Wednesday, February 22, 2012

VOICE

The concept of voice is something new authors have a hard time grasping.  What is voice?  How do we find ours?  How do we cultivate it?

Have you seen the tv program ‘The Voice’?  Aptly named for the topic of my blog.  I’d actually never seen this show until the last couple of weeks.  Now I’m quite enjoying it.  It’s interesting that we get to watch the judge’s faces during the blind auditions while they listen and try to decide if they’re hearing a voice they’ll want to represent.

I had a light bulb moment when one singer came out and started singing with a voice somewhat like Melanie singing “Brand New Key,” but not really —A voice that is hard to describe with a unique twist all her own.  I watched the judge’s expressions perk up one after another.  Voice!  Recognizable as something the audience would be drawn to, but significantly different enough to be very unique in the marketplace.  I’ll be following the show to see how she fares out in the competition because I find her uniqueness very compelling.

Isn’t that what we strive for as authors?  Of course we’re born with our voice, but how many of us trust it enough to give it the freedom to find its way in the writing biz.  Some people spend most of their time trying to sound like someone else.  And they even compare themselves to other authors when pitching their book.  This is not something I’d ever do.   Why?  Because I don’t want to sound like someone else.  And I’m not afraid to let my muse loose in my writing.  <G>  I want to be like this mysterious, marvelous, strangely compelling singer — I'd like to be completely unique but with an essence or element to my writing that feels familiar, and recognizable, and something my readers are looking for.
When I saw those judges faces and heard that voice, I knew exactly how to describe "Voice" to writers. 







Saturday, February 18, 2012

REVIEW of WHAT SHE DOESN'T KNOW

My Review: Smitten With Reading Christi Snow



There is a whole history in this book that neither you nor the heroine knows and that makes this book so much fun to read. Raven is the heroine of this novel and she is looking for her dead husband who tried to kill her. Something just isn't right about his death and she can't hide out in her house any longer, so she decides to take action. That action leads her to Sloan, her husband's look-alike cousin, although she doesn't realize that they are related, and a mystery about her life that she doesn't remember.



And I don't know what else to say about this book without giving something away. Before the book even starts, you are given a poem (which is just gorgeous) that plays into the story line of the entire novel.



On an Island

In an Ocean

Lies a Castle

Heart's Devotion



King and Queen

And Golden Princess

Behold their Realm

With Guarded Interest



Beyond the Sea

Beyond the Wall

A Name that Doesn't Suit

At All



The Key Becomes

For those who Seek

The Answer to its own

Mystique



I just love it and I really enjoyed the entire story! There is great suspense here and the basis for a gorgeous romance. There are several mysteries here. First, the questions about what happened to Raven's parents? Is her husband really dead? Why doesn't she remember a huge chunk of her life including Sloan? How does the Protectorate and the treasures they protect come into it all? Who's the mysterious stranger on the island? What is Raven not remembering? It's all really very good!



If there is one complaint that I have about this book, it's that the author didn't compound on the romantic story line and sexual tension more. All the elements were there and what is there was really good...I just wanted more. More in the way of sexual tension and more in the way of the HEA. I am thinking that this may be the beginning of an ongoing series with these two characters though. If that's the case, then I completely agree with how much the author put in this one. The door is definitely there for Sloan &amp; Raven to create a partnership going after the American Protectorate and if that's the case, I can't wait until the next book!