Now, as promised, Heeeere’s Tanya!

With The Best Man in Texas and the upcoming Texas Baby (Harlequin American, Sept. 2010) I got to do one of my favorite things as a writer—revisit a world I’d already created.  It’s like going to see old friends!  I don’t know why it took me so long in my career to start writing connected books because, as a reader, I’ve always enjoyed series.

Fantasy series in particular offer amazing instances of world-building, whether it’s Tolkien’s Middle Earth, C.S. Lewis’ Narnia, George R.R. Martin’s Westeros, or Jacqueline Carey’s Terre D’Ange.  But I’ve also seen amazing world-building in standalone books set in the “every day” world.  Jennifer Crusie’s contemporary romance Bet Me comes to mind.  Her location was no more exotic than Ohio, but she definitely sucked me into that world—I totally wanted to have drinks with the characters at The Long Shot bar and eat chicken marsala at Emilio’s.

To me, reading that book felt very interactive.  A fictional world should never be just a green-screen, the landscaped props behind your characters; it should feel three dimensional.  It should contain a society (which can be as small a microcosm as a family of four or a few co-workers in a dysfunctional office).  And there are certain building-blocks that all societies have shared, from bygone historical days to the present.  Many of these same building blocks appear in most of the sci-fi/futuristic fiction I enjoy, too—whether it’s books, movies or shows.

While I don’t think stories should be written as fill-in-the-blank templates, here are a just a couple of elements to keep in mind if you want to build a world (taken from my workshop World-Building for Your Werewolf, Duke, or Small Town Doctor).  What’s the political structure?  Is it matriarchal?  Militaristic?  Groupthink?  (In the show “House,” I think you could argue that the political structure is tyranny.)

What do the people there value?  Gold, information, a damn good chicken marsala?  A believable world needs both moral values and material values, although material doesn’t always mean money. (“He who controls the spice controls the universe.”)  What the people value can not only make your world more distinctive, it can help drive the plot.

What if the thing they value the most is jeopardized, or the story takes them on a quest that makes them re-examine their values?  In Kresley Cole’s hot paranormal romance Kiss of A Demon King, the heroine was a vegetarian and the hero was a self-confessed carnivore.  While that was by no means the main conflict of the book, it was just one more supporting parallel of the differences between them, how the way of life one of them held dear was initially reviled by the other.  They both had a lot of adjusting to do before they earned their happily ever after.

In my upcoming Texas Baby, most of the hierarchy from the book comes from the office where both the hero and heroine work and the thing most valued to both of them is family.  Societies also have common language, whether it’s a dialect spoken (Elvish, Klingon) or simply regional slang or a catchphrase used between friends.  And all societies have their own stories and legends, whether they’re religious parables sacred and kept by worship leaders or simply a familiar anecdote told every year around the Thanksgiving table.

And thank God for those stories!  I love discovering new stories and new writers just as much as I love telling stories and creating new characters.  My hope is that I write characters other readers will want to spend time with and worlds that they will recognize and want to revisit.

~ Tanya

This just in: Tanya will be HERE! on September 7th! With a wonderful post about world building – you won’t want to miss it!

For me, as a fan of Michaels’ books, her story worlds come alive in the clever choice of details. For The Best Man in Texas, I’ll point to the drive from Katy to Houston. Odd choice? Maybe. (I’ve never claimed to be normal) This moment is certainly a ’small’ part of the scene and comes after many other wonderful layers of characterization and world building for the romance novel as a whole.

But with one simple line, she puts you in the scene with her characters, feeling the traffic, traveling the route, and completely engaged with the heroine on the way to the party. (no the scene isn’t about the car, traffic or route – it’s about the characters).

Michaels creates unique characters and detailed world building for her romance novels that is hard to describe, but a pure joy to read. Her transitions between setting and action are seamless, but add vivid depth and tenderness to her stories. This world building blend of emotion, humor, plot, and setting is something I believe has turned many readers to lifelong fans of her work.

Whenever I read Michaels’ books I feel as if I’ve visited the town, walked into that kitchen, or seen the fire station (The Best Man in Texas). That’s a fabulous way for readers to escape and engage with the characters and story.

Such successful world building for romance novels isn’t an easy skill, no matter how effortless Michaels makes it look. As I’ve said before, if you want to learn from the best, buy Tanya Michaels’ books and get yourself to wherever she’s speaking! (her next release is Texas Baby due September 14!)

Live the adventure!

…and mark your calendars for September 7th, when Tanya Michaels will be here!

My friend asked if, being an intelligent alpha female, I sat back and did some paranormal world building while the men in my life (husband and son) dealt with the wobbling, leaky toilet. No, silly me, I used my computer in an effort to help and wound up smack in the heart of the problem – when the internet resource told me it was a relatively easy fix.

No sense calling a professional when we can do it ourselves!

We’ll call it a family bonding experience and chalk it up to character development. I mean when you’re an alpha female in the thick of wax seals and broken bolts, that’s when you really get to know a person, right? By the way, if my back was healthy, I would’ve been able to do most of it on my own – the way I prefer to tackle home repair.

Truthfully, it wasn’t nasty as much as messy. The wax seals hidden on the bottom of toilets are bizarre and rather impervious (by design, obviously) to water clean up.  So while my husband ran out for replacement parts I stayed home trying to dissolve the stupid thing so we could repair and replace it with something new.

My friend asked me if I used my super laser sword. (Gotta love a friend who’s a reader and a fan). Alas, no sword in my reality, only in the paranormal worlds I build up in my imagination. So once again, many thanks to internet resource! My trusty putty knife, glass cleaner, and a heap of rags worked their last job for our family and conquered the gooey seal of wax.

My friend then says (after hearing the whole story) that it sounded like a good blog post. What? What sort of world does she think I live in that I’d find even blogging inspiration on the bottom of a toilet?

Ah, let’s mark that last question as rhetorical.

It seems my friend is ever so smart – and knows me ever so well – to think I’d use the rather strange events of my real world day here at my blog.

Live the adventure!

Don’t forget to enter the Goodreads Giveaway (over there on the right).  Find all my titles on Amazon and Smashwords in the format of your choice!

Taking that initial place, time, or structure in which your characters will play and layering in the details to amp up the mood will only help you with the world building for a paranormal romance novel. As readers and writers of paranormal romance novels, we expect and enjoy those layers and details that make it more than the average escape reading.

I thought of this layering theme frequently while packing and unpacking as we moved the brilliant daughter back into her dorm room for her senior year. (yes having a high school senior is classed as paranormal activity in my opinion – I swear she was starting kindergarten just last week!) But I digress.

As we dumped boxes in a dorm with the most basic, bare furniture, it was merely the foundation, just a place to keep some stuff. She could make her bed, put her clothes in a drawer, and plug in her laptop and it would start to serve her needs, but it still wasn’t comfy or stylish. So we unpacked and layered a carpet, bedding and shams, closet organizers, bulletin boards and decor, extra lighting and finishing touches, and gradually it became her home away from home for the next school year.

My Shadows of Justice series is set in Chicago, in 2096. But the timing is just the foundation. The story is unwrapped, embellished and highlighted in the layers and details as the characters interact with both the elements of the future and each other.

Find Invasion of Justice in E.J. Steven’s Friday the 13th Monster Giveaway Prize Pack 2!

Don’t forget to register to win the latest Shadows of Justice novel, Veil of Justice, from Goodreads! (details on the right)

Of course you can buy the rest of my books in your preferred format at Amazon or Smashwords today!

Live the adventure!

Riordan’s latest young adult release, The Red Pyramid, The Kane Chronicles Book 1 came out in March, but I just got a chance to read it and I enjoyed the ride from the first word to the last!

Once again, Riordan superimposed a mythological network on the modern world (Egyptian this time) creating an unforgettable adventure that takes a brother and sister globetrotting through monuments and museums in an effort to save the world us mere mortals know and love.

It’s the unlikely combination of what is known with what must surely be impossible that brings the magic of this story to life on the page. If you’re looking to beef up your world building for a paranormal romance novel, reading Riordan is a fun way to learn the craft.

