Fresh Starts And New Beginnings featuring Amanda C Stone

      With January being the month of both new beginnings, and fresh starts, I love that so many people are talking about it here on the WON Blog. Since I’m doing both this year – a fresh start and a new beginning – I figured I’d share both today. For me, 2014 was a pretty crappy year. I did have some wonderful things happen, but at the same time, it was mostly bad.
     My fresh start came about when I made a pact with myself as I got into bed New Years Eve. I was asleep well before midnight, but I said I was going to make 2015 the best year ever, even if I had to force it. This is the year that I actually get published and keep publishing. Granted, I knew the first part would happen already since I had two projects releasing this month. But I wanted to make a fresh start at my goal of continuing to publish.
     I’ve been writing for a few years now, but could never get anything published. It either sucked really bad and should never have been sent off for consideration, or I lost the fire to finish the project I was working on. Of course life kept throwing me curve balls so that didn’t help. But I got my very first acceptance letter last year in August, which is one of the two that released this month. I also finished the other project that released this month. Both of those released together create my fresh start. I’ve got a fresh look at this whole author thing and I’m going to keep that momentum going.
     My new beginning is related to all of that. Last year I was a bit disheartened with my lack of success so far. But this year I’m taking my fresh start and using it for a new beginning. Focus on the writing, get the stories out there, and keep going. I won’t let life throw obstacles in my path. If I make time to write, I’ll constantly be working towards finishing a story. I don’t do daily word goals. But I do have daily writing goals. Whether it’s a little bit of planning, or a little bit of research, I do something for my writing projects every day. Sometimes the only thing I can do is making time in the future by getting unrelated things done early and out of the way.
     So here’s to both new beginnings AND fresh starts. What is your fresh start or new beginning of this year?
      The two published stories that kicked my year off to an amazing start.
The Adventures of Cole and Perry

Amazon  and ARe

Agent Princess Twinkle Buttons: Matchmaker
Part of the Kritter Tales Anthology
(Cover picture)

Amazon  and ARe

 Find Amanda C. Stone at her website or on Facebook or Twitter.

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Brita Addams

     I suppose to have a new beginning, you have to have something that draws you toward something else, different, new. Perhaps tragedy, sadness, or boredom.

     2014 had a personal profound impact on our family. In August, my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. While we suspected the cause of the tremors in his left hand and jaw, hearing those words from the neurologist changed everything on a dime. I froze. No longer was I the gal with a gazillion questions, because honestly, I wasn’t prepared for the answers.

     “I came home and visited the Michael J. Fox webpage for his Parkinson’s foundation. There I read a ton of information, the most important being, “Parkinson’s is a life altering disease, but it isn’t a life ending disease.” That is the sum total of what I’ve read about it and that is all I will ever read. I’m too busy living life and so is Clint. He doesn’t want to know what he’s facing, because “it will take away from what I have today.”

     Upbeat and positive as always, he keeps me laughing and he actually thanks me for “laughing at my goofy shit.” “Why stop now,” I tell him. “I’ve been laughing at, er, with you for many years.”

     And so we go on, together, with our children and grandchildren, grateful for all we have, which is considerable. The meds are helping with the severe deterioration in strength. Clint can hold me again and make me feel his arms around me. That loss was significant and it’s so wonderful to have that back. We test his arm strength often, as good monitors of health should.

     I won’t deny that Parkinson’s has altered our lives, and I won’t tell you that I don’t rail against whatever brought this down on my wonderful darling’s head. I won’t even say that we’ve learned some profound lesson from it all. What I can tell you is, 2015 will bring what it brings and I wouldn’t want to begin a new year with anyone but him. I’ll be by his side every step of the way, as he has always stood by me. He encourages, rallies me when I flag, is my biggest cheerleader (looks great in the outfit too!) and most of all, loves me for being just me.

     I will leave you with the poem he wrote the day after he told me he loved me—nearly 40 years ago. In May, we celebrate our 35^th wedding anniversary.

Letting

Just letting you be you and letting me be me

Has brought about this thing we do so naturally.

Without the slightest tension or effort on your part,

I reached down deep within my soul and offered you my heart.

You in turn repaid me, with love of equal kind.

The sort you seek forever and often never find.

So it’s not hard to picture how such a love can be.

Just letting you be you, and letting me be me.

     We all have something to gain when we live by such words. We begin each new year by reaffirming these words, and they have never been truer than they are now.

     While 2014 was my year of rewriting some of my previously published books, 2015 is the year that I will have new stuff. At the moment, I’m writing a novel set in 1920s New Orleans. I hope to have it finished by April and off to a publisher.

     In the meantime, I have a new release—Her Timeless Obsession, with Musa Publishing. Here’s the blurb:

                                                         A love that transcends time.

     Ever the explorer, Honey Danby discovers a treasure trove in her dusty 1910 London attic. Old trunks filled with clothes, journals, and love letters written between two lovers in 1810 entertain her and leave her longing for a time and a man long past. Dressed in an irresistible gown from one of the trunks, Honey discovers a heart-wrenching love story. When she learns that all was cruelly torn asunder, the handsome soldier's loving words written to his H. catapult Honey into an adventure that defies logic.

     When, dressed in a crisper version of the gown, Honey inexplicably awakens inside a rumbling horse-drawn carriage, she discovers she shares the antiquated vehicle with the man who tore the lovers apart. Can she convince this stranger to forego his unreasonable demands, or will history repeat itself on a misty August morn in Green Park?

