Next Big Thing – I have to thank Felcia Scotzig, Karen Einsel, Amanda Fanger & Emily Anne Shaffer for making me feel like my new project is buzzing. I’m not quite trending on twitter, but I couldn’t be happier these 4 talent ladies are curious about what I am up to.
Tag: literature
Romance in the Rain Blog Tour – Get to Know Chef Ivy
I loved this idea of a group of writers from the same area getting together to make this world of writing a little less lonely. They write in different genres, but have one thing in common, they are serious writers.
I agreed to host this blog tour only if I could get a character interview with Chef Ivy Turnin. A couple of things about her struck me. 1) She is a chef, which is one of my fantasy professions and 2) The man of her dreams is a sexy Seattle Quarterback, which is one of my fantasy love interests (see a theme here).
Everyone, please welcome Chef Ivy:
1. What is your full name? In my family it’s tradition for the oldest child to be named after his or her father. My full name is Vincenza Antonia Turnin
2. Do you have a nickname? My friends call me Ivy.
3. Describe yourself? Physically, I am tall, but not overly thin like I was in high school. Because my job is so physically demanding, I work out regularly to increase my stamina, so I guess you could say I have an athletic build. I’m Italian with dark hair and hazel eyes just like my mother. Personality wise, I’m pretty intense when it comes to my job, but I also like to have fun. I’m a goofball at heart.
4. What is your most prized possession and why do you value it so much? My family’s restaurant. My grandparents started Vincenzo’s in the heart of the Pike’s Street Market after WWII, and our family has owned it ever since. My parents and grandparents are retired now. The restaurant belongs to me and my little brother. He lives on the east coast, and doesn’t have much interest in the business, but I couldn’t imagine any other life. My earliest memories are of being in the kitchen and watching my family laugh, love, and cook.
5. What one word best describes your personality? Earnest.
6. How did you become a chef? Cooking is in my blood. Most of what I learned was from years of observing my grandfather make his mouthwatering creations. My parents insisted I attend college, so the obvious choice was culinary art school.
7. What is your favorite meal to prepare? Puttenesca. When I was a little girl my grandpa translated the word for me, which in Italian roughly means whore. I would ask my mom to make it, just to say the word, and not get into trouble for my naughty mouth. Stupid, I know, but I was only eight.
8. What is your food guilty pleasure? Cannoli
9. What would be your last meal be? Caesar salad with fresh anchovy paste, my grandmother’s baked Manicotti, and lots of Cannoli.
10. What traits do you look for in a significant other? Honesty, integrity, and a sense of humor.
11. What meal would you prepare to get someone to fall in love with you? I made salmon Puttenesca for Sam and it worked. He fell in love with me that first night.
12. Why do you think food brings people closer together? Everybody has to eat, and sitting around a table to partake in a hearty meal invites comments, and comments lead to conversations. My parents always insisted we sit down to dinner together. It was my favorite part of the day.
13. Would you give up your career for love? I would give up a lot of things for love, but cooking isn’t one of them. It would literally be like cutting off both my arms. If Sam was traded to another team, I would move with him. I think staring a second restaurant would be a great adventure. I want my children to have the same kind of experience growing up as I had a Vicenzo’s. It is much more than a career. It’s a way of life.
Well, thanks Ivy. I appreciate your time and I can’t wait to see what happens between you and Sam.
Title: Romance in the Rain (A Seattle Anthology)
Authors: Kristine Cayne, Dawn Kravagna, Charlotte Russell, Sherri Shaw, Clare Tisdale, Marianne Stillings
Publisher: Kristine Cayne
Release Date: October 15, 2012
Pages: 360
Buy Link: Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | B&N | Kobo | ARe | Smashwords
Blurb:From the pioneer days of Seattle through the smoke-filled clouds of WWII and into the present, Romance in The Rain takes readers on a journey with four generations of the strong-willed and passionate Caldwell family. The anthology of six novellas is a collaboration of the Seattle-based Rainy Day Writers group.
