Fired up...again

Many authors across the web are participating in what is termed NaNoWri ... National Novel Writing Month. The goal: to write 50k -- the size of a small book or the start of a longer one -- in one month.

If you've ever written a novel, you can probably understand why some of us look at that goal and laugh nervously. Writing is not for sissies. Pushing yourself to write 50k in one month is somewhat masochistic. You can either fly or crash and burn. Hopefully most will at least wind up somewhere in between.

While I haven't been officially participating, seeing others post their goals and accomplishments has given me an incentive I've sorely needed to get seriously writing again. To treat it as a job, instead of a hobby seems to be the most important step for me, personally.

No, my word count isn't impressive, but my motivation is still strong. Just have to get into the groove with my new part-time job, and wait for myself and the family to recover from the recent bout of illness that's knocked us all on our butts.

The other bit of motivation I've had recently has been the wonderful review DREAM WALK received from Romantic Times magazine. I'm pleased to say that the novel was rated with 4 Stars by the reviewer. Here's a bit of her praise:

"Readers looking for a great new paranormal series need look no further. Allison
opens up a whole new world with her sensational Sentinels series." —Gail Pruszkowski

Yay! This is my first RT review and I'm hoping it will encourage readers to pick up a copy and give The Sentinels a chance. Besides, it's just so wonderful when someone appreciates what you've created. This alone fires me up to finish that second book. Hang on folks, it's coming!

So what helps motivate you when you've lost some of your spark?

Archetype or stereotype?

I've loved all the recent posts on Shades of Suspense. Particularly the last regarding archetypes. It really got me thinking, which may or may not be a good thing. ;)

My main concern as a writer: How do I effectively use an archetype without it becoming a stereotype?

Just so we're all on the same page, here's how Dictionary.com defines the word stereotype:

noun

1. a process... for making metal printing plates by taking a mold of composed type or the like in papier-mâché or other material and then taking from this mold a cast in type metal.

2 & 3 are more of the same and then we reach...

4. Sociology. a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group...

I suppose that, by this last definition, it is possible to turn any one of our standard character archetypes into stereotypes. It depends largely on the writer ... and perhaps the reader, as to what type of characters catch on. For many years the most popular archetype -- at least in category romance -- seemed to be the beautiful, virginal, sweet and naive heroine.

Let's take one of the heroine archetypes for an example: The Boss. Now how many of you have either read a book or seen a movie/tv show with a female boss character? Many times that character is depicted as the power-hungry witch who cares for no one. So, in that sense, an archetype becomes a stereotype.

Any romance lover knows, however, that her personality is going to have to soften or change completely before we can dub The Boss as the heroine of the piece. After all, not many of us cheer for the corporate raider who grinds her stilettos into anyone who gets in the way. See? Stereotyped, all the way. ;) We do cheer for the underdog secretary or the quiet mouse in the steno pool. Ummm... do they even have steno pools anymore?

Ah, but I digress.

It's obvious that few of us are any of those archetypes in whole. We all have different faucets to our personalities. Sometimes we just might be that Boss Lady with attitude; at others, we are the nurturers who take care of others because their trials bring out our soft sides. We can be any and all of these women -- and so should our characters if we want them to be three-dimensional.

Now this thought-process has been with me for a while as I climb my way back up from the bottom of one rejection and fight to finish another book. My thanks to Jerri Drennen for actually putting it all out there at SOS for me to see and ponder anew. :)

I've been contemplating the whole idea of character because I worry that my characters are bordering on stereotyped status. Am I re-writing the same hero and heroine over and over? What about my villains? A simple change of name, nationality or hair color will not do the trick.

There is nothing more riveting than a story with three-dimensional beings at center stage. THOSE are the stories I want to write. I want a heroine to whom I can relate on some level. I want a hero with whom I can fall in love. I want a villain who I can curse ... and yet, one that draws a bit of sympathy from me, as well. The latter isn't an easy thing to create.

I think the most difficult character I've written to-date has been the sister of my DREAM WALK heroine. At first she seemed to simply be the bitch who did nothing but party and sleep around -- and in the beginning of the story, in the beginning of my thought process, she was exactly that. But then I kept writing... and I let the characters speak to me.

