There Will Be Another Sunrise: October 2013

Thursday, October 31, 2013

@OBBookTours - Guest Post - Jack Remick - Gabriela & The Widow

A Man Writes from a Woman’s Point of View

by Jack Remick

Gabriela and The Widow is the third novel I’ve written with women protagonists. Early on, I worked out a post-apocalyptic novel called Citadel and later I came up with Lemon Custard. I got some static about Lemon Custard for not pulling a Nora Helmer (from A Doll’s House) and turning Olive, my protagonist, into some kind of liberation heroine. But Olive is a regular woman with kids trying to find a way to make it when the odds roll against her. Gabriela is a different kind of woman. She’s been hurt, displaced, damaged. Writing from her POV was a challenge.

I think that men are uneasy writing in a woman’s voice but I find it provoking and rewarding. The challenges are enormous because we’re always bugged by the limiting specter of American Realism in the literary novel: Write what you know. If you haven’t lived it, you can’t write about it.

This tells us that because I’m not a woman I can’t write either for women or about women. Realism is a trap I won’t fall into even when I get the question that drives me nuts: Did this really happen?

Look at me—I’m six feet tall, weigh 190, wear cowboy boots and ride a Harley. Do I look like a 19 year old Mexican woman? No, it didn’t happen to me and it’s not based on a “True Story”. This is fiction. I love to create good women who stand toe to toe with good men. Reality belongs in a memoir. In fiction, it’s about emotion.

Fear, Love, Anger, Grief, Joy, Surprise. If you want to write human characters and bring down everything we are onto the written page, and if you want to reach into the minds and senses of readers, you give the reader what the characters feel and project. Men feel fear. Women show surprise. Women get angry, men do too. We all have the same emotions. In writing, it’s reaction that gives you character and character has nothing to do with gender.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Women’s Fiction

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Jack Remick on Twitter

Website http://jackremick.com/

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7th November – Excerpt at Paws on Books

14th November – Guest Post at eInk Reviews

@OBBookTours - Top Ten Reasons To Publish Your Own Book by Lynn Osterkamp

Top Ten Reasons To Publish Your Own Book*

by Lynn Osterkamp

You don’t have to spend months or years composing and sending out queries that you hope will interest an agent or a publisher. Instead you can focus on polishing your book.

You don’t have to write synopses, books proposals, and marketing plans that meet the specifications of agents and publishers. Instead you can create your own marketing plan that fits your book and your preferred way of promoting it.

You can choose the title and cover design that you think best represents your book—instead of having a sales team choose the title and cover design they think will sell best.

You can decide what time of year your book comes out. (The one book I had published by a major publisher was released during the Christmas holidays, right before the publisher’s PR team took two weeks vacation).

You can maintain the integrity of your book. While editing is important for any book, there is editing that improves the writing and/or the content, and then there is editing that changes your book so much you feel like someone else wrote it. And they sorta did.

You can get your book out there in the marketplace quickly. People will read and respond to your book. Isn’t that why you wrote it? Keeping a manuscript in your desk drawer for years while you shop it around to agents and publishers is discouraging, and it doesn’t get you reader feedback.

Your book will stay in print as long as you want it to be out there. Mainstream publishers don’t give books much time to catch on with readers. If the book doesn’t sell well in the first few months, bookstores will return it to the publisher. Soon it will be remaindered and out of print.

You can control the cover price of your book and whether it is hardcover, paperback, eBook, or all three. Personally, I don’t see any reason to release fiction in hardcover, except for libraries. I don’t want to pay $25 for a novel and I don’t want readers to have to pay $25 for a novel I wrote. And if you publish your own paperback book, you can buy copies inexpensively enough that you can offer good discounts to small local stores, book clubs, or other bulk purchasers. If you publish it as an eBook, you can change the price repeatedly to offer discounts and to try the effects of different price points on sales.

You retain all the rights to your book. You can put a sample chapter on your website or give a newsletter permission to publish an excerpt. If you sell a chapter to a magazine, you get all the money. If you decide to offer it as an eBook or spin off parts of it into short booklets, you can.