Splendor in the Moss by Charlotte Russell—By the spring of 1853 Englishman James Caldwell has traveled thousands of miles in a quest to find a place to call home. Newly settled Seattle isn’t that place and he’s ready to move on again when widowed Mattie Jensen marches into his life as somber as a cloudy day. But James can see through the solemn haze to Mattie’s strength and passion. Now he has a reason to stay, if he can just convince Mattie to take a second chance on love—and him. (22,000 words)
Final Approachby Marianne Stillings—With the world at war, Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Service pilot Lt. Charlene (Charlie) Thompson faces personal battles as well. Pearl Harbor left her a widowed bride, certain love would never come again – but battle-scarred Capt. Joe Caldwell has other ideas for the beautiful lady flyer, if he can just keep her safe from the secret saboteur who’s already taken the life of Charlie’s best friend. (17,000 words)
Love Phantom by Dawn Kravagna—University of Washington, 1983: A great place to get an education and meet single men. Drama major Kara Caldwell prefers to hide behind the characters in her plays, yet feels pressure to live up to the example set by her brave and witty grandmother, a veteran of WWII. Can she learn to overcome her reticence and prejudices to discover which guy truly cares for her–and who is just putting on an act? (17,000 words)
What’s Wrong with Mr. Perfect? by Sherri Shaw—No sooner did Chef Ivy Turin wish to meet the perfect man than Sam Rockney walked into her restaurant. But is the sexy Seattle quarterback for real or is there something wrong with Mr. Perfect? (17,000 words)
Shelter from the Stormby Clare Tisdale—Seven years and one broken heart later, JD Caldwell returns to Seattle to pick up the pieces of his old life, never imagining he will fall for Maya—the mysterious woman who lets him into her house and bed but keeps the door to her heart tightly closed. When their summer fling takes an unexpectedly serious turn and Maya gives him his walking papers, JD has to decide whether their love—and his legacy—is worth fighting for.(21,000 words)
Aftershocks by Kristine Cayne—When Seattle is struck by a devastating earthquake, technical rescue firefighter Jamie Caldwell must save his estranged wife and daughter from the wreckage of a collapsed building. He’s defied the odds hundreds of times, but will his luck finally run out for good? (24, 000 words)
RAINY DAY WRITERS
Writing fiction is difficult and lonely and more often than not, the “normal” people in your life don’t understand the writing process and can’t fathom why you are possessed and obsessed with finding the perfect word or phrase that says exactly what you want to say right where you want to say it. Only other writers comprehend and accept that kind of torment.
To fill this need to surround herself with like-minded obsessive-compulsive self-doubting lunatics, in 2005, Marianne Stillings, who writes Romantic Suspense, established what came to be known as The Rainy Day Writers.
There were only two requirements for joining the group: You must be serious about writing and getting published, and any criticisms of co-members’ work be honest, gentle, and kind.
Over the years, the membership has changed; some people moved on, others joined. The group we have now has been stable and constant since 2009. The Rainy Day Writers are a family.
Charlotte Russell joined the group in 2006 at the suggestion of a former member. Charlotte writes Historical Romance.
Dawn Kravagna became a member in the spring of 2007 because of a writers’ list where Marianne had posted looking for new members. Dawn writes Comedy and Mystery.
In the Autumn of 2007, Sherri Shaw found her way to the group because she and Marianne happened to sit at the same table at the Emerald City Writer’s Conference that year. Sherri writes Historical Romance and Paranormal Historical Romance.
Clare Tisdale joined in 2008 as the result of an email Marianne posted on the Greater Seattle Chapter Romance Writer’s list seeking new members. Clare writes Contemporary Romance.
Kristine Cayne found the group in 2009 because she won Marianne’s raffle basket at the Emerald City Writer’s Conference that year. The basket included an offer to critique the winner’s manuscript—an evaluation that resulted in an invitation to join. Kristine writes Romantic Suspense.
For more information on Romance in the Rain and the Rainy Day Writers, visit them at http://www.seattlerainydaywriters.com
Romance in the Rain Excerpts
Splendor in the Moss by Charlotte Russell
After telling the dog to stay, he steered her away from the Jensens’ cabin, towards the woods to the south. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Giving me the time of day. You were gone for such a long while, I wasn’t certain you’d come back.”
“I had to fight my better judgment.”
James laughed. He couldn’t put on airs around Mattie if he tried.
Final Approach by Marianne Stillings
“You were there.” Caldwell’s voice was quiet as though he were speaking to a timid child. He took a step toward her. “You saw it, didn’t you. Didn’t you, Charlie?” Another step. And another. Suddenly, he was standing before her and she was standing, too, and his arms came around her as she pressed her head against his strong shoulder and for the first time in a year, she felt safe. Safe enough to relive the agony—and let it go. Safe enough to let someone be strong—so she could be weak. Safe enough—to cry.
And so she did.
What’s Wrong with Mr. Perfect? by Sherri Shaw
“Somehow I can’t picture you as a nerd.” You’re too perfect, Ivy silently added, fingering the amulet at her throat. It hummed under her fingertips as the vendor’s words skated across her mind: If you truly want to find the perfect man, and restore your faith in true love, then this necklace will be your good luck talisman.” She dropped her hand, shaking off the crazy notion. It was merely a coincidence that she wished to meet the man of her dreams and Sam showed up. The necklace had nothing to do with it. Right?”
Shelter from the Storm by Clare Tisdale
A shadow crossed the window, and JD looked up in time to see a seagull fly by. Beyond the downtown high rises, the waters of the Puget Sound lay brooding, glazed by morning mist. Much as JD hated starting over again, he realized that if he had to, he’d rather do it here than anywhere else. Seattle was his home; he belonged here. Maya and her beach house had helped confirm that for him.
Aftershocksby Kristine Cayne
Adrenaline surging through her system, Erica hung onto the doorjamb as the quake rocked the old courthouse. The building swayed and groaned, windows rattled and shattered as the earth continued to tremble. Cracks raced across the ceiling and plaster dust showered down, covering everything in a thin white film. She’d lived in Seattle all her life but had never experienced a quake as powerful as this one.
And her daughter was all alone.
AND NOW TIME FOR THE GIVEAWAYS:
All giveaway ends November 22, 2012 at midnight. Make sure to only enter the giveaway you are eligible for.
Giveaway for US residents only.
1 autographed copy of Deadly Addiction + SWAG
The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, by Julia Quinn (autographed copy)
Blood Trinity, by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love
1 e-book copy of “Falling Angel” by Clare Tisdale
1 handmade shell necklace by Clare Tisdale
A handmade afghan crocheted by Marianne Stillings
1 autographed copy of AROUSING SUSPICIONS
1 autographed copy of SATISFACTION
1 autographed copy of KILLER CHARMS
1 bag of truffles from Seattle Chocolates
3 chocolate bars from Seattle Chocolates
$15 Starbucks giftcard
1 autographed copy of Cattle Capers: Search For The MooMoo Pearl by Dawn Kravagna
Prize #5:
1 ecopy Deadly Obsession by Kristine Cayne
1 print copy Accidental Cinderella, by Nancy Robards Thompson
1 print copy Everything I Know About Love I Learned From Romance Novels, by Sarah Wendell
Prize #6:
1 ecopy Deadly Addiction by Kristine Cayne
1 print copy The Angel in My Arms, by Stephanie Sloane
1 print copy The Naughty List, by Donna Kauffman, Cynthia Eden and Susan Fox (autographed by
Susan Fox)
Prize #7:
1 ecopy Deadly Addiction by Kristine Cayne
1 print copy Tsunami Blue, by Gayle Ann Williams
1 print copy A Tale of Two Demon Slayers, by Angie Fox (autographed copy)
Tattoo Tuesday – Writer Inspired Tattoos
When something significant happens in my life, I like to commemorate with a tattoo. And, my first thought is to get a tattoo that signifies the occasion in art form. So, when I finished the first draft of my first novel, I searched for the perfect image and I couldn’t find the exact image. I decided to get an addition to an older tattoo.
But, I really liked the other writer inspired tattoos. Let me know which one you like.
How do you record your work? Quill and Ink or typewriter.
I love the idea of the punctuation tattoo. I would probably do a exclamation point to remind me to stop using them. I like exclamation points!
This is a good one if you have an issue remembering how to spell or pronounce your favorite word.
There is always the quote that changed your life and made you want to write. Or, tattoo your own brilliant prose. I would wait until published before you do you own words incase they get cut in edits.
This is the one is my favorite. It is simple and to the point.
I think I will ultimately create an image that incorporates all of these great ideas. What writer inspired tattoo do you like the best?
JuNoWriMo Particpant Interview Felicia Wetzig
I am so excited to feature one of my favorite bloggers on the net and JuNoWriMo Winner, Felicia Wetzig.
Tell me a little about what you are writing for Junowrimo.
It’s a paranormal story, loosely based on a dream I had about a tiger with green eyes. A few weeks after the dream, the image was still vivid in my mind and I began to think about a person whose spirit could leave his/her body and become an animal. There are a lot of spirit based entities in my story (not in a religious sense), I’m using various shape-shifter legends and some Faerie legends.
Chloe’s a normal country girl who’s spent most of her life in the forest, but when a strange energy in the forest draws dangerous creatures to the area, her safe haven begins to fall apart. The only person who seems to be able to help her, a new student at her college named Keegan, shares the exact appearance of the ‘man’ who brutally attacked her.
Is this your first time doing this type of challenge?
Yep.
How has it meet your expectations so far?
It has been quite a ride. I was hesitant about getting involved. I wasn’t sure how it would really help or hinder the writing process, but in the end I’m glad I did. I would have never written 50,000 words in one month. My first project ended at about 100,000 and that took me more than 6 months. It’s been great having other people to push me along; the camaraderie was the best part. It has also been a lesson in not thinking so much about every little thing and, instead, letting the words flow unedited.
What was your writing schedule like this past week; time of day, # of words per day.
Oh boy… I had a lot of catching up to do this week. The first week of the challenge I was ahead, but things (work mostly) got in the way. As of last Sunday, I was 16549 away from the finish line. I wish I could say I have a consistent writing schedule but…
Sunday 4013
Monday 1600
Tuesday 854
Wednesday 715
Thursday 0
Friday 3190
Saturday 6349 (my biggest day for the month)
I crossed the finish line about 15 minutes before midnight.
Did you do any planning for Junowrimo? If so what type of planning and how are your plans working out so far?
Not really. I’m not a big planner. I knew my two main characters, and I had a basic understanding of the paranormal rules I’d be following. Beyond that I don’t plot or create formal outlines. I just let the scenes happen and then I fill in missing points later.
What is your word count as of June 30th?
At midnight I had 50,172 words, and still more work to do before it’s finished.
For more information and to connect with Felicia visit her on her website,The Peasants Revolt, Twitter and Facebook.
Website: The Peasant Revolt – http://scotzig.com Twitter: @Scotzig Facebook: Felicia Wetzig
Camp NaNoWriMo Participant Interview Morgan Hyde
Tell me a little about what you are writing for Junowrimo.
Err… is this a bad time to admit I’m actually writing this for Camp NaNoWriMo? Which just happens to also be in June (and August!)? I hope not. I think both Camp NaNo and JuNoWriMo are awesome. Anything that gets people writing is!
Anyways, for my unspecified June novel writing challenge, I’m doing a rewrite of a YA fantasy story that began life during NaNoWriMo 2010. It’s called We Who Are About To Die (WWAATD), and I’m on my fourth full draft. This June, I’m making some of the biggest changes so far, re-focusing the story on my protagonist, and her personal growth. WWAATD is set in a world similar to ancient Rome, in a land with an insane king who has established blood sacrifice as the state religion. The story follows Renata, a wealthy farmer’s daughter, who tries to rescue her cousin from the High Priest, and ends up convicted of treason and sentenced as a gladiator. She must then learn to fight and face the loss of friends in the arena, eventually gaining the strength and skill to figure out how to save her cousin.
Is this your first time doing this type of challenge?
Nope. I’ve done NaNoWriMo three times in November, and this is my third Camp NaNoWriMo. Plus I’ve done Script Frenzy three times (once doing a movie version of WWAATD), and FAWM (February Album Writing Month) for the past three years as well. As a procrastinator, and someone who works well in high pressure situations, these challenges are an amazing resource to give me the motivation and community support that helps me finish projects. I’ve kind of become addicted!
What did you learn from the last challenge that is helping you with Junowrimo?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from all my ‘creativity with a deadline’ challenges is that the quality of my writing & storytelling drops as I speed up. But I’ve also learned that I can mitigate this loss of quality by having a rough plan in mind. For example, despite huge plot changes since draft #3 of WWAATD, I knew what a lot of the key story points would be ahead of time for this draft. I’m filling the time between the key points very differently, but (spoiler alert) I’m still killing off her boyfriend, and she’s still going to successfully rescue her cousin.
As well, albeit indirectly, participating in NaNoWriMo 2011 helped me figure out what needed to happen for this draft. In December, I posted in the forums, opening up WWAATD for critique, and to my surprise and delight, plenty of people were interested in reading it. The feedback I received from them was invaluable in shaping the changes I decided to make for this draft. Truly, one of the best things about NaNoWriMo-style events is the community.
What was your writing schedule like this past week; time of day, # of words per day?
My last exam (I’m a graduating senior in high school) was last Friday, so I’ve been writing 2000 to 3000 words per day since then in an effort to catch up. But I was extremely far behind before that, and I’ve been lazier than I should have (sleeping in, relaxing, enjoying NOT studying), so I’m still WAY behind. I’ve generally been writing in two separate sessions: one immediately after breakfast (around 11am) and one in the evening, sometime after 10pm.
Did you do any planning for Junowrimo? If so what type of planning and how are your plans working out so far?
I didn’t do any planning specifically for this challenge, but I had accumulated plenty of notes and ideas for this draft, since I originally planned on finishing it this spring, not starting it in June! I basically had the existing drafts, a few specific major changes I knew needed to happen, and a general idea that the story needed to centre more on my protagonist. In writing this draft, as I make all sorts of changes (including a POV change to first person), I can feel the story becoming so much better than before, and that’s incredibly rewarding.
Although I didn’t have a detailed plan before June started, I’ve ended up with one since then, mostly by accident. Because this is June, and I was in school for most of the month, I wrote a lot during my spare, and so I decided to keep my novel in an Evernote note, accessible from my computer and online at school. This is a big change from my past habits of handwriting and later writing in Scrivener. As it turned out, having my entire novel in one document really helped me plan. When I wrote something that I wanted to reference later, I just added a line about it further down the page. When I got an idea for more plot, same thing. In this way, a novel plan now nearly 500 words long grew organically just below the text of my novel. It’s easy to change, easy to reference, and really helping me stay on track.
What is your word count as of June 28th?
32 000 words. I’ve never been this far behind so close to the end; I’m generally one of those annoying people who writes roughly 1667 words a day without fail and wins a day or two early. This month, I will be lucky to reach 50k. I’m still aiming to finish, but whether I win or not, I’ll be proud of what I’ve accomplished and happy to have a lot more novel than I did on June 1st.
We will forgive Morgan for not being a part of JuNoWriMo. Any of us who take on the challenge to write 50,000 words in a month are all on the same side of crazy.
Good luck with the rest of the challenge, Morgan!
For more information about Morgan, please visit her blog and follower her on twitter.
Blog: onelifeglory.blogspot.ca
Twitter: @Amethystars
Sydney Aaliyah Michelle 