My Favorite Hero

 

Who is your favorite hero? Some of mine are Edward Rochester, Rhett Butler, and Jamie Frasier. They are all so strong, capable, and exciting. When I dive into Jane Eyre, Gone with the Wind, or Outlander, I lose all sense of place and time and live in those novels. These guys are bad boys with a heart.

The male leads in those stories are larger than life. They fight for what they care about and never give up, even if they are faced with a superior force.

We love our fictional heartthrobs, but do we have to settle in real life? No.

My special hero served as a medic and saved others in a war, dedicated his career to helping homeless veterans, and married me on September 8, 1979.

He’s the most romantic man I’ve ever met. Not because he tells me he loves me, buys me a dragon’s hoard worth of jewelry, or takes me on fabulous trips. He does all those things. Yet, what makes me feel loved the most are his everyday actions.

For example, yesterday, I needed to print out my most recent book for a beta reader, but our printer ran out of ink after a few pages. We ordered more, but it didn’t arrive on time. I figured my test reader would wait a few days.

Not good enough for my leading man. He went to the attic, got out an old, nonworking printer, watched You Tube videos to learn how to fix it, worked on it for hours until he’d cleaned all the heads, and presented it to me. Together, we printed out the manuscript.

My husband does things like this for me every, single day. How could I not believe in romantic heroes or Happily Ever After? He treats me like a princess. Happy anniversary, Paul, a few days early.

Please comment and tell me about your number one hero, especially the real-life ones. This is your chance to show him how much he means to you, so go for it!

Who is Linda Tillis?

 From Country girl to Crime Scene Photographer, Linda Tillis is a woman of many talents. She designs and creates beautiful hats as well as being an awesome story teller. Welcome, Linda, and thank you for being our guest today.

1.      Linda, tell us are you a country gal or from the city? I am a country girl from the get go.  There are some who would say if you could hear my voice, you would know immediately. It’s been said that I have somewhat of a drawl. I was born in a little place called Goody, Kentucky. I remember drawing water from the well in the backyard of my grand-parents farm, and yes, they also had an outhouse. However, my mother had left the country life and moved to Cleveland, Ohio. So, I was fortunate that I had the best of both worlds as a child. I would spend summers with either my grand-parents, or my oldest aunt, who also had a farm. You may have heard the term “at the head of the holler (hollow)”? That is where my Aunt June lived, at the head of a hollow. One of my most vivid memories is standing on her porch and banging on pots when a swarm of honeybees gathered in the apple tree in her front yard. And then picking the bees out of the honey when it was gathered from the hive.  I have lived in a rural setting my entire life, only going into “town” for work or shopping.

2. You worked as a crime scene photographer and then as a 9-11

dispatcher. How many years did you work in these occupations and what drew you to them? Yes, I spent twenty years processing crime scenes for the local police department. My first eighteen years of adult, working life was spent in the garment industry. Unfortunately, the smaller factories stared fading out in the early 80’s, as the entire industry started moving overseas. By 1986 it was a dying industry in our area, so I started looking for another job. The local police department was hiring dispatchers. After a few months, there was an opening for a Crime Scene Investigator. The idea was to train civilians to do this job. They could pay less and keep the actual sworn officers on the road, plus the pay was a little higher. And so, I began what became a twenty- year career.

3. Do you draw on your law enforcement background to create the characters in your books? Please give us an example. Obviously, the thousands of crimes are always in the back of my mind when I write. For instance, in A Heart Made For Love, the heroine, Mae Hinton has a younger brother who is the “quiet, but very observant” type. He works closely with the local sheriff when one of the housemaids is murdered.  In the sequel, “A Man With A Pure Heart”, Samuel is grown and is working for the local sheriff as a Detective. In the third book my heroine is a 911 dispatcher in Greenville, Tennessee, so you could certainly say my writing has been influenced by my past working life.

4. Tell us about your current WIP, and what inspired you to write it? My current work in progress was inspired by reading so many Regency romances as a teenager. While mine is not a true regency, it does have its roots in the early 1800’s in Ireland, then England, and finishes in North Carolina. I wanted to try something set in Ireland, but the next thing I knew, my heroine was on the move, so naturally I had to follow.

Of course, my way requires so much editing and revision that you would think I would try  harder to be more organized. But I find that all the editing helps me construct a better finished product.

5. What is a genre that you have not attempted that you would like to try? To date, I have not been able to write a full-blown contemporary story. In “A Heart For All Time”, the heroine is a modern day 911 dispatcher, but soon finds herself in 1890 saving a man from hanging. I found that twenty years of processing and photographing death, and mayhem in general, made writing about those things too personal in a contemporary setting, so I chose to tell those stories in a historical context.

