Writing the romance

So,  the big day is nearly here when my first romance novel will be ready for publication.
Right now I'm taking a break from reading the final edit and I must say,  I really like it.   It's bringing back memories of when I wrote it, it was last year if you remember.
It was rather tricky as there is No Fantasy elements to it,  no,  not one.   Now that is odd for me but I got a sudden rush of inspiration and these two characters were born.   I wanted to make a somewhat,  modern tale so I included text messages in the first few chapters.   I mean,  where would we be without texting I guess,  I had to wait for my mum to say I could use the house phone before I could call a friend or wait until the next day to tell a girlfriend something exciting.
Now writing romance was a little tricky,  I'm not a big fan of reading romance in the first place,  a little romance here and there is nice for the development of characters and the story but a book of nothing but smush ? Nope.   Also,  I don't like how sex is such a big part of it too,  I had to read some romance books and shorts and wow,  it's madness how much detail the readers of romance go into.   (Those of you who have ever read a Mills and Boon will know what I mean,  I couldn't even finish one. )
Now I was given advice while writing this novel,  apart from the usual talking to other people and reading romance novels., I was told I should date,  whether it was the same guy or a few guys.   Join a dating web site,  experience the thrill of meeting someone and so on.  I will be honest I didn't do that,  I whole heartedly refused to do that for a novel,  its just not me,  I don't really do dates.   I'm sorry to say that I was still in a bad place after parting ways with my long term partner,  and when I say long term I meant we got together at 16 and he was all I ever knew.
But you know,  it did inspire me,  the feelings I was going through,  like,  because I had only known him,  if you know what I mean,  how would I feel about seeing someone else?  Think about it,  when you broke up with you're first real relationship,  how did you feel about another man\woman being in you're life?  I was terrified.... And still am,  again it's nothing I am ashamed of,  being single and not jumping into the arms of the first guy that came along.   It did make me think and take notes, and do you know what I discovered?   Little things I took for granted like eating in front of someone you like,  burping,  saying silly things.   It made me realise I would be starting all over again,  it would be the shyness around meeting someone,  the allowing them close to me,  trusting them.   This was perfect for my character building,  the more I thought about it the more realalistic they became.
The biggest hurdle I think was the moment the characters did eventually sleep together,  I have NEVER blushed,  deleted and retype a part so many times. You see,  Gaia ,  my main character is a Virgin ,  Andy is not,  so once he finds out theres going to be some kind of pressure on him.   I mean,  it's her first time and he cares for her deeply,  so naturally he doesn't want to hurt her.
Then if you flip the coin,  Gaia is going to be terrified,  I think most people could remember having some kind of fear,  I think it's harder for the men to be honest because they have to take the lead as it were.   Now,  I used my own situation to help me write this moment,.   I thought,  hay,  how will you feel when you do meet someone special and you both get to the point you're going to sleep together for the first time,  how will you feel?   Well,  seeing as it would be only the second person ever,  it would be like going back again,  I would be terrified,  experienced,  but scared.   So using my own thoughts I think I pulled that part off OK.
Now,  from what I researched I can see the cliché is all around in the word of a romance novel,  girl meets boy,  they fall in love but something always tried to stop them and so on. To be honest,  and I'm sure you've read this from me so many times,  I HATE cliché nothing but and it gets a bit boring for me,  but....... I was presently surprised to discover that you can have a romance novel with fewer cliché.
I wanted to make the characters as real as possible,  so,  once again I used my own self and others as inspiration.   Like Andy wanting to message her,  the way he just sends her sweet messages for no reason other than to say,  hay,  I'm thinking about you.   I would love someone I was interested in to do that,  I'm a bit of a softie at heart really and little romantic things like that really do make my heart melt.
Also you know what this novels makes me realise as I sit here proof reading it?   It makes me realise no matter what,  romance never dies,  it always lives in you,  sometimes it's buried by the negative feelings left behind by someone you once loved or by a broken heart.   If Andy and Gaia can over come their own personal issues and learn to love and trust then why not in real life?
It's like I say about life,  even if one door closes behind you,  lots more open in front,  you just have to take that first step towards it.   So,  I know sometimes it feels impossible and you might be scared of getting hurt,  but I believe that even under all that hurt that has left nothing,  or heart break,  you can open you're heart again and maybe find someone you can at least get to know.   I think,  since I'm not a party girl who likes to drink and so on,  I think I will take my own advice here, and take it slow,  get to know someone I'm interested in and see where it goes...... Of course when that opportunity comes along,  and of course someone I want to get to know.   My friend Amy says I have odd tastes in men,  I don't agree but she says me liking older men is weird and I should stick to some one my own age.   What can I say to that,  not much really,  I think she says that because she knows who I find attractive and likes to take the micky out of me for it.
Anyway i' m not Turing this into some cheesy chapter of a biography where I tell you down to the last detail what kind of man I like.  
I guess it lets you into the how I created this novel and maybe a little about how I see romance myself.   And yes Amy a little about the men I like,  even though that's not that many.... If any.... OK just one.... MAYBE.  Not that it'll ever happen. 

