When I wrote the title out, I started singing the Schoolhouse Rock song for “Nouns.” I loved Schoolhouse Rock, it helped me not only in school, but even as an adult, it helps me to remember things like what nouns are, what conjunctions do, the planets (Interplanet Janet!), and more. Who remembers how a bill becomes a law? Thanks to many of us in the US who grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock– we know and we specifically know that law was one dealing with school buses and railroad tracks.  But this topic today is about inspiration– what inspires us to write. 

When I was young, about four or five years old, I loved telling stories to my younger sister and to my cousins. I had learned the art of storytelling from my Grandpa Bob. (I do miss him, even now.) I learned to read by then as well and my family allowed me to read Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden (yes, I know my male’s redheaded– don’t even go there!), and I started reading fantasy stories. At age 8, I discovered that Mercedes Lackey was a woman author who wrote beautiful fantasy books that I adored. I wanted to write fiction and I wanted to be published. It was a dream that never went away. There were other dreams, of course, but that one dream was my special dream– it was a hidden dream I never shared with anyone– because I wanted something for me. Even when I had a short story called “The Easter Ruins” in a magazine out when I was young, it wasn’t enough– it wasn’t a book. But it helped. It propelled me on a path that one day I would find again.

But I was inspired by many authors- Terry Brooks (Shannara series– OMG, I love this series!), JRR Tolkien (I read it every year!), Rex Stout (I have this thing for Archie Goodwin, I admit it!), and more. These are some of the authors who inspired my love of fantasy and mysteries early in my life. Then when I was 11 years old, I stole a Harlequin novel from my mom’s nightstand. It was called “Magic of the Baobab Tree” by Yvonne Whittal. This book hit me like nothing I can express. It tapped into something that was hinted at in the fantasy novels I read, that even the mystery novels touched on– but hadn’t talked on– love. Romance hit my soul and I was entranced! Talk about inspiration– I knew I wanted to write romance, not just fantasy and mystery. Romance and romantic elements were important to the stories I read and enjoyed. The Dragonlance Chronicles– I love them, but what really took them to another level for me– the romance in them. It made them real and it gave them a depth that other novels up to then had been missing except in the Shannara series. It’s why I took to them so hard.

Until my divorce, I contented myself with reading and with doing many other activities that interested me and gave me outlets of creativity. In fact, I still do my jewelry making, my candle making and more. Yet, once my divorce was final, I realized something– I needed to write. I needed to achieve my dream- even if it was nothing more than to publish one book. So, I went online and began researching the hows and whys of writing well. I found many sites, many places to hang out and talk to other unpublished authors. One big place for me was eharlequin.com. I met many people there who are now authors I love and enjoy reading. More importantly, I made friends, even among the established authors, who are now inspirations for me- Maggie Nash, Dawn Montgomery, Lori Foster, Suzanne Rock, Julie Leto (who I’ve met in person and wow!), Katherine Garbera (also met and is fantastically creative!), Nancy Warren, Olivia Gates and more! Even now, my fellow authors inspire me like Selena Illyria, Cheyenne McCray (who was a big reason I started writing erotic romance!), Angela Knight, and many others. They push me to be what I am good at and push me to be the best writer I can.

When I was first published in 2003, I was in shock, and I think part of me was still adapting to the idea of not only being published, but the epublishing industry as a whole. I actually liked the idea of being in more than one format, being able to be read on a computer, the early ereader devices, and yet still have options toward print as well. In fact, the print publishing is still never far from my thoughts, but I have rethunk my place within them. To me, print is something I’ll do when the time is right and depending on the publisher– it’s an option we decide to do together for specific books doing well to reach wider audiences. It’s not that I don’t think print isn’t great- I do– but I’ve changed in how I see myself in the print market. Don’t get me wrong– I want to get into Harlequin one day– it’s my mom’s dream and mine– but even if it’s in their ebook program- I’ll be happy. But that’s part of the inspiration– I’m inspired in how many of the big publishing industry giants, forced to change tactics and to not follow ancient practices that have not given them good results are finally embracing better marketing that can benefit both them and hopefully for writers. Hopefully this will not only open up the market to more sales, but give more opportunities to books that might not be considered mainstream enough for the reading public.

