Growing your #Characters! #Amwriting #Amreading #Romance #Western

If you're a writer you know your characters must grow or the plot will become stale and boring. If you're a reader, you know you want to read about characters who go through challenges and become a better person.

Today is Day 11 of the MY LITTLE TEXAS TORNADO tour with a pit stop at URBAN GIRL READER. Click on the link to make sure you enter to win a copy of the book!

Savannah Moon is a total snob, engaged to an even bigger snob. Wouldn't you like to see her become a better person? It was quite a challenge but alpha male, Colt Daniels didn't have too much trouble thawing the ice.

Tell me about your favorite literary characters. What challenges did they face?

Happy Monday ~ Ruby Vines

What's The Secret Ingredient for the Best #Writers? #Amwriting #Amreading #Kindle #Mustread #Booklover #Western #Cowboy

What's the secret ingredient to the best books? Is it the plot, the setting, the characters or the writer's style? What do you think? Are you a writer? Do you have one thing that sets you apart from other writers? Do you have a secret ingredient? How secret is it? I have a secret but I'm not sharing. If I did, it wouldn't be a secret. If you're a reader of mine, you may already know. You're welcome to guess if you like.

It's Day 7 of the MY LITTLE TEXAS TORNADO TOUR. Colt Daniels' has a secret ingredient for his famous steaks. Go to THE CREATIVELY GREEN WRITE AT HOME MOM to see the secret ingredient!

Happy Thursday,
Ruby Vines

Simple Advice for New #Writers and a Fan Girl Moment! #Amwriting #Amreading #Kindle #Ebooks #TracyLawrence #CountryMusic #Western #Kindle

Today is Day 1 of the book tour for MY LITTLE TEXAS TORNADO! I'm giving a book away every day! And today I'm giving advice for new writers and sharing the song that inspired the title for this book!

Check out who favorited my Tweet last night when I gushed about his amazing song! Squeallllll!!! Total Fan Girl Moment!! Thank you, Mr. Lawrence for sharing your wonderful voice with the world! xoxoxox

Go to ROXANNE'S REALM to read my advice and see the song! Don't forget to leave a comment with your email for a chance to win a copy of MY LITTLE TEXAS TORNADO!!

Are you an Artist with Haters?

Have you ever noticed that sucessful artists have haters? Lots of them!

On the literary front, there are haters of Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, E.L. James, Danielle Steel and Stephenie Meyer to name a few!

Where do these haters come from? Do you ever wonder? Why in the hell would you obsess about a book you hate? Stop reading it! Get a book you DO like! Read that! If these haters put as much energy into their own lives, their own work; I'm sure they'd be more successful, happy individuals.

It doesn't stop at literature. There are haters of certain musicians and bands. Wtf? Don't listen to them! Change the radio station! Don't post on You Tube why you think they suck to high heaven!

What really blows my mind is that some of the very most successful books and musicians get the most hateful reviews. I just don't get it. I read a blog last week that ripped E.L. James and her 50 Shades of Grey a new one! It was total mean snark! And then the review was followed by dozens of hateful comments, agreeing with the reviewer. Listen up haters, E.L. James did SOMETHING right when she wrote that series. She's now a bestselling author and has shit loads more money. I think the Harry Potter lady as I affectionately call her, J.K. Rowling lives in a damn castle now! That lady used to live in a freaking trailer, unable to pay her electric bill!! I think she's sold more books than Stephen King now. But who can forget all the crazy ass parents threatening to ban her books from their children's shelves for the scary witch craft inside!? Come on! Seriously? I remember dating this guy who had a little girl and he made a really stupid comment about those "evil books". Please!

Then we have all the haters of Danielle Steel who has sold like a gozillion romance novels and has had tons of them made into movies. I've been to many a writer's meeting and listened to writers blab on about how she doesn't know how to write. Uh...well, newsflash...she's made a career of not knowing how to write books and making millions!

What about all the people who think Stephen King is Satan himself? I haven't run across many SK haters in a while but back in the 80's and 90's, I'd hear from many of them. I think they are in the same group as the J.K. Rowling haters who fear their children will read his books and try to raise their dead pets from the grave.

