Characters with Phyllis Humphrey

Great guest post, and conversation from Phyllis Humphrey.

CHARACTERS

Since you know I‘m a writer and blog mostly about writing, you might think that by “Characters,” I mean imaginary ones, the kind we put in our fiction. In fact, I put some colorful characters in my mainstream novel, CHOICES, published under my maiden name, Phyll Ashworth.

I spent nineteen years selling my husband’s artwork at those art shows you might have seen. For my fictional purposes, I changed only mildly eccentric artists into murderers, philanderers, cheating wives and even gay bashers. And those were my friends.

The absolute most interesting character I ever met was not an artistbut a person I originally thought was a customer. The following is true and took place in San Francisco in the 1980s.
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The smooth-shaven man was of medium height, wore a conservative black suit with a maroon striped tie and highly polished shoes. He pointed to my display. “You did these?”

“My husband did. They’re original pen and ink drawings, with a wash over them for the color.”

“I can see that. They’re very good.”

“Thank you.” I paused, thinking perhaps I could make a big sale out of this. “They look nice in groupings of two or three. Which do you prefer, the animals or the birds?”

“Oh, I like them all.” He walked over to a display board with animal pictures, and I followed at a discreet distance.

“You see, I know animals. I have hundreds on my estate.”

I didn’t answer. Hundreds of animals? Who was this guy?

“My family has made me stop adding to my collection, but I could have pictures of them, you see.” His face remained perfectly serious, and I still didn’t say anything.

“How much for all of them?”

“You want all of them?” This had to be a gag. I looked around to see if some friends lurked nearby, watching my reaction.

“Yes,” the man said. “You see, I want to hang them in the White House. I’m the Acting President of the United States. The White House is going to be remodeled, you know.”

A nut. If that wasn’t a joke, then he was a nut. I decided to humor the guy. “No, I didn’t know.”

“It’s not my headquarters, you see. I’m turning it into a restaurant. The chef at the Crown Room will run it for me.”

“Oh, I think a restaurant is a very good idea. Much better than what they do with it now.”

“Quite so. I had lunch in the Crown Room the other day, and they wanted to put me in jail because I wouldn’t pay my bill, but I was protesting. It was twenty dollars, and you have to admit twenty dollars for lunch is ridiculous.” He continued to look perfectly normal. “It’s inflationary, that’s all. I said I would pay seventeen dollars, but the other rest was pure inflation and I wouldn’t pay that. They made me wait in a back room. My family came and got me out.”

I smiled. “That’s nice.”

“How much for all the pictures?”

“I’ll have to think about it.” The man might be crazy, but he was consistent. He remembered he wanted all the pictures. “Why don’t you come back a little later and I’ll let you know.” I hoped he’d go awayand that would be the end of that. I didn’t need to get mixed up with any crazies.

“Fine. I have to see some other artists anyway.” He strolled over to another artist friend. Pity I couldn’t warn her.

But in ten minutes he was back. “Ah, yes. Do you have those figures for me now?”

I pulled a number out of the air. “Five thousand dollars.”

“That’s reasonable. I want you to deliver them, of course. Here’s my card.” He scribbled something on a folded business card and handed it to me with a smile. He walked away, still looking like just an ordinary shopper.

I looked at what he’d written. The blank folded card had a few words scrawled inside: “$5000. Accepted. Gerald McDonald, Acting President of the United States of North America.” So he thought he was the President, not Napoleon. I shrugged and put the card in my purse. I never saw him again.

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Writers Block Overcome by Catherine Stovall

Today as part of the Page Turner Book Tour for the new novel Faire Eve, Catherine Stovall joins us to discuss how she overcomes writer’s block.

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Writer’s Block, the dreaded scoundrel of the author’s world. We all get it. We all hate it. I’m lucky that it doesn’t happen often. There are always a million ideas running through my head at any given time. On the rare occasion where the brain thief sneaks in and steals away my words, it is pure torture. So, how do I deal? The key to the cure is the cause. For me, the issue is always either Stress or the Plot.

1.    Stress – When real life stresses me, I run to my writing. When my writing stresses me, I run to real life. I walk away from the project completely. I go out. Take a ride with the hubby, have coffee with friends, and just live as much as I can. It may take a day or a week, but eventually, my head clears enough that I can go back to the project with a vengeance.

2.    The Plot – So, I tend to have these brilliant ideas that develop into 5,000 words in a day. I’m all excited, writing, and happy. Then, it hits. I have nowhere to go with the direction I have allowed my characters to take me.

That’s what happens, for real. I have an idea in the beginning and sort of a good idea how I’d like it to end. However, the characters run the middle. I have no control over the little buggers. They run rabid to Hatter’s tune. (Hatter’s my main muse and he’s insane.)  They drag me along behind them, typing until my fingers hurt. When, the dust clears, I am usually left thinking, “Great! How the heck am I going to get them from here to where I want them to be at?”

This is not ever easy. I will dwell for days, whine constantly, grump, and stare longingly at my manuscript. Multiple facebook statuses and a few memes will be created. I know what is wrong every time, but I fight it. I don’t want to change my ending. I don’t want to go back and trash huge sections of my characters’ romp across whatever landscapes they dwell in.

When I finally get my head out of my rump and accept something must be done. I either adapt my ending to what is there or I go through with the red pen of death and make the necessary changes. The block raises and I’m off again.

