by Angela Smith | Aug 22, 2018 | Characters, Relationships
Characters are like children to authors. We probably aren’t supposed to pick favorites. And I usually don’t. Every character I am creating at the moment becomes my favorite at the time.
But if I absolutely had no choice but to pick a favorite, Chayton would be at the top of that list.
Chayton Clark Chambers stands for calm, cool, and collected. Not callous, critical, and careless. He respects women and has many women friends, including affable ex-relationships, so he doesn’t understand why this burning fervor for Naomi leaves him with such bitterness. She considers him a damn bartender. Never mind the fact he owns a frigging bar, the coffee shop down the street, and half the ski shops in town. His brother asks him to play nice to the haughty wardrobe stylist, but her sultry glances and pouty lips make her kisses impossible to resist.
Chayton is broody. He isn’t violent but does get jealous, especially when Naomi’s ex comes to town looking to rekindle their relationship. He doesn’t give his heart away easily, but when he does he does so 110%.
Chayton was left on his father’s doorstep when he was baby, and the only link to his mother was a portrait of her. He grew up with bitterness and abandonment issues, but the only mother he ever knew as his mother taught him about unconditional love. She gave him a jar and told him each time he felt unloved or abandoned, to drop a quarter into that jar. He now has many. He and his brother, Garret, grew up together and were very close.
Chayton is an extremist. He loves ice-climbing, Jeeping, 4-wheeling, hunting, heli-skiing, and extreme sports. He owns a bar called Air Dog, along with other businesses in town such as a ski shop. His parents are dead and, although he inherited money, he learned to invest a long time ago, so he is well off enough not to have to worry about finances.
He never thought to be ready to commit to a relationship until Naomi enters the picture. He met her in his brother’s story, Burn on the Western Slope. They became friends, but Naomi left without saying goodbye after he had gone on a day-trip with his brother to go ice-climbing and got injured. So when she returns to Tanyon to help his brother and her cousin plan a wedding, he is bitter about her. And some of his abandonment issues arise.
At the end of Chapter One, this is what he thinks of Naomi:
He was a rugged, outdoor man who owned a bar and liked to jump out of airplanes. She was a classy, sophisticated girl who dressed celebrities for a living and liked to ski down the black slopes of hell just as much as he did.
Maybe that’s why he was so attracted to her.
But hey, all of my books have happy endings, which means Chayton has a happy ending. Here is his relationship advice for having a happy ending with the person you love.
Chayton’s Relationship Advice:
Get over yourself. Seriously. It is the only way to have a good relationship. While charm is good and fun, sometimes that charm is overcompensated because of cockiness and fear. I know this from experience.
by Angela Smith | Aug 15, 2018 | Characters, Relationships
Adrienne Fuller is a nurse who knows exactly what it’s like to be in danger. She’s felt like she’s been in danger her whole life. Her brother was accused of murder when he graduated high school, and she’s the one who found the body. She spent years of her life trying to prove her brother’s innocence until he begged her to leave. She got married, divorced, and came back home to care for her father’s property, the property she grew up on, when he was also sentenced to jail time for drunk driving.
She’s learned early on not to trust the criminal justice system.
Adrienne is stronger than she gives herself credit for. And she’s way stronger than I first believed when I started writing her character. Born in the country, she moved away but never stopped loving and appreciating her country living. When she meets Zan, she surprises him by hooking her worm and running through the wilderness to survive.
Adrienne’s Relationship Advice:
Zan told you last week that he tends to be a protector and a bit controlling, and I can absolutely say that is true. And while sometimes it’s okay to be controlled, sometimes it’s downright maddening. Yes, Zan, you piss me off sometimes. My relationship advice is to not be afraid to be a heroine. Stand strong in your beliefs and have courage to do what’s right, even if it isn’t what might seem right to others. Oh, and pick and choose your battles. It’s okay to be wrong (Zan). Not everything is worth being right over. Zan is still working on doing that with me.
