Are our characters flawed enough? by Jannine Gallant

Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet? ~ L.M. Montgomery

This quote got me thinking about my characters--and the mistakes they've made. And the ones who haven't made a lot of mistakes. I don't know about you, but sometimes I have a hard time giving my characters flaws. Heaven knows I'm not perfect (just ask my daughters), but I want my heroes and heroines to be better than that. I have to make a conscious effort to give them less than stellar traits to overcome. In an ironic twist, looking back at the characters I've created, the most memorable of the bunch are the ones who have the most shortcomings. The hero who makes you think, "Seriously, dude? Did you really just say that?" The one who finally pulls it together in the end when you honestly doubt he's ever going to be worthy of the heroine's love.

In another ironic twist, I've realized the characters in my suspense books always have issues, but not nearly as many quirky hangups as the ones in my straight contemporaries. Maybe because they need more strength to overcome the bad guys? Maybe because there's more focus on the plot in these books? Solving a mystery and staying one step ahead of a crazy killer, along with working through emotional issues hindering the love story, may be enough conflict for one book. Adding major character flaws to the mix might just double the word count needed to get everything sorted out. And let's face it, publishers aren't looking for novels that top 100,000 words no matter how interesting our characters! But, in a straight contemporary with no mystery to solve, the reader expects more depth of character to keep the story moving. Which is why my two cowboy books win the contest for memorable heroes. These books don't have the most complicated plots, so the characters had to stand out to make the books shine.

In these excerpts, do you want to smack my heroes upside the head and tell them to get a clue? Yeah, me, too! Let's just say they've made a few mistakes...

From Nothing But Trouble... Chase loves women. All women. He's loved so many women, he doesn't recognize the real thing when it comes along...

     “Have you ever been in love?”
     His hands clenched around the steering wheel, but his tone was hesitant. “I suppose so.”
     “That’s a lukewarm response if ever I heard one.” She shifted in the seat and leaned toward him. “Is it always just physical for you? Have you ever tried engaging your emotions, your heart?”
     “Hell, Honor, I don’t know what to say. I’m not good at talking about that sort of stuff. I feel plenty. You twist me up like a pretzel.” Tossing his hat in the backseat, he ran a hand through his hair. “You make me question everything I’ve ever wanted. When I look at you, it seems like there should be more.”
     Tears burned behind her eyes at his admission. “Honestly? You’re not just saying that to get me into bed.”
     “I’m not sure what I’m saying.”
     “I suppose it’s a start.”
     He raised an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
     “Yeah.” She gave him a weak smile, feeling her defenses crumble. “It may get you to second base. Possibly third.”
     “Hot damn! That definitely is a start.”

From Asking For Trouble... Cole lost Miranda once over their differences. Too bad he hasn't wised up any...

     He snorted. “Diaper changing isn’t a skill I’m going to need in the future. I don’t intend to have kids. And no offense, but I’d rather shovel horse shit for a living than set up a babysitting service.”
     A pulse throbbed painfully at her temples. “I haven’t forgotten. What was your charming comment on the subject?” She snapped her fingers. “That’s right. You said having kids was like wearing neckties. With little effort, they could choke the life out of a man.”
     “I said that?”
     She dropped the wet, gooey rag on the coffee table, not caring if it took the finish off the damn thing. After shrugging on her jacket, she turned to face him. “You did.”

     “Wow, I didn’t know I was so poetic.”

So, who are some of your most memorable heroes? Flawed or not so much? Curious minds want to know.

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Romantic Comedy vs. Drama...Finding the Balance by Jannine Gallant

It occurred to me our two movies this month represent these categories. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is drama. Crazy people in an insane asylum. Screams drama, right? He's Just Not That Into You is billed as romantic comedy--a group of young adults filled with angst over their romantic problems. Their situations are silly and over the top and funny. But there's a darker side to their problems, as you'll find in most romantic comedies. The balance is necessary, or the film turns into an...um...Jim Carrey movie. LOL As for our Cuckoo's Nest, well, have you ever seen Jack Nicholson not be funny? He lightens a serious situation with some really comic lines.

So, basically we need to mix our drama and our comedy in the right proportions to come up with a winning combination. Whether it's in a movie...or a book. I never really thought about it before, but subconsciously I've been doing this all along in my writing.

