Real Magic: Intuition Helps Author Write Books

Real Magic:  Intuition Helps Author Write Books

By Adrienne deWolfe

Writing fiction has always felt like magic to me -- especially when I'm in the creative flow, and ideas are pouring through my brain faster than I can type. I've heard other writers describe this flood of imagination  as the whispering of their “Writing Muse.”

But what exactly is a Writing Muse?

When I learned that Shannan loves to read and write Paranormal novels, I thought it might be fun to give her (and you!) a peek into “real” magic -- in other words, how I developed my Intuition and used it in my writing career.

Back in the Dark Ages (before the Internet was invented,) I used to develop mental health seminars for a hospital.  One day, while I was eating lunch with a guest speaker, we got into a lively discussion about Imagination – which eventually led to a juicy conversation about psychic phenomena and Intuition.

"There’s nothing in the least bit strange about a Writing Muse,” my lunch companion announced.  “Imagination is closely connected to Intuition. Intuition results from the body-mind connection.  Everybody is psychic."

I choked on my mouthful of tuna salad.  I mean, I grew up in a family of die-hard Science Fiction and Fantasy readers – but we were “too rational” to think that Psychic Phenomena could be real! 

But there I was, dining with a prominent psychotherapist, who was telling me to disregard all my linear, small-minded thinking.  I figured the man had to know what he was talking about:  he was a licensed professional counselor in the state of Texas! 

So I admitted, "I’ve always wanted to tap my Intuition – you know, whenever I want to.  Is that possible?"

He shrugged. "Go to a bookstore.  Buy an audiotape with exercises."

And I thought,  The book store!  Of course!

Needless to say, I practically flew to Barnes & Noble. 

That decision to develop my Intuition saved my life.  I’d only been practicing the exercises on my tape for seven days when my Intuition triggered.  It warned me not to accompany an overly friendly man into a restaurant parking lot.  That man was later arrested for abducting women from shopping malls.

“The Intuitive Mind is a sacred gift, and the Rational Mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

~ Albert Einstein

Since that fateful day, I’ve had all kinds of interesting adventures with my Intuition. 

For instance, while writing my fourth award-winning historical Romance novel, Scoundrel for Hire (eRelease:  Autumn 2012), I realized that I needed to purchase a book of Shakespearean quotes for research purposes.  

As I was driving along the freeway, my Intuition urged me to delay my trip to the mall and turn my car into a shopping center.  After I parked, I discovered that a used book store had opened there one week earlier.  (I swear, I had no conscious knowledge of this opening!)  I introduced myself to the owner and told her my mission.

The owner said I was out of luck.  “It's finals week at the University of Texas,” she explained.  “I sold my last book of Shakespearean quotes earlier this week." 

Even as she was apologizing, her hand reached behind her back and pulled a book off the shelf.  (She DID NOT turn to face the stacks.)  Suddenly, she was frowning and staring down at the volume, as if she had no conscious memory of reaching for it.

"That’s odd," she said. "I could've sworn I sold this book of Shakespearean quotes yesterday." 

(Picture Adrienne humming the theme from the Twilight Zone.)

Another fun moment with my Intuition came as I was promoting my fifth award-winning historical Romance novel, Always Her Hero (Release:  Autumn 2012 under new title, His Wicked Dream.)   Intuition whispered in my head, "This one’s going to be a hardback!"  And I scoffed.   “Yeah, right.  There’s no way that Avon Books is going to print Always Her Hero in hardback.” 

As it turned out, I was right.  But so was my Intuition!  Within three weeks, my editor called me with the good news:  Doubleday’s Book of the Month Club wanted to buy the rights to print  Always Her Hero as a hardback!

Whether you’re a paranormal reader or writer, you’ve probably wondered – like me – if there might be some small truth behind the supernatural phenomena in your favorite novels.  For some people, exploring this interest is frightening.  For others, it’s a lark. 

For me, it’s a fascinating hobby that earns me an income.  The editor of a local newspaper called me one day and said, “I hear you’re a freelancer who writes about freaky things.”  (At least he didn’t call me a “freaky writer who freelances!”) 

Mustering my dignity, I asked, “What’s the assignment?”

“Some ghost hunters are coming to town. They’re investigating spook sightings at a pizza restaurant.  You available?”

(Picture Adrienne muting her telephone and snickering at her UNBELIEVABLE GOOD FORTUNE!)  “That all depends,” I drawled.  “How much do you pay?”

For those of you who like haunted pizza stories, you’ll find the three articles that resulted from that assignment on my blog at WritingNovelsThatSell.com.

I developed that website because my passion is to help other writers live their publishing dream.  Since I’m on my book tour, stop by and enter my raffle!

