MB with Michelle Monkou at Turn the Page.
I had great fun on Saturday, November 1 signing at Turn the Page Bookstore (http://ttpbooks.com/) in Boonsboro, Maryland. Also signing were J D Robb, Mary Blayney, Ruth Ryan Langan, Mary Kay McComas, Donna Kauffman, Michelle Monkou and columnist Tim Rowland. The weather was stunning and the fans great!
I signed copies of I'M WATCHING YOU, DEAD RINGER and SILVER BELLS on Saturday. MB with Patti.
Buddy (the army guy), Bella (the mermaid) and I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!
Where Do You Get Your Ideas? It’s a question every writer has heard. And the honest answer is that I’m not so sure. But I can tell you that the plotting process begins in my subconscious long before I sit down at the computer. Inevitably, I’m flipping through a magazine, glancing at the ads and articles and before I know it there are images from the magazine that just connect to characters buried in my imagination. I can’t tell you why an image fits a character only that it does. Over the years I’ve learned to trust the muse, rip out the pictures, paste them on a board and keep all the pictures close to my desk.
Little did I know that many writers do this. Called collaging it is an effective way to begin building story characters. I spoke to my writer/artist friend Elizabeth Holcombe who has taught seminars on collaging for writers. What does Elizabeth advise?
1. Tear out magazine images without thinking too much. Just tear out things that appeal to you. Go quickly. Sort through them later.
2. Lay out your images, overlapping them, cutting them, tearing them for rough edges, and look to see common ground in them. Do they relate to one another in some way?
3. Paste or tape images onto poster board, loosely putting them in groups (hero, heroine, setting, emotions–yes, some images may just evoke emotions). If you’ve done this without laboring over the process, freeing your mind, you will be happily surprised at what comes from your creative visual chaos.
Elizabeth has created some great works of collage art. I can’t claim the same. But I’ve come to love collaging and now can’t pick up a magazine without looking for characters. So if you’re stuck, looking for inspiration, or just want to have fun, grab a stack of magazines and start ripping.
Want more info on collaging? Visit Elizabeth Holcombe’s blog at http://elizabethholcombe.typepad.com/elizabeth_holcombe_whimsi/2007/03/altered_book_ar.html.
This is the collage board for I’M WATCHING YOU, DEAD RINGER, and "Christmas Past" in the SILVER BELLS anthology.
Buy a Book, Stop a Crook! is the motto for Book ‘em an annual book fair sponsored by the Waynesboro Police Department. The program, now in its fifth year, raises money to illiteracy and crime. The event featured dozens of authors who signed their books and gave talks on writing, the publishing industry, and other topics of interest. At the event, I signed copies of I’m Watching You and Cold Case Cop and also spoke on the panel Romance, Suspense and Thrillers. What do they have in common? Joining me on the panel were authors Nikki Leigh and Tom Tancin.
MB signing at Book
Because I’m such an animal lover at heart, I have to say my favorite Book ‘em guest was Tomi the Cadaver dog. Tomi is a Rhodesian German Shepard-Akita mix who traveled all the way from L.A. with his author pal Alan Krugel who writes The K-9 Chronicles. The pair not only attended Book ‘em, but spent the week visiting area school children. Check out Alan’s author interview at http://www.youtube.com/user/K9dogpack.
Tomi traveled from L.A. for Book 'em.
And speaking of pups…visit Barbara Vey’s blog Beyond Her Book at http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/1680034368.html. She’s running a contest to match authors/editors/publishers and their animals. I’m there and so are my “babies.”
Wilda Williams and Mary Burton
Friday, October 10: It was back to Richmond for the James River Writers Conference, which featured such greats as David Baldacci and Adriana Trigiani. I participated on an afternoon panel: The Fun and Money of the Romance Game that also featured Jenny Gardiner, Judi McCoy and Cathy Maxwell. Again, we had another tremendous audience that had so many good questions.
Cathy Maxwell, Mary Burton, Jenny Gardiner and Judi McCoy
Saturday, October 11: The day started off on a grand note with the Virginia Romance Writers monthly meeting featuring the fabulous Caridad Pinero author of paranormals and romantic suspense. Her presentation on dialogue was so insightful and had me visiting my local library to check out all the books she referenced. If that wasn’t enough, I headed back up I-95 to visit the Marine Corps Museum at Quantico to gather background information for my latest book. The museum was beyond impressive and I was sorry I arrived so late in the day and couldn’t have stayed longer. I will definitely return!