Out of This World

Please welcome guest blogger Nina Pierce

What is it about other worlds that attracts readers? What keeps them turning the pages? For me, it's the fascination of discovering a new setting, a new place and time that was constructed only from the author's imagination. I'm sucked into a place where the unknown confronts the characters at every turn. Without the boundary of a known backdrop anything can happen.

One of my all time favorite world building authors is Anne McCaffrey. (http://www.AnneMcCaffrey.org) Her amazing Pern series and my personal favorite, her Freedom series transport me to fantastic worlds that only exist on the pages of her books. She weaves wonderful tales of mythical creatures that are awe inspiring.

It was her writing that prompted me to try my hand at creating my own new worlds. Healer's Garden (Ellora's Cave January 2010) was my first foray into the world of the future. I stayed with earth and created a setting where global warming released a devastating virus that wiped out a huge portion of the human population. Working within the confines of that catastrophe I imagined what a world devoid of humans would look like one hundred and fifty years down the road. I discovered humans highest priority would be survival of the species and repopulating the earth. Of course having the virus effect the human DNA also left room for me to give the surviving population “gifts”. There is a definite paranormal flair with the powers of telekinesis, prophesying, and healing smattered throughout the female offspring.

With my newest release A Touch of Lilly (Ellora's Cave June 2010), I moved away from earth into deep space. What an adventure I had creating a new universe complete with its own planets, languages (which I touch upon), weapons and many new alien races. My muse had a wonderful time describing new species.

There is one alien with many appendages, whose skin is made of up soft scales and smells like leather. I originally thought he would smell like broccoli, but decided that wasn't a comforting odor and quickly revised that description. Then there's the alien that can take the form of any other species. Because they play a significant role in the plot of the story, I needed a way to distinguish them not only from each other, but from the species they were imitating. I decided a unique facial tattoo, much like a fingerprint, would solve my dilemma. And of course one of my heroes is an alien, but since a human fell in love with him, he had to be very close to human as well with only a few minor adjustments like skin color and body size.

I'm often asked how I name new races. I wish I had a fool proof way I could share with you. Mostly I just throw out some letters (often with blending consonants), combining and recombining until I like the way it sounds. Same goes for new languages. It's just a matter of hearing how I'd like it to sound in my head, guttural or clicks and pops or sing-song, and throwing letters together in a way that creates that tone in a sentence. Not very scientific, but it works for me.

Since A Touch of Lilly is releasing today, I'll leave you with the blurb …

Ex-Chicago detective Lilly D'Angelo is part of a secret alien race living on earth. With a gentle caress she can elevate the sexual energy of any male. Apprehending criminals lost in an erotic fugue is almost too easy--until she uses her gift on the wrong alien. Kidnapped and shipped into deep space, Lilly barely escapes with her life. Now she travels the galaxy alone working as a bounty hunter and hoping to find a soul mate unaffected by her touch.

Agent Dallas Sawyer works for QAL--deep space's version of the FBI. After a disastrous mission that left a president murdered, his team member executed, and Dallas near death, he's determined to take down the assassin targeting government officials. When a sexy human female gets between him and his goal, Dallas and his alien partner find themselves on the receiving end of some wild sex and a proposition that may very well blow up in their faces.

Because in deep space … true love can happen with just a touch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

And you can see the rest of my books on my website http://www.ninapierce.com I also hang out on facebook http://www.facebook.com/ninapierce and twitter http://www.twitter.com/ninapierce and love to talk about all things science fiction.

But today I'm also curious … Do you enjoy reading “off-world” romances and if you do, why? I'm also wondering, if you're a writer, how do you name your races or create a new language?

About Nina Pierce:

I grew up in a house of readers. So falling in love with books was only natural. In my early teens I discovered love stories. My favorite all time book The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, was my introduction to romance and lust.  The forbidden love between Meggie Cleary and the priest she couldn't have, Ralph de Bricassart, will forever be blazed in my memory. And when Richard Chamberlain played the lead in a made for television mini-series … well, that sealed it as my all time favorite love story.

Of course since then, I've branched out to reading all kinds of genres from science fiction to mystery, medical thrillers to historicals and I have too many favorite authors to list. But through it all romance has remained my favorite genre. Now, reading about lovers isn't enough for me (though I still devour books). The characters of my imagination beg to have their stories told. I finally put fingers to keyboard... and a new career was launched.

