A Writer’s Pursuit…
September 12, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as A Writer's PursuitOf Inspiration
Have you ever strolled into a room and just been struck by the intricate details found in every corner, by the colors, by the traditions, by the history? Did the room ever become inspiration for part of your story?
This particular room inspired a couple of famous authors, Lewis Carroll and J.K. Rowling: The dining hall at Christ Church in Oxford, England.
Charles Dodgson, a.k.a. Lewis Carroll, taught mathematics at Christ Church, but entertained Dean Liddell’s daughter, Alice, and her siblings with stories about Wonderland and often drew his inspiration from his surroundings around the college. At the far end of the photo, you can see the High Table where the faculty members eat. From what we were told on our tour, the senior members of the faculty would exit the dining hall through an extremely narrow staircase behind the table, which eventually led to a senior common room then outside to the Tom Quad. It’s believed this may be the inspiration for the Rabbit Hole.
And, of course, Harry Potter fans recognize this hall as the inspiration for Hogwarts’ dining hall, too. However, the portraits here didn’t move, although I did hear a tale that one of them does… I wish I knew the full story behind that! 😉
I know lately I’ve been inspired by historic homes, abbeys, villages, and small towns…At least enough to incorporate a piece of what I remember about those places into my stories, those special details to make the tale my own, to make it pop off the page.
So what about you? What places have struck you with inspiration lately? Was it a room? A town? A college? A dining hall?
Take Care,
Michele
Michele Cwiertny writes dark paranormal romance. To find out more about her, please visit her website, michelecwiertny.com, or her personal blog, Michele’s Writing Corner.
My Video Interview with Burn Notice Author Tod Goldberg
September 11, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Confessions of a Podcast Goddessby Jina Bacarr
“When you’re a spy, certain things come easy…” writes Tod Goldberg in the opening of his Burn Notice book, “The Fix.”
For me, writing this blog on September 11th isn’t one of them.
I’m not a spy, but the heroine of my latest Spice release, Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs, is. Meet Breezy Malone, a female Indiana Jones and one tough chick. I asked Breezy what she would say if she was writing this blog on this important day in our history.
These are her words:
“Everybody knows the game has changed since 9/11. No longer are attacks planned and executed by a single al-Qaeda mastermind. Fueled by an ever-increasing well of recruits bound together by motives and causes, it’s up to me to find out what the target knows and who he’s working for.
I’m a spy. A covert op, a trained intelligence agent. I deal with graying KGB agents with prostate problems, punks from Pakistan flaunting peach fuzz and assault rifles and Iraqi militants eager to trade intel for explosives. It’s an international grocery list and it’s my job to roll up as many of these lowlifes as I can.
I go where other government agents can’t, taking down sophisticated men in grey tweed as well as terrorists who view the world with a piercing gaze and an AK-47.
If you passed me on the street you’d never know I was a Federal agent carrying a concealed Glock while keeping the eyeball on the punk ahead of me, ready to go into auto-mode to immobilize him if I’m threatened. I like my job and I do it well.
They say in the field, it’s all about people, not theory. Never was it so true as it is today. We’re fighting a war on terror and terror doesn’t take a holiday. The Federal agents out there know that and risk their lives every day to keep America safe. They do it because they believe in America and what we stand for. So do I and I know you do, too. So don’t forget the agents in the field. Not now, not ever.
Duty calls. Gotta go. It’s the business I’m in.”
Thankz, Breezy.
And thank you to author Tod Goldberg for bringing Michael Westen from the Burn Notice TV series to the page in his novel, “The Fix.” As anyone who watches the show knows, Michael Westen does his job with style, brains, a quick wit and fast moves. That also describes Tod. I had the opportunity to interview him after the August OCC meeting and totally enjoyed it.
Check out my video interview with Tod Goldberg then check out Tod’s blog at http://todgoldberg.typepad.com/
Best, Jina
Jina Bacarr is the author of The Blonde Geisha , Naughty Paris, Tokyo Rendezvous, a Spice Brief, and Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs, featuring a female Indiana Jones.
Coming in April 2009: Cleopatra’s Perfume, set in Cairo and Berlin during WWII.
Jina says, “What if Casablanca was erotic…”
“Get Caught in the Act!”
Running With Joy
September 10, 2008 by Marianne H. Donley in category ArchivesBy Nancy Farrier
Something caught my eye as I stood in the front yard talking with my neighbor. I looked up to see my two-year-old daughter racing, arms outstretched, down the slope of the roof toward the edge. My heart stuttered. I broke into a run, hoping to get close enough to catch her when she stepped into space. Instead, she stopped, her small feet poised near the drop off, a smile as big as the Grand Canyon on her face. She still had her arms out, and I could see how delighted she was to have this vantage point. My expression of utter panic didn’t faze her.
