tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70780873012726075162024-03-13T07:30:40.334-07:00Dawn McClureDawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-61101899094246229062011-03-07T10:56:00.000-08:002011-03-07T11:00:35.805-08:00Like Sand through the HourglassI was supposed to have this article finished for Savvy on Friday, but I waited until the very last minute to sit down and write it. Now it’s Sunday morning and I have about an hour to get it done. I’m pissy and agitated. <em>Where’s my coffee? Why does my husband keep talking to me as though I’m not working? Why can’t my kids be quiet for five minutes? I’m seriously on a deadline here and I’m about to get out of this chair and open a can of whoop ass on the next person that bothers me.<br /></em><br />At least the mayhem and looming deadline have given me this week’s article theme: time constraint and intensity, and why every book you write needs both.<br /><br />Intensity blossoms under time constraints. Case in point – I’m stressed out now because I have about fifty minutes to get this damned article written. (That’s ten minutes less than I had in the paragraph above.) Time is flying and so are my fingers. <em>Will I get this article done in time? Should I go back and edit? Just hit send? Delete everything and start over?<br /><br /></em>If you don’t have intensity in your book, what’s going to make the reader turn the pages? What’s going to push your characters to the edge and back? How are they going to grow and learn? Adding a time constraint to your plot will add stress to your characters’ lives and therefore ratchet the intensity level.<br /><br />If I had started this article on Friday I wouldn’t be suffering from all this stress. I’m literally hyper because of my stress level. <em>I have to get this done. I have no extra time. I’m only at three-hundred words. Son of a bitch!<br /></em><br />We can all identify with time constraint in our personal lives. Adding this stress-inducer to our books is a no-brainer. You’ll create an instant page-turner. Remember, time constraint is in addition to your conflict – it is not the conflict itself. Time constraint amplifies the conflict and adds intensity.<br /><br />Think back to the movie, Speed. Talk about a time constraint plot! First our sexy hero finds out there’s a bomb on a city bus. Then he finds out the bomb will go off if the bus goes below fifty-five miles an hour. Then he hits traffic, but can’t slow down. He finally finds a place where he can do a loop-de-loop to keep the bus moving but the damn thing is eventually going to run out of gas – oh wait – the bus starts to leak gas (adding more time constraint).<br /><br />So let’s take a closer look at the time constraints applied in the film Speed.<br /><br /><strong>Introduce the time constraint.<br /></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Howard Payne:</span> Pop quiz, hotshot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> I'd want to know what bus it was...<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Howard Payne:</span> You think I'm going to tell you that?<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> Yes.<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Howard Payne:</span> Aha, very good. There are rules, Jack, and I want you to get this right. NO ONE goes off the bus. If you try to take any passengers off the bus, I will detonate it. I want my money by 11AM.<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> We can't pull that kind of money in time!<br /><br /><strong>Time constraint</strong> leads to <strong>intense situations & stress.</strong><br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Howard Payne:</span> Good! Now you tell them that the drop point is Pershing Square. You drop the bags and leave. I don't show until all your people are gone. It's getting on to 11AM, Jack, and I think it's gonna be a very pretty day. [hangs up; Jack flips out]<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Annie:</span> Jack, stop it! We're really scared and we need you right now. I can't do this by myself! Jack, please?<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> [chuckles] We're gonna die.<br /><br />***<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Annie:</span> What is that smell?<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> It's gas.<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Annie:</span> We're leaking gas?<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> We are now.<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Annie:</span> What, you thought you needed another challenge or something?<br /><br /><strong>Intense situations and stress</strong> forces characters to make <strong>difficult decisions.<br /></strong><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Annie:</span> You didn't leave me. I can't believe it... you didn't leave me.<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> Didn't have anywhere to be just then.<br /><br />Let’s sum this up (because I’m running out of time).<br /><br /><strong>Time constraint</strong> leads to <strong>intense situations & stress</strong> which leads to <strong>character’s decisions</strong> which leads to <strong>revealing your character</strong> (and their heroic decisions)! Oh…and don’t forget about the HEA:<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> I have to warn you, I've heard relationships based on intense experiences never work.<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Annie:</span> OK. We'll have to base it on sex then.<br /><span style="color:#ff0000;">Jack:</span> Whatever you say, ma'am.Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-23418800906280816082011-02-28T17:37:00.000-08:002011-02-28T17:48:08.640-08:00Have To Share Some Cover Love<a href="http://www.mayabanks.com/"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 178px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 278px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578920306414942898" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rtAwlRWMjDA/TWxOddYTerI/AAAAAAAAAk4/pFR5Gs6w3u0/s320/Hidden%2BAway.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.jaciburton.com/"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 184px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 276px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578920239852598946" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Moi7OTBnTH4/TWxOZlamtqI/AAAAAAAAAkw/r_y9wpcxL30/s320/The%2BPerfect%2BPlay.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rtAwlRWMjDA/TWxOddYTerI/AAAAAAAAAk4/pFR5Gs6w3u0/s1600/Hidden%2BAway.jpg"></a></div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rtAwlRWMjDA/TWxOddYTerI/AAAAAAAAAk4/pFR5Gs6w3u0/s1600/Hidden%2BAway.jpg"></a></div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AK7tQ6VBYB4/TWxON-l_96I/AAAAAAAAAko/MVin1qliK_U/s1600/Hidden%2BAway.jpg"></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rtAwlRWMjDA/TWxOddYTerI/AAAAAAAAAk4/pFR5Gs6w3u0/s1600/Hidden%2BAway.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rtAwlRWMjDA/TWxOddYTerI/AAAAAAAAAk4/pFR5Gs6w3u0/s1600/Hidden%2BAway.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div>These books caught my eye. I have NO idea why (yeah, right!). Anyway, click on the books and it will take you to the authors' websites. :) Both authors are auto-buys for me. </div><div></div><div>Happy reading!</div></div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-49456842188292859212011-02-07T06:56:00.000-08:002011-02-07T07:06:49.576-08:00Love is a Battlefield - Rockin' the Black Moment<div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TVAKElWgCwI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/I96AFWknE98/s1600/blackcloud.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 246px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 360px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570963812919544578" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TVAKElWgCwI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/I96AFWknE98/s400/blackcloud.gif" /></a>Every great romance builds up to an intense moment in which the hero and heroine can see no way out. They’ll never overcome the obstacles holding them back. They’ll never have that white picket fence. No bouncing babies for them. They may even face death.<br /><br />Writers have come to call this the Black Moment. If your book or novella doesn’t have it, make no mistake, you will leave reader disappointed.<br /><br />Creating the black moment is like walking a tightrope three hundred feet above a concrete parking lot with no safety net. You lean a little toward the left and rush through the black moment, you’ve cheated the reader. They’ve followed the characters through their journey, flipped the pages in anticipation of that Big Bang at the end of the book, always wondering what will happen. <em>Will the hero and heroine make it through the Petrified Forest and survive the field of ghouls waiting for them?</em> If that field of ghouls ends up being a few slobbering, easily-defeated monsters, then you’ve just fallen off the tightrope.<br /><br />If you lean a little too far to the right and drag out the black moment, you have a reader whose ready to put down the book due to over-stimulation. I know you’ve read a book like that -- a battle that goes on and on and on, until you want to kill the characters yourself just to end the suffering (theirs <strong><em>and </em></strong>yours).<br /><br />And don’t get me started on The Misunderstanding. That plotting fail deserves a blog post all its<br />own. I’ll just say this: if your hero and heroine can solve everything with a simple conversation, you haven’t just fallen off the tightrope, you’ve incinerated the damn thing.<br /><br />So how do you know what your black moment should be? Most plotters will know the black moment before they begin writing chapter one. Plotters can work their way to the black moment, sprinkling in some foreshadowing and teasers since they know exactly where they’re going. <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TVAKMB42XxI/AAAAAAAAAkY/fbAScGtbojE/s1600/Pain.