BE MY GUEST: How To Write Gripping Openings & Endings By Dan Coxon

Before I hand it over to Dan who tells his viewpoint on this topic as an “author”, I cannot resist but tell my opinion as well, being an eclectic reader.

Here are my two-cents as a reader and reviewer of books:
Whenever I read a story, be it short story, a novella/novel or even non-fiction like memoir or say travel book (Yes, I do like to read a variety of genres!), the first thing that I judge as a reviewer is: was the writer able to pull me in the story from the very first chapter? In fact, I can gauge from the opening lines or sometimes by reading first few paragraphs of the book, that whether the story is going to be engaging or not (with few exceptions of course, where the story does get interesting after a slow start!).

That being said, when I am nearing the finishing chapters, I am always intrigued and desperate to find out as to how the writer put all the strings of the story together and gives a coherent and satisfying resolution. For example, in most of chick-lit, it is simple stuff like: was the girl able to establish her own career and be independent? Was the boy successful in winning over the girl? Will she choose guy A or B?

In a memoir, it depends mostly on which phase of writer’s life is emphasized and at which stage is the writer going to finish it? (Read “Unimagined” to know what I am talking about!) If it is theme based, then I want to know the stance of the writer, which side is he/she taking? What is his/her opinion? How he/she perceives that topic/phenomena/dilemma? The perfect example could be Caitlin’s book, “How to be a woman” or “The Funny Thing Is…” by Ellen Degeneres.

Okay, so that was how I felt on writing the first and the last lines of a book, needless to say, a very subjective opinion as I am not the expert writer who knows all the tricks of the trade. I felt it was important to share my thoughts so the readers of my blog can get a full picture: from a book reader’s viewpoint as well as from a book writer’s viewpoint.

So, now let’s move on to Dan who is not only the author of travel stories but also has a wide experience of writing on variety of subjects, which means he knows what he is talking about! Over to you, Dan! 

Guest Post:

How to give your stories gripping Openings and Endings 

By Dan Coxon 

How to give a gripping opening:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.”

“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins.”

“Call me Ishmael.”

We’re all aware of the great opening lines of classic literature, and at times my family used to turn it into a guessing game at holiday gatherings (for the record, the origins of the four openings above are as follows: Pride and Prejudice, 1984, Lolita, Moby-Dick). It’s a well-known truth that books can stand or fail on the quality of their opening, and a strong beginning acts as a promise to the reader that we’re in safe hands, that this writer knows how to reel us in and keep us guessing.

My personal favourite comes from Iain Banks’ The Crow Road: “It was the day my grandmother exploded. I sat in the crematorium, listening to my Uncle Hamish quietly snoring in harmony to Bach's Mass in B Minor, and I reflected that it always seemed to be death that drew me back to Gallanach.” Who wouldn’t want to read more of that? 

Giving your own stories – either fiction or non-fiction – this kind of gripping opening isn’t quite as easy, however. We all know that we should start with something intriguing, something that compels the reader to read on, but that’s harder than it sounds. As always, the best idea is to learn from the classics.

If you look at the examples above, they all pose questions and puzzles that will be answered during the course of the story: Why did his grandmother explode? Is it really a ‘truth universally acknowledged’ that a man must want a wife? Why are the clocks striking thirteen? Try to include an element of mystery in your opening and the reader will want to continue with it – if only to discover where you’re heading.

Strong openings rely on more than just a single line, however, and if you want your story to truly grip the reader then you’ll want to think long and hard about your opening page, or pages. You’ll want these pages to immediately give your readers an impression of the world the story inhabits: the kind of story it is, where it takes place, who the main characters are.

If you read beyond that curt opening line of Moby-Dick you’ll find that Melville quickly tells us that his narrator is a seafaring man, and a philosophical one at that. We already know that this will be a book about the sea, and that its narrator will sometimes be given to philosophical asides.

We also come to realise that Ishmael feels compelled to take to the sea, and it’s this concept of compulsion and obsession that drives the rest of the novel. We would do well to learn from Melville here. Not only is it important to set the scene and the characters in the opening pages, but you’ll want to set the tone and the themes too.

If you’re writing a memoir about growing up in China, then you’ll want to make that clear to the reader from the outset; but you’ll also want to hint at your future themes too, such as the interplay of foreign cultures, or the difficulties facing a Westerner in an unfamiliar culture.

One of the ways to achieve this is to think of your opening as posing a question, and I’m not just talking about the mysteries posed by the opening line. The first few pages of your book should set up the theme for your story, and if this isn’t already clear in your mind you should give it some thought. It can be as complex as ‘How can mankind live together in peace’, or as simple as ‘Will our heroine find love’ (Jane Austen uses that one quite a lot). 

Depending on the length of your story, you’ll want to have at least a couple of questions posed at the start, and identifying what they are can help you plan and structure the rest of the story too. You don’t have to explicitly ask them (although you can), but you should drop hints for your readers so that they recognize your theme and can become engaged with it.

How to give a gripping ending: 

Of course, the joy of setting questions is that they lead you to answers, and it’s here that the gripping ending comes into play. If you’ve done your job well, and posed questions at the start of your story, then you’ll want to make sure that you wrap them up at the end too. Usually this will involve your protagonist undergoing a number of ordeals and adventures, then returning to the setting or outlook that you used in the opening – but with some new information or self-knowledge.

To use a simplistic example from modern storytelling, The Lord of the Rings trilogy opens with the question “Can a small, unassuming person conquer evil?”, and the answer at the end is “Yes he can – but only with a little help from his friends”.

If you’re struggling to find a satisfactory ending to your story it’s worth going back to the questions you posed at the beginning, and making sure that they’ve all been answered. Naturally, you won’t want to spell the answer out for the reader (they should have to work a little too, after all), but if you haven’t tied up all the themes of your story then the reader will usually feel that the story is unresolved or unsatisfying. They’ll be looking for a resolution – even if it isn’t the one they expected at the story’s outset. (In fact, especially if it’s not the resolution they expected – there’s nothing more satisfying than a story that surprises us).

There’s far more to writing than this, but if you can bear in mind these techniques then you should at least have something to draw the reader in, and leave them satisfied after they turn the final page. The rest, as they say, is up to you.

