D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Divorce isn’t a subject you would expect a romance writer to write about… but actually we do. In my novels there have been a few cases where the hero or heroine is divorced. Jake in FINAL SIN, Laynie in COMMON BOND, TANGLED HEARTS, Dave in KARMA VISITED, and Annie in ANNIE’S KARMA; I also had a divorcee in my short story THE VACATION. Basically the rate of divorced characters in my novels is close to the national (expected) rate of divorce — “The marriage breakup rate in America for first marriage is 41% to 50%”.

Although statisticians have noted that the divorce rate has gone downward in more recent years (due to couples getting married at older ages, higher education and financial independence, and more couples living together without marriage, etc.), what breaks a marriage up? Obviously some folks just aren’t “right” for each other and may have gotten hitched because “everybody else was doing it”, sometimes unexpected pressures/tragedies put serious strains on the relationship, interference from outside sources (in-laws? friends?), and sometimes people just grow-apart as they grow-up. Two people can never really be in total agreement about everything, not if they retain their individuality, and it would be kind of boring if they never had different opinions, but if you can’t move past those differences it doesn’t bode well. Unfortunately statisticians also noted that there is an even higher risk of divorce the second time around, possibly that is because “once burnt” means someone’s defensiveness is up.

So can we find love with a divorcee? I believe in the possibility of Happy-Ever-After’s, but I also believe it’s worth understanding what went wrong in their first (or subsequent) marriage. Having seen divorces happen to people I know, my personal observations tend to make me believe that outside interference is a huge risk factor. A meddlesome mother-in-law who can’t let go of her son, a father who pressures his child into a family business that makes him/her miserable, siblings or friends who insert themselves into personal matters and instigate arguments… While I am a firm believer in marital counseling, it can help couples see beyond their alleged differences, it doesn’t always save a marriage.

Aside from finding out what went wrong in the first marriage, and many times you can rely on simple verbal honesty, I would say beware someone who is hiding information or purposely keeping you away from other past friends or family (who might be able to tell you a different story). Also listen to the ex-spouse but don’t necessarily take her/his word as truth. Definite red-flags to note, if anyone suggests that your intended may have been abusive, carefully watch how he/she treats you (not all abuse is physical); if there are children involved in the past relationship, is responsibility being taken (not just financially), this is especially important if you hope to have children with this individual; and of course, if your intended cheated (with you or someone else), you might have a problem.

I think the most important red flag to watch for is did he/she actually let go of the ex-spouse? I have seen it happen where one person said they were divorced when in reality the divorce wasn’t finalized because one of them never signed or it was hung up in a lawyer’s office because there was a disagreement on the settlement of property, alimony or even child care. Make sure that your chosen one is free to begin a new relationship (even if you’re both willing to put the formal ceremony off for a while). Even if a civil divorce can be proven, be aware that there are some religious divorce requirements as well and for any number of reasons one party may be avoiding doing what is right after being married in a religious manner — and why would anyone want to marry a man (or woman) who is still hanging on to their “ex” spouse? And especially if someone is avoiding getting the religious divorce in order to make their ex miserable, would you really want to marry someone who is that spiteful?

Judaism, Islam, and Christianity (for example) require certain procedures in order to release each party from the marriage commitment and enable each to marry someone else if they choose. In a Jewish divorce a husband must submit a written form, known as a “Get”, to his wife as proof of their divorce, without it neither one of them should be able to marry again, but if he is withholding the Get for spite, chances are he is also lying to his new wife (only the man can provide the Get). In an Islamic (Muslim) divorce, the civil divorce (if there was a civil marriage) holds no bearing on the ability to remarry as a Muslim; a lawyer familiar with Islamic precepts must work with the couple’s Iman to create an equitable parting of the ways and possessions. A Catholic divorce will not allow either partner to remarry in the Church, the marriage must be “annulled” which basically denies that the couple was ever married in the sacraments of the church. So make sure that your intended partner is truly free to marry you and is honest from the beginning.

