Wednesday with the Writers: Classic Inspiration for Scenes by Jennifer Rae Gravely

Hi guys!

It is Wednesday, so that means it's time with some of our writers. Jennifer Rae Gravely is here to talk about getting inspiration for your scenes from the classics. Not plaugerize of course... but get inspiration. We get inspiration from everything... why not the classics?

What is your favorite ways to get inspiration for your stories?

~Kelly

~*~*~*~

Here's Jennifer...

I love the classic poets and find that I use their works as inspiration for scenes in my stories. In Knight of the Dead I favored the romantic poet William Wordsworth and in Set to Love used his friend and fellow author of the Lyrical Ballads Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Since this is National Poetry Month, I thought I’d share with everyone. Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite poet or poem.

From Knight of the Dead

 

After putting Rose to bed, Mark led Persephone to the porch swing on the back deck. Poetry raced through his mind at the perfection of the moment. They sat close, staring at the diamonds in the cloudless night sky with silence a friend. The voice of the English poet William Wordsworth as he gazed at nature’s beauty mimicked the peace in Mark’s soul with Persephone beside him. The Japanese red maple tree stretched dark shadows across the corner near the stairs, to “connect the landscape with the quiet of the sky.” Every night like this made sense, but the words to make it so still stuck in his throat.

 

When she touched his knee, a bolt of energy jolted him into action. He leaned in and kissed her. Electricity sizzled in the air.

 

“Say something sweet to me,” she whispered, pulling back slightly. She wore a thin, cream-colored sweater and black corduroys. The moonlight made her creamy complexion glow and her hair flame.

 

“Ice cream, cake, chocolate, cookies, gummy bears...” He grinned in anticipation of her smile at his clever word play.

 

She giggled, her voice like a song. “Not what I had in mind.”

 

“I’ll try again.” Mark inhaled her beauty. “Was your daddy a thief?” She shrugged, leaning away from him. “Because he stole the stars from the sky and put them in your eyes.”

 

Persephone didn’t laugh, and her body tensed. Mark ran his hand through his hair. “Most girls fall for that one.” He searched her eyes for the answer to her sudden coldness. “But you’re not like most girls, are you?”

 

As she slowly shook her head, her hair brushed her shoulders. “I changed my mind.” She put her finger over her lips. “No more talking.”

 

Pulling her hand away, he brought it to his mouth. She shivered as his lips traced her arm, her shoulder, her neck.

 

He murmured, “’A sense sublime of something far more deeply interfused, whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, And the round ocean, and the living air, And the blue sky, and in the mind of man.’” His lips brushed hers.

 

“Oh, my!” She sighed. “That’s what I wanted.”

 

He slid his arms around the small of her back, pressing her shaking body against his. “Anything, and it’s yours.”

 

“More of these, please.” She pressed her lips against his. Her kisses haunted him like a passion.

 

The night was perfect.

 

From Set to Love

Guests lingered along the lantern lit pathways that stretched toward the orchards on the left and the forest of hardwood trees on the right. His heart swelled with poetry, reminding him of the words of Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his poem “The Eolian Harp,” ‘O! the one Life within us and abroad, Which meets all motion and becomes its soul…’ The path opened before them, displaying a world of Elfin delight beyond the twilight of the late summer’s eve. A formally attired band played, bookended by marble statues of the Greek twins Apollo and Artemis. Rosebushes dotted the perimeter of the pebbled paths, filling the air with the sweet scent of the season. The wooden platform ahead was empty, although couples sat at the small tables surrounding the sixteen by twenty-four foot dance floor.

 

“I’m not shy.” Grabbing his hand, she practically sprinted to the stage.

 

Blake followed her lead. She moved as gracefully as a nymph, and he marveled at his good fortune. The moon smiled down on them, and the stars winked, creating, ‘A light in sound, a sound-like power in light, Rhythm in all thought, and joyance everywhere—’

You can get your copy at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Astraea Press or wherever ebooks are sold.