Note from Dan: The ideas used here are drawn in part from Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers. If you don’t already own a copy, you may want to invest in one!

About the Author:

Dan Coxon has recently moved to the Pacific Northwest, having spent ten years living in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is the author of Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand and The Wee Book Of Scotland, and he currently works as the Seattle Editor for CultureMob.com, while also contributing to The Nervous Breakdownand Spike. His fiction has appeared in the anthology Late-Night River Lights, and in numerous small press magazines and journals. To know more about him and his writing, visit his website, http://dancoxon.com/ or read my exclusive interview with him as we talk about writing, travel places and more! To read this interview, simply click here. 

About the Book: 

The New Zealand All Blacks are one of the most recognisable team franchises in modern sport, and their performance of the Ka Mate haka prior to international matches is known across the globe. But how many of us know anything about the Maori people to whom this haka belongs?

Ka Mate: Travels In New Zealand takes us on a three month journey around New Zealand, through the vineyards, over the glaciers, and across the fields of boiling mud. Freelance journalist and writer Dan Coxon does more than simply entertain us with anecdotes of his travels: he unravels New Zealand's complex history of migration and settlement, and reveals an intriguing story of British colonisation that still has repercussions today. Plus there's time for a rugby match or two along the way.

To buy his book, “Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand” on Amazon, click here. 

To read my detailed review of this book, click here. 

International Giveaway!!! 

Open till 11th March, 2012 

Prize: “Ka Mate: Travels in New Zealand” E-Book to FOUR lucky winners!!! 

To enter, just write a genuine comment on this article. 

Yes, it's that easy!!! :)

If you are a writer, share how important you find the openings and endings of a book and what are your tips to make those interesting for the reader. If you are a book reader, tell which book made an impression on you because of its engaging beginning lines or a surprise ending. Share what you feel on this topic. After the comment, please leave your name and valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you are one of the FOUR lucky winners. 

You do not have to be a follower to participate, but if you follow “The Review Girl” and share this giveaway through Facebook or Twitter, it will be highly appreciated. If you share, please mention the Facebook & Twitter link, so I know. Thanks so much! So write your comment and get a chance to win this fantastic travel book! 

Good Luck Everyone! :-)

Note: 

Only the genuine comments will be published and counted for the entries. The winners will be chosen through Random.org. They will be notified by e-mail from “The Review Girl”. A BIG thanks to Dan for providing four copies of his e-book for this giveaway!

Christmas Special: Author Interview & Giveaway with Linda Acaster

It is my honour to introduce special guest, Linda Acaster on “The Review Girl”. She is not an amateur player but a veteran in the writing industry with more more than 70 short stories published in print as well as many stand-alone novels in not one, but many different genres. Not only this, she has also written a guide book for aspiring writers, “Reading a Writer’s Mind”. Today, she is here to tell us why she felt the need to write a helping book for beginners and how has been the journey of writing so far. So let’s welcome her!

RG: Tell us about yourself.
I live on the Yorkshire coast, five minutes from the beach. I'm interested in how beliefs emanating from Dark Age history and beyond permeate modern lives without us realising. I write in a number of genres, and generally find odd bits of information fascinating. Sounds boring, but I think it's a writer's job to turn the dusty ore into a sparkling gem.

RG: Why did you think of becoming a writer? Did some person or incident in life inspire you? Or you thought you had the germs to be a writer?

I'm not sure why, but it was while in secondary education that I realised I had a knack with words. Composition I found easy and I thought that was normal, until it became obvious that I was writing reams while others were struggling to fill half a page. Perhaps it was because I led a mundane, and fairly timid, early childhood and enjoyed living through my imagination.

RG: What books (fiction) have you published so far and what are they about (name of book and brief synopsis)?


I had two Historicals print published some years ago, now reissued as ebooks:

'Beneath The Shining Mountains' has a Native American setting, 1830s among the Apsaroke/Crow on the northern plains. I used to be a re-enactor, and we lived in a tipi for holidays with a group of other mad... er, like-minded people. I found the hands-on experience with replica tools, etc, really informed the book-reading research, and thus my writing.

'Hostage of the Heart' is a sweet Mediaeval romantic suspense set on the English/Welsh borders in 1066 when the balance of power is upset by the northern invasion of Norse. It explores the lot of battle hostages.

'Torc of Moonlight' is my latest, the first in the Celtic Goddess trilogy of supernatural thrillers set in university cities close to the North York Moors. Ever thrown coins into a wishing well? So who are you expecting to answer? It's a rite over 3,000 years old, supposedly suppressed by Christianity – an All Saint's church is a good indication of an early site – and is tied into what we now call Halloween. This book is set in Hull and available in paperback and as an e-book.

The second book, 'The Bull At The Gate', which I'm working on at the moment, is set in York, and explores a different historical thread under the umbrella of 'states of reality'. What can I say? I like to make life difficult for myself.

There is also a Western kicking about that I'm trying to get the rights reverted, and I have produced a collection of short speculative fiction as an ebook 'Contribution to Mankind and other stories of the Dark', as well as having 70+ short stories print published in genres as disparate as Horror, Romance, Fantasy and Literary.

RG: You have written books in so many different genres which is commendable. It is not impossible but certainly a difficult task to shift your state of mind from one genre to another, so how do you manage to do justice to each genre?

I immerse myself in the time period, the backgrounds, and the people. The people are important. I don't write “about” them. I'm a Show writer, and I spend a lot of time planning my characters prior to starting a novel. If I'm writing in multi-viewpoint, which I usually do, having chosen a viewpoint character for a scene I become that character and then write. Think of it akin to being in a virtual reality suit.

RG: If you could be one character from your books, who would you choose to be and why?


LOL. None. To put it in context, when I was at the Jorvik Viking week at York I was handling replica weapons to test for weight (research) and a starry-eyed visitor beside me was wishing to go back in time to witness the Battle of Fulford Gate (1066, Norse won) “not to be a part of it, just to witness it”. So speaks someone who has done very little research about the life and times, nor can read the implications behind current television news reports. I'm grateful for hot & cold running water, knowing where my next meal is coming from, and feeling safe sleeping in my bed.

