Snippet from The Trouble with Demons

Here's a little bit from Chapter 8 of The Trouble with Demons. Enjoy!

"Put me down," I whispered from between clenched teeth.

Vegard had one arm around my legs. If there was going to be a fight, he'd need all the arms he could get, including mine. I was still disoriented, but if Carnades had sent his personal guard goons after me, I was going to take some slices out of them before they got their hands on me. I still had the blades strapped to my forearms, and I wanted a chance to use them.

"Rolf, that's Vegard! Are you blind, man?"

Uncle Ryn?

The Fortune wasn't the only pirate ship anchored in Mid's harbor. Phaelan's dad, Commodore Ryn Benares, was visiting with three of his best ships. Uncle Ryn's definition of "best" was his ships and crews that were best qualified for the most ruthless work. He was here to motivate Mid's mages to find a way to free me of my link to the Saghred. As soon as that blessed event happened, he and his boys would be on their way. If the Conclave didn't want pirates in their harbor and town, they'd better get to work on my problem. Mychael had given permission for Uncle Ryn to have his ships drop anchor in Mid's harbor with the strict understanding that he was there as my concerned uncle, not as Commodore Benares.

I felt the Guardian's shoulders relax, but only slightly. "Commodore?"

"Aye, Vegard," came my uncle's amused rumble from somewhere in front of us. "You've wandered into my new home away from home."

"Put me down!" I didn't bother with quiet.

"Let's take it slow, ma'am," the Guardian cautioned. "You're going to be a bit unsteady on your feet."

"I can stand." Truth was I had no idea what I could do. Upside down wasn't the best position to make that assessment.

Vegard carefully set me on my feet. As soon as he did, somebody spun the room in a big circle and I promptly landed on the floor. I put my hand over my eyes and just lay there. I couldn't even see the room, and it still felt like the damned thing was spinning.

"Ooooo, not feeling so good."

"Sorry, ma'am," I dimly heard Vegard say. "The paladin had me get you out of there quick."

Everything flooded back, making me even sicker. The blue demons, Carnades, the giant yellow demon I'd squashed, my dream, my possible marriage -- and all of them were the Saghred's fault.

I'd used the Saghred, but mostly the Saghred had used me. No wonder I wanted to toss my cookies. I also felt raw and exhausted and I had the worst headache of my life. The stone floor of wherever we were felt wonderful beyond belief against my flushed face.

A pair of massive black boots appeared in my line of vision.

"Hi, Uncle Ryn." My voice was muffled from half of my face being smushed against the oh-so-delightfully-cool floor that I never wanted to leave.

"Afternoon, Spitfire."

Spitfire. Uncle Ryn's pet name for me. Also the name of a particularly ill-tempered breed of small dragon. Uncle Ryn had always meant it as a compliment, so I'd taken it the same way. I didn't feel much like my namesake right now, and I'd have chuckled at the irony except I was trying really hard not to move. If I moved, the contents of my stomach were going to do likewise. That's what my stomach was telling me, and I knew it wasn't bluffing.

"Sorry for the less than hospitable greeting, Vegard," Uncle Ryn was saying. "But the only chances I'm taking right now are at a card table. Rolf doesn't know you, and you had my niece over your shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

Swearing and sounds of a scuffle came from behind us. The scuffle concluded with three sharp punches followed by a quick succession of oofs and pained grunts.

"Sorry, Captain Benares, sir." The man sounded like he was talking through a bloody lip and possibly some loose teeth. "We didn't recognize you in the dark, and we've been ordered to --"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Stop everyone by any means."

"Our apologies, sir."

"The boys are a little on edge, son," Uncle Ryn explained. "Most of them never saw demons before."

I slowly sat up, gingerly holding my head as motionless as I could. "They saw demons? What did they look like?"

"Like something that shouldn't be here."

"Blue or purple?" I hesitated, not really wanting to ask. "Or were they yellow?"

"None of the above. Red with horns and tails."

I swore. Just what we didn't need -- variety.

Phaelan's boots joined his dad's in my line of vision. I hadn't tried looking any higher than footwear. I thought it'd help my stomach to keep my eyes on the floor. Generally, floors didn't move. That went well, so I tried looking up at my cousin and uncle then ever so slowly over at Vegard.

"Okay, boys. Hit me with it. What happened?"

Phaelan grinned. "You did."

I would have kicked him, but that meant I'd have to move. Phaelan knew that, the bastard. "I mean after that."

"A couple of watchers got sick when they saw the pile of yellow . . . mush that used to be that demon, and Carnades started making completely unreasonable demands." Phaelan's grin grew wider. "Then that blue demon the paladin was questioning somehow managed to escape that metal circle thing that was keeping him --"

"Somehow managed?"

