Monday, June 15, 2015

Her Heart's Liege by Olivia Fields (VNBtM, Guest post and GIVEAWAY) GFT





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.






Her Heart's Liege
by Olivia Fields

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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?

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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:
Publisher  





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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



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GIVEAWAY




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here

39 comments:

  1. Thanks for being part of my blog tour! :-)

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    1. Happy 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!

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    2. I appreciate the compliments! I'll be back along to check for any new comments. :-)

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  2. Great 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

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    1. Sometimes 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!

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    2. I hope that the post inspires you, Ashley, I think it's great advice. Thank you for visiting!

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  3. Great post, I often struggle with self doubt myself

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    1. It's awful, isn't it? Keep at it, though. :-) When you succeed, the suffering will be worth it!

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    2. I think many of us deal with that, Shannon. I have to remind myself to quiet that negative voice. Thank you for commenting!

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  4. I enjoyed the excerpt, thank you.

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    1. Glad you liked it! I hope you'll give the book a chance. :-) Good luck in the drawing….

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    2. Good, I think it is a great thumbnail portrait of those two. Thanks for visiting, Rita!

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  5. Replies
    1. Thanks! :D I hope you'll be able to enjoy the book someday, too. Good luck in the drawing….

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    2. Happy to hear that, Jane. It is a great excerpt! Thank you for dropping by!

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  6. I enjoyed the excerpt! Thanks for sharing, sounds like a really good book.

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Eva! Good to see you again. :-)

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    2. You are welcome, Eva. Thanks for visiting!

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  7. I have enjoyed learning about the book. Thanks for sharing it.

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    1. Thanks for leaving a comment! I hope you'll enjoy the book sometime. Good luck in the drawing!

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    2. You are welcome, patrick. I appreciate your coming by and commenting!

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  8. Terrific excerpt! The cover and title are awesome! Thank you for the great post and contest!

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    1. Thanks, Betty! I hope you'll read the book sometime. Good luck in the contest!

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    2. Great that you like it, Betty. Thanks for taking the time to visit and comment!

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  9. Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?

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    1. I 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:

      1. 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. :-)

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    2. Great question, Mai, and how wonderful of Olivia to give such a detailed answer with such excellent advice!

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  10. Replies
    1. Thanks, Mary! I hope you'll enjoy the entire novel someday. Good luck in the drawing!

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    2. Happy you liked it, Mary! Thanks for visiting!

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  11. Enjoyed the interview and also the excerpt, which was a great teaser to introduce the 2 characters!

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    1. Thanks, 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.

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  13. I really enjoyed the interview and excerpt! Thank you!

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  14. Awesome post - I really enjoyed reading the excerpt:)

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    1. Thanks! :D I hope you'll enjoy the novel, too. Best of luck in the drawing!

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