On the music front, there is a group of Nickelback haters! Really? What for? Are you deaf? Why would you hate Nickleback? And there are so many musicians people love to hate.

Where is all this hate coming from? Is hate a sign of success? It most definitely IS a sign of success and good things to come! Do you have haters? Have you received strange hate mail, horrid reviews that scream I HATE YOU AND YOUR BOOK or worse, have you been featured in a tabloid or newspaper or blog as a hated artist? Congratulations! You're on your way up!

And if you're lucky like me, you have haters who hate you so much, they create a hate site for you! My beloved hate site seemed to fuel my career, making me a best selling author at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

If people hate you, it could mean that they really envy you or maybe they don't have the guts to create the book, the movie, the music, the art that YOU create. They don't have the guts to put it out there themselves or it could be that they're a struggling artist so they have to put down all the very successful artists out there. I couldn't help but think this was true when I read the mean blog on E.L. James. Get real, haters. James didn't intend for 50 Shades of Grey to be some literary masterpiece. She intended to write an erotic novel to make women squirm and she succeeded! People like to tear her work to bits, analyzing it, her characters, her use of vocabulary, her use of plot, her world building techniques. I will tell you this. Her number one technique was: How does this chapter move the plot foward? Did the chapter make me hornier, make me hungrier for Christian Grey? That's about as complicated as it got..because we're talking about X-rated beach reads meant to drive house wives wild! She succeeded! Big time!!! AND I'm happy for the woman!

What about all the Stephenie Meyer haters? All the people who hated the teen vamp books that were hugely successful and made into movies. Are you freaking jealous you didn't come up with the concept yourself and make millions? I have heard many a writer say Stephenie can't write. Sure she can't. Tell her bank she can't write. They'd cough up all their money laughing!!!

So why is it that people love to hate? And of course all these writers and artists have fans too. The fans keep them going and help them wade through the hate shit!

One of my books has received some truly hateful reviews while receiving rave reviews at the same time. I even received hate emails about Circle City: Lord of the Wolfen. I've been told by more than one successful artist that it means I'm on the right track. If you don't piss off half of your readers, evoke some kind of strong emotions, you aren't at your best.

And getting stalkers and hate sites along the way is part of the game too! Every new stalker means you're getting better. Seriously. Research this yourself if you don't believe. Choose the most successful author you can think of. Go read their reviews on Amazon. Go search for a hate site on them. Eye opening.

I'd like to thank all my haters for hating me. I'm happy to piss you off, make you think, make you squirm, make you feel, make you wish you loved like some of my characters and make you hate. That's what I'm here for. You're welcome.

Keep Reading!
~Alisha

Aloha!! Toby Neal is in the House! A treat better than Hawaiian Pizza!