You can make more money. You’re going to need to do most of the promotion for your book anyway, so why not get more reward for your efforts? You make very little money per book with a traditional publishing contract. If you are your own publisher, you can, and usually do, make more per book, especially those you sell as eBooks. If you are good at promoting your book, you can do well because you get all the profits.

* Note: These advantages apply to true self-publishers—which is where the author sets up a publishing business, outsources tasks like editing, layout, cover design, and printing, and takes charge of the marketing and distribution of the book.

Buy Now @ Amazon & Smashwords

Genre - Mystery

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Lynn Osterkamp on Twitter

Monday, October 28, 2013

@OBBookTours - 10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer

10 Tips for Becoming a Better Writer

Read a lot, and not only of the genre you write about, expand your horizons by reading other genres.

Keep writing! And when writer’s block hits, and it will. Keep the juice flowing by writing descriptions of everyday objects. I have an essay about my computer mouse somewhere… Just keep writing.

Be humble.

Do the research and do it thoroughly.

Try to go beyond what you wanted to do in the first place.

Don’t overdo it!

Find an editor, no matter how good you are (or think you are) editors are your best friends.

Accept all criticism, yes, even the hateful criticism. Develop a thick skin, but not so thick as to blind you about the constructive criticism.

Trust your editor.

Don’t rush it! It will come, if you’re not satisfied with what you wrote. Erase it and write it again.

In this day and age, writers need to become marketers as well, so research and prepare a marketing plan for when that manuscript is ready.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – YA Fantasy / Adventure

Rating – G

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Julian Rosado-Machain on Facebook

Website http://www.guardiansinc.com/

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4th November – Author Interview & Book Feature at Reading Away Life

11th November – Excerpt at Aspiring Books

18th November – Author Interview & Book Feature at Need To Stop Reading

25th November – Guest Post at A Novel Design

@OBBookTours - Finding Your Voice: Writing in First Person, or Third or both by Henry Mosquera

Finding Your Voice: Writing in First Person, or Third or both

by Henry Mosquera

When I started writing “Sleeper’s Run,” I began doing so in the first person. Certain aspects of the plot aside, I wanted to write a subjective story in the present tense. Why the present tense? Because I wanted to establish a sense of urgency that befitted the relentless pace of the plot, so the reader always feels as if the story is unfolding right in front of their eyes along with the protagonist.

Some people have a problem with first person narrative, preferring the true and tried third person, past-tense approach. I did a few drafts of Sleeper’s in this fashion, and frankly, there was something amiss. The story had lost its humor and its humanity. There is just something about seeing the world through Eric Caine’s unique eyes. One of the great things about novels is a character’s ability for internalization. That inner dialog is one of literature’s greatest assets.

The change in narrative from first to third in my novel was a conscious choice to always give the reader the best point of view of the story. It’s not a new concept, but one that works pretty well in my novel. So much so, most people don’t even notice that it happens. And that’s the real trick. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, so to speak. There is a part of me that’s always trying to push the envelope. I don’t believe there are any more original stories out there, but there are a million ways to tell a story.

Granted, there’s a method to the madness. I stick to certain rules and what I do is always in pro of the plot. That’s a maxim for me, “does it enhance the story?” If the answer is no, then it goes out the window. My main objective is to submerge the reader in the book and never let go until the end. The switch to third person happens a few times to show us what is happening away from Eric Caine. It also shows up at the prologue and epilogue to symbolize something. I’m not about to give it away, but there is a reason for it.

And that’s the main issue, intent. Because I’m an indie author, some people think it’s an accident, lack of knowledge or what have you. I can assure you everything in my work has a reason for its existence. You’d be surprised at the level of consideration that went into each and every aspect of my novel. Do my choices work for everyone? Not likely. But I think it’s worth testing the boundaries. How else can you find your own voice? It is those things that set you apart from the rest that becomes your own signature.

