Weddings, Weddings

I have to apologise for the huge gap between posts. Life gets away with me so often it isn't funny. In case I haven't mentioned--and, believe me, I think I've told EVERYBODY! my two older kids decided to get married this year...NOT to each other, I hasten to add :). Their marriages turned out to be within six weeks of each other. Happily one is down--my son's (child number two of four)--and it was a wonderful, wonderful day! I love my new DIL and we get on so well.

My daughter (number one of four)'s wedding is this coming Saturday and I can't wait! She's going to be so very beautiful. Do you just love weddings?

Meanwhile, I've been caught up with prom shopping and Christian camp trip sorting for my other son (number three of four). Prom is over and now he's off to Christian camp for the week. It's strange because I spend weeks on end away from him while I'm in hospital with my last little girl (number four of four), yet I cried when I took  three-of-four to meet his coach. Isn't that weird?

I'm patiently waiting for all the weddings etc to be done and dusted so I can concentrate on writing again. I can't wait to release my new story More Than Friends, a...you guessed it...friends to lovers story.

While you wait for More Than Friends release, and you like friends to lovers stories, I have a free read on the blog entitled I Want You...Forever. Please give it a try. You'll locate my free stories by clicking the Free Read page tab at the top of the blog.

Keep checking back. I plan to continue the Fast Writing series and share what I'm writing. Just let me take a breath first lol.

Divorce Etiquette Is Going Greek!

I'm so excited to share...brag?...share the news that I've been offered an extension on my contract for Divorce Etiquette from my publishers AND it's being translated into Greek!! Cool? I think so.

Here is an EXCERPT:

He hunched down next to her chair, leaned in a couple of inches to add intimacy to his deep rumbling tone. "I have a few rules of my own."

Michelle gulped. This was going to be harder than she thought. "You're breaking the second rule."

"Am I?" He was so close her stomach did a little flip. She wanted to lose herself in his beautiful smoky gaze. "You made five rules. I want five too."

"You do?" What restrictions could he possibly put on her? She was completely innocent in this. If he would just keep his distance, she could move on, and everything would be fine.

"Rule six," he began, his gaze roaming over her face. "Stop looking at me as if you'd like to lick ice cream right off me."

Michelle gasped under the shock of his evocative words. A memory of her doing just that hit her low in her belly.

Before she could recover, he continued, "Rule seven. No wearing sexy little hipsters that flash your underwear when you bend over."

That did it. Her gasp turned to a splutter, her face suffused with heat that had nothing to do with the warm sunshine.

"Rule eight," he continued, as though she wasn't about to suffocate under the weight of embarrassment. "Don't wear your hair down. It makes me want to bury my hands in it.

"Rule nine. No wearing little black dresses--they make me want to see you naked."

His cultured voice reverberated through her until every nerve in her body jangled, her bones melted, and a shuddering sigh escaped her.

"And ten, no more crying." He didn't even seem to notice she'd practically dissolved at his feet. "It makes your mouth pouty and far too kissable." He stood and took the Maplewood chair opposite Michelle's, his knee brushing hers as he sat down.

Obviously, rule five meant nothing to him.


Here are just a few of the places where you can purchase a copy of Divorce Etiquette:

The Wild Rose Press

AmazonUK

Amazon.com

Reviews:

Five Stars

I was hooked from the very beginning. It made me laugh, cry and the tension made me want to shout out loud. A very good read which kept me wanting to turn the page to find out more. Its the sort of romance novel that you just want to relax on the sofa and read from beginning to end with no interuption. Would definately recommend it :O)

(Reviewed by Jennifer Reed)

Four Lips

Divorce Etiquette is a well-written story that kept me riveted to its pages and I enjoyed the taste of England that Ms. DeVere provided so vividly.
(Reviewed by Sal from Two Lips Reviews)

Fast Writer: Candace Havens

I have another fast writer for you...Candace Havens!

She writes for Harlequin Mills & Boon, Berkley and Entangled Publishing. You would have probably seen the post below where I shared that I was about to take Candy's Fast Draft class. It's amazing! Candy hosts it several times a year and if you are vaguely considering it, I urge you to seriously consider it!