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 85px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 85px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570963940838891282" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TVAKMB42XxI/AAAAAAAAAkY/fbAScGtbojE/s320/Pain.gif" /></a><br /><br />Creating the black moment can be a little harder for pantsers. Just ask yourself this question when you get close to the end: What are my characters working toward? What will bring them to their knees? What would destroy their very <em><strong>WILL TO LIVE?</strong><br /></em><br />Your character’s goal is the KEY to your black moment. So…your heroine has to get through the Petrified Forest in order to save her daughter who’s being held in a castle (Her goal). The hero is there to help, of course. He’s the King’s son – an outcast who knows that dangerous forest like the back of his hand. He’s determined to claim his kingdom now that his father has passed (His goal). Their SOLE MISSION: Get through the Petrified Forest alive. Their ULTIMATE MISSION : Save daughter/Become king.<br /><br />What possible black moment can we whip up from this?<br /><br />Let me introduce you to the beauty of the black moment = SACRIFICE.<br /><br />Sacrifice can lead to heroism. Heroism comes from making a difficult choice, but deciding the outcome is worth it, which leads right back to sacrifice. As Jack from Meet the Parents would say: “This is the circle of trust.” The reader TRUSTS you to deliver the sacrifice aspect in the black moment. You don’t want to merely finish the book, you want to finish strong. Some authors think the black moment is when everything comes falling down around the characters – which is true. However, if a sacrifice hasn’t been made, what have the characters given up to achieve their goal? Don’t just hand the characters a HEA, make them work for it.<br /><br /><em><br /><br /><div><blockquote><em>A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. ~ Joseph Campbell<br /></em></blockquote></em><br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote>Did you think the ghouls at the edge of the forest would lead to the black moment? I guess it could. But let’s take the black moment a little further. After battling the ghouls the hero and heroine are absolutely exhausted and wounded. They still have to save the child.<br /><br />What if saving the child meant the hero would never become king? Sacrifice – check.<br /><br />What if saving her daughter meant certain death for the heroine? Sacrifice – check.<br /><br />You can play around with What Ifs all day long. There are so many great outcomes, which is what makes reading a book so wonderful. You never know what’s going to happen, because each author would take a different route or create a unique twist on the black moment of any given plot.<br /><br />Just remember that the black moment is a *temporary* disaster that must be overcome to achieve the HEA if you’re writing a romance, and too little or too much will destroy the equilibrium of the plot.<br /><br />Happy writing. :)</div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-81591693280740418692011-01-30T12:29:00.000-08:002011-01-30T12:40:34.711-08:00Writing a Paranormal, Fantasy or UF Novel?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TUXKhYsj8aI/AAAAAAAAAkE/i1bsSC-kZP4/s1600/fb_logo.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 115px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 98px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568079189227336098" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TUXKhYsj8aI/AAAAAAAAAkE/i1bsSC-kZP4/s200/fb_logo.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/showevent.php?eventid=649"><strong>Write a Paranormal, Fantasy or UF Novel Using Existing Myths for Worldbuilding</strong> </a>~ <a href="http://www.savvyauthors.com/vb/content.php">SavvyAuthors</a> will be offering this course starting on March 7th. The instructor is Marcy Weydemuller. Here's a little about the course (Copied from the site):<br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><em>Do you have an interesting twist on an old myth or mystical world?Do the worldbuilding elements take over when you write and you lose the story?Do you want to learn how to better incorporate existing mythology into your worldbuilding?</em> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"></div><br /><br />Join us for this Masters Level course where you will learn to better incorporate existing mythology into your worldbuilding. Build better worlds based upon existing myths and history as you spend a year exploring your world and writing your novel with hands-on help from Marcy Wydemuller and your peers.<br /><br />Through reading, writing and analysis of literature surrounding their novel's myths and history, participants will hone techniques to produce the type of myth-based novels that speak through metaphor, symbolism, allusion and echo. Excerpts from novels and movies will be deconstructed to provide workable models for your own research and story.<br /><br />Writing produced during the course will be critiqued weekly in small peer groups. In addition to daily instructor feedback to lectures and assignments, authors will post a full chapter or scene weekly with professional edits during the first three quarters. A personal analysis will be returned to the student only. Once a month, the middle Wednesday, there will be an open class discussion online. During the final quarter, each student will have a private one hour, one-on-one with the instructor regarding their novel and any specific questions they may still have regarding final polish and marketability.<br /><br />Course Objectives:<br /><br />* to complete a draft of your novel with daily and weekly goals.<br />* to apply mythic impact appropriate to your narrative.<br />* to create a fully developed believable world for your genre.<br />* to deepen analytical skills through study and discussion of various myth-building techniques through assigned readings and movies.<br />* to develop critique instincts and revision skills in peer groups.<br />* to create a polished submission package.<br /><br />TRACK<br />Masters Level – Will cover topics in detail, with the assumption that the student has more than a basic understanding of the craft elements of writing fiction.<br /><br /><br />WHEN: Mar 7, 2011 - Feb 18, 2012<br /><br />**************************************************************************************<br /><br />I've been thinking about writing an urban fantasy lately, and this course caught my eye. I used an existing 'myth' for my paranormal series, so I know how difficult some aspects can be. Remember, this is a master's course, so keep that in mind if you choose to sign up.Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-59413993944221884382011-01-10T14:23:00.000-08:002011-01-10T14:31:04.221-08:00Crash Course<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TSuHMmQIquI/AAAAAAAAAj0/0fHSeLGt2C4/s1600/BLOG%2BPICTURE.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560686815415413474" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TSuHMmQIquI/AAAAAAAAAj0/0fHSeLGt2C4/s400/BLOG%2BPICTURE.jpg" /></a><br /><br />In the past four years I’ve read countless articles on writing. I’ve attended conferences and panels at both the Romantic Times Convention and the RWA National Conference. I’ve bought enough craft books to sink a small rowboat (Make a Scene, Creating Character Emotions, GMC by Deb Dixon, Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies, Revision & Self-Editing, to name just a few.) I’ve interviewed NYT bestselling authors, spoken personally to industry professionals, and blogged myself stupid.<br /><br />After all of this information overload it’s a wonder that I can still craft a sentence, let alone write a paragraph or a chapter. There are so many rules and suggestions floating around in my noggin, it’s amazing that I’m still sitting at my desk and not stuck in a fetal ball.<br /><br />Let me give you a sneak peek to what’s in this writer’s mind. I’m putting it all in one paragraph so you can *feel* the insanity. Make sure you’ve had your coffee, because this is going to be a wild ride.<br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;">HIGH CONCEPT, HIGH CONCEPT, HIGH CONCEPT</span>. If you can’t break your story down into a single sentence, you don’t know your story. <span style="color:#990000;">RESEARCH</span>. Do too little and you’ll regret it. Do too much and you’ll be starting your book sometime during the next ice age. <span style="color:#990000;">PLOTTER VS PANTSER </span>(or, as some like to call it, <span style="color:#990000;">ORGANIC WRITER</span>). Should you outline? Storyboard? Start typing and hope for the best? Well, whatever you do, always start with an <span style="color:#990000;">INCITING INCIDENT</span>, and end each chapter with a <span style="color:#990000;">CLIFF-HANGER</span>. DO NOT drop back-story into chapter one, for God’s sake! If you do that you’re either a newbie who knows NOTHING or Sherrilyn Kenyon – and you, my friend, are no Sherrilyn Kenyon. <span style="color:#990000;">HERO</span>. Is he a bad boy? A rake? An alpha? (Are there any other types right now?) <span style="color:#990000;">HEROINE</span>. Is she quiet? Strong? Is she kick-ass? (Are there any other types right now?) <span style="color:#990000;">SETTING</span>. Some say this is just another character. Just do your homework and make sure it doesn’t talk. <span style="color:#990000;">WORLD-BUILDING</span>. Make it fresh. Make it original. Good luck with that. <span style="color:#990000;">NARRATIVE</span>. Too much can dull your manuscript, unless you’re Christine Feehan. <span style="color:#990000;">DIALOGUE</span>. Listen to people talk and do your best to emulate that. Go easy on the Scottish brogue. <span style="color:#990000;">POINT OF VIEW</span>. Stay in one point of view for each scene. Only the best can get away with head-hopping. <span style="color:#990000;">ACTION VS REACTION</span>. Are your characters just reacting to all the bullcrap that’s happening to them, or are they DOING something about it, which leads to <span style="color:#990000;">CHARACTER DRIVEN VS PLOT DRIVEN</span>. Do events drive your story, or are your characters moving the story forward through decisions and action? There are times the two combine, and that separates the good books from great books. Again, good luck with that. <span style="color:#990000;">GMC</span>. What is your character’s goal? What motivates your character? Is there any <span style="color:#990000;">CONFICT</span> in your novel whatsoever? <span style="color:#990000;">INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL CONFLICT</span>? Yes, there are two kinds of conflict. Deal with it. <span style="color:#990000;">VOICE</span>. What is it and where do I find it? Hint: could you ever read a paragraph from one of J.R. Ward’s Brotherhood novels and mistake it for another writer? I think not. <span style="color:#990000;">DEEP POV</span>. You’re not writing about your character. You ARE your character. Let the reader see what’s happening through the eyes of your hero and heroine. <span style="color:#990000;">PACING</span>. 