Places that inspire me- I’ve traveled in my life. I’ve seen cities that evoke both fear and joy like New York, Chicago, Boston, Orlando, Atlanta. But I’ve also seen towns like Savannah, Charleston, Longboat Key, Denver, Golden, San Francisco, Seattle. The inspiration of their memories are such that I bring with me the flavors of food, people and deep need to showcase that inspiration in my stories in some way. Whether it’s to base the story in that city or to incorporate what I love best of that city in a story– those places live in my heart. The time I was in Cancun has been a sacred time that I only share with close friends, but once I do, they see why the story I want to include of that time has to be just so. They understand why the second book of the Marauders includes part of the trip I took to Chichen Itza. It was that important to me, that much of an inspiration.

Things can inspire- I have some jewelry that was my mom’s and my grandma’s. They’re pieces I remember as a kid seeing. But they are more than that. They’re pieces that evoke strong thoughts and feelings. There’s this one piece that for years was in every fanfic story I wrote set in the Star Wars universe. I kid you not! I look at it now and I just grin at it. In fact, I made sure I picked that piece when my sisters and I divided my mom’s jewelry between us. That piece still inspires me because now I see it in other ways I hadn’t before. There’s another piece that’s similar but different that will make it into a steampunk story idea. So, I”m tickled because I love my jewelry. It’s my girly girl side. Otherwise, everyone who knows me knows I’m techno-geek. Can’t help it. Another thing that inspires me is a beautiful necklace my male bought me– it’s an opal and the design is unique and clean. It’s a design I’d have chosen for myself, but at the same time, would have waited on, because I don’t like to spend money a lot– unless it’s saved up ahead of time. It’s one reason I learned how to bead jewelry. I have this Buddha incense burner that inspires me daily. It reminds me to smile and that every day is worthy of smiling. You never know what each day brings, but you can’t be negative or you bring that negativity to you without trying. It also relates to my writing– by smiling and thinking positive, by focusing on what I want to bring to the story, I can make it work for me. It’s important.

Readers are an inspiration too. Their letters and the chats have often helped me to think clearer when it comes to my stories. Sometimes, they help bring stories to a better place just by mentioning something which sets off a secondary thought process in my plotting. Suddenly the story takes a deeper more meaningful turn, something I wanted for the readers in the first place. I write to please myself and to please those who read me. I bring to life characters who won’t shut up in my head. (Yes, this makes me sound crazy, I know!) But at the same time, the inspiration around me helps me to know how to bring the stories to life in the best way possible. And that’s what is important.

I sit here after a week of hell. You might think I suffered at the day job or that writing kicked my ass. You’d be wrong. I got waylaid by my allergies which then hit a virus and laid me flat out. I normally take very good care to not allow myself too much exposure because I have an auto-immune disease that compromises my health if I’m not careful. But the weather had been good and honestly, the allergies had moderated after a terrible time earlier in the month. Yet, it was this suffering that made me think hard on what damage a writer does to herself. It also came up in the online writers group I’m on. There were some good points made.

First and foremost, your health is your own. You have to own it like you own your writing. Regular checkups are a must- even if you don’t have health insurance. Low cost clinics and free health clinics are out there. Find one and get a good baseline checkup. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself. Why? Because if you get an idea of where you are, especially if you’re feeling good and doing well, then you’ve set yourself  what is known as a maintainable baseline. Then you can see where you fall each day from that baseline– better or worse. What does this mean? You wake up, your head is stuffy, you are running a low grade temp, your body is achy– today is not a good day. It’s a day to cut back on what you’re doing, take care of yourself and work on getting yourself healthy. It means putting yourself first. Something we writers are not known for doing. We need to learn to do this first and foremost if we’re going to be worthwhile in our writing.