Twenty Things I’ve Learned as a Therapist and Writer:
1. Niceness: it DOES matter. What kind of world would this be if we all gave into our nasty, jealous, greedy, murderous, slanderous impulses? So, when in doubt be NICE and even though not everyone will like you (that’s inevitable) the world will be a pleasanter place. If you must, get those evil impulses out by writing crime novels, like I do!
2. Global Warming: if it wasn’t that, it’d be something else. Because of #3.
3. Death and Taxes: yep, no matter how you wriggle and squirm, they’ll get you in the end.
4. Gum: chew it often, it makes you smarter. Research shows it increases circulation to the brain.
5. Dreams: they aren’t just too much pizza and beer. Your subconscious is trying to communicate! Listen to it or it’ll keep tossing you off that cliff (or having that bear chase you, etc)
6. Dogs: they are here to keep the human race company, make us laugh, warm our feet, and give us stuff to do in the yard involving shovels and shit.
7. Chocolate: there is a God, and there’s proof he loves us because of chocolate. (I like creamy milk chocolate with almonds or hazelnuts, mmmmm)
8. Orgasms: they are everyone’s right and you don’t always have to be granted them by a partner. Figure out how to get some and get some regularly. (Men don’t seem to have a problem with this)
9. Old Age: unless Death & Taxes get you first, it’s going to happen to you. Planning for it and taking care of yourself physically are a good idea or you’ll end up somewhere you don’t want to live, not wanting to live.
10. Nature: daily, extended doses will improve your perspective and mental health. I pity the poor souls who live in cities and can’t understand how they do it.
11. The Zombie Apocalypse, Piercings and Tattoos: I don’t get it. I just don’t. Chalk it up to the Generation Gap.
12. Laughing: also makes you smarter, not to mention happier. Laugh at Zombies if nothing else.
13. Doing Good: The best antidote to feeling crappy is to do something for somebody else. Next time you are grumpy, make yourself do something NICE and see if it doesn’t help. C’mon, I dare ya!
14. Money: You CAN have too much. But most of us will never have that problem, so don’t worry about it.
15. Jobs: It’s REALLY important to figure out what you enjoy doing and can make a living at because you’ll spend more waking hours working than any other activity. It’s worth experimenting around until you find that thing—then any amount of time, money and education is worth it to get to the goal. I love what I do and it took 12 years of college (at the speed I went) to be able to do therapy with people, and it was well worth it.
16. Stereotypes: they exist because humans’ brains categorize things as a way of saving energy. They should, however, be examined when they pop up as they may not be useful (see blog entry It Will Make You Fat)
17. Red Meat: I prefer not to dwell on where it came from, but I’m not giving it up until my doctor makes me because of encroaching #9. Very little food on the planet can beat a perfectly done ribeye with some rock salt and mushrooms. We evolved eating this kind of thing, so how can it be wrong? True, we didn’t live much past forty…
18. Health Care: We should all be able to have the health care we need, not just the rich and steadily employed. I say make a constitutional amendment to that effect, and yeah, charge me more if you must, for eating steak!
19. Cell Phones: I used to hate them. Now I believe more and more, we’ll do everything on them and hopefully save trees in the process. But people, please don’t fight, scream, gossip and grumble on them in front of others. We’re listening, and we don’t want to know.
20. Internet Friendship: Facebook has brought people back into my life I hadn’t seen since high school and deepened many a relationship. Twitter has brought hundreds of new readers to stop by my blog at least once—and I’m delighted to tell you, most people are exactly as they represent themselves when you meet them in person. I used to think everyone making friends online was really a paunchy, middle-aged pedophile in a pair of boxers, and I’m very happy to be wrong.

So there’s Twenty Things I’ve Learned, in no particular order. Why don’t you tell me some of yours?

Toby Neal is a therapist and writer living life large in Hawaii. Her first novel, Blood Orchids, recently debuted to rave reviews and is available at:



Barnes and Noble: Buy Link

Amazon.com: Buy Link

Smashwords for Kobo and Ibooks: Buy Link




.

More from The Diary of a Pantster ~ Find Your Method

My last blog entry really forced me to think about our craft. It truly is a craft, is it not? And as I mentioned in my last diary entry, we all have our methods.

If you're new to the writing game and you're busy learning all you can about our craft and have no idea if you're a planner, a pantster or a mixture of both...get a pen and paper. Write down three columns titled Planner, Pantser, Both. Put a check mark in the appropriate column. Whichever column has the most checks, that's the method you most often choose. The longer you write, the more you will lean to one of the three and find your "zone", the perfect method for you.

Do you brainstorm before writing? If you do, put a check mark in the Planner column.

Do you look for names in a baby book for your characters? If you do, put a check mark in the Both column. This isn't really planning a plot but it is taking the time to research for a name..so it's a little of both.

Do you make character charts for your characters? If you do, put a check mark in the Planner column.

Do you have a vague theme you would like to write about and turn on your computer and envision a scene, start typing and come up with your character's name and description on the spur of the moment? If you do, put a check mark in the Pantster column.

Do you find holes in your story and then go back and plug them up? If you do, put a check mark in the Both column. You probably tend to write by the seat of your pants, read over your manuscript and realize you left out a small detail. This is common in pantster writing but a skilled pantster will pay attention. If you do this, you are really both planner and pantster. Put a check mark in the Both column.

Do you sit down to write, your mind a blank, focus on the story you've written so far, think up a new scene and attack the keyboard? If you do, you are 100% Pantster. Put a check mark in the Panster column.

