Tess Quinn

It’s another glorious Thursday, and we have A.Y. Stratton talking about her writing life on today’s Writer’s on Writing. Enjoy!



What is your brainstorming process for a new book?



Plot and character ideas come to me any time, any place.



I keep a small notebook with me so I can write down ideas for characters’ names, awkward situations where two people might meet, words I would like to use, interesting professions and plot twists. For example, some day I intend to have a character named Zack, Zeke or Zoe who delivers flowers during the day and is an amateur detective at night. In my next story I intend to us the words “sizzle” and “dazzle,” because they jump right off the page.



I got the idea for Buried Heart, my debut romantic suspense novel, when my husband and I were visiting Mayan ruins in Central America. As we explored the expansive archeological site in Copan, Honduras, the archeologist-guide explained that the Mayans recorded their scientific and historic data by drawing hieroglyphs on paper they made from tree bark, folded like an accordion to form a book, officially called a codex.



The archeologist went on to explain the Conquistadores who arrived in the New World brought the Spanish Inquisition with them. Soldiers were ordered to burn the Mayan books as works of the devil. All but four of the codices were destroyed.



I was struck by the terrible loss of the Mayan culture and astonished that at least a few books from pre-Columbian times had survived.



By the time we returned from our trip, I had roughed in my story. I pictured a modern-day Mexican-American professor of archeology, Luis (notoriously attractive, of course), who had inherited a map that might lead him to one of those ancient documents. I imagined evil characters attempting to steal his map. I saw a feisty, uptight and independent woman (eventually named Lauren) who would meet the archeologist and become entangled by passion and intrigue.



My story begins with a mugging on a dark, slushy winter evening in Milwaukee and eventually continues among Mayan ruins deep in the steamy rain forest. I continued the theme of contrast and conflict by including scenes with blazing sunshine and dark caves, ancient secrets and shocking revelations.



Can you explain your typical work week day?



Here’s how my favorite work day goes: after breakfast with the newspaper (reading about the Milwaukee Brewers or the Green Bay Packers), I read emails for no more than thirty minutes. Then I write for two hours, have a quick lunch, get some exercise (yoga, walking, tennis or swimming, depending on the season) and write for another two hours. Later in the day I edit what I have written. Limiting email is the most difficult task on this list. (Now that I have actually created this schedule, maybe I’ll be able to follow it.)



Tell us about when you made the decision to write.



When I was a child and had trouble getting to sleep, I’d make up adventures starring me as the heroine and imagined I’d write stories like those some day. Once I began reading mysteries in middle school, I just had to record the stories that were in my head. For about twenty years I wrote for newspapers and magazines, as well, but always had a few short stories, mysteries or romances to send off to agents and publishers. Until last year I received only rejections. As I like to tell everyone, I am multiply-rejected, but poised to become an overnight success!



What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?



I urge aspiring writers to FINISH every story they have begun. So often people tell me they have started a book, but can’t seem to get back to it.



Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future



In my next romantic suspense story, tentatively called “First You Practice to Deceive,” someone wants young widow Suzanne Buchanan dead. Is it one of her step-children? An employee of her husband’s steel company? Or is it the family enemy, Pete McCoy, with the sassy mouth and sexy eyes, the man she’s falling in love with?



I also have four chapters of a story that’s been nudging my imagination for about a year. The protagonists meet and fall in love after they break into a house and stumble upon a dead body. Concocting the reasons for each of them to become burglars was my first challenge. My other task is to decide on the identity of the dead woman. After a few wakeful nights, though, I’m sure I will fill in the rest of the plot.



Thanks for joining us and sharing, A.Y.! For those of you who want to know more about A.Y. Stratton, you can visit her website here, or check out her bio below. Thanks for joining everyone!

I grew up in Glenview, Illinois, moved to Elm Grove, Wisconsin, when I was in high school, and then attended college in New York where I majored in English. My husband and I live in a suburb of Milwaukee. Once our three children were older, I started working as a free-lance columnist for local periodicals. In the summer I write a baseball column for the web site of my beloved Milwaukee Brewers. I still make up stories as I go to sleep, but now I save them in my computer.

Last Saturday was the Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference. Over 130 people showed up with F. Paul Wilson as the keynote speaker. Agents and Editors were hanging out. John Maberry taught a two hour workshop on writing a thriller. It was glorious. or those of you who are interested in writing, definitely consider joining Liberty States. If you don’t live in New Jersey, or anywhere near Jersey for that matter, all of the meetings are podcasted so you can hear the monthly speaker any time you want.

