Lynda Bailey

Good morning, readers! Today, I am VERY happy and excited to welcome guest and fellow author, Lynda Bailey! :)

Here's a little background on Lynda: "I’ve always loved stories, especially romances. For me the only thing better than reading a romance is writing one. That and drinking red wine while eating dark chocolate. My manuscripts have been finalists in major writing contests, including the 2010 RWA Golden Heart®.



I live in Reno with my husband of thirty years and our two pampered pooches."

Linda wrote Battle Born Love which I read & reviewed last week. Again, I definitely recommend you get your hands on it! ;)

So, without further ado, here is Ms. Bailey!



Thanks so much, Lauren, for letting me hang out today!

So, we’re talking about dialogue. In my humble opinion, dialogue is an intricate part of storytelling—of getting the reader into the story— because it’s an extension of the characters’ personalities. Dialogue isn’t something the reader should ever have to think about. It should just…be. It should be an even flow, a give and take of conversation. If the dialogue reads stilted or forced, the reader is probably not going to hang very long with the book.

The first rule to writing believable dialogue is to make sure it jives with whatever time period you’re using in the story. If you’re writing a Regency story or a Civil War saga featuring slaves, you better be on your game with regard to those vernaculars. I got dinged in a review of my historical western romance because the reader felt I used 2012 terminology for a story set in the 1880s. Ouch! The last thing you want as an author is to have your reader yanked from the story.

Maybe that’s why I choose to write contemporary romance. No need to worry about the proper Scottish dialect for me. :) But even with contemporaries, you have to be careful. I personally love to use words like “gonna,”“hafta” and “kinda” in dialogue—Spell/Grammar Check be damned. This is how people talk in real life so it’s how my characters are gonna talk. Think about Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy. Did he say, “I am trying to take you to the grocery story.”? Uh, no. He said, “I’m tryin’ ta take ya to da store.” Huge difference.

The other thing to keep in mind when writing dialogue is, if your character can say something in five words, have them say it in four. Short, snappy lines makes the reading go faster because more pages are getting turned. It also puts more *white space* on the page. And readers loooooove white space.

As a reader, one of my pet peeves is when the author uses a bunch of he said/she said or he asked/she asked in dialogue. Rather than having Sally say blah, blah, blah, have Sally do something. If she’s upset, have her stomp a foot or glare at the hero. If she’s being coy, have her swish side to side. Shy, maybe she should twist her fingers together. Remember that pesky, yet brilliant advice: show, don’t tell. Don’t tell me who’s talking, but show me by having some action during the dialogue. It helps to solidify the characterizations and makes for a (hopefully) more enjoyable read.

Okay, so I’ve voiced my opinion about dialogue. Do you agree with me or am I barking up the metaphorical tree? Shout out your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks again to Lauren for hosting me today!


Please visit me at www.lyndabailey.net. Or drop me an email Lynda@lyndabailey.net.

A tribute to my homeboy

Hello, internet world. Today, I need to pay homage to my homeboy, Willy. Sometimes I call him Bill. Sometimes I just call him! ;) LOL. Just kidding! In all seriousness, I'm talking about the one and only William Shakespeare.



Now don't go rolling your eyes or sighing heavily. I know that some equate him to torture, but in actuality, Willy rocks! :)



On my facebook status, I quote him a lot. He's amazing with words. And if you took more than a nano-second to read it, it would, in fact, make sense! Gasp!



Anyhoo, I think that in order to show you just how cool my dude is, I am going to show you some of the phrases he coined that we still use today. Ha! Take that cynical people who say Shakespeare is out of touch with modern times! :)



We'll start off with an easy one. "Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em." This quote is from Twelfth Night. That's right folks. Not FDR or Patton or anyone else. This one came from Willy. Mad props to my main man! ;)



This next one is from one of my personal favorites: Othello. Ever hear someone say that it'll either make 'em or brake 'em? Wanna know where that came from? Check this out: "It makes us or it mars us." Seem WAY too familiar? It should! That's W. S. 2, World 0!



Ok, on to number three. This one is often confused as being coined by Dickens, but it is not. It's from Bill's play, Richard the Third. "Now is the winter of our discontent..." Surprised? You're not the only one, I'm sure. ;)



Have you ever heard someone say, "something smells fishy in Denmark?" Chances are, you have. I know I have. I never did quite understand, but I've also never been to Denmark so why would I get it? LOL. Check this out: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Marcellus says this in Hamelt. Food for thought. ;)



Another favorite coined a tremendously famous phrase. "All that glisters is not gold." This saying is from The Merchant of Venice. Pretty cool, huh? ;)



"The course of true love never did run smooth;..." I'm sure we've all heard this one quite a few times. It's from A Midsummer Night's Dream.