6. What is your writing process from conception to finished MS? Believe it or not, my books begin with one sentence. I’ll have a concept in mind, maybe a vaguely formed character. Then I’ll create a sentence in relation to the character, and that sentence is usually the opening line of the book, and the book unfolds from there. I am truly what they call a “panster”.  I do so admire, almost envy, writers who have outlines with measured chapters and such, but that just does not work for me.

7. How important do feel writing workshops are to any writer? I am a big supporter of workshops. There is nothing more exciting than getting together with a group of like-minded folks and learning something new about your craft. I have been fortunate in finding knowledgeable women who were happy to share their knowledge with a fledgling writer. I feel certain that the things I learned at those workshops saved me years of struggling to get published.

8. If you could choose one of your novels to be made into a movie which title would you choose and who would play the hero, heroine, and villain? Which state or country would you choose to have it filmed and why? This is a hard one.  Of course, I would love to see A Heart Made For Love, and the sequel, A Man With A Pure Heart on the big screen. However, I think A Heart For All Time would have greater appeal to the public considering the time travel aspect, which seems to be so popular.  I think Sarah Haskins should be played by Maggie Grace or Gal Gadot,  who have both played strong women.  The hero would need to be strong, but sensitive. Maybe Sam Worthington or Justin Timberlake might do. The true villain is only “seen” once in the book, while a couple of low-level minions carry out the dirty work in the rest, so his part could be any rough sounding actor. And of course, I would want it to be filmed in Tennessee, if possible, because it would help their economy and the mountains are just gorgeous there.

9. What advice do you have for aspiring writers? I’ve never considered myself wise enough to give advice to others. But, if I was, I would say…write. And write some more.  I read once that you should have three novels finished before you publish the first one.  Now I understand the wisdom in that concept.  If you are fortunate enough to get published, and folks actually like the book, you need to have another out within a few months to keep their attention. Not everyone can produce a book every six months, so it helps to have a couple in reserve when you start. So, write, and keep writing. A little here, a little there, a little whenever you can, and don’t think about the how and when of publishing until you have a finished product.

10. Here’s a fun question: What adventure would you like to have that you haven’t done yet if money and skill were no problem? Oh, this is an easy one. A long trip to Ireland would be my adventure. Not to the cities, but through the countryside, staying at little inns and always with my camera in hand.

11. Do you have a blog or website readers can visit for updates, events and special offers? I am in the process of building a website, but I can always be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LindaTillisAuthor/   or once a month or so, you can find me blogging at https://pendames.blogspot.com/

Loretta, I had a great time with your questions. Thanks for taking time from your busy writing schedule. (It’s my pleasure, Linda. I’ve enjoyed reading your answers.)

Okay viewers, it’s your turn. What question would you like to ask Linda? (Remember, no political, religious, or immoral questions. Keep it fun.)

 

Waxing Lachrymose:Why I Write Historicals

                                     

Poor Bridget. The world is a sad, sad place. If you look very closely, you can see one tear at the corner of her eye.  Every fiber of her being is Waxing Lachrymose. This is a term I first heard years and years ago when I read Wuthering Heights for the first time. And these odd phrases are part of the reason I write Historical Romance set in the 18th Century. I'm so lucky that this phrase originated around 1727 so I can use it.

Bridget is milking her sorrow for all it’s worth because I can't play. Someone who is Waxing Lachrymose is given to shedding tears. Even just saying it to myself with great emotion is so satisfying. 

I'm imagining different scenarios for you to use this great phrase:

You Wax Lachrymose after the boss dumps a pile of work on you.

After a disastrous football game, your son tells his teammates: “Don’t Wax Lachrymose, fellas, we’ll do better next week.”

When your air conditioner technician shows up late and it's 95 degrees outside: “Dang it! I’m going to Wax Lachrymose all over you.”

You get the idea. Imagine how much more intelligent we’d sound if we used this phrase. Instead of road rage, how about if we just roll down the window and yell, “Waxing Lachrymose at you, Sir!”

Here's another great word: Gimlet Eye. Bridget is a pro at this one.   If you give someone the Gimlet Eye, you're watching them intently, intensely, and may I add accusingly to that? In my Rhythm of the Moon series, Maggie gives Ian the gimlet eye, because he often perplexes her. But that's part of his charm. 

When your teenager stares at you as you fumble your way through a talk about sex, she is giving you the Gimlet Eye.  When she tells you she already knows all about that, you would likely give her the Gimlet Eye.

You know what else is cool? The first recorded use of this phrase is...wait for it...once again the 18th Century, but the word gimlet to describe a sharp tool originated in the 13th Century. 

I challenge you to use these phrases today in your daily life. Leave me a comment and let me know how it went. Spread the word. How would you use this word? Leave a comment. And feel free to share your favorite phrase-any century is welcome.

Let's Talk About Sex

Let’s Talk About Sex!

Did I catch your attention? Excellent.

