Seriously, a Series? (#pnr #eroticromance #series @authorlolawhite)

By Lola White (Guest Blogger)

Chances are, you’re reading a series. If not actively, right now, then you are waiting for the next book to come out, right? But what is a series?

How about this definition: A book series is group of stories that somewhere around three-quarters of the way through the author started wondering how, for the love of all that’s holy, she’s going to finish, and why, in the name of all the deities, she ever started in the first place and, what, for the sake of dear sweet Jesus, possessed her to write the damned thing without spreadsheets, graphs, time lines and genealogies to keep everything organized.

Or, to be ridiculously general, a series is simply a collection of stories with some common thread tying them all together.

I’m ashamed to admit that before I really started thinking about ‘actually making a career out of writing’ I never considered what an author went through in the creation of a series. How they have to fashion continuity, find acceptable consequences for a host of characters, and still leave a cushion at the end so the reader can imagine the story continuing beyond the page. My apologies to every single person (or writing team) that has, in fact, started a series and finished it. My hat’s off to you, because now I know what sorts of knots you tied yourself into.

Not that knowing the agony would have deterred me—I love series. Most of what I’ve written is part of a series. There is a range, though—with a common theme barely connecting my dark erotic trilogy or my western saga, or common characters connecting my psychic trilogy, or an overreaching storyline as in my Magic Matched series, my Tithe Collector series or my Garguiem series.

And that last commonality is the hard one, ladies and gentlemen. The author has to know every character’s goals and create acceptable outcomes. There is a larger problem that must be solved, in addition to a host of smaller ones. There are relationships to develop or destroy. And all these things must happen naturally and completely by the very last page, leaving the reader with a sense of accomplishment and resolution.

My first continuous series, Magic Matched is published through Totally Bound, and I am extremely appreciative of what they taught me. So appreciative that I’m about to pass on their advice, free of charge, to anyone who wants to write a series. It’s this:

Write a synopsis for the whole thing and also write a synopsis for every book in the series. It’s okay if it changes later, but see it now, and know that you have some idea of how to finish what you’ve started.

That’s GOLD people! Before they asked this of me, I was convinced I could wing it, but now I think this is literally the only way a series can be finished. You’ve got to have some end goal in mind before you begin, even if it takes thirty books to get there because you keep adding something extra into the story arc. (I can think of at least five authors who are definitely doing that.)

And why am I writing about this today? Well, I just finished the Magic Matched series (at the time of writing this post). Those of you who visit Lisabet’s blog regularly may know that last month I’d admitted to being overdue with the final book. There were rewards to dole out and punishments to administer…and even a redemption to write. I was close to being done, but there was so much I had to keep track of, so many loose ends I had to make certain were tied that I slowed down to make sure I’d accomplished what I wanted to.

You see, I’m not just an author—I’m a reader. I know the pain of getting to a certain point in a series and still having questions, or still wondering about a particular thing the author didn’t bring to resolution. I worked hard to make sure Magic Matched is as complete as I could make it without strangling the possibilities of what could be after the story is over. That’s also important to me as a reader—I want to be able to imagine the characters going on, living their lives and accomplishing new goals, so there has to be a little wiggle room, right?

It’s an emotional journey, writing a series to completion. Exhausting, too. Magic Matched is only four books, but the process has taken over two years and writing those last scenes left me teary-eyed. I was finished, and that’s both joyous and sad (like having your children go away to college). The Tithe Collector, the Garguiem, and a new series I’m not yet ready to reveal, are longer—they have to be in order to tell the story as fully as I need to, but Magic Matched was a great teaching tool, and the lessons of these four books have been permanently absorbed into my knowledge base.

And you can bet that, going forward, there will definitely be spreadsheets, time lines and graphs.

Magic Matched

Only magic and politics matter…until love comes into play

Silviu and Georgeanne must learn to open their hearts to each other in order to unlock their full magical potential. But with all that stands in their way—archaic traditions, murder plots, and a betrayal that threatens all they can be—they will need the group of allies they have built to help them navigate the dangerous world of witches, and succeed against the dark magic stalking them every step of the way.

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WMCBIKA

Totally Bound https://www.totallybound.com/book/betrothed

Barnes & Noble http://goo.gl/Oq7wsZ

About Lola White

Delve into the emotions, dive into the erotic.

An extensive traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into her tales, Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing (and showing) how they get themselves out of whatever trouble has found them—if they can.

