Lynx, Rodeo Romance, Book 1— #sundaysnips&stuff

What woman doesn’t love a cowboy?

This Sunday’s Snippet is from my Contemporary Western Romance “Lynx”. Rodeo Romance.

"I've never been to Cheyenne, Wyoming or Frontier Days," Rachel said.

Lynx toyed with a long strand of her black hair and brushed it away from her face.  "Cheyenne, Wyoming is a rodeo town, Frontier Days is a three-day  celebration, " Lynx said.  "Its's a huge tourist attraction, and the town goes all-out for it.  The locals say Cheyenne onlyl has two seasons--winter and Frontier Days."

Dan and Charlene turned their attention back to the couple.

"Don't be talking about going just yet," Charlene said, clutching Dan's hand.  "You fellas just got home yesterday."

"Now Charlene," Dan warned.  "You know how much purse money's at stake here."

"I know. . ."

                Rachel melted against the back of her chair, as Lynx’s finger tip brushed a strand of hair from her face.  Her body shivered all the way to her toes.  Fidgeting with a silver bracelet on her wrist, Rachel didn’t know how to deal with this type of covert seduction.  “You’ll have a good time then,” she said addressing her comment to both men.

                “Everyone has a good time,” Lynx clarified.

                Dan chuckled. “Everyone who’s able, anyway.”

                Rachel reached for her glass, glancing a Dan. “I don’t understand.”

                Dan pushed his hat further back on his head, revealing a bright crop of red hair.  “I landed in front of the angry end of a bull last year and broke my arm.  Lynx had a hell of a good time, though.”

Available in Print and eBook

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Don't go away, just yet!  It's a Blog Hop--stop by and see what other teasers this authors have for you reading enjoyment.

http://mizging.blogspot.com (Ginger Simpson)

http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Juliet Waldron)

Have a wonderful Sunday,

Connie

Sunday Snips & Stuff #6/26/16

Research—Does Inaccuracy in a Novel Bother You?  

Does it bother me? 

Yes.

 However, in my case, there are varying degrees of irritation.  If it is an easily found fact, or a fact that any functioning adult should be aware of then, yes—I am very irritated and will probably not finish the novel.  On the other hand if current verbiage is used or the description of an item of clothing is more modern, that could be the writer’s choice.  The writer may feel that her ‘readers’ wish to have the ‘flavor’ of a historical story without the genealogy charts or gritty reality of the era. Then I am okay.  But to pass the facts off as accurate/ or marketed to make the reader believe this is not a fictionalized story—as in “The Other Boleyn Sister” or Disney’s “Pocahontas” animated movie (with what I like to call the Vulcan-mind-meld when the Hero and Heroine suddenly speak and understand each other),  I do become angry.  Apparently, I clamp my teeth, and my husband swears, that I growl when these movies become a topic of conversation.

We all make mistakes, I remind myself.  Alternatively, the copy-editor adds/ deletes a needed fact.  Moreover, sometime we simply ‘thought’ we removed it from the final draft.  Still sloppy research makes for sloppy writing.  If you do not like research, build your own world/town/or, do not give the reader a date or place to hang her hat on.  You and add a statement:  liberties were taken; the mistakes are my own, etc. 

Researching

Any professional writer knows there is a lot more to the job than simply writing. There is also revising, editing, promoting, and much more. Before I even consider typing: Chapter One.  Whether I am writing, historical, or fantasy, I conducted days—if not months or even years, gather my research material and scheduling interviews.  

Research is vital to every writer.  Contemporary novels required daily research to keep up-to-date on the latest tech item, hairstyle or whatever relates to your storyline.  

Every encounter with a new person or visiting a new place is an opportunity for better, more descriptive writing. Writers never truly take a vacation, or turn off the research part of her/his brain.

So how do I organized my research material?  (Tossing everything into a large bin is oh-so-not-the-way to be organized.)

#1: Keep a File Folder for Ideas

I have files where I stash clippings of articles on specific topics I feel will come up again, or will one day make great short stories/articles.  I have plain colored folders for “shared” topics (I write multiple genres), cute folders (for YA/Teen topics), action folders for supernatural stories, etc.

These clippings are often story generators or prompts to open a chapter/create a pivot point. How many times have you heard something on the radio or watched something on television and thought, “Wouldn’t that be so great in my next novel”?

Story prompts can be anything that you find interesting, anything that relates to your genre or area of writing interest. Because my books are character driven, I tend to be drawn to articles that talk about the human condition (i.e., why we do the things we do) or specific topics that I feel relate to my particular ‘character’.

 #2: Story Premise Research First

When you start a new project, you must make some decisions. What is the theme of your book? (We might also think of this step as “what is the premise of your book?”) The answer to this question will guide your starting research.

