Romancing Disaster in the Jungle

With the hit movie 2012, there's a lot of talk about what will happen on December 12, 2012. The premise of the movie goes: With the Mayan calendar ending on December 12, 2012, a large group of people must deal with natural disasters such as volcano eruptions, typhoons, and earthquakes. It’s an action, disaster film depicting what could happen at the end of the world.

In real life, various astronomical alignments and numerological formulae relating to this date have been researched, but there hasn’t been anything to substantiate a cataclysmic event. The Mayan calendar has a 5,125 year cycle and it happens to end of December 12, 2012. NASA compares the 2012 fear to the Y2K issue of the late 1990s.

From Disaster to Romance: If the Maya interest you and you prefer a sexy, adventure romance over doom and gloom, WILD JADE might be a book to check out. (I love the action adventure movies too.) Can love survive 1,300 years? I used the Maya and this premise in my novel WILD JADE.
http://www.jasminejade.com/pm-3973-327-wild-jade.aspx It’s an action adventure story but has no apocalyptic, end-of-the-world story. It’s about a Mayan couple who die tragically and are reincarnated as archeologists. One is haunted by her Shaman father who is warning her of yet more danger. Is the danger from an ancient past or from their present?

In WILD JADE, I used the Mayan calendar to name my hero and heroine from ancient Mesoamerica. Cimi and Kayab are Mayan days.

Will a cataclysmic or transformative event occur on December 12, 2012 as predicted by the Mayan Calendar? I doubt it. I’m sure there will be a ton of people hanging out at the Mayan pyramids in Mexico, Guatemala and other Central American countries drinking Dos Equis or margaritas.

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ADELE DUBOIS

Welcome to Passion Sense. Today I have Ellora’s Cave author Adele Dubois as a guest. To celebrate her latest release, DO ME GOOD from Ellora's Cave on April 14th, Adele agreed to do an interview.

Adele, can you tell us a little about DO ME GOOD?

I loved writing this story and hope readers enjoy it too. Here’s a summary:

DO ME GOOD by Adele Dubois

Penny throws her hot, but worthless mooch of a boyfriend out on her front lawn with his clothes, and vows never again to be a bum magnet. Exhausted by overwork and mountainous debt, Penny pleads for divine intervention.

Gunnar, a rebellious Nordic warrior cast into servitude by an angry god to learn humility, answers. While Penny sleeps, the celestial arrives to complete her chores, but she awakens and finds him. The handsome immortal kisses her, sparking a passionate, forbidden sexual encounter.

Dark forces seeking vengeance for Gunnar’s past misdeeds mark Penny as a target. To protect his lover, Gunnar tests immortality in a death battle using a god’s magical sword. But the strength of Penny’s love and passion might be what saves them both.

http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8301-50-do-me-good.aspx


Do you have a character in one of your books that continues to haunt you at night or who surprised you when you wrote the book?

I had no idea when I started researching Norse mythology and Nordic Light Elves for DO ME GOOD that Gunnar would transform into such an interesting, multi-layered character. I admit I’ve developed quite a crush on him. He’s my total fantasy hero.

What's the best and worst part of being a writer?

The best part about being a full-time writer is the freedom to work whatever hours I choose. I do my best writing early in the morning until early afternoon. I break for lunch and then work again for a couple of hours. As I tire in the early evening and at night, I work on promotion and answer email. I put in a lot of hours, but take pride in the results when readers and reviewers say they love my stories.

The worst part? For me it’s the back, neck, and shoulder pain caused by long hours at the computer. I haven’t found a product yet that eliminates the stress on my joints and muscles while I work. The physical challenges limit my productivity more often than the creative challenges.

What specific piece of advice would you give a would-be writer trying to kick start a career?

If you have the ability to write a compelling story, work on your book even if your life is filled with conflicting demands. Make time. Don’t put it off. Once the book is finished polish, polish, polish until it’s absolutely perfect. Submit to agents and editors only after you’re sure the book is the best it can be. Be professional right from the start.

What books or authors have influenced your writing?

