Nancy Lee Badger Interviews Lynda K. Scott

Nancy- Lynda K. Scott stopped by for a little one-on-one as she shares her latest release, Riding The Odds. This book is science fiction romance and was released on February 3rd. Please tell my readers a little bit about your book.  

Lynda- Riding The Odds is a story of beating impossible odds to survive and to thrive when it seems the entire galaxy is against you. Tara Rowen survived the Risien Plague but lost her family. She’s rescued by missionaries but the rescue ship crashes on an outlawed planet. She accepts a Wild Rider, Zie, but has to flee to keep Zie and herself safe. She ends up on Bittersweet, a planet of down-on-their-luck settlers and hiding-from-the-law criminals but she learns to play poker and to create jewelry from a mentor there. All this before she turns 14. By the time she’s an adult, she’s a crewman on a cargo ship but her heart is always with the family-style space ship her parents owned before their deaths. She has a new identity for herself and Zie when the odds turn in her favor and she’s able to salvage the trade ship and re-name it Rowenhawk. She stays just above bankruptcy and obeys the laws…until her Rider, Zie, names a devastatingly handsome man as Tara’s mate. Although Riding The Odds is a science fiction romance, I’ve also done paranormal and horror, but I tend to gravitate toward science fiction. I’ve found that I can blend science and paranormal elements to make what I like to call Science Fantasy. I’m weird like that.

Nancy- Nothing wrong with that! When did you start writing toward publication?

Lynda- I started with short fiction a looonnngggg time ago in a land far away. No, wait, that’s a different story. It has been a long time though. As I said earlier, I started with short fiction, made some sales, got a huge number of rejection slips and spent a lot of money on stamps. Yes, I started before it became common to email your manuscript to your editor.  

Nancy- Why have you become a published author?    

Lynda- What else was I supposed to do with all these stories floating around in my head? Stories exist to be read, to be shared and/or to teach. So I needed to find a publisher for them.

Nancy- What is your writing routine like?

Lynda- I take care of my furbabies, the alien kitten Wookie and my darling Skye, a Golden Retriever first, then prep breakfast for myself and hubby. I try to get most of my writing done from mid-morning to noon, then in the evening. Of course, there are times when I get more or less writing time but my family and my pets tend to be time sponges unless I get very firm with them.

Nancy- Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?  

Lynda- I LOVE people telling me that they loved the story or the characters. I LOVE hearing them say they cried at the sad parts or bit their nails at the scary parts. I LOVE hearing them tell me how much THEY loved the ending or the characters or…anything really. It’s like hearing a teacher praise your child when you go to Parent-Teacher conferences. It just makes you want to smile and say, ‘Hey, I created that!’

Nancy- Will you share some encouraging words for authors still struggling for that first contract? 

Lynda- Don’t give up when you get that nasty rejection letter (and you will). Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep sending your manuscripts out. Eventually you’ll get the last laugh, just as I did.

Please Share three fun facts about you that most people don’t know.

1) If a tiny kitten has lost its mother, I know how to teach it to go potty.

2) I can bake a cake on a camp fire.

3) I know how to churn butter (learned at my grandmother’s knee).

Did I mention I’m a font of useless and possibly scary information?

What’s next for you?

Right now I’m working on book 2 in my Rider universe. It’s tentatively titled Riding The Storm and is about Christopher Drummond, aka Drummer, who made an appearance in Riding The Odds. He’s an ice jockey who wants revenge on the villain who tried to kill Tara in Riding The Odds.

BOOK BLURB   Spaceship captain Tara Rowan has a Rider—an organic symbiote—that enhances Tara's physical abilities. But she can never risk anyone discovering her Rider's true origins. Especially not the sexily dangerous stranger who appears out of nowhere. Trace Munroe is looking for a kidnapped princess, and the only way to find her is to blackmail Tara. Except that a blazing attraction to Tara is definitely complicating things...and if Trace follows his code of honor, it could destroy the woman he's falling for.

How can my readers buy your book?

Readers can go to the Entagled Publishing's HOME PAGE     

Buy Links….  Amazon    Barnes& Noble 

 

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lynda K. Scott is a member of RWA and several RWA chapters. She has been a member of the Horror Writers of America and the SFFWA (for science fiction writers) which was also a good learning source.

You can find more information about 

Lynda K. Scott here:

WEBSITE    TWITTER    Facebook Author Page

GOODREADS    LINKEDIN    NEWSLETTER

Ally Broadfield Shares Just A Kiss

My guest is author Ally Broadfield, who stopped by to share some insights about her writing career with my readers. 

Nancy Lee: Welcome! Tell us about how you became a writer.

