Make-Believe Mondays With Cheryl Holt

Today on Make-Believe Mondays I am thrilled to be able to introduce USA Today Bestselling author Cheryl Holt.

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

Cheryl: For years, I've been hailed as "the Queen" of erotic romance. I started out writing erotic historicals when the trend toward erotics was just beginning, and my career rose as the subgenre exploded. However, the release of my March '08 book, DOUBLE FANTASY, will be my 15th and last erotic, and I've decided to move on to other writing projects.

I felt that DOUBLE FANTASY was the very best book of it's kind that I could write, and that it would be impossible for me to improve on that sort of story, so it seemed like a good time to move on to other things.

I have big career news to go along with this change, but I'm waiting to make any "official" announcements until after DOUBLE FANTASY is released. So as to the specific details, I will keep you in suspense until then, but I can tell you that I am writing at a furious pace on a manuscript that's been sold to a major publishing house, and I can give you a few hints about what's coming next.

My erotic novels were constrained by the erotic venue in that the length had to be shorter, the themes different, and the flavor more intense than in a typical historical romance. Often times, I felt very limited in what I could do and say, as well as in the kinds of themes I could use and the types of characters I could create.

For a long time now, I've been wanting to write longer and more emotional stories, which is what I think I'm best at. I am returning to books that are similar to the romance classics of 20 years ago - such as WHITNEY MY LOVE or THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER.

I'm eagerly finishing my first manuscript that will take me in this new direction, although it's really an "old" direction for me. What I will be doing in the future will be similar to my second novel, MY ONLY LOVE, that was released at the very beginning of my career and is still my most critically acclaimed book.

I look forward to having a chance to once again tell stories that are very emotional and poignant, where I can let readers see the depth of my talent, but also where I can let the love - rather than the sex - tell the story. I will still write very sexy books, but "sex" will not be the only element that drives the plot.

Debra: I'm thrilled that you shared some of your exciting news here on Make-Believe Mondays and I am anxiously looking forward to your new books. Emotional, poignant stories are my favorite kind.

How do you keep your creative cup filled?

Cheryl: I work very hard and I work all the time. For several years now, I've been blessed in my career that I don't have to work at an outside job to earn a living at writing. My work as a novelist is my full-time job, and it's my home business. As with any other business owner, I work all the time and I never have weekends or holidays off. I write between 60 - 70 hours per week, plus I don't have a secretary, so I'm swamped with administrative tasks such as answering emails, doing interviews, arranging advertising, and the other myriad chores that go along with being a successful novelist.

My work schedule is compounded by the fact that I have two very active teenagers, who are involved in completely different activities - one is an athlete and one is a Hollywood TV/movie actor - so I'm constantly on the go in driving them to practices, events, and auditions.

It takes an enormous amount of energy for me to keep going at such a frantic pace, and every area of my life is geared toward keeping me healthy and rested so I can continue to keep my creative output very high.

I exercise strenuously, I eat a high protein diet, I take naps, and I surround myself with "positive" energy. I don't engage in negative activities, I don't spend time around "negative" people. I use positive thinking techniques, and surround myself with positive influences. For example, when a fan writes me a note, I cut it out and tape it around my computer desk, so that their positive thoughts surround my computer.

I also wear cotton clothing, so that my skin and pores absorb the universe's energy. For some strange reason, if I wear synthetic fabrics, I can't write! I know it sounds weird, but I'm a very normal, very middle-class sort of person, but it seems to help me very much!

Debra: It's interesting to hear you say that. Back when I was getting my undergrad degree I had an Eng. prof. who once worked at a mortuary. He explained what happens to a body when there is a fire on an airplane and how synthetic fabrics contribute to death whereas cotton doesn't. Ever since then I've only worn cotton when I fly. I do feel better when I wear cotton or silk so that doesn't sound weird to me at all! And I agree on surrounding ourselves with positive energy. It makes a huge difference.

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?

Cheryl: I think I would still write love stories.

I had never read a romance until I was 42 years old. I was a professional woman, and I always thought I was too sophisticated to read romances. But I found myself trapped at home with two babies, and trying to figure out how to be a commercial novelist, and I was reading every best-seller I could get my hands on.

I was particularly fascinated by the historical romances I read, and I decided to try writing some of them. It turns out that I have a knack for writing some of the world's greatest love stories. I didn't know! I'm still surprised by this. Every morning when I turn on the computer, I smile and think: who could have imagined I'd be good at this?

In such troubled times, it feels wonderful to bring people such joy and love, and I feel that my life has been particularly blessed in having such a necessary talent that I can share with others.