About Catherine Stovall:

Catherine Stovall is the author of Faire Eve, The Requiem of Humanity Series, Fearful Day, Sweet Sally Slasher, and Bloody Freedom. Stovall is a member of the InternationalThriller Writers and the creator of International Bug Your Library Day, an operation to spread awareness for Indie and Small Press Authors.

Catherine is a fearless creature who surrounds herself with the joys of life both in and out of her fictional worlds. She lives in Southeast Missouri with her husband, three children, and pets. When not writing, she spends her time riding motorcycles, wearing elaborate hats, and genuinely enjoying the oddities in life.


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Guest Post: Taking the Indie Path

We bring some talented authors on the page often. Many of them have faced the choice, Independent Publication or Traditional Publication. This choice faces many today as we continue to grow in this ever complex industry.

Today, our guest is Bernadetta Marie of 5 Prince Publishing. She is a gifted romance author who enjoys the craft with heart and soul. Today she is talking to us about how she came to the conclusion that the Independent Publishing aspect is for her. Bernadette comes to us by way of  Page Turner Book Tours.

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Taking the Indie Path

 

 

By Bernadette Marie

The path for me to publish my own books was one I wasn’t about to take. I thought, like many others, that it led to people not taking you serious. You’ve heard the old saying, “Those who can’t, teach.” Well, I think for years the thought behind Indie Publishing was, “If you can’t write, you self pub.”
I admit that was my thought. Sure, it was one way to get the job done, but was it the right way?
I often tell people that I think you have to go after that golden star—the big publishing house—but I’ve changed my reasoning.
As authors, we write. We are creative. And though we sometimes think we’re infallible—we’re not. Voice is a tricky thing that I believe the perfect editor, or editorial team, can tame. But if you’re going to go Indie right out of the gate, you’re not going to get rejection until after you publish.
That’s right. Go get rejected—first! Have them tear apart your idea, your manuscripts format, your voice, your use of the English language—and then take that knowledge, fix it up, pay to have it edited, or ask some friends. Putting a work out there that lacks quality is what gave Indie Publishing a bad name, so don’t do it.
The resources are endless now, and I’ll admit, I fell into the worst publishing situation (I still get sick when I think about signing my life away), but from it gained the best editor any girl could work with. Many of my books are dedicated to my editor, because she taught me more than I ever could have imagined. She molded me, changed me, and respected me. Without her, I don’t think I could have taken the Indie path.
Now, I’ll admit, again, that I didn’t want to take this path. But the publisher I had was so horrible that it was the only option for me. I didn’t want to go through that again! So I formed my own publishing house. I figured the masses would take an actual company more serious than they would me.
Little did I know that it would also turn into a big company and consume my life.
Yes, I Indie publish myself and have also published over twenty others. Is Indie and small press easy? No. There are still battles to be won, but the world is finding there are gems hidden in these words! That’s right. The big houses have their formats and their ways of doing things. But sometimes that means that stories get lost—good stories. Indie publishing was the perfect path for me. I’m a bit of a control freak. I need that freedom to do what I want to do. As for my other authors, I try to make sure they have that same kind of freedom. No one wants their creative mind stifled, which is what can happen in traditional publishing.
No, it’s not for everyone. But it certainly was the best decision I ever made.
I am and Indie author!

Book Review Elizabeth Lang’s The Empire

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As part of the Page Turner Book Tour, I’ve had the pleasure to read two incredible stories from a very talented lady. Elizabeth Lang has created. Previously I reviewed her book The Rebels, which is part of her incredible series.

Each of the two stories I’ve read detail the lives of the characters vividly. Each moment is full of emotion, action and much more. As I continued to read The Empire I learned about the grisly practices and methods of force that subjugated even their elite. The portrait of fear, enforcement and certainty of these in this environment reminded me of Star Trek’s Mirror Universe.

If you enjoy a touch of romance, mixed in with your storyline, this is a book for you. The clear romantic overtures are not the single focal point of the story. It is merely one aspect of this otherwise action packed story.

If you enjoy science fiction at all, this will be the kind of book and series you will have trouble putting down.

About Elizabeth Lang:

I’m a science fiction writer who started off life as a computer programmer with a love for reading, especially science fiction, fantasy and mystery.

Being in computers, I found my writing skills deteriorating so I decided to take up writing. It became a joy to create characters, stories and worlds and writing soon became a passion I couldn’t put down. As a writer, I like to explore, not only the complexity of characters but the human condition from differing points of view. That is at the heart of the Empire series, of which ‘The Empire’ and ‘The Rebels’ are the first two of a four books series.

 

Review: The Rebels by Elizabeth Lang

As part of the Page Turner Book Tours, I’ve agreed to read and review two incredible science fiction books by the talented Elizabeth Lang. The first of the two books is The Rebel, which is the second book in her Empire Series.

From the first pages, this story draws you into the action of the moment. The tone set is intense, emotional, and desperate. She paints the portrait of heroes burdened with a harsh reality, and lays out the most incredible and captivating story arcs. I’m not going to give away details but I will tell you that through this story you will find yourself turning the last page wanting much more.

Fabulous book for any true science fiction reader.

 

Technical Difficulties With Today’s Guest Post

Unfortunately, due to items beyond my control, the images that should accompany the dream casting for the Requiem of Humanity Series require additional work.

There will be a corrected and updated post as part of Catherine Stovall’s blog tour on Janurary 30th.