Watch It or I’ll Put You in My Book! #guestblogger #giveaway #paranormal

By Janie Franz (Guest Blogger)

There is a saying—or threat—among authors that if you make us angry enough, we’ll put you in one of our books and kill you off in a most horrid but satisfying manner. Well, I’ve never put anyone in my books and killed them off—in fact, I’ve only killed two people off in all of my 12 titles. However, I have put people I know into my books.

In Sugar Magnolia, my contemporary about the music industry, I got permission to put hip-hop artist Deploi and music legend Dr. John into cameo spots with speaking roles. These were small parts but depicted what I had seen in both when I had interacted with them at different times of my life. They were both positive showcases.

I have also crafted characters around people I’ve met and who I appreciated their appearance or energy. In Warrior Women, book 3 of my 6-part fantasy series about the Bowdancer, I created one character from someone I know and shaped her into who she became and later had her appear in three more Bowdancer books. The character Bekar, the fearless master hunter, came from an encounter I had with Canadian multi-musician Lyndale Montgomery. I’d arranged for her and her partner Ember Swift to appear at a local coffeehouse on their way to another gig. This was a sing-for-gas-money gig and necessary for them to get to their next bigger playing gig. I’d followed the band for a bit and was happy to help.

Lyndale showed up with Ember and another woman who played drums, and I was struck by how she had changed her appearance. She had long hair and had shaved half her head on one side. It was a startling look. When I crafted Bekar, I put in that look, except the warrior woman’s hair on the other side was shorter, and I embued her with Lyndale’s energy—or what I perceived of her at that time. Many years later, I admitted to Lyndale that I’d put her into one of my books.

The inspiration for the next-door neighbor in my horror short, The Neighbor, was someone I actually lived next door to. I had wondered when I lived in that building whether that woman was trying to become me. Thus, the story was born years later.

In The Premier, another contemporary but about Hollywood, I fashioned the male love interest on an actor I had admired. It wasn’t him in the book but my take on a what-if moment if I’d been a writer who’d met someone like him.

And the rock star wanting to make a comeback in Sugar Magnolia was based very loosely on a 60s performer and then was given a whole lot of nasty qualities. He was fun to write, though creepy at the same time.

My Ruins series began with the shaping of the character Paul in Discovery. I’d seen this native or Hispanic gentleman at a convenience store in Arizona 40 years ago. I was intrigued by his appearance and quickly wrote a novella with him in it that later on became Discovery. I had not yet gone back to school to get my anthropology degree and knew very little about the science of archaeology when that first draft was written. It remained in a drawer for 30 years until I pulled it out and expanded it into a full-length book, which was eventually published. Artifacts came on the coattails of that book and had no further inspiration from people I know, except I had a stronger understanding of archaeology then.

The most recent book in the Ruins series, Legacy, came out in September, and it has three people in it that I know. I crafted Dutch Acuna, the lady owner of the horse ranch where most of the action takes place, on my good friend Ann. That character is so like Ann it really could have been her doing all those things in the book. But Dutch has knowledge Ann doesn’t have. Dutch is a midwife and knows herbs. Ann knows herbs and does a lot of homeopathic remedies, but she’d never feel as comfortable as Dutch does around a pregnant woman.

Another minor character is Isaac Wichowski, the big angelic, Hispanic farrier in Legacy. He’s based on my good friend Alexander who is indeed a farrier and who gave me so much great information about horses for the book. Isaac and Alexander are just as cheeky, but kind to a fault!

Finally, there is Toni, the love interest in Legacy. She’s native and knows about the politics of academia. She’s also deeply spiritual. I based her character on a woman I met for 20 minutes 6 years ago. That woman’s energy was so spiritually positive and so very old inside a young body. I was impressed and began to weave a character based on that energy into this book. She wasn’t even an original idea for that book but, as I did research and sat with the story line, she came to it and walked its pages. I’m glad I put her into the book.

I do have another Ruins book I’ll be working on soon, and I’m not sure who will inspire me. I do have a law enforcement friend I’ve been threatening to put into a book and make her a womanizing sheriff. We’ll see.

As a tribute to people I know I’ve put in books, I’ll be giving away a digital copy of Ruins Legacy to one lucky winner who posts a comment about this blog.

