Sound Off Time: Why Social Media's Da Bomb!

VBT

by
Millenia Black

A

s we all know, times are ever changing, ever improving. When I was a kid growing up in the 80s, I had no clue the Internet was on its way in with a vengeance! And in the early 90s when I discovered and fell in love with Sidney Sheldon books, I couldn't have imagined that one day I'd have the ability to simply boot up a laptop and shoot him a hero-worshipping e-mail—which I did many years later and nearly keeled over when he actually replied personally!

So connecting, bonding and sharing our passions with each other has never been easier—or more fun—than it is today. I remember when you actually had to sit down, write letters, lick their envelopes, then stamp and mail them off to New York publishing houses c/o of your favorite authors to let them know just how much you loved their books, or even to invite them to a conference call with your book club.

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And as a writer, it's amazing to be able to get a kick in the proverbial butt from your readership when you've spent a little too much time in the procrastination currents and not enough in the flow of inspiration and creativity. As such, RAINDROPS ON ROSES is my first novel in eight years! The Great Betrayal came out in late 2006, and since then there've been several dedicated fans who've found me on Goodreads, Facebook, or on my website asking whether or not I was still writing and when the next book would be coming out. I can't tell you how much those pings inspired me to pick up my pen, get back in the game and reacquaint myself with my trusty old muse.

Currently, I'm enjoying the heck out of Pinterest! It's too bad the site wasn't around when I published my earlier novels because creating a board for the Favorite Things Trilogy has been loads and loads of fun! Visual aids never go out of style, do they? And so my readers get to check out the characters' sense of style, the cars they drive, the music they listen to and of course—lots more of their favorite things! It's pretty neat!

Now I know there are those who say social media's dumbed us down or made us lazy, but to that I say we need to accentuate the positives and eliminate the negatives! The pluses far outweigh the minuses when it comes to the convenience and ease of connecting and sharing with others, whether they be long time friends, family members, or a new reader who's discovering your books for the very first time...

Cheers to socializing! Let's connect, bond and be merry!

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 From the #1 Bestselling Author of THE GREAT PRETENDER comes a highly anticipated new trilogy! Love, Loss, Jealousy and Vengeance — A Razor-Sharp Love Triangle For the History Books! 

Book One of the sizzling new FAVORITE  THINGS Trilogy  
What happens when the man you love, falls in love with someone else?

Buy now! Amazon

Mayfair Island, Florida. Grief-stricken after the sudden loss of her beloved grandmother, an enduring but reclusive Hollywood icon, young Priscilla Bauer finds herself adrift and looking to find solace in the arms of her vast inheritance, when she meets the kind and considerate corporate brand designer, Michael Frost—a drop dead gorgeous beacon of light in her all too dark night.

Falling hard and falling fast, Priscilla has no idea she’s stepped into dangerous territory...Because someone else has already branded Michael Frost her very own—and she has no intention of ever letting him go.

Passions are high, but bitter vengeance gets even higher!

With RAINDROPS ON ROSES, the captivating Favorite Things Novella Trilogy—takes flight!

About Millenia Black:
Millenia is the bestselling author of the novels THE GREAT PRETENDER and THE GREAT BETRAYAL. She loves to tell a compelling story and is an avid reader. Heralded as a double life and relationship expert, she's been a featured guest on radio shows across the country discussing the 7 SMOKE SIGNALS YOUR MAN IS LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE, a nifty e-book guide everyone should have!

Millenia is an alumni of Keiser University and was born and raised in Florida where she still resides today. She is currently working on BLUE SATIN SASHES, book two of the sizzling FAVORITE THINGS trilogy!

Currently unmarried, Millenia has never dated anyone living a double life...she thinks.

Unconditional love, but what does it mean?

by

Carol McKibben

How Do I Begin to Write a Book?

One might consider me strange, but my ideas come to me in dreams or in messages from other people. The premise for Luke’s Tale came to me in a dream about a year after I wrote my first book. Around that time, I went for a psychic reading for my birthday. I told the psychic nothing about myself…yet; she told me that the angels around me, my guardians, were urging me to write a book about unconditional love. This freaked me out! Then, afterward, I had the original dream again. So, I really had no choice in the matter.

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On top of everything, my yellow lab Luke is/was my hero. He was a therapy dog and so dedicated to me. When he was six, he was diagnosed with Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) for which there is no cure. Complete blindness was the result. Even after that, he continued to bravely go everywhere with me, gently feeling his way with his paws and sticking to me like Velcro. He continued his therapy dogging long after he went blind and brought joy to hundreds of hospital and nursing home patients. He was my inspiration. I made him the narrator of Luke’s Tale, because the book’s message is unconditional love. What other creature except a dog exemplifies unconditional love?

The book I am currently writing, entitled Snow Blood, came to me as the result of a dog named Snow that I had fostered and placed in his forever home, along with a conversation I had with my daughter about vampires. We both love vampire stories…and contrived this one together.

How Do my Ideas for Materials Develop?

This will make readers laugh, but it’s true. William Faulkner said it best: “It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with a paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.” For me, that’s the way it works. Once I know my characters, they come alive and are a life of their own. They move through the story and fall out of my mind onto the page.

