Her Children Will Arise and Call Her Blessed by Katy Lee

I think the Proverbs 31 woman is the greatest heroine ever. To me, a great heroine doesn’t just make for good literature, though. She also inspires the reader to stretch herself to be more than she might think possible.

In light of Mother’s Day, I thought I might explain why the guidelines of this greatly loved woman inspire me, and maybe she might inspire you too. After all I think all of us mothers would consider our lives a success when our children arise and call us blessed.

So here I go:

First:  “She is worth far more than rubies and her husband has full confidence in her… She brings him good not harm, all the days of her life.”

To me, having my husband’s trust and support in my decisions in running my home is better than any “Wine ‘n Dine” dinner out. Knowing I can rest in this brings us closer as a unit and demonstrates pure love to each other, but also to our children. The greatest teaching tool is modeling, and this kind of demonstrating can only show them what a marriage is supposed to look like…and not settle for anything less in their own lives.

Now I’m not saying this comes with rubies, although a little bling would be a nice surprise, but to be considered more worthy than something as precious as rubies would only increase my desire to bring good to the home, creating a wonderful, harmonious atmosphere…because we all know, when Momma ain’t happy, ain’t no one happy.

Next:  “She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands…She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family…She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.”

I like these verses, and not because I’m a knitter and love to work with wool, although it sure does make me like her more. But this heroine of a woman is not afraid of hard work. In fact, it says she’s eager for it. She’s willing to lose some sleep for the benefit of her family, and even people who are in need of family. Even at the risk of dark circles and aging wrinkles.

In my childrens’ Art History class, we had to look at a picture of an old, ugly woman. We were given no information about her, but told to write down our first thoughts about her that came to mind.

Here is the picture drawn by the artist, Albrecht Durer. What do you think about her?

My kids said, “Eewww.”

After I shook my head at them, I bit my tongue to hold back my disappointment and told them more about her.

Albrecht wanted to draw a picture of his beautiful mother. She was a woman he arose and called blessed and loved dearly. It is said that she continually prayed this blessing over her children, “Christ be with thee.” Albrecht grew to become the greatest artist in the history of Germany and one of the greatest in all of Europe. He had a mother who prayed for him. A mother who lived out Proverbs 31 for her family. However, when we take a look at the portrait he drew, we must honestly think…well, it may be a good drawing but it certainly is not pretty.

But that’s the thing with a Proverbs 31 woman, and why some of the most imperfect women can make the greatest heroines. We fall in love with their hearts. Samuel 16:7 says, “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

“Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” Proverbs 31:30

Now when we look at Albrecht’s drawing we see a mother who arose in the night and worked with eager hands because of her love for her family. She earned every single one of those wrinkles, and when Albrecht looked at her, he saw beauty.

Another Proverbs 31 passage states, “She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.”

Hello! Who wouldn’t want to own a vineyard? But seriously, this shows her intelligence. She’s a smart woman who knows what she wants. She makes wise choices and always for the benefit of her family.

“She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.”

She’s no weakling. She’s a woman of strength and vitality. You don’t want to mess with her.

“When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.”

Well of course they are. She has prepared well.

“Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.”

How does that saying go? Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes. Oops! No, that’s not it. It’s behind every great man is a great woman.

A man who has his wife’s support has the ability to be a great man. She is his reinforcement.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.”

These passages bring calmness to my soul. I can just picture her sitting by a fire telling a moral story. The children interrupt, because that’s what they do, but she doesn’t yell. Instead, she laughs with them, bursting out those laugh lines and wrinkles she’s earned so well.

And last but not least. In fact, it is the most important of all.

“Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her and says, ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’”

AWWWWWWW!!

So all you children out there today, young and old, call your moms and bless her.

Proverbs 31 tells us to “Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.”

Now GO, Do it! And HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

Rest in Peace, Duchess

Hi, Scribettes and Scribes. Suze here.

