Taste of Kiwi: Blog of Author Shelley Munro

Today I’d like to welcome author Iris Deorre. Iris started to write when she was seventeen. At the time it was a form of escapism. By the time she hit her twenties she was writing short stories and got one published in a women’s magazine. She went on to write short plays but after meeting a well-known author who taught a writers class her focus changed to Erotica. Her love for paranormal is what makes her combine the two.

She resides in the UK with her little girl.

The Most Infuential Person in My Life

That would have to be my older sister. She’s the most amazing woman I know. She’s carried our family for as long as I can remember. Encouraged us and believed in all of us. When things got tough she was always there to encourage me and to give me guidance. She’s been with me through my divorce and other big parts of my life. She’s celebrated my first published work and has been my constant ever since I told her about my writing.

Ever since I can remember my sister has always encouraged me to do what I believed in. To follow my heart and my dreams, to never be afraid of what other people may think. She taught me that what’s important is what I think.

I’d been writing secretly when I was about seventeen. No one in my family knew about it. It was a difficult time for me and so I’d pen my words and somehow this got me through my bad time. It was hard then because my sister had gone off to university and I had no one to talk to the way I did with her.

When I was twenty one I went to live with my sister for a while. It was then that I shared my love for writing and my desire to become a writer one day. She didn’t laugh, bat an eyelid nor did she say I needed to get a real job. Instead she gave me a book called The Choice by Og Mandino. I’d recommend it to any writer who hasn’t already read this book. It’s an amazing book that show’s we always have a choice and we have options.

It was a Saturday mid morning. I can remember spreading out on the couch, the sun shining through the French doors. I opened the book as if it concealed a secret message and never left the couch the whole day except to use the bathroom and grab a snack. I’ve never read a book the way I read The Choice. That evening when I finally got to the final page and closed the book I had a splitting headache but had also found a new found confidence and drive to take my writing seriously.

It changed my life, changed the way I viewed myself as a writer. When my sister handed me that book, her actions said to me, ‘I believe in you! You can do it!’ Her faith in me pushed me forward to do what I wanted to do, be who I wanted to be all because she believed in me.

And even today my sister is my biggest cheerleader. She has been so supportive and a big influence in my life. I’ll never forget the words she said one evening driving from a day outing. I was sat besides her and she said, ‘If you want to something go out and get it. You won’t know until you try. And if you fail, get up, wipe your bruises, dust yourself off then keep going! The only reason anyone fails is because they stopped trying.’

I will hold onto her words everyday, when days seem hard and heavy, when I feel like giving up. I remember the words, ‘Don’t stop trying.’ and continue to be grateful that she is a great part of my life!

The Whitby Ghost is the latest story from Iris Deorre.

Blurb:

Roy has a past he’d rather forget. To overcome it he takes his girlfriend Melisa to Whitby, the very place of his past that he is trying to forget. Roy believes it’s the only way to move on and to forget it by moving on with his future, Melisa.

But something is lurking in Whitby, something that Melisa becomes sensitive to the minute they arrive. What she discovers is hard to swallow. What follows is a journey to the other side. Something she’d rather forget.

Will Melisa marry her boyfriend who refuses to talk about his past? Or will his past bring them closer?

Excerpt from the Whitby Ghost:

The B&B was engulfed in darkness except for the single light that burned to the right side of the door.

‘Are you sure this is five star accommodation?’ She queried as he unloaded the bags from the boot. She wrapped her arms around her body to keep warm.

‘Yes, I paid a five star price; this will be fun, spooky just how you like it.’

It looked deserted, not the same as it had done three years ago. The name had changed from The Blue Inn to The Winter Inn. The ratings had gone up since it had been taken up under new ownership. Roy was certain that this was the right place; he’d always loved Whitby and never wanted the fear of the past to hold him back from sharing his favourite place with the woman he loved at the same time fulfilling her love for the paranormal.

He pressed his lips against hers again and she weakened. She could never get enough of her tanned hunk.

There was a bleating sound that came from behind them.

‘Is that a sheep?’ She giggled.

‘I think we have company.’ He looked to his right where the sound had originated from. It was too dark to make out anything.

‘Shall we go inside, I’m freezing,’ she said.