Pick up your copy today from: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Astraea Press or wherever ebooks are sold.


 

The Keepers – A New Author’s Bumpy Road

The Keepers – A New Author’s Bumpy Road

Things seldom go as planned.  I, for one, am the type who would like to have my life mapped out, color coded, and filed in alphabetical order.  Sounds like a mundane existence eh?  However, coping with ADD, a full-time family, a J-O-B, and my love of writing makes me a little crazy at times. 

When my first novel, The Keepers, debuted I was ready to hit the ground running, and that’s just what I did.  My sales background lends me to being a marketing bulldog and the sales were rolling in!  Who wouldn’t be happy with that scenario?  I’d built a ton of momentum, and things were going great.  However, in my rush to get the book out there, I didn’t stop to read over what we had published.  That being said, the novel generated a lot of great reviews and fans.  I’m forever grateful for the zest with which my growing list of followers nabbed it up, devoured it, and then supported it. 

A few weeks in, I got my first lousy review.  This happens to everyone, and I didn’t think much about it.  After a couple of weeks, I got another review that wasn’t exactly glowing.  I believe you can’t please everyone, all of the time, and if you try, you’ll make yourself completely insane.  But, both the reviews mentioned bad editing and that bothered me.  You can - not like a book, because it’s not for you, but to not like it because the editing is poor is another story.

Having read a heap of Astraea’s books, I knew this wasn’t the norm.  That’s probably why I didn’t take the time to scrutinize the editing. When I pulled up a copy I realized there truly was a problem and I went to my fabulous publisher, Stephanie Taylor, and brought it to her attention.  We aren’t really sure what happened, maybe the wrong version got pulled into copy, or maybe we were so amped up on new novel fever that we missed the corrections.  Who knows? 

Truth be told the reason doesn’t matter, we just knew we had to get it fixed.  Steph immediately pulled it down and sent it back to the editing department.  Now, being a new author, I was crushed.  My baby was going back in for an overhaul, and it had just begun to make waves!  However, I knew it was the professional thing to do.  We couldn’t have a great story out there that deserved attention, but have people turned off because the editing wasn’t up to par. 

Just like anything else in life, you’re writing career will throw you curve balls.  After I wiped a few tears and dusted the dirt off, I was excited because I knew in the end the product that was delivered to my readers would be better, even if it meant a small hiatus. 

I just wanted to take this time, to thank everyone who has stood by me and patiently waited while we corrected our technical difficulties.  I also want to thank Stephanie.  Astraea is a new press, we haven’t made our first birthday yet, and she handled the entire thing with class and professionalism.  I hope you will all enjoy the new life that was breathed into the book.  No content changes were made - for those of you who have worried about this! 

I look forward to hearing all the good reviews on The Keepers and my new novel Jamais Vu!  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, once again.

Cheers!

Monique O’Connor James

Author Marketing, Cross Promotion and Sharing

There is an overwhelming amount of info on marketing for authors. Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Blog Tours....etc etc. These suggestions are supposed to add to your platform and therefore create notoriety and book sales.

Image curtesy of http://blog.songcastmusic.com/cross-promote-yourself-using-social-media/

That's the concept. However, there is no scientific study to prove this is true. Nevertheless, there is no study saying it's not true either. In fact most authors will say it's very successful.

With that in mind we will share another tool that combines promoting your novels while simultaneously building your author platform.

The Grass May Be Greener, But.......

Courtesy of http://www.ericleetroyer.com

Writers spend time (sometimes years), money (books, workshops,       conferences, etc.), sweat (typing away, hours and hours) and tears (from painful critique and rejections) trying to get published. In this day and age, a manuscript has to be practically perfect in grammar, spelling and all the variables (few adverbs, varying sentences, yadda yadda). Writers enter contests and receive helpful (or not) feedback, revise and send in to editors or agents, then play the waiting game.