RG: Where do you get ideas for your stories and characters?


Short answer: everywhere.

Long answer: writers train themselves to be alert for snippets of information on all topics relevant to their interests, and surrounding those interests. It's rarely one snippet that fires an idea, more likely to be two or three, often with no previous links, that converge.

RG: Now coming to your non-fiction book, “Reading A Writer’s Mind”, how did the idea to write a helpful guide for aspiring writers come to you? Tell us about its varied content.


When I was a beginner I was forever told to 'read the greats', which I found to be as much use as limp lettuce. How could I understand how 'the greats' produced their fiction if all I could see was the finished whole? It's rather like being shown a shiny Formula 1 racing car and being told to go away and build one. At the very least you need blue-prints. I found that writing manuals tended to list tools, but didn't explain how to use them. I've since taught Adult Education classes, tutored for a distance learning college, and am a reader for a London literary consultancy, and have found that beginners still fall foul of the problems I did at that early stage, hence the book.

By taking ten of my own stories from different genres I can highlight the tools and techniques used in bringing each from initial idea to fruition for a particular market. I discuss my mindset and the decisions made, and the reader has the story there in its polished form so it can be dissected. Having elements of fiction-writing explained this way allows readers to reproduce the thinking within in their fiction because of the 'why' as well as the 'what'. The book is gaining good reviews, and I've already had people write to me about how it has helped them understand their own fiction, so I'm pleased I took the time out to put it together.

RG: Since you have written both fiction and non-fiction, which “form” you enjoyed the most? What “tools” do you think are indispensable for both forms of creative writing?

Whichever one I'm working on at the time. It's a matter of being focused. You aren't going to produce good work if your mind is longing for something else. Good fiction, and non-fiction for that matter, works best if it is not pushed down readers' throats as a one size fits all standard. Reading is a two way process. The reader has to be allowed room to bring something to the work; in non-fiction it is “understanding”, in fiction it is “imagination”.

RG: Are you planning to write more non-fiction books or helping guides like “Reading A Writer’s Mind”?

Probably. If I do it'll be on building characters, which lets down a lot of work-in-progress I read and leads to stereotyping or a story being played out in a vacuum. I discuss it 'Reading A Writer's Mind' but didn't have enough space to go into it in depth there.

RG: How much time did it take for you to complete one book? What was your routine for writing?


The non-fiction took near enough six months, the novels take about a year each. I'm not a fast writer and life impinges.

Time for some fun questions: 

RG: Share with us your favourite childhood memory.


Paddling a canoe on Peasholm Park lake, Scarborough, in twilight.

RG: Tell us about the craziest thing you ever did in your life.


Flew to Iceland to stand on the lip of a semi-dormant volcano. The landscape there is like Scotland with attitude.

RG: Oh my! That is crazy! How do you relax when you have free time?

I sit in our garden in summer among the trees and bird-life. In winter it is relaxing with a DVD. I enjoy walking the landscape, any landscape, looking for the history pressing up from a few centimetres beneath the surface. It is the one that truly revitalises my writing senses.

RG: Complete these sentences:


· Love is...give and take.

· Life is... making the most of the hand that's dealt you.

· Writing is...hard work, but spiritually rewarding.

· E- books are...the best thing since sliced bread.

· Book Blogs are...a fantastic way for readers and writers to interact. Gone are the days when gatekeepers told us what to write and what to read.

RG: Thank you for such a delightful interview. It was a great pleasure having you on my blog. Wish you have a wonderful Christmas! :-)

Thanks for inviting me. Really enjoyed it. Merry Christmas to you too!

About the Author:

Linda Acaster’s published work includes four historical novels, and over seventy short stories in genres as diverse as women’s, horror, crime, fantasy and SF, published in magazines in the UK, US and Europe. She has also written travel features and opinion pieces for the UK press, and an abundance of articles on the techniques of writing fiction.

A past tutor for the Arvon Foundation, she has led workshops and spoken at writers’ conferences across the north of England. She spent six years on the reading panel for the New Writers’ Scheme administered by the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and two years as the co-ordinator of its Northern Chapter. She is a member of the Society of Authors.

Stalk the author or purchase any of her books, by following the links given below:

Website: http://www.lindaacaster.co.uk

Blog: http://lindaacaster.blogspot.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/lindaacaster

She can also be reached on Facebook & Goodreads!

Book Links:

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Linda-Acaster/e/B002TNCOQE

Amazon US: http://tinyurl.com/344c7j5

For I-Pad, Sony, Nook, etc: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lindaacaster

HOLIDAY SEASON GIVEAWAY – PART 3 

International 

Open till 1st Jan 2012

Book: Reading a Writer's Mind

5 winners to be chosen!

Book Blurb: 

“Reading A Writer’s Mind” shows the detailed thinking behind the writing of ten stories across a range of genres and using different modes of delivery. From the initial idea, through the story itself, to a commentary explaining the decisions made during the writing, this book offers a unique insight into one writer’s creative process, laying a path to follow and showing the tools to use.

Now, it’s time for the Christmas Special Giveaway! I am so excited to announce that Linda is offering FIVE (Yes! You heard that right, 5!) copies of her book, “Reading a Writer’s Mind” to my wonderful readers. So, do not miss this golden opportunity and enter this giveaway right now! Make sure you tell your writer friends about it, so they can also participate and get a chance to be one of the FIVE (5) very lucky winners!

To enter, follow these these really simple steps to enter this awesome giveaway:

1- Leave a genuine comment on this post. You can discuss, share your own experience or ask a question related to the writing process. If you are a writer, feel free to linkback to your blog/website. 

2- Follow me on GFC (Google Friend Connect) and write your GFC name. (If GFC follow button is not showing, you can follow me on NB = Networked Blogs. In that case, provide your NB name.) 

3- Follow me on Twitter by clicking here. (You need to be logged in to Twitter to do this.) 

4- Follow my blog’s Facebook group by clicking here. (You need to be signed in to Facebook to follow this group). 

5- Please provide your valid e-mail address (so I can notify you if you are one of the lucky winners!)

