When I write I hear the dialog, and as I get to know my characters I begin to see them in my head.  With Feisty Family Values the pictures in my head were of people I knew that physically reminded me of the character – my feisty little friend Kim was who I pictured when I wrote about Tillie, only with white hair.  One of my instructors always glides into a room, and wears bangles and broomstick skirts, so she’s who I thought of when I was writing Regina.  However, Annabelle was a culmination of my grandmother and what I pictured in my head of the consummate grandmother figure from my childhood.  She was pretty much imaginary, but vivid.

Once I began to get to know my characters they morphed and my friends were no longer prominent. The characters came alive, in my head, of course.  One of my first readers is a very pragmatic person and always laughed when I talked about my characters as if they were “real” people.  She’d roll her eyes, too.  Once Feisty Family Values was polished and then published she read it again, and this time they came to life for her.  She even called me one Sunday morning when she saw a lady who made her think of Annabelle in a flowered dress with her pocketbook on her arm, probably on her way to church.

I’ve often read authors who said they felt like they were the scribe and the characters were telling the story.  To some degree that came true for me also.  As the story grew and the characters became more familiar the pictures in my mind became even more distinct.  So, if you as a writer have trouble picturing the character or scene in your mind then the reader may have difficulty as well.  Make your story come alive using all the senses and clear descriptions.  Hum, I think I’d better check for that in the new novel (Patchwork Family) I’m editing now, just to be sure I can “see” things clearly.

Enjoy the journey.

We talked about my journey writing and editing Feisty Family Values, as well as my publishing experience and what’s coming next.  Not a lot of hands came up when I asked who was writing, but a few were brave.  I heard stories of family scribe’s and encouraged them to share their family stories.  Extended families don’t live together like they did many years ago and I fear our stories will be lost if we don’t share them with our kids, both verbally and written.

I read a little bit from Feisty Family Values and the room got really quiet.  I heard a chuckle or two during the funny parts, so it was a success for me.  Then we started talking about our favorite authors, which was tons of fun.  There are so many awesome authors out there that many of us pulled out a piece of paper to write them down.  I promised Dorothy the name of a good historical fiction writer and here it is:  Sara Donati.  Her writing style is very similar to Diana Gabaldon and among my faves.

I’m happy to say that no one left without their feisty pin.  And I want to thank them for their warm hospitality.

I have a new writer buddy who lives in Albuquerque and is a member of the Southwest Writers organization.  Olive writes mysteries and I know you’ll be seeing her work in print one of these days (I would say “soon”, but publishing takes a bit of time to accomplish and “soon” doesn’t quite fit).  Watch for her!

My second novel, Patchwork Family is in the tweaking phase and is almost ready for prime time.  After the shine is put on this manuscript, I’ll need to write a synopsis and a knock your socks off query.  I’m hoping to get some advice at the conference on how best to accomplish these last two things, because I get a little nervous writing them. They are too much like a book report and a cover letter for an interview. While I used to love writing book reports and drawing the illustrations for school, the whole interview process for a job still makes me a bit nervous. (Can you say sweaty palms?)

I’m pretty good at interviewing someone else for an article or about a subject I need for a book, but I’m not as comfortable talking about myself.  It’s not that I’m shy, far from it, it’s just that I have my foibles like everyone else. But I digress.

Conferences are a great place for networking with other authors, agents, editors, and publishers.  The competition is so tight these days that who you know might make the difference between a small independent publisher and film and foreign rights.  (Personally I think Feisty Family Values and Patchwork Family would make great films.) 

If you get an opportunity to attend a writer’s conference, do so. Check ShawGuides.com for one in your area, or Google writer’s conferences to find one.

What parts of you and your background feed your imagination? My father (WWII vet), my education (MA in English), and my obsession with the news—probably in that order!

