April 21 2015 Romance Weekly

Do you like to read romance novels? Wouldn't you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the writers of Romance Weekly as we go behind the scenes of our books and tell all..... About our writing of course! Every week we'll answer questions and after you've enjoyed the blog on this site we'll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.

Welcome back everyone!

Make sure to stop by Leslie Hachtel's blog after reading mine. Leslie is the author of The Defiant Bride.

I came up with this week's blog topic which is what I called a mini flash fiction. My mistake was thinking because I made the word count requirement small that it would be easy to write but nope!

So I wanted everyone to describe a kiss in 10 words or less, but also include the words pink & sweet.

What was I thinking? Apparently, when I came up with this idea I wasn't thinking and it took several days of thinking and trying different versions before I decided I found the right one.

So here it goes my attempt:

Pink nose, rose lips, my sweet baby's kiss brings joy.

My toddler had learned how to kiss. They are these sweet wide mouth wet smooches that are kinda gross but squeeze my heart. He dishes out hugs, too. Love him!

I'm excited to find out how our other blog hoppers tackled this mini flash fiction challenge. Carrie Elks, author of Broken Chords, is next.

See you next week!

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April 14 2015 Romance Weekly

Welcome back. Hope everyone had an enjoyable spring break! My vacation was wonderful hanging out on the beach with my family. Unfortunately, it's time to get back to reality. Let the authors of Romance Weekly help ease the transition. The hop starts here or anywhere you like. Check out Victoria Barbour's post after reading mine.

This week the talented Xio Axelrod wants to know how much of ourselves do we lend to our characters? What traits do our characters have that come from us?

I think through all of my writing the one thing my characters have that come from me is curiosity. I feel like I have an endless amount of curiosity about the world and other worlds, about possibilites, and what if scenarios. I like to discover and learn new things. I've always loved learning and I find when I'm writing about my characters this curiosity comes out in their personalities no matter what type of personality they have.

The alien hero? Well he's curious about how humans are somehow tapping into his alien power. How could it be possible?

The group of alien soldiers fighting to survive? Well they are curious about humans as well but more or less they want to learn their enemy's weakness so they can win the fight.

The evil mad scientist? He's curious on how to get alien power for himself.

The humans who are along for the ride and mysteriously (or not) have alien power as well? They are curious about the hidden world the aliens live in and why they look so much like humans it's virtually impossible to tell them apart.

What makes this work?depositphotos.com — What makes this work?
*depositphotos.com*

The little boy or girl wonder? Well, kids are inheriently curious so there is a lot of questions from them in my writing.

This benefits me as a writer in the long term. The more curiosity I have the more ideas I have and that translates into more stories to share with others. So, although annoying at times, having my characters ask me a million questions about what's going on in the story is a good thing. And I have to realize when I ask people a million questions I'm probably annoying them, too. Now, I know it's just my nature. :)

Hop on over to Leslie Hachtel's blog post to find out what traits they have that show up in thier characters.

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5 Ways to Fix a Creative Flat

I need to get back on the creative highway.

Spring is here. I have Spring Fever. I have conflicting situations: I have a lot on my mind and also not much on my mind as I think of sunny skies and warm days.

It's raining outside and I'm stuck inside as the weather turns from bitter cold to mild warmth that feels like a heat wave.

Because of the weather change, that is good but not great and my lack of focus it causes, I feel like I'm not making any tracks except the huge rut my spinning has created. I'm stuck in the mud. When my mind whirls and I can't focus on any particular thing it is like my creativity has gotten a flat tire. I can't move forward. I'm not sure what to do to get back on the road.

What would I do if I had a real flat tire?

1. Call for help.

Honestly, if I had a flat tire I would panic and call for help immediately. My thinking is leave it to the experts. I would call on my friends and family to help me out of a creative rut as well. If I really don't want to bother them for whatever reason a journal page or notebook can do the trick. I write down those thoughts that won't leave me alone. They get out of my head and my next moves are clear.

2. Drag out the spare.

I realize there is a problem and figure out the next steps in solving that problem. Sometimes just the act of doing something else can help get me unstuck.

3. Jack up the car.

There's no way to put a tire on a car unless I've used the jack and lifted it off the ground. Similarly, if I feel down in the dumps about my current projects a little inspiration goes a long way. I listen to some upbeat music, read an inspiring quote, or enlist a friend in giving me a pep talk.

4. Hope someone will take pity on me and stop.

It's okay to feel lost sometimes. If no one is available to help or I just can't figure out what to do at the moment, it's okay to not know what to do. Breathe. Relax. I already have a flat so technically I'm not going anywhere. I'll take advantage of that time to do nothing or nap. Naps are wonderful.

5. Woman up, get the job done and get back to normal.

Okay. I've been refreshed with a nap, gotten a pep talk and help as needed. It's now time to get a functional tire on the car and drive to my destination.

What techniques do you use to get your spring creativity back on the road?

Photo provided by depositphotos.com

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