Ask the Author: Lynne Marshall
Answered Questions (4)
Lynne Marshall
I am currently working on a trilogy for Harlequin Special Edition. It is the story of the Delaney brothers of Sandpiper Beach. First book is Daniel and Keela's story, #2 is Mark and Laurel's story, and #3 is Conor and Shelby's reunion story. Here's the backstory and overview:
Padraig Delaney, the eighty-five-year-old patriarch and grandfather to the Delaney boys, immigrated to the USA in the 1950s where he helped develop lush golf-courses along the central California coast. There he met Mary and made her his wife. They scrimped and saved and bought property in Sandpiper Beach because it reminded him of Sligo Bay way back home in County Sligo, Ireland. Soon after, he and Mary built a small beachside hotel and called it The Drumcliffe.
Sean, Patrick Delaney’s son, and his wife Maureen run the family owned hotel and pub, but they’re looking to retire soon so Maureen can paint to her heart’s content and Sean can golf every single day of the week if he wants to. This leaves the family’s future up in the air unless they can convince their grown boys to take over.
Born and raised around the family hotel at Sandpiper Beach, the three Delaney brothers, Daniel, (33), Mark (31), and Conor (29), are all bachelors. And so far there hasn’t been a single wedding or a hint of a plan for one! Maybe, if they quit rolling their eyes and start listening to their grandpa’s insistent prediction—usually made after a pint of Guinness—that soon they each will find the love of their life, they might finally believe in the unexplained power of love.
Of course, his prediction is based on the fact that the brothers had saved a seal while on a deep sea fishing excursion. Padraig insists that seal was a selkie, and she owes them a favor. Now you may understand the brothers' eye rolls. ;)
Padraig Delaney, the eighty-five-year-old patriarch and grandfather to the Delaney boys, immigrated to the USA in the 1950s where he helped develop lush golf-courses along the central California coast. There he met Mary and made her his wife. They scrimped and saved and bought property in Sandpiper Beach because it reminded him of Sligo Bay way back home in County Sligo, Ireland. Soon after, he and Mary built a small beachside hotel and called it The Drumcliffe.
Sean, Patrick Delaney’s son, and his wife Maureen run the family owned hotel and pub, but they’re looking to retire soon so Maureen can paint to her heart’s content and Sean can golf every single day of the week if he wants to. This leaves the family’s future up in the air unless they can convince their grown boys to take over.
Born and raised around the family hotel at Sandpiper Beach, the three Delaney brothers, Daniel, (33), Mark (31), and Conor (29), are all bachelors. And so far there hasn’t been a single wedding or a hint of a plan for one! Maybe, if they quit rolling their eyes and start listening to their grandpa’s insistent prediction—usually made after a pint of Guinness—that soon they each will find the love of their life, they might finally believe in the unexplained power of love.
Of course, his prediction is based on the fact that the brothers had saved a seal while on a deep sea fishing excursion. Padraig insists that seal was a selkie, and she owes them a favor. Now you may understand the brothers' eye rolls. ;)
Lynne Marshall
A few years back my husband signed on for a cross country bicycle trip which began in Astoria, Oregon. I flew there to see him off and spent a couple of days falling in love with the small town. I also planned to meet DH in Portsmouth, New Hampshire fifty-five days later when the group arrived en mass with local police escort and sirens.
A funny thing happened when I visited Astoria – I fell in love. What a gorgeous area, quaint town, beautiful river, and interesting history. Little did I know that a few years later I’d model a fictitious town out of Astoria and call it Heartlandia. (My play on the fun cable TV program Portlandia). My fictitious town is thirty miles up the road, but I won’t lie – it is Astoria…for the most part. I took great liberty picking and choosing which aspects I wanted to keep, add, or remove.
I loved the Scandinavian influence and that became a major part of the trilogy I got to write for Special Edition. The thing that impressed me the most was the Astoria-Megler Bridge, and, of course, the breathtaking Columbia River.
I recently submitted the third book, and the debut, A DOCTOR FOR KEEPS, just released July 1st.
You’re probably wondering how my husband’s cross country bicycle trip turned out. Let me start by saying I hosted an Italian chaperone for a group of teenagers on a cultural exchange that summer, so I wasn’t alone. It was wonderful to get to know the young woman. Eleanora spoke beautiful English and loved my little corner of the world. She was great company, too.
Hubby had the summer of his life that year creating memory after memory, and making several new friends. The age range in the group was 18-80! And the 80 year old definitely made it the entire way. The bicyclists’ road proudly to the beach in NH, many with tears in their eyes. What an accomplishment. Since then my husband has taken a couple other bicycle trips, though none quite as long as the first, and he looks forward to Fall in Maine riding with one of the men he became friends with on that very first journey.
