Mona Ingram

Historical Romance and Modern Love

Here I Go Again…

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… getting ready to start writing a new book. It’s an exciting, if daunting time. A time when I won’t get to have coffee with my friends nearly as often as I should. When I write, I put my head down and lose myself in the story. I “see’ the setting and the characters, and I hear their words.
   This next one is Book Three in the Gold Rush Romances series. Until I started researching this series, I hadn’t realized that Hawaiians played a part in the Gold Rush. The explosion of San Francisco’s population created a demand for everything, and the entrepreneurs in Hawaii were only too happy to supply food, especially sugar. The sandalwood trade had just died down, so sugar filled the void nicely. Another thing I learned was that many young Hawaiian men served as seamen on ships sailing all over the world. It makes sense when you think about it… they virtually grew up in and on the water.
   Marriage by Mistake is the story of Nalani Hoapili, a young Hawaiian woman raised by missionaries, and Aidan Edwards, a friend of Jamie’s from New York. We met Jamie in Restless Hearts; he’s the one with the ranch near Sacramento.
   I won’t spoil it for you by telling more of the storyline, but I’ve really enjoyed plotting it out, and look forward to letting the words come. I expect it will be released some time in November, but I’ll keep you informed.

Reprint of interview with The Romance Reviews

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The Romance Reviews was kind enough to run a feature on my series The Women of Independence. Here’s how it went:

Q:  When you started this series, did you already have a clear vision of the books and characters you wanted to write about, or did that evolve over time?

A:  I thought I did. In my mind, it started out as one book with three female characters. I let my books percolate around in my head for a long time before I actually start writing, and when it came time to sit down at the keyboard, I realized that each of the three had a compelling story of her own. So it quickly became a series. It was important for me to make each book a stand-alone; (I’ve blogged about how I hate cliff-hangers), as well as allowing the characters to flow back and forth between all three books. I think I’ve accomplished that fairly well, and the readers agree.

 

Q:  How do you keep track of your series details?

A:  I’m what’s termed a “pantser”. For those who may not be familiar with this term, it means writing by the seat of your pants as opposed to using a strict outline. I’ve tried both, and for me, the story flows more naturally when I let it go off in directions I hadn’t originally considered. Makes it more fun, too.  I do, however, think of the book in scenes. I can often be seen sitting at my computer staring down at the keys. I’m visualizing the scene. I also buy some inexpensive card stock, and cut out pictures from magazines for the characters. They don’t have to be an exact likeness, just close to who the character is in my head. I give each one a label with their name and important details like age, height, hair colour, eye colour, etc. When I was writing Book Three, Never Look Back, I printed out a gorgeous picture of the Santa Monica pier at sunset. I was surprised by how often I looked at it.

 

Q:  In the first book, Loving From Afar, what kind of woman was Allison Ransome? How could she have borne losing everything, especially Cole? Tell us how this loss shaped her character.

A:  Wow, what a good question. It brings tears to my eyes to think about it. Rather than give the story away, I’ll just say that she went through a rough time after Cole left, but over time, the tragedy of what happened began to strengthen her resolve. Of course she had the love and help of her sister. But she never forgot Cole, and was never able to give her heart to anyone else.

 

Q:  What was Allison and Cole’s first meeting like, ten years later?

A:  It was tempting to have them run into each other’s arms, but I don’t believe that would have happened in real life. This is the most true-to-life series I’ve written, and it was important to me that it be honest, within the parameters of a romance. But to answer your question, the meeting was tentative, but poignant. They had both made mistakes along the way, and they had a lot to explain… a lot to think about. Actually it’s one of my favourite scenes, because it’s so real. When he rides off, I can feel the ache in her heart, wanting to reach out to him.

 

Q:  In book two, The Last Goodbye, what kind of man is Grayson, that he so captivated Danielle? What do you feel is the most heartrending moment between them?

A:  Grayson is a director from Hollywood, where you’re only as good as your last film. Danielle doesn’t want to fall for him, but he’s handsome, charming, and vulnerable at the same time. They have many of the same interests, and it’s almost inevitable that they would fall in love. The most heartrending moment is one I enjoyed writing. She can’t bear to say goodbye in person, but she knows the direction the film production company’s private jet will take to climb out of the valley. She rides her horse up to a rocky promontory and waves goodbye.

 

Q:  In Never Look Back, book three, please tell us more about Maya. How did the past play a role in shaping her character?

A:  Maya leaves home when her step-father starts showing an unhealthy interest in her. She’s watched her mother rely on first her father, then her step-father all her life, and determines that she will be independent.  To that end, she works hard to save money with the goal of buying a small home. Falling in love is something she’s never considered, but when it happens, she falls hard.