Asking For Trouble is romantic comedy. I've mixed an inept uncle (the hero) with his precocious baby nephew, and thrown in a heroine who saves his butt on more than one occasion. The resulting situations are funny. (At least I hope they are.) But underneath runs a thread of heartache for both characters because they feel their life goals are simply too different to find common ground, despite the love they share. A little tragedy mixed with the babysitting mishaps. Without the drama, my book would have turned into a Three Stooges episode.

I also write romantic suspense. Some of it can be pretty dark. In A Deadly Love, a serial killer is cutting the hearts out of women--literally. But there's a giant dog who constantly digs holes in the neighbor's yard and a grandmother who wears tie-dye and has some great one-liners. They make the reader smile. (I hope.) Again, a little balance to keep the reader entertained while they bite their knuckles, wondering who the killer will strike down next.

So, do you like your romantic comedy with an underside of drama...and vice versa? Or is mixing genres not your thing?

Visit me at my website to find out more about me and my mishmashed works! 

Do Your Characters Have Horrible Bosses? by Jannine Gallant

I don't think I've ever had a horrible boss. Guess that makes me lucky. I've been a boss--hopefully not a horrible one! LOL Which led me to think about my characters and what sort of bosses I'd given them. Mentally going through my books, it suddenly occurred to me that NONE of them have had bosses! Self-employment seems to be a common denominator for my heroes and heroines. Creative self-employment.

For my Redemption cowboy books, I had a rancher (okay maybe not so creative in a cowboy story) and a woman starting her own catering business. Also, the owner of a daycare center and a man who carved animal sculptures with a chainsaw. (Now that's pretty creative!)

In my Secrets of Ravenswood series, my three heroes were a rescue dog trainer, a sports store mogul, and a contractor. The heroines were a disaster site relief worker (she was the majority shareholder for the charity), a genealogist, and the owner of a ballet school. No bosses in the bunch!

I could go on and on--okay, I will. Rock star, children's book illustrator, country inn owner, cosmetic queen turned dog treat entrepreneur, computer geek extraordinaire, and a commercial jingle writer. Those were the stars of my Class of '85 books.

Apparently I don't like having my characters work for people. Could be because I'm not very good at taking orders. I tend to be a tad bossy...just ask my kids. Obviously this has rubbed off on my heroes and heroines.

So, if you're a writer, what sort of careers have you given your characters? Do they have horrible bosses--or no bosses at all? If you're a reader, does it matter to you what the characters in a book do for a living? Do I wrack my brain to come up with creative and unusual jobs for no reason at all, or do I get kudos for going the extra mile to make my characters interesting?

For more information about my self-employed characters, check out my Website. Or, follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

Success or Failure--It's All About Expectations by Jannine Gallant

Is one man's success another man (or woman's) failure? Of course. We all have different expectations, and more often than not, those expectations change over time. Early on in my writing career, success meant getting published. Simple. Straightforward. A tangible goal. I jumped up and down with joy when my first book was accepted. I can still remember that feeling...but my goals have changed over the last five years. Some authors see success as getting a Big 5 contract or having their books on shelves in brick and mortar bookstores. Some people believe self-publishing doesn't count. It means you failed to get a real publisher to accept your book. There are all sorts of different opinions about success in this business.

A friend once made a comment that stuck with me--probably because it irritated the hell out of me at the time. She asked wasn't my writing a hobby not a career since I'm really not making much money? There it is, the dreaded M word. No one wants to talk about it. Is that the definition of success? Is making money--whether it's with a small press or a large one or by self-publishing--the definition of success? When it comes right down to it, that's my current goal. I'm not retired. I have a day job, but I want to keep writing so I'm willing to try every avenue available to achieve success.

There's one more way to look at success (okay maybe more than one, but one I'm going to talk about). Reviews. Do the people who read our books like them? Are we satisfied we're producing the best book we can. If the answer to those two questions is yes, does that mean we're successful authors? Again, it's all about expectation.

There are a couple of things that make me feel successful. A few days after the free period for my most recent release, Asking For Trouble, I checked my Amazon rankings and noticed all 9 of the books on my back list had dropped at the same time. My conclusion: someone who had downloaded my new release when it was free had read it and liked it so much they bought all my other books. THAT felt like success. These little moments make what we do worthwhile.

