9
Feb
Just finished reading the most recent Lara Adrian novel, Darker After Midnight.
All I can saw is: fabulous! So, so incredible.
If you haven’t had a chance to read her Midnight Breed series, you really must. I tend to lose interest in a series after a certain point, especially if I feel like each book is just a rehash of the same plot over and over. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt that way while following this series and have anxiously awaited the release of every single Midnight Breed novel.
When I finished reading Darker After Midnight, which is Book 10 in the series, I immediately flipped to the back matter to see if there was a teaser for Book 11. Sadly, there wasn’t. But Ms. Adrian’s website indicates that there is more to come. Hooray!
She’s wrapped up the plot that wove the first ten books together, so I can’t wait to see what she does next. 
*Disclaimer: In accordance with FTC Guidelines for reviews and endorsements, you should assume that every book recommended on maurabishop.com was submitted by the author/publisher or purchased via an authorized retailer. We do not accept money or favors in exchange for a good review.
3
Jan
Happy New Year! (Yeah, okay, so I’m a bit late, but it’s been a crazy couple of weeks…)
As I’ve been promising some book recommendations for a while now, I thought I’d put together a list of a few fun reads to kick off the new year. (Click on the hyperlinks to read more about the books on Amazon.com.)
1) Seeing Red by Susan Crandall – This is a fast-paced romantic suspense that will suck you in quickly and keep you turning the pages until late at night. The threat that drives the story–a man convicted of murder is mistakenly released from prison and comes after the woman who put him there–is like something you’d see on one of those true crime series that make you paranoid to go out at night alone, but there’s a plot twist that I didn’t see coming (at least not in the way it unfolded). I started this one on the way to Chicago during my infamous train adventure and was irritated as hell when I actually had to put it down to attend the conference sessions.
2) Magic Kingdom for Sale–Sold! by Terry Brooks – This is the first book in The Magic Kingdom of Landover series. Although it starts out as a little bit of a downer (the main character, Ben, is a widower/high-powered attorney whose life is falling apart), the humor soon kicks in and makes for a fun bit of fantasy. The story is definitely a journey tale, so there’s lots of going from this place to that, but the characters Ben meets along the way make the wandering worthwhile.
3) A Taste of Midnight by Lara Adrian – Part of Adrian’s Midnight Breed series, this novella is the story of Danika, one of the breedmates we met in the first book but haven’t seen much of since. It’s no secret that I’m a total junkie when it comes to Lara Adrian’s novels, but I honestly wasn’t sure how a novella would go–if it would lose some of the fabulous character development, sizzling romance, heart-pounding suspense, and engaging plot that I so admire in Adrian’s work. Well, I humbly apologize for having any doubts–it was fantastic! This is a digital-first book that can only be bought in various e-book formats at the moment, but (if I remember correctly) it will be appearing as extra material in the mass market paperback version of her upcoming release, Darker After Midnight (which comes out in hardback in a couple of weeks).
Well, folks, there are just a few books to get you started this year. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Happy reading!
*Disclaimer: In accordance with FTC Guidelines for reviews and endorsements, you should assume that every book recommended on maurabishop.com was submitted by the author/publisher or purchased via an authorized retailer. We do not accept money or favors in exchange for a good review.
25
Apr
When people find out I’m a writer, one of the first questions that inevitably comes up is where I get all of the ideas for my stories.
Well, the truth is, I get inspiration from pretty much anywhere and everywhere–a news story, the lyrics of a song, a dream, a photograph, a snippet of dialogue between two people in front of me in line at the coffee shop, and–every now and then–from nowhere at all. I honestly don’t remember what was behind every single thing I’ve ever written, but there are a few AH-HA! moments that stand out in my memory for whatever reason, so I thought I’d share those with all of you.
1) My very first novel, way back when I was 14-years-old, was inspired by a series of dreams I had. And, as I recall, I was reading a lot of fantasy novels around then, which probably played a large part in what was on my mind. In particular, I remember two novels/series that were absolutely fabulous and had me hooked on the genre – The Oval Amulet by Lucy Cullyford Babbit and The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. I’m generally not all that into YA novels, but I would definitely read these again.
2) A short story I wrote in high school called “The Weed,” which won something-or-other in my creative writing class, came about because of a particularly awful dandelion infestation in our yard that was choking out all the little violet wildflowers I liked to pick and put in a tiny vase on my desk. I remember sitting at my desk looking out the window (instead of doing homework) and fuming about the dandelions, and the idea for the story hit me. When all was said and done, I ended up writing a very dark short story about a precocious little boy battling to save his mother from nefarious forces. The weed was a metaphor. I came across the story again recently and was more than a little shocked by how much the main character I created twenty years ago resembles my eldest son. Adding to the weirdness–they share the same first name. (For the record, that’s where the similarities end. 