Blurb

Kate Ferguson’s life is crumbling around her as she is shoved out of her ten-year-old son’s life as he prepares for his testing to be the next shaman. Relegated to babysitting a pregnant woman she doesn’t even know in an unfamiliar place, she is bombarded by her son’s growing abilities and her own, dark secrets, strange revelations, spiritual trials, and an intriguing female ranch hand who challenges everything she knows.

The book is still on special at all of these locations:

MuseItUp Publishing (You can get all formats here in one download.):

https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/now-available-in-ebook/ruins-legacy-detail

Amazon:

 https://www.amazon.com/Ruins-Legacy-Janie-Franz-ebook/dp/B07DKQJGVY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1541041204&sr=8-4&keywords=ruins+legacy

Barnes and Noble:

 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ruins-legacy-janie-franz/1128841982?ean=2940155562153

If you live in Australia, you can get the book at Angus & Robertson:

https://www.angusrobertson.com.au/ebooks/ruins-legacy-janie-franz/p/9781773920139

About the Author

Janie Franz comes from a long line of liars and storytellers with deep roots in East Tennessee. Her anthropology degree is a refection of her wide curiosity. She is an author, a professional speaker, the US acquisition editor and a content editor for MuseItUp Publishing, an academic editor, ghostwriter, and reviewer. Previously, she published an online music publication (Refrain Magazine) and was an agent/publicist for a groove/funk band, a radio announcer, a yoga/relaxation instructor, a music festival publicist, and private chef. 


She is the author of twelve titles with MUSE, a freelance writing manual, co-author of two wedding how-to books, and a self-help book. “Refrain,” Book 2 of The Lost Song trilogy, was a Top 10 Finisher, Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, 2013 Preditors & Editors Reader Poll. She lives in Santa Fe where she writes fantasy, archeology thrillers, paranormal, and contemporaries—and can be found on a dance floor.

Seven Things to Expect from a Lisabet Sarai Story - #SaturdaySeven #consistency

Anyone who has checked out my website or who follows my blog knows that I don’t really restrict myself to a single genre. I’ve written contemporary romance, historical romance, sci fi, thrillers, paranormal, urban fantasy, lesbian and gay fiction, even a bit of humor. Unlike many authors, I can’t say “I write...” and finish the sentence with a nice, neat summary of my work.

I make no excuses for my lack of consistency! I like variety in my reading, and that’s true in my writing as well. Still, there are some constants, some characteristics you can pretty much depend on when you pick up a book I’ve written, whatever the genre.

1. A vivid, usually specific setting

As I mentioned last week, I’ve done a lot of traveling and lived in quite a few places. I tend to use my experiences as background or inspiration for my stories. For me, the setting is almost another character.

This is particularly true of the Asian Adventure series I’ve been publishing over the last six months. Each of these books is set in a different Asian locale. In fact, the latest Asian Adventure tale, Dragon Boat Blues, just came out yesterday. It takes place in Ha Long Bay, northern Vietnam. I did a dragon boat cruise myself a number of years ago. I’ve tried to bring my memories to life in this story.

2. Characters who break stereotypes

I don’t usually write alpha male heroes or fragile, innocent heroines. I try to make each character as distinctive as I can. I love nerdy, intelligent guys and brilliant, assertive women. My characters also cover a wide range of ages, from late teens (e.g. NecessaryMadness) to senior citizens (Gray Christmas). Oh, and they’re not all beautiful or physically perfect, either. For instance, the heroine of Dragon Boat Blues is disabled.

3. More or less explicit sex

I don’t close the bedroom door on my characters. I’m fascinated by sexuality and not ashamed of that fact. Some of what I write would be considered erotica. My romance tends to be pretty steamy. The tone depends on the story and the characters. I can write raw and I can write tender. However, very few of my books could be rated G.

4. A plot with some real conflict

Without conflict, there’s no story. All my characters face obstacles, internal, external or both. They make decisions and face the consequences, hopefully growing and changing in the process. In some books (for instance, The Gazillioniare and the Virgin) the conflict arises from the characters’ differing values and priorities. In others (Quarantine, Exposure, BangkokNoir) I have hostile forces threatening the characters’ happiness. Either way, I don’t make it too easy for my characters.

5. Surprises

I really hate predictable books. So I try to work at least some suspense or surprise into everything I write. I want my readers to turn the pages, wondering what’s going to happen next. Actually, surprise goes hand in hand with realistic conflicts. In the real world, you can’t necessarily know how some difficult situation will turn out. Writing romance, which requires a happy ending, it’s a challenge to keep the reader guessing, but I do my best.

