Guest Blogger: Stefanie Worth
I'm thrilled to have yet another guest blogger grace my blog. It gives me great pleasure to welcome debut author Stefanie Worth. Stefanie is one of the newest authors to the Dorchester Publishing family. Her debut novel, WHERE SOULS COLLIDES, combines romance, a hint of suspense, and a touch of paranormal. Whew! I have a hard time writing a simple little love story. Stefanie, when did you start writing romance? When I started my novel in 1998, it didn't start as a romance, it was just a story. As I became more involved with Romance Writers of America and my critique group, I learned about the "rules" of romance and became more open to targeting that genre. I stopped writing the book in 1999 to focus on my family and picked it up again in 2004 when I re-joined my critique group. When I completed the novel in 2005 and began revisions, I ramped up the romantic elements while trying to keep the mainstream feel.
What was your reaction when you got THE CALL?Ecstatic! I was at work when the call came and so my editor followed up with an email, which I read from my desk. I wanted to shout the news to the whole office, but, of course, I didn't. I called my mom instead.
Funny, my mom was the first person I called too!
Tell me a little about WHERE SOULS COLLIDE.Where Souls Collide comes down to a choice between second chances and new beginnings. It's the story of a woman (Navena Larimore) juggling the re-emergence of her psychic power with the lure of a former lover (Maxwell McKnight) and the looming bankruptcy of her newspaper. She's forced to unravel the conflicting struggles of her personal, professional and psychic lives and weave them into a fulfilling outcome for herself and the man she loves.
So, Stefanie, what are you working on now? I'm wrapping up a story about an empath who gets entangled with a very unethical villainess. I'm really enjoying this one, but ideas for the next story are already beckoning!
That's awesome, Stefanie. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop in at my blog.
WHERE SOULS COLLIDE is available in stores everywhere. You can check out Stefanie's website at www.stefanieworth.com to read an excerpt. Labels: African American Romance, Paranormal Romance, Reading, Writing
Synopses are not our friends
I think the title pretty much speaks for itself. It is my own humble opinion that writing synopses suck.
It continually amazes me that I can write a 380+ page manuscript with seemingly little effort, yet when it comes to a 5-7 page synopsis, I'm ready to pull my hair out. Okay, that was a big fat lie. None of the books I've written have been seemingly effortless, it only seems that way since I'm not currently bogged down in the mire of a story. Give me a few weeks and I'll have rants about the stupid book that's giving me fits.
The fact still remains that synopsis writing is hard, hard, HARD work. At least it is for me.
For the past week, I've printed down every synopsis-writing worksheet I could find on the fabulous Charlotte Dillon website (
http://www.charlottedillon.com/), and have gone through all of my old handouts from past RWA conferences. I have the entire story laid out scene-by-scene with color-coded index cards. I have sticky notes stuck to my wall. I am organized to the nth degree.
But, do I have a synopsis? Ummm...no.
Every time I attempt to write one of those buggers, I try to tell myself this time will be different. I sit down with a fresh cup of coffee, clean white paper, and a Uni-ball, and convince myself that I'm going to kick out that synopsis in an hour. No problem. Then, I promptly forget everything about the book (yes, the same book I wrote), and end up staring at the blank paper for an hour. It's just not fun!
I've resigned myself to the fact that I will never like writing synopses. They are a necessary evil (yes, they are evil, evil, evil), but what can you do?
Labels: Reading, Synopsis, Writing
Writing Contests...The Good, The Bad, and the Unavoidable
If I decided to take a poll on how aspiring writers feel about entering writing contests, I'm certain the answers would run the gamut. From
I hate those stupid judges who know nothing about writing, to
contests are the best thing since sliced bread.
A low score, and harsh (though possibly accurate) comments can crush the dreams of an aspiring writer. I've had some down right nasty things said about my books. Some of them, while hurtful, were true, and I became a better writer after taking the advice offered. Others were just mean-spirited and I am convinced the judges were just bitter hags sitting on top of a massive pile of rejection letters and wanting to inflict pain on anyone who even attempted to write. The key is I didn't allow those mean judges to get to me. Well, at least not that much.
Because, you see, the flip side to the low score is getting a high score. Oh, yeah.
I've never used illegal drugs in my life, but if the feeling is anything akin to what happens when I get a 98/100 on a contest, I can totally understand the drug epidemic. Receiving kudos for your hard work is electrifying. When someone you don't know (and who doesn't know you) showers honest praise over your characters or writing voice, you have no choice but to smile like a fool for days and days.
Someone who I'm sure is still smiling is my good friend
Cynthia Justlin, who just
received first place in the
Where the Magic Begins contest. Talk about a HUGE accomplishment! I cannot wait until some smart editor buys Cynthia's book,
Her Own Best Enemy. I will be the first to pre-order it. Congratulations again, Cynthia!
It's amazing to place in a writing contest, even if it's not the top spot, but you just never know what you're going to get. And that's where the unavoidable frustration comes into play. Often, you'll get both high and low scores in the very same contest. Yet, that's what happens with books, too. Everyone will not love your book, but thankfully, everyone will not hate it either.
So, if you're contemplating entering a contest, I think you should go for it. If nothing else, it will help you get thicker skin and be prepared to handle how the public reacts once your book hits the
store shelves. (I guess I'll find out if this statement is true in a few months).
Labels: Reading, Writing, Writng Contests
Do you know Judith McNaught?
If you haven't heard of her, I suggest you hop on Amazon, or
BN.com, or head out to the nearest bookstore NOW!!! Whether you love heart-stopping historical romances, or chilling suspense tales, Judith
McNaught will take you there. Her magical writing will leave you enraptured, I promise.
But, to me, the incomparable JM is so much more than just an amazing storyteller. If not for her, I would not be where I am today. It is because of her wonderful stories that I met an amazing bunch of ladies who encouraged me to write. They have served as cheerleaders through four very grueling years of rejection letters, stubborn characters, and stories that just refused to work. And, if it were not for Judith
McNaught's books, I never would have found them.
Not only is Mrs.
McNaught a fabulous writer (that's an understatement--she's really the BEST if you love stories that stick with you forever), but she is also great to her fans. This past summer, she invited a group of her loyal--sometimes fanatical--followers to a private affair in Chicago. While there, Judith surprised me with a special toast commemorating my first sale. I get chills just thinking about how nervous and overwhelmed I was standing in her suite, sharing champagne with THE Judith
McNaught.
On the "Amazing Things To Happen In Your Life" list, this one ranks pretty high up there.
Labels: Judith McNaught, Reading, Romance Novels, Writing