Tell us a little about the very first story you remember writing? My first full manuscript was a YA story about terrorists who flew a plane into some cell phone towers, which then hit a high school. We were living in a suburb of Dallas at the time, and I was teaching at a school where we actually had evacuation plans in case one of the cell phone towers should fall on the school. The odds were slim-to-none, but we were prepared. That was all it took to start the story in my mind.

Creative people are often creative in other ways, besides writing what else does the muse encourage you to do? I’ve played the piano since I was 10. It relaxes me and helps me to “balance” my brain (some might argue with that). I also do various types of needlework, garden, hike, kayak . . . wait, are all of those things creative?

What genre(s) do you like to write? The Cost of Love is what I call a romantic thriller, but I honestly believe I could write any genre, and my agent is currently submitting for me historical romance, straight historical, and categories among others.

Tell us a little about your novel, its plot and the main character(s). It’s set in Roswell, NM, which I think is such a fun, fun place. We have so much history there as a nation. The opening scene is at White Sands Missile Base, and I so much enjoyed researching the work done there. The basic structure of the plot is a domestic biological terrorist who is testing a weapon before mass release over a metropolitan area, but the more fascinating part to me are the two main characters—Dean and Lucy. Dean is a burned out government agent who thinks he’s seen it all, and Lucy is a young, Hispanic, bio-molecular scientist who is brand new to the field.

Are any of the characters like you and if so in what way? Hmmm. I like to think I’m both of them! I have some of Dean’s cynicism, but there’s part of me that insists on holding on to Lucy’s optimism.

What genre(s) or author(s) do you like to read? I read everything, and I do mean every thing. People who see me carrying books into the post office to read as I wait in line ask me, “How do you find time to read?” I always think, “How do you not find time to read?” I enjoy authors from the most popular (Stephen King and Dean Koontz) to brand new authors who have a first book out like myself. And I’ll admit to liking a good romance as well.

Where and when do you find the best ideas or inspiration for your stories? Two places—the news and people around me.

If there was a message you could share with other writers what would it be? Be stubborn. It does usually take years, and it takes refining your craft.

Where can readers go to learn more about you and your work? www.DrueAllen.com and http://drueallen.blogspot.com/.   And thanks so much for having me!

Our imagination can only go so far, then we have to get out and recharge it.  Our local zoo has a summer concert every other week and while going to listen to the music is the first order of business, people watching is definitely second.  How people walk, talk, dress, eat and dance can make a great impression on your muse.  Your next main character may be in that crowd, folks, so be on the look out. 

When I used to work in an office environment I gathered tons of good scenes and dialog for stories.  And what better fuel can there be than that of a family gathering? Crazy Uncle Whatshisname and Aunt Whosit keep the quirk in quirky, and we all enjoy reading about those types of characters. 

Keeping a notebook and pen in your pocket will do one of two things: scare them into behaving or allow you to capture the moment accurately.  I can’t get away with whipping out my notebook with family, but in public I have no such restraint.  Do you remember that show called “kids say the darndest things?” It was one of my favorites.  Anyway, no one can write better dialog than kids come up with themselves.  Use it, just change the names to protect the innocent - they may grow up to be bigger than you or worse, be a lawyer.

Personally, I like the feel of a book in my hands. It’s comforting, but not always convenient to carry around everywhere. I can usually stash a paperback in my bag, but a hardback is too big and a little heavy.  I also like the smell of a book, now don’t laugh, touch and smell are very influential senses. 

I understand that people use much the same methodology when chosing an ebook as they do with a regular book.  They look at the cover, the genre, the blurb, reviews, excerpts, author and price.  If you’re writing in a genre (sci-fi, romance, mystery…) you have a built in audience. Womens fiction is a little less recognized and often crosses many genre’s, but not everyone acknowledges it as a genre in itself.  Sometimes it falls into mainstream fiction or literary, depending on the publisher and bookstore shelving and display system.

