Category Archives: Writer’s Life

Author Fun

Posted on April 19, 2012 by | 6 Comments

I’ve heard things in the publishing industry happen very slowly, but ever since my first book sold earlier this month, I feel like I’ve been swept up in a publishing whirlwind.

First, my editor, Lauren Plude, sent me a welcome aboard gift of a few Grand Central Publishing books. Notice all the NY Times bestsellers, including my friend, Caridad Pineiro’s, ARC (Advance Reading Copy) of The Claimed.

Lauren then asked me for a headshot so she could include it in some promotional materials. Unfortunately, the only professional photos I had were either from my wedding or from a recent formal karate picture. Ok, I know it’s a romance, but me in a wedding dress is over the top. And though the book has its share of fight scenes, me in a gi isn’t appropriate either. I ended up giving her two digital photos taken last spring, and hope one works for now. In the mean time, I talked my friend and author, Cathy Tully (who recently received a contract for her first book) to get author photos taken at Glamour Shots.

Cathy Tully

We had a ball getting our hair and makeup done, and changing outfits for our “photo shoot.” But then I came home and showed the DVD slideshow to my family. Big mistake. Although they liked the pictures, they didn’t like my hair. It was too different from how I normally do it. Umm…isn’t it supposed to be different? I’m supposed to be glamorous, here, people. But apparently it didn’t look like me, which means I spent all that money for nothing. *sigh* I’m considering retakes.

Later that night I had an interview on Internet radio, Homegrown Radio NJ with my aunt, Sharon Moran, who recently had her book, Daughters of Destiny, published. The interview was originally scheduled for her, but she invited me to come along, and the DJ’s agreed. I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve heard some horrible stories where the interviewers don’t like the romance genre and so make fun it, or ask inappropriate questions. But that didn’t happen. Todd Mills and the Rickster were great. We chatted about our books, answered non-book related fun questions, and after an hour the interview ended. I had a great time, am so thankful Aunt Sharon asked me to join her on the show. It made my first interview so special because I shared it with her. I only wish I thought to take pictures!

Now, I understand that an author’s life won’t be all free books, photo shoots and interviews, but I’d be a liar if I told you it wasn’t fun, and an experience I’ll never forget. As soon as Todd sends me the interview, I’ll share it with you…unless, of course, I listen to it first and realize I sounded like an idiot. ;)

For now, it’s back to the computer (in unglamorous jammies and hair pulled back) to outline book 2 of The Survival Race.

~K.M. Fawcett

→ 6 Comments

Posted in Writer's Life

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Happiness is Validation – I sold!

Posted on April 16, 2012 by | 13 Comments

Two weeks ago, my agent, Michelle Grajkowski, of the 3 Seas Literary Agency sold my first book (a sci-fi romantic thriller) to Grand Central Publishing’s new digital imprint, Forever Yours. Thank you, Michelle! :)

I still can’t believe it! After eight years of writing, learning my craft and the business, and then submitting and receiving those dreaded rejections, I am finally going to see my story in print.

:D Happiness is validation. :D

All the hard work, blood, sweat and tears (yes there have been a few over the years. What can I say? I’m a sensitive martial artist) have finally paid off. Someone not related to me loves my story as much as Michelle and I do. In fact, they love it so much they’re willing to pay me for it!

And if that wasn’t exciting enough, my editor, Lauren Plude, wants the sequel. That really blows my mind. I can understand her wanting a book she’s read, but she wants a book I haven’t even written yet! I’m honored and thrilled that she enjoyed my writing and story enough to want more.

But I must admit, I’m also nervous about writing and delivering book two to her in nine months. I’ve never had a deadline before. So I got out the calendar and figured out what I needed to do each month, and how many words I must write per week in order to have this book done on time. I feel better having a plan. Of course, I probably haven’t thought of everything I needed to add to the calendar.

It’s strange being a newbie all over again, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am incredibly excited to learn what happens now, after the sale, and to go through the stages of making a book. And most of all, I can’t wait to see my name on the cover of the finished product, which hopefully will be available at the end of the year. We’re aiming for a Nov/ Dec publication date.

