Our eyes, the windows to our world that we destroy a little each day.

As I got older, my eyes got weaker. Something I blamed on age. It never crossed my mind that it was my lifestyle. Boy was I wrong.

I went to the doctor, and had an eye opening experience. No pun intended.

I work during the day as an ultrasound tech, which means I am in front of a computer, with the lights dimmed for eight hours.

Then at night I’m in front of the computer working on my next story. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well, I found out how wrong my lifestyle was for my eyes. I was told that my eyes had weakened over the last six months, mainly due to overuse, and strain. Now I understand strain, but how do you overuse your eyes? I can’t take them out, or elevate them with an ice bag. I know, bad medical humar but I couldn’t help it. After some research, and a long lecture from my optamologist, I found out that my eyes will continue to get worse unless I make some changes.

I love my job, and I love to write, as do so many of you. So I’m going to give you a list of things that will harm your site, and a few things we can do to keep our eye’s healthy so we can continue to enjoy our writing, reading or whatever we love to do.

#1

Focused staring is the number one reason for the loss of vision. What does that mean? When you stare at something your eyes blink about 3 times slower than normal. So when you’re watching TV, a movie at a theater, your computer screen, or reading a book, your eyes become dry and this creates damage to your eyes over time.

There are things you can do to reduce the problem, other than avoiding these activities all together. Which none of us want to do. When watching TV, take breaks during the commercials. That doesn't mean to stare at your computer screen during commercial breaks.  Get up, look away, anything that takes your focus away from the screen. Watching a movie at a theater is different.  Try to glance around the theater every once in a while. Maybe force yourself to take that annoying bathroom break during a slow part of the movie. You may have to get creative here, but find something to do that doesn't require you to stare at a fixed object. You can apply these principles to your computer time, reading time, etc. A random fact, there is no evidence to suggest that reading in a darker area causes any more damage than reading in a well-lit room.

#2

The sun's rays, or ultra-violet rays, are the number two reason for eye problems. The ultraviolet rays that come from the sun and tanning machines do massive damage to our eyes. Sunglasses with UV protection are an absolute requirement for everyone, in my opinion. The sun's UV rays bounce off of many surfaces. They also pierce many surfaces. Just because you are turned away from the sun or are driving in your car doesn't mean that you are protected from those damaging rays. In fact, it is usually the most common situation where the sun damage takes place. So buy some sunglasses that have UV ray protection. This will keep your eyes healthy, and you looking younger longer. A little FYI, when you squint, you deepen the crows feet around your eyes making you look older.

#3

As if there were not enough reasons to quit smoking tobacco. Smoking is the number three cause of loss of clear vision. Smoking cigarettes causes macular degeneration, which is a problem where the part of our eye that sends the signals that it receives to the brain degenerates. Over time less signals get sent  and our eyesight becomes poor. There is little else to say here except quit smoking, we all know how horrible it is for us.

#4

Injury to the eye is the fourth reason for loss of vision. This can be work related from chemicals or debris in the air, to pollutants or sports injuries. The best way to prevent an injury is to wear protection while working, playing or doing anything that could possibly put your eyes in any danger and if you do damage your eye get medical attention as quickly as possible. Especially around the Fourth of July. Fireworks have sent so many people to the ER and left many with permanent eye damage.  

This is a short list of the top things that can cause damage, but our lifestyles can to. We are so in tune to our social media that we find ourselves in front of a screen all day.

Here are some useful points to remember.

Don’t stare at one object for too long

Blink often

Keep your eyes moist-use drops if needed, and stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water.

Look away from your screen, book page or anything that you have to focus on.

Wear sunglasses

Feed your eyes. They need proper nutrition and vitamins to stay bright.

Get enough rest. Sleep is the only way we give our eyes a break.

Reduce stress. I know, easier said than done. But stress raises your blood pressure, which increases pressure in the vessels in your eyes, causing a decrease in blood supply. A big factor in site loss.

And most important, see your eye doctor once a year. If you do have any changes in your sight, catch it early.

The eyes are the windows to your soul and you don’t want anyone pulling the shades down before you're ready.

So protect your site so you can finish reading all those books on your to-be-read list, and write all those books you want to write.

Connie Chastain Interview

1. Why do you write romance?

Basically, because I love men and I write to honor them.  They are absolutely fascinating creatures.  Women and men are similar enough to understand each other's humanity, but we have differences, too.

Here's how I conceptualize it. We've all seen the astrological symbols for male and female (male, Mars, circle and arrow; female, Venus, circle and cross).

Sometimes you see the circles linked, but I think the depictions of them overlapping, perhaps 75% of the circle, illustrate it best. The area where the circles overlap illustrates how men and women are alike (i.e., the human characteristics we share) and those parts of the circle outside the overlap are how we are different (the sex/gender characteristics we don't share).

I don't think we can even understand each other in those areas. But there's plenty enough commonality within the overlap for us to get along; and the differences, frankly, are what attract us to each other.

2. Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?

Several. I didn't consciously plan it this way, but a theme, or at least an element, that runs through my stories is the difficulty people sometimes have accepting forgiveness/redemption after they have wronged someone. This element plays a crucial role in Southern Man, which I self-published, and Storm Surge, which is currently under consideration by a small publisher in a west coast state.  It also occurs in a couple of my mainstream non-romance WIPs.

Another recurring theme or element is criticism of feminism, or at least, radical feminism and third-wave feminism.  I like voting and being paid what my work is worth, but I am irrevocably opposed to the man-hating aspects of feminism, and the more recent hook-up culture feminism that I believe is so harmful to women. (This is primarily the reason for the "controversial" and "politically incorrect" references in my author logline.)

A third recurring theme or element is the American South, its people (especially its men!), history and culture.  Although I'm a lifelong Southerner, except for a five-year sojourn in the Midwest, I'm as fascinated with my region, its beauties, mysteries and contradictions, as any outsider.

Another element is the role religion, specifically Christianity, plays in my characters' lives. I don't write Christian romances--I've read a few and found them, um, well, a bit too preachy. (I realize they may not all be like that.) Current pop culture eschews religion, sometimes ridicules it, and worst of all, frequently portrays religious people as bizarre, even monstrous. I personally don't know any religious people like that, and I frankly resent the portrayal that slanders legions of good, decent people. Regardless of the irreverence in pop culture, religion plays an important role in the lives of real people, though they may not realize it. I try to show how faith manifests in my characters' lives without in-your-face scripture-quoting and such, so my stories are written with a Christian worldview.