)
3) A contemporary romance I’ve been working on on-and-off for several years now was inspired by a single line from a song that I really loved in college. I’ve written loads of scenes for this story, but it keeps wanting to morph into a romantic suspense. I’ve set it aside to return to at some later date when I figure out which way I want it to go.
4) My vampire-like-creature project — Well, I honestly don’t recall where this one came from. I’ve loved vampire movies and books and have since I was a kid, so this was probably just a culmination of decades of watching horror movies that frustrated me because they weren’t love stories. I was also reading a lot by Lara Adrian, J.R. Ward, Lynn Viehl, and Alexandra Ivy, which I’m sure played a role in what I ultimately decided to write. Once again, what I started out writing and what I ended up writing are vastly different.
5) My angels and demons project came about after I watched a documentary on the Black Death. Incidentally, the story has absolutely nothing to do with the plague (although it is mentioned).
6) Red is the result of my eldest son asking, “Hey, Mom, what if….?”
7) A ghost story I’ve been planning draws upon personal experiences. The plot is fictional; some of the incidents depicted are not.
8) The idea for a paranormal romantic comedy that was this close to being my next project back in February came to me while reading Greek mythology with Professor. In keeping with my pattern, by the time I actually sat down and plotted out the story and did all my preliminary character sketches, Greek mythology didn’t play into it at all.
9) An epic fantasy novel that I’ve been writing in fits and starts since my late teens was inspired by Orson Scott Card’s novel, Ender’s Game. My story has absolutely nothing in common with Ender’s Game except that the main character starts out as a little boy who ends up being part of something much bigger than he’d ever anticipated.
10) My current project, which happens to be a futuristic fantasy romance, came about when I read a scientific article about the future of space exploration. I briefly toyed with the idea of writing this one as a sci-fi (a genre I really enjoy), but I quickly realized I needed to stick with planet Earth, and (of course) ended up going in a totally different direction.
Well, there you have it–a little glimpse inside my head. The thing is, what inspires me might not inspire you, and vice versa. The most important thing to remember is that inspiration is all around you. You just have to be open to it.
All that being said, there are going to be times when it seems like the Inspiration Fairy has gone AWOL and is nowhere to be found. In my next couple of posts I’ll share some of my favorite exercises for dragging that good-for-nothing beyotch back kicking and screaming. Stay tuned!
7
Oct
I’m currently reading Guide to the Salem Witch Hysteria of 1692 by David C. Brown (bought for me last year by a friend who was vacationing in the infamous town), so I’ve got witches on the brain.
If you’ve never read anything on the Salem witch trials, you really should, even if you’re not particularly interested in that time in American history. There’s something chilling about how easily the denizens of Salem Village and the surrounding towns were caught up in the insanity of these events and how ridiculous were some of their superstitions and accusations. It makes me wonder what people will think about our belief systems a few hundred years from now.
If non-fiction isn’t your thing, there’s certainly no shortage of novels featuring witches. I have several books and/or series on my “To Read” list, but am having trouble choosing between them. So, here’s my challenge to all of you: Take a look at the website of each author listed below and let me know which series you think sounds like the most fun. Whichever author gets the most votes will be first up on my Witchy reading list. In exchange for your vote, when I’m finished reading the winning novel, I’ll post a review.
So, without further ado, here are the three authors from which to choose:
Mindy Klasky’s Jane Madison Series
Vicki Lewis Thompson’s The Hex Series
Linda Wisdom’s Hex Series
I can’t wait to get started on one of these fantastic reads, so cast your vote!
*Disclaimer: In accordance with FTC Guidelines for reviews and endorsements, you should assume that every book recommended on maurabishop.com was submitted by the author/publisher or purchased via an authorized retailer. We do not accept money or favors in exchange for a good review.
New York Times bestselling author, Sherrilyn Kenyon, will be reading from and signing copies of her novel, No Mercy, here in Indy this weekend. If you’re a fan of paras and haven’t yet read anything by Sherrilyn Kenyon, you should!
Here’s the info:
Borders – Indianapolis – Greenwood
Saturday, September 11th at 6:00 p.m.
7565 U.S. 31 S | Indianapolis, IN | 317.859.2949
Be sure to contact the store to make sure the date and time haven’t changed before you go. And you might want to plan to get there early so you aren’t crammed into a corner in the back of the store.
And just a bit of friendly advice: I’ve been seeing lots of discussion in articles and various newsletters about book tours and how they’re starting to fade out, so take advantage of these opportunities whenever you can.
It’s always great to hear a successful writer talk about her work and her creative process. You never know when you might learn a thing or two. And, hey, if you can pick up a few new great reads while you’re there, even better!
