September 30, 2014

Naming Fictional Towns and Cities


When you’re writing a book, you get to name your characters, so why can’t you name the town your story is set in? You can!

There are many books, as well as movies and TV shows set in towns, cities, or islands that don’t actually exist. Would you like me to name some? Okay. Here you go:

·  Metropolis (Superman)
·  Gotham City (Batman)
·  Sunnydale, California (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
·  Hill Valley, California (Back to the Future)
·  South Park, Colorado (South Park)
·  Castle Rock, Maine (The Dead Zone)

If you’re writing a book, you can create your very own town or city. And it doesn’t even matter what genre you’re writing! You can be writing a romance book and have it set in Misty, Maine. Or a horror book set in Bleeding Heart, Louisiana. You can be writing a fantasy story set in a different galaxy, on a planet named Euphoria.

Here is a list of real towns and cities with spooky names:

·  Devil Town, Ohio
·  Half Hell, North Carolina
·  Ghost Town, Texas
·  Red Devil, Alaska
·  Slaughter, Tennessee
·  Witch Lake, Michigan

Other odd names:

· Hot Coffee, Mississippi
· Cheesequake, New Jersey
· Boring, Oregon
· Shoofly, North Carolina
· Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky
· Sweetlips, Tennessee

Whatever you name your fictional town or city, be creative. In my (unpublished) series, I created a whole new world and was able to name islands as well as cities. It was a lot of fun! I used people’s names I thought were pretty and a strange word that means “appetizer” for one of the islands.

Think: Mordor (The Lord of the Rings), Hogsmeade (Harry Potter), Emerald City (Wizard of Oz), and Zion (The Matrix).


SHARE: The odd names for cities and towns that you know.


QUESTIONS: What is your favorite fictional town/city name?
Have you ever named a town (city, island or world) in one of your stories?


September 26, 2014

Author Interview with Sydney St. Claire + GIVEAWAY!

Note: The following book is erotica. I normally don't host these, but there's no nudity on the cover or explicit content in this interview. Plus, she's my fellow Rose from The Wild Rose Press!


So please help me to welcome Sydney St. Clare to Write with Fey! She is sharing her inspiration behind her BDSM novella, wonderful advice for new writers, and a fabulous giveaway! 


Sydney, tell us about your current release.

Jaimie Newberry is jobless, her rent is due, and her cat just died. On top of that, she was accused of embezzling before she was fired. When her friend invites her for a weekend of kinky fairytale role-playing, she agrees to go as Cinderella. What has she got to lose when sex with a handsome prince is involved?

CEO Bryce Langston needs to know if Jamie is innocent of embezzlement or just very clever. He arranges for her to be his weekend sub but soon realizes the pretty scullery maid is naïve to the BDSM lifestyle. As her prince and her Dom, he intends to not only learn the truth but to make sure she has a fantasy come true.


TRAILER:

Genre: Erotica (BDSM)
Length: 84 pages
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Release Date: September 12th, 2014

BUY LINKS: 
NOOK / KOBO / IBOOKS

1.    Is Cinderella and Prince Dom part of a series?

Yes, this is book one of my Once Upon A Dom series. Red & The Big Bad Dom, book two will be out in November.

2.    What movies inspired your book?

There wasn’t really a movie that inspired my book but more of an idea. Writing in the BDSM market, the series title just popped into my head. Once Upon A Time became Once Upon A Dom. Then I really liked the idea of taking fairy tale characters and putting them into a BDSM setting. Fairytales you’re mother never read you became the series tag line. But I will say, with the ABC show Once Upon A Time, and the new Maleficent movie, the idea of taking fairytales and using them as my theme held a lot of appeal. Must be something in the air!

3.    I love the show Once Upon a Time! What would women find irresistible about your hero?

     Bryce is a Dominant male sexually and he takes his role seriously. When he learns Jaimie is about as vanilla as you can get, he decides to introduce her into some light BDSM and show her just what her body really craves. It doesn’t matter that he’s unsure of her innocence in an embezzling scheme or that he’ll prosecute her if she’s guilty.