But most importantly, have fun together!
Read more about DARK RIDE.
by Angela Smith | Aug 8, 2018 | Characters, Relationships
Please note that these images are subject to copyright.
Zan’s Relationship Advice:
I tend to be a protector, which means I might be a bit controlling when it comes to what I feel is right. Some people might even accuse me of being harsh and rude and demanding. Okay, okay, Adrienne, stop it. I admitted to my fallacies. But because of my career, safety is my number one priority. Sometimes that means pissing people (Adrienne) off. My best piece of advice is to realize that sometimes, you have to give up control.
by Angela Smith | Aug 7, 2018 | Books
Dark Ride releases today!
Do you know what else releases today? Tailspin, from Sandra Brown. I love Sandra Brown. She’s my favorite author. So I will be celebrating my release by reading hers! I’m super excited and look foreword to this annual event. My husband always knows not to bother me when I’m reading her book, and I ordered the hardcover, hers is one of the only hardcovers I continue to order, and I will be patiently waiting for the mail to deliver my package!
So I’m celebrating my newest release with Sandra Brown. Yay!
But if you haven’t ordered Dark Ride yet, what are you waiting for? In the upcoming weeks, I will be sharing tidbits about the story and the characters, including character sketches. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for even more exclusive content!
Also, don’t forget you can continue to celebrate with me long after release day, by winning a Kindle and Gift Card! Be sure to enter the GIVEAWAY.
by Angela Smith | Aug 6, 2018 | Books, Characters, Relationships
What a ride it is to create conflicting characters! The hardest part is making sure their goals, motivation, and conflict are enough to see the story to the end.
I’ve always been drawn to characterization and personality profiles, so that’s an intriguing part of writing for me. What do you think? Are you character-driven, or plot-driven?
Hands down, my favorite part of writing is creating the characters. I research who they are, build collages for them, and ask them extensive interviews about subjects that will never get put into the book. I’d like to say I get to know my characters pretty well. I love to explore their personalities and psychological makeup.
However, it’s also one of the hardest parts of writing. Creating a character who isn’t a cliché, a cardboard cutout, who acts and reacts the same on every page but is different than everybody else. Their emotions and writing those emotions offer a huge challenge to many writers, especially when you can’t get out of your own mind. A character is happy and they smile, but that gets very old very fast, and we as readers want to know why they are happy and how they are feeling to show us they are happy, or any myriad of emotions they feel throughout the story. This is where Show Don’t Tell is a huge factor.
Backstory and a character’s background is also important and fun creating, but writers have to be careful not to reveal too much too soon, or even reveal things that aren’t necessary to the story. Does it really matter that Winona prefers green leaf lettuce over romaine?
Each character will act and react differently, even the same character on different days. We all do. But there are personalities intrinsic only to us that writers must carve into their characters to make them shine.
I love to create character sketches to keep front and center when developing my story. Sometimes the characters change, since their backstory is the first thing I create before I know anything else. And they are always telling me secrets. But, as messy as it might seem here’s an idea of what I like to do!
And now for a little bit of fun. I’m picking up another round of Wednesday Relationship Advice. Every hump day, I am going to share a character sketch of individual characters and a piece of their relationship advice.
And since Dark Ride releases Tuesday, our first character sketch will be Zan. So come back Wednesday for more about Zan and his relationship advice!
by Angela Smith | Aug 3, 2018 | Introspective
What exactly is romantic suspense?
I recently had a reader tell me that I would be better suited to contemporary romance than romantic suspense, as she didn’t think my romantic suspense was dark and gritty enough. I admit that I have had a few self-discovery issues with myself and on what genre to call my books when I first embarked on my writing journey. I’ve been off and on what to label my writing for many years.
You see, I love romantic suspense, and I grew up reading the genre and the many aspects of the genre. Many of it is dark and gritty, but it doesn’t have to be to be called romantic suspense. Romantic suspense can be thriller based or a lighter type of suspense, but danger at some level is usually involved.
