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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

P-lotting, Plodding, and Publishing

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

Whoever would have thought that I’d be one of those obnoxious writers with a “How to write a nove with three easy steps?”  Not me.  Yet, as I stare as the plan for this blog post (all in the mind… don’t freak out.  I’m not that organized or forethoughtful), it occurs to me that this is really what this post is–in a weird sort of way.

But seriously.  There really are three parts to writing for me.  The first is obviously the plot.  I mean, I may be a character-driven writer, but without a plot, no character, no matter how cool they are, will hold attention long enough to keep people reading.  Characters have to do something.  Plot.  Plot usually isn’t a problem for me.  My characters all come with stories already.  My job is to figure out which stories need to be told, and which ones no one but me cares about.

Plodding, however, that isn’t as easy.  It’s the whole, “You can’t just have it all ‘filed away in your imagination’ like Anne Shirley” thing.  Having it all in your head doesn’t help a reader.  I have to type it out. I have to keep going.  I have to show self-control and keep writing when a new project tempts me.  I have to do this because if I don’t, the story never gets to…

Publishing.  Of the three, this probably seems easiest.  Nope.  It’s the hardest.  Seriously.  First you plan, then you work, and then you REALLY work.  Publishing is like being “almost there” and the rest of the way is uphill, against the wind, and with rain beating down on you.  You have to edit.  Then you have to send to an editor.  Then you have to edit some more.  When you go nuts you have to work on cover art.  Then you have to edit.  You have to write a back synopsis.  You have to decide what information to share.  You find the perfect artwork idea and then realize it doesn’t work.  Back to the drawing board.  Your editor returns the manuscript with a solid red bar of corrections down the side of the page.

Now you’re done, right?  Nope.  Then you proof.  You fix the proofs.  You proof some more.  And, while you wait for the next book to arrive, you plan marketing.  You get that book out there.  You notify everyone who has ever bought from you that it’s coming.  You do blog posts, facebook parties, and more blog posts.  You send out review copies and pray that the errors in them are minor.

Yeah.  Plotting, Plodding, and Publishing.  See, three little things.  It’s down right simple.  Anyone can do it.  So what are you waiting for?

 

 

To see what other bloggers are doing this month, check out the HUGE list of bloggers HERE!

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
byChautona Havig

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t new to rom-coms, and her first book in the Sweetheart Series promises to be a literary riot, and it lives up to that promise. I’m only halfway through it and am thinking mean, ugly thoughts of everything keeping me from being able to escape into the crazy small-town politics and quirky characters. So far the com far outweighs the rom, which makes me thrilled to bits. Listen in to discover what makes Lone Star Sweetheart so much fun.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Why Did This Author Write a Rom-Com about a Loveable Shrew?

Well, I think we can safely blame Shakespeare for that. Shannon Sue Dunlap has taken inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in her Katherine, but unlike Katerina, Dunlap’s character is actually trying to learn to tame the tongue. Maybe someone should send her over to the book of James. There’s that whole bit about not being able to tame it, being an “unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

Kate’s isn’t that bad, but not for lack of trying. Or something.

Shannon Sue Dunlap isn’t joking when she says that her Katherine is a “loveable” shrew. Seriously, I love this character. She’s forthright, no-nonsense, and “what you see is what you get” in her approach to life. I respect that. Add to that her boss who has shaken up the town of Sweetheart, Texas, and you’ve got the makings of a great story. I’m loving Lone Star Sweetheart.

But this isn’t all Dunlap has written.

Under the pseudonym, Shannon Kent, you can find her sweet and clean romances (including one Christian romance) inspired by Korean dramas. If you said I’d be not only chomping to read a sweet and clean romance about Korean tour guides and all that entails but also ready to watch a Korean drama on Netflix… Okay, I might not have laughed in your face, but I’d’ve been laughing on the inside.

Best part… one of them ties into her Sweetheart Series

Lone Star Sweetheart by Shannon Sue Dunlap

Katherine Bruno’s passionate, unfiltered temper makes her the shrew of small-town Sweetheart, Texas. When she’s drafted to help the mayor’s wife run against her own husband, Katherine meets opposing big city political consultant Ryan Park. The good-looking, flirtatious campaign manager gets under her skin, but fraternizing with the enemy is off-limits.

Katherine must battle her lack of experience, campaign sabotage, and her growing feelings for Ryan as she strives to succeed. His unprejudiced acceptance of her strong-willed character beckons her heart, but his jaded rejection of God is an insurmountable barrier. Will Ryan return to his faith and stay with her in Sweetheart or leave when the election ends?

You can find out more about Shannon Sue Dunlap AND get that first novella in the Korean Crush series free on her WEBSITE.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

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Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
Episode 231: A Chat with RomCom author, Shannon Sue Dunlap
May 26, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 230: A Chat with Bryan Timothy Mitchell
May 17, 2023
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Episode 229: A Chat about Murmur in the Mud Caves with Kathleen Denly
May 12, 2023
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Episode 228: A Chat with Author Emilie Haney
May 9, 2023
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Episode 227: A Chat about the New Jewels of Kalispell Series
May 5, 2023
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Episode 226: A Chat with Archaeological Thriller Author, Doug Powell
May 2, 2023
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Episode 225: A Chat with Dani Pettrey
April 28, 2023
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Episode 224: A Chat with Author Megan Besing
April 25, 2023
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Episode 223: A Chat with Tosca Lee about A Long March Home
April 21, 2023
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Episode 222: A Chat with Regina Rudd Merrick
April 18, 2023
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