I’ve always believed that “character is story.” No matter what you’re writing, the characters make it or break it. A plot is just a series of events; the characters give the events depth and meaning. I don’t write detailed character analyses. In the page proofs of THE PREY, I noticed Rowan Smith had three different eye colors. That was fixed 🙂 But I can’t write page one until I can see at least one character, until I know how she will react, how she moves, how she talks, how she interacts with other people . . . or if she… Read More

Sorry to interrupt our fun filled fun with four week, but I wanted to share with everyone that I have titles for my next trilogy! SPEAK NO EVIL SEE NO EVIL FEAR NO EVIL They’ll be released in consecutive months in early 2007 (Feb, Mar and Apr.) Okay, now back to the regularly scheduled theme week . . . Allison

4 movies you would watch over and over Star Wars Casablanca Pirates of the Caribbean The Matrix (Boy, picking only four was HARD) 4 TV shows you love to watch Without a Trace Law & Order (I’m a new fan!) CSI (the original only) LOST (but I haven’t seen the second season, I’m waiting for the DVD, so no spoilers please! 🙂 4 places you have been on vacation: Honolulu, HI Disneyland Lake Tahoe, CA Fayette, AL 4 Websites you visit daily (Other than Murder She Writes!): Romancing the Blog Buzz, Balls & Hype Anatomy of a Book Deal Publishers… Read More

My office is temporary. After I gave birth to Brennan #5 in June of 2004, I lost my den. It had a door. It had a wall full of bookshelves. It had a big desk built into the wall that was perfect for stuff. (And lots of it.) But three kids to a room wasn’t going to cut it, so (sniff-sniff) I sacrificed my office and moved into the living room. I should say that we never used the living room. It had the piano I never play anymore (which is now in my bedroom), a lounge chair (also in… Read More

I sold my fifth completed manuscript. I knew it was it before I typed The End. I had started writing THE PREY when I was on maternity leave with my son in 2001, the year before I “got serious” about writing. I never finished it because the hero and heroine didn’t work. Well, there were probably lots of other reasons like I’d never finished any of the hundreds of books I’d started, but at least I knew exactly what had bored me about this one. But I loved the idea. I originally came up with the premise for THE PREY… Read More

I’m outgoing. An extrovert, you might say. I love talking with people, in person, on the phone, on-line–doesn’t matter. I need that human connection, especially now since as a full-time writer, I spend so much time in my head (which can be a very scary place!) I think book signings are a good thing, within reason. Like with all promotion, if it takes away from your writing time, you have to evaluate whether you’re getting a huge benefit from it. But if you can fit in a few signings, there are good reasons to do so. First, some definitions: LAUNCH… Read More

I’ve often said “Character is story” . . . don’t exactly remember who first said it, might have been Robert McKee. Robert Newton Peck said “Fiction Is Folks” and really, you don’t have to read his book of that title because that’s exactly what the book’s about. People. People make the story. People drive the story. People are the story. Things happen, but it’s how those characters act and react to the situation they’re in that makes us turn pages. The biggest and bestest plot might be enjoyable on the surface, but without characters it’s meaningless. My biggest pet peeve… Read More

My day starts at midnight when the littlest Brennan thinks he’s starving to death and wakes up screaming for a bottle. Of course, we need to do a diaper change because this little guy pees more than the first four kids put together. Now I go to bed. Wait, you ask, isn’t this the end of the day? No, I work on a 24 hour clock so 00:00 is the beginning of my day. I usually stay up until midnight anyway because of my monster child’s bizarre schedule, but I have been known to fall asleep at 9 p.m. on… Read More

More on book trailers later . . . (I’m writing an article for the RWR) . . . but in the meantime, enjoy my latest 30 second flash trailer for THE KILL.

I feel like I’m in Confession. I have to admit my deep, dark, scary secrets. I almost lied. I almost wrote about the second book I wrote, a pretty good attempt at a romantic suspense, because, well, it was SOOOO much better than the first book I wrote (though the second book is still not publishable.) But there are enough people out there who could catch me in the lie, so I decided to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Hot Latte. My heroine was a virgin. My hero was an alpha cop. (Please, please,… Read More