Buy Link for this book!  

About Brita Addams

      Born in a small town in upstate New York, Brita Addams has made her home in the sultry south for many years. In the Frog Capital of the World, Brita shares her home with her real-life hero—her husband, and a fat cat named Stormee. All their children are grown.

     Given her love of history, Brita writes both het and gay historical romance. Many of her historicals have appeared on category bestseller lists at various online retailers.

     Musa Publishing publishes Brita’s heterosexual historical romances, including the rewritten and expanded, best-selling Sapphire Club series, each with new titles. Again, each of the titles have again hit the best-selling lists at various online vendors.

     Tarnished Gold, the first in her gay romance Tarnished series for Dreamspinner Press, was a winner in the 2013 Rainbow Awards, Historical Romance category. The book also received nominations for Best Historical and Best Book of 2013 from the readers of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group.

     A bit of trivia—Brita pronounces her name, Bree-ta, and not Brit-a, like the famous water filter. Brita Addams is a mash-up of her real middle name and her husband's middle name, with an additional d and s.

Readers can find more information about Brita Addams at any of the following places:

Website/Blog 
Twitter
Facebook 

Fan page 
Pinterest

Booklikes 

Monthly column at The Novel Approach

Please stay in touch by subscribing to my monthly newsletter

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Joel Skelton

   

Hello readers and fellow authors, I’m Joel Skelton and frankly, I’m scared.

    Here’s the deal—I’m frightened I won’t like the new characters I’ve planned for my next book. And if I don’t like them, my readers certainly won’t. Maybe the characters won’t like me. What if they retaliate each time I attempt to bring them to life—speaking in unrealistic bursts and refusing to connect with one another? Perhaps collectively, they’ll revolt against the plot I’ve devised. Holy crap, this could be a real frickin’ mess!  (Wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead.)
     You might think it’s silly for me to worry. I would agree, except for the last four years I’ve had enormous pleasure creating the characters and locations that inhabit a world Beneath the Palisade. For those unfamiliar with my series, the Palisade is a stunning rock formation located on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. It’s also home to the Palisade Beach Resort, The Men’s Center, and the Lip Smacker Cafe, to name just a few of the story settings.  
     Harper and Ian, Alex and Theo, Brent and Owen—those endearing rascals, along with a host of quirky supporting characters, have grown very dear to me. You may have heard other series writers complain about growing tired of their characters—how they long for the opportunity to break new ground and start fresh. Not me. I know these characters inside and out. And I will miss them immensely. The next story in the series (and most likely the last) titled Beneath the Palisade: Justice is due for release by Dreamspinner Press in April. 
     Now that I’ve shared my worries, I must confess—there’s also excitement building to take my writing to a new place—a fresh start—a new beginning.  I feel I’m gaining some distance. It might be fun to skip around—maybe explore some solo projects—and in the process, perhaps plan a new series. Right now, investigating a new path is what I find most appealing, despite my apprehensions of leaving those old friends.
     Another consideration before beginning a new project: should I write another romance or switch genres? A post on Facebook the other day caught my interest. Without realizing it at first, it answered the question for me.
     A relatively new author commented that when she told family and friends she was an M/M romance writer, the response was not what she had hoped—it was even hurtful in some instances.  Not because she was a straight woman writing gay characters, but because she had chosen the romance genre.
     Crazy and sad rolled into one, right? When you’re finally lucky enough to be published, the thrill is without equal. All the work you put into your story seems justified. So what happens next? You go out into the world and shout your joy to anyone who shows even the slightest interest.
      Like the Facebook post, my elation the first time around was tempered by the fact I had succeeded with a romance—a gay romance. In my mind at the time, what I had accomplished wasn’t worthy. I have since learned to dodge these foolish, and usually jealous, bullets—and instead, to proudly claim my little piece of the romance pie. So at least for now, I’ll proudly be serving up another slice.
      Thank you Zachary Phillips and Writers Online Network for this opportunity to share a little about myself and my writing. Here’s to successful fresh starts and new beginnings for one and all!

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Andrea Speed

     I have never been one for New Year’s resolutions. I figure if you’re going to do something, you should do it at any time. Waiting for the new year almost seems arbitrary.

     But the new beginnings thought intrigued me. It is the new year, so it’s a symbolic time to start new ventures … and to start new on old ventures. Which is what I want to talk about today – starting new on an old project.

      I’m not talking about writer’s block, which is a whole different issue. What I’m talking about is a project you’re a few thousand words deep in, when you notice you’re bogging down. The words aren’t coming so easily anymore, and it feels like you’re slogging through ankle deep mud just attempting to write on this thing. Maybe it’s bummed you out so much you feel depressed. I think many writers have been there, if not most.
     So what do you do? I have a couple of suggestions, and I suppose their worth a shot. I’ve done most of these, and found them helpful.

