A knight in shining armor.  Is there a more glorious site?  It invokes an age, a culture, from a bygone era.  But what did it entail to become a knight?

In researching my new novel, tentatively titled A True Knight, I discovered that it was more difficult and more expensive then most men could attain.  Knights started off as Pages and then progressed to Squires.  He would serve as a squire for seven years before he became a knight.  As a Squire, he would learn The Code of Chivalry, the Rules of Heraldry, horsemanship, use of weapons (which included swords and bow and arrow).  Some of the skills he was required to learn consisted of strength, speed, dexterity, leadership, climbing, swimming, and bravery.  These were all skills needed and expected of a knight.

While learning these skills, a Squire would be required to enter into the social life of a castle and learn jousting, music, dancing and courtly etiquette.

The life of a squire would consist of stabling of their knight’s horses, assisting the knight in dressing in his armor, caring for armor and weapons, accompanying their knight to tournament and/or battle, some duties in the kitchen, making sure the clothing was taken care of, running errands, carrying messages and guarding the knight while he slept.

There was a hierarchy of squires.  The most valued position was that of “squire of the body”.  These squires were the most trusted of the lord.

As I’ve said, it was expensive to become a knight and if a squire had grown too old or could not afford the expense of knighthood, they were allowed to carry a lance and shield, even though they had not undergone the ceremony to become a knight.  These men were called Arma Patrina.

I hope you’ve learned that being a Squire was not easy!

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

So you have your work area.  You’re ready to start writing.  But what do you do next?  What I do is start with my characters.  To me, these are the most important thing in your novel.  If they are strong and well defined, the plot will come from them.

When I start writing, I know what type of book I want to write.  Yes, it’s usually medieval romance.  But I need to know a little bit more then that.  Is it a book about redemption?  Is it a book about family?  About loyalty?  This is called theme.  I’ll talk about this more in another post.

I like to jump right in and begin writing.  That’s because I’m a pantser.  I write by the seat of my pants.  For me, writing this way allows me to explore the plot and characters and sometimes, it even holds a surprise for me.

In order to do this, I need to know a little bit about my characters.  Their name, what they look like, a little bit about their background.  Not everything, just enough for me to be able to relate to them, to sympathize with them.  I don’t need this information for all of the characters, not yet anyway.  Just for my hero and heroine.  For names, their are numerous sites on the web where you can find first names.  (Below is a small sample)

Medieval Names – http://www.thinkbabynames.com/search/1/medieval
Top 100 Medieval Boy Names – http://www.top-100-baby-names-search.com/medieval-boy-names.html
Behind the Name: Medieval Names – http://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/medieval

Also places to find surnames.  (Below is a small sample)

Medieval English Surnames – http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval_surnames.htm
History Learning Site – Medieval Surnames – http://tekeli.li/onomastikon/England-Medieval/Surnames.html
Surnames Meanings and Origins – http://www.lisagenealogy.com/Surmean/surintro.html

What the characters look like is totally up to your imagination.  Background, again, is up to your imagination.  Below are some helpful links about medieval life that you might find helpful.

Medieval Life – http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_Life/medievallifemain.htm
Medieval Life and Times – http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval-life/
Life in a Medieval Castle – http://www.castlewales.com/life.html

At this point, I know just enough to begin the story.  As I write, more comes out, more ideas, more background.  More story.  This is were I begin writing.  Remember, characters not only come from your mind, but they are born from your heart as well.

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Most writers have a spot where they feel comfortable writing their stories.  For each writer it’s different.  I’m going to tell you about the spot I write in.  For me, the ideal spot would be on the beach somewhere.  I think that would be the most inspirational place for me.  But, since I don’t live near the beach, let alone any body of water, I write inside in the air conditioner (or heat in the winter).

Upstairs in my bedroom there is a fairly large desk.  It holds copies of each book I have ever written.

I have beautiful angel statues on my desk.  I like to think the angels guide me in my writing.

