Shorts are great for longs!

I write Looong!

While at a signing with a group of authors this last weekend, one of them asked how many words I thought might be in my first two Rehearsal books. Without having to think, I said 260,000. Each. And there are three more to come. They said I was determined. I said I was obsessed.

Actually, as Pooh said, I use just the amount of words I need and no more (paraphrased). Or at least I try not to use more than I truly need to get the story out the way it needs to be. Do my Rehearsal books need to be so long? Of course. Why else would I write them so long? Could I do the same story shorter? I suppose, but then so much is left out and it wouldn’t truly be the same story. I did cut them both, by the way. I cut roughly 30,000 words out during edits. Each. Only those that did not effect the story, to sharpen and tighten. Yes, I hear laughter, but honestly, the story is fairly tight for literary-type fiction. It’s loooong for romance, of course, although it is romance.

As a change sometime in the midst of working on the novels, I decided to accept a contest challenge: 350 word stories, 5 of them. Hm. 350 and not 3,500 or 35,000? A full story? Of course a story needs to have the beginning, the climax, and the end, regardless of length. It has to have a point to it: character growth, something a reader can take with her. It’s not just a scene from a story. It has to be a “story” in itself.

I like challenges. Never mind I’d never written short stories before or that 350 words sounds like a quick email, not a complete story! Guess what? I got addicted. Ever since, I’ve been writing shorts in between my longs. It’s wonderful training to write concise and to focus on the heart of the story. I’m quite sure it’s been beneficial to my novels. My newest is only 65,000 words!

By this point, I have folders full of short stories. Most are around 1,000 words. Two folders are story series. In short (pun intended), I’m having a blast with them!

I was also part of a discussion once where authors were asked what they did when minor characters threatened to take over the story. Simple, I said. I give them their own short stories related to the novel and put them out as free reads. Brilliant, they said. Well, I won’t claim brilliance, but I do enjoy extending the novels that way, and apparently readers enjoy them since three of my shorts on Smashwords now have more than 500 downloads each, with several more catching up.

One of the novel-related stories is now part of CRR’s first Cupid Diaries anthology, Moments In Time. You can find it here.

If you’re looking to stretch your writing wings and haven’t tried shorts, why not? They are little time investment and a great way to add extras to your website/repertoire or just to experiment with different genres.

For the sake of amusement, here’s one of those first 350 word attempts:

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The Truth Is


“What you read in the paper was a lie.”

Letting the old newspaper, yellowed with age and frayed at its edges, fall to my lap, I stayed silent, watching mother’s face. There was extra moisture making her sad eyes sparkle in a betraying way.

Looking beyond me, maybe to somewhere she could still see my father, Mother sighed, a heavy sigh full of loneliness. Father left us when I was still only a child, and I adored him. The old paper I found in his belongings suggested I shouldn’t.

“I suppose no one cared about the truth of things back then. Maybe they still don’t care about the truth of things. Truth doesn’t sell unless it’s a horrendous truth.” Mother continued to look into her past while speaking in a near whisper.

“The truth is that your father was more devoted to me than he had a right to be. He was overly devoted, if there is such a thing. He flirted, yes. It was part of his job. They liked to talk about it in the papers. They liked to make it more than it was.” A single tear streamed down Mother’s cheek.

“The truth is that your father was more devoted to you than most of those men condemning him likely are to their own children. Maybe it made them see guilt in themselves. Maybe it was their way of getting even. It’s all such a horrible thing to do to the memory of such a good man. And no one on earth, other than those of us who knew him, seems to care.”

I stood, going to Mother to wrap my trembling arms around her. “I care. And I will make others care. I will write the truth.”

My autobiography found its first words that evening.

--

LK Hunsaker
~Literary Romance with an Artsy Twist~

Thanks for stopping by!

Find me on my site www.lkhunsaker.com 
or on my blog  http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com
as well as my shorts and ebooks on www.Smashwords.com

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Cover Art: A Different Perspective

Hello! I’m coming at this cover art theme from a slightly different place than those authors before me. I’ve enjoyed reading their thoughts on the subject as both writers and readers because I think about the topic a lot. I’m an author, as well, but I’m also a cover artist, at least for my own. The two I’ve done for other writers are not yet out so unfortunately I can’t show them. I’ll have to make do with my own.

When planning a cover, I have three big thoughts in mind: 1) what do I want it to say?  2) how do I pull a reader in with it? & 3) how do I do what I want to do?