     The two issues are separate. She’s there for fun, games, and sex and he’s the perfect Dom to see that she has the best weekend of her life.

     The other aspect of Bryce is his devotion to his deceased wife. He loved her and until he meets Jaimie, there’s been no other man. He’s also a kind, caring and honest man. Once he’s learned the truth about Jaimie, he goes out of his way to admit he was wrong.

     I think it boils down to his having that alpha personality with just enough beta thrown in so women get it all with Bryce.

4.  Bryce sounds steaming! If you have a pen name, can you explain how you came up with it?

I have a pen name: Sydney St. Claire. I’ve always loved the name Sydney, and a very long time ago, I had St. Claire as the last name of another “possible” pen name. When I was deciding on a pen name, I spent time searching for free domains, blogs, Facebook pages, twitter handles, etc. I wanted to get all of the social media names for whatever pen name I chose. So I ended up merging a couple of pen names on my list until I ended up on Sydney St. Claire. I like her. Think I’ll keep her!

5.     I like her, too! What are a few things we would find in or on your desk?

Lol’s on this question. I have a huge executive size desk and I have very LITTLE room on it. I have a rose quartz and an amethyst tea light candleholder, a monitor and a small paper sorter. Other than that, my desk is taken up with three cat beds and there are usually three cats in those beds (though in the summer not all the time). In winter, there are usually four cats at times, and a few times, all five have insisted that I can’t possible write without their support…


6.     Your desk looks a lot like mine! Share three random facts about you.

Obviously I love my cats and spoil them horribly, I love to garden and have a cool, 26 foot medicine wheel garden (the weeds are having a hay-day), my first grandchild is on the way—a little girl so am busy sewing cute little dresses.

7.    How long have you been writing?

Wow, have to think on this. My first book came out in 1996 and it was a 9-year road to being published so that means I started in 1987. Holy-Moly! 27 years. Now I feel very, very old!

8.     What lessons did you learn early on in your writing career? (Your advice to new writers.)

Determination:  Be determined in your quest. The road to being published is windy, twisted, and filled with potholes and often times, the bridges have been blown up by fate, and you have to travel the longer road. 

Stubbornness:  Be stubborn. Believe in your work and don’t be defeated when an editor (or agent) says your baby is ugly and will never see the light of day. Stubbornly refuse to run and hide and keep working on the beautiful baby. Rewrite, edit, and resubmit. And in the meantime, take what you learn and keep writing. Be stubborn. “I will write. I will submit. I will do what it takes to achieve my goal.”

Willingness: Be willing to work your butt off. It takes a lot of work. Sometimes many years. My road was 9 years and I trust me, it took determination, stubbornness and willingness to get to where your entire writing career hinges on you being willing. If your publishing house goes out of business (mine did) then you have to be willing to start over. If your genre takes a dive (westerns did), then you have to be willing to try something new. Be willing to rebrand yourself, be willing to work hard, be willing to reap your rewards.

9.    Great advice, Sydney! If you could write anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

With except of Hawaii, which has got to be a very inspiring place to go, I’d choose something a little bit more generic. I love the Mendocino coast. It calls to me periodically. I love the sea. I also love mountains so a nice place in the woods (no chance of fire please) would also be an inviting and welcome place to write.

10.    That sounds lovely! Do you listen to music while you write?

Absolutely. Not every time but I often do put on music. I either choose from my computer my current favorite play list which has Blackmore’s Nights, David Lantz, Secret Garden and Gregorian Chanters and Enya. Very new aggy. I’m also known to play Neil Diamond, Walela, and Jaya Lakshmi. More often, I put on Pandora and select a new age channel.


About the Author:

Sydney St. Claire is the pseudonym of Susan Edwards, author of 14 Historical Native American/Western/Paranormal romances and the author of the popular “White” Series.