Example:

My comment:…………

GFC Name: The Review Girl

Twitter Name: @thereviewgirl

Facebook Name: Komz Reviews

E-mail : mediajerks@yahoo.com

Sharing is caring!

Spreading a word about this giveaway through tweets and by sharing on your facebook wall/pages/forums/groups, will be highly appreciated. By sharing, you help me bring you more such giveaways in future. I thank you in advance for supporting my blog. Before signing off, I would like to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas! xxx

Note: All these rules given above are REQUIRED to enter this giveaway, otherwise your entry will not be counted. Only genuine comments will be published and counted. One entry per person.

This giveaway is international. Five (5) winners will be chosen through Random.org. They will be notified through email from “The Review Girl”.

 Good Luck everyone! 

BE MY GUEST: Author Interview: Cara Bertoia

Today, I am thrilled to host Cara Bertoia, co-author of an amazing travel novel which is as much about romance as it is about travel (the novel is based on their real-life love story). So read on to find out more about the book “Cruise Quarters” and how she met the man of her dreams. You would not want to miss infectious laugh on her witty answers as a bonus! :)

RG: Tell us about yourself and your love for traveling.


I have always loved to travel. Ever since I was a little girl my favorite hobby was reading novels about far away places, on a hot summer day I would be Mary Queen of Scots locked in the chilly London Tower. When I was in college I studied in Mexico for a semester and after that there was no holding me down. There is a German word for that feeling -- torschlusskpanik (the fear of missing the boat). In my case, literally.

RG: I understand that your book is about travel, yet it is a novel! Sounds interesting! Why did you think of penning down your travel anecdotes in the form of a novel and not in a non-fiction style travel narrative?

I just think that it worked better as a novel. I had to move things around and of course enhance things for dramatic effect and then I really couldn't call it non-fiction. I also had to change the names to protect us! My novel was written with the help of my husband Ray. I felt like I had a great story to tell, a true love story played out in some of the most beautiful ports in the world. And the fact that there was a happy ending surprised me more than anybody.

RG: Sounds interesting! What is different about “Cruise Quarters” as compared to other travel books available in the market? What do you think your book offers in terms of “originality” and “uniqueness”?

Well I know that my novel is the first written from the viewpoint of a female croupier, who has over a decade in the casino industry, we give the view from behind the blackjack table. My husband and I also worked on luxury liners for over a decade and so we take the reader behind the scenes of the casino and cruise ship industry. Ray also worked in European countries as diverse as Moscow and England. By shifting the story between us, we offer a story from both of our perspectives. My readers always comment that our description of the places we visited and the adventures we encountered really resonated with them.


RG: In your opinion, how is “going on a cruise” a better way to travel than by air or train?

I will give you a few of the top reasons: the views coming into port from the deck of a ship, not having to pack and unpack your bags, and going to sleep in a comfortable bed in Copenhagen and waking up in Stockholm. Those are just a few of the reasons. I just wrote a blog post on this as well called The Top Ten Reasons To Travel Around Europe on A Cruise Ship.

RG: Name some of the beautiful places that are covered in your book?


To me Venice is always the most beautiful place in the world. Of the many ports in the Caribbean we visited my favorite is St. Martin, an island that is half Dutch, half French, the mixture of the two cultures makes for an interesting island. Our book travels from Europe to the Caribbean, but just when think you can relax we cruise down the Amazon and on to Rio.

RG: Amazing! Your book offers a collage of European and American beauty. There is also a romantic element in your novel which is based on your real-life love story. Tell us how you meet Ray (any juicy tidbits we should know *winks*)

When I met Ray I was hung over, sitting on the floor of the hallway with my hair pinned on top of my head, no makeup, dressed in my crew bar\pajama outfit sorting mail. I saw a cute Scottish guy round the corner but I didn't give him a second look I had sworn off shipboard romances. He said he knew that we would be together from the second he met me, but read our book and you'll know he is just trying to score points.

RG: *laughs* So, it was “Love at first sight” (at least from his side *wink*). List 5 suggestions/writing tips for those who want to venture into writing non-fiction.


1. Do something interesting so that you will have something to write about, I was working on my MFA in writing before I joined ships, and I knew working on a cruise ship would be a great setting for a novel.

2. Read it out loud so you will know if your dialogue sounds right.

3. Do the research, because sometimes your memory can play tricks on you.

4. Be honest, no one is on their best behavior 24/7 and anyway the embarrassing parts are the best bits.

5. But most importantly if it is based on real people besides YOU make it fiction! You can avoid a lawsuit that way.

RG: Those are some extremely useful tips for all writers! Do you think that book blogs play a vital role in getting the books across to readers?

I have seen that articles from our blog get picked up and spread throughout the internet. I also think that people like to read about your background and then they have a good idea about the authenticity of your work. But I believe that the most important blogs are the ones like yours that work to spread the word about new books. With the demise of book reviews in newspapers I think blogs like “The Review Girl” fill that gap.


RG: How much time did it take for you to complete this book? What was your routine for writing?

It took years to write this book. I took notes while I lived at sea. I went to the crew bar every night - but only in the name of research. I started it in a class at UCLA and from there I wrote and re-wrote until I thought every line was perfect then I had my friends from the casino business and the cruise ship industry read it and I wrote some more. When one of my cruise ship friends read my novel, she immediately made copies for four of her friends. That day I knew I had nailed it.

RG: Are you inspired by any particular author? Who is your favorite author?


I really like Charles Bukowski, he made me see that you could write in a clear and concise way and still be entertaining. I also like Steve Martin he writes with a good understanding of human nature. Then there is Lionel Shriver who gives her writing a kick of cynicism. I could never pick one favorite author it changes all the time.

RG: I believe that there are only two categories of books: good books and bad books. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a “good book”?


A good book is easy to read, it entertains you and it just might teach you a little bit about life and human nature. I always like to get inside the head of the character I am reading about and I always hope she is not too nice.

Now, time for some fun questions:

RG: Favorite holiday destination.


I love all the old cities of Europe, Venice, London, Glasgow, my husband and I can walk for hours and just be entertained by the life passing by us. We love to walk and eat, that is why I was known as the food scout on ships. Whenever we cruised to a new city I would walk the streets until I found the perfect restaurant for the casino staff to go to.

RG: Favourite foreign cuisine.

Chinese.

RG: Tell us about the craziest thing you ever did while on a cruise.

The casino staff was locked up in a restaurant while the owner held us hostage demanding more money. I don't want to say too much, that is also in the book.

RG: Any place (romantic island or resort) which you recommend to newlyweds for honeymoon?

I'm American so I think Venice is the most romantic city in the world. Ray said Malta, he's Scottish, go figure. But for an island I would definitely say Bali.

Bali: Crystal clear blue water and tranquility, best place to visit for some romance!

RG: How do you relax when you have free time? 

In my free time I listen to political shows like The Daily Show, and Real Time. I also work out, but I hate that, just trying to be able to eat more. On our days off, when wanderlust hits us, we love to travel to San Diego and Los Angeles and just walk around, and of course eat!

RG: Complete these sentences:


* Love is...easy when it's done right.

* Life is...here and now, this not a dress rehearsal.

* Writing is...torture, rewriting is a blast.

* Travelling is...accepting where you are, for what it is and getting the most out of it.

RG: Your statement on writing is a debate in itself. For me, it is the other way around: writing is a blast but re-writing is a torture! *laughs* Thank you for such a lovely interview. It was a pleasure having you on my blog. Wish you all the best for your book. 

About the Book: 

Cruise Quarters - A novel About Casinos and Cruise Ships

The # 1 cruise ship novel is a fun, fast paced tale of working in the casino aboard a Regal Cruises cruise-ship. It is based on a true story and was written by authors who have over a decade of experience working on luxury cruise ships.

Sarah Seldon is a croupier on the luxury liner. After many unhappy endings, and burnt out on shipboard romance, she is determined to forget about men and concentrate on becoming a casino manager. On land women face a dearth of GOOD men but on a ship giving up men would take willpower. The mostly male crew exist to serve her every need. Handsome Italian waiters bring her food, the Filipino steward cleans her room, English officers play poker with her and the Welsh plumber fixes her sink. She leads a cushy life, sleeping 'til noon, eating gourmet food, and the topper - she gets to wake up in beautiful new place everyday. All because she works in a casino, a place so bad it has SIN in the middle.

Book a cruise and travel with Sarah and the crew as they work, play, feast, and fall in and out of love, all while the ship sails around the globe, stopping at exotic ports of call. Along the way, from Venice to Barcelona sight-see in the Med, shop in St. Martin, take an eco-cruise down the Amazon, and feast in Glasgow. Let the crew tell you their own stories as they sit in the hallway in the wee hours of the morning. While the ship travels to new destinations, tired and tipsy they share tales of love and betrayal. – (Book Blurb Courtesy: Amazon.com)

Click the link to find at Amazon.com

Click the link to find at Amazon United Kingdom

Click the link to find at Amazon Germany

Click the link to find at Barnes and Noble

Click the link to find at Smashwords

The link to the paperback at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Cruise-Quarters-Novel-About-Casinos/dp/1461010470/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

To know more about the authors of this book, visit these blogs:

http://carabertoia.blogspot.com/

http://casinosandcruiseships.blogspot.com/

Do you like to read travel books? Are you a travel junkie like Cara? Do you have any interesting/fun incident to tell about your travels? Feel free to share in the comment section below. I would love to hear your thoughts.

BE MY GUEST: How to develop an engaging main character: Nicky Wells

There are always some characters which stay in our mind for years after reading a book, what makes them so memorable? What makes them so engaging? Is it because they are well-rounded and relatable? Or do their flaws make them stand-out and get stuck in our heads? Is it because such characters can be visualized by the readers easily? 

Nicky Wells, author of “Sophie’s Turn”, answers these intriguing questions and ruminates on creating and developing a main character, also known as “protagonist” in technical terms.

How to develop an engaging main character 

By Author: Nicky Wells

  

When Komal contacted me and suggested I should write a guest blog on writing and developing a main character, my first reaction was one of despair. I’m not a ‘trained’ writer as such, have never been to any writing courses, and have never tried to teach anybody else to write. What I do, is write. So how could I possibly offer a guest blog on this subject?

Initial panic quelled and calm thoughts restored, I thought I’d do what I do best: write, and this time, write about what I did, and how I did it. This is not intended as the definite guide to creating a lead character; this is simply me sharing my experience.

So I decided to write my big novel, finally. First things first: I had a think about my characters. The female character was obviously the focus of attention; she would be the I-narrator, and she’d lend her name to the book. So I started with a name.

I picked ‘Sophie’ out of a long list of baby names on the internet for two reasons. Obviously the name appealed to me, but also at that time I didn’t know anybody personally by that name, so there could be no connection with a real person.

That accomplished, I sat down and created a character profile, which looked like this:

The character profile had to answer key question that I would know about my best friend—and I considered Sophie to be one of them! So I thought of all the important and not so important things that one typically knows about one’s best friends, including what they like to eat, their pet hates and their happy buttons. Once complete, that character profile lived on my wall where I could see it while writing. I let it percolate for a few days to make sure that I really ‘knew’ Sophie… and of course, I did the same for the other key characters. Over time, as I was writing, it evolved in places but largely, that profile was my framework of references in all things Sophie.

Right then, now that I had a ‘feel’ for who Sophie was, I needed to think about her motivations. What does she want from life? And is she getting where she wants to be? In Sophie’s case, the answer was quite simple. Actually, she’d love nothing more than settling with a gorgeous man somewhere in a nice house (doesn’t need to be big or pompous, just nice and comfy) with a couple of children and a lovely part-time job that she enjoys. At the start of the novel, she has a job that she adores, and a really close friend who acts as her extended family. She rents a flat that she likes but would be even happier if she could buy it. And she has Tim, her boyfriend of two years, who she is reasonably happy with… BUT.

This was Sophie’s starting point. Things are good, BUT. And this ‘but’ sets the story off for Sophie as there is something missing in her life. This is where character development began. Initially Sophie thinks she is discontent because Tim isn’t proposing. As far as she can see, all the other pieces necessary for happiness in her life are more or less in place.

