Naomi Boom's Blog

Turns out making book trailers is kind of enjoyable. I get to do something creative aside from write, although I end up missing writing by the end of my project. But To Entice an Earl deserved a book trailer, so hopefully you enjoy watching it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who have not read To Dodge a Duke, let me explain something. Miss Eleanor Ashford is not a very nice person. In fact, she was a bit of a villain in To Tempt a Viscount. The problem is, I felt bad for Eleanor. She had a massive amount of pressure riding on her shoulders which she exhibited in a very poor way. She was not likeable in any way, and yet, I felt I really knew her. Knew her struggles, and understood her actions.

That did not make writing her story easy. On the contrary, I almost abandoned the novel half-way through. I didn’t find her likeable, even though I understood her. And if I didn’t like her, how would a reader?

I ended up re-writing a large amount of the story until I felt she had progressed to a likeable, understandable, person. To me, the best novels have relateable characters. Perfection is annoying. And now, I am very pleased she received the story she so greatly needed with a gentleman I felt complimented her nature.

Now then, for those of you who have read To Dodge a Duke, I have to tell you something. Or rather, make a promise. Lord Thornwick will have his own story, and I’m already plotting Lord and Lady Gammon’s spin-off. I’m so excited to write about Opal Gammon, in particular, and Lord Thornwick *sigh* I simply love him. Now, we shall have to wait and see how their stories unfold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the release of To Tempt a Viscount, I couldn’t resist doing a book signing. I learned four things from this event:

My hand likes to add extra commas in my inscriptions. Lesson learned. I need to slow down when I write to avoid such errors.
Bring plenty of water. People like to chat (me included) and my throat gets scratchy without a beverage.
Relax. These events are enjoyable, and not nearly as scary as I envisioned. In fact, I am looking forward to the next one!
Practice my signature. It’s not pretty. In fact, every time I signed my name, I cringed.

What I enjoyed most was getting the chance to chat with people about a common interest. Maybe I should join a book club so I can participate in discussions more often.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The picture featured above was my tipping point to start writing. You see, I needed a hobby which required some sort of adult reasoning. As a stay-at-home mom, I spend a lot of time chasing around a toddler, so when my picture looked like something a (very) advanced toddler could draw, I gave up on that idea.

Writing was my next hobby to try. I primarily read historical romance novels, with a few exceptions, so I decided to craft my own historical romance novel. To Tempt a Viscount is said novel, which took a lot of time, heartbreak, and energy to get where it is now.

Writing my first novel was not easy. I wrote about half the book and then changed something in the beginning. Then, I fixed half the book to line up with that one change. Seems logical, I know, but it never occurred to me when I started writing to have all my minor characters included from the start.

When I finished my first draft/series of edits, I sent my novel off to publishers. I queried a whole bunch of them, and slowly, the rejections started to trickle in. This might sound twisted, but I was so excited about my rejection from Harlequin. I included a chunk of what they said. Maybe you can understand my excitement.

“We have read your submission with interest; you certainly know how to conjure up the historical period evocatively and authentically. The story is well structured, with charming characters and you have a very natural, fluid writing style. However, whilst we appreciate the care and attention that has gone into the preparation of your submission, regrettably we feel that your story is not sufficiently developed for publication on our Historical list.

We are always looking for new Historical authors, although the standard we require in a first manuscript is very high. Please do not be discouraged by this rejection, however, because we feel that your style and voice show potential.”

I know, this response might have been an automated one, but boy did it give me hope, and with that hope, a drive to do better. I took a long look at my writing, and then I edited and edited and edited. All those rejections seem to have worked for me, though, as I did find my wonderful publisher, The Wild Rose Press, Inc., and they did agree to publish To Tempt a Viscount.

Looking back, I am happy I failed at art. I am so grateful for all that I have learned, and all the nice people I have met. Now, I get to start hearing feedback from you, the readers, so feel free to hit me up about anything that strikes your fancy – whether about my book, the weather, or whatever!

I try my best to write every day, or edit, or read. Every day. I don’t think I need to re-type that, but if you are curious how often I write, re-read the first two sentences. Sometimes, I dedicate a half hour, and sometimes it’s the entire day. Below is a listing of my typical day, not the crazy all-day long edits, or the odd days I don’t do much (and go shopping instead).

Coffee. My toddler, Wyatt, wakes me up around 7, and caffeine gets me going.
Activities with Wyatt, including breakfast, lunch, cleaning my house, and playing.
Nap time! Wyatt takes a nap, and either I join him, or I write for about an hour.
Supper, cleanup, family time, bed time.
This is when I catch my second wind. Seriously. I will be exhausted at 7 p.m. but once Wyatt goes to sleep around 8 I get this crazy surge of energy. Either I go to the gym or work out at home. It all depends on how ambitious I am, or how much I need to reflect on my story.
Final stage. I write/edit/read at night when my house is quiet and I can focus without a toddler trying to break my laptop. I try to go to sleep by midnight but there are plenty of nights I work well past that point. Hence the reason I nap with my child.

This is an example of a perfect writing day. I don’t really do the word count goal, or page count goal, or any other sort of goal. As long as I write, I am happy. I am so proud of my work as a full-time mom and writer. Now, if only i could say the same thing about cleaning my house.

If you are interested in my work, take a look at To Tempt a Viscount by Naomi Boom.

I hope you enjoy my book trailer for To Tempt a Viscount by Naomi Boom.

