#Writingtips: Writing the Dreaded Synopsis

All publishers want a synopsis of the book before they consider reading your work. If you’re anything like me, the mere mention of the word causes heart palpitations and cold sweats. I hate writing them and well...I just hate writing them.

What is a synopsis?

If you don’t know, don’t fret. Everyone has to learn everything sometime. If you’ve finished your book already, you would have encountered this by now. In layman’s terms a synopsis is a summary of the major plot points in your story that introduces the characters, shows the character development, highlights the conflict and reveals how the conflict is resolved.  

How to go about writing a synopsis

This month Randy Ingermanson gave some tips on how to approach this nightmare called synopsis. For those who do not follow him yet, you could follow worse people during your writing career. He doesn’t do the SPAM thing, but once a month, you get a newsletter filled with valuable tips and tricks of the trade. Now I’m not saying his way is the best way or the only way to approach writing of a synopsis, but it sure is one way to consider when you’re faced with the daunting task of putting the synopsis together.

Here’s the relevant part of the newsletter taken verbatim:

3) Craft: How to Write a Synopsis

One of the most common questions novelists ask is “How do you write a synopsis?”

First, let’s define what a synopsis is, because it’s sometimes called an “outline” which is a confusing term. Many of us learned how to make an “outline” in third grade, using Roman numerals and capital letters to break down a nonfiction piece into smaller and smaller chunks. That’s not what a synopsis is for a novel. No Roman letters will be killed to produce your synopsis.

A synopsis is a short summary of your story, told in narrative form using complete sentences. Usually it’s done in third person, present tense. Most editors and agents want to see a synopsis, and the typical length they want is two pages, single-spaced. Always ask them what length they’re looking for, and give them that length. 

Two pages is typical, so I’ll assume that’s the target for this article. Two pages single-spaced works out to about 1000 words. 

There are two common ways to write that 1000 words:
1. Expanding your one-paragraph summary 
2. Summarizing your scene list 

Let’s look at each of these in a bit more detail.

Expanding Your One-Paragraph Summary

Use this method if you haven’t written your novel yet. 

Start by writing a one-sentence summary and a one-paragraph summary (as described in the Craft column of the last two issues of this e-zine). Then expand each sentence of the one-paragraph summary out to three short paragraphs.

The one-paragraph summary contains five sentences:
1. An introductory sentence that summarizes the setting and one or two of the lead characters. 
2. A sentence summarizing Act 1 of the book, which ends in some sort of disaster and a call to action for the lead character. 
3. A sentence summarizing the first half of Act 2, in which the lead character tries to solve his main problem the wrong way, and fails badly. 
4. A sentence summarizing the second half of Act 2, in which the lead character tries to solve his main problem the right way, and fails spectacularly. 
5. A sentence summarizing Act 3, in which the lead character goes right up to the edge of Ultimate Disaster and either succeeds or fails. 

I’d recommend expanding out that first sentence into about three short paragraphs. One might summarize the setting. The other two might each introduce one character.

Then each of the other sentences need to be expanded out into three short paragraphs apiece, explaining the three main story developments in each quarter of the book. 

That gives you a total of fifteen short paragraphs, which will fit nicely into two pages. You may go a little under if your novel is short. You may go a bit over if your novel is long. Don’t settle for half a page. Don’t go overboard with four pages.

Don’t overthink this process. Give yourself an hour. Drill out fifteen paragraphs. Read it over a couple of times. Stop.

You can come back in a day or two and polish. Done.

Summarizing Your Scene List

Use this method if your novel is already written. (If you’re trying to find an agent or sell your novel to an editor, they’re going to want a synopsis even if your novel is completely written. That sounds grossly unfair, and maybe it is, but it’s reality. It’s not because they hate you. It’s because it makes their job easier. You need them more than they need you, so grit your teeth and do it.)

A typical novel might have 50 to 120 scenes. On average, let’s say it’s 100 scenes. Your synopsis is supposed to be about 1000 words. 
That works out to roughly 10 words per scene. That’s not enough to explain a scene in any detail. Therefore, you can’t summarize every single scene of the novel in detail. 
So what do you do?
That’s easy. 

Create a list of all the scenes in your novel. You can do this on 3x5 cards or in Scrivener or in a spreadsheet or in my Snowflake Pro software or however you want to do it. The list should have one sentence per scene, no more.

Group the scenes into clusters of two to seven scenes. You’ll probably have ten to twenty clusters of scenes.

Now write a short paragraph that summarizes each cluster of scenes. If you have fifteen clusters, that’ll work out to fifteen paragraphs, which is right around two pages. 

Again, don’t overthink this. You’ll need two or three hours to create your scene list, by zipping through the story and summarizing each scene into a single sentence. Or you may have already done this before you wrote your novel.

Once your scene list is in place, give yourself an hour to drill out the summary paragraph for each cluster of scenes. Read the whole thing over to make sure the story logic flows. Stop. Come back to it tomorrow and polish it up. That’s it.

