Tag: author-inspiration

From History Class Hater to Historical Fiction Author

~ Jacquie Bosma ~ 1 Comment

Today, we welcome author Karina Bartow to the blog! Karina hails from Northern Ohio. Though born with Cerebral Palsy, she’s never allowed her disability to define her. Rather, she’s used her experiences to breathe life into characters who have physical limitations, but like her, are determined not to let them stand in the way of the life they want. Her works include a mix of mysteries and love stories. She may only be able to type with one hand, but she writes with her whole heart!

Like Jacquie, I’ve now written a couple of historical romance novels. When I was an aspiring author, though, I never would’ve believed that I’d touch the genre. History was never my favorite subject in school. While I usually managed to net a good grade in the class from doing the homework and memorizing the facts, I didn’t get too invested in it. On the occasions when we stepped out of the classroom and into a historical venue like the Gettysburg battlegrounds or a presidential home, however, the facts came to life for me, sparking my fascination. 

It was the same way when I decided to dip my toes into writing in the genre. I didn’t really set out to fashion a story around history in general, but I had concepts that piqued my interest and enjoyed immersing myself in those periods once I dug in my feet. Granted, both novels cover events in 1964, which doesn’t seem very historical to me. With how fast the world and its advancements have evolved in the proceeding decades, I suppose it fits in the category.  My 2022 release, Wrong Line, Right Connection, revolved around a switchboard operator, and my latest one, Undeveloped Memories, is centered on a roll of undeveloped film.

In the case of both plots, I had a personal attachment to the outdated elements. My honorary grandmother was a switchboard operator, and in fact, I interviewed her for a history project in middle school. I can’t say I had the reverence for it back then that I do today, but it always held a special place in my heart due to her experience. When I started the book, I researched its history and the way it functioned, but I didn’t bury myself in study material to the point that I grew bored as I used to in school. I also researched surrounding aspects of the story, but I did so in a similar step-by-step manner as I made it to certain stages of the plot. 

I did likewise with Undeveloped Memories. The film concept wasn’t too foreign to me, since my mom used a film camera for my entire childhood and actually inspired the book by losing a roll back in the day. Because the novel delves a great deal into the Good Friday Earthquake in Alaska, I had to devote much time to exploring the event. Thankfully, a friend who lived through it as a child provided me with an invaluable eyewitness account, and the Internet offered loads of information, too. Again, though, I spaced out my research to look into each component as I came to it, both so that I didn’t get overwhelmed and so I had the pertinent facts fresh in mind. 

The gradual approach fostered the immersive feel those historical field trips did in my school days. It gave me the sensation of going through the developments along with the characters, and I hope it translated that way to readers. More than that, the process has made me view history differently. While customs and methods have transformed throughout generations, we’re all humans, with many of the same emotions and pursuits as those before and after us.

I don’t expect to compose a six-hundred-page biography on the Industrial Revolution or anything, but I have enjoyed giving my not-so-favorite subject another chance. As you age, I think you cultivate a better appreciation for history due to your vantage point in the stream of time and how history seems to repeat itself more than you realized as a kid. Whether you’re a writer or not, it’s beneficial to revisit those subjects that were once a pain in your side and see if you discern their value now.

All this said, don’t anticipate a science-based novel from me! I have yet to make such a transition on that class!

Learn more about Karina (including all about her fabulous books!) here:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Summer Promise

~ Jacquie Bosma ~ Leave a comment

My guest blogger today is Brenda Lowder. Brenda is an award-winning author of lighthearted women’s fiction and romantic comedy novels. She lives in Atlanta and loves international travel, fine dining, and air conditioning. She’s a big fan of fiction in all its forms—books, films, television, and the lies we tell ourselves. Her brilliant and smoking-hot husband and two princess-scientist daughters love her enough to insist she’s still twenty-nine. (She also happens to be a very dear personal friend of mine!)

School ended for my kids last week. I don’t know if you feel like I do, but for me the sparkle and promise of summer with all its possibility glitters before me like a shimmering oasis of sun, sea, sand, and sky. 

I love this time of year. Maybe there’ll be a beach trip. Maybe there’ll be some visits to or from family out of town. Maybe there’ll be an adventure that I won’t know anything about until I’m smack in the middle of it. My mind whirls with the possibilities.

I know there’ll be reading. The lazy days of summer, stretching sunlight far into the evening hours, are the perfect time to soak up words along with the sun. The books I read each season become as much hallmarks of my experiences and memories as the trips I take and the inches my children grow. And here, poised at the very top of the summer, the precipice before the dive off the high board into fun, is the best part—making my plans.