1. Rethink the POV – Is the right character telling this story? What if you changed it, even if only for a chapter? Sometimes the wrong character is telling us what’s going on, or input from another would be helpful. Now nobody likes head hopping, but if you make a clear delineation between which character POV it is (like a chapter break), I think it’s okay. When there’s a lot going on in a story, I like to see alternate angles from the other people involved. Not everyone experiences the same thing the same way.
2. Have something unexpected happen. There’s some writing advice that basically says “When in doubt, have someone come in and shoot someone”. It’s not bad advice, actually. It doesn’t just have to be a shooting, though. Have something explode, have a fender bender, have a sudden visit from an old friend/relative/ex, have a bar fight. Your character doesn’t even have to be participating in it. Weird things happen all the time, and we are all slaves to entropy. The same can be true of your characters as well.
3. Flip it. This might be called the “Tarantino effect”. Scramble the time frame in which you’re telling the story. Now, out of sequence can be really tricky to pull off, but some people can do it really well. You could even tell the story backward, with the end first and the beginning at the very end. But keep in mind there will always be a segment of the audience that bloody hates this.
4. Change the main character. This is drastic. But maybe if the story isn’t working, it isn’t just a guest voice you need. Maybe you need a completely different main character. I have done this, and I won’t tell you it’s easy, but when the right character shows up to claim his rightful story, the result is glorious. But it takes a lot of work on your part.
5. Why a happy ending? Oh boy, is this one tricky. If you find yourself struggling to pull everything together into a happy ending … why does it have to be a happy ending? Why not kill ‘em all and let the gods of publishing sort them out? Or go for bittersweet, where some things work out and some don’t? You’re going to have people who hate you for this. Killing them all will earn you the most vitriol, but even bittersweet will have its detractors. Still, it’s your story, not theirs. You end it how ever you want. Blast audience expectations.

     If all else fails, you can always write something else. But don’t throw it away! You never know when the right time for a character or a plot will happen.

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Sean Michael

     Thank you to WON for having me.
     So we were asked to write about fresh starts and new beginnings and I have to admit, I’m not good with New Year’s resolutions. I tend not to make them because inevitably, I don’t follow through, or if it’s a daily thing, I’ll miss a day and then feel like a failure. So in general I just don’t do them because who wants to set themselves up for failure?
      That doesn’t mean I don’t love new beginnings, though, because I really do. When it comes to characters and books, the beginning is my very favorite part.
      I adore the part in a book where I come up with the idea and I have a blank document in front of me waiting for me to start typing. Even better is when a new character pops into my head and introduces himself, tells me his story. I love learning all about him and the man (sometimes men) who love(s) him.
      The fastest part of writing any story for me is the beginning. I rush headlong into the new story, following where it takes me with great excitement. There’s this feeling of tell me more, tell me more! It’s rush, a high and I chase it eagerly.
     Sometimes this rush of the new beginning lasts for a few thousand words, if I’m very lucky it lasts for a lot longer than that. Luckily, the characters demand their full stories told, even when another character with another beginning might be knocking at my brain, so stories do get finished, even when they’re no longer new to me.
     With Lucien and Trey of Size Matters and Love Matters, I got two beginnings. I started writing Love Matters first, where both characters were new to me, but it wasn’t the beginning of their story, they were already lovers. So I had the chance to go back and write Size Matters which told the story of how Trey and Lucien met. Double the beginnings meant both books were written with that new story smell on them, that new beginning rush lasting and lasting through the short story and most of the novel.

Love Matters

     For ten years they’ve done things Trey’s way. Now Lucien wants more. He wants to be with his lover full-time. Is Trey ready? Will he ever be?
      Ten years after they first met and fell in love, Lucien and Trey are still together—after a fashion. Terrified that he’s going to become entirely dependent on Lucien, Trey calls his lover to come spend four to five days with him whenever he finishes a novel. Lucien wants more, but up until now has been willing to bow to Trey’s wishes.
     Finally broaching the idea of seeing each other more often, during Trey’s writing periods, Lucien suggests that they begin to date each other on Friday nights. Trey agrees to the experiment and begins to flourish as Lucien gets him out of the house more—to eat, to swim, to visit the beach.
      But can Trey remain faithful to his work ethic, get the job done with his novels and enjoy the distractions and adventures Lucien plans for him? Or will Lucien’s desire to have more break them apart?
      Only time will tell.


Sean Michael
Smut fixes everything
www.seanmichaelwrites.com

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Hank Edwards

     Good morning, and Happy New Year (it's still January, so I think technically I'm able to say Happy New Year without seeming like a crazy person … or crazier person). Hank Edwards here, very pleased to have been asked to post on the Writer's Online Network blog. Congrats on launching the site, WON!

     The theme for this month is Beginnings and/or Fresh Starts, and I'd like to write about a combination of the two. I've been writing gay fiction/gay erotica/gay erotic romance for a number of years now. I was first published way, way back in the early 2000s. My first published story was a gay erotic short story titled "Police Escort," and it appeared in Mach magazine. A number of short stories followed, more than 50 to be exact, which I shopped around to a variety of men's magazines. I was a writing machine, coming home from my evil day job and sitting down at the computer to write, and sometimes managing to squeeze in some writing time while I was AT the evil day job. I was inspired, I was on fire, and I was on cloud nine when I published my first novel in 2001, Fluffers, Inc., a mash up of hot, steamy sex and laugh out loud comedy. Sales didn't materialize for that book, sadly, and it went out of print in 2006. But then it was picked back up and is still available to this day, along with two just as funny sequels, A Carnal Cruise and Vancouver Nights, thanks to Steve Berman at Lethe Press.

