Battle Stations!

Please welcome PAN author Annette McCleave as she discusses action scenes.


Some people find action scenes hard to write. Other writers pour those scenes straight from their imaginations onto the page with effortless detail. The paranormal and speculative romance genres lend themselves well to action scenes, so developing a talent for them certainly couldn’t hurt.

Personally, I think writing an action scene is similar to writing any other kind of scene. Lively pacing, strong emotions, and clear cause and effect are all vital to a good action scene. But that would be true in a group conversation amongst your characters, as well.

My favorite kind of action scene is one where the hero, competent and supremely confident fellow that he is, gets his ass kicked. Okay, it doesn’t have to be literal. But think back to Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers. The battle for Helms Deep. The hero, Aragorn, is manning the castle walls with a competent group of archers. Does he succeed in pushing back the hordes of Orcs? Or does he get his ass kicked? For the sake of those who may not have seen the movie, I won’t give the answer, but which result do you think would be intrinsically more exciting?

In my upcoming release, DRAWN INTO DARKNESS, my hero battles his nemesis in the early part of the book and despite his skills, comes up short. That remains one of my favorite scenes in the book. Not because I want my hero to look bad, but because he needs to discover new levels of himself and one of the more emphatic ways to do that is to face defeat.

Excerpt
******
A dustbowl of swirling red miasma rose up from the damp pavement, encircling the two of them as they dueled. Spinning madly, the crimson tornado lifted higher and higher, until it obliterated every star in the night sky. Then white-hot fireballs began to rain down on Lachlan.
His shield charm took a heavy beating. In a disquietingly short time, the hellish fury pitted the protection spell to rice paper density. But Lachlan had little time to spare for repairs.
He was battling an expert swordsman.
Had he been the same rough soldier Drusus had manipulated all those years ago, his defeat would have been quick and brutal. The demon held nothing back, hitting his blade with powerful, bone-rattling blows, the kind of blows one avoids in practice sessions for fear of irreparably damaging a blade.
Fortunately, though, Lachlan was no longer a backward Scottish knight who only hacked and thrust. With the help of Italian and Spanish masters, at whose feet he had studied for a hundred years after his death, he’d honed his talents to a lethal edge. Talents that now served him well.
He cut and thrust with smooth, almost effortless technique. He broke through the demon’s defenses twice, slicing through the leather jacket and biting deep into flesh. His new sword glowed green with the taste of demon blood.
But victory eluded him.
The sword was not enough. Not only did his opponent’s wounds heal with incredible speed, allowing Drusus to continue fighting without respite, but moments after Lachlan scored his second successful slice, the beleaguered shield charm collapsed, leaving him dreadfully barren of protection. He swiftly called forth another, but it was whisked away before it was fully formed, with no more exertion than a horse swatting a fly.
The swirling red vapor dissolved, carried away in wisps on the night breeze. Drusus paused, staring curiously at Lachlan’s heaving chest and sweat-drenched brow.
“You Gatherers are little better than humans,” he observed, sounding disappointed. “This is hardly the challenging duel I’d hoped it would be.”
Lachlan responded by whipping a restraining spell at him, roping the demon in thick white cords and pinning his arms to his sides.
Drusus broke the binds with a single in-drawn breath. “Very rudimentary stuff, that. There’s a much better spell in the Book of Gnills. Where’s the Linen?”
As the tattered remnants of the binds fell away, the gap in the demon’s leather jacket widened, and Lachlan caught a glimpse of a faint golden glow about his neck—the reliquary. A bitter dose of failure poured into his throat, choking him. Drusus could crush him, right here and right now, if that was his desire. Not without a fight, of course, but slowly, inevitably, courtesy of the indefatigable power the bastard borrowed from Satan. And when he fell, the souls of his family would be cast into hell, never to be recovered.
No. He could not let them down. Not again. He drew deep on his powers and straightened to his full height.
“F*** you.” *****Edited by Blogmistress for public*****
******

Action scenes give you a chance to show the inner stuffing of your character. They can be a testament to his worth. Despite my hero’s defeat, he comes across as competent, brave, and determined to win. Why? Because the reason he fails has nothing to do with those elements of his character. He doesn’t go down easy and he doesn’t betray his principles in the battle. Principles that become very clear as he fights. How far will he go? What’s he willing to lose? What level of punishment will he endure?

