from their injuries, later defeat the villain who nearly killed them, and other “roll your eyes” plot points that defy reason, then you just have to read these stories.

If you enjoy knowing the heroine will almost be raped - more than once - as a plot device, with villains who are flat, just born bad, with an abusive hatred for women; if you prefer that your heroines be abducted in order to fall in love with their captors, then hey, you just cannot resist this bundle.

Why did I finish the stories? Each one is like a train wreck, I knew what would happen, but could not look away until it was over.

For romance writers, study these stories so you know what cliched, overused, overdone, items to avoid in your modern work.

View all my reviews

Darkest Secret Review

2011-04-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This series needs to be read in order. Start with "The Darkest Night" or the Gena Showalter Lords of the Underworld Bundle with the the first five books and the prequel "The Darkest Fire".

Pure fantasy delight. Not gritty reality. Magic often solves mundane problems. Anything is possible in this universe (death is just the beginning for some characters). And those are the *reasons* to read this series. The characters are interesting, complex and funny. I swear she has actually spent quality time with her fictional people.

Even with Showalter's habit of using sentence fragments, I love the way she writes. Funny and passionate and fast paced. Though not the best of the series, it is definately worth the time to revisit old friends and make new ones.

This is Amun and Hadiee's love story (Amun is the keeper of the demon Secrets and Hadiee murdered one of Amun's best friends - a long time ago).

We also spend time with Strider (his thought pattern cracks me up) and William - bad boys who haven't found their women, yet. And we take another trip into Hell. Many of the other characters make an appearance in this Underworld Soap Opera. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy.

View all my reviews

His Enemy's Daughter Review

2011-04-26T17:43:00.001-07:00

His Enemy's Daughter by Terri Brisbin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The hero starts out dark. Though I understood why, he made me uncomfortable at first. I didn't like him much and didn't feel all that intrigued by him either. Fortunately, I have read enough of Terri Brisbin's books to know that she would rescue the story, his blackness would eventually pass, so I kept on. I'm glad that I did. Though not one of her best stories ever, I enjoyed experiencing the hero's transition as he changed from dark to light. This was an entertaining read. I don't know if I will remember the characters a few months from now.

View all my reviews

Soul Swap - Promises, Available Now!

2011-04-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

Soul Swap - Promises (32K, Heat Level 1)

On planet Del'noshe, Tenor vowed to be Telima's Protector. The Tribal Chief refuses the match. Instead, he send Tenor to acquire new blood for the tribe. At the Warrior games, Tenor wins Annie. He decides to trade his Prize for Telima. On the trip home, Annie proves to be everything he would ever want or need in a woman. Can he chose between honoring his vow and his burning need for Annie?

On 21st century Earth, Annie's life is in the toilet, no job, no boyfriend and no family. She makes a drunken wish, which the Universe grants, sending her to different planet – as the prize of an all-too-sexy warrior. Is the soul swap permanent? If she solves Tenor's problem, will be sent home? Or if she wins Tenor's heart, can she stay? The magical Anom Tribal Counsel has the answers, if she dares to seek their help.

This short story introduces life on planet Del'noshe of the Five Worlds. The short story (32K) is available for free on Smashwords - or purchase for $0.99 and the proceedes will benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

The story will also be available at most of the major ebook retaliers (not for free, though), such as iTunes, Sony Books, Barns and Noble and the Kindle store.

Available now at: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54420 in ten different ebook formats.

I would appreciate reader reviews on Goodreads, Amazon or Smashwords.

Someone said the best promotion idea is a backlist. This is the beginning for me.

I'll keep you posted.

Carrie O.

Selecting a Headshot or Mugshot

2011-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

My publisher asked for a picture of me promotional purposes. Apparently, a picture of my dog isn't good enough though she is cuter and more memorable. Oh, well.

I've never thought of myself as photogenic and never had dreams of being a runway model. Getting in front of a camera for any reason is not my favorite thing to do. I'm the family photographer.

Today, I took out the spackle and bright paint to make repairs to my face. Hubby took the pictures for me in burst mode. What a sweatheart. A few times we got to laughing so hard, the pictures came out blurry. Lesson learned, next time use a tripod.

Maybe when my kid no longer plays expensive ice hockey we will be able to afford simple luxuries like professional photography and food.

Please help me select a headshot. I picked these four as the best of the lot. "None of the above" is also an acceptable answer. And if you are wondering, yes, I always do look somewhat like a shaggy dog.

1. Stargazer

2. Almost weeping.

3. A bit serious

4. No, really?

I'll keep you posted.

Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance

2011-02-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

Kate Walker has over 40 titles published with Harlequin, contemporary around 55K words. Because this is what she writes successfully, the entire book sways toward her personal writing process.

Most of the book is pretty basic “need to know” for someone who is thinking about writing romance but has never attempted the genre before. That would not be me. Each chapter ends with suggested exercises that makes this into a workbook. Here's the high points.

A romance is about the emotional journey - because the destination (the happy ending) is guaranteed.

Walker has an organic, character-based process very similar to my approach, which may account for the familiarity of the information she presented. We both start with the characters, interview them, get to know them, have their history understood before creating the plot. She has a character worksheet in her book that I am going to try out.

Putting characters in a book is like matchmaking two people you know really well. Their story should naturally evolve. or be told by the characters, without much effort if you do know them well. (Easier said than done!)

She does not use the standard 3 act play formula. Instead she uses a simpler design:
Hero + Heroine + conflict + getting to know you + the black moment + resolution + happy ending

She suggest the story should be written like a sexual experience: interest to arousal to passion to emotional climax.
She believes that the external conflict should always resolve before the internal conflict.
The black moment should be a rearing up of the external conflict, thought resolved, that stirs up the internal conflict of the characters and the final resolution of the internal conflict puts at rest the external conflict for good.

To illustrate the black moment: if the external conflict is “the secret baby,” a common plot for Harlequin where the reunited couple has to deal with a child conceived in the past that the hero doesn't know about, then the black moment should surround the baby. Possible black moments for this common plot:

He decides he wants her and the baby, but she interprets his behavior as him only wanting the baby and being resigned to having her around, too.
He not only decides he wants her and the baby, but he wants more children. She interprets that all he really wants is a broodmare.