Today I’m making my summer wish list. Top of the list is to read The Keeper by Tana French—third in the series and I loved the first two. Second is The Escape Game by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss—looks like a delicious, guilty pleasure and who could resist those gorgeous sprayed edges? And third, to have that mystery adventure that I haven’t guessed yet. What’s on your summer wish list?

To get you started, I have a gift for you! The eBook of my book, Keeping the Pieces, is yours free! Pick up your copy here. And the eBook of my book Sparks Unlimited, the second in the Keeping the Pieces series, is on sale for 99 cents! You can pick it up here. Treat yourself to this pair of beach reads and get your summer reading off to a great start!

Thanks to my friend Jacquie Bosma for allowing me to guest blog today. I can’t wait for the release of her book Stage Mouse.

Happy Summer, my friends, and Happy Beach Reading! 😊

 

2 Sisters, 2 Pieces of My Soul

~ Jacquie Bosma ~ 1 Comment

Guesting at my blog today is author Chelsey M. Ortega. Chelsey is a teacher by day and award-winning author by night. History is her first love, and any story involving magic and romance, her second love. She especially loves witches and is still awaiting her acceptance letter to a well-known school. Chelsey received her Bachelor’s in History Teaching from Brigham Young University. In addition to writing, Chelsey teaches high school U.S. History and ELD. She lives in Utah with her husband, three children, and two cats. Follow Chelsey at www.chelseymortega.com.

Have you ever come across that tumblr-screenshot-turned-into-a-meme thing about that claim that certain deaths in the Harry Potter series are pieces of JK Rowling’s soul, and thus by the end of the 7th book, she had seven horcruxes, just like Voldemort? Well, I have a much less gruesome version of that. 

My debut novel, Bondwitch, came out two and a half years ago, and it follows the adventure of a teenage witch named Annamaria as she navigates learning how to use her powers, protect herself from vengeful vampires, and open up her heart to love. In Book 1, Annamaria is the only POV character. Written in third person limited, the reader gets to know only what Annamaria is thinking, feeling, and doing. 

Towards the end of Bondwitch, I threw in three very short moments where we hop into Marianna’s head (Annamaria’s sister). I enjoyed exploring Marianna’s headspace so much, that I decided she deserved a larger role in the sequel.

Bondwitch: Hybrid came out last week, and is a dual POV; following Annamaria and Marianna in their next adventure. 

Annamaria Lyons is finally with her grandma, but Libby holds unyielding control of her coven and granddaughters. Betrothed to a male witch, Annamaria’s heart secretly belongs to her vampire boyfriend. When Libby threatens deadly consequences if she refuses the arranged marriage, Annamaria faces an impossible choice: obey or risk everything to follow her heart?

Marianna Lyons is a big disappointment. Stripped of her magic when she was forcefully turned into a vampire, she is now an outcast, desperate for Libby’s approval. When Marianna is tricked into breaking coven rules, she faces a difficult decision: endure brutal rehabilitation, or leave her new home. As Marianna struggles to rediscover herself, will she accept her new identity, or conform to Libby’s impossible demands?

As I navigated two plots and two main characters, I discovered something about myself: I am both Annamaria and Marianna in their respective situations. Marianna is who I am: softspoken, afraid of conflict, obedient. Annamaria is who I want to be (and occasionally bring out when I’m feeling really brave or comfortable): bold, fiery, and puts herself first (usually). 

Have you ever walked away from a conflict and an hour later you’re playing the conversation you wish you had in your head? Annamaria doesn’t wish she’d been more assertive an hour later. She simply is assertive. So, when I’m writing a scene in Annamaria’s head, I ask myself what I would want to do, but probably not be brave enough to actually do that; and that’s what Annamaria does.

Are you that person who remains calm, flexible, and in the middle? Or do you know someone like that? That’s who Marianna is. She wants everyone to be happy, even if she has to sacrifice her own happiness. When I’m writing a scene in Marianna’s head, I ask myself what I would actually do in that situation, and then I increase the passive and obedience tenfold. 

These two sisters are two halves of my soul. Breathing life into their being and telling their story has been a wonderful journey thus far. But their story isn’t over yet. Two more books are in the works. In the meantime, check out Bondwitch and Bondwitch: Hybrid at https://chelseymortega.com/books/.  