Did anyone here see the updated version of Casino Royale with Daniel Craig as James Bond? A very good example of defeat doubling as a win for the character is the torture scene. An action scene that still makes me cringe, by the way.

Do you find action scenes easy to write, or hard? As a reader, do you enjoy action scenes in a romance, or skip over them to get to the ‘good stuff’? Are there romance authors you think write unskip-able action scenes? Share!

Annette

This is one of the stops on my Cross into Darkness blog tour. In celebration of my release, I’m offering one commenter here today a copy of DRAWN INTO DARKNESS. In addition, over at my personal blog, I’m running a grand prize contest. I’ve posted a mystery photo, and at each stop on my tour, I’m giving a clue about the identity of that photo. If you guess correctly and submit an entry over at my site, you could win a silver Celtic cross not unlike the one my hero Lachlan MacGregor wears. Contest details, including the stops on my tour are listed on my blog.

FF&P Clue: May have been the birthplace of Pontius Pilate

Good luck!

DRAWN INTO DARKNESS will hit store shelves on September 1st. The second book in the Soul Gatherer series, BOUND BY DARKNESS, releases in May 2010.

***********EDITED TO ADD*****************
With the help of Random.org, I have a winner for yesterday’s copy of DRAWN INTO DARKNESS: darkangelauthor. Congratulations!

Thanks to all of you who stopped by and commented,
Annette

New Releases to Look For

We have a lot more releases at the end of this month and going into September. Keep an eye out for them.

Desire to Die For

by Jessica Lee

Release date: Aug 4, 2009

Publisher: Loose Id

Blurb:
Kenric St. James wants revenge. Three hundred years ago, an ancient female vampire turned him against his will and killed the woman he once loved. He’s spent more than a century building an Enclave of warrior vampires who have sworn their allegiance to defend humanity and to eliminate the ancient vampire determined to destroy them all. After two centuries of denying his body’s needs and with vengeance finally at hand, the last thing he expected to find was the one woman he burns to claim as his own. If only giving her his love wouldn’t surely mean her death.

Emily Ross is a nurse struggling to start a new life. She’s a survivor, coming off the tail end of an abusive relationship and the tragic death of her parents. All she desires is time alone to learn who she is without a man and to save the home that holds her heart. The last thing she wants is another controlling, dominant male calling all the shots, in bed and out. Never would she have thought stopping her car one night to save a dying man might change her mind, and her life, forever. But is what they have, their desire, worth dying for?

New Releases to Look For

Celebrate the unknown with this week's FF&P author releases.

Dark Warrior Unbroken

by Alexis Morgan

Available August 2009

Pocket Star

Enter the secret world of the Talions—fierce, passionate warriors fighting for their very existence—in Alexis Morgan’s sizzling new paranormal series.

Sandor Kearn is the Talion Enforcer tasked with policing his people, the Kyth. His latest assignment is the new killer stalking the streets of Seattle. But while Sandor is hunting the Kyth renegade, someone else is hunting him.

She’s on a quest for the truth.

When Lena Wilson’s friend and mentor died investigating an arson case and the police ran out of leads, she vowed to find justice herself. Lena—who doesn’t know she is part Kyth—has the ability to see fragmented flashbacks of the crimes she’s investigating through her sense of touch. And when she meets Sandor, she feels suspicion—and desire—like she’s never known.

It’s only a matter of time before they touch. . . .

With dark forces closing in, Sandor must keep Lena from digging deeper and exposing the existence of the Kyth. The only way is to convince her of his innocence. But how can he when he can’t keep his hands off her?

Stripped

by Marcia Colette

Available August 4, 2009

Samhain

Someone wants their perfect weapon back, only she’s not coming quietly.

Alexa Wells wants her life back. She’s just not sure what that life was. The memories inside her head—a stripper’s—aren’t hers, and before she humiliates herself onstage one more time, she sets out to collect the scattered pieces of her mind. The trail leads to Boston, charges of identity theft and murder, and the real bombshell: a forgotten werewolf lover who insists she’s a werewolf hybrid.