I have OFTEN said that there is a method to my madness. In most cases, that's true. Though I'd like to take credit for that phrasem the real credit goes to William. Check out this quote from Hamlet: "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't."



When people feel that the world is in their hands; that they can have anything they want, they'll often say that the world is their oyster. That may be true. What's also true is that that phrase can be found in The Merry Wives of Windsor. Look at what Pistol says: "...the world's mine oyster,..." Crazy, huh?



We all know that people can become green with envy. Sometimes jealousy or envy are referred to as the green eyed monster. Where did that come from? Quite possibly the one and only Shakespeare! "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock The meat it feeds on." Iago says that in Othello.




Have you ever been REALLY excited about something? Ever wait for something with "bated breath?" Take a look at a quote from Shylock from The Merchant of Venice: "...With bated breath and whisp'ring humbleness,..." What's interesting is that here, they're actually talking about whispering. We've turned that into great anticipation. Interesting how words and phrases change meanings over time.



We've all cracked or heard someone crack a joke about lawyers. We've heard people say that they're crooks or whatever have you. Ever hear someone say that we should kill all the lawyers & that will make for a better world? Whether or not that is true, Shakespeare suggested that in Henry the Sixth. "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." Good old Dick says that in that play. Funny, huh? I guess some opinions never change! :)



Polonius says in Act I of Hamlet, "Neither a borrower nor a lender be,..." I've heard this umpteen million times. We all know how mucky waters can become when dealing with lending or borrowing from someone else, don't we?



Othello once said, "O farewell,
Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th' ear-piercing fife;
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!
And O you mortal engines, whose rude throats
Th' immortal Jove's dread clamors counterfeit,
Farewell! Othello's occupation's gone."


I am going to borrow the summation from http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/pomp-circumstance for this one.


"If there were one speech that revealed Othello's "tragic flaw," this would be it. The noble Moor, who has led a life of astounding exploits and military glory, has ultimately staked his self-image and peace of mind on his marriage to a Venetian woman of privilege. When the villain Iago craftily persuades Othello that his wife has been unfaithful—a highly improbable event—the general bids farewell not just to marital bliss, but to his livelihood ("occupation"). No longer, he cries, can he experience "all quality,/ Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!"


Othello obviously isn't talking about his high school graduation. "Pomp and circumstance" (and "quality" and "pride") are the glories and ceremonies of warfare. In war's splendid rituals, Othello has forged his identity. Although we often use "pomp and circumstance" negatively, to denote affectation and overwrought exhibitionism, the Renaissance would have been more generous: pomp and circumstance were considered inherent, positive duties of the exalted classes."





Pretty cool, eh?




In "The Scottish Play," Willy writes: "If it were done, when 'tis done, then 'twere well
It were done quickly. If th' assassination
Could trammel up the consequence, and catch
With his surcease, success: that but this blow
Might be the be-all and the end-all—here,
But here, upon this bank and shoal of time,
We'd jump the life to come."


Once again, e-notes comes up with a great explanation. "We use "the be-all and the end-all" in two rather different ways, neither of which pays much respect to Macbeth's intention. On one hand, the be-all and the end-all is something superlative in its category—a paragon or an extreme. On the other hand, the be-all and the end-all is an all-consuming project or passion—an idée fixe. Both uses, which meet somewhere in the vicinity of "the last word in the matter," pick up on the literal meaning of Macbeth's words while slighting the context. Macbeth speaks of an action, not a person or thing; he wonders if that action will be all that is required and end all that he must go through to be king. We refer to what is all it can possibly be and ends all competition, or to something that overrides all the normal limits. Macbeth would like his deed to be limited, while we admire a nearly unlimited excellence, or a passion without bounds." (Sorry about borrowing these explanations, but the little one is becoming impatient with me while I try to type this!)




There are COUNTLESS more quotes that have weaved themselves into the fabric of our culture. Personally, I think it's fantastic! We are carrying on history and heritage. As a writer, I could only hope to be quoted once, let alone an infinite number of times!



