Making Characters Believable

*This was originally posted on Kathryn Jones' blog, but I will post it here as well.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

GUEST POST: Making Characters Believable

Need some help pinning down your characters? This guest post from author, Marie Lavender, will help!

Photo by: themonnie, courtesy of Flickr

So, you have this story in your head.  You have to get it down on paper (or type it…whatever works for you).  So, you do.  You have a pretty good idea of where it’s going.  You can see the arc of the story, how it all comes together.  You have a good main character for it too. 

But, how do you make that character someone readers will love, or at least like?  There are plenty of different kinds of characters out there…some we love, some we love to hate.  But somehow, the protagonist is usually someone we want to root for.  Right?  But, why is that?  Why do writers have the innate ability to make their heroes lovable and their villains worthy of hating?

I have two rules, and I think they might help you.  One is pretty simple, but it can get complicated.  Know your character.  This is a blanket statement, and it might be a little repetitive for some.  Know your main character like you know yourself, or like you know your best friend.  You need to know their motivations, their deepest fears, their secrets.  Know their background – what kind of family they came from, what their relationship with their family is.  You have to know this character so well that if someone quizzed you randomly, you could answer off the bat.

So, how do you get to know your character?  By writing, of course!  Some of those characteristics will come out in the writing.  Some you’ll have to dig for.  Some you won’t even use, but it’s nice to know anyway.  You may want to do a character worksheet.  This is where you describe your character completely: name, age, race, physical traits, anything that makes the characters stand out from the next person.  Then, you want to dig deep into the basic motivations of the character.  What do they really want in life?  How will they go about getting it?  What is really important to them?  For my current projects, I’m using a questionnaire that I will provide you with for your own characters.  And you can add your own questions, or delete the ones that aren’t applicable.  I find this kind of worksheet usually helps.

Character Profile

1.      Name:

2.      Age:

3.      General physical description:

4.      Hometown:

5.      Type of home/ neighborhood:

6.      Relationship status:

7.      Current family:

8.      Family background (parents, previous marriages, etc.):

9.      Friends:

10.  Other close relationships:

11.  Relationship with men:

12.  Relationship with women:

13.  Job:

14.  Dress style:

15.  Religion:

16.  Attitude to religion:

17.  Favorite pastimes:

18.  Hobbies:

19.  Favorite sports:

20.  Favorite foods:

21.  Strongest positive personality trait:

22.  Strongest negative personality trait:

23.  Sense of humor:

24.  Temper:

25.  Consideration for others:

26.  How other people see him/her:

27.  Opinion of him/herself:

28.  Other traits, especially those to be brought out in story:

29.  Ambitions:

30.  Philosophy of life:

31.  Most important thing to know about this character:

32.  Will readers like or dislike this character, and why?

You can also dig even deeper with other questions.

1. If your character has a job, is he or she good at it? Does he or she like it?
2. What are your character's bad habits?
3. If you asked about his or her greatest dream, what would your character tell you?
4. What's a secret dream that he or she wouldn't tell you about?
5. What kind of person does your character wish he or she could be? What is stopping him r her?
6. What is your character afraid of? What keeps him or her up at night?
7. What does your character think is his or her worst quality?
8. What do other people think your character's worst quality is?
9. What is a talent your character thinks he or she has but is very wrong about?
10. What did his or her childhood home look like?
11. Who was his or her first love?
12. What's the most terrible thing that ever happened to him/her?
13. What was his/her dream growing up? Did he/she achieve this dream? If so, in what ways was it not what the character expected? If your character never achieved the dream, why not?
14. In what situation would your character become violent?
15. In what situation would your character act heroic?

Of course, this really helps.  It won’t answer everything, but it definitely helps you fill out some things about the character.

Another tool that helps is to write journal entries from the perspective of the character.  For example, such and such thing happened today (and it can be an event in your story) and this is why I’m so angry about it or happy.  You can also write letters from your character to another person (or character), using the same technique.

What I learned in Creative Writing classes was to make sure your character has consistent inconsistencies.  What’s that?  Well, that just means that sometimes your character might be a little contradictory.  Let’s say a character has a major fear of heights, but their greatest ambition is to fly.  Do they ever take the plunge and try it anyway?  Do they overcome that fear?  Or maybe your character considers herself a social butterfly on the phone, and yet she’s really agoraphobic.  Well, that would make an odd combination, right? 

And here’s where my second rule comes in.  Make your character human, capable of making mistakes.  No one wants to read about someone totally perfect.  Everyone is human.  Every one of us has made a mistake, whether small or large.  And we’ve all dealt with regret.  So, maybe your character should make a mistake too.  Maybe it’s an error in judgment.  They trusted someone they shouldn’t have.  They hurt someone they care about, and they regret it.  It can be smaller than that too.  But, make your character utterly and lovably human, and readers will love him or her too.

Any of these things can make a character believable.  What will you use to make your character come alive on the page?

 

Guest Blogger Bio

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats.  She has been writing for over twenty years.  She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands.

At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories.  Her imagination fueled a lot of her early child’s play.  Even growing up, she entered  writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second round in one.  She majored in Creative Writing in college because that was all she ever wanted – to be a writer.  While there, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal.  After graduating from college, she sought out her dream to publish a book.

Since then, Marie has published sixteen books.  Marie Lavender’s real love is writing romances, but she has also written mysteries, literary fiction and dabbled a little in paranormal stories.  Most of her works have a romantic element involved in them.  Upon Your Return is her first historical romance novel.  Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life.  Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

A list of her books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender:  Upon Your Return

Erica Sutherhome:  Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom

Kathryn Layne:  A Misplaced Life

Heather Crouse:  Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

UPON YOUR RETURN is on the top ten chart on Indie Author Land!

UPON YOUR RETURN is on the top ten chart on Indie Author Land! 
 *original post here.

