Kind of like running with scissors? Sounds like you are a girl who knows how to have fun. I'm kind of a wimp but I love the idea of getting to observe all that (especially the flash-bang!). One of my favorite things on the BN.com boards is hearing how authors do their research -- you make it sound like so much fun!
Jordan_Dane wrote:
becke_davis wrote:Jordan -- I read in your book blurb that you won thirty-some contests before selling three books. That's impressive, but after reading your first book I'm not at all surprised.You really know how to abuse your main character -- they say a good writer in this genre puts the heroine in a lot of tight positions, and it would be hard to imagine how any heroine could go through tougher scenes than yours did.Even though the book started out on a dark note, the initial interaction with Diego and Rebecca was a tease, kind of flirtatious. I made the mistake of thinking the book was going to be good but fairly straightforward. Boy, was I wrong. I thought of Lisa Jackson, Linda Howard and yes, Sharon Sala when I read your book and just like their stories, this one held me on the edge of my seat. During one scene -- I'm sure you know which one -- I had to force myself not to skip ahead and make sure it turned out right. Whew! I never read so fast in my life -- I hadn't planned to finish it last night but I couldn't put the damned thing down. It was so freaking scary, I had to read it through to the end so I could sleep without all the lights on!All those contests were a challenge but as an aspiring author, you don't get much feedback and I used contests for validation that I was on the right track. Plus, the final round judges were editors from various publishing houses and many times I would get requests to send them a full manuscript--another good reason to do contests. But the best part was getting my work in front of other prelim judges like NYT Bestseller Allison Brennan who "outed" herself after I sold to give me an endorsement blurb and has been a friend and mentor ever since. The side benefits to contests can be very unexpected.And I really appreciate your comment on me abusing my heroine.That's my job.
But I also have great admiration for law enforcement folks, especially after I took a course with my local police department at their Citizens Police Academy. These people never get paid enough for what they do and I am continually trying to understand their motivation to run toward a gun shot instead of running away which is what most people would do. I did ridealongs with a patrol officer and there were times I was scared just doing that--sitting in the squad car waiting for my guy to do his duty. And watching him walk up to a dark car (knowing there are people in it but the windows are too tinted to see in) is not my idea of a fun time. I DID have fun at the firing range when we got to shoot all sorts of weapons and blow up stuff with the bomb squad. And the cop who was my technical advisor on TELL knew I wanted to use a flashbang grenade (an explosive used by SWAT) so he set one off near me so I could feel it. For an author doing research, this is a GOOD thing.And my heroine made me cry plenty of times with her bravery and her humanity. I always want to show women in a strong light--and make them someone you would want as a friend.
becke_davis wrote:Jordan -- I read in your book blurb that you won thirty-some contests before selling three books. That's impressive, but after reading your first book I'm not at all surprised.You really know how to abuse your main character -- they say a good writer in this genre puts the heroine in a lot of tight positions, and it would be hard to imagine how any heroine could go through tougher scenes than yours did.Even though the book started out on a dark note, the initial interaction with Diego and Rebecca was a tease, kind of flirtatious. I made the mistake of thinking the book was going to be good but fairly straightforward. Boy, was I wrong. I thought of Lisa Jackson, Linda Howard and yes, Sharon Sala when I read your book and just like their stories, this one held me on the edge of my seat. During one scene -- I'm sure you know which one -- I had to force myself not to skip ahead and make sure it turned out right. Whew! I never read so fast in my life -- I hadn't planned to finish it last night but I couldn't put the damned thing down. It was so freaking scary, I had to read it through to the end so I could sleep without all the lights on!
All those contests were a challenge but as an aspiring author, you don't get much feedback and I used contests for validation that I was on the right track. Plus, the final round judges were editors from various publishing houses and many times I would get requests to send them a full manuscript--another good reason to do contests. But the best part was getting my work in front of other prelim judges like NYT Bestseller Allison Brennan who "outed" herself after I sold to give me an endorsement blurb and has been a friend and mentor ever since. The side benefits to contests can be very unexpected.
And I really appreciate your comment on me abusing my heroine. That's my job.