A funny thing happened when I visited Astoria – I fell in love. What a gorgeous area, quaint town, beautiful river, and interesting history. Little did I know that a few years later I’d model a fictitious town out of Astoria and call it Heartlandia. (My play on the fun cable TV program Portlandia). My fictitious town is thirty miles up the road, but I won’t lie – it is Astoria…for the most part. I took great liberty picking and choosing which aspects I wanted to keep, add, or remove.
I loved the Scandinavian influence and that became a major part of the trilogy I got to write for Special Edition. The thing that impressed me the most was the Astoria-Megler Bridge, and, of course, the breathtaking Columbia River.
I recently submitted the third book, and the debut, A DOCTOR FOR KEEPS, just released July 1st.
You’re probably wondering how my husband’s cross country bicycle trip turned out. Let me start by saying I hosted an Italian chaperone for a group of teenagers on a cultural exchange that summer, so I wasn’t alone. It was wonderful to get to know the young woman. Eleanora spoke beautiful English and loved my little corner of the world. She was great company, too.
Hubby had the summer of his life that year creating memory after memory, and making several new friends. The age range in the group was 18-80! And the 80 year old definitely made it the entire way. The bicyclists’ road proudly to the beach in NH, many with tears in their eyes. What an accomplishment. Since then my husband has taken a couple other bicycle trips, though none quite as long as the first, and he looks forward to Fall in Maine riding with one of the men he became friends with on that very first journey.
Lynne Marshall
ADVICE FOR ASPIRING AUTHORS:
Dreams are the spice in our life recipe
You’ve finished your book and though you’ve officially written The End, it’s only the beginning of your journey. First, pat yourself on the back for pursuing your dream and completing your novel. Enjoy the sweet oblivion, the exhilarating notion that “if I write it, they will come.” Each stage of your journey is its own reward. Remember this when things get rocky. Now hold onto your hat, because the rest is going to be a crazy ride!
How do you get from here - new author with manuscript under arm - to there – published?
You’ve probably already joined a writer’s group. If not, do so, immediately. Joining a group comprised of like-minded people is life-changing. There is much to learn and mentorship is the key. Listen to the wise ones in your new tribe. Their experiences can save you time and heartache. There are organizations for every writing genre; do you know where your manuscript belongs? If not, figure it out, immediately.
For me it was the Romance Writers of America, and I often say I owe everything I’ve learned about writing and publishing to both the National organization and my home chapter of RWA. Each attended meeting introduced me to new information on publishing, craft, writing opportunities, future critique partners, and a handful of eventual lifetime friends. Each workshop taught me new skills to apply to my novice novel. Each National conference lifted another veil from my dream-influenced eyes. Go forth. Join. Learn.
Don’t just take notes and nod
Roll up your sleeves. Invest more time in the process. Write every day, even if only a few lines. Read everyday. Plop down some money for writing classes. Follow through on what you glean from workshops and author lectures. Apply this new knowledge to your work in progress. Don’t be offended by honest critiques. Learn from them, apply whatever makes sense. Ignore the snarky comments, but grow thicker skin and quit being so easily offended. Be open to suggestions. Rewrite. Edit. Delete. Begin again. This is the process. It cannot be ignored.
Seize opportunities
Life is filled with synchronicity. When you’re on the right path opportunities arise. A chance meeting with an editor at a writers’ conference may open a door in the future. Be aware. Be prepared. Maybe you’ve entered a contest or signed on for an agent or editor appointment and they’ve requested a partial or a full. Don’t panic. Follow through.
Polish and send in the requested material. A high percentage of writers don’t do this. Don’t be one of them. Revisions are inevitable. Do them. Rejection is part of the process. Get used to it. Don’t entertain defeat. Move on to the next opportunity and project. Know when to let go
My first manuscript, the one that opened the door to the amazing world of writing and publishing, resides in a box on the top shelf of my office storage closet along with several other completed novels. And though it will never see the inside of a book cover, it is one of my most prized possessions. Though it does happen, chances are your first manuscript won’t get published. Love it for all it has taught you. Remember the myriad lessons when you begin your next book.
Begin again…
Several years into this dream you’ve honed with passion and knowledge, thousands of aspiring writers have already fallen away or given up, but not you. You’ve amassed information, grown a bit wiser, increased your network, improved your writing skills, and you’re excited about your next project. Maybe this will be the one. For all of your hard work, and most especially for your positive attitude, I commend you. Perseverance is the single most important quality that will help you make that first sale.
It took six years and as many manuscripts before I made my first sale.
