This weekend I'm starting Black List by Lynn Raye Harris.
ace Kaiser is a man without a country, without connection. His only loyalty is to the group who saved him, and the man who leads them.
Until her...
The assignment should have been easy. Capture a deadly assassin and take her to HQ. But flawed intel leads to disaster, and Jace abducts a beautiful art appraiser instead. Intrigued by her courage, he's drawn to her in ways he can't explain. Dr. Madeline Cole stood up to him, fought for her identity, and never backed down. She's the kind of woman he could fall for if it wasn't so dangerous--for her.
Then Maddy is targeted for elimination because she's the sole person who can identify the mysterious female assassin--and the only thing standing between her and certain death is the sexy mercenary who swears he'll die before he lets anything happen to her. As the passion between them ignites, it seems clear that keeping Maddy safe has become the most important assignment of Jace's life.
Even then, protecting her might not be enough--because Jace has secrets that could destroy them both. And someone is determined to unmask them all...
Figuring out who your character is can be both fun and extremely frustrating. For some characters, writing a profile can be easy. For others, it's like pulling teeth.
So what is a character profile?
When setting out to write an 80k book, it's important to know and understand your characters. What do they look like? Are they short? Tall? Do they have blue eyes or brown? What color hair do they have? Is it long? Short? Curly or straight? All these things are part of a character profile, but they're just scratching the surface.
The first thing I did when creating a character profile for Claiming His Kiss was go to Pinterest and find an inspiration picture for each of my characters. How did I envision Ali and Daniel?
Once I find a picture I think matches my characters, I print it out and put it in a notebook. This notebook will be my reference for the entire book writing process.
Beside the picture, I write all the basic states. Ali's full name, her age, her job, and of course her hair and eye color.
But then, I dive a bit deeper.
Since this book is the fourth book in my Serpent's Kiss series, we've met Ali before. I list what we know so far. She has a flighty mother that hops from one guy to the next and she was raised by her grandmother.
From there, I expand out. What is her internal struggle? What are her weaknesses? Her strengths? Does she have any hobbies?
This gives me a good starting point, but the profile doesn't end there. I leave plenty of space where I can add to the profile as I write.
Because I write without an outline, information about my characters, their past, etc., develops as I write. So when something comes up, I jot it down in my notebook. This gives me a quick and easy way to double check facts about the story I might not remember should later on.
Spending a little time on the front end can help save time and a lot of headaches. The last thing a writer wants to do is go back through 60,000 words to find out the name of a minor character or to discover what color eyes someone has.
Character profiles can be as detailed or as basic as you want them to be. An author friend of mine has character profiles that would make my head spin, but they work for her. Every writer has to find the system that works for them.
Next up is View With Your Heart in L.B. Dunbar's Heart series.
When a prodigal son returns to his small town, secrets could prevent a second chance at romance.At eighteen, I fell in love with a girl for a summer.At twenty-five, I spent a lust-filled weekend with her.At thirty-eight, I hadn’t planned to give her my heart.But you know what they say about third times...Gavin Scott left home long ago. On his way as a promising professional baseball player, he missed nothing from his small-town other than one woman and a few wild nights one summer. Not prone to sentimentality, he hasn’t looked back until life threw him a curveball and an invitation for his new venture returns him to his roots, where he learns the woman he’s never been able to forget is still there.Britton McKay didn’t expect to stay. Elk Lake City was only her summer town until life changed course more times than she could keep track. As the owner of the local tea shop, she braces herself for the annual film festival celebration which brings forward memories of some glorious summer nights, an unforgettable weekend romp, and the secret she’s been holding back for too many years.Sometimes it’s all a matter of perspective before the heart can love again.Author note: A former baseball player, the woman he left behind, and a decade-old secret gives this third-time encounter a chance to heat things up in this small town.
Next up is Fight From The Heart in L.B. Dunbar's Heart series.
When a snowstorm forces two working-friends together in this small town, one night might blossom into something more than either ever expected.Pam Carter loves all things bright and beautiful, but as manager of the local gardening center and moonlighting as a personal assistant, life isn’t always blooming lilacs. Especially when she has a crush on the one man she shouldn’t...the ruggedly handsome, horror writer she assists. His demons haunt more places than the page, but she doesn’t scare easily.Jacob Vincent loves all things dark, especially his home - a mansion in the woods. His Elk Lake City retreat brings inspiration but also temptation in the form of his curvy, quiet, and hardworking assistant. She’s fun to flirt with but he knows his limits. Love doesn’t exist within his black heart, but could he be persuaded to turn the page for a new adventure?When a shadowed heart clashes with blooming desire, love fights to be set free.
Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, heir to a noble family tasked with ruling an inhospitable world where the only thing of value is the “spice” melange, a drug capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. Coveted across the known universe, melange is a prize worth killing for....
When House Atreides is betrayed, the destruction of Paul’s family will set the boy on a journey toward a destiny greater than he could ever have imagined. And as he evolves into the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib, he will bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.
A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what is undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction. A powerful story of friendship, it is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.
Since its publication in 2003 Kite Runner has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic of contemporary literature, touching millions of readers, and launching the career of one of America's most treasured writers.
Speaking to us with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. It begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old girl with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. We witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup, and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it. In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction—at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful—and completely unforgettable. Amazon
It is September 8, 1943, and fourteen-year-old Claudette Blum and her father are among the thousands of Jewish refugees scrambling over the Alps toward Italy, where they hope to find safety now that the Italians have broken from Germany and made a separate peace with the Allies. The Blums will soon discover that Italy is anything but peaceful, as it quickly becomes an open battleground for the Nazis, the Allies, Resistance fighters, Jews in hiding, and ordinary Italian civilians trying to survive.
Tracing the lives of a handful of fascinating characters—a charismatic Italian Resistance leader, a priest, an Italian rabbi’s family, a disillusioned German doctor—Mary Doria Russell tells the little-known story of the vast underground effort by Italian citizens who saved the lives of 43,000 Jews during the final phase of World War II. A Thread of Grace puts a human face on history.
Journey to the dusty little Texas town of Lonesome Dove and meet an unforgettable assortment of heroes and outlaws, whores and ladies, Indians and settlers. Richly authentic, beautifully written, always dramatic, Lonesome Dove is a book to make us laugh, weep, dream, and remember.
Look With Your Heart is next in L.B. Dunbar's Heart series.
When small town enemies are forced to face each other in shared quarters, they just might find there is more than meets the eye between them.Ethan Scott lost his job. As top chef to an elite resort, he heated the kitchen with more than just the stove ... and got caught. A blow to his ego in more ways than one, he’s forced to move back to his hometown when a position for a personal chef opens. His new boss is a recluse in the woods and he’s heard the stories. Determined to make the best of things, nothing prepares him for the sight of his new employer or her feisty attitude.Ella Vincent gave up her career without a choice. As a former model, the gruesome scars on her once lovely face won’t sell beauty products. Finding refuge in a secluded home in the woods near Elk Lake City seemed like a good idea until her brother hires someone to look after her. Her new employee is more than handsome in the face; he’s a thorn in her side.Sometimes it takes a bruised heart to see more than the beauty our eyes can behold.
Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. It's sad we need to have a day like this in 2023, but unfortunately the sale and exploitation of human beings is still alive and well. Too many people, specifically women and children, are bought and sold every day in countries, including the United States.
It wasn't until writing Slave (Finding Anna, Book, 1) that I realized how oblivious many were to this sad reality. I got reviews saying this type of thing didn't happen in America.
But it does happen in the United States. It's not only a third world problem. It doesn't only happen in other countries.
The inspiration for my Finding Anna series was a woman who was rescued after being held as a sex slave for almost 20 years. This happened in the US. She wasn't trafficked in the traditional sense. She was kidnapped and held captive.
As I listened to this woman's story as it unfolded on the news, I thought about the trauma and trust issues she would obviously, and rightfully, have. How would this affect her relationships going forward? Especially those with the opposite sex.
Just like Brianna in my Finding Anna series, the people rescued from these horrific situations need support. While researching my story, I came across an organization called The Polaris Project. They are working to try and stop human trafficking at its source.
"Human trafficking is the business of stealing freedom for profit. In some cases, traffickers trick, defraud or physically force victims into selling sex. In others, victims are lied to, assaulted, threatened or manipulated into working under inhumane, illegal or otherwise unacceptable conditions. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies freedom to 24.9 million people around the world." ~The Polaris Project
Those individuals being trafficked are trapped. When I wrote Brianna's story, I wanted to given a realistic insight to what it would feel like for someone who'd had their humanity stripped from them. These people are no longer human beings with rights, needs, and desires. They are a commodity to be used for convenience and profit.
Brianna's story wasn't typical. She was only held captive ten months before she was rescued by Stephan. Many are trapped for years or decades.
I pray for a day when we no longer need to talk about this. One where using and abusing human beings is a thing we only learn about in history books.
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