The first annual LSFW workshop went off without a hitch. I totally enjoyed every moment of it. I taught a workshop on writing the YA novel early in the morning. I had a really great turnout, met some nice people, etc. I stumbled a bit because i had to cram my hour and a half workshop into 45 minutes, but totally fine.



Afterwords, I did some writing in the cafe (surprise, surprise) and then headed to lunch where I sat with a really pretty editor from Dial and this adorable southern boy editor from Dutton. They were kind enough to have pity on my pathetic sense of humor and requested my YA MS. Well, one requested whatever I had completed on my WIP, and the other requested my completed MS. So that was nice. F. Paul Wilson spoke and he was HYSTERICAL. Totally loved him.



After lunch, Mary Kennedy and I had a workshop which was…uhm….small. lol. Mary told us HYSTERICAL stories about her pitching adventures. If you ever get a chance to see Mary Kennedy speak, totally do it. She’s awesome!



After that, it was getting dark and the wind was crazy and I felt like we were all going to die in the hotel because all you could hear was the windows shuttering and the howling outside. But we all sat down with our books at the book signing and I sold to my friends because no one wanted to die and come out in the rain to see us. lol.



So I was supposed to go home after the book signing, but I decided to stay and have dinner. Me, Lynn and Monica hung out, had some chow, and I debated the WHOLE time whether or not it was safe for me to drive home. Sigh. When the hotel lights went out for like 5 minutes because a pole fell down in the back parking lot, I knew that i had to stay.



I had awesome writer friends who said that I could share with them, but I was always up late and night and i snored like hell (true fact), so, I went to the front desk, begged for a discounted room, and voila! Not only did the sweet guy at the front desk (who had a mad crush on George Clooney) give me a discounted room, he gave me a hug and a handful of Hershey’s kisses. sigh. What an awesome person.



So Monica and i stayed up until 11 writing/critiquing and then I studied before hitting the sack. The next morning, Monica and I had breakfast, talked more about the writing biz, and we headed off into the gloomy Sunday afternoon, thus concluding my LSFW conference experience. Yeaaay!!



In the end, I presented a workshop, signed some books, ate great food, got some writing done, and survived a monsoon. You guys should think about going. It was such a blast. Can’t wait until next year!

Thank you for joining me today for my Writers on Writing series! Today we have Laurie Edwards telling us a little bit about her writing life. Let’s see what she has to say…



What is your brainstorming process for a new book?



Usually I “see” the story in my mind. The characters talk to me or to each other, then after I’ve eavesdropped a while, I write down what I’ve been seeing and hearing. Most of the time, I see several isolated scenes—usually the first one, a few in the middle, and the ending scene. Then I need to dig for the rest. That involves character interviews, where I ask various characters what comes next, or asking myself “what if?”



Can you explain your typical work week day?



I write (&/or edit) all the time, generally 10-12 hours a day. Unfortunately, most of it isn’t my own novels, but fortunately, that writing does pay my bills. I consider myself lucky to be able to support myself with my writing. And unless I have other things planned, I even write on the weekends. Umm, does it sound as if I enjoy writing??



When I’m under tight deadlines, I try to set aside 10 minutes a day for my personal projects. That may not sound like much, but two things generally happen. The first is that I’m less likely to skip my personal writing time when I know it’s only for a short time. The second is that 90% of the time, I end up getting involved in what I’m writing and write for longer than 10 minutes. I’ve also found that knowing I only have 10 minutes forces me to start writing immediately; there’s no time for fooling around. That discipline comes in handy when I have longer stretches of time to write.



Tell us about when you made the decision to write.



Let’s see…I believe it was when I had 5 kids under the age of 8. At the same time, I’d just opened my own business, and we’d just moved into our first home, which we were painting and decorating. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment. Or maybe I had to do something to maintain my sanity?



What suggestions do you have for aspiring writers?



Believe in yourself. Call yourself a writer even before you get published. Stay away from people who try to shoot down your dream. If you have the desire and determination, you will get published. Don’t be afraid to start small; no one (or almost no one) becomes a NY Times Bestseller overnight. Expect the process to take a long time; it’s not unusual for authors to write for 10-20 years before they get published. You wouldn’t expect to become a concert pianist in a year or two, so why should you expect to be a published writer in that amount of time? Put in your time learning the craft; it will pay off in the end.



Tell us about what you’re working on right now and what we can expect from you in the near future.



I have several romances in the works. They’re all adult books—a bit different from my usual YA. Two of the romances are inspirational. I also have a YA fantasy in rough draft form that I want to work on and finish. It’s part of trilogy. I’ve jotted down scenes and ideas for the other two books, but need to find time to write them. And I have hundreds of ideas knocking around in my head… Oh, and quite a few picture books, including one in free verse that I illustrated, Jungle of the Night. I’d love to illustrate picture books, so I hope to make that a part of my future too.