But actually, by and by she realises that there is more amiss with her life than she thought. Specifically, she is missing some kind of excitement, some glitz and glamour. And at this moment Tusk and Dan come back into her life. While the flashbacks ought to have served as a hint to Sophie, it is bumping into Darren (the guitarist) at the airport that really opens her eyes to her own motivations. In this way, I moved Sophie from the ‘mostly happy’ into the ‘confused and uncertain’ state of mind.

Things get even worse when Dan starts wooing Sophie in the most romantic way imaginable. Here she is, straight as an arrow, never lied to anyone, only looking for fairly simple ingredients to her happiness… and Dan throws a massive spanner in the works. What’s a girl to do?

You may have noticed that planning the development in Sophie’s motivation (and events in her life, obviously) is closely linked to the development of the plot as a whole. So after the character profile and basic thoughts on her motivation, the next step wasn’t actually outlining her evolution, as I just did above. The actual next step was to plan the plot in meticulous detail, and then dovetail her emotions, motivations and actions with the storyline. It’s a little bit of a chicken-and-egg question, and I tend to do a little bit of this followed by a little bit of that… a kind of incremental, interlinked character and plot development.

And this, in a nutshell, is my approach to creating and developing a lead character. If you’re starting to write a novel right now, I’d say the absolutely most important thing is to make sure to get into your character’s head. You have to know him or her as though he/she was a real person. And yes, that may involve holding the occasional conversation with them, arguing and debating with them and, sometimes, telling them off. If you know your character intimately, you’ll find it relatively easy to grow and evolve them.

A Big Thanks to Komal for hosting a guest-blog stop on my “Virtual Book Tour” for “Sophie’s Turn”.

About the Author:

Nicky Wells is a writer and former business practices researcher. Born and raised in Germany, she moved to the United Kingdom in 1993. Having received degrees from the University of London and from the University of Oxford, she has spent six years working as a researcher and project manager for an international Human Resources research firm based in London and Washington, DC. She has just published her novel, “Sophie’s Turn” which is a contemporary romance tale. To know more about her and her writing, visit her website: http://nickywellsklippert.wordpress.com

About her Book:

Slapper. Slut. Adulteress. These are hardly words that Sophie Penhalligan would normally use to describe herself. And yet this is exactly how she is behaving, all things considered, even if she isn’t quite married to Tim yet. Aged nineteen, she travelled halfway across the country to honour an invitation by her favourite rock band, Tusk, to join them for the last gig of their tour. And now her past is coming to tempt her... How could Tim ever stand a chance against Dan, the charming, handsome lead-singer? How could she?

Sophie, now twenty-eight and a budding newspaper journalist, is happily embroiled in a relationship with Tim, her boyfriend of two years. Until recently, she was confident that Tim would eventually propose—probably as soon as he could get his act together. But just as Tim’s persistent inaction is beginning to cast a cloud over their relationship, Dan’s sudden reappearance turns Sophie’s world upside down. Thus unfolds a roller-coaster of events including an ill-fated trip to Paris with Tim, a night of unfulfilled romance with Dan, Sophie and Tim’s engagement party gate-crashed by Dan, and Sophie’s professional secondment to accompany Dan’s band on their revival tour—at Dan’s special request and very much against her will.

And then, one fine day in Paris, Sophie suddenly finds herself engaged to Dan while her erstwhile fiancé Tim is... well, doing whatever it is Tim does back in London. What is she to do now? Who wouldn’t give anything to meet their favourite star, let alone marry him?

Find out how Sophie gets into this impossible situation, and how she turns it around, in Sophie’s Turn, a modern romantic fairy tale. – (Courtesy: Amazon.co.uk)

To buy this book on Amazon (UK), click here.


To purchase from Amazon (US), click here.

BE MY GUEST: How to write Historical Fiction: Karen V. Wasylowski

Dear folks! Let’s greet Karen who is an amazing author of “Darcy and Fitzwilliam” (read my review here). This book is getting rave reviews from the literary world. Not only is her book good, she is also a sweet and down-to-earth person with an open mind for constructive feedback. Today, she is here to give us some valuable writing tips on how to use “history” as a background for writing a novel. If you are planning to write literary fiction or an adaptation of some great classic, this article will definitely help you in your creative pursuit.

How to write Historical Fiction 

By Author: Karen V. Wasylowski 

First of all I want to make it clear that I do not in any way, shape, or form, consider myself a professional writer, even though by some bizarre quirk of fate I did have a novel published, and when I say published I mean by a real publisher who has a Chicago office and a Connecticut office and there are lots of desks in Chicago with eager, skinny, twenty-two year old, recent Northwestern graduates, who look a lot younger, say barely fifteen, and they all want to find the next great giant in the literary world. I believe that is a fine example of a run-on sentence. Anyway, my point is I wrote a historical novel - Darcy and Fitzwilliam - and I did it without formal training. I had no idea going in what complexities would be involved. And, evidently, I was not that next great literary find. But I digress…

I suppose the best place to start is with a time frame in history that interests you. The more I read, the more fascinated I became with the Regency Period, those nine years between 1811 - when King George III (Mad King George) was deemed unfit to rule and his son, the Prince of Wales, became his proxy as Prince Regent - and 1820, when the Prince Regent became George IV upon the death of his father. Very dry and clinical when you read the facts, but that is what is so wonderful about Historical Fiction. Research!

When you find that era or period of time you are interested in you will really want to do a great deal of research. (I dislike ‘historicals’ that fit history to their story, instead of fitting their story to history) The drama of the past can always be used, and often gives you inspiration, actually becoming another character to your tale.

I found that Regency England was really pretty wild. The more I researched about George III and the Prince of Wales, the more fascinated I became. The Prince Regent held court at Carlton House, his followers being a pretty randy group that engaged in all of the vices - gaming, drinking, carousing, cavorting, etc. When the Prince of Wales married a Catholic widow, Maria Fitzherbert, he tried to keep the marriage secret, but his father found out and insisted it be dissolved. The marriage was deemed illegal and the Prince agreed to go along as long as his gambling losses were covered (romantic fellow). He then went on to marry Caroline of Brunswick whom he detested so viscerally that he refused her admittance to his coronation. His true love was still Maria Fitzherbert and she remained his true love (between his mistresses of course) for his whole life.