Finally, one of the most fascinating elements, something I love to explore, is reality versus appearance.  How a character's life/work/family may look to those outside it contrasted with how the character himself experiences it.  As an example, in Southern Man, the protagonist, Troy Stevenson, for all his sexiness and good looks, is perceived by co-workers to be a rather staid, upright religionist married to a straight-laced little Southern Baptist wife, when in fact they have an extremely powerful sexual bond, and a very satisfying, um, innovative sex life.

3. Do you have a specific writing style?

Yeah.  I tell, don't show, and I head-hop.

Just joking!

My stories are written mostly from the POV of a disembodied, impersonal narrator--but not third person omniscient.  I conceptualize the narrator as a video-camera that shows or tells, whichever does the job best. The camera  floats around and focuses on what it thinks is important for the reader to see/know.  It can zoom out to see a whole room, a whole planet, a whole universe, or zero in on the multicolored flecks in the irises of the hero's soulful eyes....

The narrator will share POV with one character per scene, but only one; that's how I avoid head-hopping.  Critiquers sometimes detect POV "slippage" between the narrator and a character, and if it's too blatant, I'll address it, but I usually let it go. (I've generally found readers to be oblivious to POV issues.)

I try to conform to the simplified writing style advocated by Rudolph Flesch in How to Write, Speak and Think More Effectively.  Short paragraphs, short, mostly simple sentences (in subject, verb, object order) varied with occasional compound and complex sentences.  There's more to it than that, and there are other schools of simplified writing, but this discipline has done more to make my writing viable than anything else I've encountered.

Flesch's book is out of print, but used copies are available, and I recommend it to any writer.  Fiction writers only need to read the first few chapters.

3.  What inspired you to write your first book?

Southern Man emerged as a prequel to Sweet, Southern Boys, a non-romance about three teenage boys in Georgia, growing up best friends, whose lives are ruined when they're accused of rape.  That book was a prequel to Little Sister, which was--oh, heck, never mind.  I started writing Little Sister first, but Southern Man was the first one finished and published, so it's really the first.

It was inspired by a comment made by Reade Seligmann, one of the Duke Lacrosse defendants.  I no longer have the quote, and can't find it online, but he said something like, when he saw pictures of himself on national TV and heard news reports about what he was accused of, "I can't tell you what that did to me inside."

I wanted to tell what it does inside to a good, decent man to be falsely accused of that type of crime.  In Southern Man, the accusation was toned down to sexual harassment because it is set in the early 1980s, when a lot of sexual harassment law and policy was being formulated in the United  States. But the story focuses on the experience of the protagonist, Troy Stevenson--what it did to him inside--and the effects it had on his family.



4.  How much of the book is realistic?

I tried to make all of it realistic; the office politics where Troy works, the viciousness of small-town gossip; the pull and tug of progressivism versus traditionalism.  People might think the adoration of Troy's wife for him is a bit unrealistic--he acknowledges that her love for him borders on idolatry--but even she has her limits, and her near worship of him does cause emotional problems for her.

The only other element I'm concerned about is the realism of the children in the story. I don't have kids. I've never been around them much, and the portrayal of Troy's kids really concerned me; but thus far, I've received absolutely no feedback that the kids aren't realistic.

As for the realism of false sexual harassment accusations, as one of my video trailers alludes to, nearly half of the sexual harrassment complaints brought before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are dismissed after investigation for "no reasonable cause found."

5. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

No. Except for the Seligmann quote referred to, the story is based only on recent and current cultural trends in the USA.  None of my stories are based on my own experiences, except incidentally.  For example, in Storm Surge, I draw on my experience in property and casualty insurance claims and living through coastal hurricanes, but I made up the specific events of the story.

6.  What are your current projects?

I've just started a paranormal romance with the working title Wrong Turn. It's about a man who doesn't believe in crypto-primates (Bigfoot/Sasquatch) until the woman he's falling in love with is imperiled by them.

The aforementioned Sweet Southern Boys is about three-quarters complete, Little Sister is about a third complete.  The Candidate, a follow-up to Southern Man, is in the planning stages.  None of these are romances but they include romantic elements.

7.  What books have most influenced your life most?

As far as my writing life goes, the earliest books to inspire me were the Nero Wolfe mysteries by the inimitable Rex Stout.  To this day, Archie Goodwin is the only first-person narrator I can abide.  I read The Doorbell Rang when I was about thirteen and at some point after finishing several more of the series, I was thinking in narrative and dialog.

Others include Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, and the Louisiana novels of Frances Parkinson Keyes,

Robin Lee Graham's Dove. Favorite classics include Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass; Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time.

I could go on, but those are representative.

8. Please tell us about your most recent release and where we can purchase it.

Southern Man is about a devoted family man who is targeted with a false sexual harassment complaint by an amoral young woman and her uber-feminist mentor.

Here's a blurb:

=========

In 1983, in moss-hung Verona, Georgia, the tender and tenacious love between a hardworking man and his adoring wife is tested by sudden adversity.

Corporate executive Troy Stevenson must confront his nascent alcohol abuse or he risks losing the wife, daughter and son he deeply loves. When his latent destructiveness impacts his family, he moves to their weekend cottage to come to grips with his personal weaknesses.

But busybodies at his company assume he left home because his marriage is in trouble. Encouraged by the assumption, co-worker Brooke Emerson, a 1980s material girl romantically obsessed with Troy, attempts to seduce him, setting in motion a chain of events with harrowing consequences for him and his family.

=========

I created a publishing company, Brasstown Books, to bring it to print.  (I enjoyed publishing the book so much, I'd eventually like to do go into that as a sideline and publish other writers' books and stories, both in print and e-book format.)

Here are links to more information about Southern Man on my website:

Summary:

http://conniechastain.com/sm_summary.html

Excerpt:

http://conniechastain.com/sm_excerpt.html

Videos (yeah, plural; four of 'em, ha!)

http://conniechastain.com/sm_videos.html

Reviews:

http://conniechastain.com/reviews.html

Southern Man is available on Amazon.com in print and Kindle versions, and on Smashwords.

Print:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Man-Connie-Chastain/dp/061529801X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245882533&sr=1-1

Kindle:

http://www.amazon.com/Southern-Man-ebook/dp/B002Z7G1F4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1259715283&sr=1-2

Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/13733

9. Please give us your urls and your publisher’s url.

My website:

http://conniechastain.com

My blog (not entirely devoted to writing):

http://conniechastain.blogspot.com

My publishing site:

http://brasstownbooks.com

10.  Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?

Yes. I learned to tell, not show, and to head-hop!  LOL!

Again, I'm kidding.

What I learned is to not let the "rules" put your creativity in a straight jacket.  There were so many false starts with Southern Man, as I sought to conform to the rules ("Open with a hook," "Get straight to the action," "No infodumps!" "Sprinkle the backstory," "Show, don't tell," "No prologues,") that I sometimes despaired of completing the book. At the very least, I feared it would rob the story of my voice, and in that case, I might as well not finish it.