I want to give a big shout-out thank you to my awesome critique partners, beta readers, contest judges, law enforcement officers who answered my questions, and of course my agent for helping me get this book ready to sell. Thank you Amy Pierpont and Lauren Plude for loving this story as much as I do! I look forward to working with you.

Thank you Attacking The Page community for sharing in my joy. If you have any advice for me, please let me know in the comment section.

~K.M. Fawcett

→ 13 Comments

Posted in Writer's Life

Tagged , , , , , ,

My Scrivener Update

Posted on April 9, 2012 by | 2 Comments

I promised an update on my switch from manual story-boarding to the oh-so-organized Scrivener.  I started my new project on the new software two weeks ago.  And got absolutely nowhere with it.

My lack of progress was only partly due to the software, which has excellent capabilities but felt very cumbersome to me.

Corkboard was awesome. I love the way it interacts with the document.  My story-board and desk are always a complete mess by the time hit the middle of a book. Unfortunately, corkboard was the only thing I liked about Scrivener. Maybe it was the PC version, but the software was annoyingly laggy on both my desktop and my brand new laptop.  I’d type a sentence, but the words wouldn’t appear on the screen for a second or two.  This drove me crazy.

Next, I assumed that sticking the basics wouldn’t involve much of a learning curve, and that only advanced features would be difficult. I was wrong. Doing any sort of formatting was overly complicated.  I’d need to take a course or buy a book and devote several weeks to learning how to use the program. Keep in mind that I’m a geek. I alter the CSS stylesheet of my WordPress website. The formatting difficulties made my document appear messy. This also drove me nuts. Yes, I realize I sound very, uhm, particular, but I like to look at a tidy document. I like a certain font. I like to know exactly how many pages I’ve written, etc. What can I say. I am what I am.

OK, now here’s the weirdest thing. Frankly, I missed my color-coded note cards. I missed scribbling on them. I missed pinning them up on my story-board. The electronic experience just wasn’t the same as shuffling through the cards manually or moving them around on the wall board. Maybe it’s the tactile experience or the movement involved, but the virtual corkboard didn’t prompt my brain activity the same way.

All in all, during the first two weeks of working on my newest book, I wrote very little. Since switching back to my sloppy and seemingly chaotic but actually very organized system, I’ve roughly outlined the first three chapters, from inciting incident to first turning point. I’ve also identified the mid-point and defined much of the resolution. (The book’s climax was always clear.)

So, I know many, many people who LOVE Scrivener, but it’s not for me. I’m back to scribbling on index cards and appreciating them more than ever.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in General blog, Writer's Life, Writing Tips

Tagged , , ,

Off to a Rough Start

Posted on March 19, 2012 by | 9 Comments

I turned in a book to my editor last week.  Yay!  I also completed the first round of edits on Midnight Exposure, my June release.  There was much rejoicing in my household.

Now for the rub. I have to start my next project, and it can’t be the usual willy-nilly-whatever-pops-into-my-head.  Midnight Exposure ends with an open thread.  It’s begging for the sequel to be written.

But ready, set, write doesn’t always work for me.  I sat down to start a rough outline. A few ideas have been rumbling around in my head.  Thanks to book 1 in the series, my villain’s character arc jumped up and waved at me.  I also know the event that will comprise the black moment.  My main characters already exist, though they must be fleshed out.  I know what needs to happen. It’s the how that’s eluding me.

I like to start a book with action, jump right into an event that gets the whole ball rolling, so to speak. Unfortunately, the beginning of the book has eluded me for the past week. Part of the problem is rooted in the final weeks of the last project.  I was working till midnight every night, so caught up in the flow that I couldn’t stop until the book was finished. My brain is fried.

Enter outside help. Like magic, an email from Kiss of Death (the romantic suspense chapter of Romance Writers of America) appeared in my in-bin. An online Book in a Week class was forming.

An imaginary bright light illuminated my office. A choir of angels burst into the hallelujah chorus.  I signed up on the spot.  24 hours later, I receive a two articles, one with a cliffnote summary of Deb Dixon’s all time classic Goal, Motivation, and Conflict (GMC). The other was a quick plotting guide.  I immediately print them out and read. With some focus, my reluctant brain cells chug into action. Ideas form. Not great ones yet, but better than nothing.