Dreams are the spice in our life recipe
You’ve finished your book and though you’ve officially written The End, it’s only the beginning of your journey. First, pat yourself on the back for pursuing your dream and completing your novel. Enjoy the sweet oblivion, the exhilarating notion that “if I write it, they will come.” Each stage of your journey is its own reward. Remember this when things get rocky. Now hold onto your hat, because the rest is going to be a crazy ride!
How do you get from here - new author with manuscript under arm - to there – published?
You’ve probably already joined a writer’s group. If not, do so, immediately. Joining a group comprised of like-minded people is life-changing. There is much to learn and mentorship is the key. Listen to the wise ones in your new tribe. Their experiences can save you time and heartache. There are organizations for every writing genre; do you know where your manuscript belongs? If not, figure it out, immediately.
For me it was the Romance Writers of America, and I often say I owe everything I’ve learned about writing and publishing to both the National organization and my home chapter of RWA. Each attended meeting introduced me to new information on publishing, craft, writing opportunities, future critique partners, and a handful of eventual lifetime friends. Each workshop taught me new skills to apply to my novice novel. Each National conference lifted another veil from my dream-influenced eyes. Go forth. Join. Learn.
Don’t just take notes and nod
Roll up your sleeves. Invest more time in the process. Write every day, even if only a few lines. Read everyday. Plop down some money for writing classes. Follow through on what you glean from workshops and author lectures. Apply this new knowledge to your work in progress. Don’t be offended by honest critiques. Learn from them, apply whatever makes sense. Ignore the snarky comments, but grow thicker skin and quit being so easily offended. Be open to suggestions. Rewrite. Edit. Delete. Begin again. This is the process. It cannot be ignored.
Seize opportunities
Life is filled with synchronicity. When you’re on the right path opportunities arise. A chance meeting with an editor at a writers’ conference may open a door in the future. Be aware. Be prepared. Maybe you’ve entered a contest or signed on for an agent or editor appointment and they’ve requested a partial or a full. Don’t panic. Follow through.
Polish and send in the requested material. A high percentage of writers don’t do this. Don’t be one of them. Revisions are inevitable. Do them. Rejection is part of the process. Get used to it. Don’t entertain defeat. Move on to the next opportunity and project. Know when to let go
My first manuscript, the one that opened the door to the amazing world of writing and publishing, resides in a box on the top shelf of my office storage closet along with several other completed novels. And though it will never see the inside of a book cover, it is one of my most prized possessions. Though it does happen, chances are your first manuscript won’t get published. Love it for all it has taught you. Remember the myriad lessons when you begin your next book.
Begin again…
Several years into this dream you’ve honed with passion and knowledge, thousands of aspiring writers have already fallen away or given up, but not you. You’ve amassed information, grown a bit wiser, increased your network, improved your writing skills, and you’re excited about your next project. Maybe this will be the one. For all of your hard work, and most especially for your positive attitude, I commend you. Perseverance is the single most important quality that will help you make that first sale.
It took six years and as many manuscripts before I made my first sale.
Lynne Marshall
Don’t Wait Around for Inspiration
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
― Socrates
I’ll tell you what really gets my juices flowing – travel, good books and movies, music, and everyday life (which includes eating and sleeping). That about covers it, doesn’t it? I’m easily inspired, but that isn’t necessarily translated to the page. Each day is overflowing with beauty and sensations, and all it takes is a flick of my eye or a turn of my ear to discover something new. We may assume that routine is the killer of magic, but it is also necessary. And fruitful. While plodding through the business of daily living, all kinds of surprises crop up. Like with small miracles, we have to train ourselves to notice.
And speaking of our brains, they crave challenges. “What if” is a favorite question for writers. I’d love to see a brain scan light up after that one simple exercise. Oh, and here’s a fascinating tidbit about the importance of fiction and reading.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opi...
I don’t recommend sitting around and waiting for inspiration to strike before going to the computer and putting in your daily words. Here are a couple of quotes to explain why.
Don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work ~Pearl S. Buck
Inspiration is a selfish fleeting lover that only shows up in the mood. Who needs selfish lovers? Lynne Marshall
Forgive my audacity to include myself with a quote from the incredible author, Pearl S. Buck, but we were talking about the same thing. Writing is work, and if you’re a published author it is also a business. The world would stop if everyone waited for inspiration to do things. Inspiration is a form of fantastical thinking. It is something that young minds thrive on, but as we mature we discover that part about putting bread on the table and a roof over our head. So we must write, and we can’t wait for inspiration to do it.