Even with all of this talk about divorce, this romance writer is still a romantic-at-heart. I believe in second chances and true love. I also believe that any commitment, partnership, marriage, or whatever you are calling your relationship, needs to be founded on truth and trust. My parents were married for almost 32-years when my dad suddenly passed away and I truly believe they would still be married and very much in love if they were both still around; the day my mom died there was a cloud in the sky that looked like a staircase to heaven and I’m sure that my dad was waiting at the top as my mom went to him. No marriage is perfect, there will always be disagreements and sometimes tears, but when you put each other first, when you like yourself as well, and when you are openly honest and communicating, then each year is special and life can be pretty wonderful.

#LoveWins

The Perils of Being a Romance Author

Ever since my first book, Bartlett’sRule, was published in 2008, people have come to me to discuss “personal issues” thinking I would have the right words to help them reach their Happy-Ever-After. I only wish I had the advice to help them, but the truth is even my storybook characters have had to go through a lot of their own false starts and some mistakes before they found their true loves. The most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me because of the books I write was when the husband of one of my then close friends came to me to complain about his wife’s “performance” in the bedroom and wanted me to give him some advice to get her to be “willing to experiment”! Pushed for an answer I haltingly told him to just talk to her and tell her how he feels. (It was hard to look her in the face after that.)

The truth is that while many writers are told to “write what you know” we also have to use A LOT of creative imagination. I remember at a book discussion appearance for His Lucky Charm one audience member actually asked me if I was describing my husband in the love scenes! I think I turned beet-red right then and there. (I still refuse to answer that question, it will forever be a mystery.) I remember a fellow-romance writer friend whose husband refused to read any of her books because he was afraid if the hero wasn’t him he would be jealous. By the way, I have always used at least one of my husband’s traits in every hero I create, but I will never say which one it is.

Not all of my books are sexually explicit, and never just for shock value, I basically use what I feel is appropriate for the story. In my first EMS-based novel Final Sin the villain was a sexual predator so, yes, I went there. Then in my first paranormal story Karma Visited the two would-be lovers weren’t really ever together (until the very end) so there wasn’t exactly too much they could do; while the sexual innuendos went further in the sequel Annie’s Karma, the sex was still rather downplayed even while the passion was heated.

I love the idea that people like to read about passion and hot romance, it’s certainly one of my favorite book topics as well, but read the stories and let them get you in the mood. One couple I know (because one of them told me so) likes to read a chapter together and cuddle — I don’t ask what else they may do… Some women who have attended my book discussions have said that they like to read passionate, sexy stories because it gives them a wonderful escape from the mundane; that’s why I write romance. It’s not auto-biographical, it’s just a fictional story that enthralls me and I feel needs to be shared.

I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much as I like writing them.

visit Chelle Cordero on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords

Memories

As my husband and I are in the process of decluttering and downsizing I am finding so many tidbits here and there that evoke so many memories. Each time I come across a school project that one of my (now grown) offspring did in school I automatically picture them at that age – I swear it’s like a photo just flashes in front of me. I’ve come across so many other memorable treasures as well, some that make me laugh and others that set the tears in my eyes.

Memories are super strong motivators.

I try to give my characters strong memories, even when I don’t share the actual memory with my readers, I know what is in that character’s heart and I let it steer her reactions and feelings. In His LuckyCharm and Within the Law Caitlyn is very motivated by her memories (she is the heroine in His Lucky Charm, her cousin Tom is the hero of Within the Law). Her strongest memory in both stories is about the parents she lost as a little girl from a car accident. The loss doesn’t stifle her but it does make parts of the story very poignant.

In another story, Final Sin, Julie, a paramedic, is very driven in her independence and being a modern woman because of her memories of overprotective and overbearing older brothers. At the same time Jake, her love interest and a homicide-investigating sheriff, is haunted by the failure of his first marriage and his desire not to let his son suffer because of the discord with his ex-wife.

In a previous life I was a Theatre and Drama student (yes, at one time I aspired to act on stage) and it was common to be taught using the Stanislavski Method Acting System. Stanislavski (real name: Constantin Sergeyvich Alekseyev) wanted actors to have sincere motivation behind every action they took on stage. It wasn’t enough for a director to tell them to slam a door, Stanislavski wanted them to actually feel the anger behind the movement. If they needed to cry in the scene he wanted them to remember the sorrow they may have experienced in their own lives.