I study covers in bookstores. When one pulls me in I pay attention to why it did. Most often it’s a combination of color and subject. Nature will pull me. Blues/greens/purples will pull me. Travel scenes will definitely grab me, particularly when it’s of Italy, Scotland, Ireland, or a beach somewhere. On the opposite hand, too much black, red, or nudity turn me away. So do covers that look like elements were pulled from here and there and just smashed together. It has to flow. A cover that doesn’t flow implies a book that doesn’t flow, fair or not.

My first cover was for my own first novel and I created it during a graphic design class.

The story of Finishing Touches is about a young widow of a somewhat famous painter with a new baby trying to find her own direction. She’s also an artist but hides from it for several reasons. She lives in a loft overlooking the Illinois River and spends much of her thoughtful time staring out at the trees she loves. For this cover, I wanted a somber but not dark feel, therefore the muted trees and deep greens and browns, plus the touch of yellow to lighten it. The girl is actually a conte crayon sketch I did back in my late teen years. I scanned it, took the yellowed paper background out, and colorized it to fit the cover. The paintbrush was a quick computer drawing added for theme and for the rule of 3. All artists know the rule of 3 when it comes to design. I use it here several times: paintbrush/title/girl, upper trees/yellow text block/lower trees, & upper border/middle/lower. Three looks much more artistically balanced than any other number of elements.

I’ve recently finished an update of this book to put out as second edition ebook format and so decided I needed an updated cover for it. This is what I have so far. It could very well change. This background is an actual photo taken of the Illinois River by a family member who was kind enough to run around Peoria and grab photos of some of the places in my books so I could put them on my website. (Helpful people are always a true blessing for authors!)  I wanted it brighter this time but with enough of the same elements to look like the same story. The background (and back cover if I decide to put it in print, also) looks like canvas. The photo was manipulated with a watercolor filter to look like a painting.


For my Rehearsal series, which features a dancer who helps support her best friend and his up and coming rock band, I wanted of course a musical theme, but also a 70s look since it begins in 1974. The problem with this one was … where do I get the picture of the musicians and dancer without breaking copyright? I solved it the hard way: I drew them. The good thing about that was I could make them just the way the are in the book so they are perfectly represented in a way that can be hard to do with stock photos. It also cost nothing ;-) … that is, nothing but a heck of a lot of time!  A Different Drummer (book 1) also uses a photo I took at a concert some years ago, faded out and small enough not to see who the band is but enough to get an actual concert audience, as well. Again, the rule of 3 comes in more than once.

The Highest Aim (book 2) has the band more on the move and the characters changing roles, growing up, moving along.  Part of the book is set in Edinburgh where one of the main characters is from, and so the photo of Scotland’s National Monument on Calton Hill. The road photo is mine, as well. The band is modeled after some rather big musical names which I won’t reveal, but changed to fit each character as I see them.

 
I have to admit, though, the next cover is my favorite so far:

 Off The Moon is set half in NYC and half in the little lake town of Bennington, VT. Boats and water play a large part in the story, as does the sky and moon, along with the struggling relationship between Ryan and Kaitlyn. This one is a combination of three photos: two of my own and one a photographer friend provided [www.inescreations.com] in exchange for return promo. ;-)

As I’ve yet to be able to visit Bennington, I had no photos of the lake there, so I ‘cheated’ and used a lake down the road instead. Sometimes a photographer/artist gets very lucky, as I did with this one. The picnic table and two people in the picture were there waiting for me to capture them when I went to get photos, as was the little pontoon in the background. The perfect shot. Amazing luck. (Yes, I do have their knowledge of and okay to be featured, but not to announce who they are.)

The window ledge was harder to get, but with some assistance to get into a public building that actually has a cement ledge, I had all of the elements I needed for what I wanted to say. This is a thoughtful novel, an exploration of an evolving relationship with plenty of complications, and highly nature symbolic. I would like to have added a dog to it, but putting too many elements on a cover only creates confusion and looks messy.