 

Q:  Which is your favorite scene in the entire series? Why?

A:  The scene at the end of the last chapter in Book Three, Never Look Back. There’s something about this scene, where Maya is watching people walk the red carpet at the Academy Awards.  I can see her leaning forward, talking to the television, and I honestly shed a few tears when I wrote it. I re-read it the other day, and it still chokes me up.

 

Q:  Among all the characters in the series, major and minor, which is your favorite? Why?

A:  I have one of each… major and minor. Carmen Santangelo plays an important, but secondary role as the movie star who comes to Green Lake Ranch in Book Two and captures the heart of Danielle’s Uncle Jake. She’s earthy, she’s sexy, and she knows what she wants. I also like Cole, Allison’s love interest in Book One. He protected his friend, he helps youths at risk, and his moral compass doesn’t waver. Some readers didn’t care for the fact that he had a love interest in the ten years he was separated from Allison, but here again, I made this series real, and I believe that’s what a young man would do.

 

Q:  What kind of research did you do in the process of writing this series? Please share with us an interesting fact that you came across.

A:  In Book Two, Grayson has a ranch near San Luis Obispo. I haven’t been there, but I went to Google maps and took my little orange man and drove along the roads out toward where I imagined his ranch would be. The surrounding area is very similar to where this series takes place… the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. I love that little Google guy.

 

Q:  Will there be more in The Women of Independence series? Please give us a sneak peek.

A:  Yes, there will be one more book, but not for a while. I believe that Katie deserves a book of her own, and readers agree. In the meantime… oh, I see you’ve asked that in the next question.

 

Q:  What’s up next for you?

A:  As this interview goes live, I’m just starting a new series. It’s a historical romance series featuring three different women, a slight departure for me, but I’m quite excited about it.

 

 

Fast Answer Questions:

Last book you read:Creole Belle, by James Lee Burke

Favorite vacation location:  Long Beach, on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.

Favorite dessert:  Crème brulée

Favorite drink:  Ice cold water

Favorite place to write:In the darkened, quiet corner I have set up specifically for that purpose

 

The Kiss

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The Kiss. What a great title for an up-coming anthology penned by  over twenty authors in one of my writing groups. The fun part of this anthology is that the group is made up of authors who write in in virtually every genre – not just romance, like you’d expect. As a matter of fact, I think only a few of us wrote straight romance for this one.
    We hope to have the anthology released in January and you’ll be seeing lots about it in various venues. Some great authors are included, and guess what? It will be free, with Amazon’s co-operation. I’ll let you know more as the release date gets closer.
   Here’s the cover.

   In the meantime, I’m off on a much-needed vacation for a few weeks. I put in some long hours writing my latest series, which is doing very nicely, thank you. I’ll be back toward the end of January, batteries re-charged and raring to go!

   Best to everyone in 2014.

Happy Endings

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Friends often ask me which of my books is my favourite. I invariably fall back on the overused comment about choosing between our children. You’d think I could come up with something more original, but there you go…
I’ve been putting together a couple of ‘bargain bundles’ the past few days, which entails scanning through the formatting.  While doing so, I found myself pausing here and there to admire a well constructed sentence, or an evocative turn of phrase. What’s that you say? I’m not supposed to admire my own writing? Too bad; every writer does it.
Where was I? Oh, yes. I love endings. Maybe because I write romance, and to my way of thinking, romance endings should be positive, if not an outright happily-ever-after love fest.
Let’s face it, you know within the first chapter or so, who’s going to get together. Rarely are we fooled about that. I prefer to weave the romance in and around an interesting storyline, but that’s just me, trying to give the reader her/his money’s worth.
I have a few movies I’ll watch just for the endings. I love the ending of the first part of the Bourne Trilogy, where Jason Bourne walks into the scooter rental shop. And I really love the ending of The Shawshank Redemption, where Red walks down the beach at Zihuatanejo.
This ending is one of the sweetest I’ve written. It’s from Fallen Angel, and I tear up every time I read it. There’s a lot going on in this book, so I won’t spoil that for you. But here’s the ending:

