Paper Dreams

Today, I'm sharing my blog post with mystery writer Dorien Grey. By way of introduction, if it is possible to have a split personality without being schizophrenic, writer Dorien Grey qualifies. When long-time book and magazine editor Roger Margason chose the pseudonym for his first book, it set off a chain of circumstances which has led to the comfortable division of labor and responsibility. Roger has charge of day-to-day existence, freeing Dorien—with the help of Roger’s fingers—to write. It has reached the point where Roger merely sits back and reads the stories Dorien brings forth on the computer screen.

After having published thirteen books in the popular Dick Hardesty Mystery series, the western/romance/adventure novel, Calico, and the imminent publication of the third book in his new Elliott Smith Mystery series, he is busily at work on yet another Dick Hardesty mystery.

Welcome, Roger and Dorien

Books are the writer’s dreams set to paper. They are formed, as are all dreams, in the imagination. But unlike sleep dreams, the writer has some degree of control over them. If unable to direct the dream’s every aspect, at least the writer can consciously influence them by nudging them in certain directions. I know that some writers plot out every single step and detail of a story before actually sitting down to write. It works for J.K. Rowling, who has made more money from transcribing her dreams of Harry Potter into more money than I will ever see in ten lifetimes. But it would never work for me. The element of spontaneity, both in sleep dreams and writing, is far too crucial for me.

If writing can be compared to flowing water, the detailed-plotting method seems to me like one of Los Angeles’ drainage canals—straight as an arrow and contained within concrete walls. I prefer mine to be like a meandering river: I know where it’s going, but while I can see the bends coming up, I have no idea what lies beyond them. And I am always aware that I am not on the journey alone: the reader and I are Huck and Jim on the raft, flowing through the story together. I can’t imagine it being any other way.

People frequently ask where I get the ideas for my books…and even my blogs…and my answer is always the same: I quite honestly have no idea. They just appear. (If I can be allowed another metaphor here, I’ve often likened my “creative process” to be like the gas bubbles rising to the surface of a tar pit. I’ll be minding my own business, thinking of almost anything except where my next story/blog idea is going to come from, when I’ll be aware of something rising to the surface. I’ll watch while it emerges and forms a bubble of thought and finally bursts, leaving me with a topic or plot idea.) I love it!

For me to try to explain how these bubbles form and exactly how I handle them when they do appear is as impossible as explaining how we dream what we dream when we’re asleep.

All dreams are born and are nourished in the nursery of the subconscious, and there they remain until they are ready to emerge, either as a sleep dream or as a book or a painting or a sculpture or a symphony. Dreams are our humanity, and I cherish them, whatever form they take.



For a greater insight into the "real person" behind Dorien Grey, the curious are invited to check out his website (http://www.doriengrey.com) and his various blogs: Dorien Grey and Me and A Life in Photos among them.

There is nothing Dorien loves more than hearing from a reader. If you'd like to contact him, just drop him a note at doriengrey@att.net.

Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and Me: The Lure of Regency Romance

Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and Me: The Lure of Regency Romance
by Jacqueline Seewald

I love reading all kinds of romance novels. I enjoy a varied diet. But I consider Regency romance the most delectable and enjoyable, a veritable bonbon of pleasure. I’ve read many hundreds of novels in the genre. In this regard, I am like many other devoted readers. Regency romance has endured for a long time and I believe will continue to be popular.

First, for those who are not familiar with Regency, let’s define it. When we talk about the Regency era, we mean the brief period lasting between 1811-1820 in England. However, for the sake of the novels, the era begins at the tail end of the Georgian period in about 1800. It includes the scope of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars in Europe, a period of turmoil, social unrest and political revolution.

The novels of Jane Austen have caught the imagination of both readers and writers for centuries. I’ve read each of her novels more than once but love PRIDE AND PREJUDICE best for its wit, charm and integrity.

Georgette Heyer was one of the writers who created her own novels set in the Regency era. These romances have also influenced many readers and writers. Her novels even introduced their own unique vocabulary.

At the time I initially wrote TEA LEAVES AND TAROT CARDS, I was working as a librarian with easy access to a multitude of reference sources. So my research proved both enjoyable and relatively easy. Now the internet offers so much valuable information on the Regency era which makes research more convenient. Here are just a few of the wonderful websites I recently located:
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/
http://www.thenonesuch.com/lexicon.html#Dictionary
http://www.susannaives.com/nancyregencyresearcher/

Some of the characters in my novel are based on real historical people. However, I did place my own spin on the novel. For instance, at one time Regency romances allowed no sex scenes. I prefer to read and write novels that do have sizzle. I also have a paranormal edge to the book.

I created a heroine, Maeve, who is part gypsy and has psychic abilities. Adam, the Marquess of Huntingdon, doesn’t believe in such things. He is a world weary cynic, but he would certainly like to make the mysterious Maeve his mistress. Maeve leads him a merry chase.The novel is a sensual historical romance with elements of mystery, the paranormal, romantic suspense and humor.

