Adult Entertainment in the Roaring Twenties

Stephanie Draven joins me today with a post about her upcoming release, It Stings So Sweet, and The Roaring Twenties.

It Stings So Sweet is a novel in three parts--a literary threesome, if you will. And, no question about it, much like the middle part of a threesome, it was the story in the middle that had the most fun. Or, at the very least, it was the most fun to write.

Inspired by legendary silent screen star Clara Bow, I wanted to write a sassy, brassy heroine with a secret her lover could exploit.

Where to turn, but to Hollywood? The Roaring Twenties kicked off the Golden Age of movies. It was a time before television and millions of people went to the movies every week five times or more. There were neighborhood Nickelodeons where couples necked in the back aisles, and luxurious Movie Palaces where the ritzy folks went to rub elbows in style.

This much I knew. What I didn’t know was just how naughty those films could be.

They said, in the twenties, “Anything Goes.” And there were no movie ratings or restrictions on filmmakers at the time. So just how randy did these films get?

Well, if you were ever under the impression that pornography was a Boogie Nights invention of the 1970s allow me to shatter your illusions as mine were shattered when my research led me to a vintage stag film called Nudist Bar.

I admit to staring agog at one of the few surviving films to have been digitized from that glitzy era.

What I learned--after I recovered from the shock--was that stag films from the Jazz Age were not only explicit, but experimental. Every coupling you can imagine was caught on film, and sometimes it was more than just couples. Threesomes, foursomes, and moresomes, too!

But in spite of the graphic nature of the films there was a sort of charming tenderness to such films utterly lacking in the modern adult entertainment industry. The cheeky winks at the camera, the hand-holding, the courtly behavior of a vintage porn star towards his leading ladies is arrestingly different than what we have come to expect--and somehow seemed far less exploitive than its modern equivalent.

It was, for me, a real eye-opener about the evolution of sexuality in the 19th Century. And it also helped inspire my heroine’s secret. You see, in It Stings So Sweet, glamorous Clara Cartwright starred in just such a film before becoming a Hollywood legend...and is now being blackmailed by the mysterious WWI Flying Ace who gets his hands on the reel.

When she decides to meet the war hero for a private screening, to make sure he isn’t bluffing, the sparks fly! And I think you’ll fall in love with her blackmailer just as hard as she does.

Blurb

They vibrated with incendiary Jazz. They teemed with sexual abandon. The Twenties were roaring and the women–young, open, rebellious, and willing–set the pace and pushed the limits with every man they met…

In the aftermath of a wild, liquor-soaked party, three women from very different social classes are about to live out their forbidden desires.

Society girl, Nora Richardson’s passionate nature has always been a challenge to her ever-patient husband. Now he wants out of the marriage and she has just this one night to win him back. The catch? He wants to punish her for her bad behavior. Nora is offended by her husband’s increasingly depraved demands, but as the night unfolds, she discovers her own true nature and that the line between pain and pleasure is very thin indeed.

Meanwhile, Clara Cartwright, sultry siren of the silent screen, is introduced to a mysterious WWI Flying Ace. If Clara, darling of the scandal sheets, knows anything, it’s men. And she’s known plenty. But none of them push her boundaries like the aviator, who lures her into a ménage with a stranger in a darkened cinema then steals her jaded heart.

Working class girl Sophie O’Brien has more important things on her mind than pleasures of the flesh. But when her playboy boss, the wealthy heir to the Aster family fortune, confronts her with her diary of secret sex fantasies, she could die of shame. To her surprise, he doesn’t fire her; instead, he dares her to re-enact her boldest fantasies and Sophie is utterly seduced.

One party serves as a catalyst of sexual awakening. And in an age when anything goes, three women discover that anything is possible…

Purchase Info: Amazon   Barnes and Noble

Bio

STEPHANIE DRAVEN is a bestselling, award-winning and RITA-nominated author of historical, paranormal, and contemporary romance. Her newest project, IT STINGS SO SWEET is a collection of 1920s historical erotic romances that celebrate sex, women, and the Jazz Age. Her most recent novel with Entangled Publishing, IN BED WITH THE OPPOSITION, is a mix of humor and sex-appeal set against the backdrop of a zany political campaign inspired by the career of Baltimore legend William Donald Schaefer. Both novels are fun departures from her more serious Greek mythology-inspired series for Harlequin's Nocturne line, the debut novel of which was nominated by Romantic Times for Best First Series. The series has earned critical praise for its originality and awareness of social issues and garnered the 2012 SWIRL award for excellence in multi-cultural romance literature as well as the CataRomance's Reviewers Choice Award. Writing historical fiction about Cleopatra’s daughter as Stephanie Dray, she won the Golden Leaf Award for SONG OF THE NILE. Stephanie is currently a denizen of Baltimore, that city of ravens and purple night skies. She lives there with her favorite nocturnal creatures–three scheming cats and a deliciously wicked husband. And when she is not busy with dark domestic rituals, she writes her books. StephanieDraven.com

 

Byzantine Gold--A Talk with Chris Karlsen

Chris Karlsen talks about her writing process and Byzantine Gold, the most recent release in the series. She's also doing a swag bag and book giveaway to one lucky commenter! Leave a contact email if you wish to be eligible.

Plotter or pantster?
I think most authors say a bit of both. I am in the same category. I do an outline mainly it’s my way of getting plot ideas down on paper. As the story progresses, more often than not, I stray from the outline.  Two things that generally don’t change for me are the beginning and the end. I know when I start the outline how the book will end for sure and how it will begin, although on my latest work in progress, the beginning had a major addition.

Tortured hero or tortured villain?
The answer depends on the series. In Knights in Time, my paranormal romance series, it is the hero but in Dangerous Waters, my romantic thrillers, it’s the villain(s). I’d like add that I am not a big fan of the angst ridden hero or heroine either. If the hero is “tortured” it is due to a unique situation or the result of a specific event. I’m more inclined to give the villains demons. I enjoy having those demons wreak havoc on the lives of the hero and heroine and have their characters grow and get fleshed out as they deal with whatever I throw at them.

Easy on your characters or as hard as possible? As hard as possible—that’s where the fun lies.

What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story?

Complexity and depth to the main characters, including the antagonist, a hero and heroine who are worthy of each other in intellect, respect, and code of conduct, and a big must for me is humor. Pacing and tension are ke to keeping my attention.  Conflict is a necessity, IMO, to a great story. I don’t care whether it stems from the antagonist or a desperate situation. 

What is the hardest part of writing your books?
I battle making my characters too “Mr. Spock-like” according to my critique partners. I am not a demonstrative person in my daily life so having my characters show emotion is difficult for me. There are times I think, wow, this character is oozing emotion. Then I take it to critique group and they all say I need more, my character is still to Spock-like. (Sigh).

How do you develop your plots? Do you use any set formula?
My plots all revolve around either a historical event, a particular interest of mine, or a place that fascinates me. I’m a fan of medieval history and I love England so built my paranormal romance plots around the Battle of Poitiers, which was a great English victory. From that one event, a plot ripples out. Reincarnation and time travel was a source of dinner conversation for my family. My parents were intrigued by both those topics and their interest sparked mine. I used both subjects as a basis for one series. 

In Golden Chariot, I used the Trojan War and Homer’s epic poem as to inspire me. I set it in Turkey, a place I’ve visited several times and I like very much. Byzantine Gold was in spired by the hero and heroine from Golden Chariot. I wanted to show how their relationship has grown. I put them in the Eastern Mediterranean working a shipwreck because I find the region beautiful. 

Who has been your favorite character to write?

Tough question but I’d say, Charlotte Dashiell, my heroine from Golden Chariot and Byzantine Gold. Charlotte is from Chicago, my home town. She’s an archaeologist, which if I could go back in time to my college days, I think I’d pursue it instead of a business degree. I love history and she does too, obviously. I get to live vicariously through her. She also gets to live and work in a part of the world I find both lovely and intriguing.   

Favorite line/quote from current work? He shook his head. “If you go, you cannot return. You’re either in my life or out of my life. There’s no in between.”

If your book was made into a movie, who would you want to play the leads?
For Charlotte, I’d love to have Stana Katic. I love Castle and think she is gorgeous.
For Atakan, I’d pick Oded Fehr. I’ve thought him a looker since he appeared as the face-painted Egyptian in The Mummy. He has the right physical look for Atakan: a bit older than most heroes in romances, lean, has more of an exotic face-not so European or American looking.
For Maksym Tischenko, I like Mads Mikkelsen. He was such a great villain in Casino Royale. I think he’s perfect for my villain.

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent release?

Byzantine Gold brings back Charlotte, Atakan, and Tischenko, the heroine, hero and villain from Golden Chariot, along with several other favorite characters. Tischenko is a man bent on revenge. His goal is to see both Charlotte and Atakan dead, or at the very least Atakan. Atakan is a Turkish government agent who years earlier put Tischenko in prison. While fully aware of their danger from Tischenko, Charlotte and Atakan are assigned a recovery team working a Byzantine shipwreck off the coast of Northern Cyprus.
The wreck contains a large cargo of gold, which was highly publicized. The cache has attracted the attention of a terrorist cell. The artifacts are worth a great deal of money on the Black Market—money the cell needs to fund their activities.
The leader of the cell infiltrates the team and ultimately becomes Charlotte’s dive partner. When his true identity is discovered late in the story, Atakan and another agent must race the clock to see the terrorist and his associates captured and neutralized before they can attack the camp.

Excerpt:

Charlotte answered on the fourth ring. Caller I.D. showed “restricted.”

“Hello.”
“They are called, Angelique tulips. You admired them in the hospital garden in Paris.”
Charlotte froze, holding her breath as she listened to the nightmare voice, remembering how his Eastern European accent rounded certain sounds and how he stressed the last syllables in his words. Called became cawl-d.
Tischenko.
“Everything in time,” he said and hung up.
Charlotte dropped the phone on the table. She turned to Atakan.
The shock must’ve shown on her face. “What is wrong?”
“That was Tischenko,” she said, finding her voice. “The flowers are from him. He was watching me in Paris when I was at the hospital. He—”
Atakan didn’t wait for her to finish. He rushed into the living room, grabbed his gun from the bookshelf, and ran out of the apartment.
Charlotte followed as he flew down the four flights of stairs to the street.
“Stop.” Catching up to him on the sidewalk, she hooked his elbow with her hand. Fearful an armed Tischenko hid nearby, she positioned herself in front of Atakan, thinking to shield him. “We can’t stand here. He could be anywhere taking aim at you right now.”
“Go back inside.”
“Not without you.” She tugged on his shirt, pulling him toward their building. “Atakan please, let’s leave. Call the Director.”
Atakan shoved her behind him. Silent, his eyes searched the dark doorways of neighboring apartment buildings and parked cars.
“Atakan please.”
“Get inside.”
She stepped in front of him again. “We stay here together or we leave together.”
An eternity of seconds passed. Neither moved or blinked.
They both jumped and turned at the bellow from the horn of a passing truck. Thankfully, the driver was waving to another coming the opposite direction. He never saw the man in the sling pointing a gun at him.
“Please,” she repeated.
Atakan nodded. He stopped at the building’s entry door and took a last look, surveying the street. “He moves us around like pawns in a private game.”

BUY: Amazon

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Contact Chris:

http://www.chriskarlsen.com/

http://pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/
https://www.facebook.com/chriskarlsenwriter?ref=tn_tnmn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYgoI8Jh8mQ

           

           

 

Hunting For Ghostly Clues

Today I have Kay LaLone here, the author of Ghostly Clues. She has kindly answered my many questions and brought an excerpt!

Plotter or pantster? I like to start with a character or idea and run with it. I am not very good at plotting out a story first. Sometimes that is a good thing and other times I wish I could plot first. It might save me some revision time.

Tortured hero or tortured villain? Tortured hero. I love to put my good characters into bad situations, because what is a story without conflict. Your characters can only grow when it rains. In Ghostly Clues there really is no villain to torture, but in some of my works in progress I do have a villain that my hero will love to see tortured.

Easy on your characters or as hard as possible? Tough love. I love my characters, but in order for there to be a story, and for them to grow, they need to get into trouble, have problems, and/or just have bad things happen to them.

What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story? Realistic, believable characters and conflict. I love to read stories where I can connect to the characters. Not just feel sorry for them, but to root for them to succeed. To feel like I’ve gone on an adventure with a friend.

