Chapter One --Hooking your reader and Setting the Tone for the story By Connie Vines #RoundRobin

The First Chapter – hook your reader and set the tone for the story.

Chapter One. Page One. Paragraph One.

And so the adventure begins!

For me, Dialogue and Action is my comfort zone. 

I introduce my main character and main conflict. I also set the tone of the story.

Chapter One, Paragraph 4:

Even though Meredith was on the best of terms with her sister, she couldn't help but feel a sharp nip of jealousy. It hadn't been so long ago that she'd had her own happy home. Unfortunately, she'd filed for divorce from Viktor, and then there'd been that bizarre little accident where she'd ended up dead, and then undead.

EBook and Audio

Chapter One, Paragraph One.

Charlene hadn't told Rachel that she'd fixed her up with a cowboy, much less Lynox Maddox, the "Wild Cat" of the rodeo circuit. Rachel signed. She should have known. After all, Charlene only dated men who wore boots and Sentsons.

English/Spanish Ebook

Prologue1868  

The Governor of New Mexico decreed that all Indian children over the age of six be educated in the ways of the white man.

Indian commissioner Thomas Morgan said, "It is cheaper to educate the Indians than to kill them."

Chapter One, Page One

Prologue

1880 Apacheria, Season of Ripened Berries

Isolated bands of colored clay on white limestone remain where the sagebrush is stripped from Mother Earth by sudden storms and surface waters. Desolate. Bleak. A land is made of barren rocks and twisted paths that reach out into the silence.

A world of hunger and hardship. This is my world. I am Tanayia. I was born thirteen winters ago. We call ourselves N'dee, The People. The white man calls us Apache.

Chapter One  

I rose from my blanket and dressed in my favorite buckskins and moccasins.  After coming out of my wickiup, I stepped from my wickiup and walked toward the center of the camp. Women from neighboring Apache bands, dressed in their best clothing, squatted around their campfires, patting tortillas and fry bread...

 #

Every writer/author has a "voice".  The reader knows and complains when an author isn't true to their voice.  Staying true to your voice isn't as simple as it sounds.

It's the paragraph, page, or even chapter that doesn't mesh with the storyline. Or your main character refuses to utter the author's "perfectly" written dialogue, or, worse yet, goes completely off script.

Some may shout, "Writer's Block."

Others, "Sleep Deprivation." 😬

I brew another pot of coffee and peruse my library. 

The nuts and bolts of writing.

My reference books include. GMC (Goal, Motivation & Conflict) by Debra Dixon.

 Dialogue (How to get your characters talking to each other in a way that vividly reveals who they are, what they're doing, and what's coming next in your story) by Lewis Turco.

 Visit this month's Blog Hoppers take on opening chapters.

Bob Rich

Skye Taylor

Diane Bator

Sally Odgers

Helena Fairfax

https://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/

 

Creating Fictional Settings for Our Stories By Connie Vines #RR #Writing Tips #Creating Fictional Worlds

Thank you, Skye, for this month's topic: Creating Fictional Settings for Our Stories.

Last month, our topic was "Real Places" as a setting for our stories. Which was a breeze for me to write. 

While I may 'rename' a town in a story, I'm blending towns I've visited/resided in to create a fictional town. 

Which isn't precisely a fictional setting.

This is also true in my historical novels and short stories. Although my characters may be fictional, the time and place are accurate, preventing devastation.

My heroine may have a personal preference. However, the norms for that time and place will be structured. 

Other Worlds

World-building is a technique used by Science Fiction writers and may be used by Paranormal writers.

Charts and diagrams, rules, norms, kingdoms, alternate dimensions...

I have a tendency to "fixate" (like a four-year-old). 🤣  

Not to an unhealthy extent...but chronic enough to be noticed.

My children would rearrange a shelf with my knick-knacks...and wait...or hide my favorite pen...

You see where I'm going.. 

When I wrote the "Gumbo Ya Ya" anthology, I listened to New Orleans Jazz and Cajun music, prepared Cajun and Creole meals, and more. Since my husband's family lived in Louisiana, I knew its history and geography.  

In other words, I controlled myself. I did not arrange another family vacation. (Having been chased by an alligator during a prior visit to a swamp, probably had something to do with my lack of enthusiasm).

What am I working on at the moment?

This contemporary series will involve several characters from "Gumbo Ya Ya" in the stories (think cross-over series).

