DEMON HUNTING in DIXIE!

As promised, I have a special guest for you today. Lexi George is a debut author. Her first book, DEMON HUNTING in DIXIE, a light and funny paranormal romance, came out last week from Kensington Brava.

Lexi is a member of my RWA chapter, Southern Magic, here in Birmingham and a good friend. She's going to chat today about seven things she's learned as a newly published author. With only a little over two years under my belt as a published author, I can definitely identify with everything she mentions. And some of these things I'm still learning!

I hope you'll take a moment to say hey to Lexi and check out her awesome first book! Isn't the cover beautiful? I love the colors! And Lexi's generously giving away two signed ARCs of DHiD to two random commenters. So be sure to comment for a chance to win. Lexi's going to be stopping by frequently today, so if you have any questions about writing or being a newly published author, be sure to ask her.

7 Things I’ve Learned So Far by Lexi George

1. Sometimes you have to kill your little darlings. Yes, it’s tough. It might be funny, poignant, or the best darn passage you’ve ever written, but if it doesn’t move the story forward or tell the reader something new about one of your characters it’s extraneous. It slows the pace and kills the story. But, hey, write green. Save it in a junk document and recycle it in another book.

2. Don’t save anything for later—put it all out there. Don’t worry about saving ideas/ characters/ scenes or dialogue for the ‘next’ book. Use it all. Now. In this book. Trust your muse. There will be more later when you need it, I promise.

3. As much as I hate conflict in my real life, it is necessary on the page. I hate confrontation. I am a peacemaker. I avoid conflict in my personal life like the plague. But no one wants to read a story that is all lollipops and buttercups. Characters have to have conflict, internal and external, that drives the story along. Conflict is the hardest thing for me to achieve as a writer. It goes against my nature, but it is essential. Throw rocks at your characters. Big rocks and little rocks.

4. Sex scenes are . . . er . . . hard. I love romance and I love a sexy, romantic sex scene. When I buy a new romance I always thumb through and find the culminating moment between the hero and heroine. I don’t read it, mind you, but I know where it is. It gives me something to look forward to! I am NOT one of those women who skip the sex scenes. Nope. Uh uh.

Writing a sex scene? Arggh!!! It has to be emotional and sensual. It has to be satisfying to the reader, who has invested his or her precious time in the relationship of your characters and their love story. Sex scenes are significant with a capital ‘S,’ and darn hard to write. Especially when you have the image of the old maid librarian from grammar school haunting you, or when you imagine the reaction of your aunt, the Baptist preacher’s wife, when she reads your sex scene. Talk about your cold showers.

5. Your characters will surprise you. No matter whether you are a pantser or a plotter with flow charts and family trees for every character, at some point in the writing process, your characters are going to surprise you. You’ll think, Wow, I never expected her/him to say or do that! Secondary characters have a way of popping up in my books fully formed, like Athena from Zeus’s head. I don’t anticipate them and they surprise the heck out of me when they appear.

6. I can write funny! No, really, I never knew I had it in me. When I set out to write Demon Hunting in Dixie, I envisioned it as dark and steamy. Imagine my surprise when the story took a funny turn almost from the start! Lesson learned? When you write, not only will your characters surprise you, you will surprise yourself. Writing is a wonderful way to discover new things about your oldest and dearest friend, the person you thought you knew everything about: You! I highly recommend it.

7. You can’t do it alone. Every writer needs friends who write. Writing can be a lonely business and you need your peeps to encourage you, support you, and give you the occasional kick in the butt when you need it. Moreover, feedback and constructive criticism are essential if you want to grow and improve as a writer. You can’t write in a vacuum. Join (or start!) a writer’s group and your local chapter of the RWA. You will find friendship, a wealth of information, and support. Networking can help get your foot in the door. Without the help of other writers, I would not be published today.

Seriously. For one thing, if not for Christy’s generosity, I would not be on this blog. Thank you, Christy!