Writing Life and Inspiration: Strangers + “What if?” = Plots and Characters in Fiction

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By Lois Winston

Whenever I hear a writer complain that she can’t come up with an idea for a plot or character, I offer this advice: “Get off your phone and keep your eyes and ears open.” No matter where I go—from the supermarket to a doctor’s appointment to the line at the DMV—I see people with their noses buried in their phones. I’m the outlier. As an author, part of my writing life is spent eavesdropping on conversations and observing the behaviors of those around me. That’s where I get much of my writing inspiration. For me, strangers + “what if?” = plots and characters in many of my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries.

Ideas for plots and characters are all around us if we just take the time to look and listen. Neighbors, friends, relatives, strangers, and the daily news provide constant sources of ideas for plots and characters. All you need to do is channel your inner snoop gene while pretending not to pay attention.

I’ve been privy to the most sensitive of conversations while sitting on a commuter train, in a department store dressing room, and even while doing the necessary in a mall ladies’ room stall. Sometimes, I’ve even heard both ends of the conversation, thanks to the person on the train or in the dressing room or lavatory having placed the call on speaker. Those lavatory experiences became the source of a scene in Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun, the first book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series.

The world is full of interesting and odd individuals, and I came across some of the oddest back in 1998 when my husband and I moved to a new house. These people and their strange habits have stuck with me over the years. With the encouragement of some of my readers to whom I told about these former neighbors, I incorporated them into my latest Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery. To my knowledge, none of the real people were ever murdered or committed murder, but the traits I observed did make their way into Seams Like the Perfect Crime, the fourteenth book in my series, currently up for preorder with a release date of February 2, 2025.

Seams Like the Perfect Crime

An Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery, Book 14

When staffing shortages continue to hamper the Union County homicide squad, Detective Sam Spader once again turns to his secret weapon, reluctant amateur sleuth Anastasia Pollack. How can she and husband Zack Barnes refuse when the victim is their new neighbor?

Revolutionary War reenactor Barry Sumner had the odd habit of spending hours mowing a small patch of packed dirt and weeds until his mower ran out of gas. He’d then guzzle beer on his front porch until he passed out. That’s where Anastasia’s son Nick discovers his body three days after the victim and his family moved into the newly built mini-McMansion across the street.

After a melee breaks out at the viewing, Spader zeroes in on the widow as his prime suspect. However, Anastasia has her doubts. There are other possible suspects, including a woman who’d had an affair with the victim, his ex-wife, the man overseeing the widow’s trust fund, a drug dealer, and the reenactors who were blackmailing the widow and victim.

When another reenactor is murdered, Spader suspects they’re dealing with a serial killer, but Anastasia wonders if the killer is attempting to misdirect the investigation. As she narrows down the suspects, will she jeopardize her own life to learn the truth?

Craft projects included.

Preorder now. Available 2/4/25

P.S.: On Monday evening, January 27th at 7pm ET (6pm CT, 5pm MT, and 4pm PT), I’ll be the guest of the Cozy Mystery Party Facebook Group, hosted by Heather Harrisson and Shawn Stevens. If you’d like to join in for a fun hour + of all things murder, mayhem, and cozy mysteries (there will be prizes and surprises!), join the group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/cozymysteryparty. 

Hope to see you there! 

~*~

USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, and children’s chapter books. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com where you can also sign up for her newsletter and follow her on various social media sites.

Valkyrie Brothers Book 1 - Elevator Ride by Bethany Maines - Cover reveal graphic

2025 is Coming!

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2025 is coming for me!

And I am not ready.  I’m not ready for Christmas, I barely made it through Thanksgiving and New Year’s is barreling down on me like a freight train.  In 2025, I’m trying something new as an author—a release schedule that doesn’t sync up with my work conference season, and a “long” quick release schedule.  In romance publishing it’s not uncommon to see authors releasing books in a series mere weeks or a month apart. But I tried that in 2022 and I think I’m still recovering.

In 2025 I’m planning on releasing a complete trilogy, but I plan on doing them three months apart — March, June, and September.  This will off-set them from peak seasons at work and also give me a little breathing space, while hopefully keeping readers engaged.  But that means that I’m setting up a lot of marketing now in 2024. And if I’m putting my time toward one thing then I’m taking time from somewhere else.

