Fleshing Out Your Story by Betsy Ashton

Every time I speak to book clubs, I hear the same question: where do you get your ideas? It usually comes halfway through the talk and before the reading. I don't have a stock answer, so I'm going to walk you through how I built a character for a new series.

Back in grad school when dirt was young and dinosaurs were slowly fading away, one of my friends got into trouble with her family when she started dating a guy named Sa-Li Ma.

Hmm, great name. I filed it away at a time when I never thought I'd write one book, let alone plan out a series. Fast forward to now.

I decide to set a novel in Roanoke, VA. I want a stranger in town, someone who will stand out and not fade easily into the local population. I want him to have a prominent position in law enforcement. And I want him to be called Sa-Li Ma.

I have a name. It's a Chinese name. What does this skeleton of a character look like? Well, he's tall because his ancestors come from an area in China where most were horsemen. Why horsemen? Because "ma" in Chinese is horse. He has black hair and eyes, is muscular in a lean sort of way. His face is a land of planes, not at all round.

Good, this name now has a body and a hint of a profession. Let's make him a DEA agent leading a multi-jurisdictional task force charged with slowing or stopping the opioid epidemic sweeping through many southern states. It's an important job, prominent, dangerous.

His age? Ah, he has to be around forty-five. Not much older. Is he married? Here comes a chance for character development and conflict. His wife is dead when the series opens, an FBI agent killed in the line of duty a month before he shows up in town. Does he have children? One. A daughter aged five.

So, where are we? We have a widower in a dangerous job with a princess for a daughter. What opportunities to humanize the tough guy when he has a tea party for her birthday, plays knight-in-shining-armor, and reads her to sleep at night. He needs someone to take care of the little girl, whom we will call Maggie Rose (named after a fellow writer who lost her battle with cancer a few years back). Enter his sister, who has no name right now. Having a Chinese woman living in his house opens the way for misunderstandings about her role in the family.

With this, we have a protagonist who can carry a single novel or multiple novels. His first challenge will be...

Oooh, that would be telling.

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Betsy Ashton is the author of Mad Max Unintended Consequences and Uncharted Territory, A Mad Max Mystery. She has a new short story, "Midnight in the Church of the Holy Grape," in 50 Shades of Cabernet. Her works have appeared in several anthologies and on NPR.

Her Lilac Blouse Matched the Color of Her Eyes --- MY FOOT!

By Andrea Boeshaar

Ah, the male mind. What woman can truly comprehend its complexity? As an author of romance, I certainly try – quite a feat.

For instance, I would once describe, in great length, a woman’s attire as she strode into a room and the handsome, alpha hero got his first glimpse of her. I wrote from the male POV (point of view) and I’ve since learned that he wouldn’t likely notice how her lilac-colored blouse complimented the hue of her violet-blue eyes.

Some men might, yes. But most men – particularly alpha heroes – would not.

To illustrate this point, I conducted my own personal survey. That’s right. I emailed my grown sons. I asked them if, the first time they saw their significant others, they noticed the outfits the young women wore (color of shirt, slacks/jeans, etc). My sons’ replies are as follows:

“Mom, are you kidding me?”

“Mom, is this for one of your books?”

After I replied that yes, it was, a second reply was not forthcoming.

“You don’t want to know what we noticed, Mom. We’re dudes, ok?”

Ok! So much for the lilac-colored blouse…

Of course, I recall what my sons’ girlfriends wore when I first met them. One gal was in Army fatigues as she and my son had just come from their 1 weekend a month duty. Another was casual, wearing jeans and a tee shirt. Another had on a cute jumper and had her hair all curled.

But, realize this: I was “the mom” checking them out – and I’m a writer who is trained to notice details.

The average guy is not.

Regardless,
I went ahead with my survey anyway and asked my husband.

“I noticed your smile,” he said.

At last! A more sensitive guy.

“And those cute, white painter’s pants you used to wear, remember?”

I did.

“But it was your smile I noticed first. Definitely your smile.”

My husband went on to add that he would never describe a lady’s blouse as “lilac.” To him it would be either blue or purple. And he probably wouldn’t even notice a woman’s attire at all, unless it was outrageous or, at least, out of the ordinary.

My survey now complete, I scanned my results and decided that when writing from the male hero’s point of view, it’s best not to overly describe women’s wear and their accessories. A man may very well notice a woman’s tight-fitting jeans or that her sweater looks two sizes too small. But he most likely wouldn’t be aware of colors or whether the sweater had a lovely lace inset around the neckline.

I’m sure you get my point. When we, as authors, have to create a hero and write from his POV, then we  have to step over the line and cross into the dark side – into the male mind!