Okay, count up your check marks. We don't have to choose our method by what we hear at writing conferences or from writing friends. Choose what feels right. Hopefully this little exercise will help you to recognize your method and embrace it fully.



Happy Writing!
~Alisha

(Photos courtesy of Photobucket.com)

Diary of a Pantster

I've been thinking a lot lately about my method. For readers out there in blog land who have never thought about it, writers have various methods in which they write.

We have those who outline and plan everything from beginning to end, those who plan the ending first and then plan the book around the perceived outcome, those who have a vague plan and write as they go (by the seat of their pants) and then there are the flat out Pantsters as some are called, those who start with a blank page and have virtually no idea where they are going. These writers truly write by the seat of their pants.

I'm this kind of writer. I read an article once by a very famous novelist of years past. This particular author had very meticulous, detailed outlines for his books. He once said that to write by the seat of one's pants was totally unprofessional. I was quite offended by this comment. And a little shocked. Hey, I don't knock the planners and outliners. Every person's brain works differently. We all approach our craft at a different angle. If it works for you, do it. I've tried to plan. It never works out. I never stick to the outline. I start writing and my characters pretty much just come alive on their own and take over.

And this is really how it seems to a real pantster. It's as if the book writes itself. Once a pantster is in the zone, our fingers are really just mediums for our characters, the ouiga board from which to speak and come alive. Our characters surprise us. Characters we never intended to have a large role become some of the most unforgettable characters ever. The plot may take a nose dive or take a fork in the road that we never saw coming.



It is both exciting and frustrating to be a panster. And frightening. We never know the outcome of our books. Even if we start out with a general idea, the theme of the book will change many times. We discover hidden messages our characters are trying to say. There are many great writers who plan and there are many great writers who write by the seat of his or her pants. I think I would feel more secure if I were a planner, if I had a detailed outline and knew when I would finish each book. My life would be less stressful but I wouldn't give up my panster style for anything now. Why? Because it has never let me down. I listen to my characters. They speak to me and take me to places all on their own. Writing a book is no different from reading. I simply have to keep typing to turn the page and find out what happens.

For those that don't believe in such a thing. True pantsters are real. We do exist. And yes we are always worried that we'll lose it and stare at that blank page and nothing will come forth. But when those days comes, we simply set our hands on the keyboard and listen. No, we're not any more gifted than the writes who outline. For me, I build upon scenes. We do have our own ideas but they are simply more spontaneous and last minute. The ideas literally come to us as we write. Our ideas flow to us as we write dialogue, a new scene, introduce a new character. Our brains just work this way.

Being a panster is like taking a road trip without a map.



Have a beautiful week!
~Alisha

Recharging the Writer's Soul!!!

One thing is for sure about writers. We sit on our bums all day or all night, depending on when you write. And that's just not good for the bones or the soul. We all need to recharge and I'm sure you all have your various methods. What are yours? Share yours today and I'll pick the most original and give the winner his or her choice of any of my books in virtual format.

One of my favorite ways to recharge is gardening. I did plenty of that yesterday. I love digging the earth with my giant cooking spoon. Do you think I should invest in some gardening tools? I have and they aren't as good as my spoons. I go nuts in the kitchen aisle and I'm shopping for garden stuff. My mother doesn't have a green thumb. She has a green body, a green soul, green hair. She looks like freaking Oscar the Grouch. No kidding. The woman's house is like one giant African violet. She's constantly bringing over cuttings, bulbs, baskets and flats of whatever plant is overtaking her garden. I have news for you mom...uh, it's a lost cause. And get this, I'm not kidding either. When my parents go out of town, I take care of their kitties..no problem, a couple of cans of Fancy Feast, fresh water and rubbing behind the ears. No joke here...it takes me nearly 2 freaking hours to water her stuff. Groannnnnnnnnnn....so there I am lugging a baby on my hip for two hours while I talk to the garden hose about my latest WIP. I complain a lot but really I love it. This recharges my battery as much as working in my own garden. Nothing more soothing then being outside, listening to the birds chirping, giving the earth and the flowers a nice, long drink. I once saw a psychic that told me if I'm ever stuck on a book, to run water. She said it makes everything flow. I thought she was nuts until I realized I do my best plotting in the shower. Watering plants works too. Try it.