6. Interest in and respect for diversity

Although I’m a white, middle class woman, my characters often are not. I have written black, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and European characters. A number of my stories are told from a male point of view. Quite a few of my tales would be categorized as multicultural and interracial.

I also value diversity in sexual orientation. I want to explore the richness of human experience in my stories.

7. Decent editing and correct grammar

If a reader pays to buy one of my books, she deserves a quality product. I am now self-publishing most of my work. I try very hard to make sure readers won’t be annoyed by the sort of typos, messed up formatting, or grammar gaffes that I find in many self-published books.

* * *

I hope you sample some of the other Saturday Seven posts today. You can find a full list at the Long and Short Reviews blog.

Addicted! (#gameofthrones #amreading)

In general, I’m not very tuned in to cultural trends. I don’t watch television—in fact, don’t even own a TV. The music I like best was considered “classic” three decades ago. I buy clothing mostly based on function, rather than fashion. Plus, as I’ve discussed in a previous blog post, I’m a non-conformist by nature and education, deeply suspicious of anything that “everyone” likes. Popularity is something of a negative value for me (except of course, when it comes to the popularity of my own books!)

Hence, it’s a bit embarrassing to realize that I’ve become addicted to a wildly successful popular phenomenon—the Game of Throne series.

Not the TV show. As I said, television plays no role in my life. I’m talking about the fat, juicy, deliciously detailed books by George R.R. Martin, on which the HBO series was based.

I picked up the first book (A Game of Thrones) back in April, when I was preparing for an overseas trip that involved a sixteen hour flight. Experience has taught me that the best way to endure that sort of ordeal is to lose myself in a book—preferably something long, so I don’t run out of material, with enough action and emotion to keep me interested, but without too much philosophical or intellectual complexity. (My head gets kind of fuzzy after eight hours in the air!) I’d heard about the Song of Ice and Fire series, and it sound like just the right thing. I was delighted to discover that even though the initial volume was 800+ pages, the book didn’t weigh much.

It took no more than a chapter or two to get me hooked. I read all through the flight, except when I was sleeping, and had enough story left over to carry me halfway back home. I was so sorry when the book ended! And I knew I’d have to go buy the next installment before too long.

I resisted the impulse for about a month. Then another trip gave me an excuse to pick up A Clash of Kings. This flight was shorter (only nine hours), and mostly at night, so I was still only halfway through when I returned a couple of days ago.

And now, I can’t get the book off my mind. I have lots of other reading on my TBR stack, including beta reads for friends and books for promised reviews. Instead of distributing my reading time, as I normally do, I find myself returning to the world of the Seven Kingdoms, night after night. I’m embarrassed at how excited I get about the prospect of plunging back into Martin’s complicated society.

Why do I find these books so addictive? One major reason is the characters. Martin has made me care about the people he’s created: Arya Stark, the tomboy princess fighting for her life; Tyrion Lannister, the selfish, hideous dwarf with a brilliant mind and a surprising streak of humanity; Jon Stone, bitter bastard and reluctant hero; Catelyn Stark, a voice of wisdom and honor in a vicious, power-mad world; Daenerys the Dragonmother, enduring anything to reclaim the throne of her ancestors. Even the minor players are vivid and engaging. Although the characters lie at various positions along the dimension of goodness, each has strengths and weaknesses. Each chapter presents the point of view of a different character, and we come to feel some sympathy even for the more villainous of Martin’s creations.

The author has no compunction about killing people off. Heroes are not guaranteed to survive or thrive in this saga. That lends a sense of terrible urgency to the story, since I realize that even the people I love the most may well die.

Then there’s the magic. I admire the author’s delicate hand in imbuing his world with supernatural elements. So many fantasy series go overboard, losing their sense of reality. In Martin’s world, magic hovers at the fringes of the story rather than taking over center stage. The wonder is more potent because of its rarity.

I sometimes lose track of who’s fighting whom. I can’t necessarily keep all the family relationships straight. That doesn’t matter. There’s something about these books that keep pulling me back.

I’ve still got a good three hundred pages to go in A Clash of Kings. After that, I suspect I’ll be haunting the local used bookstore, looking for the next volume.