 

 

 

 

The Story Behind Disappeared (and how you can help)

~ Jacquie Bosma ~ Leave a comment

My guest blogger today is M.G. de Grey. She is a romance author (Then The Earth Moved, Let Love Find a Way, Then Time Stands Still). Disappeared, published earlier this month, is her first foray into the thriller genre. She uses her extensive knowledge of the countries she has lived in to infuse her novels with a strong sense of place. To learn more, and to get her latest release, Disappeared, visit https://marygeorginadegreyauthor.com/.

[A quick TW: de Grey’s book, Disappeared, as well as the content of this blog post, contain subject matter that may be triggering or painful for some readers to read, including mentions of child exploitation, murder, and human trafficking. Click below if you wish to continue reading this impactful guest blog, as well as learn a real-world way to help those affected.]

Continue reading “The Story Behind Disappeared (and how you can help)” →

IT HAPPENED TO ME: I am now supposed to be the adult in the room

~ Jacquie Bosma ~ 1 Comment

I’m not cute no more. I growed out of it just like when I growed out of my favorite Reptar jammies. —Chuckie Finster

There are a lot of helpful things I’ve learned over the years, but one thing is so helpful I use it almost every day: Two things can be true at once.

You can love your job and also feel burnout. You can be a cat person and a dog person. You can make steps toward building a more sustainable environment and feel a bit of you die inside when the paper straw disintegrates as soon as you take your first sip. And you can be old and young.

Because I’m a Blockbuster-card-carrying, Garden-State-soundtrack-listening, unprecedented-times-living millennial. And I feel like more of an incongruence than I was in seventh grade. Which, I mean, you didn’t know me then (maybe), but just know that it’s saying a lot. Trust me.

The in-between: where we don’t recognize anyone at the VMAs but we also use tap to pay

Millennial is invoked pejoratively by every group except millennials ourselves (and sometimes not even us, because self-loathing is a shared experience among our generation AND WE’RE WORKING ON IT OKAY). Middle schoolers use it as a catch-all for the perpetually uncool, try-hard, cringe folks that are their parents’ age which, okay, fair. GenX and up still think we’re teenagers, apparently, if the grainy memes on my occasional trips to my Facebook feed are any indication. (Fact check: we actually do know how to read and write in cursive, we did not ever eat Tide Pods, but bless you for thinking we’re still teenagers. Lord knows I’d like some of that skin elasticity right now.)

My fellow millennials have either hit forty or we’re teetering dangerously close to it. Our backs hurt. We have to make up for killing our pores with Noxema pads and St. Ives apricot scrubbing by embracing multi-step skincare that costs about the same as a car payment. The Challenger exploded when I was three weeks old, and I’ve been living in Unprecedented Times ever since.

There’s something lovely and freeing since I turned forty this year, though. I have learned to embrace the things that make me weird—all that cringe behavior that gets eyerolls from my children and would have earned me a sneering look in high school from the cool kids’ table—and let it fly. I’ll use the gif reaction. I’ll send texts longer than three or four words (which I’ve now learned is apparently a super millennial thing to do?). I’ll wear the clothes I want to wear, read the books I want to read, and I’ll enjoy it even if I’m the only one having fun. “Weird” hits even deeper after forty than it ever did when I was eleven and listening to it through my boom box and gazing at my multiple posters of Taylor Hanson on my walls.

If you’re not careful, you might just buy the sweater that “looks a little young for you,” wear it on a solo trip to Disney, and get a bunch of esteem-boosting compliments on it. Embrace your whimsy responsibly.

I read somewhere recently (and by “read somewhere” I mean “it was a caption on an Instagram post I think”) that being in your forties means getting to be the person you wanted to be at fifteen, only this time, you’re not apologizing for it or minimizing it. I’ve leaned into that in recent months, and I’ve got to tell you, my soul has never felt lighter.

My fellow millennials, our whole lives can be summed up in the two things can be true at the same time truism. We can feel our age when we get out of bed and we can wear cute clothes. We can crash out over Italian brainrot and we can still go bar for bar on the End Of The World flash video from eBaum’s World. We can run tech support for our kids when they don’t know how to connect to the router and we can run tech support for our parents when they don’t know how to find that PDF they saved. We can embrace a firm “I will not be leaving my house after nightfall” policy and we remember what to do when we hear that Cash Money Records Taking Over For The Nine-Nine Into Two Thousand. We can be emotionally exhausted at the state of the Everything Going On All The Time and still have hope that it won’t always be this way.