I wondered: "Why is she like this? What made her so different from her sister?"

She told me. In a writing session where the words poured like a waterfall, she helped me understand her rather complex personality. And so I began to actually like that character a bit more. She softened right before my eyes. It was an amazing experience.

Will she ever be the heroine, herself? Not sure. I still have issues with her, personally. ;) But at least I know she's not a one-dimensional party-girl secondary anymore. She became much more sympathetic, at least in my eyes.

So maybe I do know the secret of keeping those characters from becoming stereotypes, after all! Just put your hands on the keyboard... and listen. ;)

Obsessively counting words

"Let him that would move the world, first move himself." ~Socrates

Believe me, I am trying. ;)

I'm in the middle of my next novel, another paranormal romance, and the writing isn't going as quickly as I'd like. After each session, I found myself checking the word count. It's adding up...slowly. Very slowly.

It's not that I need a particular number of words. I just know what the minimum count has been for my other novels. DREAM WALK was the longest I've had published to-date -- over 95k words. This novel needs to be at least 85k for it to be complete. You get a feel for these things after you've written a few stories from beginning to end. ;)

But lately I haven't been able to get into my writing zone. That means the words are coming at a snail's pace when I need to be working more along the lines of a cheetah. Well, I suppose I should be glad my episode of writer's block is over. Just have to keep things moving along.

Spotlight

My good friend, writer Laura Hamby, cast the spotlight on DREAM WALK a while ago. Come check it out.

It's good to have friends. :)

Hot off the presses!

The print edition of DREAM WALK is available beginning today!

You can order it at your favorite on-line bookseller, or try any of these links: My Bookstore and More; BooksAMillion.com; Powells.com; Amazon.com.

If you'd rather, you can also ask your local brick-and-mortar store to order a copy. :)

“Dream Walk” by Meg Allison

Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-1-60504-317-3
Length: 288 Pages

Some nightmares are deadly real.

The Sentinels, Book 1

Camille Bryant is a gifted medium being slowly driven insane by terrifying dreams. When she is forced to accept help from a Sentinel—a mysterious warrior of her race—her comfort zone is quickly invaded. Try as she might, she can’t seem to stop the erotic visions that fill her mind when her rescuer is near.

Ian Spain is a dream walker who’s been assigned to banish the dream demon from Camille’s restless nights. But complications quickly ensue. This is no ordinary demon and Camille is no ordinary woman: both are far stronger than anyone realizes. So strong, Ian suddenly isn’t sure he has the power to vanquish her demon—not when his own hound his every step.

Their passion ignites even as the body count rises and their courage is put to the test in a battle as old as time. Winner takes all.

Warning: Scenes of leather-clad hero may induce spontaneous drooling, erotic fantasies, and unfair comparisons to spouse or significant other.

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

A glimpse of a hero:

Chapter One

Savannah
Present day

Camille jerked awake, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. Images from the nightmare hovered like nebulous ghosts in her mind. Long damp strands of hair stuck to her face, the thin cotton nightshirt clung to her skin. Kicking off the sheet, she swung her feet to the floor and took a deep breath.

Nightmare. More like night terror. She’d had them as a young girl—moments of absolute horror that had her seeing things crawling up the dark, empty walls. Camille remembered little except the transparent images superimposed on the real world, and her mother’s soothing voice.

She clicked on the bedside lamp. Her shoulders drooped with defeat as she glanced at the clock. Five in the morning. She hadn’t gone to bed until two. With a heavy sigh, she rose and crossed to the adjoining bathroom. She stripped off the sweat-soaked garment and climbed into the shower.

Over the past four months, she had relived the same terrifying visions with the same conclusion. Camille had all but lost her ability to sleep. Lack of sleep made it hard to think, let alone write. Work suffered, not to mention her sanity which hung by a thread.

“He’s coming.”

She jerked her head up from beneath the hot drizzle and glanced around at the swirling steam. With a sigh of relief, she shook her head.

“Don’t scare me like that,” she whispered.

“No worries, child.”

She closed her eyes as a warm, peaceful wave filled her from head to toe. Her guide, her spirit mentor, was the only man she trusted. The only man she’d let close since her nineteenth birthday over ten years ago.