Matt York doesn’t care that she looks at him like he’s been smoking crack between court cases. Now that he has her back he’s not about to let her go it alone, even if she can easily kick ass and take names all by herself. Amnesia only scratches the surface of her problems, and like it or not, she’s stuck with him.

She’s also stuck with Robert Gamboldt, a venture capitalist who’s not above murdering his way to the top. He’s not about to lose his prize possession without playing dirty. It’s a simple enough offer. Be his personal assassin, or go to jail.

With options like that, it’s enough to make a hybrid go full-blood.

The Bad Boys Guide to the Galaxy

by Karen Kelley

Release Date: 8/6/09

Take me to your leader. Come to think of it, just take me.

Planet Nerak was perfect—no disease, no darkness, no hunger—until an expedition to Earth brought back an unwanted guest. Enter one talented Nerakian named Lara, sent on a special fact-finding mission in the vast region called Texas. Fortunately, a warrior (he calls himself a “cop”) named Sam Jones has offered to help. Unfortunately, Sam's skill at sex is quite distracting—as are plenty other earthly delights, like the dangerously addictive substance called chocolate. Temptations such as these could seriously compromise Lara's—ahem—research...

Crazy, that's what Sam is. What sane man would voluntarily isolate himself in the Texas woods with an alien, not to mention a female one with a superiority complex, legs that won't quit, and a penchant for walking around buck naked? Between bragging about her home planet and levitating, Lara wastes no time getting on Sam's last nerve...and even less time getting into his bed. Talk about going where no man has gone before. Of course, when you’re from Texas, nothing—not even an entire planet—is going to stop you from getting what you want.

“Fun and romantic with the perfect blend of spice!”
—Gina Showalter on CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE SEXY KIND

Creating a world you don’t want to leave

Please join me in welcoming PAN author, Leanna Renee Hieber, to the FF&P blog.

I write series books. Considering I’m here on the FF and P blog today, I figure I’m in good company. Fantasy books formed my literary passions from an early age; all of them series books. When you start writing those series books, you better love the world you’ve built because who knows how long it will be with you. When I began The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker I didn’t know it was a four book series. When you plant fertile seeds, who knows what might sprout.

I want this post to become a discussion between authors, published and pre-published, of what we love about our worlds and why they become addictive to us.

Every author has their own process, mine begins with character. An idea of them comes to me and then I sit back and watch them as if they were actors in a film (sometimes I’ll cast my characters) and I write the movie that I watch in my head. Characters in my mind’s eye are placed within a setting, the details of which emerge as I think more about the characters. But the characters have to live somewhere. My lifetime love affair with ghosts and Victorian England of course drew me to make their world a “realistic” Victorian universe haunted by ghosts and mythological forces.

Once I build a world via character and a setting that’s compelling to me, things keep growing, people and ideas grow more complex, and that for me is the most rewarding part of writing, how the petals of the rose begin to bloom. So while I love all of the supernatural devices, mythic conventions and Gothic trappings I happily call upon, what actually keeps me falling more and more in love with my characters is watching them grow. Watching them grow up as I grow up and listening for them to tell me things I didn’t know about them. (I’m working on edits to book II, writing book III and IV right now, they’re all dove-tailing upon each other so I’m switching back and forth in my mind, whatever is calling to me wins. I’m learning a lot about my characters right now and every little piece informs the rest of the work and worlds.)

Here’s how I open the world of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker: The theme of this initial opening is something I find myself returning to as the series continues…

Prologue - London, England—1867

The air in London was grey. This was no surprise; but the common eye could not see the particular heaviness of the atmosphere or the unusual weight of this special day’s charcoal clouds: The sky was pregnant with a potent wind, for The Guard was searching for new hosts.

On to London they came, and that wind full of spirits began to course through the streets of the city; merciless, searching. Around corners, elbowing aside London’s commoners and high society alike, nudging their way through market crowds and tearing down dirty alleys, they sought their intended. A candle burst into flame in the window of a marquess’s house. The tiny cry of a young boy summoned his mother into the drawing room. Similar sounds went up in other parts of the city, confused gasps growing into amazed giggles before being subdued into solemnity. One by one the intended targets were seized.

Six. Five …Where is Four? Ah … Four.

Now, Three.

Alone and unaccompanied, the children left their respective houses and began to walk.