We can be old and we can be young. Let’s make like Hannah Montana and get the best of both worlds.

4 Lessons Learned from 483 Pieces of “Desk”

~ Jacquie Bosma ~ 1 Comment

My guest blogger today is Susan Harris Howell. Susan is a psychologist and retired university professor. The Spirit of Vanderlaan draws on her career to capture the warmth between a teacher and the students who inhabit her office. Susan is also the author of Buried Talents. She and her husband have two grown children, a daughter-in-law, one adorable grandson, and an incorrigible beagle named Doc.

My new desk came to me in 483 pieces—slats, panels, and hardware wrapped in plastic bags for “easy delivery and assembly.” My daughter commented that the company might have just sent me a tree and an ice pick for the work it would require.

I sat on the floor, surrounded by debris that looked nothing like the desk I had ordered. I wanted to lie down and cry. I would have too if I would’ve had enough floor space to lie down. This was an impossible task. 

I wanted to send it back, but I could no more repack that box than I could unring a bell. So, I picked up the forty-eight-page instruction booklet, turned to page one, and put the “twist-lock fasteners into outer ends A and C.” 

That first step was the beginning of a three-day process which led to the beautiful desk I now adore. It also taught me a few things about another “impossible” task I would soon face – writing my first novel. 

Here’s what I learned. 

Lesson One: Just do today’s work. 

As I thumbed through the encyclopedic-sized instruction manual, I knew I’d have to narrow my focus. So, I concentrated on step one without mentally moving on to steps two or three. This helped me begin and kept me moving forward.

Likewise, when writing a book, we often work best by tackling one manageable task at a time without mentally wandering into steps two, three, or beyond. Narrowing our focus can move us forward.

Lesson Two: Be confident. 

That first day, colleagues dropped by to offer condolences. I assumed they would know more than I and would have secrets to share on furniture assembly. Sadly, none of them did; evidently, there were no secrets.   

Similarly, when we have a story to tell, we can’t assume someone else will tell it better. They have their own stories to write, their own desks to assemble. My story is my story; your story is yours. Be confident in the telling.

Lesson Three: Use available resources.

On the first day when my husband offered our power drill, I declined since the instructions clearly said power tools weren’t necessary. On day two, I grabbed that power drill and didn’t let go. Using the right tool made the task easier.

Likewise, when writing, we can avail ourselves of quality resources. Books, conferences, blogs and podcasts – a lot of information is out there. Find it and use it. 

Lesson Four: Let others participate.

When one of my students (now a friend) offered to help, I gratefully accepted. Not only was Bethany’s help priceless, she and I bonded through our desk-a-thon experience. For several days, we posted pictures and progress reports on social media. Friends across several states watched with interest and celebrated the finished product.

In the same way, writing is richer when others walk alongside us. Whether they read each draft, encourage our persistence, or subscribe to our newsletter, many will participate if we invite them. Don’t go it alone.

The take-away?

My desk now serves as a daily reminder of what can be accomplished when we focus on today’s work, remain confident, use available resources, and invite others to join us. 

I hope these lessons encourage you in your next “impossible” endeavor.

 For more from Susan Harris Howell, and to learn more about The Spirit of Vanderlaan, visit susanharrishowell.com.

The Woman’s Journey

~ Jacquie Bosma ~ 7 Comments

My guest blogger today is Liz Flaherty. Liz has spent the past several years enjoying not working a day job, making terrible crafts, and writing stories in which the people aren’t young, brilliant, or even beautiful. She’s decided (and has to re-decide most every day) that the definition of success is having a good time. Along with her husband of lo, these many years, kids, grands, friends, and the occasional cat, she’s doing just that. She’d love to hear from you at lizkflaherty@gmail.com or please come and see her at http://lizflaherty.net.

I’m not sure when I first heard the term women’s fiction. I don’t recall whose I read first or even if I liked it. The words Woman’s Journey has been around most of the time I’ve been writing romance, and I always thought that’s what we should do with romance and women’s fiction—just make them into one huge glorious genre known as The Woman’s Journey. 

The idea hasn’t caught on. 

