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Cinderella at the Ball: My Kindle Scout Experience Part 2 by Jina Bacarr

June 11, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


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Summer Time to Write

June 10, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , ,
Summer is fast approaching and many writers will have more distractions at home now that their children will be home from school. So now the task of setting writing goals, and finding quiet time to write becomes even more important.
The daily distractions of housework, errands, facebook, twitter, and other social media and more, are  just some of the things vying for your attention. Add cooking, family get-togethers, and summer sunshine, and a writer has to have a will of steel. It’s no wonder writers insist on having goals, a routine, and good writing habits. Not everyone thinks a job as a romance writer is a real job. If we don’t take it seriously then no one else will. Especially if you’re always available for everything and everyone but you’re not making time to write.
So how do we do it? I like having a weekly word count goal. It offers daily flexibility but still gives me an average daily goal to reach for. I schedule my writing time in the evenings when dinner is over and everyone is settling down, the house is quiet and the distractions are few. So having weekly and monthly goals is a good way to get started and keep writing. (Even if sending my babies out into the publishing world is frightening enough to give me hives). Everyone has to find the writing time that works best for them.
But what other goals or accomplishments would you like to achieve? In a month, a year? Make a list  and post them where you can see them daily. Making small goals to get started and increasing them as you reach each goal will keep you from stressing and you’ll feel pride every time you hit a goal.
What else can you do to keep writing? Do you need moral support? You’re not alone. Join a group of writer friends online and encourage each other by doing sprints, posting your word count, asking for help, or just supporting each other. There’s a world of writer’s out in virtual space and they’re anxious to meet you.
Writing Tips:
  • Writer’s learn by doing. So do it, WRITE! The more you write, the better your writing gets.
  • Never assume your writing is the best it can be. Take classes, read books, attend workshops, ask for critiques. Everything helps make you a better story teller.
  • Have faith, write what you love, and it will come through in your stories.
  • Surround yourself with like minded people. They understand what your life is like and will support you.  
  • And last but not least, write from the heart. The stories in your head can only be written by you.
Elizabeth Scott 
OCC/RWA 
V.P. Programs    

w/a Elise Scott 
One Weekend, in”Romancing the Pages” OCC Anthology, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble eBook retailers.

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Lumpers and Splitters…

May 24, 2015 by in category Archives

As the joke goes: One: people who think there are two kinds of people, and Two: people who don’t.

Yes, exactly!

There are a myriad of kinds of people, but there are often strong dividing principals around a specific point that offer insight into choices, opinions, actions.

The classic example is that there are Lumpers and Splitters: those that habitually aggregate things (information, whatever) into piles, and label those collective piles.

Or people who see things as individual, unique elements that are distinct.

You can see the pros and cons of each.  The efficiency (and inaccuracy) of Lumping.  The time-consuming inefficiency (and greater accuracy) of splitting.

We all are Lumpers and Splitters in different areas of our lives.

We tend to be Splitters in areas of interest or importance to us, knowing and delighting in the myriad nuanced differences of a “thing,” be it horror movies, romance novels or football.  For many, the sentence, “I don’t watch horror movies (any films)/read romance novels (books)/like football (sports)” dismisses the entire genre (or the entire medium, in a bigger Lump).  Often accompanied by a dismissive, “They’re all the same.”

But to a fan, a Splitter, interest and knowledge in something transforms your world from black-and-white (yes/no) into a universe of color like in the movie The Wizard of Oz.

So for example, Lumpers might roll all scary movies into a ball of “horror” and make blanket statements about them.

But to a Splitter, there are many types of horror—per Steven King there are three: the gross-out; the unnatural; terror. But other Splitters parse it differently: supernatural/unnatural; slasher/splatter; disaster.   All usually include elements of suspense, fear, mystery. And there is a truly infinite number of varieties on these themes with strong opinions and preferences for individual types.