For news, exclusives and special deals, sign up for her newsletter at http://goo.gl/N4YZ1K

Find her on

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorlolawhite

Tumblr: http://authorlolawhite.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorLolaWhite

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/lolawhite

Thank you Lisabet!

The Learning Curve (#pnr #series #writing @AuthorLolaWhite)

By Lola White (Guest Blogger)

Hopefully, every writer that sits down to create a story will get better with every tale told. But it can be an arduous process. There are skills that can’t be taught on blogs about writing, you can’t learn them through advice, or even by reading others’ books. These resources might be helpful as a starting point, but, eventually, you have to find your voice and you have to learn for yourself how to share it.

Writing a series turned out to be akin to jumping into the deep end for me. It also puts my learning curve front and center, on display for all to see. When I started writing the Magic Matched series the concept was completely different, but it soon settled into what became Betrothed. I thought I would write one book, but I hadn’t even gotten halfway through Betrothed when I realized I would need many, many more words to tell the story in my head and in my heart.

I didn’t want some horribly long epic adventure, yet that was what my main plot needed. So I started planning, and realized that I would need four books. However, the story is about two witches, and four books about two witches, especially an erotic romance when the two witches are forbidden from having sex, seemed a little…drawn-out. Learning, learning! I added more depth to what used to be secondary characters, and gave them each prominent roles on the main stage, then broke the whole into manageable chunks. Two romance stories in each novel…

I also learned that the first in a series is a breeze. It’s a blank canvas, you’re making up the rules as you go. The second in the series isn’t too bad, either. It’s not yet complicated enough to have you drawing graphs, and if you write the first and second back-to-back like I did, everything is fresh in your mind. It’s a fairly fluid continuation. Looking back, however, I can see how those first two books were influenced by my love of Stephanie Laurens’ romance novels. They have a prose-y-ness that most of my other books have outgrown. (Not completely because I do love a good turn of phrase, but knowing what flowery phrases to keep is also part of the learning process.)

Then came the third book, Motherhood. Just released on May 17th, I’m amazed it wasn’t delayed indefinitely. I started writing the book just after the second. I’d written most of it when my brain shut off—which usually means my subconscious thinks something is wrong with my story. I put the book aside until I could figure out what was wrong with it…and going back was torture. I despaired, for the first time in my life. I thought I’d have to scrap everything and start over, and I had no idea how to do that, where to start that wouldn’t lead me to the same mess.

That’s part of the learning process, too—not throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I wrote a summary of each chapter on index cards and laid them out on my floor. I’ve never done that before, and haven’t since, but I did what was necessary to get my story in good order so I could continue.

Then I got to the emotions. I would have told you that I wrote with emotion, mine were always close to the surface, but Motherhood touches fears I’ve shoved to the very back of my mind. The next step in an author’s evolution, the next rise on the learning curve, is finally digging in to the core of who you are. 

 

Some get there faster than others. You can write with passion, you can tell an amazing, engaging, best-selling story…but eventually, all true writers break through that emotional wall, and nothing is ever the same again.

For me, it turns out that Motherhood was not only the hardest to write in the series, being a crucial turning point for my main characters, but also The Wall. I was a wreck, but now I feel like I can tap into my emotions more freely than before, and yet they are no longer so sharp as they were with Motherhood. One of my fears is what I’ll do when I lose my grandmother—we’re very close. In Motherhood, Georgeanne has to ask herself the same question, as her grandmother is very ill. Another one of my fears is fully trusting a mate…I’ll freely admit to being a commitment-phobe. It’s hard to hand yourself over to another—mind, body and soul like all epic romances should be right?—but Christiana Davenold is being asked to do just that by her husband.

And then we get into the heart of things. For me, the reason I shy away from a deep commitments is because I don’t want to be hurt, of course. That’s why we all run, and those who stay are the bravest people I know. Georgeanne and Silviu are at a point in their relationship where it’s all or nothing, but betrayal lurks and forgiveness can be difficult. How much could you forgive…because the betrayal in Motherhood is deep and decisions about the future will have to be made.

Now I’m writing the last book of the Magic Matched series. (Don’t tell, I’m pretty sure it was supposed to be done already!) And I’ve learned how far I’ve come. I’ve learned how to plot a series, how to connect all the dots and tie up all the loose ends. My style has changed, though I’ve tried to maintain a similarity to the other three books, and my voice became clearer. As a woman, I am more in touch with my emotions and more willing to risk them for great reward. As a writer, I have a firmer grip on my craft.