I have a plaque on my desk that reads “Life is not measured by the number of breaths that you take, but by the moments that take your breath away”.  I try to put these moments in each of my stories.

Statues of knight figurines and a 13^th century key (it’s cool because it is from the medieval era) line my desk.  They are there just for inspiration.

All kinds of journals are stacked on a shelf to the side of my desk.  I like to have these when I go out.  I bring a journal in case inspiration strikes.

Near my feet on a shelf is a row of books that I occasionally use when I write – from baby name books to Heroes and Heroines by Tami Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders.

Prominently displayed on top of my desk is the computer screen and keyboard (the computer itself is tucked away below the desk).

That is where I write.  A few inspirational items.  A few fun items, but mostly it is for creating.  Now, if I had to, I could write anywhere.  I’d rather do that then not write at all.  I am, after all, a writer.

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Marketing for traditional publishing is important, but it is so much more important for the indie author.  How do you get your name out there?  How do you let readers know you have a new book out?

There are some relatively easy ways to do this.  A website is a must.  A good website.  Attractive and reader friendly.  You should post something at least once a week, twice is even better.  Blog hops are a good way to get readers to visit your website.  You can join these at many sites, including:

http://carrieannbloghops.blogspot.com/

Blog Tours are another way to get your name and book out there.  Here’s a list of some sites that will set up Blog Tours for you for a price:

http://www.goddessfish.com/tours.htm
http://www.bewitchingbooktours.blogspot.com/
http://www.clpblogtours.com/
http://chicklitplus.com/category/clpblogtours/
http://parajunkee.com/
http://www.virtualbooktourcafe.com
http://cblspromotions.blogspot.com/
http://www.blackliontours.com/#!tourpackages/cpu6
http://supagurltours.blogspot.com/p/tour-info-sign-up.html

Make sure you have a Facebook page.  www.facebook.com  Some authors have a personal page for family and friends and a professional page.

Twitter is important.  You can use Hootsuite to manage your tweets.  http://hootsuite.com/

Many authors will be willing to host you on their site.  I have a First Kiss Friday feature where I host the first kiss from author’s novels.  Here’s a simple list, there’s many more out there:

www.laurel-odonnell.com
http://writerwonderland.weebly.com/
http://juliekenner.com/2013/02/hump-day-books-from-terese-ramin-maryann-miller-maggie-marr-karen-mccullough-doranna-durgin-tawny-weber-danelle-harmon-and-melanie-jackson/
http://theloglineblog.blogspot.co.at/p/blog-submissions.html
http://storyfinds.com/

Get your books reviewed!  There are sites that will do honest book reviews.  There’s no better marketing then someone who likes your book!  There are a lot of sites out there.  Just make sure that they review the genre of your book.

http://blithelybookish.blogspot.com/p/review-request-guidelines.html
http://www.stormgoddessbookreviews.blogspot.com/p/request-review.html?zx=255ffb354fc3ebd9
http://badbarbsreviews.blogspot.com/?zx=fbc3faa9e6797845
http://mariereadsandreviews.blogspot.co.uk/

You can always take out ads on sites.  But make sure they are sites for readers.  Find out who their target audience is, if you can, and make sure it’s the same as yours.  Here’s some popular sites right now:

http://www.bookbub.com/home/overview.php
http://www.bookgorilla.com/
http://www.romancebooks4us.com/
http://ebookimpresario.com/advertise/
http://theindiechicks.com/advertising-and-collaborations/
http://www.longandshortreviews.com/advertising/

The biggest problem with marketing your book is that what works for one author, may not work for you.  So, continue to change up your marketing plan, and continue to try different things.

There are other ways, such as blogging at other sites.  But nothing is more important than that next book!  So…GET TO WORK!  And good luck!

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Today, I’m going to tell you a little bit about my writing process.  For me, it’s not so much a process as an emersion.  When I sit at the computer to write my story, I try to tune everything else out.  It’s usually quiet in my house, the kids at school or at friend’s houses.  The cats are curled up sleeping nearby.  I really try to focus on the characters and “see” the scene I’m working on.

