Fairytales heroines nab our attention because they are either princesses, become princesses or encounter the supernatural. Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, The Snow Queen. Even the heroine in Rumpelstiltskin marries the King who locked her in a room, demanding she turn straw into gold. (What’s up with that, by the way? Marrying the greedy guy put you in a tower?) But fairytale heroines are often tools in a morality story. A symbol. A two-dimensional character that shuffles the plot along to teach a valued lesson. For a novel, we need a heroine readers can relate to, who looks someone like them even if they are a princess, or meet a prince, or who’s superpower is strictly her beauty. From the web site Den of Geeks: “We don’t care who they are, […]
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One Thing Marketing: Marketing Before You’re Published Part 2
Today we’re continuing our discussion on practical steps you can take to start marketing you and your book before you’re contracted. Last week we covered the first six tips. Here are the next seven: 7) Keep a list of research contacts. Anytime you contact someone for research help—or really anything book-related—add his contact information to your ongoing list. These are people who are guaranteed to be interested in your project because they played a part in it! Thus, they will be great word-of-mouth marketers in the future. 8) Business cards—have them, use them! The young’uns among us may feel business cards are old school. But when you’re serious about marketing and building a network of professional contacts, business cards are incredibly handy. Let’s say you meet a Lifeway Store buyer […]
Read the Rest5 Tips on Writing a Historical Novel
I love writing historical novels. I love diving into the research of the era. I do crazy things like get dressed in the right attire, and listen to music from the area. It’s so important to get it right. I wanted to quickly give you 5 tips on writing a great historical. It’s all about knowing your Era! Notes: Get books and articles written in the era to understand the lingo, the culture concerns, the political issues. You need to get your head in the mind of your character by diving into that era. Rent movies and read books set in this era! You can’t always rely on other people’s research, but you can get ideas to confirm later on. Read biographies about people set in this time. It’s another […]
Read the RestBlast the Winter Blues, part 3: Choose Time Wisely
For those of you who are hibernating up north, I’m sure you are tucked away with a fleece blanket, hot cocoa and your laptop, hammering out word count. For those of us who spend winters in Florida, that’s the time we love to be outdoors in the bright sunshine and warmth. The key to blasting the winter blues is to recognize the differences in your time and use it wisely. For example, this time of year, I always want to be outside. I live in central Florida and the weather is to die for. If I’m cooped up inside typing out a word count, I become depressed. Seriously. It ain’t pretty. Conversely, hot, sticky summers in the Sunshine State dehydrate me and drive me indoors. I know this about my […]
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