Other points she makes about her process:

Dual black moment endings are acceptable.
60% meaningful dialogue (mature, that moves the story forward) – 40% narrative
Don't use dialogue tags like whisper or shouted. Instead, use “business” that show the character's mood (body/face language) -- the action and the pace of the action -- and dialogue that supports the whisper or the shout.
The H/H should be passionate about everything they do and say.
No matter how much emotion you have in the story, add more.
The plot should look like a series of Ws, where the characters take two steps forward and one step back until they reach the destination.

The modern heroine:

is neither passive nor aggressive
wants to pleasure as much as be pleasured
is sympathetic, not pathetic

The modern hero:

can be aggressive but not abusive
must take responsibility for contraception
must show personal and moral integrity
can be either an alpha or a beta male (she explains both)

Walker writes about the importance of knowing the Who, When, Where, What and How and Why.

Who: hero and heroine (she doesn't do many side characters, says it takes away from the main romance which is the focus)
When: era, season, when in the character's life in relation to traumatic past events, age of characters or maturity level, when in relation to the “point of crisis” what is also called the inciting incident.
Where: setting (geographical location, buildings, apartments)
What and How: the plot
Why: the motivation of the characters, every scene should have a purpose and be able to answer the why: why do they act as they do, why do they fall in love.

She showed one synopsis without the “why” and a revised one with the “why.” Since writing synopsis is a chore that I struggle with, this bit alone should help with my future synopsis writing and was worth the price of the book.

Her best quote:

“Love is not only blind but the complete opposite. It sees things in other people that no one else can find.”

Like I said, most of this I already knew. I'm not seeking to write 55K word contemporary stories so I didn't find what I really hoped to find. I'll keep looking.

I'll keep you posted.

Fire and Ice - The One-Line Pitch

2011-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

I completed the AIS (Author Information Sheet) for Moongypsy Press and emailed it. Pretty soon, I should have the cover art and ISBN number to start plastering where ever I can. Until then, I thought I'd show my process for writing the one-lines and blurbs. Today, the One-Line Pitch.

Condensing a 100K novel down to a single sentence is not an easy task. One-lines are harder to write than a synopsis - and I hate writing synopsis. Though I'm still waiting for approval from the publisher on my selections, I thought I'd show my process.

When you read the TV guide for a show, that description is the one-line pitch (or premise). In one sentence, the entire story should be there showing the Who, Where, What, Why and When. Leave the How as the contents of the story.

I start by listing the components.

For the characters, I search for labels that will give character insight. In a romance there are two Whos. In Fire and Ice, the pair have conflicting goals and are opposite in many ways.

Rosche is a Drakond, a judge, a warrior and a Noble tribe leader who has a heat control problem ignited by emotions so his personality is cold.
Sarica is a Din, a recent academy graduate, a city dweller whose father died leaving her with a debt she can't pay. The law makes her an indentured servant until she earns her freedom. She has the ability to generate cold by using her emotions. She has a fiery personality.

Where: Planet Majien of the Five Worlds.

When: doesn't matter for this story since we are on another planet. If this took place on Earth, the era would be important - past, present or future. Mentioning the season might be important for Holiday stories. This isn't one of those so I don't need to add this information.

Why: He needs her to use her gift to control his. She needs to answer Fate's call to find Almona City.

The Whats are the conflict, premise and plot. I picked these highlights.

Rosche is in love with Sarica and wants her as his wife. He buys her servitude. He plans to keep her forever.
Sarica fears (and desires) Rosche and will do whatever she must to attain her freedom to find Almona City.

That is way too many words for a one-line (but are juicy bits for the back of the book blurb). The object then is to simplify. Pick the most important details to form one sentence. I condensed to this:

Where: On planet Majien of the Five Worlds (goes to sub-genre or audience - very important.)
Who: a judge and an indentured servant, or a warrior and a scholar, or a Drakond and a Din, or cold-tempered man and a woman with a fiery personality, a heat generator and a cold generator (I could make a huge list here of their differences, but you get the point).
What: He wants her love; she wants her freedom
Why: the why here takes too long to explain - all about what a Gifted Anom is and how their gifts work and interact. I'm going to use that in the blurb, not the on-line.

Now that I am closer, it's time to start building the sentence.

On Majien of the Five Worlds, a Noble wants the love of his indentured servant who will do anything to attain her freedom.

Closer but I need to paint the whole story because the above is a standard romance plot (Boy wants girl but girl wants something else). What makes this story different? Time to add descriptive adjectives.

On Majien of the Five Worlds, a Drakond Noble struggles to win the heart of his tenacious Din indentured servant, who fights him in the attempt to attain her freedom which makes his life unpredictable.

Closer but this can be further condensed by using descriptive words and trying to show the characters instead of telling about them. This is my final selection for the one-line pitch (the editor may suggest changes).

On Majien of the Five Worlds, a callous Drakond Noble struggles to win the heart of his Din indentured servant, whose exploits to gain her freedom disrupt his impeccable lifestyle.

I hope this process will help you write your one-line pitch. Some people suggest this be done before the novel is written. My muse isn't that organized.

I'll keep you posted.

Moongypsy Press to Publish the Five Worlds Series

2011-01-31T07:44:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've grown wings! I hope so, because I'm going to need the extra mobility to achieve my massive to-do list! Now the real fun begins, with whole new learning curve to climb.

“Fire and Ice” will be the first release in spring/summer, my debut novel. Now that I have something interesting to talk about, I will be sharing what I learn about the publishing process with Moongypsey Press.

After the deal was done, I was sent an AIS, the Author Information Sheet contains the following to-do list.

1. General Information – title, series name, author name, pen name, word count, page count, genre and heat level.
2. Cover Art Information – describe the main characters, the setting, mood and tone.
3. A small, one line tag/hook/blurt for the front cover
4. Brief Synopsis that includes the beginning, middle and ending.
5. Author's Bio
6. List of other titles with the same publisher
7. Dedication, acknowledgements
8. Brief tag/hook
9. Back of the book blurb (brief)
10. Excerpt
11. Reviews
12. Personal Marketing Plan

Fortunately, due to my failed attempt to self-publish The Tool series (failure for me means “A Huge Learning Experience” because I only really fail when I give up trying.) I have many of these items ready or understand the concept, having spent so much time on research and practice with The Tool.