Whatever your preference there appears to be a book format for everyone, including the sight impared - hooray for audio books. Feisty Family Values was released in hardback in February and in June I put it up on Kindle, so it is now an official ebook.  I’ve sent a copy to the Kansas Talking Book program in the hope that the committee will make it one of the books available. 

If you’re looking for a book that will tickle your emotions as well as your funny bone, you’ll enjoy Feisty Family Values. (Check out the Book Reviews page and see what other’s are saying.)

The other writer’s at the retreat recommended reading material by Julia Cameron, Natalie Goldberg, Writer’s Digest and Writer’s Market (to name a few).  They also talked about the value of a writer’s group, so I set out to find the ones in my area.  There were two and I visited them both.  I felt more comfortable with one than the other so I made it a habit to attend their monthly meetings, I didn’t have enough time to devote to both. 

They had small critique groups, annual writer’s workshops with agents and publishing experts, contests, and monthly tips on the mechanics of writing well.  Over time I became a board member, newsletter editor, and eventually president of the organization.  It was a blast! These people “got me” and knew just what I was going through to get where I wanted to go. No one understands writers like other writers, believe me. If you write a specific genre you may want to do a Google search for national organizations that have a local chapter in your area, too (i.e. romance, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, etc.).

So, if you’re a writer, check out your local writers groups, they are well worth the time.

(Yes, I did send an email to Michelle Obama AND Oprah Winfrey asking them to read my book, and offering to send them a free copy.) It’s called SHAMELESS PROMOTION my dear writers. And something we have to get used to in order to sell our published words to the masses.  It takes awhile to become a household name out there. Anyway, I digress…

If you’re at 5 Guys burger place about 5:30 on Wednesday you’ll see a bunch of “feisty” folks enjoying the food. I hear it’s great. Then we’ll be off to the Warren West to see Twilight: Eclipse. Yes, I am a fan of Stephanie’s books and admire her success.  Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are handsome young men, too.  Lucky Kristen Stewart.  I don’t know if Stephanie ever dreamed of having her books in film (probably not at first), but I think Feisty Family Values would make a great television movie.  I can just see Harrison Ford or Richard Gere playing Joe.  And wouldn’t Sally Field make a great Tillie?

Well, I’ve been all over the map with this post.  Sharing hopes and dreams and silliness.  Have a great holiday and write on! If you’re looking for a fun read this summer – check out Feisty Family Values!

At first I wanted to be an artist. Portraits were my passion, so I would draw or painted people with oils.  Sometimes I really felt like I captured their essense, but not always.  Then I wanted to be a singer.  I loved to sing and perform solos at church, but it was a little bit nerve racking. When I forgot the second verse once I just made it up, and no one but my director noticed. Dad always thought I’d be more successful as an artist than a singer, he said “you’ll marry a drummer and live in poverty.” I have a friend who is an artist and he struggles, but Dad didn’t know that. 

All my life I’ve loved stories. Reading them, writing them, telling them.  So, when I decided to begin a career writing it wasn’t such a struggle.  Don’t get me wrong, I got scads of rejections, but little by little that began to change as my writing improved.  I feel as though I paint portraits with words, and the words I write have rhythm, so it’s not so far removed from the dreams of my childhood. 

I would love to hear what you wanted to be when you grew up and if indeed that is what you are doing, so please comment.

It was surprisingly easy to do. Amazon has it down to a science. You prepare your manuscript, upload it, fill in the blanks, prove you have the e-rights, and upload a cover.  Matt at Cherp LLC put together the e-book cover for me and it’s great!  How many times have you felt like your family tree was broken? And family is what Feisty Family Values is all about…

When Annabelle Hubbard appears on her cousin Regina’s doorstep covered in bruises, the chaos begins. Within an idyllic neighborhood of stolid, family values and century-old houses, the cousins come to grips with family secrets, the ghosts of painful memories, unruly grandchildren, a life-threatening illness, and sexual temptation. Riding through the storm in their lives, the two cousins find that faith, family, and friends are all that matters.