What is the hardest part of writing your books? Lately it has been finding the time to write. I try to write every day, but most days I’m lucky to find five minutes to write. It is important that I make the time to write.

How do you develop your plots? Do you use any set formula? I wished I had a magical formula to plotting. I write the first draft, then I read through it kind of outlining as I go to see where the plot holes are. Then I usually change things around, add, and delete until I get the plot worked out. Then I go through many, many revisions before I ever let anyone else see the story.

Who has been your favorite character to write? I’d have to say Sarah Kay from my first book Ghostly Clues. She is the daughter that I never had.

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent release?
Blurb:
The sweet scent of lilacs permeates the air around Grandma’s gravesite. Only Sarah Kay can smell Grandma’s favorite flower, and they’re not even in bloom. 
Sarah Kay and her best friend, Mary Jane, believe the lilacs are a sign from Grandma’s ghost. The girls follow one ghostly clue after another, uncovering a secret that Mom never wanted Sarah Kay to know.
Grandma makes sure Sarah Kay gets the message even from the grave. As the evidence piles up, Mom still refuses to accept the possibility Sarah Kay’s father is alive.
Sarah Kay finds Dad’s parents. A set of grandparents she didn’t realize existed. They make it clear her father is alive but days and miles separate the father and daughter reunion because Dad is a truck driver on a long haul. 
Sarah Kay waits. The news reports a fatal car accident involving a semi and Sarah Kay fears the worse. She runs away which leads to Dad and the truth, Mom wanted Dad to remain dead.
Dad had faked his death so why not just stay dead.  The ghostly clues of Grandma wouldn’t allow Dad to remain dead to Sarah Kay.

Excerpt:
The house was blanketed in a quiet slumber. I snuggled under the sleeping bag with Allison, trying not to think about ghosts, as I drifted to sleep.

Random pictures floated in my mind like ghostly images.

I tiptoed among tombstones and my heart ached as if I had lost something or someone. He had to be here, somewhere. The gravestones rose like stone walls. No names engraved on them. No dates. No R.I.P. Nothing. Just smooth, flat stones. Ghosts—grayish, smoky forms with black eyes—floated over the tombstones.  I shivered, suddenly cold, freezing. My breath visible like a little ghost. I didn’t want to look at the ghost anymore so I looked down at my feet. A tombstone with Grandma’s name appeared out of nowhere. The earth moved. The dirt around the headstone broke away and gnarled fingers clawed their way into the air, searching, grasping. Shriveled fingers clutched my leg.  

Something grabbed at my leg—the hand, I screamed and frantically wiggled out of my sleeping bag, bumping MJ as I tried to get away from the hand I thought I felt grab at my leg.
~*~

Bio:

I’m Kay LaLone.
Ghostly Clues is my first middle grade novel published by MuseItUp. I live in Michigan with my husband and teenage son (two older sons and a daughter-in-law live near by) and two dogs and a cat. I love to get up every morning and write about ghosts, the paranormal, and anything that goes bump in the night. Or anything that interest my characters. Making my characters come to life for readers is important to a good story. I’m an avid reader of just about any type of book. I do reviews on the books I read and post them on my website and blog.

BUY:  MuseItUp    Amazon

Smashwords    Barnes& Noble
My website   www.kaylalone.weebly.com

My blog  www.kaylalone.blogspot.com

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/ghostlyclues

Twitter  https://twitter.com/kaylalone

The Seventh Bull

Today, we welcome Dolores Milan, one of the prominent characters in the exciting story, The Seventh Bull.  How do you do, Dolores. We are sure everyone has a lot of questions about you and your role in this intriguing tale set against the background of bullfighting.