Still, while he was King his behavior, and that of his court, continued to deteriorate. His dear friends, Fox and Sheridan, were debauchers and gamblers, his friend the Earl of Barrymore (a distant relation to the famous acting family) reinstated the Hellfire Club, a group dedicated to sins of the flesh, and the nonsense went on and on as they all descended deeper and deeper into a hedonistic lifestyle. It was not until years later that the tide turned, when Queen Victoria’s new husband, the very moral Prince Albert, arrived at court and observed its long accepted and appalling behavior. He began to enforce more rigid codes of conduct, ushering in the now famous Victorian Age.

You see then how the times of the era form the characters about whom you write, those beloved people, those men and women of your story, are products of the era. You can’t really write about those people until you understand them thoroughly and the times in which they lived. The more research you do, the more details and information you obtain, the more interesting and realistic a story you can create.


While I researched Darcy and Fitzwilliam I learned not only about the Regency era with regards to the grand level of society to which Fitzwilliam Darcy probably belonged, I also had to learn about the Peninsular Wars. Colonel Fitzwilliam (the other half of my dynamic duo) would more than likely have been involved in those wars and that provided me with material to flesh out his character. Actually his character is mentioned only in two or three pages of “Pride and Prejudice”, described as Darcy’s cousin, a co-guardian of Georgiana, a second son who needed to marry money since he had none of his own, a flirt, a charming and delightful companion to Lizzy; but, he not as good looking a fellow as Darcy. That was all the information provided by Jane Austen for the character of Colonel Fitzwilliam. The true history of Great Britain provided the rest.

About the Author:

Karen V. Wasylowski is a retired accountant living in Bradenton, Florida, with her husband, Richard, and their many pets. Karen and Richard spend much of their free time volunteering with the St. Vincent DePaul Society and Stillpoint House of Prayer, both charitable organizations that assist the poor living in the Bradenton community. They are also actively involved with Project Light of Manatee, an all-volunteer organization that provides literacy instruction to poor immigrants and to members of the community who cannot read.


Visit her website to know more about her and her writing: http://www.karenwasylowski.com/

To buy her book, “Darcy and Fitzwilliam”, click here.

To read my detailed review of this book, click here.

BE MY GUEST: Author Interview: Sarah Billington

Meet very young and very talented Sarah Billington who is the author of many short stories and has recently published her first novel, “Life Was Cool Until You Got Popular.” She likes to write stories with love, laughs, suspense and zombies. Sometimes all in the same story. Today, she is here with us, to share her passion for writing and reading as well as give some fabulous writing tips to newbie authors. Surprisingly, she finished her book in just six weeks!!! Want to know how? Then, read on!

RG: Why did you think of becoming a writer? Did some person or incident in life inspire you? Or you thought you had the germs to be a writer?


I always wanted to be a writer. I have no idea when it started, all I do know is that I have mountains of old notebooks and loose-leaf paper filled with stories from when I was a kid. I remember lying in front of the heater, falling asleep on my notebook a lot. And ink stains on the side of my hand for pretty much my whole childhood, as I’m a left hander and well…that’s just what happens when you write a lot. I used to write what I was reading, so I wrote a lot of scary stories based on R.L Stine and Christopher Pike, and then I wrote a whole series about a group of teens, based on the Babysitter’s Club I think. John Marsden was definitely the author that made me decide that being an author was what I wanted to be when I grew up.

RG: What kind of books do you write?

I’ve never been one to settle on a style and I write all the different types of books I read. Right now, I write funny books for girls, and dystopias. But so as not to confuse readers, I write funny books for girls under my name, Sarah Billington, and dystopias and thrillers under my two middle names, Edwina Ray. I’ll sometimes write adult short stories (meaning grown up, not erotica) but most of the time I write Young Adult and Middle Grade. I love writing about the awkwardness and embarrassment of teenage life. I was never cool – no one actually feels cool all the time! You do things wrong until you work out how to do them right. I love writing about those learning experiences and growing up.

RG: Why did you choose to write in those genres?

Up until a couple of years ago I was writing adult fiction because I thought, now that I’m a grown up, that’s what I have to do. I should be serious, and literary. I should have something really important, something poignant to say. I wanted to be a writer, but literary and poetic just isn’t me. I was unhappy. But then I attended a weekend workshop on writing Young Adult fiction and it clicked: I mean, it’s not young adults writing young adult fiction (most of the time), the stuff I still love reading. It’s grown-ups, like me! And it’s grown-ups writing all those teen movies and TV shows that are so fun to watch. It’s totally legitimate for me to write funny, mortifyingly embarrassing stories about best friends and relationships going wrong.

RG: What books have you published so far and what are they about?

So far, I have published five short story e-books, getting a taste for the e-book scene. The names of the books and their synopsis are given below: 

Life was easier When Boys Were Stupid

Jess is at a party and girls and boys around her are locked together at the lips and hips. When did everyone grow up so fast? She's not sure she wants to, but her friend Carla points out a boy across the room with eyes only for Jess. Life Was Easier When Boys Were Stupid won the Gippsland Award in 2009's Fellowship of Australian Writers Awards. 

The Ballerina & My Best Friend

Amanda’s best friend is getting married tomorrow. She, and everyone she knows always assumed he would be marrying her. Can she talk him out of it before he makes the biggest mistake of his life?

 

The Death & Life of Rocky the Crab


On the morning her friend arrives back in town, Lisa is reminded that she was pet sitting his crab. But she’d kind of forgotten to feed it, it’s not in its cage and its owner will be there any minute. This short story is based on a hilarious TRUE STORY I was told. You just can’t make this stuff up.

Life Was Cool Until You Got Popular


Thirteen year old Kaley’s BFF Jules is an alien clone. That has to be it. Because Jules wouldn’t dress like that or act like that…and she definitely wouldn’t be friends with Meg-a-bitch. This book chronicles the initial incomprehension of what happened to destroy their friendship. But that doesn't last long. Kaley's not losing her best friend without a fight!

