Romancing the Genres: series

Showing posts with label series. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

The Surprise and Discovery of Story Arcs ... by M. Lee Prescott

“The spiritual path is not a solo endeavor. In fact, the very notion of a self who is trying to free her/himself is a delusion. We are in it together and the company of spiritual friends helps us realize our interconnectedness.” – Tara Brach

Greetings!

It’s Mary Lee, writing as M. Lee Prescott, author of mysteries, romances – contemporary and western -- other fiction and nonfiction. No matter what the genre, my books, even the nonfiction titles, are about interconnectedness and the communities we create, large and small. I believe Tara Brach’s words about being “in it together” and want that for “characters” in my fiction, nonfiction, and in my life.

The theme of connectedness came to me when thinking of what I might blog because I’ve been pleased with the story arc linking two of my recent romances, last year’s A Horseshoe Crab Cove Christmas (HCCC) and this December’s Joe’s Calling. They are both part of the Morgan’s Fire series, set in New England, number 7 and 8 respectively.

When writing series, many authors, myself included, introduce, or incorporate minor characters who then move to center stage in subsequent books. I love this foreshadowing as it builds reader excitement for what’s ahead. We become attached to these relatively minor characters when they do something that touches our heart, grabs our attention, or makes it impossible to ignore them. They push in, make themselves known, and ask for their own stories. There is delightful anticipation that builds in the characters as well as the readers and writers interacting with them. Such fun!

Although Joe O’Leary appeared in earlier titles in the Morgan’s Fire series, the holiday book, begins and ends with him. A Horseshoe Crab Cove Christmas follows him as he grapples with life after leaving the priesthood. At fifty, where will his spiritual journey take him, and will he/ must he make his way alone? Early on in HCCC, as the village bursts forth celebration, Joe meets Meryl, chef of the town’s hottest new restaurant. Amidst the tinsel, lights, and carols, these two connect, first as friends and then, perhaps, something more. There is promise at the story’s conclusion. There is also the question Brach addresses about solo versus connected journeys, spiritual or otherwise. Do we need or want loving friends on our life passages? Are our spirits destined for interconnectedness or something else?

The village of Horseshoe Crab Cove sparkles as the community celebrates a birthday and a wedding. The kindling of a new relationship and a baby boom bring joy and resonance to the season as Joe O’Leary makes the difficult decision to leave the priesthood. Will he find peace in his new life? Celebrate the holidays with a copy of Morgan’s Fire # 7!

Links to A Horseshoe Crab Cove Christmas!

Of course. I write romances. Connectedness always wins out. In Joe’s Calling the story arc continues as these two lovers explore whether, indeed, freeing oneself to walk alone is a delusion or the only path to wholeness in life. One can and should practice self-love and compassion, in effect, romancing oneself, but Joe’s Calling is a romance between two people, so a shared path looks promising!

Down-to-earth Meryl Stockdale meets gorgeous ex-priest, Joseph O’Leary and their relationship explodes with fiery passion. Certain she’s found the love of her life, Meryl is shocked when Joe suddenly disappears. After 30 years, the priesthood has shaped Joe in ways not easy to put aside. He loves Meryl but struggles in his new life. Is there a loving future ahead for this couple? Find out in Morgan’s Fire book 8!

Pre-order links to Joe’s Calling: Release date: December 20^th

Story arcs and foreshadowing are important elements of many series, but somehow the links between these two books seemed subtler yet determined. As if the silken threads of emotional connection blew forward in the soft, prevailing winds, from book to book, without my awareness. This particular arc became a discovery for me, a surprising, lovely connection that supported plot, but also these beloved characters.

I wish everyone a lovely December and happy holiday season! May your connections sustain you as the days grow darker and bring you peace, comfort, and joy.