Don’t Paralyze Yourself With Doubts

I’ve seen writers get stuck on the synopsis for months. 
Don’t do that. A synopsis is not a big deal. It’s two pages. 1000 words. You could probably type it easily in twenty or thirty minutes. 

Give yourself permission to write a bad first draft. Get it down on paper. Polish it later. 

The brutal fact is that most editors and agents hate reading synopses. They’ll insist on having one, but they’ll just skim it. They want to see that your story has conflict and structure. So make sure your synopsis highlights the conflict and the structure. Conflict is about wanting things and not getting them. Structure is about disasters and decisions. Focus on those things in your synopsis.

Once the editor or agent convinces herself that you’ve got good conflict and your story has the usual three-act structure, she’ll move on to the good stuff—your actual writing. If you’re going to have angst, spend your angst where it’ll be most productive—on your sample chapters. 

But don’t angst on your synopsis. Get it written. Then get it right. Then move on.

This article is reprinted by permission of the author.

Award-winning novelist Randy Ingermanson, "the Snowflake Guy," publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with more than 14,000 readers. If you want to learn the craft and marketing of fiction, AND make your writing more valuable to editors, AND have FUN doing it, visit www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

Writing Great Book Descriptions by Libbie Hawker

Writing tips on how to write a good product/book description or blurb.

I came across these videos explaining how to write good product/book descriptions to increase your chance of garnering more sales. Now some of the information is not new, but she gives valuable advise on how to go about the process in a two-video series.

Every writer knows that writing the book is only the first part of a difficult journey to get people to read your book. When published on Amazon or elsewhere on the internet, an author has mere seconds to convince a reader that the book he/she is looking at, is the one to buy. Libbie offers some sound advise on how to write the book description or blurb to better your chances of soliciting a sale.

Be sure to visit her page at LibbieHawker.com for more on her and her books. These videos are quite lengthy, but they sure are worth watching.

Video 1 of Write an Awesome Blurb or Query

Video 2 of Write an Awesome Blurb or Query

So what do you think? Were these videos helpful?

Does Fear Prevent You From Saying I #Amwriting?

How many times have you thought of a brilliant idea that would change your world for the better? How many times have you acted on that thought to make it reality? What held you back?

If you’re anything like me, the fear of failure tied your hands behind your back and muted your voice. What if nobody liked the idea? What if they liked the idea, you invested time and money into it and it didn’t work? What if people laughed at your idea? What if ...what if...

FEAR. 

Fear is the greatest inhibitor of progress known to mankind. Don’t confuse fear with recklessness. I’m not talking about jumping into a project without regard to the possible consequences or taking risks when the likelihood of success has been proven to be dismal. No, the fear I’m referring to is the one that paralyzes us when we’ve thought of all the possible scenario’s, weighed the risks and rewards, considered all the consequences and found the probable outcome to be favorable, but still we are afraid to take the final leap. 

In creative writing this fear of failure steals our ability to create when faced with a blank page on the computer screen. (I assume few people still use the pen and paper method of creating novels.) Staring at the screen for hours or writing the opening sentence over and over and over because it just isn’t good enough, proves that fear can be debilitating. 

Writers are fickle beings and need constant reassuring that they are indeed good enough at what they do to provide someone out there in the great big world with a couple of hours of entertainment. Few people write fiction to make a living – most of the writers write because that’s who they are – regardless if they make a living doing so or not. When the recognition of their hours of labor is dismal, their self-esteem takes a nosedive and fear takes over, creating a vicious cycle of inability to create. 

Some writers overcome fear of failure by using the free-writing method. One word triggers a ten minute session of writing without worrying if it could be published or not. Usually that’s all that’s needed to get the creative juices flowing in spite of the fear of failure. 

Other writers use the habit-method to combat fear. They write on their novel every day at the same time for the same duration regardless if they know what to say or how the novel has to progress. These writers claim to have less problems with debilitating fear causing writer’s Block as their minds are used to producing content at a certain time every day. 

Another method I’d read about is that some writers write complete rubbish for five minutes. They disregard spelling, words doesn’t have to make sense – it doesn’t have to be legible at all. They use the switch of context to give the brain a break from thinking it’s not good enough to progress on the novel they’re working on. Some proclaim that this method works miracles for curing writer’s block.

There are so many methods advocated to overcome writer’s block – which in my opinion is just another way of saying you fear failing at what you write, that somewhere in the maize of advise, one should be able to find a way to proceed that works for you. 

Have you found a method that worked for you?

Self-Publishing Platforms: Amazon, Smashwords, Etc.

