Huge thanks to everyone who has supported my little novel over the past year! I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without your support!

If you’re interested in purchasing a copy, you can do so at the Republica Press website HERE. While you’re there, check out the other authors Republica Press publishes. They are nothing short of amazing!

Trapping a Duchess is also available through All Romance EBooks and at Bookstrand.  It will be available for purchase on Amazon later this week.  Keep your eyes open!

If you prefer a printed (and signed) copy, please go to the Purchase tab and follow the steps for ordering.  :)

Last, but never least, At Journey’s End, the second book in this series, is nearly finished. Podcast coming soon!

Additionally, if you’re thinking of leaving feedback, I would appreciate that and request that you do so either at Podiobooks.com or on iTunes.  :)

As for me:  I”m cooking up a menu for Erotica a la Carte, getting ready for all things Balticon in May (where I will be participating on a few panels) and writing, writing, writing.

If you have any questions, you can leave these on my website or drop me an e-mail, as always.  I hope you’re enjoying Trapping a Duchess as much as I enjoyed writing it.  :)

-MichBek

michele.bekemeyer@gmail.com

I want to thank each and every one of you for joining me for this most excellent of journeys!  I hope you have enjoyed listening to TAD as much as I’ve enjoyed podcasting it!  I could not have done it without your continued support!

This final installment is going to run a little bit longer than usual, so bear with me.  In addition to a promo for Philippa Ballantine’s new podcast novel Digital Magic, I’ve included a preview to At Journey’s End, the second novel in this series, as well as a probably too-long blooper reel…so be sure to listen to the end!  :)

In Episode 19, Sophie finally came to terms with her feelings and she and Andrew mended more than fences.

Meet me at the wedding of the season…
And watch Sophie and Andrew find their happily ever after.

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.   Especially the outtakes reel – apparently I am a huge fan of the F-word. 

Author’s note:  This week’s episode features a promo for Philippa Ballantine’s podcast novel Digital Magic.  This sequel to her award winning Chasing the Bard is available on iTunes and at the novel’s website at www.digitalmagicnovel.com.  If you’re looking for magic, Pip delivers!  Follow the link below:

Digital Magic

This podcast would not have been possible without the inspiration and support of the following people:

Jennifer Hudock
Starla Huchton
Kate Sherrod
Dave Sobkowiak
Travis King
Nobilis Reed
J.C. Hutchins
Kristyn Marie
Sarah Cox
Gray Collins
Nessa Everson
Rob Gokee
Stewart Boyles
Drew Beatty
John Brockman
Lisa Brockman
Felicia Bergeman
Angelina Cedeno
and my husband, Michael Bekemeyer

Trapping a Duchess podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

In Episode 18, Andrew does the unthinkable to secure Sophie as his duchess.  How will our heroine react to this most recent attack?

Andrew has her, but can he hold her…
Sophie faces Andrew for the first time since the Braxton’s Ball when they are reunited at an engagement ball held in their honor.  But Sophie hasn’t had her say and matters between them are nowhere near settled.

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.

Author’s note:  This week’s episode features a promo for R.E. Chambliss’s Dreaming of Deliverance.  This podcast novel is available at Podiobooks or on iTunes, or at her website; just follow the link below, but whatever you do, be sure to check it out!
Dreaming of Deliverance

Trapping a Duchess podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

In Episode 17, Sophie was faced with an important decision, one that’s weighing fairly heavily on her shoulders.  Will she decide before time runs out, or will Andrew be forced to take drastic measures?

Their perilous journey continues…
And this time, there’s a whole new reason for the Ton’s excited little whispers.

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.

Trapping a Duchess podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

In Episode 16, Sophie and Andrew came to an arrangement of sorts.  Let’s see how that’s working out for them…

The Season is coming to an end…
And with it, our hero’s patience.  Will Sophie come to terms with her feelings in time or will Andrew have to take more drastic measures?

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.

Trapping a Duchess podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

In episode 15, Sophie received a note from Andrew that brings to mind having her cake and eating it, too.  Well, to Sophie’s mind, at least.

The scandalously delicious third waltz…
Sophie gets some alone time with Andrew, but does she have what it takes to play his game?

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.

Author’s note:  This week’s episode features a promo for Nobilis Reed’s NobilisErotica.com, where I guest hosted an episode AND where you can find stories that dive in where others hesitate.  If you’ve never checked his website, podcast, or other AWESOMENESS out, I have only one question for you…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Nobilis Erotica

Trapping a Duchess podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Happy Sunday, all and welcome back to She’s Write About That! I have one word for you today: NaNoWriMo.

Okay, okay, so it’s not really a word.  But for the month of November, National Novel Writer’s Month will be a hot topic and by the time those thirty days have passed, many novelists will have poured blood, sweat and tears into meeting their 50,000 word writing goal.  Why?  Because all writers are a little bit crazy….but in a good way.  We are constantly searching for way to improve and not above tapping into a little insanity if we can get something out of it.

This is my first year participating in NaNoWriMo and I have to tell you, I feel the same combination of excitement and terror that I feel when I go into a haunted house.  I decided to join in the fun over a month ago and from that moment on, my brain became a plotting machine.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I am not one of those writers who sits down and outlines every detail of my work.  I tend to mull characters and plot points over in my head until I find the time to write.  Usually, this is an effective way to meet my goals.  However, it requires the one thing I won’t have in abundance during NaNoWriMo – time.

So, I’m switching things up a little.  I began by soaking up the tips and strategies available on the NaNoWriMo website.  There are plenty of excellent articles from folks who have had success meeting their November goal.  Of course, there are a thousand other blog posts and websites that offer similar advice, so if you’re interested, there’s enough reading material out there to get you started!

The next thing I did was have a long conversation with myself about how dedicated I needed to be.  That’s right – when your writing goal is around 1700 words per day, there’s little time for procrastination and distraction.   I printed posters, put the NaNoWriMo participants logo on my website, told my friends and family and anyone I thought would be interested what I was planning to accomplish!

Doing all of this accomplished multiple things:  First, it made the commitment real.  By bringing in my family and friends, I’ve amassed quite an army of supporters – and also provided myself with another reason to forge onward.  I’m a very prideful person; it’s one thing to set a goal and disappoint myself by not meeting it, but knowing that there might be others I’ll let down by quitting adds fuel to my fire.  Second, every time I take a sip of coffee out of my nifty little NaNoWriMo mug or look over at the poster, I get an unexpected surge of excitement – and it keeps me going.  It seems like such a little thing, but for me, at least, it has worked wonders in keeping me focused.

So, after the mental preparation comes the story prep.  For NaNoWriMo, I’ve eschewed my normal routine of non-planning and done intensive story planning.  The novel I’ll be working on, Centerpiece, is a modern day fiction about a five generation family torn apart when the middle generation passes away suddenly.  The story itself has been in the back of my mind for nearly two years, so I already had a pretty good idea of its characters and their plot lines.  What I didn’t have, however, was a detailed character outline.  I mean, who are these people I’m wanting to bring into the world?  What happens when the glue of their family is removed?

The next thing I plan to do is compile a rough, day-by-day outline of what I want to write.  I haven’t done that yet, but it’s on my list of things to accomplish by the end of the month.  I am fortunate enough to have paid time off from work, so I’m taking a couple of days off for a NaNoWriMo weekend preparation extravaganza!  I’ve made a list of the things I want to accomplish – another way to bring a third dimension to something that could easily get lost in the zillion thoughts thrumming about my brain.

Let me just say that I won’t be spending the entire time focused on Centerpiece. I am in the middle of podcasting my first novel – a commitment I made long before I even considered participating in NaNoWriMo.  This means that I need to have at least three episodes in the bank before November 1st.  While this may not work for everyone – I’ve heard others say they are releasing every other week and some that are putting their podcasts on hold – it’s the way I’m choosing to do it.  There is not right or wrong in this.  You have to do whatever works for you – whatever helps you meet your goal!

Which brings me to my final point – distractions.  For me, there are many – kids, homework, cleaning, laundry, work and Twitter.  Thankfully, my husband will be there to assist with most of those.  Twitter, however, is a different beast.  I’ll just say it now so we can move forward – I am a Twitter addict.  I’ve toyed around with everything from giving it up completely to limiting the times I can be on, and honestly, I’m still not sure which way I’m going to go. Hopefully, I’ll find a balance.  :)  It’s all part of getting into that mental state that helps move us along as writers.