Debra: And we are blessed to have you share your talent with us. Cheryl, thank you for joining us here on Make-Believe Mondays to share a bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Readers may visit Cheryl at
www.cherylholt.com
and be sure to check out her new book trailers!


-------------------------
Debra's News/Debra is watching:

Over on Title Wave this week, I'm blogging today, Gerri is blogging Wed and Michelle is blogging on Fri.

I'm hard at work on my first round edits, and anxiously awaiting my book cover.
A Desperate Journey, will be released by Samhain Publishing in July, 2008.

Make-Believe Mondays Looks Back

Recently a friend asked me when the anniversary of Make-Believe Mondays was. It's hard to believe I am now going into my third year with this blog as it certainly doesn't seem that long. My hope is that my readers get as much enjoyment out of this blog as I do.

So, to answer my friend, I thought I would revisit the very first author interview which posted Jan. 9, 2006. And because I've always enjoyed reading Lucy's Greek heroes, I'm posting a picture of Greece from my recent Mediterranean trip. Enjoy. :-)

--------------------------

I'm thrilled to introduce my dear friend and mentor Lucy Monroe on our first Make-believe Monday.

Lucy writes wonderful romances filled with heroic men and modern women and she writes for three publishing houses. Berkley Sensation, Harlequin Presents and Kensington Brava. On my most recent visit to her website I counted 51 books!

She truly is an amazing author, so let's find out what she has to say about creativity and imagination.

Mark Twain said, "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." How do you fill your creative well to keep your imagination in focus?

Lucy:For one thing, you can't stay creative if all you do is create. So, taking time off from creating is a must for me...just not an easy thing to do. I also love to read magazines...not gossip rags (yuck), but stuff like "The Smithsonian", "Architectural Digest" and "Harper's Bazaar", etc. I've just recently taken up knitting and a rousing game of Perquacky with my family can be very creativity enhancing. I also read tons, both fiction and nonfiction, but romance is my favorite. I re-read my favorite authors over and over again and I think that helps me write better. Learning in cockpit as they say. But it fills up my creative well to sip at someone else's.

What a lovely thought. I can just picture authors visiting each other and dipping down to gather that cool clear water before sipping. Creative works can nourish the soul that way.

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

Lucy:Usually before I ever type the first word in their story, but sometimes they are nebulous beings that only become concrete after I've really settled the first 50 or so pages of their stories. They always do become concrete and very real to me at some point in the process though.

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?

Lucy:I get lots of story ideas from dreams and find that I dream more vividly (and remember my dreams better) when I'm not writing. So, clearly, I've got to get better about taking time off if I want more story ideas to buzz around inside my brain. My agent calls it thinking time...for me, it's dreaming time.

Lucy, thank you for joining us and sharing a glimpse into the creative life of an author. May your dreams be plentiful and your well always full.

To learn more about Lucy and the many stories she's written, visit

Lucy Monroe

-------------------------------
Debra's news/Debra is watching:

Next week my guest here on Make-Believe Mondays is Cheryl Holt.

This week on Title Wave I'm blogging today, Theresa is blogging Wed. and Maria is blogging Fri.

And I am hard at work on my first round edits for A Desperate Journey, which will be out in July, 2008.

Make-Believe Mondays With Adrianna Dane

Today on Make-Believe Mondays our guest is Adrianna Dane.

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

Adrianna: Wow, at any given moment I'm usually working on several projects. Right now at the forefront would be:

--drafting the second Zytarri story tentatively titled Huntress Queen. This is a series about an alien vampire culture.

--a new, full-length novel in my Vampyre Falls series about a vampire and a lethal DNA-spliced creature known as a Spinner.

--a second edit on an erotic contemporary gay romance titled Hidden Impact.

--a scifi erotic romance tentatively titled Sidra's Song which is related to my Argadian Rebellion series.

You don't want to know what's waiting for my attention on the back burner. One thing I've never had a problem with is coming up with story ideas. It's harnessing the muse into a workable manner that takes focused effort.

Debra: So many story ideas, so little time. Yes I know how that can be. :-)

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?

Adrianna: Keeping the cup filled hasn't been a real problem for me. But focus can be. I'm a member of a small brainstorming group with several other very talented authors and we try to keep each other centered. We call ourselves Servants of the Muse (www.servantsofthemuse.com) and we help each other through the highs and lows that encompass an author's daily life. Be that breaking a block, sharing a success, hugs in personal tragedy, unraveling a plot knot, or whatever, a wonderful support system of friends such as this can help to keep that cup filled and overflowing with energy and creativity. It's like you've got this circle of girlfriends all holding your hand tight while you try to navigate your way. You know you're not alone. These ladies are my lifeline to sanity.

