Dressed For Dying is now up at Kindle and Nook with a new cover done by Lex Valentine, an OCC member. Sean Madigan, a reporter in 1892 New York City, is after his first big murder story, a story that could make his career. Entangled in the story are the sweatshops where his sweetheart works. His chasing the story puts her in danger and he must keep her safe and get the story. Kindle – http://www.amazon.com/Dressed-For-Dying-ebook/dp/B007HQQC1G/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331254339&sr=8-1-fkmr0
I am now two-thirds of the way through my new western time-travel titled A Chance for Love. Even with all of the classes I am teaching, I am finding time every week to work on the book. I hope to have the first draft done by the end of May.
This will be my granddaughter’s first Easter and I am going to buy her an Easter dress. This is the first little girl’s Easter dress I have ever gotten to buy. The boys were not really into Easter dresses. We are going out to dinner that night I am going to make sure she wears the dress. It is a great night to go out to eat since most everyone stays home.
Since my oldest son decided to put a new roof on the house and the leak in the bathroom roof is now fixed, I am redoing my front bathroom. My youngest, Rob, and I are going out on Thursday to pick out new tile for around the bathtub. It is so much fun to redecorate.
I am finding it hard to sit down and write now that the sun is out and it is warm. I think I’d rather be doing almost anything else. I’m waiting for Rob and his wife to come by with a recording of the baby’s heart beat. It is pretty cool that they can record it.
One of the nicest compliments I ever received was from a reviewer who called “Josie Bates (heroine of my witness series) one of the best characters everâ€. For an author, that is the highest praise.
Think about the millions of words written about thousands of fictional people, and then ask yourself how many stuck in your mind, reside in your heart, or continue to haunt you years after reading the book? If you’re like me, there are a handful of such characters in your memory. My list includes:
Gone With the Wind: Scarlett O’Hara, Rhett Butler and Miss Mellie.
Princess Bride: Buttercup, Inigo Montoya, Westley
The Hunger Games: Katniss
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Lisabeth Salander
Johnny Oops: Johnny Oops (a fine Indie book)
Analyzing these characters helped me become a better writer, and here’s what I have learned. Memorable characters are:
Spiritually Unique: Villain or hero, each one has his or her own demons and desires, strengths and weaknesses. Strength on its own is uninteresting without weakness.
Physically identifiable: A great character manifests his or her uniqueness in dress, mannerisms, and speech patterns. Imagine an actor tackling your character on screen. Can you hear them? See them? Are they so real you would know them walking down the street?
Logical: A character with a unique speech pattern may amuse your reader for a while but if the words coming out of that character’s mouth aren’t appropriate to story, plot and core of that character, the affectations is illogical.
Unapologetic: Readers may not always embrace your vision, but if you give a character an unusual life, let them live it. Do not be swayed by fear of political incorrectness or tempted to take the safe route. Writing is about nurturing your bold voice.
Purposeful: A character’s journey is guided by principles born of experiences. In Josie Bates’ case, she is formed by her mother’s abandonment (personal) and her belief that the law and justice are two separate things (professional). The author’s objective is to create a passionate character who is willing to go to great lengths to protect what they believe in or secure what they desire.
For Example…
• Katniss’s (Hunger Games) and Scarlett’s (Gone With the Wind) fight for basic survival.
• Westley’s (Princess Bride) relentless search for his lost and true love.
• Salandar’s (Dragon Tattoo) desperate desire for self-determination.
• Rhett Butler’s (Gone With the Wind) code of honesty.
• Melanie’s (Gone with the Wind) passionate belief in Scarlett’s inherent goodness.
• Johnny Oops’ (Johnny Oops) wry but heartfelt search to define his teenage self.
Don’t be afraid to refine your characters. We are not born the people we will become; neither are those who populate your books. Nurture them, define them, polish them and they will live in the reader’s memory for a very long time.
You once thought of me
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I eloped with a man I thought I knew, but didn't.
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A Slice of Orange is an affiliate with some of the booksellers listed on this website, including Barnes & Nobel, Books A Million, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. This means A Slice of Orange may earn a small advertising fee from sales made through the links used on this website. There are reminders of these affiliate links on the pages for individual books.
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