When I sought a publisher for this series, I was forced to write much of the AIS information. So if you wonder why you have to do all that stuff to satisfy an agent or a publisher, well now you know. It is not wasted time.

The back of the book blurb is the pitch for query letters. Synopsis are normally required for submission with the pitch. Over a year ago, I wrote my author's bio when I was trying to get reviewers to read Shadow Nexus – without success. The other items I can pull from the book or write quickly.

Filling out the AIS left me with another to-do list: My Personal Marketing Plan. Plus I was given yet another to-do list by the publisher to begin the "buzz." More on those as I move forward.

I'll keep you posted.

Romance Books Read in 2010

2010-12-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

These are most of the full length romance novels I read in 2010. I try to get the free stories on Amazon Kindle for my laptop. Many times I like the free one so much, I purchase other stories by the same author. There are too many titles here to write reviews so those with an * are favorites.

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe
Not Without Her Family by Beth Andrews
The Immortals: The Gathering by Beth Andrews
The Immortals: The Reckoning by Jennifer Ashley
The Immortals: The Redeeming by Jennifer Ashley
Colters' Wife by Maya Banks
Possessed by the Highlander by Terri Brisbin
Surrender to the Highlander by Terri Brisbin
Taming the Highlander by Terri Brisbin
Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Heir by Grace Burrows
The Earl's Untouched Bride by Annie Burrows
My Christmas Wish by Ember Case
Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child
Lonestar Sanctuary by Colleen Coble
The Unmasking of Lady Lovelace by Nicola Cornick
His Conquest by Diana J. Cosby
Divorced, Desperate and Dating by Christie Craig
Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B. J. Daniels
Eternal Hunter by Cynthia Eden
Dark Descent by Christine Feehan
Dark Dream by Christine Feehan
Magic on the Wind by Christine Feehan
The Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Billionaire's Fake Engagement by Robyn Grady
Nothing but Scandle by Allegra Gray
Her Reluctant Bodyguard by Jennette Green
Homespun Bride by Jillian Hart
Kiss Me Deadly by Michele Hauf
Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
Dragon Haven by Robin Hobb
The Ice Princess by Elizabeth Hoyt
Irresistible Forces by Brenda Jackson
One Unashamed Night by Sophia James
Winter's Passage by Julie Kagawa
Shadow Bound by Erin Kellison
Heated Rush by Leslie Kelly
Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly
Mastering the Marquess by Vanessa Kelly
Enchanting the Lady by Kathryne Kennedy
*Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Night Pleasures by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Highland Dragon by Kimberly Killion
A Loving a Scoundrel by Johanna Lindsey
Highlander Unchained by Monica Mccarty
*Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
*Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning
*The Dark Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
*Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
*Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning
*Faefever by Karen Marie Moning
*The Highlander's Touch by Karen Marie Moning
*The Immortal Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
*Kiss of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
*Spell of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning
*To Tame a Highland Warrior by Karen Marie Moning
The Immortals: The Awakening by Joy Nash
The Immortals: The Crossing by Joy Nash
Marked by Elisabeth Naughton
The Wrong Husband by Ruth Ann Nordin
Secrets of a Duchess by Kaitlin O'Riley
*Heart Choice by Robin Owens
Heart Dance by Robin Owens
Heart Duel by Robin Owens
Heart Fate by Robin Owens
Heart Quest by Robin Owens
*Heart Thief by Robin Owens
*Heartmate by Robin Owens
The Immortals: The Haunting Robin T Popp
The Immortals: The Darkening by Robin T Popp
Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney
A Little Magic by Nora Roberts
Spellbound by Nora Roberts
*Mistress by Mistake by Maggie Robinson
Cry Sanctuary by Moira Rogers
A Compromised Lady by Elizabeth Rolls
The Dutiful Rake by Elizabeth Rolls
His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls
Lord Baybrooks Penniless Wife by Elizabeth Rolls
*The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter
*The Darkest Passionate by Gena Showalter
*The Darkest Prison by Gena Showalter
*The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter
*The Darkest Fire by Gena Showalter
*The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter
*The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter
*The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter
Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter
Jewel of Atlantis by Gena Showalter
The Nymph King by Gena Showalter
Sin's Daughter by Eve Silver
Desiring the Highlander by Michele Sinclair
The Highlander's Bride by Michele Sinclair
To Wed a Highlander by Michele Sinclair
The Wild's Call by Jeri Smith-Ready
Forbidden: The Sacrifice by Samantha Somersby
Only You by Deborah Brace Staley
Dancing in the Moonlight by RaeAnne Thayne
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
One a Cowboy by Linda Warren
Speed Dating by Nancy Warren
Her Irish Warrior by Michelle Willingham
In the Warrior's Bed by Mary Wine
To Conquer a Highlander by Mary Wine
The Virgin's Price by Cathy Williams
The Virgin's Proposal by Cathy Williams
His Virgin Secretary by Cathy Williams
One Hot Texan by Cathy Williams
The Innocent Virgin by Cathy Williams
Undecover Virgin by Cathy Williams
A Single Demand by Cathy Williams
Craving Beauty by Cathy Williams
The Millionaire's Virgin Mistress by Cathy Williams

This is an eclectic mix of romance genres: historical, fantasy and contemporary. Some are adventures. Some are pure relationships. Some are magical. I prefer the stories that are a good mix of all three.

Why do I read so much? Research. I used to read and not know why I enjoyed/disliked the stories. That has changed. I now read with a writer's eye.I read about the techniques of writing women's fiction and read published books to identify those techniques in action.

If only I could write as fast as I read.

I'll keep you posted.

The Fourth Wall in Writing

2010-07-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

I found the site Fiction Factor (www.fictionfactor.com) with useful articles and tips on writing, as well as publishing and the writing business. I've read quite a bit from that site and one point in one article has firmly stuck with me. I never thought about it before and it's one of the mistakes I'm guilty of.

I break the fourth wall.

