Summer Daze Reading Blockbusters and HP is in town!

Summer has settled in North Texas and along with the heat is a flurry of authors descending to talk up their books. Now, I'm not complaining, I LOVE to read and a new book is always welcome. But sometimes even I, addict that I am, can be overwhelmed. Nah, you say with feigned surprise, Sara? Overwhelmed with books?. Yeah, well, it happens. Once in a blue moon to be true, but it is a sad thing. What to read! Too many choices! The summer blockbusters are arriving: Iris Johansen, Linda Howard, Mariah Stewart, Janet Evanovich, Allison Brennan...what to read!

Then the surprise of the summer just sorta sneaks up... an event that escaped my radar. Do I hear another GASP? Yes, it's sad but true. I almost missed the Harry Potter Symposium -- PORTUS 2008. Right down the road so to speak. A gathering of the HP intelligentsia -- no kids under 18 allowed. What has the world come to when the fans of a children's book holds a yearly symposium (aka convention) complete with masquerades, costumed attendees, rock bands, fan fiction, movies and workshops on the hows and whys of "potterdom" and don't let in the kiddos? At least with the trekkie cons of yesteryear, the adult kids were embraced!

Okay, I digress. We'll be getting the scoop on the goings on at PORTUS 2008 form our fearless reporter, Miss Gwen. Okay, we'll browbeat her into actually writing the stuff down, right here in our blog. The pictures will be posted. All will be well. PROMISE. Besides, from what she's told me so far I'm SO jealous missing all the fun. They had HP rock bands last night, along with a day of showing the "official" HP movies. The fan generated ones will be showing over the weekend along with costumes and a maserquerade and lots of workshops on the whys and hows. Plus JIM DALE, signing and reading! It's a treat!!!!

Beth Cornelison | Secondary Characters: The Good, the Bad and the Quirky

I’m tickled to have the opportunity to guest blog today at Fresh Fiction. I want to start by giving a shout out to my older sister, Martha. Today is her birthday and no one deserves a happy birthday more. She’s a mom, a wife, a musician, a paralegal, an awesome aunt to my son, and she’s been a staunch supporter of my books since I started writing. (Which is why DUTY TO PROTECT, my July release from Silhouette Romantic Suspense is dedicated to her and my younger sister.) So happy birthday, Martha!

Now, back to the point of my post today… I’ve been thinking a lot lately about secondary characters. Why? One reason would be because I’m giving a workshop at RWA National later this month with my friend and fellow romance writer, Winnie Griggs, titled Secondary Characters: The Good, the Bad and the Quirky. In that workshop, we explore the many functions of secondary characters and how they add depth to novels, movies and plays.

For example, my family pulled out our DVD of GONE WITH THE WIND this weekend. GWTW may be Rhett and Scarlett’s story, but can you imagine this classic without Mamie? Without Melanie or… Ashley (said with the breathy sigh Scarlett always had in her voice)? It wouldn’t be the same classic we love, would it?

The best secondary characters highlight the flaws of the hero and heroine, add conflict or comic relief, up emotional drama, advance the plot, and give wise counsel when our lead character needs direction. Secondary characters can be the villain, a sidekick, a red herring, a sacrificial lamb, or an ally when the chips are down. No matter what role they play in the story, secondary characters give color and life to the stories we love. Sometimes they even steal the show. Captain Jack Sparrow anyone??

I’d never really considered how I wrote my secondary characters until the first reviews for my books started coming in. Readers were commenting on how much they loved my secondary characters! What a pleasant surprise! About my debut release TO LOVE, HONOR AND DEFEND, an Amazon reviewer said, “I think the final thing that sealed this book as a keeper is the way the author handles the motivations and personality of secondary characters. There are NO cardboard characters here. No scapegoating, NO sugar coating.” Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear my characters made such a positive impact.

This theme of standout secondary characters was repeated when I received this comment in a review for my new Samhain release, UNDER FIRE. “Her characters were so well-written that they all felt like major characters, no matter how small their presence in the book was. None of her characters were one-dimensional. Even the terrorists had hearts and conjured feelings of sympathy from me.”

So picture me grinning broadly as I sigh with relief. Writing UNDER FIRE took me almost three times longer than any other book I’d written to date. This was partly because I became so involved with all of the characters and wanted them to truly come to life and jump off the page. A couple of my secondary characters even demanded plotlines I’d not originally intended. (They do that, you know. Characters talk to the author, sometimes pouting, sometimes arguing, sometimes offering nuggets of inspiration or plot twists. In this case, one of my smokejumpers wanted his own storyline and one of my terrorists insisted she had a good heart but had simply gone astray.)

