Screaming O: Friday

From now on, if I don’t forget, I will be hosting Screaming O: Friday. What is that you ask? Any little tidbit that I think will make you feel good. It could be anything from a side note to a nice visual.

So in honor of Screamin O:Friday…I give you a visual.

Enjoy.

Hero’s the 2nd

Tomorrow I’m blogging at my 2nd fave blog site, Writing Sluts. Come see me!

But in the meantime, I have bigger fish to fry. Like my WIP!!!

Can we say, ACK! I swear sometimes I can be writing like mad, put out the word count like crazy and be totally and blissfully happy. Other days…well– I suck. Or at least my muse does. Writing lately has been like pulling teeth. I’m still doing the 100 word challenge with my friend, Margaret, but it’s been ugh. But at least I’m writing something, instead of waiting for my muse to come back.

And before you ask, yes I’ve tried just about everything. But it got me on the subject of hero’s and why oh why we love them so much.

Because we’re women. Plain an simple. We just can live life without them. And heavens knows there is no such thing as a perfect man…a good man, yes. But not perfect. And fortunately none of my hero’s are perfect either. It would be boring if they were. But I do have my handy-dandy “ART” file. hehe Yes, you guessed it. Plenty of eye candy for all.

Actually I’m a visual person and have to ’see’ my characters. I have my hero/heroine pics pinned up right next to my pc. It’s a must have.

Come back often, I just might share some of my ‘ART’ with ya.

Ashlynn Pearce

In Pursuit of Passion

100 word challenge

So a writer friend of mine, Margaret, hit me up with this novel idea. Let’s do the 100 word challenge. What’s that? Basically, write a 100 words a day.

Now, that sounds easy enough, it’s only, what, a 1/3 of a page? But you see, I’ve hit another-wall-scene-change, and I’m beginning to see a pattern.

Scene change= WALL.

We cannot let that happen!! Must slay the evil beings who erect these frustrating walls! *hi-ya* No, it didn’t really work. But I did write 300 words, thanks to Margaret’s dinging me in the head. It wasn’t the greatest 300 words, but they are words. And at this rate, I’ll take any words. I can always edit later.

As Marilyn has said, “You can’t edit a blank page!” So very true. So I’ll keep on plugging!!

Ashlynn

Reading…and alpha’s

The weather has been great this week so far!! And thank goodness Sat is looking like good weather too. Our neighborhood garage sale is Sat…the one I co-ordinated. Yeah, I know, what was I thinking??

I haven’t written anything on the book this week, but I have been thinking about it. I’ve been absorbed in reading books the last couple of days. But I read fast, so I’ve read 3 I think in the last 3 days. Might read another one again today.

Speaking of reads, you need to check out Susan Shay’s newest…BLINDSIGHT. I can’t wait to read this one. www.susanshay.net

I bought my first e-books. One by my friend and book club buddy, Jaci Burton. HOT! I love her stuff! And another, whom I don’t know anything about. But the info looked interesting. I wanted to buy a couple of e-books because I’m thinking of submitting to an e-publisher when I’m finished with my current WIP. Depends on if I think my stuff will fit. And I can only figure that out if I read some e-books. I do know that it makes me want to buy an e-reader. I sit at my pc enough as it is.  hehe

I was reading some of my book ideas that I had jotted down and one just won’t let go. It’s a contemporary. Very odd for me. But it’s bugging me enough that the story will eventually be told. And it could be an erotic very easily. The hero IS TO DIE FOR! I just love him. Very scarred, very alpha. YUM! He’s been rattling around in my head for years.

Speaking of which…I think an alpha male is calling my name.

Ashlynn Pearce

In Pursuit of Passion

This and That

Lately, I’ve been playing with Facebook. It’s a lot of fun and real time-sucker. But I think its a good way to network. So when I’m published, I can talk about it to all my buds.

Speaking of which…the WIP is going great. Wrote a whole new scene with the witch/Fate in my story that I didn’t see coming. But it’s good and adds a lot to the story.

Not much planned this weekend. My hubby and son are going 4-wheeler riding tomorrow, so that leaves my and my daughter to ourselves. I think she wants to go shopping. Of course! lol What else would a 13 yr old girl want to do? Then church Sunday.

I think I want to get a few more pages in today before the weekend hits. I don’t write during the weekend typically because that’s my family time. I might think about my story, but usually no writing. I save that for the week when I have the house to myself. I can play my metal music as loud as I want and no interuptions.

Any plans for this weekend?

