Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

Villians/Antagonists are vital to any story – without a worthy foe, there’s nothing for our heroes to struggle against, after all.

So today, let’s talk about that a little.  In the comments, authors, tell us what makes a great villain.  What are the most important factors in creating a truly compelling bad guy (or girl!)?  And tell us how those factors shape one of the villains in your books.  As always, be sure to leave a link as well so we can learn more about you and your book!

I’ll begin…

I think one of the most important things in creating a really good villain is to give them a rational motivation.  Nobody just wakes up in the morning and says “I think I’ll be evil today.”  Everyone has motives that seem reasonable to them.  As authors, it’s up to us to show that.  One of my favorite fictional villains is Marc Remilliard in Julian May’s “Saga of Pliocene Exile.”  He comes close to wrecking a peaceful galactic civilization that’s lasted for thousands of years, he’s responsible for the death of several billion people, and yet when you look at what he’s trying to do, there’s a certain logic to his goals and even his methods.  Plus, he’s witty and charming.

In my own books, my favorite villain so far is Lydia, who appears in the fifth book of the Dream Series, WAKING DREAM (and she shows up, in a way, in a couple of later books, too).  She’s a mirrir-image of Sara, sharing her power but not her ideals.

The book I was working on at the time was DREAM VACATION.  I lost my job in August, and I had the book released in October.  So there you go!

 

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

Today we’re talking about overcoming adversity.  We all face difficult times in our lives – authors, tell us how you’ve overcome challenges in your life and kept on writing.  Has your writing in some way helped pull you through those difficult times?  Have those trials been reflected in your books?

Be sure to leave a link as well so we can learn more about you!

I’ll begin…

I have to say that I’ve been pretty lucky in life, all things considered. But the books did help me through one particular difficult time – a couple of summers ago, after my company was merged, I lost my job.  Having the books as an ongoing project, a goal, and also something to be proud of, really helped me to deal with that situation better than I would have without them (not that I handled it all that well even so, I have to admit).

The book I was working on at the time was DREAM VACATION.  I lost my job in August, and I had the book released in October.  So there you go!

 

And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

Today,we’re going to talk about  things you didn’t do in your books – and what those choices led to later on.  J.K. Rowling said that her original plan was to kill Mr. Weasley in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it, so he only ended up wounded.  But she went on to say that that choice led her to kill Lupin and Tonks at the end of “Deathly Hallows” instead.

So tell us about something you considered doing in one of your books that you later changed your mind about, and what consequences that choice had for your characters and your story?  Be sure to leave a link so we can learn more about your book!

I’ll begin…

 

By the time I got to the fourth book of the Dream Series,DREAM FAMILY, I felt like I had to do something to really shake up Sara. It’s not like she had an easy time of things in the first three books, but it was time to do something that threatened her to the core of who she was.  I thought about killing one of her parents, probably her father.  I also thought about having them not be her real parents at all – having her discover she was actually adopted at some point in the book.

At the same time, I was just figuring out what the plot of the book would be.  I was playing around with the idea of a nemesis – someone who had Sara’s power to visit dreams, but was misusing it.  I also had the idea that Sara would find herself spending a night in jail at some point late in the book, and i viewed that as a minor obstacle to resolving the larger story (which I hadn’t worked out yet).  I began writing the jail scene, and it quickly turned into something far more serious.  And I realized that here was both the real story of the book, and the thing that would hurt Sara worse than anything else ever had, and make her really have to find out what she’s made of.

That choice, and what Sara went through, impacts her throughout the rest of the Dream Series.  Her memories of what happened to her in jail stay with her, straight through to the final book of the series.  So that decision had a huge effect on the next six books.

And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

Today, let’s talk about our four-legged friends – all the animals that appear in books.  What would “The Wizard of Oz” be without Toto?  Or “The Thin Man” without Asta?  Dogs, cats and all kinds of other animals can steal a scene or even a whole story.

So for today, tell us about an animal who plays an important part in one of your books (some of you probably write books that have animals as your heroes; all the better!).  Give us some background, share an excerpt, and make sure you include a link so we can learn more about you and your book!

