Category: Uncategorized

I haven’t entered too many contests in my writing time, but I’m happy to say I’ve done reasonably well in the contests I have entered. Contests are a great way to receive feedback on your work without sending it to an editor or agent, and often the feedback can help you improve your work. This is true mainly because you will generally get that feedback from more than one person. If one agent or editor says, “Your characters need more conflict,” well, you can always brush that off as one person’s opinion. (Not that you should but you could.) However, if four out of five judges tell you that, it’s not something you can let roll off your back. It’s a pretty sure thing you need to take a second look at your conflict.

The thing I’ve enjoyed most about contests, though, is when I’ve judged them. It gives you the chance to see lots of different writers’ work—from really good to…maybe needs some work. And it’s not like grading papers, which, after 12 years of teaching high school boys I’ve done enough of. It’s like summarizing the good and bad points but without having to redline each and every sentence. Plus, you might spot a problem that reminds you of something in your own work, but which you can’t see in your own work. Judging is a win-win!

Based on my experience, I’d say we should all enter contests and volunteer to judge them, too. It can’t help but help us either way.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

There are a lot of tasks I really don’t enjoy doing that much, truth be told. I’m not crazy about vacuuming. I truly dislike dusting. I don’t mind putting dishes in the dishwasher but find I dislike unloading it and putting everything away. But I really truly hate going grocery shopping.

I blame the dislike on my childhood. We didn’t have much money when I was growing up—enlisted men in the Navy didn’t make much and even with Mom working to supplement the family income, we couldn’t afford to splurge on much. Consequently, Mom used to drag me away from the latest book I was reading to go to the commissary once a week where we had to compare weight to cost of everything, shake cans to see which green beans had more liquid than beans, and find the lowest price on the hamburger. No one could make a process out of shopping like my mother. Me? I had that book burning up the shelf at home. I would have thrown the food in the cart—weight/cost ratio be damned—and zipped to the checkout. Which, if you’re familiar with military retail outlets, you know is not the easiest of things. Food needed to be kept by type (no mixing the frozen food with the canned veggies) and with prices up and facing the cashier. Or maybe with scanners now that isn’t a worry. When Mom and I shopped, the checkout people could read you the riot act if everything wasn’t as stated clearly on posted information sheets in each cashier’s aisle. With the entire base’s military families to serve, the commissary was about speed as well as accuracy.

So that explains my dislike for hitting the grocery store. It’s still a necessary evil, but then, a girl’s got to eat, right?

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
“Sexy, witty, and fun” Naval Maneuvers

Now, I’m not saying that no one but my family would understand this, but I know that the families I’ve met since growing up are not like mine in this particular regard: PDA. Yep, public displays of affection. My family—or at least, my mom’s family—knows no bounds when it comes to PG-rated affection in front of the world. I spent my childhood being hugged to near death by aunts and uncles, and wiping wet smooches (and lipstick) from my cheeks. All of the women in mom’s family thought it was their duty to make sure my face was smudgeless. I can’t tell you the number of times one of them would lick their thumbs (or a napkin or a Kleenex) and then swipe it across my cheek to remove some phantom speck of dirt. They always added a smile and a hug afterward, so I knew they did it only so I could be as perfect as they imagined I could be. Lol! Who wouldn’t feel loved?

Now the problem is, I grew up thinking all families were like that. Instead, to my complete confusion, I married into a family who thought a handshake was a bit too much emotion to display in public. They accept my hugs and kisses because they love me but I know my actions are alien to them, even after all these years. Acceptance is one thing, but I never would consider licking my thumb to wipe a smear of chocolate from my mother-in-law’s face. 😉

So, who has made the greatest adjustment in our marriage? I have, of course. It’s a lot easier to tone down a learned activity than it is to begin one. I still get all the wet smooches and hugs from my mom and aunt. And when hubby and I are alone, it’s Katie bar the door. I might not wipe off a smear of chocolate on hubby’s face, but kiss it off? Oh, yeah!

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here: MFRW Blog Hop.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers Available now as a pre-order for $2.99 until March 9!

I’d always heard you should write what you know and where you feel comfortable within your genre. And I had done that for years in contemporary erotic romance. But when I felt the need to change things up a bit, I listened to someone who said ménage was the best new big thing and that I could have some great success if I tried it. So I did—for many books and a lot of time. Not the smartest thing I ever did. It was fun to stretch my writing muscles, but I since I’ve never pictured myself in a ménage, I don’t think my writing came across as authentic.

