Bonding With Characters, by Melissa Foster

November 2011

You would think that creating a character would be like designing the perfect person. You, the writer, have full control of everything from the looks, personality, and style of this new person to when you will allow them to speak and what you will allow them to say. Given the nature of control that you have over your characters, you would think that liking or hating them would come easily. As an author, I don’t necessarily think that is true.

There are many times when I’m developing a character with one personality in mind, and something happens—the character speaks to me and tells me I’m wrong, and they’re allowed to create themselves, so to speak. This happened with the creation of Alice in COME BACK TO ME. When the story began, Alice was set to be a stoic, conniving woman with no ability to bond with others. I expected her to remain that way throughout the book. She had other ideas.

What happens next in these situations always takes me by surprise. I end up bonding with the characters I thought I would not. They take over more of the story, weaseling their way into the hearts of the author (yeah, that’s me), and when the writing process is over, I find myself thinking about them and their pasts, what made them the way they were.

It would be interesting to create a whole book one each character’s backstory. Yeah, I get a little too bonded to my characters. They never seem to go to sleep!

As a reader, do you put characters away easily or do you bond with them?

Melissa Foster is the bestselling, award-winning author of three novels, Megan’s Way, Chasing Amanda, and Come Back to Me.  She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, and the WoMen’s Literary Cafe. Melissa is currently collaborating in the film production of Megan’s Way, and hard at work on her next novel. Visit Melissa’s Website and Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and on her  Facebook Fanpage

There are so many new ways for them to reach each other in order to bully, and nothing is sacred anymore.

• Cell phones = texting, phone calls
• Social Networking = posting photos, writing on walls, being able to tag
• Videos = taken by phone, youtube posted videos, etc.
• School = teachers who don’t wish to get involved, teachers who tolerate much more than they used to, teachers who do not follow through because of laziness, fear or bullying by parents.

It’s happening everyday, and sometimes, these things are worse than others. Many lead to deaths by suicide or a child turning to drastic measures to hurt themselves.

Bullied Teen’s Mom Talks Of “Final Nail in Coffin” – sadly Phoebe Prince was bullied so long and so hard and the ones doing it were relentless, that she turned to suicide. This is not the ending that anyone wants to see. So many lives were affected with this story, and I so wish something could have been done before it was too late.

Awhile back I joined Young Adult Authors Against Bullying. As someone who was bullied in my youth, I am not blind to the need for us to do something before its just too late.  Together, the authors involved collaborated and assembled a book titled Dear Bully, where 70 authors tell their stories about being bullied and bullying.

Read more about the anthology here.

The anthology “Dear Bully: 70 Authors Tell Their Stories” from HarperCollins comes out August 2011, edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones. http://www.dearbully.com/

If you haven’t seen them yet, I’m not sure where you’ve bee hiding, but building tolerance in the LGBT community, the “It Gets Better!” series hits full force with some of the most popular celebrities creating videos to spread awareness and tell those that are suffering that “It Get’s Better!”.

There are hundreds of thousands of videos on youtube for the “It Gets Better” series, created by corporations, big and small businesses and individuals, celebrities and musicians who are helping to spread the word about LGBT bullying. THIS is the type of thing people should be doing to support ALL bullying! Would love to see a movement started for Bullying in general.

What are your thoughts on all of this?

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I reserve my 5 star rating for a book that has everything I want. This book, is definitely it.

As usual Jill’s steamy novels, not only work to keep you warm with some of the best bedroom scenes ever, but beyond that, her books contain a real story. The thing about Jill, is that she doesn’t just tell you a love story with some fantastic sex scenes, nope. You get action, adventure and mystery to boot. All told with Jill’s amazing voice that is unique in this genre.

Get a Clue was a page turner from the very first page. In fact I had a problem putting it down for any length of time and wanted to be able to gobble it up in one sitting. Unfortunately, with my busy schedule and a beautiful 318 pages it took me a little longer than I would have liked to, to eat the whole thing. However, when I got to the unexpected ending, I was speechless. Typically, I figure out an ending long before we get there, and if not, right before we get there. I didn’t see this one coming, and it was an unexpected surprise. One that left me smiling, because as Jill is known to do, she made me fall in love with every single character in this book from the appetizing Cooper and Breanne connection that was visible from the very start, all the way down to the mix matched chemistry of the sexy, opinionated Lariana and her clumsy Scotsman, Patrick.

Jill is among my most favorite authors (top 4 easily) and I am still working to read every book she’s ever written. Do you love Jill as much as I do? If you haven’t read a Jill Shalvis book, this would be a great one to start out with.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

I really want this. The idea of getting an ARC of any book is usually pretty awesome. BUT. Getting a DOODLED Arc of Possession is far better in my opinion. Dying to see what Elana Johnson added to the book that personalized it and made it more awesome than you know it already is.

Random-ish is hosting a contest to win this coveted Doodled ARC of Possession.  Oh yeah, and you also get an autographed bookmark and a $10 iTunes card. Have you entered to win?

