Motown Mysteries: The Twenty-Eight Issue

“Summertime, and the living is easy” is the opening line from an old George Gershwin song. So why is it that I seem to be busier than ever this summertime?

My calendar continues to get crowded with projects and new opportunities keep popping up. Not that I’m complaining: I’d rather be busy than bored.

So it’s that time, for a little bit about my writing efforts, my latest work, an interview with another talented author and of course, music. There are all kinds of goodies to share. Let’s roll!

Writing

One of my challenges when writing without an outline is that scenes can be scattered. I'll get an idea for some dialogue or interaction or a particular scene and can’t get it out of my head until I get to the computer and write it out. That part is great. Figuring out where it fits in the story is another issue.

That’s where blocking comes into play.

No, I’m not talking about football!

Blocking is my term when returning to the collection of scenes already written and I start putting them into some semblance of order. I’ll also use this opportunity to begin building chapters. With the wonders of technology, its easy to cut and paste segments, moving things around so they begin to make sense.

This also works on creating a steady flow for the story and determining what gaps need to be filled. There may be something missing for the transition between two scenes, or where a bit of dialogue can be utilized to help tie everything together.

It’s been an effective way for me. Normally I don’t start to utilize this until I’m well over a hundred pages into a story. Then it’s a good way to start stitching everything together to form a cohesive story. Often, I’ll read over something already written and immediately know what should come next.

This method isn’t for everyone, but it works for me.

Work In Progress

The last few weeks have given me an opportunity to spend more time with my favorite redhead. The fourth Jamie Richmond novel continues to grow. I’ve even come up with the working title “Chasing Favors”. It seems that every time Jamie turns around in this story, someone else is asking her for a favor.

Fifty thousand words is in sight, which would put me about two-thirds of the way towards the target. I don’t set a daily goal as to how many words to write, because there are days when I can’t get to the computer at all. But in my head, the story continues.

On another point, the podcast for “Stealing Haven” aired earlier this month. There was also a video recording done simultaneously, so there’s now a YouTube spot as well. So if you want to hear what I sound like, now’s your opportunity.

Here are the links.

https://anchor.fm/diana-kathryn-plopa/episodes/Episode-27-Mark-Love-with-Stealing-Haven-e1ku59s

https://youtu.be/ST1AE1ffgdo

https://open.spotify.com/show/2wQh283HTcDxN5xnO8StQw

Author Interview

There are times when I discover a new author and want to learn more about them. This usually happens when I meet someone during an author’s event. However, thanks to the wonders of technology and social media, that opportunity presents itself often. You can discover snippets of someone’s writing, their style and personality before ever picking up one of their books.

That holds true with Casie Aufenthie. After reading a number of her posts, I knew she’d be a perfect guest for the newsletter.

Welcome, Casie.

Where are you from? I’m from Mandan, North Dakota.

What’s your ‘someday’ or dream vacation spot and why?
Everywhere. I love to travel, and I want to see as much of the world as humanely possible. There’s nothing better than experiencing new places, with their rich cultures and incredible people. If I absolutely have to choose just one location, Hong Kong and Athens are top of the bucket list.

What’s your favorite thing to do for relaxation? The most relaxing thing for me is a bubble bath with a good book.

Any favorite hobbies? Aside from writing, I love baking and boxing.

How long have you been writing? I wrote my first story when I was six or seven, and the first time I shared it and got a few laughs, I was hooked on using words to touch people’s hearts and minds.

Are you able to write full time or do you also have a job?
I have a different job to pay the bills, unfortunately.

Is there a particular genre that you write? Or more than one? What led you there? I write sci-fi and fantasy with a heavy dose of romance. My dad was a big inspiration in both my reading and writing, and he had me in love with “The Lord of the Rings” and “Dragon riders of Pern” by the time I was eight. We also watched Star Trek every day for years, and I loved Star Wars as well. The romance is just something I gravitate to in all my entertainment. The emotional highs and lows of it pull me into a story faster than anything else, and I hope that’s the case with my readers as well.

Do you use friends or family as characters in your work?
Rather than 100% base a character on someone, I take bits and pieces of the people in my life and meld them together to make my characters.

What authors had an impact on you growing up and as an adult? Anne McCaffrey was a huge inspiration for me. Her books were the first I read that had a female protagonist that was on equal footing with the male. She was tough and clever but remained feminine. I also love the action of Robert Ludlum’s novels and the humor and hope that can be found in Dean Koontz’s works. Stephen Donaldson’s world building really sparked my imagination when it came to crafting my own.