My point is, the more obstacles you can remove, the better.  I’ve spoken to writers who are setting designated times out to write – some are getting up an hour earlier, others are spreading their time throughout the day.  Personally, I don’t hit my stride creatively until after twilight, so I plan to stay up an hour (or two or three) later than usual.  This means a bit of schedule juggling, but it’s just one more thing I intend to plan for.

Which reminds me – eat well and get enough sleep.  Just like they beat into our heads in school, these things are important if you expect to be able to tap into your creative juices.  Depriving yourself of sleep – or food, as I’m guilty of – drains your body of the nutrients needed for creativity and concentration.

Prepping for NaNoWriMo has been an experience all its own and one that has, for me at least, provided another opportunity to grow as a writer.  By November’s end, I’m certain I’ll have learned quite a bit about myself – and probably about others as well.  But when it’s all said and done, it is just another experience. I plan to get everything I can out of it.

I hope you will, too!  But before you do…let’s check out what my friend Jennifer Hudock has to say on the topic, because you can bet your 50,000 words that She’s Write About That!

I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support.  You have truly been wonderful and I cannot express my thanks enough! 

In episode 14, all hell broke loose.  Well, maybe not ALL hell, but neither Sophie nor Andrew escaped that episode unscathed.

The terms of our arrangement…
Just when Sophie’s world seems to have tilted on its axis, she gets yet another surprise.  Is the offer tempting enough, or will Andrew be forced to sweeten the deal?

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.

Author’s note:  OCTOBER 27TH IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!!!  And you know what that means…that’s right – 7th Son:  Descent hits the shelves.  If you haven’t taken a moment to check out all the goodies related to its print release, be sure to head there ASAP!!!

JCHutchins.net – home of all things J.C. Hutchins

Trapping a Duchess podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Happy mid-week, all and welcome back to She’s Write About That! The topic of the week is self-editing.

It sounds so…clinical, as if I might be able to walk into my doctor’s office and say “I self-edited myself in the shower this morning; I think I may have found a lump…”

Anyway…back to the topic at hand.

Self-editing.  Hmmm…I had to actually think hard about this one, because I never really considered the way I edit.  I mean, of course I do it, I just never really thought about it in terms of process.  This was a great exercise for me, because I realized that I actually have a process.  When I write, I have a specific way of going about things.  I start with my idea, brainstorm the hell out of it and then get down to business.  By that time, I’ve usually got a pretty good idea of what I want to say and, since I continue brainstorming along the way, I don’t worry.

As usual, I’m going to give you my thoughts from a novelist perspective, because that’s what I do most.  I can tell you that for short stories, my approach is completely different.  With a short that’s less than 15 or so pages, I usually write it all, then go back and read and re-read until I’m satisfied.  Anything longer than that would follow the process below.

From the moment my fingers hit the first key, I’m in editing mode.  I’m not speaking in terms of correcting spelling and grammatical errors, though naturally those get fixed along the way.  I’m talking full-on editing.  I’m not one of those writers who follow the “finish first, edit later” rule.  It may be a product of my OCD, but I just can’t write that way.  Think of it as starting a homework assignment with a clean sheet of paper.  It feels so good, right?  Then you put your name in the corner and get cracking.  By the time it’s finished, the paper’s no longer crisp (and by the end you’re handwriting is probably wanting), but it’s your work. Except that for me, I need the paper to stay as crisp as possible, the format and fluidity of thought to be tip-top.  I know for a fact this is annoying to some writers, but there you have it.

Once I’ve gotten a scene or chapter down, I usually stop and re-read it.  This is when I make my first pass for anything spell-check might have missed; it’s also when I make sure that everything is formatted appropriately and that the story and dialogue make at least some semblance of sense.  Then, I let it go.  Bye-bye precious words.

Until the next time I sit down to write.  Before I add a single additional letter, I re-read what I already have.  I never start writing until I’ve done this, for multiple reasons.  The first is because it provides an opportunity to tweak anything that I didn’t catch the first time, usually in terms of plot and movement.  The second is that it sets the mood.  As I’ve said before, I work full-time.  I do most of my writing in the wee hours of the morning (or at least after the kids are in bed, whichever comes first), so I need the re-read to get me back into the mood.  The third reason is because I have a zillion things on my mind and don’t always remember exactly what I wrote.  Call it early onset Alzheimer’s, if you will, but I just don’t have enough space in my brain to remember every little detail.  Was my heroine wearing  a ballgown or a ball-cap ?  Was it day or night, Tuesday or Saturday, rainy or sunny?  Did I leave someone mid-sneeze?  That could be traumatizing!

My point is, I need to revisit my words so I can keep the flow of the story moving in the proper direction.  I am easily distracted.  It’s my nature and I accept that.    In the interest of continuity, I have taken precautions!

So…until about the third chapter, I read everything from word one.  And, yes, it takes me a lot longer to write the first three chapters than it does the rest of the book.  But there is light at the end of the tunnel.  After chapter three, I shift into an alternate editing mode.  Instead of making myself re-read everything from the beginning EVERY SINGLE TIME, I only go back one chapter.  If it’s a partial chapter, I only go back partially (that is, to the beginning of that chapter, however long that is).  By this time, I usually have the first three chapters memorized, so it’s not too much of a bother.  I find that revisiting the previous chapter accomplishes all the things I mentioned above and has the added bonus of creating a point-by-point diagram in my head.  Imagine those little connect the dot games, where each dot represents a sort of summary sentence of each chapter.  We’ve all been asked to send a synopsis of our story – a few-pages summary that provides the general story lines and arcs and whatnot.  These dots do that for me.

I continue with chapter-over-chapter reads until I reach the end of an act.  I don’t have any predefined notions of when an act ends…I usually rely on instinct to pick up on the shift.  And I am an unruly child when it comes to following page number or word count criteria regarding these things.  It’s why I’m a better novelist than screenwriter.    Once I reach the end of an act, I stop and re-read it.  Yes…the whole thing.  For me, it’s a last chance to clean up any coloring that’s out of the lines.  I do this for every act, every time because once I’m finished with a particular story arc, I don’t revisit it until the novel is complete.  I learned the hard way how difficult it is to add, remove or alter a single plot line (or heaven forbid, character) from a story.  I’m sure there are writers out there who can do this with ease.  I am not one of them.  I end up with holes and/or things that don’t feel quite right and it drives me crazy!

All that being said, I go on in this manner until I’ve reached the end.  I will admit that, by this point, I’m rather sick to death of what I’ve written.  I want to kick back, crack open a bottle of Riesling and relax.  And I allow myself a couple weeks (sometimes months) to do this, after which I don my Super Robot Editor costume and jump back into the fray.  With Trapping a Duchess, I did about five edits before I even sent it to my first reader.  Then I edited it again.  And again.  And then I started podcasting it.  But before I did, I promised myself that the podcast edit was the final edit.  After that, it has to move out of my house and survive on its own.  Oh, I’ll be behind it like any good parent, but I have other kids to tend to.

I know not all of you podcast your work, so this won’t apply to everyone, but bear with me for a moment.  I think I’ve said this before, but podcasting has been wonderful for me as far as editing goes.  I wrote TAD over a year ago and I will admit that while I love it, I am very ready to move on to Novel 2.0 and the million other projects waiting for my attention.  I usually podcast a chapter a time and do one final pass of said chapter before I sit down to record.  As far as I’m concerned, once I record it, it’s carved on a stone tablet.  Unless a future publisher or editor wants changes, I have no intentions of revisiting those parts ever again.  It sounds a bit cruel, but I, like most writers, could always find a better way to turn a phrase, a better line of dialogue to replace what’s there.  But, like children, you have to let your work go.  Let it be what it is.

Writers grow as they go and I’m no different.  I’m certain one day I’ll look back on TAD (or this blog, even) and think, “sweet, fancy Moses, that’s AWFUL.”  Then I’ll probably get a wistful, nostalgic smile and remember what it felt like to have such fresh eyes.  Such is the way of the world.

So, those are my thoughts on self-editing.  What I do may not work for 99% of writers out there, but it works for me.  Perhaps little bits could work for you as well.  But before you try anything, let’s see what Jennifer Hudock has to say on the matter, because you can bet your last piece of cheesecake that She’s Write About That!

In episode 13, Sophie and Andrew’s relationship moved into new grounds.  Not, of course, entirely friendly, but physical intimacy isn’t the answer to everything!

Wherein the battle continues…
Andrew gets a surprise when he reveals his intentions towards Sophie to Simon.  And Sophie learns a thing or two about the dangers of fighting fire with fire.  What will it take for these two to learn??