I’ve learned a lot, but it’s an ongoing process. I hope I never complete it.

Thank you Lisabet! For any who are interested in the Magic Matched series, you can find the first two books, Betrothed and Married, for a temporarily reduced price at Totally Bound and Amazon.

Magic Matched

Only magic and politics matter…until love comes into play

Silviu and Georgeanne must learn to open their hearts to each other in order to unlock their full magical potential. But with all that stands in their way—archaic traditions, murder plots, and a betrayal that threatens all they can be—they will need the group of allies they have built to help them navigate the dangerous world of witches, and succeed against the dark magic stalking them every step of the way.

About Lola White

Delve into the emotions, dive into the erotic.

An extensive traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into her tales, Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing (and showing) how they get themselves out of whatever trouble has found them—if they can.

For news, exclusives and special deals, sign up for her newsletter at http://goo.gl/N4YZ1K

Find her on 

 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/authorlolawhite

Tumblr: http://authorlolawhite.tumblr.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorLolaWhite

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/lolawhite

Who wants a FREE story?

In an ironic twist, I’m honoring the release of Motherhood with a celebration of fathers! In the US, Father’s day is in June, and I’ll be releasing my novella, Stolen Goods just in time to celebrate.

Comment below with a happy memory of your father, step-father, grandfather, etc. and your first name, then follow this link and let me know! I’ll send you a PDF copy of Stolen Goods.

*Please be aware, by giving me your email address, you are also signing up for my monthly newsletter*

Love is a Journey (#pnr #eroticromance @authorlolawhite)

By Lola White (Guest Blogger)

Love is just as much a journey as life is. As a romance author, I try to capture the ups and downs of the path, but that also means that I travel that path, take that journey, with every book I write. The Magic Matched series has taken me to places I never expected.

Let me start near the beginning of the trail…

My friend met her husband when she was fifteen years old, and the very first time she spoke to him, she knew she would marry him. No one thought her certainty would prove to be prophetic, but they’ve been together since then, defying the odds for two decades, and that made me wonder...

What if you knew who you would marry before you were even grown-up enough to understand what marriage was? How would knowing exactly who you were going to marry affect your life, especially if the two of you were very different—raised with different goals, ethics and expectations? And what happens when you grow from childhood innocence to adult challenges?

This fascinated me. I had chosen to travel throughout my twenties, when everyone else I knew was getting married and having children. I had things to do, places to see and refused even the hint of roots to tie me down. The thought of spending my whole life with one person made me shudder back then, and still makes me a bit nervous now.

But there are a lot of people who marry their high school sweethearts, and even more who enter into arranged marriages throughout the world. I thought of the journey they must make, from immaturity to partnership, and applied that to a world divided between matriarchal and patriarchal lines. I thought of how two people could grow together, and become a solid, loving team, if they were willing to work at it.

Magic Matched is a four-part series, which gave me enough time to make the journey. Silviu Lovasz is a patriarchal witch determined to rule over all the covens. He’s also a Reap witch, born with too much magic, which he tries to hide from others. Because of this, his father arranged a marriage to Georgeanne Davenold, a matriarchal witch born without magic, when they were both children. Their families expect the pair to achieve the ultimate leadership position in witching society because, together Silviu and Georgie can unlock each other’s full magical potential. They are Magic Matches.

They are also from different sides of the Schism, the divide between matriarchal and patriarchal houses. One values women, the other men, and that causes some conflict—not just between Silviu and Georgie, but also the way others see them and react to them. They are both dominant personalities with differing opinions, they’ve had different upbringings and experiences.

But the true source of conflict between them is Georgie’s distrust in Silviu. Part of that is due to Silviu’s patriarchy, part is due to a youthful indiscretion they shared. They were too young, just teenagers, and neither of their families were prepared for the bond they’d created between them. Not then, not when the loyalty they had for their own families was suddenly threatened by the way they felt toward each other.

Georgie was sent away. She and Silviu were kept separate for ten years, and the time apart gave Georgie reason to doubt Silviu’s motives toward her. She believes he’s manipulating her, using her and her body to get what he wants.

Magic Matched is Georgie’s journey. And mine. As she learns to trust again, as she learns to love, old wounds are reopened and she is tested in ways she never imagined. As was I.