In the meantime, I continue to develop my Intuition.  If you’re as fascinated by the supernatural as I am, visit the writing resources pages that I’ve created for Magic and the Paranormal, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and Creativity and Writers Block on my website, WritingNovelsThatSell.com.

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About Adrienne deWolfe

Originally published by Bantam and Avon Books, Adrienne deWolfe’s five novels have won 9 awards, including the Best Historical Romance of the Year.  She has 2 Historical Romance (ebook) trilogies planned for release this Summer/Autumn:  Wild Texas Nights and Naughty and Nice.  Adrienne loves to mentor aspiring authors, which is why she offers professional story critiques, as well as online writing workshops and courses.  Visit her online home, WritingNovelsThatSell.com  to download her free report, 20 Questions Editors Ask Before Buying a Book.  You can also follow Adrienne on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

LINK TO JUNE RAFFLE:


http://writingnovelsthatsell.com/june-raffle-texas-trilogy-collectors-items/


LINK TO JULY RAFFLE:


http://writingnovelsthatsell.com/july-raffle-scoundrel-hero-collectors-items/

Tuesday Pick Me Up-RomCon Report

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Well, I'm back from RomCon and what a wonderful time I had. It's always so humbling to find readers who read your work and loved it. Nothing makes you want to write more than hearing how much they want to read more. I also met some wonderful authors with hearts of gold and forged friendships I will always cherish. Lizzie T. Leaf,Tiffany Snow, Claire Ashgrove and Dyann Barr Love you ladies Rock!

There were also so many readers who I connected with, I look forward to meeting up with you all again and look forward to chatting with you via emails in the near future.

I also wanted to take a moment to congratulate the winner of Toni Sweeney's giveaway we held a few weeks back. Congradulation Lynn any book you pick it will be a winner.

In other news I'm back to work, finishing up the third and final installment of The Knights of Excalibur and working on Zeke's book among others. Yep, I'm busy and loving every moment of it. That's it for this week, catch ya all next Monday. 



Pick Me Up Monday - Four Days to RomCon!

Happy Monday to you. I love this pic it reminds me so much of the main character I'm writing. A hunky demon by the name of Icademous. I'm very excited about this story of demons, witches and of course angels. I will tell you more of Ice and his world in later blogs.

In other news I've been crazy busy preparing for RomCon and looking forward to the event and meeting everyone. No matter how many books you publish there is one thing I call a universal truth in my business. Writers are readers and as such we have our favorite authors and we get just as excited to meet them. For me it's Alexandria Ivy, Teresa Mederios and Kelly Armstrong just to name a few.

One thing that is bad about all the preparations going on is I've had little time to devote to writing this week, something which drives me a bit crazy I must admit. I am hoping to make more headway the early part of this week since I have everything pretty much done and set and have the time free. Yay!

I will have more on RomCon and pictures too! on Tuesday next week so catch up with me there.

Have a fantastic week!



Monday Pick Me Up -RomCon Upcoming and Shout Out to Arizona Dreaming Friends

Happy Monday All!

If sex had a face this is what it would look like to me lol! Always had a weakness for dark haired men.

I've been away since last time I posted. Arizona Dreamin as always was wonderful and it was so great to touch base with my author buddies. Erin Quinn was warm and wonderful as always. She has a way with making you feel like an old friend you can gab over coffee with. Erin Kellison equally was a down to earth lady who's personality really sets you at ease. Kris Tualla, a cyclone of energy and graciousness I just wish I knew where she got her energy and if she could share some of it with me. It felt like old home week since I got the chance to meet up with many facebook friends. Some for the first time meeting face to face was a joy beyond imagining. It's sad to think I will have to wait until next year to see all of them again. I'm already prepping for Arizona Dreamin 2013!

Now I'm a week and a half away from RomCon and still up to my eyeballs in so many things I need to do it's crazy. It looks like it will be an awesome event and looking forward to making new friends and reuniting with some of my facebook and twitter friends. With fellow authors CR Moss and RM Sotera we have been given a nickname already. Now known as The Las Vegas Connection, we have our plates full with several workshops we are hosting and looking forward to the fun.

As to business, I'm waiting for my Cover and first edits for The Knight's Druid to come in anytime and I'm hammering out the third and final book in the Knights of Excalibur series, tentatively called For the Love of a King. I am also working on Zekes book in the Dark Breed series AND working on the  completion of The Summoning for a shot at an agent. Time to try and see how the other half live in the agented author world. Hopefully we will get a chance to see in 2013.

That's it for now, until next week (hopefully) have a fabulous week!



Author Spotlights Toni V Sweeney and 3 Books to Choose From!

I'm happy to present a delightful talent and

A choice of a download from 3 of her novels: Blood Bay, Wizard’s Wife, The King’s Swordswoman. These are, in order, a thriller, a fantasy, and medieval romance, so there’s a good variety to choose from.

Leave a comment and she will be choosing one lucky reader with a personal email to you.

Blurb of The Rose and the Dragon (to be released June 15):

What would you do if you read this ad in your local paper:  NANNY WANTED.  MUST HAVE ABILITY TO FACE ADVENTURE, EXCITEMENT, DANGER.

When Miranda Wilson answers just such an advertisement, she doesn’t realize what she’s walking into.  It could’ve been the plot of a Gothic novel, with a handsome widower, three orphaned children,  and herself as the innocent governess…but that’s before she meets her boss’ younger brother, a knock-out hunk by the name of Kitten. 

There are odd undercurrents in the Andrus household, however, and before she knows it, Miranda Wilson, Nanny, finds herself Miranda Wilson, Alien Abductee, as she’s whisked to the planet Gataeus where Dominic Andrus is the head of the planet’s largest crime family and Kit is his chief hitman.

Now, she’s in the middle of an interplanetary war with her three charges as the prize.  What’s an Earthwoman to do?

EXCERPT:

The Observation Room in Kit’s yacht was a miniaturized version of Dominic’s office aboard the Alexa. The desktop was startling. Not a desk at all but a gigantic computer terminal, with no keyboard, mouse, or speakers in sight. Now that she thought about it, the computer screen on the other yacht hadn’t had any of those things, either, but it hadn’t registered at the time, just tucked itself away in the back of her mind until now. Okay, so it’s a really highly  evolved model, voice-responsive or something. Dominic would have the very latest in electronics, of course. So naturally, his brother would, also. Men and their toys…

She wondered how the unit was activated. Another question for Master Kit to explain.

Miranda turned her attention to the rest of the room. It was long and narrow and, with the exception of the desk, had very little furniture. A narrow wall covered with shelves filled with items resembling CD jewel cases except they were a quarter of the size of a CD. Between each set of shelves, large photographs decorated the walls. The sliding panel serving as a door filled the third wall, and the fourth…

 It curved in a slight arc, broken by the insertion of long, narrow windows. Several chairs had been placed before them.

Slowly, Miranda sank into one of the chairs. When several minutes passed and Kit didn’t appear, she began to fidget. More minutes passed. The impatience turned to anxiety, then to anger.

Unable to sit still any longer, Miranda jumped to her feet and began to wander around the room, looking at the pictures on the walls. She forced herself to concentrate on them and not the absent Kit and the aftermath of whatever had happened while they were cowering in the cabin.

The pictures were beautiful, though rather odd. Not photographs as she’d first thought, but images etched onto thin metal plates, similar to laser drawings. They were attached to the walls in a way making them seem a part of it. There were three of them, astronomical scenes. A star bursting into supernova, scattering bright splinters of light through the blackness, a brilliant red planet lit like a quarter-moon, reflecting the sun along its edges, a comet trailing through the dark. All beautiful, filling her with a sense of awe and curiosity as to how the pictures had been made.

On one shelf, she saw a model of a spaceship similar to the one in Dominic Andrus’ office. This one had a different set of curving letters on its bow. She studied it a moment, then, quite naturally, her gaze moved from the little model to the windows in the curved wall.

There were two of them, long, narrow openings fitted close together, and she stood before the first, staring in amazement at the outside darkness. By some visual trick, the ocean seemed to have disappeared, sky and horizon blending together so it looked as if the yacht was floating directly toward the stars.

Miranda stared, fascinated, as the door slid open and Kit came in. He didn’t speak, just walked over to stand beside her.

She turned to look at him. “What a fantastic optical illusion. It looks as if we’re flying!”

“It’s not an illusion, Randa.” To her surprise, he sounded strangely solemn.

“What do you mean?” She looked back at the window, then at him again.

He didn’t answer her question. Instead, he said, “Open inner shields.”

Panels on either side of the windows slid apart, revealing a transparent wall, and beyond it...

Miranda stared, refusing to believe what she saw.

A blue globe. Continents, oceans partially covered by cotton-wisps of clouds. She knew and recognized a sight she’d never seen except from photographs taken by astronauts as they watched the Earth from their vantage point on the Moon.

“T-that looks like the Earth.” Miranda looked at Kit again. He was scowling slightly.

“It is.”

No. She didn’t want to hear that, wanted him to say it was some kind of photograph, a video image or hologram...another optical illusion...

“But…” In her own ears, her voice sounded so stupid. “I-if the Earth’s down there, a-and we’re up here, that mean’s we’re in…” She didn’t finished the sentence, barely heard his soft affirmation.

“We are.”

Miranda took a quick breath just short of being a gasp. She felt her insides flinch and spasm as if someone had just struck her in the stomach. Her mouth fell open and she tried to scream but the sound wouldn’t come. It stayed inside her, spinning around and around in her chest, so the only sound she could make was a sickly strangled whimper, barely heard through the hands she pressed to her mouth as she turned her disbelieving gaze on Kit again.

