Today is the day that I arranged for Joselyn Vaughn to guest as part of her book release only two days ago. That was before I had the idea for the 12 Days of Christmas, thanking authors who have been very helpful for me. Ironic in that Joselyn was suppose to be on the first day becuase her impact is felt almost daily. Joselyn and two other wonderful ladies are my critique partners. They help me shape and improve my writing. So first off is Joselyn talking about Mitch Malone, my main character and namesake of the Mitch Malone Mysteries. After that I will talke more about Joselyn and her gifts. Take it away Joselyn...The day I met Mitch Malone should have been a dark and stormy night. The kind where you can’t see the lines on the road and your headlights don’t penetrate nearly far enough into the inky blackness in front of you.
It should have been because that is where Mitch works best. At night. Where he can see, but not be seen. He can fade into the darkness and catch the story that is going to have people snatching papers off the newsstand in the morning.
I am privileged to have been the first (other than Ms. Gager, of course) to have met Mr. Malone and I will never forget that first read. I read Ms. Gager’s chapter and was disappointed that she’d only managed to pound out eight pages the previous night when the idea came to her. I mean, really. How was I supposed to wait until she wrote more to find out about the femme fatale and the dead body?
That is one of the joys of having great critique partners. You can’t wait to read their pages and find out what happens in the story. You also learn a lot, not just from their suggestions, but from reading their work. You can see different techniques for advancing the story or showing an emotion. Good critique partners can also help you when you are stuck. Ms. Gager has helped me through road blocks and is solely responsible for Noah’s arrest.
We’ve also brainstormed ideas about having the worlds in our books intersect. Could Mitch stay at the Lilac Bower for a case? We didn’t think that would work until Mitch is ready for romance. Because you know Minnie wouldn’t be able to leave the matchmaking alone.
We’ve had a lot of fun with Mitch and I hope that I don’t have to say goodbye to him for a long time.
Now for my turn...I must have been living under a lucky star when we ran into each other on the streets of Fremont that day more than five years ago? It doesn’t seem possible but here we are. Each with two books out. I would still be wondering why I kept getting rejections if it hadn’t been for you. We have come a long way and I hope that is only the beginning and we keep going in this business that is changing faster than we are getting gray hairs. (Me so many more than you!)
Joselyn writes wonderful romances published by Avalon. Her newest book is Courting Sparks and is a Christmas release (only 2 days ago). You will burn through the pages as the romance of Daphne and Noah seeps through the work of an arsonist intent on dousing the flames building in their hearts. Joselyn’s books revolve around a theme of matchmaking library ladies who work to fix up the town’s single folk. Their antics add a touch of humor to the books. The head matchmaker runs a bed and breakfast called the Lilac Bower. We all need to get away and rekindle our own romance with the help of a place like the Lilac Bower.
Her first book, CEOs Don’t Cry, also featured the manipulations of the Library Ladies intent on making a CPA relegated to a small town want to stay. Let’s just say the numbers on this one refused to add up until Leslie looked at the balance sheet of her life.
Joselyn, I owe you so much and the greatest gift has been our friendship.
For more information check out Joselyn’s page at http://joselynvaughn.com/books-courting.htm or Avalon Books, http://www.avalonbooks.com/catalog/romance/Vaughn_CEOsDontCry.html