You’ll notice that I don’t have pictures of sexy men showing their wares on my covers. My apologies, as I know they’re a huge draw. However, I’m on the milder side of romance and although you’ll find plenty of sensuality, you won’t find detailed sex scenes. The relationship is the feature. The psychology behind the relationships, in particular, are the focus. I need to be sure that is reflected in my covers so readers don’t expect something they won’t get. My heroes are, however, quite sexy and charming, even when they don’t know they are. ;-)

So, this is the story of novel covers so far. As a thank you to Lindsay for hosting this blog and the cover art theme week, I thought I’d debut my newest. The next-to-come novel is due next month! Instead of saying anything about the story, I’d love to know what you think it will be about just from the cover art:



LK Hunsaker
~Literary Romance with an Artsy Twist~
http://www.lkhunsaker.com
http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com
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The Good & The Bad: Reviews!

Two nights ago, I found a new review for my newest book. I opened the link and sat and stared at it. Did I want to read it? *deep breath* This is someone I know, an author who tends to be as critical with reviews as I am. Yes, I have it coming to hear the ugly truth about my work along with whatever praise I can hope for, since I do share my honest opinions when giving reviews. I’m nice about it. I don’t want to deter a writer from writing (although my feeling is that if a writer CAN be deterred due to a bad review or two or three, maybe that’s just as well).

This book is my fourth. As long as I make some of my books, it’s the equivalent of about 8 or 9 romance-length books. It’s also the deepest and most powerful story I’ve written. I expect to hear about that, about issues I’ve raised some readers may not appreciate. That said, I also think I’ve learned a heck of a lot over the thirteen plus years I’ve been novelling (I do realize that’s not a word, yes, but I’m a writer and it’s artistic license). And I hope with each book that growth will show.

I cheated. My son read the review for me while I clenched my eyes and held my breath (exaggeration – writer’s license).

When it came to this part, I unclenched and grabbed a huge breath of relief:

“This book shows how much LK has grown into her craft. Her characters, especially Ryan and the girl, Kaitlyn, are as I expect from LK; deep, believable and ones the reader can both root for or want to slap upside the head at times. As far as the writing itself, it’s concise and flows extremely well. One of her best efforts yet. I read it in less than a week, sacrificing many hours of sleep to finish it.”
A.L. Marquardt, author of “A Reason To Hope” http://almarquardt.com/blog/?p=217

*whew* (Yes, there is a character you’re supposed to want to slap upside the head at times!)

I’ve been fortunate with my reviews and have received some incredible words. Here are a mix of some of the highlights from all four books:

"Really classic, soul-moving stuff. It is unforgettable... The romance was described exquisitely -- gorgeous, living-eternally writing! ...you have created a masterpiece ... I absolutely could not put it down."
Marilyn Savage Gray, author of "The Real Shakespeare"

“In the style of most great storytellers, Ms. Hunsaker has created a cast of characters that captivated me, had me on the edge of my seat, not even wanting to close my eyes at 4am. Though I am known for not wanting to stop reading in the middle of the story, I can scarcely recall a time that I have become so engrossed in the lives of the characters so totally. I very much look forward to reading the next three stories.”
Dee of dee and Dee Dish … About Books
http://deeanddeedish.blogspot.com/2006/11/rehearsal-different-drummer-by-lk.html

“Very raw. Very intriguing. When I settled down to continue reading, I finished OFF THE MOON in one sitting. At the kitchen table. On a laptop. With my arse going to sleep on a hard wooden chair.  Yes, the story is THAT compelling.”
Lainey Bancroft author of The Trouble with Tessa
http://www.elaineforlife.com/LaineysBlog/tabid/463/EntryId/144/OFF-THE-MOON.aspx

"I just finished reading your book. I'm kind of overwhelmed. As someone who has written lyrics and short stories for years, I'm amazed that such a complex person and story can be created, and told in such beautiful, thoughtful detail. I feel like I know her now, like I've been inside her thoughts and her life."
Lynda, a reader via email

Of course, with the good comes the bad and I’ve also heard such comments as “slow pacing” & “melancholy style” & “LONG” & “do I HAVE to suffer through reading this”! Seriously, although it wasn’t an actual review. At this point, I’m glad to say it makes me laugh to remember that comment. An author has to keep her feet in the dirt while her head is in the imaginative clouds, after all.

All readers have different interests and wants from their fiction. All authors will hear about it from readers who don’t quite care for some aspect of their work. It’s part of the job. Reviews are like taxes: a cost of writing, and a necessary thing that can sometimes be joyous and sometimes feel evil.

