Sunday 30 June 2013

Writing Historical Heroines

One of the biggest challenges in writing is writing likeable heroines. As the vast majority of my readers are female (No I haven't researched this and I'm making a general assumption from interaction and reviews), writing a heroine for them is very difficult. As women, we tend to be harsher on our heroines and expect more of them. Heroes flaws are very easily forgiven but not so much in heroines. Maybe its because we expect so much of ourselves. Women are notoriously hard on themselves and I think we often put the same expectations on our heroines. Yes, I am very guilty of this.

 Another hurdle to jump is ensuring the heroine remains suited to her time. This is extremely tough because anyone who knows much about the medieval period knows that in general women were considered a non-entity. With very few rights, a women's lot was usually dictated by the men in her life. Peasant women, less so, but they still worked hard and choice was limited. This doesn't mean all women were meek and mild. Gosh, in some of my research, I've come across some amazing women but again, they are still a product of their time. Even famed feminist, Christine De Puizan, had very strong views on the correct behaviour of women.

But I don't like to patronize readers by explaining this is this and that is that. As a passionate reader of medieval romance even before writing it, I understood there was certain behaviours expected of women and I hope my readers will understand and recognise that. One of my pet hates is when a writer implants our modern ideals into a historical heroine. That's not to say any heroine can't be strong - no simpering ladies here thank you - but I do think as historical authors, its our duty to portray our characters as realistically as we can and that includes remembering societal restraints. Our heroines can certainly break them but should always be mindful of the culture they live in.

Friday 28 June 2013

Author Interview: Teshelle Combs

Please welcome the lovely Teshelle to my blog today! We're talking inspiration and criticism (ouch!) 
For the benefit of my readers, what is your name and where do you live now?
My name is Teshelle Combs and I live in Cape Coral, FL, though I grew up in the beautiful St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.


First off, how has your week been?
My week has been filled with ups and downs (though mostly ups). I’m a wee bit preggo, which means I get to tussle with hormones and being extra toasty hot in the SW Florida summer heat. But my baby boy, Jaxter is cooking nicely (I’m 30 weeks along), and my debut novel, “Core,” was just released on kindle and in paperback!


Oh wow, congratulations! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?
Well, I’m 24 years old and I’ve technically been writing since I was a munchkin. I started out my college career as a chemistry major, then changed to philosophy almost immediately. Finally, two years in, I gave in and decided to go for it. I majored in English with a focus in Creative Writing. And that was it. I knew I wanted to write for the rest of my life.
So I started out freelancing and worked for a firm or two, then nannied on the side as I pounded out my first few novels.  When I came up for the concept for “Core,” I knew I’d found my first publishable piece. Fast forward a few months to today, and I’m a full-time professional indie author. So far, I love it.
I also write full time, it's the best! Did you always want to be a writer? If not what did you want to be?

Oh boy. When I was a kid, I was nuts. I wanted to be an astronomer, a teacher, an inventor (I couldn’t understand why my parents kept laughing at my milk toaster idea; it toasts your bread and heats up your milk at the same time; you catch the milk in a mug as it pops up!).
Later on, in high school, I was convinced I was going to be a forensic pathologist. I was prepared to exhume corpses and dissect the dead for the rest of my days. And I was pretty good at all of the sciences in school. I even loved dissecting in lab classes and watching surgeries on TV.
But English was always there, poking at me, pulling at my shirt sleeve. After I took my first creative writing course in college, my boyfriend (now my hubs) just looked me in the eye and said, “This is what you love, Tess. Just do it, already.” So I did. And I will until I can’t anymore.


