Flaws and issues

Am making slow but useful progress on The Boss's Secret. It's crawling along really, but some progress is better than no progress at all, so it's all a plus.

I'm reading an interesting how to book at the moment, about outlining, called Take Off Your Pants! It basically offers guidance on how to use clever outlining to help you write the book and write it faster. Which makes sense. I always used to be an outliner, but never felt very good at it, because I'm crap at plotting and you need a plot to make an outline. So, over the years, I became more of a hybrid plotter/pantser, leaning towards pantsing more, lately.

The trouble with pantsing, at least for me, is that I tend to write myself into pickles, and into stories that don't make sense, have no conflict [I hate conflict!!!!] and end up going nowhere or sounding suspiciously like something I've written before. At least once.

So I thought I'd give outlining a whirl again, specifically to help me revamp Boss.

Although I don't agree with everything in this book, it's good because it's got me thinking about the characters more, and their issues and their personality flaws etc, and the way these drive the [rudimentary, in my case] plot. I've got what I think are some workable flaws and issues for Lawrence now, but Rachel is proving harder. I realise that in the old version of Boss, she was a bit of a cypher, but I'm getting glimmerings now, of how she can be a stronger character.

The problem for me is that I don't like just picking an 'issue' out of thin air, to make a romantic conflict or whatever. I know characters have to have them, but I feel uncomfortable taking something serious and 'using' it, just to create artificial angst in what I consider a fairly lightweight piece of writing. I know my own level. I write to entertain and to provide escapist fun reads. I'm not setting out to make some great point on the human condition and all that, so I feel guilty using issues that are pretty terrible and agonising for people in real life, just to make a character arc for my fictional people.

But, having said this... this is my issue, and every writer and every reader has a different take on it, and I suspect I'm a bit of an outlier here. :)

Murder Most Royal

Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book years and years ago, probably when I was in my teens, so I'd forgotten almost everything about it... and forgotten how good it is.

The style is a bit old-fashioned, but nevertheless it's a real page turner. Although we can't know for certain how the characters really thought and felt, Jean Plaidy does a fantastic job of making Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard believable. She creates sympathy for the women, without making them saints, and paints a particularly vivid portrait of the monster that was Henry VIII, a basically weak, self serving, self deluding egotist who had virtually no empathy. Okay, so Tudor times were radically different to ours, and the pressures of being a king were very real, but Jean Plaidy perfectly reflects the opinion I've formed of this notorious monarch, based on extensive reading.

She shows us a man who was constantly banging on about his 'conscience' while effectively not possessing one at all. He didn't give a **** about anybody but himself. A psychopath.

Sorry for the rant, but I really do dislike Henry VIII with extreme prejudice!

View all my reviews

Mork and 'Boss'

Our lad Mork is a bit under the weather at the moment. It's a combo of a recurring cough, caused by a viral thing he caught from his mum, originally, and a sore tooth that the vet discovered on examining him. He's had a jab for the cough, and when that settles down he'll be back to the vet's next week, for a dental. He's not too bad in himself, just a bit under par and not quite his usual wacky self.

Last night, I couldn't sleep very well, because I was concerned about him, so I fell to thinking quite a bit about The Boss's Secret. I think I've figured out what at least one of his secrets might be, but in many ways, he's a man of mystery, so he might have a few! I've also realised that the 'template' I had for him wasn't working, so I've switched to a new one. One of the things about Lawrence is that he's an older man. I seem to quite like writing about those, for instance, John Smith in The Accidental Trilogy was 20 years older than his lover, Lizzie. The age dynamic is fairly similar in 'Boss', although unlike John, Lawrence has prematurely white hair. And it's not quite as easy to find 'templates' for that. But as luck would have it, I've happened upon another hunk who has at least some white hair, and picturing Lawrence has him is increasing my enthusiasm for the story!

I won't say who the template is, because he's a rather unlikely one, and it's only in some photos and clips that he fits the bill. ;)

Thoughts in the shadow of a gathering migraine

I think I might be getting a migraine today, which is a bit annoying, because I've been doing quite well so far in 2016 achievements-wise. With luck though, I might be able to fend off the worst with meds. Fingers crossed.

I was looking at my publishing schedule this year, and I discovered that I don't really have one! The only firm title is a Black Lace reprint, MASTER OF THE GAME, which comes out on the 11th February.

Master of the Game is really Continuum, an older title of mine, but hopefully a new name and a fresh new cover will bring it to the attention of readers who haven't discovered it before.

But apart from this, I have no firm publication dates. Nothing. Nada. It's my own fault, because of my hiatus and the problems I've been having with motivation, but it's still a bit of a shock for me after all these years of steady output and releases.

I'm currently working on The Boss's Secret, which is part of my Secret Pleasures self published series. I've been working on this a long, long time. I wrote a fair chunk of text before my hiatus, but all the time I was writing it, I knew it wasn't coming out right, so I ditched the whole lot and started again, completely from scratch, switching from an alternating first person present viewpoint to third person past, again alternating between the heroine Rachel's POV and that of Lawrence, the hero. I haven't done all that much yet, but it seems to be working okay. I've also altered the plot a bit, such as it is. I was getting myself all tangled up with the old version. Even for an unlikely romantic fantasy it was a bit stupid.

I think what I really need to do now is write a proper outline, so I know where I'm going... and I also need to work out what the boss's secret actually is!!! LOL

So that's my task ahead, if I beat the migraine!

Motivational pressie

In an attempt to jumpstart my commitment to writing in 2016, I treated myself to a new Macbook Pro for Christmas. My old one is still working well, but it's using an old OS, and I fear that if I try to upgrade that to El Capitan, I might lose the use of some of my older programs. So I'm using both machines at the moment, and enjoying the benefits of a newer OS, so I can use iCloud and some newer apps that I've been fancying for a while.

Lest you think I'm made of money [I'm not!] splashing out on new tech, this new Macbook is a refurbished item, from the Apple store. It's not the very latest release, with all the bells and whistles, but as a refurb, it's a lot of goodies for a significantly cheaper price than a brand new model. I'm very pleased with it so far. :)

Flipping from digital to analogue writing tools, I also treated myself to a nice new pen for Christmas too. I use fountain pens for all my notemaking, lists and personal journaling, because I love the action of writing with them. It's a simple pleasure and I enjoy experimenting with different nibs and colours of inks. This pen is a  Bexley Monarch, in Lapis Blue, and has the sweetest, smoothest nib you can imagine. I love it!

Mini Habits

In 2016, I'm trying to motivate myself by using a system called Mini Habits. This amounts to setting ridiculously tiny goals for myself each day. They're so small that it's almost impossible not to achieve them... and once they're completed, kidding myself that I might as well just do a little bit more, while I'm about it.

The system is outlined in this book and on this web site. I read the book recently, and immediately knew it could help someone like me, who's struggling with motivation. It's one of the most useful books I've read in a long time!

As part of the Mini Habits adventure, I'm reinforcing them by awarding myself stars on a Mini Habits calendar each day, if I manage to:

1.  Write 100 words
2. Read for 15 minutes
3. Throw away one piece of clutter/junk

See, I told you they were very small and achievable! And I've got my three stars already today, and it's only 2.24pm.

ps. blogging isn't included in my Mini Habits, but I'm going to try and do that a bit more often too. :)

Edited to say.... 'it's almost impossible not to achieve them'. Mind you, there will still be days when I'm so useless I can't even meet those minuscule goals! LOL

Happy New Year!

© Paulus Rusyanto | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Sorry about the rather scrappy image. Was trying to rustle something up quickly in a graphics program I've never used before. :)

2015, at least the latter part of it, has been a bit of a fallow time for me, due to health and other issues. I haven't written very much of anything, really, for quite a few months. I'm trying to get back into it, but it's proving a bit of a challenge. Very much in the 'if you don't use it, you lose it' vein... I don't think I've quite lost it, but I'm going to have to work hard to get back into regular productivity and creativity.

I do want to write. And I think I can, once I regain a bit of mojo... but I don't quite know what to do with what I write when I've written it. Publishing is forever shifting and changing, and authors have to be smart and savvy and adaptable, and work very, very hard. Harder than they've ever worked before. Which is tough for a lazy old throwback like me! LOL

I'm going to write something... but most of the publishing avenues that I hoped to pursue seem to be either closed or drastically diminished. There's self publishing, of course, but after several years of grappling with it I'm just not sure I'm really cut out for the indie route.

So... I don't really know what 2016 holds for me, but I'm going to try and face it positively, and to rediscover the habit and the pleasures of writing. Even if what I write doesn't get published.

Hiatus

 

For a little while now, I've been taking a break, not only from blogging, but writing fiction too. At the beginning of August, I just felt overwhelmed by it all, and I decided that I needed a rest to deal with various health and other issues. And I'm still resting...

But fear not, I hope to be back into the fray soon, to finish a WIP and to write new stuff. Hopefully I'll be well refreshed by my chillout period. And when I do start writing again, I'll probably do a brief blog post about it.  

ps. yes, I deliberately chose Comic Sans for the graphic. If it's good enough for the geniuses at CERN, it's good enough for me! LOL

UK re-release of HOTBED... and THE TUTOR!

My Black Lace novel HOTBED is released today in the UK in a new print version! HOTBED is a very naughty book, rather kinky, and not a romance. It's what I'd call a 'woman's journey of sexual discovery' title, so probably not for readers who prefer a clear romantic structure, although the heroine Natalie does end up in relationship at the end! :)

Pride comes before a fall... but what if the descent becomes the wildest ride of your life? Two sisters - Natalie and Patti - become rivals when they challenge each other's daring on a dark, downward spiral where nobody is quite who or what they seem, and where transgressing sexual boundaries is the norm.

Read an excerpt here!

Another of my older titles, THE TUTOR, was also reissued in the UK recently. Like many of my earlier books, this one isn't an out and out erotic romance either, but probably has more romantic elements than HOTBED. The heroine Rosalind does experiment a little bit... but she ends up in a happy relationship with David, a gorgeous younger man, at the end!

When Rosalind Howard becomes Julian Hadey's private librarian she soon finds herself attracted by his persuasive charms and distinguished appearance.

Julian is an unashamed sensualist who, together with his wife, Celeste, has hatched an intriguing challenge for their new employee. As well as cataloguing their collection of erotica, Rosie is expected to educate Celeste's young and beautiful cousin David in the arts of erotic love. Having led a sheltered life, the young man is simmering with youthful passion.

In luxurious surroundings Rosie finds herself drawn into increasingly decadent scenarios where experimental sex is on the menu and like-minded libertines read the rewards of unbridled desire.

Read an excerpt here!

Her Secret is available now!

HER SECRET is out as an individual title now!

Lover from her past…

Jamie Lennox is the first man that Susannah ever loved, but now he’s different, dangerous and more devastatingly attractive than ever before. Their reunion is passionate and perverse, a thrilling exchange of power and pleasure. Can this lover from Susannah’s past become the master of her future?

Excerpt and buy links here! [all your favourite outlets should be available in the next few days]
 

It's BDSM-a-Palooza Day One!

Check out Day One of BDSM-Palooza at the Smutketeers Blog!

Lots of authors and fabulous prizes!

How to Seduce a Billionaire - out now!

My latest billionaire book is out now! HOW TO SEDUCE A BILLIONAIRE is alternative take on the relationship between a rich, Alpha male and a virgin. I do hope you'll like it, and come to love my characters Jess and Ellis as much as I do. They're both fun, yet complex characters and they love sex. Even virgin Jess, who's been longing to meet a man who can make her fantasies into reality...

Here's the blurb...

Twenty-nine year old virgin Jess Lockhart has had to put her life on hold due to family commitments, but now it's time to break out and start enjoying sex and love. Trickily for her, years of artistic dreaming and fantasising about her first ever lover have given her impossibly high standards where men are concerned. She's not about to do the deed with just any old male that crosses her path. He has to be Mr Right, or at the very least Mr Sex, right for now, and a super special, superior example of his gender. Nothing less will do...

Ellis McKenna has all the credentials to be Jess's 'Dream Lover'. He's gorgeous, accomplished, capable and a fabulous lover, and he also just happens to be the scion of a family whose international assets can be counted in the billions. He's perfect Mr Right material, apart from one thing... the thing that makes him Mr Wrong for any woman wanting a relationship. Ellis is a grieving widower who's sworn never to love again. He wants sex, yes, and plenty of it, as a way to forget his pain... but his deeper heart is locked away by regret and sorrow.

Can this unusual couple put aside their issues and enjoy a simple seduction? Or will life's complexities put a spanner in the works?

Read an excerpt here

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