Epilogue

Ten months later.
“Do I have to wear this?” Mark tugged impatiently at his bow tie.
“Yes.” Bradley straightened it for the third time.
“But why?”
“Because your mother wants you to.” He checked his own reflection. “See…we match.”
Mark gave him a look that made it clear what he thought of that.
“Come on, we’re supposed to be out there first.”
They walked out into the sunlight. All of their friends and family were there, plus Candy and Matt, Faith and Jason, Fran Shaw and her husband, everyone from the law office; even Will and his new lady friend. Her father and his new wife were in the front pew, next to Laura’s grandmother, who had tears in her eyes when Bradley walked down the aisle with his best man, Mark.
As they approached the white tent a jet flew overhead and Bradley shielded his eyes to look up.
“What is it?” asked Mark. It was a game they played all the time.
“It’s a private job. A Citation. Nice ride.”
“Yeah, nice ride. Can you fly it?”
“Oh, I think so.” Bradley grinned.
“Would you teach me how to fly some day?” His hand crept into Bradley’s.
“Yes, I will.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
Laura and Hayley appeared on the steps. Laura in a simple white sheath that touched the grass and Hayley in a pale pink chiffon dress that she had picked out herself. They both wore baby’s breath in their hair. They walked together up the aisle and Bradley bent over to pick up his daughter.
“Hey, Mom.” Mark tugged at her dress, and she looked at her son. “Dad says he’s going to teach me to fly! Can you believe it?”
“Sure can,” she said, looking at Bradley with love in her eyes. “He teaches me to fly every day.”
* * *
Fallen Angel is available as a stand-alone book, and is also included in my new Canadian Romance Collection #2. A real bargain, by the way!
Link to Fallen Angel on Amazon: 

 

Link to Canadian Romance Collection on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H92024G

Clever Words

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You don’t have to be a writer to appreciate wordplay.

The Washington Post’s Mensa Invitational once again invited readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

 Here are the winners:

 1.Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

 2.Ignoranus: A person who’s both stupid and an asshole.

 3.Intaxicaton: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

 4.Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a democrat.

 5.Bozone
( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future. Typically found around democrats as a yellowish, gray bluish deformed elongated halo. 

 6.Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

 7.Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high

 8.Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn’t get it.

 9.Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

 10.Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

 11.Karmageddon: It’s like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it’s like, a serious bummer.

 12.Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

 13.Glibido: All talk and no action.

 14.Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

 15.Arachnoleptic Fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you’ve accidentally walked through a spider web.

 16.Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

 17.Caterpallor ( n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you’re eating.

 The Washington Post has also published the winning submissions to its yearly contest in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.

 Here are the winners:

 1.Coffee, n. The person upon whom one coughs.

 2.Flabbergasted, adj. Appalled by discovering how much weight one has gained.

 3.Abdicate, v. To give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.

 4.esplanade, v. To attempt an explanation while drunk.

 5.Willy-nilly, adj. Impotent.

 6.Negligent, adj. Absentmindedly answering the door when wearing only a nightgown.

 7.Lymph, v. To walk with a lisp.

 8.Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash.

 9.Flatulence, n. Emergency vehicle that picks up someone who has been run over by a steamroller.

 10.Balderdash, n. A rapidly receding hairline.

 11.Testicle, n. A humorous question on an exam.

 12.Rectitude, n. The formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.

 13.Pokemon, n. A Rastafarian proctologist.

 14.Oyster, n. A person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.

 15.Frisbeetarianism, n. The belief that, after death, the soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.

 16.Circumvent, n. An opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.

I actually enjoyed this interview!

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This interview is with Fiona McVie. See link at bottom of page.
Mona:  Hi, Fiona. Glad to be with you.
Where are you from?
 I live in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Think a long, sparkling lake with plenty of beaches. Add in orchards, vineyards, ski hills in the winter, golf courses galore, and you get the picture.
Tell us a little about yourself.
  I spent my younger years in northern British Columbia, then went to UBC for a couple of years, before going to the Sorbonne in Paris for French immersion. When I came back, I went to work in Vancouver for a travel agency, and stayed in travel-related jobs for most of my working life. I’m lucky to have travelled extensively; it opens the imagination.
Fiona: Tell us your latest news
I’ve recently released my eighteenth book on Amazon. It’s the first in a series called The Women of Independence, and it’s entitled Loving From Afar. It’s a romance with a difference. I like to describe it as a book that will break your heart, then put it back together.
Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve read all my life. My mother took us to the library from a young age. Sometimes I can still recall the smell of the books as we sat on the floor for story hour.  As I read more as an adult, there were many times I thought “I can do this”, so I did. I was naïve enough to think that I’d write a best-seller right out of the gate, but of course that didn’t happen.
Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I don’t think about it very much. I rarely tell people what I do. I’ve made that mistake a few times and they give me odd looks. I think they’re wondering if I’m going to put them in a book.
Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?
 I like to think of my style as casual. I don’t care for over-blown romance novels. I also enjoy putting in a twist here or there. The reader usually knows it’s coming, but we both pretend we don’t, and discover the surprise together.
Fiona: How did you come up with the title?
 Loving From Afar is a story about a young woman who’s had everything stripped away from her, and yet she continues to love a young man from her past. It’s as though she’s watching life from a distance.
Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I don’t write books to impart a message. I leave that to people who are much wiser than I, but I would hope that the book gives them something to think about.
Fiona: How much of the book is realistic?
I try hard to make it all realistic.
Fiona: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life
Not really, but I can easily imagine a young woman going through these trials.
Fiona: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
I really enjoy Maeve Binchy.
Fiona: What book are you reading now?
Four Fires by Bryce Courtenay.
Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I read constantly, but I confess I don’t pay much attention to the names. I’m more likely to remember author names when the books are poorly written.
Fiona: What are your current projects?
I’m writing book two of the series The Women of Independence. This one is titled The Last Goodbye.
Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members
I dreamed of writing for many years before I started. My friends put up with me during those long years. They were so patient!
Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?
Not originally, but now I can’t stop.
Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?
No.
Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?
This new book focuses on Danielle, the closest friend of the main character in the first book. A Hollywood film company comes to shoot on her uncle’s ranch, and Danielle is attracted to the producer.
Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Keeping my butt in the chair when it’s sunny outside.
Fiona: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work?
I’d have to say Bryce Courtenay. He has an uncanny ability to tell a story from the POV of a young child, and I find that charming.
Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?
  I’ve done so much already, it’s usually not necessary.
Fiona: Who designed the covers?
Suzie O’Connell. She does amazing work.
Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Be prepared to work hard and develop a thick skin.
Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank you.
Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?
I’ve always been interested in advertising, in writing ad copy.