Jeanne Cooper 1928-2013

I was going to talk about my recent trip to St. Louis today, but yesterday’s news made me think about something else. Jeanne Cooper, the matriarch of my favorite soap opera, The Young and the Restless, has died. I don’t know if the part will be recast. On one hand, no one can replace her. Jeanne Cooper was Katherine Chancellor (on screen, anyway), and I for one would have trouble accepting anyone else in the role. On the other hand, the longest-running storyline is the feud between Kay Chancellor (her son Brock always called her Duchess) and the wonderful, scheming Jill Foster Abbot, and that’s always been the pivot point on which the whole show turns. Without Kay, we’re going to feel lost for a while until we get our bearings and see which new direction the show will take.

As writers, we can learn so much about plot and character from the soaps. One of the brilliant things the writers of Y&R did in the beginning was to give Kay some pretty big and scary demons. Her husband was in love with a much younger woman (the aforesaid Jill); Kay became alcoholic; she killed her husband in a deliberate car wreck where she intended to kill herself too, but instead survived. This formed the basis of the conflict between Kay and Jill, and although there have been times when they’ve reconciled (at one point, it looked like Jill was Kay’s daughter given up for adoption. This was later proven false), that underlying hatred of each other was always there. And when things got bad for Kay, the writers could always make it worse and send her back to the bottle so she’d have yet another internal/external struggle.

We hear so much about GMC–Goal, Motivation, Conflict. Well the Kay Chancellor storyline (click here for the Wiki article, if you want to read a synopsis) illustrates that beautifully. And as for plots, of course they’re outrageous. That’s why we love the soaps! But notice how every single episode ends on a hook, and there’s a bigger hook on Friday’s show to bring the viewer back on Monday. While your plots might not take the crazy twists and turns of a soap story, every chapter should end on a hook, big or small. Every book should end making the reader satisfied but wanting more (your next book). And if you ever need inspiration on how to throw rocks at your characters (remember the classic advice: Run your character up a tree. Throw rocks at her. Get her back down.), nobody throws rocks like the writers of soaps. Abducted by aliens? Secret babies? A long lost twin back in town and bent on revenge? Why not?!

So tell me. Do you love the soaps? What’s your favorite show (whether or not it’s still running)? What character keeps/kept you coming back for more and why?

But wait …!

This is the TVholic’s strategy for sagging middles

Hi everyone. Thea here today, but really, as you read this, I’ll be in KC at the RT Booklovers’ Convention and not in my usual position, rooted at the end of the couch, with tv on and WIP at the ready. So forgive me if I’m not posting an immediate response. (Full report on the conference to come, of course.)

So I want to talk about sagging middles — the kind you delete with a key stroke (oh, if only — ). I’ve said during workshops that “what if” is your single most powerful writing tool. Anything can happen in “what if.” It’s no-commitment plotting. It frees your mind. You can let go, make lists, let them take you to the most improbable plot places.

But wait …! It would be even more productive if at the moment when the plot seems to be chugging along, you stop yourself with those words. But wait …! The juicy incentive used by telemarketers to make you buy (can you tell I watch too much tv?). But wait — maybe your reader isn’t buying a smooth, unfurrowed plotline. Maybe your reader is waiting for something juicy to happen.

But wait …! What if your characters are afraid of losing something? (Love, fame, fortune, respect, family secrets, inheritance, friendship …) Make them lose it. Ask what lengths they’ll go to to get it back. What they’re willing to risk.

Because the more they risk, the more that stands in their way, the more conflict, the greater desire they’ll have (at greater cost) to reach their goal, and so, the richer the plot.

In the simplest terms: Get them in trouble and keep them in trouble. Keep throwing in obstacles, complications, repercussions and don’t let up.

But wait …! What if you don’t know exactly where the plot is going?

Write the NYTimes log-line. That hones it down nicely to two or three lines: Danny Jones has everything he wants, until a secret from his past threatens everything.

Or write the cover copy. That will focus you on the set-up, conflict, and what drives the plot.

But wait …! What if it’s still not working?

Make the problem personal and current. Someone is out to destroy Danny Jones and make sure he never is elected to anything.

