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:
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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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