2 slow or 2 fast for 2 long = not good. <span style="color:#990000;">ADHESION</span>. What keeps your hero and heroine together throughout the book? <span style="color:#990000;">FLAWS & QUIRKS</span>. Just because your heroine is a size two with fair, unblemished skin and long, shiny hair doesn’t mean she’s perfect. That goes for the hero, too. Give him a quirk or flaw to go with his washboard abs. <span style="color:#990000;">SEXUAL TENSION</span>. Doesn’t matter if Satan himself is tracking your hero and heroine by chapter two, they’d better want to hump each other by chapter three. <span style="color:#990000;">EMOTION</span>. Visceral emotions. Live them, love them, include them in your book. <span style="color:#990000;">AVOID CLICHES</span>. I’m trying to think of a cliché to put here, but I’ve trained myself so well I can’t come up with one. <span style="color:#990000;">SEX SCENES</span>. Remember, this isn’t your mother’s romance novel. (Even though those historical bodice rippers were OFF THE HOOK. Ever read one? And they say our books are hot. <em>Whaaaat</em>?) <span style="color:#990000;">SUSPENSE</span>. Romantic suspense isn’t the only genre that needs it. <span style="color:#990000;">BACKGROUND</span>. Little like back-story. Don’t bore the reader with the details, but tell us how your hero was tortured and why the heroine is afraid of bald men on rollerblades. <span style="color:#990000;">SECONDARY CHARACTERS</span>. Better make sure they add something to the story. Otherwise readers will be skipping some of your scenes like they do with the Lessers. (I didn’t just say that.) (Yes I did.) <span style="color:#990000;">BLACK MOMENT</span>. The climax. The time when the hero and heroine realize they are going to DIE. They are going to LOSE. There is NO future for them. (Until the next chapter, of course.) <span style="color:#990000;">RESOLUTION</span>. Time to wrap up everything that happened up to this point. Hopefully you took some notes while you were writing. <span style="color:#990000;">HAPPILY EVER AFTER</span>. I luv you! I luv you, too! I can’t quit you! You’re my destined mate, my one and only, my future and my life, my soul mate. <span style="color:#990000;">THE END</span>.<br /><br />There it is – the condensed version of rules and suggestions that run through my mind every time I sit down to write. Maybe that’s why most of us wear headphones and rock to our favorite music while we write. If we thought about all the rules, plot points and must-haves when writing, we’d never get anywhere close to the HEA.Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-83657114086188311072011-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:002011-01-02T05:00:05.718-08:00Blizzard Aftermath<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR_aJ7OENwI/AAAAAAAAAjc/Bffm7tRpYCI/s1600/Blizzard1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557400329248847618" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR_aJ7OENwI/AAAAAAAAAjc/Bffm7tRpYCI/s320/Blizzard1.jpg" /></a> <div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR_aUfIzmOI/AAAAAAAAAjk/2dj7XyQosbM/s1600/Blizzard5.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557400510689155298" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR_aUfIzmOI/AAAAAAAAAjk/2dj7XyQosbM/s320/Blizzard5.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /><div><div><div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR_aUfIzmOI/AAAAAAAAAjk/2dj7XyQosbM/s1600/Blizzard5.jpg"></a></div></div></div><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR_aUfIzmOI/AAAAAAAAAjk/2dj7XyQosbM/s1600/Blizzard5.jpg"></a></div><br /><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />As you can see, that's a lot of snow, or as we like to call it in my town, a lot of <strong>bullshit</strong>. It didn't take long for everyone to dig themselves out and clear their driveways. I think people from South Dakota are accustomed to this type of weather. I'm not. I was just happy to sit inside and write. :)<br /><br />I've lived in a lot of places. Northern and Southern California, Italy, North Carolina, Michigan, Florida and Illinois. Every place I've been has its own flavor. In Italy it was all about the food. Michigan was downright beautiful, and I lived two minutes from the beach in Southern Cali. Here? It's peaceful. And cold - don't get me wrong. I've never been in weather like this before. In the summer it's storm after storm. Thankfully we only had one tornado warning last year. In the winter it's freezing and white. White as far as the eye can see. LOL But I'll take it, because my kids can run around this little town and I don't have to worry.<br /><br />So there you have it. My blizzard pics. I took more, but you get the jist of the situation. ;) Lots and lots of snow.</div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-64598135078573283932011-01-01T07:33:00.000-08:002011-01-01T07:58:59.793-08:00Happy New Year!<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR9JiaVhNDI/AAAAAAAAAik/-j75ZeuTgj8/s1600/Front%2Byard%2Bview...LOTS%2Bof%2Bsnow.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557241320732439602" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR9JiaVhNDI/AAAAAAAAAik/-j75ZeuTgj8/s320/Front%2Byard%2Bview...LOTS%2Bof%2Bsnow.jpg" /></a><br />This picture was taken BEFORE the blizzard that swept through my town yesterday, dumping seven plus inches of snow. Unbelievable. Having been raised in sunny California, I'm simply speechless. This is my second blizzard in two years. It totally wrecked my plans to drink in the new year. :P<br /><br />Speaking of...Happy New Year! I didn't make any resolutions for 2011. I think I've learned my lesson at this stage in the game. From losing weight to writing more, I've tried nailing down every typical resolution under the sun. Not this time. However, I did find an awesome horoscope for my sign today. :) I think I'll take it.<br /><br /><strong><em>Year 2011 Career</em></strong><br /><br /><em>This is the year to build your resources, fatten your savings account, and stash money away for some of your bigger dreams. Don't be afraid of spending either. Money has a way of finding its way right into your humble bank account, especially this spring. You're not used to such an effortless cash flow and may unconsciously attempt to sabotage your own good fortune. Tell yourself a thousand times a day that you deserve the riches that are coming your way, because you truly do.<br /><br />You've got to take your talents more seriously, Pisces. No more undercutting yourself and humbly accepting crumbs when you're worth gold. Take an honest assessment of all of the gifts you bring to the table and you'll quickly realize that you have been shamefully underpaid. But let any residual false modesty be a thing of the past now that 2011 has come to bring you the big bucks you so deserve.<br /><br />When Jupiter leaves your money sector in June, in order to keep the cash flowing you'll have to work those networking skills. Make sure you've got a strong online presence and don't be afraid to revamp your image and make yourself more visible. You have a tendency to keep yourself invisible. But once people see you and all that you have to offer, they will be all over your talents. Stop doubting yourself and letting that legendary Piscean paranoia interfere in what promises to be one of the most successful and lucrative years of your career.<br /></em><br />Nice, right? Anyway, I didn't read all that much last year. Unfortunately, I didn't write as much either, as I was getting familiar with a new job. I couldn't nail a favorite book down for the year. I had two.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR9L97n4HMI/AAAAAAAAAis/xt1A5ZNkqxA/s1600/Lover%2BAvenged.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 197px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557243992547531970" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR9L97n4HMI/AAAAAAAAAis/xt1A5ZNkqxA/s320/Lover%2BAvenged.jpg" /></a></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR9MEFt0rTI/AAAAAAAAAi0/QJur2GNybNQ/s1600/DFTD.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 187px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 293px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557244098336042290" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TR9MEFt0rTI/AAAAAAAAAi0/QJur2GNybNQ/s320/DFTD.jpg" /></a></div><div>I really can't say which book I enjoyed reading more. I LOVED Rehvenge, and the gritty tone of the book. John Mathews novel nearly topped my list, but thinking back on the two books made me realize I enjoyed the tone of Lover Avenged a little more. <br /><br />And who wouldn't love the demon Malkom? As a writer I was enthralled with the way Cole handled a hero and heroine who couldn't communicate through most of the book.<br /><br />These two authors remain auto-buys for me. <br /><br />As they say, on to bigger and better. I hope everyone has a great year. :)</div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-36470936636917039802010-12-12T10:20:00.000-08:002010-12-12T10:36:00.212-08:00Novellas<a href="http://ebooks.carinapress.com/888C2F28-66CF-436D-A6D0-6FA466815C67/10/134/en/Default.htm"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 64px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549864718283758066" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TQUUjozG2fI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/b9n74S8WjeM/s200/CarinaPressLogo.