I was determined to at least get a good chance, I never win anything but ya know Friday the 13th’s are my lucky days so…

• I am following Random-ish – Puts my name on the list
• I blogged about it +5
• I tweeted about it (and have scheduled to keep going until tomorrow night at closing) +8
• I facebooked about it (and have scheduled to keep posting about it until tomorrow night at closing) +8
• I have added it to both my Goodreads and my Shelfari site +3
• And I commented on the post. +1

You can get additional single points for anything else you do to spread the word, so be sure to count that too.

Did you enter to win?

Nicole Humphrey Cook: Hi Liz, I am excited to be interviewing you today. Can you tell us a little about yourself so we can get to know you better?

Liz: Well, first of all I feel so lucky to get the chance to be interviewed here. I love to tell stories, travel, and spend time in the city (New York City). I must say, I’ve been to London twice and it’s my all time favorite city in the world. The mix of cultures there is incredible. I always feel so inspired after having visited.

Nicole Humphrey Cook: I’ve never been to London, but I’d love to travel there one day. If it’s anything like New York City it has to be exciting and busy and full of all kinds of cultures. I think it’s great that you enjoy traveling as well as writing. When did you start writing?

Liz: I’d say I was eight or nine when I started writing stories. Before that I’d just tell them to whoever wanted to listen. I’d scribble them long hand on legal pads. Problem was I had horrific handwriting. So…no one, including me, knew what they said a few hours later.

Honestly, though, I was a weird little kid and I wasn’t very good at socializing, or making friends. So, I used my stories as an escape. I’d be able to alter reality just a little bit to make things go my way. Maybe that was more than a little bit, but it was my way of exploring the world.

I eventually came out of my shell, but I never lost my passion for stories.

Nicole Humphrey Cook: Honestly, I’m sure a lot of people can understand where you are coming from. Most writer’s seem to start when they are young, often because of books they read themselves. What books from your childhood/teen years captured your imagination and gave you the thought that you might like to write books?

Liz: S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. I devoured that book repeatedly before I reached out and found more of her novels. I learned a lot from reading her. The two biggest things that caught my attention were that she wrote from a male POV, something I tend to do and she was published at 14. I love that fact. It’s part of what kept me writing when other people told me I was too young.

Nicole Humphrey Cook: Do you have a favorite genre or one that you tend to write in more? If you do, why?

Liz: This is fun. Ok, I don’t know what drew me to this genre. As a matter of fact, up until I got my publishing contract, I didn’t know what genre I wrote in! No, seriously, I asked my editor on Twitter one day. I just tell the story and this one happened to come out as a Contemporary Romance, but I like it.

Nicole Humphrey Cook: Wow, that’s actually interesting. I wonder if there are other authors that are like that too?  What authors do you admire and what about them do you love?

Liz: Besides S.E. Hinton, I love Michael Cunningham. If you haven’t read him, you really should. A Home at the End of the World continues to influence my writing every day. He was also directly responsible for turning that book into a very powerful movie.

Nicole Humphrey Cook: I have read A Home at the End of the World, and it was excellent. I have not seen the movie, though I’d like to.  I understand that you are one of the founding authors of Lazy Day Publishing. Can you tell us a little more about that?

Liz: It’s a dream come true. No, really, when you’re writing a novel you hope against all hope that someone else out there will get it enough to be able to want to publish it. I got that and more. They’re excited about my novel and supportive through the editing and promoting process. All the other authors feel the same. Incredible experience.

Nicole Humphrey Cook: Congratulations on your publishing contract through Lazy Day. I understand your first novel is due out on December 1. Can you tell us a little about Expectations?

Liz: Expectations depicts the story of twins Matt and Chris, who are trying to win their overbearing father’s approval and ‘earn’ their trust funds. This requires both of them to make huge sacrifices in what they want in life and they have to come to terms with whether or not it’s actually worth it.

Nicole Humphrey Cook: I cannot wait to read it, the story sounds as if it will be very inspiring. What are your future aspirations with your writing?

Liz: My aspirations are really two-fold. First, I want to be able to ‘comfortably’ support myself with my novels. And maybe more importantly, I want to inspire people with my writing. I want people to look at something I conveyed in my story and stop to think about how they view that issue.

Nicole Humphrey Cook: And what do you think the future will hold for you?

Liz: I can only tell you what I hope the future holds for me. In five years, I want to be living in or near a city with two dogs, making enough money to support my Snapple habit. Oh, I guess my future husband can live there too. How about just most of the time?

Nicole Humphrey Cook: Liz, I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to get to know you better and I really look forward to the release of your book. I hope I have the opportunity to interview you again down the line to see how everything is going with you. Congratulations again on the upcoming release of your new book.

Contact Liz

Blog: http://writewords.typepad.com/write-words/
Twitter: @LizBorino

When I found out Heart to Heart was being released in June, I tried to find time to read Prey before it arrived, but to no avail. I was absolutely intrigued by the premise of Heart to Heart, so the day it was released I went and snatched it up.

Here is my review:

Title: Heart to Heart
Author: Lurlene McDaniel
Pages: 224 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Jacket Description: From Lurlene McDaniel, the bestselling author of young adult inspirational fiction, comes Heart to Heart. This emotionally charged novel explores loss, love, renewal, and the ways in which these complex bonds within families and between friends are tested at life’s most challenging moments.