To buy Loving From Afar click on the link below

All That Glitters…

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  There’s been a lot of chatter in the past few days about the plunging price of gold, resulting in a torrent of online advice. Sell, don’t sell; panic, don’t panic.
  Of course that got me thinking about writing. Again.
  Okay, so I’m a bit obsessive about writing. But every once in a while I try to step back and take a look at the what and the why of this third career path I’ve chosen for myself. Or is it the fourth? Who’s counting?
  All writers read, and if they don’t, they’re probably not real writers. As a result, we can’t help but absorb the current trends. Stick with me here, I’m getting to the point.
   The point is: as with the gold, do I follow the trends, or don’t I? Why do we all think we have to know what’s trending every minute? Why can’t we be original?
  In my case, if the pack leads me to a best seller, instant fame and untold riches, I’m your man… or in this case, your woman. Just kidding, but it’s tempting.
  So where does that leave me? Surprisingly, it leaves me satisfied at the end of each day’s writing. I’ve finally stopped worrying about what everyone else is doing. I’m doing my own thing. I’m delving a little deeper when I write, and it feels good.
  I can’t stop reading, of course. I think my head would explode if I couldn’t read every day, but when I go back to the keyboard, it’s with a smile. And we all know the world can use more smiles.

The Perfect Side-Kick

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Hi everyone! This post originally appeared on Shirley Bourget’s blog, under Buzz From The Best, but I kinda like it, and thought I’d share it here, as well.

Andy Griffith and Barney Fife?
…or Laverne and Shirley… or The Lone Ranger and Tonto?
Okay, you get the idea. It’s about the sidekick.
I don’t think I’ve written a book yet that doesn’t have a strong sidekick. I write contemporary romance, so the sidekick is generally a friend, or a roommate. Or in some cases, a pet. I grew up with both dogs and cats. Love ‘em both, but if there’s an animal involved, it’s usually a cat.
I’m not fond of stories in which the main character is too introspective. That type of structure usually leads to long paragraphs of telling instead of showing. Boring, boring, boring. But on the other hand, if we impart the information via dialogue with the sidekick, it’s alive, and ultimately, interesting. If not, it shouldn’t be there.
I use the sidekick to say things the reader might be thinking. For example, the main character utters some emotionally charged dialogue, and you just know the reader is rolling her eyes and saying “give me a break”. Eh voila – the sidekick can say “give me a break”. This allows you to include that small, overly-dramatic but necessary scene, and yet keep it real, thanks to the sidekick.
Creating this character is something I enjoy…perhaps more than I should. Because the sidekick is me. Wait, let me qualify that. It’s the me I’d like to be. I’d like to be tall, slender, dress in a bomber jacket, tight leather pants, and be an international correspondent. Something ‘glamorous’ like that. What’s that you say? The job of an international correspondent isn’t all that glamorous? Never mind; you know what I mean. Besides, this is romance, and romance is mostly fantasy.
Do you notice how often the secondary character is the complete opposite of the main character? There are many ways this can be accomplished, but one of my favorites is age. Several of my stories have older women mentoring the heroine. A surprising number of readers have said that they’d love to read a story about the older characters. In Then Came Love, the older woman is named Agnes. She’s a feisty old broad who has outlived several husbands. We like her immediately, and she becomes integral to the story.
Yes, sidekicks aren’t only fun to write, they enrich our stories. Let’s hear it for the Barney Fifes of the world, and may our characters be as memorable.