But I’ve read women’s fiction since long before it became an accepted category all its own. As a teenager, I read Elisabeth Ogilvie’s Bennett’s Island series and fell in love with Maine. I read CurtissAnn Matlock, Robyn Carr, Cheryl Reavis, Kathleen Gilles Seidel from their very first category romances on, and relished the extra something that was in their voices. While I love the relationship that grows between the heroine and hero, I also enjoy the ones between girlfriends, between sisters, between work friends who are there for each other. From the very beginning, while these authors’ books were under romance’s extensive umbrella, they were writing women’s fiction. Not just them, I should add, but they were the ones whose voices I can still hear. Still feel.

More than the formula in genre fiction, it’s the story that’s most important. The journey. How you feel when you finish reading. To a lesser degree, as a writer, how I feel when I finish writing is important, too. 

After having a two-word start that wouldn’t get off my mind and stay there and a trip back a skinny, curvy road to a small lake I’d never known existed, heroine Maggie North invited me on her journey. It took her a while, and writing it took me a while, but … gosh, I loved Maggie. And Sam. And her adoptive parents. And Pastor Cari Newland. Oh, and Maggie’s friend Ellie and the dachshund named Chloe, too. 

Pieces of Blue has some romance, a setting I never wanted to leave, and, most of all, it has friends and family and community. Their dialogue was so much fun to write. The house—the Burl—is a character unto itself. 

How did I feel when I finished writing it? Oh, I felt good. Happy with how Maggie found herself. Sorry it was over and slapping back thoughts that maybe it wasn’t over…maybe there was another story at Harper Loch. Or two.

We’ll see. In the meantime, it’s a story from the “huge glorious genre” I mentioned above. I hope you like it.

Liz’s latest release, Pieces of Blue, is now available.

Liz’s latest release, Pieces of Blue, the first in a series.

It’s a Team Thing

~ Jacquie Bosma ~ 3 Comments

My guest blogger today is SD Porter. The retired local high school teacher has had a fantastic start to her writing dreams. In the last four years, she has published eight books, including her newest release The Nova Chronicles. Recently, she has collaborated with two other writers to create the Holiday Chronicle series of romance short stories. So far, they have released two (Midnight Meet-Ups and Sweet Chaos), and the third, Caught a Spark, is available for pre-order (just in time for the 4th of July). She enjoys reading and writing in a variety of genres, including Young Adult, Apocalyptic, Middle Grade sports stories, Paranormal, and Romance.

As a lifelong resident of Washington State, most of her stories are set in the great outdoors of the PNW. She loves hiking, photography, 80’s concerts, visiting wineries, and just hanging out with good friends.

She is married and has three grown sons. She lives in Spanaway with her husband, a Great Pyrenees, and a sassy tabby named Smudge (who is a character in one of her stories).

Look for more to come from SD Porter as she has stepped into the professional world of writing with wild abandon.

For me, writing is NOT a solo adventure. I know many authors might describe it that way, but that has not been my experience. Maybe that is more about me than the process itself.

Looking back on my life, I was never a solo sport kindagal. I played soccer, basketball, and softball, all team sports. Then, once I was a bit too old to play, I coached those same sports. Life is better shared, and so is writing!

I love the team approach, overcoming challenges with group effort, and just generally connecting with others who share my love for the written word. I’m so fortunate to have landed in the midst of some wonderfully inspiring critique partners, mi writing amigas. They are a wonderful group of authors who meet up over Zoom every week (or at least twice a month, depending on our busy schedules). We swap work and critique our pages, but we spend a healthy amount of time talking about every other publishing topic that we need support on. 

This year, we’ve even co-authored some romance short stories, exploring self-publishing…learning the ropes. It has been very fun and rewarding. It’s the best part of my authoring experience so far. 

We met at a year-long writing course (at Pacific Northwest Writing Association) seven years ago, and we are still going strong. Things pivot, people come and go depending on their needs, but we have managed to take this crazy, wonderful journey together. 

We are working on our third holiday romance book of short stories called Caught a Spark (4th of July themed) and plan to write four every year, self- publish through Draft2Digital. We call our series The Holiday Chronicles, and we couldn’t be prouder. We also write our own things, and have different genres, but we sharpen each other, most definitely.

From exchanging plot ideas, marketing strategies, techy skills, grammar, pitching, and ARC reading, we share our strengths and learn from each other. I am so grateful for their support and encouragement. I sometimes wonder if I would continue writing without them, as they bring so much pleasure to the process. 

It may not be for you…maybe you’re more of a solo sport athlete, but for me, it’s everything. If it sounds like something you might like, put yourself out there and find one that works for you! Attending a writing convention is a good place to connect with others who share your passions. Go team go!

Go Gettum,

SD Porter