When I create a character I compose a basic dossier (the more major the character the more detailed the history) so I know what motivates them, what scares them, what makes them happy, and what drives them in all of their interactions. Often I think of my own memories to understand what would evoke the different emotions in my character’s life, and yes, there are many times I cry or laugh right along with them. In Within the Law Tom goes to visit the grave of his high school sweetheart and fiancé, my character wasn’t the only one with tears in his eyes.

Like Stanislavski’s methods, I believe that if my characters are genuine in their emotions then my readers can believe in them and can be involved in the story. Reading a book is supposed to be a little like taking a vacation from the real world, but it’s also supposed to be more than just reading words. I hope that by employing Stanislavski’s Method Acting to my writing I can (stealing a line from Calgon here) take my readers away for just a little while.

Author Chelle Cordero

I never could stand the sight of blood

Most of us would look at that statement and say “Okay, big deal.” But it really is kind of ironic, I spent almost 30-years riding a rig as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and I saw blood more than a few times, LOL. I treated and transported trauma and acute illness, I even delivered babies! When I was busy with a patient the blood didn’t seem to bother me, but if I was just an onlooker for some reason — YIKES!

I stopped riding a few years ago, 911 response is much easier on a younger person, but I do miss it. Now I sit on the sidelines, my son and his wife are both EMTs, my daughter was a Paramedic for many years, my husband is also “retired” from EMS, and I write about it as both a journalist and as a romantic dreamer.

When I first wrote Final Sin it was a dual purpose. Years earlier there was a horrible murder (it was in all of the papers) and a major part of the crime scene was less than a mile where I live and it gave me the heebie-jeebies and I wanted to exorcise that feeling. The gruesome opening scene of the book was inspired by this true-crime, and then the similarity ends. Of course, knowing me, I wrote about a burgeoning romance between a paramedic who responds to the carnage and the Deputy Sherriff who is investigating the murder.

I had fun writing some of the unusual and sometimes humorous events in the book and YES, these things really have happened. There was the night my husband responded to a call for a heart attack victim and there was a lady who only wanted her car battery jumpstarted with the defibrillator! Of course that scene made it into the book.

Jake (sheriff) and Julie (paramedic) do get together, well no spoiler there, it DOES have an HEA ending. Along the path though there is a lot of tension and danger. I say this with all of the love I can muster on the keyboard, I hope it keeps you awake at night. (It did me while I was writing it because there were some “things” I needed to research in order to make it sound realistic.

Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full... investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife. He meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of them in danger...

Final Sin evolved into Hyphema. Matt was Julie’s ambulance partner and we follow his after Final Sin life —he has a wife and son and they move to a small town in North Carolina. Oh by the way, you can find Hyphema as a stand alone book or with Final Sin as part of the EMS Novels Bundle Pack.

In Touch of Love’s short story “the Dead Guy in the Park” I was actually just being a bit whimsical. I wanted to fit some intrigue and romance into just a few pages. Oh, the apparent suicide was based on another real-life incident where, guess what, I responded. They do say that truth is stranger than fiction.

Today ends the official National EMS Week celebration but I still want to pay homage to all of the highly skilled men and women out there who answer the call for help 24X7!

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When the author creates that persistent character…

The author in “writing mode” creates characters, situations and sometimes even whole worlds — when those creations seem to become real, so real that they won’t fade away without a struggle, it is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

I’ve known that joy and in some cases the characters were so persistent that even though I had already typed “The End” there was so much more to say.

The first time this happened to me was after I finished the story His Lucky Charm (by the way the original title was “Forgotten”). The story centered around Caitlyn and Brandon, their love affair, a wee bit of espionage, and their battle to get back to each other despite the dangers. There were a few supporting characters, aunt-&-uncle/step-parents Sylvia and Walter. This whole cast of characters continued in a sequel, Within the Law.

Tom Hughes fulfilled the big brother role for Caitlyn’s angst about Brandon, he was wise and supportive. At one point Brandon voices his surprise to Caitlyn that despite Tom’s strong family values he was going through life alone. That was the moment Caitlyn let Brandon know about Tom’s tragic past when his high-school girlfriend and fiancé was murdered and Tom had to say good-bye. I really liked Tom and I couldn’t help it, I actually worried about him. (Writers can be a strange breed, our imaginary friends become very real to us.) Tom deserved his own Happily-Ever-After.