That's my job.But I also have great admiration for law enforcement folks, especially after I took a course with my local police department at their Citizens Police Academy. These people never get paid enough for what they do and I am continually trying to understand their motivation to run toward a gun shot instead of running away which is what most people would do. I did ridealongs with a patrol officer and there were times I was scared just doing that--sitting in the squad car waiting for my guy to do his duty. And watching him walk up to a dark car (knowing there are people in it but the windows are too tinted to see in) is not my idea of a fun time. I DID have fun at the firing range when we got to shoot all sorts of weapons and blow up stuff with the bomb squad. And the cop who was my technical advisor on TELL knew I wanted to use a flashbang grenade (an explosive used by SWAT) so he set one off near me so I could feel it. For an author doing research, this is a GOOD thing.
And my heroine made me cry plenty of times with her bravery and her humanity. I always want to show women in a strong light--and make them someone you would want as a friend.
KimCastillo wrote:Jordan--Congrats on the selling another series! WOW. How fast do you write? What's your writing day like?And I totally agree with you about the danger stripping away pretenses. Very true.
I usually can write one in 4 months, completely edited. And my writing day is never typical.My life is weird. I’ll admit it. I get up early with my husband (who makes me breakfast BTW) so we can chat, read the paper, and when I need to, plot how to kill people over eggs and toast. I write from around 9am until 4pm, then hit the blogs and chat with my online friends before dinner.
Then I usually edit the work I’ve written that day when I’m in bed—or I read other people’s books. I edit and edit, layering in the emotions and discovering the character’s motivations as I go. When I’m done with a project, I rarely have to go back over it. I can write a book from concept to final product in a range of 6 weeks to 4 months. And when I’m done, I’m ‘jonesing’ to get into another book. Stories fill my head and I feel a strong pull to the computer.
My life is very strange but oddly enough, I'm never alone. I have all these voices in my head. 
LOL I like the defibrilator idea, Becke. OPEN LINK WITH EXTREME CAUTION. NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART.
I like the defibrilator idea, Becke. OPEN LINK WITH EXTREME CAUTION. NOT FOR THE WEAK OF HEART.And when I was in Beverly Hills, I was the only one spotting people but I am very low key. I hate spoiling their day with pointing and gawking. Antonio was on the street and racing by all of us, hoping none of us noticed him. I'd hate to live my life that way but that's the price of fame, I guess.
I was an organizer for a convention in Toronto for the TV Show Witchblade. (Long story) And I got to be in the "green room" with the stars of the show. Here's a link to the cast pic. Most of the cast showed up for the convention (and Lord I never thought I'd be one to go to a Star Trek type convention but I was there for some strange reason--because I was a writer of fanfiction and wanted to meet the other writers).
But the guy who I pictured as my hero in NO ONE LEFT TO TELL (Christian Delacorte) was actor Eric Etebari of Witchblade--the dark & quiet assassin. Here's a link to a pic of him--and I like him best with short hair. I really like my men dark and swarthy with expressive eyes.
And I love to portray them as borderline alphas with vulnerabilities who are not afraid of a strong intelligent woman. A brooding angsty male with smarts works for me.
Jordan -- I just read about your first sale (thanks for the link) and I swear, it gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes. I hope you are fully recovered and that your books all become best sellers. What a story!
Jordan_Dane wrote:I am so thrilled you loved NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM, Becke. And sorry I kept you up reading and losing sleep (but not really) .With the crime of human trafficking, this book is a little gritty for a reason. I needed to portray a heinous crime without sugar coating it but I also wanted to give voice to the victims of this crime. And by affecting the heroine, the police detective--and dragging her into the story as she filters her investigation through her own grief and pain--I thought that might show how violence is like a ripple effect on the water. It affects many many more people than just the victims. Instead of the detective working the crime, the crime worked her.Publishers Weekly gave me a rave review for this book and compared me to Lisa Jackson, Lisa Gardner and Tami Hoag--some of my all time favs. And they called it "plain thriller country" and loved my men, good and bad.I don't try to compare me to anyone, but I'm thrilled others see it, especially being compared to such amazing authors. And Sharon Sala read my unpublished manuscript for SCREAM and jumpstarted the auction where my books sold when she picked up the phone and raved about my work to her editor and agent. Now we share the same agent. My FIRST SALE story is on my website and tells not only the Sharon Sala part but how I wrote this book in the 6 weeks I was on medical leave from major surgery. The story was in me and it just flowed.The next two books in my series were both rated as a TOP PICK by Romantic Times and I am especially honored by that. NO ONE LEFT TO TELL is my woman detective's story with NO ONE LIVES FOREVER being the continuing story of my hero's life. Even though they read as standalones with loose ends tied up, they are best read in order to get the whole picture of the main characters in these two books.And thanks for your kind thoughts on my work. GO SPURS GO!!!