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.

Author’s note:  This week’s episode comes with TWO (that’s right…TWO) exciting promos.  The first is for Astral Audio’s Arielpalooza and the second is for thriller novelist J.C. Hutchins upcoming print release of 7th  Son:  Descent. Both are completely worth checking out!!!

AstralAudio.net – home of Arielpalooza and other amazing wonders!

JCHutchins.net – home of all things J.C. Hutchins (and where you’ll find ALL THE GOODIES related to 7th Son!)

Trapping a Duchess podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Happy Sunday, all and welcome back to She’s Write About That! This week, we’ve got BRAAAAIIIINNNNSSS!!!!

Not to say we don’t have brains every week, but…oh, forget it.  You get the point.

The topic today is brainstorming and I have to admit, it’s one of my favorite things about writing.  It’s the time between the moment an idea sashays into my mind and the moment the words make their way from my fingers to the page.   For me, it’s a lovely, wonderful time of exploration and uninhibited creativity.

If you’ve read my other posts, you probably already know that I do my best thinking when my body is in motion, when it’s occupied with mundane tasks that require little or no mental acuity.  Laundry, dishes, mopping; any and all of those annoying little domestic duties provide me with an opportunity to flesh out story lines, develop characters, even create dialogue.  I couldn’t tell you how many scenes I’ve worked through while separating lights from darks (and inhaling copious amounts of Clorox Cleanup).  :)

For me, coming up with a story idea is the easy part.  It requires little or no conscious thought; it just creeps up and catches me while I’m driving or showering or shopping.  And that, dear readers, is where the easiness ends.  From that point on, the brainstorming process begins.

I don’t know a single writer out there who will tell you that writing is easy.  We all have a million and one phenomenal stories, a billion great characters and more witty/creepy/blow-you-away lines of dialogue than our readers could shake a stick at.  The question is, how to fit the oddly formed pieces of great characters and fantastic dialogue into the sharp-edged ones of a phenomenal story?

The answer is:  there isn’t one (what?  what kind of writing tips column is this???).  What I mean is there’s no right answer.  The logistics of brainstorming are different for every writer; different, even, for every piece of work.  For me, there is no consistency whatsoever in the planning.  My thought processes are influenced by things like genre and story length, experience and excitement.  However, since I am a novelist, I’ll give you my tips with respects to that type of writing.

For me, timing is nothing.  I work a full-time job and have two school-aged children at home.  And a husband.  And a dog (and some fish, too, but those are, happily, not too time consuming).  I’m a financial analyst, so my day job does not even remotely revolve around words.  From 8am to 5pm, my head swims in pools of financial models, complex Excel formulas and code.  It’s not a complaint…I enjoy it a lot.  But it does mean that I am not blessed with hours to sit around making stuff up.  I have to grab moments here and there as I wander throughout my day.  I make notes on my iPhone, write them on post-its, in little spiral bound books; anywhere, really, so that I can remember them when I make time to sit down to write.

I’ve talked to writers who need peace and quiet to get their thoughts down.  I am not one of those people.  While I am not apt to get much accomplished surrounded by noise levels equivalent to screaming girls at a Jonas Brothers concert, I do require background noise.  Music, TV (not something interesting, though), even the sound of my kids playing is often enough.  My mind runs constantly.  If I’m not talking to myself, then my characters are talking to me.  Either way, there is always some form of white noise in my head.  And it’s good.  Anyone who has ever had a face-to-face conversation with me will tell you my mind is  prone to wandering, especially if I’m in the throes of working out a story.  I can’t help it.  That’s why it’s called brainstorming; it’s a storm of thought.  And here’s the best part – there are no bad ideas during this phase of creativity.

Which brings me to my next point:  Write it before you write it.  Make a list or an outline or a pages-long stream of consciousness in blue ink.  Whatever works for you.  When you put pen to paper (or fingers to a keyboard), you’ve given your idea a physical presence.  Give your character a name, your story a setting and start by asking questions.  What motivates John Doe to be who he is?  Is there a history behind his actions?  Does he have any bad habits?  What does he wear to bed?  Take time to get inside your characters’ heads, a moment to consider the world you’re creating, even if you never reveal that stuff to your audience.  And don’t skip the little details, either.  Those can be every bit as insightful as your major reveals.  I’ve said it before – even tiny details can open doors and change scenes.  Altering these details can affect even greater changes.

Which moves us right along…great thoughts are everywhere.  I must tell you that I find bouncing ideas off other people the funnest part of molding an idea into a story…hands down.  Gaining another person’s perspective on a subject can obliterate limitations (hmmm…this theme sounds vaguely familiar).   Experience varies from person to person.  Not capitalizing on those variances seems, well, downright silly.  I liken it to a creative Rorschach test – where I see a giraffe raking leaves, someone else may see a big scary monster that eats people.  Avenues I didn’t even consider have been revealed by these sounding board exchanges.  It only takes a single “what if” murmured from beyond the confines of my own brain to push my stories in a different direction.  Suddenly, it’s not a trip to the grocery store up the road, it’s a scenic route to a distant land.

This ties in with my writing philosophy – one spark starts a fire.  That spark doesn’t have to come from within.  The flame of your story will burn bright enough once you add your special brand of adder’s tongue or bloodwort (or frog legs, if that’s your fancy).  Like attracts like.  Writers gravitate towards other writers like moths to a flame.  I haven’t been immersed in the writing community for very long, yet I have a seemingly endless list of creative types willing to offer a smile, lend a hand (or a piece of their genius brain…mmmmm!). I also have folks who are not afraid to say “um, that’s like, the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”  And for that, I love them all.  It makes fleshing out my stories not so intimidating.

I’m not going to preach on the importance of brainstorming.  We all know you can’t get from A to Z without all the letters in between (well, you can, but that’s a mathematical concept not at all relevant to this post).  Whatever your chosen method, consider this a time for creative immunity.  Think of and write down any and everything that could possibly push your story along.  Leave no stone unturned…I promise you, you won’t regret it!

Now go!  I know you have a story you’ve been dying to write…hop to it!  But before you do, take a moment to check out what the ever insightful Jennifer Hudock has to say on the matter, ’cause you can bet the last piece of chocolate on Earth that She’s Write About That!

Happy Sunday, all and welcome back to She’s Write About That! This week, we’re all about the dialogue, baby.

From the dawn of time, creatures of every shape, size and color have wanted for ways to communicate.  Be it via grunt, singing or sign language, the need to “speak” has driven us.  Whales do their high-pitched, moany thing, dogs bark and humans…well, talk.  Human interaction was enhanced by telephones, stretched further by the advent of e-mail and soared to new heights once chat programs came on the scene. We thrive on conversing with others, relaying stories of humor, sorrow and a million other emotions. I (like most of you, I’m sure) am a walking, typing, avatar-wielding example of our innate desire to reach out and connect.

Characters are no different.  They, like their Earth-dwelling counterparts, have something to say and, usually, a reason for saying it.  Their interaction with one another goes beyond discussing the minutiae of their paper-bound lives; writers use dialogue for a number of reasons, including establishing their character’s personalities, plot setup and progression, and drawing in their readers.  Consider this passage from Suzanne Enoch’s Sins of a Duke:

Sebastian climbed into the coach opposite his brother and sister-in-law.  “Shall we?”
Zachary rapped on the ceiling, and the coach jolted into motion.  “Are you going to tell us?” he prodded after a moment of silence.
“Tell you what?”
“Why we’re in my coach tonight.  Peep’s not eloping in yours, is she?”
“I sent it to bring someone to the soiree.”
“Who?”
“Zachary,” his wife, Lady Caroline, chastised.
As far as Sebastian was concerned, the less said about any of this, the better.  His brother, however, was more curious than a cat, and possessed the tenacity of a bulldog.  He would have to tell them something.  “I’m doing a favor for Prinny.”
“I thought you already did one of those this morning.”
Sebastian ignored the comment.  “He asked me to escort a foreign dignitary to the party.”
“And again, why are you in my coach?”
“Because it wouldn’t be seemly for me to be in mine.”  And because he didn’t care for a repeat of the oddness that had come over him earlier, the feeling of being supremely focused and completely scattered all at the same time, heat burrowing into his skin.
“it’s a female someone , then.”