Okay, many of my wicked blogger friends know that I adore wine, particularly red wine. Well, last year I planted a grapevine. Well, I affectionately call it my winevine. Cause that's what it is really. It's gorgeous this year. Last year it was a stick with one leaf. Check it out.


I love watching my plants start out as tiny little things in the spring and grow to full bodied beauties in the summer and this baby is just getting started. This really recharges my battery. And I love the sunshine on my skin and face. You know, sunshine is prescribed for people in dreary climates. Sunshine is rich in Vitamin D and helps with depression. I think many writers fall into depression needlessly because we are shut inside like mad scientists, working furiously on a deadline. Stop it! Go outside! Thankfully, many of us have laptops.

I love to take my kids to the park or get a glass of wine and hang out in the backyard while they play. Pack a picnic lunch and head to the ole swimming hole. We have a great creek nearby. My honey and I have had some wonderful days there too. The kids love to catch turtles, watch minnows, dig in the mud and collect rocks and shells. Take the dogs on a walk, take the kids out in the stroller or mix it up and do both! Venture outdoors and recharge that battery!







Another thing that we often do to ourselves as writers is deprive ourselves of precious sleep. This is a big fat no-no! We need our sleep! And if you're like me and you're forced to write at night because of the rugrats, then take a nap with the baby. Your body and mind will thank you for it later and your brain will be recharged, refreshed and wired, ready to go for several hours of good writing that same night. If you don't, you might end up like Tiny down below.



Okay, now my ultimate favorite way to unwind, relax and recharge is...I bet it's yours too....snicker. Hmmmm....I wonder...what could it be...that's right....some good ole fashioned kissing, face sucking, lip hugging, neck licking, you name it. I love to kiss, as most women do and many men generally like to skip this MOST important bit of foreplay. For me, it IS the foreplay and the very best way to revel in your lover's scent and special brand of love. *Sigh* Kissing is oh so intimate and seductive and then of course, it leads to the really good shit so let's all recharge our batteries with this baby. Put this at the top of your list at RECHARGE LESSON #1....WE MUST MAKE LOVE AND LOTS OF IT!!!! And hey, it's a fabulous reason to post more hot as hell eye candy pics!








Now Wicked Bloggers....UNITE, GO FORTH, RECHARGE THOSE BATTERIES!!! I double dog dare you to seduce your lover the second he or she walks through your door today. Say it was an assignment. Report back with the details. All of them. The more vivid the better. Now, DO IT! Then you can garden.

~Alisha

M. Patrick Watson and Lazarus Slade ~ A Modern American Poet and Works of the Master

I'm very excited to have one hell of a writer on my blog today! M. Patrick Watson, also writing as Lazarus Slade is one of those guys who always has your back. Funny, sweet, charming, strong, and romantic; the kind of girl everyone dreams of and the kind of writer who brings it all to the table. Please welcome him to my blog today. He's talking about perseverance, something we all need. And for a special treat, enjoy the excepts I chose from his new releases.

Perseverance

The easiest advice to give, is the hardest advice to take, especially when it comes to writing.

Persevere, dream every dream, but dreaming alone will bring you nothing, each dream becomes a goal to work for, to strive for, to make real.

Every successful author I have ever asked for advice, be they wildly successful or simply have been published, each of them gives me the same advice, “Just write”

“Easy for them to say” I'd think to myself, disgruntled that yet again the magic key to success as a writer wasn't laid in the palm of my hand. Writing without inspiration, writing without motivation, writing when you feel down, when you feel stressed, when you feel tired or angry, it's just HARD.

But the simple truth is, regardless of what you write, one genre or many, the only way to get to a point of critical mass is to write, over and over, you might throw away a months worth of words at a time, but eventually, in time, and it may take years, it will happen, some spark will catch and when it does, wildfire!

I write poetry, horror, erotica, romance, fantasy and biographical works, and I tell you, sitting down, without a clear idea, without a plot point or a character or even just a theme to follow, is one of the singularly most difficult things I have ever set myself to do. But, I have gotten to the point where I write, daily, I hate most of it, but now and then, I'll find something worth saving, to work over, expand on or use as inspiration for an entirely different idea that sprouts.