I learned so much about how to craft a story, and it is valuable knowledge, but what I would share with other writers is, listen to yourself. When all is said and done, agent newsletters, editor blogs, crit groups do not write your story. You do.  And only you, so guard your voice.

It was great having you Connie on NN.

Tabitha

Sound Off...I Can't Hear You!

This is the day you get to sound off. Tell us what happened to you last week, we want the good, the bad and the ugly. Tell us what made you mad, sad, happy, we want to hear it all.  This is where we get to come together and support one another. Anything goes, let it all out.

Happy Reading and Writing.

When night falls passions blaze.

Tabitha Blake

Emma Paul Interview

Why do you write romance?

I didn’t really start with romance as a preference.  In fact I was more of a straight fantasy writer, my first works had no romance at all.  It wasn’t until my late teens and early twenties that I got into romance novels.  I was one of those people who got embarrassed by the cover art, the kind with Fabio embracing a very enraptured damsel in distress…yeah…once I finally got over the initial “its not for me it’s for my mother” phase, I found that I loved reading Romance, and started to experiment by combining my fantasy stories with elements of Romance.  And voila… a bond was created.



What romance subgenres do you write in? Why?

I have written contemporary shorts. However, my favorites are science fiction, fantasy and paranormal.  When I started writing, it was more for my one sanity than anything else.  All my stories have a piece of experience from my past in them, the genre is often my own need to escape from or at least to some degree change the out-come of a painful memory.  My imagination is my freedom and my escape. I love creating new worlds and alternate realities.  I think that if I didn’t write I would probably be schizophrenic.

What inspires your stories?

I really believe the question should be “What doesn’t inspire me to write.”  Every day life.  My own battles, my growth as a person, as a woman.  I find inspiration in everything I do, I read and the people I meet along the way.  Life is a journey.

What is your writing schedule?

Late evening until early hours.  I’m usually wired.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?

I started reading Erotica about five years ago and have added quite a bit of eroticism to most of my works.  Sex sells. But I write it because…well…who doesn’t love hot, heart pounding sex? I also have a passion for painting and roller coasters…

Do you have any other passions besides writing? If yes, what are they? Why?

Other Passions besides writing?…?  I suppose art history, and UFOology…love me some CSI and crime dramas too. I’m a really criminal justice fanatic. It’s actually what I majored in College.

Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?

Well besides the hot romance and sexy alpha heros…I would say my characters tend to be sassy, with much quirky personalities.  The heroine especially.  I like to created a heroine with “real women” physical traits. On occasion I will have a supermodel type, but she always has some weird personality trait that makes her relatable to the reader.  My hero is usually hot, hot, hot…hot…did I mention hot…oh yeah I give them the brains with all that brawn.



What is your favorite comfort food?

Chocolate covered raisons and pizza…

What relaxes you?

Snuggling with my baby, family time and of course reading.

What is your favorite fairy tale? Why?

The ugly duckling, because you can never judge a book by it’s cover.  Inner beauty never fades.

What do you enjoy doing, when not writing?

Watching cartoons, reading Comic books and playing my daughters DSI.

What would you like readers to take away from your stories?

I would love for readers to remember my stories, and read them over and over again.  I try to write vividly and with emotion, so my readers will be able to live the story through the characters and worlds I create.

It was great having you on NN Emma.

Tabitha

Sound Off...I Can't Hear You!

This is the day you get to sound off. Tell us what happened to you last week, we want the good, the bad and the ugly. Tell us what made you mad, sad, happy, we want to hear it all.  This is where we get to come together and support one another. Anything goes, let it all out.

Happy Reading and Writing.

When night falls passions blaze.

Tabitha Blake

Sound Off...I Can't Hear You!

This is the day you get to sound off. Tell us what happened to you last week, we want the good, the bad and the ugly. Tell us what made you mad, sad, happy, we want to hear it all.  This is where we get to come together and support one another. Anything goes, let it all out.

Happy Reading and Writing.

When night falls passions blaze.

Tabitha Blake

Brenda Dyer Interview

1)    WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE READERS TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR STORY?

I would like my readers to come away with a sense of satisfaction of a story well told—LOL, or shown as we writers are always prodded to do. But more than that, I hope my readers feel the deep love my hero and heroine share. Also, I would love for readers to think of my characters even when they are finished the book. Think of them and smile.

2)    DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER PASSIONS BESIDES WRITING? IF YES, WHAT ARE THEY?

I love gardening. I get so much joy out of it. For me, a perfect summer morning starts with my coffee out on the deck, looking at all my flowers, smelling the different fragrances, and watching the bees and hummingbirds. I also like to grow my own vegetables. I get such satisfaction from making a raspberry pie from my own raspberries, or having fresh peas from the garden, or potatoes. I love it!

Another passion of mine is drawing and painting. I'm terrible at drawing people—unless they are cartoons. I stick to animals usually: horses, birds, and wildlife, like deer or raccoons, but let's not talk about raccoons, lol. I'm at war with them right now over my raspberries.

3)  IF YOU HAD ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

One wish, huh? Well, if this was real life, I would have to say world peace. LOL, makes me sound like a contestant for Miss America. But since this is for the interview, I'm going to say my one wish would be for my novel to get published and for readers to LOVE it. LOL, I guess that's two wishes, eh?

4)    WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? WHY?

This is an easy question to answer. The show Supernatural. The reason for this is simple: two hot—and I mean hot—guys fighting evil. Sam and Dean Winchester fight all manner of paranormal creatures. This is right up my alley!

5)    ARE YOU A CAT OR DOG PERSON? DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS, AND IF SO, PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THEM.

I'm a cat person. We have four. Their names are: Author, Tinkerbell—we call her T—Neens, and a beautiful black and white cat we rescued. We named him Lucky. Along with our cats, we have two miniature horses named Kiwi and Ebony, a miniature goat named Cody, chickens, two budgies, and fish. I think that's it. Let me go check . . . . yep, that's it.

6)    WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I live in Canada on Vancouver Island. It is located on the west coast. I absolutely love it here—well, except for all the rain we get in the winter. The weather here is very mild. We rarely get snow in the winter, which bugs me cause I love snow, but I'm sure I wouldn't if we had it month after month. The summers are beautiful.

7)    WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE YOUR FIRST BOOK?