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.loose-id.com/"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 60px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549864526486725490" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TQUUYeTIY3I/AAAAAAAAAiI/VErBTo2WPNI/s200/Loose_Id.gif" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.jasminejade.com/default.aspx?skinid=11"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 64px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549864061141997810" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TQUT9YwTWPI/AAAAAAAAAiA/oTY4T1flt8U/s200/www_ellorascave_com.gif" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.samhainpublishing.com/"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 90px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549863928541612722" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TQUT1qx6CrI/AAAAAAAAAhw/SHAMR2JURZo/s200/imagesCALEFNBH.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com/"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 36px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549863989137076002" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TQUT5Mg_byI/AAAAAAAAAh4/-aQumB8_RCA/s200/liquidsilverbooks.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div> </div><div><br /><div><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">We’ve all seen the titles. The Billionaire’s Pregnant Mistress, The Sheik’s Mistress, The Italian Billionaire’s Secret Baby, Taming the Tycoon. What do these titles have in common (other than the obvious)? They are smaller works, ending around the 55K mark – <strong>the original novella</strong>. The novella is the middle-child – not quite novel-length, and a bit larger than the novelette. Harlequin has dominated this market for years, spitting out these fun, quick reads as avid readers gobble them up. Introduce the e-market...</span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">The e-publishing market is rising quickly. More and more readers are flocking to e-pub sites to snatch up titles right from the comfort of their own home. Just this past year an RWA Special Chapter was created for electronic and small press authors – ESPAN. Here is the beginning of their mission statement: “The Electronic and Small Press Authors Network (ESPAN) exists to enhance the careers of those members of RWA who are contracted with or have released books through electronic and small press publishers.”<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">Recent discussions about the e-publishing market have raised many questions, arguments and tempers, but today I’m going to focus on e-publishing houses as a possible venue for those snappy little novellas. </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>Awesome Advantage #1</strong> - The submitting turn-around time concerning e-publishing houses is significantly lower than New York. Can you say instant gratification? Personally, I’ve heard back from an e-house the very day I submitted. It’s not uncommon for writer’s to wait months upon months to hear back from New York. </span></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>Awesome Advantage #2</strong> - There’s a wide range of opportunities when going the e-pub route. The red tape isn’t so thick, so you can write the types of scenes and plots that other, more traditional, publishers won’t touch. I’ve seen e-book erotic romances with the eye-popping tag of M/M/M/M/F. Try to sell that to New York. </span></span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>Awesome Advantage #3</strong> - It’s a way to learn the biz and get paid for it. Many e-book authors have gone on to New York, and they cut their teeth on digital novellas. You go through the same process – submission, contract, editing, cover art and final line-edits. Then the reviews pour in…and you learn from those, too. Trust me, if you ever get Giggled, you can’t pay for that kind of honest critique.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;"><br /><strong>Just Plain Awesome</strong> – Hey, New York authors are doing it. Not only is the submitting process quick, so is the payday. (Yeah, I went there.) You get your royalties monthly or quarterly, and who can’t use a little more spending cash? </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">Just like any business venture you should weigh all your options when submitting your work. There are good e-publishing houses, and then there are not-so-good e-publishing houses. Before you submit, chat with the authors of a particular house you are interested in. Ask them what they think of their editors, what they’ve learned from the process, and most importantly, would they submit to that publishing house again? </span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">The publishing industry is a hard shell to crack, especially during these past few years. The more you educate yourself concerning all facets of the industry, the better off you’ll be. If you’re interested in going the e-publishing route, check out ESPAN and what their authors have to say. Buy a few e-books from the house you’re considering submitting to. Peruse their message boards if they have one, or join their Yahoo Group. </span></div><div><br /><strong><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">A few links for your surfing pleasure…</span></strong></div><div><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;"><br /><strong>A large number of E-Presses all on one page (Thanks to ESPAN)</strong> - </span><a href="http://espan-rwa.com/links/"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">http://espan-rwa.com/links/</span></a><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;"><br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>E-Publishing – The beginning</strong> (To learn a little more about the e-publishing industry - </span></span><a href="http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/2009/02/19/epublishing-the-beginning/"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/2009/02/19/epublishing-the-beginning/</span></a><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;"><br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><strong>E-publishing FAQ</strong> - </span></span><a href="http://www.writing-world.com/publish/FAQ.shtml"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:78%;">http://www.writing-world.com/publish/FAQ.shtml</span></a> </div></div></div></div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-91500896653501862472010-08-10T06:00:00.001-07:002010-08-10T07:28:26.048-07:008 Second Ride<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFOjtGLq5I/AAAAAAAAAek/_gVXLDpaLzY/s1600/Rodeo+2010+%236.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 228px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503766594931370898" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFOjtGLq5I/AAAAAAAAAek/_gVXLDpaLzY/s400/Rodeo+2010+%236.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div><div><div><div></div><div></div><div></div><br /><div>I've lived in South Dakota for about a year, so you'd think I'd be used to the 'country' way of life by now. Short answer: not so much.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFRlB_PENI/AAAAAAAAAes/k9ETwJOF8Uw/s1600/Rodeo+2010+%234.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 371px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503769916254130386" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFRlB_PENI/AAAAAAAAAes/k9ETwJOF8Uw/s400/Rodeo+2010+%234.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Tornadoes</span> and farm <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">equipment</span> aside, I've seen and heard things that make this city girl scratch her head and back away...slowly. Very slowly.<br /><br />But there was something I saw on Sunday that had me begging for more. *<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">heh</span>* COWBOYS! I went to my first rodeo, and suddenly I saw the light. Now I can see why the country life is so appealing. </div><br /><div>I did sit and question why a sane man would sit his cute ass on a bull, shoot from a cage and risk his life while holding on for dear life to a pissed off bull. The odds of getting hurt were pretty damned high. Out of 10 or so bull riders, more than half limped out of the arena. One broke his hand after the bull stomped on it. Can you say ouch?</div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFRtgzUeBI/AAAAAAAAAe0/zLtyeJuOZcg/s1600/Rodeo+2010+%235.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 236px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503770061964605458" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFRtgzUeBI/AAAAAAAAAe0/zLtyeJuOZcg/s400/Rodeo+2010+%235.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 231px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503770257275394626" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFR44ZCmkI/AAAAAAAAAe8/7Iq2dLFdHlw/s400/Rodeo+2010+%2312.jpg" /> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFWga5sxII/AAAAAAAAAfE/5MG1Tfb4v74/s1600/Rodeo+2010+%239.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 237px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503775334600590466" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGFWga5sxII/AAAAAAAAAfE/5MG1Tfb4v74/s400/Rodeo+2010+%239.jpg" /></a><br />Watching these bull riders made me wonder why some individuals find it necessary to push themselves to the limit. They KNOW they're going to get hurt. You don't sit on a bull for a living and think to yourself, "This is a piece of cake. Good paycheck and great benefits." No. I bet they pray. "Please God, let the boys be okay after this ride. And I'm not talking about the men sitting on the fence at my back." Yeah, I bet it goes something like that.<br /><br />The crowd went wild when the men lasted their 8 seconds, and gasped when they got thrown from the bull - which happened more often than not. I was sitting in the front row when I took that last picture. Poor cowboy. Made me think of romance writers. (Everything comes back to romance eventually. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">lol</span>)<br /><br />Just like the cowboys I watched in fascination, veteran authors cringe when their buddies get rejections. We watch in awe when a newbie comes out of the gate and lands a three book contract with a large publishing house. We help our friends dust themselves off when they get a bad <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">crit</span>.<br /><br />After sitting there thinking for a while, I finally realized why these cowboys risk their life to get on that bull. They love it. I think they're a particular brand of crazy, but I also admire them for their strength and determination.<br /><br />When I first started writing I didn't let rejection get me down. I framed the rejections I received and put them up on my office walls. Just like that bull rider in the pictures above, I got on the bull, held on, got tossed on my ass, and got back up. Rejection and defeat is all part of the process. (wow, can you tell I'm waiting to hear back on a submission?)<br /><br />At any rate, I had a great time at the rodeo. I still think the men are nuts, but you can't hold that against a man in wranglers. No ma'am. </div></div></div></div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-56077956202084773972010-08-09T19:23:00.000-07:002010-08-09T20:11:49.185-07:00Frustrated Writer<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGC4UvPruGI/AAAAAAAAAds/GBZuJcJS_Xk/s1600/frustrated-writer1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 182px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 160px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503601411065886818" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGC4UvPruGI/AAAAAAAAAds/GBZuJcJS_Xk/s320/frustrated-writer1.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><div><div>Have you ever typed 'frustrated writer' in Google and then clicked on images? I shouldn't have felt such a rush of understanding when I gazed at all the pictures that sprung up, but the images made me feel better all the same. Been there. Done that. Living it.<br /><br />A few days ago I fried my laptop. I shut it, thinking it was on sleep mode, and left it sitting on my leather couch. Yeah, can you say NIGHTMARE? Long story short, I was able to retrieve my files from the hard drive by buying some swank piece of hardware from Office Max. Thank you sweet baby Jesus. Anyway, I'm about to tackle those edits that I nearly lost, and you'd think I'd be on cloud nine. Hmm, not so much.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGC74fLRcMI/AAAAAAAAAd0/aEhroCgGENs/s1600/imagesCAPR3DEL.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 229px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 220px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503605323762593986" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGC74fLRcMI/AAAAAAAAAd0/aEhroCgGENs/s320/imagesCAPR3DEL.jpg" /></a><br />So I decided to blog about my lack of motivation and what I plan on doing to get it back. If there's something my friends know about me, they know I'll bring my A-game at some point. I'm stubborn and driven...on most days.<br /><br />So I busted out <em>The Art of War For Writers</em>, an awesome book by James Scott Bell, a writer I had the pleasure of meeting at the Romantic Times Convention this year. Instead of focusing on what I was reading, I thought about a story he told at his workshop. A writer was once posed a question - what would he do if he had only 24 hours to live? His answer: type faster.<br /><br />Now I <strong>know</strong> I wasn't the only writer in that room squirming in their seat. In fact, I'd bet money on it. Translation - that <em>so</em> wouldn't have been my answer. And my point for bring up that little story? <strong>Writers need to let go of the guilt. </strong><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGC-trUYkFI/AAAAAAAAAd8/GcNOCtz6-1Q/s1600/untitled.bmp"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 217px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 232px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503608436578357330" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TGC-trUYkFI/AAAAAAAAAd8/GcNOCtz6-1Q/s320/untitled.bmp" /></a><br /><em>The Art of War For Writers</em> is the book to get you back on your feet. Sure, some writers don't need motivational quotes, but some of us LIVE on motivational quotes. I even have them on my website. This little book takes it a step farther and gives you strategies, tactics and exercises to get those creative juices flowing. Jeez, I'm starting to sound like a bad commercial.</div><div><br />I think we all go through growing pains when we climb that ladder of success. Doesn't matter the job. What matters is what you do about it. Don't let doubts suck you in and get the best of you. <strong>Finish what you started</strong>. <br /><br />I didn't go to RWA Nationals this year, but I heard about a speech Nora Roberts gave from a few friends of mine. She said (and I'm quoting this from others), "Embrace the HARD." <br /><br />Perfect. That sums up <em>everything</em>. Writing isn't easy. Just quit your bitching and get the words on the page. Edit. Put on your big girl panties and <em>get 'er done</em>. Yup, those are some pretty strong words from a frustrated writer, but you know what? I feel better already. <br /></div></div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-86128085528972765492010-07-20T12:06:00.001-07:002010-08-10T19:12:06.843-07:00My New Campaign - I'd Rather Go Naked Than Edit<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TEX2G84-SFI/AAAAAAAAAdA/yaN5PzkO1tk/s1600/blonde-reading-book.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496069519560296530" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TEX2G84-SFI/AAAAAAAAAdA/yaN5PzkO1tk/s320/blonde-reading-book.jpg" /></a><br /><div><div>We’ve all seen the ads for PETA – I’d rather go naked than wear fur. Well, I’m here to say I’d rather go naked than edit.<br /><br />When I’m sitting in front of my computer and I get an exciting new idea for a book, I can run off of that energy for weeks. I’ve been known to write a novella in less than a week, and a full-length book in 8 days flat. I’ve written forty-six pages in one day, and 60,000 words in a week. However, when it comes time to edit that bitch, I break out in a cold sweat and come to the decision that the laundry needs my utmost attention. Even if it’s all done. Something needs to be ironed, folded or stitched. Socks need to be matched.<br /><br />There’s something magical about writing a book. I can sit down for what seems twenty minutes, typing away, trying desperately to ignore my kids and whatever that last noise was, and in reality hours have gone by. When I edit, it’s a different story altogether.<br /><br />For my first manuscript, I had a lot of exclamation points. “They’re right on our tail!” “Run!” “They have grenades!” “I baked an apple pie today!” Yeah, I went the distance when it came to exclamation points. My editor, God bless her, didn’t make a huge deal about it. She said a lot of newbies used exclamation points instead of showing the emotion through word choice, or italicizing power words. I went a little too far when I edited my second book. She actually had to put a few exclamation points in.<br /><br />Okay! So I learned my lesson on exclamation points! Moving on to the unnecessary words!<br /><br />For example: <em>He sat down in the chair and ran a hand through his hair. </em>Well, how else is he going to sit? Up? He sat DOWN is redundant. He sat in the chair. Period. Oh, and while we are on redundant words, how about off of. “I snatched the brush off of the dresser.” No hooker, you snatched the brush off the dresser. No need to use the word of.<br /><br />Another thing I tended to do in my early manuscripts that can really make editors grit their teeth is blatant overuse of certain words. I used some words so often that I had to delete <strong>that</strong> about <strong>that</strong> a quarter <strong>that </strong>of them. Wow. You’re really alert. Yes, I once overused the word that. I’ll save the word <strong>was</strong> for another article. I once had a crit partner point out that I had the word <strong>was </strong>over 40 times on one page. I shit you not. I still have a problem with THAT word. *Sigh*<br /><br />And speaking of teeth grinding, I recently discovered this is a no-no. <em>He grit his teeth when the bullet made impact.</em> BONG! Incorrect. The correct form would be as follows – <em>He gritted his teeth when the bullet made impact.<br /></em><br />Ah, sharing all of my face-plants when it comes to writing is giving me the warm fuzzies. Let’s go on, shall we?<br /><br />“Alright,” you say. Well, no. That’s not the way you spell it. It’s all right. Two words. Now, to be fair here, an editor once told me you could shorten it to alright in dialogue, but never in narrative. Confused much? Alrighty then, moving on.<br /><br />Dialogue. READ IT OUTLOUD. Please don’t have your hero say, “It is nine O’clock in the evening. Is there any chance that you are you ready to go to bed?” Well, there’s nothing wrong with that sentence, you say. No, technically there isn’t. But do you talk that way? I didn’t think so. How about this – “Christ, it’s nine already. I’m going to bed.”<br /></div><br /><div>Such small, nit-picky things we tend to do in our first draft that must be weeded out when we edit. Suddenly the creative process is over, and you're forced to invite your internal editor back. You edit your manuscript once, twice, maybe even three times. Your crit partner edits your manuscript. You edit your manuscript again. You get a contract - YAY! And then you get your first round of edits, and then a second round of edits. Then you get your galleys, or final line edit.<br /><br />Are you ready to join my campaign yet? T-shirts coming soon - I'd Rather Go Naked Than Edit. </div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-56870909932844181312010-07-03T06:40:00.000-07:002010-07-03T07:48:03.225-07:00Urban Fantasy and Breaking The Rules<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TC8_9xhq8tI/AAAAAAAAAcg/9QFRf0p6sME/s1600/TeamJacobEdward.