Wednesday, February 25, 2015

DO YOU BELIEVE IN LEPRECHAUNS?

12:00 AM | Posted by Elysa | | Edit Post

A few years ago my parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Since the gift for 60 is a diamond, I found a glass diamond-shaped paperweight and gave it to them as a gag gift.

The paperweight inspired me to write my short St Patrick's day romance LUCKY'S LEPRECHAUN.

A Holiday in Council Falls Short Story
7,000 Words
Only 99 Cents!

Lucky no longer believes in wishes, hope or dreams. Cheated by his bookkeeper and his ex-girlfriend, he's resigned himself to losing everything.

Twenty-five years ago curiosity about a small human trapped Diamond, a leprechaun, inside a crystal paperweight. Now she has one day left to grant Lucky his final wish or perish.

Can a chance meeting between a little boy and a leprechaun result in love?

Sadly, my father passed away earlier this month, so my parents won't be able to celebrate 63 years of marriage, but their love will live on.

R.I.P. Dad.

Labels: 60th wedding anniversary, Council Falls, diamond, leprechauns, St Patrick's Day short story | 0 comments

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

The Problem with Goals

9:46 AM | Posted by Linda Andrews | | Edit Post

I have come to accept that I'm a bit lazy. I set writing goals for myself then kinda let them slid because there's other things I'd like to do. If I'm ever going to switch from my day job as a chemist to a full-time writer, I'm going to need to discipline myself and set some goals.
I love my Syn-En series, but I understand that right now, it's not going to pay my bills. Still I have some die-hard fans who keep after me to write the next book.
And for them, I spent the last 7 days writing nearly 200 pages to finish the book and get it to the editor.

Which leads me to my problem, I know I can write fast, but I don't want to have to mainline caffeine for every book. I want to write at a slow and steady pace, treating it like a job that it will one day be.
But I'm not quite certain how to do that.
I have an attitude toward goal setting. It's kinda like housework, you finish and you have to do it again.
I've been blessed with creativity and scads of ideas for books. Books that I want to write, but that isn't getting my butt in the chair and my fingers on the keyboard. I'm not exactly a slacker. I did write 8 books last year. But this year I want to write 10-12 works (including 3 short stories).
I can't withold things, because I can learn to do without what I don't have.
I've tried treating myself to something but that doesn't work well because sometimes I'll decide the thing just isn't worth having.
What I need is motivation.
The problem is I don't know where to find it so that I keep to a writing schedule. My only motivation is to write a book better than the last, to learn something new, and do my best.
None of those things go toward word count.
I would like to say that if I kept to a schedule for 3 months it would become a habit. I've proven time and again that isn't so.
So I'm asking for advice. What do you to get your bottom in the chair and write?

Labels: goals, incentives, writing advice | 0 comments

Monday, February 16, 2015

My Felines are not Furries - by Vijaya Schartz

2:00 AM | Posted by Vijaya Schartz | | Edit Post

It came to my attention that because of the gorgeous covers with feline heads for the Chronicles of Kassouk sci-fi romance series, some readers assumed my characters were either shape shifters, or partly human, intelligent beasts, known in the sci-fi communities as furries. Not so. Talking lions who walk on two legs and behave as people are not my style. I pride myself in writing believable stories. Besides, I write romance, and all my romantic characters are human, sometimes with a little alien blood, but always human-looking and compatible.

As it happens, Desert Breeze, who publishes the series, doesn't use people front and center on their covers, not even for romance. These covers were designed by the talented Jenifer Ranieri, an award-winning book cover designer whose work has been recognized in many places.

So, what is it about the cat covers?

I do love cats, obviously. I have a few of my own. And large felines are an integral part of the world of Kassouk, but they are secondary characters. Especially when writing romance, I prefer to deal with human emotions and human bodies. I sometimes have a few human-like compatible species as well. But if the hero and heroine are going to be romantically involved, and be happy ever after and start a family, they better be physically compatible.

The animals depicted on the award-winning covers are actual felines featured in the story. In this series, my human protagonists are warriors who take the name of a cat as their warrior name. Often they also have a matching feline as a pet or as a fighting companion.