At the end of the day, if you hang on to words like these:

 

“LK, it was a pleasure to read FINISHING TOUCHES. You took a very difficult and poignant subject and gave it real soul and heart, without ever being sentimental. Jenna is very much a real person whom I could follow with profound interest.”
Lindsay Townsend, via email

“It's quite something... Very intense, very visceral, very emotional, very intelligent, ultra romantic, and Loraine's  attention to the slightest detail, particularly in her protagonist's thought patterns…, is outstanding. I'm impressed.” [about Off The Moon]
Francesca Prescott, via email list

and then remember the dirt on your feet, you should have plenty of room to grow while rooted. So, a huge thank you to reviewers and readers who take the time to let us know both what you like and what you don’t.

LK Hunsaker
~ Literary Romance with an Artsy Twist ~
http://www.lkhunsaker.com
http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com

‘Twas the Day After Christmas…

‘Twas the day after Christmas
and all through the house
all the kiddies were playing
without ‘ere a grouse.

When I was a kid, I loved the day after Christmas nearly as much as I loved Christmas. It was time to settle in and enjoy all the new things we were lucky enough to have received from Santa and our relatives. We didn’t have to dress up and go out in the cold. There was no school and no schedule. The excitement was still there but less intense. It wasn’t “everyday” but wasn’t “the day” we’d looked forward to. It was a rare time when we didn’t argue with each other – there were four of us so that was rare.

As much I wished all the excitement wouldn’t be over and Christmas Day could just go on and on, the next day reminded me it wasn’t over. And it wouldn’t be. It only faded into a mellow upbeat thankfulness that would linger for quite some time after.

We were thankful, indeed, for every gift, and especially for parents who cared enough to scrimp through the fall in order to provide such a bounty for Christmas. And we didn’t just get “the in thing” – that wasn’t something our family ever focused on. It was always “just the right thing” for each of us, something that touched our hearts.

That’s always the best gift: touching someone’s heart.

Authors are often asked why they write. What makes us do this seemingly crazy thing? If we add up all the hours against the paycheck for each book, it makes no sense at all to work so hard at our craft, at making each book the best we can when we know darn well it may not even sell one copy.

I suppose putting a book out is like Christmas. It’s exciting to create characters and their worlds and put it all together and perfect it until we get to that huge moment of RELEASE DATE! It is an adrenaline rush. It’s much like scrambling to many different stores and pulling in many different elements to create just the right gift. And then we take all that work and give it away and hope it touches the receiver who will be honestly grateful to have it.

Sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes our gift fizzles in a reader’s hand because it wasn’t quite what she expected or wanted. It’s like giving a present and watching a fake thankfulness as the paper is opened, or a shrug and a toss aside. It happens. Do we stop giving gifts, then?

Of course not. We try harder the next time. Or we change course and give it to someone we think might be a more grateful receiver.

The day after Christmas, whether our gifts were well-received or only partly well-received, we begin the slow return to reality. It’s not over. The gift is out there. We can sit back and glow in the moment of it being out and over for the time being as work goes by the wayside, or we may continue to celebrate through the New Year with promo that both keeps us fired up and wears us down. But reality does return.

No matter how the season turned out or how much we want to sit tight and hold on to that accomplishment’s glow, the next year does come, and with it comes a return to the everyday. It’s not over, though. The glow of the day’s memories remain as kindling that helps us push through the hardest days of the year/project we sometimes struggle through and sometimes skate through. Because we know The End does come, and because we know The End is not an actual end, we find each go ‘round easier than the last.

I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the beautiful receivers out there who so gratefully accept our gifts of story. You provide the kindling that helps us continue through the next project so we can again offer a gift from our hearts that will, with every hope, touch yours.

And we heard them exclaim as we set down our pens,
Have a happy, creative 2010!




LK Hunsaker
http://www.lkhunsaker.com
http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com
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Off The Moon: Home – A Special Fit

A big Hello to Lindsay and all the Romantics. Is it me or does that sound like a music group?

I’m glad my blog tour, hosted by CRR Promotions, stopped here at the Pink Blog. Since I try to adapt my subjects to each blog as possible, I searched my mind for a “special” theme related to my new book, Off The Moon, and came up with Home. Not just any home, but the right home, the home where our characters find a special fit.