Second, scheduling time out for everything. I hate schedules. Not because I can’t use them– I do, but because whenever I make the effort to “follow the schedule,” everything in the universe conspires against me! I learned something important though when I found out I had lupus though– it’s called flexible scheduling. It’s saying– “I can manage to do 5 things every day. Let me make a list of the top 20 things to be done this week. Then I can choose five things every day to be done.” Then you learn to stick with that, dropping one thing from the list if one thing takes longer than you planned, etc. Because yes, things can take longer than we thought.  But the idea is– figure out what number of things you can easily do and still have time for your writing and family. If you must dedicate one hour a night to the bedtime routine for the kids, then that’s one item on your list that’s mandatory and doesn’t come off the list. But you then can pick a couple of smaller items- like doing load of laundry, cleaning up the living room, cooking an extra meal or two for a couple of nights ahead. The idea is when you have a small, controllable list of things to do– you feel accomplished and you don’t overdo things. When you don’t overdo things, you don’t put stress on your body which can make you sick. That idea of balance is something I had to learn when I was diagnosed.

Third, and I think this is what I forgot- make sure you know what your triggers are. Be pro active when it comes to your health. If you know you’re allergic to various trees, grasses, flowers, etc– then sign up to Pollen.com and get daily alerts. Make sure you take medication to treat your problems if it’s necessary. Get physical on a regular basis. This means getting up and walking, exercising and doing some activity– like dancing while cleaning the house. (Yes, I do this, yes it’s funny to watch and no you’re not invited!) But by making sure to incorporate physical activity as part of your pro active stance, you’ll discover that it takes more to get you sick than before. That also means eating healthier. The older you get, the more you need to eat healthy. As much as I hate to say it, I have to eat healthier because my body does not cooperate as well as it did when I was younger. So, it’s important to make sure I treat it well to keep it looking younger longer.

Writers can abuse their health without trying. Yet, with a few simple steps, you can change that up and be healthy as you write more, do more and find happiness every day.

I’m working with my friends on my writing. We’re doing War Words– in 20 minute increments. One of us is the Time Keeper. We do a countdown and for 20 minutes, we write. The goal is to write and flow. After the time is up, we yap for about five minutes, post what we’ve written and then write again. The idea here is to build up your writing consistency skills. (Remember that lovely post from the other day?) Part of that is writing and lengthening the time until you find a length you’re comfortable with and can do without feeling tired and resentful. For me, the ultimate length is about 6-7k. That’s not bad. It’s a push, but I can do it with the help of my comrades in arms. Right now, we’re pushing each other to finish our books that are due soon. Wish me luck. The goal is to get this story done so I can submit it by May 15th. *whimpers and makes prayer noises*

There’s something else that’s working on me. An editor that’s been close to my heart at Loose Id is having medical problems, which in turn is hard because getting her medicine is costing an arm and a leg lately. There’s a special fundraiser going on for her right now. You can find out more at For Raven. I’m joining in and offering some of my backlist and one of my upcoming ebooks in the giveaway. Why? Because Raven was my copy editor when I first joined Loose Id. She taught me so much about grammar and writing. Things that stick to this day so that I just don’t write that way anymore. It’s the least I can do to help a woman who helped me to achieve my dreams.

While on a writing rampage (did you like that Se?), it came up about bath salts. I make them for gifts for family and friends. I make a couple of different kinds. Yet, I have a couple of base recipes I use. So, Se asked me to share the base recipe of one of them with everyone. So I hope you enjoy this. 

Cyn’s Homemade Bath Salts 

2 cups of salt (epsom, Dead Sea Salt, sea salt) 

5-6 drops of chosen essential oil

1 tsp glycerin (opt)- but it does soften the skin

Mix the ingredients together well and put into a glass jar with a cover. I use a handful in the bath whenever I take a bath. It’s nice and easy to make. If you use commercial grade coloring, you can color the salts, which adds to the impact of the gift. You can also use fresh herbs as well. The other thing, I’ve done is buy the empty tea bags and put the finished bath salts in the tea bags then put a package of bath salts together. Wrap them up with a ribbon and it makes a ready made gift for anyone to use without trying to figure out portion sizes.