Well,  I will keep you posted as to the date of publication,  I'm so excited,  I found a old photo I took years ago on on holiday and I just Ave to use it for the front cover.

Until then lovlies

We all need a hero in life. Mine is my Grandpa.

I know this is a little off topic for my blog but just wanted to share, and I guess it does connect in some way.

Hero. That one person we look up to, aspire to be. Everyone has one weather it's a family member, teacher, someone famous and so on.

My hero in life has been and always will be my Grandpa Cyril.  He was a security guard as o grew up but you know the statue of Winston Churchill in London? He helped make that as a lad.
He always taught me that I had to work hard in life, nothing was free and if there's something you want, save and work hard for it.
We also sat and watched nature programmes together on the BBC religiously, this lead me to loving nature, then to the world around me, then the star's above and of course, asking why. That lead to science for me.
He also tops my mum to 'shut up and leave her alone' whenever I sat on my own with pencil, later pen, and paper writing. He has always supported me even to this day.
So I guess without my Grandpa, I would have been.a completely different person. I'm lucky enough to know my hero, I mean it is sad when you have to watch them go from the tall, strong independent man you grew up with, to a frail old man they do turn into. But it's life I guess.

My first book I dedicated to my Grandpa and I even immortalised him as a character in it too.

There is no real point to this blog I guess, but, you know, it is nice to think about the person who has helped shape you're path in life, held you're hand, walked beside you and supported you all the way. It's even better to thank them in any small way, hold their hand as it were when they need you.

Here's to all the hero's out there.

Character Profile-: Special Agent Dallas Greenway

So here we are, Special agent Greenway and his character profile for you all.  This is my first real attempt at a novel fully from a male's point of view.  I dont mean like a fantasy character where he'll be a typical strong hero or the weak man who turns into the hero the reader wants him to be.
This is a man who is fully grown, he'll be set in his way's, he'll know of the world and, won't be your fantasy hero.....becasue this will be no fantasy.  To be honest, I'm not ever sure where this will fall under genre wise, but hay, Prisoner 702 was too good a character and there was no place to put her, so the only thing I coud think of was give her, her own novel.  Then up popped the Special Agent and the rest, as they say is history. (Who is they anyway, I never understand some sayings.  Like who is this happy Larry, I mean I'm pretty well known for being happy nearly all of the time.  And dont even get me started on the barge pole thing.  If you can't tell I have had Peter Kay on tonight....after I watched The Drake Equation, Bang Goes the Theory.  Yes I know AGAIN but shuush I like it and it helps me concerntrate....when I'm not looking up at certain points or laughing at a certain someone.)

Anyway, as usual, I digress, so here we are, a basic character profile to wet you're appitite.

Dallas Greenway, Special Agent for the company simply known as 'The Agency.'  They are run by an unknown benifactor and have bases all around the world in every major city.  Their number's are small but they only hire 'The Best.'
(History of "The Agency' will follow.')

Personal Information

Age-: 38
Appearence-: Green eyes with a small birth mark on the Iris of the eye, brown. (Yes you can have birth marks on the actual eye itself, if you ever see someone with a small, or even large brown spot on their, nine times ot of ten it is just a halmless birthmark.  Still, if you have one go to your Opticians just to double check.  See you learn new things too, as most of my older readers know I work in optics, just becasue I'm a lab tech by day doesnt mean I can't nerd out at the ENTIRE world of optics, becasue I did from the moment I started.  Sorry I did it again, digressing.)  His hair is dark brown with slight sliver here and there, not grey, silver.
His build has always been somewhat fit and healthy, very little body fat but recently he has noticed his gut has started to show and he doesnt feel as fit as he used to as a younger man.  He put's it down to age.
Dallas always wear's a suit, not always a tie and often has his top two buttons undone.  He always has light stubble, the length will show how deep he is in a case, clean shaven is for specil occations only, the longer the stubble, the deeper he is on the case.