After doing this a couple of years, I can safely say that I can now give a more accurate account of which platform worked best for me. I published books on both platforms, varied pricing and done some marketing. Here is what I've found after five years:

I have four Afrikaans novels and one English novel self-published at both Amazon and Smashwords. The English novel is an erotic novel and thus the demand is slightly different than those of contemporary novels. Afrikaans novels is a niche market with limited readership and the experience I had with publishing those novels might be different if they were published in English.

How Easy is it to Self-Publish E-books on the Platform?

As for ease of publishing, Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing is the best. Their interface is straight forward with no real hassles. You need your manuscript in Word, properly formatted so that it displays well and a striking image for the cover. They make adding the rest of the writing to the image childsplay. (Although these days children tend to grasp these concepts much easier than their parents do)

Smashwords takes a little practice and if you want to go that route, I would suggest you read the Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker before you start writing your book.

This guide feels like it's written in Greek (for an English speaking person) the first time you read it, but after you've gone through it and applied the tips, you'll find that even publishing at other platforms is easier because the manuscript is cleaner and devoid of any strange code. You'll get a lot less gibberish when the book converts. If you implement the changes while writing the book, your publishing experience will be so much more fun.

Where to Distribute your Book?

Kindle Direct Publishing publishes, well...on Amazon. Their books are sold in the Amazon online stores of which there are thirteen in different countries. Amazon is however the popular choice for obtaining e-books as their checkout procedure is so easy, their delivery system almost instantaneous and their customer service usually on the ball.  

Smashwords distributes to various other online retailers including Kobo, Apple, Barnes and Noble and various libraries. Your books are for sale on the Smashwords.com site as well, but I found that most of my sales originated from the expanded distribution channels. 

Both platforms introduce your book to a vast audience, so it is wise to consider both options. 

Then there is KDP - Select. This means that you will publish your e-book exclusively on Kindle for a period of 90 days. During this time you have to ensure that the digital version of your book is not available elsewhere on the internet. I would suggest that if you want to go this route you do so when first publishing the book. Only publish on KDP and be safe in the knowledge that there couldn't be another version floating around. You may  not even sell from your own website for this period. 

I found the benefit of KDP Select negligent with the Afrikaans titles, but it definitely worked with the English title. You get to do Kindle Countdown Deals where you can run promotional prices, you can run Kindle Free Book promotions, your book gets included in the Kindle Prime program where you earn for pages read. Would I recommend this for the initial 90 days? Hell yes! You need eyeballs on your book and what better way to get people to read your book for free and gather some reviews. Would I permanently ignore the other platforms in favor of KDP Select - No!

Where Do You Earn the Most from your Self-Published E-Book?

That depends entirely on what type of book you have, how good you are at marketing and how tenacious you are. To me, both platforms performed reasonably well, but the majority of the sales originated from Amazon's Kindle store. It is very important that you publish new material regularly as this is what keeps the sales turning over. Once a book loses momentum it is difficult to get the sales graph moving upwards again.

Although I didn't depart any earth-shattering information in this post, I hope you enjoyed reading more about self-publishing. I am by no means an expert, so if you are in any doubt, please consult an expert on the matter. 

Until next time — happy writing.

Book Review: A Lifetime for Revenge by Natalie G Owens

A Lifetime for Revenge (The Valthreans: Book 2) by Natalie G Owens

Keeping it simple doesn't always work out so well…

After exacting his longed-for revenge, Massimiliano “Max” Damiani’s life is about to get more complicated when he is sent by the Valthrean Council to investigate the mysterious death of one of their Councilmen. Duty-bound to protect the victim's daughter and her young brother, the stakes are upped as Max and those around him become targets of a dangerous enemy. The Cult is closing in, threatening the future of their kind.

Fate is a cruel mistress…

Piper Ingram’s existence is thrust into turbulent waters. Her father has been murdered in cold blood and she is now sole guardian to her little brother, Charlie. After years of helping others come to terms with their problems and move on to better lives in a domestic violence shelter, she now needs help protecting herself and her kin.

Salvation comes when we face our deepest fears…

Max values his independence above anything. Meanwhile, this case brings him more trouble than he's bargained for, pushing his limits, and testing his fear of commitment. While striving to keep his personal demons at bay and holding on to his set ways, he fights his attraction to Piper, but he fast learns some things are not within his control. Will he save those entrusted in his care this time? And most importantly, will he finally find redemption ... and love? 

REVIEW:

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

Max Damiani is a strong man with a checkered past and proud of it. He avenged his sister’s death the only way he knew how and although he is not proud of the methods he had to employ, he suffers no remorse for executing the deed. Used to being the problem solver everyone calls upon, he suddenly finds himself in the precarious position of having to protect a woman and her young brother. This is his worst nightmare come true as the boy reminds him too much of his sister and the woman pushes all the wrong—or is it the right?— buttons. 

Piper Ingram is used to protect other people at the shelter she runs. Now she has to submit to being protected by a man who made it clear that he would rather be anywhere else, doing anything else, rather than being charged with the responsibility to protect her and her brother. To top it off the only safe place seems to be Max’s house. 

