Do you have all your stories planned out?

That was Elizabeth's question to me ... two weeks ago, because I've been a bad girl and not blogged for ages :(

The quick answer to that is, no. I have a beginning planned, and I usually have up to three endings planned, and then I have a few key points in the middle planned, and I leave everything else up to chance, and occasionally the things that I have planned will change. But I love writing this way. For me, it gives the characters the best chance possible to grow. The downside is that sometimes the blurb has to change - a total pain when you've already made promo materials! But hey, it makes all the stuff that little bit more exclusive :)

And speaking of characters and stories, I have some awesome stuff happening right now over Halloween:

1. Claim Lawrence as your paranormal book boyfriend here (and win signed stuff) - http://closeencounterswiththenightkind.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/troll-y-yours-speed-date-party-hour-9.html (and check out ALL the authors taking part)
2. Contest for limited edition signed swag for The Spell of Summer here - https://www.facebook.com/events/525653997517504 (The cover and blurb reveal is tomorrow with more chances to win.)
3. A $10 or £10 Amazon gift voucher will be up for grabs from 2nd - 16th November - go to number two's link to keep updated.

Have spooky fun tonight!

Dianna xx

What inspired you to write a fairytale retelling of Rapunzel?

Dianna's question for me today: What inspired you to write a fairytale retelling of Rapunzel?

A fabulous question picked due to the re-release of my - you guessed it - modern retelling of the fairytale Rapunzel. Razel Dazzle is the story of Razel D'Punz, the hottest supermodel in america. She is young, beautiful, rich, and a the top of her career, what more could a girl ask for?

Freedom of choice, maybe?

Razel is kept in a hectic, and strict work schedule by her agent, Gabriella D'Punz who also happens to be her mother and the founder of Ivory Tower Modelling Agency; the number one agency in the US. Gabriella plans out her days, and basically dictates what Razel will be doing every second of her life.

Razel does what she is told, goes where she is told, and speaks only when spoke too . . . But what happens when a charming and handsome young photographer named Matthew Prince walks into her life?

The inspiration for this story was a little straightforward to being with. I saw a submission call for fairytale retelling, and basically thought, "why not?" I love fairytales, and since I was fairly new to writing - as in had finished my first ever manuscript and was hungry to dive into a new project - I thought I would give it a shot.

First of all I had to figure out which fairytale I wanted to work on. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Snowwhite, and Red Riding Hood, were already stories that had been played with quite a lot, and I really wanted to pick a fairytale that wasn't . . . Rapunzel. You didn't really hear about Rapunzel - ironically the year after the Disney movie Tangled came out - so I pulled out all my childhood books - yes, I still have all my fairytale books. What? They're classics - and flicked to the story of Rapunzel. I read through it. Refreshed myself with the basics and the sat with a notepad and pen and tried to think how I could modernize such a story. Parents give child to a witch who looks that child in a tower and uses her hair to climb up and see her . . . .

I had to step back and look at Rapunzel and what makes her different, well, her hair is the biggest point, followed by her isolation. From hair came the thought of shampoo advertisements, which led to photo shoots, which led to modelling, which led to a busy career, pressure to look good, and work hard, sacrifice, isolation . . . and the rest of the story kinda just clicked.

Razel still has the key features of Rapunzel, the long hair, the beauty, and her restriction. In this story Razel isn't locked in a tower, but in a lifestyle which she has never had any say in, and still doesn't because her mother/agent - strict pushy parent in other words - has made it that way. She has conditioned her to a life in which work takes priority, in which beauty and fame are the only things that matter.

Although Matthew doesn't climb up her hair, he does try to rescue her in her own little way. He ignites the sparks that already lie dormant inside her. Questions her lifestyle and her wants, and basically holds a mirror up to her life so she can take a good look. He's the first person to truly connect with her.

I suppose, like with most projects, once I had the pieces of the jigsaw it was easy to slot them together and see the bigger picture. The story just flowed after that, and I'm really happy I got to get to know these characters again. I think some people didn't fully understand why Razel didn't rebel against her mother like most young girls do. Believe me, I get what you're saying, but not all youngsters rebel, and it is possible for people to become conditioned to relationships and lifestyles even if we the outsiders can't understand why.

So, if you're a fan of fairytale retelling you can grab a copy of this book for 99 cents next Friday when it is released. For now I will leave you with the blurb:

Razel Dazzle
A modern twist on a long haired tale....

Will she let down her hair for the man of her fantasies?