And thus began Within the Law…

“Tom gave up on ever falling in love again the day that he buried his high school sweetheart and fiancé. He started a career in law enforcement just so that he could find her murderer and rapist.

Just when he is about to see justice done, he meets Alli Davis-the defense attorney for the murdering rapist who took his love from him.

Alli and Tom share a mutual and passionate attraction but Alli refuses to make any commitments. She is hiding a huge secret. Tom falls in love with her and pursues her despite a false arrest, kidnapping and attempt on his life.”

A similar story of persistence occurred after I finished Final Sin. The heroine of the story, Julie, was a paramedic, her paramedic partner Matt had decided he needed to move on career wise by the end of the book, He also had gotten married by the end of the book although we never met his wife. My story Hyphema focuses on Matt and his wife Sudah as they settle in at their new home and Matt’s new Job.

“Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive comments from their new neighbors.

Before long, Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from which they may never wake.”

Things were slightly different when I wrote Karma Visited and its sequel Annie’s Karma, both books focused on the same couple, Annie and Dave, and was truly a continuation of their journey. This was an interesting experience for me because I really got to see my characters’ growth in their circumstances and in their relationship with each other.

“Annie Furman moves on from her past and into her future with Undersheriff Dave Turner. Her gifts – or are they her curse? – grow stronger, and she finds out that she is not alone in the realm of astral travel. Dave saved her life, now she has to fight another ‘traveler’ to save Dave… if she survives.”

How about you? Have you ever read a story and wondered what happened in the future with one of your favorite characters?

Speaking in Tongues ~ Chelle Cordero novels in translations

I was raised in an English-speaking only home even though both of my parents were fluent in other languages. The only times I heard other languages were when my mom lit the holiday candles or when my dad lost his temper (and didn’t want my mom to understand the curse words) — while my dad understood and could speak Yiddish and some Hebrew, my mom had NO knowledge of Spanish (and probably felt it wouldn’t be wise to repeat things my dad said in anger). My dad also had a good knowledge, even if not totally fluent, of French, German and Italian thanks to his time served in the army during WW2.

I had heard my older relatives speak in Spanish and Yiddish (and I think some other languages) but since my sis and I weren’t encouraged we really didn’t pick it up. It wasn’t until Junior High and High School that I had any formal education in other languages (French and Spanish)… and I just never really seemed to retain any of the languages. Because of my Cordero surname many people I’ve encountered through the years have expected me to be bilingual with a fluency in Spanish and it’s almost always been a surprise to them how very lost I am.

Okay fast forward to the past few years, just in case you are not aware, I write. Obviously with my lack of communication skills in languages other than English everything I write is in English. My publisher and I were pleasantly surprised to find some of my books selling in faraway (other language) places like Germany, France, Argentina, Italy, Spain, India, and Portugal — my ENGLISH books. This helped inspired my wonderful publisher at Vanilla Heart Publishing to market foreign language translations. I was so excited the first time El último pecado (Spanish edition of Final Sin) was sold!

My terrific publisher has published eleven more translations of four different books (Kimberlee, you are wonderful!) She’s had my stories professionally translated by wonderful artists like Elisabetta Colona, Audrey Vennin, Mariana Sanchez Carranza, Selma Regina da Silva, and Katharina Klamt. Readers can find editions of Final Sin, Hyphema, Karma Visited and Annie’s Karma in Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese and French. You can check out these and all of my books on Amazon ,  Barnes & Noble  and other online retailers.

 Oh, by the way, things like Google Translate are great if you are “conversing” on social media one or two sentences at a time, but even then the app doesn’t pick up the local idioms and nuances that are specific to other languages. One of my cousins who speaks Spanish had a good laugh at my attempts at conversation, LOL.

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Il Karma di Annie (Italian Edition)

Ultimo Peccato (Italian Edition)

Encontro com o Carma (Portuguese Edition)

Incontro con il Karma (Italian Edition)

Le Karma d'Annie (French Edition)

El Karma de Annie (Spanish Edition)

Rencontre avec son Karma (French Edition)

El Karma Llegó (Spanish Edition)

Annie e o Carma (Portuguese Edition)

Die Letzte Sünde (German Edition)

El último pecado (Spanish Edition)

Hipema (Spanish Edition)

Another one “Ripped From the Headlines” ~ Hyphema

There are just so many conversations these days about immigrants and even more mistrust of certain groups. Yes, I admit whole-heartedly that I wanted to build that particular hot topic into my EMS suspense Hyphema.