That sounds great, Laurie! Don’t we all have so many projects we can’t tear ourselves away from? For those of you who want to know more about Laurie, you can check out her site here. Thanks for joining us! Until next week!

Yeay! Today author and friend Kathleen Coddington is stopping by to tell us a little bit about her book and the beauty of sleep. Welcome Kathleen!



Thanks for allowing me to visit, Tess and talk about my new book, Palace of Dreams.



Tell us a little bit about your story Palace of Dreams
The story is a futuristic erotic romance set in a dream dome on the planet Cereus Prime. Of course before you can reach REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and dream you first need to fall asleep, a real problem for many people. Here are a few tips I picked up as I researched sleep and the dreaming process that might be of interest to your readers.



Getting a good night’s sleep isn’t always easy. While it may seem like a steady state, studies of brain waves show that we go through 5 stages in order to get to the REM (rapid eye movement) state where dreaming takes place. It’s at this stage that true restorative sleep occurs. If falling asleep has become a nightly problem, here are a few tips that might help.



Develop a sleep routine. Send your body signals that it’s time to sleep. About 2 hours before you plan to hit the hay, take a bath, turn off the television, put away that exciting thriller, put on some soft music and turn down the thermostat. Keeping your bedroom a few degrees cooler at night promotes sleep.



Sip a cup of tea or eat a carbo-rich snack. A cup of chamomile or other herb tea can help you relax. Stay away from black or green tea unless you drink the decaffeinated varieties. Because they release tryptophan, which has been shown to make people sleepy, eat a light snack of rice cakes, pretzels or a potato about an hour before bedtime.



Aroma therapy works. Spray your pillows lightly with lavender or light a lavender candle to induce drowsiness.



Consider the pet quotient. Sharing your bed with your pet can be part of why you can’t sleep. But banishing them from the bedroom can be almost as stressful. Consider giving your pet his/her own bed on the floor next to you. If constant scratching seems to be a problem, schedule a visit to the vet to check on things like allergies, ticks and fleas. Play with kitty and take fido for a walk. If they are tired at the same time you are, they’ll be more likely to sleep through the night.



Or visit a dream dome. In my latest book, Palace of Dreams, dream dome guests never have a problem falling asleep. And when they do, they have the most incredible dream adventures led by their own telepathic guide. For a deep, restful and completely fulfilling sleep, you can’t go wrong scheduling a visit to the Crystal Palace.



That sounds great! Thank you for all the helpful tips on getting a goodnight sleep! For those of you who are interested in learning more about Kathleen’s book, check out the information below:



Book release date: March 5, 2010
Ellora’s Cave: Aeon
Novel. You can purchase the book at http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8218-50-palace-of-dreams.aspx



Visit her at: www.kathleencoddington.com or www.kathleencoddington.wordpress.com



Check out her book blurb here:



In the dream domes of Cereus Prime visitors can fulfill their deepest erotic fantasies in sessions led by telepathic guides. Among the guides, Inari Rau is a living legend. On her final night as a guide, she receives a request to lead one last dream. During the session she loses control and is drawn into a fantasy of raw, sexual pleasure with her mysterious client.



Kastel Fane has a mission to complete—give Inari the dream of a lifetime as a farewell gift from her friends. If he succeeds, he’ll receive a hefty reward. What neither expects is the passion that ignites between them or the new psi talent that is born out of their first encounter, an ability that leads to dangerous consequences for both of them. As they fight for a future together, can Kastel prove he is the man who can finally fulfill all of Inari’s dreams?



Thanks again for joining us, Kathleen! Best of luck with your release!

Kathleen Coddington has been writing romance on and off for 15 years. She has three books, a paranormal romance and two historical romances, published by Cerridwen Press and one erotic futuristic through Ellora’s Cave Publishing. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Pocono Lehigh Romance Writers and the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, where she served at various times as VP, secretary and treasurer.



A retired school librarian, Kathleen enjoys reading and travel. Members of two Civil War reenacting units, she and her husband are frequent lecturers at schools and historical societies. She has also published several articles about the fashions of the mid-19th century. She and her husband and two cats live near their son in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania where she teaches a novel writing course at the local community college.

Today’s Writers on Writing author is Clare Austin. Check out the great info Clare shares with us today!



Thank you for joining me today for my Writer’s on Writing series! I hear you have some great news to share.



Hello Tess,
I am thrilled to be a featured writer. Thanks for having me.
This is a very exciting week for me. My publisher just sent an email saying my novel, Angel’s Share, is now available. Waiting for my box of books is an incredible feeling. This is my second novel to be published and the thrill has not dulled one bit.