Give the protagonist two villains and a moral choice. A childhood friend and his own brother are separately threatening Danny Jones. No matter what decision he makes, he will lose everything, including his friend and his brother.

Up the ante. Not only does a secret from his past
threaten Danny Jones personally, but also his burgeoning political career, his marriage, and his inheritance from a famous relative which comes along with a list of moral stipulations he may not be able to meet.

Add suspense by turning “what if” into “if only.” What could his enemy have against him? If only, all those years ago, he hadn’t — but then there was this other moment when — But nobody knew about that, did they?

Give your protagonist a moral dilemma that forces her to compromise either her beliefs or her values. If Danny Jones is up front about his past, then he will never ever be able to run for office, he’ll lose the love of his life, the inheritance from his famous relative, and he’ll never be able to see his children again.

Try reversing things. Make the hero the heroine and vice versa. Danny is Danielle, a powerful CEO who is courting politics and who has a secret she thought was buried deep in the past. Lovers? Liars? Friends? Family? Who is plotting to betray her?

Keep the reader guessing. For Danielle any of those people associated with her could be her enemy; any one of them can say or do something that would lead her to believe she is on the verge of losing everything. She has too much at stake. She has to be careful not to rock the boat. What is she going to do? (I love this; I think it works even better!)

But wait …!

But I can’t. I have to go. But you can. What juicy incentives would you add to the list to entice your readers to keep reading?

Thea Devine is currently working on a new erotic contemporary romance, and enjoying the release of five of her backlist titles, Reckless Desire, Ecstasy’s Hostage, Relentless Passion, Montana Mistress and Angel Eyes in Kindle editions.

Blogs to Help Enhance your Work by Katy Lee

Writing fiction is more than getting your character from point A to point B. Your character needs to experience the world and everything in it just as we do in our everyday lives. Our days are filled with intrusions like weather and sickness, but there are also things in the world that have the ability to cultivate us like the arts and architecture around us…most times when we’re not even looking for it.

Now I could spend a lifetime reading and studying the things in our world just so I can write them into my stories, but if I did I’d never get anything written. As much as I would love to spend my days at the library, or better yet, traveling the world to experience everything in it, it’s just not possible. But I also can’t neglect the fact that these things exist in my life and in the lives of my characters. So what do I do?

Well, while I wait for my cruise tickets to come in the mail, I have found a group of blogs that offer little tidbits of information a little at a time. Ideas and information that I can file away to use in moments where my stories are flat and are in need of some excitement or detail.

So today I wanted to share some of these go-to blogs that help enhance my work. I hope there is something in here for you, too!

1)      http://www.redwoodsmedicaledge.com/

The Redwood’s Medical Edge Blog is medical facts for your fiction. Jordyn Redwood, a nurse by day, author by night, designed her site to help both historical and contemporary authors learn methods to write medically accurate fiction. She fields medical questions from followers, analyzes medical scenes, and posts on topics that can increase the tension and conflict in any story. No one person can be an expert in all things so she also hosts medical experts in other areas: EMS and obstetrics to name a few. Historical authors who have done research in a particular medical area such as civil war medicine are also featured. You want to know the protocol of an accident with injuries, or an illness a baby could have but go undetected? Jordyn is your woman.

2)      http://gailingis.com/wordpress/

Gail Ingis is known as a “Renaissance Woman” for her varied accomplishments. She is a professor of history of architecture & interior design, photographer, artist juror, writer, design critic, and founder of the nationally accredited Interior Design Institute. On any given day, her blog can be about how lighting affects a room, drinking coffee in a café in Portugal, or a description of a Victorian era chair. You never know when your character might need to sit in one. Whatever the topic may be, Gail’s information can bring a flare for the exotic into your stories.

3)      http://www.dailywritingtips.com/

Not just for writers. Whether you are an attorney, manager or student, writing skills are essential to your success. The rise of the information age – with the proliferation of e-mails, blogs and social networks – makes the ability to write clear, correct English more important than ever. (See my blog from last week about good writing here.) Daily Writing Tips is about that. Every day they send out a grammar, spelling, punctuation or vocabulary tip. And we can all use extra tips.

