Cheri Champagne Author
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Preparing For NaNoWriMo

10/15/2018

 
Every author has their own method of writing, and preparing to write. Some authors might just put their hands to the keyboard (or their pen/pencil to paper) and let the words flow, the characters and story taking shape as they go, while others thoroughly consider every single nuance of the yet untold story before they finally write it down. And naturally, there are varying degrees of authors that fit in-between. 

For me, I generally have my beginning and ending solid in my mind, and I've plotted out some key moments that I know must happen throughout the middle. I have my characters' outlines, I have places and descriptions, visual inspirations, and research at the ready before I put my hands to my keyboard. Aside from those few plot points, I generally let my hero and heroine tell me where they want to go. I write out detailed plot points roughly a chapter at a time as ideas come to me, but even those notes are largely dictated by my characters. I've never truly been in control of a story, and when I've tried, my characters have rebelled, and my writing went to a stand-still while I attempted to sort out what I'd done wrong.

As some of you might know, this is my first time participating in NaNoWriMo. It'll also be the fastest that I'll ever have had to write a novel, which is troubling. What I've come to realize, is that I need to pre-plot the novel in more detail so that I spend less time considering what my characters want. My challenge, therefore, is figuring out how to control the story without my characters jumping in the way while I'm in the middle of writing during November.

That's where I'm currently at. Still doing my other work, but also trying to sort this out before I submerge myself in the spirit of NaNoWriMo. I'd genuinely never considered how much preparation went into it before now, and I feel like I really should have known. I have a huge amount of respect for people that do this every year. This is a big, big deal.

Book Review: The Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee and Summer Devon

10/3/2018

 
The Gentleman and the RogueThe Gentleman and the Rogue by Bonnie Dee
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 77%. I'll be quick, because I genuinely don't want to dwell on this novel any more than I have to. I had to force myself to read this far because I bought the thing and didn't want to waste my money, but I just can't go any further.

The sex scenes, while plentiful, are almost mechanical and a bit blasé. I wanted to see some heat, some passion between these two, but just like Alan's character, his sex was dull as dirt. What it really needed was some emotion. It felt devoid of feeling, entirely, and even though this was bordering on a historical erotica novel, I did still want to be romanced. Jem might have been hired as a whore, but with Alan he shouldn't have been acting like one, at least not after that first night.

Alan was a two-dimensional character that did absolutely nothing for the book. Jem was honestly the only thing I liked about this story. He was bright and vibrant, and I genuinely couldn't see what he saw in Alan. So much more to say here, but I just don't want to bother getting into it. Put simply, there was zero chemistry, zero emotion, and that left me with zero interest.

The plot, like the sex, was mechanical and predictable. It was so dashed boring, I fell asleep reading it several times, and the only time that's happened before was over a decade ago when I was in university studying for tests late into the night. It felt like the plot about the girl and the doctor was brought in because the authors couldn't think of any other way to get the heroes to do something that's not sex together. The villain was two-dimensional, and the little sprite was the only female in the whole book that gets a line.

This was a big disappointment, because the blurb was promising.

View all my reviews

I'm Part of an Historical Romance Giveaway!

10/2/2018

 
You read that correctly. I'm taking part in a fun new giveaway! The information is below.

A LOVE THAT’S FOREVER
Historical Romance Giveaway
September 27 – October 17

Kindle Fire 7 • Ebook Prize Packs • Amazon Gift Cards

https://bookwrapt.com/love-thats-forever-giveaway/  

Nothing is more romantic than a love that survives or spans the sweep of time, a love that’s forever. Join thirty authors of historical and time travel romance as they celebrate these genres. Will you take home a Kindle or a pack of your favorite ebooks from Amazon? Enter now! You might be one of 7 lucky winners!

Plus, stop by and shop our awesome sale on Medieval, Regency, Victorian, Western, and time travel romances. We even have a bonus giveaway for a stunning porcelain teapot!

https://bookwrapt.com/love-thats-forever-book-fair/


(Sponsored by the 30 authors listed below)

Alexa Aston • Amanda Roberts • Angelique Armae • Annie Boone • Aubrey Wynne • Cheri Champagne • Cherie Mitchell • Christine Sterling • Dawn Marie Hamilton • Deborah M. Hathaway • Emilee Harris • Ginny Sterling • Heidi Kimball • Jennae Vale • Joanna Barker • Johanna Evelyn • Jen Geigle Johnson • Joyce Alec • K A Servian • Karen Michelle Nutt • Kari Trumbo • Kate Cambridge • Kristy Tate • Laura A. Barnes • Marie Higgins • Marlow Kelly • Natalie Dean • Rose Pearson • Sally Britton • Victoria Saccenti • Aileen Harkwood
Picture

    Cheri Champagne

    Award winning historical romance author, wife, and stay-at-home mom of four. Chocoholic, nerd, & bath bomb enthusiast.

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  • Home
  • Bookshelf
    • The Bow Street Wallflowers Trilogy
    • The Seductive Spies Series
    • The Mason Siblings Series
    • Short Stories and Novellas
  • Shop
  • About Cheri
  • Links and References
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • News