Make-Believe Mondays with Jenna Ives

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Jenna Ives.

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

Jenna: The premise of my September 29th Samhain release “The Initiation Of Isabella” is this: what if a case of mistaken identity allowed you to experience your wildest sexual fantasies? Would you be daring enough to indulge? In the case of my heroine Isabella Tallin, her decision literally changes her life.

Debra: That's quite a question! I wonder how Isabella will handle that and what will happen to her? Readers, we'll have to wait till tomorrow when the book releases to find out.

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?

Jenna: First of all, can I say that I love, love, love Ray Bradbury? I saw him recently in Pacific Palisades, CA, at an event, and I was so tongue-tied I couldn’t even tell him how much I admire his writing. Reading his “Martian Chronicles” is one of my most vivid childhood memories, and my first three manuscripts were sci-fi -- no doubt because of his influence!

As for my ‘creative cup,’ I don’t have any problem keeping it filled J There are any number of things that spark story ideas for me: a snippet of overheard conversation, a newspaper article. In fact, my Samhain release “The Initiation Of Isabella” was inspired by my nightly cocktail sipped on my balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean and asking “What If…”

Debra: He really is wonderful and I would love to hear him speak. That "What If" question can be the start of so many good stories and it's so much fun to play the what if game.

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

Jenna: I must admit it IS scary when your characters start to talk to you in your head, but then again, that’s the point when you know you’re a real writer, LOL!

Debra: Yes, when those characters come alive and start talking it can feel a bit otherworldly. But then it is another world. ;-)

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?

Jenna: Ironically, one of my dreams became a storyline in a YA novel in which the heroine dreams my dream, but that story hasn’t sold yet L But yes, it *does* happen!

Debra: Perhaps it will soon. :-)

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

Jenna: Even though my new Samhain story “The Initiation Of Isabella” is a contemporary erotic romance, see my answer on Ray Bradbury, above, LOL! He is The Man!

Debra: Yes, he is. lol

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?

Jenna: Imagination is a writer’s greatest asset. When you let go of the ordinary world and let your imagination soar, that’s when inspiration invariably strikes. As someone once said, “As the mind calms, the eyes see more clearly.” Free yourself, and see what happens!

Debra: That's a very good quote and excellent advice.

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

Jenna: Thanks so much for having me here today! I’m so excited that my first Samhain story, “The Initiation Of Isabella” releases on September 29th, and is part of Samhain’s sexy Binding Ties bondage anthology. You can read an excerpt at www.jennaives.com and register to win a Bondage Kit by sending an e-mail to: bindingties-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Winner will be chosen on October 29.

How about you? If a case of mistaken identity offered you the opportunity to fulfill your wildest sexual fantasies, would you be daring enough to indulge??

Debra: That's quite a question to leave our readers with. So, readers, how about it? How would you answer?

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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

This week I am writing and resting up for the Ozark Creative Writers in Eureka Springs Oct. 8th to 11th. Between now and then I need to finish the manuscripts and get them ready to submit to a few agents.

www.debraparmley.com

Make-Believe Mondays with Allan Gilbreath

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Allan Gilbreath.

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

Allan: Currently, I am working on "Final Kiss" which is the next installment in the Galen series. I have also begun work on a speculative piece called "What's a Modern Demon to do?"

Debra: That's a good story question which raises all sorts of questions in this readers mind. So many possibilities there.

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?

Allan: My creative cup overfloweth. I have no shortage of projects that I want to get done. I just don't have enough time.

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

Allan: I have actually lost arguments with my characters. Since we spend so much time trying to figure out what we want them to do next, it is very easy to fill in all the missing parts and get to know the personality of your creation very well.

Debra: Those arguments would be fun to witness I'd think.

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?

Allan: I have in a couple of fantasy projects. I find it convenient to create the place, but you really have to keep up with your own details.

Debra: And with a fantasy world there can be so much to keep up with.

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?

Allan: Absolutely, I find that dreams can be a wonderful inspiration for new works.

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

Allan: Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe let me explore aspects of the world (real and imaginary) hidden to most people. They showed me everything from innovation to dismay and how a host of feelings could exist in a single person.

Debra: That host of feelings is what can make a character come to life.

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?

Allan: To be honest, I am exploring that at some level in everything I write.

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?

Allan: The imagination is an amazing gift. It can solve problems or let you explore the heavens. It allows writers and readers to connect in an incredible way and share entire universes.

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

Learn more about Allan and his work at
Kerlach.com/allangilbreath
and
Allan on MySpace

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Debra's News/Debra is writing:

I was in Little Rock Saturday signings books and now I am taking a little break until Oct. 8th to 10th when I'll be in Eureka Springs at the Ozark Creative Writers signing all weekend. You can find my calendar on my website and follow me on Twitter if you wish. Sign up for my newsletter and you may win a free ebook!

www.debraparmley.com

Finishing out this month I have two manuscripts to finish and get out the door so
I'm also writing as fast as I can in the Unleash Your Story Write-a-thon which raises funds for Cystic Fibrosis. Go to
UnleashYourStory.com
to learn more. Every $5.00 donation adds up and we appreciate your support! Those who donate can also win free books! Check it out!

Now, for those who have been waiting for the winner from last weeks contest with Jeanmarie Hamilton.....the lucky winner is .....Kaitey Benoit....
please email me debra@debraparmley.com and we will get your prize out to you.

If you enjoy games, contests and free books
I'm one of twenty authors in a treasure hunt where you can win free books! Roaring twenties, twenty authors and over twenty prizes! Go to
CiarCullen.wordpress.com
to play along and good luck!

Until next week, have a beautiful Monday, a lovely week and remember to smile!

Debra

Make-Believe Mondays with Jeanmarie Hamilton

Today on Make-Believe Mondays I'm pleased to introduce my AT2 Sister, Jeanmarie Hamilton.

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

Jeanmarie: Debra, thank you for having me here today. I just finished working on back cover blurbs for MOONLIGHT DESPERADO. I received a contract last week from Siren-Bookstrand for the novella.

Moonlight Desperado takes place in central Texas after the Civil War has ended. The story was inspired by a family story about my great great grandmother who was told by raiders one night to bring out all her bedding for them to sleep on in her yard. She was alone at the time, her husband away on business. The next day they came back and demanded the money from the safe while threatening her at gunpoint. I changed the story, a little, and the characters. My hero is a werewolf, as are all the raiders in this story. I had fun writing it.

Debra: It's a joy to have you here! I get excited every time one of our sisters sells a book and is able to come do an interview. (Jeanmarie and I were the only ones in the contest with western historical romances which at the time people were saying were hard to sell. So I'm especially excited for her.)

How exciting to be able to bring your great great grandmothers story into your fiction in a way that a part of her can live on!

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?

Jeanmarie: My characters help in that regard. After I've finished a story and sent it to a publisher, I think about the stories I have waiting to be written, and the characters let me know which one I want to write next. The characters with the strongest pull usually lure me to finish their story, unless an editor has asked for a different story. I also find my decision on which story to work on next is often made according to an editor's or publisher's story needs. Whichever, the characters and the story take over from there.

Debra: Things change once you have an editor. There's a bit more direction as to where to go with the next story. But ultimately the story must take over in order to come alive.

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

Jeanmarie: My characters usually come to my mind already formed. The hero or heroine always has a problem to take care of, and they're emotionally involved in finding a solution. They voice their emotions in no uncertain words, and then their story evolves.

Debra: Sometimes quite loudly I'll bet.

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?

Jeanmarie: I write western historical and contemporary stories. So my words center around the language of the times. Although I haven't come up with new words, I have spent hours researching for words the people in my stories would use. It takes hours for me to decide on the right names for my characters. I can't imagine how many hours it would take to come up with new words. Could be fun though.

Debra: Names are so important. Yes, creating new words can be fun. Even just a pet name for someone.

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?

Jeanmarie: I once dreamed an entire western story. It was quite a sweeping story. Then one day I was watching an afternoon movie, and it turned out to be the dream I'd had. I believe the old movie was the Jubilee Trail, which was originally a book! So I don't trust my dreams for new stories. Sometimes my characters will appear in my dreams and tell me the answer to a problem I'm having with some part of the story. That's always helpful.

Debra: I'll bet you were surprised. lol The movies we watch and the books we read can influence our writing so it's good to be careful.

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

Jeanmarie: My mom read us kids the Raggedy Ann books, and some fairy tale books. She also read the Oz books to us. When I started reading for myself, I started with the Oz stories, then the Little Women books, and finally fell in love with The Black Stallion and all the stories by Walter Farley. I have to say that I loved his stories the best.

Debra: Your mother made good choices of reading material. Bless all those mothers who read to their children every night. Who knows what budding authors are out there?

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?

Jeanmarie: I have to say that I'd probably write the historicals and shapeshifter stories I'm writing now. They incorporate things I love, horses, places I love, strong men and women, and mythical beings, shapeshifters.

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?

Jeanmarie: I once heard Ray Bradbury speak at a writers conference. He talked about writing down his dreams immediately after rising from his bed. I have to be quick to do that because my dreams disappear fast when I'm awake. Another thing he said that still inspires me, is to write, and write what you enjoy writing. I've always been a bit of a rebel. What I enjoy about writing shapeshifters is the freedom it gives me to develop my characters and to break some genre rules, if needed, to define my alpha characters.

Debra: What a great experience to hear Ray speak. (Well you know I think he's awesome both as a writer and writing mentor to others.) Thank you for sharing his wisdom with us and for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Jeanmarie: I've had a great time. Thanks for inviting me. If you'd like to visit my web site, here's the address:
www.Jeanmarie Hamilton.com

Readers please visit Jeanmarie's website to learn more. Also, Jeanmarie is giving away a copy the anthology Northern Roses and Southern Belles which has one of her stories in it. There are 6 authors in the anthology from The Wild Rose Press and they are all members of the Scandalous Victorians.

Leave a comment to win a copy of the ebook!

I'll contact the winner next Monday.
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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

My website has been added to and updated www.debraparmley.com with a Twitter feed on the home page (I Twittered from Heather Grahams Writers for New Orleans on Labor Day weekend) as well as a section on the home page of my book signings and appearances.
I also have a section where you can sign up for my newsletter and I'm giving away a copy of the ebook version of A Desperate Journey to one lucky subscriber who signs up in the month of Sept.

I'm also writing as fast as my fingers can type in a write-a-thon called Unleash Your Story which raises funds for Cystic Fibrosis.

And this coming Saturday I'll be in Little Rock, AR at Words Worth Books signing A Desperate Journey from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. You can find a map on my website.

Till next time, have a beautiful week and keep reading!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day!

Make-Believe Mondays is taking a break to celebrate the Labor Day holiday. We will resume next week.

Visit
www.debraparmley.com to keep up with Debra's news (now also on Twitter) and I will be signing books in Hernando, MS next Saturday from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. Details and a map are available on my website as well.

Make-Believe Mondays With H David Blalock

Today on Make-Believe Mondays, my guest is H David Blalock.

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

David: Thanks for the chance to talk to your audience, Debra. Always great to be able to connect with new readers.

I just completed the manuscript for EMPEROR and submitted it to Sams Dot Publishing for consideration. That is the second in a series of three stand-alone titles with a common theme: ASCENDANT, EMPEROR, and DEITY. ASCENDANT appeared in March, and I'm hoping Sams Dot will accept EMPEROR in time to appear by March of next year. Meanwhile, I am working on several other manuscripts. HIGH KINGS is a time-travel novel, ANGELKILLER is a horror/thriller, and THE BOATHOUSE is a secret-society novel. I work on all three simultaneously, so I don't get “burnt out” on the stories.

Debra: Oh, you're quite welcome, David. It's a pleasure having you here.
Fingers crossed acceptace and pub dates all fall into line.
That's an excellent way to prevent burn out and writers block.

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?

David: I do a lot of people watching, observing how people react to ordinary situations and then postulating how they might react to extraordinary situations. I also read as often as I can, usually authors from the mid-twentieth century, before the advent of mass market paperbacks. Their ideas were so innovative for their time, groundbreaking even, that just by soaking in their work I feel inspired.

Debra: People are fascinating. So many characters and stories can come to mind when watching them. An there's nothing quite like good writing to inspire.

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

David: Yes, usually before they ever hit the page. I find it difficult to write a character into existence. They have to already have “spoken” to me before I start the story. I need to know who they are and how they act in order to describe them properly. I have tried creating characters on paper, but that never seems to work for me.

Debra: That never works for me either. I have to close my eyes and see them and hear them.

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?

David: Well, writing fantasy you kind of have to make up words – names, terms, language. There is an art to that too, though. I think that fantasy readers have certain expectations about names in fantasy stories. You couldn't call your magic-using hero “Fred”, for instance, unless you were writing a comic piece.

Debra: Yes, true and it very much is an art. Well, there'd have to be a very good reason for calling him Fred. (Or her.) LOL

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?

David: Actually, the entirety of the three-book series is built on a framework of stories that came in dreams over about a three year period in the early 1970s. From that background material, I was able to cobble together a coherent storyline and produce what I personally believe is a thought-provoking, perhaps even a little controversial, set of works.

Debra: Fascinating!

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

David: The most influential author for me as a child was actually Robert Heinlein. I started out as an avid science-fiction fan, in love with the science as much as the fiction. As I grew older I became interested in the freedom afforded writers of fantasy such as Lin Carter and Frank Laurie. I had been writing since I was a boy, and from that point forward I found myself more drawn to fantasy, although I never lost my love for science-fiction.

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?

David: Wow, that's a tough one. You see, much as I hate to admit it, I don't write for an audience, although I know I should. I write to tell a story and hope the audience will come along for the ride. I may never be famous because of that, but it makes the process so much more satisfying personally.

Debra: Oh, I don't know. I think sometimes when an author writes for an audience, the works shows it. Especially if they write beyond their enthusiasm for the story. The best combo is writing what you love and the market loving what you write. Then you can happily make a living doing what you love. The market seems to drive everything else though. So I think it's good for upcoming writers to see other writing focusing on work that they love.

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?

David: Imagination is the heart of creative writing, without which it couldn't exist. It's the greatest pleasure a writer can have to have related an idea, a concept, a belief, intact and whole from themselves to another person and to have that person understand it, whether as simple entertainment or something more. Creative writers have often been prophetic in their ideas. Arthur C. Clarke predicted satellite communication. Jules Verne predicted use of the submarine outside the battlefield. H.G. Wells predicted the use of the aircraft in the battlefield... the examples go on and on, and not just in science-fiction. In the years to come, when people look back on the literature of our time, I would like them to see a fullness of ideas and hopefully a wisdom that would compare favorably with that of those men.

Debra: Yes, there is no other pleasure quite like that one.
I wonder who the next Jules Verne or H.G. Wells will be?

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

David: Thanks Debra!

Debra: You're quite welcome.
Readers please visit David at his

Personal Website: http://ThranKeep.com
Personal Blog: http://hdavidblalock.blogspot.com

and visit the new group he just formed
http://sites.google.com/site/imagicopter

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Debra's News/Debra is Watching:

Last week I got together with my web designer and made some changes to my website. I'm quite pleased with it and though there are a few more things to add, like video from my book launch, it's almost done.

www.debraparmley.com

A future project in the planning stages is a book trailer for A Desperate Journey.

This weekend I will be in New Orleans at Heather Grahams Writers Weekend. If you are in the area, the book signing is Saturday from 11:30 to 2:30. Come by and say hello!

Make-Belive Mondays With Mel Francis

Today on Make-Believe Mondays I'm thrilled to be able to introduce my friend Mel Francis. Mel has her first book out!

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

Mel: Well, I’m playing with an idea for a 3rd book in the Bite Me! series and I’m also working on a new series that is super secret…I could tell you but then…well, you know.

Debra: Yeah, you'd have to kill me.

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?

Mel: The beach always fills me up, but unfortunately I don’t get to go that often so I make due w/ the bodies of water I have available to me like the river or the lake. I have been known to take pictures and just walk to help refill my creative well.

Debra: Water is so restful and soul filling and there's something about just going for a walk.

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

Mel: I can’t start writing until I believe the character is real. They talk to me before the story ever begins. More often than not, I have a character and no story. The more they talk, the clearer their story becomes to me.

Debra: I like the way you put that. We really do need to believe in our characters.

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?

Mel: Well, when you write Urban Fantasy/Paranormal you almost always have to play with language. In Bite Me! many of my vampires drink blood from a “Hemoshake.” I’m pretty certain I made that word up. J

Debra: Yes you do! "Hemoshake" is a pretty cool word.

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?

Mel: I just recently had a dream that I know will end up in my new WIP. I’ll give you a hint, Warring Turtles. And no, not of the Teenage Mutant Ninja variety.

Debra: Ooh fun! Guess I'll have to wait and see.

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

Mel: Three books from my childhood were very important to me. 1) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 2) Deenie by Judy Blume and 3) when I was a teen, Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss

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?

Mel: As a kid, if you would ever have told me I would get paid to make stuff up, I would have laughed myself silly. Now I think it’s the best job ever. So encourage the kids to daydream, you never know what can come from it!

Debra: So very true! Somewhere there's a kid out there daydreaming who is filled with so much potential. Or perhaps thousands of them! Maybe some of your YA readers even. ;-)

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

Please visit Mel at
melissafrancis.net

www.haveyoubeenbitten.com

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Debra's News/Debra is Watching:

Last week I joined a new group formed by my friend H. David Blalock, called Imagicopter. The launch was on Saturday at Davis-Kidd in Memphis, TN and I attended as a surprise guest. I will be joining them at future signings around the mid-south. To learn more about our group visit
imagicopter

www.debraparmley.com

Make-Believe Monday With Frank Tuttle

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Frank Tuttle.

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

Frank: The manuscript I’m working on now is called ‘The Banshee’s Walk.’ It’s a Markhat novel – a very long Markhat novel. This one is set just outside of Rannit proper, and there may or may not be a banshee involved. But I’m not saying.

Debra: Well I guess I'll have to read it to find out. Very intrigued by your banshee.

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?

Frank: I read a lot. I try to read things that are completely alien to whatever I’m working on. If I’m writing a gentle kid’s story, I try to pick up ultraviolent zombie fiction. For Markhat, I try to read hard SF. I also just shut my eyes and listen to Pink Floyd and let my mind drift. Although I had to stop doing that while driving, after the incident with the petting zoo.

Debra: LOL Well my hubby has turned out the lights while driving at night just to see better but I've never known anyone to drive with their eyes closed. You must be quite talented. lol And now I want to know what happened with the petting zoo.

Ahem. Okay. Back to the questions. Is there a point when your characters begin to come alive and you can see and hear them?

Frank: Oh yes, but Dr. Phelps says I should ignore them, ha ha. Truly, I hear every bit of dialog, and I hear it spoken in the character’s voice. Especially Mama Hog’s. She cracks me up, and sometimes I honestly wonder where the things she says come from.

When I’m writing the Markhat stories, which are told in first-person, I hear Markhat’s voice as I type. It’s almost as if I’m just transcribing an audio program, when the session is going really well. I know that sounds strange but that’s how it is.

Debra: I love that name, Mama Hog. And I don't think that sounds strange at all. Dickens used to carry on whole conversations with his characters and sometimes become that character for a while.

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?

Frank: Oh yeah. I love making up names – proper names, place names, you name it. The huldra, from “Hold the Dark?” I knew when I started writing the story something called a huldra would play a big role, even though I didn’t know just what role until it actually made its appearance.

Sometimes I sneak in local place names – Pot Lockney, Yocona, Britney Woods – but usually I make them up. And not just any made-up word will do. There’s a feel and a sound that just has to be right. I keep lists of nonsense words, lol. Just because some of them sound so cool.

Debra: Just the sound of it is cool. Huldra. Yeah I like that.

The feel of a word in your mouth as well as the sound. Definately.

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?

Frank: Not really. I daydream stuff up all the time, but my actual sleeping dreams always seem to center around being stranded on a desert island with the Pussycat Dolls, and that’s really hard to work into most of my stories.

Debra: Oh but what a fun fantasy for you. ;-)

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

Frank: Everything I read did, lol. I suppose Tolkien had the biggest impact, with L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt’s ‘Enchanter’ series a close second. And another assorted dozen right on their heels – Niven’s Ringworld, Zelazny’s Amber books, the list is pretty long. I read everything I could find, from Amber to Xanth.

Debra: I wonder if all children who devour books end up writing? Maybe soaking up so many words and worlds creates a surplus of them in our minds which then has to go somewhere.

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?

Frank: I’d like to think that it would be what I’m writing now, with Markhat. He’s a wise-cracking private eye in a world where vampires and Trolls mix with magics and mayhem. And now I’m throwing romance into the mix. I probably can’t get much wilder than that!

Debra: I like your mix, Frank. Mixing it up is always fun.

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?

Frank: I guess my only message would be this – BUY MY BOOKS. Seriously. I’m begging you here.

Debra: LOL You crack me up. You really do.

Frank: Just kidding. The only message I have is for readers to keep reading. There are so many other pastimes out there, competing for our attention. You could be playing a video game right now, or watching YouTube. And that’s fine, both activities have their place. I’d just hate to see reading fall away over the course of the next century, as video and other media make it easier for us to retire our own imaginations in favor of flashy graphics. And buy my books. Yeah. That too.

Debra: Yes, I agree. And buy Franks books! LOL

Frank, 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, you have a chance to win a copy of Dead Man's Rain, thanks to our awesome editor Beth. Leave a comment for Frank and I will announce the winner next Monday.
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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

My father is down from Ohio to visit this week, so I'll be running around town with him enjoying his company. Mostly working on the PR and marketing end of writing. Then next week will be back to the pages. I don't get to see him often so I'm making every moment count.

www.debraparmley.com

Thank you to everyone who came out to Saturdays book fair and thank you for buying my book! It is still a thrill for me each time I sign another book.

This weeks winner of Dead Man's Rain will be announced next Monday.

Last weeks winner is..........Candice!
email me at debra@debraparmley.com so we can send it off to you and thanks for commenting!

Make-Believe Mondays With AE Rought

Today on Make-Believe Mondays, my guest is AE Rought.

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

AE: Well, Debra, I have more than one manuscript going right now, so I'll give you a quick run down of the major attention getters:

Beau and Laney, the sequel to Slade and Kally, is set on the Fourth Moon ranch in Hulett, Wyoming. Beau is a driven, strong minded character who knows what he wants and how to go about getting it. Laney is under her parents' thumb, and is struggling to make a life on her own. Add a jealous almost ex-boyfriend and meddling ex-girlfriend into the mix and you've got tension, steam and more than a few laughs.

Systemic is a genre blending story, mixing sexy scenes with the ick and gore of a zombie flick. Kat, the heroine, is a survivalist who falls for a man she meets on her night out. Jared is the sexiest nerd she's ever met, an immunologist on the trail of a miracle one-time immunization shot that, once tampered with by a jealous female, causes the entire lab to fall one by one and become zombies. Kat saves the day with her trusty Sig Sauer and an arsenal of ammunition and one liners.

Vengeance Eclipsed is the continuing story in my urban fantasy series that I'm shopping to agents. The series mixes werewolves, werecats, vampires and Mixed Martial Arts in a kick ass, fast paced ongoing tale of a hybrid, her struggles to get revenge for the life she's been forced to live and the sexy werecat cage fighter who distracts her.

I'm also writing two erotic tales under my sassy southern penname.

Debra: Your projects are quite varied! The western is intriguing me. (One might guess I have a thing for westerns and for cowboys.)

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?

AE: I have playlists for each manuscript that I have playing while I write. I also switch my desktop wallpapers to sustain the mood. Heck, I even have crystals and incense. And, when the old writing battery gets too low, hubby and I spend some time by one of our favorite water sources. There are some picturesque lakes, ponds and rivers here in Michigan. I always coming away feeling refreshed and recharged.

Debra: The playlist idea is a good one. Switching wallpapers, that's unique. So your entire writing environment is geared to that particular manuscript you are working on. I just might try that.

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

AE: Oh, definitely! One of the characters in my urban fantasy series actually talked me out of killing him off and into setting him up with the heroine's best friend. He's a smooth talker. Most of my other characters grow their own voice and personality as I write, by the second or third chapter.

Debra: Oh my, he is a smooth talker! LOL I just love that!

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?

AE: Yes, I did. In my creative writing class at Grand Valley State University, during our poetry session, I created a couple words. Big fun. My favorite created phrase was screeling, a combo of screeching and squealing.

Debra: It is great fun! And so many writers have played this way with some fascinating results.

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?

AE: Not really. I have images, snippets of scenes come to mind doing mundane tasks when my brain might've been kind of dozing, but I was physically awake. A lot of scenes come to me when I'm in the shower. Once I had the hubby grab a notebook and take dictation.

Debra: Now that's a good hubby!

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

AE: I loved fantasy when I was in school. Mom bought me The Hobbit in junior high and I was hooked after that, a huge, huge Tolkien fan--also a big sucker for Carole Nelson Douglas and Stephan R. Donaldson.

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?

AE: Well, Systemic is probably the craziest combination I've toyed with yet, melding horror and romance and some humor. Vengeance Moon was fun, very dark and gritty, and I loved immersing myself in that after Slade and Kally's light, sweet atmosphere.

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?

AE: Other than love, there is no greater gift than imagination, in my mind. Vast, wonderful worlds, unknown creatures and magick untapped exist in the realm of imagination, ones not yet shared by those dreaming them. If mine ever fails, I want someone to take me out behind the shed and put me out of my misery.

Debra: If imagination fails, we're all in trouble.

AE, Thanks so much for visting here on Make-Believe Mondays to share a bit of the magic of imagination, creativity and dreams.

Readers, you have a chance to win a copy of AE's ebook! Our lovely editor Beth, has donated a copy. Isn't she awesome?

Just leave a comment here on the blog and I will announce the winner on the following Monday!

Vist AE at
www.aerought

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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

This coming Saturday I will be at the Book Fair at Books and Beauty on Covington Pike in Memphis, TN from 10:00 till 2:00 signing and reading from my book, A Desperate Journey. I'll be reading at 12:30. If you are in the area, stop on by and say hello!

www.debraparmley.com

Here on Make-Believe Mondays we will have contests for our readers to win free books! To win all you need to do is leave a comment and I will announce the winner on the following Monday!

Next Monday my guest is Frank Tuttle.

Today on Make-Believe Mondays, tips from my editor, Bethany

Today on Make-Believe Mondays I'm taking a little break in order to re-direct you to the Samhain blog. My editor, Bethany Morgan, has posted tips over there. So this one is for all my writer friends.
tips from editor Bethany Morgan

I may from time to time take a break from our regular author interviews to introduce an editor or two. Maybe post some tips.

There are a few things in the works to change things up a little here, just for variety, but I will continue to offer author interviews here. Just adding a few little surprises.

Till next week, happy reading and happy writing!

Debra

www.debraparmley.com

Make-Believe Mondays With N. D. Hansen-Hill

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is N.D. Hansen.

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

N.D.: I'm actually working on 5 books at the moment, Debra: a Regency romance about a woman with dowsing abilities, but she's gifted at seeking gemstones and metal objects in the ground instead of water or oil; a mainstream SF thriller about 3 archeologists who know far more about their "finds" than they should; a gargoyle book where the gargoyles come from another world; a paranormal romance where the heroine is struck by lightning then develops an ability to see ghostly, and ghastly, animals; and a fantasy about a spelunker who encounters more than rocks in a cave.

Debra: They all sound very intriguing, especially the spelunking. Could be just about anything hiding in a cave.

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?

N.D.: I read heaps of non-fiction, actually, plus I've studied the sciences (plant pathology/virology specifically), and am now studying archeology. New ideas constantly pop up. It's just a matter then of binding them together into a cohesive whole .

Debra: And with your background, the fiction is bound to be more plausible.

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

N.D.: Usually, as soon as I describe the first scene, or the dialogue begins. For me, it's more a matter of place and action than looks. Someone may have long legs or wispy hair, but it's the action that really matters to me—that defines my characters.

Debra: Action defines character and keeps the stories moving, so true.

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?

N.D.: Always, but most often in my fantasies! My editors always catch them, and then I have to explain why and how. I frequently have my characters speak in other languages, too, that I translate as I go along.

Debra: What fun! We readers do need that translation.

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?

N.D.: I sleep so soundly that even if I were to dream a scene, I'd never wake up to write it, LOL! That said, I have several writing friends who dream entire scenes or manuscripts, then rush to capture the gist of them before they vanish! Wish it were that way for me!

Debra: LOL In three years of doing these interviews, you're the first author to tell me that! At least you wake well rested. :-)

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

N.D.: There was a book about a blind boy who wanted to give the best gift in the whole world to a princess. He was poor and had nothing so he grew her a strawberry in his garden. It was the finest gift the princess received, and made her cheeks and lips grow rosy with joy. I loved that book!

Debra: Oh, that sounds like a sweet story. I wonder if any of our readers know the title of it.

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?

N.D.: The kind of story I already write, except the only romances I would scrawl would be historicals. To be honest, I don't really enjoy writing romance as much as fantasy or sci-fi.

Debra: Hmmm....well there's much more cross over than there used to be. Hopefully that helps.

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?

N.D.: A core of realism and quality research underlies imagination. To make the story believable, it's important to embed it with a sense of the real, the here and now. Make it plausible, and both you and your readers will enjoy it far more.

Debra: And you do just that! N.D.thank you for joining us here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

N.D.: Thank you so much, Debra, for inviting me to blog with you! I've really enjoyed it!

Debra: It's been my pleasure!

Best wishes,
Norah/ND/Melody

www.NDHansen-Hill

www.MelodyKnight.com

www.myspace.com/ndmanuscripts

www.twitter.com/writingfool

www.facebook.com/nd.hansen.hill

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Debra's News/Debra is Watching:

Well I am loving my new library writing day. On Thursdays I go to the library and write from 9 to 5 and stay away from phones and internet. (Which means turning off my iphone until I am done working.) It's my new favorite day of the week.

Of course one day a week is not enough for a romance novelist to get her books written, so must write on other days too. Thursday just happens to be my day to retreat from the world to write. Other days of the week I write at home.

I've been seeing lots of movies lately. They feed my creative cup. Recently I've seen the new Harry Potter, Casablanca at the old Orpheum theater in Memphis, and Angels and Demons.

www.debraparmley.com

My next scheduled book signing and reading is Aug. 15th at Books and Beauty in Memphis TN. Books and Beauty is a unique Beauty Salon that is also a book store! More details as that event gets closer.

May you have a merry Monday!

Love and light,
Debra

Make-Believe Mondays With Meg Benjamin

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest it Meg Benjamin.

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

Meg: Well, Wedding Bell Blues is being released by Samhain Publishing on July 21. It’s the story of a disastrous wedding—the hero and heroine are the best man and maid of honor who are trying to keep the whole thing from imploding. Here’s the blurb: Janie Dupree will do anything to make sure her best friend has the wedding of her dreams, even if it means relinquishing what every bridesmaid covets and never gets—the perfect maid-of-honor dress. Problem is, family drama as tangled as a clump of Texas prickly pear cactus threatens to send the skittish bride hopping aboard the elopement express.

Janie could use a hand, but the best man’s “help” is only making things worse.

Pete Toleffson just wants to get through his brother’s wedding and get back to his county attorney job in Des Moines. He never expected to be the engineer on a wedding train that’s derailing straight toward hell. Janie’s the kind of girl he’d like to get close to—but her self-induced role as “Miss Fix-It” is as infuriating as it is adorable.

If they can just fend off meddling parents, vindictive in-laws, spiteful ex-boyfriends, and a greyhound named Olive long enough to achieve matrimonial lift-off, maybe they can admit they’re head-over-heels in love.

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

Meg: Oh yeah. In fact, hearing the characters’ voices is really important to me. After I’ve worked on a story for a while, I can begin to tell myself, “No, so-and-so wouldn’t say that.” Which means I have to sit down and think about just what she/he would say under those conditions—hearing their voices, in other words. Seeing them is harder. I sometimes begin a book by finding pictures that look like my people. I don’t create collages, like some of my friends, but I do collect pictures to look at, at least initially. I also sometimes have actors in mind, but that can be tricky because I sometimes end up thinking of characters those actors have played who may be very far from the characters I’m trying to create.

Debra: Usually I see my story people before I hear them, so we're opposites on that. But I've tried using photos too.

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

Meg: I was one of those kids who loved folk tales and fairy tales. My mom read me Hans Christian Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, and the Arabian Nights. I also loved the Alice books and Oz. And when I got older I read most of the Narnia books, too. I also loved an obscure bunch of books by an author named Edward Eager called Half Magic, about a family of children who found a magic coin that could grant wishes, but only half of what they wished for. They spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to wish for twice what they really need and then end up with weird results (duh!).

Debra: All wonderful tales. I'd love to read Half Magic. Maybe there are still copies floating about.

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?

I think it’s important to remember that creating ordinary, “realistic” worlds also requires imagination. Being creative isn’t limited to imagining alternative worlds—imagining the everyday world takes creativity as well. After all, we’re not really dealing with “reality” here; it’s what I think of as “reality 2.0”. We’re not actually dealing with what people “really” do or think or say; rather, we’re dealing with what they do or think or say in this neat little microcosm we’ve created for them. It’s not real life—it’s life reimagined.

Debra: So very true. Life reimagined.



www.megbenjamin.com

megbenjamin.wordpress.com

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

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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

Thursday is my new favorite day of the week because my new schedule is to go to the library and write on Thursdays from 9 to 5. This is a time when I do not answer emails or phone calls (even with the iphone) And the writing is going very well.

www.debraparmley.com

Make-Believe Mondays With Dana Marie Bell

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Dana Marie Bell.

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

Dana Marie: I’m currently working on two different manuscripts, a holiday story entitled Sing We Noelle and the first of the Pennsylvania Shifters, Bear Necessities. I’m hoping to have Sing done by the end of July. It’s based in the world of The Gray Court, the world of Dare to Believe. Bear Necessities will be the first full-length shifter book set in the world of the Halle Pumas, and will be the beginning of a more multi-shifter world involving foxes, bears, wolves, coyotes, etc. I’m looking forward to getting back to my shifters!

Debra: What fun! Foxes and bear and wolves, oh my! (Couldn't resist that one.)

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?

Dana Marie: I’ve dreamed entire books! I had a sci-fi dream that I’ve written down, and it’s turned into the outline for a book I’m tentatively calling Stern Negotiations. I actually dreamed it from beginning to end. When I let my husband read it he got all excited and started talking about how I could work the science, which let me know I had a good idea on my hands.

Debra: Oh that is excellent, especially that you were able to capture it all on paper. Dreams can slip away so easily.

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

Dana Marie: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia were favorites of mine. Isaac Asimov and Andre Norton were also favorites. And I got my love of romances from Louisa May Alcott and Barbara Cartland. (Which probably explains why I write paranormal romance.)

Debra: Yes, it does!

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?

Dana Marie: Imagination is the most important part of creating fiction; well, that and the common sense to know when to rein that imagination in. (“Seriously! I TOTALLY think Lion-O should have a Thundercat lightsaber. Oh! And he should have a Power Ranger’s ‘zord powered by the Elfstones of Shannara! Why not? Really? It’s too much? Damn. There goes that idea.”) Dreams are a great jumping off point, but it’s imagination and sweat that bring a story to life.

Speaking of imagination, I have the start of a new series coming out July 28th through Samhain Publishing: Dare to Believe, the first of The Gray Court novels. It’s the beginning of my take on modern fae (sidhe, poukas, leprechauns, etc.) and began, of course, with a healthy dose of imagination.

Debra: Oh but Lion -O should have that lightsaber! LOL Yes, well, I see what you mean. Imagination and sweat, yes, those are the two pillars that hold the stories up so that they can become books. Both are equally as important, I believe. One without the other and the work becomes lopsided.

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

Dana Marie: Thank you for having me!

Debra: It's been a pleasure.

Readers please visit Dana Marie at

www.danamariebell.com
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Debra's News/Debra is Watching:

This week I will be hard at work on revisions to the manuscript so it can be ready to ship out the door soon. I'm getting impatient for it to be ready and that's a good thing because that creates the drive and push which gets things done.

Part of my new routine is to spend Thursdays at the library from 9 to 5, writing. During that time I do not take phone calls or emails, even with the iphone. It's my writing retreat day and this will be my routine from now on unless there is an emergency or I am traveling.

www.debraparmley.com

Make-Believe Mondays With Leslie Dicken

Today on Make-Believe Mondays my guest is Leslie Dicken.

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

Leslie: I’m actually going back and forth between two. One is a dark, paranormal historical and the other is an urban fantasy or, uh, contemporary paranormal? LOL! Don’t always know where these stories fit in the subgenres. I tend to write dark, scared heroes and unlikely heroines. We’ll see which one I finish first!

Debra: So it will be a surprise to you as well.

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?

Leslie: I read - all sorts of genres and romantic subgenres. I also make jewelry, which fills me creatively in visual and visceral ways. And for the ultimate in clearing the mind, I’ll do gardening/yard work.

Debra: There's something about moving the body that does it for so many writers. So many times a writer is creative in other ways as well.

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?

Leslie: Yes, two of my books had their premise based on dreams. Both futuristic books I wrote for Samhain as Jordanna Kay originated as dreams. THE PRICE OF DISCOVERY was conceived after I had a dream about a beautiful Victorian-style house in the middle of nowhere. Who would live there? Why would it be out there? For my novella, TABOO, I never forgot a dream I had many years ago of two types of people who had evolved to suit their particular niches on a distant planet. I kept mulling it over, wondering how they got to that planet and what would happen if those two separate peoples interacted....and what if they fell in love?

Debra: Ah, that "what if" that is the source of every story....

Leslie, thank you for visiting with us here on Make-Believe Mondays to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Readers please visit Leslie at

www.lesliedicken.com
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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

Well I am moving a little slow today after the big camping weekend. The heat index was 111 and this was a primitive camp site so there was no electric or water. I survived it, managed to have fun and now have even more to write about when the situation calls for it. Nothing like wearing a medieval gown in the heat of the day and feeling the sweat roll down your back.

I'm enjoying the a/c once again and will be back to the writing once the laundry is caught up tonight and everything is shaken out for spiders.

www.debraparmley.com

Make-Believe Mondays With Jane Lovering

Today on Make-Believe Mondays, I'm pleased to introduce Jane Lovering.

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

Jane: Well, at the moment I’m sweating over two manuscripts (it’s messy and I have to keep mopping, but at least I’m working). The first is called Unconventional Behaviour, and is about a woman being whisked away to a Sci-Fi convention by her best friend. While she’s there she meets the star of the show, a man she’s had a crush on for ages… but things are never that straightforward, are they? Last time I met a man I’d had a crush on for ages, he ran away. Maybe I shouldn’t have done that face at him, but..sigh, too late now.

Debra: Oh those crushes, they certainly can be surprising. lol

Jane: The second WIP is a Very British vampire novel, called Dead Run. It’s set in York, my hometown, and the vamps are menacing, sinister and very well dressed. They spend a lot of time driving Ferraris and being terrible posers, and they have no desire to find their Soul Mates because they’re having far too good a time shagging everything that moves, thank you.

Debra: Of course finding ones soul mate would put an end to those good times! lol

Jane: I’m flitting between the two, because one is very down-to-earth and features a sensible heroine getting involved in circumstances beyond her control, and the other…oh. Now I come to look at it, both heroines are sensible. Bother. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now. Just have to hope no-one notices all the sensibleness. To be fair, there’s also a lot of bonkersness going on too.

Debra: Oh but it's fun when the sensible ones fall in love. Fun to watch them.

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?

Jane: That’s something I rarely have to worry about. I’m more concerned about my creative juices spilling out and staining the carpet or letting the crumbs of the HobNob of imagination (recently dipped into the cup of creativity, and therefore slightly soggy) drop onto next door’s poodle of despair.

I don’t have time to worry about it, I guess is the answer. I’ve got five kids, a husband, a job, two dogs, four cats, two rats and athlete’s foot. Writing novels is what I do to stop myself from running around the house yelling about the mess and waving a saucepan in a threatening manner. Ideas I’m not short of. Time and space to write them up… that’s what I’m lacking.

Debra: With such a lively household it's no wonder your creative cup never empties out!

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

Jane: The Amazing Mr Whisper, by Brenda Macrow. I read that book so often that the cover fell off, which was a terrible blow for the local library, from where I’d borrowed it. The story of a magical tutor (hey, I’m British, we all have tutors and governesses over here), who taught the children in his care to use simple magic. I loved that book! It was kind of like Harry Potter, without the sex, drugs and violence. I wouldn’t say that this book made me ‘want to write’ – that was later books, where people supposedly lived real lives without ever going to the toilet or having a bath, which made me desperately want to write realistic stuff – but it filled me with an innocent kind of longing to live that life. Oh, and he was rather sexy, as I remember, Mr Whisper. Or maybe I was just at that age…

Debra: The title alone is enough to intrigue me. It sounds like a wonderful book! And anyone named Mr. Whisper must be simply marvelous.

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?

Jane: Yes. Keep reading. And not only because it’s the only way I’m ever going to be able to afford to build that stable block, but because stories are essential. Anything that takes us out of today, away from those bills that need paying and that shopping that needs doing, and transports us to a world where maybe – just maybe – everything we’ve ever wanted could become real. Oh, and if that ever does happen, just remember one thing -

Johnny Depp. I saw him first.

Debra: Jane thank you for visiting with us here on Make-Believe Mondays to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Please visit Jane at www.janelovering.co.uk/

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Debra's News/Debra is Watching:

This week I am getting ready for another medieval weekend with the SCA, called Border Raids. I plan to take along a notebook and squeeze in a bit of writing. We'll be camping and I hope the nights are a bit cooler. It's been passing 100 and the heat index has been around 110.

Also revising the work in progress this week. There are some pics from the book signing at my beauty salon, A Clientage, which will be up on MySpace and Faceboook this week.
www.debraparmley.com

Make-Beleieve Mondays with Amy Ruttan

Today on Make-Believe Mondays I'm pleased to introduce Amy Ruttan

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

Amy: Right now I am working on the final book of my Enchantress series, Enchantress The Valkyrie. I NEED to get it done before my third child is born, and he’s coming June 26th 2009. LOL. It’s not the deadline from my publisher it’s the deadline from the tenant in my belly which is driving me to get the words done. I’ve done the tally, I’ve written over 200,000 words since January 2009. Mind boggling for me, anyways I digress, Enchantress The Valkyrie it’s set in Saxon England, but has some fun paranormal elements to it. My Enchantress series has characters with magical powers. This is a story about Rowena, she’s recently widowed, no kids, and her husband’s brother is coming to claim her so he can keep her dower lands. Thing is her keep is attacked by Vikings, and as she helps her household escape, she is stuck and she dresses herself up as a young boy to escape rape. The hero Galen decides to sell the “boy” as a slave, but he finds himself strangely attracted to him. This infuriates him to no end. It’s proving to be a very fun book to write. I think I’m subliminally torturing my DH through my poor hero. Not a book to write in the third trimester to be certain. LOL!

Debra: Wow, now that's a deadline! Congrats, btw. :-) That does sound like a fun book to write. Hmm I wonder what kind of scene you would write if you were going into labor? Or right after? lol

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?

Amy: I love to read and I love movies. Comedies especially. Music also restores my creative muse as does car trips. I love to take day trips in the car. My kids also help revitalize me. I love spending time with them. I love that I have a job now where I can spend time at home doing what I love and being with my kids. Another cup filler is my local RWA chapter The Toronto Romance Writers, the support and comraderie is a definite cup filler. I always feel revitalized and jazzed coming from one of the meetings.

Debra: It's a beautiful thing when spending time around other writers does that. They "get" us like no one else can. Car trips are wonderful and it's the perfect time of year for them. Picnic on the seat and off to wherever the road takes you.

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?

Amy: I dream up whole books. I call these blessed dreams Plot Monkeys. Kind of like the flying monkey’s from the Wizard of Oz but cuter. ;) Dreams often play an important role in my writing. My Enchantress series came from a dream I had after having my first child back in 2003. I had a dream of a fey woman with long red hair running through the forest, graceful and beautiful and being chased by a very handsome warrior. I knew from the dreams they were enemies but were going to be thrown together. Of course these two became Edwin and Aislinn from Enchantress The Fey.

Debra: Plot Monkeys! I love it! Can just see them. :-) Childbirth and creativity also go together, sometimes in unusual ways.

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

Amy: It’s a trifecta tie between Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lucy Maud Montgomery and Roald Dahl. I love the history and romance of the Anne Series, the wanderlust of Pa Ingalls and Laura’s adventures in the frontier and Roald Dahl’s kookiness. His stories were so dark and eerie it really set my fertile little mind off, and because of these three writers I read voraciously as a child. I was always reading “above” my grade. I had a huge imagination and books were one of the ways I fed it.

Debra: Trifecta, yes. I could not choose one over the other either.

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?

Amy: Ooh I have no idea. Working in e-publishing is quite freeing and the publishers are more apt to take a risk on things traditional publishing houses won’t. I think for me I would like to write an epic set on a distant world. A real Sci Fi for my father. One day when I have time I may try. LOL.

Debra: So true. We have much more leeway in e-publishing. Seems like the traditional publishing houses are watching them though and trying to catch up. Look how many have now added e-books.

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

Amy: I love to hear from readers contact@amyruttan.com

And my website www.amyruttan.com

Thanks for having me! J

Debra: It's been my pleasure.

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Debra's News/Debra is posting:

Well it's been a couple weeks since I reported in and did an interview. What's been going on?

Let's see....I had a birthday day with about thirty friends, which was awesome!

Chipped a tooth eating an almond. (Be careful with those hard little nuts.)

Had a book signing at my beauty salon which was so much fun! Hair dryers going and ladies getting their nails done. There was a constant flow of people having books signed and visiting. I had a blast!

Then Friday a tornado came through Bartlett, TN. We're fine, just lost a few tree lines and power. Internet came back up last night.

So, I'm happy to report today is quiet, the rest of the week is likely to be quiet. Which is just what I need to get some writing done. I've had enough excitement for a while.

www.debraparmley.com
Posted a few new pics on my www.myspace.com/debraparmley and Facebook from the book signing. Updates are coming on my website, I'm just not sure when.

And now back to the manuscript under revision................perhaps next week I'll talk a little about it.

Make-Believe Mondays with Judi Fennell

Today on Make-Believe Mondays I'm pleased to introduce Judi Fennel.

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

Judi: Currently, I'm finishing up the third book in my Mer series, Catch of a Lifetime.

In Over Her Head, which comes out in June, is the first book in the series. It's the story of a merman named Reel, and a woman who's afraid of the ocean. Having seen JAWS at a young age, I can totally relate to Erica's fear. When she accidentally gets shot and wakes up under the water, she thinks she's died and gone to hell, so talking fish and a merman are to be expected. It's when she realizes that she's not dead that she really starts to freak out. Then The Oceanic Council sends her and Reel off on a search for missing diamonds and all her fears of the sea start to come true. Sea monsters, deadly sharks, barracuda... Erica can't wait to get back on land. Toss in a couple of nights with Reel on a deserted island, however, and she might just change her mind.

Debra: I can't wait to read this series, Judi. I confess to being a bit phobic of water myself. Though I did learn to swim in college and can swim anywhere with a life jacket (and now love to snorkle), the phobia is still there.

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

Judi: My characters usually start talking to me before I start the story. They are the ones who dictate to me and if I try to write something in a way they don't want, they let me know.

Debra: 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?

Judi: I always play with words: puns, plays-on-words, double entendre, clichés... you name it, I use it. But I like to put twists on it. Since I'm creating an undersea world with its own set of rules and hierarchy and mythology, plus the fact that I pull on several known mythologies, I did take several words and join them to create a new word for the world. Selinos means "years," based on thirteen moon cycles (since they live under the sea, their lives are governed by the moon) in my Mer language and it's a combination of:

(σεληνη) pronounced sel-ay-nay selanay (moon)

ετος) pronounced eh-tos atos (year)

I also take common expressions and make them "Mer friendly." S-O-B, for example, becomes S-O-M (Son-of-a-Mer) or, Son-of-a-Sandpiper, depending on who's saying it. Task at hand becomes task-at-fin, etc. That, to me, was also part of the fun of creating this world.

Debra: These are not only fascinating, but playful and fun! Thanks for sharing them.

Judi: As a child did any particular book or author pull you into their imaginary world? I was a voracious reader (and still am, deadlines notwithstanding). I loved the worlds of L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz series), Hugh Lofting (Dr. Doolittle), as well as all the Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys/Bobbsey Twins books. I loved Dodie Smith's 101 Dalmatians and the sequel, Twilight Barking, the hilarity of Freaky Friday, and Dorothy Wisbieski's The True Story of Okee The Otter. I always wanted to have a pet otter, but since that's not exactly a viable thing, my husband did sponsor the river otters in my local zoo a few years for me as a Christmas present. Talking animals, magic and adventure were my focus; toss in a love of romance starting in eighth grade, and I really had no choice but to write what I write.

Debra: Great stories! And what a sweet thing for your husband to do!

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?

Judi: Exactly the ones I'm writing. I wrote this story for me; the fact that others have loved it has been a blessing. I let my imagination run (swim?) wild with this one and the fact that I am writing more in the series just means I can live in that world and explore all the possibilities. That's the beauty of the romance world - you can go anywhere with it.

Debra: This is what I love to hear an author say when I ask this question. I really believe it's how the Harry Potter stories are born. Letting the imagination go and running with it.

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?

Judi: Okay, here's one for you. Rocky Horror Picture Show (ah, the 80s...) "Don't dream it, be it." Who would have ever thought that my "little talking fish story" would spark a whole world--and a writing career? No one was writing it because no one had thought of it. Don't not try something because it hasn't been done. Don't not read something because it sounds a little off the beaten path. Who knows where your imagination can take you if you don't give it a chance?

Debra: Exactly! (I have to admit this answer gave me goose bumps.) And I love that quote.

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

Judi: It's been my pleasure, Debra. Thank you so much for having me.

Debra: You're quite welcome, Judi. It's been fun!

Judi: I'd like to let your readers know that they can register to win one of three romantic beach getaway packages to celebrate the release of each of my books. Because In Over Her Head and Wild Blue Under take place off the coast of Ocean City, NJ, the Atlantis Inn Bed & Breakfast (www.AtlantisInn.com, talk about the perfect name!) is offering two weekends. The Hibiscus House (www.HibiscusHouse.com) in West Palm Beach, FL, is the third package since Catch of a Lifetime takes place off the eastern coast of Florida. Please stop by my website www.JudiFennell.com to register to win.