So the stage is set for a tale of modern romance laced with enough suspense to keep your eyes glued to the pages. Several undercurrents of evil run simultaneously only to converge under the expert hands of the author. Unlike the first book in the series (An Eternity of Roses) this book takes place in the present time only. 

This story illustrates how love can overcome sadness and hatred and how it can provide courage when you thought you had none. Once again this is not a quick read and readers should expect to spend some time enjoying the characters Ms. Owens so expertly created. 

It is a book filled with razor-sharp imagery and on-the-button descriptions of inner conflict. Most of all it is a book that will leave the reader with sense of satisfaction when the last sentence is read. 

Definitely a book I would recommend for readers of paranormal romantic suspense.    

You can buy the book here:

Amazon US

Smashwords

or at any online retailer.

Book Review: The Love Commission by Vicki Ballante

Gelsey is a savannah sprite—a fairy in Africa who works to preserve the earth. She’s a pro at eco-balance, but when the fairy queen gives her a commission to become a human to learn the meaning of love, she’s miserable. She has to give it her best as it’s the only way to get her dream job—to save the African Wild Cat. 

After a short time in her new life, Gelsey is swept into the world of Evan’s love. Now, she must make an impossible choice—give up her life with the man who owns her heart or lose her fairyhood forever.


MY REVIEW: 4 stars

People with good hearts have sex without procreating, far too many marriages end with bitter divorces and loads of couples refuse to marry, but elect to simply live together. These are all signs of humanity being ill and to top it all, the earth is suffering under pollution, deforestation and the people willing and able to do something about it, are getting fewer by the generation. Yes, humanity needs saving from itself and only magic will do the trick—according to the Fairy Queen.

So she send Gelsey, a savanna sprite, to the human world to find out why this is happening—why humans have sex without procreating. And thus a tale begins where the meaning of true love is placed under a microscope and stripped of its purported magic.  

Ms. Ballante takes us on a journey of self-discovery where good intentions causes the main characters to make bad decisions—something I’m sure everyone can relate to. Dealing with the consequences of these decisions is what makes these characters note-worthy. There were a few instances where I could happily throttle Gelsey for being so fickle, but the motivation for her decisions was good enough. Although this is a fantasy novel the characters appeared real, their emotions justified and the plot conceivable. 

The best part of this story was the journey the naive Gelsey had to make from innocent in love to the realizing the meaning of true love. The fact that she had to loose so much to gain this insight is what lent this story the depth it needed. 


This is a well-written book where the author kept the bedroom-door open with love scenes hot enough to make you squirm, but with enough emotional twists and turns to keep your eyes glued to the pages until you read the last word.  Definitely an erotic paranormal romance I would recommend. 

Buy The Love Commission at Amazon, Smashwords and any other good online retailers. 

Book Review: An Eternity of Roses by Natalie G Owens

An Eternity of Roses (The Valthreans: Book 1) by Natalie G Owens

Two lovers separated by an evil curse...

It is 1807. Adrian Segrave, Viscount Bournemouthe, and Lady Emmaline Deramore are about to wed and British Society teems with excitement at this imminent love match. But Madeleine de Brandeville, a mysterious Frenchwoman, has her lustful and ambitious sights on the groom. When she sets her cruel plan in motion, she leaves devastation in her path.

A quest through time...

Heartbroken, Emmaline embarks on an adventure she'd never imagined having. As the world changes and chaos brews, her fate becomes linked with the Valthreans, a group of immortals who must learn to face a deadly enemy that threatens their place in the human world. But all the while, there is one thing she wants more than any other -- to get back her man.

When she finally finds her prize, her worst nightmares are far from over and the toughest battle is yet to begin.

Is this love meant to be, after all?

REVIEW:

Please bear in mind that is my opinion of the book. Every person experience a book differently and what might be a great book to me, might be absolutely horrible to you. 

So without further ado here is my thoughts on the book:

4 out of 5 Stars

“This particular day, God had painted a lackluster sky and overpopulated it with moisture-filled gray clouds.” By Natalie Owens from An Eternity of Roses (The Valthreans Book 1)

Filled with gems like this one, Natalie Owens provides the reader with a journey into the wonder- world of painting with words in her paranormal romance An Eternity of Roses. Spanning several centuries, the story is about love—the power thereof and the perseverance of those lucky souls who’d found true love and wanted to reclaim it. It shows that love is indestructible, neither time nor evil could obliterate it. This is a powerful story written with excellent word usage to draw the reader right into the world of Emmaline and Adrian.

Every story has to have a villain and An Eternity of Roses is no different. Without providing a spoiler, I have to mention that Madeleine de Brandeville was portrayed as a well-balanced antagonist with enough character traits for the reader to understand her motivations. At times I pitied the woman for her brazen refusal to accept that love can never be forced.