Once a writer gets “The Call” (or “The Email” in this day of e-book publishing), and accept, they land on the “other side” of the fence. Is the grass greener on the side of being a published author? YES!  You bask in a Sally Field-esque glow (They like me! They really like me!) and accept congratulations from friends, supporters, family and colleagues. You realize (eventually) that you’ll soon see your name in print on a book cover (or an e-book), which is exciting beyond compare. All your hard work is finally over. Right?

Wrong.

The grass in the published “field” may be greener, but it grows *faster* -- whether your book is coming out from the “big six” in NYC or a small press. Promotion is now in the hands of the author. Long ago, a bad cover could tank your book sales but it was out of your hands. Your editor could orphan you—leaving your book waiting to fit into another editor’s schedule. Now plenty of authors are controlling their own cover art and editing their own books to leave the final edits easier to handle. But promotion is still key.

Promotion can range from free to a huge expense (RT ads, chapter excerpts bound with covers, on-line radio time, etc.). The new author has to make a lot of decisions – just how much can I afford? What kind of giveaways should I offer? Do I join a huge blogfest? Do I attend a conference or workshop and offer to present a topic, or spend the money on a professionally designed website, or two, or three?

And then there’s the next book, waiting to be written.

So yes, the grass is greener, but it needs a lot more mowing. The dog and cat might get fed, but dinner may be late getting to the table, the laundry forgotten in the dryer, the kitchen floor still sticky while you, the new published author, plot and plan to build your platform, entice readers with tweets, Facebook and blog updates, and write. Congratulations and best of luck!

You’re gonna need it.

Meg Mims is a freelance writer and author of Double Crossing, a historical romantic suspense coming out from Astraea Press in August of 2011. Are you a True Grit fan? Then check out Double Crossing, http://www.double-crossing.com

Changes Changes Changes...Feature Friday Gets An Overhaul

While we loved the Feature Friday series collaboration with Astraea Press's fabulous authors. We have decided to make Fridays a little different. So we will be inviting colleagues of clean fiction to come and be our guest. People we are interested in hosting are authors, reviewers or editors that work with, read or write clean fiction.

What can be expected from these guests? Guest posts, interviews, showcasing their blogs, books or reviews. If you have someone in mind or several someones share this post with them on your social networks sites. Thanks in advance.

If you are interested in being a guest on our blog contact Bri at chris75_tn(a)yahoodotcom with AP Blog in the subject line.

Character Monday: Interview with former Green Bay Pack Matt McCallum

Elaine Cantrell is hanging with us over at the blog today and she's brought Matt McCallum a former Green Bay Packer who is in her book A New Dream. Check out the book then check out Matt

Blurb

After an auto accident destroys his pro-football career, Matt McCallum struggles to find a new dream for his life, but nothing engages him the way football did. After a stint in rehab, he takes a job managing a grocery store where he meets Violet Emerson.

Violet works in the bakery department, but her dreams carry her far beyond the doors of Chef’s Pantry. As soon as she can save the money, she plans to open a catering business. And she thinks the new manager’s broad shoulders and blue eyes are simply divine.

Thrown together at work, Matt and Violet find a common dream for their lives, but a loose end from Matt’s past returns to jeopardize their future. Will love be enough to save their new dream before it turns into a nightmare?

 Interview

Good evening.  Welcome to Saturday Night Roundup where you’ll be the first to know what’s worth knowing in the sports world.  My name is Henry Ross, and this is my co-host Chris Alexander.  Chris, we have a sad story to report tonight.

We sure do, Henry, and I can’t think of anything I’ve hated more to announce.

Before we get to our feature story, I’d like to replay an interview we did just a few weeks ago with Matt McCallum, a kicker for the Green Bay Packers. 

He turns in his chair and watches the interview on a monitor behind him.

Welcome to Saturday Night Roundup.  Chris, who’s our guest for this evening’s interview?

Henry, we got lucky.  Matt McCallum is in the studio to do an interview for us.

They stand up and shake hands as Matt enters the set.

