It is my pleasure to have a guest post from author Olivia Fields today. Congrats to her on her first published novel!
ELF: What was the most
difficult thing to overcome on your path to becoming a published author and how
did you conquer it?
OF: “You can’t do that.” This statement,
spoken by the little internal pessimist we all have riding along in our
psyches, keeps too many people from being their best and achieving their
goals. Sometimes it’s you speaking to
yourself. Sometimes it’s the voice of
others speaking to you, either in your memories or in your present. Either way, the hardest thing I’ve ever done
as a writer is to ignore that little voice and keep chasing the dream.
I
saw research once proving negative self-talk is at least six times more
powerful than positive self-talk. That
means every time you say “I can’t” to yourself, you need to say “I can!” at
least seven times before you begin to
believe it. It can feel pretty awkward
and silly sitting there telling yourself “I can!” But if you don’t, who will? Success requires a leap of faith, a step into
blind darkness and doubt. The scariest
thing is, a lot more than one leap has to happen.
Some
days the leap is especially hard. You
can feel empty air hanging under your feet, like Wile E. Coyote chasing the
Roadrunner off a cliff. On those days, I
try to sit down and bite the bullet and write that scene I’ve been struggling
with. It may turn out downright
terrible, but at least after that I have something to work on. I can edit and revise as many times as it
takes to make it shine.
The
important thing is always keep trying to
do what you love. If you don’t have any
ground to stand on, fetch a shovel and start piling it up right where you want
it. “If you build it, they will come.”
Just
like me, my characters often have to learn to believe in themselves and work to
achieve their goals. At first in Her Heart’s Liege, Alexandra doesn’t
truly believe in her value to Prince Holden, and she can’t let herself trust in
his love. She eventually learns it isn’t
just his past and personality that frightens her: it’s her own self-doubt
getting in the way of their relationship.
She realizes she has to make a leap of faith and believe in herself if
she is to claim the love and respect she wants.
I
hope you’ll enjoy watching Alexandra make that journey, just as all of us do
every day—even if the love and respect we have to earn is our own.
by Olivia Fields
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Tomboy
Alex Bonham has fought her male peers tooth and nail to prove herself worthy to
become captain of the king’s guard. When her country is invaded by Danes, she
is ordered to take the king’s younger son, a charming but irresponsible rake,
away from the front lines for safekeeping.
Alex
walks a difficult line, trying to balance her growing attraction to Prince
Holden with her dedication to duty and her responsibility to keep him safe from
robbers, Danes...and even himself. But when they are drawn into the struggle to
defend East Anglia from occupation, both the prince and his captain must grow.
Can spoiled Prince Holden evolve into a good man who could lead the
kingdom--one Alex can trust with her heart?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
"Attack me," Alexandra told the prince.
"I couldn't," he demurred, and she put
her hands on her hips, exasperated.
"Stop being a fool." She stood up and
shook out her arms, ready. "Come at me like you mean to knock me
down."
"It wouldn't be fair. You know what we agreed
about contests of strength."
She rolled her eyes. "You weren't listening.
This isn't a contest of strength, though what you've learned from Carl is
mostly strength-based. What I have in mind is a contest of skill, wits, and
know-how, none of which you have. Are you going to attack me, or are you going
to give up on your training?"
The taunt sufficed to goad him forward. He lunged,
a little half-hearted. She caught his thumb and turned it just so. In half a
second, she'd pushed him up onto his tiptoes and jerked his arm up behind his
shoulders. His skin was smooth and hot, slick with sweat. He smelled salty and
musky, very male in her nostrils.
"What the hell did you do?" He gasped,
shocked.
"That is how a woman becomes captain of the
king's guards," she told him coolly.
Buy links:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
For years, college professor Olivia
Fields has been writing romantic tales to pacify her muse and entertain her
friends. She believes in making her characters work for their happy endings.
When not at her keyboard, Olivia enjoys
nature hikes, photography, and the constant companionship of several rather
irregularly trimmed Shih Tzu dogs. Olivia’s first published novel, Her Heart’s
Liege, will be released in March 2015 by Rogue Phoenix Press.
LINKS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
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Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here
Thank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteThanks for being part of my blog tour! :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy to have you here, enjoyed the guest post and I love that your heroine is so capable! Thank you for taking the time to come by and chat!
