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Where do stories come from?

March 10, 2025 by Tari Jewett in category Writing tagged as Anne Rice, inspiration, story origin, writing

Do you ever read a book or watch a movie and wonder, what made the writer write that story? Is it all imagination? Did the story just come to them? Did they ‘what if’ a plot? Or did they live the story?

So where do stories come from?

The only fiction Hunky Hubby reads is what I write, and he reads every word I write, which amazes me and makes me thankful. Anyway, years and YEARS ago, he’d been listening to the radio and the dj’s were talking about Anne Rice’s The Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, written under the name A.N. Roquelaure. The steamy on air conversation, led him to believe that buying the book for me, might be romantic. He said romantic, but I’m pretty sure he really thought it would ‘get me in the mood’.

Hahaha, well, I’m not sure that book is what I’d call romantic, nor is it a book that would ‘get me in the mood’ but it made me wonder about the author. At the time, I had no idea that it was actually written by Anne Rice, not that it would have made any difference, because I didn’t read vampire books anyway. I had a hard time with the book. Brilliantly written, but also shocking and even bizarre, I’d read a little, put it aside, wondering where these thoughts might come from, then, come back days later to read a little more.

Eventually, I went to the bookstore…because I didn’t have the internet back then, and tried to find other books by A.N. Roquelaure. I discovered who she was, and that she also wrote under the name Anne Rampling. I read Belinda, followed by A Cry to Heaven, and finally, Interview with a Vampire. None of this helped resolve my issue of where these thoughts came from. They were, however, compelling reading.

At that time, I wrote nonfiction. I wrote a cooking column for our local newspaper and Quick ‘N Easy Country Cooking magazine, as well as articles on parenting (I wouldn’t do that now!), consumer law, public speaking, and various other topics. I wrote fiction for fun, for myself.

But that changed.

I started writing fiction seriously. My published books are all romcoms. And if you’re looking for a romantic read for St. Patrick’s Day, I hope you’ll check out #SilverBracelets. But I’m also working on women’s fiction. Writing fiction, brought me back to that question. Where do stories come from?

The answer seems to be it depends on the writer. Some people plot out their stories, selecting characters, places, and carefully planning plotlines, you may already know that these writers are called plotters. Other people let the story unfold as they write it, aka pantsers. And I’d be willing to bet that for most writers, real life at least inspires scenes and characters in their stories.

I personally call myself a plotsy pantser, because I write my first draft as a pantser, letting the characters tell me their stories while I document them. Then, I use that first draft as my outline, and go back and flesh out the story, filling in gaps and hopefully, adding scenes, and hopefully, developing the story into something others might want to read. And yes, while my characters are fictional sometimes people that I’ve known influence their personalities, and real life events often end up in my stories.

Real life in my writing.

In #SilverBracelets, the hero, Benny’s grandmother is inspired by my Tia Tonia, in fact, I didn’t try to hide it, giving her the name Antonia. I didn’t plan this. The Antonia in the story is fictional, but her personality, is inspired by my beloved great Aunt.

In Love and Mud Puddles, one of my favorite scenes is at the beginning of the book. The main character is on a quest to learn to bake cookies for Christmas. She finds a recipe that calls for packed brown sugar. At the grocery store with her best friend they look for packed brown sugar. They find golden brown sugar, dark brown sugar…everything but packed brown sugar. This is of course where they meet the hero, who explains to them what packed brown sugar is. This scene was inspired by a real-life event. Years ago, a good friend, who didn’t bake, asked for a cookie recipe. I gave it to her. A couple of days later I got a frantic phone call from the grocery store, asking if she could substitute another kind of brown sugar for packed brown sugar because she couldn’t find any. I’ll leave her unnamed to protect her identity!

And while the real-life inspiration in my romcoms is from the lighter side of my life, there have been some darker situations that inspired situations in my women’s fiction.

So, the truth is that stories come from different places. They come from imagination, they come from experience, they come from plotting what ifs. And it doesn’t really matter where the story comes from if it engages the reader. If it makes us think or act. If it makes us wonder.

There have been many books over the years that have made me want to know more about the author. Books that have made me want another story to read. Books that have made me want to write. Books that have changed who I am. I’ll always be curious about the origins of a good book, but what really matters to me, is that there’s another book on the shelf to read.

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Options

February 10, 2025 by Tari Jewett in category Writing tagged as indie publishing, pay to publish, publishing, traditional publishing, writing

As writers, we’re living in such an interesting time. There are more opportunities to publish our work, than ever before. But, because of this there’s also more competition in the marketplace, and there’s more opportunity to be taken advantage of, so it’s important to educate ourselves.