Henry: Matt thanks for taking time to talk to us.  Did you always dream of playing pro-football?

Matt: Yeah, I did.  From the time I was a kid, all I thought about was football.

Chris: In other interviews you’ve commented on how much your father supported you.

Matt:  He did.  Dad saw every football game I ever played.

Chris: Did you pick the Packers, or did they pick you?

Matt: They picked me.  I was their first round draft pick, and I’m sure glad of it.  Coach McCarthy is great to play for.

Henry: Do you ever take off that Super Bowl ring?  If any sports fan in the country doesn’t know, Matt kicked the winning field goal in the Super Bowl to win the game for the Packers.

Matt: (grins)  No, I haven’t taken it off yet. 

Chris: (points to a picture on a monitor) This picture was taken as the team left the field after their Super Bowl victory.  That’s a mighty pretty girl you’re hugging.

Matt: (laughs)  Yeah, that’s Stacey.  We got engaged a few weeks ago.

Henry:  Congratulations.  She is a beautiful woman. 

Matt: Thank you.

The monitor goes blank and both Henry and Chris shake their heads.

Henry: Football fans, last night Matt and his fiancée were in a car crash.  Stacey is fine, but Matt was hurt pretty bad.  His right leg was amputated right above his knee according to coach Mike McCarthy.  In a statement released this morning, McCarthy said, “We’re going to miss Matt.  He was a great athlete with a wonderful future in front of him.  Along with the team, I wish him the best.”

Chris: I’m sure Matt would appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.  Cards can be sent to the Packers who’ll forward them to Matt.  

That's some pretty crazy things that happened to Matt! Boy Elaine sounds slightly sadistic. LOL She's not really. She's a great writer. Thanks for coming Matt and Elaine. 

Character Monday: Casting Characters and Visualization by Kim Bowman

I don’t know about other writers, but trying to describe what my characters look like is the hardest part of writing for me. I’ve never suffered from writer’s block, although maybe that’s what this is. I know what I want to happen and how I want my characters to react and feel. The problem I sometimes have is translating the description of my hero and/or heroine on paper. Maybe that’s a form of writers block is. Just a lack of knowing the right words to use rather than a lack of words.

Anyways, I digress.

My problem was solved when I bought my husband the Hoyle Card Games. He LOVES Euchre, Hearts, etc. and I thought it would be great if he could sit with his Net book and play cards while I wrote to my heart’s content. Guess what? You get to design your own player! I thought I would have some fun so I started designing my husband’s avatar. When I finished I couldn’t believe what I saw. I had created the likeness of my hero. WHAM!  I just stared at the screen. I grabbed a piece of paper and started writing a description of what I saw: strong chin, wavy auburn hair, deep, soul-searching blue eyes. I suddenly saw what was in my mind’s eye.

I decided to try it with my heroine. I already knew she had emerald green eyes, but I couldn’t visualize how to turn a spirit guide into a human. I started moving face shapes around, trying different noses, lips, eyebrows. All of a sudden she was looking out at me.  Her beautiful, raven hair and emerald green eyes accentuated her oval face and sharp chin. Her eyes were beautiful but sad. She was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Amazingly, if you look at the heroine and hero on my book cover, you see how spot on Elaina Lee got them. They were so close to the images I had in my head and the avatars I came up with (and, no she had no clue I had created these) it was uncanny. The only thing she had to go on was the general description I provided her with, yet she captured the essence of my characters perfectly.

So now, the Hoyle Card Game character creator is my new best friend when it comes to constructing characters in my stories. It has solved the whole brain freeze problem I had going on. A strange and unusual way to write, but it works for me!

 Images created in Hoyle Card Games © [2011] Encore Software, Inc.  All rights reserved.  http://www.hoylegaming.com 

Wow Kim that's for sharing this amazing resource. Visualization is such an important aspect for me as a reader as well as and author. To check out Kim's book Wayward Soul or find out more about her click the title or here. 

How do you cast your characters or visualize characters in a book you are reading?