I’m not saying that writers shouldn’t get out of their comfort zones, but for me it just didn’t work. On the other hand, I have also tried paranormal and historical and they worked out well, so maybe I was just too ingrained in my own sexual comfort zone to experiment successfully with the other. Or maybe I had the wrong purpose in mind. (Shame on me!)

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Naval Maneuvers Available now for pre-order at the sale price of $2.99 until March 9.

Gosh, answering this presents a smorgasbord of choices and I can only pick five?? On the other hand, it’s like someone comes up to you on the street and says, “Tell me five of your favorite things in the world,” and suddenly you can’t think of a one. So… (tapping index finger against chin while deep in thought) who do I choose?

1. Margaret Mitchell: Who wouldn’t want to meet someone who came up with the line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”? Mitchell wrote a soap opera about one of the worst times in American history and made us all want more. Then she dusted off her hands and didn’t give us more. That’s a woman who knew what she wanted to write and did it. End of story. Literally. (Shake turnip at sky and vow always to be hungry for more Gone with the Wind.)

2. Lauren Layne: I love her work! She writes some of the best dialogues and her characters are always interesting and multi-dimensional. I’d like to have coffee with her, and maybe a Danish? (A pastry, not a man.) And laugh. She seems like a person who would laugh a lot.

3. Agatha Christie: My mom was a great reader and loved Agatha Christie so I reaped the benefit of always having her books around the house to read with a good apple. Such staying power! She wrote really good mysteries (though not always fair mysteries—she did often make the killer someone no one knew about until the final chapter) and led a very interesting life. Once I wanted to be an archaeologist and I’d love to hear all about her journeys in that arena.

4. Jane Austen: Like most of the world’s female population, I too fell in love with Mr. Darcy. I was an adult when I first read Austen. I’m not sure I would have appreciated her humor and her take on the gender wars of her time if I’d read her in high school or maybe not even in college. I think she must have been quite interesting but I might have had to give her a shake if we’d met and yell, “Live a little for yourself, woman!” Doing so could have caused a stir in the Bath teahouse where we were enjoying crumpets and scones.

5. Henry Fielding: If for no other reason but than I loved Tom Jones (that eating scene was messy but still a bit sexy), I’d like to meet Fielding. But he also seems like a genuinely nice person. Learning about his times from his perspective would be a great experience.

Did you notice a food theme throughout? Time for dinner…

I consider myself truly fortunate to have met some fabulous authors when I became part of the Liquid Silver Publishing group. I wrote a book (Resolutions) with three of them: Leigh Wyndfield, Jasmine Haynes (for erotic romance, Jennifer Skully for the sweeter stuff), and Vanessa Hart (for erotic romance, Cheryl Norman for the sweeter stuff). Terri Schaeffer is also a friend from LSB, and another Terri, Terri Olson, I met later on. All of these ladies are smart, interesting, and some of the most fabulous writers ever. I’m so lucky to be among their colleagues!

Check out the next post in this blog hop.

Thanks!
Dee
Coming soon: Naval Maneuvers from Black Velvet Seductions

Is a rose by any other name just as sweet really? Maybe not. Names carry meanings, after all.

As writers, we often spend an inordinate amount of time searching for the best names for our characters. I particularly have a hard time finding a name easy to type (yes, it’s true. I use the two finger method and not all names are created the same for us non-typers. I named a character Margaret once and had a devil of a time typing those letters in the right order.), that sounds and means what I want. Most of us want a male name to sound strong. Maybe a female name, too. Or maybe a sweet name for the female protagonist would be nice and a mean sounding one for her nemesis is just the ticket. So out of curiosity, I decided to look up name meanings. For both the girl and boy names below, I used a baby naming site.

Boys:
Aaron (Hebrew, Exalted one)
Brand (English, Proud)
Cullen (Irish, Handsome)
Morgan (Scottish, Sea Warrior)
Will (English, Resolute Protector)

Girls:
Cherri (French, Beloved)
Haley (Scandinavian, Heroine)
Patricia (Latin, Noble)
Sonya (Russian, Wisdom)
Yvonne (French, Archer)

It was fun just reading down the lists to see names I’d never heard of before (Dawnette—Sunrise or Wacian—Alert) or names not much in use anymore (Mildred—Gentle advisor or Valentine—Strong). There are lots of different sites to learn about names and the research is good—if you don’t get too carried away. Not that I ever do… 😉

Visit me and other authors on Nomad Authors for sweet romance (Anne Krist), shifters and ménage (Jenna Stewart), when you just want MORE (Francis Drake), and historical sexy romance (Amber Carlton)!