"The paladin glanced at the professor, the professor winked at the paladin, and next thing we all knew, that blue demon was free and hot on Carnades's heels. The blue ones like him for some reason."

"Can't imagine what that would be," I muttered. If I could ever show my face again without getting arrested, I owed Mychael and Sora Niabi a big thank you.

"While Magus Silvanus was occupied, the paladin told me to get you out of there," Vegard said. "The quickest way was you over my shoulder." The Guardian winced in apology. "Sorry all that jostling around made you sick, ma'am."

"It wasn't you, Vegard. It was the rock."

He went a little pale. "The Saghred?"

"That's the one."

Uncle Ryn squatted down next to me, and I still had to look up at him. Elves were usually tall and leanly muscled. Uncle Ryn was just big. He wore his dark hair short, his beard trimmed, and had a booming voice that'd carry clear up to a crow's nest. He had a booming laugh to go with it and a sense of humor to match. He was somewhere around fifty, but he didn't look it, and he sure as hell didn't act like it. I was a firm believer in being happy doing your chosen work. If you had to make a living at something, you should enjoy doing it. Ryn Benares was still in his prime and basking in the benefits of his chosen calling -- the most feared pirate in the seven kingdoms.

He took one of my hands in his and gently wrapped his other arm around my waist. "Let's get you off the floor, Spitfire," he rumbled softly.

"Careful."

"That goes without saying. My shirt's clean and I'd like it to stay that way."

Uncle Ryn got me on my feet and I didn't mess up his shirt. It was one of the first things to go right all day. I hoped it was a sign that things were going to improve, but I wasn't about to place any bets.

"You steady enough?" he asked.

"Only one way to find out."

Uncle Ryn slipped his arm from around my waist, but didn't step back. I didn't fall down or throw up. Two nice surprises.

"I'm good," I told him. "Thank you." I turned to Phaelan. "So what happened after that demon went after Carnades?"

Phaelan just looked at me. "Raine, I'm a wanted man standing in the middle of city watch headquarters with a demon running amok. What do you think I did?"

I grinned. "Ran like hell."

"Damn straight. But it wasn't running. It was a tactical retreat."

"Of course."

"I tried to catch up with you and Vegard, but his legs are longer than mine. And with that crazed blond berserker look he's got going, people got out of his way. Apparently I'm not scary enough right now." He glared at Ryn's men who'd tried to stop him at the door. "I'll have to work on that."

I looked around. We were in a warehouse that looked like it'd been abandoned until recently. Uncle Ryn had been in port for nearly a week, and it looked like he'd started stocking this place the moment he dropped anchor. Food, ale, weapons, black powder -- and every bit of it in ample supply.

"Looks like you're all moved in," I noted dryly.

Uncle Ryn nodded. "And prepared."

I snorted. "For a war?"

"To finish whatever anyone here starts. Don't get me wrong, I respect what Paladin Eiliesor's trying to do, but I'm not staying on the Red Hawk when my son and niece are up to their pointy ears in trouble."

I stood on tiptoe and gave my favorite pirate a peck on the cheek. "You know how to make a girl feel loved, Uncle Ryn."

His smile was warm. "I do my best, Spitfire." The smile vanished. "I heard the high points of what happened this morning. Now what were the two of you doing picking fights with demons?"

Phaelan answered before I could. "I didn't pick a fight with anything. I couldn't even see the things. Raine's the one who bounced a brick off its head."

Uncle Ryn looked at me like I was a couple arrows short of a full quiver.

I raised my hands to stave off the obvious. "I know what it sounds like. But the demons were cloaked, no one could see them, and they were killing a mage."

"So the brick made them stop killing the mage?" Uncle Ryn asked.

"Well, unfortunately not. But it did make that one uncloak so everyone could see them."

"And pissed it off," Phaelan added. "And all of its friends."

Happy Thanksgiving!

No big blog entry from me today; it's Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. Derek & I will be going for a humongous lunch at his parents' house with the Shearin clan, followed by desserts, napping, chatting, and then luscious leftovers for dinner. (I made my famous Deviled Eggs -- I use horseradish sauce instead of mayonaise, hot/spicy mustard, and instead of a "dash of pepper" I use black pepper, red pepper, and white pepper. Those little bites of deliciousness have kick! If anyone's interested in the recipe, let me know and I'll post it.