What inspired me, hmmm? Well, I guess what inspired me was a romance novel I read—it was fifth in a series, my favorite character—and I was so disappointed with the way it ended so I wrote my own ending, lol. Then something really strange happened. Ideas started popping into my head. Not about the novel that had annoyed me, but something totally different. I ran with it, and before I knew it, I was writing the rough draft for my MS. I've never aspired to be a writer, in fact, I hated creative writing back in high school.

8)    IS THERE A MESSAGE IN YOUR NOVEL THAT YOU WANT READERS TO GRASP?

You know, I never thought there was a message in my novel until I read this question. And yes, there is a message I would like readers to grasp. Tolerance for other races and how damaging rumors and lies can be. In my novel once upon a time, vampires and humans shared the earth as friends—two different species working together in harmony. That fell a part when when demons—housed in human bodies—whispered lies to humans, saying the vampires were trying to kill them so they could take the earth as their own. Humans believed these lies and turned their backs on vampires and started executing them until vamps went into hiding. The world went downhill from there. Vampires and humans became estranged from then on.

9)    NAME ONE PERSON THAT YOU FEEL SUPPORTED YOU OUTSIDE OF FAMILY MEMBERS.

You!

10) WHAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF WRITING YOUR BOOK?

The hardest part of writing my book has been the whole thing, lol. Writing doesn't come naturally to me. It's hard work, but I so enjoy it.

11) DID YOU LEARN ANYTHING FROM WRITING YOUR BOOK, AND WHAT IS IT?

Yes, I learned that I can accomplish anything if I set my mind to it. I know this sound cliché,  but it's the truth.

Thank you very much, Tabby, for giving me this opportunity. I enjoyed it very much.

It was great to have you Brenda.

Tabitha

Liza O'Conner Interview

Please welcome Liza O’Conner to Nocturnal Nights.

Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?



I’ve noticed several disturbing themes in my work. Ever since the guy I thought my soul mate for life informed me he wanted to see another woman, but asked me to continue sleeping in his bed while he decided which of us he preferred, I began writing novels where my heroine has multiple partners (in one case twelve men). I dumped that boyfriend. So not surprisingly, I also have the habit of dumping the first guy the reader meets for someone else. And then there is the evil mother or mother-in-law character that preys upon my heroines. I’m certain if I ever get mental therapy, my characters will settle down. But where is the fun in that?

What would you like readers to take away from your stories?



I wish to be so disturbing that they still think about my people months after they read me. Many complain they do, so I’m happy.

What inspires your stories?



My bizarre life and my demented dreams are fodder for my odd stories. My brain seems to tell me stories throughout the night like a possessed TV that you can’t turn off.

What is your writing schedule?



I write or re-write every single day, seven days a week from 10 a.m.-7p.m. then walk my dog, return alive (so far) and do crittering (I made that word up) from 8-12 midnight.

Do you have any other passions besides writing?

I have a ton of them: music, acting, art, thrill-seeking sports, gardening, naming fish that keep changing their colors, hiking with my dog.  I try very hard to enjoy every day of my life.

What is your favorite comfort food?



popcorn cooked in olive oil, sprinkled with curry and doused with Smart Balance butter. I delude myself into believing it’s good for me.

What relaxes you?



Raspberry vodka does an amazing job at relaxing me. Hot baths with bath salts will as well, only I just have to make sure I haven’t taken option one first or I will be DOA from DOD (dead on arrival from drinking and drowning).

What was your favorite vacation?



I took a six month  vacation to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, trying to experience every way to almost-but-not-quite-kill-oneself. Let me assure you there is no group of land masses more willing to almost-and-sometimes-actually-kill-you than that set. I dove with great whites, rafted down a 21 foot waterfall and spent 7 days on a class five river nearly dying every five minutes, swam with a giant pod of overly aggressive dolphins in sub-freezing water, played with seals totally unfamiliar with humans, traveled into the hot center of Australia with a psychotic guide who kept leaving me in deserts, hiked the beautiful New Zealand mountains during a major flood which almost took me out in a mud slide (escaped on a trail three feet under water), went on a helicopter thrill ride and a speed boat ride that should have been illegal due to excessive danger, and learned to hang-glide off beautiful mountains and crashed into sheep during my landing. (My trainer promised they would get out of the way….they didn’t.)

If you had another career, what was it?

I have been a terrible waitress, a drive time radio DJ (even had my own stalker who wanted to kill me when I rejected his declaration of love), the retail manager of a greenhouse (next job I took had air-conditioning), a journalist, a night security guard for a chicken processing plant (I was more frightened than the chickens), a stock broker for Bear Stearns, a strategist for a Fortune 500 company, and a business improvement consultant.

If you didn’t write, what would you do instead?



I would compose music and paint bizarre looking art. Or perhaps I would just go mad with characters waking me up four in the morning telling me their stories.

Are you a cat or dog person? Do you have any pets and if so, please tell us about them.



My dog, Jessie, wants to answer this. She says I am a one-dog person. However, Jessie likes cats. The only problem I have with that is she likes to eat them. I am slowly rehabilitating her from this attitude. Now I realize that authors are predominantly ‘cat people’ and won’t like my flippant attitude over Jessie’s affection towards cats. Rest assured, she has harmed no cats since she became mine.

Please tell us about your most recent release and where we can purchase it.

My latest book was released Aug 8. All my books can be found at www.BloodyGoodRead.com. Three current novels are under the name Liza O’Connor and 6 Victorians are under Caroline Adams. For those who like Sherlock Holmes and humor, I would recommend my Xavier Thorn series. If you prefer current humor, then go for The GhostLover. My new novel has characters from two series of books joining forces. It’s called The Dazzle of Innocence. Here’s its blurb:

Damion Santiago has no interest in acquiring a wife. He came to England in a desperate attempt to save his sisters from being sold into white slavery. Meriden Ford is searching for an interesting, educated, young husband who will recognize her superiority and become her decoy while she runs the family fortune. At their very first dance, they promise not to fall in love. However, their mutual admiration ensures a strong friendship. When bombarded with tribulations that would destroy most people, they survive by pulling strength from each other. Yet even as they realize their true feelings, others work to tear them apart forever.

Are experiences in your book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?


Given at least one of my family members gets pissed after any book I

write, I will have to say yes. According to them (based on the drunken messages they leave me at two in the morning), I only remember the horrible, outrageous things they do. I now wear a t-shirt that says: “Be warned. You may end up in my novel.” If they still choose to do or say stupid things, they’ve been fairly warned.

Thanks you so much for talking with me Liza. It was a joy to have you and I wish you the best of luck on your new release.

Tabitha Blake

Zee Monodee Interview

Please Welcome Zee Monodee To NN. It is great to have you with us today Zee.
Tabby

Hello everyone! Firstly, I’d like to say thanks to Tabitha for having me here today. I love the interviews on Nocturnal Nights and to be featured here is an honor and pleasure indeed!