4)      http://www.romancingthepalate.com/

Finding a passion for food in every love story is R.L. Syme’s motto for her blog. I took a food class with Rebecca Lynn last year and she helped me learn how to use food like another character in my stories. She brought life to cooking and eating and encouraged us to incorporate the feelings we experienced into our books, so our readers could feel them, too.  *This blog is in the process of being changed, so not much is going on there these days. I’m looking forward to her updated site soon.

Until then, I recently found this one and it has the same premise:

5)      http://platedromance.wordpress.com/

Romance on the Plate: Taste the Emotions…Feel the Food. Here is a quote from the site to show how food helps to bring your character to life:

“He could not control his curiosity; he could smell the delicious aroma of caramelizing onions wafting from the copper vessel that was fired up on the stove. He stood upon a chair in the kitchen and watched as his mother evoked the magic of food……”

I feel like I am standing on that chair and inhaling right along with the child. Which is what we want to do for our readers, so they can get a taste, too.

The Unlocked Secret: Experience is key, but if you can’t experience it yourself, find a source that has. It will make your writing authentic. Check these sites out for ways to enhance your writing. If not these, I’m sure you can search for sites that meet your genre and style.

Question: Do you have a go-to blog or website for expertise or vicarious experience? Please share in the comments below.

And as always, thank you for your Tweets and Shares.

A Key Publishing Ingredient by Connie Mann

Writers talk a lot about all the different stars and planets that have to align to get a book published: the right project—well written–to the right agent and the right publisher at the right time—all wrapped up in God’s perfect timeline. All those things are absolutely true.

But there is one more element that is equally important, sometimes the one ingredient that can make all the difference: the right editor. I am blessed to have one of those.

Back in 2004, I thought my time as a writer had finally “arrived.” I’d written lots of articles, accumulated an impressive stack of rejection letters, and had finally sold both a non-fiction parenting book and Angel Falls, a novel. We were in the midst of final edits when things went awry.

The publisher changed their editorial direction and requested significant changes to Angel Falls. So Ramona Richards–the company’s freelance editor I’d been working with–and I went to work. When the publisher asked for still more changes, we made more. Finally, I realized if I kept going, I’d have to rip the heart and soul out of the story. It wouldn’t be the same story at all. I talked it over with Ramona and my agent and with a heavy heart, I said no. The deal was nixed.

To say I was discouraged would be like calling a hurricane a drizzle. I cried. Couldn’t write. I finally realized I had to get out of my house before I lost what little was left of my mind. I became a boat captain-and love it! I’ve found I need that balance between outside around people and inside my writing cave to keep me happy and creative.

Since I’m a writer at heart, the stories eventually pulled me back. I wrote Trapped and sold it to a small press. But Angel Falls was still the book of my heart.

Several years ago, I heard that Ramona had taken a job with Abingdon Press. I figured it was a long shot that she’d remember Angel Falls—do you KNOW how many stories an editor reads every year? But I mailed it to her anyway.

Ramona hadn’t forgotten. One day she emailed me to see if Angel Falls was still available. That SAME day, the manuscript arrived on her desk. Talk about God’s timing!

Another 1 ½ years went by as she championed the story with Abingdon. Then came the email that began, “I know you thought this day would never come…” Fast forward another year, and Angel Falls is now available! I couldn’t be more grateful or excited.

My best advice? Go to conferences. Get to know the editors. That way, when your right project meets up with the right editor and God’s perfect timing, you’ll be ready.

Thank you, God. And thanks, Ramona, from the bottom of my heart.

And thank you, Connie, for sharing this amazing story about the journey of Angel Falls. I’m so excited for you, and this is a great story of perseverance for writers who wonder if “the call” will ever come. Find the editor/agent who loves your book and they will champion it for you.

Thanks being with us today, Connie!

