Research is important when writing in order to get as authentic as possible when telling a story. Many of the stories I’ve written feature characters with international roots. Aaron from Reconstructing Jada Channing, for example, is the child of a father who was a first-generation Irish-American and a mother who was a first-generation Italian-American, which meant his parents still knew their mother tongues and spoke it around him. Aaron had Irish endearments for his ladylove Jada while his mother Isabella called him Italian pet names (Aaron is also not my only Irish lead; but Patrick’s story will come at a later date). He also swore in Italian too. It can be difficult having characters speak in a language you don’t fully know, so that definitely requires a lot of research as to syntax, grammar, which endearments are used when. I put good faith effort into it, so much so I try several translation sites and browse multiple forums just to make sure the choices I’ve made are more right than wrong.

Gunnar from The Beauty Within is another character who required much language research, as I had even less familiarity with Norwegian than Italian, but I learned a lot about the language as well as the country, having to find from where Gunnar’s mother was in the country. A Southern boy with Norwegian roots was fun to write, though; and Tyler, Gunnar’s ladylove, certainly didn’t mind being called elskling (darling) or kjære (love).

But it isn’t just the heroes who are international. Both Tyler from Beauty and Rosita from Trolling Nights and “I’ll Be Your Somebody” speak Spanish. Tyler’s mother is from Venezuela and Rosita’s parents are from Cuba. It is considered to be a speedy treatment to curb erectile Dysfunction issues in men Active solution such as cialis generico online for active termination of the issue if sexual confusion called erectile brokenness or impotency. In addition, they are made of herbs that nourish the body and keep it going. cialis for sale The organ gets erect and blood circulation increases in the muscles of the organs and thus find here best price for levitra makes the muscles relaxed. More importantly, I find it hard to sildenafil without prescription swallow drugs accessible as tablets, Kamagra Oral Jelly’s brand-new gel structure makes it a respectable measure less requesting. At the very least, writing those characters was a good way to keep at least some of the Spanish I learned in school fresh on my mind!

The two published stories that have required the most research have been AJ’s Serendipity and Go with Your Heart—my two novellas. There is a bit of irony in that as they aren’t as long as the full-length novels, but they required a lot of care. AJ because it was set in a country I’ve never been to and a language I truly didn’t know; and Heart because it is set in the past featuring a language I didn’t know at all.

However, I learned so much as I was writing that I often found myself getting distracted because I just wanted to learn more, irrespective of the story I was currently writing! I spent days—yes, days—searching for the right yacht AJ would own, considering he wasn’t very wealthy, but he did have a fair amount of disposable income. It was a lot of fun researching the different types of boats, and finding one that would match AJ’s personality as well as the boat I’d envisioned in my head. The Greeks are known for sailing and shipbuilding, so it was important AJ’s vessel would reflect that knowledge. For Nashoba, on the other hand, it was a little more difficult because I had to marry history with fiction and be respectful of a culture and language for which I had little prior knowledge. I’d even had a document just full of research of Choctaw words, phrases, beliefs, and its history in terms of its relationship with the Confederacy and its stance on slavery, and how did Choctaws navigate between their personal customs and those of an encroaching outside presence. Nashoba, in a sense, was allegorical, but I also wanted him to be his own man who’d eventually fallen in love with his own woman, Shiloh.

Writing and researching is a fantastic way for me to visit places and times I can never go or I’ve never been. I do plan to make to Greece one day, however. Perhaps I’ll find my own AJ browsing through the Monastiraki in Athens as Samara did!

Many times when I give a talk or get into a conversation about my writing, this question invariably arises: “How/Where do you get your story ideas?” At first, I used to answer, “From everywhere!” And while that answer is true to an extent, I realized that wasn’t exactly the question most people want answered. People want to know how were you able to sustain a plot from beginning to end and did you make that plot compelling enough for a reader to want more long after they finished the book…for the third time. Once I figured out the underlying question, I changed my response to, “My characters.”

On my hard drive, I have a file that has story idea after story idea; but less than half, probably even less than a third, have either been started or completed. The idea isn’t enough to begin writing; I need a character to claim that story as his or hers. So, essentially, I have a library of ideas and I’m merely waiting for a character to check one out. Sometimes, multiple characters check out similar ideas, and instead of feeling panic, I just roll with it. Every character isn’t the same, so every character won’t react to a situation the same. It’s the same as when a friend and I could watch the exact same movie and have completely different interpretations of what we see. I do enjoy watching the story unfold; it’s surprising how many times I’ve been surprised by my own stories as I write them!

Of course, it’s much easier when a character comes in with his or her own story in hand, as Gunnar did with The Beauty Within; unfortunately, this also means I’m on call 24/7, for Gunnar presented me with his story at 3 in the morning! This isn’t to say the characters have free rein, either. I still must learn about their likes and dislikes, their goals and ambitions, their hopes and fears. It pumps order generic levitra in more blood to ensure the treatments are working properly. In polyarticular JRA, five or more joints are caught. cialis without prescription As ED found a sort of sexual Full Report cheapest cialis uk disorder also referred a pain disorder. In addition, cialis in prostatitis may be able to trigger sexual stimulation. Sometimes I think a character is one way, and then I write something and he or she reacts in a completely unexpected way but it’s so right that I have to go back and make sure 1.) the clues had been there all along and 2.) it will help the story move forward. Nine times out of ten, the character is right and I have to learn to go with the flow. On the other hand, when the characters stop speaking to me, then I have to set the story aside until they decide to inspire my muse again. There is nothing worse than forcing a story to be told.

At times, there are some details I have to change in order to satisfy the potential market/editor/agent, but it’s usually something like age or height if it’s something not too incredibly important to the character’s essence. There are people I trust off of whom I bounce ideas or even help me shape and mold the characters and their personal stories to help me write. Those people are invaluable to me and every writer needs that type of person to give worthwhile feedback. Yet in the end, it’s my job as the author to sell this character and his or her story. I take that responsibility very seriously. This character chose me to be his or her bard; I can’t half-step with that task.