This next series will not be set in New Orleans. 

I also have a new YA Series in the planning stages.

Did I stay on topic?

Almost.

I wrote a RomCom Paranormal (which received rave reviews), and I thoroughly enjoyed writing!

Please hop over to the other authors participating in this month's event! 

Happy Reading,

Connie

Bob Rich https://wp.me/p3Xihq-3rJ

 Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Belinda Edwards https://booksbybelinda.com/blog/

Anne Stenhouse https://goo.gl/h4DtKv

Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog

Sally Odgers https://behindsallysbooksmark2.blogspot.com

Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com

A.J. Dyer http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

Love and Romance in Multiple Genres--Yay or Nay? By Connie Vines #RoundRobin, #Writing Romance, #Valentine's Day, #RoundRobinBlogHop

 Thank you, Skye, for the Valentine's Day Topic 💖💕💟

Writing romance, what do I like (or dislike) about the genre and all other genres? Do you include romance in your stories?  

I do read and write multiple genres of fiction.  

The first 55,000-word novel I wrote and was published (under a pseudonym) was a romance novel. 

Why did I use a pseudonym? 

Already multi-published in Children's, YA, and Middle-Grade historical fiction. I was booked for speaking engagements, including local school sites and libraries; it kept the focus on the craft and allowed children to lead the discussions. 

What do I like about "Love and Romance"? 💝💖

The weaving of the story. Romance allows for an old-fashioned courting experience. The act of falling in love, taking chances, and even heartbreak before the "happily ever after."

I tend to write Sweet or RomCom Romances, though my Romance Anthology "Gumbo Ya Ya; for Women who like Cajun Romance." Includes multiple genes: "Marrying Off Murphy," "Love Potion # 9", "A Slice of Scandal," and "1-800-Fortune". 

What do I dislike about writing romance?

Dislike would be too harsh a label. I do not care for the current Trope focus. The storyline and the art of unexpected twists and turns have less of an impact on the reader. This is more apparent in a "Romance," in which the art of discovery and emotional connection is vitally important.

The second part of the question, "Do I include romance in my other stories?"

My historical MG/YA novel, "Whisper upon the Water." The reader learns what happened in the Epilogue.

And, yes, even my "extremely tame" Zombie story includes elements of romance :-)

"Brede" is the only "romantic suspense" novel I have written thus far.

Why?

The intensity of  "suspense" keeps me from sleeping at night. Like most writers, I experience the storyline's fear and uncertainty factor.

This may not seem a big deal for those who read true-crime nonfiction. However, the Wizard of Oz movie's talking trees still cause nightmares. And don't get me started on the original cartoon version of Bambi.

I hope you enjoyed this month's topic.

I'm looking forward to reading the other authors' take on romance.

Please click on the links below for my fellow authors in the Round Robin.  

Connie Vines

Bob Rich   https://wp.me/p3Xihq-3pV

A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/

Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com

Belinda Edwards https://booksbybelinda.com/blog/

Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog

Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Diane Bator https://escapewithawriter.wordpress.com/

Sally Odgers https://behindsallysbooks.blogspot.com/2025/02/romance.html

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

Anne Stenhouse https://annestenhousenovelistwordpress.com/

Writing in a Whole New Genre- (Pros/Cons) My Personal Experience By Connie Vines #Writing Tips, #Round Robin, #New Genre vs Established Readership

 Topic:  The Wisdom and or Experience of Trying a Whole New Genre    

Thank you, Skye, for this month's topic.

I began my career writing nonfiction, short stories, and preschool games in magazines (Humpty Dumpty, Jr. Medical Detective, etc.). So, it was only natural to branch out into Y.A. historical fiction.

I assumed it would require extensive research, travel, and interviews.  

The challenge was adding more. More descriptions, additional characters, multiple plot lines, plot twists, etc. In other words, a storyline that was not linear. 

Historical documents, interviews with tribal storytellers, and interviews with those who attended Native American boarding schools.

This also required adapting my story to the reading levels of the Y.A. readership and their understanding of what I was explaining: the sensory details, the harshness of life, and the meals prepared. Was the information relatable to a child who watched television and had a microwave oven? 

I was blessed with beautiful book reviews and student letters.

I was proud of the book and its recognition: awards for historical accuracy, "Teen Read Selection" in Public Libraries, the G.A.T.E. program, and speaking engagements in Southern California.

Will I attempt another Y.A. historical novel? Probably not. 