As she allowed the blank screen in her mind to change, colors swirled like a kaleidoscope. An image formed of shoulder-length dark hair pulled back from a bronzed face. The features sharpened to reveal eyes as dark as pitch, a straight nose, heavy brow and full mouth. Camille’s breath caught. He was beautiful and frightening all at once. This man would help her overcome evil? He looked like a warrior or a fallen angel, not a savior.

~~~~~~~

~~Meg


Indulge your senses...
http://www.megallisonauthor.com

Dream Walk in PRINT!

I just found out that DREAM WALK will be available in print this coming week -- Tuesday, July 7th.

It's available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com and will be available at My Bookstore and More starting July 7th.






Book Two of the Sentinels series is currently in the hands of my wonderful editor. I'm hoping this version will pass the test -- but time will tell. Meanwhile, I'm hard at work on Book Three, At Second Sight, which features one of the secondary characters of DREAM WALK as its heroine. More about that over the next few weeks.

Here's a sneak peek at DREAM WALK:

A knock made her jump. She stared at the closed bedroom door, heart pounding as she wondered who else could possibly be up this early? The sun had barely risen.

“Camille?”

She let out a deep breath as Ian’s voice reached through the barrier.

“I need to speak with you.”

She bit her lip. Maybe she could pretend…

“I know you’re there,” he said as if he could read her mind. “Open up.”

She slid off the lock and opened the door. His presence filled her room even as he stood in the hallway, gazing down at her with those midnight-black eyes. A woman could sink into those eyes and gladly drift away toward the promises lingering in the shadows. But she had always been afraid of the dark.

He searched her face like a seer divining tea leaves. From the way his jaw clenched, he didn’t like the revelations. He stared at her a moment and it seemed as if she could feel his mind reaching into hers—seeking the truth. She blinked in surprise. Did he have a psychic gift as well? He gave her a half-smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I need access to your website. I want to see if my tech boys can trace any of the threatening messages.”

“You can use the computer in the study downstairs, but I deleted them all a long time ago.”

“I imagine they’ll hit a brick wall, but it’s worth a try. I need something to occupy my time while you’re writing.”

“All right, I’ll be here if you need anything else.”

“What’s your password? They’ll need it to access the site as the administrator.”

She hesitated for a moment—not because she was giving him admittance to another portion of her life, but because she was afraid. Would he laugh? Judge?

“Beatrix Potter.”

He frowned. “Excuse me?”

“The password is Beatrix Potter.” She sighed when he continued to stare. “She wrote children’s stories about animals. Peter Rabbit?”

He held up a hand. “Yes, I know who she is. I was once a child myself, believe it or not.” This time the smile lifted the corners of his dark eyes where it glittered like stars in the deep-night sky. “You continue to amaze me. You aren’t anything like what I expected.”

“Oh, and what did you expect?”

His smile broadened to a full-fledged grin. Her heart skipped a beat and then raced like a jackrabbit fleeing a wolf. God. He’s beautiful.

“Well, honestly, I expected someone more like Ophelia.” He winked and turned away.
~~~~

Indulge your senses...
www.megallisonauthor.com

A rose by any other name...

Could be a whole different kind of flower. ;)

Today I'm thinking about words. Note that I'm in editing and revision stage with book two -- SHATTERED (previously titled: Broken). My dear, intelligent editor didn't care for the first version. I understood her objections, asked if I could revise and resubmit with them in mind. She agreed. And such is the way you deal with that.

Of course, she could still hate it when I'm done, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. (Typing with crossed fingers is really difficult, btw.) ;)

But I digress... Revisions often mean I'm looking for new ways to say the same thing again and again. I hate repetitious words. Readers do, as well. If you use a word too often in the space of a page or two -- or use a very unfamiliar word -- it can 'bump' them out of the story. As a writer, you need to keep them reading long into the night. You don't want to give them any reason to put that book down. And therefore you need to smooth the bumps wherever possible. Think of yourself as a one-person road crew.

So, out come the handy dandy Thesaurus. Of course you can use the one built into your word program or one on the Internet. It's your call. But it's one of the better tools in a writer's arsenal.