A native of Maine, I reside in what I affectionately call "the great white North" in potato country with my high school sweetheart and true love of twenty-five years, our three grown children and a menagerie of pets. 

The Same But Different

Please welcome guest blogger Deborah Blake

As writers, we all want to write the book of our hearts. But we also want that book to sell. As someone once said: “Writing is art; publishing is a business.” And nothing illustrates that better than the publishing industry’s tendancy to fall in love with trends. Everyone who has ever been told, “We want something that is just like what is already out there—but different,” raise your hand. I thought so. Okay, you can put them down now.

The vampire craze is a perfect example. You can’t sneeze in a bookstore without bumping into a book with vampires in it. Don’t get me wrong; I like vampires. But when I set out to write an Urban Fantasy last year (after reluctantly setting aside my two previous humorous paranormals because agents kept telling me that humor was OUT), I made the conscious decision to write something different. No vampires. No werewolves. And no zombies. Definitely no zombies. I wanted to write something that was in keeping with the current trends, but different.

Easy peasy. Not.

Luckily, I had a starting point. A few years ago, I had a short story published in THE PAGAN ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT FICTION: 13 PRIZE WINNING TALES (Llewellyn 2008). That story, “Dead and (Mostly) Gone,” featured a protagonist who was a witch-cop in a world much like ours, except that witches were another race and finally accepted in society. This protagonist, Donata Santori, worked as a Witness Retrieval Specialist, talking to dead crime victims. Since everyone who read the story asked for more of Donata and her world, I knew I would use this character and the bare bones I had laid down in the short story.

But there wasn’t much there. So I set out to do some serious world building. I knew I wanted to come up with paranormal characters that were different and interesting, so I started out by reading piles of Urban Fantasies by authors I respected—C. E. Murphy, Kim Harrison and the like—so I could see what was already out there. After all, if your intention is to do something completely different, you have to know what already exists.

Then I sat down with a stack of reference books. I’ve published five books on modern witchcraft for Llewellyn, so I have all sorts of interesting books on the paranormal that I use to research the nonficton; many of which came in surprisingly handy for creating my new world. In the end, I narrowed down the major paranormal races in my world to six, along with a number of minor ones. These included Witches, Dragons (who aren’t exactly dragons), Ghouls, Fae (who aren’t like most of the Fae in other books), and the Ulfhednar, based on a Norse shapeshifter legend. Okay—yes, you’ve counted correctly. But to find out about the sixth race, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for the books to come out. It’s a secret…

But you’ll note that there’s not a vampire in sight, and that the shapeshifters aren’t your traditional werewolves at all. (And the Ghouls turned out to be almost aas creepy as the zombies I was trying to avoid, but that’s not my fault. It’s theirs. Don’t you hate it when the characters have minds of their own?)

One of the things I knew I wanted to have in the books was a cool sidekick. For this role I needed a minor paranormal creature, one that could garner some respect but still be good for the occasional bit of comic relief. Enter Ricky the Kobold. Kobolds are among the races of “little people,” in this case, ones who were said to live in caves and low places, and moved into basements and such when people came along. According to legend, Kobolds could be quite helpful if they liked you, and downright annoying if they didn’t. Perfect.

Needless to say, there was a lot more worldbuilding involved before I was done. Backstory and history, and the plot “hook,” and such. And I spent hours creating in-depth profiles on each of these races, and how they each tied into the main backstory. But I firmly believe that part of what made this manuscript succeed when the previous ones didn’t was my approach to “the same but different.”

And it did succeed. (Yay—dontcha love a happy ending?)

This manuscript, PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS, is the one that finally got me an agent; the wonderful Elaine Spencer from The Knight Agency. With any luck, it will be the one that kick-starts my fiction career.

So take heart. There is no need to let “We want something that is just like what is already out there—only different,” make you crazy. Well, crazier, anyway. If you’re a writer, you probably need a certain base level of crazy to keep you going. Just figure out what you like that is already out there, do a lot of research so you can come up with an interesting twist that no one else has come up with yet, and write, write, write.

Easy peasy.