So folks, I hope this made Shakespeare slightly less intimidating, and perhaps even understandable. :) Enjoy his works. I think that without literary greats like Shakespeare, we as writers, would be lost.

How I Knew I was a Writer

In my unending quest to blog about things of a literary nature, I thought I should talk about how to know if you are a writer or not.



I was an unusual kid. Hell, I am an unusual adult! LOL. Seriously, though, how many eight year olds do you know sit in their rooms for hours writing novels? Yep, that was me. Geeky, dorky, nerdy me. I wrote and wrote and wrote. I also read like a fiend as well. Words were my life. In 5th grade, a teacher of mine had an article in an education periodical. In that article, she wrote "Lauren knew she was indeed a writer." Yeah! I STILL take serious pride in that comment. An adult saw serious talent in me at the ripe old age of 10!




Then life hit. I wrote up until I was in college. College writing was just crapping out a term paper as quickly as possible. I had no time to create. Reading was just trying to understand the gibberish in ridiculously large and heavy burdens they called text books. Reading and writing had lost their novelty. Though, I took a few courses in Hispanic literature and art, and I was still able to appreciate the written word then. That was it, though. Minimal for an English nerd such as myself.





Then REAL life hit. I was in my early twenties embarking on a career in the sciences. I LOVED my work in the veterinary field, don't get me wrong. I ate, slept, drank, dreamed and lived veterinary medicine. Like any job in the medical field, though, it was extremely time consuming. Once again, literature was pushed back; this time even further. All I had time for was reading the latest in veterinary progress, treatments, etc. You have to have a certain number of continuing education every year in order to mainatin your professional license. So, my reading and free time were focused on all things veterinary. I had no choice.





I missed writing, though. I missed history. I missed the creativity. Science challenged me, and for that I am ever grateful. Language touched me, though. And my heart longed for it.



On rare occasions, I could implement my writing into my job by doing things like booklets, informative brochures and boring crap like that. It was not glamorous by any means, but it was a brief taste of the passion I had had since early childhood.




My life took a drastic turn a few years ago. Suddenly, I was writing more. A LOT more. It was great. My vocabulary expanded! My creativity returned. I was the little girl who could write again! :) I was still going with my old hat: historical non-fiction. Boring I know, but I'm also a history nerd so it suited me well. I wrote some fiction in my spare time, but as I've said previously, that work was for my eyes only. I knew my fiction kung-fu was weak (anyone get that reference? LOL), but it was fun to try. I didn't expect it to go anywhere, and I was fine with that plan.







Then, through a friend, I found the amazing Vanilla Heart Publishing. For some reason, they took a chance on me. Me! The kid who couldn't write fiction to save her hide was offered work as a fiction writer! LOL. I thought they must have been crazy, but I was thrilled that their insanity worked out to my benefit! :) Here I am, almost 3 books (2 out & one due out soon) later, and I LOVE it. I'm trying a few new things with fiction and I have this amazing community of writers and scholars who are FAR above my piddly little writing level, but we all work and support each other as a family! VHP was the greatest thing that ever happened to me! :)





Enough about me. How do you know if you're a writer? Well, there are a few things that you should examine.




First off, do you know verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc? Do you know what a proposition is? Do you know that that last question was not written correctly because it ended on a proposition? LOL. Yes, I am a self-admitted grammar nazi. Grammar isn't everything, but it really is important. A good writer knows more than the basics. They are also well-versed enough that they can properly edit their own work before it goes into publication. Yes, there are editors & that's what their job is, but let me tell you that it is far more impressive to have a strong, well-edited piece. It makes life a hell of a lot easier for your publisher & editor. They'll like you more too. ;) It's just smart to make your piece as strong and polished as you can before it goes into the editor's hands.




Secondly, do you like words? Do you enjoy expanding your vocabulary on a regular basis? Do you like the challenge of creating interesting sentences. Can you turn "it was a nice spring day out" into "The sun glowed brightly against a pale blue sky. The light, fluffy clouds danced to the songs from the birds as the flowers gently swayed in the breeze. Spring was here, and all of nature sang to its glory."? Seriously. That's the kind of stuff a good writer should be able to do. You're not just relaying a story. You're painting. How boring would the Sistine Chapel be if the angels were just blobs? Michaelangelo added details into his paintings. As we writers should with our words. Make sense?