As a fan of romances novels, I will keep myself under control, simply noting that three initial Splits could be contemporary, historical, fantasy.  But each one of those then can be subdivided into suspense, paranormal, mystery, sexy, sweet, and so on. Again, with an infinite number of sub-genres, mixing and matching to please different palates.

Football—while seeming for some of us to be “all the same” (bunch of guys running up and down a patch of “turf” in matching outfits, trying to move an inanimate object in one direction or another)—in fact is also full of subtlety.  You heard it here first! Coaches, owners, players, injuries, penalties, sanctions, criminal investigations, finances, fans and more all contribute an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of the game.

There are many circumstances where we simply have to Lump.  We can’t retain, effectively present or make decisions when we consider all the complexity of a large number of things.  A business presentation starts with an “Executive Summary” offering in a single paragraph, the top-line conclusions of what may be a lengthy and nuanced piece of work.

We often judge others by a single action (perhaps cheating) and label and Lump the person a cheater.

But really, their action may have been specific, isolated in a particular situation, or an area they deem gray, (low level fudging on their expense report ) whereas other areas may be scrupulously black and white (the integrity of their work, their commitment to their job).

Lump it.  Split it.  But don’t dump on either one….

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Sister against Sister in the Civil War: Love Me Forever by Jina Bacarr

April 11, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Love Me Forever is on Kindle Scout

The Civil War ended this week 150 years ago…

We hear so much about how the Civil War was a conflict about brother against brother.

What about the women of the North and South?

Sister against sister?

In “LOVE ME FOREVER,” my story on Kindle Scout, two women with very different beliefs learn to accept each other for who they are.

They’re not only separated by what they believe in, but by more than 150 years when my heroine travels back to 1862.

Here is an excerpt when my heroine, Liberty Jordan, a re-enactor from today disguised as a Confederate officer, meets up with Pauletta Sue Buckingham when Liberty escapes from the clutches of a dastardly sergeant in a Union prison camp. Pauletta Sue sees her running across the field and races after her in her buggy and carriage. Believing her to be a young Southern man, she offers her refuge:

“You must be brave, sir. The cause needs you,” the woman whispered with urgency, startling Liberty.

So that’s why she helped her. She was a Confederate sympathizer. Here? In a Union camp?

Would they both be shot?

“Hurry, get in,” she ordered. “The bluecoats are coming.”

Holding onto the side of the carriage, Liberty lifted herself up when suddenly she felt her feet give way from underneath her. Damn, she hadn’t counted on the slippery step glistening with dew. It caught her unaware and threw her off balance. She lost her footing on the soggy, wet earth, staggered, then with a loud plop, landed on the ground, the wind knocked out of her.

Her officer’s wide brim hat flying off her head.

Liberty heard the woman gasp when her long reddish-blond hair tumbled down her back like a cascade of corn silk popping up out of its stalk.

“You’re a woman,” the Southerner cried out, her hand going to her mouth.

“Haven’t you ever seen a girl in pants before?” Liberty said, a weak smile curling over her lips. She was surprised the woman didn’t faint.

“Dear Lord, the soldiers mustn’t find out you’re a female,” she said, taking charge. “No telling what they’d do, seeing they have the manners of a country hog.” Holding up her skirts, she climbed out of the carriage to retrieve Liberty’s brim hat.

“Then you won’t give me away?” Liberty asked, surprised. The Southern belle was no pushover.

“You fool girl. I admire what you’re doing, but the Yankees will never understand what we women will do for the cause. Even if we suffer from a broken heart, we’ll never give up,” she said with an emotion so deep it surprised Liberty. She handed her hat back to her. “Run! I’ll hold them off. You can take shelter in the old mill down the road till morning. There’s a secret hiding place behind the pantry.”

How did she know that?

Liberty had no time to ponder the belle and her cause. Instead, she pulled the soggy hat back onto her head and muttered her thanks. She lifted her chin, the sun hitting her cheeks with its fading rays and revealing her face. Before she could pull down the brim of her hat, the woman grabbed her hand.