Recently, I had a major epiphany which has impacted my writing production and quality. To many people, it’ll be a “duh” moment, while to others it might just be useful. When my mom died, it was the start of a major decent for me. I had been heading for a breakdown, but her passing hastened it. Something in me broke. It wasn’t something I asked for, in fact, I told the doctors I went to that they needed to find a way to fix it. My consistency and concentration was shot to hell. No longer could I sit for hours on end and write. In fact, I had a hard time being able to write and IM. (Can you hear the surprised gasps from people who know me well? Yes, I bet you can!)

What happened is that when I had my trauma (we won’t go into details), I used a special skill that trauma victims acquire to cope. Thing is, it’s meant for short term. But it was so damn useful; I kept it for way longer than I should have. It meant that Cyn never learned how to really deal with her ADD. ( This is me feeling smug about how I avoided the issue for years!) Then when the breakdown hit and broke that skill, I then had to learn how to cope with ADD and relearn to cope with things I had never really dealt with in a proper manner. Thus, all my lovely abilities went kaput! ( This is me feeling really cranky and crappy!)

There was even a point while in therapy I asked if I should quit writing because I was so frustrated that I couldn’t be consistent much less even put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Then once I was there, I was so easily distracted it was easier to play games then to write. It took me a while to realize that I needed to play games to learn focusing skills. I also had to learn to read again for longer stretches of time so I would be able to write and read in combination, something I could only do for a couple of minutes before I’d get distracted by the littlest of things.

How does this relate to consistency? Easy. Everything I did was to get back to the constant I had before. But I forgot one major thing- even consistency changes. Why? What is constant for sea-level isn’t the same at mile high. It’s all about being honest about yourself and your needs. It’s something I needed to do. When my therapist asked me one day about three weeks ago, when I was feeling better on things and I had started writing again, though haphazardly, to chart my writing—to see what my consistency was- I thought he was being sarcastic. But then he said something that made the light go off in my head- brightly. He said, “Don’t see if you keep to the pace you think you should be at. Find the rhythm that comes to you naturally. See if there’s a pace and balance to it. If there is, see the pattern. You might find there’s a constant to it that you can make work for you.”

Those were the words that brought the epiphany like nothing else had. It’s funny in some ways because I sit here tonight and I played, I went to a chat of a big NYT famous author (one I admire and was just wowed to get to ask questions), and wrote this blog. Funny thing about tonight- I accomplished a lot. Though my writing word count might not show a high score- I’ve done what I know I needed to do. Why? Because yesterday I plugged in over six thousand words. Tomorrow, I’ll probably work on a story that is mostly complete but needs to have the last quarter done. If I only write one thousand or three thousand, it’ll be good. Then the day after that, I’ll press to write at least three thousand or more words on my new story. I found my constant. Celebration was happening! One thing I’ll definitely say, do not discount taking workshops, they do help when you’re stalled out. (Savvy Authors helped me so much!) 

What I found out is that whenever I forced myself to write hard, I fell apart for one to two days after. Then on the third day, I started to get stronger so I could sort of write somewhat. If I pushed, I could do somewhat what I did the first day, but maybe slightly less. Overall, if I threw in some fun on one of those days- like I did tonight, write a little bit, then I found I rebounded a bit easier. It really did take time to think things through, to allow myself time to rejuvenate myself and my creativity. I didn’t have the ability that I used to have and I needed to mourn the loss. Yet, I discovered that in some ways, I had grown as an author too. My needs as a writer had deepened in new areas. There were new genres to explore footstep by footstep. But it all began by finding something I needed back in my life- consistency.

Consistency is a fluid thing—it changes as your life does. What is constant for you is not what is for someone else. What is my constant might make another person feel lazy or feel like they’re running a marathon. But for right now, it’s working for me. I might need to tweak it a bit. I might be pushing a bit here and there, but that’s my nature. Yet, I’ve given myself permission to step back and take time away if I need it. It’s one of those moments in my life that brought me happiness. I might have a disability that I’m learning to control, but I now have a weapon in my arsenal. I’ve got a constant that makes me feel successful and accomplished- which in turn helps me to do more. What more could an author ask for? 