They walked across to the cottage, the sound of pebbles crunched under foot. It felt eerie, quiet and unusual. Melisa could hear the sound of her own heart in her ears. She felt a little uneasy a little concerned that the place they were checking into didn’t feel quite right.

Buy links
The Whitby Ghost Amazon UK
The Whitby Ghost Amazon US
The Whitby Ghost DE

Visit Iris Deorre

My special guest today is author, Rachel Brimble who lives in England, not far from one of my favorite cities – Bath. Today, she’s celebrating her new Lyrical Press release, Paying the Piper and talking about a topic that many of you will totally understand and sympathize with. Over to Rachel…

I have been suffering with ‘working mother’ syndrome for the last two weeks and thought I’d seek solace with my visitors on Shelley’s blog today ;). How do we deal with that overwhelming sense of guilt that comes thundering down on us when we are being pulled every which way? I have two pre-teenage daughters who have hormones jumping around inside them. It’s as though a packet of out of control jumping beans have been poured down their throats! They are not afraid to tell me how they are feeling at any given moment, believe me.

If you’re hoping I can provide the solution to this age-old problem for anyone else suffering the same pressure, I am sorry to disappoint you.

With the popularity of the book and now film, “I Don’t Know How She’s Does It”, starring SJP, I know it is a universal issue a million and one mothers are dealing with on a daily basis. I tell myself this should make me feel better – it doesn’t, does it for you?

On my writing calendar alone this week, I have the following entries:

Complete two interviews
Write two blogs
Finish editing novel my agent is waiting for
Write at least 5,000 words toward my new work in progress
Start on the five entries I need to judge for a RWA chapter contest

Hmm…on top of that, I have a parents evening for my youngest daughter, clubs to take both kids to and from, ironing, housework, dinners to make and a night out with a friend. Stressed? You bet!

So that’s my plea today – do any of you guys have some time-saving formulas that work? How do you get your kids to help or even understand? I am literally pulling my hair out at the moment!

Or like me, are you partly to blame? Do you put too much pressure on yourself? I am massively guilty of this and it’s usually my kids who miss out on my attention. Tell me I’m not alone!! :-)

Okay, so I’ve had my moan and can’t wait for you all to provide me with the sought-after solution, lol!

Here’s the blurb for my latest release, enjoy! Paying The Piper is available right now from Lyrical Press:

Nightclub manager Grace Butler is on a mission to buy the pub where her mother’s ashes are scattered but the owner wants to sell to anyone but her. And that owner happens to be her father…who has a secret she will do anything to discover.

Social worker and all around good guy Jimmy Betts needs funds to buy a house for three special kids before their care home closes. Time is running out and he’s desperate for cash. He agrees to to a one-time ‘job’ for bad-man Karl Butler. But in a sudden turn of events, Jimmy finds himself employed by Karl’s beautiful, funny and incredibly sexy daughter, Grace. Their lives couldn’t be more different, yet one thread binds them: they’re both trying to escape the bonds of their fathers. Maybe the only way they’ll be free is by being together, instead of alone.

Purchase Paying the Piper

Rachel loves to hear from readers and can be found here:

www.rachelbrimble.com
www.rachelbrimble.blogspot.com
www.twitter.com/rachelbrimble

My special guest today is author, Maria Zannini who recently self-published a paranormal romance called The Devil to Pay. Maria has been out on the virtual road with the Indie Roadshow where she tells writers about her self-publishing journey and the things she’s learned along the way. Today Maria is talking about promotion, which I know is something many writers struggle with and don’t enjoy. Over to Maria…

Psst. Do you want to know the secret to good promotion? You might be surprised when I tell you because it’s been in front of you the whole time.

Ready for it?

You have to find the reader, rather than wait for him to find you. And when you do find him you have to talk to your reader and keep him engaged.

Book promotion is time consuming, expensive, and there are no guarantees that your efforts will bear fruit. But a lot of your labor can be cut in half if you focus on the reader and what S/HE needs.

Think about yourself as a reader. You just finished a fantastic book from a new-to-you author and you decide to Google the author to learn more about her. When you reach her blog, all you find are advertisements for more books. It feels like a bit of letdown, doesn’t it?