This wasn’t the first time my daughter managed to climb on the roof. She’d been eighteen-months-old the first time she found her way there. Since then, we often heard from neighbors driving by, who would call when they got home to tell us Anne was on the roof again. Hooray for small towns.
Despite my repeated attempts to apprise her of the dangers, Anne loved being up so high. I would send her outside to look for something, and when I would find her on top of the house, she would say, “But, Mom, I can see better from up here.†Who could argue with that logic? Well, I could—and did.
Sometimes, in life I get bogged down. There are everyday mundane chores that never seem to end no matter how often I do them. When that happens, I can find myself forgetting the joy and fun in life. All I see are the piles of laundry, the dirty dishes, the nitpicky editing I need to do, and on it goes.
I have to remember to be more like that two-year-old. My attitude doesn’t have to be that of a grumpy person, even if I have a lot of responsibility. Not that I intend to run across my roof, but I do need to put my arms out sometimes and surrender all the things that weigh me down. I need to keep alive the joy in my life.
It’s Worth It
September 9, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as It's Worth ItROUTINES FOR WRITERS
by Kitty Bucholtz
Write every day. Make each book better than your last. Write what you love so that your passion fills every page. Oh, and by the way, make time for blogs, web sites, social sites, teaching classes, and writing articles to get your name out there as much as possible.
Not to be a naysayer, but wow! That sounds like so much work! I’d rather do the first three things than spend so much time on marketing myself that I have less time for writing. But once a business school graduate, always a business mindset. How could I do both?
One day, it occurred to my two critique partners and me that our weekly conference calls were such a huge part of all three of us getting more done – why didn’t we find a way to share our conference call with more writers – and promote ourselves? Thus the idea for Routines For Writers was born.
Launched on September 1, 2008, the web site is meant to be a discussion-starter for brainstorming ways to get more and better writing done. The three of us only blog once a week, but that gives readers new material each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. (It also gives us real and attainable deadlines.) We’re writing “pillar articles†– longer articles that go into more detail on a particular topic. We’ll post helpful spreadsheets and documents for tracking progress, making goals, and other helpful items. And we’ll have guest bloggers from all areas of the publishing scene.
Instead of stressing about whether we three unpublished-in-novel-length-fiction writers should have three web sites already, we moved the synergy we’d already developed into a joint web site. And the web site is on a topic we’re (gasp!) passionate about! All three of us love teaching, love sharing what we’ve learned with others. (I helped a new writer while eating lunch at the Costco food court last month. It was great!)
What can you do to harness synergy that’s already begun in your writing world? How can you get more done with less work? How can you get your name out more without cutting into your writing time? (And without, say, forgetting to go to the bank and the grocery store as I did this week. Scene 1: Enter husband looking through bare cupboards…)
If you have some ideas, share them here. And come on by our web site and see what we’re talking about each week. We’d love to have you join in the discussion!
Kitty Bucholtz is a co-founder of Routines For Writers, a new web site to help writers write more. She writes light urban fantasy novels with a romantic comedy spin – and loves every minute of it! Read her article Orange You Glad You Thought of That? in this month’s RWR magazine. 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.
The delight of “discovering†an author
September 8, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category ArchivesA few years back, a friend gave an interesting view on reading. She claims that the first book you read by an author is nearly always the one you like best. I’m not necessarily talking about the author’s first book—rather, the book by that author that you read first.
When my friend said it, I thought, yes, that’s exactly right. Now, I’m not so sure. I think back over some of the authors I’ve “discovered,†and in some cases I liked the first book I read the best, but in others, I liked later books as much or more.I’m going to talk about some of those books here.
Please note, just because I say I like one book best, it doesn’t mean I didn’t like, or even love, the author’s other books. I’m just talking about that book I would name as my favorite by that author.
The “first is best†rule holds true for me with some authors. Anita Shreve’s Fortune’s Rocks was the first I read of hers and is still my favorite. My Sister’s Keeper is my first and best read from Jodi Picoult. Prince of Lies (Harlequin Presents) is my first and favorite book by Robyn Donald. The Heiress Takes a Husband is, I think, my favorite book by Silhouette author Cara Colter, and it was also the first I read (it was part of trilogy, BTW, and somehow I missed the other two books, which is a lasting regret!).
But on the other hand… Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married was the first book I read by Marian Keyes, but Rachel’s Holiday is so far my favorite. This Heart of Mine was my first Susan Elizabeth Phillips book, but although it’s still right up there, I think I prefer Kiss an Angel or Match Me If You Can. Marrying Marcus is my favorite book from Silhouette author Laurey Bright, who also writes as Daphne Clair, but it was by no means the first I read. With Sophie Kinsella’s Shopaholic series, I think I’ve enjoyed all the books equally.
I rather enjoy sitting around remembering books I’ve read and debating (with myself, mostly) which is the best. How about you? Do you think the first book you read by an author tends to be the best, or does that have nothing to do with it?
Abby