This series has dragged me through emotions I would rather not have had to confront. Fears and regrets, but also appreciation for the decisions I’ve made. We each have different paths to travel, but eventually we all come across the same lessons. Love is one of them, and for my characters it’s the most important lesson of all—Magic Matches are highly influenced by their emotions, you see. And with two witches so potent they’re usually relegated to myth not only walking the earth, but Matched with an unstable, unequal power, love is the only thing that can save them…and the rest of the witching world.

Betrothed is the first book in the Magic Matched series and weaves together two stories, as does every installment. Silviu and Georgie finally reunite at a betrothal ceremony for his sister.

Ileana Lovasz is a pawn with a string of broken betrothals to prove it. She’s willing to use her body to escape her manipulative grandfather, and agrees to meet Eliasz Levy, a man wholly focused on building an alliance with Silviu. Eliasz figures marriage to Ileana is an ideal way to get the power he wants, but when the new couple meets, emotions they never expected change everything.

Ileana, Eliasz, Silviu and Georgie must build an alliance that will help them all get what they want but, with too many lies and too many enemies, the game they’re playing turns treacherous. When the two women come under attack, neither Silviu nor Eliasz knows which is the target. They only know they will protect the women their hearts have claimed as their own, even though that means defying the traditions of witching society, risking every goal they hold dear and confronting the dangerous members of their own families.

Betrothed is currently on sale for 99 cents, to celebrate the upcoming release of the third book in the series. This extremely low price is available for only another few days, until May 17^th, but will then be sold for a temporary price of $3.99 for the next few months. Married, the second book in the series is also being sold for that price. This is an excellent time to enter the witching world and meet Georgie and Silviu. Join them on their journey…

Thank you Lisabet!

Excerpt from Betrothed

“Do you ever think about the night I first put my hands on you?”

Georgie froze, stopped breathing. She shook her head as her eyes flew wide. Silviu smiled and stepped closer, ever closer, until there was only enough room for their bodies’ heat to pass between them. He set his hand at her waist and sent it sliding up, following the line of her torso to her ribcage.

“You do,” he whispered wickedly. “You remember how it felt, when I ran my hands over your bare body, when I ran my thumb over your perfect little nipple.”

“Stop it. This is inappropriate at a Levy Family function.”

Her voice was too breathless to heed. He curled his fingers over her breast, craving shooting through him when he felt her nipple pebble under his touch. Her breath faltered, turning ragged, her pulse hammering in her slender throat.

“Do you remember when I put my mouth on you and kissed my way down, finally tasting your first flood of passion. How sweet you were, all innocent and fresh, lifting for me with a need you didn’t even bother to hide.”

“Silviu.”

He squeezed her nipple lightly as he licked across her lips, nearly giving in when her mouth opened for him. Instead, he ruthlessly held onto his lust and drew back, leaving her aching, needing. He hoped as needy as him.

Slowly, he moved away from her, gathering his control around him. “I think you’ll taste like that again, Georgie.”

“I’m not a virgin, Silviu.” She lifted her chin, chest heaving, the moonlight showing him the flush that washed across her cheeks and collarbone. “You’d better not expect innocence.”

Pain moved through him, bitter regret. He pushed it aside and lifted a brow. “I took your innocence, Georgie, when we were just children. I’ll take your experience too, and teach you brand new things.”

“Bold words.”

“A promise, my love. Whoever touched you, they didn’t feel like me, did they? They didn’t feel as good, as right. You didn’t want them as much as you want me, and you damned sure didn’t find the pleasure you found with me.”

He lobbed his accusations blindly, but he’d hit his mark. The tightness in his chest eased as he saw the truth she couldn’t hide. He was right, and she knew it. Admitted it to herself, if not to him. That would make her surrender all the sweeter, when she finally came to him.

That would be soon. He’d make sure of it.

Motherhood - Book 3 of the Magic Matched series!

Early download available now!

 General release May 17th.

Betrothed on sale now at

Totally Bound https://www.totallybound.com/book/betrothed

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WMCBIKA

Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00WMCBIKA

About Lola White

Delve into the emotions, dive into the erotic.

An extensive traveler who loves to incorporate various legends from around the world into her tales, Lola White likes to twist reality at its edges in her stories. She likes delving into the emotions of her characters, finding their strengths and weaknesses, and seeing (and showing) how they get themselves out of whatever trouble has found them—if they can.

