New Characters to Meet!

Time for some pre-holiday Christmas fun! One of my co-authors of the Christmas Treasures: A Collection of Christmas Short Stories,  Joanne Sher and myself, are introducing favorite characters in our short stories, and I recently had the privilege
of interviewing these special characters.

Christmas Treasures is free on Kindle through the 29th! Find it HERE.

Part of the Job by Joanne Sher

Joanne Sher, author

Favorite character: Mom (like most of them, she doesn't have a name ;) )

Mom loves order, keeping in touch with her family and friends, her husband, all three of her kids, and things going just so. When she sets her mind to something, it WILL get done - often in record time - no matter the distractions.

Questions for your character to answer:

1) Tell us about your favorite Christmas. Why was it your favorite?

As long as the family is there - and there are no surprises - I love every Christmas. I have to say, though, my favorite was just a few years ago, when my youngest was just a couple years old. All the kids woke up at 6 on Christmas morning, and we'd just gotten the presents under the tree a couple hours before - and had fallen asleep in chairs in the living room. They each climbed on our laps to wake us, and we snuggled up and opened presents together. So nice!

2) Do you have a Christmas tradition you look forward to every year?

There is nothing I love more than the annual Christmas card stuffing, stamping and sealing assembly line. It really gets me in the Christmas spirit. Each of the kids, and my wonderful husband, have a role, and it's a great family activity. We break out the Christmas music and work quickly, like a well-oiled machine. The kids pretend to hate it, but I know they're just teasing. I mean, what's not to like? And besides, we're done in just an hour, and we always have hot chocolate afterward.

Special Assignment by Kathleen Rouser

Favorite character: Lucy Meriwether

Lucy Meriwether is a police detective in the suburbs, in her late twenties, who has had her heart badly broken. She seems to lack maternal instincts, but when an orphan is left in her office for the Christmas holiday, she turns protective.

Questions for your character to answer:

1) Tell us about your favorite Christmas. Why was it your favorite?

My favorite Christmas was the year before my dad left us. I was twelve and I have good memories of the five of us being together. Mom and Dad even stopped fighting for a few days. We laughed and joked while we decorated the Christmas tree together. After a candlelight service on Christmas Eve, we picked up Grandma Meriwether, so she could spend the night with us. She gave me the game Clue that year for Christmas and I’ve loved solving mysteries ever since.

2) Do you have a Christmas tradition you look forward to every year?

I used to love making cut out Christmas cookies with my little brother and sister after we wrapped presents. Add Mom’s special hot cocoa to drink with freshly baked cookies and it was such a treat. Sometimes we’d watch a Christmas movie like Miracle on 34^th Street too, but it’s been a long time since we’ve been all together. My family has all moved away. It just isn’t the same since we were kids.

Brave New Century on Sale Now!

Instead of our usually scheduled writing prompt, Lily and I would like to make an announcement!

Brave New Century has a beautiful new cover! And the ebook is on sale right now at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com for $0.99!

Inspirational Historical Romance from Prism Book Group:

Stories of four young women who are each braving challenges at the dawn of the 20^th century in the big city. Will they overcome their hardships and find love?

Three Rings for Alice by Lisa Lickel

Love and respect in 1899 Milwaukee is as close as a phone call.

Forgiven by Paula Mowery

When Henry and Jessie meet it seems to be classic love at first sight until a shocking revelation tears them apart.

The Pocket Watch by Kathleen Rouser

Searching for the past an orphan and a young doctor find love for the future.

Flames of Hope by Teena Stewart

Love ignites in the midst of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.

More about my novella, The Pocket Watch:

Isabel Jones, an orphan, receives a ruby ring left by the mother she never knew and wants more than ever to find her roots. When a young physician, Daniel Harper, rescues her from an oncoming automobile and she finds his pocket watch in a puddle, her circumstances take a turn. She begins to consider what life outside the orphanage could be like. Daniel’s heart has been broken before and the attractive young lady who finds his treasured timepiece wouldn’t be deemed suitable by his social climbing parents.

When Isabel and Daniel work side by side, caring for the orphanage children during an influenza epidemic, she becomes gravely ill. Compelled to redeem the time by helping her find the past, Daniel finds a buried truth that creates an unbridgeable chasm between them. Where will they find hope in a hopeless situation? 

Wednesday Whimsy - News for Mom's Book!

I’m keeping this post short today, because I am busy napping a lot. I’m not feeling well. Sniff. Cough. I have an upper regulatory inflection—no, that’s not it. I have an under reparatory infection. That’s not it either! Oh bother! I think I’ll just call it a “kitty cold.” And I’m still getting over it. My regular vet was out of town, so I got to go to the Country Cat Hospital. Really, I did! Mom’s been holding out on me. They were so nice to me there and fussed over me . . . the way I should be fussed over. Ahem. Anyway, I do have an announcement to make today for Mom:

Brave New Century is being featured at eReader News Today . . . this week! The four inspirational urban historical romance novellas are bargain priced at  $0.99 for
Kindle!