     Flash forward fourteen years, and I have written a number of books, available from a variety of publishers, as well as many self-published titles. Many others, however, languish in my Dropbox folder, in various states of completion. I need to figure out a way to once again strike those creative flints together and fan the spark that originates between them, keep the inspiration going. A number of the stories I have completed in the past few years have been prompt driven stories. I'm part of a group of writers who create stories based on weekly prompts and post them to our blogs as free reads. We call ourselves Story Orgy, and we've been doing this for more than three years. I find that the weekly prompt, and the knowledge that every Monday I'm supposed to post a "chapter" or a new story, gives me the drive to get my writing done. It's the deadline, you see, and the bit of a boost from the prompt. And, of course, the family feel of our private Facebook group. There are no words to convey the importance of having a support system to help with your writing. Other authors to bounce ideas off of, give your work an honest beta read (and treat your work with the respect it deserves), grouse about the writing process or writer's block, and rejoice in the victories of hitting a targeted word count for a day, or a week, or a month. Or even share in the excitement of receiving that acceptance email from a publisher. That never gets old.

     So, to help myself focus, I'm setting goals. I will have a weekly post done for my Story Orgy story to post on Monday. I will set goals for other writing projects at different days of the week, and, if I'm stuck, I may borrow a writing prompt from past Story Orgy projects to help me over the hump. I will let the DVR fill up and I will "show up" to my dream of, one day, being a writer who no longer needs an evil day job to pay the bills and provide health insurance. I owe this to the readers waiting for another book in one of my series, the characters left hanging in mid-action on a page, and, most of all, I owe it to myself to keep following that dream. Here's to a fresh start for us all in 2015!

Links:

Facebook Author page: www.facebook.com/hankedwardsbooks

Twitter: @hanksbooks

Website: www.hankedwardsbooks.com

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/hankedwards

Email: hankedwardsbooks@gmail.com

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Wade Kelly

     When I was asked to write a post about new beginnings or fresh starts, I thought it would be easy. No problem, I thought. And then I had to think about it and come up with something interesting and original and that isn’t as easy as it sounded. I often think I’m boring and so this post may end up sounding like every other thing I say online. It isn’t my intention to be repetitive, I am just not all the interesting.

     I’ve had to make a few “fresh starts” over the past couple years and it isn’t always easy.

     Some may already know if you’ve followed my story that I was originally published in 2009 under a different name. That name is no longer linked to any published works, but in 2010 I had to abandon that name and become someone else or stop writing. That was a forced “new beginning” and one I did not enjoy. It was over the content of my writing and the beliefs of the church I was attending at the time. Having to change ones life is difficult enough when it is by choice, but having to conform out of demand is not pleasant at all.

     I tried to be what people wanted, and write what was “acceptable” except those were not the characters that my inner writer wanted to create. Out of that darker, depressing time of my life came a story about one young man’s suicide over his sexuality. Where did this theme come from? I can’t say other than God. I’ve always had a strange premonition type of life. I write things and afterwards meet people JUST like my characters. In this case, I finished writing When Love is Not Enough only weeks before a rash of suicides happened around the country over sexuality and bullying. I found it ironic and not pleasantly so.

     Because of that story, and the change I had to make in hiding who I was in order to keep writing, I feel I found a more meaningful call for my talent. If left along in 2010 I would have continued to write paranormal comedy. But life took a detour and I found a deeper need.

     In 2014 I faced the same challenge as different people in my “real life” discovered what I wrote and strongly disagreed. (Apparently not everyone can appreciate gay sex.) I was and am faced with making a fresh start or continuing on in my pursuits regardless of other people’s opinions and opposition.

     My stand is the same, I WILL make a fresh start, only this time it will be to live more open about what I write and believe. I hid much of my writing because I knew homosexuality is not overly accepted in my hometown. It is still controversial, even if more people are accepting of same-sex couples. I tend to be cautious. However, since the confrontations started in August of 2014, I have had to rethink my stand. This time I am not backing down.

     My “new beginning,” so to say, will be to speak up for myself in 2015 and tell people I write gay romance without shame. I was so worried about what people would think if they knew. There was a photo shared on Facebook that read, “If they knew I was straight would they still like me?” – said no teenager ever! My version was “If they knew I wrote gay romance, would they still like me?”

     I want to be authentic in 2015. I want to BE MYSELF and live my life openly and without shame. This is hard because there will be opposition and I don’t want my children to suffer because of me. What I can hope to do is teach them to take a stand for what is right. Human Rights should be equal. People have the right to live their lives the same as me. In the end, I hope my children would stand with me.

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Matthias Williamson

     Merriam Webster defines “discipline” in several ways. However, the one that sticks out for me is: a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders.

     I’d been asked to write this blog post a good month ago and I found that I waited till the deadline and still nothing. I had just purchased a game that I’d remembered fondly from years ago and running around its world was way more satisfying that facing the page and writing drivel, or stringing words together that didn’t make sense. In fact, I’ve got three games that take me out of my non-creative mindset, and instead of using them as rewards for page counts or word counts – instead of believing in myself – I’d skip over where my writing has taken me in the past few months and just throw it all away.

     Then I stumbled upon Back in Black (athletic wear) by Z. A. Maxfield (ZAM). This blog post was about resolutions and how much ZAM hates them.

     I do too. And yet, I understand I need discipline in my life.

     I will be seriously honest with you – I am not going to be joining ZAM in running gear. I couldn’t even do one day of couch to 5k. I loved the pretty iPhone app, loved the thoughts of being able to move, but I really loved the comfort of the couch.