In theater, a physical stage has three sides but four walls. Three of the sides contain scenery and props. The forth contains the audience. One of the first things I was taught in high school acting was the importance of maintaining the integrity of the forth wall. The audience knows what happens on the stage isn't real life and they come prepared to suspend their disbelief.

Breaking through the forth wall reminds them of reality. It rips them out of the fantasy being performed and breaks the emotional connection.

Any time a sentence breaks the emotional connection or suspension of disbelief, the forth wall has been broken. The audience backs away. Do that enough times, they walk out. The audience wants to participate in the emotional banquet offered. Well crafted sentences feed that desire to the reader. Poorly crafted sentences shatter the forth wall.

Maintaining the integrity of the point of view is the first place thing to look for. 3rd person omnipotent is my favorite. This point of view comes directly from the character's head – thoughts, feelings emotions and actions of self and others described from one set of eyes. That means you can't suddenly know the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the other characters (unless you set up your character as a talented empathic with mind reading capabilities). Events must be described from the perspective of one set of eyes.

Okay, I got that one down. I know how to switch characters as needed to show more than one side of the action – by starting a new section that lets the reader know the POV has changed. I hate when writers switch point of view every paragraph. It is too jolting. Especially if the writer has to use two paragraphs for one character. I lose track of whose head I'm supposed to be in. This breaks the forth wall. That's why I hate it and stop reading. I've seen this in quite a few promising works on Authonomy. I could not get into the story and stay there. I didn't know why before. But now I do.

In collage I was taught that when I write a letter or paper, it is automatically assumed that the information contained within is my personal opinion. I got marked down any time I used phrases like “I believe...”, “In my opinion...” “I know...” “I realized...” “I think...” “I feel...” Strange enough, in nonfiction, this breaks the forth wall.

In fiction, 3rd person POV, phrases like the above: “He believed...” “She thought...” “He realized...” “She knew...” “He felt...” do the same. This is my biggest blunder. I fall out of the character's head as a writer forcing the reader to do the same. Do this enough times and the forth wall shatters. The reader puts the book down and never picks it up again.

I'm certain there are other writing mistakes I make that break the forth wall. A good editor most likely can pick out these sentences better than I can. But now that I know what to look for, I'm actively trying to stamp these out. When writing I need to stay completely inside the characters head, never pull back no matter how emotion rich the scene.

I'm going back to rewrite my stories and search out this infraction. Dreamsayer should be relatively clean though I could be wrong. Without a doubt, Shadow Nexus needs a full reread for this foe-pah alone.

The draft I'm working on for Whisper Walkers contained a few instances in the emotionally saturated areas of the story so far. Is this because I don't fully understand the emotions I'm trying to describe? Or have I pushed myself out of my comfort zone? If the first case, I need to do more research. If the second... I don't know...

I'll keep you posted.

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

2010-07-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ever read a series of books and while engrossed find yourself saying, “I want to write a story like this!” That's how I feel about this series of books. Bummer is, the last book in the series won't be released until Jan 18, 2011. It may take months for me to stop trying to write the ending myself based on the clues she's left in the other books.

The Fever series is like Harry Potter for grownups. Definitely not for kids. Definitely for people who like to read. I hope writing this will get the story out of my head and allow me to write my own stories until the final book is released.

Every Fever book ends in a cliffhanger, each darker as the books progress. I hate that when the series is long. I didn't pay attention to the release date on the fifth book. I understand why many readers prefer to wait until all the books in the series are available before buying the first one.

The story is written in 1st person, told by MacKayla Lane, Mac for short. I normally don't like this point of view. But Moning has changed my perspective. I like 1st person omnipotent if it is well written. She did an outstanding job. I'm not certain what book put me off of this perspective. I do know she has shown me the art of prose and good story telling. I'm reading the types of books I want to write. This series is a primary example.

I won't go into a ton of detail because I tend to give away spoilers. Moning has created a world within our world in Ireland with the Fae or Faeries. But these are not little Tinker Bells. They are aliens, basically, large, some ugly, some beautiful, with super powers who have been living alongside humans for a very long time.

Every character has personal, secret motives for why they do what they do. I really like the way that is done. They are all looking for a mystical book and Mac is the only one with the super powers to find it. So she is wooed by heroes and villains alike as they try to persuade her onto their side. Even the foulest of the foul sends her flowers! When that doesn't work he gets mean.

The main hero (and romantic interest) is a complex Jerico Barrons who has a secret reason for getting his hands on the mystical book. At the end Book 4, his secret is somewhat uncovered as part of the cliffhanger. It both took me by surprise and yet didnt'. Very sneaky of her...

Make certain you read these in order:
1) Darkfever
2) Bloodfever
3) Faefever
4) Dreamfever
5) Shadowfever.

Mac, who learns to fight and use her buried powers along the way, survives quite a bit of bad stuff including torture and rape. But Moning handles this well and I didn't feel offended, she didn't push me too far, letting me know of the events while protecting me from brutal reality and the horror. I mention these events for those readers who are sensitive to brutality.

This series is about good versus evil where evil is shown by really evil deeds and good is a vast pallet of grays. No white hats on any of the characters so don't look for that.

What really urks me is I know now that The Tool series has the potential to be a story like this. In order to do that I need to rewrite, butcher and hack the thing to shreds. I played it too safe with the characters in the first book keeping the main characters from physical and emotional harm. I introduced the good and evil elements too slowly with the main evil character not even named yet. Brent has super powers he is unaware of and untrained to use that he doesn't know about until the end of the first book. I keep too many secrets without enough hints for the reader to help understand Emily's motives or the angst she feels for Brent.

After I finish Whisper Walkers – hopefully the fully fleshed draft will be done this week – I will put some thought work into how to change Shadow Nexus - oh, hell, the whole series! - change how Brent and Emily meet, change how I introduce the Good and Evil characters, maybe switch points of view between Brent and Emily and give the readers a better clue of what is going on in both of their heads.

This is tough though because Emily knows so much more than Brent and she doesn't think like a human. She has secrets she needs to keep from Brent as she slowly discovers the reasons for her very existence. Instead of starting the book at the very beginning of their relationship, I can start in the middle and add little bits of the past, make their adventures more dangerous, quit playing it safe. Let Brent get a cut or a bruise or broken bone a little more often.