What about the times we feel blocked? I refer to the Socrates quote at the top of this blog. I suggest that writing block isn’t real, but the state of feeling blocked does require examination. When I feel resistance to moving ahead with one of my stories, I’ve learned over the course of writing twenty or so books that something has been left undone in the prior scene. My brain instinctively knows it and flags it by holding me back. Until I’ve examined the chapter or scene, then stimulate my creativity by moving around (I like to walk, do aerobics and yoga) I can’t go forward. Sometimes this takes more than a day to accomplish. I don’t freak out. I know it is my process.
You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block. ~ John Rogers
When I travel or see a great movie or read a wonderful book or hear a gorgeous piece of music I am immediately inspired. But it rarely translates to words on the page. Sure it increases my endorphins and makes me feel fantastic at the moment, but that feeling fades when the endorphins thin out, often long before I can get to my computer. Again, our incredible brains file these feelings away and when we do our hard work of writing, we are often surprised by the gift of those memories.
By all means, store up memories in your brain doing inspirational things, but do the work of writing to unleash those magical moments when you slip into the zone and become your story, only to look up hours later having written pages and pages. Getting in the zone doesn’t happen often for me, but often enough to get books written.
In the end, there is nothing worse than thinking up a great story but never putting it on paper. To refer to the famous Descartes quote – I think therefore I am. A book cannot exist in a brain, it cannot only be “thought” but must be written to exist. And there is nothing sadder than a book that doesn’t exist.
So go forth and WRITE! And whatever you do, don’t wait for inspiration to strike. You can quote me on that.
Out Now!
A DOCTOR FOR KEEPS, Harlequin Special Edition July 2014
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
― Socrates
I’ll tell you what really gets my juices flowing – travel, good books and movies, music, and everyday life (which includes eating and sleeping). That about covers it, doesn’t it? I’m easily inspired, but that isn’t necessarily translated to the page. Each day is overflowing with beauty and sensations, and all it takes is a flick of my eye or a turn of my ear to discover something new. We may assume that routine is the killer of magic, but it is also necessary. And fruitful. While plodding through the business of daily living, all kinds of surprises crop up. Like with small miracles, we have to train ourselves to notice.
And speaking of our brains, they crave challenges. “What if” is a favorite question for writers. I’d love to see a brain scan light up after that one simple exercise. Oh, and here’s a fascinating tidbit about the importance of fiction and reading.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opi...
I don’t recommend sitting around and waiting for inspiration to strike before going to the computer and putting in your daily words. Here are a couple of quotes to explain why.
Don’t wait for moods. You accomplish nothing if you do that. Your mind must know it has got to get down to work ~Pearl S. Buck
Inspiration is a selfish fleeting lover that only shows up in the mood. Who needs selfish lovers? Lynne Marshall
Forgive my audacity to include myself with a quote from the incredible author, Pearl S. Buck, but we were talking about the same thing. Writing is work, and if you’re a published author it is also a business. The world would stop if everyone waited for inspiration to do things. Inspiration is a form of fantastical thinking. It is something that young minds thrive on, but as we mature we discover that part about putting bread on the table and a roof over our head. So we must write, and we can’t wait for inspiration to do it.
What about the times we feel blocked? I refer to the Socrates quote at the top of this blog. I suggest that writing block isn’t real, but the state of feeling blocked does require examination. When I feel resistance to moving ahead with one of my stories, I’ve learned over the course of writing twenty or so books that something has been left undone in the prior scene. My brain instinctively knows it and flags it by holding me back. Until I’ve examined the chapter or scene, then stimulate my creativity by moving around (I like to walk, do aerobics and yoga) I can’t go forward. Sometimes this takes more than a day to accomplish. I don’t freak out. I know it is my process.
You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block. ~ John Rogers
When I travel or see a great movie or read a wonderful book or hear a gorgeous piece of music I am immediately inspired. But it rarely translates to words on the page. Sure it increases my endorphins and makes me feel fantastic at the moment, but that feeling fades when the endorphins thin out, often long before I can get to my computer. Again, our incredible brains file these feelings away and when we do our hard work of writing, we are often surprised by the gift of those memories.
By all means, store up memories in your brain doing inspirational things, but do the work of writing to unleash those magical moments when you slip into the zone and become your story, only to look up hours later having written pages and pages. Getting in the zone doesn’t happen often for me, but often enough to get books written.
In the end, there is nothing worse than thinking up a great story but never putting it on paper. To refer to the famous Descartes quote – I think therefore I am. A book cannot exist in a brain, it cannot only be “thought” but must be written to exist. And there is nothing sadder than a book that doesn’t exist.
So go forth and WRITE! And whatever you do, don’t wait for inspiration to strike. You can quote me on that.
Out Now!
A DOCTOR FOR KEEPS, Harlequin Special Edition July 2014
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