Make-Believe Monday with Becky Motew

Today on Make-Believe Mondays I'd like to introduce Becky Motew.

Becky, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Becky: It’s about three women who shop at the same grocery store. Well, it’s about other things too, including lottery theft, treacherous boyfriends, and academic intrigue.

Very soon I plan to write a book called DALLIANCE WOMAN, about a woman who dates three married guys at the same time. It’s not me, I promise!!!

Debra: Well I should hope not!

Ray Bradbury said, “We are cups, constantly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” How do you keep your creative cup filled?

Becky: That’s a very good question. It’s a combination of what you let into your brain, including books, TV, regular life (whatever that means for you—for me it’s teaching, for someone else it’s log rolling), and what kind of program or schedule you have for letting all that out onto the page. If you only sit down to write once every six weeks, you’re going to be filled way up with creative ideas (probably), but some of them are buried underneath by then and you won’t remember them. The brain is a big saucepan and you provide the spoon, stirring up ideas.

Debra: Oh, I like that image, creativity being like a stew rich with flavors. And no soup or stew ever tastes the same unless you follow a recipe.

Is there a point when your characters begin to come alive and you can see and hear them?

Becky: Definitely. I think that happens for me when I write their dialogue. That’s when they seem most real. “HEY! IT’S ME!!! DON’T KILL ME OFF!!! PAY ATTENTION BECAUSE I’M A REAL PERSON!!!”

Some very famous authors have played with language, creating words for people or places that no one has ever heard of. Have you ever played with words in that way and if so how?

Becky: Mostly I think I stay in the realm of the real, so I don’t think I have created places that no one has ever heard of. The places I create are places we have all been. But I do adore names. I think names say everything, for instance Jane Austen’s gossipy character Fanny Assingham. Sometimes I go overboard on that, I know I do, but I can’t help it. Names are such an opportunity—they’re like titles in that regard. I named a character in COUPON GIRL, the big boss from the corporate headquarters, Lou Lambaster. It seemed right.

Debra: That's a great name! Dickens is another author who used great names. Tiny Tim and Scrooge. So fitting.

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Becky: No, but a couple of nightmare dates have.

Debra: You realize I'll be pestering you for those stories at the next RT convention.

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Becky: Many many books pulled me in as a child. LITTLE WOMEN was one. The Enid Blyton mysteries were favorites. NANCY DREW of course and all the girl detective sagas. My father took me to the library every Friday night while my mother went to the grocery, so I had the leisure of working my way through the stacks. I’m sure my mother appreciated the peace and quiet. Little did she know I would eventually write a grocery store book, haha.

Debra: What a wonderful father daughter outing!

If there were no categories for books, no reader expectations to meet, and you could create the wildest work of imagination that you could think of what kind of story would that be?

Becky: I think I would still write in a realistic context. The wildest imaginary plots are sitting right beside us in church, or on the bus, or next door. You’ve heard the saying “truth is stranger than fiction”? It is.

Is there anything else you would like to add about the role of imagination, and dreams in creating fiction? Any other message for our readers?

Becky: What would life be like without imagination and dreams? They are two of the privileges we get as humans, aren’t they? They make life better because we can escape from the humdrum and see something new and different shining in the distance, even if it’s only Harvey the imaginary rabbit, and worse because we can’t sustain it or make it last or stay there as long as we would like. A writer doesn’t give up, though. A writer tries to capture this world and make it last, at least on paper. Don’t forget, I have no idea what I’m talking about.

Debra: Oh, but you know more than you think you know. We all do.

Thank you for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Becky: Thank you for having me, Debra.

Debra: You're quite welcome.

Visit Becky at www.beckymotew.com

Make-Believe Mondays With Shobhan Bantwal

Technically today is Tuesday, but I'm hoping you'll all forgive me for running a day late. I was on deadline to get a manuscript to my agent and when that happens everything else goes on hold. (Yes, even sleep.) But this is what it takes to have a career in publishing. This is a hurry up and wait kind of business. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Today our guest is Shobhan Bantwal. I'm not going to try to categorize her books because they are unusual. So I'll let Shobhan tell you herself.

Shobhan, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Shobhan: My manuscript, The Dowry Bride, is set in India and the theme is woven around India’s notoriously offensive dowry system. Yes, sadly the custom still exists. This project is the first of a two-book deal, and is slated for release by Kensington Books in Sept. 2007.

It’s the tale of a young Indian bride whose parents can’t afford to pay a dowry, hence she’s about to be killed by her husband and mother-in-law. She accidentally discovers their evil plot just in time and escapes a potentially gruesome death. She seeks asylum from a man who not only protects her but helps heal her broken heart.

Debra: Already this young bride tugs at my heart.

Ray Bradbury said, “We are cups, constantly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” How do you keep your creative cup filled?

Shobhan: My creativity is constantly fueled by reading other authors, seeing news items that capture my interest, by talking to people from all walks of life, and even day-to-day experiences.

Recently, my husband and I were on a cruise of the Greek Isles and the airline lost our luggage before we boarded the ship. We managed to make do with two sets of clothes for several days. Despite the aggravation of it I saw a story in there somewhere. There’s always a story in every event, be it good or bad, dramatic or mundane.

Debra: How true! Whether in an exotic location or a small town, there are stories just brimming all around us.

Is there a point when your characters begin to come alive and you can see and hear them?

Shobhan: My characters seem to take shape and come alive in my mind even before I start writing a story. They’re the ones that usually form the framework of my books. I then build up the plot around their personalities. I use as many elements of my Indian culture as possible to make the characters unique and the story richer and more intriguing.

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Shobhan: My nightmares certainly play a role in my plots. I’m especially terrified of snakes and they feature in my stories often. In the Hindu religion, the cobra has religious significance and it is alluded to in this first book. An entire scene is devoted to the protagonist’s evil mother-in-law becoming obsessed with a cobra getting killed in her home and the possibility of a curse befalling her and her family.

Debra: Fascinating!

Shobhan: Naturally, like me, the character’s screaming bloody murder when she sees a reptile slithering into her kitchen.

Debra: I'd be screaming too. (I can't even watch them on TV. I have to close my eyes during the snake scenes.)

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Shobhan: Growing up in India, I loved reading Enid Blyton and an illustrated British series called Schoolgirls’ Picture Library. Both of them had a tremendous influence on me. They made a fictional world come alive for someone who grew up in a small, rural town in India, and where reading was just about the only source of entertainment.

Debra: But what a rich source of entertainment it is.

If there were no categories for books, no reader expectations to meet, and you could create the wildest work of imagination that you could think of what kind of story would that be?

Shobhan: Funny you should ask that, because most of my stories fit into the no-genre, no-category area. I just write what interests me, i.e. a little romance, a bit of mystery, and a sprinkling of various other elements.

I wasn’t sure if there would be a market for my kind of writing, but thank goodness, a few agents liked what I wrote and then Kensington has an editor who feels very passionate about it. I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed that a wide audience will like it enough to buy it and spread the word as well.

I sure hope you’ll read my books too, Debra.

Debra: I will definately be reading them. And I'll suggest them for the bellydance book group I belong to. (They are just finishing the Dancing Girls of Lahore.)

Is there anything else you would like to add about the role of imagination, and dreams in creating fiction? Any other message for our readers?

Shobhan: A wild imagination is what a fiction writer thrives on. I used to suppress that creative portion of my brain, until I decided to become a writer. Now I let my mind roam as it pleases. I try to take notes when something interesting comes to mind.

My message for readers is this: Keep an open mind when you pick up a book, any book, especially one that deals with a different culture. You not only derive entertainment but learn so many interesting things about people around the world.

I hope everyone who reads your blog will visit my web site and read my short stories and articles. The site is: http://www.shobhanbantwal.com/

I love feedback, so feel free to post it on the web site.

Thank you, Debra, for your kind invitation. I’ve enjoyed doing the interview and sharing my thoughts.

Debra: Shobhan, thank you for joining us here on Make-believe Mondays to share a bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Make-Believe Mondays With Alice Brilmayer

Today on Make-believe Mondays our author is Alice Brilmayer, who is celebrating her birthday in two days. Happy Birthday Alice! Alice has written for Red Sage and Cerridwen.

Alice, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Alice: I’m working on a historical English erotic romance. For some reason lately, fantasies of kidnapping a handsome man for purposes of hot sex have intrigued me. I had to figure out what would justify a woman doing that, so I thought I’d make her (mistakenly) believe that he’d stolen her sister’s virtue. As her sister was the family’s hope for moving up in society, her parents then married her off to an older and sadistic nobleman who treated her as little more than a prostitute for him and his lecherous friends. My heroine plans to make the hero pay for his seduction of her sister. When he protests his innocence, she doesn’t believe him. It doesn’t help that he has a well-deserved reputation for being a rake (although he doesn’t mess with virgins for practical reasons and on general principle).
The book has been requested by a New York house, but it hasn’t been sold yet. We shall see.

Debra: Fingers crossed for you Alice. It sounds like a good one.

Alice: I also just finished an erotic shapeshifter novella for www.changelingpress.com. My hero can change from human to motorcycle and back. That was a trip.

Debra: How unusual!

