A Day in the Writing Life of #MFRWauthor @Jill_Blake_

I'm a type-A personality. I make lists and plan things out to the very last detail. When all else is chaos, my systematic approach to writing is often the only thing that keeps me sane. (Not to mention it’s cheaper than therapy.)

I start with a character or premise that strikes my fancy. Around this, I build a world, populating it with composite portraits of friends and neighbors, family and coworkers. I fill in my characters’ histories, make family trees, create life plans. Often I do a lot of background reading on whatever topic or environment is relevant to my story.

Then comes plotting. True to form, I keep timelines of important events in my characters’ lives, and use an actual calendar to keep track of their activities in the ongoing present.

Then I go back and write. Each session begins by re-reading the last scene or chapter, making a few edits if needed, and then mapping out a bare-bones outline of the next chapter, fleshing it out, and finally jotting some notes for the following writing session. This continues—two to three sessions a week, each several hours long—for four to six months. That’s how long the process takes me from start to finish for each book. The editing, beta-reading, cover design, formatting, and marketing all come later, often overlapping with the planning stages for my next book.

Sometimes I look around at fellow writers who are incredibly fast and prolific, and wonder how they do it. Some are pantsers. Some are able to multi-task, or write despite distractions. 

Alas, that is not me. I need complete quiet and freedom from interruptions in order to write. That’s hard to come by in a house with husband and three small kids. Not to mention the time constraints imposed by my day job. Did I mention I’m a physician? I average fifty hours a week seeing patients, and also take (thankfully infrequent) call.

So, slow and steady it is. At least for now.

Contributed by Jill Blake
Jill Blake loves chocolate, leisurely walks where she doesn’t break a sweat, and books with a guaranteed happy ending. A native of Philadelphia, Jill now lives in southern California with her husband and three children. During the day, she works as a physician in a busy medical practice. At night, she pens steamy romances.

blog: http://jillblake.blogspot.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/jill.blake.3386
twitter: https://twitter.com/Jill_Blake_
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00B1ZIHKS
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6899971.Jill_Blake

Beyond the Ivory Tower... coming in November 2015

PRE-ORDER LINK
If there’s one thing math professor Anna Larazev believes in, it’s the value of higher education. So when her younger sister announces she’s dropping out of college, Anna places the blame squarely on the man who inspired her sister’s rebellion.

Venture capitalist Ethan Talbot claims the US academic system is broken. His solution? Pay top students to “opt out” and pursue their entrepreneurial dreams without wasting time and money on a university degree.

In a passionate battle for the hearts and minds of a new generation, Anna will do whatever it takes to prove Ethan wrong. But when his demands take a more personal turn, will she sacrifice her principles to come out on top?

EXCERPT

Ethan ignored the first few emails. Likewise the faxed letter, the phone message slips, and the envelope delivered by registered mail.
Ever since his usual assistant, Margaret, went on medical leave, he’d been saddled with a series of temps who had neither the wits nor the will to guard his inner sanctum. What he really needed was someone who not only knew how to organize his schedule and take dictation, but could also screen out and deflect all the noise of the outside world. There were simply too many people asking for money, or looking for a job, or hoping for an interview or sound bite, or just eager for the opportunity to rub elbows with the man of the moment.
Frankly, he was tired of it. But until Margaret returned from getting her hip replaced, he was unlikely to catch a break.
Maybe, after this weekend’s summit, he’d take some time off. Fly down to Belize and do some diving. Or visit his parents in upstate New York. He hadn’t seen them since Christmas. And even then he’d spent most of his time taking meetings by Skype and reviewing business plan executive summaries, financial projections, and capitalization tables.
Sighing, he turned away from his contemplation of San Francisco’s skyline. He needed to make one more pass through his PowerPoint presentation for tomorrow’s keynote address.
He was nearly halfway through the slides when the door burst open and he found himself facing an interruption he couldn’t ignore.
She was five foot five--but that was the only average thing about her. She swept into the room with rapid, angry strides, dark brows drawn together over almond shaped eyes, nostrils flaring. Her hair was caught in a casual twist from which glossy black strands escaped to tumble past high cheekbones and bare neck. A V-cut T-shirt that stopped just short of displaying any cleavage was tucked into a pair of close-fitting jeans.
Ethan’s latest assistant—Tina? Trisha? something with a T—scurried in after her. “Dr. Larazev—”
The woman shook off the restraining hand and continued to advance.
“Ma’am, please.” The assistant cast Ethan a nervous glance. “I’m sure we can schedule you in for an appointment. If you’ll just come with me…”