Before I begin writing I have to know the character’s names, at least their first name.  That usually gives me a strong sense of who they are.  For instance, in Angel’s Assassin, I named the hero Damien.  You might laugh, but I’ve always connected that name with evil or darkness, probably from the movie The Omen.  Damien thinks of himself as evil, as tainted.  He is a killer, an assassin.

For the heroine, I named her Aurora, which means the dawn.  Light to Damien’s darkness.  You get the picture.

I have a very general description of the characters, what they look like, etc. and then I begin to write.  I let the characters lead.  I know approximately where the scene is headed, but other then that, I let them have full reign.  They come alive in my head.  Dialogue is easiest for me, so I write that first and go back and fill in description in a later rewrite.

For full length novels, like Angel’s Assassin, I rewrite at least five times.  Each time, honing in on something different.  The first pass I’ll concentrate on Damien’s point of view, the second time maybe Aurora’s point of view.  Then description and flow, etc.  It usually takes me about a year to write a novel.  But I will never release a novel until it feels complete with a satisfactory ending.  I want my readers to be swept away by the world and the characters and to fall in love with my story.

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Sometimes life interferes with writing, or my creative muse is stifled by day to day activities or my argumentative teenagers.  Sometimes, I’m just too tired to bring my characters to life.  This is not writers block.  It is life.  The Holidays are coming.  Every second that I get to steal away and write will be precious.  But I know that writing will become harder and harder over the next couple of months.  My mind will be elsewhere.

With that being said, I did finish chapter 10.  Kurt and Joe are trying to get out of the warehouse, but the mazes of crates are confusing.  Kurt senses Joe is purposely leading him the wrong way.  They get out just as the sun sets.  During the car ride back to the cabin and Quinn, Kurt asks Joe what happened.  Joe says nothing happened, that the vamps and humans questioned him, but he didn’t reveal anything.  Kurt is suspicious because of the bite marks on Joe’s neck.

As they approach the cabin, Kurt is devastated to see it is burning.  He believes the vamps found Quinn and killed her.  Especially when he finds the gun he had given her to protect herself.  He is also more convinced Joe told the vamps where to find her.

He calls his Uncle Bobby and tells him his suspicions and tells him he is not safe.  He can’t tell him about his failure in losing Quinn or that he believes she is dead.  He is too broken up and guilty.  When he sleeps that night, he has the dream and awakes at 3:03.  Quinn has to be alive.

Somehow, someway, this dream is a connection between Kurt and Quinn.  While Kurt’s relationship with Quinn grows, his suspicions of Joe also grow. 

I know this scene is going to have to be fleshed out.  Kurt should be more heartbroken and devastated at losing Quinn, although maybe he is, but he is hiding it.  He has a lot on his mind.  He saved Joe, but at what cost?  Just to lose him again when he changes?  If he changes?  More should also be happening between Joe and Kurt.  Kurt believes that the vamps got to him!  He can’t trust him. 

This scene needs work.  But I’m going to wait to do that in the rewrites.  Forging ahead…

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Chapter 9!  The vampire who had turned into a man from drinking Quinn’s blood is tied up in a hotel room with Quinn while Kurt goes for supplies (and probably lays out some traps for the blood suckers!).  The vamp/man tells Quinn he can feel he’s changing back into a vampire again and demands her blood to stop the change.  He tells her that her blood is like a drug and he can never have enough.  That doesn’t sound good!

Kurt returns and questions the vampire/man.  He tells Kurt he can’t save Joe and Quinn.  It’s something Kurt doesn’t want to hear.  He tells Quinn to go into the bathroom and close the door.  There’s no doubt Kurt has had enough of the vampire/man.  After getting as much information as he wanted from the monster, Kurt cuts his head off.  When Quinn is obviously disturbed by this, Kurt tells her she can’t treat them like humans, because they’re not.  They’re monsters.  Armed with new information, Kurt is going after Joe.  Before he leaves, Quinn asks him to teach her to protect herself.