With a single bout of dialogue, she’s introduced two new characters (and imparted that they’re relatives), established Sebastian as a man of honor and importance (and rank, though this is implied), connected him to Prince George and set the stage for the upcoming conflict.  She could just as easily have given a one paragraph narrative and accomplished much the same, but it wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting.  Or maybe it would have…let’s see:

Sebastian Griffin, the Duke of Melbourne, had planned to follow his normal routine and take his own coach to the ball.  His plans were, as usual, derailed by the Prince of England who required his assistance with a foreign dignitary.  Normally, this would not have bothered Sebastian in the least, but after the odd feelings he had experienced when he had made the woman’s acquaintance, he had determined that the less time they spent together, the better.

Oh, my.  That didn’t just make me yawn, it damn near bored me to death.  In fact, I can promise you, I would have employed super-hero like speed reading skills and blown through those words faster than a speeding bullet – if I read them at all.  And that doesn’t even address the fact that my version failed to accomplish half of what Ms. Enoch’s did.  Don’t get me wrong…not everything is best told through dialogue.  Narrative exists for a reason.  But when the opportunity presents itself, why not grab it and run?

Having said all that, I’ll take the point a different direction.  Not all dialogue is necessary…or good.  Especially when it feels wrong.  By wrong, I mean forced, fake and out of place.  As in real life, conversations have a natural flow.  While there are people out there who contemplate every word and make sure it’s dressed appropriately before rushing out of their mouth, most of us converse without conscious thought.  When presented with a topic, we have an unlimited number of responses.  However, barring the other person having duct tape over their mouth, we are only likely to get one or two out before the dialogue shifts and our brains scramble to accommodate.

In my own experience, I’ve found that my character’s dialogue is best when my fingers are typing faster than my brain is working, when the exchange between characters comes with little thought.  I’ve also noticed how much writing imitates life. Most of the time, my characters know exactly what they want/need to say, but every now and then, a Seven Second Lull creeps in and steals the moment.  For me, it’s a sign that whatever I’m writing isn’t working and it’s time to take a step back and determine why.

One of my favorite aspects of dialogue is its ability to draw a reader into a story.  Writer’s live by any number of maxims.  Write what you know is one of mine.  Now, before you waggle a finger at me and remind me that I didn’t live in early nineteenth century England, let me clarify.  I’m not referring to plots and story arcs, I’m speaking of human interaction, of the ability to set a believable chemistry between completely fictional people.  I’m not going to feel the slightest bit egotistical when I tell you that writing characters is one of my strengths, in part because I have studied people in an obsessive fashion for many years, and partly because in real life I possess a fairly sharp wit and an absolute inability to censor myself (which makes for rather interesting conversations, some of which culminate with both my feet in my mouth).  Since I also adopt a write what you like philosophy, what my readers can count on are strong characters and intriguing dialogue that move the story forward way more than any plot line I give them (plots are not my strength…yet…but that’s another blog post).

The thing is, we write dialogue based on our experiences as much as the research we’ve done.  Words and phrases we’ve heard throughout our lives find their way from the confines of our memories and out of our character’s mouths.  Even in my genre, despite the hundred plus year gap between then and now, phrases sneak in.  Some of them never make it past the cutting room floor – no proper aristocratic Englishman ever declared another “a bit of a douche.”  Well, perhaps they have, but not during the setting of my book.  Others must be modified before they can be applied to the time period in which I’m writing.  All, however, are rooted in my own personal experiences (including expressions I’ve heard ’round the block from my awesome writer friends).

I read a lot.  Not just romnovs, either…I read quite a bit of everything and what I’ve found is that I connect most with a story when I can relate it to personal experience. Sometimes, a single conversation can be enough to snare my attention, an exchange between characters enough to bond my memories to theirs.  We’ve all met bossy, arrogant folks; shy, reserved ones; people whose banter reminds us of a personal relationship we have.  While these discussions aren’t likely to make your work a best seller all by themselves, you can be assured that if poorly executed, they can do no end of damage.

It’s all about dynamics.  Well-written characters (and stories) want for dialogue of the same caliber.  Otherwise, you end up Singing in the Rain, with a drop-dead gorgeous woman who opens her mouth and shatters eardrums.  Of course, in our situation, it’s interest-drums; either way it’s a killer.  So, keep it real, keep it necessary and keep it AWESOME!

All that being said, I will quote a fortune cookie I once read:  Talk less, eat more…Chinese.  While I’m quite certain I have no idea what that means, I am now craving Chinese…and Jennifer Hudock’s thoughts on dialogue.  So, head on over to her site, because you can bet the top of your muffin that She’s Write About That!

Hello, everyone!  Happy Thursday and welcome to Episode Thirteen of my podcast novel Trapping a Duchess!  This episode is one of my favorites for a number of reasons:  First, it’s one of the episodes that transitions from one act to the next; second, I not only remember writing it, but I remember exactly where (and when) I was when I figured out it all out.    Might seem a bit silly,  but there it is!

Sophie spent episode Twelve at Lord Roxford’s house party, an affair that might have been more enjoyable had Andrew showed.  Instead of the man she wanted, she was handed a pair of revelations that shocked her to her toes.  Meanwhile, the return of his brother Gabriel kept Andrew in London and gave him plenty of time to dream of his and Sophie’s next encounter.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder…
Or does it?  After what Sophie’s learned in the past week, how she’ll react is anyone’s guess.  Of course, Andrew’s found a chink in her armor.  Or thinks he has, until a misunderstanding takes them from one uncomfortable position to another.  Is Andrew willing to risk it all to have what he wants?

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Happy Sunday, all and welcome to the fourth installment of She’s Write About That! The topic for this week is research.

Ah, research.  Unless you were brought into this world and promptly hidden beneath a rock, you probably got your first official taste of it in grade school during science or literature or even mathematics class. Humans, by nature, are curious creatures.  We like to know the who, what, when, where, how and why of the things in the world around us.  Finding answers to these questions can take us from short jaunts to the local library to long trips over the web – and everywhere in between.

Research is one of the essential nutrients for writers.  Consider a food pyramid, which is designed to support the needs of most carbon based life forms.  Now, consider a Writer’s Food Pyramid.  Unlike the universality of the actual food pyramid, a writer’s pyramid contains not only general elements such as a grasp of the linguistics of language (whichever one you’ve chosen to write in), but more subjective concepts like commitment, passion, discipline and subject knowledge.  There are others, too, some of which are specific to the individual writer himself.  Ideas are easy enough to create, but unless you’ve chosen a topic on which you’re already an expert, you’ll need to expand your knowledge base if you intend to tell your story and satisfy your audience.

Consider this:  You’ve this fantastic idea for a story set in the past centering around aristocrats living in, say, early nineteenth century England.  You were born in America in 1973…and don’t qualify as an aristocrat in any sense of the word.  Since chasing down the current Earl of Wessex isn’t quite feasible (for reasons found here, if you’re interested), how ever will you find out about these fine folks?  Does this mean your work of art is doomed to live within the confines of your brain?  Hell, no.  It means that if you want to write your story, you have to get off your duff, open the books (literal or figurative), and get crackalackin’.  Sounds easy, eh?  Well, it is…and it isn’t.  Thanks to the web, you can find information on almost any subject matter with a few clicks of your mouse.  Also, thanks to the web, you can find as much misinformation as anything else.  However, the art of weeding through research sources is a blog in and of itself.  Back to the topic at hand!

The above example, of course, is a personal one.  When I decided to breathe life into my idea for an historical romance, I was not foolish enough to think I knew nearly enough about the topic (or setting).  My extensive library of historical romnovs notwithstanding, I had every expectation that I would have to put my nose to the grindstone and go fact-gathering.  After all, my idea was my idea, not a mirror image of another writer’s work, and it contained story elements outside the realm of the hundreds of books I’d read.  I had a basic knowledge of the British nobility, which I felt positive would be at least enough to get me started.  I was so, so wrong it isn’t even funny.  Knowing titles is one thing – I would venture to say that most people can name at least three titles of the peerage without thinking (or blinking, for that matter).  Understanding the nuances – peers versus gentry, hereditary versus life, styles and titles (not just for the nobles themselves, but their siblings) and landed versus unlanded gentry – is something altogether different.  After days and weeks of soaking up every ounce of information I could find, I began writing.  And realized that I still had another few months (if not more) of research to do.  At present, I’ve had to look into everything from textiles to fabrics, dances to establishments, wars to technologies; I’ve poured over early nineteenth century maps of England, fashion plates depicting everything from nightclothes to riding habits to evening attire, researched architecture, modes of transport and other works of literature and music available during my novel’s setting.  I’ve even had to calculate traveling distances – both via conveyance and on foot – and consider whether a conversation I’ve written between characters could take place in the amount of time allotted (and still feel realistic to my readers).  And these are just a few:  There are a hundred other things I’ve had to research and I promise you, I’m nowhere near out of the woods.  Every piece of the story I compose is worth looking into.  No matter how much information I gather, there is always more to be had!

