When an author acts out the scenes (without really meaning to)

Posted on July 30, 2014 by SloanParker

Right now I’m putting the final polish on MORE THAN MOST. (I’m so thrilled with how it’s turned out and I can’t wait to share it!) At this point in the process, I usually spend my days walking around the house reading the manuscript aloud. I look for anything that stands out: repetitive or missing words, odd phrasing in dialogue, continuity issues, moments when an emotional reaction would up the intensity of the scene, that kind of thing.

I’m also at the point where I know the story so well that I sometimes start “acting out” certain parts. Every time I read the same scene over and over, I make hand gestures and facial expressions when the characters do. I lick my lips when they do. I move when and how they do. (And let me just say, I’m so glad no one has a camera anywhere near me during this phase of the writing process.)

So I thought it might be fun to share some of the specific moments from my books where I caught myself really stepping into the role of the characters.

So in no particular order, here are my more embarrassing moments as a writer:

I squeezed my eye shut imitating Walter when Kevin punched him, and then dabbed at the “tender” skin below my eye. (HOW TO SAVE A LIFE)
I banged my fist on my desk when Luke did the same on a diner table after talking with his father. (MORE)
I limped around the house like Richard after he’d twisted his ankle. (MORE THAN MOST)
I went to scoop up little Jessica and carry her through the house like Lincoln did when Nancy’s place was on fire. (BREATHE)
I shoved open the (non-existent) bathroom stall door and stormed across the room when Lincoln found out who the man was that he’d kissed. (BREATHE)
I squinted as the wind whipped around Evan when he was trapped in the blizzard, even though I was writing that book in the middle of summer. (TAKE ME HOME)
I raised my arm to shuffle Mateo into his apartment just as Grady did when he finally located him. (I SWEAR TO YOU)
I picked up the pace when Mark raced after Scott when Scott freaked out and ran out of Mark’s apartment after they’d tried to spend their first night together. (MORE THAN JUST A GOOD BOOK)
I puffed out my cheeks when Sean stuffed his mouth with two dinner rolls when he’d first met Gavin. (SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN)

And perhaps the MOST embarrassing:

I reached for my dick (of which I do not have) when Walter told Kevin to touch himself. And I did it again every single time I read that scene. (HOW TO SAVE A LIFE)

Now that’s dedication, right? Or a really, REALLY nutty writer, I’m not sure which.

I’ll just say I’m very passionate about my work and leave it at that.

What You Do to Me (A Breathe Epilogue) now available via my website

Posted on May 21, 2014 by SloanParker

I’m pleased to share that you can now read the epilogue for my best-selling book BREATHE via my website. You can also download a copy in PDF format.

I hope you enjoy visiting with Jay and Lincoln again.

Note: WHAT YOU DO TO ME (A Breathe Epilogue) was originally published by Loose Id, April 23, 2013.

I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: Some of Sloan’s Favorite Quotes From the Book

Posted on May 4, 2014 by SloanParker

Today’s winner of the I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party Giveaway is:
Edith W. Congratulations!

Here are some of my favorite lines from I SWEAR TO YOU:

Quote 1:
There was just something about Mateo, something about watching him pleasure himself that got Grady hot and bothered. It fed a primal instinct in him that no amount of fucking girls had done for him.

Quote 2:
Grady seized him by the arm and spun him around. “Teo, it doesn’t have to mean anything. So we like jerking off together? It doesn’t mean we’re— It doesn’t mean anything.”
Mateo snorted out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “It means everything.”

Quote 3:
He took Grady’s silence as the affirmation it was. He threw his arms up in the air. “How in the hell did I get all the brains in this family? What kind of asshole tells his parents he’s gay, announces it on Facebook for everyone to see, and he doesn’t even know if he likes to suck dick?”

Quote 4:
“Did you know about yourself right away after we… After we were here last time?”
Mateo took a swig of the beer as if he had to think before speaking, or work up the courage to share something so personal. “There was no going back for me after that weekend.”

Quote 5:
“I’ve missed you too, Teo. More than I can say.” Only he was saying. He’d been trying to say everything that he could think of, more than he’d ever thought he would express to anyone.
They both moved at the same time and met halfway. This kiss was less about passion and more about saying what words weren’t enough for.

Quote 6:
They didn’t speak. Grady let his lips and hands say all he could to him, and Mateo seemed to be doing the same.
Grady wanted to believe he was reading the unspoken words correctly. That Mateo had forgiven him, that this was just the beginning.

Quote 7:
Eventually they stilled, Mateo’s head on Grady’s chest as he said, “No one’s touched me like that in a long time.” He shook his head. “No one’s ever touched me like that.”

Quote 8:
He gave him a long look. It was loyalty and devotion and maybe something more all rolled into one. “I had to make sure that if you ever figured things out and wanted to try again, I could be with you and not put you in danger.”

Quote 9:
Mateo faced the water once more. “Can we stay here for a little while longer?”
“Sure. However long you want.”
Without looking Grady’s way, he asked, “How about forever?” Then he turned to him again, and for the first time since they’d gotten to the lake, those dark eyes had a peaceful serenity to them. “Does forever work for you?”

I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: Mateo and Grady’s Song & More Behind-the-Story Info

Posted on May 2, 2014 by SloanParker

Today’s winner of the I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party Giveaway is: Christie M. Congratulations!

BEHIND THE BOOK: THE PREMISE

Over at the Loose Id blog, I’m sharing about coming up with the basic premise for I SWEAR TO YOU.

GRADY AND MATEO’S SONG

I don’t have a full playlist for this story, but here is the best song I came across for Grady and Mateo. Some of these lyrics are just about perfect for them.

If you don’t see the embedded video above, you can watch it here: “Arms” by Christina Perri on YouTube

Remember, if you haven’t done so yet, enter my release party giveaway for a chance at one of this week’s giveaways of a $10 e-gift card to All Romance eBooks. If you’ve already entered, you’ll be included in all of this week’s giveaways until you win a prize or the party ends. You only need to enter once. Good luck!

I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party: Behind-the-Story Tidbits

Posted on April 30, 2014 by SloanParker

Today’s winner of the I SWEAR TO YOU Release Party Giveaway is:
Kelsey O. Congratulations!

I SWEAR TO YOU is now available at Amazon!

Here are some behind-the-story tidbits from my writing of Grady and Mateo’s story:

In the original premise I pitched to my publisher, Mateo and Grady’s roles were reversed. As the story unfolded, it became clear Mateo should be the one who had no one in his life after he thought he’d lost Grady, and Grady should be the more reluctant one when it came to the two of them first being together.
In an early draft, the first kiss between Mateo and Grady happened at a frat party in a bedroom upstairs. I wanted them to stop thinking and give into everything they were feeling, ultimately having sex in that bedroom at the frat house. But as I started working on that scene, I decided I wanted them to be at the lake and to not go “all the way.” That one decision was the moment everything started to fall in place for this story.
Much of this story’s first draft was written by hand in restaurants and a local coffee shop.
I Swear to You was probably one of the most linear stories I’ve ever written, meaning I started at the beginning and basically worked my way toward the end. I did have outline notes for some of the later chapters, but I wasn’t quite sure what the final scene would look like until I got farther into the story. Usually I know how each story ends very early on in the process, sometimes going so far as to write the ending before 3/4 of the book is drafted.
I had several ideas in mind for what Mateo had witnessed in his past, and until I wrote the scene in the bathroom where he tells Grady the truth, I wasn’t certain which version I was going to use.