This project was a five-year journey. The most discouraging part was the shrinking of the hardbound/paperback publishers. I signed a contract for a hardbound novel, but the editor pulled it when he learned the company was being sold. (I discovered later that he did me a huge favor).  

   

Spanish Version

English Version

The next growing market was women's fiction. I selected Contemporary Romance.

Did I hesitate? No, I decided to dive in. 

Setting? 

I have all this Western research material. My father's people were Texans, and I enjoyed Bull Riding events. My hero was a cowboy. My heroine lived in Montana; her late father was a Bronc Rider.

My plot, characters, subplots, setting, etc. I'm at the keyboard after the kids are in bed, writing chapters one, two, and three.

I reread and reread the chapters.

Something needs to be fixed.

This was the kicker. I knew something was wrong but did not know precisely what it was.

Was the flow? Word choices? Pacing? Or was it the tone?

I was residing in "The-Land-of-in- Between." And I need an intervention! 

Fortunately, I joined a critique with members of my local R.W.A. Chapter. We wrote in multiple genres (though I was the only one who started out in children's). We read each other's chapters, made suggestions, and brought revisions the following week.

I garnered a few rejections, made changes, and sent the story out again.

Then I received that "Phone Call" in February, and the book was released in July!

This book received multiple awards and excellent reviews.

Will I change genres again? I've branched out into Romantic Suspense, RomCom/Paranormal. At the moment, I'm writing several novellas, and I've begun another romance series. I may write a Cozy Mystery novel or a Western Gothic (only if I don't cause myself to experience nightmares!)

The emerging genres seem to be Worldbuilding, Horror, "Bad Mothers," Science Fiction, Western Gothic, Foodie Romance, and Fratito. However, this could change next month.

If you want to write in a new genre, look into it. Examine the market and see what is trending. If you are selling novels and have a following, you're good. 

If you still want to change, consider a nome-de-plum. And see how it goes.

Good Luck & Happy Reading,

Connie 

XOXO

Follow the links! These Talented Authors have much to share!!

Dr. Bob Rich: https://wp.me/p3Xihq-3jJ 

Anne Stenhouse: annehousenovelist.wordpress.com 

Connie Vines (you are here)

Skye Taylor: https://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

  

 

Setting the Scene By Connie Vines #Round Robin Blog, #Writting Tips, #BWL Author

 Setting The Scene 

 Setting for a story is important, exciting, and often challenging.

While I endeavor to give my readers a vivid sense of where and when events occur, I struggle with what is essential versus what "I" wish to highlight.

• Sensory details are essential.
• 
  
• Show what is surprising or strange to the main character.
• 
  
• Introduce emotional qualities of the 'place.' Tragic, Cheerful, Nostalgic, or another emotion.
• 
  
• How does the character feel about the place?
• 
  
• Is the story set in the city, the desert, or an imaginary world?
• 
  
• What are the key details that make your story's setting interesting?

While my stories may be fiction, I have lived in or vacationed in the town or area I chose as a setting. This is important to me. It's my way of making the scene come alive for my readers.

I set up a picture storyboard for reference.

I study the regional dialect. Example: Porch, Stoop, Patio. In California, it's a patio; in Texas, a porch; and in Chicago, Illinois, it's a stoop.

Your readers will point out your mistake.

If you are writing a historical novel, research is a must. Libraries, Historical Societies, original documents, and personal diaries are essential. However, Wikipedia or www search acquired historical information is always suspect. 

My opening settings/hooks:

Charlene hadn't told Rachel she'd fixed her up with a cowboy, much less Lynx Maddox, the "Wild Cat" of the rodeo circuit. Rachel sighed. She should have known. After all, Charlene only dated men who wore booths and Stetsons.

Thunder rumbled across the remote New Mexico sky as an unforgiving wind shoved somber gray clouds against a craggy mountaintop. Brede Kristensen tugged the brim of his Stetson lower of his forehead. The threat of a storm didn't faze him; nothing fazed him anymore. The worst had already happened.

"You and Elvis have done a great job on this house," Meredith said as her older sister led the way downstairs toward the kitchen, where the tour began. "Sorry I couldn't get over until now, but I've been sort of...well, busy. " She hoped her sister didn't ask her to define busy. Becoming a zombie and dealing with the entire raised from the dead issue over the past six months was not a topic easily plunked into casual conversation.