Why do you write romance?
The real question to me should be, why not write romance? This is a genre with tremendous scope, as sub-genres of romance veer between different and distinct worlds, like contemporary to paranormal and everything in between and out. What’s the limit in the romance genre?
Romance has this feel-good factor – it uplifts, brings a smile to your face, contentment to your heart, hope that the world just might be a better place after all.
This is what I wanted to bring to the world – in my preferred niche of writing, namely Mauritian culture-based fiction, there was too much focus on the drabness of reality, the tedium and the misery. Very literary-type, and all I kept thinking was, life is full of hope so why doesn’t anyone pause to showcase that? Romance sounded like the perfect medium, since I wanted my stories to show what the life of a woman of such culture is like today, how she lives in a drab reality yes, but how she also wants and finds love along her journey to fulfillment.

Are you aware of any themes that run through your stories? If so, what are they?
I write with a strong focus on my heroine. My stories are as much women’s fiction as they’re romances. These women I write about are always on a fence, a wall, a ledge. One misstep and they’d fall. I enjoy writing about how my heroines find their equilibrium on this tiny space high up in the air. In a way, this theme reflects a lot of my own struggle to find my balance. I come from a traditionalist culture and religion, yet I grew up in a world where barriers that contained cultures and lifestyles were tumbling down rapidly. It wasn’t easy to find my place on my own wall, and I know countless other women out there feel the same too. Every woman, just like every heroine, has her own world and conflicts – she looks for a way to find her fulfillment.
I also write about the strong men my heroines will fall in love with. They’re strong, principled, honorable men. Sometimes they’re dangerous, sometimes they’re bad boys hiding big hearts. Yet they’re also ‘real’ men, the kind we could all meet in everyday life. I try to strike a good balance between the dreamy scopes of fiction and the anchor of reality.

What would you like readers to take away from your stories?
Hope. Contentment. A smile. A feel-good buzz and glow that takes them through their day as if on a cloud. I want to show them my world of culture and traditions, take them on a trip to my beautiful island, Mauritius, make them discover a new facet of how people live and exist out there, take them behind-the-scenes of a character’s life.
If anything else, I want them to read my stories and just have a good time in the hectic world of today.

What inspires your stories?
People. There is no better inspiration. Every person has a story to tell – it’s the writer’s job to relate that story to readers. People in culture seem even more facetted, because they are ‘different’, and conveying and explaining this difference is a very good way to find ideas for stories. You can take anyone – be it someone you know personally, someone you bump into while grocery shopping, someone who catches your eye on a crowded bus – and spin a game of ‘what if’ from a small aspect of this person. From this, other elements add to the picture like strokes of color, and with words as your brush, you paint a picture that translates as a story.

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
Clearly, actually. Strange as it may sound, my interest in spinning stories came when I received my first Barbie for my 8th birthday. I was like, what’s your story, Barbie? Playing with my friends back in the day, we’d have these make-believe doll parties and everyone had such conventional stories for their dolls. I kept going, no way dolls have such a boring, mundane life – for example, how did Barbie and Ken meet? An aunt brought the proposal for Barbie on behalf of Ken’s family (back then, that’s really how we thought love happened!). I was always the one going, what if the proposal came for Barbie’s sister but Ken saw Barbie and fell head over heels in love and they elope and have a secret marriage? (Very Indian Bollywood movie type, yeah. I was after all, 8!)
Then I started to watch soaps with my mother (Dynasty!) and here was this whole fictional world where Barbie and Ken could evolve.
I was actually creating fan fiction before I even knew the word, and then my dad got me a library card and I discovered Barbara Cartland. It was a revelation, as in, people actually write stories like the ones I think of. From then on, I penned story-telling essays on a weekly basis in my school assignments. The romance bug had bitten, and I’m happy to say I never found a cure for it!

What is your writing schedule?
This clearly depends on when in the year we are talking about – school days and vacation time. School runs January to October in Mauritius, with breaks in April, July and November-December. I have a 7-year-old son and an 11-year-old stepson. When they’re home, you can barely hear yourself think let alone string two words together on a WIP!
So I try to streamline my writing during school days. I will usually have 2-3 days of the week screened out for writing, when I will write between 10 am to 2 pm. I always work from an outline, so I know what my chapters are supposed to feature and when to start/stop. On a good roll, I can get a chapter down every 2 days. I try not to work in the afternoon, when the kids are home and need to have homework checked or just want to hang out, and when I usually have to cook (my worst nightmare!). The evenings I try to reserve for my husband, as we barely get to see each other during the day over the children’s antics when he gets home from work. If I’m in revision mode on a completed draft, I might clock in an hour of editing on the completed draft on some evenings. Weekends are sacred family time!
The rest of the days I dedicate to my studies (completing a BA Communications Science degree), my crit partners’ works, and my editing job. Blogging and networking I tackle every day.
Now if I’m on a deadline, I might shove some stuff aside (yes, the poor hubby too, sadly) to complete the writing. Nothing is really written in stone, as life happens. But the discipline needs to be there, otherwise there’s no way you’d get anything done even if you’re serious about your writing.

What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Chocolate cake. Any type, but preferably black forest cake with lots of cream! It’s my reward for a job well done, for completing a project, and it’s my booster when things seem down and drab or when the kids are intent on driving me insane.

If you didn’t write, what would you do instead?
Well, I’m pursuing a degree in communications science. My specialization in economic and management sciences basically means I’m eligible to work as a corporate communications person or in fields such as public relations and marketing. It always seemed odd to me (yeah, I know what I’m about to say!) that for someone who is pretty much shy and self-effacing among people, I chose such a people-oriented degree. Recently for one of my final study modules, I had to place myself in the shoes of a PR consultant and work with an organization to create an integrated communications & PR campaign for them from scratch. To my surprise, I loved doing it. It was as if I were a different person in those shoes, a sort of Jekyll-and-Mrs-Hyde moment!
So if I didn’t write, I guess I’d be working in PR and communications. I did do a stint in the corporate world a few years back, but the back-stabbing, biatch-ness, one-upmanship and I didn’t really agree. I’m really glad I’m getting to pursue my dream of writing.

What books have most influenced your life?
Barbara Cartland’s books and Mills and Boon romances, because through them I discovered that one could put stories of feel-good romance out there and people would enjoy them.
Danielle Steele’s and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s early women’s fictions, because romance could be so much more when it showed the journey of strong and indomitable, spirited heroines.
Jane Austen’s whole collection of works, because she showed society and life and people with all their quirks, foibles, and simple and oftentimes funny reality in such a light and unpretentious way.
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, because he wrote an epic story about normal people in a time of trouble and tension, amid a plot that showcased the societal and political upheaval and turmoil of a whole nation, and for how he still, amidst all the detail, managed to create memorable characters who live with you long, long after you close the book. It was the book that opened my eyes as to how I could attempt to bring together characters, culture, and country together under the spotlight of romance.

