My Writing Process

Today is Blog Tour Day!

This tour is where writers and authors (What's the difference? Can someone tell me?) answer questions about their writing process.

My friend Julie Reece, author of Crux, posted hers last week. Her agent is currently shopping her gothic paranormal retelling of Beauty and the Beast while she's busy penning her next book. Got my fingers crossed her super-duper agent finds a good home for the goth.

You can check out her writing process here:

http://blog.juliereece.com/2014/03/10/my-writing-process-blog-tour/

Now on with my process, answering the questions posed by my predecessor, and her predecessor, etc.:

What am I working on?

Ooh, tough question, not because I'm idle and ashamed but because I'm working on a lot of projects for a wide variety of readers. However, for my YA and NA readers, I've been concentrating lately on a college romp called Kissing As An Organized Sport aka KAOS. Haha! Can't wait to unleash that one. I have about 9k works so far. Here's another hint:  the hero is a British graduate student, yum!


How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Gosh, this is a toughie. I guess the one thing most of my works have, sometimes even when I don't try, is a sort of wry humor. I can't help it and don't think I want to. When the topic is lighter to begin with, as KAOS is, I'm free to be a little silly. Writing in first person isn't unique at all, but for my YA and NA characters, it's easier to throw in those random thoughts every now and then or have the characters go off into Walter Mitty-land. I like those moments, but I have to be careful not to taint the mood of the external to the character scene.


Why do I write what I do?

At my age, I know so much more and have so much more confidence than I did when a teen. I guess I enjoy writing stories about teens because it allows me to live out those retrospective "what-ifs." What if my home life had been like this? What if my friends had been like that? What would I have done if? They are challenges that aren't always answered with wise mature answers. I hope the heroes and heroines get there eventually but the journey of trial and error is an interesting one.


How does your writing process work?

Ha ha...what process? I can't say I exactly have a process. I have a few tricks to get me through tough times and I usually start with an overall theme and premise, but I am not a meticulous plotter. Where the story meanders from the initial concept varies widely and I'm often shocked at the turns the stories sometimes take while creating in the moment. That said, it's not the most efficient way to tell a story.

With my novel Louder Than Words, I wrote 25% more words than ended up in the draft I submitted to agents and publishers. I have an adult paranormal that went through a similar blowup then shrink down. I don't consider them wasted words but as sidebars that allowed me to flesh out back story details and in doing so solidify the characters more.

I will also admit to a fondness for using Write or Die, especially when I need to get a lot of words out fast. Surprisingly, I keep a lot, but not all, of what I spew in those 500 words in 20 minute sessions. Louder Than Words is the product of many sessions of Write or Die.

So a question I began by answering with "what process?" turned out to be my longest-winded answer.

Thanks for reading. I'd like to send you to a few blogs of three other YA and NA authors I know and think the world of one week from today, on March 24th. They'll tackle the same questions I just did.

Check out Joyce Mangola -- YA author of Ghost in the Mirror from Lycaon Press.

Then head over to YA author Sheryl Winters' blog and see (maybe) how her "dragon changer romance" characters came about or maybe something about something else she has cooking.

If sexy NA is more your thing, then head over to Sandra Bunino's blog to learn more about her writing process for her angsty new adult title.

And always...keep reading! Young Adult, New Adult...whatever!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

 

What Should We Always Remember About Old Flames?

Click to See Tour Details

My guest blogger today is author, Annabelle Blume, author of the YA novel, Old Flame, with a bit of advice for us about old flames:

Ten Things to Remember About Old Flames 

by Annabelle Blume

1. Old Flames are part of what makes you who you are today––never be ashamed of who they were.

2. Hold on to the good memories, they keep you encouraged about possibility and love.

3. Forgive, but don’t forget. Walk away reflecting on the life lessons, but refrain from allowing yourself to become bitter.

4. If they were never yours to begin with, they are not an Old Flame, they are an Old Infatuation. Learn it. Live it. Love yourself.

5. Don’t be a drama queen and burn the pictures. Just put them away in the back of the closet. If in a few years you don’t care, toss ‘em.

6. They were never as great as you remember.

7. If all of your Old Flames bear a striking resemblance to each other in looks or personality, it may be time to start thinking about what you can do to change things up, because whatever you’re doing now ain’t working.

8. Don’t stalk people. Ever. No exceptions.

9. They were never as horrible as you remember.

10. Old Flames should remain just that. Don’t try to reignite something that went down in a fiery ball of destruction the first time around.