So what should you be doing – if not preparing for 2025?

Christmas shopping!  I don’t even have proper list or a spreadsheet!  I’m just randomly buying crap and hoping that I’m getting closer to wrapping.

Upon reviewing those last few sentences, I have come to the conclusion that I might be a giant nerd.  Does anyone else have a shopping spreadsheet?  Just me?  OK, well, if you do… nerds unite! You are my people.

But I haven’t even put up a tree.  The stockings are up, so we’re not totally without Christmas, but still… The days are ticking by too fast! Although, I can’t tell for sure if that’s true since we didn’t get an advent calendar either. How can I really tell how close we are to Christmas without small amounts of chocolate being continually fed to me?

Meanwhile, I feel like I’m ADHD as I try to wrap up all my writing goals for the end of the year.  There’s all the marketing I need to do, a contest I want to submit to that means I have some pages that need polishing, a novel that needs polishing and a paranormal romance that is begging to be written.  And every time I work on one I feel guilty that I’m not working on the others.

How am I supposed to get enough family time, let alone Christmas cookies, into my December with that many projects?  If you’ve got time saving tips or great gift ideas–I’m all ears.

Valkyrie Brothers Book 1 - Elevator Ride by Bethany Maines - Cover reveal graphic - Release date: March 24, 2025

But what I hear you saying is that there is a new series coming?

Yes.  There is!  The Valkyrie Brother’s Trilogy!  Half rom-com, half mystery and all fun.  The series features three brothers navigating reuniting their family, fighting off bad guys, and coincidentally meeting their true loves in elevators all across town.  Book 1 – Elevator Ride – will be released in March of 2025 and is currently available for pre-order.  If you want to learn more, it was recently featured over at Dru’s Book Musing Blog!  And while you’re over there check out Dru’s fabulous reviews and other content.

Learn more about Elevator Ride: https://drusbookmusing.com/cover-reveal-elevator-ride/

Pre-order: https://amzn.to/3AnaMLQ

**

Bethany Maines drinks from an arsenic mugBethany Maines is the award-winning indie and traditionally published author of romantic action-adventure and fantasy novels that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind-end. She can usually found chasing after her daughter or glued to the computer working on her next novel or screenplay.

See a few of her books on the Our Books page: https://www.thestilettogang.com/books/

Life’s Little Instructions

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As we complete another rotation around our sun, some of us like to make resolutions for things we’d like to accomplish in the coming year. There are lots of lists out there to guide us: new diets to try and exercise regimens to tackle. New books to read and buckets of travel options to consider. Or, perhaps we just want to work at developing a new and improved version of ourselves.

The list of 95-year-old William Snell that has been circulating across social media lately seems about right, although I wonder if he meant to number them in order of their importance. At times, his suggestions feel like sly digs at people who make such lists in the first place.

After all, while singing in the shower can truly be a mood enhancing exercise, should it really be first on the list—and followed closely by the caution to never turn down a homemade brownie?

I also ponder his #18 admonishment. Of course, at the Gang, we work to keep our stilettos (and our prose) well-polished. But maintaining shiny shoes in winter can be a challenge for those in northern climes. And in summertime, do we really need to shine our flip-flops?

Yet I heartily agree with #29. Dogs absolutely make make us better humans. And though I can’t remember the last time I waved at kids on a school bus (#33), I always wave at them when the zoo train comes around. Hopefully that counts.

I’m not exactly sure what Mr. Snell intended with #38. Life as an exclamation? Unfortunately, we can’t ask him about it. A Google search turned up no information beyond what’s on this weathered document, or exactly when the list was first written. But I hope he had a good life.

Still, if you’re looking for a few suggestions on how to live a pleasant life in 2025 and beyond, most of these tips might provide a good starting place. Especially #37.

Cheers!

Which “little instruction” would you take to heart for 2025?
Feel free to list your own tips in the Comments section below!
Gay Yellen is the author of the award-winning Samantha Newman Mysteries *
The Body Business***The Body Next Door***The Body in the News!***

The Magic of Editing

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Source: Clker-Free-Vector Images/Pixabay

By Donnell Ann Bell

As a writer, I can attest that I stare at a computer monitor more than I ever stare at a mirror. So, it should be no surprise there are times I walk by one and am shocked at the creature staring back at me. The thoughts that come to mind? For god’s sake, woman, put some makeup on! Where did those wrinkles come from? What’s with that hair? For years, I wore my hair short because, frankly, a stylist I’m not. What’s more, many a baseball cap has come to my rescue during bad hair days.