What is your name? My name is Dolores Milan.
Where were you born? In a small village in Mexico. I don’t think you can even find it on the map. All I remember growing up is it was very hot and full of old people with sad eyes and deep wrinkles.
How old are you? A lady never tells. I’ll just have to let you guess my age. Next question.
Exactly what is your occupation? And what role do you play in this story? I’m an agent who makes sure all my clients achieve a significant position in life and maximize their potential. I developed a great many young Wall Street executives, but found eventually it all so boring. I needed to spice up my life, get my blood pulsing. That’s when I switched to sports and began representing Paco Garcia in bullfighting. We had a wonderful relationship going, too, until he decided he no longer required my guidance. As you know, he recently met with a tragic accident. It almost broke my heart. Poor Paco.
How did you come by your current occupation? I sort of fell into it. 
Do you like your job? Why or why not? I love my job. Who wouldn’t? It’s one hell of an opportunity. I get to wear terrific clothes. Stay at five-star hotels all over the world.  Dine at the best restaurants. Drive expensive sports cars. And flirt with some of the handsomest and most powerful men in the world. 
What quality do you dislike in a person? Sloth. Lazy people irk me. I have to be going a mile a minute. The more tasks you pile on me, the better I like it. I’m a multi-tasking dynamo. Ask anyone who knows me.
What person do you respect the most? I’d have to say my boss. He came up from the bottom. And he’s made it to the pinnacle of success in a dog-eat-dog business world. I admire his cunning and craftiness. He’s a powerhouse presenter. And when he smiles and shakes your hand, you know you’re in for the experience of a lifetime. People everywhere want to do business with him 
Is there anyone special in your life? Robert Dunne, the author. We recently met while I was involved with bullfighting. He’s a client of mine now with a bright future in the literary world. I’ve several contacts in publishing who owe me favors. And I plan to take advantage of that. Robert is heading right to the top of the bestseller list. I guarantee you that.
What is your favorite meal? Anything  hot and spicy. 
What is your favorite color? Crimson. Seeing red gets my blood coursing and sharpens  my senses.
What is your favorite character in a book? Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind.  She was so resilient and tough-minded. She learned how to survive and get what she wanted. And I loved the way she flirted and twisted her men around her little finger. She was quite a gal.
Who is your favorite movie actress? I’d have to go back a ways there, too. I love the characters Susan Hayward played in all her old films. She could portray a strong business woman, or a willful singer, and make you believe it. Maybe it was her flaming red hair that did it. She was quite memorable.
What’s your favorite song? I’m sort of old school when it comes to popular music. I love That Old Black Magic by Frank Sinatra. And he was a real devil with the ladies.
What is your favorite TV show? Anything with lots of action, car chases and steamy romantic scenes. I just love that stuff.
Do you enjoy any sport yourself? One of my clients was a race car driver.  He let me drive one of his cars on the open road.  That was a real thrill.  The feel of the auto’s body throbbing beneath me, the constant pounding of the wind outside, and the sense of absolute freedom from all the problems and cares in my world.  It’s an experience I’ll remember all my life.
What is your favorite exercise? I’m not big on exercise.  But I do jog around my neighborhood in the mornings. It gets my juices flowing and garners quite a few whistles from guys along the way.  I do confess I’m a bit of a flirt.
Do you have a favorite pet? I have a German Shepherd named Petunia.  She looks a bit ferocious, but she’s really quite a lamb when you get to know her. Simply wonderful around children. And she’d never attack anyone, unless I told her.
If you were planning a holiday, where would you go? Anywhere tropical. Put a cool drink in my hand, and place a hunky man with rippling abs by my side on a deserted beach. That’s my idea of a perfect getaway vacation.
Would you take anyone along on these trips? Anyone who isn’t an old stick-in-the-mud.
If you had only one wish, what would it be? To have more hours in the day. I need more time to take care of clients I do have, and time to seek out new ones. I admit I am a bit driven. I want it all. And I am determined to get it. Believe me. There’s no “glass ceiling” that’s going to stop this female. 
EXCERPT:

While the other toreros stumbled and blundered fighting their four bulls, Paco was magnificent with his pair of selected beasts. Paco showed the crowd why he was called “The Matador Who Can’t Be Killed.” He stood under the hot sun with never a backward step and sent his bulls crashing to magnificent deaths in a sea of gore and spittle. The crowd that had come to see Paco gutted, ended up screaming, “Ole΄, ole΄, ole΄!”, until they had no voice left to use. Paco gave them the works: paso de pecho, natural, manoletina, veronica, a kneeling molinete, and even the famous arrucina. The fans forgot the inadequacies of the other matadors, as they sat enthralled by Paco’s mastery of muleta and sword. Paco cheated the crowd out of seeing him get a fatal cornada. He was brilliant. And, finally, the last espada had been driven into the blood-soaked aorta of the sixth bull of the afternoon. A hitched team of plow horses then carted the last gory carcass off into the shadows beyond the stands. When I rejoined Paco, he was making like a playful schoolboy. “Ha, Roberto,” he shouted at me, “we showed them, didn’t we? No adornos. No funny clown hats. Or the telephone bit. We showed them all the classic moves. And courage, Maestro,” I added.

