GUEST SPOT
Synopsis:
In the second installation of The Blackstone Affair, Ethan Blackstone has broken the trust of the woman he loves, Brynne, resulting in her breaking his heart by leaving him. But Ethan refuses to give up getting her back. Their passionate relationship opened a door to his heart and now he wants more––more than he's ever wanted from any woman. But with Brynne's secret that threatens her well-being and Ethan's frightening past the question stands, can their love out weight the dangers that are fighting to make an appearance. Is Ethan willing to risk everything in order to have Brynne in his arms again?
Discussion Questions:
TBW:
What pressures come along with writing a sequel and how do you work through them to achieve a great follow-up?
RM:
The Blackstone Affair was my first series and I do end the first two books in cliffhangers (although book 2 was not as harsh as book 1) to keep that series feeling to the books. I initially intended to do novellas and while I enjoy writing in that style, I discovered that not everyone enjoys reading them and learned that there are MANY pressures that come with writing a sequel.
The greatest of which is due to the initial success of Naked. When I envisioned the novellas I had an idea for the contemporary couple of Ethan and Brynne, and assumed the books would be modestly received by readers, expecting a selling rate equal or maybe slightly better than my other books perform. I NEVER IMAGINED--IN MY WILDEST DREAMS--THAT IT WOULD BECOME A BESTSELLER. So when it started to blow up before my eyes and my blog was getting 4,000 hits daily and hundreds of emails I was kind of freaked. Okay, I was TOTALLY freaked.
With all those emails came questions about the 2nd book's release date, and it did put more pressure on me, but it was more the desire to give readers a really strong book to satisfy their desires for more. The readers expressed wanting a longer book and they wanted it FAST. I don't write fast. I am fairly methodical in my pace. Longer books take longer to write and the more side plots you add in, the more time you have to spend on those side events to have purpose for them. When fans build up your book to be so good and anticipate the next book so much, then you as the author feel immense pressure to deliver the goods.
That leads us to reviewers opinions and comments...I do try to ignore the very scathing ones and do take consideration of the ones that have a legitimate critique of my work. That being said, I am a firm believer that my voice has to take precedence over what a fan wants in a story. I have to be true to my vision of the characters and what will happen to them. So when people do not care for Ethan's POV for a whole book, or think the book was too short (it was a novella) or think there is too much sex and hard language (it is adult fiction/erotica) and on and on and on...well, I just accept that they have an opinion on what they like in a book and that's okay. I will keep writing the books that I want to write and I hope that people will read and enjoy them as much as I love creating them.
So far, All In is having fabulous success and debuted on The New York Times Bestseller's list in its first week. I am pretty darn proud of that.
Author Raine Miller
Author J.B. McGee
Discussion Question: As a writer how do you work to form a connection between your characters and the readers?
I have thought about this question a lot. I have reflected on books I have read where I, as a reader, formed a connection. I asked myself what about those stories made them relate-able. Was it the way the character spoke? Was it their body language? Their looks? Was it their circumstances? I think these are all factors that play into forming a connection with a reader. I have been told that a good book is a book where every reader can see a little bit of themselves in the characters. The more I think of this, I find it to be true. If I read a book and I am not connected to the characters, I am not likely to finish it.
With that being said, when I started writing Broken, I didn't necessarily think of how I would form a connection between my characters and my readers, so to speak. It was not something I set out to do with a clear plan in mind. My goal was to express my thoughts in writing so clear that the reader would be able to see the scenes playing out as if they were watching them in real life.
When I write, I can literally visualize the scenes playing out in my mind. I see these characters and their gestures as if I am watching a movie. You will find me acting out facial expressions and trying to really capture what I envision for my characters. To me, these scenes are as real as my memories. So, not that I try, but I hope that my efforts to relay these details to you in writing plays out in your mind as vivid as it does in mine. When that happens, I think you automatically form a connection as a reader with these characters, just as you would if you are watching a television show or a movie.
When you, as an author, know your characters so well that you know their body language, their favorite sayings, the things they like and don’t like, it is easier to depict these scenes. I think in order for readers to have a connection to the characters, you must, as the writer, have a connection to your characters yourself. All of my characters are alive in my mind. I hope that because they are alive in mine, I am able to effectively write them to come alive in the minds of my reader, as well.
Lastly, I think the way to form connections between readers and the characters is to have a plot that is relateable. I want what I write to be believable and real. I want my readers to easily be able to put themselves in my character’s place. I want them to think about how they would feel if they were experiencing the same thing. I want them to empathize and rejoice with them.
I’m not sure that every writer goes about this in the same manner. For me, this is a glimpse into my writing process. I hope that the natural result of these efforts is a strong connection between the characters and the readers.
The Book Wranglers would like to thank J.B. McGee
for dropping by our blog to share a little insight
into her creative genesis. For more information
on J.B. McGee please visit www.jbmcgee.com