Sometimes, secondary characters will spawn sequel books. I know I love to follow up on characters I’ve met in earlier books. I feel like I’m visiting again with old friends. The heroine of my July Silhouette Romantic Suspense release DUTY TO PROTECT, Ginny West, started out as a secondary character in DANGER AT HER DOOR (August 2007 –SRS). Ginny was so sassy and brash, so intriguing to me as I wrote her, I knew she needed her own story told.

The fiction world is full of great memorable secondary characters. Who tops your list of favorites? Leave a comment here today, and I’ll pick one poster at random to win a copy of a book from my backlist. In the meantime, if you are looking for hot summer reads, I hope you’ll check out my two new romantic suspense releases, DUTY TO PROTECT from Silhouette Romantic Suspense, and UNDER FIRE from Samhain Publishing. More information about these books is available on my website www.bethcornelison.com/ .

Take care and happy reading!
Beth Cornelison- bcornelison@comcast.net
UNDER FIRE- Samhain Publishing- June 2008
DUTY TO PROTECT- Silhouette Romantic Suspense- July 2008
RANCHER'S REDEMPTION- Silhouette Romantic Suspense- Oct 2008
CHASING A DREAM- Five Star Expressions- On sale now!
http://www.bethcornelison.com/ - www.myspace.com/bethcornelison

Yolonda Tonette Sanders | A Much Needed Break

A young busy mother of two, I look at my twelve-year-old son and a soon-to-be nine-year old daughter and wonder, “where did the time go?” Like many parents, I often get nostalgic while looking at old photographs or remembering when they were born. Now that they are getting older, I cherish moments with them even more, realizing how fleeting time is. It’s funny because there are times when I’m feeing overwhelmed and I’ll say, “I need a break.” We’ll make plans for the children to visit relatives for while and once they’re gone, I miss them terribly. Like now, my daughter is out of town with my husband’s sister and niece. The original summer plan was for her to attend day camp along with my son, but there was a waiting list for her age group. Seeing how she was number sixty on the list, we didn’t have high hopes of her being enrolled. I’d wanted both children to attend day camp so I could write during the hours they were gone and then we could do “fun stuff” together when they came home. Well, with my daughter home with me during the days, my plans to get a lot of writing done went out the window. Through I have tones of work to do, I didn’t think it would be fair for her to be cooped up in the house on nice summer afternoons while I hovered over the computer. So, the plan changed for me to get my work in whenever I could fit it in. Thus, when my sister-in-law asked if my daughter could come stay with her for a week, I’m like “Cool!” Immediately I thought about all the work I’d get done while she was out of town and my son attended day camp. I did get some things done, but I wasn’t really as productive as I’d hoped to be. I spent a lot of time thinking about the things she and I would do when she got back. I would often say to my husband, “I miss her.” (I know she misses me as well, but she’s hanging out with her cousin and they are only five months apart in age, so I’m certain she’s not pining away for me.) Though I’m eager for her to return home, I must admit, I have enjoyed aspect of her being gone - I’m not refereeing arguments between her and my son. I seriously needed a break from that! LOL!!!

Yolonda Tonette Sanders
http://www.yolonda.net/

Kimberly Killion | Curse it!

Let's talk about Expletives.

"God's Hooks"
'''Ods toes"
"Piss 'n nettles"
"Christ-all-bleeding-mighty!"

Little curses and habitual ticks can bring a character to life. As an author writing in the Medieval time period, I chose the above expletives for my debut book, HER ONE DESIRE. Let's start with the first one: GOD'S HOOKS: Derived from the hooks (or nails) used to fasten Christ to the cross. This particular expletive later evolved into "Gadzooks". Many of these "God's"expressions were reduced to 'od's or odds as in "'ods toes".

Of course, part of the fun is making up expletives. I used 'Piss 'n nettles' for one of the secondary characters in HER ONE DESIRE. I tossed words around for days trying to fit 'John' with the perfect expression. Not only does a character tend to use a favorite expression, but also favorite sayings, like: "Are ye wowf, man?" Simply from the way it's written, the reader might be able to guess its meaning. 'Wowf' was Scottish slang used to describe someone who might be insane, crazy, mentally ill or deranged.