Research is necessary whether your story takes place in the past, present or future.  Creating worlds requires more than simply jotting words down on a page.  Even if your book takes place in a universe of your own making, it must adhere to certain standards.  Readers who are willing to indulge a character with a purple horn on its head who walks on his hands are not willing to forget everything they know about the color purple or their understanding of gravity .  Or perhaps they are.  There is only one way to find out:  research.

Who is your target audience?  What are they like?  Are they 25 to 50 year old homemakers or 20 to 45 year old entrepreneurs?  Are they male or female?  Do they have a common bond – demographics, social status, taste in music?  Do they listen to podcasts and/or audio books?  Are they online shoppers?  Or do they, like me, prefer to walk into their local bookstore and turn the pages of a book with greedy little fingers?  The answers to these (very important) questions lie in research.  If you want your work to be taken seriously, it’s worth your time to do your homework…and do it well.

Being a writer gives you a creative license, but not full immunity.  When you invite a reader into the world you’ve created, you’re asking them to believe in that world, to become invested in the characters and the plot lines therein.  You can expect a certain amount of leeway, but most readers will forgive errors and omissions only to a certain extent.  After that, you risk alienating your audience.  After all, they’ve given up a fair amount of time to read your work – you owe them an story that is as accurate as it is creative.  Different genres have varying story elements; getting to know these elements can only work in your favor.  Even if you’re writing a story in a language you’ve created, in a time you created and in a universe you’ve created, you won’t be able to escape the fundamental questions your story will, hopefully, draw forth from your readers.  Guess where these answers can be found?

“But it takes so long…and it’s so boring.”

Yes, it does and occasionally, it is.  It takes time and energy enough finding out about topics that we, as writers, enjoy; it takes commitment to go the extra mile and explore the details we don’t.  But I promise you this:  Research is worth the effort.  Think of the last movie you saw where you walked away thinking, “it would have been a better movie if (insert completely unbelievable action or dialogue) hadn’t happened.”  Stories are no different.  Be they short or long, historical or futuristic, regarding humans or aliens or bacteria, the proof is in the details.  And the details are found through research.

And now you have one more creed to write by:  Think it, love it, research it, write it, hear it.  Go, you writers!

And speaking of research, I’ll bet Jennifer Hudock has some excellent things to say on the matter.  So, head on over to her site, because you can bet the farm that She’s Write About That!

Hello, everyone!  Happy Thursday and welcome to Episode Twelve of my podcast novel Trapping a Duchess! I’d like to take a moment to give a special thanks to Gina Badalaty over at Mom-Blog.com and Artremarkable.com for the kind words and support.  Thanks a million!  It’s always pleasing to hear that someone is enjoying my work! 

Episode Eleven took Sophie and Andrew from the ballroom and over to the rose arbor, a cozy little nook that provided the perfect setting for Sophie to enjoy the next intriguing stop on Andrew’s road to seduction.  With Andrew wholly focused on what makes his delectable bride-to-be tick, Sophie had an opportunity to glimpse the man behind the duke…and what she saw left her more than a little breathless.

Meet me at the house party…
Where a relaxed country setting provides ample opportunity for chaperones to kick back…and their charges to engage in a bit of naughty behavior.  But Andrew’s plans to do exactly that are derailed by the return of his brother Gabriel…and Sophie’s too busy dealing with a series of shocking revelations to miss him.  Or is she?

As always, I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Hello, everyone and welcome to the third installment of She’s Write About That, a weekly blog where Jennifer Hudock and I offer two unique views on the same writing topic. This week we’re discussing the merits of hearing your work out loud.

As most of you know, I am a little beyond the halfway point in the podcast of my novel Trapping a Duchess, a near hundred-thousand word historical romance that centers around a family of aristocrats in Regency-era England.  When I sat down to write TAD, I had no expectations other than I would end up with a completed work that would be an example of the type of romance I – and my co-worker Angie – would enjoy reading.

That was it.

Once completed, I handed it off to my first readers (and a couple of family members and friends) and began fleshing out Novel 2.0.  Six months later, I needed to reference TAD for a character/plot point for Novel 2.0, read a few chapters and realized something:  I had grown as a writer.  Now, I know most of you are staring at this blog with That Look on your faces, the word DUH! forming on your lips (if you haven’t already said it).  After all, the phrase practice makes perfect wasn’t born for nothing.  But I hadn’t just grown, I had grown in leaps and bounds.  And I realized that the passing of time had afforded me an opportunity to fix TAD’s problem parts.

But where to begin?  I had already read and re-read the novel so many times that I couldn’t see the forest from the trees.  I decided to post it on my blog and tossed the idea out into the Twitterverse, where exists a group of unbiased folks who have no problem saying “that is the dumbest idea ever” and meaning it with as much love as a family member.  What came back, though, was an even better suggestion:  Podcasting it.

Now, I have to tell you that, in this age of zombies and horror novels, the thought of podcasting an historical romance sounded as crazy to me as finding a billboard and broadcasting it one line at a time via those little orange dots.  Of course, once the seed was planted, there was nothing I could do to stop it and in the end, I figured screw it…I’m gonna do it! I figured if historical romance wasn’t people’s thang, then they didn’t have to listen.

Which brings us to the topic at hand:  Hearing your story out loud.

Podcasting has been a phenomenal tool for me, not only because I get to take another pass at a story I love (one chapter at a time, which has been WONDERFUL), but it forces me to hear the story I’ve written. To wit…

Point The First:  The accuracy and readability of your work’s narrative language.  TAD’s historical setting demands that scenes and the movement therein be described using words and phrases that fit the time period.  This seems plain enough, yet even after several re-reads and edits, I still find an occasional rogue description completely at odds with the setting. After all, since cars had not yet been invented, it hardly seems fitting to use the stench of an exhaust pipe to relay my character’s reaction to a caustic smell.  Yet that was exactly one of those things I found when recording a recent episode.  How did I miss it?  Easy…the lobes of the brain used to process information do quite a bit of “filling in” when reading silently.  The eyes send the word “singing” to the brain, which matches it with the word “sing” (often dropping the suffixes).  Since an additional lobe (where lives Broca’s Area) is accessed when reading aloud, so is the meaning reconsidered and/or reinforced.  Errors such as “he saw” versus “he was” (neither of which would be caught by the spell or grammar check function in your word processing software) are made obvious to you, the writer who likely has most of his/her novel memorized.  Read your work out loud…listen to what you’re relaying and make sure it flows and makes sense.

Point The Second:  Development of character growth and transitory movement.  It’s amazing the nuances of a character that can be missed with only silent reading.  Imagine this:  your character is a reticent sort, quite uncommunicative and stingy with her dialogue.  When she does speak, her words are sparse and rushed.  Yet every time she opens her mouth, she’s angry and yelling.  Yes, there is a chance that she’s just an angry, bitter pill that never has anything nice to say, but it’s more likely that there’s a different word that can be used to describe her vocal entrance.  When reading my work aloud, I have run across everything from bizarre comparisons to movement that is not only unnatural but downright impossible.  It is so, so easy as writers to want to choose a typical cluster of words in an effort to move a character from a place of inaction to one of action.  But hearing these transitory phrases out loud offers an opportunity to experience these movements in a different light.  You never know…you might even find your characters doing something completely different – and far more interesting – than what you had them do originally.

Point The Last:  Dialogue, dialogue, dialogue.  The language we use to describe movement is very different from the way we speak.  “John made the long walk to the store” is a narrative describing what John did.  But when two people begin to discuss John’s antics, it is doubtful that the answer to the question “where’s John?” would contain a similar string of words.  Hearing your dialogue out loud can work wonders in making it seem more natural.  For TAD, the nature of the setting wants for proper, often formal, presentation.  As a result, I find that narrative formality sneaking into the exchanges between characters, causing the dialogue to ring false.  Additionally, I have found that hearing all the “he said, she saids” and other extraneous words provides the perfect opportunity to streamline, which is the quickest way to get from the stuff to the good stuff. 

The bottom line is that reading your work aloud can offer amazing insight into every aspect of perfecting the story you are trying to tell.  And now you have another tool to add to your box of writing goodies:  Think it, love it, write it, hear it. Go, go, go!

