When Hate Turns to Love

I'm working on the synopsis for a new story, one that's been rattling around my head for a while. This story isn't a romantic suspense, the genre I've been sticking to for the last year. The new book will be an uber hot contemporary romance in which the hero and heroine go from hating each other in the beginning to being in love by the end.

I've read many of those hate to love stories and I got to thinking about why that trope is seen so often. I don't know how often such a scenario plays out in real life, but it actually makes sense to me that it would. Why? Hate is a strong emotion. We can hate someone for perpetrating a heinous crime or doing something equally reprehensible. But sometimes a person might feel hatred for a competitor or a person with an opposing viewpoint. Those strong feelings can be harnessed and mixed with a bit of attraction to swing to the other side of the scale.

Such is the case in my Work in Progress. But that switch doesn't just happen. The hated one must act heroically or selflessly or do something to prove they are worthy of powerful emotions, but not hatred. It's true what they say. Love and hate are very close.


Do you buy it when you see two characters make the switch from hate to love?

Book Trailer

Want a sneak peek at Protective Custody? Thanks to my good friend, Randy, here it is:

FREE Read - No Kidding!

How many things in life are really free? Well, this story is. If you have a Kindle, you can download The After Party HERE - yes it is really FREE. If you don't have a Kindle, you can download other formats HERE. Now - go enjoy The After Party.

Victoria meets a handsome stranger at a relative’s wedding. When he asks her out for a drink after, she invites him to her place. After a steamy encounter, they discover they have more than their profession and their love of cats in common. Their paths have crossed before. But will that connection end what they’ve just begun?

Movie Review

 I've never done a movie review so I thought it would be fun to tell you about Red Riding Hood, which DH and I saw on our Saturday night date.

I must say - this is not the fairy tale of our youths! It's rated PG-13 for a little gore and a mildly suggestive love scene. The first thing that struck me as very cool was the amazing set, like a medieval European village in the Bavarian mountains. It was exactly the sort of place I've always pictured Little Red Riding Hood living. Amanda Seyfried plays Valerie, the girl with the red riding hood, with just the right balance of innocence and chutzpah.

Instead of a wolf, it's a werewolf that's been plaguing the town for generations. He's always been appeased with livestock offerings until he goes for Valerie's sister. The wolf has broken his bargain with the town. The menfolk go on a wolf hunt and one of them is killed. They come back with a dead wolf and are celebrating when Gary Oldman, aka a werewolf hunter complete with his own entourage and an assortment of silver weaponry, arrives in town and tells the villagers they've only killed an ordinary wolf. The real werewolf is among them -- he or she is one of them.

I won't spoil the story, but I will say there's a bit of a love triangle, a lot of suspense and of course, an odd Grandma played by Julie Christie. Now, the movie does have its hokey moments and at parts is overdone, but all in all, it's worth the price of admission.

If you've seen the movie, what did you think?

A Little Help From my Friends

I've always been a bit of a social butterfly. Ever since high school, being with friends has been a priority in my life. These days my time is pulled in many directions and I find I have distinct groups of friendships that sometimes overlap, a little like Venn diagrams!

Some of my closest and longest standing relationships stem from people I met through my kids many years ago, moms whose children went to school with mine. Others are from college and a few (including my husband) I met at a business I bought shortly after college.

The biggest group, by far, is the people I've met through my writing endeavors. Some of the ladies in my RWA chapter, my critique partner, even other writers I've met online have become great, supportive friends. The community of writers as a whole is an awesome asset to any writer. (And I include some editors and agents in this category.)

And although you'd think there would be lots of competition and jealousy, there's really very little. Maybe that's because no two authors create the exact same product. No two voices are identical, no two stories indistinguishable.

I remember one of my first discussions about writing when I'd barely finished my very first chapter. I was speaking to a published author who had graciously offered to read my work. The writing was awful, I knew nothing. Instead of giving me the litany of everything I'd done wrong, she gave me one important tip - she explained what point of view was. Then she complimented my descriptions. That was really sweet of her. She was my very first writing friend and she even introduced me to RWA.

What about you? Whatever you do for a living, was there any act of friendship that made a big difference in your career or your life?

Guest Author - Taige Crenshaw

Spin on Reality

By Taige Crenshaw

One of my favorite parts of writing is being able to put my own spin on reality. Taking something that is not of the real and making it so. Making it real to this world that readers want to live in that world. Be a part of the story as it unfolds.

To do this I can make it up totally in my thoughts and build it or take pieces of history, folklore and other interesting tidbits and molding it into what I want to. Doing this is a powerful aphrodisiac. The balance of creating a story that brings a person into it is just like a seductive dance. First you have to let them get a feel of your rhythm. Once they do then you move to the groove. Spinning it around. Weaving that reality to bring them deeper into the reality you’ve built. This is what I strive for in each world I build.

In the world and myths of my upcoming release Indigo Rain this is what I’ve done. I’ve taken many parts of history, folklore and other interesting tidbits to create the world of the story. In writing the book I sank into the myths that I was creating. It was fun to bring in various things I find fascinating. Kalina Erutan, my heroine is an Amazonian Warrior and I was able to create a mythology of her. This mythology is embedded into the very earth. Ryne Garon, my hero is a firebird and I put a major spin on what they are. I’m being deliberately vague about both because I don’t want to give away anything too much about the story. In building the world of the Phoenix Intelligence Agency there are so many beings and things to explore. I’m having a wonderful time laying down the layers of the world.

Each time I write a new book I wonder where I can go next. That is the thing with writing you get to do a spin on reality.

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Taige Crenshaw is a multi-published author with books available at Ellora's Cave Publishing, Liquid Silver Books, Loose Id, and Total-E-Bound. Taige has been enthralled with the written word from time she picked up her first book. It wasn’t long before she started to make up her own tales of romance. With novels set in today, in alternate dimensions, or in the future she writes with adventure, fun sassy heroine’s, and sexy hero’s. Always hard at work creating new and exciting places Taige can be found curled up with a hot novel with exciting characters when she is not creating her own. Join her in the fun, frolic, interesting people and far reaches of the world in her novels. You can find out more about Taige at her website: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com or blog: http://www.taigecrenshaw.com/blog.

Making the Rounds

I'm a blogging fool today. You can find me over at Naughty Author Chicks talking about my favorite addiction and at Not Your Usual Suspects discussing real life villains. Please drop by and say hello!