How many of you have moved homes more than once? More than that? According to TimePage.org, my generation is that of the nomad. We’re risk-takers. We came from “an unprotected background” and have a tendency to be alienated. Trying to fit somewhere when you have the natural tendency to be a nomad can be difficult. Look at the way so many of us are constantly on the move. Few of our parents, other than those with travel jobs, strayed far from their home base and families. If they needed more space, they built on. Moving was rare once a household was established. And yet, it’s hard to find many of us who have lived in fewer than three homes during our lives so far. I’ve lived in ten different dwellings, but fortunately am now settled until I’m too old to maintain the place. Of course, things change and you never know.

I’m one who believes a home chooses us as much as the other way around. It’s much more than a place. It’s a feeling. Of all of those places I’ve been, only two have been truly comfortable. Most were okay for temporary purposes. Two were near soul-killing. It was the place. I didn’t fit. Something inside when I was young told me the state where I grew up was not where I belonged. The east called out. As I settled in a place I chose, a place that felt comfortable, I made an incredible discovery: things that bothered me in those other places hardly have an effect here. My whole inner nature feels more at peace.

So how do we relate that to our characters?

Ryan, my POV character, was an Army brat and talks now and then about having to move. He especially mentions one place he felt at home. It still calls out to him even though he’s grown up and has chosen New York City as his residence. He likes NY, not only because his job is centered there, but also because it reminds him of nomads (which he is, also). Residents go about their own business, not connecting to each other and not noticing that he doesn’t connect. He fits and he doesn’t, and it’s a comfortable place to be. He visits his brother’s family in Vermont now and then and enjoys the visit but remains detached from the place. It may be his family’s home, but it’s not his. He is never fully at ease there (for reasons beyond place but we’ll stick with place for this post) and relaxes upon return to his NYC loft.

And then he finds Kaitlyn, an unwilling transport to the city. She’s homeless and even more disconnected than Ryan. The difference is that she doesn’t deal with it as well as he does. She needs connection. She needs Home. Ryan senses it in her. It draws him in and pushes him away. As other people become involved in the decision of where she should be, against her will, Ryan has to choose to give in or to fight.

“You can’t tell someone where their home is. Trust me, I know. I lived in lots of houses. Lots of towns. It’s only home if it feels like it to you, not because someone says it’s supposed to be. This one was her choice.”

By the end of my stories, my characters not only find their special mate, but they also find their special place: their true home. I suppose I do so because it has been such a deep issue personally.

How about your special place? I would love to hear Home stories!

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PREORDER Off The Moon now!

http://www.elucidatepublishing.net/books.html

free US shipping through Nov. 27, discounted outside US

Off The Moon website:

http://www.lkhunsaker.com/OffTheMoon/main.html

Also, be sure to check my blog for novel-related features. I have an interview with NYC drummer Gino Scalmato up, as well as an interview with singer/songwriter Vicki Blankenship. More to come! http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com

Off The Moon

LK Hunsaker

"Riveting" Ryan Reynauld is immersed in a world of music, parties, and temporary companionship. Having risen to the top of the pop charts, his biggest concern is objecting to the way his music is produced. That is, until he finds a young woman standing on a window ledge. Against the advice of family and friends, and through media attacks and fan protests, Ryan determines to care for her himself, making a promise that threatens to destroy his career.

Convincing the skittish girl she can learn to trust again comes with a steep price. Sometimes the path to recovery begins by allowing your world to implode.

Elucidate Publishing
November 2009
Print ISBN 978-0-9825299-0-4
Ebook ISBN 978-0-9825299-1-1

Thanks for letting me chat here today, Lindsay!

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Next up: Pushing Boundaries with Trauma and Genre
hosted by Maryann Miller, Nov. 21
http://its-not-all-gravy.blogspot.com/

The full tour itinerary is available at http://www.classicromancerevival.com

Don't forget to leave your comments!  One person from each blog will be drawn to receive a signed, mailed copy of the short story LK has written as a bit of a prequel to Off The Moon, called Toward The Sky, plus there will be a signed print book drawing for anyone who comments on at least 8 blogs! Winners will be posted at http://www.classicromancerevival.com/blog/?p=1520
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Moons and Wolves: Metaphorical Symbolism in Reality Fiction – LK Hunsaker

Why do wolves howl at the moon?

Well, they don’t, of course. Not in reality. They howl while the moon is out and literature – yes, we writers – perpetuates the howling wolf at a full moon scenario so often they are forever intertwined. Why not? Myth and legend are powerful things. In a strange way, they help us rationalize our world when nothing else makes sense. And it can be a lot of fun.