About the book:

Title: Old Flame
Author: Annabelle Blume
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Release Date: January 15, 2014
Keywords: New Adult, Contemporary, Sweet, Romance, Novella

Blurb:

Hannah Sullivan has spent the past three months stalking her ex-boyfriend, lurking in the bushes and hiding behind fake social media personas, convinced she can eventually rekindle the love they once shared. But when she meets Marc, who is everything James never wanted to be and more, she begins to wonder if she’s got it all wrong. Hannah must come to terms with her own demons before she can decipher between her delusional mission the man of her dreams.

Now to celebrate her new release, Annabelle has a giveaway going:


a Rafflecopter giveaway


But if you can't wait, here's where you can buy Old Flame now:

Amazon
Amazon (UK)
Barnes and Noble
KOBO
All Romance eBooks
Smashwords

Add to your Goodreads bookshelf

Author Bio:

Annabelle is a best-selling Romance and New Adult author, that is, when she's not checking homework or begrudgingly cooking dinner. Wife, mother, and creator of alternate worlds, Annabelle has a penchant for that which is outside the norm.

Her degree in Sociology has given her the ability to construct worlds that exist only in her head and translate them passionately to the page. The time spent studying individuals, interpersonal relationships, and particularly, women, within the constraints of our society led to Annabelle's unabashed ability to talk about sex as it fits into our modern lives.

She's also the author/personality of The Bombshell Mommy at Vitacost.com where she helps modern Bombshells and their families live “green”. 

Annabelle’s Links:

Website    Twitter    Facebook 

Happy First Birthday, Evernight Teen! #Giveaway celebration

EVERNIGHT TEEN turns one this month and I’m helping them celebrate during their 1st Birthday Blog Hop! It’s EVERNIGHT TEEN’s birthday but YOU get the presents. Enter below for a chance to win a $100 iTunes gift card!

EVERNIGHT TEEN books feature fresh teen fiction that’s raw, gritty and real. Whether paranormal, contemporary, sci-fi or suspense, EVERNIGHT TEEN stories are about real issues and pack a strong emotional punch. You’ll find cutting edge fiction that today’s young adults can relate to and will keep you turning the pages long into the night. Upper Young Adult titles, include…

Letting Go by Bridie Hall

Isabelle is left stranded at the airport, and her only chance of getting home is with her boyfriend’s older brother, Harper. When this good girl and bad boy set off towards home, it turns out that maybe she’s not such a good girl after all. And even bad boys have reasons for their bad behavior.

The road trip is full of shocking revelations and unexpected emotions, bringing the two of them closer than Isabelle ever thought possible. Maybe too close.

Letting Go by Bridie Hall is now 25% off at Evernight Teen until January 31st!

Iris's note: I'm about 89% finished reading this book now and it's a definite recommended read! 

Leave a comment about Letting Go below for a chance to win an Evernight Teen eBook of your choice. Then follow the Rafflecopter to enter the grand prize of a $100 iTunes gift certificate.

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Cover Reveal! Night & Day (The 19th Year #3.5) by Emi Gayle

Back ‘o the Book

Something is wrong with Suze. His memory, his magic, even his muscles have all gone mental. If he's not careful, the underworld's version of the loony bin may be his next stop.

Not ready to give up the goat yet—if he had one he didn’t eat that is—Suze sets out to stop the mystical mayhem. Unfortunately, this isn't a fairy tale, and Suze isn't Snow White felled by an apple waiting for a kiss. Nor is he Prince Charming.

Nope, he's just Suze. A destroyer demon stuck without the one person who probably kept him sane for the last eighteen years. Mackenzie Thorne. Or, maybe, just maybe, Mac made him insane, and what was once wrong is now right.

The only thing Suze is sure of—maybe—is that he needs to find the cure. However, with boy wonder memory-less and Mac in California, he’s not even sure where to start.

Of course, once he does figure it out, everything will fall into place like a well designed set of dominoes. Where the path leads, though, is a place Suze never would have expected.

Release date is February 10, 2014 - just in time for Valentine’s Day 

The price will be $.99!

Available in ebook and paperback

Add this novella to your Goodreads shelf HERE

Find Emi Gayle online : Web | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Louder Than Words to be PUBLISHED!!

Finally, finally, I can announce:

Yes...I've found a home for Louder Than Words with Swoon Romance, a digital first imprint / sister company of Month9Books. I am so very excited to be a part of the Swoon Romance family. I have read several of their books because I already knew and loved the authors. I also love Swoon's upbeat covers, so perfect for young adult books.

Estimated publish date is September 2014.

I can't wait to share this book with the world.

I can't wait to make my official debut as Iris St. Clair!