We'll discuss other must-have books in a later post.

However, inside your thesaurus, make a note to yourself. It should say something like this: USE WITH CARE. You see, not all synonyms are created equal. Let's take the word "rose", since I titled this post with it to get your attention. ;) Thesaurus.com lists possibilities as: flush, blush, pink, red, rosette, rouge.

Could you use any of these in place of the word? Um, probably not...unless you are referring to the color. If you're talking about the flower itself, you're limited. This isn't the best example, really, but the point I'm trying to make is that synonyms don't always have the exact meaning of the word you started with. They are close-to OR similar to. NOT exact...at least, not always.

I was talking with a dear friend who line-edits part time. She mentioned a story she was working on (without telling me the title or author's name) in which it was obvious the writer used her handy thesaurus at every turn. Unfortunately, the words she picked didn't always mean what she thought they meant.

Now here's where another important writing tool comes into play: the Dictionary. If you're in doubt, look it up. This is not the editor's job, it's yours. Many editors will just send a polite rejection letter instead of even trying to fix copy with a lot of errors.

Also, remember I said unusual words will bump a reader? There are times when even the best synonym just doesn't work. For example, I have a really hard time writing scenes where a door is involved. Sounds dumb? Think about it.

Here's a very short example from my latest novel, DREAM WALK:

"The bundle of towels held like a shield, she walked the long
yards to her bodyguard’s room. For a moment, she simply
listened before tapping lightly on the door. Silence. She
frowned. Perhaps he had gone back to his car for something?

She knocked louder. Nothing. With a shrug, she opened the
door and stepped inside. It would be better to leave the linens
on the bed and scoot out again. Without pinpointing the reason,
she knew it wasn’t wise to risk another confrontation so soon."

Normally I would cringe at the use of the same noun twice in such a short space. But with 'door', I've found my options are limited. Any other term draws too much attention. Here are some possibilities: aperture, egress, entry, entryway, exit, gate, gateway, hatch, hatchway, ingress, opening, portal, postern, slammer.

Um, yeah. I don't talk like that. Do you? IF you do, great, use the word that sounds natural -- to you and to your characters. But in my world of limited vocabulary skills, a door is a door is a door. ;) Of course, in other instances, the words like "exit; entry; gate; or opening" would work, but not in these two paragraphs.

Now that you've gotten some of your story written, you have permission to go back and edit a bit. ;) Start by making sure your word choices are the best for the story. Do the words flow? Do you have to stop and think about what a word means or how to pronounce it? If so, then maybe you need to consider a change. Of course the real test comes when you get a beta-reader, aka critique partner, to look over your stuff.

But the words you choose are vital: They set the tone of your story. The words you tend to use are also a part of what we call your "voice". Every artist has a style -- and so do writers. The trick is to let yours be heard.

So open your document; grab a thesaurus and carefully... very carefully check for those pesky repetitious words. I will say, however, that it might be better to completely re-write a sentence or paragraph or MORE rather than use an iffy synonym.

Each writer's tool is important... and each should be handled with care.

eBook of the Month!

DREAM WALK has been voted April's eBook-of-the-Month at Jennifer's Random Musings!
This is really a great honor and thrill. :)

Now if the weather would only warm up, my week would be complete. ;)

Book of the Month

DREAM WALK has been nominated as April's Book-of-the-Month at Jennifer's Random Musings. It was a lovely surprise -- many thanks to whoever nominated it. :)

All the nominees are listed; polls for both the e-books and print books are down the page at the right.


**NOTE: My website is undergoing some construction and is temporarily unavailable. I'll let you know when it's back up and running.**

Five nymphs!

The first review for DREAM WALK has been posted -- and it's wonderful! I'm so thrilled the reviewer enjoyed the book. :)

Title: Dream Walk
Author: Meg Allison
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Publisher URL: http://samhainpublishing.com/
ISBN: 1-60504-191-2
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Nymph Rating: 5 Nymphs
Literary Nymph Reviewer: Mystical Nymph

"It’s always a pleasure when an author manages to grab my attention in the first pages of a book and keeps it until the end. That’s exactly what Ms. Allison did with her latest release, Dream Walk. It’s the first in her new series, The Sentinels and if this intricately plotted and crafted book is any indication, the readers of this new contemporary paranormal romance series are in for an awesome ride."

READ the ENTIRE review ... it really made my week! (GGGG)

Free story

My short holiday story is now up and available for download. It's a sweet, somewhat ghostly tale -- and a sequel of sorts to DREAM WALK.

I hope you enjoy Spirits of Christmas. :)

Best Seller!

I am so thrilled to announce that DREAM WALK is now #8 on the Best Sellers list at My Bookstore and More -- Samhain's official distributor of digital and print books. :)

This is my very first 'best seller'. (GGGGG) Thanks to everyone who has downloaded a copy...and if you haven't, yet, what are you waiting for? ;)

My Bookstore and More Best Seller List (for December 8th)

1. Bound By Love by T. A. Chase

2. Seducing Jane Porter by Dominique Adair

3. About a Dragon by G. A. Aiken

4. Cat of a Different Color by Dana Marie Bell

5. Devil's on Horseback - Zeke by Beth Williamson

6. Going For It by Elle Kennedy

7. By the Book by N. J. Walters

8. Dream Walk by Meg Allison

9. Rough, Raw and Ready by Lorelei James

10. Not in Kansas by R. G. Alexander

Dream Walk released!

Dream Walk is now available!

Come check it out!

Back to the grind

BROKEN is done and submitted. I'm really proud of myself, actually. This is the shortest length of time I've taken to write a full-length novel -- a little over 94k in around five-six months. I had hoped to finish more quickly, but it is a personal best, and one I hope to improve on for book three.

But after working non-stop on BROKEN, and dealing with personal issues, my brain was pretty well-done. Fried. I needed a respite.

Now my little break is over. I've done some reading, some goofing off in front of the idiot box (aka television), and have managed to get rather bored with it already. So my muse is telling me it's time to get back to work. Just as well since I have characters demanding their stories be written.

In the past I have found the best way to 'forget' about a submission is to jump right into the next project. At this time, there are two projects calling to me. One is a paranormal novella, working title: INTO THE RUSH. It's a bit different from my current series and para world, but I really like the characters and their situation.

Then there's that third Sentinels story, AT SECOND SIGHT. This one follows one of my DREAM WALK secondaries into a little danger and romance of her own. The poor girl needs both, believe me. She's been alone and bored for far too long. ;)

Change of plans

I'm a little bit bummed at the moment. My wonderful editor and her boss decided it would be best to give DREAM WALK one more line edit before setting it in stone. Or, um, pixels?

So, the upshot is my release date is now pending. I'll post the new date as soon as I know it myself.

No worries, I'd rather take a little more time than worry we might have missed a typo here or continuity issue there. Better safe than sorry -- and better to produce the best book possible. :)

In the meantime, you can still read two excerpts ... I suppose I should label them "unedited" at this point, but I don't think those portions of the book changed since the last run-through.

Check out my website for more info.

Do you want it? Do you really? ;)

Dream Walk will be released in two weeks. You can now read TWO excerpts! One on my website, the other excerpt on Samhain Publishing's website. Enjoy!

It's up!

So? What do you think? (GGGGG)

Cover envy

I've been given a cover for DREAM WALK, my September 9th release from Samhain Publishing Ltd.

The cover is gorgeous! The hero is perfect -- the background almost exactly what I imagined. Suffice to say, I LOVE IT! But I can't share it yet. (pout) Samhain has this rule about not sharing or posting your cover before the boss okay's it. It's a great policy -- one I totally support. However...I really, REALLY want to post this cover anywhere and everywhere I can!

But I can wait. Heck, it took me this long to get the story done... But as soon as I'm allowed to, I'm sharing its lovely face with the world! ;)

Writing contest!

Romance Junkies is having its annual Writing Contest. I was bored and managed to talk myself into entering. Twice. Oy!

Anyhow, the first entry is up this week. Title: DREAM WALK. Yes, I used another name because that's what they ask us published folks to do. LOL! If you have a chance, drop by and read the entries and VOTE!