Sydney loves writing and sharing stories of love, happiness and dreams come true with her readers. She credits her mother for her writing success. Encouraged to read as a child, she always preferred happy endings which meant romances were her favorite genre. Sydney takes her readers into the world of erotica romance where her characters come together in explosive passion as they solve life’s problems and find true love along with the best sex our hero and heroine have ever experienced.

Sydney’s office is quite crowded with three dogs at her feet and five cats to keep her company while she writes. Three cats always insist on beds on her desk, barely leaving enough room for her monitor and keyboard. Life gets fun when all five insist on supervising…

When not writing, she enjoys crafts of all sorts including quilting, sewing, cross-stitch, and knitting. She and her husband of 30 + years are avid gardeners. He takes care of the veggies, and Susan is in charge of the ‘pretties’. Her medicine wheel garden is in a contact state of war: flowers vs. weeds. Sadly, right now the weeds are wining…

While writing, she listens to a wide variety of music. Her current favorites are Blackmore’s Night and David Lanz.

AUTHOR LINKS:

GIVEAWAY: 


Prize includes:
Tote Bag
Mug
4GB Flash Drive
Lighted Key tag
Once Upon A Dom Pen
What Happens at the Castle Stays at the Castle Notepad
Assorted other goodies


Thank you for telling us about Cinderella and Prince Dom, Sydney! And for offering my readers a chance to enter your fabulous giveaway!

Please leave Sydney a comment and don't forget to enter the giveaway! Gentlemen, you can participate and give the prizes to your wife. ;)


September 23, 2014

Writing About: The Mob


I created my own Mob in 30 Seconds. The great thing is you can change up the rules in fiction. You don’t have to have an Italian or Russian Mob. I don’t actually mention the nationality of the Mob in my story, just that they live and run Cleveland, Ohio with the goal to kill cops.

Here are 10 things to consider if you want to write about the Mob:

1.    Leader/Boss

There will have to be a leader/boss, otherwise the members will run a muck .Your leader has to be the biggest bad ass of the group with the clout to control criminals of all kinds. He, or indeed she, should have a recognizable name (or nickname) and appearance. The leader of my Mob is known as Red “because of all the blood on his hands.”

2.    Followers

A Mob boss can’t be a leader unless he/she has followers. These men and women need to be tough with criminal backgrounds. You should try to introduce a few loyal followers close to the leader to make the Mob more real. Also try to give each of them distinct appearances and personalities so your readers can tell them apart.

3.    Crime

What kind of criminal activity does your fictional Mob do (murder, money laundering, grand theft auto)? Whatever they do will impact the plot of your story.

4.    City

What city does your Mob run? Where do they live and work? If they’re real big and bad, they can be known across a whole state or small country.

5.    History 

How did the Mob in your story get its start? Is it a family thing, or did a group of like-minded criminals get together? Share this bit of information early on so your readers can understand the Mob’s motives.

I saw this sign at the Brevard Zoo in Florida.

6.    Goal

Along with knowing what kind of crimes they commit, you also need to consider their goal. They could be after weapons, money/diamonds, drugs, or revenge. In 30 Seconds, the Mob kills police officers with the goal of wiping them all out of Cleveland.

7.    Victims

Mob's have a lot of victims from innocent bystanders to people they specifically target. Give your fictional Mob victims, too.

8.    Guns

Mobs aren't very threatening unless they have guns. Give them a slew of guns. In 30 Seconds, my Mob has a lot of AK47’s, the guns known as cop killers because the bullets can penetrate Kevlar vests.

9.    Plans

Criminals usually have a plan. Give your Mob a plan to get what they want. Even if you don’t reveal it, it’ll become known through your plot.

10.    Personalities

The leader of your Mob needs to be ruthless in his pursuits, cruel and cold-hearted. His/her followers need to be mean and vindictive, too, with a thirst for blood, money and revenge.

TIP #1: Capitalize the “m” in Mob. Otherwise, you’ll be referring to a horde of people like those who flock to shopping centers on Black Friday. (Some writers don't do this though, so it's really up to you.)
TIP #2: Watch Mob movies or any movie with a criminal gang.