RG: If you could be one character from your books, who would you choose to be and why?

I would either be Maiyuki or Coby from “Life Was Cool...”

Maiyuki is supremely confident and happy, has her own style and opinions and doesn’t give a damn what other people think of her. Coby is that adorable kid who’s completely chill about everything, and is pretty oblivious to drama. Nothing fazes Coby.

RG: Do you have any upcoming projects? Tell us about them.


I have a completed Young Adult novel called The Kiss Off, about Poppy who writes a scathing song, ‘The Kiss Off’ about her ex-boyfriend Cam and ex-good friend Nikki, the boyfriend stealer. She uploads it to YouTube, where it catches the attention of Ty, the lead singer of a local band. With this song, his band skyrockets to the top of the charts and into the public eye, bringing Poppy's emotional dirty laundry with it.

RG: List some suggestions/writing tips for those who want to venture into writing fiction.

1. Read.

I used to find this tip annoying because it’s like, there are so many books out there, and what books EXACTLY should I be reading? But recently I read a couple of books that really affected me emotionally and I made a point of working out what it was the authors did so I can learn from it and use the same techniques in my own work. Reading – not just literary, not just the classics – even reading genre fiction is EDUCATIONAL. So read LOTS. LEARN LOTS.

2. Write often.

Even if it’s only a little bit, it’s SO much easier to keep writing when you’re doing it regularly, than it is to write a lot when you’re out of practice. Plus if you write regularly, it can be kind of like a drug (to my understanding). You can get so into it. You know that feeling you get with your favourite TV show, or your favourite book, how much you care about them and how awesome it is when cool things happen to them? Well it’s even better when they’re your OWN characters because you know them better than anyone else does!

3. Meet other writers.

Go to festivals, conferences, book launches, events. Can’t get there? Talk to them on blogs, facebook, forums and twitter. MAKE WRITER FRIENDS. Writing is a solitary activity and it can get lonely. And if you don’t have other writers in your world, you don’t necessarily have people who understand what you’re going through. Having writer friends is having cheerleaders, motivational speakers and critique partners. It’s having people believe in you even when you start to doubt yourself. I cherish my writer friends.

RG: Do you think that book blogs play a vital role in getting the books across to readers?


I do, I really do. When I see the same book making the rounds of lots of blogs, it makes me feel like it’s popular. That everyone wants to read it, it’s getting buzz. Everyone’s buying it so it MUST be good. None of this stuff is necessarily true, a lot of those bloggers are getting them free and they may not have read it but it helps increase hype and excitement and puts new books at the front of your mind when you see them in stores.

RG: Printed books vs. E-books. What’s your take on this?


I love printed books, but I also love e-books, the ease of which you can buy them and the sampling before buying. I used to buy a lot of novels that sounded SO AWESOME but then I opened them and didn’t particularly like the writing style. With sampling you can find out before you buy whether this writer is for you or not.

RG: How much time did it take for you to complete “Life Was Cool Until You Got Popular”? What was your routine for writing?


This was my first full novel that I FINISHED. I had started many, many before but never finished them. I was living on campus at my university and decided to stay there in the six week mid-semester break while most other people went home. I gave myself that deadline: Six weeks. It was bliss. Every time I got stuck I’d go for a walk on the university soccer field and plot points would come unstuck. I wrote whenever I wanted to, morning, midnight. I’d always come back from the oval full to the brim with ideas. I did it, by the time everyone came back I was done. Six weeks, baby.

RG: How do you balance your family life and your writing commitments?


Luckily for me, at this point in my life I am child and partner-free, but I do have two part time jobs, I’m part time at University and I am running my own editing business, “Billington Media” so there’s less time than there used to be for writing. I don’t get those six week chunks of time off anymore. How I balance my time is by scheduling my writing in a couple of times a week. I have writing dates with a friend every week. We go to a pub, talk and then get to work for a couple of hours so it keeps me writing every week even when I’m swamped.

RG: Are you inspired by any particular author? Who is your favourite author?

I love Louise Rennison and her Georgia Nicolson books, and Brent Crawford’s Carter books. Those two authors have super strong voices and they know how to bring the funny. Suzanne Collins is amazing because she’s so brave. She’ll do it, she’ll break her readers hearts. The death toll on much-loved characters in Mockingjay was painfully high. And James Dashner’s The Maze Runner was outstanding. Every time I was SURE I knew what was coming, the whole plot would be twisted on its head. It kept me guessing for SURE.

RG: I believe that there are only two categories of books: good books and bad books. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a “good book”?

Books that make you feel – whatever it is they want you to feel, happy sad, love, grief, fear. If it makes you feel, to me, it’s a good book. Also, books that make you see. I see scenes in my head like a movie, so if I can see what is happening then I am likely to be into the book. So this means description and setting are very important to me, for a book to be a good one.

RG: What suggestions would you give to aspiring authors who are entering the market? What mistakes should they avoid?

Don’t give up – on yourself or your book. The difference between being published and not being published is perseverance, that’s what they say. But nowadays, with indie authors e-publishing themselves, the difference between being published and not being published is not only perseverance, but belief in yourself and your product. That it’s going to find its readership. There are a lot of success stories out there and if you believe in yourself, whether you traditionally publish through a big publisher or self-publish your own e-book, that success can be yours too.

RG: Last but not least, why should people buy your book?


Because it’s funny, it’s messy and awkward but Kayley, the main character is determined no matter how many times she gets knocked down.

RG: Thank you for your interview. It was a pleasure having you on my blog. Wish you all the best for your current as well as upcoming books. 

About the Author:

Sarah Billington is an Australian writer and editor. You can find her in Melbourne, Australia as a Literary Festival volunteer, at the movies watching action blockbusters, talking books and writing at dinner with other writers or perhaps cheering on Melbourne Ice hockey team. She likes to write stories with love, URST, mortifying embarrassment and lots of laughs. She also writes stories with a dose of death and murder but lets her alter ego Edwina Ray take charge of those. To know more about her and her writing, visit her blog: SarahBillington.blogspot.com

You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

To buy her books on Amazon, click here.
To find her books on Smashwords, click here.