2015 Three Day Novel Writing Contest Recap

You may recall that I spent last Labor Day weekend writing Transformation--a feat that nearly killed me.
Okay--that may be an exaggeration, but writing nearly 80,000 words in three days is a pretty difficult task.
This time around, I decided to tone it down a bit for my 3 Day Novel Writing Contest entry. I only wrote 54,000 words.
In three days.
It nearly killed me.
(But only because I was already sick.)
Compared to most of the other writers I was keeping up with that weekend, it still seems to be quite a lot of words.
But it's not the quantity that counts. It's the quality.
And I think you'll really like what I produced.

Learn more about the 3 Day by clicking here.

The name of the book is Ghosts of Southampton: Titanic. I have added the Titanic part recently because I have decided this will, in fact, be a series. I have a few alpha readers looking it over now and no word yet, but I think y'all are gonna like it.
The story is about a woman named Meg who boards the Titanic in Southampton, her home town. She is running away from someone, but we don't know who, not at first.  She is determined to start her life over again.  Unfortunately, we find out pretty quickly the man she has been engaged to for the last three years is also on the ship.  Only he doesn't recognize her because they've never met.  He's a billionaire from New York City named Charlie Ashton. And when Meg finally meets him face to face, she realizes she's made a terrible mistake.
But he's not the only person Meg is running from, and it seems some of her other ghosts have also followed her aboard the Titanic. If she doesn't figure out a way to explain to Charlie why she left Southampton without ever even meeting him, she knows she'll lose him forever.
Oh, and the boat is sinking....

I don't want to give the ending away, but the boat sinks.

Over the course of the three days I spent with Meg and Charlie (and Kelly, Daniel, Jonathan, Molly Brown, Ruth, and Baby Lizzy) I fell in love with them and their story! And I can't wait to share it with you! The only problem is, if I want to have any chance at winning the 3 Day, I can't publish the story until after the winner is announced, and while I really don't think I'll even make the short list (I didn't last year and look how successful Transformation and the rest of that series has become) I still feel like I should wait.
Luckily for you I've decided to go back a bit in Meg and Charlie's story and write Ghosts of Southampton: Inception--which will be a prequel to Titanic. And--I may go back further than that as well. AND--I'm thinking about publishing it on Wattpad and some other free sites.
What do you think?  Does Meg's story sound interesting?  Are we all Titaniced out or are we good for another go?  I'd really love to hear your thoughts.
P.S. If you're a writer at all, you owe it to yourself to try the 3 Day. It's one of the hardest most amazing things you will ever do in your life. The last 3 Day saw the creation of Cadence, Aaron, Elliott, and Eliza, and who doesn't love them?  You can purchase Transformation here for only 99 cents and see what can be done in only three days!

Writer Problems: Hesitating to Drop the F-Bomb

Let's face it, there are certain things you will probably never hear a sexy, badass, male lead character say--things like:
"Dag nabit!"
"Holy malarkey"
"Jumpin' Jehosaphat!"

No, chances are, if you are reading a dramatic tale where a male (or the female, for that matter) is royally pissed off about something, chance are in our day and age in particular, they are likely going to drop the F-bomb--or to quote one of my favorite Christmas movies "the F dash, dash, dash word."

But as a goody-two-shoes, it is extremely difficult for me to say, or even type, that word. Why? Visions of my sweet aunt who has probably never even used the word crap before cross my mind. I see her sitting in a rocking chair, an afghan over her lap, deciding to finally see what it is her precious, innocent niece has been up to with her writing, and a few seconds later she is passed out on the floor, my use of the F word sending her heart into overload. Yes, in my mind, using the F word will kill my loved ones!

What is your opinion on swearing in books?

I know it's ridiculous and absurd. And so with this book, Repercussion, I'm taking the plunge. I'm using it--Aaron will say the F word if it is the last thing he does! (I bet you're hoping it's not the last thing he does, but remember, main characters die in this book, too, so....)

Now, don't worry. The entire book is not laced with curse words. It's fairly similar to my other books as far as swearing is concerned, and I vow to only include the F word once, because in my opinion, one can generally think of a more creative way to express one's self. (Unless one just happens to be dying....)

