Only Robinson Crusoe Had Everything Done by Friday ~ Nancy Fraser #RomanceGems

Procrastination is a writer’s worst enemy. With tight deadlines for complete manuscripts, edits and galleys no author can afford to stop and ‘fool around’ doing nothing. Unfortunately, procrastination hits the author as easily as it does everyone else. Sometimes worse...but then it’s called “Writer’s Block”.

I’ve often wondered how other writers waste time, so I asked a few of the other Romance Gems to admit to their favorite form of procrastination.  Here’s what they had to say....

"My favorite form of procrastination when I can't write is scrolling mindlessly through my social media feeds." - Elsa Kurt, author of Awkward Adventures in Dating

"I usually get sucked into the black hole that is social media when I'm procrastinating. Sometimes, I manage to convince myself that I'm being productive because it counts as marketing." - Satin Russell, author of Secret Hunger

“It's so hard to stay on track when writing and facing that blank page. I tell myself ‘I'll just pop over to Facebook for a minute.’ Of course, that minute always turns out to be many, many minutes.” – Cheryl Bolen, author of LastDuke Standing

“Procrastination is my middle name and my favourite method of exercising same is checking email, FB, Twitter, then my sales, then email, FB, Twitter, then my sales, email, FB...” - Bonnie Edwards author of The Brantons

“I pick up the remote and watch CNN documentaries. After an episode I’m back in the groove to write.” – Lucinda Race, author of TheLoudon Series

"I adore the love story of Emma Swan and Killian Jones, and whenever I can't write, I watch their scenes on YouTube and my heart just sings!" -- Kara O'Neal, author of Destiny's Secrets

“My favorite form of procrastination is watching Caribbean Life and dreaming of where I’ll go once I make enough money.”  - Kathleen Lawless, author of  Grace's Folly

“My favorite form of procrastination when I can't write is watching nostalgic television series on the ME or Cozy TV channels. Doesn't matter if they're comedies like Cheers or detective shows like Remington Steele. I can sack out on the couch for hours visiting with my old friends." - Nora LeDuc, author of Midnight Girl 

"My favorite form of procrastination when I can't write is reading a great romance novel, because then I can convince myself I'm still helping my writing."  Kari Lemor - author of RunningTarget

“When procrastination hits me, I usually watch Buzzfeed Unsolved or similar conspiracy theory videos on youtube.” – Laura Hunsaker, author of Dark Past

“When I procrastinate I do it big: with chocolate and you-tube videos of 80's and 90's Rock bands and balladeers! Nothing like a little head bopping and candy to wile away a few minutes...or hours....or, well - you get the idea!” - Peggy Jaeger, author of Dearly Beloved

And, as for myself ...

"My favorite form of procrastination when I can't write is watching Pentatonix and Superfruit music videos on YouTube. I’ve also become addicted to watching people reacting to Pentatonix videos. It’s a vicious cycle!" - Nancy Fraser, author of Time and Again

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Contest News!

In May the Romance Gems honors Heroes and She-roes: Mothers, Soldiers, and First Responders. For a chance to win a $20 Amazon Gift Card and Bundles of EBooks, enter our Rafflecopter draw!

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Book Sale News!

Decorated war hero Reece Michaels agrees to go undercover in order to bring down the Irish Mob. In return, the civilian life he’s coveted for the past six years will be returned to him.

Hired by mob boss Sean O’Malley to protect his youngest son, Reece soon discovers the young man needs more protection from his own family than its enemies.

What Reece doesn’t count on is his instant attraction to the police chief’s beautiful and willing daughter. Abby Mackenzie is the younger sister of a woman with whom Reece once had a torrid affair. He’s determined to not give in to Abby’s come-hither ways.

After all, one Mackenzie woman was more than enough.

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Based on the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale, The Devil's Sooty Brother, Do You Want Me is available for just 99¢ from Amazon.

Until my next turn on the blog, stay happy, stay healthy, stay well read!

Nancy

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall—What the Evil Queen Taught Me by Connie Vines

Yes, every little girl wants to be Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, or Ariel.  Every Romantic loves the Idea of being swept away by Prince Charming, or riding in a glass carriage pulled by white horses.


While the princesses of the fiction have the promise of ‘happily-even-after’, castles, and room-service, the Evil Queen is dominating the Snow-White story.  Why does the Evil Queen dominate the story?  Because she has ‘magic at her disposal and she owns the best toys’.

 The villainess in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs wanted so badly to be the fairest of them all, so much so that she went as far as to have Snow White killed and have her heart placed in a box. After the Evil Queen discovers that the Huntsman, she hired to kill Snow White is unsuccessful, she uses magic to concoct a poison to deal with the situation herself. She changed her shape, she’d maim, she’d kill.  She understood desire, and embraced it, too.   The Evil Queen's determination becomes her obsession, and it gives off the implicit message that, no matter what you want or desire, if you work hard and get creative, you will find whatever means to achieve your goal.