 

On the Casting Couch with Sheila Claydon

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Sheila Claydon is a multi-published author from Great Britain who I’ve come to know through an on-line group. Sheila writes stylish romances which I enjoy reading. Recently she offered to put  me On the Casting Couch. This is a series of interviews Sheila has done with authors where they tell about the characters in their books. This interview is re-printed with Sheila’s permission. Check out her website; it’s full of interesting information, and most importantly, links to her books.
Published December 17, 2012 | By Sheila Claydon
Over the next few months a number of writers have agreed to sit on my Casting Couch to discuss the different methods  they use in their search for the characters who populate their books. Their techniques give a fascinating insight into the writing process and the writers themselves
Today Canadian author Mona Ingram joins us on the Casting Couch to share the tricks of her trade and to tell why she likes the secondary characters in her books as well.
Thank you for agreeing to sit on the Casting Couch Mona. It’s always a treat to talk to a multi-published author and discover how she casts her characters. Assuming you are sitting comfortably, let’s begin.
* * *
Which characters are the hardest for you to develop? Is it the hero, the heroine, the villain, or the secondary characters?
I’d have to say the heroine. I think that’s because I usually identify with the heroine and although on a deep level I understand her motivation, I don’t like to talk about myself.
When an idea strikes, do you work through the plot first and then cast the characters, or is it characters first? Or does it vary? Perhaps you develop the plot and the characters together.
I wish I could say I’m that organized. Usually my stories start with a nugget of an idea and expand from there. I take quite a while to think about each book before I start. There’s a lot of ‘what if?’ going on in my mind while I’m putting the plot together.
Can you give an example from a published story?
Yes. Call me shallow, but I had an idea that I’d love to write a scene where the two main characters in a book make love without speaking. That was the genesis for my book Fallen Angel.
That sounds like a book I’d like to read Mona. It must have taken a lot of careful thought to come up with something like that.
When deciding how your characters should look, do pictures inspire you or do you think of someone you know? Or perhaps you just rely on an active imagination or another method entirely.
If there are multiple main characters, I’ll sometimes cut pictures out of magazines, stick them on a piece of card, and type captions for them. It isn’t so much hair colour or eye colour, but the look on their faces that attracts me. When my granddaughter comes to visit, she’s always dismayed when she finds magazines with holes in them.  I don’t feel it’s necessary to describe everything about each character, however. Not that long ago, authors would describe every detail about a character’s appearance. You don’t see that so much anymore, and I like that. I think readers want to create their own vision of what the character looks like. I never write about people I know; this is fantasy.
I so agree with you. I don’t enjoy books that are too prescriptive either. I would much rather develop my own picture of how the character looks based on just a few simple pointers such as hair colour or height for example. I am always disappointed when I watch a film of a book. The actor never looks like the character I envisaged in my head.
Do you have a system for developing their character traits? I know some people use Tarot or Astrology. Others produce detailed life histories. There are also writers who allow their characters to develop as they write. What’s your method?
I always know the character’s back story, but I usually let them develop as I write. I often have to go back and consider the reasons behind a character’s actions, and then I might have to ask myself why they did such-and-such, but generally I like to let it flow.
All characters have goals. Can your character’s goals usually be summed up in a word or two, or are they multi-layered? Do they change as you write the book? Could you give some examples?
My characters all have goals. I’m a big believer in GMC… Goal, Motivation and Conflict. Take apart almost any story and you’ll find those three elements. But to answer your question, the goals generally cannot be summed up in a few words. What’s that expression everyone is using these days? Multilayered? That’s how I see my main characters.
Motives drive a character. How do you discover your character’s specific goals? Are they based on back story or do other elements influence their motives?
In my mind, goals and motivations are generally tied together. But motivation gives the story that added dimension. I often like to keep the motivation secret, or use it as a twist near the end of the story. As long as it doesn’t drag on too long and annoy the reader, it’s a good plot device.
I like that idea. What a great way to keep the pages turning.
And last but not least, do you like your characters? Are they people you would want to spend time with? Assuming they are not just a paper exercise, which of your characters would you most like to meet, and why?
I can’t write about people I don’t like. Of course there are nasty characters in my books from time to time, but the main characters are always likeable. Some would accuse me of being too Canadian, but that’s just me.
As for the heroes, I always write about a hero I’d like to know. It makes them so much more believable. I confess, they’re almost always larger than life. I’ve tried to write about ‘ordinary’ men, but they usually morph into a high-powered type.
Who would I like to meet? Wow, good question. I have two. The first is Freddie, from Fixing Freddie.  He’s my kind of man. Quiet, unassuming, owns a highly successful business, and is comfortable in his own skin. I guess the other would have to be Agnes, from my book Then Came Love. She’s an older woman who speaks her mind and befriends the heroine as well as the hero. We all need someone like Agnes in our lives. That’s the fun part about secondary characters. We can have them say the things we’d like to say!
It’s been so nice to meet with you Mona. I’ve certainly learned a few extra tricks from talking to you. Watch out for an outspoken secondary character in my next book! Thank you so much for visiting my Casting Couch and talking about the characters in your books.
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Like all the writers who visit my Casting Couch, there is another side to Mona.  When she’s not writing or reading, she likes to bird-watch. Quoting from a character in her book, Promise Me, she says it gets her out (in her case, away from the computer for a few hours), and keeps her aware of the environment. She also loves to travel…anywhere, anytime!
Mona is a multi-published author and you can find out more about her and her books a http://monaingram.com or go  over to her blog at http://monaingram.blogspot.co.uk where she talks about her writing as well as discussing some of the other things on her mind.
 You might also want to visit her Amazon page at  http://amzn.to/W8MWoN  and look at some of the many books she has written