That's great that you've got the support of your hubby! Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?
Oh, how I wish I could say that my whole book was based on real life experiences! In fact, I first decided to write “Core” because I just wanted to be able to ride my own dragon so badly it hurt. And yes, I was a 23 year old adult at the time, but I’d put my hand out the window as I drove along and imagined what it would be like. I imagined wanting to want to fly, if that makes sense. What would it be like if I was born to fly, or if my destiny ran me smack into a dragon?  And since I couldn’t find that dragon, I did the next best thing: wrote a book about it.
Many of the combat scenes in the book come from my experiences with my Dad. He’s always loved martial arts and even when I was a teenager, my family took classes together. He was the kind of Dad who would sneak up behind his 16 year old on her way out to the movies and pretend he was a mugger. “What would you do if I came at you like this? How would you defend yourself?” And I’d have to deflect his mock attack if I ever wanted to make it to the theatre on time. So yes, I owe my fight scenes to that crazy man.
Also, the rock climbing, the long plane rides, the loud family meals are all inspired by the amazing life I’ve been blessed to lead.
Did you have any say in the title / cover of your book?


YES. I’m lucky enough to be an indie author, which means that I got to choose literally everything before we published. I decided to name the book “Core” (which took forever because titling is not my gifting; I have no clue what I’m naming the sequel. Suggestions?).  I actually had my husband, Nate Combs, design my book cover from scratch. I got to title every chapter, alter my own scenes, edit my own way. There’s a lot of work that goes into being indie, but so far, it’s been worth it.
I enjoy the freedom of indie publishing too although I have no imagination when it comes to covers to sometimes handing it over to a publisher is fun! Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?


Absolutely.  I want my readers to remember that love is not always easy. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows and kisses. It is, however, always a choice, and it’s often hard work.
For my main character, Ava, it is difficult to understand what it means to be loved, what it means to trust someone, to need someone. She’s used to people, like her foster mother, Miriam, needing her, but not the other way around. She’s been used and abused and damaged and it made her too strong and too tough to let her guard down. But to be loved, one must be vulnerable and open and honest. And frankly, that’s scary. If it isn’t scary, you’re doing it wrong!
Also, I want people who’ve had tough lives, who’ve been disappointed or hurt or even abused, to know that it doesn’t have to be that way forever.  Hope leads to change, and change leads to healing.  Sometimes, to be brave, we have to open up to help. I hope Ava is a good example of that.


What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?


Toughest criticism: “I just don’t get this.” Oh to be misunderstood. How do you even fix that? To know you haven’t connected with your reader… well, you’ve missed the whole goal of writing. (Note my use of second person POV here to deflect the sting of the criticism?)
Best Compliment: It wasn’t actually something anyone said to me. It was that moment when my little sister finished reading my first draft of “Core.” (She’s been reading my work since she was little and I’d write just for fun. I’d have her sit on my lap and we’d go over it together.) Anyways, she finished reading “Core,” and then sent me a Word document. When I opened it, there was her story inside.
To inspire. To know that when people read my work, they decide they want to do it too. Is there anything better?
Yes, I understand the 'don't get it' criticism. Ouch!! But to inspire others is a wonderful gift! What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
For God’s sake, do what you love.
I haven’t lived very long. Not yet. But I know this: with every piece of me, I love to write. I am a dreamer, and that makes me crazy. It makes me foolish and nonsensical and irreproachable only in that I can’t be told to give up. I can’t be told “it won’t happen.”  I can’t be told I’m unrealistic or unwise or irresponsible. Search until you find what it is you love, what it is you must be. And then be that. Keep being that until it’s all you are.
It’s that simple. It’s that hard.
***
Thank you for interviewing me, Samantha! Your questions were awesome and I actually had a lot of fun answering them.
Find Teschelle on her blog, Facebook and Twitter and purchase Core on Amazon.
From the moment Cale sets his eyes on Ava Johnson, he catches fire to their fates, locking them both in a wild spiral, tied to a world of betrayal and chaos.
Cale Anders lives a normal life–as normal as any eighteen year old dragon could hope for. He has always managed to straddle two worlds, one of underground fight clubs and siren hunts, and one of family barbecues and backyard football. Still, for as long as Cale can remember, he’s been the middle man –the ambassador for his own family–bent on reconciling the stark differences between his fiercely intelligent blue dragon relatives and the boisterous, passionate red dragon nesters.
But when Cale picks the steely-eyed human, Ava, to be his rider, he must choose between the family he’s always loved, and the only girl who can unlock his potential and spark his core. 
Ava, her heart entrapped in a prison of callouses, is caught off guard by the rawness of the Anders’ life and the honesty of the boy who claims to belong only to her. But even more alarming than her immersion in a world she never knew existed, is the realization that love can grow slowly, steadily, and painfully, no matter how furious her resistance. 
Together, Cale and Ava upturn the balance of the dragon world, leaving their very lives vulnerable to the wiles of forces neither of them truly understand.

