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It’s Not Me, It’s You

25 Feb

My name is Sasha, and if necessary I will break up with your series. Though I want it to have all the noise and fireworks of a sporting event, it will turn out more like this:

Complete with that facial expression. That’s my mad face

When I was younger, the very thought of quitting a series gave me hives. I figured I would read Baby Sitter’s Club and The Box Car Children until the author died (I was sure I would out live her) and had read them all.  It never occurred to me that there would be deal breakers and I would have to walk.

Now I know my hot buttons:

If all the books are essentially the same, just with different h/h names.

If there’s a tortured character that I’m totally invested in, but the author just keeps throwing random books in that in no way further the series story arc.

If the story arc involves a BIG BAD and there is never any sort of ground gained by the good guys (I LIVE for comeuppance)

And if characters start acting out of character. This is the most disheartening. While I’m willing to put up with disappointing books or a twist that upsets me, a character who is suddenly polar opposite (with NO explanation) will make me jump ship faster than anything else.

I’m working on series/trilogy this year and I want to make sure people stick with me.  I don’t want the break up speech.

What makes you abandon a series, or will you read until the bitter end?

________________________________________________________

Sasha

Who promises not to break up with YOU. Yeah, I’m talking about you, foxy lady! If you want to hear more of Sasha’s ramblings, visit her at www.sashadevlin.com or follow her on Twitter @SashaDevlin

Writer Basics: The Hook and The Line

19 Feb

No matter what technological changes occur in the publishing industry, good writing is still what an editor needs to see and what makes a reader choose to pick up another book by that same author. A veteran editor once told me she usually made a decision about a manuscript’s marketability by page 3, but a great hook could get her to hang in there for the whole first chapter.

I am very proud of the fact that one of my hooks made its way into several seminars and at least one how-to-write book that I know of. The following is the first line of my steamy revenge thriller, PRETTY MAIDS IN A ROW –

“Mizz Wallace, did you, or did you not, willingly take Senator Ziegler’s penis into your mouth on more than one occasion?”

* * * *

Of course, the real trick is to get that editor to keep on reading beyond the end of Chapter One. This is where The Line (or two) comes in. Basically it’s a hook at the end of a chapter to ensure the reader keeps turning those pages.

Here are a few of the chapter endings, in no particular order, from the same book –

* * * *  Stretching luxuriously, she felt Jerry stir beside her. As she did first thing every morning, she reached for her glasses and switched on the lamp. Holly turned back to wake her future husband with a kiss, and froze.

The dark-haired man lying naked in her bed was a complete stranger.

* * * * A week ago, she had never even heard of the Little Sister Society. Now, a group of virtual strangers could connect her to a violent murder.

* * * * “You see?” He whispered the words against her mouth. “I can be nice. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

She raised her lashes and met his gaze. They both knew just how wrong he was.

* * * *  There was no turning back now. She would be David Wells’ mistress…and he would be her instrument of revenge.

* * * *  David saw Butch’s bullet-ridden body as he stepped over the threshold. But he also glimpsed two agents pressed flat against the walls on each side of him.

“Shit!” was the last thought he had before all hell broke loose.

* * * *  If it was the last thing he did, he would make Wells regret the day he tried to steal Philip Sinkiewicz’s woman.

* * * *  Philip kissed the top of her head. “You’re all I have, honey. I’d do anything for you.”

 So, fellow writers and readers, what are some of your favorite hooks and lines?

 And by the way, if I’ve tempted anyone into reading the rest of PRETTY MAIDS IN A ROW, thank you for the support - Buy Link

 Happy creating,

Marilyn Campbell, www.marilyncampbell.com

facebook: AuthorMarilynCampbell; twitter: marilyncampbel3

Your “ideal” Hero

15 Feb

I know, I know. I blog about him a lot–the hero in romantic fiction. I think about him constantly and why not? I happen to think in these types of books it is all about him after all. Sure, readers have to relate and root for the heroine. She can’t be too weak, too whiny, too dependent, too…a lot of things. And she also can’t be too perfect. It’s a fine balance, but the reader has to find him attractive, think he‘s totally hot, believe he‘s absolutely right for the her and fall a little (or a lot in my case) with him. That’s kinda tough, you know, for a writer because everyone has different tastes.