That’s why I’ve never been a big fan of “studying” other writers. Even though my editor asked me to and I begrudgingly relented, I think you will inevitably start copying those writers with whom you feel a kinship. Then you run the risk of becoming a poor man’s so-and-so. If you like how a certain author writes, then go on and read him or her. Don’t settle for a copy. Sure, it could help you become a better writer, but you won’t find your own voice by imitating others.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Political Thriller

Rating – R

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Henry Mosquera on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://redroom.com/member/henry-mosquera

Thursday, October 24, 2013

@OBBookTours - The Jew Mob From Honest Sid by Ronald Probstein

The Jew Mob From Honest Sid

by Ronald Probstein

In the 1920s to 1940s most violent organized crime gangs were centered in New York, a large number of which were run and populated by Jews. Among them were the cohorts and killers Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, and Champ Siegel. One of the operations of Myer and Bugsy was running a group of contract killers under the sobriquet Murder, Inc. I have written principally about Champ because my father Honest Sid was a long-time friend of his having grown up with him in New York’s Jewish Harlem.

I saw something of Champ’s nature one day when as a young boy my father took me to his apartment to hand over money from a betting operation. On pages 91 and 92 I wrote of the visit:

“Near a window two very pretty, slender women stood silent and motionless, holding glasses in their hands. Nearby, three smartly dressed men in pinstriped double-breasted suits were also holding glasses, but they stared at each other intently and gestured vigorously as they talked.

My father took out an envelope and handed it to Champ. Moments after he slid the envelope into his pocket, two of the men stared to scuffle. Almost before I realized what was happening, Champ pulled a gun out of his pocket. He held it in the air and yelled.

“Cut de fuckin’ rough house! Can’tcha see, dere’s a kid here”

The men backed away from one another immediately, glaring. I had pressed myself tightly against my father’s leg and stood speechless. My father put his arm round my shoulder and said, “Listen Champ, I gotta get the kid back.””

After Champ’s wife died he left New York and went to California. On page 95:

“He tied in with Bugsy Siegel. In the next several years among other things he was arrested for mutiny on the high seas when he held the skipper of a treasure-seeking ship at bay with a shotgun. And he was indicted in a Hollywood gang killing, along with Bugsy. As he had done in New York, he managed to evade any convictions.”

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Biographies & Memoirs

Rating – PG13

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Prof. Ronald Probstein on Facebook & Twitter

Follow the Tour

31st October – Book Feature at bit’s ‘n Bobs

7th November – Guest Post at Gentleman Reads

14th November – Book Feature at Book Sane

21st November – Guest Post at A Novel Design

Monday, October 14, 2013

@OBBookTours - Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover. Wait… – by Richard Flores IV

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover. Wait… –

by Richard Flores IV

We all know that saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We hear it all the time. But, we rarely hear it applied to actual books. That is because we all judge our books by the cover.

In a Disney’s Phineas and Ferb episode, “The Chronicles of Meap”, there comes a very funny scene (at least to me the author). In which Candace is with her Mom (Linda):

Phineas: Yeah, it looked way outside, but then it was right in the zone. There’s a lesson, baseball fans: never judge a book by its cover.

(scene flips to Candace, looking at a row of books)
Candace: Boring, dull, stupid, lame— heavy-handed and derivative.
Linda: Oh, thank you for those insightful reviews of books you haven’t read.
Candace: Mom, that’s why books have covers: to judge them. I mean, why did you choose these books from the library?
Linda: They looked interesting.
Candace: So…

Linda: Point taken.

Every time I see that scene (and I watch a lot of Phineas and Ferb) it makes me smile. Because it is so true. Books have covers to entice us to buy them. When I am in the book store (yes they still have those,) I browse the rows of books until I see a cover that jumps out at me. I pick it up, look it over (including the back) and I decide if I am going to buy it based solely on the cover.

This is why cover art is so important. Once you get them to pick up the book, you need to get them to turn it over and read that all important “sales pitch” printed on the back. Only after you get past that will you be able to get them to buy the book. Even if the person thumbs through the first few pages, they have to pick it up off the shelf first.

That is why covers are important in the store, but what about online. Do people still browse the virtual aisles of Amazon.com? I think they might. Even if they know exactly what they are looking for, they may browse more. For example, go to Amazon.com and search Richard Flores IV… no wait that sounds vain, search Robert S. Wilson instead. If you were specifically looking for his bookShining in Crimson because you saw my post about it (vanity again). How would you recognize it instantly in the scrolling list of results? THE COVER.

Now, if you click on the link to his novel. You will see Amazon puts that “People who viewed this also viewed:” on the bottom. Now all you see there is the cover, the title, and the author. Now, you may not ever use that (I have), but people do that. Otherwise, Amazon wouldn’t use it. Again, they will make the choice to click on the novel, based on the cover.