Deborah Blake is the award-winning author of five books from Llewellyn Worldwide, with EVERYDAY WITCH A TO Z SPELLBOOK and WITCHCRAFT ON A SHOESTRING coming out later this year. She gives a number of popular online writing classes, including “Witchcraft for the Paranormal Author” and “Beyond Fangs: Creating New & Interesting Paranormal Characters.” The learning and support continue on her loop for paranormal authors of all levels, The Creativity Cauldron. To learn more, go to her website at www.deborahblakehps.com


Beyond Fangs: Creating New & Interesting Paranormal Characters presented by Deborah Blake runs June 28th through July 14th

Making Your Paranormal Lover Lovable

Please welcome guest blogger Nancy Gideon

Most paranormal romances hinge upon a well established plot device: the Beauty and the Beast story rewritten with a darker twist. Whether vampire, werewolf, warlock, or ghost, you are asking the reader to love the unlovable, to accept beyond the boundaries set up for a normal relationship. Nothing is predictable when you can make the impossible believable. The trick is in bringing that elusive reader with you. If they can't make that leap of faith, you've lost them. The writer has to set up a world outside reality that will suck that doubting reader into it along with the resisting heroine. To do this, I've come up with what I call the Three R's of writing supernatural romance: Make the plot Reasonable, make the hero (or heroine) Redeemable, and remember it's a Romance.

Now, about that Beast... Convince the reader by convincing the heroine that this dark, dangerous male who's bringing threat into her life truly does exist by giving him a past, by showing how he's managed to fool others into thinking he's normal or how he's been able to walk a parallel life without making himself known to mankind. These guys don't just drop out of the Twilight Zone onto page 28. If they exist in your book, give them a place to exist in real life.

Don't forget what kind of male you're dealing with. These are men who exist outside the acceptable, and have for a long, long time before the heroine enters the picture. They are going to be affected by this alternate lifestyle whether it be by a curse of baying at the moon, or drinking blood, or having no corporeal self. This has got to weigh on this poor guy's self-esteem. How he relates to this otherworldly existence is something you have to decide right up front because it's going to guide his motivations throughout the book. Was he an unwilling victim, was he duped by promises that weren't kept, did he trade a human existence for the sake of revenge or misguided love, and how has he adjusted since? Kicking and screaming, brooding, resigned? Pick one and develop it, but whatever you do, don't make him indifferent to these monumental changes that make normal life impossible.

Okay, you've got yourself a hero who's pining away because he can never have a normal love relationship and what do we do but drop a tempting heroine in his path. How they react to one another and deal with the differences between the worlds they live in is the basis for your book. The external factors and internal conflicts are what's going to make your story strong and stand out as a supernatural romance.

This is more than a boy-meets-girl-loses girl-gets girl tale. I guess you could call it ghoul-meets-girl. Immediately you have to take into account a rocky courtship. At some point in the story, your heroine is going to have to come to terms with what the hero is. The more she resists the truth of his true existence, the more involved the readers becomes in the heroine's mental struggle to accept what should not be. The heroine has to know this man can destroy her, but will he? Can he help himself? That's tension. There has to be that sense of danger with her acceptance of what he is. And with that comes the hopelessness of their situation.

The success of any supernatural romance rests upon the writer's ability to portray the Dark Hero as someone the heroine could conceivably fall in love with. To the normal world, your hero would appear a monster, evil or even damned. In order to make him a hero, you have to prove otherwise. That's why Dracula, no matter how sexy Frank Langella might be, is never the hero, or Anne Rice's novels could never be considered as romance. Lestat doesn't feel any horror in the way he lives nor does he want to be redeemed. A romance hero has to be a good guy. He has to have heroic qualities that separate him (or make him want to separate) from the alleged villainy of his kind. He has to develop reader empathy or he never makes the transition to hero. If the reader can't love something about him, how can the heroine? The fact that he's dark and dangerously sexy isn't enough (though it's definitely one of the better parts!) She's not going to go off the deep end for some dead guy who haunts houses unless you give her a darn good reason. Again, threat is very compelling, that external factor that pushes them apart, but also together. Classic examples, he comes to her for help, he saves her life, they have to team up to defeat some greater evil; some reason to form a bond. She needs to depend upon him, to see good in him. The writer can express these qualities either in his heroic choices and actions or by making the reader (and ultimately the heroine) privy to his POV.