Jordan_Dane wrote:I love Andy Garcia and got to see him in Beverly Hills once. And Antonio Banderas too. It was a day for star sightings when I was there with customers of mine from my oil & gas days. And let me tell you, Antonio looks REALLY good too.I also love Benjamin Bratt. Man, I can see him in the role too. But I usually pick an actor or image off the Internet and work with that for the entire book on days that I'm writing the character's scenes. And the actor I used for the sexy Diego Galvan was Eduardo Verastegui. Google that guy and you will be blown away at how gorgeous he is. Here's another link but there are countless pics of him on the Internet. He's a Mexican movie actor and soap star but I first saw him in a J Lo music video as a gypsy and also in one episode of Charmed when the witches tried to conjure up the perfect male. I think they succeeded.
You should have issued defibrillators with that link -- now I'm going to have to reread Diego's scenes with Eduardo's imagine in mind. Holy moly, I'm going to have to start watching that soap he's in.
And it looks like I should be following you around, since you manage to bump into all my favorite stars!
Message Edited by becke_davis on 05-19-2008 02:46 PM
You're probably going to find this hard to believe but I really didn't do anything special. I think I was afraid the auction hadn't happened and I had dreamt it all. But mostly, I'm a pragmatic person with long term career goals in mind. I saw my sale as the first step of a toddler and that I wanted many more.
It wasn't until my book launches in OK, TX and NC that I took the time to celebrate with friends and family by hosting a party for each one with food and drink for my guests. Pictures of these are on my blog at MySpace.
But a memorable "quiet celebration" has stuck in my mind most. The day my cover flats came for the first time and the marketing packet with the Advance Reader Copy for my debut book NO ONE HEARD HER SCREAM marked a time I will always remember. I was calm (yet excited inside) until my husband saw them. He walked away for a moment and I thought that was the whole of his reaction until he came back with a tear in his eye saying, "My God, you're going to be in a library." We both cried and held each other--our quiet celebration. We'd been at a hectic pace for four years (with both of us supporting my efforts) and it finally hit us. He knew what it meant to me, even more than I did. He's clever that way.
That's why my first book was dedicated to him when I wrote "To John--You are the cornerstone for every hero I will ever write."
And the funny thing was, the dedication was put on the copyright page. And right underneath my dedication came the words - "THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION." We also got a big kick out of this...and wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It was so US.
Thanks for asking, Eloisa.
I love Andy Garcia and got to see him in Beverly Hills once. And Antonio Banderas too. It was a day for star sightings when I was there with customers of mine from my oil & gas days. And let me tell you, Antonio looks REALLY good too.
I also love Benjamin Bratt. Man, I can see him in the role too. But I usually pick an actor or image off the Internet and work with that for the entire book on days that I'm writing the character's scenes. And the actor I used for the sexy Diego Galvan was Eduardo Verastegui. Google that guy and you will be blown away at how gorgeous he is. Here's another link but there are countless pics of him on the Internet. He's a Mexican movie actor and soap star but I first saw him in a J Lo music video as a gypsy and also in one episode of Charmed when the witches tried to conjure up the perfect male. I think they succeeded. 
Hello Cheri--Thanks for joining in.
Even as an author, it's hard for me to express in words how I felt to achieve a lifetime dream to write and be published--especially by such a large publisher. It's an experience my heart understands fully but my mind is still grappling with.
And now that I'm writing full time (retiring early from my day job in the energy industry), my mind is filled with stories 24/7. Fueled by my creative juices, I'm living a dream and counting my lucky stars for every day of it.