     For me, it’s going to be the small steps. It’s going to be getting down to kilt weight, where I can comfortably put on my Utilikilt. And I know that my writing will gain momentum. My mind is full of stories, of ideas that I know can be stories, but the only way that’ll ever get done is by putting my seat in the seat and writing.

     It’s canceling all distractions, It’s putting on a headset and blaring music in my ears, whether that music is a playlist I have put together that makes me think of the characters, or music that moves my mind in ways that it needs to be moved.

     This morning, I kicked discipline in the ass and I got up when my alarm went off: 5:58. I took care of morning duties, went to the Keurig and got my coffee started, went back and put my contact lenses in. Next thing I know I’ve got my mug in hand, I’m sitting at the desk and looking for writing buddies online.

     For me, discipline is making a commitment of #1k1h, and turning off all distractions when the time finally comes. The other night, I surprised myself, because I managed to pound out 20 pages and 3400 words in 3 hours. This came from just letting myself go. I’d set out to sit in a coffee house, but after purchasing a lackluster latte, sitting at the small table and setting up, I just didn’t feel comfortable. The mood in the room was off, there was no wifi (which was important, because I needed my spotify to work; I needed that music distraction). So I packed everything up and got in the car.

     Fifteen minutes later, I was at a local Barnes & Noble, and I went to the writing/reference section that I stop in every time I’m there. I looked at books, even picked one up to read, but then discipline hit me. As I walked back to the café, I dropped the book on a shelf and made a beeline for a table. It had finally sunk in for me: I wasn’t there to read another book that would tell me how to write the way that person writes. I was there to write the way I write, to put the words on paper the way I put them there.

     I put my book bag on a table at a long bench full of people at other tables, got my heavy cream latte, and started my work. I wasn’t certain whether I was going to edit the big story I had pitched to an editor on Saturday or start on something new. But as I put the headset in, my muse scrolled to a recently created playlist for a story that I’ve only talked about, and bam – words started showing up on the screen.

That’s not enough time.

     What did I find out about discipline? Well, by exercising just enough discipline to drop a book on a shelf, sit down, and start putting words on the page, I took over. By starting and just letting the words flow, I got rid of that internal editor – the critic, the muse, Bob “You’re Just A Fraud,” whatever you call that critical inner voice shut up and listened to the music.

     And I just wrote.

     I didn’t stop. I didn’t look up. The creative energy was all around me. The books, the studying, the writers, the drinkers of beverages - it all was there. I found myself cranking out word counts of 1346 and 1700 at the store. By the end of two hours of sitting on that hard wooden bench, three different families had sat on my left and two on my right. My coffee had long ago been drained.

     I had over thirteen pages done, but it was time to head home. I still had not finished my goal of writing 20 pages. I texted my husband and our visiting friend that I needed to finish writing at home.

     Could I perform the same as I had in the bookstore? Could I make this “hour of power” happen at home?

     I’m delighted to tell you that the answer was a resounding “yes.”      The voices in my head had much more to say, and I ended with 1727 words.

     4,773 words later and 20 pages, I had earned my reward. I played a game. Dinner was served to me at my computer so I could play.

     My muse follows rules.

     Do I understand discipline? Not one crazy bit. But I know now that if I sit in the seat, stop making resolutions and just write, the words will come.

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Grace Duncan

     In my earliest writing memories, I vaguely recall making up stories to go with the pictures I colored as a child. Those got more and more fantastic as I got older, often times getting me into a lot of trouble. Even with the trouble, my mother encouraged me. She put books in my hand as soon as I could hold them and the more I read, the more stories I wanted to write.

     Then high school happened. As with a lot of us, I did my best to fade into the background. I had a few friends, and I was happy about it. I still made up stories and adored the assignments that included creative writing.

     Until my sophomore year. I will never in my life forget being handed a story with a big, fat red “F” on it and my teacher telling me not to quit my day job.

(Entirely aside from being in tenth grade and too young for a job, I couldn’t wrap my head around a teacher saying that.)

     The comment was enough to completely derail any confidence I had in storytelling. I stopped writing altogether. I couldn’t stop the stories from forming in my head, but I refused to write them down. I had never had much self-esteem to begin with and when someone who supposedly knows good writing tells me I can’t write, well, that was simple enough for me.

     My friends badgered me into the Writer’s Group but I didn’t do a lot with it. My senior year, I worked in the library and the head librarian talked me into working on the literary magazine with her. I even submitted a poem to it. But I never looked at it. I couldn’t.

     It took me years to get past that. Privately, for a while, I dabbled in writing things down. No full stories, just bits here and there that I thought of. Then I managed to put together the first chapter of what promised to be a long story. And my now-ex-husband tore it to shreds so badly, I retreated again.

     It wasn’t until almost six years ago, in fact, that I thought about writing my stories down again. By this time, I’d remarried to someone who knew how to be supportive and it was all his encouragement that I posted my first fanfiction story on the internet. Imagine my shock… when people liked it.

Talk about a boost of confidence! Well, I started writing a lot more. I wrote some thirty novel-length fanfiction stories. I’d started getting into alternate universes and was talking to a friend of mine about one I wanted to write. He challenged me to make it original, find new characters, build my world completely.

     A year after that… Choices was published.

     I don’t talk to that friend anymore. But I will be forever grateful for his challenge. More people than I ever thought possible buy and read my books. Take that, high school English teacher.