Life is good.

Remember:  Never. Ever. Give. Up.

Ten Things I'm Horrified to Say Date Me

No, not date as in go on a date, but date as in reveal how old I am.

I'm not a teenager. I'm not even a young adult. I'm at least one generation removed from that age group. Factor in my advanced maternal age of 36 and 38 when I had my two sons and that's an even larger gap.

What's tough as an older writer of contemporary young adult fiction is finding ways to make relatable  references to modern life without dating the story on day 1 let alone day 1000. You walk a thin line and it's a bittersweet one as well, knowing your popular culture references are no longer "hip" but are up there with aging Deadheads. And I hope you even know what a Deadhead is...you probably don't because I used the term to refer to those a generation older than me nearly thirty years ago. The wry line in Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" song -- I saw a deadhead sticker on a Cadillac -- that's how it is for me now. A joke nobody gets anymore.

Other examples of references I've been called on or nearly used in error:

1. My kids have no concept of life during the Iron Curtain days, when athletes defected during the Olympics and all we knew of places like the USSR, East Germany, etc. was dystopian and scary androgynous.

2. Manual typewriters are now antiques, even the IBM ball ones. Nobody ever mentions Pica or Elite. We're all over the Times New Roman and Courier. Carbon paper? White Out? What are they?

3. Tonya Harding, Mike Tyson and Bruce Jenner as athletes; O.J. Simpson as an athlete, actor and tried murderer. One beta reader of my very first novel wrote in the margin, "Who is Billy Blanks?"


4. Wall phones and the lack of caller ID. On a university tour with my son, I noticed the distinct lack of any land lines. Makes sense but I gotta say I kind of miss the days when you could dial and hangup on someone just to see if they were home and retain your anonymity. Crank calls were a lot of fun. Kids today don't know what they're missing. Prince Albert in a can anyone?

5. Pong vs. Grand Theft Auto--like comparing Anne of Green Gables to Fifty Shades of Grey.

6. "Playing" outside vs. gaming vs. working out. The first used to encompass the latter two, which today gaming and working out are mutually exclusive unless you **maybe** blow the dust off your Wii Fit.

7. Long skis. When I was learning, the longer your ski, the greater your speed but the greater expertise required to master them. Today those 150 cm length beginner skis work even for the pros...at least the last time I skied. Maybe they've grown longer again. No idea.

8. Skimpy Speedo bathing suits...but only on Olympic caliber swimmers and divers, thank you very much, for the rest of the population, it's good riddance. The bicycle short and long john pants (skintight and made of liquid sharkskin) now prevail.

9. Paper-based banking. I've been paying bills online for years, but it shocked the hell out of me the other day when my ATM no longer took checks via a deposit envelope but by feeding it in like a dollar bill in a vending machine. Actually, the technology is better than that used for vending machines because you can feed a whole stack of checks in. (Yeah, I know...what are "checks"?) I liked it, but the whole thing was still a little disturbing, the whole optical character recognition. Probably should have just scanned it with my cell phone and saved a trip.

10. CDs (albums, 8 tracks, walkmans, boomboxes and cassettes)--music with a tangible element to it. It's all about the MP3 now. Even today's automobiles are more likely to support a USB drive than a CD deck. There are no B-side songs anymore or "deep album cuts". There are no surprise favorites. The album notes and cover scroll across the face of an MP3 player or smart phone now days. There's something wrong about John Cusack holding up a tiny iPhone to play Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes".

What dates you? Share in the comments your examples.

My Love / Hate Affair with Rain

I live in the Pacific Northwest. Yes, it rains here. It rains a lot. While our total rainfall accumulation is not the highest in the nation, it's the constancy that gets to most people. Fall and Winter are gray and cloudy most of the time. Rain, when it falls, comes down like a Chinese water torture--slow and steady and unending.

How could I not cast rain in my stories set in this part of the country?

Answer? Impossible.

Louder Than Words was my second story set in my own backyard. Rain is mentioned at least eighteen times by my own rough Word search count.

Rain represents limitations--either self-imposed or real. It presents the challenge of action over attitude and resignation.

In pondering the instances I found, some of the story's most important turning points occurred during the rainfall--moments of clarity, of hope.

I love that.

As much as we dread our dismal rainy days here, we also know they bring fresh beginnings.

So, on the eve of December as I write this and the skies out my window are a melange of grays and white, the ground still wet from the early morning rain, I too hope I'm at a turning point in this writing business.

We'll see. In the meantime, I'd best get back to my 2013 NaNoWriMo novel set in--where else--the Pacific Northwest.