Ashlynn Pearce

In Pursuit of Passion

Talk to Your Characters…They will talk back!!

Have you ever thought about how much thought you put into your characters?  

Btw-I got this blog idea fromMargaret Golla over on Fantasy Crap Shoot. If you haven’t stopped by there, you should. It’s a hoot! Anywho– back to topic…

I know, for a lot of writers, they just wing it. They come up with a story or character and run with it. Others have to plot every detail and then some are somewhere in-between.

Me? I think I’m an in-between girl.

In my first book, I did absolutely no plotting at all. And boy did that get me into a mess. It’s hard to get where you’re going, if you don’t know where you’re going. So in my second book, my current WIP, I plotted out my book. Not in detail though. Basically, I did bullet points. This happens, then this happens…etc.

But where I do go all out is my character development. I will spend hours finding the right name and days mapping out their personality. From the basics of hair and eye color, to the more detailed of what would they do in certain situations. I even go so far as to do a search and find a pic that looks like my characters. Mostly because I am a visual person. I NEED to see my people.

How do I find out all the juicy details? I talk to them of course!!

Once I have all the basics, I will sit down and immerse myself in my characters head. Then I will write, usually pen and paper, and they will write their story. Almost like a journal. Them talking about their fears or even if they will admit any fears. I’ve had a couple of characters just refuse to talk to me. Or if they did, it was one word sentences. Just recently this happened, but I finally got out of him why he was so important to the story. At least enough that I could move on with my story. It was a big relief, I can tell ya.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll attempt an interview with them. Sometimes that will lead to them journaling. I can get so much info about them this way. They will talk about their childhood and a lot of times they reveal things they secretly want. The thing they really want most in life. It can be an eye-opening experience.

Writers seem to be the only ones who understand exactly what I mean when I talk about my characters talking to me.

Everyone else thinks my a lil off. But then, I probably am.

Ashlynn Pearce

In Pursuit of Passion

Great Weekend

We started out our weekend right by going to church Friday night. Yeah, I know, it’s early but our church is large and we beat most the crowd. Excellent service, as it always is with Willie George. I always learn something and that’s awesome!

Saturday was my book club meeting…something I always look forward to. Jaci Burton spoke to us about e-publishing. It was really informative and if you haven’t  checked her out, you need too– www.jaciburton.com

Sunday we didn’t have any family gatherings so we did the typical hit the grocery store thing and the kids decided they wanted to see a movie. My kids are 11 and 13 so they’ve kinda outgrown the whole Easter bunny thing. Although my 11 yr old played like he thought the Easter bunny was responsible for the choco bunny and candy.

But we hit the dollar movie and saw PUSH. Freakin’ awesome movie. If you haven’t seen it, GO. It’s about people who have rare gifts and each were called something different…

~ Pusher- they can make your thoughts believe what they want them to believe.

~Bleeder-basically, they scream so loud that your organs explode. yuck!

~Watcher- they see the future

~Mover(I think)- they move and shove things and people

~Shadower- they can hide people or things from the view of a watcher

Very cool movie, I gotta tell ya. It has a lot of plot twists and turns and you never really know what’s going to happen next. AND there is going to be a sequel. As soon as it comes out on DVD, I’m buying it. It makes you think and the acting was really good. Not to mention it gives a writer ‘what if’ fodder!

Ashlynn

In Pursuit of Passion

Come check me out >>

I’m at the RWI girls blog today …. Writing Sluts: Will Publish for Money.

They are the best bunch of girls!!

Ashlynn

In Pursuit of Passion

It’s Battle Time, Boys!!

Writing is half the battle and boy…is it a battle!!

Seems I can’t past the character that “just happened” to burst, from the wild blue yonder, into my story. I think he will add something to the story–I just don’t know what yet. Tomorrow, I plan on getting down and dirty with “Egan Byrne” and figuring out just what his story is. I tried it once with very little luck, but maybe now he’s ready to talk.

One can only hope.

I just want to move on in the story. I’ve been at a standstill for tooooo long. Perhaps, I just needed a break.

Or maybe I’m just lazy…bleh. hehe

One thing I am looking forward too is my book meeting this week. Even if I have nothing to show for it, I know my girls will cheer me on anyway. Make me get back in the saddle again and ride!!!

Ashlynn

In Pursuit of Passion

It’s been a good day

I have to say, today has been one of the best days I’ve had in quite some time.

I got to see a writing friend of mine and she has inspired me to get back to what matters. Writing!!

