Choices Meant for Kings

We're lucky enough to have Sandy Lender back with us today for a blog tour for her next book, Choices Meant for Kings.

I always love getting a sneak peek into authors' lives, so Sandy's been kind enough to answer some of my questions. Lucky you, you'll get to eavesdrop on our conversation:

When did you first decide to become a writer?

I started on this dream of being a writer when I was a little kid. I used to write stories for my great grandmother and she’d share them with folks in her apartment building. I like to say I wrote my first speculative fiction story when I was six or seven because one of those stories was about a spider that ended up haunting an old lady.

Ah. My beautiful great grandmother always supported my dreams and goals. She didn’t just share a six-year-old’s stories around a building, you know. I could devote an entire blog to her.

Tell us a bit about your road to publication.

That road is paved with frozen tears. Mwuahahahahaha. Seriously, I finished CHOICES MEANT FOR GODS the summer of 2003 and announced such at the summer Duran Duran party. My friend Steve Thomas said, “Now you need to get an agent.” An agent.

So I did some research online and bought that Herman book about agents. (Note the importance of that in this story…) I found a couple agents in that book who A) claimed they handled fantasy works, B) claimed they accepted new clients, and C) claimed they accepted writers who hadn’t been published before. I researched those further online and figured out which one seemed fabulous for me. I mean, she looked like the IDEAL agent for me to work with. We would totally click. I wrote a fabulous query letter according to all the research I was doing, mailed it to her with the SASE, and got a reply back requesting the first three chapters. I WAS ELATED. So I sent that to her formatted exactly the way her Web site said to.

The night that I got her “I’m just not suitably excited to represent you properly” rejection in the mail, I cried as if someone had killed my best friend. When the guy I was married to at the time got home from work, he found me sitting in the living room floor, leaning against the couch with the mail strewn out around me, a tumbler of amaretto in my hand, a box of tissues with wadded-up-used Kleenexes salting the carpet in a trail everywhere I’d been in the house, and sobbing quietly into the couch cushions. He was stunned, to say the least. I don’t remember if I waved the rejection letter at him or just pointed to it, but I said, “I got a rejection from (fill in name here).” I think he said, “I’m sorry,” before he tucked his tail between his legs and slunk off down the hall to his den and closed the door with a quiet click against the insanity unfolding in the house.

But, you know…the next day…I started researching who to send a new query letter off to. The thing is, I figured out on my own that getting a literary agent wasn’t the way I was going to get my foot in the publishing industry door. I stopped the query-rejection-letter blues a couple months into the exercise. After moving to Florida in 2006, I attended the Naples Press Club’s annual writer’s conference where I had a pitch session with Bob Gelinas of ArcheBooks Publishing. Pow. The dream came true!

That's a wonderfully inspiring story and points out that persistence is the key. All of us have been down the rejection path, but isn't it wonderful when you find an editor or agent and you click? (For all you as-yet-unpublished authors, don't give up hope. Someday that "click" will be yours too.)

Now on to some nuts-and-bolts writing questions. How do you come up with your ideas? And what do you do when you face writer’s block?

My ideas come from anything and everything. People at Wal-mart really have to start being more careful around me…they’re turning into comic relief characters. Even though I can write under any conditions and at the drop of a hat, I know I have certain triggers that will get ideas flowing “on command.” When I was preparing for a recent timed contest, I set up my writing “area” with comfy pillows and certain candles and ornate bookends around my reference books and paintings of the type of dragon I wanted in the story and specific, moody songs on my iTunes.

Luckily, writer’s block is not something I have to deal with. I’ve heard other writers complain about it, but…you know…it’s just not in me. My brain is too full of bizarre crap. And funky dreams. I swear, I have vivid, bizarre, four-color, sometimes violent dreams. That’s why I keep a notebook and several pens next to the bed.

My author friend Jamieson Wolf has a non-fiction book that’s a guidebook for writers. It includes a chapter on preparing what he has coined an “idea jar.” It’s a fantastic idea that he’s come up with if you fear writer’s block may catch up to you some day. I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing this, because I’m giving away a majority of that chapter here, but you essentially write down ideas or characters or concepts that bombard you during your ultra creative times and stuff them in an “idea jar” for use during those dry spells. You can find Jamieson’s writer’s guidebook (as well as a ton of his fiction work) at his site www.jamiesonwolf.com.

What’s your typical writing day like?