Boxers or Briefs?

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Got your attention, didn’t I?
I was thinking ahead to my next book, but then I’m always doing that. I usually know what the female character is going to be like; I find them much easier. This next book is no exception.
   But I don’t feel that I ‘know’ the male romantic interest. He’s eluding me. I know his age, and where he works, but I’m having a difficult time cozying up to him.
  Some authors create detailed descriptions of their characters. They know family history, where they went to school, what type of food they like, favourite sports team … literally everything. Some authors interview their characters; some even know what’s in their wallet.
   I admire that type of preparation, and I’ve tried parts of it a couple of times. But somewhere in the process I recalled that I literally fell in love with someone the first time I saw him. The first time our eyes met. Corny huh? But true…so true. I knew nothing about him at that point, other than the fact that he had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. I think it would be safe to say that the air sizzled between us when we met. Other things sizzled too, but that was much later.
   Question to self: Is it absolutely necessary to know everything about the ‘hero’ before I start on my next project? Maybe I’ll cut myself some slack on this one and get to know him the way I did with Jack…one delightful discovery at a time.
   I’m looking forward to it.

Mona Ingram

Paying It Forward

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Paying It Forward:
What I’ve Learned About Independent E-Publishing (So Far)
  It’s one year since I put my first book up on Amazon.com, and it seems right that I should share what I’ve learned. Why? Because I had help and encouragement from other authors, and now it’s my turn to pay it forward.
  Writers are the most generous group of people I’ve run across in my professional career. Where else will you find people in the same line of work who willingly offer their time and expertise to help others succeed?
  A lot has been written about Independent Publishing since Amazon set up their KDP platform. KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing, and when you step into that arena, you truly are independent.
Why do you want to be independently published?
  Ask a group of authors to give ten reasons why they “went indie” and you’ll get a wide variety of responses. But most agree on several things.
Hurry up and wait. In the ‘old days’, if you went by the rules (as set out by the publishers), you sent your manuscript to only one publisher at a time. It wasn’t unusual to wait a year, eighteen months, or even two years for a response – even from a publisher with whom you’d worked before. If they rejected your manuscript, often for reasons unspecified, you had to start all over again with your next choice of publisher.
  Then there are publishers’ guidelines. Necessary. I understand that. Publishers have developed their markets, and want to serve them. But writing a predetermined number of words, and including a specified level of sensuality (I write romance), even tailoring the actions and dialogue of the character to meet said guidelines tends to take the creativity out of the process.
  Maybe you want to go indie so you can get rich. Come on, don’t tell me you’re not interested in money. It takes a lot of time and effort to write a book and the truth is, some publishers, both traditional and e-publishers, don’t pay very well. To make things worse, publishers are now expecting you to promote your own books. Some authors complain that they’re doing more work for the same, or less money. What’s up with that?
  Speaking of money, we’ve all heard about wildly successful authors who have self-published in e-format. I salute them. Would I want to be one? Sure! But that’s not likely, and you shouldn’t expect to become one of them either. Having said that, write every book like it’s going to be the next big thing…because it just might be.
Still With Me? Okay Then, Where Do You Start?
I’m not going to tell you how to write. You already know that, right? Right? If not, then you should learn. Take a creative writing class, or if they’re not available in your area, read a lot of ‘How-To’ books.
  I know a romance author who was educated, who read a lot, and who had a lot of good story ideas. She wrote her first book and sent it in. She waited for a response, envisioning the editors gathered around a conference table, salivating over her amazing story, debating about how much of an advance they should offer. In those days you got a letter back. Not a form letter, either. A real letter with a few words about the manuscript. When she got her first rejection letter she pouted for a day or so and then got back to work. The next one would sell, she knew it!
  It took five years for me to figure out that I didn’t know what I was doing, and that I’d better learn. A few years after that, I sold my first two books to the same publisher at the same time.
  Before you start writing, learn about formatting. It can save you a lot of hassle later. I learned a lot from the Smashwords formatting manual, which I will mention again below.