I’ll try to stick to the questions here, though my mind tends to wander.



I know the feeling. Congratulations on your latest release! Let’s start with the basics. What is my brainstorming process?



My brain is constantly in a state of turbulent weather and stories have always come to me in the oddest places and times. I once wrote, in my head, an entire plot while having an MRI.



One of the most difficult things I’ve had to learn is to channel the whirlpool of my ideas. When I start a new novel, I see my characters quite clearly and generally have a beginning and fairly solid ending. Those are the easy parts. I know where I would like my characters to end up. Honestly though, sometimes they have different ideas about where they are going. When that happens I go with them. So far, my characters, if I allow them enough freedom, have never left me hanging. There have been times, however, when a character captures my imagination but I find she or he is simply in the wrong story. When that is the case, I can write the other story right away or in the case of the book I’m working on now which is the third in a trilogy and therefore the characters are a bit more confined to fitting into a structure already well set, I have to save that character for later.



Tell us about your typical day.



My typical writing week is not set in stone. It’s more like set in gelatin… firm but wiggly. It has become more amorphous since my first sale as I have had to include marketing and promotion in my day.



I try to drift off to sleep every night thinking of the scene I plan to work on the next day. This seems to mean it is still fresh in my mind when I awaken.



I write in a chair next to my bed, my laptop on a board across my lap. So, I literally roll out of bed in front of my computer. I check emails and then try to go directly to writing. Usually I write until mid morning and then go out to the barn to ride one of my horses or I’ll go for a swim. Doing something physical is a great way to energize my muse (dark chocolate is the other way!)



I write again in the afternoon. I find that taking mental breaks…playing my violin or harp, taking a walk or reading…helps keep me nourished and fresh.
When did I make the decision to write? I really remember that moment very clearly, almost to the day! For years I had been telling myself stories in my head, characters where talking in there and sometimes out loud!



Do you have any advice for authors?



One day a book came across my desk with the title No Plot, No Problem. I believe all potential writers or “writers in their own minds” should check this book out. It gave me a “no excuse” plan to write one of my stories, simple strategies to get started and a realistic word count goal. I set aside October 2005 to write my first book. I went completely over the top; I threw everything in, my characters head hopped their way through four hundred spectacular and confusing pages. I had such eye fatigue my face went numb! Just to prove to myself it wasn’t a fluke, I wrote three more full length novels in the next six months.



I really had little idea what I was doing, but I knew I could learn. The fourth book was written specifically for a market: romance. That book is Butterfly and was my first sale in the spring of 2008.



If I had one suggestion for someone who had never written anything but thinks she wants to be a writer, I would say “just start writing.” Don’t worry that it might be terrible. If you wait until you only write perfectly, you might have to wait a terribly long time. Next, if you are serious about being a published author, pay attention to the market for your genre. Remember your book is a product and if it won’t make the publisher money, they do not care if you are the most brilliant wordsmith since James Joyce. I know I’m talking about your baby here, but you have to be willing to let go, step back and think like a business person because, like it or not, that’s how the publisher is looking at you.



Tell us what you’re working on now.



What I’m working on now? As I mentioned above, Angel’s Share is now available. That means the pressure is on to finish the third book in the Fadό Trilogy. I’m calling this story Selkie’s Song. I’m excited about this story for many reasons, but mostly because I get to take the reader to my favorite place on earth…west Ireland. The first two books, Butterfly and Angel’s Share, take place in Boston, which I absolutely love as a location for my stories. But, when I started getting feedback on my first book, readers were intrigued with the Irish born characters: Flannery, Kerry and Tynan Sloane. I started to imagine what would happen if Tynan, the hero in Selkie’s Song, found himself back on his home turf and confronted by a strong, willful and mysterious heroine. Murran Murphy is going to make Tynan’s quiet life very interesting for the next three hundred or so pages.
I also have a novel set to release in July which is not part of my trilogy. I wrote Hot Flash during a time when I was working out at an all women’s gym. I looked around and there we were, beautiful, smart and oh so much wiser, older women. We needed a story for us. The heroine in Hot Flash is fifty, but she still gets the hot guy and doesn’t have to take the cougar route to do it! It’s a story that encompasses two extended families, three countries and a barn full of horses. I love what award winning author Deb Stover wrote about this story. “Sexy but sensitive, powerful but poignant–HOT FLASH is not your daughter’s romance! This is a story for real women. Savor every word!”



Sounds great! Thank you so much for sharing a bit of your life with us today, Clare! For those of you who want to know more, you can check out her website at www.clareaustin.com for more information about my books and upcoming events. Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned in for next week!