Consider the type of woman who would fall in love with an unnatural creature; a woman who is strong--not a victim. She's usually a loner; in jeopardy or flaunting traditional avenues in her lifestyle with a reason to bond with or be accepting of someone else who is an outsider, and therefore will have a willingness to risk her life in a walk on the Dark Side with the one she loves. Passivity is not acceptable here. She must be willing to take action to save not only herself, but him from the threat her world imposes upon him.

Don't get so caught up in the supernatural mystique that you forget you're writing first and foremost a romance. And this means the obligatory happy ending. It's up to the writer to come up with some acceptable way for the natural and unnatural world to combine so hero and heroine can share a future together. He has to love the heroine enough to want to be worthy of her. The yearning for a normal future is much more powerful than caving in to the darkness unless it's done in such a way that there's no way around it, or the author can make it seem as though the romance transcends the moral issues, or it is for the betterment of others. It's up to each individual writer to come to terms with this in a way that satisfies the reader and is consistent with the characters...and again, is believable. No "and then a miracle occurred" cures on the last page. If he's reverted to a human existence or she is to give up mortal life to have him, it must be set up solidly within the story to build to that moment where the happily ever after is now a reality.

And this leads to my 4^th R: REWARD. What's in it for me? What's in it for the hero if he's going to give up shape-shifting and wreaking havoc to settle down to domestic bliss? What's in it for the heroine if she's going to leave all that's familiar for the wild side with a man who may only exist in dreams? What's in it for the reader who's spent their time and their $7.99 to suspend belief? Trust. And with trust comes the reward. The hero and heroine form a bond, a trust wherein they will love and protect and provide for one another so that their outside worlds no longer hold an exclusive appeal. They're BOTH giving up something to have one another and this sacrifice brings them their reward.

Sex. Whether it's sensual, spiritual, metaphysical (think how sexy the Ghost and Mrs. Muir was and there was no physical contact!) or down right hot, hot, hot, the writer needs to establish that reward in a way that satisfies the H/H and the reader. When you're dealing with the supernatural you can bend reality, tap into the sharing of thoughts and feelings that deepen the bond between the H/H until they actually become one heart, one soul. Soar beyond the boundaries of time and shape and physical presence to make what the H/H have together something spectacular, something unique, something worth the sacrifice so that when he rolls over in his coffin and asks, “Was it good for you?” both the heroine and the reader should reply, breathlessly, “Hell, yes!” That's the reward: Undying, untouchable and eternal love, and what woman doesn't want that? And the reward for the reader? A great book. Never leave them with less.

Though readers are hungry for more of the supernatural, it has to have an extra hook to snag their attention; a unique plot twist, an unusual combination of supernatural elements and darned good writing! The "oh by the way he's a vampire, werewolf, ghost, etc" angle isn't enough. Know your craft. Do your research in the area of myth, folklore or science. Go beyond well known fact to develop deeper character. Blend genres. Don't stop at legend. Dig deeper into the actual rational explanations behind those old beliefs. Combine folk superstition, Hollywood hype, Christian tradition and medical logic, or contrast them in ways to create tension and your own unique twist to a familiar tale.

“If you mix Romeo & Juliet with Beauty and the Beast you would end up with MASKED BY MOONLIGHT. Humongous obstacles and unfathomable problems make this an outstanding story with mega conflicts. Sexual chemistry sizzles on the pages, and all the while you read, you are wondering what will happen to these two strong-willed characters.” Coffee Time Romance

“MASKED BY MOONLIGHT is more than a scary werewolf tale. It is a steamy romance; a whodunit; a story of intrigue and power.” Romance Reader at Heart Top Pick

My new dark paranormal shape-shifter series for Pocket Book debuting this month with MASKED BY MOONLIGHT, is unique in that it follows my hero and heroine through the first four books of the six book (so far) series. And what a pair they make: fierce, self-sufficient loners drawn together by dangerous circumstances and held by a passion both irresistible and frightening. He's the shape-shifting right hand of a New Orleans crime boss who's searching for his past and she's a dedicated detective hiding from demons of her own. Risking his life to save hers threatens more than just his heart. It could expose his darkest secret. Torn by loyalties and tortured by the love that sustains them, they fight for an unexpected chance at happiness against odds impossible to beat. Reasonable, Redeemable, and Romance. And the Reward? The first three books come out back-to-back-to-back in June, July and August.