If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I cannot say I really have one writer as mentor for how I write. I prefer to think storytellers have influenced and showed me the way. I say storytellers because there aren’t just novelists in there for me. A novelist, a cinematographer, a script writer – all tell the audience a story, albeit via a different medium.
Indo-Briton director Gurinder Chadha ranks high on my list of influences. This is the woman who brought culture to the broad audience with a pop culture twist and did it brilliantly through a YA story - Bend it like Beckham. Any young girl knows what Jes, the heroine, is going through. Yet Jes is Indian. Indian culture is portrayed in much of its complexity in this movie, yet it is also done in a way that a non-Indian will completely understand the premise and storyline. Another one where Ms. Chadha manages this stroke of Indian-to-mainstream flow is the movie Bride and Prejudice.
Mira Nair is another director who finds the right balance between culture and mainstream, yet still infuses Indian-ness with all its deep and churning issues in a way that any audience can pick up the story and nod in understanding. Case in point – Monsoon Wedding.
In the world of writing, I saw such strokes of culture v/s mainstream balance in works by author Shobhan Bantwal. Her stories deal with profoundly Indian issues, some very disturbing like the plight of the girl-child in India (plight that happens in other traditionalist cultures too however), in the book The Forbidden Daughter. Yet, Ms. Bantwal conveys her shocking and distressing themes in a tapestry where they are woven in with hope and human resilience.
On a lighter note, Woody Allen always makes me laugh with his light-yet-deep stories featuring a cast of unbelievable-yet-unforgettable characters.
All of these people have shown me a path that I can blaze with my writing, and I only hope I can do their message and ideology justice.

Once again, thanks bunches to Tabitha for letting me ‘talk’ with her readers today. I know, lol, it’s one sided so far but drop me a line or a comment and I will definitely engage in the discussion with you.

Zee Monodee Bio
Author of stories about love, life, relationships... in a place of culture
Zee is an author who grew up on a fence - on one side there was modernity and the global world, on the other there was culture and traditions. Putting up with the culture for half of her life, one day she decided she'd stand tall on her wall and dip toes every now and then into both sides of her non-conventional upbringing.
From this resolution spanned a world of adaptation and learning to live on said wall. The realization also came that many other young women of the world were on their own fence.
This particular position became her favorite when she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of writing - her heroines all sit 'on a fence', whether cultural or societal, in today's world or in times past.
Hailing from the multicultural island of Mauritius, Zee has been writing for close to a decade and has had 3 novels published so far. After a stint in the publishing industry, on the 'other side of the fence' as an editor, her goal today is to pen wholesome, fulfilling stories and help fellow authors, whether as critique partner or as freelance editor.


Find her on the web:

Blog http://zeemonodee.blogspot.com/

Email: zeemonodee@hotmail.com

Facebook & Goodreads: Zee Monodee

Follow her on Twitter @ZeeMonodee

It was great talking with you Zee. Its nice to pick another writer's brain and see how we are wired. LOL! We are all so different in our thoughts and how we write.
Tabitha Blake

Make The Voices Stop

Lately I haven’t had much time to write and my characters aren’t very happy about it. I continually hear them screaming at me, that is when I can hear them over the kids. LOL! I have only written one chapter in a week’s time and it is gnawing at me. I…

(Craigen) “You need to toughen up woman and get on the ball. You think you have a tough life? Have you looked at mine lately?” He leaned in the doorway, brows raised and his arms crossed over his chest.

“Crap! Craigen, you scared me to death! What do you want? I'm trying to write a blog here.” A sigh escaped my parted lips as I leaned back in my chair.” This was all I needed, more distractions.

(Craigen) “Oh, you have time to blog but no time to write the rest of my story. There is a demon out there that needs to be dealt with. He is murdering women remember?”

“Yes I know that, I wrote the story. But right now I need to get this blog finished. So give me a break and…”

He crossed the room, snatched my laptop, then stared me down with his intense green eyes.

“Give that back.” I reached for the computer but he held it up and out of my reach. A cocky smile curved the edges of his lips.

(Craigen) “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that. What is wrong with your head? To write such an evil and vile being? It is rather disturbing!”

“If it wasn’t for Nyx you wouldn’t have met Lyric, and if I remember correctly, you really seem to have taken a shine to her.” I put my hand out. “Give me the damned laptop! I am too busy for this nonsense.”

He tossed the laptop on the desk and turned his back.

(Craigen) “I am merely protecting her. Nothing more. This is about you helping me kill Nyx!”

“Oh, did I hit a nerve?” A giggle sprang from my mouth.

(Craigen) “Don’t play games with me woman. Just get yourself together and write the damned story already. My hand itches to smite that vile demon.” His fist slammed into the wall.

“Hey, you need to stop acting like a spoiled child. I have enough kids in this house.” I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself.

(Nyx) “Did someone call me?”

“Oh, great!” Just what I needed Craigen and Nyx in the same room. The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. “I don’t need your vile thoughts distracting me right now! I'm busy.”

An evil smile crossed his lips and those eyes. Damn it! Those eyes.

(Craigen) “So help me Nyx, if you so much as touch her I will kill you right here!”

(Nyx) “I was talking to Tabitha. I know my sweet, I have that affect on women. They all want me and I think you do too.” He leaned against the wall and crossed his legs at his ankles.

“I…uh…well…”

(Nyx) That’s what I thought. Say it beautiful. Mind, body and soul.”

His eyes never left mine and the urge to say it pulled at me. My body heated and I wanted to reach out and draw him close. “Mind…”

(Craigen) “Stop this now! Nyx I am so going to kill you and do it slowly. There will be no mercy, you will pay for your crimes. Tabitha snap out of it! I won’t let him have you too. Without you all hope is lost.”

I shook my head to clear the fog. “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me. Thanks Craig.”

(Craigen) “I don’t remember saying you could give me a nick name. So just cut that crap out.”

“You are so touchy. Chill out.” I lowered my head into my hands as a twinge of a headache pulsed at my temples.

(Nyx) “Its okay, your time is coming beautiful.” He pointed at Craigen. “He can’t watch you all the time. I have the perfect place for you.” His palm rested on his chest. “I was thinking right over my heart.”

“You vile bastard, leave!” My anger raged out of control and I reached for the paperweight on my desk. He ducked and it crashed into the wall, shards of glass fell to the floor.

