Monthly Archives: April 2015

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Character Eye Descriptions: The Window to Your Story

Writers In The Storm Blog

By Sharla Rae, @SharlaWrites

Sharla_EyePhotopinIf poets are to be believed,eyes are the windows to the soul.

Rather than using clichéd or common descriptions,why not use “explicit” eye descriptions to give your reader a real peek into a character’s psyche?

I’ll touch on eye color, movement, and appearance and, of course, I have some helpful lists to inspire ideas.

Eye color

It’s a given that writers mention eye color as a character feature. Color can be mentioned every so often to remind readers what the character looks like. But! Don’t hit them over the head with it.

Besides using eye color as a facial feature it can sometimes be used to identify who is speaking especially if the color distinctive.

Blue eyes widened and she threw up both hands. “Now hold on a minute.”
OR
Her amber cat eyes narrowed. “xxxx”

A character might have plain old blue or brown…

View original post 1,593 more words

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The Next Best Thing Blog Tour

The Next Best Thing Blog Tour

Blog Tour

I want to thank Gina Henning for this neat marketing idea and pass it along to all of you. Here is a way to help market yourself while helping your fellow authors. The basic idea is to respond to ten questions about something you’re currently writing, a book or story you just published or are about to publish.

  1. Post your responses to the interview questions about your book on your own blog page.      (see my example below)
  2. Add my name, Sara Preston  and my book cover montage (image) to your blog page and link them both back to this page.
  3. Send me the URL of your completed blog page after completing steps 1 and 2, above, along with an attachment image of your newest book or book montage.
  4. Send this blog to five or more other writers.
  5. Each time you forward this message to someone, start with: “I want to thank  . . .” sentence as seen above, substituting my name, Sara Preston, for the one currently appearing in that first sentence.
  6. Ask them to substitute your name for mine as they send out notices to their circle.
  7. Tell them to post this same content on their website or blog, adding their book image and URL link, and to answer the questions below about their book.
  8. Ask the writers you invite to answer the questions on their blog, substitute your name in the “I want to thank” sentence at the beginning of this posting and include a link to your blog.
  9. They, in turn, link to five other writers, and the cycle continues.

I will add the first ten authors who complete my AUTHORS’ HALL OF FAME instructions above and e-mail me

@ tales2Inspire@optimum.net with the information listed in step 3 above.

Interview with Gina Henning

Gina Henning

 

Sara Preston

What is your working title of your book (or story)?

The first book in my And Then Came Love Series will be released on May 2nd.  The title is If You Only Knew.

Where did the idea come from for these books?

My relationship with my husband has always been full of twists and turns.  He is bipolar and through the ups and downs of the last eight years we’ve always had each other.  I wanted to show people what it’s like to be involved with a person with mental illness and that love is enough.

What genre do your books fall under?

My books are contemporary romance.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Julian: David Gandy

Liza: Amanda Righetti

Drew: Micah Truitt

Ava: Jaimie Alexander

Audrey: Sophia Bush

Everett: James Brolin

Jackie: Cindy Joseph

Gramps: Frank Langella

What is the short synopsis of your book?

The book begins with my heroine involved in a car accident outside my hero’s house.  This single event leads to a whirlwind romance, an unexpected pregnancy, and ends with the meaning of true love.

Will your book(s) be self-published or represented by an agency?

I’m self-publishing through Kindle Direct Publishing.

How long does it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Between a month and two months.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

My beta readers tell me it’s not your typical romance novel.  I’ve even had some who don’t like romance novels who liked it.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My husband inspired me to write this book.  If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t know how challenging and rewarding real love can be.

Lovely young couple on the sunset beach, selective focus

Thanks for playing! Watch for posts from the following:

Deb Julienne

Happy Reading!

Sara

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Excerpt!

Available for pre-order.

Liza pulled into Julian’s driveway just after eight. She wiggled in her seat and closed her eyes. Could she pull this off? This was the first time she’d ever done anything like this. Was it silly to get the man who had everything a blanket? It was super soft and was perfect to lay on for the sensual massage she had planned. Her hands shook and the butterflies floated in her stomach. She bit her lip as she grabbed the box and the bags out of the passenger’s seat, took a deep breath and headed for the door.
Julian met her at the door. He leaned down and kissed her. “You’re early, I was just about to head back to your apartment.”
“I thought we’d stay here for the night.” Liza smiled as she stepped past him into the house. She wobbled on the four inch heels. Pregnancy and heels did not go together.
Julian caught her before she could fall. He turned her to face him, took the box and bags out of her hands, put them to the side, and then reached for the belt of the trench coat she wore. “Why do I get the feeling, I’m really going to like what’s under this coat?”
She smacked his hand way. “Not yet.” She feathered a kiss across his lips. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you. Now can I play?” He winked and reached for her coat again.
She shook her finger at him. “Nope, not yet. She grabbed the bags and turned away. “Open the box and meet me upstairs.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’ll be waiting.”
“I have a feeling this is going to be my best birthday ever.”

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CampNaNoWriMo

So last year in November I participated in NaNoWriMo.  No, I don’t think it’s a good way to get instant success, but I needed to finish a book and I took the opportunity to participate and well, the deadline helped.  So this April (starting today), I’m going to be editing a book for CampNaNoWriMo.  My word count is shorter (only 40K) and my daily word goal is a 1333.  Now again, I don’t intend to have a book ready by the end of the month.  This is book 2 in my series and will be released in August, so the deadline is more just for me to try and get ahead of myself.

I’m going to enjoy participating and take my time to get this book ready for the next stage of editing. I’m on the right track for this series.

Oh and I finished all the formatting for If You Only Knew last night.  Now it’s waiting for the editors!  Putting it down until I hear back.  Yay!
Sara