Do you read Harlequin romance novels?

I thought this article was interesting. Granted it’s three years old, but, we’ve been talking about this subject in writers’ circles over the last five years, give or take. I only had one book out with Harlequin, and am open to submitting to them again, time permitting. I like having my book on a store shelf (including Walmart, Kmart, grocery stores, etc.). But, indie books have really been taking off!

Authors are publishing their own works and are actually making good money doing that. From my experience, and from speaking to other authors, most of the money from indie-published e-books comes from Amazon (mostly their Kindle Unlimited program).

So, do you read Harlequin romance novels? If so, which lines do you read? Do you purchase them in the store or as an e-book?

I received the following questions from a writer named Regina:

Hi Cecelia,

How do you create characters for your stories?

This question is for the writers who read my blog. What do you do when you create your characters? At the end of this blog post you’ll find a character chart that I use to help me to create my people. I have no idea where this chart originated. I believe I gleaned some of it from a Writers’ Digest book about creating characters. It’s also possible that I got some of the questions from another author. I’m creating a novel now, and I had to pull this out to create the people that go along with my story.

What method do you use for creating characters? Leave a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Questions that should be answered when creating characters for novels:

Character Name:

Age:

Physical Characteristics:

Best Feature:

Feelings about their own looks:

Clothes:

Ethnic Background:

Siblings/Relatives:

Neighborhood of Youth:

Education:

Church affiliation:

What they believe about God:

Parent’s Attitudes about:

Money/Getting Ahead:

Discipline received:

Friends:

Spouse/Children:

Job:

Neighborhood:

Attitude about:

Money/Getting Ahead:

Sex:

Hobbies:

Favorite Foods:

Favorite Music:

Favorite Movie/Book:
Friends:

Fears/Inhibitions:

Guilt:

Longings/Goals:

Weaknesses:

Strong Points:

Habits:

Pet Peeves:

RULING TRAIT:

A character question: Does your character MAKE things happen or REACT to what happens?

What is the most significant/emotional things that have happened in your character’s life?

Why do you want to get published?

This question popped into my mind recently. I’ve noticed over the last eighteen years, since I’ve been congregating with other writers, that there’s a desire, a deep desire, for most of us to attain publication. Why?

I know for me, when I first caught the writing bug at the age of about twenty-eight, I felt enthralled to finally discover an occupation that I enjoyed! I’d been reading books my entire life, and the mere thought of sharing shelf space among authors whom I’d enjoyed reading gave me an unexplainable sense of joy and euphoria! Whenever I met new people, the first thing I proclaimed about myself was that I was a writer!

I’m not as vocal about my writing as I used to be, but, the joy of writing is still within me. I still long to see my books in a bookstore again.

So how about you? Why do you want to get published? Leave a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos

by Cecelia Dowdy

Note, this is a repeat of an old blog post.

Does the title of this blog post bring back memories? Have you ever had pen pals? If so, do you remember their names and where they were from? How long did the writing relationship last?

Pen pals is a somehwat “archaic” term. The reason I say this is because with the advancement of the internet, I don’t think people write letters to one another anymore using pen, ink, envelope and stamp. When I was growing up, I believe my fascination with pen pals was one of the indications that I’d become a writer when I got older.

I recall reading the Archie Comic books and there was a list of people from which to choose pen pals listed in the book. Also, you could send in money to the comic book people and they’d mail you the address for a pen pal. I recall taping approximately 75 cents onto the order form and mailing it out to the comic book people. In return, I received pen pals.

I recall two of my pen pals quite well. One was named Karen G. (I won’t reveal the last name, but I remember it.) and she lived in Jacksonville, Florida. The other one was named Tammy K. and she lived in…Maine, Montana, Massachusetts? I only recall that Tammy’s home state started with a M. I exchanged pictures with both of them. Karen had short curly dark hair and Tammy had long brown straight hair. Sometimes, we’d exchange gifts. Tammy sent me a necklace once and it had a pendant in the shape of a chocolate ice cream cone! 🙂

I wrote to these girls for about a year or so? Then, the relationship just tapered off to nothing. The letters stopped suddenly and when I wrote, I finally received no response from either of them. I wonder where these ladies are today and if they even remember writing to me back in the seventies.

So, have you ever had pen pals? If so, do you remember their names and where they were from? How long did the writing relationship last?

Don’t forget to leave a comment!

~Cecelia Dowdy~