Know Your Genre
I ‘know’ some authors on various writing boards who write more than one genre. I admire them for that, but I don’t think I could do it.
  When it comes to romance for example, certain things are expected, even from an independent author. Yes, you can stretch the parameters, but you’d better give the reader a HEA ending! Happily Ever After.
  Study best-selling authors and see what works in their stories. Read everything you can on the craft of writing, and then write your best story.
  You’ve finished your book and you’re eager to get it ‘out there’. Not so fast.
  Ideally, if you follow the advice of Stephen King in his excellent book On Writing you will put the manuscript aside for six weeks. When you come back to it, you’ll see it through fresh eyes. You’ll edit and polish and proclaim that it’s ready for publication.
  Not just yet. Now is the time to send it to your Beta Reader. Choose someone who will tell you the truth. If you have doubts about any aspect of the book, point that out and ask them for their comments. Don’t waste your Beta Reader’s time if all you’re looking for is validation. Ask for a fair and honest critique. I see people on message boards who ask for opinions on their work and when another author takes the time to read what they’ve written and send comments back, the author argues against every point made. They don’t want to hear that their book could use some more work; they want to be told how wonderful it is. Don’t be one of those people.
  At this stage, some authors send their books to an editor. That has to be your choice and it’s a difficult one. You have to balance the cost of an editor who in almost all cases will improve your book against putting out a not-so-great book and harming your reputation.  Lack of funds might be the determining factor, but in any case, put out the very best book you can afford.
Speaking of Money, How Much Can You Expect to Make?
I don’t have the answer to this one. Go to the Community page in the Kindle Direct Publishing section of the Amazon website. Click on Voice of the Author/Publisher. There are some extremely helpful authors here. They’re supportive of each other, and talk often turns to how much they’re making. Don’t expect authors here to quote you dollars and cents on their latest sales, but you’ll get a good idea of the range, and it’s wide.
  I read an article recently (I wish I’d kept a link) which stated that a high percentage of independently published authors earn less than $500 per year. I have no idea if that’s true, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Where Will You Sell Your Book?
Let’s start with Amazon. At the present time, they have the largest share of the market so it makes sense to start with them.
  You can publish with Amazon in two ways. Firstly, through KDP. Secondly, and this is also through KDP, you can choose to enrol your book in KDP Select. When you choose Select, you agree to sell your book exclusively through Amazon for a period of 90 days. If you choose not to extend to a second 90-day period, it’s a simple click of the mouse. Otherwise, your book will automatically be re-enrolled. The rules are straightforward and are spelled out on their site.
  Why choose KDP Select? What’s in it for you? When you are enrolled in Select, Amazon Prime members can “Borrow” one book a month. If you’re lucky, it will be yours. The Prime fund can be a nice source of additional income for those with popular books.
  Also with Select you can make each book Free for a maximum period of five days in each 90-day period. You can do five separate days, break it up to 2 days now and 3 days later, or run all five days at once. It’s up to you, and setting it up is simple.
  You’ll find authors who love the free program and those who hate it. Those who love it say that it helps their future sales. Those who hate it say that with so many free books out there, Amazon is making it difficult for them to sell their titles.
  I’m a Libra, and I can see both sides of the argument. You’ll have to choose for yourself.
  Then there’s Smashwords. This company will act as a clearinghouse for your books, taking care of putting them up on B&N, Sony, iBooks, Kobo, etc. See their website for a complete list of vendors. They don’t distribute to Amazon. They take a small fee.
  You can also upload your own books to Barnes & Noble, and other vendors. I’ve never tried to upload directly to iBooks, but I read on some sites that you have to upload from an Apple computer. You can check that out for yourself. Many writers upload directly to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and let Smashwords handle the rest. Keep in mind however that when you want to make changes to your cover or your blurb or the price, you’ll have to go to each vendor, not to mention changing it everywhere else it’s listed.
  One last thing about e-tailers. Try to keep up to date on the business aspect of things. Maybe find an e-zine that covers this segment of the market. When it comes to trends in e-publishing, there’s no such thing as too much information. You don’t want to be the last one on the bus…there might not be any seats left.