Readers, Connie Mann loves stories of suspense, adventure and second chances. She offers encouragement to busy women on her blog:  www.BusyWomenBigDreams.com and is an active member of Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. She’s also a USCG-licensed boat captain, so when she’s not writing, she’s usually on Central Florida’s waterways with local school children or her fabulous family. Please visit her online at: www.conniemann.com. And don’t forget to check out her new book Angel Falls at:

Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Angel-Falls-Connie-Mann/dp/1426756860/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361369788&sr=8-1&keywords=angel+falls+by+connie+mann

Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/angel-falls-connie-mann/1112792558?ean=9781426756863

Christian Book:

http://www.christianbook.com/angel-falls-connie-neumann/9781426756863/pd/756863?item_code=WW&netp_id=1028634&event=ESRCG&view=details

 

 

 

The Greatest Love Story (And Why I Write Romance) by Katy Lee

Happy Easter! Katy Lee here, hoping you are all having a blessed Resurrection Sunday with your loved ones…and speaking of love, let me just say it is my favorite topic to talk about. So it shouldn’t come as a big surprise that I write romance. I write it, I read it, and I love to hear about it. Hearing how a couple met always intrigues me. I love weddings and seeing two people make a lifetime vow of devotion to each other, and I love witnessing the victorious connection of an old married couple as they walk hand-in-hand. I say victorious because I’m not so naïve that I don’t know they fought battles to get to where they are. Battles that tried to tear them apart. Battles their love overcame.

Just imagining those conflicts is making my fingers itch to write about them now. To turn them into words on a page, characters that the world can see, and maybe even fall a little in love with as well.

Many people say romances have no value in the world of literature, but I say they’re wrong. I think seeing examples of what love looks like shows us how to demonstrate it. I think witnessing a person, real or not, offer a selfless act of kindness empowers us to do the same. I think watching two people overcome odds that should tear them apart inspires those facing their own battles to persevere. I think romances remind us that love exists and it starts with us.

Or does it?

1 John 4:19 says we love because God loved us first. He loved us before we were even created. He loves us regardless of anything we have done, and will still love us regardless of anything we do. His love is unconditional and was offered long before we knew how to love.

But like a good romance, there was a conflict. Our sinful natures kept us from being with Him. We couldn’t be together as He had wanted. But, also like the perfect hero, that didn’t stop Him, and He set out to fight the battle for our hearts, even if that meant His death.

In John 15:13, Jesus tells us that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for his friends. He told us what love looks like. And then he proceeded to do just that. He fought the battle for us and on the third day, He reigned victorious.

But unlike a novel, our story doesn’t end there. We get a happily-ever-after that will last for an eternity because of His victory. Jesus is truly the hero of my heart and my inspiration in writing the perfect romance.

The Unlocked Secret: I think we read, and in my case write, romances because we were created with a desire to be loved, and we want to see love demonstrated over and over again in all different ways. But Jesus said something else. He said to love one another as I have loved you. In a good romance, we see two people who don’t just receive love. They also learn to give it just as He says. So, I say, go ahead, read those romances, and be reminded of what love looks like. And then, go forth and express it to the loved ones, and not-so-loved ones, around you.

And remember who it all started with.

Happy Easter!

(This has been a re-post from last year, but it means just as much to me as it did then!)

Another Next Big Thing by Katy Lee

Fellow author Debby Lee (No relation at all) recently tagged me in a blog. She sent me a list of questions that I’m to answer regarding my next book and post them to my blog. Now since I already told you about my October 2013 release, Warning Signs, a Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story, here,  I will tell you about my next book after that one. So here goes.

WHAT’S THE WORKING TITLE OF YOUR BOOK?

In Too Deep to be released mid 2014 with Love Inspired Suspense. Title may change. In fact, knowing my editor, it most likely will. Warning Signs used to have a working title of Forever Silenced. That’s just the way it works.

WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM FOR YOUR BOOK?