Warmly,

Mary Lee

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Saturday, March 28, 2020

Celebrating the First Meet for Carter and Lynette ... by Delsora Lowe

I am not a plotter. As I sat down to write Carter’s story, I really had to think about the kind of woman who would be the most likely to NOT be his type. I already knew a lot about Carter, as he is the brother of Carla, the heroine in The Prince’s Son, book one of the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series. Carter has a prominent role as a secondary character in book one.

Truthfully, I can’t explain how my mind works. Or how the image of Lynette Mercer popped into my head. I think the scene idea came first, placing Carter in an awkward position as the oldest, serious brother in a ranching family, who was tasked to do something totally out of his comfort zone. It is in this scene that Carter meets the woman who is different than his usual date and not what he envisioned as his perfect wife. He deems her totally wrong for him. Of course, now he can’t get her out of his mind.

I hope you enjoy finding Carter, the ultimate, serious rancher, being thrown into a world so feminine he’s a nervous wreck. And then to meet an angel so far out of the realm of his dreams of a perfect mate, well…read on.

Wanted: A Suitable Wife

Workaholic cowboy needs hardy woman to manage household and motley family.
“Girly” widows, with small children, who sell naughty lingerie need not apply.

EXCERPT

The Rancher Needs a Wife

First Meet

“Damn.” Carter Peters' heart slammed in his chest. He removed his Stetson and shoved his fingers through his hair. What did he think? Lacy and frilly things would jump out and tangle around him the second he stepped foot inside. Yet, he stood rooted to the sidewalk in front of the Pink Petunia and muttered another curse. Then looked up and down the street to make sure no one in town saw him.

He straightened. He could do this. Didn’t mean he couldn’t curse out his entire family while he did.

Why did he always end up drawing the short straw? What did he know about women’s lingerie? He should’ve insisted his sister come with him. But when he suggested it, Carla laughed. “On your own, buddy.”

At least his brothers could have helped. Or his middle brother’s wife. or his other brother’s on-again off-again girlfriend. Any of them could have done the birthday shopping. Jeez, even his youngest brother’s talent for picking out gifts for women beat his. But no, they all refused.

And why did they insist the gift be lingerie?

He tried to remember the order of the family deliberations. Of course, he’d had his head bent over a pile of bills when his three brothers and sister invaded the ranch office for the family meeting. Keeping track of their conversation hadn’t been a high priority. That is until he pulled the shortest straw and found out the duty of buying something frilly for his stepmother’s sixtieth birthday fell to him.

He had pulled his head out of the pile of paperwork and shoved his chair back to stand and argue, only to see his sister’s grin, wide and mimicking the evil Cheshire cat—the same grin she tormented him with their entire childhood. They were adults now. He vowed at the next family meeting to change the rules from drawing straws to reaching consensus.

Double damn. He’d lose either way.

He stared at the storefront.

Lingerie. And for his stepmother, no less. He was going to kill Carla and his brothers.

Every time he thought about lace and silk and satin, all he could think about was the scanty kind he liked to see on a woman. A shudder ripped through him. Not going there.

That jolted him back to the present dilemma.

Growling another damn, he internalized the rest of the litany of curse words buzzing through his head. He’d rot in hell before he bought his stepmother night clothes resembling anything one of his dates might wear. Not that he had many lately, but none of these dates ended with the showing of sexy underclothing.

Carter looked down either side of Silver Street’s sidewalks once more, thankfully quiet for an early August morning. He shoved against the shop door. The last thing he needed was to get caught walking in or out of the Pink Petunia.

And who in the blazin’ saddles would name a shop Pink Petunia?

Tiny panties, lacy bras, and silky nighties in pinks, purple, and other girlie colors spread out around him. In the middle sat an entire display of see-through black things—whatever they were called.

Totally out of your element here, buddy.

He’d bet his favorite stallion that Carla and his sister-in-law were behind the insane idea of lingerie. Why would a sixty-year old woman, especially Madge, want anything this frilly…or pink?

Gripping his Stetson, his fingers beat a nervous path around the rim. Other than soft music, silence cloaked the place.

Did anyone work here?

“Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Simple words uttered in the voice of an angel. Words that meant the cavalry had arrived. The cavalry that clearly had not grown up around here—not with that deep southern accent.

His gaze skimmed the beautiful and put-together woman. He was so out of his element. He, a ranch boy through and through. She, citified and sophisticated.

Carter turned away. His cheeks burned as he repeatedly tapped his Stetson against his leg, and scanned the shelves and racks in another section of the tidy and compact store. “Thank you, ma’am. Truth is I’m not sure what I’m after.”

“Maybe I can help? Can you describe your wife—how tall, weight? You know, so I can figure out her size.”

Wife?

He shook his head, a knot forming in his belly. He didn’t belong here. Maybe Hal down at the feed store would know what he should ask for—he was married, and his wife’s figure was about like Madge’s. Before he headed back to the ranch, he had feed to fetch and lumber to load. Then he could call up and order something.

Get his ass out of this frilly, feminine hellhole.

Carter glanced toward the door and tried to think of an escape line. But when he looked back into violet eyes, his tongue wound round like spooled fencing wire.

Her hand landed warm on his forearm, reminding him of why he stood in this shop filled with frilly feminine apparel. “Do you know her size?”

“My stepmother?”

She smiled. “Oh, your stepmother.”

The tug on his arm compelled him deeper into unknown territory. Cattle herds he understood. Lingerie? Surrounded by acres of the stuff—no.

He straightened. Get your act together, cowboy. “I’m picking up a birthday present.”

Her smile widened, reaching all the way to those miraculous eyes. “Not a wife, then.” Tiny specks of sunshine danced among the violet in her eyes. “Tell me about your mom, ah, step-mom.”

AUTHOR BIO

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine.

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Rancher-Needs-Cowboys-Mineral-Springs-ebook/dp/B07YXB5C4W/

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/bxv56d

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Author FaceBook page: fb.me/delsoraloweauthor
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

The Dangers of Drummers

by M. L. Buchman

This month's suggested topic is "Marching to a Different Drummer."

As a writer, I've found this to be a major problem. For me there are always Twelve drummers drumming (at the minimum). Anyone who has followed my writing career can attest to that. In fact, if you count novel series separate from short story series, I've written 32 different series. Some of those are still just two or three stories (or novels), but some are seven novels or even eleven short stories in the same series. (No wonder my head hurts.)

This is also a brilliant way to both intrigue and frustrate readers. "I love this series! When's the next book? And that series too! What about that one? Or the one over there?..."

There is good news and good news and good news here though.

The first good news is that you get to try a lot of things. Invent characters, learn things you never thought you'd learn, like the length of the Wright Brothers first powered flight being shorter than the cargo hold of a military C-5 "Galaxy" transport jet. Or that a favorite of Russian bagged snacks is toasted brown bread, rusks, in flavors such as: onion, BBQ, crabmeat, and jellied meat with horseradish. Learned all this and much more for my upcoming Miranda Chase thriller:

www.books2read.com/condor

The second good thing is that chasing after those different drummers has let me discover what works for my writerly voice. Author voice is a terribly tricky thing, because the author has no idea what it actually is. Seriously. It's up to the marketplace to tell the author, "Oh, this is the kind of story you write really well." For example, I launched my career in romantic suspense. I tried going over to contemporary romance (a sub-genre that I greatly enjoy as a reader and a writer). While I still got great ratings, I earned far fewer sales. So, I went the other way, over to action-adventure technothriller. Whoosh! I think I found my authorial voice...at least until the next cool drummer comes along. I just can't write Miranda Chase fast enough; not for the readers--for me! I just love this series.

www.mlbuchman.com/miranda-chase

The third awesome thing is that I end up creating whole worlds that I love to go back and revisit. I've recently started pulling some of those many series into collections. Revisiting these two short-story series, I got to write brand-new introductions about why I wrote each story and what they've meant to me over the time since I wrote them. I really love being able to do this and you'll definitely see more of these from me in the future.

The world of the firefighting Hotshot crews and the Fire Lookouts high in their lonely towers are only the first two that I've tackled.

https://books2read.com/the-complete-hotshots

https://books2read.com/the-complete-fire-lookouts

So, sure, following a thirty-two, or even just a dozen, drummers has its drawbacks (like making your brain feel like it's going to explode).But I highly recommend it!

Why?

Because it creates so much fun!

M.L. "Matt" Buchman has 60+ thriller and romance novels, 100 short stories, and lotsa audiobooks. PW says his thrillers will make “Tom Clancy fans open to a strong female lead clamor for more.” Booklist declared three novels “Top-10 Romances of the Year.” A project manager with a geophysics degree, he’s designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, solo-sailed a 50’ sailboat, and bicycled solo around the world…and he quilts. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.

Saturday, December 7, 2019

I Bring you good tidings ...Books filled with good Cheer!

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

Yippee! The holidays are here, and with holidays come, books, lots of them, and some written by our favorite authors.

You can never go wrong gifting a book, and in this case re-gifting, is permissible, and even flattering. Not that I recommend doing so without at least a first read.

Word of mouth is a powerful thing, and like hand-selling a book, it's free marketing for the author. I’ve been introduced to many a new author this way, and they've introduced me to their fans. So, that said, in this time when sharing is caring, I’d like to introduce you to some new and not so new holiday releases, by authors you may or may not be familiar with... at least not yet. Sit back and have a read!

With pleasure, I introduce you to an amazing holiday boxset, titled, Unforgettable Christmas Dreams. It was penned by eleven multi-published USA Bestsellng authors, and offered at only an amazing 99 cents.. Now that’s a bargain, if you ever heard of one. Hop over to Amazon and pick up your copy. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZCBXNRY/

Next up, talented, NY Times bestselling author, Patrice Wilton, gives you A Heavenly Christmas. Can you imagine having car trouble,with two kids in tow, and landing in a magical town called Heaven? Everything about this place seems heavenly, including Nick Ryan, local chef with a heart equally as big as yours You’ll want to eat him up.

Of course you've heard of the incomparable Heather Graham (not the actor,) but the author of over 200 books and novellas. She is the founding mother of my Florida Writers chapter, a more delightful and down to earth person you have yet to meet. Heather’s Spirit of the Season, released to the usual rave reviews. Here's a sneak peak of what you can expect:

Imagine a young widow with no steady job, three children, a dilapidated Victorian house in constant need of repair, and now she takes in her newly orphaned nine-year-old nephew, Davey.

Davey is happiest playing baseball, and our young widow helps him through Little League tryouts – even though her past flame Tim Yeagher, is the coach. I don't know about you, but I see drama ahead. And if that’s not enough, fans of Heather’s Krewe books need to be on the look out for Christmas, The Krewe and a Large White Rabbit. Find it on Amazon https://amzn.to/2sUYmba.

Then of course there’s me. Releasing two previously written novellas. You can buy them as part of a boxset at the bargain price of $2.99 or as singles at $1.99. I could not be more pleased if you Ring in the Holidays with me. https://amzn.to/2D2XWRZ https://bit.ly/36Nlbgi

Have a Happy Holiday Season all!

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS Be sure to join her mailing list.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Another Little Piece of My Heart...

by M.L. Buchman

Oh yeah. Sing it, Janis!

Janis Joplin singing that Emma Franklin (Aretha's Sister) song just rips out my guts every time. The emotion that woman could pack into a song just gets to me...far above and beyond any mere meaning of the words. (A funny side note: despite making my living as a wordsmith, it takes me a long time to become aware of a song's lyrics. It's the emotion that takes me every time. Occasionally, I get incredibly embarrassed when I discover that a song has very different lyrics than the emotional delivery. Rocking out to Pat Benatar's Hell Is For Children in the early '80s comes to mind.)

Anyway, this month I gave up another little piece of my heart (Keep singing it, Janis!). I finished a whole series.

When I finish a book, there is a celebration, absolutely. I created a good conclusion to a story. I found the story's ending, happy if it's a romance (as this one was) or at least satisfying (like a thriller or SF). And I achieved another book, which is still a surprise every time.

There's also a sadness. Those characters who I've come to know and love during the course of the book, their story is done. They'll now move into the background of future books, or perhaps depart entirely. This is also true of a short story, but I've only spent days or perhaps a week with those characters, whereas a novel I've often spent months with them on a daily basis--on occasion even a year if I've struggled with their stories. So there is sadness mixed with the pleasure.

But to end a series? That is an effort that spans years. In the case of Henderson's Ranch, it has been four years. In that time, I've spent five short stories and three novels roaming the hills of the Front Range under Montana's Big Sky. Emily Beale (my Night Stalkers and Firehawks series heroine) has retired there. And, as Emily always does, she has attracted an amazing group of woman around her. (And, as amazing women do, the men are pretty freaking awesome as well.)

More about Henderson's Ranch

In Big Sky Dog Whisperer I felt that I finally really understood what I'd been writing about all along in this series. I was writing about family. Not the family of romantic love between a couple, or even couple and kid(s). Henderson's Ranch is an eight-story homage to family of the heart. To belong we don't need to be perfect or pretend we're undamaged. It is a place where we're embraced as we are for who we are.

To say that I cried while writing this book...well, yeah, in a number of places. There's a lot of me in every book I write, but with Stan and Jodie this was especially true. No, I was never a battle-injured dog handler and they both were, but there's a lot of my personal doubts and fears in them.

Then halfway through the book, I realized that this was the end of this particular series.

Sometimes I know and it's planned that way. Midnight Trust was book #4 of my Delta Force series and the last book, at least for that team. But this was a given because in book #1, I set up a four-person team who book-by-book find true love.

Sometimes they end in an unexpected way. Firehawks was originally a six-book series. Then I decided that my #5 hero and my #6 heroine were perfect for each other, so it would be a five-book series. And they were perfect for each other, except for a few complications, like the arrival of another heroine on the scene...which is part of what makes writing so much fun.

But Big Sky Dog Whisperer caught me completely by surprise as a series ender. The funny thing was that my characters knew it long before I did. (Like music, I was tuned into the emotion of the story and wasn't really seeing the story of the words even though I was the one writing them.)

I suddenly had characters who I didn't think had any place in the story insisting on a cameo. What had started as a romance, with a few friends and a mentor for the heroine, bloomed into a view of the whole Henderson's Ranch world. Half again longer than the other two novels in the series, the story and characters spilled across the pages.

And when the book was complete, there was a sudden aching void in my chest. Henderson's Ranch was done. The characters had told their tales and would now live on their lives without me. I know some of what their future holds, but their written story is complete.

How do I know this?

I know it because now some part of me is also complete. Family has always been a challenge for me. But I've now been married for a third of my life and we're closer than ever. My kid...well, I'm one of those parents, so don't get me started. I also have a family of friends, some who've known me for decades. And discovering that family as part of writing about the dogs and handlers of Henderson's Ranch, has somehow healed the part of me that made this series happen in the first place.

So it is with a deep mixture of joy and sadness, of self-discovery and satisfaction, of understanding one more piece of the joy of family, that I say goodbye to that world.

Discovering family is what drove me to write that entire series, though I didn't know it at the time.

What drives you to write? If you're like me, its far deeper than you realize.

M.L. "Matt" Buchman has over 60 novels, 70 short stories, and a fast-growing pile of audiobooks out in the world. M.L. writes romance, thrillers, and SF&F…so far. Three-times Booklist "Top-10 Romance Novel of the Year." NPR and B&N "Best 5 Romance of the Year." RITA finalist. As a 30-year project manager with a geophysics degree who has: designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, and bicycled solo around the world, he is awed by what's possible. More at: www.mlbuchman.com.