I will be working today. I have a TON of notepad pages that I've been scribbling on this week to make sure I get the next chunk of Bewitched & Betrayed right the first time. If something happened to those pages before I got them typed into a file, I'd be so screwed. So that's what I'm going to do today after lunch -- taking my laptop to Derek's parents' house and doing a little data entry. I figure I'm coordinated enough to type and engage in socially acceptable conversation at the same time. ; )

Tomorrow I'll post another snippet from The Trouble with Demons featuring Raine, Phaelan, Vegard -- and introducing Phaelan's dad (and Raine's uncle) Commodore Ryn Benares.

Happy Thanksgiving! And don't forget to take that little baggie of nibblets & bits out of the turkey before you cook it. ; )

Lisa

Is the Sky Falling?

Fellow Red Room author Lauren Lise Baratz-Logstead is simply an awesome blogger. Yesterday she wrote about what many of you have probably heard: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is calling a temporary halt on new acquisitions. Needless to say, this has caused quite a stir.

Lauren covers it all in her blog from yesterday entitled Is the Sky Falling? It explains what happened, why, how it affects the industry -- and most of all, what published and pre-published authors alike can do to avoid being a casualty of tight economic times. It's a long blog, but well worth reading. In fact, I'm adding Lauren to my "daily blog read" list.

On Friday (tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the US), I'll post another snippet from The Trouble with Demons featuring Raine, Phaelan, Vegard -- and Phaelan's dad (and Raine's uncle) Commodore Ryn Benares.

Lisa

The Trouble with Demons -- postcards & bookmarks

As promised, here are the postcards and bookmarks that I've ordered. If you would like a signed bookmark and postcard, just email me your full name and mailing address, and I'd be delighted to send them to you.

Here are the postcards (front and back sides). You should be able to click on them for a larger image.




And here are the bookmarks (front and back sides)

Holiday shopping & TTWD book goodies

I did 90% of my Christmas shopping this weekend while sitting at my desk and taking a break from writing Chapter 10 of Bewitched & Betrayed (which I finished, by the way. Yea!) My sister and all of my nieces and nephews will be receiving books from me and Derek for Christmas. They're all avid readers; I wanted to support booksellers during these tough economic times, so it was a perfect match. I was online and done in 10 minutes -- and I didn't even have to leave my desk. Fabulous!

For any readers on your holiday shopping lists, please consider a trip to your local bookstore. I still need to buy one or two more books, but I'll actually go to the bookstore to get them because I want to pick up some cool bookmarks to go with my other book gifts.

BTW -- I now have an author page over at Red Room. This is the coolest writer site: blogs, interviews, podcasts, interviews, events -- it's all here. From very famous authors, all the way down to me. ; ) Click here to go directly to my page.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting the new bookmarks and postcards for The Trouble with Demons. If you would like a signed bookmark and postcard, just email me your full name and mailing address, and I'd be delighted to send them to you.

Lisa

The Trouble with Demons -- final cover

Here is the final high-res cover for The Trouble with Demons. (You can click on it for a larger version.) When I post the TTWD sample chapters the week before Christmas, Webmaster Todd will post the big version of the cover on the BOOKS page. I'll have to convert the TTWD bookmark and postcard files before I can post them for you to see. I'll do that for Monday or Tuesday's post.

Last night, my friend Robin and I did the coolest thing. Our county library system has a book sale every year to raise money to buy new books. Robin has been going to the sale for a long time -- last night was my first time. It was in an old K-Mart and tables stacked with books filled the entire place -- 300,000 books. Woot! Some people used shopping carts. I'd set a spending limit for myself and used a tote bag for shopping. IT WAS AWESOME! I'll definitely be going back next year.

Some of what's coming in the two weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

Next Friday (the day after Thanksgiving here in the US), I'll post another snippet from The Trouble with Demons featuring Raine, Phaelan, Vegard -- and Phaelan's dad (and Raine's uncle) Commodore Ryn Benares.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Real dialogue for realistic characters

The title of today's blog is "Real dialogue for realistic characters" -- but a better title for me would be "Shut up and listen!"

Unrealistic (or more often, uncharacteristic) dialogue is one of the top reasons why I get stuck while writing a book. It means I don't feel comfortable with the scene that I'm writing, and if I'm not comfortable, my characters aren't comfortable. All this discomfort boils down to one thing -- I'm writing the wrong scene for the wrong time, or the scene doesn't belong in the book. Period. And the only thing force-feeding words into my characters' mouths is going to get me is more bogged down.