This is not a quick read and readers should prepare themselves to spend some time with the characters Ms. Owens so skillfully created. The language is prosaic and the imagery is superb. The plot was well planned and executed and the ending left the reader with a sigh of satisfaction which in my opinion is a sign of a good book. 

Overall this is a book I would recommend to all lovers of paranormal romance.     

****

You can buy the book here:

Smashwords

Amazon US 

and at other reliable online retailers

Great Article on Harlequin Romances

I seldom just repeat other people's posts or refer my readers to them, but today I found an article that is well worth mentioning. Kelly Faircloth wrote an article on ​How Harlequin Became the Most Famous Name in Romance that every reader of romance should read. (Please read it and take the time to let me know if you also found it highly informative.) 

This article is well-researched and offers loads of information—and inspiration—to readers and writers of romance alike. What I like most about Kelly's approach is that the article is balanced with informed opinions.

She starts the article with: "For the average person, romance novels bring to mind one word: Harlequin." This is true whether you read romance or not. For most romance writers their biggest aspiration is to be able to one day state: "I write for Harlequin." So to read where it all began was a wonderful experience for me.

This really is one article you should make time to read.

Author Interview: Inge Saunders

Today we welcome another South African author, Inge Saunders to our blog to answer some of the author questions. Inge's debut novel was released on 23 December 2014 and I trust there are many more being released soon. 

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose this genre?

I love writing romance, specifically in the sub-categories contemporary and what some would call chicklit since some of my stories aren’t quite your straightforward Harlequin types. They are fresh, humorous, elements of ‘the real’ (my phrase for issues characters haveJ) but always has froth and a lightness to it that doesn`t make the story feel stifled. My first ‘grown up’ novel, Falling for Mr. Unexpected, has a nice blend of these elements and helped me to explore what I`d like to ‘see’ in my future contemporary romance novels.   

I also write YA, stories that range from high fantasy to paranormal/supernatural romances and even science fiction. It`s funny how I always have this image in my head of being a movie director, having to understand the motivation and challenges for every character, even the minor ones.

The earliest advice I was given (at age fourteen) when I started writing, was to write stories I`d be interested in. And that`s the reason I write in these genres.

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you get from idea to outline?

Like I mentioned above, I write what interests me. I think the moment you start to try to emulate what`s out there and what people say sells, than it`s going to be hard to stay true to your voice. Of course it does help when current fads in books inspires you, but I`d say first write what interests you. They`re unique to you, which already will make your story stand out from the rest.

I get my ideas from books, TV, life, people, art, and music…basically everything.  Falling for Mr. Unexpected was largely influenced by Pop Culture and Celebrity Culture. I was watching ENews (yeah I know *laughs*) and another sex scandal was being reported on. The ‘news’ report became one of the external conflicts in the book.

My process for outlining ideas vary, when I entered sytycw2012 it wasn`t preplanned, in fact it was the first time I`d heard of the competition. So I was basically writing by the seat of my pants *lol* However in 2011, I had started writing a YA series with very detailed mind-maps. I used them as a means to keep track of characters and sub-plots since I was writing across categories: supernatural and science fiction.

I`m more prone to ‘pen’ down an outline/brief synopsis of where I want to go. I would go so far as to note down little writing cues or quirks the character would have. Some might not make it into the story, but it makes my characters more three dimensional. I`m not big on outlining the story from start to finish, the mystery would be lost for me. I`d become bored. So you wouldn`t find me with a storyboard outlining each tiny aspect but more broad concepts especially focused on character development/conflict/the stakes.  Usually when a story get`s to this stage it also means I`ve written 1-3 chapters on it, which is another crazy thing I do.

I love to jot down ideas then scenes to see how much I like the story or characters. I would usually move on from there. A recent YA story idea I got from a quote I saw on Twitter. I typed out the quote and left it to spook me for more than a week, then I sat down and wrote 2 Chapters. I have a big picture of where I want to go but will only outline it when the idea has marinated some more.

A current contemporary romance I`m working on however didn`t get the same treatment, I`ve written a brief synopsis, and pondered some questions in regards to the characters: what`s their overall story goal besides romance? What must they learn about love? What are the stakes besides heart break? How to make their major conflict internal? And then one of my favorite things to do, write down ‘20 things your reader will never know about your character’. The last tip has a way of seeping into your story without you even realizing, which makes it much richer.  

If you have to choose only one element (setting/character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you've written, what would it be? Why?

Conflict. Without this element I have no interest in writing a story. I wrote my fist story at age fourteen, and proceeded to, on and off, write stories through high school. Then for a couple of years at varsity I was more focused on academia and hanging out with friends, that writing consisted mostly of poetry. At age twenty-two I started writing again, both times when the novel writing bug bit it wasn`t only about the love interest of the characters (interesting as that were) but the personal obstacles they had to overcome that kept me going. Every story I`ve abandoned since can be attributed to conflict. There either weren’t enough or the right kind. So at this point in my writing journey, I focus a lot of conflict, I`ve even gone back to ‘study’ the classics like Jane Eyre just to get a feel for it. 