You also have to love working hard. It's not necessarily physical labor, but you have to write, write, and write some more. You have to promote your work. You have to tell the world about who you are and what you've created. You have to make appearances on-line and in the real world so people know who you are, and they know your books. It takes a lot of dedication and time. Your ass may hurt from sitting in front of the computer for hours on end, but that is the price we pay for pursuing this dream. It's not glamorous at all, and very few people become the next James Patterson, but it's still worth the effort if your motivation is to create, not to become famous.

Make sure your priorities are straight. If you just want instant fame, writing is NOT the right industry for you. Go audition for a reality show! LOL. :)





So, that's it folks. It takes time, desire, determination, hard work, knowledge and passion to be a real writer. You have to love it, eat it, BE it. Words should be your life. That's what it takes.



Now, if you're one of the folks who just want to give writing a whirl, GO FOR IT!!!! I tell everyone to at least try it. Why? They'll see that it's not as easy as it seems. But it's also a great way to challenge yourself, to grow, to become more educated. You should always write to write. Publication doesn't have to be your end goal. For me, even as a published writer, that is the icing on the cake. To be able to create something new is really my goal. To write a suspense novel was my goal when I embarked on the story of Unbreakable Hostage. Getting it published and reaping all the rewards that I am now is just an incredible bonus.





So go and write, folks. Have fun, be creative! Enjoy writing! :)

English as a Second Language?

I've been listening to my new itunes diligently (if listening can be diligent). Rammstein did quite a bit of recording in Mexico & they have a few songs where there is blatant Spanish influence. There's one song on the Album, Rosenrot, that is in Spanish. As an Hispanic woman, I was amazed to hear Germans singing so well in Spanish.





I was lucky. I was raised hearing a few different languages, so German, Slavish & Spanish come very easily to me. Not many people have that opportunity. I know I am blessed to have had that experience.





Hearing Rammstein sing so well in Spanish really got me thinking. I remember how horrible the kids in high school & college were with linguistics. Ironically, English has some very strong Spanish roots. These kids couldn't speak it worth a lick, though.



That brought about an interesting line of thought. If our language (it's not official, though. The US has no declared official language) has such strong roots, why is it that we don't teach our children better when it comes to foreign languages.


It is a well known fact that the earlier you start with kids in hearing & speaking foreign languages, it boosts their IQ, and it helps them to be more successful adults. We live in a global world now. Chances of you doing business with a person or company on another continent are high. Yet, we Americans expect the world to speak our language. Our version of English. What is up with that?




We don't rule the world, folks. Just as much as they (they being anyone who is not from an English-speaking country/culture) need to learn English, we need to learn their languages!



Yes, English is my primary language with Spanish being a close second. German and Slavish are much farther down, but they were all learned at the same time: since birth! I heard words and phrases from all of them throughout my childhood. I believe that has helped me greatly in life. I continue to try to study languages and to learn new words or phrases in any of my fantastic four. ;)



I try to integrate some Slavish and Spanish into the house when I can. The little miss needs to learn other languages. I'm not just saying that to fluff up my own ethnic feathers. The reality is: that little girl will be dealing with more Hispanic people in her life than I am related to! :) She needs it to prepare her for the world.



So many people are up in arms about hearing different languages spoken here in the US. These people are quite passionate about their belief. I am not going to say there is anything wrong with their belief. A belief is a belief. As a good libra, I can see both sides of this coin. However, I think we need to get rid of the "ugly American" stereotype and start making our children more international. What is so wrong with multi-lingual people? Nothing!



English is an extremely difficult language. We have roots in Spanish, Latin, French, German and more! We have words like tough, thorough, throughout and through. We expect children and foreigners to be able to see the differences in sound with those! Come on! We have rules like "i before e, except after c, and also as spelled in neighbor and weigh." Seriously? That's a bit much, don't you think? I get razzed at times for the double l's in Spanish creating a y sound, or how a little tilde over an n makes the "en-yay" sound (just wrote that out phoenetically folks). But what about the fact that y is a vowel SOMETIMES, but we don't specify when. UGH! I would hate to be a non-English speaking person trying to learn this ridiculous language!



I have heard countless people say how they don't like the idea of their kids learning another language, or even have English as a second language. What if it wasn't a second language, but a co-language? What if we taught our kids English and Spanish together? What if we integrated two languages in our school system? Would it be so horrible for our kids to be diverse and able to communicate with people from across the globe?



Personally, I don't think so. I proudly say that I am translating some of my publisher's books into Spanish. It makes me SO proud that my publisher is reaching across language barriers. If only we all would.