But what if you know it's the right scene at the right time, and the words still aren't flowing? When I'm in "the zone" it's like I'm eavesdropping on my characters and typing what they're saying as fast as I can. It's like the "runner's high" for writers. It's those brief flashes of magic that get us through the boggy swamp parts (and believe me, there's plenty of those). To get into the zone, I have to do two things -- shut up and listen. I'm a bit of a control freak and that control seeps onto the page/screen. It sounds like such a simple thing, but it ain't easy to do. Writers on a deadline want to control the direction the book takes, the pace at which it is written, and the schedule we want it to stick to. I'm on my fourth book, and it's just now starting to sink through my thick skull that I really don't have much control over these things, and I never will. A book is a creative work, and creativity refuses to punch a time clock.

The solution for me to getting the words flowing is to sit quietly (and not to freak out because I'm wasting precious writing minutes), and put your character(s) into the scene. I've been with my characters a long time and I know them well. I ask myself, "Okay, this is the situation Raine is in -- she knows how she feels about it and ain't shy about telling everyone precisely what she thinks. Listen and write it down (knowing that I can edit out any excessive four-letter words later). ; )

And you will find that in getting to know and truly listening to your characters is that none of them express themselves in the same way, be it physical mannerisms or speech. For example, Raine is straightforward and doesn't mince words; she uses short sentences to get her message across to others. Sarad Nukpana is formal, uses longer words, longer sentences, and more elegant turns of phrase.

The key to writing real dialogue is to get to know your characters just as well as you know "real" people. You know what your wife/husband/significant other/best friend would say or do in any given situation -- because you know them that well. Apply the same principles to your characters and the magic will happen.

Some of what's coming in the two weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
• Say no to "info dump"
  
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
  
• Let every scene advance the plot
  
• Never stop learning
  

Next Friday (the day after Thanksgiving here in the US), I'll post another snippet from The Trouble with Demons. And this time I'm taking requests. Which character would you like to see featured in the snippet?

And this Saturday, I'll post the new TTWD postcards and bookmarks that are now being printed.

Lisa

Air your characters' dirty laundry

Running short on inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry.

Like real people, all characters have pasts. We may think we know what they are, but you'll find as you spend more and more time with your characters, more events from their pasts reveal themselves. Getting to know a character is just like getting to know a person you've just met -- they'll tell you some things about themselves, later some past indiscretions might come to light, and sometimes you just have to do some good old-fashioned snooping. If you're lucky, you'll find some skeletons in your characters' closets.

I'm still finding out all of what Tam did while he was the goblin queen's right-hand mage and magical enforcer. And I thought Mychael's past was completely above board. Nope. The man has a past and for the safety of a lot of people (including himself), he needs to keep it hidden. Naturally, Raine will find out what it is. Uncovering secrets that want to stay covered is yet another Benares family skill. ; )

Some of what's coming in the two weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

Next Friday (the day after Thanksgiving here in the US), I'll post another snippet from The Trouble with Demons. And this Saturday, I'll post the new TTWD postcards and bookmarks that are now being printed.

Lisa

Book blurbs and Dog & Cat Diaries

Today's blog is both educational and hilarious.

First, for the educational. Pop over to my agent's site for a post on The Art of Getting Blurbs. There's a link that takes you to Red Room, an awesome writers' site. For the non-writers, blurbs are those quotes from known and notable authors that are on the front covers of a lot of books. For the newbie author, there's a right way to approach authors to ask for a blurb -- and there are very wrong ways.

The hilarious part of today's blog was sent to me by Patty, one of my fan club moderators over at Raine's Rangers. For those of you who haven't seen this one before, swallow your coffee before reading -- it's a serious spew alert. ; )

DOG DIARY

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 PM - Lunch! My favorite thing!

1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

CAT DIARY

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released -- and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

Some of what's coming in the two weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

Lisa

Help the economy, buy a book

Last night, my author gal pal/mentor Linnea Sinclair sent me a link to a blog post about the crisis in the publishing industry. It contains a lot of enlightening information about exactly what's happening in the industry and why. We all know the economy is on shaky ground. I'm confident that it's going to get better, but it'll probably take a while. Bookstores and the publishing industry that feeds them are taking some seriously hard hits -- declining sales, layoffs at some of the big publishing houses, booksellers ordering fewer books, indie presses going under, smaller advances for authors, debut authors having a tougher time breaking in. With the holidays coming up, this is a great blog post on how a little effort from a lot of people could make a big difference.

But for those of you out there trying to sell your first book, my agent Kristin Nelson had encouraging news in her blog last night.

Lisa

Perfection ain't all it's cracked up to be

I took Friday as a vacation day from my day job to give me a 3-day writing weekend on Bewitched & Betrayed (aka B&B). Actually it was going to be a 3-day plotting weekend. And it was -- kind of. I'd just finished writing Chapter 9 and realized that I really needed to stop and plot out at least the next few chapters (though I was really aiming for the rest of the book).