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

This wasn`t something I did when I first started out. I would just delve head first into a story and drown myself in it, discover my characters as they discovered themselves *laughs* What this translated into afterward was a lot of editing and polishing and asking ‘what the hell?’

I now slow cook characters in my head and on paper. I even employ Pinterest and think of celebrity lookalikes for them. I ponder their role in the family structure, e.g. what kind of child were they like? Especially if it`s important for my story. What are their insecurities? Pet Peeves? Favorite ice-cream? It sounds like work, but then again we all know writing isn`t as easy as people think *wink*

And yes, I am that weird author who has conversations with my characters in my head; it makes them human to me. They become people and sometimes take over the story without my knowledge as I type late into the night J I do all of this because I know I`ll end up with well developed characters as opposed to one dimensional ones. Even villains and bad boys have layers. Explore that thoroughly before committing them to paper, all of it might not end up in the story, but it does add something to your writing. 

What is your writing process like? Do you finish the first draft and then start editing or do you edit while you write? Is there any specific reason why you do it like that?

Since I`ve worked with a professional editor, I`m not as ‘free’ to just sit down and write and overused-words-be-damned- I`m going to let my muse run wild. Nope. But I`m also not religious about editing a first draft.

I think there`s a fine line. There`s a point you have to shut out your inner critic and just write the story. It`s called a first draft for a reason. And I also have to add, something wonderful happens when you shut out all the voices, close the mental door to rigid lines and just go for it.  A diamond in the rough is still a diamond, so don`t sweat the rough so much.

So I`m more conscious of how I write but not to the extent where it cripples creativity, I believe you should write first, edit second. Because either way, you`re still going to have to edit that first draft.

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Develop thick skin early on and be teachable *laughs*

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

Falling for Mr. Unexpected

Can Emma fall for Mr. Unexpected when she doesn’t believe in Mr. Right or even Mr. Right Now…?

Primary school teacher Emma Cupido compares the notion of “The One,” with believing in the Tooth Fairy. When the school holidays starts, she heads for her brother-in-law`s beach house in Strand, South Africa and stumbles on more than she bargained for.

Hollywood heartthrob, Damian Davidson flees LA thinking his beach house in SA would be a safe hideout from his sex scandal. He’s had his fill of manipulative women and when he mistakes Emma for a crazy fan, all hell breaks loose.

Emma and Damian get off to a rocky start but first impressions can be deceiving. Is there more to Damian than the superficial taint of Hollywood? And what happens when she agrees to a trip to LA? Will Emma become a believer in “The One” or just another Hollywood scandal?

Excerpt:

She didn’t put her clothes back on, only lumped them together, shoes and all, and hurried back into the house via the still-open patio. Emma released a loud, earsplitting scream.

Before her stood a half-naked man, dressed only in a white towel.

As this knowledge registered, so did the fact she wore little else but her underwear. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and she still hadn’t stopped screaming.

“Would you stop that!” the half-naked stranger yelled in a deep baritone, causing her to clip her mouth shut.

“Who are you? What are you doing here? I’m calling the police!”

He didn’t flinch; instead, he turned his back on her and walked to the small side table next to a big white-and-blue sofa.

Before his huge frame obscured her vision, she made out a black cordless phone. Her chest heaved while she mutely watched him pick up the phone.

This must be an aberration brought on by the effects of frolicking in the ocean; there was no way she was having a confrontation with a half-naked man, in her sister’s house, on the first day of her stress-free beach holiday.

Her brain hiccupped at her illogical conclusion. Nope, what’s happening is, in fact, real.

“I’m sick and tired of this,” he said into the phone and gave her a glare over his shoulder. “If it’s not underwear in the mail, naked photos on my windshield, it’s an intruder running around naked in my home.” His fiery eyes burned holes into her.

“What?” she blurted. She clutched her dry clothes in front of herself. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

 *Falling for Mr. Unexpected published in 23 December 2014 and now available directly from

Decadent Publishing:

Amazon:

Kobo:

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/falling-for-mr.-unexpected/id952498444?mt=11&uo=4

    

 Where can we find you on social media?

You can connect with me on my blog: Inge Saunders - Inside These Lines

On Facebook: http://ingesaunders.facebook.com

Twitter: http://ingeulrikesaunders.twitter.com

Pinterest: http://ingesauders.pinterest.com

Goodreads: http://ingesaunders.goodreads.com

About Inge Saunders

Inge Saunders form part of ROSA (Romance writers` Organization of South Africa), where she`s learned a lot from all the veterans there. She was ballsy enough to enter sytycw2012, write a 60k romance novel “Falling for Mr. Unexpected” in three weeks, that`s coming out with Decadent Publishing in 2014.