While Snow White received top billing in the Disney 1930s version of the animated feature, the movie was really all about the Evil Queen.

Don’t get me wrong.  I like Cinderella and all the other heroines starring in fairy tales.  I am happy they are living happily-ever-after in storybook land.

These heroines were goodness and songs—these heroines did not own toys.  Cinderella wore hand-me-down dresses, borrowed horses and carriage; Snow White was a house-keeper and short-order cook for seven strangers.

However, the Evil Queen had magic at her fingertips.  Most importantly, she owned a Magic Mirror.

Magic Mirror.

I was fascinated by the Magic Mirror (I ignored the fact someone was trapped in the mirror).

I always wanted a magic mirror.

While I do not recommend featuring an Evil Queen as the heroine of a romantic novel.  I like to give my heroines a touch of her determination, the strength to overcome obstacles, and self-reliance.

Still, there is my ‘unfulfilled desire’ to own a Magic Mirror.

I was watching television last night and a commercial flickered across the screen.  I won’t name the manufacturer of the product, but you guess it –this is the stuff of fairy tales--a Magic Mirror!

This mirror mounts in the bathroom and is voice activated (connected to your Wi-Fi network). LED lights, music.  A digital assistant looks up salon hours, edits your shopping list and even controls other bathroom amenities, like turning on the shower.

Wow!

A Magic Mirror is finally within my reach!

Who is your favorite fairy tale heroine?  Do you have a favorite toy or gadget you'd love to call her very own?


Remember, it’s Romance Gems Contest time.

Oh, where or where, is Connie’s Easter Egg hidden?

All my readers know I love gingerbread.   Now is the time to search for my gingerbread-egg!  When you find my egg, click on the contest link to the Egg Hunt. Once there, enter where my egg is hiding and what color it is.

Happy Hunting!

Connie

My egg is located on one of my social pages:

www.novelsbyconnievines.com
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorConnieVines/
https://mizging.blogspot.com/

The Challenges of Rewriting a Classic Tale by Nancy Fraser #RomanceGems

The criteria for a great fairy tale is not all that different from the formula used for an engaging romance. Both require the following:

A sensitive, brave, intelligent hero—preferably good looking, or at least confident in his appearance.

A strong, beautiful, empathetic heroine who’s not afraid to kick a little butt should the situation call for it.

A plot fraught with angst, danger and attraction. Whether the attraction leads to a chaste kiss or a steamy love scene depends on your audience.

A resolution that is both enlightening and satisfying, not only for the reader but also for the characters.

And, of course, the Happily Ever After required of all great tales.

My Beyond Fairy Tales story, Do You Want Me, is based on the Grimm Brothers tale, The Devil’s Sooty Brother. More macabre than romantic, it’s the tale of a soldier who returns from war to find he’s lost everything he’d left behind.

In order to make a new life for himself, he agrees to work for the devil and earn the money he needs to begin again. The idea of creating a ‘devil’ gave me the perfect protagonist for my story. The original tale also contains a king who has two daughters. While not a huge part of the original story, the idea of sisters fueled my naughty imagination.

So, how does an author of modern-day romances take a fairy tale written hundreds of years ago and make it current?

I started by outlining my hero...it had to be the soldier from the fairy tale...complete with memories and scars. In most cases, the next character I’d work on would be the heroine. However, since in the original, there are no female characters present until the very end, I decided to flesh out other aspects of the story first before getting a handle on who would steal my hero’s heart.

As with any series, there were also certain requirements set forth by the publisher. The biggest challenge among those was the inclusion of a narrator. Nicodemus, the storyteller, is a must for every book. I admit, I fretted over how to include this ‘outsider’. Then, two glasses of Baileys-over-ice later, I had it! (I do some of my best plotting under the influence of Bailey’s and crushed ice.)

I don’t want to give too much away other than to say, I have a sexy, battle-weary hero, a feisty tease of a heroine, a devil of a protagonist, and a father who holds an important position of influence (a king of sorts).

I’ve also done something I’d never attempted before. I wrote the entire story in the hero’s point of view...even the steamy love scenes.

About the Book...

Decorated war hero Reece Michaels agrees to go undercover in order to bring down the Irish Mob. In return, the civilian life he’s coveted for the past six years will be returned to him.

Hired by mob boss Sean O’Malley to protect his youngest son, Reece soon discovers the young man needs more protection from his own family than its enemies.

What Reece doesn’t count on is his instant attraction to the police chief’s beautiful and willing daughter. Abby Mackenzie is the younger sister of a woman with whom Reece once had a torrid affair. He’s determined to not give in to Abby’s come-hither ways. After all, one Mackenzie woman was more than enough.

Available from Amazon and currently on sale for 99¢. Also in audio book from Audible. Narrated by the incredible TG Burns. What that man did with a love scene should be a sin!

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One quick reminder...

Today is the last day to enter our Rafflecopter drawing, as well as your last chance to get in on this week's Comment and Win drawing!

Best of luck to everyone. I'll be back on Saturday with an update on all the winners!

Nancy