I was having a conversation on Twitter recently and people were identifying celebrities, models, rock stars, actors they thought hot, hero material. Me? I couldn’t come up with a single one. LOL. Not. A. One. Well, not a real person anyway. I’m just not wired that way. I can appreciate aesthetics, but they’re not necessarily up to the level of “hero” in my eyes. Perhaps that’s why I create fictional ones because the only one that came to my mind was Christian, the hero in book 3 of my new series. God, I sigh every time I think about him.

Anyway, I digress :) . Do you know who came close recently though? Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Seriously! I’ve always thought him a little too muscled. Yeah, OK I’m seriously fussy, but you know what really won me over to him? It was another convo on Twitter where a bunch of writers were having some fun constructing a story line and identifying real life guys to play roles. One of them was The Rock and the plot was that the heroine could have him and another hero. Why choose? Then HE responded with – “I fight for and protect the woman I love – but I can’t share her. Ever. ” He was having some fun, but how freakin’ awesome is that? It’s that base sentiment that I strive to create in every single one of my stories and my heroes. Double sigh…

So…do you have an ideal hero? A guy who epitomizes what you think a hero should be? Who looks like what you envision a hero to look like?

Man Candy Inspiration

11 Feb

In honor of Valentine’s Day (and because, hey, who doesn’t enjoy inspiration?!), I decided to share some Man Candy. These guys are who I would cast for some of my current WIPS.

As far as I’m concerned Boris Kodjoe IS Derrick Pike (Moxie) Confident, sexy, a killer in both the boardroom and in the sack:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jon Hamm would make a perfect Will Speedman (Serial Killer Romance) He’s tough, but sweet. Strong but cuddly. He can catch a killer & woo you afterwards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Gerard Butler is pretty spot on for Micah (In The Blood) He’s a man’s man. Rough around the edges and hard as a brick except for his lady and his mama:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a hard work finding these guys, I do it because I care. Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

________________________________________________________

Sasha

Who thinks this might be her favorite blog post of all time. Please cast your books responsibly. If you want to hear more of Sasha’s ramblings, visit her at www.sashadevlin.com or follow her on Twitter @SashaDevlin

How do you possibly choose?

1 Feb

As I’m working on my new series, my thoughts have already skipped ahead to thinking about readers and reactions to it when it’s published. With the explosion of ebooks and the mass amount of books now available at the touch of a button, I can’t help wonder how readers choose books? I mean, the choice is staggering these days, especially as books are digitized more and more, they never really go ‘out of print’ either! Sure, everyone has their ‘auto buys’. Those authors whose latest books will likely be pre-ordered or purchased without much thought to what the book is about, how the blurb reads, what the cover looks like or what anyone else might have thought about it. I have my very small list of auto buy authors too. But what about the rest? How do you find those gems amongst the masses? For authors this means the market is becoming really quite competitive, especially for authors starting out. It means trying to find creative ways to get the message out, trying to come up with something that will work to differentiate your product. But it’s hard, particularly because you never really know what works in time to do anything differently :) !

So…how do YOU possibly wade through the mega amounts of authors and books, what criteria do you use to choose books, what’s the most important factor for you that would make you buy a book? Does the social networking scene play any role in this? How important is price?

Come on…I’m gonna pull up a chair for this one :) .

This Might Be the Cold Meds Talking…

28 Jan

…but you’re actually lucky it’s not.  On a good day I’m a little zany.  On a day when I’m all hepped up on cold meds I’m borderline batshit crazy.  My filter goes waaaay down, I respond on a fifteen second delay, and I pretty much feel like this

 

For the past few days I have been fighting valiantly against some ginormous, hardcore bug that has kicked my butt. Words (and coherency) have been slow coming but I have hopes for next week.

________________________________________________________

Sasha

Who is now going to chug some more juice, take a few more cold capsules and get some shut eye.  If you want to hear more of Sasha’s ramblings, visit her at www.sashadevlin.com or follow her on Twitter @SashaDevlin

Writing Strategies: Long-winded or short and sweet?

24 Jan

I read Marilyn’s post on Jan 22 with a bit of jealousy–I never have anything to cut when I write. This is not because everything is perfect as it flows from brain to keyboard. I have plenty of stuff I have to change, but I never get to cut anything because I write short. So short that most of my editing involves adding text, rather than removing it.
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