DeleteI appreciate the compliments! I'll be back along to check for any new comments. :-)
DeleteGreat guest post. I love the thoughts about pushing through even when it's a struggle, those are the things that make it easier and better the next time! I also love how Alex can turn Holden right over on his thumb and show him the real measure of a woman. Lovely and fun
ReplyDeleteSometimes the struggle seems overwhelming, but I haven't given up yet. It helps to have good friends who stand steadfast during the tough times. ;-) Thanks for reading!
DeleteI hope that the post inspires you, Ashley, I think it's great advice. Thank you for visiting!
DeleteGreat post, I often struggle with self doubt myself
ReplyDeleteIt's awful, isn't it? Keep at it, though. :-) When you succeed, the suffering will be worth it!
DeleteI think many of us deal with that, Shannon. I have to remind myself to quiet that negative voice. Thank you for commenting!
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it! I hope you'll give the book a chance. :-) Good luck in the drawing….
DeleteGood, I think it is a great thumbnail portrait of those two. Thanks for visiting, Rita!
DeleteI really loved the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThanks! :D I hope you'll be able to enjoy the book someday, too. Good luck in the drawing….
DeleteHappy to hear that, Jane. It is a great excerpt! Thank you for dropping by!
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt! Thanks for sharing, sounds like a really good book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Eva! Good to see you again. :-)
DeleteYou are welcome, Eva. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteI have enjoyed learning about the book. Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for leaving a comment! I hope you'll enjoy the book sometime. Good luck in the drawing!
DeleteYou are welcome, patrick. I appreciate your coming by and commenting!
DeleteTerrific excerpt! The cover and title are awesome! Thank you for the great post and contest!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Betty! I hope you'll read the book sometime. Good luck in the contest!
DeleteGreat that you like it, Betty. Thanks for taking the time to visit and comment!
DeleteAny tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
ReplyDeleteI actually teach writing, so I hope I have some useful tips. For me, writer's block is about any one (or all) of three things:
Delete1. Momentum: Force yourself to write something, just to get going-- even if you're writing "I don't know what to say" over and over; your brain will eventually get bored and start providing something more useful. Once you've started, it's far easier to continue. Remove distractions that can stall momentum, if possible. Arrange a regular uninterrupted writing time and negotiate it firmly with your family, turn off the DSL modem so you can't get online, leave the TV off, turn off your cell phone, etc. Put a clock by your writing space and force yourself to write for 5/10/15 minutes; you'll often find you have the momentum built up to continue after your mandatory time. Follow that momentum and nurture it.
2. Self-discipline
Sometimes you just have to make yourself do some writing. No, as my mom would say, "fiddle-farting around." Gird up your loins and DO it. Sometimes writer's block is related to laziness or procrastination; don't let yourself get away with those things.
3. Ideas
Sometimes you can't write because you literally don't know what comes next. Try to make a plot diagram. Write up everything you can think of about the character you're introducing. Write a series of questions such as "What frightens me about this? If I were the character, what would I do?" and write out answers to them; that can prompt your answers to come. Do something (one thing, of limited duration) to spur your mind toward creativity: go to a movie, take a short trip, read someone else's book of a similar genre or an extremely different genre. Ask what would another writer's character do to solve the problem or situation you're tackling. Skip the current scene and write another one you're excited about, then go back and fill in the blanks between the two.
In some scenarios, you might be stalled because you wrote something already that doesn't feel right. Examine the lead-up to what you wrote and ask yourself, and your characters: "Does this feel right? Would (character) really have done this?" Maybe you can identify the thing that has you snagged, rip it out, and replace it with something better.
To conclude: give yourself permission to suck. It's not always going to come out great on the first try. But if you get something down, then you can polish it. Unfortunately, writing isn't like a cartoon where Bugs Bunny taps a block of marble once with a hammer and chisel and all the extra stone falls away, revealing Michelangelo's David. You have to keep taptaptapping for months with all sorts of tools to get to your masterpiece. :-)
Great question, Mai, and how wonderful of Olivia to give such a detailed answer with such excellent advice!
DeleteI enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! I hope you'll enjoy the entire novel someday. Good luck in the drawing!
DeleteHappy you liked it, Mary! Thanks for visiting!
DeleteEnjoyed the interview and also the excerpt, which was a great teaser to introduce the 2 characters!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Berkeley! I appreciate you taking time to read the interview and the excerpt, and I hope you'll also find time to enjoy the novel! Good luck in the drawing.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the interview and excerpt! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! :D Good luck in the drawing.
DeleteAwesome post - I really enjoyed reading the excerpt:)
ReplyDeleteThanks! :D I hope you'll enjoy the novel, too. Best of luck in the drawing!
DeleteSounds really good!
ReplyDelete