Personal Info-: At an early age Dallas showed signs of being an over achiever due to his father's harsh words.  Dallas was the middle child of three boys and somewhat shunned by his siblings and father.  He spent all if his youth working hard at school and later college.  In his second year his mother was gunned down during a robbery gone wrong, it was though this Dallas decided to become a police officer.  His father never once told him he was proud, they never had a bond before his mothers death and it seemed to get worse after.  Even the day he graduated there was no sign of his father.
Dallas also married young age, he married his first girlfriend, who was older than himself by two years.  They met at fifteen and married not long after he turned seventeen as she annouced she was with child.  Dallas being a well bought up boy decided they should marry.  It was clear to everyone, sadly that this was not a marriage for love, for Dallas it was anyway.  They had a daughter and things seemed bliss for him, until he was approached by 'The Agency' he was the top of his station and well known through out his county, and later the city.  He worked the streets but quickly went onto solving larger cases and, more recently, interviewing the 'harder' criminals.  "The Agency' took on Dallas and furthered his natural talent at being able to read and break people and soon he was traveling around the world assigned to cases the world was unaware of.  (Like tackling large crime organisations and the such, or if you're a DC fan, capturing people like Two Face and so on.  Big time criminals.)
By this time his daughter was in primary school and his wife wanted for nothing as he had little to no time or desire to spend his growing wealth.
Dallas works hard, forsaking those around him to get his man, he basically locks himself away in his study, or what ever home "The Agency' hires him.  He becomes emerced in his case, he wants to do good and that is the only thing on his mind, he doesnt want anyone else to loose a loved one the way he did.  He has a deep seeded hatered for criminals after his mothers death, he can come a crossed as cold and quite distent with them refering to them as scum and so on.  But at the end of the day everything he does, he does for a better world and to look after his famiy.
In his eyes he had the perfect life, a great job fulfilling his desire to protect and rid the streets of crime, a wonderful wife and a fastly growing beautiful daughter.  Yet, unknow to Dallas his wife was becomming more and more distent with him, their arguments in home and over the phone became an every day thing and not long after their daughter tuned fourteen, she filed for a divorce.  (I might add she had been seeing someone else behind his back for over a year.)  By now, Dallas had already given  into the fact there was no love between them and it was only a marriage of comfort for her and loyalty for him, even though his younger self did love his wife, he now feels shut away.  Being the good man he hoped his mother wanted, Dallas gave his former wife their home and a large sum of his wealth so she could take care of their daughter, he also made sure their daughter was well taken care of in the fiture, money wise.  Sadly for Dallas, his daughte takes a sour side, mostly from listening to her mother.  She always tells him she hates him and now a teenager, walks away when ever he comes to see her.  Yet, Dallas doesn't let her teenage moods get to him, he knows it's hard on her and still sends her messages every second day and calls once a week.  He visits as often as he can even if it is to a cold reception or a closed door.  His daughter is his world.
It took him a while before he dated again, when he did it was 'nice girls' or girls his work mates set him up with.  But soon, no longer interested in having a partner, Dallas became distent with the dating world and fell deeper into his work.