Along with researching forms of speech, I often mull over a character's nervous tick before I ever start a book. (Sometimes for days at a time) I like to know as much as possible about a character before I write that first line. The heroine, Lady Lizbeth Ives, in HER ONE DESIRE is a bit skittish.(You would be, too, if you were the daughter to the Lord High Executioner.)'Lizzy' twists her sleeves and counts when she is nervous or afraid which adds to the humor of the book as well as the tension. In turn, a more3-dimensional character has been created.

Another bit of research I truly enjoy is coming up with creative words for particular body parts. While you might be able to guess what a pillicock is or maybe even a set of cullions, can you guess what a nock is? Or how about a twanger or tewel? I'll give away a signed copy of HER ONE DESIRE to the person who can reveal the answer at my -

ONE DAY ONLY BLOG CONTEST -

Since I'm in a celebratory mood, I'll be picking two more commenter's names at random to win a copy of HER ONE DESIRE. Thanks for joining me today! Now, tell me what's the most memorable expletive you can recall ever reading? Or, if you're an author, what curse words did you use for your characters?

If you would like to know a wee bit more about HER ONE DESIRE, here is the back cover blurb:

Astride a stolen horse, encircled by the shackled arms of Broderick Maxwell, a Scottish spy escaping certain death in the Tower of London, Lizbeth Ivesrides to the north, hidden by the merciful darkness. By stealth and by cunning, the daughter of the Lord High Executioner has undone her father's cruel work, compelled to save the innocent man with her. There is no turning back-they are bound as one in his iron chains. Consumed by mortal fear, driven by passion, they disappear into the night.

A single raven follows them. Is it an omen? Or only the first of those who would capture them? They must ride on. If captured, they will face death together. But if they reach Scotland, he will claim her for his own. forever.

Need more!!?! Watch the book trailer

If you'd like to read an excerpt, Click Here

For more on contests visit my websites at www.kimberlykillion.com/

Happy July!
Kimberly Killion

Jasmine Haynes | Working Life really is like “The Office".

Thanks so much for having me as your guest. I’m excited to have Berkley releasing SHOW AND TELL this month, the second book in a trilogy that began with THE FORTUNE HUNTER, which won the Holt Medallion for erotic romance.

Here’s a little tidbit about SHOW AND TELL to whet your appetite. All her life Trinity Green has been a pleaser, first her mom and dad, then her husband. When she walks in on her husband with another woman, she realizes that trying to be the perfect wife with never a hair out of place or a smudge of makeup beneath her eyes was all for nothing. Now she's going to indulge herself, with good food, delicious wine, and hot sex. Then she meets the perfect man under the oddest of circumstances...

And Trinity also needs to get a job! That’s where my experiences working in an office atmosphere comes into play for the book. This spring I rented all the DVDs for “The Office.” You might think that show exaggerates what it’s really like, that no real boss is going to say or do stuff like that. But, swear it, they really do. I had a wonderful boss who drove me insane. I remember a time he walked up behind me and snapped my bra strap. I was in shock as he ran down to HR to ask if I could sue him. Another time he asked if I was sleeping with the VP of Manufacturing because the guy had given me such a glowing review. Of course, he didn’t just ask that in private, he yelled it out from his office door over to my cubicle. You might think I disliked this man, but for the most part he was actually a really nice guy. He just had this problem with saying and doing things before he thought them completely through. So, like “The Office” I had to bring along some characters that I worked with for SHOW AND TELL. Specifically, there’s lovely Inga Rice who gives Trinity hell on her new job. In my real life, she was a he. It was a nightmare from which I couldn’t seem to wake. But you know, I was kind of proud of the way I handled this guy in the end. Which is why I’m proud of the way Trinity handled Inga, too. So while much of what I write is totally fiction, a lot is also based on real events, maybe my events, or maybe a story someone else told me.

So, care to share any stories you have from your work? Any bizarre things happen to you recently? Any interesting characters that you’d like to share?

FAIR PLAY, the third book in THE FORTUNE HUNTER trilogy arrives sometime in April 2009. I also have an anthology coming out in December 2008, UNLACED, with stories by three other great writers, Jaci Burton, Joey Hill, and Denise Rossetti. In addition to Jasmine Haynes, many of you know me as Jennifer Skully, writing over-the-top (hopefully hilarious) romantic mysteries, and as JB Skully, I’ve created the Max Starr psychic mystery series. Readers can learn more about all my pseudonyms at http://www.skullybuzz.com/.

Enter my Fresh Fiction blog contest today.

And don't miss my contest with lots of free books and lots of winners, going on now at http://www.skullybuzz.com/contest.html

Jasmine