This week I'm being interviewed by the hostess of Books, Movies, Reviews, Oh My! Stop by for a peek at my writing process and a unique glimpse into one of the pieces that inspired BLOODSTONE:
http://www.booksmoviesreviewsohmy.com/author-interview-helen-johannes-fantasy-romance/
Remember the Rafflecopter Giveaway runs through November 30th. There's still time to enter.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Blog Appearance
This week I'm the guest of historical romance author Mia Marlowe. We're talking about fairy tales and which ones resonate with us, both in our work and in our lives. Of course, I have a soft spot for Beauty and the Beast (or I wouldn't have written Bloodstone), but that's not the only one inspiring me. Stop by and add your thoughts to the conversation at http://miamarlowe.com/blog/
I'm giving away an e-copy of The Prince of Val-Feyridge (Kindle or Nook) to one lucky commenter.
I'm giving away an e-copy of The Prince of Val-Feyridge (Kindle or Nook) to one lucky commenter.
Friday, November 1, 2013
November Romance Giveaway!
This month I'm participating in my first ever Rafflecopter Giveaway (see links at the left. Michelle Abbott, a UK romance author organized this event.
I'm giving away an e-book copy of my new release on Amazon BLOODSTONE and an e-copy of my previous book THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE, both fantasy romances.
I hope you'll join us in checking out the sixteen books offered by 10 authors and entering for a chance to win the book(s) of your choice from now until November 30th.
To read more about the books offered, see Michelle Abbott's website at http://www.michelleabbott.com/
I'm giving away an e-book copy of my new release on Amazon BLOODSTONE and an e-copy of my previous book THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE, both fantasy romances.
I hope you'll join us in checking out the sixteen books offered by 10 authors and entering for a chance to win the book(s) of your choice from now until November 30th.
To read more about the books offered, see Michelle Abbott's website at http://www.michelleabbott.com/
Monday, October 28, 2013
Fantasy Romance--What is it?
This week I'm guest blogging at fellow WisRWA author Steven Mitchell's blog on the topic of Fantasy Romance. I'm putting out my definition and hoping to get some feedback on what readers and writers identify as elements of the category. Stop over and add your thoughts at http://scmitchell.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/fantasy-romance-what-is-it/
BLOODSTONE the Kindle edition releases today at Amazon! Hooray!
BLOODSTONE the Kindle edition releases today at Amazon! Hooray!
Saturday, October 19, 2013
What do you do you do when your hero just won’t tell you his name?
You’re the author, right? You
control the story. After all, it’s all coming out of your head, isn’t it?
Now I usually haven’t had much trouble naming my main characters as soon as they appear on the page. Some friends have asked me how I can come up with such unusual names as are necessary in fantasy, but the only challenge I’ve usually had is getting the spelling arranged so the reader can pronounce them in some way close to how I hear the names in my head. Secondary characters have had their names changed on occasion, but most of them spring on the page “fully named” as soon as I conceive of them (buddies Grodar and Morys, for instance from THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE, and Rees and Pumble from my upcoming release BLOODSTONE).
But main characters—the author should know their names before she begins to write the first draft.
Tell that to my hero of BLOODSTONE.
He insisted on being “the man” for the first third of the book—or the Shadow Man, as he’s known to others—before I decided I had to figure out what he wasn’t telling me. Turns out he had a very good reason for withholding his true identity. He was in serious denial and had almost forgotten who he used to be.
Ah-ha!
Once another character unlocked his memories in a series of flashbacks, I knew who he was and how he came to be the Shadow Man. And I finally got a name. Not to mention a full sense of how the heroine would both challenge and complete him.
I don’t recommend diving into writing a story without a name for a main character. A well-chosen name tells both the writer and the reader a great deal about that person. The writer has a mental, emotional, and sometimes physical guide to that character and how he/she might react and what might motivate him/her. The reader forms an instant impression to that character. For instance, who didn’t correctly size up J.K. Rowling’s Severus Snape or Draco Malfoy as soon as either of them appeared on the page? Names are powerful or we writers wouldn’t invest so much effort in choosing the right one.
Still, if a character refuses to "play nice," perhaps he or she is telling you something and you need to dig deeper.
Now I usually haven’t had much trouble naming my main characters as soon as they appear on the page. Some friends have asked me how I can come up with such unusual names as are necessary in fantasy, but the only challenge I’ve usually had is getting the spelling arranged so the reader can pronounce them in some way close to how I hear the names in my head. Secondary characters have had their names changed on occasion, but most of them spring on the page “fully named” as soon as I conceive of them (buddies Grodar and Morys, for instance from THE PRINCE OF VAL-FEYRIDGE, and Rees and Pumble from my upcoming release BLOODSTONE).
