The Fictional Writer

So from LGC's post, we all know about the ideal writer's life. So what about the fictional writer's life?

In the spirit of Joan Wilder, leaving post-it notes all over her house while she finishes her manuscript, weeping over the final reunion scene, I've been so busy with non-writing activities: traveling, volleyball tournaments, spring break, college orientation, that I completely forgot what day it was. So here's my post, just the tiniest bit late. :)

I love fictional writers as characters. Joan Wilder wasn't my first but she might just be my favorite. And in her life, you actually see her writing.

I also adore Castle. (Although honestly, I adore Nathan Fillion, so it stood to reason that I would adore the show) But in all the episodes I've watched, I don't think he's actually been sitting down at the computer more than once.

Jessica Fletcher spends her time solving real murders instead of writing about them. Someone once said Cabot Cove has the highest per-capita murder rate in the world. I sure wouldn't want to visit.

And while I loved the movie As Good As It Gets, Jack Nicholson's character, besides his irascibility really doesn't fit as a writer either.

So who is your favorite fictional writer and why? Comment for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card. I'll pick a random winner on Sunday, April 15th.

And now I'm off to a place just slightly more mundane than Cartegena.  

Cheers!

Pick Up Lines for the Under Thirteen Set

I looked at this week's topic and was at a total loss as to what to write about.

It's been an eternity since I've been the recipient of a pick up line. To be exact: One husband and three babies, then toddlers, now teenagers ago.

I considered reminiscing about my summer in France.

"Avez-vous un feu?" (Because everyone had a Gauloise in hand.)

But that wouldn't get me very far.

I considered asking the College Boy what kind of lines he and his friends use but then decided I really, really don't want to know.

So I've been wracking my brain for some clever, funny, insightful wisdom to impart about Pick Up lines and coming up empty. Until last Saturday.

Princess and her friends went downtown to the local candy shop. She is still in the sweet stage of teenage-dom where there's a fifty/fifty chance her money will be spent on Laffy Taffy rather than Cover Girl Lash Blast.


They were acting appropriately goofy, as only fourteen year old girls can act, when into the store walk two not-quite-teenage boys. (Princess was pretty sure they were sixth graders.) And these smooth gentlemen attempted to try out their lines. So here you have it. Pick Up lines for the under-thirteen set.

"Wanna know why it's your lucky day? Because you met me."

 Image from animegalleries.net

One boy said, "Did it hurt?"

To which Princess replied, "When I fell from heaven?"

Boy responded, "Oh, I was hoping you didn't know that one."

And finally, my personal favorite:

"Did you just fart? Because you're blowin' me away." 

A Writer's Formula

Strategy: A Writer's Formula

by Lisa Hughey

Every writer has a process. A strategy for how to write their book. What's truly fascinating (to me anyway) is that every writer's process is different. I'd bet every single Pen uses a separate and unique method for getting the words down.

For those non-writers in the house, here are the standard writer strategies for drafting a book. For the draft process you've got outliners, seat of the pantsers, and the, ever unable to commit to one way, hybrids.

1. Outliners

This writer will design complicated outlines complete with sub-headings, along with color-coded charts, character interviews, world-building questionnaires. Sometimes their outlines and notes will fill an entire three ring binder before they ever write a word of the book.

2. Pantsers

This writer has a concept or character or theme in mind and just...sits in the chair and starts writing.

3. Hybrids

This writer will have a general outline. Sometimes they will use the story arc of script writing by charting out Acts and Turning Points and the absolutely essential Black Moment. But after they get those key points down, they just sit and write.

So now you're thinking, okay fine, but after the draft is written, all writers use the same revision strategy.

Again, everyone's strategy is unique. Those amazingly right brain writers will graph out where the book goes astray and what needs to be changed in order to get the plot nailed down and coherent. They also tend to revise at the sentence level at the same time, crafting sentences to make their readers weep, or laugh, or sigh.

Other writers will do three or four or ten passes. During each pass through the manuscript, they focus on a separate piece of the whole. They add, delete, and refine the plot, character motiviation, emotion, blocking, and sentence level details until the work is just right.

When they get ready to revise, some writers use spreadsheets, some use post it notes, some hold all those details in their brains.

And yet, at the end of the process, all writers have a finished work. So if you're a writer, embrace your own strategy. And don't worry if that strategy changes from book to book. After all, as people we are a work in process, just like our novels.