Has anyone in your life influenced you or encouraged you to pursue your interests of writing? My husband was the one to convince me to start writing again. He helped me believe I had the skill and imagination to craft a great story, and he supported me every step of the way. He still reads and critiques every chapter I draft and helps me brainstorm when I get stuck.

What is your favorite aspect or writing? Your least favorite?

I’m told this is strange for a writer, but I love editing. I love having a base to work with that I can flesh out and mold into something better. It’s like adding the seasoning or flavor to the story, and I live for that. I hate drafting. Staring at a blank page and trying to create something from nothing is overwhelming, and I have to force myself to just get the words down and fix them later.

What aspect of writing would you most like to improve on?
I hope to improve on all aspects as I continue writing. I don’t think I’ll every truly master any of them. There’s always room for growth.

Is there a common theme or item that appears in each of your work? Hope. I want there to always be a light shining no matter how dark things are.

What have you learned the most from the writing business?
I’ve learned that marketing is an entirely different, unpleasant beast. I thought writing the story was the hard part, but I was wrong. Trying to find your readers, trying to convince someone to give your story a shot, that’s the hard part. It’s a new skill set I’m only starting to get the hang of (sort of).

How did you decide on your story plot? It was in my head for over a decade just begging to be told. I was inspired by an episode of the T.V. show Charmed (the original). There was an episode that featured three characters in a dark future, and it left me with a lot of questions about how these three people reached this tense moment the show displayed. I used that as the muse for creating my characters and their relationships.

Do you work with an outline or are you a seat of the pants writer? I’m a bit of both. I know the major pulse points of the story before I start, but everything that happens in between is determined by the characters. They become very real to me as I write, and they get very ‘vocal’ about what they would or wouldn’t do.

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written? What makes it special? I have a reunion scene in The Symbiosis that I really love. There’s comfort and passion and humor, and it’s a scene that gives these characters something they’ve fought for and suffered immensely without, so having it unfold so well was really gratifying.

Tell us about your latest work. My latest book is “The Symbiosis”, which is the sequel to my debut, “The Drift”.

A hero lost. An assassin on the warpath. A villain forced to be a savior.

Eight months after Tristan Faraday sacrificed his identity to save the woman he loved, the newest member of the Council faces danger on all sides. The woman he was programmed to care for, Emmeline Boucher, grows more unstable and dependent on him daily while he becomes embroiled in a deadly political game with the ruthless Head of the Council, Fang Chen, who will do anything—destroy anyone—to hold on to her power.
To honor Tristan’s legacy, Samara Zidan has thrown herself into ending the Council’s reign, leading the Resistance in a furious offensive against them. However, her heart remains fixed on finding a way to save the man she loves. When an opportunity presents itself, Samara will end up in the path of the most dangerous people on the planet, risking both her heart and her life.
Desperate to uphold his promise to make amends, Wyatt Faraday has worked tirelessly to find a way to fix Tristan’s faulty memories, but with Fang out for his brother’s blood, time is running out. If he doesn’t restore what was taken from Tristan soon, everything Wyatt cares about will be lost.

Here's a little excerpt from the book.

Tristan flashed to the feeling of a warm mouth kissing his chest, working its way up his neck, and passionately crashing against his lips. Silky skin beneath him arched toward his touch, while cool hands ran expertly over his fevered flesh.

Breathy pants and rumbling moans culminated in an explosive union akin to soaring into a place beyond physical form where nothing existed but this most intimate, satisfying pleasure.

You can find the book and learn more about Casie at the links below.

The Symbiosis is available on Amazon here:

https://t.co/lCAgnE81LJ

Twitter: @casieaufenthie

Instagram: @authorcasieaufenthie

TickTock: @casieaufenthie

Photo and cover art should be sent separately in jpeg format.

Music

I’ve been on the road quite a bit lately and have a couple of events coming up in the next few weeks, including Sterling Heights, MI on Saturday, July 30 and Holland, MI on August 6.

All this time in my car has me thinking about creating playlists of different categories of music. The best oldies. The best Motown. The best rock. Instrumentals. Classical. R&B. Jazz. You get the idea. Which led me to this.

The top five tunes related to cars.