That means pulling the book from publication. Few people have read it so I don't think anyone will notice.

Then I will chop the book up into 70,000-90,000 or so word chunks to make as many books as I need to tell the entire story. There was one chapter I really wanted to include in the first book but removed due to the word count. I can put that back in! To make readers happy, I'll try to release all of the books at the same time instead of over a five year period!

I'll keep you posted.

Selecting a Niche Market

2010-06-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

The kidlet is out of school for the summer. He's bored and bugging the “$%@#” out of me! I'll do my best to keep blogging until his 8 weeks of vacation is over. Thank heavens for the year round school program!

I've decided on a niche market to write for – woman's romantic science fiction and fantasy. Okay, not much different from my first attempt. But these one will be written in the accepted form for woman's romantic fiction, switching point of view from the hero to heroine. The relationships is the main focus with events putting them together and pulling them apart – with plenty of verbal foreplay and near misses. One good sex scene after the couple have made some type of commitment. And of course, a happy ending.

I really enjoyed 'Heartmate' by Robin Owens. It takes place 400 years in the future on a distant planet colonized by technically and magically gifted humans who left earth so they could practice their magic. The hero is a rich, magical Tarzan the hero a magical Jane. It's sweet and funny with elements of danger.

Creating my own future worlds will take less time than researching for an historical romance. I thought of writing contemporary romace, but couldn't come up with new ways of two people meeting without twisting reality. I tried to brainstorm a list. But, I need magic or technology for my plots.

Last week I finished the first draft of a new novel. Actually, the novel wrote itsself. I was surprised! I set up the concept in my head and started writing. I used the completely orgainc approach. I had no idea where the story was going and let the characters tell me who they are and events just naturally happened.

I picked up a pen, started writing and within a week I had it done! The story is in one journal notebook with very few scratch outs. It's as if the novel wanted to be written as it streamed from my brain and onto the page. This is the most fun I've had writing in a very long time. It felt effortless, as if I was simply dictating the words of the muse in my head. When I wasn't writing, I was planning the next scene – in the car, doing housework and before my son's ice hockey game.

The next step is to get these words into a text file and start polishing. I need to make certain the language I use matches what is expected by the reader.

This novel will be called 'Dreamsayer.' Next blog, I'll give more details.

I'll keep you posted.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

2010-06-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon last night. Though I don't have the exact word count, this story has well over 125,000. The 6” x 9” paperback version has 656 pages. (My 125,000 word novel 6x9 has 247). Of course, this was not her first printed title. She had an established fan base, so a publisher is more likely to take the risk of printing a thick book.

The story is well detailed (sometimes too much), starting in 1942 then time traveling through a small Stonehenge circle back to 1742. She took quite a few chapters to set up the story, introducing history, place, characters and their ancestors for both time periods. Necessary, I suppose, but rather boring.

The story is told in the first person, Claire's voice, almost a memoir style – not my first choice for point of view reading. But her thoughts are interesting enough to make me like her and some of the dialog is charming, truly funny and properly reflects the characters. (I like dialog)

I liked the two main characters, Claire a nurse from 1942 and Jamie a fiery Scotsman from 1742. Though to took me a while to figure out he was the intended love interest and I didn't quite see the attraction.

Even if factual for the time, she pushed the limits of reality forcing her characters to endure the worst of what two people of any time could endure. Quite frankly, when Claire found she could go back to her own time, she didn't and I couldn't believe it! – after being kidnapped by a band of Scotsmen, nearly raped four times, killing a man (eventually two), flogged, almost convicted and killed for being a witch, forced into marriage or suffer torture for being suspected a spy for the French, her backside strapped by her husband for failing to obey his orders, same man making clear the meaning of “obey” in her marriage vows included his needs in the bed.

Instead, she falls in “lust” with her new husband, an outlaw, warrior and murderer with a price on his head, with few friends or people he can trust – even among his own relatives and clansmen, hunted by the English, always on the run, in hiding or fighting capture, or being captured, completely scarred from head to toe from the abuse he suffered at the hands of the English and never ending fighting with sword, knife and pistol (good thing she's got medical training – one of the reasons why he married her), physically injured many times but apparently a fast healer, who admits he's not a very good husband because he has no money or property and he beats his wife.

But the sex is good.

Really, Claire – wake up from the nightmare and go home! Is a good lay really that damn important!

There's nothing “gentile” about this story. It's brutal, violent. She found ways of abusing her characters both mentally and physically that left me disgusted. Though the characters seem to “brush” everything off after a few days and a good emotional release (fight or cry) and move onto the next horrific event - courage and bravery? Their lives are one never ending, no-win scenario – either suffer or die. It did leave me delighted I live where I do and in this century.

I finished reading the book not knowing it was part of a trilogy. The last chapter left the characters at a happy point (with much unresolved) enough for me to let them go and imagine a happily ever after, even though they seem doomed. I don't have the stomach for two more books no matter how much I like the rapport between the two main characters. I'm done.

I'll keep you posted.

Crap and Cream

2010-06-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't blogged lately. I've been reading and writing fiction, trying to get into the language. The more research I do, the more reading I do, the more I read posts for the Yahoo groups, the more I look into everything that is out there, I realize I have made a huge error in judgement.

I need to write for a niche market.

I have every intention of finishing this trilogy. I like the story. I like the characters. But I'm having trouble finding the readers, the people, who, like me, will enjoy my characters adventures. I thought it should be easy to find others like myself who enjoy the same. But the more I look at what is out there, the more I read what other people read, the more convinced I am that I've set myself up for failure.

I don't have time to devote to a failed concept.

A while ago I read an article from a professional editor who also freelances. I don't remember the name nor did I keep the link. This morning, I remembered something I dismissed when I read the blog, she said, “Write a story that people actually want to read.”

Lately, I've read enough crap and cream stories that I'm getting a much clearer picture of what that editor means. Ride the tide. Write for the niche. Find out what the audience expects, wants and desires based on what has worked in the past. Do the same as everyone else only different, a slight twist, a different angle. Get into the language of a particular niche market – i.e. romance – and write in a similar style, similar structure, similar characters only slightly different.

I'm selling a novel that breaks the genre rules and crosses borders into uninhabited territory.

I'm writing the novels for me, not for a specific audience. My likes run the gambit of non-fiction, history, romance, science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, mystery and mythical stories. I don't like vampires or werewolves. I prefer humans with magical powers to mythical creations. I don't like reluctant heroes forced into a destiny they'd prefer to run screaming from. I want heroes who plunge headlong into danger, feeling the rush, working through a no-win situation and coming out on top. And I like the added spice of a little romance and sex between the main characters. I don't like the old style James Bond who bed hops without hesitation. Give me a hero in love with a heroine who fills his every need, even if it takes a while for both of them to realize it.

All of the above poses a problem. Where do I find people like me? I don't think the audience I'm looking for reads books. I think they prefer to watch TV.

I'll keep you posted.

Buying an Editor

2010-05-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

I'm always doing some type of research, looking for ideas for my novels, ways to improve my writing skills and reading what experts have to say about the writing and publishing process. Every time I run into a statement about editing, I a pit forms in my stomach.

My novel would benefit from a professional editing job. I've recently read enough unpublished works on Authonomy and other sites to agree with that for other people's work.

For example, I politely read the first few pages of a story, board with the descriptions, not really curious about what was happening. Then right in the middle of the second page, I read what should be the hook, what should be the very first sentence, not buried so far away from the beginning. I'm paraphrasing, but it went something like: “Why would he, a vampire, hide in a church?” A very good question and I was intrigued by the answer so I kept reading. Really, what would frighten a vampire? More importantly, what would frighten a vampire so much they'd seek refuge on holy ground? The book showed promise after that. A bit of editing and, well...

Another unpublished work I read lacked a voice, (point of view). I had no idea who was telling the story. The writer introduced seven people in the first three paragraphs. That's like going to a party where you don't know anyone, you get introduced to everyone at the same time and can't remember any of them as the party wears on. Finally, the voice introduces herself when she is born, on the third page. From there, it was much easier to read because I knew who was speaking. I suggested to the author to start the book with one simple line to establish the voice right away. “On the day I was born...”

So, I am wondering what things I should change in my book to make it better, none of the above because I understand and recognize those things. But I am certain someone who knows how to edit fiction can help me with pace, flow, plot and perhaps point out where I might have missed an important little detail that is clear in my head but not clear on the page.

I went looking for the price of freelance professional editing services and what it might cost. Big publishers have editors on staff, so that's one of the reasons authors don't get a bigger percentage. When I found the standard pricing, my heart sunk. Normal rate is $.02-.04 per word depending upon the type of editing (i.e. proofreading, copy editing, developmental or substantive, formatting, critique. See: http://www.book-editing.com/levels.shtml for definitions.)

My book is roughly 125,000 words. Don't have a calculator handy? Let me do the math: $2,500-5,000. Yes, that is a whole bunch of money!

Another problem is finding an editor suited to the work being edited. I don't want someone who edits cookbooks trying to take on my romantic story. I'd hate to get comments for the love scenes on what “spicy ingredients” to add in what order or just how “hot” they should be and how long to “cook” until they are “done.”

So, I'm keeping my novel as is for now. That doesn't mean that sometime in the future I won't relent and get the thing looked at. For most new authors, the first novel isn't the breakthrough, much like an actor, the first part doesn't make them a star. I'll keep writing, because one day, I will find the story that people really want to read. I keep hoping for this series.

I love this particular story and need to finish book 2. I've decided on the title "Shadow Nature." It's moving forward one sentence at a time. I'm not stopping. I'm not giving up.

I'll keep you posted.

Tell or Show: Illustrated

2010-05-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

I've read articles that try to explain the difference between a “tell” and a “show” in fiction writing. For whatever reason, they make it sound more complicated than it is. One person suggested reading an entire book just to find one “show” line at the end. How does that help?

I thought I'd give some examples to “show and tell” how I understand the difference. This is probably the most important skill a fiction writer can learn and one that I am constantly working on.

In my non-fiction how to books, I write step-by-step instructions:

Cut on the dotted line.
Glue down the flap.
Cut away the excess.

For all of these, I have a picture on the right hand side with arrows indicating what line, what flap and what excess. The words are the tell. The pictures are the show.

When writing fiction, I don't have pictures for the “show” so the words have to create the image in the readers mind. It takes more words, well chosen words, to make the image. Remember: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Well, don't use that many words for every moment. Pick the most important features of the picture instead. Use words to describe what part of the picture you are “pointing” to. You don't need to paint the entire picture every step of the way. Paint it one stroke at a time so the reader can build up the complete image.

Recently, I wrote an email to a high school friend explaining why I don't want to go to another high school reunion.

I could have said: “I've changed so much since high school that I felt uncomfortable being there.”

Instead I said: “The old personality felt like a small itchy wool coat trying to slip on my body and smother me.”

Can you feel my discomfort and empathize?

In my novel drafts, I tend to tell what the character feels. In rewrites, I illustrate what that looks like or feels like depending upon the point of view. The books are written from Brent's view so, I can illustrate what he feels. When he's looking at others, I describe what he is seeing.

Tell: “Emily showed distress.”
Show: “Emily tapped her front tooth with a fingernail while her other hand clinched up in a fist.”

Within the context of the scene and the dialog, her behavior makes even more sense. It's one brushstroke on the canvas for that scene.

Tell: “He felt hurt and didn't know how to tell her.”
Show: “He didn't know how to explain the lump in his throat or the tight knot in his stomach.”

My first drafts are often similar to scripts. I set up the scene, write the dialog, put in notes for the actors. Then I go back and turn the script into a series of pictures. Instead of using a camera, I use words.

I'll keep you posted.