So I’ve decided to keep calling my stories romantic suspense. I try to write a 50/50 spectrum and my stories are always focused on the hero and heroine falling in love. There’s always a danger element, but I sprinkle a lot of relationship building into the story. Maybe too much for some people, but it is romance after all!
So why shouldn’t I call myself romantic suspense? There are so many genres and sub-genres and different types and elements nowadays, but contemporary usually has no type of suspense, or death, or someone being kidnapped or scared for their life. I will not write cardboard romances where such and such better happen on such and such page. I write organically, intrinsically, and some of my stories are more suspenseful than others, but there is always a level of danger there. Maybe not as much as someone hopes, or maybe more. I did love listening to what this reader had to say and learning and helping to grow in her comments. But reading is very subjective, and I personally prefer my romantic suspense without all the blood and guts. Sometimes it’s more action/adventure or solving some type of crime or mystery. Final Mend is about a child kidnapping and trying to find this child and being concerned for their life in the process. And yes, someone does die. Dark Ride is about a heroine witnesses a crime and then going on the run with the hero in order to survive.
I’ve been a romantic suspense fan my entire life but recently decided to do a bit more digging on the sub-genre. After all, things do change. Here are some of the best articles I found on the subject:
https://www.autocrit.com/editing/library/unraveling-the-complexities-of-romantic-suspense/
And this article, which was amazing and pretty much defined exactly how I feel about the situation:
https://tracycooperposey.com/what-is-romantic-suspense-part-ii/
So there you have it. I am still calling my genre romantic suspense!
Any thoughts on this subject? I’d love to hear them!
by Angela Smith | Aug 1, 2018 | Relationships
I believe that, in order to keep a relationship strong, special occasions should be celebrated! It doesn’t have to be huge, but ignoring the event or acting like it’s just another day is the surest way to get into a rut and get taken for granted as well as being the one who takes your loved one for granted.
Birthdays and anniversaries are a must. They don’t have to be big. Cook your husband his favorite dinner, or buy her something she’s been eyeing for a long time. Share a glass of champagne or a bottle of wine. Have a picnic under the moonlight. Take a walk down memory lane. Seriously, you don’t have to go to the Bahamas to make special occasions memorable! Turn on some old music and dance under the stars. Whatever it takes. It’s important to not get so wrapped up in the busy-ness of everyday life that you take things for granted. Life is about the memories you make, so it’s important to strive to make new ones.
My husband and I have a tradition of cards. He always buys me a serious one and a funny one and writes a note inside. It’s the only note I ever get from him, but it’s for every major occasion. I get him two as well, and it has become such a tradition for us that it is something I always look forward to. See how simple traditions can be?
Is there something you can do to make a tradition out of special occasions?
by Angela Smith | Jul 31, 2018 | Books
To celebrate the release of Dark Ride, I am giving away an 8GB Kindle Fire 7 and a $10 Amazon Gift Card.
And if you subscribe to my newsletter, there are even more giveaways and freebies coming to you!
Click the picture to be taken to the giveaway, or ENTER HERE.
Release
by Angela Smith | Jul 3, 2018 | Introspective
Confidence.
What is confidence. Really? Google defines it as this:
o the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.
o the state of feeling certain about the truth of something.
o a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.
I have confidence. I’ve never cared much about what people thought of me—if they don’t like my hair, clothes, or personalities who cares?—and relying on someone I can trust? Sure. I’ve been married for 24 years and trust plenty of people. I know who I can rely on and who I can’t.
I have confidence in people. But appreciating my own abilities or qualities? That is where I lack confidence.
Sure, if someone pays me a compliment about my hair, makeup, or t-shirt I can easily say thank you and truly mean it. I have confidence that I know my job mostly backwards and forwards and everywhere in between and I can easily stand up for myself or someone else. But if someone pays me a compliment about what I did in my job, or my book! Especially my book! Then I’m like…well…just doing my job….thanks…but deep inside I question the authenticity. Or I make excuses (all while saying thank you of course!)
