FINDING A HERO ...

When you read, are you able to envision the characters? Do you like reading a book where the author has clearly defined a character's appearance. Does it distract you if characters, especially main characters, are left out there sort of dangling so that you have to make them up yourself?

 I can tell you that for me, a character's appearance and mannerisms just might be the hardest part of the whole book. It isn't rocket science, but it's tedious and my OCD kicks in and makes it harder than it needs to be. No doubt every author has his or her own method for constructing a character.  I've tried holding a character in my head as I write, but then after about 50 pages, I start to forget the eye color, the hair color, the height, body type, etc, etc.

The hero's appearance is especially important in romance novels. A long time ago, in one of the early conversations I had with one of my editors, she said to me, "Don't forget that romance novels are fantasies." ..... I've never forgotten her telling me that. I added it to the lore I collect for building a successful romance "hero."

So in an effort to make the whole process easier and more efficient, I started searching for heroes in celebrities of which there are copious pictures. Once I found the images of the hero and heroine in pictures of real people, my job became a lot easier.  .....  As a side note, I should add that *all* of my heroes are good-looking, alpha and heroic. All of my heroines are beautiful. After all, if I'm creating a fantasy, isn't that how it should be?

Adam Rodriguez.

The process is not always instant. For example, I searched for days for an image I wanted to imagine as Troy Rattigan in THE HORSEMAN. Troy's mother is half Hispanic with thick black hair and deep brown eyes. His father is blond, tall and lean and Scots-Irish. I started looking for a celebrity whose appearance might be the result of that mix.

Then I started thinking about the personality I was creating for this character. He's a friendly, fun-loving guy, so that attitude had to reflect in his appearance. Believe it or not, it wasn't that easy to find. I ended up with the actor, Adam Rodriguez. What do you think? Is he a hero you can envision in a romance novel?

The heroine, Samantha Karol, was almost impossible. I ended up buying a picture of her. She's small, with a bushel of thick black hair that hangs past her waist (of which, she's very proud). She has intriguing blue-green eyes that look at you directly and full, cherry-red lips. I have a friend who has blue-green eyes and as long as I've known her, the color of her eyes is so riveting, they're distracting when we talk. I can never tell what she's thinking.

I thought that intense characteristic would be fitting for a woman who had grown up an orphan with a no-nonsense toughness about her. She's a survivor. I don't know this model's name, but she came the closest. Can you picture Troy being so attracted to her he can't keep from falling in love?

These are the stars in THE HORSEMAN. Does their appearance make you want to read the book? Let me know what you think.

That's Entertainment.....

Most people who read or write books also like plays and movies. I've even had the notion I should write a screenplay. 

I've been a movie fan for as long as I can remember. It started at an early age. When I was a small child, I lived with my grandparents. Their home was in a rural West Texas town that wasn't much more than a village really. We had scant outside entertainment, but we always had books, magazines and newspapers around the house. This is where I learned to read and love and sometimes watch fiction.

A movie was a rare treat. Two or three times a year, "tent movies" would come to town and stay for a week or so. They would set up a big tent in what passed for the town square, line up metal chairs for the audience to sit on and show a repertoire that included everything from silent movies accompanied by piano music to the "talkies." Sometimes we even had music where you could sing along, following the bouncing ball on screen. I think the price of admission might have been a quarter or less.

I found this picture on a site called "Old Magazine Articles," which tells about the traveling tent movies. It hauntingly reminds me so much of my childhood. If you want to read more about this slice of Americana and see more pictures, here's a link: http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/Traveling-Movie-Theaters-pdf

I and my great-grandpa were enthralled by those old movies. He walked to town every night to watch whatever was shown on the screen, good or bad. He was past 80 and practically deaf, so he had to sit on the very front row. I sometimes went with him, though I didn't get to go every night. 

What was even more fantastical was they had buttered popcorn and cotton candy. I was fascinated by cotton candy. As I recall, it cost a nickel. 