(Nyx) “For now, but I will win in the end. I always do”

“I am writing this story and you will definitely not be wining this one. I have a evil plan of my own for you.”

(Nyx) “Oh, I like a strong and confident woman. It is so much more fun breaking them.” An evil smile curved his features and his eyes turned crimson.

My breath caught in my throat. “Damn it Craigen! No throwing knifes. That flew right past my head.”

(Craigen) “Sorry, but he was getting too close. I had to do something. I don’t want to worry about you having a mental bond with him too. Anyway, I got rid of the demon scum.”

“Yeah, well thanks. Now can I get back to my blog?”

(Lyric) “Did she start writing again?”

I slumped over, crossed my arms on my desk and lowered my head. “Great.”

(Craigen) “No she is writing a blog. Whatever the hell that is. I guess it is more important than catching a killer.”

(Lyric) “There is nothing more important than catching a killer.” Her eyes bore into me. “What is wrong with you Tabitha?”

“Maybe if you guys would go away for the next twenty minutes, I could finish this and write the next chapter. But at this rate I am not going to get anything done. You know your love scene is coming up in about two more chapters.” A grin tugged at my features. I knew that would at least get rid of Craigen.

(Lyric) “Really?” Her eyes glazed over. “I…uh…”

(Craigen) “No way!”

“Why you guys are obviously falling in love?”

(Craigen) “That’s fine Tabitha. I'm out of here. You better hope he doesn’t come back because I am pissed and I may not come to you rescue!”

“I think I can handle Nyx I did create him.”

(Craigen) “That is one of the things that makes me wonder about your mental state.”

“Okay, I have had enough! Craigen I will call you when you are needed.”

(Craigen) “Women! You need to get your head straight and get this story finished before I lose my patients with you!”

“Well, at least he is gone.” Two down one to go.

(Lyric) “Do we really get a love scene?”

“Yes, hun and it is going to be amazing.”

(Lyric)” I don’t think he thinks so.”

“He will, you drive him crazy. He just refuses to see it, but I will make sure he does. You deserve a good man, and Craigen is one of the best. He will give in. I promise.”

(Lyric) I…will..uh…leave you to do that blog thingy you are doing.”

“Hey, Lyric, hun, be careful. You almost ran into the door.”

(Lyric) “Yeah, sorry.” Giggle.

“Okay where was I. Yeah, I haven’t gotten much writing done. Wait what was that noise? “Nyx, what do you want?”

(Nyx) “You.”

“Oh, really, you smell so good. Don’t look at me with those sexy blue eyes. I swear if you don’t leave I will kill you in the next chapter!”

(Nyx) “Fine. But your time is coming.”

“Okay, to hell with the blog, guess I have to go and write the next chapter before they all drive me insane. See the crap I have to deal with? I’m not even alone in my own head. Sorry about the blog guys.”

(Craigen) “See, knew we could get her back in the game. She really needs to stop slacking.”

(Lyric) “I think we need to give her break. She has been so busy lately. You want her to write the story well don’t you?”

(Nyx) “I don’t really care as long as I win in the end.”

(Craigen) “Keep dreaming, Nyx. You lost the first time we battled and it won’t be any different this time.”

(Nyx) “We’ll see.”

“I would say you guys need to learn to get along but that will never happen. So I need you to all shut up!”

(Craigen) “Fine we don’t want to drive the writer of Soul Extraction crazy. She already has a few screws loose to even invent this story. We’re out of here.”

Happy Reading and Writing,

Tabitha Blake

Pictures are left Craigen, middle Nyx and right Lyric.

Normal History Goes a Little Abnormal (Guest Blogger A.R. Cummings)

I love writing historical fiction. I love inventing a hunky hero and a spunky, determined heroine to match him and placing them in a story that depicts the way the past unfolded. I always know that whatever the odds, they’ll come together at the end for that satisfactory happily-ever-after.

With historical fiction a lot of research has to go into the background if you aren’t already knowledgeable in the era. I try not to play in the eras I don’t know much about but sometimes you have to cross the lines you’re unfamiliar with and go boldly where no writer has gone before.

Or in my case I went crazy and started writing a steam punk/paranormal romance set in Australia. I know next-to-nothing about steam punk and only marginally more than nothing about Australia. But I dove in anyway and came up with a novella currently in the editing stages. It was so much fun to write. Since it was steam punk and that’s largely set in Victorian England, I had a pretty good idea of what the dress code was, how people acted, and what was expected of a woman back then. My heroine didn’t want be lumped in as a model of society. She’s bold, adventurous, and best of all was brought up to believe she could do anything a man could do--including swear like a sailor. The perfect heroine to use steam punk technology. She brandishes a laser pistol at the hero, flies across the continent of Australia on an airship, floats along the Swan River in a steam-powered boat and faces down a creature of legendary proportions to help save the day. The obstacles and situations presented through this technology helped bring the hero and heroine closer together--in spite of the fact that she held a gun on the hero.

I’ve read that some editors frown on taking a perfectly good everyday object and turning it into something “new” and giving it a new name. So strive for unique items in your stories. There’s nothing wrong with adding a laser to a gun or even coming up with something far-fetched to make ordinary objects stand out. One of my favorite resources for ideas, be they a story line or a pirate ship name is Seventh Sanctum (http://www.seventhsanctum.com) a randomizer than can help cut through the writer‘s block.

Besides adding fantasy technological elements to a story, I’ve also tried adding some magic. Folklore has always interested me. Particularly with movies like Sleepy Hollow and An American Haunting. The paranormal genre is booming. I thought, why not jump on the wagon? Shoot for something a little different. Vampires and zombies might be right up your alley. They’re oldies, but goodies and everyone can offer a twist on the usual vamp story. On the other hand, I was looking for something a hair different.

I started researching American folklore and found a little known, but spooky story to form a romance out of. Every story needs a conflict, so I added demonic hags to form a love triangle. The first step might be to look at your area and the kinds of stories you grew up on. If none of those provide the inspiration you need, the web and a local library are additional resources. The best part of all is you have the creative license to bend, mold and shape folklore to meet your needs. Not only is this a great way to express your creativity, but it might also spark an interest in your readers to take a closer look at the myths and legends in their area. Stories focused around folklore provide entertainment and also help reinforce local history.

A.R. Cummings

Character Inspiration

Writing ideas come from the strangest places. I have heard writers tell me they had a dream or even a person just popped into their head out of nowhere, and they were inspired to write their story. One thing I know for certain, writers are a strange bunch. We can weave the most extravagant tales from nothing. And yes we hear voices. LOL Ok most would say that’s a mental disorder but it’s not for a writer. That’s how we get in touch with our characters and take them from an idea to the characters you know and love dearly. So let’s take a ride through the mind of a writer, Watch out this might be a little scary. HeeHee.

