SPICY CHAPTER TINKERING

Primitive Palmer, Chapter One, is in the bag.

Or, is it?

Yes, and no.

It's done, but as I sit and stare at the pool and palm trees, I wonder if it needs a little something.

Switching my gaze from trees to Gaz, I seek his opinion and he agrees that it does, indeed, need a little something.

I knew it.

Panama Palmer was spicy and sizzling. So, I am ramping it up in Primitive.

Palmer and Addison (her special-man-friend) kick the book off with a VERY amorous interlude, but apparently that's not enough to please the above mentioned critic.

Yes, I did ask.

Yes, he is correct.

Yes, I will tinker with Chapter One and make it even spicier and drop in some plot hints.

First, I will put the above photo of G in the book.

No, he would probably veto that idea.

He's always right.

Damnit!

A BABY, DISTRACTIONS AND DISCIPLINE

Having a novel swirling, twirling and buzzing to burst forth through your fingertips onto a cyber-page is challenging when days roll into weeks and weeks into months.

In an attempt to get my characters busy, I realize what I have always known.

Allowing myself to become distracted and having limited discipline is a character flaw.

Think I will write it into  Primitive Palmer. A character will be unfocused and a time-waster. Yes, I like that in a fictional character. I must also enjoy it in a real person.

Here is the sleepy face of my main distraction (going shopping with her Gigi, and yes she rides in a secure car seat, she's just playing in my car for a minute).

Is it fair to blame my seven-month-old fabulous granddaughter for my lack of focus?

Absolutely not, but I could also write THAT into the book!  A tacky grandmother character...yes, that sounds about right. Now, what to name her?

Hm.

WHINERS WILL NEVER LEAD MY BOOKS

As I continue to draft my third Palmer novel, I enjoy discussing her character and those surrounding her.

As a reader, I enjoy strong women who are not afraid to be sensual.  Having said that, I also enjoy real characters with flaws. Well, flaws or real emotions.

Although Rosalind Russell, shown above and below, did not write her characters, she portrayed women with a style, strength, sense of humor and zest for living life. She played these to the hilt at a time in our history when women were not allowed to be much more than window dressing for leading men.

What I don't enjoy are women drawn as props or helpless whiners. Never will these be leading ladies in my novels.

So, thanks for the inspiration Roz!

CLASSIC PHOTOS INSPIRE ME

Some ask me how I do it, decide on the plot and the fate of the characters. Some probably think, but don't ask, why I do it.

I can only speak for me, but  the how of it is complicated. The why is not the slightest bit complicated.

Life presents me with riches in various forms, which spin into a character or plot.

For instance, gazing into an old photo of a lost, but dearly loved, relative...my mind drifts into her time of glamour and from there I build a character.

Sometimes a character is formed and I find them fascinating, but they don't make it into the final book. They just don't fit, but I stash them, hold them for another story at another time.

As I scribble notes for Primitive Palmer, I create new characters to join the usual suspects, Addison, Ludi and Palmer. Based on people I know, or total fiction? If they are solid, it doesn't matter, but they must be compelling to me.

Some of my characters I don't like, at all. Oh, I like, very much, what they bring to the story. They are developed  to dislike and I hope readers will deeply dislike some of them.

Staring at a photo of a solemn and beautiful young woman, I am inspired. That photo has a certain emotion to it...she was strong. I like that in life and in fiction.

Primitive As Can Be

This is how I begin, Primitive Palmer, the third book featuring the Palmer character. In a darkened room, my computer flashing, the Zen channel playing soothing music and my Cavalier snoozing (and snoring) near me. I don't use a desk, so I guess I am primitive in that sense.

 

Having just completed, Panama Palmer, it may seem curious that I am leaping into another so quickly.

 

In reality, these things simmer, simmer and simmer. So, the process of making them public may seem fast, but these stories and characters  have been forming and cooking for quite some time.

 

In addition to creating fictional characters, places and things, I have an assortment of personal responsibilities.  This can, and does, bring challenges to the process, but also makes my life an interesting mix.

 

Palmer Harris is also an interesting mix and I hope to keep her that way the third time around.

About The Author

Promoting eBooks is challenging, but where there's a will, there's a way. But, generating this page is more than promotion.

 

I created this, About the Author, page as a vehicle for dialogue between me and whoever you are on the other side of this blog.

 

I will discuss my new projects and their progress (or lack of). But, before I shed light on things currenty resting on my storyboard, I want to mention one of my latest eBooks.

 

My latest, Panama Palmer, brings our leading character to a sinister place and characters. She has a fierce character, but has her personal frailties (and who doesn't, right?).

 

She is a captivating character to write.

 

Hope you find her captivating to read.