An Author's Bio

2010-05-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

For book submissions requirements, I need to provide an author's bio. I've put this off for too long. I should have written it before I published the book and included it on one of the back pages. Because I've never written one before, I did research. If I didn't, my bio would read something like this:

Carrie Olguin lives like magical wallpaper, working hard to compliment the furniture. She writes from the safety of her home office because she's shy and it's a great place to hide. Though she's been writing both fiction and non-fiction all of her life, she's too uncertain about her writing ability to rely on large scale professional publishing. However, when she needed to find a way to pay for her favorite hobby, she wrote and self-published pattern and reference books for the model horse hobby, a very small niche market. Since life is slipping by quickly, she decided to finally write The Tool series of novels, a concept that has been developing in her head since collage. She has absolutely no institutional education to support her qualifications to write science fiction, except for the fact that she loves science, technology and the fiction genres and wishes more of the books and shows she likes had romantic elements.

Would you read my book if you read that? I'd feel sorry for me, so it would be a pity purchase.
Here's professional recommendations on what to include in a bio:

Memberships in Writing Community: - I don't belong to any Writing Communities. I don't have much free time in the evenings to go to meetings and not much in the day time either.
Publishing credits: - My publishing credits have nothing to do with the sci/fi genre. My credits are all non-fiction (that would be all the books and CDs I've published).
Awards and/or recognition for work: I don't have any awards, didn't bother to try for the non-fiction. I didn't think it mattered as long as my books were selling. The only recognition I have is in my ebay feedback.
Writing-related job experience: - All of my writing related job experience are non-fiction in nature, such as the equipment documentation and training manuals I did for my last job. This would be good for my tack books, but not for fiction.
Education: - I have a BA degree in Communications. I thought this was a major achievement, until my husband made a comment about the degrees professional athletes earn. He said something like: “That guy didn't earn a real degree in collage. He earned, you know he got a Communications degree, cause all he really majored in was the sport that got him the scholarship.”

Yes, I was insulted. I worked hard to earn my degree. It wasn't easy. But if what hubby said is true, or at least believed to be true by enough people, then saying I have a degree in Communications is the same thing as saying I have no degree at all.

Other guidelines to follow for writing the bio, pretty much the same advice from all the different sites:

Always write in the 3rd person.
Use your name in the first sentence, the way you want readers to remember you.
Opening sentence, professional not personal – make something up that sounds like you are more than you really are. Freelance writer, artist, business owner.
Include any writing or critique groups you belong to
You are your own product. Sell yourself to the readers and publishing professionals.
Brag. Don't be shy. Tell people what you have accomplished.
It's okay to be eclectic with credentials. It's okay to include non-paying publishing jobs.
If no writing experience, focus on expertise.
Always tell where you live or closet large city nearby.
Mentioning family members and pets makes you more real and reachable.
Make yourself sound interesting.
Write down everything then reduce to high points down to one paragraph.

So I gave it a try:

Carrie R. Olguin owns an art and book sales business in Phoenix, Arizona. She earned a degree in Communications from UCSD, an experience that inspired the concept for Tool series novels. She's married with two adopted children. She's held different technical jobs, including Network Administrator and Technical Designer for cutting edge postal system equipment. One of her favorite activities is researching cutting edge theories and technologies. She's has published 12 non-fiction books. This is her first fiction work.

I hope I don't sound boring. I'll keep you posted.

The Alarm Clock

2010-05-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

I prefer the dark quiet hours of night when all is still and my mind undisturbed by noises or bright light. My son is a morning person.

If he goes to bed at 7:30, he's energetically awake at 5:00AM.
If he goes to bed at 8:30, he's energetically awake at 5:00AM.
If he goes to bed at 9:30, he's energetically awake at 5:00AM.

On school days, I don't have to wake up until 7:00AM. My son tries to help. At 5:00AM he wakes me to let me know I can sleep for two more hours. At 5:30, he lets me know I have 1 ½ hours left. At 6:00 he's ever so thoughtful, letting me know I can sleep for yet another hour. At 6:30 he comes in every five minutes to give me the countdown.

If I'm not up by 7:00, he's on my bed and on top of me, bouncing and laughing and making certain I recognize the fact that he exists.

On weekends, he's just as helpful, with no concept of “sleeping in.” I haven't had to set my alarm clock in over five years. I'm not even certain why I bother to plug the thing in.

I'll keep you posted.

Weekend Research

2010-05-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend doing research again, looking for places to find friends and perhaps fans – one and the same I am hoping.

I searched the Yahoo groups and found a few that are active with people who read books related to SciFi/Fantasy and romance. My book doesn't fit exactly into a neat category – it crosses genres and breaks some of the “rules.” But I am certain it can find fans among these types of readers. The trick is getting them to purchase the book and have a read.

I've lowered the sell price for the book on my website feeling I have a right since Barns and Noble is selling it for less than the Amazon price. I lowered the price of the Kindle version, too. I'm beginning to think price is what I have to offer right now. In fact, I may have to buy some books to give away to people who read.

I've basically given up on Authonomy. It's not what I thought it would be. It's more like a reality game like Survivor where you make alliances and try to get ahead by playing the game. If I back someone's book without even reading it, they will do the same for me. Oh, well, I'll keep looking for the right place to be.

While searching the web I found an article that intrigued me on Copyblogger. Although most of this information pertains to non-fiction writing, I do need the information for my tack making books. Basically it said (I lost the link to the article so I can't post it directly):

“For success you need talent, luck and persistence. Pick any two.”

I don't have luck. I've never been lucky. Doors for me have never opened easily. I've had to work hard for what I have and I have to keep working hard to keep it.

So the two I need to pick are talent and persistence. I'm certain I have the talent to write. Every book I finish helps me hone my craft. I'm not the best writer but I'm certainly not the worst. If I'm wrong then see below.

As for persistence, well, I can be tenacious and I do have a stubborn streak. What I need to work on is self-confidence. I need to believe in myself and my work. Sometimes I have trouble with that. I have to make certain the little voice in my head tells me good things – even if slightly unrealistic and delusional. I have to become my number one fan, despite what other people say. I have to maintain the courage to stand up for my work – without insulting people along the way.

So that's my never ending chore. Hone my talent and believe in my work so that I have the courage to tell others it's good. Unfortunately, I'm a coward...

I'll keep you posted.

Hello? Anybody out there?

2010-05-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

I realized that I have no idea if anyone is even reading my posts. I've turned this into some type of on-line diary. And because I am a no one that nobody knows or cares to read about, this diary can remain a secret simply by being ignored.