He teaches her to shoot.  She’s not a very good shot.  There’s a short scene where they exchange kisses and promises of things to come.  Deepening the relationship. 

The lead bad vamp we saw briefly before makes a return.  He is awoken from his day sleep by a trusted human and sends his human to get Quinn from the coven that is holding Joe.

Kurt goes to the place that the vampire/man told him Joe was being held.  It’s a large warehouse.  He saves Joe from the two humans who are beating him.  Just as they are about to make their escape, a metal wall drops before the door, sealing them in the warehouse.  And what’s worse, Kurt spots two puncture marks on Joe’s neck!  Uh oh!

Chapter 9 ends with a bang.  The boys are sealed in a warehouse with sunset coming.  Quinn is alone in an abandoned shack in the forest, waiting for Kurt.  Here comes chapter 10! 

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

I’m on Chapter 8 now!  The vampire that has attacked them and drunk Quinn’s blood is now a human man.  She is a cure for vampirism.  Of course, Kurt is going after Joe.  He can’t let the vamps have him.  Kurt gets Quinn and the now human to another hotel.  He makes sure they’re safe and starts preparing to go after Joe.  Kurt is worried about leaving Quinn alone with the human man.  He’s worried the vamps will come for her.  But he’s more worried about Joe.  So at dawn, he heads out to save him.

In a dark cave, he comes face to face with his old girlfriend, the only woman he has ever allowed himself to care for.  She is a vampire because of him.  Long ago, he hunted down all the vampires responsible for turning her, but he could never hunt her.  She says that she wants Quinn, to protect her.  She tells Kurt there are vamps who want Quinn to drink her blood to be human.  And there are vamps who are content to be what they are, like her.  She says wants to protect Quinn from the other vamps, the vamps that want to feed from her to become human.  Kurt doesn’t believe her.  He agrees to bring Quinn at midday in exchange for Joe.

But, Kurt has no intention of trading Quinn for Joe.  He promises Quinn that he won’t let them have her.

The problem for Kurt is his arrogance in thinking he can protect Quinn and Joe.  There is more then one vampire he has seen in the cave.  And that’s on top of the humans they have guarding them.  The other problem is Kurt is truly torn.  Can he really exchange Quinn for Joe?  Plus, I’ve got another dimension by bringing in his ex-girlfriend who is now a vampire.  He can’t kill her because he feels responsible for what happened to her.

The plot is moving forward!

I hope you’ll join me next time for chapter 9!

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy

Chapter 7.  In this first draft, I have Kurt and Quinn have sex in this scene.  Part of me thinks this is way too early, that the uncertainty and distrust is still too raw.  But…they are alone and very, very attracted to each other.  There are no vamps after Quinn, or so they believe.  I’m not sure whether it fits here yet.  So, guess what?  As in chapters before, I wrote “sex scene” and will decide in another draft whether I want it later or now. 

Anyway, they return to the hotel room where Joe was sleeping.  It’s a trap.  The vamp who has been following Quinn bites her and another attacks Kurt.  Kurt stakes his vamp and gets the other one off of Quinn.  He questions the vamp who bit Quinn, demanding where Joe is and the vamp admits other vamps took him.  Kurt interrogates him about the location they took Joe.  He demands to know what they want Quinn for.  And the vampire says her blood.  Kurt is about to stake the vampire when Quinn stops him.  Something is different.  The vamp is human!!

So, I have part of the mystery why the vamps are after Quinn solved.  Her blood can change them into humans.  This scene has progressed the plot as well as heightened the danger.  The vamps have Joe.  What will Kurt do?  Leave Quinn to get Joe or leave Joe with the vamps to protect Quinn? 

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the waters, or to have sex, BAM!  J  I love to torment my characters. 

Anyway, I have a lot planned now and the story is moving.  So, until next time…

 *****

Laurel O'Donnell - Medieval Romance Novels, Paranormal Romance Novels and Urban Fantasy