Well, first I love a good forensic anthropology story, especially when my heroine anthropologist gets to butt heads with a handsome cop to solve the case. But because I also participate in many events with the Creation Coalition here in New England, I wanted a character that has a strong faith in God as her creator, even when some of her colleagues don’t believe.  I hope to inspire readers to stay strong in their faith.

Now because I write romance, the romantic conflict ensues when my hero needs evidence to trust in her because of his own past betrayals, but my heroine doesn’t want to live her life with her actions always under the microscope.

WHAT GENRE DOES YOUR BOOK FALL UNDER?

Inspirational Romantic Suspense

WHAT IS THE ONE SENTENCE SYNOPSIS OF YOUR BOOK?

Bones have been unearthed on the island, but the real trouble begins when Anthropologist Lydia Muir and the handsome sheriff, Wesley Grant, start digging deeper.

IF YOUR BOOK BECAME A MOVIE, WHO WOULD PLAY YOUR LEADS?

A long-haired Bradley Cooper and a  sophisticated Jennifer Garner.

 

 

IS YOUR BOOK SELF PUBLISHED OR REPRESENTED BY AN AGENCY?

This will be published by Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense.

WHAT OTHER BOOKS WOULD YOU COMPARE YOUR STORY TO WITHIN YOUR GENRE?

I hate comparing my stories to others out there. I don’t want to compare this story to the T.V. show, Bones, either, even though that is the first thing that comes to mind. Like most writers my stories are unique and don’t follow another writer’s pattern. It keeps things fresh and surprising!

WHAT ELSE ABOUT YOUR BOOK MIGHT PIQUE THE READERS INTERESTS?

I was excited to return to the Island of Stepping Stones where Warning Signs takes place. So I got to revisit some of the characters from the first book. I hope you like them all!

And now if you would like to see Debby Lee’s answers to her book, click here. And thank you Debby for the invite to share!

P.S. Stay tuned, in a few weeks, I will reveal the cover for Warning Signs!!!

Themes and Memes

Thea Devine today, watching as the snow stops, the sun comes out, and ready to jump-start some new ideas. I created this list for a workshop I gave at several Chapters (including CTRWA), and I’ve had a few new thoughts since I distributed the handouts.

Maybe you’re looking for a theme, an idea, a spine, some motivating mojo. Maybe you need a break from the WIP and want to write something just for the change (like, in my case, Not Sex). Maybe you want to play around with some bigger ideas and plot points. Maybe this list will help.

Family, faith, community: I think these themes the most important today
Anything goes vs old time values
Hedonism vs. religious stricture
Good vs evil
Something profound – like failure – shapes and changes a protagonist’s life
Loss of friends, community, job: after adversity, struggling to make a new life
Impact of separation, divorce, death
The love that could not be
Rebellion and where that leads the protagonist
Old boyfriend returns and upends everything
Consequences of sexual attack (Steubenville)
Repercussions of cavalier sex
Rags to riches: heroine spirals down and out and climbs back to a better life
An unseen lurking threat
Haunting — by ghosts real or imagined, conscience compels actions
Objects of desire: the key to a crisis in the present is in the mystery code located somewhere exotic that will save the country, the world, the planet (I love this theme)
The government is out to get us
The government is out to save us
Child in jeopardy
Impact of random violence (wrong place wrong time)
Controlled threat (stalker, serial killer)
Apocalyptic event changes life as we know it
Hero/ine against all powerful cabals that seek to dominate everything

And then …
Peripheral characters tell hitherto unknown story of a historical figure of real person –
The Other Boleyn Sister, the Tsarina’s Daughter, The Paris Wife
Ongoing characters reader falls in love with: Stephanie Plum, eg.
Exotic locations in exotic times: Wilbur Smith and Barbara Michaels, ca 1920’s Egypt; Daisy Dalrymple mysteries (1930s)
Wounded hero (like Jesse Stone) solves small town mysteries
Impact of major historical event (9/11, Columbine, Newtown)
Beloved fictional characters — like Mr & Mrs Darcy solving crimes; Jane Austen parsing out mysteries etc.
Boomer characters — the Covington novels
“clubs” — book, knitting, quilt. Jane Austen etc.
Historical mysteries — Alienist, Dante Club, Anatomy of Deception

Need some motive power? characters could be searching for family, a murderer, a lost sibling, assets, heirs, vengeance, treasure, lost love, an abandoned child, a new life, another chance.

