Jan,
Hocus was the first book of urs that i read. The cover is what got my attenchion and the writing is what held it. I know that i have already commented on two of your other books and said that i loved them but hocus has to be my all time fav. book of yours. I liked how Frank is the one who got taken and Irene didnt sit around and what for something to happen. She got out there and figured it all out. when i got to re-read hocus, chapter 3 is what i turn to first because i love the first two pages.I love the sense of humor that you gave Cassidy.=] Im wondering what made you wirte the story about Franks older sister Diana?I have so many more questions haha
Hocus is special to me, too, Taylor. For me, it marked a point where I started thinking about my books a little differently. And Cassidy — I am so attached to him!
As for why I wrote about Frank’s older sister — even before Hocus, I realized that Frank was someone who was, let’s say, wrapped a little tight. That was in contrast to Irene. She has always been able to get him to loosen up, and not just in the obvious way — there are very few people on earth who can get him to lose his temper, and she’s one of them! When she learns the story of Diane, I think Irene begins to see that Frank has come from a background of a family that kept secrets, not out of shame, but because of a painful memory, a grief that was buried from sight. So getting things out in the open between them is part of how Frank and Irene grow closer.
As for those questions, that’s one of the reasons I started Spoilerville! I love being able to talk to readers in this way, and to hear about their reading experiences! Thanks for participating!
Differently…how? I love how Cassidy is the only one with a southern accent =D Would really like to see him in another book =]
Because Hocus was the first of your books that i read, i already knew that frank was a more reserved person then most of the others when i read the first 4 books. But i really love the relationship between Frank and Irene. In many ways it reminds me of my relationship with my guy. It seems like im one of the few people who can really make him lose his temper haha. I try to picture Frank and Irene having kids….but for some reason i just cant lol. I think the way they are, their relationship is perfect the way you have created it.
What first made you want to write about Irene? When you wrote Goodnight, did you already have the way you wanted sweet dreams to go forming in you head?
After i read hocus i really wanted to try and write my own story like it. I got about 6 chapters done but then i just came to a really big block. That was about 2 years ago and i still havent been able to get rid of my writers block…any tips??
Hi Taylor — I don’t have time at the moment to get to all of these questions, so I’ll do what I can to answer the last one for now.
I said something about writer’s block on the Disturbance post before I saw this note, which has a few more details about your block. Usually, these kinds of blocks come about for one of three reasons. 1) You are trying to make the characters do something they don’t want to do. 2) You don’t feel as if you know the world you are writing about, and are feeling more and more unsure about it. 3) You’ve been interrupted while writing and have talked yourself out of that book — you can’t get yourself back into that fictional world.
The answers, in brief, to these problems are 1) Try to let the characters do their thing without standing in their way or rejecting ideas about them out of hand. It won’t hurt you to write a scene you may get rid of later. Write a scene you may or may not use with two of them, letting them talk or argue or kiss or whatever they need to do. 2) Do a *limited* amount of research to get more comfortable. 3) Reread the whole thing up to this point BUT do NOT edit as you do. Kill off your inner editor for now. Read just to imagine the world of your book again. Then write another scene, even one that you may be telling yourself should not go in the next part of the book. (See the post on Disturbance for more on methods to help with this.)
You may need to set this one aside. If you’ve really fallen out of love with it, better to move on to a new book or story. Get your writing in gear again. You can always go back to this manuscript down the road. It is not the only book you can write — don’t tell yourself that.
I think it’s interesting that you describe Frank as tightly wrapped. He and Irene are both such complex characters, they could each be described this way…and yet…not? I see Frank as reserved and quiet, never revealing the full magnitude of his thoughts and emotions, but he’s also wonderfully approachable and unafraid to have feelings. Having a soft heart is something he and Irene definitely share, for while she’s prickly as a porcupine, she’s also, like him, unafraid to make attachments, give affection, and offer second chances.
We can say opposites attract when cool, logical Frank pairs with fiery Irene, and his stoicism butts heads with her stubbornness, but I think they’re very much alike in the ways that really matter. They are united in their courage and determination, their quest for truth, their generosity of spirit, and the devotion they have to their friends (not to mention their pets). More than anything, though, is the joy they find in one another, the need they have for each other. I note that the times she can make Frank lose his temper are when he is afraid for Irene’s safety….