Lately, I’ve been writing and putting out books in genres readers haven’t always seen from me. It’s a stretching for me. It’s helped me to not only redefine myself internally, but also to give myself a much needed break mentally and emotionally as well. But is it always good to write in genres you might not necessarily enjoy reading?

Honestly, I think the answer is yes- for the most part. (Yes, there is a reason for my partial answer!) Do I read contemporary romances? Yes, but not many. I have a few romance authors who write contemporary who are auto buys for me. They’re my link to the great wide world of contemporary romance and in some ways they’ve always been my “you’ve reached the big time” ideal. Does that mean to me that I need to write contemporary to be a success? No, but it does mean that when I do write contemporary, I look at myself and my writing a little more critically and with a bit more depth than I normally do at other times. Why? Because it’s more natural for me to write paranormal romance. Heck, it’s more natural to write BDSM with paranormal elements. But a straight up contemporary without the BDSM or any touch of urban fantasy, paranormal or anything mysterious is asking a lot. (Oh so very much!) So writing a straight contemporary is a good stretch for me on occasion. It really helps me to see where I’ve grown and where I need to work in my writing. 

When I do dabble and step into this pond, there’s always something new for me to enjoy and to admire writing in an unfamiliar genre. Yes, I mean about myself and others who do the same thing occasionally. There are some great authors who really rock the contemporary genre something fierce. I can only hope to do justice to the genre and not look completely and utterly foolish. By the same token, I hope by taking the time to go into genres I might like, but not normally write, I can expand my readership as well as expand my writing horizons. (This is fair warning for those in the fantasy and mystery genres—I am coming. When, I don’t know, but I am coming!)

How do you go about writing in a genre that you normally don’t read much of—research. Find an author you enjoy and read their stuff. *waves to Sasha White* Let me tell you, I love Sasha’s BDSM books. In fact, I won and read My Prerogative and it really blew my mind not just with the BDSM aspects, but with the contemporary setting in anytime. Here’s the thing though, the BDSM was subtle, though for those in the know, it was so there. Yet, for those who might not be familiar with it, the kinky sex aspect was such that you really felt for the characters- both the hero and heroine. It could be anywhere and any-when from today through the next decade or two. That’s the mark of a great contemporary book. You really don’t notice too much of the small things that might be out of place because of tech advances, though if it’s too great, then the book might need to be updated.  I really enjoyed the book from the beginning to the end and felt compelled to go back and read the others that are loosely related.

The other thing to do is decide the basics of any story- the where, when, and how. Get your GMC (Goals, Motivation, Conflict) going and fill it out. This doesn’t mean the pantsters out there can’t just get writing—you just need to be aware of writing in the “now” but also of what I call the “always now.” It’s that idea of the story always being current, always being now, no matter when you really wrote the story. It keeps it fresh and alive.  Make sure you pick a where you know about. It does make it easier if you’ve been to that city, make up that city or whatever it takes so that you can bring that secondary character to life. It’s important part of writing a contemporary- the setting plays a role, sometimes it’s huge, sometimes it’s emotional background noise, but always it’s a factor. So don’t skimp! This goes for any genre, not just contemporary- it’s important that your setting be real and also be part of the story, though subtle in most cases, otherwise, it feels like the story happens on a stage, not in a real part of the universe. 

The last thing I can recommend to anyone writing outside of their regular genre for the first time is get a crit partner or someone to read your story who writes in that genre. That way you can get quality feedback that will help you to correct the mistakes you might make in the early drafts. More importantly, you’ll discover something else important in doing so—you might find someone whom you can trust with your normal stories and enjoy working with so you can both grow as authors as you continue writing in your unique points of view. This really does help. It’s made my life easier in many ways, even in my regular writing. *waves to Selena Illyria* 

Writing contemporary for me was originally how I wanted to break into romance—but it wasn’t meant to be. It wasn’t my genre of love. Paranormal is and will probably always be that genre. Yet, I’m discovering that contemporary can give me thrills and some growth that I can see tangibly because it’s so different from what I normally write. Yes, it’s important to always learn and grow as a writer. It’s important to occasionally stretch those wings and fly by taking on a new genre or perhaps even going off into a new market entirely sometimes. It helps you to learn just how much you are capable of doing and in the end, it makes you appreciate what you’re good at and improves you for your next work in what you enjoy the most. That’s why eventually, I’ll reach out into fantasy and mystery as well– because I love those genres and I want to grow into them as well. I want to be able to write well in them and give myself a chance to show my skills there too. 