My local chapter of Romance Writers of America honors one member for outstanding volunteer service each year with the Susan Wiggs Award. When I received my first nomination, six years ago, I hadn’t read a Susan Wiggs novel. Since I’d been nominated for an award in her name, I decided I should become familiar with her work. I bought a few of her books and fell in love with her writing. Her stories and deep characterizations are amazing. She has become one of my favorite authors. Susan Wiggs taught me the power of character-driven plots.

With each of my books, I strive to create relatable characters. When a review site said, “Adele Dubois’ characters are endearing”, I knew I was on the right track.

Do your books have a particular theme or premise?

Regardless of the sub-genre, my stories feature everyday heroes and heroines who face extraordinary circumstances in their ordinary world. I like to write about average people in a contemporary setting whose lives are turned upside down. Even if the story has paranormal elements, my stories are woven with that common thread.

Do you have a favorite hero/heroine?

I think Laurell K. Hamilton’s character, Anita Blake, is one of the best fictional heroines ever written. J.D. Robb’s futuristic character Eve Dallas is terrific too. I also like Modesty Blaise, who might be the first mainstream kick-ass heroine ever created. The Modesty Blaise series by Peter O’ Donnell was published beginning in 1965 in England. I’m the proud owner of the series of vintage Modesty Blaise paperbacks. Those books are some of my most prized possessions.

Would you like to share something surprising about you that not many people know?

Hmm. I think the fact that I write erotic romance novels and that my favorite thing to do outside the house is drive my convertible with the top down says a lot about me as a woman. When I’m not writing stories or driving my car my life is very, very ordinary.

Thank you for inviting me to chat with you and your readers, Kathy! I hope you enjoy reading DO ME GOOD.

Thanks for being my guest Adele. I recommend the readers to check out your website and blog. You always have interesting topics posted and usually a hunky guy or two. And there's more information about your fabulous books.

http://www.adeledubois.com/
www.adeledubois.com/blog

Buy Link: http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8301-50-do-me-good.aspx

How to Increase Productivity

"Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort." -Paul J. Meyer

"Great minds have purposes, others have wishes." -- Washington Irving

"Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up." - IBD November 30, 2001.

~

I’ve been working on increasing my productivity and have seen a big improvement by making a few changes in my writing routine.

Stephen King (Productivity King)

"Keep track of what you do and write everyday in a day timer or on a calendar. I record page counts and word counts which shows my progress. I record the total pages at the end of each week and at the end of each month. This is good to know for when you’re contracted and an editor asks, “How long will it take for you to complete the next book?” You’ll also see which months are more productive than others.

I also record days I write up blogs, edit and revise WIP or sold projects. How long does it take for you to edit a completed manuscript?

Blogging is a valuable tool, but also is time consuming. Make note of the time and days you spend on blogging. If you’re blogging too much, maybe you can cut back to once or twice a week. Record any major time chunks like a guest blog event. Keeping track of your time is like keeping track of what you eat during a diet. Sometimes you waste valuable time when you could be writing. For dieting, sometimes you don’t realize how much you eat until you write it all down.

Can you work on small projects like writing a blog during your lunch break? Or bring a chapter to edit? I write most of my blogs during my breaks at work. I check resources and find photos when I get home.

Use a digital timer to limit your time on Twitter, Facebook, email other social networks. If I don’t finish my email by 7:30 pm, I turn it off and begin writing and don’t look at it again until 10:30 pm or later.

Don’t check the Internet for “one little reference question”. I do this a lot and then find myself in a domino effect of searching other topics that don’t even relate to the original question. The things I discover might be interesting, but they’re not helping with my WIP. Instead I add a # sign and type in red and in capitals #LOOK UP SUCH AND SUCH. And later do a search for the # signs.

Buy a digital timer. They’re in the kitchen department at Walmart or Kmart. Set it to count backward from 3 or 2 hours, or whatever you can fit in for uninterrupted writing time. DO NOT get up to answer the phone, check email, make a snack, do laundry, (fill in blank for whatever you do to procrastinate), etc. If you have to get up, pause the timer and continue it when you come back to your writing.