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 215px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5489676801287058130" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/TC8_9xhq8tI/AAAAAAAAAcg/9QFRf0p6sME/s320/TeamJacobEdward.jpg" /></a><br /><div>So I'm biting the bullet and going with my daughters to see the new Twilight movie. One is on Team Edward, and the other is all for Team Jacob. I'm a big fan of vamps, but I think I'm leaning toward Team Jacob, even though he looks like a child to me. Yeah. Feeling kinda dirty here, and not in a good cougar way.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>So many people have blogged about how crappy the movies/books are, and that Bella whines too much, blah blah blah. Listen, <a href="http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/">Stephanie Meyer</a> is laughing her ass off all the way to the bank, so I'm not jumping on the 'this sucks' bandwagon. I am, however, going to focus on the drama of a love triangle. Something I've never put into my books until recently.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>While I was writing my last book, I had a slight problemo. By the end of the book there were two heroes, and I'm still not sure which one to go with. I can still remember reading the Sookie Stackhouse series by <a href="http://www.charlaineharris.com/">Charlaine Harris</a> and being shocked to my core when Sookie and Bill broke it off and she had sex with Eric. A die-hard romance fan at the time, I hadn't yet read a book where the main romance was questioned. Sure there were 'misunderstandings.' The heroine might <em><strong>think </strong></em>the hero was sleeping with someone else, but it just so happened he was rescuing his sister from the prostitution ring and got caught by the heroine while untangling himself from two naked prostitutes. However, he wasn't there to score. LOL And once the 'misunderstanding' is resolved, you have your HEA. But with the Stackhouse series, Sookie actually WENT there. And that HEA was destroyed (for me, anyway). But like a trooper I read on, and then I was hooked on Eric as the hero. How easily I am led.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>So I went on to edit my WIP, and my heroine has now slept with both men in the book. I know, right?? I'm not supposed to do that. My creative side is just going with the story as it unfolds, while my 'you-can't-do-this-in-a-HEA-romance' side cringes. So I guess I'm writing an urban fantasy. At least that's what my crit partner said.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>I think authors can get stuck in that 'rule' side, and they write their stories accordingly. Then you have other authors who shout, <em><strong>screw the rules!</strong></em>, and they write best sellers. (Um, not saying this WIP is going to be a best seller, just saying I threw away the rules lol) Take <a href="http://www.jrward.com/">JR Ward</a>, for example. M/M books are hot in the e-book rounds. But she took the M/M subplot in her book to New York, and holy hell are readers gobbling it up. I'm all for Team Blay/Qhuinn. I had never read a M/M book before, but I'm all for reading theirs.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>So, back to my problemo. Originally I had decided to pick one hero and stick with him. Then I sat back and asked myself - why? Why can't the heroine be torn between two heroes? Hell, that's a pretty awesome place to be - having two alphas fight over you. Isn't that what all the tweens are drooling over in the Twilight saga? Team Edward VS Team Jacob. Of course, Bella doesn't sleep with them both. This is a YA. Instead of sex, we get angst. Which works when you're dealing with tweens.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>So why am I fighting the funk? If I throw away the 'rules' I have endless possibilities. She could go with what's behind door #1 - the first hero. Door #2 - the second hero. Or door #3 - Not a HEA, but an urban fantasy.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Urban fantasy is centered around the female protagonists. UF's are normally told in first person, but not always. I went to a panel comprised of urban fantasy authors at RT, and they all had different elements in their books. Some heroines had only one hero, and each book followed them through another conflict. Another UF author had a few heroes thrown in her books, just like the Stackhouse series. Hell, <a href="http://jessaslade.wordpress.com/">Jessa Slade</a> has a kick-ass UF series out, and each book has a different H/H.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>UF...let me count thy ways...<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>So, I'm not so freaked out about my problemo. I'm going to go with it and see where the heroes take me...er, the heroine. I meant <em>heroine</em>. </div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-22522311662941953302010-06-29T08:37:00.000-07:002010-06-29T08:48:10.514-07:00Deep POV<div align="center"><span style="color:#6600cc;">So you think you’re an author? THINK AGAIN.<br /><br /></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#6600cc;"><em>If you plan to sit down and write about your character, you’re making one hell of a mistake.</em></span></div><div align="left"><br />I’ll admit that I’ve jotted down what I’ve believed to be a kick-ass scene, sent it to my crit partner, then sat back in my chair after I’ve hit send, all excited and antsy. <em>She’s going to love this shit. My heroine just got shot, she’s hanging on by a thread, and the hero is out of his ever-lovin’ mind with concern. The villain is closing in and their world is about to come crashing down around them. Bwahahahahaha…<br /></em></div><div align="left"><br />Yeah, and then an IM from my crit partner shatters my euphoria when the box pops on my computer screen. </div><div align="left"><br />Crit Partner: <strong>I’ll call you.</strong><br /><br />Oh, crap. Oh, <em>crap!</em> As I wait for the phone to ring, knowing damn well she didn’t like it, I try to dissect the scene in my head to figure out where I went wrong. I churn it over in my mind, think about the details and the environment, the plot structure and the motivation. Nope. <em>Pretty sure I rocked that bitch. </em></div><em><div align="left"><br /></em>The phone rings. I pick it up and the first thing I hear is a sigh, like my crit partner doesn’t want to say just how bad she thought my scene was. Even better, she goes on to explain that the scene was great, the action was there, the story picked up…but she didn’t feel it. I nod my head, even though she can’t see me, and think, WTF? How did she not sympathize with my heroine who’s bleeding all over the wet asphalt in a torrential downpour while the hero holds her gently in his arms, rocking her back and forth? Not to mention the villain is about to pop on the scene and obliterate their pathetic asses. Break out the Kleenex! </div><div align="left"><br />Me: “Uh, so you liked scene, you thought the action was good, and the plot thickened. What exactly is the problem?”</div><div align="left"><br />Crit Partner: “Lack of deep POV.”<br /><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#6600cc;">All right, let’s just pause right there.</span> Listen, I’ve been published before. I know my biz. I’m not JR Ward, Christine Feehan or Sherrilyn Kenyon, but I think I can produce a pretty decent paranormal. Reviewers often give me great reviews – one reviewer proclaiming, <em>“I stayed up until 5 AM because I simply couldn’t quit reading this book. That, dear readers, is a sign of a good book if ever I’ve seen one!”</em> and another, <em>“I could go on, but suffice to say this book has it all as far as I'm concerned - fabulous characters, an original plot, humor, and scorching sex. This is an absolute must-read!” </em></div><em><div align="left"><br /></em>I’ve even received fan mail, for God’s sake. And now, after having published four books someone tells me I’m missing an integral piece of my craft? I struggle with deep POV? <em>Seriously?</em> </div><div align="left"><br />So I did what every other author would do. I got out my favorite romance novel, Lover Awakened, and read some of it. Oh yeah, deep POV all over the place. In fact, I find it hard to put the book down, spending over an hour with it in my greedy little palms, even though I’ve read it several times before. Ward immerses you in the character’s emotions, and you come to a point where the words on the page blur and you’re just IN the story and experiencing everything her characters are going through.<br /><br /></div><div align="left">Then I do the unthinkable. [<span style="color:#ff0000;">WARNING: Don’t try this at home after reading a Ward book</span><span style="color:#cc0000;">.</span>] I open up my manuscript and read through the scene I sent to my crit partner earlier that day (who’s all butt-hurt because she didn’t want to tell me I sucked, btw). I come up on a whole lot of <em>he did this</em> and <em>she did that</em>, and B-O-R-I-N-G. Sure, the heroine is wrapped up all snug-as-a-bug in the hero’s arms as her life blood seeps out, but what the hell is she <em>feeling?</em> Gah! I created a visual scene, went all psycho with blood pooling around them, the downpour of the storm and the shadows of the darkened alley, but I did it all with zero emotion. Does the heroine regret that the hero has to watch her die? Is she scared shitless? Is she growing cold? Does the hero’s hand shake when he smoothes the hair from her face? Does he feel incompetent to save her, or is he trying to show a brave front in hopes of making her passing easier? (Well, of course she doesn’t die, but he doesn’t know that.) </div><div align="left"><br />I keep reading, thinking I’m all sneaky with the villain closing in. Bring on the conflict! Hit the main characters with more crap and the emotional impact will blow the reader away!<br /><br /></div><div align="left">Um, no. I didn’t really write it that way. What I saw in my head was not on the paper (er, screen) at all. The hero gritted his teeth. The villain smiles that evil little smile only those a-holes with black hearts can pull off. I read it again, figuring I must have missed all the awesomeness I was sure I’d slathered all over the pages. </div><div align="left"><br />Nope. Gritted teeth from hero. Smile from villain.