I wanted to talk about the three best known ways to publish, traditional publishing, pay to publish, and indie publishing.

Traditional publishing

This used to be the dream of nearly every book author, and still is for many. To find a traditional publisher, preferably one of The Big Five, New York publishers to buy your work and publish it for you. There weren’t many publishing options, and this was the way.

Authors would submit their work, sometimes to the few publishers that would take unsolicited work from unpublished, unrepresented authors. It would end up in a slush pile, where the author hoped it would catch the eye of an editor, or maybe junior editor, who would send the book up the chain of command until the author either received an acceptance, a rejection with notes, or the hardest one to take, a form rejection. Did I say all of that past tense? This is still a valid way to submit your work.

Along the same lines, an author can (and could previously) submit their work to an agent, who would then submit the book to editors looking for this type of work. Having an agent gives/gave you a little more of an edge in the game.

There have always been smaller presses and boutique publishers to submit your work to for traditional publishing.

When you traditionally publish, you don’t pay money to publish your work. You sign a contract giving rights to your work to the publisher. They provide an editor, a cover, price and distribute your book. In general, you’ll still do your own marketing, although some publishers help with this. You’ll receive royalties on your book sales. Depending on the publisher, you’ll have less input into your cover, and the editing of your book. The publisher is in control until you get your rights back.

Pay to Publish

Depending on your goals, pay to publish, often called vanity press publishing, has been an option for a very long time. Pay to publish is exactly what it says. You pay the publisher based on a package you purchase. You may or may not give up rights to the publisher. They choose the editor and generally the cover for you. Sometimes they also take a percentage of your book sales and pay you royalties, even though you’ve paid up front.

If you choose to publish this way, you need to do your due diligence. There are both reputable and not so reputable publishers out there, so it’s important to do your research and be sure that you’ll be happy with the outcome.

Indie Publishing/ Self-Publishing

I tend to call it indie publishing or independent publishing, because well, back in the day Pay to Publish, was often called self-publishing. But since the advent of e-publishing, self-publishing…or indie publishing is a different way to publish. You write the book. You hire an editor. You create or pay for a book cover. You format…or have the book formatted. You distribute to book retailers of your choice. You do all of the marketing. You become not just an author, but a publisher.

Indie publishing is a lot of work, but you make all of the money and have total control of your product.

Which way is the best way to publish your work? I think it depends on your goals, what you write, and sometimes who your reader is. Personally, I’m a hybrid author. My last book, Love and Mud Puddles was published with The Wild Rose Press, and I love my publisher, and hope to publish more books with them. I also indie published my series #HermosaForTheHolidays, and plan on continuing to indie publish. I’ve learned so much about my writing process, publishing, and professionalism through both experiences.

Having choices gives us more opportunity, but it also means more responsibility and more decisions.

Are you a published author? What paths have you taken on your journey and what have you learned from them? If you’re not yet published, do you know which way you want to go and why?

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Consistency

January 10, 2025 by Tari Jewett in category Writing

So, a few years back, a friend shared that instead of New Year’s resolutions, they picked a ‘word of the year’. I loved this idea, and decided to use it myself. I’d always made resolutions, and generally, before the end of January, they’d fallen apart, and I felt defeated. I’ve chosen words like, Focus, Fearless, and Letting Go. I know that last one is really two words, but it worked for me…okay, that might have been the least successful word. I’m not good at letting go, just ask my kids.

I find that these words become my mantra through-out the year, keeping me on track and pushing me along.

Since I started selecting a word for the year, I’ve published 6 books, lost over 100 lbs., and made other important changes in my life. Does a word have that much power? Or am I frustrated with not accomplishing things? Who knows.

Sometimes I know what the next word will be months ahead, others, not until the last minute, but I know it will appear in time.

For 2025 my word is CONSISTENCY.

Yes, and though I’m posting this blog later than planned, I’m posting it, and I will be posting consistently all year, and hopefully each year after.

A lot of the things I want to be more consistent with are writing related. I’m no longer watching my grandson, but I’d drop all of this to have him full time, or even part time. That’s not likely to happen. Paul retired, and we’re ‘mostly’ settled in our new home. I’m not sure we’ll ever actually be settled. And, I’ve pretty much got my healthy habits dialed in. In case you haven’t noticed, I also ‘consistently’ write run-on sentences. It’s also the way I talk. Anyway, finally, time to get back to my writing.

I’ll be here each month. I’ll be putting out newsletters, interacting in my Facebook groups, and most importantly writing, writing, writing and continuing to learn.