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Alice: I love dreams for inspiration. Often, they get changed substantially before they make it into the book. My second novella for Red Sage (Secrets, Volume 6) “The Education of Miss Felicity Wells,” was the result of a dream in which I was two different women on a barge floating down a river. One of the women was an adult teaching a young man how to pleasure a woman. The other was a young woman being schooled by an adult man in her own sexual response. The second story got translated to Victorian Boston in which Miss Felicity Wells approaches a well-known hedonist to teach her how to satisfy her husband in bed. Needless to say, they end up together.

I have a fantasy coming out from Cerridwen (Child of Balance) that started as a dream. I was watching the birth of a remarkable child. She was much too mature for a newborn and emerged within the sac. When she tore through the sac, she made instant eye and emotional contact with me while her parents were oblivious to what was going on. I also used some other sequences from my own dreams in that book.

Debra: What a fascinating dream!

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Alice: C. S. Lewis! The Narnia Chronicles and the Space Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength). What magnificent fantasies. Even as a child, I wanted to be able to recreate that kind of world – at least for myself, but ideally for other people, too. I haven’t yet achieved anything close, but I’m hoping my fantasy from Cerridwen starts taking me in that direction.

So far, I’ve been extremely disappointed that romance hasn’t done much in the way of fantasy. It appeared there would more overlap, but I don’t think that’s coming to be. What a shame. Specifically, I’d like to see fantasy romance other than unicorns, fairies, and dragons. I don’t have anything against unicorns, fairies, and dragons, but I think we should do even more fanciful stories that come completely from our imaginations, not out of pre-existing folklore. Child of Balance contains a romance in part of the book, and the hero and heroine are united in the end, but it isn’t a romance. If I do a sequel, I think I’ll make it more of a romance within the world I’ve created. I’m afraid I’m no C. S. Lewis, though. Sigh.

Debra: He was a master. Few that have come after him even come close. But maybe one day...

Alice: For romance, I fell in love with Mr. Rochester and Rhett Butler. What girl hasn’t?
And then, Shakespeare. There’s no one else in the English language like Shakespeare.

If there were no categories for books, no reader expectations to meet, and you could create the wildest work of imagination that you could think of what kind of story would that be?

Alice: See my answer above. Romance, love, and sex in a world like the ones C. S. Lewis could create. I hope to live another 30 years. Maybe I’ll get a little closer to that in my lifetime. Maybe not, too.

Is there anything else you would like to add about the role of imagination, and dreams in creating fiction? Any other message for our readers?

Alice: I should add that I was a child of television. I watched TV, including old movies, the whole time I was growing up. It did great things for my imagination. Television – even things that aren’t particularly “cultural” can expand minds. I’d avoid violence for kids, though.

Old movies are great, too. Some of the best movies ever made were from the 30’s. All the screwball comedies – Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, the Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields. What great fun and really good for kids. Everyone should see Harvey at least once in their lives. I watch it at least once a year.

Debra: Alice, thank you for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Visit Alice at http://home.pacbell.net/halice

Make-Believe Mondays With Kim Amburn

Today on Make-believe Mondays I'm pleased to introduce my friend from RWAonline, Kim Amburn. Kim sold her first book to Triskelion this year and we're all very excited for her. (Have you noticed how many of my author friends have come from this writing chapter?)

Kim, first, tell us a little bit about the manuscript you’re working on now.

Kim: A divorced housewife desperate for money takes a job with a private investigator uncovering suburban secrets and stumbles across a dead body, a missing socialite and the love of her life.

Debra: It sounds like an intriguing story!

Ray Bradbury said, “We are cups, constantly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” How do you keep your creative cup filled?

Kim: Mainly by reading all different types of genres. I not only try to read all the subgenres of romance, I read outside romance as well - mystery, horror, YA. My love of reading is why I became a writer and it helps stimulate my imagination.

Is there a point when your characters begin to come alive and you can see and hear them?

Kim: Absolutely. About seventy-five pages in, the characters start to take over. I've tried to plot extensively before I start the book but have found that the characters tend to come up with better scenarios themselves so I've learned to let them take over and my manuscripts are much better for it.

For some writers, dreams play a role in creating fiction. Has this been true for you? Have you ever dreamed a scene or an image that later wound up in one of your books?

Kim: Funny you should ask. Dreams, which will be released by Triskelion Publishing in April of next year, arose from a dream, or rather a nightmare I had. The final book didn't resemble the dream, but the basic plot stemmed from the image I awoke with in the middle of the night.

Debra: Fascinating! I can't wait to read it.

As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world?

Kim: Growing up, I read just about anything I could get my hands on, but, even then, I loved a book with a mystery. I still have several Trixie Belden's and Nancy Drew's which I plan to pass on to my daughter.

Debra: What a treasure, to be able to pass that joy along to your daughter.

Kim, thank you for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Visit Kim at http://kimamburn.blogspot.com/ and watch for her book in April!