Keeping My Coconuts Series Fresh

Readers and reviewers are happily writing rave reviews for CHAOS AT COCONUTS, Book 2, in my Coconuts series which all began with double award-winning THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS. Trust me, authors hold their collective breaths when their book babies enter the world. We never know how they'll be received, so I'm breathing a little easier now.

As I endeavor to pen Books 3, 4, (and probably 5), I continually strive to keep the characters fresh, engaging, intriguing, and compelling.

As background, my main POV characters are three thirty-something best friends since high school. Suzy’s a newly married wedding planner who creates fun, themed weddings; Hope is a high school guidance counselor who deals with both at-risk and honor students; and Alex is a bank marketer who dates a sexy bad-boy cop. The threesome enjoy Happy Hour at their oasis, Coconuts, an island-themed bar, in land-locked Crystal City. 

Secondary characters such as neurotic brides, an intern from hell, crazy exes, and hippies create gleeful havoc along the way.

In CHAOS AT COCONUTS, I introduced a newcomer, Cheri Van Buren, a wealthy New York socialite and celebrity chef. You’ll have to read my novel to see why she makes a splashy visit to Coconuts. At first, Suzy, Alex, and Hope aren’t too keen about having a beautiful, filthy rich woman as competition, and they may or may not befriend the stranger.

I also introduced Izzy, a lazy, disrespectful teen stepdaughter for Suzy, who her new husband forgot to mention during his whirlwind proposal!

Alex is dealt a job-stealing marketing intern and stalker ex-wife who both unleash mayhem.

Hope has a couple of major issues to deal with at Hilltop High. One is a spoiler and the other is a devastating tornado. This was my first attempt at a tornado scene and it wasn’t easy. The fact that I’m from Missouri and saw the destruction after an EF5 tornado made this a bit easier to construct but still gut wrenching, even if on paper.

Here are some tips I used to keep my series fresh:

• ·         I added several new characters.
• ·        Characters are from other states with unique professions and vastly different backgrounds.
• ·        A monster tornado barrels toward the high school.
• ·        There are two very different weddings for two totally opposite couples.
• ·        Bits of backstory was added (mainly using dialogue).
• ·        Plenty of plot twists with old and new characters is guaranteed!
• ·        The unique “flavor” of the island bar, Coconuts, remains the same.
• ·        There's plenty of humor, suspense, and romance like the first novel in the series.
• ·        Both novels may be read as a standalone.
• ·        The same font was used on the cover for branding purposes.

Want to read the blurb? Here it is:

To most, Coconuts is simply a bar. But for three best friends, it’s their oasis. That is, until everything comes crashing down.

Socialite Cheri Van Buren makes a splashy, paparazzi-filled visit to Coconuts. Secretly dabbling in disastrous online dating, the wealthy caterer desires normalcy away from the society pages. A few girlfriends would be nice too.

Hope’s life is routine, if not dull. The most exciting part of her day is counseling students until a monster tornado heads toward Hilltop High. Now she’s in shock—and not just from the devastating twister.

Alex oversees a marketing intern from hell who appears intent on stealing her job. Her relationship with her sexy cop boyfriend isn’t so sexy, especially after his ex-wife stalks her.

Suzy’s new marriage is challenged by her surly teen stepdaughter, a unique Halloween wedding, and her son’s ever-changing nuptials. If that isn’t enough, the family discovers an astonishing revelation requiring a giant leap of faith.

Will the women overcome the chaos or will it tear them apart?

Amazon buy link: https://www.tinyurl.com/chaosatcoconuts

 
Do you prefer books in a series? I also write standalone novels and novellas.  I’d love to hear from you!

Author Spotlight: Lisa Medley on Zombies

I want you to meet a good friend of mine and fellow Ozarks Romance Author, Lisa Medley. Lisa writes about zombies. Zombies! She is such a fun-loving person, married, with a beautiful daughter, Grace, who sent my very first fan letter. She's also hilarious and positive, yet she writes about zombies. Let's find out how this came about.

Welcome, Lisa. Tell us about your new release—the inspiration, genre, characters or anything you want us to know.

Reap & Repent is the first of my urban fantasy series about reapers. The grim kind. I started writing about reapers because the field wasn’t quite as saturated with that particular monster. After a few visits to local graveyards, the story began to fall together.