A Snake in Eden

...or the Fictional Villain
by Lisa Hughey

Michaelangelo's Adam and Eve

One of the best pieces of advice I ever got as a writer was about the snake in your story. The hero or heroine is only as strong as their strongest opponent. So if you craft a weak villain, your story is going to suffer for it.

All fiction is derivative. There are only so many stories that exist and genre fiction really only has so many plots. Our task as writers is to find the details, to define the characters so that the story becomes original within our voice. Part of that originality comes from developing the villain's character. Particularly fascinating to me is the idea that in the villain's reality their world view is right and just. Serial killers, mass murderers, politically motivated assassins, whatever their poison may be, the villain truly believes that they are working for the greater good. Their conviction in their actions is what makes the story believable and gripping.

But it can't just be that the villain is properly motivated and righteously just. The hero/ine must be smarter, stronger and faster than the villain. What makes a seriously satisfying read is the book that delivers a strong villain and the even stronger protagonist who triumphs over that villain. As readers we need that payoff. Our hero needs to vanquish that fictional snake and be the victor. Otherwise, as a reader we have the sense of being let down, disappointed in our main character.

So the next time your hero or heroine is tempted by the apple, let go of that compulsion to stop them, and allow them to embrace the snake in their Eden.

With that, I'll leave you with the scene where Clarice meets Hannibal for the first time. (couldn't find a video to embed but follow the link)

http://youtu.be/pXJx5mORmMI

Lisa

Le Baiser and Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all our Pens Pals!!

In my college years I was very lucky to be able to spend a summer in France and studying at the University of Dijon. It was a memorable trip for many reasons, but one of the most thrilling aspects of going to France (besides the food and wine) was the art.

As I've mentioned before, I'm a frustrated artist. I love the nuances of color, and shadow, and light that play in paintings. I was especially drawn to the Impressionist paintings and was happy to spend an afternoon at the Louvre in the presence of famous canvases. I was in awe. And then I went to Rodin's museum. I knew about The Thinker, his oh-so-famous statue, but beyond that I wasn't well-versed in Rodin's work.
The sculptures are displayed throughout the house and gardens of the Musee Rodin and it is beautiful. If you are ever in Paris, I highly recommend taking the time to visit.  

At the museum I was introduced to Le Baiser (aka The Kiss).

Le Baiser

by Auguste Rodin

Romance writers tend to be a little starry-eyed, a little romantic, and a little susceptible to passion in its various forms. This intimate glimpse of a couple kissing tripped all my romance buttons. Hope you enjoy!

As a Valentine's treat, my latest release, BETRAYALS, is available at Amazon for FREE today and tomorrow.

Happy Valentine's Day!! 

Lisa 

Shared Vice

Shared Vice
by Lisa Hughey


Vice. It connotes bad things. Depravity, sin, things to be avoided, things, potentially, to be ashamed of.

And now I confess that I have shared my vice with my children. Not just shared but encouraged.  

Bet you're wondering...what could it be?

We've covered television, smoking, drinking, naughty magazines, fried eggs. And even with all those topics, no one mentioned my vice. But I guarantee that every single Pens has the same addictive vice that I do.

I love Books. Paranormal romance, mystery, historical romance, time-travel romance, thrillers, non-fiction, science fiction, fantasy, erotica, romantic suspense. 

Reading books is a huge time suck. And in this age of uber-productivity and twenty-four hour connectivity, people are expected to be on task and on target every single waking minute.

So how do I unplug? I can lose hours to a good book. Sometimes, I will spend an entire day gorging myself on more than one. More like two, three, four, even five books. Usually I hunker down in my bed, comforter fluffed around me and a stack of books by my side. I only emerge from my little cave for tea and the occasional sustenance. And by the end of the day, my bed is littered with the leftovers from my voracious reading habit.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Share my vice with me and cuddle up with a good book. 

Lisa

ps. I'll leave you with this darling video.

Leftover Trauma

“For all of us there will be those irreconcilable injuries and humiliations that persist and infiltrate into adult existence. They may become the seeds for those monotonous repetitions of hurting others and getting hurt ourselves,...Or the leftover traumas can be incentives for innovation and change,...the opportunity to rewrite the scripts, introduce a few new characters, get rid of one or two, perhaps even change the ending, and free the lover and jester inside us all.”

Louise J. Kaplan

This quote is actually on parenting, but it applies equally well to writing.

The one constant draw of compelling fiction is always going to be the character. We as a reader have to connect with the main character emotionally. A character that we can relate to, even if we won’t make the same choices, differentiates a pedestrian story from a satisfying story we will read over and over again, so that we can triumph right along with the character.

The challenge of writers is to make our characters as interesting as possible. We do that by creating a fictional trauma, sometimes a childhood trauma like the death of a parent or sibling, or an early adult trauma, like a difficult breakup, a parent’s divorce, a shocking crime, to torture them. To give them a reason for the way they behave in the present. By doing so we explain why people (and our characters) do what they do. We motivate them.

Because, in reality, no one acts in a vacuum. Each experience we have, the choices we make while dealing with the experience and the final result based on those choices influence how we will behave the next time. And we still may not make the same choices.

Then factor in the character backstory, the leftover trauma. Every person is going to react to the same experience differently. And then, hopefully, even the same character response to a situation will change throughout the book as they grow. Because each time we have an experience, we are different.

As Louise Kaplan points out, leftover trauma can be an incentive. Sometimes authors make the mistake of having the character continue with the same destructive behavior, which experiencing as a reader is very unsatisfying. But if the character deals with their trauma, overcomes that injury or humiliation, they can free themselves to enjoy a happier outcome, a happier life.

As readers we long for that fictional resolution, that tidy seed of change in the character’s life, because change within ourselves doesn’t always neatly occur within a set of parameters like four hundred pages. Although some days it would be nice if life imitated fiction, wouldn’t it?


Lisa

Lisa presents...presents

My views on presents are the same as everyone else's. I like to give. I'm not so great on the receiving. But I really, really love to give presents. I spend a lot of time thinking about what the person likes. I keep notes in my phone all year long. And I frequently give books as presents.

I love books. Non-fiction, fiction (romance, thrillers, horror, sci-fi, YA), cookbooks, decorating books, coffee table books, picture books, how-to books. You name it and I probably have one (or fifty) lying around.

I literally have books in every room in my house (except the bathrooms and that's because they're too small). I have stacks on the floor in the living room and family. Bookshelves in all the bedrooms (because my kids have lots of books too). Plus bookshelves in the office and the kitchen and the family room. The Pens are getting more and more prolific so I've just about got space cleared in the office for an exclusive Pens Fatales shelf.

And since we're talking about presents, I'm going to give you a list of the most recent Pens releases so if you're so inclined you can give one this holiday season. Or if you've got a few minutes between cooking side dishes and turkey to curl up with a book or an e-reader....

LGC Smith:

Staindrop

Juliet Blackwell:

Hexes and Hemlines
Deadbolt (coming December 6th)

Sophie Littlefield:

Unforsaken
Rebirth
Bad Day for Scandal

Nicole Peeler:

Eye of the Tempest

Rachael Herron:

Wishes and Stitches
A Life in Stitches

Lisa Hughey:

Blowback

Happy Thanksgiving!!
Lisa

ps. My present for this week is the presence of my son who is home from college. I haven't seen him for ten weeks. That's a long time. I am really looking forward to spending time with him and guess what? I've got a book for him. :)

What I Regret....

I regret that I got nothin' in the tank today.

November 2011 is kicking my a**. But there seems to be a lot of rant in the air so if you are so inclined, come post a rant, a regret or a comment.

xoxo

Lisa

ps--come post a comment, a rant, a regret, a response, anything. On Friday, I'll randomly chose a winner to get a mystery mailing of Pens books :)

Hell: How the Devil (or Author) Works

The most fascinating thing about our perception of Hell is that everyone's idea of Hell is different.

This SNL skit with the Devil talking about his newest member of Hell makes the point perfectly.



The best and worst thing we can do for our characters is to put them through hell. Although this usually involves putting ourselves through hell while writing their story, the emotional resonance when they overcome their worst nightmare is worth every second of agony.

Each character's Hell is going to be different. It's our job as the author to find the most specific and detailed method for torturing our character so that they come out on the other side as newer, more improved, and hopefully happier people.

Lisa

The Working Artist

There's so many slants on the topic of Art. Frankly as it pertains to writing, LGC covered the Writer as Artist beautifully yesterday at the Pens. So let's talk about the Working Artist.

Here's a fun fact: I was in art school when I first moved out to California twenty years ago.

I was going to school for Interior Design but I still had to take the general art education classes which I LOVED, but no one will ever call me a visual artist. One semester I had two vastly different professors. They were both WONDERFUL artists. One, a painter of both oil and watercolor, who taught my Color Class. The other, an artist who did amazing still life in pencil, who taught Drawing 101.

The Painter lamented to us students day in and day out about how difficult it was to make a living. Being an artist sucked. He couldn't find outlets to sell his work. He couldn't support himself on his art alone which was why he was in the classroom teaching. Starving artist wasn't just a label it was his reality he would tell us bitterly.

The Line Artist (for lack of a better word) painted a picture of prosperity. He loved line drawings, he took commissions and people had begun to seek him out for specific projects. He was doing well, supporting himself, AND doing what he loved. He taught young students to share his knowledge and his LOVE of art.

If I'd had them separate semesters I might never have noticed the extreme dichotomy. But listening to them both made me realize that I wanted to be like the Line Artist. That it was possible to be commercial and be artistic, the two are not mutually exclusive.

And it really brought home that we all have a choice in how we perceive our life, our profession and our art. I choose to be a working artist. How about you?

Lisa

Forget Me Me, Let's Talk About Something Far More Important

I think we've already established that I'm not an early adopter. Really, I don't care about the latest whosit or whatsit unless at some point it will save me time or money. Otherwise, being the first to have the latest (or fanciest) is pretty far down on my list of needs.

So this whole Meme topic has left me sort of adrift. I still don't really get Meme's and frankly, I don't care. There are so many other, more worthy topics of note to occupy my attention.

So instead of Me Me, I'm going to tell you about the Blue Star Mothers of America. www.bluestarmothers.org

I think this might be the third week in a row where I've talked about philanthropy (and so sorry to keep bringing it up) but this past weekend my daughter and I volunteered for this AMAZING organization. From their website:

The Blue Star Mothers of America, Inc. is a non-partisan, non-political organization. We do not support any political candidate, nor do we endorse any religious organization. The military represents all aspects of America as does our organization.

We are mothers who now have, or have had, children honorably serving in the military. We are a non-profit (501[c]3) Veterans service organization supporting our military children while promoting patriotism.

My daughter and I worked with the Blue Star Mothers to solicit donations for care packages to be sent to the troops overseas at our local grocery store and then helped sort the various items. We made cards to send to the servicemen and women who are serving our country in foreign locations. And we talked with mothers and fathers whose children are making a difference.

What do they need? They need small things, hot chocolate, oatmeal, poptarts, toothpaste, floss, makeup for the female troops, tampons, candy, cup o noodles, tuna, coffee, a variety of small easily purchased items to assemble into a package for the servicemen and women to receive during the holidays.

Sometimes they keep the items, sometimes they give them to the kids in the regions they occupy and protect. These men and women are laying their lives on the line. I don't care how hard your budget is to keep, one small purchase, as little as a dollar can make a difference in their lives.

Think about it.

xo,
Lisa

Paying it Forward

by Lisa Hughey

As most of you have figured out, this subject is very near and dear to my heart. The act of doing something for someone you don’t even know seems to be the ultimate gift. There’s no expectation of gratitude or reciprocation. The whole point of charity is to open your heart and receive the gift of satisfaction. And know that somewhere, you have made a difference.

My daughter and I are members of National Charity League. A fantastic organization whose mission is twofold, encouraging mothers and daughters to spend time together while involved in philanthropy in their local community.


I had never heard of NCL until my daughter was about ten. Some friends joined and started telling me about all the great experiences they had while serving the community. It sounded right up my alley, so when my daughter was old enough, we joined.

There is definitely a sorority aspect to the organization. There are rules, and minimum hours, and meetings all of which are designed for the participants to get the most out of the organization. We are in our third year and have done some pretty cool things.

We worked the Relay for Life, an American Cancer Society 24 hour walk-a-thon to raise money for cancer research.

Relay teams walk around the clock, most teams have a specific person that they walk to remember (or to celebrate their survival). The cancer survivors wear specially-colored t-shirts and walk right along with everyone else. It was one of the most memorable four hours we have spent together, ever.

Last year we contributed 50 hours of community service together (100 total) and then my daughter worked another 15 hours. I’m pretty proud of that.

We’ve sorted food at the food bank, tagged donations at the local hospice thrift store, sorted and packed books bound for the Phillippines, watched golf holes for a hole in one to support an organization that offers transitional housing for homeless families, made blankets for babies at the crisis center, stuffed stockings for kids in our county whose only gifts might be those stockings, Adopted a Family at the holidays, cared for cats at the county animal shelter, helped developmentally challenged and disabled kids play baseball, worked as Santa’s aide at the local museum, wrote cards to the troops, donated toiletries for female soldiers serving overseas. I’m sure there’s more I’ve forgotten.

It’s been an amazing few years and I never would have been involved in so many different things if not for this organization. It turns out some people don’t think much of NCL. I was really surprised to find that out. They poo-poo the organization without truly understanding. They assume that we are only out for community service to put on my daughter’s college resume or that we don’t really work.

What I’ve found couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve gotten to connect with mothers and daughters who have a passion for making a difference. Most of the women put in many, many hours to enrich the experience for all of us. And I am beyond proud to a part of such a great organization and thrilled that I’m passing on my love of service to my daughter.

Lisa


ps. One other thing that we did was buy and pack boxes of food to be distributed in case of a natural disaster or an emergency.

If you google emergency food boxes you might be able to find something similar in your own community.

Hunger in America

Sometimes, it's difficult to be slated to post in week two of a topic. This is one of those times. We've talked about character hunger, metaphorical hunger, cravings, all slants I considered for this topic but they've already been done and done well. So I'm going to return to a subject that is near and dear to me.

Hunger in your town. With the shift in the national economy, the squeeze on local budgets, the corporate layoffs, the trickle down effect to every single citizen has been felt in our bank accounts. Add in the rising cost of food and you've got a recipe for a whole lot of hunger right around the corner.

The Hunger in America 2010 study is the first research study to capture the significant connection between the recent economic downturn and an increased need for emergency food assistance. The number of people in need of food has increased 46% since the previous study in 2006.

If you want to read more about Hunger in America:
http://www.foodbankccs.org/pdfs/Hunger-Report-2010-web.pdf

The thing about food bank donations is that everyone thinks to donate around the holidays when they are out shopping for their own excessive meals

but food banks need to feed the hungry year round.

Consider ways you can help:

1. Find your local food bank website online. They likely have events all year long where they will have donation bins. Buy a few extra cans of corn or an extra jar of peanut butter at the store to place in their bin. Every can or jar feeds someone.

2. Organize a food drive at your school, church, tennis club. Most food banks make it very easy to organize a drive. Your job is to promote and get people to give.

3. Donate money to help with organizational costs. This is the easiest way but probably for most people the hardest thing to do is take money out of own already tightened budgets.

4. Donate your time. Volunteer to sort food. Most food banks have volunteer shifts to take the food out of donation bags and bins and sort into food categories for storage AND to make sure the food is edible. (FYI-They keep any cans within one year of the expiration date.)

And remember EVERY gesture helps.

Lisa

ps. And now for listening to my plea, I'll leave you with a little taste of my next thriller, Betrayals, due out at the end of September.


Something snuffled in the corner.

I curled my arm protectively around the meager bowl of whatever they’d brought me. No stinking rodent was going to touch my daily ration.

The dank smell of urine-soaked sand, feces, and human sweat filled the fetid air. A thin layer of grit and despair coated everything, including my tongue. I vowed never to set foot on a beach again.

Probably wouldn’t anyway. As I was likely to die in this godforsaken rathole of a prison. I scooped the cooked until mush food into my mouth greedily, careful not to spill a single grain.

Hard to believe a month ago Jordan and I had been dining on spice-rubbed porterhouse and chipotle garlic mashed potatoes in D.C.

That life was long gone. The contrast between then and now was laughable.

Then, I’d dabbed daintily at my mouth with a soft linen napkin. Now, I lapped the bowl with my sand-coated tongue and carefully sucked on each dirt-crusted finger.

If malnutrition didn’t kill me, the germs probably would.

I could hear the woman, our chef, server, and general attendant, coming. But I wasn’t finished.

Fuuuuuccckkkkk. I screamed the expletive silently. I’d learned brutally fast that cursing, especially from a woman, in this prison was taboo.

One by one, the locks clicked open. I huddled over the tiny tin bowl, licking with short, frantic strokes, trying to eat it all before she took my food away. My arm chains clanked as they swung together, ringing in the silence. I ignored the stabs of extreme pain in my left arm.

The woman scurried in furtively and eased the door closed.

This was a change in routine. Subtly, I shifted to a higher state of alertness. The bruises, aches, and burns from the last ‘change in routine’ still hadn’t healed. I hadn’t had a beating or torture session in a few days. They’d left me alone.

I was pretty sure the radius bone in my left forearm arm was broken. Fortunately not the ulna and fortunately not my shooting arm.

“Miss,” she whispered in Pashto.

I didn’t answer. I didn’t know how much they knew about my background and I wasn’t about
to give anything away.

“Miss.” This time she whispered in Dari.

I remained silent.

“Miss.” Next it was Modern Standard Arabic. Something must have flickered in my eyes because she continued in Modern Standard. “Come. I will let you go.”

My brain whirred. It had to be a trap. Let me go and then follow me. Thinking I’d lead them to whatever they thought I had.

Common torture tactic. Slowly break down all barriers to civilized behavior until the prisoner was more animal than human. Then dangle the carrot of freedom and watch the animal lunge for it.

If I was in their shoes, that’s what I would do.




pps. Some national and international food resources.

www.feedingamerica.org

www.strength.org

www.one.org

My Life in Beaches

My life can be measured in Beaches. Almost all (with the exception of the birth of my children and my wedding day) the special days in my life revolve around a beach. When I was little we would visit Rehoboth Beach in Maryland.

Image courtesy of Paul McGehee Art

My great-aunt and great-uncle had apartments right on the beach. As family we could rent the place for dirt cheap (the ONLY way my parents roll) if we helped clean the apartments at the end of our stay. Looking back as an adult, I was too little to help but I’m sure it couldn’t have been much fun for my mother. However, my memories of the beach were magical.

Then we moved to the Midwest and for awhile I was beach-less.

When I traveled to France at age twenty, I spent a fascinating and liberating three days on the beach in Nice.

My senior year of college, I road-tripped to Ft. Lauderdale with my college pals and spent my days on the beach drinking beer and posing in my bikini.

When I met my husband in college, his parents lived in Myrtle Beach so I was lucky enough to visit the beaches in South Carolina several times.

Sunrise on Myrtle Beach

Our first vacation together we visited the beach in Pacific Grove. Our bed and breakfast was across from the boulders with a room overlooking the shore. We left the windows open at night to listen to the susurrous of waves as we slept.

Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove

For my honeymoon, my husband and I visited three islands in Hawaii and I learned to snorkel and spent most of my days either in or on the ocean.

Finally as an adult I moved West and my love affair with beaches resumed. I did have to alter my perception when I realized that the ocean on the West Coast is COLD. Our first vacation after my son was born was to the beach in Santa Barbara. I have the cutest picture (not digital sadly) of him in his diaper and a little white hat with beach balls on it, squeezing sand through his pudgy little fingers and smiling.

Rio Del Mar beach


Every year when my kids were little we would trek to Rio Del Mar for a few days. Boogie boards, skim boards, sand pails and shovels to make castles and dig for sand crabs. Coming home entailed shower after shower to get all the sand from our hair but the inconvenience was worth every moment we wrung out of the trip.

We also spent at least one weekend a year in Monterey (arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth), crawling over the rocks and peering into tide-pools to search for anemones, crabs and little fish.

In the past few years, I visited the Mexican coast at Puerta Aventuras. The white sand beach of the Caribbean at Atlantis in the Bahamas.

The ancient fishing pools of King Kamehameha

The absolutely amazing Kohala coast of the Big Island where we swam with turtles and other tropical fish in a shallow reef.

And most recently, we spent a day on the beach on Tybee Island in Georgia.

The Lighthouse at Tybee Island


The ocean is integral and necessary to my survival. I know that I will continue to make visiting beaches a priority in my travels and I’ll treasure those memories just as much.

Hope you enjoyed this little road trip! And if you have a beach that you love and that I need to visit--TELL ME! :)

Lisa

ps. I started thinking about all the beaches I’ve visited in my life and marveled that there were so many. I purposely did not read any of the other Pens’ posts before I wrote this. I didn’t want to be influenced or feel that I couldn’t express my deep love for the ocean because it had already been done before.

But what I have to say now, is y'all are crazy. The shush of the waves, the sun searing your skin, the scrubby roughness of sand against your feet. The soothing waves of ocean, walking the shoreline, searching for dolphins, turtles, seals. Scouring tide pools for the variety of creatures that live in the crevasses. The endless magnificent power of water and the sheer openess of the Universe. Sunlight and moonlight shimmering on the waves. How can you not LOVE the beach?

Finding the Entrance to the Secret Garden

by Lisa Hughey

This topic isn’t, as Dr. Peeler so eloquently said, about tab A in slot B. Most high schoolers understand the mechanics of sex. Writing about sex and being sexy has to be much more than about moves and positions.

But what is sexy? The truth is that every person has a different vision of sexy.

Sexy is about defining, for the heroine, the emotional component that allows the hero entry into her secret world. In the context of romance novels, whether closed door or fully described in intricate detail complete with naughty words, sex only packs a punch if the emotion is present and (almost always) amplified.

Engaging in sex is about vulnerability and trust. And the most intense sex scene is one that explores the trigger for allowing this other person into the character’s inner sanctum or as the title suggests, their secret garden.

A truly excellent scene is one that delves deeply into the character and what makes them vulnerable.

Sometimes it’s about longing for something they don’t have: family, love, protection, happiness. Sometimes it’s about power they want or power they hate. Sometimes it’s about fear. Fear of happiness, fear of being hurt again.

Sex frequently turns the story just as it turns the relationship. The physical dance of intimacy, that first tentative foray into an emotional connection, the withdrawal back to the ordinary world which no longer fits quite right, and the glide back together again, is the foundation on which the successful romance story rests.

I love reading about people finding the person they find sexy. Even more, I love writing about characters who find their own version of sexy. The evolution of that initial attraction to a deep and enduring love is the most interesting and fun of all.

Lisa

ps. Yes, that is a Bruce Springsteen reference. I love this song.

"Thrill"-ing News

“Thrill”ing News

We Pens are a prolific lot, we are all working writers, whether we have books on the bookstore shelves or are not yet published. With the advent of a new era in publishing, some of us are making the switch from traditional paper publishing to self-publishing. It’s not a choice for everyone. And believe me, I want to be traditionally published as much as the next Pen!! But after a round of rejections from traditional publishers, I decided to self-publish my Black Cipher Files series which straddles the line between romance and thriller.

The first book, BLOWBACK, released today!!

Doesn't this cover ROCK? Madeira at Xuni.com is amazing!!

Most of my novels begin with a ‘What If?’ question. What if espionage agents were being kidnapped and injected with an unknown drug? Why? What are the long term implications for the espionage community? And who would investigate the kidnappings?

While I started playing around with the ‘what if?’ ideas, I was also reading a fascinating book on the National Security Agency, about both its past and present history. From that research, a fictitious branch of the NSA was born. I also postulated reasons for why certain committee documents from World War II are still classified. And my heroine Jamie Hunt came into existence. She is a very hard, very intense, very closed off woman. She doesn’t allow herself any emotional contact. Honestly, when writing her story my heart broke, because at our core we all need love. And she has a dearth of affection in her life.

Jamie’s parents and brother were killed in a horrific car bomb attack when she was just fifteen years old and to protect her sister, she agrees to let her sister believe she died too. Fast forward thirteen years later, Jamie is in trouble, her sister is in trouble, and Jamie has nowhere to turn.

Enter the hero, Lucas Goodman, who understands Jamie because he used to be just like her. He is determined to drag her into a relationship whether she wants to or not.

The biggest compliment a writer can get is that a reader keeps their book on a shelf and periodically re-reads it. I love reading thrillers. What I’ve discovered about myself, found after years of reading, is that the plot can be fun and convoluted and intense, but I won’t re-read a book unless the character and romance is emotional and memorable. The details of the plot are just a framework for the relationship.

Blowback has plenty of action, classified espionage secrets, and some fascinating science but Jamie’s growth as she finally allows herself to accept love is the reason I was drawn to writing this story.

Lisa

ps. And no I did NOT plan to release today, as a matter of fact, couldn’t believe it when the topic appeared in my inbox. Serendipity at its finest.

pps. Blowback is available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Blowback-Cipher-Files-Romantic-Thrillers-ebook/dp/B005D76F4U/ref=pd_rhf_p_img_1 And BN.com http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Blowback/Lisa-Hughey/e/2940012752567 right now. It will be coming to Smashwords in the next week or so.

ppps. REBIRTH (the next in Sophie's Aftertime trilogy--which is amazing) releases today!!!! It's a PENS release day :)

Oops-no--thank you, yes!

Thank you to all of our current armed forces serving around the globe and a very special thank you to all of our veterans at home!!

Happy Fourth of July!!

I am so happy to live in a town where the fourth is celebrated and feted every year. Our slice of Americana is both endearing and enduring.

To participate and honor the men and women who serve our country is an honor.

Thank you all!!
Lisa

The Power of ONE

by Lisa Hughey

I’m going to talk about something near and dear to my heart today.

The power of ONE person...to make a difference. I’m a firm believer that every gesture, every action, every gift of our time and attention has an influence on the world.

We have a responsibility to our fellow humans, to our community, to the Universe to give our all. I think we can get caught up in our own lives and dramas and forget the world around us. It’s understandable, it’s human. I also think sometimes it’s easy to dismiss a small gesture because after all we aren’t Mother Theresa, dedicating our life to another’s cause, we’re just a poor schlub with a lot of problems and worries of our own.

But the reality is that there are many ways to make a tiny difference.

My daughter and I are involved in an organization that makes it easy for us to volunteer both our time and our money (what little we have :) ) to various causes. If you can find an organization that has meaning for you, then consider focusing your benevolent attention for one cause. But if that won’t work, you can still do plenty of small things on your own.

Below are a few quick and easy things that you can do with very little time or effort.

Consider cleaning out your closet and giving clothes you no longer wear to your local hospice, church, charity thrift shop. The clothes need to be clean with no rips, tears or stains. These organizations frequently support people right in your own neighborhood. My mother-in-law and my grandmother received hospice help in their states when I lived far away and was unable to be there. Now I donate my clothing and house goods to my local hospice knowing that I’m helping someone else’s family.

If your teenager is having a birthday party, encourage the guests to all bring a can or two of food for your local food bank. Usually if you coordinate with the food bank, you can get a donation container delivered and picked up to your location. Last year my daughter and her friend collected over 200 lbs of food for our local food bank. The number of people requesting aid from their local food banks is up incredibly in our current economic crisis and you might be surprised at some of the people who are asking for help.

Donate old books to your local library, or consider mailing them to libraries in areas struck by natural disasters. If you don’t want to part with your books, buy one book by a favorite author and send it to them. What power to give the gift of reading a beloved author to someone else.

Did you have to change the prescription on your glasses the last time you went to the eye doctor? Donate that old pair to either the Lions Club or Unite for Sight (they distribute glasses in 3rd world countries in areas where people normally don’t have access to or the ability to pay for eyeglasses). I know how good I feel every morning when I put on my glasses and can see. Imagine giving that gift to someone who has been living without ever being able to see properly.

If donations aren’t your thing, consider donating your time to a fundraiser or event. There are so many events that rely on volunteers in order to happen.

If you can, choose an organization that has meaning for you. Go to their website and find out how to become a volunteer. Some to consider: Challenger Baseball, Special Olympics, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Concours d’Elegance (for this particular event the recipient of the charitable proceeds varies by location).

The amount of satisfaction that you will get from a few hours worth of time is immeasurable. Especially when you consider that one simple gesture can make a change for the positive in a stranger’s life.


Embrace the power of ONE!!!

Lisa

the negative side of celebrity

Topically, Anthony Wiener (the politician) is in the news. So many thoughts bombard my brain on an almost ten minute interval that it is impossible to convey. So...here are my completely random ramblings.

It's fascinating to me that as authors, trying to find a common audience in readers, we can troll over into the how and why of engaging a reader and how to find our audience.

Originally I was going to talk about how as a writer, I have had moments of complete weird fan girl weirdness, and have gushed embarrassingly at wonderful, amazing writers. But, sadly, it's already been done. Yes, I have appropriately, and inappropriately, fawned over NYT and pre-NYT best sellers (of course I have absolutely predicted that they would be NYT best-sellers before that happens--because they are in my mind - AMAZING!!)

As authors we instinctively know (or a good friend informs me that we have somehow inadvertently passed) the bounds of good behaviour. And then we are unassailably embarrassed. However, the reality is that writing that touches our heart...whether beautifully enscribed or rawly penned, is the source of our richly earned fountain of emotions. All we can hope is that we have justly and accurately portrayed those emotions. And that our words eloquently and justly evoke our readers. As a writer, my goal is to provoke readers to think and react beyond a level of compassion that they have exhibited before. If I accomplish this goal then I as a human being and as a writer, have made the world a better place.

Lisa