<br /><br /></div><div align="left">Well, I’ll be damned. Don’t shed a tear or anything as the LOVE OF YOUR LIFE DIES IN YOUR ARMS, and the man responsible for it traipses into the picture and points a gun at you. Yeah dude, grit your teeth and act all beta hero. Jerk. </div><div align="left"><br />So, after I got all mad at my pitiable hero (who’d only done what I told him to do, the pathetic jackass), I went back to square one to think about it for a while. I put the scene in the hero’s point of view. [<span style="color:#ff0000;">This is very important, so if you’re going to highlight anything, highlight this</span>]: Don’t sit down to write about the hero, BE the hero. Flex those biceps, baby! [<span style="color:#ff0000;">End highlight.</span> :)] Suddenly, I AM the hero, and the scene unfolds in my mind as I live it, and I just let the emotions bounce around in my noggin for a while…<br /><br /></div><div align="left">My palms are sticky with warm blood, I see the ashen pallor of my woman’s face, and it’s then that the implication of the certain outcome hits me…I’m not just losing someone close to me. I’m losing my heart. My soul. She’s immortal. How can she be dying in my arms – </div><div align="left"><br />The motherfucker responsible steps out of the shadows of the alley, drawing my gaze. My eyes sting when my pupils dilate ominously. </div><div align="left"><br />I open my eyes to edit, allowing the disturbing emotions free rein to submerse me in the character. Um, I mean I AM the hero. </div><div align="left"><br />Now that I’m the hero, I have to write down everything I’m seeing, and all my emotions, while my lover dies in my arms. Cue 80’s love ballad, (I just) <strong>Died in Your Arms</strong> tonight.<br />Lesson to be learned from this article: Become your character. (<-- <span style="color:#ff0000;">I’d highlight that as well</span>.) :)<br /></div><div align="left">One way to tell you’re not in deep POV is passive voice. Here are a few tips on passive voice I received from my editor for my first manuscript. (I still have to weed these words out of my first drafts because I’m a slow learner or something. Someone pass me a Xanex, please.) Keep an eye on the following phrases: </div><div align="left"><br />– “he felt” “she felt” “he knew” “she knew” “knowing” “realizing” “found herself wondering” “heard” – </div><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#6600cc;">For example:</span></strong> She found herself wondering if he even had a heart.</div><div align="left"><br /><strong><span style="color:#6600cc;">Better:</span></strong> Did the bastard have a heart, or was he as cold as his reputation suggested?<br /></div><div align="left">So, if you plan to sit down and write about your character, you’re making one hell of a mistake. </div><div align="left"><br />You <strong>ARE</strong> your character. </div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-21659910737797372852010-05-08T06:16:00.001-07:002010-05-08T06:31:02.678-07:00Romantic Times Pics<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-VlJ41ImTI/AAAAAAAAAcM/oN5BHhR_5S4/s1600/True+Blood+Creator+Charlaine+Harris.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468888543059810610" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-VlJ41ImTI/AAAAAAAAAcM/oN5BHhR_5S4/s400/True+Blood+Creator+Charlaine+Harris.jpg" /></a> This is a pic of Charlaine Harris and me. <br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-VlEPaxKCI/AAAAAAAAAcE/4MKIR5uXv1o/s1600/MaryJanice+Davidson+and+Dawn.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468888446044022818" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-VlEPaxKCI/AAAAAAAAAcE/4MKIR5uXv1o/s400/MaryJanice+Davidson+and+Dawn.jpg" /></a><br />MaryJanice Davidson and me. She was SO funny...but I bet you'd guessed that from her books. :)</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-Vk9yve4nI/AAAAAAAAAb8/7Q2zvpZUJXM/s1600/Jessica+Anderson+and+Dawn.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468888335267062386" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-Vk9yve4nI/AAAAAAAAAb8/7Q2zvpZUJXM/s400/Jessica+Anderson+and+Dawn.jpg" /></a> Jessica Anderson and me. LOVED the T-shirt she was wearing.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-Vk2K8LN_I/AAAAAAAAAb0/RH6zWuqXLqs/s1600/Jessa+-+Dawn+-+Melissa.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468888204323796978" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-Vk2K8LN_I/AAAAAAAAAb0/RH6zWuqXLqs/s400/Jessa+-+Dawn+-+Melissa.jpg" /></a> Jessa Slade, me, Melissa Mayhue and Kathy. <br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-VkvyxHAZI/AAAAAAAAAbs/ZS4EkWnuP_I/s1600/DawnandJoy.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468888094755717522" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-VkvyxHAZI/AAAAAAAAAbs/ZS4EkWnuP_I/s400/DawnandJoy.jpg" /></a> Joy and I at the bar.<br /><br /><br /><div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-VkhJmzzMI/AAAAAAAAAbc/41ys_UxzvBo/s1600/Cavemen1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468887843188493506" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/S-VkhJmzzMI/AAAAAAAAAbc/41ys_UxzvBo/s400/Cavemen1.jpg" /></a> Danyel and I with the Ellora's Cavemen. What a blast!</div><div> </div><div>Romantic Times was the perfect mix of work and fun. Well, there was more fun, but to me that's the perfect mix. lol We took a few workshops on craft, and the highlight of my workshop experience was getting to meet and learn from James Bell Scott. I have a few of his books on Revision and Self-Editing and The Art of War for Writers. </div><div> </div><div>Once 7:30 pm hit everyone met at the bar to load up on SOTB's (Sex on the Beach) and then off to the parties we went. Danyel, Liz, Monica, Veronica, Jessa and I closed down the parties. Dancing on the stage became part of our to-do list. lol </div><div> </div><div>Sara, I'll have my SOTB now. woot</div><div> </div><div>Well, I'm off to edit. I have more pics that I'll post later. </div></div></div></div></div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-73476497484600643722009-12-16T07:11:00.001-08:002009-12-16T07:17:22.030-08:00Samael is now available<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/Syj4026b45I/AAAAAAAAAaw/V_1XyxJF5CM/s1600-h/Samael_pr.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 134px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415852138890519442" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/Syj4026b45I/AAAAAAAAAaw/V_1XyxJF5CM/s200/Samael_pr.jpg" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Samael is now available from Liquid Silver Books. You can check out the blurb and find an excerpt <a href="http://www.king-cart.com/cgi-bin/cart.cgi?store=linda018&product_name=Samael&return_page=&user-id=&password=&exchange=&exact_match=exact">HERE</a>.</div><div> </div><div>Happy holidays!</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-3502741295078411972009-12-07T10:57:00.001-08:002009-12-07T11:00:31.018-08:00Christmas Humor<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/Sx1Qtt-jROI/AAAAAAAAAaE/Dh61J3F-1xU/s1600-h/FunnyChristmasSnowman.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 303px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 346px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412571073535493346" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/Sx1Qtt-jROI/AAAAAAAAAaE/Dh61J3F-1xU/s400/FunnyChristmasSnowman.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/Sx1QTAA-_6I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/kRQPmrrEUfI/s1600-h/15_Funny_Christmas_Graphics.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 282px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412570614521069474" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/Sx1QTAA-_6I/AAAAAAAAAZ8/kRQPmrrEUfI/s400/15_Funny_Christmas_Graphics.gif" /></a><br /><div></div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-52895368341090238482009-12-01T12:15:00.000-08:002009-12-01T12:43:28.136-08:00News<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SxV6tSl4d3I/AAAAAAAAAZk/KrJs3URIbg8/s1600/Candace+-+Dragons+Prefer+Blondes.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410365445858948978" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SxV6tSl4d3I/AAAAAAAAAZk/KrJs3URIbg8/s320/Candace+-+Dragons+Prefer+Blondes.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.savvyreaders.com/">Savvy Readers</a> is now OPEN for business. :) Drop by and browse for your favorite romance novels, or search for a new one. <a href="http://www.candacehavens.com/">Candace Havens</a> dropped by the Savvy Blog to talk about her latest novel, Dragons Prefer Blondes, and her upcoming release, Take Me If You Dare. Drop by and check it out.<br /><br />Free book alert - Starjacked, a print release from Samhain by author Karin Shah, is up for grabs. Just hop on over to Karin's <a href="http://karinshah.wordpress.com/">blog</a> and leave a comment for a chance to win.<br /><br />Here's something interesting : The Irene Goodman Literary Agency is having a 3-chapter and synopsis critique auction via ebay starting December 1st at 3pm and running until December 15th. The top 25 high bidders will receive a 3-chapter critique from Irene herself. Proceeds from this auction will go towards the Foundation for Fighting Blindness and the Deafness Research Foundation. Full details <a href="http://irenegoodman.com/ebay.php">HERE</a>. <br /><p>Exciting news ~ Samael will be released from Liquid Silver Books on December 14th. :)</p><p>Happy reading!</p>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-42983180886765498022009-11-30T17:22:00.001-08:002009-11-30T17:26:21.041-08:00I'm a horrible bloggerI haven't blogged in quite a while. I'm usually MIA during the holidays, so here is the news...more will be coming tomorrow.<br /><br />Today over at <a href="http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/">ETS</a>, you can vote for you favorite cover.<br /><br />In other news, ASMODEUS is now in print. It was amazing to get my author copies. Nothing like holding your book!