TRIXIE RAISES MONEY FOR PUG RESCUE!

$25.00 donated to CURLY TAIL PUG RESCUE, today, 4/2/13 thank you everyone for participating!

Trixie, my pug in SUNNY DAYS, MOONLIT NIGHTS, is raising money for Curly Tail Pug Rescue. For EVERY comment on this post, I will donate $1.00 to Curly Tail. 
 Following are snippets about Trixie from the book. Below is a link for those who wish to contribute directly as well. Thank you for stopping by.  Homer, my pug, agreed to pose for this post!

She opened the screen door, then worked the old key into the lock on the wooden door and twisted. The door swung open and while she hesitated a moment, Trixie pushed ahead, trotting into the cabin, sniffing.

“Okay, I know you’re braver than I am, Trixie,” she said, following the dog inside. 

 The peacefulness of the short walk home was interrupted by Trixie’s barking as she sensed their approach and was protecting the cabin. Sunny opened the door and the small pug came charging out, barking at Mike and then jumping up on Sunny, trying to lick her face. He dropped Sunny’s hand, crouched down and attempted to make friends with the feisty little dog, but Trixie was still sizing him up.

“She takes a while to accept people,” Sunny explained.

“She sure is cute.” he commented, rubbing her behind the ears. 

Sunny awoke early the next day when the sun crept into her window at six o’clock. Trixie was used to sleeping late, so she rolled over on the bed and went back to sleep after Sunny got up

Karen and Sunny strolled slowly, stopping at each table, looking for special finds. Trixie ran in circles when the ladies took too long or lay down and snored instantly when they lingered at a table examining all that was for sale.

 “Thanks, Hal. But I’m not the one giving up, he is,” she said, throwing a stick for Trixie who brought it back to Sunny, but wouldn’t let it go. They played tug o’ war. 

 Trixie continued to bark. She jumped up on the bed and licked Sunny’s face. Sunny brushed her away. Then she started coughing as smoke crept into her bedroom under the closed door.  
  

HELP SAVE AN ABANDONED OR ABUSED PUG! LEAVE A COMMENT AND CLICK TO DONATE DIRECTLY TO CURLY TAIL PUG RESCUE (a 501(c)3 not for profit organization).
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My Writing Life - Writing a Series

Current Series

   I enjoy writing series and have strung all my previous books together into four different series. Some were created by plucking out a minor character and giving him or her their own book. Other books qualified for placement in a series by taking place in the same town or city. I assume a romance series can be created from almost anything, for example: from a family of sisters or brothers, to college buddies, from a town or setting, to people who are left-handed. Well, maybe not the last one. Almost any common ground can be the basis for a series. Now I am writing a totally different kind of series and it’s a new challenge.

    My current series, HOLLYWOOD HEARTS, is about people in the movie business. I planned this series out all at once with each book relating in some way to the book before. This is where the challenge comes in. I’m weaving characters and plots together from book to book. Men and women who play a small part in the preceding book, leave with a short cliffhanger about them– maybe in an epilogue –making the reader eager for the next book.

    I hadn’t planned to do it this way but could not use my usual way to tie my series books together: put a thousand words from the next book in the back of the previous book because these books were not all written before the series began. In fact, I’m still writing them.

    I also have to keep track of buildings, doormen, and other minor characters in each book, in case they reappear in subsequent books. I store that information in a special file. I have not had a problem with that before, but will have if I don’t do this.

    Another hurdle to clear with a series is making each story unique. Conflicts and obstacles my characters have to deal with in each book should be fresh. I mix up roles in the entertainment business plus include past relationships and other surprises to keep readers turning the pages. 

    It’s all about planning. Writing a series might be harder for a pantser. I’m a plotter so a series is in my comfort zone.  The plus side of series writing is that I know where I’m headed, at least the general direction, for each book before I begin. I also have a stable of supporting characters to call on. This makes the crafting of each story more fun.

    Right now I’m about a quarter of the way through with book four in the Hollywood Hearts series, called MOVIE LOVERS, and enjoying the work. But check in with me when I finish book six. At that point I may be gnashing my teeth and muttering, “Six-book series? Never again.” 
Would you undertake to write a series of 3+ books?

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