BUY: Muse It Up   Amazon
This book is also available on Kobo, Smashwords, Bookstrand, Kobobooks and Books on Board.

Gordon Rothwell was born in Seattle and got a BA in Journalism from the University of Washington. As an advertising copywriter—one of the original Mad Men— he wrote material for over 100 major firms in California, including PR for the Apollo lunar space program. He received numerous awards including a CLIO (the Oscar of advertising). He’s also a sportswriter and screenwriter, and many of his screenplays have won and been finalists in the Motion Picture Academy's Nicholl, Acclaim, Chesterfield, Hollywood Symposium, and FADE IN competitions. He’s published articles and stories in numerous men's magazines as well as youth-oriented publications like BOY’S LIFE. He enjoys the fanciful and macabre on screen and in books. Gordon now lives in the shadow of Mt. Shasta, surrounded by a loving family and one sweet pit bull named “Dreamer.”  Mr. Rothwell’s blog address is “olddognewtricksblog.wordpress.com.”  And he can be contacted as “Gordon_Rothwell” on Twitter, and “Gordon Rothwell on LinkedIn and Facebook.

The logline—Who needs it? How do I write one?

This is right up there with synopsis and query and cover letter. It’s the secret weapon that says you know what your story is about and can sum it up in one sentence. It’s the jewel you can memorize and blurt out at any time.

Otherwise known as the “elevator pitch,”—something you might pull out when you have a captive audience, such as an editor while attending a conference—the logline is a twenty-five to thirty word summary of your story. It needs to indicate the main characters, the conflict, and the story question. Whole workshops are given on the topic, and I strongly recommend you sign up for one before you start to pitch your logline to anyone, especially to a captive audience. Elevators work, but so does an impromptu pitch session over dinner, waiting for a bus, etc.

Okay. Let’s take a formulaic approach:
(heroine) must (action) with (hero) to (conflict) or (consequence).

A witch on the outs with her coven must work with the demon she put in jail twenty years ago to extinguish a virus before it annihilates all paranormal creatures. (thirty words).

This logline tells us the heroine is a witch, and she’s done something to alienate her own kind.

The hero is a demon, who likely hates the witch for what she did to him in the past. He also has done something that landed him in jail back then.

These two have to work together, which is going to set up all sorts of conflict.

Their mission is to wipe out a virus. Failing has huge consequences for both of them. As they’re both paranormal creatures, they’ll be susceptible to the virus (danger) and their own kind (both witches and demons) will be wiped out. There’s time pressure in there too. If they don’t succeed in time, the virus will have taken its course.

See how that works?

So our editor in the stalled elevator now knows what your book is about—it’s a paranormal romance with elements of suspense. Two different kinds of paranormal creatures are involved. The premise lends itself to conflict, with a lot of potential for escalation—it’s there from the get-go. They have a larger-than-life mission involving a communicable disease, which is a fresh idea (we hope it’s fresh to her). The consequences are huge, and mean all sorts of friends and family will be at risk and could die—always a crowd pleaser.

Now let’s look at the wording.

A witch on the outs with her coven must work with the demon she put in jail twenty years ago to extinguish a virus before it annihilates all paranormal creatures. (thirty words).

“On the outs with” This could be worded as “alienated by her coven.” Why not word it that way?

“Okay…” you say. “What’s wrong with that? We’re saving words, and we don’t get many to start with.” Because now the coven is doing something to the witch. “Coven alienates witch” is the active construction. But we don’t care about the coven in the logline—they’re not the heroine.

“Witch alienated by her coven.” This is a passive construction. Do we want passive construction? No! We want nice active construction. Both ways mean the same thing, but “on the outs with” is active.