I hope Candy doesn't mind me telling you this, but she recently wrote a book in FOUR AND A HALF days!!! AND got it accepted before she edited it. Is that cool or what?

We like Candy, she's cool beanz ;D Here is her interview.

MONIQUE: Thank you very much for agreeing to be interviewed for my Fast Writers blog series, Candy. First, I’d love to hear about your writing day in a quick snapshot. Do you have a special time to write? Or do you grab moments whenever you can? I guess I’d like to know how structured you are.

CANDY: I write whenever I can. I usually break the day up into non-fiction writing for my day job as a film and TV critic and I write my books later in the day or at night. But I’m never stuck with one way of doing things. I mix it up all the time. 

MONIQUE: What sort of writer are you? Planner or pantser? 

CANDY: I have to write a brief synopsis for my publishers, but for the most part I’m a pantser. I never stick to those synopses.

MONIQUE: Can you tell us a bit about the technique you use to help you to write quickly, and how you developed it?

CANDY: The class I teach is called Fast Draft. It’s a process where you write your first draft in two weeks. People think it’s impossible, but it isn’t. I have certain rules and tools that help you psychologically get into almost a state of hypnosis to write. Your subconscious is a much better writer than you are and that’s what we delve into.

MONIQUE: Did you always write this way? Or is your method something you picked up along the way?

CANDY: I have a crazy life. I’m a film and tv critic and a radio personality. I write three columns/cover stories a week for the TV job. I’m the president of the TV Critics Association. I have kids, who are older now, but were young when I started. I had to write fast or it was never going to get done. I’ve revised the process over the year, but it works every time.

MONIQUE: How many words do you write per hr/writing session? 

CANDY: I try when I’m doing Fast Draft to write 20 pages a day. I sometimes break that up and do 10 pages early in the day and 10 pages at night. I can write between 1000-1700 words an hour. I do a lot of #1k1hr on Twitter, which is a great motivator. It’s just nice to have people going through the same thing you are.

MONIQUE: How many hours per day do you write? And how many days per week?

CANDY: I honestly have no idea on the hours, but I write about six days a week, seven if I’m on a tight deadline, which happens a lot.

MONIQUE: How quickly can/do you finish a book?

CANDY: From first draft to polished book about a month if I have to. I like to let a book sit between first draft and that first set of revisions if I have time.

MONIQUE: Do you know what you're going to write each day before you start your writing sessions? For instance, do you draft the scenes/chapters you’re about to write just before you write them, or do you thoroughly outline before you even start the book (if you’re a planner, that is J)?

CANDY: I don’t plan that much. I just write the next scene I know. Sometimes that might be in chapter three, and sometimes it’s the last chapter. When I finish writing, I leave my self notes about what I just did and where I was thinking about going every time I finish a scene. That way when I pick it back up, I know where I want to go. The great thing about Fast Draft is your continuity is better because you eat, drink and sleep that book.

MONIQUE: How do you prevent your internal editor/critic from interrupting?

CANDY: This is the toughest part of writing for everyone. I tell people to send their internal editor on vacation. Maybe to Fiji or Alaska. Somewhere far away. You have to give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft and you have to write even when you don’t feel like it. I’ve found that when I write when I’m tired, the words are better. That’s because my subconscious takes over.

MONIQUE: Do you have any more tips you’d like to share?

CANDY: The trick is being disciplined. There isn’t a job in the world where you can work for a few hours and then pick it up three weeks later and expect to be successful. Set your hours and goals for the week and stick to them.  

MONIQUE: Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to spend time with us here today. We’d love to hear about your new book, would you tell us a bit about it?

CANDY: I have a new series debuting in October 2012. The first book is Iron Demon. It’s a southern steampunk. Professor Maisy Clark is a female version of Sherlock Holmes who hunts down paranormal creatures. She has a trusty sidekick, a Scotsman named Barnes. And there is a hot cowboy involved. Oh, and there is a hot U.S. Marshal involved with Maisy. And I have a new Blaze novella with Lori Wilde and Kathleen O’Reilly called “All I Want for Christmas…” and my story in that is “One Hot December Night.”

Thanks for letting me hang out. It was fun.

MONIQUE: It was fantastic having you here with us, Candy!