Another milestone--I just signed a contract with Kensington (ebook and POD but with the option for mass market paperback) for a three book suspense series. It's an excellent feeling. Will I be successful with this new venture? I guess we'll see. What I truly believe is we have to keep pushing ourselves and trying different things to discover what works for us as individuals. Have I given up on self-publishing where I did see some degree of monetary success? Nope. I plan to self-pub a historical this summer. I'm looking forward to the challenge of promoting a book all the publishers said had great characters and writing but was set in a time period too difficult to sell. Maybe I'll use that as my catch phrase. This book is so odd you have to read it!

So, now you've heard what I think about success. What's your definition? Inquiring minds want to know!

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How Do HOT Covers Affect Free Promotion? by Jannine Gallant

There's been a lot of discussion about promoting books by offering them for free on a few of the various author loops. Some think it's a great idea. Some view it as cheapening something they worked hard to create. I'm actually for it since, over all, free has affected my sales in a positive manner. I see it as one more tool to get my book into the hands of readers who have never heard of me. But all my attempts at giving my books away for free have not had the same results. Being of an analytical frame of mind, I have to ask why.

To date, I've had three experiences with free books. Some were offered multiple times, but my figures reflect the best results for each. They vary widely, as you'll see. For each of these promotional efforts, I used the same tactics. I blogged all over the place. I plagued my Facebook friends and posted about my free book on various FB sites designed for this purpose. I tweeted my brains out and begged my author buddies in several support groups to do the same. Most importantly, I submitted my books to all the free listing sites out there. A lot of the results had to do with which books were featured, and that's kind of a crap shoot. However, I think there's one other important element. The cover.

All that squawking and shouting about your book drives initial downloads and moves you up in those oh so mysterious and important Amazon rankings. If you can tip your book into the top #100, you stand a chance of success. In this case, success being thousands of downloads. The key at that point is to stay in the top #100. By the time you get there, everyone on social media is tired of hearing from you. Basically, your book cover now has to do the work for you. Readers actually look at those free books in the top 100, and yours has to catch their eye for them to download it. I have to say, covers do matter. The hotter the better!

So, here are my results. My first attempt at Free was with Lonely Road To You. This was part of a group series, and 5 authors participated in the promotion effort. The result, almost 3,000 downloads. Follow up sales. Pathetic. My conclusion, 3000 downloads didn't make a blip in the market.

My second foray was with the first book in my indie series. We'll Never Tell came in at just under 12,000 downloads. The results were an upsurge in sales for the whole series that lasted well into the month. I was pretty darned happy about this one!

And finally, Asking For Trouble, which had it's free day a week ago. Downloads almost hit the 17,000 mark! I was pretty impressed. The results have been steady sales but not what I'd hoped for in the way of numbers. This book has a prequel, and it has also had some new traffic. My conclusion is book #1 in a series will generate the most sales over all after the free days are over.

But what about that hot factor? Check out my covers. Lonely Road To You is pleasant but not spectacular. We'll Never Tell is eye catching but not really hot. I wasn't quite ready to go bare-chested with that one. Asking For Trouble has a hot cowboy splashed across the front.  What do you think? 5,000 more downloads for Mr. Sexy. I have a feeling there may be more bare chested covers in my future!

Find out more about me and my books on my Website. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter.

Free Books and Cowboys - What's Not to Love? by Jannine Gallant

Yep, Asking For Trouble is free for five days only on Amazon! You can get your copy HERE.

Why should you download it, you might ask? I know, I know—there are a gazillion free books floating around out there. What makes mine special? We all think are books are special, right? That's why we love them. So let's see if I can come up with a few reasons Asking For Trouble is unique. And, I'll give you some book snippets to keep you interested. (I hope!)

1) My hero is a cowboy who makes his living with a chainsaw.

Only one thing in the state of Texas was louder than the whine of Cole Matheson’s chainsaw—the red-haired demon child he called a nephew. Easing a final cut into the cedar antler of the life-sized moose, he killed the engine, pushed safety glasses up beneath the brim of his weathered tan Stetson, and turned on the ladder to stare down at the baby squirming in his brother’s grip.

“How do you stand that racket?”

The screaming stopped, leaving blessed silence, as the ten-month-old grinned a mostly toothless smile and waved pudgy arms.

“What kind of question is that coming from a man who makes a living with a chainsaw?”

2) My hero uses duct tape to fix his problems—okay, lots of guys do that. But how many use it on a baby?

She raised her hands, palms out. “I change enough diapers during working hours—where I’m paid. Go ahead.”

His pleading look had probably charmed plenty of women out of their panties. Miranda crossed her legs.