I was a little scared to make a book trailer, but have to say I am pleased with the results. I used construction paper and tape for the graphics, moving the characters and sticking them to the poster board for the various scenes. As for music, I used Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 4 in G Minor.

http://www.naomiboom.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ToTemptAViscount.mp4

For now, only To Tempt a Viscount has a book trailer. If you are having troubles getting this to load, please go to youtube and visit my channel.

Writing To Tempt a Viscount was a whirlwind of excitement for me. Up til then, I had never written anything longer than a college paper and had no idea what to expect. I set out with my initial plot, forgetting all manners of important things such as side characters. When I did remember them, I spent days adding them to the story, weaving them in as if they were there from the beginning. I learned a lot from my first novel, but most of all, I learned to enjoy writing.

Sometimes, I read other author’s biographies and see how they dreamed of being a writer since childhood. I wish I could make such a claim, unfortunately, I never thought to write until I was searching for a book to read. I am very particular in my reading selections, and when I could not find one intriguing enough to purchase, decided to write my own. I never expected my project to go this far. Instead, I figured I’d keep a copy in a drawer and pull it out every few years.

Somehow, I found The Wild Rose Press, Inc., and they took a chance on me, an unknown writer.  They also have agreed to publish my second novel, To Dodge a Duke, which is still in the editing stages. In fact, there should be a total of four novels in my Entangled Nobility series, with To Tempt a Viscount being the first.

If you are interested in more about To Tempt a Viscount or me, please read this article by the Fort Leavenworth Lamp. Also, check out my website: www.naomiboom.com, and please consider connecting with me on Goodreads.

Interesting facts about To Tempt a Viscount:

The initial draft did not include Miss Allison Somers, and now she is integral to the series.

The hero of To Tempt a Viscount, Lord Gavin Farris, is surprised by Laura’s partiality toward John Keats and purchases her a volume of Keats’s works. In one deleted scene, Gavin reflects on a particular poem as he waits to “happen” upon Laura in Hyde Park. That poem was The Eve of St. Agnes, which you can read here.

I took out a scene where Lord Farris asks Laura’s father for his permission to marry Laura. Gavin is tasked with finding Laura the perfect mare, so Gavin goes to Tattersalls. He finds the perfect horse, but the owner, Lord Percival, refuses to sell the mare to him. Gavin is forced to go back empty-handed, but Laura’s father approves of his choice to return with no horse as opposed to a sub-par one and gives his blessings for the union.

 

 

Writing is not always easy. Every little thing around me turns into a distraction the second I sit down to write. There are always certain chapters that I cannot wait to write, but between those are the necessary, not-so-exciting parts of a novel. For example, when the heroine is at a ball and engages in a vital conversation with her best friend. Those scenes make me feel as though I have returned to high school and am forced to write a book review on a novel I found enjoyable. While I don’t mind it overly much, that book review is still homework. The remaining moments, the exciting ones, make up for all the painstakingly dreary ones. When the hero and heroine meet for the first time, or the first time they kiss are what I live for. I cannot wait to write those words.

Novels do not create themselves. I know, it seems like an obvious statement, but until I wrote my first novel, To Tempt a Viscount, I had no idea how true that statement was. While I had a general idea of the overall plot, I had to create each little scene along the way. Sadly, I cannot brainstorm a scene in front of a laptop. When I need inspiration, I have to take advantage of the methods that work for me, which are listed below.

Listen to music. – I love music. I have a Pandora station that I listen to throughout the day, which means that whenever I engage in point 2,3, or 4, I also listen to music.
Do something physical. – When I say do something physical, I mean anything that allows you to think. Go for a walk, do some dishes, just do something. Oh, and make sure you have a notepad or phone handy to jot down notes. I swear every time I go for a jog, I have to stop to write something down. They don’t always make sense after my run, but I usually can decipher the general idea.
Go for a drive. – No one should ever take this point lightly. Some of my best ideas occurred when I took a road trip or drove home from the grocery store. Focusing one’s thoughts on an actions somehow allows other ideas to arise. It seems counterintuitive, but it works.
Channel your angst. – There are always those moments when a person fails to measure up to someone’s standards. In my case, it is often my own standards I fall short of, and those moments inevitably lead to optimal writing. I feel the writing. I want my characters to experience heartbreak or delve into their own darkness. Unfortunately, I have no magical way to conjure my angst, except to listen to sad music or read something beautiful and hope it rears its morose little head.

Finally, I have one point for what a writer must never do. Never, ever tell someone an idea until it is completed, because if that someone raises the slightest objection, doubts will kill that idea. This has happened twice in recent memory, which is why I am gradually turning into a bit of a recluse.

What inspires you? I am sure there are a number of methods I have not found, so if there is something that has inspired you, please comment. I will have to give it a try.

I am a huge fan of music. Music inspires me to write, to dream, to try harder. When writing historical romance novels, I have to have background noise, but not something distracting enough to interrupt my train of thought. This might sound crazy, but I play one song on repeat for days on end. Not only can I tune that particular song out, but I can tune in when necessary to harness the emotion I wish to conjure in my writing. Needless to say, I remember which songs I listened to when I wrote my novels, and have listed my favorite song for each novel.

I have a handy Pandora playlist if you care to listen to more of my favorite music. Be warned though, I adjust it to my tastes regularly.

To Tempt a Viscount by Naomi Boom:

Nicki Minaj “Grand Piano”

Sara Bareilles “Gravity”

To Dodge a Duke by Naomi Boom:

Sara Bareilles “Gravity”

Thomas Rhett “Playing with Fire (featuring Jordin Sparks)”