My third book, Whisper upon the Water, focused a lot on the living conditions and societal attitudes about Native American children. I already knew that Native American children were forced to attend government run boarding schools after the Indian Wars, but I did not know about the process, and how it affected the children or how they adapted. Therefore, I began with interviews, tours of the schools still in operation and trips to historical archives and reservations. 

Before I wrote a single word, I looked into this, and the answers I found are what formulated my plot points. I needed this foundation of research to create a convincing plot, otherwise I would not tell the story correctly.  I wanted the truth, I wanted historical accuracy and I wanted my readers to have an emotional connection to my characters.  

Poor research in the beginning often results in a manuscripts dying at the halfway point. Think of this step as the foundation of your novel.

#3: First-Hand Accounts

As a rule, I set my stories in placed I have lived or visited.  However, a writer does not have to go to a city/country to get a feeling for it.

Online Resources

Travel sites, local blogs, and YouTube all have a place in a writer’s arsenal. In particular:

• Travel Sites often have detailed maps and downloadable audio walking tours that can give you context for notable buildings and directional substance for urban areas to include in your book.
• YouTube is a major resource, often underutilized by writers. Those seemingly normal videos are great for providing local terminology, dialect, visual perspective and even minor details like the amount of traffic at a particular park or on a particular street.

 #4: Details

• Using Google Maps and Streetview, for my upcoming release anthology at BWL: Gumbo Ya Ya—for women who like romance Cajun & men Hot & Spicy! I was able to get a street view of that area and I could ‘walk’ the streets as they appear in New Orleans. The Streetview feature setting on Google Maps plops you down right at street level and gives you a 360-degree view of everything including traffic, crowds, and architecture.  While I do have my personal photos and memories of the city, it is always good to make certain the details are ‘just right’.

#5: Remember to Write

You can always do a fact check on the smaller items as part of the final revision process.

When I am dictating or typing my story, unless an earth-shattering event is in the works, I do not stop the process.  I will type:** research time line of Spanish Flu or   ** insert the popular song year, and keep writing.  When I go back over the material, I will have time to add the particulars.

Research is fun.  Unlike may authors, research in my favorite part of writing.  Like a method actor, I immerse myself in the process.  Hobbies, Music, Books, and Food (well, not food when I wrote my Zombie novella, “Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow”. right now, however, it is shrimp Creole, pecan pie and coffee with chicory).  Research need not be cumbersome. If you are interested in your subject matter, then it is not work. It is just another part of writing a book.

 I believe it is writing a book that is rich in research helps to separate the writers from the multi-published authors.

Readers, how do you feel about this topic?  How important is historical accuracy to you?

Please stop by and see what my writer friends have to talk about today.

Happy Reading,

Connie

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/
http://mizging.blogspot.com/
http://triciamg.blogspot.com/

Brede, Rodeo Romance, Book 2—Sunday Snippet #sundaysnip

This Sunday’s Snippet is from my Contemporary Romantic Suspense novel, “Brede”.

“My head hurts,” she whispered. A sharp, throbbing pain embedded itself in the center of her left temple.  She touched her raw fingertips to the tender area, and tried to grasp a fleeting memory. . .of what, she wasn’t certain. 

At that moment, a man leaned over her.  His eyes reminded her of the ocean; soft blue water reflecting through frosted crystal—sad, lonely eyes.

                The warmth from the blankets seeped into her chilled body, but the sound of the pounding rain sent terror crawling through her.  She bolted upright, her heart thumping so card she couldn’t catch her breath.

                “Lie back down,” the man instructed. “You’ve had some sort of accident.”

                Pain lanced through her body and her head.  Beneath the wave of pain, she heard the concern in his deep voice, and pressed an unsteady hand to her forehead.  “Accident?”  Her fear receded, but didn’t go away completely.  An accident explained the sharp, pain embedded in her left temple and radiating down the side of her jaw, but it didn’t explain what she was doing here.  Here?  Where was she? And who was this man standing over her?

To purchase this novel click on my blog links visit:

my website home page:  http://novelsbyconnievines.com

http://www.amazon.com/Brede-Rodeo-Romance-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00DRPHILY

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brede/id673408077?mt=11

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Connie%20Vines%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall

Remember "Brede" is on sale this month.

Happy Reading,

Connie 

Please stop by and read the snippets this month's Blog Hop members posted!

http://mizging.blogspot.com (Ginger Simpson)

http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com (Juliet Waldron)

Shopping for the Holidays. Remember to send a eBook(s) to family and Friends

I am blogging today Inside Books We Love about Perfect Time, Perfect, Place, Perfect Setting.