So the cover is important in store or online. If you go with a big publisher, chances are they will have someone take care of the cover art for you. But, if you decide to self publish you will need to deal with cover art on your own. Perhaps you hire somebody, or you can do it yourself if you choose. But be prepared to spend some time on it.

A good cover needs:

To have the title on it. That seems obvious enough, but the title should be the dominate text on the cover. I have seen books where you could easily mistake the Authors name as the Title. Or even a tag line. You don’t need to place the Title on top, but you do need to make it the most eye catching text on there. Use easy to read, stand out fonts are best. Make sure the title contrasts with the rest of the cover art, you don’t want it getting lost in the artwork.
To have the Author’s name on it. Believe it or not, I have seen covers with no Author’s name on it. If I want to find a book by Robert S. Wilson, Lee Gimenez, or even a blockbuster like Orson Scott Card; you need to have the name on it. I am not going to spend time looking to see who the book is written by. You may not think you are worth looking for, but if you are marketing your book, someone is looking. Even me, the twice published author of two short stories, gets a hit to my website based on a search for my name at least once a week. Again, stand out font that contrasts with the artwork.
The artwork itself. Many would argue this should have been number 1 on this list. Sure the art may be what catches the eye first, but title is what always hooks me in to reading more. So as far as importance goes, you decide. There are several ways to get artwork for your cover. There are plenty of stock photo/artwork sites. You can buy the artwork per piece or you can pay a monthly fee and get all the artwork you want. Some are even free. Always check the terms and conditions carefully. You may not be able to use the stock art commercially. The other down side to stock is that your image could be used by someone else not giving you exclusive rights to the art. If that is the case, you may want to commission an artist to do your cover art. It will likely cost you (unless you are connected) and it will likely be more than the stock art sites.
Relevant artwork. Artwork is important enough to get two bullet points (that and I didn’t want to turn off my bullet point format). Make sure you get artwork it is relevant to the story in some way. It should be eye catching as well. The artwork should not be overwhelming either. It is not an art gallery exhibit. Just enough to entice the readers to pick it up off the shelf. The bottom line, you want art work that promises the story you’re telling inside.
Tagline. The tagline is a good thing to add on most cover art. Though I know some great books without one. But if you have a good strong tagline that will work, add that on there. This should be the smallest text on the front cover, though still large enough to read. A tagline is a one liner that hooks that sells the book. You see these a lot on movie posters to. “In a world…”
The sales-pitch. Typically this is on the back cover. Not seen right away. But you got the book off the shelf (or they clicked on the link). Now you need to get them to buy it. If you buy paper books like I do, the first thing I do after looking at the front cover, is turn the book over. This is where the author now has a chance to tell me why I should buy the story. Online they have a section for the book description or synopsis. There are whole blogs on how to write that. The main issue is you want to have a quick sales pitch about what your story is going to offer. And then, if you have them, some quotes for fairly well known (or just known) reviewers. This is your chance to get them to check out with your book. A poorly written sales-pitch will result in them putting the book down. Of course, they may also put the book down because the story isn’t what they like to read. That’s okay though. You’d rather have them not buy it than get it thinking it was something else and hate it (and possible tell a lot of people they hate it).

While I am no expert in Book Covers, I do understand that we judge books by their covers. If you want to sell some books, cover art helps a lot. Your cover art will become that books brand. And we all know how powerful branding is. Just think about golden arches. So consider your cover art carefully. You should work together with the artist to get exactly what you envision while utilizing the experience of the cover artist.

When it comes to books, it is okay to judge them by their covers.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Science Fiction

Rating – PG13 to R (Language)

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Richard Flores IV on Facebook & Twitter

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21st October – Author Interview & Book Feature at Books & More

Thursday, October 10, 2013

@OBBookTours - The Myth of the Constant Writer by Molly D Campbell

The Myth of the Constant Writer

by Molly D Campbell

Writers write. At least, that is what I always thought. A writer is born, not made. From the time he or she can just barely form the letters of the alphabet, there are little sentences, tiny stories.