I don’t write paranormal, but I couldn’t help jumping in on the paranormal event here since I do draw on symbolism that comes from supernatural events to create metaphor in my next-to-come, Off The Moon.

The biggest superstition I pulled was that of the full moon relating to insanity. The book title is a hint at the heroine, Kaitlyn, who could be an actual case study for a psychologist (and may become that). It’s said that there are more “crazy” happenings and more suicides under a full moon. Statistics don’t verify that, but it’s so ingrained in our cultural myths by now that statistics hardly matter.

I hear you scientist type people out there groaning about now. But few will deny the power of the mind. Do strange things happen because of the full moon? Yes, I’m quite sure they do. Why? Because so many of us tell ourselves they do and thoughts are highly self-perpetuating. In other words, because we expect strange things to happen, we help cause them to happen or we relate it to the full moon when otherwise we wouldn’t.

I also used the wolf symbol as a metaphor. Wolves are strong animals, and familial. We all know the phrase, “wolves mate for life.” Wolves are also seen as lonely because of their mournful howl. In my novel, Ryan has a thing for wolves although he thinks of himself as rather an antithesis of a wolf. He’s independent but only to the point he has everyone else doing everything for him, pop star fashion, and he thinks his temporary companionships are all he wants in between his musical freedom. The wolf touches his soul, though, and he can’t deny its spirit within himself. Some authors have a hero turn into a werewolf to show his powerful animal nature. I have my anti-hero draw on his wolf spirit to turn into a hero.

Off The Moon is reality fiction highly steeped in symbols and metaphors often used in the paranormal world. The mating of the “crazy” heroine with the “wolf” anti-hero brings about sparks diffused by the calming symbolism of water.  

Happy Halloween!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
About the Story:

"Riveting" Ryan Reynauld is immersed in a world of music, parties, and temporary companionship. Having risen to the top of the pop charts, his biggest concern is objecting to the way his music is produced. That is, until he finds a young woman standing on a window ledge. Against the advice of family and friends, and through media attacks and fan protests, Ryan determines to care for her himself, making a promise that threatens to destroy his career.

Convincing the skittish girl she can learn to trust again comes with a steep price. Sometimes the path to recovery begins by allowing your world to implode.

Watch for my Book Tour next month, hosted by CRR Promotions!

LK Hunsaker
www.LKHunsaker.com
http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com

~Literary Romance with an Artsy Twist~

Traveling with LK Hunsaker

I love to travel. Thank you to Lindsay for allowing me to kick off the Travel special where you’ll hear from several romance authors about different modes and concepts of travel. From me, you get reality.

This is a photo I took from the window of an airplane on the way to visit a friend in Michigan. I’m also a photo bug so the amount of travel photos I’ve collected over the years of living in six states and two countries, plus the many, many trips we’ve taken in and around and between could fill tons of books by themselves. I won’t bore you with all the details and will keep the photos here limited. Maybe I’ll collect them into books some day.

Until then, what I do with many of my travelogues is include them within my stories. All of my books include real places along with some occasional unreal places based somewhat on real towns. My hometown served as one backdrop for Finishing Touches, the place Jenna is raised. I don’t name it. I do grab descriptions from it. The places that are named and highlighted in the novel are Peoria and Chicago. The setting moves back and forth, with each city being a character in itself that shows Jenna’s state of mind wavering. Peoria is safe for her. It’s her adopted city and she knows it well but it limits her because of her history there. Chicago is the mostly unknown exciting and frightening pull that metaphors her wish to expand herself, to move forward.

I know Peoria well. It’s the closest real city to my own hometown and was where we found the mall and splurged with an occasional fast food trip. I should say I know the main streets of Peoria well, the connecting roads that took me where I needed to be. I stayed on those main roads, afraid of getting lost. Yes, I do get lost easily. I may love to travel, but I have no sense of direction. *sigh* My visits to Chicago, on the other hand, were brief and few but fully exciting. I was enamored with Lake Shore Drive and the vibrant life of the city. I adored walking the Loop and visiting the Art Institute. The Loop is mentioned within Finishing Touches. The Art Institute and my favorite painting there are in Rehearsal, somewhat bonding the books although they are separate stories.