I don’t think I get typical writing days. Now, having said that, I do work as the editor for a construction magazine, so I write (and edit) for that on a daily basis. Even that, though, requires writing some days, interviewing people and discussing article ideas some days, editing and assembling things some days, etc. For sure, every day, whether I’m going to write, edit, or do marketing work, the day starts with offering appeasement to the birds. I have companion parrots who are pretty smart, so they need puzzles and games to keep them occupied during the day. So the day starts with treats and foraging puzzles for the birds. The work day ends with me diving into marketing adventures. Then I write before I pass out at night. There are myriad other tasks in between all that stuff. That’s sort of a “general” writing day if not typical…

What hobbies do you have besides writing?

What? Besides writing? I don’t think I understand…He he he. To be serious, I’m passionate about sea turtle conservation (check the links section of my Web site to see the link to the group I volunteer with), Charlotte Bronte and her sisters (because they are amazing and awe-inspiring), Duran Duran (because they have provided the soundtrack for my life), companion parrots (because mine rule my life and provide TONS of entertainment), and probably many other things I’m neglecting to mention. You can become my friend on Facebook and see “some” of the craziness…

What books are you reading now?

Dragon in Chains by Daniel Fox; The Exodus Gate by Stephen Zimmer; Facets of Fantasy by Sarah Scheele; The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

If you could be anyone throughout history or in the present day, who would you choose, and why?

You know…I’m kinda struggling with this. I don’t think I want to “be” anyone else. I don’t even want to say “Chariss” from my novels because I know what she has yet to go through.

Sounds as if you're content with your life as it is, Sandy. A rare and wonderful gift. :-)

What’s one secret that no one knows about you?

This isn’t really a secret, and my parents know it, but when I was in like second or third grade, I wanted to set up a science section in my room. I wanted to have a microscope and telescope and science books and gems and stuff.

What one question would you like to ask the readers of the blog?

I have a presence on tons of Web sites and book-buying sites. I’d like to do more than ask where readers like to go to look for new authors or new books…I’d like to ask which sites you guys trust to give you good info about the author and the book? Thanks for sharing your opinions!

Thank you for a great interview, Lily. Good questions…my poor brain is really getting a workout on this tour! I hope your visitors are very kind with their follow-up questions, and I hope they weigh in with their opinions on book-buying sites they trust for info. Thanks for the opp to ask!

“Some days, you just want the dragon to win.”

You're welcome. And readers, why not leave some answers for Sandy and give yourself a chance to win a copy of her latest book, Choices Meant for Kings.

To whet your appetite, I've included a blurb and excerpt below:

BLURB:

Chariss is in danger. Her geasa is hampered by the effects of a friend’s marriage. The dashing Nigel Taiman hides something from her, yet demands she stay at his family’s estate where he and her wizard guardian intend to keep her safe. But the sorcerer Lord Drake and Julette The Betrayer know she’s there, and their monstrous army marches that way.

When prophecies stack up to threaten an arrogant deity, Chariss must choose between the dragon that courts her and the ostracized kings of the Southlands for help. Evil stalks her at every turn and madness creeps over the goddess who guides her. Can an orphan-turned-Protector resist the dark side of her heritage? Or will she sacrifice all to keep her god-charge safe?

A Tense Little Excerpt From Choices Meant for Kings

By fantasy author Sandy Lender

http://www.authorsandylender.com

You won’t find this excerpt anywhere except Sandy’s current online book tour…

As the soldier stepped toward him, Nigel reached out his arm and caught him by the neck. He slammed the captain against the far wall. He pinned him there with his body, leaning against the man as if he could crush the wind from him with his presence.

He brought his face close to the soldier’s ear and spoke lowly, fiercely, so that no one could have overheard him. The menace and intent behind the words was as surprising to the captain as the words themselves.

“I asked you to accompany [Chariss] on this journey tomorrow because I have faith in your sword, and until this moment I trusted you to keep your distance from her. Now, I find her down here at your side with a look upon your face that suggests more than you realize. So help me, Naegling, the only thing that stays my hand is how displeased she would be if she learned that I sliced you open.”

“The look you see is merely my concern for her honor. Nothing more.”

“I’m not a fool. And I’ll use every last piece of Arcana’s treasury to pay the prophets to justify my reasons for marrying that woman, so you can unconcern yourself with her honor.”

Hrazon stepped off the staircase then and saw Nigel pressed against his guard.

“I still believe you’re one of the best soldiers Arcana’s ever seen,” Nigel continued, “and I want you at her side for this journey, but, so help me, Naegling, she comes back alive and well and not confused in the least about her affections for me, or I will string you up from a tree in the orchard and attach your intestines to your horse’s saddle before I send it—”

Hrazon cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Is there an issue here I should address?”

Need Some Writing Motivation?

Another writer and more great writing tips...

I asked Lorhainne Eckhardt , author of The Captain's Lady, to tell us how she manages to keep herself writing. I know many people would be writers if only...