Fellow authors, what are your feelings about using the F word or curse words in general? Am I unique with my hang up?
Readers, how much cussing is too much? I'd love to hear from you.

And remember, if you pre-order Repercussion, it's only 99 cents and all proceeds go to help the Whitley family with medical expenses for their sweet daughter's kidney surgery. You can read more about Sophie Whitley here.

My Review of Linked, We Soar by Elisa Eliss

I'm a firm believer that, in order to be a great writer, you have to be an avid reader. So, I try to read as much as possible. I especially like to read debut novels, and I found a great one in Linked, We Soar by Elisa Eliss. It is totally different than anything I write (Christian romance for young adults!) but I really enjoyed it. It took me about six hours to read the entire novel (with minimal young daughter interruptions) and for a full-length novel at 99 cents, I would say that's a pretty good deal!

The story revolves around a teenage girl named Mia who falls in love with the new boy, Aaron, who is having a lot of trouble at home. We discover he's been adopted recently and is struggling between balancing his new family with the longing for contact with his birth mother.  Through the story, we learn that sometimes you have to let go in order to get what you really want in life.  It's told in first person from Mia's perspective, in present tense, which is unique and interesting. Eliss does a great job of telling the story as it unfolds, and I think the fact that it is partially based on real-life experiences lends itself to the honesty you will find in her words. I really enjoyed it! It's a great summer read.

You can see my full 5 star review on Amazon by clicking here.



If you have a novel you would like for me to review, please leave me a comment or send me an email and I'll see what I can do!

Transformation Chapter One Now on YouTube

I really hate to video myself doing just about anything so this was hard for me, but with Repercussion coming out in about a week, I thought it might be cool for people to be able to listen to Transformation.
So I recorded the first chapter and now it is available on YouTube. If I receive positive feedback, my plan is to post another chapter every few days.

In this chapter, Cadence and her friends are hanging out in her bedroom when her friend Drew decides they should attend an Eidolon Festival. No one else thinks it's a good idea, but, eventually, they agree to go.  That night, Cadence has a horrible dream that something terrible is going to happen at the festival.

We'll have to wait until chapter two to see if her dream is really a premonition.
We are also introduced to Jack in this chapter. He is Cadence's ex-boyfriend and while his role in Transformation is not particularly significant until the end, he is a main character in Resurrection, book two of the series.
Here's the YouTube video.

Need  playlist to go along with this chapter? Here are my recommendations!
Stolen Dance by Milky Chance

Ex's and Oh's by Elle King

Till I Fall Asleep by Jayme Dee

You can order Transformation for only 99 cents here.

Repercussion Cover Reveal: Who is That?

Yesterday, I decided to go ahead and make Repercussion available for pre-order. I hadn't intended to do it for another two weeks, but I thought this would be a good incentive to stick to my deadline.
Most of my beta readers' initial reaction to seeing the cover design were along the lines of "cool" or "creepy." One of them asked another question--"Who is it?"
Here's the pic:

Pre-order Repercussion here.

I don't like to tell other people how to interpret art, and in this case, I believe the photo is certainly art (whether the book is or not remains to be seen, though I hope that it is!), so you can interpret for yourself who the lady on the cover is.  However, here are some options I've come up with:

1) It's Holland.  The name of the book is Repercussion. It centers around the effects of everything that happened in Transformation and Resurrection.  The series starts off with an altercation between Cadence and Holland, so, even though Holland doesn't appear directly in this book, the events that transpire are certainly influenced by her.

2) It's Sobi.  In the opening scene of Repercussion, Cadence, Meaghan, and Aurora are fighting another ancient Vampire queen by the name of Sobi. She is described as being eloquent and beautiful--much like the lady in the picture. If you'd like your cover to be more directly tied to the book, perhaps this is Sobi.

3) It's Laura. Is Laura a Vampire? No.  Is Laura evil? Absolutely--maybe this monstrosity of a beauty is the renegade Vampire Hunter Laura, glaring at the world from her contorted perspective.

4) It's Cadence. Huh? I know--it's a stretch. But there are no obvious fangs on this girl. Maybe this is how our heroine is feeling on the inside by the time she gets to this point in the series--like she's bleeding internally.  After all, she's already lost Drew and Jack--and the hemorrhaging isn't over. Cadence will lose at least one loved one in Repercussion.