Why #MFRWauthors Write Romance... @ColleenSMyers #amwriting

Have you ever read a Romance novel and then been disappointed in the ending?
That is why I decided to write. I remember reading a book that I shall not name. I loved the characters, the plot, everything and then end just totally sucked. At least to me it did. And i decided then and there that I wanted to write my own.  I had written for years for pleasure but at that moment, it became my calling.

I think that no matter what you write, there is a little bit of the writer in every aspect. Knowingly or not, we tend to include real life quirks of ourselves and those around us in our writing.  I try to hide this from my family with varying degrees of success.

I write Fantasy and Romance in contemporary settings. I think everything needs a bit more love and whimsy in their lives.

I write what I like.

My first book comes out November 2nd and I can't wait.  I honestly don't know where the idea came from but before I started writing the first book, I had all three plotted out and the 'ending' ready. I created the lore of my world first and went from there...

Coming Soon...
Must Remember
Erotic New Adult Romance
Champagne Book Group

Nineteen-year-old Elizabeth ‘Beta’ Camden is a survivor.

When the E'mani—those pale alien freaks—destroy Earth with a plague of madness and scoop up the remains, Beta is one of the ‘lucky’ ones. For years, she endures their tortures, experiments and games. Then one day, she manages to escape their ship with her life, and no memory of her time with them.

Stranded on their world, Beta wanders the mountains, looking for a way home. She stumbles onto the Fost—the E'mani’s ancient enemy.  Their war with the E'mani is old and rooted in magic that the Fost once had and the E'mani crave. Magic Beta soon discovers she’s developing along with strange tattoos and disturbing glimpses of her past. The Fost take her in and train her in their ways. As she spends more time with them, she falls in love with their culture and with Marin—he of the hot hands and slit eyes.

But the E'mani took her for a reason and they want her back—dead or alive. If Beta doesn’t remember that reason soon, they’re all going to die.

ABOUT Colleen S. Myers
Colleen plays many roles. Not only is she a veteran, a mother, and a practicing physician, but she is a writer of science fiction and contemporary romances. Colleen’s dreams include surviving her son’s teenage years, exploring every continent on this planet, except Antartica, cause that’s way too cold, and winning the Nobel peace prize. Dream BIG! Currently she is getting ready to publish her first novel, MUST REMEMBER in November of this year (cover reveal soon.)  Until then look for her at Three Rivers Romance Writers, at Facebook, Pinterest, and on twitter at @ColleenSMyers.

#AmWriting SEX In ROMANCE Novels @AnnaWriter #MFRWauthor

To Write SEX or Not To Write SEX...

I have been quoted on saying we are most vulnerable when we are naked, and never is it more true than in a romance novel. As a writer, I can do deeper into a characters psyche, motivations, and potential conflicts when I've put them skin to skin with another person. Will they reveal truths to their partner they never have before, or will they hide their true nature? Was their world changed forever? I want to know.

Now the explicitness of how that part of the character's journey is told will vary by taste, but for me, the love scenes are vitally important, no matter how hot they are portrayed. The characters will either grow closer together or be driven apart. How can that not be exciting?

When an author has done their job well, the reader will see beyond the titillation to what is going on beneath the surface. The connection the two characters are making, and that is a beautiful thing.
Contributed by Anna Alexander
Award winning author Anna Alexander is the author of the Heroes of Saturn and the Sprawling A Ranch series. With Hugh Jackman’s abs and Christopher Reeve’s blue eyes as inspiration, she loves spinning tales of superheroes finding love. Anna also loves to give back and has served on the board for the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America as chapter president and on the committee for the Emerald City Writers Conference.