 You visit graveyards? I guess that would be good inspiration for zombies!

Q. How long have you been writing? What is your typical writing day like?

I started writing fiction in 2010. I had written newspaper articles and columns off and on through the years but never fiction. After finding and falling in love with the paranormal romance genre, I read more than a hundred books in the field and finally decided I could do that too. So I did. My first attempt stunk. Vampires. Nothing new there. Then I stumbled onto the idea for a series about reapers and I’ve already begun the fourth book in the series. The first three will come out this year.

I don’t really have a typical day. I have a full-time day job, a husband, a child, pets and farm animals. I stay up late after everyone has gone to bed to peck out a few pages. I can usually write 1-2K in two or three hours depending on how things are flowing.

 I'm impressed that you get so much writing done with a full-time job and family. Not to mention your critters!

Q. How many books have you written or is this your debut?

Three books in the reaper series are completed. Reap & Repent (#1) is out now at all online book retailers. Currently, they are all e-books but Repent will publish in print on Harlequin.com sometime in December. Reap & Redeem (#2) comes out Oct. 6 and Reap & Reveal (#3) will come out in January. Currently I’m working on a ghost romance called Haunt My Heart (unrelated to the reaper series) and will be finishing the first draft within the month. Reap & Reckon (#4) insisted on starting without me so I do have the first ten pages started on it as well.

 Wow! You're making me look like a real slacker. I love your Harlequin story. Maybe you can discuss it more in the comment section. Also, I love how you incorporated "Reap" into your four titles. Great branding!

Q. Any suggestions on balancing writing and social media?

It’s hard to do both. I’m not going to lie. But without the writing, you have no need to work on building your social media platform. Definitely spend more time on the writing than on social media. The way social media is changing so rapidly, I hate wasting too much effort there. Building the relationships is the most important thing. So far, I can’t tell that I have sold one book as a direct result of Twitter. I have sold books during and after my online Facebook Launch Party, otherwise it’s all about talking to people and making contacts with other authors and readers.

Direct promotion, organic or paid, has not yet proven fruitful in my situation. Still, the more your name is out there and in front of people, the more likely that they will eventually track you down.

 Yes, name recognition and building relationships are both important. It does take time.

Lisa was in a Zombie Parade in Lebanon, MO, recently.
She really gets into her characters!

Q. Tell us something quirky about you that we may not know.

I keep bees. Or more, I have a beehive in which bees live. They occasionally produce honey for me, which I eat with joyful glee. I have a suit and everything. I’m legit.

Interesting. You are legit--and, I'd add, courageous!

 

Q. What is your favorite marketing tip/promotional advice?

Be assertive but not aggressive. I skim over social media, buy me tweets and shares 95% of the time. If I see something interesting about YOU that catches my eye, I’ll drill down to see what you are all about. I’ve bought books because of WHO people are not necessarily because of WHAT they were screaming.

I agree. Some people overdo it. Way overdo it and I can't scroll past fast enough.

 

Q. What’s your next project?

Finishing Haunt My Heart is my first priority. I’m at 60k on it and should wrap it up in another 5-10K. Then it’s back to my reapers. I have a soft spot for monsters. And monsters in love? Well…mmmmm.

You're a nut. But a funny, likeable nut who is a good writer.

Q. I love first lines. Post your first sentence. Hook us.

 What does a guy have to do around here to get some service? Deacon Walker marveled as he glared at the undulating queue of grotesque reapers in front of him.

Reap & Repent blurb

They see death. Can they share a life?

Ruth Scott can read the energy of every person she meets. Then she meets Deacon Walker. She can see his ice-blue eyes, his black hair, and his gorgeous face. But this beautiful stranger has no aura.

Deacon is just as unsettled by Ruth—and, having spent more than two hundred years ushering souls to Purgatory, Deacon is seldom shocked by anything. As he helps Ruth to understand her true nature, she awakens desires that he decided long ago a Reaper can’t afford.

A demon invasion forces Deacon to confront the darkness in his own past even as he fights to save the human souls he’s charged to protect. When he’s taken captive, his first concern is for Ruth. But Ruth just might be able to save herself—and the Reaper she can’t live without—if she can learn to wield her newfound power.