Author Bio:

Bestselling author Candace Havens has written six novels for Berkley including, Charmed & Dangerous, Charmed & Ready, Charmed & Deadly, Like A Charm, The Demon King and I and Dragons Prefer Blondes.

Her new venture is writing for the Blaze line of Harlequin. Those books include Take Me If You Dare, She Who Dares, Wins, Truth and Dare, and The Model Marine. She is also in the anthology Spirited, and the proceeds go to help literacy. And she has a new southern steampunk series debuting October 2012 with Iron Demon. Her books have received nominations for the RITA's, Holt Medallion and Write Touch Reader Awards.

She is the author of the biography Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy and a contributor to several anthologies. She is also one of the nation's leading entertainment journalists and has interviewed countless celebrities including Tom Hanks, Nicolas Cage, Tom Cruise, George Clooney and many more. Her entertainment columns can be read in more than 600 newspapers across the country.

Candace also runs a free online writing workshop for more than 1800 writers, and teaches comprehensive writing class. She does film reviews with the Dorsey Gang on New Country 96.3, and is the President of the Television Critics Association. Her book Model Marine is a 2012 National Readers Choice Finalist.

Applying Story Engineering To Internal Conflict

I've had the privilege to speak with Larry Brooks--love this guy--recently and I asked him a question I've been dying to ask him every since I read his book Story Engineering. I thought you guys might like to read Larry's answer.

Monique: Hi, Larry, 

I’ve read many books on writing and story structuring over the years and I can say, without a doubt, Story Engineering is one of the very best I’ve read. I love the Plot Point/Pitch Point method (Milestones) you teach in your book.

But we all know that category romance is all about strong internal emotional conflict. However, when we think of structuring our stories, we automatically think of all the exciting external conflicts we can write.

Unfortunately, this is not what category romance is about. If we wish to write for this market, we must narrow our focus on our protagonists’ emotional conflicts—all the internal stuff.

Can you show us how to use the Plot Points and Pitch Point Milestones for internal conflict?

Larry:

Let's begin with an assertion: the principles of structure are no different in category romance than in any other genre, romance and otherwise. That said, the very essence of "genre" is a specific emphasis and certain criteria, so in that sense category romance is very much a narrow lane. The issue is APPLYING the principle, not looking to bend it.

The essence of the pinch points and the other milestones (plot points and the mid-point) is the nature of the narrative content. With pinch points, it simply means the story shows us the antagonistic force, thus reminding us of what the hero(ine) is up against. This applies with equal effectiveness to both internal arcs and exterior conflicts. In fact, the former usually depends on and informs the latter... an external story point is the CATALYST for an emotional response. When that response changes the story (evolves it), then it becomes a powerful one-two punch for both pinch points and other milestones.

Let's look at an example. Say the nature of the "conflict/opposition" in a story is age -- the lover/hero is a lot older than the heroine, and her family and friends don't approve. She needs their approval (for whatever reasons)... thus, her emotional journey. Let's say we're at the 38th percentile in the story, the target location for a pinch point. We need to SEE this antagonistic force -- his age, their disapproval -- in full glory at this point.

So... the hero comes to a family gathering with our heroine. Her brothers are all over this guy, treating him as an old fart. A driveway basketball game ensues... and not only does our guy look better with his shirt off than her beer-swilling brothers , he actually challenges them to a two-on-two game, with HER as his teammate. And they win. He's a vastly superior athlete, even though he's twice the age of the brothers. Her affection for him is deepened (hormones tweaked by his physicality, and his grace in victory), and yet, her family is even more resistant simply because the brother's masculinity has been challenged, and defeated.

Okay, maybe not the coolest example, but I hope you see the relationship between exterior conflict and the heroine's inner landscape: both are elemental to the pinch point. Which is as it should be.


Monique: Thank you so much, Larry.


Larry is amazing! You can find out more about him here: Story Fix. To purchase a copy of Story Engineering go to AmazonUK or Amazon.com and where ever else Larry says on him blog!

You can show Larry your appreciation by buying his books.

My Next Step In Learning To Write Fast

To follow through with my great endeavours to write faster, I've signed up to Candace Havens' Fast Draft and Revision Hell which starts on May 14. She promises to teach us how to write a complete first draft in two weeks--Yikes!

I'll keep you posted...