5) It's a representation of all Vampires. Maybe this isn't a specific character. Maybe she just represents all of the nemeses Cadence and her team have to face.  Of course, not all of the villains in this particular book are Vampires....

So who is it? You tell me! I'd love to hear your thoughts.  

Also, for my loyal fans, I am offering Repercussion for pre-order at the low price of 99 cents. If you order before September 1st, not only will you be among the first to read the third installment, you will get it at 66% off. You can pre-order here. And please let me know what you think of the cover. :)

Why It's Hard to Write About Sex

Okay, pun intended....

I come from a very conservative family (We are Southern Baptists and Grandpa was a pastor.)  When my dad was still alive, there is no way in the world I would have ever considered writing a sex scene in the off chance he might read it and realize that I'm no longer a virgin (I've been married for sixteen years, BTW). Maybe that's why I didn't publish anything until after my dad passed. Why? Because--in my family, we don't talk about sex! EVER! It's a completely taboo topic. If I didn't have two daughters, I think I'd probably just continue to pretend to be a virgin at family reunions, etc.
But writing must mirror life, and the bottom line is--in case you weren't aware--people have sex. (Some people more than others....) Nevertheless, it is difficult to tell stories without it ever happening. I managed to get through the first two installments of The Clandestine Saga by glossing it over. In Book Three: Repercussion, it's gonna happen. And I'm gonna have to be the one to write about it.

In fact, I just did.

And I think I did a pretty bang up job. (See what I did there?)

Writing about sex can be almost as awkward as "the first time."

For me, it's a fine line between telling the reader enough to keep them interested and not crossing the line into smut.  Especially when the characters I am writing are so very real to me. Do we deserve to be in their bedroom? Maybe not. Do we want to be? I think yes.

For me, it all goes back to the piece of advice my brother (an actual published author with an agent and everything!) gave me when I published my first book. He said, "It has to be real. The moment the reader doesn't buy it, you've lost them." Thus, people have to have sex in my books sometimes, my friends.  Hopefully, I tell that part of the story in a tasteful way that adds to the story--instead of peppering it in like a machine gun for no reason in a tasteless way that just leaves the reader unsatisfied. (nudge, nudge; wink, wink)

Now, if I can just admit that sometimes people use the "F" word....

Authors, do you struggle with this or am I the only one?
Readers, what are your thoughts on reading about hanky panky?

Start your journey with The Clandestine Saga here for only 99 cents.

Why It's Never Easy to Kill, But Writers Do It Anyway

I guess I can honestly only speak for myself, but I've been killing people for years--characters, that is--and I always have a good reason for it. It's usually not easy, but it's always well- thought out and purposeful.

Don't fear the reaper.

I wrote my first book when I was fifteen. It has yet to be published because I can only imagine what sort of a train wreck it truly is, but I killed off an important character in that one. Not a lot of people have read it, but all of them were floored that I'd killed him--especially my high school lit teacher.
I've published four fiction texts in the last eleven months and am working on my fifth.  Every single one of them loses a character I had grown attached to. Why? Because if I am attached to these people, hopefully the reader is, too. For me, writing is about evoking emotions. Nothing quite gets a reader invested like making them love someone and then snuffing out the light from a character they love the most.
That being said, I have yet to kill a main character.
Perhaps, the fact that I have personally lost so many supporting characters in my own life plays into the reality I am trying to establish for my main characters. People die--it sucks--but it happens. If it happens in life, it must happen in books.
I know some readers hate books where important characters die. Who hasn't cried over Beth in Little Women? I hope the deaths that occur in my works are meaningful enough that, by the end of the book, the reader is saying. "I hate that so-and-so died, but if s/he hadn't then... wouldn't have happened."
Death in books is a lot easier to explain than death in real life.
Tonight, I killed a character I absolutely love. Based on a real-life person I also have an affinity for, it was one of the toughest scenes I've ever written. But it had a purpose and I think this demise will make my story stronger and more interesting in the end.
Writers--have you ever killed someone off?
Readers--what do you think about the death sentence for fictional characters?
Please leave a comment and look for The Clandestine Saga Book Three: Repercussion soon.
Follow me on Twitter @authoridjohnson