Let’s start with character. The characters in a book are the backbone, they are what holds the story together. Finding your characters is the first thing you must do before you start writing. Where do you find them? Characters can come from anywhere. Mine usually start in my head. I think about what I plan to write, not the whole story just a general idea. That helps me to think about my characters, what they will face and what kind of characters I need. Do they need to be strong, helpless, sweet, evil? Ok now you know the type of personality you need. Once I do this it helps me picture them in my mind. If you are writing about the girl next door, I can almost bet she won’t be a tall red head with a voluptuous figure. She will look like the average person. So for me personality plays a big part in who my characters are and what they look like.

My alpha male in A Vamp To Remember is tall, dark and handsome. Sounds typical right? Well this is where you make them just a little different. Zan is over six feet tall, has long black hair with metallic silver streaks and his eyes are dark almost black with silver encircling them. This is what I mean when I say make them just a little different. You don’t have to take drastic measures just give them something that makes them stand out in a crowd. His eyes alone would do that for me as a reader. I write paranormal and the characters in this genre can get pretty bizarre at times, so remember to give them something that connects them to the reader. They have to be believable. It can be as simple as the big bad monster that falls in love and shows a tender side to the woman that has tamed the savage beast.

Now you have a general idea. Let’s take it a little further. I like to look for pictures of my characters and hang them in front of me while I write. It really makes my characters come to life. It’s amazing you look at pictures and think nope not him. Then all of a sudden you find the one you have been looking for. That’s when you realize you knew what he looked like all along. This really helps me connect with my characters on a deeper level. I know you are thinking a picture come on, but you would be shocked how inspiring a picture can be.  I find myself staring at them and wonder what next? Sometimes they answer and sometimes they just stare back. LOL

We talked a little about their personality. Let’s talk about really getting to know your characters. How do you do that? The best place to start is a character chart. It will ask your characters questions you never thought to ask. What are their likes and dislikes? Goals and hopes? Fears? Motivation?  These are just a few, there are too many to list. I will give you a link to a good character chart at the end of the blog. You won’t need to use all the questions asked on a character chart but they are handy to have around. They are helpful when you need a personality trait or description. It’s also helpful if you are in the middle of a chapter and you forget his eye color. LOL Yes it happens to the best of us.

Most writers form a bond with their characters. I know it sounds weird but this is the case with me. I grow very close to my characters. I have had writers even tell me they felt a loss when a story came to an end. They become real in a writers mind. But I think you have to form this bond in order for the characters to come across as real to the reader. If you force characters you don’t believe in they will come across as forced. Then the story just falls flat. You need to feel the characters are close friends in order for them to intrigue the reader and tug at their emotions. If the reader loves your characters the odds are they will love the story as well.

Characters can be found everywhere. All you have to do is open your eyes and look around. They are the people you see in the grocery store, the mall, at work or passing you on the street. Inspiration comes when we open our eyes to the real world and watch others at a distance. Watch the way people act, move and talk. It really is amazing what we miss as we go about our daily lives. Open your eyes to inspiration it’s all around you.

I would love to hear where you find inspiration for your characters.

Character Chart:

www.epiguide.com/ep101/writing/charchart.html

Happy Reading and Writing

Tabitha Blake

In my head I hear voices screaming to be heard. So I write their stories. My characters speak to me and lead me through their joys and sorrows.
Tabitha Blake

Things I Have Learned In My On Going Journey to Becoming a Published Author

This is a blog I did a few weeks ago on A History of Romance but I think it is something we can all stand to hear again. Hope you enjoy it and it brings encouragement and inspiration.

Believe in Yourself and Your Dreams

You are the only one that can achieve your goals and you have to push yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself who will? Nothing worth achieving is going to be easy. Everyone goes through the stage were they feel they want to give up but remember the feeling you had when you first wanted to start writing. The rush and joy of the dream in the beginning.

Find a Good Support System

Sometimes the dream starts to fall apart and doubt creeps in. I think if you could see doubt he would look like the Noid from dominos pizza. Bouncing around all evil and refusing to give up. However, if you have good friends that support you then you can push doubt aside. I am blessed with a family that believes in my dream to be a published author.

Writing Buddies

Not everyone has the support of their family and friends. People seem to think writing is a pipe dream. So, what do you do now? You find other writers to be your support group. No one knows the joys and sorrows of the writing journey like another writer. I have some of the most amazing fellow authors that lift me up when I am in a rut and push me a little further when they think I can do better.

Grow a Tough Skin

This was one of the hardest things for me to learn. Not everyone is going to love your writing. This does not mean you are a bad writer but you aren’t going to please everyone. I write paranormals and some people laugh and refuse to read about vampires and other para creatures. Does that make me a bad writer no, my writing is just not their cup of tea and that’s fine. So, don’t let one bad apple make you feel like your writing is a joke. You need the skin of a rhino to make it in the writing world.

Join a Critique Group

Not all crit groups are the same, it took me a while to find the right one, but when you do its great. I have learned so much from other critters. When I started I thought you just sat down, wrote and ta-da you have a finished manuscript. Reality check it’s not that easy and crit groups are a great place to learn the ropes.

Receiving Critiques

This was a hard one for me in the beginning but I have gotten better at knowing how to take advice. This all stems back to growing that tough skin. You also have to realize not everything a critter says will work for your story. Learning what works of your story and what doesn’t is your final decision not theirs. I always tell my crit partners to take what works and trash the rest. You are the only one that knows how the story should be written.

Giving Critiques

Be kind but be honest. If you tell your crit partner everything they write is great, you aren’t helping them. None of us are perfect and we all make mistakes. So, give them your thoughts and ideas on their work. There is a difference between honesty and being harsh and nasty. Tell them what you liked about the story too. A good crit partner will tell you the bad with the good.

Take a Writing Class

I learned a lot from criting but there were still thing I wasn’t getting. Therefore, I decided to take a writing class and it all became clear. The things critters were telling me I was doing wrong, I just wasn’t getting them all. Things like show don’t tell went right over my head. However, when I took the class and saw examples of the wrong way and the right way everything fell into place. I encourage everyone just starting out to take a writing class. You can even take them online.

These are just my experiences on my ongoing journey to becoming a published writer. I hope it helps to know we all go through these things and you aren’t alone. As writers, we have to come together and support each other. Most writers are willing to help a new writer and mentor them. They are out there you just have to find them. I would love to hear your thoughts on starting a writing career and what you are going through or have gone through. Remember to never give up on your dream.

Happy Reading and Writing,

Tabitha Blake