5 stories in one book

Marring Off Murphy

Settling into his office chair, Professor Murphy Flynn glanced at the copy of OP News. "I Want to Get Married," the headline read. He upended his coffee mug when he realized the grainy photo was of him, sending the liquid perilously close to a six-inch stack of ungraded papers.

Love Potion N. 9

"Don't shake your finger at me, Simone Basso. I know what I'm doing," Persia Richmond said, holding a pipette to fill a crystal half-ounce atomizer with perfume.

A Slice of Scandal

"Hey, now,' dis key lime [pie's like de one I serve at my restaurant. Simple to make and good to eat! Key limes perk up de mouth and makes you hoppy."

Producer/Director Julia Kincaid focused on her monitor and adjusted the mic of her headset. "Camera One, tighten the headshot."  She watched as the camera feathered over the chef to capture the best angle. The camera should have loved Franklin. His height was average, his black hair was short and curly, and his skin took on a polished bronze color under the harsh camera lights, but the camera didn't like Franklin. There was something about his eyes: the dark agate, forbidding and expressionless...

1-800-Fortune

The moon was full: giant in the sky, a brilliant iridescent orb that stared down at the earth. Enza allowed the energy to feather over her as she removed the silk cloth protecting her Tarot cards.

There are seventy-eight cards in the Tarot deck. Four suits of fourteen cards each. Swords, Cups, Wands, Pentacles, and twenty-two cards call the major arcane--the big mysteries.

If you found my examples helpful, please post a comment on my blog.

Please click the links below to visit the talented authors participating in our Blog Hop this month. 

 

 Warm Wishes and Gingerbread Kisses, 

Connie

 

Dr. Bob Rich  https://wp.me/p3Xihq-33K

Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/

Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com

Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

Spotlight on Author Deirdre O'Dare By Connie Vines #Author Spotlight, #Author Interview, #Iditarod Race

Welcome to 

'Dishin' It Out' Author Spotlight!

This month's guest is Deirdre O'Dare.

*Deirdre and I have been friends for decades. 

We met while serving on the International Outreach Chapter of Romance Writers of America board.

Flashback Moment: When I stood up and introduced myself at the writer's conference in Anaheim, California. Deirdre kept staring at me, then blurted, "I thought you were a blonde." 🤣🤣

Gwen Morgan, AKA Deirdre O'Dare

Now, on with the interview 😀

1. Please tell us about your current release 

Relative Dangers is a romance novel with plenty of action and adventure. My characters are people I know and I understand. Just regular folks with unusual jobs and who live in rural or remote places may seem exotic to some readers. 

I have also written a few historicals, some sci-fi and fantasy, and police procedurals. The only area that I really avoid is horror. The heat levels of my books are all over the spectrum, from Sweet Tales to NC-17. Relative Dangers was initially published under my Gwen Morgan synonym.

Relative Dangers is mildly spicy, with a couple of realistic love scenes. 

 

2.  What was the inspiration for the story?

In my younger days, I was a semi-professional horse trainer. When I started creating the story, it seemed to be my heroine's natural lifestyle or career. In some ways, she is the avatar of the girl I was. A girl experiencing her first love. Only time, life would deal them a happy ending.

The plot in the main events is strictly petitioners, but the horse work is real, totally based on what I know. Another pattern of my writing is to have current or relevant issues in today's life and world and find other ways into the plot's challenges, conflict, and progression. In this case, the development of a remote area and environmental issues become very significant. Several f Gwen's romance novels do this for various issues, such as Reservation casinos, women in the military, and law enforcement. 

 3.  What would you like to see more/less of in your genre?

Erotic and explicit romance has moved into the mainstream, with the heat levels once limited to Indy and e-press firms like Ellora’s Cave now found in many lines and publishers. While I do not take issue with this, I find that too many books I pick up are basically “sex stories” with a bit of emotion and action. I have always said I write love stories. While a lot of hot sex is perfect and realistic for some couples, for others, not so much. I want to feel the emotions and have the people cope with real life in the real world in which they, like I live. 

Recently I have read more Inspirational Romances, not so much because I prefer the sweet or clean portrayal of relationships but because I feel those authors pay much more attention to making their characters real and appealing, to development of a solid plot--say mystery, danger, or struggles,  and overall the product is just better fiction and more absorbing. It is ‘easy’ to go from bedroom to back seat to back in the bushes with a couple while we do not know them very well, and hardly anything else happens! Authors must put more effort into their story while keeping it as sexy as they wish or their couple fits. Now I will say this is JMHO--and probably does not work for all readers-- but that is where I am in my reader hat.