Visit me and learn more about the series at www.nancygideon.com and for a taste of MASKED BY MOONLIGHT, take a look at my sizzling book trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyawnTxvAuo&feature=player_embedded

Nancy Gideon is the author of over fifty romances ranging from historicals to paranormals and romantic suspense. She works full time as a legal assistant and harbors an addiction for Net Flix.

Can I really Write for a Living?

Please welcome guest blogger Elle James

Some of you may already know the story of how Elle James aka Myla Jackson and her sister Delilah Devlin greeted the new century with a challenge. We were babysitting computers at the turn of the century (Y2K) where we both worked as the clock ticked off the minutes toward midnight and the end of the world of computers as we knew it (which didn't happen, but that's beside the point). We asked each other if this was what we wanted to do the rest of our lives. I was turning 40 that year, had been in the computer field for sixteen years and couldn't see myself doing that for the rest of my days. I'd successfully written skits and plays for various projects at work, but I'd never considered making writing my living. How could I give up a fabulous salary, benefits and security?

When the Going Gets Tough

On that late night, my sister and I answered that question of is this what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives with a resounding, "Hell no!" Still, letting go of the paycheck wasn't easy. The software industry helped us move toward our ultimate goal. With the trend of outsourcing and off-shore software development, I soon learned that no job in the corporate world was "safe". This turned out to be a blessing. Because when the going gets tough, you really look at what you have and make decisions you might not otherwise have made. You might be willing to take more risks.

Hard Work

Deciding to be a full-time writer didn't come overnight. For several years, our jobs teetered on the uncertain. During that time, I fell in love with writing and honed my skills by writing, writing and writing some more. I entered and won contests, submitted manuscripts and finally sold my first book. The lesson here, was that I worked hard and submitted manuscripts. You can't just write, you have to get your work out there. Thick skin is a necessity in this business. I received rejection after rejection, but I didn't give up. I knew if I threw the noodle against the wall enough times, one day it would stick.

The catalyst for change actually came in the form of my husband. Call it mid-life crisis, coming to terms with mortality or just jumping off the deep-end, he'd hit his limit in the corporate world and wanted out. We sold the ranch, packed up and started a new life. My oldest two children had moved out and I only had one left at home to feed and clothe.

Sold!

As scary as it was to give up all that "security", fortune smiled on me at that time. I sold my first book! This had to be a sign that I was meant to write full-time. But one sale does not a career make. I went an entire year before selling my second book and this time to Harlequin Intrigue. That was my big break into making a living as a writer. I owe it to a lot of hard work, persistence and LUCK! I hit the editor's desk at the right time with the right project, which was there because I submitted and kept submitting!

Building an Income Stream

We were fortunate, we had enough money from the sale of our property in Texas to live on for a while. That gave me time to establish my credibility with my editor and build a writing income stream. Although I had contracts with Harlequin, I chose to diversify and write for other publishers as well--the old saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket" reverberating in my head. I sold stories under my pen name Myla Jackson to Ellora's Cave, and sold novellas to Kensington Aphrodisia and Avon Red. The hard work is paying off, but I'm not there yet. I haven't hit the NYT best seller list, I haven't sold another single title. I'm still working the angle of diversification. The hard work has only just begun. I still receive rejections. As of the tenth year into my writing journey, I'm making a modest living at my chosen profession. It's modest, but livable.

Questions to Ask Yourself

I'm not suggesting everyone jump off the deep-end like I did. Choosing to write full-time is not a decision to take lightly. You have to weigh a lot of factors. Here are just a few:

1. Are you ready? Are you at a point in your life you can fully commit to writing as a career? I know that when my children were small, I didn't have the attention span of my two-year-old. I couldn't have dedicated hours to writing and miss out on their formative years. Other authors manage to juggle the multiple hats they wear and make it work. Only you can decide what's right for you. Don't feel guilty, no matter your decision.

2. Is writing a hobby or your life? It's okay if you just want to write as a hobby. Don't beat yourself up if you're not like your obsessed writer friends who are rabidly racing toward the publication finish line. But be prepared when those who are obsessed get published. Envy can taste very bitter.