_________________________

Tagline: In a world that's gone to hell, will you let old fears keep you from the chance at more than just survival?

Blurb:

     When Duncan stumbles into a pharmacy in search of something to fix his broken leg, he’s surprised to find someone else there. Like the rest of the post-pandemic world, it appeared empty. Instead, he discovers Mark, a former nurse who walked away from his profession after losing too many patients to the virus. Despite swearing he’d never practice medicine again, Mark patches Duncan up over Duncan's protests. He even finds an abandoned house in the tiny town, and they settle in until Duncan heals enough to look out for himself. Much to the chagrin of both, they find themselves caring for each other.

     Duncan welcomes it, thrilled at finding someone he can trust. However, he’s well aware of the shadows in Mark’s eyes and understands Mark’s reticence as he learns the story. But as he’s starting to do things for himself again, Duncan realizes he doesn’t want Mark to leave. He’s not sure if can get Mark to let go of his fears so they can stay together and love. But Duncan’s damned sure going to try.

The Buy link or get it on Amazon or  AllRomance eBooks! 

Grace’s Bio:

Grace Duncan grew up with a wild imagination. She told stories from an early age - many of which got her into trouble. Eventually, she learned to channel that imagination into less troublesome areas, including fanfiction, which is what has led her to writing male/male erotica.

A gypsy in her own right, Grace has lived all over the United States. She has currently set up camp in East Texas with her husband and children - both the human and furry kind. 

As one of those rare creatures who loves research, Grace can get lost for hours on the internet, reading up on any number of strange and different topics. She can also be found writing fanfiction, reading fantasy, crime, suspense, romance and other erotica or even dabbling in art.

Grace’s website: http://www.grace-duncan.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GraceRDuncan2
Twitter: @GraceRDuncan

   

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Renae Kaye

     Thanks to the WON Blog for having me on today – it’s a real honour.  My name is Renae Kaye and I’m a relatively new author.  My first novel, Loving Jay came out in April 2014 and is published through Dreamspinner Press.  This was followed by The Blinding Light, Bear Chasing, The Shearing Gun and Safe In His Arms, bringing the total to four novels and one short story in my debut year.

     I’ve been asked to describe how I got into writing as a topic, and it is a rather simple story.  The planets aligned and a huge zap of energy came down from the heavens and…  Okay.  The uninteresting truth is that I was bored with what I was reading.  There were a lot of entertaining books, but I was looking for a particular theme and a particular level of humour in my books, and I couldn’t find it. I looked and tried out authors, but the humorous twink books I wanted were rather thin on the ground.

     Then this little voice in the back of my head began taunting me:  Why don’t you write a story like that then?  I told the voice to go away, because I was no one who should have dreams of writing.  I was a mummy to two small children, a housewife, and I lived in a part of the world that hardly anyone visits.  But the voice was persistent.  I pointed out to him that I had no experience in writing (my background is maths and science) and people just don’t become authors overnight.  He didn’t shut up.

     I decided that I would show the voice just how wrong he was – so I opened up a Word document on my laptop and began writing.  I had no background, no skills, no plan, no plot.  I just wrote.  And do you know the most annoying part?  The voice won.  I wrote.  And wrote.  And wrote. 

     It took me about 10 weeks of tapping away on the computer between making lunches and taking the older child to school.  I worked at it nights after the kids were in bed, and days while they were watching TV.  Then I screwed up my courage, and at the urging of another author, I sent it off to a publisher for consideration.

     I knew it would never make the grade.  It had a bunch of things against it from Day 1.  It was based in Australia and I’d sent it to an American publisher.  It was humour (which not everyone likes) and it had characters that were not your common romantic leads in a book.  I was also completely unknown as it was the first thing I’d ever written.  I was hoping that the rejection letter would give me some pointers on how to improve.

     Instead they sent me a contract.

     2014 was a HUGE year for me – 5 releases.  I didn’t get a lot of time to write during that editing and the promo work I was doing, so 2015 is going to be quieter on the release front, but I’ve made it my New Year’s resolution to use the “down time” to write more.  And there are definitely a bunch of stories I need to write.

     As a mother, my days are often hijacked by sick children, or school excursions, or even family commitments.  Instead of a daily word count that I try to write, I keep a tally of my writings and aim for a monthly average.  Excel is wonderful at working out my averages for me.  Some days I write nothing, some days it is 5000 words.  My best days I can churn out 10k.  Then there are the days I’m busy editing.

I advise other writers who wish to trial this to make reasonable goals.  I know of writers who aim for 5000 words per day, plus promo work.  I don’t have that amount of time.  I aim for a monthly average of 1200 words per day during a month I don’t have edits or a new release.  If I have edits, I bring this goal down to 500 per day.  And if you don’t make it one month – then it’s not the end of the world.  The first of the next month is a clean sheet to try again.

      And remember – don’t give up.

Always laugh,
Renae Kaye

How to contact Renae:

Email:  renaekaye@iinet.net.au

Website:  www.renaekaye.weebly.com

FB:  www.facebook.com/renae.kaye.9

Twitter:  @renaekkaye

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings Featuring Bronwyn Heeley

     Hi everyone I’m Bronwyn Heeley, and I’m here to talk about what I guess everyone else is, Beginnings or Fresh Starts.

     Even though this time last year was when my first work was published, I still find myself at the beginning of this one standing here wanting a fresh start, because for me last year didn’t work out as well as I hoped.

     I started last year with the hope of writing a book a month of my series. It didn’t work. Instead, I’ve gotten to a point where I can’t even stand to look at it. Therefore, this year I wanted to take things differently, I want to start all over again, not in the footsteps of anyone else, but where I stand, because I’ve never been great at being someone I’m not, yeah I can follow, I but I can’t be changed.  

     I’m not sure if this is what they really meant, but I have been blessed enough in life, to not have a moment in my life that I have hit rock bottom and needed a fresh start. I was getting close right before I feel pregnant but that shifted me into a different direction so fast I didn’t have time to really stop and think of how my life’s going and if I wanted to go down this road or not. I didn’t have a choice, I just had to run with the decisions I made.

     This time around, I had to stop and make a decision, either force myself to write a series I couldn’t stand to look at, and coming out with nothing to show for it, or work that no one wanted to read, or change the way I saw myself as a writer.

     The first thing I realised was that I wasn’t up to being the type of author I wanted to start the year out as. I can’t write book after book, month after month, I’d go insane, but more importantly I would get bored and end up moving onto something else in life.

     I didn’t want this. I want to make this my career, one that will take me to my grave, and that means I need to be myself and write the way I write. It shouldn’t bore me. I have always been a writer, even when I never thought this option was available to me. My dad even says he’s more surprised by my sudden reading habit then me becoming an author. But with this past year I have, on more than one occasion, asked myself if this is what I wanted, not because of the work you have to put into it, but because of the boredom and the utter lack of drive I have when it came to doing what I tried to push myself into doing month after month.

     Therefore, this year it will be different. I will be different—or more so I will be me, and me, is having a different book, something that might be the exact same as the one before, or could be completely different, in a direction I’d never thought I’d ever go in before.

     I have learnt that I need to push myself. I need to write what’s uncomfortable to me, what’s interesting, and what’s in my head at any given moment. And that’s what I’m going to do, that’s how I’m entering this second year of my writing career. I just won’t be able to tell you how it all works out for me until the end.

     If you’d like to learn more, visit me on my blog at http://bronwynheeley.blogspot.com 

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Sheri Velarde

     As the New Year begins it is the time many people try to implement changes in their lives, including their creative lives. This is the time to take on new challenges and learn to grow and expand as a writer as well as a person. Whether your goal is to finish your first novel or make the best sellers list, there are things that you can do each and every day to move you closer to your goals. These don’t have to be huge life altering changes either, small changes can sometimes lead to the biggest results.

     As a multi-published author I often get asked advice on “making it”. There are no short cuts to becoming published, this like the ever popular “lose weight” resolution, requires a lot of hard work and dedication. The best advice that I can give is to make time for writing, make it a part of your daily routine. Even if you can only write for 15 minutes on your lunch break write for those 15 minutes, a little bit of writing is better than nothing. Also, once you start submitting, be prepared for rejection. Most authors get rejected. This does not mean you are a terrible author, it just means that was not the right market for you. Keep submitting, you will find the right fit eventually. The important part is not to give up.

     I know some of you are saying, “easy for her to say, she’s published”. Trust me when I say that I still face rejection and almost crippling self-doubt. As a matter of fact late last year I thought about quitting writing and the publishing world all together. What stopped me? A few acceptance letters, a new cover reveal, and the support of some writing friends. I am glad that I stuck with my writing and publishing path, there is nothing quite so fulfilling as seeing a book of yours in print (or eBook form which is more and more common these days). Nothing quite beats the thrill of seeing your name (or pen name) on a book cover!

     I use myself as an example because if I can do this anyone can. I am not the best writer on the planet, editors help me make my writing better each and every day. I persist and that is what gives me the successes that I have had. Persistence pays off may sound trite, but in the publishing world it is certainly true. I am a testament to that. Even with doubts, day job issues, health problems, and life generally getting in the way, I already have three books set to be released this year and will hopefully soon add more to that list. I have also even delved deeper in the world of publishing and taken on a marketing position at Three Worlds Press.

Hard work is leading me down the path to fulfill my dreams. And if I can do this, so can you! Make this the year that you move closer to your dreams. Work on it every day and eventually you will move in the direction that you want, you will start to reap the rewards of your hard work. If you feel like giving up, don’t.      You have talent and a drive to write, believe in that drive and it will lead you to great things.

     You can find out more about Sheri Velarde at her website: http://sherivelarde.weebly.com/ and more about Three Worlds Press at: http://www.threeworldsproductionsllc.com/.

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Julia Prater

     Greetings and a very Happy New Year!  I am a very behind the scenes participant in the Writers Online Network.  And at almost any convention I can be found skulking around the writers track.  Authors are a fascinating breed of people.  I love to be around them and bask in their presence.   And while I love the idea of writing, I love reading more. 

     I'm always excited when January first comes around because it gives the perfect opportunity to take stock and plan ahead.  I love the feeling of a clean slate, a new beginning.  True this can be done at any point in time but the date itself is so auspicious.  My favorite thing to plan is my reading list.  At least the shorter "immediate attention" list.  I have an innumerable running list that is hundreds of books long.  When I find a new author I love I try to read everything they have, which can be a bit daunting, hence the ever growing list.  But discovering new authors and stories is so very exciting. And there is the ever exciting new releases from favorite authors that add themselves slowly but surely to my shelves.  There just isn't enough time in the day.