Chicago does play a small role in the Rehearsal series, especially the Sears Tower (never mind they renamed it now). Its main setting is a small city about thirty miles west of Boston. Why? I used to live about thirty miles west of Boston and I adore Massachusetts. The fictional town of Lakewood doesn’t resemble where I lived. Being that we were on a military base, it wouldn’t work for the story. However, Boston is there, as is Concord and Salem. Since the series deals with a touring band, I’m able to throw in a lot of places we’ve lived and visited with small glimpses. One highlight is River Street in Savannah, Georgia. I also lived about 35 miles outside Savannah at one point. Yeah, I’ve been around. ;-)  Raucous, my fictional band, spends one Halloween on tour walking River Street. I had fun with that. They’ve also been to Branson, Missouri, where we did a family vacation a few years back, and if you find any other place highlighted there, it’s a good chance there’s a personal connection.

Two of the main characters of Rehearsal were raised in eastern Pennsylvania and one went to college in western Pennsylvania, which happens to be where we live now. The funny story with that is I decided to make Theil College Evan’s alma mater long before we ever decided to  move close enough to it to drive up and get photos.

So, on to the next-to-come. In 2002, we were able to make a quick visit to New York City. That’s the adopted city for Ryan, my hero (or anti-hero) of Off The Moon, due out this November. One of the places we went to listen to a musician friend perform is in the story, as is the general atmosphere of walking the sidewalks of Manhattan at night. The other main setting is Bennington, Vermont, and a small confession: I haven’t been there. Yet. That’s my next vacation goal. Why is it set there, then? I needed a scenic area with a big lake that was close enough to NYC for quite a few car trips back and forth and yet far enough to be a wholly different environment. Online research is great, but I’m anxious to get there and take photos.

I have albums set up on my website to show scenery from each of my novels. They are still in progress and more will be added, but there are enough to give you a feel of where my stories take place.

LKHunsaker.com

Today I was scanning in old photos from Idaho. I’ll have to set a book there soon.

Thank you for taking this short journey with me. I look forward to the rest of the travel series here!

Classic Romance Revival

Classic Romance Revival, the mainstream romance readers' and writers' Yahoo group, has a splendid new website. If you want to check it out and discover what CRR might do for you, please go to

http://www.classicromancerevival.com

Generational Heroines

Grandma was among the first women in America to earn a Master’s degree. Teaching for many years before then, beginning in a one room school house, marrying and moving to a three story school house teaching fifth grade, then again to the next town where she made an incredible mark as first grade teacher, she also raised four children, studying at night after their needs were met. She graduated with her Master’s in Education the same year her oldest child graduated with his Bachelor’s degree.

A strong woman, yes. Not many dared cross her. Yet she had the gentle fun artsy silly side that made her such a wonderful teacher. There is now a memorial tree and marker planted in her honor at her final school, also my grade school.

She has a son and three daughters. I grew surrounded by all of them and their spouses and children. It was a delightful time of noise, wide discussions, gift exchanges, birthday cakes, and little ones running around everywhere. Family was penultimate in my childhood. It was also highly inspirational.

I’m a people watcher. I always have been. I think it could be because there was just so MUCH variety to watch in one house where we all gathered each birthday and holiday. Think of an artist’s colony except with all ages, and you’ll have a feel for it.

The women in my family were always particularly fascinating and each was a heroine in her own right. The styles were different but whatever the style, things seemed to revolve around them individually, more so than with the men. No offense meant to the men but I come from a very long history of strong independent women. Kudos to the heroes who could deal with them long-term. ;-) We have gutsy women who will say whatever they think and those who will hardly admit any feelings; in charge types and followers; women who love to be out and about and on the go and those more like hermits; some have reached what they went after, others are still trying for it or content with what they did accomplish; some went to school to study and some to socialize. Whichever type(s) they are, they have one common characteristic: they  are strong women. Their strength may not be obvious to the casual observer. Sometimes you have to look deep and try to see it the way they do. And they’re family, part of a chain, intertwined.


My heroines always come with family connections, and the way their families affect them comes out in their individual choices and outlooks. They are always strong, but their strength is often quiet and supportive more than feisty and independent. They tend to have highly independent female friends or relatives they admire, and they grow throughout the book, learning to assert their own independence with age and experience.

My heroines stem from reality. We all know that older women are much more likely to appear stronger and more together and less worried about appearances and the shallow things of life. We do grow. So far, all of my heroines begin as young women at that age of emergence, so to speak. Their stories begin at the point they’re truly beginning to come into their own and the reader always sees how they do, what encourages it.