3. Are you financially prepared to take the leap? Writers are like starving artists. Not everyone makes it big. So many of us are just barely making it from paycheck to paycheck. Some have to keep their day jobs and write on the weekends or in the evenings. When my husband and I decided to start over with our new careers, we down-sized considerably (much to my teenage daughter's dismay). We sold our big house and moved into what I'd call a "starter" house. We paid off our cars and are going to drive them until the wheels fall off. And don't forget about health insurance. It's a huge cost and you really shouldn't go without it.

4. Can you live with uncertainty? There are no guarantees in the publishing industry. Sub-genres go in and out of vogue at the drop of a hat. Editors jump ship to other publishing house, or freelance or become agents. What your old editor liked, your new one might hate. You may become an orphaned writer and lose your "in" with a publishing house. With today's crazy economy, who knows what will happen with print books or e-sales. Can you live with that kind of uncertainty? If not, maybe writing full-time isn't for you.

Alternate Sources of Writing Income

If you decide you really can go full-time as a writer, but you'd like to have some kind of a paycheck while you're building your name, explore all the options.

1. Confessions Write short stories for the confessional magazines like True Love, True Romance, True Story and True Experience.

2. E-publishing There are so many e-publishers out there now, do your homework. Talk to writers who have published with them and get a feel for what's involved.

3. Workshops Teach workshops for pay. Are you good at characterization? Do people ask you how to establish goals, motivation and conflict? Teach it!

4. Freelance Write articles for magazines. You may have expertise in organizing or computers, or something others want to know. You can go to your local library and study up on topics and write brief articles based on your research.

What do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Do you want to be a writer? Look at me...I'm making it. It isn't easy, but like anything you want badly enough, you'll survive and be a better person for all the hardships. You might make it big, or you could be like me and be quite happy to make a modest living out of writing. How many people do you know who can actually say, "I know what I want to be when I grow up?" I know what I want to be, and I am...A WRITER!

Loglines, Premises, Queries and Synopses, presented by Elle James & Delilah Devlin, runs from July 5, 2010 through July 26, 2010

The 13th Annual PRISM Finalists

The 13th Annual Prism Awards have finished. The Coordinators would like to thank everyone who entered and who judged. The finalists are listed in alphabetical order.

Winners (Plus Best First Book and Best of the Best) will be announced at The Gathering at Nationals July 2010.

Dark Paranormal
SJ Day Eve of Darkness
Cynthia Eden Immortal Danger
Rebecca York Dragon Moon


Light Paranormal
Judi Fennell Wild Blue Under
Angie Fox The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers
Kerrelyn Sparks Secret Life of a Vampire

Erotica
Radclyffe Secrets in the Stone
Livia Dare In the Flesh
Francesca Hawley Protect and Defend

Novella
Cynthia Eden Belong to the Night
Sapphire Phelan Being Familiar with a Witch
Ella Drake Firestorm on E'Terra

Fantasy
Leanna Renee HieberThe Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker
Michelle Picard Ruling Eden
Maria V. Snyder Storm Glass

Futuristic
Katherine Allred Close Encounters
Jess Granger Beyond the Rain
Linnea Sinclair Hope's Folly

Time Travel/ Steampunk
Sandra Hill Viking Heat
Melissa Mayhue A Highlander of Her Own
Susan Squires Time for Eternity



Contest Coordinators: Marie Andreas and DeAnn Sicard
Award coordinator: Bonnie Johnston

When Rejection Comes From Too Close: Strategy For Survival

Please welcome guest blogger Marie-Claude Bourque. She will be giving away a copy of her book Ancient Whispers to one lucky commenter.

Every writer at any step of their career has to deal with outside negative feedback from critiques, rejections and perhaps reviews. And most writers will be able to count on their close support system in the form of spouses, family and best friends to get over the rough spots.

But what to do when the close support is not there or worse when the negative feedback regarding your writing comes from the people closest to you.

When that happens, it is doubly hard to survive trying to carve yourself a writing career, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up your dreams.

Assess the situation

First you need to assess the situation with honesty. Is there any truth in the bad feedback at home? Have you been so engrossed in your writing and writing commitments that you have forgotten all about the ones you love? It yes, perhaps you need to pay a little more attention to how you spend your time and find the right balance to both meet your needs with theirs.