Debra: What awesome prizes. It doesn't get much better than that! Be sure to visit Judi and register to win!
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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

This week I'm making plans/getting ready for my birthday party which is next Saturday. (Birthday is actually Sunday.)

Continuing to work on the manuscript and plan to have it ready to send out by the end of June, if not before.

Also planning for a book signing at my beauty salon, A Clientage, on Thursday June 11th from 3:00 to 9:00 pm. You can find the invitation on my home page:

www.debraparmley.com

My website will be updated soon with pictures from the book launch party, from the RT convention in Orlando and a few other things. So stay tuned...

Make-Believe Mondays With Maria Geraci

Today on Make-Believe Mondays I am thrilled to introduce everyone to my American Title II sister, Maria Geraci, now that her first book is out!

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

Maria: I’m working on a proposal for the third Bunco Babes book. It’s tentatively titled Bunco Babes Back in Action and features the characters I introduced in my first two books, as well as a new protagonist. It’s not sold yet, but keep your fingers crossed for me!

Debra: I will cross all fingers and toes for you!

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?

Maria: I’m always reading, watching films, being inspired by the real people and events in my life. You know the old saying ‘truth is stranger than fiction’? Well, it’s true! I find inspiration in the everyday things that make our lives so important- family and friends.

Debra: Yes, that's so true! Lately I've been completely revising one of my manuscripts because of life changes and events, which makes me glad that one hasn't sold yet. And I love old films too. In Memphis there is a summer film series at the Orpheum which starts this Friday and I'm planning to go see Breakfast at Tiffanys. One of my favorites.

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

Maria: Definitely. It’s faster with some characters than others, but there’s always a sort of ‘aha’ moment when I feel that I truly “know” a character. Some characters of course, try to take over the story. They’re the ones you have to watch out for and probably the most fun to write.

Debra: Yes, I know just what you mean. I have to wrestle my secondary characters sometimes because they like to steal scenes. That's better than killing them off, I am learning. lol

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?

Maria: Oh yeah. One of my secondary characters in my Bunco Babes books is Cuban-American (like me). Pilar is always making up words that you won’t find in Webster’s Dictionary. Sort of like her own version of Spanglish. For instance, she refers to text-messaging as ‘tex-mexing.’ That’s a line I totally stole from my sister, by the way.

Debra: Ooh I love that! 'Tex-mexing' Your sister sounds fun and I like the name Pilar.

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?

Maria: I can’t say that I actually dreamed a scene (although I’m sure I probably have and just don’t remember it), but I definitely daydream scenes all the time. When I’m in the middle of writing a scene (which could take up to 2 weeks for me) I’ll be thinking of it constantly, and then at the most obscure moment- like while waiting in line at the grocery store- the perfect piece of dialogue will come to me. It’s like I’ve been subconsciously working the scene out in my head and the answer will come at the strangest time and place.

Debra: Yeah the subconscious is funny like that. At the grocery, while driving, or at the sink with hands in the soapy dishwater. Then it's oh shoot where's a pen? lol

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

Maria: I loved Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. I think I read that book a dozen times. I was drawn by the strong female characters and the historical time period that I found so fascinating.

Debra: Oh, that's one of the best.

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?

Maria: I think I would write some erotica. Something really crazy and out there, but honestly, I’d probably be too embarrassed by what I came up with to ever show it to anyone!

Debra: lol You are so funny. (Course if you wrote it under a different name like so many authors do, no one would know it was you!)

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?

Maria: I think one of the most important things while writing is to always let the characters tell the story. While plotting is good (and necessary) don’t let a plot become so rigid that you miss the spontaneity that happens during the creative process. Sometimes our characters really do know what’s best.

Debra: Excellent advice, Maria. Thank you for joining me here on this Make-believe Monday to share a little bit of the magic of writing with our readers.

Maria: Thanks for having me!

Debra: My pleasure!

Maria: I’ve always wanted to be featured on Make believe Monday!

Debra: And I've been waiting for the day your first book would come out so you could visit!

Readers please visit Maria at
www.mariageraci.com

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Debra's News/Debra is watching:

www.debraparmley.com

Make-Believe Mondays with Shiela Stewart

Today my guest on Make-Believe Mondays is Shiela Stewart.

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

Shiela: Right now I’ve just finished writing the last book in my Darkness series, Surviving the Darkness. It’s the eighth book in the series and for now, the Darkness series is done. For now. I may very well revisit Jacob’s Cove in the future and tell more vampire tales. What is the Darkness series, you may ask. Let me tell you. The Darkness series is a tale of a group of humans and vampires who are fighting to keep the city of Jacob’s Cove safe from vampires after the sun is blotted out during a ritual to bring forth the vampire king. With each book, the story continues, bringing love to the heroes and heroines amongst the darkest of times while they try to bring the sun back.

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?

Shiela: It’s funny you should mention this. A lot of my books have come from my dreams. Though, very rarely are they romantic. Most of my dreams are scary such as the dream that that helped spawn my Demon series (yet unpublished).I usually take the dream, add some key points, fill in the plot and add a romantic aspect to it. Sometimes all I’ll have is a short dream scene but it’s enough to get my mind rolling to create a story.

Kidnapped, my first novel published came from a dream I had where a woman was held captive and thought it was a joke so she didn’t really take it seriously. I took the idea and rolled with it. Secrets of the Dead came from a dream I had of a vicious ghost holding a guy hostage in a house, tormenting him. When I woke, I took the idea and changed it around to have the hero possess the ability to communicate with the dead investigating a supposed haunted house with near dire consequences.
I have a vivid imagination.

Debra: It sounds like your imagination is quite busy when you are dreaming. All it takes is a short dream scene to spark a story. Our dream lives can be so rich and vivid with detail.

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?

Shiela: Actually, I have created something like this. The story is called Mind over Madness and it’s about a young man, sixteen, desperate for his father’s attention ends up murdering a family. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t account for the fact that he might be seen and ends up going on the run. While trying to stay one step ahead of the police he meets various people, including a talking cat. He’s having the time of his life, getting into bars without ID, sleeping with several women and coming out the victor in several fights against men twice his size. Yet all the while a little voice inside his mind keeps reminding him of the family he killed. When he wakes up in his own bed, he laughs it off as having been a wild dream only to find the cops waiting for him outside his house. It’s one of those stories a reader would think had been created by a stoned author. LOL
It has yet to be published.

Debra: I won't ask if you were when you wrote it. LOL

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?

Shiela: If there is a story swirling inside your mind, write it down. It may never be published, or it very well might be the next New York Times best seller. If you want to write about a talking bunny who falls in love with a woman then finds out he is actually human and needs the woman to break the spell, then go for it. You never know who will want to read it. J
Write what interests you and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not right.

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

Shiela: Thank you for the wonderful interview!

Debra: You're quite welcome. It's been fun.

To find out more about Shiela and her books, go to
www.shielasbooks.ca

Here is the list of Darkness books already released.
Seducing the Darkness. Desiring the Darkness. Embracing the Darkness. Charming the Darkness. Tempting the Darkness. Soon to be released, Penetrating the Darkness. For more information on the Darkness series go to
www.shielasbooks.ca/TheDarknessSeries.htm

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Debra's News/Debra is Watching:

This week I am working hard on revisions to my contemporary romance.
Planning a book signing in Bartlett TN for June as well.

Watch my website for photos from the RT convention and other updates.
www.debraparmley.com

Authors who wish to be interviewed on Make-Believe Mondays, please use the registration form on my website. Thanks!