Ally: When I first started writing, I was a total pantser, and I made all the classic newbie mistakes. Though I had a black moment and a beginning, middle, and end, I started the story in the wrong place, there was too much backstory, and most of the scenes were full of fun, witty dialogue and very little conflict. I knew just enough to know my manuscript was a mess, but I didn’t know enough to fix it myself. So I took lots of online classes, read many craft books, and most importantly, keep writing. When I finally sold my first book and was able to submit future projects on proposal, I realized I had to start plotting.

Nancy Lee: I have always had an issue with plotting. What did you learn?

Ally: The first part of a story that comes to me is always the characters. As soon as they’ve taken shape in my mind, I start to think about conflict. I determine the internal and external goals, motivations, and conflicts for the hero and heroine, and make sure their goals are in conflict with one another.

Once those steps are complete, I use the information to help me complete a beat sheet based on the examples in Blake Snyder’s book, Save the Cat. This helps me determine the correct place to start the story, the inciting incident, turning points, and resolution. If you’re not familiar with it, Save the Cat is written in an entertaining, easy to understand style that makes the information easily accessible, even to those unfamiliar with screenwriting techniques. (For more information about beat sheets, see Pat Haggerty’s excellent post about Using Scrivener to Save the Cat)

Nancy Lee: I recently purchased the book First Draft in 30 Days by Karen S. Wiesner, and it has helped me get the character names, descriptions, and goals set in an outline of the story. Tell us more.

Ally: Once the beat sheet is complete, it’s easy to create a synopsis if needed for a submission package or pitch. I’ve also found that I write a lot faster after completing a beat sheet, but still have the freedom to make changes as I go.

Nancy Lee: What’s next for you?

Ally: I’m currently working on the first round of edits for a Regency-set romantic suspense that is the second book of a continuity series with four other authors. It will release in early 2015. I’m also writing the first draft of a Regency romance with a dash of mystery that will release this fall. After that I will be revising the first draft of a single title Regency that is the sequel to Just a Kiss and will tell Anna’s story. It should also be released in early 2015.

BOOK BLURB

Charlotte Lightwood has one season to find a husband or she’ll be forced to marry her guardian’s loathsome cousin. With no title or dowry, she doesn’t have much hope of making a good match. Sebastian Wilkinson, the Earl of Marley, has been the most eligible bachelor on the marriage mart for more years than he cares to count and is very aware of his duty to marry a woman who will add to the wealth and stature of his title. Sebastian makes Charlotte an offer she can’t refuse: he will pretend to court her to help her attract more suitors in exchange for her advice about which ladies he should pursue. As they work together, their mutual attraction grows. When they realize they just might be perfect for one another, they must decide whether to bow to the dictates of society or follow their hear

EXCERPT from Just A Kiss

“You should also consider Lady Hoskins. Though she appears quiet initially, you’ll discover she’s quite intelligent upon closer association. As the daughter of a duke, she exceeds your requirements.”

He seemed overly interested in the pattern of the parquet floor and didn’t answer immediately. “I’ll take your suggestion under consideration.”

Charlotte raised her eyebrows. “Have you spent any time with her this week?”

“I’m afraid she’s too…perfectish.”

She stopped and turned toward him. “Perfectish?”

He lowered his head and gazed into her eyes. “Yes, perfectish. It’s a clear indication that some horrible fault will come to the surface the moment you’ve irrevocably declared your intentions.”

She allowed one corner of her mouth to curve upward. “Well, then. I guess it’s a good thing I could never be considered perfectish.”

His eyes darkened as he leaned closer. “No, you are certainly not too perfectish.”

She struggled to catch her breath and turned away from his intense gaze. “Where are we?” They had been walking much longer than should have been necessary. Marley Hall was exceptionally large, but surely they should have reached the main stairwell by now.

“In the east wing.”

“I thought you were concerned about leaving the duke and duchess waiting. Have you lost your way in your own home?”

Sebastian shot her a sheepish smile. “They’re not actually waiting. I was the one impatient to get started, but now that you’re entertaining me, I feel no particular need to hurry.”

“Odious man,” Charlotte mumbled under her breath, turning away to hide her smile from him.

Nancy Lee: How can my readers buy your book?

Ally: Readers can go to the Entangled Publishing page for Just a Kiss to see all of the purchase options: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/just-a-kiss/

Ally Broadfield

More About the Author

Ally has worked as a horse trainer, director of marketing and development, freelance proofreader, and a children's librarian, among other things. None of them were as awesome as writing romance novels (though the librarian gig came closest). She lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly because she shares it with three kids, five dogs, a cat, a rabbit, and assorted reptiles. Oh, and her husband. Ally likes to curse in Russian because very few people know what she's saying, and spends most of what would be her spare time letting dogs in and out of the house and shuttling kids around. She has many stories in her head looking for an opportunity to escape onto paper. She writes historical romance set in Regency England and Imperial Russia.

You can find more information 

about Ally Broadfield at:

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And check out her

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