What is it about our being able to display confidence for our work? And maybe it’s not just the work that pays the bills, but it’s the work of our creativity, the thing we really love doing, the thing that matters the most to us that we have such a hard time accepting appreciation?
Do you find yourself doing this? Do you find yourself downplaying some of your strengths, your creativity, or your accomplishments?
I had a great talk with someone this evening, and we talked about my job as a legal assistant and working for the District Attorney’s Office for twenty years. Since I write romantic suspense, I rarely write about my job, but I can use this in my writing or in helping others in their writing (which I have done). She told me how much this can be an advantage for people who aren’t familiar with this type of work but for me it’s “everyday stuff” and it’s an “expertise” because it’s my “day job”. What a great reminder to me when I’m doubting the authenticity of my creativity (especially when it comes to releasing a new book!) But it was also such a reminder of how easy it is to downplay what we are good at. Because I almost did!
My favorite quote has always been by Marianne Williamson:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?”
This quote has always been so true to me. I’m not blaming my family by any means. I had a large one, and I never wanted to stand out. They all love to shoot and the men are quite good at it. One day we were all skeet shooting. I could never beat my dad or my cousin. But man that day I was in my game! I was on top of the world and I won! Over some of the best shooters I know! I was happy and excited and thrilled. And someone in my family (no sense in saying who but it wasn’t one of the ones I beat) said “well now we’re never going to stop hearing her brag.” But the thing is, I have never been a braggart and this woman should have known this. But it isn’t the only time I’ve been shot down like that by someone I love and respect more than almost anyone else in the world. Someone who has been my lifeline of love and support and not because they are mean or trying to verbally abuse you, but because it’s just simply one of those things in life where people don’t think before they speak. I feel like I have to say that I was never verbally abused. (In this day and age I have to affirm that it wasn’t like that) but it really hurt me and it’s words she will never remember and I will never forget. Because what’s wrong with a little bragging?
It was also an aha moment for me. No wonder I never want to tell anyone of all the awesome things happening in my life. No wonder I didn’t tell people of my writing for a really long time and still cringe when people who know me ask about it. No wonder I continue to downgrade that accomplishment of mine. It’s not just that comment, but several leading up to that one, many I have already forgotten and not just by one person. My life, and the world, and family, and friends and well meaning people and love you and claim they want the best for you.
So what is the point in my story? I am trying, really really hard, to shine. I am trying to get my book known, not because I want to be famous (that’s the last thing on my mind), but because I want to sell books so I can continue to write. Because I love writing. Writing is as much of an art to me as painting pictures or restoring furniture or making music. And artists need to be noticed in order to survive. It’s sad but true. You are supposed to write for yourself, but if you are only treading water trying to keep afloat, it’s a lot easier to give up. You put your art out into the world to somehow find meaning. And I might continue to let my day job and all my other responsibilities get in my way, but I would still like to know I shared something creative with the world.
As a child, many in my century (okay not the right word but I’m going with it) were taught to be careful, don’t brag, don’t put yourselves above others. And although I don’t believe we should be selfish—that’s something entirely different—I do believe that this way of thinking has done some damage to our psyche. I’ve had plenty of family who love me who have also insulted me like I was a “paperback writer” and you know what? None of that matters to me. I am doing what I love. Even if it is a slow process of forgiving myself.
So yeah, that’s my mind at the moment. I have gotten really good at tuning out what I need and the emotions I am feeling (but that’s a post for another day if ever). Creativity is hard! Some share it openly, and some don’t. Maybe there’s a reason or a history behind it, or maybe it’s a trait individual to each person. Whatever it is, I hope we will let our light shine, even if it puts others in the shadows!
What about you? Do you have a hard time letting your light shine?
by Angela Smith | May 31, 2018 | Guests
Today’s Guest Post is from Susanne Matthews!
Welcome, Susanne!
