PROJECT UPDATE - Finding a Pace

For the past few weeks my life has been all about music - primarily the Texas Music Awards coming up next month. But I've also made connections in Nashville and getting requests for album reviews. I love my job but I am missing working on fiction.

In the snatches of time I've taken to work on Heart on the Line, I've been working on the historical time line of the hero's family. Some incidents have a marked effect on the story so it is important to know what happened when and who was (or was not) responsible.

I'm getting there. I can trace Bo's family back to his grandfather - which is as far as I needed to go. And I found out Kassie's mom deserted her at the age of 16. While Kassie was at school, and later at Granny Pearl's (Bo's grandmother), Kassie came home to find her mother had up and left. She never heard from her again.

Now I'm down to how some of the scenes need to work in correlation to the time of year. The story takes place from late August through to Valentine's Day the following year. There are tour schedules to work out, funeral arrangements to be made and a wedding to plan... if all is to work out as it should.

I'm getting closer. I'm trying to grab a couple hours every day - not even the same time each day - but every day to work on my story. Writing every day is important. I will get back into the habit.

Happy Writing - and Reading!
Angela

WHODUNNIT? Contest - Sponsored by Sleuth's Ink Mystery Writers

Do you like a little Mystery and Suspense with your Romance? Or do you just like to write Mystery? Either way, I have the perfect contest for you!

Join the ranks of mystery writers and try your hand at writing a mini-mystery. If you've never written this genre, we suggest you read Woman’s World magazine, which publishes a new mystery weekly. The mysteries are located near the back, are always 700 words, and a solution is provided.

These mysteries are fun and interactive. And who doesn’t like to solve a whodunnit? Put on a Columbo trench coat and try your hand at this genre.


Guidelines and Word Count:
Simply write a short "solve-it-yourself" mystery of 700 words. That count must include the narrative and the solution. Stories should be fun and entertaining with an ending that challenges to the reader to figure out whodunnit or howdunnit.

Submission information:
Send your entry to Sleuthsink95 [at] gmail (dot) com.
Write "Contest Submission" in the subject line.

Payment information:
Include a $5 entry fee per entry. (You may enter as many times as you want, but you’ll need to mail $5 for each entry.)

Mail your entry fee to:
Stephanie Jarkins
Sleuths' Ink Treasurer
6911 N. 23rd Street
Ozark, MO 65721


You will receive a confirmation once we’ve received your entry and your fee.

Cash Prizes for first, second and third place winners.

Additionally, all entries will receive feedback by at least two published WW authors! What have you got to lose?

Deadline: May 31, 2014 (winners will be announced in early July)

Note: This is a contest sponsored by Sleuths' Ink Mystery Writers, and has no affiliation with Woman’s World Magazine. We do, however, encourage you to submit your finished story to WW. Remember, you are eligible to win cash prizes, plus your stories will be judged and critiqued by at least two published Woman’s World authors.


Questions? Email us at Sleuthsink95 [at] gmail (dot) com and good luck!

WRITING ROMANCE - Reality Check

Writing is hard. Period. But when writing romance, reality sets in. It does not matter whether you are talking straight romance or any of the sub-genre's, there still has to be a thread of reality. While we write to give our readers an escape, I think as writers, we have a duty to still 'keep it real'.

We can take our readers to far away places, let them go on exciting adventures, dark heroes, mysterious scenarios in lavish settings but when we get down to brass beds, our readers still want passion, commitment, love. On the journey they will experience the highs and lows of any relationship. But we have the opportunity to promise them something that in real life they feel may be beyond their grasp -  A Happy Ever After.

As we write, let's be prepared to give our readers the Valentine they most want - the security in knowing that regardless of the roller coaster ride, LOVE will win in the end.

Love and Blessings!
~Angela

COMING UP FOR AIR!

February 3rd, the ground hog was blessed with his shadow and JANO 2014 is behind me. That about sums up the past two weeks.

I did not finish the rough for Heart on the Line. The story just did not want to come out. I didn't have writer's block by any means. Words were flowing fine on everything else but my characters, Kassie and Bo, were determined to hide on the tour bus and not deal with their feelings. On January 30th, they decided to step out of the shadows and begin their journey to man and wife - thanks to a nudge from deceased Granny Pearl. I wrote over 4,000 words in the last two days of JANO, turning in a total word count of 25,038. Half way is good.

Our JANO after-party is scheduled for this Saturday and snow is in the forecast so as of right now, I'll be missing the celebration (4-hr round trip in snow does not sound fun!) But that's okay. Hubby is only home one more week. Once he is back on the road I can work round the clock again to get more accomplished in a day (and half a night).

For now... I just want to get business done during the day and spend time with him in the evening.

Happy Writing!
Angela!