“I suck at it. Please.”

Drawing in a breath, she silently called herself a sucker, but finally relented. “Fine.” Laying Jackson on his back, she slid down his little blue jeans—and stared in utter disbelief. Silver duct tape wrapped around the disposable diaper in a diabolical pattern. Maybe if she had some scissors… Lifting her chin, she met Cole’s gaze and raised one brow.

His cheeks reddened. “The diapers kept coming loose and falling off. Duct tape fixes everything.”

3) My hero proposes with a purple plastic ring.

The door slapped, and his boots thumped. When she opened her eyes, he was kneeling before her with his fist held out. Slowly, he turned it over and opened it. On his palm rested a purple rubber circle with yellow stars stamped into it. Miranda pressed a hand against her mouth to keep from laughing.

“It came off one of Jackson’s toys, and I stuck it in a drawer to keep him from eating it.” Cole took her hand and held it tightly between his. “I love you more than chocolate bars and chainsaws. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man in Texas?”

Does Miranda say yes? Download the book to find out. Did I mention it's free Feb. 18-22. LOL Just click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by. For more info on all my books, visit my website.

Asking For Trouble--And Getting It! By Jannine Gallant

The long awaited sequel to Nothing But Trouble is finally here! Okay, long awaited by me--and maybe my mom, a couple of close friends... LOL Asking For Trouble released just after Christmas on Amazon, and it actually falls into our Forward and Backward theme.

Miranda and Cole have a past. He believes, if they put some effort into it, they could still look forward to a future together. She's afraid--terrified--to go backward. Everything she knows about Cole leads her to believe he'll just break her heart--again!

Here's the blurb:

Daycare owner, Miranda O’Neill isn’t looking for a miracle. But that’s what it’ll take to convince Cole Matheson the American Dream isn’t a trap designed to suck the life out of a man. She wants a house with a white picket fence. He wants adventure. She yearns for babies of her own. He’s perfectly content claiming his aging hound as his only dependent. The one thing they agree on—they can’t keep their hands off each other.

Six months before, they’d admitted love wasn’t enough and parted ways. But when Cole finds himself in charge of his nephew for the ten longest days of his life, only one person can save him.

Will Miranda put aside her heartache to jump into the fray? Can Cole find any redeeming qualities in a demon in a diaper? Either way, both know they’re just asking for trouble.

And now a snippet to show you just why going forward might not be such a smart move for these two...

   “I loved you, you know.”
   His words knocked the breath out of her. Tears burned behind her eyelids, and she blinked to keep them from falling. “I loved you, too. It’s why I ended things when I did.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “Do you know how much it hurt to walk away?”
   “You didn’t have to.” Stepping forward, he brushed her cheek with his thumb.
   She backed away on trembling legs, knowing all those emotions she’d fought so hard to control were bubbling to the surface, ready to spill over. “You don’t want a family. I do.”
   “Having a family doesn’t need to be about kids.” The smile on his lips didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We could get a puppy or two, or maybe one of those cute little pot-bellied pigs if you want something to baby.”
   She sighed. “You’re all about having fun, being impulsive, letting nothing tie you down. And there isn’t anything wrong with that. But I need an actual grown-up for a life partner, not a guy who never outgrew boyhood.”
   His eyes flashed with a hint of anger. “Hey, I have responsibilities. When someone orders a bear or a moose or a freaking dinosaur, I deliver the finished product on schedule.”
   “But you accept only enough work to survive on, leaving yourself plenty of free time to play.” When he opened his mouth, she held up her hand. “More power to you. Your life is a good one. For you. But I want more than having the man I love drop a distracted kiss on my forehead before he takes off on a two week backpacking trip.” She drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “That would be fine once in a while, but you’re gone as often as you’re home. Babies weren’t our only sticking point, Cole.”
   In the silence that followed her words, a scratch on the door grated down her spine like nails on a chalk board. Turning, she opened it and stepped back to let Tucker inside. His toenails clicked against the hardwood floor.
   “I’m going now.”
   He nodded, defeat dimming those compelling eyes. “Thanks for coming over.”
   “You’re welcome. I guess I’ll see you on Monday when you drop Jackson off at the daycare.”
   “Sure.”
   Crossing the porch, she tilted her face up to the cool night breeze. But it couldn’t dry the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Find Asking For Trouble HERE. Links to all my books are on my WEBSITE.

Happy New Year!