To attract the reader your best bet is to go to his haunts. And when it comes to indie publishing most of those avid readers will be found at book blogs, reading forums, book clubs, and book outlets (like Amazon).

Most of these outlets are free to you, though some might require asking for an invitation to appear. Others, like Goodreads and Shelfari welcome you as long as you keep the pimping low-key.

And there’s still room for legitimate advertising. LASR (Long and Short Reviews) and The Romance Studio are two I’ve used. Both offer low-priced packages and get a ton of traffic.

Here are a list of options for you to consider that are either low cost or no cost.

Buy advertising packages at a book-centric web sites. (Make sure they get a lot of traffic.)
• LASR (Long and Short Reviews)
• The Romance Studio
• Coffee Time Romance
• All Romance ebooks

Share yourself
• Guest blogging. Double your mileage and blog at places where you’re lesser known.
• Forums, such as Kindleboards, Absolute Write Water Cooler, and genre-specific forums

Talk to book bloggers about:
• Reviews
• Interviews
• Guest posts

Give your book away
Liz Fichera had a marvelous idea when she gave away her arc for Craving Perfect to ten people who would agree to review it. With an indie book, there are no limitations on how many books you can give away. Be generous. Word of mouth is priceless.

Go where the readers are like:
Goodreads
Shelfari
Facebook

Finally, don’t leave out television and radio. It might be difficult to nab a guest spot, but if you have a small station locally, you’ll reach an audience you might not otherwise find.

It’s scary to put yourself out there because you don’t always know how you’ll be received, but if you’ve written the best book you can, all that’s left is to be the kind of author people want to know.

And I’ll tell you my personal secret for promoting myself. I comment on many different blogs. Not a ‘hi, I like your site’ comment, but something personal and thoughtful. If you leave short and intriguing comments, I promise you, people will follow you back.

***

I hope you’ll follow along with the rest of the Indie Roadshow as I share the things I learned on my road to self-publishing.

The Devil To Pay is available at Amazon and Smashwords for only $2.99. It is the first book of the series, Second Chances.

Synopsis: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions and bad tequila. Shannon McKee finds herself at the end of her rope, and she bargains her soul in a fit of despair.

Shannon’s plea is answered immediately by two men who couldn’t be more different from one another. Yet they share a bond and an affection for the stubborn Miss McKee that even they don’t understand.

When Heaven and Hell demand their payment, Shannon has no choice but to submit. No matter who gets her soul, she’s not getting out of this alive.

Bio: Maria Zannini used to save the world from bad advertising, but now she spends her time wrangling chickens, and fighting for a piece of the bed against dogs of epic proportions. Occasionally, she writes novels.

Follow me on Facebook or my blog.

Kat Duncan is my special guest today. Kat likes to write and teach. She also likes to write about teaching and teach about writing. Today she’s giving us a few hints about finding foster homes for orphan sentences.

Have you ever tried the writing technique called layering? It works like this: you draft out your basic scene with “he said” and “she said” or “he did” then “she did”. After you’ve got that bare bones framework you go back and add details such as where they are, what they look like, the weather, the room they are in, how they feel, etc.

The trouble with this technique is that it often results in disjointed scenes. Just when the dialogue gets going, the author throws in a scenery detail or stops to have the character focus on something other than the person she’s talking to. The worst blooper of this kind happens when one character asks a question and the other character goes off into a paragraph of thinking before answering.

So what’s the solution? You don’t want to skimp on these important details, so you really need to keep them. But you have to give these poor orphans a home. Make them feel part of the family. You will want to learn how to blend dialogue, action and scenery for best effect. One easy way to do this is to give your character a reason for observing the scenery, or for moving about in the scene. Linking the scene to the character’s emotions is the most direct way of doing this.

Let’s take an example and see the progression. Here’s a snippet of conversation:

“Say what you mean, Anna.”

“Okay, I will. You can’t just barge back into my life after so long and expect to pick up where you left off.”

“It hasn’t been that long.”

“It’s not about how long. It’s about assuming that you leaving had no effect on me.”

“So, you missed me?”

“I missed you, yes. And then I got over you.”