Then I had lunch with my step-dad, Jim, and his wife, Theresa. And yes that means he’s not “technically” my step-dad anymore, but he played  HUGE role in raising me and to me, he will always be family. I loved seeing them! We had a long visit and I wished it could have been longer. We made a vow to see each other more. He is such great guy and took me under his wing when he really didn’t have too.

His mom, Gran, I think of as my grandma and gave me my first romance novel when I was 14. “Sweet, Savage, Love” by Rosemary Rogers. I had stupidly given my copy to the used bookstore and hadn’t been able to find another copy. Theresa, didn’t know that I had been looking for a copy and yet, she surprised me with one. I was so touched! I don’t know her well, but it was amazing that she took the time to hunt up the book and get it for me. I was thrilled! I can’t wait to read it again.

Thank you Jim and Theresa for a wonderful day. I am blessed to have you in my life.

L- Ashlynn

I’m Here!!

Since my writers group started a blog on wordpress, I thought I might do the same. If you haven’t seen us we’re writing sluts: will publish for money. A cool bunch of ladies, I must say.

But I’ll start by telling ya’ll a lil about me.

First off, I’ve been married to the same man for almost 16 years. And yes…he’s terrific, and no…he’s not the guy in my header.  I have two great kids that keep me busy, along with 2 dogs that run the house. It’s always hectic,  but I like it that way.

I love to write. And write Romance. Before you ask, no it’s not erotic…but it is spicy. As of yet I’m pre-pubbed, but hopefully that will change. Nothing in this business is easy. And I mean NOTHING. But I’m working hard at it and have no plans on giving up, no matter how rough the going might get.

I’m currently working on my 2nd book, A PIRATE’S FATE. I’m having a ball with my 15th century hero and his 21st century woman. I’m looking forward to finishing it so I can start my third. I would give ya all the juicy details, but then you wouldn’t have anything to read when I get it pubbed.

So, I’ll end this by saying that I hope you hang around. We can chat about everything that comes to mind. And if you want, you can check me out at www.myspace.com/ashlynnpearce and www.ashlynnpearce.com .

Holidays

Can you believe Thanksgiving is this week?? Gosh, time flies.

I’ve found that I just don’t get any work done during the holidays. I tried to keep up with my normal weekly writing goals, but it just doesn’t happen. I’ve learned if I get anything done during this time of year, I’m doing good. And this round of holidays will be more stressful than normal due to personal unforeseen circumstances. It doesn’t help that my daughter’s b-day is in December and we make a real effort to separate it from Christmas.

So my goal till the New Year, is SURVIVE!

So I wanna know, how much writing do you all get done during the holidays? And if you’re not a writer, how much of your normal everyday stuff gets put off till the new year?

Thanksgiving

I’m always curious about what people are thankful for, or even if they realize they have anything to be thankful for. I figure no matter what, there is always something to be thankful about.

I’m thankful for so many things. I think the greatest thing I’m thankful for is I have accomplished my life’s goal I set forth when I was in high school. All I ever wanted was for my kids to have a safe, happy home, with a mom and a dad.

I did that.

 My kids haven’t been moved around a million times. They have never come home from school to all their stuff packed with the announcement that they were moving because they had been kicked out. They have never come home to no heat or electric in the house. They have never had to live through their mom and dad screaming and yelling with the smell of alcohol in the air.

My kids are naive. And I like it that way. They hear about things like that at school, but their life is stable. I’m not perfect, and neither is their dad, but every move and decision we make is because and for them.

And I’m so thankful for that. God was really watching out for me and helped me to choose the right person. 

What are you thankful for?

Heros

I don’t know how many hero’s one person can have, but I’ve decided that I have several. And for all different reasons.

First, there is Gran. She is my step-grandmother (who really isn’t technically related to me anymore), but I have always looked up to her even though I don’t see her much anymore. She recently turned 89 and has seen things that I can only imagine. She’s told me stories of riding in a horse-drawn wagon before cars were even invented. Talk about a history lesson. She is the one who turned me on to reading romance. She gave me my first novel when I was 14 titled SWEET, SAVAGE, LOVE by Rosemary Rogers. I loved it and was instantly hooked! She is one of the sweetest women you would ever meet. I am privileged to have known her.

Then there is my favorite author of all time, Sherrilyn Kenyon/Kinley MacGregor. Not only is she a fantastic writer, she is a super person. At booksignings, she won’t stop until all books are signed and she always makes a point of telling her fans how much we mean to her. She had over a 100 rejections before she was pubbed and she is a great example of how to never give up. ^5 Sherri!!

