Tag: rlfblog

In the beginning…there was Prologue #MFRWauthor

Is there anything better than starting a book and the romance/mystery/thrill/atmosphere is set up well? That can’t always Great opener!happen in the first chapter because you have to be concerned with character introduction and plot hints. But using a prologue, the author can spend all of his/her time engaging the reader with emotion in what follows. You know me—I’m all for engaging!

According to Quora, some great prologues can be found in these books (and in others, of course):

  • Harry Potter (Book 1)
  • Water for Elephants
  • The Piano Tuner
  • The Alchemist
  • Shutter Island

Kristen Lamb has some reasons for not using prologues.

  • If it’s nothing more than an information dump
  • If the sole purpose is to hook the reader (don’t do this! Too many people skip prologues.)
  • If the prologue is too long
  • If it has nothing to do with the story (Now, why would anyone do that??)

And more.

It would be interesting to compare the “good” prologues to the “bad” #amwritingexamples and see where the author might have gone wrong. As for me, I never skip prologues. I might not read the rest of the book if the prologue is terrible, but at least I’ll have a good reason for it.

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 to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!

The End… Oh wait! There’s an Epilogue! #MFRWauthor

I’m one of those readers who enjoys an epilogue. I like it if a story ends satisfactorily, but I always like to find out what came “after.” Do the two The end or not?protagonists become engaged? Once they’re married are they happy? Do they have children? It seems that children or the announcement of a pregnancy are routinely in the epilogue of historical romances, and I like that little bit extra. It’s like biting into a chocolate—really good in itself—and finding a caramel filling that you didn’t expect. A step beyond satisfying and into the realm of happy.

Writer’s Digest gives six reasons why an epilogue is used effectively:

  • Tying up loose ends when the story itself ends abruptly.
  • To highlight the lessons told in the story and letting the reader know that justice has been done.
  • Detailing information not covered in the story, as in if a character is sick or circumstances are left unfinished.
  • Explaining a future for the characters.
  • Using a secondary character to explain circumstances and thus make the story more realistic.
  • Outlining futures for a large cast of characters.

I think all epilogues are used to answer the emotional questions a reader might have, though. And since I like romance, an emotional finish to a taleEpilogue is what I long to read. I have used them myself, and even enjoy reading them then. 😉

So, hooray for epilogues! Long may they live!

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

Dr. Mel Crandall has quite a problem!

Meet Mel Crandall on RLFDr. Crandall is a great person. She’s smart, well liked and respected, has interesting hobbies. One problem. She was raised in the military (the Marine Corps, no less!) and has a firm grip on her decision not to live the wife of a military man. How sad then, that she’s let herself fall in love with a naval officer! Find out more about Mel in my blog post on Romance Lives Forever (RLF)!

Mel and David Stimson fall in love hot and hard in Weighing Anchor, Naval Maneuvers.

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

The Three Heroines of Naval Maneuvers

Naval Maneuvers is a book in three parts. In each, the heroines show off their talents in very individual ways. In Weighing Anchor, Dr. Melissa Crandall is a woman raised in the Marine Corps and who developed a real distaste for military life. What is she to do when she falls in love with a Navy man?

In the back seat, Mel reached for him immediately and he embraced her. “You must think I’m pretty fast,” she said.

“You’re perfect. I think this taxi is too damn slow, though.” He nipped at her neck until he reached her ear. “I want you, Melissa.”

“I hope so,” she whispered against his neck. “I think tonight is a pretty sure thing.”

In Anchor Home, Patricia Wells meets her first love again after thirteen years, heartfelt secrets, and a deep distrust lay betNaval Maneuvers by Dee S. Knightween them.

Pat Welles stopped dead as she entered the elevator. An instrumental rendition of “The Way You Look Tonight” played on the Musak. She hadn’t heard the song in years, and immediately she went back in time, back to her senior prom and the boy who’d held her close.

“Excuse me,” a voice said from behind her, and she gave herself a mental shake to bring her back to the present. But as she moved to the corner and plastered herself to the elevator’s mirrored wall, her heart took on a staccato beat and she drifted again. Sam Turner. Lord, she hadn’t thought of him in years. But the magic of music—of that song in particular—led her to feel his arms around her once more, if only virtually.

My favorite heroine in the book, Carissa Walker, is a JAG lawyer in Dropping Anchor. Unbeknownst to her, the man she meets up with and falls in love with is also a Navy man, but not an officer. Developing a relationship goes against military regulations–regs she is duty bound to uphold. She’s a strong, very sexy woman and when she finds Todd Baxter in the North Carolina woods (or rather, when he finds her!) her fate is decided.

Sighing, she dragged herself to her feet and started up the five yards of hillside that looked more like a mountain. When she was close to the top, he extended his hand. She took it and another spark sizzled up her arm, across her shoulder, ran circles around her nipples and zipped right to her core. Good God! He was like a sexual magnetic pole. If she pointed her compass at him, the needle would snap right to S-E-X.

Come and meet Carissa and learn some of her secrets on the Romance Lives Forever blog. I hope once you visit with her for a few minutes you’ll want to learn more about her–and about Mel and Pat, too!

Thanks!
Dee

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

Best Thing EVER–Cosplay with Nik and Bringer of Chaos!!

I’d like to share some exciting news: this September, a cosplay on Instagram will feature Kayelle Allen’s Bringer of Chaos!! How exciting for Kayelle and great news for the rest of us. Congrats, Kayelle!!

Photo shoot live on Instagram with Nik as Pietas

The first weekend in September 2018, Nik will portray Pietas, the immortal king from the Bringer of Chaos series by Kayelle Allen. The cosplay will be performed in a live feed from Russia. To take part, follow Nik on Instagram. Exact date is September 1, 2018 at 7 a.m. Eastern (2 p.m. Moscow). Meet the immortal king Pietas live on Instagram #SpaceOpera #Cosplay @kayelleallen @nitsvetov

 

 

About Nik

Nik Nitsvetov is a photographer and award-winning cosplayer. A gamer and anime fan, he often cosplays characters from popular series. He lives in Russia and is a strong supporter of Russian Cosplay. His personal photography ranges from cosplay to portraits and often includes animals and nature. You will find him online through various social media.

Instagram – Nik Cosplay

Twitter – Nik

About Kayelle Allen

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She’s a US Navy veteran who’s been married so long she’s tenured.

Author of the Bringer of Chaos series
www.kayelleallen.com ~ www.twitter.com/kayelleallen
Find a new book every day www.rlfblog.com