|
Paula Altenburg | Getting Sweaty Doing Things that You Love
June 6, 2014
I’ve been reading for what feels like forever. I love, love, love it. Love. And I love reading romance in particular because, no matter what kind of mood
I’m in, there’s a story out there for me. They come in all genres: contemporary,
fantasy, paranormal, historical, and when I get tired of those, I can look for
the mash-ups of genres. I have more of a love/hate relationship with writing, however. Confession time –
I never wanted to be a writer. It looked like a lot of hard work, and hard work
makes me sweat. I don’t like to sweat. So that’s what I’m less than enthusiastic about. Now let me give you five reasons why I love writing fantasy romance so much.
- I love to make people think.
If my story resonates with even one person, then I feel I’ve done okay. I try to
include a lesson. In DEMON
CREED, and really the entire Demon Outlaws series, it’s about
acceptance and prejudice. FYI, the demons in my stories aren’t necessarily the
bad guys. Two of the heroines and one of the heroes are half demons. They’re
also very human at heart.
- I love to make people feel.
Sometimes I want them to feel happy. Sometimes I want them to feel sad, at least
for the characters. I want them to feel like they’re a part of the world I
built. And always, I want them to feel like I gave them a good story.
- I love to make people see.
I want my stories to come alive. I want people to see what I see when I write,
or sometimes, I want them to come up with their own vision. That’s where detail
comes in especially handy. Give a little, and the reader sees what they want.
Give a little more, and they see what I want them to. Give too much, and you’ve
got a travelogue.
The Demon Outlaws series are fantasy romance westerns with a touch of
urban fantasy. Their world is built around the characters. It’s meant to test
them, and prove that they’re worthy, but also to offer them hope. They can’t
just survive it—they have to change it somehow. If a world is beyond redemption,
why would anyone, including a reader, want to spend time in it? I tried not to
fill the Demon Outlaws world up with too many details. (See number 3.)
World building is all about taking readers on a ride they can experience along
with the characters. And maybe letting them share in the driving.
- And I love to entertain people.
I want my characters to be complex, but not so angst-ridden that they
suck the joy out of life. I have a demon hunter, a former assassin once almost
eaten by demons, and a half demon Godseeker assassin. I have a half demon
heroine who has the ability to draw men to her. Another heroine is a former
slave searching for her half demon son. And one heroine is half demon, half
goddess. I want the reader to believe in them, and in their happily ever afters.
I want my worlds to be vivid. I want my action and plot to be
engrossing. I want my readers to come away feeling like they just rode one of
the rides at Disney World. (A fun one—not the one that makes little kids throw up.) In DEMON CREED, and the
Demon Outlaws series, I hope I’ve made the reader experience at least
some of the above. And what I’ve learned from all this? Like it or not, getting sweaty goes hand in hand with doing something you love. As a reader, what’s the experience you want to walk away with from a story? What
makes you pick up a book in the first place? Comment to win your own copy of DEMON CREED!
Comments
15 comments posted.
Re: Paula Altenburg | Getting Sweaty Doing Things that You Love
When I read a book I want to feel like I'm living it too. Maybe not in actual battle HA but feeling the emotions. I love your cover too!
(Bonnie Capuano 9:15am June 6, 2014)
Wow, what an awesome story - and I so love these other worlds we get to visit in books - thank you for sharing all of these great experiences with us!!!
(Felicia Ciaudelli 9:20am June 6, 2014)
Friends recommending a book or a trusted book review makes me pick up a book. After reading a book, I like to have something to think about.
(Pam Howell 10:25am June 6, 2014)
When I finish reading a book, I want to feel better after
reading it, and I want to feel that I'm also a better person
because I read the book. I choose the book because there is
something in either the character or story line that wants
to take me to that particular place in the book, so that I
can escape whatever might be going on in my life at the
time. It's my form of escape, and I love to put myself in
the place of the Heroine, and live my life through her eyes.
If the plot is interesting enough, and is the right type of
plot for me at the time for me to sink my teeth into, the
Author has done their job.
(Peggy Roberson 10:54am June 6, 2014)
Cover can attract me
sometimes I hear about book on blog
every book is an adventure for my mind
that cover is lickable
PICK ME!!!!
(Pamela Faye Howell 10:51pm June 6, 2014)
awesome cover
(Stephanie Allen 12:31pm June 7, 2014)
i love the cover
(Denise Smith 12:06pm June 7, 2014)
The cover may draw my attention ,but it is the blurb that usually helps me decide on a book. I love books that make me feel... ones that make me smile at the HEA.
(Colleen Conklin 12:36pm June 7, 2014)
I would like to be entertained and also walk away feeling like I didn't waste my time. I want to be involved in the characters that I think about them when it's over.
(Sally Hannoush 3:54pm June 7, 2014)
the cover then i read the back and your cover is HOT!!! sounds like a great book
(Jennifer Beck 4:31pm June 7, 2014)
I want a book that makes me feel good at the end of it. I
don't choose sad tales, I don't want to go through the
trauma of rape or incest. I want adventure, fantasy, love
that triumphs in the end. Yes, I want my happily ever
after. And a well developed bare chested male on the cover
is definitely going to get my attention!
(Marcia Berbeza 8:04pm June 7, 2014)
I want to be taken away from where I am now. That's the short answer.
(Laura Gullickson 11:51pm June 7, 2014)
I want the satisfaction of an enjoyable story with a HEA.
(Janie McGaugh 12:30pm June 8, 2014)
I want to have a story with lovable characters and a story that I will reread very so often.
(Kai Wong 1:59am June 8, 2014)
When I read I want to be swept away by the story, to live it along with the characters, to feel everything thing they do whether it be joy, sorrow, anger or ecstasy. After I finish the story I want to know that it lives inside of me by insinuating itself into my thoughts days or weeks or months afterward encouraging me to relive it in my memories or by re-reading it.
(Debbie Kelly 9:31am June 8, 2014)
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
| 
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy