A Character’s Character…

Good Tuesday morning! It’s still cold here in Georgia, but it’s January so it’ll feel like Spring by the end of the week, then back to Winter within a couple of days. That’s just the fun of living in the south.

A character in your book has many dimensions, or I should say, must have many dimensions. If your characters are only one dimensional, then what will the draw be? Let’s take, for instance, my Five Oaks Ranch characters. Each has their own personality, but inside each personality, they have many, many dimensions.

I’ll pull out the oldest brother, Ridge, for example. He’s a very complex man with many facets. One the one hand, he’s a loving brother, caring deeply for his family. Then he’s the hardened soldier that’s had two tours in Iraq, which has him edgier than he was before the war. Ridge was always the toughest of the five Cauthen’s, but now he’s withdrawn.

But, once he meets the woman of his dreams, he’s softened to a teddy bear. Although he fights it all the way, in the end, he gives up and lets his heart lead him. SO, let’s list his character traits, he’s a family man, hard-edged soldier, hopeless romantic want to be, not to mention that he loves deeply and forever.

Would he have been a great character if he’d just been a hard-edged soldier and nothing else? Maybe, but most probably not. He needed the extra facets to pull the reader in and to keep the reader guessing. Only one facet and the reader would lose control within a couple of chapters.

So, do your characters have character?

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Cold Monday, warm writing…

First off this morning, I want to express my sadness at the loss of David Bowie. Since I’m over 40, his music filled my radio during my teen years. He was an amazing singer and will be missed.

Ok, on to today’s post. It’s really cold here in Georgia. My outside thermometer is registering 20. Burrrrrr!!!. Thanks to my hubby, I have a warm fire to write by and extra wood. It’s nice and cozy as I sit and write this, but just a look outside and it’s frigid.

At least, I have something warm to write. As you know I’m finishing my over 40 romance, “Seaside Beginnings” and since it’s set on a beach in Tybee Island, Georgia, my mind is convinced I’m on the beach. So, right now I’m sinking my toes into the warm sand and listening to the waves caress the beach, or so my mind thinks.

Here’s a little snippet of the book, hope you like it! Just a note about this part of the book, Maddy and Caden are remodeling the bed and breakfast. Do take into mind, this is from the first draft, so no editing yet!

Maddy looked up at the wallpaper and figured that would be a good place to start. She grabbed her punch roller and the fabric softener she’d put in a spray bottle. The paper came off fairly easy at first, then when she got to the higher sections, she had to use the ladder that Caden had brought inside when he first arrived.
She hooked the spray bottle on her belt loop and climbed the ladder. Whistling a happy tune as she worked, not realizing how far out she was leaning until hands wrapped around her waist, lifting her from the ladder.
“Do I have to watch you every minute? Don’t you realize how dangerous it is leaning out that far from the ladder?” His hands were still on her waist, but neither noticed as he continued to argue with her. “You could’ve fallen from the top and broke every bone in your body, or worse.”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” Her gaze went to his bare chest, they were too close for her comfort. She pushed his hands off her and turned to grab her bottle of water from the step beside them. Getting her mind off him was the best thing she could do right now. The moment he lifted her off the ladder and brought her close to him, everything in her mind shifted. It had been a long time since she’d felt that way.
“Just try to be more careful.” He shook his head as he walked back out to finish replacing the boards on the porch. When he’d seen her reaching out, the ladder tilting, he lost a couple years off his life. He knew that a couple of extra gray hairs had popped out. What was he going to do with her? Then thinking better of that line of thinking, he went back to work, because that had been on his mind for a couple of days. He thought about her more than normal and deep down his heart told him something wonderful was budding out.
Maddy thought about how he’d continued to hold her, even when the danger had passed. Something inside of her jumped at the feelings that came to mind, but she quickly pushed them away. This was not the time to be thinking in that way. Too much needed to be done and complications would only hinder them. Shrugging, she moved the ladder over and continued to remove the wallpaper.
Caden came back in to check on her. She was unaware of his presence and dropped a wet piece of old wallpaper on his head. “Hey, Hey.”
Maddy looked down to see him struggling to get the large piece of paper off his head. She giggled and covered her mouth to suppress the laugh that bubbled up.
“Oops, sorry.” She tried to look sorry, but the laugh came out instead.
He put his hand in the sticky mess that covered his hair. “Well, that’s nice. Do you have any towels handy?”
She climbed down and walked into the kitchen where she’d placed several towels to use for cleaning. “Here, lean over the sink and I’ll help you wash it out.”
“That’s alright, I’ll just use the hose out front.” He grabbed the towel and left. All he needed was her running her fingers through his hair.
She giggled again as he walked out the door. The rest of the day they worked in separate areas of the house. By the time they left just before dark, a good start had been made.

I’m enjoying the banter between Maddy and Caden. It’s been a fresh, new way of writing for me. Although I miss my cowboys and horses, I’ll go back to that soon, but for now, I’m a beach bum 😉

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Don’t forget “Seaside Beginnings” is up for preorder at most ebook retailers!

Seaside ad

Best Assistant…

kaleigh

Good Saturday morning everyone! Hope you’re having a good start to the weekend. Today’s post is about my writing and accounting assistant, Kaleigh.

Some of you, especially if you’re part of my street team, have met her through posts. She’s the person in the background that takes care of my website, my covers, my book designs and my sanity. It helps that she’s my niece, so she has a little of me running through her veins.

Kaleigh attends the University of Georgia and is finishing up her Poultry Science degree. I’ve had her with me again for the last three weeks, but sadly yesterday was the last day at the office for us for a while. But she takes care of me from afar, somebody has to.

She is the one that keeps me grounded, reminding me of release dates, word counts and such. A lot of times she has to get stern with me when it comes to my manuscripts. When she sees something that doesn’t work, she’ll tell me, but sometimes I push back. But in the end, we compromise and make the changes needed. Another issue will be sayings I use or names that make her laugh and shake her head, telling me no I can’t do that.

Everyone needs an assistant like her, because it makes things easier. I probably don’t tell her enough, but I appreciate everything she does to keep me on the right track.

Take the time this weekend to enjoy yourself. We’re not promised tomorrow.

As always, good writing and may God Bless You…

Setting of your book…

Good morning peeps! It’s finally Friday, yea! Hope all is well with you and yours…

Ok, so you’re beginning a new storyline and you have the main characters, the emotional pulls ready, the cover, but what about the setting, the background? Where is your book set? Is it in a small southern town, a wintery northern suburb, or maybe a foreign city?

Good question, huh? When I started writing Tuscany, well, it was a no-brainer. But some of my other books it wasn’t as easy. Here are some things I took into consideration before selecting where the book would be set.

First and foremost, I had to sit down and figure out my main character’s occupation. If they were a stock broker, well, I’d probably set it near a big, metropolitan city. What if they were a cowboy, then it would need to be a country setting, for the most part. Then of course, if it was a snow ski instructor, well, you get the picture.

A couple of my books don’t really tell where they are and there’s not a lot of detail about the surrounding area, only details regarding their immediate surroundings. As with Tuscany, since I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting, I had to delve into posts upon posts upon posts about the region, the food, and everything Tuscany. It was wonderful, like a mini vacation in my head. Hey, I’m a writer, I can take a vacation in my head and I don’t even need sunscreen 😉

So, do you know where your book is set? Is it an important part of the writing process? I think so, for the most part.

As always, Great writing and May God Bless You…

Just another reminder, my over 40 romance will be released on February 17th, but it’s available on pre-order now at these links:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/605289

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seaside-beginnings-stephanie-payne-hurt/1123226112?ean=2940152555912

Word Counts…

words

Word count, the eternal question for a writer… I’ve been asked this question so many times that I’ve lost count. How do you know how many words your manuscript should be? How do you forecast it?

Words form themselves in a manuscript and if you’re a writer, you totally understand that statement. Now with preorders available on many book sites, the first thing they ask is what will be your word count, you have to ask yourself that very question. Do you know? Any round about figures?

Here’s how I figure the word count or where it should be by the time I type The End.

Well, as most of you know, I do an outline for almost all of my books. As I do the outline, each part of the outline is a chapter and each chapter should have an average of as little as 1200 words and as many as 2000 words. (That’s my figuring, not a science 😉 )

Then of course, when I finish the outline, I go back and figure up the chapters times the average chapter length. My outline helps me to make sure the story can go the length of the book. If I can only get to number 10, then it will be a fairly short novella, but if it can go the distance to around 20 or more, well, I have a good size book on my hands.

You may be asking how I know it will go the length I’ve figured, well, in outlining, each section should have a good position. Meaning you should be able to make at least a chapter out of that one section. If not, then it will be shorter than expected. When I do my outline, I think deeply over each section and make sure the story can carry enough gusto to finish the chapter.

So, how do you figure your word count? Ever figure too short or too long? It happens, but if it’s not published yet, don’t sweat it…

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Don’t forget to go by and preorder “Seaside Blessings” at many ebook retailers. It’s available at several sites…

Taxes & Writing on my!

Good morning, it’s already the 6th day of the year, wow times flying. If you’re an author then you’ll want to read this post, and even if you’re not and you file taxes, take a few minutes to check this out.

Here’s a list of expenses that you can claim as a published author if you have royalties to claim as income.

Expenses:

Writing program expenses (Ex. Word, Powerpoint, Scrivener, etc.)

Subscription Fees (Ex. Writing Magazines, Writing Site fees, etc.)

Dues (Ex. Romance Writers Associations, Writing Associations, etc.)

Computers/Laptops/Printers

Pens/Pencils/Paper/Journals/Notebooks

Postage (Used to mail books, letters to editors, etc.)

Advertising

Swag expenses

Book Signing expenses

Labor paid to a writing assistant

Editing fees/Cover Design Fees

Website design fees/Domain fees

These are just some of the expenses that some authors forget when they sit down to do their taxes.

Now remember to make sure you get all of the 1099 forms from all the places where you sold books this year. I always print a summary of sales report on all of the sites my books are on, that way I don’t leave out anything.

If you have any questions as you prepare to do your return, email me and I’ll help. Check out my accounting website for more information at http://hurtsbusiness.wix.com/hurtsbusiness

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Romancing the New Year…

Good Tuesday morning peeps! How’s your new year so far? Mine has been busy. Of course tax season starts this month, not to mention the end of the year reports, income statements, W-2’s and 1099’s are all due out. Oh, and did I mention my newest book is set to release February 17th.

Whew, yeah, it’s a little busy, but those that have been reading my blog for a while, you know this is when I’m in my element. My new book is coming along great and in line with the deadline. Let’s hope it stays that way. I just need a couple of more hours in the day, but don’t we all?

Have you added any romance into the new year yet? If you haven’t, then go to any of the book sites and you’ll find something in the romance genre you like. Just cuddle up with a blanket and get lost. Hopefully I’ll have a little time in the next couple of days to do that, but for now, I’m cuddled up in a blanket, by the fire, sipping coffee and writing. Then it’s off to the office for a day filled with cleaning, organizing and setting up appointments.

Hope you’re day is going well.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…

Just a little reminder, “Seaside Beginnings” is on preorder at Amazon and Smashwords. Go by and get your copy preordered so it will be delivered on the release date…

By the way, tomorrow I’ll be talking taxes and the author! So come back for a little tax advice…

Seaside Beginnings

Seaside Beginnings front cover

“The moment she stepped out of the SUV, she took a deep, cleansing breath. A smile spread across her face as the smell of sea air filled her to the core. She followed Dan up on the porch, noticing the splintered boards and wicker furniture that was falling apart. Once she walked inside the front door, a feeling came over her and it wasn’t a hot flash, it was the feeling of coming home.”

When Maddy loses her husband, she has to start her life over at 45. She decides to follow her dream of buying a Bed and Breakfast, and quickly learns its more work than she thought. The infuriating contractor she hires to help out is stubborn and hard headed, and they quickly become best friends. But will Seaside Beginnings bring them closer or tear them apart?

Now available for preorder at Amazon.com

Happy New Year!

Ok, so how many of you have made a New Year’s resolution? I’ve made a couple of the normal ones, better health, lose weight, better organization. We’ll see how that goes. Also, I’ve made a couple of writing resolutions. I have a list of books and release dates that I plan to keep to the date.

Tonight I’ll celebrate the New Year with my Church family. We always have finger foods around 9, then music until close to midnight. Then we’ll all join around the altar, holding hands and praying in the new year. It’s such a special way to bring in each new year.

How do you celebrate? What are your resolutions? Hope I bring more romance to the world, one book at a time 😉

Happy New Year to all my friends and family! Wish all of you a prosperous and healthy new year!

As always, great writing and May God Bless You… See you next year…

Feeling Christmas…

My view as I write this morning. As Christmas draws near, I feel all smiley. I love Christmas, all the elements, the tree, the decorations, the lights, etc. I enjoy getting into the Christmas frame of mind. It would help if it wasn’t unseasonably warm here in Georgia.

Of course, as I sit here, writing this post, I’m thinking of the Savior’s birthday. That’s why I love to decorate and brighten up the whole house with the signs of Christmas because it’s a celebration.

Well, back to my writing. I’ve got a couple of projects in the making and hope to have them ready soon.

As always, good writing and May God Bless You…