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This week on the Debutante Ball, we're taking on the point-of-view of our characters.
Many hear the name Bonnie Parker and think: American outlaw, bank robber, or of her counterpart, Clyde Barrow. But, who was Bonnie Parker before becoming part of the infamous ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ duo? With little known about Bonnie’s life pre-Clyde, I'd like to introduce you to Bonnelyn--the fictional name I give Bonnie at the onset of my novel Becoming Bonnie--through a quick Q&A. Continue reading >> This week on the Debutante Ball, we’re sharing deleted scenes from our novels. BECOMING BONNIE has a bit of an interesting history, besides being inspired by history. When my agent and I pitched editors, the novel was originally for young adult audiences. We ended up with two offers, one from a young adult publisher and another from an adult publisher. I went with Tor/Forge, the adult publisher, and BECOMING BONNIE went through quite the transformation....
Continue reading >> This week on the Deb Ball we're writing about jobs, hobbies, or trips that connect to our books.
While I haven't written many poems recently, back in my youth it was something I did frequently. It was a way for me to express myself, a way to let out emotions, a way to understand something that was happening to (or around) me. After the death of my first grandparent, I sat down to write a poem as a way to console myself. I wish I could find the poem I wrote, and later read at my grandfather's funeral, but it's probably tucked in some corner of my parents' attic. But there's a snippet of the poem that alway seems to be tucked away in the corner of my mind: His arms and legs, once a jungle gym, were replaced by a cold metal chair. Writing poems is something that I have in common with my protagonist in BECOMING BONNIE. In real life, and in my novel, Bonnie has a way with words. She loves poetry, often turning to it while sorting out her mind... Continue reading » This Thanksgiving week, the Debutantes are expressing their thanks.
Like Crystal mentioned in her post, the acknowledgments at the end of BECOMING BONNIE are going to give some specific shout outs, but on this day of thanks I wanted to acknowledge the fact that this book has been touched by so many wonderful people and groups. Continue reading » This week's Deb Ball topic is book titles and covers!
Like many authors, getting my cover for BECOMING BONNIE was a moment I eagerly awaited. But, unlike a lot of authors, I didn't have a strong visual of what I wanted. This is weird for me; I'm a really visual person. But, nope, my imagination kept coming up empty. I think, in part, my blank slate of expectations was because the cover had to capture so many different elements: Bonnie and Clyde (obviously), the flapper/speakeasy atmosphere of the 1920s that crashes with the stock market, a hint of danger but also Bonnelyn's initial innocence, and of course, appeal for the historical women's fiction reader... Continue reading » This week's Debutante Ball topic is about big decisions we've made as writers. I'd like to talk about that time I decided to quit writing.
Back in 2015, I wore many hats. I was a stay-at-home mom of a feisty toddler. I was a wife. I was a full-time advertising copywriter, who worked remotely while also caring for my daughter. I was growing another human being. I was trying to become a published author. All at once. And I felt like I kept dropping the ball.. Continue reading » This week, in honor of National Novel Writing Month (#NanoWriMo), the Debs are talking about our feelings about external challenges, deadlines, writing contests, and more.
I’ll just cut to the chase: I’m not doing #NanoWriMo. I like the idea. I do. And really, I thrive on pressure and tight deadlines... Continue reading » This week, in prep for Halloween, the Debutante Ball gals are writing about their biggest fears about publishing.
It's no surprise, with all its spooookieness, that Halloween comes with its own list of fears: Wiccaphobia (witches), Formidophobia (scarecrows), Coimetrophobia (cemeteries), and well, Samhainophobia (Halloween itself). It's also no surprise that publishing a book shares some of these Halloween-related phobias. I've done some soul searching, I've established a safe word (bestseller), and I'm about to share my list of publishing fears. Continue reading » This week on the Debutante Ball we’re writing about protagonists, in terms of conflict and drama. Do we make choices for them? Or let our characters lead the way?
As a writer, I'm a mixture of a plotter and a seat-of-my-pants drafter. Considering I write historical fiction (and I don't want to piss people off who study history...) I try to align with historical fact as much as possible. The beauty with BECOMING BONNIE is not much is known about Bonnie Parker's life prior to meeting Clyde Barrow. I was able to pull in facts where I could, but then drop Bonn in various scenarios and settings... Continue reading » This week on the Debutante Ball we’re doing authorly confessions. If you missed Crystal, Amy, or Lynn’s posts, get after them next (and look out for Tiffany’s tomorrow). But right now, I’m about to drop some truth on ya...
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