Saturday, December 20, 2014

Deja Vu Blogfest 2014 - How To Write Realistic Dialogue


Deja Vu Blogfest 2014



Everyone, I'm so sorry. For some reason, Blogger didn't post this like it should have. I thought for sure I hit publish and not save, and wasn't able to be on the computer yesterday because of dealing with kids with fevers and didn't realize it never posted until today.

The post I'm reposting is one way back from 2009. And oldie but hopefully a goodie. :)

HOW TO WRITE REALISTIC DIALOGUE

Well written, realistic dialogue is one of the most useful tools at an author’s disposable. Nothing else can pull a reader from a story than unbelievable dialogue. Imagine a character like Mandy Moore’s in A Walk to Remember. Now picture that character cursing. In context, it might work, if given the right situation but most likely, a goody-two-shoes like that would never swear. A bum on the streets won’t use large, obscure words. Neither would a small child unless they are precocious. Here are some tips for including authentic dialogue in your novels:

1. Go to the mall or other places where lots of people go. Sit on a bench and eavesdrop. It’s amazing how much you can learn just by listening. As an added bonus, you might even come up with new story ideas!

2. Create a character sketch. In order for your character’s dialogue to be true to the character, it must reflect the character’s flaws, weaknesses, strengths, and personality. A smoker character will not rant about the evils of the big bad tobacco companies. An animal activist will yell at someone for killing a fly.

3. Large blocks of dialogue, similar to large blocks of description, are boring. Pepper some action throughout dialogue scenes. Maybe your hero and heroine are dancing. Or they’re on a long car trip. People often talk with hand gestures. Include movements and other actions.

4. As I hinted at earlier, use swear words sparingly unless the character demands it. Some people hide behind them or use them for release. Other characters may only use them under highly stressful situations. And if you are writing a historical piece, look up the curse words of that time period. In Woman of Honor, a medieval fantasy romance novel, my characters sometimes yell, “God’s Teeth!” or “God’s Wounds!” It lends an authentic feel to the piece.

5. While using words appropriate to locale (some regions say soda, others pop), try to avoid dating your piece with slang. Unless you are rewriting West Side Story and need gang dialogue.

6. If you are going to use accents, make certain that they are constant throughout the novel but not overbearing. Reread Huckleberry Finn, Twain was the master at this.

7. Once you write a dialogue scene, read it aloud. Have your boyfriend/wife/sibling/someone reading a character and you read another. Does it flow well? Does it make sense? Does it further the story and add details to the plot? If you answered no to any of the questions, your dialogue needs a tune up.

Woman of Honor tells the tale of young Aislinn, who desires to become a knight to take her fallen brother’s place. The king grants her a two year probationary period during which Aislinn proves herself time and again. Once the two years are over, the king says that she may now beginning her training as a first year page. Infuriated, Aislinn has an argument with Prince Caelan in this never shared before excerpt that shows how powerful and emotional dialogue can be:

Aislinn hurried outside the castle. The walls loomed oppressive and overbearing. She quickly strode around the courtyard, letting her long steps eat up the earth. The scent of flowers reached her nose but she couldn’t process the sweet smells. She attempted to calm down but her thoughts ran around at such a lightening quick speed that she couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Eventually, she forced herself back inside the castle and returned to her room. Regardless of what choice she decided, whether to redo the last two years of her life or not, she would have to return at some point. The whole situation is absurd! To think that at ten years old, when I am at the same level as the other two year pages, that I should be forced to be on the same level as the new pages! Seven year olds! And to think that I was humiliated when I told everyone I was eight.

She opened her door, and stopped short. Her room wasn’t empty. Prince Caelan, heir to the throne, rose from the single chair in the room.

“Caelan,” she managed to say through clenched teeth. She looked at him and saw his father, saw her king, and relived her humiliation all over again in one heartbeat.

“Aislinn, I’m sorry,” he said, swiftly coming out of the seat. He took a step toward her, one hand held out. “I fought for you, I told my father you deserved a chance. You must know that.”