Top 10 Books: Week ending June 21, 2013

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By David Njoku / June 23, 2013 / Top Ten Chart / No Comments

Wondering what to read on the beach this summer? Here are the books that have grabbed the interest of other Indie Author Land readers this past week. Position Buy Last week 1 Penpal by Dathan Auerbach Penpal is a horror story about a man trying to make sense of some traumatic events from his childhood. Amazon (US, UK) 2 The Break Up Recipe by Munir Bello is about the unfortunately named Mark Mutton who gets jilted by his fiancee a month before they are due to wed. Amazon (US, UK) 3 An Essential Guide to Housework for the Uninitiated/Bone Idle: Basic housekeeping skills for husbands/partners and the errant female by K Austin-Jones Amazon (US, UK) 4 Upon Your Return by Marie Lavender.Fara Bellamont gets into a bit of trouble when she finds herself at the harbor at night.  She becomes utterly captivated by a man who rescues her.  His name is Captain Grant Hill.  Of course, they are unsuitable socially.  But, who can listen to society when true love comes into the picture? Amazon (US, UK) 5 Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder is about a girl who falls in love with her life-long best friend, Kyle, and the affects on her life when Kyle is tragically killed in an accident. It’s about how she deals with the grief and how she eventually learns to let go and move on and find love again. Amazon(US,UK) 6 Imogen – two years and 27 days is an amazing book of photographs of a single model – Imogen – taken by a single photographer, Mark Wilkinson. Blurb 7 The Unraveling Of Bebe Jones by Roje Augustin23-year-old Desiree Washington lands a job with her idol, legendary R&B singer Bebe Jones.  Once a ruling star of show business, Bebe’s glitter is slowly fading, along with her marriage, and quite possibly her mind… Amazon (US,UK) 8 Forever Black by Sandi Lynn Ellery moves to a small apartment in New York in search of a peaceful life. And then she meets millionaire Connor Black… Amazon(US,UK) 9 Wax Dragon by Scott Wyatt  follows Daniel Fisher, who wakes up from a hypnotic delirium to find that the power is out, communication is impossible, and he is almost completely alone in the world. He has survived a sickness that has claimed nearly everyone around him and he is eight hundred miles from home. Amazon(US,UK) 10 Husbands May Come and Go But Friends Are Forever by Judith MarshallElizabeth Reilly-Hayden is a successful executive in her late fifties and a divorced mother of two.  Emotionally armored and living alone, she wants only to maintain the status quo. Yet in a matter of days, the three anchors that have kept her moored are ripped away. Amazon (US, UK)

Interview on Becoming A Writer Blog

*This was originally posted on June 22nd here, but I will post it on the blog as well.

Jun 22

Marie Lavender

What is your name?  

Marie Lavender

How much have you written? 

I have published sixteen books. A list of my books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender:  Upon Your Return

Erica Sutherhome:

• Hard to Get
• Memories
• A Hint of Scandal
• Without You
• Strange Heat
• Terror in the Night
• Haunted
• Pursuit
• Perfect Game
• A Touch of Dawn
• Ransom

Kathryn Layne:  A Misplaced Life

Heather Crouse:

• Express Café and Other Ramblings
• Ramblings, Musings and Other Things
• Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

Do you have specific title that you are promoting right now? What influenced you to write it? 

I am promoting Upon Your Return, my newest release.  It is a historical romance novel, and it was released in February through Solstice Publishing.

I guess the idea for the book just came to me suddenly one day, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since.  It is a love story about two people who have to go through quite a lot of trouble to find their happiness.

Click Marie’s beautiful cover to order a copy of Upon Your Return!

Do you have a blog or website? If so, does it help you promote your work? 

Both, yes.  I have a website that features my books, updates on current and upcoming releases as well as some snippets of my writing.

I run two blogs.  One is a personal blog, and the other is one in which I host other author’s articles, do interviews, etc.

I think those, paired with maintaining my status on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn help with promotion.

• http://www.marielavender.webs.com/
• http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/
• http://marielavender.blogspot.com/

What has been the most rewarding part of becoming a writer?  

First, I love seeing my name in print.  It’s so exciting.

Another rewarding part is interacting with potential fans and readers.  I love hearing that people have read my books and that they have liked them.

Receiving compliments on my writing is very helpful to me as an author.  It tells me I have done my job.

What challenges have you faced since becoming a writer?  

Well, it is hard to brand your name, to get your name as an author out there.  I have to admit that, much to my dismay, I spend more time promoting myself than writing these days.  So that is very challenging for me.
The other thing is research.  At least with my current release and the sequel I’m working on right now, I have faced a lot of hurdles with regards to research.

They are both historical romances so that makes it complicated, of course.  But, every labor of love is never easy, right?

Who are your favorite writers, and why? 

• Nora Roberts
• Catherine Coulter
• Nicholas Sparks
• Tessa Dare
• Emma Wildes

All of these are great writers.  Their love stories are classic.
I also like Kerrelyn Sparks, J.R. Ward and P.C. Cast because I not only like reading paranormal romances, I have a weakness for men who also happen to be vampires.  Sigh.  I am writing a couple of vampire stories myself as well (nothing like Twilight, I promise).

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?  

Use critique partners for your work.  That will save you a lot of headaches.  You don’t have to use every suggestion, but at least consider them.

And when you’re on the hunt for a literary agent/publisher, don’t give up.  Rejection letters are customary.  We all get them; we all get discouraged.

Keep moving forward.  Keep trying.  Keep writing.  The only person who will be disappointed if you quit is you.

Lovely review for Upon Your Return that I need to share, folks!

*This review originally posted on Author Alliance here, but I will post it as well.

Upon Your Return by Marie Lavender

Posted by AAAuthor on Jun 16, 2013 in Book Reviews, PRESS RELEASES

Fara Bellamont is born in high society France. She leads a charmed life until her parents death at sea, when she is sent as a ward of her stern, gloomy uncle. He proceeds to send her to a convent until the time she is ready to enter society and the marriage market. After she enters society her uncle makes a match for her but after her fiancé leads Fara into a bad situation because she refuses to say she loves him he flees. Fara only escapes from the bad situation due to the efforts of Capitaine Grant Hill and there is an immediate attraction between them. It is then up to Fara to decide whether to go with what society dictates or with her heart.

This book was well written and had a poetic quality to the way it flowed. I liked the voice of Fara and her personality carried me through the book. I also enjoyed how you saw the history through her viewpoint, so you got enough to keep it interesting but not a huge info dump to ruin the story.

The author also deals with the circumstances faced by women in that period realistically. The heroine knows the decisions she is making are going against what society expects and that she does them anyway is what makes the story more powerful. She acts like a woman of her circumstances and it was made her work as a character for me.

It is at its very heart a romance story and I loved Grant and Fara so much together that I was tempted to skip ahead to when I knew they would be together and beyond everything keeping them a part. The love scenes between them are sweet and tender and each bit of dialogue reveals something of their personality.
This was an enjoyable romantic read with enough historical spice to keep the setting interesting.

I give this book 4 stars.

Rebecca H.

 

Upon Your Return (Kindle Edition)

By (author) Marie Lavender

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Release date February 13, 2013.

Interview on Indie Author Land

*This interview was originally posted on the Indie Author Land website here, but I will go ahead and post it for you.

Interview with Marie Lavender, author of Upon Your Return

By David Njoku / June 15, 2013 / Romance / 

 

My new book, Upon Your Return, is about a girl who has always dreamed of having adventures and finding love.  Her uncle promises her to a complete stranger, which is obviously disheartening. However, Fara Bellamont, the main character, gets into a bit of trouble when she finds herself at the harbor at night.  She becomes utterly captivated by the man who rescues her.  His name is Captain Grant Hill.  Of course, they are unsuitable socially.  But, who can listen to society when true love comes into the picture? What genre is it? It is a historical romance. Tell us a little more about Fara. Fara Bellamont is hardly a typical lady of society.  She is outspoken and daring,  both traits that Captain Hill finds very interesting.  She knows her place in society, and yet she finds ways to push against those boundaries.  She is a likeable character, I believe. She definitely sounds it. What kind of readers will this book appeal to? Obviously, readers of historical romance will love it.  I hope that readers of contemporary romance will give it a try as well.  And even though romance is, for the most part, read by women, I have had some men express interest in it as well. Complete this sentence for us: if you like _________________, you’ll love Upon Your Return. Catherine Coulter. How would you like the reader to feel as they read the last word of this book? Happy, of course!  And fulfilled.  I don’t like to leave stories hanging, even though I’ll clue you in here.  There are going to be sequels. That is great news. Well, I’m currently writing the sequels for the Heiresses in Love Series (Upon Your Return is book one).  I’m focusing on book two right now.  It will be called Upon Your Honor.  I am also doing a collaboration with another writer, and it’s a romantic suspense.  At the same time, I am considering self-publishing another contemporary romance book, but I’m not sure which one it will be yet. You sound really busy. Have you written any other books that we should read next? I have self-published fifteen books.  The links can be found on my website. A Touch of Dawn, penned under Erica Sutherhome, is a particularly sensual yet touching story about two people who have come from abusive backgrounds and somehow have the courage to find love.  And another book, A Misplaced Life, released under the name Kathryn Layne, is about a girl who finds herself in the afterlife.  She works to try to bring her killer to justice with all the disadvantages of being a spirit.  These are only two examples, but the rest are good as well. Fifteen books! I have been writing since I was a kid.  I always wanted to be an author, to see my name in print.  I always dreamed of going into a bookstore and seeing my book.  Well, I’m not there yet.  But, I hope to be someday! You said something about having a website. What is it? http://www.marielavender.webs.com/ http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/ http://marielavender.blogspot.com/ What about social media? https://www.facebook.com/marie.lavender.58 https://www.facebook.com/MarieAnnLavender?ref=hl https://www.facebook.com/pages/Upon-Your-Return/221212331354873?ref=hl

Interview with Marie Lavender by Leanna Harrow

*This originally posted on Author Tease Readings.  Here is the link, but I will post it as well.

June 13, 2013 · 3:43 pm

Today’s Tease…Marie Lavender

Welcome! Pull up a seat and enjoy a chat with Today’s Tease Marie Lavender 

Your Name or Pen Name you use:  Marie Lavender  

Title of the book you are promoting:  Upon Your Return  

Links to purchase your Book:  

Print:  https://www.createspace.com/4284739
E-book :  http://store.solsticepublishing.com/upon-your-return/
Both:  http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Your-Return-ebook/dp/B00BFX8YLI/

Genre:  Historical Romance

Welcome ML…I, LH have some questions for you  

LH: I wanted to be a ballerina, race car driver and a private detective when I was little. What did you want to be when you grew up?

ML: I think I always wanted to be a writer.  I kept telling my family, “I want to be an author!”

LH: I didn’t really have a literary influence, I just decided one day to start writing. Who influenced you in your writing career?

ML: Well, I’ve pretty much always been partial to romance.  There was a historical romance series by Jean Ferris that really influenced me when I was younger.  I think the turning point was when I started reading Jennifer Blake and Catherine Coulter.  I have really branched out since then, adding Nora Roberts, Nicholas Sparks, Tessa Dare, Emma Wildes and Jane Feather.  I am also partial to paranormal romance so I definitely like J.R. Ward and P.C. Cast.

LH: I self published all of my books and was then “discovered” by a publisher. Are you an Indie or published author?

ML: A little bit of both.  Last year, Solstice Publishing found me and offered a contract for my current release, Upon Your Return.  Before that, I was self-published.  I self-published fifteen books under various pen names before Upon Your Return.  I am not beyond self-publishing again if the mood hits me later on.

LH: As an Indie Author, I was hesitant about being with a publishing company. If you are an Indie author, would you like to be published by a traditional publisher and if so, why or why not?

ML: Solstice, the house I am with now, is a small publisher.  I suppose at some point I would like to be noticed by a big publisher.  You can create a name for yourself a lot easier, and there are a lot of other benefits like movie deals and being able to publish consistently.  I wouldn’t do it for the money or anything.  I just have this dream of seeing my name in print in a bookstore.  That’s not much, right?  LOL.  On the other hand, I’m guessing there are disadvantages as well (i.e. deadlines and bureaucracy).  I am comfortable where I am right now, though.

LH: This is easy for me…I’d invite Johnny Depp and I would not discuss movies! Who would you invite to dinner, living or dead, and what one topic would you NOT discuss with them?

ML: Wow, I can’t decide between a major hottie or a favorite author now.  I better stay away from Gerard Butler.  I wouldn’t be able to stop staring at him or listening to his accent.  LOL.  I think maybe I’d invite Nora Roberts or Catherine Coulter, and I would not talk about how much money they make.  People get kind of sensitive about that, even if you mean well. And I’m not obsessed with it in any case. I’d love to find out what inspired them to write about certain characters or books.  I think if I met Catherine Coulter, I’d ask her about Devil’s Embrace, the novel that really opened my eyes up to the genre.

LH: I personally think that there is way too much sex and violence everywhere in society these days and it’s everywhere but that Hollywood is one of the biggest contributors.  Do you think that society as a whole is subjected to too much sex and violence and are you concerned about it? Ever feel conflicted and if so, why?

ML: Yeah, it’s one thing for adults to know about sex and discuss it freely with their friends or partners.
But, it’s quite another for us to have to see celebrities falling out of their clothes on purpose.  Please.  Who wants to see that?  And I actually get uncomfortable when I see too much sex on TV or movies.  And as for violence, I think things are really bad.  We are so desensitized to things that when we watch horror movies or even action movies that contain highly graphic killing scenes, we don’t even blink.  And it looks so real you couldn’t tell the difference.  It doesn’t say much for humankind in general if we don’t care about that stuff.  I think we need some definite changes.  I’m a romance writer so you know I’m open to things, but I worry about what we’re subjecting our children to these days.  That is my main concern with sex and violence in society.

LH: I’m a huge softy and by no means a beauty queen… lol but, I truly would want world peace in the blink of an eye if I could make it happen…If you could change one thing in the world, in the blink of an eye, what would it be?

ML: Starvation.  I think poverty is a major problem both here and in the world at large.  I would want no one to go hungry.  It’s just so heartbreaking when you see that or hear about it.  You want to help, but there is so much wrong with the world.  I think that would be a good step.

LH: With the traditional bookstore becoming obsolete and everyone turning to buying books online, I don’t buy the hype that “the cover is everything”. How important do you think book covers are now that almost all shopping is done online? 
                              
ML: Well, I’m still kind of torn on the e-book vs. physical book debate.  I love having a book in my hands.  I think I always will.  I’m a Luddite that way.  But, to answer your question, I think a lot of importance is placed on it.  I don’t believe, however, that every great cover would have a great story…or that a crappy cover would have a terrible story.  I think you can sometimes tell by the blurb more than the cover.  That is what sells.  How the story is presented to readers is the most important thing.  If the blurb doesn’t grab you, why would you want to read it?  I know there are books out there that are probably pretty great, but may not have a good description and that really is sad.  Well, and you know.  You were self-published too.  It is hard to make your book sales-worthy.  Now I’m not saying covers don’t help.  They do.  But, a good description really does it. 

LH: I can remember wanting to write as a kid. I got a really late start! Have you always wanted to write and when did you start?

ML: Yeah, I always have.  I pretty much started when I was nine, and never stopped!  I was always writing stories, or letting them play out in my head.

LH: I love to see if I can see myself in a character. What interests you most about a story?

ML: The plot has to be pretty good.  But, I do agree.  Stories are character-driven.  If you don’t have a compelling character, then there’s not much of a story.  I like to see the different facets of a character.  And I definitely want them to be human.  They can make mistakes.  Or learn from their mistakes.  I want them to be real.

LH: For me, I just get hit with this whole movie in my head and start writing. How do you come up with your stories?

ML: Yeah, I know what you mean.  My story ideas come at pretty much anytime, whether I’m ready or not.  So, I have to write it down really quick.  Sometimes it will be a basic idea…like, “Hey, why not write a story about three women who get stranded in a small town and they are all struck by love in different ways?”  That’s one story I have.  It gets developed later, of course.  And I have developed it since then.  At other times, whole scenes will play out in my head with full dialogue.  And if I don’t write it down, it can drive me crazy.  The creative mind can be pretty complicated sometimes. 

LH: I can’t tell you or I’d have to…lol.  Are you working on anything now?

ML: Yeah, I’m working on the sequel to Upon Your Return.  Or shall I say the second book in the Heiress in Love Series?  I still have a lot to do yet, mainly some more research and filling in the blanks here and there.  Then there is the whole editing process, but I digress.  I pretty much know what is going to happen in the book though.  No spoilers!  LOL.

LH: I’m working on #6…3 are published and the other 3 are due out this year… How many books have you written? How many have been published?

ML: I have written a ton of stories.  I haven’t published them all though.  I published sixteen books.  Fifteen of them were self-published and one was published traditionally.  My website, http://marielavender.webs.com/, has all the details. 

LH: I write for fun I don’t even dream of riches…Do you write for fun or money?

ML: Fun.  Yeah, I write for the joy of it.  I sincerely believe it’s sad to be driven by money in this industry.  If you don’t enjoy the art of writing, why are you a writer?  Money is temporary.  It can be gone so fast.  So, you may as well love writing.  You know that urge to write, the drive that makes writers nutty?  You know that pure joy you feel when you’re fully in the moment, writing your scene without stopping?  That’s the way it should feel.  And if it doesn’t feel that way, then why do it?  We are artists.  We create.  But, we have to love our work too.  That is the one reason we should do it.

LH: Some of my family members had a bit of a problem with me writing my first book “A Beautiful Liar” because the character Maggie West is basically me…to a point They had a problem with the genre and me “putting it all out there” so to speak so I took a pen name. They eventually came around as I have never cared who knows who I am what I’ve done or what they think of me. I’ve never wanted to be famous, just infamous! What has been your biggest problem when it comes to family or friends when writing?

ML: Well, they certainly never understood the dedication it takes to write.  Why do I spend so much time writing?  Blah, blah, blah.  I would say the one problem I ran into was that I am the total oddity in my family.  I’m a writer.  They don’t know what it’s like to be a creative individual.  I also have green eyes.  Theirs are blue.  Weird, right?  I’m digressing.  LOL.  I guess it’s been hard because there is nothing reasonable about being a writer.  If I wanted a reasonable job, I would have chosen a different profession.  I remember my mother telling me when I was a kid, “So you want to be an author?  Then you better marry some rich guy!”  Really?  I don’t believe in shooting anyone’s dreams down, no matter what.  The funny thing is I think my mother has come around about some things.  She has read a few of my books, and she likes them.  She has not read Upon Your Return yet.  I don’t know how I feel about showing my mother I’m actually a sexual being even though I am an adult, and I’m engaged.  But, that’s a story for another day.

LH: I have never experienced writers block…I have experienced writers “don’t want to”… Have you ever experienced writers block and if so, how did you overcome it?

ML: Several years ago, I did get writer’s block.  For a period of many months, I just didn’t have it.  I had no ideas.  I couldn’t write.  Anytime I tried, I felt dried up.  Nothing came out.  I couldn’t even use writing prompts.  It was painful.  I think I was also depressed, and I believe emotions have a huge impact on writing.  But, that is neither here nor there.  Eventually, I had to just tell myself, “It will come.  Don’t worry about it.”  So, I didn’t.  At least, I tried really hard to forget about it.  I tried to fill my life with other activities.  I just knew that at some point, it would change.  And it did.  Eventually, I did pick up a pen again.  I did start writing.  And what came out was pretty good.  But, I never want to go through that again.

LH: I get asked all the time “Do you have any advice for new writers?”… Do you?

ML: I’ve probably said this enough on my blog, and enough on discussion groups on LinkedIn.  But, perseverance is really important.  Persistence.  Don’t give up.  Don’t stop writing.  Don’t stop trying.  Keep working at it.  Eventually, you’ll get there.  Even my journey wasn’t without it’s hurdles.  And the journey is still going.  I’m still learning.

LH: I would not change one thing in my life as I would not be me if I did… If you could go back in time and change one thing in your life, what would it be?

ML: No, probably not.  I’m not sure I’d change anything.  I think I could have used a little more encouragement as a kid, but I made it through.  Maybe those roadblocks make us who we are.  I briefly entertained being a singer when I was younger.  But, I am not good with crowds, not good in front of an audience.  I’m still working on that.  It’s one of those things that is necessary in show business.  So, I know it’s not really my cup of tea.  But, writing?  That’s something I can do.  It’s something that is in my blood, something that is so much a part of me that it feels like it’s in my soul.  If I changed any part of my journey, I don’t think I’d be here.  That’s what matters.

LH: If I could go back in time and tell someone something, I’d go back and tell the founding fathers they were doing a few things wrong…If you could go back in time and tell someone something, who would you tell and what would you tell them?

ML: I feel two ways.  I feel that altering history is probably pretty bad because history is a chain of events and even the smallest thing can affect another.  However, the Holocaust really upsets me.  I think I’d do something to control Hitler.  The man needed a major…well, don’t get me started.  But, I wish I could do something about that if I could go back in time.

LH: I would freak out if someone contacted me and said they wanted to make one of my books or my series of book into a movie as I am really very shy in person and I’d probably go into hiding. I don’t think I could handle it. How would you handle it? Who would be the first person you told?

ML: I am not as shy as I used to be, but I would be pretty excited about that.  I have actually seen my book as a movie.  But, really, who hasn’t?  I would be ecstatic!  If that did happen though, I would probably tell my fiancé first as he is the man I love, and my best friend.

Thanks for that open and honest interview ML….Now… for the fun stuff!

Favorite Beverage?  Hot chocolate 

Exercise or Bubble Bath?  Bubble bath

Favorite Color?  Hot pink

Takeout or Dine in?  Take out

Camping or Hotel?  Hotel, of course.

Sports or Chocolate?  Chocolate (is there any other way?)

Dogs or Cats?  Cats!

Favorite Food?  Pizza

Favorite Song?  How can I choose?  I’m pretty eclectic when it comes to music.  I would probably choose Fireflight’s “Wrapped In Your Arms”.  I’m not religious, but I like alternative.  And I like love songs.  It’s the best of both worlds.

Favorite Movie?  The Princess Bride (silly, but still a love story)

Favorite Car?  The Chevy Equinox is a nice looking car, but I don’t own it.

Sex or Chocolate? (The answer “Both” is totally acceptable   Don’t make me decide!  LOL.  Both.

And now for the essay part of the interview  

If you could go anywhere for a week, with anyone you wanted and no one would ever find out about it…where would you go, what would you do and who would you take?

ML: Can I please, please, please pick Gerard Butler?  Just kidding.  Seriously, I would choose my fiancé.  I would go to the Caribbean somewhere, marry the man and escape to a deserted island.  What a honeymoon!  I can’t wait to marry him! 

Thank you for spending this time with us. Make sure to pick up your copy of Marie Lavender’s

Upon Your Return

at

http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Your-Return-ebook/dp/B00BFX8YLI/

Silly Ramblings

Ramblings...I find that a funny term now.  For those of you who aren't aware, I used that word in three of my books.  They were all story collections and included that term in the titles.  Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; and Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things.  But, I guess I'm really digressing.  Isn't the point of a blog...to blog?  Thus far, I'm not sure I've done my duty as your blogger.  Perhaps I've floundered a bit.  Or maybe it's that my life is really hectic, and I haven't had the time.  Who doesn't have that problem?

I'm going to bore you with this next rant, or shall I say ramble?  Today I decided to tackle a big problem.  Not that it did much good.  LOL.  My cat, Katerina (or really, better known as KitKat - yes, like the candy bar) is getting these terrible dreads in her fur.  These knots are really driving me crazy.  I find them when I pet her.  She has about three of them.  She is an Amazon, built rather large for a female.  She has really shiny, fully black fur with a white patch on her belly.  Adorable!  But, I'm still digressing, aren't I?  Anyway, I decided to finally rid her of these knots.  I used a small comb and a cat brush.  Did she thank me?  Um, no.  Said cat complained the entire time, like I was killing her.  Hey, I was doing her a favor.  And guess what?  She couldn't even sit still long enough for me to get it done.  Eventually, when she started to bite me (and I promise you I was very gentle with her - I love cats!), I decided, "Well...forget it."  Maybe next time, I'll get that problem fixed, huh?  Let's hope.

Then, I approached my next problem.  So, if I haven't already mentioned it on this blog or in numerous interviews, I'm currently working on the sequel to Upon Your Return.  I don't want to give any spoilers away, but I think people will like it.  The issue I'm having right now is research.  Research, research, research.  The dreaded, but required thing in a novel.  I am now at 90,113 words.  That's 324 pages so far.  That's actually 5,000 words less than where my first book was at when I submitted the manuscript.  So, I think this one may or may not end up a bit longer, but I digress.  Again.  I know.  LOL.  

The research has been...interesting, shall we say?  I am one of those people that sticks with something when I have made up my mind.  So, in my first book, Upon Your Return, I chose a time period which made research difficult, to say the least.  But, I did research it extensively.  And I finished it.  Obviously!  Now, I'm faced with new challenges and yet some of the same problems of finding the right resources that will fit for the time period.  The book is still Victorian in nature, set in the early 1890s actually.  So, even though I have enjoyed writing it thus far, it has mainly been writing.  I have done some research, but now I'm really getting into the heart of the research where everything gets challenging.  I want it to be accurate, of course.  This is why I wish I had access to a fairly large library.  I would be drawn to it both for research purposes and because I love books so much.  But, I live in a small town, which I'd be more than happy to trade for another place someday (preferably a beach).  So, I trudge along, whittling away at the keyboard and trying to find the information that is so necessary to make my book what it should be.

There is a lot of pressure placed on a sequel, I've noticed.  Because once you've done one, you have to make it equally as good or exceed expectations somehow.  This is really the first time I've written a sequel.  Most of my books have been stand-alone works.  So, there are certain expectations readers will have, I'm sure, with the second book.  It's sort of like the sequels to movies.  Most of them really aren't up to par.  I hate to unearth a pretty old series, but I'll use the example of The Matrix for lack of a better option at this point.  The first movie was great!  The second was as well, but it kind of left things unanswered.  The third...oh, don't get me started on the third.  Everything was all fine until they had to kill off the main characters (a major faux pas with regards to fiction, but certainly with films) and in my humble opinion, it is a cheap way to close up a story.  So, that is one example of where the first movie was so epic that it built up a following and as the series progressed, there was kind of a letdown.  

But, I'm digressing again.  I have that habit when I ramble.  I know I will figure this out just as I've figured a lot of stuff out in my life.  I have to treat it like one book at a time, right?  The historical romance genre is one of my major loves, but I am still fairly new to writing it.  So forgive me if I'm only human.  LOL.  I wish I had a historian friend to help out, but that wouldn't be as fun or nearly as satisfying if I let someone else do it.  It is my story after all, and the characters depend on me to tell it right.  Wow, that sounded nutty, didn't it?  As if my characters actually talk to me or something.  Well, I suppose the muse talks to me.  Oh, nevermind.  If I get into how I come up with scenes, you really will think I'm crazy.  But, writers are a pretty crazy bunch.  

Hopefully, by the time I finish writing the Heiresses in Love series, I will have even more experience under my belt.  Wish me luck, readers!  I'm heading back into the research fray.  I'll come up for air later.  

Happy reading!  And fellow writers, never stop writing!

New Review!

Awesome!  I just had an exciting review post on Amazon by a professional reviewer.  This made my day, folks!  The link is here if you want to view on Amazon, but I will post it here too.

Inspiring author, June 9, 2013

By 

Queen of Books

  This review is from: Upon Your Return (Kindle Edition)

I read Upon Your Return by Marie Lavender per her request. In my time I have read many books by authors like Sabrina Jeffries, Johanna Lindsey, etc and found Ms Lavenders' book inspiring. She did a lot of work in this fabulous romance. At first I was a little bit anxious to read another story about a woman is forced to marry someone she doesn't love. But once I started reading, it kept me in suspense. When Fara is attacked by ruffians, she is rescued by a sea captain by the name of Grant Hill. He acts the gentleman with Fara and wants to be helpful. Of course Fara is grateful with his actions. When Fara is returned safely to her home, her Uncle is displeased and upset with her behavior. It's his way to be in charge of his niece and tells her so. Even though Grant played the hero to Fara, her Uncle says this man is beneath her station. Can two people from different backgrounds find happiness and love? Please try this exciting new author.


So, to sum up things, I don't even have to say how pleased I am!  I'm sure you can imagine.  I hope all of you have read Upon Your Return, or are planning to read it at some point.  :)  Reviews are very much appreciated!  Make an author's day, and review your favorite author's book.  We love our fans! 


 

Upon Your Return: You Read It Here First!

*This was originally posted on From the Authors blog here, but I will post it was well.

June 4, 2013

Upon Your Return

“The two most engaging powers of an author,” wrote William Makepeace Thackeray, “are to make new things familiar, familiar things new.” For writers of historical romance, it takes a skillful balance of researching unfamiliar elements of the past and creating a seamless backdrop against which a tale as old as time – the familiar quest for romance – can unfold in fresh and exciting ways. In her latest novel, Upon Your Return, author Marie Lavender aptly rises to this challenge and delivers the story of a young woman whose dreams of adventure and true love yield far more than she bargained for.

 Interviewer: Christina Hamlett

 **********

Q: Tell us a little about your journey as a writer and what attracted you to making it a career.

A:  Well, that’s quite a long story. I’ll try to make it as short as possible. I always wanted to be a writer, ever since I was a kid. I started writing stories then. I went around telling my family, “I want to be an author!”  It was never for the fame or the money. I just simply love writing. When I’m writing, when I’m truly in the moment, I’m happy. There is no other feeling in the world like it. I guess I can be myself when I’m writing. And that feels good.

Q: Were you a voracious reader as a child and young adult?

A:  Yes. I was always reading, always going to the library to get some book or other. I was in a lot of reading programs as a kid. I spent most of my free time reading. I mean, I even snuck around and when my mom had sent me to bed, I would use a small light to read by.

Q: Who are some of the authors that you would say most influenced your own style of storytelling?

A:  As far as contemporary and historical romance, I’ve read a lot of Nora Roberts, Jennifer Blake and Catherine Coulter books. I’m also pretty sure Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones as well as lot of her other reference books helped me to open up in my writing.

Q: If you could have lunch with one of your favorite authors, who would it be and what question would you most like to ask him or her?

A:  That’s a tough question!  I like so many authors. Though I’d love to meet any of them, of course, I would probably want to visit J.R. Ward (because of my love for paranormal romance) and ask her what inspired her to write the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It is so great. I just wonder if maybe one of the characters was inspired by a real person.

Q: What are you reading now?

A: Black Rose by Nora Roberts, from her In the Garden trilogy.

Q: Tell us about Upon Your Return and what inspired the storyline.

A:  Well, ever since I started writing, stories just come to me without any rhyme or reason. They come in any order too, which can really drive me crazy, but that’s a topic for another time. So, I’m doing something pretty mundane like going to a doctor’s appointment or something, and suddenly I can clearly see the two characters having a pretty intense dialogue session. So as it plays out in my head, I think, “Well, this would be a great story!”  Everything just kind of fell into place after that…I mean, I knew pretty much right away what was going to happen with the characters. Of course, I was surprised here and there. But, I somehow knew what to do with it. I look back now, though, and because of how long it took me to write and perfect it, it really seems to be a sum of the romantic experiences in my own life.

Q: Given that it’s set against a historical backdrop, do your characters interact with any real-life people or react to any real-life events?

A:  Yes. Though I don’t have an exact scene for it, there is a casual mention that Captain Grant Hill has interacted with Napoleon III before. And some of the story is set against the backdrop of the French intervention in Mexico in 1863. I also did a section on the rise of Feminism in France in the 1830s-40s, and how the heroine reacts to it.

Q: If Upon Your Return were a movie, who would be your dream cast for it?

A:  Wow!  Hard question. I have thought it would make a good movie, but that’s just the writer in me seeing it play out in my head. I guess I was thinking either Amy Adams or Isla Fisher to play Fara, and maybe Gerard Butler for Grant. I’m not sure about who would play the secondary characters.

Q: What genre is the most challenging for you to write? 

A:  At this point, I would have to say historical romance. A ton of research goes into it. Of course, it helps to be familiar with the genre, but that doesn’t cut it alone. I am working on the sequel to Upon Your Return right now, and this time around, it’s just as hard. Oh, well. That’s what I asked for, right?  But, I’m invested in the characters and I’m going to tell the story. I just have to get some questions answered first.

Q: What comes first for you in planning a story – the setting, the characters or the core conflict?

A:  My scenes come to me out of sequence. But, I develop a basic outline of the story right away. I would say the characters are first, then the main conflict, of course. The setting comes later unless it drives the conflict.

Q: If you were teaching a class on Heroes and Heroines 101, what would your primary message be to aspiring writers?

A:  Well, a character in any story has to be three-dimensional so that’s the most important. A well-rounded character. A likeable character as well, someone the reader can identify with. It’s funny, but sometimes those little things such as a character’s likes or dislikes don’t come out until later on. And they can always surprise you at any point. With my current work-in-progress, I was pretty sure I had the heroine down pat, but then she went and shocked me with her basic motivation. So, I guess my advice would be this: make good characters, but don’t be afraid to make them human either. Let them make mistakes.

Q: Do you consider yourself a romantic? 

A:  Oh, yes. I can be logical about some things, of course. But, I have always believed in love, in true love really. And I believe in fate. We all have a purpose in life.

Q: What decisions went into your choice of a publisher?

A:  One, I was at my wit’s end with the never-ending pursuit of looking for a literary agent. It’s a tough industry out there. And then, there are really only a select few publishers who take unsolicited manuscripts. Solstice Publishing was my light in the dark. I used Preditors&Editors website like a manual basically because I didn’t want to fall into some kind of trap. But, then I saw Solstice listed there and I thought…hmm. There was nothing negative listed about them. Why not?  They had a decent website. And now, I’m so glad I did because the founder, Melissa Miller, is a peach and Nik Morton, the editor-in-chief, is great. The editor they assigned to me, Shawna Williams, was fantastic. Kayden McLeod, the cover artist, did a wonderful job. I just couldn’t have asked for anything better!

Q: What are your thoughts on the fact that self-publishing is steadily gaining in popularity over traditional channels?

A:   This is a tough topic because both sides really touch me personally. I self-published 15 books before Upon Your Return was released. I think traditional publishing will always survive. But, I also agree that self-publishing is gaining a momentum. The key for self-published authors, though, is to make sure they edit their work before submitting. I believe there is a lot of undiscovered talent out there, however, and if they choose to self-publish, more power to them. That’s so great!  Because showing initiative is important in this business as well.

Q: What’s next on your plate?

A:  Well, as aforementioned, I am working on the sequel to Upon Your Return. It will be titled Upon Your Honor. I hesitate to give many details at this point, but the next two books, Upon Your Honor and Upon Your Love, will be about the children from the first book. So I need to finish the Heiresses in Love series (Upon Your Return is book one). I also have a lot of other projects I’d like to work on. I am writing a romantic suspense with another author. And I have several other series and stand-alone books in mind, enough to keep me busy for some time to come.

Q: Anything else you’d like to add?

A:  Upon Your Return is available on Solstice, CreateSpace, Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords and Kobo.

Promo on Evelyn Cullet's site

*This originally posted on Evelyn Cullet's site here, but I will post it as well.

Marie Lavender-Upon Your Return

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Evelyn Cullet

This week, I’m hosting romance novelist, Marie Lavender.

Marie Lavender lives in the Midwest with her family and three cats.  She has been writing for over twenty years.  She has more works in progress than she can count on two hands. 

At the tender age of nine, she began writing stories.  Her imagination fueled a lot of her early child’s play.  Even growing up, she entered writing contests and received a certificate for achieving the second round in one.  She majored in Creative Writing in college because that was all she ever wanted – to be a writer.  While there, she published two works in a university publication, and was a copy editor on the staff of an online student journal.  After graduating from college, she sought out her dream to publish a book.

 

Since then, Marie has published sixteen books.  Marie Lavender’s real love is writing romances, but she has also written mysteries, literary fiction and dabbled a little in paranormal stories.  Most of her works have a romantic element involved in them.  Upon Your Return is her first historical romance novel.  Feel free to visit her website at http://marielavender.webs.com/ for further information about her books and her life.  Marie is also on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. 

A list of her books and pen names are as follows:

Marie Lavender:  Upon Your Return

Erica Sutherhome:  Hard to Get; Memories; A Hint of Scandal; Without You; Strange Heat; Terror in the Night; Haunted; Pursuit; Perfect Game; A Touch of Dawn; Ransom

Kathryn Layne:  A Misplaced Life

Heather Crouse:  Express Café and Other Ramblings; Ramblings, Musings and Other Things; Soulful Ramblings and Other Worldly Things

 

Upon Your Return

 

Fara Bellamont has been back in society for a year after leaving Cluny Abbey, where her uncle sent her long ago. When he chooses a suitor for her for marriage, she fears that she will be forced to marry a stranger and live a miserable life.

 

But, Fara finds herself thrust into an adventure of a lifetime when unforeseen circumstances cause her to place her trust in a strange man for protection. His intervention not only saves her, but puts her in an even more compromising position.

 

Grant Hill, a trading captain, is enchanted by the young heiress not only because of her beauty, but because she is hardly conventional. Underneath her ladylike exterior lies a tigress. Grant cannot help but offer his protection as she is in need and he is far from immune from her charms.

 

Fara just never bargained on the passion that she feels for Grant Hill. As events unfold, she must decide whether her desires and the dictates of her heart should trump the rules of society in this exciting tale.

 

Here is an excerpt:

 

Fara fought the darkness to the coming light. It was so easy to stay in the dark. It was comforting like a warm blanket. But, the light held such possibilities. She knew she must rouse, as if something significant lay there in wakefulness. She stirred and felt a pair of arms holding her. Then she heard a heartbeat beneath a rough fabric, felt a coarse texture of chest hair. It was so secure within that embrace.

 

When she finally realized it was a man who held her, she gasped and tried to retreat from the cord of muscles.  She glanced up to be temporarily blinded by the lamplight to her left.

 

“Don’t move,” said a soft but deep voice.

 

He spoke with the assurance of authority, and she could tell he was used to ordering people around. Well, he wouldn’t order her. She lifted her heavy head and whimpered as a stab of agony sliced through her skull. Fara squeezed her eyes shut tight. It was so much easier to be left in the dark for it was as if her head was being cut with so many knives.

 

“I will have you more comfortable in a moment. Please do not move.”

 

How could she possibly move with all this pain and that large man rendering her limbs useless?

 

Suddenly, she felt a light cushion beneath her. The glare from the lantern came into her vision again when she opened her eyes and was then replaced by the outline of a man towering above her. She gasped and crawled away from him, but his hold on her waist hauled her back. Her head hurt so as he studied her face.

 

“Madame, the pain will be less if you stay still. I promise I did not bring you here to harm you in any way.”

 

She gradually settled back on the pillows and looked at her keeper. He was an attractive man, if one liked the rough, indignant kind. Dark layers of soft waves covered his head and ended at the nape of his neck. He was large, but slim in the right places…it spoke of years of hard physical labor.

 

His eyes captivated her as she studied him in such proximity. The shade of his eyes…a charcoal color; they were the most intense and unreadable eyes she’d ever seen. It was an odd, yet strikingly beautiful color for a man.

 

Oh, you silly girl, she thought. Really…how ridiculous for her to be wooed by only a pair of eyes. “May I ask you a question?”

 

“I insist you do, if you are not too unwell.” He gestured to her jaw.

 

Fara nodded, acknowledging the wound provided by the man named Bernard. She imagined what he referred to must indeed be a hideous sight. She looked around the room. It appeared to be a cabin of sorts. “Monsieur…how did I get here? Are we on a yacht?”

 

“A ship. My ship, La Voyageur,” he announced firmly with a lifted brow.

 

 

Website:  http://marielavender.webs.com/
Blogs:  http://marielavender.blogspot.com/
http://marielavenderbooks.blogspot.com/

 

Purchase Links

 

http://store.solsticepublishing.com/upon-your-return/
http://www.amazon.com/Upon-Your-Return-ebook/dp/B00BFX8YLI/
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/315796
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115291084?ean=2940016439167
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Upon-Your-Return/book-S9j9kHxqnUOxEUK4IkjFRw/page1.html?s=sGcZru_xmE2NIc-tjelWvg&r=1