Sign up to receive news about Anna's latest releases at http://eepurl.com/Q0tsz.
The Decadent Divas - http://www.thedecadentdivas.blogspot.com/
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anna-Alexander/282170065189471?ref=hl
Goodreads –  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1335912.Anna_Alexander

To Have Faith
Ben Castillo was every woman’s fantasy. More precisely, Faith O’Leary’s fantasy. Tall, broad, oh-so handsome, and the best part of all – he was just as kinky as the rumors suggested. Even kinkier. When he agreed to help Faith explore her submissive nature, she mistakenly thought her biggest obstacle would be in getting Ben to believe her when she said she wasn’t going to walk away after his tutelage was over. Instead she finds herself facing the scorn of their conservative community when it’s discovered that their relationship also included time spent with his cute roommate Colby.

Ben was convinced his time with Faith was limited, and the vicious gossip going around town is a sign for him to walk away from the woman he’s come to love, but Colby thinks Ben’s a fool, and will do whatever he can to ensure a happy ending. For all of them.

When an arrangement becomes more, the ranch takes the heat when the town finds out about their illicit affair...      Amazon BUY LINK

EXCERPT

“Little girl, you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“What do you think I’m doing? And I’m not a little girl. I’m thirty. I’ve been around the block a few times.”
“Have you?” He rose to his feet, all six-foot-four of him, and towered over her. The little shop shrunk even more around them as he filled every corner with his sex appeal. “I think you’re trying to entice an older, stronger man to have his way with you.”
So he had been picking up on her vibe.
If he had appeared angry or disinterested in any way, she’d lie and tell him he was imagining things. But if that light in his eyes was what she hoped it was, now was not the time to back down. “As I said before, I find you very intriguing.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you want, Faith?”
Ooo. Her gut tightened. That’s it. Just cut right to the chase.
She drew in a breath, hoping to hell she didn’t pass out from the nerves, and voiced her secret wish. “I want you to teach me what you know.”
He stilled and then cocked his head to the side. “Know about what?” he asked slowly.
“About being a submissive.”
He sucked a breath in through his teeth and rocked back on his heels. “What makes you say that? What have you heard?”
She licked at her lips. “That cattle aren’t the only thing you rope. That you’re a Dom.”

Sept. Retweet Day at Marketing for Romance Writers #MFRWauthor

For this month's Retweet Day on Twitter, we'd like to invite all Marketing for Romance Writers to set up tweets for their books.

Go into Twitter and create a tweet. Once the tweet has been posted. Click on the ... (three dots) in the right hand corner.

This will give you the option to (copy link to tweet). Copy this link and put it in the comment section of this post.

On Sept 9, click on each link and share everyone's post on twitter. Also, make sure to have #MFRWauthor in the tweet.

Here's to a great day of retweets,

Tina Gayle

Tina Gayle writes stories with strong women fiction elements. Visit her website and read the 1st chapter of any of her books. www.tinagayle.net

Where Do Story Ideas Come From? ASK #MFRWauthor Donna Figueroa @FallAgainSeries

Fall Again: Beginnings is the first book in the Fall Again Series. My original plan had been to write a short story entitled Time for Coffee. In this story, two actors who have not seen each other in years meet as they're both leaving an audition.(These characters would eventually become Marc & Lauren in the Fall Again Series). Both are short on time, but decide that they do have time for coffee. Over the next hour they discuss their lives, careers and eventually why things could never work romantically between them.

The problem was that I am the queen of procrastination. By the time I finally started to write, I had too many ideas to write this story as a short story. That's when I decided to write a stand alone novel.  The novel eventually grew into a series.

My story is set in the world of working actors. I naturally drew from my own experiences in the industry (I began working professionally as an actor while still in college) and from the experiences of other working actors. We work in a profession that is often misunderstood. I wanted to present a realistic glimpse into the lives of hard working artists as opposed to glamorous celebrities.

But this is also a Romantic novel. Shortly before I began writing I went to a girls night where the conversation turned to the subjects of first loves and the"" one who got away"". Several women on this night wondered what would have happened if they had met someone from their past at a different time in their lives.

Not long after this girls night, I began writing to the theme: what if you met the perfect person- your best friend, your soul-mate and the great love of your life…but at the wrong time?

As a hopeless romantic, I love the idea of a good love story and can see myself writing more romance projects in the future. However I am open to writing in other fictional genres. Last year I completed a first draft of a novel about a family funeral. The novel explores the humorous aspects of an event that most of us will go through at least a few times in our lives.