I'm still a movie fan and that's what my post is about. My husband is a movie fan, too. Or at least, he used to be. Last week, we decided to watch a 5-star movie on Netflix called "The Place beyond the Pines." I don't think we got half-way through it. Can you say dark and depressing?

We moved on from there to Amazon and another 5-star movie called "Winter's Bone." Didn't finish that one either. More dark and depressing. Then we chose "Hello, My Name is Doris," also well reviewed.  Didn't even get a quarter of the way through that one and I used to be a fan of Sally Fields. 

We ended up watching "50 First Dates" with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, a movie that had terrible reviews. It did have good reviews on Amazon from people who bought it and watched it. Believe it or not, we actually finished that one and furthermore, we liked it. It presented an interesting situation, I liked the premise and the performances of the actors and it was upbeat.

I guess, bottom line, whether it's books or movies, I don't want to be depressed while I'm trying to be entertained. Movies, as well as good books, were a happy part of my childhood and that's what I still want to see. I don't want to be broken-hearted, preached at or  shamed by social issues I can't remedy. I just want to be entertained.

Every movie they make these days, if it isn't car crashing and giant robots fighting, it's dark, Dystopian themes telling me how grim the future is going to be. I don't want to think about that. Dark and depressing isn't where I park my imagination. I see enough of it on the news.

NEW DIRECTIONS.....

I’ve finally done it. I’ve quit my day job. I worked only 3 days a week, but it felt like 9. It took sooo much “thinking” time away from my writing. Beyond that, when I thought about the stress level compared to the pay, I just couldn’t find a reason to do it anymore.

Now I’ll be able to concentrate more of my time and energy on writing. I have several projects underway or on the back burner.

#1 is THE HORSEMAN, Book #3 of my Sons of Texas trilogy. I’ve blogged here about it before. It will present a romance for Troy Rattigan, horse whisperer and youngest son of the Lockhart family. It will also complete the arc that began in Book #1, THE TYCOON and solve the riddle of who is threatening and harassing the Lockhart family and the Double-Barrel Ranch. My books usually are between 25 and 30 chapters. I’m up to 15 chapters now, so I don’t have too far to go.

#2 is MAN OF THE WEST, Book #2 of the Strayhorn trilogy. This book was traditionally published as a mass market paperback and I FINALLY have the rights back. I’m going to revise it a little and re-lease it with a slightly new story and a new cover.

 

 #3 is CLAIMED, the 2^nd book of Miranda’s Chronicles. The first book, DESIRED, is a 40,000-word erotic novella. CLAIMED will be a full novel. I want to complete this duet because I really liked writing in first person and I liked the 2 main characters in this story. When I wrote DESIRED, I believed I had created one of my strongest, therefore best, heroines in Miranda.

#5 is to write Book #3 of The Strayhorn trilogy. This will be Cable Strayhorn’s story. I haven’t settled on a title yet, but I’m toying with MAN OF THE HIGH PLAINS. I’m also thinking about THE PRODIGAL because it will be the story of a Strayhorn heir who leaves the fold for a different life, then returns after personal tragedy. I know—soap opera. 😊 I don't yet have a cover. I have to settle on a title before I can choose a cover. ..... What do you think about the 2 titles?

Woven between all of these is a new Dixie Cash zany adventure for the Domestic Equalizers. I’ve got the title: WHEN I SAID YOU'RE THE BOMB, I DIDN'T DREAM IT WAS TRUE. I've also got the basic plot idea formed in my head and am doing research, but so far, I have on 3 chapters on paper. The title is a clue to the story. 😉 ..... This will be the biggest challenge of all of all my writing projects because I no longer have my sister as a partner and she is the funny one. I don’t have that “Saturday Night Live” sense of humor that she does.

Also woven among and in between all of this is an attempt to narrate my own audio books. The fees for narrators makes them too expensive to do very many. If I can do a decent job on my own narration, I'll be releasing more audio books.

As you can see, just because I've quit my day job doesn't mean I won't be busy. 😟 I only hope to live long enough to complete all of these projects. Wish me luck!

Finding (or Losing) Your Muse.....