I would also have to mention Marilyn Pappano. She is such a giving person and will reach out a hand to help any of us newbie authors. That she is so down-to-earth means a lot, giving that the woman has been pubbed over 60 times. Thanks Marilyn for all your help!!

Then there are my kids. But really, that’s a no-brainer. They are super cool and way talented.

 Lastly, my husband. Not because he’s perfect, but because he is such a giving person to his family. He is one of the few dads I know that doesn’t want to miss anything their kids do. He also WANTS to go shopping for them and even with them. He wants to be involved in their life and take part in all they do. My kids have no idea how lucky they are to have a dad like that. I know, to them, he is a pain, but I also know one day they will realize how great it was to have a dad who was there for everything.

So I want to know, who are your hero’s in life?

The New Year

I haven’t posted in quite some time, mainly because it’s a nutty time of year for my family. I think we attended at least 7 parties, not including my daughter’s b-day. It has been a good holiday, overall. Some glitches, but that should be expected. I enjoyed watching my kiddos have a good time. There won’t be too many more Christmas’ and they will be grown. Time sure does fly.

My writing has been non-existent this month and it’s been extremely slow with my graphics company Twisted Graphics, but I did have the opportunity to build my writer’s group, the RWI website. I enjoyed that immensely. I lose myself in designing things as much as I do with my writing. It’s all an art form, when you really think about it. I also love decorating my house, when cash permits.

I am hoping for a calm 2009. I said the same thing about 2008 and it didn’t happen, but I’ll keep trying. As I said in the Writing Sluts blog, I want a year where I can just BE. Be content. Be at peace.

My goals for the new year are simple. 1- finish A PIRATE’S FATE 2- submit it to agents and editors 3- work on third book in the FATE series 4- make healthy choices 5- just BE.

So have a happy new year and I’ll see you in 2009!!

Happy New Year!

Dream what you want to dream, Go where you want to go, be what you want be because you have only one life and one chance — Unknown

Isn’t that a great quote? I have a calender that has inspiring quotes on it, and this is January’s. It’s a great one for the new year. And I want to live by that one this year.

So what is my dream?

To be at peace with what and who I am. Sounds simple, but I think it’s a tough one to achieve. But in the end, I think that’s what we all want. I want to be able to look back on my life and know that I didn’t let life pass me by while sitting still.

So I’ll set out this year with a new perspective and finish the goals I set forth, knowing that I will only be able to live this year once. Because once it’s past, it’s gone. It’s not something you can get back.

I hope this year brings you all the blessings your life can hold… and Dream what you want to dream!

Ashlynn Pearce

 

Getting on with it…

This is officially the first day of my new year. My hubby is back to work, my kids are back to school and I’m back at my computer. Hopefully, with some quality results.

It’s been so long since I’ve chatted with my characters, it will probably take me a while to get in touch with them again. I know they are probably bored stiff just waiting for me to get on with it. The last scene I wrote was their first kiss. I was really happy with the way it happened. But I know they want to go on to bigger and better things. I can’t wait to torture them some more and make life hard for them for a while.

It’s the nature of the beast. Conflict, conflict, conflict. Without it, their romance wouldn’t be worth it at all.

Ashlynn Pearce

One of those days

You ever have one of those? You know, the one day you would have been better off staying in bed. I had one of those today.

It started out fine. I had my whole day planned. I had some work I needed to do for my graphics company and this afternoon I was going to write.

Wrong.

I got going good, then my pc took a nose dive. I have no idea why. But I fought with it all morning. All I could think about was losing all my writing, pictures and files that I really needed. So while it was fixing itself, (at least I thought it was) I ran to get an external hard drive. Home with that, I thought, if I can get the pc to work long enough I’ll back everything up. Well, after 2 hours of trying to get the backup hard drive to work, I learned that it, the $100 back up, was broke. Nothing I did,  nor anything my pc did, was at fault. Wonderful.

As you can see, I got my pc working, minus the backup. I think what had my pc locked up was the anti-virus. Hmm. All those things that supposed to keep it running smoothly, was the one thing causing all the trouble. Who would have thought?

So as we speak, I’m working on my graphics. I have yet to get to the writing part. Somehow, I think it will be tomorrow before I get to that. And tomorrow I’ll take back the expensive backup. 

Here’s for hoping tomorrow is a smoother day.