“Randa?”  Kit appeared startled, as if he hadn’t expected this reaction.

“I don’t understand.” Suddenly, her confusion seemed replaced by absolute terror. Her eyes were so wide, the irises seemed bare more than blue pinpoints in a vast whiteness. Miranda took another deep, stricken breath. When Kit reached for her, she dodged and backed away, bumping against the shelves behind her. Jostled by the impact, the little model wobbled, toppled over, and fell to the floor. Both ignored it.

“Who are you? What are you?”

“You said you knew.” His confusion mirrored her own., the words came out as an accusation. “About us...about Gataeus.”

“I know Mr. Andrus is from Gataeus. Ardala told me, but that’s all she said.”

Oh, sweet gods, I thought she knew everything! Now, Kit looked shocked and the expression on his handsome face shook Miranda even more.

“Who are you?” she repeated.

“Isn’t it obvious?” He shrugged and smiled slightly, trying not to look so serious.  He forced himself to relax.  I’ll treat the whole thing as a joke, get her to laugh...anything to get that frozen fear off her face. “I’m the bug-eyed monster, the Thing from Outer Space... I’m ET.”

Buy Link:  www.classactbooks.com

Website:  http://www.tonivsweeney.com/

Facebook:  www.facebook/tvsweeney

Twitter: @tonivsweeney

Do you do anything to get you into the zone to write?

I’m always In the Zone!   I just plop myself in front of the computer, raise my fingers and start typing!  (Well, I always have a cup of coffee handy and lots of fingerfoods, and sometimes some music playing that goes along with whatever genre I’m writing.)

 Which authors inspire your writing?

I guess it depends on the genre…I like JD Robb, JR Ward, Jim Butcher, and Margaret Mitchell.  Is that an eclectic group or what?

What is your favorite book, character and why?

The favorite character of my own creation, you mean?  I guess I’d have to say Sinbad sh’en Singh, from my series, The Adventures of Sinbad.  Sin’s the perfect “bad boy.”  He’s handsome, rude, crude, and in a dangerous occupation, but he’s also true to friends and family, and when he finds the right woman, a faithful lover and a one-woman man who’ll do whatever it takes to protect her  (and later his children) from harm.  The fact that he eventually becomes the 8^th richest man in the galaxy doesn’t hurt, either!

I’ve had several reviewers go absolutely ga-ga over Sin (who tried to live up to his nickname) and they keep asking when the next book will be out.  There are 8 novels (including a prequel) in the series and I was really a little sad when I wrote the final one a few weeks ago, but I decided it was time to let Sin retire and enjoy his wealth and his family.

Do you prefer to write erotic or sweet?

I like to have it start out sweet and at just the right moment, turn erotic.

Which famous person, living or dead,  are you drawn to?

Vincent Price.  I’ve always thought he was a most erudite man.  He was an art lover, a great cook, an actor (he made a most charming villain), a writer (he wrote several very entertaining books), and he also had an unexpected flair for comedy.  Plus he wasn’t all that bad-looking either, and he was TALL.  I like tall men.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Still alive, I hope!  After all, I’m 70 now and going uphill’s becoming a little difficult.

Finish this sentence: I know I’ve made it when I see someone flaming one of my books on Amazon.

What advice would you give aspiring writers?

1. Study up on proper grammar and spelling
2. Find a writer-mentor to advise and critique
3. Develop a thick skin
4. Don’t give up

What do you see yourself writing in the future?

I’ve a list of 28 novels I need to either finish or write.  I’m going through them one-by-one.  So far, I’ve  finished 5.

If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?

There are so many to choose from, I haven’t the foggiest.  Perhaps the ability to type 500 wpm so I could write stories faster?  Guess I’d go through a lot of keyboards and need a faster computer, wouldn’t I?

What time of the day are you at your best to write?

Since I’m “retired” now, any time of the day, but usually I start about 10:00 AM and work until around 5:00 PM.  Then, it’s dinner, and a netflix movie.

And now for something completely different…

What do you look at first with an attractive man or woman, face, body or smile?

I’m a shallow person.  The face.

Explain your perfect day.

Any day it doesn’t snow in Nebraska.

What is the most decadent desert you can’t say no to?

Chocolate pie a la Mode.  Chocolate on chocolate.  Can’t beat that!  I remember the waiter blanched as I ordered it.  “You want chocolate ice cream on chocolate pie?”

Do you have a favorite holiday, what is it and what makes it special to you?

Christmas, I suppose, because my birthday’s 2 days afterward and I always cash in on the gifts!

 

What key words describe you best?

Always in the background thinking.