When my husband and I moved to Las Cruces I noticed people of all ages wore their hair long. I mentioned it to my stylist who said, “Well, let’s grow yours and see what happens!” Uneasily, I agreed, and soon learned growing out layers is a process. At every appointment I’d suggest we cut it. Her response was always the same, “Not yet.” “I’m too old for long hair,” I’d insist. To which she’d argue, “Are not.”

These days there isn’t a baseball cap in my closet. Of course, I still have bad hair days but now my saving choices are banana and claw clips. (And let me tell you, those things are EASY and a side benefit of never having to fret in front of a mirror.)

In addition to not looking in mirrors, I’m terribly uncomfortable with selfies. Likewise, I haven’t had a professional author photo taken since 2010. After a recent hair appointment, when my stylist did my hair, and not me, I thought, wow, this might make a decent picture. Into my bathroom I went and came up with a possible pic—save that my glasses caught such a glare, no one could see my eyes.

I was ready to ditch the idea, when a possible solution came to me. My brilliant critique partner designs covers; she does amazing graphics as well. Maybe Lois could get rid of the glare. I sent her the photo and to my disappointment, she said, “I can’t,” then quickly added, “But my son can.”

“Never mind,” I said, mortified that anyone besides a trusted friend would look at my image. But Lois asked him anyway. Further, she added to my mortification telling me how busy he is and that it would be a week.”

A couple of days later, however, she texted me, including a GIF of Seinfeld’s Elaine doing a happy dance. Her text read, “Check your email, your picture is ready!”

“Oh my gosh,” I cried, then jokingly asked, “Do I look as good as Elaine?”

“You look better,” Lois said.

Yeah, right.  Nevertheless, I dashed to my computer and downloaded the picture that her son had edited for me and laughed out loud. I was still laughing when I called her and said, “Lois, this isn’t me.”

“It is,” she said, “Only better. He even got rid of the electric toothbrush in the background.”

Seriously? I took a selfie with my toothbrush in the background? Is it any wonder my face is perpetually red?

Want to see what he came up with?

Note: I must have been so horrified by the toothbrush pic, I deleted it before I decided to write this blog. So I found one of me having fun trying on glasses before an eye doc appt.  (FYI, I haven’t changed my glasses since 2010, either. :))

 

Before: 

 

 

                                                                                      After: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I knew Lois’s son was a talented artist who owned his own business. I had just never delved into how talented. When I pried further, Lois said, “Scott has a degree in animation. He specializes in post-production work for movies and TV. He worked for several companies in New York before starting his own when he moved to Tennessee in 2019. He’s worked on many major shows and movies and was nominated for one Emmy so far. You can find his CV on IMDb.

When I said, “He’s amazing,” she added, “I’m a proud mama.”

Well, I should say so!

It seems like cheating to use this as my author photo. Then again, we often edit things to make our projects better, right?!  I’m so grateful to Scott Winston for taking his valuable time to help what he captioned, “Mom’s friend.” I wish him amazing success and karma in life.

The fact is, I couldn’t use this photo without admitting how “doctored” it is. But trust me, I plan to use it. Lois was so generous to say, “It’s you, only better.” Know what I really think? That photo shows the magic and value of editing!

 

 

The Research Text

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By Donnell Ann Bell

Years ago, when I worked at the Colorado Springs Business Journal as assistant editor, spotlight writer, proofreader, dishwasher, you get the idea, I shared the print room with my delightful editor and a few crazy people. Delightful and crazy are just two adjectives that come to mind. The word I reserve first and foremost for them all is talented.

Kris Oppermann Stern was the CSBJ’s editor. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to keep in contact with her, whether we toured the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver so I could research Betrayed, stood in the crowded Tattered Cover bookstore waiting to hear New York Times Bestselling Author Daniel Silva, or just hung out at her house binge-watching Twilight. To this day, she remains one of my favorite humans.

Sadly, since I moved away, we don’t do many outings but thank goodness for technology. Our last text was so ridiculous and so much fun, and since it was getting close to my blog date, I asked if I could share. (Please forgive the blurry images I pulled from the text).