For instance in Book Two, Red Leopard is the warrior name of Terek, a human warrior of Kassouk. His companion and loyal friend is a fighting leopard named Rascal. White Tiger is the nickname of the heroine in Book One, because she learned to fight among white tigers and uses their fighting technique. Blue Lioness is the warrior name of the heroine in Book Four, and her lioness companion is Hellion. In Black Jaguar the warrior of the same name owns a jaguar named Diablo. In Noah's Ark, because it's the prequel and the large felines have not yet proliferated on that planet, the cats are just big farm cats, rat hunters brought by the settlers. In this novel, the hero, Kostas, makes a friend of a fat yellow cat with long hair he names Viking.

But the felines are not just for the beauty of the covers. They take part in the story, as animals. Rascal, in Red Leopard, is especially brave, and even won an award as the best animal character in a book for 2010.

HAPPY READING!

Vijaya Schartz

http://www.vijayaschartz.com
AMAZON - B&N - ARe - SMASHWORDS - KOBO - ITUNES

Labels: book covers, Chronicles of Kassouk, furries, futuristic romance, romance, sci-fi romance, science fiction, series, Vijaya Schartz | 0 comments

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Science Fiction Romance: Making It Work

11:39 AM | Posted by S.E. Smith | | Edit Post

Science Fiction Romance: Making It Work

By S. E. Smith

Opening February 17th is Ristéard's Unwilling Empress: Lords of Kassis Book 4. This action packed adventure will take you to the stars and make you want to be there. Why, because the wonderful thing about writing Science Fiction Romance is that anything goes. SFR is no longer just for the technical geek, it is for men and women who love stories filled with action/adventure, suspense, and more.

I have always had a fascination with the stars. It seemed natural that I would gravitate to writing them. For any story to work, it must contain one key element. That elements is: It must be believable no matter how unbelievable it might appear to be in real life. There are other factors that go into writing a story, but I'm going to concentrate on this one because without it, the story just won't work.

In all my stories, I make my characters real. You feel what they feel, live what they are going through, and fall in love with them as they overcome all the challenges they face. I don't write about wimpy women or men who are afraid to learn and feel. I definitely don't write about heroes/heroines being TSTL (too stupid to live). I write about men and women who have feelings. They laugh, they cry, and they love. Characters that could be you, a member of your family, or the guy/gal next door. They are not perfect and don't want to be.

They are also in situations you can see happening in real life and react accordingly. If they fall down, they get hurt. If they feel pain, it is okay for them to cry. And if life gets a little overwhelming, it is okay to throw the mother of all temper tantrums. Because in the end, they get up, brush themselves off and do what needs to be done. Sound familiar? It should, because you, me, and everyone else has had days like that. They just may not have been on a spaceship or another planet. The thing is, it is real and a real reaction, so you believe in it.

For a story to draw readers in, they need to be able to relate to the characters and the story. When you can relate, you can believe. That is what makes a story pop. I can make you believe in blue men, lizards that love, or that there are species out there that can shift into a dragon and have a symbiot as a part of who they are. I can make you cry for an overgrown frog named Frogget who would give his life to protect the human girl he calls a friend, and I can make you see the wonders of a circus as if for the first time. Because I make them real.

So, don't be afraid to pick up a Science Fiction Romance book and live the action/adventure, suspense, humor, tears, and love. Enter a world that takes you away and makes you feel like you are there so that the next time you look up at the stars, you see them just a tiny bit different and wonder... could it be true?

About S. E. Smith

S. E. Smith is a New York Times, USA TODAY and #1 International Amazon Bestselling author who has always been a romantic and a dreamer. A prolific writer, she spent years writing, although it has usually been technical papers for college. Now, she spends her days and weekends writing and her nights dreaming up new stories. She enjoys camping and traveling when she is not out on a date with her favorite romantic guy.

You can also take a look at additional books and sign up for my newsletter at http://sesmithfl.com to hear about my latest releases or keep in touch using the following links:

Website: http://sesmithfl.com

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Forum: http://www.sesmithromance.com/forum/

Additional Books by S. E. Smith

Paranormal and Science Fiction short stories and novellas

For the Love of Tia (Dragon Lords of Valdier Book 4.1)

A Dragonlings’ Easter (Dragonlings of Valdier Book 1.1)

A Dragonlings’ Haunted Halloween (Dragonlings of Valdier Book 1.2)