Riordan’s world building is perfected by in depth research and understanding of the Egyptian mythology he’s applied with such creativity the gods themselves (greater and lesser) can’t help but admire along with readers.

One of my favorite lines was the answer to why the secret Egyptian hideout in New York City was in Brooklyn rather than Manhattan: “Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It’s best we stay separate.” Fans (like me) of the Percy Jackson series will laugh out loud in appreciation of Riordan’s voice, humor, and style.

I feel the Kane Chronicles are yet another hit for Riordan and I encourage readers of all ages to dive into the past and present of Egypt and the ever-so-obvious remnants of Egyptology that surround us.

Read the adventure!

Q: Was there a real Hobbitville?

Yes! When I was in the high school we would often go walking about late at night and one of our favorite stops was an elaborate garden with statues and dark, shadowy alcoves for conversations and silliness. Of course in the real life Hobbitville the statues were not magic portals. At least they didn’t work for us.

Q: Were you in the band?

Yes, I was a band geek! I was on the drum line (snare) and I became a drum major/field conductor. I even got to help plan our shows and formations. Marching band is at the center of many of my happiest high school memories.

Q: Where did the inspiration for the Pixie Chicks come from?

Memories of my friends in high school as well as watching my kids and their friends now. Looking back it always seemed to be a crowd of us hanging out and getting into stuff. Not trouble precisely, but the stuff of the moment. Friends and good friendships are so important no matter how old you are.

Q: Were you and your friends fans of Tolkien?

Oh, yeah! The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings still top my list of favorite books. Tolkien’s world building was just exquisite and a true inspiration to me now that I’m writing paranormal novels and short stories.

Q: How long have you been thinking up Hobbitville as a setting for your stories?

I’ve wanted to use my fond memories of that garden and good friends for years, and this series is the perfect outlet. I love playing with these characters and seeing where they lead me while I write. Adding the enchanted statuary is a way to make the adventures deeper and more fun. Developing the world of Hobbitville and the depths and rules and even the purpose of jumping from one garden to another has been sheer joy.

Q: Will there be more Hobbitville stories? What about a full length novel with the Pixie Chicks?

Definitely – to both questions. Writing in the Hobbitville world is not something I intend to stop anytime soon. Brie and her friends have a lot going on and a lot they want to accomplish in and around Hobbitville, so I’ll keep putting it all on paper.  I’m currently working on the first full length novel for the Pixie Chicks and will post more details as that project progresses!

Breaking New Ground is FREE on Smashwords through July 31!!! Find your copies of the rest of the Hobbitville saga at OmniLit or Amazon today!

Live the adventure!

No really!

Mod Nation (my son’s latest PS3 acquisition) and similar games can be a great exercise in world building fun. Order or chaos, high tide or low, even the position of the sun or moon, you’re in control of the universe as you build a racetrack. It’s really cool!

When crafting a paranormal romance novel, you also have the control.

You can make your world big and chaotic, you can lock in a tight follow spot on some detail of immense importance. However you build it, the world building for paranormal romance novels is all about how you want to play – or rather how your characters want to play in the world you create.

There are rules, in games and in world building.

In a game as silly and ‘simple’ as Hamster Ball, the creators were careful to make it make sense. You have three ‘ball’ choices for your hamster during the game: speed, bounce, and strength. Naturally the bounce ball looks like a soccer ball – which makes sense.  Even in hamster world, the world building rules matter.

Video game or paranormal romance novel, world building is world building. The more you practice, the better you get. So dream big, down to the smallest detail, make sure it makes sense, then let your characters have the time of their lives entertaining your readers.

Find several Shadows of Justice stories at Smashwords (free and half price) through July 31!  Additional outlets include Kindle and OmniLit.  Plus there’s still time to enter for one of two copies of Veil of Justice on the Goodreads Giveaways!

Live the adventure!

I want to address the elements of paranormal romance Burn’s chose for this delightful new series. I’m a sucker for the mental ’super powers’ and Burn’s characters have them in spades!

