Pen Dames Pointers! Tips to Jazz Up Your Writing 2023-7-1

 

A passion of Pen Dames is to help other writers by sharing tips and insights we have learned along the way. We hope you will find the pointers beneficial to your writing process.

Barbara Cairns

Do you like writing historical fiction?

World building makes a historical fiction book more authentic and gives readers a reason to keep reading. Include details about daily life in the time period you’re writing about. Use only historical information that will advance your story, including places, people and events.

Jennifer Taylor

Don't wait on "the Muse." The inspiration will only appear when you sit down and start writing. Give it a try!

Flossie Benton Rogers

Use the five senses to liven your prose: sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Let the reader see how your point of view character experiences the world. It not only gives the reader external information but also provides insight into your character’s emotions and internal landscape. If she walks into an antique store, does she quickly scan for an impression of the whole and conclude it’s cramped, dusty, and cluttered with old furniture? Or do her eyes light on a coveted red velvet Victorian loveseat that only needs a brisk cleaning? When she arrives for a class reunion, does she hear the excited murmuring of old friends, a cacophony of voices, or zone in on the strident tones of her archrival? 

Some writers like to demonstrate all five senses at some point during every scene. Although you don’t have to go that far, do make sure to use a variety of sensory impressions. It will go a long way in keeping your reader interested in what’s happening, involved with your characters, and immersed in your story.

Loretta C. Rogers

Keys to Great Characterization

1. Create characters that you fall in love with.

2. Make sure your hero and heroine react sensibly and heroically to outside events.

3. Make your characters strong, but give them a few flaws to make them interesting.

4. Give your characters goals to strive for.

5. Avoid stereotypes by understanding what motivates each character.

Katherine Eddinger Smits

Write what you love! Write the books you want to read about, the characters you want to live with and through. It doesn't matter if they are sexy, young singles, mature adults with fascinating lives in spite of or because of their age, or mermaids, witches, and other fantastic creatures in fantasy worlds. If you love them, they will jump off the page and into your readers' hearts. 

Don't chase market trends. They move too fast to catch, but like a brightly lit carousel, they come around again in time, and what was passé yesterday will be tomorrow's hottest genre.

Write what you love. Write your passion and your vision. Your words are your legacy to the world. Write the ones that bring you joy.

Did these suggestions resonate with you? Let us know, and also let us know of any writing questions that you have and topics you’d like us to cover in these Pointers.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing! Cheers from the Pen Dames.

Introducing Guest Author Interviews!

Happy June to all our Pen Dames readers! We are starting a new feature this month ~ Guest Author Interviews! We're excited to introduce you to some of our favorite authors and hope you will love their books as much as we do.

Our first interview is with the fabulous Sydney Brianna, who will give away a free ebook of her novel, Druid, to one lucky reader. Just contact Sydney at one of the links listed below (Website, Facebook, etc.) and tell her you heard about Druid from the Pen Dames. She will select one commenter to receive a digital copy. Hurry! Contest closes one week from the date of this post.

Sydney writes steamy romance mixed with epic fantasy and combines contemporary times with historical eras. How can she do that? Magic, of course!

Here's the blurb for Druid:

Through his work with a protective agency of immortals, the Custodes Pacis, Cináed spent centuries looking for the heir that would deliver the world from Ragnarök. His skills as a Druid Master prepared him for everything about this mission, except one thing: finding Scarlet. The mortal who turned out to be much more than just a being with a special lineage to gods.

At forty years old, civil engineering and gardening was about as exciting as it got for Scarlet. Surprises were a thing of the past, or so she thought, until the day her new purpose came strolling through her office door. The choice was hers. Save the world without him, or watch it fall away nestled in the arms of the millennium-old Druid Master worth risking everything for.

Love, and an apocalypse. Why not?

And here's our interview with Sydney:

Pen Dames: What books were your favorites as a child?

Sydney:  I read classics, mostly. Dickens, Dumas, Austen, Poe, Shakespeare, and the like.

Pen Dames: How and when did your writing journey begin?

Sydney:  I’ve dabbled with writing over the years, but I didn’t become serious about it until I had my hysterectomy in 2018. The first couple of weeks of my recovery, I must have DNF’d (Did Not Finish) seven Romance books that I started. None of the heroines were relatable. It was a topic of discussion between me and my thirty-something reading friends prior to my surgery, but after I had the procedure, it was glaring…and irritating. I couldn’t get away from the twenty-something virgins. As a forty-year-old mother and wife, at that moment, I wanted to read about heroines like me. So, I decided to write them. I write paranormal stories, and all of my immortal characters transition in their late thirties, early forties. My characters have pasts. They are a testament to the fact that older is smart and sexy.

Pen Dames: What genre is your book? What do you like about writing in that genre?

Sydney: Paranormal Erotic Romance. 

Paranormal Romance gives me the space to explore my imagination. To create grounded characters who are relatable, yet spectacularly different. To craft a world of fantasy where one can escape the humdrum of everyday life.

 

Erotic Romance writing gives us a chance to claim sexuality and be proud of it. I love the ability to create a gateway for someone else to feel welcome without judgment in their desires to imagine scenarios that may not ever happen to them. Sex is an important part of the human experience, and Erotic Romance gives us the permission to explore love and lust openly. It’s quite freeing to write it.

Pen Dames: Is your book part of a series or a standalone? If it is part of a series, briefly describe the series. 

Sydney: Druid is part of the Custodes Pacis series, which is Latin for Guardians of Peace. The series follows a team of seven immortal warriors from different cultures, races, and time periods. They are a special team working against the destruction of Earth’s inhabitants from different religious apocalypses. 

While the fantasy plot unfolds for our paranormal characters, each book also highlights a different love story, with Druid focusing on Cináed and Scarlet. 

All of my lovers vary in appearance, species, and origins. Scarlet represents a thick, forty-something mother whose son has moved on to college. She is a successful, professional divorcee, who has thick thighs, and yes, had a hysterectomy; and our millennium-year-old Scottish Druid warrior can’t get enough of her. 

Each book features a smart, strong, and relatable bad-ass heroine.

Pen Dames: What writing projects do you have on the horizon?

Sydney: I have published two of the seven books in this series, with the third coming on July 31, 2023. My goal is to publish one every three months until July 2024. Beyond that, I have notes logged for three standalone books.

How to find Sydney:

 Sydney Brianna Website

 Sydney Brianna Facebook

 Sydney Brianna Instagram   

  Amazon Author Page

 Tiktok: @sydwritessmut   

Druid on Amazon

Druid on Google Play

Druid Universal Book Link

The Pen Dames are five author friends who love each other’s work and admire and respect one another. We are enthusiastic about many things, including books, reading, and YOU—our readers.

Pen Dames Pointers! Tips to Jazz Up Your Writing 2023-5-9

 

A passion of Pen Dames is to help other writers by sharing tips and insights we have learned along the way. We hope you will find the pointers beneficial. 

Kathy Eddinger Smits

Join a writer's group--no matter what stage of the writing journey you are on, a writer's group will provide you with education, support, networking, and opportunities. It doesn't matter if the group is in person or on-line, genre specific or open to all types of writers, mostly beginners or mostly experienced. You have something to offer and they will have  a lot to give.

Barbara Cairns

Know that most writers have self-doubts, even experienced writers and published authors. Don't wait for the doubts to disappear. WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, despite any doubts. Remember, you are a writer!

Jennifer Taylor

Life is chaotic. Stuff happens--a lot! Are you feeling like you never have time to write? It's a fairly safe bet that everyone has 15 minutes in their day--or their night--to sit down and work on their story. Give it a whirl: set the timer for 15 minutes, and get started. Don't worry about what's going on paper--we're not talking about perfection. You may be amazed at what transpires during that time, but what's important is that you're building a habit by sitting down and getting started. Every day. Fifteen minutes. And you might just keep writing after the time is up.

Flossie Benton Rogers

A common writing trap is to complete a portion of a book and endlessly tweak it to make it better, rather than moving on and finishing the story. Sometimes the tweaking is because you want the story to be perfect. Sometimes it’s because you don’t know what comes next and don’t want to face the abyss of the blank page. In that case, jotting down freestyle notes and doodles about your story can help free up creative ideas. Then move on to your writing station. Finish the story! Readers are waiting for it.

Loretta C. Rogers

Whenever you find yourself with a new story idea, the first thing you should do is write it down (or type it out). It doesn't need to read well, or even to make sense! Just get all your thoughts about the idea on paper. The more aspects of the idea you have jotted down to work with, the better. You won't use everything you've written, but you never know where each random thought and tangent might lead, so don't hold back. Lastly, be sure to save this story idea in a folder to be worked on later.

Did any of these suggestions resonate with you? Let us know.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy writing! Cheers from the Pen Dames.

Pen Dames Pointers! Tips to Jazz Up Your Writing

 

A goal of Pen Dames is to help other writers by sharing some of the tips and insights we have learned along the way. We hope you will find the pointers beneficial. 

Loretta C. Rogers

Write what you love. By writing what you love, you will always write stories that are powerful and that mean something to you. Your energy and love will then become evident to readers.

Kathy Eddinger Smits

Make a firm commitment to yourself that you will complete at least a first draft of whatever project you begin no matter how awful you think it is, because at some point, you WILL think it is horrible and want to quit. Don't quit! Every author doubts every project sometime during the process. Published authors are the ones who don't let that stop them.

Barbara Cairns

Write to inform and to inspire! Help readers to enjoy learning while enjoying a good story.

 

Jennifer Taylor

A great first step to developing your novel is to write in a journal-consistently-whether it's a mere ten minutes a day or an hour. You can write about anything--issues you're experiencing in your life, or any story ideas that pop up at random. You can puzzle out your story issues. The important thing is to let your mind wander. Write it down, no matter how far-fetched or crazy your idea is. I can't tell you how much a journal has helped me write my books. Amazing things pop into your head once you put your pen to paper. Basically, you're talking to yourself, whether you choose to do it on your computer, phone, or on your favorite notebook. And it's a great way to give yourself a pep talk when you need it most. You can do this. 

Flossie Benton Rogers

Be flexible with your writing process. What worked best at one time in your life or with one genre or book may now need a tweak. Do you write your rough draft and then edit? Do you write a day’s worth and start the next day by editing before moving on to new words? Do you write sequentially or skip around? Do you write the end before the middle? Start with what feels natural and try new ways if needed.

What do you think of these suggestions?

Thank you for joining us. Happy writing!

Pen Dames Shamrock Shenanigans!

 

Have you ever seen a Leprechaun? If you wanted to catch one, what would you use as bait? How would you build your trap? Do you like reading about crafty characters?

This month we want to tell you about some of our trickster characters, and we’re offering a fantastic giveaway for a bag of swag and gifts.

 

GIVEAWAY RULES

 

1.      To enter, comment on this St. Patrick’s Day blog post.

2.      You may comment once a day during the Giveaway period, March 13 - 17, 2023.

3.      Comments on social media are appreciated but will not count for the Giveaway.

4.      The entrant with the most blog comments wins.

5.      In the event of a tie, the winner will be selected at random from among those tied.

6.      Winner must supply name and mailing address before April 1^st for Swag to be mailed.

7.      No obscene or offensive comments please.

8.      Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

9.      Prizes consist of promotional author Swag and gifts from Pen Dames.

10  Giveaway is administered, endorsed, and sponsored solely by Pen Dames. No other entity is associated or responsible.

 

                                                                            

St. Patrick’s Day is one of our favorite holidays! Dressing in green to avoid getting pinched, marching in and watching parades, decorating with shamrocks, even drinking emerald tinted beer make the day festive.

Parents can involve children in the celebration by telling them stories about Leprechauns and helping them make a trap for one.

Legend says that if you can snare one, these supernatural entities will give you three wishes to win their freedom. That sounds like a dream come true, but you have to be careful. If you’re greedy and ask for too much, or if you aren’t vigilant, the imp will outsmart you and get away without granting your wish or twist it so what you get is not what you thought.

Instructions for how to do this say to construct a deadfall using a box baited with something the creature would love which will collapse when the little guy goes after the prize and prevent him from escaping. A child could make a cute snare using a graham cracker with a straight pretzel stuck in a marshmallow to hold up the cracker and Lucky Charms cereal as an enticement.

After the children create the snare and go to bed, parents scatter paper clover, tiny moss-colored footprints, and other “evidence” an elf came to visit. The next morning, the trap will be sprung; the treat gone. In return, the escapee leaves something for the child such as coins made of chocolate and covered with gold paper or a small toy. After all, fairy folk love children.

When it comes to adults, Leprechauns are tricksters. Reputed to be descended from fairies and demons, they have both light and dark sides. They are devious.

In fiction, such untrustworthy characters can be the most interesting and memorable whether they are supernatural or humans who mislead or deceive others.

Though all Leprechauns are male (probably the reason they look cranky), scheming and deceitful types in novels may be either gender.

We love incorporating them in our books!

In Loretta C. Rogers’ book, Cloud Woman’s Spirit, after Tessa Cloud Woman Sawyer is murdered, she refuses to cross over to the happy place in the sky until she leads her husband to the men that killed her. Tessa is a jealous spirit. When a young woman flirts with Jim, Tessa causes a wind to kick up, and embers from the campfire catch the hem of the young woman’s dress on fire. Those watching swear that the wisp of smoke looks just like a Comanche woman.

 

Katherine Eddinger Smits’ Water Dreams features Deme. She lies, pulls practical jokes on her brother Bas, and teases him. When she first meets the heroine, Nik, Deme claims she is a long-distance swimmer whose goal is swimming from Florida to Cuba. Deme has her flaws, but she isn’t a bad person. She just doesn’t quite understand the importance of the truth, and she wants to have fun even at someone else’s expense. Since she is a mermaid, open-water swimming is like strolling in the back yard to her. She doesn’t understand the idea horrifies Nik who has a phobia about water!

 

Mind Your Goddess by Flossie Benton Rogers is the story of how the dark guardian Eshigel searches for traces of his missing lover, the goddess Epona. He meets Mad Magda, an elderly elfin gypsy who jumps square on his back, knocking him down, when he intrudes upon the ancient oak that is her home. Once she knows that he cares for Epona, however, she gives him helpful information. She is a Janus, a magical creature who can appear as a cunning, crotchety old woman or a youthful, powerful Time Fae.

We hope you enjoyed reading about our magical and crafty characters!

                                                                               

Here’s what we will gift one winner (Don’t worry, we won’t prank you. We just write about tricksters who might.)

Small Notebooks including a gorgeous peacock-themed decorated notebook

Mirror

Book Bag

Bookmarks

Large Clip

Magnet

Pens, including a sparkly crystal pen

Can Cozy

Zippered Mermaid-themed Bag

Fancy Peacock-themed Egyptian Cotton Scented Soap

 

 

 

Don’t miss out! Comment today! #pendames #pendameswrite

                                                                         

Barbara Cairns Author Interview - Part II

 

Yesterday we met a new Pen Dame, multi-talented author Barbara Cairns, and learned about her background and motivation for her books. Now we continue with Part II of the interview.

What is the setting of the book you're working on? Please describe it.

My current middle grade novel, Jacob Joins the Cow Cavalry, is set in Florida during the Civil War and tells the story of a little-known unit called the Cow Cavalry, which lasted only a year but was instrumental in getting much-needed beef to the Confederate soldiers.

Why did you choose this setting? Is it a real place or did you create it for the story?

It’s set in Homosassa, FL, which in the 1860s was a part of Hernando County where the Cattle Battalion was originated. 

Is your book part of a series or a standalone?

This will be a standalone book.

Which of your main characters is your favorite and why?

Jacob Donner, a 15-year-old farm boy is determined to leave home and to help the Confederacy. (I never thought about it before but perhaps it’s because I was once determined to leave home and to help others far away.) LOL

If you could spend an afternoon with any of your secondary characters, who would it be and why?

It might be interesting to spend an afternoon with Mrs. Matherson to learn about the multitude of feelings she must have had when she learned about her husband switching sides to the Union Army.

What writing projects do you have on the horizon?

I’m concentrating on Jacob Joins the Cow Cavalry now, and hope to get the book published in time for Christmas book signing events. 

What is your best advice for aspiring writers?

Read as many tips from other published authors as you can and then act upon them in your own writing. 

What is your favorite book marketing tip?

Unfortunately, I’m not good at marketing my books online, but I do enjoy talking to readers and selling my books at book signing events. 

What do you like to do when not writing?

I’m a very active person and maintain a busy schedule with volunteering (over 20 years)  at the wildlife park, where I provide enrichment for wildlife and also act as docent in the Discovery Center; volunteering for United Way as a tutor for preschoolers (past three years); reading a variety of books for my book club; spending time with two different sets of friends for monthly birthday celebrations; attending monthly meetings for Citrus Writers; belonging to a talented group of bloggers called the Pen Dames; enjoying my birds and squirrels at all my bird feeders, playing Up Words and Kings' Corners card game with a dear friend, and traveling to far-away places. (Alaska in August, and Bermuda/Bahamas in September last year, with plans this year, for British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts & Nevis and San Juan, Puerto Rico in July, and the Canadian Rockies Railroad Trip in September. 

