The Blonde Samurai is a “Fresh Pick†at FreshFiction.com by Jina Bacarr
March 11, 2010 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as blonde, Confessions of a Podcast Goddess, corset, England, Japan, lady, naughty, samurai, Victorian
I’m very honored to be a Fresh Pick. According to the email I received–“The Fresh Pick is chosen by a group of readers…â€
Writing is a solitary profession, but I can tell you that as a writer, my characters make me laugh, angry at times (when they don’t do what you tell them) and cry.
I remember feeling the anguish of my heroine, Katie, when she feared she would never have a child.
“Yet I was aware that by keeping separate quarters from my husband, I had doomed myself to a life left unfulfilled. The reality of what they meant raked across my heart, grabbing me, my faith shaken, my mood saddened. Would I ever know the joy, the soft smells, the magic of motherhood? A dull ache settled in my empty womb, disheartened as I was by the thought of a life of barrenness.”
Or how much she missed her Irish-American family when she first arrived in Japan.
“A maudlin homesickness seeped through the layers of my silken kimono and made me yearn for the times when I was a girl back home in our white frame house surrounded by woods, Da and Mother and my little sister, Elva, gathered around the wood fire on cold nights, eating cream cakes and listening to my father tell tall stories about what it was like back in Ireland when he was a young man during the potato famine some thirty years ago.”
“Too stubborn to ask for help, my Irish pride and my bustle got the better of me when I sat down and slid off the cushion and onto the matting, my legs flying up into the air, my layers of petticoats and skirts covering my face. I was a sight to behold sprawled out on the floor, laughing, with poor Mr. Fawkes trying to pull me up without grabbing the wrong part of my anatomy.”
And how amazed she was to discover that the Empress of Japan was a charming young woman who shared her interest in fashion.
“…the Empress was openly curious about the rows and rows of lace trimming my flounces and petticoats. I was delighted when she suggested sponsoring a school to make the beautiful fabric. I knew she longed to have a red satin petticoat and white velvet gown set with off-the-shoulder cap sleeves and dotted with pearls like the one I’d brought with me from Paris.”
Then there was Shintaro.
“Yet the first man I took to my bed after my wedding night was not my husband—or yours—but one of the most mysterious, elusive and enigmatic men in all Japan. A samurai.“His name was Shintaro.â€
I’m thrilled that the readers at FreshFiction.com also enjoyed the adventures of Lady Carlton née Katie O’Roarke. Thank you!!
The Blonde Samurai“She embraced the way of the warrior. Two swords. Two loves.â€
A ROUTINE THAT DOESN’T FIT by Kitty Bucholtz
March 9, 2010 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives tagged as It's Worth It, Kitty Bucholtz
Last month, we heard from over a dozen authors who shared their writing routines with us at Routines for Writers. If there is one clear take-away, it is that there is no one right way to write. Perhaps not even one right way for each person.
When I started to realize that I identified with both the structured writers and the less structured ones, I began to ask myself some hard questions. Am I really as structured in writing as I think I am? If I were, wouldn’t I get more work done? If I tried more unstructured writing methods, would I be more successful?
The advice “learn what works for you†has never seemed more apropos. Because the advice I’ve been giving myself is not really working.
I’m a logical thinker in many ways. I worked in various areas of accounting and finance for close to fifteen years. I love playing with numbers, planning trips, and working with budgets – just for fun. So when I started to get serious about writing, I applied the same techniques to writing that brought me success in accounting. While sometimes everything aligns so that I’m producing massive amounts of work for a while, it doesn’t last. I finish books, but not with a routine or regularity that I can build a writing career on. At least, not according to conventional wisdom.
Which says to me that my routine is not working. More specifically, the way I think about routines and how to choose one for writing is not working.
Last week was the first week of class in my Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree. (Yay!) A very good time to re-think routines. I’m going to go back over last month’s guest blogs and highlight the areas that made me stop and think, “Yes! I get that!†Many of those moments popped up when I was reading about the less-structured writers. A bit of a shocker really.
Maybe my creative brain is trying to tell me that the structure I’m trying to impose on my writing is simply not a good fit. Maybe if I listen carefully, I will hear my brain suggesting some new ideas. I can’t wait to see how this year turns out compared to what I expected when I made my 2010 goals.
What about you? Did you have any ah-ha moments while reading any of the Author Crush blogs? Have you found that the routine you find successful in other areas of your life is or is not successful in your writing life?
