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Desperation — and Inspiration!

May 19, 2008 by in category Writer on the Verge by Kate Carlisle tagged as ,

By Kate Carlisle

The best of intentions get blown into the wind like a dandelion sometimes. Take this blog, for instance. Earlier this week, I had every intention of getting up bright and early this morning and posting a blog all about the need for meeting our deadlines.

How ironic.

Instead, yesterday morning I drove 140 miles out to the desert to take care of some things for my mother. I spent all day and part of this morning out there, then drove back home–and only then did I remember that I had a blog to write.

Ah, well. Anyway, instead of my brilliant and passionate spiel about meeting deadlines, I’ll simply make everyone’s day and post a photo of the man who inspired me as I wrote the hero in my new mystery series. My character is a former British Commander turned security agent. With that sort of background, who else could inspire me more than … well, you know.

So here’s a little inspiration for the remainder of your Sunday afternoon.

Cheers!

Kate Carlisle writes the Bibliophile Mysteries for NAL. Watch for the first book in the series, HOMICIDE IN HARDCOVER, in February 2009.

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The Write Way………..

May 17, 2008 by in category The Write Way by Maureen Child tagged as ,
It’s so hot right now, it’s really hard to work……especially for those of us who do NOT have A/C–(that’s right, weep for me!) So, instead of writing my own words, I’ve been indulging in reading everybody else’s.

As writers, we all got into this because we love books. All books. Any books. I have so many books in my house, my dh insists that when the ‘Big One’ finally hits Southern California, they’re going to find my body under a mountain of books….For me, doesn’t like such a bad way to go.

Since I became a writer though, reading sort of took the back seat. I get so involved in my own worlds, with my own characters, I sometimes feel that I don’t have nearly enought time to simply read anymore. I can go a couple of weeks, even a month without feeling the overpowering urge to read….then it hits.

And boy, when it hits, it hits hard. In the last month or so, I think I’ve read more than fifty books. And I seem to be on a Regency England kick at the moment, which is odd since I stopped reading (and writing) historicals years ago. But I’ve rediscovered the magic of an earlier time. I’m thrilling to the Alpha male in a British drawing room. I’m loving the sweep of the moors and the delicate beauty of an English garden. And oh, the dialogue. The wit. The banter.

So in the midst of my reading binge, I’m realizing again just what first drew me to the magic of the written word. I’m remembering the passion for writing. The simple joy of being able to create worlds for a living.

And I’m hoping that somewhere out there, readers are enjoying MY books as much as I’m enjoying everyone else’s.

So what are YOU reading?

Maureen Child is the author of more than 100 romance novels, but at the moment, she’s sitting in front of her fan, pretending she’s in Mayfair………

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So Many Writing Events!

May 6, 2008 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , ,


I’ve come to the conclusion that there are too many writing events and not enough time! (Does time seem like a recurring theme in my Slice of Orange entries? I think I’m obsessed!) I recently returned from Malice Domestic in Crystal City, Virginia (near Washington) and the Mystery Lovers Festival in Oakmont, Pennsylvania (near Pittsburgh). The Romantic Times BookClub conference was held in Pittsburgh earlier in April, and I considered attending since I grew up in Pittsburgh, but couldn’t do all of them. By choosing Malice, I got to network with editors and publicity people from my mystery publisher, Berkley Prime Crime, plus see my agent and meet her new baby. However, I missed the L.A. Times Festival of Books, and I didn’t go to the Edgar Awards in New York, partly because I needed to get back here not only to write, but also because I was on a panel at the Palm Springs Book Fair last weekend. Of course going there meant I missed the Sisters in Crime meeting, and I also wound up not having time to attend the special Julia Quinn workshop held by the Los Angeles Chapter of RWA on Saturday.

Upcoming are BEA (Book Expo America) here in L.A., plus the American Library Association conference, also in this area. I’ll be in the Chicago area for a bridal shower for my future daughter-in-law (yay!) and it happens to coincide with the Printers Row Book Fair hosted by the Chicago Tribune, so I’ll have an opportunity to sign my newest (June release) Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery there, DOUBLE DOG DARE. I’ll be back in time for the next OCC meeting.

I’m registered for the Romance Writers of America annual conference in San Francisco, and hope to actually attend despite all my other plans for this year. I don’t have time to go to Bouchercon or Thrillerfest, and I missed Left Coast Crime this year, too, although I’m considering going next year since it’ll be on the Big Island of Hawaii. I will, however, be giving a talk during the Kern County Library’s adult summer reading program, as well as another talk for the new East Valley Chapter of RWA. I’ve been enlisted for a panel at the West Hollywood Book Fair and am also scheduling authors for the Mystery Writers of America booth… only I may wind up missing it since that may be the weekend my older son gets married.

Did I mention I have a couple of book deadlines? I’ve already blogged here about how adorable –and time-consuming–my Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are these days, especially with the new puppy. Oh, and I’m still engaged in my “temporary” part-time law position…

Well, DOUBLE DOG DARE is about cloning. Maybe I can figure out a way to clone myself.

Linda O. Johnston
www.LindaOJohnston.com
www.KillerHobbies.blogspot.com

Linda O. Johnston is the author of 14 romance novels as well as the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime–and has 2 Silhouette Nocturnes upcoming!

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A Fantasy Life

April 27, 2008 by in category A Fantasy Life by Janet Cornelow tagged as ,

by Janet Quinn Cornelow

When writing fantasy, sometimes something out of mythology can trigger and idea that is just too good to pass up. A chimera seems to be one of those things.

A chimera is a mythological creature first mentioned by Homer in the Iliad. The creature is always referred to as a female. She is immortal, not human and made up of a lion in front, a dragon in back and a goat in the middle. Sometimes she has three heads. She also breaths fire. That has to be the dragon part of her. Most of us remember her from school. A scary creature who may have mothered the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion.

The interesting thing is that a chimera can also be a human being. (No dragon head or breathing fire, but just as interesting.) This condition occurs through the fertilization of two ova by two sperm, followed by the fusion of the resulting zygotes and the development of an organism which is actually two organism in the guise of one. A human chimera could have a heart with one DNA and a liver with another. Most chimeras never know that they are two people fused together. After all, how many people are going to have their DNA checked on different parts of their bodies to see if they are one or two people. It’s a rather creepy thought.

However, in fantasy, it is an intriguing idea. What kind of a character would a chimera be? An evil creature? The original one was. How can the other characters tell a chimera from everyone else? They’re not going to run out and do DNA tests either, so there has to be a way to tell. Otherwise, the whole idea falls flat.

Now that I have discovered this unique individual, I have to put her in a story. Dark fantasy. A chimera would never be in light fantasy.

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Time Management

April 6, 2008 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , ,

I’ve mentioned in my blogs here before–no, complained!–that I’ve become less efficient with time management as I get older. Of course I still manage to meet my book deadlines… sometimes as extended. I have two facing me now, one on April 15 for the manuscript for my seventh Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery, called, at least for now, NEVER SAY STY. Then comes my May 1 deadline for a revised proposal for my second Silhouette Nocturne, which stars a Valkyrie.

So what do I do to try to increase my productivity? I adopt a new, very lively puppy as a good friend to our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Lexie. Little Mystie, also a Cavalier, is a handful. And time-consuming.

So, will I meet my deadlines? Yes. But a little piece of advice to anyone else considering taking in a new pet. Expect delays in everything!

At least pets are absolutely worth it.

Linda O. Johnston
www.LindaOJohnston.com


Linda O. Johnston is the author of 14 romance novels as well as the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime.

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