Debra: You're very fortunate to have found such a group. So many authors struggle alone.

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?

Adrianna: Oh yes. I play with language all the time. Take for example my science fiction series with Amber Quill Press, The Argadian Heart. I actually have a glossary of terms for this series. You can find it on my website.

In Body Parts, my gothic/horror paranormal/dark romance story with Loose Id, which was just released, I create an electrophasm machine. That's purely a made-up word.

I first learned to do this in a fiction writing class I took a long time ago. We did a lot with mixing and matching of words, using them in different ways, switching letters around to create new words. It's a very freeing experience and I think it makes creativity even more fluid and versatile. I love making up new words.

Debra: What fun, to play with language in such a way. Yes, I believe in can be freeing, even if the play we do as we create our stories is never seen by anyone.

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?

Adrianna: Definitely. Again, I do this all the time. Many times I'll go to sleep at night thinking of a particular story or theme and wake up with either a full-fledged story or a very vivid scene. I had that happen with Nights in White Satin, which is just one example. Ruthless Acts pulled together in a dream sequence. I woke up this morning with a story plot and several scenes which I've had to jot down before I lose them. For me, it's more the rule than the exception. Even if I don't know what a particular dream means, I keep a dream journal to refer back later. Every symbol is important, so I try to be careful to write everything down. Some of the dreams will be developed later into full-fledged stories that may not be on the front-burner right now.

Debra: So many authors keep dream journals. The dream world is such a rich one and so full of symbolism.

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?

Adrianna: Actually, I do that all the time. My latest "problem genre" was Body Parts. Definitely a story difficult to categorize. It's erotic romance, yet it doesn't quite follow the rules and comes more under the heading of dark romance. It's gothic, with traces of horror. The relationships within the story in many cases fall under the heading of GLBT. It's not an easy story to categorize, but it is the story that I needed to tell. Thank God, my editor was willing to work with me.

I've had several instances of reviewers commenting that my stories don't follow the rules. But they are the stories that need to be told. That's where the magic is.

Debra: Yes, and when a story needs to be told, well, it can be quite insistant.

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?

Adrianna: Many people think that imagination is simply a gift and either you have it or you don't. I'm not sure I agree with that. Imagination and creativity sometimes hide and they have to be wooed out of that secret place and it does take time to seduce them into the light. A person who says they don't have any imagination simply hasn't learned the art of wooing the muse. At least not yet. Some days the muse can be more contrary than others.

Dreams are the same. They need to be worked with. Opening our minds to the Universe and allow a door to open and reveal what's on the other side is sometimes frightening. But in my opinion, well worth embarking of the adventure.

Debra: I think we are all born with massive imaginations and as children we either protect them or have them squashed out of us. I think when an adult says they don't have any imagination it's because they lost it somewhere along the way and don't know how to connect with it again. This to, me is a very sad thing.

And you are right, in that it can be quite frightening to open ourselves up to dreams and those things that seem to be on the other side.

Adrianna, thank you for joining us here on Make-Believe Mondays.

Adrianna: Thanks for having me here, Debra.

Readers can visit Adrianna at

http://www.adriannadane.com
and
http://www.servantsofthemuse.com

---------------------------
Debra's News/Debra is watching:

Well, it has been an exciting week since I last reported in. We had tornados here in Memphis and several people lost their lives. Lightning hit the pole in front of our house and we were without power from Tuesday to Thurday. We were the only ones on the street hit, but there were whole sections of Memphis without power and there were looters as some houses were condemned. We were lucky the only thing we had to deal with was no heat or hot water or way to fix a hot meal. There is something about being in a dark silent house with candle light that our modern way of living has lost. (I can look at it romantically now that my feet are warm.) ;-)

Tuesday I had received an email from my editor. The subject line said first round edits. I have an iphone, so I could read this message, but couldn't open it because the file was too big. So it was a relief on Thursday evening to finally be able to open it. For the rest of this month I will be hard at work on edits.

And hopefully there won't be any more excitement here for a while.

AT2 sister, Gina Black is doing her last book giveaway over on her blog. This week, the book is The Raven's Revenge, her ebook that was just released in December. Pop over to The Gina Channel to get in on the action.

Over on Title Wave this week, on Wednesday, Gina is going to blog: "Valentine's Day Boycott -- Counterpunch" and on Friday, Jeanmarie is blogging on style changes.

Make-Believe Mondays With Caitlyn Willows

Today on Make-Believe Mondays our guest is Caitlyn Willows.