Kitty Bucholtz writes light urban fantasy novels, romance novels, magazine articles, and really, anything that comes to mind. She is the co-founder of Routines for Writers (http://www.routinesforwriters.com/ ) and a post-grad student in the Master of Arts in Creative Writing program at University of Technology, Sydney in Australia. Even though she loves talking about, writing about, and teaching about writing, she’s pretty sure she knows at least three people who aren’t writers.
Dreaming of Disney
March 8, 2010 by A Slice of Orange in category ArchivesWe’ve all heard of those theme park rides based on movies – Harry Potter rides, Spiderman rides, etc—but a while back I read that the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was actually inspired by the Disneyland ride of the same name. Yes, the ride I last traveled on as a twelve-year-old, which was, um, some time before the movie came out. It was the movie-to-theme park journey in reverse.
Wow, a whole movie inspired by a theme park ride! Which got me thinking, why not a whole novel inspired by a theme park ride? I guess Pirates of the Caribbean is kind of taken. But what about, say, It’s a Small World? If, say I wanted to bring new saccharin levels to the concept of “sweet†romance? Or for an action novel, I guess I could use Space Mountain or the Matterhorn as inspiration. I see there’s a new attraction called Sleeping Beauty’s Castle Walkthrough…now that sounds promising!
Or maybe I’ll just a book about a strange town populated by oversize, benevolent, cartoonish characters… But where’s the conflict, folks, where’s the conflict?
My current preoccupation with Disneyland isn’t solely because Up just won the Best Animated Feature Oscar. It’s because in a few weeks’ time we’re taking the kids to Disneyland (Anaheim) for the first time. I can’t wait to reacquaint myself with the place, and draw whatever inspiration I can from letting my imagination out to play!
If you have any favorite Disneyland experiences or tips, let me know!
Developing The Writer’s Thick Skin by Linda O. Johnston
March 6, 2010 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston, Writing tagged as Berkley Prime Crime, Harlequin Nocturne, Linda O. Johnston
Last month, I asked for questions, and I got a couple of excellent ones from Jeri Hoag. One of them was about how to keep positive in the face of rejections that often come when you start submitting a book for publication.
It isn’t easy, but it is necessary. Keep in mind that, no matter what stage of writing you’re in, there are always negative things that can occur. Published or not, you can receive rejections on your submission, by editors and agents. If you already have a relationship with them, they’re sometimes kinder in how they reject your work, but a rejection is still a rejection.
Once you’re published, though, you have a track record that follows you. I won’t lie. It helps. But remember that when you’re published your work is out there for more than a few people to look at. You’ll get reviews. Some are positive, which is always a kick.
But some will be negative. Sometimes very negative. Sometimes very negative and posted on Amazon and other sites from which you hope people will want to buy your books. That kind of review, one that can discourage people from trying your work, is always a real kick in the gut.
Wanted: Inspiration
February 28, 2010 by A Slice of Orange in category ArchivesI have some quotes hanging on the wall around my computer, and in times when I am lacking inspiration, I find these help me find the way back to the path.
“Everything comes to those who hustle while they wait.†– Thomas Edison
If anything sums up the business of publishing, that one is it for certain. Publishing is a business of hurry up and wait.
– Hurry up and get that proposal in on time, then wait for feedback from the agent/editor.
– Hurry up and get those revisions in on time, then wait for the check.
– Hurry up and get that manuscript in, then wait for it to be released as a finished book.
But what if, while you are waiting, you hustle to start a new book or send out another proposal or query a new agent? Then that wait time becomes productive time, and you have a better chance of achieving your goals.
“Only those that risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.†– T.S. Eliot
This one can easily be applied to the craft of writing. Someone once said that there are only about fifty plots in the world. How is it possible then that so many books are published every year? (Way more than 50!) Because each author brings the uniqueness of voice and character and a twist to the plot that can make the same basic story sound completely different from another person’s version of the same.
But how far is too far? How much risk should you take? That becomes a personal decision, based on where you are in your writing career. A very successful author might be able to take risks a newer author might not. But then again, these days it is very hard to break into publishing, so maybe your work has to be riskier than others in order to be noticed and sell? This is a good one to contemplate. Sometimes taking the risk could simply mean submitting the work at all. If you never submit, you never have the opportunity to be successful.
“Inspiration usually comes during work, rather than before it.†Madeline L’Engle
This is my favorite quote of all and probably the one that makes the most sense to every writer. Basically, if you are looking for inspiration, look to your own work and your own words and you will find it. Facing the blank screen isn’t easy. It never is. But just the process of putting words on the page gets your creative juices going, and the next thing you know the words are flowing like water from your fingertips.
Any time I am blocked or stuck I look up and see these quotes on my wall. They remind me that I am not the first writer to be going through this, nor will I be the last. I hope they help you as well.
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