For news, exclusives and special deals, sign up for her newsletter at http://goo.gl/N4YZ1K

Find her on:

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/authorlolawhite

Tumbler

http://authorlolawhite.tumblr.com/

Twitter

https://twitter.com/steamyreadslist

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/lolawhite

Magic Matched: Betrothed

By Lola White (Guest Blogger)

Witches, Wiccans and Pagans are not exactly the same thing, though many who don’t belong to either of these groups might use the terms interchangeably—but no! I’m not listing every modern ‘witch’ community here because this post is about MY witches, and they are fictional.

But even fiction needs to be based in fact, so—armed with a liberal-arts education in politics and religion, some real-world experience and the knowledge shared by several Wiccan friends—I did my research. Not on general neo-paganism, but on witchcraft, and what I could make of it.

We all know tons of witchcraft history. Witch hunts and witch trials, burning at the stake and drowning in the rivers, pacts with the devil or born with a natural talent, casting spells or raising the dead, flying on broomsticks or transporting their spirit through astral projection, hags and sorceresses… or simple village wise-women striving to combat disease with herbs. Religious texts of nearly every faith share some opinion on witchcraft, which proves that the concept is one of the oldest known to mankind—which isn’t that surprising, really. Even today, witchcraft is something mystical, magical, fearful…

Uppermost in my mind, when I set out to write about my witches, was the day I arrived in the African village I called home for years. The villagers beheaded a woman for ‘bewitching’ someone. As far as I know, that was the only death sentence passed down while I was there, but there were many other cases of witchery brewing (pun intended?) and some were fantastical—a man claimed to have been turned into a dog for years by a witch, children were exorcised and blessed to stop them from being witches… I could go on, but I won’t.

My research of witchcraft naturally led to researching witch hunts. With my first-hand experience urging me on, I found out that a lot of places are still actively pursuing witches—who are still predominantly thought to be women, though men are not completely excluded. For the purposes of my story, I narrowed my focus to Europe, North America, Africa, India… and then threw in some Japanese mythology.

I took pieces of many traditions and beliefs and mixed in real history and politics. I created a society that exists amidst modern-day reality—hidden, of course, to prevent more witch hunts—and constrained by ancient rules. With so much focus on female witches, my society originated as a matriarchy, but I twined fictional events with real history so that men (males) waged war to gain power, and now the witching world is divided into matriarchal and patriarchal covens. In my witching society, magic and politics are the only things that matter, and marriages are arranged for advantage rather than love.

Magic Matched is a four-part series that follows Silviu Lovasz, a patriarchal witch, and Georgeanne Davenold, a matriarchal witch, who must open their hearts to each other in order to unlock their full magical potential. They both have rare talents, which prompted their families to reach across the divide between the covens and betroth them as children, with the hopes that the pair could attain positions of power in their society.

Betrothed is the first book in the series and weaves together two stories. After a ten-year separation that left Georgeanne distrustful of Silviu, and Silviu hungering for Georgeanne’s return, they reunite in Poland, at Silviu’s sister’s betrothal celebration. Georgeanne is the key to Silviu’s rise to power, but she is fighting to gain her own power, in her own coven and he is a threat to her personal ambitions.

Ileana Lovasz is a pawn, with a string of broken betrothals to prove it, and she’s willing to use her body to escape her manipulative grandfather, and gain an edge for Silviu’s political goals. Eliasz Levy has every intention of forming an alliance with Silviu and marriage to Ileana is an ideal way to get what he wants. But when the new couple meets, emotions they never expected change everything.

Ileana, Eliasz, Silviu and Georgie must build an alliance that will help them all get what they want but, with too many lies and too many enemies, the game they’re playing turns deadly. When the two women come under attack, neither Silviu nor Eliasz knows which is the target. They only know they will protect the women their hearts have claimed as their own, even though that means defying the traditions of witching society, risking every goal they hold dear and confronting the dangerous members of their own families.

Betrothed is now available for early download through Totally Bound and will be found everywhere else on April 24^th. Enter the witching world and follow Silviu and Georgeanne as they gather allies for their cause, and learn the true strength behind their magic.

My name is Lola White, and I write any story that happens to haunt me at the time. You can find me at my website, www.lola-white.com and get Betrothed at https://www.totallybound.com/betrothed

Thank you Lisabet for letting me be your guest, and congratulations on your own release, The Eyes of Bast, also through Totally Bound.