For the uninitiated, Book-in-a-Week (BIAW) is an insane attempt to write an entire book in seven days. I know I don’t write that fast, but I’ll be happy if I can just jump-start this project. I’ll spend the next couple of days completing a GMC chart for each main character and doing the exercises in the speed plotting article.  I’ll post my progress on Thursday, day 4 of the BIAW.  Cross your fingers for me.

Has anyone else fried their brain finishing a project?  Does anyone else have any ideas for getting a new book off the ground?  And how many writers belong to writing organizations and NEVER take advantage of the resources they offer (sheepishly raising hand)?

→ 9 Comments

Posted in General blog, Writer's Life

Tagged , ,

What Does it Feel Like to be Hit

Posted on February 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

Recently, we at ATP were asked what it felt like to be hit. Here are our answers.

Punches to the face:  While none of us are prize fighters, we do spar in karate. Even an accidental blow to the face HURTS. Eyes water reflexively. Noses bleed an extraordinary amount. When hit in the eye, even lightly, vision is blurred or cloudy for while afterward. Blows to the jaw can result in loss of consciousness (boxers refer to this as the “glass jaw”). In a street fight, the damage would likely be much worse as the person isn’t trying to score a point. His intention is to hurt his opponent.

Hard blow to the stomach:

Melinda: It effing hurts. Vomiting is common. Breathing will be difficult as the air is “knocked” out of you. I took a solid kick to the solar plexus in my sparring test for my 1st degree, through a padded rib guard, and had to bow out for about 5 minutes. My lungs felt like they wouldn’t expand. I returned to the mat, but my knees were shaky and I felt winded for the remainder (about 30 minutes) of the test. I was so glad to limp home and ice everything.

Kathy: Earlier in my training, my husband (who is also my teacher) kicked me in the right side and I swear it felt as though my midsection shifted two feet to the left (like you’d see in a cartoon character) before returning to normal.  It hurt for a while but I was ok.  Last year I got kicked really hard in the ribs and thought they were broken it hurt so bad.  They weren’t though.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in General blog, Writer's Life, Writing Tips

Tagged , ,

I Get Knocked Down…

Posted on January 26, 2012 by | 17 Comments

Daruma doll

Have you ever worked months, maybe years, toward a goal you really, truly wanted? I’m talking blood-sweat-and-tear-shedding, sleep-depriving work for this goal in which the pain never bothered you because your excitement and hope blunted it, especially when success was within reach; so close you could stretch out your fingertips and brush the goal’s smooth, pristine surface. Only to have your heart’s desire tip over, fall off the pedestal and shatter on the tile floor into a million teeny tiny pieces?  Along with your heart.

If you’re a writer who has received a rejection letter, you understand exactly how I feel.

I really believed this manuscript was the one. The manuscript that would bring my first contract, start my career, drop me on the path toward New York Times bestsellerdom, and keynote speaker at RWA’s national conference. (What, your dreams don’t include being a future keynote speaker?) Anyway…the editor had good things to say about my writing, but thought my twist was a little too different. Argh! (Side rant: I’m beginning to think the NY publishers don’t want “a new twist on an old story” they want “slight curvatures”.) Granted she was only the first editor we’ve heard back from on the new project, and my agent and I still love it and wholeheartedly believe in it, but the rejection knocked me down anyway. What can I say? I’m a sensitive girl. So as I was sinking into the quicksand of self-pity and crushed dreams, I thought about the Daruma I gave my husband for Christmas.

A Daruma is a traditional Japanese wishing doll that helps us achieve our dreams. When you get a Daruma, you set a special goal and then color in one of the doll’s eyes signifying the start of your commitment to work toward achieving it. Then you place Daruma where you can see him everyday – either at home or at work. He motivates you to stay focused on your goal. Once your goal has been achieved, you signify your accomplishment by coloring in his other eye.

Daruma’s are made from papier-mâché, are rounded, hollow, and weighted on the bottom so they will return to their original upright position if tilted or knocked on their side (like a Weeble Wobble – remember those?). Because of this unique ability to right itself, Daruma is associated with the Japanese proverb, nana korobi yaoki, which states, “Fall down seven times, get up eight”.  In other words, the proverb and the doll represent persistence and perseverance.  Not only is that a good writing motto, it’s a good life motto.