30
Nov
A few months ago, my dear friend and literary mentor (“Greg”) asked me what it is that I write, but I’ve been putting off responding for reasons too complicated to go into at the moment. However, as others reading the blog might be curious to know as well, I figured it was time to quit stalling and get on with it. The truth is I enjoy writing almost anything and everything. Really. I was even one of those geeky students who enjoyed working on research papers — the more research the better. (What can I say? Welcome to Nerdville; Population: 1.)
As I mentioned in my bio, I started writing poems and stories when I was around six years old, and I wrote my first novel manuscript when I was fourteen. It was a decent first effort and earned me enough extra credit points in 8th grade Honors English to be assured of an A in the class, regardless of how well I did for the rest of that semester. However, as you might expect of a manuscript written by a fourteen-year-old, it was full of melodrama and angst (after all, everything’s a tragedy when you’re fourteen), so after writing the sequel the following year I collected the manuscripts, stuck them in a manila envelope, and put them away in my storage trunk. But who knows? Maybe if I go through some serious purging of the more saccharine elements, I might be able to salvage the manuscript as a YA fantasy novel without going into sugar-shock. We’ll see.
In college, I wrote mostly poetry — I even managed to publish a few pieces here and there in extremely obscure places that no one will have ever heard of. I still write poetry from time to time when the mood strikes me. It’s where my true aspirations started, so I imagine poetry will always be an outlet for working through my most personal emotions and experiences. Plus, it’s a great exercise for generating new metaphors that I can later cannibalize in my other work. (Just saying.)
After college… well, grad school, marriage and babies kind of sidelined my writing for a while, but I did manage to write several short stories and about five partial novels during that time. Frankly, even though I didn’t finish any of the larger projects, writing the partial novels was a lot more pleasurable than trying my hand at short stories. Although I enjoy reading well-written short fiction, I am not a huge fan of writing it (hence the italicized almost in the first paragraph). I find writing short stories to be a completely exasperating, maddening, and infuriating process and have nothing but the deepest respect for anyone who can successfully pull it off. Every writer has her niche in which she shines — this one isn’t mine.
O. Henry envy aside, the experience of writing nothing but short stories and scraps of novels for several years turned out to be unexpectedly beneficial in that it made me focus on pacing and self-control and helped me to experiment with different narrative voices on a small stage before taking them to a larger arena. But, most importantly, it confirmed for me, beyond a doubt, that writing novels is my true passion — the rest is just creative-juice gravy.
I think part of the reason I am so enamored with novels is that I love developing characters and relationships, romantic relationships in particular. I’ve tried writing novels in a few different genres, cutting my teeth on fantasy and throwing in a few historicals for good measure, but the one constant has always been romance. I freely confess that I’m an incurable romantic at heart and couldn’t avoid writing a love story into a novel if I tried. (And I have.) So, when my youngest son was finally at an age when I felt I could more seriously devote time to writing, it seemed only logical that my focus should be romance novels. And what better way to fuel my creative fire than to incorporate my two favorite topics — love and the paranormal.
As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, I love anything dealing with the paranormal and have a special place in my heart for vampires. No big surprise that one of the series I’m developing deals with vampire-like beings. You’ll have to forgive me for being a bit vague, but that’s about all I can divulge on that one at present. The first two manuscripts are finished and currently are undergoing another round of revisions. I have six books planned for my sexy fanged friends, but that number originally started out as four, so we’ll see what happens when I finally get the first one published. The plan is to get started on Book 3 sometime in the spring or summer.
My current project deals with angels and demons. I’ve really struggled a bit more in writing this one, mostly because I was treading on some sacred theological ground and worried at first that my spin on things might be a bit on the controversial side. But after a couple of days of pulling my hair out in frustration because the story wasn’t going where I knew it needed to go, I just said, “F” it! and got busy writing. After that breakthrough, I had a lot more fun, and I think it shows in the writing. The other great part about this particular project is that the story unfolds in several different locations, which has given me the opportunity to draw upon some of my own travel experiences as well as to bury myself in research and really get my nerd on. I’m just a couple of chapters away from putting the first draft to bed and then have revisions ahead of me for the next month or two.
After that, I’m heading back to my roots and pulling fantasy into my paranormal romance mix for a project that I’m incredibly excited to write! I actually started working on this one over the summer following a brainstorming session with Professor (he’s my little writing buddy) and had written about four chapters before I realized that I was having such a fantastic, rollicking good time writing it, that if I didn’t set it aside I’d never finish the other one I was writing. Although this one’s technically in a holding pattern, I’ve been making notes and writing down scenes in my journal to keep my enthusiasm high and work out some of the more intricate plot points. This project is slated for sometime later this fall and most likely will carry me into the spring.
And that’s just what’s on the agenda for the next year or so. I have another few projects in the queue that should carry me through probably 2012 or 2013, provided nothing more intriguing comes to me in the meantime. Whew! I’m going to be busy. How great is that?