So, what I want to know, is do you make resolutions? Do you choose a word of the year? Have you given up on all of it? Or do you have another way of refreshing for the New Year? And I promise to come back consistently to find out.

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A Cozy Corner for Books and Pens

September 10, 2024 by Tari Jewett in category Writing

I find it fascinating to learn where other authors write. I know friends who prefer coffee shops, the library, or even the beach, and I’ll admit, I tend to be more productive when I leave the house…no laundry to do, or dishes to put away. But I’m kind of a homebody, so I prefer to write at home.

When the weather is nice, I’ve been known to write on the patio, or our rooftop deck, when we lived in a townhouse overlooking the harbor and ocean a few years back. I’ve had a desk in the bedroom when the boys lived at home, and at times a little office of my own.

For years, I’ve dreamed of a home library. A place for all my books. A place to close the door and immerse myself in the pages of a new story…one I’m reading, or writing. In homes where I had an office, I also had a couple of bookshelves. I’d longingly refer to it as ‘my library’.

Some of you know, Hunky Hubby and I recently moved to Arizona, and I finally have a real library. It’s not finished. My new dream is to make the closet into a reading nook stuffed with pillows, and a more book storage, because of course, I have MORE BOOKS! But I’m happy with it as is.

One bookcase houses autographed books. They’re not all unpacked yet, but every book on the shelf is signed by the author.

The next bookcase holds vintage books, and my own books.

Then more novels, again, not all are unpacked, followed by a full bookcase of cookbooks. That’s right. Just cookbooks. For years, I wrote a food column for The Antelope Valley Press, and then Quick ‘n Easy Cooking magazine. This is a small number of the cookbooks I’ve collected over the years. Next to the cookbooks you’ll find reference books, then my desk.

The picture over the desk represents two of the main characters in the 1920’s book that I’m writing. In fact, I’m going for a vintage feel in the room. (I don’t actually use the vintage typewriter, but I love the way it looks.)

So, when you can’t find me, I’ll be, hiding in the library with a good book, or writing. I’d love to hear where you like to read…or write.

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Food and Fiction

June 10, 2024 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett, Writing tagged as Beach reads, fiction, food, romcoms, Summer

I’m working on a new romcom, and as the story unfolds, I realize that food plays an important role in all of my stories.

Not surprising as a former food columnist, and photo shoot ‘chef’. I raised three boys, four if you count Hunky Hubby, all who loved food. A lot of my life has been centered on cooking and planning menus. I think that in most cultures food is the center of family and friends. My childhood family sat at the dinner table together every night, and we did the same when we raised our boys. Holidays revolve around tables laden with foods, whether homemade, catered, or from a favorite shop or restaurant. And friends get together for Brunch, lunch, dinner…coffee.

So, as I write, I see and smell the food that my characters put on their tables. In the #HermosaForTheHolidays series, the main characters often meet at The Beach Break, a little coffee shop on the Hermosa Beach Promenade. The Beach Break is fun for me, because the owners are two brothers, who experiment with new recipes from time to time, which has me looking through my recipes, through my approximately 200 cookbooks (it used to be more, but I’ve culled each time I move), scouring the internet, and looking at restaurant menus for new ideas. This often sends me to the kitchen to try something new.

In Love and Mud Puddles cooking is the focus of the plot, and Hannah, the main character’s quest for the perfect Christmas Cookie. Hannah doesn’t bake, she doesn’t cook, her oven is another place to store things. But, Christmas cookies are so important, that she’s determined to learn…and maybe find love along the way.

You don’t’ have to be a chef, or even a home cook to love food, or to love romance!

If you’re looking for a summer beach read, I hope you’ll check out #FireworksInTheFog, part of the #HermosaForTheHolidays series to get you set for 4^th of July, and summer romance.

And I thought I’d share one of my favorite summer potato salad recipes. I love it as part of a meal, but I’ll eat a bowl as a snack as well!

I’d love to hear your favorite summer foods, and feel free to share a recipe! And if you try this one, let me know how you like it.

Horseradish Potato Salad

1 ½ pounds red potatoes

1/3 cup mayonnaise (I use low fat)

1/3 cup sour cream (again, I use low fat)

2-3 tsp. prepared horseradish (not sauce)

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper (or pepper to taste)

¼ tsp. garlic powder

½ small onion, minced

2 stalks celery, minced

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and cook 15- 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain, and cool.

Add mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, salt, and pepper to a mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.

Dice the potatoes, leaving the peel on and place them in a large bowl. Add onions, celery and dressing. Stir gently, until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 2- 24 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Serve.

Makes 6 servings.

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