And, Two.

Searching for the final piece, the greatest of the possessors paused, a hesitating hunter. Deliberate. And, finally … the brightest, boldest, most promising catch of the day..

One, and done! A sigh of relief. The city’s infamous fog thinned.

Only a bird above espied the six drawing toward London’s center; weaving through a maze of clattering carriages, stepping cautiously over putrid puddles, a sextet of children looked about the cluttered merchant lanes and sober business avenues with new eyes and saw strange sights. There were ghosts everywhere: floating through walls and windows, they rose up through streets and strolled beside quiet couples! One by one, each transparent form turned to the children, who could only stare in wonder and apprehension. In ethereal rags, spirits of every century bowed in deference, as if they were passing royalty.
Drawn in a pattern from all corners of London, the six children gathered in a knot at the crest of Westminster Bridge. Nodding a silent greeting to one another, or curtseying, the youths found each other’s faces unsettlingly mature. Excitement tempered only by confusion crept into their expressions as they evaluated their new peers, in garb ranging from fine clothing to simple frocks, their social statuses clearly as varied as their looks.

A spindly girl whose brown hair was pinned tightly to her head kept turning, looking for something, clutching the folds of her linen frock and shifting on the heels of her buttoned boots. It was her tentative voice that at last broke the silence: “Hello. I’m Rebecca. Where is our leader, then?”

A sturdy, ruddy-cheeked boy in a vest and cap, cuffs rolled to his elbows, gestured to the end of the street. “Hello, Rebecca, I’m Michael. Is that him?”

Approaching the cluster was a tall, well-dressed, unmistakable young man. A mop of dark hair held parley with the wind, blowing about the sharp features of his face, while timeless, even darker eyes burned in their sockets. His fine black suit gave the impression of a boy already a man. He reached the group and bowed, his presence magnetic, confident … and somewhat foreboding. In a rich, velvet voice deep as the water of the Thames, he spoke. “Good day. My name is Alexi Rychman, and this has turned into the strangest day of my life.”

(End of Excerpt) More details at http://www.leannareneehieber.com/ Where I hope you’ll join in the Strangely Beautiful Haunted London Blog Tour beginning 8/22 and Contest on 8/25!

Your turn to talk about what you love about your worlds!
Leanna Renee Hieberwww.leannareneehieber.com2009 Prism Award Winner: DARK NESTUpcoming from Leisure Books / Dorchester Publishing:THE STRANGELY BEAUTIFUL TALE OF MISS PERCY PARKER - the ghostly, Gothic, Victorian fantasy begins 8/25/09!

Dealing with Criticism

Please welcome our PAN author Kelly Gay.

I posted some of this on my blog last year, but wanted to freshin it up and talk more about criticism after a great conversation I had with another author at this year's RWA national convention. Criticism is something every writer must face no matter where they are in their career. And the best advice I've heard and use myself is: Be Prepared. Know *ahead of time* how you're going to approach negative feedback.

Criticism is your friend. Repeat after me. Criticism is your friend. I'm talking those constructive notes from CPs, judges, editors, agents . . . Most of them, even ones that might seem harsh (or are harsh) have something of value. The ones who slam you, offer nothing constructive or useful and seem to be taking their crappy day out on you -- those can go in the trash. Those only make you second guess yourself.


The notes you receive could be something you already know, deep down, needs to be addressed. It could be something you haven't thought of. And it could totally go against everything you believe in where your book is concerned. So what do I do when this happens?

I listen. To every single thing. Even if, at first, it totally doesn't 'ring' with me.

Here's how I prepare, my rule of thumb -- if anything at all (even something as small as one word) pulls a reader out of my story to write a note, it's potentially something that could pull *another* reader out of my story. So give every comment and note serious consideration. Try to figure out why that particular thing stuck out.

Often times, I'll get notes that are spot on and sometimes I know immediately a note doesn't jive with the story I want to tell. It could even make me bristle at first, but I have to take a moment and remember my rule -- there is a reason that particular thing caused the reader to stop reading, and I don't want another reader being pulled out of the story in the future.