Don’t ever think that you have to choose one genre over another. There’s no reason why you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Unless of course you can’t have gluten! Then you have to make sure everything is gluten free!  Sometimes, you can get the best by combining genres, but that’s another topic altogether. One we’ll cover another time. But right now, remember– it’s okay to write in another genre, especially one you’re not used to. Just take your time, make sure you research it thoroughly and have someone who writes that genre or reads it a lot give you a read through. That way you’re on top of it. By doing these things, you can succeed in writing in a genre you’re not used to and do well in it. Plus, you might just find out that it’s one you might actually enjoy. 

Authors are a funny bunch of people. We write alone, unless we work together on a group project. Then we swoon over covers—unless they are yucky- then hear us be crabby. We love sharing excerpts; we want to be the Kings and Queens of Tease! But more importantly, we try our best to make people want to pick up our books. The only thing we wonder is—does our hard work pay off, or are we often just talking to hear ourselves talk? Sometimes, we need feedback from the people who matter most- our readers! 

I’m writing this, because honestly, it’s a discussion that’s come up between authors. We promo, we write more books, we do giveaways, we do massive group contests and more. We even go on various loops, Facebook groups and other things, but we don’t always have people attend. We wonder if people are overloaded with everyday issues that they don’t want to hear from us or about our latest books. We wonder what promotion works best. Time and again, we see the big stars of the publishing world have out television ads, book signings and more. Yet, do they work? Does going to conferences work?

One thing I know works to attract attention is a great cover with a fantastic blurb. Why? It gets attention when people are on third party websites shopping for books. Trust me, I’m guilty of this and I know many others who do the same. We find a category of book we’re interested in and we look at covers, we look at blurbs and see what pulls at us. Sometimes, we’ll even read a snippet or two of the book to see if the writing style grabs us. If it doesn’t, back it goes. If the cover looks too cartoonish when it should look sexy or look like a fantasy come to life, back it goes. Cover art is a huge discussion among readers and authors—both good and bad. If you ever want to generate an interesting discussion, go to a readers/authors forum and ask, “What covers suck? What covers rock? What company always does great work? What company needs to get better?” Then sit back and watch the fireworks. It can be quite interesting to see what attracts readers to buy a book. Same for authors—and don’t think they’re the same thing.

Plus, I love marketing- I do. But sometimes marketing people don’t know who their target audience is, especially now that many books are crossing genre. Many women don’t want to see naked asses all the time, no matter how erotic the story. They’d like to see truly erotic covers that make them hot and think erotic thoughts. So, we have to really work hand in hand with the art department to not only bring out the best of our story, but do so in a way that is unique and eye-catching, but not trite or overdone by others. Then we have to work to make people want to buy our books, so they sell and people talk about our books, which increase sales and our name recognition among readers and those who might occasionally read in the genre we write. 

Social media is everywhere. Because of this, it’s easier yet harder to always talk to people about our new releases. Sometimes you can still have fun on the email loop groups such as Yahoo Groups, Google Groups, but at others times, you can party on Facebook, Twitter and more. But how much is good and when is it enough?  It’s great when you can connect with readers and share snippets of your latest release or what you’re working on next, but there is the thought of trying to avoid over-sharing. So, I ask you, reader—how much is too much? What is the best way to reach you? Newsletter, email loop group, Facebook, or how? What is the format you prefer to talk to an author? When do you think you’re hearing too much from an author? Or when do you think you need to hear more? 