Or they could be running from a murder charge, an ex-spouse, a stalker, toxic relationships, their childhoods, the past, responsibility, secrets (see below).

Or they could vanish. People leave for any number of reasons: they committed an opportunistic crime, were in an accident, were kidnapped, just took off, eloped, escaped an abusive situation, were running from the law, were seeking to start over, committed suicide

Maybe someone’s hiding something: someone’s secretly …

An alcoholic
An Exhibitionist
A pill addict/drug addict
A gambler
A shoplifter
An extortionist
An embezzler
Bulimic
Covets her sister’s husband
Endures physical or emotional abuse in a loveless marriage
Did bad things out of jealousy and never got caught
Got pregnant by seducing a man who resembled her husband who couldn’t have children and passed it off as his
Has an irresistible impulse to kill
Is really a bad girl when family and friends think is so good
Did something bad just to see if she could get away with it
Had a secret baby she gave away
Thought she was adopted; finds she was her mother’s natural illegitimate child

That’s it, guys. What do you think? Any ideas to add to the mix? I’d love to hear them.

Thea Devine is working on her next erotic contemporary romance — and pondering a handful of other ideas.

Katy Lee’s at EPICon 2013 finding Her Voice

Hello all, I am writing this from my hotel desk in Washington State where I am trailblazing the wild world of e-publishing with professionals from all facets of the electronic publishing industry. I’m also up for an award for my first novel, Real Virtue, so that doesn’t hurt! We’ll find out the winners tonight at the awards ceremony, but of course, I’m just tickled to be nominated.

 
There have been hoards of info thrown at me in the workshops this week, from marketing specialist, Jennifer Fusco of Market or Die Author Services to doing a writer’s taxes…UGH! I could try to throw it all on you, but I won’t do that. Instead, I want to share one thing that really gave me a little peace in my heart about my writing.

 
I’m sure I’m not the only writer out there who looks at their favorite authors and wonders why I can’t write like them … right? I’m not, right? Please tell me I’m not.

 
Either way, I heard Editor Debra Dixon of Belle Bridge Books speak at the luncheon yesterday about understanding your voice, and I know I will never do her speech justice, but her words finally helped me understand why I will never write like my favorite authors.

 
Now I know it’s not anything I haven’t told myself, but the fact is I can’t write like them because I write like Katy Lee. She said our best writing comes from writing what we know, but not knowledge like many people think. She said the things we know are the experiences we have lived through and come out of. Each writer will be very different from another.

 
Now if we don’t know what those things are, just look at all your writing. What is the recurring theme or conflict that comes up in your writing? Do your stories always have some type of redemption premise in them? Or a character finding their place in the world? Or someone out to prove something about themselves?

 
That may very well be your voice. That thing that readers come to know you by.

 
Now I shouldn’t be so surprised. I recently spoke at a church where I shared how writing for me used to be more than escape. It was a way for me to be in control. I could create a character, give her the same conflicts I struggled with, and try to make her victorious. I say try because most times I couldn’t finish the work.

 
And why couldn’t I finish? Because as Debra Dixon pointed out, I didn’t have the experience to write what I know.

 
The Unlocked Secret: After today’s luncheon, I think I have found my writer’s voice. My inspirational stories follow the same patterns of victory. No matter how drastically different the story lines are, I can see the theme flowing through the work. But what gave me the peace in my heart had nothing to do with finding my writer’s voice, but everything to do with knowing if I could write about victory, then I must finally “know” victory. I can finally write what I know.

And even if I don’t win the EPIC award tonight, I did win the tiara at the luncheon yesterday! Yay! I’m all set to reign in victory!

 
Question: What do you “know” about in your writing? Compile all your work and start digging. You just might find your voice, too. And wouldn’t that be a huge victory!

