Tuesday, February 26, 2013

My Guest, Liz DeJesus

Why I write...

By Liz DeJesus
I get asked this question pretty often (all the time actually). Why do I write? And there are a lot of reasons why I choose to be a writer, why I pour my heart out day after day. It really depends what mood I'm in because the answer changes. So because I feel like telling you...here's a list of reasons why I'm a writer.

1. My mom is a writer and I wanted to be just like my mom. This is very true. I remember waking up every morning to the sound of my mom tapping her fingers against her keyboard (back then it was a typewriter). The gently click clack of the keys was the best thing to wake up to. I kinda miss that sound. Anyway, one day my mom gave me her typewriter (she bought a new one) and I felt as though I had been given the greatest gift of my life. At ten years old I felt like this moment would be forever etched in stone. I've been in love with the written word ever since. :)
2. I was lonely. Actually...I was a lonely, shy, nerdy, introverted girl with only a couple of friends. The rest of the time I was at school being bullied by the students (and some of the teachers) because I was different. So I spent most of recess hiding in the library where no one could find me. I felt safe surrounded by books. They never hurt, or insulted me. Never told me to shut up. So it was only natural that I would gravitate towards the one thing in life that made me feel safe. Books.

3. I loved books. I remember this one book that I read over and over again when I was twelve. It's titled The Curious Clubhouse by Christine Govan. It was my very first grown up book (it had a lot of chapters). It was another important moment for me. This was the one book that made me feel as though I wasn't the only one that was being picked on or pushed aside. I wanted to write a book for that girl that was lonely just like me. I wanted to write a story that would let that person know that he/she wasn't alone in the world. That they matter. That they're important. That it's okay to be different.
4. I have a very overactive imagination. I'm pretty sure if I didn't write my brain would literally explode. And I mean....KABOOM! Brain chunks everywhere.

5. I once had a boyfriend tell me that my manuscript would be dipped in red ink if an editor ever got a hold of it. So I wrote another novel out of revenge. And it got published and I'm still getting royalty checks. So it's okay to write out of revenge. (And yeah....I dumped his sorry, un-supportive ass).
6. Because someone told me I couldn't write in a specific genre. A long time ago someone left a comment on my blog saying that I would never be able to write a horror novel. Challenge accepted! I wrote a horror short story and a novel and both got published (under my pen name, I recently got the rights back to that novel and I'm revising it to submit it to another publisher).

7. To impress a boyfriend. When I was thirteen I got into poetry to impress my first boyfriend. He was cute. Don't judge me....you would've done the same. Turned out I was actually pretty good so I stuck with it.
8. Another boyfriend told me that I would never amount to anything (yeah...I had a really bad string of boyfriends, I had to kiss a lot of frogs before I found my prince) and I told him that one day he would see my name in lights. Still working on that. And knowing me the way I do...I'll make it happen. ;-)

9. Because I heard an awesome song and all of a sudden a scene popped into my head that was begging to be written.
10. Crazy dreams. Trust me, that's how I get my most amazing ideas.

And these are some of the reasons why I write. Anyway I hope you enjoyed my little blog post. :)
Thanks for coming by, Liz!! And it's kind of scary how many of our reasons overlap!

Check out her books at www.musapublishing.com and of course on Amazon, B&N, etc.!

Friday, February 1, 2013

S. G. Rogers on The Ice Captain's Daughter

First of all, I LOVE S. G. Rogers and thoroughly enjoyed her Victorian Romance The Ice Captain's Daughter. So I am thrilled to have her on my blog today!




The Upper Tens Fishbowl of 19th Century England

  Thanks for having me on your blog, Arley!

Members of society in 19th century England lived life very much in a fishbowl.  With only ten thousand people in the upper class, every nuance of conduct was under scrutiny.  An improper lingering glance, the purposeful flick of a fan, and even the ill timing of a social call would set tongues wagging.  Furthermore, servants would most certainly report the salacious details of any scandal undiscovered by one’s peers.  Inadvertent infractions of written and unwritten rules of conduct served to trip up even the most proper of ladies and gentlemen.

This is the setting of my Victorian romance, The Ice Captain’s Daughter. As Miss Jillian Roring travels to her first Season in London, a kidnapping attempt sends her into the arms of Mr. Mackenzie Logan, the most jaded bachelor in England. When Logan and Jillian unwittingly violate the rigid rules of propriety in Victorian-era England, he is obliged to make her an offer of marriage. Because she aspires to be more than an obligation, Jillian refuses the match. Logan thereafter follows her to London to woo her properly, but his scheming ex-fiancĂ©e has other plans. Can Logan convince Jillian that his love for her is real or will the cruel gossip and sharp tongues of London society tear their budding relationship apart?

The parties, balls, clothes, and social activities that characterized the Season lent the Victorian era glamour and gaiety, but the devil was in the details. Personally, I’d much rather write about 19th century England than live in it.  Although Jane Austen wrote about the Regency era, she remained single her entire life.  Perhaps she felt the same way?

~ S.G. Rogers

The Ice Captain’s Daughter is available for the Kindle at Amazon ($0.99).
 


Author Bio:
S.G. Rogers has lived in some of the most romantic places in America, including La Jolla, California, Asheville, North Carolina, and currently Savannah, Georgia.  She’s owned by two hairless cats, Houdini and Nikita, and lives on an island populated by exotic birds, deer and the occasional gator. Tab is her beverage of choice, but when she imbibes, a cranberry vodka martini doesn’t go amiss.

To learn more, visit her blog at www.childofyden.wordpress.com.