I am not a fully published author yet, by no means, but I am selling books, e-books, as a self publisher, but it's a beginning, and some of the most amazing success stories have much humbler beginnings than that. Spend time with other writers, share ideas, tips, learn from them what you can, and teach them what you can in return, these relationships will serve you well throughout your career, writers are an odd sort, but once we find like minds, we stick together through thick and thin.

So, if writing is your dream, if the written word is your brush, a blank page your canvas and language your palette, then sit down, clear some time each day, and write.

Keep dreaming your dreams, and with each word you write or type or dictate, you come a little closer to making that dream real.

My dreams are starting to be a reality for me, and soon, I will have all I dreamed of and more, I just feel the momentum building, but you can't build momentum if you don't move, so, I say it one more time, because it will always be true, “Just write.”


Ode to Woman by M. Patrick Watson, taken from the collection, A Modern American Poet


You watch her carefully, the way the fabric of her clothes glides over her skin, the way the lines of her body contort and sway as she moves with that effortless grace. Her beauty is subtle yet stunning, she turns your head then moves your heart. Her body is the perfect expression of divine femininity, lean and strong, but soft and full, curving and supple, her curves flair sensually, drawing you into the contours of her body. She makes you realize why ancient pagans believed that a woman was a mans path to god, through the one act that allows we mere mortals to have the power of a god and create a life, through sex do man and woman truly bring themselves to the power of the divine.

She seduces you with her calm confidence, her soft smile, the dancing mirth in her deep alluring eyes. She sees you watching and her cheeks color softly, she drops her eyes but not before you see that she's more pleased than embarrassed. Her full lips purse up into a demure smile as she composes herself and lifts her eyes to meet yours openly, accepting your interest and returning it. She tilts her head exposing the line of her neck, offering her skin to you, her pulse thrumming and strong, she smiles and watches your eyes dance over her.

She is beauty embodied, she is the keeper of humanity's soul, within her lies the womb from which all life springs, her strength sustains us, her wisdom guides us and her compassion heals us.

She is our balance, her gentle care, her patience and wisdom, her passion and strength. Without her we are mere mortals, angry and uncivilized. In the perfect union of man and woman lies the key to all things. In the balance of masculine and feminine is the one truth that will never change.

A Modern American Poet for Your Nook

A Modern American Poet for Your Kindle



Excerpt from short story, Primal, taken from Works of the Master by Lazarus Slade


He stalks the club for prey like a lion on a dark night in the savannah. His senses heightened, eyes scanning the crowd, scenting the air with his tongue, casting for the tingle of power and passion that sets his hunger aflame.
Like a secret kept within her soul the scent dances across his taste buds, saliva flowing, nostrils flaring to pull more of her scent in, she's close but careful, this prey is power, sensuality and savagery hidden beneath pretext and protocol.
His eyes slow their scan and begin to consume the form of each woman near him, drinking in their posture and bearing, small details that give away hidden truths, displays of strength and confidence in movements and gestures, each woman a complex puzzle revealing some details and obscuring others.
He stops as his eyes find his prey, she is thick and round but her body is firm and hard, full of strength and power.
Her back is erect and proud, her shoulders back, breasts proudly displayed. She moves in small motions but each movement is confident, strong and concise. Her eyes look into the eyes of each person she addresses, there is no demure looking down or away, she does not challenge with her eyes, but she does speak of her own place clearly and undeniably, yes, this is his prey, without question.
She is fragile feminine beauty coalesced with the power and strength of the primal goddess, mother to us all. Dark hair flows like a stream of onyx down the sleek muscled lines of her neck and shoulders, soft curls bouncing gently across the top of her back. Her eyes are deep warm walnut brown, inviting and compassionate with the heat of passion dancing in their depths for a man with the reach to grasp it. Her body is a poem of sex and power, muscles ripple and flow beneath voluptuous feminine curves, she is compact and solid.
He licks his lips, allowing her scent and taste to drift into his nose and mouth, she tastes of smoke, amber, musk, beeswax and rose petals, beneath the perfumed oil lies the woman, sex, power, confidence and hunger.
A smile slowly dances across his cold dark face as the anticipation of the hunt grows warm within him.
His sites set, a calm settles over the blazing hunger roaring for satiation within his soul, he strides towards his prey openly, wanton expression of sex upon his face, eyes cold and hard betraying a darker intent than mere innuendo filled flirtation. Her body tenses with subconscious alarm at his approach, she has not seen him yet but she is aware and on guard.
Their eyes meet through the crowd, he smiles his devils smile, teeth showing, hunger and intent clear in his eyes, she meets his gaze steadily, an open acceptance of the challenge he cast to her.
The gap between them closes and they are now within each others space, their auras mixing and sparking, tension building thick and heady between them.
He leans in close letting their body heat intensify and mingle, their scents mixing into a heady brew of sex and aggression, whispering "Tonight you shall be claimed"
Her eyes seek his, she has a bemused smile on her face "Better have made the attempt and here I still stand, unclaimed." Her lips curl into a mocking sneer of a smirk.
"You have an odd calculation of a mans worth, calling those that have failed where I will succeed better, but then everyone is entitled to be wrong kitten." his condescension visibly rankling her.