Famous for her long, golden hair and beaming smile, Razel D’Punz is the hottest model in the industry. But although most women would kill to get ahead in this profession, Razel lives an isolated life; one she has learnt to accept...until she meets Matthew Prince, a new photographer in the business.

Refusing to let her mother/agent’s strict rules stop her from spending time with the man of her fantasies, Razel quickly discovers that one night with Matthew isn’t enough....

And neither is the life she is chained to. Something will have to change if she is ever to get her very own Happily Ever After.

Releasing November 8th

What's going on?

This is an update/catch up post, because today has been a bit of a hectic day - never good, especially when it's Monday - which has just kick started a week that promises to be crazy busy. So, I thought I would re-cap and update what's going on with my books at the moment, because you might have noticed four of them are no longer available for purchase.

I received the rights back to my urban fairytale Razel Dazzle. For full details on why I asked for them back, and for further details on everything that is mentioned in this post, please feel free to hop on over to my blog and read my BIG update post, which does go into all the details/hows and whys.

Razel Dazzle has been edited/tweaked/polished and basically improved, and will be released on November 8th, all being well. This will be the first book I have ever self-published, so my fingers are crossed that everything goes smoothly. I'm currently formatting the manuscript and I'm hoping to have it up and possibly available for pre-order by next week. *finger glued cross* 

The cover reveal has been organised by Shades of Rose Marketing and will be taking place in various places online on November 1st. Naturally, I shall be posting the cover on my own blog, and I have to say I am very excited for you all to see it. It's sooo pretty.

I'm still waiting for my edits for Truth or Dare? my fun/naughty erotic short story, contracted with Decadent Publishing. My editor told me I will have the edits soon, which I'm eager to get stuck into. So, more on that when I have news.

In regards to my other three books which are currently no longer for sale, Noble Romance Publishing has - or will be - shutting its doors. Three of my books were published with them and I received the rights back on August 21st.

Stepping Stones, which is my sweet contemporary romance is going through a major edit and then will be submitted to one of the publishers I am still with.

And The Blood Series. . . well, I always said I would self-publish this series if I got my rights back, and I plan to.

My current focus is on getting Razel Dazzle sorted and released, and then getting Stepping Stones sorted and submitted. I have a project I have been dabbling with on and off for months now, and part of me would like to get it finished before I turn my attention to The Blood Series, but the other part of me wants to just dive right on in and start editing/tweaking/polishing and improving She-Wolf and Cranberry Blood so I can get them back on sale for you all, especially because some of you are waiting for the next book in the series - have been waiting for over a year now, and I apologize for that. If you head to my BIG Update post you can read all about why there has been such a lengthy delay -  and I don't want to keep you waiting any longer.

So, with a little luck I will start work on She-Wolf just before/around Christmas, hopefully get it to an editor in January, so I can then go through Cranberry Blood, and once I am finished and ready to send that to my editor etc. I plan to start the next book in the series. I can't set an exact date, but I am aiming for May to hopefully re-release both these books, and have the sequel releasing soon after. I'm excited and nervous to get back to this series, but I want to give it proper attention. So, more news to come.

Well, I hope you have all had a better Monday then I have. I shall leave you with the blurb to my upcoming re-release, Razel Dazzle (A modern twist on a long haired tale.)

Blurb:

Will she let down her hair for the man of her fantasies?

Famous for her long, golden hair and beaming smile, Razel D’Punz is the hottest model in the industry. But although most women would kill to get ahead in this profession, Razel lives an isolated life; and one that she had learnt to accept, until she meets Matthew Prince, a new photographer in the business.

Refusing to let her mother/agent strict rules stop her from spending time with the man of her fantasies, Razel quickly discovers that one night with Matthew isn’t enough; and neither is the life she is chained too.

Releasing: November 8th

Notebook or Computer?

Diana's Question for me today: Do you ever still write chapters out in a notebook, or do you only ever use your PC / laptop?

I tend to stick to using my computer, but there are occasions when I will be sitting at my desk simply staring at the page. If fifteen minutes goes by and nothing happens, I tend to turn my computer off and grab a pen and notebook (cos I do have a couple of those) and sit down somewhere a little more comfortable and try again. In my mind if words aren’t happening, well, I would rather save some electric and go old school.

Most of the time when I am using a pen and pad I tend to end up writing dialogue for scenes with minimal detail noted down. Then, when I go to type up what I have on the computer I fill the scene out a little more. I have no idea if that is cheating slightly, but as far as I’m concerned as long as make some form of process it doesn’t really matter what is written in where and how. I tend to add more when I do edits anyway.