Now that I’ve got the basic dialogue, I want to add some dialogue tags and maybe some emotions, scenery and action. I’ll layer it on all at once:

“Say what you mean, Anna,” he said.

“Okay, I will. You can’t just barge back into my life after so long and expect to pick up where you left off.” She glanced out the window at a pigeon pecking crumbs on the windowsill.

“It hasn’t been that long.”

“It’s not about how long,” she said, lifting her head to stare into his dark eyes. “It’s about assuming that you leaving had no effect on me.”

“So, you missed me?” His voice dropped to that familiar seductiveness and he reached for her.

She stepped away from his outstretched hand. “I missed you. Yes. And then I got over you.”

Can you pick out the orphan sentence? It’s the one with the pigeon. I tried to give a sense of where they were while they were talking. Mentioning “out the window” tells you they are indoors. The pigeon on the windowsill tells you they are probably in an urban setting, perhaps a few stories above ground.
But…

It doesn’t fit the scene. It’s an orphan because it doesn’t connect properly with what came before it or after it. I also tried to give a sense of discomfort for Anna. Suddenly looking away at something ordinary during a conversation indicates unease and uncertainty. But the sentence isn’t working the way I intended. Let’s see if I can make this orphan sentence part of the scene’s family:

“Say what you mean, Anna,” he said.

“Okay, I will.” She edged away from him and faced the window. “You can’t just barge back into my life after so long and expect to pick up where you left off.”

“It hasn’t been that long.”

“It’s not about how long,” she said, waving a hand to shoo the pigeon pecking on the windowsill. “It’s about assuming that you leaving had no effect on me.”

“So, you missed me?” His voice dropped to that familiar seductiveness and he reached for her.

She folded her arms against her body and stared out at the cold cityscape. “I missed you. Yes. And then I got over you.”

Better, don’t you think?

Layering can work well. Just watch for those orphan sentences when you’re re-reading and be sure to give them a good home. For more examples of how to blend action, scenery and emotional details, check out my year-long novel writing course at Savvy Authors beginning in May, 2011. You can also find me on the web at http://www.katduncan.net

My special guest today is fellow Ellora’s Cave author, Kele Moon. Kele is celebrating the release of her debut book, Beyond Eden. Her contemporary romance is receiving excellent reviews so do check it out!

How do authors manage to balance life and writing and still stay sane? That’s what Kele is discussing today.

I’ve always been fortunate to have a solid support system. My husband and older children were always happy to give me the free time I needed to write whenever the ‘ol mighty muse decided to make an appearance. But since having my daughter, back in April, balancing life and writing has taken on a whole new meaning.

Not only do I consider writing my job, it’s my escape, my relaxation, my hobby, it’s a lot of things that are vital to my happiness. I still need time to do it, even if a five-month-old baby strongly disagrees.

In order to keep the peace, I’ve had to rework my entire creative process. Instead of writing when I felt like it, going through times where I’m extremely prolific, and others where the creative well is desert like, I’ve started setting goals for myself. No matter what I commit to two thousand words a day.

And trust me, it only took a few days up writing with heavy eyelids at three in the morning before I learned to start seizing the opportunities where I could find them.

Baby napping—write.

Husband playing a game with the kids—write.

Two minutes alone in the recliner—write.

It’s the goal setting that’s been successful for me. Determined to take my writing career as seriously as I would any other job I started to read a lot of books on success. The one standing theme is goal setting is the key to achieving your ambitions. Not only having a clear, defined goal of what you want, but also goals set up that will help you achieve it.

So I set goals even though it went against everything in my nature and I was astounded at the results. Once I started working towards my goals, my muse came along for the ride. Grudgingly at first, but before long I found out that a little routine change doesn’t ruin my creativity and seeing how fast a story can unfold when writing two thousand words a day is really exciting. I’d recommend any author try it for a month just to see what they can accomplish. They’ll probably be as surprised and delighted as I was.

Do you set goals? Have you found it helps to set yourself goals?

Click for an excerpt of Kele Moon’s breakout novel Beyond Eden

For more about Kele including book trailers from Beyond Eden visit her website

Blurb for “Beyond Eden”

Three lifelong friends find themselves tangled in a web of love, pain and dangerous secrets in this erotic Garden of Eden tale.