“Must work with” It’s not optional. She has to work with him. Not a friend, not a colleague. A specific guy, and from the sound of it, they don’t like each other. It could be “work with,” and that would save us a word. But it also suggests that the situation may be optional—like they’re choosing to work together. And what’s the fun in that? “Must” is the stuff conflicts are made of.

“Put in jail” This goes to plot. When you’re thinking about plot, think about what generates strong conflict. Minor infractions seldom lead to the type of situation strong enough to carry a book. If we said “the demon she turned into a toad for a day” sounds like he could be irritated, but probably not enough to strongly dislike her. Plus it eats up our word count. It could be “the demon who jilted her five years ago.” That would still be conflict—just not as strong, not as much.

So, a criminal act of some kind. It has to be something egregious enough to warrant a jail sentence. It has to be something she did that’s bad enough to make him angry. The fun is you get to decide what that was, and how to weave it into the fabric of your story.

Okay, let’s examine the mission. “Extinguish a virus.” Not “kill,” not “eliminate,” not “cure.” Not “give a ten day course of antiviral medication.” Extinguish is a strong verb. Strong words are your friends. Strong verbs do the heavy lifting in writing. Adverbs—words that modify verbs—weaken construction. Stephen King said “The way to hell is paved with adverbs.”

“Why would Mr. King say that?” you ask. “My eighth grade English teacher Miss Fluffermuffin didn’t say that. She liked adverbs.”

Okay. We could say “Totally wipe out” or “completely eliminate” or “cure in a timely fashion.” Note the –ly, the calling card of the adverb. Editors have strong feelings about adverbs, mostly of the negative kind. If you’re tempted to use one, look at your verb.

Example: How about “ran?” It’s a nice verb, gets us from point “A” to point “B” faster than walking. Maybe “ran quickly.” That makes it more exciting. But look what happens…

The editor is frowning, has out her computer-generated red pencil. “I hate adverbs. Stephen King was right!”

How about “bolted?” or “charged?” “Raced?” The difference is real, and it grabs attention. “Bolted” grabs your attention. “Bolted?” you say. “My, that’s fast. That’s quick. That’s…getting my attention.”

Now we’re getting to the end of our logline. The consequences. “Annihilates all paranormal creatures.” As you’ve no doubt discerned by now, “annihilates” is stronger than “kills.” It’s stronger than “destroys.” The word “annihilates” brings up images of atomic-level destruction, of utter disaster, of cataclysmic consequences. If they fail, it doesn’t mean creatures from werewolves to vampires will break out in an unsightly purple-spotted pox. Nope, they’ll be gone. Finito. Never to be seen again. It’s a big deal if you’re a paranormal citizen.

“It could be ‘annihilates the world,’” you say. Okay, I’ll agree with that. But then why did it require a witch and a demon? How about an accountant and the waitress at that dinner where he goes for lunch every day? It could, but then something has to motivate them to save paranormal creatures. Why would these two humans care about the paranormal inhabitants?

Okay. This is the end of my dissection. Now you try it.

(heroine) must (action) with (hero) to (conflict) or (consequence).

Sit down with your story.

Write down the heroine, and one thing about her. A big thing, not her flaming red hair or startling fashion sense—not unless they impact the plot.

Write down your hero, and a defining characteristic. Keep it tied to the plot.

Why might these two not get along? (Conflict) Write it down.

What is the big thing they need to do? (Action) Write it down.

What happens if they can’t accomplish their goal? (Consequence) Write it down.

Likely you have more than thirty words at this point, but that doesn’t matter. Put these parts together in a sentence that explains your plot. Count the number of words. Don’t despair, we’ll pare it down until it’s svelte.

Look at every word, starting with the nouns. People places and things. Look at your verbs. Look at them again. Are adverbs tagging along? Get out your thesaurus and find a strong verb. Annihilate the adverbs. Make the verbs able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Look at your clauses. Now this isn’t grammar, and I’m not getting into that. I’ve put the descriptive phrases into brackets here:

A witch [on the outs with her coven] must work with the demon [she put in jail twenty years ago] to extinguish a virus [before it annihilates all paranormal creatures.] (thirty words).

Without the clauses, the logline still reads as a coherent sentence. Not a very exciting one, but still a sentence. Use your words wisely in these clauses. The clauses tell about your characters and your consequences.