I just read a blog post by Javacia on See Jane Write that has sparked a goal for the month of February. She advocates that we need a break from working blinding toward a goal. Rather, she thinks that we will work better and with greater faith that we will reach our goals—including our writing goals—for the month if we treat ourselves a little each day. I agree! It’s like being able to work with a clearer mind if you take a short break. So let’s try to give ourselves a treat of some kind every day. Here are some of Javacia’s suggestions. My own suggestion? Find a quiet place to close your mind off from work and close your eyes for 10-15 minutes. Just open you mind and let your thoughts quiet. You’d be surprised what that little bit can do for your well being. And your work!

Will you join the challenge? How will you treat yourself today?

Love ourselves, love each other, love our writing!

I will always thank my mom for instilling in me a love of reading, from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Sartre and Kant. At the risk of sounding kinda shallow, however, the books I’ve loved and turn back to time after time are not on the Sartre end of the reading scale. The first book I remember reading outside good old Nancy was a YA offering called When Sara Smiled (Kathleen Robinson). That book has stayed with me all these years because it had a smidgen of romance and was about a girl about my age, plus, it led into other growing up type books like Then Came November (Nan Gilbert) and Minnow Vail (Winifred Cover). But another reason Sara stayed with me is because of the contrast between the early 1960s and the cultural change that smashed into all of us just a few years later was so extreme. The teens in those books had problems, sure, but those problems paled in comparison to drugs, free love, and rebellion that went far beyond rock and roll.

Eventually books like When Sara Smiled led to my favorite book of all time, Doctor Zhivago (Boris Pasternak) that taught me through beautiful prose and imagery about another cultural revolution. Let’s face it. There are too many wonderful books to pick just one! 😉

Thanks!
Dee
Naval Maneuvers coming soon from Black Velvet Seductions

The other night hubby and I were at one of our favorite family-style restaurants in town. Our server wore a pair of glasses that one couldn’t help but notice—and I did. They were tortoise shell in color but with large frames that boasted small little flares on the outer tops. Like wings or cats’ ears. I loved them. Finally, I had to comment on how cute they were. She proudly told me that she’d bought them online and how inexpensive they were. “And they’re prescription, too!”

Now, it wouldn’t have occurred to me that she would be wearing a pair of glasses with plain glass in the frames. She wasn’t purely showing off. She needed glasses and she bought flamboyant frames to hold the prescription glass. I loved it! They really seemed to suit her personality.

I have worn glasses since I was 15. I’ve never considered wearing contacts and the main reason is I’ve always considered glasses to be a way to hide. I was always kind of shy (still am in groups larger than four or five) and glasses were a good method of holding myself back from others. Since seeing our cute waitress and how happy she seemed to be “out there,” I’ve thought about the difference between us and how it shows in something as simple as a pair of glasses.

What’s your style? Do you hide behind glasses or some other device?

Or do you happily let your personality shine?

To write or not to write. That is the question, to paraphrase the bard. I took this question to mean what would I be if I couldn’t be a writer, instead of what would I do if I couldn’t write books on the side. Let’s see. If not a writer, I’d have been a clerk, a librarian, a truck driver, a teacher, a technical writer, and an editor, in various, multiple scenarios.

Fact is, I never planned to be a writer. I didn’t grow up saving journals stacked high full of stories I’d imagined for years, or regaling my friends and relatives with fantasy and other tidbits of make believe. I’d always planned to be something in medicine or archaeology. When I attended college there were no writing courses or fine arts degrees, so I suppose it’s not so strange that I never thought of writing as any kind of pastime, much less a career. Instead, a few years after graduation, hubby and I went trucking. Then suddenly I had lots of opportunities to make up stories about places and people we’d seen stories I kept stored in my mind.

Years later, when I was hard up for something to do with myself for a few months, my husband suggested I take some of those ideas and put them into a book. That’s the first time I ever considered the wonderful world of authorship and for a few years all I did was write. It was glorious! If someone had tried to make me stop then, I’d have poked them with my virtual pen. Then life stepped in and I went back to work full time. Now I’ve come back to writing again and it’s like coming home in the best way. So what would I do if I couldn’t write? Nothing else so rewarding or satisfying.

Dee S. Knight website
Naval Maneuvers coming soon from Black Velvet Seductions