“Wait,” the dark-haired beauty muttered with surprise. Or was it shock? “Who are you, Missy?”’

“Nobody, ma’am—” Liberty began, her breath catching in her chest when she saw blue-uniformed soldiers on horseback racing toward them, kicking up dust. She had to get out of here, now.

“I demand to know who you are, where you’re from.” The Confederate woman pulled the veil off her face framed by dark hair. “And why you look like me.”

Yes, that’s Pauletta Sue on the left and Liberty on the right in the graphic at the top of the page. The two women are twins except for their hair color. Not only are they on opposite sides, but they both vie for the same man…course, I can’t tell what happens…but sparks fly and it isn’t just on the battlefield…

LOVE ME FOREVER is on Kindle Scout — you can read the first 5,000 words HERE. You’ll meet both my heroines and both my heroes in the excerpt. If you nominate my story and it’s published by Kindle Scout, then you’ll receive a free copy! It’s a saga of love and romance and war. Believe me, I walked every road, fought every battle with my characters, even walked around in a hoop skirt to “get it right.”

This is a book of the heart…any questions? Please ask!!

Thank you for stopping by…………..

If anyone feels like sharing a vote…I’ll be forever grateful! LOVE ME FOREVER

~Jina

PS — As I post tonight LOVE ME FOREVER is Hot & Trending!

PPS — COMING next month: a full account of my experience with Kindle Scout.

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What OCC Has Offered Me I Have Gladly Taken

April 4, 2015 by in category Archives tagged as , , ,

Hello OCC!

I’ve been a member of OCC for over eight years now and I’m still surprised at the amount of information that I get out of OCC meetings and the speakers.

Whether our speaker is an author, an editor, a publisher, an agent, scriptwriter, and the list goes on, I have found that I leave with a spark of new knowledge from each one. While I don’t write inspirational, historical, mystery, or women’s fiction, I still come away with at least a small token, or a writing tip, from every speaker regardless of the genre. This is something a multi published author also said to me recently and I realized how true it was.

How is that possible? Everyone has different experiences and systems for what they do. I’ve tried many of the writing systems from our various speakers and found what works for me. Like everything else in the writing process, it’s a trial and error career. Finding a routine and a writing system that works specifically for you is a challenge but not impossible.

After learning the craft of writing, which not only includes the manuscript format, the structure of your manuscript, and how to plot and brainstorm, I’ve also learned about submitting, marketing, queries, synopsis, e-book publishing vs traditional publishing and so much more. Now I write with more confidence but I’m still learning.

How does this happen? It’s all due to the OCC Programs volunteer members who are entrusted with the duty of finding a variety of speakers on a wide range of topics that will be an asset for our membership.

Every year new members join OCC and our membership is always looking for new speakers to entice both our new and veteran members. A duty we do not take lightly.

This year I am thrilled to be the VP of Programs. It’s up to me to get speakers for the next couple of years and I’m excited to see what lies ahead. I’d love to hear from our membership if there is a topic you would like to hear or someone you would like us to consider as a possible speaker. Please contact me at programs@occrwa.org with your ideas.

As writers, our work is solitary but our network stretches far and wide. We learn from editors, publishers, screenwriters, romance writers of many genres, media moguls, and even our own very talented OCC members. Everyone I meet leaves a grain of knowledge I did not possess before.

Join me in making the next two years memorable, amazing, and spectacular! Let me hear from you with any ideas you may have.

I thank OCC for the honor of serving as VP of Programs and I look forward to an amazing year.

Again as a volunteer, I get to give back to OCC for all the support, encouragement, friendship, and a push from time to time. In addition, for all the years of learning that OCC has gifted me with I thank the chapter.

Elizabeth Scott

w/a Elise Scott 
“One Weekend” a short story in Romancing the Pages OCC Anthology, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble eBook retailers.

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