     I do very well with challenges, especially when connecting, and competing, with others who are doing the same.  Wt and I have compiled a list of 75 categories for our challenge.  (Which I believe is going to be posted soon on the Writers Online Network website.)  I myself have challenged myself to read 125 books in 2015.  Hoping that by the end of the year I can have each one marked off as completed.  I'm not going to include the entire list but a few examples are :

one you own but have never read

a play

a banned book

a book more than 100 years old

a memoir

a young adult/new adult novel

book with bad reviews

one completely based on its cover

recommended by a friend

a spiritual book

a graphic novel or manga

a genre you've never been interested in before

one you were supposed/forced to read in school

a shifter book or book with nonhuman characters

a nonfiction book

     I like the idea of the challenge as well because it helps to get me outside of my reading comfort zone.  While I am not limited in my preferences I do tend to stick heavily with romances of the paranormal persuasion.  But this is a new year and a new beginning in my reading journey. For further updates and to find out more about me and what I'm reading, check out my blog Julie Bites at www.juliebites.wordpress.com 

(Pictured here is Julie with Frankie, the only cat she's ever meet that enjoys her reading time as much as she does.) 

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring AKM Miles

Beginnings and New Beginnings

Okay. I can write about that. This will be a two-parter.

Beginnings:

     When I was in college I discovered Gordon Merrick. My mom and I called them the Peter and Charlie books. Then, flash forward to about 4 years after retiring from teaching Special Education for 27 years. I saw Brokeback Mountain, okay, more than once. Ordered the DVD when it came out and it came with the script. I read it. I went on line looking for more of same. I found a lovely French movie called Just a Question of Love. I loved that. While looking in the genre I found a company, Torquere Press, that had fiction books, M/M books. The first thing I got was an anthology, Cowboy Up, and I was hooked.

     I had written three mainstream books and done nothing with them. I suddenly was inspired to try my hand at writing M/M. I wrote Smart Alex and it was accepted at Torquere. Since it would take a while to go through edits, they suggested I write a short story as it would come out sooner. So, I wrote Uniforms. and that was my first publication. Then came Smart Alex, Brackets, Dare To, Soldier, and it was on. I wrote and wrote. Then I wrote for Total-E-Bound and then for MLR and then for Silver. Now I write mostly for MLR.

     So that was my beginning. The response to Soldier was so good and I loved all of those characters so much that I've made it a series and it can all be found at MLR now. (As a matter of fact, I am writing on number 7 now, Seeing Double.) That all started in 2007. Now it is 2015 and there was a stutter/blank spot in there. My mom died and I had health problems and the writing took a hit.

New Beginnings:

     I'm back now. Since being out of the picture for a bit, it's been an uphill climb to get back into the flow of promotion, etc. I've been to three GRL conferences. I so enjoyed seeing my favorite authors and meeting fans. That blew me away. In the Scarcity Series, there is a book called For Gom's Sake that takes on the subject of bullying in high schools. Someone, a line editor, I think, suggested that it be made into a Young Adult book so high schoolers could get their hands on it.  Well, at these conferences I've had parents come up and tell me that they've tried to get that book put into the school library. That meant so much to me. I even wrote another book recently about Gom's work with bullying. It's Okay came out in October, right when we were at GRL! Sadly, I could write story after story about Gom and his work because there are so many stories out there about bullying today. Anyway, I do continue the Scarcity books because I have to.

My health is better and I am back to writing as much as I can. I am on facebook and I have a website.www.akmmiles.com  and my email is akmmiles@yahoo.com  Feel free to get in touch with me and tell me your experiences with my books. I love to hear from readers. I include the cover for It's Okay as it is such a perfect cover for that book. Meet Taco. Best wishes in this new year. ---AKM Miles

Fresh Starts and New Beginnings featuring Wt Prater

     Every year I write resolutions about weight, writing, finances, and other more general things. And I generally keep these resolutions... for about a week. Then life happens. Stress and sadness intervene and it all goes down hill from there. I have decided to stop the cycle this year. I did not make resolutions. AT ALL. 

     Instead, I decided to go a different route. In December, I started talking to people about things that I generally make resolutions about and asked who among my friends had similar goals. And we worked together to create CHALLENGES. So, going into 2015 I have 4 challenges that I will work toward because I have support, interaction, and most importantly for me, accountability. 

     That makes all the difference in the world for me. I am very self motivated when I want to accomplish something simple or short term. But when it comes to long term goals or creating new routines, I will openly admit, I suck at it. The way I went about my resolutions is that I started looking at the things that were most important to me: My writing, My weight, My reading, and Language Studies and I found groups or created groups of people interested in being a part of these life changes with me. And I will be regularly posting both my goals and my accomplishments once a week on my blog. And there on the groups, I will aim to post every few days. 

     A bit more about my challenges for 2015:

My Writing.... Although I have aimed to write every day for the last four years, most days, when I don't feel like it or I am "too busy" I just don't do it. I am so grateful for the 27 person army in The Write Path group who have all banded together to fight to help my dream become a reality. Because of them and their support, while I did not make my goal of writing 500 words a day I did manage to blog 24 out of the 31 days. I count that as a victory. 

     I will blog more about my other three challenges tomorrow! So check out my blog at www.wtprater.wordpress.com and/or you can find out more about me in general by visiting my website  www.wtprater.com