She writes romance/chick-lit for a mature audience, but has a passion for YA and the supernatural since Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Interview with a Vampire (books and movies). You can find her first YA series here: http://w.tt/1mJRb6X

Author Interview: Tanith Davenport

Today we welcome the talented and multi-published author Tanith Davenport to the blog. Tanith writes in the erotic romance genre and has several books published by Totally Bound Publishing.

What genre do you write in? Any specific reason why you chose the genre?

I write erotic romance. It was a genre I fell into - my debut novel dealt with the nature of sexuality and so involved multiple erotic scenes, and I discovered through this that I apparently write sex very well!

Where do you get the ideas for your books? How do you go from idea to outline?

I draw ideas from all sorts of places - I'm always having to email or text myself because an idea has come to me at an inconvenient time. These get written down and left until I'm ready to pick them up, which will probably be when I have several small ideas that will work well together so that I can form an outline from them.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? Why?

I'm mostly a plotter, although I'm always open to new ideas as I write.

If you are a plotter, how thoroughly do you outline the plot?

I like to know where I'm going, but I don't outline too tightly - I find the story will often develop as it goes so there always needs to be room for manoeuvre. The characters have a tendency to tell their own stories, I find, and often things which were briefly mentioned early on will turn out to have vital importance later.

If you have to choose only one element (setting/ character development/ structure/ conflict/ etc.) that is absolutely essential to every novel you’ve written, what would it be? Why?

I'm probably in the minority on this, but for me it would be setting. I like to set my novels in distinctive places every time, so they're memorable for the reader and more fun for me to write.

How much time do you spend on getting to know your characters before you start the first draft? Why?

I don't go into too much detail straight away - what is important to me is a strong sense of who a character is as a person, and that can often be sketched quite broadly. The little details often come out of the story. That said, when I wrote about fraternal twin sisters, I did spend more time on them so that I could establish their similarities and differences.

What is the single most important thing a writer must do before he/she starts writing the first draft? Why?

For me, it's having a plot - even if it's only general, or if it changes (as mine frequently do). If I don't have some idea of where I'm going, I'll wander around all over the landscape.

Do you only self-edit or hire a professional editor? Why?

I self-edit. In part this is because I know there will be more editing to come after acceptance, but also because I used to be an editor on a regional magazine myself so I have a certain degree of confidence in my editing skills. I leave the draft alone for a few days so I can view it objectively.

How many drafts do you write before submitting to publishers?

Generally two, although longer pieces have been known to have three drafts. I do a lot of fiddling as I write, so it's usually enough to write a first draft and then go over it one more time.

Do you submit to multiple publishers at the same time or stick to one?

Unless I'm submitting for a particular submissions call, everything I write goes to Totally Bound first. They were the first to accept me and so far have proven to be a great publisher, so they definitely have my loyalty.

If you have to give one sentence advice to a novice writer, what would it be?

Finish the book.

Could you please give us a list of your published books and a short blurb about each one? Please state the publisher and year published as well.

The Hand He Dealt - Totally Bound June 2011

Astra Scott likes to live life to the full. A sorority girl and Gaming Management student, she spends her days studying and practising guitar, and her nights partying or working at the Fountain Casino, where she has an internship as part of her final semester. The only blot on her landscape is Ash Drake, her best friend Sasha's boyfriend. Arrogant, physical and blond, Ash has never forgiven Astra for her rejection months earlier and enjoys annoying her at every turn.

But when Astra's boyfriend Harry reveals a shocking secret, Astra responds in the only way she can think of: by finding a way to take on a more attractive, masculine role in the relationship. Her experimentation with sex toys finds a surprising outlet in Sasha, but when Ash discovers their secret and wants to get involved, Astra finds herself torn between dislike and desire…and as their undercover relationship grows, Astra finds herself falling in love, a path she feels can only end in heartbreak. For Ash may be the only man whose own fantasies are a match for hers, but can she knowingly steal his affections from her best friend?

I Heard Your Voice - Totally Bound December 2012

Tamar Steele’s life was never supposed to be like this. A sensitive working with a team of paranormal investigators, she is trapped in a loveless relationship with the team’s medium, Reed James, who believes that having sex on haunted ground enhances paranormal activity. Tamar maintains their partnership for the sake of the crew, forcing herself to ignore the burgeoning sexual tension between her and fellow investigator Jason Bray.

Until one night when, alone and bored, Tamar sings to herself and is knocked to the ground by an invisible force. Somehow she is able to invoke spirits with the power of her voice. And one particular sexy, matchmaking spirit is determined to turn her life upside down.

Sleepwalker - Totally Bound November 2013

Tally Haslam has too much to deal with. A herbalist and aromatherapist, her latest creation - an aphrodisiac potion - remains in unsaleable condition as she has nobody to test it with. And, much to her annoyance, she sleepwalks.

