Leave a comment below and Jadette will randomly pick a winner for a free copy of her debut novel, Blue Heaven.
I love challenges. You know the ones where you feel dared to complete a goal in a limited amount of time. I guess, you could say I’m very competitive where my writing is concerned. I used to belong to a critique group that loved to issue writing challenges. My favorite was the one where Blue Heaven, my debut novel, was conceived. We were instructed to write approximately 1500 words using a song (our choice) and a picture that was assigned to us. I was given a painting of a knight kneeling before a lady. Easy, right, especially since I love writing fantasy and paranormal stories. The piece started with a mercenary entering a holy center to kidnap the land’s holiest of men, the Godchild. It was natural for the characters to be both male. I found their love story—yes, that is exactly what their story is all about—was endearing and enchanting. The more I wrote about them, the more they came to life until I ended up with a finished novel.
With this particular challenge, I learned one important aspect about my writing. I love writing in the male point of view. For some reason it feels natural. It makes me wonder if in a distant past I wasn’t a man. You never know. All this makes me think about how challenges bring out the truth of one’s abilities. For me, it opened the door to an entirely new genre, one I’d never considered writing in. Several of my old critique partners were surprised at the path I decided to travel on. I normally wrote sweet romances. I still consider my romances sweet only they are gay romances and (grins) they are a bit hotter. So now with each day, I compose pages in my works in progress with an ease that surprises me, and it’s all because of a simple challenge issued in the past.
If you take the time to check Blue Heaven out, please let me know. I would love to hear if I succeeded with their love story. Stryver and Blue would greatly appreciate it!
How do challenges affect you and your life? Share some of the moments which led you to a realization about you and/or some part of your life.
Thanks for sharing your process, Jadette. I'm looking forward to going to BLUE HEAVEN.
ReplyDeleteSmooches, Rick! I am so honored to be on your blog today. It's a real treat!!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so interesting. Count me in! :)
ReplyDeleteJase
vslavetopassionv(at)aol(dot)com
This book looks great! I would love to be entered to win!
ReplyDeleteCori (coriotoole@yahoo.com)
Hi Jase and Corio! Thanks for stopping by. I'm making my list out right now and adding your names.
ReplyDeleteYour book sounds unique! Challenges...most of mine do not involve writing!
ReplyDeleteThere are quite a few things I can't do. With a little practice or effort I'm sure I could figure it out. I may find them challenging, but not a challenge.
ReplyDeleteA challenge, to me, is something that deviates the path I am currently on. It makes me stop and think. Whether its for a few seconds or something I labor over for days doesn't matter ... the outcome has the potential to change how I view life.
I'm not alone in wishing that some of the more unpleasant challenges would just go away and solve themselves. I know I've procrastinated my fair share. I'm a big believer in picking my battles, though, so hopefully I met more of the important challenges than I've ignored.
One of my biggest challenges to date has been covincing Jadette to stop threatening me.
ReplyDeleteNot really. We're writing buds.
Great to see you here, Jadette, and I'm so glad Blue Heaven is finally out and receiving the notice it deserves. It's solid work by a talented writer.
I love challenges too! My biggest, writing-wise, has been handling the fallout of writing characters whose experiences tap into painful events from my own past. Somehow, I hadn't expected that. Then again, maybe it's a bigger challenge for my family - they never know what kind of mood they're going to find me in on any given day anymore. :)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading your book!
-- elisabeth egstaab @ gmail.com
Wow, I step away for a few and people start stopping by! Thanks so much for showing up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julia for coming. There are many challenges we all have to face everyday. It's the ones that teach us something and make us a better person that really count!
MANtastic! You made it. I like what you said. Something to make you deviate from the path you're on. That's what happened to me. Thanks for coming by! I really appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteDavid (wide eyed, innocently blinking), I do not torment you. Well, maybe a little bit. But you know I love ya, hon!
ReplyDeleteHi Elizabeth! Thanks for stopping by. So far I've been lucky and nothing from my past has shown up in my books. It's good thing too!
ReplyDeleteHey, there!
ReplyDelete:D! Hi Amber!
ReplyDeleteChallenges help me learn new things. They also help me learn more about myself and being patient. Congratulations on Blue Heaven.
ReplyDeleteJadette:
ReplyDeleteI'm so proud of you. I think my biggest challenge right now is keeping the drool dripping down my chin from staining my shirt. What a cover. WOOF!
Congrats Hon!!!
Hi She!! Thanks for coming by, love!
ReplyDeleteHey Doug, Stryver is all Blue's and he's a very possessive kind of guy! :D But you can look all you want. Thanks so much for stopping by. I really appreciate. Smooches!
First, I want to thank all of you who came by and commented! I wish I could give each of you a copy of the book but I can't. The winner is none other than...Jason!
ReplyDeleteI wish all of you a very peaceful and blessing filled holidays.
I missed the draw, but I did like this post a lot. It reminded me of the first short story I had published. I wanted to sub to an anthology of sweet romance and I emailed the editor to ask if m/m would be accepted and she gave me the e-mail equivelent of a *look* and asked if m/m could even be sweet.
ReplyDeleteIt was a challenge to marry my usual angsty style with sweet romance and keep the heat level PG. The antho turned out to be all het (and very good), but she accepted the story anyway and pubbed it on its own.
I love a writing challenge. I excelle at them.
Jaime Samms