Do you enjoy reading explicit scenes? Or do you like sweet romance with the sweaty stuff off the page? Do you like kinky, erotic, hot, mild, or chaste?

Everyone has an opinion on this. All you need to do is read a few reviews or listen to a podcast or two. The topic comes up all the time.

One of my favorite conversations about eroticism happened soon after I moved to my neighborhood in Florida where most of the residents are senior citizens. I attended a monthly luncheon held at a local restaurant with ten or fifteen ladies, all over age sixty-five.

The subject of books came up, and one asked, “Have you read Fifty Shades of Grey?”

 All the rest of the women at the table tittered. Every single one of them had read it, and most liked it.

My jaw dropped. I was the only one in the group who hadn’t read the book. I still haven’t gotten around to it because the premise doesn’t appeal to me.   

Honestly, I find most sexual descriptions don’t pass my personal cringe test. Many others are so mechanical, I’m bored to sleep. Few advance the plot or develop the characters’ relationship.

Also, I don’t like to write them. Avoiding the above traps of icky awkwardness and completely predictable “blah, blah, blah, he did this, and she did that” is, in my interpretation, one of the most difficult for a writer.

 My debut novel, Water Dreams, contains one non-explicit sensual vignette. I wrote the story the way I wanted and emphasized the sweet romance. Beta Readers demanded more sex.

So, in the next three books, I added more. I worked especially hard on those passages, and I think they turned out well.

Siren Descending was originally part of an anthology. The only rules were the stories had to involve demons or devils or both, and the content had to be spicy to erotic. I went for spicy. The provocative scenarios are unusual and edgy, though actual lovemaking occurs only a couple of times.

This month, I’m finishing my fifth book. The working title is: Witch Trial Legacy. I had a sex scene in it. When I started revising, I took it out. Why? Spiritual issues play a big role in the book. I felt the sexuality detracted from those elements, and I wanted to focus on them. I figured I could always put it back in later.

Now, I’m debating whether or not to incorporate the scene. If I don’t, some readers won’t be happy. If I do, others may be put off.

At the moment, my plan is to leave it out, but offer it to newsletter subscribers and anyone who requests it via a contact form on my website.

What do you think? Do you prefer sex on the page or behind closed doors? I’d love to hear your opinion. I know you have one, so please leave a comment and tell me.

As always, thanks so much for reading this blog. You can sign up for my newsletter and learn more about me and my paranormal romances at: http://katherineeddingersmits.weebly.com/

Everyone who joins receives a free short story exclusively for subscribers (sex scene included). Newsletters are quarterly, except for an occasional extra if I want to share big news. Each one contains a contest with a great prize too!

The Struggle is Real

If you think writing a book is easy, you’ve never tried. Or, if it is easy for you, then be grateful, very grateful!

I have been struggling for two months. Not one word written. I have two stories started, one with 10,000 words and one with 3,000 words, but I could NOT add to either. My poor husband has been a rock, putting up with moodiness, tears, and a few tantrums. And then today, he unwittingly lit the match that set fire to the whole dry period.

He is the controller of the remote in our house. Period. Mostly because I have never taken the time to learn how to work the darn thing. Anyway, he is the one who peruses the choices available to us and, for the most part, picks what movies we will watch. Last week he chose one that both of us had opted to pass over several times, for whatever reason. (He’s a big believer in “things happen for a reason”, and feels there was divine intervention in today’s choice, and who am I to argue?).

We finally watched “Finding Forrester”, with Sean Connery. There was one line in the whole movie that smacked both of us in the face. Sean Connery, as Forrester, asks a simple question.

“Why are the words we write for ourselves so much better than the ones we write for others?”

BOOM! We looked at each other and I burst into tears. I have been trying to write for others. Publishers, editors, possible future readers, etc. Not that any of those are to blame for my drought, the blame is all mine. I started thinking about my “future” career and stopped thinking about the things close to my heart. The things I know. The things that evoke happiness and pain, curiosity and adventure, satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment in my heart.

I was truly afraid that there would be no book number three for me. I mean truly afraid, as in I have not been able to sleep, eating too many carbs for comfort, feeling darn sorry for myself afraid!

But just sitting here looking at the words as they appear on my screen tells me it is going to be okay. I am a writer, and I will have book number four, and Lord willing number five, and twenty!

So. If you’ve ever thought you might want to write a book, go on, try it. Hopefully it will give you the same sense of joy and accomplishment I have felt and will continue to feel for many years to come, Lord willing. However, be prepared for mountains of self-doubt to climb, and rivers of tears to cross, because being a writer exposes your inner self to the world, and that can be very painful. But the joy of holding that finished product in your hand is indescribable. Or reading a review on Amazon and knowing that your story, that book that you wrote, has touched another person’s heart.

Anyway, I’m a storyteller. I am a writer, so I will write.

So tell me, have you thought of writing a book? I would love to know what you would write.