Thursday 27 June 2013

Book Tour Stop: The Sin Eater's Redemption by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Welcome to Lee Ann who is sharing her release, The Sin Eater's Redemption, with us! Be sure to enter the rafflecopter below to win 15 eBook copies (1 each to 15 winners) of "The Sin Eater's Redemption" from Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy. Contest is tour-wide and ends July 12. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
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Purchase from Amazon | ARe | B&N


Death brings would-be country singer Tessa Owens home from Nashville to her native Ozarks. But she’s not planning to stay. She turned her back on the old ways of life in the modern world long ago. But she didn’t expect to meet her first love, Lucas Rowlands, at the visitation. Seven years wasn’t long enough to forget him and sparks ignite when they meet again. Even worse, Tessa learns Lucas isn’t the simple country farmer she left behind but the sin eater, an ancient position handed down to him from his grandfather. She still plans to make tracks back to Music City USA but when Lucas falls ill, Tessa can’t bear to leave. As she struggles to understand Lucas’ life and role as a sin eater, Tessa admits she loves him and there’s no doubt what he feels for her. But even if she’ll give up her country music dreams, there’s no way Tessa can become the sin eater’s wife, especially not when Lucas knows he won’t make old bones. The devil wants Lucas’ sin-heavy soul and if they don’t come up with something, Lucas is hell bound on an express ticket. If there’s any chance at a future, it’s up to Tessa.


Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.


Excerpt:
“Hello, Lucas.” Her voice came out hushed, like school kids whispering in a library. “It’s been a long time.”


Lucas Rowlands grinned with a naughty smile she remembered very well.  He looked the same, overlong brown hair lit with blonde highlights, dark blue eyes and a lean build. “I hear you’ve been living up to Nashville all this time,” he said.


“I have,” Tessa replied. “I live there now.”


His eyes locked on her face and she couldn’t look away, mesmerized by his steady gaze.


“Guess you ain’t famous just yet.”


Face to face, toe to toe, she remembered more than she wanted. His presence, his physical proximity exuded power, so much so the fine hairs on her arms came to attention. “No,” she said, her voice husky. “I’m not. What are you doing these days, Lucas?”


“I do as little as possible,” he said with a sassy grin.  “I raise cattle and more than a little hell at my granddad’s old place.  I live in the old house and mostly do what I want.”


That sounded like Lucas, she thought. “Are you married?”


“Nope and I don’t plan to get that way.  What about you, darlin’? Do you have a husband and kiddies in a little house over there on the Cumberland River?”


He stood close, heat radiating from his skin as it moved over her in waves.  Tessa grew too hot, overheating so much she thought she might faint. His questions irked her, though she couldn’t say why.


“No,” Tessa said. If she didn’t get some fresh air now, she would pass out.  She stepped forward, prepared to head for the back door. Luke took her hand instead and kept her in place.


“Where are you going? We haven’t had time to catch up or talk about old times.”


His voice affected her like cheap strawberry wine with a giddy rush powerful enough to tilt her off balance.


“I need some air,” she whispered. “I’ve got to go outside.”


Lucas put his arm around her. “Let’s go then.”


He pressed through the crowd with a fake grin plastered on his face, exchanging a few nods and howdys. She allowed him to take her through her aunt’s kitchen, aware the women putting out food stared as they passed.  In the backyard, Tessa staggered over to a plastic lawn chair and sat.  Cool breezes flowed down the hills behind and she inhaled deeply. After a few minutes, she sighed.


“Better?” Lucas sprawled in a chair across from hers and watched with a frown she might’ve once believed came out of concern.


“Yes, thanks.”