<br /><br />There is a new site launching tomorrow, and I'll post about it. Author <a href="http://www.candacehavens.com/">Candace Havens</a> will be the first guest blogger. Stay tuned...Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-76133785251192143732009-10-23T03:14:00.000-07:002009-10-23T04:13:14.791-07:00NaNoWriMo - Plus more<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SuGCPsXNQEI/AAAAAAAAAZc/E123XIHf6M4/s1600-h/Her+Chosen+Wolf.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395737034684710978" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SuGCPsXNQEI/AAAAAAAAAZc/E123XIHf6M4/s320/Her+Chosen+Wolf.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><div>Head on over to <a href="http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/">Embrace the Shadows</a> for a chance to win a copy of Her Chosen Wolf, by <a href="http://renee-michaels.com/">Renee Michaels</a>. I had a blast interviewing her. :)<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Steampunk submission call at Samhain...click <a href="http://samhainpublishing.com/submissions#steampunk">HERE</a> for more information.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Today I'll finish up the last of my edits on Samael. I'm clearing my plate for <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node">NaNoWriMo</a> this year. I already have a book plotted out, from start to finish. I know, I know. I'm a pantser. We'll see how this works out.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Have a great weekend. :)</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-88233449016505380132009-10-15T10:08:00.000-07:002009-10-15T10:09:55.915-07:00Free E-BooksGo to <a href="http://samhellion.com/?p=43">Samhain Publishing</a> to learn more.Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-68390369167571185222009-10-13T06:32:00.000-07:002009-10-13T07:03:06.417-07:00Interview and more...<div><br /></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.storywitch.com/"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 173px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392077392031878434" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/StSB0dF5jSI/AAAAAAAAAZE/y69db75vrHw/s320/JoeyWHill.jpg" /></a> I interviewed <a href="http://www.storywitch.com/">Joey W. Hill</a> at <a href="http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/fangtastic-sunday-interview-with-joey-w-hill/">Embrace the Shadows</a>. Stop by and check it out. She's the nicest person (and her books rock, so go out and buy one!). It's also Pick Your Prize Tuesday at <a href="http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/">EtS</a>, so drop by and choose your favorite book out of three...</div><br /><div>I finished edits on Samael, and I also signed up for NaNoWriMo. Click <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">HERE</a> to see what that's all about.</div><div><br /></div><div></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/StSFCucPwEI/AAAAAAAAAZU/3aTcm2iso9A/s1600-h/bbb_darkdelight_150x150.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392080935742062658" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/StSFCucPwEI/AAAAAAAAAZU/3aTcm2iso9A/s320/bbb_darkdelight_150x150.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Go to <a href="http://bittenbybooks.com/">Bitten By Books</a> to check out their new contests. There are a ton of prizes to be won!<br /></div><br /><div>Also on their site - interviews, reviews and more.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Head on over to <a href="http://mybookaddictionandmore.wordpress.com/">My Book Addiction and More</a> blog for a chance to win a copy of The Earl Claims His Wife by <a href="http://www.cathymaxwell.com/">Cathy Maxwell</a>. </div><div><br />That's about it for today. I'm going to start plotting out my book for NaNo. </div><div>Happy Reading!</div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-17622343751607551552009-10-06T05:39:00.000-07:002009-10-06T06:06:40.751-07:00Snow in October<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/Sss7C9daYpI/AAAAAAAAAY8/5WTgKevJgaw/s1600-h/Snow.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389466301122634386" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/Sss7C9daYpI/AAAAAAAAAY8/5WTgKevJgaw/s320/Snow.jpg" /></a><br /><div>I'm originally from California, as some of you may know. I spent nearly 8 years in Michigan, and I never really adjusted to the cold winters there (Again, some of you may have been subjected to my bitching, but whatever). Usually the snow would start coming down in late November - at the earliest - or late December - at the latest. Here in South Dakota it snowed yesterday.<br /><br />It was a pretty snow, and it certainly didn't stick to anything. No accumulation. But it was snow. The white stuff. In October. Just sayin'.<br /><br />Now that I have that off my chest, today over at <a href="http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/">Embrace the Shadows</a> we are celebrating the wonderful month of October with a few give-a-ways, in what we call our Month Long Masquerade! Today is Pick Your Prize Tuesday. Vote for your favorite shape-shifter story today, and be sure to leave a comment for a chance to win the book that gets the most votes!<br /><br />I received my edits for Samael yesterday, so I'll be working on that in the next few days.<br /><br />I found this on the web - <a href="http://vampchix.blogspot.com/">Vamp Chix</a>. Go there today for a chance to win a book from Kerrelyn Sparks. The book is titled, All I Want For Christmas Is A Vampire.<br /><br />Another chance to win a book, plus a $10.00 Barnes & Noble giftcard, can be found at <a href="http://clwhite.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/release-day/">Crista McHugh's Blog</a>. Drop by to find out the details.<br /><br />Happy Reading!</div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-48987554535940699682009-09-27T18:36:00.001-07:002009-09-27T18:39:48.045-07:00Cover for Samael<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SsATeyUdNbI/AAAAAAAAAYs/XBqyDvLO5zE/s1600-h/Samael_pr.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386326573959689650" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SsATeyUdNbI/AAAAAAAAAYs/XBqyDvLO5zE/s400/Samael_pr.jpg" /></a> Big thanks to cover artist Anne Cain, who designed the cover for Samael. :)<br /><br />I arrived in South Dakota, so I've been a little quiet. I'll be back in the groove in a few weeks. I have edits for Samael coming, and I still have to unpack and settle in.<br /><br />Happy reading!Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-84674391522514258672009-09-18T04:26:00.001-07:002009-09-18T04:45:14.111-07:00TGIF<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SrNvQx8iKNI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/HWXEYBXvjdY/s1600-h/Steamed.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 125px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382768313713699026" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SrNvQx8iKNI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/HWXEYBXvjdY/s200/Steamed.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Today I interviewed <a href="http://www.katiemacalister.com/">Katie MacAlister</a> over at <a href="http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/">Embrace the Shadows</a>. She answers questions about Steampunk Romance.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>If you haven't stopped by <a href="http://bittenbybooks.com/">Bitten By Books</a> - A review site with bite - you might want to check it out. They have freebies ALL the time. You can chat with your favorite authors and check out all the hot new releases. It's a very interactive site. I promise you won't be disappointed. I did a little interview with them and had a blast. Check that out <a href="http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=7640">HERE</a>.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>On to my own news...I'm still waiting to hear back on a submission I sent a few weeks ago. (I can hear the faint laughing in the background. You can stop now.) I know a few weeks isn't very long, but it's been a while since I got nervous over submitting. I mean, they like it or they don't, right? You can stress over submitting your work, but really, what is that going to help?<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>I have been checking my emails a little more often the past few days. I can't seem to help myself. It's not stress...it's just curiosity. ;)<br /><br /></div><div></div><div>Happy reading!</div><div></div><div></div>Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7078087301272607516.post-88203503703017939252009-09-17T09:05:00.000-07:002009-09-17T09:20:54.513-07:00Terry Spear<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SrJegrNBDCI/AAAAAAAAAWI/4b-i-QWEYFY/s1600-h/totemptwolf.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 195px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382468420107308066" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m6W-UHy3tyY/SrJegrNBDCI/AAAAAAAAAWI/4b-i-QWEYFY/s320/totemptwolf.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.terryspear.com/">Terry Spear</a> is over at <a href="http://embracetheshadows.wordpress.com/">Embrace the Shadows</a> today. Drop by and talk about sexy alphas.<br /><br />"Butterfly in the sky, I can go twice as high...take a look, it's in a book, Reading Rainboooooowwww." Series finale. Read article <a href="http://tvseriesfinale.com/articles/reading-rainbow-cancelled-leaving/">HERE</a>. I adored this show, and I'm sad to see it go. Still, my kids weren't fans. They watch Hannah Montana and Britney Spears' sister...can't remember her name. Anyway, not exactly thought-provoking shows.<br /><br />In other news, <a href="http://www.dianacosby.com/">Diana Cosby</a> had a photo shoot! I love her books. Take a look at <a href="http://www.texomaliving.com/diana-cosby">the magazine</a> she's in.<br /><br />That's all for now. I have a few deadlines to hit.Dawn McClurehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08638855178749018112noreply@blogger.com0