Well, that did and didn't happen.

The goal was to type into my laptop all of the notepad pages of brainstorming that I'd written over the past week or so. I had a lot more pages than I thought, and naturally as I was typing my notes into the chapters where they needed to go, more ideas came to me. That pretty much ate up Friday and part of Saturday. I spent Saturday evening going through my Big Notes File (110 pages worth) to copy and paste any scenes I thought I wanted to use in the next section of the book. Done. Then on Sunday, I was going to really dive in on plotting the next chunk of chapters.

Didn't happen.

What did happen? I wrote almost the first half of Chapter 10. Completely unplanned, but apparently the timer went off and Chapter 10 was ready to come out of the oven. Who am I to hold up progress? ; )

That's pretty much how this book is going -- I plan to do one thing, and I end up doing something else entirely. And believe me, that's not a bad thing; this is shaping up to be a very cool book. Lots of characters' pasts are coming to the surface, most notably Tam and Mychael, and some of Raine's. A lot of Raine's past will surface in the next book.

The way I've always written a book is: I write a chapter, get it as perfect as I can, and then and only then move on. That's not happening with this one. I'm doing the writing version of Impressionistic painting. I'm getting the story on the page, but perfection has to wait. Normally once I reach a certain point, and I go back and start polishing earlier chapters before I've even finished the book. Not this time. This time I'm going back and adding notes to myself about changes I want to make to the chapter, but actually making the changes is gonna have to wait. I've got a story to write. ; )

Normally this entire approach (writing by the seat of my pants) would be freaking me out. It's not. Heck, I'm not even freaking out that I'm not freaking out. Most unusual, but definitely welcome. I've discovered that a non-freaking out brain is a happy and creative brain. And it's making for a really good book. Perfection definitely ain't all it's cracked up to be.

Lisa

Saturday Fun Pic -- Snoozin' in the sun

Sleeping and snuggling is what retired racing greyhounds do best. And for Andy and Gracie, if there's a patch of sun involved and a pair of snoozing buddies, all the better. : )

Some of what's coming in the two weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

And as always, if you have any questions, just email me or respond to the blog.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Rainy day blog lite

Happy Friday, everybody! Today is going to be "blog lite." I have a few vacation days left at my day job that I have to take before the end of the year. I'm using mine as writing days. I try to take them on Fridays to give me a good three-day writing weekend.

I'm about to start Chapter 10 of Bewitched & Betrayed, and am getting to the core of the book. I realized that I needed to take a day or two and plot out the middle of the book. And to take the pressure off myself, I'll be doing it longhand with a notepad sitting on the couch surrounded by sleepy dogs. Hopefully the urge to nap won't be contagious, which would be easy considering that it's a cool and rainy day here. By the end of the weekend, I should have the plot smoothed out and get Chapter 10 started by Sunday or Monday at the latest.

Tomorow, I'll see if I can post a pic of me in my new ultra comfy "plotting chair" here in my office.

I'll be checking email throughout the day, but now I've got to go downstairs -- Andy the greyhound is whining for me to come sit with him. ; )

Take care!
Lisa

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:
How to keep a story believable
Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
Keep the action going
Real dialogue for realistic characters
Say no to "info dump"
Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
Let every scene advance the plot
Never stop learning

I listen to you.

Many authors swear they don't read reviews. I read them, while I love most of them, I try to ignore the others. ; )

Something I never ignore is what you -- my fans -- think about my books. I'm the one writing the books, so to a certain extent I'm writing them for me, but mainly I'm writing them for you. In writing every plot, sub-plot, or plot twist, it's like you all are standing behind me (let me tell you, it makes for a crowded office) telling me what you think. Believe me, I listen.

I care what you think, and I pay attention to what you say: what you like about the books or what you want to see more of. From reading your posts, emails, reviews, and blog entries, I think I've got a pretty good grasp of what you want in a Raine adventure. My job is to deliver, raising the stakes with each book and keeping you all on the edge of your seats and turning those pages.

In my opinion, authors who don't consider what their readers want do so at their peril.

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
  
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning

And as always, if you have questions for me, send 'em on!

Lisa

Staying on track by keeping track

I finished Chapter 9 of Bewitched & Betrayed last night, and I've realized it's time to do what I've done on my past two books -- write a short synopsis of each chapter to remind me what I've written up to this point so I don't get off track.