 

Want to read more?  AMAZON | B&N  | KOBO 

BIO:

Lisa has always enjoyed reading about monsters in love and now she writes about them. Reapers. The grim kind.

She adores beasties of all sorts, fictional as well as real, and has a farm full of them in her Southwest Missouri home, including: one child, one husband, two dogs, two cats, a dozen hens, thousands of Italian bees, and a guinea pig.

She may or may not keep a complete zombie apocalypse bug-out bag in her trunk at all times, including a machete. Just. In. Case.

Connect with Lisa Medley here:

Website | Facebook  | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Google+ | Amazon Author Page

Now, tell us what you think about zombies in love?

Romance Writers Weekly

It's time for another blog hop from the writers of Romance Writers Weekly.
Follow our Facebook page and our Twitter handle at #lovewritechat. And look for a HUGE give-away from several of the authors next month!This week's questions come from author Jami Denise. http://jamidenise.weebly.com/blog

Q.When writing your novel, do you know how it’s going to end before you write, or do you write from start to finish?

A. I generally know the ending so I can work toward it and drop red herrings, build in conflict and employ plot twists along the way. *rubbing hands together*  In THURSAYS AT COCONUTS (my novel that releases mid-August), I knew the beginning, the ending and a couple of plot points but that was it. I am a pantster, although I do see the value in outlines. However, my characters always take over so it's pointless for me to have much of an outline. That said, I have begun the sequel and I don't have a clue how it will end. I'm just brewing up trouble for now.

Q. How do the people you know impact your writing? Are you influenced by friends and family
for your characters?

A. I am influenced by some family members and friends. I'd say more friends and acquaintances than family--and usually the ornery or strange ones are the most fun to create/emulate. I also infuse a bit of myself in a few of my characters. Not the weird ones!! Come on. In all seriousness, some of my characters are a complete figment of my imagination and others are a mix of reality and fiction.

Q. Describe the hero in your current WIP in three words.

A. That's hard since mine is women's fiction with three main characters. I'll write a word for each one:

Suzy - Loyal
Alexandra (Alex) - Sassy
Hope - Unhappy
  
Please comment and be sure to read the answers by the next author on our hop, Amy Jarecki http://amyjarecki.blogspot.com

 

Editing Is Fun. What?!

I bet you never thought those words would escape my lips.

After years of saying I hated editing, I'm actually enjoying the process. Previously, I've always preferred the creation process--the actual writing--by a long shot and would find any reason to avoid editing. Cleaning toilets. Check. Laundry. Check. Exercise. Check. Painting my toenails. Check. You get the picture.

My newfound enjoyment of editing has me scratching my head. I dug into my 300+ page novel a few weeks ago with dread but discovered I looked forward to going into my writing cave daily. Who am I? I've been pondering this significant change.

It could be due to the fact that I now have several requests for my women's fiction, THURSDAYS AT COCONUTS. Yay! It's also possibly because I set my novel aside for three years due to a family tragedy and am rereading it with surprise and delight, almost like a new reader. Maybe it's because I had already edited it several times (more than I remembered) and my novel is in much better shape than I recalled. Maybe just maybe I'm finally embracing this crucial part of the writing process.

I've always had a few friends who loved the editing process. Some even liked it better than writing the first draft. That's crazy talk. Those people are a bit off kilter if you ask me, but I digress. Whatever the reason, I'm down to my final pages. I keep hitting "control end" to count how many pages remain. My heart pounds, my face flushes and my hands get sweaty as I near the end.

This go around, I actually had fun finding and removing repetitive words and phrases, beefing up dialogue, describing the settings and layering in back stories. I enjoyed making the characters suffer. You know you like reading that stuff.

My three female protagonists (women's fiction, remember?) laugh, gigle and groan. They get tense, cry and grieve. They dance, drink, have interesting careers and crazy personal lives. The antagonists give them grief. A lot of grief. Just when each one overcomes an obstacle, I throw another one in their path. The possibilities are endless. Are they going to end up with the guy or not? And, if so, is he a good guy? Hmm. When my characters whisper in my ear that they'd like a better life--even a fairytale life--I'll consider their plight and desires. But I'm in charge of their destination. We'll see. I may change my mind tomorrow and they know it.

See why editing is fun? Embrace it. I finally did.