Guest Post with Author, Ciara Lake

Please give a warm welcome to author, Ciara Lake!

Hello world, I’m Ciara Lake and I am happy to be a guest on Reading Between the Wines blog.  Thank you for having me. 

Writing takes energy and creative thinking.  Sometimes writers experience blocks.  I have blocks when stressed.  In fact, I have been having a block this late spring and summer.  It has been a mixture of stress and wanting to go outside and play.  When school starts for my boys, and it just did, I will hopefully be able to better focus on writing.  Plus, this spring and summer I have been involved in several difficult trials, my other job.  It tired me out, zapping my creative energy.  Talking about it here is actually helpful.  It gets me revved up.  I mention writer’s blocks, because I know writers and other artists struggle at times too.  I never appreciated how hard blocks can affect an artist until recently.  It is frustrating and it is nice to express the frustration aloud.     

I like to read and watch movies to get my creative energy flowing.  Sometimes I sit and daydream.  I did some camping this summer, enjoying the outside allowing my imagination to be free.  I like to plot things out in a notebook too.  Sometimes while at work when I have free time I get my notebook out and jot things down. Creating a plot notebook makes me excited about the flow of the story.  I just started really doing the plot notebook and I have discovered something wonderful in it.  I am using composition books to do the plots and notes on each story I have in my mind.  I love seeing my collection of stories and notes growing.  So, I suggest to all those you wish to write… start taking notes.  Jot things down that spark something.  You will be thankful later.

Also, I like to talk to my friends about my ideas.  Just talking about it aloud makes my imagination work well.  It’s amazing how ideas will just pop into my head from everyday life.  The other day someone was talking about using someone’s vacation home on the beach, and it made my brain start to work overtime about a great concept for the book I am currently working on.      

Tallusian Nights was released on August 12, 2012 from Siren Publishing.  With this book, the ideas just came to me.  I sat down at the computer and wrote it out pretty quickly.  After I got it all down, I went back and fixed it making it the best I can.  This is what I have typically done with all my books so far.  As I finished Tallusian Nights, the next concept for the following book in this series took life in my head.  I fell in love with one of the other characters.   I knew I wanted to continue working with this character.  So, I jotted some notes about him and his upcoming adventure.  One thing too, these notebooks really help when you are planning to write more than one book at a time.  It helps keep it all straight.  Key details are important to write down, so you can refer to them later.  You may think you won’t forget but I have found I surely do.  It is nice to have a guide to look back at.        

I am very thrilled with the Forsaken Series and love working with my good friend Elise Whyles.  She is very talented and imaginative.  Thank you Elise for all you do.  J We have truly woven a great supernatural adventure.  I have made a good friend out of this new career in writing.  In fact, I have made many other great acquaintances.  It is a lot of fun to work with a good team members.  Elise and I are already talking about doing other things together.   When you work with someone good, it can get the creative juices flowing.  

Also, it allows you to bounce things off each other.  All of this builds skills and confidence.  I know working with Elise has helped me immensely.  I suggest, if you want to write, find a mentor. Start talking to people. Email authors and see if they will chat with you.  Some will. 

Also, I am excited to be a new member of another publishing house, Champagne Books.  They have welcomed me as part of their author group with my book Angel for Avery.  It is coming out in February 2013.  They had a contest or call to take ideas for new books.  I entered and they were interested.  It was a great experience.  As new writers, keep your eye out for calls on books or contests.  It is a great way to start putting your foot in the door and may open the door fully.      

I have a lot of work ahead of me.  I am currently writing Forsaken Waves of Time, the sixth in the Forsaken series.   This story is a new spin on Mermaids and other supernatural creatures of the sea.  I spend a lot of time researching too.  I find out all about folklores, myths, religions, exotic/historic locations, and legends. After researching, I add my new spin to whatever I am dreaming of.  For example, in Forsaken Norse Wind, I wrote about a troll, I really changed things up in that tale.  My trolls are a bit different then what you may read about in researching the topic. I like to do the new spin thing and create new levels in these legends and or mythology.  In fact, I am going to spend time today working on my Mermaid story.  I’ve done research.    I’ve talked about it with Elise and my friends.  I’ve jotted many notes down as ideas came to me.  So, today I am going to get my plot notebook out and begin writing.

Why romance?  I love a good love story. I have enjoyed reading love stories since I was in high school. To me romance is part of life or at least most people want it to be.  Reading about it twined in with adventure, mystery, suspense and action is all the better.  To me the sex scenes are the icing on the story, it is not the story.  I do not enjoy, as much, a story where the lovers meet and have sex without the development of the relationship.  They may jump into bed quickly… but the reader needs to feel the powerful pull the characters have for each other if that happens.  I think development of the relationship is essential to a great story.  I want the romances to have depth, reason for the intensity.  I like a story, which is emotional.  Maybe you want to cry one minute then laugh.  You find yourself as the reader wanting to jump into the story and just kiss the guy.  J  First, I want the readers to love the characters and the environment.  I want the readers to enjoy the tension between the characters, which then leads to powerful romance where the characters show their love for each other in a physical way.  To me, this type of story is hot. It makes you want to keep reading.  That’s what I strive to write.   Writing these types of stories is fun for me.     

Thanks for reading my books. If you love my books, share the news with others.  Write to me and let me know what you think at CiaraLakeromanceauthor@gmail.com.      

I am having a contest on my web site to win a free ebook copy of Tallusian Nights.  Check it out and thanks for reading!

http://www.CiaraLakeromancebooks.com

Enjoy life and reading great romance,

Ciara Lake