All in all Dallas is a very good man and will stop at nothing to complete the task given to him. He had never failed and I can't see him taking failure well if he were.  I mean he doesnt have a temper to the point of loosing it, he just can't really control it.  I think when he meets Prisoner 702 it will really show, she'll be able to push his buttons and show his, somewhat rasher side.  But that's just her I guess.  I ran a few test paragraphs with them in the interview room and I can't believe how easy it was to have them bounching off one another, it was like a comedy act.  I think it's the combination of his sense of justice, very much like Batman i guess, without the 100% serious 'I'm Batman' thing, and her mystic, her out look is very casual, she finds lots amusing while he doesnt.  (I'm going to tell you very little about Prisoner 702, she's tooooooo wonderful and I want to keep as much a secret as possible)
Now I dont want you thinking this is going to be some Harley Quin/Joker style novel where she seduces him for her own gains, no, she is more than able to gets what wants with out the need for seduction.  (Although I am contemplating a dream sequence later in the plot to show how much she messes with his head. Lets face it, I'm not a '50 shades of grey' author, read one page of that and said, hell no.  Best friend said I was blushing, you know we all have that one outwardly gay friend?  Well mine let me read a page that was, well lets just say it was not my thing.  Plus the one 'sex scene' I have written was more cuddly.....and It took me a few goes to write it....I know what you're thinking Daimon becasue I KNOW you so well.  I didnt 'have a go' at anything so no texting or calling me ok.)  Anyway, I did it again, digressing with my own singliton life haha!  I dont want romance between them, not the typical romance any way where they ride off into the sunset, from the rough plot lines I can see there is something between them by the end, weather or not it's love you can see for yourself.  I think it might be a need for one another, like Batman and Joker, or Hannibal Lector and Clarice in "Silence of the Lambs' which is so much beter in book form AFTER watching the movie, you just hear Anthony Hopkins in youre mind whenever Hannibal speaks.

Well, I think that's about all I'm going to give you, quite alot but it gives you an idea of who this man is, I quite like him, I mean, I have to at least like my characters or how else will you.  I took some insprations here and there but also added in some of my own preferences, I think mainly with his apperence.  Like for example, I like older men myself, so I didn't want some young, cliche young buck, also the silver hair is a personal thing too, and lets face it, sometimes it's nice not to have that cliche hot, young, well toned cop who strolls in, wins over the ladies and so on.  (To be hoenst, for me it's all about personality and brains, looks fade but a kind sweet man is a plus...even if they are hard to come by, I'm sure some of you saw that tweet about the WROST chat up line ever, the engenieer about me in a lab coat... that was uncomfortable for sure, and he wasnt my type...too young and not much in the talking department, he did cathc the eyes of one of the girls....for me, if he's smart too thats great, I love listening to interesting people.)  So I have made a tough guy but with my own personal touches I like in a man.  After all, in this novel it's more aimed at a real life situation, not sword weilding warriors charging into battle.  So, I guess putting in real life preferences is a must.  As I said it's the first time I have worked with a male as the main character, I like brancing out of fantasy every once in while.

Now, I really have to give the BIGGEST thank you to Mr Dallas Campbell, I know it might sound slightly silly  me giving such HUGE thanks for a name, but once you finished reading you'll understand.  As you can no doubt guess, Mr Campbell is Special Agent Greenway namesake, is that the right way around, or is Dallas Greenway his name sake?  I think its that way around, I'm not sure, I'll have to ask or it will drive me nuts!
You see, I did have a lot of touble creating his first name, nothing seemed to work in the test scenes, nothing stuck out, their interaction was great but something was missing.  Then I thought, sometimes Prisoner 702 leans foward and talks in a low voice, she taunts him, so I discovered a two syllable name should work, something she can linger on.  Still no luck.  I did try Marshall but that completly flopped.  But then I had the luck to find Dallas Campbell on Twitter, followed him right away for the sciency adventure's of course.  Then after a few days I reaslised something.....Dallas was perfect, those of you who have read my work know I love using different names, not Tom, Bob and so on.  And, here's the great part, it hissed, try it now in you're own head, break it up into two syllable's and hold the last S, that was it, Dallas Greenway was perfect!  Of course I wanted to get blessings before I just used it, after all my grandparents did teach me manners...plus I would hate to ensure my Grandma's stare, she has some stare that still to this day makes me feel like a child.  It's awesome!  I never cross her......I've done it again.. Its alright once you read a few blogs or even meet me you know thats how my brain works, it digresses very easily.  When I get excited it's worse, if you think my writing a blog is bad, wow.    But anyway, I was thanking Mr Campbell, so thank you, really thank you I dont think I could have written such a good plot without you, sometimes a character can be the best thing you ever create in the world of novels, but if their name doesnt work you'll never be happy.  So thank you BIG time, you are so getting a personalised, signed copy once it's done......oh no front cover design ARGH and editing!

But thats another blog

Tatty bye my lovlies