I open a new Word document, go through each chapter and write no more than three short sentences telling what happened in that chapter. Just the big stuff; I don't get bogged down with little details (unless they're important). And once I've done this through Chapter 9, I can better see where I've been and where I need to go -- and what I need to go back and fix. When I'm writing a first draft, it's easy to forget the details of what I've already done. Say I started a sub-plot in Chapter 2, but never picked it back up again. This exercise reminds me of loose plotlines I might have forgotten about. Now, as I finish each new chapter, I'll write a quick summary to let me keep track of how the book is taking shape. Hey, it works for me. ; )

BTW -- Derek & I have been on NutriSystem for a week and a half. I've lost 7 pounds, Derek has lost almost 10 pounds. It ain't easy, but when you're seeing results, it's easier to hang in there. ; )

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
  
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Never stop learning
  

Lisa

The holiday season is coming

The holiday season is coming, but you'd think it was already here with all the Santas scheduled to be at local malls starting this weekend. As much as it drives me crazy to see Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving, this year I'm kind of agreeing with getting an early start on Christmas shopping. Money is tight for everyone this year (myself included), and I'm of the mind that a little creativity goes a long way -- both toward getting a great gift for friends or family, and saving yourself a little money in the process.

While gift cards are fabulous, nothing beats an actual gift that they can unwrap and enjoy then and there. So where am I going with this?

Books.

Of course, buying my books for your family and friends would be wonderful, but Raine isn't everyone's cup of tea. If you like or love someone enough to buy them a gift, it goes without saying that you know what they'd like (and if you don't, you should find out). And if you've discovered an author or authors who you think they would enjoy, buy them one or two of their books. Most paperbacks are in the $7.99 range. Perfectly affordable to get one, perhaps two. Or if they love a particular TV series (I'm gaga over Burn Notice), get them a season on DVD. You can probably get their favorite series for less than you'd think (there are going to be some awesome sales out there this year). Or you can get them a subscription to a magazine you think they'd like. You can buy the first issue for them to unwrap with a card inside saying that more are on the way. Since they'd be getting an issue every month, it's the gift that keeps on giving.

Or for the writer in your life -- or if you are the writer in your life and your family is asking what you want, here are a few inexpensive options:

A subscription to a writer's magazine. My favorite is The Writer. Another great one is Writer's Digest. There's also the ever-popular Writer's Digest Books series. Browse through, pick a book and put it on your gift list.

And naturally, I have to plug my own store. ; ) As I accounced on my News page yesterday, with cold weather setting in, I've added sweatshirts (hoodies and regular) to my CafePress store. For those of you wanting to get an early start on your holiday shopping for the Raine (or Mychael or Tam) fan in your life, pop over to the store and browse the large selection of gifts.

The important thing is that a little shopping creativity on your part can save you a lot of money this holiday season.

Lisa

Writing yourself out of a plot hole

We all fall into plot holes, and it doesn't matter how many books you've published, it still happens.

When I get stuck, when I don't know what happens next, when I know I'm about to make a major screwup if I don't stop and get some perspective -- the best thing I can do is talk to myself on paper. I get away from my desk and computer, take a notepad & pen, and go sit in my chair in the corner of my office. (I'll have to post a pic of my new "plotting chair" -- it's mucho comfy.) I've been successful in convincing myself that what goes on the notepad can stay on the notepad, meaning that I'm not trying to be brilliant, I'm just trying to figure out what happens next or where the heck I went wrong, and fix it.

By taking the pressure off of myself, I've found out some pretty cool things I didn't know about my characters and story. Hidden relationships between two characters that I never knew existed as well as events in their past. Questions also come to mind that need to be answered. I write these down and then explore different answers and options. And if you're like me, you know your characters really well; this could be the cause of your stumble in the first place -- you're trying to make them say or do something that simply isn't them. I ask myself, "Okay, Raine is in this situation. You know her. What would she do? How would she react? What would she say?" The answers to those questions can not only get you out of a plot hole, but propel you into a whole new line of thinking. Both are very good things.

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
  
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot

Lisa

Words of wisdom from Julie the Intern

Traditionally my agent, Kristin Nelson, runs a small office: Kristin, her fabulous assistant Sara, and Chutney the office wonder dog. But a couple of months ago, they acquired an intern. In Wednesday and Thursday's blogs on Kristin's site, Julie the Intern shared some of things she has learned during her time at the Nelson Literary Agency. For your reading enjoyment, I present "Words of Wisdom from Julie the Intern."

Have a great weekend!
Lisa

Coming up on Monday: Writing your way out of a plot hole.

Stick to a writing schedule

I hold myself to a pretty strict writing schedule when doing a first draft: at least a chapter a week, preferably a chapter and a half. Though with this book, I'm trying to treat myself to a night off once a week, IF I'm not behind. If I'm behind, no night off for Lisa.