Here is what Jayne Ann Krentz had to say about the novel:

Dear Jacqueline:

Thank you for letting me read Tea Leaves and Tarot Cards. I enjoyed it. Following is a quote that you are free to use:

"Jacqueline Seewald's Tea Leaves and Tarot Cards delivers an unusual and intriguing heroine together with fast-paced historical romantic-suspense. Seewald is very much at home in her early 19th century setting."

I wish you the very best with the publication of Tea Leaves and Tarot Cards.

Sincerely,
Jayne Ann Krentz
(Amanda Quick)

This novel is now available at a discount from Barnes and Noble online:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Tea-Leaves-and-Tarot-Cards/Jacqueline-Seewald/e/9781594149146/?itm=1&USRI=tea+leaves+and+tarot+cards

You will also find it listed with Amazon.com, Borders.com, and in the Five Star/Gale catalog:

http://rdsinc.com/servlet/ItemDetailServlet?region=9&imprint=000&titleCode=TP907&cf=p&type=3&id=251513

Since the novel has just been published, I am giving away a free copy to celebrate. For the next week, send your comments here and I will select one poster at random who I will then contact and the announcement will be made.

So drop by. All comments and discussion most welcome!

For anyone who has ever wanted to write a book, for whatever reason, National Novel Writing Month, known as NaNoWriMo, may be the place to start.


For readers of this blog who, like millions of others across the nation, feel a book inside, struggling to get out, the NaNoWriMo event is your chance to follow that dream.

But NaNoWriMo is not just for beginning writers. It’s a challenge that may give authors a chance to loosen up, let the chips fall, and take a risk.

During the month of November, libraries from Alaska to Florida and all over the world will be hosting the event. Our librarian, who nurtures local talent, hosts a kick-off event every year at one of the county libraries. I’ll be joining a panel of other published authors to talk about the craft of writing, after which we will hand back one-page submissions of people who requested an earlier critique. This may sound counter-intuitive, because NaNoWriMo, by its very structure, encourages seat-of-the-pants writing. Our library administrator, however, believes a bit of knowledge will only feed the writing frenzy.

Some of the previous years’ participants who took pen to paper for the first time have seen results. They went on to do revisions, and were eventually published by well-known houses.

If you’re a published author, looking to get your name into the community, your library may be the very place to start. Ask if you can organize a kick-off event, then follow through. You can display your books on a table to give the audience inspiration, and give you a bit of publicity.

Top Ten Ways Writer's Conferences Inspire

Inspiration is a wonderful thing. It can pick you up when you have fallen. Jump-start your engine when it’s been stalled with plot problems. Shock you to life when you’ve been paralyzed from a rejection that dashed your hopes.

Writers and readers alike seek inspiration to get over life’s speed bumps, so it’s hardly surprising that there are 120 thousand inspirational books listed on Amazon.

For writers, there’s Dare to Dream, Cup of Comfort, Bird by Bird, The Writer’s Life, Chicken Soup for the Writer’s Soul, Dare to Dance, and hundreds more.

For me, nothing fluffs my creative feathers better than a writer’s conference. Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ annual conference starts in four days. As a matter of fact, Pamela Nowak, one of our Author Expressions contributors, is the conference chair and she has terrific speakers and workshops planned. I’ll be presenting a workshop on writing strong scenes and my workshop and the conference couldn’t come at a better time. I broke my collar bone and dislocated my shoulder on August 4th and am still mired in the pain and challenges of recovery. I need a jump-start, tune-up, new transmission, overhaul, and fresh paint all around.

Here are Top Ten Reasons why writer’s conferences inspire:

10. Break free from the house. Writing is a solitary profession.
9. Learn that you’re not alone. It’s encouraging to learn that other writers have problems similar to yours, that you’re not the only one who has problems plotting or developing characters, for example.
8. Find new writer friends. Friends who write in the same genre as you do, friends who are also interested in critique, friends who have experiences and stories to share.
7. Find exciting new books to read, both fiction and nonfiction craft books.
6. Discover new technologies and processes. New software and products are being introduced at warp speed. Which best serve needs of the writer? Just ask at a conference, and you’ll receive instant feedback.
5. Hear success stories from writers like you. I’ve heard about writers who received ghastly rejection letters that made mine look tame. I’ve heard of writers who struggled so much that they had to live in their car, then went on to success. Learning of hardships overcome is wonderfully inspiring.
4. Sharpen your craft. Conferences offer instruction and workshops that address the challenges of plotting, writing and marketing your fiction novel.
3. Meet editors and agents. It’s exciting to meet the gatekeepers, to talk with the people who buy the books. They share market insights and explain their daily needs and challenges.
2. Connect and laugh with your writer friends. Life is richer with friends. They support us when we’re down, celebrate with us when we’re up, and they remind us that life is good.
1. Network/share information. Knowledge is power. Conferences offer intellectual stimulation and insight into the publishing industry.