Hyphema is the second EMS (Emergency Medical Services) suspense that I wrote; the first EMS novel is Final Sin. Matt Garratti, Hyphema’s hero, was introduced to my readers as a sort of supporting character in Final Sin (as the best friend and riding partner to the heroine Julie), but he refused to let me type The End on his story when I finished Final Sin. He convinced me that he is actually a pretty interesting guy and certainly worthy of a few words.

Enter Sudah, (she was never seen in Final Sin but she was mentioned near the end of the book). Sudah was born and raised in Pakistan and a practicing Muslim. She fell in love with Matt. It was a mixed-marriage (Muslim and Christian). While she hadn’t achieved her United States citizenship in Hyphema she was in the process of studying for it.

With their infant son in tow Sudah follows Matt down south so that he can follow his dream job of being a flight medic. And that’s when things begin to happen, people look at her with suspicion, and when crimes happen (to others as well as Matt’s family) there are those who don’t trust her. There are those, even among Matt’s new work family, who cannot separate any Muslim from the terror attack of 2001.

I try to show that there is good and evil in all sides, and I try to demonstrate both the acceptance and the prejudice against all immigrants to our country. Hyphema won the Dec 9, 2011 Friday Book Cover Vote on the Shades of Love website and was recommended in the book Summer Reading: 2012 Blue Ribbon Selection published by the Ewen Prime Co.   EMSWorld posted about Final Sin and Hyphema.

Hyphema: Bleeding in the eye caused by trauma…

Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive comments from their new neighbors... Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from which they may never wake.

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Why I really wrote Final Sin...

Many, many years ago there was a horrendous murder that took place not too far from where I live. It was in all of the newspapers and has been a subject in a few books. The events leading to the murder began in lower Manhattan and ended in a remote smokehouse in a sleepy town in Rockland County.

A few years later I had a summer job as a health supervisor in a local camp and had to drive every day over this mountainous and winding road. While many of the houses were set back from the road the mailboxes dotted the curves, for some reason one of them seemed to stick out more than the others. Then I remembered the stories I had read and I realized I was driving past that horrendous murder site. It was actually haunting to think of the young man who had died there.

Eventually I wrote the setting into a murder scene of my own (fictional!), Final Sin opens with that murder scene although the events and victims were different.  It was nearly cathartic. I say nearly because the research I did in order to bring some reality to my scenes was very frightening. It was terrifying to think that a human being could be so cruel to another, but as a writer I wanted my story to really hold my reader's attention and actually make them shudder. I guess it was kind of mean, but I actually got a thrill when I heard one reader had to put the book down, go to her kitchen and bring back a knife in order to keep reading!

So yes, I took the scene of a real murder and made it into my own wicked story and driving past the location no longer feels so threatening. In some ways I feel a little bit guilty because I certainly am not making light of the victim's horrid fate, but in some weird way I conquered my fear.

Now while I did have to do some research, I already had a base knowledge about the professions of the two main characters, I had been a (volunteer) EMT and road with my local ambulance corps for several years, so did my husband and to no surprise so did both of our kids. Between us we had so many stories of some rather unusual calls, some hysterically funny and some terribly sad. I can't speak of specifics (HIPPA laws and all that) but I did manage to insert some winners into the story. (One of them was the woman who wanted the paramedics to use the defibrillator to start her car!)

I actually felt some relief when the "case was solved" in my story and did give some honest thought to putting the story down (once it was published) — and yet, somewhere in the back of my mind I felt like the whole story wasn't yet complete. Somewhere in the story one of the supporting characters became real and I was driven to tell his story. That was how my book Hyphema came to be, we'll talk more about it next week, and that is an invitation to come back to this spot.

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Just saying HI with an update about my latest book

Things have been busy and hectic in real life lately and I realize that I haven't done as much posting as I'd like. I am very excited to have my third series out there, so far it's been very well received. I would be thrilled to hear what you think of it. (While you are at it, could you post a review?)