Ashlynn

Twisted Graphics

That’s my small business, Twisted Graphics, and it’s funny how it started out.

Several years ago, my husband and son use to run race cars. They were always needing graphics and #’s for their cars. It always cost a fortune and they never got what they wanted and NEVER when they were supposed to get it. Finally, my husband said, how about we just buy the equipment and do it ourself?

So he did. Then proceeded to let me do it. (funny, how that works?)

I had never worked with graphics, nor did I go to school for this. It just kind of fell into my lap. At first, I was just doing his graphics and #’s… then it wasn’t long and I was doing it for his racecar buddies and before you know it, my company was born.

My hubby and son have been out of racing for a few years and I thought, if I’m going to do this, I’ll push it in the direction I want it to. Now, I do very few race cars. I design business cards, postcards, bookmarks, banners and, recently, websites. It wasn’t anything I ever thought I would do, or even enjoy doing, but I’ve found that I really like it. And that I might have a bit of a knack for it, too. Who’d a thought I would transition from airplane mechanic to graphic designer and writer?

I’ts weird the twists and turns life will take you on. But I know I’m where I’m supposed to be and I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. I trust that God is leading me exactly where I need to be.

Ashlynn Pearce

Happily Working

I’ve been on a roll!

One of my goals for the new year was finishing my WIP. So, to do that, I made weekly goals that included writing 15 pages a week. For some, that’s probably a no-brainer, but for me, it takes some real work and focus.

I’ve written 17 pages this week!! And I still have today to work on it. (my weeks run mon-fri) Not only that, I hit a milestone of page 100. I am so pumped! And the best thing is, I can’t wait to get back to my WIP to work on it.

Another great thing–I’m finding out more and more wonderful things about my characters. Just yesterday, I realized my hero & heroine father’s were murdered. How cool is that? What a connection they have. (Yes, I know, I write them, but as other writers can attest, they also write themselves.)

AND– I think my writing is good. It’s not all crap, which I have been known to do on occasion. A lot of sexual tension, a lot of emotional milestones…it’s been great!

I really can’t wait to see just where my characters will take me next.

Ashlynn

Wham — Surprise!

The roll hit a wall and smashed into smithereens!

I wrote nothing last week. Not one word. Can you believe it? I was so frustrated.

Partly because it was a bad week and partly because a new character popped his head in and…unknown to me till this point, plays a role in the story. So, last week I thought, I’ll hammer out his GMC (goal, motivation, conflict). Nice thought, but I got NO WHERE. I came up with a big, fat NADA. So I’m trying again this week, and so far, I’ve gotten further than last week. Which is good.

But it brings up the question…where do these characters come from? I had everything worked out in my story. All my important characters, the entirety of my plot…then WHAM– this character comes out of no where. I’m used to smaller characters showing up out of the blue, but not one that plays a significant role in the story. But it’s one of those things, I have to get him hammered out before I can move forward. If I don’t, it could mean some major editing later, which I do not want to do.

Have you ever had one of those…who-the-heck-are-you moments in your writing?

February 2009

Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it.  unknown

That’s a really awesome quote. I need to take that to heart. I only made a 1/3 of my writing goals this month. That’s not the way to make success happen. I could say I had all kinds of reasons for why I didn’t make my goal, but the bottom line is, they are just excuses. If you want to succeed, a person has to work at it. Sounds like a simple concept, doesn’t it?

I really want to make a routine and realize that I have to stick to it. I’ll be the first to admit, I have a hard time sticking to it. But I want to re-train myself. I so admire writers who make this their day-job and know if they don’t show up for work, they will be fired. I want my boss to crack my knuckles…heheh. It’s hard when you’re the boss AND the employee. It’s easy to say, Oh, I’ll just go do this, or I’ll do that later.

Then you realize a month has passed and you haven’t done squat!

So this month– writing will be my mission. I can’t submit it, if its not finished. And I can’t begin to succeed if I don’t submit it.

It all starts with me.

The Champs!!

Pittsburgh Steelers, SuperBowl Champions XLIII!!!

Yes, that’s right, I’m a Steelers fan. What a game!! That was one of the best games all year. 35 seconds left on the clock and we make a touchdown to win the game!! WOW– that was exciting. And did you see that 100 yard interception?? HeHe…I was in Steeler heaven!

And I’m sorry to all you Cowboys fans…whom I know several. I know you were SUPPOSED to go to the SuperBowl, but you know only 2 teams can go. And well, all I can say is WOOOOHOOO, STEELERS!!!

Ashlynn