Stop by and see what I have to say (sign up for the contests and novels for everyone e-Reader at discount prices!)


http://bwlauthors.blogspot.com/

http://bwlauthors.blogspot.com/

Sunday Snippet #11/22/2015

This Sunday’s Snippet is from my Contemporary Romantic Suspense novel, “Brede”.

“My head hurts,” she whispered. A sharp, throbbing pain embedded itself in the center of her left temple.  She touched her raw fingertips to the tender area, and tried to grasp a fleeting memory. . .of what, she wasn’t certain. 

At that moment, a man leaned over her.  His eyes reminded her of the ocean; soft blue water reflecting through frosted crystal—sad, lonely eyes.

                The warmth from the blankets seeped into her chilled body, but the sound of the pounding rain sent terror crawling through her.  She bolted upright, her heart thumping so card she couldn’t catch her breath.

                “Lie back down,” the man instructed. “You’ve had some sort of accident.”

                Pain lanced through her body and her head.  Beneath the wave of pain, she heard the concern in his deep voice, and pressed an unsteady hand to her forehead.  “Accident?”  Her fear receded, but didn’t go away completely.  An accident explained the sharp, pain embedded in her left temple and radiating down the side of her jaw, but it didn’t explain what she was doing here.  Here?  Where was she? And who was this man standing over her?

To purchase this novel click on my blog links visit:

my website home page:  http://novelsbyconnievines.com

http://www.amazon.com/Brede-Rodeo-Romance-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00DRPHILY

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brede/id673408077?mt=11

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22Connie%20Vines%22?Ntk=P_key_Contributor_List&Ns=P_Sales_Rank&Ntx=mode+matchall

Happy Reading,

Connie 

Please stop by and read the snippets this month's Blog Hop members have posted!

http://mizging.blogspot.com (Ginger Simpson)

http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)
http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/  (Juliet Waldron)  

Do You Believe in Angels, Spirits, Ghosts, or Demons?

Thank you Robin for a fitting Halloween topic for this month's
Round Robin Blog.

Topic:  Do you believe in angels, spirits, ghosts, demons or other ethereal beings or locations?  What do you think when the appear in stories?  Have you used them in your own stories?

I believe in angels.  Guardian Angels have touched my life many times.  Who hasn't sensed a hand resting on your shoulder, pulling you back from harm?  Or, that gentle voice guiding you in the right direction?


Ghosts? As Beverly said in her blog, New Orleans has that 'presence', as does the Waverly House in San Diego, and many Native American sacred grounds also.  Emotions are powerful.  Why can't emotions remain imprinted in an area where horrors have taken the lives of people?  Spirits of loved ones I imagine would like to protect and look after loved ones after parting from this physical word. I now I certainly would.

As for demons.  Since I believe in Good, the flip-side would be Evil.  I know we all have our personal demons.  As for 'pure' evil.  I pray I never encounter it in any form.

As for my stories.  Everyone who is acquainted with me, or has read my novels and articles, knows watching the episode of "Meerkat Manor" where Daisy was killed, equaled a week's worth of  nightmares for me.

Do I sprinkle these elements in my writings?  Not as of yet.  However, as my friend Jacques Condor, Fox Sauk, reminded.  "The story finds the storyteller.  It is the storyteller's responsibility to bring the story to life."

Happy Reading Everyone,

Connie

Please stop by and visit these wonderful authors.   I am certain they, too, have tales about 'things that go bump in the night'.



Marci Baun   http://www.marcibaun.com/blog/
Margaret Fieland   http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
Diane Bator   http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Victoria Chatham   http://victoriachatham.webs.com/
Beverley Bateman   http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
A.J. Maguire   http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Fiona McGier   http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Heather Haven   heather@heatherhavenstories.com
Bob Rich   http://wp.me/p3Xihq-wU
Anne Stenhouse   http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
Helena Fairfax   http://helenafairfax.com/
Hollie Glover   http://www.hollieglover.co.uk
Rachael Kosinski   http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Rhobin Courtright   http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/

Skye Taylor  http://www.Skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the-sea

Rhobin’s Rambles – Pets or Other Animals in Your Stories # RR 07/25/2015

This month’s Topic: Have you used pets or other animals in your stories? What function do they perform in the story? Do they need to have a function? Can they be a character?

Since I am an animal lover and owner of a multitude of pets (exotic, barnyard, and typical suburban) at various times during my life, it only goes to reason that I will have them peppering my short stories, novellas, and novels.  My Rodeo Romance Series (understandably) incorporates a cast of horses, sheep, cattle, dogs, cats, etc.  Some of these animals only have Cameo roles, while others are characters in their own right.  My Sassy & Fun Fantasy Series also features a animal as a main character in each story line.  Gertie, a pet Teddy-Bear Hamster, is Zombie Meredith’s BF is “Here Today, Zombie Tomorrow”.  “Brede” Rodeo Romance, Book 2 features a horse and cattle dog.  “Lynx” Rodeo Romance, Book 1, features the hero’s horse named Texas. The next book in my series, “Rand” Rodeo Romance, Book 3 features a poodle who belongs to the heroine.  Rand’s interaction with this very unrodeo-like dog is priceless!