Do you enjoy conferences? Please share your best memory of a writer’s conference, and how it inspired you.

Hurricane Force Winds

A big wind is a' blowin', in case you haven't heard, and by the end of this Labor Day weekend, there will be lives changed. As a Floridian, I can testify that hurricanes do that: pummel everything in their paths to unrecognizable conditions. Make a stew of it all: one part sewer pipe; one part feather-exploding bed pillow; three parts mud.

I've had my own personal hurricane going on inside me. My foot surgery, 13 weeks now, is a category four. And I can't escape to a shelter. After a hurricane, you think about running out to pick up a gallon of milk, and you have to think about flooded streets and downed power lines. With my category four foot, I have to think about how far I'll have to walk; how I can elevate my foot; how much will it hurt.

A creative hurricane has also hit me this week. The manuscript I'm working on is still not ready for other eyes: so far to go, so much to discover beneath the muck. I even wondered for a couple of days, when my foot was throbbing and my book was reading like a fifth grade essay, if I was doing what I really wanted to do. Was I living the way I wanted to live? Was I being the person I wanted to be? Was I writing about what I wanted to write about?

So I took to my notebook: my hurricane shelter. And I asked myself what it was I really wanted say in my story.

Here's what came out:

I want to write about how hard it is. How hard it is to even figure out how hard it is. How hard it is to get it right. How hard you have to try.

And then, beneath the floodwaters, I discovered: I was living my story. I was asking the same questions my character was asking.

Can that be a sign I'm on the right path?

Or just a cat-four hurricane ripping through my life?

Have you had a creative hurricane? What insights resulted? How did it change your writing?

Series, Sequels, and Spin-offs

I love series books. I’ve been known to discover Book One in a series and go to the bookstore and buy the next 14 books all at once. If I start a book and realize there were precursors, I’ll put it aside and read the earlier ones until I catch up. I want to meet the characters head-on in their first appearances.

In the mystery genre, series books feature a protagonist and a group of secondary characters that grow throughout the series. People may come and go, relationships may change, but the books build on each other. By my definition, the books in these series are sequels. The same protagonists come back as the stars, moving forward with their lives.

In romance, though, ‘series’ tend to be spin-offs, rather than sequels. There might be hints and references to what happened before, but the major players in Book Two were probably secondary characters in Book One.

(I did write a true sequel to a romance, primarily because I wasn't "done" with the characters, and also because nobody told me it was against the "rules"—but that's another story.)

Stieg Larsson: Death and Discovery

Stieg Larsson: Death and Discovery

by Jacqueline Seewald

Readers romanticize writers and artists who have died,
especially those who die tragically while still young. Witness the value we now place on the art of Vincent Van Gogh who could barely sell a painting while alive and eventually committed suicide. Then there is the story of John Kennedy Toole, author of A Confederacy of Dunces, who in despair over lack of success as a novelist committed suicide at the age of thirty-two, only to be “discovered” as a great writer thanks to the persistence of his mother and the generosity of Walker Percy.

Stieg Larsson died of a massive coronary at the age of fifty in 2004, a short time after delivering his three Millennium novels to his Swedish publisher. No one including his publisher had any idea that these novels would become international blockbuster bestsellers. Although Larsson co-published two SF magazines with Eva Gabrielsson, his life partner/common law wife, he was mainly known as a left-wing journalist, a journalist who was editor-in-chief of the magazine Expo and campaigned against right-wing extremism in Sweden. He was outspoken against Neo-Nazism and often in fear from death threats made against his life.

There is no question that he both read and admired mystery fiction. Two of the writers that his journalist hero Mikael Blomkvist reads in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo are Sara Paretsky, who also has a social agenda and strong political and social convictions, and Elizabeth George, who writes dark, complex mystery fiction as well.

There is an even greater tragedy and irony to Larsson’s story. Larsson, although an advocate and defender of women’s rights, as can be witnessed in the character of Lisbeth Salander, did not leave a will. Therefore, Eva Gabrielsson, his wife in every way that mattered except legally, inherited none of the millions his novels have now earned. Sweden does not recognize common law marriage. He failed in effect to protect the rights of his own life partner.

As both a reader and a writer of mystery and romance fiction, I have quite naturally read Larsson’s work and appreciate it. But a questions remains: Would Stieg Larsson’s novels have been such amazing bestsellers had he not tragically died before publication? What is your opinion as a reader and/or writer? Please join the discussion and leave a comment.

Jacqueline Seewald
TEA LEAVES AND TAROT CARDS, Five Star/Gale, September 2010
THE INFERNO COLLECTION, Five Star hardcover, Wheeler large print
THE DROWNING POOL, Five Star/Gale