It's not a set day each week, it's either when my day job has worn me out and I know that writing productivity just ain't gonna happen that night, or when I'm ahead of schedule. If I'm ahead of schedule for that week, my "night off" will be spent taking care of various book business stuff, catching up on my writer magazine reading, coming up with future blog topics, cleaning out my email, etc. THEN I get the rest of the night off. Or I might take a few hours one night to brainstorm the next few chapters, since I'm essentially writing Bewitched & Betrayed without an outline. By writing without a net, I'm getting a lot of very interesting and completely unexpected twists. Most cool. ; )

But to keep to a schedule, I must make some sort of progress each day, and progress comes from steady work. Meaning, I apply my butt to my office chair and I do the work. It's as simple (and as difficult) as that. If you want it badly enough, you do the work so you can get it. That applies to every facet of life, not just writing.

Ideally, Bewitched & Betrayed will be 25 chapters and no more than 15 pages per chapter. This is my way of holding length of the the finished book to be not much more than 100K words. The Trouble with Demons turned out a wee bit long according to my publisher. For binding purposes (here comes that "book writing is a business" thing again), my publisher likes books of 90-100K words. So to do my part to help keep printing and production costs under control (and make my publisher happy), I'm going to write B&B to word count -- 100K or not much more. Actually being the structured person that I am, I really like this approach. It's like, this is how many words you have, now write your story. ; )

Doing the math on that will have me finishing the first draft of B&B by the end of February which will give me two months before my May 1 deadline to go back and fix everything.

There some nights that I feel what I'm writing is crap, and I know I'll have to go back and fix it, but I've found that to get to the good stuff, I've got to wade through the crap. Because crappy though they may be, those are the core ideas that turn into the "good stuff." Much like my garden metaphor of the other day -- it takes a lot of crap to grow a good garden.

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
  
• Writing yourself out of a plot hole
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Talk to yourself on paper

Happy Friday!
Lisa

Authors are business people, too

Yep, authors have to be business people, too. Sounds kind of scary, but it doesn't have to be. Nor to you need an MBA to manage your writing career. And that's what most of us are aiming for -- a career. And where there's a career, there's business management.

Not only do you have to write the books, you have to help sell, promote, market, and generally spread the word about your precious baby. Or as it's thought of in the publishing world -- "the product." It's your book, your baby, your precioussss, but the harsh reality is that it's a product that has buyers and sellers -- and sales figures that your publisher (and you) will be watching very closely. It's all a part of being a published author.

I did a series of blogs in July on "Things I didn't know until I was published." If you haven't read them yet, you can go to my "Fun Stuff to Read" page (it's in the left navigation bar on this page) and the links to the blog posts are right at the top. Topics and the dates of the posts are as follows:

1. Meeting booksellers -- July 10
2. Booksignings -- July 11 & 14
3. Book promotional goodies and where to buy them -- July 15
4. Tax writeoffs for writers -- July 16
5. Book promotion and advertising -- July 23
   

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
  
• Writing yourself out of a plot hole
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Stick to a writing schedule
• Talk to yourself on paper

Update on Bewitched & Betrayed -- I finished Chapter 8 last night, and have a two-page start on Chapter 9. It's going good. I think. ; ) Well, as good as a first draft can go.

BTW -- On November 6, 2001 both Tam Nathrach and Sarad Nukpana were "born" as characters. Happy 7th birthday, guys! And thank you Kara for the reminder. ; )
Lisa

Trust your own internal editor

Some authors have "beta readers," friends or fellow authors who read their work, either when it's completed, by chapter, or just when they've hit a tough patch. My beta reader is my agent, Kristin Nelson. For Armed & Magical, I sent her the entire manuscript once I'd finished it. For The Trouble with Demons, I only sent her the first seven chapters. Depending on how warm & fuzzy I feel about Bewitched & Betrayed once I've finished writing it, I'll probably do the same (send Kristin just the first couple of chapters). Basically this is just to let her know what I'm doing, and what I'll be sending to my editor.

I don't send my work out (whether finished or in pieces & parts) to a group of people for feedback. I guess I'm just a lone wolf in that respect -- or more likely, I'm just a control freak. ; ) Any problems, snags, or plot snafus I have, I work them out myself. And my gut tells me if something isn't working. My internal editor has a very strong voice, and I listen to it.

I trust my gut, my instincts, my internal editor. The stories I write come from me. The perils of asking everyone you know and their sister for advice is that you're going to get as many opinions back as the number of people you ask. Not that asking others for advice is a bad idea, but never let this override your own vision for your work. You can't depend on others to tell you what's wrong or right with your work, or when a character is behaving uncharacteristically. Only you know that, because no one knows your characters and your story like you do.