Elowyn Eden and Kassey Messechek are best friends. They share every aspect of their lives. But one thing Elowyn has not yet shared with Kassey is that she checked the organ donor box on her newly acquired driver’s license. Kassey only learns of this in a startling and devastating way—when Elowyn’s life-giving donor wishes are about to be honored.

Arabeth St. Clair has not had the luck to have a best friend. Due to her diseased heart, she’s led a sheltered life. When Arabeth is sixteen, she and her mother receive the call that will change their lives—but they don’t know to whom they should be forever grateful.

When the worlds of these three girls and their families intersect, lives are changed in ways never imagined. Most especially, it is Kassey who sees things differently, for she can keep alive the memory of her dear friend by sharing the renewed life of another teenage girl, while helping to ease the pain of the two families involved and coming to terms with her own.

Review: Let me first say, I absolutely love the names that Lurlene chose for this book. Elowyn has to be the most unique name ever, and I only regret that I am done having children, because I would absolutely name a child Elowyn. I also loved the names Arabeth and Kassey.

This was one of the quickest reads for me in a really long time. With 224 pages, I thought it would take a bit longer to read but it was a super easy read and a really great page turning story.

As is typical for Lurlene, she tackles a scientific/controversial topic (cellular memory) and gives it life beyond words. The book made me really think and feel what these characters were dealing with and how something like cellular memory is possible.

The three female characters were genuine and each had their own really unique personality. In this book, the parents were prevalent almost the entire way, which I enjoyed because I like to see the entire family and the dynamics which I think are missing from a lot of young adult books. Wyatt, who is Elowyn’s boyfriend was the one character how I swung back and forth on how much I liked him. To be honest, I really didn’t like him very much at the beginning which I actually think was intentional. By the end however, I couldn’t help but love him and see how emotionally invested he was in all of this too. I think sometimes us females forget how sensitive men can be in situations that are tragic or life altering.

At any rate, I absolutely loved this book and I have decided I kind of suck at book reviews, because I absolutely hate giving away plot and story, so I can’t say everything I want to say. It was an awesome book, dealing with an interesting and newish (at least in books) topic, with three amazing characters you cannot help but love, along with their families.

I give this book 5/5 stars. It was an EXCELLENT read.

It is fantastic so far. I have loved every Jodi Picoult book I have read. She is an amazing author and tells amazing stories. I don’t want to give any of it away, so I won’t say anything else about it, but if you have ever read a book by her before and liked it you should get this one.

At any rate, next in line is a book I just got an advanced copy of – Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profit, Passion and Purpose by Tony Hsieh, CEO Zappos.com. I flipped through it tonight and read a few passages, and it looks really good. I am eager to get started on it, and will definitely be doing a review. I will also be hosting a contest to give away a brand new copy of the book. It will be released June 7, 2010.

So, what are you reading right now? What’s next? Give me some more to add to my pile.

So walking through the book store today, I saw the second one, and decided to just go ahead and get it. I’ve already glanced through it several times, and just love it. I’m not sure which one I love more, but I really am quite happy with both of them.

I was also able to extend my wish list today while looking at the writing books too. Thinking I need to stay OUT of the bookstore after my taxes get back or I will totally go crazy spending. Or I could just look on amazon and get them for cheaper since a few of them have been out awhile.
What is your favorite writing book for inspiration or advice?

If you haven’t seen them yet, please go check them out.

Do you have a favorite writing program? What are your favorite features? Feel free to post below in the comments, I’d love to hear your favorites.

So what are my thoughts about it?

First, I cannot think of a reason that any writer would need this app unless they write away from home a lot.

After I downloaded and opened it. The first thing you do is add your user  id # from the National Novel Writing Month website. It shows my user name, profile photo and a big fat ’0′ since I haven’t written any words yet.

Next spot is a place to add all your buddies. You have to add them manually by their user # (found when you are looking at their profile at the end of the URL). Seems you can probably add as many as you want. Great, okay so it updates your word counts for you the same way it does using your writing buddies page on www.nanowrimo.org.

The next spot is NaNoNews which is pulling the RSS feed from the NaNoWriMo blog, which is great, but it needs to access the ‘net to pull the entire post – it just gives a brief summary (about the first two sentences).

The next area is ‘reference’. With this, you are able to connect to www.dictionary.com, www.thesaurus.com and www.reference.com, which enables you to search any word, definition or whatever you would need from this.

That’s it. No bells and whistles, no writing platform, etc. It is absolutely a WYSIWYG app.

But hey, it’s only .99.

Honestly, I don’t foresee using it very often. Maybe when I’m at the local coffee shop writing and I don’t feel like connecting to the wireless I can use my iPhone to find out what my friends word counts are? Probably not.

Maybe if I’m driving down the road and wondering what another word I could use for the word obsequious, I can use the NaNoMoJo app to look it up. But then again, probably not.

So it’s on you whether you decide it is a good idea or not. As I said, .99 and I had a credit, so I got it. More than likely I would have gotten it even if I hadn’t have had a credit. I like new apps.