Good morning and thanks for inviting me to visit your blog again. Today, I would like to talk about a unique opportunity I had, one that at first didn’t seem like an opportunity at all. When Simon and Schuster closed the Crimson Romance imprint, many Crimson authors, including myself, found themselves in a terrifying position. What would happen to our books?
While we commiserated with one another, many of us had to make decisions, the first one being whether or not to request our rights to the books published originally with Crimson. I had eight books with Simon and Schuster, all of them as part of the Crimson Romance Imprint, and several of those books were in bundles with similar stories. Not sure what to do, I waited and watched sales, biding my time. In the end, I decided to ask for the rights to my first three romance suspense titles—On His Watch, Fire Angel, and In Plain Sight.
While the rights reversion letter would allow me to publish them as they were, I chose to review the books and revise them. As much as my Crimson editor was an exceptional one, there were things I had to leave out of that version that I felt impacted the story, so this time, I’m releasing what someone described as the “author’s cut” the story told the way I had planned.
While I write in many genre’s my strength appears to be suspense thrillers with a soupçon of romance—think Castle. There’s a romantic element there, but it isn’t the dominant aspect of the book. For Crimson Romance, it had to be. Now, while it’s still there, romance takes a back seat to the crime.
These three novels have a common trope: revenge. That gave me the idea to publish them as a series, but more than that, it gave me the opportunity for a “do over.”
I doubt I’m the only writer who looks at my critical reviews and thinks, I could fix that. That’s what I did. I looked at the comments and set to work. While the bulk of On His Watch hasn’t changed, I’ve added new scenes and more than six thousand words to the story. I’ve amped up the suspense, added a bit more to the romance and have made it the first book for my series, Vengeance Is Mine.
As a compulsive editor, the chance to review and revise my books is an opportunity I never expected. Tightening the plot, making sure no details got ignored or forgotten was a thrill. Now, it’s up to the readers.
Blurb for On His Watch
You can’t outrun the past.
On leave from the FBI, Special Agent Jason Spark is enjoying some welcome peace and quiet when he’s called on to help the local sheriff’s department check out a 911 call. Expecting a prank or misdial, he unwittingly steps into a horrifying bloodbath straight out of a Hollywood slasher movie, complete with clues scrawled on the wall.
Nikki Hart’s husband and son are killed, but she survives, badly beaten and barely clinging to life in a coma. When she awakens, she doesn’t know her name, recognize her face, or remember anything about herself and her past. Terrified, and unsure of whom to trust, she clings to the memory of the angel who comforted her in her darkest moments.
The investigation turns up a prime suspect: The Butcher, an elusive hired assassin for the Sicilian mob. As the news of Nikki’s recovery spreads, putting her in this ruthless killer’s sights again, Jason will do whatever it takes to protect the woman he’s learning to love.
Nikki’s beginning to believe Jason might be the angel who protected her in her dreams. But when she learns about the secret role he played in the worst day of her life, can she ever forgive him?
On his Watch, Book One of the Vengeance is Mine Series is available exclusively through Amazon and is part of the Kindle Unlimited program. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D3RKDLK
Thanks again for this opportunity to visit your blog.
Thanks for coming, Susanne! And great news! Susanne has offered a free copy to a random winner. The only caveat? You must make a comment to be in the drawing! Winner will be chosen on Sunday evening. Thanks for visiting, and thanks for stopping by again, Susanne!
by Angela Smith | May 30, 2018 | Relationships
Relationships are all about trust. Trusting others and trusting yourself.
For some people, it isn’t easy to trust others. And it’s not because they themselves are untrustworthy. Sometimes they might be nothing but honest, even too honest, but maybe they’ve been scarred in life and relationships and have a hard time trusting others.
Maybe sometimes they don’t even trust themselves.
This happened to Reagan, in Burn on the Western Slope. She starts out a tad gullible, too vulnerable, but with a strong spirit and personality. She knows what she wants but has a hard time going after it. She’s built her life around being comfortable, pleasing her parents, finding her place in her job and in her life.
