Please join me in welcoming Cathy Tully to The Roses of Prose today.
A few years ago I listened to a woman speak at one of the
writer’s conferences I attend every year. She had twenty plus books published
so I figured there must be something I could take away from her talk and put to
use. Guess what? There was…
She encouraged our group to think about how our hero/heroine
might become more relatable--more three-dimensional--and how it would be easier
for your reader to sympathize with because they’re so real? Long after this
workshop I thought about what the speaker had said and something clicked. It
was my light bulb moment. So, I took her advice and incorporated a part of who
I am into my next book, and like they say, the rest is history : )
My first book, All You Need Is Love features, Little Man, my
family dog, who we lost to illness. It is the biggest tribute I can pay him and
his cuteness jumps off every page. I love dogs, always have, and through no
planning of my own, a dog pops up in every book I write. In my mind, dogs are
better than human secondary characters because they make people vulnerable
without saying a word. We’re allowed to be our true selves around them without
any judgment; and their unconditional love brightens the darkest day.
Marrying Mr. Right, my first novella, has a heroine, Missy
Modesto, who is similar to a good friend I’ve known my whole life. Missy is a
strong woman with a heart of gold and although years may pass between visits,
when we do meet, it feels like only yesterday : ) Training Travis, my new
contemporary romance, is about a divorced dad who gains custody of his fifteen
year old daughter after his ex-wife’s untimely death. And even though I can’t
personally relate to being divorced, I am the mother of two girls, so I can relate
to Travis’ fifteen year old daughter and the mood swings of a teenage girl :
)
My work in progress is a woman’s fiction about a menopausal
mother of two. Candy is a substitute teacher and decides she’s fed up and wants
a career of her own. So begins her journey into interior design : ) My old
stomping grounds twenty years ago. Putting a piece of ourselves or our life’s
experience into our stories enriches the readers experience because the
characters jump off the page. I’ve gotten great feedback on my characters and
their journeys, if you’re a writer, try putting ‘a type’ of someone you know
into one of your stories. I guarantee it will not only be fun for you as a
writer, but your reader will love it too : )
CONTACT INFORMATION:
@_cathytully
TRAINING TRAVIS BLURB
Rebecca Evans resents Travis McGill. Not only did he break
her heart years ago, but he and his daughter represent the family she
lost. Now, all the caffeine in the world
wouldn’t prepare her for his permanent move back to the hometown, Golden, PA,
they once shared.
Due to the untimely death of his ex-wife, Travis McGill
receives full custody of his fifteen-year-old daughter. He can kiss the quiet
lifestyle he’s come to enjoy goodbye when he must live full-time with a
teenager. Soon, renovations not only begin
on the old Victorian he’d purchased, but on Travis’ heart.
Buy Link:
TRAINING TRAVIS EXCERPT
Travis sat opposite Becca so he could
watch her cook. When she turned to place the bottle on the counter, he noticed
she was wore a pair of pointy high heels. Damn.
She looked good in anything she wore. He couldn’t help think she looked great
in everything that was underneath too.
In an effort to get his mind off her
curves and avoid the embarrassment of being caught staring, he said, “So where
did you learn to cook?”
Rebecca opened the broiler and turned
the pork chops. “Television.” She placed
the fork on the spoon rest and covered the cooked carrots with foil. “What’s so
funny?”
His laugh was husky and low. “That’s
where I learned. I’m surprised Liz hasn’t bragged about my culinary skills by
now.”
Rebecca smiled. “She has mentioned you
make one mean marinara sauce.”
He shook his head. “Leave it to a kid
to only remember spaghetti sauce.” She held out a wooden spoon filled with salad
greens she had just tossed for him to taste.
When Travis’ tongue flicked over his
lips, her knees went a little weak.
“What is this dressing? It’s
delicious.” He took the spoon from her hand and ate the remainder.
When he licked his fingers, she groaned
inwardly.
“Homemade vinaigrette,” she answered
weakly.
Travis handed her the wooden spoon and
the tips of their fingers touched. Hers tingled. Now more than ever, she knew
whatever barrier she had thought she put between them no longer existed.
God
help her.
5 comments:
Welcome, Cathy. Great advice! I always love when books give me a peek into other lifestyles or even other professions (like interior design). :-) Best of luck with all your projects!
Nice to have you here, Cathy. Your advice certainly rang true with me. Putting real life into our stories can only make them better. It kind of goes back to the - write what you know - mandate. Good luck with all of your works.
Glad to have you here, Cathy. Recently, I heard the term "deep POV" and had no idea it's what I've always done. When I'm writing my character, I am that person. I'm in her head and she's real. Sometimes, she's a little bit me (in real life). Mostly, she's who I wish I could be. Best wishes.
Hi Cathy, I also have a dog in every book I write. Adds to the fun! Best of luck!
Excellent post, Cathy. Thank you for reminding us how to help make our characters more three dimensional. It sounds like you've done exactly that in your stories. Best of luck!
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