Monday, March 25, 2013

Being someone else


           My paranormal romance, Andromeda, released last week and is currently up for sale. While looking over excerpts for this story, I realized that it was fitting some situations close to my heart. I even realized that this theme is also in my paranormal series, Savage. 
 
 
The theme is on being someone else. 

          We’ve all had to face how the world wants to see us and the contrast of how we want to be seen. This goes for every social group and all sexual orientations, because we all fight to be the person that we truly understand to be breathing under our skins. 
          Andromeda has to live as a human as a 400 year old psychic vampire. Most would understand why as that kind of thing just isn’t normal in our society. That’s also what makes her such a rich character. She knows who she is but has to pretend to be someone else in order to have any kind of normal life. 
          In my life, I’ve battled with this same scenario. I’m feisty, sarcastic, and passionate. I don’t fit into the “corporate world” and seek jobs that are outside of that click. I know it wouldn’t work, so why bother, right? This acceptance of my line in the sand is an accomplishment as I did fight my nature for many years. Who doesn’t? 

          Yet again, as an older woman, I’m faced with society rules. I’m not happy about it, in the least. I realize that as a person, there is always room for improvement. I will forever consider myself to be Under Construction. I have a long list of my flaws and don’t need my nose rubbed into every single one of them. 
          That being said, I’m in a mental battle with myself. I see a few things that have scarred me, thus needing to be corrected. I can accept and own these. The problem is that I have no idea where I stand in this world. I am what I am, and for good reason. I write and sew as a way of purging the creative gene that builds within me. I find joy in this. But what about the other facets of my life? No one should have to hide their soul from the world. To do this is to lie to yourself.  

          My career choices have been against my inner person, in a few specific ways. Where do I draw the line and where can I plant myself in order to grow as a fully rounded individual? I feel as if I’m my characters, Andromeda and Constance, as I hide parts of myself as to avoid harsh criticism.
 
Snippet from Animal Management, book 1 of my Savage Series: 

The sea of red and black wavy glass embraced the moods from the white sign waving protestors and the bullied customers lining up at the entrance. I turned to see every member of the crew standing behind me in awe of the spectacle outside. I smelled fear on someone as they debated whether we should go ahead and unlock the door. I wasn’t afraid. One day I’d die, but it wouldn’t be tonight, especially for a hybrid like me.

                                                            ****

Well, it was time to open up. Let’s get this circus started. I took the position of hostess, as I let regulars and new comers into the bar. I was glad to see the regulars were back. The cook had told me that some of them didn’t want to be bothered by normal people while at the bar. They came here to be themselves and to get away from the pressure of appearances out there. Some of them were even closet freaks whose employers were unaware of their lifestyles. Now the laws said that we couldn’t discriminate against humans and had to now welcome them into our paranormal world. Our sanctuary was no more and we were open to a frenzy of non-believers. That was why the protesters were outside of our very doors.

 

So here’s my choice, be someone else for the world or hug myself closely as I look for where I belong.
 

What would you do?

 

)))Corset Hug(((
Ginny Lynn
Wench Writer

Monday, March 18, 2013

My kind of freelancing

Well, in fighting my writing block plus the adding of plotting tools, I have come to a realization. I have somehow adapted freelancing into my strategies.
Freelance:
1. Also, freelancer. a person who works as a writer, designer, performer, or the like, selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.
2. a person who contends in a cause or in a succession of various causes, as he or she chooses, without personal attachment or allegiance.
 
Okay, so when I'm hitting a brick wall in my mental status, then I start daydreaming about what I could do to the characters next. Once I have a smile, and a couple of ideas, I start typing them as notes at the bottom of my manuscript. This gives me an espresso shot of creativity, and usually a few giggles, while I work through the scene that has stopped at an imaginary red light.
At times, I wonder where the scene could possibly be going. That's when I start typing out anything and everything in my brain and by the time I'm done, I have a clear winner for the scene development. At times, I've even taken two of the ideas and put one a little further in the story.
 
For instance, in my latest WIP (work in progress):
Girl is on horseback as she flees from her suitor.
       1. she can get away, to only have him catch up to her as she jumps off of her horse, yelling at her
       2. he can ride beside her and yank her off of the horse, like in a western movie
       3. she can fall off of her horse, causing her own injury, and leave the man to bring her home
 
Right now, my mind is laughing at #3 as I embarrass her by having her being carried to the house by a man that she'd rather not be seen with, let alone held by. I snicker as I figure out how to dent her ego and how to make the job harder on him, for even bothering with her spoiled butt.
 
Bam, my fingers are flying as I leave the mischievous grin plastered on my fictional face. If I happen to hit another turn in the proverbial road, then I start brainstorming again.
 
Do you guys do things like this? I can't be the only one this insane, I mean, spontaneous. :=)
 
)))Corset Hug(((
Ginny Lynn
Wench Writer
 

Monday, March 11, 2013

I'm trying out the number 7

**Disclaimer: I can not take credit for this listing. It was given to me after the 2012 Moonlight and Magnolia Conference, with no word on who designed it.**

          Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me say that I'm using it to put together some story lines that I have harbored in my cranium. It seems simple enough, so I'm giving it a try. I'm a writer who can tell a great story but I need serious technical help. Being a Right Brain person, I'm not wired with an affinity for storyboards and serious plot outlines. My goal this year is to become acquaintances with these tools. Yes, acquaintance because being friends would be too much to ask at this point. Look, I know my limits :-)

          So, here we go: (Below it will be from my book, Andromeda, as an example)

If your story has all of these, then you can build a synopsis around these 7 things.

1.            Defining Event – your story should begin at a moment of tension or change (ie. an argument, someone’s moving away, the hero is dangling from a burning building, etc.)
-              something that makes the reader WANT              to see what happens next
                    
                         Pirates pillage Andromeda's town, tearing apart her family

2.            Stakes are Raised – an early transition point that calls your character(s) to action
-              a scene where your character has to make a decision of some kind

                          She's kidnapped by the rogue pirate captain, as he believes he can keep her forever
3.            Rising Action – important turning point that builds to a major complication and includes the most important scene before the middle
-              things are now very exciting!
         
                         Andromeda gets a vision that someone she loves will die because of being with her

4.            Point of No Return - can’t get around the situation and must resolve it
                         Anastase (Awna-stass) threats to take out everyone she loves if she doesn't join him
                       
5.            Exceptional Event - a scene that builds to the dark moment

                         Her best friend is viciously attacked as a means to hurt Andromeda 
6.            Dark Moment – all seems lost, obstacles are encountered by your characters

                          In the battle to take out her stalker, a loved one is fatally wounded. Just like in her vision
7.            Resolution – problems are resolved, and you get to THE END!!

                         Read the book to find out how it ends :-)

          Not only do I want to write her brother's (Perseus) story, but I have a series (Savage Series) plus a brand new idea that are all fighting for attention right now. That takes buckets of patience and a load of skill to carry out. I'll keep looking for tools, like this one, so I can use them in the hopes of ensnaring you into my world.
 
)))Corset Hugs(((
Ginny Lynn
Wench Writer
 

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Just Dessert Blog Event - Secret Cravings Publishing

I've got something for a two different kinds of "sweet tooth", a "bite" from
 my paranormal romance and a recipe for my Pounded Cake.
Enjoy :-[ & Fang You
 
 
My First Release is March 21, 2013
Andromeda
 
 
 
She’s a fortune telling psychic who also happens to be a 400 year old virgin vampire. She hides what she is and lives as a human. He is destined to be her mate, but a vision shows he's also destined to die in her arms because of what she is. Believing he can change their fate, this mortal man chooses to be with this enchanting woman. But just when things heat up between the two, her maker comes back for her to possess her body and own her very soul. And by fighting for her mortal man, she enrages her vampire stalker. Both mortal and maker fight for the power in her touch, but only one man can have her body. Will the love of mortal and vampire be enough to survive the coming battle?


 
One lucky person will get a Wench Writer small tote bag from yours truly.
Send me a line about something fiendishly delicious and I'll post my winner this weekend.
Good luck and may your visions be truly wicked ;-)
 
 
 

 
(BTW-it's named this because I made these by hand because I didn't have a mixer. My hubby loved them even more, as I had to "pound" the cream cheese mixture with a wooden spoon to make his favorite treat)
 
 
My "Pounded Cake" Recipe
 
 
1 1/2 cups melted butter           1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
3 cups sugar          1 3/4 cups eggs          1 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla          1/4 tsp almond extract
3 cups all ourpose flour          1 tsp baking powder
 
 
Sift flour/salt/baking powder together. Add remaining ingredients slowly, while beating. Place in a buttered and floured bundt pan. Spread mix evenly and tap the dish a couple of times on the counter (or stovetop) to remove any bubbles before placing in a 325 degree pre-heated oven. Cook for approx. 1.5 hours, check with a toothpick or screwer every 15 min after 1 hr mark. At diff altitudes and in diff ovens, it can cook faster than in my old oven. Then cool for 30 min before inverting and slicing. This can be frozen, if you want to save slices for a treat one night. I do:-)
 

My son with his           A Cute
13th bday cake              Joke->
< - nom nom -             
homemade                      Just
cookie cake,                Because
2 layers w/
fudge icing





)))Corset Hugs(((
Ginny Lynn
Wench Writer

Monday, March 4, 2013

Now is not the time, Vivien


          Muses are fickle, most writers agree with this. They love to poke you when you’re trying to sleep. They whisper to you when you’re driving. They even shout a few things when you’re shaving your legs in the shower. They have no boundaries and no concept of timing or even personal space.
          Muses are wonderful tools when it comes to building a whole new world for our characters. Not to mention the characters themselves. I write primarily paranormal, so an extensive imagination is imperative for this genre. I love the myths that are portrayed in the new and old alike but my own spin is a mixture of them both.
          Vivien is the name of my red headed muse and she’s feisty. Stubborn has nothing on this muse. She likes to smack me upside the head as often as possible and if I ignore her then she’s quiet for days at a time. Moody is an understatement. I had a hysterectomy about eight years ago but Vivien reminds me of what P.M.S. is, frequently.
          My cousin’s fiancĂ© is a writer and she told me that she was seriously tempted to buy those soap markers that kids use to draw on themselves while in the bath. That way she could jot down ideas on the wall and wash them away once she’s transferred them all onto her laptop. It’s brilliant and I need them in dark colors as my shower tiles are mocha. (MMMM, McCafe Mocha..)
          Anyway, I’m going to have to come up with ideas on how to satisfy my muse, with her random naughtiness, while retaining the knowledge when my hands aren’t full of razors or a steering wheel. I have a voice recorder and may need to keep it handy, All.Of.The.Time. Supposedly, my phone has a voice recorder as well, so I need to check into that. I really don’t want to get pulled over by a cop for excessive swearing while I’m fighting to stay in my lane.
          Anybody have any ideas that I need to check into? I could always use the help and Vivien might need less Midol in the process.

 

)))Corset Hugs(((
Wench Writer
Ginny Lynn