His words mean nothing to me. He means nothing to me!

She said nothing and stomped over to the bureau, yanking the drawers open. She pulled her few possessions and clothing, holding them to her chest as she slammed the drawers shut. Caelan stepped closer, hovering near her shoulder, but he refrained from touching her and said nothing. Her hands shook with rage and the clothes wrinkled. She took them to her narrow bed and refolded them, her movements crisp and precise. When she finished, she returned to the bureau and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The reflection startled her. She wore an emotionless face but her eyes contained so much hurt and pain that she barely recognized herself.

Caelan spoke again, his voice rougher and deeper.

“I know you would do anything for my father. If he asked you to leave this country and to spy on the Speicans, you would. You would lead a raid into their country if he merely hinted at it. You would lay your life down for him just because he is the leader of this country.” Here, the prince paused. “One day, I shall take his place and I shall be king. Yet I don’t know if you would follow me as willingly as you would my father.”

“Why do you say that, your Highness?” she asked, the formal title more a stinging retort than a sign of respect.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. His hand rested in the bend of her arm, but she didn’t turn to face him. “I have done nothing but fight for you.”

“Why?” Aislinn asked. She thought of the three W’s, how the prince had wanted to help her but she had been too proud to ask for it, how he had helped anyhow. Even before that, warning her to learn how to swim. He urged Geoffrey to be her mentor, even though Geoffrey denied that Caelan had made him.

Caelan pulled on her arm enough to make her turn and she faced him, keeping her hands clenched at her side. The prince grinned slowly, a reckless and daring smile that spread to his eyes. Aislinn drew in a breath as sudden heat spread over her. His whole face had lit up with his grin and his eyes glowed, like two dark sapphires.

“Why doesn’t matter,” he eventually answered in a voice so low it barely carried across the space between them and Aislinn realized the truth of his words. It didn’t matter.

But he was wrong to question her. Aislinn served the king because he was king. One day, Caelan would be king, and she would serve him just as fiercely and just as honorably.

“I would obey you like I would any king,” she told him, finally finding enough control to keep the edge from her voice. She swallowed. “I would die to protect you.”

“Good,” Caelan said, his eyes still slightly wild as his grin widened a small degree. “Then you know what you must do, Aislinn.”

Aislinn stared up at him, her heart breaking. She clenched her fists harder. “But I have to redo the last two years of my life all over again. Everything up to this point had been for naught! For nothing!”

“You have two choices.” His voice was calm, a sharp contrast to the anger and frustration waging in Aislinn’s chest. “Either do as my father says and begin again. Or leave and the last two years will truly be for naught.”

“No, there has to be another way.” She shook her head sharply.

Caelan’s hand slid from her elbow to wrap around her fist. Without thinking, she unfurled her fingers and he held her hand in his. “Aislinn, I can’t persuade my father. He shall not bend.”

“But he isn’t being fair!”

“Fair or not, he is king.”

Aislinn frowned. Protests welled in her throat but she refused to voice them and slowly an idea formed. “Perchance…” she started.

“Perchance?” Caelan prompted, taking a step closer to her.

Aislinn shook her head, refusing to say her thoughts. “I gave him my services. I gave him my life for two years. Two years! I can’t forgive him for this.”

He released her hand, taking a step back, his expression hardening. “You must,” he said, his tone now cold and distant.

Aislinn tightened her jaw and stared at the floor. He stepped back from her and walked away. She didn’t bother to look up when the door slammed as the prince left the room.

She slowly whistled her breath out before quickly packing her belongings and leaving the room without a backward glance.


Saturday, October 25, 2014

Autumn's Kiss Blog Hop and Giveaway



10 romance authors got together and write a collection of fall romances, including me! Some are contemporary, some are historical, all are sweet.

Buy Links:

Amazon
Smashwords

The Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/Lfp4wxnWuWo


My book is called RUNAWAY LOVE. After harvesting his crops, the last thing Corin Jannings expects is to rescue a woman tossed form a runaway horse. A woman who can't remember who she is. She's obviously highborn, so it's only a matter of time before someone comes for her. And since she's a lady, Corin cannot risk falling for her.

I will be offering a copy of LOVE BEFORE HONOR, my newest solo release, a Christmas Regency time travel to one commenter on this blog post.

If you fill in your answers to each question along the blog tour, you can win a grand prize (about $70). To enter, you need to fill in the form and follow each blog hop. Please find the link to the other blogs below:

Join ten sweet romance authors as we celebrate the release of Autumn's Kiss, a collection of love stories set in the colorful season of autumn.

The collection has closed. Let other people know about it through twitter.

powered by InLinkz.com

My Question:

Why can't Corin risk falling for the heroine?

A. Because she's a lady.

B. Because she's is already married.

C. Because he only has time to harvest crops, not love.

Type in your answer in the form below:



Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Guess the True Statement and Win Jessica Bell's Thriller WHITE LADY

GUESS THE TRUE STATEMENT & WIN JESSICA BELL'S THRILLER, WHITE LADY! (Statement #88)

To celebrate the release of Jessica Bell's latest novel, WHITE LADY, she is giving away an e-copy (mobi, ePub, or PDF) to the first person to correctly guess the one true statement in the three statements below. To clarify, two statements are lies, and one is true:

When Jessica Bell’s relatives ask her if she wants them to send her anything from Australia, she almost always asks for ...
a. chocolate bullets, Cherry Ripe, and Cadbury’s Peppermint chocolate
b. Melbourne Breakfast tea, random books, and vegemite
c. Aussie sitcom DVDs, Yellow Tale Cabernet Sauvignon, Milo

What do you think? Which one is true? Write your guess in the comments, along with your email address. Comments will close in 48 hours. If no-one guesses correctly within in 48 hours, comments will stay open until someone does.

Want more chances to win? You have until October 31 to visit all the blogs where Jessica will share a different set of true and false statements on each one. Remember, each blog is open to comments for 48 hours only from the time of posting.

If you win, you will be notified by email with instructions on how to download the book.

Click HERE to see the list of blogs.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

*This novel contains coarse language, violence, and sexual themes.

Sonia yearns for sharp objects and blood. But now that she's rehabilitating herself as a "normal" mother and mathematics teacher, it's time to stop dreaming about slicing people's throats.

While being the wife of Melbourne's leading drug lord and simultaneously dating his best mate is not ideal, she's determined to make it work.

It does work. Until Mia, her lover's daughter, starts exchanging saliva with her son, Mick. They plan to commit a crime behind Sonia's back. It isn't long before she finds out and gets involved to protect them.

But is protecting the kids really Sonia's motive?

Click HERE to view the book trailer.
Click HERE for purchase links.

Jessica Bell, a thirty-something Australian-native contemporary fiction author, poet and singer/songwriter/guitarist, is the Publishing Editor of Vine Leaves Literary Journal and the director of the Homeric Writers' Retreat & Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca. She makes a living as a writer/editor for English Language Teaching Publishers worldwide, such as Pearson Education, HarperCollins, MacMillan Education, Education First and Cengage Learning.

Connect with Jessica online:

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

FALLEN SON, DARKEST NIGHT by Melissa A. Petreshock

FALLEN SON, DARKEST NIGHT by Melissa A. Petreshock

After four millennia of waiting for change, the Mother Goddess sees no other recourse but to summon Theo Pendragon to perform his sacred duty as one of the Dracopraesi, imprison her only son in the Underworld, and save her people. 

​Given the​ vast destruction Dante has caused ​in the Earthen Realm, Theo is prepared to fulfill Dana's request​ without hesitation​, but ​when confronted with ​unexpected events and a plea for mercy, will the dragon ​find him worth redemption, or is it too late for this dark soul to seek forgiveness?