Have you checked out my latest book, Annie's Karma? 

Annie's Karma picks up where Karma Visited left off and we have a chance to follow Annie and Dave's relationship. Most importantly, we see that Annie is learning more about her unusual ability, how to control it AND that she is NOT the only one with that ability. It's a thrilling ride as she must defend herself and others against another superior astral traveler.

The Karma Series

If you like reading series books, then you might like reading two more sets I've written.

Final Sin is a tense thriller about a serial murderer. It's also a passionate love story between free spirited Paramedic Julie Jennings and strong willed Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson and the danger they are both placed in finding the murderer. If you like suspense, EMS and crime novels...

Hyphema follows Paramedic Matt Garratti, Julie Jennings former partner, and his wife Sudah, a Pakistani Muslim immigrant, as they move their small family to North Carolina when Matt decides to pursue his dream job as a flight medic. Matt unwittingly crosses paths with a killer who sets his sight on revenge, but the local authorities can't see beyond the prejudice surrounding Sudah's presence. It's another thriller which includes EMS and the current topics of immigration and prejudice.

The EMS Series

One of my earlier books from Vanilla Heart Publishing, His Lucky Charm, told a tale of espionage and danger. Brandon Price tries to win back Caitlyn Smythe, the woman he loves, but his work and a jealous, obsessed co-worker get in the way.

In Within the Law Tom Hughes, Caitlyn's cousin that we met in His Lucky Charm, has his story. After losing the woman he loved to violence he had given up hope of ever feeling that way again — then he meets Alli Davis, the lawyer defending his fiance's murderer.

The Cousins Series

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How A Haunting Murder Led to a Romantic Suspense

It was 1985 and the little town I lived in was horrified at the murder that captured newspaper headlines. The site of the murder was just a few minutes from my home.

Using my EMT skills, I used to work in the infirmary of a local summer day camp in those years. Every day, as I drove to work, I went past the driveway leading to the smokehouse where the victim’s body had been burned beyond recognition. The police caught the murderer and the trial replaced the actual murder headlines.

But each time I passed the mailbox at the end of the crime scene driveway I was filled with an unease, there were nights when the horror at what had occurred there just wouldn’t leave my mind and I would lay awake staring at the ceiling.

When I wrote Final Sin I used a mental image of the crime scene that had haunted my town and I developed a different crime, a crime that included a body that had been set on fire. But that is where the similarity ended…

… Deputy Sheriff Commander Jake Carson has his hands full with the investigation of a brutal multiple homicide, a troubled son and a vindictive ex-wife when he meets young, free-spirited paramedic Julie Jennings. He is immediately drawn to her and finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. Julie finds herself just as drawn to him. When Julie becomes the subject of an obsession, it puts both of their lives in extreme danger… Romance…danger…adventure…suspense…another great Chelle Cordero novel sure to grab readers from many genre!

Final Sin was an Honorable Mention in the
Fiction Category of the 2010 NY Book Festival 

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Final Sin is available in Print, E-book & Audio

Now Available in Spanish and German translations!

Book Discussion Packet

Writing a Sequel ~ #MondayBlogs

As writer’s we often create characters and mold them according to the convenience of the story plot — it’s an exciting, godlike and powerful feeling to produce “someone” who comes to life through words and who the readers (ideally) care about. By the time we write The End our task is complete. We send our characters out into the world to live on their own, to inspire peoples’ imaginations, and to remain who they are throughout perpetuity.

Unless we decide to revive those characters in another book.

Why, why, why would we do that? They’ve done their time, did their job and now they deserve to rest. …but maybe not. Sometimes our characters stay with us just begging to move on.

Maybe we write a spin-off and our once favorite NAGGING characters appear in the storyline again. When I wrote His Lucky Charm I literally fell in love with a secondary character. Tom Hughes suffered tragic heartbreak in his past and he was just the kind of man to council his cousin and her heartthrob about the need to grab onto each other while you can, and his cousin and her heartthrob did get married. I wanted Tom to have his own HEA (Happy Ever After) ending and I wrote Within the Law. This was pretty easy. While I did create Tom’s character and an important chunk of his history, it wasn’t until I wrote Within the Law that I really concentrated on developing him fully. And while the lovers of His lucky Charm did make appearances all I had to do was put a bit of time into their storyline. Easy peasy.