Some background. I’m in full research mode for my third book in my series, working title, Irredeemable.  Naturally, I was frustrated. Here’s where our texts begin.

Donnell:  Are you familiar with Morrison Colorado?

Kris: Red Rocks is about the limit of my knowledge. Why?

DENVER COLORADO: July 21 2012: Red Rocks Amphitheater.Famous Historic Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver Colorado on July 21, 2012.

Denver, Colorado, USA downtown skyline viewed from Red Rocks at dawn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Donnell: I have an escaped mental patient that needs to get there.

Kris: Excellent … can’t wait to read.

Donnell: I was hoping you might want to take a nice walk 😊

Kris: Love to—sans the escapee.

Donnell: I would take that as a no.

Kris:  ??

Me:  My sister lives close by. We drove the area I planned to write about. I can’t believe how built up it’s become. There’s nothing but residences around there. Hence, I want him to travel to Morrison because I need him to be in harsher terrain.  P.S. I hate writing.

Kris: You do not.

Me:  All right. I hate having to get a character from point A to point B when I’m ten hours away!!

Kris: That’s a different story 😊 Will he take a concert goer hostage?

Me:  LOL

Kris: Where is the hospital?

Me: It’s fictitious so I’m placing it near 423 on this map. I’ll talk to Audra Bell [my daughter]. She may be able to help me.

 

Kris: Ah. I suspect (get it) she can.

Me:  You’re just a scream today. Okay. Gotta run. Must focus.

End of Text

As I mentioned above, I asked to share. Here are two pictures along with Kris’s impressive bio, along with one silly addition, which is another reason she remains one of my favorite humans. Happy writing!

 

Bio of Kris Oppermann Stern:

    • Editor of Colorado Real Estate Journal, December 1996 – present
    • Publisher of Building Dialogue, September 2013 – present
    • Passionate wildlife conservationist, April 2018 – in perpetuity
    • Reader of Donnell Ann Bell, always

Luckless Love epub & print editions from co-writer team Bethany Maines & Juel Lugo.

Can I be a Co-Writer?

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A Co-Writer Spills the Beans

Co-writer team Bethany Maines & Juel Lugo present Luckless Love.In my upcoming release, Luckless Love, my heroine is returning from a year long road trip and searching for someplace to belong.  Wanting to belong to a community is a universal theme that I think appeals to readers, but when I started to write the book, I didn’t immediately leap to that theme.  I had to explain my reasoning for using it to my co-writer—Juel Lugo.

Luckless Love started out during COVID when Juel who is my business partner in real life and I took a script writing seminar on how to write a Hallmark movie.  We both felt that we could write one, and with too much time on our hands and since we were in each other’s COVID pods, we gathered around a computer and took notes on how to write a Hallmark movie.

What Are Your Co-Writer Goals?

Juel is not particularly interested in being an author.  She doesn’t want to do the work of putting words on a page, but she is endlessly interested in stories and structure.  As a life-long reader, and marketing expert, she knows that stories are what move the human psyche.  So our deal was that she would do the bulk lifting on inventing the plot. I would walk her through how to outline and then I would do the actual writing.  But that meant that we had endless discussions on our characters, their motivations and how to get them to fulfill their plot obligations.

I don’t know how other co-authors work together, but with over ten years of experience in working with each other, we managed to make it through the outline with very little disagreement.  Having both taken the seminar we both could recognize when we were deviating from the Hallmark pattern.  And then we could also agree when we were fine with leaving that path.  Hallmark has a lot of constraints about how serious or realistic things can be (don’t mention divorce or cancer!), which is understandable for their brand, but for writing a novel it can feel like the characters are lacking in depth.

Did We Make it the End?

So did we make it through the writing process with our friendship and partnership intact?  Absolutely. It was a fantastically distracting project during a time when we very much needed one.  It was also fun to take on a challenge that neither of us had done before.  The script version achieved a PNWA Literary Contest Finalist ranking and we are quite proud of our little romance novel.  We’re looking forward to it’s upcoming release on November 18.  Check out the links below if you’re also interested in a sweet romance, all about wine, second chances and finding some place to call home.