I’ll begin…

In the Dream Series, Sara has a dog in nearly all the books.  The series follows Sara over almost 25 years across ten books, so it’s not the same dog throughout.  In the first two books, her canine companion is a golden retriever called Lumpy.  In the fourth through ninth books, her dog is a retriever-labrador mix named Chrissy.  And in the final book, DREAM WEDDING, she’s got a beagle named Bucky.

Here’s Chrissy, in action (sort of), helping Sara out during a dream, in WAKING DREAM:

Sara sees no sign of the woman.  She’s obviously on the ground already, so Sara jumps after her.  It’s probably a twenty foot drop onto the icy, hard driveway, but Sara lands easily and without any injury.  She sees footsteps leading away from her landing spot, heading out to the sidewalk.  She begins to follow them, thinking, I wish Chrissy were with me.  She could run that bit – that woman down.   

Sara’s thought is answered immediately; Chrissy comes running out of the house through a dog-flap that Sara knows isn’t a feature of her front door.  “You know what to do, girl.  Go get her!”  Chrissy runs off, barking madly.  In the distance, two blocks away, Sara sees, just for an instant, a woman-in-red-sized shadow pass below a streetlight.

Despite the distance, Sara hears a surprised, or possibly terrified, yelp.  And then, quite clearly, “What the hell?  She can’t do that!”  Sara runs after her dog, in the direction of the voice, but by the time she gets to the streetlight, there’s nothing there but a very confused Chrissy.  All sign of the woman is gone…
And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

No author – and definitely no indie author – works alone.  We all have a whole host of professionals we work with – cover artists, editors, book formatters, virtual assistants, marketing partners, audiobook narrators, you name it.  So today our theme is recognizing and thanking those people who’ve helped us make our books the best they can be, or helped us get them in front of an audience.

So, authors, in the comments, I’d like you to call out someone specific – your cover designer, your editor, the person who organizes your regualr writing group, the person who taught yo how to make the perfect Facebook ad, whatever it might be.  Tell us about that person, give us a link to them, and be sure to include a link to your own book(s), too!

 

I’ll begin…

I’ll single out my newest audiobook narrator, Cait Frizzell.  She’s working with me on the audiobook for FINDERS KEEPERS, as well as future books in the series once they’re written.  She’s also a professional opera singer, which is just really cool.  Her website is currently being redesigned, but you can find her elsewhere on the internet:

Her ACX page (with samples of her audiobook work)

An audiobook sample of her work on FINDERS KEEPERs (click below to listen):

And here are two YouTube videos.  First is a short video she made about herself and her philosophy of life:

Second is a video of her doing all the Disney Princesses, in one take. Watch the whole thing – it’s amazing:

 
And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

Since we’re all in charge of our own sales and marketing, as well as writing our books, let’s talk a little bit this morning about how exactly we do that.  So in the comments, tell us about your best/most successful/most unique marketing idea (either one you’ve actually tried, or one you’re considering).

Please be sure to include a link to your book(s) so we can learn more about you, too!

I’ll begin…

 

One marketing idea I’m very excited about is a video book trailer.  I won a custom-produced one for DREAM DOCTOR, and you can see it right here:

And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

 

Since I’ve got my new book coming out next Tuesday, let’s talk about YOUR new books, too!  In the comments, tell us about either your most recent book or the next one you’ve got coming out.  Give us a synopsis, or a little excerpt (or both), and be sure to tell us if it’s already out, or when we should expect it.

And as always, include a link so we can find it for ourselves!

I’ll begin…

My upcoming book, FINDERS KEEPERS, features a charming Irishman whom our heroine isn’t quite sure she can

And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

Be sure to include a brief excerpt, if you want, and definitely leave a link so we can learn more about you and your books!

I’ll begin…

So I already mentioned that my book is out next Tuesday.  It’s called FINDERS KEEPERS, and it’s the first book of a new series, the Jane Barnaby Adventures.

Who’s Jane?

Well, she kind of looks like that!  She’s an archaeology student who gets mixed up with some international art thieves.  Hey, it happens sometimes!

1,400 miles.

3 countries.

2 men she can’t trust.