Another spin-off I wrote stemmed from Final Sin where I created Jake and Julie, and Julie’s sidekick Matt. In the spin off book, Hyphema, I was able to really develop Matt’s character and introduce his wife who had only been mentioned in Final Sin. The focus was entirely on Matt and Sudah in the spin-off book.

Then I wrote Karma Visited about Annie who is able to astral travel in her sleep to people in need and when she needs help who will be there for her? She meets Dave and it’s a tense story. As an author I liked it and readers have told me that they liked it as well. I wanted more of Annie and Dave’s story so I wrote a sequel. A sequel is literally a continuation of a story line and often including the same main characters. A sequel is also in the future in respect to the first book so your characters have to show growth and still remain the same people we fell in love with. If they had an HEA in the first book though we also need to introduce new conflicts or the sequel will effectively be just one long epilogue. I admit it was very difficult, I kept starting and then scrapping everything I had written. It was frustrating.

I believed I had a terrific story in my head, one that presented some major conflicts and great action, but how was I going to tell it? Finally I decided to interview each of my characters, separately, and I asked some pointed questions. What had transpired since Karma Visited? Where had they hoped to be by this point in their lives? What were their biggest fears? And there were many more questions, some much too personal to tell everyone else. I got a clear picture of who Annie and Dave were in the year after Karma Visited ended. The sequel did get written and I am pleased to announce that Annie’s Karma will be available later this month.

Writers have a responsibility to create real people (aka characters) who have had lives before the first pages of our books and will live long after the words The End are typed.

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Not everyone is okay with her ~ SNIPPET SUNDAY, Nov. 12-13, 2016

Hi! Welcome to another Weekend Writing Warrior and Snippet Sunday round. Every week writers post 8-to-10 sentences on their blogs from a published or unpublished book. Then we "hop" around and leave comments on each other's snippets. Whether our work is already published or in progress, the helpful comments help us become stronger writers on our next WIP. We welcome EVERYONE's comments.

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I'm sharing snippets from HYPHEMA, my second EMS novel. The hero in HYPHEMA was first introduced in Final Sin as the heroine's ambulance partner and best friend.

Matt Garratti, a paramedic from New York, moves his wife and son to North Carolina to work at his dream job as a flight medic. Pakistani born Sudah, his wife, receives frosty stares and insensitive comments from their new neighbors… Matt wonders if he is pursuing his dream or bringing his family into a nightmare from which they may never wake.

Matt has gone with his so-workers to play a game of paintball while the wives wait in the clubhouse and Sudah is worried that the game is too violent. (dinner plans are to follow). Most of the wives have no problem with Sudah except for Donna. (special note: the e-book came out the week before Bin Laden was found and killed) I've done LOTS of editing to fit this scene in!

Creative editing (a.k.a. condensed to fit) alert!    

Trisha broke in, “Donna I don’t understand why you are being so rude, I am so sorry Sudah.”

Donna faced Sudah menacingly, “my older cousin’s fiancé was killed on 9/11…”

“Oh goodness Donna that was almost ten years ago, Sudah was only a little girl back then.”

“I am very sorry for your loss, but we are very much alike then, my father’s dear friend Jamaal also died on that terrible day,” said Sudah.

“On one of the planes I bet.”

“He was working in a restaurant in New York City, he loved this country and was studying to become a citizen, he ran to the two buildings after the first plane crashed, he was trying to help when the second plane came, I remember when Jamaal’s wife was told her husband was dead.”

“And yet you cover your head like those Arab women who cheered.”

“I cover my head because I am Muslim, it is a sign of respect for my beliefs.”

“Muslim, that’s who attacked us,” Donna snorted, “and they say that Bin Laden lives like a hero in Pakistan.”

“I have not seen him, I do not know where he lives, I would tell authorities where if I knew,” Sudah smiled sweetly and shook her head, “the Islamic people are people of peace, the few who murdered so many and the people who were happy about it are not true believers, they are cowards and they do not speak for most of us.”

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Hyphema: Bleeding in the eye caused by trauma…

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I would read another one of her stories by Marcia

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