Then she meets Garret. Nothing about Garret is comfortable.
Trust requires a vulnerability not many of us are willing to experience.
Trust is so important in a relationship. My relationship started at a young age, where I had no idea what it was to truly trust. I already had abandonment issues because of my parents’ divorce and my mother’s way-too-early-death. That’s not something I blame them for or could control at the time. Looking back, I wasn’t always an easy wife to get along with (okay, that’s still true today!) Trust requires a vulnerability not many of us are willing to break … share … experience.
Trusting in others means having enough trust in ourselves to handle whatever might happen. And losing trust in someone … when Reagan discovers Garret’s deception, she has to learn a few things about herself before she is willing to forgive. And I believe that is something we all must face in our quest for strong, healthy and trustworthy relationships. It isn’t the only thing to strengthen a relationship, but it should be a top priority.
Sometimes trust means recognizing and appreciating those vulnerabilities in others.
Instead of succumbing to my abandonment issues and other such things, I decided to acknowledge them. The whys and wherefores of why I felt the way I did. Confronting your past and the circumstances that make you you is important to understand why you are the way you are and what you can do to change it. It also means recognizes and appreciating those vulnerabilities in others.
Because of my job in the District Attorney’s Office, I deal with trust issues a lot. Young children abused by someone they trusted the most. It’s heartbreaking. And although some of those kids might struggle with that for the rest of their lives, the strength I have seen them displayed as they take the stand to testify against those defendants is something I hope they will remember about themselves forever. Because no matter what they faced, they faced the worst type of distrust and was able to testify against it. They stood strong and had a bravado not many adults could face.
Do you have trust issues? Is there a particular thing that happened to you that caused it and if so, what can you do about it? How can you use those circumstances to make yourself, and your relationship, stronger?
by Angela Smith | May 23, 2018 | Guests
Hi! I’m Christy Newton, romance author of sixteen published books and counting. I am a hopeless romantic, yes hopeless, because I’m in love with love. My stories are a reflection of my real-life romance with my hubby of twenty-two years this July. There is not a day in our marriage that we have not said I love you, not kissed, not hugged, or held hands (except for a week that I was out of state for a wedding, but we still said I love you over the phone) We are affectionate and have been from day one. That’s not saying we haven’t had our bad times … there have been many. But, we’ve matured together, kept each other young, handled losses together, and have raised two amazing daughters. He is my family, my friend, my lover, and my heart. I wish I could just say that I’m lucky in love, but the honest truth is marriage is a living entity that needs to be continually nourished or it will die.
I’d like to share my relationship advice I have learned over the years. Communication is key. Your partner/spouse is not a mind reader. You must let them know what you like and don’t like, what you expect, and what you need. And it goes both ways, they must do the same for you. Be affectionate. I completely believe simply touching my husband every day makes us closer, connected. Share your hopes and dreams often. This is especially important in hard times. We aren’t rich and there have been so many days we couldn’t even go out to dinner, but that never stopped us from dreaming about what we would do when we could. Which brings me to fantasy. A sprinkle of make-believe is not only fun, but healthy. Hubby made my dreams come true by taking me to a castle and even dressing up with me. He was a good sport and maybe even enjoyed it 😉
Lastly, my advice is to have hobbies that you like to do together, but also, ones that you like to do alone. Everyone needs a bit of space. I enjoy reading, being crafty, and binge-watching shows. When I’m not spending time with my hubby, my daughters, or enjoying my hobbies, I am tapping away on my next book. I love new readers, please enter my giveaway! & If you want to check out what I’ve written, here are some links. Xoxo Christy
*GIVEAWAY:
https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/40e55c03ff2d884a
*Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christy-Newton/359791990763912
*Twitter: @CNewtonAuthor
*Author Website: www.christynewton.com
*Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=christy+newton
*Author Amazon Page:
amazon.com/author/christynewton