Her lips parted, voice a vitriol filled hiss issuing forth but before she could speak his hand was on the back of her neck pulling her towards him, her parted lips pressed hard against his mouth in a ferocious kiss, he pulled her away quickly as he felt her teeth begin to clamp down in a flesh rending bite before she could tear his bottom lip off.

Works of the Master for Your Nook
Works of the Master for Your Kindle

More from The Diary of a Pantster ~ Find Your Method

My last blog entry really forced me to think about our craft. It truly is a craft, is it not? And as I mentioned in my last diary entry, we all have our methods.

If you're new to the writing game and you're busy learning all you can about our craft and have no idea if you're a planner, a pantster or a mixture of both...get a pen and paper. Write down three columns titled Planner, Pantser, Both. Put a check mark in the appropriate column. Whichever column has the most checks, that's the method you most often choose. The longer you write, the more you will lean to one of the three and find your "zone", the perfect method for you.

Do you brainstorm before writing? If you do, put a check mark in the Planner column.

Do you look for names in a baby book for your characters? If you do, put a check mmark in the Both column. This isn't really planning a plot but it is taking the time to research for a name..so it's a little of both.

Do you make character charts for your characters? If you do, put a check mark in the Planner column.

Do you have a vague theme you would like to write about and turn on your computer and envision a scene, start typing and come up with your character's name and description on the spur of the moment? If you do, put a check mark in the Pantster column.

Do you find holes in your story and then go back and plug them up? If you do, put a check mark in the Both column. You probably tend to write by the seat of your pants, read over your manuscript and realize you left out a small detail. This is common in pantster writing but a skilled pantster will pay attention. If you do this, you are really both planner and pantster. Put a check mark in the Both column.

Do you sit down to write, your mind a blank, focus on the story you've written so far, think up a new scene and attack the keyboard? If you do, you are 100% Pantster. Put a check mark in the Panster column.

Okay, count up your check marks. We don't have to choose our method by what we hear at writing conferences or from writing friends. Choose what feels right. Hopefully this little exercise will help you to recognize your method and embrace it fully.



Happy Writing!
~Alisha

(Photos courtesy of Photobucket.com)

Inspiration as the summer fades away...

As the last days of summer slide by, I'm trying to cram everything I can into a few days so my kids will remember the fun we all shared. We stay up late and watch movies, go to the zoo, the arboretum, the lake and today we're at a very cool coffee shop downtown. The little ones play with toys on the floor...hey, any place that makes a space for kids makes me smile....and my oldest daughter and I bring our laptops and books to read. Right now the kids are playing Mickey Mouse Uno as I type this blog.

It seems like yesterday I was a kid myself, walking to the public pool a few blocks away, kicking a horse apple all the way. Sometimes it makes me sad to see how fast time flies but that should comfort me since I'm a writer. It seems like we have to wait forever to hear back from editors, publishers and agents. Well, I just received the fastest rejection ever today. I queried an agent yesterday and today I received the email form letter that said my work sucks. Gotta love those little love letters we get. I hold them all so close to my heart.