AMAZON: https://amzn.to/4dfmAO6

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216958888-luckless-love

***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of action-adventure and fantasy tales that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind end. She participates in many activities including swearing, karate, art, and yelling at the news. She can usually be found chasing after her daughter, or glued to the computer working on her next novel (or screenplay). You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

 

Remember to check out all of the Stiletto Gang’s catalog on our book page!  www.thestilettogang.com/books/

Creativity is a process.

Creativity

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Is it Creativity or Goddess?

As someone who works in a creative field professionally, I’m endlessly interested in how creativity functions. Where does anyone get their inspiration?  Heck, where do I get my inspiration? The Greek idea of a muse—a goddess who comes by to inspire an artist—makes sense to me because sometimes ideas do feel external to myself.

Well, how did you come up with that?

Well, first I was doing the laundry while listening to Pandora (can’t get away from those Greek myths today, can I?) and the song used the phrase “bad for business” which reminded me of Risky Business, which made me think of Tom Cruise, and then I started to wonder why so many people were confused by the original Mission Impossible plot.  Thirty minutes later, I was jotting down an idea about what would happen if a demon burst through the floor of a non-profit fundraiser.  Basically, I came up with the idea by having a lived experience and feeding it all into the hopper of my brain and letting everything pinball around like one of those kid’s mower toys with the balls that go pop-pop-pop.

a representation of the brain of bethany maines and her creativitySo You Live With that Brain All the Time?

I do!  And I like it!  I worry about people who can’t connect completely random dots.  Don’t they get bored just going from A to B to C?  It’s so much better to go A to Q to C to R.  But that’s not to say that creativity is just something that happens.  There are ways to lure the muse into the house and trap her in a box.

To be clear, I’m referring to a computer where my muse has full reign to create whatever she wants. We are not shoving women in boxes over here. (I never saw Boxing Helena, but I have been troubled by it since I read the back of the box in a Blockbuster in the 90s.  Who greenlit that?!  Don’t Google it.  You’re happier not knowing.)

The trick is to gather both the correct input (Read books! Watch movies! Experience the creativity of others!), and make sure I have the space and time to create. But probably my number one trick is to look for a problem to solve.

What problem?

I love James Bond, but when I wrote my first novel, there weren’t a lot of female spies in the marketplace.  So I solved that problem.  I wrote Bulletproof Mascara about a girl who starts by selling make-up and ends up saving the world. Want to know what other problems I’ve solved? Check out my website to find out.

BethanyMaines.com

Or head over to the Stiletto Gang’s books page to see what the Gang’s creativity has produced: StilettoGang.com/books/

***

Bethany Maines is the award-winning author of action-adventure and fantasy tales that focus on women who know when to apply lipstick and when to apply a foot to someone’s hind end. She participates in many activities including swearing, karate, art, and yelling at the news. She can usually be found chasing after her daughter, or glued to the computer working on her next novel (or screenplay). You can also catch up with her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and BookBub.

Killing It at Killer Nashville

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At the Killer Nashville book signing

By Lois Winston

Most writers are introverts. We spend much of our days alone with only our laptops or computers (or paper and pen for those who are still old-school) and rarely step foot into the real world. We’d rather spend our time in the world of our imagination with the characters we’ve created. However, every now and then, we venture out onto Earth One and mingle with actual humans.

One of the best places to do this is at a writers’ conference. Hanging with our peeps is our happy place in the real world because they’re the only people who truly “get” us. Because they’re just like us. Writers’ conferences are a chance to spend time with others of our special community. We renew friendships, make new friends, network, learn from some, and teach others. Conferences also occasionally give us a pat on the back, validating that this odd life we’ve chosen, with all its solitary hours of clicking away at the keyboard, is worthwhile.

Such was the case this past weekend when I attended Killer Nashville. Once upon a time, I attended three or four writers’ conferences a year. Then, life changed. I made the decision to “go indie” and no longer had a publisher willing to pick up some or all the expense of attending conferences. Between the conference fee, airfare, hotel, and meals, conferences are not cheap. I cut back drastically, only attending local conferences.

And then Covid hit.

As some of you know, in the middle of the pandemic, my husband and I made the difficult decision to pack up and move to Tennessee to be closer to family. Within days of settling into our new home in July of 2021, I discovered that after a two-year hiatus, the annual Killer Nashville writing conference was about to take place less than two miles from where I now live. Serendipity!