When I was a child, I read about Jo March writing in her chilly garret, crunching on apples and bending over a candlelit trunk. Anne Shirley also wrote stories and poems from the time she was adopted by Matthew and Marilla. These were fictional writers, but I also knew about Emily Dickinson, Beatrix Potter, the Bronte sisters, et. al., who wrote volumes as they grew up.

It was a given, then, that since I never really entertained stories in my head or kept even so much as a diary, that I was no writer. Apparently I had a “knack” for putting words together, and I took to grammar like a duck to water, but that was all it was. I was a good student. I was organized. I had a big vocabulary, thanks to Anne of Green Gables, Little Women and their ilk.

There were no journals under my bed. No plotlines scribbled on pieces of notebook paper. I didn’t contemplate rewriting the endings of any of the many books I enjoyed. I was never once tempted to write “in the style” of one of my favorite authors. I wasn’t a writer!

I grew up. Got married. I had a career or two, raised two children, and experienced life as we all do: one task at a time. I read some terrific books, and I even enjoyed some trashy ones. But never once did I consider that I write one myself, trashy or not! I wasn’t a writer!

My husband had a stroke, and I struggled to help him recover. The children left home. The dog died. Finally, there was retirement and all the leisure time that accompanied it. Boredom set in. A friend told me about blogging, and I decided it might be fun to start one.

Eureka. At the age of fifty, I discovered that I was, indeed, a writer. Not only did I have a lot to say, but it was the exact right time to begin speaking. It was as if the many strata of my existence were suddenly aligned to form what for me was the foundation of my “real” self. It took me a long time to feel confident as a writer. I never said the words “I am a writer” out loud. Real writers, after all, had been at it their whole lives. Real writers were born to write.

I kept at it because I loved doing it. But that old truism that “writers write” undermined me. Was I legit? It didn’t feel like it. I had no books, no magazine articles, no agent.

All it took was a contest. I had nothing to lose, so with one entry, everything changed. I had years of living under my belt, and I used my own family for inspiration. My age worked in my favor. My entry was recognized.

These days, after more than five years as a blogger and columnist, with one book published, I feel comfortable saying it out loud: “My name is Molly. What do I do? Oh, I am a writer. But I started very late.”

I make it a point to explain. Because writers don’t always write. For many of us, there is a life to live first. Then we begin our life’s work—as writers.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Fiction / Short Stories

Rating – PG13

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Molly Campbell on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://mollydcampbell.com/

Follow the Tour

17th October – Author Interview at Book Professor

24th October – Excerpt at Reading Away Life

31st October – Guest Post at Just My Opinion

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

The Story of You and Me by Pamela DuMond Giveaway

Title: The Story of You and Me

Author: Pamela DuMond

Release date: September 17, 2013

Genre: Coming-of-Age, Contemporary Romance

Age Group: New Adult, Mature Young Adult

Event organized by: AToMR Tours; http://atomrbookblogtours.com

Links to the book:

Goodreads - Kindle - Kobo

She's driven to save a life.

He's haunted by breaking one.

Some secrets are too risky to share.

But nothing's more dangerous than falling in love...

Nineteen-year-old Sophie doesn’t listen to the naysayers because she has

hope. The kind of hope that makes you do weird things—like travel two

thousand miles away from everyone she knows and loves to a strange city.

So what if her first night in Los Angeles starts with a small misstep—a brief

trip to the ER after twenty-one-year-old Alejandro, the hottest guy she’s

ever met, saves her during a bar fight on the USCLA campus.

The stakes are high for Sophie—life and death—as she seeks answers

to dark questions in a city that can be a slice of heaven, or a piece of hell.

She’s running out of time on her journey to find healing. Falling for a guy

isn’t part of her plan. But healing doesn’t always come the way you think

you need it.

Sophie’s healing is six-foot-two-inches tall, has stunning hazel eyes, black,

shiny hair and a rock solid chest that shelters her. Her healing is Alejandro.

But he’s not your typical college party boy—he has a dangerous past.

Sophie isn’t the only one who keeps secrets. As they fall in love, he fears

his truth might hurt her. And Sophie doesn’t know if she has the courage to

tell him:

He can’t break her—because she’s already broken.

A Story of Hope. A Story of Love. A Story of Redemption.