Jan,
Hocus was the first book of urs that i read. The cover is what got my attenchion and the writing is what held it. I know that i have already commented on two of your other books and said that i loved them but hocus has to be my all time fav. book of yours. I liked how Frank is the one who got taken and Irene didnt sit around and what for something to happen. She got out there and figured it all out. when i got to re-read hocus, chapter 3 is what i turn to first because i love the first two pages.I love the sense of humor that you gave Cassidy.=] Im wondering what made you wirte the story about Franks older sister Diana?I have so many more questions haha
Hocus is special to me, too, Taylor. For me, it marked a point where I started thinking about my books a little differently. And Cassidy — I am so attached to him!
As for why I wrote about Frank’s older sister — even before Hocus, I realized that Frank was someone who was, let’s say, wrapped a little tight. That was in contrast to Irene. She has always been able to get him to loosen up, and not just in the obvious way — there are very few people on earth who can get him to lose his temper, and she’s one of them! When she learns the story of Diane, I think Irene begins to see that Frank has come from a background of a family that kept secrets, not out of shame, but because of a painful memory, a grief that was buried from sight. So getting things out in the open between them is part of how Frank and Irene grow closer.
As for those questions, that’s one of the reasons I started Spoilerville! I love being able to talk to readers in this way, and to hear about their reading experiences! Thanks for participating!
Differently…how? I love how Cassidy is the only one with a southern accent =D Would really like to see him in another book =]
Because Hocus was the first of your books that i read, i already knew that frank was a more reserved person then most of the others when i read the first 4 books. But i really love the relationship between Frank and Irene. In many ways it reminds me of my relationship with my guy. It seems like im one of the few people who can really make him lose his temper haha. I try to picture Frank and Irene having kids….but for some reason i just cant lol. I think the way they are, their relationship is perfect the way you have created it.
What first made you want to write about Irene? When you wrote Goodnight, did you already have the way you wanted sweet dreams to go forming in you head?
After i read hocus i really wanted to try and write my own story like it. I got about 6 chapters done but then i just came to a really big block. That was about 2 years ago and i still havent been able to get rid of my writers block…any tips??
Hi Taylor — I don’t have time at the moment to get to all of these questions, so I’ll do what I can to answer the last one for now.
I said something about writer’s block on the Disturbance post before I saw this note, which has a few more details about your block. Usually, these kinds of blocks come about for one of three reasons. 1) You are trying to make the characters do something they don’t want to do. 2) You don’t feel as if you know the world you are writing about, and are feeling more and more unsure about it. 3) You’ve been interrupted while writing and have talked yourself out of that book — you can’t get yourself back into that fictional world.
The answers, in brief, to these problems are 1) Try to let the characters do their thing without standing in their way or rejecting ideas about them out of hand. It won’t hurt you to write a scene you may get rid of later. Write a scene you may or may not use with two of them, letting them talk or argue or kiss or whatever they need to do. 2) Do a *limited* amount of research to get more comfortable. 3) Reread the whole thing up to this point BUT do NOT edit as you do. Kill off your inner editor for now. Read just to imagine the world of your book again. Then write another scene, even one that you may be telling yourself should not go in the next part of the book. (See the post on Disturbance for more on methods to help with this.)
You may need to set this one aside. If you’ve really fallen out of love with it, better to move on to a new book or story. Get your writing in gear again. You can always go back to this manuscript down the road. It is not the only book you can write — don’t tell yourself that.
Hope this helps!
Yours,
Jan
I think it’s interesting that you describe Frank as tightly wrapped. He and Irene are both such complex characters, they could each be described this way…and yet…not? I see Frank as reserved and quiet, never revealing the full magnitude of his thoughts and emotions, but he’s also wonderfully approachable and unafraid to have feelings. Having a soft heart is something he and Irene definitely share, for while she’s prickly as a porcupine, she’s also, like him, unafraid to make attachments, give affection, and offer second chances.
We can say opposites attract when cool, logical Frank pairs with fiery Irene, and his stoicism butts heads with her stubbornness, but I think they’re very much alike in the ways that really matter. They are united in their courage and determination, their quest for truth, their generosity of spirit, and the devotion they have to their friends (not to mention their pets). More than anything, though, is the joy they find in one another, the need they have for each other. I note that the times she can make Frank lose his temper are when he is afraid for Irene’s safety….