I’m not a big fan of names in loglines. Some people are. Names tend to use up words, as you still need the descriptions in there. Unless the name has to do with the title or the plot, I leave it out.

Keep chugging away on that logline. Tweak it until it shines, tape it above your computer. Memorize it—you never know when you’ll have to pull it out.


BIO:
Once upon a time, Kelly dreamed of becoming an entomologist. Instead, a career in healthcare became the chosen path.

After an arduous journey and many hot fudge sundaes later, Kelly's first paranormal romantic suspense debuted in July 2012. Now an ideal day consists of coffee, no phone, and writing quirky characters for fans to fall in love with. Stop by www.kellywhitley.com, where the paranormal is an everyday occurrence and get your fix for vampires, werewolves, shifters and more. Kelly loves visitors, human and otherwise.

Spring is in the Air

It’s March. The Easter bunny will arrive in less than two weeks. It’s a time of flowers and pastel spring clothes.

OR—in my case, spring in the air means snowflakes.

The Rocky Mountain tradition of spring snows continues. A white blanket carpets the lawn instead of green grass. The crocuses haven’t appeared, and there’s a good chance Easter clothes will be worn with winter coats and galoshes.

It’s not all bad, though. In lieu of power raking and mowing the lawn, it’s a great time to stay indoors and snuggle up with a book. Of course, I’d suggest Into the Red, a paranormal suspense sure to keep you cozy while the weather lightens up.

I’ll give a copy of Into the Red to a random commenter. To be eligible for the drawing for Into the Red and for the grand prize drawing, you must leave your email!

The Grand Prize is an eBook package including titles from XOXO Publishing authors--winner to be announced March 31st!

 

 

Check out these other participating blogs for more entries HERE.




Prizes here: http://xoxopublishing.com

In a Pickle with Beth Overmyer

Today I have Beth Overmyer in the hotseat, answering questions about writing and her new release, In a Pickle.

Plotter or pantster? A little of both. I’ll have a general idea of where things are going, and sometimes I’ll outline a little. But mostly, I pants it.
Tortured hero or tortured villain? Hmm. I like to read both, but tortured villains are probably more fun to write…for me.
Easy on your characters or as hard as possible? I don’t like making it easy on my characters, but I have yet to beat one to a pulp. Why make things easy? Life isn’t easy, and the tough times bring out the best—or worst—in us and in our characters.
What do you consider to be the key elements of a great story? A unique voice is always the first thing I look for; a writer who’s able to express themselves in a colorful or different way. Also, characters that you can get onboard with, believe in and root for.

What is the hardest part of writing your books? The hardest part is actually sitting down and making myself write. There’s something daunting about the blank page staring back at me. Unnerving.

How do you develop your plots? Do you use any set formula? I don’t have a formula, and I develop as I go along. Really, I get a vague idea for a story or novel, develop some characters, and see where things take me. If I get stuck, I write ahead in the story or step away from that project and work on another one.

Who has been your favorite character to write? A character from a book that will probably never see the light of day. London Towne is part Sherlock Holmes and part mad grammarian. He’s brilliant and he knows it, and drives everyone around him nuts. It’s always fun seeing what pompous thing will come out of his mouth next.

Favorite line/quote from current work? From my current work-in-progress The Disorderlies: I’d once heard that you should slap someone who’s in hysterics. Being a boy, slapping isn’t cool, so instead I threw back my fist and prepared to punch him.

If your book was made into a movie, who would you want to play the leads? If my now-published book In a Pickle were made into a movie, I would like to see Eric Matthews play Henry, Charlie’s homeless friend, and Laura Dern play Sister Mary Lou Ann. As for the lead, Charlie, I’m not sure. I always picture him as a scrawny, be-freckled redhead, but the book never comes out and says what he looks like.

Can you tell me a bit about your most recent release? In a Pickle is about Charlie Pickle, a 1920’s orphan, who time-travels by accident…a lot. When his friend Henry witnesses a murder in1910, Charlie finds out that knowledge can be a dangerous thing, and is reminded that the past can be altered. And now, Charlie’s got some history to fix.

The book is geared for readers ages 9-12.

LINKS:

Blog: http://bethovermyer.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Bethyo

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