FALLEN SON, DARKEST NIGHT is a ​short story companion to FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS (Stars and Souls Book 1). ​Three thousand years before Caitriona Hayden is even born, Dante's actions and Theo's decision impact the destiny that awaits them all.



About The Author

Melissa A. Petreshock is a full-time writer and member of the Romance Writers of America with past experience in the medical and educational fields, though she has primarily devoted her adult life to raising a family. Born and raised in Kentucky, Melissa spent a number of years in Massachusetts, living outside Boston and in Springfield before returning to her home state where she now resides on a small farm. She enjoys quiet married life and the silliness of her three children, indulging hobbies of music, Zumba, and a minor television addiction in what little free time she finds. Melissa’s interests include causes demanding social change such as mental health awareness and teen suicide prevention. FIRE OF STARS AND DRAGONS is her debut NA Fantasy Romance novel.

You can find Melissa on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.


Monday, October 20, 2014

Deja Vu Blogfest 2014


Deja Vu Blogfest 2014

In 2011 and 2012 DL Hammons used a rather unique Blogfest to help him readjust to blogging after the turmoil of WRiTE CLUB, so he think it's time to resurrect it again. He recruited me to help coordinate things, and I'm so happy to do so!

Want to know one of our pet peeves about the way our blogosphere operates?  You can miss some really awesome posts if you need to be away for a while and unable to keep up with your favorite blogs.  While busy writing and editing and marketing, and while WRiTE CLUB was going on for DL, we’ve probably missed hundreds of quality posts.  Anybody who participated in the A to Z Challenge in April certainly missed some truly outstanding posts because of the impossibility of trying to keep up while writing a post a day.  It’s really hard to rebound when things get like that, so what we've both resorted to is simply picking up with everybody’s latest post.  You know what that means?  A post about the signing of an agent…missed!  A book contract finalized…missed!  A cry for help..missed!  A birth announcement…missed!  Some other special event in a bloggers life…gone!

It’s for this reason in 2011& 2012 DL hosted the Déjà vu Blogfest, and before that it was the BLOG RECYCLE STATION.  Well, we’ve decided to turn this blogfest into an annual event.  So we’d like to announce…



On December 19th, anyone who decides to take part will re-post their favorite blog offering from earlier in the year, or one that you believe failed to receive the exposure it deserved. So please sign-up to participate with Mr. Linky below, then shout out to all of your blogging friends and encourage them to sign up as well.  Take the badge above and plaster it everywhere, blogging graffiti gone wild. Tweet about it (#dejavu2014) and post the picture on Instagram. Then on December 19th as the day unfolds and everyone hops from one blog to another, what they will be reading is the best of the best (as determined by you) from this 2014.  The blogosphere will be chock full 2014 writing brilliance!  Encouragement, enlightenment, knowledge, bared souls, stimulation, hilarity, insecurities, success stories!  All on display…the very same day.  And it couldn't be any easier to take part...no writing necessary!
  

Sign up on the Linky Tool below and start looking through those old posts!


Friday, October 17, 2014

It's Time to Fall into Fantasy! Huge Giveaway!

Every year, the wonderful Ash Krafton organizes a Fall into Fantasy giveaway. This year, there are so many prizes, including WOMAN OF HONOR by me. :D


I do hope you'll enter the giveaway and best of luck!

BookBox: embed book widget, share book list

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There are other giveaways too. Check out the rest at Ash's site. What are you waiting for? Go ahead and enter!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Read an Excerpt from the Christmas Regency Time Travel LOVE BEFORE HONOR


Blurb:
Honor. Truth. Loyalty. Love. All of these matter most to Sir Gerald. To avenge his love's death, he challenges her murderer to a duel. Her twin, however, feels that Alice never loved Gerald and gives him a tea. Alice had also given him teas, which enhanced his love for her, but this tea is different. This tea sends him to into the future, to the Regency era.