In the end, I might not address the note the way the reader saw it, but I do give it time and thought, and usually I'll end up putting my own spin on things and amend the story in some way. And there are times when I don't, but that's only after I give it a lot of consideration, look at things from all angles, and talk to the person who gave the note (most often great things come from discussions like this).

While criticism can sometimes be debilitating and make you want to quit writing altogether, it can also be really helpful to your story. If it hurts, if it makes you angry or sad, allow yourself those feelings. Get it out. But don't wallow in them. Take a deep breath, take a step back, and reevaluate those notes or comments. Create your own rule. Decide in advance how you want to approach negative criticism. It helps to be prepared. :-)



About:
Kelly is the author of THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS, the first in a new urban fantasy series debuting from Pocket Books November 24, 2009.
http://www.kellygay.net/
http://www.kellygay.blogspot.com/

Fantasy and Science Fiction

Today we're going to have two guest blogs since last week was RWA National Convention. Please welcome PAN author Eilis Flynn.

Is there a difference between fantasy and science fiction? Of course there is. One has a background with no logic or rationale, while the other has a background that's all logic and rationale. They still have a lot in common, though, because fantasy has a lot of science in its basis.

I'm putting together a workshop on dragons around the world with Jacquie Rogers for the Emerald City Writers' Conference in October, and the research we've been putting into it has made us think about the science in fantasy. Komodo dragons (better known as Komodo monitors or monitor lizards, I think; I'm typing this far, far away from all my notes) don't have that much in common with the dragons in fantasy, but it's clear how the dragons of fantasy came about. The Komodo lizard is big and it's deadly, and the basis of the fantasy dragon's fiery breath may have as its origin the venom that helps the lizard bring down its prey. (An off-topic useless fact: that giant lizard, according to the Wikipedia entry I just read, can also be found on the island of Flores, where the remains of the "hobbit" skeleton were found in recent years. A giant lizard. A small humanoid skeleton. Gigantism and dwarfism on the same island! Is that fascinating or what! But I digress.)

I should also point out that Yasmine Galenorn's "Smoky" the hot hot hot! dragon has nothing, but nothing in common with the Komodo dragon. Smoky is also a shape-shifter, and again that doesn't have much in common with the lizards of real life -- until you think about it; how many times have you heard about reptiles shedding their skin? In effect, they're changing their shape, aren't they?

I could go on, but I won't. I've got to do a heck of a lot more research, and dragons are a fascinating topic to do it on. The Komodo lizard is a long-lived creature due to its slow metabolism, and they live a very long time, just like the dragons of fantasy. Another fascinating fact!

Fantasy and science fiction. So different and so much in common!

Eilis Flynn's latest book is ECHOES OF PASSION, on sale now from Cerridwen Press. She may be reached via her website at www.eilisflynn.com.

PRISM Results

Back from conference and ready to post again. We'd like to congratulate all the entrants in the PRISM contest and the winners.

Best of the Best

1. The Dragon Master by Jennifer Ashley w/a Allyson James

Best First Book

1. La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock

Light Paranormal

1. Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready
2. La Vida Vampire by Nancy Haddock
3. The Trouble with Moonlight by Donna MacMeans

Fantasy

1. The Dragon Master by Jennifer Ashley w/a Allyson James
2. Dragonborn by Jade Lee
3. King of Sword & Sky by C.L. Wilson

Futuristic

1. Shades of Dark by Linnea Sinclair
2. Fallen by Claire Delacroix
3. Moonstruck by Susan Grant

Young Adult

1. Sleepless by Terri Clark
2. CHOSEN: A House of Night Novel by P.C. Cast
3. Cave of Terror by Amber Dawn Bell

Time Travel

1. Twist by Colby Hodge
2. A Sexy Time of It by Cara Summers
3. Madman’s Dance by Jana G. Oliver

Erotica

1. Siren Singing by Isabo Kelly
2. Carnal Desires by Crystal Jordan
3. A Mermaid’s Kiss by Joey W. Hill

Novella

1. “Dark Nest” by Leanna Renee Hieber
2. “Kung Fu Shoes!” in These Boots were Made for Stomping by Jade Lee
3. “The Spacetime Pool” by Catherine Asaro

Dark Paranormal

1. Mona Lisa Craving by Sunny
2. Immortals: The Redeeming by Jennifer Ashley
3. Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden