Between Now & Never by Laura Johnston

Contemporary YA Clean Romance

Now available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kensington Publishing, Kobo, and other online retailers.

A convict’s daughter should never fall for an FBI agent’s son, certainly not a feisty teenager like Julianna Schultz who is furious over her mother’s incarceration and the injustice of it all. But that’s exactly what seventeen-year-old Julianna finds herself doing when Cody Rush, the cocky son of the FBI agent who put her mom behind bars, moves into her hometown of Gilbert, Arizona.

Cody Rush—studious, principled, athletic, good looking and blond to boot—is everything Julianna hates, or so she thinks. Yet a series of ill-fated events one night brings them dangerously close, entangling the futures of two people who were never meant to be…

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS

Excerpt—Photo Booth

JULIANNA

We listen to the monotone voice reel off instructions. Four pictures. A light will flash before each picture is taken. Etcetera. How I ended up in this position I’m not sure. We both sit, staring at our reflections on the dark plastic and, no doubt, both stuck on the same thought that crosses everyone’s mind when they’re on this seat.

“Quick,” I say, “what should we do?”

A flash of light. Picture one down. Both of our mouths were hanging open, blank stares straight ahead.

We burst into laughter and can’t stop. A second flash. Picture number two: both of us laughing.

Our gazes meet and we pull ourselves together, his eyes never veering from mine. He leans toward me, coming halfway before pausing, his eyes seeking permission. I regard him with equal parts terror and anticipation, the intimacy of the situation whispering a thrill. He closes the distance between us and glides his nose through my hair. My heart rattles around as though this is the first boy I’ve ever been close to.

“Now smile,” he whispers into my ear. Even if I should be creeped out, forget it. My cheeks burn despite myself and I feel the corners of my lips tugging upward. A flash of light signals the third picture and I am totally seduced.

About the Author

Laura's Facebook Page, Twitter, Blog, Goodreads

Laura Johnston lives in Utah with her husband and three children. Growing up with five siblings, a few horses, peach trees, beehives and gardens, she developed an active imagination and always loved a good story. She fell in love with the young adult genre both through her experience in high school as well as her job later as a high school teacher. Laura enjoys running, playing tennis, sewing, traveling, writing, and above all, spending time with her husband and kids.

About Writing BETWEEN NOW & NEVER

My husband was a special agent for five years, and while I’m sure he would have loved it if I’d written an intense thriller about Special Agent Johnston thanks to all of his crazy stories (sorry, babe…maybe someday!), I wrote a romance instead.

The convict’s daughter and the FBI agent’s son—I couldn't stop thinking about it. Couldn't resist.

Soon, characters began taking shape. And then a certain photo booth scene that had been on my mind for years came back to me. For so long, I couldn't shake the image of two strangers meeting in the mall at a photo booth. I frequently wondered why I couldn't stop thinking about these two mysterious people.

The two characters now had a face, a name.

Julianna, the convict's daughter; Cody, the FBI agent's son.

Julianna doesn't realize who Cody is at first. Yet he does—Cody knows who she is, knows his dad put her mom behind bars. And he's into her. And Julianna is into him. However, Cody knows it won't last...as soon as she figures out who he is.

Add to all of this the fact that Cody knows Julianna is in danger and we have their first meeting, near a photo booth, right after Julianna gets off work at the mall.

Their story was something else to write, and I’m so excited to see it in print!

Guest Post - Elizabeth Seckman

Got a special guest today. The awesome Elizabeth Seckman is here to talk a bit about writing and her new book, Defying Reason.

Take it, Elizabeth ...

During this ‘trying to get published adventure’ I spent quite a bit of time cheering on and being cheered on by other writer friends ( and of course by my husband, who I must add has recently asked to be included in the edit process and I am now imagining all the poignant places he’ll want to add some fight/sex  scenes and  spandex bikini wardrobe changes…but that’s a topic for another time…)

For today, as I closed an email from a friend who offered up all the love and support a wavering wannabe could ask for, I decided it was only right to give back. So this is a post for the aspiring writers.  

Now, I know not everybody in the world wants to get a book published, but for the half of the world that does, here's a thought...

Getting an agent or an editor is like dating. You shower and dress pretty for each date. But not every date ends in a score. Sure, some have more luck than others and their every date becomes a sure thing, but they are the exception, not the rule.

For the rest of us? Plan to put your party shoes on and dance till your feet blister and you think your shoes just might wear out...then you may be getting close to that magical moment when the stars align and love strikes.

What to do until then?

1. Enjoy each date. There's something to learn from each one...even the toughest 'don’t call me’s, I’ll call  you’s' teach you something.
2. Respect your date. Just because they didn't show the love doesn't make them an idiot. Follow up hate mail will only flag you as the idiot that you are.
3. Don't make every date a blind date. Find out a little something before you ask them out. Do they share the same  interests? Like the same kind of books? Why waste your time and sensitivities on people who aren't even your type?
4. Find a writer buddy. You'll need a shoulder to cry on, preferably one who understands that a 'personal rejection' is something to be brag about.  (And who can be trusted better than a friend to let you know you have spinach in your teeth before you head out of the house?)
5. Always remember, your first love is rarely your true love. Keep creating while you’re planning other dates~you don't have the luxury of wallowing in the past or in a single work.

I know you've heard it all before but I’ll bore you with it again…

If at first you don’t succeed, then write, write again.

Cause as long as the band is playing....then we shall dance!

Chin up, fingers cramped, and God will bless. :)

About the book

Jo Leigh Harper comes from a long line of trouble-making, white trash stock.

Tanner Coulter comes from a longer line of wealth-creating, blue blood stock.

Jo graduated college top of her class, moving toward a future full of possibilities.

Tanner dropped out of college, trading a law degree for drinking games and one night stands.

A family crisis throws the rich party boy and the poor genius girl together. The attraction is immediate, though neither one is a heart-in-the-sand-drawing believer in true love. But as the summer sun heats up along the shores of the Outer Banks, so does the connection between them. Maybe, just maybe, they can win at love by defying reason.

***If you're only looking for a clean/sweet romance, this book may not be for you.

AMAZON | GOODREADS

About the Author 

Elizabeth is a multi-published author of books for people who are believers in happily-ever- after, true love, and stories with a bit of fun and twists with their plots. The mother of four young men, she tackles laundry daily and is the keeper of the kitchen. She lives along the shores of the Ohio River in West Virginia, but dreams daily of the beach. 

Facebook/ Blog/ Website

Do I Like Where I Live?

Still on a blog break

I'm a special guest today, over at Richard Hughes' blog here.  You can find out there if I like where I live. There're lots of pictures.

ETA: A video made by my city wasn't available in time for Richard's post, but here it is.

Jaleta Clegg Guest Post

I've got a special guest today, author Jaletta Clegg. She and I have met at a few writing events, and she's so fun to talk to. I love the premise of her newest book, Dark Dancer. 

Since I've got both Fantasy and SciFi projects I'm working on, I thought it would be interesting if she talked about how authors create entire worlds for their fiction. Take it away, Jaletta!

Building a World

Thanks for inviting me to your blog, Donna. And for posing such an interesting topic. How do authors create whole worlds for their stories? I don't know how other authors do it, but my process is like shooting peas with a shotgun. I'm not sure how else to describe it.

I like to start with a general framework, the basic shape of the world. Then I fill it in as I go and as the story needs it. This sometimes means I get to do a lot of editing if something major changes with the story. But it also means I get to play with my imagination and add in cool little details as I dream them up.

Sometimes I'll start with one idea, one picture in my head, that I really want to write about. Then I build a story around it.

For Dark Dancer, I wanted to do elves with airships and a steampunk vibe. And pirates. I really wanted an elf as a pirate captain, with his airship. I blame this idea on my kids watching too much anime where I could watch, too, and on a friend of mine who wrote some very cool books about fairyland. Not the Tinkerbell variety of fairies, but dark and sinister and self-serving and magical and all kinds of interesting. The fae or fey, depending on which translation you read. My elves are a mash-up between Tolkein, Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream, and legends of the wild hunt and the fae from the Celtic and Irish tradition.

I also love this picture. It sparked the idea of a dancer, a human who can open the door to fairyland. I pulled in some of the myths about fairy rings and dancing and the fairy revels and places of power to fill in the idea.

All of these things went into my head where I turned on my story blender. Out came the world of Dark Dancer. It's a fairy world where magic has been harnessed to run machines. The rulers, the Lords of the Seligh, have even gone so far as to divide the world into the Summerlands and the Winterlands. The land between is a no-man's land, a desolate wasteland dying from a lack of magic. It has airships, and an elf pirate captain who defies the Seligh every chance he gets. It has dancers, Sabrina and her cousin Katie, who just might change the world of the fae. It has hints of other lands, other creatures, other adventures that I haven't written yet.

I may have to re-visit my world again and explore new horizons. Because a world is only limited by your imagination. For now, enjoy Dark Dancer and its magical steampunk airships and elven pirates.

You can find a complete list of all my work at http://www.jaletac.com

Available in ebook and print.

Smashwords (all ebook formats)

Kindle

To celebrate the release of Dark Dancer, Jaletta's having a giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post - Brooke Williams

I have a special guest today. Please welcome author Brooke Williams. 

Write What You Know

A Guest Blog by Brooke Williams

I feel like I have been writing all of my life. I started out in grade school writing and illustrating the strangest little stories. I went on to adore assignments for research papers in high school and college. I moved on to script writing for radio. And then I went into freelance writing before moving into the novel writing realm. If I have learned one thing over the years, it is that when you write a novel, writing what you know is not only easier, but also more profound and sincere.

I have been to a few different writing conferences and I have received advice from a number of different agents, authors, and people in the publishing industry. I have tried to take all of the advice, but to tell you the truth, not all of it sinks in. But one thing has and that is to write what I know. Let me give you a few examples.

In my novel “Someone Always Loved You,” one couple meets on the Internet. My husband and I met online. In that same book, a character is in a coma and some of the memories she has are things that happened to me when I was a child.

In “God in the Kitchen,” the main character is a radio personality. I was in radio for 12 years. In “Wrong Place, Right Time,” a romantic comedy due out December 9th, the main character is a bumbling TV traffic reporter. I was a traffic reporter on TV for a whopping 5 months.

It is easy to write about things that I have experience with or places I have been. I can visualize and describe locations better and I can relate to the characters who are going through things I have been through myself. It makes the book authentic on a deeper level.

That’s not to say that everything I write is something I “know.” That’s part of the fun of being a writer…making things up! In “Beyond the Bars,” for example, five buses explode in five different cities. I have never seen a bus explosion and I hope I never will. The book also involves a prison break, a kidnapping and so much more. That book is probably the one that I imagined the most. But some of the characters still have elements of me. There is a frantic mom, for example, who wants nothing more to get to her child and keep her safe. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my kids!

I encourage you to read “Someone Always Loved You” and see if you can figure out what’s real and what’s completely made up. Even people who know me well can’t tell for sure. That novel is the book closest to my heart, though it’s the first one I’ve written. I’m pretty sure it will always be my favorite. It takes readers through such a range of emotions and has so much of me in it. The idea came to me at a time in my life when I needed something so badly…and what I got was “Someone Always Loved You,” a book I have never been able to let go!

So for aspiring writers, I advise you to find some aspects of your life that you can use in the books that you write. Whether it’s a career, a place you’ve traveled, a language you know, memories you have or something else. You are the only you there is. Use that to your advantage and use your experiences to make the book better. Then, make the rest up! I am still amazed that I get to hang out and make stuff up for a living. Is there a job in this world that is any more fun than that?!

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Email

Someone Always Loved You Amazon link

Brooke Williams is an award-winning author and freelance writer. She began her career in radio, both on the air and behind the scenes. She did a brief stint in TV news and then took on her most challenging job as a stay at home mom. During the few quiet hours in her day, Brooke writes articles for a number of clients as well as fiction creations such as “Someone Always Loved You.” Brooke has also written “Beyond the Bars,” a thriller, “God in the Kitchen,” a Christian novel, and “Taxi Delivery,” a Christian Romance. Brooke looks forward to the December 9th release of “Wrong Place, Right Time,” a romantic comedy and the February 2015 release of “Accept this Dandelion” inspired by the Bachelor TV show. Brooke has been married to her husband Sean since 2002 and has two daughters, Kaelyn and Sadie. 

Guest Post and Other Stuff

I'm a guest over at Kathy's at I Am A Reader today where I share one of those "Wow, what a small world it is" experiences. There's also a giveaway. Come on over and say "hi". 



And today is the last day of the Mother's Day Book Bash sale. 

Click here for details.

And for fun, here's Alex Boye. Love him!

Guest Post - R.J. Craddock

I have a special guest today, author R.J. Craddock.

Hello, Readers. I want to thank Donna for having me on her blog today. First off let me introduce myself. I’m R.J. Craddock, author of The Children of Cain series. Book one in the series “The Forsaken” came out last year. I’m here to talk a little about book two “The Offspring” which came out April 11th. I’ll be sharing with you the inspiration behind it and an excerpt from “The Offspring.”

Besides being a writer I’m also an avid reader and movie fanatic. I enjoy many genres but Fantasy has always had a special place in my heart. The Children of Cain series was inspired from several things: books I loved or found flaws with such as “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, “The Wheel of Time” series by Robert Jordan, “The Black Jewel” series by Anne Bishop, “Harry Potter” by J.K. Rowling, and “Twilight” by Stephanie Meyers; and lastly films such as Jim Henson’s’ “The Labyrinth” and “Legend.”

When I read/watched these books and films I kept seeing things I either loved or would’ve done differently. I felt a need to write a series that incorporated the positives and improved on the negatives of them all. A series that was darker, sexier and a lot more grown up then most YA novels are today without pushing things too far. That’s why my books are written for a fourteen and older audience with mature themes. However, my books are neither graphic nor explicit. I would categorize “The Children of Cain” series as a Clean New Adult Urban Fantasy. But that’s enough chit chat from me. Here’s an excerpt from “The Offspring.” Enjoy!  

All the while they have been walking Gwen has been too distracted to notice much about her surroundings. Most of what has passed before her eyes was the same cold, lifeless-colored stone walls, hallways, archways, and steps; but now she looks around and fully takes in the scene before her.

She and the Elf stand in the entryway to a massive underground courtyard, a chamber that spans hundreds of feet long and a hundred feet high. The domed ceiling is supported by dozens of large sculpted columns from floor to ceiling, fashioned like spirals shooting toward heaven. At the top of the dome, light shines through a magnificent stain glass window. Made out of many circles including a sun half-eclipsed by the moon and a giant eye, the window casts a supernatural glow high above the chamber floor. Gwen is so much in awe of the craftsmanship, the scale, and majesty of the room that at first she doesn’t notice the inhabitance of the chamber.

A deep male voice coughs. The sound startles Gwen. She spins around to locate the source. However, when she looks behind her no one is there. 

“Move out of the way! You’re blocking the entrance!” speaks the same rough, disembodied voice.

Gwen looks to Emon, perplexed. The tall Elf points toward the ground at Gwen’s feet. Standing only three feet tall, Gwen spies a stubby, hairy, little man, craning his neck to stare up at her with a disgruntled look upon his round face.

“I’m sorry.” Gwen steps aside.

The short, hairy fellow passes Gwen with a waddle, grumbling under his breath several unflattering remarks about her as he continues further into the massive chamber.

“What on earth was that?” she asks her companion.

“A dwarf,” Emon answers. “His kind built this place back when the world was young.”

“Oh. This is a dwarf dwelling, then?” Gwen asks.

“Well, originally they built it for the Vampire. Their two clans have been allies for centuries,” Emon explains. “Come along, little Witch, we should keep moving. Lord Legion is waiting to meet you.” He takes Gwen’s hand and they make their way across the courtyard.

Dozens of creatures wander about, coming and going in and out of the many passageways along the walls of the circular chamber. Gwen feels a little like a tourist, staring at all the dwarfs, giants, goblins, and other strange indescribable beings all around her.

Good thing the ceiling is so high, Gwen muses, otherwise the giants wouldn’t be able to fit. This however get her wondering how Giants traverse anywhere else in the fortress with the hallways being human in size. If I stay her long enough I’ll figure that out. She thinks to herself.

Gwen notices their multi-colored auras as they mill about, hearing all their minds buzzing around her head like a swarm of bees. Remembering Emon’s admonishment about entering another’s mind without permission, Gwen draws her mind into itself. She throws a shield up to keep from hearing anyone else’s thoughts by accident.

Well there you go. I hope that entices you to learn more about me and my books. You can follow me at any of the sites listed:

Author Website

Author Blog

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

My books are available in ebook and/or print at the following links:

                Author’s estore

                Amazon

                Barnes and Noble

                Smashwords

Thanks again for stopping by. Now go forth read, read and then read some more.

R.J. Craddock

The Summer I Found You by Jolene Perry

I've got a special guest today, author Jolene Perry. She's going to talk about her new book, The Summer I Found You. 



Kate's dream boyfriend has just broken up with her and she's still reeling from her diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

Aidan planned on being a lifer in the army and went to Afghanistan straight out of high school. Now he's a disabled young veteran struggling to embrace his new life.

When Kate and Aidan find each other neither one wants to get attached. But could they be right for each other after all

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | GOODREADS




Take it away, Jolene.

Writing from a personal place:

Aidan -
I started writing The Summer I Found You after reading a news article about these incredibly young war veterans coming home without arms or legs or who were otherwise scarred. My husband served in the Army, and I get teary every time I read a military story.
I wanted to write one.

But when you're writing one character with such a big backstory, I felt like it was going to be tricky to pair that with someone who would understand him.

Kate -
I'm named after a grandma (my middle name - Betty) who died before I was born. She had Type 1 Diabetes. I grew up with stories about her giving herself shots and being so careful about what she ate. For a long time I'd wanted to write about someone like this as a way to maybe feel a little closer to her, or to understand her in some way. I did a LOT of research on this and talked to every friend I knew who was diabetic to make sure I got it all right.

I almost didn't finish this book - 
I'd already hollowed myself out learning about how many adults and kids and teens have to be so careful about something I did everyday without thinking - eating. And then I was attempting to tackle writing a guy who'd lost not just his arm, but the career he'd geared himself up for all through high school.

It all changed - 
When I talked to a writer friend (Type 1 diabetic) who said she wished there had been books with people who faced the things she had in high school. And then it changed again when I read story after story on the Wounded Warriors homepage about how these men and women had come home with their prosthetics, not slowing down a bit, tears streaming down my face for most of it.

So yes.
This book comes from a very real, sometimes harsh place for me. But in the end, my hope is that what will make the difference between writing characters who are neat and writing ones that stick with you.

Hopefully I've done the latter ;-)

Thanks so much for letting me take over today!!

Guest Post - Nichole Zoltack on Black Hellebore

Just a reminder...

My special guest today is Nichole Zoltack. She's here to talk a bit about her new book and its main character. First, the book:

Once a year for the past decade, Nicholas Adams returns to Falledge and leaves a black hellebore on his girlfriend's grave. While departing Falledge, he chases after a man sneaking into the laboratory and dies for his trouble. A witch brings him back to life, but Nicholas soon realizes he's not the same man. Turns out, magic combined with a black hellebore in his pocket changed him into a kind of a super man.

His girlfriend's twin, Julianna Paige, is Falledge's deputy, struggling to solve several murders. Nicholas, and his alter ego the Black Hellebore, helps her, even as she helps him move on and even start to love again.

Unfortunately, Nicholas wasn't the only one changed in the laboratory explosion, and now there's a supervillain bent on destroying Falledge, and killing the Black Hellebore. But falling in love might prove more dangerous than any supervillain.

Welcome, Nichole!

Today, I’m going to talk about Black Hellebore, the superhero in my novel by the same name. Just what exactly are his superpowers?

Well, Black Hellebore has tremendous speed. He has to consciously put effort to walk or work at human speed. It’s almost harder to blend in!

He also has increased hearing. Can’t turn off his ears so he has a tendency to eavesdrop. His sense of smell is also increased. Which isn’t always a good thing when you’re walking past a garbage dumpster. Most heroes tend to have super strength. Black Hellebore definitely fits that bill.

But he also has some weaknesses and serious side effects if he overexerts himself, such as ringing in the ears, chest pain, nausea, vomiting…even death. Sometimes, having powers aren’t always a blessing.


Nicole Zoltack loves to write fantasy/paranormal, romances, horror, historical, for adults and young adults, novels, short stories, and flash pieces. She doesn't want to get boxed in by genre -- she might be claustrophobic! She's also an editor for MuseItUp Publishing and works as a freelance editor.
When she isn't writing about girls wanting to be knights, talking unicorns, and zombies, she spends time with her loving family. She loves to ride horses (pretending they're unicorns, of course!) and going to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, dressed in period garb. Her favorite current TV show is The Walking Dead.

www.NicoleZoltack.com

~Where Fantasy and Love Take Flight~

The Kingdom of Arnhem trilogy: Woman of Honor, Knight of Glory, and Champion of Valor

Available from DBP ~ Amazon ~ ARe ~ B&N

Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Goodreads | Linkedin | Pinterest | Amazon

Visiting Angie Today and IWSG

I'm visiting over at author Angie Lofthouse's blog today and doing one of her one-word interviews.

Click here to find out more.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Since I'm hoping you'll visit Angie, I will keep this short. My biggest insecurity right now is finding balance. My real life is insane as I'm caught in the throes of the worst election I've run. Ugly stuff. I've had family visiting that I haven't seen in four years. Wonderful times. I've got a book out, a book with my publisher, and plans for a new NaNo book. And marketing.

Seriously. I need a clone. How do you guys do this?

Guest Post - Author Jordan McCollum

I'm still on a blogging break.

While I'm on a blogging break, author Jordan McCollum

is here to share some of her secret sauce.

You can get more of her awesomeness by following her blog.

Motivation-Reaction Units
By Jordan McCollum

Motivation-reaction Units are a very simple principle taught by Dwight Swain in Techniques of the Selling Writer. Basically, it means that, because writing and reading a (generally) linear activities, we need to make sure that the actions that happen are also linear.

On a plot level, that's not always strictly necessary—I'm sure we can all think of a story with a good nonlinear plotline (my favorite is Memento but examples include even the famous "backwards" finale of Seinfeld). However, in the live action of our stories, it's much, much easier to follow and understand when things happen as they do in the real world: first a stimulus, then a reaction.

An example
Surprise is definitely a good thing in fiction—we don't want to read the exact same story in every book—but surprise when it doesn't make sense only confuses our readers.

Here's an example of a somewhat minor violation of the motivation-reponse rule:

Marie continued blathering on and I turned to look out the window just for a minute.

"Ouch!" I yelped, grabbing my head where a water bottle had just hit it. "Why did you do that?"
There are several motivation-reaction units in these three sentences. Marie's rambling is the first stimulus, and the narrator's reaction is to look out the window. So far, so good: things are happening in the natural order.

But then we get off course in the next sentence: we get the narrator's reaction (Ouch!) several words before we see the stimulus (water bottle to the head).

That's not the way it works in the physical world where we live. We drop something, it falls. We throw an object, it sails through the air, maybe hits something. We stub our toes, we yelp in pain. These things don't make any sense if they don't happen in order. (Yelping before you stub your toe? Psychic phantom pains?)

I like to give my readers a lot of credit, but to ask them to reinterpret the simple sequence of actions just to make sense is making my readers do too much work. I'd rather them spend their time reading my words, not reanalyzing them!

The fix

"Water Bottle" Installation by Stefan Simov

Photo by Klearchos Kapoutsis, via Flickr & CC license

So how do we fix these sequential slips? Always show the motivation before the reaction. Or, in our example:

Marie continued blathering on and I turned to look out the window just for a minute.

Something hard hit the back of my head. "Ouch!" I turned in time to see a water bottle clattering across the floor, rolling away. I shot an accusatory look at Marie. "What was that for?"
Notice that we're not adding something the narrator can't see: Marie behind him/her, throwing the water bottle. We still stay firmly in the narrator's head and POV, but now we have the motivation first to give their reaction context and just. make. sense!

What do you think? Do motivation-reaction units trip you up?

About the Author
An award-winning author, Jordan McCollum can’t resist a story where good defeats evil and true love conquers all. In her day job, she coerces people to do things they don’t want to, elicits information and generally manipulates the people she loves most—she’s a mom.

Jordan holds a degree in American Studies and Linguistics from Brigham Young University. When she catches a spare minute, her hobbies include reading, knitting and music. She lives with her husband and four children in Utah.

Jordan's first novel, I, Spy, is out now: To save her country and her secrets, CIA operative Talia Reynolds will have to sacrifice the man she loves. More about I, Spy

Guest Post - Author Adrienne Monson

I'm taking a break from our Kiersey personality trait discussions for a special guest--paranormal author Adrienne Monson--who's going to talk a bit about characters. I loves me some talk about characters. Adrienne's a wife and mother of two children. One child has the angelic role while the other is its exact counterpart. Together, they make quite an interesting team against their mom. When she’s not playing with her kids, she’s writing at the computer, or reading a good book. Besides her passion for reading, she enjoys weight training and Zumba. Check out her debut novel, Dissension, is scheduled for release on February 23.

Thanks for having me as a guest, Donna!

There’s so many different writing tips that could put to good use, so I had a hard time just coming up with one. However, I prevailed over my rambling mind and was able to focus on a singular topic.

Characterization. This is something I’ve personally had to improve on. The first draft for my novel was decent. The plot moved quickly and there was lots of action, but none of my beta readers cared about the characters. Once I got this feedback, I tried to immerse myself in different processes to having solid, three-dimensional characters. The tips I share in this post are ones that helped me the most, but keep in mind that every writer has their own process and you need to utilize what works for you. We writers love trial and error!

I’m very much a plot oriented author, so I still like to write out a rough draft before I get to work on my characters. Once that’s completed, I write a file on each character. It has notes on their physical attributes as well as mannerisms that are unique to them. Then I write up a full bio in those same files. I like to be detail oriented here: dynamics with family when growing up, failed relationships, things they fear, their favorite animal, color, food, etc. I realize most of this information isn’t written into the manuscript, but it really does help me to write the characters more clearly.

The next part of my process is kind of fun. I look up random personality quizzes online and take them from the perspective of a character. I usually just do these for the main characters, and it really does help me to think about things from their point of view.

Okay, so this next part can be a little tedious, but it seriously helps. What I do is read my manuscript from just one character’s point of view. If they’re not in some scenes, then I go ahead and skip them, but if they’re just a small part of other scenes, then I read it from their perspective anyway. As I do this, I’ll make some changes/additions depending on how I think that character would react. Once done, I start from the beginning with a different character’s point of view in mind. This is another process that I specifically use for the main characters, but I’ll also try to pay attention to the other characters while I’m doing a final read-through.

It’s crazy how attached I’ve become to some of my characters, even the evil villains. Because I know them so well, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that they’re not real people. When my sister-in-law told me the name they’d decided on for her baby, I got excited and said, “That’s the name for the main character in my demon novel!” After a hesitation, she forced some enthusiasm, but I could tell she didn’t love the idea that I was comparing her flesh and blood daughter to one of my characters. I do think my niece will have fun with that when she gets older, though.

How immersed in your characters do you get?