This one may not be a favorite, but it helps. At least one weekend or one day a month, set your alarm for 4 am. YES, 4 am. Try it once. Preset the coffee pot the night before, quietly slip out of bed and go straight to your computer. DO NOT turn on your email. Start writing, even if you feel like you’re not awake, you’re mind is uncluttered, the house it quiet and you have it all to yourself. You’d be surprised how much you can get done. It’s like a mini writing retreat.

Add a Stop Doing List to your To Do List. Have the discipline to unclutter your schedule and stop doing unnecessary projects, volunteering for everything, taking on things you don't have time for, etc. Learn to say "No" and mean it.

Try these tips and see if your productivity improves. Please leave a comment and send me your tip or let me know if any of these tips have helped.

Tote Bag of Hot Books Contest

Spring is in the air, my flowers are blooming and the Romantic Times Convention is just around the corner. I think it's time for a contest. I'm giving away a tote bag full of Ellora's Cave books, a signed copy of one of my back list titles and a canvas tote printed with my latest title Damned and Desired on it. I selected a variety of books from a number of great Ellora's Cave authors and also a couple anthologies.

To enter: Email me at: Kathy@kathykulig.com and give me your name and email and answer these two questions.

1) Tell me your favorite setting for an erotic romance novel. (Is it on a tropical island, in a modern city, in the jungle, at a popular hot spot like Las Vegas, a ski resort, or an exotic locale?) If you don't have a favorite, tell me a setting of the last book you read. Settings usually give me ideas for future books. AND
2) Tell me the setting from one of my books. Hint: Check out the blurbs in my Books section on my website http://www.kathykulig.com/

Drawing: Will be on or around June 22, 2010. Just in time for summer beach reading. And it's also my birthday.

**Entering the contest grants us permission to list your first name as our winner and add you to Kathy's mailing list. Kathy respects your privacy and will not share information with anyone, promise.
Note: I'm really sorry but due to regulations and restrictions I can only offer this contest to addresses in the continental United States.

Feel free to share you favorite setting in the comment sections. Maybe I'll get an idea for an upcoming novel.

James N. Frey: A Damn Good Inspiration

James N. Frey

The Greater Lehigh Valley Writer’s Group had The Write Stuff Conference this past weekend with leading creative writing teacher and novelist James N. Frey. Frey is known for his widely read How To Write a Damn Good Novel; How To Write A Damn Good Novel II; The Key: Writing Damn Good Fiction Using The Power of Myth; and How To Write a Damn Good Mystery. His newest book due out this week, How To Write A Damn Good Thriller. He’s also an award-winning playwright, Edgar Award nominee and author of nine novels.

His lectures and keynote were very informative, inspirational and filled with wit and humor. He shared some his own experiences, as well as his friends, about his journey to publication. He spent many years learning his craft, had many rejections, had a hard time getting an agent, and getting published. With hard work and persistence he succeeded. He suggested we not put a manuscript into a drawer unless we get at least 85 rejections, then changed that number to 184. He’s adamant about writing every day—2,000 words a day, he says with a humorus note. "If Uncle Fred is coming to visit, F..., Uncle Fred.” Get the writing done, then visit. He also felt an MFA was a waste of time. Writing and reading were the best ways to become a better writer.

One technique he suggested to improve your style or prose was to select a best selling author and copy a page out of her novel, then attempt to write a couple pages yourself using that style. Do this as an exercise to get yourself in a writing mode. Then try a new author every day. He guarantees your writing will improve.

The “P” Word: Frey made a point about Premise and how important it is to know what your premise is in your novel at the beginning of writing your story. By Frey’s definition, Premise “is a statement of what happens to the characters as a result of the core conflict of the story.” The core conflict is the main action. Premise is not the moral of the story although it may seem like one. In screenwriting the premise is called the concept or it might be called the original idea. If you establish a strong premise, you’ll stay focused while plotting and writing your novel and you won’t have meaningless scenes that don’t contribute to the plot.

Frey said one way to figure out premise is to take the character, add their struggle, which yields a transformation or conclusion, and this will equal the premise of the novel. Some examples: Honesty leads to ruin. Foolishness leads to doom. Obsessive love leads to loss love. War drives a tender innocent insane. Greed destroys idealism.

I realized my stories tend to have a similar premise. (If I understand premise correctly. I think I need to study this more.) My general premise in my novels is: With courage love will find a way. But I need an original idea or a more detailed premise specific to each novel to keep me on track. It might also be considered a tag-line. This keeps me from meandering into dead ends or tangents. Here are a couple examples using movies: What if Peter Pan grew up? (Hook); What if you could make dinosaurs from old DNA? (Jurassic Park); A man dies and becomes his wife’s guardian angel (Ghost).

I bought Frey’s book: How To Write a Damn Good Novel II. So I hope to learn more about premise and improve my own writing.

Student Poetry Writing Project

April is National Poetry Month when publishers, booksellers, literary organizations, libraries, schools, poets and lovers of this form of the written word all celebrate poetry and its special place in American culture. This past week I volunteered to judge a poetry contest for students sponsored by Public Radio WDIY in Allentown/Bethlehem, PA and The Press newspaper. The entries came from students from three age groups: Elementary, Middle School, and High School. There were three other judges besides me: a school teacher, a representative from the radio station and an editor from The Press.

At first when a writer friend asked if I would be interested in the project, I didn’t think I would qualify. Even though I like poetry and have three novels published, I doubt I could tell the difference between free verse from blank verse, a lyric from a limerick, or an epigram from an epitaph. When I write poetry, I never worry about how many “feet” are in a line, only if it flows well and has (sort of) a rhythm. Somehow I managed to get a few of my poems published in a literary magazine called Potpourri. That was quite a few years ago, and I don’t think that publication even exists anymore.

When I arrived at the radio station to judge the entries, I expected the other judges would find my academic knowledge in poetry a bit lacking. I was wrong. They were a wonderful group. It was such a pleasure to meet and work with them on this project. The poetry entries were read and re-read, and passed around, as we eliminated them one by one. It was tough. The ones eliminated had to be agreed upon by the group. Finally, we came to the final top three for the winners. A difficult choice because we had so many grand entries. We selected winners from each of the three groups. I was very impressed with the student’s poems, their words used a variety of styles, created images and stirred emotions both happy and sad. Some poems had cute or cleaver twists, or added a fresh metaphor or simile.

All the students should be very proud, and I hope they’ll continue to write. You can teach a student to write well, but you can’t teach a student to be creative. That is a gift. I feel all the students who participated have a special gift.

The winners will read their entries on WDIY 88.1 FM Allentown/Bethlehem, PA on April 19, between 6-6:30 PM. The judges will be interviewed as well. It was an enjoyable experience for me. I look forward to doing it again next year.

Guest Kathleen Coddington - Understanding Your Dreams

Welcome Kathleen. Thanks so much for visiting the Passion Sense blog. I just loooove the cover to Palace of Dreams and the story sounds so intriguing. Of course since I'm one of Kathleen's critique partners, I got a sneak peek and can vouch that it's a fabulously sexy and romantic story.

Understanding Your Dreams

Thanks for allowing me to visit today, Kathy to talk about my new book, Palace of Dreams. The book is set inside a dream dome on the planet Cereus Prime, sort of a Las Vegas planet of the stars. In researching sleep and the dream process I found some interesting information concerning dreams and their meanings that I think your readers would enjoy. I’ve also included a short excerpt from the book. So off to dream land.

We’ve all had them—dreams of flying, falling, being chased, or finding ourselves suddenly naked in front of our friends or colleagues. One of the most fascinating aspects of dreaming is exactly what do our dreams mean and what are they trying to tell us? Dreams can provide insight into our selves. Interestingly, regardless of our culture and language humans share many of the same dreams. Most of the common dreams like the ones I mentioned above stem from a feeling of anxiety. Fortunately, for Inari Rau, protagonist of my new book, Palace of Dreams, divining the dreams she guides isn’t something she needs to worry about. You on the other hand may be curious as to the meaning behind some of your dreams.

Running from danger is the instinctual human response to danger. If you’ve dreamt recently that you are being chased it may represent some aspect of self, anger, fear, jealousy is the pursuer. If you are the pursuer, it may signify you desire to attain something or some position in life that you see as desirable.

Losing teeth during a dream could indicate anxiety about your appearance or the consequences of aging. Or it could reflect a feeling of being powerless or possibly embarrassed. Flying dreams have both positive and negative meanings. If you are flying with ease you are on top of the situation. If you have difficulties staying in the air or flight is impeded by obstacles, most likely you feel a lack of power to control circumstances. Test dreams often express a sense of being judged or unprepared.

And what about those naked dreams? Metaphorically clothes are a means of concealment. When we dream that we are suddenly without them, it is a sign of feeling exposed, defenseless or caught off guard.

Whether you dream about these common themes or castles, butterflies, shopping on Rodeo Drive or sailing a yacht on a sunny sea, as the guides at the Crystal Palace would say, “Dream Well.”

Excerpt: Palace of Dreams

Inari yanked herself out of the man’s arms. What in the Lords of Cosmos had just happened? Somehow she had lost control of the dream. In all her years as a guide nothing like this had ever occurred. She looked around in bewilderment. Where were they? Three moons in different phases floated above her head in the night sky. A seemingly endless phosphorescent sea stretched out before her.

She caught the tang of salt on the breeze that caressed her skin. In the faint light of the triple moons she saw she was attired in a sheer sleeveless tunic that ended just above her knees. A belt of tiny sea shells surrounded her narrow waist. She held up an arm. Thousands of miniscule pale green scales glimmered softly in the moon light.

Sucking in another breath of salty air, she fought back a wave of panic. She glanced up at the three moons then out over the glowing aquamarine sea. She knew this place—had read about it in one of her many research sources. She was on Luvia, fourth planet of the Epsilon Delta system. She wrapped her arms around her and shivered despite the warmth of the night. She hadn’t just lost control of the dream. It was more than that. Someone else was controlling it.
She turned and looked at the man standing behind her. Green hair shot with silver brushed his broad shoulders. Like her he wore a sleeveless tunic that bared his muscular arms and legs, a belt of shells similar to hers around his flat waist. The deep v of his tunic revealed a considerable portion of his sleek muscled chest.

The corners of his mouth quirked upward in a slight smile, but the oval tilted sea green eyes that met hers were wary. He was the same man from the other dream, the one she’d been weaving, which meant she was still linked to her client, Kastel Fane.

“Incredible view, isn’t it?” His voice, deep and sensual sent a ripple of awareness through her.

Ignoring his question, Inari stalked across the pink sand and poked him in the chest. “It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the one doing this.”

He regarded her steadily, his expression guarded. “Does it matter?”

“Of course it matters.” She swung her arms wide encompassing the scene around them. “I’m not controlling this. And if you aren’t either we could become permanently locked in this dream cycle.”

The man folded his arms across his broad chest with a thoughtful frown. “According to what I’ve been told about the process, I didn’t think that was possible.”

She bit her lip struggling to decide how much she should tell him. Best to be honest. “It’s rare, but it has been known to happen.”

“And when it does? What happens to the participants?”

Anger made her blunt. “They survive in a vegetative state, until their brains burn out and they die. Of course, they don’t realize what’s happening. They’re happily living their final hours in their dream world. At least that’s the theory. No one really knows for sure.”

The man she was beginning to think of as Kastel nodded, but despite the seriousness of his expression she detected a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Before she realized what he was going to do, he caught her in his arms and pulled her to him. “I can think of worst ways to die.” He bent and nuzzled the side of her neck.

Book release date: March 5, 2010
Ellora’s Cave: Aeon
Novel. You can purchase the book at http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8218-50-palace-of-dreams.aspx
Visit her at: http://www.kathleencoddington.com/ or http://www.kathleencoddington.wordpress.com/

Bio:

Kathleen Coddington has three books, a paranormal romance and two historical romances, published by Cerridwen Press and one erotic futuristic through Ellora’s Cave Publishing. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Pocono Lehigh Romance Writers and the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group. A retired school librarian, Kathleen enjoys reading and travel and is also, a member of two Civil War reenacting units. She and her husband and two cats live near their son in a small town in eastern Pennsylvania where she teaches a novel writing course at the local community college.