I'm blessed that both my agent and editor share my vision for my stories, and we are completely and utterly on the same page as far as what's right, what's wrong, what works, and what doesn't. This doesn't mean that I take their advice over my own opinion; it means that most of the time, my opinion is the same as theirs. If Kristin or Anne say a line or section doesn't quite work for them, chances are 98% that I'll agree with them, and I'll make the change and the book is better for it. And if I don't agree with a suggestion, I explain why, and the line or section stays the way I wrote it.

So while there's nothing wrong with asking for advice, just be sure you know your own mind, trust your instincts, and stick to your guns when you know that's what's best for your book.

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
• Authors are business people, too
• Writing yourself out of a plot hole
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Stick to a writing schedule
• Talk to yourself on paper

You can't fix a blank page

I read an article in a writer magazine a few weeks ago where Nora Roberts was quoted as saying: "You can't fix a blank page."

Amen, sister.

For me, my ideal writing goal is five pages a day. With chapters of approximately 15 pages, that's three days per chapter, right? Uh, not usually. Five pages a day is when I'm really cranking out the words, inspiration is flowing, my muse is in the room (and cooperative). Three pages is the minimum acceptable pages per day for me. But what about the times when the words aren't flowing, when I really don't know what happens next?

I write something, because in the words of "La Nora," you can't fix a blank page.

So I pound out some pages either on my laptop or a notepad. For me writing longhand takes the pressure off, because it's not "writing" it's "scribbling." ; ) I write even if I know it's crap and I'll be tossing it later, even if the words my characters are saying don't sound quite right -- I can't fix something that ain't there. Because for those of you who (like me) shoveled cow manure into the soil of the family garden when you were kids -- it takes a lot of crap to grow a good garden.

Some of what's coming in the few weeks:

• How to keep a story believable
• Authors are business people, too
• Writing yourself out of a plot hole
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers
• Trust your own internal editor
• Keep the action going
• Real dialogue for realistic characters
• Say no to "info dump"
• Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
• Let every scene advance the plot
• Stick to a writing schedule
• Talk to yourself on paper

And if you're one of my readers here in the U.S., please get out there and vote. Ignore the long lines; you're a part of history in the making. : )

Happy Election Day!
Lisa

Revisions are important

Revisions aren't just important -- they're critical. Nobody gets it right the first time; and heck, sometimes not even the second or third time. Just writing and spellchecking isn't enough. To write something worth catching an agent's eye (or in my case, making my editor happy), you've got to revise and rewrite.

When I'm under a tight deadline (which is always), my goal with writing a first draft is to leave myself at least two months for revisions. More time would be author shangra-la, but I have to work with the time I've agreed to in my contract.

Revisions are what makes me happy with my books. For me, first drafts are for getting the story down. Details such as new character names, place names, fleshing out romantic scenes and action sequences, dialogue tags (be they speech or character actions), all come with the second draft. (BTW -- I tend to go pretty basic with dialog tags -- or better yet, use none at all. But character actions and expressions are great to add spice and believability to a scene.) Unfortunately, two drafts is usually all I have time for; so I while I can't get it right the first time, I have to get it right the second go round.

As I said the first draft is for getting my story down; the second draft is for bringing it to life. The details, the nuances, digging deep for the sub-plots and motivations that didn't (and couldn't) make themselves known to me until I had the entire story down. Which will take me to tomorrow's topic: Write something, because you can't fix a blank page.

Some of what's coming in the next week or so:

• How to keep a story believable
• Authors are business people, too
• Writing yourself out of a plot hole
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers

Have a great Monday!
Lisa

My notepad scribblings

Here are a couple of pages from the notepad scribbling I'm always talking about. (You can click on the photo to make it bigger.) I keep these pages just like I do every other bit of paper connected with my books. All I can say is, God bless the inventor of the big plastic storage bin. ; )

BTW -- If you're in the U.S., I think today is the last day for early voting in the states that offer it. (Fortunately North Carolina was one of them. Derek & I voted last week.) And if you didn't or can't vote early, be sure to get to the polls on Tuesday. This election is too important for you not to let your voice be heard. Go vote! : )

Some of what's coming in the next week or so:

• Today Derek & I started on Nutrisystem. I'm writing the first draft of a book and I'm on a diet -- this isn't gonna be pretty. ; )
• How to keep a story believable
• Revisions are important
• Write something, because you can't fix a blank page
• Authors are business people, too
• Writing yourself out of a plot hole
• Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
• Listen to your readers

Have a great weekend!

Lisa