Read more about the book below:

Brave New Century

Inspirational historical romance from Prism Book Group

Stories of four young women who are braving challenges at the dawn of the 20^th century in the big city. Will they overcome their hardships and find love?

Three Rings for Alice by Lisa Lickel

Love and respect in 1899 Milwaukee is as close as a phone call.

Forgiven by Paula Mowery

When Henry and Jessie meet it seems to be classic love at first sight until a shocking revelation tears them apart.

The Pocket Watch by Kathleen Rouser

Searching for the past an orphan and a young doctor find love for  the future.

                          Flames of Hope by Teena Stewart

Love ignites in the midst of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.

Tweet this: BRAVE NEW CENTURY is featured at eReader News Today!

Tweet this: BRAVE NEW CENTURY bargain-priced for $0.99 at Amazon.com!

MONDAY MOTIVATION

CHARACTER EXPLORATION

Have fun with your characters. When you get stuck, try a little exercise. I start by praying for God’s leading. Close your eyes and see your character. Where is he/she? Think about the sights, sounds and smells around them, putting yourself in their shoes. Now, what is your character doing? Talking to someone? Looking for something? Painting a picture or just a wall? Playing a musical instrument? Running down a road?

You may find new things out about your character you never thought of before. I had a character, who had a lost love she hadn’t told me about before. He returned to her life. I wound up with a whole new twist to my plot. My character actually winds up marrying this lost love, who becomes a stepfather to her son. This complicates family relationships and holds her back for a time from making important decisions she needs to make about her commitment to God.

It’s funny how a simple five or ten minute exercise of the imagination can help breathe new life into a story, give more depth to a character and guide them down paths we hadn’t originally planned.

Do you have a “stuck” two-dimensional character that needs to have more depth of “life” breathed into them? 

Last week's prompt

I took about five minutes to write about last week's prompt,

which was fresh-baked bread. It led me to reminisce about

my bread baking days, when my sons were younger. Here are

my results, with little editing:

I miss baking bread. When the boys were little, I ground my own white wheat berries in a grain mill, making it into flour. Then I used my mixer with the dough hook to create lovely, pliable dough. The dough had a grainy texture and a nutty taste.

As the dough sat in a warm spot to rise, you could smell the yeast. Then as each loaf baked and was removed from the oven, the scent of honey and wheat blended with the yeasty goodness. I couldn’t wait until it cooled enough to slice and slather with butter. And my boys, big and little lined up for a chance to sample the golden-brown bread. 

Did you use last week's prompt and find it helpful? Here's a new prompt--write

about: Sunshine

WE HAVE A WINNER FOR LAST WEEK'S DRAWING!

Davalynn Spencer is the winner of the Amazon Gift Card! Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated!

This week, please leave a comment for a chance to win an ebook edition

of Linda Glaz's Miss Fishfly, which Lily will be reviewing on Wednesday.

MONDAY MOTIVATIONS

What is Writing, Whimsy and Devotion?

Simply a blog for readers, writers, people who enjoy literary reviews done by

cats and those who like a spiritual lift on the weekend. Your one stop for literature,

fun and faith!

Monday Motivations: Tips and commiseration for writers who need to get

the SOTP in the chair and get writing again. Whether you are stuck, in

need of inspiration or conquering fear to get your words onto the page,

you will find something here.

Wednesday Whimsy: My cat, Lilybits, will be happy to review books,

interview authors or comment on life--usually mine. Though I do reserve

the right to share my own humorous observations at times.

Saturday Spiritual Lift: Short devotional writing to help you look toward

the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ.

This week's Monday Motivation:

There are times when I’m really into my writing, joy flows through me as I place each word on the page and I can’t wait to sit down and write again. But there are some days I find it difficult to keep my derriere glued to the chair. I’m just sure the laundry pile can’t wait any longer and there are people I should call and the layer of dust on the dresser can be left no longer.

My inner editor is a difficult taskmaster, whispering in one ear that I need to write the perfect words. In the other ear she taunts me that I’ll never be great, followed by a sinister laugh. Okay, so I’ve exaggerated about the sinister laugh, but do you have any idea how many times I’ve already changed the previous sentence?

How do I combat that? By telling myself the truth: there’s no way I can write perfectly and that’s okay. I just need to write something—I can always spend time refining and rewriting later. There have been times I’ve used different books like, A Writer’s Book of Days, to help inspire me with ideas and writing prompts just to get things flowing. And prayer is an important element for the Christian writer. Focusing on the One who gives me strength and ideas takes the pressure off of little old me.

What about you? How do you get motivated and press on with your writing?

Okay, this week’s writing prompt picked from the folded papers in one of my currently unused bone china sugar bowls: Take 5-10 minutes to write about: Fresh-baked bread! Just do it! 

Please leave a comment and let me know if writing prompts such as the

one above help you to get started or if there are writing topics you'd

like to see covered.

When you leave a comment and/or follow my blog, you will be entered in

a drawing for an Amazon gift card! 

Thanks for stopping by!