4.  What, in your opinion, makes a good writer? 

First and foremost, the fiction writer must be a good storyteller. Yes, the experts say show, don’t tell, and it is generally correct, but if there is no story, no key characters you can identify with who face a variety of challenges, complex, and obstacles, they must somehow brave and strive their way through to win their goal or reward, why bother to read it? Beyond that, a deep understanding of human nature, a curiosity about people and what makes them tick, a special sense to visualize and create a world where those characters abide with century details, then let the reader feel she he is there, and perhaps most of all, in the imagination that find stories in most everything And then the compulsion to tell details characters bring to you. My characters just appear out of the universe and begin to nag at me until I let them share their tail, which I transcribe from their images and put into words for others to experience

  5. Do you have a favorite paragraph/line in this novel? 

This is hard. Several scenes resonate when I re-read the book some years after the original writing. Mari’s struggle with Mitch (the dangerous relative)  and then her anguish over her little dog being hurt. Perhaps when she asks the hero, Dusty, why he is trying to help her and being very kind. She shocks him with part of her speech which I excerpt here.  

“Maybe I’m paranoid or too suspicious or something…but, well. Everybody is out for what they can get, you know? So I don’t understand why you are doing things for me. I mean, well, I know all about sex and stuff. So if that’s what you want, you don’t have to buy me things and take me places. If you just asked, I’d probably let you.”  He realizes then that she has been oddly sheltered and is far from naïve or innocent and is hard-pressed to answer her!

 6. If you were forced to live the rest of your life as one of your characters, who would it be?

I have loved almost all of my heroines, but Mari in this book and Melissa in The Man in Black probably feel the most like a person I could be. I have had a few secondary characters that I identified with too, but hey, we all want to be the heroine of our story, don’t we? So I can see myself as Mari, although she is much younger. Melissa, by birth, is almost edging into the “upper crust’ class in her background, but she becomes an ordinary woman living an ordinary life which fulfills her deepest wish. 

 7.  What are your hobbies? Do any of your characters share your hobbies/interests? Do any of your hobbies play a part in your novels?

Oh. I am a super dabbler! I enjoy almost anything creative, so over the years, I have done a lot of sewing, made jewelry, sketching and watercolor painting, photography, and written poetry, to name a few. Although my work with horses--and mules--was hardly a hobby, I have always deeply loved animals, and there are not too many pieces of my fiction that do not feature horses, dogs, or even a whole menagerie. I have always loved the outdoors and hiking, camping, exploring, and such, which find a way into most of my tales. I’ve had characters write poems, be ‘rock hounds,’ be an artist or a crafter, and most women are at least tomboys at heart.

Thank you, Connie, for having me as a guest at "Dishin' It Out!". 

It has been so much fun, and I hope the readers enjoy it too. I hope other readers, like me, are more intrigued by the guy next door or down the street than a Middle Eastern Sheik, a Greek tycoon, or a sexy version of Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos!! If there are, you are who I write for. 

So I hope you will check out the potpourri of fiction by Deirdre O’Dare at Amazon or, preferably, directly at JMS Publications.

 https://www.jms-books.com/deirdre-odare-c-224_244/

 

An avid fan of the sport of Sled Dog Racing, she was also fortunate enough to visit Alaska during the Iditarod.

Thank you for sharing your interesting writing life and leaving us with a poem inspired by lady mushers.

Iditarod

Iditarod: far, distant place.

A dream. A myth. A trail. A race.

Beneath aurora blazing bright,

Through cold and wind and long, dark night.

Cheering crowds at start and end

But in between, rare is the friend

Who braves the wild to aid or say,

They’re with you in spirit along the way.

Out on that trail, just you and your team

The elements battle to chase this dream.

Those dogs on which your life depends,

Now closer and dearer than kin or friends.

Together, such trust and faith you share

For only true teamwork will get you there.

There are no losers; only winners complete.

Your goal you’ve reached and it feels so sweet.

Despite the pain and the tears you spend,

Somehow you hate to see it end.

Iditarod: far, distant place.

A goal, a dream, a test, a race.

© GMW 25 Aug 14

Thank you, everyone, for visiting "Dishin' It Out'" today.

Happy Reading 📕📖📗📚📱

Connie 

XOXO