Other authors swear by giveaways, contests and more of the like. They say they get readers and keep them by this method. Others are disdainful because it requires outlays that not every author can afford to do on a regular basis. Yet, trust me, authors like to give things away at times because we love rewarding readers for loyalty and for giving us a try. So it’s a matter of balance- trying to find out how often, what kind of goodies go over best and when is the best time to offer such contests to readers. Which kinds do you find work best for you? What contests do you like entering? 

I love collecting excerpts. I do. Why? Because I have this pile of books I need to read. Sometimes I forget the name of the book I want, but I remember the general gist of the excerpt. So I keep it in a special file so I can look it up when I can go buy books. That way, I can buy the books that I really want and then delete the excerpt once I get it. Plus, there’s something about an excerpt that gives me a great feel for an author’s writing, just like when I visit their website. Sometimes, I don’t always have time to go to their website all the time, or I don’t remember the website addy. But if I have the excerpt and all the pertinent info is on there—I can get it from there. These are always important things to have. What about you? Are you a lover of excerpts or are they one of those things you can ignore? What kind of excerpts get you excited? 

Do you like sales? If people offer you coupons to use for discounts off books, does that help you to buy the books at certain websites or are you a dedicated shopper specific to certain 3^rd party websites? I know people who shop on those sites and others who only buy through the publishers’ sites. Neither way is wrong or right- it all depends on the person and their needs. What is your preferred method of shopping for books and ebooks?

Do you think we sometimes do too much when it comes to pushing our work? Do you think sometimes we need to lay back and relax? Or do you think that perhaps we need to work smarter about getting ourselves out there and noticed by you, the readers and others who might want to pick up a new book by someone they’ve not read before? When it comes to representing your work before the world—the question becomes—have I done enough or have I pushed too much? Sometimes it makes an author go mad, I tell you, absolutely batty. Can you tell I’m about there all ready? 

Recently, Selena Illyria was talking about killing off a character in her blog. It reminded me of a blog topic I had written on but had never posted– that of redemption. It’s an important topic for me personally, and it’s one that I find happens in my stories- either to the main characters or somewhere in the secondary characters. The theme of redemption is simply important to me. But it never became so clear to me how important until….Star Wars. *grins* 

It’s not a secret, but somehow, not everyone knows I’m a Luke Skywalker fan. Yes, there’s the rogue Han Solo, but as much as I enjoyed him, there was an elemental call from Luke to me that profoundly affected me for many years. It wasn’t until I heard a speech given by a mythology professor that I realized on why Luke attracted me so much. He’s a hero not only defeating evil, but also redeeming it.

I spent much of my teen years in major angst over the whole Light side and Dark side of the Force. But more than that, I completely sympathized with Luke’s reluctant yet willing role as a hero. I wanted to be at his side as he helped the Rebellion fight the Empire as he became the last of the Jedi Order.

At the end of A New Hope, I was very much anti-Darth Vader. If I had a lightsaber, that villain would have been toast! The one thing I knew was that even though he escaped via Tie Fighter at the end of the movie, I knew one day he and Luke would face off and it’d be the kiss of death for the evil one. In fact, I was counting on that one point- in all major stories, good always triumphs over evil. Then I watched The Empire Strikes Back and my heart stopped dead in my chest as the most gods awful truth was revealed- the villainous Darth Vader was none other than Luke’s father, Anakin Skywalker.

My core belief about good conquering evil was shaken. A Jedi Knight had gone to the Dark side! At this point, I had learned more about the Emperor and I was ready to unleash my fury because everyone knows that evil can’t be allowed to exist or even to win. There was a part of me that mourned the fact that Anakin Skywalker, called Darth Vader, was the reason for the wholesale destruction of the Jedi Knights. I didn’t know how anyone could do it to those he knew. How could Luke reconcile that one day he’d have to kill his father.

I impatiently waited until Return of the Jedi came out. Then the scene that foreshadowed exactly how Luke would handle that very question arrived. It was when he stood before Jabba the Hutt, demanding his friends to be released and let bygones be gone. His quiet faith, his calm demeanor was new, humbling and foretelling. By giving this galactic gangster a chance to do what was right, by embracing the truth of the Jedi way, I knew what would come when he faced Darth Vader for the final time. Luke had become the last Jedi and tried to emulate both Yoda and Obi-Wan Ben Kenobi.