By Anna Jeffrey

In Greek mythology, there were 9 muses, the daughters of Zeus and Mnymosyne. Wikipedia defines them as "the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric songs, and myths that were related orally for centuries in ancient cultures. They were later adopted by the Romans as a part of their pantheon."

In modern usage, the word has several definitions. As a noun, it can be a spirit or source that inspires an artist, i.e., an influential teacher, a mentor. 

 As a verb, it can be defined as someone having deep thoughts about life. To ponder or consider, to think over or about, to chew on, etc., etc. Example: "He mused on the problems he faced." Or "I mused on Mary's problems." Or "I think I've seen her before," Mary mused.

Muse is often associated with writers. If you happen to be one, your muse can be a nightmare, the thing that deserts you when you need and want it most, the fickle goddess that can bring on writer's block. 

That's where I've been for the past few months--wading through the flypaper of writer's block. I didn't recognize it at first. In the 20 years I've been writing, I've never been stumped for a plot or dialogue  or character development. I've always known, basically, where I was headed. 

Often, writers are  solitary, sensitive creatures . The slings and arrows of life can knock their muse into the middle of next week and for it to come crawling back can sometimes take months. Sometimes that's personal; sometimes it's something else.

The slings and arrows of late are the writing and publishing business itself. I've had a hard time coming to terms with the new norm. I'm still having a hard time with it. Being the maverick that I am, I don't want to be owned by the company store. However, my desire to at least finish the two books I've started is strong. I've got too much invested in writing to abandon it. I've walked away from 2 careers to do it. Finally, and hopefully, after being bitch-slapped flat, my muse is picking herself up off the floor and slowly tip-toeing back. I don't have hardheaded Irishmen genes coursing through my blood for nothing.

NEW AUDIO BOOKS RELEASED

By Anna Jeffrey/Dixie Cash

Hi, Fellow Readers...

A couple of weeks ago, I released YOU CAN HAVE MY HEART, BUT DON'T TOUCH MY DOG as an audio book. It's available at Amazon,  www.audible.com and iTunes. You can listen to it on an MP3 player, your phone, your tablet, your laptop or your PC--anywhere you can listen to music. 

If you haven't tried listening to a book read aloud, you should give it a try. I've listened to audio books for many years, all the way back to when they were available only on cassette tapes or CDs. I've often listened to books I've already read and I have never listened to one that I didn't hear something I missed in the reading.

This is the 3rd audio book I' produced. I would love to have all of my book available in audio, but unfortunately, the cost is prohibitive. The performers who do the narration are actors and they draw anywhere from $150 to $500 per hour. The performers who read books written by the heavy hitters in the writing world get more than that.

Audio books can range from 5 or 6 hours to 15-20 hours, so you can see that the costs can add up in a hurry. My plan is to eventually narrate the books myself if I can ever get organized well enough. 

The first audio book I produced was another Dixie Cash book, OUR RED HOT ROMANCE IS LEAVING ME BLUE, read by an actress named Holly Adams.

The prior Dixie Cash books are available as audio books also, but they were produced by the original publisher, Harper-Collins. All of them are for sale at Amazon, www.audible.com and iTunes.

If you aren't familiar with the Dixie Cash books, they are zany comedies with a splash of mystery and romance. 

Soon after the first Dixie Cash book, I produced THE LOVE OF A COWBOY, a romance I wrote as Anna Jeffrey. It's a totally different kind of book in that it is a more or less classic romance novel. It, too, is available at Amazon, www.audible.com and iTunes. ..... So surf over to one of the retail sites and listen to a 3 or 4-minute sample. I'll bet you'll enjoy them.

 

When Real Life Parallels Fiction

Occasionally, this happens and it gives you a strange feeling.

In the latest Dixie Cash book, YOU CAN HAVE MY HEART, BUT LEAVE MY DOG ALONE,  a foul-mouthed parrot is one of the characters. Jake is an African Grey opinionated, self-centered bird and here is his portrait. 