With few exceptions, most writers are introverts. Hence, those writer caves. But I missed my writing peeps in New Jersey. Killer Nashville gave me a chance to connect face-to-face with many other writers I only knew from online writing communities. I also made some new friends and have continued to do so each year I’ve attended since 2021.

The 2024 Killer Nashville conference was this past weekend, and it was a blast, even for this confirmed introvert. On Friday, I was on a panel discussing Writing Compelling Synopsis, Back Cover Copy, and Design. Saturday, I was on two panels, One Trait at a Time: How to Build a Character and Not Just One Book: Writing a Series. I was also one of ten authors who allowed attendees to pick our brains for four minutes each during Speed Date your Way to Author Marketing Success. On Sunday, I was on the Creating an Irresistible Hook for Your Book panel and the Writing Strong Protagonists panel.

Vertically challenged Lois and Gay during an after-dinner stop for ice cream

And then there was Saturday night. Author Gay Yellen and I, along with our husbands, went out to dinner, something we’d also done last year. Upon returning to the hotel, our husbands headed for the bar while Gay and I ducked into the awards ceremony. Not ten seconds later, Clay Stafford, MC for the evening and Killer Nashville head honcho, announced the winner of the 2024 Silver Falchion Award for Best Comedy. Much to my surprise, he called my name!

I never expected to win. With few exceptions, throughout my writing career, I’ve always been the bridesmaid, rarely the bride. I hadn’t prepared any remarks because the one time I had attended the ceremony back in 2021, no one made any remarks. Winners were handed their awards, shook Clay’s hand, and a photographer snapped a picture. Maybe it was because we were all still coming out of Covid.

This time, I was expected to say something. My mind still reeling over actually winning, I stepped up to the mic and thanked whoever it was who’d determined that A Crafty Collage of Crime, the twelfth book in my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery Series, deserved the award this year. As I walked away, I heard Clay tell the audience that I was a woman of few words and there were probably plenty of people who wished that he was! (a person of few words, that is, not a woman!)

With my Best Comedy medal the next morning

Well, at least I didn’t bore anyone in the audience by droning on and on by thanking everyone, going all the way back to my kindergarten teacher!

Writers, what’s your favorite aspect of conferences? Readers, have you ever attended a readers’ convention or other book event? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook of any one of the first ten Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery.

~*~

USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website where can also sign up for her newsletter and find links to her other social media: www.loiswinston.com

The Meet Cute

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by Paula Gail Benson

Cover from First LRWA Anthology

Currently, I’m working on an up-to-10,000 word short story for the third Lowcountry Romance Writers’ (LRWA) anthology. The story must somehow involve South Carolina and a vacation.

I’m basing mine on characters I developed in my story that appeared in the first LRWA anthology. It’s been fun to give this couple its own romance since they were the antagonists in the original story. Figuring out how two basically disagreeable folks become likable and get together has been both challenging and delightful!

During a brainstorming session with some of the other anthology contributors, I described the female protagonist’s situation, background, and desires. She was focused on finding a way to connect with her 10-year-old daughter, who seemed more in sync with the ex-husband and his fiancée. I was interrupted from describing my character’s angst with the question: what’s her love interest and where’s the “meet cute”?

I’d heard the term “meet cute” and recognized the concept. Wikipedia, referencing Merriam-Webster, describes it as: “a scene in media, in which two people meet for the first time, typically under unusual, humorous, or cute circumstances, and go on to form a future romantic couple.” Wikipedia illustrated the entry with a depiction of Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting.

Image that appears in Wikipedia

Romeo and Juliet opens with a “meet cute”? I had to reread the play.

So, Romeo is pining after Rosalind, who is a Capulet niece. The Capulets are trying to fix Juliet up with Paris. Then, Romeo sneaks into the Capulets’ banquet at their home. Tybalt protests his presence, but Mr. Capulet says, don’t call attention to him. Meanwhile, Romeo sees and zeroes in on Juliet. After some fancy talk about pilgrims’ hands meeting in prayer resembling kissing, they trade a few smooches.

Okay. I understand the setup as a “meet cute.” Romeo goes to romance the girl he’s fascinated by and instead falls in love with the daughter of his family’s worst enemy. It’s the story’s tragic overtones (not to mention all the pilgrims’ hands speeches) that obscure the humor of that scene.