But main characters—the author should know their names before she begins to write the first draft.
Tell that to my hero of BLOODSTONE.
He insisted on being “the man” for the first third of the book—or the Shadow Man, as he’s known to others—before I decided I had to figure out what he wasn’t telling me. Turns out he had a very good reason for withholding his true identity. He was in serious denial and had almost forgotten who he used to be.
Ah-ha!
Once another character unlocked his memories in a series of flashbacks, I knew who he was and how he came to be the Shadow Man. And I finally got a name. Not to mention a full sense of how the heroine would both challenge and complete him.
I don’t recommend diving into writing a story without a name for a main character. A well-chosen name tells both the writer and the reader a great deal about that person. The writer has a mental, emotional, and sometimes physical guide to that character and how he/she might react and what might motivate him/her. The reader forms an instant impression to that character. For instance, who didn’t correctly size up J.K. Rowling’s Severus Snape or Draco Malfoy as soon as either of them appeared on the page? Names are powerful or we writers wouldn’t invest so much effort in choosing the right one.
Still, if a character refuses to "play nice," perhaps he or she is telling you something and you need to dig deeper.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
BLOODSTONE hits the e-shelves on October 28th!
What if looking at
the face of the man you loved meant death?
Years ago, warrior Durren Drakkonwehr was cursed by a
mage. Now feared and reviled as the Shadow Man, he keeps to himself, only going
to town to trade rare bloodstones—petrified dragon’s blood—for supplies. Though
he hides his face, he can’t hide his heart from the woman who haunts his
dreams…
Needing bloodstones for a jewelry commission, Mirianna
and her father journey across the dreaded Wehrland where the beast-men roam.
When their party is attacked, only the Shadow Man can save them. Strangely
drawn to him, Mirianna offers herself in return for her father’s rescue.
Living in the ruined fortress with the Shadow Man, Mirianna
slowly realizes that a flesh-and-blood man, not a fiend hides there in hoods and darkness. But are love
and courage enough to lift the curse and restore the man?
BLOODSTONE, my Beauty-and-the-Beast-type fantasy romance debuts as an Amazon
Kindle Select title on October 28th. I hope you'll join me for an awesome
release!
Read on for an excerpt:
“What about us? What do we do?”
Only the hood rotated, cocking with exaggerated
deliberation. “Why, you die, old man.”
Her father blanched. His grip on Mirianna’s arms
faltered.
She saw the Shadow Man turn, saw the muscles of his
thighs bunch as he prepared to leap down the hillside, saw, in the corner of
her eye, shapes gathering along the tree line below, horrible shapes she’d seen
only hours before rushing at her from a darkened clearing. With a shudder, she
broke from her father’s grasp.
“Please!” She reached out to the black sleeve. “Help us!”
He recoiled at her touch like one snake-bitten. The
sudden, sharp focus of his regard staggered her, but she backed no more than a
step. No matter how he terrified her, he’d helped her once. She’d been led to
him again, and not, her instincts told her, without reason.
“Please,” she repeated. “Help us. I—we’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
His voice was a whisper that caressed flesh. Mirianna’s
stomach quivered. Her breasts tingled. Her mouth grew even drier. Without
thinking, she slid her tongue along her lips. Vaguely, she wondered what she’d
done. And why time seemed suspended, as if everyone but she and the Shadow Man
had been cast in stone and all sound arrested. All sound except the taut,
guttural repeat of his question.
“Anything?”
Monday, September 2, 2013
And now for something completely different...
I enjoy baking, and I enjoy fairy tales, and I especially enjoy romance. What about combining all three--just for fun?
Recipe
for a Fairy Tale
Take
one orphan teenager
Add
a wicked stepmother
Toss
in two cruel step-sisters
Combine
with beatings and press under a heavy work load
Let
stand several years
Prepare
one handsome prince in need of a wife
Arrange
a fancy dress ball
Combine
with a dash of pomp, a teaspoon of circumstance, and one full tablespoon of
glitz
Measure
one cup of fairy godmother and sift with a liberal helping of magic
Add
to previously battered orphan
Stir
in prepared prince and fancy dress ball
Caution:
Some lumps will remain
At
midnight separate two glass slippers
Add
one to princely mix
Reserve
one for topping
Bake
several days in despair and confusion
Topping: Combine three-fourths cup of proclamation and
reserved glass slipper
Sprinkle
liberally over all
Dust
with happiness
Serves
two
That's my recipe. How about yours? What's your favorite fairy tale recipe?
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