What could go wrong?

One last thing – even though it’s out next week, you can actually buy the paperback early, so if you click over to Amazon, it’s there!

 

And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

This morning, we’re looking ahead to tomorrow,which of course is St. Patrick’s Day.  So in honor of that, tell us something about your book that relates in some way to St. Patrick, or Ireland generally.  You’ve got a lot of choices here: is there an Irish character in one of your books?  Does it take place in Ireland?  Does the color green feature prominently?  Are snakes involved in the story somehow?

Be sure to include a brief excerpt, if you want, and definitely leave a link so we can learn more about you and your books!

I’ll begin…

 

My upcoming book, FINDERS KEEPERS, features a charming Irishman whom our heroine isn’t quite sure she can trust:

He was tempted to do just that; walk away from her right now.  But aside from the practical considerations, he didn’t have the heart to leave her to face the Irishman alone, assuming he came at all.  He also didn’t trust her resolve; he’d seen how she’d looked at him, back at the hotel out in the suburbs.  And if the Irish could do one thing well, it was talk.  Especially ones like that Alex; there was no denying the man had a silver tongue.  He might charm the box right out from under her before she knew what was happening.

It’s available for pre-order on Kindle right now (on sale March 29) and you can actually buy it in paperback today!

And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

This morning, the question is, why do you write what you write?  Tell us about one of your books/series and how it came to be, what about the idea grabbed you, why you just HAD to write that story?

Be sure to include a brief excerpt, if you want, and definitely leave a link so we can learn more about you and your books!

I’ll begin…

My Dream Series books came from asking a simple question: in mystery stories, why do the characters insist on trying to solve the crime themelves, instead of going to the police like most of would do in real life?

The answer I came up with was: if they only saw the crimes in their heads, through the eyes of the criminals, they’d have to investigate themselves, because there wouldn’t be any evidence to take to the police.  Who would believe them?

And with that answer, the character of Sara came pretty much fully formed, along with her family, her boyfriend and the college setting of DREAM STUDENT.  And she just demanded that I write about her.

(it’s FREE on Kindle, by the way!)

 

And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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Welcome to this week’s edition of Welcome Wednesdays!

This morning, the question is about pop culture and real-world references.  Do you use them in your books?  Do your characters eat at McDonalds?  Haver they seen “Star Wars” ?  Or do you make up your own fictional products and chains and movies/pop stars/etc?  Or, do you just leave it totally generic?

(if you write fantasy, sci/fi or historical, don’t feel left out.  Tell us about how you weave everyday life – what your characters do for fun, what the everyday world around them is like, when they’re not saving the world or whatever else they’re up to in your story)

Be sure to include a brief excerpt, if you want, and definitely leave a link so we can learn more about you and your books!

 

I’ll begin…

My books, both the Dream Series and my upcoming book, FINDERS KEEPERS, take place in the real world.  And the characters use the same brands, and watch the same movies and TV shows that we’re all familiar with.  Sara reads Harry Potter and the Hobbit to her kids at bedtime.  Jane, the heroine of FINDERS KEEPERS, is an archaeology student, and in a crisis, she tries to imagine what Indiana Jones might do, to help her figure out what she ought to do.  And so forth.

Here’s an excerpt from WAKING DREAM, the fifth book of the Dream Series, where Sara’s husband resorts to comic book heroes to relate to what Sara is telling him:

“I felt her.  She must have realized I knew she was there, and she left.  I tried to follow her.”  I climb out of bed and head out to the hallway.  “Up there,” I point to the window.  I’d say it’s seven, maybe eight feet up.  “She came in from there.  It was open.”  It’s all there in my mind.  “I jumped up to get a handhold, and I hauled myself up there.  I went through the window.”

Brian’s staring at me.  “How?  You’d have to be Reed Richards to get through that window.”  Reed Richards?  Who the heck – oh, from comic books.  I vaguely know that name – he’s a superhero.  I think he’s part of the Justice League, maybe.  It’s really not important.

 

And now it’s your turn!

(when you’re done here, please stop by Exquisite Quills, where there are daily memes just like this one and plenty of fantastic authors you can discover!)

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