I thought about some of my favorite Rom-Coms: Legally Blonde, where Elle meets Emmett at Harvard, or Shakespeare in Love, where the bard first sees his muse dressed in male attire and auditioning for a role. One of my favorite romances is Lisa Kleypas’ The Devil in Winter, one of her wallflower series. The couple are acquainted but have their actual first face-to-face meeting after the male has kidnapped the female’s friend in a previous book. Evangeline Jenner is the shy, stuttering daughter of a wealthy gambling house owner who approaches Sebastian, Lord Vincent, one of London’s best-known rakes to save her from her relatives’ manipulations. That initial scene sizzles with sexual tension.

Could I do that with my characters? I’ve tried by having them reconnect at a restaurant where the female does not at first recognize the male, who is her server. I asked for some feedback from another writing group and was fascinated to hear their reactions to this couple. The group had a lot of good suggestions and questions. I always find questions encouraging because it means readers want to know more.

What’s your favorite “meet cute” scene and has it ever involved unlikable characters?

Cover of LRWA Anthology Volume 2

The Case of the Pink Tattered Coat

/in , , , /by

By Donnell Ann Bell

Look down. What are you wearing? Don’t worry; this isn’t going to be a pornographic blog. I’m just curious if you’re like me.

I don’t stay in my pajamas when I start my day, but I do slip into my most comfortable “grungies.”  It’s hot where I am and as I write this, I’m wearing a sleeveless top and my once-favorite capris, which sadly I ruined by spilling Clorox on them. My point, it would take an emergency for me to leave the house in my current attire.

Which brings me to one of my favorite stories about my daughter-in-law. Well, this story takes place before she was my DIL. She and my son attended the same university, and on winter break, he asked if he could bring home a friend. This was his first year of college, mind you, which caused my husband and me to raise an eyebrow or two, especially when the friend in question turned out to be an attractive young woman.

I recall reacting in a way any reasonable mother might. “Who is this girl? Is it serious and you do intend to finish college, right?”

“She’s a friend, Mom.”

Uh-huh.

As kids tend to do at that age, they were coming and going, catching up with their peers. I was busy writing and didn’t pry too much, even though I was intensely curious. I did learn the basics. She was studying to be an R.N. and at the top of her class. Okay, neither she nor my son appeared to be on the verge of becoming college dropouts.

Source: Pixabay

But because I had so little to go on, I formed the wrong impression. Because my son was so adamant that they were just friends, I built it up in my over-imaginative brain that she’d come home with him because she was poor and had nowhere else to go. I mean the first time I met her; she entered our home wearing a pink coat that was so ripped in the armpit, the tear revealed the facing. Moreover, when she came for a visit a second time, she wore it again!

That was it. It was Christmastime and the mystery writer/amateur sleuth in me was no longer buying the “We’re just friends,” angle.  I said to my daughter, “We should buy Dave’s girlfriend a new coat for Christmas. My daughter thought it was a stellar idea and the two of us went to work searching online.

Still, we didn’t know much about her, just that she might be partial to pink.  Log on to the internet, enter pink + coat, and you’ll be smothered by an avalanche of that color. We wanted to get her a new coat but were at a loss to choose a style she might like.

“I know,” my daughter said, “Let’s ask her mom.”

“You know her mom?” I asked.

“Sure,” my daughter said.

Obviously, my son had confided in his sister, or unlike my daughter, I had medaled in not prying.

So, when we called my future DIL’s mother to ask her opinion, she was horrified. Not at us for wanting to buy her daughter a new coat; she thought that was sweet. But the conversation went something like, “I can’t believe she’s still wearing that thing!”

Needless to say, I learned something about making assumptions that day. My DIL could afford a new coat; she simply loved the one she wore.

In fiction, authors enjoy creating characters in which we sometimes share (and sometimes don’t) personality traits, odd quirks and deep dark secrets. Often, we let the reader know about these perceptions, while our protagonists or secondary characters are left stymied.

The case of the tattered pink coat stymied me.

P.S. These two married two years after they graduated and are the proud parents of three beautiful children. At least I got one perception right. I didn’t buy for an instant they were just friends.

How about you? Do you have something in your wardrobe you refuse to give up? Have you ever had to walk back a mistaken impression?