Quietly came the confrontation on Endor. It became subtly, with comments from him to his father about sensing the good within him. Then we saw the true evil- the Emperor Palpatine. Their confrontation was in a way the true confrontation though it came down to Darth Vader and Luke fighting. Even as they fought physically, Luke spent the time talking to his father, trying to make him see reason and turn from Dark side. Each point he made was to remind Darth of the fact he wasn’t always Darth Vader, scourge of the universe, but also Anakin Skywalker, someone who was a Jedi Knight.

Yet in the end, it was Darth Vader who physically saved his son, when the Emperor attacked Luke. We can see Darth look from his son to the Emperor and back. You can almost see the moment when all of Luke’s actions and words have connected to push him into throwing the Emperor over the railing. In the end, we see a dying Darth Vader who has done what none of us considered possible- he’s redeemed himself in the eyes of his son and of the audience.

Heroes can not only learn and grow, but they can also redeem the bad guy. What amazed me is that in turn, I started thinking more and more about how bad guys aren’t always the bad guys in the long term. They can start off good or even start bad, but they can redeem themselves when things show to be in a new paradigm, requiring them to act for a bigger payoff- one that evil can’t top. Which is why for me, Luke Skywalker is my favourite hero and one I’ll never give up; he taught me the value of redemption.

This often isn’t an issue with men, but with women– watch out! There’s something about a kiss that can bring a group of women to their knees. At the same time, there’s the whole rating of what makes a kiss good, better and GREAT. (What, you thought we didn’t? Silly men!) In fact, women rate kisses a lot. We even rate kisses between men too. Some of our favourite kisses are between two men. One of my favourite is the one between Captain Jack Harkness and Captain John on Torchwood’s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” episode. Can we say it’s just damn hot?! More importantly, it has many many of the necessary aspects that make a kiss hot. 

Many women talk about the importance of a good kiss. Of how the person who is kissing must really look you in the eyes first. The eye contact is a must! It is. It’s the way of making sure they see you and only you! 

Notice how lovely the look into the eyes are? (please remember this is my blog and yes, I have a thing for Captain Jack– so deal with it!) Notice how intense it looks?  Notice how the object of the attention, how intense the arousal? This is how you know the wow factor of the kiss is going to skyrocket. When you’re the one going to be kissed, you’re in a state of “KISS ME NOW!” I’m just saying.

Then there’s where the hands go. Notice that John’s hands are cupping the back of the neck, pulling the head forward. *nods happily* This is VERY VERY important people! Why? It’s an issue of control and it’s an issue of feeling both wanted and seduced simultaneously. See in the piccie below we have eye contact and the hands on either side of the head. It’s control, it’s reinforcing the whole idea of, “I’m into you, I want you, I”m going to kiss you and taste all of you!”

That’s why when you have what I call, “All systems GO!” you’ll notice the head tilting, the faces moving closer, and the lips slightly parting as the kiss begins. There’s a passion there. This loving and holding. The kiss is not wet, but it’s passion and warm. It’s just HOT! What is it about an indepth kiss that gets our meter going? Why does a kiss of this magnitude get us worked up, worked over and begging for more?

*sighs happily* Oh yeah….kisses are important in writing. Having kisses like this in life is important as well. So don’t skimp on the KISS! It’s important. It’s needed…it just is!

A friend of mine has started a website to raise money for various charities. The idea is to make it easy for people who are busy and don’t have a lot of time to help out those less fortunate than themselves. When he came to me with the idea, I loved it. In fact, we brainstormed over the various ways we could help out, especially when we found out that our county is one of the worst in the United States when it comes to school-age kids going hungry.

So he came up with a unique idea that I adore– Buy a T-Shirt, Save the World. You can imagine the possibilities that just rang out from there. But the idea is simple. From each shirt bought, a portion of that money goes to a charity. So go ahead, click on the link and take a look. If you can contribute, it would be greatly appreciated- especially by those in need.