I go a step farther with the concept of growth and family and intertwining in my Rehearsal series. Beginning when Susie is barely twenty, it extends over four books to after she has fully grown and found herself and become comfortable with her place in the chain. It covers more than ten years. Her family is involved throughout, as is her hero’s family and her best friend’s family. Even the minor characters have familial involvement enough to see where they came from and where they’re heading. The sequel to the series is firmly in my head and checks in on the next generation, connecting the effects of Susie’s generation on her daughter’s. Susie is not a highly independent, outgoing type.  Her daughter, however, is fully both. Their stories will mesh, and continue. While Susie’s mother’s story is only touched on in the series, it will likely become its own.

Whether or not the heroine is the strongest and most vivacious character, she is always the center of my stories, even if she has no POV scenes. We don’t need to direct the stage to be pivotal or the main draw, after all. Sometimes it’s simply what we are that steals the show, and what we are is always affected not only by our parents but by the generations of our families.

Do you have a truly inspirational woman in your family who could be a heroine? I’d love to hear about her!

LK Hunsaker
  

Bad Boy or Anti-Hero?

There’s just something we ladies can’t resist about bad boys. Think of Han Solo and his irresistible smirk when he tells Princess Lea, “I’m just in it for the money, Lady.” [quoted as well as I remember] You want to be angry with him for being so self-serving, but it’s hard to be when he’s so charming and when you know he’ll end up doing what’s right, despite himself.

Han is the perfect symbol of an anti-hero, a term I hadn’t heard until recently on a writing list. What’s the difference between a bad boy and an anti-hero? Easy enough: an anti-hero is the star of the show. Minor characters can be bad boys, but when the main male character is more cowardly than strong, more greedy than giving, and selfish or self-centered instead of … well, instead of being heroic and gentlemanly, he’s an anti-hero. Heroes can also be bad boys in some ways but still follow most of the heroic characteristics of strength, compassion, kindness, self-sacrifice, and being in control of themselves and their surroundings.

I have an anti-hero. In all fairness, I have more than one. Alan in “Finishing Touches” has some anti-hero qualities since he hits on Jenna while he’s married. Evan in “Rehearsal” stands back and refuses to tell Susie how he feels instead of fighting for her. Even Duncan from “Rehearsal”, who my female readers tend to spar over, has self-esteem issues, which is said to be an anti-hero quality. I’m not so sure about that one, as most heroes I read have at least a touch of that and it makes them more human and lovable.

My next main male character, coming in November, is a true anti-hero, though. Here’s the blurb (in progress, changes may occur):

"Riveting" Ryan Reynauld has immersed himself in a world of
music, parties, and acquaintances who ask nothing of him.
Having risen to the top of the pop charts, his biggest concern
is objecting to the way his music is produced, until he finds a young woman standing on a window ledge. Against the advice of everyone
he trusts, and through media attacks and fan threats, Ryan
determines to care for her himself, making a promise that
threatens to destroy his career.

Convincing the skittish girl she can learn to trust again comes
with a steep price. Sometimes the path to recovery comes
from first allowing your world to implode.

Ryan likes to joke with those around him about his self-importance and arrogance. He knows he is and shows no remorse for being so. He calls his attitude “what got him this far” in the face of loss and bullying during his childhood. He’s also not your typical hunk; he scorns himself for being rather short and not well-built. He depends on his security team and especially his security chief/friend to pull him out of the scrapes he likes to get himself into. And he has a well-known reputation with female fans.

Still, he has redeeming qualities. He’s good at his job. He’s hard-working, writes beautiful lyrics, and he’s loyal to his musicians. His niece and nephew adore him. And when Kaitlyn comes to the end of what she can handle, he steps in to be her hero, at his own cost.

Comparisons have been made between anti-heroes and villains as possibly the same thing except villains are subordinate characters. In romances, with the necessary HEA, an anti-hero must also be redeemable, while villains often aren’t.

What do you think? Do you have any favorite anti-heroes from literature or film? Is there much difference between a hero with bad boy qualities and anti-heroes? I have to say I’m intrigued as to what readers will think of Ryan, my first full-out anti-hero, also the only POV character of the novel.

~~~
As I haven’t officially started promo on this book yet, this is a first showing of the cover. Yes, you’re seeing it here first!

Off The Moon
LK Hunsaker

coming November 2009
from Elucidate Publishing

Literary Romance
Trade Paperback & Ebook

www.LKHunsaker.com
lkhunsaker.blogspot.com