QUESTION: What name would you give a Mob leader in a work of fiction?



September 22, 2014

Underrated Treasures Blogfest / Shelfie Blogfest

Alex J. Cavanaugh (AKA Ninja Captain Alex) has created a fun blogfest for us to share our favorite movie, band, TV show, or book that no one else has probably heard about, so we can tell the world (or at least the blogosphere) about our Underrated Treasures. Sign up and check out the other participants' treasures HERE


The Young Wizard series by Diane Duane is like a dark, more urban version of Harry Potter. It’s for young readers, but it’s written in such a way that adults can enjoy it. The science in these books, as well as the magic, is so amazing it blows my mind.

I found the first book when I was young (It was first published in 1983) in the same manner that Nita found her Wizard’s Manual. I was trailing my hand along a library’s bookshelf when I felt a little zap! I looked and saw this book:


So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane (Book One)

BLURB: 

Nita Callahan is at the end of her rope because of the bullies who've been hounding her at school... until she discovers a mysterious library book that promises her the chance to become a wizard. But she has no idea of the difference that taking the Wizard's Oath is going to make in her life. Shortly, in company with fellow beginner-wizard Kit Rodriguez, Nita's catapulted into what will be the adventure of a lifetime -- if she and Kit can both live through it. For every wizard's career starts with an Ordeal in which he or she must challenge the one power in the universe that hates wizardry more than anything else: the Lone Power that invented death and turned it loose in the worlds. Plunged into a dark and deadly alternate New York full of the Lone One's creatures, Kit and Nita must venture into the very heart of darkness to find the stolen, legendary Book of Night with Moon. Only with the dangerous power of the wizardly Book do they have a chance to save not just their own lives, but their world...



Here are the other books in the series:


Deep Wizardry (Book 2)

I adore this book because I love whales, and a whole sea of characters are in this story from whales to a dolphin and a shark.


High Wizardry (Book 3)

This book involves Nita’s little sister, Dairine, a computer geek after my own heart. And it takes place on a planet across the galaxy. 


A Wizard Abroad (Book 4)

Here is another one that I adore because it’s set in Ireland with Irish wizards.


A Wizard’s Dilemma (Book 5)

The fifth book is one of my favorites of the series because Nita’s mother is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and Nita races to save her.


A Wizard Alone (Book 6)

This one is mostly in Kit’s perspective (the other main character), and a new character is introduced, a young boy who is thought to be Autistic.


Wizard’s Holiday (Book 7)

If you like aliens, this is a pretty neat story set in an alien planet where Nita and Kit vacation for spring break. At the same time, three aliens are sent to earth to stay with Dairine, Nita’s little sister.


Wizards at War (Book 8)

In this epic book, all the wizards on Earth and across the galaxy are fighting to save the universe. The ending gets me every time. EVERY! TIME!


A Wizard of Mars (Book 9)

The latest book is a fun story set on Mars. I’ve always been a buff when it comes to the other planets in our solar system, so I enjoyed this one a lot. 


Games Wizards Play (Book 10)

Coming in 2015!

***************************************************************************************


You have until Monday, October 6th to post a picture of your shelfie! 

Enter the giveaway HERE after you post your picture on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter.

Then let one of these fabulous people knowHeather M. GardnerChristine Rains, Vikki Biram, CD Coffelt, M.J. Fifield, Elizabeth Seckman, and Rena Rocford and they'll make sure you're down for the prize and some kudos!


Here is a picture of three shelves on my bookcase. The top shelf has books by authors I know, and the books I love to reread. The second shelf contains my J.D. Robb collection. And the third shelf is packed with Nora Roberts and a few books I like to read to my nephews. I’ve added decorations like ruby red slippers and Hermione Granger’s time turner necklace. My bookcase is also my cats’ favorite sleeping spot. :)


QUESTION: What is your favorite underrated movie/band/TV show/book?