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| Meg Mims, author |
Copyright © 2012 Meg Mims
NaNoWriMo can be very helpful to some people. For me, it’s agony.
Who chose November anyway? No doubt a man, who doesn’t have to squeeze any Christmas shopping here and there between planning a Thanksgiving Day menu, going grocery shopping, cleaning the house, baking pumpkin pies and preparing the turkey and other dishes, plus getting out Christmas cards and planning other holiday events like parties, cookie baking, the kids’ holiday crafts at school, parent-teacher conferences, etc. etc. etc.
If only they’d chosen July. I could sit in an air-conditioned room for a whole month, even start the writing off with the Fourth of July fireworks and BBQ family picnic, and be perfectly content to miss out on the hottest summer weeks. I’d finish 50,000 words in no time flat. Maybe even a complete book (although I can’t say I’ve ever tried it yet)
Anyway.
I started writing Double or Nothing last November during NaNoWriMo. I had a great beginning hook, an interesting premise, some interesting scenes... until I hit a wall. Uh — now what? I had not taken the time to write an outline, that’s what happened. So I tried. Failed. And then went Christmas shopping instead. After Christmas, the idea of writing a super-quick contemporary romance novella beckoned — and The Key to Love was born. In a month. Whew.
Is it good? I wrote long and hard, and the reviews are supporting my efforts. Another whew. But I still had my brick wall to face, since readers of Double Crossing were clamoring for the sequel. Back to work. The outline, which took some major brainstorming with a long-time friend. Then the blurb. Write. Rewrite. Think. Chew the cud. Rewrite some more.
Double or Nothing has got to be just as good, if not better, than Double Crossing. Did I want a “trilogy” story arc? No. This is just a “double,” which fits. I could not see keeping Lily and Ace apart for two more books. And in the sequel, I knew the romance had to be stronger. It’s still an “adventure” — and Lily remains a fighter — but the stakes had to be much higher.
A mysterious explosion... a man framed for murder... and a strong woman determined to prove his innocence.
Ace Diamond
November, 1869: Lily Granville, now heiress to a considerable fortune, rebels against her uncle’s strict rules in Sacramento, California. Ace Diamond, determined to win Lily, invests in a San Francisco dynamite factory for a quick “killing,” but his status as a successful businessman fails to impress her guardian. An explosion at the factory, mere hours before Lily elopes with Ace to avoid a forced marriage, sets off a chain of unforeseen consequences.
Despite Lily’s protests that her new husband has been framed, Ace is dragged off to jail as the culprit. Evidence mounts against him, given alleged ties to anarchists who planned to return California rule to the original Spanish families. Lily must learn who was actually behind the diabolical plan... and save Ace from the hangman's noose. Will she become a widow before a true wife?
Lily Granville
Sooo, I’m looking forward to writing that scene of their wedding night — of Lily’s shock and Ace’s total frustration — interrupted before any real hanky panky gets too far. Readers will have to see exactly how Lily manages to rescue Ace and succeed against all odds.
She’s certainly woman enough to do that!
Thanks for having me this week, Jacquie!! Your blog is awesome. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you have a long-time friend who's perceptive enough -- & evidently patient enough -- to help you work through that 'wall'. That's terrific.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Jeff. My friend is also a pub, and we've always used each other as a "sound board" when plotting. Oh yeah. Sure does help! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteI agree entirely about holding Nano in November. I think it was done for college kids--who have moms who are doing all the cleaning, shopping, and cooking for Thanksgiving!Lily and Ace sound interesting and I hopr the rest of your story moves along without hitches!
DeleteLOL - college kids, I never thought of that! Good one. Hooray for Moms everywhere, though. Thanks, Melisse -- I hope to finish and get it published this year! Keep an eye peeled. ;-D
DeleteYou're always welcome to join our Winter Nano, and if you do a summer one I'll join you -but not in July, since I'll be traveling. Anyway, the blurb sounds wonderful. Go, Meg!
ReplyDeleteI agree about the November NaNoWriMo. I've signed up every year and have never made it past square one. It's just a terrible time for me. Plus, the last couple of years I was silly enough to teach online classes in November, which doesn't help get books written, for sure.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to Double or Nothing!