Daruma reminds us to never, ever give up on our dreams. No matter how many rejections we may receive.

~K.M. Fawcett

→ 17 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized, Writer's Life

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

World’s Slowest Writer

Posted on January 5, 2012 by | 5 Comments

Happy New Year!

Is it me or is time speeding up? Here we are five days into the new year, and I haven’t figured out my goals yet. Heck, I haven’t even reflected on last year’s goals. Maybe it’s better that way. Last year I had three goals and fell short of them all.

Time to try again…

My goal for 2012 is to start and finish writing a new novel. Since I’m a contender for World’s Slowest Writer, handing my agent a new book before year-end will not be easy. But I think I can speed up productivity if I plot more precisely than I have done in the past. If I spend more time on the story arc, the characters’ goals, motivation and conflict, and the turning points upfront, I should have less fixing and rewriting later on. It can’t hurt, right?

So I download a free trial of the writing program Scrivener. This program seems like a great way to organize my story and keep everything, including research, in one file. I’m still going through the tutorial, but so far it seems pretty good, as long as I can remember how to use all the functions. Perhaps I should sign up for Gwen’s Scrivener class in February.

Well, at least I have one goal to work toward. I still need to determine my karate goals and personal goals (Note to self: include get more sleep on personal goals list). What about you? Do you make goals or resolutions for the New Year? If you’re a writer, do you use writing software? Do you plot or write by the seat of your pants?

~KM Fawcett

→ 5 Comments

Posted in Writer's Life

Tagged , , , , , , ,

The Best Piece of Advice

Posted on December 29, 2011 by | 15 Comments

anyone ever gave me came from the wise and experienced authors at Liberty States Fiction Writers. I’ve filed this advice in my brain right next to wear clean underwear in case I’m in an accident.

DO NOT ENGAGE

No, they weren’t talking about the thrusters on the Enterprise. They were referring to people who review your books. Goodreads, Amazon, professional bloggers, whatever. I was reminded of this for two reasons. One, my debut book, She Can Run, has garnered enough reviews now to have a few unfavorable ones. Two, I read a post on a loop recently from an author who contacted a reviewer to complain about a review. An ugly back-and-forth ensured. Which was exactly what I’d been warned would happen by those wise and experienced authors.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Liberty States Fiction Writers for saving ME this embarrassment.

This was the precious advice I received. It doesn’t matter if the reviewer has valid points about your book, is just being mean, wants to prove to the world he’s smarter than you, says things that aren’t true, or is flat-out insulting. None of that matters. No good can come of a writer complaining about a review. You will look like you can’t take criticism. You will look unprofessional. You will will look like a whiny bitch. Worst of all, you will draw even more attention to the review.

I’d tell you not to read reviews, but we all know that’s harder to do than it sounds. Writers are insecure. We MUST know what everyone thinks of our babies- er -books. Plus, reviews are as addictive as potato chips. You can’t stop after just one. But the next time someone posts a terrible review about your book, call a good friend and get all the complaining out of your system (sorry, Rayna!) Shut off the computer, go to the gym, and work off your frustration there. Not everyone will like your book. Just get over that now and move on. But above all,

DO NOT ENGAGE.

Does anyone else have a priceless piece of advice from a fellow writer that you’d like to share?

→ 15 Comments

Posted in General blog, Writer's Life

Tagged , , , ,

What Does She Want From Her Hero?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by | 10 Comments

Scott and I on Tsuken Island (Okinawa, Japan)

After recently turning in my manuscript, synopsis, and blurb to my agent to pitch, I’ve been brainstorming my next novel and could use your help. The hero of this story is the brother of the last story’s hero, so his personality, goals, and motivation are pretty well defined already.

But…

This is a romance novel and my hero needs a heroine. I’ve been racking my gray matter trying to come up with the kind of woman this hero needs. I figured since he has a strong personality, and thinks a little too highly of himself, he needs a strong woman who isn’t impressed by his macho attitude (he’s not really macho, he just thinks he is…think Howard Wolowitz on the Big Bang Theory, only not as nerdy or creepy).

Back to the heroine.