Keeping Track of Sales
Both Amazon and Smashwords offer online charts where you can check your sales. It’s not real-time, but very close. I always purchase my own work when it goes ‘live’ because it looks different on my Kindle, and I’ve noticed that the sale takes an hour or two to show up on my charts.
Do You Need More Than One Book to Start?
Ideally, yes. More books equal more opportunity for cross-promotion.
   Let’s say you enrol your book in KDP Select because you want to offer it for free. If you have a lot of free downloads, which in the romance category means 20,000 and up, then two things happen. Your book will be positioned a little higher on the Amazon browsing pages. More visibility equals more sales. The extra sales will keep your book visible for a while but this higher position doesn’t last for long.
   The second thing is that 20,000 people will eventually read your book and if you have other books, they might choose to buy those as well. So yes, more than one book is ideal. I’ve read that somewhere between 8-10 and up will give you a good start. I think most of us don’t have that many good books sitting around, but put up as many as you can. As I’m writing this at 1:00pm PST on Wednesday there are 485,599 books for sale on Amazon under Fiction. 80,897 are Romance, and of those, 26,270 are Contemporary Romance.  That’s a lot of competition.
   By the way, if you’re on a message board asking questions, or just interacting, use the correct terminology. Free downloads are just that…books you’ve given away for free. Sales are money. 
Instant Gratification? Not Likely
When I started a year ago, I read a lot of blogs and articles from successful independent authors. Every one told me the same thing: be patient. It takes time. Assuming you have a good product, are willing to promote yourself, and have a good number of titles, you will find an audience and your sales will grow. But it doesn’t happen overnight.
In my next blog I will cover what I’ve learned about Formatting, Uploading, Covers, Blurbs, Promotion, Nasty Reviews and a lot of other stuff.

Is Social Media Taking Over Your Life?

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    I was surfing through the channels the other day and came across an entertainment program where the host was talking about some celebrity or other. What they said stopped me cold in my tracks. The ‘news’ was that the celebrity’s Social Media Standing had slipped by a few points. Social Media Standing? Really?
    Is ‘Social Media’ taking over our world? My family, friends and fellow writers use various platforms to connect in ways that weren’t possible ten years ago, and that’s good. On the other hand, large companies run television ads asking consumers to “Like” their Facebook page. I remember a time when companies advertised to us, not the other way around. Nowadays, they have us going to their website to Like them so they can send their advertising into our homes. It’s our choice, but it still rankles.
    And then there are those who fall in between. Let’s consider social media and the writer, because after all, that’s what I am. Before we writers dip our toe in that big murky social media pond out there, we generally look for guidance on how to go about it.
    Today there are literally hundreds of books aimed at the independent writer; advice on how to set up your web page, how often you should blog, how to build up a Twitter following and how to create a book trailer and put it up on YouTube.
    I read my share of books before I got started. E-books mainly. They all start the same; they have a lengthy introduction telling you what they’re going to teach you. Wouldn’t want to give away any secrets in the free sample.
    If we independent authors were to follow even half of the advice that’s out there, we’d spend eighty percent of our time doing promotion, leaving very little time or energy for writing. Not to mention that we’d be so wrung out after trying to figure it all out, our creative juices would be completely dried up. We’d start to gear our writing toward what sells; never a good idea. By the time you write a story à la current ‘big thing’, interest has moved on to something else. It’s that old saying: Every time I figure out where it’s at, somebody moves it. There you go.
    Today I was searching on Google for fossils combined with a specific area in British Columbia, where my next book takes place. Google is one of my most valuable time-savers. I love it, but today a set of 12 sponsored links popped up on the page, all nicely boxed for my consideration. Every single one related to self-publishing, Writing, Book Design, etc. Considering that I was searching for fossils, that’s spooky.
    And then there’s Twitter. For most writers, Twitter is a bunch of authors promoting their books to other authors. It’s a lot of clever sayings, quotes, thoughts that amuse us for a moment, but keep us from writing. Again, our choice, but you get the picture. Recently I’ve started to ‘Unfollow’ people who tweet too much. How many times can you read about their amazing book for sale, or their saccharine, peppy, inspirational, funny comments? Yech.
    Twitter is, however, good for a smile if you follow people like Bill Maher, Seth McFarlane, Steve Martin, Stephen Fry, Albert Brooks. These guys are known throughout the twitterverse for their clever comments. Their tweets are few, succinct and precious. Thanks, guys. We could all take a lesson.
    I didn’t mean to turn this into a rant against Social Media. It’s here to stay and I will continue to use it. But hearing that comment on television was like a splash of fresh, cool water in my face. Was I getting derailed by all of this stuff? Almost, but not quite.
  In the meantime I’m going to get my little wheels firmly back on the rails and do what I love to do…and that’s write.
Cheers.

About Mona Ingram

Romance author Mona Ingram has written dozens of novels, including the Forever Series, the Gold Rush Series, and the Women of Independence Series. She lives in British Columbia, Canada.

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Email me at mona@monaingram.com.

All text copyright Mona Ingram.