Tall, dark and handsome Danny Carlow has always gotten whatever he wants except for the two he wants more than anything—his best friends, lovers Paul and Eve. Determined, he waits like a snake in the grass, poised for the right moment to offer them a temptation too delicious to resist.

Artist Eve Everton makes the painful decision to leave behind her true love Paul for the Siren’s call of New York City. Ten years later with her life in shambles, she returns home. When Paul’s waiting arms aren’t available, Eve falls for Danny’s charm and finds herself a willing accomplice in the dangerous games Danny plays.

Former college football star, Paul Mattling is now a successful attorney with a bright future ahead of him. But behind those brilliant blue eyes are secret desires for a taste of the forbidden. Will he play it safe or will he give into Danny and Eve and bite the apple?

Purchase Beyond Eden

CONTEST: Kele will be giving away the winner’s choice of a $25 gift certificate for Amazon or Barnes and Noble to one randomly drawn commenter during her entire tour as well as winner’s choice of a $25 gift certificate for Amazon or Barnes and Noble to the host with the most comments, not counting duplicates or Kele’s own comments.

What is your best craft tip for aspiring authors wanting to submit to an agent?

90% of writing is rewriting. I don’t know that it ever gets easier, but I know that the more you learn to self-edit and polish, the stronger you’ll be at those skills.

Follow this link to read my full interview with agent, Holly Root

“Take disco breaks. Get up every hour and get the blood flowing and give your brain a break by punching up something pumpy on your ipod or stereo and rocking out for a few minutes. Great to reset things and bring you back to the computer with new energy, and helpful to stop your body from seizing up after long hours toiling over the keyboard.”

Visit Sarah Mayberry’s website
Purchase Sarah’s latest release, Her Best Friend

“The editor is there to do two things: to make the book as polished and professional as she can and to help you and the publisher avoid infringement suits. There are no brownie points for refusing reasonable edits. My first editor [Suzanne James] taught me: “An editor is not dismembering your baby; she’s polishing your gem.” To that, I added: “Sometimes you have to cut off the rough edges before the soft cloth comes out.” While you may not agree on precisely what changes need made to smooth the work, you should work with the editor to come to a compromise and not dismiss the concerns outright. Chances are, if the editor sees a problem, the readers will as well. Remember, what you see in your mind’s eye is often filling in the blanks between the typed lines, because you know the subject so well. For a reader to see the same thing, it has to all be on the page.”

Brenna Lyons, author of the EPIC’s e-Book Award-winning TIME CURRENTS

Read. You’ll probably hear this from every published writer you meet. You’ll probably hear it at every conference you attend too. It really is important to know how the romance genre works and the classic hooks that are popular with readers. Analyze each book you read. Treat them like textbooks and learn from every book. Discover what works for you as a reader, learn how other writers deal with dialogue, narrative and love scenes. As you read, you’ll absorb quite a bit of craft and you’ll probably find that you do things instinctively after a while.

A bonus tip: Take the time to exercise. Not only does it keep your mind alert and give you down time to plot and work through problems, it helps keep the dreaded bottom spread at bay. What? You thought bottom spread was an urban legend put out by published authors to scare you off? No, unfortunately. It’s quite true. If you spend all your time writing and don’t exercise you will end up with a large backside. Heed my warning and exercise!

Visit Shelley Munro’s website
Purchase Shelley’s latest release, The Bottom Line

Go to the source: Want to know how it feels to sit in a Mercedes Benz, or the smell of a horse, or the sound of a forest?

Go to the source.

Window shop at a high end car dealer, visit a horse veterinarian or enlist the help of horsey friends. The woods are not silent. Spend a night–or at least several hours hiking.

Nothing beats the real thing in order to describe it well. While some of us can’t go up in space, we can simulate the experience by spending a few minutes in a cramped metal shed or the cockpit of an airplane. Writing about the past? Turn off all the lights in your house and fetch water out of a rain barrel.

Now submerse yourself in the experience. As you transport yourself, you’ll transport your readers.

Visit Maria Zannini’s blog.
Purchase Touch Of Fire • Samhain Publishing