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

Caitlyn: I’m in the preliminary stages of the second of my paranormal series with Loose Id. The first book was Into The Lair, a paranormal erotic romance released last fall. In this story one of the main characters was a shape-shifting, long-lived, black jaguar – Wyatt Caldwell (aka El-ian). He was so compelling a character, I felt he deserved his own book. Loose Id agreed. His story, Into The Night, is slated for 2008 Fall release at Loose Id. In this book we see a man who is trying to come to terms with his role as leader of his people and the loss of the woman he loved. We also see the turmoil of a woman whose belief system has been shaken. She’s not the person she thought she was. In fact, she hates the life she created for herself and now struggles with the changes coursing through her.

Debra: So, she must create a new life for herself. I find those stories so interesting.

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?

Caitlyn: Believe it or not, my latest method is PLAY. This will probably sound very strange, but I’ve rediscovered the wonder of make-believe by playing with my two young grandsons. Everything is new in their world (ages 3 and almost 2). The world stops for them when I am with them, and I thoroughly enjoy playing in the dirt, slaying dragons, “cooking”, playing cars, and making up games with them. It fills my heart with joy, makes me laugh, and helps me be creative. It’s fun to watch their minds work on developing their own “story line” as we play, and I really have to be on my toes to keep up. I also enjoy doing cross-stitch. I refer to this as coloring with thread. When I’m working on a project, my mind can easily drift to other things, such as plot points for a story. Reading, both fiction and nonfiction, and watching movies or television are also great ways for me to refill the well.

Debra: Play is essential I believe and this theme shows up again and again, every time I ask this question. :-)

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

Caitlyn: They come alive from the instant I begin a story. I listen to what they have to say, what they are feeling and experiencing. It always feels like great magic when that happens. I go inside myself and let the story breathe. Sometimes there are glitches in communication, but I find that if I can take some time to let myself “daydream” about the problem, things work out very well.

Debra: "Let the story breathe" (I am writing that one down - love that quote)

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?

Caitlyn: I’ve never played with words, but I have created places for my characters. (Actually, I did create words in the Star Series I created a couple of years ago.) Anyway…I take everything I’ve seen, done, heard, and everywhere I’ve been, read about, or watched to create a believable world for my characters. This works no matter if that world is historical, contemporary, or fantasy. It works for physical locations and the emotions involved. I’ve also become a shameless eavesdropper and often use conversations overheard to help create the characters.

Debra: 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?

Caitlyn: I became a writer because I had a dream about a place and people and thought it would make a great book. I started writing the very next day.

Debra: Fascinating. What a great story that is!

Caitlyn: But that’s the extent my dreams have ever helped me with writing. I have some really, really weird dreams…and they never mean a thing. Although, perhaps the weird dreams are a way of getting garbage out of my head so I can write better.

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

Caitlyn: Not that I can recall. The first book I remember reading to death was The Night Before Christmas, and I had that one memorized at a very early age. In elementary school I wasn’t all that fond of reading. Then I became fascinated with the action/adventure and super hero comic books the boys read. They were always so much more entertaining than what was available for girls. I can remember different phases I went through—reading Gone With The Wind, digging through the school library to find the scandalous passages in Hemingway’s books, cringing at the school’s required reading list, loving Shakespeare. I remember the first time I read a book by Victoria Holt—I was hooked on romance from that point on, but still loved reading horror, too. I’ve always had an overactive imagination, something I’ve managed to pass on to those two little boys.

Debra: 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?

Caitlyn: That’s a hard question to answer because I’ve been blessed with publishers who allow (and want) me to write to my muse. I’ve never been given any restrictions. I’ve always been encouraged to “go for it.”

Debra: 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?

Caitlyn: Don’t restrict children. Let them have their play, their games. Get on the floor and play with them. Let their imaginations soar. Nothing is more wonderful for them or for you.

Debra: Hmmm, I might add to that. Don't restrict yourselves, either. Imagination should be allowed to roam free. It's one of the very few things that can't be taken away from us.

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

Readers can visit Cailyn at:
Catherine Snodgrass www.catherinesnodgrass.com
aka Caitlyn Willows www.caitlynwillows.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/caitlynwillows
www.myspace.com/catherinesnodgrass

----------------------
Debra's News/Debra is watching:

Over on Title Wave this week, I blog on Mondays (and today I am talking about plagiarism), on Wednesday Ruth will be blogging about Boycotting Valentine's Day and Lois blogs on Friday.

AT2 sister, Gina Black is doing free book giveaways over on her blog.
This week, the book is Wicked Woman, AT2 sister Denise Eagan's American Title II finaling book. Pop over to The Gina Channel to get in on the action.

Debra's first novel, A Desperate Journey, will be released by Samhain publishing July, 2008.