If only my life weren't so busy. If only I had the time. If only I didn't procrastinate. If only... If only...

So here are Lorhainne's suggestions:

How I motivate myself to write is such a good topic for a blog, since I am sure I am one of many who fights that urge to procrastinate. I love to write, but there are days where it is easy for me to find anything else to do, such as clean the house, mow the lawn, go grocery shopping, talk on the telephone, you get the idea. My children are my biggest motivator.

I developed a schedule. I get up in the morning generally around 4 am, but sometimes it’s 5 am. I put on the coffee, and I schedule a good two hours of writing time in the peace and quiet before the kids get up. During this time I actually get more accomplished then any other time of day.

After the kids are at school, I write for the next five hours. What I do is establish a goal each day. When I am writing a novel, it’s two thousand words a day. So if I can maintain my focus I can be done in three or four hours. On those days, I’ll reward myself. I’ll take some me time, and it could be anything, such as sitting down and reading a book of one of my many favorite authors or working in my garden. Whatever it is at that moment that will bring peace.

There have been many days where I struggled to get two pages written. At anytime if the words aren’t flowing or I’m struggling with a particular scene, I’ll close up my computer and take a walk outside in nature to clear my head. This works for me, it helps me to ground myself to go back and write.

It’s important that I don’t schedule anything during the day when I’m writing. But life is such that things do come up. If I need to schedule an appointment, I do it late enough in the afternoon that it doesn’t cut up my day. I plan meals in advance too, so I don’t spend every day preparing a meal from scratch. When I cook, I make lots so there are leftovers and freeze any extras for a quick meal. Otherwise I found I always had that one thing in the back of my mind, that I still needed to do and that would took my focus away from my writing.

I never write when my kids are home, I maintain that time as our time together. Basically what it boils down to is that this is my career choice, and I treat it as a job, one that I love. No matter what the deadline is, I never write at night.

Thanks, Lohrainne! You've given us some great ideas. I especially like the tip about not writing at night. Have to try that one. And I must admit, my kids were a great motivator for writing too. Writing was the only way I could keep my sanity.

Well, I know after viewing the terrific cover above, you'd love to learn more about The Captain's Lady, so I'm including a blurb below:

Captain Eric Hamilton is a powerful force in the U.S. Navy, having earned himself a reputation of being a hard-nosed chauvinist. He’s commander of the USS Larsen, a destroyer, currently deployed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Abby Carlton has just escaped from the man who held her captive for a year. Abducted while travelling in Paris, she was given to an Arab man as a gift, until one night she makes her desperate escape.

While on patrol one morning Captain Eric Hamilton discovers a dinghy floating aimlessly. Abby is found, battered and in an advanced state of pregnancy, lying in the bottom of the dinghy. From the moment she lay on the deck of his ship her innocence finds a way to penetrate his hardened heart. But time is running out. Eric is falsely accused of sexual assault and the CIA wants Abby and the baby for bait to flush out her captor.

Sounds great doesn't it? Here's a sneak peek at an excerpt (and at Lohrainne):

“We have no reports of a ship in distress in the area, Captain.”

“What about fishing boats?”

“No, sir, no reports.”

Looking once more at his first officer, Eric issued curt orders, the harshness grating in his voice. “Send a rescue team to check it out.”

Handing the binoculars off to one of the crew members, he strode with determination off the bridge, heading directly to the ship’s launch. His well-trained crew scurried about. Joe appeared at his side and they watched from the rail as the small rigid hull sped off in the direction of the dinghy. His pulse rose and the dampness on his back soaked through his short-sleeved shirt.

“So what do you think?” Joe leaned on the rail, uncertainty clear in the crinkle of his brows.

“Don’t know, dammit.” Eric focused on the scene unfolding in the distance. Again he commandeered the binoculars from Joe and scrutinized the three-man team approaching, then securing the boat to the dinghy.

His senses were keen; over the years, he’d learned to trust them. The uneasiness that crept its way into his gut, the hairs now standing up on the back of his neck and the racing of his heart; this unshakable feeling was telling him that things were about to change—drastically. Puzzled, he felt the mounting frustration build inside, along with something else he could not quite put his finger on. Shaking his head, he realized it was not a feeling of dread.

The crackle of the radio interrupted his speculation. A voice from the rescue team came over the line. “There’s someone in here, a woman, and she’s in bad shape.”

Thanks so much for sharing, Lohrainne! Good luck with the book sales! And one lucky commenter on Lohrainne's book tour will win a copy of The Captain's Lady, so get out there and comment. Here's a question for you to answer: What do you do to motivate yourself to write?? Best answer will also be eligible to win a free e-copy of Spark of Magic.