How incredibly odd... All those warnings about posting things on line... How public it is... No privacy at all... Anybody can view it... Everyone can know about it... There's no copy right protection... If it's out htere you can't take it back...

The fact is, there is so much to read on the Internet, so many pages to view, that my blog resembles my life in many ways. I'm just another voice in the crowd where everyone is shouting. What can I do to get my voice to rise above all that madness to be heard?

I'll keep you posted.

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T08:24:00.000-07:00

My son is eight years old. Yesterday, he got a small cup from the cupboard and filled it half with water. Then went outside to my rose bushes.

He pulled on the blossoms with his hands, trying to free them, breaking branches in the process. After many attempts, he could not pick any with stems long enough for the heads to peek over the top of the cup.

So he scattered the remnants of all the freshly picked flowers in the yard and went inside.

On my coffee table, I have an expensive silk arrangement of pink roses. He pulled out several stems and put those into the cup of water.

Then he brought me the cup of roses and said proudly: “These are for you, for Mother's Day.”

Awwww. How am I supposed to tell him how wrong he is?

I'll keep you posted.

Spring Time in My Backyard

2010-05-05T08:29:00.000-07:00

Spring in the desert starts earlier than other places in the US, for example the suggested planting date for tomato seedlings is Feb12 and for other plants March 15. I used to have a nice vegetable garden before I decided to grow kids. The garden was less work.

With Spring comes the weeds... Plenty of weeds. I hate pulling weeds.

The birds have returned, busy building their nests. They sing, fight and fly without even noticing me. Sometimes I have to duck out of the way of a chase. I don't normally take the time to bird watch. Our birds are the common variety. Sparrows, hummingbirds, doves blackbirds and brown jays busy enjoying the gifts of a warmer sun.

Although, one time I spied two partridges walking about my back yard as if they owned it. Another time there were a couple of green love birds, obvious domestic escapees.

One day, I was outside doing yard work with our 10lb dog named Gizmo. She's a Lasa Apso Maltise mix, white with black patches. After weeding a while, my back ached, so I stood up to stretch, looking into the sky. I spotted a bird gliding in the air currents above me that had a wingspan of at least 6 feet. I watched for a while wondering what a bird of prey was doing circling around my back yard. Then it occurred to me, “Where's the dog?” I called her over quickly and when she was by my side looked up again. The big bird was gone.

I spied a pair of doves on our block wall fence engaged in their courtship. They moved in mirror image for a while then reached out to caress each other with their heads. The courtship lasted for five minutes. The actual physical exchange lasted for about a second. Off they flew as if fully satisfied with the encounter. I'm so glad I'm not a bird.

I'll keep you posted.

Fabled Fables

2010-04-28T08:21:00.000-07:00

I installed the Kindle for PC program, available at no charge from Amazon. I wanted to see that the books look like before I send my in to be processed. There are free books available to “purchase,” from classic to modern styles. I downloaded a few from the bestseller section from authors: HG Wells, Jules Vern, Lewis Carroll, Aesop, Jacob Grimm and "Unknown."

I read “Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know.” The book is full of familiar stories in their orignal form. The stories for this book were complied in 1905 from the Grimm's Fairy Tales, Arabian Nights as well as tales from other story tellers whose stories (Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast) people know better than the author's names.

Here are some interesting tidbits I learned from reading the original story proving myths and fables change when retold by new story tellers with a new audience to captivate and entertain.

Aladdin, with the lamp, lived in the capitol of China – though it's obious the story teller had never visited that place.
Sleeping Beauty was seven years old when she ran from her stepmother. The prince did not kiss her to waken her. Instead, his clumsy servants knocked over her glass coffin and spilled out her dead body which caused the piece of poison apple to fall out of her mouth. (Yeah, I always wondered about that: A prince who falls in love with a (seven-year-old) corpse and wants to kiss it?)
Tom Thumb was created by faires due to Merlin's request and later knighted by King Arthur.
Sleeping Beauty married her great-grand nephew – the prince that kissed her (hand) to awaken her. At least, he noticed that she looked very much like her great grandmother. I have to assume he was refering a sister and not her actual mother. Only 100 years had passed, after all.
The giant killed Jack's father when he was three months old. It was his guardian fairy who created the magic beans for the beanstalk so that Jack could steal back his inheritance and avenge his father's death.
“Fe Fi Fo Fum. I smell the blood of an Englishman.” came from the story Jack the Giant Killer. No beanstalk or beans in that story. Jack traveled England and killed giants then sent the heads to King Arthur along with the story behind the kill.
Little Red Riding hood took off her clothes and slipped into bed with the wolf. Then she asked about his large body parts. The wolf ate her up completely. There was no rescue.
Goldilocks real name was Silver-hair. There was a Middle-Bear and not a mama bear.

I have more historical science fantasy to read – myths and fables, with the Brother's Grimm and Aesop books to go.

I'll keep you posted.

Saguaro Cactus

2010-04-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

When we first moved into this house over ten years ago, we purchased a three foot high saguaro cactus for the front yard. We knew it could take ten years or more for the cactus to mature and grow the "arms."

Saguaro cactus are a native plant to our area. They grow wild in the desert. On the drive from here to California, we get to see many different forms. Plenty of our neighbors have one or more decorating their front yards.

For over ten years, I've wondered and imagined what our version would look like.

One arm like a man waving hello?

Two arms like a man under arrest? This is the what most people invision.

Two arms and a nose? Our neighbor's looks like this.

Many arms like an octopus? Very common in the open desert, from four to twelve arms out the middle of the cactus.

Well, after ten years of waiting, I have my answer. Our cactus looks like this:

It's times like these when I know God has a sense of humor and He's laughing at me.

I'll keep you posted.

Why I don't Blog Every Day

2010-04-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

I know blogging is supposed to be an everyday event and I haven't blogged in a while. But there are reasons. Today for example, my kid has a holiday. Every thirty seconds he calls for me and not for any particular reason.

On days like today, "Mom" sounds like a swear word. I know he doesn't mean it to be that way, but I just can't concentrate or get anything done!

Oh! He needs me again. Gotta go.