But don’t just take my word for it…check out what Jennifer Hudock has to say, because you can bet your bippy that She’s Write About That!

Episode Ten brought Sophie and Andrew to Vauxhall…and to a turning point in their relationship.   Listen in to find out where, exactly, that takes them and how they’re adjusting to the sudden shift in their game.    

Meet me at the rose arbor…
A cozy little nook that offers refuge from the elements and, more importantly, the perfect place for the next stage of Andrew’s seduction.  If only he can find a way to coax a reluctant Sophie there…. 

I would like to remind everyone that this novel contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.  

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Hello, everyone and welcome to the second installment of my and Jennifer Hudock’s collaborative effort She’s Write About That!  This time we’re talking about the scary monster lurking in the shadows of every writer’s mind – writer’s block.

It goes something like this:  You have a great idea for a story, one that acts like a chef in the kitchen of your brain, peppering your thoughts with twists and turns and characters that you just know will knock everyone’s socks off.  It’s going to be the most phenomenal thing you’ve ever cooked up.  You grab a cup of coffee and your favorite weathered writing jammies, sit in front of your laptop and…nothing.

Or perhaps you get the first three chapters down and with no warning whatsoever, your fingers freeze and you suddenly have no idea where the story goes.  Did you not think things through or – heaven forbid – were  you just fooling yourself?  Did you somehow choke on an oversalted piece of the masterpiece you were cooking up?  Doubtful.  More than likely you’re just suffering from a bout of writer’s block.  It’s the chicken pox of the writing community – most of us have had it at least once  and yet no one is ever immune.

But where chicken pox makes you itchy and requires weeks to recover, writer’s block is all in your head.

That’s right, I said it.  It’s all in your head.  Every action, every word, every scenario.  Chances are they’re even clearer in your head than you could possible imagine, there’s just something blocking the words from coming.  That something is called distraction.  Whether it’s bills, life, kids, work or that little grumble of fear that you’re never going to be able to write again, it’s merely distraction.

J.C. Hutchins says – Disbelief is the enemy.  The torture of uncertainty, especially once egged on by fear, is one of those things that all writer’s experience.  Yet every day screenplays, novels, short stories – and highly amusing haiku – are created.  How do we do it?  How do we clear the distraction and get the words flowing again?  Different things work for different people, but you can find a combination that works for you!

First of all – and these are words you’ve probably heard a thousand times over the course of your writing career – I cannot stress enough the power of positive thinking.  The worst mistake you can make as a budding (or seasoned) writer is to let a momentary disconnect smother your enthusiasm.  Story lines aren’t straight; they wind and curve and sometimes lead straight off a cliff, but you have the best weapon in your arsenal – your mind!  Keep the vibes positive and that energy will work for you.  Giving up is worse than never starting in the first place.  I’m not saying you can’t be frustrated and or even throw a full-on Diva fit…hell, if your work doesn’t have you simultaneously soaring to unbelievable heights and wanting to beat the devil out something, then I question how much you believe in it.  A story that has to be told will be told.   Have faith in your abilities.  You were chosen – and chose – to be a writer.  A drought of words is nothing in the face of that.  You are not just amazing, you are THE AWESOME - remind yourself daily!  Grab hold of that ego of yours and make it work for you!

Which brings me to my second point:  Love what you’re writing and shout it to the world.  Whether it’s your brilliant idea or someone else’s, you have to go at it full throttle.  And you have to love it.  It’s your Frankenstein, no matter what it looks like from the outside, and if you don’t gaze at it with starry eyes, no one else will want to either.  Enthusiasm is highly infectious and better than any motivational speaker out there.  Surround yourself with people who will not only bask in it, but rub your nose in it when you let things get you down.  A bump in the road is just that – a bump.  When you hit one, reach deep and jump high and know that if you can’t summon the enthusiasm yourself, there is always someone out there who will happily push you forward.  They know what I know:  the story that was in your head is still there…you just have to wrangle the words. 

Which brings me to point three: Keep writing…even if it sucks.  This is advice I’ve heard a thousand times over from Michael Bekemeyer and between the two of us, I can vouch for its effectiveness.  Not every word that pours out of your fingers is going to be amazing.  Some of it will be complete drivel, some of it mediocre nonsense, and sometimes a single sentence will providethe vacuum to clear out the cobwebs.  Stepping away for a bit is perfectly fine.  In fact, sometimes it can make all the difference in the world.  But don’t walk away frustrated.  Keep going until you’ve hit on a point that works, then make your exit.  The mere satisfaction of having written when words seemed to have failed you is triumph enough.  Every sentence you get down is a blow to the monster’s head.  Enough blows and you will defeat the beast altogether.

Which brings me to my last point:  Be committed to your work and yourself. Neither creativity nor clarity operates on human timelines.  They strike whenever and where ever they choose.  YOU have to be 150%committed!  Through good days and bad, great words and crap, you must summon the dedication to your craft.  It’s easy to put things off – especially when fighting against the tide – but your commitment will get you through.  You may not know what to write at the moment, but you will never know if you give up.

Demolish the distraction and you clear the pathways; stay committed and you will be rewarded with the wonder that had you so excited in the first place.  It’s your story…don’t let writer’s block take it away from you.

It’s as simple as that.  Think it, love it, write it.  Go, go, go! 

And don’t forget to check out what Jennifer Hudock has to say about writer’s block, because you can bet your bottom dollar that She’s Write About That!

Hello, everyone!  Welcome to Episode Ten of my podcast novel Trapping a Duchess. I hope you are enjoying the story as much as I have enjoyed podcasting it!  We are almost halfway through…and things are starting to heat up.  With that, I would like to remind you that what you’re listening to contains adult themes and explicit sexual content and is intended for a mature audience.  And by mature, I mean over eighteen. 

Episode Nine brought Sophie face to face with unexpected and unwanted feelings.  Reacting in typical fashion to Andrew’s ultimatum, she’s plunged them both into a battle of wits and wills.  But Andrew is playing for a prize he’s only recently realized he wanted.  And Sophie is about to find out how far he’s willing to go to gain the woman who’s haunted his dreams for years.

Meet me at Vauxhall…
A place of where colored lights drape the trees and dark, winding paths provide the perfect setting for enchantment and flirtation…for most people, anyway.  For Sophie and Andrew, it’s a place where arrogance meets obstinacy and a single alluring smile changes a battle into a war.  The question is…what lengths are they willing to go to in order to get their way?  And are there any winners once the war is done?

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Pure Romantic – Spring Feelings by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Author’s note:  For more information on the awesome promos featured in this week’s episode…
Paul E. Cooley’s “Tattoo”
Drew Beatty’s “Lost Gods”

Hello, everyone!  The topic of conversation is…conversation.  And I had an excellent one with my friend Jennifer Hudock yesterday.  It began with a single tweet; 140 characters of what I considered possible mental imbalance that gave birth to an idea.  One spark starts a fire.  Of course, Jenny and I might still be laying around playing tinder if it weren’t for James Melzer, who suggested a cooperative venture.  It goes something like this:  Each Friday we’ll choose a writing topic and on Sunday evening, post our thoughts on our respective blogs.  This, in and of itself, is nothing unusual, but we plan on sweetening the deal.  At the end of our posts there will be a link to the other’s and buried inside, the chance for another unique perspective.

Hello, everyone!  The topic of conversation is…conversation!  And I had an excellent one with my friend

 I hope you are as psyched about this as I am – It’s gonna be great! And now…Talk to Me:

Andrew: Ahem.
Me: (looks up from folding a shirt) Yes, Your Grace?
Andrew: You left me half-dressed.
Me: (eyes him from head to toe) Indeed, I did
Andrew: And? 
Me: Fishing for compliments?
Andrew: Not amusing.
Me:  On the contrary, I am vastly amusing.  You just have no sense of humor.
Andrew:  What I have is no sense of pants.
Me:  (snickers) I would be lying if I declared that a pity.
Andrew:  You’d be foolish if you did not rectify the situation. 
Me:  I inclined to disagree.
Andrew: (grumbles) Fine.
Me:  (shoots him a naughty look) Indeed it is, Your Grace.

A great portion of my Saturday is spent on domestic tasks that require little or no thought processes (other than separating lights from darks and not mixing hazardous chemicals).  With my parietal and occipital lobes occupied, my frontal is free to wander.  Sometimes it replays snippets of news I’ve heard or something adorable my youngest said, but most often it turns to my novels. 