“What the hell happened in there? You didn’t use to be such a wimp.”


“No.”  Funny she could sing on any stage, hobnob with some of the remaining greats of country music, talk with today’s chart toppers, handle the meanest drunk in any bar and attend any event and never lose her cool.  But come back to the hills and she lost it in her aunt’s house, among her own folks, thanks to Lucas Rowlands.  “I’m okay now, though.”


He offered a hand so she could rise and Tessa accepted it.   Before she had time to think, Lucas drew her into his arms like a spider catching a fly and put his mouth down over hers.   She struggled, protested until his heat fired her and ignited all her old passions. Tessa kissed him back with the same unholy fire.  Sweet little charges of electricity ran over her sensitive skin and when his tongue entered her mouth, she would’ve squealed aloud except she couldn’t, there wasn’t space to make a sound.


Pleasure from his mouth expanded lower and spread heat through her in waves.  A dim sense Tessa should protest, should push him away hovered at the edge of her consciousness but everything felt too damn good to stop.  His lips evoked the past, stolen kisses and heady delights she recalled much too well.   If someone, she never could be sure who it was, had not thrust their head out of the back door and called, “Lucas, it’s time.”


Tessa might’ve let him do more than kiss her there, in the backyard, with her kinfolk and most of the rural community steps away.   The reality check jarred her back to consciousness as he released her.


“I’ll see you later,” he said with a playful swat at her rear as he vanished into the house.


Tessa watched him go, divided between longing for more kisses and anger that she’d let her guard down so easily.  Lucas was the last person she expected to see and before she could ponder why he’d come to Uncle Cal’s private family visitation, the back door swung open.


“There you are! You need to come in now, we’re about to get started.”


“Start what, Aunt Vernie?”


Her aunt ducked her head. “I had the sin eater come.  You know what a wicked man Calvin could be, how mean he was. I just hated to think he might spend all eternity in hell so I decided to do it the way folks did back a few years.  Truth is they do it more now than you’d think now that we got us a sin eater again.”


“You’re joking,” Tess said. This sounded insane.  Clearly she’d left the real world behind in Tennessee and ended up here on the set of The Twilight Zone.


Aunt Verna folded her arms across her chest like fresh laundry. “I’m not, Tessa.  You’ve been away too long. That’s why I had them bring Cal back out here from the funeral home.  Today’s for the sin eater, the family, and close friends.  It’s visitation, too, but this is the most important.”

About the Author:

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy writes romance about everyday people often caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Her titles range from contemporary to historical to time travel and sometimes stray into the paranormal. She is a native of the historic city of St. Joseph, Missouri, a jumping off spot for countless wagon trains in the days of the old west and where outlaw Jesse James met his death. She now lives in a small Ozark town in what passes for the suburbs. As a member of Romance Writers of America, Missouri Writers Guild, and the Ozark Writers League, Lee Ann pens a weekly column for the local newspaper. She has served on the local library board and arts council. As a member of the Rebel Elite team, her upcoming releases will shift to exclusive Rebel in 2013. Lee Ann is also one of the short list of Rebel authors named Best of 2012. She was also among the Best of 2011. She’s married with three children and one spoiled Jack Russell terrier.


Connect with Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour Stop: The Frozen by Michel Prince

Please welcome Michel to my blog today! Michel is sharing an excerpt from her release, The Frozen (The Frozen #1) as well as giving away 2 (1 each to 2 winners) $10 Amazon Gift Cards. Contest is tour-wide and ends July 21. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Be sure to enter via the rafflecopter below!
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Available at:

You close your eyes and finally make the decision to end your life only to have him show up. Gabriel, here to give you a second chance for salvation. They say he’s an angel, but then again, they don’t have to serve under him. He offers you a chance to be a member of the Frozen, a group of demon hunters. Serve your sentence and you can ascend to heaven. Refuse, well the punishment has been clearly laid out in the scriptures. It’s a last chance. But when your body is frozen in time can your heart still beat?