Back to me and my kids going to the Arboretum. At the Dallas Arboretum, they have these storybook cottages for kids to walk inside. I just love them. Each cottage is a house from a book to promote literacy for children. My kids loved Alice and Wonderland's crazy cottage. They had a ship for Treasure Island and some fish in a house for Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish. It just makes me very happy to see the city promoting literacy in this way. What a gorgeous arboretum. I wish everyone could go. Right now, tickets are one dollar for the month of August...probably cause it's so damn hot, no one in their right mind would pay more than that in this heat..ha ha...but they have a frog fountain for the kids to play in and cool off.

Storybook Playhouses at The Dallas Arboretum





The storybook cottages inspired me. It was my young adult fantasy that was rejected yesterday. I've been told it's "too far out", "bizarre", "weird" and I've had some say, "Hey, what were you smoking?" Well, have you read Alice in Wonderland or any of Dr. Seuss? What about all the crazy names he came up with? The man was a genius in my book. I also sent my query to another agent yesterday. I'll continue to send my work out. I know we all go through tough times as writers. And I've been told I'm a bit odd because I write everything from erotica to YA but hey, I have a lot to write about.

I just want to remind all those wicked bloggers out there to write what you love and never give up. Don't listen to the negative comments. Believe in yourself, spend time with those you love and you'll find yourself inspired to forge ahead. Dream big!


~xxoo,
Alisha

The Love Letter

I have a great writer's group I formed in my hometown of Dallas, Texas. It's a writer's and wine tasting group. We haven't had a wine tasting yet but I'm planning one soon. Last Friday night we met in a funky little coffee shop near my home because it's just so hard for me to leave my baby behind. He's 1 and 1/2 and two to three hours without Mommy is his max. The coffee shop was five minutes from my house in the old downtown square. My group has like fifty members but usually only 15 to 20people show. And now that I've scheduled it closer to home, even less people come because they prefer the meetings in the heart of Dallas. I figured the people that truly want to come will show, right?

Well, I only had four people show up last Friday night but it was a great night because it was much more intimate. Everyone shared a bit of their work. We had a new guy show up. Bruce is a friend of one of my regular members. He's 79 years old. He showed up and read a love letter he wrote to his wife. His wife died last October. He became emotional toward the end so his friend finished reading it. I was crying my eyes out as I listened to this beautiful letter about a doll he found in a doll shop. The doll was over 100 years old and he bought it because it reminded him of his wife and her beautiful face. This beautiful letter reminded me of something. We are all writers. Published or unpublished. When we put our thoughts and feelings down on paper, we can remember it for a lifetime and it will be there when we are gone for others to enjoy.



I hugged this special writer after the meeting and asked him to come again. He smelled like a pipe and I made a mental note to choose a location where he can smoke his pipe next time. I love the smell of apple wood smoke. He bought one of my books and I tried to tell him that he won't enjoy it because it's a romance. He protested and insisted that he reads romance. Bruce called me today to tell me how much he is enjoying my book, particularly the Indian legend within. I have to admit I was worried he'd cringe at the sex scenes, but I reminded myself that even though he's 79years old, he's still a man. A man that has lived a big life and loved big. I can't tell you how much that phone call meant to me. I've asked dozens and dozens of readers to please email me when they read my book and let me know if they liked it. I stopped asking that because I rarely get feedback from my readers. And now I wonder if Bruce knows how much his letter to his wife meant to me last Friday night as we all sat in a cozy coffee shop. It started pouring down rain and my heart began to ache for Bruce and his loss. He said this after he read. "I was in love with my wife." He shook a little when he said it and I could picture his face when he was younger. I could picture his beautiful wife and their life together. And how fast the years must have flown by.





I was happy to be only five minutes from home so I could rush home and see my family. As I pulled into the drive in the pouring rain, my headlights shined into the carport. My husband was sitting there with our two little ones on his lap, waiting for me, watching the rain. I slammed the car door and ran to keep from getting drenched. My husband asked me what I was cooking and I couldn't help but smile. It was good to be home.

~xxoo Alisha