And as always, Thank you for your Tweets and Shares!

Where Do You Get Your Story Ideas? Alison Stone Wants to Know

As writers, that has to be one of the biggest questions we get. Ah, I hate to sound cliché, but ideas are everywhere.

 
For my book Random Acts, I read an article about a young girl who had been pulled over for speeding. The police took her into the station and bullied her into signing an agreement to be a drug informant. A drug informant! This college student had never been involved with drugs. But in exchange for leniency for her speeding ticket, she was pressured to be an informant. Fortunately for her, her father was a lawyer. He not only went to the police, but to the media.

 
I then searched the Internet and learned this wasn’t an isolated incident. In 2008, a woman in Florida was killed when she was forced to purchase drugs undercover after being caught with a small amount of cannabis.

By now, my wheels were turning.

For my second book, Too Close to Home, I used an idea that had been bouncing around in my head for years—longer than I had been writing. I used to be a manufacturing engineer for an automotive parts supplier. As a twenty-some-year-old female engineer, I was well aware the guys on the floor liked to yank my chain. One guy told me that once someone drowned in one of the large tanks used in the manufacturing process. He claimed he was murdered in retaliation for a drug deal gone bad. I have no idea if “his” story was true or not, but in my story,Too Close to Home, drugs are smuggled through a manufacturing facility and into Canada.

 
Ideas can also be generated by thinking, “What if.” When I learned Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense was looking for more Amish stories, I started brainstorming. The Amish generally shun technology. How could technology wreak havoc in their Plain world? Then it hit me: What if a plane crashed in an Amish field? What if the heroine’s brother was killed in a single-engine plane crash in an Amish field and she has to go there to claim his body? What if while she’s there, the FBI hero starts asking a lot of questions?

This idea became Plain Pursuit which will be released by Harlequin in June 2013.

Here’s the blurb: When her brother is killed in a small Amish town, Anna Quinn discovers she’s an unwelcome outsider. But the FBI agent investigating the case is right at home–because Eli Miller was born and raised in Apple Creek’s Plain community. Eli left his Amish faith behind long ago, but his heart is rooted in a local cold case he can’t forget–a mystery with strange connections to Anna’s loss. Desperate to uncover the truth, Anna and Eli are faced with stony silences and secrets…secrets that someone wants to keep buried in the past.

 
It’s fun to see an idea grow into a book, then be summarized in a few-sentence blurb.
Once I was outside chatting with neighbors and one of them stopped, looked at me and said (in all sincerity), “This isn’t going to appear in a book, is it?”
I smiled and said nothing. I don’t make promises I can’t keep.

 
So tell me, If you’re a writer, where do you get your ideas?

Also, Random Acts, originally released in eBook format, is now available in print.

Blurb:Bitter experience left Danielle hesitant to open her heart. When a family crisis brings her home, the hard-nosed attorney is forced to face the man that let her get away. And that her sister’s accident was staged to mask a beating.
Though Patrick guards his heart, seeing Danielle again reignites their old flame. But no way will he bring her into his daughter’s life, not when her values on faith and family are so different from his own. Yet they must work together to bring a criminal to justice before everything is destroyed—including their second chance at forever.

Links for Random Acts:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Random-Acts-ebook/dp/B00795G1X4/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1362254466&sr=8-2
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/random-acts-alison-stone/1108890294?ean=9781609289386

ALISON STONE writes romantic suspense for Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense and Samhain Publishing. Her debut novel, Random Acts, was a finalist for the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award in the unpublished inspirational category. Alison lives in Western New York with her husband of over twenty years and their four children where the summers are absolutely gorgeous and the winters are perfect for curling up with a good book—or writing one. Besides writing, Alison keeps busy volunteering at her children’s schools, driving her girls to dance, and watching her boys race motocross.
Website:www.AlisonStone.com.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alison_Stone or @Alison_Stone
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonStoneAuthor
Blog: http://alisonstone.wordpress.com/