I want her to be physically strong, confident and teach karate (hey, everyone says write what you know, so I figured why not a karate instructor?) and she comes from a big family. My hero only has one family member so this will be a big adjustment for him especially when confronted with a few protective older brothers. :)   Not that the heroine needs their protection. She’s pretty good at handling things herself. Oh, did I mention she’s the hero’s sensei? Yup, the hero figures he can’t become a vigilante if he doesn’t know how to fight, and so joins her karate dojo. But he soon learns there’s more to being a “superhero” than punching and kicking.

Now for the part I need your help with…

If the heroine is already a strong, confident woman who owns her own business, what can she learn or gain by being with the hero? What is her vulnerability? What is her character arc? How does she grow to be a better person? Why does she find love with this hero and not anyone else?

Perhaps the answer lies in her reasons for her becoming a dedicated martial artist. I just wish I knew what that reason was. Any suggestions?

~K.M. Fawcett

→ 10 Comments

Posted in Writer's Life

Tagged , , , , , ,

Show Up Naked: Writing the Male POV by Guest Author, Chris Redding

Posted on November 14, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Chris Redding lives in New Jersey with her husband, two kids, one dog and three rabbits. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. When she isn’t writing, she works part time for her local hospital. Her latest release in print is A View to a Kilt. Welcome, Chris!

Thanks, ladies!  This is an excerpt from a workshop I do called Show Up Naked: Writing the Male POV. This lecture talks about the basics of men…

Aggression as Part of the Game

In our culture aggression in some form is expected of men, whether in business or on the playing field. Think about a stock broker. He needs to win the game to win for his clients and make money.

Ask to be part of the team you want to be on. Men to do it all the time. They ask for things that women are loathe to do. I used to work a job at night. I’m not a night person. When my boss came to me for a solution to the problems I was having, I asked to work during the day. Problem solved. He saw nothing wrong with me asking for something. It was part of his psyche to ask for what he needed so it made perfect sense that I would ask for what I needed. (Little did he know how much I agonized over the that request.)

Most men lobby for the attention to get on a team.

So men decide what they want and then work towards getting it. Not that women don’t, we just do it differently or wait for it to come to us.

Men make themselves visible. Remember when I talked about how men toot their own horns? How they talk up their own accomplishments? If you aren’t visible, someone else can take credit and they win the game. Not you.

Risks are a part of the game. Men are willing to take them. By acting as if they know how to do it, men get to try something new and sometimes it works out. They win!

I Coulda Been a Contender

Fighting is part of the game. I think as women we are socialized to avoid conflict. Back to that “make everyone happy”. Men have no such socialization and are taught to look out for themselves. I think we’ll see this changing soon.

For men fighting can bring the team together. And being that most men won’t walk away from a fight, it works. Not all men choose to engage in the fight. I know lots of men who can talk their way out of a fight.

And since there are rules to the fight, just as there are rules in any game, each man knows when to quit. Think about a duel. Two people choose their weapons. They walk ten paces, turn and shoot. It couldn’t be more civilized if you discount the killing part.

No one intervenes. It’s between the two men and they both follow the rules.

Ever seen two women fight? There are no rules.

That said, there is nothing wrong to a man if you find your opponent’s weakness and go for it. That is considered fair.

Because they know the rules of the fight, men also know when to stop. They stop fighting when it is clear they won’t win or that the cost of winning is too high. This is ripe for conflict in a novel. Remember this when your hero is fighting for something. This is the quintessential dark moment when he must give up the fight. Most likely in a romance novel, if he wins, he loses the girl. I’m tingling at the thoughts of what you can do with this information. How strong you can make that dark moment.

Thanks for having me today.

cmr

A View to A Kilt:

Waking up next to a dead guy can ruin your whole day.

When a wise-cracking interior decorator wants to put her past behind her, the dead body of the mayor’s son makes it pretty clear that won’t happen too easily.

A conservative former computer geek for the FBI is holding on too tightly to his past. His wife died under suspicious circumstances and he believes the decorator has the information to solve the case. Unfortunately for him, she isn’t talking… until a series of events convinces her she needs protection especially when her biggest secret threatens to destroy both their lives.

You can buy A View to a Kilt at:

Omnilit 

Smashwords

Amazon

Nook Store

 

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Writer's Life

Tagged , , , , ,