New Kids Welcomes Selena Fulton, Debut Author

Hi readers!  Lynn here.  I'm busy getting my twitter 31 Days of Rodeo ready to start up May 1st.  I'll be posting from @lynncahoon but you can follow the fun at #loverodeo




Today I asked one of my lala sisters, Selena Fulton, to tell us about the life of a debut author.  Selena's novella, Never Let Go, will be available through The Wild Rose Press on June 20. 2012. 


Here she is...




What’s it like to be a debut author?

It’s exciting and a bit scary. Exciting because being a published author is something I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. I think realization will hit me when I find my name on Amazon.com!
 Scary because I realize there is much more into being an author than writing a good story. I am learning about marketing and business strategies. Also trying to keep up with my blog and find ways to generate more followers.

Tell the New Kids readers your call story.
Actually, it was an email. I was checking my messages and the title for my story came up in the subject line. My heart started racing and I took a deep breath, almost afraid to open it. When I clicked on the email and read “…I would like to offer you a contract…” I almost forgot to breathe. My eyes blurred and I re-read the email to be sure I hadn’t misread it.
With happy tears in my eyes, I went to my husband and told him. We celebrated with the neighbors with a bottle of bubbly.

Tell us about your release.

My time-travel novella, Never Let Go, is a story of how two worlds collide. What would a man from the 1800’s think of a contemporary woman from the 2000’s? She falls in love with a British gentleman from another century, but how can they be together when he was dust before she was born? Only their love can bridge time and space. Love conquers all.

What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve received?
My friend suggested I join RWA, and also join a local chapter. As a newbie, I was a bit intimidated by the published authors. I went to the meetings infrequently. Then one year, I realized I was paying these dues and not getting my money’s worth. Did I want to be published or was I pretending I was an author? I made a conscious effort to attend the meetings, learned as much as I could from the workshops and focused on my writing. In that same year, I landed two contract offers. You must work at all aspects of your writing if you want to succeed. You must believe in yourself.

What’s your writing schedule?  Are you a full time writer?
At the moment, I am a full time writer. I get out of bed, turn on my computer and have my first cup of coffee. I have discovered my most productive writing times are early morning and then again in the evening. I also have a creative spurt just before I fall off to sleep. I’ve been known to get up in the middle of the night to write a few notes.

Desert Island time – 3 must have books.

Only 3? Can’t I bring my e-reader? I’d hate to leave any of them behind.

What’s your writing must have snack?  Or drink?
Dark chocolate! I have a secret stash that hubby doesn’t know about. When I’m particularly stressed because my characters are not cooperating with me, I crack into my stash. After my two morning cups of coffee, okay, they’re large cups, I’m on straight water after that.

Favorite writing advice guru?
Bob Mayer

A big thank you to Selena for stopping by New Kids today.  She’ll be around to answer questions too. --Lynn

You can find NEVER LET GO at www.thewildrosepress.com beginning June 20, 2012.  Selena can be found at her blog – www.selenafulton.wordpress.com
And here’s a teaser for you…

Walking slowly up the stairs, she gazed at a
series of family portraits lining the stairwell all the
way to the top. At the landing, she stopped and
stared at the canvas.
Startling blue eyes called to her with a flash of
familiarity. Familiarity? What a silly thought. I don’t
know any of these people. The small brass placard at
the base of the painting identified him.
Benjamin W. Sheffield — 1859
“Hmm, what a hottie you were. Too bad you’re a
bit older than I like my men.”
She snickered at her joke and climbed the
remaining stairs. The bedroom was larger than she’d
expected, furnished with more antique Victorian
furniture. A fluffy down comforter atop a four-poster
bed invited her to sink into its warmth.
While unpacking her suitcases, a peace came
over her, as if she’d finally come home. “Don’t get too
attached to this place,” she said to her image in the
bureau mirror. “You’re here to sell it—not move in.”
Of course, she could pretend she lived here, at
least until she met the owner on Monday. Dusk
settled over the cottage, prompting her to change
into her nightgown.
****
He came to her like a thief in the night. Came to
her bed with the manly scent of the spicy woods,
well-oiled leather, and horses. She knew and
welcomed him into her arms. His gentle caresses
moved over her body like the whisper of silk against
her bare skin. His mouth tasted of cloves and was
hot on her lips, demanding, giving, taking. His work roughened
hands skimmed over her, making her
tingle with desire.
And how she ached for him with every fiber of
her being, but before their bodies could become one,
he drew away.
“Meet me in the garden,” he whispered.


Writing History: Houses

Any reader of Regency literature knows how important houses were in the lives of the landed gentry.  There were country houses, seats of power comprised of hundreds of acres, farmed and otherwise maintained by tenants and armies of servants.  There were London town houses, showplaces of ostentatious wealth.  For the rest, there were manor houses, cottages, farmhouses, inns, tenements, and everything in between.


Longleat House, Wiltshire, residence of the Marquess of Bath.  Photo by author, 1986.
So how do those of us in the 21st century learn more about these houses, especially for those of us who don’t happen to reside in the UK?

For the medieval period, http://www.medart.pitt.edu/image/England/maineng.html is a good starting point.  It has wonderful photos, floor plans, and drawings of medieval architecture.

Two great sites for buildings in Cumbria and the Lake District are http://www.visitcumbria.com/pele.htm and http://www.matthewpemmott.co.uk/.   Castles in Northumberland are featured on http://www.northofthetyne.co.uk/

Eliza Knight has a wonderful blog post on medieval castles. Eliza also teaches a number of online courses on the medieval period; if you have an opportunity to take one, I highly recommend them.

Another great wayfinder for information on historic homes. from the medieval through modern times, is Stately-Homes.com.   Its focus is to help tourists plan visits to these homes, but it provides a wealth of information for the virtual traveler as well.  It also has a list of haunted properties.

This site is awesome--it is an attempt to catalog all the country houses ever built in Britain and Ireland: http://www.dicamillocompanion.com/about.html.

The National Trust is a great source for the actual visitor to historic homes, but is not quite as useful for the armchair tourist.  It does, however, have some links to quirky things that might make an interesting addition to a novel, like walks with ancient trees.


Highclere Castle, Berkshire, England.  Residence of the Earl of Carnavon.
© Copyright Mike Searle and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

I would also recommend actual books as references.  Many are available at libraries; others are ebooks available on GoogleBooks for free.  I have been able to find quite a few used books, at ridiculously low prices, on Amazon.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Flanders, Judith.  Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England.  New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003.

Girouard, Mark.  Life in the English Country House. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1978.

Mortimer, Ian.  The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century. New York: Touchstone, 2008. (In particular, Chapter 7, “Where to Stay.”)

Pearce, David.  The Great Houses of London.  New York: The Vendome Press, 1986.

Wilkinson, William.  English Country Houses: Sixty-One Views And Plans Of Recently Erected Mansions, Private Residences, Parsonage-Houses, Farm-Houses, Lodges And Cottage: With Sketches of Furniture and Fittings, and A Practical Treatise On House-Building.  London: James Parker & Co., 1875.  (Available on GoogleBooks.)

Worsley, Giles.  England’s Lost Houses: From the Archives of Country Life.  Aurum Press, 2002.  (Also see http://lh.matthewbeckett.com/index.html for some of the same information, photos, and a bibliography of other sources.)

Enjoy!
Marin



Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
© Copyright JThomas and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.





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New Kids on the Writer's Block is a group blog. We are ten writers who banded together to go through the process of publication as a community. We're pre-published (for the time being), and are open with our process. Please feel free to ask questions. Thanks for stopping by, and welcome!

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