For realistic purposes I select animals/breeds that I either have owned, or have working personal knowledge (chickens, turkeys, quail, pheasant, pigs, sheep— bred for. . .well, dinner during my rural days).  My dogs: Greyhound (my favorite & a rescue) Poodle (AKC champion pedigree), Shepherds, Weimaraner and– my husband’s dog, a Chi-wienie (Chihuahua Dachshund mix). I also like to add my horses (Quarter horse, Arabian, and a Paint –a retired rodeo barrel racer) into the mix.  Due to my allergies to cats, my info comes mostly via friends and the Animal Channel.  Now the unconventional pet experiences, include:  pet mice, geckos, iguanas, horned toads, hamsters, parakeets, an Amazon parrot, and a runaway cockatiel--all have a way of finding a place in my life and my stories.

Future adventures with pets?  Probably.

I simply adore baby pygmy goats.  Mind you, I reside in the quirky suburbs of Southern California.  Therefore, as my husband reminds me, often. “You cannot raise a goat in our backyard, there are zoning laws.”

See why Connie loves baby pygmy goats!

Of course I know there are zoning laws :-).  I also know goats are herd animals.  “We will need to have two goats,” I say him.


“We?” He grunts and goes to his ‘man-cave’.

If look at a YouTube video and read an online article titled: Pigmy Goats.  With the opening hook: You should reconsider your choice in pets if you want an animal to stay indoors with you.
One fact was of particular interest, and brought back memories of living in an all-male household: ‘Goats are messy eaters too, pulling feed out of buckets and leaving it on the floor.  Once it’s trampled, they really don’t want to touch it.’

Ummm.  Obviously, I am not alone in my secret desire to own one of those adorable little goats.  However, since have zero desire to relocate or have two goats head-butting or chewing my maple dinning room set or my wood flooring, I guess I’ll settle for a petting zoo outing with my three-year old grandson.

While my characters do not always own a  pet, my characters have often had a pet during childhood, interact with an animal, or (YA stories) would like a pet, in the very near future.

Why, do I believe animals are important to a story line?

It is a way to show character, good and bad.

How people treat animals will give a reader insight into my main character, or my villain.  Treatment of animal hints at how he/she will treat a vulnerable person (child/spouse).  If the hero seems uncaring and selfish to outsiders, give the heroine a view into an unguarded moment he shares with an injured puppy, or his care of his horse.  His truck may be battered and dirty, but his horse is well groomed, fed, and sheltered each night.

However, my animals need to have a purpose.  Sometimes it may only be comic relief, or a confidant in a YA novel, but unless it is a Cameo role (or red herring), my animals have a personality and a place in the story line.

Who doesn’t remember reading, “Call of the Wild”, “Old Yeller”, “Misty of Chincoteague”? during her childhood.  Or "National Velvet"?

I believe pets teach children how to give and receive love on a level which exposes the to empathy.  There is love between siblings, but there is also rivalry.  There is love between parent and child, but there is also discipline.  The interaction with a pet gives them the experience of seeing how their actions manifest, immediately.

I believe pets, can enrich a story—my novels, as are (in my opinion) most genre novels, are about life and the human need for love and companionship.

Not every novel calls for an animal to part of the story.

Not every person wishes to be responsible for a pet.

I did a bit of research and discovered these stats (the info about fish surprised me).

*Stats: 2014, 83.2 million dogs live in U.S. households, 95.5 million freshwater fish live in U.S. household, and 85.8 million cats live in U.S. households.
* Statista.com

So, what do you think?  How do you feel?

As a reader, do you enjoy pets in a storyline?  Do you look for authors who have a series you know will feature a heroine with a pet(s)?

Please add a comment with your opinion beneath this blog article.

Thank you, Rhobin for including me in this month’s Blog Hop.

I hope you have enjoyed this month’s topic
.
Remember to visit the other authors to see what they have to say about pets and other animals in their stories.

Happy Reading,
Connie 

Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Victoria Chatham http://victoriachatham.webs.com/
Margaret Fieland http://www.margaretfieland.com/blog1/
Rachael Kosinski http://rachaelkosinski.weebly.com/
Kay Sisk http://kaysisk.blogspot.com
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com/
Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/
Anne Stenhouse  http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com/
Shye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_at_the_beach