Nye, a former slave who lost his love and was tired of being under the control of another ended his life in 1859. His stubborn ways kept him under Gabriel’s thumb and from ascending to Heaven. Feeling that a woman was the cause of his downfall he hasn’t had an urge for a woman for over a hundred and fifty years. Knowing that he has less than seven years left until he earns salvation he is staying on the straight and narrow – until a woman gets caught in the crossfire during a demon hunt.

Receiving devastating news, Kiriana moves across the country only to get caught up in the world of our protectors The Frozen. With each passing moment Nye and Kiriana are pulled into an attraction that could be their ultimate demise or their greatest salvation…

All the while Damarion, is leading a group of female demons as they try to protect the demons sent from Hell to obtain the souls of humans around the world. Being assigned to Earth as a punishment for crimes against the royal family, Damarion learns that there are dangers within his coven trying to take him down and stop him from returning to his love still trapped in Hell and threaten the love that he was so sure was true.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains explicit sex scenes and/or situations (including f/m/f menage) and adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.
~~~~~~~~Excerpt~~~~~~~~~~~

I walked back to the main house in time to see Kanga finally appear in the yard.

“What took you so long?”

“My apologies, Yahweh.”

I bit into the deep-fried chicken leg and swallowed the greasy mess.  Salt flowed through my veins once more.  I whipped the bone at Kanga’s head.

“Tell me why the Dark One is still alive.”

“I…I…I…”

“Get inside.”

I grabbed her arm and shoved her into the house.

Everyone gathered in the kitchen eating a sweet treat.  Kanga’s body flew across the room, her hips hitting the island in the middle of the kitchen.  She collapsed on the floor with a sharp howl.  

“Don’t you dare cry in pain, bitch,” I warned.   The third piece of chicken finally consumed, I threw the empty bucket at Kanga.  “Who here knows how to shop?  Who?  The bantlings are on the verge of emaciation and the only thing in this house seems to be cookies and cakes.  What are you, a bunch of children?”  

My fist hit the pan of cakelike substance and it flew, hitting the horrid tinted chandelier, which was supposed to signify a dining area.  Bits of cake splattered along the wall, while the house seemed to stiffen from my outburst.

Nemesio and Zuma were the only ones not in fear of me.  

“Whores, are you enjoying this?”

“No, Yahweh,” Nemesio answered.

“I’m sure they are grieved at your disappointment in them,” Pivane deigned to step towards me.  

“Did I ask for your opinion?  I do not recall asking you to speak.”

“I apolo…”

“Shut that open sore that you call a mouth.  This shit has to stop.  We’ve lost over half in the last week.  Twice today the Dark One and the female were within our sights and yet they still live.”

“Kanga, Zuma do you need to be replaced with trackers that are not afraid to get their hands dirty?”  

“I injured him.”  

My hand flew, sending Kanga into the fridge.

“Wow, you racked him.  That took him down for all of a minute.  I’m not worried if he’ll reproduce.  I want him taken out!  And where are the ashes?  In a drain somewhere, I assume.”

“We can go and retrieve them,” Keir stated.

“Well, let me find you a strainer,” I said, my sarcasm hitting an all time high.  “Kanga, you’re inside from now on.  You found the bantling in record time, but you didn’t destroy the Frozen.”

“If I would’ve killed him, his partner would’ve killed me.”

“I’m sorry, are you trying to make a point?” I asked as my elbows supported my weight on the island.  “Like I care if you die.  You being replaced would take less than a day.  Frozen take weeks if not years to mature enough to fight.”

I buried my head in my hands and tried to get my breathing under control.  Someone shifted.  

“Who is moving?  Right now, not one of you should even be breathing until I dismiss you.”
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Michel Prince is an author who graduated with a bachelor degree in History and Political Science. Michel writes young adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.

With characters yelling "It's my turn damn it!!!" She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have wait their turn. She knows eventually they find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.

When Michel can suppress the voices in her head she can be found at a scouting event or cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She would like to thank her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.

Michel is a member of RWA Pro and Midwest Fiction Writers. In 2013 she was awarded Elite Status with Rebel Ink Press. She lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, and cat.

Connect with Michel Prince


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