Hoping to get away from it all for a weekend, Tally travels to nearby Madigan Hall for their yearly Paranormal Evening—but on the first night she wakes up outside the bedroom of another guest: Kyle Hunter, who has chosen to pleasure himself with the door open. Tally escapes without being seen, but is unable to get Kyle out of her head—especially when she finds herself at the same table at him the following evening.

However, Tally's world is turned upside down when, at the paranormal dinner, she encounters the ghost of the Blue Lady, who seems determined not to leave her alone—and shows a disturbing penchant, when Tally sleepwalks again, for leading her astray…

Ready for Him - Totally Bound September 2013

In the bar at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Jade Bleecker celebrates with her three best friends, all of whom are there to get married. Jade is their bridesmaid, and beginning to believe that three times a bridesmaid really does mean never a bride. Tattooed, pierced and a martial artist, Jade is used to inspiring fear rather than desire in men, and even if she did find one who could handle her—well, no man is worth trusting with her body.

But as she is leaving the bar, she comes upon a mugging in progress and, with a few swift moves, makes short work of the mugger. Invited up to the victim's room for a nightcap, she is stunned to discover he is Will Vandenmeer—billionaire poster child of the Vandenmeer hotel and casino chain, and owner of The Sanctuary, one of the best-known BDSM clubs in New York City.

Jade finds herself hopelessly attracted to the sensual, dominant Will, and when he offers to induct her into the world of BDSM, she accepts…but can she truly give herself to him, and is Will ready for what Jade has to offer?

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Totally Bound September 2013

Into the quiet village of Lindenhope comes Helen Graham, an attractive young widow and mother. Living alone with her son at Wildfell Hall, her seclusion attracts curiosity from the local people, in particular Gilbert Markham, whose interest in her is soon edged with desire-and Helen, despite herself, begins to reciprocate his love for her.

But when scandalous rumours begin to circulate about Helen's behaviour, Gilbert is filled with anger and jealousy. Helen attempts to clear her name by offering Gilbert her diary, which reveals the dark, passionate story of her former marriage to debauched rake Arthur Huntingdon, whose sexual and sensual desires fill her with excitement and pleasure but precipitate a gradual descent into hell.

Gilbert believes he could forgive her anything, but the lies continue to spread, threatening Helen's peace of mind and, above all, her physical safety. Will the secrets of Helen's past get in the way of their future?

Photograph - Totally Bound May 2014

Tara Thornton hasn't spoken to her sister in two years, ever since Azure married the man of Tara's dreams. Tired of the rift, Azure invites her to take a Mediterranean cruise on a friend's yacht and, bowing to family pressure, Tara accepts.

Forced to be in close proximity with the man she still desires, Tara is thrown into confusion. The presence of celebrity theme park owner Liam Wilder and the reality of his marriage to Azure send Tara into a tailspin and, in an attempt to regain control, she responds to the advances of hot fellow guest Ryan Hyde, while determined to feel no affection for him.

But Ryan has a way of getting under her skin, and Tara's plan to get closer to Liam is rapidly losing its importance as Ryan begins to break down her defences. Can she let go of Liam, let Ryan into her heart...and tell Azure the real reason for her silence?

Tamar Rising - Totally Bound December 2014

Tamar Steele’s star is on the rise. Her relationship with boyfriend Jason Bray is blossoming, as is her bond with her spirit guide, the ghost of Jason’s brother Matt, who has been training her in mediumship. And, newly installed as the medium for her crew of paranormal investigators, she is already receiving press attention, which brings her to the notice of Scare Seekers – a paranormal entertainment show keen to film an episode with Tamar’s team.

But when teammate Hana is violently possessed, filming is thrown into disarray. The dark spirit seems to disappear at first, but when a frenzied Hana attacks Tamar on the drive home, Tamar realises that her mediumistic abilities may not be strong enough to fight the demon.

Until one day Tamar discovers her powers are increased by having sex on haunted ground, and finds that maybe she and Jason can save Hana, their team’s reputation, and themselves…

About Tanith Davenport

Tanith Davenport began writing erotica at the age of 27 by way of the Romantic Novelists' Association New Writers' Scheme. Her debut novel "The Hand He Dealt" was released by Total-e-Bound in June 2011 and was shortlisted for the Joan Hessayon Award for 2012.

Tanith has had short stories published by Naughty Nights Press and House of Erotica. She loves to travel and dreams of one day taking a driving tour of the United States, preferably in a classic 1950s pink Cadillac Eldorado. Her latest novella "Tamar Rising" is out on pre-order from Totally Bound on 23rd November 2014.

Tanith's idea of heaven is an Indian head massage with a Mojito at her side.

Where can you find Tanith Davenport

Website - tanithdavenport.com

Facebook - www.facebook.com/TanithDavenport

Twitter - www.twitter.com/TanithDavenport

Thank you for being with us today, Tanith. I look forward to getting my hands on a copy of Tamar Rising soon.