I love writing because their are no limits and you can go as far as your imagination will take you. At this point my own imagination is an endless sea of possibilities.

Contributed by Donna Figueroa
Donna Figueroa is an actor living and working in Los Angeles CA where she has worked on stage and on the big and small screens. Her credits include several television commercials and voiceovers for animation, commercials and industrial projects. She is a graduate of Emerson College in Boston MA where she majored in Dramatic Arts and Speech.

Donna is a producer and performer at Story Salon, Los Angeles's longest running storytelling venue where she has developed and performed three one person shows.

website  |  facebook  |  twitter  |  goodreads

Fall Again: Beginnings
Contemporary Romance
BUY LINK

What if you met the perfect person- your best friend, soul mate and the great love of your life. But

what if you met this person at the wrong time?

This is the question is at the heart of the Fall Again, a romantic series about two working actors The story takes place in New York, LA and places in between over two decades.
In Beginnings, Marc and Lauren meet in New York City when they are young and starting to build careers. While there’s an obvious attraction, decorum dictates that their relationship remain within the boundaries of a platonic friendship.

Over time, Marc and Lauren will struggle to maintain the façade of friendship to their closest friends and to each other which will become increasingly difficult.  Despite their best efforts to remain friends, they fall in love…and the consequences will change the course of their lives for years.

REVIEW
""This is not a modern romance novel, it is something more - a love story. A love story that weaves us into the lives of the characters until we don't want to leave their world, a love story that engages us to cry at their fictional pain and laugh at their triumphs."" - Amazon Review

EXCERPT

   He heard her quick footsteps coming up the three flights of stairs before she finally came into view on the landing at the bottom of last flight of stairs.
   As Lauren Phillips turned the corner she looked up at Marc and stopped, seeming surprised. “Marc?”
  Marc responded as he took notice of the striking woman at the bottom of the stairs. “Yeah.”
   An expression of pleasant recognition crossed her face. “Oh my God… Marc Guiro! I didn’t realize that Mel’s friend Marc… was you!” She confidently bounded up the last flight of stairs seeming   very happy to see him.
   But Marc was confused. This girl appeared to know him, but as far as he knew he had never laid eyes on her.
  Lauren quickly realized this. “I’m Lauren Phillips. I went to NYU and we lived in Weisman Hall at the same time the last two years you were in school. We were in different towers but I saw you in the cafeteria and in the laundry room from time to time. You were two years ahead of me… but we were in a dance class together one semester.”
   Marc looked at her closely. “I only took two dance classes while I was at NYU.” He continued to look at her blankly.
  Lauren tried not to take this personally and attempted to play off the situation with humor. “Well whichever class you’re thinking of now… I was probably in the other one.”
Lauren flashed a cool controlled smile at Marc as Mel came into the hallway.
 “Lauren…you made it!”
  Lauren ran to her roommate giving her a big hug. “Thank you for today! It was wonderful!”
   Mel didn’t want to take credit for booking Lauren on her show. Casting liked her look and personality. All she had done was to deliver Lauren’s photograph and resume to the Clayton’s Crossing’s casting department. “No, Lauren that was all you. I just gave casting your photograph. Once they called you in for your interview I was out of it.”
   Lauren was suddenly aware that she was ignoring Marc and looked back towards him.
  “Mel got me a day of background work on Clayton’s Crossing today!” Her excitement was getting the best of her.
   “So I’ve heard. That’s great! Why don’t you both come inside?”
  Marc ushered them both into the apartment while still questioning  himself. Had he ever met this girl? He would have remembered.
 Lauren was attractive. She had deep set dark brown eyes and dark hair which she was wearing pulled back into a perfect lose ponytail. He could see that she was wearing a lot of makeup, but she would be after a day on set. The makeup only enhanced her high cheekbones and smooth skin. She was dressed nicely in a gauzy long Indian skirt and blouse that she wore belted which showed off a tiny waist. She was slender. Over her shoulder she carried a large tobacco colored leather satchel.
   But Marc found himself looking beyond her physical appearance. She had what some might call a sparkling personality, not to mention a bright and wonderful smile. Lauren’s energy was contagious. When she came up the last flight of steps toward him, it was as if someone had turned on an incredibly bright light.