Speak up

But what if you truly honestly are balancing well your writing with other parts of your life? Yet you still get increasing pressure from people close to you who demand you stop writing altogether, or keep intruding in the time you set aside for writing and act as if it is not important, or say things such as that your time would be better spent scrubbing the floor than writing stories. You think I may be exaggerating, but I’m not.

And for those who are in that situation, it is important to speak up. Tell other writers why you can’t make up that writer’s meeting or conference, that the manuscript or critique may be late and that it is because you just don’t have the support at home to help you free that extra time to do what most writers can easily do without a thought. If these things are a constant battle, the first step is to tell others.

Find support

Why tell others? Because you need support. Yes, some people very close to you are against or enjoy making fun of your writing, but not everyone. If you speak up, you may find your own cheerleaders in the strangest places. If you talk about it, you will find people who do understand and want you to be happy doing what you love. It may be another family member, a close friend, your neighbor. And if all fail, for sure, other writers will be there for you if you ask.

Every writer has struggled at one time or another and they all understand. Talk about it and reach out for that support so that when you do have rejections from the outside you have someone to talk too, someone that believes in you and will help you get back on your feet.

Be brave

At some point, you need to own your writing and be brave. It is hard but it can be done in tiny steps. I credit Bob Mayer to teach me about courage in his Warrior Writer class. When there are no places to retreat, you have to find your courage and face your fear. What is the worst thing that can happen if you sit down after dinner for an hour and just write no matter what? What if you hire a babysitter on a Saturday so you can go to your RWA chapter meeting? For some writer living with constant negativity, those things can be scary or bold to do and that is where you need to face your fear and, slowly, one at a time, do those things that may lead to arguments and snide remarks. The more you do it, the easier it will become.

Be professional

A lot of people will tell you that if you want people to take you seriously, you need to take yourself seriously and act professionally. That means making deadlines and schedules and sticking up to them. That is very true but sometimes for another reason. Some people will never take you seriously, period. It is not something you do. It is something within them. No matter what you do, your close critiquers will probably never change. But, if you do act professionally, something within you will change. You will be more confident and believe in yourself. You will be more able to act with courage and write proudly no matter what.

Don’t wait

Don’t wait for things to become better in order to be brave. You may think that those who are against you now will accept your writing once you achieve positive results. The truth is that winning contests or making that sale will not make things better. There will always be something else, the advance is too small, you are away too much, spent too much money or time on promotion. If people don’t want you to write, becoming a successful writer will not make them accept it more. Be brave, take those few courageous steps now and don’t wait to do what is needed for you to become a writer.

You have the right

Yes, you have responsibilities as wife, mother, daughter, girlfriend, and so on (and the same applies to men artists). But you also have the right to be happy. I am not saying here to be selfish, but you are an individual and you do have the right to be happy and to do something that you really enjoy just for the sake of it. You have the right to have dreams and work towards achieving them.

Yes, it may take some time away from others, but who decided that (mostly) a woman found true happiness only through making others around her happy. And so if some around you don’t believe you should be happy, remind yourself that you are an individual person who, like everyone in the family, has to right to be happy.

Start making small steps towards acknowledging to others that your writing matters whether by saying it out loud or by simply acting like it does. Be brave and the outcome may surprise you. Things and people in your life may actually change in a way that makes you truly happy, where you can find a place where you can both write and be at peace with those closest to you.

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Marie-Claude Bourque is the American Title V winner and author of ANCIENT WHISPERS, a sensual gothic paranormal romance filled with sorcerers and Celtic priestesses in search for eternal love in modern time. She worked as a climate research scientist, a scientific translator and a fitness expert until she turned to fiction writing. She draws her inspiration from the French legends of her childhood and a fascination for dark fantasy.

ANCIENT WHISPERS, a Dorchester –Love Spell release is available now wherever books are sold. Find more at www.mcbourque.com and don’t forget to enter the contest for her month-long virtual release party at www.mcbourque.com/launchparty


Ancient Whispers

Gabriel is the youngest member of the Priory of Callan—an ancient Celtic brotherhood of cursed sorcerers and alchemists, each with deadly abilities and each haunted by a tragic past. Tortured by the devastating loss of his fiancée in 1755, Gabriel wants nothing more than to reunite with his soul mate.