As well as on the Pen Dames blog, find Barbara at the following locations:

Website

Amazon

Facebook

Barbara, it has been so interesting to learn about you, your books, and your many activities. I know readers will enjoy interacting with you online and at your events and book signings.  Thank you for spending time with us!

Readers, do you have questions for Barbara? (no politics, religion, or impropriety please)

Barbara Cairns Author Interview - Part I

 

It is my privilege to introduce author and newest member of the Pen Dames, the fabulous Barbara Cairns! Barbara's zest for life shines through in everything she does, and I appreciate her taking time from her busy schedule to tell us about herself and her writing. This is Part I of the interview, with more to come tomorrow. Welcome to Pen Dames, Barbara!

What can you tell us about YOU that will allow us to get to know you better—where you live, your background, jobs, interests, etc.?

Born in a farmhouse in Pomfret, CT, I later moved with my family to Hampton, CT where I grew up surrounded by dairy farms. This typical New England village of 1500 residents had three churches, a well-attended library, a general store, a firehouse, and a barbershop, but when the barber died, he was never replaced, so folks traveled 12 miles for a haircut. I attended one-room schoolhouses until the 8th grade when the new consolidated school was built in 1950; there were six in my graduating class, including my cousin George.

My younger sister, Violet, and I always had lots of pets, including not only the usual cats, dogs, rabbits, goats, and birds but also three deer, a raccoon, a grey squirrel and three flying squirrels. I followed in my dad’s footsteps and became an avid animal lover.

I taught Sunday School in the little Baptist church in the valley and eventually became the superintendent while still attending high school. The pastor encouraged me to become a teacher, (rather than a veterinarian) and after graduating from Windham H.S. in 1955, I entered Willimantic State Teachers College where I received my B.A. degree. (That college is now Eastern Connecticut State University.)

Always wanting to travel, I spent my first seven years of teaching in Seattle, WA after receiving a scholarship to get my M.A. from Lexington School for the Deaf and Columbia University in NYC. My future in teaching took me overseas with the Department of Defense Schools in Labrador, Canada, Bamberg, Germany (where I met my Englishman husband at a beer fest), and the Canal Zone, Panama, where I became an elementary school principal. 

Following 30 years of living overseas, I returned to the U.S. and retired in Homosassa, FL where I volunteer at the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and for United Way as a Reading Pal for preschoolers, getting them ready for kindergarten.

 

What was your favorite book as a child?

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

How and when did your writing journey begin?

I’ve always enjoyed telling or writing stories. My mother told me I had a vivid imagination.

What genres do you write? What do you like about writing in those genres?

My muse takes me in all directions. I don’t write in any one genre, so my books include picture books, middle grade novels, adult fiction and historical novels. I love it when I get excited about a new story idea, preferably one that involves research so I can educate folks along the way.

What inspires you to write?

I get inspired in a variety of ways. When I heard that art had been taken out of some elementary schools, I wrote a series of picture books about a crazy art gallery cat, Gatsby, that jumps into famous paintings, with resources at the end, so children could learn more about art. When I painted a picture of a Cracker Cow, I wondered, What is a Cracker Cow? And after researching, the end result was a history of Florida based on the cattle industry. When a social worker told me that most of her cases involved drugs or alcohol, I wrote Kate’s Secret, a middle grade novel where three siblings are dealing with an alcoholic father, again with resources at the end. Sometimes, it’s just a desire to write a story set in a special place, like a favorite of mine, Maine. 

Which authors/books are on your keeper shelves?

Anything written by Penny Vincenzi or other authors who write multi-generational books . . . The more characters, the better for me, with a good story line.

If you could meet any author, living or dead, who would it be and why?

I’ve visited her home at Cross Creek, but it would have been a wonderful experience to have actually met Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. (I once won a writing contest where I compared my Bambi back home to her fawn in The Yearling.) How fun it would have been to talk about our animal experiences together.

Barbara, this has been a wonderful introduction. I know our readers enjoyed meeting you and learning about your books and passion to write. Thanks so much for taking time to answer our questions. I look forward to hearing more from you and especially learning about what you are working on now.

Readers, stay tuned for Part II of our interview with Barbara tomorrow and the chance to ask questions of your own. In addition to the Pen Dames blog, you can also find her at the following places:

Website 

Amazon 

Facebook