Between loads of laundry and disinfecting the bathroom, all manner of storylines are created and dialogue decided, most of which is not done by me.  No, I don’t have a bottle of “Muse in a Can” that whispers the next sentence with every spray.

What I have are characters – friends, I consider them, at this point – who show no compunction in voicing opinions on what they would like to do or have happen next.  Like my real-life friends, they have their own thoughts and ideas, desires and needs, likes and dislikes.

For example, every cup of coffee I pour comes with the collective sighs of Simon and Gabriel, who find great enjoyment in poking fun at the amount of sugar and milk I use.  I refrain from pointing out that Andrew takes his coffee the same way.  Why?  Because Gabriel is downright dangerous and Simon undeniably persuasive – and I don’t want to be brainwashed into taking my coffee black.  Call me the poster child for Starbucks, but there you have it.

And some of my characters are more outspoken than others.  Lady Alexandra, for example, appears in both Trapping a Duchess and At Journey’s End, yet I know less about her than her brothers Andrew and Gabriel, or her friends Sophie and Simon.  Alex is reticent and not at all comfortable trusting me with her secrets; on the few occasions she has wandered in for a conversation, she is usually there accompanying Sophie or Andrew, a silent champion for their causes.  I am over 60,000 words into her and Charles’s story and at times feel like I’m writing the biography of a person I’ve only observed from a distance.

 Andrew, on the other hand, is the most vocal of the group.  He’s a duke, so it’s to be expected, but that doesn’t make his defiance any easier to swallow.  He enjoys arguments, especially ones where he can draw on his experience and knowledge.  He says things like “you bring up a good point” and “I considered that,” both of which are always followed by a certain conjunction that begins with B and ends with T (and often has me and not U in the middle).

Our conversations are simple:  He makes demands, I ignore them.  He retaliates by turning every word I write into a debate, often reminding me that since he lives in London in 1821 and I don’t, he knows what’s best.  Deep down he is what he accuses Sophie of being – a sore loser.  When cornered, he disappears for a moment and returns with a battle charged Sophie  - and all I can do is sigh.  When on the same side, the pair is formidable.

I cannot count the number of times I’ve said “give me a little credit, would ya,” to which Andrew raises a brow and resumes the discussion as if I’m one of his servants who spoke out of turn.  Hence, his half-dressed state.  Being partially clothed incites vulnerability and Andrew is as susceptible to this as any other human on the planet.  In fact, I have invoked a Leave-Your-Pants-At-The-Door rule for him.  If I can just get him to adhere to it, I may start off at an advantage.

My characters’ constant barrage of what-ifs and are-you-sure-about-thats have been the catalyst for countless hours of research.  And I’ll tell you a little secret – I’m a much better writer because of it.  Not only for taking the time to be historically accurate, but for taking the opportunity to increase my knowledge base so that I can have an intellectual conversation with them and sound like I know what I’m talking about.  It seems impossible, since theoretically I’m only going back and forth with myself, but it isn’t.

Talking to them about everyday things forces me to tap into the part of my mind beyond conscious perception, to push aside the curtain of cognizance and take a front row seat at the show of my deepest thoughts.  The display is enlightening as the rapid succession of parries and thrusts provides an insight into, not only my characters, but me, the woman behind the words.  What I’ve learned about myself has been invaluable.

The truth is I love the moments when my characters interrupt me putting a load of clothes in the dryer.  Sure, they wrinkle their noses at the fact that I don’t have a household of servants, but I indulge them nonetheless.  Even when they rant and rail and demand that I follow their orders, because by listening I get a glimpse inside their minds.  Not the ones I’ve created for them, but deeper recesses I never considered existed.  It’s like creating a new fruit and finding out that there are other fruits inside – sweeter, fuller tasting and more complex than I ever could have imagined on my own.

 It makes me smile and makes me wonder – am I the only person on the planet who does this?  I doubt it.  Creating a character is like giving birth to a child, only it’s not limited to the female of the species.  Writers nurture their babies, love them and learn with, from and through them.  After all, they are the beings that drove us to tell stories – aren’t they?  A single character or plot line that made an unexpected appearance in our heads – when we were in the shower or writing a check or even doing laundry – and won’t leave, refuse to cease their chatter until their story is out there.  And it is their story, as much as it is our own.

 So, the next time one of your characters pops in to discuss what happens next, be sure you take the time to listen, really listen.  There are moments of blinding insight in every conversation.  To grasp them, you must be not only an auditory observer, but an active participant.

Find out what author Jennifer Hudock has to say on the matter.  Visit http://jenniferhudock.com to read her thoughts.

In Episode Eight, Andrew gave Sophie an ultimatum.  Had he known the single utterance would become the obsessive focus of his uncontrollable mind, he might never had opened his mouth.  But the torment of having Sophie close yet not at all within his grasp has started to wear…and with this particular woman, actions clearly speak louder than words.

Meet me in the sitting room…
Andrew may have made a declaration, but Sophie’s not concerned by what she considers an empty threat.  What’s bothering her is the conflicting emotion she feels whenever Andrew is close.  Torn between an unexpected (and to her mind, unwanted) physical connection and the bitter history that lay between them, she’s struggling to keep her wits about her.  Can she sort out her emotions before matters spiral out of control, or will her stubborn pride and typical defiance be the catalyst in pushing their game beyond what either of them ever intended?

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Pure Romantic – Spring Feelings by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Episode seven brought much discomfort and emotional turmoil for Andrew, while Sophie made significant progress in gaining the attentions of the handsome Lord Courtland.  But Andrew’s not ready to give up the fight just yet.  Indeed, the battle has just begun.

Meet our beloved Andrew at his most arrogant…
A duke is used to giving orders and having them obeyed.  Andrew expects nothing different when he gives Sophie an ultimatum.  But Sophie hasn’t been a complacent miss for some years…and Andrew’s about to discover the difference between pushing her and pushing her too far.

Author’s note:  I will apologize in advance for the slight hiss in the intro and outro to Episode 8.  My evening was plagued with audio problems, but I did not want to hold the episode for something so trivial. 

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Pure Romantic – Spring Feelings by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Last week Sophie met Lord Zachary Quinley, a handsome marquis whose charming but relaxed nature brands him the ideal candidate for a husband.  Of course, there’s a big snag in her little plan…and his name is Andrew.

Meet me for dinner…
Fate’s up to her meddling ways again…and Andrew’s finally beginning to catch on.  The question is, is he strong enough to stay his chosen course or will he fall prey to her whimsy?

Author’s note:  For more information on the promos featured in this week’s episode…
This week’s episode features an introduction to John B’s blog Peeking Through Weary Eyes, one man’s observations of the bus riding antics of those living in – and traveling through – the Emerald City.  John serves up his fellow commuters on a silver platter – using biting wit and undeniably clever consideration to drag the reader into moments only a devoted observer of human nature could articulate.  Yet anyone with an affinity for sarcasm will be able to appreciate what it’s like to peek at the world through his weary eyes.  With aptly named regulars such as Allowicious, Mobile Wife Fighter and Pickles, you can only imagine the sardonic hilarity that ensues.  For those of you who spend your morning commute comfortably ensconced in your quiet, smooth riding vehicles, I highly recommend you take a ride on the dark side.  John’s current blogposts can be found at http://slogdiary.blogspot.com and his book – encompassing the first 409 bus rides and other stories – is available on lulu.com and amazon.com.

Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t share as much awesomeness as I could find…so in addition to John’s aforementioned genius, I bring you a promo for James Durham’s FETIDUS:  The Damned Heir.  This isn’t your summer camp friends telling stories around a campfire – it’s a fully produced podcast novel experience, complete with original music by James (who somehow finds the time do all this AND narrate), a phenomenal cast and a story that draws you in with its first uttered words.  If you haven’t chanced an introduction to Art Blanchard, of the D.C. office of The Foundation for the Ethical Treatment of the Innocently Damned, Undead and Supernatural, you should do so with all due haste.  Because when the dark and shadowy becomes reality, there’s only one man you’re going to want on your side!!!

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Pure Romantic – Spring Feelings by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Last week’s episode gave Sophie and Andrew a bit of closure.  But where one door shuts, another is bound to open…and this time Fate is hiding in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to push both of them through.

Meet Lord Zachary Quinley…
A blond haired, green eyed marquis whose charming and relaxed nature quickly catches Sophie’s eye.  Is it possible she’s found someone to whom marriage would not be a chore?  Even more important, can she forget about the man of her dreams in order to have him?