About the Author

Pamela DuMond is the writer who discovered Erin Brockovich's life story,

thought it would make a great movie and pitched it to 'Hollywood'.

She's addicted to The X Factor. The movies Love Actually and The Bourne

trilogy (with Matt Damon -- not that other actor guy,) make her cry every

time she watches them. (Like -- a thousand.) She likes her cabernet hearty,

her chocolate dark and she lives for a good giggle.

When she's not writing Pamela's also a chiropractor and cat wrangler. She

loves reading, the beach, yoga, movies, animals, her family and friends.

She lives in Venice, California with her furballs. If she ever gets her act

together, she might even blog more often.

She's constantly updating her website, which you can find at http://www.pameladumond.com

Author social media links:

http://www.pameladumond.com

https://www.facebook.com/pamela.dumond

https://twitter.com/Pamela_DuMond

http://www.pinterest.com/pameladumond/boards/

Giveaway

(1) eBook of The Story of You and Me (mobi, epub)

To enter, leave your name and email in a comment below. Ends Oct 11th 2013. Open internationally but Void where prohibited.

Excerpt

“Goodnight, Bonita.”

“Goodnight, Ralph.” I smiled and walked to my apartment’s door and

put the right key in the lock.

“Wait! Who’s Ralph?”

I turned and regarded him. He looked confused. Gorgeous, delicious,

but confused. I was so good at messing with Alpha boys. “Oh, gosh. I’m just

an innocent Cheesehead.” I shrugged my shoulders, batted my eyes and

pretended to swoon. “What do I know?”

“Apparently more than I gave you credit for,” he said.

“About time.” I opened the door to my place and stepped inside.

“Thanks for—”

“What do I get when I figure it out?” He stared at me. “I mean—when I

figure out the Ralph reference I should at least win a prize or something for

my efforts.”

“You’re never going to figure it out.”

“Don’t underestimate me.”

“What kind of prize do you want?” I asked.

“I want to kiss you,” he said.

A shiver zipped up and down my spine. I thought about it for a moment.

Realized he’d never find the right answer. He’d also lose all interest in me

the more he drove me. He thought I was exotic. I knew I was boring. So my

reply was easy.

“Yes, Alejandro,” I said. “Yes, you can kiss me if you figure it out.” I shut

my door, leaned back against it and smiled.

Sophie: Two.

Alejandro: Zero.

But who was counting?

Monday, October 7, 2013

@OBBookTours - Guest Post - Gaelen VanDenbergh - Running Against Traffic

How to Make Your Characters Believable

by Gaelen VanDenbergh

Your characters are crucial to a good story. Yes, there must be a plot. Things have to happen to these people. But in my opinion, if the characters are not believable, the most riveting story will fall flat.

You have to know your characters. What do they like to eat? If they had a day entirely to themselves, alone, what would they choose to do? Do they have secret dreams or desires that no one knows about? How do they react in various situations? If you think about a close friend of yours, think of all that you know of that person’s idiosyncrasies. Carefully consider your characters in the same way.

Consider personal history. Where did they grow up? What was their family situation? Do they have brothers and sisters? Were they nurtured or neglected or something in-between? What turning points occurred in their life? What were their relationships like with partners over the years?

If I find myself struggling with the process of getting to know one of my characters, and this has happened many times, I pretend we are meeting for a drink, and I ask them questions. As the conversation in my head progresses, I begin to sort out who this person is and what made them who they are, what brought them to this point in their lives, what they are going through in the present. I can be very nosy.

Once your characters become real to you, your writing will portray them honestly, and they will therefore be believable to your readers.

Finally, pay attention to the details. For me, once I have truly gotten to know a character the way I would know a close friend, I can hear them talk, I see their body language, and I often think I know how they would react in certain situations. Though, as I write, they sometimes surprise me, and then we have to go back to the bar to discuss it. Why did they do that? What made them say that? Don’t let them try to change the subject. This may be their story but it’s your book. Find out what’s really going on.

If this seems like a lot of work, consider your friendships in real life. Did they just come about, or did you spend time getting to know these people? It wasn’t really work, was it? Well, with some people it’s work. But with people you have created, it should fascinate and engross you. For me, it’s the absolute best part of the writing process.