Telekinesis - warriors in the Sicari order use telekinesis in addition to amazing sword skills and other classic weaponry. Turns out telekinesis is a handy skill to have away from battle as well – as Burns’s hero Ares uses his gift during some fabulously hot and sensual scenes.

Telepathy - Emma, Burns’ telepathic heroine can see the history of objects she touches. This has proved useful in her archaeology career, though she tries to avoid it because (as I mentioned Tuesday) – the world Burns built for these paranormal romance novels isn’t an easy one and every action has serious ramifications and consequences.

It turns out the telepathic element of paranormal romance compounds the conflict as the enemy is telepathic too and therefore telepathy is not in vogue in the Sicari world.

Trust - okay this isn’t technically a paranormal power (unless you have issues, and don’t we all?) but it’s an inherent element in this paranormal romance novel. The way Burns weaves this basic ‘need’ in and out of the emotional and physical journey is superb!

Don’t believe me! Check out this excerpt!

Live the adventure!

If, like me, you’re a fan, of the more mental elements of paranormal romance novels you won’t be disappointed with Assassin’s Honor! Buy your copy today so you’ll be ready for the next installment, Assassin’s Heart (due in September!)

Not only is it a unique and excellently crafted paranormal romance novel – it’s set in Chicago (well, part of the time) and Chicago is one of my favorite cities.

Read an excerpt of Assassins Honor here

Burns has found a fresh angle in the paranormal romance and her world building for this paranormal romance novel is top notch. Lead characters Emma and Ares have a contemporary place to play that’s fraught with powerful enemies with unique talents.

Three things that made Burn’s world building for this paranormal romance novel (and series) so effective:

Location, location, location: Using real locations, Burns doesn’t gloss over the realities of each one. She makes the Sicari lair on Wacker street in Chicago easy to imagine – the lair, the access and why the Sicari chose that spot.

This isn’t a place tourists or innocent bystanders would travel, and the criminal element works to the secretive advantage and purpose of the group.

The opener: Burns opens with Emma on an archaeology dig, uncovering an ancient symbol. Burns uses this symbol throughout the adventure as it’s significant to all the primary characters and their back stories.

Even though the locations change, the purpose of both Emma’s job and her discovery set a mood and tone within the world Burns built for this paranormal romance novel.

It isn’t an easy world. However Burns’ imagination works, I’m a grateful reader and fan! Her attention to detail in the world building for this paranormal romance novel makes for an impressively delightful and smooth read.

Ares’ Sicari world and honor system are so very different from what Emma has known and both hero and heroine have a wonderfully emotional journey that knits seamlessly with the adventure of their circumstances.

It’s never cliched, no pacing is lost, nothing is introduced that doesn’t have a purpose or solid foundation beneath it. In a word: Believable!

Thank you Monica Burns for successful world building for your paranormal romance novel series.

Live the adventure!

For excerpts, and details about how Assassin’s Honor came to be, visit Monica’s site now. Or better yet, go buy Assassin’s Honor in your fave format from your fave retailer so you’ll be ready for the next installment, Assassin’s Heart coming soon!

There’s much happiness in my daily world…

My family is all together for summer. My kids had excellent report cards. Our adopted greyhounds are smiling and content.

Veil of Justice is finally out in paperback and kindle and I can keep (most of) the daily drama on the pages of my current paranormal romance novel.

And there’s much reality too…

My parakeet writing buddy passed away, leaving a serious, gaping silence in my office. This back injury doesn’t want to heal on my time (admittedly I’m impatient). And for whatever reason, my family keeps asking what I’ve planned for dinner each night.

Which is why world building makes me happy!

World building for a paranormal romance novel isn’t just my day job. It’s more than passing time while water boils in the pasta pot.

When I start world building for my paranormal romance novels, it’s a delightful exercise of the imagination. Of course the purpose is all about crafting a good setting, discovering what can and will assist my characters, what will give them the best challenge as they strive toward their goals.

I love writing paranormal romance novels, as well as building just the right world for my lively, determined characters.

Visit any or all of my worlds when you buy my books at Amazon.

Live the adventure!