So, Greg (and other curious folks), there you have it in an admittedly verbose nutshell. I write romance novels, currently of the paranormal variety. And if that’s not your thing, don’t worry. Odds are good that eventually I’ll give that whole short story thing another go…
(Originally posted Sept 13)
30
Nov
I can honestly say that I’m not a band-wagoner of the current “vampires are people too” trend that is so popular these days. I’ve always been fascinated by the paranormal, and with vampires, in particular. As a little girl, I faithfully watched the Saturday morning monster movie marathons and rooted for the vamp to get the girl. And every week I was disappointed when some dashing, but never quite as interesting, do-gooder staked my favorite imbiber of blood or left him for the sun, thereby freeing his ladylove from the vampire’s nefarious clutches. It was almost enough to crush the burgeoning romantic sensibilities of a young writer-in-bloom.
When someone finally flipped the pop culture switch ten or so years ago, transforming vampires from monstrous to simply misunderstood, I felt vindicated for all my prepubescent frustration with Hollywood. I don’t know for certain when this shift in depiction of vampires took place, or if there is a single novel or movie that served as the catalyst; I’ll leave that to the pundits of the paranormal to sort out. I just know that suddenly there was a deluge of opportunities for fangophiles such as myself to get their fiction fix.
Now, fast forward a few years…
From what I can gather, grumblings on the publishing street are that, thanks to the rabid fascination with Twilight and the popularity of TV series like “True Blood,” vampires have kind of been done to death (pardon the pun). I imagine that many an agent or editor has rolled her eyes upon receiving yet another Twilight copycat or the latest Sookie Stackhouse knock-off in her query letter slush pile. Yet, it seems the consumer still can’t seem to get enough of our favorite fangy friends.
So, what does this mean for writers, particularly those of us still trying to break in to the business side of things? Do we still have a chance to add our own fresh blood to the mix before the vein runs dry?
Hard to say.
My opinion (for what it’s worth — hey, I’m still trying to get published, too, remember?) is that the desire for stories about vampires and other creatures of their ilk may wax and wane over time but will not disappear entirely. One thing we have going for us is that vampires have been a part of popular culture in various incarnations since long before Bram Stoker made Dracula a household name and Frank Langella made him sexy, so it’s not like they’re going to suddenly vanish from our cultural consciousness.
If you prefer to leave the history of folklore out of it and look at the topic on a purely visceral level, vampires give us a venue to explore our darkest, most forbidden desires. There’s an inherent sensuality and vulnerability in vampirism that is utterly captivating and liberating, not to mention the euphemistic possibilities for love, sex, and social interaction are undeniable. Armchair psychology aside, the mere idea of living — and loving — forever speaks to the heart of every one of us who is a hopeless romantic. (Besides that, the throngs of teenage girls who fawned and fainted over Edward Cullen will need to have something else to read when they’re grown-ups.)
That being said, I do believe that in order to write a novel about vampires at this point in the game, a writer definitely needs to think outside the coffin (to borrow a popular phrase) by taking the well-worn conventions within the genre and molding them into something entirely new.
Two of my favorite authors who have managed to put an intriguing spin on vampire romances are J.R. Ward and Lara Adrian. Their respective series employ some of the standard vampire traits — need for blood (obviously), sensitivity to sunlight, greatly extended lifespan, rapid healing abilities — but one crucial difference that makes both of these series stand out is that the origin of the featured race/species is new and original. Put simply, they aren’t the soulless undead you’re used to reading about, which opens up a whole new range of possibilities to explore, both as a writer and as a reader.
However, if you’re a vampire purist and refuse to accept any vampires not of the formerly dead variety, two other authors who have managed to put a new twist on the old yarn, are Lynn Viehl and Alexandra Ivy. Again, they have taken the most basic tenants of vampire lore and have built upon them to create stories that make their novels distinct from the competition; Viehl by drawing upon a heretofore unexplored connection in history; and Ivy by layering her stories with a bevy of mystical and fantastical beings, which adds a charming richness to her novels. No small accomplishment.
Well, Maura, this is all well and good, you say, but how does one go about thinking outside the coffin to come up with something that is new and original and yet won’t alienate the reader by straying too far from the accepted traditions?
Good question.
Unfortunately, it’s not an easy one to answer, and, obviously, it’s one I’m still working out. However, I can share my favorite method for generating ideas: Read. A lot. Read other novels to see what others have written; read non-fiction books on folklore and history to find out what hasn’t been written; read discussions taking place online among the various vampire communities to see what they’re saying about themselves. And, most importantly, be open to inspiration. Let it come from even the most outrageous or unexplored avenue, and don’t be afraid to follow its lead. You never know what’s going to get that new blood pumping!
Good luck!
(Originally posted Aug 31)