Lady Vanessa seeks a Christmas treat when she hears something outside the manor. Upon investigation, she sees a man dressed in armor. Unwilling to turn away a confused man with the approaching holiday, she convinces her parents to house Gerald until the new year.

Scandal has forced her parents to accept William as their daughter's best chance at marriage. Although rich, he does not understand her or her love of books and only sees her for her looks, whereas Gerald listens to her, confides in her and she him. With the approaching holiday, nothing is certain – not whether Gerald can discover a way back to his duel, whether he can move on from Alice, and not whether this Christmas will be a happy one for either Gerald or Vanessa.
   
Now available on áƒ¦ Amazon áƒ¦ Barnes & Noble áƒ¦ Smashwords áƒ¦
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Honor. Truth. Loyalty. All noble. All good.

Most of the time.

Sir Gerald sharpened his blade, the clashing sound of metal on metal, the sparks flying pleasing him. He had never dueled before, but a few hours' time and that would change.
Blood pounded through him, hot and steady, a constant reminder of all he still had and all his love had lost.

"I can do that," Edwin said. Shadows from the flickering flames within the smithy covered his hand that reached toward the sword.

Gerald merely glared at his squire. Competent, yes, if a tad overeager. "I do believe I told ye several times now that your services are not required this day."

"I will not leave ye." Edwin lifted his chin. A gesture of both defiance and loyalty at the same moment.

He grunted.

"The blade willna sharpen more." The blacksmith picked up a hammer. Evidently some aspect in the fire told him the temperature now burned hot enough to temper new weapons.

With a great deal of reluctance, Gerald handed the fourteen-year-old his sword.

The blacksmith nodded and returned to his work.

The smithy felt like the gate to Hell, the heat immense and growing ever hotter. Still, Gerald did not move, mesmerized by the licking, greedy flames. It had been a fiery night when he first met her. Ever since, he stopped by the smithy daily, paused whenever he saw a flame, and lingered by the dying embers of his campfires.

It was she who necessitated his duel.

"Are ye certain about this?" Edwin asked.

A question the boy had asked many a time after Gerald laid down the gauntlet.

"Quite." Ever his reply. How could he not? As a knight, duty dictated his actions.

"But…" Edwin shifted his weight from side to side. Always boundless energy. His tongue never stopped wagging. It could cause him trouble down the cobbled road if never did he learn to appreciate silence.

For now, at least, Gerald would humor him. "Go on."

"Ye and she… Ye were not even promised to one another."

True, but in their hearts they were. The problem lay with that, that and jealousy.

Gerald filled his broad chest with a strong inhale. "One day, ye will understand. Honor, truth, and loyalty will only get ye so far. Love, though, it lifts ye up, alters your very outlook on life, changes your life itself. Love is all that matters."

The hammering stopped. Although the smithy was loud and prone to echo, Gerald and Edwin had long ago learned how close to be, how loud to speak to be heard despite it. The silence now prevailing in the smithy unnerved Gerald far more than the prospect of dying that late afternoon.

Almis the blacksmith grunted. "Love be not so grand. Love be trouble." His dark eyes fixed on Gerald. "Love be death."

"Death is release," Gerald countered. Perhaps death would be best. Not that Victor would grant him a merciful one.

"Sir Gerald will not fall."

Edwin's confidence lifted a small smile to Gerald's lips. "Is my armor ready?"

The red-haired boy jumped up. "A-almost!" He scampered away, out of the smithy faster than a hare chasing its supper.

The redness of the flames only served to remind Gerald of blood, and he turned away, for once finding no comfort here, wishing for mead to swallow instead of his sorrows.

The dings and clangs resumed, its steady beat almost matching his steady heartbeat. No matter what the outcome, he would do all he could. She, and her memory, deserved that much.

She who never should have felt the sharp end of a blade. She who never stepped near such a place as this. With its burning stove and already forged weapons hanging on the walls, the smithy proved as dangerous as any duel ground. Mayhap a second weapon would not be remiss. Bow and arrows would be less than worthless. A spear or lance, though...