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Artists are Weird, but Writers are Crazy: Ready–Fire–Aim!

Written by Dara

Please note that this series is written in fun. If you don’t like hints of sarcasm and hyperbole don’t read this. If you find the title offensive, don’t read this. However, if you understand that this is a great time to be a writer of fiction and feel like a lone happy person in a tsunami of fear, read on.

Are you sitting on the fence about an idea you want to pursue? Then this post is for you.

I recently had a conversation with a fellow writer that went something like this:

“Hey Dara, I’ve got a great idea for a new book.” (Precedes to tell me the idea)

“Wonderful,” I say knowing that ideas, like dust, are everywhere. “Get started.”

“I can’t. There’s a problem.”

“What? Is your system down? Then use a pen and paper or talk into a recorder or…”

“No, it’s not that. It’s so different from what I usually write.”

“So?” I say. “Write it anyway.”

“I’m under contract to write my usual work.”

“Write it on the side.”

“I’m not sure my agent will like it. She says that I should focus on writing (current trend).”

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Interview with graphic artist/photographer Marti Corn

Written by Dara

by Linn VanDyne

Have you ever had a professional portrait taken? Want to learn the do’s and don’ts of taking a good photo? Then you may enjoy my interview with Marti Corn a graphic artist and photographer with a fascinating background. She talks about her humanitarian work, how authors can choose a good photographer, what one should expect during a photo session and more.

Find out more about Marti here.

Find out more about her photography here.

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3 Quick Questions for Stella Cameron

Written by Dara

Welcome to another 3QQ post. This time I had a chance to chat with New York Times Bestselling author Stella Cameron about her new eBook release FRENCH QUARTER and the re-release of KEY WEST.

About the book

FRENCH QUARTER

Available on Kindle and Nook!

August 23, 2011 | ASIN: B005IKJB4S

The shocking death of her employer and patron Errol Petrie, the excesses suggested by the murder scene, and the investigation that is sure to follow are just some of the pieces of Celina Payne’s nightmare. And the last man she trusts is now the only man she needs.

Errol’s business partner and friend Jack Charbonnet, is powerful, enigmatic, and not about to let Celina hide from the truth. Somebody in New Orleans’ French Quarter killed Errol and Celina Payne tops the list of suspects. Jack’s past is as mysterious as the sultry bayou. He is said to be too dangerous to know, and deadly if crossed. Jack holds the key to Celina’s deliverance or her destruction…

This version of FRENCH QUARTER contains bonus excerpts from Stella Cameron’s upcoming paranormal, DARKNESS BOUND, an intense story of mystical danger and romance and her upcoming eBook re-release, KEY WEST, a steamy and suspenseful romance.

Originally published September 1998 in hardcover by Kensington and June 1999 in mass market paperback by Zebra Books.

The Questions

1.What drew you to write about the bayou?

I’m a jazz addict. I visited New Orleans for the jazz festival years ago and caught the Louisiana bug. The actual bayou country is mystical.  If you stand still in what you at first think is silence, you realize you’re assaulted by a thousand subtle noises, from bugs flitting in the Spanish Moss, to air bubbles popping in green-coated water–and all those other things that inhabit nooks and crannies you may miss if you don’t look carefully.  This is the perfect setting for mystery, drama, love, hate, and incredible passion.

How could I stay away from such a fertile story ground?  FRENCH QUARTER melds  action in the old city with the pull of the bayou, and the stakes are scary, but magnetic, I think.

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Interview with writer/co-owner of Bywater Books Marianne K Martin

Written by Dara

Looking for top quality lesbian fiction? Then you’ll enjoy my interview with the co-founder of Bywater Books, Marianne K Martin who is also an award-winning author. She talks about how writing was a therapy for her as she struggled with her sexual identity in the 50’s and 60’s. She also gives great advice to writers about marketing and discusses the current changing publishing climate.

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Stealing Fire: The Joy of Being a Writer

Written by Dara

Copyright (c) <a href='http://www.123rf.com'>123RF Stock Photos</a>

I am working on so many different projects, sometimes I’m not sure I can keep up. But I’m having lots of fun as I prepare to re-release GAINING INTEREST and schedule to launch three original works before the end of the year.  And, in case  you think I have extra time, I am also starting another book for Harlequin that’s scheduled for Fall 2012 ( Readers take note: SECRET PARADISE is now in the hands of my editor and is scheduled for March 2012. Whoo hoo!)

Recently an uncle caught me in deadline mode (not the prettiest of pictures I admit) and he feared that I ‘worked too hard’. But I truly enjoy what I do. Here are some thoughts on being a writer.

To me a writer:

Wastes no time on excuses. S/he writes.

Respects his/her audience.

Ignores labels.

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