How long does it take to write a book?

Riding Through It, my first book, took several years. My second book, Luke’s Tale, took just a little over a year. I think I should be able to finish Snow Blood, within six months. I am making progress!

Where do you find the time to write?

I am a working writer. By that, I mean I have other authors with whom I work to develop their stories as well as corporate clients for whom I write everything under the sun. So, writing for myself occurs after work and on weekends.

Do you have a desk? An Office?

I definitely have a desk and a formal office. But, the office is littered with the sleeping bodies of my two dogs, so it’s not normal by any means! All one can hear is their soft snoring and the clacking of my fingers on my computer. Wait! Does that mean I’ve bored them to death? Let’s hope not!

Here’s a final thought. We all have great stories within us, but some of us have no other choice but to write them. It’s part of breathing for us. The things that we experience, feel and think compel us to write. For me, there’s no other way.

CREATING IS ONE THING—LETTING IT MARINATE IS ANOTHER

by

Cindy McDonald

 People are always asking me: where do you come up with the ideas for your Unbridled series? I always chuckle a little bit and then I explain: Well, hanging around the backside (stable area) of a racetrack for twenty or so years will give you plenty of fodder for story lines—trust me!

It’s true. So many characters hang out at the racetrack: gamblers, liars, jockeys, agents (yes, jockeys have agents), liars, horse trainers, exercise riders, veterinarians, crazy blacksmiths, and did I mention liars?  There are lots of liars. Oh yes, the racetrack is a treasure trove of characters, and if you are paying close attention (I’m a watcher by nature) they will give you as many storylines as your little heart desires.

Now just to be clear, I have never seen anyone murder anyone else, nor have I been murdered myself at the racetrack, so there is quite a bit of exaggeration placed in the Unbridled books. And although the Unbridled books are fiction, there is a lot of truth that lies between the lines.

Another question people are always asking is: Cindy, where do you find the time to write? The answer is quite simple, I make time. I write everyday. Sometimes I feel as though I am handcuffed to my computer, but like anything else that you want to do well, writing is a commitment.

I love to write in the evenings. It is the quiet time of day, and after I have finished cleaning up dinner, I pour a glass of wine—usually a chardonnay—I never drink red, it makes me sweat. Wait a minute.  Maybe I should reconsider—the sweating might help with those love scenes that I pen.

My stories are taken from the original telescripts that I wrote for the TV drama series, Unbridled. Warner Brothers sniffed around it, but the show never got sold, so my telescripts are excellent outlines. Even with the scripts, it takes me approximately ten to eleven months to write an Unbridled story. After months of writing, rewriting, thinking, and yes banging my head off my desk the manuscript is read to upload it to my editor, right?

Whoa, not so fast—not for me anyway. This is where my writing and publishing habits may differ from other authors. This, my friends, is where patience must persevere, and sometimes that’s a mighty big order.

Okay, take a deep breath, because it's time for the marinating process to begin. Yep, that’s what I said “marinate”. You’re probably wondering if I’ve hit my head off the desk one too many times, not really. When I’ve finished a manuscript I do the same thing most authors do—I start over from the beginning and read, tweak, read, tweak, and then read and tweak some more. And after I’ve gone through this procedure several times I close the file and let it marinate.

I let the file sit for up to six weeks without opening it, without re-reading or tweaking it. But I never stop thinking about it. I keep a notepad close by to jot down thoughts during those six weeks that the manuscript is becoming juicy and succulent. It is definitely an exercise in fortitude, but hey, ya know what? It always pays off in a very big way because when I open the file to re-visit the story, I’m reading it with fresh eyes and fresh thoughts and the results are always well, fresh.

Hurrying my manuscript is never an option for me. I want to make sure that it is a story that my readers would not be able to put down. Every author has their writing rituals, for me it is contemplation. Beyond marinating my manuscripts, I usually take short breaks during the writing of a book as well. Sometimes, I will walk away from a manuscript for a week or so. If I find that I am becoming frustrated with my story, I know that it is time to take off my glasses, turn off the computer, and go for a walk or take my dog, Harvey, for a nice long run. The sunshine clears my head and it feels good to stretch my legs for a while—I was a professional dancer for twenty-six years, I need to move around a bit! But if I return to the problem pages and nothing has been resolved, then its time for a break from Unbridled for possibly a week or so. Honestly, it doesn’t take long until I’m missing my characters and I’m back in the saddle tapping at the keyboard once again.

Yes it’s true, marinating and contemplation is a long process, however I am always pleased with the outcome. I am usually able to publish two Unbridled books per year. How? Well, I am always a book ahead—sometimes two books ahead of what you are finding on Amazon.  Example: the fourth book of the Unbridled Series, Against the Ropes, will release on June 1^st. I am almost half-way through the fifth book, Shady Deals—it will be marinating by July. 

Whew!

I must admit that no dust ever settles on my computer and those handcuffs come in darn handy, too. ;}

Other posts on WWBB from Cindy McDonald:
Memories of Presque Isle
When writing romantic scenes where does one draw the line?
When reviews count for nothing.

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