Two and a half centuries later, Gabriel is still searching for his love. And then he finds Lily Bellefontaine. Cool-headed and practical, she has no memory of Gabriel. But she also can’t deny the pull of attraction drawing her under his seductive spell, urging her to give in to the…

ANCIENT WHISPERS

2010 On The Far Side Contest

Got fantasy, futuristic, or paranormal? Then the On the Far Side contest is for you!!

Welcome dragons, witches, ghosties, vampires, shape shifters, unicorns, and any creature your imagination can conjure up in a galaxy far, far away, in a time long past, or in your very own backyard.

**NEW: Enter contest today to reserve your spot, but you can upload your file any time until contest deadline!

2010 On The Far Side Contest for Unpublished Authors

Sponsor: Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Special-Interest Chapter
Fee: $20 FF&P members / $25 non-FF&P members
Deadline: August 29, 2010
Eligibility: Must not be published in full length fiction (40,000+) for the genre entering/or not published in genre entering for past 5 years
Enter: 2 page maximum synopsis (OPTIONAL) and first 20 pages of manuscript

To enter, go to the website http://www.romance-ffp.com/OTFS.htm

Payment via PayPal is preferred.

2010 Categories and Final Judges:

Romantic Elements: Alexandra Machinist, Linda Chester Literary Agency

Hard Science Fiction/SF/Futuristic: Danielle Rose Poiesz, Gallery/Pocket Books Editorial

Dark/Light/General Paranormal: Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary Agency

Time Travel/Steampunk/Historical with Paranormal Elements: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks

Dark/Urban/General Fantasy: Sarah LaPolla, Curtis Brown, Ltd.

Young Adult: TBA

PLEASE READ RULES CAREFULLY!

1. All entrants must be valid members of RWA National® with a valid RWA® number.

2. Entries shall consist of first 20 pages of manuscript plus an optional, unjudged 2 page maximum synopsis of the novel. A prologue and/or second chapter may be included if within total page guidelines.

3. Do not include illustrations, author bio/photos, vocabulary lists, or footnotes.

4. Entries shall be in standard manuscript format, 12 inch Courier or Courier New font or 14 inch Times New Roman font, 1" margins, and double spaced. (Format is not a judged component of the On The Far Side contest. No points are deducted for format infractions.)

5. The title and category should be on top left of the page, page number on top right.

6. The author's name should not appear anywhere on the manuscript or synopsis. Entries bearing the author's name on them shall be disqualified.

7. Entries must be submitted by midnight EST August 29, 2010. If requirement is not met, entries will be unopened. Payment must also to be received by Contest Coordinator before deadline.

8. NEW!! Entry forms may be submitted in advance of file upload. Entrants will receive an email with instructions for how to edit their entry form and/or upload or re-upload their files. No changes may be made after the contest deadline.

9. Entries will be received in RTF (Rich Text Format) files only. (To convert your file to RTF, open the document, go into File, click on Save As and choose RTF format. This will create a new document with the same title in RTF format.)

10. No more than TWO (2) entries per entrant per category.

Questions: Please contact the Contest Coordinator, Sherry Peters, at otfs2010@shaw.ca


INTERESTED IN JUDGING?

FF&P Special Interest Chapter is actively seeking judges for our 2010 On The Far Side contest and are hoping you might be interested. Judging panels this year will consist of five (5) entries. Deadline for entries is August 29, 2010 and entries will start going out to judges in early September with a five (5) week turn-around.

**Entries are first 20 pages of manuscript plus OPTIONAL and UNJUDGED two-page max synopsis.

CATEGORIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Romantic Elements
Futuristic (including Hard SF and SF)
General Paranormal (including dark and light)
Time Travel (including steampunk and historical w/ paranormal elements)
Fantasy (including dark and urban)
Young Adult

To minimize judging constraints, we ask that you choose a first and second category choice. Please fill out the following information and return to the Contest Coordinator at otfs2010@shaw.ca. Entries are electronic only and will be emailed to all judges.

Please note: We will try to fill your first and second preferences for category but may need to give you an alternate category depending on number of entries received.

Name:

Email:

Please select status (check one):
Not Published [ ] PRO [ ] Published, Romance [ ] Published, Other Genres [ ]

1st Category Choice:
2nd Category Choice:

Would you be willing to judge a GLBT entry?

Do you plan to enter ON THE FAR SIDE? If so, what category? (Y/N)