I did quite a lot of research of talking parrots in the course of writing this book. I watched many, many YouTube videos to get an idea of exactly how parrots talk. I wanted him to provide some comedy, so I looked for one of the better "talkers" among the parrot population. An African Grey is what I found, universally accepted as one of the smartest and most vocal of all of the parrots.  Their speech is often garbled and not understandable, but at other times, it is startlingly clear. 

They also mimic sounds, i.e., dogs barking, coyotes howling, sirens, cats yowling, etc. They appear to be better at making realistic sounds than at repeating real words. 

They seem to have cognitive powers and emotions. They have temper fits. They plot and scheme. They argue. They participate in simple conversation.

And that brings me to the gist of this post. The backstory I created for Jake was that he grew up in a biker sports bar. His vocabulary is a little blue and he's seen plenty. I wrote a scene where his owner is telling someone in a conversation that he witnessed a murder and told the cops who the culprit was, but the judge ruled that a parrot's testimony was inadmissible in court.  

Imagine my surprise when months after I wrote that scene, I read a news article about a woman who shot her husband and claimed it was an accident. However, the judge ruled that it was homicide because the African Grey parrot that lived in their house kept saying, "Don't shoot, Stella." The judge accepted that comment from the parrot as testimony that the murder was premeditated.

Then a few weeks later, another story surfaced where another African Grey parrot had witnessed a murder and the words he said indicated to the judge who the guilty party was. Here's a link to the TV news broadcast of that particular story: https://www.facebook.com/aaawwwesome/videos/1039832722719782/

Truth doesn't just parallel fiction. Sometimes it's stranger than fiction.

These birds are truly fascinating. So fascinating in fact that I sometimes think I want one. I suspect they cost a fortune. 

Anyway, Jake is a starring character in this book and hopefully he provides a lot of laughs. Oh, and when you have some time and want to be entertained, look at some of the parrot videos on YouTube.

 

Snakebit!.....Yikes!

I always try to create interesting situations and circumstances for the characters in my stories. In my newest endeavor, THE HORSEMAN, Book #3 of The Sons of Texas trilogy, I’ve created a situation where a character has been crippled by multiple surgeries after a rattlesnake bite.

Not just any old snake, but a RATTLESNAKE. Thus, I’ve been researching rattlesnake bites. And after researching them, I’m even more scared of them than before. Rattlesnake bites are different from other snake bites.

On the Internet, there are personal stories from victims. One of the most hair-raising is from a 13-year-old boy who was bitten on the hand. http://rattlesnakebite.org/ Another is by a 50-year-old female backpacker in an area where she hikes several times a week. http://www.backpacker.com/survival/out-alive-bitten-by-a-rattlesnake/#bp=0/img1.

Both of these accounts will get your attention and put you on the lookout for venomous creatures.

So what happens if one strikes you? Here is a web site with good information about what to do. http://www.desertusa.com/reptiles/rattlesnake-bites.html.

Rattlesnake venom contains toxins that damage tissue, destroy blood cells, skin tissues and cause internal hemorrhaging. It can also immobilize the nervous system which can affect and even stop breathing. In reality, a snake bite kit isn’t really a good solution. You need to get to an emergency room fast.

The experts tell you that rattlesnakes are solitary creatures. They strike when startled or when they feel threatened. That’s good information, but if one is resting under a bush and you don’t know it and walk past it—as was the case with the 50-year-old woman—I guess that’s enough for it to feel threatened. 

The experts also say rattlesnake bites are rare. I grew up in West Texas, have

lived in Texas most of my life and I’ve never known anyone personally who was bitten. I’ve run across a couple of people who’ve been bitten by copperheads, but apparently those bites aren’t the same as rattlesnake bites.

Those same experts also say that there are very few deaths in the USA from snakebites. But me? If one bit me, I would probably die from a heart attack.

It’s the time of year when everyone wants to be outside working in the yard or the garden. Just be careful out there.

Meanwhile,  I'm  working  away  coming  up  with  a  way  my   heroine  in  THE HORSEMAN, the beautiful Dallas Ann Carol, is going to go on with her life after this trauma. And how our hero, handsome and rich  Troy Rattigan,  is  going  to find her courageous and irresistible.