Author’s note:  For more information on the promos featured in this week’s episode…
Michael Bekemeyer’s ScatterPod
Starla Huchton’s The Dreamer’s Thread

This week’s episode features TWO promos!  YAY!  The first is for Michael Bekemeyer’s podcast Scatterpod Dark, a series of dark fiction.  Also, not mentioned in the promo (but definitely worth checking out) is 60:Life, Michael’s experimental documentary web series that takes a look at the interesting moments of life – 60 seconds at a time.

The second promo is for Starla Huchton’s podcast novel The Dreamer’s Thread, an intriguing story about a Seattle tattoo artist who discovers she is one of the chosen few who creates dreams for the whole world.  Narrated by the author and enhanced by a full cast of voice actors, this is one journey you won’t want to miss!

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Pure Romantic – Spring Feelings by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).
Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Last week’s episode ended with a dictate, but will Sophie answer with defiance this time?

Meet me on the terrace…
Where Andrew plans to settle matters with Sophie once and for all. A task that would be much easier to complete if he could keep his mind focused on the conversation instead of the woman before him.

Author’s note:  Below are the links I mentioned.  You need only click to experience the awesomeness!!!
http://jenniferhudock.com – Home of Jennifer Hudock’s Goblin Market
http://jamesmelzer.net – Home of James Melzer’s The Zombie Chronicles
http://kateofmind.libsyn.com – Home to Kate Sherrod’s Kate of Mind podcast
http://podagogue.blogspot.com – Dan Rabart’s blog on all things podio and audio

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Pure Romantic – Spring Feelings by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

In last week’s episode, Andrew returned to London.  On his first day home, he surprised his sister Alexandra, sifted through a pile of estate matters, and met the lovely Lady Abigail Quinley.  Oh, and he also had an opportunity – however unappreciated – to share a few words with Sophie.

Join me at the Alfreds…
Where Sophie plans to have a remarkable evening.  Not merely because she enjoys being out on the town, but because the Alfred Ball will mark the first time in over seven years that she and Andrew will be – publicly, at least – in the same room.  She’s excited to put the past to rest and the duke in his place.  But will she get the chance?  Or is Fate up to her little tricks again?

Author’s note:  Next week’s episode features a promo for Kate Sherrod’s podcast Kate of Mind.  If you like words and especially those who have a way with them, you won’t want to miss this!  No one, but no one, does sonnets as phenomenally as this woman!  Additionally, I highly recommend you give her a thrice-over.
http://kateofmind.libsyn.com

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Pure Romantic – Spring Feelings by ax (courtesy of the podsafe music network).

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Last week you met Sophie, a fiery heroine who is about as tired as she can be of dealing with dictatorial men.  When her brother Simon gives her an ultimatum, she makes the decision to take her life into her own hands (again).  But defying her brother is only the beginning of her battle…

Meet Lady Abigail Quinley…
Lord Andrew Wolter has returned to London to take his position as head of family – and, of course, to find his bride.  How convenient that Lady Abigail Quinley is delivered into his hands on his first day home.  Too bad for Andrew,  he’s forgotten how fickle Fate can be.

Author’s note:  Next week’s episode features a promo for James Melzer’s The Zombie Chronicles.  Life – and half-death - just doesn’t get any better than this!!!  Take a sneak peek…if you dare.
www.jamesmelzer.net

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Brahms Intermezzo 116.4 by In the Hands (courtesy of the podsafe music network).  You can find more information at http://innig.net/music/inthehands.

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Last week you met our hero Andrew, a young earl whose life took an unexpected turn when his bride-to-be left him standing at the altar.  Rather than deal with the scandal, he leaves for an extended stay in America.  Perhaps there he will be able to forget the woman who preferred ruin over becoming his wife.

But there are two sides to every story…

Meet our heroine…
Lady Sophie Sinclair had plans for her life that did not include marriage…and certainly not to a man like Andrew.  Her decision to flee on the morning of her wedding had been made with utmost conviction.  Yet instead of the freedom she desires, her return to London has brought a change in attitude from every direction.  And fate does not take kindly to rejection…

Author’s note:  Next week’s episode will feature a promo for Goblin Market, a new podcast novel by the amazingly talented Jennifer Hudock.  In the meantime, I encourage you to take a peak…have a taste or two…and fall into a world of darkness that will leave you dying for more.
www.jenniferhudock.com

Trapping a Duchess is a historical romance set in early nineteenth century England and features a hero and heroine as passionate as they are stubborn.

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Brahms Intermezzo 116.4 by In the Hands (courtesy of the podsafe music network).  You can find more information at http://innig.net/music/inthehands.

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

Trapping a Duchess is a historical romance set in early nineteenth century England and features a hero and heroine as passionate as they are stubborn.

The jilting of the century…
Lady Sophie Sinclair is no stranger to scandal – a fact which has not stopped the Grand Dames of the ton – or her arrogant brother – from expecting wedding bells in her near future.  Enter Lord Zachary Quinley, an irresistible earl whose easygoing personality promises a marriage free of dictatorial entanglements.  The trouble is, in order for Sophie to have him, she’ll have to go head to head with the one man she never expected to see again.

Becomes the talk of the season…
Upon the death of his father, Lord Andrew Wolter returns home to take his rightful place as head of the family – and to take a wife.  His requirements are simple – he wants a docile bride who can fill a duchesses shoes and, more importantly, who won’t leave him standing at the altar.  When he meets the unassuming Lady Abigail Quinley, it appears his search is over.  Until he comes face to face with the woman who broke his heart.

And the romance of a lifetime…
When Andrew and Sophie set their sights on members of the same family, they embark on a dangerous game of bluff and call.  Tempers – and desires – flare as the two do their best to outwit one another.  But fate has other plans…including a seduction that changes everything.

Trapping a Duchess’s podcast theme is Brahms Intermezzo 116.4 by In the Hands (courtesy of the podsafe music network).  You can find more information at http://innig.net/music/inthehands.

Trapping a Duchess cover art is by photographer Nick Coombs and is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.

I knew if I could just pull over
I could make you smile
Take your hands and wrap them around my waist
Press my lips to yours
That your worries would fade
And you would be okay

And for a split second I thought about picking you up
running away
If you would come willingly or
What look on my face might coax a yes from your mouth

What words would impress that it was a good idea
How long I would argue my point
How many kisses I would revert to
To convince you

And would it matter where we went?
Would it matter that we were leaving the world behind?
If we lived off each other and never ate again?
Would we really need a place to live when it feels like home
Every time you glance my way?
Would I still find your teasing grin when things were at their worst?
Would you rock me to sleep?
Or tell me a story?
Or would we just be
You and I
In the moment
Every moment?

Then that second flew past
And I realized that was not your car
That you were not leaning on it
Didn’t need me to rescue you
I felt a part of me slip away
I suddenly needed so badly to hear your voice
The warmth in it that makes my eyes sparkle
The timbre that seems to flow right through me
Straight to my soul

And suddenly all my questions seemed misdirected
Inconsequential
And I realized that the thing I really wanted
Was for you to feel the same about me
To need to breathe me in
Like I do you
At any given moment.

She saunters in, a vixen dressed in red
Her silk clad form a nod to fallen grace
With jet black hair and erotically lined eyes
Lips that curve upward, mocking with a smirk
High cheekbones and a siren’s singing voice

“Good evening, my friend,” she murmurs huskily
Her voice breathes life into exhausted limbs
My soul, once drifting, basks in sultry glow
My eyes, once sleepy, drink her beauty in

“I brought you something,” she says with twinkling eyes
In her hand she holds my deepest thoughts
Captive creativity awaits
Held just beyond my reach, to make me want

Desperately, I sigh and shake my head
Wits scrambling to hold onto exhaustion
Fruitlessly reaching out as rest flees
Hiding behind a hundred rampant thoughts

“I need to sleep,” I say, yet without heat
“You’ve hours left,” she tempts with tilted head
Her gaze catches mine and I am lost
Falling through infinite space of feeling

Snatching, greedily, bits of stardust
Stuffing them in my pocket like a child
Hoping to still find them there tomorrow
Knowing she’ll have taken them back again

Once more she leans close, drawing me near
Her breath igniting something deep inside
Desire, on the cusp of being born
Or giving birth to secrets not my own

A petal soft caress against my head
Her kiss a gift that comes with such a price
Yet tomorrow, I will pay it all again
To capture a second of what she holds in her palm