So, a bit of both. I prefer my computer, but I always keep a notebook handy if I’m not having a lot of luck, or if I’m away from home and therefore my computer. ;-P

eBooks vs. print books: which do you prefer?

Thank you, Elizabeth, for a great question :)

Without beating around the bush, paperbacks still win for me, both as a reader and a writer. There is nothing quite like the feel of holding a story you love, with the cover and everything.

However, I wouldn't be anywhere as an author if it weren't for eBooks. And my eReader also helps me incredibly with my editing and formatting. As a buyer, if I'm not sure about a story or new author, I'm generally (not always) paying less to try out a new one via eBook, so am more likely to try them out in the first place. Lastly, it's great to be able to go away for a few days and take my eReader, as opposed to three heavy books in my luggage (which is what I used to do).

BUT ... paperbacks still win. For some reason, the whole experience just seems more real and tangible if you're reading from a physical book. I actually hate to say that, because I am a huge fan of the eBook, but you just can't beat having a story you love in print.

Dianna x

A life of their own

Dianna's question for me today: Do you know what a character's going to be like when you start writing them? Or do they take on a life of their own and go their own way?

Short answer: They barge in and basically do whatever they want.

Every author writes differently. When I have a story idea and I know where in a characters lifeline and how I want to start that book off, I just sit and write. I've never actually thought about the characters voice, or the way they react because it just kinda comes to me. But that's not to say that I'm completely clueless about these characters, or rather, that I don't have a little say in who they are.

You see, it's all about the background information. What your character has been through. Where they have come from. The highs, lows and hopes of them. These are the things that help mould a character, which is basically the case for all of us. We are who we are because of what we have been through and how we have been brought up.

For example, Heather my heroine from Cranberry Blood (Book 1 in The Blood Series) was the first character I ever conjured or wrote. Now, the Heather you have met in the published version is nothing like the original. She is tougher, sarcastic, a little bitter, stubborn, kinda suicidal in the way she throws herself into her ridiculous situation, but she is accepting of that. She literally mocks trouble as it stands in her face, and comes up laughing after it punches her.

Why? Because her life is beyond messed up. I don't want to go into details, but Heather has the type of life that you really couldn't write about. ;-p The girl is messed up from her family line, to the family legacy, to the way she was born and the conditions in which she was born, to her somewhat isolated and strict childhood, to the fact that she is constantly fight a losing battle every day, not to mention she slays vampires, no biggie.

Everything that she is and everything she knows has made her who she is. So, I helped unearth her past. I connected the dots and lay them on the table. I have the key points of what needs to and has to happen in this ongoing story of hers, but she is the one driving it all forward, taking the lead and being herself.

The original Heather . . . she was weaker, clueless, trustworthy, shallow, and basically way out of her depth and there is nothing wrong with that, because that is a character who has a lot of room for growth. But the reason that the original was that way was because I as an author had pushed to hard to create a character to fit with this story; a story which only half worked. (As you can imagine the story was changed quite a bit and now we have the updated version.) I tried to take complete control of her and it was backfiring. I learnt my lesson, and I no longer do that. I don't create a character and then try and fit them in to a story idea I have. (I know how mad that sounds, but hey, I was new to writing.)

Now when I have an idea I just think about it, I leave it to grow, and the characters come to me, which is how it should be.

Owen for example. My Scottish Werewolf and lead of my book She-Wolf (The Blood Series Prequel), he was not happy that I had gone and wrote Heather and Brendan's story before his. He literally barged into my head when I was in the middle of working on another book, and he didn't leave me alone. Owen is an alpha through and through and he brought all of that. I had no say in who he was, just in the history of his pack and all their connections. He is a stubborn one, but I have to admit Owen is one of my fave characters, and I really cant wait to get back to him and the rest of the characters in The Blood Series.

On that note, I would just like to say that the publishers who had these books have closed their doors and I have the rights back for both She-Wolf and Cranberry Blood. (I did do an announcement on my blog, but it doesn't seem fair mentioning these books without pointing out that they are currently unavailable for purchase.) I intend to start edits/tweaking in November and my aim is to have them republished early 2014 while I work on the long awaited sequel. Heather is already prodding my brain with her sword. Needless to say she will be taking the reins the moment I allow her too. Let's hope she's not too mad at me. ;-P

Happy Monday! x

The Last Dragon Release Day

Yep - this is a release day post!

All the links are in the snippet below (click 'see more' to see more), and have a wonderful weekend :D

Post by Dianna Hardy.